#he's that reserved. but mostly i think he just doesn't want to linger on the past anymore and takes what meager happiness life throws at him

[carlyraejepsans]

One thing I think people forget is that sans probably wouldn’t talk about missing his home and never being able to go back and giving up unless he absolutely felt he had to

with frisk he’s pretty sure that’s the time traveler that could very well end the entire world. He’s trying to reason with em as a someone he’s hoping could be a friend at that point because he’d really rather not have that happen

In geno is IS the end of the world and he’s hoping you’ll realize this is stupid and cruel and reset. It’s not like he’d have this conversation on a random Tuesday with papyrus

yeah agreed, sans goes out of his way to not talk to/with papyrus about their life before the underground. remember the newsletter q&a? (this is more a theory, but judging from their behavior i personally think papyrus is an amnesiac/sans thinks he is, and he's trying to spare him the grief of remembering).

his memories and mementos are stored behind his house for a reason, he's had his realization that he'll never go back already: there's no sense in reopening that wound again if he has an option to avoid the topic.

[polarisjisung]

MOTORBIKES & MELATONIN

synopsis: sleep doesn't find you in the comfort of your own home or under the covers tucked safely into your bed— sleep finds you in the warmth of park jisung's arms

wc: 1.1k

pairings: jisung × fem!reader, established relationship

genre: fluff

warnings: insomnia + mentions of using sleeping pills/supplement use of the word drug (literally once), speeding (follow the speed limit 🙏)

notes: emosung brainrot is in full swing (though there's not a lot of emosung mentioned) mostly self indulgent so probably not my best work since I was all up in my head but 🤷‍♀️

you're laying on your bed, aimlessly bouncing the soft tennis ball in your hand against the empty space of the wall just above your headboard. sleep never came easy to you and tonight is no different.

you'd tried it all, counting sheep, drinking warm milk, even meditation but nothing ever worked. instead you spent nights tossing and turning restlessly despite being tucked into the warm covers of your bed, chasing sleep.

just as you reach for the purple bottle that lays next to your bed, ready to pour half the jar of supplements into your hand and gulp them down with a glass of water, you hear it.

your perfect form of melatonin and serotonin mixed in one— your drug, your purpose.

the rumble is distinct. it comes with the soft vibration beneath your feet and the deep reverberation in your ears. the roaring of the v twin engine has you shooting up into a seated position as realisation washes over you

there's a dim red glow cast across your room by the break lights as you grab the loose fit leather jacket that rests over the back of your study chair. the woody oriental cologne still lingers through its material as you place it over your shoulders and run out of the front door.

there he is, helmet gripped loosely in his left hand, his right arm open and ready to welcome you into his embrace.

jisung's black hair flows in the wind, his forehead on show— paired with the soft smile he flashes you, you can't help but think he looks perfect.

"didn't even give me a chance to sneak into your room" he sulks taking you in between his arms, giving you a quick spin as he presses a soft kiss to your forehead

"can't blame a girl for wanting to see her boyfriend" you sigh, taking in his warmth with a smile

"yeah?" he pulls back to get a better view of your face, "miss me that much angel?"

"you know it sung"

his laugh is deep yet gentle, eyes sparkling at the sight of you

"well I'm here now"

jisung takes a quick step around you, his touch feather light as he gathers your open hair into a low ponytail, reaching for the hair tie on his wrist to tie it back

"too tight?" he says, voice full of worry and concern— when you shake your head he smiles, placing his helmet over your head

you wonder how people could ever think jisung was anything but the sweet, kind and warm hearted lover you knew, who wouldn't dare let you move an inch to do something he could do for you, like how he gently takes ahold of you in his arms and places you onto the seat of his bike, eventually taking your arms and wrapping them around his waist

"hold on tight" he whispers in that caring tone of his, that's reserved solely for you, ready to whisk you away for the night and you do just that, gripping his waist securely, but not before lifting his visor and pressing a quick kiss to his temple

jisung drives off, wordlessly but with a smile that speaks volumes

there's a warmth that radiates from jisung's body, the only thing keeping you from freezing as the wind rushes past you, blowing with harsh whistles, tyres screeching against the ground as he takes sharp turns through the streets leading towards the countryside

you'd snuck out before, driven way too far over the speed limit, done countless things that would define your reckless youth and yet nothing had your veins coursing with quite so much adrenaline as this, driving way too far, way too fast, with jisung, the person you loved way too much

like always, you find yourself in jisung's lap, god forbid he let you sit on the grass, wet from the fresh morning dew that rests over it, warm hues of orange and light pinks taking over the sky as you hold one another close, the wind still blowing strong gusts your way, your hair blowing in your face until jisung decides to take it between his fingers and hold it back in his palm

"I like this" you whisper, just loud enough that jisung hears it, his lip rising just enough for his teeth to come on show

"I like you" he responds, watching the warm glow of the sun reaching over the horizon through your eyes

"you do?" you smile, wider than you previously had been, it's a smile that reaches your eyes and jisung's unwavering gaze grows brighter at the realisation

"you're my girl, of course I do"

this time it's his turn to press a quick kiss to your forehead, but jisung's greedy, especially so when it comes to you and he can't help but want more, honey brown eyes resting on your lips

"give me a kiss and I think I'll love you forever" you can't help but giggle at the tickling feeling of jisung's hair against your neck as he pouts up at you

"yeah? didn't know my boyfriend needed kisses to do that" you tease with a roll of your eyes

"didn't know your what?" he asks, and you know exactly what jisung's doing, so you whisper the answer with nothing more than a shy smile straight into his ear

"my boyfriend"

"present" jisungs hand is raised and his voice is confident when he looks at you again, it's like he's begging you to tug at his shirt and crash your lips against his, and who were you to say no to him

"you're so cute" you let out between kisses, the bridge of your nose resting against jisung's, who now wears a look of faux offence

"yeah?" he asks, hoping you'll change your mind, though you don't let up, reaching out to ruffle his black hair "only for you"

somewhere between the late hours of the night and the early hours of dawn, between the quietus of your bedroom and the roar of his engine, between gazing up at the stars and watching the sunrise by the harbour— jisung hears your soft snores replace the quiet whispers of awe you once breathed out.

despite it all, jisung's smile remains all the same, radiant, warm and masked by the matte black helmet resting atop his head

[klutzyroses]

IkeVamp HCs: PDA

How do they handle PDA?

Suitors: All

Napoleon

Probably the most normal about PDA.

Handholding? Yes. Hair ruffling? Of course.

The more intimate affection, such as kissing and caressing is reserved for alone time.

Maybe a few cheek kisses wouldn't hurt, an occasional loving whisper in ear at times.

He isn't too over the top with it unless he is trying to tease her.

Because really, seeing her cute blush is worth a little public sappiness. And it would come out of nowhere.

Particularly when he wants a reaction from her, he may initiate it to catch her by surprise, just to fluster her. Not too much though, because he will get embarrassed too.

But in truth, he isn't ashamed of others knowing that he loves her. He will often be found looking at her fondly when she isn't paying attention.

He'll deny he is doing it, but he can't help it. Sometimes he just needs to stop and just...caught up in how much he loves her.

Not that he would tell her that unprompted. That is his little secret for the time being.

Mozart

Um...Public affection? No.

Not likely

If he is out in public with her, even getting him to hold hands would be met with some questioning.

He'd be conscious of appropriate behaviour when out and about, so amorous interactions in front of other people would be out of the question.

His outright avoidance, especially if Y/N initiates, would probably hurt her feelings a little, but it wouldn't be because he doesn't like her touch.

But that's the sort of behaviour he would prefer engaging in away from the prying eyes of the public.

When they're alone, small hand kisses and endearing names are usually his chosen methods.

He would never want her to feel as though he were rejecting her, which is why he would probably address it before it becomes an issue.

Once boundaries are established, its far less of a heartache when he refuses to engage in affectionate behaviour in public.

Leonardo

He is more lowkey about his affection in public, but definitely smooth about it.

One would think they were secret lovers, the way his touches involved brushing her hand surreptitiously, lingering on her skin and leaving it warm.

He is one of the least overt about his affection in public, hence when it happens, it's always so suave and never fails to get his Cara mia's heart racing.

Subtle warm looks, secret touches on her skin, gentle caresses moving her hair from her face.

Those little signs of fondness, brief and subtle as they may be, leave a lasting effect on his amore, even for an instant.

Where he really thrives however, is in his ability to catch her off guard with his words.

Because he is so understated with his physical affection in public, his words pack more of a punch...mostly because they are sudden.

He will drop a casual 'I love you', so easily that at first, it goes over her head, until she does a double take, almost falling over.

He would follow that up by catching her and teasing her about falling for him, causing her to get even more flustered.

A very smooth signor indeed.

Arthur

He is one of the most shameless, second only to Charles.

PDA, for him, is mostly exaggerated to make a point when he is with her.

That point being, he is unavailable and so is she.

He thinks its adorable when she gets flustered over it, so that is, of course, an added bonus.

He is perfectly content announcing their relationship, declaring her to be his love and his darling aloud, to the chagrin of his admirers.

He tends to lean more towards kisses on her hands, winking at her as he does so, feeling his chest swell with pride when he sees that sweet smile on her face, her cheeks tinted a charming pink, earning themselves a quick kiss of their own.

The flirting....the flirting is nonstop, always sweet and maybe just a touch inappropriate with thinly veiled innuendo.

He may tend to overdo it at times, but really, he is just being silly intentionally for her amusement. And maybe to get that blush from her every now and again.

...Although, that is only part of the reason.

He actually loves to touch her and let her know how much he loves her, no matter who is around.

He is aware that he has...a past and sometimes, remnants of that pop up to sour her mood and make her insecure and he hates himself for that. So obviously, he is not shy to show her how much she means to him in front of others.

Theo

Theo's brand of PDA is...definitely different.

He wouldn't be hesitant to claim her in public verbally, calling her his hondje.

Make no mistake, he wouldn't be very touchy feely in front of others, but there will be no doubt that she is his.

Which is why his more physically affection is usually triggered by jealousy or protectiveness.

Sometimes, he can't resist wrapping an arm around her when he senses she is in need of comfort of some kind, be it because someone or something is making her uneasy, just to, in his own Theo kind of way, assure her that he is there.

She is safe with him and he will be damned if she felt any differently when she is out and about with him.

Sometimes, however, when nobody else is really looking, his look will soften when he meets her gaze, or puts a subtle hand on the base of her spine, usually brushing it off as 'directing' her.

Really its just an excuse to touch her, but he would have to be cornered to admit it aloud.

Vincent

The sweetheart was a joy to be around, always.

He is perfectly content holding her hand when he walks with her.

He could be a little socially oblivious at times, flustering his love with rather open declarations of love...wearing a perfectly innocent look on his face.

Sometimes he will take both her hands in his and kiss them, or maybe run his fingers through her hair.

He doesn't really have a reason to give if asked, he just feels like it.

His affection is so sweet, so tender, it may usually result in adoring moments between them where the world seems to disappear and they can only stare at each other, most likely with Y/N being completely taken by his gentle charm, sparkles and flowers surrounding them before someone has to remind them that they are not alone, snapping them out of their enamored stupor.

Put that is the effect Vincent tends to have on his lover, whether other people are around or not.

He may or may not kiss her. It depends on how bold he is feeling that day. Not a deep one, just a quick kiss on her lips, short and sweet.

The more intimate stuff is for behind closed doors. He isn't one to be too inappropriate in public.

He does have the capacity to be embarrassed after all. He may be a bit sheepish if he is called out, pink cheeks and all.

He can't help it. He loves her, that's just a fact.

Isaac

He's...hesitant about it. He's not necessarily averse to it, but...

Well he wouldn't see the reason for being so...overt about their relationship.

Handholding? Well alright, if she really wants to, he will hold her hand while they walk.

But beyond that, he would be a bit more resistant.

Kisses, hugs, the more intimate touches, he does not want others to see that.

So much so that he may even dodge any kisses she may try to give him. Y/N shouldn't take it too personally, even if it does seem as though he were rejecting her, he isn't, honest.

He would scramble to explain that he wasn't ashamed of her in anyway, because it would seem that way after a while.

His affection, however, would be more...subconscious actually.

Playing with the ends of her hair or tracing her palms, little things he wouldn't even be aware he was doing unless pointed out to him.

He's more affectionate when they're alone and it comes as more as a surprise to her, as he would be more confident about just kissing her, or taking the initiative in general, much more so when they're out and about.

Jean

Knowing how Jean is, people would assume that he would be completely against public displays of affection.

The honest truth? They would be correct in some aspects, but...

Not as much as they would think.

Its less because of his aversion to it and more because he has very little idea of how to conduct himself in public as a couple.

Being as socially clueless as he can be at times, he isn't entirely sure what is deemed appropriate and what isn't.

Its somewhat endearing to see him startle his lover by holding her hand seemingly out of nowhere.

He would probably admit that he received advice from the other residents that it was common for lovers to hold hands.

Which is the sweetest thing, but it would seem a bit...disingenuous to Y/N, as though he were doing it because he feels obligated.

But with a bit discussion over boundaries and what was deemed appropriate, a comfortable norm would definitely help him be more at ease and natural with his affection.

He would also be a bit more spontaneous, though always asking for her consent whenever he tries something different.

Dazai

Spontaneous.

He moves to the beat of his own drum, so the opinion of others is...so irrelevant to this man.

When in public with his love, he tends to do whatever comes to mind, no matter how random it may be.

Take her hand count her fingers and compliment them? But of course.

Steal a sweet peck from her and tell her how pretty they looked so he just felt like it? Naturally.

At times it may feel odd, but he has his own way of being affectionate and he doesn't have much impulse control to speak of.

Not since he's had her in his life. He may not be the best at expressing himself...at all, but for better or for worse, she will know she is loved.

Even with his oddball methods of showing it.

He particularly enjoys seeing her blush, so he does go out of his way to surprise her, whether it be by staring at her for prolonged eye contact, just to tell her she is beautiful. Unprompted.

The surprise on her pretty face as her cheeks erupt into red roses brings warmth into his chest as he chuckles, unable to stop himself from caressing one of them.

Anyone watching might think he is random...and he is, but he doesn't pay any mind to that.

Comte

His brand of affection is certainly more restrained. He is a gentleman after all.

He doesn't want to do anything inappropriate in front of others, he wouldn't want to embarrass her.

But he most certainly wasn't shy about wrapping a loving arm around her waist, holding her close to him, his comforting presence washing through her.

He is proud of her and is more than happy to show her off, though only as much as she would allow.

Elegant hand kisses, gracious intertwining of fingers, little acts that are not overboard, but leave little to the imagination.

