#he was actually older but he didn't know it

[talaok]

Giving up

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Summary: Coaxing your neighbor into having sex with you although he's unsure since he's much, much older than you

Warnings: big ass unspecified age-gap, Jackson!Joel is a softie Smut| unprotected piv, crempie, insicure!joel, sub!joel, also my man has trouble lasting cause he's not done this in a very long time.

a/n:i needed to write some cheesy romantic stuff, and maybe it doesn't really make all that sense in this story and maybe i cried while writing this cause no one is ever gonna love me like this but so what bitch leave me alone (i also am i lil tipsy as i proofread this, so ignore any mistakes pls)

Part 1

"did you do something to your hair?"

Tommy was standing on Joel's doorstep, looking at him as if he were an alien.

"I washed 'em" he grumbled, "what do you want?"

His brother couldn't help but huff out a laugh

"someone's in a good mood today"

"I've gotta be somewhere, just tell me what you want"

Tommy's interest was only piqued more.

there stood his brother, his clothes perfectly clean- maybe even ironed- his hair... styled, his beard trimmed...

something was definitely going on.

"Where are you going?"

Joel rolled his eyes now, shooting his little brother a death glare

"none of your business"

Oh he knew what was going on...

"Who is she?"

"Tommy-"

"Is it Jessica? I bet 's Jessica, she's always flirting with you you ol' dog-"

Joel swore he was gonna punch him- he was already running late because of how long he took to pick his clothes- finding a flannel that wasn't completely worn out turned out to be real fucking hard.

He felt stupid for how much effort he'd put into getting ready, he felt stupid for how anxious he was, but most of all... he wanted his brother to go away.

"There ain't no one, Tommy- now, if there ain't anything you need, please go-"

But just then- just when he was finally going to get rid of him, your sweet, soft voice made its way to his ears.

"Hi Joel! Hi Tommy!" You smiled from your porch, waving your hand at him and his brother "You didn't forget about today, did you Joel?"

What in the actual fuck?

Tommy did a double-check, looking between you and his brother, and when he finally confirmed that it was actually him you were talking to, you whom he'd gotten all dolled up for, he couldn't do anything but let out a slow, long breath.

"No I didn't- I'll be there in a minute, darlin'!" Joel was answering you as his brother regained his ability to speak

"well... Fuck. Me" he was in awe, his voice barely a murmur

"it ain't like that" Joel was quick to intervene "'m just fix-"

"'m sure it ain't" Tommy let out a chuckle, his hand going to pat his brother's back "You fucking lucky bastard"

"Tommy I know she's young bu-"

"shut up man" he laughed "Just go have fun, you asshole"

__ __

"Sorry 'm late, Tommy was just-"

You smiled at his words, shaking your head

"It's ok, Joel" you cooed as you let him in,

He gave you a soft little smile, and you felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

Joel Miller didn't smile just at anyone.

"water?" you asked, leading him to the kitchen.

"Uhm- sure"

His heart was damn near beating out of his chest already- for no fucking reason at all.

Well except the obvious one... you'd sucked his dick and he'd eaten you out three days ago- and you'd made it clear you wanted more.

Jesus Christ, he felt like a fourteen-year-old with his first crush.

You watched him as he sipped on the glass.

"So?" a soft smirk was caged between your teeth "Did you think about it?"

He damn near choked.

Which didn't make any sense, he was expecting this, he already knew you'd ask.

He cleared his throat, diverting his eyes from you "I-I have"

"And?"

You'd gotten closer, your expectant eyes studying every inch of his face

pleasepleasepleaseplease say yes

"Did- didn't you have something that needed fixing?"

Oh for fuck's sake

"joel" you called for him in what almost sounded like a plead.

"darlin' just... lemme fix your cabinet first"

This man was gonna be the goddamn death of you.

"ok"

__ __ __

As it turns out, in many different ways.

Who knew watching him fix something would turn out to be so fucking hot?

He'd rolled his shirt up so that his strong forearms and a glimpse of his beautiful bite-worthy biceps were showing, his hands moved so very expertly that they couldn't help but bring back memories of what those same fingers had done to you just a few days ago, and his face... he looked so hot when he was all in his head, concentrated only on the task before him-

or so you thought.

"You're gonna stare at me the whole time?"

A soft laugh escaped your lips

"don't mind me- just enjoying the view"

He huffed out a laugh as he went back to work, but you couldn't help but notice the fact he pushed his sleeves ever further up his arms, giving you more of a view of his delectable skin.

What a tease

__ __ __

"there we go" he said after some time, opening and closing the cabinet one final time to make sure "all done"

For the record, this time you hadn't even done it on purpose, the cabinet had actually broken. It was like fate was sending you a message.

You awakened from your daydreams as he stood up to his full height, and hopped off the stool you were sitting on to walk closer to him, noticing some dampness in your panties while doing so...

It wasn't your fault... he was the one looking way too hot doing such a simple task.

"thank you" You smiled up at him, your hands going to his chest,

He held his breath for a moment

"'s nothing babygirl"

"yeah? then... you think you could check my bedroom too?" you were biting your lip in a way that made your question take on a whole different meaning "to make sure nothing needs fixing y'know?"

"In your... bedroom?"

"yes, Joel- please" you added, with your best innocent doe eyes.

Which of course made him fold in a matter of seconds.

You'd taken on a different tactic. It was obvious at this point that the man was too shy and too unsure to give you an answer (or the one you wanted to hear anyway), which is why you needed to present him with the actual possibility right in front of him.

And yeah maybe it was manipulative, but fuck it if you didn't wanna feel the man inside of you.

The flashbacks of what he did to you on that bed filled his mind the moment he stepped into the room.

He needed to get a grip or he wouldn't be able to hide his growing bulge in a minute.

"Everything seems right"

"yeah? 'm not sure about the bed" you hummed, desperately hoping he would just go along with it "it makes a weird sound when I get on it"

He turned to you then, his eyes locking with yours for an infinite second.

"try" you said finally, nodding to the bed.

He watched you for a moment longer before, surprising you, he did it- he sat on the bed.

The mattress creaked underneath his weight, and you made quick work of strolling closer to him as he pressed his palms on the bed, checking for the inexistent "weird sound"

"it don't look like there's anythin' wron-" he looked up the moment your hands found his shoulders "Whatcha doin'? sweethear-"

You were sat on his lap before he could even finish the sentence.

"Joel" you spoke his name softly, as if it were a caress, your hands slowly moving up and down from his shoulders to his pecs, as you finally scooted closer to him so your core was right against the hardness in his jeans-

He inhaled sharply, his fingers curling on the bed.

"would you like to have sex with me or not?"

You accentuated your words with a slow roll of your hips, grinding onto him and making a soft groan build inside his throat

"this- this ain't really fair sugar"

A smirk pulled at your lips as you lowered your head to whisper in his ear "I never said I didn't play dirty, Mr. Miller"

Your right hand trailed lower, moving down his belly so slowly that Joel thought he might just lose his mind.

"You're y-young baby-"

Your hand had found his crotch, the outline of his dick fitting in your hand oh so perfectly.

"we've gone over this already Joel, I'm old enough" you purred, your lips leaving a peck just below his ear "old enough to do many many things"

He cursed under his breath

"I just... I don't understand"

A breathy laugh escaped you

"there's not much to understand really" you murmured "You're hot, and I like you, and I wanna get in your pants"

That earned you a chuckle

"and you're sure you won't regret this?" he asked, "you sure this is what you really want- that- that you don't want to give a boy your age a chance instead of me?"

You smiled as you looked up at him,

you'd never met a man so sweet

"Joel, I promise you I'm sure" you whispered "I promise you this is what I want, you are what I want"

Fucking damn it

How could he ever say no after that?

With those gentle eyes of yours looking at him, with your hand right over his cock...

"So?"

He was gonna think about the consequences tomorrow. Now- now there was only you.

"yes"

That single word sounded better than any song you'd ever heard.

yes

Your lips were on his before he could even think of changing his mind- and god did they feel like a dream.

His soft stubble grazed against your cheeks and upper lip, as you deepened the kiss, as he opened up to you, closing his eyes only after he'd taken you in, only after he could admire all that was happening to him for some godforsaken reason.

A growl rumbled from his chest when your core found his dick again, grinding onto it in a way, that combined with the way your tongue was tasting every inch of him, was making him see stars.

He didn't think he'd kissed like this in 30 years,

making out seemed like such a distant thing from him, he was much too old to do something like this, and yet... everything about you made him feel like a teenager all over again, so perhaps it was fitting-

and god he had forgotten how amazing it felt.

You started undoing his flannen, not even dreaming of breaking the kiss, and once you opened his shirt up, once his big strong chest was right there before you, you just had to look at it.

You leaned away, his lips chasing yours making you smile as your gaze lowered.

Jesus, he was the hottest man you'd ever seen.

Some hair and freckles adorned his pecs, his little belly was ever so cutely fighting against his jeans- his skin was soft beneath your palms as they explored every inch they could reach.

He was looking at you, watching your blow-out eyes, wondering what potion you'd drank to be this mesmerized by what he had to offer.

You smiled once you caught him, leaning closer to leave a quick kiss on his lips.

"take off your clothes"

You got off of him, and once he saw you get rid of your shirt, your boobs pushed together by a simple black bra that somehow, at the moment, seemed like the sexiest thing in the world, he rushed to follow suit, nearly tripping getting off his pants.

The moment he looked at you again, the world- the universe, it all went quiet.

You stood naked before him, a soft, perfect little thing, looking like a damn dream.

"babygirl" he could only breathe as you reached him again.

"What?" you laughed

"I-I don't even know"

You shook your head, grinning from ear to ear as he pressed his mouth on yours again.

He was already addicted.

In a haze, you found yourself on the bed, your body caged beneath his, his tongue fighting with yours, his hands all over- You almost had the urge to laugh at how desperate he seemed, how frantically he was touching every inch of you, exploring every piece of skin-

His hands were on your tits, fingers gently playing with your nipples, then on your belly, your waist, your ass, your thighs, until finally, he found your core, but before he had the time to fully reach it you'd switched up with him, straddling his lap as he laid flat on his back... only he couldn't keep away for even a second and he immediately sat up, grabbing your waist.

He couldn't even begin to complain that you'd already grabbed his cock, positioning it at your entrance.

You couldn't wait anymore- you needed him now.

"Wait-" he murmured, his breathing labored already "you sure you're... y'know ready?"

Oh my god, you swore you were gonna fall for him if he kept this shit up.

"Joel" you smiled, looking into his big brown eyes "I've been wet since you fixed the cabinet"

"I-" he blushed "You-you sure?"

You didn't answer him, you simply took one of his hands in yours and guided him to feel just how much you were telling the truth.

"Fuck"

"yeah" you smirked "that's just what you do to me, Mr. Miller"

Jesus fuck

Joel didn't think his cock had ever been so hard.

You didn't give him time to do or say anything- he'd gathered that's how you did things by now- as you slowly, oh so very slowly, started sinking onto him.

He was big, the kind of big you'd be feeling tomorrow morning. The stretch hurt just right, so overwhelmed by the unadulterated pleasure that it was barely there.

Soft little moaned gasps spilled from your lips with every inch added, your eyes were closed, only focusing on the extraordinary feeling as your nails clawed at Joel's chest.

Until, finally- you'd done it. You were fully sat on his cock, and while your eyelids fluttered open, you regained your ability to hear- to hear the curses leaving Joel's mouth between ragged breaths

"Jesus Christ- Jesus fucking Christ- Goddamnit"

His grip on your waist was so tight you were sure it was gonna leave a bruise... not that you were complaining.

"you ok?"

His eyes were shut close and creases of effort filled his forehead, while his chest went up and down as he desperately tried to breathe.

"Joel?"

He swallowed tightly, now breathing in through his nose before exhaling from his mouth.

"d-don't move"

You smiled as you promised "I won't"

God this was fucking embarrassing.

He'd spent three days training.

And yes he wasn't sure he would have said yes, but still, better safe than sorry- except for the fact it clearly hadn't worked.

He had spent three days fucking his own fist and trying to last as much as possible and he did do progress... but this... this was fucking nothing like what he'd felt in the last twenty years.

He was so fucked

"I-I'm sorry" he gritted out, sounding almost defeated "I- I haven't done this in a long time darlin'"

"And you... you feel so fuckin' good- fuck"

Your walls had inadvertently squeezed around him at his words, making a groan rumble in his chest.

"You have nothing to apologize for Joel"

he would have told you that your voice was making everything worse if he weren't so preoccupied with trying to calm his dick down.

"take all the time you need"

And so he did, his eyes remained closed as he breathed through the initial shock, until finally, after what felt like an eternity, he was back.

He had to stifle a moan once he opened his eyes back up.

There you were, your beautiful eyes trained on his with such gentleness and care that it made where his gaze fell to feel even more sinful.

Your boobs were barely touching his chest, and yet they could have been in his face for the effect they had on him- his hands were on your waist, holding onto your soft flesh, your thighs were straddling his lap, giving him no choice but to finally look between your bodies, where you two connected.

"Darlin'" he murmured, hypnotized

You smiled, watching him admiring you in silence

"You look..."

Every word that came to mind wasn't enough, you were otherwordly, you were perfection... so he just settled on the simplest, and perhaps truest of them all.

"you're beautiful"

Your cheeks burned with heat as his gaze came back to yours.

"so are you, Joel"

And that was that.

His lips found yours again, and you couldn't stop your hips as they started moving, rocking back and forth and bringing little waves of ecstasy to your core.

A desperate moan spilled from yours to Joel's mouth as he grabbed the back of your head, forcing you into an even deeper kiss as he started following your movements.

Your hands went to the back of his neck, grabbing at the hair at the nape of it as you finally started bouncing on his dick, and god- god it was even better than you could have ever imagined

The loudest growl sounded from his throat as you worked yourself up and down on his shaft.

He was in another universe, his actions were only reflexes as the hand not tangled in your hair found your tits and then your ass, grabbing at it with tenderness and need.

"Oh Joel" you cried, his dick filling you up better than anything ever before.

You could quite literally feel him in your stomach, every little vein and ridge of skin creating a permanent dent inside of you that only he was ever gonna be able to fill.

"sweetheart- fuck" he groaned on his own, your breaths mixing as you ghosted each other's mouths, his eyes raking over your body and face, while yours couldn't help but roll to the back of your head as his manhood hit a particularly good spot.

"You feel so- good Joel" you whimpered mindlessly, now quickening your pace, desperation taking over you completely.

the sound of him entering your drenched core mixed with the bed creaking underneath you as you drove yourself closer and closer to heaven.

