#he was willing to give up the safety of the world and the future of the fire nation to save her from Azula's lightning

[jaijeijayjei]

I'm starting to realize people perceive Mel with the assumption that she has bad intentions, so that's all they see in her.

The writers have said Mel was written to seem as a one-dimensional manipulator, but in reality she is a multi-layered individual with complex motivations. Rewatching her earlier scenes with that in mind brings her into a completely new light.

(justification for these interpretations under the cut)

"Mel invested in Hextech for power and influence"

Or, she invested in them because she believed in Hextech's potential to change the world for the better?

"Mel pressured Jayce to reveal his new inventions so she can cash in on the profit"

Or, she understands Heimerdinger is stuck in the past and doesn't want him to hinder Jayce's progress?

"Mel sleeps with Jayce to make him more pliable"

Or, she genuinely admires Jayce and sees a way to be free of her family's bloody legacy by working alongside him.

"Mel turns Jayce into a corrupt politician for her own gain"

Or, Mel believes protecting Hextech's interest is more important than trade laws.

"Mel wanted Hextech weapons to make Piltover more powerful"

Or, she only wanted weapons as a last resort and for self-defense.

"Mel will do anything to prove herself to her family"

Or, Mel also wants to prove that ruling with diplomacy is superior to ruling with cold pragmatism and brute force.

Yes there are times Mel acts out of self-interest and a desire for power, but those aren't her only motivations. Mel subverts the "shady corrupt politician" trope, she is not defined by it.

I believe Mel is being genuine in her conversation with Jayce in S1 E5, about wanting to give back to the world. In her argument with Jayce in S2 E8, she explains why she invested in Hextech to begin with. She saw two brilliant scientists, capable of impossible things, rallying the hearts of a nation. Mel believed in Jayce and Viktor's potential to do good. Also, she has shown the wellbeing of Piltover (and in S2, the safety of Zaunites), are more important to her than personal gain.

Jayce specifically went to her for advice, and she gave it. Doesn't this imply Jayce views her as an ally or advisor as well as an investor? He clearly values her opinions.

During Mel's whole childhood, her family and homeland tried to shape her into someone she was not- a cold, pragmatic ruler willing to do anything to maintain power. Her way of ruling was scorned by her mother as "soft spined" and foolish, but with Jayce she found someone who believed in and appreciated her. Plus she was personally affronted when he left her in bed. It's more than likely she acted out of genuine attraction and admiration.

Side note: Jayce has already shown he's alright with breaking the rules for the greater good. He illegally experimented with magic, broke into Heimer's lab, and led an unsanctioned attack. Jayce and Mel are more aligned in this way than he realizes- Mel believes securing Hextech's future is more important than breaking a few trade laws. Jayce was in a vulnerable position, with a target on his back. She could have used that against him, but didn't.

Mel is a pragmatic pacifist, even from childhood. Mel is very much anti-war because she understands how destructive it is, having grown up in Noxus.

Mel's rift from her family is an ideological one- she values leading with diplomacy is disgusted by Noxus' brutality. If she can make Piltover successful, it proves that there are better ways to rule than what Noxus insists upon. Mel has also shown her morals are more important to her than power. She turns down opportunities to elevate her position tremendously by siding with her mother or advocating for an invasion because it goes against her moral compass.

[prisonhannibal]

!! DONT SKIP !! donations urgently needed They are only at €5,561 out of €50,000 goal

I was contacted by Nader to draw pictures for and help spread his brother Abdulsalam Al-Anqar’s fundraiser to save their family. Nader is a 17 year old boy who lives in Gaza with his family: parents Ahmed (54) and mother Iman (49), brothers Abdulsalam (26), Mohammed (14), and Omar (21) and Abdulsalam’s wife and their one year old daughter Iman. Imagine it was your sibling, your friend, your son, who should be in school or with his friends, who instead has to hide from bombs and ask for help online to save his family. His family have suffered through one year of genocide. All of you are their hope to get to safety.

This fundraiser is vetted by @gazavetters, number four on the spreadsheet here

Abdulsalams daughter Iman is only one year old and has lived most her life in a war zone. She is suffering from malnutrition. It’s every fathers worst nightmare to see their child starve and not be able to feed her. Please help him feed his daughter and get her to safety. No child should grow up hearing the sound of bombs. Every child has the right to food and safety. You can help give Iman the childhood she should have, where she can sleep in a safe bed at night with a full stomach.

Their father Ahmed has cancer and needs surgery and medication. It is not possible to get the treatment he needs in Gaza. every day his illness is left untreated, the cancer will continue to spread through his body, so he very urgently needs money for treatment and travel. If you help them get to their goal, you are saving their fathers life. Don’t let this family who have already lost so much lose their father, husband, and grandfather

Nader has showed me pictures of this explosion close to them, thankfully they were able to get away. Every day they stay in Gaza their lives are at risk from israeli bombs. Every day and hour counts. I know there are compassionate and kind people who are willing to help. every euro helps, YOUR donation will bring them one moment closer to safety. With love and hope I’m asking you to give what you can, I believe in the kind people of the world and I beg you to not let them die. If you can’t donate, please share so it may reach people who can.

Never forget that palestinians are not numbers on a list of deaths. Please think of each of them, think of their names and faces and know that you can help them. I think of them every day. I think of the hopes and dreams they should achieve, I think of their education, their future, and the love they show when they work hard every day to get help. You may feel powerless to stop this genocide, but you have the power to save Abdulsalam and his family. I dream that the day will come soon where they may use their days to rest and recover from what they’ve been through, where they can share a meal and laugh and the children will play, instead of having to use their time to beg the world to listen and help them. We can make this possible.

50 000 euros is a lot of money for one person to give, but for all of us together, it can be done. Please don’t look away.

(drawing above by @neechees)

Thank you for reading their story. Please don’t keep scrolling without sharing

here is the link again to their fundraiser

tagging for reach:

@90-ghost @heritageposts @gazavetters @neechees @butchniqabi @fluoresensitive @khanger @autisticmudkip @beserkerjewel @furiousfinnstan @xinakwans @batekush @appsa @nerdyqueerr @butchsunsetshimmer @biconicfinn @stopmotionguy @willgrahamscock @strangeauthor @bryoria @shesnake @legallybrunettedotcom @lautakwah @sovietunion @evillesbianvillain @antibioware @akajustmerry @dizzymoods @ree-duh @neptunerings @explosionshark @dlxxv-vetted-donations @vague-humanoid @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @sar-soor @northgazaupdates2 @feluka @dirhwangdaseul @jdon @ibtisams @sawasawako @memingursa @schoolhater @toesuckingoctober @waskuyecaozu

[enchantedreader]

Absolutely

hey alta fandom!!! im trying to put my thoughts on zutara into a word document to write it up like an essay, but i need some data! im going to be making this a poll, please reblog with your stance on it and a reason for/against it in the tags! thank you very much :)

[allmightluver]

@hhbluedynamite I’m going to make separate post here to address this. Tumblr mobile is a pain and I can’t add all picture examples I want to it here goes.

This has been a debate ever since My Hero came out,

“Why are All Mights eyes black?”

There’s been multiple explanations from how his borrowed quirk works to simply his own emaciated state. I’ve come up with my own theory. It’s said the eyes are the windows to the soul. I believe All Might’s eyes grow darker the more “weight” he carries.

For example,

When All Might was a kid, his eyes were normal. White. After losing his family, rendering him an orphan, white. Even after losing Nana, still he looked normal.

And after first releasing to the public.

This is because although he’d already been thru hell and back emotionally, he’s still normal. Even with his quirk.

Then, after he’d been in the game a while, they suddenly darkened.

Why?

Because by that time, the full gravity of his position, his responsibility and the realization he was essentially alone in that place, had fully sunk in.

Because he was so over powered above everyone else, everyone including the heroes left him to take care of almost everything they felt was too hard. And because he’s a selfless person at heart without a care to his own safety, he willingly allowed it to happen without asking for help. He didn’t want to risk losing anyone else. Which is also why he didn’t take on any sidekicks.

Until Nighteye.

Vigilantes showed us Toshinori when he wasn’t being All Might. And his eyes turn back into white in his more relaxed form, albeit with tired lines beneath them. However this is when he had Nighteye to count on. And Nighteye can see the future, so perhaps he would be safe, right? Well we know what happened there.

After he and Nighteye break up go their separate ways, we never see Toshinori with white eyes again. (Unless I’m forgetting so please tell me if I am). Now he’s injured, only a handful of people to trust, and none can truly understand what he’s going through. At this time he truly is alone, and the one thing that gives him joy is slowly but surely being fizzled out within him.

All Might’s eyes continued to remain black for years. Even after giving his quirk to Izuku. He still felt the weight of the world on his shoulders because he feared for Izuku’s safety. Blamed himself for every scar and Injury the boy suffered thru. Even though he was retired, nothing had changed. In fact it was worse now, because he could do nothing to help anymore.

And then he gains support items to face AFO for the last time. He’s a distraction, a willing sacrifice to slow the monster down, and he couldn’t be happier. We see the whites of his for the first time. All through the fight we see them, shaded albeit, but they’re there.

When he speaks to Nighteye asking if this isn’t the place he was meant to die, Nighteye confirms that it is. The fact that he’s still alive makes him raise the question, why is he still here then? I’m the mentor, Izuku is a ready and worthy apprentice. He doesn’t need me anymore. I’m supposed to be dead by now. His eyes seem darker here, as if the weight and his own depression have increased again. Perhaps begrudgingly accepting his fate.

But then here after Nighteye tells him he reads too many comic books, and that there’s no way he would go out that way, we get a closer look. Although his eyes are still shrouded in black because of his emaciated state. His eyes themselves are clearer, brighter. Even if Nighteye is only in his head, his words are still bringing him hope deep down.