Where he does go a little overboard is when it comes time to spoil her.

She wants for nothing. Comte's cherie wants for absolutely nothing.

He will gently kiss her forehead when she expresses any concerns, because to make her shine the way she deserves makes him happy.

He worries not over what others think too much, but he is respectful and classy when in the public eye.

Emphasis on when they are in the public eye. Its a different story when they are alone.

Sebastian

Subtle, almost imperceptible, one would miss it if they weren't paying attention.

He is a good deal more reserved about being affectionate when in public.

Perhaps he would take to simply being closer to her, proximity wise.

He may occasionally gently place his hand on her back, usually under the guise of directing her one direction or the other.

Truth be told, one would have to have known Sebastian prior to him being in a romantic relationship to see the difference.

Only then would his more almost secretive touches, that could easily be brushed off as platonic or friendly, be seen in slightly different light.

His demeanor generally isn't all that changed, specially not in public. He really isn't overly affectionate in front of others, but those who know him would definitely be aware that he is more...touchy with her.

Again, nothing too incriminating to the untrained eye, but so long as she understands the sentiment, that's all that really matters anyway.

Vlad

The romantic gestures he would gravitate towards would be more...innocent. Sweet, almost a bit childish in an endearing way.

Playing with her fingers, intertwining his between them, tucking her hair away from her lovely face.

His affection, in public, was more reminiscent of an admirer simply in awe of her.

He is devoted to her and her alone, and sometimes he may just act in the moment, bringing their linked fingers to his lips to his and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. And of course, slip a flower or two into her hair.

He especially likes to profess his affection with words as much as actions.

Softly whispered words of adoration will often make their way to her, wrapping her in their warmth, even if he isn't actually touching her.

He isn't entirely conscious of how others perceive this, nor does he care all that much. Sometimes he just wants to bask in his love for her, take a moment to be grateful for her and show her that gratitude in full.

Faust

His brand of public affection often sent the message that Y/N was his very close assistant than his lover.

Its not often that it happens to be honest.

In contrast to his oddball sire Vlad and the overly affectionate Charles, he is much muted and covert about being affectionate.

He is quite blunt about it as well, if he is asked, probably by the children he tends to care for, if Y/N is his girlfriend.

He will just say yes, with a completely straight face and leave it at that.

Though the children themselves will be confused, as their fairly naive ideas of grand displays of love will be very much absent when they observe Faust and Y/N.

He would only indulge them by going to kiss her forehead if they didn't stop pestering him about it.

He just doesn't see the appeal of behaving in public how he behaved in private.

Only she needs to see his more vulnerable, genuine side. She's the only one who deserves to.

Charles

Umm...

If left unchecked, he could and would get carried away.

He would not care who is there, he can't keep his hands to himself.

Normally, he sticks to hand holding and cuddling.

But sometimes he'll sneak his hand on her thigh, maybe starts kissing her with reckless abandon.

He has no qualms about sneaking his hand up her dress while does and if she doesn't stop it, they may just start getting a bit wild.

Clothes might start dropping if Charles is left to do as he pleases. Its not so much out of lack of care of what others think, he isn't even thinking about, its more because he just wants to bury her in his love and drown in hers, no matter where and when.

And the mouth on him sometimes...

He is shameless about flirting with her too, oscillating between sugary heartfelt confessions of adoration and more...daring, lascivious declarations.

None of which are discreet.

In the slightest.

Galileo

He doesn't.

The man doesn't do like that.

Frankly, if someone was told explicitly that Galileo and Y/N were a couple, they wouldn't know it by looking at them.

Maybe the most affection seen from him would be standing close to her. Maybe if his guard is down, his face may soften when looking at her. But that's it. Nobody is seeing more than that.

Many people from the outside would question the perceived coldness of the relationship.

The couple would often seem more like acquaintances than lovers.

She would probably be touching him more than he is touching her to be honest.

But in private...that is not the case.

He prefers to keep his more tender side for her and her alone.

When it's just the two of them, he would indulge her with gentle caresses and tender words.

He is very different with her when it's just them, versus when they are out in public.

Drake

Drake doesn't care a great deal about what others think. He does what he wants when he wants to.

He doesn't behave that differently with her in public than he does in private.

Sure, he wouldn't jump her for risky trysts in the open, not unless she was up for it, but he wouldn't balk over kissing her in front of others. He doesn't do it often but he wouldn't be against it.

His boldness goes as far her timidity allows, really.

He's not so much into hand holding as much as he likes giving her head pats, caressing her face and giving her hugs and forehead kisses.

Especially headpats and forehead kisses.

He wouldn't go overboard but needless to say, he is rather affectionate in public. Unabashedly so.

He also flirts and teases rather openly, if only to see her flustered. Whispering in her ear, cornering her against surfaces, he does not care who sees. If called out, he will simply laugh it off.

He cares more about doting on his fawn than anybody else and their opinions anyway.

[yrbladie]

♡ ﾟ˖ ॱ ▎THE WAY THEY HOLD YOU IN THEIR HEART PT1ㅤ𝅄 🌿 ꒱

˖ ࣪ kaeya, neuvillette, childe, albedo, diluc

warnings ：established relationship, fluff, implied marriage, gn! reader, reader is called pretty tho (kaeya) so if this word carries feminine feelings for u be warned, just a tad bit suggestive at the end with neuvillette, mentions of aging (neuvi), implied long hair (albedo) and reader is also called a 'muse', I'm not fluent in english so I don't know if this word carries any feminine connotations, but it's warned anyway, implied reader wanting kids in the future kinda (diluc), if they're ooc I'm sorry, non fluent writer

ㅤWhen people look at Kaeya, they see his charming smile and the misleading way he conducts himself, like a well played play no one has the guts to call him out of.

ㅤWhat you see, instead, is a gentle man with the softest of hearts. The one who stays up just a little bit later after you sleep, so that he can look at you, admire you. The one who caresses your face with such tenderness that makes you wonder if he thinks you'll disappear if he were to touch you in the slightest wrong way.

ㅤYou see the way his smile drops the second he walks into your house after a tiring day. The way he sighs deeply. Sights that are only reserved to you, because he trusts you more than anything.

ㅤThe Kaeya you see outside of your shared home, his provoking grin and convinced looks, is also the same one who lays in bed with you in a night without stars, his head on your chest while he quietly listens to your heartbeat. His hand in yours like he wants to make sure you're still there with him. That you're not leaving.

ㅤAnd you tell him, "I love you" and you'll see the way his eye softens while he kisses your forehead. He doesn't say back, but you know he also loves you, for no words are needed for it.

ㅤYou know, from the way he talks about you and your achievements in the bar, when he had a little bit too much to drink. Who looks back at you when you come to get him home, and smiles like he's just seen the sun for the first time after a long while.

ㅤThe same Kaeya that tells you "How lucky I am to have snatched someone as pretty as you.", and also who blushes so hard when you tell him the same.

ㅤThe Kaeya that follows you during your dances and singing, even though he says he doesn't like the songs. This Kaeya, and the one that he shows to everyone else are the same. And you love all of him.

ㅤHis nightmares pierce your heart painfully and his dreams are also yours. His touch that lingers in your skin even after he's already left for work and you're far away from each other. His voice and laugh stays in your ears, making you think of him for the entire day.

ㅤAnd you know that for him it is also the same, from the way he always hugs you so tight after he finishes his work or when he has a break and finds you on the street.

ㅤYou're not scared of the shadows of his secrets, and you'll never be. You don't want him to be perfect, you just want him.

ㅤAnd Kaeya also wants you too. He wants you to be the one that everyday he'll come home to, the one he can share all his pain, happiness, sadness, his success and also his frustrations. He doesn't want only the good, he wants everything that comes with it, with you.

ㅤYou love him, and he loves you too.

ㅤNeuvillette loves you so deeply he starts to wonder if it truly is okay with that. If you are truly okay with it, with the intensity of his love for you. Because not even he knows to which lengths he'll go just to have you by his side for a second longer.

ㅤHe wants you to show him all there is about love, and about this life. Share your pain and laughter with him and he'll share his with you. He wants you to know that it's okay, that things get better with time and care.

ㅤEvery day he learns something new about feelings and humanity, but mostly about love. Seeing you smile over silly things, crying over having to leave a cute little bunny go back to the wilderness. Watching your back while you guide him through the streets while rambling about your favorite book or about a new play you heard about. And caressing your hands while you both drink tea in his office and listening to your giggle when he says he still prefers water.

ㅤNeuvillette never knew you could fall in love with the same person multiple times a day, but he does. No matter how much time passes, his heart still beats out of his chest whenever he catches wind of your perfume and the idea of having you by his side still makes his hands sweat.

ㅤYou gave him a purpose, taught him what loving meant under the surface. And Neuvillette felt like he would never learn enough. The judge knew you would change slowly by the years, but he hoped you would never fret over the lines of your smile, he loves it all the same. It just shows how much happiness he has brought you.

ㅤNo matter how long time goes by, how much your face changes, he'll always know your soul. And he could love it anyways, anywhere, anytime.

ㅤHe will always recognize you and will never forget about how it feels to be loved by you.

ㅤSo if you'll have him, allow him to love you for the rest of your life. Allow him to love you until even after all the stars in the night sky die, until eternity doesn't taste the same anymore, and all he can sense in the water are the memories of you.

ㅤAllow him to love you until all his dreams and fondest memories are of you. Until the only touch that'll matter are the ones that comes from your fingers.

ㅤUntil the time he has finally traced every little part of your body and has kissed every single freckle you have. Until he has kissed your lips more than a million times and knows he would do it a million times more.

ㅤFor all the eternity he could have, the forever he saw in your eyes was his favorite.

ㅤHis hands shake when he thinks about you. He'll sit and wonder if you're well and healthy, if you already had dinner or if you're still waiting for him back home.

ㅤHis heart races when he remembers each of your smiles. All the specific upturns of your lips that makes him want to kiss your breath away.

ㅤAnd he gets impatient to go back to your arms when he remembers the way you tried to hold onto his sleeve and asked him for one more minute in bed. He wished— he should've— have stayed.

ㅤBut he knows he can't always be glued to your side. Maybe you'll even hate him if he does.

ㅤSo he makes sure to spend every hour of his day to keep you safe, it doesn't matter if it keeps him from his work. He may love his job, but he loves you much more.

ㅤHis lackeys are so tired everyday to have to sit through his ramblings about you and they dread the moment he chooses some of them to guard you. Don't get them wrong, they agree that you're definitely a lovely person and that you're always gentle with them despite the reputation the Fatui have, but the one they can't stand is Tartaglia.

ㅤHe's an absolute menace if he gets even a whisper of you getting hurt under the watch of one of them. It may have been only a scratch on the knee, it doesn't matter.

ㅤChilde can be a bit... overbearing when he can have you back in his arms again, but bear with him just a bit longer, just until he makes sure you're actually safe and that nothing happened.

ㅤAnd of course, he loves to see you fight and he'll be your biggest cheerleader, not mattering if you're actually a good fighter or not, but most of all, he wants you to be safe. Due to the nature of his job, and all he has already seen in this world, he's scared.

ㅤScared that if he takes his eyes from you for one second you may be taken away to somewhere he won't be able to follow. Somewhere that not even with all his fighting skills and abilities he'll be able to reach.

ㅤChilde had no idea of how hard he was going to fall for you when he met you and sometimes he wonders what would be of him if he never had found you and you never found him. But he prefers to not linger on these thoughts, having you right now is all that matters. Loving you right now is what matters most. And if he loses you... he'll have nothing but his family to hold his slipping rationality before losing himself.

ㅤSo even if you can really, really fight and protect yourself well, please, just at least allow him to watch over your back for you. He's the best partner you could have in an adventure, so have a little faith in him.

ㅤAnd if you fall, don't worry, Childe will catch you before you hit the ground. He'll always be right by your side at your arms length.

ㅤHe wants to be there for you, no matter what. To hold your hand while treading new paths and exploring the world.

ㅤIf you were to ever ask for the moon, or for the stars, Childe will do everything he can to get them for you. He'll search around the entire world for ways to get you even a piece of the unreachable sky.

ㅤHe'll make Celestia burn and the Abyss freeze if you so ask for it.

ㅤHe wants to be there with you when you open your eyes in the morning, and when you close them at night. For the rest of his and yours lives. He'll love you until there's nothing of him anymore. And if this world burns, then so be it, as long as he can have you and his family safe by his side.

ㅤ"Love is such a beautiful concept, is it not?" he says while showing you drawings he made of you. And he couldn't help but smile at the amazed look you had and the way your eyes sparkled with curiosity.

ㅤAlbedo is not someone who will usually voice out everything he thinks. But you still know he loves you.

ㅤBy the way he gently tucks your hair back when you're immersed doing something you like, and you can see his tender eyes before he turns around to go about with his own activities.

ㅤAnd by the way he doesn't try to hide his notebook from you, for all there is are images of you. You have seen it all a thousand times already, but you'll always find joy seeing how he envisions you in his heart and mind. It looks so intricate that you wonder if you truly look like this, and he tells you that, yes, you're the closest to perfection a human could be.

ㅤHis drawings show you something that no mirror could. Something not even your eyes notice. But Albedo does, he notices every single little detail about what makes you, you. All your small imperfections and flaws, the things you hate and find ugly are the ones he'll hold most dearly in his hands.

ㅤYou're the ruler in the kingdom of his mind, the muse to his artist heart, the soothing melody to his unresting soul.

ㅤYou know all there is to know about him, about his woes and dreams, his aspirations, his shadows that clutch at his ankles like paint, staining his being.

ㅤAnd you'll tell him, "I don't mind it." even if it stains your hands, as long as you can carefully hold his heart in them, with all the love he has for you, you truly don't mind it. In fact, you love him more for it.

ㅤYou'll kiss at his golden locks and let him admire you with his sky painted eyes. He admires you like one would a butterfly, so within his reach but he'll much rather have you fly freely, showing to the entire world your beauty.

ㅤFor he knows, you love him just as much as he loves you. In that, he'll never have a doubt.

ㅤThat is how he loves you, completely, totally, calmly and wholeheartedly. Like a peaceful stream unperturbed by the exterior.

ㅤHe may not completely understand yet what love is, but he thinks he kind of gets it a tad bit more every moment he spends with you.

ㅤWhen you're hurting under the surface, Albedo will kiss at every single one of your fingertips, taking his time to show you how much he loves you. He won't say anything until you're ready to talk with him. And he'll always know, you don't even need to tell him directly. He'll know by the way the tension on your shoulders finally eases and the way you gently close your eyes, one, two seconds and then he'll talk.

