#i cracked i have this giant crack in me I thought I was just flowing like everyone else but i was sinking already

[justaholeinmysoul]

I wish that my life went on smoothly and normally. Like a river. Like those normal, average pathetic lives that make people numb or slightly miserable but normal and all perfectly the same. Like gears in a machine. But I broke At a certain point and no one saw,no one even listened nor cared. I look like a normal functioning gear. A loser very ugly one that people find odd but still OK. But I'm broken and I'm not functioning and I'm not even in the machine.

[seiwas]

₊˚⊹｡ see me through the morning glow | gojo satoru

wc: 1.0k summary: you and gojo have a slow morning.  contains: f!reader in mind, suggestive if you squint, food descriptions. a/n: unedited, i honestly dk what this is i just really needed to get this out of my system! this is how i cope with 236.

re-uploaded because i accidentally deleted!

You slip out of bed faced with the promise of sunlight. 

The curtains in your bedroom radiate a glow that bounces off the man lying next to you; it’s soft, near-white, almost ethereal, the color of his skin, hair, and bones. His back is exposed, arm reaching out over the (now) empty space beside him—the crinkles and folds where you once were. 

You’ve always thought your bedroom had good lighting, and now you can confirm why: in the shadows, deepening the line that runs down his spine; in the highlights, guiding your eyes to the pockets of muscle behind his shoulders. 

You look away, trying your best not to stare; the only reason he’s undressed is because of a cold sweat, from the nightmares—and the very need for skin-to-skin, to ground him in your touch. 

On mornings like this, you let Gojo sleep in. 

(Because you’re lucky if he can fall back asleep again). 

It’s slow today—no work, no missions that need you or him. It’s your favorite kind of day, and Gojo’s too (once he wakes up and smells the waffles you’ve prepared, double topped with whipped cream and maple syrup—his special, of course). 

A steady stream of warmth flows through the window to your kitchen countertop, the marble glimmering as light hits. The material was his choice; you don’t care much for glamor but Gojo likes pretty things—you especially, he likes to say. 

The batter is quick to prepare, a recipe you’ve done many times before, so you ladle it into the waffle maker before letting it set on its own. Then, you grab a pan to heat up, spooning in last night’s leftover rice, some soy sauce, and mirin, adding salt to taste, as needed. A standard fried rice breakfast, with a yolk to mix in later. 

The sound of his footsteps are concealed by the sizzles of the pan in front of you, but you’re caught off guard by arms wrapped around your waist, and his chin nestling itself into your shoulder as he nuzzles you. 

He’s still shirtless, you notice, so you inch backwards in case of any oil spatter. 

“Good sleep?” you mumble, certain that he heard you. 

He hums, before whispering, lips tickling the edges of your ear on purpose, pouting, “Not anymore when you left.” 

This man—a giant baby, puffed cheeks with long limbs hunched over you. 

Your big baby. 

Despite his whines, he’s telling the truth, you know, and you feel warm because of it, affection seeping in the cracks between his arms and the kitchen stove. 

You blow on a spoonful of rice before lifting it up to his lips. Gojo’s breakfasts are always sweet, but every time you cook, he looks forward to this: waiting right behind you to be fed over your shoulder.

His review will always be the same, of course, everything you touch turns out good. 

He reaches for the waffle maker with one hand while the other keeps you close, and you plate his little breakfast for him, whipped cream with little hearts drawn in maple syrup. 

You grab a bowl for your rice and sit by the counter, Gojo sitting thigh-to-thigh beside you despite the abundance of space around you. 

You realize then, that Gojo tends to hover. 

Not necessarily in a bad way, just that, he does it all the time—always wanting to be near.  

And for someone so perceiving, practically all-seeing, he doesn’t really have to for him to know what you’re up to, but with every opportunity he has, he never misses a moment to be close to you.

When you wash the dishes by the sink, he stays beside you, shoulder-to-shoulder, even when the sink is wide enough to accommodate him a few inches farther. 

Even the walk to the bathroom has him tailing you, following your footsteps as he traces the footprints of slow mornings with you. 

Your bathroom counter has two sinks, but of course, today, he chooses to stay by yours. 

“Skincare?” you raise a tub of face mask. 

He doesn’t need it, but you love pampering him, so he nods, whatever you want. 

You struggle for a bit (he’s just too tall), so he picks you up by the waist and rests you on the bathroom counter, against the mirror.

He stays in the space between your legs, hands flat against your thighs. His thumb kneads your skin gently, and any other time, this position would end very differently, but there’s a look he’s giving you—all words without speaking. 

And—

“Quit staring,” you mumble, turning shy. You’re about to rub the product onto his cheeks, under his eyes. 

“What, I can’t look at you?” he moves closer, keeping his eyes locked on you as he rubs circles on your thighs. 

“No, you can, but,” you swallow, “you’re looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” his brows furrow. 

“Like that.” you sigh, gesturing to his face. 

“Like I love you?” 

And it is like that. Like he loves you. That’s why he says it so casually. 

Because he does. 

You stay quiet, stunned, before you clear your throat and finish up the final area on his face. 

“Yeah.” you mumble, reaching over to wash your hands on the sink. 

Gojo waits for you to finish before he takes a small towel to dry your hands with it. 

“As if you don’t know.” he scoffs, pulling you closer to the edge of the counter. 

He’s right—it’s been said before, but there’s something else in his eyes right now, shiny and devoted, as if this is all he could ever want. As if you, on this slow morning, in this too-big bathroom is all he could ever need. 

But he doesn’t say anything. At least, not what he really means. 

“Not my fault you’re so pretty today,” he adds on, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

It should be funny, that he’s telling you all this with a mask slathered all over his face, but his compliments always speak to the depths of you, even when you don’t expect them to. 

His fingers mold against your cheek, to your ears, down to the back of your head, bringing you closer until he kisses you softly, a gentle peck. 

Bits of the face mask transfer to your nose and you giggle, wiping it off. 

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say.” you joke.

Gojo smiles, that look on his face, “Good for you then, you’re the only one I see.”

re-uploaded because i accidentally deleted!

comments, tags, and reblogs are greatly appreciated ♡

[burrowbaddie]

Trust

Joe Burrow x Female Reader

Series Summary: You, one of the top actresses in the world find yourself falling for the unbelievably attractive quarterback, Joe Burrow. But as Joe falls faster he finds that everything isn’t so golden about the world’s golden girl.

Acts: 5/?

Status: Ongoing

Please read the warning careful for this chapter. Proceed with caution; some content could be triggering!

Warnings: female!reader, smut, swearing, oral (m&f receiving), vaginal fingering, unprotected sex, taking plan b, mentions of toxic past relationship, age gap between ex and reader, mentions of past abusive relationship,

Act 5 Summary: You and Joe come to an abrupt end. With no more fight left in you, you decide to march to your own beat.

Word Count: 6.4k

Series Masterlist

You sit nervously, biting your lip, waiting for the doorbell to ring. Joe is away at training; you encouraged him to go and give you some space to collect your thoughts, but right now, you could use his strength. You stand up and start pacing, unsure how to bring it up. You told your father to come over for the weekend to catch up and only explained briefly in the conversation. You figured it would be easier to tell your father first, plus you wanted to speak to him about your mother. Yeah, you decided to lay it all all in one go. The sound of your doorbell snaps you back. It's now or never. This is your first step towards freedom from Jackson. You make your way to the door and swing it open, greeted by your giant of a father. He scoops you up and squeezes you.

"You never invite me over. Am I going to be a grandfather?" He jokes, putting you down. Your heart cracks a bit more at the thought of telling him you can't have children.

"Where's Joe? Am I going to have a little footballer grandson who plays for the Bills? Me and your brother already-Sweetie, hey hey, why are you crying?" Your father calms himself, taking your hand in his. You try to wipe your tears, but they flow endlessly. Your father follows you to the living room, where you try to gather your thoughts, but the tears won't stop. You're hyperventilating, and your father is quick to be by your side, holding you.

"Did Joe do something to you? Where is he?" Your father is quick to his feet, and you grab his hand.

"Joe is fine. It's nothing with him. It's-" You touch your throat, unable to say his name. Your father sits down and gently holds your hand.

"Talk to me, sweetheart. What's going on?"

"Mom lives out here. I ran into her, " you whisper, deciding to take the lesser blow for now. Your father sighs and rubs his head.

"I know."

Your head shoots up at your father's confession.

"What do you mean?"

"Your mother contacted me a few months ago. I knew she lived here but didn't know you ran into her."

"Did she ask about me?"

"She did. She said she was so proud of you. She has been watching you from the start of your career."

"She has two other daughters now. She's a terrible person, and I don't want her in my life." You stand up, wipe your face, and begin pacing. Your father sits with his hands clasped together, staring at the floor.

"Dad, why aren't you saying anything? Don't tell me you forgave her! " you shout.

"We have talked over things, and we are moving forward."

"What does that even mean? You forgive her. Now, you guys will hold hands and run off together?"

Your dad's silence is loud. You're shocked at this revelation and unable to process a thing.

"You're together again?"

"We're talking. She's divorcing her husband and-"

"She abandoned you! She left us like we were nothing!" You shout, throwing your hands up.

"She was my first love. If you had a chance to be with your first love again, wouldn't you?" Your father asks calmly. You chuckle darkly, throwing your head back.

"My first love has ruined my life for the last ten years." You storm out of the room just as Joe enters the living room. He sets his bag down and chases after you.

"Honey-"

"How can he talk to my mother right now? What she did to us is unforgivable!" You scream and cry. Joe embraces you, trying to calm you down. There's a knock at the door, and you pull away from Joe, allowing your father to enter.

"I have nothing to say to you right now. Joe will show you to the guest room. Thank you." You walk away, slamming the bathroom door behind you. Your father follows Joe out of the room and back downstairs.

"I thought I knew my daughter pretty well. Who is her ex?" Your father asks Joe. Joe lifts your father's bags and sighs. It isn't his place to tell your father everything about Jackson.

"It's up to her to tell you, sir," Joe replies respectfully. Your dad nods his head.

"Was it someone famous? Can you at least tell me that?"

Joe looks over to the steps where you're standing now. You're upset about your mother, but you have to tell your dad.

"Jackson. After Karen moved me to LA for my career, I started seeing Jackson shortly after." You whisper. Your father turns around to face you. You do your best to read his face, but he reveals many different facial expressions in those few seconds.

"I'm sorry, daddy." You whisper. Your father is in front of you, holding you in his arms as you break down.

"What are you sorry about? It's me, I'm the fool." Your dad walks you to the sofa, where you sit down and prepare yourself to tell your father everything. Joe gives the two of you space and decides to go take a shower.

"I started dating him after I turned 18. He was everything to me. It didn't take long for him to show his true colors. He started being controlling, and I blamed it on being my mentor and the stress with the business. I found out that after my 19th birthday, I was pregnant, but my career had just started, so I had an abortion. I thought it was only an abortion until a few days ago; I found out Jackson paid my doctor to tie my tubes." You can't bring yourself to look at your father. Your father tried his best to process all the information silently.

"I-I'm stunned." Your dad finally replies.

"I thought I could be free of him. I did my best to hold on to hope for these last few years because of the stupid contracts, but Jackson won't stop. He won't leave me alone. I spent seven years locked in fear of Jackson; through all the mental, emotional, and physical abuse, I stayed because I thought that was my life, but finally, I'm stronger now. I'm telling you this now because I'm going public about Jackson's abuse, and I'm taking him to court. I thought it would be best to say it to you first rather than hear it on the news."

"I wish you would have told me sooner. I didn't know any of this was happening to you. I should've put two and two together. I should have been smarter. I should have known when you stopped coming to visit. He took you away from us. No, I practically gift-wrapped you to him. It's my fault for being so fucking naive. I trusted this guy and-"

"Daddy, it's not your fault. I made my decisions. I-"

"He put his fucking hands on you! I sent you to LA, and I knew the culture of Hollywood. I read stories about things like this, but I never….I never thought for once you could fall victim. It's my fault. You suffered all this time, and it's my fault. I wondered why Jackson was contacting me these last few months. I'm a fool. He knew…Oh god."

"Daddy, it wasn't-"

"The business was failing. I was in debt and didn't want to ask you for money. Jackson offered, and I accepted it. He owns half the business now."

Your breath is caught in your throat. You're unable to move from your sitting position as your father starts rambling and pacing. This is why you never went public. This right here. Jackson threatened your family over and over and over again. He promised he would ruin their lives if you left him, and now it's started. Jackson got to your father before you could. It's all your fault. You stopped being close to your family. You lost all contact with them all those years. You just started to build things up again, but Jackson was one step ahead of you as always.

"Dad…I-"

"I'm so sorry. What kind of fucking father lets his 17-year-old daughter move to Hollywood alone and for the last ten years be-"

"Dad! I'll handle it so-"

"No. I'll handle it." Your father cuts you off.

"Mom is working for Jackson. Her firm is representing him." You finally say. Your father freezes up. This time, you make eye contact with him.

"She-She wouldn't do that if you tell her he-"

"They met me together. She knows what is happening, and she chose her side."

"She only knows his side because he is her client. Honey, if we tell her she will-"

"What? Protect me? She hasn't done that since the day I was born."

Your father shakes his head at all this news. You don't even know where to start. Jackson owns part of your father's business. Your father built his construction business from the bottom up, and now, with Jackson involved, this will only further go to Hell for you.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault for being gullible. I can't imagine what you've been through, sweetheart, but I promise I will make it right."

"You can't dad. I have to do this alone. If you get involved, Jackson will ruin your business and-"

"The business doesn't matter. You are my daughter. I failed at protecting you before, and I won't fail again." Your father pulls you into a hug as Joe appears. You break apart and let your father settle in his room while you and Joe talk in the kitchen. You tell Joe the news your father shared with you about the company.

"I'll buy Jackson's half. Let's ask Janet and Alex to put that in the agreement." You state, holding onto Joe. Joe calls Janet, Alex, and Eliza over.

"Before we can do anything, I want to talk to Jackson. Alone."

"I don't think that is a good idea." Eliza steps in, looking at Joe for backup. Joe takes your hand.

"We have to let her make her own choices. I'm going to support her no matter what. Let her do it." Joe replies. You give him a soft smile. After a few more talk-throughs, you end the night by checking on your father. He states that he wants you to speak to your mother so that she can hear your side. You tell him that isn't an option yet. You return to your bedroom and cuddle next to your boyfriend. You both know the road ahead will be challenging, but as long as you have Joe, you know you can do it.

You sit across Jackson and take a deep breath.

"I want to buy back your half of my father's company, " you say flat out. Jackson throws his head back, laughing.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I'm pressing charges against you, Jackson. Everything that you have done to me will be brought to light. I am giving you the chance to fix things."

"You're not going to win. Get that through your head. Come back to me, and all of this can stop. It's your word against mine. I need you to think this through. You have no proof." Jackson chuckles.

"I-"

"I will ruin your brother's life. Aaron? Is it? Your youngest brother, right? Just getting his name out in the entertainment world, right? I will have him fucking blacklisted." Jackson threatens.

"Why are you doing this to me, Jackson? What did I do to you?"

"Come back to me, and this can be over. Your father…the rest of your family. I will leave them alone. Joe included."

You bite your lip and look around the room. A few feet away, Karen is urging you to agree to the terms.

"I want to be happy." You whisper, holding back tears. Jackson reaches over and touches your hand.

"I can make you happy like I did before. I'm different. I've changed. Let me show you." Jackson rubs the back of your hand. You shake your head.

"Joe…I love him." You finally let the words come out of your mouth. You love Joe, and it's taken you forever to say the words in fear of what your future would look like with him. But you know now that your future with Joe is as bright as the stars. Jackson starts laughing.

"No. You have no idea what you're saying right now. I have given you everything I have. I have loved you from the moment we met. You promised your life to me. Marriage kids…All of that is our future."

"I can't have kids anymore! You made sure of that! I will never come back to you. My family is stronger than you think. I've told them what you've done to me and what to expect moving forward. I gave you this meeting for a chance to change your ways, but you refused. My lawyers will be in touch." You grab your purse and exit the room. Karen chases after you and grabs your wrist.

"Think about what you're doing. Jackson is giving you the chance to make things right. Go back to him and protect your family. He can and will make everyone's life worse." Karen states, shaking your shoulders. You remove her grip and stare at her.

"You're such a sad woman. You continue to live in his spotlight, not seeing the good you could do by standing by my side. Jackson only cares for himself. The quicker you learn, the faster you will live a much better life, Karen. Testify against him. Win and be out from under his shadow. I'm doing this as a courtesy. You were supposed to protect me, and you didn't. You continue to let that man get away with everything. You're just as guilty as him in my eyes…But I'm giving you the chance to make up for your mistakes." You don't break eye contact and do your best to read over Karen's facial expression. You give her shoulder a few taps and walk away. Karen turns and walks back into the room to find Jackson pacing. You go to the lobby, where you find your boyfriend in disguise, just people-watching. You walk over and bend down, scaring him.

"I said I could do this alone." You whisper, pulling down his sunglasses. Joe shrugs.

"Just in case he tried anything. I wanted you to know you're not alone."

You kiss his lips and pull him up. The both of you exit the hotel. The ride back home sends your mind racing. You're sure your father has told your brothers, but you're not ready to face them yet, so you've been ignoring their calls. At home, Eliza, Janet, and Alex wait for the update. You tell them what everyone already knows. Jackson won't let you repurchase your dad's company; he refuses to settle. You give Janet and Alex the okay to file charges in California. With things in motion, you take the time to go to LA and finish some business for a week.

You giggle as you read over the text from Joe. Everyone in the room can see how much you glow at the mention of the football player. You can't wipe the smile off your face when you get called Joe Burrow's girlfriend. You're finally free to enjoy Joe in front of the world. It was a crazy mix of reactions, but for the most part, everyone is obsessed with the both of you.

"Yeah, she is finished up for the magazine spread. We will do a quick Q&A and then wrap it up." Eliza shouts on set. You text Joe a goodbye followed by a kissy face emoji. You miss him, but with his training for the upcoming season, you had to fly out and get some photoshoots done for your upcoming movie. You sit on the white sofa as your makeup artist comes and touches you up.

"So we have a special person here to help us out with this interview." The photographer announces. Your body freezes up, and you look at Eliza with horror written on your face. Jackson. It has to be Jackson. But as your special guest appears, your horror-struck eyes become filled with admiration. Joe smiles and takes a seat on the couch. Your mouth is wide open as you stare at him in complete shock. You launch yourself onto his lap as he laughs.

"Suprise, baby," Joe whispers in your ear. You lean back, and he kisses your lips.

"What's this?" You ask as Eliza hands you cards. You read over the cards.

"GQ couples quiz," Joe replies, fixing his shirt and licking your chocolate Fenty lipgloss off his lips. You cannot wipe the smile off your face as you read over the cards.

"You guys ready?" Eliza asks. You nod eagerly and sit back, wiggling in your seat. You start by introducing yourself and Joe.

"What's my favorite color?" You ask. Joe scratches his head, laughing.

"That's easy, yellow. Not too bright, like a nice mellow yellow. Not the drink." Joe laughs, replying. You nod and ding him for the point.

"What food do I love, and what food do I hate?" You ask next. Joe laughs and leans back. He takes a moment to think, and you give him a look.