While being tended to medically, his eyes are dark again, though I believe this is mainly due to him barely being alive and conscious at this point. And they’re still white, more than we’re used to seeing.

Finally after the war while they’re recovering, his eyes remain white, though they’re still shaded. The weight is still present. His work isn’t done yet. Izuku is losing his quirk, and he still feels like a failure in some sense because of that. Also because he and Bakugo almost died. And because of everyone who did die in the war all because he failed to stop AFO after three tries.

People who weren’t qualified to be heroes were even involved in this battle. And he thinks it unfair to hold such high standards when there are people who can still help, even if not at the extreme levels of the top heroes. He and Deku are proof of that!

In the last chapter several years later, we finally see Old Man Might! And his eyes-they’re so bright. ❤️

Of course they’ll always have a little shadow to them because of his sunken in appearance, but the tired lines under his eyes are gone. There’s not the black bags from pushing himself too hard, just the normal wrinkles that come with age.

This is Toshinori that’s been missing for decades. The man whose impossible weight has finally been lifted off his shoulders. He knows he can finally relax, he doesn’t have to be on alert or on call anymore. The world is safe without him.

He even found a way for Izuku to keep up his hero work with a suit similar to his own during the war (though most definitely suped up).

Finally, he can be at peace. His body, soul, and mind can finally begin to heal. He can work through all of the trauma he’s been stuffing down all of his life.

Finally, he can live.

[blouisparadise]

Today we have the third part to our long fic rec list! These fics are all 100k words or more. You can check out the first part to this rec list here and the second part to this rec list here. If you enjoy our rec lists, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word.

1) There’s No Way Out (But Down) | Mature | 100,210 words 

When Harry had woken up that first day with a light tingling in his fingers, maybe he should have known something was going to go wrong. Now, sat in an empty field in fucking nowhere America, covered in blood, he realises he couldn’t save everyone. He knows his limits, has had them drilled into his head from the moment he was old enough to retain words. He knows he shouldn’t mess with the natural order of things. He knows that what will happen will happen one way or another either way. And yet, he can’t control himself. For the third time, he settles his hands on Louis Tomlinson’s still heart and wills it to beat once more.

2) Invisible Strings | Explicit | 102,431 words

Louis has been struggling with his social anxiety for years now and is completely content with not leaving the house and having no social contacts. It gives him peace and safety. But when his new delivery guy, Harry, wants to get to know him Louis just can’t resist. Together, they find new, creative ways to communicate despite his anxiety. Soon their connection deepens and Louis doesn’t want his protected life anymore and instead tries to fight his social anxiety for the first time in years. But how can you change what became your personality over the years? And how can you feel safe again in a world that showed you exactly how dangerous it is outside? A story about finding your inner strength, healing and love that fights all odds.

3) Nothing Worsens, Nothing Grows | Mature | 102,505 words

Another roadtrip au featuring Harry as the misunderstood hipster, Louis as the bitter psych major, Liam as the one with the secret boyfriend, and Niall as the one who just wants everyone to be happy.

4) Halfway Home | Mature | 103,158 words

Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson were improbable childhood friends, much to Harry’s dismay. They were thrown together each summer when Harry was forced to visit Louis’ grandfathers’ ranch in Black Hills, South Dakota. With each passing year, their friendship blossomed into something more. When trail rides turned to stolen kisses, and tragedies turned to confessions until they could no longer deny the inevitable draw they felt for one another. Though life and their future plans soon set them on different paths. Ten years later, Louis is the proud owner of Halfway Home Wildlife Refuge. Harry returns to the ranch to escape the perils of his past in London, and though their memories still haunt Louis, he won’t let that deter him from his goals. However, someone has been keeping a close eye on the refuge, and possibly Louis specifically, and Harry’s return may have unleashed more than just old passions. There’s a hunter lurking in the Hills, someone who’s decided they’ve bided their time long enough.

5) If I Cannot Bend Heaven, I’ll Rise Hell| Explicit | 109,110 words

It blooms: In 1807, a boy falls for the wrong monster. It eats: In 1969, omegas began to disappear as rumors of the rising of a cannibalistic cult spread like wildfire. It grins: Now, one of the most powerful vampires of the West sits down for an interview to reveal all his sins. “Exodus 7:14-11:10, right before he sent the plagues, he said to Moses; ‘By this you will know that I am the Lord.’.” The vampire said with the ghost of a smile, small, almost intimate. “How can you annihilate something that you cannot touch, something you cannot see? How can you fight against a hungry God?“

6) Darling | Mature | 110,147 words

“Why do you call him darling?” I looked at Liam and felt my features soften. “Because he’s a darling. He’s absolutely the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. He’s a darling boy and I just want all of him and only him.”

7) The Healing Song | Mature | 111,851 words

Louis was carrying the large stuffed elephant like it was a baby, it’s trunk hanging over his shoulder and down his back and it’s front legs were resting around his neck, like it was hugging him. Said elephant was a present from Louis’ close friend Steve, who had thought Louis needed something to hug on bad days and had gifted him with a stuffed elephant the size of a one year old. Steve had been right. Some days Louis did need something to hug, and this elephant was as good as anything. Louis was having one of the rougher days. The harmonious state of the anxiety free life of a fearless Louis had ended the week after he met with Harry. It ended as abruptly as it had started. It was like pushing a button. Lights out. Almost as if the universe said “You’ve had your fun, crazy one, now go be sick” and slammed the door in his face.

8) (But) Baby We’re Everything  | Explicit | 117,618 words 

Harry and Louis broke up almost four years ago when their career paths took them different directions. Louis was hired at a primary school on the outskirts of London, and Harry went on to Cambridge to finish his degree and get his doctorate in education. But now, years later, Louis is a year two teacher at the same school he’s been employed at since the end of University, and Harry just so happens to be hired onto staff after finishing his postgraduate degree. Now that they’re back in each other’s lives, Louis has to face the secret Harry never discovered when he left years prior. Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it?

9) Our Endless Numbered Days | Explicit | 120,815 words

“Harry?” whispered Louis, his mouth dry, his nose pressing against the other’s warm skin. “Mh?” Harry’s humming was gentle, his fingers lightly caressing the younger boy’s arm, his chest steadily rising and falling beneath Louis’ cheek. A couple of seconds passed, and Louis looked up at him in the darkness of the cave, barely able to make out the expression on his face. When he tried to inhale deeply, his breath hitched. He struggled to find the words to tell Harry what he was thinking about. Another couple of seconds passed, and Louis listened to the reassuring beating of the prince’s heart beneath his cheek. He couldn’t. “Nothing,” he whispered, his voice weak. I think you’re half of my soul.

10) Streetlights In The Dark Blue | Mature | 120,867 words

Louis Tomlinson is an investigative journalist. He’s spent the better part of his life researching the psyches of serial killers, and publishing articles to provide a deeper understanding into their methodologies. His pen-name, Orion, is well known around the globe. An alter-ego that keeps his pockets lined, and his identity private. That is, until a letter arrives at his home address. A letter containing a symbol. One dubbed by a serial killer who’d vanished three years prior. The postage stamp? Bainbridge Island. He’d spent so long peering into the darkness, it should be no surprise to discover that something had been looking back. The island presents a host of mysteries. It also houses a nosy witch, determined to break down his walls. And an FBI agent hellbent on shattering his carefully constructed world.

11) Three Men And A Baby | Explicit | 122,978 words

Note: There is a BH mention.

Louis’ life had been going along just fine. Until one morning when his entire world changes when he steps on a piece of lego belonging to a young boy who has randomly appeared in his flat. And with that boy comes his gorgeous father. His flatmate Zayn has some explaining to do but he’s definitely not complaining, instantly feeling connected to these new additions. Over the span of a year, life gets crazy, frustrating, surprising and most importantly…filled with love.

12) Siren Calls Me Home | Explicit | 133,762 words

Harry’s father had warned him. King Edward of Erendor had whispered his suspicions that Prince Louis of Blackmont was descended from the sirens, monsters from cautionary tales Harry was told as a child. A cruel, cold-hearted, and vicious nature wreathed in a breathtaking exterior, with coy smirks and slow blinks used to bend everyone to his will. His beauty was as well known as his cunning, his greed, and his ruthless grab for power. Time only proved the rumors to be true, and Harry made sure to keep his distance from the prince, never once speaking to him, and doing his best not to even meet his eye. Unfortunately, the ghosts of whispered warnings are powerless when one is up against the very tangible experience of being in Prince Louis’ presence.

13) The Compulsion to Find Love | Teen & Up | 140,138 words

The most prestigious English third-level institution, Candling University, accepts omega students for the first time and Louis Tomlinson applies with bright eyes and brighter ambitions. There he encounters personal obstacles, traditional mindsets and a beautiful boy who inverts every prejudice Louis has ever known.

14) Prisoner | Explicit | 140,445 words

When Louis Tomlinson heard the jury’s verdict, the world crumbled before his glassy blue eyes. Sentenced to five years in prison for a medical malpractice he did not commit, he was transferred to a maximum security prison. His days were numbered, he knew. Harry Styles, his cellmate and the monarch of the prison. Sadist like no other. The fumes coming out of his mouth were pure, bitter, flaming poison. Louis swallowed, certain it would be the last time he would ever do so. His body convulsed and his legs felt tremulous. He could have peed himself from the fear. “When I asked for a cellmate to have fun with, I didn’t imagine they’d bring me a little lamb.” If God had created Adam, the devil had created Harry.

15) No Hello Just Goodbye | Mature | 142,502 words

Louis had 9 months to try and convince himself out of it, but he knew from the very moment he saw the dreaded 2 lines that he couldn’t raise the baby. Not when the conception took place against his own will. Adoption was the only answer. He had no problems handing over his child nor did he endure any sort of regret. Or did he? 4 years after giving birth Louis sets out to search for his baby but what he finds instead is something he totally didn’t expect…… Love.

