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wheeboo · 6 days ago

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caught in bloom, caught on you | xu minghao

SYNOPSIS. in which you find yourself becoming a regular𑁋or perhaps more than that𑁋at minghao's flower shop. PAIRING. florist!xu minghao x gn!reader GENRE. fluff, a pinch of angst, hurt/comfort, strangers to friends to lovers WARNINGS. hao basically falls in love at first sight HAHA, mild cursing, implied that yn lost someone close to them, a lot of yearning n pining, kissing WORD COUNT. 8.3k

notes: wheeboo is NOT in their short-ish fic era anymore and is in their long-ish fic era rn 😭 anyway,, i didnt have a title for the fic until hao posted his song on his birthday so... I hope u all enjoy?? this might be one of my faves haha

Minghao likes these kinds of days.

Thin, irregular shapes of cotton drift lazily across the endless blue embrace of the skies. The afternoon sun carries warmth in its hands that he could feel right through the glass windows of his flower shop. It's almost as if the season of summer itself is breathing through his shop, softly encouraging his little garden to reach for the light.

Minghao runs his slender fingers through the cool edges of a hydrangea, its soft petals a deep shade of prismarine.

Ever since he was younger, his mother had told him that flowers weren't just things to be cared for. They were companions, your friends if you'd let them be, each blooming with all different kinds of personalities.

He likes how the flowers didn't ask for much; they simply needed patience and care, and in return, they gave him a sense of peace that he couldn't find anywhere else.

The sudden chime of the bell pulls him from his thoughts. He straightens up, wiping his hands on the apron tied loosely around his waist, and glances toward the door.

The figure the walks through the door is unfamiliar, yet it's easy to catch the way the sunlight highlights the edges of your silhouette, almost like a halo as you step inside the shop. For a moment, Minghao is simply taken aback by the quiet grace of your entrance, the way the afternoon light seems to favour you.

Your gaze circles around the shop, taking in the rows of flowers with a soft curiosity. There's some sort of quiet hesitation in your movements when you take a few more tentative steps inside, as if you're trying to find the right place to be in this space, just as much as you're trying to find the right flower.

Minghao finds himself clearing his throat, drawing a polite smile across his lips and catching your attention right away.

"Good afternoon," he greets calmly. "Can I help you with something today?"

You glance up at him, a slight surprise in your eyes before they soften.

"Hi, um... Yeah, I was actually looking to see if I could buy some flowers. The shop I went to before closed down, so I've been searching for a new place. It was a bit of a drive." Then you hesitate briefly, before continuing, "I'm not sure what to look for exactly, but something for a first date would be nice."

Minghao's heart stirs a bit disappointingly at that, though he quickly suppresses the feeling away. After all, it's just flowers, and you're simply here to buy them for someone else.

He nods thoughtfully, giving a soft, understanding look.

"Ah, well. Congratulations first of all on the date," he says calmly, though the nerves itches his fingers. "A first date is always special, isn't it?"

"They are," You reply sheepishly, and the hint of a blush to your cheeks nearly resembles the colour of the roses displayed near the window.

"Is there a specific kind of vibe you're going for?" Minghao asks. "I can help you pick something that feels right."

You pause for a moment, eyes lingering on a beautifully-painted vase. "Hmm, I think... something romantic, but not too traditional, if that makes sense? Not something too cliché, you know, but I also want it to feel special."

Minghao simply hums in response, his mind sifting through the variety of options he could think of. There's this odd sense of responsibility within him to make your choice is beyond perfect.

"Roses are always a classic," he begins. "but they're quite conventional, so..."

He can sense you following closely to him as he walks toward another part of the shop.

"These are tulips," Minghao explains, gesturing to a row of soft, voluminous blooms in shades of pale pink and coral. "They're not commonly picked like roses, but there's a nice charm about it. They're meant to represent long-lasting love."

You take a good look of the flowers, and you're amazed by how bright they appear.

"Wow, they're so beautiful." Then you take a small glance up at Minghao, before back down at the flowers. "You must really take care of these flowers to make them look this vibrant."

"I try my best," he mutters quietly, watching as you continue to take in their beauty. "Each flower has its own needs, but with patience, they show their beauty. Much like people, I suppose."

Your eyes flicker back up at him, and for a moment, there's a quiet stillness between you, as if the space between you two is holding its breath. Then you let out a warm, somewhat nervous chuckle.

"I think I understand," You say, taking a step closer towards the tulips and carefully running a finger over its petals. "It's about giving them space to grow, right? Not forcing them to be something they're not."

There's something about the way you speak, something thoughtful, almost as if you also understand the language of patience he's grown so accustomed to.

"Exactly." He smiles faintly. "That's what I like about flowers𑁋they don't rush. They just exist, and somehow, they slowly become what they're meant to be."

You lift your gaze to meet his, and in your eyes, Minghao sees something more than just curiosity. There's a softness there, a sincerity that draws him in. At his sides, he feels his fingers twitch slightly, but he quickly smooths his hands down his apron.

It's strange how a simple conversation about flowers can make him feel so... connected to someone.

"I think these are perfect," You tell him, eyes brightening with confidence.

A wave of satisfaction washes over Minghao, who nods in agreement.

"Would you like me to wrap them up for you?" he asks.

"That would be great, thank you," You respond with that cute grin of yours𑁋it seems more relaxed now. The thought makes his heart flutter.

Minghao begins to wrap the delicate stems with some brown wrapping paper, carefully arranging them so they're secure. As he ties a ribbon around the bouquet, he can't help but sneak up a glance at you. You're wandering around the shop with your hands clasped in front of you, looking at the other arrangements on display, and he smiles to himself.

He finishes the bouquet and smooths out any remaining creases with his fingertips. When you make your way back over to him, he offers it to you.

"Do you want to write your name on a gift tag?" Minghao asks, holding up a small card and a pen. He doesn’t know why his heart's beating faster𑁋perhaps it's the subtle hopefulness in his voice that will make your name linger longer, even after you leave.

You glance at the pen in his hand, considering it for a moment before nodding.

"Sure, I'd love to," You tell him with a faint smile, snatching the pen from his grasp, giving it a quick click before writing something down, the tip of your tongue just barely peeking out in concentration.

When you finish, you hand the card back to him. He takes it from you carefully, inspecting your neat, intricate handwriting. It's simple, yet there's a certain elegance to it it. Minghao reads it under his breath: For someone special, who I hope feels the same - Y/N.

Y/N, he repeats in his mind.

"I'll finish it up for you now," he says, placing the card with the bouquet. He arranges the flowers once more, making sure everything is perfect before handing it to you.

You find yourself fishing into your bag for your wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

Minghao hesitates for a moment, his fingers hovering over the register, but there's something about the way your features soften and how your eyes meet his that makes him pause.

"It's on the house."

You stop your hands, peering back up at him with a surprised look. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Of course," he assures calmly. "It's the least I can do."

You just blink at him a few times, a soft chuckle escaping your lips.

"Thank you," You let out sheepishly as you take the bouquet in your hands, the ribbon slipping through your fingers as you carefully adjust it. There's a split second that passes where you sneak a glance at the nametag on his chest. "I really appreciate it. I'm sure they'll love them."

Something in his chest tightens at that𑁋they'll love them. Minghao tries not to overthink it, tries to ignore the brief twinge of something unsettling in his chest.

But you're smiling, so he smiles back.

"I hope so," he replies gently, and with a polite bow of his head, he adds, "I'm sure they'll appreciate the thought behind it."

As you walk towards the exit, you take a final look around the shop, eyes lingering on the shelves of flowers, before turning back to Minghao.

"I'll be sure to come back," You say brightly, and the way the afternoon sunlight pours down all around you in the doorway makes you appear almost angelic. "Thank you for everything."

"I'll be here," Minghao responds, offering a small, timid wave of his hand. "Take care."

The chime of the bell above the door announces your departure, and a sigh leaves him.

It's just flowers, he tells himself again. Just flowers.

And flowers𑁋like people𑁋don't rush.

Minghao finds himself wiping away some spilled soil on the counter, the soft hum of piano music drifting throughout the quiet flower shop. He had just gotten done cleaning up after a busy morning of rearranging a few displays around the shop to tie into the slow seasonal changes that were beginning to take shape outside.

The shift from the warm tones of summer to the cool shades of autumn had arrived, bringing a new, fresh palette for him to play with. Chrysanthemums, petunias, dahlias, and marigolds were beginning to make their way into the shop, taking their place next to the peonies and roses that had been so meticulously cared for.

When the last bits of soil are wiped away, Minghao steps back to admire the beauty of the shop around him, he takes in a deep inhale, letting in the earthy scent of the fresh blooms fill his lungs.

After storing away a few extra vases in the backroom, the chime of the door hits his ears, and Minghao finds himself straightening back up to greet whoever had come inside.

When looks up, however, he freezes for a moment. He catches you standing in the doorway, and Minghao has to blink a few times to make sure his mind wasn't playing any tricks on him.

"Hi, again," You're the first to greet this time, and then that grin spreads across your face once again, one that seems all-too familiar.

Minghao leans against the counter. "Back so soon?"

"I was just in the area, couldn't help myself, you know..." You drawl with a playful shrug. "I actually just officially moved into the city just last week, hopefully to be closer for this new job and well... The drive here isn't as long as before."

Minghao smiles softly. It's an unexpected but pleasant surprise for you to admit all that to him, and for some reason, it makes him feel a little lighter.

"That's great," he responds, pushing himself off the counter as he straightens up. "I imagine that must be a relief. How do you like it so far?"

You step further into the shop, your eyes eagerly scanning the new arrangements he's set up.

"It's been great, actually," You say with a relieved look. "Life has been... good, honestly. I think the city suits me. It's different, but in a positive way, and I'm already surrounded by a lot of nice people."

This warm and genuine feeling tugs at Minghao's lips as he listens to you, adjusting the stems of a vase full of a plethora of zinnias.

"I'm assuming that date from before went well then?"

His words makes the smile on your face flicker, and the change is subtle but noticeable enough for Minghao to catch it, even when he's not directly looking at you. You shift your weight between your two feet, and the way you glance around the shop seems almost like you're trying to distract yourself from something.

"The date didn't go well at all, actually."

Minghao's fingertips pause on the cold surface of the vase, brows furrowing in a bit of surprise.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he apologises gently, regretting for the sudden change in mood. "I didn't mean to bring up anything uncomfortable."

You let out a small, rueful chuckle, shaking your head. "No, no, it's okay. Really."

The air seems to thicken a little. You could only stand and watch for a few long moments as Minghao moves gracefully around, tending to all the flowers with his usual care.

After a long pause, you finally break the silence.

"It was good at first, I think, then it just became... awkward. Like really awkward. I thought I had everything planned out𑁋good place, nice flowers, all that jazz... but I guess it just didn't click. I think we both kind of felt it." You feel your shoulders deflate in a pit of defeat, a soft sigh escaping your lips as you run a hand through your hair. "I don't know why I just rambled all that. Sorry about that."

Minghao doesn't say anything at first, simply giving you some space, but he feels his heart tighten in his chest. He casts his eyes on you, also unsure why you're telling him this or why it feels important to him, but he knows it's a moment of vulnerability𑁋a rare one𑁋and he wants to handle it with care.

"No need to say sorry," he reaffirms, tone soothing. "Sometimes things don't go as expected, and that's okay. It doesn't mean it wasn't meaningful."

You glance towards him, catching the sincerity dripping down from his words. It catches you by surprise at how almost... comfortable it feels to be open right now, with him. The atmosphere here doesn't demand anything of you.

"As people, we try so hard to make things go right that we forget to just... let them unfold naturally," he says softly, as if thinking aloud. "I think sometimes things don't work out because we're not ready for them yet, or maybe they're not the right kind of flower at the right time. You can spend so much time trying to arrange them, placing them in the perfect spot, hoping they'll just fit… but sometimes they don't. And that's okay."

You can't help but quirk a playful lip at that, but you can't resist the way his words appear to tug right at your heartstrings. "Are you comparing me to a flower?"

"Not just you, no," Minghao replies amusedly. "But I think you could be. A flower, I mean. You're just someone who's figuring out what kind you want to be."

The thought about being a flower𑁋in another life, perhaps𑁋is a bit silly. But you also wonder about other things too𑁋if you're being treated with the same care and attention that Minghao gives to his flowers, or if you're wilting like one that hasn't found the right light yet. And as you gaze around the shop, taking in the beauty of the blooms around you, you find yourself smiling.

"I think I'd like to try and take care of a flower," You announce, determination weaving around your voice and words. "I'm not sure if I'd be good at it, but I'd like to try."

Minghao crosses his arms together, letting out a thoughtful hum while studying you for a few seconds. "I think you'd do well."

For some reason, those few words were enough to send heat crawling up your body and into your face.

"Thank you," You breathe out sheepishly, the corners of your mouth tugging upwards. "Can you give me a few recommendations?"

Minghao just nods. "Sure."

From there, he leads you toward a small display near the front of the shop where a few different pots and seedlings are carefully arranged. He describes a few of them to you. You're immediately drawn to the passion dripping from his tone, and the way he appears to light up when he speaks.

"These might be a good start," he suggests, gesturing to a small seedling. "Marigolds are pretty low maintenance. They need light, of course, but they're easy to grow and care for."

You take a moment to study over the baby plant with sweet curiosity.

"I think I'll start with these, then," You say, glancing back at Minghao. "Something easy."

Minghao's eyes don't stray away from how you admire the tiny plant, how you cradle the pot in your hands to take a closer look at it as if you're already imagining yourself taking care of it.

"Taking care of them can be a good reminder to take care of yourself too," he points out. "They need patience, consistency… and a little bit of trust, just like people do."

You look up at him, a smile tugging at your lips once more, feeling something warm bloom in your chest. His words settle into you in a way that's hard to describe, but they feel right𑁋like they're exactly what you need to hear.

"That's true," You reply, the weight of the sentiment settling comfortably within you. "I guess I could use a reminder like that."

"Shall I wrap it up for you?" he offers.

"Yes, please. Thank you."

After mulling over some options, he chooses the perfect wrapping paper and adds a small note about caring for marigolds. You watch him, mesmerised by the ease in his movements, the care he pours into something so simple. For a moment, you forget about all the bustling noise outside the shop, and all that exists is Minghao and the flowers, his flowers.

As Minghao ties the final knot around the marigold pot, he hands it to you, and his fingertips briefly brush against yours.

"Thank you," You tell him softly. "For everything, really. It's very calming in here."

Minghao's smile widens, almost like he's heard those same words before, and perhaps he has; maybe many people find themselves drawn to his calm presence and the haven he's created in this little shop.

