#he is petty as hell when you mention another person for favor

[wordsvomit101]

Leviathan as Siri

Original video: 🇦🇺Summer temp here in Land Down Under can reach up to 44°C. #summer #australia #destination (youtube.com)

Author note: I personally believed it can be true in the Kings as Siri AU

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

(On the driveway to Minhyeok's house - Tempreture: 40°C.)

MC: "Alexa how is the weather today?" *checking the traffic light*

Ding ding~

Leviathan: "Who is Alexa?" *in the most intimidating robotic voice possible*

MC: "Sorry I meant Leviathan."

Ding ding~

Leviathan: "Who IS Alexa?" *making the car colder through sheer tyranny of will*

MC: "... Never mind. Just tell me the weather, please."

Leviathan: "Why not inquire with that vixen Alexa about the weather, you imbecile?"

MC: *dies laughing as the light turns green*

[keij0h]

⌗ BAD IDEA, RIGHT? ┆ the8

After finding out about your cheating boyfriend, your pettiness leads you to ask another one of your exes for a favor. The ex in question: Minghao.

CAUTION : profanities. college au. ex!minghao. afab reader. a bit suggestive. cheating. (Minghao’s not involved with it.)

tap to listen !

No way. No fucking way.

Phone in hand, you stared intently at the pile of screenshots you just opened, trying your hardest to not pop a vessel and break every single thing near you as you stormed down the dorm halls.

It was a known rule to not leave your dorms once 10 pm strikes, yet that wasn’t refraining you from banging on a certain door, evidence right in your hand that apparently, your boyfriend has been sleeping around, and was stupid enough to post pictures of him doing it. So you figured that was worth being caught and suspended for, if it meant you could strangle him.

“it’s not as bad as you think, if you could just—“

“I don’t wanna fucking hear it.” you snarled, pushing past him as you stormed inside his dorm, barging his closet open, gathering a few of your clothes that you left in his dorm.

“Should’ve left you when that goddamn counselor told me to.” you muttered, shoving the pieces of clothing into a pile, simultaneously knocking a few of his things as you could hear his retorts from behind.

It wasn’t all the time that you felt rage like this. It just so happens that you managed to get so unlucky that your fate lands on a total douche, and you just refuse to muster up the fact that you endured a whole year with someone like him.

So when you finally slam his door closed, you’ve solemnly swear to not look back. But of course, you also weren’t leaving without a proper comeback.

And what better way to do that than to ask another person you’ve dated for assistance.

You had no idea what came to you that night, but you just found yourself back in the men’s dormitory, face to face with the “easiest” person you can reach out of everyone you’ve ever dated. Xu Minghao. At least, that’s what you thought.

“So, what do you say?” you hummed, still catching your breath with the amount of explaining you just said.

But even after all that, you were still met with that all too familiar, bitter: “No.”

The remaining hope you had on your face suddenly faltered, now replaced with a stoic glare. “I thought you said you’d be there for me even if we’re through? Huh? What happened to that?”

Minghao huffed, letting his shoulders slightly slump down as you recalled the same exact words he said two years ago when you broke up.

It was rather a weird way to remember, especially now that you’ve presented him your plan. The plan being simple: the same thing your (now ex) boyfriend did, make out, take pictures of it happening, and spread it around campus, then boom. Done.

“This is quite far from what I meant.” he pointed out, never breaking eye contact with your dejected state.

You could only click your tongue at this, not having a clue that this would be harder than you pictured it to be. “How the hell am I supposed to know what you meant? It’s not like you specified anything..”

For the record, he never did mentioned anything against something like this when he made the vow. But shit, it wasn’t like Minghao expected you to remember his words so easily, let alone recite it right in his face.

“Don’t even start acting like you don’t want this—“

“I really don’t.” he interferes, watching as the frown on your lips suddenly turns upwards as you tilt your head to the side.

“Oh, really?” you spurred, folding your arms to your chest. “Well, rumor has it..” you trail off, lowering your voice as you slightly lean towards him, enough to hear you mumble. “..you haven’t moved on from me.”

Truth be told, you weren’t so certain that it is a rumor, as you’ve only heard it from one of Minghao’s friends: who all still tend to tease him about you despite already calling it quits. Though he never seemed to have much of a response to it, which sucked to you.

He scoffs, rubbing a hand on his temple. “Did Jun tell you that?”

“Would it bother you if I said yes?”

“Then he’s full of shit.” he nods, smirking as he sees your expression shift back to a frown.

“Look, if you came here to just pester me and use my own words against me, then you’re free to go.” he shifts, pushing the door to close it on you, but failed as you slipped a foot right in the crack of it.

“Hate to say it, but this would’ve been so much easier if you would just agree.” you coo sarcastically, clasping both of your hands together. “You wouldn't even realize this ever happened, I swear.”

Minghao looks at you as you said that, this time, actually considering. It’s not like you want to make out with him, it’s just a petty little move to get back on your ex. Right? Whatever it was, it suddenly made him shiver.

With one final sigh, he spoke. “Three minutes. And that’s it. Clear?”

“Crystal.” you furiously nodded, letting yourself in before he could even do that himself.

Oh, boy.

“What are you even..” you sigh out loud. Not even a minute in, you were already having complications on making it seem.. real.

You were now situated on his lap, while he sat up with his back on the headboard. You tried your best to ignore the awkward tension, knowingly convinced yourself that it’ll all be worth it. It just had to be

As for Hao.. he just didn’t know where to put his hands.

“Can’t you make it more natural?” you scolded, grabbing a hold of both of his arms.

“Don’t expect me to be good at this, it’s been a while since I’ve touched you like this for fucks sake..” he argued, mumbling the last part as he looked down to his arms. All the while, your stomach churned at what he said, blinking away to stop yourself from thinking further.

“Just- just do it the way you normally did..” you sigh, now feeling his arms wrap around your figure, simultaneously feeling the tips of your ears heat up.

“This alright?” he muttered huskily, looking up at you. You heaved a breath, briefly staring right into him before nodding. “Mhm. It’s fine.”

The way his dorm room smelt, how warm he felt, it was all familiar, and you’d be caught dead if you said it didn’t calm you down. You struggled to reach for your phone beside you as you attempted to angle it down to a natural level. It was mostly focused on Minghao, while your face was a bit hidden, but enough to recognize who it was.

You cleared your throat, signaling that you should, well, start. You took a moment to observe him more, eyes gazing from his cheeks to his lips, until he pulled you out of your trance.

“Hey,” he called out. “Time’s ticking.”

Shit, right.

Your free hand found its way to the back of his neck, finally pressing your lips against his. You felt that certain shockwave as soon as you felt him kissing back, hand trailing through your cheek as you blindly snapped the pictures in your shaking hands.

“Hao, wait–”

You gasped into his mouth, Minghao purposely swatting your phone away, letting it fall somewhere on the bed.

You could feel your throat beating as he pulled you further to deepen the kiss, his plump lips moving so rhythmically with yours. You’ve missed this, more than you’ll ever admit. He’s always been such a skilled kisser, and you never understood that. All you knew was it felt too good, the sensation alone enough to drive you crazy.

A shiver ran up your spine as you felt his hand slip under your cotton shirt, gently caressing the soft skin of your back, accidentally letting out a hitched moan through the kiss, lighting a surge of pride on Minghao as his lips twitched into a smirk.

The three minutes you both agreed on was already over, yet he kept his grip firm, refusing to let go just yet.

Just as his hands reached the hem of your shirt, the loud tone of your phone going off filled your senses, making you abruptly pull away from Minghao, breathless as you got off his lap, hastily fumbling through his sheets in search of your phone.

A hint of panic suddenly washed over you, the contact name of your roommate right on the screen. You looked over your shoulder, catching a glance of Minghao’s slight weary state, not missing the subtle kiss marks you left all over his face as his lips parted, his eyes motioning you to go ahead.

Shaken a bit, you swiped the answer button, placing it right in your ear.

“Hey–”

“Where are you?? You never told me you were going out..” the alarmed tone on your roommate’s voice loomed over you, making you silently hiss.

“I, uh, I fell asleep..” you looked at the Minghao as you said that, causing another smirk from him, mocking your stupid excuse as you glared at him before turning away. “..in the library.”

“Oh, do you need me to get you there, or–

“No!” you exclaimed, sheepishly clearing your throat as you realized how forward it sounded. “Sorry, it's just that.. I'm already on my way back.”

Liar. Minghao thought, softly shaking his head in disbelief, biting back an amused smile.

A breath of relief left your lips as you ended the call, shoving your phone back in the pockets of your sweatpants.

“That wasn't three minutes, by the way.” you remarked plainly, standing up to pat down on your shirt, getting ready to leave.

“You didn't pull away either.” Minghao added in a matter-of-fact tone. All the while you rolled your eyes at him. God, him and his sly remarks, you kinda hoped that he got rid of that trait by now.

“Hey,” he suddenly called out before you could reach the door, cautiously making you look back. “Yeah?”

You watched as he faltered, somehow hesitant to just say it as you waited. With a sigh, he spoke up.

“Would it bother you if I said that Jun was telling the truth?” A slight reference to what you said earlier. The scary part was that he seemed a bit too serious, but anyway, you saw it coming from miles away.

You snorted, shaking your head simultaneously. “I never believed you anyway.”

Honestly, Minghao agrees that your presence can be infuriating at times. Though he can never say that he didn't miss it, and was willing to see more of it. That is, if you'd let him.

Considering that all of this was for some idiotic, and needless to say, petty comeback, you couldn't lie, you'd do it again.

“Goodnight, Hao. I'll see you.”

He chuckles. “Oh, you will.”

a/n : this took so long for what smh. also I'm obsessed with the Guts album rn, so hereee!

[the-black-bulls]

I like the headcannon game, how about Luck or magna :D

seeing a headcanon you disagree with and it kinda pisses you off

y'all want me to ramble about luck alright lol, already did magna here and I don't think I've more to add, so this post is for luck, vanessa and the bulls relationship in general!

Luck:

- I think a lot of people just assume that luck hates his mom because she's an abusive person, when in reality he's showed nothing but love towards her even after he finally let her go... and honestly, I doubt he would ever hate his mother period (even if he should 🥲), and taking that nuance out of his character doesn't sit right with me

- also, "bad friend luck" is a dumb headcanon that mischaracterizes him, magna, and the black bulls in general

- I'll be honest, I was never into the "half sister charlotte" theory, but especially after it became so widespread people treated it as canon thus it lost its appeal to me and sound boring now (we could always get creative and embrace "half sister sally" theory instead 😛), but nothing wrong about supporting it though

Vanessa:

- manga spoilers alert: there's this headcanon that popped up by charlotte fans at the end of spade which basically reads: "it's her feelings and plea for yami to live that triggered rouge into bringing help for him..." which, why? vanessa was there and grey was there and they don't need to be romantically involved with yami to have strong feelings for his safety be freaking real, not to mention that rouge has always been a black bull spell; it's favored by them and triggered by them and would alter fate for their sake regardless of any outsider's tears, but also... what the hell? we're talking about the spell vanessa developed out of (family) love, the same spell that's connected to her heart, why tf should charlotte be credited in her place is bad enough but stretching so hard to twist what is pretty much a love spell from vanessa to the bulls just so your ship gets petty points is pathetic!

- so anyways, "vanessa needs to find true love" is an awful, awful headcanon (emphasis on need)

Black Bulls Relationships:

- that they only started bonding with each others after asta joined the squad and inspired them to do better, SURE... they did become better magic knights thanks to him, but their development is a long process shaped by each other's presence even if it'd take them years to admit it... this is why when each black bull hits their Development Moment, they always think back of yami, the other bulls, or both, so there's NO WAY they acted like strangers or were unhelpful to each other prior to the year asta and noelle became members

- likewise, any headcanon that implies one bull or another is disliked by the others or only barely accepted isn't headcanon, that's straight up mischaracterization, go reread the manga again

- likewise, I believe that just because the manga didn't explore every single relationship within the squad, it shouldn't lead to fans making it like each member's circle is only limited to one to two bulls, like ok luck and magna are each other's #1 person, but luck can still share ties with the other members too... he can be vanessa's little bro, and noelle's big bro, and charmy's partner in crime, and the little gremlin gauche keeps enabling, etc etc

- this post is getting long so one last thing, I think of the black bulls as a team with mutual and equal influence over each other, so unless we're referring to yami there's no "X bull is carrying the squad on their back" or "without X bull the squad will be lost" - because, honestly, it doesn't fit the bulls, they're all so flawed and bad at things they need each other to balance their cons with their pros, case in point I don't do "finral has been the vice captain before nacht" but I DO "vanessa finral gordon are a trio of senpais who've been carrying/sharing vice captain duties for years"

[eristic-kaleidoscope]

Array of Information || Kenshin || 4.2 || RE: Erik A, Byrne, Kokone, Akito, Jae-Min, END

Ah god, here we go.

As the discussion begins to pick up, Kenshin carefully glances around the trial room. A lot to consider, a lot to think about. Emotions were running rather high too, sorrow, anger, fear, so on. As he glances at Byrne, noting his slight concern for a second, Kenshin reaches over to give his hand a small squeeze, before letting go.

And then the truth about Erik A’s note reaches his ears.

…..

……..shit. In an instant, Kenshin tenses up for a moment, gripping his podium. That…. That explains one of the favors, and why the surgery program was set up like that, and everything else. But… dear fucking god. He didn’t think he was going to have to hear something like that again so soon, and yet… god, fuck this motive for making that an answer.

“.....y-you don’t have to apologize for that Erik, the lack of memories fucked with us so…. I’m just glad that you were delayed.” He’ll leave it at that. Thank god Erik was still alive, but best not keep pushing that topic now.

With that, he shudders, taking in a deep breath before letting go of his podium.

“.....y-yeah, yeah I agree with Byrne that Erik is clear… I’d rather not argue that he could have done this considering…” everything.

Kenshin slowly stands back straight, before tilting his head. “Any more people we can clear, while we are at it? I’m just thinking, since a couple more details could help us eliminate more possibilities. Not to mention, answer many more questions.”

There, his eyes go between Jae-min and Akito, before sighing. “Yeah, please let’s save all the bickering and arguing over petty shit for later. I don’t think any of us wants to listen to passive aggressiveness over a fucking key right now.” There were much more important things to worry about.

“Speaking of the key, though…” Kenshin begins, humming slightly. “Even if it was used as a tool to lure someone into the trap, why a key? If it is someone’s personal key… Why would someone offer up a possession like that? At risk of losing it or something, plus using something so personal to lure someone just seems… off. I don’t know.”

However, as soon as Kokone snaps at herself, Kenshin immediately jolts, looking her way. His eyes remain on her for a moment, before reaching over to rest a hand on her shoulder for a few seconds.

“Hey. What Byrne said, don’t beat yourself up over that. Lot of shit was going on so don’t worry.” Though, he gets it. Quietly, he sighs, before crossing his arms.

“Carrying on, that means someone here is injured. Something had to have happened to them. I don’t know if that means they’re the killer or not, but it would certainly explain the blood. However… it still doesn’t answer many questions. For starters, if the person who bought the tools ran to hide the pliers in the tech room, why didn’t they hide the other tools? And why did the trail stop at the tech room? Even though they rinsed the blood off in a later room, why didn’t it continue??”

“Not to mention… what the hell is with the lighter fluid sheets and the bedpost?? My first guess was that someone wanted to set shit on fire, but how does that even relate to the case? It doesn’t seem like something that was a part of the killer’s plan. So what’s the explanation for something just out there like that?”

“Also, since the discussion of the Android devices is going on… keep in mind that- while it makes sense that the person involved would have that brand of device- if they were close to someone with that brand, they could have taken it.” However as he says that, Kenshin pauses. “....I don’t know how they could have returned it and when, but it’s just another possibility.”

There, his gaze goes back to END, before nodding. “I can’t explain where the knife went, maybe it was taken as a weapon or something. As for the rest of the tools… could the handle on the bookcase have counted toward that total? That may have been two tokens. Plus, the scissors. Though, that still means there are more missing tools, or we are overlooking something.” …..Just a thought, though!

“So the killer spent a lot of money, but the question is… which of the two favors did they buy? Because the sheets were used in the murder plan, but also AION was an accomplice. And since it was three different people who bought the three favors…. Which one?”

“While it makes sense for them to buy the AION accomplice one… how the hell did they get the sheets then?” Kenshin shakes his head. “Guess I’ll keep thinking about that then. There are still a lot of points to wrap up, or think on more.”

A thought crosses his mind for a second, before putting it aside. Let’s just keep listening, he needs a bit more information.

[thefanficmonster]

Hey, I'm the 3word anon! I guess to make this easier, you call call me 📚🌻

I just wanted to say that you did an amazing job! I loved reading what you've done! You said that you wanted more words so here it is your next words: tradition, needle and tribute

Love, 📚🌻

I'm so glad you liked it dear 📚🌻 ! I absolutely love this challenge and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it hehe. Hope you enjoy this one too!

Freedom

Pairing: Rick Flag x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of drug use, Mentions of injury Spoiler Free 😊

Genre: Romance, Humor

“Flag, I have someone coming on-board with you.“ Waller’s voice comes in through the radio of the jet colonel Rick Flag was about to take off with, taking the Suicide Squad on their newly assigned mission.

He rolls his eyes, engine of the jet roaring to signal it’s ready to lose contact with the ground and rise up into the skies - much like Rick, who’s already fed up with the Squad’s members who are explicitly annoying and pesky today, promising him a ton of headaches in the near future. With that in mind, these news Waller has given him so suddenly, he’s not particularly excited to welcome another lunatic on the jet. Another lunatic to deal with.