16) Where I Burn To Be | Explicit | 143,346 words

There were very few people who managed to get under Louis’ skin as effortlessly as Harry had, and even fewer who had done it in only a day and a half. It was quite an accomplishment, really. They’d only interacted a handful of times and yet Louis had the insatiable desire to slam the locker into that frustratingly well-defined face that never seemed to hold any expressions other than contempt and arrogance. “That’s right. I do own the skies. And you wanna know why?” he sneered. Without his boots on, Louis was a fair bit shorter than Harry, his eyes pretty much level with Harry’s chin and his socked toes bumping into the boots of the other man, close enough that Louis could make out the tiny scar on Harry’s brow and the individual shades of emerald in his irises. He was handsome, but that only made Louis hate him more. Heart thumping heavily against his sternum and his hands balled into fists, Louis lifted his chin defiantly and plastered a coldhearted smirk across his lips. “Because I’m the best goddamn pilot here.”

17) Your Eyes Are Tired But Keep Them Open Cause You Wouldn’t Wanna Miss A Thing | Explicit | 144,281 words

Louis is an omega in an abusive relationship everyone forced him into; he’s miserable until he meets his favorite student’s uncle, Harry, a gentle alpha with a big heart.

18) Give Me A Way To Breathe (If You Can) | Explicit | 152,100 words

“By decree of the Five Tribes of England, all omegas aged eighteen (18) to twenty-five (25) shall be bred annually at the age of eighteen warranted that they have had one (1) fertile heat. During these years, all omegas must remain unmated and fertile in time for their scheduled breeding session. Alphas between the age of sixteen (16) and thirty (30) will be selected based on physical strengths and medically exceptional sperm quality to breed the omegas. All viable children will be given to selected families. No parental rights will be given to the alpha whose sperm is donated or the omega who bears them. Those who do not serve their tribe by this law will face exile.” Louis’ eyes scanned the breeding letter. Written in a beautiful, careful cursive was the name of the alpha who would impregnate him, and it couldn’t have been more pretentious: Harry Styles.

19) Life And Love Finds A Way | Explicit | 165,244 words

Post-apocalyptic world after a plague had taken out more than half of the world’s population. In the midst of the pandemonium caused by so many people passing away, the population that was left had turned greedy and started attacking each other for food and resources now that there weren’t enough people to farm or work essential jobs. After being shot by a looter while he was on patrol, Harry had decided to leave the police department and move away to find somewhere remote to live. What he didn’t expect was for an omega to weasel his way into Harry’s heart.

20) Inevitable | Mature | 185,917 words

AU where Louis and Harry used to be more than friends, but everything had to change the day Harry introduces Louis to his new girlfriend.

21) I Thought We Were Forever | Mature | 235,556 words

“I need time alone from you.” Louis’ heart skipped a beat. That he had not seen coming. “From me?” his voice shook. Harry nodded, another tear rolling down his cheek. “I don’t understand, H.” “It’s-” “You want to go on holidays on your own or something?” frowned Louis, so very confused. A long silence settled. “Look, there’s no easy way to say this.” murmured Harry and he looked so in pain. “I like someone else. Like Like like. At least I think I do. I’m not sure. That’s why I need time alone.”

22) Boss Bitch | Explicit | 386,901 words

Harry had always wanted to work for this successful mafia; the mafia that everyone knew, everyone feared. Led by none other than the pahntom “L'eue Courante”, whom everyone knew existed, but had no other clues who this person could be. The only thing known was a high heel the phantom once left. So this person had to be woman, Harry assumend. And man, was he wrong.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[lovenonymously]

the importance of well-written stories

watching Lovely Runner was like watching 4 K-dramas at once lol

well-written stories are so rare, you only understand that when you watch something exceptional. something unique. a once in a lifetime experience of watching it for the very first time.

this show gave me so many feelings. in truth, it was an experience. I'm glad I put aside my fear of sad endings and watched as it aired. for once, I took the leap and discovered that's exactly what this drama wanted me to learn.

usually, after finishing really good K-dramas or stories in general, I hit a slump where I cannot function. everything feels dull and boring. a different kind of grief at realising this was just fictional.

but not this time.

all I feel is light and happy. like I'm floating. I want to carry this feeling and runaway. I want to remember how this felt and hold onto it when I get down or get bad days.

lifetimes lived.

Sol was sunlight. bright and unwavering and unforgettable. 💛

living vicariously through Im Sol, from feeling her pain in the beginning to her sunny hope that Sun Jae gave her. all her struggles as she jumped through various lifetimes, loved and lived and loved again. crying with her, laughing with her, rooting for her despite all odds. it was a journey.

beyond her love for Sun Jae, Sol's choices changed her family's life too. they were less hurt and much happier in the future she helped them create. even giving her grandmother a chance to return to the past and relive her fondest memories.

Sun Jae was midnight rain. the comfort of a sudden shower in the middle of summer. 💙

apart from being a complete loser in love, Sun Jae was in love with Sol for a total accumulated time of 45 years.

yep. my reaction exactly ^

I won't lie, when they pulled the "he fell first" trope in Episode 2, I was wary. one, because if the writers were willing to pull such a twist in just the second episode, then who knew what else was in store for us? my guess was pretty spot on, the twists that followed had me gasping and yelling out loud. this show was unpredictable from beginning to end.

and two, because I was worried that Sun Jae's character might get reduced to just him being in love with Im Sol.

in that case, I'm glad to say,

I was completely wrong.

despite Sun Jae's love for Im Sol, he had a grounded personality of his own. whether it was OG Sun Jae (ep 1), who lived in the guilt of what happened to the girl he loved, or Timeline 3 Sun Jae (ep 15), who never fell in love at all, he was positive, kind, decisive and striving to live.

and i love that about him.

for two characters whose stories are so deeply interwoven together, having shaped aspects of each other's lives, Sol and Sun Jae displayed their unique traits exceptionally well as individuals.

I cannot emphasize how happy this makes me. Sun Jae is his own person, Sol is her own person, and they are destined to be together. beyond their desperation for each other's safety and well-being, Sol and Sun Jae are genuinely good people who deserved to be together. even fate and time bent to their will to make it happen.

"As you wait for the rain to stop, live another day."

when a story makes you feel happy, hold onto that feeling. bottle it up. write it down. come back to it on the days the world feels against you and when the times feel too bleak.

fictional though it is, for what it's worth, at least the story exists. it means there are still people out there writing and bringing such stories to life. it means artists and creators like you and I haven't yet forgotten what it's supposed to be like to live. it means there are still people who connect to such stories and learn good things from it.

and as you wait for more such great stories, live another day. perhaps, if you get bored, write the story you want to read.

in the end, it's quite simple.

as for me, I'll be here. crying, laughing, screaming, giggling and kicking my feet while being up to my eyes in second-hand embarrassment (because goodness, these two idiots are COMPLETE LOSERS IN LOVE) throughout these past 8 weeks was the highlight of my year ✨ I will always remember that I watched a beautiful modern fairytale romance in the summer of '24 that reminded me that I was young and full of love to give.

good stories truly do make a difference 🤍

[planetaryaether]

I swear I have the capacity to be normal about things. with that being said I have many thoughtsTM about today's JF2 episode (#29).

Duncan volunteering to send his black lotus to Rythian as well is something that can be so personal. To over analyze it, although he says it is in case "the first one gets lost" they have no reason to think that items wouldn't get to their destined locations, so the choice reads much more as a gesture of friendship. After the events of Flux Buddies (no spoilers) Duncan has had to learn to face the consequences of his own actions in a way that he simply had not during Blackrock - which at the end of the day was the thing that drove a wedge between him and Rythian.

By not being able to accept that his actions led to genuine harm (intended or not) to those he called his friends signaled to Rythian that he cannot trust others/especially Duncan again. This perceived threat of future betrayal combined with Rythian thinking that Zoey had joined forces with Duncan and the nuke reveal all served to retraumatize Rythian, placing a wedge in their relationship that has not been able to be addressed due to the end of Season 2 and Rythian deciding to give up on any relationship (friend or enemy) with Duncan ('the opposite of love is not hatred, it is indifference' etc etc).

So Rythian choosing to send this task to the JF2 crew, almost certainly knowing that Duncan is among them, shows that Rythian has been able to grow since we have last seen him. He has been able to finally process, at least to a degree, what he has been through and perhaps is able to understand why Duncan acted the way that he did - that he never meant to cause harm but was terrified for his own safety both in the old and tekket worlds.

Duncan being the one, in episode 28, to want to listen to the message (as well as including the purple flag 'for Rythian') shows how much he has also changed. That he also understands, at least to a degree, where Rythian was coming from and why he did what he did AND that he doesn't hold that against him. All of this happening independently from each other until now. Rythian made the first move at reconciliation with entrusting Duncan (and the others of course) with a task that was important to him (but at the same time it is a task with a low level of responsibility so that if Duncan did not want to accept this peace offering of sorts, no harm would come to Rythian/Zoey). And Duncan, by sending his black lotus after barry has already sent one, is a clear acceptance of that gesture. More than that, it is returning a peace offering of his own. (and to REALLY over analyze, sending flowers is a sign of an apology with black/dark lotus flowers in multiple cultures representing rebirth).

Even if we never get anything else Blackrock related (which I am of course not counting on getting anything more), this serves as a wonderful epilogue to their dynamic, especially with some of the main themes of Blackrock being about the cycle of violence and the question of 'can you heal from your traumas before they destroy what you care about most?' (mostly focusing on platonic/romantic relationships) with the answer being that 'your actions will change the relationship from what it otherwise would have been, but if and only if both parties want to heal the relationship and put in the necessary time and effort to do so, then the relationship can survive'. And here we are getting a sign that both of them are willing to do something to salvage their friendship. It will never be what it was in the Old World, but the friendship is not gone, it just has a new starting point.