ㅤHe'll tell you how important you are to him and that there's nothing he wouldn't do for you. That if you want, you can share your burdens with him and he'll hold it for as long as you need while you rest. For you, he would hold the entire world on his shoulders for eternity and he wouldn't mind it if that gave you peace of mind.

ㅤAnd you know he's being sincere.

ㅤEven if you know that he could destroy everything around him one day, it doesn't matter. Now, you feel safer than ever in his embrace and you have faith in his love for you.

ㅤDiluc's love is like the rays of the sun during the earliest hours of the morning. It never burns but also never leaves you cold. It warms up your skin and blooms in your chest like wildflowers.

ㅤHis love is the type that lingers on you and on the surroundings even when he's gone for a long time. In the clothes you wear that he gave to you as a gift on your last birthday, in the bed sheets that smell like the perfume you bought for him for his birthday and that he says it's his favorite.

ㅤOne day you realize how everywhere in his once cold and lonely manor is now filled by the warmth shared between you. Filled with the gifts bought with love, and the pictures on the walls of the both of you. And it makes you fall in love with him all over again.

ㅤIn the kitchen there's the tea set from Liyue you had bought together from Marjorie. In the living room there's the blankets in the couch you both share during the coldest of nights in winter, while sitting by the fireplace, warming each other. In the bathroom there's yours and his toothbrushes that even though he always complains about hygiene and that each should use their own, even he sometimes confuses the two similar toothbrushes and uses yours.

ㅤIn your room there's the shared cabinets and shelves, with things from far away and pictures from everywhere, even the books you read together before bed by the desk.

ㅤYou fall in love with him again, with his smile, and his contained laughter when in public, with the way he looks at you every time you visit him in the tavern or when he sees you from afar. You hung the stars and the moon in his sky, you brought the sunlight to his dawn.

ㅤYou knew you would love Diluc for forever on the day he brought you along to visit his father's grave, and instead of silently staring at it, he spoke about you. Spoke about his love for you, and about everything you did for his life. He knew his father would be proud of him for finding you, for giving love a chance again.

ㅤYou both mourned together on that day, embracing each other under the blessing of the whispers in the wind, that softly carried the scent of memories from childhood.

ㅤAnd you still remember the day where you met Kaeya. The way he silently thanked you for being by his brother's side when he couldn't anymore. To receive not only the Cavalry Captain, but your lover's brother's blessing meant a lot for you. You knew they both still held each other in high regards. And most of all, you knew Kaeya would do anything to see Diluc happy, just as you would too.

ㅤYou look through the window of your home, to the garden and the vineyard, reminiscing about shared days, of laughter, of slightly younger times. When you used to hide behind the grapes to play a prank on Diluc. When the both of you held hands while taking a walk through the garden, discussing about one day making a playground somewhere there. For the kids that'll visit you during Thanksgiving, or one day...

ㅤThen, you feel arms around you and you smile, recognizing so easily the warmth that spreads around your body. While laying back your head on his chest, there's no need to exchange words as you both already know each other's hearts so well.

ㅤEverything will be okay, his heart mutters to you, I know, yours whispers back.

ㅤYou're happy, and you're content. And you couldn't have wished for more nor less than that.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ(★)

all the edits belong to me, so pls don't use them <3

ty for reading 💗

tagging : @yuellii

[miss0atae]

Random Thoughts about The On1y One (EP 6) : Attachment, No regrets and live life to the fullest.

I knew they would feel at odds after the episode 5. Of course, Wang was hurt by Tian’s decision to live in the school accommodation. He was just starting to feel close to him and suddenly he discovered that Tian may leave. So, like any people who have already felt the harsh truth of being left alone, he tried to distance himself from Tian. It was a way for him to protect his heart, but Tian wasn’t fooled by his acts. He knew early on that Wang wasn’t acting like before. Relationships can be tough, especially if you have a lingering fear that the people you care about the most will leave you. Wang already lost his mother at a young age and his father is never really around him. He already know what it is to see people you love leaving him. So, before getting to attached to Tian, he prefers to treat him as a stranger: being polite, stop sharing his feelings and trying to give back anything gave to him so there would be no debt between them. I was afraid this drift between them would be last the entire episode, but thankfully Tian is really good at reading Wang’s mood and understanding him. He felt something was wrong and he reacted strongly against it. We’re so used to see him being calm and reserved that when he rejected Wang’s action of distancing himself from him, it was really shocking. He raised his voice and everyone (Wang and us) knew instantly he would not accept it.

Tian may be the one who is more reserved, but he is also the one who is more ready to say what he feels. I feel like Wang could have said to Tian about how hurt he was about his decision to leave the house because it made him think Tian didn't want to be around him… but he didn't because he is not used to do it. Both of them are lonely souls who found a connection, but they both deal differently with attachment. I feel like Wang tends to overthink things and doesn't take the time to talk it out with other, while Tian feels wary and find it hard to be close to others. However, I feel like Tian found in Wang a kindred soul and he got attached to him faster than it could be expected. They found in each other something they were looking for. There are dialogues in this story, but the real communication is usually non-verbal between them. It about how close they physically are to one another (it's not a coincidence that they are next to each other in the class), or the small gestures (Tian giving food and drinks to Wang) and mostly it's about how they look at each other. There is non verbal intentionally communication, but you can also read so much from their non-verbal unintentionally communication. For example, Tian is always looking at the door and expecting Wang. This door is shown to emphasize the short separation they experienced. When they are again talking to each other, they both comes in the room of the other.

This episode was also giving so many realizations to Wang. From him understanding that he doesn't have to plan his whole life because otherwise he wouldn't fully enjoy his youth, to him accepting not all efforts are in vain. It's really his luck that he is now surrounded by many people who want good things for him (Tian, his teachers, his best friend, Mr. Ding…). When you're in a competitive school and having such high goals, it can be easy to get lost. Life is not just studying to be at the top and aiming at the best rewards. It can be scary because you can feel like planning everything will make it easier, but when you stick to the plan, you may miss something else. I guess that's why I don't mind that the story is set in a school. It's not just about making the main characters be students. As a student they are supposed to learn. However, they are not just learning about school subject, but also about what they want to be. They are growing emotionally and they are also learning about one another. There are so many ways of learning. It is fitting the story.

I’m now truly attached to this story and these characters so I can’t wait to see what is going to happen to them.

[zoros-bandana]

Hi there :)

Since you ask me to think about another request, may I have a Zoro with his female s/O having some time together away from the crew? They are in a not so secret relationship, since everyone noticed how they act to each other, but they're still trying to keep it a secret.

It might be a little suggestive if you want/can, but s/o isn't in a smuty mood since she mostly just want the quality time she can't have with her boyfriend on the Sunny.

Thank you ☺️

Love u 💚

(*sanji voice* “gaby-sWan!!!” 😍😍😍) My dearest angel hello I'm so glad to finally do a request for you! (I hope this request isn't too boring for you I was after a really like soft and chill almost sleepy vibe. I will also get to doing the other request once I have caught up to that part) I truely love seeing your icon pop up in my notifications it truely makes my day. Love you sweetest 💚

Alone

SFW

Zoro x fem reader

Warning: slight suggestive touching, suggestive themes

Summary: wishing to usher your boyfriend for some alone time, you meet him in the quiet of the aquarium bar, soaking up the little time of remaining day.

Word Count: 1,300

"What took you so long?"

You huffed at Zoro's tone, shutting the door to the aquarium bar, leaning against the cold wood. Your head pounded in agony, exhausted from defending yourself against your friends in a bid to escape their brutal attacks and questions.

"I got cornered" you admitted, blinking slowly as you opened your eyes. Looking down you met the eye of Zoro, an all but empty mug of beer gripped firmly in his hand. He had made no attempt to come to you, comfortably situated in a slump that arched him to look smaller than he was.

"Was it curly brow this time?"

You nodded. "And Nami"

Using the door as a lever you rocked forward, finally taking a step towards your partner. Your movements dragged, slowing your steps in hopes to exaggerate your feelings. "They wanted to know why you had your arm around me at dinner"

Zoro lazily sat back up, spreading himself out. He chugged down the remaining bitters of beer before setting the mug aside, tapping his lap for you to sit upon.

"Tell 'em it was because I needed the space"

"I did" you confessed, flopping into Zoro's lap. "I don't think they were overly convinced, though"

"Well, that doesn't matter. You're here now" Zoro reached around your waist, guiding your body to turn, facing towards the aquarium to your left. You let your head fall to his chest, once again shutting your eyes, the sound of his breathing soothing you instantly. Keeping you close his hand squeezed comfortably, falling back into the chair to recline.

His left hand found its way to your legs, drawing aimlessly over your skin in swirling patterns, almost grounding himself. There were very few occasions where you could be alone together, the feeling almost strange and overly quiet. The rest of the crew would stay above ship after dinner, occupied by various group activities and stories, however, tonight felt different. You craved being with Zoro.

Your friends' voices rung overhead, laughter, and the sound of clattered footsteps led by your captain no doubt. You had exchanged a small whisper to Zoro before dinner of your plan, using tonight as an excuse to have him alone; taking as much of him as you could.

A lingering fear would often cloud your head of his disappearances, knowing how vigorous Zoro could lose himself into training, unsure just how much time you would spend with him that day. You never wished to keep your relationship a secret, and for the most part it wasn't, but the overbearing nature of your friends played a role in how reserved Zoro was; especially with his feelings for you. It was easier to tiptoe around the blatant proposal of an overly affectionate and love-struck couple than face endless teasing from your friends. You both craved one another, and found, as much as you wished to fight it, being apart made you crave these moments more.

Zoro bowed his head down, nuzzling into your hair with a long inhale. He groaned quietly, letting your scent be absorbed fully as if to remember you. "Mmm, you smell so good"

"You would too if you took a shower more often"

"Maybe if you joined me?" Zoro teased without skipping a beat. His hand wondered up, tucking under the hem of your skirt to rest at your upper thigh. The pad of his thumb ran over your skin, fanning in to pick at the edge of your panties.

The contact made you snap your head up, meeting the smug look on Zoro's face. His lips were cracked into a smirk, tipping higher on one side than the other. The grey in his eye was clouded with lust making it hard to determine whether he was serious or pulling your bluff.

"Fine" you shrugged, playing along. "But I bet you wouldn't last five minutes crammed in there with me"

"Crammed?" Zoro laughed, a melodious and heavy tune. "Oh, baby you're sized like a bug next to me. I think you're the one that will struggle"

"But what happens..." you lifted your hand to mimic the action of turning a tap. "When I set the temperature to the hotter side"

Zoro shuttered, recognising your love for hot showers as a searing burn over his back. "Mmm, fine you win"

Letting his hand come away from under your skirt, Zoro retracted himself from advancing on you, reaching instead around your back. His hands moved you to face him, spinning you to squat your legs over his, keeping you as close to him as he could manage. He smiled at your small chuckle, amused by your voiced pleasure of victory.

His body was warm, soft, towering around you like a fortress. Being with him like this, so vulnerable and kind, you felt like you were the only two alive. It was clear in moments lie this how much he cared for you - loves you - willing to keep you safe and grounded in the storm of your life. He was no longer stiff and irritated as he appeared with the crew, easing into a life with you that make him seem relaxed, almost as if the life he knew before you was a distant dream.

Unable to control himself Zoro bent down, his movements too quick for you to process. In a heated rush his lips collected you in a kiss, his arms wrapping tighter to pull you up to him. Even though his lips were dry and cracked, there held a balance in the way he moved, completing you.

He tasted sharp, bitters of beer mixed against the sides of his mouth, curling into a lopsided grin as he felt you. There was still a hint of clumsiness to his kiss, familiarising himself with affection he was deprived of for so long. The edge of his tongue would scuff your lip, hesitant to explore anything beyond surface level, already so comforted by how your lips hugged him back.

"I'm so happy with you" his lips grazed softly, tickling your skin as he moved to your ear. His voice was low and raspy, whispering as if someone was close by, unwilling to interrupt a small moment.

His fingers found the hem of your shirt, tucking under the fabric to brace your skin. The heat on the pads of his hardened fingers moved you to fold with his body, embracing yourselves to become one. Your arms whipped around his neck, holding tight, letting his face linger in the crook of your neck. "I'm happy with you, too"

Zoro was silent to that, taking in everything he felt in that moment. He was at peace, so happy, he hardly realised the weightless effect of the alcohol that burned his throat earlier in the day. He wanted to stay here, like this, soaking you up in the most pure and simplest form. He adored the slight patter of water as it sloshed too the left of you, tangling dances of fish that weaved through the water. The slight bow in the ship as it motioned over the waves, creaking like an old friend retelling stories of the past. The way you felt in his arms, your heart over his, beating at a steady pace. How your hair tickled his skin, leaving notes of you that would last longer than this moment; but he didn't care.

For right now, all he wanted with this with you.

"Promise me nothing will change with us, Y/n" Zoro requested, letting your voice mumble back in inaudible grunts. He could feel the pressure of his feelings fading, understanding how important he was to you as much as you were to him. He didn't need to hide behind his glass walls, turning over the bitterness he had for others. It was you after all that made him complete, deeply and truely fulfilled with the life he feared would never happen.

"I love you too much for that"

[correlance]

Charlastor / Radiobelle Headcanons: Wholesome Edition

Note: I am asexual, and these are my personal thoughts as to how an asexual Alastor would interact with one of his romantic interests. Art is by Slim_Babydoll on Twitter/X. Feel free to check out their account!

Alastor likes to run his finger around the rim of his glass of whiskey and rye when listening to Charlie sing, resting his face against one of his hands. It's one of his "tells" that he's thinking, or "lost in thought" and feeling. Normally stiff and formal, he loosens up and relaxes, easing up a bit more, when he has alcohol in him.

He likes gazing fondly at Charlie from a distance a lot of the time, because the distance allows him to explore and feel things on his own terms, away from others. However, he is gentlemanly and affectionate with Charlie, greeting her by taking her hand(s) in both of his, and giving her a chaste, lingering kiss there.

Alastor always treats Charlie with gentleness...not because he thinks that she's fragile and delicate, or because she's a lady, but because he wants to protect her from the evils and ills of the world. For as much as Alastor and Lucifer have a stubborn rivalry, the two have a genuine respect for each other; both love Charlie. Lucifer respects Alastor for "keeping his little girl safe and sound".

As a couple, Alastor and Charlie have separate beds, similarly to Lucy and Ricky in the show I Love Lucy, but on occasion, Alastor just likes being physically held by Charlie, and vice versa. Sometimes, he'll wrap his arms around Charlie from behind and hold her close to him, resting his chin on her head. He likes the feeling of Charlie being small and protected in his embrace.