“Who the hell are you sending? Don’t you think my hands are already full enough?!“ He yells at the top of his lungs in order for his voice to overpower the engine’s loudness.

“I’m here to help you, you ungrateful piece of shit!“ This voice, familiar voice, doesn’t emerge from the radio, instead it’s coming from right behind him and is equally as strained as his due to the loud, ear-bleeding surroundings.

Before Rick can even comprehend the presence of another person, said person gets seated on the copilot’s seat, equipping a pair of headphones so the two can communicate without pushing their lungs to the brink of giving out.

“What the hell are you doing here, L/N?“ He asks, his eyes unable to hide even a little bit of the confusion that the girl’s presence has brought upon him.

Contrary to his seriousness and shock, the girl gives him a bright, almost teasing smile, “Oh come on, Flag. I have a soft spot for you, you know, I like helping you.“ She tilts her head ever so slightly, “And I don’t feel like giving Waller the pleasure of detonating this bomb at the back of my neck.“

“Thought so.“ He scoffs, watching Y/N’s movements out of the corner of his eye as she straps herself in. 

She rolls her eyes, cracking her knuckles before turning to him, deciding to pick up on this petty war, just to make matters worse for Rick and more amusing for herself, “Aren’t you gonna shoot me? I mean, it’s our tradition.”

Rick cringes, recalling the exact event - or rather events, plural - she’s referring to: the night he arrested her and a few others, all henchmen of the Joker. Unlike her co-workers however, Y/N put up one hell of a fight while those fuckers chose flight. Their decision didn’t get them far while hers led her to the hospital wing of the Belle Reve prison, a bullet in her side fired at her by colonel Flag. Seeing the report files on the altercation, Waller immediately knew the girl was something else and recruited her for the Suicide Squad.

Unfortunately, her first instinct when her eyes first landed upon the colonel was to pounce at him, despite her low chances of succeeding in her intentions considering there were guards and soldiers literally everywhere, all with guns ready to fire. Yet still, Flag was the one who shot her yet again, this time less dangerously close to fatal.

Yeah, she has a right to be pissed and a right to call it their tradition, but it’s also safe to say that their dynamic has improved. They went on to go on a few more missions together without any complications or unwanted altercations. Sure, there were snide remarks and petty comments here and there, but those could be considered compliments when compared to the shootings.

“When are you gonna let that go?“ Rick snaps, his eyes remaining fixated ahead while the jet slowly ascends, “I got you off the streets. I freed you from that psychopath. The last thing you should be is mad!”

There is a long pause between the two, leading Rick to sneak a glance at his co-pilot. She appears to be deep in thought, staring ahead much like he’s supposed to be doing right now. She doesn’t seem like she’s conjuring up a sarcastic response which would be totally up her alley, but oddly enough she seems to be genuinely thinking about what he said. He starts feeling a bit shitty for having snapped at her like that - she wasn’t completely wrong to keep rubbing it in his face, she did suffer two gunshot wounds from him, after all.

“I’m not mad.“ Y/N finally speaks up, not sparing him as much as a look, “I’m grateful. The Joker isn’t the only thing I was trying to escape. One half the day I was doing his dirty work, the other half I had a needle stuck in my arm or was out cold in a drug induced half-coma.“ This time she does turn to take in the expression change that’s happened on his face and she seems pleased with the shock and confusion she sees. “Bet you didn’t know that, did ya?“ Contemplating her next move for a second, she plays with the belts of her bulletproof vest and gear before seemingly deciding on what to do. Her fingers quickly undo the belts and buttons of the gear that’s covering her torso, removing the strong and dense protective material to expose the skin of her side where there’s a scar where she had to have surgery to get the bullet removed. Around the scar there’s a tattoo of a peculiar looking flower, masking the line as a part of itself, “I got that tattoo as a reminder of that night. A tribute to more than one freedom coming to me at once.” She quickly readjusts her gear, and slumps into the seat with a sigh of a deflating balloon. “No longer a slave, no longer an addict. Though, addicts are slaves too - slaves to our own brain’s dependency on a substance that’s destroying us.”

Rick is at a loss for words. He wasn’t expecting that, never did he think Y/N was an addict as well prior to being a henchwoman and then a prisoner. That’s probably due to the fact that she’s always been in a great physical shape, ready to take on the enemy whenever and wherever. “Damn, fucking hell, I’m sorry you had to go through that, Y/N...“ He really doesn’t know what’s there to say when he now feels even shittier than he did before.

He almost jumps out of his skin when he feels her hand on his bicep, “I would still be going through it if it wasn’t for you. In fact, come to think of it, I should apologize for pouncing at you like that when all you did was do me a favor.” She giggles quietly before adding, “But I won’t.”

He too allows himself a small laugh, “I wasn’t expecting you to.“

Of course he wasn’t, he’s come to know her well. And he also knows it’s nothing personal - Y/N is simply not the type of girl who apologizes. That he can stomach, but imagining his co-pilot seat unoccupied on the way back from this mission he cannot.

Damn it, Flag. God fucking damn you, you’ve done it again haven’t you, he asks himself, knowing the answer perfectly well already.

[softboywriting]

Meet The Parents | Billy Russo

Summary: You introduce Billy to your parents and it doesn’t go as well as you hope. [Billy Russo x F!Reader] [Assistant!Reader Trope] [Alternate Timeline - Castle family not mentioned/never happened] [Fluff] [Problematic Parents/Divorced] [Parents Fighting] [Language] [Flirting] [Flashback/Nightmare]

 Word Count: 3.8k 

 A/N: This is a follow up to my first fic Little Moments but can be read separately as a stand alone story. I may be doing several in a series with these two.

---

The office is quiet, and has been for the whole day. Billy has been out at a client meeting since you got in. Anvil is becoming quite popular in the private military market, having taken on three new contracts in the last two weeks. You're proud of Billy, he works hard to win over his clients and offer top of the line service. As the primary contact for all contracts and placements, you've gotten busy too. More business means more expenses, and more employees to keep track of. You don't mind, it keeps you active and engaged. There is nothing more you hate than just sitting around staring at the wall or watching cat videos for the billionth time.

"Hey sweetheart."

You glance up from your work and see Billy closing the office door behind him. He's dressed up, black and grey patterned silk shirt, expensive black suit, the tailored jacket over his arm. He looks positively delicious if you do say so. Those shirts are the best thing you ever convinced him to wear.

"Hey yourself. How'd the meeting go?"

"Shitty." He sneers and tosses his jacket on his office chair. He begins unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt to roll them up to his elbows. "The guy brought his daughter."

"Okay? What does she have to do with anything?"

Billy raises his eyebrows in an 'are you shitting me' expression. "His daughter is a model. Not naturally talented mind you, paid for by her daddy. Clearly he thought havin' her there would sway me into acceptin' the number he offered for the contract you wrote up. Like he's doing me a favor."

You stand and walk around the desk, eyes going up and down his chest. "You didn't do anything did you?"

"What kinda man do you think I am?" Billy walks you back against your desk, pinning you in with his hands on the top behind you. He drops his head to yours and stares at you with those dark endless eyes. "You think I'd fuck around?"

"I know you won't, you're too gone for me." You run your hands up his back and he arches against you. "Did she try?"

"She tried. Even sat on my lap."

"In front of her dad?"

"Mmmhmm." Billy drops his face to your neck and mouths at your skin. "I don't mind a little show and tell but even I got boundaries. Parental peepshows are off limits."

You laugh softly and he brings one hand against your lower back up to pull you against him. "Take it easy. You know the rules. No relationship stuff while I'm on the clock."

He groans, pulling his head back to look at you. "I need to touch you though. I don't want her lingering on me."

"I know." You step out of his hold and he lets his hand drag across your back as you escape his grasp. "Just another hour okay? I've gotta wrap a few things up."

Billy pulls his tie loose and unbuttons the top of his shirt. "Why did I ever make these rules?" He sinks down in his chair and spreads his legs, lolling his head against the back. He really is such a tempting little tease. How could you resist a man like that? Truth be told it's hard.

You take a seat behind your desk and focus your eyes on the invoices on screen. "You made them because you want Anvil to remain professional and not a playground."

"Bullshit."

"Your bullshit."

Billy bites his lip and gives you that look. The one that says he isn't to be messed with, that he's gonna get what he wants no matter what. And oh it's so tempting to get up and go sit on his lap in that chair. It's always been a fantasy of yours. One you haven't gotten to full fill due to his rules. He's really only cockblocking himself.

"C'mere."

"No, Billy."

"C'mon, be bad. Break my rules."

"No! You're such a jerk!" You laugh and he chuckles playfully. "We have dinner with my parents after this anyway. I'm not breaking your rules and getting all messy before we go see my parents. You hear? Parents."

"Always such a good girl."

"You like it."

"Damn right I do." He pushes up out of his chair and crosses the office to cradle your head and press a chaste kiss to your temple. "I'm gonna go home and get ready. Anything you want me to lay out for you? I think you've got a few things at the apartment."  

"The blue dress. I picked it up from the cleaners last week with a few suits. It should be in your closet."

"The one I bought you a while back for the client dinner?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't that a little revealing for a parents dinner?"

You raise your eyebrows and he narrows his eyes.

"You're a monster." He presses his lips to your ear. "If you keep teasing me I'll have to put you in your place."

"I guess I'm a glutton for punishment."

"Oh sweetheart, you have no idea what you're askin' for." Billy kisses your cheek and steps away. "Playin' with fire will get you burned."

You smile innocently. "See you later."

"You're terrible." He goes to the door and stops, looking back once more. "But I love you."

"Love you too Billy."

"Ugh," he groans, slapping a hand over his chest. "Say it again."

"Love you?" You giggle and he acts even more dramatic, pretending to swoon against the door. "What are you doing?"

"Being you."

"Wh- you son of a bitch! Get out!" You throw your squishy stress ball at him and he cackles as he runs from the office. What a child.

_____________________

"Oh, this is your boyfriend?" Your mother asks in actual surprise. As if you weren't meant to have a man that looks like Billy Russo. Truth be told you had never dated anyone half as attractive, not to you anyways. "He's so...well dressed."

Billy takes your mom's hand and kisses it politely. "We're all well dressed here ma'am. You look lovely too."

"Thank you." She flushes and giggles.

Billy gives a warm smile and tugs you closer. His hand on your back is radiating heat, its comforting. He knows you're tense. This dinner will be a strain on your nerves and he had been warned how difficult your parents can be.

"Your father should be here soon. I told him not to be late." Mom says huffily, eyeing the doors to the restaurant. You've met up with her outside and you're currently waiting for your dad to arrive. Your parents have been split for ten years and it's been hard, but not as hard as it would have been if they had divorced when you were still a young child. Well, you like to think that anyways. They waited, held on to their shit until you were graduated and old enough to understand that some people don't remain in love.

Billy leans in and presses his lips to your ear. "Are your parents going to fight? This place is very nice, I don't want to cause a scene."

"It'll be fine. They can hold it together for a few hours. I hope. Just don't mention their personal lives. It's a sore spot for mom. Dad isn't single anymore."

"Gotcha."

"Sorry I'm late." You turn and see your dad walking towards you. "Some asshole parked his Rolls Royce just on the line and I hardly squeezed into the only spot open beside it."

Mom scoffs and rolls her eyes. She bites her tongue but you know what she would say. Some comments about his truck being too damn big and a gas guzzler.

Dad puts his hand out for Billy. "You must be the lucky guy!"

Billy takes it and smiles a beautiful, toothy, shit eating grin. "Billy Russo, the asshole who parked his Rolls Royce a bit close to the line."

The way Dad's face turns pale and then red with embarrassment makes the whole evening worthwhile up until then. "That's yours?"

"One hundred percent. Bought and paid for."

"That's a beautiful piece of machinery. Expensive."

Billy leans his head on yours. "I only go for the best."

"Well you know I-"

"Oh shut up already, let's go inside." Mom says and grabs your dad's arm. "Always babbling on about shit when we've got things to do."

"Y'know what-" the conversation fades as your parents head into the restaurant. You're glad. It is bound to be petty anyways. Always was with them. Bickering children they should be called.

"Relax." Billy says in your ear, hand traveling up and down your side. "I can win over your parents for one night."

"You could charm anyone into anything and I've seen as much. You're a silver tongued sn-"

Billy catches your jaw in a light hold and presses a kiss to your lips. Your hand slides up into his hair and he grins into the kiss. "Easy now. We've not even gotten seated yet."

"Your fault."

"Usually is."

____________________

You stare at yourself in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. Dinner wasn't going so great and you had barely made it through an appetizer and drinks.

Your parents couldn't stop arguing, Billy was trying his best to charm them but apparently they're uncharmable, and you were left to play referee for your parents against each other or them against you and Billy.

It is a whole mess and you want to just leave, just walk out say fuck everything and go to Billy's apartment and go to bed. You haven't even had a chance to tease Billy like you were planning, hell, you've barely gotten a word in that wasn't defending him or fielding your parents insults they continuously hurdled over the table at one another.

The door rattles on your left and you clear your throat. "Occupied!" You shout and it stops.

It's a single use bathroom, not a multi-stall type set up. So the person outside would just have to wait until you were done having your crisis. Maybe not so fair to them but you'll be damned if you won't let yourself have a moment.

The handle turns and you back into the sink as the door opens. To your surprise it is Billy, not some worker with a key. "What the-"

"Your parents are insufferable. How the hell did you grow up with them? I mean I was in a group home and a few of the adults weren't great but holy shit they weren't my parents."

"I'm sorry."

Billy closes the door and shakes his head, taking your hands in his. "Don't be sorry for their actions. Never apologize for anyone but yourself."

"I knew this would happen. I just thought that maybe...I don't know...maybe they'd be different. Maybe they'd be proud of me, of you, so they would get along for two fucking hours."

"Sweetheart, you're nearly thirty, you're still seeking your parents approval?"

You laugh joylessly and bite the inside of your cheek. "You don't understand. You can't understand."

Billy brings your forehead to his lips and he rubs your back. He's always so affectionate with you, careful to hold and to love you like a man who never received it himself so he wants to make sure those he loves receives it tenfold.

"I understand seeking approval, but there is nothing you need approval for. You're an adult with a good job, a place to stay, an outstanding boyfriend with his own company. I'd say you're doin' alright honey."

You let out an actual little laugh, and he does too, bumping his nose against yours. "You're so full of yourself."

"You like that?" He bumps again, eyes on yours. "I said it to get you to giggle."

"You know it's a little true."

His lips meet yours in a warm tender kiss. "Confidence is sexy."

"It is."

"I could tell your parents there's a work emergency." He slides his hands over your ass and pulls you flush against him. "A real pain in the ass employee is causin' trouble."

You smile into his lips and he smiles back. "Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm."

He chuckles softly and cradles your head to his chest. "You can't choose how your family acts. Remember that. It's up to you to decide how you act, and if you want to deal with them."

"I know."

"Do you?" He runs a hand over your hair, tangling his fingers in the strands briefly.. "I know it's different for you, I can distance myself easier since I didn't grow up with proper parents. Maybe I'm cold, or indifferent but-"

"Stop." You dig your fingers into his side and he falls quiet. "Don't compare your childhood to mine. It's not fair. I don't want you to begin resenting me because-"

Billy gives you a look that is all warning and it silences you instantly. "I would never resent you for having parents and growing up like a normal kid should. I ended up in a shit situation and that is no one's fault but my own mother's. She is the only person I will ever resent." He softens, leaning in and kissing your nose. "Do you wanna ditch or go try to make something of this dinner?"

You swallow harshly and look at the door. Ditching would be easy, but the repercussions would be insufferable. Your mom would never stop calling about it, your dad would hold it over your head forever. It would be more of a disaster to leave than it would be to stay. No matter how valid the reason.

"We'll stay. I can try and redirect the conversation."

"That's my girl." He pats your cheek. "Proud of you."

"T-thanks."

Billy takes your hand and interlocks your fingers with his. "I'll take care of it. I can get them to shut up."

"If you can get a word in."

"I have my ways. Don't worry."

You cut him a look as you exit the bathroom and head for the table. "What are you-"

"Don't worry." He presses against your ear and guides you down to sit at the table.

Your parents are still bickering.

"Hey!" Billy says firmly with his hands on the table, not a yell, but enough to get his point across and the attention of your parents but not many others.

"Yes?" Mom asks surprisingly quietly.

Billy smiles and it's all venom, beautiful venom. You know this look, these eyes, that deadly grin. He isn't fucking around and the way he can express that so physically subtly astounds you. "The arguing is going to stop. The petty comments are going to stop. We're going to sit here and have conversations like adults, or you can leave and your daughter and I will have a nice dinner."

"Wh-" Dad starts but doesn't get any further.

"I am not goin' to repeat myself." Billy stands up straight and raises his eyebrows, daring your parents to say another word. The tension is thick, you can hardly breathe. Never did you think you'd have to witness Billy being like this with your parents of all people.

You grab a roll from the basket at the center of the table and pick at it. "How's work been, Dad?"

Dad clears his throat. "Good, busy. People always need an electrician for something. I did a school the other day, new classroom."

Billy sits beside you and lays his hand on your leg, thumb stroking your skin gently. He leans in and whispers "I told you don't worry." He turns his attention back to your parents. "So you're an electrician? Contractor?"

"Yeah, I work for Mundun Electric. Union job, pays well."

"And you?" Billy looks to your mom.

"I'm a medical receptionist. Clarke Center Hospital."

Billy smiles. "That's incredible. You're both hardworking people it seems, I see where she gets her work ethic. She's incredible, the best I've hired for Anvil."

You chew your lip and look down, flushed. "You're just being nice."

