#hope I wasn't too rude in this response

[butwhatifidothis]

I don't want to come off as rude when I say this, I just want to be clear: the fact that these messages were ever said in this server, that they were said with no action from the mod team, and that they are still, currently, within the server, is a significant problem.

The fact that the response from the server, as of right now, is to try to demonize the person pointing to the elephant in the room and to not do anything about the ones who said the Nazi rhetoric, is a significant problem.

And as seen in this reblog, shandale is not above outright lying about what had happened. They told someone - and likely others - that they would have addressed the problem had someone pointed it out to them. There were multiple people who continuously pointed out the problems with what they were saying, and those people were talked down to and sometimes even outright silenced. And shandale had only said to the reblogger that they would have stopped... after they had repeated the Nazi rhetoric.

From that reblogger (Green and Blue Redacted aren't in Edelgang, Red Redacted is another mod of Edelgang):

As of July, shandale still had these beliefs, which at least one other mod knew about that, and still nothing was done. Their response to being directly told that this was Nazi rhetoric by people of Jewish decent (because both TheEeveeTamer and Green Redacted are of Jewish decent) was "but the Nabateans aren't literally human though" and "it's being taken out of context though" - completely missing the point, if not outright ignoring it intentionally.

Their behavior now, when called out for what they said, is not to say that they have moved on from holding such views; it is the exact same as it was before, that it was "taken out of context." That response has a clear implication: if they were in context, they would be fine. That is not the response of someone who no longer holds such views, but of someone who is in fact still holding them and/or will still defend them. Even after being told by those directly affected by this rhetoric that the context does not matter.

I had my reservations posting the screenshots for this very reason, but I ultimately decided to do so because the server sat by and did nothing. Shandale's response, and the response of the server overall, has alleviated any regret I may have had in posting them; they have proven that they have not gotten better and that they think they're above reproach.

I hope in the future that what you say will become true, but as of right now I have no reason to believe that it is

[alinakerrin]

just had to put a fic on user comments only for the first time ever. Reminder to all of you that fic is a privilege and you will be denied it if you don't behave yourselves

[mosspapi]

What do u do when you can't understand what someone on the street is asking you /g?

I was going to shoppers drug mart in a different city the other day and someone on the street outside the store asked me a question. He spoke very fast and softly, said he was losing his voice (I got that much) and then I didn't understand the rest of what he said. I told him "sorry, I'm a little slow, I'm not sure what you're asking." So he asked again and I still didn't get it. He said something about "food cards," not sure what those are, and asked about coming in with me I think? I told him again that I'm slow, not entirely understanding him, is there something specific he needs? And he said something about it being "just 15-25 dollars" and I think he could "show me what it was in the store". I was overwhelmed at this point so I said I have $20 in cash if that would help, gave it to him, and then went inside. Whole interaction was maybe 5 or 10 minutes of back-and-forth in total.

He was gone by the time I came out again like 5 minutes later so I don't actually know if he was able to get what he needed, but I'm not sure if there was anything else I could've/should've done. I was always told growing up to not let people follow me in to stores but I'm not sure if that's an actual valid safety concern or just my parents being classist/ableist/etc (/g). Should I have asked him to write it down somewhere? Is it ok that I just gave him a 20 and left, or was that rude? I was trying to help as best I could but I was just Not Understanding Him even tho I was trying. Idk it's been a few days and I feel bad abt it still but I genuinely don't know what else I should've done.

[preqwells]

downtime | logan howlett x reader

summary: logan had been meaning to show you the wooden cabin he'd visit when given the time— he didn't anticipate how enraptured he'd be with the the absence of chaos in his life

cw: slightly suggestive

domesticity looked good on logan in your eyes.

chopping wood for the fire you two would burn at night, making sure the weeds didn't interfere with the tomatoes you had been growing, and sometimes even fishing despite his lack of patience for it. his jeans hung low around his waist, hair speckled across his chest through his open-collared shirt—you had to admit, you liked this side of him. you two had decided you wanted to get away for a while since logan wasn't particularly needed at the moment. he had been wanting to show you the cabin he frequented when he wasn’t busy, daydreaming to himself with the thought of what your reaction would be to it. you weren't surprised at the nature of the wooden cabin. it was secluded and neatly tucked away in a corner of a vast forest that no one would dare to enter unless they were in for a rude awakening. maybe you were kidding yourself with the idea that you two might be able to go off-grid for a while, but it was a thought you both were willing to entertain.

you smiled to yourself as your eyes tore away from the much-welcomed sight of your boyfriend leaning back on the couch, hulking thighs spread as his head lolled back. your attention trailed back to the deer he had caught earlier in hopes you could do something with it. "should i slow-cook it? maybe even make it into a pot roast?" you suddenly spoke up from the kitchen, your lips pursed in thought as a lighthearted scoff left him, his eyebrow quirking up for a moment. "askin' the wrong person. never been known to be much of a chef, sweetheart." he gruffed out, too tired to allow his eyes to roll into the back of his head at the thought of even picking up on anything remotely related to cooking. "mm, you're right," you said through a small chuckle, your eyes still examining the raw meat, "could always just set up the grill out back. chop it up, make 'em into kebabs… but we don't have any skewers. if only there was something that we could use…" you playfully trailed off as you pressed your index finger to your lower lip as if conjuring a thought. logan quickly caught onto the fact that you were talking about using his claws as kebab skewers to which he shook his head in response, shooting you an amused glance.

he rose to his feet, floorboards groaning under his weight with each movement. "ha-ha, you're hilarious. damn near a comedian." he retorted as he made his way to you, placing his empty beer bottle on the counter before his arms wrapped around you, giving you a small squeeze. his front pressed to your back, your heart fluttering at the sudden contact. the contours of his muscles molded into your frame nicely, warmth emanating from him as his breath fanned against the nape of your neck. "well… i was thinking about signing up for the local comedy club. could be my big breakthrough, y'know?" you sighed in faux contemplation as you felt the softness of his lips pepper kisses from your nape to your pulse-point, his hands lingering on your waist. his thumbs found the belt loops in your jeans, tugging on them absentmindedly. "y'right, bet the squirrels and mornin' birds would love to hear the material you been practicin' on me." he murmured into your skin, eyes fluttering shut as he deeply inhaled your scent. seeing as how sensitive he was to scents, there were lots of scents he couldn't stand. hated the smell of gasoline, hated any kind of gaudy perfume— if he thought about it for too long, his nose would probably scrunch up out of disgust. yet he was particularly fond of your scent, fresh linen and cotton. your scent was as pleasing as your personality. you were good for logan. kind, compassionate— you smoothed out his rough edges. god knew he had too many.

domesticity looked good on you in logan's eyes. the wood you'd carry to the fire pit for your late-night chats recounting the events of the day, the tomatoes you'd complain about that wouldn't ripen and sometimes even fall off too early from local wildlife taking their swipes at it, and your insistence on him learning some proper patience for fishing since you still had a taste for wild-caught salmon. his hands found the hem of your flannel, sliding under the fabric as his fingertips grazed the softness of your skin, traveling down past your navel. warmth flooded your cheeks as a sheepish smile played at the corners of your lips, your hands on the counter to brace yourself. "logan— logan! i still have to marinate the meat." you hastily whispered before a breathy moan escaped you as his tongue rolled over your skin, teeth nipping at the crook of your neck. "mmm, don't worry 'bout it." he spoke into your neck before gently lifting you onto the counter, his eyes filled with affection. he didn't know how it happened, honestly. couldn't pinpoint it even if he tried to recall what you did that caused him to be so smitten with you. he quietly admired you for a few moments, taking in how hues of orange from the sun setting filtered through the window and cascaded onto the side of your face, his hand raising to cup the swell of your cheek. you didn't know it, but logan had made a quiet vow to himself to do everything in his power to make sure you were safe, in this life and the next.

he'd show you tonight how much he adored you, in more ways than just one.

[creativesplat]

I’m fairly sure the idea was that Stan and Ford wouldn’t be able to figure out the weirdmageddon bubble solution, not because Ford couldn’t give up something important for someone else (although its true), but because they were both fighting like cats and dogs.

Ford wouldn’t take the time trying to understand how Stan feels, because its not logical, and hates to admit that he cares about this man who ruined his dream life and took away his chance of defeating Bill in the nightmare realm.

Stan would never believe Ford if he told him his reality was an illusion that he should leave, and wouldn’t listen if he told him that he was on Stan’s side, because in the most important things (like when he was homeless, or when they were reunited before the portal incident) he wasn’t. 

It’s not that it’s bad Ford had a dream outside the Stan’o’War, its that they’re both so awful at communication and so hurt by the other that they wouldn’t be able to help each other out of it like Dipper and Mable could.

It took the children being hunted by a demon wanting to murder them for the older twins to even talk to each other about how they felt. 

Anyways, that's just my two Stan Bucks/ Trembly's negative twelve dollar bills on this post!

I hate that Alex said that Dipper and Mabel's solution during Weirdmageddon in the prison bubble was a solution Ford and Stan couldn't find because under the knowledge that said solution entailed Dipper giving up his apprenticeship implies that Ford was bad for having dreams outside of what Stan wanted. That Ford should've given up his individual dreams in its entirety and run off with Stan on the Stan O' War dream that was beginning to feel unrealistic and no longer obtainable to Ford than the college where he actually had the full-ride scholarship within his grasp!

Like, how dare he want to live his own life! How dare he want something different than Stan! How dare he get upset when Stan walked behind his back, ruined his dream, and failed to own up to it properly! He should've just stayed glued to the hip with Stan for the rest of his life and not have individual dreams from him! (This is sarcasm if you couldn't tell)

It feels very anti-Ford if I'm being honest. Dipper and Mabel were at a point in their lives where Dipper giving up the apprenticeship and staying with Mabel was a good thing because he was a young adolescent at the end of the summer and he still has time he needs to grow up! Also said apprenticeship wasn't really that good of an idea for Dipper! Stan and Ford, on the other hand, were different in that their adolescence was coming to a close! They were teens on the cusp of adulthood, almost ready to move out into the world! Ford's dreams actually got invalidated by Alex's statement! It paints Ford as a bad person without even talking about any of his own actual mistakes and I don't think I should explain why that's not good.

There's nuance here! If Stan hadn't bottled up his feelings so badly and actually talked about how he felt about Ford leaving (like, actually talked, not 'eluded to it' or whatever he was doing on the swings) perhaps they could've reached a compromise or at least a better understanding of their sides! Ford could've assuaged his fears, letting him know he won't be gone forever from Stan and that him leaving for the time being really wouldn't be the end of the world. Let's be real here, it wouldn't kill Stan to be without Ford for a few years while he was at college, they could still keep contact or visit! I hate this idea of black and white, no compromise, only two things you can choose from kind of thinking. 'Either give up your dreams or have a bad relationship with your brother, your pick'. Do you not see how ridiculous that idea is? Ford pursuing his own dreams wouldn't inherently ruin his relationship with Stan, it was Stan's own actions that started the long line of issues to break their relationship down into pieces! (I'm not gonna cover my statement with promises that 'I know Ford isn't perfect either and made mistakes too', by the way, everyone talks about that like no tomorrow and I feel like it shouldn't need to be said at this point. I am standing my ground on this. I hate justifying my love for Ford. I'm ironically covering myself here but the point stands)

On a related note, it's funny how the fandom is quick to get angry at Mabel for making Dipper give up his wants (even when it was justified) but instantly turns around and wants Ford to give up his wants for Stan. Feels kinda... hypocritical... But that's just me and my silly little opinion, huh?

Anyway, this was just something that brought me to anger last night and wouldn't let me go until I wrote it up. Not gonna argue with anyone about this because I am well over being exhausted when it comes to Ford and the fandom (also Alex to a certain extent) so you can yell at me all you want but I couldn't care less (i do care, but I'm not gonna engage unless it gets out of hand)

[bunnys-kisses]

FYI, I'm a Carlos girlyy

I would like to have killed feuille along with sugar pie and sponge Toff with the side of bubble tea, energy drink and a shot of expresso

bakery menu

want to submit your own order? hit up the menu! there are tons of things to choose from and i hope you'll find something you like! i have a lot of fun making these and it's been a lot of fun connecting with all of you! so thank you and keep the prompts coming! <3

mille-feuille: “that’s it, fuck, that’s a good girl.” + sugar pie: “gonna let daddy hear ya?” + sponge toffee: "aw, is someone mad that they can only cum because of me?" + bubble tea: daddy kink + energy drink: doggy style + espresso shot: dirty talking, served by carlos sainz jr (formula one)!!

cw: smut/pwp, praise kink, doggy style, daddy kink, dirty talking

you were carlos' good girl. you always were so responsive to him, so sweet and nice to others. you cared for carlos so much, everything about him you adored. and he in turn adored you. anything you wanted, he'd get for you. nothing too expensive or silly for his beautiful, good girl.

maybe it was to make up for the fact that when you had sex with your boyfriend, he had a motor mouth when he was deep inside of you. carlos' dirty talk was unmatched, at times bordered on rude. but, you knew it was just the heat of the moment. you didn't mind too much, after all, you rather liked it.

you combed your fingers through carlos' hair as you straddled his waist. you pouted at him, "it's not fair."

he smiled as he rested back on his hands. you were both on the bed in your shared bedroom. the moon hung high in the sky as you admired your boyfriend.