There's a strange warmth that spreads throughout your chest as you cradle the small plant in your hands. "I'll be sure to take good care of it."

A few moments of comfortable silence pass as you both stand there, your eyes drifting around the shop to take in the palette of autumn that colours the space. Yet it's almost instinctive in the way your gaze finds Minghao.

"I hope you won't mind me coming back, you know... to make sure I'm doing a good job with this little one." You gesture to the plant in your hands, a playful tone to your words.

Minghao chuckles, a sound as gentle as the petals surrounding him. "Of course. I'll be here."

"Do you mind if I take another look around with the place? It looks great, by the way."

"Take all the time you need."

And for the first time in a long while, Minghao felt like he wasn't just waiting for the next flower to bloom.

He was blooming, too.

"Do you have a favourite flower?"

The question rests upon Minghao's shoulders while he waters a cluster of orchids in the back corner of the shop. You're hovering near him, aimlessly trudging your fingertips over, but instead lets the question settle in between the quiet moments.

"I imagine it's hard to pick as a florist, right?" You let out a meek laugh. "It's kind of like asking a painter to pick their favourite colour."

The corners of Minghao's lips curl up slightly, his eyes fixed on the glistening leaves under the faint droplets of water. You can tell he's contemplating the question from the quiet hums leaving his mouth, and for some reason, you find comfort in his patience.

"Not exactly," he says after a pause, his voice steady, thoughtful. "A painter might have a favourite colour, but they don't use it all the time. It's about balance. Knowing when to bring it forward and when to hold it back."

"Ah, so you do have a favourite flower," You tease lightly, nudging him playfully with your shoulder. "You just don't want to admit it."

The brief touch seems to linger in the air, a soft warmth that you both let pass without acknowledging. Minghao gently sets the watering can down and looks at you for a moment, his gaze a little deeper than before.

"In China, we have a lot of flowers that hold meaning," Minghao continues. "It's hard to pick one specifically, but... I've been liking the liánhuā lately𑁋the lotus. It grows in muddy water and blooms above the surface, even despite those circumstances. It also represents purity, resilience, and growth."

You tilt your head as you take in his words. You already knew yourself that you didn't know much about flowers, but there's a certain curiosity that washes over you from how Minghao speaks so fondly about them. Even something as simple as a flower has layers of meaning for him.

"That's really beautiful, I..." You trail off, trying to find the right words. "I've always looked at things really surface-level, you know, like I've always found daisies beautiful because they're so simple and bright, but I never really thought much about their deeper meanings. It's kind of like... I never thought about why I liked them. It's just easy to see them and appreciate them, I guess."

Minghao blinks at you, before lowering his gaze down to the floor. "Daisies suit you."

You turn to him, dazed. "Really?"

Minghao takes a contemplative pause. "Well, they're not only... beautiful to look at, but they brighten up any space they're in."

You feel your feet seep into the floor, sinking deeper as your cheeks warm, suddenly hyper-aware of how close you were standing next to him. And it's the way he acts like he didn't fucking say anything out of the ordinary almost makes you lose it.

"Are you flirting with me right now?"

However, Minghao doesn't seem fazed by the question. Instead, his lips twitch into a small, almost imperceptible smile, and then a few seconds later, your phone rings.

Minghao just offers you a little wave of his soil-painted hand. "Have fun at work, Y/N."

"Minghao! Can you teach me how to wrap these flowers?"

Minghao casts his attention up from displaying a new set of hyacinths, catching you behind the counter with a bouquet in your hands, along with a small old lady on the other side with a cheerful grin.

There's a subtle tug at the corners of his mouth when he hears you holler for him again, and he brushes his hands against his apron, before marching his way toward you. He steps up to you, taking the flowers from your hand while you beam happily towards the old lady.

"What's the occasion for the flowers, ma'am?" You ask curiously. Th elderly woman lets out a soft laugh, resting her wrinkled hands on the counter.

"It's for my grandson! He's graduating from high school today. Time flies by, doesn't it?"

"Wow, that's such a milestone! Congratulations to him," You exclaim enthusiastically, softly clapping your hands together as Minghao deftly arranges the flowers within the wrapping paper, before sliding it over to you.

He leans in a bit more, almost too close you feel the way his arm brushes against yours and the way his breath fans against your skin.

"Fold the edges like this," Minghao instructs softly, his hands hovering right over yours. "Make sure the paper covers the stems. Too much pressure could break them; too loose could make them fall apart."

You watch as his hands follow yours while you nervously, yet carefully trace the frail edge of the paper, showing you how to make each fold with a care that's almost tender. His close proximity sends strange flutters to your stomach, but you do your best to ignore it.

"Okay, like this?" You question, pulling the paper slightly tighter around the bouquet.

Minghao hums approvingly, letting you hold the flowers while he circles a ribbon around it with ease. His hands brush against yours as he neatly ties it, and the two of you pull back to watch how it delicately falls over the bouquet.

The old lady glances between the two of you with a knowing smile.

"The two of you make such a cute couple! Do you run the shop together?"

You feel your face fire up at that, cheeks burning with embarrassment. Then you instinctively glance over at Minghao, who surprisingly doesn't seem as flustered as you are.

"Oh, um, we're not𑁋"

"They like to help out here once in a while," Minghao adds in smoothly, though you aren't sure if that entirely helps or not. However you know what he's saying is true, because whenever your break for work comes or on your free time, you find yourself naturally walking towards the flower shop to help out at times.

The lady just beams up even more, scooping up the bouquet in her grasp. "Well, it's nice to see young faces working together! You two sure do have a lot of chemistry."

You offer a wave of your hand. "I hope your grandson enjoys the flowers. Congratulations to him once again!"

With that, the old woman offers a small wink before turning to head out of the shop. "Thank you, dear! Take care, both of you." Her delighted steps echo off the walls as she exits the shop.

The shop grows quiet again. You let out a sigh, cracking your knuckles as you turn to Minghao, who was already wiping over the surface of the counter, making quick work of putting things back in order, and for some reason, it still doesn't wipe away the pit of awkwardness you're feeling. You wonder if he feels the same too.

"So," Minghao starts, still continuing to clean without batting a glance at you. "You're taking over my shop, it seems."

You let out a haughty scoff. "I just wanted to try wrapping some flowers for someone. Don't let it get to your head."

Minghao only chuckles lightly, though he keeps his focus on the counter, yet you could only focus on him. You can't help but admire the way his hair falls effortlessly over his forehead, the slight endearing tilt of his head as he works, and how his movements are so meticulously unique to only him. There's a certain aura he exudes that makes you feel strangely at peace, a magic that only seems to reside within the walls of the shop.

"Why didn't you say no?" You suddenly ask, the question slipping out before you could shut your mouth.

Minghao pauses mid-swipe, looking back up at you. "Say no to what?"

"To, uh... the lady back there," You stammer, feeling the heat creep back at your neck. "About us, you know... being a couple."

Minghao remains silent as he tosses the dirty wipe away. For a moment, he seems to be contemplating something𑁋whether the question, the idea, or something more.

Then he just simply shrugs. "I guess I didn't mind it," he replies lowly, and meets your eyes warily. "Does it bother you?"

Your mind goes completely blank at his question. Does it bother you? The simple truth is that you didn't expect him to answer so casually. You were expecting him to probably correct her humbly, in all honesty. After all, it was just a passing comment from a lady who didn't mean any harm behind it.

But... does it bother you?

"No, it... it doesn't bother me. Really," You respond after a pause, voice coming out a bit forced. Your heart is beating super fast right now. "I guess I just didn't expect you to go along with it since we're not𑁋"

"𑁋not a couple," Minghao finishes for you. "I know."

You feel like you're melting into a pile of goo, your thoughts scattering like ants running out of their pile.

"I'm sorry, I'm overthinking," You mumble out, trying to brush everything off with an airy laugh.

Minghao shakes his head. "I should be sorry. I made you uncomfortable."

"You-You didn't, trust me!" You wave your hands dismissively, albeit a bit dramatic. "I was just caught off-guard and didn't know how to respond."

This seems to relax Minghao's shoulders a bit, but not entirely.

"Okay," he says, and his voice is as light as a wisp getting caught in the wind. "But you'd tell me if you were uncomfortable, right?"

You give him an easy nod, maybe even confident. "I would. I promise. And you'd... tell me too?"

Minghao meets your eyes with a steady gaze, his expression soft but thoughtful. For a moment, there's a subtle shift in the air, and you can feel the weight of his words before he speaks again.

"Yeah," he answers firmly, sincerely. "I would."

When you open your mouth to speak again, your phone dings in your pocket. You squint your eyes to read over the message in your notifications, before closing up your phone.

"My meeting got cancelled." Then you blink up towards Minghao, as if trying to convey an unspoken question to him.

As if the answer wasn't already obvious, Minghao gives you a small, almost teasing smile.

"I don't mind the company," he tells you, then quirks up a brow. "Unless you do."

"I don't mind either," I like being in this place... with you. "Not at all."

Flowers bloom when the time is right. And you don't mind waiting for it.

When a flower dies, there's a certain routine that comes after it. Trim away the wilted petals, dispose of the stems, recycle them as compost, and plant the next set of blooms.

Minghao hates seeing flowers die.

The sound of crumbling petals tie a knot in his chest, the stillness that follows afterwards is almost deafening. But he knows it's an inevitable part of life. Every flower has its chance to bloom and thrive, and eventually, it will fade.

The flowers don't belong to him, after all𑁋they are simply passing through his care briefly before going to someone else or withering away, like everything else in life. Minghao knows it's unnecessary to hold onto these flowers so tightly, but after being surrounded by them his entire life, it's merely impossible to let go.

The bell chimes as he's composting a few camellias that had sadly wilted, and he gazes up to find a gust of snow following your footsteps as you step inside. A large, black fluffy coat hugs your body and a scarf is wrapped snugly around your neck. However this time, Minghao doesn't notice any ounce of a smile to your face.

He sets the compost bin down and wipes his hands on his apron.

"Y/N?"

There's a very subtle twitch to your expression when he calls out your name.

"Hey," You croak out, voice a bit strained. "Um... is it fine if I buy some flowers?"

Minghao feels something in his chest clench at your tone, but he pushes the feeling away with his usual calm composure, masking away any concern simmering on the surface.

"Sure," he replies, focusing on the shadows that plague over your features. "Is there anything specific you're looking for?"

Your eyes drift away from to look around the flower shop, taking note of the bright, usual blooms that surround you, yet none of them appear are what you're looking for.

"Do you have, um..." You feel like you're already going to regret this. "...anything for a funeral?"

The words float in the air between you both. Minghao's expression falters for just a moment, the calmness that he usually carries slipping as his eyes soften toward you.

"Of course," he says softly. "I have a few options."

With that, he leads you to a particular spot in the shop, where it houses all sorts of flowers with muted colours𑁋white roses and lilies, pale chrysanthemums, and pink and purple orchids all arranged neatly. Minghao watches as you gaze over each flower, but he doesn't speak yet, simply allowing you the moment to breathe.

"These are the traditional flowers for a funeral," he explains finally. "White roses for remembrance, lilies for peace, chrysanthemums for mourning, and orchids for everlasting love."

Minghao has picked flowers for funerals before. He's also seen people hold onto flowers that are long past their bloom, clinging to them as if their presence alone could bring someone back. He's been there too.

It's bit a different when it's you though, and he doesn't exactly know how to explain it.

You plod slowly throughout the display, picking up a stem here and there, but each time, you set it back down as if it didn't feel right. But when you come across the orchids, you linger a little longer on them, tenderly caressing the petals as if you were scared to break them.

"I think I'll choose these ones. The orchids," You murmur, picking up a few stems and showing it to him.

Minghao just nods, taking the ones from your hands and grabbing a few more to finish the rest of the bouquet, moving with careful precision.

"I'll handle the rest, don't worry," he assures you as he gracefully works to arrange the orchids.

None of you choose to say anything more, only letting the diffident silence stretch. For some reason, the shop feels a little more cooler, the air heavier than usual. The only sound is the rustling of Minghao's hands moving carefully over the flowers, the quiet snap of a stem as he trims it with his shears. Outside, the snow continues to fall.

Minghao doesn't press for any details, yet even in the quiet, you have a feeling that he knows. Maybe that's why he's just letting his hands speak for him.

"Here you go." He offers you a neat bouquet of pale lavender orchids.

You step up to him to retrieve it from his grasp, bringing it close to your chest. "Thank you."

Minghao knows he shouldn't let his feelings get in the way, but as he takes note of the slight glassiness to your eyes and small tremble of your hands holding the bouquet, he isn't sure how much longer he can hold it in. He feels guilty when he lets his eyes drift down to your lips for a second, before averting it back up quickly.

The smile you give him is nothing short of fragile, faint, but it's there. And then, with a sudden leap, you find yourself leaning into Minghao's embrace without thinking, wrapping your arms around his body as if he was the only thing in the world that was preventing you from falling down. And in a way, he is.

His arms catch you instinctively, gentle yet steady, embracing around you like flowers petals folding inward for protection. His warmth seeps into you as if he were the sun reaching a flower in the early hours of dawn, and his hand comes up to cradle the back of your head, encouraging you to press closer into his warmth.

You don't cry𑁋not entirely. A single tear slips past your lashes, landing silently against his shoulder. He feels it, but he doesn't move, doesn't say anything, and just lets you... be.

"I'm sorry," You mumble into his shoulder. "I didn't mean to𑁋"

"Don't be," Minghao interrupts softly. "It's okay."

You pull away for a moment to look up at him. He's still holding you. His hands have fallen down to your sides, resting there as if he's held you like this before. The way you're looking at him has Minghao nearly forgetting how to breathe; it nearly urges to him to lean down and close the distance between the two of you.

His gaze lingers on your lips, and for a split second, Minghao almost allows himself to follow the instinct to lean in.

But then he stops himself.

He's not sure what this is, what the right thing to do is. His thoughts are tangled mess of roots𑁋he's always been careful with holding himself back, with promising to wait, yet something about the way you look at him makes it feel like the only right thing to do is to give in.

But he can't. Not yet. Not when you're so fragile and baring yourself raw to him.

Yet he sees the way your eyes flutter at him, the way a crease of question forms in between your brows as if you're also unsure of what this moment is, but there's a longing there too. It's almost pleading. And you lean in a little more towards him.

"Y/N," he breathes out your name, and it's the first time you ever heard his voice shake like that. "We... We shouldn't."

You don't say anything at first, your eyes searching his face like you're trying to read something. You open your mouth, close it, and then, with a slight exhale, you step back, only a little, but enough to let the cool air seep in between you.

