#i didn't read that much for a while but now i'm getting back into it more :)

[theforestknowsmydreams]

there was even really big good stuff! it got a bit way too long, but it's also very happy, so i'm leaving it below

context: my family is messed up. i grew up with my mother, and she eventually forbid me from contacting my father (who then passed) and would never miss an opportunity to talk bad about his side of the family. before 2024, the last time i saw them was 2016.

i gathered all my courage, and sent them all an email. my dad's siblings, and his step-mom (my godmother). that email was also how i came out as trans to them all. i was terrified. not long after, they all responded. how they were so so happy to hear from me, how they would of course love to meet up someday, what a question, and using my correct name and pronouns.

we set the date for our first ever family reunion. late march, my father's birthday. it was so scary. i hadn't been to the city we were meeting in since 2018, when i (unsuccessfully) tried to locate my father's grave on my own. i was also going to share a hostel room with strangers, so you can imagine the sheer dread i felt.

coincidentally, a (at the time new) beloved mutual was going to be in the same city about a week prior, to go to see a band we both like live. he encouraged me to also go to the concert, and we shared a room in the same hostel i was gonna be in after he left the city again, so i got a chance to check out the vibes and get used to it.

the concert was absolutely amazing, i made a lot of new friends and acquaintances, just, 10/10. can't wait to do it again. it also gave me the confidence to later hit up my older brother, who lives in the same city and who i also had not seen since 2018.

my brother and i met, and it was perfect. now that we were both adults we could talk about topics he previously avoided, like our childhoods, things we went through, relationships, etc. we talked for over 6 hours until i went back to the hostel. both of us are still using the photo we took together as our whatsapp profile picture.

meeting my dad's family was a little more daunting, but the fear quickly disappeared. my godmother had brought an old photo album of me that my late grandfather had kept, and we went through the pictures together. there was a lot of pictures of me with my dad i had never seen, and they shared stories of my childhood with me that i didn't remember. we went to their graves (dad and grandpa are buried in the same plot) and i didn't have a breakdown. and for once i felt like they would be proud of me. we had food, and we talked, and my godmother gave me a book written by a trans person that she had found and read after i came out. it was great.

in october, i got an email. they were planning another family reunion because they liked the first one so much. this time it was only my father's siblings, because we were going to my late grandmother's home city (and my godmother is not in best health to travel). and, somehow, this one was even happier than the first one.

i was less scared, i guess. most of us stayed at the same hotel because it was only one night and not too expensive, but one of my aunts and her boyfriend (who i hadn't seen since i was a child) have a small camper so they didn't need to. we visited the old family grave and they taught me a lot about our family history, we walked about the city together, had dinner, all the good stuff.

and i felt... at home.

maybe not in that city, but with the people i was sharing this time with. i finally know what family is supposed to feel like. my mother's side of the family and i don't talk anymore, and while i deeply love my older brother, he moved out when i was 3, and we both got issues that make it harder for us to connect.

they asked about my transition, but avoided invasive questions. one time i commented on a mushroom growing in the park we were walking through and my aunt sighed and said "all the men in this family are obsessed with foraging". when i say or do something that reminds them of my father, they will stop and tell me, and ask if i want to hear a story about it.

one email. one email and countless hours or being too scared to send it, that's all it took. i am learning about my childhood, my heritage, my family, and what my future could be. this filled with love.

since then, i've made an effort to do scary things more often. at least when it comes to relationships. message my younger step-siblings that i haven't talked to since breaking all contact with my mother. say "i love you" more. ask friends to hang out more often (i'm still working on that one tbh). i emailed my paternal family for the new year and they said that "we are absolutely meeting again next year. maybe march again?"

it was scary but it was so worth it.

hey honest question, did anybody have GOOD stuff happen to them in 2024? cause it was really bad for me and for most people i know, so it would be nice to hear about anything that's been going WELL for any of you. even if it's small stuff. just to know there's light out there.

[harrysfolklore]

hi! can i request a little bitch blurb where oscar walks in on them 😂

FIRST LITTLE BITCH BLURB OF THE YEAR!! honestly i could never get tired of writing for them and requests keep coming so, enjoy!

READ LITTLE BITCH HERE

"You're sure Oscar won't be home for hours?" Carlos murmurs against your neck as he presses you into the kitchen counter, his hands sliding under the oversized shirt you'd stolen from him.

"Mhm," you tilt your head to give him better access. "Simulator day at McLaren. He'll be gone until evening."

"Good," his accent thickens as he nips at your pulse point. "Because seeing you in my shirt all morning has been driving me crazy, mi amor."

You smirk, running your hands down his chest. "Oh? Is that why you've been following me around the apartment like a lost puppy?"

"I have not-" he starts to protest, but you cut him off by pulling his shirt over his head.

"Really?" you trace the muscles of his abdomen. "So you didn't deliberately walk into the bathroom while I was brushing my teeth? Or need help reaching something in the top cabinet that you can definitely reach yourself?"

Carlos growls low in his throat. "You're teasing me."

"Always," you grin, but it turns into a gasp as he lifts you onto the counter.

"Careful, hermosa," he steps between your legs, hands gripping your thighs. "You know what happens when you tease…"

"Maybe I want to find out," you challenge, wrapping your legs around his waist.

His eyes darken. "Dios mío, the things you do to me…"

"Show me," you whisper against his lips.

He crashes his mouth to yours, one hand tangling in your hair while the other slides up your thigh. You moan as he deepens the kiss, tasting of coffee and something uniquely Carlos.

"Mi amor," he breathes between kisses, "you're wearing too many clothes."

"Even your shirt?" you tease, knowing how much he loves seeing you in his clothes.

"Especially my shirt," he tugs at the hem.

The key turns in the lock of your shared apartment with Oscar, but you're far too distracted by Carlos' lips on your neck to notice.

"MY EYES!" Oscar's voice cracks. "IN THE KITCHEN? REALLY?"

You and Carlos spring apart, but it's too late. Oscar is standing there, one hand dramatically covering his eyes, looking like he's contemplating jumping out the window.

"Oscar!" you squeak, hurriedly adjusting Carlos' shirt that you'd borrowed. "You're… home early."

"This is MY HOME!" Oscar protests, still not looking. "Where I EAT! In THIS KITCHEN!"

Carlos has the decency to look somewhat embarrassed, though you can see him fighting back a smile. "Lo siento, Oscar…"

"Don't 'lo siento' me, mate," Oscar points blindly in Carlos's general direction. "That's my SISTER!"

"We weren't…" you try to explain.

"NO!" Oscar cuts you off. "No explanations. I don't want to know. I will never be able to unsee this. I'm moving out. I'm quitting F1. I'm becoming a hermit in Tasmania."

"You're being dramatic," you roll your eyes.

"DRAMATIC?" Oscar finally uncovers his eyes, immediately regrets it, and covers them again. "Carlos still doesn't have a shirt on!"

Carlos looks down at his bare chest as if just remembering this fact. "Ah, sorry about that…"

"Sorry about- THIS IS A COMMON AREA!" Oscar's voice keeps rising in pitch. "We have RULES!"

"Rules?" Carlos raises an eyebrow at you.

"Rule number one," Oscar recites, "no funny business in common areas. Rule number two, no walking around without clothes. Rule number three…"

"Okay, okay," you interrupt, feeling your face heat up. "We get it. We're sorry."

"I'm telling Lando," Oscar threatens.

"Don't you dare!"

"Oh, I'm daring. I'm traumatized. I need emotional support."

Carlos finally breaks, letting out a laugh. "Come on, Oscar. It's not that bad."

"Not that- mate, you're practically my brother-in-law. I do NOT need to see you trying to devour my sister in our kitchen!"

"Brother-in-law?" you and Carlos say simultaneously, though with very different tones.

Oscar groans. "Oh god, now I've given him ideas. Perfect. This is perfect. I'm calling Mum."

"You will NOT call Mum!" you lunge for his phone.

"Watch me!" he dodges, still keeping one hand over his eyes, which results in him walking straight into the wall.

"Dios mío," Carlos mutters, finally grabbing his shirt from where it had been discarded. "Oscar, I'm dressed now. You can look."

Oscar cautiously peeks through his fingers. "This is going on my therapy bill."

"Add it to the collection," you sigh.

"I will! Right next to 'sending nudes to Carlos' and 'that time in the motorhome when I thought you were going over strategy.'"

"That WAS strategy!" you protest.

"Strategy doesn't involve THAT MUCH SPANISH!"

Carlos is fully laughing now, watching the siblings' exchange with obvious amusement.

"This isn't funny!" Oscar points at him. "You! You're supposed to be the responsible one!"

"Me?" Carlos tries to look innocent. "I'm very responsible."

"Responsible people don't seduce my sister in shared kitchens!"

"To be fair," Carlos grins, "she seduced me."

"NOPE!" Oscar practically runs from the room. "NOPE NOPE NOPE. I'm going to Lando's. Forever. Don't call me. I'll be in therapy."

The door slams behind him, and you can hear him muttering all the way down the hall.

Carlos turns to you, eyes dancing with mischief. "So… brother-in-law, huh?"

"Don't," you warn, but you're fighting a smile.

"Because you know," he steps closer, "that could be arranged…"

"Carlos!"

"I'm just saying," he pulls you back against him, "maybe we should give Oscar a real reason to need therapy…"

From down the hall, Oscar's voice carries: "I FORGOT MY PHONE AND I CAN STILL HEAR YOU!"

You burst out laughing as Carlos quickly steps away again.

"I'm moving out!" Oscar announces as he retrieves his phone. "And YOU," he points at Carlos, "are paying for my therapy!"

"Fair enough," Carlos agrees easily.

Oscar pauses at the door. "And sister?"

"Yes?"

"Next time? Use HIS apartment!"

As the door slams again, Carlos turns to you with a raised eyebrow. "You know… that's not a bad idea…"

"Carlos Sainz!"

"What? I'm being responsible," he grins. "Just like Oscar wanted."

You shake your head, laughing. "You're impossible."

"Impossibly in love," he corrects, then adds more seriously, "though maybe we should get our own place…"

Your heart skips. "Yeah?"

"Sí," he pulls you close again. "Somewhere with a very private kitchen…"

"I heard that!" Oscar's voice comes through the door one final time. "I'm telling Mum!"

This time, you both burst out laughing.

Poor Oscar. Maybe you should start looking at apartments sooner rather than later…

For everyone's sake.

[babejinxy]

Jinx x f!reader special new year

✨ I wasn't going to write a New Year's special, but since I'm nice and you guys wanted it, here it is!!! This is the first part, I'll post the second part soon. I hope you like it!

🌟 English is not my first language, so I apologize if there are any mistakes.

It was the last day of the year and after your behavior on Christmas Eve, your girlfriend Jinx had been watching you the whole time, waiting for you to tease her again. But the truth is that you simply didn't do anything suspicious all day. You stayed in the hideout with Jinx and while she was working on something - which by the way she didn't tell you what it was - you were lying on the bed reading a book or changing your nail polish every half hour.

That night, Jinx also had something in store for you, just as you had for her. Since what you had planned for Christmas had gone a little off the rails, you saved it for tonight. And you started putting your plan into action early on.

While your girlfriend was focused on some project of hers, you got out of bed after changing your nail polish for the fourth time and went to her. You were wearing pajamas, the short shorts showing the edge of your ass. You sat on the edge of her workbench, she noticed you, but she was too focused on her work. “Hey babe, do you like it?” you asked innocently, holding out your hands so she could see your nails, painted blue like hers. You crossed your legs in the process, your shorts riding up, revealing a lot of your legs.

She lifted her head from her work and looked straight at your nails, “You like blue huh?”. “You know I do,” you said, lowering your hands and placing them on either side of your legs, holding onto the edge of the table. “They look amazing, toots,” she said, lifting her head to reach your lips, you lowered your head a little until your lips met hers and you gave a little kiss. Jinx’s eyes wandered over your legs before she went back to work.

“What are you doing?” you asked, jumping off the workbench and wrapping an arm around her. “A little something for later today,” she said grabbing a tool. “What are you planning?” you asked, curious and worried that she was planning to blow up Piltover on the first day of the year. She looked at you, “you’ll see, love,” and then she laughed and went back to doing what she was doing.

You had no idea what your crazy girlfriend was planning this time, but it must have been something big since she had been working on it for exactly a week. What you didn't know was why she had left you out of it this time, you were always up for anything with her and she knew it. But luckily for her, you were too easy-going to insist or get upset that she wasn't involving you in whatever she was up to. So you simply shrugged it off and went to throw darts to pass the time and practice your aim.

You threw the dart a few times and only hit the target once. You were usually a good aimer, but not today. Maybe the anxiety of starting to put your plan into practice was getting in your way. You snorted when you missed for the seventh time. You picked up another dart to try again and prepared to throw it at the target. But before you could throw it, you felt Jinx's left hand on your waist while the other was on your hand that was holding the dart. She adjusted the position of your hand while kissing and lightly biting your neck. "This makes it hard for me to concentrate, babe," you said, smiling and shivering at the sensation. She let go of your neck and looked at the target hanging on the wall. With her hand still in yours, she helped you with the throw and you hit the middle of the target.

