#hoh author

[maip--macrothorax]

Bernhard you say. Runs away hiding my face

STOP I BURST INTO TEARS THAT MY MY MY

[jaeclerc]

Baby Come Home // Charles/Daniel // 2.6K

tw: ableism towards a deaf character

Charles isn’t too sure when he first met Daniel, he has just always been there, like the shine in his maman’s eyes or the slight dip on the third step of the staircase leading upstairs. He can’t remember when he first noticed him, but he can remember the first time Daniel actually looked back at him and noticed him.

He was 6, staring up the stairs of their house as he watched Jules, Enzo, and Daniel bounce up to the top level, a frown on his lips. They thought they were so grown up, at their ripe age of 8. Maybe they were, Charles didn’t know. He was only 6. But, he desperately wanted to play with them and he signaled that with incessantly flashing the lights so Lorenzo would look at him so he could sign. Their mother was hunting down the new pack of batteries for Charles’ cochlear's and had been for the last hour. 

“I want to play!” He signed to Enzo when he finally looked at him, rolling his eyes at Charles. “Please Enzo.” 

Charles wasn’t that good at lip reading so when Daniel said something to him, he couldn’t quite understand, his face scrunching as he signed to Enzo. 

“What?” He demanded, looking between both his brother and his cousin. 

“Nothing, Charlie.” Jules signed back to him, before he turned to Daniel and gestured, presumably explaining that Charles was Deaf and couldn’t hear anything without his processors on. He also gestured to Enzo, pointing to his hearing aid on his left ear, probably explaining that all of them were on the deafness spectrum as best as an 8 year old could. 

Daniel nodded, his head quirked to the side as he waved at Charles before turning to talk to Jules and Lorenzo. 

“Daniel said he wants to play with you.” Jules automatically translated for him. Charles grinned and went to see if his Maman had found the batteries so he could actually talk to Daniel without missing every other word from his lips. He was trying hard to learn how to lip read in school but it was very hard and most of his family was at least to an intermediate level of ASL or LSF, so he didn’t have to use it at home. 

Charles flickered the lights when he walked in the room, causing his Maman to look up as he signed “Did you find them?” 

His maman gestured to the counter where his processors were laying on the counter, signing back that she had. He waited for her to help him put them back on him, smiling as they turned on and he could hear the world around him again. 

He ran off to find Daniel to show him that his ears worked again. Kinda. Jules told him that his hearing ear and his Cochlear sounded a little different but Charles knew no difference, having always only heard through his devices. 

-

The first time Charles really realized just how much Daniel meant to him, he was 14. 

He was sitting at the lunch table with Enzo, Jules, and Daniel, fiddling with his processors. The noise in high school was a lot, even two weeks into the transition from his Deaf focused middle school into mainstream high school. His English skills were advanced, he could speak well, and he had no problems with focusing in a normal classroom, but the cafeteria was a different story. Thousands of voices and sounds came crashing over him all at the same time and he wasn’t used to it. 

“Charles.” Enzo scolded when he saw him playing with the device. “Don’t break it again. Just take them off for the moment if you’re really that bothered.” Charles rolled his eyes at him but detached the magnets, making everything go silent around them as he looked at all of them. Charles started eating his lunch, chatting with Enzo and Jules as Daniel vocally spoke to them. They both took turns interpreting for him, but Daniel had spent years with them all. His own hands reflexively clumsily signing the main points of what he was saying, just fragments of what he was talking about, half formed but still clear enough for Charles to understand whatever he was wishing to express to all of them. Charles could lip read well, but he appreciated not having to focus on mouths. 

Charles was struck by how fond he was of Daniel. He was hearing, raised in a hearing household, but he still tried for all of them in their native language, picking up their language and using it to communicate with them, especially Charles who relied a little more heavily on sign as he was born with profound Deafness, while Jules and Enzo were both only fully effected in one ear. 

It struck him with a sudden quickness, how much he liked Daniel. 

“Daniel.” He signed “You need to learn how to sign with both hands, you look like you’re speaking only halfway.” He giggled at the look on his face, smiling at the older boy as he picked at his school issued tater tots. 

Daniel waved to get Charles’ attention once again and used both hands to sign to him. 

“Enrolled. Class. Learn.” He said, and Charles nodded. 

“Good. Because you can understand well but your signing is…not so good. Sorry.” Jules and Lorenzo both nodded their agreement, Jules turning slightly to speak to him. 

“Charles is just picky. He grew up spoiled with everyone knowing sign so he never had to suffer through the well wishers who thought they were fluent. At least you try, but he is right. You really do suck at ASL.” Daniel gasped in mock offense, causing Charles to laugh again, flushing when people looked at him. He assumed he was being loud, but nobody at his table turned to shush him, so he just continued. 

He nudged Jules, signing “You’re just jealous that Maman and Uncle said that I sign LSF better than you.” 

Jules shook his head before saying “Bell.” and gesturing up to indicate to Charles that lunch time was over. He made sure to connect his transmitters again, cringing slightly at the cascade of sound as he gathered his things to dump them. 

He felt a nudge and looked up to see Daniel, replying vocally when he asked “Ear?” 

“Yes, I always put them back in after lunch, Though, I wish I could get away with not. Mr. Pross always breathes so loud into my microphone and has it pressed way too close to his mouth.” He shutters, and Daniel cackles. They had the same math class, so they walked together, pushing through the crowded halls. 

Charles felt so cool walking with Daniel who was extraordinarily more popular than him. He smiled at Daniel as he cracked jokes, trying to only focus on his voice when someone bumped into him, slightly hard, jostling the hand Charles had reached up to push his magnet under his hair, causing his device to fall on the ground. 

The culprit didn’t even stop to apologize as Charles bent down to pick his transmitter, trying to see if it was broken from the person stepping on it. He prayed it wasn’t, his parents had just bought him new racing red ones that he knew were not cheap. But, when he picked it up, he saw that the magnet was now detached and he frowned even harder. 

“Hey!” Daniel called down the hallway, walking after the person who had jostled Charles. “Hey, you!” He caught up to them. It was that guy who had been taunting Charles, the guy from his Advanced French class that had asked why he was there if he was “SPED”. 

“I’m just Deaf?” Charles replied in confusion. 

“Wow! I didn’t know you knew how to speak.” was all he said, causing Charles to wrinkle his nose and look away. 

“Why didn’t you apologize to him for bumping into him?” He demanded, glaring the boy down. 

“Daniel.” He signed “It’s fine!”

“No, it isn’t, Charlie.” Daniel replied. He turned back to the boy, who had introduced himself as Zach on their first day if Charles could recall correctly. 

“Danny, c’mon.” Zach chidded “He obviously said it’s okay.” He mocked Charles signing, and Charles flushed, embarrassed that this was happening in front of Daniel. 

“Don’t mock him. Just because you barely know more than English doesn’t mean you get to mock him. You broke his fucking device. Imagine someone just walking over your precious phone. Say sorry.” Daniel snarled. Charles grabbed his wrist, shaking his head. 

“Who cares? I’m sure he can make some sob story and get it covered.” Daniel shook off Charles’ hand and snatched Zach’s phone, chucking it over the railing of the level they were standing on, watching it clatter and shatter on the laminate floor below them. 

“Let’s go.” Was all Daniel had to say, letting go of Zach and steering Charles away to their math class, leaving everyone there to gawk at them. 

Charles’ parents were furious when they heard what happened, Daniel got suspended for 2 days, and Charles was pretty sure he was in love with Daniel when it was all said and done. 

-

Charles took off his transmitters at 19. He was sick of the world demanding him to conform to their expectations of him. Demanding him to mold himself into a hearing person when he was not. He was Deaf. 

“I understand.” His maman signed to him when he told her he was doing it. “It’s hard in this world. Your papa and I just wanted to give you the best accessibility that we could, but it has always been your choice. When you were about 3, you refused to wear them out for months and all our hearing friends would ask why we would let you do that. As if denying you the ability to be comfortable is the better choice. You can put them back whenever you want. If you want.” She kissed his forehead as he leaned against her, closing his eyes. 

When he told Daniel, signing to him over FaceTime so the other man could practice his interpretation skills with him, he nodded. 

“Good. You always seemed so uncomfortable with them on.” Charles beamed at him. Daniel always got him, above anyone else. He understood Charles more than anyone else in his life. He got all of Charles’ weird idiosyncrasies and appreciated them with so much reverence, it made Charles’ heart nearly beat out of his chest. 

Charles was so in love with him, it made him almost feel sick with how struck he was by the other man. 

“How are your classes?” He signed to Charles, capturing his attention again. 

“So exhausting! You do not understand how tired I am of having to explain why I have my interpreter there and that she’s allowed everywhere I am. Soooo many people demanding to know why I don’t have hearing aids! Do they not understand the concept of being Deaf?” Charles rolled his eyes as he dramatically signed, exasperated. 

He loved being Deaf, he was extremely proud to have grown up in a Deaf family, surrounded by not only his Monegasque culture, but also his Deaf culture, but it was not easy being Deaf in a world that was built for hearing people. Especially when people saw being Deaf as some sort of shortcoming, expecting him to do whatever to make them more comfortable with his Deafness, even if it meant sacrificing his own comfort and happiness. Charles was so tired of it, he spent years wearing his transmitters and dealing with how much he hated it just to fit in. He was sick of it. 

He wanted to be comfortable and happy, he was born without his hearing and he liked it that way. 

“I’m sorry, cherry.” Daniel shook his head, before turning his head to look at someone off cam. Charles couldn’t read his lips to even get an idea of what he was saying, annoyed that someone else was trying to take Daniel’s attention. 

Daniel signaled the other person away and turned back to Charles, saying “Sorry, my roommate was wondering who I was talking to. He wants to go out to a party tonight.” 

Charles pointed to his lips, raising his eyebrows as Daniel laughed and translated himself to Charles, causing the other to giggle. 

“Are you going to go?” He asked, a bit sad but trying to keep it under wraps. The downside to being Deaf was that he was so used to keeping open and candid body language that it was hard to hide, even when he schooled his face. 

“If you don’t want me to, I won’t. I wanna talk to you and we haven’t really spoken much since you started class.” Daniel expressed to him, 

Charles frowned, shaking his head, trying to emphasize as he said “No, you should! I don’t want to keep you from having fun.” Even though all he wanted to do was talk to Daniel. More than anything. 

Daniel signed “Love you.” which caused Charles to smile, his eyes wrinkling and his dimples popping out as he signed it back and hung up, sighing softly as he looked at himself in his phone’s reflection. He felt pathetic with how much he adored Daniel. 

-

Charles was 20 when he got scouted by AR Models. He was 20 when his whole world changed. He was also 20 when he completely went publicly non-verbal, refusing to use his voice when he had his sign and anyone who was actually worth his time allowed him to use his interpreter. 

When he told Daniel, FaceTiming him in excitement, too excited to even use the minimal words he usually did use with the other man, instead rapidly signing to him in LFS, which Daniel was hardly intermediate in. 

“Charles!” Daniel signed back. “I do not know what you are saying, I don’t know LSF that well, darling.” Charles blushed, laughing a little as he simply spoke out loud to him. 

Charles rarely ever spoke in public, but he would happily use his voice with Daniel, even if his volume control was hard to gauge. 

“I got signed. I got signed to a modeling agency. I-” he went back to sign, English was too hard for him to express himself when he was this excited. “I got signed to be a model, Daniel. With a real fucking agency.” 

The way Daniel’s face dropped made Charles’ heart ache in a way he never knew it could, the feeling nearly choking him out. 

“That’s really good, cherry.” Was all he signed back and Charles was confused. Not only by how sad Daniel’s body language seemed, but by the way he wasn’t even smiling at Charles, his dark eyes looking conflicted as Charles watched him. 

“I-are you not happy about it?” Charles asked, and Daniel only bit his lip, looking like he was about to sigh, but Charles couldn’t tell, he could never really tell through the phone. He cocked his head as he stared at Daniel on screen and he sighed as well, feeling the slight vibration in his throat. 

Charles propped his phone on a window seal, too excited to tell Daniel about his new contract that he hadn’t even left the agency building before calling him. He stared at Daniel before going to talk, the other man obviously not going to respond to him. 