"I'm sorry, I..." You squeeze your eyes shut for a moment, letting out a sniffle. "Fuck, I'm sorry..."

Minghao feels his chest tighten. "It's okay𑁋"

"I-I just wanted to feel something for a moment, you know? Everything is such a mess right now and the first person I thought of was you, because I like... the way you make me feel. I like it way more than I should. And that... that it's okay if you don't feel that way too."

Minghao's heart stutters at that, and perhaps the world even pauses too. All words that want to leave him become stuck in his throat, because he knows deep down𑁋from as far back as the moment you walked into the flower shop𑁋that he's felt the same way for far too long.

So, he settles with taking one hand from your side and slowly reaching up to trace your warm cheek with his thumb, his touch delicate as if he's afraid he might cause your petals to fall down. He brushes away a lingering tear that had been drying up on your skin and lets his hand stay there.

"You... deserve way more than just comfort in a moment like this," Minghao starts quietly. "But you're grieving right now, and I don't want to take advantage of that. I don't want to just be someone who's here for a moment, because... you mean so much to me more than that."

Your lips form into a tight, thin line, and you flicker your gaze towards the floor, the heaviness in the air still weighing down on your shoulders.

"Minghao..."

"And if I act on what I feel, it wouldn't be fair to you," Minghao continues, voice trembling slightly as he speaks. "I want it to be because you know what you want. And if you ever give me that chance, I promise I'll be here for you. Not just now, not just in this moment, but... for everything. When you're ready; when you're healed; when it feels right, I'll be here𑁋I always have been."

There's a lump in your throat that you swallow down. For a while, you could only simply stand there, feeling as if you're teetering on the edge of something you can't quite reach. But even as you stand in this stillness, there's something in his words that echoes off the walls of your mind𑁋it's understanding, and it's care, and it feels like a promise.

"I... I know. I just... I'm sorry for putting all this on you. I think I need space to... heal and think." Then you look back up at him, wonder tainting your features. "Will you wait for me?"

The question feels a bit silly to ask, and it makes Minghao's features soften as he looks at you, a warmth in his chest that spreads like the first rays of sunlight breaking through a cold morning.

"I've already been waiting for you," he says, almost cheekily, and it seems to lighten the moment a little. "I haven't planned on stopping anytime soon."

The chuckle that leaves you isn't forced; in fact, it's quite relieving. It feels like the start of something, and Minghao feels a flicker of hope at the sound.

You reluctantly separate yourself away from him, cradling the bouquet of orchids to your chest, and let out an exhale you hardly realise you were holding in.

"I'll be okay, you know," You tell him, even if it's a bit of lie, or half the truth. You can't tell which.

Minghao glances down to your hands, as if you're holding a piece of your heart wrapped up within the petals, before back up to your eyes.

"I know," is all he says.

The world doesn't stop for grief, but it's okay to pause for a little while.

Minghao wonders if flowers ever feel the same bittersweet pull when their petals fall𑁋the ache of letting go, but the quiet hope of something new taking root.

You haven't stepped foot in the flower shop in a while. At least, not as often as you used to come.

The absence is especially daunting, and Minghao can't help but feel it every time the bell chimes and it isn't you that walks through the door. On rare occasion you'd swing by to say hello during your breaks at work and sometimes, a pretty, shy smile from you before you disappear back into the world outside.

It's strange how easily your presence had come to be a part of the rhythm of his days. He used to wonder how someone like you would be drawn to the boring stillness of a flower shop. But now the place feels more emptier than before you came into his life, the petals around him somehow less vibrant, the air colder, even when the sun streams through the windows.

He tries not to dwell on it, but he can't help the nagging feeling that maybe you've drifted away, maybe things have changed. Maybe he was just a moment for you. And now, that moment has passed.

So he simply spends his days in the shop, moving between shelves of blossoms and arranging bouquets, but his thoughts always return to you. To the quiet moments when your voice would fill the space between the flowers, to the way you cared and tended the blooms even when you had no reason to.

It makes him think that if flowers could speak for us, then what might they say about you? Would they say you were someone who saw beauty in the smallest things? Minghao often found himself wishing that flowers could speak just so he can hear what they would say about you.

But flowers don't speak, of course. They just bloom and stretch toward the light, growing in places where they are tended to, and even in those that have been forgotten.

Maybe that's what Minghao was𑁋a forgotten flower of his own waiting to be seen, to be noticed.

Luckily, he was able to distract himself a bit today with a few deliveries for a couple of upcoming weddings and a new arrangement for the store he was preparing to do in the next few days, along with piles of orders for days. But it still wasn't enough.

As he flips the sign on the window to display Closed, he fumbles for his keys to lock the door. However, the sound of the bell rings through the shop, stopping him mid-motion. Minghao lifts a brow up, not expecting for anyone to show up right as he's about to close up.

And when he looks up, he freezes.

"I'm not late, aren't I?"

It's you.

The way your voice comes out all shaky like you're out of breath, yet soft has Minghao feeling as if he's sinking into quicksand. The sight of you standing at the doorway is a dream he never dares to wake up from.

"You're not," Minghao manages to say, somehow. "You're just in time."

Your lips tug into a small, relieved smile, and it's enough to make the air feel lighter in the shop. You take a few hesitant steps so that you're fully inside, letting the door shut behind you with a faint click. You take in the familiar, fresh scent of all the blooms and greenery around you, and it hits you in the heart just how much you've missed this place.

"I had, uh… a late shift at work," You explain unsurely. "so I thought about stopping by, but I wasn't sure if you'd still be here."

Minghao just shakes his head, watching as you brush your fingertips over some lilies and baby's breaths that were displayed on a small table near the window. Gosh, he'd do anything to flat out say how much he missed you, how much he'd been thinking about you, but he doesn't.

"Have you been busy?" You ask him.

"A little," he responds. "but manageable, I would say."

"Ah… that's good," You mumble, voice trailing off as you start to make your way in his direction, catching eye on a particular bouquet sitting on the counter behind him. "No-show again?"

Minghao lets out a sigh, and he feels you following behind as he walks towards the counter. He picks up the bouquet in his hand, letting his gaze fall over it.

"Mhm," he hums. "But it's alright, really. Happens more often than you think."

You quirk a brow as your eyes roam over the bouquet, and a particular, almost knowing look stretches across your lips.

"That's funny," You huff, taking the bouquet from his grasp. It held a colourful variety of hydrangeas. "It looks a lot like an order I placed a few days ago."

Minghao's heart skips a beat as he watches you carefully examine the bouquet, his breath caught in his throat.

"This… was yours?" he questions in surprise.

"Yeah, I…" You bite your lips sheepishly. "It was sort of an impulsive thing, I guess."

Minghao only continues to watch as you admire the bouquet, caressing over the delicate wrapping paper and the all-too familiar bow that he would tie all of his other arrangements.

"Impulsive, huh?" Minghao teases lightly, a hint of a smile playing at his lips. "Well, you certainly picked a good one."

You look up at him, a small, tentative smile forming on your face. "I guess I just wanted to get something special. For someone."

Minghao feels his heart sink at that, a flutter of hope and uncertainty colliding in his chest. Someone.

He opens his mouth to say something, but the words get caught in his throat, unsure if it's his place to ask, or if he even wants to hear the answer.

"I see," he says instead, trying to keep his tone relaxed, though there's a hint of sadness to his voice that he silently hopes you don't notice.

You take note of his unreadable expression, over the way his eyes appear downcast and a subtle tension to his posture.

However, this doesn't make you stop from gripping the bouquet tighter in your grasp, and then in the next moment, you're stepping closer and offering it over to him.

"I hope you like them," You state, holding out the bouquet thing as if was the most natural thing in the world.

Minghao glances at the bouquet quizzically, the same one he had just been holding, then back at you. His face shifts between a million different expressions𑁋confusion, surprise, hope, and everything in between𑁋before the tension in his chest eases just slightly as he finally registers what you're doing.

He's a florist, for crying out loud. He's usually the one to be giving flowers to people. Never in his years of practically living in the shop has anyone offered flowers to him. The gesture is practically foreign, yet in this moment, it feels so right.

His fingers graze against yours as he hesitantly takes it from your hands, but you fully let go. Instead, you cover his hand with yours, warmth spreading between you as you gently press your palm against his. His heart is beating in his throat, in his ears, everywhere in his body, and he wonders if you can feel it too.

"I missed you," You declare softly, yet a pinch of urgency behind your words. "I missed you so fucking much."

His chest tightens, and it's as if the weight of everything crushes him in the best possible way. All the time he had spent wondering if you had forgotten about him, if maybe you had moved on, it all melts away in an instant. Because you're here. And you're saying everything he's been craving to hear.

And gosh, does he want to kiss you right now.

This time, Minghao doesn't waste a second. He brings a hand up to cradle the side of your neck as he presses his lips to yours. It's perhaps a bit desperate first, making him swallow down a faint sigh you let out but it quickly settles into something softer, deeper, like two people who've been waiting for this moment for far too long.

He can feel the slight tremble in your breath as your lips move against his, and he pulls back slightly, just to make sure you were still with him.

Minghao lets his thumb lightly caress over your cheek as if trying to memorise the feeling of your skin under his touch, as if he'd been starved for this closeness.

"I missed you too," he whispers, a breath away from your lips. "The flowers did too."

A light, airy chuckle escapes from you. "Oh, did they?"

"Of course," Minghao murmurs, his lips curling upwards against your skin. "They've been waiting for you to come back."

"Well, I better not keep them waiting anymore then, right?" You jest playfully, leaning in back once again.

Minghao doesn't hesitate to meet you halfway. "Nope," he says firmly against your mouth. "I think they've waited long enough."

taglist (open) ʚɞ @haowrld @icyminghao @slytherinshua @jeonride @eternalgyu

@lockburn-castle @vrnism @weird-bookworm @ryuwonieebae @wonwooz1

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maraxp · 1 year ago

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⚓ ♰ . ࣪ 🪨 ♡‌ ㅤ۪ㅤ ⏖ ꒪ 𓉼

⟣ character : live action!roronoa zoro // fem!reader

⟣ synopsis : after witnessing the fight with zoro and dracule mihawk with the rest of the strawhats, you were by zoro’s side as he healed, comforting him and so on, not knowing that he was secretly listening to you.

⟣ word count : 672 words.

⟣ tags : not proofread (i’ll fix that later), strawhat!reader, female / afab reader, mentions of injury, praise, pet names “dear” and “jerk”, no use of “(y/n)”, fluff, swearing, mentions of alcohol, semi-soft! reader, comfort, eventual smut (not in this post / slow burn), will add more as the series progresses

⟣ note : yes, it is the live action zoro we all know and love. this is my first fanfiction here but it’s not my very first fic ever. english is not my first language so if i made any mistake, please let me know !

it scared you. the fight between roronoa and that mihawk guy scared you, and you didnt know why.

was it because of the fear eating your mind when you saw roronoa’s huge gash on his chest? was it remembering zoro asking to duel mihawk to “fight to the death” while you secretly doubted that he was going to lose? probably both.

when luffy rushed to search for help, you stared at zoro laid out on the ground. you weren’t disappointed, you weren’t disgusted either. you were afraid that he was going to die from how deep the wound was.

when he was brought in, your heart was racing. you didn’t know that zoro being severely injured would actually make you have a heart attack. then again, you saw that he was a skilled swordsman, you knew it was a rare chance for him to get cut up like that.

everyone took turns visiting zoro as he slept with his wounds treated, telling him stories and what not to keep him closer to life than death. when it was your turn, your heart raced. you didn’t know what to say, so you nervously walked in the room, playing with your fingers.

you sat by zoro’s side as he laid, staring at his features. what made your heart slow was the soft rise and fall of his chest, and the sound of his relaxed breathing. time flew by as you sat by his side, humming a soft tune to let zoro know that you were there with him. your hand rested on top of his, rubbing your thumb against the top of his hand.

what you didn’t know was that you were the best comforter for him. you didn’t even realize it until now and it made you smile. you sighed as you gave zoro a soft, reassuring squeeze to his hand. all it took was a small ‘i miss you’ for your thoughts to actually cooperate and think about a genuine thing to talk about.

“you didn’t even have time to think about your actions, you jerk.” you smirked, scoffing at the memory. “nami, usopp, and i worry for you, dear. why did you want to fight that mihawk guy all of a sudden? was it the drinks? were you drunk? i don’t mind about that but still, you scared me back there, roronoa. please don’t do that again, my dear.” you whispered, it truly did frighten you but at least you’re glad that he’s alive now.

you gave his hand another soft squeeze as you raised it to your lips, giving it a small peck. “but you did very well back there, i can give you that. great job, roronoa. i’d love to see more of you in action.” you mumbled, scooting a bit closer to zoro. “we miss you, roronoa. i hope you realize that, dear.” you continued as you brought your hand up to stroke his hair.

what spooked you was when you looked at zoro’s face, you could’ve sworn you saw a tiny smirk displayed on his lips. did he hear all of that? it made you shudder a little, now feeling embarrassed.

you stumbled over your words, clearing your throat while you felt the heat rush to your face. “i’ll– uhm.. i’ll– go get—” you cleared your throat again. “uh.. i’ll go get luffy.”

when you scooted away, you gave his warm hand one more soft squeeze before gently hopping off to leave the room. that sleeping swordsman in the center of the room took your breath away, you could admit that. but you didn’t admit the sudden burn in your chest whenever he would talk to you, especially when you sat next to him back at the baratie.

was it what you thought it was? or was it just a regular heartburn without any other reason behind it? it confused you, but you would be lying if you said it didn’t make you feel at home. he made you feel at home. and you liked him for that.

if you want me to add you to my taglist, click on this link [ 🥋 ] and you’re all set !

#one piece #one piece netflix #one piece live action #one piece x reader #zoro x reader #one piece zoro #roronoa zoro #zoro roronoa x reader #zoro roronoa x you #one piece x you #roronoa zoro live action #reqs open. ﹒✮#opla #opla spoilers #opla zoro #opla zoro x reader #opla roronoa zoro

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running-with-kn1ves · 2 months ago

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A Siren's Hunger

A/N: Wrote this a year (?) ago but decided to edit it to make it post-worthy. Idk what I was on when I wrote this.

CW: reader losing a lot of blood, biting, graphic fears of being eaten, predator vs prey, sharp teethses Synopsis: Dragged underwater by a siren, you play a series of games to prevent her from devouring you whole, only to offer an uncomfortable proposition in exchange for your life.

"Eight... nine... ten! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

You covered your mouth with pruned fingers, roughly cutting off any oxygen as your chest pounded. Your heart was going a mile a minute, as if you were a small, skittish creature hiding from something ready to devour. You peered around the rock you hid behind, eyes darting around the small body of water and searching for any signs of movement. The water rippled in small waves but you couldn't tell where they were coming from.