“You were putting too much force in, peach,” she said, holding your waist with both hands now and pulling you against her. You felt her lips on your jaw and then on your neck again as she squeezed you with her hands. “Are you done yet?… mhmm,” you asked, closing your eyes and resting your head on her shoulder, giving her more space to kiss and suck on your neck. “I’m almost there… but for now, how about a break, huh?”, she bit your earlobe.

You thought this would be a good time to start putting your plan into action, so you turned to face her and wrapped your arms around her neck and kissed her. Jinx deepened the kiss and squeezed your waist, her hands moving down to your hips. You tangled your fingers in her short hair and she swirled her tongue in yours, dominating the kiss. She bit and pulled your lower lip with her teeth while her hands went to your ass and she squeezed it hard over the fabric of your pajama shorts.

When Jinx walked with you towards the bed, that's when you realized things were going to heat up even more, so before she could throw you on the bed, you broke the kiss and pulled away from her. "Hey wait, what's wrong toots?", she asked with furrowed eyebrows. You just shrugged, "there's nothing wrong, we can do this another time... I don't want to be late for Vi's dinner and you haven't even finished whatever it is you're doing". You walked past her and she pulled you again by the waist, locking you in her arms.

“And why not now? I can be pretty quick baby, you know,” she said, brushing her lips against the skin of your neck. You squeezed your eyes shut and bit your bottom lip, it was hard to resist her, but you were willing to do it. You wanted to tease her, you knew it would cost you a lot later, she would be rough with you, but you wanted it, you liked it. You took her hands off your waist, “not now baby.”

You were playing with luck, you knew that if your girlfriend wanted, she would grab you at any moment and with her strength thanks to the shimmer you couldn't fight her. Fortunately Jinx was different now and she respected your decisions. Although you knew that when she finally had your consent you would be fucked as fuck, very very fucked and you could wet your panties if you kept thinking too much about what she would do to you.

You threw yourself on the bed and picked up your book while Jinx went back to her workbench to finish her invention. She turned on the music and turned up the volume, she said it helped her focus and kept her thoughts away from her troubled mind. It was hard for you to focus on the book with the music blasting in your ears, but you weren't going to ask her to turn it off or lower the volume, you knew she wouldn't do that and she would also get annoyed with you, so you tried to read anyway.

You knew your girlfriend was done with her work when she finally turned down the music. You still had your eyes on your book, but you could see her coming towards you. You felt the mattress dip as she climbed onto the bed and crawled on top of you. She took the book from your hand and threw it in a corner, “I finished my project toots, but I’m not done with you yet,” she said kissing your jaw and bringing her lips up to yours.

The kiss was slow but hot. You brought your hands to her hair while she placed her right hand on your neck and held it firmly, but not tightly, and with the other she squeezed your waist and hips. Her tongue explored every corner of your mouth and she sucked your lower lip and then pulled it with her teeth. You moaned softly between the kiss because you knew it drove her crazy.

Jinx moved her kisses down to your neck where she alternated between kissing and biting. She placed the hand that was previously on your neck on your right breast and squeezed it, making you gasp. She moved her kisses down, making a path from your neck to your belly. She lifted the top of your pajamas a little to expose the skin on your abdomen, then she placed kisses and light bites on it.

She moved back up to your lips and took them against hers once more. But this time the kiss was fiercer, wilder and you knew she was getting really fucking horny. Not that you weren’t too, but you had to stop things before it was too late. So when Jinx dragged her left hand inside your shorts, you broke the kiss and asked breathlessly with your lips brushing hers, “babe, what are you doing?” “What? I can’t fuck my girlfriend?” she said, crashing her lips against yours again.

You placed your hands on her chest trying to push her off of you, she released your lips looking at you with a confused and irritated look, “of course you can love, but not now… I need to get ready for dinner and unfortunately I'm not as fast as you”, you took her hands out of your shorts and pushing her to the side you got up from the bed.

You were making her angry and you knew it, it was what you wanted. You bit your lower lip trying not to laugh as you turned your back to her. “You’re going to regret this behavior later, you know that, right? I won’t be so patient with you toots,” she said, throwing a gear somewhere in the corner of the room. You gave her an innocent look, “Why? Is it a sin if I refuse to have sex with you?” She walked towards you and said close to your ear as she passed you, “ha! baby, sin is what I’m going to do to you…”

Part 2??? 👇🏻🤍

[mischiefmaker615]

Chef's Choice

Over the past time of having tumblr, i have collected my personal favorites- stories that i always get drawn back to when i need inspiration, something to read, and/or something to enjoy with whatever mood or situation that needs tending LOL (not in order and there are so many others i love!!)

Thought it be best to introduce you to some of the greats out there :D

“Seems like the prince of Asgard is seduced by a mortal woman”

By: @fictive-sl0th

(OMG i absolutely LOVE the doctor themed stories with Loki XD ya never know what direction it's gonna end up ;) )

A Coveted Bride

By: @magicbystarlight

(i absolutely LOVE jealous Loki, anything in the realm of dark theme and possessiveness XD we don't judge here. it's an enquired taste and darling, you cooked!!)

Duplicitous *Long Snake Moan*

By: @darkficsyouneveraskedfor

(everything you write, i got to read! truth be told, we didnt ask for but we absolutely needed!!)

Pinned Down

By: @lokisgoodgirl

(come on, just by the titles alone you know it's gonna be good! everything you've written, i've fallen in love with each detail, nothing is rushed and personalities are captured beautifully! i've caught myself gasping out loud in public with some of the stuff you bring us and i absolutely love it!)

Overstimulation Welcome Him Home More Between His Thighs

By: @sarahscribbles

(had me drooling in kinktober!!! just the title alone, i hit favorite so i could read it when i got time and darling, you didn't disappoint! so many stories just draw my attention and every aspect of them is truly perfect!!! i need more!!!)

thirty seconds

By: @muddyorbsblr

(what i would give to be in the readers shoes!! omg i loved this!!! hit all the right feelings and i cant help but reread this far more than thirty times LOL)

The Chambermaid

By: @wheredafandomat

(i want Loki to step on me!!!! i wouldn't mind slave life if it meant serving him LOL gods this was perfect!! i always loved maid x Loki themed stories, keep them coming!!)

Kinktober Day 16

By: @suguru-getos

("we listen and we don't judge" *cough* i love me some CNC! seems like a very hidden kink topic so i got positively excited when i saw this mentioned in your writing and just HAD to read it Lol kinky indeed!!! truly my favorite fic of yours so far!)

Overtime Safehouse

By: @cleo-fox

(I'm pretty sure all of tumblr knows who you are Lol i have enjoyed EVERYTHING you've come out with; your plots, details and character embodiment, Loki is on point!! i cant even fathom where to begin on making storylines this deep with all the bells and whistles. you are truly an incredible writer!!)

"I can do….terrible things to you."

By: @oh-look-at-her

(i can't literally do anything but bow down to you and get up only when given permission LOL truly a damn good time reading your work!!)

Firestarter

By: @delaber

(who doesn't love a good enemies to lovers story Lol can't tell you how many people i've shooed while i was in the middle of reading this XD)

Frozen Stiff Happily Never After

By: @simplyholl

(tbh i struggle finding REALLY good Jotun Loki fics and absolutely fell in love with this one!!! thank you for letting me die in peace now Lol had me giddy and blushing!!)

Have Mercy

By: @mochie85

(you captured his hot and pain in the ass personality so well!!! i LOVED this went through all the emotions on this one!! kinda like an enemies to lovers story Lol why cant it be me!!!)

A Tales of Tangled Desires

By: @angelremnants

(i fell in love with the part one, not expecting for my request to be answered but i got a part two and absolutely have become obsessed!! i love your writing so much and thank you for the prayer being answered! Lol)

And The Gods Made Love

By: @thefairywithboots

(thank you for my request being answered!! anything you publish, i cant get enough of and love the pure art like pace you take to form every inch of your story!!)

[bwat5-blog]

Why Didn't We See Cait Tell Vi About Jinx?

**Spoilers For Arcane***

There has been a tremendous amount of conversation regarding Jinx's fate in the end of the show. I think by now, most of us seem to agree she is alive. There is a significant amount of evidence. But one of the conversations I have enjoyed reading different takes on, is did Caitlyn tell Vi her suspicions? should she? and why didn't we see one way or the other? This will be fairly short compared to my usual work, I just wanted to delve into these questions, offer my thoughts, and hopefully get some good discussion out of it!

THE EVIDENCE: (In no particular order)

The Shimmer streak right as the explosion occurs

I have seen some argue that it's simply the purple inside the bomb. This is possible of course but it seems extremely directed.

2. Caitlyn's investigations

When it is all said and done, we have a quiet moment with Caitlyn investigating the cooling/vent system of the tower where Jinx died, as well has holding the mostly intact head of her monkey bomb. the implication here is quite clear. But of course it is not definitive. They are only telling us she reason to be thinking about Jinx being alive.

3. Full Circle

The second shot is the last one of the show.. if we didn't have the first shot to fall back to it would feel quite random but if you think back to that, it seems quite clear what they are implying. Additionally although I don't have a good way to share it here, the score in this moment is variation on "Dear friend across the river" which we hear Powder singing to open the whole show.

4. Glitched The End

That is the very last shot we are given and the animation is very in line with the glitch style of Jinx we have come to know so well.

5. Arcane Afterglow For Act 3

Skip to 1:19 if that is all you are here for

________________________________________________

There are others for sure. I saw someone in the community post some pages from the artbook showing things like "i'm still here" I believe it was. And I know there have been other interviews and such. This is just what I am personally aware of. And while of course I am just a regular fan and I don't know any better than any of you, this is all enough for me to feel confidant saying she's alive. I am of a similar opinion to many I have seen. I do not think Caitlyn had told Vi by the end of what we saw, but I think it's because she herself is not 100% sure yet.

Why isn't she sure?

Well even using the evidence I listed, only one out of those five points is something Caitlyn would be aware of. Now I do think she is probably fairly confidant, as the implication of her investigating at all was very clear. But keeping in mind that she knows how badly Vi wanted to save Jinx, and the enormity of the guilt Vi must feel given that Jinx had to save her (Vi was legitimately having a dissociative episode born of her PTSD and there was nothing she could do. Don't start with me Anti-Vi'ers), I think Caitlyn would be very careful to not give Vi false hope.

Would Caitlyn Even Tell Vi and Risk Her leaving?

I think so. And my reasoning is that she has done it before. When she paved the way for Vi to free Jinx, there was every possibility the sisters would vanish into the night and Caitlyn would never see them again. With that in mind, and their dynamic in general with Caitlyn probably feeling she has a tremendous amount of trust to keep rebuilding between them, I seriously doubt she would risk hiding something so large from Vi if she felt confidant Jinx was alive. Jinx wanted Vi to live free of their past and find her happiness. I think Caitlyn would honor giving Vi the choice and hope for the best. Especially taking into account the whole dynamic around Caitlyn showing Vi how much she loves and respects not only her, but her heart. She cherishes the heart that drives Vi to protect those she loves. I don't see Caitlyn betraying that by trying to control her.

Is it better for Vi to know?

This one is tough. On the one hand, we have to factor all the things we already discussed in. We know Vi wanted them to be together. We know she is probably torturing herself over her sister's perceived death. But, we also have to consider the other side. Because by the end the Sisters are family again. So why would Jinx leave and not tell Vi the truth?:

Jinx herself will never know peace in Piltover or Zaun (at least as things are now). I'm not doing a whole thing here, but in Zaun they all want her to be their symbol. And in Piltover, regardless of her heroism or the reason she did what she did, there will always be stares and whispers for her crimes. Not to mention the whole process of whatever resolving the issues of her crimes would mean in the first place. It would not only be trouble for her, but probably for Vi and Caitlyn as well. She gave Vi permission to move forward with her life, and we saw Vi take it which is a reason to be hopeful. But if I were Jinx, and I had decided to leave, I would be very aware of the possibility that Vi would feel honor bound to leave the love she had found, and turn her back on the peace Jinx tried to convince her she deserves. Because while Vi is full to the brim with wonderful qualities, her journey to believing her own self-worth is still very new. And I think Jinx wisely would be worried Vi could not let her go alone. Just as Vi has to start finding herself free of their past, Jinx needs the same. It's not that she doesn't love Vi. I think she has made it EXTREMELY CLEAR that she does. But in terms of her mental state and her arc, I think she has resolved the conflict between the shattered ghost of Powder, and Silco's terrorist daughter. she IS JINX. She is no longer A JINX. And I think to find out what that means, she has to step away from the shadows of her past and start completely over. Just as Vi has to start finding out who she is without the crushing guilt and pain of their childhood. Listen yall, I know I can be quite harsh on Jinx especially because Vi is my favorite. But let me bring you back to something I first realized in my deep-dive on the sisters relationship.

Vi is a courageous, loving, and loyal sister who would fist fight the devil himself with one hand tied behind her back for her loved ones. But she is still only a person. And as always, the brilliantly heart wrenching writing of this show tells us exactly how Jinx feels about her older sister in the opening of the show, and proves it again at the end:

Even when they were little girls on that bridge, Vi walked tall, trying to shield Powder from the horror around them. But when it became too much, when the horror, and the pain, and the loss overwhelmed her, Powder threw her small body over her big sister trying with everything in her to be that shield for Vi.... Just as she would the next time Violet needed her...