"She loves lasagna, and she hates soups. Any soup she complains, but she also hates onion, but she will tear French Onion soup up, so it's like weird." Joe sits up, staring at you. You hide behind your cards, giggling.

"French onion is just too good! Okay, what's my favorite fast food, and what is my go to order?"

"You don't even eat out like that, umm, Chick-fil-A, and she always gets the Cool Wrap with extra ranch packet, a lemonade, and fries." He replies. You clap for him and tell them to give him extra points.

"He's so attentive like I barely eat out. I think I had that when we first started dating. Speaking of, how did you ask me out?"

"This is embarrassing. When we first started talking, we would send each other songs. So, I sent her Girlfriend by Charlie Puth. She messaged me and asked, What does this mean? And I replied precisely what the song says."

"What did you respond?" A guy asks off camera. You giggle behind the cards.

"Yes. I didn't send a song back because I was so shy and too busy giggling." You reply, flipping to the next card.

"What did you do for the first date?" The guy asks. You look at Joe, letting him take the lead.

"We did ABC dates for the first 26 dates; we did something corresponding to the alphabet. So, date one was an aquarium date." Joe smiles at you, shooting you a wink.

"Who said I love you first?" You ask, reading the next card. Joe leans back, laughing.

"I did. I knew I was in love with her from the first date. Without reading the little cards next to each animal, she would start this long rant about information on them. I was fascinated and had to stand back and stare at her. Although when I first said I love you, it threw her off, and she ghosted me for weeks."

"Joseph!" You giggle playfully, shoving him. Joe whispers that he loves you, and your heart flutters. You blow him a kiss and read the next card.

"How did we meet?"

"At her cousin's wedding. I knew the groom, and they introduced us, so I owe Matty a big thank you.

"Were you a fan of hers before meeting her?" The director asks. Joe nods his head.

"I was. Who isn't a fan? After we started hanging out, I did a deep dive for sure, but haha, I was always a fan. My family members are huge fans of her, so it worked out." Joe replies, licking his lips. You hide behind your cards.

"What's my favorite movie."

"Titanic."

"Ding! What's a pet peeve you have about me."

"None. I'm too in love with you. Next question."

"There has to be one. I won't get upset." You reply, waiting for an answer.

"Hmmm. She falls asleep with the TV on. I like silence. But I would do anything to keep her happy, so I don't care." Joe states, grinning.

"What's the first thing I made you to eat?"

"Man…I think it was spaghetti or something."

"Ding. That's correct." You give your boyfriend a few claps.

"What was my favorite subject in school?"

"I think English? No history. She's a history buff!" Joe replies you give him another ding for his correction.

"What's my phone number?"

"I can't say that. Are they going to beep it out?" Joe asks. The producers give him a thumbs up, and Joe gives out your phone number.

"She doesn't know my number."

"To be fair, I don't remember anyone's number." You laugh and go to the next card.

"What is your favorite thing about me?" This time, when you ask, you stare straight into those blue orbs across from you. Joe leans forward and takes your hand.

"I love everything about you. I love that our humor is the same. I love how you protect those you love. I love the way your mind works. I love your strength. I never thought I would be able to fall more in love with you, but every day, you show me that's possible." Joe rubs the back of your hand, and you look away, holding back tears.

"Give him all the points, " you jokingly state, wiping your eyes. You toss the cards and throw yourself at your boyfriend, causing the set to laugh. After you guys wrap up on set, Joe follows you back to the hotel. You guys find yourselves in bed kissing each other endlessly. Your mouth detaches from Joe's, only to breathe in and return to his lips. Joe moans into the kiss, causing you to squeeze your thighs together involuntarily.

"Take this off," Joe whispers, pulling at your t-shirt. You sit up and toss it to the floor. Joe pulls you back on top of his lap and takes your nipple into his mouth. You look down at him with glossy eyes. Joe grips your hips tightly. You hiss as he pulls back slowly on your nipple between his teeth. Joe sucks on it gently, and you rake your fingers through his hair. While Joe is busy sucking on your nipple, you move your hand down to the waistband of his briefs, releasing his cock. Joe releases your nipple and stares up at you as you start pumping him in your hand. Joe lifts you and sheaths himself entirely in you. You both sigh while you clench around his shaft.

"Fuck baby, don't do that. I'm going to cum." Joe whispers, pulling you back down for a messy kiss.

"Missed this so so much," You pull away from the kiss and lean back as Joe starts bouncing you up and down on his cock. You lean forward so that your forehead touches his.

"Yeah, you miss this. Such a good girl." Joe groans, feeling you clench around him again. He slaps your thigh, and you giggle. You bend down and capture his lips. Joe's kisses are lazy because he is too focused on bouncing you up and down his cock chasing his release. It's only been a week of separation, but your dear boyfriend desperately wanted you. Joe groans when you pull his head back by his hair. You start leaving open mouth kisses on his neck.

"I'm cumming." Joe groans as you suck on his neck. You giggle and pull back to see your handy work. Joe sighs, holding you down as you continue to milk everything he gives you. You pick yourself up and plop down on the bed beside him. Joe rolls over and stares at you. Before you got here, Joe had spent at least 15 minutes devouring you, so it was only fair he got his ending, too. You can feel his semen dripping down your legs, which makes you giggle at the sensation.

"What?" Joe asks.

"The strike started, so I won't be promoting anything. I can give all my time to you." You whisper. Joe closes his eyes.

"Do you trust me, Joseph?"

"With my whole heart."

You close your eyes and join your boyfriend in a deep sleep. The next day, you and Joe find yourselves eating out. A few fans ask for photos and autographs which you both have no problem doing. When you return to your hotel, you and Joe take a hot shower, not missing a moment to touch each other. After the shower, you take a much-needed nap. You and Joe fly back home and bury yourself in the case you are building against Jackson. You have not spoken to your father since he shared about your mother. Your brothers have tried to reach out to you, but you're not ready for that talk.

"Can you go into more detail about the Oscar night?" Janet asks, bringing you back to the present. You ignore your oldest brother's text and place your phone on the table.

"Like what?"

"Did he assault you?… Physically?" She clarifies. You take a deep breath and nod your head.

"How long do we need to do this? I have surgery today." You state changing the subject. Janet looks at Alex.

"We can end here. Are you nervous about the surgery?"

"Yes, I want it to work out. I want to be a mother, " you reply.

Alex drives you to the hospital, where Joe meets you. He kisses your lips and tells you how brave you are then you are and that he will be waiting for you when you wake up. And just like he promised, Joe was at your side when you woke up and through recovery. Before you knew it, the season started. As always, you went to the games with his family and cheered him on. You ran into Jackson once and were surprised by the outcome.

"You win. Have your team contact mine. I'll follow whatever rules you set." Jackson stated. You stared at him in disbelief.

"First, let me buy back my father's company."

"You wanted a legit deal, have your team contact mine."

"Fine." You say, turning to walk away, but JAckson's next word surprises you.

"I'm sorry."

You can't find it in yourself to turn back and face him, but hearing those exact words you heard so many times from him seems haunting. You get the courage to turn around and face him with tears in your eyes; you take a deep breath.

"This could have all been avoided. What you have done to me, I'll never be able to forgive you, so keep your apology. Your words mean absolutely nothing to me." You state sternly. Jackson chuckles and wipes his face.

"For what it's worth, I loved you. I truly loved you."

"Well, you had a fucked up way of showing it."

"Get away from her." You hear Joe's mother shout. She quickly steps in between you. Jackson nods his head and walks away. She turns around and pulls you into a hug. You and Joe had sat down with his parents and broke the news a few weeks ago. Her actions shocked you but warmed your heart.

"Are you okay? Did he say anything to you-"

"Mrs.Burrow, I'm-"

"Mom. I told you to call me mom…if that's okay." She whispers, cupping your face to wipe the tears. You smile and nod.

"Mom, I'm okay." You sniffle, and she hugs you again. You guys make your way to the game. It has been a stressful few weeks for Joe, from your surgery to losing a few games. Joe always took it so hard and blamed himself. But you were there to comfort him always. After the team won, you guys went out to celebrate. Joe's hand never left yours through the night. You sipped your drink and leaned over.

"It's been four weeks, and I got the okay from my doctor. So-"

"Check this out." Andrei holds up his phone to Joe. Joe reads the headline, and you watch his face twist. You lean over to read it yourself, your hand moving faster than you can process as you rip the phone from Joe's hand.

"Jackson and longtime girlfriend are expecting their first child…. longtime girlfriend?"

Andrei looks at Joe, confused. You hand the phone back and storm out of the party. This is why he was so uncaring. You call Janet, and she already knows. It's a complete wrench thrown in your plan.

"We should still meet him and go over the contract. He doesn't want it to get out so-"

You hang up and lean over, feeling sick. Joe comes to comfort you. You don't know if it's the news or the drinks, but you're dizzy. Joe holds your waist and steadies you on your feet. You guys leave the celebration as paparazzi snap away, screaming questions at you. You get into the vehicle and break down. Joe pulls you into his arms. In times like this, he feels so hopeless; the only thing he can give you is comfort. You cry well into the morning, and when you wake up, you suffer from puffy eyes and sore throat.

"We can reschedule this meeting if you're not up to this today," Joe states. You ignore him and continue fixing your makeup.

"Honey-"

"Just stop! I don't need to be babied. You're suffocating me!" You shout, slamming the door in his face. You didn't mean to lash out, but you're stressed. Jackson is always steps ahead of you. After you finish getting ready, you look for Joe to apologize. You find him on the phone in the kitchen. LA is not a good place for you; you want to run back to Ohio with Joe as soon as possible. Joe hangs up the phone and turns to you with a half smile.

"I'm sorry." You whisper. Joe shrugs.

"We should get going. Janet just called and said Jackson is there already…with your mother."

The bad news keeps rolling in. You guys meet at Jackson's local law firm. Janet and Alex are already there. You look over at Jackson's "girlfriend" and roll your eyes. You know her. It's someone you trained with in the past, but she never broke out as a star. You tell the ladies you will meet them inside the conference room.

"How long have you been with Jackson?" You ask her. She rubs her belly.

"Going on eight years."

You laugh and throw your head back. Courtney stares at you, not amused.

"How much is he paying you to say that? You know he was with me-"

"You're delusional. You and Jackson had a strictly professional relationship. He told me how obsessed you were."

"Court, we trained together. You saw me and Jackson together all the time. He-"

"He said you guys messed around once, and you just wouldn't back off."

"You can't honestly think he is going to treat you better? He is not sane. He will crush you until there is nothing left."

"Look, he helped your career. Be fucking grateful. I want that, too. Unlike you, I won't let him break me because we both need something from each other." Courtney says with a smile. She bumps into you and walks into the room. Jackson makes his way over.

"Courtney. Longtime girlfriend? What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry. What we had was fun, but you can't honestly think you were the only one. Right?" Jackson chuckles and brushes the hair from your face. He kisses your forehead.

"You made me an enemy, and I told you it wouldn't be pretty. Listen to me next time." He says before backing off and walking away. You get yourself composed before walking into the room and spotting your mother. Janet and Alex start going over your demands. Jackson agrees with them all, but you have zoned out.

"No deal." You interrupt. Everyone stops talking and looks at you.

"What?"

"You can't buy my silence. You took my voice a long time ago, but it's back. I won't let you get away with anything you did. I'll see you in court." You stand up and walk out as Jackson calls after you. Janet and Alex will follow you out. Joe waited in the care for you. You shock him when you climb into the car.

"What happened?-"

"Please just drive." You say. Joe nods and pulls out. Once you guys reach the parking garage, climb onto his lap and kiss him. Joe tries to talk between kisses but can't catch a break. He finally lightly grabs your hair and pulls you back.

"Baby? Talk to me."

"You're right. I need to speak up so other women know what kind of person he is…I'm taking him to court." You lean back and look into his blue eyes. Joe nods his head.

"I'm proud of you."

And when Janet and Alex reach your hotel, you have everything drawn up and the story released. Your comment section on IG becomes too much that you deactivate them. Joe suffers an injury, and life seems to be slapping you both down. The world was calling you a liar, and though they didn't say it to your face, some co-stars sided with Jackson. Jackson was thriving, just as you expected, until some lip reader on TikTok posted just the evidence needed. Eliza handed you her phone.

"Do you remember that day?" She asks

"Here he is telling her, fix your face before I fix it for you. And then you see her smile." The girl states, pointing out Jackson's words. Of course, you remember that night. It was Emmy night, and Jackson had screamed at you the whole way over about the dress you wore being too revealing even though he controlled every aspect of you. He chose that dress. Another tiktoker who is known for body language analyzes the same clip.

"Look how tight he grabs her wrist when she tries to walk away. Jackson Taylor is an abusive man. Hashtag, we believe you." The guy states. You continue to look through the hashtag and see that you have gained support. People believe you.

"I have to see this through. I have to be open about everything." You whisper. Your eyes drift to Joe, who is on the phone in the kitchen. Eliza follows your gaze. Once Joe is off the phone, he finds you alone in the living room, staring at the blank TV.

"Hey."

You pat the seat next to you.

"What's up?" He asks, taking a seat.

"This is going to be a long process for me. I need the space to see this through."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm moving back to LA."

"I can come to stay with you and-"

"You need to focus on healing…and in a way, so do I."

"I don't get what you're saying?" Joe nervously chuckles.

"Joe, don't make this harder than it needs to be. I can't give you all of me because he still has it. It's not fair to you or me. I have to fight him and this alone. I need my focus to be on this."

Joe stands up abruptly, scaring you for a second.

"I have been supportive. I have been the supportive boyfriend this whole time! And you're going to leave me just like that. When I'm at my weakest?"

"Stop yelling, please. I know this is frustrating, but-"

"But nothing!"

"Joe, this is hard for me too!"

"Then fight for us too? I love you. I have shown you time and time again. After everything we've been through, you can drop us like that?"

"Joe, I can't love you like you love me. I'm broken. I told you from the start. I told you. Nothing can fix me." You cry. Eliza comes from her bedroom, shocked about all the noise.

"I'm begging you to fight for us."

"I don't have any more fights left. I'm sorry, Joe." You whisper. Joe stands still, letting the silence fill the room. It's selfish. He knows it, but if he has to be selfish to keep you near him, he will become the most selfish person on the planet. But you're walking away from him. Joe can hear you saying words, but he can't understand them. It's as if you're speaking another language. Finally, Eliza brings him back.

"She's gone. She asked me to pack up her things and have it shipped to LA. I'm sorry, Joe. I'm shocked as you."

"I have to let her go. I can't be another guy that forces her to be in a relationship." Joe whispers and walks away. Eliza finds you in the car crying. She is confused by your actions, but she trusts that the both of you will find your way back to each other.

When you return to LA, rumors spread about you and Joe breaking up. People speculate that he broke up with you for obvious reasons. You keep yourself busy with Janet and Alex. Sometimes, you find yourself asking Janet about Joe. She tells you he's doing better, which is all you wanted. The hardest part about the case was getting people to speak up against Jackson. Everyone you emailed denied any involvement, even your old manager. Finally, one day, you get a visit from your old makeup artist.

"I'll testify." She states flat out. Janet smiles and nods.

"What can you bring to the table?" Alex asks.

"I was her makeup artist for two years. I can't tell you how many bruises I was paid to cover in those two years. I confronted Jackson, and he fired me. He threatened my family….when she found out she had paid me in secret for years. I've been running some of her clinics for women who are running from DV situations. I will tell them everything." Viola squeezes your hand, and you pull her into a hug.

"You helped so many women; they don't even know it. Thank you." Viola states. You are pulled into a hug and smile. Viola leaves you with Janet.

"Why didn't you tell me about the clinics? This-"

"Because they are all under Viola's name. I didn't want to have my name attached because of Jackson." You reply.

"This is huge. With her testimony, we really have something." Janet leans over the rail, looking out at the city.

"I miss him." You say, staring at the pool.

"He misses you too," Janet replies.

"He's never going to forgive me."

"He's upset, but I'm sure he would fall on his hands and knees if you walked into his door. I have never seen little Joseph so in love."

The thought makes you smile, but you know, deep down inside, Joe deserves someone with less baggage and Less damage. Because that's what you were… damaged goods. Some other guys ruined artwork. Joe could never put back the pieces.

"Your mom is here." Eliza interrupts. You take a deep breath. You were the one who called her to visit, so it's time to face the woman who gave birth to you.

it has been so longggg. I am sorry! But I am back. I am doing much better. I had a grippy sock vacation in the fall but I am feeling much better haha. This chapter sucks but we MOVE! I am getting back into the groove of writing again lol

[billy-cockblock]

SWTD Theory

Still Wakes the Deep has been a huge brainworm for me the past few weeks, so I wanted to make a post with one of my takes. Someone’s probably thought of this already, but I can’t find anything about it, so here I go. 

I’m gonna take this time to shout out a little sub theory of mine that plays a bit of a part in my main point. 

For a little background, in populations of organisms, there are limiting factors on their growth and spread. Think of it as a series of funnels of different sizes: the rate of liquid that can flow through is going to be determined by the narrowest funnel. For example. if there’s a population that has ample food, space, and whatever else it needs, but has a restricted access to water, that water is going to limit how large that population could grow.

Before the Shape was dug up by the drill, it was probably dormant in the sea bed, doing its best to survive, the same as any other organism. Down where it was dark, wet, and cold, I think it had one main limiting factor: oxygen.

I don’t think the Shape can efficiently exchange gas underwater. Most of the untouched bodies Caz sees are only underwater, where an organism that thrives in air would struggle to access. Once it gets dug up and brought to air with plenty of organic matter to consume and grow with, its population explodes. When a limiting factor is removed, there’s nothing holding the population back any more until they hit a new limit. The Shape’s old limiting factor was removed, and it would only stop reproducing by running out of space to grow on the rig, running out of organic matter to use, or being killed (like, say, in a giant fiery explosion).

(I could go on and on about how the Shape potentially works, please feel free to ask me about it)

Now, I’ll get to my main theory:

I think Caz was dead the whole time.

Now, I don’t mean that in a “the whole game is in his head, none of it was real” way; I mean it in a “this man got Ethan Winters’ed” way. 

So, I started to do a little research into how tall oil rigs are to know how far Caz would have fallen off the helipad. I quickly learned there are many types of oil rigs and not every oil rig of the same type is the same size. I’m studying marine biology, not petroleum engineering like my brother, so I got tired of trying to guesstimate how tall the Bierra D’s helipad would be and attacked the problem with some simple math. 

Watching a video, I saw he fell for between 4-5 seconds; the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8m/s^2. Plugging that in a calculator while not accounting for air resistance to solve for distance gets me ~80-120m, depending on if I used the 4 or 5 second count, so I’ll guess around 100m. I’ve found many conflicting sources on what the tallest heights you can safely fall into water are, but I can safely tell you that 100m is much higher than any of them. 

Now, maybe the devs weren’t going with the mathematical exact timing it would take for a guy to fall off an oil rig, and didn’t mean for it to be implied that he fell from THAT high. Still, we can agree he fell from very high up, high enough to have likely ended in injury. Maybe he’d just fall on and break a leg? Maybe an arm or some ribs?

After falling off the rig, the last frame before Caz blacks out shows the water at the top of the screen, meaning he hits the water head-first. He may be wearing a hard hat (that somehow stays on his head through the whole ordeal since he clips his flashlight to it), but he still should have cracked his skull open or broken his neck. 