“I don���t know what is wrong, but I wish you would tell me. I don’t even know-This is a dream come true for me, you know this. So I am confused why you look like a kicked dog.” Daniel frowned, his eyebrows furrowing but Charles was on a roll, already ranting, his signing getting more and more mixed up between ASL and LSF. He could not understand why Daniel wouldn’t be happy for him. 

“Charles.” Daniel signed. “I am so happy for you. That’s all. I’m happy for you.” and then he hung up and Charles was left in the lobby of his new agency, phone disconnected and tears in his eyes. 

-

Charles was 24 and drunk when he saw Daniel for the first time in 3 years. In some gay bar in New York City of all places, kissing another guy. Charles didn’t know his heart could break all over again, but here it was, shards in his hands in the middle of a neon lit dance bar. 

Daniel looked up and spotted him, and then looked away. Charles wanted to fucking throw up all the espresso martinis he had just drank, and he turned away, smiling at the guy he was with. Who cared what Daniel thought anyway? 

Charles wished he didn’t.

[y2kbugs-moved]

For Welcome Home, are the transcripts provided on the site matching the new pages with audio? Otherwise it's just inaccessible to Deaf/HoH people.

[hidefdoritos]

Love the notes on this post because yeah, it was a scary dream because it's believable. Sure I'm not physically unable to hear higher pitches, I just have more trouble turning the strings of sounds into separate words that collectively mean something. Twitter would in fact have a field day with this one.

Also dreaming about this probably says something about how chronically online I am.

I was a celebrity being very publicly canceled because I admitted that my auditory processing disorder means I generally have a harder time understanding women's higher voices.

My critics had #ListenToWomen trending. My supporters insisted that my critics were the real sexists because I am also a woman.

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

Bruce Wayne, mentor to many- father to none.

I want the angst of B having to come to terms that he doesn't know ANY of his kids not anymore at least and maybe never and the fact his kids are just- used to it?

Visiting Dicks apartment, he finds a picture of him smiling while surrounded by a bunch of little kids in spandax uniforms. Turns out he'd been a gymnastics instructor for about four years now and his most recent team had everyone qualify for state. (Bruce didn't even know he still practiced)

Jason stopped accepting Wednesday night patrols, but when he looked into it he found out that was the night he went to DND nights with his roommates every week. The roommates he met last semester after he decided to go to college and get an english major. (Bruce didn't even know he had applied)

Checking the library he found a small pedastal plague put up by Alfred displaying just one book. It said Cass was the author. Apparently she had gotten super into writing and published a book talking about language deprivation and lack of accomidation for deaf/hoh children born to hearing families. She had a book signing last month, Alfred had gone and grabbed this copy now on display (Bruce didn't even know she liked to write)

Tim finished a case early and let it slip he needed to sign off early to "meet up with his boyfriends" and hung up before Bruce could process. It only took a small glance at his middle child's latest social media post to see him alongside Superboy (what was his name?) and a blonde boy he didn't recognize. Both were leaned in to kiss his cheek and the caption said "Happy 3rd anniversary!!" (Bruce didn't even know he was interested in boys)

Steph's birthday came around and Bruce got her a new account and shoved a couple thousand for her to buy whatever she wanted. But he quickly noticed a pattern of everyone getting her- cat supplies? Apparently She had adopted a cat about a month ago to celebrate her new apartment, Mister Mystery was his name, and she had asked everyone for supplies instead of other gifts. (Bruce didn't even know she had moved)

He decided on some impromptu father-son bonding and tries to track down his youngest. But Damian is nowhere to be found. He gets pretty close to calling an emergency meeting but the moment he messages Oracle she reminds him Damian is in Chicago. Damian had won an art competition at school and his piece qualified for a gallery spot. The entire family had gone days ago and he was due back the next day. (Bruce didn't even know he cared about art)

Then Duke- his youngest in terms of time spent. But one he had grown fond of just as fast as the others. Especially working the day shift the time they spent was limited. Bruce got them both lunch, but it wasn't until halfway through eating that Duke had turned to him with panicked eyes and asked if the stew had shellfish. Duke had a severe allergy, thankfully Jason had been just up the street and had an epi-pen ready before they took him to Leslies. (Bruce didnt even know he had any allergies, let alone one so severe)

The worst part? There was no blow up. His kids didn't take his idiocracy as a personal insult or even raise a fight. They just rolled their eyes and moved on. As everyone crowded in the room, surrounding Dukes bedside he could hear Barbras voice. "Its not your fault, Batman may be omnipotent, but Bruce doesn't know anything really"

He wasnt meant to overhear or maybe he was, Oracle had always been petty But he couldn't refute it.

"But you have us"

Well- thats just it wasnt it? Even when Bruce was absent- his kids had each other. But was that ever meant to be enough?

[nature-travel-photography]

Hoh Rainforest, USA [OC] - Author: CrimsonMacarony

[irrevocablecondition]

some comforting wolfstar fics for you:

waterloo - frogsandfairies: james knows that wolfstar are pining for each other, hogwarts fake dating !!

wading in waist high water - colgatemintybluegel: wolfstar great british bake off au

flight 143 - thebiinbitch: past wolfstar, reunited on the same flight 5 years later and reconnect

the oldest recipe for parsnip soup - eyra: wolfstar, autistic sirius, the lupins spend christmas with the potters - remus cooks for sirius !!

anything by eyra tbh

red lips and rosy cheeks - soloorganaas: remus takes a latin course in rome for his degree where he meets sirius and the gang

blind and deaf - cocomouse: wolfstar keep bumping into each other on separate blind dates, HoH sirius

my jokes are my armour, my kindness is my sword - littleoldrachel: remus moves to a new town and sets up a plant shop, gets taken in by the gang

here's to looking at you - thechanchanman: mutual "dislike" to lovers, wolfstar live in the same small town and constantly prank one another

till we have arrived home again - prouvairing: post-second war, wolfstar move to a muggle town! fun ocs, semi-raising harry

stray dogs - msalexwp: sirius raising harry, remus raising teddy, they adopt twin dogs separately and have to spend time together :D

desk art - iamcecimonster: oneshot, university au, wolfstar sit at the same lecture desk and leave lil drawing and notes to each other

hi okay i'm not much of a fluff reader :/ but some of these might help !! + the authors pages !!

feel free to add on if you have any !! my fluff supply is limited

[sulkingheichou012]

Into the Dungeon with You

Pairing: Jinwoo x Reader

Genre: RomCom, Action, Smut

Warning: Description of violence and profanity.

Summary: Jinwoo frowned as a new system notification appeared before him.

[Special Reward Successfully Claimed.]

Author's note: I'm happy that some of you are enjoying my silly work! Yes, if you're asking to be tagged—sure! 😊

Chapter 17

Y/N stood on the balcony, the early dawn breeze tugging gently at her hair. Beside her, Jinwoo was still half-asleep, one arm lazily draped around her waist, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder. But she didn’t mind. She was too busy staring at her hand.

The sun was rising slowly, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink. And when the light hit the stone on her finger— It shimmered. Not just pretty, but alive, as if it was holding a little piece of the sun itself.

Y/N turned her hand, watching it glow. Her chest felt strangely warm, like something quietly settled into place.

“…You okay?” Jinwoo murmured into her ear; his voice still rough from sleep.

Y/N smiled softly, still staring at the ring. “Yeah. It’s just… when I look at this, I feel safe. Like I belong somewhere. Like I’m… loved.”

Jinwoo squeezed her waist, tugging her closer, and pressed a kiss to her temple. “You are,” he whispered.

She blushed furiously but didn’t look away from the ring. It sparkled again. “…Also, it’s really shiny. I might blind someone if I flex hard enough.”

Jinwoo chuckled, resting his chin on her shoulder again. “I’ll make sure they live.”

By the time they got back home, Y/N was still admiring the way the sunlight caught on her ring. She flexed it in front of random shiny things. The toaster. The window. Even Igris’ chest plate when he emerged briefly from the shadows to deliver coffee.

“I am powerful,” she whispered dramatically.

Jinwoo was too amused to stop her. But as soon as they stepped through the front door—

“THERE SHE IS!!” A shriek erupted from the living room. Y/N froze.

Jinah and Mrs. Sung appeared like they’d rappelled down from the ceiling. SWAT-mode: Activated. Y/N barely managed to squeak before they closed in.

“Hand,” Jinah demanded. Y/N instinctively held it up. Both of them gasped in unison like they were evaluating the crown jewels.

“Oh-hoh-hoh,” Mrs. Sung murmured, already dialing her phone. “The dress designer is getting a call right now,” Jinah said, eyes gleaming. “I’ll handle the venue,” Mrs. Sung nodded. “Florist is mine!” “Catering!” “GUEST LIST—”

Y/N stood there, completely blindsided. “Wait—wait!! We just got engaged! We haven’t even picked a date! Or—or—” “You snooze, you lose!” Jinah shouted. “Fast weddings are the trend now!” Mrs. Sung agreed.

Y/N gave Jinwoo a look of pure betrayal, who was… Just watching them with his arms crossed, clearly entertained. “Help me!” she mouthed at him.

He raised his mug in salute. “Good luck.”

Y/N groaned dramatically as Jinah and Mrs. Sung dragged her toward the kitchen table already covered in wedding magazines and fabric swatches.

The grand conference room of the Korean Hunter Association was filled to capacity. Not just with Korea’s strongest hunters, but with representatives and guild leaders from around the world. Some sat in person, others attending through massive holographic screens surrounding the room.

It was a historic event. The final debriefing after the largest and most terrifying threat the world had ever known. The Primordial Hunger—a cataclysm that nearly consumed existence itself—had been defeated.

And standing before them was the man who had made that possible. Sung Jinwoo. The Shadow Monarch. And beside him… Y/N. A mystery to many, but someone whose role was undeniable.

Chairman Go Gunhee cleared his throat to begin. But he did not speak. He gestured to Jinwoo instead.

Jinwoo stepped forward. He didn’t need notes. His voice carried across the entire room, steady and sure.

“The Primordial Hunger has been eliminated.”

“Its destruction halted the collapse of dimensional barriers. The rifts that threatened to devour our world have sealed. The balance between realms has been restored.”

He paused, letting his words resonate through the chamber.

“For now… there are no further threats.”

His gaze swept over the hunters gathered.

“Many of you felt the change. The unnatural silence that followed the chaos. You have asked whether this peace is genuine. I am here to tell you… it is.”

His tone softened, but his words remained resolute.

“For the first time in years, we are not standing at the edge of extinction. No Monarchs remain. No Rulers are moving behind the scenes. There is no enemy in hiding. And if anything changes… I’ll be the first to know.”

He looked down at his hands for a moment, as if weighing something unseen.

“The sacrifices made… were not in vain.”

Jinwoo’s eyes shifted to Y/N briefly before continuing.

“Peace has returned. But peace, as I have learned, is not simply the absence of war. It’s the presence of something worth protecting. Family. Friends. Loved ones. This world.”

Another breath. A heavier pause.

“As hunters, we fight. We bleed. And sometimes we fall. But we do it to protect what matters.”

Jinwoo lifted his head fully now, his presence filling the room.

“And now… it’s time we live for it.”

There was silence at first. Then Go Gunhee stood. And he began to clap.

One by one, everyone in the room rose to their feet. Applause swelled from a ripple into a wave. A standing ovation that spanned countries and continents. Even the hunters online could be seen applauding on the holographic screens, some even saluting.

Y/N sat still. The thunder of applause washing over her like ocean waves. But her mind was somewhere else entirely.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. She remembered the manhwa so clearly. Jinwoo had struggled for years alone. He had sacrificed everything—his humanity, his future—for the sake of victory. And he had found peace, yes… but only after losing so much.

Now he stood tall, smiling, surrounded by people who respected him and by shadows who adored him. He wasn’t alone. And she was here. By his side.

Her fingers brushed over the ring Jinwoo had placed there. Warm. Solid. Steady. A promise that wasn’t in the original story.

Maybe this isn’t how it was supposed to be, she thought. But she turned to look at him anyway. And he was already smiling at her. As if to say: This is how it should be.

She smiled back. Even if she didn’t quite believe it yet… She wanted to.

As the room calmed, hunters slowly gathered their things. Many came forward to shake Jinwoo’s hand. Baek Yoonho clapped him on the back with his usual grin. Choi Jongin nodded respectfully, though his eyes lingered curiously on Y/N. Even Cha Hae In gave a polite bow.

“Thank you,” one of the international guild masters said. “Without you, none of this would have been possible.”