I am firmly and completely convinced she would not leave Vi like that unless she truly felt it was the right thing for both of them. She has come to far and been through too much. Agree or disagree, I think she is doing her best to be that sister Vi deserves once more. Even if its painful.

What I Hope:

My hope, is that Caitlyn shares her information with Violet when she feels she has enough to not devastate her beloved with false hope. And that hearing that, Vi will choose to honor her sister's decision, as well as see the truth that she herself deserves love, and peace, and safety, and be at peace. My hope is that in the end, Vi can see Jinx's decision was not one of neglect, or abandonment, or crisis. But just as Vi had always tried so hard to be Jinx needed, in that moment Jinx saw what they both needed, and made the hard call, to give them both the chance the world tried to steal from them.

Thank you all for reading. I know I have been a tad feisty lately and I wanted to get back to talking about what I love about this show! These characters and this story connect with us all on such deep levels because of their humanity. Their flaws, their strengths, the moments they succeed and the moments they fall short. Ultimately, we can't know if Violet will do the right thing if and when she finds out. But she and Caitlyn give me hope. I hope this has done the same for you.

Never stop standing for the stories that matter. See yall next time!

[rueclfer]

evergreen

𖤓 part vii. | series m.list | prev | part viii.

touya had been at camp for less than 24 hours and he could already feel himself cracking. you were insufferable, stubborn, and self righteous, but it doesn't take him long to remember that you always had been.

betweens silent sips of the beer bottle twirling between his fingers, he thinks back on the summer after his sixteenth birthday- which he concluded was the last good summer before things started getting bad.

this was the year that touya had forgotten to pack deodorant for one of japan's hottest summers within the last decade. knowing you, it didn't take much convincing for you to practically beg him to take your spare. you two spent the entire summer smelling like lilac and white tea.

touya distinctly remembered all the teasing from other campers that so obviously made its way under your skin. you've always been so easily irritable. he probably spent that entire summer warning you about getting a crinkled tan line right in between your eyebrows from all the scowling.

he almost audibly laughs to himself. compared to the look on your face when you two made eye contact earlier today, he half-way wished it was that scowl instead.

touya leans his head back and lets it hit the smooth wood of the cabin wall, bringing the opening of the bottle up to his lips. this wouldn't be the first night he'd be drinking with you on his mind.

"dude, get your fucking shoes off my bed." tomura tosses a pillow off of hawks' bed, hitting touya's shoulder.

he rolls his eyes and straightens his legs, letting his feet dangle off the side of the bed.

"loser." he mutters into the back of his hand as he swipes it across his lips.

"and if you throw up on my bed, i'm setting your cabin on fire." tomura downs the remainder of the contents in his red solo cup. "y/n in it and everything, you fuckers can die together."

touya rolls his eyes with a glint of a smirk on his lips. 

��always such a romantic, shigs. you’re more than welcome to burn with us.”

"shut up, I can't stand emo on emo crime, or flirting or whatever the fuck you guys are doing." hawks slurs, swivelling back and forth on the desk chair with his cheek pressed against the palm of his hand. "y/n is just another one of touya's victims, leave them out of this."

tomura drops his head into his lap, slapping a hand over his mouth to suppress a fit of drunken giggles. hawks look over at him with a wide grin.

"that wasn't even funny, shigs." he giggles. "shut up or else touya's gonna beat your ass."

"me?" he exclaims. "you're the one who said some stupid shit, not me. i'm gonna tell y/n and have them beat your ass." he says in between laughter.

touya's eyes flicker between the two bickering and laughing back and forth in their drunken daze. if he was a bit less intoxicated, he'd have more to say to his idiot friends and their antics.

maybe that was a cue for him to leave.

touya sits for a bit longer. it would be wise of him to sober up before stepping out into the open woods and making the trek back to his cabin- especially if he had to come to face you this late. is this feeling excitement or dread?

he taps on his phone screen. 12:37 AM.

he wonders if you were done packing. it's been almost three hours since curfew. what would you be doing now? making a summer bingo card? read a book? going through his things? plotting his demise? you were always a mass of type-a unpredictability.

the cabin door suddenly swings open, bringing the bickering to a halt and inviting in the warm summer night breeze.

while the breeze rolls in, the air sucks out of touya's lungs.

"what?" you sheepishly say, suddenly self conscious over the amount of eyes on you.

touya noticed the familiar old jacket slung over your shoulder. there was really no need for one on a warm summer night like this, but of course you had to grab it.

just in case!

your voice rings in his head.

"am i interrupting something?" you cock an eyebrow, eyeing the line of empty beer bottles lining the wall. "weren't you losers just saying something about missing me? what're you guys so quiet about?"

"you're late." hawks exclaims, breaking the wall of silence. "shots. now. you need to catch up." he reaches down from under the desk and pulls out a half empty handle of vodka.

"nah, put that shit away." tomura slides himself off of hawks' bed and stumbles onto his own beside touya "i wanna go to sleep."

"pull it together, crustbucket." you huff, taking his spot on hawks' bed across from the others. "you can handle a couple more shots."

you silently said your prayers. you and touya haven't seen each other since the bonfire, and he hadn't bothered stopping by the cabin before heading off to hawks and tomura's. you weren't sure if you were unintentionally-intentionally avoiding each other, or if things really are different now.

get a grip.

you silently curse to yourself, accepting the handle of vodka that you were sure had been passed around many of the other counselors that had stopped by earlier.

you squint your eyes shut in anticipation before tipping the bottle back, taking in a deep swig of the lukewarm alcohol.

you hold your breath through the burning sensation crawling down your throat. a beat passes. then two.

your eyes slowly open and catch touya's. he doesn't notice his lips curling into a smirk or his head nodding in approval as you pass the handle over to him.

you were grateful that in this weather, with this alcohol settling in your stomach, the heat prickling your cheeks and ears could pass off as nothing.

"where'd you learn how to do that?" he casually brings the spout up to his lips, the smirk never disappearing.

"you don't think i know how to drink?" you cock an eyebrow at him.

"can't i be impressed?" he playfully rolls his eyes. "you used to be such a wimp when it came to this stuff."

you don't reply, but instead press your lips together and avert your gaze down to your shoes.

if they were kids again, touya would take this as a success. you don't let him win often- or at all, really, but there's something bitter laced with your silence.

things feel different.

a/n: ok time to check in how r we feeling abt this fellas!!!! i rlly do writing shigs n hawks like this like i lowkey think they should all kissssss heh

tags:

@iluv-ace @bitchyfestivalbouquet @redr0sewrites @babylambdietcoke @bnhabadass @hanmastattoos @1ndee @starsryi @nesrynsblog @twoplayergaymers @suksatoru @ita606 @pookiebear16 @fictionalcharactersownmyheart @in-the-marina-trench @haruhi269 @itgetzweird08 @ilophilia @chimimon @emluvs-sugu @punishblue @whorror-complex @akumakitsune21 @maddie-rose-1 @ixeyi @commonmisery @ggriwm @exselily @kryscent @starrmage @vannyinthestars @burnishingbagels @soobhns @kaybug88 @lantsovheiress @0skullyard0 @albakugo @sleepyk0dyz

[localwebslingers]

It didn't really feel like he was being sized up as Spider-Man watched him, but Peter definitely felt like his being there was being fully taken in. Along with what he was saying and maybe, just maybe, putting together some of the implications of it. With the mask on, even with the reacting eyes, it was hard to say for sure and while he knew first hand that was half the point of it to begin with, but he could swear he could still read the other as well as he was being read himself. Not fully, but enough for the message to get through. The lines of tension, where they were, any tilt to his head, because they were different but there had been some things still the same the last time he'd crossed paths with other versions of himself. The same was likely true even now.

So he waited and when the nod he let out a soft breath and any tension he had himself eased. Nerves more than anything, about if the two of them but especially Harry would be believed. Be given a chance. He gave his own nod of agreement, "Yeah, you too...see you around." both from a distance as the other swung through the streets and later when they had a chance to meet again. Either with the cultists or something else down the road, Peter wasn't sure what but it would be bound to happen.

He watched Spider-Man back away and jump down, and imagined there would be some headclearing needed on his part after the talk, before looking over as he heard Harry let out the sigh. Immediately running his thumb along the back of his hand again to try and offer some assurance and comfort. Correction, that was two people who needed to have a little headclearing after that talk, "You're welcome, glad I could help." he wasn't sure he would have at first, but it felt like he at least helped smooth things a little before they could wrinkle too much. The tension was impossible to ignore, and the distrust on both sides felt familiar and foreign but still hurt to see. He could only imagine it hurt for the other Spider and Harry even more.

"...I'm also really proud of you for not rolling your eyes out loud." he teased lightly, even if Peter really was sure he could physically feel the exaspiration when it hit for Harry during that talk. It still counted, and he smiled a little, "Do you wanna stay up here for a few minutes or just head back home for a while?" they could use a break after both the breaking and entering date, and now this.

|| @inhcritance ||

Peter, of all people, understood it, and Harry had a good idea about how much. He doubted that Spider-Man did, but depending on how much he put things together... well. Harry was not about to pretend he had no hand on the rift between them, but it still hurt. And it still stung, relieving as it was, to see Spider-Man regard Peter for a very long moment, not tense and not aggressive but still cautious, thoughtful.

Harry couldn't help the thought, as his once best friend nodded at last, that years ago he would have been able to read every little shift of his shoulders. Or at least he'd have believed so, given how little he knew about him at all.

"Alright." Peter said, and Harry wasn't sure if he believed them or not, but it would do. "We'll keep in touch. And nice meeting you." He told Peter, before taking one step back.

A part of Harry still worried, even as his senses told him he was okay, jumping into the void. And while Harry didn't collapse once he was gone, there with just Peter around he let out a long sigh, unwilling to let go of Peter's hand just yet. But he turned a bit to face him again.

"That went better than I feared." He admitted. And then, "thank you."

Because he didn't know if he'd have managed to deal with that conversation alone. If, after so much fighting Oscorp, after dealing with so much distrust and politics on the regular, he could have faced someone he'd trusted and now distrusted him so clearly and stayed cool enough, if he didn't have at least Peter on his side.

@localwebslingers

[enhaniki-san]

part-timers!niki x reader part ll ⋆˙⟡

warning: smut

read part one here

the store was quiet the next day, you tried so hard to focus on your task but for some reason, you're annoyed and not carefully aligning the packages.

then a minute later, you're smiling so hard, biting your lips thinking about the little text conversation between you and niki.

niki crouched beside you, organizing the lower shelves where you just threw different items in one row. his right brow raised. "what’s up with you today?"

you looked at him, startled. "what do you mean?"

"i don't know like, what's this?” he said. pointing at the shelf while looking directly at you.

you felt your cheeks warm in embarrassment. "sorry, i just remembered something." you muttered, avoiding his gaze.

niki raised an eyebrow, a teasing smirk tugging at his lips knowing you're distracted. "uh-huh.”

you both continued restocking and niki broke the silence again. "so… about last night."

your hands froze mid-motion, your breath hitching. "yeah..."

he tilted his head, studying you closely.

"about that... i'm confused" you stammered, your voice going quiet as you continued talking, pouring your heart out but he's not even paying attention. "...and you know, i don't even get what you're saying."

niki glanced over his shoulder, carefully double-checking the surroundings. ensuring no one else was nearby.

"you don't?" he asked.

he locked eyes with you for too long. you didn't even have to say anything. niki leaned in, his lips capturing yours in a sudden kiss.

it was quick, his arms brushing lightly against yours as he leaned closer. your mind going blank, feeling the warmth of his lips.

and when niki pulled back, his eyes remained on you. "what about now?" he asked with a serious look in his face.

you couldn’t help but smile shyly, your heart fluttering as butterflies swirled in your stomach.

niki grinned, leaning in to give you another soft kiss. "still confused?"

you slapped his arms gently. "maybe one more." he whispered, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. totally liking the flushed expression you gave as he pressed another quick peck to your lips, then another, and another.

each kisses are light and playful, like he was trying to draw out your reactions.

you were giggling and all giddy, covering your face with your hands so he can stop.

he pulled your hands away from your face gently. "i like it when you smile like that."

your heart skipped a beat as he leaned in one last time, this kiss softer than the rest, his lips stayed just long enough to make you catch your breath after he pulled back.

and before you could gather your thoughts, one of your coworkers peeked in. "hey, you guys, a customer needs help up front."

niki stood up, looking at you for a moment before turning to leave. "i'll handle it." he said with a small smile as he patted your head gently.

later, you tried to make yourself busy but your hands were trembling slightly, smiling like an idiot whenever you remember what happened earlier.

you glanced at the clock above the register, only ten minutes left until the shift ended. you watched niki as he started to tidy up his area, preparing to leave.

you stood up, realizing it's now or never. "niki?" you asked. "do you... do you want to come over? you know, after work?"

he paused, his eyebrows lifting slightly in surprise before a slow smile spread across his face. "you're inviting me over?"

you nodded. "yeah… i mean, if you want to. no pressure or anything."

he leaned back on his heels, his smile turning into a smirk. "you're cute when you’re nervous."

you glared at him.

he chuckled. standing up while brushing off his pants. "yeah, i’ll come over."