The sound of his name falling from your lips was something that filled Joel's chest with an indescribable feeling, he felt on top of the word, and at the same time... at the same time he wished it had never left your mouth because it was now forever imprinted in his brain, and he knew nothing was ever gonna compare to it.

Oh and also- also it was making his little lasting problem real fucking hard to control.

But he was nothing if not a gentleman,

You were gonna come, he wasn't gonna have it any other way.

His hand lowered down your belly as you kept chasing your release, looking like a damn glimpse of paradise, until his thumb found your clit.

"Oh fuck" you moaned, your eyes snapping open to look at him- a dark glaze of lust shading your iris.

Joel realized too late that he hadn't taken into account how fucking tight you'd get, and was now really paying the consequences.

Plus when you looked at him like that... maybe just this one time he could not be a gentleman- I mean it's not like he had much choice, he was trying his hardest but- shit

"darlin'" he mumbled, his thumb circling your bud "w-where do ya- where do ya want it?"

You moaned louder just at the thought of him coming

"Inside"

It wasn't even a question

"N-no sweetheart I-I shouldn-"

"Joel" you interrupted him, your lips grazing his as you talked, your grip on his hair tightening "I want you to fill me up until I can feel you leaking out of me for days"

Good Christ and heaven

"Fuck me" he cursed, all his strength going on not coming right there and then "Darlin' please- tell me you're close"

You were already seeing stars as he spoke

"I'm close, baby- oh fuck" you cried "Joel!"

A tsunami of lust-filled pleasure coursed through your veins as your orgasm hit like a damn truck.

You couldn't even remember your name as you screamed his own into the thick air, as you moaned and cried and spasmed around him, feeling him do exactly what you'd asked- filling you up to the very brim.

He'd started coming the moment you did- he couldn't do anything about it, it was just unadulterated perfection-

His head fell between your neck and shoulders as groaned like a man possessed,

until finally, after a good three minutes, you were both back to the land of the living.

He looked twenty years younger when he looked at you again, and you- you looked like the most beautiful woman on earth.

A soft smile pulled at your lips, and you couldn't help but ask "How long before we can do it again?"

And fuck him, but his age didn't matter, with those eyes of yours, it might very well be minutes.

@kluvspedro @bluebiyou @casssiopeia @bean-is-reading @millerispunk @i-cant-stfu

[animezinglife]

I understand it, too.

I genuinely do find Solas attractive, albeit in a different way. I would love to romance him with a different character someday---I just wish we got Solas for who he truly was from the start of that romance or that the truth had come out earlier. I'm good at avoiding spoilers, and I hadn't known he would betray the Inquisitor, nor had I even known you couldn't romance him as a human. I had actually gone in fully expecting Mira to flirt with him a little (I knew nothing about Cullen's romance at the time and had always heard Solas was the way to go), but that's simply not how their dynamic played out anyway.

I have no doubt his and Lavellan's is an enthralling story in DA:I, and I would at some point like to experience it. I fully understand the appeal. I would fully be there myself with the right character and mindset.

Solas is captivating. He's someone you could talk with for hours on end about the most abstract concepts, but there's always that small sense of him keeping his distance (even before the topic ever comes up). Even I knew there was more he wasn't saying by the way he dodged questions and some of the dialogue between him and other companions. Though for someone who didn't know better, that could've simply meant he was far more powerful than he let on, knew more than he let on, likely older than he seemed, and wanted to protect himself. The whole, "elven god of lies" thing was a bit more of a twist than I'd anticipated. A secret, ancient elf hiding some things I can do, especially if those layers get peeled back over time. I'm less sure about elven Loki.

I think it truly would've been interesting had it gone a bit more in the direction of Children of Fallen Gods/Mother of Death and Dawn (which, some have noticed, draws some considerable parallels to Solavellan in ways that can't be considered coincidence). Without bringing too many spoilers to the forefront of the conversation, there is some...mutual awareness and corruption that occurs between Totally-Not-Solas and Totally-Not-Lavellan. The power dynamic's more balanced and decision making more...comparable to some degree.

(I am not, by the way, blaming Solas or pointing any fingers at anyone regarding their power dynamics in DA:I).

Solas is the guy whose beauty (if you lean that way at all) isn't quite as noticeable until you get into a really deep discussion with him and realize your heart's beating a little too quickly and you're definitely sitting closer to him now than you were before. He draws you in. He piques your curiosity a bit too much.

I truly do not factor in looks at all (within reason---I'm blatantly partial to humans, elves, fae, vampires, etc.) when I play games with romance options. Solas (in theory; I played as a human, which negates the option) would've been every bit as high up on my to-romance list as Cullen. In truth, he was higher just because he was the one I knew so many were obsessed with. Just because Cullen caught my eye faster didn't mean he and my Inquisitor would've been a good match.

But wow, were they.

I easily lean more towards the "Solas-is-attractive" camp in general. Honestly, I love the fact that the romance options in DA:I were so different and unique from each other. Any players who chose to pursue a romance could find one that suited their characters perfectly. I like that there are a range of personalities, dynamics, and looks, and that there's good variety.

For me personally, nothing in that particular game will ever top Cullen's just because it's so incredibly hyper-specific to every little thing I love and value most even in real life. It's perfect for Mira's story; she is, admittedly, a lot like me. I couldn't believe a romance like that even existed in a game (and you already know why/the many layers I'm referring to).

Yet I also know there are plenty who wouldn't like his romance at all and vastly prefer Solas (or someone else in general).

That's the beauty of it, though.

But, yeah..."ugly?" That's not even a word I'd consider for Solas at all.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard | ▶ dev. Bioware

[formylovetodaryldixon]

"My everything." Daryl Dixon Imagine.

(Not my gif!)

A sleepless night after your and Daryl's baby was born.

A/N: Just a cheesy imagine hehe sometimes I like to imagine a soft dad!Daryl. I wrote this imagine for my Tom Holland page, so if you ever find it, you know why. Sorry if you see any grammatical errors. Hope you like it! Thank u.

Marley Rose Dixon was one month old now.

She was born in a warm room full of candles, in a blissful and foggy night in which the world of her mother and father was painted with beautiful colors again after walking in a grey world for so long, announcing her arrival with a loud cry that showed her freedom and her desire to live until the doctor (luckily, there was a few in Alexandria) placed her on your chest for the first time.

Marley was named after Daryl's older brother, and you didn't mind because despite everything, you knew how much he loved his brother. At first, the news wasn't easy for either of you two to take in (the option of abortion was considered at length), but the thought of a baby gave you both the hope that something better and more beautiful could come, too. And boy, it did.

Right there, the moment she was born, her blue eyes — identical to her father's — sparkled with the glow of two small diamonds, treasures hidden behind her long lashes from the first time she opened her eyes and gazed, serenely, at her parents, and the new world around her, a better world you two were trying to build for her.

But from that moment on, she cried, cried and cried from time to time.

At 2:54 am, Alexandria is submerged in a cozy dream far from the fear and death, unlike you, and it seems unreachable for you as you walk through your dark room taking soft steps and soft bounces, holding in your arms a small human being created from a great love and blah, blah, blah, other nonsense things you used to believe before being deprived of such a necessary resource, for your sanity and mental health (you didn't sleep much before her, and Daryl even less, but still), But you chuckle, numb from lack of sleep, tired, but at peace with yourself as her little head lies on your right arm and your left one gently caresses her back, wrapped comfortably in a white blanket with pictures of little elephants, just like the pillow in the shape of the same animal that Uncle Rick found for her during a run.

You love her, you are crazy about her, even if the days became difficult and the nights were exhausting, (even with the monumental help Carol and the rest of the family gave you), but all the reward is in being able to hold her in your arms, warm and safe. Daryl calls her his angel, his princess, and at the time, it is an appropriate nickname for someone who cries to make her demands heard.

You chuckle, again.

"Is she tellin’ ya a good joke?" Daryl walks into the room, holding a bottle of warm milk in his hand.

You and Carol taught him how to do it, and now, he is an expert. His brown hair is tousled, but it usually is so no one could tell the difference, eyes tired from lack of sleep, shirtless and in gray loose sweatpants he refused to wear at first.

“15 minutes to make the milk? I was starting to get worried actually." You raise an eyebrow, speaking softly. "Why did you take so long? The milk is in the kitchen, not in another country."

"Sorry, sweetheart." Daryl apologizes as he hands you the bottle, sitting on the edge of the bed to watch his daughter stop crying the moment she feels the bottle against her pretty pink lips. "I closed ma eyes and just fell asleep in the kitchen."

You frown, continuing to stroke Marley's back.

"In a chair? On the counter?"

At the sound of your voice, Daryl's head falls until he almost hits his chest with his own chin, waking up from his light sleep before looking back at you. It's still funny to you how easy it was for him to go without sleep all those years, but after a month with Marley, Daryl considered killing walkers an easier task.

"What? No. Standin’. Didn't know that was even possible."

You shake your head gently, looking away to your baby who is enjoying a meal at 3 in the morning, resting peacefully, just like a princess, in your arms with eyes closed, body relaxed, arms outstretched to pretend to hold the bottle in your hand.

“Even dad can get a nap; you sleep whenever you feel like it… so, where is mom's nap? I mean, I've slept an hour every night since you were born, the room is a mess like us, and my breasts hurt too much."

Daryl chuckles.

"Can't help ya with that, darling. In fact, I think that's exactly what got us into this mess."

"What?"

"Yer boobs." Daryl babbles, smiling wearily, eyes closed as he falls against the edge of the bed, only to stop holding his own weight when he can no longer bear it. “Yer incredible, amazing boobs. They’re amazing and I love ‘em so much, but they were the temptation that brought us… this beautiful gift."

You shrug your shoulders, agreeing with him.

"They are amazing, and she is beautiful when she doesn't cry.”

"That's when I love ‘er the most." Daryl answers, and a second later, you both chuckle in unison.

“Although, it was kind of your fault for wanting to do it without a condom, you horny bastard.”

Daryl chuckles, and because he wasn't used to doing that before you, that tiny sound was endearing.

“Ya regret it?”

"Never." You say with confidence, because you know that he did not regret the decision either. You laugh quietly, after a while. “But… you know what I was thinking?”

“Um?”

“That this would be a good time to save money so that she can go to a good college.”

Daryl wasn't used to making jokes, so with the help of the moonlight coming through the window, fighting the darkness of the room, he raises himself slightly to look you in the eyes, his brow slightly furrowed.

“Jesus, I’m just kidding.”

Daryl chuckles, falling on the bed again, one arm over his eyes.

“Ya think is a good idea if we teach her how to kill walkers when she gets older? Marley could be the new little ass kicker.”

You smile to yourself, because for some reason, your daughter's name on his lips is like sweet honey. And, although you wanted to protect her from that world, the rules had changed, and in order to survive, she was going to have to learn to take care of herself too. Fortunately, it was still too early to think about that.

So, asleep again, you leave Marley in her crib near the bed before returning to it, laying down next to Daryl as he rolls over onto his left side, taking advantage of the time that you still have until the baby wakes up again, just to repeat the cycle you have been living in since Marley was born.

But life still feels good despite the fatigue and the occasional physical pain, because she was everything you never imagined you could have, not in that world, and she, more beautiful than you had ever dreamed of during the wait.

"Thanks, peach." Daryl whispers, so close to you that you can feel his nose against yours, his hand caressing your waist over your shirt, but you're so tired that it takes you a few seconds to gather your strength to respond.

"Why?"

"For our baby, for lovin’ me, for givin’ me a home. Ya two are ma everythin'."

You smiled, sighing.

"You're welcome, love. We are very, very lucky to have you." You say, taking a breath to answer as you look at him: eyes closed, body finally relaxed after having her on his chest most of the day. He is a good dad, the best. "But still, the next turn is yours alone."

Daryl, amused, looks blindly for the warmth of your body to pull you against him, tickling you slightly and that have you both smiling softly despite the absolute exhaustion, a few seconds before you both can fall into a deep sleep, finally.

[loulovingho]

tags: violence (gay bashing), homophobic slurs, blood, hurt/comfort, angst, healing, heading toward getting back together, happy-enough ending

(ao3 link or read below)

Like Fine China

“Hey, I need you to keep your eyes open for me, okay? You hear me? Try to keep your eyes open.”

He recognized that voice. The last time he'd heard it was just a few weeks ago, at the hospital. Who was it for though? Why was he at the hospital that time?

His brain felt like a jumbled mess. His body felt even worse.

He just wanted to sleep.

“Tommy! Tommy, can you hear me?”

Athena! That's who was speaking to him.

He opened his mouth, cracked one eye open. God, it hurt!

“I- I'm,” the words felt foreign as they escaped him. His voice didn't sound like his own. His mouth was dry, and held a bad taste.

Whiskey and... and metal.

Blood.

“Tommy, paramedics are on their way, okay? I just need you to stay with me until they get here.”

It was dark, but something was shining bright in his face.

“Flash... Flashlight,” he managed to get out, squeezing his eye back shut.

“Eyes- Eye open, Tommy. I'll get the flashlight out of your face, but I need to know you're with me.”

Wait. Had she said paramedics? They couldn't. He couldn't let them- let him see.

“No, no, no,” he mumbled out, shaking his head a couple times until a sharp pain shot through it. “No, h- he can't. I don't-”

“They're not on shift, Tommy.”

He tried to push himself up, away from where she hovered over him. He didn't manage to get very far before she placed a hand on his chest.

“Tommy, you cannot get up. I need you to stay still, and stay conscious. Those two things are your only jobs. You hear me?”

“I can't,” his words were so garbled. He coughed up the blood that'd been dripping down his throat.

I can't let him see.”

“Listen to me, Tommy!” Athena exclaimed, getting right in Tommy's face. He could barely see her, but he could feel her breath on his face. “They're not coming. Buck isn't coming; it'll be someone else.”

In the distance, he heard the sound of sirens. He didn't feel relief. Didn't feel much of anything at all. He was fading, fast. It took all his energy to force out one last sentence before he lost consciousness. “Don't... Don't tell him.”

*****

He just wanted to go out for a drink. Something a little stronger than craft beer.

It'd been two weeks since he broke up with Evan- no, Buck. He was Buck now.

It'd been two weeks since he broke up with Buck and the ache in his chest felt the same way it did the second he walked out of the loft.

He'd thought he was saving himself from future heartbreak, and maybe he was, but it didn't quite make it hurt any less.

Georgie's wasn't exactly a gay bar, but Georgie was gay and the bar itself became a sort of unofficial hang out for older people in the lgbtq+ community. No loud music and everyone left each other alone. A perfect place to decompress while still allowing yourself to be free.