Although he is more extroverted and outgoing with Rosie, Mimzy, and Niffty, Alastor is more reserved and quiet with Charlie, because he feels so much for her that he doesn't know how to express it. He just likes "enjoying the silence" with her. Alastor has lingering childhood trauma over seeing emotional vulnerability as "weakness", so he only likes to let his mask or guard down, and be truly and fully vulnerable, with Charlie, who he trusts.

Alastor also has some trauma related to physical touch, including sex, especially when it comes to men touching him. Charlie is also gentle and soft when touching Alastor, because she wants him to feel valued, respected, but also cared for and loved as her spouse.

While in bed, Alastor likes touching Charlie all over in a non-sexual sense, because he marvels at her being "so soft and smooth" in comparison to him, who is lean and lithe, with little to no body fat or softness. He also loves whatever perfumes and soaps Charlie uses, and likes burying his face in her hair, as well as being a little bit silly with her (i.e. chaste kisses on her stomach, face, etc.).

Alastor and Charlie do occasionally have sex, but as Alastor rarely-if-ever feels sexual desire, and it is fleeting and fickle for him, he does it mostly to please Charlie. He can "perform", but he sometimes has trouble in that department due to having a lot of wandering and meandering thoughts during the act. However, he loves worshipping Charlie like the "goddess" that she is in bed, while not minding or needing for his actions to be reciprocated. While he comes across as dominant in his public persona (i.e. taking the lead, exuding power and authority, etc...), he's actually quite submissive in bed, but can be dominant, if needed.

Charlie is always patient with Alastor whenever he decides that he's in the mood for trying to have intercourse with her. They usually take things slow and sweet, and Charlie also likes being affectionate with Alastor during the act, holding his face, lacing their fingers, running her fingers along his spine and sides, etc.

Alastor is very old-fashioned in how he treats and sees his relationship and marriage with Charlie, and prefers to express his love for her in non-sexual ways, such as dancing, singing, taking her out on dates, and just enjoying being with her in general. In a sense, he feels that his love for her transcends the need for sex, because what he feels is "so much more". Charlie agrees with him.

Alastor's favorite thing to do with Charlie is to put music on the gramophone, or turn on the radio, take her into his arms, and slow dance with her in their living room, or sit next to her in a chair while holding hands. While reading, he will reach for her hand, entwine their fingers, or caress her hands and fingers with his own, all while still holding and reading his book with the other.

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Chapter 9 ~ Sophia?

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Rose

✧ Era : Season 2

✧ Word Count : 5k

In this chapter ~ After processing the panic and loss the group members had faced, they found themselves held up on a highway as one of their vehicles unfortunately broke down on their way to find sanctuary somewhere else. Though in the midst of searching through the other abandoned cars that lied there, a sudden herd of walkers began to tear through the space. But that's not the only thing that goes wrong as someone suddenly disappears.

It had been a whole week, seven painfully long days, and yet we were still on the road, fighting to find a place to stay since the CDC quite literally went up in flames. I found myself slowing coming to the terms with the events, accepting them, assuming it was just the initial shock that made me so reserved. I began to keep my head up in hopes that it would bring us some kind of luck for the days to come. Though I felt as if they were anything but.

The car ride was spent in a content silence as we drove down the roads, occasionally taking a glance to the man in the driver's seat as I absentmindedly fiddled with one of my knives. I still hadn't forgotten what he had said to me, but I managed to push it out of my mind. I'm a big girl, I wasn't about to mope around about how a man hurt my feelings, hell no. Especially since he hadn't been that harsh with me since. Maybe that was his own way of processing the things we had lost. Irritation...resentment. It wouldn't surprise me, which is why I didn't dwell on it for very long.

Two loud honks coming from the RV is what caused me to look up, a chain reaction following as we all collectively pulled over behind the giant vehicle. The group leisurely made their way out of their parked cars to crowd around where Dale was standing as he opened up the gas tank.

"I'm almost out of fuel." he informed, "There doesn't seem to be anywhere we can fill up for a couple hundred miles"

Shane sighed heavily before looking around to the many vehicles we still had, lined up perfectly on the side of the road, "Well, what if we siphon the gas from a few of these cars and narrow it down a bit?"

Everyone seemed to be on board with the idea, mostly because we had pulled over in the middle of nowhere and the quietness that lingered made people grow uneasy. A few of the guys crowded around to transfer the gas from one automobile to the other, the rest gathering what was left of their belongings to situate into what remained. It was then I noticed Daryl climbing up in the bed of the truck, maneuvering his brother's motorcycle out of the back.

My brows furrowed, "What are you doing?" I asked, pausing toward the front of the pickup.

He stopped to glance up at me, "M' gonna use the gas in the truck for the motorcycle, it don't run out as fast."

I simply nodded in understanding before swinging the passenger door open. I could briefly hear him pick up the bike again to move it slowly and carefully down to the ground, whilst I hauled my backpack over one of my shoulders. The door closed with a slam behind me as I made my way to the RV, going to ride with Glenn and the others.

"Where do ya think yer goin?" Daryl's voice unexpectedly called out.

I turned to face him again, "The RV." I stated simply, "You're not taking the truck anymore."

His lip quirked up a bit, "Well...there's two seats on a motorcycle, don't know if ya realized that." he spoke a bit sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm aware."

"Then why you goin to the RV?" he asked.

I didn't utter another word as I shrugged, not wanting to give him the real answer. I knew he would probably poke fun at me if he knew the truth behind my hesitance. But also, my silence was apparently the only answer he needed as his smile only grew, the wheels turning faster in his big head.

"Yer not scared, are ya?" he asked as he tilted his head.

"No." I scoffed.

He then gave me a pointed look. I caved. "Okay, fine, maybe a little." I admitted sheepishly.

A small chuckle escaped him at my recognition, ducking his head to the ground to try and silence them, "I've never ridden on one before, alright? With my luck, I'd just fly off the back and bust my ass."

"Hey, it's simple," he attempted to reassure, "All ya gotta do is hang on. That's it. The hard part, well, that's on me." he said, his gaze shifting as he started to transfer the gas.

My mind pondered over the idea as I watched him. I did trust him, but I never really liked the idea of riding on a motorcycle, no matter who was driving it. It made me uneasy, seeing the thing was nowhere near safe in my eyes.

But after debating with myself for a few painfully long seconds, I finally huffed. "Fine."

He didn't look up at me, but I could see his small, victorious smile just before I turned to head into the RV, putting my belongings inside. Though just a few short minutes of everyone siphoning gas and getting adjusted into the different cars, it was time to hit the road again to try and find a safe place to camp out for a while.

I dreadfully made my way back over toward the bike, seeing Daryl already sitting there ready to go. He immediately sensed how nervous I was, only giving me a subtle nod in support as he waited for me to get on. I sighed deeply to myself in regret, before slowly swinging my leg over to get on behind him, hesitantly wrapping my arms around his waist, trying to ignore how fast my heart was beating. Though I couldn't tell if it was because I was getting on a death machine or because of how close I was to him...or both.

His muscles tensed a bit when I touched him without warning, but slowly he began to relax after awkwardly clearing his throat. Once he saw the RV moving, he started the bike up and revved the engine loudly a few times, before we started moving to catch up with it.

My heart was in my throat as I subtly held on tighter, trying to get used to the abrupt quickness. I then felt him then subtly glance back at me, almost as if to make sure I was okay, before doing something that would make my stomach flip.

Suddenly, we started going much faster and he began to smile before bringing the bike up quickly to do a fucking wheelie. I yelped and tightened my arms around his waist, tightly shutting my eyes and all I could feel was his laughter vibrating through his body at my reaction. I hit him on the chest, and I could practically feel the cockiness radiating off of him. Asshole.

We drove quickly down the long roads, the wind whipping me in the face for what felt like hours as I clung to Daryl's broad frame. I hadn't really opened my eyes the entire time he drove, only wanting to get it over with faster before I never trusted him again. The small wheelie he did made the pit in my stomach grow.

But my face scrunched in confusion as I felt the man slow down drastically, taking a chance to open my eyes the smallest bit to see what was going on. Though they instantly widened at the sight, seeing we had come across a highway with a shit ton of abandoned cars scattered all over the place. Everyone else seemed to notice at the same time what we were dealing with, slowing down almost completely once we saw the mess.

Daryl realized quickly that the RV was too big to push through, and he picked up his pace again to drive around and align himself with the window to talk to Dale.

"See a way through?" the old man asked.

Daryl nodded briefly before we got in front of the vehicle to lead the way. He swerved through the narrow path gracefully, gliding past them with ease as he tried to guide them as best as he could. It was all going fine, until we heard an unexpected, loud pop come from the RV, looking back to see Dale swerving it off to the side. The rest of us quickly pulled over to see what was wrong, watching the older man coming out of the vehicle looking pissed, popping the hood where the smoke was rising.

"I said it didn't I? A thousand times I said it, dead in the water." he ranted out loud.

"Problem Dale?" Shane asked.

"Oh, just a matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no hope of-" he cut himself off suddenly once he took the time to look around at the many cars potentially filled with supplies, "Okay, that was dumb." he finished.

Shane huffed, "Can't find a radiator hose here." 

Daryl came up behind me to glance into the car I set my gaze on, "But there's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." 

"We can siphon more fuel if anything." I spoke.

"Maybe some water." Carol suggested.

"Or food." Glenn piped in.

"This is a graveyard." Lori stated nervously, glancing around at all the cars and noticing the bodies that lied in some of them, "I don't like this." 

I stared at the woman for a moment, glancing towards everyone else who seemed to be thinking the same thing, before we all collectively dispersed to see what supplies we could find despite her subtle protests.

"Yeah, alright spread out see what you can find." Shane said awkwardly as he watched most of us walk away.

I began picking through as many cars as I could, looking through every nook and cranny to make sure they were completely cleaned out before moving to the next. And in the end it seemed the luck I was searching for finally came through. There was water, canned food, some clothes, and even a larger knife that looked to be brand new. Maybe this setback was just a blessing in disguise seeing as it wasn't a total waste.

In the midst of my daydreaming state, I heard a series of footsteps slowly making their way over to me, looking up to see Rick approaching. He leaned against the hunk of rusty metal, "Hey...how you doing?" he asked.

"I'm good," I smiled faintly. "Why do you ask?" I questioned as I dug through some older boxes.

"Well, I noticed you were a little shaken up from the CDC...just wanted to check up on you." he replied.

My eyes softened a bit at his concern. Well, that's adorable. "I mean, I think it's safe to say we were all pretty unsettled...just trying to move past it." I said to which he nodded in agreement, "How are you doing after all of that?"

He shrugged, "As good as I can be. It was a lot but...I'm thinking we'll be alright, hopefully find a place sooner than later." 

I could tell there was something else on his mind, something more than what happened at the CDC, but I wasn't going to ask. I figured if he wanted to tell me then he would eventually when the time was right, but not now. Not when we were currently stuck here for however long until the RV was fixed up to move again.

I simply nodded to what he said, feeling him give my shoulder a gentle nudge before he walked a little ways back to keep looking with the rest of us. When I turned back to the trunk I was once buried in, I was slightly disappointed to find there was nothing worth taking so I stepped back with a sigh, my eyes searching around absentmindedly to find a different car.

But I didn't make it very far before a pair of arms wrapped around me, their hand going over my mouth as if somehow knowing I would make a noise. My head whipped back around only to find Rick was the one holding me still, a panicked and fearful look on his face. I went to push him away from me with the intention to ask what the hell he was doing, but he instantly put his finger up to his lips. That caught my attention as he slowly removed his hand from my face, hurriedly ushering me under the car right next to us.

I grew very confused as we both slipped under the car, until I heard the walkers, a lot of them, slowly making their way down the highway and through the cars, seeing the amount passing us just through the small opening visible under the vehicle. My hand instinctively grabbed Rick's in shock as I covered my mouth so I wouldn't attract any of them towards our hiding place, and prayed that a group this big wouldn't find any of us. Rick looked over at me and slowly placed his other hand on top of mine, to try and calm his nerves a bit as his breathing picked up drastically from the shock.

All I could seem to think about in that moment were the others that were scattered around the large space. I knew all of them were smart enough to hide, to get out of sight, but still anything could happen. Especially when it came to something as big as this.

It felt like ages before the last few walkers made their way past us, both Rick and I collectively letting out a sigh of relief once they slowly seemed to continue to move along down the endless roads.

But all the tension seemed to rebuild in a split second when we heard a scream. An ear-piercing scream. My gaze zeroed in on the direction of the noise, only to see Sophia being chased by two walkers off the highway and towards the tree line, into the woods just to the right of us. Rick didn't hesitate. He quickly let go of my hand and scooted out from under the space as fast as he could, booking it towards the woods to save her as he pulled out his gun.

"Rick, wait!" I whisper yelled, but he was already too far gone.

Letting out another breath, I crawled out from underneath the car with the intention to follow right behind him. But then I paused when I thought of the rest of the group, wanting to make sure they were all okay. The walk was long and almost painful as I made my way back to the RV where I assumed they would meet up, the anticipation was beginning to kill me. But finally, it began to come into view, watching their attention turn toward me once they sensed my movement.

Carl was the first one to rush over the second he spotted me, his feet slapping loudly on the ground as he ran forward to tackle me in a hug. I couldn't help but smile as I leaned down to hold him tightly, making sure he was alright before taking a glance up at everyone else. For the most part they all seemed fine, alive at the very least. But I couldn't seem to ignore Carol's distress and T-Dog's sudden injury.

My eyes then panned over to see Daryl lingering nearby out of the corner of my vision, seeing him hesitantly approach. He awkwardly stood at my side for a moment before placing a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it a little.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yeah, you?"

He nodded as he slightly chewed his lip, and then did something I didn't expect him to do. He gave me a side hug and rested his chin on top of my head for a second or two, before ducking his head and moving back to grab something from his bike.

My expression softened as I watched him for a moment while he walked away, my heart fluttering the smallest bit at the action I never would've guessed he would dare to do. I found myself smiling knowingly to myself. Maybe, just maybe, he cared a bit more than I realized.

But my smile seemed to vanish when I caught sight of Carol now sobbing in Lori's arms for her daughter. Her head continued to lift up from time to time to watch the woods ahead of her in anticipation, but there was nothing. Nobody else said a word as we all silently waited with her, watching and hoping to see Rick coming up over the small hill with Sophia safe in his hold.

The wait seemed to drag on and on, leaving everyone on the edge of their seat which surely was only making time go by slower. But we all seemed to perk up the smallest bit upon hearing something rustling in the trees. Rick emerged from the woods looking absolutely exhausted, but when I saw he didn't have Sophia, my heart broke even more for Carol.