"cool." you said softly, trying to play it off even though your stomach was doing flips.

your heart raced every time niki walks by. you tried not to make it obvious how much you were thinking about him and the fact that he agreed to come over.

and when the clock finally hit the end of your shift, you grabbed your things and waited outside the store. the cool evening air felt refreshing against your warm cheeks as you glanced around, your nerves starting to creep in.

"you ready?" niki's voice came from behind you.

you turned to see him. his hair was slightly messy and the soft streetlights cast a golden glow on his face.

"yeah." you said, trying to sound calm. "let's go."

niki walked close beside you and his arm occasionally brushing against yours, making you look and smile at him each time it happens.

"come on in." you said, stepping aside to let him enter.

niki stepped inside, his eyes scanning your space. "this is nice."

"thanks." you replied, closing the door behind him. but you know damn well that if your place is nice, his' might be nicer. "want something to drink?" you offered, heading to the kitchen.

"sure." he said, following you closely. "i'll have whatever you’re having."

you grabbed two glasses of juice, handing him one before sitting on the couch. niki joined, settling in beside you. the space between you felt far too small, his knee brushing yours as he leaned back casually.

"so..." he started, tilting his head at you, "you were pretty distracted at work today. want to tell me why?"

you sighed. he knew damn well why...

"hey, i wasn't that distracted."

he grinned. "right like throwing stuff onto shelves like you don’t care is totally normal for you."

"okay, fine." you admitted, biting your lip. "i was."

niki shifted closer, his arm now resting along the back of the couch, his fingers brushing your shoulder. "was it because of me?"

you inhaled deeply. his stare made you feel hot. you fanned yourself. "maybe." you finally admitted, avoiding his eyes.

"maybe?" he repeated, his voice teasing and dripping with suggestion. "you're going to have to do better than that."

you turned to him, your cheeks flushing. "fine, then. yes."

niki smiled, his hand sliding along the back of the couch until his fingers grazed your neck. "good." he mouthed. "because i’ve been thinking about you too."

your eyes widened slightly at his confession. niki leaned in, brushing his lips softly against yours.

then after he pulled back, his lips twitched into a smirk and the back of his fingers caressed your cheeks.

you felt confident. you didn't know why but you suddenly felt the urge to admit everything. now that he's here and everything, telling you he's been thinking about you too, you just might push forward.

"can i say something? but tell me right away if you're uncomfortable" you blurted out suddenly. "please?"

niki tilted his head, his dark eyes fixed on you. unsure but he wants to hear it "okay... go ahead" he said, curious.

you hesitated, biting your lip, unsure if you should even say it. but you want him and holding back seems impossible now. "i'm thinking about you last night, right?" you admitted, your voice shaking slightly.

his brows raised, expression changing to a genuine intrigued look.

you shifted nervously, your cheeks burning as you forced yourself to continue. "i mean… i was really thinking about you. and i..." you looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "i touched myself."

your words hung in the air. for a moment, all you could hear was the sound of your own breathing.

niki blinked, his expression blank at first. "what?" he asked. you heard his voice full of disbelief and confusion.

you squeezed your eyes shut. "i'm so sorry, sorry for doing something so weird." you apologized, clenching your hands in your lap. the silence stretched and you finally risked glancing at him. niki's lips slightly parted

"that’s…" niki swallowed hard. his adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to find the right words.

niki leaned in closer, his fingers brushing against your thighs. "do you think you could… do it again?" he asked, his voice soft but loaded with intent.

your eyes slightly widened, your body felt weird with heat at the implication. "w-what?" you stuttered.

niki's face looked serious, "do it again." he repeated, placing a kiss to your cheeks while his hand softly gripping your thighs. "in front of me."

you're trying to process his words while on the other hand, niki's body responded instinctively but kept his expression neutral, maintaining his cool composure as he waited for you to make the next move.

your mind racing as his words sank in. the idea sent a shiver down your spine, a mix of nervousness and undeniable excitement coursing through you.

"i want to see you." he whispered, then kissed you softly on your neck.

you watched niki crawl in front of you, carefully removing your jeans.

you felt your heart pounding so hard you thought it might burst. the way he was looking at you made it impossible to think straight. niki's face, his lips, arms, and body... the sight's such a turn on.

he then sat beside you again. surge of heat building on his body and blood rushing to the member between his legs. he shifted slightly, hoping you wouldn’t notice the sudden hardness straining against the fabric of his pants but he also hoped that you’d look down and notice the growing evidence of just how much he wanted you right there.

"niki…" you whispered, unsure if it was a protest or an invitation.

he leaned in closer, his breath warm against your ear. "come on." he whispered, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin just beneath it. the faint kiss sent a shiver down your spine and your body reacted before your mind could catch up.

you tensed as his free hand gently took yours. slowly and deliberately, he guided it downwards. "show me." niki said it with such confidence and desire, sending heat pooling low in your stomach.

your hand hovering as his stayed over yours, encouraging but not forcing.

you looked at niki who's looking down, watching you play with yourself. your hands moved from his neck up to his hair then you gently gripped it. your breath's getting shaky and uneven, chest heaving as you continued.

niki's hands roamed under your shirt, freeing your breasts from your bra. he then capture yours lips in a slow yet hungry kiss.

you pulled back, panicking. "i'm close..." you moaned against his mouth.

niki grabbed your hand from his hair and put it inside his boxers so you could feel how hard you made his dick. he started groaning when you started rubbing it.

TT fast forward after, the sound of your heavy panting filled the room. mingling with niki's.

the air's warm and thick with the aftermath of everything that just happened.

you lay tired in the sofa, your hair sticking to your damp forehead while niki hugged you from behind, his chest rising and falling as he also tried to catch his breath.

a soft giggle escaped your lips, you quickly covered your mouth but the sound only made niki shifted to glance over at you, a grin spreading across his face.

"what’s so funny?" he asked, voice raising in curiosity.

"nothing..." you said, you smiled as you tried to suppress another laugh. "it's just… i don't know like, did that really happened?"

niki chuckled, propping himself up on one elbow to look at you. his hair's a mess, sticking up in all directions, and a sheen of sweat glistened on his skin but he looked so effortlessly handsome it made your heart race all over again.

"oh, it happened." he said, smirking. "you need me to prove it again?"

you smacked his arm lightly.

his grin widening as he flopped back onto the sofa, throwing an arm over his face dramatically. "damn, you're a lot of work, you know that?"

you rolled your eyes, turning on your side to face him.

niki peeked at you from under his arm, his smile softening as his locked eyes with yours.

breaking the quiet, you reached out and poked his side, making him flinch. "yuck, you're sweaty." you teased, giggling again.

"like you’re not." he shot back, grabbing your hand before you could poke him again. "wash your hand."

"what the fuck?" you cursed in disbelief.

the two of you bursts into laughter, niki shifted closer, his fingers brushing against yours as he intertwined them.

he grinned, leaning in to kiss your lips before flopping back onto the sofa.

"we're showering together."

a/n: lmao at the fast forward after omg. please read part one here

read snitch - reader x niki

read touché - niki x reader

read touché - niki x reader part 2

[llively-12]

School sucks!

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

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

Minatozaki Sana x female reader

Warnings: Loser reader, popular girl Sana, awkward talks, history class (if that's a warning for anyone), reader is like super nerdy, some self-doubt, mentions of presentation anxiety

Story: Reader and Sana are paired together for group work. Sana flirts, reader blushes.

Authors note: This was quite fun as someone who has history advanced class. Sometimes, I feel like an absolute nerdy loser during school. Anyways, enjoy the read♥︎

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The school bell rings as the clock strikes eight o'clock. School has started, and the students of the eleventh grade wait patiently for their history teacher. Monday first period was always reserved for history. A few students quickly shove some snacks into their mouths, and others spend the time on their phone for as long as they still could.

The door slides open, and the teacher walks inside. Measured steps walk towards the front of the class.

"Good morning, class." Greets the history teacher. Everyone gets up and bows down while mumbling a 'Good morning'.

"I've planned a class project for the week. The project will include a presentation, a handout, and a test on all of the presented topics. The timeline for preparation as well as presenting will take about two and a half weeks. I will choose the groups. Every group includes two students."

Groans and complaints roar through the classroom. Nobody seems to be in the mood for such a time-consuming project. The mentions of a test seemed to wrap it up nicely.

One student, though, was all excited for the project. Y/n. Her love for history was indescribable. Always top of the class with a perfect score. Her love for history started at a very young age. Most of her free time was reserved for researching historic events. On top of that, she is also class president. A trustful student at that.

Y/n smiled brightly while already planning out the structure of this project.

There is another person in this classroom. Her excitement was on the bare minimum. Minatozaki Sana. She is one of the most popular girls at school. Everyone is head over heels for either her or one of her friends. Hirai Momo and Myoui Mina are always on her side, the Japanese girls never seen separate.

Sana groans and glances out of the window. She wasn't exactly stupid or not good in history. The subject just didn't matter to her that much. There were better things she could spend her free time with. Such as shopping.

The teacher had already started putting together the pairs. Some students are happy while some others try to hide their frustrations. Y/n patiently waited for her turn.

"Y/n, you will be in a group with Sana."

Y/n smiles and turns to glance at Sana. The two never spoke much. The class president waves joyfully and nicely greets Sana. The Japanese girl, on the other hand, did not react that excitedly. She almost rolled her eyes and turned her head away.

♡

After class, Y/n makes her way to Sana.

"Hello, Sana. Since we're in one group, I wanted to discuss some things for the start. When do you have time for meeting up after school? I already planned some things for the presentation and hand out-"

"First of all, I don't have any time for this project. I really need some new clothes, so I'll be spending my free time shopping. Secondly, I think you can handle this perfectly on your own for now. I'll tell you when I'm free, just get started and I'll help you later on. What's even our topic?"

"Oh, um, our topic is Napoleon and him taking over Europe. Please text me when you're free. Here's my number."

You hand her your phone and watch her type in your number into her contacts. She smiles and hands you back your phone.

"Thanks, Sana, I'll be looking forward to our work together."

You smile back and leave the classroom to get to your other class.

♡

A week has passed. Sana hasn't texted you yet, and the project is due in three days. You did most of the research yourself as expected. People mostly let you do the work since you're the class best. Sana isn't an exception there.

You thought she would have messaged you by now, but the contact between the two of you stays silent. Sana doesn't even talk to you at school. You feel really frustrated about this. She didn't even talk to you in history class.

You never minded being the nerdy outcast, but sometimes it was just lonely. Nobody would want to pair up with you. Many would just use you for good grades. You didn't think Sana would be the same. She actually looked so sweet.

A notification from your phone interrupts your train of thoughts. It's a text message from Sana.

'Send me your address, I'm coming over wince I have some free time. Can't leave you all alone with the project ;)'

You sit up and look at the message for a few seconds. That was quick. You didn't think the odds would change this fast, but here you are. You type in your address and see her reply with thumbs up. She's quite silly if you think about it.

♡

The wait for Sana is uncomfortable and embarrassingly long. You get a light stomach ache, which is quite normal in stressful situations. Everything related to the topic is laid out on your desk, sorted neatly. Your right leg bounces on the stop to relieve some stress.

Your parents aren't home for the night. They went out for dinner. You often told them that you wouldn't be eating with them since you were so caught up in studying. School is something very important to you, and you take it very seriously.

The door rings, and your body almost explodes with nervousness. She's here, at your house. This is weird. Nobody's ever been at your house. You apparently take too long for her liking, so Sana rings the doorbell again.

The sounds of your footsteps are muffled due to the carpet. You carefully open the door and glance at Sana. She looks nice, maybe a bit overdressed. You, on the other hand, are dressed in casual clothes.

Sana smiles at you and moves past you inside of your house without even asking for permission. You look after her in confusion, but quickly close the door to catch up with her.

"Where's your bedroom?"

Sana asks. You lead her to your room and close the door after the two of you enter. Sana takes a good look at your room. She grins at the decor and the posters.

"Kpop? Really? Didn't think you'd be this nerdy."

You blush and look down at your feet.

"It's actually really nice to listen to. You should give it a chance."

Sana shrugs and picks up some other items. She often giggles to herself. You can't really do anything else other than watching her inspect everything in your room. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"How about we start on the project? It's due in three days, and there are still some things we need to do."

Sana nods and looks at the already gathered papers on your desk.

"Did you already start with the hand out?"

You shake your head and walk over to your desk.

"No, I focused on the presentation first. It's the most important thing about our project. All of the information I gathered should be helpful for the handout, though."

Sana nods and takes some of the papers. She reads through the information and nods to herself.

"Wait, wasn't Napoleon like active during the first world war?"

You stop with what you're doing and slowly turn to look at Sana. This question was not expected.

"No. Napoleon's era was during the late eighteen century up to the early nineteen century. World War One happened in 1914 until 1918. Why did you think Napoleon ruled during world war one?"

"I don't know. My concept of time is not that great."

You nod and get back to the information. Sana grabs a paper and starts with the handout.

"I can start on the handout. After I'm done, we can copy this and print it out a few times. What do you want on the handout?"

"Uhm, maybe Napoleon's way of taking over Europe, and we should definitely bring in the code civil."