When they pull him out of the water, he’s cold and not breathing, which wouldn’t be unusual for a drowning victim in the North Sea in the dead of winter, but it would usually be a death sentence. They never explain how they dragged Caz out of the water, but it would presumably have taken a long time to get him out, and time is key when dealing with someone who isn’t breathing. The fact that he’s able to cough up water and start breathing on his own is a miracle, since it doesn’t sound like Brodie or Douglas do CPR when they bring him inside.

So, fall damage, head and/or spine injury, drowning, and hypothermia. By several different factors, Caz should be a very, very dead man. So why isn’t he?

My theory is that, somehow, somewhy, the infection from The Shape healed and brought him back to life. We know for a fact it has amazing generative properties, basically able to double, triple, quadruple the amount of tissue and organic matter in the crew’s bodies with no regard for conservation of mass, so what’s just a little regeneration of damaged tissues in a single body? Once Caz’s body gets someplace with better conditions suited to life (inside where it’s warm and there’s air), it just jumpstarts his body functions. The Shape’s presumably been dormant in the seafloor for a long time, so it could be able to go dormant and kinda “come back to life” as conditions change, similar to a tardigrade, and potentially pass this ability onto its hosts.

And Caz mentions how his head hurts a lot, especially when he gets close to the Shape. 

Now, this might seem like baseless conjecture, and y’all might say “That’s a good headcanon, but there’s no evidence that The Shape could bring people back to life!” to which I would say “Oh, but there might be!"

After the helicopter on the starboard side, we get a call from Bruce, who is actively drowning. Through his gasps, he tells us that O’Connor hurt his leg and couldn’t swim, presumably drowning. And guess who we see still kicking as we’re passing through the pontoon? My thought is that O’Connor couldn’t swim, drowned, and drifted to the bottom, landing on a part of the shape. Once Caz and Brodie start working in the legs and they drain, it exposes him to air and allows the shape to start growing again, assimilating him and bringing him back to life. 

Obviously, he’s not doing as well as Caz is. My thought was that, if Caz died as he was infected, the infection would’ve had to put a lot of its energy into bringing him back, not leaving much for itself to begin assimilating him into the Shape. Since O’Connor was in direct contact with the Shape, it could hook him up to its network to help supplement that loss. Caz, meanwhile, stays as far away from the stuff as he can and doesn’t even get anything to eat all day; guy's running on empty. He has small things where the Shape affects him, like the colors at the edge of his vision, but most of his hallucinations only happen after the Shape attacks him through O’Connor. Before, I’m pretty sure the largest incident (other than when he’s blacked out) is when we can barely hear Suze’s voice over the speakers when moving through the pontoon. It’s really only after getting attacked that he starts to hear her when he’s awake, near the Shape, or over phone calls. He only hears her clearly over the speakers in administration after he runs into the shape many times when he gets swept away in the flooding.

With my main evidence out of the way, I’ll also mention that Caz sees the “light at the end of the tunnel” from the end of the game in the oil flashes when he blacks out.

But hey, that’s just a theory. 

A GAME TH- I have received a cease and desist.

Man, this became a long read. Thanks for getting this far, and I hope you enjoyed!

[gyupinkys]

VENOM- PART 1

a/n- I decided to split this is two because it's very long. I hope you enjoy!!

s.coups x dino x mingyu x the8 x afab reader

WARNINGS- MURDER, BLOOD, GUNS, GORE, unprotected sex, choking, oral, fingering, spit play, degradation (slut, whore), mirror sex, and hao being a bit weird but trust me it's hot.

WORD COUNT: 6.8K

You should’ve listened to Yeji when she told you to wear a jacket. The crisp night air is eating away at your face as a strong breeze flows through the edge of the forest where you sit. Before you is arguably one of the biggest houses you’ve seen. What's with men and having awful design taste? Do they think having a big house makes up for what they lack in dick size?

“No way this loser uses every room in this house” you say to Yeji through your earpiece.

“Y/N focus on your task and stop judging his design taste” 

“Fine” you say with an eye roll. As you examine the fortress in front of you, you become suspicious. Where is his security? There are usually guards on rotation guarding his house every night. You purse your lips in thought.

“Yeji, where are the guards?”

“They seem to be switching shifts. I say you use this as your chance to enter. Go through the second floor window, Lia said she left it cracked for you.”

You stay light on your feet as you pace to the backyard of the house. You realize the window is much higher than you anticipated. You whine to yourself,  you just got a fresh set of nails and now you're risking one of them being ripped off while trying to scale this wall. You grip onto the ledge of the window in front of you and pull yourself up. 

“God, I need to work out more” you say to yourself feeling the burn in your arms as you finally manage to throw yourself into the second floor window. You land with a thud on your side and take a second to catch your breath.

“Y/n get up, you need to get on the move”

You get up and look around the room. It looks like this is a bathroom. You open the door leading you into a giant bedroom. There’s nothing but a bed with no sheets in the center of the room. You open the door you assume will lead you to the hallway and look both ways before you emerge. You head to the left knowing that’s where your target’s room is.  You’ve been paid 5 million dollars to assassinate “Kim LeeSeok”. Your employer didn’t give many details about him, only that he’s involved in shady business and a lot of people want him dead. You don’t ask questions but you always get the job done. 

You enter the third door on the left which, according to lia, is his bedroom. Lia got a job as his maid last week in order to scope out his house for you. You quietly enter his room and see him fast asleep. Well this should be easy. You quickly walk to the side of his bed and make sure your silencer is on your gun. 

“Yeji, turn the camera on”.

Your clients require a video as proof of a job well done. They would hate to spend so much money just for the hit to not go through. As you press the pistol to his head you hear his bedroom window open. You quickly look up to see a slim man with a head full of bright red hair pull himself through. 

“Jeonghan I’m in,” he says in a quiet voice.

You look at him bewildered. What the fuck is happening? You point your gun at him as he looks at you. He looks like he’s seen a ghost. 

“Who are you?” this mystery man whisper shouts.

“Who am I? Who are you?”

You don’t know what to do but Mr. Kim is beginning to wake up, so you point your gun at him. As you're about to pull the trigger you are tackled to the ground. You look at him with an incredulous look.You quickly flip him over and wrap your hands around his neck. 

“Get off of me” he growls.

“You literally attacked me first! why the fuck should I get off of you?”

“I need to kill him before he wakes up, so if you’d excuse me” he says as he throws you off of him and jumps to his feet.

He pulls out his own gun and pulls the trigger but you hit his arm so the bullet hits Mr. Kim's bedside lamp. This wakes him up and he shoots up into a sitting position.  You both aim your guns at him and fire before he can say a word. Two bullet holes sit in the middle of his head as he falls flat onto his back.

“WHY WOULD YOU SHOOT HIM? HES MY HIT” the red hair man yells.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S YOURS?  HE’S ACTUALLY MINE” you yell back.

“WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?” 

“YOU STARTED IT”

Both of you turn to the door as you hear multiple footsteps coming towards the room you're in. You both run to the window, pushing each other to try to stop the other from escaping first. 

You jump through the window at the same time, as Mr.Kim’s security burst through his door finding him lying in a pool of  his own blood. You land in the tree outside his window and climb down. You run to the left and the red-haired man runs to the right. Both of you turn to get a good look at each other before disappearing into the forest. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You open the door to your apartment to a confused Yeji and Lia.

“So… what the fuck happened?”

“I have no idea who that guy is but he said Kim was his hit? I thought only one person could be assigned a hit at once? Maybe there was a glitch in the system?”

“Maybe” says Lia, “But who's going to get paid? You both shot him at the same time?”

“Oh fuck”, you reply. You rewatch the video and see that your bullets hit at the exact same time. 

“What now?” you ask.

“I have no idea,” says Yeji.

A similar conversation was taking place on the other side of the city.

“What do you mean she was just standing there? Did you not clear the room first” Seungcheol growls at Minghao.

“Dude, I was nervous! You try breaking into a house while dodging 12 armed guards.” 

“Cheol I told you to send me instead I knew Hao would fuck up” Mingyu says from his spot across the table. Everyone turns to look at him with a disapproving look.

“Mingyu you can’t even walk outside without being struck by lightning and sucked into a black hole. With your luck you would be shot before you even step foot in the house.” Minghao says in a deadpan tone.

“That's not true,” Mingyu says with a pout.

“Anyways, do any of you recognize this chick?” jeonghan says while everyone looks at hao’s recording on the projector. 

“No, but I’m sure we can find her,” Wonwoo says as he pulls out his laptop. 

“Well if you find her let me know, that's all for tonight” Cheol says and the group disperses. 

Cheol sits down and sighs. As much as he loves these guys they sure do fuck everything up. He’s worked so hard to build a name for SVT in the mafia world and the last thing he needs is some bitch fucking things up.  SVT killing Kim LeeSeok would’ve secured their place in the hierarchy but now you ruined everything. He rewatches the video and notes that you seem familiar. He pulls up his files of people of interest and finds an image of a woman who looks similar to you leaving one of the clubs he owns. He sends Wonwoo what he found and heads to bed for the night. 

The next morning Wonwoo tells the group that there's literally no trace of you. 

“There’s no name, no pictures besides the blurry one Cheol has, and I've asked around, no one knows who she is.”

“Maybe she’s not real and hao made her up” Hoshi says in a serious voice. 

“Soonyoung we literally have a video of her” Dino says with a frown on his face.

“Oh yeah” Hoshi says with a giggle. 

“Anyways, Chan and Seungkwan, why don’t you two go to the club we saw her at tonight. I wanna know what she was doing at Kim’s house last night.”

“Why do I have to go with Chan? Why can’t Vernon and I go.”

“Because you will get nothing done.” Cheol says.

“CHAN AND I WILL GET NOTHING DONE IF WE ARGUE THE WHOLE TIME”

“I already made up my mind seungkwan, you two are going”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The man under you grabs your hips too tightly and his hot breath stinks. You’re currently in the vip room of some club downtown.You were paid 500k to kill this loser, you normally don't take jobs for such little but you figured you might as well, nothing beats easy money. 

The man’s hands slide up to your ass and you decide you’ve had enough of this. You get off of him and stand behind the chair he’s sitting in, he probably thinks he’s about to get some kind of strip tease but, oh, does he have another thing coming. You pull your blade out from your bra and slide it across the man's neck. Yes, it's a messy death but it’s not your job to clean up anyways. You drop the knife on the floor, it’ll be a nice gift for the police when they come. 

You leave the room looking as flawless as you did when you entered. You leave the club through the back door without a trace.

“Yeji, I'm out, you can turn the security camera’s back on.”

As you begin walking down the alley you hear commotion behind you. You dart to hide behind the nearest dumpster, doing your best to ignore the foul smell.

“Seungkwan I promise, I saw her in the club I know she left through here.”

“Well where the fuck is she, chan?”

“MAYBE IF YOU MOVED FASTER WE WOULD'VE CAUGHT HER”

You smirk to yourself at their almost couple like arguing. You peek around the dumpster to get a peek at their faces. In the process a giant cockroach emerges from your left making you yelp. This captures the attention of the two men and you realize you’re fucked. They begin to walk towards you and you decide to make a run for it. You run and hear their footsteps behind you.

“I TOLD YOU I SAW HER DICKHEAD”

You look behind your shoulder and somehow collide into a wall. Since when was there a wall in front of you? You look up from the floor and are faced with undeniably the hottest man you’ve seen in your life. He’s basically a bean pole, he must be at least 6’2 with giant muscles and wavy dark brown hair. He flashes you a smile and you notice his vampire-like fangs. He easily picks you up and holds your hands behind your back. He pulls you to his chest and leans down to speak into your ear. 

“Sorry about that doll, you should really watch where you’re going”

You roll your eyes at his cockiness and kick your leg straight into his balls making him hunch over and fall to the ground. The two men in front of you are stunned and you take this as an opportunity to punch, who you now know as Dino, square in the jaw. He looks at you with wide eyes clutching his face. You look over to the blonde man, Seungkwan, who holds his hands up in defeat. 

“I really can’t deal with a broken nose, you win this one”

You smile at him and turn around. The giant looks like a kicked puppy pouting at you. You step around him and begin walking away.

“I’m sure I’ll see you later boys. You might want to take care of the issue is vip room #4” you say as you sprint away.

Seungcheol says nothing as he looks at Mingyu, Dino, and Seungkwan sitting in front of him, all their heads hung in shame.

“Explain” he says to no one in particular. All three start talking at the same time, making him sigh.

“OK, Seungkwan what happened” 

“I told chan I saw her, but he didn’t believe me-”

“YOU’RE JUST GONNA LIE TO HIS FACE? Hyung, you have to believe me. It's the opposite, he was too busy dancing to Girl’s Generation to follow after her. In the alley behind the club she ran into Mingyu, and completely bodied him, like I would honestly be shocked if his dick still works, and you should've seen him on the floor whining like a baby “omg my balls, why would you do that” it was hilarious-”

“Let’s not skip you crying after she punched you, hyung he was complaining the whole time “omg seungkwan is my nose crooked? I can’t pull any girls with a broken nose, talk about cock block” it was pathetic.”

Cheol was honestly amused, “Why did Seungkwan walk away scotch free?”

“She took one look at this adorable face and decided to leave me alone”

This made the other three roll their eyes and Chan suppressed a laugh. Cheol sighed and asked if they completed their one task. Mingyu smirked and pulled out his phone. The tracker he slipped in your back pocket was on and showed your exact location. Cheol grabs his phone and furrows his eyebrows 

“It says she’s been in a Mcdonalds for the last 6 hours”

“Maybe she’s really hungry,” Chan says.

“She took the tracker off idiot” Mingyu says as he smacks the back of Dino’s head. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mrs. Choi, I’m stuffed, I really can’t eat anymore.” you sigh as you sit back in your seat.

“Y/N , you really need to take care of yourself, stop with all this shady business” she says from her spot in the kitchen. 

“I know, Mrs. Choi, I promise I’ll stop soon”

“You know if you're interested, my son is very single.” 

At this you laugh. The last thing you need is a relationship, men only hold you back and ruin your life. Maybe that's the daddy issues speaking, but as for now you’ve completely crossed off men. 

“I’ll keep that in mind Mrs.Choi” you say with a smile. 

“Here, he just sent me some more pictures of him and his friends”, She sits down next to you and hands you her phone. You see the familiar face of Choi Seungcheol with a group of people. As you examine each person your smile drops. What the fuck is seungkwan, dino, and that big dude doing with Mrs. Choi’s son? You look at her bewildered, afraid to say anything and unsure of what she knows.

“Why are you giving me that face? Don’t tell me you think he’s ugly”

“Who is this big guy on the left?” 

“Ohhh i see you have taste” she says with a smirk. “That’s Mingyu, a real gentle giant. The sweetest man you will ever meet. But I’m sure he can put it down in bed” she ends with a wink.

You gasp. “Mrs. Choi STOP” 

“I’m just saying what you’re thinking”

“You know what Mrs. Choi, I think I’ve had a change of heart, set me up with Seungcheol.”

“Mom, I’m not going on a date with this girl I don’t care how pretty she is”

“Choi Seungcheol, Do you want to make your mother unhappy? I'm waiting for grandbabies and all you're doing is fooling around with those friends of yours. I showed her a picture of you and guess who she had her eye on? MINGYU! I know you don't want to lose her to Mingyu.”

Cheol squints his eyes at his mother in frustration. “Fine” he says with an eye roll. “What’s her name?”

“Y/N” she says with a smile.

A few days later Cheol walks into a fancy italian restaurant downtown, he requested a VIP room because he couldn’t be bothered to deal with cringe couples fucking eachother with their eyes two feet from him. He takes a seat and checks the time. He was already a fashionable 15 minutes late, yet you're not here. Ten minutes later and he thinks you're just not gonna show up. Joshua’s gonna give him so much shit. As he’s about to get up to leave you walk in with the tightest black dress he’s ever seen. The middle is a lacy corset exposing your torso and your tits look incredible. Cheol loves to deny he's an ass man but when you turn around to hang up your jacket he can’t help but stare. His awe of your outfit quickly dissipates as he registers your face. He immediately pulls out his gun pointing at you.

“Well this is no way to treat a lady”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m supposed to be on a date with a “nice young man with a promising future” as your mother so kindly put it but here you are pointing a gun at me.”

“How the fuck do you know my mom?”

“Mrs. Choi and I have been neighbors for the past four months. Maybe if you visited your mother more you would know”

He looks at you with contempt, but lowers his gun when he realizes you aren’t scared.

“Now, Cheolie, why were your little friends after me? Seungkwan, Dino, and Mingyu”

“How do you know their names?”

“They weren’t very quiet when yelling at each other and your mom told me all thirteen of your boys' names. The red hair one, I remember him; Minghao really suits him don’t you think? If all things go bad here, maybe you can give me his number. From the way we fought I can tell he has good stamina” you say with a wink.

Cheol furrows his eyebrows and you can feel how tense he is. “C'mon babe don’t be so mad” you say with a smile, placing your hand over his own. He retracts his hand and looks you dead in the eye.

“What do you want?”

“I don’t know about you, but I came here for a date, and maybe a little something else after. You are a very attractive man”

This somehow makes him even more mad but the waiter comes over and interrupts.

“You guys are a beautiful couple,” he says with a smile. “What can I get you tonight?”

“I’ll take whatever your most expensive item is and a glass of red wine. My lovely boyfriend here is a big spender.” you say looking Cheol dead in the eye.

“I’ll take the same, and can you give us a second alone here? My girlfriend here needs to suck me off to repay me for this meal” Cheol says with the most charming smile as your mouth falls agape. He slides the waiter $500 for his silence and looks over to you.

“Babe, save that for later” Cheol says and you immediately close your mouth. The waiter looks extremely confused and quickly leaves saying he’ll bring your food in 20 minutes.

“You can bring it quicker if you want, Cheolie here doesn’t last longer than a minute” you say with a smile as the waiter closes the door. 

“You’re a bitch” 

“Oh degrade me some more daddy” you say as you pull out your phone and snap a picture of him. He watches you type away on your phone and you turn it towards him. Your messages are open to a contact titled “Mrs. Choi” and he sees you sent her the picture of him with a message under that reads:

“Hi Mrs. Choi, I just arrived and not only has Cheol called me a bitch but he tried to push me into oncoming traffic, hit me over the head with this wine bottle, but he also tried to shoot me. You never mentioned Cheol was psychotic” 

“LITERALLY WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR ISSUE” Cheol whisper yells at you.

“There's not one lie in that text, I know you thought of doing all those things to me.”

“I thought of doing a whole lot of other things to you, but now none of that will happen because my mom is going to call me and lecture me-”

His phone begins ringing in his pocket and he looks like a child who was just scolded. 

Before his mom could even say a word he started, “Mom, she's a liar. As soon as I walked into the restaurant she started telling people I have chlamydia and they should stay away from me. Then she started cutting her toenails at the table and making the waiter clean it up, i’m telling you this girl has no home training, and to top it off she smells like she hasn’t showered in two weeks”

You gasp. “Mrs. Choi , you know I would never”

“I know sweetie, I don’t know why Cheol would make up such horrid things about you” you hear her say through the phone.

“MOM YOU'RE BELIEVING HER OVER ME? SHE SAID I TRIED TO SHOOT HER I’VE NEVER SEEN A GUN IN REAL LIFE” he says. You both look down at the gun sitting on the table and then back at each other. 