After a couple of whiskey sours, and yeah, a pitcher of craft beer, Tommy was ready to go.

He waited outside, near the alleyway, for his Uber. He found himself going to his messages, hovering over Evan's name. He hadn't had the heart to change it to Buck yet.

He'd been wanting to text him since the breakup. Talk about it some more. Actually give a reason for why it- why he- fell apart so fast. How Buck's words triggered some terrible memories for him. How he suddenly realized there was no way he could be everything he thought Buck needed. Everything Buck deserved. Not to mention they hadn't even exchanged I love you's. And it was insane to think all of Tommy's things could fit in Buck's loft. Buck's things could fit in his house so much easier!

He clicked on Evan's name, started to type something out, erased it, started again, erased it again.

He was usually so aware of his surroundings. His time in the military did that to him. It did a lot of things to him actually, many of which he wasn't very thankful for. However, he prided himself on not being oblivious.

Tonight he was oblivious.

He didn't expect five men to jump him at once. He was a strong guy. Had taken on three men about fifteen years earlier. Did it with ease too.

But not five men. Not when one had a bat, and one had brass knuckles, and one was at least 6'5 and three hundred pounds. Not when they dragged him to the ground and into the alley before he had a chance to react. Screaming slurs at him as they took turns using his body as a punching bag.

He tried to fight. At one point, he was sure he kicked one of the guy's in the face. Heard him yell something like, “The fag broke my tooth!”

It only made things worse.

He wasn't sure when he first lost consciousness, but he knew they were still on top of him. Still laughing as they hit and kicked. He heard the sounds of someone spitting at some point. Felt wet on his face.

Then there was nothing.

Until someone stepped out from somewhere, and maybe they heard him groan? Maybe it was his Uber driver wondering where he was? Maybe it was an employee taking out the trash? He wasn't sure. He could barely hear someone telling him they were calling the police. There was a ringing in his ears, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. Someone said something about wheezing, barely breathing. He wondered what that was about.

Then there was Athena. Then nothing again.

*****

The next time Tommy opened his eyes, he was in a dimly lit hospital room. He was confused. Could barely see out of one eye and everything was blurry out of the other.

His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and maybe some tiny humans hitting his brain with hammers.

“Are you... awake awake or not really awake?”

The sound of a man's voice startled him. He couldn't hardly move, but he was able to focus his eyes across the room at the figure in the corner.

“Ed- Eddie?”

God, his voice sounded weird. Why did it sound like that? Like he'd spent the last 30 years smoking a pack a day.

“Yeah, I'm here.”

He sounded hesitant. Maybe they'd had this conversation before? If they had, Tommy certainly didn't remember it.

“Wha- Why?”

Eddie stepped closer. “You're in the hospital, Man.”

Tommy wanted to roll his eyes. No duh.

He settled for clearing his throat, which turned into a burning sensation running down his chest. “Why're you... here?” he tried. Hoped Eddie understood that much.

“Tommy-”

“I t- told Athena-” he had to pause to take a breath. “Told her not to tell.”

“Actually, you told Athena not to tell him. And she assumed, correctly, I'm sure, that him was Buck. So she called me instead.”

Tommy closed his eyes. “Why?”

“Why'd she call me? Oh, maybe because you don't have anyone listed as an emergency contact and you were nearly beat to death so she figured you might need someone to be here when you woke up.”

Tommy's jaw clenched at Eddie's harsh words.

Nearly beat to death.

He was nearly beat to death.

Eddie either noticed Tommy's heart rate going up on the monitor, or his eyes filling with tears, because he was right beside his bed in two strides. “Sorry,” he said. “Sorry, I- I'm kinda pissed, Man.”

“S'okay,” Tommy replied, swallowing hard. “I deserve it.”

Eddie looked taken aback. “No, I'm not- Tommy, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at this,” he said, gesturing over Tommy's body. “I've never seen...” Eddie's voice trailed off and, through Tommy's own blurry vision, he could see that Eddie was close to crying.

“What'd they do to me?” Tommy asked, barely able to take in all his injuries. His entire body hurt, no part any worse or less than the other. He could feel something on every limb, but he couldn't quite move his head around enough to see what it was.

Eddie took a deep breath. He wiped at his eyes with his fingers, sniffling before getting started. “You've got bruising on about seventy-five percent of your body. You had surgery for a busted kneecap on your right knee. Your left arm has a fracture, and your right one has thirty stitches, I think. They broke a few ribs, so it's gonna hurt like hell when you take a deep breath or cough. Um, you had some internal bleeding, but they got that under control pretty fast. You've got a fracture in your cheek, which may cause some extra pain when you talk. You've got a few broken fingers too, and lost a couple fingernails during your- when you were defending yourself.”

“Hm,” Tommy hummed once Eddie was done. “S'that all?”

Eddie shook his head, rolling his eyes. “I'm sure I missed a couple things, actually, jackass.”

Tommy let out a laugh, which quickly turned into a groan. “Thanks for coming, Eddie,” he said, trying and failing at moving himself into a slightly more comfortable position. “You don't have to stay though. I'll be fine.”

Eddie stared at him incredulously. “You're kidding me.”

Tommy shifted his eyes back in Eddie's direction. “No, I- I'll be okay. I've got it. Just,” he paused to take a breath, “don't let Buck know, please.”

Eddie raised a finger toward Tommy. “Well, see, about that. You only told Athena not to tell him before, and-”

“You didn't.”

“-and see he was already at my place when I got the call, so-”

“Please tell me you didn't.”

“I have one with cream and one with sugar and- Oh my God, you're awake!” The sound of Buck's voice had Tommy's head twisting toward the door so quickly that a pain shot from the bottom of his back all the way to the top of his head. “Ow!” he yelped, clenching his teeth and tossing his head against the pillow, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Oh my God. Has the nurse come in yet? Have they checked his vitals? Eddie, you said he'd be out for a while! Tommy, do you feel any nausea? Do you remember who we are? The nurses said you might have-”

“Buck!” Eddie exclaimed. “Stop. He's okay.” He glanced over at Tommy, “I did forget to mention the head trauma.”

Tommy groaned, giving him a glare.

Eddie walked over to Buck and took the drink carrier from his hands. “I'll go find a nurse, you stay with him.”

Tommy wanted to yell out to Eddie to please not go, and also screw you, and maybe throw a couple hand gestures in there too. He stayed silent instead.

Buck looked Tommy up and down, hesitating slightly before walking up to the side of the bed. “So, you're-”

“I want to see myself,” Tommy blurted.

“Oh, um, I... Tommy, I don't. It might be better to wait.”

Tommy managed to move his head enough to look up at Buck. He could see the fear- no, the panic- in Buck's eyes.

“I wanna see," he repeated.

“Tommy-”

“Buck!” It took a lot of strength to get his name out so forcefully, and he didn't quite mean it to sound as angry as it did, but this wasn't Buck's decision. It was his. And he wanted to see what he looked like.

Buck pulled his phone from his back pocket, his hands shaking slightly as he pulled up the camera.

Slowly, he lifted the phone up to Tommy's face.

The second it registered that he was looking at himself, Tommy sucked in a breath. He grimaced as pain radiated through his chest but, when Buck went to move the camera away he stopped him. “No,” he said. “Just. Just wait.”

He knew his eyes were swollen by how out of focus his vision was, but he had no idea just how bad they looked. The right was worse than the left, but both were an angry mixture of black, purple, and green. The bruise on the left side of his face ran down his cheek to his jaw, circling underneath his chin like a half moon and fading into his facial hair. There were marks on his neck. Looked like someone's hand. He could understand Eddie's hesitancy on mentioning that. He didn't remember anyone gripping him there, which was probably for the best.

His forehead had more bruises, and cuts too. There was dried blood at his hairline, some stitched up cuts. His curly hair was nearly matted to his head, his scalp a brutal crimson.

“I tried to wash the blood out of your hair with a washcloth,” Buck explained anxiously, “but you have some lacerations on your scalp and I didn't want to bother them until they healed a little more.”

It was all so overwhelming. There was a whirring sound in his ears that made him feel dizzy. His eyes burned as they filled with tears that he didn't have the strength to wipe away.

“Okay,” he said, his voice uneven. He cleared his throat. “Can you- You can go, please. I don't... You can go.”

“Tommy-”

“Ev- Buck, I'm awake, I'm fine, I don't need anyone here.” He stared straight ahead, unable to look Buck in the eyes. “Please.”

“No.”

Tommy really didn't feel like dealing with stubborn Evan right now. “I don't-”

“I don't really care, Tommy. I'm not leaving you here. I've been at this damn hospital for three days now and I'm staying until you go home. I don't care what-”

He was cut off by the sound of footsteps behind him.

“Got the nurse,” Eddie said, an awkward smile on his face. The nurse, to her credit, ignored all the tension in the room.

“Let me get some hand sanitizer and gloves and I'll be right with you, Mr. Kinard.”

Buck sighed. He stepped even closer to Tommy. “I'm gonna go into the hall long enough for the nurse to check you out,” he said, maneuvering himself until he was halfway leaning over the bed, his arm on the other side of Tommy to prop himself up as he forced him to make eye contact. “I will be back in a few minutes. You have people who care about you, Tommy, whether you like it or not.”

With that said, Buck stood back up and left the room.

*****

Tommy spent a few more days in the hospital before he was released. There were only two times that Buck left long enough to get a shower and get a little rest in a real bed. Both of those times, he made sure Eddie was there the entire time.

Athena had come in to get his statement. Asked him all sorts of questions, most of which Tommy couldn't answer. He hadn't really gotten a good look at them. Only had very basic descriptions. He remembered the slurs they had hurled at him, knew they attacked because he was gay. He couldn't really figure out how they knew though. Besides being outside of that bar, it wasn't like Tommy ever did anything that screamed gay. Not that it mattered.

She'd been honest with him. There were no cameras at that part of the street, or in the alleyway. No one got a good description of the attackers, and the person who called the police only saw their shadows as they disappeared into the night. She'd do everything she could, but it wasn't likely they'd find these men. At least, not until they did this again.

Bobby stopped by once with some homemade chicken noodle soup. Buck had to feed him every bite, which made Tommy feel like he was about to cry the entire time, but he managed half a bowl before he had to stop. It was a million times better than anything the hospital had been feeding him, and he was glad to know Bobby had put some in his freezer to give Tommy when he got home.

Chim and Maddie came one evening. He'd been asleep when they got there, woke up some time during their visit, but he kept his eyes shut until they left.

Honestly, every time someone walked through the doors he felt more and more like running out of the hospital and finding a hole to fall into. Then, if he were lucky, someone would just shovel some dirt over him and let him rest.

These weren't his people. They were Buck's people. They didn't need to be there for him. They needed to hate him. They needed to laugh at his bruises and tell him he deserved every last one. They needed to yell at him for breaking Buck's heart to try and save his own.

That'd be a lot easier than this.

Thankfully, Hen and Karen didn't come by. They did send flowers though, and a card that explained both kids had strep throat and they didn't want to risk bringing that to the hospital. They'd come by Tommy's place once he was home.

He and Buck didn't talk about anything that needed to be talked about. All the unsent messages that had swirled through Tommy's mind didn't matter right now. It was like an unspoken rule between the two of them. Right now was not the time to try and fix whatever happened between them. Right now was about Tommy healing.

*****

As soon as they got Tommy home, Buck left Eddie with him so he could go to the pharmacy and pick up his medications. When he got back, Eddie headed out to go home and rest, promising to come back later with a variety of foods that would be easy on Tommy to eat.

The silence felt more... silent at Tommy's house. It was different now that they were at home instead of a hospital with people coming in and out at all times.

Tommy needed to do something, say something, to break the silence.

“I wasn't on a date,” he muttered out as Buck organized his pain meds on his nightstand.

Buck paused briefly before getting right back to it. “Didn't think you were.”

Tommy nodded. “Okay. I just, I don't know, didn't want you to think that.”

“You go to Georgie's when your brain is working overtime and you need it to quiet down.”

Tommy's eyebrows furrowed. “I didn't know I ever told you that.”

“You didn't,” Buck replied, handing Tommy his pills and a glass of water. “I just know you.”

Tommy swallowed the pills, wincing slightly. His throat still felt scratchy even a week later. “I don't know how they knew,” he said as Buck took the water from him and set it on his nightstand.

“Who knew what?”

“Those guys that-” he stopped. “I don't know how they knew I was gay.”

“A lot of queer people hang out at Georgie's,” Buck answered. “They probably took a guess.”

The thought of it made Tommy's stomach lurch. “I've spent most of my life trying to make sure people couldn't guess.”

Buck watched him for a moment quizzically. “Tommy, you're not... You don't blame yourself for this, do you? You know this wasn't your fault, right?”

Tommy avoided eye contact with Buck. He felt so small right now. “I know I didn't do anything to provoke them.”

“That doesn't really answer my question.”

“I just... I don't know what I could have done differently. I know I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. I... I should probably go to a different bar, maybe. I don't know.”

“You can't be serious right now.”

“This is everything I feared my entire life, Buck,” Tommy admitted and, God, he wished he could shut up right now. The pain pills were starting to make him a little loose lipped, mixed with him truly being alone with Buck for the first time since they broke up, mixed with an undeniable fear every time he thought about that night, seemed to make it impossible to close his mouth. “I did everything to make sure nothing like this would ever happen to me and it still did. I keep thinking about it and wondering how it could have been different. How I could have been different.”

“Tommy, can you look at me?”

Slowly, Tommy looked up at Buck, his eyes shining with tears.

“This was not your fault. There's nothing you could or should have done differently. You cannot let those five men shove you back into a closet.”

“I-” Tommy cleared his throat. “They're not. It's just... a lot right now.”

“I get that, I- I do. You look tired. Why don't you rest for a bit, okay? I'll be here when you wake up.”

“Buck, you don't-”

“If you tell me I don't need to stay I will force feed you bone broth when you wake up.”

Tommy shivered. “Ugh! I hate bone broth.”

“I know you do.” Buck gently pulled a pillow out from under Tommy, allowing him to lie back easier. “Close your eyes, get some rest. I'm here when you need me.”

*****

They were bound to fight sometime. Tommy had honestly expected it to happen sooner. Buck had been staying with him for three weeks now, only gone when he was working a shift. Bobby had let him work part time for now, with Carla caring for him when Buck was gone.

They'd managed to get past the initial awkwardness. Buck rambled about any and every subject he could think of. They'd watch movies together on the couch, with Tommy falling asleep halfway through due to his pain meds.