[woozisguitar]

hiii! happy 200 followers!!!💓 i just wanted to drop by and say your latest prompts have been so good and spot on, super loved them!!

could i maybe request something inspired by taylor swift sunbaenim’s peace for idol!hoshi x non-idol!fem reader? if it doesn’t work them something a lil angsty with that pairing would be just fine as well! 🥹 thank you!!

thank you!!!! sorry this took a while 😭 also omg I love how perfectly peace suits hoshi I was so excited to write this! hope you like it <33

requests for 200 celebration post: open

our coming-of-age has come and gone suddenly the summer, it's clear i never had the courage of my convictions as long as danger is near

soonyoung knew what he was doing when he asked you out. well, at least he liked to believe he did. not one to care about the public backlash, he was one of the few who liked to live openly and talk about the people he loved. he knew there were a lot of negatives in this job; he also knew he wouldn’t trade it for anything. that was until he met you. you, who swept him off his feet like a hurricane and left him stranded in the middle of nowhere. someone he found himself looking for in every person he encountered. someone he was willing to fight against the world for. someone he never thought in a million years would say yes when he asked you out.

and it's just around the corner, darling 'cause it lives in me no, i could never give you peace

soonyoung knew no matter what he did to shield you, his life would catch up quickly. he knew all the possible dangers the dates held. he knew all the possible dangers you could have to face because of him: the stalking, the hating, all of it. he knew dating him came with this life, and for an outsider, it would never be easy. the long tours, the sneaking out— all of it. he knew from the start he could never give you peace.

but i'm a fire, and i'll keep your brittle heart warm if your cascade ocean wave blues come

still, a small, selfish part of him wanted you all for himself. he let himself indulge in the love you provided and hoped that his love for you was fierce enough to weather your stormiest days.

all these people think love's for show but i would die for you in secret the devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me would it be enough if i could never give you peace?

when the news of this affair broke, the first response was to believe that this was fake. a pr stunt. people questioned your love, the past, the present, the potential future. everyone felt the need to give their opinions, to advise him, to tell him what to do and what not to do. but no one ever asked him what he thought, nor what he felt for you. because if they did, he would have only one answer. “i would die for you in secret,” he told you on nights when your insecurities got the best of you and your anxiety made you fraught. he knew the details, the facts, the whole reality and retaliation it would come with, scared you to death. you were worried this was going to cost him his career, his future. and soonyoung was scared too, but what terrified him more was the idea of leaving you. of leaving this: the romance, the kisses, the touches, the peace. would it be enough if i could never give you peace? he asked himself every time he saw you smile in the safety of your home.

your integrity makes me seem small you paint dreamscapes on the wall i talk shit with my friends it's like i'm wasting your honor

a week after the news broke, you got to work. you asked soonyoung to let you talk to the management about posting a few videos. most of these were videos of soonyoung talking about how he loved his fans more than anything and asked them if they would release a statement. one where you’d be more than happy to answer any questions. he knew it wouldn’t fare well—these people had certain expectations from their idols, idols who prioritize them over their personal life. but still, your hope, your absolute sheer positivity when you said, "maybe we can change their mind," made him love you more. on a certain binge-drinking night with his members shit-talking about the industry norms, he thought of you and how he would never be half as brave as he is now if it wasn’t for you.

and you know that i'd swing with you for the fences sit with you in the trenches give you my wild, give you a child

soonyoung vowed that he would do everything possible to protect you if this went south. hell, he was even prepared to leave his career and move countries if it meant keeping you safe. he was going to have your back for the rest of your life the second you decided you were never leaving him. he dreamt of you one night: you, him, and a faint silhouette of a child running around a white picket fence house. and he wasn’t willing to give up on that dream just yet.

give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other family that i chose, now that i see your brother as my brother is it enough? but there's robbers to the east, clowns to the west i'd give you my sunshine, give you my best but the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me

the day the videos were released, soonyoung asked your family and his to come over. he figured if things went south, it would be better to be surrounded by people who loved them rather than facing it alone. and soonyoung will forever thank the gods who decided to shine the suns of you because the people were more than moved by the videos. he knew they wouldn’t accept this right off the bat, but it was a start. soonyoung was more than happy with a start. he knew this wasn’t the first and would definitely not be the last storm you’d have to weather together. he knew that the rain would always drench you as long as you were with him.

would it be enough if i could never give you peace? would it be enough if i could never give you peace?

soonyoung knew he could never give you peace. and for the first time, he debated that it’s okay if he couldn’t. maybe the peace he so desperately chased for the two of you would always be the moment in between your chaotic life where you’d look at each other and feel nothing but bliss.

and for now, that would be enough.

[mogitz]

Don't think about Lucien Vanserra witnessing the unspeakable: his world crumbling as the love of his life is ripped away from him and murdered right before his eyes. Don't picture his brothers holding him back, making him watch it all - every excruciating detail - as he's powerless to stop it.

Forget the image of him, broken and bleeding, dragging himself to the sanctuary of the Spring Court boundary, barely making it over the line before his knees give out beneath him. Don’t think about the emptiness that surely follows, nor the weight of his grief so heavy it's a wonder he could even stand to make it to safety in the first place. Don’t think about all the times on his journey he just wanted to give up altogether, but pushed on so that Jesminda’s death was not in vain.

Don't think about him having to turn against two of his own brothers, killing them in a twisted act of vengeance that feels nothing like the justice he sought. Resist the thought of him taking weeks, months, (years??) to mourn in solitude because Tamlin, though knowing loss to this magnitude as well, could not possibly navigate the depths of Lucien's grief. Thus, Lucien was left to weather his storm of sorrow and loss the same way Tamlin had weathered his own - alone - hiding away from a world that had taken everything from him

Don’t picture him upon the dawn-kissed roof of the Spring manor, where the dance of pinks and oranges and blues in the sky only seems to deepen his yearning for an Autumn forever lost to him. And don’t think about how in the Spring Court he has found some kind of solace... but never peace. How despite finding a home there, his soul remains restless, wandering, always running from the shadows of his past. Running from his future. Running from himself.

And please don’t think about how Lucien's gratefulness to Tamlin for giving him something close to a family results in a loyalty so profound that he'd walk into hell for him. Which he does - right into Amarantha’s clutches - only to come back less than whole, another piece of him stolen away.

That beauty he was known for? Gone.

Just like everything else.

Don’t imagine Lucien slowly piecing himself back together - inch by painstaking inch. Forget about the way he masters the art of sarcasm and humor, how he wields his wit like a shield to keep others at bay, to convince them, and maybe himself, that he's not hurting as much as he is. That beneath the quips and the easy smiles lies a well of pain and self-doubt so deep it's become part of who he is. That this levity he brings into every room is, in truth, the heaviest thing he carries.

And hey. Don't think about Lucien giving up any hope of being wanted, of being loved again. That his chance at having a mate, a true partner, was as dead as his former lover.

Or how, in a twist that must have amused fate itself, the Cauldron surprises him with a mate in Elain Archeron: his undeniable yet unwilling counterpart. How from nowhere, a bond snaps into place, redefining his destiny and sealing a connection that he'd long since given up on.

And don't think about how when Lucien's eyes meet Elain’s, somewhere beneath all the layers of loss and hurt and betrayal….  a spark of hope dares to ignite once more.

And then absolutely don't let your thoughts wander to his heart being trampled on, again, when he realizes that Elain - like everyone else - doesn’t want him. But at this point he’s not even surprised. It’s just another sharp sting in a lifetime's collection of disappointments and cruel irony. Don't dwell on how he's gotten so used to the taste of rejection and the feeling of being unworthy that he doesn't even think about trying to change her mind about him. Because, what's the point, right? Why bother when history has shown him, time and time again, that even just hoping seems to lead him to more pain?

Don’t think about how despite this, he still seeks her out just enough to show he’s willing to give it a shot if she is. How against his every instinct to protect himself, he keeps himself open to the slightest possibility of her, knowing it just leaves the door open to be hurt. And don't think about how every time Elain shies away from him, every time she looks through him or chooses to keep her distance, it just reinforces  his walls, makes him retreat a little more behind his carefully constructed façade. Because facing that rejection head-on, acknowledging it, would mean admitting to himself that he's still holding onto a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, she could see past the surface. That she could want him, not despite of all he's been through, but because of it. That she could be the one to see him, really see him, and not turn away.

So, yeah, don’t go there. It's easier to laugh it off, to pretend it doesn't matter, than to face the possibility of another door closing in his face. Easier to keep up the act, to be the Lucien everyone expects - charming, sarcastic, unbothered - than to risk showing just how much Elain's avoidance cuts him to the core.

But don’t think about it. 

Because acknowledging that Lucien's humor and charm are just his way of coping? That means seeing the depth of his loneliness, the real Lucien who's been hiding in plain sight, waiting for someone to care enough to look closer. And understanding that? It's realizing that beneath the façade, Lucien's just waiting for someone to prove him wrong, to show him he's worth the risk, worth the love he's convinced himself he doesn't deserve.

And Elain, with her quiet strength and her own hidden depths, might just be the one to see the real Lucien. To challenge the walls he's built around himself, if only he could believe, one more time, that he's worthy of being chosen, of being loved.

But perhaps Mor is right - they aren’t ready. And Lucien’s not sure he’s ready to gamble his heart on hope again. Not yet, anyway.

So, really, don’t think about it—unless you’re ready to root for them, to believe in the kind of love that could be their light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Because Lucien and Elain? They could be something epic, a testament to the power of second chances and the strength of a love that comes when you least expect it but most need it. That their path isn’t just about two people finding love in an unfair world that has taken the things they both hold dear; it’s a journey of coming back to life after being lost in the dark for far too long.

So yeah, just don’t. It’s a lot.