"I'm serious." He holds your hand up and kisses your knuckles. "I admire your dedication and the hard work you've put into making Anvil a success. Without you, I don't know where I'd be. Probably buried in paperwork."

"So you work for Billy? That's how you met?" Mom asks and you nod.

Dad raises his eyebrows.

"Dad, don't start."

Billy cuts a glare at your dad. "Don't start what?"

"Nothing." Dad says nonchalantly, eyes going to somewhere else in the room. "I just think inter-workplace relationships are never a good idea."

You squeeze Billy's hand and he just smiles oh so sweetly. "Dad, it's fine. Billy and I are both professionals. If things don't work out we'll make it work for the sake of the company."

"He'll fire you and you'll be looking for a job yet again." Mom pipes up, rolling her eyes. "See, things like this are why you can't hold a career."

"Mom!"

"Alright." Billy says firmly. "We're done here. Ma'am, sir, with all due respect you can both go fuck yourselves."

"Excuse me!?" Dad bellows and your mom looks flustered at the use of language. "You have no right-!"

"Actually I do." Billy stands and guides you to stand with him. "I'm going to love and care about your daughter the way she should be. You two are self absorbed monsters who should have never had a child, let alone forced the one you had to live through a loveless marriage. The fact that you cannot manage to sit here and have dinner with her and myself, which mind you has left quite a first impression, is sad and disappointing."

You grab his hand and you're shaking. You don't even know what to say. It's like Billy is telling them everything you've wanted to for your whole life.

"C'mon sweetheart." He puts his arm around you and guides you out of the restaurant. You know there are people staring but it's fine. It's over now.

"I'm s-"

"Uh uh." Billy puts his finger to your lips. "No apologies. Here." He shrugs his suit jacket off and puts it around your shoulders.

"Thanks."

"You wanna get out of here before your parents come out. Go get some burgers or something?"

You can't help the little smile that tugs at the corner of your mouth. "Pete's Diner?"

"Anywhere you like." He takes your hand and walks you toward the parking area. "Fuck this fancy bullshit anyway. I never understood the food they serve."

"Me neither. A hamburger and fries with a big ole pickle is good enough for me."

Billy opens the passenger door for you. "You're a girl after my heart y'know that?"

"I think I already have it."

He leans in and kisses your forehead. "That's for damn sure."

_____________________

Midnight you wake up crying. A nightmare, a reoccurring one as it would be. Though it is more of a twisted memory than a nightmare in actuality.

You are always around seven or eight years old, it's nighttime, you've been in bed for an hour and still not asleep. Downstairs your parents are awake, their disembodied voices float through the old floors. Their voices grow louder, shouting, screaming at each other. A glass shatters and you crawl under the bed. Footsteps come closer in the hall, heavy and slow.

The dream shifts. You're not a child but an adult. Under the bed is smaller now, the footsteps grow louder. The door opens and you scream when your foot is grabbed and you wake up crying.

"What's wrong?" Billy asks, sitting up in bed abruptly and turning on the light, hand instinctively going for the nightstand where you know a weapon is stored.

You had stayed the night, both of you decided it was best to stay together while you decompress from your tragic meet the parents dinner. Didn't matter in the end though. The nightmare still came.

"Just a bad dream. I'm going to get some water." You push back the blankets and plant your feet on the cold floor. It's a nice shock to the system, reminding you this is reality.

Billy's arm snakes around your waist. "Care to share with the class?"

"It's nothing. Just a nonsense dream about old crap."

"Your parents?"

"Yeah. Um, just a dream." You yawn and pat his hand on top of your stomach. "I need water."

"Grab me a bottle?"

"Sure."

You end up in the kitchen, looking out at the New York skyline. His place is so beautiful. It's luxurious, and you can't get used to it. You lean on the island and sip a bottle of cold water from the fridge. You don't think you belong here.

Then the dream comes creeping back in. Rationally you know that dream is never going to become a reality. Not with Billy around.

"Hey."

You look back to see Billy walking in with his sleep pants low on his hips. He scrubs a hand over his face before meeting you at the island.

"Sorry, I just got caught up in the view."

"It s'okay." His arms wrap around you and he presses his face to your neck. "I love you." He whispers softly into your skin.

"Are you alright?"

"Mmm."

You thread a hand into his hair and scratch at his scalp. It elicits a hum that's nearly a purr against your back. "Do you ever feel like you don't deserve this? Like everyday you can't comprehend that you're loved."

"I didn't think I could fall in love before I met you, yeah. I'm familiar."

"Oh."

"Wasn't expecting that?" He chuckles, flexing his fingers against your tummy.

You shake your head and he kisses along your jaw. "Billy, stop," you giggle as his short beard tickles your skin.

"No way." He starts walking you back away from the island counter and toward the bedroom. "I've got a disease and if I don't kiss you all the time I'll definitely succumb to it."

The two of you tumble onto the bed and he straddles your hips, mouthing at your neck and chest relentlessly.

"It's three in the morning. We need to go back to sleep."

Billy hums and settles on top of you, nose in your hair. "Sleep is for the weak."

"Then I'm weak." You trail a hand up his back, fingers flitting over his shoulder blade. His skin is so soft, so warm. "Thank you by the way."

"For what?"

"Being here when I had a nightmare."

"Of course." Billy pets your hair, stroking it down against the pillow. "I've suffered my share of them alone. I'm glad you were here so you weren't."

"Me too."

"Go to sleep." He kisses your cheek and rolls off to the side. His arm curls around you and pulls you close. "Love you."

"Love you too."

_____________________

*****Note: none of my works should be posted anywhere outside of my linked accounts. I do not give permission to repost with or without credit to my accounts. Please notify me of any reposted works.*****

Header image by delicate-venus

Thank you so much for reading, please reblog to support content creators. -A

[asexualone]

(pls take the time to read)

Signs I should have known I was aro: Disney edition

I think this topic has been stressed a lot already. But here is my take, anyway.

Of course, romantic love had been, is and will always be one of the main themes in kids' movies. Why, I can never fully understand. I'll explain below how I like other themes more.

Some time ago, I did a post on the kiss/hug scenes in Rapunzel which depicts how much more I value acts of showing love that don't include kissing.

Not only those two. I have a history of hating Disney on-screen smooches. As a kid, I thought, "Well, maybe, I don't like seeing these characters kiss because it's a grownup thing."

Could you blame me? When my parents were in the room and a kissing scene appeared on the screen, they changed the channel. So my toddler brain concluded that the reason I didn't like watching kisses was because I wasn't of age to like it. Or something.

At the time, I had no idea that I was hand-picking my favorite movies by the level of romance they had in. Or lack thereof. And I was a very judgemental kid. Let's go through my original thoughts on some Disney classics.

Snow White — No. Just no. She's a child, fourteen. Marrying an older guy she doesn't even know. After he kisses her corpse. NO.

Cinderella — The age difference is a little better, I guess. So is the age of consent. But they only talked one (1) night and he relied on that slipper to find her instead of asking to meet all women and see for himself. Fairytale logic I guess. I didn't like how she called it love immediately and kissed the prince at least once that same night. Or how they got married immediately.

The Sleeping Beauty — Must I even explain? Aurora didn't even know Philip that much, had only met him once (if you exclude the "dreams"). And yet, he's her true love, the only one who can revive her corpse. Ridiculous. And yes, kissing a comatose body, ew. Also, the arranged marriage trope pisses me off, royalty or not. Aurora was engaged as a newborn baby, come on.

Mulan — Cinematic gold. I didn't know it back then, but the fact that romantic love is such a pushed-aside aspect in this movie gives me life. The songs give me life. Especially when the trio dresses as concubines and "Be a Man" plays in the background. An absolute gem, lmao. The sequel however ruined the story somewhat for me, too much lovey-dovey stuff. I like Mulan more when she's fighting than when she's acting all sappy towards Shang, sorry not sorry.

Peter Pan — Loved it, still do. But I did dislike the mermaids, the image of fangirls who are petty towards other girls. And Pan's brief "relationship" with Tiger Lily was nauseating to me. I couldn't explain it but when Pan blushed at her nose-nuzzling thing, I always pulled a face.

The Princess and the Frog — In my opinion, (remember, always my opinion): Tiana, this hard-working girl who doesn't belong to anyone, was lost to love. Well, not lost. But falling for Naveen in the course of three days? Unrealistic and kinda unnecessary. Sweet, but still. I adored the "relationship" between Ray and Evangeline more. Either way, it's a movie that I enjoyed when love wasn't that prominent on screen.

Aladdin — I love this movie because of the Genie. The relationship between Jasmine and Aladdin is meh. She forgot his face and didn't recognize him until later. Their coming together is a lot like that trope "first guy who treats her right sets the expectations and wins her heart". Usually that's a thing, not only in Disney movies but media in general. The female lead settles for the first guy that treats her right because the bar is that low. A good movie, all in all. Love how Jasmine stands up for herself at least. Not a lot of princesses fight against the objectification of women.

Pocahontas — I used to hate this movie. I didn't sit right with me: the racism in it, the manipulation, the murders. And the romance, yes. Pocahontas fell for the strange man who tickled her curiosity in the span of two days. I also hated how her father just sold her to marry Kocoum like that. I know it's tradition. Heck, that's a tradition that still goes on in my country. Maybe that's why I didn't like seeing it on screen. And Pocahontas doesn't even end up with John Smith. The second movie definitely ruined the story. So yes, she's the first princess who fell for a man in three days, TWICE. Needless to say, only the songs kept me from blacklisting the movie entirely.

The Little Mermaid — I actually loved this movie for some reason. I can't explain why, maybe it was my obsession with mermaids. Yeah, that was probably it. But I was pissed when Ariel exchanged her tail for legs. Not to mention human periods and overall, all the bad in the world, for a man she'd only seen once. As I grew up I realized just how f*cked up that story was: Ariel giving her entire lifestyle, family and identity up for a guy she hadn't even spoken to. I don't know why I loved that movie, alright? Hell I still do a little. The sequel too. Say what you want.

Brave — (I know this is technically Pixar, shut up) Much like the paradox with Ariel, I didn't like this movie. I can't explain it. Maybe because Merida wasn't the typical Disney princess I had been used to seeing. Now though, I ADORE that story. No, it's not because Merida knows archery... Okay, yes maybe a little. I love the aro-arrow word play, alright? Anyway, the way Merida fights against being shipped to a husband like the "tradition" I aforementioned asks her to, has always had my heart, even when I didn't like the movie. The focus on the mother-daughter relationship is special, I love it. Stellar movie.

Tangled — One of my favorite Disney movies, my favorite princess. But her relationship with Eugene.... Well. Again, three days. That's all it takes to fall in love. Classic of Disney. Not only that, but Eugene is literally the first man person Raps has ever since, besides Gothel. The bar is nonexistent for her, she would have fallen for anyone. He lied to her and she still... Well, I won't stress that any longer. Their relationship in the end is sweet, one of the few cases where we are actually shown that they would risk their lives to save each other. Respect that. Mostly, I love her magical hair and Pascal. And the guys of Snuggly Duckling.

Moana — EPIC MOVIE. The story, the culture, the character growth, the plot twist, everything! Loved it at first sight, at second and forever. Even more when I became aware that there's no romance in it. I don't think I need to say more.

Frozen — My opinions on this movie have always been changing, accompanied by mixed feelings. So the relationship between sisters was cute, but Lilo and Stitch made that more realistic. Anna's relationship with Hans, ugh. I think that for a long time I used the fact that he was the antagonist to justify my absolute hate for the way Anna "fell" for him in one evening. Again, Anna sweetheart. This is the first man you've met. The bar is nonexistent for you too. God bless Elsa for forbidding her to marry Hans. And while it's cute to think Elsa as a lesbian, she has aromantic vibes. Sorry not sorry, but she's also a God by the end of Frozen 2. Gods are beyond attraction, I said what I said.

Raya and the Last Dragon — Loved it, still do. Say what you will about "dragon Elsa". Sisu is her own character, and I adore her. And yes, I love the lack of romance in the movie. Make no mistake, I shipped Raya and Namaari from the first moment they smiled at each other. I swear on my name that I paused the movie and screamed, GAYYYY, at the top of my lungs. Luckily, I was home alone. If only Disney directors would do the right fcking thing and give me a queer main couple!! I swear I wouldn't mind the lovey-dovey romance one bit.

Of course, I've left dozens of movies out. This post is already way longer than I wanted it to be. But I think that was enough to make a point.

While I'm not romance-repulsed, seeing animated kisses (and unnecessary relationships) on screen makes me uncomfortable. As a child and as a grownup. It just doesn't sit right with me. Not to mention all these princesses who identify with their princes and specifically their relationships with said princes when they're perfect on their. Wreck it Ralph 2 made them a favor, I think, by making them work together and showing their strengths. Another movie I love.

Friendship just makes an overall better theme to apply to kids shows, my opinion. Family, work, self-discovery, mental health, happiness. These are all better themes to portray in media dedicated for children. Which is, again, my opinion.

And yes, Disney has been getting better. They've fixed the age difference and the age of consent. The female characters no longer depend on the male ones, at least not as often. They understand the assignment, alright. There are still many questionable things about Disney's reputation though, things we all choose to overlook for the sake of the good movies. But who knows? They might change. Hopefully soon we'll also have an obviously queer couple in a movie. Hope dies last.

[garrothromeave]

mcd garroth + laurance headcanons for the sake of me posting something while working on my long-ass post, also happy birthday blaze ily, 

garroth - total momma’s boy. seems obvious, but it’s true -- back in o’khasis, he was practically glued to the side of zianna. whenever she had to leave for a few days when he was younger, he’d cry if he couldn’t go with her. when he left for the guard academy, he wrote to zianna on a daily basis. to put it simply, he had separation anxiety. the hardest thing about faking his death was not being able to see or talk to his mother. - incredible piano player. his father made him take lessons when he was younger for quite a few years, but he was naturally very good at it. he never mentions this skill to anyone. while they were at malachi’s castle and were looking for materials before they left, garroth stumbled upon an old piano and played something. he got really into it, and laurance ended up stumbling on him playing. he made laurance swear to never tell anyone about it. - when garroth was around eight or nine, his stutter was so bad that garte didn’t let him speak in public or around any people other than the family out of shame. vylad and zianna used to help garroth with his stutter.

- garroth is very sensitive to the saying “oh my irene.” growing up in the ro’meave house, it was taboo to use irene’s name in vein. or anywhere in o’khasis, really. nowadays he’s still very caustious whenever he says it, because he thinks that someone is going to yell at him. - horrified of getting hurt. back during the days of training in the guard academy, while he was very good with technique and fighting itself, he had a very bad flinching problem. overall, for the longest time, wounds and pain made garroth very uncomfortable. because of this fear of getting hurt, he has a bit of a stubble because of the one time he hurt himself while shaving.   - 6′4, because 6′11 is unbelievably tall and i honestly don’t even think that it’s canon? s’yeah. he seems 6′4 to me.

- garroth often sees new things and (internally) has this very child-like wonder response. he was sheltered for the entirety of his childhood and teenagehood. and after the guard academy, he stayed put in the same village for 5 years -- so he hasn’t experienced very much. he often wants to ask dozens of questions, but because of his shyness, he tends to just observe anything new very closely. which leads me to my next headcanon,

- because of o’khasis’ intolerance to many things, he was not very commonly exposed to magick’s users. the first magicks user that he directly met would be zoey, and he was very nervous when talking to her the first time he met her. when garroth gets to know her more, she catches on that he’s curious about a lot of things, and offers to tell him about things. he declines, and he regrets that decision to this day.

- as stated before, o’khasis isn’t very tolerable of things, which caused garroth to develop incredibly bad internalized homophobia. when aphmau comes along, he gets a very strong desire to protect her (little do we know, this strong desire comes from his connection with esmund) and confuses it for/tries to convince himself that it’s romantic love. it is in fact love, just platonic. so basically, this man’s gay as hell.

- garroth has more freckles than any other ro’meave family member. he’s mildly insecure about his freckles, seeing them as a ‘childish’ trait, which is why he wasn’t very bothered with the idea of hiding his face with his helmet. 

- his hair is super curly. it used to be more tame, but as he got older, it got more curly. it’s usually a mess because he doesn’t know how to take care of it, but it somehow looks hot as hell. (no homo ofc.)

- garroth is allergic to blueberries. 

- raven was garroth’s first genuine connection since he left o’khasis. zenix was his second. he loves raven a lot, and hates that he can’t see him as often as he’d like to.

- garroth is a total cat person. don’t get me wrong, he loves dogs, but if he were to choose between having one or the other, he’d choose to have a cat. he had a pet cat when he was little that he still thinks about a lot. (probably named sprinkles, just for the hell of it.)

- because of how he grew up, garroth’s actually a very picky eater. while he’d never admit it to himself or anyone else, he misses the more “rich-people” food he was spoiled with. 

- garroth isn’t actually that stupid, when he first arrived at pheonix drop, he had a name in mind that he wanted to go by (to better hide his identity). however, when his name was asked by someone, he panicked and “garroth” accidently slipped. he beat himself up for the longest time after that. the only reason he finally let go is because no one had ever pointed out how/seemed suspicious he had the same name as the deceased first-born son of o’khasis.

laurance - his hair grows decently quick, so even after cadenza cut it for him, it only took about 4 months for it to grow back just past his shoulders. he prefers it having some length to it anyways, and usually ties is back into a ponytail. after the irene dimension, he would let nekoette braid his hair. - has a very lanky body type. naturally has long limbs, and would often get called a ‘stick’ when he was younger. he’s about 5′11. but don’t confuse his thinner stature for weakness, he matches garroth’s strength easily.