Buck would get Tommy tucked in bed, then set himself up on Tommy's floor in case he was needed during the night. Tommy had tried to insist he use the spare room, but Buck wouldn't hear of it. He knew Tommy wouldn't call for him if he needed him through the night.

Then Tommy tried to suggest he sleep in the bed. But that was a no go because, “I kick, Tommy, you know this. Do you really want another knee surgery?”

They'd been focused on Tommy getting better. And they'd been ignoring the many, many elephants in the room.

So, a fight was expected.

What wasn't expected was for the fight to start because Tommy needed to pee.

Buck had seemed a bit more on edge today, but Tommy chalked that up to a shift that ran longer than expected.

Tommy had grabbed his crutches, which he'd just been able to start using to go short distances. He still didn't quite trust himself to use them at night, but he was working toward relying on them more and relying on people less.

When he stood, Buck immediately stood with him.

“I'm fine, Buck. I just need to go to the bathroom.”

“I'll help you there.”

“I'm really fine. I can get there by myself.”

Tommy was sure he had kept his tone neutral. He definitely didn't want an argument tonight. But, before he could even make it two steps, he heard Buck scoff. “Not surprised.”

And maybe it was the full bladder making him extra bitchy, but Tommy couldn't help turning around and asking, “What's that mean?”

Buck shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “Nothing.”

“Obviously it's not nothing. If it were nothing you wouldn't have said anything in the first place. What doesn't surprise you?”

“Just you, ya know, pushing people away. It's what you do.”

“Ha!” Tommy laughed out. “If I'm pushing people away then I really suck at it because you haven't left my house in three weeks. I just need to pee.”

“I'm not talking about right now. I'm talking about me telling you that I loved you and you breaking up with me.”

How in the hell did they end up here?

“You didn't tell me you loved me, Evan!” Tommy exclaimed, unbelievably confused. The sudden change in tone caused Buck to take a step back.

He was only thrown off for a second, quick with a retort. “Of course I did!”

“No, you absolutely did not! You asked me to move in with you, but you did not tell me you loved me.”

“Wait. You asked him to move in with you?” Eddie's voice had them glaring in his direction. Both had forgotten he was even there in the first place. He raised his hands. “Sorry.”

“Well, I- it was obviously implied,” Buck argued. “I wouldn't have asked you to move in if I didn't love you.”

“How the hell was I supposed to know that?! You were making it sound like I was some gay hero that sewed the first pride flag! I don't even go to pride events, Evan! All the colors are far too bright and the glitter never leaves you.”

“Glitter is really annoying,” Eddie agreed.

Tommy pointed a crutch at him. “Thank you.”

“I was not trying to make you out to be some gay hero, Tommy! I was telling you that I was comfortable with you. I was telling you I wanted to spend all my time with you. I wanted us to be together!”

“You didn't even think it through, Evan!” Tommy motioned around the room. “I own a home. It comes with two bedrooms that have doors, a garage, a back yard, and two and a half bathrooms. You asked me to move into your loft.”

Eddie shook his head. “Oh, Buck.”

Buck's eyes shot over to him. “You're still here why?”

Eddie stood from his spot on the couch, grabbing his coat. “Yeah, I'm going. Later.”

They both stayed silent until they heard the door open and close.

Buck opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “This is our first fight, isn't it?”

Tommy nodded. “It is.”

“Took us long enough.”

Tommy managed a small smile. “Probably should have fought you that night, honestly.”

“I think I would have felt better if you did.”

“Me too.” Tommy took a deep breath. “I actually really do have to pee,” he said, shifting from one crutch to the other. “Can we pause this until I'm done?”

Buck nodded. “I'll be here.”

They didn't actually fight anymore after that. It was time for Tommy to take his meds, which made him tired, and Buck was tired himself from his shift. Tommy laid in bed, Buck snoring on the floor beside him, thinking it all over. All the things he still felt like he needed to say. The unfinished business they had between them.

The fight wasn't much, but it was something.

It was enough.

For now.

*****

“Are you sure you're good on your own?” Buck asked as Tommy limped behind him toward the door.

“I'm sure. I can successfully do everything on my own now with minimal to no pain.”

Buck turned back to him quickly, eyes wide. “But there's still pain?”

Tommy smiled. “I'm fine, Evan.”

Buck didn't look so sure. “Okay, I... Okay.” Instinctively, he moved forward to wrap Tommy in a hug. He stopped himself before he got too close, but Tommy responded by opening his arms.

Buck's posture relaxed as he gently wrapped his arms around Tommy, careful not to squeeze too tightly. "I was so worried about you," he whispered in the space between them.

"I know."

“You'll call the number I gave you?” he asked.

“I already did yesterday,” Tommy admitted. “When you went out to pick up dinner. My first session is next Monday.”

“Good. That's... That's good.”

“Thank you, Evan. For everything you've done for me. You didn't have to do that.”

Reluctantly, Buck pulled himself away from Tommy.

“Did you realize you've been calling me Evan since our fight a couple weeks ago?” he asked, lips upturning into a smile.

“Oh, um,” Tommy shifted on his feet, taking the pressure off his bad knee. “Sorry. Habit.”

“Don't be sorry. I hate when you call me Buck.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I'll always- I wanna be Evan, to you.”

Tommy nodded, staring into Evan's eyes. “Okay. That's. I'd like that too.”

Buck continued toward the door, stopping again as soon as his hand touched the handle. He looked back. “Hey, Tommy?”

“Yeah?”

“Next time you think about texting me... hit send, okay?”

Tommy had never mentioned that before. But he'd caught Buck's near-texts to him too, so it didn't quite catch him off guard. “I'm kinda a mess, Evan. I'm not as comfortable as you think I am. I'm not... I'm still figuring things out.”

“That's okay. I am too. Text me anyway.”

“Even if I'm asking you out for a coffee? So we can talk? Really talk?”

“Date and time, I'll be there.” Buck smiled softly at him as he opened the door to leave. “I'll get your order right this time.”

[acidistyping]

Why Jiang Cheng is more like Shen Jiu than Liu Qingge: An Essay

1. Anger

All three characters are almost completely defined by their anger or aggressive natures. Both jc and lqg have similar expressions of their anger: they attack and lash out with their weapons and shout and yell. Their anger is loud. Sj's anger is quieter, more passive aggressive than explosive. He won't unsheathe Xiu Ya but will rather lash out with scathing words and insults. However, despite the difference in outward expression, sj and jc's anger serves the same purpose: a shield/mask to hide behind and protect their true emotions with. Lqg's anger doesn't serve a purpose like jc and sj's. His anger simply is.

Both jc and sj have, notably chosen, older brother figures that broke a promise to them and that they feel betrayed by, giving both deep abandonment and trust issues. For jc, it is Wei Wuxian and him leaving the Jiang Sect in order to protect the Wen remnants in the Burial Grounds. For sj, that's Yue Qingyuan and him not coming back in time to rescue sj from the Qiu household. It can be argued that Yue Qingyuan didn't break his promise as he did try, but sj didn't know that. In contrast, lqg is the older brother in his family and seems to have a good relationship with his younger sibling.

2. Older Brother Figures

3. Fire

Both jc and sj have fire and their "homes" being burned down as significant features in their backstories. For jc, that's the Wen's burning down Lotus Pier. For sj, that's him burning down the Qiu estate. Different circumstances, yes, but significant nonetheless. While we know little of lqg's backstory, fire is likely not a significant factor.

4. Villain

At least in the English speaking side of mdzs and svsss, both jc and sj are not widely liked or held in high regard. If you only take the protagonists' at their word and don't consider how the narrators may be unreliable, biased, or have missing information, you will likely see both of them as villains or at least antagonists within their respective stories. They're characters that, if you like them, you tend to sympathize with them and look at story events from their perspectives rather than from the perspective of our protagonists.

5. Rumours

Both jc and sj are the subjects of horrible rumours within their respective stories. While jc's, regarding him torturing demonic cultivators, are unknown if they're true or false, we have nothing to confirm they are and sj's rumours were proven false once Shen Yuan learned more about him. Regardless of the truth of the rumours, neither contested the rumours themselves and instead let them fester, possibly for strategetic reasons. Neither seems to mind ruining their own reputations if it will benefit something or someone else.

6. Cats

In fandom content, both are often compared to cats and portrayed with a hot/cold personality. They both are fairly prickly, deeply distrust other people, and tend to keep to themselves.

7. Ships

Both have fairly popular ships pairing them with one of the most powerful cultivators of their generations who wears a lot of white, are sect leaders, and whose sects are located on mountains. Yes, this is a silly reason but why not.

8. Demonic Cultivation

Both have ties to notable demonic cultivators of their worlds, though their situations are different. Sj with his time "studying" under Wu Yanzi and jc with Wei Wuxian. They also are notably said to have killed these demonic cultivators, though jc didn't actually do so while sj did.

—

I think lqg and jc get compared because people see them both as tsunderes, but i don't think there's anything tsundere about lqg at all actually. Lqg doesn't necessarily deny his feelings, he just doesn't always confess them in words either

[scrunglepaws]

"I come from a big family; lots of siblings. Too many to talk about individually without taking all your time, so I'll just pick a few. Hmm... I suppose I'll start off with the eldest, Silas. I think he was about the best big brother someone could have. Strong, protective, loyal, kind-hearted. I looked up to him a lot as a little kid. Now that we're both grown, I find him a bit tiresome. Er- not for any bad reasons, though! It's just that his mannerisms have changed ever since he set out to sea. Sailors must be a rowdy bunch because he's just so loud and boisterous anymore. Between him, his wife, and his flock of kids; it's just a LOT of chaos to deal with all at once. Saps the energy right out of me, you know? He's a good person though, and a better son than me. He supports his family and is able to regularly send money to our parents, too. Still helping out with the farm even after he left! I'm happy for his success."

"Out of all my siblings, I spent the most time with Nine. We're pretty close in age and just sort of ended up being more of the oddballs in the family. I was because of, uh, my interest in magic… And having two tails… But Nine was sort of outlandish on purpose. Because she was the youngest, she often felt overshadowed and wanted to stand out. She's a girl? Well then, she doesn't want anything to do with femininity. She's named Nina? That's boring; she'll come up with her own name. No one likes to hang out with Tails? Well then, she will! Eh… heheh… Eh… It was nice to have one sibling to confide in and share secrets with now and then. I even told her about how I was baffled by romance and never wanted to marry. Instead of calling me weird, she made a pact with me to never get married either! Well… Until she met that girl, Fiona, and they started dating, but… It's fine. She's not beholden to some dumb promise we made when she was 12. We mostly drifted apart when I moved out anyway."

"Nowadays I'm not particularly close with any of my siblings. Or my parents. Growing up, I was more likely to keep to myself. It's um, sort of embarrassing, but I was kind of afraid of my family? I'd get this from everyone now and again, but my two older brothers especially liked to say that I was actually a changeling. You know, that their real brother was replaced as an infant by a spriggan, leaving behind me: a changeling. A… Fae creature. They said that Mother and Father would find me out soon enough and abandon me in the forest, back where I belong. Or that they'd beat me so I'd confess my origin and return the "real" Miles. Apparently my parents left my older brother, Manny, in the forest when they suspected him of the same thing, but he proved himself by making his way back home. C-Clearly just things they made up! A-And I don't have nightmares about it now that I'm grown… But, uh… I am ashamed to admit that I purposefully never really spent time with Manny because of that. I just- I didn't want to give them any more reasons to suspect me. He was a very strange kid, even to me. I regret never trying to understand him. I think maybe… We might have had a lot in common. And not because of anything to do with fae."

For characters!

If any of you have family, what's your family relationship like?

More character questions!!

[geekgirles]

Yugo's Audience with Armand: Moving Past Previous Mistakes

If you think about it, after his sacrifice and his reconciliation with Amalia, his audience with Yugo is the scene that best highlights Armand's character development throughout the season, dare I say, the show. With it, we finally come full circle.

We were first introduced to Armand as he refused to let Joris anywhere near his father, even at the behest of the King of Bonta.

Up until that point, all we knew about him was from Amalia and Eva's retellings, where he was painted as often arguing with his sister, being an extremely difficult person to deal with, and having bad breath. And then we finally meet him and...

Everything they said about him turned out to be nothing but the truth.

But we don't really see the full extent of it until Amalia and Evangelyne pleaded their case regarding Nox to him, when he stubbornly refused to believe his sister, instead assuming her imagination had just gone wild. He didn't even rethink his assessment even when Eva backed Amalia up, which would have still been harsh of him to do���to believe his sister's bodyguard over her just because he has a crush on her—, but it still would have made sense, as Eva is very level-headed and she never would have even entertained the thought of allowing Amalia to joke over something so serious.

That already established Armand as an arrogant and self-righteous prince who believes he is in the right just because of his position as heir apparent and older brother.

We must also keep in mind he actually had ample reason to believe Amalia about Nox's plans. While it's hard to tell the extent of his actions and the repercussions they had on the World of Twelve and his victims before the beginning of the show, the fact remains that Nox had been at large for 200 years. In that time, he probably ravaged countless villages and killed powerful creatures in order to drain their Wakfu. Surely, word must have at least got out about some mad Xelor going around and killing people!

In other words, it wasn't necessarily like Armand didn't have proof that Amalia was telling the truth. At the very least, he must have heard some rumours. And yet, that wasn't enough for him to believe his sister and act accordingly.

Not to mention, Amalia had ran away yet came back to warn her people of the upcoming threat. Yet Armand still thought she was making stuff up. Who in their right mind would leave their home only to come back to put everyone on edge over a lie?

One thing is acting spoiled from time to time, and another very different thing is acting sociopathic!

Now, let's compare this to his audience with Yugo when he sought his permission to investigate Sadida ground.

During the time between season 2 and the OVAs, Armand seemed to have developed a deep-seated mistrust of the Eliatropes, most likely caused by Qilby's deceit, and it was only exacerbated when the Eliatrope Goddess introduced herself and made her intentions of controlling the World of Twelve in order to make it safe for her children clear.

It's also worth pointing out that not even Yugo was safe from his scorn, despite being a staunch ally to the Sheran Sharms, and saving his kingdom and the world in several occasions. This I attribute both to the fact that Amalia's feelings for him got in the way of marrying her off (thankfully, he seemed to move on from that mindset in season 4, though he still didn't necessarily approve of Yugo), and the fact that King Oakheart was always so welcoming and trusting of him. Knowing Armand, it really wouldn't be far-fetched to believe he was jealous of Yugo's own relationship with his father.