"not fair that you're so hot. it should be illegal. punishable by heavy fines! every time you go out, you should have to hand over a hundred dollars as a fine."

he leaned into your touch, "someone is needy. someone needs their daddy."

you shifted in his lap. you were in a tank top and sweat shorts, "i've been thinking about you all day, but that damn racing team of yours ate up all of our time together." you combed your fingers through his dark hair and sighed, "it's not fair."

"you've been saying that a lot." he grabbed you to put you down on your stomach on the plush bed. he ran his hand down your back, "aw, is someone mad that they can only cum because of me?" he knew you were stuck in sexual limbo recently. you had been trying to get yourself off, but it was hard when carlos wasn't around.

he had slowly replaced the entire collection of your toys. even the nice ones who hit your g-spot so nicely. carlos pulled orgasms out of you like a bunny from a hat. so it was easy to part from your toys. you didn't answer instead you squirmed and whined. carlos chuckled and grabbed you by the hair to lift your head up from the pillows, “gonna let daddy hear ya?”

you pouted at him, "it's all your fault!" and that just enticed carlos more. he let go of your hair and started to pull at your shorts. once those were off your legs, then followed the panties. then your shirt and bra.

and then it was only fair for your daddy to get undressed as well. slowly he got out of his t-shirt and sweatpants. his boxers were on the floor soon after and he was laid on top of you, trying to get your legs open a little.

"don't be bratty, my love.' he said in your ear, "you know i don't like when you act like a brat. because i know you so well, and you're always so good for me. so will you be good for me now?"

you nodded a little, "yes daddy. i will be." and you felt his erection between your legs and up against your pussy.

"good because i'd hate to have to train you all over again. i'm pretty sure your ass still burns from all the times i smacked it. i don't want to do that again, especially when i know how good you can be." he kissed your temple before he slipped his cock into you from the angle he was at.

you were under him, his weight on top of you. he kept your pressed to the bed. some would call it trapped, you'd call it perfectly placed. it felt good, especially with his cock hitting all your right spots. your hands were soon under the pillow as you arched your back as much as you could. (which wasn't much).

“that’s it, fuck, that’s a good girl. so perfect under me." he held you for leverage as he rutted against you. the feeling made you see stars as you squirmed a little bit against him. you could almost hear his heartbeat against your back.

"please, daddy." you moaned into the soft pillows. carlos would always take care of you. he would always make sure that you were cared for, loved always. he knew how deeply he wanted you, how much he yearned for you.

you were his little addiction that he never wanted to quit. he buried his nose up against your hair and happily inhaled. he took in your scent as his cock twitched inside of you. he moved faster, the need to please both of you was strong in his gut.

he panted a little heavier as the pleasure coursed through him, egged on by your moans. you felt like a total dream, even with your sugary sweet moans.

"daddy! i love you, so much. more than anything." you said with a tightness in your tone.

"i know, my love. i love you too. i think i'm addicted to you because when i think of you i grow hot. it has gotten to the point that i cannot think about you while in my car. or else i'll get distracted by your soft lips and pretty eyes, them full with tears when i choke you on my cock." he kissed under your ear on your neck and felt you shiver. so much so that your nipples grew hard.

you swallowed back a moan and moved a little bit, the pleasure was clouding your head and your heart raced, "daddy."

he kissed your heated skin, "i know. you want to cum. you want to feel good." his words were like molten heat in your skull. the pleasure was knocked up another notch and you held onto the pillow tightly.

you moaned loudly into the pillow as climax gripped you. your tensed up and felt amazing. your core felt drenched as he continued to move against you. your sounds became hotter to him as you finished around him.

you were such a good girl for him. so good for daddy. he knew that he picked the best angel to love and adore. he held onto you tighter and moved against you further. he pressed you further into the bed which made you only moan louder.

with a few more heavy thrusts, carlos finished inside of you with a heavy hiss through clenched teeth. he muttered something to himself in the euphoria haze which you didn't pick up. your guess was that he was swearing. but it felt good, his cock throbbed a little as he pulled out, a bit more cum dripped from his cock and onto the bedding.

not that he cared. he felt fulfilled, making his girl finish. he was proud every time he made you cum. he made it look so easy. he got you onto your back and deeply kissed you.

you looked at him and giggled a little, "c'mere, daddy. i want cuddles." then reached for him and got him back down beside you. his lips on you as you tangled up your legs with him.

carlos smiled against the kiss. you really were something else. he loved that you loved his dirty talk. he loved when you called him daddy. you made carlos feel whole and he knew he did the same for you <3

[fandomrose]

Aventurine - lazy morning.

Hello, this is a short and sweet Aventurine is in bed with reader fic. Fairly basic, with a focus on the intimacy of a long term relationship and how a couple might handle being both touch starved and touch averse at times. It's not super deep but does make mention of those topics.

No angst other than mentions of difficulties early on in the relationship. But it isn't detailed in the slightest so is barely worth mentioning.

That's all for now. I hope you enjoy 💙

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

Subtle warmth, soft snores, light tickling from hair and arms draped loosely over your waist. It isn't overly often that you get to wake up like this.

Your lover typically wakes before you and, if the night was intense, he'd be making you breakfast rather than cuddling you, wanting to make sure you were well taken care of. Your lover also wasn't a huge fan of too much physical touch outside of more intimate moments. However, there were times where it was almost as if he were making up for lost time in that department.

In his 'sleep', though you're pretty sure he is actually awake, as he runs his hands over your stomach and chest, playing with the skin softly.

"Aventurine.." silence.

"Aviiii... Turin..." more silence.

"Hmm, oh well, if he's asleep I'm sure he won't miss me." You felt his hand twitch against your side, almost tickling you. Other than that, silence.

You let out a loud dramatic sigh. "I guess I'll hang out with Veritas then. He'd be more entertaining company than a sleeping lump anyway."

Suddenly the arms wrapped around your waist as tightly as they could and Aventurine pushed his face into your neck and grumbled. "No, stay."

"Ah. Avi you're awake."

"I am now. You are so cruel you know. Your loving boyfriend is here cuddling you and you think hanging out with the universe's stiffest man, would be more fun." You felt him pout against your neck and you could almost feel his urge to nibble being held back by a thread.

"So you heard all that, did you? Hmm? I thought you'd only just woken up?"

This time he does nibble your neck causing you to giggle at the ticklishness of the almost featherlight bites.

"Hmph" He begins dramatically. "So rude, questioning the love of your life. Maybe I should hang out with Ratio today rather than you." He continues to nibble your neck slightly harder this time.

"Ka-kakavasha- Hey- Stop that." You say in-between giggles and stolen breaths. He stops due to his weakness being exploited.

He sighs pleasantly and squeezes you, and after one final bite he removes his teeth from your neck and grins against it. Like he got what he wanted after all.

"That's much better dear." He whispers into your skin. "Much much better."

You twist in his grasp until you're facing him. He pouts initially but his face brightens again when he sees your smiling face.

"Kakavasha,-" The look on his face whenever you called him by his birth name could start and end wars in your eyes. The subtle blush, the shy smile, the tinge of pink on his cheeks. Gorgeous. "-you cheeky man. You were planning this weren't you."

"I'd never deceive you."

All you can do is raise an eyebrow in response to that statement.

"Alright, I'd never deceive you in a way that hurts you. That better?"

"A little." You say before lightly pinching his nose with a playful pout.

He laughs and squeezes you closer, burying your head in his neck this time. You know that this means he can't handle looking at your face without his heart imploding with love. He'd told you as much when sleep deprived and slightly drunk after a work do. You'd never tell, you value the information too highly.

Silence falls again while you both comfortably indulge in each other's softness and warmth. "You know...?" You begin, feeling the urge to be cheeky swell in your chest.

"Know what?" He asks with a tilt of his head questioningly.

"I want to bite you." You bluntly state, an entirely too serious expression on your face.

His response was flat and unsurprised but you could see a glimmer of playfulness not so hidden within. "Ah."

"Yea" You respond just as bluntly and with faux seriousness, trying to conceal your laughter..

He hesitates, drawing out his consideration, keeping on the edge of anticipation. The corner of his mouth tilts up before he responds slowly. "Once.."

You raise your eyebrow questioningly, trying to conceal your excitement "Oh?" You ask simply, wanting to make sure for certain he wanted you to go ahead with your desire to bite.

"Once, and I'll let you do it hard." He agrees, putting one finger up clearly emphasising the 'once'.

An excited look that gains a chuckle from him lights up your face. "Oh! Really?" You exclaim, pleasantly surprised.

"Really." He affirms, tilting his head and moving his hair, looking entirely like a pretty boy at the mercy of a vampire.

You let out a light giggle, move your face over his shoulder, your entire body braced on his chest as he lays back in the bed. You open your mouth, feeling him shiver under you as your warm breath tickles his neck, and then... Chomp.

"Ah!" He tosses his head back and lets out a loud and clearly exaggerated moan that devolves into laughter at your offended and flustered expression.

You pull away feeling pouty and flustered "Hey! Don't ruin my fun.." You all but whine playfully.

Both of you descended into loud peals of laughter, clutching each other and holding tight.

"Seriously pretty, you've got to have known I was going to do that."

"Well- I- you..." You sigh, glaring at him without any actual anger or upset. "In hindsight yea..." You concede scrunching your face in defeat.

He chuckles again, the sound softening you against your will. "Come on pretty, after all that fun I'd say we deserve some breakfast." He reaches to pull your hair gently from your shoulders, deliberately brushing his fingertips against your skin, grinning at the shiver you let out.

Though you knew by the way he pulled away that he was done with touch for now. He'd had his fill and couldn't take any more. You smile at him though, not an ounce of insecurity crossing your mind, this is just how he was and you knew enough about him to know why.

When he needed or wanted affection he'd let you know, and was always so attentive to your needs and wants and would never push his desires on you. It had taken a lot of effort alot of opening up and being honest and a lot of arguments to get to this effortless state of understanding between you two. But it was so worth it.

Things were looking up for the both of you.

And maybe, a life like this was worth living.

💙-💙-💙-💙-💙-💙-💙-💙-💙-💙-💙-💙-💙-💙

[mattyriddlesbitch]

hey! Love your writing! Could you do a fic where Tom finds reader beaten and bruised and he raises hell trying to figure out who did it? Also can the reader be a hufflepuff? Have an amazing day!!!!

I didn't specify the house, but I hope this works!

Protector

Tom Riddle x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of attack, broken bones, blood

You were in one of the bathrooms at the sink, trying to wash away all the blood on your skin and clean the cuts. It was a typically abandoned bathroom, no one really used it. So you were surprised when the door opened and none other than Tom Riddle came in.

You and Tom had a weird relationship, but he was weird in general. You were nice and friendly with him, and he gave you short responses in return. He didn't exactly seem to hate you, he wasn't rude and he didn't insult you. He just didn't really seem to care about you.

But now that he saw you all bloodied and bruised, you saw anger in his eyes. He was livid. “Who did it?” Was all he asked.

“It's fine, Tom. Don't worry about it.” You said, turning back to the sink to finish cleaning up.

“You're hurt, (Y/N). It's not fine. Who did it?” Tom walked over to you.

“No one.” You just wanted him to drop it. It'd only get worse if he got involved.

“They hurt you, why are you protecting them?” His tone was harsher than normal.

“I don't want you involved.” You said, still not meeting his eyes.

“So instead, you protect the people who hurt you. You're being stupid.” It was the first time he actually insulted you in some way.

“Leave it alone, Tom.” You said before turning off the sink and leaving the bathroom.

The next day, you didn't see any of your attackers in classes. There were a few people close to your attackers that were injured, a broken arm, broken nose, cuts, bruises. They wouldn't say a word about what happened. 

You wanted to question Tom since he was the only one you knew of that knew what happened to you. But he was missing from classes too. No one had seen him and none of the injured students would talk to you.

You waited outside of the Slytherin common room, hoping to catch him coming in or out. It took a long time actually. He didn’t show up until just minutes before everyone was supposed to be in their common rooms. He came down the hallway, looking right past you.

“Where have you been?” You asked, trying to get his attention.

“Urgent matter to attend to.” He said as he was walking closer.

“You mean those students who attacked me?” You crossed your arms in front of your chest.

“They’re dealt with.” He said as he stopped in front of you.

“I told you to leave it alone!”

“So you can keep getting hurt?” 

You both stared at each other for a moment.

“Why do you care? You never care.”

“It’s not about you. I think it’s pathetic to attack someone like that. So I gave those cowards a lesson.” He crossed his arms as well.

“You’ve never done that for anyone before.” You shook your head. “Why? Why me?”

“I don’t know.” He said harshly. “I don’t get it. I saw you hurt and…I couldn’t bear it. I got angry and wanted nothing more than to hurt those people who dared to touch you.”

You were shocked, staring at him in disbelief.

“I don’t understand why I did it. I just wanted to.” His voice was softer now. “I felt…like I had to protect you.”

“Tom…” You spoke softly.