Sana just nods and raises her eyebrows at what you said. Her knowledge of history could be compared to the intelligence of a potato. This was just not her strong suit.

"Wow, you're really into the topic. It's a shame that you're this nerdy. You're actually kinda cute."

Sana winks at you, and you blush. Why is she acting like this? At first she didn't want to talk to you, and now she is flirting with you? What is this behaviour?

The evening goes on with the two of you working on the project. Sana is surprisingly very good at making handouts. Her questions on Napoleon, on the other hand, have you in a state of shock.

During the work, Sana makes some flirty comments towards you. It's weird since she doesn't really talk to you, like ever, but this seems to be different. You don't know what has gotten into her.

Sana leaves after two hours. She winks at you and then walks off into the night. Your face is beet red. Nobody has ever acted like this with you before.

♡

You sit down in the cafeteria to eat some food. While munching on some rice, you finish some English homework. You're so deep in thoughts that you don't notice three girls walking over to you.

They put down their trays and sit down at your table. You lift your head to see who it's is. It's Sana and her friends Mina and Momo. Sana sat down next to you while the other girls obtained the seats across from you. Sana smiles and clings onto your arm.

"Hi, I hope you don't mind us sitting here. We just thought you were a bit lonely, all by yourself. What are you working on, honey?"

You stop in your tracks and look at Sana. Your face heats up, and you stammer for words. Momo and Mina are suddenly very interested in the food, but you can see the smile on their faces.

"Uh, uh, I'm working on English homework."

"Cute."

Sana coes and presses herself against your body. You side eye her and get back to your homework.

It is really hard trying to concentrate, while Sana distracts you from homework. She would squeeze your arm and whisper flirty stuff in your ear. Momo is too interested in her food to even notice the commotion between Sana and yourself. You sometimes think she's in a different universe, deeply engaged in her thoughts. Mina, on the other hand, did notice the little situation between Sana and you, yet she did not comment on it.

You really ask yourself why this is happening. Yesterday, you were a lonesome loser with nerdy interests, and now you're apparently the hottest thing in school, according to Sana. This didn't make much sense.

Though you had the idea that this would hold on until the final test on all of the projects was written. Many people feigned a friendship before, only to leave you after they got a good grade. It was sad that no one was really interested in your personality and rather your intelligence. Maybe this was Sana's plan. Use you for good grades and then leave.

♡

Finally, presentation day arrived. You were quite nervous about your end result. There was always a certain fear inside your body when it came to presentations. The thought of people laughing over your mistakes hunt you in every nightmare.

You sit beside Sana while watching another group present. Your leg bounces up and down in a fast rhythm. The pressure of presenting in front of the entire class presses down on you. Anxiety fills your mind and body. Your hands start shaking too.

Sana is focused on drawing a cute little figure into her notebook. She barely pays attention to the group that's currently presenting. What does catch her attention is the way you're behaving. The fast-paced leg bouncing and the shaky hands as you try to take notes on what the other students are saying. She glances at you for a few seconds before she gently puts a hand on your knee. She presses down onto your leg so it doesn't bounce anymore.

You look at Sana. Shock and confusion spread across your face. Sana smiles and caresses your knee with her thumb.

"It's fine, Y/n. Try to focus on something else. It's just a presentation. The others won't throw rotten tomatoes when you make a mistake."

You nod and try to calm down. Sana's gentle gestures helped a lot during the process. The group came to an end, and you raised your hand to give some feedback. Everything felt more at ease now that Sana was silently comforting you.

It's now your turn to present. You get up and walk to the front of the class. The PowerPoint starts, and you go over the agenda and explain the different topics. Sana notices a slight shake in your voice. She grabs your hand and holds it while you're presenting. The action is hidden so other classmates don't notice the affectionate gesture.

The presentation goes smoothly with no mistakes. The feedback is good, and the teacher seems pleased with the final product of your research. You give the teacher as well as some classmates the handout.

After class, you stop Sana and thank her for the help. She smiles and gives your hand a gentle kiss before disappearing into the crowded hallway.

♡

Sana asked you to study with her for the upcoming history test. To you, the topics and different timelines were easily understandable, yet to her, it was a disaster. Sana had not made any notes on the presentation, so you both decided to research the different presented topics.

You would give Sana a topic, and she should research about it and write down notes. At the end of your study session, she should present everything she researched. You did this four days in a row. Between researching, you also asked her questions about the different historic events. It helped her memorising everything, from dates to persons active during the historic eras.

Also, Momo and Mina started getting closer to you. The trio overall warmed up and took you in, almost like they adopted you. Momo was hesitant at first. She was always a bit introverted, so she got to know you at a slow pace. Mina was about the same. After a few days of sharing a table at lunch, the two of them started talking to you like you've been friends for a long time.

Sana kept her clingy energy with you. She used every opportunity to be close to you and seek your company. She even asked to be seated next to you in most classes.

All of this did not make sense to you. Yes, you enjoyed the company and the maybe promising friendships that could evolve, but on the other hand, you knew what happened. After the test, Sana would disappear with her friends and leave you alone.

The days went by quickly, and the ache in your stomach grew bigger with every passing hour. You did not want them to leave you. The time you had with these three girls was awesome. You have never met people like that before.

After the test was done, you thought Sana wouldn't even talk to you. To your surprise, she still hung out with you. Why's that?

♡

You open your history textbook, and a note falls onto your lap. Your name is written on one side in neat handwriting. Nobody usually got access to your books, so this is weird. How did anyone manage to slip a note in there?

You take the note and open it up. Inside, there is a small text.

Dear Y/n, I've been admiring you over the last month. I was so happy when our history teacher paired us together for the project. You are such a caring and fantastic person. I really like you. Would you meet me after school for more clarity? Yours sincerely, Sana.

Your eyes widen. Sana wrote a confession letter to you? How is this possible?! You always thought she was annoyed when you were around. Well, she did get closer to you over the last two weeks, but you never expected this.

You carefully fold the letter and put it into your pocket. One thing was clear. You definitely needed clarity on this. Everything is so confusing right now. How long has she liked you? Or is this only a trap? The anticipation for the meet-up after school grows with every second.

♡

Sana leans against the school wall while waiting for you. You take small but firm steps into her direction. She looks up and meets your gaze. A shy smile spreads across her face. You have never seen Sana this unsure in your life. Usually, she is always this confident girl, but right now, it seems like she's scared for your reaction.

You smile back and still in front of Sana. Silence fills up the space. Neither of you is sure how to start this conversation. You don't know what to say or how to open up this topic. Sana, let's out a deep breath.

"So you've read the letter?"

You nod and pull it out of your pocket as proof. Sana nods and looks at you curiously.

"Well, what do you have to say?"

"I, uhm, I honestly don't know. All of this is new to me. I've never had anyone confess to me. If I'm honest, I don't know why you're into me. I mean, there's not much to like about me."

Sana stares at you in disbelief. She steps closer and takes your hand. Her eyes meet yours. Her brown orbs sparkle a little.

"Are you kidding me? You're such a wonderful person, I don't get how people don't like you. There should be people standing in a line to date you. Even if you're nerdy or if you're not that popular. I think you're perfect. You're just right the way you are."

Your eyes fill up with adoration. Sana has just the right words to swoon you. Butterflies errupt in your stomach and spread a tingly feeling in your body. You giggle and hide your face in your hands.

Sana grins and takes your hands from your face again.

"So what do you say? Are you up for a date?"

You take a moment to think about it. After some consideration, you nod slowly. Sana excitedly jumps around and laughs happily.

"I honestly thought you would dump me after the project. Most people did that, so I was unsure about you and your friends staying."

Sana stops and frowns.

"I would've never done that. That's just low. Anyone who did that should be ashamed of themselves."

You smile. Sana takes your hand. The two of you start walking. Sana chats about all kinds of things while you listen carefully. It's a nice combo. You notice after some time that Sana is walking you home. The path, too engraved in your mind to not notice.

You stop at your house and turn to Sana.

"Thank you."

You shyly smile again. Sana grins and looks at you.

"For asking you out or walking you home?"

"Both."

You giggle and glance at her. Sana leans in and kisses your cheek. The kiss is gentle and soft. It could also be mistaken for a peck with how delicate it is. Your cheeks heat up and turn into a rose pink colour. Sana steps away from you and winks before walking off. She waves one last time before rounding the corner.

You step inside your house and hold the cheek she just kissed. Your other hand reaches for the letter. A smile spreads across your face as you soak up the lovely feeling of Sana's adoration for you.

♡

[aishangotome]

Azel Radwan: Romantic Ending Ch. 21

Chapter 20

Thank you @shatcey for providing the video for this chapter!

♡———♡

One evening, the greedy God, on a whim, gave me a lesson on Tanzanite cuisine.

Azel: Your debt keeps increasing instead of decreasing…

Azel: At this rate, you might have to be my slave forever, you know?

At the dinner table, which had become a daily occurrence in Tanzanite, Prince Azel brought the food to his mouth with gestures that spoke of his good upbringing.

Today's meal was a Tanzanite-style salad made with bulgur wheat soaked in water until soft, mixed with finely chopped tomatoes, onions, and parsley.

The main course was simple yakitori, skewers of chicken seasoned with vegetables and spices, served with chickpea soup.

The presentation wasn't perfect, but I was getting used to dishes other than Rhodolite's.

Even so—I couldn't agree with the dinner topic being my debt.

Emma: Just to be sure, what debt are you referring to?

Azel: The tuition fee for the Tanzanite cooking course.

Emma: I'm improving my cooking skills for your benefit too, you know.

Azel: That's irrelevant. No matter what your circumstances are, my goodwill doesn't come free.

(He brings up debt, debt, at every opportunity...)

(But, I've recently learned how to get back at him.)

Emma: Ah, I understand. You want to keep me here, don't you, Prince Azel?

Azel: That's a leap in logic.

Emma: It's not. You keep increasing my debt with contrived reasons, so I thought you didn't want to let me go.

Azel: That's absurd.

(He won't meet my eyes... Don't tell me I hit a nerve?)

(...Calm down, Emma. Don't dig your own grave.)

I cleared my throat to regain my composure.

Emma: But at this rate, I don't think I'll be able to repay it even if I spend my whole life doing so.

Emma: I'd be happy if you could provide some kind of relief measure.

Azel: I'd like to tell you to diligently pay it off in cash or labor, but...

Azel: If it's going to become a bad debt anyway, it might be an option to show you another path.

Azel: For example, if you give me something worth a fortune, I might consider it.

Emma: ...Something worth a fortune...

Azel: A treasure that I would want even if I had to pay a large sum of money for it.

Emma: Do you have any desires besides money, food, books, and materials, Prince Azel?

Azel: Let me see...

Prince Azel, who had stopped eating, suddenly looked at me.

But he didn't say anything, and his mystical eyes remained motionless, making me uncomfortable.

Emma: .....Prince Azel?

Azel: ......

Emma: Why are you pinching my cheeks?

Azel: Because I felt irritated for some reason.

Emma: It hurts!

Azel: I thought about it, but as of now, there's nothing that's worth a fortune to me.

The hand that had left my cheek now reached for the yakitori.

Emma: It's troubling that there's nothing, for my debt's sake.

Azel: You just have to become a great merchant like Prince Silvio.

Emma: I don't think I can.

Azel: Then give up and keep diligently earning money.

Azel: Ah, don't worry. I also accept debt repayments by letter.

Azel: Use a carrier or whatever to deliver it to me.

Emma: ...If it gets to be too much, I think I'll consult with the owner.

Azel: Please don't do that. It's not something a kind-hearted Belle should do. It's too cruel.

I couldn't help but laugh at Prince Azel's sudden change in attitude.

The God frowned.

Azel: ...More importantly, you haven't eaten anything since a while ago.

Emma: Ah, I was so engrossed in talking that I...

Emma: Shouldn't you be reading a book, Prince Azel?

When I pointed it out, Prince Azel finally seemed to realize that he hadn't brought a book to the dinner table.

Azel: ...There's no book I want to read today.

Emma: I feel like something similar happened recently...

Azel: That doesn't matter. If you're not going to eat, I'll eat it all.

Emma: No way, don't take my share too!

I hurriedly snatched back the skewers when he tried to take them all.

Unlike in the beginning, our meals these days were often lively.

We would have trivial back-and-forths, laughing foolishly...

I knew this everyday life would end someday, but I wanted to soak in it for as long as possible.

-

Emma: Prince Azel… is he… trying to take his own life?

Screams, shouts of anger, cries, fear—all these mingled in the city, stirring the dry air.

The sounds of conflict could be heard not far away, and Tanzanite, which should have been protected by dreams and illusions, was crumbling.

In this nightmarish reality, only Kamal was smiling.

Her head wouldn't nod, nor would it shake.

The sound of my own heartbeat stuck to my ears, and sweat trickled down my cheeks.

Silvio: Hey, what's goin' on?

(Maybe I have more information than Prince Silvio right now.)

(That's how long I've been with Prince Azel.)

To answer his question, I gathered all the memories I had since coming to Tanzanite.

Everything I saw with my eyes and felt in my heart led me to the worst possible conclusion.

Emma: Perhaps Prince Azel is…

Emma: ...trying to give the people who can't live without a God a shock treatment.