And yet, when the time came for Yugo to request his help and ask him to place his trust on him, Armand agreed.

This is especially telling of his character development because, unlike in Amalia's case, Armand did have ample reason to distrust the Eliatropes.

It's true, except for Qilby and arguably their goddess, the Eliatropes are a peaceful race, but the Twelvians' experiences with the former two at least justify their unease around them.

Both of them display an alarming lack of empathy towards anyone but themselves or their people. After all, Qilby is responsible for the genocide of the Eliatropes, and all because he was bored and searched stimulation elsewhere because of his divine gift. But at the same time, while he couldn't care less for the World of Twelve and planned to have Rushu and his subjects destroy it right before draining it dry of all Wakfu just to fuel the Zenit, he was equally adamant to have his family and the Eliatrope children with him as he travelled the Krosmoz.

The Eliatrope Goddess, on the other hand, might not have been as outwardly callous as her son, nor capable of even going through with her threats and putting the world leaders in their place, but she is equally uncaring towards anyone who isn't one of her children.

In fact, that was the very reason why she made an enemy out of the Twelvian leaders and they came to resent her presence. Because she chose to override their authority and keep them all under her watch (which, until she revealed herself, had the Twelvians terrorised). But the last nail on the coffin was when she revealed that all that, the Eliaculus, sending the Eliatrope guard to help whenever there was trouble, everything, was solely to ensure her children's safety.

Like mother, like son. Am I right?

Even without saying anything, she made it clear that she cared not for the Twelvians and that the Eliatropes were her priority. And that's without getting into her manic insistence they left the World of Twelve to rot the moment the Nécromes arrived.

Now, there's no denying that most leaders with any significant focus have been revealed to be jerks one way or another (looking at you, Queen Astra, Prince of Brakmar, and the entire Osamodas royal family), but they do have a right to be worried when Eliatrope didn't even bother to hide how, in her eyes, they're second class citizens compared to her own followers.

These first impressions really didn't give much reason for Armand to believe Yugo and to listen to his pleas. However, the most damning evidence of all had to be the fact that the Nécromes appeared with the arrival of the Eliatropes. Between the suspicious timing and the fact that the portal-making race had dealt with traitors before, it sounded very unlikely that both things wouldn't be connected.

And Armand knew this. He was perfectly aware of how suspicious everything was, and he didn't hesitate to let Yugo know. However, he also admitted, several times, in fact, that Yugo had been an ally to the Sadida Kingdom since the beginning. That if both his father and his sister never hesitated to put as much faith and trust in him as they did, then it would only be wise he chose to trust Yugo as well.

A clear contrast to how he refused to listen to Amalia, his own sister, back in season 1, and all because he believed to be always in the right.

Season 4 was Armand's chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the audience, to go from an arrogant, jealous prince to a mature and wise king and brother. And while there are things I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him for, I do appreciate the character development he went through. As I said at the beginning of the analysis, this scene proves he's come full circle.

[newkatzkafe2023]

The monkey Kings reaction to meeting teen Titans nya nya reader. Human turning into pink tigeress demon. Good combat skills

(Not sure if you know who I'm talking about 😅)

Ohhhhhhhhhh I remember that Girl, she kicked beast boys butt🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

(Lmk Wukong) Man you were so cute and unsuspecting can you imagine the shock he felt when he saw your demon form. He met you at a karaoke bar Mk invited him too as he just watched him and Mei have fun, until he noticed a small stare. He looked over to see you giggling making him blush and you came over to talk to him and you both hit it off. After dating for a over a year You trusted him enough to show him your full demon form, which was of course a monkey cat hybrid. What you didn't expect was for him to Squeal so hard he fall over, due to how adorable you are, at least you don't freak him out😅🤣

(NR Wukong) This dude was definitely flirting with you, when you both met. He purred and gave you all kinds of nicknames the one standing out most of all was Kitten, he met you when Li and Su had dragged him to a karaoke bar downtown donghai. You were on stage singing to a crowd already dancing like a cat, making him cat call you from across the bar. You giggled and finished your song, now found yourself being wooed by an older monkey man. It wasn't until a few months of dating was when he found out about your actual Kitty form, you wasted know time beating up those guys whom tried to mug you. Well let's just say your new name is now curvy kitty 😉😉😉

(HIB Wukong) Oh yeah he's absolutely baffled by this discovery especially when you were a surprisely good fighter. He was not at all expecting you to keep up with him in a fight, it was a interesting experience. You both met at a tea shop where he was buying stuff for the children when you came up and talked to him. Wukong sighed as he just listened to you, already getting use to getting that from Luier But it was because of your boldness that you both were close. It was until one day you went to see him and saw he was getting attacked by some demons by his house, your feline form was show as you shredded though those guys like tissue paper. At the end Wukong was both impressed and getting smothered with affection now.

(MKR Wukong) Did not like you at all at first, especially with the unsuspecting ass whooping he and pigsy got from you. It was all pigsy's fault too!!!! you were a young woman doing her shopping and Pigsy would not go away, so you turned and insult pigsy telling him you wouldn't date a lard tub of lard which made Wukong get pissed because only he can insult pigsy. The exchange quickly got heated by no time and Wukong was getting sick of the bull and was ready to fight you more, but you changed into your cat form and beat up both of them in Broad daylight. since then Wukong hasn't stopped following you, both demanding for a rematch and a date🤣😤

(Netflix Wukong) YOU ARE SOOOOO CUTE HE COULD DIE SOMEHOW 🤩🥰. His favorite thing about you are you ear and he just loves to pet and scratche behind them. Your cat demon for was beautiful, soft and adorable and he loves more then ever when you bring it out. He also loves to have sparring sessions with you as a date and for you both to train together. He also loves to cuddle you despite the ink marks you would rarely leave.

(BMW Wukong) He was admittedly impressed and surprised by your true beauty he'll give you that, but I feel he would underestimate you.he would tease you with cat toys, red dots and tuna. the final straw being when he gave you a bag of catnip you got so angry he got to see your full, curvy, fierce demon form before you gave his ass a black Bruise for each eye. Ever since then he got right away of flirting and trying to court you, after being used as your Scratching post.

(Destined one) He discovers something new everyday especially when he discovered you, you were super cute and knew how to fight people on sight with those beautiful sharp claws. The Destined one was definitely blushing whenever you would kiss and lick his face trying to groom and clean him. The Destined one would also be mortified but also kinda impressed That you were able to single handily take him down. He would love to discover more about you though your dates🥰

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG🐈

[zhuoyichenpretty]

Eps 34-35

Not many photos here because anything I screenshot in these eps would literally just give me psychic damage at this point (-:

Spoilers under the cut!

Ep 34:

I'm being so brave watching this fucking opening scene again.

No actually though I've watched it several times by now and it just keeps getting worse. What can one even say about all this? Ow??? Fuck???

Probably the most gruesome onscreen death of a child character in cdrama that I've seen like I didn't know they could even go there like that. I guess maybe because it's not gory or specifically violent? Idk the rules but man. His expression.

The way they play TJR singing their song and then switch to LZY's version. Maximum pain thank you guys.

ZYC's "I'm sorry" is so damn loaded. For not being there, for failing to protect him, but also for being the reason Bai Jiu made this decision. For giving Bai Jiu someone to love and protect and die for. For unknowingly and inadvertently causing this just by loving him and being loved by him. ZYC's remorse and regret as he makes the connections and pieces together Bai Jiu's thought process is so fucking haunting. Just the most awful way for his own words of comfort to come back. And like I'd commented previously—the way love begets grief.

I'm going to kms I knew when they put yet another cloak on ZYC that he'd be giving it to someone else but NO!!! Not like this oh my god

"哥帶你回家" (Ge will take you home) I don't even have the words for how painful this is. Is this the first time ZYC refers to himself as ge? Not just acknowledging that Bai Jiu's made an older brother of him? If not, it's certainly the most salient.

Both actors' skills can hardly be questioned atp (like, that's a damn difficult expression to die with), but I just have to marvel at the way TJR's acting (his micro-expressions!!!) is at once subtle and incredibly clear. That ZYC's every emotion is clearly telegraphed—his shock, his horror, his anguish, his regret, his desperation, his exhaustion—but so naturally done.

ZYC struggling with the weight of Bai Jiu's body and dropping it, on top of paralleling the flashback, is just so terrible in its reality. ZYC must already be so incredibly drained after that final battle. To have gone through such an unspeakable loss, to carry it on his back and find himself unable to even properly do that, to protect what's left of Bai Jiu from the mundanity of physical damage.

WX's dad nooooo you're leaving her to ZYZ but ZYZ's not planning on staying either nooooo

Are we sure the magic rain couldn't have saved WX's dad tho ):

WX don't tell ZYZ your self-sacrificial plan there's no way he'd let you go through with it girl!!! You gotta pull a ZYC and be vague as fuck and make sure everyone's feet are frozen to the ground so they can't stop you

ZYZ backing away after using the spell on WX, slapping himself when he nearly can't get himself to go through with dying. Good shit. But also my god I'm so sorry WX what a fucking traumatic ten minutes will anyone give her a fucking break? Living at any cost, at the cost of her beloved dying several feet away from her, yet another manifestation of her trauma with Zhao Wan'er, and knowing it's about to happen, begging to be given a say—cruel. PSJ has been offscreen for forever just because plot convenience (which, in itself, already sucks) but if she were here she would kill ZYZ herself for putting WX through this and the rain would just be a bonus.

The Cloud Light Sword stained with blood to the point it looks unfamiliar—good shit.

ZYC's fucking voice when he asks if there's any other choice. Art, I tell you.

Fucking hell. The twist on their fate being ZYC choosing it rather than being forced into it, to absolve ZYZ of the cruelty he's had to bear responsibility for in doing this to his loved ones. Zhiji was not misapplied in this damn story—ZYC understands and he understands over and over because who else could do this for ZYZ? To find one last way to lighten his burden in such a conflicting and complicated and impossible situation. To know exactly what must be hurting ZYZ and to bear the weight instead and to make sure he knows full well that's what's happening. For ZYC to take that hurt upon himself, entirely upon himself. The way that ZYC dealing the killing blow is actually the furthest thing from a moment of hardening his own heart, that it's in fact the height of his soft-heartedness. And how much that must hurt. Pain.

Also, imo ZYC making it purely his choice at the last moment is so clearly and specifically for ZYZ. Not for anyone else's sake, and precisely against his own and WX's wishes. Upon knowing ZYZ's commitment to death in this moment, whatever else happening has been made secondary. He is giving ZYZ all that he has left to give—fulfilling ZYZ's sacrificial determination, carrying out ZYZ's will to save the people, absolving ZYZ's guilt at what it's taken to get here.

(Totally tangential but I referenced AOT in my last post so I figured I'd make further reference: if anyone's familiar with Eruri—I'm somewhat reminded of Levi's choice. Being the only one with the power to save or let their loved one die. Choosing death for them, on their behalf, perhaps a decision opaque and counterintuitive to the rest of the world but completely and utterly made out of love and an inimitable understanding of the man they love. The most painfully and unimaginably selfless act, to give them peace at the cost of their own suffering.)

"小卓，你還是這麼..." (Xiao Zhuo, you're still so...) Oh this line kills me (ha). I love that it's unfinished. That it encapsulates ZYZ's surprise, his understanding and gratitude, and ultimately this sense of marveling at the man in front of him and what he's given ZYZ even now, at the very end. It tells me ZYZ recognizes ZYC's choice for what it is: the utmost act of a soft-hearted and boundless love that sees through him completely. Zhiji indeed.

The way ZYZ has unfulfilled promises with both WX and ZYC, the way they both call him a liar—good shit.

When I didn't know there was an episode 35 (or special episode I guess) I was boutta throw hands like what do you MEAN that's it??

Ep 35:

I do love a good hair-turning-white-from-grief trope (': But man, white hair like that at 24/25........Also though PSJ and WX finally have more noticeably different styling/silhouettes yayy they look gorgeous

God, but I can't bear looking at how small their group is now.

Searching all the mountains and seas, all 28 mountains in the Wilderness. ZYC, that kind of devotion...I really feel the need to echo ZYZ here, you're really so...

ZYC looking like ZYZ from behind because of his hair......ZYC's hand shaking holding Bai Jiu's bell............................

Also I'm really glad (I say this through tears) because I saw Bai Jiu didn't have his bell in ep 33/34 and I was like ??

Ah, are you kidding me I thought the pain was more or less over what do you mean Bai Jiu wants ZYC to 勿想勿念 [wù xiǎng wù niàn] (don't think of, don't miss)?? The way 不念不响 [bù niàn bù xiǎng] is literally the title of ZYC's character song, which then plays in the bg ('''':

(I can't really tell how well the subs explain it or how it comes across in translation so apologies if this context isn't necessary but the characters in the song title say "don't read, don't ring," but the character for "ring" is a homophone for "think of" and the character for "read" can also mean "miss." Missing someone/something is "想念" [xiǎng niàn]. Bai Jiu tells ZYC not to miss him through homophonous terms—a book he can't read, a bell that can't ring—and the song title is directly referencing that.) What an elaborate way to hurt me.

Bai Jiu really pulled a ZYC though with a box full of hurt/comfort just like ZYC had left WX

Ohhh the way WX's narration turns into ZYC's?? Honestly this drama's commitment to canonizing ZYC's love for ZYZ to the same level as WX's is really gratifying. And ZYC talking about a bone-deep sadness after ZYZ died. The parallel of baby!ZYC in front of the pond. I especially love the mention of ZYZ's age in comparison to ZYC's, these glimpses of the perspective ZYC has gained with hindsight. The distance of time and reflection and yet the unmistakable fondness and love. It is in part healing to hear.

Also imo ZYC if the scene chosen for ZYZ's POV of you is accurate I'd wager he saw you not as some angry child but as the pinnacle of humanity's beautiful bleeding heart.

ZYZ said it before right? That every human emotion is important? Well ZYC really has been constantly feeling the entire range of human emotion this whole drama lmao

Why yes I do think I need a heartwrenching MV-style montage of all the tragedies of this story that ultimately offers bittersweet catharsis and closure as the OST narrates about searching for someone and finding them in the end. Just what the doctor prescribed tyvm

WX saying ZYZ's final wish was to 落葉歸根 (translated as returning home, literally translates to "fallen leaves return to their root," implies returning home after a long time) the way humans do and ZYZ's soul literally being on a leaf of paper (which kinda sorta works in CN as well since "leaf" and "page" are homophonous) that, carried by the wind, returns to ZYC?? Home??? Are you joking bc I'm sobbing.