- bi icon. fuck that “you were my first kiss” bullshit he gives aphmau, the list exists and while it’s stupid and weird, according to it, garroth was his first kiss. which is fuckin funny as hell if you think about it.

- laurance is very good with animals. more so rodents and smaller creatures, like squirrels, birds, rabbits, etc. cadenza was convinced that laurance could talk to animals for the longest time. he even had this little mouse that would pop in his house. however, on the contrary, larger animals -- not so much. he’s shit with horses and cows, especially. 

- incredible singer. has serenaded aphmau on multiple occasions, and has even gotten her to sing along with him from time to time. he sang for malachi to help him fall asleep every night since the day they met him. this caused him to start singing for levin at night as well. when laurance saw malachi again after the 15 year jump, within the first few days of his return, malachi asked for laurance to sing for him again just like he used to. which brings me to my next headacanon,

- laurance saw malachi as his own child, and treated him as such. they were very close, and malachi was the most heartbroken over laurance’s disappearance since he saw him very much as a father. it wasn’t that laurance favored malachi over levin that created this bond, it was the fact that laurance first-hand saw a child in need of a home and someone to love him, and it reminded him of when he was small. 

- he’s a sucker for bets. gambles, wages, anything like that. while he’s not directly a gambler, if someone offers he’s sure to accept. he’s a risk-taker, and ends up getting really into it. this also branches into his competitive behavior. he’ll be really upset and possibly a bit petty if he loses. why else do you think he still hadn’t given castor the 5 dollars he owes him?

- slingshot master. you give this motherfucker a slingshot he can kill someone with his impeccable aim. he’s also very good with a bow and arrow or any sort of projectile, but he’s the best with a slingshot. when he was younger, he hand-made slingshots from materials that he’d find around the forest.

- speaking of the forest, laurance is a very nature-loving soul. when he moved to meteli when he was adopted, he’d often go and explore the forests nearby. he and cadenza would use their imaginations and play all sorts of games. laurance and her especially loved to climb trees, and would jump from branch to branch. this helped laurance become very flexible. this is also how he met sasha, she was sitting in his favorite tree one day and they just hit it off from there.

- after he was rescued from the nether, laurance frequently had nightmares that would lead into sleep paralysis episodes. the first time it happened garroth had been looking over him (since this was around the time when laurance first got back and garroth had allowed aphmau to go do her lord tasks while he watched over him) and when he had the ability to move and speak again, he started freaking out. garroth had to calm him down and assure laurance that he’d talk to zoey about what happened. garroth and zoey are the only ones that know of laurance’s sleep paralysis, mainly because he didn’t want to worry aphmau or anyone else. zoey often gave him ways to cope with it. it didn’t happen every night, but it did occur at least 5-6 times a month. his sleep paralysis stopped the moment he entered the nether for the second time. 

- the first time laurance heard he’d made the list for the jury of nine, he felt honoured. when he was oblivious to how corrupt it was, he saw it as a huge opportunity. after learning about it’s true nature, he was still glad that he’d made the list -- because him being on the list prevented another person from risking being on the list and being chosen to be apart of the jury.

- yes, laurance can cook very will in this universe as well. it’s not that he was taught, it’s more that he can look at ingredients and just throw them together to make great combinations. zoey also taught him a few things.

- laurance does not know his real birthday. malachi does not remember his. since cadenza had “given” laurance a birthday, he offered to let malachi share his unofficial birthday with him. malachi accepted. 

garroth + laurance

- laurance began referring to garroth as “pretty boy” after seeing his face. he continued to call him that for the first month of their friendship. garroth hated it, and that’s the only reason laurance eventually stopped.

- laurance and garroth are both very good story tellers, but after one incident where garroth was telling levin and malachi a story, he started stumbling a bit over his words and couldn’t articulate correctly, so laurance picked it up and continued it. from there, they took turns with the story and occasionally interrupted one another to add a detail or plot point, and after that, malachi refused to listen to garroth or laurance separately when telling stories, because their collective minds came up with the most fascinating shit.

- garroth isn’t the best at coming up with insults because he’s simply too nice, but laurance loves to make fun of garroth (in good fun, of course). however, there is one thing that garroth could hold over laurance; and that was their height difference. whenever laurance would mess with him, garroth would just bring up height to piss laurance off. 

- when laurance regained his sight, him and garroth sparred very often. that’s when garroth realized how much strength laurance actually had, since he’d originally underestimated him. laurance, in all honesty, was equally surprised. their spars were pretty evenly matched.

- while these two are best friends, the amount of arguments they’ve had is insane. most of them were light-hearted and were more so disagreements, but sometimes things escalated and would result in yelling. that’s because laurance always took it a step too far. that, or garroth would try to disregard what they were talking about, which only made laurance more heated. but they’re both incredibly quick to forgive each other. once they had a really bad argument and didn’t talk for an entire hour afterwards, but once they saw each other again it was like they’d never fought. 

- since garroth grew up with everything and laurance often had to hunt and shit, garroth wasn’t amazing at it. laurance found out, originally teased garroth, but gave him tips and took him out and taught him how to hunt. garroth’s still shit at it when he does it alone, but when he does it with laurance he’s pretty decent. 

- garroth doesn’t drink. laurance does. laurance once tried to convince garroth to drink, but he refused -- which laurance respected, but garroth had to deal with drunk laurance for the rest of the night at the guard station. he learned things that he really wish he hadn’t that night. 

---

i had more for garroth and laurance’s relationship, but uh, i don’t really have time to write them down, so take these for now! i hope y’all enjoy them as much as i did writing them :]

[krysphycookiez]

ateez | you as the female maknae

synopsis: you’re the youngest and only female member in ateez, let’s see how you get along with the boys

genre: fluff, platonic, imagines

pairing: ateez x maknae!reader

a/n: sooo uhhh yeah this is my first fanfic post on tumblr, i never really see these types of genres for in any ateez fanfic so i thought i’d try it out. i hope y’all enjoy it!

❤︎

tbh i think seonghwa be a bit distant at first, since he really didn’t know how to interact with you, not to mention the slight age gap

but then as you two started to spend more time together you gradually started getting closer

now the two of you have the cutest parent/child like relationship ever

take his babying tendencies with the other members and multiply it by 10

he always tries to take care of you in small ways like giving you water after dance practice or making sure you don’t overexert yourself

a bit overprotective but for the most part he just let’s you do whatever

also nags you a lot

whether it’s to do your homework or to eat something

he’s very worried about you all the time because of rude fans and netizens

but at the end of the day he knows you can handle yourself

even then you still depend on him sometimes

seonghwa also probably scolds the other members if they go too far with pranks/teasing

his bias towards you is very obvious

but he still sees you as a smol child that has to be protected at all costs

hongjoong is basically seonghwa’s behavior around you but 10x worse (not in a bad way tho lmao)

he definitely nags you a lot more because he’s a stressed leader

but that’s just how he shows he cares for you

definitely favors you a lot more than the boys when they are being annoying

he also makes sure you’re okay and in perfect health all the time

usually lets you help develop new tracks when you’re in the mood to help

sometimes even gives you some producing and recording tips, while also letting you listen to his most recent tracks

if you’re a foreigner that speaks english he probably tries his best to make you comfortable by speaking english to you

and both of you make a great translator duo too

even if you aren’t a foreigner but you still speak english you both probably have english conversations anyways

there’s of course those times where he scared you to death cause he’s upset

but he really doesn’t mean to scare you and apologizes afterwards

also overprotective like seonghwa, he just doesn’t want anyone hurting his precious baby

you just basically accepted that hongjoong and seonghwa adopted you

this bitch is either very soft around you or very annoying around you

depending on his mood, yunho will either baby you like you’re a toddler or tease you like there’s no tomorrow

especially because of your height too, he’s basically a tree compared to you

on vacation days he probably spends his time with you by either cooking or watching movies together

he really sees you as his little sister and he enjoys the feeling

if you’re one of the main dancers you and him probably do a lot of choreography covers together

especially bts covers

he usually teases you about certain idols you admire, jokingly saying you have a crush on them

this sometimes goes too far that even hongjoong gets involved

but at the end of the day it’s all just fun and games

whenever you’re feeling down he’s one of the members that comforts you because he can sense when you’re in a gloomy mood

he just wants you to feel happy and safe cause of the harsh idol life all of you go through

he’s also one of those friends that never lets you forget about embarrassing shit you’ve done too

but he will always be your sweet little teddy bear

like seonghwa, yeosang probably was a little shy around around you at first, probably cause you were a girl

but now he’s a ruthless and shameless little shit around you

he teases you all. the. time. there’s never a moment where he doesn’t take the opportunity to tease you

he’s the reason why you developed your sneaky and savage side in the first place

LOTS of insult battles, and it’s usually a 50/50 win too

though there’s always those petty fights about who won too and the other members just watch the chaos unfold

probably takes you out to eat chicken with him too, cause he still cares for you

and also the type to say “no one but me is allowed to call you stupid names and tease you”

speaking of stupid names, he barely refers you to your actual name off screen, he always has dumb nicknames for you

and vice versa too, you also can get pretty creative with names

but he’s also one of the members to automatically know when somethings wrong with you, like yunho he’s emotional support for you

also encourages you to push harder as well (ofc not TOO far), because he wants you to be the best version of yourself

no one can hurt you in any way or that person will get a piece of yeosang’s mind

even though he’s an annoying brat around you all the time, he still deeply cares and cherishes you cause he really does love you like his sister

he loves you so much! san thinks you’re so adorable and he just loves you so much

probably praises you for every little thing you do too. the others sometimes get tired of his antics sometimes but you find them cute

you steal his attention from wooyoung and that sometimes causes petty rivalries, but it’s all just fun and games

he’s also another member to know when something’s up with you, cause you guys were even close during trainee days

initiated a lot of skinship with you, and he likes to play with your hair too and vice versa

also a lot of aegyo between the two of you, you two are just so soft for each other it’s irresistible

san is also the type of friend to wake you up at like- 3 in the morning to play games with him or watch a movie

speaking of games, you guys also play a lot of games together

most of the time san wins though

if you speak english, he probably asks for tips and lessons on english, and you’re partly the reason why he has a smooth accent and decent vocabulary

you also probably tease him a bit, especially about his dance audition to KQ, which always results in a smack

platonic kisses on the cheek and head too off screen, there might have been a few cases where you two might have actually kissed on the lips

but probably because you lost a bet

he’s your little cheerleading puppy and you two are just such cuties together

crackhead duo, enough said

you and mingi always say and start the weirdest shit all the time, you both team up to prank the other members

mainly with seonghwa and hongjoong cause their reactions are funny. though you never dare to lay a finger on jongho

you two once started a running gag about calling seonghwa oppa (you call them hyung) and that joke lasted for a week

he also watches a lot of memes with you, and both of you have the craziest laughs ever

sometimes the other members are concerned for your mental health

if you aren’t a rapper, you probably try to imitate his rapping. it always looks very silly and he just cracks up at the sight

you two also cause a lot of chaos when it’s just you and the others without the 98 liners

also you two aren’t allowed to cook together anymore

one day when you it was just you and the 99 liners, mingi threw some flour at you while baking and it caused a whole ass war

hongjoong spent an hour wiping frosting off of the wall, and you guys got a huge scolding from seonghwa. still worth it though

you probably steals his hoodies cause they are so warm. he either doesn’t mind or gets whiny about it

probably has pasted sticky notes all over your room before in random spots, and you did the same to him too

you two are the equivalent to chaotic twin siblings and it’s just adorable

two words; sneaky bitch

wooyoung can and will annoy you to death with his stupid antics, and vice versa too

you two probably didn’t get along at first in trainee days but now you guys are the closest you can get

he’s very affectionate around you that even SAN sometimes gets jealous, san of all people! you have to be very special to make him jealous

also those petty rivalries between you and him over san never really last that long, it’s just stupid bickering

probably tags along with you and mingi to prank the other members

LOTS of flirting and stupid pickup lines

he usually wins them because you can’t beat that man’s charm, but sometimes he makes a comment a little too inappropriate that results in a scolding

both of you also do a lot of stupid dances together, and the other members just watch you guys wonder what the hell you two inhaled

if there’s a rumor/false scandal surrounding you, he will comfort you the most and protect you at all costs, even going as far to glare and call out someone who insulted you

also initiates a lot of skinship with you, though not as much as san, you just always smell good so he can’t help himself

you two also cause a lot of chaos at fansigns, whether it’s fighting over a snack or smacking each other with toys

sometimes people think you guys are childhood friends, and who can blame them? you two are so close it’s immaculate

and maybe a few dating rumors surrounded you before, but at the end of the day you guys are just really good friends

jongho is the only member who doesn’t baby you, since you guys are pretty close in age

he doesn’t really show it cause he doesn’t like showing affection on screen, but he always looks out for you

no one dares to mess with you when jongho is around cause they know they are gonna get their shit rocked

mingi and wooyoung learned that the hard way

he’s very caring for you and although he doesn’t show it by hugging or in any other physical gestures, he shows it through words

he actually was really shy to talk to you at first cause he thought you were really pretty, so you guys talked through notes

eventually he came out of his shell and now he talks to you like one of his close friends

if you’re one of the main vocalists, you and him probably sing a lot together, even when he’s breaking apples

has probably taken you to a few puppy cafes before so you could frolic with all of the adorable dogs

he just really wants the best for you, even if this isn’t super visible on screen

you also jump on his back a lot to make him carry you cause he’s a strong boi

he also just picks you up randomly and throws you over his shoulder just for your reaction

and it’s a lot of screaming fyi

overall, he brings out the more calming and quiet side in you, but it’s nothing bad, because both of you know that you care for each other

❤︎

a/n: so that’s it for the first fanfic post! i’m sorry if it isn’t that good it’s been a while since it’s been a while since i wrote a fanfic, so this is a fresh new start for me!

i might move some of my wattpad stories here on tumblr, but see will see ;) requests are still open! so drop some requests if you liked this one

this is @/krysphycookiez logging off... ♡︎

[heniareth]

Here's that ask I promised :D Some more questions for the OC ask meme <3

What is your character's biggest realtionship flaw? Has that flaw ever destroyed relationships for them before?

Companion they are closest to and why?

Thoughts on the Dalish?

What biases does your character have? (This can be in favor or against)

How does your OC react in stressful situations?

What do they like to ridicule and/or what do they find stupid?

Does your OC have recurring themes in their dreams?

What is your OCs proudest moment?

Did you create the OC to be like yourself, did they end up being like yourself, or are they very different from you?

(These are a lot again, it is so hard to hold back xD So take your time and no pressure as always :) Just excited to get to know more about your Astala <3)

Thank you for the ask!! I had this sitting for forever, life has kept me busy, but I'm so excited to give this a go XD And to delve into some aspects of Astala that I haven't given much thought yet, so that's exciting.

What is your character's biggest realtionship flaw? Has that flaw ever destroyed relationships for them before?

Astala's biggest flaw when it comes to relationships is her inability to let go of people. On a positive note, this trait manifests as a very strong loyalty. On the negative side, it will lead her to cry after relationships that have ended and pour over them to try and find out what went wrong. It can also put her or other people she cares about in danger; especially in her position as the de facto leader of the companions, this could quickly lead to the loss of a whole unit (aka the three companions you can take with you on missions + the Warden). Luckily, she has Morrigan and Alistair (and Sten and Zevran) who can and will point out when a course of action is likely to put them in more danger than they already are.

Companion they are closest to and why?

Ooof, this is a tough one. Ironically, the romanceable four. Alistair is practically second-in-command, even though I imagine he’d protest at the title. They work closely together and are therefore quite close. Astala admires and respects Morrigan, even when her opinions and advice goes against most things Astala believes in. She’s the kind of friend you know would hide a body for you. Leliana is a friend in the more “common” sense. She and Astala both have a thing for nice clothing, their morals are similarly aligned, and they just get along in general. And then of course there’s Zevran, who’s Astala’s love interest. Funnily enough, they both started off annoying the hell out of each other over various petty reasons, and it takes them some time to really see each other for who they are. And from that point on there’s no turning back and they fall hard.

Thoughts on the Dalish?

The Dalish are an interesting subject. Astala hadn't met any previous to the Blight (although her cousin Shianni imagined her dad, who she never knew, to be a strong Dalish warrior). So to see them live these relatively normal lives when she encountered Zathrian's clan was... odd. But on the other hand, their lives were everything but normal because they spoke elvish, worshipped the Creators, had halla and could go wherever they wanted. So the first thing Astala did when she got there was ask a metric ton of questions about everything. On the other hand, the way some of the Dalish talk about the city elves makes her sad. They have a point , the city elves would probably treat one of the Dalish similarly, and she understands the distrust in anything that so much as smells of humans; but she still finds the divide tragic. She also thinks the Dalish are a bit too proud for their own good; but then again, how else are you going to defend yourself against a world that threw an Exalted March against your forebears' homeland?

What biases does your character have? (This can be in favor or against)

Astala is generally biased in favour of elves, and in favour of whoever she percieves to be the underdog in a given situation. This can lead her to get duped (it hasn’t yet in my current playthrough, but it probably will at some point).

How does your OC react in stressful situations?

When in stressful situations, Astala generally tries to remain in control of it. To do so, she relies heavily on whatever companions she has at the moment and the resources available, both in the environment and on her person. She tends to try and talk things out, but also to make rash judgements, which uuuuuh can backfire (she's quick to draw her blades, for instance, and that does not exactly help to deescalate situations). She also has a tendency to just seize control. She also will give orders and will expect others to follow them. The companions look to her as a leader, so that works out fine. In Redcliffe, however, she did find that the militia men would listen to the mayor, and not to her. That was frustrating for both parties.

What do they like to ridicule and/or what do they find stupid?