The water always seemed to be moving, no matter if everything inside of it stood still. You gripped the rock with one hand, the other still covering your mouth and nose as you tried to breathe as quietly as possible.

Your eyes were wide and alert, your mind chanting prayers and hopes of being hidden enough to at least last through this game. But a fin flipped to your left, creating waves and reverbed echoes in the shadowy cave. You jerked back behind the large boulder, splashing lightly in the water as you sank lower to hide yourself. Your entire body was wet, hair dripping as your clothes were drenched to the point of sagging.

They clung to your skin, each layer sticky and damp and refusing to let go. Your shoes made it impossible to swim long distances, and the sweater entrapping your arms and torso made you sink slightly. At this point you were tempted to take it off if it meant you had a better chance at swimming away.

The sound of slapping on the water was closer now, hums of excitement and curiosity only a few feet away from the rock you desperately held on to. Her voice was so near, crystal clear and beautiful snippets of a song you had never heard. It was enchanting, drawing your hand away from your mouth. Your eyes glazed over, begging to be drawn out from behind the rock and towards the alluring voice. You tried to push back, digging your nails into the boulders surface and even wrapping your legs around it. But it wasn't enough; your body had a new goal that didn't involve survival. Mere attraction, a fatal seduction that would turn you to nothing but clumps of wet meat in the sea.

It felt like your skin was on fire, burning up in the cool water as you tried to shut your eyes and plug your ears. But as the singing got louder, a soft and tempting melodic voice calling to you, you couldn't hold back. Your mind grew hazy, only focusing on the fins sticking out of the deep water and the enchanting voice that clouded your senses.

As soon as you realized your mistake --stepping a mere few inches beside the boulder rather than behind it-- you were too late.

"Boo!" She shouted. The end of her siren song caused you to snap out of your trance and shriek at her sunken, angled face.

You swam back to the rock as she laughed, your nails scraping against the rough surface as you clung to it for security.

"You're so easy," she giggled, her mouth opening to air rows of shark-like sharp, lethal, teeth.

"You, cheated--" Huddling into yourself you shyed away from her with a heavy exhale. She made you afraid, every part of her screaming at you to “run away or be eaten” but you couldn't; in this small little pool, stuck in this freezing cave, you had no way out. Well, no way without drowning first, or being “shredded alive” as the siren sweetly put it after bringing you in here.

You shuddered, looking down at the underwater hole opening to the endless sea that tempted you. If you were just a little bit stronger, a little faster, you could make it out of this sparkling, terrifying cave that you got dragged in.

"I didnt cheat," she licked her lips, bobbing up and down in the water. "You're just a sore loser. Now, my prize?"

You clenched your teeth, traveling around the boulder to the other side as she pursued you. Her slick, charcoal hair nearly covered the boney and wide features of her face; terrifying electric blue eyes peering deeply at you, like a prey she couldn't let out of her sight lest it bolt. She was bizarrely gaunt, yet possessed an unseen strength and serratedness in her teeth and fingers, her tail a flexible whip that had yet to be used against you.

But, that doesn't count! You used a method I couldn't get away from, s-so--"

"You could have gotten away if you tried hard enough." She lifted an eyebrow, continuing to float at you around the boulder, but not yet striking. "I've had humans manage to escape. They've been few and far between but..." she grinned maliciously, reminiscing on their taste and fond memories of such chase. "If you really wanted it, you could have won. But you didn't."

"You have an unfair advantage," you scowled, trying to protect yourself from her hands that seemed keen on grabbing yours. "Please, uhm,"

"Alette. Did you forget already?"

"Well it's kind of hard to remember when you're threatening to maim me!" You shot back. You were panicking, hardly a head above begging for your life and cussing her out simultaneously. "Please just give me another chance, just one more game--"

"That's what you said last time, little fish. And the time before that," She drew closer as you tried to run around the rock again; those eyes, solidly blue and vibrant-- how could something be so bright in such a lightless cave?

"When are you going to accept your fate? I dont mind an easy meal." She grabbed your hand with a snarl, stopping you from swimming away. "What other choice do you have than to give in, It's not like you're going to escape any time soon."

Despite how much you resented the siren, she was right. You had gotten yourself stuck in this situation-- night swimming at the beach, ALONE-- and now had no way of leaving or calling for help. And it was clear that Alette wasnt going to provide any assistance away from this forsaken air pocketed cave, unless it consisted of eating you.

"That doesn't mean I'm just going to let you kill me!"

"We play this little game over and over again just to let you keep some dignity. Face it-- stop struggling and let me take a bite."

She opened her mouth, aiming for your throat.

"No!" You shouted, shoving her pointed, scaled shoulders as you push away from the rock. Alette grunted animalistically through her pearly teeth, diving underwater. You were grateful for your mildly decent swimming skills-- or, the adrenaline that made you move ten times faster. But it still wasn't enough to outswim the creature.

You heard a rough splash before sensing her grip. The siren slammed you against a nearby cave wall, her claws digging into your shoulders as your head pressed against the jagged rock.

The wind was immediately knocked out of you, your labored breathing not phasing Alette.

The siren drew closer, her mouth gaping open towards your neck as her claws dug into the wool covering your shoulders. Up close, you could see her less than human features more prominently. Her slit eyes so devious, with thinned eyebrows and a sickly pale complexion. Her mouth naturally curved into a sly, widely unnatural smile, ready and satisfied to eat you. The gills on her neck and the fins replacing her ears faded from ghostly white skin to a dark blue-ish black, like frostbite; the rubbery flesh was wet from all her swimming. She dripped onto you, murky water running from her long, dark hair onto your chest. You had noticed that her upper half was nude, but now it was incredibly visible as her exposed chest pinned against yours. Her sternum seemed to dig into your flesh; tough, sleek skin meant for bumping against hard cave walls or rough sands pressed coldly onto your shivering body.

"You know, I really do like to play with my food. Trying to see you measly little creatures defy your natural born predator is part of the fun of eating you." Her eye twitched in irk as you tried to push her off again. "But I'm tired of this game. So, I think it's time we end this."

You turned away with a grimace and tried to squeeze your legs together. Her large, slimy tail was pushed between you as it flickered to stay swimming; the softness of the fins lining her tail were oddly ticklish, making you even more nervous at its foreign touch.

"Wah-wait!" You shout, trying to open one of your salty, mortified eyes. "What if, I can offer you something else...?" You bite the inside of your lip, hoping she'll listen before deciding to devour you; you could see how thin her patience had become. "In return, you could take me to the surface."

"In return, I could put off eating you."

"That works too," you look her up and down, gulping and hardly believing what you're about to say.

"What can you offer me that's better than eating you?” She asked half heartedly, chuckling at the idea.

You swallow roughly and, hesitantly, fall limp. Alette raised her eyebrows, surprised at seeing you go slack, an act you hadn't done since she first drug your exhausted, scared figure in the cave.

Your arms came up against her shoulders as she held yours. She inspected your incoming fingers, curious-- yet not stopping you. You gently slithered upward, leaning against her and pulling her closer by scaled shoulders.

Your face was only inches away, your gaze on her as she looked at you with suspicious eyes.

"It may not be much, but it's all I can offer..." you mumble, looking down at yourself and feeling for the soaked waves of hair touching her shoulders.

Before she could pull you away or you could come to your senses, you lean upwards. Your lips come into contact with hers, gently pressing against her hard, damp face.

You felt the prick of her teeth as her lips parted, staying statuesquely still.

You let go of her mouth quickly, returning back to the comfort of the wall as she stared at you, neon eyes burning into you.

She looked oddly surprised for a moment, taken aback by your forwardness; a look you had never seen her wear. It didn’t last long, her smug expression coming back as quick as lightning.

"So, your body? Are you sure this is a better trade?" She leered over you, letting go of your sweater to trap you between her hands. They hung above you, pressing against the cave wall as you struggled to stay afloat. "I'm quite vicious you know. Being my companion, or even a mere plaything is no easy feat. I personally think you’d be better off in my stomach."

You shivered at hearing that, sinking into the water the closer she got. Gulping, you stayed silent.

"Hmm, No reply?" She drew closer, her face as near as it once was moments ago. "Like I said, I like it more when my food cooperates. I want to hear it from your lips."

She stroked the side of your face with her nail, running it down your cheek with enough pressure to make you feel how sharp it was. How sharp it could be.

"I want to hear you ask me for what you want."

You brought your hands to your chest, Alette twisting her head to look at you more deeply. She was much longer than you, her tail making her both thicker and stronger. Her arms were caged around you, drawing closer the more you sunk into yourself.

--Absolutely not-- you began to protest in your head. But she grinned so perfectly, so hungrily with a tongue running over each toothly blade; what choice did you have? Did your pride really matter, if you were only dismembered parts left in the sea otherwise?

"I want you to..."

"Yes?"

She was growing impatient again.

"I want you to, to have my body..."

"And?"

"And use it...however you'd like...In exchange for my life-- don’t forget that."

Your face twists in shame at the words coming out of your mouth, immediately feeling a deep, gut sense of humiliation. But you were slightly grateful for this chance to say such embarassing words; If she were a lustless creature, this less horrific fate, may not be possible.

Alette had the ability to eat you whole, to lure you into the depths of the water and consume you. She didnt need your permission to do anything. The only reason you've survived this long is how much she enjoys the chase of her prey, of getting them to the lowest point of exhaustion to where they beg her to kill them, to put them out of their misery.

"Why, how forward of you!" She feigned shock.

The half-human smirked, putting both hands on your waist and pulling it forward.

"But alright.. if you insist."

Her mouth aimed straight for yours. The siren held out her tongue, mingling it with your own as her teeth nipped and bit. You groaned in her mouth as she bit your tongue, lapping up the blood with her own. She held her eyes open, boring holes into your squinted ones in a devious, hazy manner. You knew she could see the pain and weakness in your face. The siren shoved you against the wall again, this time with one hand on your chest and the other in your scalp. Her hand gripped your hair, digging nails into your skull as she pressed herself against you.

Her sharp fangs dug into your lips over and over, creating pierced marks and falling blood droplets as she desecrated your mouth. Your chest heaved, the pain and lack of oxygen from her kisses making your head spin.

The scales on her hands glittered against the reflection of the water; it was clear she had never attempted this before, being as ravenous and sloppy as an inexperienced teenage boy. And yet, you felt relief in only trying to avoid her teeth, letting the warmth of her mouth make its way into your cold, salty one.

"Are you still sure this is a better option than being eaten?" She huffed in your ear, grabbing your sweater to lift up at her leisure. "It only gets worse from here. A siren’s pleasures may be… more demanding than what a human is used to."

You absentmindedly nodded, looking at her with glazed over and droopy eyes. You could handle it, if it meant seeing the sun, seeing your shitty roommates again someday. As long as you didn’t suffer the agonizing wrath of a monster’s claws and teeth.

Alette laughed, shriekingly beautiful and odd coming from that wide, murderous mouth. A hand trickles up your stomach, tapping what feels like needles against each rib.

"Well, don't blame me for what happens then."

The siren pulled away to take your wrist to her mouth, her jaw widening as she leans in to bite. You would have jerked away if it weren't the new iron tight hold on your throat, slamming you mercilessly against the wall of the cave. You grabbed the arm leading to your neck with your free hand; the siren’s daggered teeth sank into your skin, its unbrokeness almost inviting her to have a taste. To Alette, it looked so right.

Your flesh pooled around her mouth, so smooth and vulnerable. Beads of blood fell into the water below, Alette unable to lap them all up as she deepened her bite. You cried out, tears forming on the corners of your eyes as you moaned in pain. They hypnotizing creature shoved you harder against the cave the louder you got, making you choke on your cries, her bite now unbearably stinging.

But what was once a fiery wound, turned into a pulsating agony the moment she unsunk her teeth. Blood spilled from your arm, Alette’s mouth messy with her serpent tongue covered in red. You looked down at your arm with a cringe. The blood pooled down to your fingertips, making a red swarm in the murky water the rest of your body was submerged in. You screamed behind gritted teeth, cradling your arm as it continued to leak onto your clothes.

"I thought.. you said you wouldn’t," You hiccuped over your words as Alette looked unimpressed, but oddly sympathetic.

You were just so simple, somehow more gullible compared to the other simpletons she's eaten. Astray sailors, cruise honeymooners, and idiots who stole their dad’s boats; they were all the same. They begged and pleaded for their lives, too stubborn to give in to death. No matter how many she ripped from the surface to put in this feeding ground, none of them seemed to give in as fast as you had. She always liked them simple; submissive. But who knew today would be the day she finally found a trainable companion.

"I'm not going to eat you," she said sternly. "This is a warning. Look,"

Alette twisted your arm, showing you the indents that her teeth left in your flesh. Deep gashes, ones that would leave clean, punctured scars.

"It’s a symbol of possession. It isn’t easily conflicted with a shark or a fish’s bite; if anyone dares come in here, they’ll know you’re already claimed as livestock." Alette bent down to lick the remaining blood that still gushed from your open bite marks.

That thought might’ve been more terrifying than death; how many like her were out there, feeding on others like this? Were there those who were… worse? You were lightheaded from the thought, the idea that something with even less mercy might ignore this “claim” and go right for your throat like she had. Or, maybe that was the loss of blood decorating Alette’s face.

By the time she finished cleaning your arm, there were only raw bite marks left. Your tears had dried, but the dulling pain was still tingling, sharp pulses making you groan.

Perhaps, this wasn’t better than being eaten. But it was clear that Alette’s mind was made up-- atleast, for now. Who knew when her hunger urges and natural instincts would get the better of her, causing you to lose an arm or a leg.

"How about we see how much your feeble body can take, hm? I've observed some new rituals you humans partake in."

Before you could respond, Alette was already thumbing your wet pants, nipping teasingly rough at your neck. You tried to grip her arm, but the siren had other ideas. Grabbing your legs, she wrapped your thighs around her scaled waist, lifting your body gently to kiss you. Her nails dug into the space above your elbows with ravenous lips coming to make a messy attempt at kissing your mouth. The slimy kiss had a wet exit, her tongue peeking from your mouth to come graze up your salty cheek in a sultry taste.

"Savory, sweet little human."