“It sounds like you two are enjoying eachothers company, I’ll leave you to it” she says and hangs up.

You two look at each other and the room is silent. You don’t want to be the one to crack first, but you can feel the tears in your eyes and your attempt to not laugh. He’s doing no better, his whole face is turning red. Luckily, the waiter returns and places the food on the table completely ignoring the gun. He immediately leaves without looking at either of you. 

You both begin to eat in silence, glancing up to look at each other every few bites. 

“So…” you say at the same time.

“The weathers nice,” he says.

“Cheol, do you want to-” your phone getting a text message interrupts you. As you unlock your phone you see it’s from an unknown number. That's weird, usually your clients go through Yeji and she relays the info to you. You open the message to see your full name, date of birth, one of your many addresses, and a picture of you and Cheol. You immediately turn around but obviously no one is here, so how did this person get this picture? Cheol looks concerned and then his face falls. You assume he received the same message. 

“We gotta get out of here” he says.

You both get up and he throws a stack of money on the table. 

“How did you get here?” he asks.

“I walked”

“Of course you did,” he sighs. “Get in the car” 

He unlocks his black sports car, which you can’t tell if it's a lambo or a porsche you're not good with cars. He calls someone as he quickly pulls off.

“Jihoon, someone is following me, send the guards to throw off their trail”

“Got it” the man on the other line says and hangs up. 

“You should wear your seatbelt Cheol” you say as you turn to look out the window. He gives you a disbelieving look. “We have bigger problems than my seatbelt” he says but he indeed does put his seatbelt on. 

“Where are we going?” you ask him, still staring at the buildings flying past you. silence.

“OK” you sigh and slump in your seat.

“You're not afraid I’ll kill you?” he says as glances at you with a smirk.

“Your mom knows you're with me, she’ll never forgive you if i'm not returned home safe and sound.” You say with a smug face. 

“Touchè"

His center console begins ringing and he presses a button to answer. The same man from last time speaks, “They said no one is following you, I checked the security cameras from the streets around you and I see nothing suspicious and no one is tracking you but us. Just turn your phone off before you get to the house; I’ll deal with it when you get here” He says and hangs up. 

“He seems very monotone,” you say as you turn to look at him.

“He is” 

Cheol is a very, very, handsome man. Despite him acting like a child his strong jawline and gummy smile make your panties wet while melting your heart. He is one dangerous man.

You guys pull up to a giant apartment building in the center of the city. He drives through a private garage and parks amongst many luxury cars.You get out the car and begin walking.

“Are these all yours?” you ask?

“Some, but the most are the other guys”

“Other guys? You mean those friends of yours”

“Yea”

This stops you in your tracks. “You mean to tell me you live with those losers?” you say trying to suppress a laugh. 

He turns around, slightly offended. “They are not losers, those guys are basically my family”

You resume walking and catch up with him, “I’m sure none of y'all get pussy” 

He looks at you smugly but says nothing. He presses the button for the elevator and you two go upstairs in silence. You enter a giant apartment, presumably the penthouse. There are giant windows and a staircase leading to a second story on your left. To your right there is a huge kitchen where Mingyu is cooking something and another tall man with glasses is following him around like a puppy. Chan and a man with black shoulder length hair enter from your right.  You smile at Chan and he stops dead in his tracks. He looks at you and Cheol and goes back to you.

“I really can’t deal with another broken nose, the ladies don’t like it”  

“Chan” The man next to him speaks, “You haven’t fucked a girl in ages, trust me when I say the nose isn't the issue.”

Chan’s face turns red and he glares at the man. “Jeonghan I fucking hate you”

“You’ll always be my baby chan” jeonghan says while pinching chan’s cheeks.

Chan pulls away from jeonghan. Yet another man emerges from the same direction, this man being a full blonde. He’s tall and toned and you set your eyes on him. 

“And who are you?” you say to him with a mischievous smile. 

He instantly blushes bright red. “I’m Jun” he says with a dashing smile and you feel yourself melt. Behind you Cheol has a pout plastered to his face. He pulls you behind him glaring at jun who raises his hands in defeat, “Dude, I have a girlfriend, I’m not interested”

“Damn it” you whisper to yourself.

“Jeonghan, call the guys down,” Cheol says and walks up the stairs.

You take off your shoes and walk towards the kitchen. “Hello, Mingyu. Sorry about your balls. I hope they're doing ok. Maybe I can kiss it better for you.” He looks at you with wide eyes but his face slowly morphs into a smirk. “I’ll take you up on that.” he says. You steal a spoon and eat a bite off his plate. You moan at the taste, “Jesus christ that's incredible.” you say. “Hot and talented, what else can you do?” This makes him smile. He loves when people compliment his skills and not just his looks. 

“And who are you, glasses?”

“Wonwoo,” he says in a deep voice.

“Hi, Wonwoo. I’m Y/N” you say with a smile.

You hear commotion behind you and turn around seeing ten men facing you. You scan their faces and Jesus christ why are they all so hot? The shock is evident on your face and for once you're lost for words. Cheol comes down stairs in a tight black vest, gold chain and basketball shorts. You look at him and realize his ass is fatter than yours… Well that's not fair. 

“Guys we have an issue” cheol begins. “While Y/N and I were out we both received messages from someone with our full names, date of births, addresses, and a picture of us together” 

“Wait, why were you two together?” a man with short platinum blonde hair ask.

“Hoshi, focus on the point,” Cheol says.

“That's a good question tho” says a man with fluffy black hair.

“Vernon, please don’t make this worse. You know what? Ok fine, we were on a date” Cheol says and sighs.

The room erupts in noise and a tall guy who looks very similar to jeonghan emerges from the group. He grabs your hand and kisses it. “Well, Cheol is a very lucky man to land a date with someone as beautiful as you.” he says with a charming smile. Cheol growls, “Joshua, Fuck off with this gentleman shit”. You look back at Cheol and see him boring into Joshua’s head. 

“Ok guys lets calm down” you say. They all stop and look at you. “Ok, I think I know everyone's names except you two” You point at a tall man with orange hair and a shorter man with dark long hair. “I’m Seokmin, but you can call me DK, and this is Jihoon”

“Oh, so you’re the brooding man on the phone” you say with a smile.

“I was not brooding” he says with a pout. 

“Ok so let me go over your names. Cheol, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Jihoon, DK, Mingyu, Minghao, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Chan”

“Guys isn't it  weird we always stand in age order?” Hoshi asks.

“Oh wow, I’ve never noticed that, '' Jeonghan says. 

“Anyways, Wonwoo, Did you find out anything about who sent the message?”

“I wasn’t able to track the I.P address, I'm assuming it was a burner phone. Y/N, can you give your phone to Gyu, maybe he can see if he can find anything.” 

You hand him your phone from your purse and he slips it in his pocket. “Don’t go snooping around gyu gyu, I have some explicit content in there” 

“Can’t make any promises” he says as he looks you up and down and licks his lips. 

“Ok so are you guys mafia orrrr?”

“Calling us mafia is kind of cringe but I guess you could say that. We're just business men who happen to partake in shady business," Joshua says.

“No, we're definitely in the mafia, I don’t know why they're so embarrassed to say it” Hoshi exclaims. 

“So what are you guys called?”

“Seventeen, or SVT”

“YOU GUYS ARE SEVENTEEN? If i'm being honest, i thought you guys were old ass men.”

“No, we're young, hot and ready to mingle” DK says. You look at him with a judgemental face.

“Ok i'll shut up” he says.

“Wait, why are you called seventeen if there's only thir-”

“DON'T FINISH YOUR SENTENCE!” they all shout at once. 

“Damn, ok. I’ll just assume Seungkwan killed the other four.”

“Why me?” 

“I don’t know you seem lethal when you’re ready to be.” This makes him smile and wink at you.

“Ok, that's enough. Hao, can you lead Y/N to the guest room next to yours. I’ll get you something to wear” Cheol says.

“She can just borrow my clothes Cheol” Hao says.

“No she can borrow mine,” Mingyu says.

“How about “She” makes the decision herself”  you deadpan.

“Chan? How about I just stay with you?”

“Chan of all people?” Seungkwan says.

Why are they so mean to chan? You know they're definitely joking but they gotta let the poor guy breathe. Maybe that's the downside of being the youngest. 

“Yes, Chan. Cmon lets go sugar” you say and grab his arm. He smiles at you and starts leading you upstairs. He turns around and sticks his tongue out at the other guys.

Chan's room surprises you. The massive space is colored in gray and black and covered in posters. The entire wall to your right is covered in mirrors. He notices your confusion and explains he likes to dance, so he uses it as a dance studio. 

“That’s really cool, maybe you can dance for me sometime”

“Sure” he says with a genuine smile.  

“My closet is over there you can take whatever you want and there are towels in the bathroom if you want to shower.”

“Ok, thanks.”

“I’ll be here when your done, I’ll shower when you're done”

You head into his closet and take one of his black t-shirts that's long enough to be a dress. You're not wearing some random man’s underwear so you’ll just reuse your own. You head into the bathroom and place your clothes on the counter. You're shocked to see a ten step face care routine on his counter. As normal as this is, you must admit you are extremely attracted to this; you love a man who takes care of himself. You quickly shower and head back out into the bedroom to see Chan laying on his bed. He looks over at you wearing just his shirt and his heart stops. He’s always thought you were beautiful, even as you were punching him in the face. 

“Are you done staring?”

“Five more minutes,” he says with a smile.

“Go shower you idiot” you say as you get into his bed.

Ten minutes later he comes out with just a towel low on his hips. There's water dripping off his toned torso and you really didn't expect him to be so built.

“I guess it's my turn to stare” you say.

He blushes and shakes his head, going into his closet and coming out with just basketball shorts. “Is it ok if I sleep with no shirt?” he asks.

“Yes, that's more than ok”

He slides next to you on his bed and you both look at each other. 

“Why didn’t you take the guest room?” 

“I don’t like to sleep alone” you say.

“Can I ask why?”

“I’d rather not explain”

“That's ok.”

“Chan, Why do the guys make fun of you so much?”

“That’s just how we’ve always been. It's like how you make fun of your younger sibling. I wouldn’t change a thing though, I love them and I know they love me”

“That's so sweet. I hope you guys remain friends forever”

“Me too,” he says with a smile.

Chan’s phone pings with a text. Its Seungkwan:

DO NOT ANSWER: I bet it's so awkward in there, we know you don't know how to talk to girls. Does she have you sleeping on the floor?”

Chan shows you his phone and you giggle.  “Do you want to prove him wrong?” you ask.

“How” he asks.

You lick your lips and look him in the eye. “Kiss me chan”

His eyes widen but he doesn’t hesitate. The kiss is extremely messy from the start, tongues clashing and hands all over each other. You straddle him and he places his hands on your hips. He begins moving your hips to grind on him and you feel him beginning to get hard. You break the kiss and attack his neck, sucking and biting making him moan. The sweet spot is right under the left side of his jaw you note. He lays you on your back and hovers over you. 

“Can I take this off?” he asks.

You raise your hands and he slides his shirt off of you. You’re wearing no bra and he groans. He gives your nipple kitten licks and takes one in his mouth making you moan loudly. He begins sucking one and rolling the other between his thumb and index finger. 

After a few minutes he begins kissing down your body, all the way to your core. He places a kiss on your pussy over your panties looking up at you to ask for permission to take them off. You nod and he peels them off with his teeth. He groans at the sight of your wetness, staring in awe. “You are so beautiful” he says and dives in. He takes one long lick and groans loudly. He immediately sucks on your clit making your toes curl. He begins drawing figure 8s with his tongue making you buck your hips. He slides his hands around your legs and interlocks your fingers to keep you from moving. He rests your intertwined hands above his head and sticks his tongue in your core pushing it as far as it can go.  He lifts his head spitting directly on your clit making you let out a pornoographic moan. He has you whining and bucking your hips like a slut.

“Baby, you're gonna wake up the whole house if you keep this up” he says as he unwinds your hands and slides two fingers in you, thrusting them in and out, hitting your G-spot every time. You feel tears brim your eyes and you moan.

“Chan please let me cum” you say a bit louder than necessary but not faking your pleasure one bit. This has got to be the best head you’ve had in your entire life. He picks up the pace of his fingers and slips his other hand up to your nipples, tugging and rolling them. 

“Cum for me baby” he says in a whiny voice and you snap. Your orgasm hits you stronger than ever and you see white. You're moaning and shaking , begging him not to stop. He fingers you through your orgasm until the oversensitivity hits you. He slides his fingers out of you and shoves them in your mouth.You suck your cum off his fingers and pull him in for a sloppy kiss, pushing your cum into his mouth. You break the kiss to gasp for air. 

“Please fuck me” you say while on the verge of tears. You didn’t realize how long it’s been since you got laid and Chan is doing everything you need. He goes to get a condom from his bedside and you help him slip it on. 

“Get on all fours facing the mirrors and stay like that, I want you to watch me fuck you like a slut” he says.

You immediately obey and arch your back for him. Locking eyes in the mirror, chan slides into you inch by inch, watching you melt. You feel so good wrapped around him, and you take him so well. He gives an experimental thrust which hits your G-spot perfectly making you drop our position. He pulls you up by your hair so your chest to chest and begins thrusting. He wraps his arm around your neck to keep you upright.

“It feels so good you can’t even follow my simple instructions?” He says as he picks up his pace. Your head falls on his shoulder and he grabs your hair to make you look at yourself in the mirror.  

“Tell me what you see,” he whispers in your ear.  

“You fucking me” you say out of breath.

“You wanna know what I see? I see a cock hungry slut who wants nothing more than to come. You can’t even listen to simple instructions because you're too cock drunk. Wouldn’t it be a shame if I edged you? Didn't let you come while I cum over and over? Would you cry? Or would you Thank me for fucking a whore like you?” 

You throw your head back and moan. Who would've thought sweet little chan has a mouth like this on him? He presses you harder to him and you feel all his muscles pressed up against you. He feels so big inside of you stretching you open on his cock.

“Oh my god, chan don’t stop” you moan and you let the tears run free.

“Oh don’t cry now baby this is what you wanted isn't it? Wanted to feel me split you in half?” 

“Yes channn this is what I wanted. I wanted you to fuck me like a slut”

He feels himself getting closer and he knows he won’t last much longer. He rubs your clit viciously, the overstimulation making it hard for you to breathe. He wraps his free hand around your neck and that does it for you. You cum screaming his name which pushes him over the edge as well. He fucks you through both of your orgasms and you both collapse in eachothers arms. 

In the room next door Minghao never felt so disgusted with himself. Instead of going over telling you two to be quiet he started palming himself through his pants. When he heard you call yourself a slut he couldn't help himself. He reached into his pants and started rubbing his head. He was so conflicted, he knew he was being a sick perv but you were just so sexy and he knew he could do better than chan. He tried to match his strokes to chan's thrust imagining how he would fuck you. Maybe you would let him use his toys and blindfold you. This thought makes him cum all over his sheets, staring at his hands and softening cock in shame. He sighs and gets up to go to his bathroom.

a/n: pt.2 is a little more plot heavy, but has cheol, hao, and mingyu's smut. I'm really excited for it :)

[tonberry-yoda]

Helpful Human - Ramattra

notes: here it is!! the very anticipated ramattra fic from this poll!!! I really love doing these polls, so expect another one today LMFAOOOOOO. but seriously though, thank you all for your patience. I really like this one. it's based off of a voice line that Rama and Baptiste have together that makes me so soft omg. this is a very fluffy fic that makes me very very happy. and jesus, i love making y/n a little omnic doctor, it makes me smile every time! please enjoy this fic and stay hydrated folks! love you all have a killer day <33333

word count: 1,199

No one looked at you the way he did. He looked at you as though instead of him being the predator, you were. He looked at you as if you could hurt him. As if you hated him. His eyes watched your every move and he even jumped when you would made any short, sudden movements.

You didn't want to hurt Ramattra. Hell, you never once thought about harming an omnic. Even during the war, when you were told you had to fight. All you wished was for a way that Ramattra could trust you. Trust anyone in Overwatch.

He wouldn't let anyone near him except any of the omnics/robots of Overwatch, spending most of his time with Zenyatta and questioning Bastion. If he was in the common rooms of the Overwatch headquarters, his eyes would linger on every human with hatred. He would watch as Bastion and Torbjorn would spend time together and Orisa would make jokes with Hanzo. He watched with what you couldn't tell was sadness, jealousy, anger or a mixture of all three.

He refused your help, even though you were the only one in Overwatch that could repair omnics like a doctor, only letting Zenyatta fix his wounds as best he could. Even though Zen knew what he was doing, it wasn't enough. He begged for you to help Ramattra, but you could only do so much.

"I want Ramattra to trust me," you had told Zen as you were cleaning up your studio. "More than anything. But I also know that he has been through hell and back. I can't force him to like me, let alone trust his lift in my hands."

"I understand my brother," Zen said to you. "But if he wants this terrible burden the world has given to him, he needs to allow humans to help. Especially humans like you." Zenyatta gave your chest a little poke and you smiled.

"I can't convince him to trust me..." You started.

"But I can try." You couldn't see it, but you knew Zen was giving you a warm smile.

After that, you didn't think much of the conversation. There was only so much that the two of you could do. You spent your time doing what you were used to doing, fixing up other robots and omnics alike who have seen more than one should.

Echo would come into your office with a smile and a crack in her arm and tell you stories, which always left you with a smile; Orisa would tell you about her past, and what she sees for her future; and Bastion would beep at you with pleasure, showing you what he had found for Ganymede.

You liked what you had, and if Ramattra wasn't a part of it, that was his choice. And that was the way you thought it was going to be for a while.

Until you heard the door to your studio open, the sound of sparking wires enter.

You smiled and turned around in your spinning chair, nearly gasping at what you found.

Ramattra's giant figure stood in front of you, his entire arm torn off with fiery sparks flying off of him, his artificial breaths uneven.

You jumped out of your seat and pointed to a medical bed large enough to fit him in the corner of the room. You didn't panic or rush, you just did your job.

Without a word, you fixed his arm and cleaned up burn marks and mud dusting his mechanical body. And he watched in silence as you mended his body back together, making it feel good as new.

You looked up at him with a smile and asked him to move his arm. "Better?" You asked, looking into his dark eyes.

He nodded at you, moving his elbow and fingers at the same time, seeing not only that they were fixed, but flowed perfectly, like a river.

"Need anything else done? Anything bothering you?" You documented your work on your computer and turned to Ramattra, who cleared his throat.

"No. Everything seems to be fine." You realized that this was the first time he had ever spoken to you and the first time you had ever heard his voice this close to you. It was deep and comforting with what sounded like gravel behind it.

"Well, I'm sorry that happened to you, but you should be good as new."

After a bit of hesitation, Ramattra sucked in a breath. "Thank you." His voice was soft and he looked down at his hands.

"You're welcome." You thought he would leave after that, but he didn't.

You paused and looked at Ramattra, who's eyes were still not on you. "You don't mind that I did that, right?" You asked, your voice kind and curious. "I know it must bother you that I'm a human and all."

Ramattra chuckled softly and looked up at you. "Well, actually, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. A helpful human is a nice change of pace. I feel," he looked up at the florescent lights in the room. "Better."

You smiled at him, but didn't know what to say.