Silvio: ...Huh?

*flashback*

Azel: Someone once said that humans are thinking reeds.

Azel: But those who have given up thinking for themselves are just reeds.

Azel: It's a fitting image for this country, where all the plants have withered and died.

*flashback over*

(Prince Azel was worried about the current distorted state of Tanzanite.)

(As long as there is a God, people will forever give up making their own choices and will not be able to move forward on their own.)

(But if the God were to physically disappear...)

(Only when they can no longer rely on a God will people finally awaken from the dream of mythology.)

Silvio: What are ya sayin'...? There's no way that bastard would engage in such selfless hypocrisy.

Silvio: Unlike you, he hates the words "for the sake of others" more than anything.

(...That part bothers me too.)

(Until a while ago, I even thought he might love poeple...)

*flashback*

Azel: If you want to say that God is a merciful being, don't make me laugh.

Azel: I don't care what happens to ordinary people.

-

Azel: ...The people say they love God.

Azel: They think they can do whatever they want using "love" as a shield.

Azel: That's why I will never love anyone.

*flashback over*

(The more I hear, the less reason I see for Prince Azel to be able to love anyone.)

(Could a God who has served people to the point of degrading himself as a slave truly wish for their happiness?)

Silvio: It's easier to believe he's "fakin' his death to seek freedom."

Silvio: His unusual greed for money might have been to raise funds for his eventual departure, right?

Emma: ...If that were the case, would there be a need to cause such a big commotion?

Emma: Besides, Prince Azel's appearance would stand out in other countries too.

Emma: Even if he could disguise his hair color, there's no way to hide those eyes.

Emma: Even if he faked his death and escaped, there's a high chance he'd be found.

Silvio: The country that sheltered him would be pickin' a fight with Tanzanite. Your point makes sense.

Silvio: Even if we argue here, we won't find the answer in the end.

Silvio: Not unless we catch that bastard and interrogate him.

(As Prince Silvio said, it seems the only thing to do now is to question Prince Azel.)

(...The more time passes, the more likely my guess will become reality...)

I put on the bag Kamal gave me and started walking towards the back of the alley.

Silvio: Are ya really goin'?

Emma: I can't just be driven out like this without an explanation.

Silvio: What happens to him has nothin' to do with ya, right?

(Prince Azel also used to say "It has nothing to do with me" at every opportunity.)

(Certainly, once I leave Tanzanite, he might become no more than a casual acquaintance, but...)

Emma: ––When I was burdened with debt, I told Prince Azel...

*flashback*

Emma: Even if I'm in debt, I will say no to things I don't like.

Emma: Don't think I'll just obey everything you say.

*flashback over*

Emma: If I really become subservient to a God, then I'm truly a slave.

Emma: That's why I have to go and clearly tell him what I don't like.

(When I think that I might never see Prince Azel again...)

(It becomes so painful that I almost forget how to breathe.)

Kamal didn't stop me as I moved forward with determination.

Silvio: ...Tch, that broke bastard, I'll squeeze him dry when I see him next.

It seemed Prince Silvio was coming with me, and he lined up beside me.

Emma: Thank you very much.

Silvio: You owe me one too, ya know?

Emma: I'll definitely pay you back.

(I will definitely catch that cowardly God.)

-

Silvio: ––Well, I imagined it, but...

Silvio: It's completely empty, huh?

What awaited us when we returned to the temple was an eerie silence, so profound that it made this morning's events seem like a fleeting illusion.

Just like the other day, we searched the temple thoroughly, but he was nowhere to be found.

(The left corridor is blocked by rubble, and there's no sign that Prince Azel removed it.)

He might be hiding somewhere in the vast desert, or somewhere in the city, but without any clues, it would be difficult to track him down.

(It's impossible to avoid being seen on the only road leading from the city to the castle.)

(That means it's unlikely that Prince Azel is in the castle, so I think it's either the city or the temple.)

(...Maybe the tourist firm he took me to before is a possibility.)

(But, since he threw out my bag from the temple, Prince Azel must be avoiding me...)

(In that case, he might be in a place I would never think of.)

(...Coward. Are you fine with this becoming a bad debt?)

Silvio: Woman, we've got a problem.

(.....?)

With a click of his tongue, Prince Silvio looked towards where a shadow was approaching us with a leisurely gait.

(The apostle....)

Apostle: Lady Emma, you were here after all.

The High Priest wore the same unchanging smile, betraying no hint of the attack in the city, as he stopped before us with several guards.

His air of benevolence, even in this state of emergency, was rather eerie.

(Having heard the story of Prince Azel's brother, I'm even more on guard than before.)

Silvio: The God aint' here.

Apostle: Is that so? ...I thought as much.

Apostle: The Living God can foresee the future. He's probably hiding himself within an illusion to protect himself.

Apostle: It's my fault that such a non-believer appeared in the city...

Apostle: I wanted to confirm the safety of the Living God with my own eyes, but this is troubling.

(The apostle probably wants Prince Azel to quell the unrest in the city.)

(By any means necessary.)

(...)

(...Did you really come to look for Prince Azel?)

Even though he knew Prince Azel wasn't here, the apostle didn't seem flustered. There was no sign of him rushing off to another location.

Apostle: Lady Emma and Prince Silvio are also looking for the Living God, aren't you?

Apostle: But neither we nor you have any idea where he might be.

Apostle: It would be impossible to find the Living God if we just wander around blindly like this.

Apostle: So, if you don't mind, could you lend me your strength?

Silvio: ...How specifically?

Apostle: There's only one way to summon the Living God.

The apostle's gaze didn't leave me. His clinging, unpleasant stare made my breath tremble.

Apostle: Lady Emma is the only one who has received the divine favor of God.

Apostle: The Living God is merciful, so he surely wouldn't ignore it if something were to happen to that woman.

(...!)

Silvio: You...

As Silvio immediately reached for his sword, the apostle raised both hands. The way he surrendered, just like Prince Azel, made their blood relation undeniable.

Apostle: I apologize if I caused a misunderstanding. Of course, I won't harm Lady Emma.

Apostle: Just having you here with me is enough.

(......Not good at all.)

Emma: ...Are you going to exploit Prince Azel's trauma?

(The fear instilled in him when his brothers were tortured...)

A low voice, the likes of which I had never uttered before, escaped my lips. The apostle, who had kept his expression masked, showed a slight change for the first time.

Apostle: The Living God has truly opened his heart to Lady Emma.

Apostle: To think you know about that painful divine punishment...

Emma: ...Painful?

(He did it himself, so why can he talk about it like it's someone else's business?)

Apostle: I am a servant of the Living God. Every single action I take is dedicated to God.

Apostle: I have never wished to torment him. That's why it's painful.

(...)

(...This might be the first time I've ever wanted to punch someone this badly.)

I suppressed the violent urge and told myself to stay calm.

Even if I explained my anger to the apostle, it would be meaningless.

(If I cooperate with the apostle, I might be able to find Prince Azel and avoid the worst-case scenario.)

(If we only look at the goal, we can work together... but...)

Emma: Regarding your previous proposal, I must decline.

Emma: It would truly pain me to summon Prince Azel using such cowardly tactics.

My heart couldn't accept it no matter what.

Apostle: ...I shall respect your compassionate heart.

Apostle: I must think of another method.

(...To think he'd back down so easily.)

(I thought he might resort to force...)

While maintaining his smile, the apostle turned to a male cleric beside him.

Apostle: Please summon Enis to the sanctuary.

Apostle: Just tell him I wish to discuss the future.

(No––...! It's no different, the hostage has just changed from me to Enis!)

Apostle: Now then, we shall take our leave.

Apostle: If you happen to see the Living God, could you tell him to come to the sanctuary?

Apostle: I'm so worried about where he is and what he's doing now...

(With a kind face, he's cruel to the core...)

(Come to think of it, Clavis did say...)

*flashback*

Clavis: The gatherings that the apostle holds regularly... when you lift the lid, it's a workshop for manufacturing fanatics.

Clavis: Today's riot was probably also caused by some of those fanatics.

*flashback over*

(...The apostle will stop at nothing to protect his faith.)

(If King Enis is captured by the apostle now, it will be disastrous.)

Emma: Apostle....!

The hand I extended to stop him was easily grabbed and blocked.

—Not by Prince Silvio, nor the apostle, but by Kamal, who appeared as if emerging from the sandstorm.

Emma: Kamal---

Kamal: Old man, I'm disappointed to see you looking so well, truly.

(………… Huh?)

For the first time, words were spun from Kamal's lips, which shouldn't be able to make a sound.

More than the content itself... I was so shocked, it was like being punched in the gut, leaving me gaping.

I wasn't the only one surprised; the smile disappeared from the apostle's face as well.

Kamal: Oh my, what's with that stupid look? I wanted to see it with Azel.

Apostle: ...Why...?

Kamal: Why? You're saying strange things.

Kamal: I've always been on my cute little brother's side. Unlike our crazy old man.

The voice coming from the bewitching beauty was unexpectedly deep.

Silvio: That face... You weren't told?

Silvio: Kamal is that broke bastard's brother.

(Prince Azel's... brother!?)

.

.

.

Romantic Ending Ch. 21 His Side Story

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[sofiadragon]

Let me tell you a true story about... let's call her Lily to protect the guilty. I'm using this in a current 70's era WIP so if you read my fic you are going to know where this is going real fast. For the rest of you, it goes a bit like...

Consider this an AU, since there is 100% less murderous Dark Lords here:

Lily had this enormous crush on a guy, absolutely crazy about him. They'd been friends because their moms were friends, then drifted apart around 6 or 7 because cooties, then got over that to be friends in middle school (American, so 12/13.) At age 14, she was so happy that they made a promise to get married.

She told all of us (neighbors) and it was big deal because they ate lunch together at school and had 'dates' where their moms would drop them off at the library or the mall while they hit the salon for their "mom time."

He'd asked her if they would always have each other's backs and support each other, no matter what, and she took that to mean some kind of promise ring situation. For clarity, it had been in the news as a thing back then (I might be dating myself) so this wasn't as off the wall as it might seem today. It sounded a bit like the "practice" marriage vows from some purity nonsense from back then. This was the misunderstanding of the decade.

And she was that preppy kind of girl, you know? Cheerleader material. In the 90's.

He was blindsided by jealous rants about how he shouldn't be hanging out with certain people - mostly other girls but sometimes people who had been mean to Lily - and told he was disloyal if he complimented someone else. She'd changed how she talked to him and he didn't like it. Their casual conversations seemed so serious all the sudden. She talked so much about what she wanted in the future and her goals in life that she'd never been so obsessed with before, and if he said something contradictory she'd try to talk him into some middle ground.

He had asked for that promise because he was gathering the courage to come out. Turns out they both had a bit of a crush on the same Backstreet Boy. I can't make a better plot than this, and it happened right in front of me. I was one of the "girl_friends" he had to stop talking to. He never thought of the library thing as dates. He didn't think their parents were setting them up or approving of their relationship by having him over so much or leaving them to roam the mall. They were just friends, like their moms.

The fallout was... it felt epic at the time but honestly a boring story. TL;DR they stopped talking and pretended each other didn't exist for about ten years. Now they live next door to each other - completely by accident - and picked up a friendship as if all that didn't happen.

She's got kids and a husband now, he's got a partner, and nobody dares mention promise rings or puppy love when the pair of them are both in the room.

“The intensity of his gaze made her blush.” — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter: The Prince’s Tale, Lily and Snape looking at one another. Nothing further, your honor.

[shuenkio]

𝓡𝓸𝓬𝓴 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓨𝓸𝓾 | 엔.하.이.픈 .☘︎ ݁˖ 제이

Paring: Jay X M!reader | Genre: Angst

Synopsis: Situation-ship being awkward between the two that left the fans wondering what was going on, until it was burning a lil too much.

Cw: none, fluff angst without plot?

Non proof read | Eng is not my first.

This is a work of fanfiction, do not throw unnecessary tantrums on this nsfw/sfw blog. ©Shuenkio

A♡N: Laterally wrote this at night, after thinking I should at least update something which is now this is my first update in the new year >:)

The dim yellow light filled the small room, comfort and peacefulness with the long lamp fire, yet the tension didn't get along with the vibe. The awkwardness between this situation-ship boyfriends are put in the same room together, to reflect for what they had done during today that making none other than the fan worries, breaking the internet, and a lot of people assume this and that, the leader and the manager couldn't help but to make the right choice.

Back then, during the debut time weren't they the closest, the sweetest of all everyone but now after getting into a private relationship, it turned out to be crispy as if the sugar pie got burned ? Turns out they had made a dumb decision by ignoring, not interaction, the awkwardness between the both in order to protect their love from the company. Well that only works for the eyes of the boss but not the supporter. The pierce eagle eyes are everywhere, as if a detective in a bird form flows above the sky watching their move every step. Not only in real life, the internet is far worse.

The tension continued to grow, it was so thick that no one dared to breathe, to break this awful silence. As a result m/n push the boundaries by making the first move.

"Okay hyung, let's drop the act. This cannot be carried on, the plan only works for the company but the fans are something... It went viral and shit— soon the company would know at the end. We must...do something " looking down, though it seems to not be working at this time, the rose in a cage of glass did not grow into a velvet bright Beautiful flower at all, but it is going to be dead if one, didn't do anything from now.