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lavellane · 20 days ago

Text

ok i have avoided talking abt my datv thoughts but now ive finished and slept on it here it is. this is huge btw and really just a way to process my thoughts for my own peace of mind. and get out what i need to say. so yeah word salad below

2 disclaimers before i start. firstly i think im going to be SUPER blunt and clear about my thoughts on this post but then i will mostly be putting the matter to bed in my heart bc i am not someone who delights in being a hater nor do i take comfort in it. i will take from this the things i enjoyed and keep my distance from the rest. second disclaimer: ultimately i think i will still enjoy being a part of the fandom and seeing other people enjoy the game, because it will endear it to me and maybe take away the pain im feeling right now, so this isnt a long rant to make you feel bad about enjoying the game if you do like it! in fact quite the opposite. it comforts me that there are people who find value in the game and i hope in watching you play it i may be able to eventually be able to say the same

that being said . obviously i didnt like the game

which is an extremely difficult thing for me to say. i went into this game thinking "i will at the VERY least enjoy the game. not love it but at least like it. but im sure ill love it". it really is quite distressing for me that it didnt even really reach that bar for the most part. i TRIED to like it. i begged this game to give me ANY handhold at all that i could cling to, to forgive and like this game. i think the things i liked err more on the technical side. the graphics i loved, the character DESIGN was *fantastic*. the art. the pacing. the vague vision of what they were obviously nebulously aiming for. and honestly, i mostly enjoyed the main plot although i wish it had been more disciplined and constrained with the lore it was trying to expand on. act 3 was fantastic and naturally i am happy and fulfilled for the most part by the conclusion of solas's story, who i still believe was and is the best written "villain" of dragon age. sorry logang and meredith nation but i do still stand by this.

but thats really about it. as a disclaimer i am not an origins puritan or a da2 diehard or anything like that. i have loved (almost equally) EVERY single iteration of dragon age which has been released. i am one of the few people who sees equal value in inquisition and origins. i love them both so deeply. i couldnt pick between them.

for me what i love the MOST about dragon age - and which every single previous game has always nailed despite other flaws - is the characters. right under that is the world's capacity for introspection. and unfortunately nothing in this game provided that for me

regarding the characters: i do not care about a single one of them unfortunately. or at least i do not CARE about them the way that i have CARED about the other previous games companions. companions i would write banter about !!! just for fun when i was bored!!!! i would say my only exception is harding, but even then i care about her only because i care about her due to inquisition. overall i just found them all so ..... shallow. and devoid of any of the conflict or nuance or ethical quandries that make biowares stories so compelling - and sure, usually controversial! i would give ANYTHING for this game to have been controversial. for a unforgivable RO, or a problematic fave, or a cancelled wife. did bioware forget that their most beloved or at least enjoyed characters are people like anders, merrill, mordin solus, blackwall, sten, loghain, SOLAS??? i dont understand HOW they could have forgotten that, because solas is literally right there in game and handled (in my opinion as a fan) well. love him or hate him or dont care about him, he is such a hallmark of great bioware writing (in dai if nothing else) - characters who are not EASY to like. characters who are not SAFE to write and who WILL generate criticism from all sides because they are written boldly and unapologetically, strengthened by a foundation of consistent ideals, clear objectives and beautiful faults. characters that do not NEED you to like them, but instead invite you to engage with them critically. solas, even to someone who hates him, is nuanced and morally complex enough to muse and fight over for 10 whole years. hes IN this game, just as ethically murky as ever, but the morally grey hallmark of biowares writing really does kind of live and die with him alone. the rest of the companions feel like they barely made it out of their concept phase. what are lucanis's flaws??? genuinely asking. other than being a murderer who exists in an organization which buys and trains literal child slaves of course, but i'll get to that in a sec (because bioware sure as fuck didnt). um, i guess you could say hes broody?? and emmrich too. what actual flaws does he have?? he has a fear of death, as we're TOLD, but it does not really reflect in the overall convesations we have with him over the course of the game. mostly hes just.... a little bumbling i guess. bellara's flaw is being a scatterbrain. harding's is that shes..... angry??? but shes not???? fucking come on. i really felt the lack of actually being able to TALK to these people at the end of act 2, when i realized i still felt like i havent really MET any of them. and yet here rook is talking about found family and being a team. ok

and then there are the romances. which from my perspective - having romanced taash - and my friends who have romanced lucanis, neve and davrin..... WHAT romances. davrin's full romance is 20 minutes in a 30 PLUS HOUR GAME. solas had the least amount of content out of any companion in inquisition and was a last minute unintentional RO and still had like easily 50 minutes of content. so why did these romances feel like nothing. actually nothing. i was so excited for taash, but their romance straight up felt like neither rook nor taash even wanted to be there. i forgot they were technically together at certain points. zero chemistry. zero intimacy. all TELLING zero SHOWING. if you had told me that i would be saying these sorts of things about a writer like trick weekes a month ago i would call you fucking crazy to your face. i cannot reconcile that taash was written by the same person who wrote solas. i cannot reconcile that mary kirby - who wrote the fucking chant of light - wrote lucanis. its so dire. its devastating actually.

lastly i want to talk about my other point - bioware's famed emphasis on introspection and ethically quandries. again, i'm genuinely experiencing a sense of profound whiplash because when it comes solas's character you can still see it. its still there. they actually doubled down on making him worse than he was in trespasser which i LOVED and thought was so incredibly promising. they could have caved to solavellan fans and uwu-ified him but they didnt. thats great.

but where was that energy for literally anything else. everything has been defanged - even minrathous, the capital of the tevinter slave trade, does not even ADDRESS the elephant in the room of slavery. and i know because i played a shadow dragon. so tell me why i as a shadow dragon am happily allied with the crows, who solely exist to assassinate politicians and BUY SLAVES. THEY BUY SLAVES. THEY BUY SLAVES AS CHILDREN AND TRAIN/TORTURE THEM TO MURDER. HELLO??????????? there is no commentary made about the mages/templars. there is no discussion of the treatment of the elves in the north or Anywhere. there is no discussion of why exactly blood magic is or isnt acceptable - they simply tell us its bad. all the theories of the last 10 years were answered with handwaved comments or bare bones codex entries that honestly stripped so much nuance away from so many things (the blight, my BELOVED) that i dont know how im going to go about fixing it or making it right in my head. the introspective nature of dragon age always went hand in hand with player choice, but there really WAS no choice in this game as so there IS no real capacity for other interpretations or schools of thought. it is so..........................bleak.

i think the thing that finally made it click in my head that this game had fundamentally let me down was the gloom howler quest. and i know im not alone on this. for those of you who dont know - the gloom howler, "isseya" was the protagonist of the dragon age novel "the last flight". i would HIGHLY recommend you read it, especially if you're an origins fan. super bleak, super political, not flashy at all in terms of magic. it was set 500 years pre origins, during the 3rd blight. isseya is very similar to characters like loghain and solas in a way - a richly complex, beautifully intricate, terribly thought provoking character who did HORRIFIC things for the most NOBLE reason you could imagine, under the most traumatic of circumstances. im tearing up just thinking about her story, and how the title "the LAST flight" foreshadowed that her story had a definitive, bittersweet, finite and peaceful ending.

and then this game did THAT to her. turned her into a grotesque caricature of what she was. stripping her of her nuance and her capacity for atonement or forgiveness. and once again, i do not fucking get it. she was obviously brought back because she is a parallel to the solas dilemma. so WHY is she not afforded the same opportunity for empathy that he is. why is bellara's brother not either. its insane. its literally insane. i cannot begin to imagine the oversight or laziness or WHATEVER IT WAS that occured to have this game turn out this way.

there are innumerable other problems with the game that im not going to get into because what ive said above is the main crux of my problem. introspective and character. those are all i really wanted from this game, and like..... i thought we would get that. because the game centered around solas. and i know people dislike his fans for very fair reasons, but i hope those who know me know that i enjoy him not because hes hot (he is though) but because he is terrible. i love him because they made a character who was TERRIBLE, and then gave you the task of using your head and refelcting on your own morality and values and deciding and arguing and meditating over whether he is worth loving anyway. to me, solas is the person i point to when i want to describe why i love dragon age. its complicated, its nuanced, it is terrible and wonderful and everything in between depending on the angle you look at it from. and so having the writer of a character like THAT in charge of the whole game filled me with hope and dissuaded so many of my fears for this game. but i was wrong apparently.

so now im left with a feeling akin to survivors guilt. genuinely. because at the VERY least, despite me saying all of these negative things, i at least finished the game crying happy tears and being overjoyed that my favourite character was handled well and got an ending i enjoyed. and yet that happiness *i* got to feel and that glimmer of good writing was paid for at the expense of literally everything else. i feel almost personally responsible in a way, which sucks. im sorry to all the people who did not enjoy or care about solas, im sorry that you really did get nothing out of this game. i hope we can all be comforted by the trilogy we have and will always have, and i hope we can all take what good parts we enjoyed out of veilguard and make peace with the rest

leaving this youtube comment my friend sent me which is unfortunately a summary of how i feel about the game as a whole.

#tay plays datv #datv #datv spoilers #datv critical #nobody needs to read this but fgdjkfgjk if you do #i hope it is clear that i write from a perspective of profound love for this series and all its characters.

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angelicblondie · 4 months ago

Text

hands on

pairing: fwb!rafe x fem!reader

cw: sexual themes, toxic dynamic 18+ post (MDNI)

synopsis: your best friend corners you at a party

stood in the corner, there you were. a tacky red plastic cup in your delicate hands - to rafe, it just didn't seem right. what were you even doing here? you looked ridiculously out of the place.

you weren't meant to be here. he told you so. it was one night a few months ago, and you were laying bare in rafes bed, catching your breath and scrolling aimlessly on your phone after a tiring "exertion", as your best friend had called it. rafe had immediately gotten up though, throwing back on his clothes from before. you furrowed your brows with a small pout, dropping your phone to the side and sitting up, your tits on display.

"where y'going?" you asked, voice hoarse.

he put on his belt as you spoke, eyes narrowed in concentration that he barely looks your way. "tops' party." he murmured in disinterest, turning the mirror on his desk and bending down, ruffling his hair to make it neat.

eyes lighting up with hope, you asked, "can i come?"

still barely paying you any mind, rafe shook his head in the mirror. "nah, sweetheart. not the place for you."

you pouted once more. "but rafe-" you whined.

rafe by now looked annoyed, and the thought that you were the one to make him that way sent a feeling of guilt through you chest. "what did i say? you cant come." he all but growled.

he then sighed, trying to contain composure. "you wouldnt even like it, anyway," he grumbled, standing up straighter to get a better view of his outfit, "jus a bunch a'whores trying t'get laid, n'people high out of their minds. you'd be beggin to leave in the first 5 minutes, trust."

you slumped back on the bed with a frown, but decided to trust him. hes your best friend, has been since you were little. he wouldnt lie.

but, now in the present, your friends had invited you to go to a party with them. you werent a prude, you enjoyed having fun with your girls. but, you didn't realise it was a party thrown by topper. and even then, you somwhat forgot what rafe had said, i mean, it was so long ago, and he was really only talking about that one party. besides, since when is rafe the boss of you?

you were giggling with you friends, doubling over. it was clear to rafe that you were tipsy, if not drunk. you always laughed to hard when intoxicated. he clenched his jaw. hadn't he explicitly told you not to come to toppers parties? the direct disobedience made him seethe in anger. he practically felt his blood boil when he saw a group of guys approach you and your friends, and watched from afar as one of them took a particular interest in you. and the worst part; you didnt even seem to mind the attention. rafe internally scoffed.

it wasn't long before rafe sauntered over, a hard look on his face, and determination in his eyes. you eyes flickered over to the kook, and the smile adjourning your features wilted. you cleared your throat and to save yourself the embarrassment, you began walking towards him, avoiding mixing the boy and your friends. the two of you met in the middle, and you gave a faux sweet smile, which was only returned with a cool expression.

"rafey! m'so glad your-"

"what the hell are you doing here?" he interrupts, looking down at your like a scolding mother.

your frown, your lips forming a pout. "whatd'you mean?"

he scoffs. "what'd i say about going to tops parties? huh?"

your face melts in realization. "oh" you say quietly, looking around, as if just now observing where you are.

he scoffs again. "yeah, oh."

you really did feel so bad, you never meant to go against his wishes. you promised to make it up to him in any way, and when he still had an angry look on his face, you moved closer, looking up at him with wide eyes and a hold on his bicep. lucky for the both of you, rafe is forgiving - at a cost.

#rafe cameron #rafe x reader #fwb!rafe

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the-s1lly-corner · 1 year ago

Note

tadc cast with a s/o who hates touch.

BUT when they finally get comfortable with the characters they get soooo touchy (as in hugs ,hand holding etc)

Sorry if i didnt make myself clear

And thank you for your work!! ;)

TADC cast x reader who's warming up to touch!

So sorry for taking so long to get to this anon <\3!! I recently went back to writing on mobile due to back pain from sitting at my computer and it's really done a number on my efficiency <\3

That said I hope you enjoy!

Side note does anyone know any tips on how to soothe sore throats? Preferably not with honey because honey naoes my throat swell and itch 😭😭

This post ended up being waaaaaay longer than I first intended so I hope yall are ready to eat up

LAST MINUTE NOTE I misread/misinterpreted this as "reader finally taking a step towards initiating affection for the first time" and not "they're already comfortable and LOVE touch" I am so so dumb but I already have this written <\3 I hope you enjoy this regardless anon 😭😭😭

CAINE:

I think Caine would struggle with the no touching thing especially since I see him being very affectionate both verbally and physically. That said I do think he eventually gets the hang of it and stops himself from throwing his arms around you for a hug... he amps up the verbal affirmations to make up for it though! He doesnt wanna make you unhappy so hes gonna respect your boundaries and take things slow!

As for when you start easing yourself into it, I think he would try to not make a big deal out of it, as not to risk embarrassing you. As someone who doesnt like touch as well as being hesitant to initiate it, I think I wouldnt want a big hoorah about it you know? But that's just me

He does subtly know hes proud of you for being able to take that step, even if you two are only holding hands via linking your pinkies together

POMNI:

I dont think pomni would be crazy about touch imo, she seems like the type to seize up when you touch her without warning. And I'm not saying that as something to be ashamed of because honestly me too. So I think this is one where you both need to have heavy communication in order to push past that and get used to touching one another ! Team work makes the dream work or however the saying goes

That said imagine you two grab each others hands bc something startles you/you both run from something (be it a prank from jax or an IHA or an abstracted) and you both just

Stare down at your interlocked hands. Experimentally squeezing each other before both relaxing into it

I think that would be a cute idea

RAGATHA:

Just like caine she is so so understanding. But unlike caine, she doesnt struggle all that much with trying go restrain from giving you physical affection. Ragatha naturally shows her love through quality time and gift giving, so she doesnt often feel the urge to wrap her arms around you, much less unprompted. Especially with your discomfort in mind

In the event that you come over to her, maybe lay your head on her shoulder while shes reading, I think she would stiffen up a little out of surprise, before gently leaning her heads against yours. Its nice, its quiet, and its comfortable. You two both peacefully exist like that for a while... good thing you guys probably dont have organs because ragathas heart would be pounding so fast, shes just so proud of you that the adrenaline kind of gets to her

JAX:

I think this might be the main one where there may be conflict.