"You know," Ramattra said, looking back down at his hands. "My brother convinced me to come here several times, but I never listened. He was on my butt about coming her now because there was no way he was going to fix a torn off arm."

You smiled. "Zenyatta's a great healer, but I don't think he knows how to weld back pieces of his own body."

Ramattra laughed at you, the roughness of his voice now soft and light.

"I don't trust him with fire at all to be honest," you said, laughing yourself.

That made Ramattra laugh harder and he looked at you with what seemed like a smile as he tilted his head.

"This took me a while," he admitted, sitting in a chair next to yours. He was a giant next to you. "But I'm really glad I came here. I don't know how often I'll be coming in though. I'm still... getting used to things."

"I understand," you told him, giving him the space he needs. "But if anything like this happens, know that I'm here to help. I promise."

Ramattra hums in approval and grabs your hand, placing what would be his lips to it, almost like he just pressed a kiss to your knuckles. You feel your face heat up as his cold fingers glide over your warm ones. He drops your hand and bows at you.

"I'll be on my way then," he says, getting up and walking to the door. "Thank you... for being so patient with me."

"Of course." You watch him walk out of the room, your voice trailing off.

You knew you were blushing, but how could you not. You hoped he would be back, but buried that thought. You don't want him to be hurt again, dummy. So you just sat and thought about what Ramattra had told you. A helpful human is a nice change of pace. You smiled at the thought. You hoped you could be the one to help.

~~~~~

overwatch masterlist | pinned post @tonberry-yoda

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

Popping

Tw graphic animal abuse (not kidding around here, really), gore

"Bursting things is so satisfying! Balloons, bubble wrap, baby animals… It doesn't matter what the thing is, I love the way it pops. My favourite non-living ones are eyeballs. There's such a lovely squish to them, and the way they splatter is just lovely."

"Oh, I know it's a pretty niche thing, but I promise it's wonderful! You hold something in your hands and squeeze, and you've got complete control over it. It screams and writhes, but you're in the driver's wheel now. Its eyes bulge as it begins choking, feeling its chest cave in, bones cracking from the pressure. The world spins red and black, and all it knows is your iron grip. It desperately holds out for all it's worth, praying that you'll release it."

"But in the end it's worth nothing, for it was futile all along. Its guts come flowing out off its throat and it splits open. The best part is when the viscera come spilling out. It's such a pretty red, like cranberry preserve, but it gets all over my fingers! I have to lick my hands clean like a little kid, and pick out all the crunchy bits. Honestly, it tastes delicious. Just like uncooked eyeballs."

"The first time I popped an animal was when I was ten. There was a little bird that had fallen out of its nest. Like any child would, I picked it up and brought it home. Every day, I pampered it and loved it. But it was sick, so sick, and I couldn't save it."

"I'd heard of euthanasia by then, and I knew that it would be a mercy. But when I cradled it in my hands. I didn't think of mercy. I thought of ecstasy, of blood dribbling down my wrists, of the helpless, dead wreck of my feathered friend, a testament to my supremacy over life and death."

"I felt so powerful when I crushed it, when it popped and revealed its succulant innards. I was the Goddess of Death, implacable and eternal. It was like a drug, shaking me to the core. And as I put it in my mouth and began gulping it down, bones and all, I knew what true power felt like. That little bird's life went down my throat in moments, reduced to a toy for my pleasure, a snack for a giant."

"I didn't stop there. I craved that high. I raided bird nests, snatched garden slugs off their leaves, and when Ms Lim down the road was giving out extra kittens, I took in two. Just for fun, I crushed one before the other and fed it its sibling's flesh. I stroked it with bloodied hands and giggled when it lapped at my arm."

"And that was how I ended up with a cat. Cute, isn't she? I call her Fluffypaws. I hand feed her and wash her and comb her every week. Nothing but the best for little Fluffypaws. If I'm lucky, I'm hoping for her to have kittens."

"Won't that be nice? Her belly full of mewling little ones, just like the sister I'd killed so coldly. All ready to grow up and live full lives. So much hope in their futures. Just delightful."

"I can't wait to crush them. To hear my precious darling Fluffypaws bay out as her body succumbs, doing everything in her power to keep my prying fingers away from her ribs, her stomach, the tiny babies that could have sprawled in the sun for many more years."

"It would make for twice, no, a dozen times more the satisfaction. So much life taken, so much hope crushed. But it still would pale in comparison so my dream, my finest fantasy, my deepest desire: to crush a human."

"I know just how I'd do it. My bare fists wouldn't be enough. Hammers would work, but it wouldn't have the same overwhelming power."

"I'd use a hydraulic press. Slowly, enough for them to beg and cry as their death descends upon them. The air would slowly be driven from them, the shards of their ribs caving inwards. Perhaps they'd turn their head to the side. Perhaps I could look them in the eye as they died, smiling and laughing all the while."

"Wouldn't it be beautiful? To destroy another so wholly? To watch their eyes be driven from their sockets in a grand burst of fluid? To let your smiling face and the knowledge that you would be the last thing they ever saw drive the despair truly home?"

"Yes, it would. And after a man, perhaps I'd crush the world, feel its dirt bend beneath my fingers, the molten core leak out, hear a trillion beasts cry out in horror. That would be nice, indeed."

Taglist: @coffeeangelinabox, @dorky-pals, @calliecwrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @shukei-jiwa

@thewingedbaron, @pluppsauthor, @cowboybrunch, @wylloblr, @possiblyeldritch

@tragedycoded, @finickyfelix, @urnumber1star, @ratedn, @ramwritblr

@vampirelover890, @possiblylisle, @illarian-rambling, @the-ellia-west, @differentnighttale

@evilgabe29, @glitched-dawn, @rivenantiqnerd, @dragonhoardesfandoms, @xenascribbles

@drchenquill, @everythingismadeofchaos, @owldwagitoutofyou, @dimitrakies, @beloveddawn-blog

@riveriafalll, @the-golden-comet, @rascaronii, @trippingpossum, @real-fragments

@unrepentantcheeseaddict, @the-inkwell-variable, @paeliae-occasionally, @an-indecisive-nerd, @thecomfywriter

@seastarblue, @wyked-ao3

(Anyone else who wants to get added can tell me in the comments, pm me, or send me an ask about it!)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the King of the Underworld.

Praise be to the King of the Underworld, lonely at the top of his rotting domain.

Before he can save their souls, he must first save himself.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

This world is a one great big lie.

Idia recognizes it now, clenched in the gaping jaws of the Underworld. Phantoms squirm around him, moaning as their distended limbs claw at the air, seeking out the final shreds of hope in their hellish pit called home. They are prisoners, trapped in Tartarus, and he, a prisoner of his own mind.

He forces himself against the bars that keep him in and violently rattles them. The ceiling above--he's filled with a visceral need to smash it, cracking it wide open.

If he is a beast, then so be it.

He will let them--let himself--out.

A dark power courses through his bloodstream. It soars, sings, uplifting him in his sorrows. It is ignorant of the tears of ink that trail down his pale cheeks and drips onto his armor. Sapphire flames, tattered fabric, and midnight ink swirl around him in a hypnotizing vortex.

He knows this form, this dizzying, addictive strength.

Overblot.

He floats, untouchable, above the masses, and above his staggering opponent. A giant, hulking figure cloaked in a flowing black toga, fire wreathing the glass bottle of its head. It bleeds ink, this being that he has knocked down.

But it is still his inner demon, this Phantom.

It is still Ortho.

It is how he is in real life, and how he appears in his nightmares. A frail soul consumed by the shadows.

Idia throws his head back, letting out a stuttering, panting, mad laugh. He gasps, rasps, chokes, heaves for air. It hurts to breathe, to try and contain his cynical grin in the face of the circumstances.

It’s fake. None of it is real.

That memory…

"Shroud. It's good of you to join us for the Opening Ceremony. Here, take my hand. We can attend the event together."

And that memory…

"That was a fun match 🎵 We completely destroyed the opposing team. Let's go for another round, Gloomy Samurai!"

All of my memories are…!!

"I need to go--my dorm leader's calling--but I'll talk to you later, Nii-chan. Tell me all about your first day of third year, okay? That's a promise!"

His senses spiral, scrambling to make sense of the revelations. They come, one after another, rapid-fire and blinding. A blitz of truths, each a punch to the gut.

He never attended the ceremony, he was holed up in his bedroom. Crimson Muscle is abandoning all of his accounts. And Ortho is... Ortho is...!!

Ortho is dead.

He isn't coming back, ever.

You lost one brother and gained another.

The happy illusion at last cracks. Its pieces fall away, revealing the ugliness beneath the splintered fantasy.

That's right. I'm always being saved by my little brothers.... What a pathetic big brother I turned out to be.

How stupid. How stupid...! Wasn't I... Wasn't I supposed to be the one to save them?

He clenches his fists.

"... Sorry, Ortho. I can't stay." Idia lifts his head, staring intently at the ceiling's closed gates. "I have to go. People are waiting for me."

"Ahahah..." The Phantom shudders, a quiet chuckle reverberating from its glass bottle cranium. No eyes, no lips--but Idia can tell he must be smiling sadly. "That's my big bro."

"Are you going to try and stop me again?" Idia tenses, and his power pulsates at the tips of his fingers, waiting for the command to be given.

"No, I understand. Besides, there's no point! You already beat the Final Boss--I don't have a second form," Ortho replies cheerily. "You just shine way too brightly to be stuck down here and shunned."

"Shine?"

The word gives him pause. Idia has never thought of himself as someone that radiates light. He imagines Cater and Kalim and Rook, tries to place himself beside them.

Him, in his blot-stained armor and gloomy disposition.

He doesn't fit.

"Me?" Idia squeaks. "LMAO. Nice bait there, Ortho. I could never be a part of that world."

"Okay, maybe not that shiny." Ortho bobs his head. "But you get it now, right? This is a strength only you have. You can go and share that amazing strength with everyone."

His curse, a blessing.

His pitiful fortune, reversed.

One last tear slides down his face.

"... Yeah. Yeah, I do,” Idia whispers. “I can.”

I can do this.

Magic pools before him, forming a single sphere of light that cuts through the depths of Tartarus. The Phantoms below vocalize louder and louder, as if in awe, in reverence, even as they balk away from the incredible shine.

"Game, set match. Gate to the Underworld."

At his incantation, a low groan rolls through the pit. Not from the monsters that inhabit it, but from the earth itself. There's a screech, a lurch, and then--

The gates above slowly pry open, letting light seep in.

"It's open. You can leave." Ortho rights himself, offering a large hand to Idia. "Here, hop on. I'll give you a boost!"

"Kk, thnx."

Idia boards--and the difference in scale between him and his "little" brother shocks him. Once, Ortho was two thirds of his height. Now Idia fits in his palm.

"Hang on tight! Keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle, we're outta here!"

The Phantom rises. Higher, higher, higher... to that single spot of light, the thread of hope in hell.

Soon, Idia will be out.

And Ortho will be no more once again.

"... You know, I really liked this," Idia muttered, a hand on Ortho's thumb. "The dream. It was fun while it lasted."

"It was," Ortho agrees, "but dreams can't last forever, can they?"

"No," Idia replies curtly, resolution in his voice, "they can't."

As the word leaves his mouth, Ortho comes to a stop. They've arrived at the cusp, at the border between this place and beyond.

Idia's grip on Ortho's thumb tightens.

"... It's alright, Nii-chan," the Phantom says quietly. "The whole universe is waiting for you."

He fights back a sob.

"Ortho... Of course. Just leave it to your big bro."

“Shoot for glory among the stars and soar like a comet," Ortho recites, poking him in the chest. "Go and get'm--and make many new memories for me, 'kay?"

“Shoot for glory among the stars and soar like a comet," Idia repeats, letting go and leaping into the air.

He blasts off in a blaze of glory, like a hero in the comics and video games. Some gallant figure, off to save the his home, his people.

"Safe travels, Nii-chan!" Ortho's voice calls after him. It's strong at first, but grows weaker as the distance between them grows.

"Good-bye!

"Good-bye...!

"Good... bye..."

"Good-bye, Ortho."

And hello, world.

[wing-ed-thing]

Autumn (Neji x Reader)

Synopsis: You and Neji come home after a long day at the Autumn Festival.

Word Count: 0.8k

Tags/Warnings: @theingiii Fluff

Notes: I've run out of Neji gifs. Like actually! But why would I make Neji gifs when I can daydram about autumn?? It's certainly not too early!

“Let me just lie down for a second.” 

The fresh berry pie you bought from the festival slid perfectly to the center of Neji’s small kitchen table. Your coat draped over the back of one of the chairs as you made a beeline to plop down on the couch, sinking straight into the cushions. Your knitted socks brushed against the plush area rug as your leg slumped over the edge. The armrest elevated your opposite ankle. Neji snatched up your scarf as it coiled to the floor, folding it next to your half-empty fall-flavored latte. 

“You’re going to fall asleep.” He frowned. 

Neji was almost sure you would. It had been a long day, beginning with you actually beating him out of bed. He remembered your silhouette as you got ready in the bluish tint of the morning. The next thing he knew, you were shepherding him across the village fifteen minutes early to the Autumn Leaf Festival with time to spare for a themed breakfast at a local cafe. 

You heard him pad off somewhere into the kitchen, followed by the ruffle of bags. You turned on your side, peering lazily over Neji’s silk decorative pillows as he unpacked your produce. You only realized how much you bought when you saw it all spread out on the counter. You had been the one talking to the farmers and stall owners, and when it was time to pay, Neji had his wallet in hand. 

“I didn’t realize how much we brought back,” you laughed sheepishly. You curled up with a pillow, letting your face smush into the soft material. If Neji had a knack for anything, it was interior design. At least you thought so. You were sure Neji would disagree. 

He had stopped in the middle of his unloading to cut a pumpkin tart in two. With plate in hand, he returned to where you lounged on the couch. The cushion dipped under him as he sat in the curve between your torso and curled legs. 

“It makes you happy, doesn’t it?” He offered you the plate, so the slightly larger piece slid toward you. You took the one half, and Neji took the other. You hummed as you took a bite, turning to stare out the glass windows of his balcony. Neji nibbled his tart, following your gaze. 

He had a view of the whole mountain. Even from where you lay, you could watch the colors of the leaves change. The mixture of reds, oranges, and browns whisked about in the wind, the sea of branches that covered the Land of Fire ebbing and flowing in tandem like a giant wave.

As busy as he was, Neji hadn’t even noticed the leaves changing until today. Despite his patrols or daily commute to the Hokage building, the season's changing colors hadn’t even occurred to him until you pointed them out earlier. Only when you were holding him close to you, wrapping a warm scarf around his neck, did he realize just how fast time went. 

Neji could have been with you at that moment for an eternity, he decided. But even that moment passed, settling like sand into a new tender moment as you ate together and watched the leaves. 

He kissed you on the forehead, pulling a neatly folded throw blanket from its spot hanging off the back of the couch.

“Go to sleep,” he said, returning the empty plate just a few steps to the kitchen. “I know you’re going to.” 

And it was the same every time. No matter how you protested or hated to admit it, Neji was seldom wrong. 

You woke up in the same position you had fallen asleep in. The sky outside had darkened, leaving few clues about how long you were out. A slight fog tinted the glass. You kicked off the blanket, suddenly warm. A few cracks from your joints made an audible sound as you slowly rose; the smell of something cooking wafted through the air.

You found Neji standing in the kitchen. His hair was pulled up into a neat bun. The collar of an apron sat at the back of his neck and tied neatly around his back. You came up behind him, nuzzling his shoulder as you slipped your hands into the apron pouch just under Neji’s ribs. You peeked around him, watching the colorful collection of vegetables swirled around his ladle. 

“I could’ve helped,” you muttered against the fabric of his shirt. Neji raised his arm, wrapping it around you. He gently combed his fingers over the parts of your hair that he could. 

“Asleep?” The side of Neji’s lips brushed against your hairline, a playful pout twitching at your mouth. You gave him another nuzzle. Neji tapped the ladle on the edge of the pot. His shirt bunched up in your two-armed grip as he turned to lay a gentle kiss on your head. “I kid. Would you grab bowls, please?”

You recoiled your touch slowly and softly, giving Neji’s bottom a quick swat as you retreated to bring him two bowls. He snorted, not even batting an eye. Neji watched the back of your head with a steady breath in, taking in this moment with you.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: I'd like to think that this is my version of a store putting out Halloween decorations in the summer.

[materlux]

The Priestess and The Swordsman - Chapter 3: A thousand forget me nots.

Some how the last chapter is the shortest, coming in at only 1k words.

Did I kinda just wanna finish it? Yes, do like the ending? Also yes.

CW: Angst, death, mentions of: Blood, body horror? Grief, it's just pain honestly.

Honkai Star Rail | Main Masterlist

It’s been only a few days since you met Yanqing, in the meantime your condition had taken a turn for the worse, a lot worse. The tendrils have cracked open further up your arm, blood flowing freely down your arm, you’re basically eating and drinking every hour to make up for the blood you’re losing.

   The part that really made it worse, was a new symptom. You’d woken up to a stinging in your arm under the bandages, a healer undid the bandages and a plant with blue flowers started standing up. The healer looked at it for a while, before they almost ran out of the room.

   The healer returned with Lady Bailu in tow, they both took to inspecting the odd occurance. You complained about the pain, and the two decided to see if it were possible to remove it.

   With a pair of tweezers Lady Bailu gently pulled at the base of the plant, with some careful movements and a lot of breaks, the plant comes out in one piece. Long roots soaked in red drip blood on your arm and the floor, she places the flower in a tray and the healer starts cleaning and wrapping the wound.

   As days go by, this happens more often with more flowers, if they are left alone the roots appear to wrap around the bone, and Lady Bailu theorises that it might be able to crack the bone.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

   This has become a daily routine; you wake up to stinging pains, the healers carefully removing the plants and rebandaging your arm, then you have breakfast. Yanqing comes by on his patrol to check on you, and Jing Yuan comes by during lunchtime. He shares Luofu delicacies he picks up on his way with you and Yanqing, if the young lieutenant decides to join you.

   As days go by you lose energy faster, most of your time is spent asleep, only waking briefly to eat. The black tendrils creep up your neck and over your chest, breathing becomes a chore. Lady Bailu suspects that flowers are growing below the surface of the tendrils, within your lungs.

   She visits more frequently now, checking your vitals almost hourly, from the way her expression sours you guess the results aren’t good.

   “General.” She addresses him one day while you sleep. “I fear they do not have long left.”

   “I figured as much,” he responds solemnly.

   “They will fall asleep soon, and I fear they won’t wake up again.” Her voice quiets as she speaks.

   “How long until then?”

   “A few days at best.”

   They spend more time by your side, every hour if they can. Lady Bailu explains, you should probably be sad, maybe even scared. But the thought of death, it fills you with a sort of impatient giddiness, you hope relief finds you quickly.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

   Jing Yuan was still sitting by your side when you made your request; “Yuan, can you fulfil a wish for me?” You had asked, your voice hoarse and barely audible. He looked at you with solemn eyes and nodded.

   “Thank you” You were tired, time was running out. “I want to see the stars again before I sleep.” He was trying, you could tell, trying to stay strong for you.

   “I can do that, don’t worry,” he whispers, voice wavering and thick with emotion.

   He pulled some strings, and now you were laid in his arms, you barely weigh anything to him now. He holds you up before the giant window, outside the vast galaxy stretches out, billions of stars reflect in your eyes. You reach out, palm pressed against the glass, it’s just the two of you.

   Jing Yuan’s lower lip trembles softly, you can see it in the reflection. Your arm grows heavy and your eyes start to droop, you lean into his arms, curl up against his chest, content. It’s odd, you think, to be this happy in the face of eternal sleep, but you’re almost giddy for relief.