“I thought I hated you. I couldn’t get you out of my head. You’re annoying and talkative and bubbly and I should hate that. I should hate that I can’t stop thinking of you and how you make me feel. Your voice, your laugh, your perfume, your smile. I want to hate it all. But I don’t. I can’t.” He said, staring in your eyes.

“What are you saying, Tom?” You asked after a moment to let his words sink in.

“I’m saying that I don’t hate you. Quite the opposite.” He said, his eyes trailing down.

“You like me?” You asked, a small smile growing on your face.

“I’m not saying that.” He scoffed, looking back up at you.

“But that’s what you mean.” You tease.

“I’ll never say those words.” He shook his head.

“It’s alright. I know what you were trying to say.” You said before turning to walk down the hallway back to your dorm.

“I didn’t-” He yelled after you before groaning, heading into the Slytherin common room, knowing there’s no point in arguing with you.

Taglist:

@jeannie-beannie @yourenogoodforme @mixvchelle @helendeath @ireallyneed-somesleep @soaked4abby @hpnsfwaddict

Let me know if you wanna be added!

[vbecker10]

Language (Part 2)

Part 1 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

Pairing: Loki x female reader (Y/N)

Summary: Captain Rogers thinks you curse far too much at work so he came up with a way for each word to cost you fifty cents no matter where you are in the Tower. You are desperate for it to stop and go to Loki to see if he has a spell or trick that can help you outsmart J.A.R.V.I.S.

Warnings: swearing lol... obviously?

A/N: I'm so sorry @soubi001 lol and you know why. I've been kicking this idea around in my head for a while because I'm very aware that I swear way more often than a normal person lol hope you enjoy it 💚

"I found a few spells I would like to try when we finish eating," he changes the topic a moment later.

"Think one of them will work?" you ask hopefully.

"I certainly hope so," he says. "Of course, I could accidently turn you into a frog if something goes wrong."

"That's not funny," you tell him.

"I wasn't joking," he smirks.

You take a bite of pizza and as you chew, you respond by giving Loki the finger. In turn J.A.R.V.I.S charges you another fifty cents and you roll your eyes.

"Serves you right," he says and you can tell he is trying to sound serious but a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. "You are quite rude to me when all I am trying to do is be helpful," he places his hand over his heart, pouting to appear hurt by your gesture.

You ball up your napkin, throwing it at him but he deflects it easily back towards you, a smile spreading across the god's face. You stick your tongue out at the prince when the paper ball hits your shoulder and he laughs light heartedly. Loki's hand rests gently on your knee for barely a moment and he removes it almost before your mind can register the action.

He gets up abruptly, clearing his throat and you feel a sinking sensation in your chest at his sudden shift in mood. You had what you imagine is a rare glimpse of Loki's playful, mischievous side and you can't help but wish he wouldn't return to the cold, overly sarcastic demeanor he had when you first knocked on his door. Closing the pizza box, you decide to clean up the table and put the leftovers in Loki's fridge. It's a small but welcome distraction, keeping you from thinking about how much you enjoy Loki's company when he allows himself to relax around you.

"Thank you for the food," he says without looking up from his book. He sits crossed legged on the floor and holds the book a bit closer as his fingers trace the text across the page.

You smile then sit back on the couch, "You're very welcome... and thanks for trying to help me." He nods quietly in response as he continues to read.

Loki stands slowly a few minutes later, his eyes lowered as he reads the book in his hands. He walks towards you with the book still open and you suddenly become nervous as you realize this is actually going to happen. You are actually going to let him put a spell on you.

"Okay... so what's this supposed to do?" you are almost afraid to ask.

Loki sits next to you and places the open book on the coffee table. "Well, in theory it should-" he starts to explain, his eyes meeting yours as he glances up from the book.

"In theory?" you ask, your voice shaking.

"Yes," he answers seriously. "This is not what the spell was originally intended to do but I should be able to adjust it slightly so that it will fix your issue."

"So... I'm starting to think maybe having someone put a literal spell on me is a really fucking stupid idea," you say and shake your head, ignoring J.A.R.V.I.S.

"I am not just someone," he says, it is clear from his tone he is trying to sound offended but he doesn't hide his smirk as well as he thinks he does.

"Right, you're an actual trickster god," you reply, gesturing towards him. "The title doesn't exactly inspire trust, you know?"

He shrugs, "It's not too late to change your mind and either give up swearing or simply ask for a raise."

You groan and sit back, crossing your arms against your chest, "Just promise me you won't turn me into a frog." His lips curl into a smirk and you sit up, quickly adding, "Or a snake or a bug or anything else not human. Please?"

"I promise you will remain a Midgardian," he says in a sincere voice. His eyes flicker from yours to your hand and his fingers move slightly towards you but he pauses then places his hand on his knee. He shifts a few inches closer to you on the couch but keeps his eyes focused on the open book. "Do you still want me to do this, Y/N?" he asks, glancing back at you.

"Yes," you take a deep breath and nod. "Yea, lets do this. What's the worse that can happen?"

He chuckles and without thinking, you put your hand over his mouth before he can say anything. His eyes widen when your palm touches his lips and for a split second, your brain registers how soft they are. Loki has a look of utter confusion on his face when you remove your hand quickly with a nervous laugh.

"Sorry, I just don't really want to hear all the horrible stuff that might happen if this goes wrong," you tell him, lowering your eyes to avoid looking at him.

"Nothing will go wrong," he promises, touching your arm lightly but he moves his hand the moment you look up. "Are you ready to start?" he asks.

"As ready as I'm gonna be," you tell him with a shrug, feeling slightly more confident in Loki than you had moments earlier.

He flashes you a small smile then leans forward slightly towards the book, his fingers tracing the lines of text as he mumbles to himself. He nods confidently when he is satisfied with the spell and looks at you. "Stay still," he warns you gently then he holds his open palm inches from your neck. Your heart beats faster as he begins to read the foreign words, his voice just above a whisper. The green glow of his seidr slowly reaches out from his fingertips and you feel it's warmth wrap around your throat loosely. You force yourself to remain perfectly still, keeping your eyes focused on Loki.

When he finishes reading, he closes the book and looks at you. "Care to test it out?" he asks, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice unsuccessfully.

You clear your throat and say, "I hope this *silence* spell worked..." You look at him in shock when your voice goes suddenly silent as you swear. "What the *silence* was that?"

"Interesting," Loki says, opening the book again.

"I really *silence* hate when you say *silence* like that," you tell him, trying not to feel worried as your voice cuts in and out.

"The spell was supposed to block J.A.R.V.I.S from being able to hear you swear but it seems to have silenced your words completely," he explains, running his fingers through his long, dark curls as he leans closer to the open pages. "Ahh..." he nods as he flips the page.

"What the *silence* does that mean?" you look at the page over his shoulder.

"I seem to have misjudged the potency of this part here," he points to a passage from the book that you have no way of understanding. "Still, it seems as if it was successful," he forces a smile as he can tell you are unhappy with the results.

"Successful?" you ask, sitting back you put your hands over your face.

"The computer is not charging you," he reminds you. "Was that not the goal of this whole evening?"

"Yea," you agree. "I guess you're right."

"Than you should be thanking me," Loki smirks proudly. "Feel free to throw in as many compliments as you would like."

You can't help but laugh, "Thank *silence* *silence* *silence* *silence*..." Your heart sinks and you fill with dread as all of your words are soundless but Loki doesn't seem to notice as he closes the book again.

"I am waiting for the flood of complements I am owed and then you are free to leave," he chuckles and you swat his shoulder with the back of your hand. He looks at you with a confused expression and you gesture towards your throat as you open your mouth to speak but no sound comes out.

"Oh, no..." he shakes his head as he realizes what you are trying to tell him. "Okay, don't worry Y/N, I can undo the spell," he assures you as he opens the book. He mumbles under his breath as he flips through the pages quickly and you can only imagine he must be swearing in Asgardian. He finds the page he had been on previously and pulls the book onto his lap.

You tug on the sleeve of his shirt nervously and he looks at you. "I am going to fix it," he promises again, taking your hand and squeezing it gently. "I just need a moment to think," he explains and you can't do anything but nod.

"So that was awful," you laugh nervously a few minutes later when your voice is fully restored. You rub your throat gently and Loki frowns, holding your gaze for only a moment before he looks away.

"I truly am sorry," he says, shaking his head. "I have no idea why that went so wrong," he skims the page again, his fingers comb through his hair as he thinks.

"Do you think it's cause you messed with it too much?" you ask as he closes the book heavily and stands up.

"It may have been," he responds, placing the book in the pile of useless ones. He sighs and looks around at the books still remaining on the shelves.

"Can I ask you something?" you tuck your legs under your body and pick up one of his pillows to hold against your chest. He nods but doesn't face you, his eyes searching for the next solution. "How come you have to alter the spells? Wouldn't it be easier to just use the right type?"

"Ah yes, why didn't I just look in my hundred year old book of spells that deals with artificial intelligence?" he says sarcastically.

"Okay, that's fair," you roll your eyes. "I guess I didn't really think about that part. I just figured... well I'm not really sure how I thought your magic worked honestly."

"No one on the team is concerned with how my spells are created," Loki says over his shoulder then he picks up a thick, leather bound book and quietly adds, "So long as the spells work properly, my magic rarely interests anyone."

"I think it's cause you make it look so natural," you try to explain as you get up and walk towards him. "Like when you are on a mission, you don't sit around a read a ton of books or recite all these spells before doing anything, you just sort of," you wave your hand towards a stack of books and mime moving them to the table, "and stuff happens. Am I making sense?"

He chuckles, "Yes."

"So how do you do it?" you ask.

"Do what?" he looks at you confused.

"Make it look so easy?" you respond with a shrug.

"Roughly nine hundred years of practice," he answers.

"Nine hundred..." you say quietly and he nods. "I forgot you're like a thousand years old."

"One thousand fifty three," he smirks, "And I will assume you forgot because of my stunning good looks."

"You're not unfortunate to look at," you laugh, unable to admit he is completely correct.

"You wound me, truly, Y/N," he shakes his head but can't contain his laughter.

There is a loud knock on Loki's door and you turn towards it but Loki makes no move to answer it. He opens the book in his hand and you shrug then walk to the door.

"What are you doing?" he asks without looking up.

"Answering your door," you tell him. "It's what normal people do when someone knocks."

"I am still dealing with the consequences of the last time I opened my door to someone," he says followed by a heavy sigh but you can tell his annoyance is faked and you fight to hold back a smile.

"Oh... hello Y/N," Thor says slowly, unable to hide his shock. "What are you doing in my brother's room?"

"Um..." you hadn't thought far enough ahead to come up with an excuse when you opened the door. "We were just- we're hanging out. Do you need him?"

"I was just wondering if he had seen my wallet," Thor says. "Or have you?"

"Brown leather wallet with a big script 'T' embossed on the front and a picture of Jane in the little plastic picture space?" you describe the wallet Loki had given you money from earlier.

"Yes, that's it," he says excitedly.

"No, sorry I haven't seen it," you tell him and instantly have no idea why you lied.

"Oh, okay well if you do, let me know. I had about two hundred dollars in it," he says.

Minus the money Loki already gave me, you think. "Will do Thor and I'll check to see if Loki's seen it," you tell him.

"Thank you, goodnight Y/N," he says as he leaves.

"Your brother is gone," you tell him when you close the door. You notice Loki is now sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the stack of books with one open on his lap.

Loki nods in response, his eyes scanning the open pages in front of him.

"He was looking for his wallet but I told him neither of us had seen it," you inform him.

"Mmhmm," he mumbles and nods again.

"Thor asked why I was here so late so I told him we've been secretly dating for months and we're madly in love," you say as you walk closer to the prince.

Again, Loki nods slowly, turning the page he hums, "Mmhm."

"I told him you are a really good kisser but you never know what to do with your hands," you smile as you stand right behind him.

Loki turns the next page and without looking up says, "I know exactly what to do with my hands."

"Oh-" you say in surprise. "You were listening to me."

"Yes," he chuckles. "I can read and listen to you lie at the same time."

"Right well..." you fidget with your fingers and try to think of something to say.

"Why are you standing so close to me?" he says finally looking up to see you reading over his shoulder.

You take a large step back and giggle nervously, "Sorry. I- Umm... Did you find anything useful?"

"Possibly," he says as he gets up.

I hope you liked this!! Please like, share and comment if you did 💚💚 Please let me know if you want to be added to my taglist!