Not because jax belittles your discomfort or tries to push the boundaries. No, I dont think he would, especially when you two get serious. Like would he probably poke you in the beginning before realizing it genuinely brings great discomfort? Yes. Would he stop when he finds out it's an issue for you? Also yes. Again, hes an asshole but I dont think he would be outright ab*sive

No, the reason why I think kay there may be conflict is because behind closed doors, jax can be very clingy and physically touchy, he would want to lay on top of you and hold you and that kind of stuff. That one ask with clingy jax hcs changed me

I think, if you ever try to initiate touch first he would say something kind of mean before he can stop himself. "About time" or something. Like he means it lightheartedly but like. He immediately regrets it, especially since that can just be so... eidkcmc.. when you're trying to come out of your shell in regards to something

Easily has the worst reaction, make him sleep on the metaphorical couch

I think he would do anything to fix that though, you're his lil bun afterall

KINGER:

Kinger is big on touch, he likes handholding and putting his hand on your shoulder. But ultimately he would respect you and not touch you.. honestly kinger can be the same way depending on the day. Either he hates touch and doesnt want anyone or anything touching him, or he needs to be held in order to keep his mind set straight. Poor guy. He just like me frfr.

Honestly gets a little spooked when you gently set your head on his lap, announcing you're going to take a nap while you two hang out in the pillow fort. Kind of gives a soft and surprised "oh!" Before going as still as a statue. Does he stay put? Does he run his hand through your hair? Does he keep up his bug ramble? Does he pipe down?

Ultimately he sits there quietly while you sleep

Expects that to be a one time thing, but he notices you're slowly becoming more physically affectionate. He outwardly shows his support and pride for you

ZOOBLE:

Another one who doesnt really like touch, but instead of it being a discomfort it's just a "I dont like it" thing you know? I mean what did you expect? Zooble doesnt interact much with people unless they're forced to, so it makes sense that touch isnt their thing. So this actually works out very well for you two.

Just like the pomni segment, you guys are going to have to do a lot of communication in regards to introducing stuff like cuddling and hand holding ect into the relationship and finding what works for you while keeping both parties satisfied. I think in the end zooble would be supportive, and even try to esse themselves into the whole thing. So you dont have to do it alone, you know?

GANGLE:

Honestly I think shes too shy and/or unconfident to initiate physical affection herself so the topic never really came up. Which... is a bit odd since it regards a comfort thing for you as well as gangle possibly thinking that you dont enjoy her company; assuming you never really tell her that touch brings you discomfort

But because we love healthy stuff here, let's assume you guys set down boundaries and stuff before getting together

I still think gangle would have some teeny tiny feeling that they arent the best for you. She knows its unfair to think that for both of you, but like. Its one of those nagging mean voices we all have/get at some point, you know?

Probably lets out a little squeak when you slowly wrap one of her arms around your hand and wrist. Kind of just stands there frozen. Too scared to speak up or move, fearing she would ruin the moment

Honestly I think gangle isnt used to touch (that isnt neutral or in passing), so this is going to be a little experience for her. You're both in this together now, basically

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #caine x reader #pomni x reader #ragatha x reader #jax x reader #kinger x reader #zooble x reader #gangle x reader

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rav-not-found · 6 months ago

Note

Heyy! I saw you wanted to try out writing a request or two, so here I am✨

I was wondering if I could request a Dean and/or Sam winchester x reader (sepperately if you choose to do both, like two sepperate one shots in the same post) with an established relationship where they get a motel room that only has two beds, so reader has to share a bed with the winchester they're with, and it's just some awkward fluff where both are just figuring things out in this fresh relationship

Thank you!!

there was only two beds -

I love that actually!

———————————————-

Dean winchester x reader, established relationship, fluff

————————————————————————-

Its been a Long drive to Colorado for this seemingly complicated case, it seemed like forever since you have gotten a good nights sleep and tomorrow morning you have to hit the morgue first thing if you want to see the bodies before they are transported to the funeral homes.

you want nothing more than to go kick your boots, peel the layers of clothing off of you and Finally lay down, but to your surprise when Dean opens the motel room, there was only two beds.

All three of you look at each other, unsure who should go in first or where - but before you can really think about it Sam shrugs and goes directly on the closest bed to the door, drops his things, and into the shower he goes

“what a bitch” Dean says with a roll of his eyes, making his way to the other bed before you stop him

“wait where will I sleep then??”

he looks at you a little confused, then a little awkwardness can be seen on his usually confident face

“I- uhm” he clears his throat, “I assumed we’d sleep together?- I mean- not like that- of course not like that its been a long day but I meant- if you dont want to I can sleep on the couch its fine-“

you find it hard not to crack a smile at the usually confident and full of bravado Dean who is now closer to an awkward teenager in his first sleep over

“oh no no its okay- im- don’t worry its alright I don’t mind-“ you say with a small chuckle, a little awkward yourself

he goes to put his bag away and places yours next to it, he unpacks a change of clothes for himself and then looks at you hesitantly before reaching into your bag and getting one for you as well

and for a moment there between the silent movements and shuffling of fabrics, you get to see how softly he holds your belongings, how much care and love he exudes for a pair of pants or an old band t-shirt, and god if you could fall in love all over again….

he gets up from where he had placed the bags on the ground and hands the fresh clothes to you, avoiding eye contact like the plague of course.

“..Thanks Dean, appreciate it”

“yeah dont mention it” he risks a look at your soft smile, and a blush starts to creep up his neck, to which he quickly breaks the moment “SAM ARE YOU GONNA BE THERE ALL NIGHT?? WE HAVE BEEN IN THE CAR FOR THE LAST TEN HOURS TOO YOU KNOW.”

you laugh a little at his chosen method of checking on his brother, but it actually works quite quickly as Sam comes out in the next couple of minutes and flips him off. you laugh again.

Dean asks if youd like to go in first, Sam strongly suggests you take him on that offer before he “grossens up the place”, but for deans luck youre a little more tolerant than Sam and you let him go first

the moment hes in, you can see Sam unpacking and putting things aside before he sleeps, but he throws you a look or two of acknowledgment, which make the silence a little less awkward - but not completely.

“do you think I upset him when I didnt assume we’d be sleeping in the same bed?” you asked in a low voice, hoping the walls arent too thin

Sam looks at you with a small smile and a soft look, “nah I think hes just not really used to how….normal relationships function I guess? I think hes more scared of upsetting you than anything”

“oh” it just hits you now that you might be this guys first actual relationship in years, and the awkwardness might not be only from your side of the coin “oh god did I scare him?”

Sam, now laughing, “honestly? maybe, he is a little more insecure than he lets on; but I think you can just assure him and itll be okay” he shakes the chuckle in his throat away “honestly for a couple who are both older than me, it feels like im watching a highschool first crush first relationship kind of situation”

“oh fuck off like youve never had an awkward moment before”

Sam contemplates for a moment “sure yeah, when I was 16”

and with that, you also flip him off, making his success rate of getting flipped off today 2 out of 2 times a 100%

he chuckles and seemingly actually lays down to sleep this time

and conveniently enough for you, Dean comes out of the shower just then, leaving you no time to sit alone in the unsettling motel silence

“I uh” he clears his throat again, youre starting to think he does that whenever he’s nervous “I cleaned it for you - contrary to what Sam might think Im actually good at cleaning so….youre all good to go”

he also avoids your eyes mostly saying this looking down or around before going in the beds direction while you’re going to the bathroom, when you pass each other in the middle, you give him a quick kiss on the cheek and whisper a sincere thank you directly on his skin, he mumbles a “no problem” under his breath in that overly deep voice of his when hes awkward, and makes quick strides to the bed as you go to take a long awaited shower.

when you come out, all clean and fresh, you notice the clothes you are gonna wear neatly folded in pile on the bed next to a “sleeping” Dean who is so tense you could use him as a rock solid analogy, and trying to take such little space its almost funny seeing this six foot man trying to be so small

you change quietly to not wake up Sam, then slide in bed behind Dean and hug him from the back, to which he tenses even more - if thats even possible - before slowly relaxing into your hold

“you okay?” you ask in a whisper, unsure if hes gonna continue playing asleep or will actually reply to you

his reply comes half a minute later “I should be asking you that”

“and why would that be?” you say back, trying to put as much sass in a whisper as you can

“you know why.” if eye rolls could be heard, you just heard it in his voice

before you get to reply though, he continues

“im sorry I didnt really think when I was asking for the room and im so used to asking for doubles because its usually just me and Sam- I didnt mean to make you uncomfortable or assume anything I know this is all a pretty new arrangement and-“

you cut him off, “hey hey hey… Dean, its okay, I swear im not uncomfortable I was honestly just surprised by the bed sizes, it didnt look like itd fit two people, but when you said we’d be together I knew we would be able to fit because I trust your judgment okay? and I have definitely had worse sleeping arrangements than being tightly stacked next to my male-model-pretty boyfriend you know?” your voice was low but soft, full of sincerity

you can hear him chuckle lightly before turning around to face you, “its just been a while since ive had a similar… situation, with anyone - and I really dont want to fuck this up…I really like you you know?”

it was your turn to chuckle now, “I know, and I really really like you too, Dean. Believe me itd take more than a tight bed to get me to even slightly be annoyed at you, youre fine, were fine, okay?” you pause to give him a light kiss “and if Im being completely honest with you, I was kind of hoping this would happen because I really need one of your strong hugs to put my bones back in place after todays drive”

he huffs out a laugh and gives you a kiss too, “in that case, I will gladly become a weighted compression blanket” he says as he changes your positions.

now holding you impossibly close, he hugs you tightly and pulls the covers over your shoulders, with his nose in your hair and your face to his neck, you start drifting to sleep

“I love you” you say in an almost undiscernible whisper, half asleep

“I love you too” he whispers back to himself as he is sure you’re already no longer awake

he stays awake for a bit more in the quiet soft night, holding you tightly and softly smiling to himself

“I love you too” he says once more before falling victim himself to sleep

——————————————————————

this is my first fluff one shot since I tried writing for the first time a year ago or so so I really hope you like it !!^^

and thank you for the request^^

#dean winchester #Dean winchester x reader #fluff #awkward fluff #Sam winchester #gender ambiguous reader

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stormblessed95 · 4 months ago

Note

I know this is a boring convo for yall. But Jimin literally sees JK likes his brother from another mom. Nothing he said about his album or during the show adds up to your theory of them being boyfriends. Dont forget he said whether he can even love someone (i didnt saw any Jikookers mentioning it as it wasn't translation error or album theme but his irl words) I don't think JK remotely comes to his ideal type nor he have that type of feelings for JK. I'm not talking about goofy talks they do for a lil funny moment infront of cam. But the real Park Jimin behind the cam totally sees JK as his brother.

Boring? No, id love a boring ask. Annoying and repetitive? Yes.

Are you trying to change my mind? Why? What does it matter to you? What you think of their relationship doesn't matter to me.

This post, also for you

Because the whole "your theory" comment. Bitch I KNOW you didn't read my posts. Especially because of your "I didn't see any jikookers mentioning it" comment. Because I did. And I even highlighted it in red. Sooooo take your stupid ass opinions to your own blog. Or at least to jikookers who are doing whatever the fuck you are accusing them of. Or at a very bare minimum, read the posts about the theories you are mentioning in the blog you decide to message. Because all this does is make me roll my eyes at you. Zero of any kind of productive conversation with this sort of ask.

I can't and won't give a shit about your opinions, if you won't give a shit about mine, by actually reading them.

Fascinating you know the real park Jimin behind the cameras. I hope you share your thoughts with him, not me next time. Thanks.

The funny little moments in front of the cam, like asking for kisses....

Jimins type in girl as per early year interview

Cute, shorter than him, long hair, nice

Jimins type in boys as per interviews....

Oh wait, why would they ever ask him that. Lol but he has been pretty clear with hints towards queerness/bi-ness. And he has stayed at one point to JK that JK is his type.... So perhaps next time you meet up with Jimin IRL, since you know him and all, make more an effort to get to know him better? Idk

Normally I'd just ignore you, but I'm so tired of all this bullshit. Take it to someone who cares.

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ankiebitez · 7 months ago

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Comfort

tags: amon x gn! reader (as far as i know), hurt/comfort kinda, implications of the mcs parents death, implications of amons parents death

note: not beta read, drabble i wrote last night bc i could sleep, probably ooc but oh well. mc is kind of just based on my own feelings so. wrote this bc amons my babygirl, posting bc there should be more for him

you were currently staying in the avisos palace for the next few days, courtesy to bael hoping to lure beelzebub back once again. despite being used as bait, bael was at least kind enough to give you your own room to stay in, though now it wasnt exactly being used.

you dont know what exactly it was, but you couldn't get your brain to shut off so you could rest. your brain was just too full of thoughts that you usually tried to suppress, but as much as you wish they'd dissappear they never seem to. instead deciding to haunt you late at night when there's nothing you can do to push them away.

after getting tired of your restlessness you decided to take a walk through the empty halls of the palace, hoping this would do to clear your mind so you could rest.

unfortunately your thoughts only seemed to echo in time with your footsteps, bouncing off the walls of your brain until it was too much to hold together anymore.

quietly you sat down by one of the windows, cracking it slightly to let the cool air hit your face that felt like it was burning up.

truly you didnt know why you were crying now of all times, you were in hell where tons of devils loved you, but you couldn't help but still feel lonely.

a hard painful lump was in your throat while you tried your best to keep quiet with your sobs and sniffles, not wanting to wake anyone. you wouldn't know how to explain why you're crying, there wasnt really a true reason, sometimes you just need it.

despite your attempts to keep quiet, the sound of foot steps came through the hall to the room you were in.

you quickly tried to wipe your face to hide any traces but there wasnt really a need as a blonde haired demon carefully entered the room.

"oh, its you... you're crying" amon thought aloud almost curiously. he had been on night patrol through the palace, making sure no one had snuck inside or if beelzebub had returned yet.

amon came closer to you by the window, a look of concern on his face. "is something wrong? are you hurt?" he asked, looking over you for any signs of physical harm.

you shook your head a bit embarrassed, though there was no hint of judgment in his eyes. "no im okay i was just having a hard time sleeping and all i guess... i dont even know why im crying its just... stuff from when i was younger and i just..." you trailed off, the painful lump in your throat and watery eyes returning.

you didn't need to finish your sentence though, amon had been told about your past already and he can understand without words how pain from years ago can still hurt just as deeply, how you can feel just as lonely.