   Beyond the window a shooting star flashes, you forget to make a wish, but you hope Jing Yuan made one. Your breathing is slowing, the world is becoming fuzzy, his arms tighten around you.

   “Hey, Yuan?” You call quietly. “I have one last wish.”

   “What is it?” He sounds like he’s choking.

   “I want to stay in the garden forever.”

   “Okay.”

   Finally, you close your eyes and let sleep carry you away. The world fades away, for the first time in a long time, you feel no pain. Everything is at ease as you fade away into eternity.

   Distantly you hear Jing Yuan cry, feel him crumble to the floor. You wish you could comfort him, reach out and hold him like the stars beyond the glass, but you can’t. You are both the most powerful person and completely powerless; you single handedly brought the mighty General of the Luofu to his knees, without lifting a finger, but your body no longer responds to you.

   Sound fades into nothing, the world is quiet and empty, it’s comforting and eerie. You find peace in the empty black expanse behind your eyelids.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

   A day and 2 hours, your body remains alive for a day and 2 hours. Jing Yuan stays by your side, he holds your cold hand and cries, and whispers words of comfort to your sleeping form. He doesn’t know if you can hear him, or feel his war palm against your own cold skin.

   A day and 2 hours go by, and Lady Bailu declares you dead. The General has refused to do anything but stay by your side in the time frame, a group of cloud knights have to pull him away for Lady Bailu to feel your pulse and check your heart.

  ��A day and 2 hours, and Jing Yuan orders a flowerbed in the garden be dug up for your grave.

   Two days and 3 hours, Jing Yuan, Lady Bailu, Yanqing, and the many healers who stayed by your side, gathered to bid you farewell.

   Two days and 6 hours, items are being gathered and loaded onto a starskiff, it is sent out of the Luofu into the vast galaxy.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

   Many arms gently cradle the starskiff, many eyes look over the gifts. Flowers grow and bloom from the floor, more beautiful than any ever seen by mortal eyes. A gentle kiss is placed on the front of the starskiff; “welcome home,” Yaoshi softly says, before letting the starskiff go, and watching it disappear into the void.

[elynnss]

binary stars

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53886976

“I want at least three.” 

Cassiopeia twinkles above. Sirius follows the zig-zag of it down to Perseus, then Taurus, then Gemini. Castor and Pollux take turns flashing. 

“Oh yeah? And how many does she want?” 

The serpentine line of Draco flows down to Ursa Major. Part of him wants to sit up and turn to see Andromeda, but he’s comfortable on his back, with James a warm line of warmth along his side. 

“I’ll convince her. Being an only child is lonely. They need someone to play with.” 

“You wouldn’t play with them?” 

“Course I would! All the time. They’ll be quidditch players before they can speak. But I won’t be around to play all the time.” 

“Oh please. You’ll be the stay at home wife while poor Lily goes to work. I can already see it.” 

James just laughed, elbow knocking into Sirius’. It should have been freezing with the cracked stone of the Astronomy Tower at their backs and the cool October wind in their hair. But James was like an inferno- a sun amongst stars. Sirius wasn’t cold at all. 

“Nah. I’ll be a pro quidditch player. She’ll never work a day in her life if I can help it.” 

“Oh, you know she’d hate that.” 

James sighed, dreamy. “Yeah. Yeah, she would.” 

Lyra, Cygnus, Cepheus. Silence sat comfortable between them. 

“Do you want kids, Sirius?” 

“I’ve… never really thought about it.” 

He tried very hard not to. Kids only ever made him think of closets and family dinner and the flick of unfriendly wands and his own eyes staring back at him, big and wet with tears as he pleaded, pick me up, S’rius-

“Nah. Nah, I don’t think I will.” 

“Really? You don’t think Moony would ever want one or two?” Somedays, Sirius thought Remus didn’t even want to be with him. With them. Not for lack of love, but for that persistent, unyielding fear that someday his claws and teeth would finally sink into one of them. He sincerely Moony would tolerate something as helpless as a child in his life. 

“Maybe. I think he’d be scared, though.” 

James hummed. He didn’t need to ask what he’d be scared of. 

“And you? C’mon, they could be cousins, Sirius.” 

“I don’t think I’d be a good dad.” 

Hercules. Bootes. Ursa Minor. 

“I don’t think that's true.” 

“Don’t have the best example, do I?” 

If he squinted, he could see Mars. 

“I think that’d help you know what not to do then, no?” 

He did shudder a bit, then. Sometimes, there had been smiles, a hand on his head, a fountain of sparks to make two little boys laugh. It all got too mixed up, too jumbled to know which hands and which sparkes had been good and which had hurt. 

James only hummed at his silence, unfazed. This wasn’t the first time they’d spoken about this, or something like it. 

“Godfather, then. You two can babysit. How many can you handle?” 

He thought of James, happy but alone in a giant house. He thought of a set of three sisters, of the one who’d been left behind. 

He thought of nights just like this, with a different boy on top of a different set of ancient stones, pointing at the same constellations as they named their cousins and aunts and uncles one by one. 

“Two. Or four. Keep it even. One always gets left behind when it's uneven.” 

Sirius had a brother. He did not have a brother. His brother was asleep, countless stories below. His brother was next to him, staring at the sky. 

“Alright, Pads. Even numbers it is. I think I can convince her into that.” 

Sirius knew he would. Knew Lily would sigh and give in, as if she wasn’t just as excited. Knew that one day, James would host dinner for all of them at Potter Manor with a horde of rambunctious children at their feet. 

And Sirius would take them outside and point out stars, help their little hands trace out constellations. And his heart would ache- impossibly full and impossibly hollow as he stared up at the night sky- just as it did now. 

His side was warm. His brother was miles below him. His brother was right beside him. 

[cutetinyartist]

G/T July Day 3: Impulsive

[For this prompt I did a short fic + illustration of Bowuigi!!]

Synopsis: When Princess Peach sets up Bowser and Luigi on a Blind-Date (after they've so obviously been hitting it off whenever Luigi visits Bowser in his Prison Chambers), the romantic atmosphere leads to an impulsive embrace...

Characters:

Luigi, Tiny!Bowser and Toad (tho he's barely in it- Also, these are the Movie Versions of the characters and this takes place a few months after the Movie~)

Word-Count: 1,138

Bowser eagerly adjusted his little white bowtie as he stood on the nicely decorated table (that to him was now approximately a third of the size of his former throne-room). When a few Toads had entered his prison chambers a few hours prior and told him to prepare for a date, he truly thought the Princess was finally willing to give him a chance! Although, there was another human who'd been on his mind a lot more over the past few months...

...

Luigi fidgeted nervously as he approached the fancy restaurant. The Princess had told him just a day ago that she was setting him up on a Blind-Date with, "a guy I just KNOW you'll love, even if it seems strange at first!" He honestly wasn't 100% sure what she'd meant by that, but he trusted her word.

"Hey, Luigi! You're just in time!" Toad enthusiastically greeted him at the door, wearing a uniform typical of a waiter in this sort of establishment, "If you'll just follow me I'll show you to your table! This place is normally super busy right now, buuut the Princess made sure it'd be empty especially for you and your Date!" Toad wittered on as he led Luigi across the restaurant...

The plumber felt his knees go weak as his gaze landed on the table and he locked eyes with the King Koopa, looking just as shell-shocked as he did.

"So! I'll just leave your menus here, I'll be back shortly for your order aaand I'll leave you two to your date!" Toad couldn't hide his shit-eating grin as he practically dragged Luigi into his chair before hurrying away to the kitchen.

"LUIGI? YOU'RE my date??" Bowser growled, feeling a fiery blaze in his stomach (even though at this size he was unable to actually breathe any flames). He had to crane his neck to even see the gangly plumber's blushing face, towering above him.

"B-Bowser! Hey!" He could only stammer, "I- uh- h-how have you been? Um, y-y'know, since I last saw you... yesterday..." He trailed off, seeing Bowser's unimpressed facial expression.

"JUST BECAUSE YOU VISIT ME ALMOST EVERY DAY DOESN'T MEAN I- THAT I'M-" He sighed angrily, "Was this your idea?"

"What? No! I-I mean- I HAVE thought about m-maybe asking you out a few times, I guess-"

"You- you have? Really?" His tough facade cracked slightly, and he tried to ignore the butterflies he briefly felt at that confession.

Luigi nodded, at a sudden loss for words. There was something so cute about how the tiny Bowser's demeanour had shifted, he thought to himself.

"Huh, nobody's ever wanted to ask me out..." Bowser thought, noticing the soulful sincerity in Luigi's sky-blue eyes, "I suppose I could at least indulge him a little, just for tonight..."

...

Once the initial shock had worn off, and the two had settled down and eaten their meals (Luigi had just gone for spaghetti, whereas Bowser had managed to devour an entire steak), the conversation was flowing just the same as it would when Luigi would normally visit Bowser.

"Those stupid Toads didn't even give me a chair!" Bowser grumbled, getting a bit fed up with sitting on the table's wooden surface. He'd been sat beside a wine-glass that was about twice his height, sipping his drink out of a shot-glass instead.

"Y-you know- if you're uncomfortable sitting there- maaaybe I- I could-" Luigi gestured vaguely with his palm, "I mean- if you want-"

Bowser rolled his eyes with a smirk, waltzing over to the sheepish giant and tugging at his sleeve impatiently, "Alright then, Weegee, lemme up."

The plumber let out a bashful giggle before lowering his hand for the Koopa to clamber onto. He just managed to suppress an "Aww," at just how tiny Bowser actually was, fitting so perfectly into the palm of his hand. He couldn't help but to admire every one of his intimidating spikes and scales, knowing how easily he could still use them to do some damage... Though, it was endearing to him how those harsh features contrasted greatly against his soft ruby hair and the softer side of his personality.

Bowser smirked again at how flustered Luigi got just by holding him. He had to admit that the blush painted across his face, just barely concealed by that cute moustache, was adorable. Plus there was just something so sweet about the fact that Luigi had gone to all the effort of wearing a pine green tuxedo (complete with a charming green bowtie and 'L' cufflinks), but had still worn his signature hat over his fluffy hair! He'd also put on the most subtle nude makeup around his shimmering blue eyes. Eyes that looked at Bowser with a sense of love that the Koopa had never truly felt before...

"It's kinda funny how you- how you towered over me before, but now I can do this!" Luigi chuckled, earning a light scowl from Bowser, "Can't say I've ever been on a date like this!"

A very noticeable blush crossed Bowser's face at that word, "Well, I can't say I've ever even BEEN on a Date. But..." By this point his tough facade had dissipated completely, "You've been a pretty great date, Weegee. I guess... love really does make a guy come out of his shell."

Luigi's entire face felt like it was burning up as, without really thinking, he impulsively leant in for a kiss. His heart was racing as his lips collided with Bowser's entire face, embracing him with nothing but pure love. Soft piano music played gently from the speakers somewhere above the two, adding to the romantic atmosphere. Bowser was honestly surprised that Luigi had made the first move, but he was so enamoured with the timid giant that he instantaneously reciprocated the passionate smooch, leaning into the plush lips and stroking his chin with clawed fingers. As the two leant even more into it, they realised just how much they'd been wanting it-

"DESSERT!" Toad suddenly burst into the scene, completely startling the duo. He seemed entirely unphased by their embrace as he delivered the sweet treats (a Chilli Chocolate Cake and a Strawberry Cheesecake).

"Oh! Um! Thanks!!" Luigi let out an anxious chuckle, still holding Bowser close to his face, "It- it looks really good!"

"Heh, you talking about the dessert or your boyfriend?" Toad teased as he walked away, internally super excited that the Princess' idea had actually worked! He chuckled as his question was met with a growl from Bowser and a yelp from Luigi, "Enjoy the food, Lovebirds!"

"Boyfriends..." Bowser muttered, making Luigi's heart skip a beat, "Huh... I could get used to that," He smiled, earning yet another surprised yelp from Luigi.

"Same here!" He grinned from ear to ear, already about to lean in for another impulsive smooch...

[noffy96]

Kustardweek day 2 Dragon

didn't have as much time to flush this out as much as i wanted too. But the idea is at least out there, maybe someday in the future I or anyone else can make it more detailed. Still enjoy

Don't mess with Science

Chapter 1

word count: 714

Status: complete

Chapter Summary:

As they frantically tried to reverse the flow There was a loud clank flowed by smoke. Not wanting the forest to catch on fire, he sank down to his knees to yank out the batteries. The glow expanded outward along with a large burst of wind and a loud crack blowing him away from the machine.

or

Sans and Red are testing a new machine they built. A mishap turns Red into a dragon

written for Kustardweek2024

Or read below !

He looked over the equations once again. Then back at Red who was tinkering with the machine. They had teleported their latest invention outside. To the clearing in the woods away from worried humans.

He was sure Papyrus would also have something to complain about it, but at least it got him out of the house. Meeting Red had reignited his love for research and science. Their experiments went as much wrong as they did right.

But talking with someone who could understand his ramblings was so much fun. Their latest invention would allow you to share magic signatures. Letting you use magic not normally available to you. Today they were gonna do a small test run.

In the lab, they had been able to change the magic signature of a rock to ice. But plants were alive, so a step harder to crack. Just to minimize the side effects they thought taking the machine outside where it could hover above the flower they were looking to change would be better than trying and replant it hoping they would do that right. And for it to be in its natural state, there is less chance of side effects.

He checked the warning lights, and they read off the numbers as he signalled Red.

“All looks good over here”

“Same for me, think we can start?”

He double-checked his list and the position of the machine.

“Looks like we are ready”

With that, they turned the machine on. For a few minutes, everything seemed to go normally. But then the numbers on his screen started growing exponentially. Red started cruising, And a glow was starting from the flower.

As they frantically tried to reverse the flow There was a loud clank flowed by smoke. Not wanting the forest to catch on fire, he sank down to his knees to yank out the batteries. The glow expanded outward along with a large burst of wind and a loud crack blowing him away from the machine.

He got up with some difficulting coughing out the dust that he had inhaled. Only for the ground to shake, He looked up to see a giant red-coloured dragon right in front of him. Feet stomping wildly before falling over with a whine.

His eye flashed, intent to defend himself if need be. But when the dragon opened his eyes he saw the familiar eye lights of his boyfriend

“Red?”

He screamed coming closer, as the giant dragon let out a whine,

“Change me back..this feels awful”

Red's voice came from the beast's giant maw. He blinked surprised as he came to a stop beside his boyfriend.

“I mean of all the things you could look like, you look like a dragon...That's pretty cool…maybe you could even fly, certainly have the wings for it.”

There was a loud growl and he took a hurried step back

“I can feel myself breath, the fleshy organs in my gut, I have lungs…I shouldn’t have lungs! It feels awful and weird and fleshy and if I move anymore I will hurl. And if you laugh I will do it all over you”

He quickly raised his hands in a playacting gesture. Red's giant claws came to rest over his snout with an angry yet sad-sounding whine. Tail curled in close like it was trying to comfort him.

“Sorry, i really didn’t think-”

“Just shut up and fix me please”

The giant head turned away from him but then made an unhappy noise. With a sigh, and eyes slowly filling with worry he placed a gentle hand on what he supposed was the dragon's shoulder Giving a gentle but firm pet, Then after a few seconds, he decided to lean over and kiss his forehead.

“I'll do my best”

Red seemed to relax a little bit. As he walked away he could hear the quiet murmurs of

“Fuck I can feel the scales sliding over my bones, it is like having dunked them in slime”

He started reading out the machine wondering what the hell went wrong that his boyfriend turned into a dragon. He heard a panicked noise when some smoke had risen from his lover’s nose. He just knew, that it likely would take longer than he initially thought.

[stinmybubs]

“Jewelry Box.” FANTASY AU Pt.2

AN: I love this concept too much I need to write more.

Summary: Fighting to succeed to the throne, you do everything in your power to become the next ruler of the Caataeta Empire. Even if meant cursing yourself with a power that secures your throne. You wish for no lover, just people you can help you chip away the curse that's killing you, and to secure your empire. You need husbands, wives. A Jewelry Box.

AFAB! Reader x a series of characters.

Pt.1

You’ve never been more livid in your life. You didn’t want to be married off to a kingdom you’ve never been to! You wanted to rule over the nations. You wanted to call the shots.

Your anger clouded your judgement. “Momo…I’m going to the dungeons. Make sure no one follows.” You hiss, glaring at the innocent black haired girl. Worry was painted all over her face as she opened her mouth ti pro protest but you simply hurried past her.

Oh (Y/n)…please don’t do anything rash. Momo thought, looking at your figure with dismay.

You knew exactly how to secure yourself the thrown. You needs a higher power, you needed to be stronger then the men that are thing you down.

You needed magic. Magicians a rarely ever turned away from empires or kingdoms, they can always do how they please having their own tower all to themselves. You, only held little magic, but you knew an old ancient rule of the imperial family.

You were able to connect yourself with a greater curse, then you could secure yourself the thrown. I must. I have to. No matter the cost I must secure the throne. You slammed the dungeon door open, looking around the damp, and dark stairs.

Momo simply handed you the torch, you refused to let her come down with you. She waved you off with much worry, watching your figure disappear down the spiral stairs.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs you approach the cell rooms, simply glancing in each room before you settle before the giant gate door beneath the castle walls. This is where the imperial family magicians are trained, and this is where you’ll summon the tortured souls of the imperial magicians.

You grabbed a dagger off the weopnary walls, hovering it over your hand thinking of where to cut. You didn’t want to kill yourself, simply sacrifice an amount of your blood. So you cut into your arm.

Watching the blood drizzle out your arm, a faint feeling coming over you. But you stand there strong, watching the Stoney floor cracks be filled with blood and it slowly flow throughout the floor.

“Bring me the damned souls of the imperial family! I give you blood! I give you my life!” You cry, trying your best to stand tall.

There was a flicker, then another. Then whirling, screaming souls of the damned family, reaching out for you. You felt no fear, for your desire for the throne was greater than no other.

“Give me your curse! Give me the power of the throne!” You shout at the screaming whirl of smoke and boney-hands reaching for you. The only thing that scared you was the familiar voice.

Your mother.

“Do you understand what accepting the imperial curse will do?” A tear. A singular tear sheds from your eyes as the voice cancels out any noise. You saw her hand, her golden hand teacher for you. Your mother peaked from the middle of the smoke, she was like a golden spirit trying to stop you.

“You will no longer feel pain. You will no longer feel love. You will no longer feel regret. You will be the vessel of the damned.”

You could feel the warmth of your mothers hand on your cheek. Listening to her words carefully.

“Yes mother! I’ve worked so hard! I’ve done so much, I’ve SACRIFICED so much. I deserve the throne. I am the rightful crown of the Caataeta Empire!” You let all your pain out, you grieve in your mothers hand, sharing all that has wronged you.

“My poor daughter…go change this world. Change you destiny.” Your mother was sucked away from you. Tears streaming down your face. In a blink of an eye the smoke flew out you. But you felt…normal?

It only lasted a minute until your body started to pulsate in pain. Your through starting to clog with blood and vomit. Your eyes began to itch and sting. You I’m Iida tell drop to your knees scratching at the floor trying to embrace the pain.

You tried screaming, you tried making any noise. You reach for the door. Am I dying..? You think, a flash of Momo’s face coming into your mind, your heart began to race. I can’t. You let the mixture of blood and vomit spill from your mouth onto the floor.

Your noticed all your blood for the summoning had already gone. Could you really handle the curse? Your frail body..? Are you really this….weak.

You hold your throat, feeling your eyes begin to tire. No. You can’t faint. You can’t die. You must do as your mother said. You must save yourself, change this world.