Meanwhile Jay, also puzzling for both, what should they do next, drop the act and be normal? Like they used to during those old times? Will it work, the fan won't worry anymore? While being an idol, fans are the most impactful of their career, can't not be left out, and do anything like we wanted to, yet to please them with something they wanted. It's horrible just to imagine, however Jay seems to snap and understand why fans are worried, because he actually did it a bit far, he's not going to blame m/n since all along, this was the idea he was suggested. He needs to carry all by himself which he Glad too.

Seeing the upset and longing expression on his lover's face, Jay felt like he just got hit by a bus. He needs to make it right, to turn this shitty situation ship into a healthy bloom again.

Intertwined with m/n's fingers, Jay pull him closer as he gently let m/n's head on his tone chest while whispering.

"I'm sorry you have to go through my shit, our shit. This is all my fault, let's give us another chance hm? This Jay will make us become unstoppable again, even If I need to pay a fortune— even my heart" Jay claims, the determined in his burning eyes prove he can make both of you run on the right path again. Your boyfriend is Jay park of course.

Feeling his warm heartbeat, m/n didn't let go, continue to stay in his lover's chest for god knows how long before sneaking in his hands, and wrapped around like vice, afraid it'll slipped again. This is their once loved life experience now, which no one would want to walk on the same shoe again.

"let's rock together, I won't let it happen again from now on, nothing can stop us for one more time right?" Then a heartwarming forehead kiss, print on m/n's forehead In such a romantic way that it grows on their brain. As both pressed together, savoring and cherishing this moment.

Love win all?

[wetcatspellcaster]

2024 fic wrapped

I was tagged by @cursedhaglette to do this tag-game, but I found the focus on stats made me a little uncomfortable! (also, no one needs to know how many words I wrote while having multiple breakdowns last year, truly).

But, I didn't want to ignore Mia's tag! so instead, I'm going to take @cinnamontails-ff wrapped tag-game, just bc I sympathise with the logic and I like this set of questions a lot more!

Thank you Cin for coming up with questions that don't focus so much on productivity. And thank you again, Mia, for including me in the original game :) hopefully this is an acceptable substitute!

What's been your biggest learning point this past year?

I guess, what it feels like to be a 'popular' author - and the answer is, 'both good and bad, in fact, extremely mixed'. Obviously, many parts of it are wonderful: more people interacted with my work in the height of the BG3 fandom than I've ever had before, I felt like my writing mattered and I enjoyed every conversation I had about it. I also felt under a lot more scrutiny, very hyperaware of how I acted in 'public' (ie. on this blog), and aware of the people I'd disappoint with the directions I took my stories and what I chose to include. I also had to watch the baffling half-life of modern fandom! BG3's 6 month peak and 1yr trough was wild to me, as someone who joined dragon age 8yrs after the game was released. But I've decided I actually really like the middle-road of interaction, with much less noise and dedicated, recurring readers who I recognise and who make me smile and laugh every single time they comment or tag my work. I'll probably never experience whatever the fuck Pieces was ever again, and I'm honestly... ok with that, currently? Not to sound awful, but I'm not sure I liked it lmao.

In terms of my writing, my biggest learning point was "you're good at this, actually". Chanting this to myself in the mirror while I white-knuckle the sink.

How has your writing developed this past year?

I'm genuinely not certain. Pieces was certainly my most ambitious story yet, but a lot of the outlining of that took place in 2023 so it feels like the development happened then... though I suppose landing the dismount was something I worked very hard to do. I guess the main development this year was that a lot of what I wrote was extremely, extremely angsty. I wrote Pieces, I wrote This Is Not A Love Story. and I gave Rosalie to Orin :))))) this doesn't necessarily surprise me, given the way my writing often reflects things I'm dealing with in my life, and I've been trying to both recover from - and desparately stave off a relapse into - depression. I think that I can see why I keep making characters into the worst versions of themselves (this goes for Astarion, Rosalie - bc Pieces Rosalie is NOT in a good place, Gale and my Durge) and then watching them claw their way back to happiness in the hope of proving to myself that that's possible.

But jfc, it all got a little heavy. I've decided that 2025 is the Year of the Rom Com™.

Good writing habits?

Committing myself exclusively to what I want to read and sticking to my guns - which means I actually finish the thing, rather than getting into my own head about it.

Stretching my comfort zone a little (writing something vaguely smutty, writing something very different in style, switching genres for a bit) without losing my own voice.

Not falling into any jealousy/existential crises about my own writing, which I guess is much easier when you're experiencing a bout of 'success', but I've managed to keep it up even after the success began tailing off :)

I wrote a lot of words last year. I'm not putting the stat down but god. It was a lot.

Bad writing habits?

Overwriting everything. Everything. All the time. Party Favours was so short!!! I used to write novellas!!! Why are my chapters so fucking long now?????

Having multiple fic wips when I promised myself I'd wind down fanfic and start writing original work again :')

I wrote a lot of words last year. I think I did this bc I was extremely unhappy, and productivity is how I define myself. when I feel bad, I write and post bc it makes me feel good. And I felt very bad this year. So anyway, I think my wordcount is both a good thing and also a wee cry for help :'))))

Favorite thing you wrote?

Chapter Twenty-Three of Pieces (Mephistopheles consultation and my Ascended!Astarion meta-reveal)

Chapter Four of Cooler Than Me (putting the blorbos in a formal-wear situation)

I also liked my sex scene in Pieces :') it was tame but it was written for me specifically x

Favorite reads?

for fic!

long summer days can lead to lazy vices by @pouroverpaloma

eyes like fire by demonsbanebard

only once by @bearhugsandshrugs

and of course stitched into your sleeve by the bestie (@violacae)!!! my first ever gift fic!!!

for literature!

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by HG Parry

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

Biggest win?

god. I'm endlessly grateful for my gift fic and for my fanart, but... it's got to be bookbindings. I used to daydream, about somebody ever wanting to have my fic bound, but I thought it was impossible and would never happen! I now know of 3 copies of my work that exist in the world :D and the ones I've seen were fucking gorgeous, like oh my fucking god.

I am also very proud I finished Pieces! It was my most ambitious project, and writing the ending presented even more challenges than I expected - as I discovered how much you write yourself into a corner when you resoul Astarion. I still haven't managed to read the completed work in full yet, but I'm proud it exists :)

Goals for the new year?

finish outstanding wips, and then see where my writing takes me next. I want to write original work, but I also don't want to make it a resolution. As long as I continue to enjoy writing, that's what matters most to me!

Your favorite words of the year, aka the words you check each chapter for, making sure you didn't repeat them 788 times?

I think I use '[x character] froze' a lot, but rather than focusing on my repetitions I want to focus on some of my favourite turns of phrase that I managed to pull from the ether! :)

'before her brief courtship with death threatened to become a commitment' - from the risk and the reward

'We can all still be butchered. We cut away the parts of ourselves to make us fit' - from this is a love story.

"He played an androgynous, morally-grey vampire, of indeterminate gender! In a nice coat! Anyone who had two working eyes and a relevant Kinsey Score read the porn, back in the day!” - from cooler than me

What are you excited for in the new year?

act 3 astarion characterisation for honest lie! the first big romance moment in cooler than me! and then just romcoms! 2025 is the year of the romcom! I want to write exclusively happy things!!!!

tagging: @cursedhaglette (as it's a different set of questions lmao), @imscissorbladez, @violacae, @eraserspiral, @scaryanneee, @sitting-in-the-sink, @pricemarshfield, @pouroverpaloma and anyone else who wants to give this a whirl. anyone is welcome, and if you tag me in it I'll share x

[slimybeth69]

Touch: Part 6

Rating: explicit (smut, language)

Summary: Din has another special 'gift' for you-- and then some unfortunate news.

tags: I'm not giving any tags or warnings for this chapter. It's smutty and angsty. Beware. You are responsible for the things you consume.

a/n: I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you read this on ao3, no you fucking didn't. It's still unbeta'd, but proofread!! I did that this time!! I also am re-working the story slightly because I CAN. Spoilers to the show and the book of boba fet and maybe the next season because I helped J. Faveau write it.

The whole day was so much fun. So different than after your arrival yesterday.

Din showed you how to fix certain things on the ship should they break while he isn't here. He also showed you the beginning stages of piloting and flying the ship were you to ever have to do such a thing.

You hope not.

Din is being mostly nice to you, and is acting like he wants to spend time with you. It's a stark contrast to how he treated you before he saw your doodles.

Din never once laid a hand on you, not even a handshake the first night you met.

It's so very subtle, his touches now that you're back— gentle ghosts of the yellow leather across the tops of your hand when he's showing you the buttons on the control panel. He had placed a strong hand on your waist to ground you so he could reach around you from behind to grab something off of a shelf.

Not innocent touches by any means, but they were different from your dynamic when the lights were off.

Things felt good, almost like they did right before you went to go 'play Jedi' on a planet you had never heard of before you got dropped off on it.

You’re not mad he left you on Ossus. No. You wanted that. You wanted to live on that planet so bad you begged him. Basically told him that you’d stay there no matter what he said. So, he made it happen for you. Din spoke to Luke and Ahsoka privately while you and the child sat in the grass, watching from afar. It was scary not knowing what their answer would be. When Din returned he said that they would take you in, only if you trained with Ahsoka.

Which was a very sweet gesture. 

Until he left you there for two years. All you did was train! Not being a child meant there was no need for the schooling and the classes that the younglings took. You trained day in and day out. Like a Jedi.

Ahsoka was hard on you, trained you like you were already strong and powerful; you weren’t in the beginning and it was hard. So hard you thought you wouldn’t make it. You did make it though— made it out stronger and faster than before. Better on your feet and more capable than you ever thought possible.

Luke and Ahsoka were so smart— almost like they knew you couldn't resist him.

They are selfish and cruel for doing that to you and Din! Neither one of them even told you they were doing it.

There is still a part inside of you that's furious that Din didn't throw things around and demand to see you! He is a bounty-hunter in a metal suit! He could have made a couple dents and holds in that sex forsaken temple!

Din is the reason you didn’t get offered a lightsaber of your own. That's the only reason. It has to be, you were such a good Jedi outside of the fact that you spoke about Din to Ahsoka daily. All the time when you weren't running until your lungs gave our or being beaten with sticks!

Whatever. You don’t even really care anymore. Barely think about not being offered a lightsaber at all. Almost never.

Right this very second though… you’re looking at the amored man you’ve been pining after for so long, and he’s standing there in only his helmet and the black pants he wears under his beskar.

Getting ready to fight you .

You have nothing but your nightgown on! What does he expect you to do?

Din The Mandalorian shakes his hands out like he’s loosening them up. You’re unimpressed with this foolishness.

This is what children do and you and him are not children. It has absolutely nothing to with the fact that you might be nervous, the butterflies in your belly are going crazy right now. 

“You want me to…wrestle you?” You wrinkle your face up at him.

Din quickly shifts his body weight from foot to foot and holds his hands up to block— the Maker- loving helmet. As if his helmet wouldn’t completely crush every single bone in every single one of your fingers.

That is not even close to where you would aim, if you were to wrestle and fight with him, like he’s asking but you’re not going to. This is a ruse of some sort, you’re sure of it. 

“Yes.” Din’s two fingers pop up from his fist and he curls them to beckon you over to him. His helmet tilts to the side ever so slightly.

This cannot be happening. He is much bigger than you. Towers over you practically. His shoulders are so broad and he is so strong! If there was one thing you never forgot, even in those two long years, is how much he held back when he touched you! He can’t be serious.

You cock an eyebrow up at him, “In my nightgown?” Looking down, you hold your white nightgown up to him -like he can’t already see it. It’s quite thin, nothing you’d wear to fight in! The fabric goes all the way down to the floor, what does he expect you to do? Really fight him in it?

“It’s white and long. And I have nothing underneath,” your voice wavers slightly as you blink at him again, still not understanding why he wants to do this. You two were just cleaning up the ship together. Picking up after Grogu, who leaves a mess in his path no matter where he’s going or coming from. You follow him around all day and don’t understand how he gets into half the stuff he does.

“I know it’s white, and long." Din starts to circle you slowly. "I can see quite well in my helmet, did you forget?"

There is a weird bashfulness to you right now. It's hard to look at him because you can't fight the smile that's curling at the corners of your mouth, so you keep your eyes on your nightgown and don't even notice that Din has started to move around you slowly.

“It's pretty on you.”

That makes the heat creep up your neck and behind your cheeks. You try to hold back that smile but it’s hard.

“Why do you want to fight?” You look up and he’s two feet to your left. You turn to face him now, “I don’t understand. I don’t think I get anything about you.” You keep shuffling your feet to follow him as he keeps circling. Again so slow, you don’t even notice. He’s so smooth. So graceful.

“You don’t need to understand.” Din speaks calmly from behind the helmet. “You like making me happy. So c’mon. Take your best shot.” He takes one step calculated step forward.

The last two years flood back to you immediately at this sudden and familiar move. You bend your knees slightly and cover your face with your fists, your elbows are tucked neatly into your sides. Just like in training. You took enough rods to the sides and ribs and chest and elbows. You eye him carefully and shift your weight to your back leg.