Gonna have to use this photo again bc literally how else do I describe how I'm feeling rn?

And that's a fucking wrap. I'm so. I don't even. Wow. Maybe in another couple of business days I'll throw together a brief review of the show as a whole, but right now I'm gonna drown myself in other people's metas and gifs and fics as god intended. Thank you as always for spending the time on my silly ramblings and I hope you enjoyed the ride!

[limethefirst]

Spider-Girl

pairings: Damian Wayne (Batfamily) x Reader

warnings: spiders, death, violence (it's gotham), character death, little sad

summary: your class takes a trip to the Wayne science facility, only for you to get bitten by a radioactive spider while you're there, now you must navigate life as Gotham's first Spider-Girl

a/n: I absolutely love DC and the batfam so I wanted to try my writing on a DC fic especially after listening to 'It's On Again' by Alica Keys, it says Damian Wayne x reader but it's more Robin because I want this to be a slow burn, if this does well enough I'll make a series, live laugh love

"Wake up, dweeb," The voice said, a playful hint of teasing behind it. You opened your eyes slightly, seeing the familiar face in front of you, your older brother Alex looked at you, a bright smile on his face as he shook you lightly.

A groan escaped your lips as the covers you were under were pulled from you, "What time is it?" You asked him, unamused at the rough awakening.

"6:30, you do know you have to be at school by 7 today for your field trip to the Wayne Enterprise Science Facility?" Your brother chuckled as your eyes widened in shock at the realization.

Quickly scrambling to your feet you grabbed your clothes and rushed to the bathroom, getting ready as fast as you could.

The only reason your class was going on this trip was due to the fact that Bruce Wayne's son, Damian Wayne was in your class, and he offered this trip as a way of keeping the school happy with Damian's somewhat complicated behavior.

Although you weren't complaining, your father used to work for that facility before his tragic passing, the details were never specified, the only thing you knew was there was an accident, a research project gone wrong, killing him.

Bruce Wayne felt terrible for it, because of this he actually ended up paying for your entire tuition at Gotham Academy, as well as your brother's tuition for Gotham University, along with some other expenses.

You never held it against the Wayne's, it wasn't their fault, you knew that. Your mom on the other hand did hold a bit of a grudge, she obviously was grateful that she had enough money to send her children to their respective schools, considering the fact you guys didn't have much money in the first place, most of it came from your fathers work. So she knew she couldn't complain but she certainly didn't appreciate the first thing that the Wayne's did was throw money at the problem.

As you finished getting ready you walked into the kitchen, your mom making some breakfast as your brother walked in behind you, lightly hitting the back of your head as he walked in front of you, "Hey, watch it!" You jokingly said, rubbing the spot he hit.

"Here, I packed your books for you since I knew you'd forget them anyway," He smiled at you, holding out your backpack and throwing in some leftovers from yesterday's dinner as your lunch for today.

You playfully rolled your eyes at him before grabbing your bag from his hands, a smirk finding its way to his face, "I wasn't going to forget doofus, but thanks anyway"

Your mom turned around, two plates in her hand, "Hey, play nice you two!" Your mom said, a smile gracing her face as she watched her two children playing around as she handed you each your plates, "Hey Alex can you take Y/N to the facility? I have to get to work a late shift today so I won't be back till 11 tonight, maybe you two can go get a pizza, sibling bonding!" Your mom told your brother as she grabbed her jacket, getting ready for another late night nursing shift at Gotham Hospital.

Alex put his arm against his forehead, pretending to salute your mom, "Yes ma'am!" He replied to her, your mom couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

"I'll see you both later tonight, behave" Your mom walked up to each of you, giving you both a kiss on the head as she put her jacket on and left, leaving you alone with Alex.

"Kiss ass..." You grumbled, crossing your arms as Alex chuckled at your little comment towards him.

He took his plate and sat down on the couch, scrolling through his phone as he did so, "Hurry up with your food so we can go, you have 15 minutes before they start attendance at the building,"

With that quick reminder you gobbled down your food, almost choking a few times as all Alex did was laugh at you.

"We're here," Alex's voice snapped you out of your daze, noticing the familiar building in front of you, you grabbed your bag and started to open the car door, "Hey I got a class right now but it'll be finished at 4, when you're done here we can hang out after, how does that sound?" His voice softened, although you guys may bicker he is your brother and he truly does care for you.

You gave him a small smile, a hum of acknowledgement escaping your lips, "Sounds like a plan, but you're paying!"

Alex laughed at your quick response, "Fine fine, I knew I'd have to anyway," You closed the door turning around ready to find your class at the entrance before a sudden honk made you jolt and turn around, "Be safe kiddo! I already miss you sooo much!!"

This action gathered the attention of a few people passing by as well as some classmates who were waiting, you turned around quickly walking to your teacher, hoping the embarrassing scene would just end.

Of course Alex had to ruin the nice moment, but what type of brother would he be if he didn't embarrass his younger sister to some extent?

A sigh escaped your lips as you walked up the stairs to the front of the building, catching a glimpse of blonde hair that you knew belonged to your friend Gwen Stacy.

"Gwen!" You exclaimed, making your presence known to her.

The blondie turned around, her smile growing seeing you, "Y/N!" Gwen stopped whatever she was doing and ran up to you, giving you a big hug, "Are you excited! I know you've been waiting for this trip all month!"

"Ugh yes! I can't wait to see what they're working on!"

"Hey guys!" Turning around you saw none other than your close friend Mary Jane. The extraverted red-head waved at you two, as she came over.

"I'm glad you were both able to make it!" You confessed to your friends as you three made it in line with the rest of the class.

As the clock struck 7 your teacher, Mrs Lee began to take attendance, making sure she had a head count and explained the rules of this trip.

"You are all guests here, so please stay together and do not distract the workers, make sure to stay with your group, we will all meet back at the front at 3:30 for a final role call then you can call your respective rides to pick you up!" Everyone was somewhat silent listening to Mrs Lee, a bit of whispering here and there but that was expected.

You turned your head a bit to the side, noticing a taller figure slowly making their way into the group, Damian Wayne, clearly not wanting to make his presence publicly known hung around the back of the group of teens.

You couldn't help but stare a bit, you'd never really talked to him, having maybe only asked him to borrow a pencil once or twice. You didn't know how long you were staring at him but it seemed like he noticed, the boy turned his head, his green eyes burning holes into your head as you quickly turned around, embarrassment creeping up your face at the awkward interaction.

"Alright class let's head inside!" Mrs Lee spoke, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. MJ grabbed your arm and hooked it with hers as Gwen put her hands in her pocket, walking in first prompting you to follow after.

You listened a bit as the guide explained what was currently going on and how Wayne enterprises was working on radioactive testing.

At some point your class came upon a bunch of insects, each one having a special number on them, indicating which was which.

"One of these are missing," MJ pointed out, interrupting the guide, for a second they seemed somewhat worried but quickly composed themselves.

"I'm sure this one is being tested on right now!" They said, making everyone nod their heads in agreement.

You heard a tsk from behind you, turning around to see Damian seemingly annoyed by the workers response as he quickly passed you up to go and look at the empty case.

You didn't give it much thought, they didn't really explain what the insects were for, so you didn't really care about one being experimented on at the moment.

As you watched the boy look at the case, as Mrs Lee's made a sudden announcement, "Alright everyone, we have a 30 minute break, you can all go on and explore the rest of the facility with your groups and meet back at the front no later then 3:30!" Before she could even finish her sentence everyone had already dispersed, many not listening to her group rule.

"Hey I'm gonna go to the restroom! I'll be back!" You told Gwen and MJ, quickly turning around to find the nearest restroom as they gave you both a thumbs up, turning around to then find a table to wait for you at.

The restroom wasn't hard to find, what was hard was finding a paper towel to dry your hands off, "Ugh cmon this is a Wayne building why don't they have paper towels?" You annoyingly exclaimed, shaking your hands dry instead.

Suddenly you felt a strange pinching sensation near your wrist, looking down you saw a strange red and somewhat blue spider. Without a second thought you slapped the spider, watching as it fell to the ground, it's legs curling up, a sign it was dead.

"Yuck," You said, watching as the spider twitched a bit before it's ultimate demise.

You paid no mind to the bite, watching it get a little red but assuming that it was just irritated since it was technically a bug bite. Finding your way to Gwen and MJ, sitting next to them you pulled out the lunch Alex slipped into your backpack, which was just left over spaghetti from yesterday but you didn't mind it.

Gwen and MJ began to talk amongst each other, Gwen getting lost in talking about the research facility while MJ showed her pictures she took.

Throughout the break you couldn't help but start to feel drowsy, and honestly somewhat sick; this was something that didn't seem to go unnoticed by your friends.

"Hey, uh Y/N you okay there?" MJ asked you, as she stood next to where you were sitting.

Slowly you looked up to her, your face looking drained and your eyes sulking, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because we've been telling you to get up for the past minute, it's the trips already over we need to meet up front," Gwen answered, her hands on her hips as she looked at you worried.

You tried to refocus but the strange feeling of exhaustion overtook you, "Oh sorry, I'm just feeling really tired," You told the girls, MJ's brows furrowing in disbelief as Gwen helped you up.

Walking outside was harsh, the sunlight temporarily blinding you till you got used to the feeling.

Mrs Lee began to praise the class for their listening skills today and their behavior but you could hardly focus, feeling as if you suddenly had a fever.

Thankfully Alex was quick to pick you up, "You look like shit," He lightly chuckled, trying to hide the worry in his voice, "Maybe we should reschedule that pizza dinner."

You slowly buckled yourself into the passenger seat, "No, no I just need to sleep it off, cmon mom will be gone lets enjoy ourselves" You weakly protested, Alex let out a sigh, taking off his jacket and throwing it over you before he drove off.

"Fine but if you get sick mom better not blame me," He said trying to make light of the situation.

He looked to his side, curious why you hadn't responded, only to see you already taking your nap in the car, he smiled at the scene, glad to see you being able to rest, "What am I going to do with you," he lightly sighed, a playful smiling tugging at his features.

It didn't take long for you two to arrive home, Alex lightly nudged you awake, groaning as he helped you out of the car, his jacket still over your shoulders as he dropped you off in your room, leaving to go watch some television in the living room.

You slept at least 3 more hours before waking up to a sudden burst of energy, it was strange, you felt stronger, and more aware. You slowly sat up, realizing you still had Alex's jacket on.

You grabbed your phone to check the time, seeing it was around 7:15 you felt your stomach grumble, telling you that it was time to eat. You got up from your bed, feeling extremely flexible as you did that, which was strange but you paid it no mind.

You opened the door of your room, seeing the bright hue of the television illuminate the living room, Alex's shadow as there.

"Hey ass face I'm hungry," You said, walking behind your brother as he sat unmoving in front of whatever news was on.

He looked back, smiling at you; taking notice of your attire, "I see you got a sense of fashion little sis" Alex mentioned, eyes scanning the jacket of his which you wore.

You rolled your eyes at him, covering the front of your shirt with his jacket, "I'm only wearing it because it's keeping me warm!" You exclaimed, turning away from him and making your way to the door, "Now hurry up, I want that pizza I was promised.

Alex laughed as he got up, "I don't think I said promise," He said making his way to the door, grabbing his keys and wallet "But fine, hurry up, if we get going now we can maybe get ice cream after"

"I'll hold you to it!"

Both of you let out a small laugh, as you started your journey to the pizza parlor.

Alex ordered you both a pizza to share, and maybe take home if any was left, it was an honestly pretty good day.

But all good things must come to an end.

"As your kind and loving older brother, I declare that I shall owe you an ice cream from wherever you desire!" Alex got up, and bowed a little bit to you, a smirk on his lips watching as you played along.

"Well then good sir, I crave ice cream from Jane's Sweet Tooth down the road!" You giggled, letting him get up from his playful bow.

As you both got ready to leave, the bell indicating someone entered the parlor rang, "Put your hands up!" The loud voice said, making both you and Alex turn around to see a mugger holding the cashier at gun point.

Quickly Alex grabbed your arm, pulling you behind him, hoping to shield you.

"Hurry up, I don't have all day man!" The mugger yelled, as the cashier fumbled with the money. Alex slowly tried to back away, making sure he went unnoticed by the man, although it didn't work.

The mugger turned around, his gun now facing both of you, "Hey now man, please just put the gun down, my sister is with me," Alex tried to negotiate with the man, waiting on a miracle, just wanting to make sure the man didn't end up shooting his baby sister.

Just as it looked like the mugger was about to run away, the sudden realization of what he was doing dawning on him, the GCPD sirens rang in the distance, this seemingly made him focus.

"Yeah well we got to do what we got to 'man'," Within a second you felt a sudden recoil, as Alex slowly started to fall down, making you fall to your knees, his weight pushing against you.

The mugger nervously shot at the light, making the parlor shop dim. You shakily called out Alex's name, feeling a sudden warm liquid pooling at your knees, quickly realizing what had happened.

"Alex?.." You said, trying to keep your brother awake, you lightly shook him, keeping him from closing his eyes.

All Alex could do was raise his hands to grab the end of his jacket, putting the hood over your head, as a final sense of comfort, before you felt his body go limp.

You sat there stunned, the mugger slowly pointed his gun to you, his hands shaking, the cashier still collecting the money, unsure what to do.

Suddenly the man was knocked down, his gun sliding across the place, landing in front of you.

You could only sit there stunned, all you saw was red. Swiftly you grabbed the gun, pointing it at the man, your face covered by the hood, the dim light not letting any of your features be seen.

"Don't" A deep voice, snapped you out of your trance. Robin, stood between you and the mugger, noticing the body behind you, he stood firm, "Two wrongs don't make a right,"

You looked between him and the man, you looked outside, cop lights shining in through the window.

Hesitantly you lowered the weapon, Robin slowly relaxed, grabbing the gun your grip as you backed away.

You looked back at your brother as Robin turned around to apprehend the man. Alex was limp, he was killed by that man, and you'd almost killed him too, but you didn't, you were stopped.

You felt so overwhelmed, you saw the GCPD start to make their way to the door, you couldn't be there while they arrested that man, you'd also tried to kill him.

Without thinking, you ran. You opened the back exit door and made a break into the alley.

"Hey wait-" Robin said, as he cuffed the criminal and unloaded the gun.

You didn't listen though, you just ran as far away as you could, you needed to get out of those bloody pants, you needed to call your mom, your brother was dead.

As you ran, you heard voices, "This way!" The police were chasing you, having seen you hold a gun at Robin they wanted to take you in as well, you looked around realizing this was a dead end.