Human nobles. Just the whole package. From their fondness of dogs and their dainty dances (which her father, who was a bann's servant, would describe to her and her cousins) to their pointy-ended shoes and their petty grievances (because when you have enough money to boss other people around, all your grievances are petty, right?). A surefire way to keep the younger kids entertained was to pretend to be a noble, let them play servants, and have them wreak havoc upon you as they got orders wrong on purpose and "stole" the "noble's" belongings. Afyer the Blight, that fondness to ridicule sadly wanes away and leaves mostly frustration in its wake.

Does your OC have recurring themes in their dreams?

Astala is a terribly heavy sleeper. If she dreams, she doesn't remember it come morning. She can therefore sadly not report any recurrent themes in her dreams as of now.

What is your OCs proudest moment?

Apart from the power trip in the Fade (she walked out smiling and continued to smile until Uldred turned into a pride demon), it was probably when she got her first job. She was 14 at the time and overheard some boys talking about how a merchant was expecting a big shipment and looking for new help. Up until then, she had been trying to get a job as a servant like her father, to no avail. On a whim she followed the boys, and lined up with the other hopeful candidates in front of the merchant's warehouses for a try-out (a selection process entailing an unpaid day of work). She proved herself to be strong enough to lift and carry crates, small and nimble enough to climb to where others couldn't reach, and above all she got extremely lucky. She was called back, first for one month, then for a trimester, then for one year and for another. And while Cyrion would have liked his daughter to have an easier and less dangerous job, he was proud right alongside her when she brought the first coins she had earned home.

Did you create the OC to be like yourself, did they end up being like yourself, or are they very different from you?

I created Astala's first version (which I mentioned in this post) based on a character that was very much an ideal; strong, kind, and above all, brave and adventurous. That first heroic version then got put through all the trials and tribulations of the story, and I was very much going with my gut instinct and not with a predetermined idea of the character when I tokk her decisions. So basically, this first versions had a good chunk of my morals and priorities. After the Deep Roads, that first version started getting depth; she reacted very strongly to having to shoulder the responsability of chosing a new king for Orzammar, for Ferelden, and defeating the Archdemon. From that point on, I started exploring why that reaction might have been so strong. Astala as she is now is the product of that exploration (during which she acquired some fears and pain points she shares with me. Examples are the fear of messing up, the sometimes blind loyalty or the need to shoulder all the responsability). Bottom line: she definitely has parts that are mine, some of which she acquired over time, but she's her own person. She's not me.

---

That was a lot of fun!! Thank you so much for the ask and sorry for the delay >.< But I'm very happy I finally came around to it, I always love answering these

[pucksnsticksnhockeyboys]

you say you hate me

summary: four times you were forced to spend time with Matthew plus one time you chose to.

warnings: mentions of drinking, swearing

word count: 7.2k

note from the writer: is it bad that I’ve already started another Matt fic? also this gif is *chef’s kiss* amazing

ONE

You knew you ran the risk of running into him when you moved from St. Louis to Calgary. But you couldn’t pass up the job opportunity you were given, even if it meant you were looking over your shoulder as if to avoid running into him.

But after three months of living in Calgary you hadn’t seen him, so you were certain you were in the clear. You reasoned that he would’ve popped up sooner, you followed each other on Instagram and have each other added on Snapchat, so you knew that he knew you were in Calgary. You pushed him to the back of your mind, though, not wanting him to take up any more residence in your mind than he already did. And after a while you figured you were safe from his presence and any headaches that seemed to follow him around.

So imagine your surprise when he shows up while you’re in the middle of a date.

Chris is a nice guy. It’s your third date, and the bar he’s taken you to is a little more on the casual side, but the Edmonton vs. Canucks game was on the television above the bar and you knew he was a big hockey guy.

Clearly, you had a type.

“So, I think my boss is going to give me a big project, which would be a huge step in the right direction for the promotion I—” You were gushing about the news you had received earlier in the day, but you were unable to finish your thought as Chris yelled.

“Oh, fuck off, Mcdavid! You should have scored that.”

After realizing that he wasn’t talking about your ability to buy a goal or calling you McDavid, you learned two things about the man sitting across from you. One, he hadn’t been listening to a single word you were saying and you could count on the hockey game being more interesting to him than anything you could have said. You should have known, anyways, on your first date he spent five whole minutes talking about how the Oilers were his favorite team after you mentioned you grew up in St. Louis. And two, he was that kind of hockey fan. The kind that tore down their team’s top players over any little screw-up. The kind that made your skin crawl after having grown up with the sport.

“It was a rookie mistake.” Chris’ attention turned to you since it was a T.V. timeout and you blinked at him for a moment, wondering just how your night took a downturn so quickly. The bar was so low, and he managed to limbo under it.

“McDavid. Rookie mistake?” You blanched, propping your chin on your hand as you waited to see what kind of bullshit excuse he funneled at you. He stuttered over his words, and you were about to interject with a very well laid out explanation about how players were people and able to make mistakes without having their skill questioned. Plus, it was McDavid.

But then a hand landed casually on your shoulder, and your first instinct was to turn and face whoever decided it was a good idea to randomly touch with a scowl. Your frown only deepened when you spotted who it was, completely ignoring the choked noise Chris made.

Of course he had to show up on the one night you were on a date.

“Couldn’t hide from me forever.” Matt drawled easily, removing his hand from you and leaning against the edge of the tall table you were sitting at. You rolled your eyes, not at all surprised at the fact that he decided to start the first actual conversation you’ve had with him in weeks with a tease.

“I’ll try harder next time.” You stated dryly, taking a sip of your nearly empty drink and avoiding the gaze of both men around you. Well, Chris was too busy eyeing Matthew and puffing out his chest as if he was trying to assert his dominance. Please.

You didn’t get the appeal of Matthew. Sure, he was attractive and pretty good at hockey, not that you’d ever admit that to anyone, but he was a pest. He grew up next door to you, which meant the better part of your childhood was spent at the mercy of Matt’s teasing. You adored the rest of his family, you had a four-hundred and thirty-six day Snapchat streak with Taryn, a number seven Senators jersey hanging up in your closest, Chantal’s number was saved as ‘mama tkachuk’ in your phone, and you had once called Keith in a panic when you were sixteen and got a flat tire and your parents weren’t answering.

Matt had laughed at you when you stumbled walking across the stage at graduation.

You were not his biggest fan.

“Hot date?” Matt questioned, not even looking over to Chris who nodded the moment the words entered the air. You winced at the question, because you were technically on a date, but you weren’t exactly feeling it, especially after what had just transpired. But you would marry Chris on the spot if it meant annoying Matt.

“I’ll see you later.” You spoke through gritted teeth, plastering on a forced and obviously fake smile. Matt grinned at you, his mischievous look that you had seen a thousand times growing up that warned you that he was going to do something to get under your skin made warning alarms flash in your mind.

Your suspicions were proven correct when he reached a hand up to ruffle your hair before slipping back into the crowd. You pouted, glaring at his back until you couldn’t see his mop of curls anymore and turned to face Chris again. Your date was looking at you with an annoyed expression, one that was surely mirrored on your face but the only difference was his look was directed at you and yours was at Matthew for showing up out of nowhere.

“Are you okay—?” You barely got the question out before Chris was interrupting you. Again.

“You can’t talk to him if we’re going to see each other.” He stated, as if it was that easy.

It wasn’t as if you wanted to hang out with Matt, not since you hit middle school, but it would be a cold day in hell before some guy told you who you could and could not talk to.

“We’re neighbors, nothing will ever be going on there but our families are good friends. I literally have to talk to him whenever I go home.” You weren’t sure why you were explaining this to him, maybe a part of you wanted to see if he’d bactrack and apologize, even if the relationship was damaged beyond repair. Those hopes were squashed the moment he spoke next.

“Then I’m out.” And he was standing up, barely giving you a second look before he was headed towards the door.

It was pettiness that had you crossing the bar in search of the one person that you couldn’t stand to be around for an extended period of time. You had seen a whole new side of Chris in a matter of five minutes and a small part of you was glad that Matt interrupted and brought it out. Emphasis on small, though.

“You owe me a drink.” You nudged Matt’s shoulder, sliding in next to him at the bar. You didn’t care that you were interrupting his conversation with one of his teammates, you had just been dumped by the guy you’d been somewhat seeing for a few weeks because he couldn’t handle the idea of you knowing a NHL player. “Scared my date away because he didn’t like the fact that I talk to you.”

“I feel like I did you a favor, if he really is that insecure. We don’t even like each other.” He had waved down the bartender with a chuckle, ordering you a beer like the one he had clutched in his hand. It was seconds before the cool glass was set in front of you. Perks of being a hotshot hero in Calgary, you assumed.

“I’ll drink to that.” You clinked your bottle against his, taking a generous sip as Matt watched with an amused grin. He was leaning against the counter, his back now fully turned on his teammates. Clearly, he wasn’t planning on letting you finish your drink in peace.

“Mom told me you got your dream job, so tell me about it.”

“Like you care.” You rolled your eyes with a scoff. You were feeling especially bitter, and you were taking it out on Matt. To be fair, he was taking it all in stride, but you knew he was biding his time until he could make a joke.

“Try me.” Matt wasn’t a bad guy. Annoying, sure. A pain in your ass? Since the day you met. But you knew him better than most—begrudgingly, of course—and you could tell he was genuinely curious. He probably had plans to tease you about it later, you would put money on the fact, but with the way your night had turned out, you couldn’t find it in you to care.

“Fine, but just until I finish this drink and my Uber gets here.”

TWO

mama tkachuk: Hi sweetie! Keith and I are in town for the weekend and were wondering if you wanted to get dinner with us and Matt! Text me when you get a chance!

It was so unfair. How could Chantal be as sweet as she was and have produced a child like Matthew? You were so caught up in how kind her invitation was that you had agreed to meet up with them before it really set in that you would have to sit through a dinner with Matt.

You had arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later than the agreed upon time due to traffic, so everyone else was already at the table by the time you made it. Chantal was the first to jump up and greet you with a hug, Keith following after with a ‘how are you, kid’ and a tight squeeze. You shot Matt a tight-lipped smile, trying to remain civil infront of his parents, and he returned with his typical smug grin, though it was more subdued than usual as a result of sitting next to his mother.

“You always liked to be late.” Matt teased as you sat down. You rolled your eyes at him, annoyed but willing to let the comment slide for the sake of his parents.

“I don’t know why you guys bicker all the time, you used to tell us all the time that you were going to be a family someday. You guys even practiced with Taryn and Brady.” Chantal reminisced, and you smiled uneasily at the memory. It wasn’t necessarily an unpleasant one, some of your best memories took place in the Tkachuk living room. Back when you were kids, you and Matt were attached at the hip. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum—if Matt was caught sticking his hand in the cookie jar you were right at his side reminding him to grab one for you too. This particular instance stuck out in your mind, though, because your mom teased you about it whenever she got the chance.

It was a rainy Saturday, Keith was out of town for hockey and your dad was at the office, which left the moms sitting in the kitchen chatting about whatever adults talked about. Taryn had just learned how to walk, which meant that she was trying to follow you around to the best of her ability, even if that meant watching from the sidelines as you played mini sticks with her brothers.

But after Matt had scored against you and Brady enough times, you declared that it was time for them to play your game—house. Taryn was your baby, and she happily filled the roll as she toddled behind you. Brady was your other son, and Matt was the dad. You played like that for an hour or so, Matt pretending to come home from road trips while playing in the NHL just like his father, only to help you pretend to cook dinner and put ‘the kids’ to bed.

At six years old, he was a dream pretend-father.

“I can’t help it if Matthew runs his mouth too much.” You chirped, and though you meant it in good fun there was some seriousness. Matt never knew when to quit, his comments more obnoxious than endearing most of the time. Though, he did have his moments, you were willing to admit. You knew he had your back when it came down to it, but he also would be the first one to crash your date and tell the guy you were with some embarrassing story about you from when you were seven.

He did that no less than three separate times when you were teenagers.

“Remember when they pretended to get married at like six? And Matt cried when I told him that he wasn’t actually her husband.” Keith nudged his wife with a grin, his statement earning a groan from Matt. You flushed, keeping quiet as the memory flashed in your head—the theme of the night, apparently.

It was a summer wedding, so to speak. Sometime during the offseason your family and the Tkachuks rented a lake house for a week and you spent the entire time racing from one activity to the next while clutching Matt’s hand. Your aunt had just gotten married, so weddings were on your mind and you decided you wanted a party like she had. Your choices for potential husbands were limited, Brady and Matt the only other boys close to your age. When Brady claimed that you had cooties and ran away, Matt was the only option left and it simply took the bribe of sharing your dessert with him after dinner for him to agree.

You had made paper rings and even forced Matt to fake propose to you, all while both your mothers looked on with camera’s clutched in their hands. You had claimed your unending love for Matt that day, and he had done the same. In an effort to tease you, your mom had said that he had to kiss the bride and you both looked at her like she was crazy—though he did end up pressing a quick and sloppy kiss to the back of your hand to appease her.

And then twenty minutes later he shoved you off the dock because you were too scared to jump in.

Matt was watching you as his mother told the story, chuckling as she added in anecdotes about how she and your mother had almost started planning your real wedding that day and similar comments. It was no secret that she was rooting for you to get together with her son, and even though Keith would try to get his wife to tone down her comments, you saw his smug grin every once on a while.

The rest of dinner and dessert passed by with minimal reminiscing, and soon enough the check was paid. Matt picked up the bill, and though you tried to argue that you could pay for yourself, Matt simply stuck his tongue out at you and Keith said that he would’ve paid for everyone if he had only been able to grab the check faster. You rolled your eyes at Matt’s childishness, but thanked Keith for his kindness despite the fact that he hadn’t even really done anything.

“So where did you park?” Chantal asked as the four of you stepped outside. The cold air made you shiver, and you used one hand to tighten your coat around you while the other gestured over your shoulder in the general direction of where your car was.

“Like three blocks away. It was pretty busy when I got here.” You replied. Chantal nodded, opening her arms for a hug you readily reciprocated.

“I’ll walk you. It’s way too late for you to go by yourself.” Matt spoke up, interrupting your goodbyes with his parents. He handed his keys off to his dad so they could wait in the car while he went with you, and because he simply couldn’t just be nice, he added his next comment. “You’d probably get lost if I don’t go with you.”

“Thanks, Matt.” You said sarcastically, the roll of your eyes coming almost naturally. There wasn’t room for you to argue, because Chantal was nudging you in the opposite direction she was headed to get to Matt’s car. Part of you wondered if she somehow planned this in an another attempt to get you to spend time alone with her son. You didn’t have time to think about it too much, between saying goodbyes and making plans to meet up when you went home for the holidays, you were rushing a bit to get out of the cold.

While you walked, Matt stayed quiet, something you didn’t realize he was capable of. Your hands were shoved deep into your coat pockets to try and stay warm, but you felt his arm brush against yours every once in a while.

“Thanks for coming tonight, mom loved it.” He was softer now, his voice devoid of any of its usual smugness.

“Are you kidding? I love your parents.” You teased, trying to figure out where this quiet side of Matt was coming from. It was the side of him that rarely came out, especially in front of the media and never on the ice, but it was the side that you got along with the best. You stopped at your car, turning to face Matt. “Thanks for walking me.”

“No problem. Uh, text me when you get home, or whatever. So I know you got there safe.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, a slight redness to his cheeks that caught you off guard. You nodded, unlocking your car and offering him one last smile and goodbye before climbing in.

You couldn’t help but grin to yourself as you drove home. He was trying.

THREE

You had the worst luck.

Firstly, the only flight you could get home for the holidays was a red-eye to try and save some money. Secondly, your parents were making you get a cab from the airport instead of coming to pick you up. It was fine, you were an adult and could handle both those things. You had long come to terms with it by the time you were settling into your seat as everyone boarded.

But third—

“No way am I this lucky.”

The sound of the familiar voice had you tilting your head back with a groan, not even bothering to look at the person who was dropping unceremoniously into the seat beside you. Though his curls were tucked under his hoodie and he was trying his best to remain undetected, his presence was one that you would recognize anywhere.

“I’m just really, really, unlucky.” You told Matt, and though your comment was a jab at him, he wore the same grin he always did.

“That’s mean.” He teased, reaching over to poke your side because of course he hasn't outgrown giving you jumper cables. You glared at him, momentarily pausing your efforts to dig through your bag in search of your headphones just so he knew how annoyed you were. Not that he cared, or that it ever really stopped him.

“Look, Matt, I’ve had a long day, and I was looking forward to just sleeping this whole flight.” You sighed, dragging a hand down your face in frustration.

“I’ll leave you alone, promise.” Matt grinned that stupidly smug grin of his.

Yeah, right. You thought, but kept the comment to yourself. It was better to let Matt think he won than invite him to keep going by replying. He grinned at you, simply miming zipping his lips shut as you rolled your eyes.

He lasted longer than you thought he would—ten minutes.

“I don’t know what you don’t like about me so much, it’s not the hockey thing, because you love Brady.” Matt spoke up, going so far as to pull your headphone out of your ear so you could hear him.

“Brady’s adorable and like a baby brother to me.” You said matter-of-factly, earning a snicker from Matt. “You chipped my tooth when we were twelve and then blamed it on me.”

“I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear that.” He snorted, and for a second you thought he’d leave it at that. He had succeeded in getting under your skin, just like he usually did. “And it was your fault. You weren’t paying attention.”

“You didn’t have to shoot the pucks at me that hard!” You frowned at the memory. You had offered to stand in goal for him while he practiced shooting, and though you were definitely not destined to play in the NHL like him, that didn’t stop him from acting as if he was taking part in the hardest shot competition.