"Where is she?" Dale asked him almost immediately.

"She didn't make it back up here?" he asked breathlessly.

We all shook our heads.

A crushed look passed over his face, but didn't linger for long as he racked his brain for what to do next. His logic working faster than the emotions he tried to keep hidden. He quickly ushered a few of us to round up and head back off into the woods to look for her, wanting to have more eyes on our surroundings. However, we didn't seem to make it very far through the forest before Rick stopped walking and pointed to a small tree trunk where he had told her to hide.

He stated that this was where he left her, the last place he saw her before he left to take care of the walkers. But upon looking around the area, she was absolutely nowhere in sight.

"Sure this is where ya left her?" Daryl asked first, looking around the hiding spot for any sign of where she could've gone.

"I left her right here. I drew the walkers way off in that direction," he pointed east, "Right up the creek."

"Without a paddle...seems where we've landed." Daryl spoke.

Rick then sighed stressfully, "She was gone by the time I got back here, I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her to go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder."

My eyes stayed glued to the ground as he talked, trying to see if I could find any of her tracks when I noticed Glenn was conveniently standing right in the way. I opened my mouth to say something, but Daryl quickly beat me to the punch as he noticed too.

"Hey, short round, why don't ya step off to one side. Yer mucking up the trail." he snapped.

Glenn looked down as soon as it was drawn to his attention, awkwardly moving to the right to be out of the way as he muttered an apology. I stepped around him, trying to make out which way she ran with all the other tracks surrounding her trail which only made things more difficult.

"Assuming she knows her right from her left." Shane suddenly muttered.

My eyes snapped up to fix him with a glare, "Are you fucking serious? Right and left don't matter when you're running for your damn life."

The man opened his mouth to say something, but Rick quickly cut him off, "Hey, hey, enough, she understood me just fine." he insisted.

Shane huffed in frustration, "Kid's tired and scared man. She had a close call with two walkers, you gotta wonder how much of what you said stuck."

"Well, I got clear prints right here." I announced as I pointed to the ground, "She did like you said, headed back to the highway."

When I was only met with silence, I looked over my shoulder to see they all had their eyes on me with mildly shocked expressions. Daryl came up behind me to see if what I found was actually true, his eyes glancing back to me as he seemed a little impressed.

"You can track?" he asked.

I nodded as if it was obvious, "Yeah, my dad used to take my sister and I hunting all the time. How else do you think I survived that long on my own? Luck?" 

He only shrugged, "Nah...guess I just didn't expect it." he said as he gently nudged my arm.

I smiled a little before we headed off to follow the trail her small feet left behind. From what I could see they weren't as fresh which meant she was further away than I originally thought, causing the disappointment to resurface. It fell silent between us as the rest of them followed behind Daryl and I. But my steps slowed once I noticed she started going a completely different direction after only following the path for a few short minutes.

"She was doing just fine till right here, all she had to do was keep going. She veered off that way." Daryl spoke.

"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked.

Shane shrugged, "Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off."

"A walker?" Glenn questioned.

"There's no other footprints but hers." I replied.

Rick piped in, "How about you and Glenn go back up to the highway," he directed toward Shane, "People are going to start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail doing everything we can. But most of all keep everyone calm."

"I'll keep them busy scavenging cars. Keep them occupied." Shane nodded.

After the two of them quickly went off, it was silent between us once again. I knew we all had the same exact question on our minds, but no one dared to say it out loud as if putting it out into the universe would change everything. I could tell Rick felt extremely guilty for leaving her in the first place, but how could he have known? It was just an accident, something far beyond his control.

"Tracks are gone." Rick suddenly stated, looking towards the ground with furrowed brows.

I shook my head, "No, they're just faint. She came right through here." I said, pointing through the small bushes she pushed through.

"How can you tell? All I see is...dirt and grass." he replied with a furrow of his brow.

"Ya want a lesson on trackin, or you wanna find that girl and get our asses off that interstate?" Daryl was quick to clap back, clearly not having an ounce of patience for Rick's questioning.

The man seemed to sallow his words as he nodded, keeping quiet as we both followed Daryl deeper into the woods. We walked for a little bit longer, staying low to the ground, before we heard the familiar moans from a lone walker approaching.

I stepped up immediately, getting my knife ready as I spotted it through a few scattered trees. My arm raised as I threw it straight at its head the second it started to take notice to us. A sigh left my lips as I walked over to its limp body and pulled the knife out, wiping the blood off on its shirt before placing it back in my belt.

"This walker fed recently." Rick stated as he got low to the ground to examine it.

I tilted my head as I looked down, "How can you tell?"

"Skin under the fingernails." Rick listed, "And in its teeth."

"Only one way to know for sure it's not her." Daryl hinted as he then glanced towards me, "Can I use one of yer knives?" he asked.

I nodded and began to reach for one, but then remembered the weapon I found earlier in one of the cars. The knife was very sharp and bigger than my throwing knives, having a few little divots in the blade towards the handle that reminded me of a key. In my mind it would work better than the duller ones that I had that desperately needed to be sharpened.

I grabbed for it behind my belt, "Here." I muttered as I handed it over.

He took it from my hand and did a double take when he saw it, "This is new," he stated to my surprise, "When'd ya get it?"

"In one of the cars. I thought it was a good find." I replied with a shrug.

He nodded in acknowledgement before not wasting any more time as he raised the weapon in the air, bringing it down harshly and beginning to cut the walker open. The smell was always the worst part about these things and it's something I'll probably never get used to. I stood off to the side as I watched the scene in slight disgust, scrunching my face up at the sounds.

They looked inside the corpse for a few long moments, fishing around through its dark guts before finding out that it wasn't Sophia and just a random animal. How they could tell the difference, I had no fucking idea. But at least it wasn't her.

Relief seemed to fill us once we knew for sure she was still alive out here. But we needed to start heading back, knowing it would be nearly dark by the time we made it up to the highway.

The last thing any of us wanted to do was leave her out here for the night, but we didn't really have another choice. We wouldn't be able to track her down in the dark and would only be going around in circles hopelessly until the sun rose again. So, after debating with each other, we made the tough decision to head back and give the news to the others.

As we trucked through the woods, Daryl started asking me when I started to learn how to track suddenly out of the blue. I actually saw him get a little excited that someone shared the same interest as him, even if he tried to not show that he was, I knew. It was almost amusing seeing him talk about the things he liked to do most, and I answered every question he threw at me.

We seemed to get lost in the conversation until Rick announced we were almost there, barely being able to see the road through the trees. I was a little disappointed that our talk seemed to be cut short and by the looks of it, so was he. Now the guilty feeling was just washing right back over me the second I saw Carol's disappointed and fearful face.

Her expression dropped the second she saw us appear from the woods, "You didn't find her?" she asked almost instantly.

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light." Rick announced.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own, to spend a night alone in the woods." she continued, her voice breaking towards the end.

"Out in the dark's no good." Daryl advised, "We'd just be trippin over ourselves. More people get lost."

"I know it's hard, but I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there. We have to make this an organized effort, Daryl and Rose know the woods better than anybody. I've asked them to oversee this." Rick said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Carol's eyes then trailed down to the blood splattered lightly on Daryl's clothes, "Is that blood?" she asked worriedly.

"We took down a walker, but it wasn't near Sophia." I assured.

"How do you know?" she asked me.

"We cut that son of a bitch open, made sure." Daryl said.

Carol's sadness then slowly started to turn into anger right before our very eyes as she looked at Rick, asking him how he could just leave her like that. I knew he was trying to stay calm with her, but I could also clearly see he looked stressed enough, not needing a guilt trip from the sobbing mother. I just stayed completely silent as I looked down at my feet, while they only seemed to go back and forth with each other.

But the conversation ended with her small voice, still saddened and broken, "My little girl got left alone in the woods." she said in disbelief before turning away from the man, not daring to say another word.

That's when I started to feel even more terrible, feeling as if I didn't do enough to help her. Maybe I should've gone with Rick, or maybe I should go back out right now to continue the search.

I didn't know what to do with myself, finding myself slowly walking off, away from everyone. Glenn's voice called out my name when he caught me slipping away, but I ignored him, I just wanted to be alone for a little while. I knew he would understand in the end, feeling the need to process one blow after another as I escaped their distant voices.

Sitting myself down on the hood of one of the abandoned, rusted cars, I took the time to decompress after the events. How it all seemed to happen so fast; just like that she was gone. How easy it was for her to just get lost in hardly any time at all while Rick turned his back for only minutes. It only made me worry further that we didn't find much of anything other than the footprints imprinted in the dirt. And even those ran cold.

Subtle approaching footsteps is what caused me to roll my eyes, "Just leave it alone Glenn, we'll talk tomorrow." I muttered, not turning to face him.

"It's me."

I glanced over my shoulder in slight surprise to see Daryl standing there instead, his expression unreadable as I still said nothing. He took my silence as somewhat of an invitation as he hesitantly made his way over to the hood and sat down beside me, looking above him at the night sky. My eyes didn't stray from him as I found myself silently appreciating these moments, simply because he understood when I didn't feel the need or want to speak. He would just sit there quietly, not starting any kind of discussion unless I did first. I picked up on the pattern, but each time I seemed to appreciate more and more.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I said lightheartedly, referring to the last time I sought him out.

He huffed a small laugh before turning to face me, "Nah. Just...wanted to make sure yer okay."

I smiled at him and scooted a little closer before I let my head fall onto his shoulder for some type of comfort. He tensed a little bit but not even a second later he began to relax. We didn't say anything else, just sat there listening to our surroundings and staring at the hundreds of cars still scattered in front of us.

That was until I heard a small "oh " come out of his mouth like he had forgotten something. I shifted my head and looked over to see he had pulled out the new knife I previously gave him, dangling it in front of my face trying to give it back. But I shook my head simply in response, leaving him slightly confused.

"Keep it." I said simply.

His brows pulled together, "Ya sure?" 

"Trust me I've got plenty." I assured.

He smiled at me in appreciation before putting it back wordlessly while my head fell back on his shoulder, only this time, he didn't tense.

~ Thanks for reading!

[artmcfarts]

A summary on Kokichi oma from Danganropa V3

(And a rant on saioma)

My Danganropa phase is coming back. And as such, my obsession with Saioma is coming back as well.

That being said I wanted to do my take on why people, including myself, ship them...

First let's start breaking down Shuichi's character. Shuichi saihara is a timid yet reserved boy who's known as the ultimate detective. He doesn't take pride in his title, in fact he doesn't even want to be a detective. But with the game and death at this throat, he tries to find a way to survive the killing game. Although, through his peers and the growing tension of everyone dying around him, he learns to be more assertive and more in control of the murder investigations. Shuichi is what I like to call a growing with style kind of character. Once he takes his hat off, he's a completely different guy. Just another protagonist, but all our other protagonists have gone on to be something related to Junko's plan. Shuichi is definitely a developed character to me. But he still has traces of his old self lingering.

As for Kokichi.

My favorite character in the whole series of Danganropa EVER. I can see why he has fans. He's funny, cocky and overall a little shit. I have a history of flocking towards characters who have the degenerate or chaotic personalities; I.e Bakugo, Karkat, Venti, Alois. But Kokichi I feel is just a huge troll in general. Kokichi is what I call chaotic in the sake of the game and it seems he doesn't care about life, but he's the most humane out of everyone. NOT TO MENTION he believes in consent and we love that♡.

When you put a timid, shy oblivious and chaotic, brutally honest troll of a character like Kokichi and Shuichi together, it makes for a really cute ship.

These types of ships are meant to be balance between each other. Always a Ying to a Yang. A good to an evil. A lie to a truth.

That's what Kokichi and Shuichi are to each other. Shuichi never knows if Kokichi is serious or lying. And Kokichi LOVES that, but it also kinda sucks because teasing can only go so far.

Kokichi would tell Shuichi he loves him and Shuichi would just be like "h-huh?? What??" Huge example of the Love Hotel, Shuichi tries to play into Kokichi's fantasy but he doesn't know what Kokichi really wants. People love the hotel mostly because of the part where Kokichi goes

"You can do whatever you want to me. And that's the truth."

Kokichi is a little

Zesty

And just a little

FREAKY

But not all the time. He tells Shuichi straight up what he wants. A love confession? Or lust? I think it's Canon that Kokichi really does have feelings for Shuichi but going off on the love Hotel scene isn't really enough. You'd have to interact with this guy to actually tell if he likes Shuichi. He treats Shuichi like any other person stuck with them. Teasing him is just more fun because Shuichi doesn't call Kokichi names or rolls his eyes at him, which is probably why Kokichi draws himself to him.

Overall, we have kokichi and shuichi couples irl, which is probably why the ship is so popular. Or they're just cuties. Shuichi x Kaito tho...

Ship what you want. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone :)♡

ANYWAY SAIOUMA ART DUMP

Credit goes to all these beautiful artists♡

[ggomos-maribat]

Soul-Stitching: The Heir and the Guardian

Masterlist

Chapter 1: the assassin and his servant | AO3

CW: Suicide, blood, injury, referenced childhood trauma, mild violence

It is no surprise that the League of Assassins has its own fair share of enemies at its tail. Yet recently, there has been an onslaught of attacks, prompting its members to switch between the network of bases—its young heir is no exception. The third base to house Damian sits between two frosted peaks towering over a Tibetan village, first founded by the demon's daughter herself. Though the instigator of the attacks is unknown, it seems that the abilities of the opposing group is nearly on par with the trained assassins. Damian has scoffed at this piece of information; no one stands at the same level as the League.  

Unfortunately, Damian has been kept away from the frontlines under Talia's strict instructions despite his insistence to fight. Knowing his status, Damian begrudgingly complied to escape and hide. Even if the food is cold and the night wind sometimes sneaks in to bite his bones, he sits still to wait for news announcing that it's safe to return to the main base.   

He sits up on his creaky bed. The ends of the sheets are fraying, and the floors are ice cold, with the gray and brown meshing into a drabby color. The only semblance of a decoration is his twin katanas leaning off the side of his bed frame. It's a far cry from the home he knows, though his routine is mostly unchanged: training from dawn to dusk. But he can tell this day is different. From the commotion happening outside the room and the lingering tension in the air, Damian deduces that another attack is on the way.  

Finally, his thoughts are confirmed when he hears the door open. "Master Damian?"  