[oshiawaseni]

The biggest obstacle when it comes to saving Shigaraki’s heart is Decay: If he so much as grabs someone’s hand… they’ll die. Which is a huge deal in a series that places so much emphasis on the act of a Hero holding a lost child's hand to reassure them that everything will be okay.

Shigaraki struggles with connecting to people because he���s never been able to perform even the most rudimentary of expressions for actually *connecting with other people* (such as a handshake)… it's a concept which has been shown to us time and time again in MHA. And if you are a subscriber of "AFO having given decay to Tenko" theory... this is probably the main reason as for why he gave him such a treacherous quirk that would never allow him to connect to another person.

No one has even hugged him since his mother died trying to… and she was his only family who cast aside her safety to give the love, comfort and reassurance that 5 year old Tenko needed back then.

So I think what's to come for Shigaraki is going to be about connecting with him in the way that’s been (impossible).

My theory is that Izuku could have a moment of reaching out to Shigaraki, just as Sailor Moon reached out with a hand for Sailor Galaxia to take… and in doing so, show Tomura his pure intentions to save him. I think this could be a main feature of the Izuku Midoriya Rising chapter!

This parallel works *really* well if Shigaraki is possessed by AFO at the time. The MC’s words and selflessness helping their enemy tap into the love which lives deep inside them. In Sailor Moon this dispersed the chaos in Galaxia… and in MHA it may tame AFO’s kosei/personality.

The full theory with videos can be read here!

When 407 came out, a LOT of us thought Izuku’s hand stood NO chance… even I was concerned! But I think this was actually foreshadowing a future chapter where Izuku reaches out to Shigaraki, knowing he’s risking everything to try reach into his humanity.

There’s also Yoichi’s words: “So why did you reach out to me that day, knowing full well of my ties to your enemy?” …Hori’s been cooking this theme of reaching a hand out to save those in need, no matter who they are. That everyone is a person with a human heart inside them.

So I think Shigaraki will reach out to grab onto Izuku’s outstretched hand, in a Sailor Moon-inspired moment of Tomura finally embracing the love in his heart… and this will free him of all his life’s built up pain.

One thing MHA teaches well is that pure love and compassion towards others, and the self-sacrifices made to help one’s community are the key to controlling one’s quirk. It’s the best expression of individuality in MHA. Kacchan had full mastery over his quirk by embracing love.

I think it’s enough for Shigaraki that Izuku is even *willing* to be decayed to reach into his humanity and show the compassion his mother once gave him when everything was falling apart around him. Izuku may even remind Shigaraki of Inko’s motherly warmth from the memories.

So Shigaraki will be able to control his quirk because his heart is cleansed, leaving only pure love inside. And so he won’t let Decay hurt Izuku when he grabs Izuku’s hand. Shigaraki’s soul could be truly saved by physically connecting to Izuku’s immense heart and kindness for others. No matter when or how it’s done, a handhold scene like this would be so beautiful!

MHA’s society may be incredibly broken and wrong… but the one right thing in the world is the connection between everyone’s hearts, all striving for a better future together. Their belief in hope and each other.

At the very end of her fight, Sailor Moon says that chaos "had gone into the hearts of everyone.” Because if everyone shares a little of the burden, it won’t all fall on one person’s shoulders. But, “It’s alright! The light of hope exists in their hearts also.” ✨❤️✨

[istanchan]

I’m back again with my Charlie/Pooh agenda. Because I know he had less than 10 mins of screen time but I felt his presence permeate the entire episode.

I keep thinking back to what he said to Babe at the end of episode 9, “The only reason I’m here is because of you”

It’s clear to see how Charlie brought purpose into Babe’s life, but no one really talks about how Babe did the same for Charlie. Although they both grew up in Tony’s household, Babe grew up in the spotlight, prized for his powers. Tony may not have cared for him, but he cared for his powers and for that he was never ignored.

Charlie grew up the complete opposite. He was always in the background, a fly on the wall. I didn’t read the novel and the show doesn’t shed much light on Charlie’s upbringing prior to entering Tony’s house. However, what if it’s just that Charlie didn’t have anything. He was most likely orphaned and trafficked before he was too young to form memories of his past life. He most likely didn’t have any siblings. And growing up not presenting any powers made him invisible.

He has never had anyone care for him, not even Tony. Even after discovering his powers, Tony lets him go. And he feels his life has no purpose, that is until Babe. When he hears of Babe, his natural instincts to care and help spark. This is what he was meant to do. To Charlie providing is what gives him purpose, even if that means at the cost of his own life.

That first day Charlie encountered Babe, he had no idea what to expect or what exactly he would have to do to warn Babe. That’s why he’s so shocked by Babe wanting to fuck him. He agrees for Babe’s sake. Even their first sexual encounter is Charlie caring for Babe’s safety and future. What Charlie didn’t expect was to fall in love with Babe in the process. Neither of them did.

But to Charlie, loving Babe comes as easy as breathing. He welcomes Babe into his life, and it gives his life a meaning. He wants to hold Babe and feed him and kiss him and maybe a small part of him longs for a future. But Charlie doesn’t think of himself. He thinks of Babe.

When he takes Babe’s powers away he’s completely willing to give it back it it means Babe will be happy and content.

Charlie is the literal definition of I will die for you because I love. His emotions in the beginning of episode of 10, broke me.

Even when he is willingly getting into a car that will lead to his “death” all Charlie is thinking about is Babe. He has so much he wants to say, but he can’t. He wants to protect Babe from any harm and he feel this is the only way he can.

In Charlie’s life he has two people. Babe and Jeff. He is willing to go to the ends of the world for them, that’s just the way he is.

Pooh plays his character so beautifully. I’ve talked about this so many times but his eyes are so expressive. His last look at Babe before crashing was full with anguish and a hint of guilt. He has to hurt the person he loves to save him. That is such an incredible sacrifice to make.

I feel like I have so much more to say but I’m at work rn so maybe later

[toyota12]

Gravity Falls Parallels: Stanley and Stanford Pines

To start off, aside from the similar names, both these characters endured great hardships in the 30 years before the events of the show took place.

Similarities

Both of these characters more or less project their insecurities onto the younger Pines twins, are both insensitive to each others' each interests, and have a lot of pride about themselves as individuals. However, both also care deeply about the younger twins' safety, and are willing to show their more softer sides around them. Furthermore, while both primarily connect more with the younger twin who (on the surface level) identifies with them the most, they also deeply care about the other as well. In A Tale of Two Stans, both also omit important information in their stories, such as Stan, with being homeless and Ford, with his history with Bill. Both are also easily deceived by anyone who pretends to show them the slightest amount of affection or kinship (like Stan with Darlene and Ford with Bill), and finally both were social outcasts when they were younger.

Differences

Stanley

Stan is more emotional than Ford is and is thought to be both and idiot and screw-up by most, including his father. Though he puts on a facade of being emotionally distant, others can see through it very easily. He was also somewhat clingy with his twin brother, believing he couldn't make it without him and still holding onto the idea that they could eventually travel the world together, even after Ford showed interest in a school that valued his intellect. Due to these factors, and showing more concern with his plans for the future rather than thinking about Ford after he unintentionally costs Ford his dream college, Stan is disowned by the whole family for over 10 years, and is left unable to provide for himself, becoming a criminal in the process. However, this (and his history of lying and cheating) led to Stan becoming an excellent scam artist who had to create fake aliases for himself to sell his material to anyone gullible to buy from him. This also helped him not only sell his merchandise under Ford's name when the latter was accidentally pushed into the portal, but also hide Ford's portal and ward off suspicion it and the real Stanford's whereabouts for 30 years, which demonstrates a level of cunning on Stan's part. After seeing how his feud with Ford has endangered the younger Pines twins, he convinces Ford find an alternative way to defeat Bill without giving into the latter's demands, even if to save the kids. Both because he doesn’t trust Bill to keep his word to leave Dipper and Mabel alone and how he knows that giving into Bill's demands could put the whole world at risk, which helps him see things from Ford's perspective as well.

Stanford

Ford is more intellectually gifted than Stan, and was considered the favorite of the Stan twins by his father. In spite of being not being one to act on his emotions, Ford is more open about his than Stan is. Due to this he takes, pride in his accomplishments and immediately jumps on the offer to go to a highly prestigious college, not showing much concern in Stan beginning to feel left behind. He had also come to view his relationship with Stan as suffocating by this point. Because of this, when Stan unintentionally sabotages his science fair experiment (and admitedly shows little concern over this), he accuses Stan of doing so intentionally and doesn't protest to Stan being disowned by the whole family. Both because he was born with an extra finger and his high IQ, Ford began to think of himself as someone with a greater purpose, which in turn led him becoming incredibly arrogant. This is exploited by Bill, who tricks Ford into building a gateway for the former to enter through. Ford is later sucked into said portal after treating Stan like his errand boy who Ford expected to hide his first journal without protest, or considering Stan's feelings. This demonstrates how, much like Bill (although unintentionally) Ford viewed others as tools to further his own agenda. While still problematic in present day, he is becoming more considerate of others' feelings, allowing Stan to stay to tend to Dipper and Mabel, and expressing concern at the revelation that Mabel didn't take his apprenticeship offer to Dipper well. He fully grows willing to take his family into consideration after seeing how his feud with Stan has endangered the younger twins, working with Stan to save them and finally accepting how damaging his idea of being a lone hero is, realizing that Stan has to be the one to sacrifice his memories to put an end to Bill, and not him.

[behindthesoul]

Then I was wondering if I could get Hcs of General Shao with a pregnant S/o

General Shao with a Pregnant S/O

Masterlist

You didn’t know how Shao would react to the news, so you kept it to yourself longer than you probably should’ve. The general spends a majority of his time training with Outworld’s military. That seems to be his biggest priority. A child is just an unnecessary distraction, right?

Well, you were wrong.

Very wrong.

Shao is ecstatic! Him, a father, and training a future general. He puffs his chest out knowing he’s carrying on the family legacy.