Slowly, you began to pick yourself back up. Your desire taking over the pain as you walked yourself out the imperial magician room. You didn’t even look back. The pain was fading, as you walked up the stairs you felt lighter. Relieved?

As you open the dungeon doors Momo greater you with a smile. But soon it was replaced with a look of horror and worry. “(Y-y/n)! Your dress! Your eyes! What happened?” She quickly came to your aid wrapping your arm around her shoulders.

“I’m fine. No need to worry Momo.” This was weird. You didn’t feel anything when you saw her, not like you normally do, youve always felt at ease and at home with Momo. But now…

You felt nothing.

A couple of days has passed and you hadn’t left your room, simply staring at the wall. You’ve noticed a change in your appearance, that being your eyes. A giant red x had painted over your eyes, but you could see perfectly fine.

“Strange…” you murmur, lifting yourself off your bed and to your vanity. You felt nothing, no beauty, no confidence. Nothing.

“Mother was right…as always.” You stare at yourself for a brief moment, just sitting in silence staring at your room door.

The door finally opened revealing Momo with a tray of tasty treats. But you still felt nothing. You were usually excited for tasty treats such as these. “(Y/n)…are you doing well?” She worriedly placed the tray on your tea table. “You haven’t told me to help you get ready…you haven’t left your room…and…” she looked like she was about to cry?

“I’m fine Momo…”you really were. But you just didn’t know what to do, or how to feel anymore.

Why did I do this again…? You question yourself, it was lying staring into the abyss your mind was blank. Ah…yes…I remember. The throne. You didn’t feel the anger anymore, but you still wished for this power.

“Momo, you can stop worrying. Help me get dressed for an audience with the king.” You give her a gentle smile to ease her worries. Momo was happy to help you get ready. You could see her smile, which you always thought was beautiful. But you can’t feel it anymore.

“(Y/n)!? What have you done daughter !” The imperial father shouted, his look of horror upon seeing his daughter.

“What father? Never seen the imperial curse before?” You smirk crosses your face, you loved seeing his horrified face. A sense of satisfaction writhed over you. You finally felt something after days. You felt the sweet taste of victory.

“You look like a demon! No la-“ you quickly approach him. Faster than you thought because you were gone from your spot in a instant.

“This secures the throne…as in the imperial records and law.” You state, looking down on your own father. “I expect my coronation tomorrow, and my imperial brother thrown in prison. Or even killed.” You smirk seeing your fathers face contort in fear.

“You cannot do this! I am the-“ you cut him off, your red x glowing brighter as he started choking. How satisfying. You think letting the man breath after a moment.

“Announce it. Good day father I shall excuse myself.” You curtsy, and make your way back to Momo, in which she nodded to you and followed behind you.

“You still must meet with the Todoroki prince! (Y/n) one last request from your father!” He yelled across the room, holding his neck.

“I supposed I should…let’s host a ball then!” You clap your hands enthusiastically. Of course you felt nothing about it. You need to put on an act of emotion!

“Is this tight enough princess?” Momo questioned, tightening your corset has always been a hassle, you used to hate the pain of not being able to breath in it.

“It’s fine Momo.” You smile gently at her, at least you could no longer feel the pain of corsets.

The ball was dull. Nothing interesting caught your eye, until the announcement of prince Todoroki of course, he to your surprise was quiet young and handsome. Maybe even the same age as you.

You lift yourself up from your throne, your father had an ugly smile on his face sitting in your soon to be throne. Watching as the red and white haired boy approached you, kneeling to kiss your hand.

“Care for a dance..?” His face was stoic, almost no emotion. You simply nod and let him lead.

“How do you feel about this engagement prince Todoroki?” You ask, knowing he probably wouldn’t want this either since he might have a lover. “I don’t mind it…I think it would be a great alliance.” He states matter of factly. Boring, but cute. You think as you two continue to dance.

“How do you feel about this arrangement your imperial highness?” His question seems to be more curious and genuine. “I don’t wish for it of course. But I’ll consider it once I am empress.” You state.

“Empress? Oh yes I heard you were now crown princess, my apologies.” The silence on Todoroki’s end was awkward, but for you it was nothing.

The silence continued until you two had ended the dance, bowing to one another. You made your way to the balcony to feel the cool air. This usually would’ve made you more relaxed but you still felt nothing. “Ah…would I have been happy…? To wed such a young man and join his court?” You stare at the stars. Wondering if you had done the right thing.

“You never know…” the familiar stoic voice of prince Shouto wouldve startled you normally. “No one is ever happy with arranged marriages. Especially my parents…but none of us can change it.” He stated plainly, taking his place next to you on there balcony.

“You are a very beautiful women, you could get any suitor you want especially in your position.” He was very correct, you had everything. Looks, smarts. But what was it all for if you couldn’t succeed the throne?

“I guess you could be right…but why wed someone for position? Especially you shouldn’t want this…since your parents seem so unhappy.” You state back, putting arm under your chin.

“I shouldn’t…especially when my father drove my mother so crazy…she poured boiling hot water onto my face.” He covered the scar that covered a part of his face. “No one would marry something like this…” he looked back at the stars.

“Well I think scars are beautiful…it shows how strong someone can be…it shows the battles someone has been through…mentally and physically.” You look at the boy, making slight eye contact with him.

“And a scar doesn’t define who you are.” You turn on your heel and walk back into the full ballroom.

Leaving that handsome boy a bit dumbfounded.

AN: TEEHEE!!! Two in one day!! This story has me in a chokehold.

[hanayori89]

Veiled Emotions

*Arbiter's Grounds*

You plopped on the ground in defeat, as the information you just obtained bled from your memory. You kept notating the Temple of Time and the Rod of Dominion. You might not have taken the harsh blows Link had, but goddesses, you were exhausted.

How do I even get out of here? Something about the proximity of the stars made you hesitant to leave. You ripped the turban you had created from Link's spare linen off your head, creating a cushioned respite to lay on. The snug knot amazed you with its staying power. As you fought to untangle it, a thought came rushing toward you like a meteor catapulting toward the earth.

Didn't they say it would take more to kill me than quicksand? If I survived, how did I end up here in the mirror chamber? I'm fairly certain it is above where Link and I were. You can't sink upward. Those sages saved me. Yet, why? How could they save me when such devastation is latent within me? Link may be with me on this journey, but it is I who must save myself.

Each star that twinkled was like a head nodding in agreement. Before you could ask the mighty hydrogenic giants for more advice, a whizzing resonance filled the air.

"Y/N?"

Link's voice obstructed your thoughts. "Link!" You stood, waving your hands to signal to him. You weren't sure if it was an illusion of the light, but when Link wasn't by your side, the passage of time was agonizing.

As he barreled toward you with the speed of light, Link's whole face was aglow with relief.

You began to jog toward him. As fast as your sore limbs would allow.

"Y/N! I'm so happy you're alright!" Link leapt from the spinner; his abrupt abandonment made it spiral in the distance. It smashed into the ground with a disruptive clank. You also leapt, your feet forcing your body to spring off the ground and into Link's open arms.

He enveloped you in a hug of steel, stroking your hair in the same loving way he stroked Epona's mane. He murmured into the top of your head," I wouldn't have forgiven myself if something happened to you. I don't care if the seal was broken, and I was forced to fight Ganondorf again. Or if they stripped me of my Triforce, if I couldn't see you again I-"

You pulled away, seeing relief flood his eyes in the form of flowing tears. 

You couldn't help but crack a distasteful joke. "Link, I think you're around me too much. If it's not me crying, it's you."

He wiped his eyes; a joyous laugh erupted from him. "I'm never going to be around you too much. Time is unforgiving in its passage. Especially when that time is spent with you."

You both silently delighted in the intuitive connectedness you shared. So it wasn't a trick of the realm of light; it was a trick of the heart. Your eyes took hold of him, settling on the slits that dotted his arm. A slight smudge of blood was lined above his forehead. You tapped a finger against it, feeling its crusty residence on his skin.

"Link, we need to get your wounds cleaned."

"Wounds?" He smirked cockily. "These are nothing."

"Be that as it may, they can get infected. Even the Hero of Twilight is not immune to infection."

"Sounds like you're worried about me." His eyes were cast downward, overtly concentrated on your lips. You felt yourself drowning in the quicksand of his opulent blue eyes. Now that you've experienced both, the latter was more pleasant.

You stuck a finger into his shoulder playfully, attempting to break the tension. You didn't know how to share with Link the atrocity that resided within you. You felt a sense of duty to protect him, not just because of who he was in legend, but because of who he was to you. "You're displaying an awful lot of hubris right now."

His eyes popped out in excitement "Y/N! There, just now! I didn't hear a trace of Twili in your accent! Your speech is improving at breakneck speed! And since you felt the need to mention my "hubris," I'll take full responsibility for your rapid language growth."

"Breakneck speed? The colloquialisms you possess here are beyond odd. If it breaks your neck, then how would that speed be beneficial?" 

Not even the echoes of the sages could interrupt the shared laughter between you and Link. The sound of him laughing was one of the simplest joys that you cherished in this realm. Hearing the sound of him retain a chuckle, only to succumb to laughter, made your stomach feel funny. It was as if there were a bird trapped in a cage that wanted to be set free. The immensity of it was too much to comprehend. You had to focus on your mission. Once he was married and you converted, you'd most likely never see him again. Grimness began to threaten your mood like an overcast storm cloud.

"Link, we should go. I do have work tomorrow."

"Wait, silly girl, what about the sages? That is our objective after all."

"Ah, yes. Well- I took care of that."

"Y-you saw them? What did they say?" He stammered, unable to sheath his surprise.

You weren't sure how to formulate the inputted information the sages had gifted you. There was also the ambiguous assertion that the one sage never finished. Link had found me. Along with something else.

As you ventured into a hypothesis of what the sage might have said, you realized you too had found something.

It was within the way Link would give you an off-kilter grin. Or the way his eyes were like ponds of passion you wanted to take a dip in. It was even within the unwelcome silence when distance crept in between you both.

You weren't sure how long you could keep the bird locked in its cage. Because whenever you looked at Link...

You had found that you were falling in love.

*Kakariko Village*

Y/N had brought Link up to speed with the next task for her conversion. He couldn't help but feel he was teetering with too many plates of responsibility in his hands. He wasn't sure he could continue to balance them.

Or that they wouldn't all come crashing down.

It was paramount to Link, especially after today, that he kept Y/N out of harm's way. The easiest way to do that would be to not expose her to it at all. Link couldn't perceive another incident like today.

He just couldn't.

So, while Y/N worked, Zelda and he would go over the next course of action. He just wanted to be sure to mention this to Y/N as delicately as possible. It was technically her mission, after all.

There was also the imminent ass reaming about his not-so-discreet squabble with Aryn. He didn't want Y/N to know that had occurred. Not until he himself could understand Ilia's bewildering change in character.

Or, at the very least, come to terms with it.

The sun had long set. Link had found that his energy did not match that of the sun. He felt nothing but the buzzing of energy coursing through him. He continued to mentally note all the tasks he had to complete tomorrow. After his outing with Zelda, he would have to do the undesirable.

Confront Mayor Bo. Link hadn't thought much about how to go about it. Mayor Bo could very well be innocent of what has been going on behind the scenes. Link wanted to believe he was. The idea of two people close to him betraying him was a lot to absorb. He wanted to have hope that it was just one.

Not that numbers mattered when that betrayal came from your childhood best friend. 

Yes, there was much to be done. But tonight, he had something special in store.

Out of all his daunting tasks, the only one he cared about was making Y/N smile.

*

"Link? Are we going back to Ordon? This doesn't look like the way we came." Y/N had resumed her too-close-for-comfort position against his back. Link had tried to ignore the friction of her soft flesh melting into him, tautening when she lifted herself over his shoulder and whispered into his ear. "This is definitely not the way we came."

"Because it's not the way we came. You'll see shortly."

Link could hear a soft 'hmph' in his ear as he bit his lip, thrilled that he had managed to stump her. He was certain she had forgotten when he mentioned getting her dress fixed in Kakariko. He had it hidden in one of the compartments within Epona's saddlebags.

It had been a difficult day. Link had no idea that Y/N would come dangerously close to being engulfed in a quicksand hole or that he would be so achy from an arbitrary Stalkin encounter. He tightened his grip on Epona's reigns, frustrated with himself. He should make it a point to train with Colin more. As it was, Colin could probably kick his ass.

A persistent feeling weighed Link down as they strode into the tranquility of Kakariko Gorge. He had felt it in the mirror chamber. He had seen it on Y/N's face. The faintest shadow of sadness. Was there something she wasn't telling him? Why did they always hide things from each other? Link wanted to be liberated from duty, but how was constantly lying out of the idea of protection any better? He couldn't wait to progress to the point in their relationship where the only thing veiled would be her face on their wedding day. After all, veils were for brides, not emotions.

Our wedding day? Calm down, Link. You can't even tell her how you feel without looking like a buffoon. Yet he couldn't seem to stop his fantasies from floating up to the distant clouds above Death Mountain.

Death Mountain, it's good to see you. Old friend.

The air had taken a chilly turn thanks to Kakariko Village being nuzzled between the mountains. Behind him, Y/N shivered into his back. Through chattering teeth, she asked, "Link, what is this place?"

"Kakariko Village." Link subtly peeked behind him to see if her face reflected any sort of recognition. It didn't. He assauged, "Kakariko Village is closer to Castle Town than it would be to go all the way back to Ordon. I'm also worried about Epona; she isn't used to riding like in her hero days. It'll do us good to rest here. Besides..." A stupid smirk crossed his lips. "Didn't you say you wanted to clean my wounds?"

"I-I said they needed to be cleaned. Not that I would clean them!" The way Y/N responded was like a fish helplessly out of water. Link couldn't help himself and began to laugh in the same effortless way he always seemed to do in her presence. "You know, sometimes my mouth hurts when I'm around you. From laughing so much."

Y/N huffed, "I'm sorry. Isn't laughing better than crying? We seem to do a fair share of that as well."

"They're both good. It means I can be raw with you. Something I can't seem to do around others, I do around you with ease." Link conducted himself back into a stoic manner. He directed Epona to a rogue stall. Once she was situated, he hopped off, unloading the saddlebags. Epona discharged a satisfied rumble from her lips. This was the equivalent of a horse's sigh of relief. His forehead bumped against hers. "You did well today, girl. You always make me so proud. Now you get to rest. That feels good, doesn't it? Not having all that weight on you."

Link took a moment to take in his surroundings. Back when he was saving Hyrule, he had learned to stop and smell the roses more. You never know when you might not smell them again. Kakariko wasn't as exciting as Castle Town, nor was it as tranquil as Ordon, but it was quaint. Sure, the many houses and shops that dotted the path to Death Mountain could use a fresh coat of paint. Maybe it could even be remodeled with some fresh wood that wasn't chipped and splintered. But to Link, it was part of Kakariko's charm.

It's also secluded. The slightly naughty thought made his cheeks warm. He was grateful they were in Kakariko, where his true self could remain concealed within the unabated overshadow of the mountains. His passionate self. Link noticed Y/N was still dawdling atop Epona. He hesitantly held his hand up to her. "My lady, would you care to join me?"

She gave his hand a hard stare, as she had when they first met. Then a smile slowly spread across her face. "Sir hero, thank you." She placed her hand within his. He held it, smoothing his fingers over her silky skin as if it were a precious bar of gold. He carefully guided her off of Epona. Once her feet were safely planted on the ground, they stood with their hands still intertwined.

Her fingers remained laced within his until she took him by surprise and firmly pressed her palm against his.

The coy glance of her e/c eyes made Link's knees buckle. Should he let her hand go?

I don't want to let go. Ever.

Link waited for her to pull her hand away, but she never did. He began to slowly step forward, her footsteps pacing with his.

Until they continued walking up the path, hand in hand. A mutual understanding passed between them.

Neither one of them wanted to let go.

Could it be the veil was finally being lifted?

A/N: Edited 2/19/24

Welcome to Kakariko Village, where secrets are kept buried deep and unexcavated.

Your journey to conversion is more than a trivial fantasy at this point. You have your father, Zant, to thank for that. As you get to know the shadow within you and how to keep it quelled until it is annihilated; you must cage it close to your chest along with your feelings for Link. What would set the shadow off? And do you really want to find out?

Link is also keeping his own shadow buried- the shadow known as his developing feelings towards you.

Get the shovel ready; it's all digging and unearthing in the upcoming chapters.

Check out my other completed OOT Zelda work- No Woman Beyond

[imagine-darksiders]

Could we get some love for Valus here? I don't care in what form this love and/or attention comes in... I just miss that overprotective tinker giant 🥺💙

This would be the perfect time to finally drop that final chapter of The Quiet Man that I've been avoiding for literal years.

Smh can't believe I left Valus trapped under that rubble for all this time...

The Quiet Man - Chapter 2 - Culpa

Valus X Reader

Crushes, hurt/comfort, fluff, angst, self-hatred, g/t, gentle giant, protective Valus

AO3 link

“He's under here!”

A muffled shout tugs insistently at Valus's dwindling consciousness, drawing the Forge brother from the darkness behind his closed eyelids.

To the silent maker, it almost seems cruel to be forced back into the realm of wakefulness wherein exists nothing but the crushing pressure of a mountain piled upon his spine and the agony that's settled deep inside powerful muscles that have long-since gone numb from keeping a temple from collapsing.

Blinking something wet – blood? - from his eyes, Valus wrestles them open as far as he can bear, and soon finds himself squinting down at the dull, grey floor sitting scant inches beneath his visor, barely visible through the meagre light that trickles between the hairline cracks of his prison.

Blearily, he rolls his gaze to his forearms, both of which are still settled around his head and keeping his chest aloft, as if even in his unconsciousness, his body knew there'd been something important occupying that little pocket of space created between his considerable bulk and the solid ground.

Creator, his head hurts... Why is he awake again, instead of slumbering peacefully beneath the temple's rubble until his body eventually succumbs to the immeasurable weight bearing down on top of it?

“Hurry, Eideard! Please!”

Ah, that's why...

With his jaw clenched tight enough to set his face ablaze, Valus strains his ears to hear past the shrill ringing that's taken up residence inside his left orifice.

He's almost afraid that the distant voice is nothing more than a fleeting dream, or perhaps the last imaginings of his dying brain as his body shuts down and he embraces the stone around him, as all makers do, eventually... Though hopefully not under such painful circumstances...

Valus himself would have joined the old ones whose souls have already gone to the realm of the Stonefather were it not for the simple fact that someone had asked him to promise that he wouldn't give up.

A sudden spike of pain lances through his skull, forcing him to screw his face up into a tight ball before the sting abates once more, flowing away down his spine and allowing for a single, clear thought to press in. As soon as it does, Valus's eyes shoot open again and his face goes lax with horror, all at once recalling the tiny human who had shared this claustrophobic space with him, and who had told him that help was coming... 

Y/n... You... His smallest and dearest friend.