Matt didn’t respond, instead he just shook his head with a grin. Clearly, he was more amused by the memory than you were.

He went back to leaving you alone, though he stole one of your headphones and placed it into his ear to listen. He scrunched his nose up at the song, and you rolled your eyes at the silent jab at your taste in music.

Eventually, you did end up falling asleep. When you woke up to Matthew shaking you gently, you realized that you had fallen asleep on his shoulder and that he was waking you since you had landed and people were starting to exit. You waited for the chirps to come about your subconscious action, knowing he probably had a few comments up his sleeve. Except, he didn’t say anything, only stood up to retrieve both of your carryon bags from the overhead storage.

Matt stuck by your side the entire time you got off the plane and headed to luggage claim, unable to help himself from chirping you at the fact you couldn’t find your suitcase. You poked your tongue out at him, admittedly a little juvenile on your behalf, when you spotted your bag come around the carousel. Before you could grab it, though, he snagged it and stuck his tongue out at you before departing into the airport in search of his parents. Now, you were forced to trail after him.

Your annoyance faded, though, when you heard Chantal call your and Matthew’s names. You smiled at the woman, who hugged her son quickly before turning and pulling you into her arms.

“Guess who I got to sit next to?” Matt chimed, sounding a bit too pleased with himself for your liking. You rolled your eyes, unable to help the tiny bit of amusement you felt at how excited Chantal looked at the idea that you had each other on the flight. You and Matt may both be adults, but to her, you were still toddlers that needed constant supervision and she loved the idea that you were there to watch after each other.

“Oh, that’s lucky!” Chantal cheered and you grit your teeth, forcing a smile on your face at the way Matt was grinning smugly at you. Okay, you figured it could have been worse, you could have been seated next to a creep, but you weren’t about to admit that to Matt.

“So lucky.” You muttered sarcastically. Thankfully, Matthew wasn’t given a chance to comment further on your response, as his dad spoke up before he could.

“Is your dad here? I got a new set of clubs I want to brag about.” Keith questioned and you shook your head with a genuine smile. Living next to a retired NHLer gave your dad plenty of opportunities to bring out his competitive side, and golf was definitely one of their favorite pastimes.

“No, he and mom couldn’t come to get me because they both had work.” You explained and Keith rolled his eyes in good fun. You always wondered how both families got along so well when you couldn’t stand Matt.

“Do you want a ride home then?” Chantal offered sweetly.

“That’d be great, thank you.” You were glad you wouldn’t have to worry about getting an Uber, and you didn’t feel as if you were crashing the Tkachuks’ time with their oldest son since as soon as you started to head to the car, Chantal fell in step with you.

“Oh, Matt, you’re being such a gentleman, carrying her suitcase for her.” Chantal gushed after having noticed that Matt had an extra bag and you didn’t have one. She shot you a look and you just knew this was only fueling her belief that you were destined to end up with Matt. She would probably mention it to your mother, and then you really never would hear the end of it.

“Didn’t know you had it in you.” Keith chirped, earning an eye roll from Matt and laughter from you and Chantal. It was all in good nature, the teasing comments a sign of love amongst the hockey family.

And really, you had no choice but to agree with Keith.

FOUR

“I need you to run next door and give this to Chantal.” Your mom told you, holding out a tray of holiday cookies. You sighed, reluctantly getting up from your spot on the living room couch. You weren’t doing anything, but the aspect of having to walk all the way next door was not totally appealing.

But you did as she said and stuffed on some shoes before heading next door and letting yourself in. Taryn was the first to greet you, taking the tray of cookies and leading you towards the kitchen. As soon as the platter was set down, you both helped yourself to a cookie.

“How’s Calgary? Is Matt showing up randomly to bug you?” She was teasing, but she was right. You laughed, nodding as you broke off a piece of your cookie to eat.

“He showed up while I was on a date, completely by chance, and ruined it.” You chuckled at the memory and at the way Taryn laughed loudly at that. It wasn’t entirely true, Chris was doing a pretty good job of ruining the date on his own, but Matt’s appearance was the final nail in the coffin.

“That’s because he's practically in love with you.” She spoke between giggles. You rolled your eyes, having heard the comment countless times before. It had followed you and Matt around since you were kids, and by the time you were thirteen it morphed from platonic love to your moms explaining what soulmates were to you guys. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t considered the idea of Matt having a thing for you, but you had long since given up on that idea.

You didn’t have time to comment on it, though, because speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

“What’re you guys talking about?” Matt marched into the room, a smug grin on his face. While he spoke, he reached across to where you were standing and broke off a piece of the cookie you were still eating. With a pout, you watched him pop your cookie into his mouth all the while eye contact with you and wearing a self-satisfied grin.

“Oh, just how you’re in love with each other.” Taryn said casually, her sentence punctuated by Matt choking on the cookie. Clearly, he was caught off guard.

“You deserved that, and no, we were not.” You told Matt as he tried to catch his breath. You couldn’t help the grin you were wearing, and for a brief second you acknowledged that he looked adorable all flustered. Matt shot a glare at his sister, who was laughing hysterically at him, and launched forward to dig his fingers into her sides.

You watched carefully as he tickled his sister mercilessly, preparing to make a break for the living room if he turned his attention to you. You were smiling, widely and genuinely, as you watched Matt mess around with his sister.

This was the Matt that you grew up best friends with.

As you were distracted, Matt let his sister go and she caught her breath while cursing him out and you let out a loud laugh at some of the creative things she said. She certainly was from a hockey family.

But then Matt turned his attention to you, a wicked grin on his face and a playful look in his eyes. Your own eyes went wide, and as soon as he took half a step towards you, you spun on your heel and dashed out of the kitchen.

You heard him chasing after you, but you didn’t risk looking back knowing that if you even wanted a chance to outrun him you would need to stay focused. And as you took a particularly sharp turn into the other room, you heard him crash into the wall, clearly not as agile as he thought he was.

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Tkachuk! I brought cookies from Mom!” You greeted with a laugh as you sprinted past Keith and Chantal in the hallway. You barely had time to register their looks of amusement before you felt Matt’s fingers brush your back, signaling that he was close to grabbing you.

“Don’t hurt her, we like her more than you!” Keith called after you, teasing Matt and catching him off guard enough that he stumbled, and you were able to put some distance between you and him. You were laughing maniacally, the sound mixing with Matt’s chuckles and Taryn encouraging you to run faster.

Eventually, you made it to the living room, and you spotted Brady’s head poking up behind the back of the couch as he watched some rerun hockey game. You know it’s a longshot that Matt will give up and that you need to bite the bullet and let him catch you, but your stubbornness is what makes you throw yourself over the back of the couch, your head landing in the lap of a very confused and surprised Brady.

“Protect me.” You order, grabbing the younger Tkachuk brother’s bicep as Matt leaned over the back of the couch, his curls wild and grin wicked. For a second, there was a softness in his eyes that made your heart skip a beat, but then he was back to being smug.

“Brady can’t stop me.” Matt teased, leaning against the back of the couch. Brady didn’t comment, though he rolled his eyes at his brother. It was an argument that had been going on for a decade or so—which brother was stronger? And though they wrestled from time to time, Brady being victorious more often than he used to be, you knew they would never actually fight. You had been there when Keith made them shake heads and promise not to drop the gloves the first time they played each other.

“He’s taller.” You argued, and Matt chuckled as he made his way around the couch. You watched as he lifted your legs, dropping into the spot on the couch they once occupied before resting your limbs across his lap.

“Doesn’t matter.” He replied, giving your shin a squeeze as he spoke. You rolled your eyes, getting comfortable in your spot laying across the Tkachuk brothers and turning to watch the Blues vs. Stars game Brady had put on.

It felt nice to laugh with Matt again. It was as if things were back to normal, and you tried to ignore the funny fluttering feeling in your stomach as his thumbs brushed back and forth along your legs. You hated it, because it was Matt, and you had long since declared that you couldn’t stand him. And yet, there you were, melting under his touch.

“Oh, come on, you’re not going to attack her?” Taryn complained as she dropped into the free chair on the other side of the room. You stuck your tongue out at her, smiling at the sound of Matt’s chuckles. You were going to make a comment about how she was supposed to be on your side in response, but Brady was faster, and his words—for whatever reason—made any reply die on your tongue.

“It’s because he’s in love with her.”

AND ONE MORE

You hated the fact that you weren’t able to sleep. But even more so, you hated the fact that you knew exactly why you couldn’t get your mind to turn off. You couldn’t stop thinking about how sweet Matt had been earlier in the day, and though you knew he always had a soft spot for his sister, for some reason this time it was hitting you differently. Plus Taryn and Brady’s ‘he’s in love with you’s were bouncing around your head.

Finally, after what felt like the hundredth time you had tossed around under the covers, you sat up and snagged your phone off of the nightstand. You sat up, unlocking your phone and opening messages and before you could really think about stopping yourself you typed out a text and sent it.

Only after the message was sent and you couldn’t do anything about it, did you reread what you said and check the time. You couldn’t help but cringe at the one in the morning ‘hey, are you up?’ text that seemingly glared back at you. But then the three dots appeared that signaled that he was typing, and you quickly slid out of the conversation so he wouldn’t think you were waiting for his text. You were, and though he responded within a minute, you didn’t want to give his ego that extra boost.

matthew: usually I’m the one that sends that text

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, having expected him to say something along those lines. You had practically handed that joke to him. Before you could type out a reply telling him to forget about it, your phone buzzed again with another text.

matthew: front door is unlocked, meet in the basement for a movie?

He was giving you a choice. You could go to bed and pretend this never happened and continue to tell everyone around you that the only thing you felt for Matt was annoyance. But you didn’t. You knew that you might regret it, but you slipped out of bed and tugged on a pair of leggings and a hoodie over your sleepshirt. Shoving on a pair of shoes, you tip-toed outside and to the house next door. It felt a little ridiculous, you were an adult, sneaking around to visit a boy like a teenager. But, you were quiet, and made sure you didn’t make any noise as you slipped down the stairs.

“Why am I sneaking around here like we’re fourteen again?” You teased as soon as you saw Matt already on the couch as he flipped through movie options. For a reason unbeknownst to you, your heart skipped a beat in your chest and your breathing stuttered as you cataloged just how attractive he looked in something as casual as a hoodie and sweats, how suddenly you wanted to run your fingers through his curls that definitely needed a hair treatment.

“I don’t want my family to know you’re here because then I’d have to share.” He teased, snapping you out of your thoughts and opening his arms to silently ask you to cuddle him. You hesitated for a moment, because that was not something you usually did except for maybe when you were three, but decided to throw caution to the wind and curled yourself into his side, your head resting on his shoulder. Besides, you didn’t usually text him at one in the morning either, so precedent was already out the window.

As soon as you settled into him, he draped the blanket that had been folded over the back of the couch over both of your legs. You blushed at the thoughtful action, but tried to hide the flush of your cheeks by staring straight ahead at the television.

“What are we watching?” You found your voice after a moment. When Matt didn’t respond right away, you turned to face him to find him already watching, a small smile on his face and a gentle look in his eyes. For the second time that night, you felt your breath catch in your throat, and it was only the surprised look on your face that had him snapping out of it.

“Oh, uh, you can pick.” He handed the remote to you, and you raised a brow at his odd behavior. You reached a hand up, pressing the back of your hand to his forehead as if to check his temperature with a confused look on your face.

“Are you feeling okay? You must be sick, if you’re letting someone else choose the movie.” You teased, grinning when Matt laughed, swatting your hand away and tugging you closer all in the same movement.  

“I’ve been thinking—” He started, but after having grown up with hockey players, you were quick to think up a chirp.

“Are you sure you’re okay then?” You teased, enjoying the warm feeling you got when you heard his laugh. He had your back pressed to his front, so you were facing the television and couldn’t see whatever the look on his face was.

“Would you just let me talk for a minute?” He chuckled and you felt the vibrations in his chest from where you were cuddled against him. And though he was teasing you, there was a softness to his tone that had you nodding, still facing forward. “I kinda sucked when we were teenagers.” He confessed, and you couldn’t help but laugh at him. Though, holding true to your word, you stayed quiet and let him talk. “I was a preteen boy that didn’t know how to act around you and ended up making an idiot of myself.” You knew there probably was a deeper meaning to his words, but you weren’t ready to dive into that and he kept going. “And then we were fifteen and you were in love or whatever with Tommy Banner and I was jealous. And then you broke up but I had to go away for hockey and I don’t regret that, but I do regret not making things better with you before I left.”

His confession hung in the air for a moment as you processed his words. He threw a lot of information at you at once, and you cringed momentarily at the memory of your first ‘serious’ relationship.

See, the thing was, as much as you talked up your annoyance at Matthew, he had always been your person. You fake married the guy for a reason, even if you didn’t really know the implications of your actions way back then. You knew what marriage looked like from your parents and Matt’s, and you wanted that for yourself. You wanted that with Matt. He was your first real crush, and those never really go away. Or at least, yours didn’t.

But once you were teenagers, you stopped pining after your neighbor, a seemingly unattainable goal, and started hanging out with other people. You and Matt started to drift, and then eventually his teasing comments always seemed to be directed towards whatever guy you were seeing, thus making you grow contempt for him.

But now, he was showing his softer side, and those feelings from when you were younger resurfaced as he confessed that he felt the same. You couldn’t deny that you felt something when his hand brushed against you or when he grinned at you—no matter how self-satisfied he looked.

Suddenly you became aware that you had been silent for a moment too long, and you sat up straighter and turned to face Matt. He was studying you, and for the first time in as long as you could remember—except maybe that one time in eighth grade when he asked you to go to the school dance with him because he wanted to make his mom happy—he looked unsure of himself. It was an emotion that didn’t sit right on his face, and as often as you complained about his teasing, you much preferred his shit-eating grin.

“It’s your turn to talk now.” He joked, trying to lighten the mood but only succeeding partly since the breathy chuckle he gave at the end told you he was nervous.

Before you could help yourself, you had cupped his face with both your hands and pulled him forward to connect your lips to his. It took him a second to relax under your touch, but as soon as he realized what was happening, he grabbed your elbow to hold you in place.

When you felt his tongue swipe at your lips you knew you had to pull away before you got too caught up in him, which you knew you would, and you separated. His grin was wide, a little smug like usual, but mostly he was looking adoringly at you.

“I thought you hated me?” He teased, because it’s Matt and of course he would. You rolled your eyes, willing to admit that you had set him up with that one.

“Don’t push your luck, Tkachuk.” You pecked his lips once more, wondering why you had waited so long to do so. If he had been telling the truth, and you knew he was, then he had been crushing on you as long as you had been on him.

“Yes ma’am.” He joked, mock saluting while leaning towards you to chase after your lips for another kiss. You complied, but then pressed a hand on his chest to lean back enough to give him a serious look.

“And if this is going to work, you have to stop being such a pest all the time. Tone it down a bit.” He nodded, grin widening at the mention of your relationship moving past the night. You smiled at him, leaning up to give him one more kiss before settling back into his side. “And I still get to pick the movie.”

Matt chuckled, but didn’t argue. Instead, he settled for pressing a kiss to the top of your head. He let this arm fall from around your shoulders to your waist, and you knew without looking at him that he was wearing a satisfied grin.

“Who’s going to tell our moms that they were right about us?” He spoke up after a moment, and you chuckled. You were as stubborn as Matt was, and neither of you were too excited to admit to anyone that you had been wrong about the fact that you’d end up with each other. You were even certain that Brady, Keith, and Taryn had a running bet about when you and Matt would get together.

As it turns out, neither of you would have to, because you fell asleep together on the couch and Chantal was the first to find you cuddled into her son's chest.

Just like she knew you always would.