Another chuckled. “You two are heroes.” He glanced at Y/N. “You’ve both earned your peace.”

Jinwoo gave a small, polite smile. Then— “Thank you,” he said. “…We’ll be celebrating soon.” He paused. “I’m getting married.”

The room stilled for one stunned beat. Y/N’ head whipped toward him so fast it was a wonder her neck didn’t snap. “WHAT?” Her voice cracked in disbelief.

Jinwoo blinked at her, completely calm. “You said yes, didn’t you?” He lifted his hand, showing the matching ring on his finger. “Seems clear to me.”

Baek Yoonho barked out a laugh so loud it echoed. Choi Jongin smirked faintly, arms crossed. Even Chairman Go Gunhee smiled, rubbing his temple like a tired dad witnessing his kids’ antics.

Another wave of applause erupted—this one lighter, warmer, and mixed with cheers and laughter.

As they exited the room, Y/N noticed Cha Hae In and Choi Jongin standing together. For a second, she panicked. Weren’t they supposed to be endgame?! She glanced at Jinwoo. Was she stealing someone else’s future?!

But Cha Hae In was calm. And Choi Jongin… Well, he was watching Jinwoo with professional curiosity, not personal jealousy.

Y/N shook it off. She smiled sweetly. And subtly held up her hand. The ring caught the light. Flex.

Cha Hae In noticed. She tilted her head, amused. “A good choice, You are lucky.” she said softly. Y/N nearly tripped over her own feet.

No broken heart? No jealousy? Just a sisterly approval?

After the conference and the sudden wedding announcement chaos, Jinwoo gets approached by one of the high-ranking officials from the Hunter Bureau or the Rulers’ envoy.

Jinwoo doesn’t know if this portal is another threat. He tells himself they’ll investigate it together, but deep down…

Y/N notices him getting quieter and more serious as they prepare to leave. She thinks it’s him being careful—she doesn’t realize it’s him being torn apart inside. He’s always been in control, but this? This makes him anxious. He never gets anxious.

They stood in front of it.

An arch of weathered stone, half-sunken into the forest clearing, humming softly with ancient magic. Pale, crystalline blue light swirled inside its frame—calm. Stable. Peaceful in a way most portals never were.

It wasn’t a gate to danger. It wasn’t a dungeon. They both knew it.

This was a door. Her door.

Y/N exhaled slowly, her hand tightening around Jinwoo’s. Neither spoke. There wasn’t a need. The knowledge settled between them like gravity.

This was her way home.

He couldn’t speak. His throat was tight, his heartbeat loud in his ears. For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at the portal as it shimmered like glass, like water… like a goodbye.

And then— He moved.

Quietly, Jinwoo stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Not tightly. Not possessively.

But his hands trembled when they rested against her waist. And his forehead lowered to her shoulder, hiding the war in his eyes.

Y/N froze at first, then gently laid her hands over his. She could feel the tension running through him like a current.

Jinwoo didn’t trust his voice. If he spoke, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from begging.

She could hear him breathing, slow and uneven against her neck. Feel his grip, warm and grounding and terrified all at once.

The portal in front of them shimmered again, ripples of light flickering softly in invitation. It was ready.

But was she?

Y/N glanced down at his hands holding her, then at the ring on her finger—glinting faintly in the portal’s light. It wasn’t just an object. It was a promise.

Y/N sighed. Then… she laughed. Soft at first, but it grew louder, spilling out of her like she couldn’t believe what was happening. Jinwoo tensed behind her. “What?” She reached up and patted his arm—more like a playful smack. “You idiot,” she said, voice warm and teasing. “You really thought I’d leave you?”

He blinked, stunned by her tone. She half-turned in his arms to look at him properly, grinning up at him despite the shimmer in her eyes. “I already told you,” she said. “You’re my home now.” She tapped her ring against his chest for emphasis. “There’s no one waiting for me on the other side of that portal,” she went on, her voice gentler now. “No family. No adventure better than this. Nothing I want more than what I have right here.”

Jinwoo’s breath hitched as her words sank in, steady and sure, like an anchor pulling him back from the edge. For a moment, his usual calm shattered. A single tear slipped down his cheek before he could stop it.

He blinked, surprised at himself, and quickly looked away, as if embarrassed to have let it show. But it was too late. The weight he’d carried for so long—the fear that she would leave, that she would disappear from his life—unraveled in an instant. Ever since he realized he’d fallen for her, that quiet fear had lived in the back of his mind, gnawing at him in every silent moment.

And now? She’d cut through it like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

Without thinking, his hand reached for hers, fingers threading through like it was the most natural thing in the world. His grip was warm, solid, grounding.

“…Thank you,” he murmured, voice rougher than he expected. His dark eyes softened, the unreadable mask slipping just enough for her to catch the rarest thing—his heart wide open. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”

He smiled then. Not the polite, distant curve of his lips everyone else knew. This one was different—bright, unguarded. Like a golden retriever that had just been told they were a good boy after waiting forever to hear it.

And for once, Jinwoo didn’t care that he looked like a fool. Not if it was for her.

Together, hand in hand, they turned away from the portal. No second glances. No hesitation.

But then—

A ripple of energy made the ground hum beneath their feet. Jinwoo instinctively shifted, shielding her, shadows rising at his feet as they both turned sharply back to the arch.

From the blue light of the portal, a figure stepped through. Clad in muted silver and white, their presence was quiet but undeniable. Not threatening, but heavy with something ancient. Their face was calm—too calm, like they had seen too many futures to be surprised anymore.

Y/N gripped Jinwoo’s arm. “Friend or foe?” “Neither,” the figure said, their voice deep but kind. “Only a witness.”

They regarded Jinwoo first, then Y/N. “You both chose well.”

Jinwoo’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” “A remnant of balance,” they replied simply. “My time here is brief.”

They gestured toward the portal, which flickered softly behind them. “You were right not to cross. That world has already moved on. Your thread belongs here now.” Y/N squeezed Jinwoo’s hand, steady.

But then the figure’s expression darkened slightly. “You’ve brought peace to this world… but do not mistake peace for safety.” Their gaze fixed on Jinwoo. “Even in the stillness, the future stirs. You cannot predict what lies beyond the veil of time.”

Jinwoo met their stare without flinching. “Then I’ll protect this world. No matter what comes.”

A faint smile crossed the stranger’s face. “I know.”

The figure turned back toward the portal. It pulsed once with light—then dimmed completely. The portal stone cracked down its middle, splitting cleanly as if its purpose was finished.

The figure vanished with it. Gone. No trace.

Y/N let out a shaky breath. “Okay, that was intense.” Jinwoo didn’t say anything at first. He just pulled her close again, holding her for a long, silent moment.

Then— “We’re getting married,” Jinwoo said suddenly, voice firm. Y/N blinked. “I mean… yes?” “No waiting,” he added. “No more portals. No more interruptions.”

Y/N laughed. “Deal.”

The sun dipped low over the horizon, casting molten gold across the obsidian towers of the Shadow Castle. Everything gleamed, every corner alive with warm light and laughter. It was a day no one ever imagined would come. Not Jinwoo. Not Y/N. And certainly not the army of shadows who had spent weeks preparing for it like it was a royal coronation.

In a way, it was.

Y/N stood at the grand entrance, a soft breeze teasing her veil as she tightened her grip on her bouquet. Her gown shimmered like woven starlight, delicate embroidery reminiscent of shadow wisps curling along the hem. At her back, her scythe leaned casually against the wall, because she absolutely insisted on a candid with it later.

“Ready?” Jinwoo’s voice was warm at her ear. She turned, catching his smile—the rare, one he only ever showed her. He looked devastatingly handsome in a black-on-black suit, subtly lined with silver thread. His tie? Crooked. She fixed it with a smirk, tugging him down by the lapels. His ears went pink.

Their friends and comrades filled the massive courtyard. Cha Hae-In wiped a stray tear, pretending she wasn’t crying as she stood beside Jinah, who was a blubbering mess already. Jinwoo’s mother held Jinah’s hand, her own eyes bright with tears as she watched her son standing proud, waiting for his bride.

And the shadows? Oh, the shadows were thrilled. Igris stood like a stoic knight… except his usually rigid posture was now just a little too puffed up with pride. Beru buzzed in place, making a chittering sound like he was holding in a scream. Even Iron polished his helmet to a mirror shine.

A band of orc shadows played music. Badly. But no one cared.

As Y/N walked down the aisle, her gaze locked with Jinwoo’s, and everything else melted away. His hand found hers when she reached him, his fingers trembling the slightest bit. When he said his vows, his voice was steady—but there was that hitch, that one breath that caught when he said, “You’re my world now.”

And when the priest declared them husband and wife?

Jinwoo kissed her like he couldn’t believe this was real. Like he was afraid she’d vanish if he let go.

Chaos.

Glorious, ridiculous chaos.

Jinah launched herself after the bouquet, tackling Hae-In like a linebacker. She popped up with it in her hands, cheering like she’d won the Hunter Association Lottery. Before anyone could stop him, Jinho scrambled under Y/N’ gown during the garter toss (with permission, obviously), and came out with the stocking in hand, beaming. He made direct eye contact with Jinah as he slipped it onto her leg. She turned red.

Everyone screamed.

Selfies were taken everywhere. The giants huddled awkwardly behind Y/N and Jinwoo for one, causing the balcony to creak dangerously. Y/N’ favorite photo? A completely candid shot of her leaning on her scythe in her wedding dress, sunglasses on, with Beru photobombing in the background, flashing peace signs with his claw-hands.

The shadows outdid themselves on the decorations—black roses, floating candles, and obsidian tables covered in elegant food spreads. There was even a chocolate fountain. Beru dipped a strawberry in it, offered it to Jinwoo, and Jinwoo (to everyone’s horror and delight) actually ate it. The crowd lost their minds.

Later, as the sun set in a blaze of red and gold, Jinwoo and Y/N stood on their balcony, away from the noise.

She leaned into him, their fingers tangled loosely. He pressed a kiss to her temple, his expression soft, that warmth slipping through again as if it was the most natural thing in the world now.

“We did it,” she whispered.

He smiled. “Yeah. We did.”

Below them, the courtyard still echoed with laughter and celebration. Shadows danced clumsily in pairs; Jinah and Jinho were now inseparable; his mom had somehow convinced Igris to teach her sword stances.

But up here, it was just them.

He turned her gently, arms sliding around her waist. “Y/N.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t ever leave me,” he said quietly, his forehead resting against hers.

She grinned. “You’re stuck with me, dummy.”

His answering laugh was low, warm. “Good.”

And as the sky burned with colors, Jinwoo kissed his wife again, while their world celebrated below.

The world faded away the moment the castle gates closed behind them.

No armies. No Guild business. No ancient Monarch wars to prepare for.

Just Jinwoo and Y/N.

He had carried her over the threshold—because of course he had—ignoring her playful swats and laughter. They’d arrived at a secluded villa Jinwoo had personally reconstructed in his Shadow Domain. It was something out of a dream. Warm sunlight filtered through sheer curtains. The walls were carved from smooth obsidian, lined with silvery etchings that shimmered faintly when touched. A private garden surrounded them, its flowers blooming in colors impossible anywhere else.

And the silence… was peaceful.

“I thought we’d just… rest here,” Jinwoo murmured as he set her down gently, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “No one can bother us.”

Y/N smiled, still holding his hand like she might float away if she let go. “You’re sure Beru won’t show up offering strawberries?”

Jinwoo’s grin was crooked. “I left him strict orders. He’s patrolling the castle walls for the next week.”

They both laughed, the sound soft and easy. It was still new—this comfort between them—but it was theirs. She watched him as he moved around the villa, taking his jacket off, rolling his sleeves up, undoing his tie. All casual, but something about him was still so effortlessly magnetic.

They ended up on the couch first. Just sitting. Talking. Her feet tucked under her as he leaned into the cushions, his hand never straying far from hers. He told her stories of his mom and Jinah when they were younger. She told him about her world—her old world—and all the things she missed. They laughed. A lot.

And when the sky turned pink, they found themselves in the garden. He had set up lanterns, their lights glowing like tiny stars. They ate dinner under them, Y/N having somehow learned to cook one decent dish. Just one. Jinwoo teased her, but ate every bite.

Afterward, they danced.

Slow, unpracticed, clumsy at first. But he held her close, his hands warm on her waist, his forehead pressed to hers as if he needed to feel her there. She laughed quietly when he stepped on her toes. He just pulled her closer and muttered, “Sorry,” against her hair.