@soubi001 @mochie85 @lokiswife-dark-fox-queen @animnerd @cabingrlandrandomcrap @icytrickster17 @mischief2sarawr @mjsthrillernp @holdmytesseract @lulubelle814 @goblingirlsarah @alexakeyloveloki @siconetribal @lokidokieokie @kneelingformyloki @jiyascepter @eleniblue @loreniscrying @muddyorbsblr @alyeskathewave @loz-3 @firedrakegirl @javagirl328 @princess-asgard @morally-grey-variant @soulpiercing @km-ffluv @glitterylokislut @biodegradable-glitter-fest @wolfsmom1 @simone818283 @hopefuldreamers-world @blackhawkfanatic @lokikell8 @dracoswhorexx @sunglasses-in-the-bentley @anukulee @free-llama-arcade @michellewgrt @scrumptious-finicky-illusion

[biibini]

Yoyoyooo, Im literally obsessed w ur headcanons. How do you like the idea Mizu/reader first nighttt together (nsfw??)

modern!mizu x reader - first night together

tags: SUGGESTIVE, cuddling, making out, first time spending the night, gentle making out, soft, fluff, first night, comfort, soft mizu, modern au, modern mizu x reader

a/n: im so behind with my asks :( but my friend found my tumblr acc so hiiiii yk who u are im typing this out while i was texting u last night hehe

modern!mizu would be the one to ask u to sleep over

it wouldn't be meticulously planned

but hinted

typically, u would just come over and watch netflix, cook, maybe play a game or just study together before she walks u to ur dorm

mizu had hoped to maybe ask u to spend the night much earlier

but the fear of moving too fast in a relationship due to her previous relationship with [redacted] held her back

so she never had the nerve to ask

until one night rolls around

and the stars align

ringo went to visit his family for the weekend

u come over to finish a show on netflix, cuddling as per usual

its late at night and ur start to doze off

The final moments of The Great British Bakeshow play on the TV screen. You hear the judges give their final score as you slowly drift to sleep. Mizu doesn't notice how sleepy you are.

Not until your head suddenly rests on her arm.

"Y/N?"

You hum in response, internally struggling against the sleepiness. Mizu turns to get a closer look at your face to find your eyes shut, fighting to stay open. Normally, she would try to wake you up and walk you home to your dorm.

That is what normally happens.

Normally, she wouldn't be wrapping her arm closer to you. Normally, she wouldn't let your head rest against her chest.

Normally, she wouldn't let you stay a little longer.

But tonight, the stars aligned. Ringo was gone to visit his family for his cousin's birthday. Akemi was on a girl's trip with her hometown friends. Taigen was out of town for a basketball tournament.

No one could bother them.

Not tonight.

Definitely not tomorrow.

"How about you stay over tonight?", Mizu says softly. Her hand caresses your left side, hoping for her invitation to be accepted.

Oh.

The thought of staying over had popped into your mind a few several times. You never chased the idea. Besides, it would be rude of you to ask when it wasn't even your own place.

But now, the question was laid right in front of you.

You look up to answer to find Mizu looking down at you, staring at you with those piercing blue eyes. Your smile widens, accepting the invitation with a nod.

"I'll stay.", you respond.

externally, ur keeping it cool

internally, ur freaking tf out

u and mizu have been going out for a few weeks

but staying over the night? not quite yet

modern!mizu would also try to keep her cool

from ur perspective, she looks relaxed

but from her point of view, a part of her was anxious

it wasn't the fear of moving too fast

it was the fact that it was ur first time sleeping together

u guys have SLEPT together

but that would only happen when ringo wasn't home

there wasn't a lonely night

at least

not until tonight

Her hands hold onto yours, gently pulling you into the bedroom. It looked unusual in the moonlight as opposed to the familiar daylight version of the room.

"You can go wash up first. I'll find some pajamas for you.", she says reassuringly.

As you walk into the bathroom, Mizu searches for something suitable for you to wear. She hears the shower run behind the door as she scrambles for something. Anything.

She knew she didn't have actual pajamas. Her sleepwear is just filled with old T-shirts and mismatched shorts or pants. Her hunt leaves her with an oversized t-shirt from Ringo's previous workplace at Hen-Oh Ramen, a chicken ramen chain store, and blue pajama shorts. That place didn't last long after the owner was found stealing the broth recipe from their competitor.

Mizu knocks on the door.

"Hey, may I come in? I have your clothes."

"Yeah, come in!", you yell from the shower.

after u change into the borrowed pjs, u come out

mizu is just chilling in bed on her phone

drinking her chamomile tea

trying to distract herself from the thought of u in her clothes

ur pretty figure in her pjs...

u join her under the sheets

and she gets a glimpse of u

modern!mizu totally didnt short circuit

and sip a little too much and end up coughing on her drink

kinda spilled a little on her shirt

u go into the bathroom to get paper towels and help clean up

You crawl onto the bed with a few paper towels in hand. As you get closer to Mizu and her tea-stained shirt, you sit atop of her leg. You hand a paper towel to her. On the other hand, you're patting down the stains.

The chamomile tea stains are spread all over her chest and stomach. They're not piping hot but a little too warm for comfort. As you continue to pat along the stains, you inch down her lower chest to her stomach. You pat against the damp fabric and feel her stomach. It's a little soft but the harder you press, the harder it becomes to the touch.

In awe, you continue your job as you pat further along her-hard stomach. You fail to realize her face is flaring a bright shade of red against her pale skin.

"Y/N?", you look up to meet her ocean blue eyes softly gazing into yours.

They were still the same ol' blue you always admire. However, this time they looked warm. An ocean during the sunset with its gentle waves crashing into the shore.

"I got it. Just-", she says as she gently grabs the paper towel you used on the bedrest next to her.

Her arms spread wide open. She places her hands on your hips.

"C'mere.", she smiles as she gently caresses your sides.

"But the stains-"

"Don't worry about them."

You feel her hands slowly caress further up your sides. Her hands ghost over your breasts, almost cupping them. You push yourself closer to her and shift your legs over the sides of her legs. She smiles in response to your new position.

"It's an old T-shirt.", she reassured.

Still slightly anxious about spending the first night together, she recognized two decisions that could be made. One, make you comfortable and sleep well tonight. Two, make you COMFORTABLE comfortable and sleep later tonight.

Her left hand finds its way down to your hips, caressing the area. As for her right hand, you feel the callouses brush along your neck. They make their way to your soft cheeks, now a pinkish-red tint from the intimate position.

"It'll be okay. But you on the other hand...", Mizu inches closer to your face as she gently pulls you closer. Her thumb softly caresses your lips, feeling how soft and plump they are. Her touch makes your brain go crazy for her touch.

Is it needy of you? Yes.

The fact that she's just softly kissing you on your first night spent together is making your mind shortcircuit with every kiss.

But the feeling of her soft lips against you is warm and plush. Comforting. Your eyes flutter close as her left arm wraps around your lower back, closing the gap between the two of you. As you continue to kiss Mizu, you feel her body shift up and allow her back to rest against the headboard.

Each kiss becomes softer. An occasional needy kiss here and there from her. But for the most part, her lips become a deeper shade of red from your contact. You feel her right hand drag closer to your ear, her fingers teasing your neck.

You groan as Mizu comes closer for another kiss, now with more force on your swollen lips. Her grip around your lower back tightened, fighting to pull you even closer to her. Every touch and kiss heightens your sensitivity. A familiar warmth starts to grow in your lower stomach.

Mizu loosens her grip and starts kissing from your cheeks and down your neck. You feel her lips gently kiss your neck, tickling you with every touch. As she works towards the side of your neck, a moan slips out.

"I guess we have a long night ahead of us.", Mizu teased as she smiled tenderly at you.

"Mizu!", you say jokingly, retaliating against the idea.

She wasn't wrong though.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle.", she comforts you, sealing the deal with a kiss.

[stayconnecteed]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“ no nut november. ”⠀⠀───⠀⠀sigma kappa zeta.

⠀⠀𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗈𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇.⠀( november event , 𝟦.𝟤𝗄 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗌. )⠀the bet.

1.⠀⠀PAIRING⠀⠀:⠀⠀each member individually x f!reader.

2.⠀⠀GENRES⠀⠀:⠀⠀non!idol au, college au, sigma kappa zeta au⠀; stablished relationships, brother's best friend trope, idiots to lovers / best friends to lovers, started dating recently ( first time together ), friends with benefits to lovers.

3.⠀⠀WARNINGS⠀⠀:⠀⠀not much. swearing, alcohol consumption, comedy. jisung is a menace, hyunjin's just curious ( and a simp ) cameo of three idols hehe try to discover who they are. this is just the intro of the no nut november event.

4.⠀⠀AUTHOR 'S NOTE⠀⠀:⠀⠀i'm sosososo sorry for updating this again but i wanted to re do the aesthetic and change a couple of things- i'm a perfectionist :(( this is a little comedic introduction to the hot mess that this no nut november event is going to be!! hope you like it 🤍

5.⠀⠀IMPORTANT⠀⠀:⠀⠀if any under 18 or ageless acc interacts with this series they will be blocked. the content presented throughout the event might be comedic, but it's mostly for adults. that being said, if you're not comfortable with the kinks or the plot, please leave. read under your own responsability.

Hyunjin hummed the Latin song that was playing and leaned his head against the door as soon as it closed behind him, sighing. He had said he needed to go to the bathroom, and he hadn't lied, but the truth was that all he wanted was to sit on the cold tiles of the room and rest for a moment. He had started drinking alcohol earlier than usual that night, and it had crept up on him too quickly, as it always did when he had a bad day. They had only been in class for a few weeks, but Professor Park, with his indifferent gaze and rude language, had already announced all the projects they were going to have to do that semester. And Hyunjin hadn't liked any of them.

So he had left you dancing in the middle of the fraternity hall, with your friends and some of his members, after whispering to you that he would be right back. There was a queue in the downstairs toilets, but since it was his house after all, he hurried upstairs and locked himself in on his own. He peeled himself away from the door, feeling the sweat slide down his back, and considered taking off his oversized shirt, but there was no point. He would probably catch a cold, and he had to go downstairs again in a few minutes anyway. He poured the last of his vodka down the sink, and rinsed out his plastic cup before filling it with water from the tap, emptying it instantly.

He felt it go down his throat, and he smiled. At last some coolness on that disgustingly warm night. From the bathroom annex to his room he could barely hear the sticky, deafening atmosphere where friends and strangers were enjoying that October night, and he was grateful that Changbin's parents had donated a generous amount of money to renovate and improve the old house they now lived in. He refilled the glass again and left it by the tap, unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt to splash water on his face and the back of his neck. He rested his arms over the sink without drying off, and let the cold creep into his bones.

But he had to go downstairs. He knew that if he took too long you would start to worry, because he was aware that he had looked a bit overwhelmed when he had left. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips at the thought of you, and with his plastic cup back in his hand he headed down the stairs two at a time, trying to remember where exactly in the hall he had left his friends. He bumped into an entangled couple looking for some privacy, and lowered his head apologetically, even though it wasn't really his fault, and then he heard it.

Before he reached the bottom steps, three boys he didn't remember seeing in any of his classes, talking in whispers somewhat elevated by alcohol, joking around with amusement.

“I don't think anyone's been able to make it to the end, really,” one was saying, the one who had his hands hidden in the sleeves of his dark jacket, as if he was embarrassed to talk about the topic.

“Oh, I think so,” replied his friend, his tanned skin sparkling under the glitter he had smeared across his bare arms, “it's just that no one talks about it. But you know someone who has, I can tell you that.”

“One of our hyungs?” replied the one who had intervened the first time, his eyes widening comically. Instead of offering an answer, the boy cracked a wolfish grin, some of his moles disappearing into the crooks of his skin, his eyes narrowed.

“Don't mind him, Sang,” interrupted the third, in the striped crop top, resting his elbow on the shoulder of the one who had turned his grin into an unbelieving scowl. Hyunjin stood on the stairs with his back to them and picked up his phone, pretending to answer some messages, curious. “He’s making things up. Again.”

“Yah! I'm telling the truth!” the guy protested, uproariously.

“Yeah, whatever you say, Woo,” the one who had spoken was the last one, with his orangish hair, probably rolling his eyes. It was a classic interaction between some of his friends, Hyunjin knew, and he supposed some dynamics were quite similar even in different groups. “I'm just saying that people might be able to make it to the end of the challenge, but it's extremely difficult in college.”

“Unless you're a virgin.”

“Unless you're a virgin,” the ginger repeated, agreeing with the one they had called Sang.

“Seems to me you're wrong,” the dark-haired man in the black tank top countered. “It's true that at uni people are very horny, but No Nut November is a challenge that anyone can do.”

“Dude, you're in a state of denial,” they replied, bursting into laughter. “And you of all people would be incapable of making it to December without touching yourself.”

“What the fuck would you know?”

“Walls talk,” replied the one in the striped top.

“And drunk San talks too,” Sang added again, hiding a chuckle behind his hand.

Hyunjin lowered his head as they ended the conversation and walked past him back to the party, his gaze glued to the screen of his phone, their laughter fading into the music and the crowd. He realised he'd been randomly opening and closing apps, and ended up looking up the name of the challenge they'd been talking about on Naver. He had never heard of it, and it seemed odd, especially since he lived under the same roof as Han Perv Jisung.

The first page that popped up was Wikipedia, of course (not of course, he didn't really expect something like that to be on an official website, he would have gone straight to the Urban Dictionary if he wasn't worried about anyone seeing what he was doing on his phone). He turned down the brightness on the screen until he had to squint to read the text clearly, and processed each word with a blush on his cheeks.

“No Nut November, often abbreviated to NNN, is an annual internet challenge of sexual abstinence and not masturbating during the month of November. [ ¹ ] It originated in 2011 and grew in popularity among male users of social media during and after 2017. [ ² ] Destroy Dick December serves as a counterpoint.”

Specifically male users, because females were way too smart to challenge each other to such stupid things. Sounds about right for him.