"oh... I can keep you company if youd like" amon offered, sitting beside you and offering to hold you.

with a hesitant nod, you let amon pull you close to his chest, placing you on his lap and holding you tightly in his arms, feeling the tears continue to well up in your tired eyes despite the feeling of comfort he gave.

amon didnt let go or push you away, only holding you tighter and letting you cry into his chest as you needed.

he silently understood the way you felt, understanding the need to release pressure on these old feelings sometimes, and even though he cant make the lonely feeling dissappear, he promises to keep you company through them.

#what in hell is bad #whb #what in “hell” is bad?#prettybusy what in “hell” is bad?#whb amon #whb x reader #whb x mc #what in hell is bad amon #amon x reader #amon whb #whb mc

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kaihuntrr · 6 months ago

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The Sea Prince; Mermay 2024 (+ updates!)

shhhh what do you mean may is almost over-? i made a fun piece and everything!! well. pieces. the first one is a piece i just finished today, and the second is a piece of pearl in her prince form ;> happy mermay!

(i'll be talkin about stuff under the cut, if you just wanna see the art that's a-okay with me! happy to be drawing them again <3)

so. uh. mermay pieces <33 i really wanted to draw some majorwood art since ive been on an art high lately (writing for a good chunk of the year so far makes illustrating/designing SO much more fun) and i think it's coming to an end soon, so might as well end it with the darlings <3

also im?? surprised??? i didnt share pearl's art????? uh. oopsies! its tooootally not a spoiler. ;)

anyway! its been a good while since ive made an update post, and i want to keep y'all up to date with how things are going!

important thing to announce; act one has been completed!

me and @mewhoismyself have worked very hard to write and edit the work respectively, and its over 100k+ words! hope y'all enjoy what we have planned, im very proud of act one (in particular those final few chapters, i love rereading them) <33

as for act two, im taking a break to do other things (college mainly, but also commission work and personal hobbies) but im probably getting back to writing soon! currently, act two is on chapter three, as ive decided to rewrite chapters 2-7 in the original doc, so theres a LOT of cut content. all for a good story! i dont really mind it :0c

finally, im opening up betas again!

theres been a LOT of inactivity from most of them and i have a bit of a schedule to keep, so im hoping that a new wave of betas could help with providing feedback and whatnot. i need clear communication! betas help greatly in letting me know how they feel with the current flow, their thoughts, and anything i need to address before publishing the chapter. id hope to get some new folk on board before my friend and i start developing act two more! <3

just send a message in the comments or shoot a dm! im more than happy to reply :D!

that should be it, so i hope you have a good day! i had a LOT of fun working on the pieces above, and im gonna have fun working on act two, you'll just have to wait and see! <33

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dreamsy990 · 5 days ago

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rough sketches for designs of all the pt for the wof au! (also more akechi and better joker here)

thoughts + closeups under the cut

i tried to give proper justification for all the pt to have their codenames here which for a handful of them meant their names are just. shortened versions of something else. so crow is short for crow poison. aka false garlic. its a type of flower :3. i mean theororetically crow would be a valid name but hes a rainwing here and it didnt seem like a very fitting name with that in mind? but theres a couple rainwings named after flowers i think. hes a rainwing for obvious reasons i think. id like to think hed have a very light color palette that shifts to this when he gives up trying to hide who he is. youuu can see that lighter palette in the art i linked earlier.

fox! which is short for snowfox. yes i know snowfox is a real canon name but yknow what else is canon? icewings have a big list of names they go down. so his name is snowfox. i dont have anything else to say here. like ofc hes an icewing hes YUSUKE. id like to think he left the ice kingdom to go to jade mountain (bc is it a wof au without jade mountain) to "broaden his horizons as an artist". which would be how he meets the other guys

skull! is it his real name? hes not telling! i am the least happy with his design tbh.

ORACLE!! her real name is beetle but she likes to go by oracle instead. i struggled a bit on what tribe to make her actually. originally i wanted her to be either part or fully rainwing? because i thought her using her camoflauge to hide from people in crowded places could be fun. but eventually i decided i not to do that. i dont think theres any hybrids in this cast actually? might actually change my mind on that to make noir half leafwing but shh. anyways i think a bug is fitting for her. so she gets to be a hivewing. no abilities for her shes just a little guy

JOKER!! i think it would be fun if joker IS his real name but people think its an alias. his design was easy as shit. ofc hes a nightwing ofc hes got big red stars on his wings hes JOKER. not pictured is morgana also! mona is jokers """pet""" scavenger who speaks dragon. congrats mona you finally get to be human! too bad its in the dragon au. anyways might post a morgana drawing whenever i clean up his design

violet! (named after the violet copper butterfly). her sisters name and the name she uses for a while is rose (named after the common rose butterfly). i ALSO kinda considered her being a rainwing (literally changing herself to look more like her sister) but decided silkwing was a better choice,,,,, im really happy with her design ok

PANTHER!! that is her actual name btw. MY FIRST THOUGHT FOR THIS AU WAS SKYWING ANN I WOULD KILL MYSELF IF SHE WAS ANYTHING ELSE,,,, ik skywings cant have blue eyes unless theyre firescales or sky but shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i wanted to,,,,,, canon is what i want it to be.

queen is short for queenfish! she was a bit of an afterthought sorry </3. but shes a seawing! good for her <3

AND NOIIIRRRR!! i wanted her to be a mudwing as soon as i thought about it for more than a second. design wise i dont have much to say but i think storywise it might be cool if she was an only child and her father (in an incrdible rare move for a mudwing) was actually a present figure in her life. leading her to be kinda isolated from her peers and giving her a big reason to be very attached to him. idk its just thoughts rn. i dont have a clear story in mind yet. anyways those are my dragon thieves i hope you liked them

#doodles #persona 5 #goro akechi #yusuke kitagawa #ryuji sakamato #futaba sakura #akira kurusu #ren amamiya #joker #sumire yoshizawa #ann takamaki #makoto nijima #haru okumura #wings of fire #au

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fandomstickyy · 1 year ago

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Watching A Movie With A Rape Scene

Angst/COMFORT

18++ MDNI

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CW: mentions of rape, NOTHING GRAPHIC, comfort from these menzes

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Au: I'm a bit of a film nerd so I'm always looking for indie/low budget bangers and a few movies I've seen have straight up r#pe scenes! Idk why I terrorize myself. Thought of these scenarios to ease the pain 💀. ANYWAY this post is probably super random but I've seen a lot of wild fics on here so whatever it's not too bad.

It's all fluff!! <3. Take care of yourselves !! Don't read if you're not up for it

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Deku

° wants to turn the movie off completely

°is super mad if the scene feels unnecessary to the plot. Really sensitive ab it. Even if it makes sense for the plot he's still mad.

°Rethinks his opinion on the entire movie

° if you don't wanna watch it anymore then he is zooming around to get snacks and put on something cute and/or comforting.

°"you want an extra blanket? We have chocolate you want chocolate??"

°"izuku please sit down, I'm okay."

°very touchy the rest of the night. Almost as if physically apolozing for you having to see that 🥺. Touches are light and needy

Bakugo

° he's REALLY uncomfortable

° I mean it goes to say they all are BUT he seems like the guy to freeze up at first

° mind RACING

°body stiff

° 0-100 instant stress. Just thinking "UGH WTF! I didn't know this shit was in the movie when I picked it out! I hope she knows i didnt know" "👀 damn do I turn it off!? Would that be weird ??" "Is she uncomfortable-"

°he'll blurt smth out about the @ssaulter being a piece of shit or smth.

°he pays a lot of attention to how your reacting to his statement. Wants to make it clear that he would NEVER think that's okay. He can be rough around the edges even sharp at times but he would never cross that boundary w you or anyone else nor does he think that's okay (goes w all of them but I feel bakugo knows he's a little more aggressive than the rest I can see him being a little insecure that anyone would possibly THINK he would sympathies with or do smth so shameful and cruel)

° if he sees you're really affected by the scene, he will pull up every reason that the movie is "actually trash" and that the filmmakers are "demented"

° would turn it off if you're really not feeling the movie anymore

Kirishima

°similar to bakugo there's an instant panic. It's that tense in their muscles, that shift in their eyes to you, to the tv, to you, to the wall.

°there's more hesitation with kirishima because he wants to protect you but doesn't want to treat you like your some kid that can't protect themself

°back and forth, back and forth, back-

°"He- hey baby I don't think your eyes need to see that, right??" Reaching to fast-forward with an awkward laugh which makes you laugh hard

°why this man can't stop stutterin ????

°you adore the way he's so caring about it but the act was just too wholesome not to laugh

°"What?? C-comeon I don't want you to see that. .. it's not beautiful.. and you should only witness things that are beautiful .." (BRUH PLEASE-)

°holds you tight the rest of the movie

°giving small kisses on your head, arms, shoulder

° when the movie is over, just wants to hold you close for a moment in silence

° maybe asks if if you're okay after seeing that even though he fastforwarded through

Denki

°instant reaction

°covers your eyes !!

° "LALALA!! how was your day baby??"

° closes his eyes too!

° he might as well just fast forward or smth, but he kinda just dived over to you before thinking ab it <3.

°yall 100% get caught up in the conversation, hands over your eyes and everything. Maybe he brings up a funny moment when yall were hanging w friends recently or the way the bathroom door looks like it has a face and he's judgey and his name is Willfred the III

°laugh until you snort when yall realize the r#pe scene is over and has BEEN over

°bored w the movie anyway and change it to Shrek

#mha #bnha #bnha denki #denki x reader #denki kaminari #kirishima x reader #kirishima eijirou #mha kirishima #bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader #mha bakugou #mha deku #deku

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eclipse-rain · 2 years ago

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Fwel Tsaheylu (Broken Bond)

Reader is part of the Sully family

Lo'ak's younger twin and eldest daughter

This is my first post and first time writing one of these so please be nice ♡

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Masterlist~

The light of the stars shone down onto pandora far below them. The bioluminecent plants glowed many diffrent colors in the darkness of eclipse. The leaves shiffted, moving lightly with the small wind that blew through them. It blew upwind, a crucial piece of knowledge for any hunter to know. Couldn't have your hunt being able to smell you before you caught it. Any movement out of place would lose you your catch. Stay still, stay quiet, make as little movement as possible when you notch your bow in your arrow. Place the bow, pull back, make sure your in the right position, exhale, keep an eye on your target, aim, release. And try not to miss.

Like i just did.

Startled, the animal quickly ran away from the arrow that shot past it.

"That was so off" i whispered to myself, i was glad none of my siblings were around to make fun of me for missing the most simple shot. I was too caught up in my own thoughts. I came out to hunt at night to clear my head when i couldnt sleep and ended up being caught up enough in my own thoughts that i didnt even hit it at all.

It had become some what of a normality for me at this stage, the sneaking out of the village, sneaking out of my hammock where i would sleep near my family at night. At least i had my own hammock when i used to have to sleep with my parents and siblings. Sometimes i needed more time to myself, to sort through my thoughts without interruption and i couldnt do that while lying still as my family slept around me. My mind was far too active, my guard was still up, my tail still forced to silence at my side instead of being able to freely swish back and forth in annoyance or anger or any other emotion it portrayed that i couldnt show to my family without being questioned a hundred diffrent ways of what was wrong.

They ment well, i know they did but that didnt make it any less hard when they looked at you with pity, with anticipation or knowing. When they looked at you like they could see through your lies and into your soul. See through the barrier you put around yourself, that you used to keep people at a safe distance in hopes that that way it would hurt less if you let them down.

It would hurt less if they never had expectations for you at all in the first place but it was impossible for that to be the case with my family. Even if it wasnt the type of expectation that my eldest brother had to mold himself into or even the expectations that my second brother had tried to fit himself to while following in the footsteps of our eldest brother.

No,no. The expectations set out for me were probably the simplest and yet the most impossible thing for me to do. But i guess thats how everyones problems are. They may not seem like all that big of a deal to another person, mabey that person could even find an easy way through that problem. But your problem is a problem because it is tailored to fit you and only you exactly and that creates the feeling of isolation of lonleyness and despair.

Because then you feel like no one else would be able to understand, no one else would be able to help you through the problem so in the end you have to find the correct path on your own. Even if that means you feel those emotions and many more while you try to claw your way back out of that dark pit and back to the light. The problem with this is that while some can accomplish such a feat, many cannot. Even faced with that realisation many still chose to try, because thats all you can do until you can try no more.

"Ah..."

"I did it again..."

I mentally hit myself for zoning out once again. I figured that with my latest failure it was time to head back. I ran to retrieve my arrow from where it had landed a few meters away. It was in a very small clearing surrounded by trees with just a patch of grass in the center. A sudden memory came flooding back to me and i got sucked into my thoughts once more.

The memory of laughter, of comfort and happiness a memory i cherished and relished in but also with the passing years felt now somewhat bitter. We used to lie in this place, it was the only clearing in the forest where you could see the stars without them being covered by the thick foliage of the canopy of trees up above. Kiri and i used to come here almost every eclipse just before bedtime . We would lie in the grass and look up at the stars, take in their magnificence. Kiri would tell me about how she could feel the nature all around her, feel the life of the forest.

I slowly lowered myself down to the ground and onto my back to relish in the memory, the stars shone down onto the forest far below. And like it always does that memory that i cherish, the bit i can relish in ends and the bitterness comes creeping in. I loved spending that time with Kiri, we were closer to each other than to our older brothers when we were kids since she was the only other girl my age in the family. But the way she could feel the forest, feel it around her, feel its heartbeat and feel eywa, it couldnt help but make me feel like i was diffrent. It made me feel like an out cast, like an alien...like a human. I thought it was unfair and i'll admit i was even somewhat jealous of her connection to eywa. I still am. Even though i know thats something she struggles with and for that i cannot help but hate myself for being such a bad sister and bad person. Mabey i am more human than id like to admit, i heard theyre selfish and only think about themselves.

See i had and still have the complete oposite problem to Kiri. While she feels a great connection to eywa beyond even the normal na'vi peoples understanding, i barely feel a connection to eywa at all. This was something i learned gradually as i grew up, like when Kiri would talk about what she felt or when my parents, siblings and the other na'vi people could talk about what they felt regarding eywa so easily.

As i grew i gradually learned how i was diffrent from the others in my village, even in my own family. Nevermind having Kiris connecrion to eywa, i barely had the connection to be one of the people. Of course since i found this all out as i grew older and became more aware of what that would mean for me, i took precautions, you could say. I reclined back into myself and put up a wall.