'Shit, shit, shit," You internally thought, trying to grab something on the wall to get away.

As you did this you suddenly felt yourself stick to the wall, your hands not letting go. Confused but also in a rush you tried to climb the wall, and strangely enough you could.

Your hands sticking to each brick until you made it to the top, the police officers running to the now empty alleyway looked around, "Guess we lost them," one said to the other, as they turned around to report back.

You didn't know what was happening and it frankly was all scaring you, maybe this was just some sick dream, and you'd wake up to your mom making breakfast and Alex pulling you out of your bed.

Until then you knew you had to go home and call your mom to let her know what happened to her son.

[moonsuke]

Oh my fucking gosh all these edge lord lines Rin have been spouting were thrown at him by Sae first 😭

It makes me think Rin is constantly living in this trrrraumatic (lol) moment of his brother abandoning him, though it was painful too seeing Sae's expression when his lil brother first dismissed his dreams like that.

But ngl I get hyped seeing scenes like these:

Like yessss BRING BACK THE OG BLUE LOCK ENERGY. It also reminded me of Reo and Nagi lmao. I know most people when seeing scenes like these tend to take "sides" and hate on the ones who "leave" but I'm not one of them lol. Actually, I tend to like the ones who "leaves" 🤡

Anyway, its clearly meant to be sad and I do feel sad for Rin (and Reo) but my point is, this is what the narrative is going for, just enjoy it and don't make it so personal? Just go with the story??

I do feel very sad for Rin when he's sulking on his bed though, like poor baby ;-;

Aww 😭😭😭😭

But his reaction after makes me like him a lot more! As expected of my second fav :')

Especially his "These feelings... That time back then... You can't just pretend like it didn't happen!! Those weren't lies!!" I love how confident he is of his past memories and bond with Sae? It's refreshing? Compared to the typical reaction (that annoys me) of them completely forgetting the past and focusing too much on the present and hurt they feel? I mean he's still basing his future actions and entire personality off this event, but I just really like that he didn't just entirely dismiss and doubt their bond like that. Says a lot about their bond actually, or rather Rin's feelings towards it.

Also, I can see knsr is recycling tropes here 🤡 and loves making the ones who got abandoned react very intensely lol. He mentioned before he likes seeing characters in such downward spirals right? And he likes writing them in an over the top, over-dramatic manner?

I get Rin's logic of spiral though, he's dedicated his entire childhood to soccer because of his "dream" of being the best with his brother. He really gave his everything to it 😭 but it was all trampled upon by Sae, so I can see how this is equivalent to his life being ruined. It's always cool to see characters being so dedicated and single-minded to their goal (because I can never be like that).

So I'm guessing for the Sae and Rin plot, for Rin to crush Sae's "dream", Sae has to want to be a striker again? I would like some "role reversal" where Rin gets to be the midfielder for Sae's striker sometimes, or they take turns. Actually I would love this for ReoNagi too, where Reo wants to be the striker himself, and Nagi supports (and learns some playmaking skills finally) but we'll see... I still have so much of the manga to go 😭

It was very bizarre to see Rin (and Sae) being "normal" as kids, but that's typical right? Their story seems like a typical brotherhood turned enemies slash rivals trope? I've seen many compared them to Itachi and Sasuke but please, they'll never? I like Rin, he's my second fav after Nagi but he'll never be Sasuke no matter how many superficial similarities and tropes they share (Revenger, edgy, brother complex). I'm sorry but Rin lacks the flair that Sasuke has, which I suspect comes from how much the mangaka likes him. You can always tell there's something "extra" to a character because the creator likes them or vibes with them, almost like meta "star quality" lmao. This is why I like Sasuke and Nagi :)

Rin sadly, don't seem to receive that love.

Also I love their current dynamics lmao. Rin being the one to approach Sae first with the sibling rivary, Sae being cold but also getting caught up in it, calling each other shitty older brother and pain in the ass younger brother because their blood still ties them and they acknowledge that despite being so outwardly cold and stoic awwww :')

[waywardsou2]

The fact that Vander and Silco basically are Jinx and Vi's dads made me die inside

Ok head canon time. When Felicia told Connol about Vi he wasn't looking for a long term relationship and the idea of a baby scared him off so he left her, disappeared in to the bowels of the undercity. So Felicia stayed permanently with Vander and Silco who were living in the back of the bar at the time.

This is why she took Vander (and presuably Silco's) suggestion's for names. (I'm also going to say that Jinx is actually biologically Silco's after a fling)

But when the war broke out Felica fought with Vander against Silco.

I think Silco instigated a war against Piltover despite Vander and Felicia's wishes.

In the end they were on opposite sides and that's when Felicia died. Vander knowing that Silco had started the whole thing saw red and went after him (again which is how we got the fight)

Vi remembered Silco because she was older but Jinx didn't but she still felt some connection to him which is why she latched onto him after the bombing incident.

And then you get the canon.

Also additional head canon I think that Felicia really did love both Silco and Vander equally, she truly thought that they could be poly because she saw the way Silco looked at Vander and knew about Vanders past regarding Silco, but Silco found it more difficult to showcase his feelings whereas Vander was really forward. So the two ended up becoming a thing whilst Silco was left pining in the background for both Felicia and Vander.

Vander did have feelings for Silco but because he had never come to terms with his sexuality he simply called it a brotherly relationship.

So it's a good love triangle heh

I also like the idea that Jinx is actually Silco's. Vi is Connel's but Felicia just says that Vander is her dad. So that the kids could have something stable in their lives

(idk does this even work)

[gtzel]

(title TBD) winter and claus

Next/previous

Chapter 1:

It had been a long night of work, and Winter had finally gotten every item on his list. Since his brother, Ryan, had left on a trip to visit their parents, Winter had to fend for himself. But you see, Winter didn't have a normal human job, anymore than he was a normal human teenager. Because he wasn't normal, or human. Winter was a borrower, a secret tiny subspecies of humans. No one knew how they had come to be, and as far as actual humans were concerned, they didn't exist at all. Borrowers, for those of you who don't know, are tiny people who stand about 3 inches in height. They “Borrow” from their stronger and bigger counterparts, without their consent. Yes, it could be called stealing, but is it really stealing if it never leaves the house? So anyway, these Borrowers usually reside in the walls, floorboards, or ceilings of human houses, and take little items that won't be missed. 

And that brings us back to Winter. As I'm sure you’ve already realized, Winter is one of these Borrowers. The 17 year old boy stood at a height of about 7.82 centimeters. His dark black curls were shaggy around his delicate complexion. He had bright silvery eyes that glittered when he was curious. The borrower had a tuft tipped tail which was soft, and very much sensitive to touch. His ears were pointed just enough to come off as faen. He wore a patchwork tunic and intentionally torn pants that his older brother always gave him trouble for. Winter thought of the tears as a fashion choice. 

The borrower sat on the sill of a window in one of the human’s rooms. He watched the sunrise, knowing he would need to head home soon to prevent being seen. But he brushed the thought away, the human always had an alarm that went off, and waited a long while before actually waking up. He wouldn't have to worry about being caught today. After all, he was a skilled borrower, trained by the best. 

Winter’s eyes caught on the papers on the human’s desk, curiosity perking him up. He had been taught to read at a young age by his parents, a borrower necessity for gathering the correct supplies. He hastily made his way over to the desk, clamoring up the tall side using his home-made grappling device. It was self engineered by him and his brother. A sort of pulley system to prevent the pains and risks of the usual borrower's fish hook. He launched the hook in the air with stunning precision, then attached the clamp to his harness belt and finally flipped the leaver which helped to propel him along the rope. The pulley system had been Ryan’s idea, since Winter had irregular fainting spells and needed a safe way to guarantee his borrowing trips would be successful. 

As Winter finally reached the top of the desk and unhooked the harness, leaving the pulley system intact on the edge of the desk for his trip back down. Winter curiously approached the humans papers, the night prior he had noticed the human writing ferociously and he grew more intrigued by the moment. His head tilted to the side, not unlike a curious puppy, as he stepped onto the writing that dwarfed him in size. He focused his eyes on reading each letter, making sentences. To Winter’s delight, the human had been writing a story of sorts. The borrower did not understand the majority of what the human was talking about in the story, a lot of numbers. But it appeared to be talking about a group of humans on a trip to a place called “California” in search of the rare item “gold.” As Winter read, he became more and more engrossed with the story. Winter was so engrossed in fact, that he had completely forgotten about the human who was supposed to be asleep behind him. It wasn't until it was too late that Winter realized the horror. 

As a floorboard creaked behind him, Winter spun around, eyes wide. His gaze landed on the human’s towering form, looming above. Before Winter could process the scene enough to run, a sickeningly massive hand shot out and curled itself tightly around the borrower's bony form. The sudden movement knocked the air out of WInters body. His delicate form finally caught up with the rush of pain. As the whole world shifted around him faster than he had ever experienced, Winter’s body seized with terror. Fear spiked within his disoriented form as two massive eyes the size of him focused, their dark blue mixed with flecks of shimmering gold looked with sick curiosity as they met Winter’s small form. 

Winter felt his throat close up as his heart thrummed in his ears, a loud ringing echoing through the room as the human alarm went off. Winter flinched and screwed his eyes shut at the piercing sound, his breathing becoming an erratic mix of strangled gasps and panicked chokes. His head swivels around, his pinned down arms desperately wishing to shield his tender ears from the sharp painful sound. He felt the world around him move at a nauseating speed, a loud booming voice echoed around him but was clouded by the borrower's panic and the loud ringing. Winter felt the already firm grip around him tighten. 

The loud piercing sound was quelled and zeals' eyes opened blearily.  Immediately his dizzy gaze dropped down to the startling height he was being held at. His eyes darted to the human, his cold stare, shapely face looking at the borrower scrutinizingly, his wispy blonde hair falling across his face delicately. As his lips moved to speak, Winter winced in pain, a sharp throbbing in his head as the human's bellowing voice became more clear to him.

“Tch-what the hell do we have here?” His voice was cold and sickeningly toned. The voice made WInter’s blood run cold with fear. Suddenly, the weight of the situation gripped him. He had been caught, not only that, the human looked as if he might just kill Winter there and then. 

Winter shrunk into himself, struggling helplessly in the pain inducing grip of the human. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, his panic triggering a fight or flight sense, causing him to act without thinking. He sunk his teeth into the tip of the human’s finger, the only form of fight he was able to muster up. Unfortunately for Winter, this backfired and the human just squeezed tighter. Winter whimpered and shrunk into himself more, his lungs so compressed that he could barely breathe. 

“Ah! P-please” a pathetic whimper escaped his lips in pain, pleading to be let go. A sharp cry of desperation. He would definitely be severely bruised later. If there was going to be a later for Winter. 

The human's eyes widened a fraction, upon realizing the creature he had caught could speak. He loosened his grip on Winter enough for the borrower to be able to breathe. He needed to think cautiously.

“What are you?” the human asked in a cold tone. He tightened his grip on Winter just enough to be seen as a warning. 

But Winter couldn’t just answer humans. Revealing his species would jeopardize his family and all of the borrower kind. He had already fucked up once by speaking in the presance of the human, he wouldnt allow himself to break any more rules. 

“I-I don't have to tell you” Winter spat out, an obvious tremble in his voice as he tried to mask his fear with harsh words. 

The human scoffed at the words, looking down at the borrower coldly “oh really? Those are some bold words for someone smaller than my hand” he smirked devilishly down at the frightened borrower. 

Winter bit back a cry of fear, he felt his senses overwhelm, his vision blur. ‘Oh no’ the borrower thought in a panic ‘no no no no no not now!’ he felt his vision double and his head began to cloud over as he was visited by a fainting spell. He had been trying his best to not over exert himself for fear of this happening. 

He felt his head nod back as everything went black, his body collapsing under the stress of the situation. 

[yoyowrites]

Au where shen jiu is an assassin/murderer and binghe grew up in hua hua palace.

After Binghe's adoptive mother died, the old palace master found him and took him in. At first, he's treated very well. Binghe is excited to have family, to be safe, to be free. Then, he notices he's actually very restricted. Everywhere he goes there's someone. When he was younger, he considered it wonderful to have friends and family but he soon found out they weren't friends. They were spies. His every move was being monitored. His real situation really hit him when he tried to leave.

He wasn't trying to leave for ever. It'd been about eight months since he'd been brought to huan hua palace and he's been missing her. He wanted to visit her grave, tell her how he'd been, and see if any of her things were still in tact. Yet, he barely made it pass the gates when other disciples stopped him. They dragged him to his room and he wasn't allowed to leave for days. When the old palace master returned, binghe tried to explain what happened thinking he'd be on Binghe's side. He was met with lies.

The old palace master explained that it was for his own good. How binghe just needed to stay there and listen. How he should never leave.

Binghe had made one 'friend' after that. A slightly older girl who seemed to take him under her wing. He shared his thoughts and worries with her. One day he mentions how he wants to try leaving. he just wants to be outside, how he missed his home.

The next day, he was imprisoned in his room again. There were guards in front of it that refused to speak to him. When the old palace master visited him, binghe knew what happened.

After that, binghe noticed how he was truly alone. No one ever actually talked to him. They didn't share anything about themselves. They were only collecting information on him.

He became closed off. He still played the part of kind, sweet, naive disciple but he never truly opened up again.

Years later, when binghe is a few months shy of fifteen, he hears rumours about this thief and murderer that has been targeting cultivators. Said murderer had been rumoured to be spotted near huan hua palace. Everyone was whispering how he'd attack them next. Then, binghe made a plan. He needed out.

So binghe plans to stage the murder of the old palace master. However, the real thief shows up and sees binghe. While binghe is strong, he's still young. The murdered captures binghe but doesn't kill him. Instead, he lets him escape. Binghe wasn't sure what to do but follow the murderer (who's name he learns is shen jiu).

Shen jiu wasn't killing to kill. He just needed cash and cultivators tended to hoard so he helped himself. Sometimes cultivators were in the way of his treasure and he needed to not leave evidence. He never leaves evidence.

So what was this ... tall child doing. Shen jiu isn't sure why he didn't kill him, much less kept him around but now he's keeping binghe with him. Mostly because he isn't sure what to do with him Or it was like that until they reached the next town over.