He has his back turned to her, his servant, but he can already picture out her presence. An unsteady stance dwarfed in a thick coat, calloused hands wrapped in fingerless gloves, cheeks that have lost a tad bit of their rosiness nowadays, and hair pushed back into twin braids. A child just like him, but raised an assassin nonetheless. "Lady Talia wishes for you to be relocated again. We will use the back tunnel and rendezvous with our guides halfway down the mountains. They will escort us to out—"  

"Where are we relocating to?"  

". . . I don't know, Master."  

She swiftly moves to the side to pack his things. Damian picks up his weapons, biting back the habitual click of his tongue. He's sick of the cycle, feeling like a coward running away endlessly. "And why can't we hold them off?"  

"We do not have enough people. Between guarding the Demon Head and the Pits, and covering all bases . . . The enemies have become too much to handle." Marie ties together the strings of the backpack, before strapping a rolled-up sleeping bag on top.  

"If our assassins are competent enough, we would not be struggling ," Damian hisses.  

The servant doesn't reply, but he catches the twitch of her upper lip. Like him, Marie has been forbidden from fighting the enemies, but she has been helping with the supplies and cleaning, apart from assisting him in training. She should know how weak the League has become.  

"We will leave in five minutes," she says, offering his coat to him.  

"What if I don't want to leave?" 

"I am sorry, Master, but Lady Talia said—"  

"Nevermind what Mother said. I can do it. I can fight."  

Marie's expression changes just a little, and her hand reaches up to clutch her sleeve. He knows that even though she serves under him, she mostly answers to his mother. And defying Talia had greater consequences. It is not the first time Damian has wanted to go against higher orders; Marie has often eased him into not breaking the rules. 

"I think it is better for you to reserve your energy for training, Master. Let the rest of us worry about the enemies." 

"Tt. Grandfather should do something about this."  

When Marie finally persuades him, they venture out to the winding halls. She navigates expertly, avoiding the rings of the gunshots and clashing of swords. Damian knows that they are near the exit when he feels the chilling gust of wind. The rocky snow-topped terrain welcomes them outside—there is only white and gray for miles that everything looks like a lifeless desert. Damian blinks against the sunlight, puffs of fogged breath floating along his vision. In the snowy landscape, Marie looks even paler, as if her skin has become translucent.  

The swords on Damian's back feel heavier too. He has found that fighting in the cold is more troublesome—his joints are hardened, and the blood rushes out of his limbs. The stiffness of his muscles limit his movement and the thin air makes it difficult to breathe. Their escape party is too vulnerable, and if they were to encounter a hostile group, he will have to make the kill quick.  

He glances at Marie every now and then. Her skills are average, and she looks smaller when bundled up. He doesn't miss the way she favors one foot when she trudges in the snow. Though she has been mentored by Talia, she is not like his mother, nor like the other women he is familiar with, like Nyssa or Lady Shiva. She's practically dead weight for Damian. An easy target.  

He doesn't remember when she first started serving under him. He only recalls huffing in annoyance seeing the tiny girl hanging around on the sidelines as he trained, occasionally joining him for a spar. He only knows her as the one who brings his food, supplies him with his secondary weapons, escapes into other bases with him, and acts as his mother's slave. She looks more attuned to the civilians in the towns Damian sees during his missions, not someone who has blood in her hands. Rarely does she show emotion, not even some annoyance or defeat when he easily beats her during practice, not even flinching when the other servants delivered sharp slaps on her arms, not even a hint of awe like when Damian first gazed upon the second League base in Nepal. Her expressions are usually blank or incomplete, as if she suppresses her reactions.  

She marches close to him, head darting around to check for danger. Damian stops and asks, "How long until we meet the guides?"  

"We have one day of travel, Master."  

"One day? Could they have not sent a plane?"  

"It's too risky…"  

Damian clenches his jaw. A day of hiking through frozen hell. He pulls his hood over his head and quickens his pace.  

"Wait, Master, we should slow down." Marie calls after.  

He doesn't care. The faster they walk, the faster they can meet up with their allies and get out of there.  

"Master, wait—" A thump sounds out. Damian looks behind him to see Marie scrambling to get up. 

"Tt. You could have stayed behind if you can't even walk."  

Marie mumbles her apologies while catching up to him. "We should keep ourselves from tiring out quickly. There is still a long way to go."  

"What if the enemies catch up to us?" 

"They will not." She purses her lips. "They should not know you're escaping. They should not know you're here in the first place."  

"They always know." Damian continues along the nonexistent path. "I'm certain there are moles here."  

As they keep walking, Marie sometimes wobbles with the humongous bag but she doesn't trip again.  Damian doesn't keep count how many steps they have taken or how long they walk, but soon he starts to stagger and shiver, and the sun fades away slowly. Marie directs them to a small cave carved out on the side of a cliff. It is small and still cold, but it will do for the night. Damian gives in to his aching legs, putting his swords in front of him, while Marie sets up the camp. She kindles a humble fire and takes out the supplies to make a meal.  

"A seating mat, Master?" Marie lays out a folded cloth off to the side. Damian crawls to it wordlessly, leaning against the bumpy wall and draping an arm over his eyes. 

She hugs her knees and watches the boiling water. "There might be a storm tonight. I can cover up the entrance, but I do not know how well it will hold up."  

He doesn't reply.  

"Any food you prefer, Master?" 

"What difference does it make? It's all tasteless meal kits."  

"But—" 

"I don't care. Whatever you can make."  

"If we wake up early, we can reach our destination in time," Marie continues, "It is colder in the morning but I have heat packs in the bag."  

“...” 

Damian peeks as she cooks a simple stew. The aroma spreads around the cave, mingling with the shadows created by the fire. The warmth chases away the chill just a little. His servant seems to note his unwillingness to make small talk, so they eat their meals in complete silence, basking in the crackling flames instead. Marie unrolls the sleeping bag and positions herself near the opening of the cave with a knife in hand.  

"Please get some sleep, Master Damian. I will keep watch," says Marie.  

Damian rolls to face the ceiling. Camp-outs are often bleak, and he practically has to sleep with one eye open. But owing to the soreness of his body, he drifts into deep slumber. He has no clue how long he sleeps but when he wakes up, the fire has gone small and the numbed pain in his back has become more persistent. Damian sits up to see Marie staring off blankly into the foggy snowstorm. She's trembling badly and her chapped lips have turned into a light shade of blue. They make brief eye contact before she jumps up to push out the little snow starting to pile up at the opening.  

Damian averts his gaze, buries deeper into the sleeping bag, and thinks to himself how foolish it is for her to stay awake and away from the fire.  

He lies awake instead of going back to sleep as the  cold has won over his drowsiness. An eternity of gazing up at the darkness, his eyelids begin to feel heavy— 

Damian's hand darts up to grab the wrist hovering over him. “What are you doing?” 

Marie recoils back in surprise. "Hea—heat pack, Master. You looked cold."  

"Tt. Forget it. I will get one myself if I'm cold."  

Marie nods weakly, lowly muttering her apologies again, and returns to her post.  

***

The next time Damian wakes, it's from noises nearby. The morning light has spilled into the cave, and the fire has reduced into ash and some smoke. The second thing he notices is the lack of Marie's presence—Damian scrambles up and runs towards the cave opening to see his servant locked in a fight with a stranger just on the edge of the cliff. An enemy assassin perhaps. He has her pinned to the ground, but her fingers are tightly wound around his neck. Marie lets out a choked scream when the man jams the hilt of his weapon on her injured foot.  

Damian immediately pulls out his katana and swipes at the enemy's neck. He tugs Marie by the collar and kicks the man's large body off the drop. After looking around for other assassins he looks down on his servant, who's already making a makeshift splint from her knife holder despite her ragged breathing and the cut running across her hairline. 

"Where's the bag?" Damian asks, wiping off the hint of blood from his blade.  

Marie's eyes widen up at him, and they slowly follow down the height of the cliff.  

"Really? You can barely hold off an enemy and you've lost our supplies?" Damian's hand clenches around his sword.  

"I am sorry, Master, I was packing up and—and I was about to wake you." Her voice wavers. "I—I still have some food in my belt—" 

" Save it," he cuts her off. "We have to get down from here as fast as we can."  

Even if that assassin is a lone wanderer, they can't risk another similar encounter. If that happens, Damian isn't certain if he can keep himself alive, much less the both of them, especially if they're overwhelmed by numbers. He curses at his stiff hands; he could've been much faster if it were any other circumstance.  

"I—I am sorry, Master," Marie gasps out.  

"I said save it." Damian begins to hike again, and she follows while limping after crawling into the cave and packing up his sleeping bag.  

He's surprised that she survived and held off the assassin, but she did so sloppily that her injury was aggravated. Because of that, they will be slowed down indefinitely, unless he chooses to venture on ahead. That is the truth in the League of Assassins: that kind of weakness isn't tolerated, even if she has some ability to defend herself. Those incapable are quickly rooted out, and those who are prodigies train to become more vicious.  

Damian momentarily halts when he observes that the path has narrowed down. They can still cross and climb down, but after one wrong move, they will be falling into a merciless death. He tests the rock, moving one step at a time and clinging onto the shallow crevices of the wall.  

He turns to Marie. “Climbing gear?”  

She bows her head in guilt. “Inside the bag . . . Master.”  

“That is your own fault,” he spits out. “If you cannot cross this, I'm not helping you.”  

He feels her trying to follow closely, but her balance is dangerously off. Damian watches as she struggles to walk through. Her breaths are unsteady as she keeps her gaze on her feet. On top of that, she's shivering more than the previous day.  

When Marie makes a misstep and gasps sharply when she slips, Damian jumps in to grab her sleeve to keep her from falling. She swallows and thanks him, to which he sternly directs to hold onto him as they cross. It takes them a longer while than he hoped for, but they finally come towards a more spacious and safer landing. Still, the bottom of the mountain is still too far to see.  

“I thought Mother sent you to escort and protect me,” he tuts, looking down at her as she collapses on her knees to catch her breath. “Yet you are slowing us down and putting both our lives in danger.”  

“You . . . you are right, Master. Forgive me.” She coughs a little, rubbing the area near her wound. “But I was trying to protect you—”  

“You were as good as dead if I had not stepped in. Who were you trying to protect?”  

“I apologize for my inadequacy.” She has lowered herself into a deep bow, head touching the snow. “Please punish me or kill me as you wish. We are nearing the meeting point anyway; I will be of no use soon.”  

“Tt. You don't even deserve to perish by my hand.” Damian looks down at her in distaste. The heir of the League should not be accompanied by such a servant in the first place. It's already a miracle that she has survived for this long, and he doesn't want to get rid of the little help she can offer. Perhaps as a convenient shield if they encounter enemies again.  

“Stand up,” he orders. “You are delaying us again.”  

She carefully does so, but when she shows her face again, Damian is nearly taken aback, seeing her again up close. Her forehead is smeared with dried blood and the side of her face is slightly swollen. But what surprises him is her usual dead eyes are now glistening with tears.  

“You are right, Master. I should not delay us any longer.” Marie sniffles, moving over to the edge.  

“Wh—what—”  

“I am sorry for not meeting your expectations. There is no excuse for my actions.” She takes out her knife.  

“Wait—” 

“Our allies are nearby; it will not take long.”  

Red. All that fills his vision is red: bold, flowing red against the canvas that is the frost. The intricately-carved hilt sticks out of her abdomen, spreading the ghastly color into her clothes. The blood isn't anything new for Damian to see, but he has never seen it like this.  

The white sky and red.  

Her white fingers and red.  

The white shine of the blade and red.  

Heavy drops spill onto the snow, then crushed underneath her boot as she sways backwards.  

“Please take care . . . Master Damian.”  

Before he can tell his body to move, she has disappeared by the hand of gravity, falling until the fog covers up. Damian wonders where the scream he hears comes from until he realizes his throat is hoarse.  

***

Damian jolts awake, cold sweat slithering down the nape of his neck. It takes him a second to realize that he is in his bedroom in the Wayne manor, and the sun is yet to rise. He shivers even though he feels warm, as if the memory of the cold has followed him back to reality. Frustrated, he tugs hard at his hair as he tries to even out his breaths.  

He just dreamed of that again.  

Next Chapter →

[catchyhuh]

my fave lupin iii blog .... give me your wisdom

cologne / perfume scents for the gang

i had to do an embarrassing amount of research on this one. mostly because perfume lore goes a lot deeper than i ever could have imagined and i wanted to give you something GOOD so ALL THAT SAID if any of you disagree with this you may be right. i did five quizzes, read up on multiple blogs from the 2000s, learned the "scent families" and at the end of the day just gave up and typed "douchiest colognes" into google

lupin: generally speaking, regardless of WHAT he's getting, any "subtle" notes are going to now have the force of a freight train the way he's practically bathing in this stuff. which is pretty rough when already coupled with really strong, amber-y scent type shit. lupin's cologne does not smell light and pleasant, it smells like you walked into a dark red cloud, which is ironic considering the conclusion i came to was dolce and gabbana light blue. people fucking hate this smell, despite parts of it sounding good in theory, and since lupin's shitty cologne has been addressed canonically numerous times, i feel this is it. even a tiny bit of this perfume makes so many people seem to wither like flowers in the sun so i can only imagine what happens when a guy who's been dunktanking himself in this walks in the room

jigen: again, its kind of overpowering. not because he overdoes it like lupin, but again, these are just not very subtle people, and even if jigen does SEEM reserved, he likes making a scene just as much as the others in the right environment. like, a mix of amber and woodsy types. i ended up on dior fahrenheit on this one and it made me realize both lupin and jigen using like, excessively common brands makes sense. for lupin its brand recognition, for jigen it's convenience. he probably smelled this in the fucking 90s and just committed to it since

fujiko: this was simultaneously the hardest and easiest, because i kept looking trying so damn hard to figure this out, to pinpoint what would SCREAM fujiko while still being unique enough to appeal to her lavish tastes, but NORMIE enough that i would be able to read up the notes on perfume reddit (they seem to know what they're talking about there) only to realize. wait. this is the same bitch who won't even keep her hair dyed the same color all the time. fujiko has no specific fashion sense beyond "stylish and with the current times" and i feel that's what applies to her perfume too. well and. hot. i guess. stylish, current, and hot. that's like 50 bottles right off the bat. regardless, it'll always be bold. thats right baby we're at amber AGAIN, but because she doesn't wanna scare off potential prey there's always a faint undertone of sweet flowers. she's smart like that even her perfume is calculated.

goemon: my man does not wear cologne on any occasion. he thinks its silly because you can smell good for free if you just fucking. bathe. why pay 80 dollars to smell bad? HOWEVER (as just established) goemon is bathing and 90% of shampoos/bodywashes have a scent. and goemon's is very... crisp. kinda citrus-y at times? this is the most mundane answer (and the most accessible they got this shit at walmart) but you know that mint teatree shampoo? he's got the faintest hint of that specific scent lingering on him

zenigata: this is going to sound so funny and mean but like. imagine if a smell was trying to look cool but just kind of making an ass of itself. i feel like that's what he'd have, regardless of if the cologne did actually smell good on anyone else, it'd feel just a bit overzealous on him. it was way difficult to find something that made sense to me but wasnt like, again, 80 fucking dollars, because you know for a fact he's spending 15 tops. and that's if he even remembers to wear it. at best, for some reason, i feel like he'd be a sandalwood guy but i can't really place why? honestly i was kinda ready to give up until i saw GREY FUCKING FLANNEL BABY!!! THIS SHIT IS DIRT CHEAP HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE 70S AND APPARENTLY EVERYBODY'S DAD KNEW SOMEBODY WHO WORE THIS! AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S IN IT? SANDALWOOD!!!!!!

now i can finally close all these fucking perfumania tabs

[noperopesaredope]

Random Angsty BNHA Bakugou AU

So I was reading this crackfic (absolutely hilarious btw), and the third chapter, while comedic, gave me an idea for a potentially angsty AU (don't have a name for it yet).