Suddenly restless, the maker tries to shift his weight, to test the give of the stone around him. Where are you? Did you get out okay? Did you make it back to Tri Stone safely!?

As if in protest of his attempt to lift it, the temple piled on top of him groans, and several tons of rock slides out of place, causing his shoulders to buckle and scream like they've been set alight with the fire of Hell itself coursing through his veins.

The maker's neck strains against the weight above him, but he grinds his teeth together and braces his burning muscles, replaying the same mantra over and over in his head with the fervour of a man on the brink of madness.

'Promise me you won't give up!' Your voice echoes around inside his skull.

He hadn't been able to force his ragged voice box to reply with the confirmation you were probably seeking, but he'd uttered his response in a whisper, the gentle 'yes' only loud enough to breach the slit in his visor.

He knows you'd never have heard him, not in ten thousand years.

Yet even still, he's kept that promise. Of course, he's kept it.

You're the one who asked him to make it.

Just then, his ears fill with a new sound - footsteps scrabbling over loose stone - getting louder as the darkness tries to creep in again around the edges of his vision.

“Stand back now, stand back. Thane, keep a hold of her.”

Eideard.... That's Eideard...

The mountain above him groans once more, as though it too is lamenting the maker below it, and Valus barely has enough wherewithal to recognise that it isn't necessarily a good sound when suddenly, finally, the boulder digging into the base of his spine grows... inexplicably less heavy.

Somebody – probably him – draws in a wet, gurgling breath, allowing half-flattened lungs to expand for the first time in hours.

“I just heard him!” that same, melodic voice chimes, one that's been filling his heart with light and hope for days now, “He's alive!”

Valus's lips hang ajar, blood oozing between his teeth and falling into an ever-growing puddle beneath his visor, mingling with the dust on the ground. It's an unwelcome taste, like copper and salt dripping off his tongue.

The voices outside his prison are growing louder, but they're muffled, as if he's trapped underwater instead of in a cage made from solid stone.

Oblivion, it seems, is still trying to draw him back into its unfeeling embrace.

This time, the forge brother manages to emit a soft, thrumming groan, letting his head drop once more as darkness continues to creep in from the edges of his vision, swallowing the soft, blue light that's begun to seep through ever-widening cracks in the rubble surrounding him.

“You're all right, lad...” Eideard's voice cuts through the fuzz, and it wouldn't surprise Valus if he discovered the Old One can speak directly into his mind. “We've got you... You're all right...”

And that, Valus thinks distantly, is the perfect affirmation to hear just before his eyes roll back into his skull and his burning shoulders collapse at last.

-----------

....

.......

..........

“-...'s all my fault, Alya.”

If Valus had his wits about him, he might have found some poignant meaning behind your voice being the one that can pull him out of Oblivion's clutches.

The sound of you crying is the very last thing he'd ever want to wake up to though...

A single ear twitches as his body tries to single out the location of your voice before his mind has even chugged itself back into the waking world.

There's a weight settled on his chest, but this one isn't crushing, isn't suffocating. In fact, it's barely there, small and constant, tugging the maker's brain out of the heavy fog of unconsciousness the longer he registers its unfamiliar presence.

Another voice, one he immediately recognises - as familiar to him as his own heartbeat - pipes up, a little further away.

“For the last time, Valus wouldn't blame you, and neither will I. You tried to do somethin' kind for 'im, and it went wrong. Ain't nobody in this village blames you for an accident.”

He'd know the sound of his sister's voice anywhere...

“But I hurt him, Al! After I promised I wouldn't! The first thing I did was go out and nearly get him killed!”

That's you again... But Valus is more fixated on the miserable sobs that catch in your throat than the words you're speaking. Why are you crying?

Don't cry...

“You promised you wouldn't break his heart, and you didn't... Y'know what would've broken it?" Alya asks, "Seein' you get killed.”

Battered eyelids gradually manage to unglue themselves from one another, peeling apart measure by measure as Valus's desire to see overtakes his unparalleled weariness. Even the eye that's been fused partially shut by an age-old burn fights its way open, squinting narrowly at a familiar, stone roof.

Like the voice of his sister, Valus knows those cracks in the ceiling way overhead, the spiderweb of moss that clings stubbornly to the damp rock, the sound of water dripping into a cavernous pool somewhere nearby, the steady rumble of lava growling away in its reservoir...

He's in the maker's forge.

“But if I hadn't tried to go after Splinterbone-!”

Splinterbone?

"- Then Valus might've gone lookin' for it without you anyway. An' that temple might've collapsed on him just the same. But there wouldn't be nobody there to know it."

Stirring, Valus blinks once before he eases his gaze down slowly, edging it towards the weight on his chest - the source of the pretty voice.

The maker's heart gives a desperate lurch when he blinks through the dim light and sees a figure sitting on his chest.

Not just any figure.

This one isn't a maker.

It's Tri-Stone's first and only human resident.

You... you, you, you.

You're okay! You're alive! Stone's breath... You really did come back for him...

You're currently hunched over on top of the maker's immense sternum, right above his thumping heart, your knees drawn up to your chest and your face buried inside the palms of your hands. More distressingly though, you're shaking.

The forge brother's throat constricts.

Are you frightened?

Who frightened you?

With a sudden sense of urgency, he tries to sit upright, though his spine only makes it an inch off the slab below him before he crashes back down onto it, uttering a low groan from the back of his throat that startles your hands away from your face.

Dazed, Valus blinks up at the ceiling once more. 

So, evidently, moving was not a good idea.

He blinks again when your face abruptly appears in his field of view, and the maker's brows twitch together in concern at the sight that greets him, the pain in his back and chest momentarily forgotten.

Fat, glistening tears roll steadily down your cheeks to drip off a wobbling lip and splatter onto the maker's chin. Something in the feel of them against his bare skin strikes him as... off, but he's quick to brush aside the creeping sense of wrongness in favour of finding whatever it is that made you cry, and crushing it to dust beneath his fists.

“Valus!” you sob the giant's name frantically, leaning over his face to peer down into his sea-green eyes, “Val, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!”

He wishes he could find his voice, to ask what you're sorry for. Your eyes have already shed so many tears for so many things. It always burned his sensitive heart to hear you stifling your sobs at night, knowing that for as mighty as he is, he could never be strong enough to give you what you really want – your species, your home, your family. He's just a maker. He couldn't bring those back to you, no matter how badly he wants to see you happy.

With a slow, deliberate ache to his every motion, Valus strains against his own muscles to raise a colossal hand from his side and bring it towards you, shakily extending his forefinger and laying it gently across your back where he begins to stroke downwards in delicate, soothing sweeps.

He intends it to be a comfort. He doesn't expect it to make you cry harder.

Your whole body convulses below his touch as you heave in a harrowed gasp of air, slapping your palms over your mouth to try and capture the wail that attempts to slip through your teeth seconds later.

Just before he can utter a sound of distress however, another shout rings in his ear.

“Valus!”

Ah. That'd be Alya-

The forge brother's shoulder is suddenly awash with fresh ripples of fire as a strong, calloused hand wraps around it, and then, his sister's wild-eyed face is pressing into view right alongside yours, her auburn hair unkempt and frazzled from being tugged at for hours on end.

“Valus! You're awake!” she hollers, raising her head and – somehow – her volume along with it, “Eideard! Muria!”

She doesn't notice him wincing at her shout. Nor does she seem to remember that his body has suffered an ordeal as she aims a hard thump at his bicep, pulling a startled wheeze from his lips.

“You sorry sack of shite!" she roars, though her voice cracking at the apex of the sentence betrays worry, not rage, "Don't you ever scare me like that again!”

“Alya! Stop that!” You're quick to rush to her brother's defence. “He's hurt enough as it is!”

Grateful, Valus tries to aim a smile at you, but at that moment, your head flings up as the heavy doors to the forge suddenly burst open and the sound of hurried footsteps swiftly approach.

Throughout it all, Valus's eyes remain fondly fixed on you, unable to tear his gaze away from the little miracle sitting astride his chest.

Creator... He's just glad to see you safe. You made it across the Forge Lands, you brought back help, all while standing no taller than a maker's kneecap. To say he's proud would be an understatement.

Within seconds, the comforting Muria is at his side adjacent from Alya, shooing his sister's hand away from his shoulder, much to the forge brother's private relief. His shoulders sag minutely, yet he still keeps his finger stroking tender lines up and down your back, revelling in the sensation of your little heart fluttering away beneath his fingertip.

Only moments behind the shaman, Eideard appears as well, his snowy brows knitted together to form great chasms in the space between his eyes as he moves close to the youngling's head, peering down at him like a saint from on-high.

“There you are, lad,” he rumbles, “Gave us all quite the fright. Always thought I'd be lifting a temple off Karn's sorry skull, not yours.”

From your spot on his clavicle, you shake your head rapidly from side to side, whimpering the words, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,' over and over again.

Hovering her hands above his chest, Muria spills a dose of healing magic into Valus's aching ribcage and twitches her head towards you, voice gentle and earnest, “Please, dear one, you must stop punishing yourself. Valus is safe, thanks to you.”

You let out a cry of contention, raking one hand through your hair and jabbing the other at the maker laying below you. “Valus nearly died because of me!”

“Now, that simply isn't true...” The wizened voice of their village elder eases over your shout, attempting to soothe you out of your spiral. “... You were not to know that the temple would collapse. Your efforts to reunite Valus with his old friend were noble, and came from a place of kindness. What happened was unfortunate, but it was not your fault.”

The Old One sounds as firm as Valus has ever heard him, in that perpetually soft, patient way that's hardly firm at all.

The temple's collapse...? Is that why you're crying? You think it's your fault?

Heart clenching, he's about to shake his head and coax your chin up with a finger to meet your gaze, but then, from the corner of an eye, Valus spots gnarled, withered hands reaching out towards you, Eideard's hands, clear in their intent to lift you from the forge brother's chest.

"Come here, little one" the elder hushes, "You'll have no hair left if you keep pulling it like that."

Valus can't stop his arm from springing to life, tearing something in his bicep in the process as he closes his fingers gently, but possessively around your torso. You let out a bleat of surprise as he pins you to his neck, guarding you from Eideard's encroaching appendage.

In an instant, the Old one's movements go still and he blinks down at Valus. Several, terse seconds tick by without a word passed between anyone before the village elder finally dips his ancient head in a nod.

“All right, youngling. She can stay there,” he hums calmly, “You got her out... You kept her safe.”

The forge brother's shoulders slacken bit by bit as he processes the words, breathing hard, reminding himself that Eideard would never hurt you. Regardless, he's still reluctant to relinquish his hold.

Lowering his eyes again, Valus's expression softens as he meets your fretful gaze.

You're safe... That's what matters. More than the pain that's slowly fading as Eideard and Muria administer their healing magic.

As the ache in his body abates, Valus muscles his way upright until he's seated on the sturdy, stone bench, making sure to tilt his hand slowly so that you're eased down into the cup of his palm. Only once you're there does he unfurl his fingers, one by one, as if any sudden movement might cause you to disappear.

At his side, Eideard and Muria draw back, exchanging a knowing smile between themselves which goes unseen by the young maker and his little human companion, both of whom are too busy taking in one another's faces to notice anything besides each other.

“There, see!” Alya announces, relief colouring her words, “Didn't I tell you he'd be all right!? Tough bugger, aren't you, Valus? Already up and about!”

The sob that spews out of you is accompanied by a breathless laugh, as relieved as it is distraught. “Yeah,” you cough, swiping roughly at your burning eyelids and forcing a wobbly smile onto your face, offering it up to the forge brother, “Yeah, he... he's gonna be okay.”

Valus's steady heartbeat quivers to see the clench of your teeth as you bite down on your tongue, a clear sign that you're trying harder to keep your tears at bay.

Using the pad of his thumb, he scrubs tenderly at the dampness on your left cheek, grunting a wordless apology when you screw your face up at the intrusion before he moves on to the right, giving it the same, careful attention.

He almost doesn't notice at first... as he gazes down at you, vigilantly scanning you over for any visible injuries but thankfully finding nothing but dust on your face, but the longer he looks, the more it dawns on him that his field of view seems... wider, somehow.

Squinting his good eye closed, he draws his unoccupied hand up towards his face, aiming to readjust the visor, wondering when it had slipped out of its usual alignment.

The truth hits him like a hammer to the face as soon as his fingers brush against the rough stubble that peppers his chin.

His visor...

It's gone.

The sound that leaves his throat is as far from dignified as it could possibly get – something that's halfway between a choked gasp and a strangled shout.

Valus isn't afraid of anything. Or so Alya would claim, and he's never really worked up the courage to correct her.

But to have his gruesome face – his shame – exposed to the prettiest creature he's ever laid eyes upon scares the almighty forge brother far more than he'd care to admit.

Even the knowledge that you've already seen his features doesn't keep him from throwing a meaty hand up and slapping it over the burned half of his face, twisting his neck around at a painful angle to try and hide himself away from your eyes.

He doesn't like anyone seeing it. Hell, even Alya can barely catch a glimpse if it anymore, hidden as he keeps it under a safe wall of thick, sturdy metal.

His sudden movements jostle you in his palm, and he can only throw you a mental apology, his eyes wide and wild behind his fingers.

What must you think of him now? Someone as delicate as you, gazing upon the face of a marred and brutish man whose features are so clumsy and dense in comparison? At least with his visor, he was permitted the illusion of a disguise – a way to keep his most hated aspect from the outside world.

“Oh, tits.” Alya's curse dimly registers in his ears.

At once, Muria turns to clear her throat admonishingly in the youngling's direction.

Perhaps understanding better than most that there's a very simple way to alleviate the youngling's distress, Eideard speaks up. “Alya. His helm. Have you managed to fix it?”

Fix it? It's broken?

Valus's lungs constrict around an aborted breath. 

“A-aye, it's over on the anvil.”

Hurried footsteps take off as the forge brother screws his eyes shut.

“Val?”

The gentlest touch presses into the back of his hand, the one currently trying to conceal an entire swathe of his warped and burned face from view. A single, sea-green eye cracks open and swivels down to land on your face.

You're leaning forwards on his palm, balanced on your knees with a hand outstretched to brace yourself against one of the fingers that obscures half of his expression.

You shouldn't get so close. What if he scares you?

Oh, Maker's bones, what if he's already scared you?

“There he is,” you breathe, shooting him a wobbly smile as you meet the eye that's trained on you, withdrawing your hand and letting it flop into your lap, “Can't believe you've been hiding eyes like those from me, big guy.”

Valus blinks, and for just a moment, his mortification is put on hold as a steady heat creeps up the back of his neck and into his pointed ears.

“Here! Here it is!”

Startled, his gaze shoots up to see Alya barrelling back towards him, the familiar sight of his helm clutched between her fingers.

Eideard is forced to retreat several steps as the youngling skids to a halt at her brother's side, holding the precious protection out towards him.

“Here y'are! Good as new! Had to take it off to clean your grubby mug.” Hesitating, she glances down at you and adds, “Why don't you put Y/n down so you've got a hand free-”

Her suggestion is swiftly cut off when, quick as a flash, Valus peels his hand away from his face and grabs the visor from her as she presses it towards him, a move that leaves his face exposed for all of a second before he slots the heavy, metal band around his forehead and flips the shield down, hiding himself away behind a mask of impenetrable tungsten. Not once does he use the hand that's caging you protectively to his sternum.

The warmth sinks into his skin immediately, not unlike the touch of a familiar, old friend, drawing a sigh from the maker that resonates within the confines his helm.

Craning your neck back to try and peer through the slat in his visor, you softly ask, “Better?”

And in response, the maker bobs his head, rubbing at the base of his neck and uttering a quiet grunt, “Mmhm.”

“Good,” you sniff, your eyes roaming him up and down,“Ah, you should... probably be resting. Alya's right, you can put me down, if you need to...”

To this, Valus replies with a firm shake of his head. “Nhh mm.”

He's pleased to see your eyes pinch closed when your cheeks strain against a watery smile, but his delight is short-lived, for all too soon, that toothy, little smile begins to change, tilting down at its edges into something far more sombre. Your eyes too, droop, losing their shine as you lower them to the bottom of his visor, staring at it glassily.

"Valus," you start, spilling the words you've been playing on repeat like a broken record, "I know I've said it before, but I want to say it to you now. I can't... I'm.. I don't know how to apologise to you enough."

A warm sigh spills out of the slat in his helm, breaking like a wave across your face and blowing some of the dust out of your hair. He hums a wordless sound then, and the deep resonance of his voice vibrates through his palm and up your spine until your thrumming heartbeat is lost among the gentle rumble.

Beside him, Alya opens her mouth, likely to translate her brother's vague noise, but before she can utter a word, you continue, clutching at your elbows.

“I really messed up... Big time,” you squeeze out, “I wanted to prove I could be useful to you guys, but I just ended up needing rescuing and I... I mean, I didn't even find Splinterbone after all that, for god's sake!”

Valus gives a start. Splinterbone?

The maker's head shoots up to send an inquiring grunt at Alya, who shrugs her shoulder and gestures to you with a sweep of her hand. “Aye, s'like she says. Went off lookin' for your old pal. Don't know how she expected to get it back here with those wee, little arms of hers.”

Valus is hardly listening.

You went to find his favourite hammer... You, a lone, vulnerable human, went out into the Forge Lands – a place teeming with demons, monsters and corruption - to track down something of his... Because you thought you weren't useful?

Valus doesn't know whether he wants to throttle you, kiss you, or forge a wedding ring for you.

The pad of a cautious forefinger slides up the nape of your neck, nestling in the hair on the back of your head and stays there, an easy pressure that coaxes you to tip yourself forwards as Valus lifts you towards his visor.

Exhaling a put-upon sigh, you bite on your lip to hide a smile and allow your forehead to be guided gently against the maker's helm.

Valus's heart undulates when you finally make contact, feeling the tiniest 'thunk' against the metal above his visor.

The delicate warmth of your breath wafts through the gap, and his eyelids flutter closed as he exhales a serene sigh,

“See,” Alya pipes up smugly, folding her arms across her chest and grinning at the side of your head, “Told you he wouldn't blame you.”

“Mm,” Valus concurs, blinking his eyes open to peer at you from beneath the metal.

Fragile fingers have hooked themselves into the slat of his visor, anchoring you to him, clutching with a determined grip, as if you, like him, are afraid to be separated.

“Thank you,” you whisper through the hole, “For being okay."

'Of course,' he thinks in return. He made a promise, after all.

"I've lost everyone, Val..."

The maker's forehead nudges just a little more insistently against your own.

"If I lost you as well, I'd..." You trail off into silence, but nothing more needs to be said. He can extrapolate.

He can only imagine the kinds of demons you have to battle with on a daily basis.

It's for this reason, among many, many others, that the besotted giant will extend his promise. Corruption has eviscerated his people, stolen his home from him, destroyed a future he might have made in the maker's realm. But for you, he'll keep his head up. For you, he'd shoulder much more than a simple mountain. And if Death tries to take you with him when he inevitably leaves the Forge Lands, he's going to have one Hell of a fight on his hands, because Valus doesn't plan on ever letting you out of his sight again.