Your child will know all there is to know about war, they’ll be the strongest soldier in all the realms - ready to defend Outworld should Liu Kang decide to invade. They’ll speak war more fluently than their own language.

Well, until you intervene and tell Shao that you don’t want your child to become a war machine. You’re fine with training - it’s a necessity in this world - but you refuse to allow them to grow up like that.

There’s a little back and forth before Shao relents, grumbling in frustration. At first, he feels as though you want to hold your child back and not let them reach their full potential, but he then (somewhat) understands not wanting your kid to be war personified. You agree to find a good balance.

Shao’s very invested with naming your baby. He has many ideas, and wants to hear yours, too! He wants the child to have a powerful name that shows the world their strength. If you want to name the baby after a family member or someone close to you, he will gladly agree, considering it the best way to honor someone.

The news isn’t immediately shared with everyone. Shao is afraid that announcing his partner is carrying his child would make him a target. He is determined to protect you, willing to go to great lengths to ensure your safety.

He’d tell Reiko first, and maybe Empress Sindel afterwards.

Throughout your pregnancy, he may come across as a bit rough around the edges, but he’s committed to supporting you. He attends to your needs, ensuring your well-being. Even when he’s not by your side, he entrusts Reiko or another trusted soldier to look after you. This care begins early in your pregnancy, even when you hardly require assistance. Just play along; it eases his mind to have someone looking out for you.

At night, he wonders what your child would be like. Will they have his eyes? Your nose? Will their personality be a mix of both of yours, or will they march to the beat of their own drum? Is it possible they’ll be a sickly child like he once was?

As the months pass and your belly grows, the reality sinks in. Shao never vocalizes it, but deep inside, he fears he’ll be an inept father. Love, aside from you, is a concept he scarcely comprehends. How can he be expected to offer it unconditionally to a child?

Just as he approaches everything else in life, he’ll give his best effort to help raise your child, hoping that it will be sufficient. You know him better than anyone; he will be the best father anyone has ever seen. Everything will be okay.

And you’re right. Shao’s negative thoughts are soothed the day your child enters the world, so small and beautiful in his large arms. Welcome to the world!

[smut-anarchy]

Own Me - Chapter One

Tags: Gryffandor!Reader, Cursing, Blackmail, Dom!Mattheo, Anxiety

Rewritten as of: 12/26/2024

Word Count: 2,077 Words

Chapter One: Every Pet Needs A Collar

It was no small feat dragging yourself out of bed this morning. After bawling your eyes out sleep overcame you, and when you woke up at 5:55AM you could feel the same dread crawling back up your throat. It didn’t help that you weren’t a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, dawn providing far too much light for your tired eyes, but you’d always felt more comfortable in the unwavering vastness of the dark, it provided a sense of security and safety in its shadows. 

You were lucky enough to be one of the eighth years that was granted your own room, though it was less about luck and more to do with you didn’t have many close friends in your house that would’ve picked to room with you; Your closest friend being the peculiar Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood. Nonetheless, you could appreciate your room and the privacy it allowed this early in the dawn as you slumped to the attached bathroom. 

The mirror reflected your outward appearance corresponded your inner turmoil. Your hair was disheveled, knots already committed in the strands of your hair, and your face taut and dry from the tears you’d shed, eyes red rimmed and puffy. You soul ached for a warm bath, but having no such time or mood for such a luxury you’d settled for a shower, trying to scrub the worry from your skin.

The term had only started a few weeks ago so the Autumn air was crisp and cool, promising a biting cold as the months dragged on. Upon exiting the shower you’d slipped on your usual uniform of your red skirt, white button down shirt and red tie, and oversized burgundy knit cardigan. The sweater felt like a safety net, preferring to hide in the substantial heft that the sweater provided, its soft fibers swallowing your body. Expecting further cold as the day grew on you’d slipped on some black stockings and fastened your Mary Jane shoes to your feet, the small blocked heel tapping lightly on the wood. 

Fuck, it was 6:40AM, only giving you twenty minutes to get from the third floor all the way to the dungeons, you silently prayed that the staircases would cooperate with you. You hurried out of your room, luckily it was early enough that no one was in the common room to notice your haste, breakfast started in an hour and twenty minutes, giving you plenty of time to glide out unnoticed. 

Every minute seemed to pound your heart with panic, not willing to find out what would happen to you if you were late. Mattheo was known to be mean and at times, cruel, even to innocent on lookers, you’d hoped you could keep your tongue in check and avoid provoking his foul nature. 

Utterly out of breath, you’d checked your watch, making it to the front of the Slytherin Common room with one minute to spare. You made a mental note to give yourself more time, this was cutting it far too close to be comfortable. 

“Cutting it close to the wire, lion?” Somehow in less than a few hours that smug voice was able to reach into the depth of your soul and make every inch of your skin ice. A mix of adrenaline and terror warred with each other in her body, one urging her to flee and never look back and the other begging to stand her ground and make such an enemy eat his words. 

As best you could you steeled yourself, trying to maintain an aura of indifference to the cocky Slytherin, lest he know how much of an effect he had on you and your future. “I sleep at the top of the castle, instead of living down in the dungeons with the rest of the rats.”

It was all too quick for the young snake to show his fangs, his face falling into a seething scowl. He grabbed your arm, pushing your body against the wall and towering over you. “Watch your fucking mouth, brat. I am all that stands between your life at Hogwarts and a pitiful existence in the muggle world.” 

Your head ached as it hit the stone wall, but that hardly mattered as your fingers curled into fists, your entire being alight with the desire to smack a curse right into his enraged face. You glared up at him, his face closer than you’d ever seen before.

“I am here, on time, like you asked Mattheo.” You spat out sarcastically, “What else do you need of me, oh great and powerful Slytherin Lord?” You could tell you were pushing it, his face only extending more fury at your sarcasm, his breathing escalated, and faint puffs of peppermint coming from his mouth. 

“For starters you’re going to drop the fucking attitude,” he growled. The angry, deep timbre of his voice curling right around your chest. “And since you think its so fucking cute, you will call me Lord. Or master. Or sir. Fuck, pick any one you like kitten, because you’ll be saying it for a while.”

You turned your head away from his penetrating gaze, trying to swallow the humiliation and shame rising in your body at having to call him any such title. His hand came up and gripped your chin in a tight hold, making you look back into his smoldering, coal-colored eyes. 

“Say it. Now.”

“Yes, sir.” You’d tried to pick the least mortifying option of title and still you could feel nausea bubbling in the pit of your stomach. Your inner Gryffindor was roaring in protest, demanding you to save your pride, but he was right, the looming threat of expulsion provided enough motivation to throw your dignity at his feet. He seemed to be satisfied with your concession, albeit he never moved away from his looming position over you. 

“Good girl.” He preened at you, a sneering smile adorning his face, “Now, I’ll tell you how this is going to work: You’re not going to tell any of your little friends about this, you’ll follow me to each and every class, you’ll sit down with me and do both of our work and you’ll have a fucking smile on your face while you do it.” Your mouth is filled with the coppery taste of blood with how hard you were biting the inside of your cheek, trying your best to hold back the venom and bile from spewing out.

“If I call you, you’ll come within five minutes. And if you break any of these rules I’ll make sure you suffer for it, or I can easily go to Snape and Dumbledore and tell them what you did.”

“How will I know when you need me… sir?” You croaked out. Hogwarts’ cell service was spotty, especially more so in the dungeons, not that you’d expected a pureblood to use ‘an inferior muggle device’, your own phone only used sparingly whenever your parents remembered to call. 

“I don’t need you, Kitten. Masters don’t need their pets.” He taunted. His hand slipped off of your face and into his pocket. When he pulled it out, dangling from his long, admittedly beautiful fingers was a black choker with an attached silver wrapped tear shaped green gem. “Every pet has to have a collar.”

No. 

No fucking way. 

Hiding quite literally the worst development of your life from Luna was bad. Trailing after him and doing his work for him every fucking day would be worse. Having to be at his beck and call whenever he wished was horrifying. Being forced to degrade yourself and call him a title he certainly had not earned was disgusting. But this? Having to wear a permanent reminder of your imprisonment and unwilling attachment to Mattheo around your neck was deranged. 

“No. I’m not fucking wearing that.” You shook your head, grimacing. 

A wicked grin spilt his face, his eyes portraying he was quite thrilled with your unwavering stubbornness. His ego and gleeful attitude made you understand: this was a fucking game to him. The choker was just a fucked up way to flaunt his ownership over you.

“Oh yes you are.” He insisted, jingling the choker in your face, the offending piece of jewelry taunting you with its meaning. “It’s enchanted, it will tell you when I’m calling you.” 

You shook your head, eyes pleading with him for some kindness, “Mattheo please, I-I don’t want to wear that. Anything else, any other way to call me, but please don’t make me wear that.” Your hushed begging seemed to do nothing, his eyes only darkened further at you. 

“Careful what you beg for, Kitten, remember how you got here in the first place.” Still pressed between the wall and Mattheo you had nowhere to escape to as his warm fingers fastened the choker to your neck. Though the black velvet was soft against your cool skin it felt all too constricting, a glamorous shackle bonding you to your fate with Mattheo Riddle. 

You hadn’t realized you were holding your breath until his hands left their spot on your neck and he stepped back to admire how his leash looked on you. “Green is a good color for you, Kitten. It almost makes me take pity on you.”

The stone seemed to be weighing down your body as a panic attack was settling into your bones, your situation now felt much too real with an emerald reminder secured around your throat. You pushed your back further into the wall, refusing to expose your vulnerability to Mattheo. 

“H-how does it work?” You stuttered, attempting to bury the anxious meltdown brewing inside of you. 

“It will heat up when I’m requesting you while simultaneously sending a message to your brain to let you know where I am. It happens if I hold the gem on my ring,” He held up his hand, and there among other black and silver rings was one silver ring with square cut emerald.