So, like in canon, after Bakugou learns that Deku is quirkless, he starts bullying him and beating him up sometimes. But the thing is, Bakugou is five years old, and doesn't completely know how to control his quirk, or were the limit is.

(They are still little kids btw, and their relationship is in a complicated place where Deku still kinda views Bakugou as a friend) One day, while bullying Deku, Bakugou accidently takes things a little too far, and creates a way bigger explosion than usual. Right in Deku's face.

This obviously kills him, and deeply traumatized Bakugou. Because, ya know, he accidently killed his friend(?) as a little kid. After this incident, Bakugou becomes a lot more cautious about his quirk, and a bit more reserved. Well, reserved isn't quite the right word. He's still his angry, pissed off self, but he's also a lot more closed off, and prefers to avoid people. He acts mostly the same, but lacking a lot of the confidence and arrogance he has in canon.

He's still angry and can get pissed off easily, and will quickly escalate to yelling, but he rarely gets physical (still a bit afraid of his own quirk accidently killing someone again, especially since it's gotten a lot more powerful).

Bakugou also secretly feels a lot of guilt over what happened, and while he doesn't let it show (since he rarely talks about the incident), he definitely has a ✨complex✨

However, despite this, he still wants to be a hero, and while he's not sure if he deserves it, he feels compelled to sign up for UA anyways. Maybe it's his old childhood desire lingering on. Maybe it's to save people and stop more tragedies from occurring. Maybe it's to carry on Deku's own dream of being a hero. Who knows? Not Bakugou.

The main thing that will be a major part of his arc in this AU is the fact that he holds back a LOT. It actually changes his whole fighting style, because as much as he doesn't completely care all that much about the safety of villains (he's not that OOC in this), he still has a lot of discomfort around aiming his explosions directly at people (flashbacks may occur when he does so). This means he will end up finding ways to fight without directly aiming his attacks, instead using his surroundings and strategizing more.

While he's still pretty good at fighting, its clear that he's actively avoiding using his full potential, kinda like pre-tournament Todoroki (but for VERY different reasons). So he's much more ~mysterious~, but people don't realize it at first, because he seems relatively "normal" and isn't completely closed off, just prickly.

It also makes his dynamic with the class a bit interesting, because they are some of the first people he's begun opening up around ever since the incident. And he's more openly pissed off around them (though they all realize that that's just his personality and actually a sign that he feels comfortable with them). So when Bakugou's past is finally revealed (possibly not to everyone at once, but to a select few people), it's a big shock and stuff. They knew he was closed off and a bit of a bitch, but they didn't recognize there might be underlying trauma present.

I think it could be interesting if it was a slow burn reveal for some of the characters, starting with the tournament arc. Aizawa notices him holding back a lot during the early fights (maybe he noticed a bit during class, but never acknowledged it), and decides to confront Bakugou about it in private. Eventually, after a bit of arguing, Aizawa has him backed into a corner, and Bakugou doesn't admit everything at once, but he does reveal that something bad did happen at some point that makes him reluctant about using his quirk.

Aizawa understands this, but tells him he still needs to learn to use it, despite the fear. And thus, Bakugou's arc properly begins.

The first person he would fully admit some of the details to would probably be Kirishima (though Denki could be a much funnier yet sweet alternative. But maybe both at once could work), though in one of those quieter scenes. Maybe, in the middle of a battle (probably against LoV), Kirishima (or alternatively Denki) asks Bakugou why he won't use his quirk against the villains, and Bakugou lashes out a bit at him. Kirishima/Denki realizes that this is really sensitive to Bakugou, and not just a normal secret. So tells him that Bakugou can tell him on his own terms.

This is one of the first/few times that someone has actually let Bakugou have space rather than proding, and he isn't fully sure how to react, but it's also a relief.

Then, later, after the battle, when all is said and done, Kirishima/Denki and Bakugou are having a quiet moment together. And this is when Bakugou decides that he is comfortable telling the truth. He keeps it mostly vague, but does say that when he was a little kid, he was a lot more cocky and confident using his quirk. But one day, he used a much bigger explosion towards a former friend of his, and the other kid didn't survive.

It's a very quiet and sad scene and depending on the character, could be pretty interesting.

The rest of Class 1A might actually figure it out themselves, or at least realize something is Up™ after a more unusual outburst from Bakugou (maybe someone jokingly calls Kacchan and he lashes out).

Anyways, that's MOST of this AU. But there are a few small potential directions the overarching plot can go.

In a normal version of this AU, All Might won't need to pass down One for All, or its his natural quirk, or whatever. I'm handwaving plot stuff. I think it could make things pretty interesting all on its own, just exploring Bakugou on his journey to become a hero with his whole complex.

But if we want to spice things up, maybe Bakugou ends up somehow proving to All Might that he deserves OfA, and All Might decides to make Bakugou his successor. Bakugou is actually reluctant at first, but then accepts it.

Then we have things a little closer to canon but with the added element of a "Bakugou Gets One for All" AU, except Deku isn't there because Bakugou accidently killed him when they where children. This actually can give him minor parallels to Shigaraki, as the dude DID kill his family using his quirk as a kid, and Bakugou secretly relates to elements of that, as well as the idea of having a potentially fatal quirk.

IDK, it could be interesting, but someone else would need to add all the details. I could also have someone else take OfA, and Bakugou's still a major supporting character, but the whole "Deku died" thing is his secret backstory. Or Bakugou's still the main character of the AU, and the OfA thing is an underlying major plotline we find out about later. And it's a whole big reveal. Maybe it could be Kirishima or something. That would be insane.

So those are (most of) my ideas for this AU. Sure, it's a bit basic, and pretty OOC (then again, what canon-divergent AU isn't at least a little OOC?). But I love it all the same. Give me your thoughts and suggestions, and feel free to add more or even write fics with it (though please credit me for the concept). I'd love your feedback!

[kaiser1ns]

GET TO WORK.

marceline thank you for stopping by mwah ! im sorry for taking so long busy atm but here are the answers to your questions for me 'n chika !

1. Who loves the other person's perfume/ cologne?

— me, me, me. im a sucker for a good perfume especially if the smell is not so strong and he has so many perfumes that i often use because why are men's perfumes always so good? it's not fair...can't help it but to steal his perfume along with his clothes and he doesn't mind, especially when i return them and they smell like the perfumes i own. sharing is caring ♡

2. Who made the first move?

— me, of course. do you see this man initiating anything first besides throwing a punch? it started with holding hands and physically being close to him, like me putting my legs over his, my head on his shoulder and a lot of cuddles, and the times when i didn't held his hand he just stared at me holding out his hand wondering why we aren't intertwining fingers while walking...ah, my sweet chika always wanting me close to him.

3. Who gets butterflies in their stomach when they kiss the other?

— i fear i will answer everything with myself, but me. i am a romantic at heart and i can feel the butterflies just by thinking of him. and when we kiss, oh god i have a whole garden with butterflies inside me he is just so casual about it while i go crazy and can't get enough of him and his soft lips while cupping his soft cheeks and just doing everything and anything with him makes me get butterflies.

4. Who likes to sleep on the other's chest?

— him. i like to hold something when i sleep, be it blanket or my bt21 cooky plushie. and chika is the perfect plushie. its actually so nice and calming because i used to fall asleep as a baby playing with my mother's hair, and now as he is already fallen asleep i play and comb his hair with my fingers before i too go to dreamland, he is just so nice.

5. How do they balance one another out?

— our personalities are opposites attract as he is the quiet nonchalant boyfriend and im the sunshine loving girlfriend. my emotional intelligence is on another level, so i can understand him pretty well but that doesn't mean i wouldn't get angry when he doesn't care about things i find important, like please buy me a flower or just pluck some violet from the ground i don't want much. most of the times he just stays silent, with that bored expression on his face and is hard to read it, but his body language gives it away. for example, i'll notice small gestures that show he cares—perhaps how he lingers a bit longer during a hug, or the way he remembers small details about me that i’ve mentioned before. the main thing is having patience and understanding that his love and care may manifest in ways that aren't always obvious, but are no less genuine. over time, i’ve learned to appreciate these signs, even if they don't always align with my own expectations. his reserved nature doesn't mean he doesn’t care; it simply means he expresses his affection in a way that’s unique to him, and understanding this is part of what makes our relationship special.

6. Where were they when they knew they loved each other?

— movie night at my place when my parents weren't home so i can invite people over, and what better way to spend time with your we are in a relationship, but at the same with we aren't, but we do everything a couple do, while we aren't a couple than watching lion king. cuddling on my bed as the films goes on and we just talk, or its mostly me talking about how the soundtrack is so good and then "can you feel the love tonight?" starts playing, something just happened between us. i remember feeling the warmth of his body next to mine, the comfort of his presence so natural yet somehow different. it was like the song was narrating our unspoken emotions. and then it happened ... our first kiss. it felt like everything fell into place and it was then when i realized how much i cared for him, how deeply i was in love, and I could sense he felt the same. it was just us, showing our love in the simplest, yet most profound way. it's the magic of disney, isn't it?

7. Who tells the other person they love them every time they leave the house?

— me, like please chika say it it's not hard, i know you show me you love me, but please say it back. i can tell him i love him every second when we are together, he won't escape it and won't hear the end it. i love you chika, i say before leaving a kiss on his squishy and soft cheeks.

8. Who teaches the other a new skill?

— i think we both teach eachother new things. he teaches me how to fight more properly, and i teach him about his emotions and feelings. i will probably teach him to cook or eat something different besides burgers and fries (even tho i love our dates when we go to get fast food). can you imagine chika eating ceaser salad? because i will force him to eat it. i just want my boyfriend to eat various of things to be healthy. going to fix him and his habits, to love is to be changed and he has no other option.

9. Who is better with animals?

— guess the answer, me. i love animals and sometimes i buy food the strays. im good with cats and he is forced to visit my cat with me every weekend when me and my parents go to the countryside. my cat is like chika, chika is like my cat. both wont look your way even if you call them. they are spoiled. my cat will only eat his food if it's cut into small pieces and handed to him, but then again i will do everything for my cat so spoiling him is a must. he leaves and then comebacks to eat, sometimes with scars and wounds because he fights... sounds like chika right? but both will show you affection in their own way, and when i see my boyfriend patting him and playing with him, it's the most cutest thing ever and i definitely have my new wallpaper.

10. Who can't stop making jokes at a bad time to try to get the other to laugh?

— im trying my best to see the smile on his face by telling him jokes i know are funny and wholesome and he just stares at me, the audacity. and then i get angry, more and more, super angry because is he some kind of robot or something? and then i hear a small laugh ... oh, he is smiling now, how precious. takiishi chika just wanted me to get angry, and he enjoys pushing my buttons as my patience runs out. i can't control my emotions sometimes especially my anger.

"get up and leave, i don't want to look at your pretty face anymore."

"no."

how can someone be so calm all the time? i swear, he’s only alive when im about to explode. he doesn’t react to anything else—my jokes, my attempts at affection—nothing. but the moment im furious, he’s suddenly amused. my lovely boyfriend, he is the whole damn joke with the twist at the end.

[carsonian]

stevetony prompt: "Your hands are cold." <3

wrote this in 30 mins. this week is crazy. thank u jen for my life.

"Just Wanna Feel Your Touch (When It's Cold)" on AO3 | 1,338 words | Rated M

"Rescue me." Steve says, making very little effort to add any real inflection to the words. 

"Rescue yourself," Tony replies. "You're Captain America."

"You don't have to use that against me." 

"I believe in you, Steve." Tony says, taking a sip from one of the water bottles they'd set out for them. "You can save yourself from the press conference." 

"You sure you can't join it?" 

"If it were up to me, I probably wouldn't go, no." Tony clears his throat, offering up a smarmy grin, "thankfully, it's up to Pepper and she said I can't go either. SI can't take the stock hit."

"But you were at the battle." 

"It's crazy how easy it is to hide behind a supersoldier, both literally and figuratively." Tony twiddles his fingers. Steve catches them out of the air, holding them in his palm for a moment before frowning. 

"Your hands are cold." He's exhausted to the marrow of him but the worry that rises up at the touch straightens his back, gives him back a bit of the steel he's been wanting for. 

"I only came outta the cradle twenty minutes back." Tony explains, shrugging briefly a moment after, "besides. Poor circulation and all that."

"Still." Steve rubs a thumb against Tony's palm, "you should go rest."

"How quickly your tune changes." Tony remarks, a thoughtful look about him, "you're like a Jazz song."

"Not the worst comparison I've gotten." Steve dismisses, "not even the worst one I've gotten from you."

"I know, I'm a sweetheart." Tony cringes at Steve's light pinch to his hand. 

"Ouch." Tony vocalises his displeasure. 

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" says Steve, the worry like bristle in his teeth. "It was only a week back that you had that chest infection."

"You need to be less concerned about that and more concerned about deflecting Christine Everhart when she asks you why the Hulk tore through two floors of a community center instead of fighting Blizzard." Tony points out. Steve strokes a thumb against the flesh of Tony's palm. Definitely cold. . . and the skin's a little pale, too.

"Really?" Tony asks, voice pitched low and intense when Steve brings a hand up against his forehead. 

"Is Dr. Cho still around?" Steve asks.

"Why—"

"Tony, I spent most of my life sick. I know what it looks like." 

"Yeah, and you'd think you'd know how annoying it is to have someone smother you over a hypothetical sickness."

"Good. Point." Steve punctuates each word with a hand running over his cheek and then neck, "just check in with Dr. Cho, though?" 