And when my parents started to give me those looks of pity, anticipaton or knowing, like they could see into my soul, see that something was bothering me, that something was wrong. I learned to calm the swishing of my angered tail, stiffen the annoyed twitches of my ears, the anxious movements my body made. So that even they would not be able to see past my barrier and into my heart. So that they would not question as to why i was suddenly angry or annoyed or anxious. So that they would not find out the truth, so that they would never think of me as one of those demons, as my mother called them. One of the humans.

Instead of letting the bitterness envelop my heart completely i pulled myself back to reality and back to the stars. The one piece of this world that i truly do feel connected to. That i feel myself always being pulled towards instead of the forest like everyone else. Mabey thats why even after i stopped coming out at eclipse with Kiri to star gaze, hoping to completely close that part of myself off, i still could not help, even now, for my gaze to always seemingly be drawn upwards, towards the stars. Towards the sky.

My heart gradually recovered as it always does and as i always expect it to in the future. But that didnt last long. I brought myself up to rest on my arms so i could get a better look at what i was seeing. As if i couldnt believe my eyes, i stared dumbfounded at what i saw before me. A star that was shinning brighter than all the others.

No, a new star.

And all the na'vi people, even me, know that a new star can only mean one thing.

"Humans...!"

...

A new star ment a new war.

A war my parents hoped would never come. With their hopes dashed, preparations were made. A hunting party. A war party. With our parents leading it. The plan was to ambush a train that was transporting human suplies. My older brothers and i were also going along with them to observe from up above and keep look out.

Its not like we never had drills for the possibility of the humans returning. We were trained to hunt and to fight so that it was burned into our heads and bodies until it had become a reflex. We trained and trained until we went through our own right of passage to earn our place as a hunter and to earn our own ikran which the four of us had already gone through.

My eldest brother Neteyam was taught by our father. He strived to perfect his hunting skills and became a great hunter to the point that he could rival our parents in the near future.

My second brother and older twin Lo'ak followed in the footsteps of our older brother and had our father teach him how to use a bow and hunt. Although his desire to learn faded as quickly as it came in his finding that he was not as great as Neteyam in that area.

Kiri who was only a small bit younger than Lo'ak and i never wanted to become a hunter and join the hunting party and decided to remain at home and become a healer instead. She was taught by our grandmother, our Mothers mother and the former tsahik of our clan, Mo'at. With Grandmother as her mentor, for guidance, Kiri was steadily on her way to becoming a great healer.

Tuk followed lightly in the foot steps of each of us, observing, while trying to figure out what path she would take in the future.

I however always wanted to become a hunter like my older brothers who i admired since i was a kid. I was also the only one in the family who was taught to hunt by our mother. I guess it had something to do with me being the first born girl in the family. But even if i was not a natural at hunting or using a bow like Neteyam, i would not give up as easily as Lo'ak. My flame to learn would not burn out as quickly and was only stoked, sparking a bigger fire under my small wings.

I would practice and practice in secret until my fingers bled and scabbed and calloused over. So that i could make my mother proud when i was the only child she taught in the family. So that even if i wasnt the best, at least i wasnt the worst. So that i was at least average, i was normal. So that i could blend in, so that i didnt look like an outcast or an alien or a human like my mother and all the other Na'vi people hated.

We flew high in the air on our ikrans, weaving in and out of mountain tops and cliffs. Everyone was armed with weapons and donned in war paint. Our parents lead the attack up at the forefront. My father was armed with a gun, my mother with her fathers bow. They hollared and shouted to boost the moral of the others in the party.

My older brothers and i were higher up and more at the back of the party since we were only there to observe and not get in the way.

We came upon an elivated train track and the train carrying the suplies soon came into view at a fast speed. It was flanked with two aircrafts on either side, probably to protect it in case of an attack like what was about to unfold i thought. My father signaled to the war party on the ground and soon after the track right in front of the train exploded. The train was sent flying and broke into multiple sections, turning over in mid air. It exploded with parts flying in every direction.

The war party on the ground cheered in triumph and my father signaled for our party to move in. The three of us circled around the scene from above and i watched as my father took out one of the aircrafts with his gun while my mother took out the other with her bow and arrow. She cried a war call in triumph while raising her arms, bow still in hand, above her head.

The three of us watched as the rest of the people flocked to the wreckage of the train to raid and distribute the gun supplies of the humans. My father stood to the side, still armed, watching over the situation, urging people not to slow their movements.

And suddenly my twin brother had a bright idea.

"Bro, we have got to get down there!" Lo'ak exclaimed

"No way dad would skin us!" Neteyam countered

"Come on dont be a woose" Lo'ak said calmly while veering down towards the wreckage

"Lo'ak get back here you...!" Neteyam called after him before shouting in annoyance

'I bet he was going to say skwang' i thought to myself observing the exchange from the other side of Neteyam.

"Stay here, dont follow us, just do what dad said" he shouted over to me

I didnt get a chance to reply before he dived after Lo'ak.

I was going to do what dad said even with out Neteyam telling me to. I really hate when he orders me around. I know he means well but does he really think id do something dumb in this situation. Im not trying to get myself killed! Although the same cant be said for my twin so i guess i see where he's coming from at least.

I watched them land on the ground while continuing to circle over head and farther forward toward the cliff side. That was until my attention was shifted to my ikran who started to act weird. It was suddenly swaying left and right instead of straight ahead like i was telling it to.

"Steady girl. Woah! Steady!" I called out to it

I started to panic and began to lose control of my ikran even more. We suddenly started to lose momentum and veered towards the ground. I knew it would be bad if i didnt do something now and i would not come out unscathed if i fell from this height all the way down to the ground.

With what control i had left over my ikran i veered it towards the cliff side. It lurched forward and slammed us against the side of the cliff before latching onto it with its talons. I quickly got over the momentary shock of how hard we slammed into the cliff so i could find out what was wrong with my ikran. I knew what danger i was in if i was not able to fly and more human reinforcements came.

I looked my ikran over as best i could. Did it get hit by something and i just didnt know? Was it injured? If not then what was wrong with it? I could not see anything wrong with it externally. Was it something i did? I was about to focus on our tsahaylu to feel what was wrong with my ikran when i heard a call and more shouts from the party down below.

Seeing them, some of them had scared faces while pointing their guns to the sky and others ran in the opposite directions than the guns were pointing. I turned to look back at the gap between the cliff where i was latched onto and the opposite cliff. I was faced with a human aircraft flying into the clearing not far away from where i was placed on the cliff.

"Great Mother" i said under my breath in shock

I heard my father order a retreat, the war party followed the command and started to fall back. Panic arose in me once again, i didnt know if i could properly fly again to get myself away from the danger. I mentally cursed and thought about contacting my father through the communication device around my throat. I hesitated and cringed back into myself as i knew i would be questioned a million diffrent ways as to what i was doing and why i couldnt fly by both of my parents if i let them know about this.

Both my parents also had other priorities as clan leaders and the leaders of this party. I couldnt just have one of them come rescue me because i suddenly couldnt fly my ikran even though it wasnt injured at all, so there was technically nothing wrong with it. I would be made fun of relentelessly by my siblings as well since this was one of the most basic things to do as a hunter and i had already gone through the right of passage of choosing and getting my own ikran. So why would i be having problems now?

Of course i was pretty sure i knew the answer to this but they didnt have to know.

I opted for the quickest course of action since even if i told my father what was happening he would not be able to get to me quick enough when i was all the way at the top of a cliff. And would most likely just tell me to fly away to a safe place, so i planned to do exactly that. I had to get myself out of the way and out of any possibility of danger on my own.

So that i would not hinder my parents or the war party. I didnt know if i could fly properly again but i had to at least try because thats all i really could do in this situation. It was either that or get spotted by the aircraft and get blown to smithereens. And my problems werent bad enough right now for me to want that to happen so i opted to try to fly the f*ck away instead.

This was all decided in a matter of seconds. Afterall flying with your ikran was all about your tsaheylu, your connection to them on a deeper level. No connection, no flying. So thats what i focused on. I first focused on trying to feel what was wrong with my ikran like i was trying to do earlier before the reinforcement airship arrived.

Of course, i was right when i figured i probably knew what was wrong because this wasnt the first time something like this happened.

Although it was the first time it happened in a place where other people and even my family members could see and of course it also had to be when we were all in a dangerous situation.

I mentally cursed and prayed to eywa to be able to keep my tsaheylu connection a little longer. It was fading again, my tsaheylu connection, like it does sometimes randomly and without warning. I still dont know why this happens and it barely ever happened before but in the last few years it has become more frequent.

Its not just my connection to my ikran but the same thing has happened before with our steeds and my connection to eywa has never been that strong in the first place. Its gotten worse as I've grown older but how could i tell anyone about it? I mean really how could i!

I dont have any human attributes like my twin or my adoptive sister, like having four fingers instead of three or having eyebrows when normal na'vi people dont. But iv seen how it affects my siblings. I hear the infrequent murmurs about them being more human than na'vi compared to Neteyam, Tuk and I. I dont think it bothers Kiri all that much but i know its something that Lo'ak struggles with even if he doesnt want to admit it.

But theyre all wrong, the on lookers, the people who murmur those things. Even if thats how they look in apperance, they have never shown any signs of being anything other than true Na'vi people. They have never acted in any way that is unlike the na'vi because its normal for them to act just like the people. While i on the other hand have the exact opposite problem.

I may look like the na'vi people but i could not feel any diffrent on the inside even if i dont want to admit it. I know deep down that i am diffrent, i guess i am like Lo'ak in that sense. We are twins after all, it would be wierd if there werent one or two things about us that were alike. I remember father once said to us when we were kids that twins run in the family, his side of the family, and that he and his twin brother were not that alike either.

I know how much the people and especially my own mother hate humans. And i dont blame them, how could i! Look at what they've done, not even once but now twice. They're demons. Just like my mother said.

And with that thought i tried to force my concentration to my tsaheylu, to my bond with my ikran and through that connection i told my ikran to fly. To fly away, away from the danger, away from the clearing, from the war zone.

I tried, i really tried but it didnt work, like i had expected it not to deep down. Instead now my ikran seemed to be panicking, scared by the loud explosions and cries from below and without instruction or comfort from our tsaheylu.

It was thrashing around as it became increasingly agitated and my panic spiked once more. I froze not knowing what to do, the sounds of the comotion still rang out far below me. My ikran was scaling the side of the cliff going up a bit and then back down, trying to figure out which way to go on its own.

Our tsaheylu was still not working and suddenly my ikran let go of the side of the cliff and took flight of its own accord. It soared up higher in the air and then circled back down closer to the ground and the fight. All the while i was desperately disconnecting and reconnecting the bond to my ikran hoping against hope that it might actually work one of the times it reconnected.

Everyone was occupied enough with the attacks from the new aircraft that they didnt see my not being able to fly my ikran properly which i was somewhat relieved about. But of course my relief didnt last long. As my tsaheylu was disconnected and i was once again trying to reconnect our bond, i was not holding onto my ikran with my hands.

I had only been holding onto it with my legs while trying to form tsaheylu so when one of the na'vi people took down the aircraft and it fell to the groud creating the biggest explosion yet, my ikran flung me right off its back in fright. Thankfully we were lower to the ground than before so i at least wouldnt die on impact.

I vaguely saw my ikrans retreating form fly higher into the sky and away from the explosion seeming to have finally made up its mind to get the f*ck out of here.

'Wow thats a great idea. I wish you would have thought of that before when i was still on your back!' I thought to myself annoyed

I averted my attention to the bigger problem i was now facing as i was free falling to the ground. I reached out to try and grab a piece of the wreckage of one of the train sections as i was falling. I successfully did so, slicing deep gashes into both palms of my hands in the process but lessening the impact of when i hit the ground.

I layed still for a while after, trying to get over the shock of my fall.

But i knew i could not waste anymore time. I remembered back to something my father made sure to always remind me of. So that it would be ingrained into my mind. So that if i chose to follow in his and my mothers footsteps and become a hunter in the future like my brothers would, even when i was in crisis i would not forget his words.

'You cant hesitate! Because a split second is all it can take to mean the diffrence between life and death. Weather you live or die.'

When i was a kid i thought dad had learned that when he became Toruk Macto and fought in the war against the humans but father said it was something he learned when he was a marine. A warrior of Earth. The humans planet. The place he came from and was born and raised.

And so with that in mind i blocked out the slight ringing in my ears and the streaks of white fading in and out of my vision. I heaved myself into a sitting position before pushing myself to my feet. Ignoring the sting in my bloodied palms and my bruised back. My adrenalin kicking in and putting my body in survival mode.

"I have to try and find cover" i whispered under my breath

'If more human reinforcemnts come and i cant fly away or run away i should at least find somewhere to hide myself. At least that way i will be more protected than if i was out in the open' i thought to myself

I looked around for a split second before deciding on crouching behind a big piece of wreakage that was just a little ways off to my right. I grabbed a bloodstained bow i found inbetween small pieces of the wreakage and a single arrow that was stuck in the ground on my way.

Armed and hidden, crouched behind the wreackage i didnt have time to think any farther ahead before I heard my fathers voice come over the device around my throat.

"Y/n where are you? Are you okay?"

My head finally cleared from the slight ringing in my ears and the streaks of white in my vision as i heard the sound of my fathers voice.

"Y/n respond!" Jake urged with a more forceful tone to his voice

I took a moment to gather myself before i brought my hand up to my neck to respond.

"Yeah, im here. Im fine" i said in as calm a voice as i could manage at the time

"Well where are you then? I dont see you up above. Are you heading back home with the others?" He asked more calmly this time

I didnt know how to respond to that. Mostly because i was embarrased to be in the situation i was in when it never should have happened in the first place. Because i knew better than to do something dumb in the middle of a battle and just couldnt control my ikran, but how could i tell him that? The other part was that i didnt really know where i actually was on the battlefield to tell him my location.

When i didnt respond i heard him call my name again and was startled back to reality by the sound of his voice.

"Y/n, where are you right now" he said with a little more urgency to his voice

I heard who i assumed to be Neteyam in the background of my fathers end mutter something along the lines of "Im sorry, sir".

I slowly raised myself up from my hiding spot to look around to see if i could see any landmarks that stuck out to me that i could possibly relay to my father for him to be able to find me. Thats when i heard that familiar call.

"Its alright i can see mom" i relayed to him

I saw my mother flying on her own ikran around the battlefield. She had probably also noticed her childrens absences and went to search herself.

"Good. Signal to her and ride with her back home" Jake commanded

And i ended up doing just that.

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