“HISTORY. Although No Nut November was originally intended to be satirical, some participants claim that abstaining from ejaculating and not watching pornography has health benefits. [ ³ ] [ ¹ ] An Urban Dictionary entry for No Nut November was published in 2011, …”

See? Urban Dictionary. Hyunjin chuckled. He knew it.

He felt his phone being taken from him before he was really conscious, and just as an angry exclamation was about to slide off his tongue he saw that the one who had stolen it was Jisung, one hand occupied with a cup of what he knew to be a soda ーhe didn't tolerate alcoholic beverages wellー and the other with his precious phone. Hyunjin frowned, turning to his friend with the intention of getting it back, but began to worry when he saw Jisung's eyes dart greedily across the screen, reading the web page Hyunjin had failed to hide.

Shit.

“Oh God” he whispered, slowly raising his head until he painfully made eye contact with Hyunjin.

“What?” asked Seungmin, who was coming after Jisung, and Hyunjin felt his heart sink in his chest. The mix of Jisung and Seungmin messing with him at the same time was strange, because normally they took turns making his life miserable, but the two of them together was lethal. And Hyunjin needed a good night's sleep and less alcohol in his system to deal with them.

“No,” he warned Jisung, pointing at him with a threatening finger.

But that word alone set Seungmin's eyes on fire, curious, as he tried to read over Jisung's shoulder what was on Hyunjin's phone. It wasn't necessary, however, because Jisung had no hesitation about announcing it out loud.

“Hyunjin wants to do No Nut November!” he basically shouted out.

Great. Just great.

“For real?” Seungmin asked, surprised.

Did everyone know what the challenge was about but him?

“No I do not,” he answered, sighing in surrender and taking his phone. He exited the Naver app and locked the screen, putting the phone in the pocket of his jeans. He would try to explain politely that no, he was just wondering what it was, that he wanted to be left alone, and then he would go find you and get the hell out of there. “Some dudes were talking about it and…”

“Well, you wouldn’t last anyway,” Jisung stated, a smirk plastered on his face.

“The hell I wouldn’t,” he defended himself, frowning in confusion. If there was someone that wouldn’t last, it was Jisung. No doubt.

“You’re glued to your girl, man.”

“Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?” he retorted, cocking an eyebrow. “At least I have a girlfriend.”

“Oh, wow,” Jisung exhaled, nodding ironically, “wow. Just because I don't, it doesn't mean I can't.”

“Hate to break it to you,” started Seungmin, leaning into the handrail of the stairs, curving his lips, “but he’s right. You’re bitchless. In fact, you still wouldn't last because you have the urges of a dog in heat.”

“I should feel attacked.”

“The fact that you don't just proves my point,” Seungmin chuckled, crossing his arms.

“And you actually can't because you only have eyes for your pretty friend,” added Hyunjin, anticipating Jisung's response. “What was her name…?”

“Oh, stop,” uttered Jisung, frowning towards his friend. “Don't bring her into this.”

Hyunjin was about to mock his tone, as he always did when Jisung's best friend topic came into the conversation, but got interrupted by Seungmin's sly words.

“You know who wouldn't last at all?” he asked, and Jisung hummed a faint ‘Who?’, both of them following Seungmin's gaze into the crowd.

Bang Chan. The leader of their fraternity. Seungmin's eyes glowed with the spark of mischief that always rolled off him when he wanted to tease him, and Hyunjin didn't have to wonder why that time. His Chan hyung was not the soul of the party, instead just popular on campus and surely a social butterfly, but he was pretty reserved when it came to his private life. He was near the speakers and Changbin's mixer, ready to hop in if the DJ needed him ーself proclaimed DJutdwae for whatever reasonsー but holding onto his girlfriend for his life.

It was not a rare vision, Chan clinging to his girl, more often that not with his arms around her shoulders or their fingers intertwined, but they somehow turned the crowded room into their own bubble, looking into each other's eyes with overflowing love, her hands in his curly hair, his on her soft waist. Like they were totally alone, moving their hips to the lively beat, whispering into their ears. It was disgustingly adorable.

“Oh, no,” Jisung spoke, relieved, “we're safe.”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin chimed, still looking at his hyung. “And he's doomed.”

“You still wouldn't last.”

“Oh my God, Jisung, drop it already.”

“You two talk like we're even going to do it,” Seungmin sighed, taking Hyunjin's cup and drowning it in one go. He grimaced. “You have water?”

“I needed a break,” he voiced, shrugging.

“Can't even keep up?” Hyunjin was going to punch Jisung before the night was over if he didn't stop, he was sure of it.

His phone vibrated over the wooden nightstand, in the warm darkness of your room and he flinched in his sleep, swollen eyes narrowing to turn it off before it could wake you up.

But then it vibrated again.

that's not very noice [ today, 12:35 p.m. ] from: the "rapper" sooo we doing nnn or what??

Hyunjin scoffed, running his hand over his face when he read Jisung's message in the frat group chat, trying to shake the sleep off him. He should had killed him when he had the chance. It was Saturday morning and all he wanted was to cuddle his girl and have a day in with delivery food and a cute TV show on the screen. 

And all he had to do, at the moment, because of Jisung, was to deal with his apparently damaged brain cells ーor even nonexistent, at that point.

from: me omg drop it already

from: seungminnie ji's still drunk, you guys

Seungmin was quick to add his part, and Hyunjin thanked him mentally for defending him. He wasn't going to choose to support Ji, at least on this occasion.

from: chan hyung do i want to know what’s “nnn”?

A breathy chuckle escaped Hyunjin's lips when he read his hyung's message, and he stopped, his body tense like an bowstring, when he felt you shifting in the sheets, the mattress lowering under your weight as you unconsciously seeked Hyunjin's warmth, even asleep. You were going to wake up, and he would hate himself if that happened. 

Hyunjin stood up, leaving the phone on his pillow while he tucked you into the bed, brushing a soft kiss on your forehead before getting out of the room.

Felix had texted the group chat as well.

from: lixie who the fuck gave him the idea?

from: the "rapper" chill it’s hyunjin who wants to do it

Hyunjin scoffed again. He couldn't believe it. He walked softly over the wooden floor until the living room, and locked himself inside while typing his answer.

from: me no the fuck i do not? what is wrong with you?

from: chan hyung what’s the nnn?

Well, at least he wasn't the only one that didn't know about it. He waited for Jisung's answer, sitting down on the couch, but it never came.

from: seungminnie you wouldn’t last anyway, hyung

from: innie seungmin ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

from: the "rapper" [ @ chan hyung ] it’s a challenge

from: minho hyung you know what? i’m in

Oh my God. He was doing it to annoy him, he was sure. Jisung had probably texted Minho already, to plan it together and make him lose his mind. Orー wait. Maybe they truly wanted to do it, and they were using him just in case the rest of the group didn't really want to. It sounded like them, to be honest. Those freaky bastards.

from: me nobody’s asking

from: seungminnie [ @ minho hyung ] wow feeling confident, huh?

from: minho hyung [ @ me ] you didn’t ask ji did [ @ seungminnie ] are you not? think you can’t last?

Okay, confirmed then. Minho wanted to participate, and probably Jisung too. That was the typical sentence everyone had said sometimes to rile someone up. Inverse psychology. The challenge before the actual challenge.

from: chan hyung what does this challenge involve?

from: the "rapper" you’ve had enough time to check it online, hyung

from: chan hyung do i want to tho? who knows what could appear

from: lixie it’s the no nut november, hyung

changbinnie hyung but we’re in october?

Hyunjin couldn't suppress his laughter when he read Changbin's words, his head thrown back towards the backrest, leaning over the cushions. And then he covered his mouth, eyes wide open. He had to keep it quiet.

from: the "rapper" you're stupid

from: changbinnie hyung and you're a pain in the ass don't you have something more productive to be doing?

from: the "rapper" like what? study for finals? those are in 3 months i rather focus on nnn

from: seungminnie omg you're completely serious

The sound of ringing startled Hyunjin out of the conversation, and he stared at the door, completely flabbergasted. It was past noon on a Saturday morning after a party. People should be resting. He checked the conversation while he wandered to the door, eyes rolling back with every answer from Jisung.

from: the “rapper” ofc i am why wouldn't i

from: me because it's not fun?

from: the “rapper” yes it is?

He sighed, stuffing his phone in the pocket of his shorts. It was clear that they were not going to stop until they got everyone to agree to participate. He had just seen Minho typing. He felt the device vibrate against his thigh. Just to get them to stop, they would comply. He glanced through the peephole, and discovered his fraternity's maknae waiting in the hallway with a large plastic bag in his hands, his eyes focused on his phone.

He opened the door.

“What are you doing here?”

Jeongin peeled his gaze from the screen, smiling like he couldn’t believe what was going on. Well, Hyunjin couldn’t either. But he watched as Jeongin passed him through the corridor, ignoring him while reading the chat, doing a bee line until he reached the couch, and he sprawled there.

“Who even gave him the idea?” he whispered, leaving the white bag in the floor.

“Well, some random dude named Woo, I think,” he answered, avoiding his eyes.

“You know you blush when you lie, don’t you?” Jeongin asked, unimpressed. “It was you.”

He didn’t formulate it as a question, so Hyunjin didn’t deny it. Just nodded.

“Why are you here?” he repeated, fighting back.

“Your girl invited me over, remember?” Jeongin rolled his eyes, like it was not the first time that happened. “I brought lunch.”

“Right.”

Hyunjin’s gaze returned to Jeongin’s phone, the texts still coming in, and fetched his own to check them.

from: minho hyung it could if we did it

from: the “rapper” see? minho hyung approves

from: minho hyung ji as much as i appreciate you you're the first losing if we do it and you don't even have a gf

Jeongin laughed out loud, and Hyunjin frowned at him. It was always funny, Minho teasing Jisung, but you were sleeping right at the other side of the wall. And they had already made so much noise. He quickly typed “told you” to Jisung, and shushed his maknae.

But it was useless, because he saw you peeking through the door, sleepy eyes narrowing at Jeongin, sliding your socks over the floor on his way, your arms finding home around his waist, back hugging him. He smiled, humming, and you nosed into his naked shoulders, falling asleep against him. He gave Jeongin a dirty look for waking you up, but he was looking at the chat again.

from: chan hyung “No Nut November, often abbreviated to NNN, is an annual internet challenge of sexual abstinence and not masturbating during the month of November.”?

from: changbinnie hyung are you crazy?? i'm not doing that

from: the “rapper” boo

from: seungminnie why? can't last a month without touching your gf AND yourself?

from: changbinnie hyung why would i want to suffer like that?

from: minho hyung for a prize

from: innie you've thought this through, huh?

from: me a prize??

“What are you guys texting so seriously about?” you murmured against his skin, suppressing a yawn, and dragging yourself to the couch, placing your legs over Jeongin's thighs.

“Hyunjin gave Ji the idea to challenge all of us into No Nut November and we’re talking about it,” the maknae explained, not even looking at you, focused on the screen of his phone. You raised an eyebrow, curious, and glanced over his shoulder, sighing as Hyunjin sat down next to you.

from: lixie you're seriously considering participating just for the prize??

“Are you?” you asked, turning to your boyfriend.

He shrugged.

from: innie wouldn't you??

“You too?” you asked again, in disbelief.

from: lixie no??

from: chan hyung but are we considering this?? like, at all??

from: seungminnie seems like it

from: changbinnnie hyung aren't we going to fight for our freedom??

Hyunjin heard you giggle, and he smiled.

from: the “rapper” ooh c'mon binnie hyung 🥺

from: me what's the prize?

“Hyune, baby, are you sure?”

He turned to you, phone still in his hands, and his features switched to a more serious demeanour when he saw the doubt in your eyes.

“I’m just playing around with them,” he said, resting his hand on your thigh. “We will probably do it, but if you don’t want to, I’ll just be the first loser.”

“Maybe you change your mind after reading what they’re proposing as the prize, guys,” Jeongin chimed in.

from: minho hyung it has to be something big we can spend some money on it and the one that wins doesn't have to pay

from: seungminnie like a weekend in a hotel or smth?

“Do you like it?” he questioned, head tilted to his side and worry tinting his eyes.

You shrugged. “Could be fun, I guess.”

from: the “rapper” hyunjin's finally contemplating it i can feel it

from: innie he's discussing it w his gf which you can't because you're bitchless

from: the “rapper” that's not very nice

from: chan hyung no but hyune is right the ones w gf should discuss it w them before agreeing to anything

“You don’t look like you could have fun, pretty girl,” he retorted, insisting. “I’m not agreeing to something you’re not comfortable with, jokes aside.”

“I’m still sleepy, Hyune, don’t mind me,” you whispered, curving your lips in a shy smile. “It could be fun, really.”

“And we can win a nice weekend alone,” he added, resting his head on your shoulder, his nose brushing the skin of your neck.

“Yeah, we can,” you accepted, feeling his lips on the hollow between.

“But you guys have the brain cells of a 5 year old kid, I swear to God,” you exhaled, throwing your head back.

“Yah!”

“No, she’s right,” Hyunjin said, “and Wikipedia agrees.”

from: lixie you can always offer them the prize as a reward

from: innie that's literally what hyunjin's doing

from: seungminnie are you w them?

from: innie yeah i brought take out

from: changbinnie hyung are we really, really sure we’re doing this?

from: me changbin hyung, just accept it jisung has convinced almost all of us

“And their girlfriends,” you add, hiding your smile in Hyunjin’s skin.