[edenmemes]

the witcher (show) starters

❝ victimhood is not your colour. ❞ ❝ you can’t outrun destiny just because you’re terrified of it. ❞ ❝ your job is to control chaos, not to succumb to it. ❞ ❝ you don’t deserve the air you breathe. ❞ ❝ not a single person alive looks in the mirror and doesn’t see some form of deformity. ❞ ❝ you lie, you keep secrets. you succumb to emotion and weakness. ❞ ❝ not answering questions is part of your brooding pillar of charm. ❞ ❝ you’re just mad because you lost your chance to be beautiful. ❞ ❝ you smell of death and destiny, heroics and heartbreak. ❞ ❝ there’s no power in puppeting fools. ❞ ❝ i’ll leave that for someone who gives a shit. ❞ ❝ i need to get back to my horse. ❞ ❝ your will to live is strong. ❞ ❝ i’m still not enough. even for you. ❞ ❝ need a hand? i’ve got two. ❞  ❝ my men will kill you. ❞ ❝ i’m here to drink alone. ❞ ❝ go. on your own or at the end of a rope, your choice. ❞ ❝ do you know how many people wouldn’t blink if you died? ❞ ❝ you weren’t taking control. you were losing it. ❞ ❝ people call you a monster too. ❞ ❝ i've waited all these years for you to admit we're made for each other. ❞ ❝ if only you could tell between friend or threat. do you even know the difference anymore? ❞ ❝ when you live as long as i do, all the names sound the same. ❞ ❝ were you in love? ❞ ❝ this place isn’t safe when you’re alone. ❞ ❝ the only thing you do quickly is flee. ❞ ❝ even if you were a beauty, still, no one would love you. ❞ ❝ not a happily ever after after all. ❞ ❝ hm, doesn’t rhyme. all good predictions rhyme. ❞ ❝ you are making me uncomfortable. ❞ ❝ unchecked kings and queens start massacres. ❞  ❝ i just want some damn peace. ❞ ❝ i dreamed of becoming important to someone someday. ❞ ❝ the only thing special about you is the crown on your head. ❞ ❝ what do you long for? fame? money? power? ❞ ❝ what? no one mentioned the impending doom part. ❞ ❝ true words are rare words. ❞ ❝ i want more. i have to be more. ❞ ❝ do other women find this coarseness charming? ❞ ❝ love casts long shadows. ❞ ❝ if she runs, kill her. ❞ ❝ don’t give me that look, shitling. ❞ ❝ today isn’t your day, is it? ❞ ❝ how come when my life comes to shit you’re the one shoveling it? ❞ ❝ i know who you are. what you are. ❞ ❝ i envy you. to live, and to have no love. ❞ ❝ you’d leave a man bound to die in such a dignity? ❞ ❝ i loved your mother. ❞ ❝ don’t you know who i am? ❞ ❝ so that’s all life is to you? monsters and money? ❞ ❝ there’s a vortex of fate around us. ❞ ❝ is history a wheel doomed to repeat? ❞ ❝ the sword of destiny has two edges. ❞ ❝ i’ve considered your company and conversation payment enough. ❞ ❝ this isn’t who you are. ❞ ❝ will you be joining me? ❞ ❝ no amount of power or beauty will make you feel worthy of either. ❞ ❝ i don’t believe anyone has that power. ❞  ❝ nobody smart plays fair. ❞ ❝ i won’t listen to a man who pimps the world as some romantic adventure. ❞ ❝ a true man would state his desires. ❞ ❝ don’t turn this on me. ❞ ❝ i want to be powerful. it’s what i’m owed. ❞ ❝ that makes sense just as much as it doesn’t. ❞  ❝ you’re smart, aren’t you? you know everything. ❞ ❝ i feel something out there waits for you. ❞  ❝ please don’t hurt me. i’m lost. ❞  ❝ i won’t kill you...but you cant stay here. ❞  ❝ there’s no ‘us’. there’s only me. ❞  ❝ i’m asking for a teeny-weeny little favor. ❞  ❝ yeah, you’re probably right. but what if you’re not? ❞ ❝ i’m not your friend. ❞  ❝ you and destiny can both fuck right off. ❞  ❝ i love the way you just sit in the corner and brood. ❞ ❝ i will not suffer tonight sober. ❞  ❝ pretty ballads hide bastard truths. ❞  ❝ i will not involve myself to petty men’s squabbles. ❞ ❝ happy childhood makes for dull company. ❞ ❝ it’s impossible to be prepared for every battle. keep your sword close, and keep moving. ❞  ❝ i see a lot of myself in you. ❞ ❝ you can’t change the world this way. ❞ ❝ i don’t need anyone. & the last thing i want is someone needing me. ❞ ❝ alright, stand close to me and pretend you’re mean. ❞ ❝ why are you dressed like a sad silk trader? ❞  ❝ only one of us will be alive to find out. ❞  ❝ i stole rather than starve. i killed rather than be killed. ❞  ❝ i have’t only done good in my life either. ❞  ❝ it’s like ordering a pie and finding out it has no filling. ❞  ❝ when i cut my finger i bleed. that’s human, right? ❞  ❝ they’re rough around the edges but they’re earthling like me. ❞  ❝ royalty is best endured in small doses. ❞  ❝ i thought the world needed me too. ❞  ❝ sometimes, the best thing a flower can do for us is die. ❞  ❝ handy with a blade. handy with women too. ❞ ❝ are you trying to hurt my feelings? ❞ ❝ you look like you’ve been through hell. ❞ ❝ i can’t do this without you. ❞ ❝ you know cautionary tales won’t work on me. ❞ ❝ you talk nonsense while making wise and meaningful faces. ❞ ❝ the apple never falls far from the tree. ❞ ❝ when i go it will be far more dramatic than this. ❞ ❝ try not to get any daggers in your back before dawn. ❞ ❝ you have your mother’s blood. you’ll be alright. ❞ ❝ a great ruler always chooses mercy. ❞ ❝ it took two strikes to kill him. they weren’t clean. but they were spectacular. ❞ ❝ if i have to choose between one evil and another, i’d rather not choose. ❞ ❝ i would do anything to forget who i was. ❞ ❝ i have no doubt blood will be spilled here tonight. ❞ ❝ there’s a grain of truth in every fairy tale. ❞ ❝ people look at you for who you are, not what you can give them. ❞ ❝ do you believe in destiny now? ❞ ❝ we can leave. we can find a way out. ❞ ❝ lovers? fun for a bit, i’ll admit, but all eventually disappoint. ❞ ❝ let’s face it, you’re a girl. we’re just vessels. and even when we’re told we’re special, we’re still just vessels…for them to take…and take…until we’re empty…and alone. ❞ ❝ people like to invent monsters and monstrosities. then they seem less monstrous themselves. ❞ ❝ every time i’m around you i say more in five minutes than i’ve said in weeks. ❞ ❝ maybe someone out there will want you. ❞ ❝ if you must kill me, i’m ready. ❞ ❝ people linked by destiny always find each other. ❞ ❝ thank the gods. i might live to see another day. ❞ ❝ i was having a rather lovely dream which then turned into a nightmare. ❞ ❝ you desperately need money for new clothes.  ❞ ❝ more and more, i find monsters where ever i go. ❞ ❝ life is too short. do what pleases you...while you can. ❞ ❝ gods you’re pretty. ❞ ❝ my lady, i would never degrade your honor in such a way. ❞ ❝ my world is cruel. you enter, you survive, you die. ❞ ❝ i feel i shall die a broken hearted man. ❞ ❝ who slits a man’s throat while he’s relieving his bowels? ❞ ❝ why help those who don’t listen? ❞ 

[writing-for-me-at-this-point]

Omg, okay for the yandere prompts: what about 4 and 39 with Diavolo?

4. “Shh, dolls don’t speak out of line.”

39. “Come here, doll. See? Being obedient means you’re treated like the doll you are.”

Diavolo

t.w. yandere, mentions of dub-con/non-con, manipulation, dark themes

*Amare = Love

**********

Rain in the Devildom, though not entirely rare, came for week-long sessions before having a dry spell of a few more. The rain felt fresh, cleansing, almost as if it fell from the Celestial Realm to bond the Devildom to it in some way. 

In a nest of pillows and blankets, the window seat fogged, water trailing down the glass that looked over the Devildom. The palace held a violet hue to it, contrasting against the warmer colors of the civilian lives down below. It was peaceful, ironic as peace in hell was, but you seemed to find it in these little moments alone.

You heard the heavy footsteps of your... lover, long strides making their way to the library you were residing in, the vibrations of his movements could be felt in the old and polished wood.

Gripping the blanket around you tighter, you closed your eyes and leaned your head against the glass, a sigh escaping your lips as you felt his words cloud your mind. They soaked themselves into your mind, from the royal clothing he gave you to the actions you took with Diavolo, you seemed to become the perfect lover in the eyes of the public.

But why did it hurt so much to love him?

Why couldn’t you just love him?

He... deserved it. The love, adoration, and care of another being.

And you could give it to him.

But why did it hurt?

Why did it feel painful to love him, when all he did was love you, care for you?

“Ah! There you are, Amare!* I see you’re enjoying the library and its wonders. How are you feeling?” He made his way over to you, a smile on his face, and to the outside- he looked like a puppy making its way to their owner. But it was too far off. 

“Mn. Very well, enjoying the rain, reading. How was your meeting?” You smiled, voice weak and soft, feeling him move to sit next to you. His arm made its way around you, his back against the wall creaked under his weight, and his warmth was immense- you felt attracted to it, but the more you stayed, the more you felt like you were on fire.

Being near him made you burn.

Burn in what? Desire? Hatred? Love? You knew whatever you held for him, it was intense, and you wanted it to leave. And the feeling did.

When he was gone.

You listened as he went on about the meeting, how the nobles enjoyed his banter, how Lucifer was still as serious as ever, Barbatos giving some not-so-welcoming looks to the more inconsiderate guests.

“How is Lucifer, really? Or Mammon? Levi? I haven’t heard about them for a while.”  You asked, sickly sweetness molded into your tone, your hands gripping at the blankets- some books shifting against the movement.

“Amare, you know how I’d rather not get involved with their personal affairs, they are a hectic bunch.” He gave a tight lipped smile, his arm pushing you into him, his free hand making its way to your chin.

“But- I know, but I worry-” Your voice cuts itself off in fear before returning, Diavolos hand dropping from your chin to the soft and tender skin of your neck, tightening just enough to take your breath away. The growl that came from his chest made you tremble, your body pressed against the wood, his body shifted so that he was facing your body from the side.

“Shh. Dolls don’t speak out of line. Remember?” He was testing you, your smaller hands wrapped around his wrist, his grip unwavering. The red of his uniform had unpleasant memories flash in your mind.

The red of your own blood trailing down your shoulders from his teeth greedily sinking into the flesh. The red flushed skin of his body against yours, taking you, claiming you. The red of him needing you, entirely, and whole.

But you needed him to calm down.

“I’m sorry. I- I’m just tired. I shouldn’t have pushed you.” A hum left his lips, face buried into your hair as his grip loosened and now trailed down your chest, the calloused hand of a prince traced your collarbone and the base of your neck. You slumped down and away from him, ever so slightly, but he noticed. 

He always does.

He moved quickly to take you in his lap, your thighs on each side of his hips, his forehead now against yours. The heat that left him had you lean into him, attracting a moth to a flame, a demon tempting a human.

He had a pull on you and he loved it, he needed you to long for him like he did you, understand that everything was for you. His perfect little doll, fit to rule by his side, care for him and their heirs after a long day.

Ah, heirs. He needed to ask you for them soon. To cement his place on the throne, you to him, and his love for you. He’d need to ask an old friend for a favor to ensure his dream, because he wanted you and everything you could give him, and if you couldn’t- he’d help give you that push.

If your body couldn’t give him what he needed, Diavolo didn’t mind asking for favors owed to him, he found ways to take what he needed from you. It was for the both of you of course! He only loves you more than a sinner loves blasphemy!

“Come here, doll. See? Being obedient means you’re being treated like the doll you are.” Diavolo mused, taking a deep breath, inhaling your scent and comforting himself.

“I love you.” His voice was low, possessive, changed. It left a part of him that even the petty demon form he showed before could never, a form of horror and darkness, the truest part of him.

But it wasn’t love like how most felt.

It was different.

It was sick.

“I love you more.”

And maybe you were too.

[playlistmusings]

Make your mark on me (a golden tattoo)

2,532 words

Jude Duarte x Cardan Greenbriar

Jude is fed up with Cardan having the upper hand when it comes to antagonizing each other, so she gets dressed up. Cardan has no idea that there was any competition to begin with—but he's not mad. (set post Queen of Nothing) 

Just some fluff with my two favorites messing with each other and a little spice at the end (but not a lot because I can’t write smut lol) Title from Dress by Taylor Swift

Also on my AO3

-----

Jude had definitively decided she didn’t mind revels anymore. In fact, if pressed, she could almost be persuaded to say she liked them. It wasn’t because she thought they were more fun or that she didn’t have to manage all of the dangers hiding among the food and dance anymore—just because she was queen didn’t mean that she wasn’t still vulnerable to faerie food induced madness. But there was just something about revels that made them better than when she was dragged to court during her school days. While Jude could be persuaded to admit that revels weren’t the worst, she’d be damned if she ever said what the something that made them better was.

Luckily for her, she didn’t have to. Because for every moment she spent biting her tongue, there was a matching moment where Cardan was whispering in her ear saying that “You should just admit that you think I’m irresistible, we both know that’s what you’re thinking”. Which was not true, even if he always looked a particular shade of devastatingly handsome with his elaborate outfits and shimmering paint on his cheeks, his crown tipping off the side of his head. Even if Jude could barely resist him when he got to that stage of just tipsy enough that his cheeks flushed with color and he didn’t mind leaving the courtiers to slip into hidden rooms with Jude. Even if he grinned with a special light in his eyes when Jude whispered things like you’re so handsome and I could stay like this forever while wrapped in his embrace after one of their trysts.

It was a true dilemma.

But, Jude, after all, was not known for backing down from a challenge, not when Cardan was antagonizing her during their school days, not when Orlagh and Balekin tried to manipulate her, and definitely not when Madoc tried to take her crown, she there was no chance in hell that she would fold because Cardan looked too handsome. So, in conjunction with admitting to herself that she didn’t mind revels, Jude pledged that she was going to go on the offensive and show Cardan that he wasn’t the only one who could use their looks to get what they wanted.

Hence why Jude was looking into a mirror at herself with a far too happy Tatterfell looking on with pride at her work. Jude’s hair was done up so it was out of her face, rubies threaded below her crown in a way that made it seem like there were flames crawling towards it when the light shined on her just right. Her dress was another shade of shimmering red, with silken skirts flowing down from her waist, and a neckline that cut down her sternum in a way that none of the other dresses she owned did. It was truly beautiful, even if it wasn’t like anything Jude had worn before, which was exactly what she wanted. She felt like she could command the attention of a whole crowd with a single look, which was all very good considering she just needed to command the attention of one particular faerie.

It was all out of her comfort zone, dressing up proactively so she could catch someone’s eye, but Jude was nothing if not determined to, at least this once, make Cardan break before her.

-----

Cardan was smug as he prepared for the revel. He knew that every time he put just a little extra effort into his clothes, while playing it off as just another boring thing he had to do, Jude couldn’t resist him. Revels would always hold a special place in his heart now that they began with good food and a little alcohol and ended with a lot more alcohol and Jude dragging him away from the crowd, frowning as he laughed softly at his comments about her eagerness. And, though he would be loathed to admit it, the way Jude dressed for revels, with beautiful gowns and her crown sitting atop perfectly done hair—no doubt the work of Tatterfell—got under his skin just as much as he seemed to get under hers. His only saving grace was that he had been hiding his feelings for years of her effortless beauty, working everyday to keep himself from accosting her. But now he didn’t have to worry, and it was much more fun to stave off his impulses as his wife glared at him, trying to pretend that she wasn’t as much of a fool for him as he was for her.

So, Cardan felt pretty happy as he slipped into the grand room where the night’s revel was being held. Even without his wife on his arm, as usual—someone had mentioned that she would be late and it had slipped Cardan’s mind to ask why—he already felt himself buzzing with anticipatory energy for what the night would hold.

As he walked through the crowd towards his throne, greeted by all sorts of courtiers that laughed and danced around him, Cardan grabbed a glass of wine from a servant. Walking up the steps to the dais that his throne sat upon, he nodded to the knights that protected it before turning and sitting upon the throne with an air of practiced ease. He was much better at sitting on his throne while listening to the problems of his subjects, now, but that was mostly due to the way he didn’t usually have to do anything except watch Jude while she gave advice and guidance and even the occasional punishment. But now, alone, he still couldn’t be bothered pretending that he didn’t enjoy the personal aspect of ruling.

Sipping on wine, Cardan spent time listening to his subjects, offering advice when it was needed and accepting gifts only when he understood the terms completely. He wasn’t aware of specifically how much time was passing but knew that it was especially odd that Jude hadn’t appeared yet, and his mind began to wander—as it often did—to her twinkling eyes and disarming smile.

-----

Jude knew purposefully arriving late to the revel so that Cardan would see her for the first time that evening while, most likely, working his way towards being tipsy and amongst a crowd of other people was at the very least petty, but she couldn’t be bothered to care. After all, most of her plan involved doing things she wouldn’t normally do for the sake of being petty and getting Cardan flustered. So, when she walked into the revel, she was already anticipating some reaction, she was walking in late in an uncharacteristically attention-grabbing outfit. However, Jude didn’t anticipate the way nearly everyone was staring at her by the time she reached the dais where the thrones sat. As she worked her way through the crowd, she was aware of all the eyes on her, of everyone seeing their queen in a new light, but she only paid attention to Cardan. Cardan, whose eyes had snapped towards the entrance to the room the second she was announced, who was clearly trying to figure out why his wife was wearing an outfit like that, who appeared to be choking on air as he saw the determined glint in Jude’s eyes as she lowered herself into her throne.

Everything was going perfectly. Jude knew that Cardan was struggling to maintain composure, mainly because his tail was swishing back and forth behind him, the tip occasionally flicking sharply towards her. She suppressed the grin working its way to her face, turning towards Cardan and looking him dead in the eyes for the first time since she had entered the throne room. His breath hitched ever so slightly.

-----

It was torture. Jude walked into the room confident and stunning, and immediately began ignoring Cardan in favor of speaking to people that came up to the dais in search of advice and conversations with the King and Queen. It took what felt like hours for her to say anything to him, evening though he was acutely aware of the way she suppressed a smirk every time she glanced his direction.

“So, how has your evening been?” Jude’s voice was cool and detached, as if she didn’t know exactly what she was doing to Cardan. He wanted to scream.

His mind was blank, all he could think of was the way Jude seemed to be glowing in the light of the throne room. If he tried very hard he could think about how this was definitely on purpose—why, he didn’t know—but every thought of Jude’s motives were very quickly interrupted by how ethereal she looked. He was trapped by her—which, if he was honest, was absolutely not a new thing, but it was definitively different this time.

“It’s been fine,” he finally choked out, trying his best to pretend unaffected. Jude smirked, clearly hearing the effect she had on him in his voice.

“Very well. I am so sorry for my late arrival, Tatterfell just spent longer than normal on my hair.” Cardan didn’t know enough about doing hair to say anything that contracted her excuse, but he did know enough about Jude to know that it wasn’t true.

“It’s alright.” Cardan decided that short responses would be best. Anything longer than a few words and he could accidentally blurt out too much—something about how stunning she looked or how he could usually barely resist her but like this, done up and confident and determined, made him vulnerable of giving away everything he had for her.