Oh Merlin no, it matches. 

“You can thank Theo for this one, he’s a genius with customizing spells.” 

Theo I am going to choke you with my bear hands as soon as I get the chance. 

“And when I take it off? What happens then?” Surely Mattheo wouldn’t make you wear it to bed and when bathing, right?

“Only I can take it off, Kitten.” He smirked down at you. “The longer you take to come the hotter it heats up, so let’s not burn that pretty neck testing my patience, yeah?” Mattheo chaining you with an item that will hurt you on behalf of his impatience only furthered your scorn for his sadistic cruelty. 

A thought sparked to life within you. If Theo customized the spell then maybe you could convince him to adjust it, if at least so you could take it off during the night and when bathing. Getting to the reserved Italian bad boy would be tough but not impossible, maybe you’d be able to convince him to grant you this small kindness. You made a mental note to find out what Theo’s interests were in the hopes of bribing some compassion out of him. 

You nodded hesitantly, your face set in a worried frown, your teeth chewing your lip.

“Anymore questions, little lion? Has it set in yet that I own you now?”

You didn’t answer, once again nodding, trying to not let your anxiety fester up again and overshadow the small hope that Theo would help you. 

“Good. Do whatever you want for your meals unless I call you, I’ll see you in Transfiguration after breakfast.” Mattheo turned away from her and started walking down the hallway, but slowed to a stop after a few steps and catching her with a calculated glare, “Oh and one more thing Kitten, don’t try anything. You won’t like what will happen if you try to escape from me.”

Mattheo left you in that hallway, your body tingling with alarm. You let out a sigh you’d been holding, the interaction and turn of emotions leaving you exhausted and mentally fried. As you touched the stone on your neck your appetite was lost, the desire for anything other than sleep shriveled up inside of you. You walked towards the Transfiguration classroom, planning on napping in a seat until class started, it was going to be a long week of figuring out your rhythm in this circumstance with the cold hearted Slytherin.

[belit0]

Heyyy could you do a scenarios were the uchihas love a person But she is getting married to someone else and how would they react and would they treat her or the person she is marrying differently?

Hellooooooooo, sure!

Indra

- If he wants it, he's got it, he doesn't care what others think or what should happen. (Y/N) was in love with him before that stupid agreement was made, she's his, and when he finds out that some idiot wants to steal her, he'll take her away to where no one will find them, saving her from an unpleasant fate.

Madara

- His heart demands one thing and his head another. He knows he shouldn't intervene, that it's not politically correct for the leader of the Uchiha clan to get involved in arranged marriages, but the fire in his blood asks him to ruin it, to save his beloved. Eventually, he decides to clear his mind, and dissociates himself from both individuals, deciding that it would be better to never see her again.

Izuna

- He knows he shouldn't intervene, but the Uchiha blood and his fiery impulses are stronger than his rationality. When he learns of the engagement, he steals her away in the middle of the night, and takes her to the safety of the clan. He will fight against whoever he must to prevent them from taking her away.

Obito

- Against the sword and the wall. His world falls apart when he finds out, and he doesn't know what he should do. He consults with her, and follows (Y/N)'s wishes. If the woman asks him to fight for her, he will. If she tells him to stay quiet and attend her wedding, he will too. Obito fails to feign nonchalance, and prefers to avoid the man who will steal her away from him.

Shisui

- The perfect lover, he plays it cool and acts happy for the future couple. Shisui has no problem pretending to be fake about what he really feels, making everyone believe he is excited about them and their marriage. Meanwhile, and after the ceremony, he sees her every night and is the one who fucks her every day, ignoring her husband. He doesn't care about titles.

Itachi

- Devastated, and willing to give up everything for her. (Y/N) is his world, the person he planned to spend the rest of his life with, and this is not her fault. If he has to kill her fiancé's entire clan, he will have no problem doing so, freeing her from that terrible responsibility.

[goddessofroyalty]

Keep Coming Back To You

Fandom: Marvel (Xmen)

Pairing: Magneto/Professor X

Tags: omegaverse, mating bites/bonds, sexually explicient content

Summary:

Despite spending most of their time on opposing sides everyone knows Magneto and Professor X still somehow maintain their mate-bond.

This is how.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59648722https://archiveofourown.org/works/59648722

Authors Notes:

I had this idea that I shared on my tumblr about how Charles and Magneto spend most of their lives mated to each other despite mate-bonds fading if not maintained because every time they team up together no matter how short they rekindle their bond.

This idea should be done as a like 5 times fic from the POV of Xmen/Brotherhood. I however do not know enough about the Xmen characters to write that fic seeing I only watched the movies. If someone does know more about it and would like to write that fic you have my full support.

Instead I wrote two of the moments they rebounded from their POVs to show how it tends to go down.

Again my characterization is based on the movies. Because that’s the Xmen content I’ve consumed.

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

Magneto may only be intending to stay there until the attention on him dies down, but he still finds himself falling into his old habits while staying at the Xavier mansion.

Each morning he finds himself taking a run along the perimeter of the grounds, looking for any gaps or weakness in the defense as much as he is maintaining his fitness. He could try and tell himself he is cataloguing them for his own future uses but he’s already done what was needed to close the two of them he could and would accidently leave the notes he has made on the others behind when he leaves. If he truly needs access to the school and Charles not naively willing to just give it there are more direct routes he would take.

The days themselves are spent watching the various trainings and lessons that make up the curriculum of the school the place has become. He does abide by his agreement with Charles not to try and instruct any of the students or corrupt them to his cause. But the odd comment or suggestion said in passing could hardly be classed as instruction. And Charles has yet to claim he has overstepped any line.

At night, after dinner is had and the children retired to their rooms to sleep or study or play, he sits across from Charles in the study, chessboard between them.

There’s a part of him that doesn’t understand how Charles can live like this. Pretending that the facade of safety and normality the school represents is the whole reality of the situation. That it isn’t just a matter of time before the anger and violence that exists outside its walls finds its way in and that all their time hiding has just given their enemies time to better ready their arsenals.

There’s a part of him that understands it entirely. That cannot deny the reassuring reliability of the schedule built around safety. The prideful satisfaction of watching young mutants grow every day feeling supported and safe.

He knows how easily it could be snatched away. Will be snatched away one day if they do not go on the attack first. But the soft smile Charles gives him from across the chessboard makes him all the more determined to protect the refuge the omega carved out for their kind in the cruel world they live in.

“I was wondering,” Charles says as they finish up their game for the night, their glasses of scotch now nothing more than melted ice, “must you return to the guest room tonight?”

“I didn’t realize I had done anything to warrant me having to sleep in the barn,” Magneto says, because he knows it will make Charles blush and bite his lip.

When they were younger and less sure of themselves Charles would often bluster at any perceived refusals to his poorly-hidden advances, while now he only gains a soft flush to his cheeks. Not that Magneto is complaining that much – it is still an appealing look on the omega he had once had the privilege to truly call his.

“No, I would never do that to you,” Charles says as if it is not his favorite threat when the wounds between them are too fresh and the sanctuary given because of Charles’ personal creed and not any fondness for the alpha that had once been his closest ally with whom he had almost built a life with.

Charles laughs awkwardly as Magneto waits for him to find the words of the question they both knew was coming with Magneto staying under this roof. In doing so he bares his neck, revealing his scent gland and the pale scares of all the bites they had shared over the years already. Charles may not smell mated currently but surely those would be enough to deter any alpha from trying their luck.

“I was more thinking that, well, we are hardly strangers to each other and my bed is rather large,” Charles says as if his request is merely about the practicalities of it and not the inevitabilities between them. “Save the cleaners some work and all.”

“They would already have to clean the sheets seeing as I already slept on them.”

“Ah, quite right.” Charles doesn’t look the slightest bit ashamed about his ruse being seen through because really it is tokenistic at this point. “Still though.”

He lets the words hang and the silence surround them. Sitting there content to wait for an answer.

“I suppose it would be the most strategically sound place should anyone try and attack in the night,” Magneto says more to get a rise out of Charles than being serious. He isn’t entirely lying though – he will sleep better knowing that should any humans try and attack he will be there to protect what is most important to him.

 The fact Charles doesn’t rise to the bait despite the twitch of his lips that tells Magneto he has something he wants to say to it betrays how badly he wants the night to end in the way he has planned.

Magneto would be lying if he said he didn’t want it as well now that the offer and possibility are on the table.

“Shall we retire for the night then?” Charles says. His smile the one he gets after he’s placed a suggesting into someone’s mind – proud and satisfied with the cheeky edge of having done something he feels he shouldn’t.

There’s no telepathy involved here. And the suggestion not something Magneto would not otherwise want to do. They may not agree on the best way to ensure the safety of their people but the affection once shared between them a flame that has yet to fully extinguish no matter how far they find themselves from each other.

“If you are ready to.”

Magneto let’s Charles lead the way despite it hardly being an unfamiliar route to him.

Charles starts his usual routine when they get there. Not even asking for help getting into bed as he sometimes does as an excuse for Magneto to hold and carry him.

Magneto follows the cue and ready’s himself for bed as well. Sliding under the covers on the opposite side to where Charles settles in for the night. Perhaps this is all the omega wants – company in the huge bed in his ivory tower.

“I know I said my bed was large but I did not mean for you to put all of its space between us.”

Or perhaps it is something more that Charles wants this night.

Magneto slides across the bed and Charles settles against him. The all-too familiar weight pressed against Magneto’s chest and all-too familiar scent filling his nose.

It’s a nice scent. Charles always believed himself bland for an omega but it’s one of the nicest Magneto has found in his life. One that reminded him of simpler times and makes him wish theirs was a world where settling down was an option he could take without condemning them all to the human’s want to exterminate them.