It was like that all night. Quiet, sweet moments strung together like pearls.

By the time they were back inside, standing by the huge window watching stars spill across the sky, Jinwoo’s arms were wrapped around her from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder, and for a long time, they said nothing.

“You’re my home now,” he whispered eventually.

Y/N turned in his arms, and whatever she said next was lost in the kiss they shared. Slow, tender, and full of everything they couldn’t say with words.

The rest of the night was theirs.

The stars outside the window shimmered, mirrored faintly in the reflection of the obsidian walls. But Jinwoo wasn’t looking at the stars.

He was looking at her.

Y/N stood at the center of their room, bathed in moonlight, her veil set aside hours ago, her dress replaced with something softer, simpler. Something that was just for him. But to him, she would have been beautiful in anything. Or nothing. He couldn’t decide which stole his breath more—her laughter earlier in the garden or the quiet way she was looking at him now.

Like he was the only thing in her world.

His steps were slow as he crossed the room. Deliberate. But his hands were gentle when he touched her, as if she was made of light. Fingers brushed her cheek, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled at him, a small, knowing curve of her lips, and leaned into his palm.

"You're staring," she whispered, her voice soft, playful.

"I’m memorizing," Jinwoo murmured back. His thumb traced the line of her jaw, slow and reverent. "Every time I think I’ve got you all figured out… you do something that makes me fall harder."

Her laugh was quiet, but her cheeks flushed warm. She closed the distance between them with a step, her hands sliding up his chest, fingers fisting lightly in his shirt.

"Good," she whispered. "I plan to keep surprising you."

He bent down then, his forehead resting against hers. For a moment, they just breathed each other in. His hands found her waist, then her back, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them. The warmth of her body, the soft sigh she gave when he touched her—it was intoxicating.

Their lips met softly at first. A gentle press. Familiar, sweet. But it didn’t stay that way.

Jinwoo deepened the kiss, his hands moving up to cradle her face, his thumbs brushing over the apples of her cheeks as if he wanted to commit every detail of her to memory. She melted into him, her hands sliding up to frame his jaw. Their kisses became slower, but heavier, each one saying what words couldn’t.

"I love you," she breathed against his mouth.

His breath shuddered out of him as he whispered it back, his voice rough, "I love you more."

He didn’t give her time to argue. He kissed her again, slow and thorough, his lips dragging over hers like he had all the time in the world. And he did. This was their time. For once, there was no war waiting for them. No portals. No shadows in the dark.

Only them.

When his hands found the hem of her robe, he paused, his dark eyes searching hers for permission. She answered with a nod, her hands guiding his. She was warm under his fingers, softer than he ever imagined someone like him deserved. But she was here. She chose him.

And he intended to worship every inch of her.

They moved together toward the bed, stumbling a little as they laughed into each other’s mouths. His hands never left her skin, slow and reverent, memorizing the shape of her hips, the delicate curve of her spine. Her fingers were in his hair, tangling as she pulled him closer.

They lay down tangled in sheets and shadows. His touch was patient. His hands wondering around her body, finding a sensitive spot that made her arch forward and whine.

“You’re sensitive.” Jinwoo mumbled against her neck, trailing kisses down to her collar bone. His mouth moving down, his tongue licking the space between her breasts. “Only for me.”

He brought his large hands to her breasts lovingly cupping and massaging them. Goosebumps rose against his skin at the sound of her soft moans.

“Jinwoo.” Y/N whispered. She reached up, threading her fingers through his hair without thinking.

He chuckled and brought his lips to her nipple, his dark hair, tousled and soft, brushed her bare skin with every movement.

He stilled for just a second, and then sighed against her skin, the sound so content and low it made her chest ache.

“I love your hair,” she whispered between moans, running her fingers through it again, slow and gentle. She let her nails graze lightly over his scalp, and Jinwoo’s entire body shivered, just faintly. “It’s so soft.”

“You do?” he murmured, lips brushing over the hollow of her throat.

“Mm, it calms you,” she said with a small smile. “And I like when you melt.”

He chuckled softly, the vibration of it sinking into her skin. “I don’t melt.”

“You do,” she insisted, dragging her nails lightly again. He exhaled a deep, shaky breath, pressing a kiss over her heart.

Jinwoo looked at her with mixture or awe and hunger – a deep lust filled hunger.

He brought his index and middle finger to her entrance, smiling when he felt how wet she was.

“How about I make you melt this time?”

Y/N nodded “Mmm’, yes please. I need you, Jinwoo.” She whined feeling him circle her entrance.

Jinwoo didn’t make her wait as he plugged his fingers in. Her back arched as she gasped, spreading her legs desperate for him deeper. Feeling his fingers arch against her walls.

Still Y/N wanted more.

“Please, Jinwoo.” She whimpered.

Her body whined when Jinwoo stopped and pulled his fingers out.

“What is it, my wife? Tell me what you want.” his voice purred, he brought his fingers to his lips, rolling his tongue over her sweetness.

“You,” Her lip quivered as she shuddered from the cool air of the room. “Please, Jinwoo.” As her hands held him.

He brought his large, hard cock out of his pants, stroking lightly. She swallowed at the sight wondering how she could ever take them.

Jinwoo lined his tip against her entrance, soaking himself in her juices and teasing her a little.

“Are you ready, my wife? I will take it slow so you will feel everything.” He whispered a for the first time tonight she heard his voice start to shake.

Y/N bit her lip as she nodded. “Yes, I’m all yours.”

Jinwoo slowly slid himself in as she let out a moan of tight, firey pressure. The moment he was fully inside her both let out a gasp; they both waited so long for this moment. Y/N wrapped her arms around him as he buried his face in the crook of her neck while she got used to the feeling of all inside.

He waited for her to nod and give him the signal to continue. He planted a kiss on her cheek as he pulled out slightly before thrusting in again. Y/N spread her legs further apart, moaning at the next deeper thrust. She grasped at the muscles of his back for an anchor.

He slowly begins with a slow and steady thrusts. She feels hot around him, her walls sliding up and down his shaft, her canal moist and inviting as he goes back and forth. Her walls are tight around him, making Jinwoo grunt lowly as he places kisses on whatever part of her body he can reach. He drives his cock into her, making her breath hitch, every now and then, her body meeting his thrust, trying to make him go faster.

“Just like that, Y/N”. Jinwoo kept his eyes on Y/N as he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Uhhh – “ Y/N grunts, her eyes squeezed tightly, her legs are shaky,

He thrusted again, harder and faster as he felt her pleasure start to build. He kept a lovely, steady pace.

“Ohh, Jinwoo!” Y/N moaned, making him shiver.

“You like that, my wife?” Jinwoo asks, thrusting in a little harder, his cock coming almost completely out of her and then ramming back inside her.

“YES –!” Y/N hisses sharply. She looked at Jinwoo, meeting his penetrating eyes. ‘Harder” eyes beg, and he goes harder. “Ohh, Fu – “, she cries, out in a yell, eyes shutting again, her legs trying their hardest not to close.

“How’s that feel, my wife?” Jinwoo asked again, when his hand on her neck moves to her breast, cupping it, his palm grinding against her nipple.

She grasped and scratched at his back desperate to have more of him. His heavy breaths and grunts sent electricity through her while his cock pressed lovingly against that sweet spot.

They’re caught somewhere between a purr and a growl, both soft and hungry, needy.

“Hold on.” His voice was quiet whimper while Y/N held him.

Hearing him whimper always sent her feral but she did her best to keep still while Jinwoo pounded into her tight cunt. Her back arched as the waves of pleasure crashed down into a lovely orgasm.

“You feel so good. I love you, Y/N” Jinwoo whispered in her ears while panting, sucking the lobe into his hot mouth. Y/N walls tighten around Jinwoo as he does this and he pushes his hips a little harder. He suck on her ear, his lips and teeth pulling on it, making her moan loudly. He grunt loudly in her ear, “Arrghhh, Y/N” sound filing her ear. He moves one of his hand on top of her, lacing their fingers together, He can feel her shallow breaths, hear he pants. Her hips rolling back against him, his rock pushing in and out, making her croon.

Y/N knew he was close, and she wrapped her legs around him not letting him go.

“I’m, I’m – so close,” she whispers, voice dripping with arousal.

Jinwoo grins against her ear, “I know,” he rasps, pushing harder. He moves into her slowly, but hard, making her grunt and gasp at the same time.

Y/N’s heart is racing, her body on the edge, being thrust a little more each time. “Jinwoo!” she moans loudly, his name coming out with a deep, throaty groan. “Jinwoo,” she whimpers, breathy.

“I’m right here, my love,” Jinwoo tells her, grunting into her ear, squeezing her hand tightly. His pace picks up again, his cock penetrating her.

“Come for me, my wife.” Jinwoo whisper in her ear, his words barely being understood through his deep grunts.

“Yes” Y/N whimpers.

“My wife,” he says again, tasting it like something forbidden and precious at the same time.

Every time he calls her that, her breath hitches, and he feels her heart race beneath his touch. It makes him want more. Makes him need more. Because he’s waited—waited so long, fought through worlds, sacrificed everything—and in the end, she chose him. She stayed.

Jinwoo’s close, his hips working faster and faster, their bodies molding together against the bed.

“Mmmmm – “ Y/N hums again from her throat. She can feel the rush of blood in her body, the scorching heat flowing through her. She hears Jinwoo’s loud grunts in her ear, feels him jerking quickly, and then there’s a rush of hot fluids pushing into her, the delicious feeling throwing her right over the edge. “Jinwoo,” is the last word to come out from her mouth before she’s spiraling, falling into a blissful place of ecstasy.

“My wife,” he says again, voice rough against her skin. “Mine.”

Jinwoo’s arms held her tightly to him as she were wrapped around him lovingly. The heat of their bodies, the feeling of his heart beating and the rise and fall of his chest as he heavily breathed.

“I love you, Y/N” his voice was a husky whisper as he pressed a soft yet deep kiss against her lips.

Her kisses were soft. They spoke quietly between kisses—sometimes teasing, sometimes serious. Promises made. Futures dreamed. It was messy and tender, clumsy and perfect.

He traced the line of her collarbone with his lips. She pressed her hand over his heart, feeling it race under her palm. They were both breathing hard but smiling. Always smiling.

Afterward, they stayed wrapped up in each other, her head on his chest, his hand drawing lazy circles on her shoulder.

"You’re shaking," she teased softly.

He huffed a laugh. "I’m trying not to pass out."

Y/N laughed too, pressing a kiss over his heart. "We’ve fought dragons and Monarchs. But this is what knocks you out?"

Jinwoo smiled, sleepy but happy. "You’re a different kind of dangerous."

She rolled her eyes but snuggled closer. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

"It was."

And they drifted to sleep like that, tangled together, their breathing slow and steady. Safe. Home.

Y/N had always suspected Jinwoo had an unfair advantage.

He was a Monarch. The Shadow Monarch. He could fight for days without rest, command legions with a thought, and tear through entire battlefields without so much as breaking a sweat.

But nothing—nothing—had prepared her for what that meant on their wedding night.

It had started gentle, slow and sweet. Reverent. Worshipful.

But now, hours later, she was pretty sure her legs no longer worked properly.

She lay sprawled across their bed, the sheets twisted, her hair an absolute mess, her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. Jinwoo hovered over her, dark hair falling in his eyes, his smile that rare, devastatingly soft one he reserved only for her.

And he was still looking at her like he was starving.

“Jinwoo,” she managed, her voice hoarse and breathless, “I… I think I need a break.”

He tilted his head at her, amused. “A break?” His fingers traced a lazy path along her collarbone, down to the curve of her waist. “I thought you said you could handle anything.”

“I was… clearly overestimating myself,” she groaned, flopping her arm over her face. “I’m not built like you, okay? You have a cheat code. You can regenerate stamina like a machine.”

He chuckled. A deep, low sound that made her toes curl, even now. “That’s true,” he agreed shamelessly. “But you don’t hear me complaining.”

Y/N cracked one eye open to glare at him. “Complaining?! Because you’re not the one who’s going to die from this.”

“You’ll be fine,” he said softly, leaning in to kiss her forehead, then her temple, then the shell of her ear. “I’m taking it easy on you.”

“Taking easy???! You are not,” she huffed, but the way her body shivered under his lips betrayed her.