Shen jiu starts to notice that binghe is the luckiest unlucky person he knows. The only room available in the in they can stay at is near a forest that is infested with demons but their room is the only one that doesn't get attacked. Shen jiu chucks it up to luck

then, they're forced to travel through that same forest. shen jiu allows lou binghe to cling to him and sees that nothing serious tries to attack them.

shen jiu decides to keep binghe around. they grow pretty close. he even teaches lbh easy pick pocketing and disarming techniques, though he refuses to allow lbh to kill anyone again. if asked, shen jiu would deny it but a soft spot was rapidly growing.

they had been companions for around a year when lbh's demonic heritage was revealed. for one reason or another, shen jiu decides to push him in to the abyss. it hits him harder than he expected but its for the best. lbh is a demon, demons should be with their own kind. the reason lbh is so odd is probably from being around humans his whole life. shen jiu decides he must move on. life doesn't stop.

lou binghe spends his years in the abyss planning how he would confront sj. he would also prove himself to still be useful because that must be why he was abandoned. even if sj doesn't want to, he'd never be rid of lbh again. years later, he emerged and started searching for his dear shen jiu

TLDR:

Binghe murders old palace master and is on the run, sj helps hide him. Sj keeping binghe around like a rabbits foot until he finds out lbh is a demon. He throws binghe into the abyss and binghe returns for him.

[callsign-dexter]

Worlds Collide Part 1

Summary: Buck and you make your getaway from your parents and go exploring the world.

Pairings: Evan Buckley x Twin!Sister!Reader, Maddie Buckley x Sister!Reader, OC!Alejandro 'Alex' Miguel Diaz x Buckley!Reader (eventually)

Warnings: fluff, angst, underage drinking, bad parents

Masterlist

Worlds Collide

A/N: I feel like this is really short but I don't want to put too many things in the beginning. Anyways here is the beginning of Worlds Collide

Being a Buckley child was hard enough but being Evan Buckley's twin sister was even harder. You were never treated with respect and never got the attention like your older sister, Maddie Buckley. You were never allowed to make friends so you and Buck stuck together since he was in a similar situation. To be honest your parents never wanted you; they only wanted Buck to be a ‘spare parts’ donor to your older brother Daniel who had passed away. You were a surprise sure they took care of you but it wasn't with love. The only constant in your life was Buck and Maddie.

Maddie was a godsend when it came to you and Buck. When you both got hurt, she was the one taking care of you. She was the one to actually raise the two of you when your parents weren't around or not taking care of you when you weren't hurt. Getting hurt was the only time your parents paid attention to you and your brother. When your time of the month came around, she helped you through everything and which products you needed and what was best. When it came time for both of you to shave, she was there helping.

Buck was your partner in crime, best friend for life, and knight in shining armor. When nobody else would listen, he was there lending an ear and when you were upset, he was lending a shoulder to cry on. Every step he would take you would happily take with him and he didn't mind not in the least bit. You two were basically the same person. You two knew what each other was thinking and knew when something was wrong with each other. It could be all due to being twins or just understanding each other. Buck had a lot of girlfriends and some you liked and some you didn't. If they had anything bad to say about you, they were gone the next day. That's how close you two were. 

People often ask what you want to do with your life. You really didn't have an answer because honestly you didn't know. You never really thought about settling down because of how you were raised and nobody wanted you so you stuck to yourself and Buck. Honestly you just wanted out of the house away from your parents. So, when Buck said that he was leaving and asked you to go with him you jumped at the chance. You could remember clear as day when he asked. You both had just graduated high school and had gone to a party that night since your parents weren't going to do anything for you and they didn't care. The party was in full swing and the both of you decided to get away after it became too much. So, you grabbed drinks, even if you were underage, and headed to the roof of the house. Both of you laid down looking up at the stars. “Do you ever think of getting out here?” Buck asked after a few minutes of silence, both had been a little tipsy.

“All the time.” You said taking a drink.

“Let's go.” He said and you set up to look at him.

“What?” You asked

“Let's get out of here. Let's leave this place. Our parents don't appreciate us. We don't need to take that shit any longer.” He said looking into your eyes that matched his.

“Ok.” You said and he smiled.

“Yea?” He asked

“Yes, I'm tired of being held back. I wanna escape.” You said as he pulled you into his side. “Us against the world.” You added.

“Exactly. Us against the world.” He said. “I love you sis.” He said kissing the side of your head.

“I love you too, bro.” You replied snuggling into your brother. Both had fallen asleep and didn't wake up until the sun began to rise. The both of you were rushing to get out of the house and disappear before anyone noticed. Once you were home the both of you had to sneak your way into the house because the both of you had snuck out. The both of you had asked Maddie to leave too with you 1 night after graduation and she was on board but quickly backed out of it because of her abusive boyfriend Doug but she encouraged you both to go and gave you the Jeep keys. You remember that day too. 

It was a late night 1 day after graduation your parents had gone out leaving Maddie to stay with you, although you both didn't need a babysitter. You 3 were sitting on the couch watching some stupid movie when you and Buck looked at each other and had a whole conversation with your eyes. You both nodded and so you spoke up “Maddie?” You asked and she turned to look at you.

“What's up?” She asked 

“We're leaving.” You said and she was confused.

“What do you mean?” She asked 

“Evan and I are leaving. We're getting out.” You said and she looked over to him

“Is this true?” She asked and he nodded.

“Yea it is.” He said 

“Come with us.” You said 

“Y/N/N…” She said 

“Leave your abusive boyfriend and come with us.” You said

“He's not abusive. He just loses his temper sometimes.” Maddie said, defending him.

“Mads…. Don't bullshit me. I know what he does. I can see even when you try to hide. He's breaking you and I hate it.” You said and Buck nodded in agreement.

“Please come with us.” He pleaded it was silent while she debated it.

“Ok.” She said after a minute of silence.

“Really?” You asked

“Really.” She said

“Great! We'll leave tomorrow morning!” Buck exclaimed glad that he was going to have both sisters with him. 

The next morning, however, she didn't go with the two of you. She hurriedly was pushing you both out the door and giving you the keys to her Jeep, that would become Buck's. “Mads…” You said with pain in your eyes.

“I know. I know. I just can't. I really want to but I can't. I love you both so much.” She said with tears in her eyes as you hugged her unshed tears burning your eyes as you nodded. “Now go before you get stuck here.” She said as she released you and hugged Buck. Buck got into the driver's side after she hugged him and you in the passenger side and the both of you were taking off. You knew that would be the last time seeing her for a while of course you would still be I'm contact with each other but you would probably never see her face to face. Later you would find out that she married him.

“Where to?” Buck asked 

“Anywhere.” You said and he nodded and started driving. Your adventures just began.

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[theesirenteller]

DEALER

Chapter Nine : ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ᴄʀᴜᴇʟᴛʏ | Masterlist

Possession wasn’t something that was easy to get over. Rio couldn’t get the scent of Epiphany from underneath his nose, he couldn’t get the taste of her off of his tongue. And he didn’t want to. Not even a little bit. She had turned his gray world pastel. The world, his world was a happier place with her in it. Not just for him but for his associates and workers as well. It had been four weeks since their break up and hell was raised in Chicago. Bodies piled up throughout the city. Rio had left no room for mistakes. Every one of his workers had to do their best for each job and those who didn't were instantly killed. Beth, Ruby, and Annie were on edge over the course of the past weeks. They’d been caught up in delivering huge profits for little pay. Annie was beginning to feel like they’d never escape him and she knew her older sister didn’t want to.

The toxic cycle that Beth found comfort in was her new normal. It had been since the moment she felt Rio’s body on hers. Which was why she had invited him out to dinner with her at a prestigious restaurant called Divine. 

The restaurant was quiet, save for the soft clink of silverware and the distant murmur of other diners. Rio sat across from Beth, his posture rigid, his expression stone-cold. The dim lighting did little to soften his sharp, calculating gaze. He didn’t even look at her when she took a sip of her wine, trying to appear nonchalant. The air between them was thick with tension, and she could feel the weight of his anger even without him saying a word. Her nerves were on edge as she fiddled with her glass, trying to avoid his piercing gaze. He hadn’t said a word since she sat down, and it made her skin crawl. She needed him to understand. She needed him to know why she did what she did, even if it was hard to admit.

"I didn’t think you’d actually agree to meet with me," Beth said, trying to sound casual, but her voice came out more strained than she intended. "After everything that went down, I get it. You’re probably pissed at me."

Rio finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice. "Yeah, I am. But that’s nothing new with you, is it?"

"Elizabeth," he drawled, letting her name linger in the air like smoke. "You callin’ me down here for business or somethin’ else?"

Her heart thumped painfully in her chest. This was it—the moment she’d been dreading and rehearsing in her mind. She wet her lips, fighting to keep her voice steady.

"I need to tell you something," she started, looking everywhere but at him. "About Epiphany."

His smirk deepened, but there was no warmth behind it. "Oh, you mean the little stunt you pulled to send her packing? Bold, but not surprising."

"I did it for a reason," Beth said quickly, her words tumbling over one another. She forced herself to meet his eyes, searching for any flicker of softness beneath his piercing gaze. "It wasn’t just about business or the money."

Rio’s brow arched, and he shifted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Then what was it about, darlin’? Enlighten me."

Beth inhaled sharply. Her fingers clenched, nails biting into her palm. "I couldn’t stand seeing you with her," she admitted, her voice a shaky whisper. "I—" she hesitated, the weight of the truth pressing down on her chest. "I have feelings for you. That’s why I did it. That’s why she’s gone."

Rio’s expression hardened, but he didn’t respond right away. Instead, he just studied her, as though weighing her words with a depth that made her uneasy. 

For a moment, there was silence, the kind that made her ears ring. Then, Rio’s laughter cut through the tension like a knife. It was low and sharp, carrying with it an edge of cruelty that made her stomach churn.

"Feelings?" he repeated, his grin widening as he shook his head. "Oh, that’s rich, Elizabeth. You think that’s how this works? You think I’m gonna forget everything ‘cause you’ve caught some little crush?"

Beth felt her face flush, a mix of humiliation and anger bubbling up inside her. "It’s not a crush," she bit out, her voice firmer now. "You mean something to me."

Rio stepped closer, the grin fading from his face, replaced by something darker. He leaned down, his face inches from hers.

"Let me get this straight," he murmured, his tone cutting. "You got rid of Epiphany—someone who actually knew how to play the game—because of your little feelings? And now you expect me to… what? Be flattered? Grateful?"

She swallowed hard, refusing to back down, even as her pulse raced. "I thought you might understand."

He let out a humorless chuckle, straightening up. "Oh, I understand, Beth. I understand you think you’re special. But newsflash: You’re just another player trying to survive in my world."

Her breath hitched as his words sank in. He smirked,”Well…you were.”

Rio’s eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head slightly as if sizing her up. "You think you’re the only one who deserves me, huh? You think you’re the only one who cares about what happens to me?"

Beth froze, a chill running through her as Rio’s tone shifted. His words hit her harder than she expected. "The difference between you and Epiphany, Beth," he said slowly, his voice low and venomous, "is that she doesn’t try to manipulate everyone around her for her own gain. She’s younger than you by twenty plus years and you’re far outta her league in every aspect. You? You’ve been playing people your whole life, pretending to be the victim, pretending to be the good guy. But the truth is, you don’t give a damn about anyone but yourself."

Beth opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat. He was too quick. "You want to talk about love and loyalty? You’ve never been loyal to anyone, not really. You’re just good at pretending, at telling people what they want to hear so you can get what you want out of them." Rio leaned in, his eyes cold. "And don’t even try to act like you did me a favor. You didn’t save me, Beth. You played a game, and you lost. You’re just mad that you didn’t come out on top."

Beth felt the sting of his words like a slap. "I didn’t—" she started, but Rio cut her off again, his words biting.

"You think I didn’t see through you?" he said, his voice dangerously low. " You messed everything up because you were too damn busy looking out for your own interests."

The room felt smaller now, like the walls were closing in around her. Beth’s face flushed with anger, but she could see the finality in Rio’s eyes. There was no coming back from this. 

Beth sat there, stunned, unable to find the words to defend herself. Rio stood up and turned his back to her without another word, heading for the door. And with that, he was gone.

Beth sat in silence, the weight of his words crashing over her. She had thought she was in control, that she could still win him back. But now, all she had left were the ashes of the game she had tried to play.

Beth stepped out of the restaurant a few minutes later, her heels pounding against the sidewalk with a rhythmic, defiant anger. Her chest was tight, her hands trembling from the mix of frustration and hurt that pulsed through her. Rio had just shut her down—completely. No explanation, no more games, no more second chances. She had been so sure that she had him under control, that she could outsmart him one last time, but now he had just… ended it. She could still feel the weight of his cold gaze, the finality of his words. 

The cool night air hit her skin, but it did nothing to numb the heat in her veins. Her breath came in shallow bursts as she stormed towards her car. It wasn’t just about the betrayal, it was about how he did it—like she was just another pawn he’d grown tired of playing with. The thought burned in her chest. She had trusted him. She had let her guard down, and now she was paying the price. 

As she reached her car, a sudden noise behind her made her freeze. The sound of footsteps. Quick, deliberate. Her heart skipped. She turned, and for a split second, her stomach dropped when she saw the flash of a dark sedan pulling to a stop just in front of her. She didn’t have time to react before the car door opened. A man in a dark uniform stepped out, his shadow looming large under the streetlights. He didn’t need to say a word. His presence alone told her everything.

"Elizabeth Boland?" His voice was calm, but the authority in it made her blood run cold.

She tried to step back, but before she could move, two more officers emerged from the darkness, blocking her path. Panic surged through her, but she quickly squashed it. ‘No, not like this,’she thought, trying to regain her composure. She crossed her arms, defiantly looking up at the officer. "What is this?" she demanded, her voice sharp with the mix of anger and disbelief.

"You’re under arrest," the officer said, his tone unchanged. "For conspiracy, and the framing of a federal agent."

The words hit her like a slap in the face. She felt her stomach twist as the reality of it all sank in. Her mind raced—had Rio set this up? Had he been watching her all this time? Had he known she would try something like this, planned for her to slip up? She’d been so sure she could pull it off, but now everything was falling apart. 

“Wait a minute—this is a mistake!” she protested, her voice rising in frustration. She took a step forward, but the officers immediately moved to restrain her, snapping the cuffs around her wrists with an unsettling finality. “I didn’t do anything! You’ve got it all wrong!” she shouted, her voice cracking with a mix of anger and desperation. 

But the officers didn’t respond, simply guiding her toward the waiting car. Her thoughts swirled in a chaotic storm of rage and disbelief. She had been played. This wasn’t just a random bust—it was Rio’s doing. He had cut her off, taken everything from her, and now he was watching her fall from a distance. The realization was a crushing weight on her chest, and as she was shoved into the back of the police car, she felt the full sting of his betrayal. He had broken her. And now, he had made sure she would never cross him again.

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