“True,” he agrees, “we have to give him that.”

from: chan hyung what did your gf said?

“Chan’s the sweetest,” you commented.

Jeongin glazed swiftly towards you two, and then typed.

from: innie “you're going to lose anyway”

He smiled when he heard your giggle, and Hyunjin did too, writing his defense.

from: me shut up, she did not she said it's unbelievable and something about how we act like toddlers and then she agreed the hotel has to be a good one

from: chan hyung hotel choosing is on me dw

from: minho hyung i want it to be a camping weekend

“God, he’s obsessed,” Jeongin complained.

from: seungminnie you're not going to win

from: minho hyung watch me

from: chan hyung my girl said it's up to me

“She’s the best, too,” you whispered.

from: lixie ohh you're fucked

from: chan hyung not like that, genius i have the last word because she trusts me if seungmin's and changbin's agree, we do this

from: seungminnie no problem

“Of course she said yes,” Jeongin had a smiled plastered all over his face. “Seungmin’s going to suffer. She will not make it easy for him.”

from: the “rapper” are you sure she said that?

from: seungminnie think you know her better?

from: the “rapper” she's a menace

from: seungminnie yes she is still, she said we're in

from: lixie okay my bad seungmin's fucked

from: seungminnie why it's true she likes to compete just leave us alone [ @ changbin ] what about you

from: changbinnie hyung i guess we're in too

from: the “rapper” OKAY OKAY WE'RE IN

from: me that sounds pathetically similar to you trying to convince yourself

“Leave hiim,” you murmured, “he’s panicking now, poor thing.”

from: the “rapper” shut up

from: seungminnie hey at least it's the only way jisung can prove that not having a gf is a good thing

from: minho hyung he still has to last a whole month w 31 days without touching himself

from: lixie good luck, mate

from: innie yeah, good luck you're going to need it

from: the “rapper” omg this is bullying chan hyung [ @ chan hyung ] do you see this?

from: chan hyung suddenly i'm blind i can't see

from: minho hyung good luck to our simp soldiers too a month without touching their gf is going to be hell

from: changbinnie hyung do not remind me

from: seungminnie we still have 15 days to enjoy before it starts

“That’s true,” Hyunjin uttered, his lips glued to your skin, “we will seize every second, mm-hm?”

from: chan hyung good luck to everyone!!

“If you’re going to fuck in this couch I’m fucking leaving,” Jeongin whined, covering his eyes.

“We’ll let you eat in peace, baby,” you reassured him, laughing.

“But then you’re leaving,” mouthed Hyunjin, squinting his eyes to emphasise the threat.

𐙚˙⋆.˚ 𝑡𝖺𝗀𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍.

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[deadtired-highkeyenergetic]

Heya! I love your "half a bed" fic!!

You said to drop any "only one bed"-trope ideas in your inbox so I'm hoping I did this correctly? But I'm thinking for Asterion x Tav that since Cazador controlled Star so much, he doesn't really own anything for himself? And maybe Tav notices and because the others are already asleep, she offers for him to share her bedroll? He's snarky and rude and she's unimpressed but it's the start of a mutual very strong infatuation and eventually relationship?

Heyo sorry it took so long!! Had some trouble overcoming the writer's block for this but hey I did it in the end! Hope you like it!

"I don't recall giving you my bedroll." You raise an eyebrow at the pale elf who has taken to using your bedroll every night ever since you first offered to share it with him.

He yawns, flashing his fangs at you before grinning, "we're sharing it, are we not? That means I have every right to lie on it."

"It doesn't mean you can take up the whole thing! Where am I going to sleep?" You attempt to shove him to one side but he refuses to budge an inch. "Move!"

"Nope." He pops the 'p' on purpose, knowing it will irritate you. You scowl and shove harder, half ruing the night you offered to share your bedroll. He laughs at your futile attempts, a genuine smile playing on his lips until you give up and flop onto him, causing him to yelp in surprise. You glower when he complains about you being too heavy, giving his side an annoyed poke but you can't really bring yourself to be mad at him even if he just stole your sleeping spot.

Then again, you always had a soft spot for the vampire spawn.

The first time he shared your bedroll was early on in your adventures. Everyone else had gone to sleep but he had remained outside, seated by the dwindling fire with the excuse that he wasn't tired yet. You'd woken up in the middle of the night to relieve yourself, noticing that even though the fire was long gone, he remained outside his tent.

"Still not tired?" You ask, slightly concerned.

"No." He answers curtly, leaving no room for further questions. You sit next to him, much to his chagrin and he shifts away ever so slightly. You notice it, of course, but choose not to comment on it.

"You should still try and trance, you'll need your strength for tomorrow," you hum, looking up at the night sky. The stars are bright tonight, shining in stark contrast to the dark sky.

"Shouldn't you take your own advice?" He snorts.

"Well, I'm not the one who has been out here the whole time," you retort, suppressing a yawn. He notices, however, the twitch of the corners of your lips and rolls his eyes.

"Go and sleep, idiot. Can't have our dear leader collapsing midway because they didn't get enough rest can we now?"

"Is that concern I hear?" You smirk.

"No." He scowls, sending a glare your way. You give him a look of disbelief, which then morphs into amusement and you grin.

"You're terrible at hiding it you know?" You huff, giving an amused shake of your head.

"Hiding what?"

"Your concern for my well-being."

"What concern?"

"That concern." You fold your arms across your chest, undeterred.

"Tch, stop bothering me and go back to sleep." He snaps, looking away. You, however, remain undaunted by his attitude.

"Is there a reason you can't trance?"

"Stop it and go back to sleep."

"There has to be a reason. Nightmares perhaps?"

"Shut up and stop asking so many questions."

"I'm trying to help you here."

"Then stop trying to help me. I don't need it."

"You don't want it, you mean."

"Yes, finally, you get it. Now leave."

"No." Your response surprises him.

"No?" He asks incredulously. "What do you mean no?"

"I'm not going to leave you to deal with your problems alone. We may not be friends yet, but we are companions. If you're stuck dealing with your own problems, you're not going to be able to fully contribute to the party and that's an issue. So we're going to solve it together, with me helping in whatever way I can and you doing the rest." You put your hands on your hips, daring him to talk back.

"And what if you can't do anything to help solve 'my problems'?" He sneers.

"Then I'll accept it and rely on you less so you can sort your own issues out first." His eyes widen slightly and you can see the panic that flashes across his face. Your heart aches upon seeing his reaction but you steel yourself, reminding yourself that it is for the greater good of the party.

"I —" He pauses, looking down. He sighs, looking back up at you reluctantly, all the fight having left his body. "I don't exactly have a bed roll to sleep in, you see. Cazador never allowed any of his spawn to have any personal belongings, everything belonged to him and he 'loaned it to us out of the kindness of his heart'. Trancing on hard ground is…difficult."

"We can share my bed roll if you're comfortable. Each of us can take a half, it should be big enough for us both."

He blinks, surprised. "Are you…sure? We…" He swallows hard.

"We've slept together before, don't tell me you're squeamish about sharing a bed roll." You raise an eyebrow.

"I'm not. It's just that…"

"Don't worry. I'm not some horny bastard who can't go a night without lying with someone. We can have our own side of the bed roll, no physical contact required." He still looks uncertain, and you sigh. You can't exactly fault him, he's dropped enough hints about certain aspects of his past and you're not going to tear open any of those wounds.

He laughs, the sound ringing hollow. "Are you sure about that, darling? It would suit my taste better if you were~"

It's your turn to roll your eyes. "Yeah, right. Anyways, are you going to take me up on my offer or not?"

"I'll take you up on it if you don't mind, darling." His usual smirk replaces the quiet sad look on his face.

"Well, come on then. We don't have much time left."

You can't help but smile upon remembering that night. He'd come so far since that night, the two of you had grown more comfortable with each other, and even after you had bought a bed roll for him, he still preferred sneaking into your tent to steal half your bed roll.

"What are you smiling about?" He pokes your cheek with a huff.

"Nothing." You grin. He rolls his eyes in response, running a hand through your hair. You bury your face in his chest, letting the gentle feeling wash over you. He presses a kiss to the top of your head, loving the way you sprawl on top of him without a care in the world. He's a vampire, for goodness sake, and yet you bare your neck to his fangs like that, not the least bit worried he take advantage of the situation and drain you.

"Hmph." He wraps his arms around you, nuzzling into your hair. As much as he complains about it, your weight is comforting. It reminds him that he isn't alone anymore, that he has you to turn to when he needs someone to lean on, and that you have him to lean on in return.

"Good night, Star." You yawn cutely, stretching your limbs.

"Good night, love." He murmurs back, pressing one last kiss to your head before he drifts off into a trance. You watch him for a while, smiling softly at the way he slowly relaxes as the trance takes hold, worries forgotten for the night.

Wrapped in the cocoon of your vampire lover, you too drift off and let sleep claim you, knowing that when you wake, he will be the first thing you see just as he's always the last thing you see before you sleep.

[bellaxgiornata]

A Favor from the Devil |Chapter Two|

Pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!Mom!Reader Word Count: 3.4k [Series Masterlist]

Warnings/tags: 18+; Domestic abuse, depictions/mentions of sexual assault, struggles with past trauma, canon-typical violence, angst with a happy ending, friends to lovers, slow burn, eventual smut (possibly more warnings to come)

a/n: Throwing the second chapter at y'all because I can and I feel like y'all needed some Matt. You get his POV in this chapter, too! Feedback and reblogs are always appreciated!

Tag list: @kee-0-kee @dethspllz @a-half-empty-g1rl @senjoritanana @kezibear @sleepysleepymom @danzer8705 @scriptedmoon @flowher @wanda-maxamommy @guccicloudz

Making your way through the crowded streets of Hell’s Kitchen, you guided Evelyn back towards your apartment. Both of her small hands clung tight to yours as she walked in silence beside you. Every time someone stepped a little too near to the pair of you, you felt her draw herself in closer to your legs, her fingers squeezing tighter around yours. In your opposite hand you carried a grocery bag that held a single container of vanilla moose track ice cream for tonight–Evie’s favorite flavor. Unfortunately purchasing the ice cream meant you’d had less money to spend on groceries for next week, but you’d happily eat another cheap packet of ramen for dinner and skip lunches at work if the frozen treat could manage to put a smile on her face this evening.

Evie had been silent ever since you’d picked her up after work from her first day of preschool. She hadn’t said a single word, not even when you’d taken her to pick out the ice cream. All she’d done was stand in front of the row of freezers at the store and quietly point to the flavor she’d wanted. You’d tried asking her how her day had gone, what she’d done in class, or if she’d made any friends, but instead of a response you’d only seen her lips draw into a thin line.    

So you’d done what you usually did when Evelyn drew into herself and stopped talking–you talked about your day. Which in all honesty had been horrible because the job you’d managed to acquire was a tedious desk job in which you sat in the tiny confines of a cubicle staring at a computer screen for hours on end. Your boss wasn't great, either. He was always in a bad mood, often making rude comments to you if he wasn't finding a reason to criticize your work. Dealing with his attitude daily for a salary that you could barely survive on usually soured your mood the moment you stepped into the building, but at least your coworker, Amira, made the days bearable. You’d been there for barely two months, but she’d taken one look at you and seen your past written on your face. After that, you’d grown comfortable around her, slowly opening up about your personal life–but not quite all of it.

But of course, you didn’t tell Evie about the bleak and depressing parts of your days at work. You’d always done your best to make it sound like you enjoyed your time there. And even though you didn’t, you were still grateful that you'd found a way to somewhat financially support the two of you.

“Look at that!” you said, gesturing a hand towards your apartment building with the one not currently being crushed in both of Evie’s. “We’re home already!”

Evie remained silent, not expressing a single emotion as to whether she was excited to be back or not. Wordlessly she followed you through the building’s main doors and into the lobby. Once the doors had shut behind you, the sound of the city just a little quieter now that you were off the streets, she seemed to relax. No longer on the crowded sidewalk, Evie’s hands somewhat loosened their grip on yours as you led her over towards the elevators. 

You tried to think of a way that you could cheer her up tonight, hoping to pull her out of her nonverbal phase before it really took hold, but considering your limited funds, you didn’t have many options. The best you could think of was a movie night, though all you had to watch movies on was the cheap cell phone you'd purchased once you'd gotten Evie and yourself out of your previous situation. 

As you pushed the call button for the elevator and waited for it to appear, you did your best to fight back the tears welling in your eyes. If only you could afford to purchase more toys for her to play with. A television and a couch for the pair of you to cozy up on at night. Anything . But all you had was each other. 

The familiar weight of your guilt that permanently sat heavy like a stone in your stomach reared its head. Once more you felt like a shitty mother, failing to provide all the things you wished you could for your child. But yet you refused to break down–at least, not here in front of Evie. You'd wait for the opportunity later tonight when you were certain she was asleep. Right now your priority was cheering her up and turning her day around, not wallowing in your own feelings.

She was the priority, not you.