"Sure, sure." Tony says, not even trying to make it sound convincing.

"Excuse me, hi, Mr. Rogers?" Steve turns to face the portly woman at the door, a clipboard in her hands and thick black frames on her face. 

"We're ready for you." She adds, a breathy undertone to her voice that belies her outward calm. She must be new to the PR team, then. 

"Sure." Steve offers a final look to Tony, "are you going back to the tower?"

"Yeah, I'll see you back at home." Tony says. He doesn't lean up to kiss Steve. They haven't come out to the public yet, mostly on account of how new this thing between them is. And Steve's also got the sneaking suspicion that Tony thinks he's got reservations about people finding out Captain America is bisexual. Which, for the record, he doesn't.

"I'll see you back home, then." Steve echoes, letting Tony's hand go. The cold touch lingers, the threat of what it means remaining long after Tony puts his hand down to his side, leaving Steve troubled over Tony's condition.

"Sir?" The lady—whose name he should probably ask for—prompts again.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Steve says. 

.

When Steve walks into the bedroom, he's immediately greeted with a fluffy pillow to the face. He lets it hit him before catching it on the rebound and tossing it carelessly back onto the bed.

"You asked J.A.R.V.I.S. when I'd be coming in, didn't you?" Steve asks drily. 

"To the exact second." Tony confirms before clearing his throat, "J.A.R.V.I.S., onto the second thing."

The T.V. switches on, showcasing the clip from the end of the press conference. 

"—Now, if you'd excuse me," Steve watches himself from an hour back lean close into the mic, "Tony's got cold hands that I need to go and figure out."

Tony snaps his fingers to pause the clip a second before the press had all but erupted. Steve would know; he was there.

"What were you thinking?" Tony asks.

"I was thinking about you." Steve answers honestly, "Did you speak with Dr. Cho?"

Tony lets out a frustrated sound, coming up to him. He grabs Steve's face, hands gripping both cheeks and pushing them together. He's sporting a positively pissed-off expression, so overt about it that it's obviously a front for another emotion.

"Did you?" Steve says, voice muffled.

"I hope you don't expect me to think that was romantic." Tony says. 

"Your hands are still cold." Steve says. 

Tony releases him to cross his arms, defiant about it.

"Tony, I'm serious." Steve insists before amending, "Alright, you know what? I'm calling Dr. Cho."

"Ugh." Tony says, "look, listen to me, hey, hang on. Dr. Cho's got more to do than just be our in-house doctor. I'll call my doctor. You know, the doctor I've had for five years?" 

". . . Oh." Steve sighs, "You're serious?" 

"Yep." Tony boops his nose, "So that whole thing was unnecessary."

"Not really." Steve says, following behind Tony as the man walks over to the bedside table to pick up his phone, "I reckon the American public should know."

"That I have cold hands?" 

"That we're together." 

Tony halts with his phone halfway to his ear, "You told more than just the American public. You told the world."

"Even better." Steve raises an eyebrow to mirror the one Tony's got raised. 

"Even better." Tony mimics in a high tone. 

"Are you being deliberately snarky to deflect from how emotionally vulnerable you're feeling?" Steve checks. 

"Are you being deliberately—" Tony stops halfway, a hand going up to rub his throat, "That sentence is too long." 

"Call the doc, Tony." Steve says. 

"I am." Tony insists, the phone propped fully up to his ear. 

"I'm gonna go change outta this." Steve says.

"No, you're not." Tony says, a touch of glee in his voice, "Well, not immediately anyway. You're calling Pepper because something very funny is happening with the SI stock and she wants to talk to you. In my past experience, "talk" is often an oversimplification of what she's going to do. If I were you, I'd keep the phone volume low."

"Oh, boy."

"After that—" Tony stops him from leaving with a hand to his chest, "After all a' that, we're fucking."

"Oh!"

"Hey Maggie." Tony greets, turning away from Steve to talk on the phone, "Oh, you saw the conference clip? Yeah, it wasn't a joke. Could you do a house call? No, no, nothing serious, just an overly worried boyfriend—" 

Steve shakes his head and goes to pick up his phone. Better to face Pepper head on, before she gets time to put on those impossibly tall heels and stomp over to the tower.

.

"Okay, no." Steve leans back, sighs. They had a nap earlier, after showering, and he's feeling well-rested as can be. Tony, on the other hand. . .

"Come up here." Steve urges.

"What?" Tony whines. 

"Your hands are so cold, my dick's going soft." Steve complains, hearing a bit of his Brooklyn twang in the words.

"Ungrateful." Tony sniffs.

"Yeah, that's me." Steve says, bringing Tony up into his lap, "The medicine got you feelin' sleepy still?"

"A little." Tony says, "Why? Is it obvious?"

"Just t'me." Steve leans in, brings Tony's hands between his own, "How's about I lead?"

"Go on," Tony rests on his back, shoulders visibly untensing, "Warm me up."

[gayleviticus]

It’s interesting the role that Peter's confession that Jesus is the Messiah (and the subsequent journey to Jerusalem) plays in the different gospels.

in Mark, it comes at the exact halfway point, chapter 8 of 16, after a whole book of Jesus performing miracles but swearing people to secrecy. We honestly don't know that much about Jesus, and neither do the disciples; but at least we, the audience (and the demons) know he's the Son of God and Messiah.

The question is what that means - what is the Good News he's preaching? What is the Kingdom? What is Jesus' endgame? We don't know, and Jesus has been playing his cards very close to his chest; binding demons and swearing people to secrecy, teaching in enigmatic parables, performing feats that should be reserved for God alone. Is he a prophet? Elijah? John the Baptist? A demoniac?

But then Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah - and suddenly we discover that his fate is to suffer, die, and be raised again. His destiny is to be put to shame - and Peter is scandalised and tries to talk some sense into him! And then atop the mountain, Jesus is transfigured and Peter, James, and John discover he's the Son of God too.

We get about a chapter and a half of miscellaneous episodes, mostly teachings of Jesus capped with a healing. And then we enter Jerusalem, and the final act begins; his triumphial entry, cleansing of the temple, various conflicts with the chief priests and scribes, the Little Apocalypse, and then his betrayal and Passion. For Mark, Peter's confession is the turning point from which we start barrelling towards the cross, the only way by which we can truly understand who Jesus the Christ is. Not through his teaching, not through his parables, not through his miracles; Jesus is Christ through his cross.

Matthew is similar, although it doesn't have as heavy a emphasis on Jesus' secret identity, and we get plenty of teaching discourses before Peter's confession in ch 16 (57% thru the Gospel). We get a somewhat more substantial 3 or so chapters of parables and teaching before Jesus heads towards Jerusalem, and then he finally arrives in 21. matthew i think is like the extended addition of mark; in its excess it loses something of the narrative tightness of Mark, but it's not trying to do something fundamentally different.

Luke, however, is a bit different. For him, Peter's confession comes in ch 9, 37% through the Gospel. maybe not quite early enough to be still in the tutorial, not late enough to be the half-way plot-twist, but the end of Act 1. The Passion is predicted, Jesus' glory is revealed in the transfiguration, and by the end of the chapter the time has drawn near for Jesus to be taken up, and he 'sets his face' for Jerusalem.

And where Mark and Matthew kind of have a two-act structure of 'General ministry' and 'Holy Week in Jerusalem' (with the nativity as a prologue in Matthew), Luke has a three-act structure; 'General ministry' (ch 3-9), 'Journey to Jerusalem' (ch 10-19.27; heavily populated by Luke-exclusive material), and 'Holy Week in Jerusalem' (ch 19.28 -24).

Maybe Luke just wanted a way to structure all his added material, maybe he wanted to emphasise the significance of Jerusalem as the holy city and centre of Israel. But it's interesting how this changes the shape of the story.

For Mark and Matthew Peter's confession and the first Passion prediction kind of serve as an end to the fun and games, the moment when a darker story arc starts to emerge from what has otherwise been miracle/demon-of-the-week shennanigans. And this transition happens quite rapidly; by ch 11 of Mark, Jesus is in Jerusalem tearing up the Temple, by ch 14 plots are being hatched to kill him. Matthew maintains the same fundamental structure, altho stretched out simply by his tendency to add more Stuff.

But for Luke the pace is much slower, and it's as if the story is lingering with this sense of foreboding. Peter's confession is not gearing us up into endgame, but a tragedy that hangs over the rest of the narrative. Luke's insistence on maintaing this episodic structure for another good third of his Gospel accentuates the sense of fatality; Jesus is casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and yet he must be on his way, for it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem. But he must be killed.

And for John - well rather than having Jerusalem as the final dungeon, it's the hub city. Jesus returns here time and time again for enigmatic discourses and feuds with the Judeans, and his cleansing of the Temple is one of his first acts, not one of his final. And the confession that Jesus is the Messiah comes not from Peter, but are the very first words from his brother Andrew: "We have found the Messiah." (John 1.41).

The Passion of the Lord hangs over the entire narrative, but in subtle ways:

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,” “He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him,”

“I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” “You do not understand that it is better for one man to die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed!”

“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

The other three gospels play on a sense of dramatic irony, that we the audience know who Jesus is and where this story is going, but his disciples don’t. And so, then Peter’s confession and Jesus’ Passion prediction comes as a moment of revelation, of releasing this tension; the disciples know what we know, and yet they don’t quite understand. Peter tells Jesus off for being a doomer, and the men scatter when he’s put to death. The prophecy of the Passion comes a shocking reveal within the story of the Synoptic Gospels.

But there’s no such moment in John. Instead, we just get hints, allusions, enigmatic lines that only make sense in hindsight. There’s no apocalyptic moment of revelation, no moment when the penny drops; right up to Ch 14 (3 chapters before his arrest) Thomas is still saying stuff like “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”

In the Synoptics, Jesus’ Messiahship is inseparable from his Passion; in John the irony is his disciples know he’s the Messiah from Day One, but until his resurrection still don’t understand the meaning of the cross.

[leadhoovesies]

Finished My Dress-up Darling.

Ho-ly CRAP! What an amazing anime. It's a bit hard for me to put down my feelings about the whole thing. It hasn't caused me to bawl my eyes out like other things I watched recently, but it wasn't meant to. Its goal seems to be to give warm happy feelings and it succeeded. I am amazed that only one season is out so far. This is the first time that I'm heavily thinking of getting the manga just to see more.

I'll start with the animation. In a word, it's gorgeous. The lighting. The blur. The camera angles. The tiny details. The animation changes for each anime Marin wants to cosplay as. It's all so beautiful. I am blown away by the quality of work they put on here. That being said, I can see why a second season is taking a while.

I'll follow up with the audio, which I haven't really paid much attention to in other shows I've recently watched. The music in this is perfect. It's never bombastic or overwhelming. It lingers in the background adding a bit of flavor in every scene. Almost always warm and pleasant. Cozy. Snuggly.

I watched the dub. The localization is perfect. The voice actors did an amazing job.

Next I'll touch on the story. Dress-up Darling's Story didn't hit me as hard as my other recent watches. That's definitely not a negative. The story is, like the music, warm, cozy, and snuggly. It's safe. There's no intense conflict here. It's all about the developing feelings and relationship between two different yet similar people.

I was surprised at the amount of risqué scenes we got. That might push away some viewers, but honestly they did it mostly tastefully in my opinion.

It gets a bit intense, especially by episode 11. However, it makes sense in the story. It makes sense in their relationship. It's more romantic and cute than provocative. That being said, it being more romantic and intimate had a stronger effect on me, personally. Certainly got my heart racing and my face warm. I constantly had to pause the thing to compose myself.

Speaking of relationships. Marin and Gojo's is really good. Gojo is instantly attracted to Marin. I mean, of course he would be, but because of that he doesn't realize that his feelings for her are more than just his physical attraction towards her. Being sheltered for his entire life means he never really had the opportunity to explore these emotions. He keeps his distance because he thinks his reaction towards her might be disrespectful.

Marin on the other hand likes to tease Gojo. She recognizes Gojo is super awkward and enjoys messing with him a bit. However, she quickly develops real feelings towards him, realizes them right away, and ACCEPTS them. We don't get the typical "Oh no! I can't be in love! No!" denial that's common in these kinds of things. It's not absent. She has this reaction for like 5 minutes before she accepts that she REALLY loves the guy.

What's amazing is... they don't let this overwhelm their personalities. Gojo's world doesn't revolve around Marin. He isn't obsessed or constantly worrying about her. Same with Marin. She doesn't turn into some lovesick person. I'm especially happy with how she's written since she knows she likes Gojo, but it doesn't change how she acts around him very much. She even spends time away from him from time to time, and Gojo spends time away from her too and it's no big deal. Sure there's times they get into excitable situations, but for the most part they're normal towards each other, and those situations happen nearly organically. It's such a nice change of pace from shows where the protagonists are downright obsessed with each other.

Marin's personality is so good. She's a bit extra, but endearing and you always know she means well. It makes sense that she is comfortable with cosplaying and showing some skin considering her part-time work. She's just casual about it, but she has her own limits.

Marin's casual attitude clashes well with Gojo's reserved attitude. It sets up really cute sequences between the two of them. I love how focused Gojo can be. He's so passionate about what he does that he can get in the zone and forget how awkward he is. His heart is so pure! And, amazingly, it doesn't make him bland at all... or he's so bland that he's interesting. I'm glad that they keep him grounded too.

A criticism I have about the story, is that background characters don't get enough play. Nowa, especially. Maybe she gets more time in the manga. Maybe she'll get more time in season 2, but you see her like twice and don't get to know her. Juju and Shinju get like 2 or 3 episodes and disappear. I know we have to focus on Gojo and Marin, but it feels like we missed out on getting to know others more.

Another criticism is how they backed off from the school life aspect. In episode 1 and 2 specifically, we see that there's social hierarchy bullshit in the school. People take advantage of Gojo's doormat personality. People gossip about Gojo and Marin because Gojo is the designated weirdo loner... that disappears. We see them hanging out at school, but we stop seeing any consequence of their friendship rippling through the school social hierarchy thing.

In a way, it's pleasant not to deal with that... but why introduce that with no payoff? I guess it sort of works, because it ends with Marin herself saying, "(who cares if they think we're going out?) Why DON'T we go out!?" And this is before she realizes she has feelings for him.

I'm biased because this show feels taylor made (hehe) for me. A guy with an uncommon interest having a hard time making friends. A guy insanely passionate about perfecting his art. A guy finding validation. All of these mattered more to me than him finding love. The most important line in this show, to me, was, "I appreciate you." I didn't really cry in this show... but I'm getting teary eyed thinking of that line right now.To be appreciated for what you can offer. It's a hell of a thing