“Hmm.” He nipped gently at her earlobe, and she bit her lip hard to keep from making a sound. “Then maybe I should slow down.”

Her heart jumped into her throat as he kissed his way down the column of her throat, his hand sliding down her hip again, fingers warm and possessive. She squirmed, but there was no escaping his hands. Not that she really wanted to.

“I… I need water,” she tried again, weakly.

His grin was wicked this time. “I’ll get you water after this round.”

“Jinwoo—!”

But he was already moving, catching her wrist and bringing her hand to his mouth. He pressed a kiss to her palm, his eyes dark and full of a heat that made her stomach flip. "You’re glowing," he murmured, tracing her wrist with his thumb. “I could look at you forever.”

“You are looking,” she gasped as he leaned back over her, their noses brushing. “Nonstop. For hours.”

“And I’m not even close to done,” he whispered, his lips brushing hers in a maddening tease. “You’re my wife now. I have the rest of forever.”

Y/N groaned again, sinking into the sheets as he kissed her thoroughly, slow and deep, stealing the last of her energy. She dragged her nails over his shoulder weakly. “You’re relentless.”

“You love it,” he said with a grin against her mouth.

“I might not survive it,” she breathed.

He chuckled again, low and warm. “You’re stronger than you think.”

She didn’t answer this time—mostly because she was too busy kissing him back, even if her body felt like jelly and her legs were about to mutiny. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. He touched her like she was something precious, even when his control frayed. Every kiss, every whispered promise made her fall harder.

And even as she gasped his name again, even as she clung to him and lost count of how many times he stole her breath, one thing was very, very clear.

“Jinwoo… Wait – Noooo! Let me – ”

....

“JINWOO! YEEEESSSS!!”

Jinwoo could outlast anything.

<< Chapter 16 | Chapter 18 >>

Tag requests: @kisssleeping; @catsf0rlife707; @aorifukuzawa; @joannthebish; @ojog404; @tanspostsblog; @snowy-violet; @o-qi-shisme; @sleepyamaya; @harrystylesfan2686; @night-shadowblood-writes2; @weaponxgames; @bubera974; @moonlightsof; @limerenceisserenity; @mashiromochi; @its-carlerrr; @kuramiachan; @purplehazzes;

[brandileigh2003]

Wolfstar fic recs featuring disability, chronic illness, chronic pain, or characters who are deaf or blind