The elevator doors opened and you forced a smile onto your face, blinking hard a couple of times. You gently pulled Evie along with you, stepping onto the elevator before pushing the button for the sixth floor.

“How about we reheat last night’s pizza and watch a movie on my phone tonight, cricket?” you asked, glancing down at your daughter as the elevator doors closed. “We can cuddle in your sleeping bag and pretend we’re camping. And then we can eat ice cream out of the container for dessert,” you suggested, knowing full well that you didn’t have any bowls in the kitchen yet. “Doesn’t that sound fun?”

Evie’s attention shifted towards you, her expression remaining neutral and impossible to read. She didn’t respond and her continued silence caused the smile on your face to become strained as you fought to keep it there. Your eyes traveled to the numbers above the elevator doors, watching as they changed from a five to a six. At least you’d be back in your apartment soon.

“What’s mute?”

The sound of Evie’s quiet, small voice startled you. As the doors of the elevator slowly rolled open with a ding , you glanced down at your daughter beside you. She was staring up at you with that still hard to read expression on her face. 

“Mute?” you asked, stepping out of the elevator with her. “What do you mean, cricket? Where’d you hear that?”

“School,” she answered. 

A frown settled onto your lips. Had the children there been teasing her? Or worse–the teachers?

“It just means that you–” 

You’d been about to explain the meaning of the word until you’d noticed a man at the far end of the hallway. The unexpected sight of him caused you to instantly grow quiet even though he was just standing outside of the apartment directly across the hall from yours seemingly attempting to unlock his front door. 

Your pace slowed as you observed him, your brain immediately screaming threat at the sight of him. Beneath that tight blue dress shirt he wore you could see that he was broad and muscular, the material pulled taut in various places along his torso. With the way his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, they revealed his thick forearms which hinted at even thicker biceps. Even his thighs filled out the dark slacks he wore, suggesting a strength about him that you couldn’t deny.

He looked intimidating and dangerous. 

You then noticed the cane in his left hand and the dark glasses currently sitting on his nose despite the fact that he wasn’t outside. Watching how he used his hands as he attempted to guide his key into the lock, you quickly pieced things together. Blind, you assumed. He was blind. But his disability didn't matter; he still looked like he could throw a solid punch and that alone had you on edge in his presence. 

Your mouth went dry as you stepped ahead of Evie, somewhat placing your body in front of hers as you both continued down the hallway. Of course you knew this man was most likely going to ignore you both even if he somehow noticed you. He was probably just getting home from work, too. More than likely he just wanted to eat dinner and relax like everyone else in the city. And the likelihood of him being a violent individual seemed slim–because logically you knew that not every man was–but for some reason something about him had put you on alert.

As you neared closer, your heart pounding heavily as the hair prickled along the back of your neck, you caught the way his hands stopped what they were doing. Briefly your feet faltered when you saw his head turn just a fraction over his shoulder in your direction as if he'd somehow picked up on the fact that he wasn't alone in the hallway. 

In that moment, you didn't remotely care if you were being rude or not, you practically dragged Evie the rest of the way towards your door in silence. Already having pulled your apartment key out of your pocket before you'd reached it, you unlocked the door swiftly before ushering your daughter inside. In a panicked rush, you darted after her before shutting and locking the door behind you without a backwards glance at the man.

Standing in front of the door for a moment, you paused to release the breath you hadn't realized you'd been holding. Rude or not, you weren't going to offer him help or introduce yourself. Something about him had triggered your instincts to run and that had been reason enough to avoid him.

You felt a tug at your hand and you snapped out of your thoughts, your eyes dropping down towards your daughter. Evie was staring up at you with wide, worried eyes.

“You okay, mama?” she asked.

Nodding in response, you blew out a rough breath and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze in return. “Yeah, cricket,” you answered, still feeling a little on edge. “Yeah, I'm good.” Clearing your throat, you held up the bag with the ice cream in it and tried to smile back at her. “Maybe I should put this in the freezer before it melts on us after that long walk in the heat, huh?”

Evie gave you a single nod in response before she released your hand. 

Turning towards the kitchen, you made your way over to the fridge and opened the freezer. You frowned at the sole bag of dinosaur chicken nuggets sitting on a shelf by itself. They'd thankfully been on sale the other day–another of Evie’s favorites–but that was all you currently had in the freezer at the moment. 

“What movie do you want to watch tonight?” you asked Evie, placing the ice cream on a shelf.

“Little Mermaid,” she answered softly. 

It wasn't a stretch for you to understand why that movie was often her favorite choice lately. 

“Alright, cricket,” you said, closing the freezer door to open the door to the fridge next. “Why don't you get cozy in some pajamas and I'll start reheating the pizza in the oven? You and Barnabas can get settled in the sleeping bag and I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

You weren’t surprised when Evie didn't respond, but the soft padding of her feet through the apartment and to her bedroom behind you was answer enough. 

Launching himself up onto the platform of the fire escape, Matt began his usual ascent up the neighboring building beside his own apartment building. As he scaled his way upwards, heading towards the roof now that his night was over, Matt's mind was busy working over the information that he'd uncovered as Daredevil tonight. Information he hoped to find ways to use as Matt Murdock this week with Foggy and Karen.

But as he climbed his way up fire escape after fire escape, he couldn't help but feel the exhaustion from the night settling into his body. He'd been running himself ragged all week trying to juggle both halves of his life and tonight he was admittedly feeling the repercussions of it. He needed a good night's sleep, but judging by the sounds of the city, it was probably somewhere around two or three in the morning. If he was lucky, he'd manage to get three or four hours before dragging his tired and battered body back out of bed to get to work.

Finally reaching the topmost fire escape, Matt grabbed ahold of his usual footholds on the side of the building and began pulling himself the rest of the way onto the roof. He let out a soft groan when he lifted himself up and over the railing and onto the rooftop. Briefly collapsing onto his knees, he took a minute to catch his breath. It was hot out this evening and his suit wasn't making him any less warm.

After his short break, Matt forced himself back up and onto his feet before jogging across the top of the building towards his own. He was ready to peel off his sweaty suit and be home for the evening, already looking forward to stepping into his shower and washing off his long day. 

With practiced ease he flung himself between the gaps of both buildings and landed with a sharp jolt. He grit his teeth at the impact, taking a moment to recover before rising to his feet and striding over to the roof access door which led back to his place. But he managed to take all of two steps before his tired ears caught something he hadn't expected.

Crying. Soft, muffled sobs coming from just below where he stood.

Matt hesitated, his eyes narrowing behind his mask as he tried to figure out who would’ve been awake and crying at this hour. The only other people who lived on the sixth floor with him were the long since widowed Mrs. Henderson–who definitely didn't spend her evenings crying–and his new neighbors that had moved in just last night.

The strange and short encounter he'd had with you earlier this evening resurfaced in Matt's mind. He'd been coming home from the office and was busy thinking about what he was hoping to accomplish in the city this evening as Daredevil, barely paying attention to much else. But somehow the immediate and overpowering scent of absolute fear he'd been slammed with had managed to break through his distracted thoughts. He'd felt that overwhelming fear from both you and the young girl which he'd assumed was your daughter from the moment you'd left the elevator and noticed him.

The acrid scent of it had instantly given Matt pause. At first he'd wondered if you both had somehow recognized him as Daredevil. But he'd quickly realized that seemed a stupid and impossible thought the moment he'd had it. But why else would you both become so quiet and fearful of him when he was just unlocking his apartment door? The feeling of your combined emotions had deeply unsettled him. No one had ever reacted to him like that before, certainly not as Matthew Murdock, the friendly, blind lawyer.

Matt had considered trying to turn around and introduce himself to you both, hoping that maybe he would appear far less terrifying to you if he’d flashed a charming smile and given you his name, but you'd grabbed your daughter and darted inside your apartment so fast that Matt hadn't had the opportunity.

It had been…odd. You both had been odd. And admittedly your reaction to him had piqued his curiosity. 

Turning around on the rooftop, Matt casually strode away from the door that led to his apartment and over towards the side of the building near your fire escape instead. Curiosity had won out over a shower and sleep for now. He wanted to make sense of that unsettling experience he'd had with you in the hallway. He hadn't liked scaring you both, feeling like he was some sort of dangerous monster.

Tossing himself over the side of the building, he landed softly onto the fire escape below. He stayed low in a crouch, throwing his senses out into your apartment to make sure he hadn't been seen when he’d dropped down. If you'd reacted the way you had earlier to just Matt Murdock, he could only imagine the reaction Daredevil would receive standing on your fire escape in the middle of the night. 

A minute passed and when no one shrieked or otherwise alerted Matt to having been noticed, he slowly rose to his full height. As he stood there, he could still hear the quiet, muffled crying that he'd caught on the roof continuing from inside. Paying close attention to it, it sounded like the sound was coming from just outside of the door of the bedroom who’s window he was standing at. 

Head tilting curiously to the side, he began examining your apartment as best as he could from the outside. And what he found easily surprised him.

Nothing. There was hardly anything in your apartment at all. He didn’t hear the usual buzz of electronics that he often did–like televisions or computers or even toasters. Focusing even closer, it sounded like the air from the air conditioning unit blowing in your apartment was moving with hardly any interruptions. As if you didn’t even have furniture. And judging from the placement of the crying and the sound of what seemed like your daughter’s even breaths as she slept, both of you appeared to be quite low on the ground. Like you were both lying on the floor instead of on beds.

Matt’s head tilted further to the side, a frown pulling his lips downwards beneath his mask. How strange. Had the pair of you not finished fully moving in yet? Or…did you really not have any furniture? 

Something stirred in Matt’s chest as another one of your sobs hit his ears. There was something going on here, there had to be. People didn’t usually react that way to strangers without cause–he would know because he’d never experienced that level of fear from someone outside of his Daredevil suit before. And there was the fact that you were laying on the floor in front of your daughter’s bedroom instead of laying in the second bedroom that he knew was in the apartment. There was only one reason he could imagine a mother doing that–you were protecting your daughter.

But why? And from who?

Matt reached a gloved hand up and gently rested it onto the glass of the window carefully, trying to focus his senses even more closely inside. He found himself desperately wanting answers about his new neighbors, but just as he leaned forward and turned his head to listen better, he heard a rustling inside the room–distinctly that of a sleeping bag. Terrified of being caught, Matt pushed himself roughly away from the window before beginning to quickly pull himself back up onto the roof. 

“Mama?”

Your daughter had definitely woken, Matt realized. He could hear her pulse steadily increasing now that she was awake. There were only a few seconds that passed before he heard a frantic tossing of a blanket onto the floor before the bedroom door had flung open.

“What’s wrong, Evie? Are you okay? Did you have another bad dream?”

There was a faint shift of air that Matt caught–like your daughter shaking her head–before he heard the scared, small voice again.

“Someone’s here.”

Your body immediately went straight into fight or flight and Matt curiously noted the intensity of it.

“Where, cricket?”

“Outside.”

Matt winced, running a gloved hand over his mouth as he stood there on the roof. So your daughter had noticed something. He needed to be more careful. Hopefully she hadn't seen his very recognizable costume. 

“No one’s there, Evie,” came your reassuring voice, though Matt could hear that your body was still panicked. “You’re safe, I promise. Okay? We’re both safe here.”

Shaking his head, he pulled his senses away from your apartment. That was enough eavesdropping on your place for the night. He had a few ideas about what might’ve been going on with you both now, a sick feeling bubbling in his gut at all of the dark scenarios racing through his mind. He hoped he wasn’t right about any of them, but if he was, he’d now become personally determined to make sure you both remained safe here. Because even though he didn’t actually know either of you, you were a part of Hell's Kitchen–the city he loved deeply. His city. And that was more than enough reason for Matt to find himself suddenly caring about the both of you.

[g1rld1ary]

chilli margaritas - spencer reid x bartender!reader

prev

wc: 852

cw: alcohol, one kinda rude man

you didn't expect to see reid back at the bar so soon. granted it wasn't the next time you saw the bau, but it was close. it must've been a long case since the team were all looking worse for wear, but you imagined they'd caught whoever they were hunting since they were in good enough spirits.

derek got the first round, as was tradition, but you counted more bau members than drinks ordered. you didn't even get to ask, morgan explaining preemptively.

"pretty boy says he wants another drink recommendation," he said with a smile, "i think he just likes you."

"tell him he's welcome over any time, i think he's cute." it was bold, even for you, but doctor spencer reid was fascinating and you really wanted to talk to him more. derek made a face that you hoped meant he was impressed with your forwardness and headed back to his table with the beers.

later in the night, spencer was finally back. you'd been completely in the zone for a while, giving drinks and taking payments as if you didn't even need to think about it. you did, however, almost spill some man's drink all over you when you caught sight of reid standing awkwardly at the bar, watching you work. you all but threw the drink at whoever had ordered it, racing over to where the special agent stood.

"hey," you tried to sound smooth, "back so soon?" spencer smiled softly, endearingly uncomfortable.

"last time wasn't as bad as i anticipated." he shrugged the non-answer.

"and yet i'm getting the feeling that i'm not getting a repeat order?"