Charles shuffles to press them closer again. A move that might be able to be passed off as innocent if the scent of satisfaction wasn’t right beneath Magneto’s nose.

Magneto responds with an action that may be a nuzzle against Charles’ neck or may just be him settling in for the night.

Charles lets out a breath that might be a huff of annoyance or just him relaxing for the night.

He stills when Magneto lets out a soft growl. But it isn’t fear that shoots through his scent.

“Oh Charles, have you spent so much of your time manipulating others to your will you have forgotten to be direct even in matters like this?” Magneto wraps an arm around Charles’ hips and waist so his hand can rest against the soft skin of the omega’s belly.

“Only you would think my behavior thus far has been anything but direct,” Charles says with a laugh, shifting his head around to look Magneto directly in the eyes. A playful mirth in them that is rare to find these days now he seems to live and breathe his role as the stalwart professor of all those within his walls.

“That is another matter I believe we must agree to disagree on,” Magneto says as he leans in to capture Charles’ lips. On this one matter he may admit that secretly he agrees with what Charles has said.  

“I suppose it is,” Charles says accepting the kiss easily.

It is, as far as kisses go, a rather lazy one. There is no need to rush in this moment – the night is still young and there is nothing in the morning past a return to the routine that has temporarily become their lives.

“I hope that is not all that is in store this evening,” Charles says when they break apart.

“What more would you have?” It is perhaps a dangerous question when he knows what Charles wants of him extends far past bedroom activities.

“All that you are willing to give.”

In a way those words are a mercy. There is so much Magneto is not willing to give despite his softness for the omega pressed against him. And while he knows Charles would be ecstatic if he was to relent on his position about how they should best respond to the threats against their people, the other has long accepted that it will never happen.

But right now he can give Charles this. Can recapture his lips in a more dominating kiss and run his hands over the well-learned parts of Charles body that makes the omega shudder and moan. Can kiss and kiss and kiss until Charles calls him a bloody tease and then sink his teeth into the familiar neck adding another future-scar to the collection so that even when they part again people will still know Charles’ is his and he is Charles’.

Right now they can lie there in the afterglow together. Charles’ scent sweet and satisfied and sex-heavy as he takes lungfuls of Magneto’s own. Both pretending for the moment that this could be their forever.

“Top marks as always,” Charles says once he’s come down from the high of orgasm and bond. Patting against Magneto’s chest the way one does a car they are particularly proud of.

“Did you just grade me at sex?” Magneto doesn’t know how, despite all the youthful playfulness and recklessness faded with age and wards, Charles’ horrid sense of humor managed to survive. 

“Perhaps I did, what are you going to do about- Hey! Don’t you go anywhere! Not after what we’ve just done.” Charles grip on Magneto tightens when the other moves with a threat to get up.

“I didn’t do anything you didn’t ask for,” Magneto reminds as he settles back into the bed he never truly intended to leave. Not with how rarely he gets nights like this – the threats of the world momentarily forgotten about in favor of enjoying the company of an omega as exceptional as Charles’ is.

“And I stopped asking for my bed-partner to be gone by the morning when I was in colleague,” Charles says. A tactic of his to get under Magneto’s skin, that somehow is still as effective as it was when he first discovered it.

“I suppose I can stay until then,” Magneto says, with another lazy kiss between them.

He will have to leave eventually. He cannot protect Charles and all he has built by staying in the peaceful illusion of the school. He must return to his cause to ensure the safety of all of their kind from those who wish to see them destroyed.

For now though he can cuddle with his omega in the warm bed at the heart of their community.

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

Charles hates when it comes to this. When the humans decide to rain hellfire down on them, bringing his school and their home once more to borderline rubble while they huddle in the basement licking their wounds and planning how to rebuild. Planning how to retaliate.

He hates how he can read some of his students wonder if maybe Magneto is right. Especially with how this time Magneto had come to warn them. Come to save them.

Hates the part of himself that wants to let the man he still thinks of as his alpha crush the threat to them under the weight of his powers. That stupid biological hindbrain that just knows how fantastic Magneto is at protecting their den and pups.

They are meant to be the next stage of evolution from humanity. And yet they still are cursed with instincts best suited from when they were cavemen.

“Fuck- Charles.” Magneto’s already bruising grip tightens on him. Crowds in closer in the tiny private room that on the blueprints is labeled an office, designed for where private discussions and planning can take place in the event they need to bunker in the basement. But they all damn well know its real purpose is to be a den and a nest when things go to shit like this. Somewhere that can be used for privacy for those of them who need to touch and feel their beloved in a way not suitable for the children to see in order to reassure themselves that in that moment they are both alive.

He knows of at least five students who mentally call it the fuck room, and can’t even bring himself to chastise them because it wouldn’t be an entirely incorrect description.

“Charles please,” Magneto says, his tone getting heavy with need and desperation. His hands moving from Charles’ arms to his legs and Charles’ doesn’t need feeling in them to know the grip is just as tight.

Charles sometimes wonders what their enemies would think if they saw them in these moments. The terrifying mutant terrorist Magneto kneeling before his omega and nuzzling against his chest in a desperate need to remind himself that the one he loves is okay. And he is truly desperate, it coming off him in waves that Charles does not need to read his mind to feel it as well.

Would that be enough to make them realize that really they are not all that different from one another?

“Charles I need-“ Magneto says, his fingertips grazing against Charles’ stomach as he tugs the shirt up just enough to find the gap between fabric where he can touch Charles’ skin. “Whatever happens next I need you to be mine again.”

Charles knows what happens next. They both do. It has happened so many times now it feels more like Déjà vu then reality – they will make it through, together, rebuild what has been lost and then when things are looking perfect Magneto will leave to return to his bloody crusade leaving their bond, both biological and emotional, to fade once more. And Charles, like a scorned housewife, left holding the children.

It is foolish to give in to their biology and instincts right now just because the threat feels so heavy bearing down on them. It is foolish when Charles knows Magneto will not stay this time just as he hasn’t any other. The momentary rush of confort and relief not worth the inevitable betray.

“Magneto-“ Charles fully intends to tell him no. To push him away and return back to what they had claimed to be the reason of going into the room together in the first place – plan how best to pool their resources and tactics to get them all out of it alive and in one piece.

Magneto looks up at him with a heavy needing gaze and the refusal dies on Charles’ tongue.

He knows how it will end. Knows it all too well. But he survived all those times and he cannot deny the part of him that needs this now as well. That primitive instinctual part that wants to reward the alpha for coming to protect them and try with the only thing he has to offer to keep him with them for when the threat returns.

Charles’ reaches out to touch Magneto’s cheek. The alpha following as he draws it back like it is attached with cement. One of Magneto’s knees coming to rest on Charles’ lap, hands holding on Charles’ waist as if to steady himself, as his head follows where it is led to the crook of Charles’ neck. A shiver going through Charles’ spine as breathe tickles against the gland there.

“Charles?” Magnet asks as if this isn’t exactly what he’s been begging for.

“Now is not the time for second guessing,” Charles tells him and the hands on his waist tighten.

“Of course,” Magneto says and Charles can’t help but wonder what atrocity he has also given permission for when they do leave the room to face the reality of the situation.

That is a problem for later. Right now his alpha is kissing along his neck and jaw. Purposely avoiding the gland Charles had given access and permission to as he had so many times before. Drawing it out because Magneto also knows that once his moment is over the clock will start to tick for them to return to being on opposite sides.

“Stunning,” Magneto calls him when his clever hands find the spots on Charles’ skin that makes him gasp and shudder. A deep rumble echoing through the small room as he nuzzles against the delicate, sensitive skin on Charles’ neck. “Always so magnificent.”

It’s silly how so few words can send a wash of pride through Charles’ body. Can strip away the years of exhaustion and wear and leave him feeling like when he was young and so terribly, dangerously, in love.

“Please.” It is Charles who is begging now. Desperate for the feeling of love and safety that only Magneto could give him. Not needing to be the one in control, the one who has his shit together, even if only for this stolen moment.

Magneto grants him the mercy of silencing him with a kiss.

The desperation in it has Charles wrapping his arms around Magneto. Whatever happens next is not for them to think about. Nor are the burdens they carry. For now they are both alive and with each other. Right now they are simply alpha and omega.

It is only after they break apart and Magneto returns his mouth’s attention to Charles’ neck does he feel comfortable loosening his grip. A hand slipping into Magneto’s pants. First for a cheeky grope at the frankly unfairly still well-toned arse before taking hold of a well-familiar cock.

The sound he’s rewarded with is deep and primal and nostalgic. Taking Charles back to a time before all the betrayals and hurts when it was the two of them working together to better the lives of all mutants.

For the moment he gives himself into it. Revels in how his alpha ruts up against him as his mouth makes its way over all the exposed flesh of Charles’ neck and jaw until finally, finally, he returns to where Charles had initially directed him. The initial pain of the bite gives way almost instantly to the pleasurable satisfaction of the claim.

Clarity comes while they are still panting.

They will need to change before they leave the room. While it will no doubt be obvious to all who have matured noses what has transpired they do not need to see the evidence of it on their clothes. The wipes on the desk should be sufficient to get the sticky spit from Charles’ skin until the threat hanging over them is gone and he can afford to take a shower.

He meets Magneto’s gaze where the other is staring at him not finding any of the now familiar distain or disappointment in them. Only possessive pride.

“I will never regret this,” Magnet tells him after they share one, final kiss. The alpha’s voice rough and heavy.

“Neither will I,” Charles says. But it will never change what they have become and the decisions they will always make.

Magneto rests his weight against Charles for another moment before drawing back and cleaning himself. Charles watching as the man gives way to the persona.

He can hardly judge seeing how he is doing the same thing.

They have borrowed as much time as they could to drop their persona and allow their instincts and needs rule them. Now they must be who the others need – the leaders and pillars of their community who are turned to for safety and guidance.

Charles wonders how long the truce will last this time.