**please feel free to drop your own fic or recs in comments and I'll add.

~~~please give these authors love, comments and interaction means more than you know. ~~

orange juice (i've been ready for you to come home for so long) by raggedypond @fortunatelyfuzzywombat divorced wolfstar get back together, flashbacks to remus getting diagnosis, breakup, and Sirius dealing with alcoholism. Raising teddy. Hea.

-love finds a way by littleoldrachel: Jurassic Park exes to lovers

-the sea is a good place to think of the future by peachyybabe: @lavenderhaze get back together, raising teddy, the second has mcd but if you just read first you can pretend he's ok? (I know I have friends who don't touch mcd with 10ft pole)

-(really you can't go wrong with any of peachyybabe, disability, chronic illness and/or mental health/illness in all.

-Forget the World by @amberlink mcd. Sirius is a surgeon, saves remus' life and they marry for insurance. But ofc fall in love along the way as Remus' heart gets worse. this was so good and explored brief as well

-my jokes are my armour, my kindness is my sword by @littleoldrachel remus owns flower shop and meets the gang (seizures and chronic pain

-Like Real People Do by third_crow coffee shop au, also sirius raising harry. So good.

-Tender is the touch (of someone that you love too much) by @purplefiction-ao3 remus has heart condition, written by person with chronic illness themselves

-Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations by TheQueerTailor Sixth year has just started and Remus is barely keeping up. He's just sixteen but it feels like his body is falling apart.

-heat and balance by @eyra also interesting look into Sirius dual role of partner and caregiver

-We’ll Make It Out Alive by wolfstar_addict417 texting fic, raising teddy

-the mayors of simpleton by fruity_individual get back together, remus is blind, raising teddy

-Found Heaven by fierrochase fluffy text fic, so cute together

-Black's Anatomy by @grasslesss greys anatomy fic, remus has lupus

-The Sickness Unto Death by oliverdalstonbrowning university au, remus has cystic fibrosis

-Of Bookshelves and Baby Carriers by @poppunkpadfoot bookshop au, sirius raising harry

-My Only Sunshine by Loua29xx: remus had cancer. Mcd

- Young Blood by viwrites @just--vi road trip au, jegulus main, remus has heart condition (I've been told the 2nd focus more on wolfstar, haven't gotten there yet)

-I Don't Care if My Heart Breaks by orphan_account: bookshop au, remus has cerebral palsy

-Be silent like deep water by @her-smile-forges-galaxies remus is deaf

-Give Me A Sign by@theresthesnitch soulmate fic, remus is deaf. Wip

-Kill Your Darlings by MesserMoon: @sophsicle jegulus main but remus is deaf. Hockey and University au

-Signs of Affection by KittyCargo: remus is deaf, teacher asl

-For the Love of Ducks by viwrites Remus has heart condition

-a lot of Lucigoo89 feature in some way. @lucigoo this is a great example- Finding my fate in the sensory room

-Sweets and Books by Writer_INFJ_2w1: bookshop au, chronic pain

- feel what its like to be new by peachyybabe: boarding school au, sirius is blind

-Rarer Than One in a Million by Sp00nhater wolfstar is so soft and sweet, meet in hospital

-one shot: Another New Potion? by depressed_and_nauseous

-wip: bite the hand by raggedypond: zombie apocalypse

-The Language of Flowers by B1ackCatChatsBack Remus has ra, flower shop

-Good Old Fashioned Lover Boys by Hell_Again: bakery au

-Casimir Pulaski Day by breadpoetssociety: cancer, mcd

-Forever Is a State of Mind by orphan_account (deaf remus)

-Living Like We're Renegades by orphan_account (hoh remus, university)

-Mile High by quidditery chronic pain

-this is not a temporary love (now my heart is in your hands) by littleoldrachel (pining, abandoned as far as I know, but worth it!!!)

-I Didn't Come Here to Party, I Only Came for the Cake by attheendoftheday gbbo Remus with fibromyalgia

-Six Feet Apart by Belle_Lestrange101 pandemic fic, Remus has hiv

-Beyond the Heartbeat by bizarrestars: ultimately a story about grief of regulus, with the middle soft wolfstar falling in love. Remus and illness is featured.

-Small Bones of Courage by Anonymous mcd, please read tags, sensitive topics. Later in life lycanthropy is terminal for remus.

-Fractured Skies by orphan_account coffee shop fic, Sirius is deaf, Remus has epilepsy

-as it was by peachyybabe A story about falling in love with a stranger in a bookstore and learning how to live again.

-An Infinte Ocean orphan_account: teddy has cf, Sirius is amputer

-Blind Werewolf McWolf by orphan_account Remus is blind

-Message from Seat 25A by PleaseDonateBlood 1 shot lupus

-if you were a waiting room. by beaniesandblackcoffee

-Time May Change Me by Kaymardsa lupus

-Underneath It All by Kaymardsa: seizures, texting fic

-i don't want to be your muse by yellowmarshmallow muggle asexual remus with chronic fatigue syndrome

-waiting room by haey1

-Remus lupins guide on how to (not) become a quidditch seeker by Girl_rotting

-Physiotherapy by @missmoonfrost Sirius helping remus see his body and therapy in another light

***all of my fics have disability or chronic illness rep two of my faves: silence between us (deaf remus + disability) and inevitable (cancer, mcd)**

These are prb widely known but...

-Highland Fling [+podfic] by @picascribitremus has lupus. They meet when Sirius is backpacking

-Text Talk by merlywhirls: Sirius is in boarding school, Remus is in hospital, and they don't know each other until Sirius texts the wrong number.

-Blends by rvltn909 coffee shop (sequel names goes into it a lot more)

-A Cup of Sugar by MsAlexWP: both harry and remus disabled

-Discards by picascribit read tags , sensitive subjects: remus has hiv

-A Wolf's Heart by mizdiz : meet in bookshop, remus has heart problems, mcd

-Problems with Narrative Structure and the Rules of Manly Engagement by @xinasvoice : get together fic, remus is an author has fibromyalgia

@just--vi did a tiktok video with these mentioned too that I forgot (give her some love)

-A Wolf, A Bear, A Dungeon Master, and Boy Wonder by ratmom819

-Forever is Definitely Punk Rock by orphan_account (lupus)

-Put Your Head on My Shoulder by jennandblit

-Sunshine on Leith by eyra

Spoons and Stars by Chlobliviate (Rec from glittery-grandma) chronic fatigue and pain, wolfstar in uni

•amicus curiae by femme_de_lettres: wip au law students

•Becoming Remus this Christmas by mybelovedmoon (chronic pain ft trans remus

•Petit pas by Curiosities: ballet au, Remus injured in accident

•maybe time running out is a gift by messrsrarchives (wip, mcd) cancer

•Don’t Delete the Kisses by @madefortherain (53k) fluffy. Pining and oblivious remus. (Background jegulus)

•too busy being yours by peachyybabe ft fluff, older wolfstar and deaf remus

•Happy Birthday! Happy Life Moony! By lucigoo89 (Remus uses a walker, disability rep, divergent, raising Harry and teddy)

•an ode to eden by minipoets (10k) muggle au leg/pain issues, and vision loss

--Others who sent me recs--

•Finding Warmth by Moony (adashofinspiration): deaf remus and blind Sirius

•As I Held My Breath by moodymoony103, niffler934 (82k) modern get together, teacher remus, Sirius raising regulus' daughter

•With different eyes by Shadowmun: blind Sirius is a seer. (haven't read this but def it's on my list) Also check out ao3 or tumblr there are some others that aren't wolfstar @mundrakan

•marginalia by @spindrifters canon divergent (by a lot, Grindelwald won!!) ft blind regulus and remus with lycanthropy effects

I shall also direct you to some lists by the @wolfstarlibrarian I'm sure there is some in common but they also have more one shots that I unfortunately usually don't track for the most part (this is amazing account, and not mine, but give them lots of love)

Wolfstar + Chronic Pain, Wolfstar w/Disabilities, Deafness, & Blindness, Wolfstar Hospital AUs, Sick Fic Oneshots, Terminally/Chronically Ill Remus Fics

---feel free to check it my main rec list

•new addition

•when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone's bed (you put me on and said I was your favorite) by barkatthemoon @barkingatthemooninsteadofwriting ft hard of hearing Remus who deals with chronic pain and fic also ft mental health

[queers-gambit]

If Speaking is Silver, Then Listening is Gold

-> a Turkish proverb

prompt: ( requested ) you require a bit of reprieve after the week you had, and Tommy's a gentleman.

pairing: Tommy Shelby x hard of hearing female!reader

fandom masterlist: Peaky Blinders

word count: 4.4k+

note: you hit me in the chest with this request. as someone who is hard of hearing (HoH) and progressively losing what they have left, this got personal.

warnings: author projects, mild angst, hurt and comfort, specified frustration, working with customers SUCK, mild violence, Tommy's a little OC 'cause he doesn't know what to do with emotion!

"Excuse me! God, the service here is terrible! Aren't you listening to me, barmaid!?" The woman with polished finger nails slammed her manicured hand to the bartop aggressively, glaring at you as if you had backhanded her mother.

The sudden slap made you jump slightly, turning your head to acknowledge her before deflecting, "In a moment, ma'am, I'm trying to listen to this man's order."

"I've been trying to get your attention for 10 minutes now!" She argued, the noise of the bar dialed up as the night droned on and the patrons drank more.

"And I'm busy assisting other customers, I'll get to you when it's your turn," you reminded her, blinking at the man in front of you. "I'm so sorry, sir, I, uh, what were you saying?"

He sighed, "You don't remember? Or didn't hear me?"

"I couldn't hear you over the woman yelling at me," you snipped, perking your brows. "Would you like to order or should I move onto another customer?"

He scoffed, "Just get me a fucking bourbon."

"One fucking bourbon comin' at'cha," you rolled your eyes as you turned from the people to grab the bottles of liquor lined up behind you. You poured the man his drink, set it in front of him, and pocketed the bill he slapped in front of you - not offering change as you instantly looked to another customer. He grumbled with displeasure, but you were asking the next person, "What can I get you?"

"Uh, no, I'm next, I've been waiting long enough," the woman with polished fingernails insisted, literally pushing the customer out of her way.

You sighed, "Know what? All right, fine, what can I get you, ma'am?"

At that moment, the doors swung open and a new wave of drunkards stumbled in; the bar roaring to greet the newcomers as the woman ordered her posh drink that had no business being ordered in The Garrison.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" You asked, staring at her mouth in the hopes of reading her lips. She repeated her order, but her tacky lipstick made her lips stick - making it hard to read. "What? I'm sorry, ma'am, it's loud, you're gonna have to speak up."

"Are you fucking with me right now!?" She screeched, making your eyes widen. "You're the fucking deaf - you can't hear a simple order!?"

"I only asked you to repeat yourself," You defended.

"You asked me three times!" She raged.

"So tell me a fourth and shut the fuck up!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Harry stepped in, hand to your shoulder when the woman looked ready to launch over the bar, "I got this. I'll man the bar, you go on - there's some tables that need bussing."

You sighed and stepped back, nodding, "Sure, Harry."

You hated when he did this. Instead of defending you and your inability to hear - something you have no control over - he would always just push you aside and send you to do other chores. It wouldn't cost anything to tell the customers to calm down, it was loud in the pub and you had a hard time hearing as is - but nope! The customer was always right, or whatever bullshit he would remind you.

You were constantly accosted at work for your difficulty hearing clearly. It wasn't that you couldn't hear at all, it was just difficult! Sometimes, you could hear bits of their sentence and just inference whatever words you missed, but that wasn't an exact science. You mostly depended on reading people's lips, always hating asking anyone to repeat themselves; but at work, it wasn't always possible. The people you interacted with seemingly took personal offense that you had a hard time hearing, and each of them made their displeasure known. Again, a great time for Harry to defend you, but the older man didn't like rocking the boat.

You didn't necessarily blame him, knowing the Peaky Blinders kept a close eye on the pub and would probably reprimand (cut) Harry for discipling customers instead of firing you. So, you kept quiet about your displeasure over your treatment because you needed this job - you never wanted to give reason or thought that you were difficult. Maybe that was why Harry would send you off to do other chores, he didn't want you to lose your cool and this job. Though, some of these people deserved a good tongue lashing.

Picking up a spare pail, you went around to a few tables and cleared them of empty glasses before using a rag from your bucket to wipe them down for the next set of people.

Apparently, in that moment, someone decided to move past you, and to their credit, they did say, "Excuse me, luv, behind yah," but you didn't hear him. So, when you straightened up from cleaning the table, you took a natural step back and bumped into a body; gasping when something wet splashed over your neck, shoulders, and down your back and chest. "Oh, fuckin' hell, lass! Watch where yer fuckin' goin'!" The man raged, his empty glass shattered on the floor.

You blinked in shock.

"What? Didn't fuckin' hear me when I told yah I was there!?" The man continued to reprimand you. "Gotta fuckin' listen in a pub like this, lass, you'll cause worse fuckin' accidents!"

"I'm so sorry," you offered meekly, shaking the ale off your arms and glancing at your front to see it trickled in alcohol. You needed to take a deep, long breath before turning to head for the bar.

"What happened?" Harry asked when you arrived, looking mild concerned.

"Another spill," you spoke through a clenched jaw.

"Oi!" The man who dropped his drink all over you approached the bar, barking at Harry. "It's not our fault you hired some deaf bitch! That can't fuckin' hear 'round her! She didn't move from my way, I lost me pint 'cause of her stupidity!"

Stupid...? Did this drunk asshole just call you stupid because HE bumped into YOU and spilled HIS OWN drink? Maybe the money you made at the bar wasn't worth this...

Harry had no issue giving the drunkard another pint of ale as you tried in vain to dry off, but your dress, hair, and skin was completely plastered in sticky alcohol. You felt your eyes burn with stress, wanting to burst into tears and sob your frustrations out, but you didn't have the strength to break down right now. That's how tired and upset you were - you didn't even have the energy to cry.

You went about your evening, bussing tables and avoiding whatever customers you could; keeping your head on a swivel to avoid any other accidents. You felt a little better, but the stress still lingered around the bar; feeling as if the customers were glaring at you no matter what you did. When a natural lull came, Harry let you back behind the bar with the promise of staying near in case you needed him, but you were ready to drop.

Your final straw was about an hour after the usual Peaky Blinders and Shelby brothers had come in for the nightly round(s) of whiskey. You smiled at Arthur when he approached the bar, all too happy to greet you loudly - the lad never having an issue with speaking up when you couldn't hear. Arthur was always happy to accommodate you, having a soft spot for you since his brother, Tommy, had made his interest in you known that past year.

Speaking of, Tommy Shelby, notorious gangster of Small Heath and the head huncho of the Peaky Blinders, entered after his brothers and made an instant approach. "Harry," he greeted when he stepped around the bar.

"Mr. Shelby," Harry nodded.

"Love," he acknowledged you, pecking your cheek sweetly. "All right?"

"Hmm?"

"Doin' all right?" He asked clearly, being similar to his brother and not minding speaking louder, slower, clearer, whatever you needed to hear him better. In fact, Tommy wasn't know for being patient, but with you, he'd repeat himself as many times as it took - but only for you.

"Oh, yeah," you sniffled, trying to hide your frustrations.

"Why's your dress wet?" He worried, petting a sticky lock of your hair back, his concern mounting.

You shrugged, "Bit of an accident, 's not a big deal."

"Someone run into you, again?"

You nodded, "It's fine, though. He got a new pint and calmed down."

Tommy shook his head, gritting, "Who?"

"Tommy."

"Tell me who, love."

"No, Tommy, it's fine," you insisted, petting your hand down his chest in a show of affection; seeing another customer approach the bar. "I'm sorry, I'm working, love, can we talk later?"

He nodded, pecked your temple, grabbed a bottle of Irish whiskey and moved for the snug - where his brothers and Aunt Polly waited for him. You got back to work, and barely noticed the time ticking by... Until a new customer approached you with a sneer already marring his face.

"What can I get for you, sir?" You asked kindly, needing to raise your voice over the usual drunken yelling. So, you preemptively warned him, "Sorry, 's bit noisy tonight, you'll have to speak up."

The man ordered his drink clearly, but another few men in loosened slacks and disheveled button-ups stalked up to the bar; crowding around the other two men who stumbled over in obnoxious laughter. You felt your panic spike, already overwhelmed by them all trying to talk over one another.

You were bombarded with drink orders from them all, eyes flickering between them because you didn't know who to listen to first. You tried to get the drinks together at the same time, but in truth, it was overwhelming because the men changed their orders, but got mad at YOU when you didn't quite hear them clearly.