"actually the drink wasn't bad! i like really sweet things, my coffee needs a lot of sugar too -- otherwise it's too bitter. so, um, yeah, sex on the beach was pretty good. but i was thinking that maybe you could show me some other drinks too? i never go out drinking and while I've researched different drinks i assume it would be more useful to taste them by someone who can make them properly. I'm twenty four and i've had one cocktail, i need to catch up." you vaguely wondered how he could get so many words out in one breath, but stopped to consider them.

"let's start with the fact that it's okay to not have drunk a whole heap of alcohol. i'm a bartender and i only really drink one or two. but i am more than happy to be your guide into the dazzling world of alcohol." spencer smiled at you again, earnest and trusting and you felt immense responsibility to make him happy. you moved to say something, continue the conversation, but a gruff man's voice interrupted your train of thought.

certain patrons had evidently lost their patience despite there being two of you behind the bar, and your supreme efficiency all night.

"save the flirting for after there's a beer in my hand," he called with a laugh. you turned to face him, dangerously slow, the night's exertion catching up in a moment.

"if you speak to me that way again, i will never serve you another drink for as long as i work here. understood?" your tone was icy, intentionally resisting a peacemaking smile that evidently threw the man off, used to being served hand and foot by women twenty years younger than him. he had the decency to look mildly ashamed, pushing away from the bar to go take a lap of the room.

you turned back to spencer with your good mood reinstated.

"i was thinking we could maybe take a different flavour profile to last time -- a chilli margarita?" spencer was staring at you, eyes wide and dazed.

"that was amazing... um, yeah, that sounds great." you laugh loudly, getting to work on his drink.

"hey," you say as you hand him the glass, "didn't you say you were twenty-four before? last time morgan said you were twenty-three." spencer blushed, avoiding eye contact.

"yeah, it was my birthday."

"and you didn't tell me? i thought we were friends -- i'm your alcohol guide! your drink is on the house then."

"what! no, that's okay i can pay!" you almost groaned at his obliviousness. you were trying to make a move! you argued with him until he surrendered, smiling graciously, though with that already familiar awkwardness.

you watched him go fondly. as your eyes passed the bar counter on the move to get back to work you caught some cash. spencer had tipped the entire cost of his margarita. you rolled your eyes, putting the cash in your apron with a smile you were trying to bite back.

the rest of your night consisted of you watching spencer try and surreptitiously lick the spicy chilli rim off his glass while his teammates were in conversation, and one of them inevitably catching him and teasing him for it. it was a good shift.

[awooghan]

[11:41 pm] ✧.* l.mh

➳ PAIRING: lee know x gn!reader

➳ GENRE: fluff, slice of life, silent/mutual pining, friends to (implied) lovers

➳ WARNINGS: none, just tooth-rotting fluff and simp!lino :]

➳ WORD COUNT: 1k exactly which is a bit long for a timestamp but are we surprised

➳ SUMMARY: you and minho are out with your friends one night. minho notices you won't leave his side.

➳ NOTES: wow i actually completed a fic and it wasn't for christmas LOL hope you enjoy <3 also i know the banner is lee know in a puffy coat but this is supposed to be a summer night timestamp and this was the closest photo i could find 😭 (and as always ty @ujimoo for helping me make a banner)

➳ SONG REC: headliner (seventeen)

network tags: @kflixnet @straykidsland-main @kwritersworld @k-labels

“Ah, Y/N…” Minho says, lightly nudging you. “When are you gonna get off me?”

His voice, flat but gentle, cuts through the air around you, making the crickets chirping nearby sound like a mere pin drop. He doesn’t mean to sound rude, though his tone alone would have raised the eyebrows of strangers passing by. Luckily, there aren’t many people around to spare him weird glances this late at night.

It’s a genuine question, though. Instead of stomping around on the playground down the slope with your friends, you have effectively trapped Minho next to you atop a nearby hill. Your legs are outstretched before you, your shoes innocently tapping against his as you rock your feet side to side. Your arm sits comfortably next to his, and your head rests on his shoulder. He’s all but stuck now, like sap on a maple tree in January, and if you don’t move soon, he’ll be doomed to spend the rest of the night here in the grass.

He feels you shrug next to him.

“Hmm?” Minho hums. His eyes widen just slightly as you scoot closer. Your hand brushes against his, and your fingers lazily drum a pattern into the warm earth below you. He tries to ignore this and pokes you repeatedly in the arm.

“Come onnnn…” he says. “When are you gonna get up?”

Your quiet “I dunno” in response fills his ears.

“What do you meeeaaann, ‘I dunno’?” He makes a show of rolling his eyes, then clicks his tongue. “Why don’t you wanna get up, hmm?”

A scream echoes through the park and makes Minho look up for a moment. Changbin’s short figure flies through the air, his arms flailing. The swing behind him rocks erratically as he falls onto the mulch with a thud. Wooyoung points and cackles loudly from the swing next to him, but quickly lets out a shriek of his own and grips onto the metal chains. Further right, Jungwoo and Chaeryeong’s silhouettes chase each other around on the main playground equipment. Lampposts at the edge of the playground cast a dim yellow glow across the space, like the ones in retro film recordings. Minho can imagine the little “PLAY” icon floating at the top left of the scene, blinking periodically several feet above the dark blue awning.

He feels a light tap against his shoe again.

“Owww!” Minho feigns a cry. He picks up his feet and swipes them away from you in one swift move, the corners of his lips pulling down in an exaggerated pout. “Y/N, that hurt~ how dare you…” 

Looking back at you, you’re mindlessly clicking your feet against each other, and you’re still all cuddled up on his shoulder. His heart thumps a little louder in his chest when you shove your head closer to him.

“Yah, Y/N…”

“Hmm...” Your soft hum comes out more as a statement than a reply.

You flutter your eyes closed, your lashes gently batting against your skin. He heaves out a sigh, and the warm breeze tickles his cheeks with a light blush. It seems to have more mercy on you, though, as it delicately brushes your stray hairs away from your forehead, framing your face perfectly. Almost too perfectly. The crickets blend into the quiet air as he takes in the sight.

“Hey…” Minho tries one more time. He tilts his head slightly as he gazes at you. “Why don’t you get up? Our friends are waiting.”

The breeze picks up for just a moment, making you scrunch up your nose. Minho gestures down the hill. It’s getting more difficult to look away from you. “See?” he continues. “Playground's right over there. ‘S loads more fun than I am.”

Another shriek rings out from the playground area. Chaeryeong lies in an awkward position at the bottom of the slide. The wind picks up again at the same time, whistling against Minho’s ears right as Chaeryeong yells something at Jungwoo. All he can make out is another scream as Jungwoo tumbles down the slide and knocks Chaeryeong onto the gravel.

But a light tap sings louder to Minho than all of it.

Looking back at you, his eyes trace down, stopping where your fingers meet his arm. As light as a hummingbird’s wing beat, your fingers tap across his forearm and leave a path of spreading warmth in their wake. They seem to float in the air as they skip further down. Your touch, so faint and gentle, nearly lulls him to sleep. He lets his eyes fall shut.

It’s like Minho is at the beach for a moment, and your fingers brushing against his skin are the ocean waves calmly swaying over his feet. Then, he feels a sudden blast as a tidal wave crashes over him, its currents pulling him under and leaving him unable to breathe. His eyes snap open and right toward the spot where your hand has come to a gentle rest over the top of his own.

Minho’s eyes meet your soft ones. Your head is still comfortably nestled on his shoulder, and your cheeks seem to glow in the dark when you smile at him. For a moment, perhaps a moment too long, time comes to a still as he takes you in, watching you slowly melt into his side. You look so at peace, and he dare not disturb you, despite his urge to spring up and run down the hill and scream at Changbin. Thankfully, he’s too engrossed in the feeling of your hand on top of his to even try. He thanks his lucky stars once more that you’re also looking down at your hands, so you can’t notice the blood rushing to the tips of his ears.

Slowly, he spreads his fingers and gently threads them with yours. He glances at you, then looks down at his lap, a shy smile finally forming on his lips.

“Ah…” he says softly. “ Our friends can wait a little.”

[ghcstao3]

Retirement is supposed to be peaceful—at least, that's what Price had told Ghost. He'd said that, while the quiet is unnerving at first, you settle into it relatively easily until it's something in which you find solace. You learn to relax your shoulders if only a little bit, and you rediscover small joys you had completely forgotten about when your entire life was routine, routine, routine.

And now Ghost is starting to believe that the old bastard had been lying to him if only to talk him down from a ledge.

Because retirement is anything but peaceful. Sure, it's nice to be able to cook his own meals and have more downtime for his reading, and sure, it's nice to not have to be so hyper-vigilant in his own space for once—but God knows he knows nothing of the experience of silence when his neighbour is so goddamn loud.

Maybe it's Ghost's fault for choosing to live in a flat—he could find himself a home in the countryside without issue, he's sure of it, if only it didn't require so much effort and paperwork—but at the same time, he feels totally blameless. Because he is.

His neighbour, however, is not.

Now, Ghost has never encountered this person before. Never ended up stepping out as the same time as them, never bothered to introduce himself when he moved in. All he knows is that the person directly across the hall from him has no concept of respecting one's neighbours in terms of volume.

Be it making a racket in the wee hours when, presumably, making breakfast, or be it playing music or movies far too loud, or hell, be it talking to themselves about something Ghost needn't know the gist of, whoever it is knows no quiet. And it's getting on Ghost's last nerve.

He doesn't feel it quite warrants a formal noise complaint, but he does think it needs an intervention. If Ghost had to be forced out of the military due to injury, he's very well going to make the most out of his retirement.

Which involves silence.

Ghost waits until he knows his neighbour is home, if evidenced by the loud clashing of pots and pans in their kitchen, to go over and knock to finally, hopefully talk something out, but he too soon discovers that the plan is entirely useless.

Because as Ghost knocks and knocks, it's as if his neighbour doesn't hear him. Even in the lulls of little to no noise, there's absolutely no response. It's unbelievable.

He knows confrontation isn't everybody's thing—it's barely his own—but Christ. At least he'd answer the door.

Ghost leaves a note instead. Slips it beneath the door and retires to his own flat, hoping that his neighbour could at least bother to read.

And they must. Because Ghost realizes, over the course of the next few days, he can finally hear his own thoughts again.

A week goes by, and it's blissfully quiet. Maybe Price hadn't been such a liar after all.

Two weeks go by, and... Ghost realizes that no, Price is still a liar. The complete silence isn't peaceful at all, not when he'd grown so accustomed to noise.

Maybe Ghost had overreacted.

He's on his feet and across the hall before he has time to think about it, fist hovering over the door, unsure if he should knock. It didn't work last time, but he feels an apology should be spoken, not written, so certainly it's worth—

The lock on the other side clicks, and suddenly Ghost has no choice. The door swings open to finally reveal his mystery neighbour, and... oh.

Oh.

"Well, hello. Can I help you wi' somethin'?"

Ghost tries not to wince at the man's volume, though he doesn't think he's all that successful. Years of wearing a mask had not done well for him and keeping his expressions schooled.

But loudness aside... the lilt of his neighbour's Scottish accent is otherwise... pleasant. Rough in a way Ghost finds far too enticing, and brimming with life in a way his own deadpan never has been.

He tries not to linger on that thought.

"I'm..." Ghost wets his lips, feeling strangely nervous. "I wanted to apologize for my note. It wasn't very... it was rude. So I'm... sorry."

Since when is talking to new people nerve-wracking for him? Ghost must be going soft.

The man tilts his head. There's a slight furrow in his brow, and Ghost assumes it's because he's recalling the note to put a face to its scribbled words.

Ghost assumes wrong.

"Sorry, could you... repeat that for me?"

Ghost frowns. That was... not at all what he was expecting. So much for apologizing for his own note when his neighbour is going to be a prick anyway.

He opens his mouth to bite back a response, but not before his neighbour's eyes are widening and he's frantically gesturing in surrender.

"I don't mean to... I'm only asking because I'm deaf," the man hurriedly explains. "I don't... I've never been good at readin' lips."

And, well. If that doesn't answer every one of Ghost's questions.

His first thought is that he'd been stupid for not thinking of the possibility. His second is thank God for Roach.

Tentatively, Ghost raises his hands, a little out of practice but familiar nonetheless with sign language. Now he just feels even more like an arse.

"Want to apologize," Ghost repeats. "For the note."

A grin slowly appears on his neighbour's face at the use of sign, responding with enthusiasm despite the rocky start and the reason for Ghost's being there.

"My fault," the man says, shaking his head. "Never realize how loud I'm being."

"Still sorry." Ghost offers out one of his hands, finger-spelling with the other, "Simon."

"John," the man replies aloud, his smile warm as he shakes Ghost's hand. There's an awkward moment after their hands fall back to their sides, and for a second Ghost considers just turning and leaving, but thankfully John saves him from that.

"Well, I have to get to the shops," John says, and right, he'd just been leaving, "but I'll see you around?"

Ghost nods, and that seems to be enough for John to brush past, closing his door behind him.

That was certainly... something. At the very least, a better outcome than Ghost had been anticipating.

He should call Price. Tell the man that his idea of retirement is entirely twisted—because clearly he doesn't have a neighbour like John, who Ghost fears just might find a way to worm himself into Ghost's post-military life one way or another.

Maybe he shouldn't have left that note after all.