-----

Jude knew her plan was working. It was better than she had imagined. Cardan’s cool demeaner disrupted, leaving him stuttering short responses, looking as if he was going to lose it if he had to sit in his throne for a single second longer.

But, she couldn’t taunt him enough like this, while he was feet away on his throne and every word they said could be overheard by knights and wandering courtiers. So, Jude stood at the end of the current song, reaching her hand out to Cardan.

“Come, my King, won’t you dance with me?”

Cardan looked like he was fighting himself, his tail rapidly flicking back and forth, his dark eyes shimmering with lust and a spot of confusion, but eventually he stood without a word and took her hand, steering her down the stairs and into the crowd. But instead of going towards the area where faeries were congregating for the next song, he gripped her hand tight and led her to the secret room behind the thrones. His whole body was tense when he lightly pushed her through the door, firmly shutting it behind them.

“Cardan, what are you doing? We can’t exactly walk out in the middle of—” Jude was barely able to finish her sentence as she turned to face him before his lips were on hers.

“What do you think you are doing?” He asked when his lips finally left hers, leaving them both panting and disheveled.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jude replied breathlessly as he worked his mouth down her neck, pushing her hair out of the way.

Jude didn’t even receive a verbal response, just a groan and a vague gesture at her body. It was enough to nearly make her laugh, if she knew all she had to do to create a barely coherent and perfectly agreeable Cardan was pretty outfits, she might have let Tatterfell dress her however she wanted back when she was Seneschal.

However, it perhaps wouldn’t have been a perfect solution seeing as she was quickly losing her coherence as well, only focusing on the way that Cardan’s lips felt on her rapidly heating skin and the desire pooling in her stomach. It felt like a dream. Like something she’d wake up from right when it got to this point, left alone in a cold bed, wishing that it were real.

-----

Cardan had never been happier that this was real. That his reality could consist of working his way back up Jude’s neck, leaving bruises in his path, listening to the sharp intake of her breath as he got to her jaw, just before he kissed her in earnest again. Then it was her hands in his hair, tugging sharply against his scalp, leaving him groaning and gasping into her mouth, vaguely aware of his tail snaking its way around her leg. It felt like the kind of thing he would dream of back when they were in school. The kind of thing that he would wake up from and go to that paper and write Jude Jude Jude until the paper ripped and his ink blotted the words, hoping that it could leave his mind. But this was real and happening right now and Jude was kissing back in a way that made him worry that his legs would give out and they’d be left sprawled on the floor.

He steered her toward the couch, as gracefully as he could with their bodies pressed against each other and his mouth never leaving hers, before slowly stepping back. Somehow Jude looked even better like this, eyes alight with passion and love, hair just barely messed up from his fingers, lips swollen and gasping for air. He couldn’t even be bothered to care about the way she looked smug, like she had been expecting this, hoping for him to lose control.

She twisted them around, pushing him to sit on the couch, before maneuvering herself onto his lap, one of her legs slipping out of a slit in her dress he hadn’t noticed before so that she held him down with her hips. It was all he could do to stop from groaning as she began to slide his coat off his shoulders before unbuttoning his shirt, her mouth following her fingers on the way down. As she got his shirt off of him, he was acutely aware of the arousal that had been building up all night reaching unbearable heights, and as she looked into his eyes, before moving to kiss him deeply, he could tell that she knew too.

He kissed her back as every ounce of self-control left his body—which admittedly was very little ever since he had led them to the hidden room—running his hands along her back, up her sides, everywhere he could reach. But as he struggled to find the tie to her dress, doing his best to not just rip the damn thing off, because he very much would like to see Jude wear it again, she pulled away.

Even with her eyes wild, looking halfway to thoroughly debauched, Jude managed to smirk in a smug way that made Cardan suddenly aware that he had lost some unknown game. As he tried to pull her back, pull her dress off, something, she simply leaned in, whispering in his ear, “You should just admit that you think I’m irresistible, we both know that’s what you’re thinking.”

And in that moment, he knew she would ruin him—if she hadn’t already—and all he could do was love her.

[chaolie]

Fundy Week, Day 5 - Selflessness

I am not posting this late again, I swear, the time itself is just wrong in order to spite me- Anyway, here's what I managed to write for Day 5 of @fundyfiles' Fundy Week! As always, it's also on my Ao3!

Also, for a little bit of diversity, this one actually takes place on the osmp!

Characters: Fundy, Wilbur, Scott, Philza

Words: 1.7k

Warnings: Not-described-but-still injury

Summary: Fundy's having a great night filled with planning crime, when he runs into his slightly injured neighbor. And while the two mostly joke around as they wait for healing potions, the fox doesn't hesitate to help when danger appears.

The moon was high and the stars were shining brightly through the otherwise dark night. Though frankly, Fundy didn’t care, and Wilbur seemed to share his idea. They both liked staying outside at late hours, Fundy’s eyes sometimes seemed to work better in the darkness, and Wilbur certainly enjoyed not burning as he did in sunlight. Not to mention, of course, all the small crimes they could commit together while everyone else was sleeping. After all, who was going to stop them? The only person they ever ran into was Scott, and they could always split up and evade him! And before he’d manage to wake up Phil, they’d be long gone anyway!

They were talking quietly, planning their next little heist and deciding who they could take something from, and how to make sure they wouldn’t notice. Either that or how to effectively prank someone without anyone hearing them set up a trap. They enjoyed both of the ideas, but they couldn’t seem to agree on who should they go after on this very calm, quiet night. Just then, a small firework explosion hit right next to them, making them both jump away in panic. Immediately, Wilbur was hidden somewhere in the ground in his Phantom state and Fundy was stumbling to the side, looking for its source. That wasn’t, of course, too hard to find.

“Scott! What the hell!” the fox gasped, looking towards the Starborne’s house. It didn’t take long to notice him, leaning against the wall.

“Sorry, sorry,” the man answered, and seemed to relax. Wilbur quickly resurfaced from the ground.

“Are you okay?” the phantom asked, looking at Fundy before turning to Scott as well. That’s when he realized how injured he seemed. “Both of you?” he clarified.

“Yeah… Scott?” Fundy nodded, finally noticing how weakened his neighbor looked.

“I’m fine, just… First, a creeper exploded, then I got attacked by a literal army of zombies… I thought you were another two of them,” the Starborne explained. “Though, you might want to stay away? One more hit and I’ll probably explode,” he warned them. Fundy and Wilbur exchanged looks, and both decided to put off their mischievous plots for later.

“I have some healing potions in my base, can you grab them for us, Wil?” he asked, and the phantom nodded.

“Of course,” he confirmed before disappearing. Once Scott figured out what the potions were for, he seemed to relax further.

“Thanks,” he sighed, looking in the direction of Fundy’s house.

“Hey, of course! Just remember this as a little favor!” the fox answered. The Starborne turned to look at him with an unamused look. “Relax, I’m just kidding. I don’t want you exploding your own house, I have some tunnels under it! And it’s a cool place too, I guess.”

“Thanks, I happen to like my house too,” Scott laughed quietly. Fundy nodded along.

“Yeah, yeah… How’d you get so hurt, anyway? Aren't you like, always careful and all that?” he asked. Knowing what happens if he dies, Scott always seemed to be prepared for anything.

“I am, but I ran out of iron, and my armor broke. So did my shield, actually,” the man explained. Fundy stayed quiet for a moment, wondering.

“...I didn’t take that from you,” he stated finally.

“I know you didn’t, I used it myself,” Scott sighed. “I accidentally made… ten axes, I think?” he admitted, and Fundy did his best to stifle a laugh.

“Wow, sucks to be you,” he chuckled, and Scott muttered something to himself. Just then, Fundy noticed a white silhouette creeping around the corner of his neighbor’s house with a bow. Immediately, his attitude changed. “Scott, look out!” he called out.

“For what?” the Starborne called back, looking around and quickly spotting the skeleton near him. The monster seemed to spot him as well. “Oh-” He had no shield.

Fundy didn’t think much at that moment, all he figured was that he couldn’t let Scott get more hurt. And suddenly, there he was, jumping forward and soon crushing into the wall Scott was leaning against, managing to get between his friend and the monster just in time to be the one taking the hit. And then, there was an arrow in his arm. Before the skeleton could attack again, Scott seemed to collect himself and shot a firework in its direction, quickly taking it out.

“Holy- Are you okay?” the Starborne asked. Fundy nodded swiftly.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just one hit! It does hurt, though… I hope Wilbur brings all the potions he can lift,” he admitted, looking down at his arm. Scott nodded.

“I’m sure he will. Come on, let’s get inside, it’s too dangerous to stand here,” he decided, taking a couple of steps and waiting for Fundy to follow.

“Right. Wait, let me go first,” the fox decided, taking a couple of faster steps to catch up.

They quickly made their way around the wall and took the turn to the main entrance. Seeing a creeper there, Fundy was glad that he went first. He was less glad that he left his weapons at home, but he could manage without them. And sure, being quite shorter from Scott meant that he wasn’t perfectly fit to protect him, but it didn’t matter. If he could only get closer to take the hit, everything would be fine. Well, everything but himself and Scott’s porch.

“Back, back!” he yelled, making the Starborne stumble back a bit. But before he could dramatically launch at the creeper and take the hit, something swooped by and suddenly, there was only gunpowder on the ground.

“Are you okay?!” came a worried, but tired voice, and they finally noticed Philza standing not far from them, sword drawn. “I heard yelling, what happened?”

“We almost died. Can we go inside now?” Fundy answered, stepping towards the door. Scott followed him close behind.

“We shouldn’t stay out here with all those monsters,” he agreed, and Phil could finally see how injured he was.

“Right, you shouldn’t. What happened?” he questioned again as he followed the two inside. “Do you need me to get you some healing potions?”

“Wilbur’s on that already,” Fundy answered, and just as if to confirm it, the phantom’s voice appeared somewhere outside.

“Scott? Fundy?” he called out, looking for the two.

“We’re inside!” Scott called back, and Wilbur quickly went through the wall to join them.

“I have the potions!” he announced, setting them down near Scott and quickly looking around the room. “Oh, hi Phil!” he greeted, and then finally noticed that Fundy was now injured, too. “Wait, what happened to you?”

“A skeleton? It’s good that you brought some extra potions,” the fox answered, reaching down with his good hand and taking one for himself.

“Didn’t you show off how well you can… dodge their shots just a few nights ago?” Phil asked, handing Scott a few potions.

“Well, yeah, but he can’t,” Fundy answered, pointing at the hurt Starborne before downing his potion.

“Yeah… Thank you for jumping in,” Scott thanked. Fundy set down the empty bottle and stared at him for a moment.

“...Jumping in… very funny,” he repeated. “Look, I was just thinking fast, okay?”

“And what did you think about?” Wilbur asked. Only after saying that, he realized that there were better ways of asking ‘what happened?’. Fundy stuttered briefly before sighing.

“I- I just didn’t want Scott’s house and my tunnels blown up, okay?” he answered finally. He saw the Starborne raise his eyebrows in the corner of his eye. Great. “Look, it’s been nice, but I think I should get going before Phil figures out how many petty crimes I committed tonight.”

“Before I what?!” Philza asked, but Fundy was already halfway through the door.

“I’ll come to get whatever’s left of the potions later!” he called and quickly left. Surely, that was enough of a distraction to keep them from overthinking his little sacrifice.

Only an hour later Fundy figured that they were most likely all gone from Scott’s house, and he should go back for his things. He didn’t even have to wait for the sunrise to feel safe from the monsters outside, he had his little tunnel leading straight to the Starborne’s place. Before leaving, he quickly grabbed some iron from one of his personal chests. He figured that his neighbor needed it more at that moment, and he knew for a fact that he wouldn’t accept any stolen iron.

He quickly traveled through the tunnel and climbed up into Scott’s base. He briefly wondered, would the man be asleep by now? If so, he should probably return later… as soon as his head peeked through the hole, he found himself looking directly at the Starborne, who was very much awake and heading towards the hole himself. The two stopped and stared at each other for a moment before the man took a couple more steps forward.

“Hey, I figured I should give you back the potions and bottles,” he explained, and set the two things he mentioned by the tunnel. Fundy finally managed to lift himself up from it, and quickly snatched the things into a bag he brought with himself.

“Thanks, I actually came to pick that up,” he answered as he secured the bag at his side. Then, he reached into his pocket. “And to give you this too, I guess,” he added as he pulled out the iron he grabbed. “To make sure I don’t have to get shot for you again.”

“...Thanks?” Scott answered, carefully taking the iron from him.

“It wasn’t stolen, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Fundy clarified. The Starborne nodded.

“Thanks,” he thanked again, going over to his storage to put it away. “Oh, wait for a moment!” he called before Fundy could return to his fox den. Soon enough, he returned with a very tiny bag.

“Ooh, what’s this?” the fox hummed in wonder as the man handed it to him.

“Just some berries, I figured you might want them. As a thank you for taking the shot for me. To ‘save your tunnel’,” Scott explained, making it clear that he wasn’t convinced by that explanation. And Fundy didn’t feel like he could argue with that.

“You’re welcome. I’ll be on my way now, bye!” he wished before sitting down at his tunnel again, ready to return.

“Have a good night,” Scott answered. And with that, they separated.

***

...Willing to be shot for your neighbor counts as an act of selflessness, right? Right?? I sure hope so!

[prorevenge]

Try to prank me? Good luck getting your camper back with a lot of cash.

I think this qualifies as pro revenge, because it wasn’t petty. This just happened, well finalized, yesterday.NOTE: please don’t message me asking for videos and facebook posts and things. I promised my wife that I can tell my stories on here, but not share anything like pics or vids. Plus we don’t want her face plastered over the net.

Anyone who follows me, or read any of my posts, knows something about my wife’s best friend I’ll call karen. A harpy from hell, she makes everyone, even my wife sometimes, miserable. She also thinks she is smarter than everyone and just stuck up enough to believe no one would dare cross her.

So, a friend of ours, I’ll call bill, bought a piece of property next door to us. He had a bad car accident in November and lives an hour away. He made me a legal agent of the property, which means I have almost as much power as he does (Think property manager) It has a small house on it that is unoccupied, but I keep an eye on things. He bought the property only because next to the house is a big asphalt parking lot. It used to be a lot for a small used car company. His reasoning was that during the bad winter months he could park equipment and trucks from his other companies there. So he also had me put up huge “no parking. Violators will be towed at owner’s expense “ signs all around it.

Moving on. So Sunday I’m elbow deep into a RC submersible when my wife bursts into my study yells for me to listen to something. I take the phone and who is doing a live video? Karen. Karen was talking about how she was going away for a few days, this was Sunday morning, because she was so stressed out from always giving people advice and helping them through their problems etc. and then she mentioned, again, why my wife told me. She talked about how she parked her 46 foot 5th wheel $35,000 camper next door to me, and seeing bill was unreachable this week, I would have to look at it for the next three days as a reminder that she is not only smarter, but 10 moves ahead of me and I’m a dick because I wouldn’t loan her a truck and it cost her money to rent one. Turns out she told her husband, who is gone during the week for work, that She had bills permission to put it there, so early Sunday morning he towed it over there.

I was pissed, she has a tendency to lie so I went outside, and there it was. Parked right there, in the middle of the lot was her camper. I actually smiled because I had a perfect plan. As being a manager of the property, I also had a right to have any vehicle towed off there. Including that one. I had 2 options call garage A. Owned by a nice guy, doesn’t charge the state maximum for the tow and storage fees. Explain what happened and he might cut you a break. Then there is garage B. He doesn’t care if he has to tow your car 15 feet, he is charging you the max and always charges the maximum storage fees. So your damn right I went with garage B. called the guy, gave him my name, told him I manage the property and bring a 5th wheel, he had it gone in less than a half hour.

This is the best part yet my friends, I didn’t tell her it was towed until yesterday morning. Yes I waited from Sunday afternoon till Tuesday morning. Yesterday morning she is on Facebook live streaming from her car talking about how was going to go visit her camper for another laugh. Then I got on live, my wife sent her a message to get on my live stream like now. And post the link to my page. When she was viewing I said this.

”hey karen. Hope you had a wonderful time. I have to tell you something, I had your camper towed. With me being the properties manager and bill being unavailable I had to have it towed. We can’t let people think they can just park on there illegally. XYZ tow has the camper. I was going to call you Sunday but you seemed sooooooo stressed out that I thought you deserved the break. I mean the camper is safe that’s all that matters right?”

Well Facebook lit up like a christmas tree. As i had hoped those watching her stream followed because, well they were curious too, and then the messages started. A few condemned me, but most were supportive. Some thought it was about time someone showed her that she wasn’t all powerful and no one was scared of her. Then it went quiet.

Now a normal person might be pissed, but understandable, but she went the wounded karen route. That afternoon she got back on again. She was crying, fake crying, about how it was going to cost her over $2,000 in fees because her husband wouldn’t be back till Friday to tow it back and could someone please do it for her. (A bonus I was hoping would happen) And that if she started a gofundme page would people donate to help her pay the fees. The answers to that were between “no” and “fuck no” But hey, she didn’t threaten to sue me at least right?

side note: Bill is unavailable this week, except to certain people, which I am part of. I called him and told him the whole story his answer was exactly “Good. You want to play games then be prepared to lose”

The camper is still there. No one volunteered to get it. A few said they would for gas money, but she tried to play it off as it would be helping her and she owed so much in fees and that she would owe them a favor. A favor no one could collect on because she has nothing to bargain with.

tldr: Karen parked her camper on a property I managed and left town for three days, I had the camper towed.

(source) story by (/u/spongebob_nopants)