Their drunken words added to the bar's noise level sprinkled with you being hard-of-hearing just resulted in a cluster fuck. "This isn't what I fucking ordered!" The original man complained, glaring at you with distain. "It's really not that hard, girl, my God. If you can't get our drinks right, how you gonna make any man a decent wife? Gonna fuck up his dinners, too?"

"Jesus - I'm sorry, there's just a lot going on. Why don't you remind me your drink and I'll get it now," you offered as kindly as you could.

"I doubt you'll be able to get it right," he sneered, but you missed half his sentence.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me!? Just fuckin' listen - it's not hard!" He snarled, literally chucking his glass just past your ear so it shattered into the liquor bottles behind you. "You can't even get a fucking drink right! Fuck you doin' workin' here, then!?"

This caused a huge commotion, obviously.

The Shelby's don't play games, you see, and the moment the glass shattered, they were moving out of the snug to investigate. When they realized someone had offered you disrespect, it was a shit show as the drunkards clashed with the men with razors stitched in their caps. Still in shock from the show of violence, you felt something in your heart snap you into motion.

So, you silently untied your apron, grabbed your coat and home keys, then literally walked out the backdoor - while the men all scuffled. The moment you stepped outside, you let your emotional dam give out - sobbing into the stinging cold air as you moved up the street.

You weren't sure what emotion you felt - be it anger, disappointment, shame, fear... Crippling insecurity. Once at the Irish pub, The Black Lion, you settled at the nearly empty bar and ordered your own drink, something you rarely did anymore. Something about working with alcohol all day made you less inclined to drink, but tonight was different than previous nights.

"All right, lass?" The bartender asked, pouring the whiskey in front of you. "Look a bit put out, huh?"

"Just a long week," you answered. He hummed, nodding and asking something. You felt tears in your eyes when you asked, "C-Could you repeat that?"

Louder, he repeated, "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Oh, no, thank you," you waved off. "Just... Customers being unruly."

He laughed, "Oh, don't I know it. What happened?"

You shrugged, "Nothing important."

"C'mon, lass, if it's made you come inta a place like this, searching for a drink, it's probably important enough."

You sighed, "Honestly, I think I appreciate the silence."

He smirked, "I can respect that. Here," he poured you a new glass, "this one's on the house. I deal with unruly customers, too, so, I know you'll need this second one."

You chuckled and grinned broadly when he went to walk away, did a double take, then left the whiskey bottle to your side with a smirk. He moved off to sit at a different table with some other older men, leaving you alone for the first time in what felt like a long time. It felt ironic for a moment that you sought solitude and silence, but you just wanted time to digest all that happened tonight and move on.

Why couldn't people understand that despite you being a public servant, you were still a human being? A human with human emotions, human disability, who makes human mistakes. Yet according to those entitled pricks that think YOU work for THEM, you were a second class citizen who was underserving of empathy. How dare you ask them to repeat themselves! How dare you misunderstand their order - and quickly replace it! How dare you have a disability past your control that affects your day-to-day life!

There was a heavy, looming feeling of being inadequate.

Being alive was hard enough as it is, more so when a bodily function most others take for granted malfunctioned within you. It made life harder; you had to work harder than everyone else just to operate on their same level. However, if you dare show exhaustion, frustration, any degree of weakness, you were quick to be labeled as "lazy" or "entitled" or your favorite, "dramatic!"

Those people can hear pins drop, they couldn't ever fathom what this felt like. It wasn't that you couldn't hear, you could. It just wasn't on the level other's could heard at, and for whatever reason, it seemed to frustrate everyone else more than you. You were the one dealing with the predicament, and yet, everyone else was seemingly the most inconvenienced! They thought it mortally offensive to be served by someone "like you", thinking your disability was unacceptable in their proximity.

Fucking assholes.

If only they knew the way your stomach knotted itself every time you asked someone to repeat what they said. Every time you said, "Huh?" or "What was that? What did you say?"

You were embarrassed because it made you feel as if you couldn't even be a human "correctly", and it's not like you chose for this to happen! It's not like anyone chooses to make the obligation called life ten times harder by putting you at a functional disadvantage. You felt like "damaged goods" because you felt constantly out of the loop; missing a lot of what's said if you're not paying explicit attention.

However, years ago, you had perfected the ability to read lips. Yet this was difficult when most people you couldn't hear were your customers, majority of who are slurring their words. You worked in The Garrison, meaning that on any given night, there was loud discussions that added to your frustration - but the tips were too good to quit. So you endured. You felt pathetic and borderline like a failure if you quit any job; feeling as if your disability had won by emotionally crippling you. So, while it didn't make a lot of sense to work in a noisy place when you're already hard-of-hearing, you remained at your place of employment simply out of spite.

It was difficult reminding yourself it wasn't your fault, that you were still doing a great job - no matter how many customers catch attitudes, get snippy, or throw full-on adult tantrums. You despised needing to be the "bigger person", but figured nobody else would be willing to accommodate you, so, if you wanted a semblance of peace, you had to be the one to create it.

You reached for the bottle of whiskey after downing your second glass. With a harsh sniffle, you glanced around the pub and realized how many people had arrived to fill in the place. You felt the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, acutely aware that you were so deep in your emotional tarpit that you missed the noise rising.

So much for a quiet night.

You poured a new glass, praying to whatever God would listen that you're granted deliverance from this empty, helpless feeling that was pitting your stomach and chest.

After hearing the glass shatter, Tommy and his brothers were rocketing to their feet to investigate. They saw a man, red in the face, yelling hatefully at you behind the bar - liquor dripping off the shattered shelves from the man's bout of violence. There was no thinking for any of them. Tommy recognized you were in a predicament; striding forward first, and the chaos began.

It'd been a good bit since the lads had a good fist fight. No razors, no guns, no advantages - just bare fists and bar furniture.

It cleared the place out, and when the drunkard was hauled off by his companions, Tommy was wiping the blood from his knuckles. Harry frowned at the sight of blood splattered on the floor, shaking his head before calling your name - knowing you had some secret to getting blood out before it stained. However, there was no response. The Shelby boys all looked around expectantly, waiting for you to reappear, but it was evident by the way Harry searched for you that you weren't in the building.

Tommy placed a cigarette to his lips, just lighting it when Harry returned from the back room, informing, "Her belongin's are gone, she must've left early."

This made Tommy whip around sharply to use his own eyes and scan the room. "Nobody saw where she went? How was nobody watchin' her!?" Tommy asked demanded. There were several shakes of different heads, Tommy's anxiety flaring in his chest. He quickly rushed to grab his coat and flat cap, tugging them on in haste, hearing Arthur question where he was going. "Gotta find her," he explained through his panting-panic. "City's dangerous enough for people that can hear properly. God knows what can happen when she's alone at this time of night."

"We'll help," John offered, nudging Arthur, Finn, and their cousin, Michael Gray.

"I'll find her faster," Tommy answered, already out the door.

Michael shared a look around the room, wondering, "He acts like this all the time or just with that one pretty barmaid?"

Arthur smirked broadly, "That one pretty barmaid is Tommy's girl. Don't get caught lookin'."

"He's like this with just her," John chuckled, "always has been, always taking care of her the way she cares for him."

"What did Tommy mean? She can't hear?" Michael questioned innocently.

"Nah, girl's got some hearin', just not a whole lotta it," John explained as if common knowledge. "Never thought I'd see Tommy so patient, so fuckin' doting. He doesn't mind repeating himself if she asks, in fact, he does what he can to talk to her how she needs."

"What's that mean?"

"Like," John paused, sighing through his nose, "he'll face her directly, speak slower to let her read his lips. He speaks up, he's clearer, he wants her to feel like she's not a burden if she can't hear like us can so he does it all organically."

Michael smiled softly, vaguely impressed by Tommy's show of humanity. Speaking of, everyone's favorite gangster was prowling through Small Heath; stopping in each and every open business, searching for the familiar sight of you, and moving on when he was unsuccessful. You weren't at the Shelby home, nor your apartment, church, or anywhere along the Canal - places you frequent when overwhelmed.

Tommy was beginning to get cold, but he wouldn't say that. His determination would keep him warm, and even as the snow began to fall once more, Tommy hiked through the wind. Luck seemed to be on his side because when he entered the third pub, one he doesn't usually step foot in outside of evident emergencies, there you were; sat at the bar looking miserable.

"Thank God," Tommy breathed in relief, straightening his jacket and swiping his cap from his head. He approached your side and reached a hand out to the bartop in front of you, minimally startling you by announcing his presence without words. "Hey, love," he greeted you.

"What're you doing, Tommy? Blinders don't come 'round in here."

"We do when one of our own goes missing."

Your eyes rolled, "I'm not missing, I just needed a break."

"I know," he nodded, "but I'm here to make sure you get home safe."

"I don't need an escort."

"I don't think you do, but it's dangerous at night. You know I care about you and that includes your well-being."

"Oh, don't tell me, you're trying to play the gentleman card?" You scoffed, taking another swallow from your glass. "C'mon, sit down, I don't like drinking alone," you commented, "makes me sad, leaves me alone with my thoughts."

"We can drink at home, love."

"I don't want to go home yet."

"Why?"

"'Cause I'll have to explain why I got fired."

"You didn't."

"Huh!?" You yelped.

"You didn't lose your job," he assured softly.

"No?"

"No, not fired."

"Oh," you mulled over your thoughts, "that's good, then."

Tommy sighed and pulled his coat off to take the empty barstool beside you. "All right," he decided, going through the motions to stick a cigarette between his lips and light it. Smoke wafted from his mouth as he asked, "What happened tonight?"

"You already know, I'm sure."

"I want your truth."

"Doesn't matter," you refused, downing the last of the whiskey in your glass. You went to leave a few bills for your tab, but Tommy stopped you and covered it himself. Your eyes rolled and hand snatched the nearly-empty bottle of whiskey before heading for the exit.

Tommy followed not far behind.

"Love, c'mon, wait up," he grit, catching up to you and tossing his coat over your form, "you're gonna catch ill."

"I'm fine," your eyes rolled. Truthfully, the consumed whiskey in your system acted as an internal heating mechanism; warming your blood, wrapping you in a fuzzy grip.

"Talk to me," he pleaded.

"I just - I'm frustrated, okay?"

"Sure, all right," he agreed, "but why?"

"You don't get it, Tommy," you felt emotional, rounding on him with tears in your eyes. "You don't know what it's like, you can hear just fine, you can still see, you don't know what it's like to progressively lose one of your senses! The way people get angry for something I cannot dictate - it's like they're the one being vastly inconvenienced!"

Tommy nodded, just listening.

"And they crucify me for it!" You sniffled, feeling defeated. "Like I'm some pariah that will infect them with my loss of hearing. They treat me as if - as if I've asked for this, as if I'm doing it on purpose!"

"What would help?"

"Honestly? I don't know anymore, Tommy, but this town is seriously lacking in their ability to empathize. I don't know what I'm supposed to say or do - I get so angry now. It happens more and more, people getting angry or frustrated at me 'cause I need them to repeat themselves. What am I supposed to do, huh?"

He smirked slightly, but the sight angered you.

"Oh, fuck off, Tommy!" You turned from him, moving back up the street. "I don't need to laugh at me like the rest of them - "

"I'm not!" Tommy insisted, reaching for your wrist to halt you, whip you around, face him again. Both his hands extended to hold the area above your elbow, speaking clearly, "Listen to me. I was going t'wait, but I think now's a good time."

"Good time for what, Tommy?" You growled, now just wanting to go to bed and hide from your emotions; hide from people; hide from reality.

"I have a new job for you, in the company," he smirked. "We're still getting things structured, but why don't you step away from the bar and come work for me now? Help us build what's left, and then transition into your company job?"

You paused, just staring at him in mild shock.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Why would I joke?"

"You're... Offering me, what? Some job as your receptionist?"

"No, I was thinkin' something a little more paramount."

"Like what?"

"Like Chief of Operations?"

"COO?" You laughed, "For what company, Tommy?"

"Come home with me, we'll talk all about it," he bargained, "but if you accept, you've gotta quit The Garrison, love. We'll need your head in the game, no other distractions."

You felt something in your heart crack, asking, "What if you lot can't stand working with me, too?"

"Because of your hearing?"

"Or, you know, lack there of."

"Love," he smirked, "there's nothing you can do - intentionally or unintentionally - that would make any of us distance ourselves. If we get frustrated, it's not because you can't hear - it's never your disability, love."

"So, if you get frustrated, it's just, what? My personality?"

"More than likely," He grinned, arm snug around your waist again to walk down the snowy lane together. He laughed when your hand rose to pinch his side; squeezing his rib tightly, causing him to flinch and grunt lightly. "Hey, hey, easy with that," he chuckled, seeing your happy smile. "You all right, love? I know tonight was a lot, but... You feelin' any better?"

"I think so," you sighed. "The whiskey helps," you joked, raising the bottle to your lips.

"Mhm," he mused, taking the bottle after you.

"But present company helps more," you complimented softly. "You know, I'm sorry for today..."

"You're sorry that you couldn't hear a bunch of drunks in a packed-out pub?"

"Maybe?"

Tommy smirked, "Don't apologize, sweetheart. It's not your fault; like you say, it's not something you can control. I'm the one who's sorry you had to endure all of that... The lads got that guy pretty good."

"Good."

"And now you've a new job, yes?"

"After I hear about it," your eyes rolled in humor, taking the bottle back. "What's this big idea for a company anyway? What's it even called?"

"The Shelby Company Limited, and we're gonna change the whole of England, love."

requesting rules and masterlist

Peaky Blinders masterlist

[punkeropercyjackson]

Hazel Esther Levesque fashion tingz🫶🏽👾🩷

I am a firm believer in pastel goth,afropunk and kidcore queen Hazel.Yes,all of them at once-She is basically the embodiment of this pic

Hazel is extremely feminine presenting and her autism and baby femme transbian swag caused her to be unsatisfied with the dull clothes she was settled with in her first life.So obviously she tells Nico and Percy about this to vent and they agree to take her out on multiple shopping sprees to sprouse up the wardrobe of their lil princess as soon as Gaea is defeated,Sally and Paul joining them too as they adopted Hazel post-Boo as Sally did Nico in Tlo(Paul x Sally was a very good concept that didn't burn slow enough so i'm giving them what they deserve)

Because the Jacksons as a whole are anti-capitalist,they didn't go to super expensive stores but to thrift shops and family run bussinesses to obtain the Hazel drips.Hazel also makes her own clothes and makeup as Percy teaches her diy and her usual outfit aspects consist of bright colors,pastels,frilly dresses,funky socks/stockings,spikes,loose tops but tight bottoms,parodies of graphic designs and ✨️sparkles✨️.Both with glitter and even her own natural effect she figured out how to do with her gem based powers.She has a whole big box of all the hair accessories she's collected and it's rare she not be wearing at least one of them

Hazel also went through a subtle hair journey throught her introduction series-In Son she had afropuffs,in Moa she had cornrows,in Hoh she had twists,in Boo she had sisterlocks and in Eoe she finally settled on butterfly locs,dying her hair from time to time too but only shades of pink and purple and no other colors.And to complete her look,Percy gave her piercings-Stacked lobes,double cheeks and a pink nose ring!Hazel's battle jacket heavily leans into moreso a bubblegoth theme than traditional punk in it's base material(it's a swirl of darker and lighter colors together and bulky like a hoodie and fluffily textured)but the patches and pins are very much reflective of her punk culture,including a button that says 'Unperson your local authority figure' and a BLM patch

[pokemoncaretips]

PSA from the Alolan rangers

This year, due to unusual cosmic activity, worm holes are going to be frequent, and this corresponds to a predicted rise in ultra beast sightings. The rangers have released information on how to keep yourself safe during the next 8 months until the wormholes die down:

Travel in groups and keep alert. We recommend keeping your pokemon out of their balls if feasible.

Familiarize yourself with the cries of ultrabeasts. [A link to a government website is attached with a soundbank of recorded ultrabeast noises]

If you are deaf or HOH, all service pokemon trained in Alola recently are trained to recognize these sounds, but if you have an older service pokemon or are from out of the region, the Deaf Society of Alola will be happy to loan you a trained pokemon for the duration.

Download the ranger alert app for your rotom dex or rotom phone in case of an encounter or sighting. Remember, it is a $5000 fine for making a false report.

Avoid unnecessary travel during this event. If you are someone who works with wormholes or has travelled through or been very close to one, we recommend leaving the region for the duration if you can or increasing security if this is not an option, due to the likelihood of ultrabeasts approaching you.

Ultrabeasts are frequently startled and confused by their sudden arrival here, and are much more likely to be aggressive or reactive. Do not engage ANY ultrabeast. Avoid eye contact and remain still.

Avoid picking up litter with your bare hands, particularly paper litter that seems folded.

Keep an eye on the skies.

If you find dead wild pokemon that have been drained of fluids, vacate the area immediately.

If you feel dizzy, confused or sleepy, leave the area. Pheremosa may be present. Wear a good quality n-95 mask to provide decent protection.

Avoid power plants if you aren't an employee there. If you are an employee, pay close attention to safety briefings and wear all provided PPE. If your employer is not providing PPE, anonymous reports can be made to the authorities here [A link is provided]

Avoid large forested areas and remain alert for a long, low rumbling noise. Stay away from unexplained wild fires.

Obey all evacuation alerts sent out, and keep a survival kit packed with clean clothes, important documents other necessities. A comprehensive list of essential items can be found at the Alolan governments website.

Avoid coming unto contact with naganadel toxin. This toxin is purple and slightly bioluminescent, with a sharp, bitter smell. It's powerfully adhesive and can quickly cause breathing difficulties. If accidental contact occurs, vinegar has been shown to begin breaking it down. Apply white vinegar to the area and contact emergency services.

Make note of stone walls in your area, and report if new ones appear with no signs of construction workers.

Stay safe and don't be a hero.

[reesemon]

I FIGURED IT OUT

the main issue that i saw in tsats was that tartarus wasn’t scary enough. it was completely incomparable to the tartarus described in hoh. i think i figured out the specific flaw in the writing that caused this: the authors misinterpreted when to use humor and when not.

there are two kinds of humor in rick riordan books: situational (where the situation is funny) and monologue (where the narrators monologue is funny). in tsats, most of the monsters that nico and will encounter are described in humorous ways or they do funny things. rarely do they meet a monster and the tone is completely serious.

this is especially evident in the final nyx fight. the tone should’ve been completely serious here, especially considering all the buildup, but it wasn’t. nyx acted like a spoiled brat and not a primordial goddess so the fight did not feel as weighted as it should’ve.

in hoh, when annabeth and percy are fighting ahklys (for example), there is zero humor. ahklys does not make funny remarks, and the narration isn’t funny. this is because of how serious the situation was, and this is how the nyx fight should’ve been written: with zero humor.

expanding on this, there should have been no situational humor at all. it’s tartarus. nothing they encounter there will be entertaining or funny. this would have made their journey feel more treacherous.

humor in the monologue would’ve been acceptable if they’d used it in the right spots. i.e. not during pivotal battles.

TL;DR: the way they described tartarus in tsats made me feel like i could go there with a 12 pack of monster energy and a spork and come out alive in like a week

[drownedrow]

I’m new to the Raphael fandom but everyone is so nice here :-) everyone is so sweet and accepting of dark content and all the fan arts and fics are SO good!!! You all make me less shy and I’m totally inspired to write my own longfic/dark doc I’ve been putting off since forever!! Majority antiship spaces are so soul draining

Awww!!! That's so sweet!💞

Yes the Raphael lovers are generally pretty accepting of all kinds of content, we're talking about devils in the Hells, it's nice that very different interpretations of him can exist so easily. He has a lot of interesting little bits and bobs that make him so fun to shake and twist. My little weirdo.

Aha that's so nice! I need to recommend some people who make lovely Raphael focused content besides my own that I just adore!

Art:

Oniishi does amazing art, I've commissioned them before and they were wonderful.

Crimson-Nemesis makes adorable art, lots of cute Raphlep.

Raccoonattack makes suchhh GOOD STUFF. Meph shows up sometimes...even Gort rfoeragvsdeg ugh OBSESSED!!!!! And they draw a lot of Fem!Raphael which I just loveeee.

Noxarionart this person is mostly on blue-sky which I barely use so I linked their tumblr but their art is some of the sexiest shit wrfsfrres drooling.

Jasmindarnell not sure they actively make Raph art anymore but one of their pieces is currently my lock screen so I'd be remiss to miss them.

Fanfics:

SharpLittleClaws Hottest Raphael PWP fanfics /TO ME/ (I like him bottoming/being switchy.). When I tell you the CHOKEHOLD "Pretty Gilded Cage" had on me.....yum.

Aqeldroma She writes mostly Durgetash but she has two Raphael fics and I love them both. I will caution I again enjoy Raphael very flawed and fucked up and I like to see him whumped bad, but if you liked my stuff you'll probably like hers. Her long-fic with him I doubt he'll end up winning in, but I am a Raph/Gort connoisseur and she feeds me.

Misterkingdom Not really active but feeding a Raph/Gort lover with many a fic. They made some excellent fics that honestly have inspired me. Droit Du Signor is my favorite.

Not_Rin Actually not smut so far lol, Black Earth that Made Us is another HoH Enver long-fic with the author's OC Slyvie (Enver and her are twins), I very much like canon characters a lot of the time but Slyvie enchants me. Can't wait to see where it goes and have been enjoying it immensely so far. It is not super Raphael focused which is why it's at the end but this fic needs more love.

Bonus:

Akelan has made some really nice fanart for me just because he's a sweetheart. He mostly does Durgetash but he's awesome, both his art and writing are great. :3

Oh-Moth does mostly durgetash but he’s drawn twoooo really wonderful Raphael pieces and their art in general is just awesome.

Tinselace writes Mephistopheles focused fics, I love her work very much, yay MEPHYYYY.

Anyhoo, you should write what you want, I hadn't written in years and the Forgotten Realms sucked me back in so much, it's so nice to have a creative hobby to focus on, once I finish Annals I have a FORTY TWO (outlined to chapter 35 lol) Raphael/Gortash Warlock AU I am so so excited to start working on. I totally get that it can be soul-sucking, the only other fandom I've ever been in was Naruto and it was pretty chill there but I've seen some stuff especially devils adjacent- looking at some OTHER devil focused franchises (Never watched but Hazbin Hotel I get stuff bc of tag overlap) and omg...thoughts and prayers. Idk I truly do believe art is art and a story is a story and the world is better to have more creative work in it. I personally find writing about traumatic and dark stuff so cathartic lol. Even if I was writing to three people I would be writing, because I love these fucked up little men so much, so please don't hide your fucked up story under a bushel. Like please write your story and tag me when you do. ^^

[ukranianacearo]

You asked for Kid requests? Oh hoh hoh, well I've /got/ Kid requests.

Okay, so an idea I have is Kid being with a girl who's kinda like the tichular character from Komi Can't Communicate. They come off as cool and collected, mysterious even. But they're actually just a socially anxious weeb/nerd who doesn't know how to people. She's always the kid in the back of class everyone is too afraid to talk to because she's either thought of as scary or too cool to talk to. And of course, since no one is too cool for Kid, he'd talk to her, finds out she's a loveable dorkfish like him, and the rest is history.

Any pronouns are okay but she/her or they/them is preferred!

-𓆣

The two of us could reach the stars

Komi-san!Fem!Reader

Tw: social anxiety maybe?

Pairing: Death, the kid x fem!Reader

Synopsis: Since Kid's first day at the Academy, he heard a lot of whispers and rumors about a certain classmate that always sits at the back of the class.

Genre: I guess fluff or something like that

Author's note: YAYAYAYAY anon𓆣 I love you sm, you're my savior. Also, I never watched Komi-sama can't communicate so the fact that you explained her character more in depth helps me a lot😭 Thank you sm for the request, I hope you like this and there may be mistakes, bc English isn't my first language and I didn't proofread this

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

- "That girl is so weird, she never talks and always avoids people. What is it with her?" - BlackStar complained loudly as he and the group were going to the class.

- "You shouldn't talk like that about her, BlackStar..." - Tsubaki tried to calm down the blue haired boy. She was obviously curious about the girl too, but the girl herself didn't seem very interested in them.

- "Who are you talking about anyway?" - Kid, who was still on his first week at the Academy, asked.

- "Oh, that's right, you probably don't know, Kid, since you're still new. There's a girl in our class that's always in the back and she almost never talks. She's very smart tho, always making it to the top 3." - Explained patiently Maka.

- "She remind me of a ghost. Kinda mysterious, but also almost non existent at some point." - Added in a murmur Soul.

- "Hah, she must have that from me. My shining greatness is so illuminating that she decided to try and be like me. Not like she will ever reach my greatness." - Commented BlackStar again. Kid didn't take that seriously, for BlackStar is just bubbling non sense. They finally arrived to the classroom everyone was going to their seats.

- "Look, Kid, she's that girl sitting at the back." - Maka said as she looked at the mysterious girl. Kid followed her gaze and saw a girl their age. He must admit, she did have a mystical vibe around her. Maybe he should talk to her, but how?

...

- "Liz, Patty, go without me, I have something else I have to do." - Said Kid as he left the classroom.

- "Oh? Alright, take care." - Liz answered. As Kid walked out of the classroom, he could see the one who he wanted to talk to. He picked up the pace, since he could see that the person was getting further away. The crowd of individuals that has formed in the halls didn't help.

As he got to an empty hall, he finally could see the enigmatic girl. He hurried his footing and soon enough, he caught up to her.

- "Hey." - He called out to her and as if pulled out of a trance, the girl slowly turned around to see Kid behind her. Her upper body was slightly leaned away from Kid. She didn't answer Kid, even if she wanted, he soon started talking again. - "You're that girl who got everyone and their grandmas intrigued, right? I'm Death, the Kid, son of Lord Death. You actually are quite interesting and symmetrical, so what do you say to talking sometimes?" - The girl expression didn't change much, at least to Kid's impression. She shook her head slightly in affirmation, her school bag still in her hands by the handles. - "Alright, then it's settled. Now, I have matters to attend so farewell for the time being. I'll see you around." - with that, Kid went back the same way he came as the girl just stood there looking at him as he was leaving.

...

- "Today she will finally hear it from THE BlackStar!" - as usual, BlackStar was causing quite the scene when Kid saw him and Tsubaki pass by in the hallway. There weren't that many people around, so the sound of BlackStar's voice was echoing throughout the tall walls of the halls. Suddenly, Kid saw the girl who BlackStar was complaining about coming right at BlackStar and Tsubaki from the other hall. The girl clearly heard BlackStar's shouting, it would be surprising if she didn't thought Kid, so to apparently avoid the blue-haired boy, she quickly skipped to the next hall while BlackStar turned away and started walking back first, for some reason. This scene of the girl caused the wheels in Kid's mind to turn. Was she avoiding the loud boy because she knew it was about her or just because he was loud? He had to think it over.

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

This short af and I'm sorry it's not as good as it could have been😔 I didn't know what I should do later on, but I hope you all like it (Black Star being the best wingman ever❓❗) If someone asks for part 2 I might do it and incline more in the romantic theme, I guess, I really don't know sorry

anyway, bye bye xoxo

[princessofghosts-posts]

These days I was bombarded on TikTok with people talking about Hunger Games latest book (one day,I will read this series too,one day) and there was a girl that made a comment that got me. She said that now the audience was older,the author wasn't holding back anymore and put a lot more of dark topics,than usual,in the new book. And this made me think a bit about HoO.

I often talked with my best friend about how I wanted Riordan to publish the books going alongside with his audience's aging. PJO is probably the strongest serie Riordan wrote,everyone in this fandom read the first 5 books,and then decided to continue or not. It's a crescendo of actions and an heavier tone take place with each books,that then culminate in TLO with the final battle and the aftermath. And for a pre-teen (aimed at 13 years old and up) is pretty good.

But after the first serie,the readers grew and I really wished so had the tone of HoO,since he introduce pretty dark topics and the stakes were extremely more high than Kronos wanting to take over Manhattan. Take for example Tartarus: Annabeth and Percy spend the entirely of HoH down there and when they come back,in BoO,they don't have PoVs. I saw a couple of people complain about it,because at least the last chapter should had been Percy's to close everything. And while I'm neutral to it,there is a reason why they don't have a single PoVs: Rick doesn't know how to write Tartarus's trauma. And even if he did,he couldn't because his audience is from 13 years (sometimes even youngers) up,so some topics cannot be explored further from the surface.

One thing is reading their actions and thoughts and be like: "Oh damn,they are loosing it. This place is hell,when are they going to get out? I'm starting to get anxious for them..." and another is witnessing a full PTSD episode because the trauma is too big for them to handle,and they don't know how to cope with it.

That's also a reason why Nico doesn't mention his trip other than him meeting Akhlys. Reading BoO I was expecting to find something more about his experience in Tartarus (and I was already on a rollercoaster with any of his PoVs without it) but he never think about it. It's like he wasn't effected at all even tho,in MoA,he told Percy he almost went insane down there. Riordan probably doesn't even know how to being with him on this.

There is so much abuse in all of the characters's backstories too but it's never explored in a deeper way. Annabeth's backstory is a great example of that. But other than her we have basically almost everybody else in the same situation.

I don't blame Rick since those are his books and he decide the target audience for his products. That's completely fair and fine. He's the author so he can do what he want. And I also recognize that I'm way out of the target he has,since I'm not 13-14 anymore,and this also weight on my view of the books. But I still love them.

I just wish the books could grow with the audience too,so that more mature tones of certain events could be addressed in the proper way,since the readers would be of a proper age for them. Let's be honest,there is no way that Annabeth and Percy are mentally ok after Tartarus,while Nico is trying to hold himself together and almost failing in it everytime.

I was hoping that with the newest series he was going to change a bit the narrative tone,especially with TSATS since they went back to Tartarus and it's a book on Nico,and he isn't the most mentally stable and happiest character of the franchise. But I was wrong.

Fortunately we have fanfiction that take care of it,and that take time to explore the parts that Rick can't or won't because of his audience's age limitation or his inability to write them right.