“Good form," Din says, taking another small step forward.

You drop your right foot back and drag your left across the floor seamlessly an a slow and deliberate attempt to put distance between yourself and the metal man. You try and read him, but it's impossible with his helmet. Ahsoka told you to always watch your opponents eyes- they would tell you where they would try to place their attack.

“You have the upper hand with that helmet.” You start to side step slowly like he is. The tension in the room is palpable. You can drink it out of the air you’re breathing. “You better play fair. I’ll be upset with you if you don’t.” You’re waiting for him to make the first move but he wont. 

“I’ll be honest, I’m rusty with my hand to hand. It’ll be good practice.” Din snickers from the modulator. You raise an eyebrow. You’ve gone two full rotations around where you had been standing before. “But…I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold. Up to you.” You think you can hear the smirk on his face behind the helmet.

“Oohh. Warm or cold. So scary .” You mock Din teasingly. You’ve mindlessly coordinated it so that with every step he takes to his right, you take one to your right at the same time. You’ve synced up your movements with his, just like Ahsoka taught you how to do. You anticipate what he’s going to do even though you can’t see his eyes or face, which is where you should look if your opponent isn’t wearing a mask. If they are, you watch their muscles. Those will tell you where they’re getting ready to strike from.

You scan his entire body quickly. His shoulder muscles are tensing and he’s going to  come forward with his left arm, you can see it. His right leg flexes slightly. The whole thing goes through your brain in a matter of milliseconds.

That’s when he takes a step towards you with speed and his left hand opens and lightly comes around and tries to swing and graze your cheek or forehead or maybe your chin. You see it coming, anticipating it in your calm mind. The top half of your body leans back about four inches, just out of his reach. 

You’ve taken note this entire time exactly where you were going to go for if he made his move and while his arm is crossing over his chest you duck quickly, just below his arm. With a very flat and stiff right hand, you surge forward and connect with the pressure point in his left shoulder.

 Din’s left arm goes limp immediately, and he makes a sound of shocked pain from under that useful helmet. It didn't help him see that coming, it sure didn't. He drops his other arm from his hYou think about tapping him on the helmet with your fingers in his defenseless position but you think that would be rude. A real punch to his ego. 

“Wh-” Din’s helmet snaps between you and his shoulder twice. “You- How did you do that?” Din’s stunned. Can’t believe you just disabled him. You. The girl. The crier. The girl with feelings and all those things. Yeah, he can’t believe you just put your hands on him like that and it actually hurt.

“ Did you not want to fight ?” You smirk at him and stop moving. Din looks down at his shoulder for a long time. Then his helmet snaps back up to you. 

“I was going to go easy on you.” Din said, pointing to his shoulder. “This isn’t easy.” You shake your head at him and shrug your shoulders. You wish you felt bad for him but you actually feel a little better for the fact that he was so cold to you on your first meeting in two years. Even if you were cold to him. Why wouldn’t you have been? He abandoned you on a Maker forsaken planet covered in trees and shrubs and mountains. Okay. The planet was beautiful. A place you wish he would have dropped you off but regardless.

“How was I supposed to know that? You just said you wanted to fight?” You’re watching him as he rubs his shoulder gently and begins to move in circles in the socket. You’re still backing away from him slowly. It’s instinctual, you’re just taking small little shuffled steps back. 

“I said I wanted to spar .” Din’s hand fell from his shoulder and now his full attention is on you. It gives you nervous butterflies. You shake your head at him and point one finger in his direction. 

“You never said spar, you said fight and wrestle. So how is that the same?” You put your hands on your hips and watch him. You see Din’s legs flex and you know what’s coming; Din is chasing you. It makes your stomach drop and your feet dance on the ground for a second as he’s running. Quickly. You sidestep him and run in the opposite direction, out of the room you’re in and down the long hallway of rooms that have little meaning to you.

Besides that there are weapons in them. You keep the kid out of there. It’s been a pretty difficult task so far. Grogu has been the most fun you’ve ever seen him. He’s so independent and doesn’t really eat a lot of bugs anymore but, oh my Maker. The kid’s getting into everything. It’s blowing your mind. The Force is making him a pain in the ass. 

Din has to skip stop when you dodge him and turn in the other direction to chase after you but you’ve already turned into one of the unnamed rooms; a place to hide? You start to look. There is nowhere and now you regret coming in here because it’s just a flat metal table in the center with a bunch of guns on the wall. 

You turn around and Din is in the doorway. He’s blocking your only exit. His hands are on the door frame and he’s an X in the rectangle that leads you to freedom. His chest is rising and falling and his helmet is looking at the floor for a moment until he tilts it up to look at you.

“Hi.” You have a sheepish smile on your face. You’re standing on the far end of the metal table. Din lets his arms fall to his side and walks in, keeping his body between you and the door. His footsteps are slow. You have no idea what he’s going to do. Jump up on the table maybe?

“Hi.” He pant’s softly. “ Why’d you run ?” He’s standing on the opposite side of the table from you. You blink at him. 

“ You chased me!” You point at him. This is so much fun. You love floating in the stars, running around the ship. Watching him be like this around you makes you feel good. Makes you feel so special and your heart is racing because you’re nervous and you love this.

Din says nothing. He just stands there at the other edge of the table. His arms are at his sides and he’s not moving. He doesn’t even look–

The table suddenly and very quickly slides to your left with a jarringly loud honking, screech across the metal floor. You jump back in shock and alarm and you're pressed against the wall behind you, before you can react Din is taking forward steps towards you. You jump to the right and try to dodge him but the room is too small and he wraps his arm around you waist and pulls you into him

“That’s not chasing.” He rasps. 

“Oh my Maker. Yes , that is exactly what being chased is.” You laugh and turn so you can face him. Din’s helmet is tilted down at you. You can feel him looking at your face. You wish you could see him. So badly you wish. Even with all your Jedi training you still want selfish things and wish to see. 

“Do you remember what we did the other night?” He asks. You nod and raise an eyebrow. What new weird thing could this helmeted man want from you? You’ve loved every single one of his weird ideas though, so you look up at him dreamily. 

“I do.” You smile and bat your eyelashes at him. “Were you wanting to do it again?” You interlace your fingers and place them under your chin. You give him your best attempt at big saucer eyes but it does not work. 

“No.” He rasps, gazing down at you. You drop the smile and frown. "Something like that." You lift an eyebrow and look him up and down.

“Oh.” You pull away from him but Din holds you closely and tightly. “What do you want then? Always wanting.” You tease him, because he's a giver. A hard giver who doesn't ask for much in return and it's honestly felt almost too easy. Like, when is the other shoe going to drop. Why does he do that? Give give give. Din has the strangest requests of anyone ever. But you don't hate them.

“I give too. I want to give you something right now.” Din starts to rub himself through his black pants. 

Maker…is it actually happening? Is Din going to give it to you tonight? Finally?

“Will you get on your knees for me? Perfect, pretty little one–in her white dress. Please?” Why does he do this to you? His voice, even behind the rasp of the modulator is so mesmerizing, especially when he talks like that . You almost don’t even feel yourself sinking down to your knees. It’s like his words hypnotized you or put you in a trance. 

You look up at him while he towers over you with his big, broad shoulders. You can’t help but smile up at him happily, happy that you’re here. One of his big, strong, calloused hands touches your cheek softly. His palm connects with it. Maker, did you send him from flames ? Like from real actual flames because he is always so hot. It used to really worry you, but now, now it’s his familiar touch in the dark when you need him. But it wasn’t dark now. He wanted you to see, and he wanted to see you with no night vision. 

“Pretty lips.” His thumb starts to rub over them, dragging them along with his digit gently. “I thought about these lips every day. Kissing them. Licking them. Putting my cock between them. ” When Din says this, between your legs starts to strum happily, like he just started your engine. “I want to be in your throat. So badly. Perfect little one , so badly.” You love the way he’s speaking to you. So nice and sweet and kinda naughty. His thumb pulls your bottom lip down gently and then releases it back up to your top lip with the softest popping sound.

You take his thumb into your mouth without asking, without him offering it. Just suck it between your lips because you just want him to know what you’re willing to give him. You slide the soft warmth of your mouth over the rough pad of his thumb. Helmet never leaves your face. You start trying to Jedi force fuck him into taking if off but you know it’s futile, you don’t have the force in you. Not even a little. You do have his thumb in your mouth though and you're sucking on it softly, trying to make him give you the real thing. Din pulls his hand away and his thumb leaves your mouth with a sucking, wet pop.

“Maker. She is perfect and beautiful.” One hand finds your hair, fingers comb through it so lovingly. So carefully. Din finds a good handful right at the top of your head and grips gently. He lets out a sigh as his other hand leaves your face and pushes the front of his pants down. You’re eager to help, gripping the sides with your fingers and pulling them down to the middle of his thigh. 

“Can I, please?” You whisper, leaning forward towards his length but his grip in your hair tightens and he pulls you away. Din’s free hand finds his base and squeezes gently. “Please?” You can’t take your eyes off of it, like it’s casting a spell on you or something. “ Please?” You finally look up to Din who’s gazing down at you still. Once you look up to him, he moves his hips forward slightly. 

The tip of his cock presses against your lip as his thumb did earlier. Gently. The hot skin pulls your lips wherever it goes and you stick your tongue out to taste the leaking drop of precome from it. It makes Din’s whole body shudder as you flick the tip along his slit and wrap your lips around the tip. You use a little suction to pull him in and then you wrap one hand right above him and start to move it slowly back and forth.

Din groans softly and lets you. You move your hand and take as much of him as you can and then slide everything but the tip out and replace your hand, jerking him slowly while you suck and swirl your tongue around it, paying special attention to his seam. You can feel him trembling at your touch. Your fist never stops moving on his shaft. 

“ Fuck - ing– Maker.” Din breathes heavily. His hips start to buck forward ever so slightly as you start pulling him deeper into your mouth as you stroke him. “Yes. Yes.” Din’s raspy modulated moan is music to your ears as he moves his hand from the base so you can hold him there. You take him until he’s in the back of your throat. “Yes. Please.” It sounds like he’s holding his breath under that helmet again. But you tease him and pull away to just the tip again. He lets out a disappointed sigh. He was holding his breath.

You stroke him again, swirling your tongue. Then you take him into your mouth again, holding him at the base. The tip of your nose touches your fist.

“It’s so perfect. So good. Yes. Yes. So good.” Din strains them out from somewhere in his throat.  He starts bucking his hips forward like he can’t control himself. It makes you gag softly. “ Fuck it’s so good,” His modulated rasp groans come from deep in his chest. Din’s only moving a couple inches. Just fucking your face softly and you let him. Your other hand comes up and wraps around the back of his leg, pulling him into you gently.

Din’s engine must be back there because his hips start to thrust a little faster, the head of his cock slipping further and further back down your throat while his drives forward start a little more aggressive. You do your best to try and relax everything inside of you. Every ounce of resistance that you have, you try and make it go away because you want to make Din feel the way he makes you feel. Mind shatteringly good. 

“Oh fuck.” Din groans deeply, his fingers grip your hair tighter. “Yes. Little one, you like taking my c-cock like this?” You look up to his helmet and he’s gazing down at you. He’s got his free hand on the wall of the ship and he’s leaning on it for support. You nod as much as you can and moan a throaty sound of pleasure. It makes Din’s knees buckle. You do it again and watch as his hand starts to mindlessly search for something he’s not really looking for on the wall.

You pull him deeper, sucking gently on the hardness in your mouth. Your tongue ungulates against the veiny skin on his shaft. His searching hand leaves the wall and finds your hair. Din pulls you down onto his cock completely, entirely. You gag but you also feel warmth in the back of your throat. It makes you cough against him but he holds you down to his base with his hand. 

It’s like he’s choking you, cutting off your airway. You relax your throat as much as you can, even though it’s kind of scary and you’ve never really seen Din like this. It’s not bad, it’s not terrible. It’s a little jarring, but you relax and you take him deeper than you thought you could. Even though you're gagging around it a little harder. The head of his cock is nestled right in the back of your throat and he’s coming. It’s like Din couldn’t help it, the way he’s holding you down onto him. 

“ Ohh-fuck– Ohhh, l-little pretty one.” Din chokes out, his hips thrusting forward while he pushes and pulls your head to and from the base of his cock. “Throat s-so perfect…come inside it– fuck.” Din’s head falls back as you feel the length of him throb inside your mouth with each release.

You are doing your absolute best to take everything he gives you but it’s impossible, you have to push yourself off of him before you either gag too hard or choke on what he’s giving you. 

The minute your hands touch Din’s waist and press against him, the grip he has on your hair softens and he pulls his hips back from your face. His cock leaves your throat and mouth with the most filthy wet squelch you’ve ever heard and you drop to the floor, coughing and choking on everything that’s built up over this escapade that you two have been participating in; saliva, Din’s release.

There is so much of it. 

Tears come to your eyes as you try and keep everything in your mouth. You swallow it quickly and continue to cough, rubbing at the drool that’s dripping from the base of your chin with the back of your hand. That was rough. Very rough. So aggressive and unexpected. It wasn’t that you didn’t love it. It was just hard. And now you’re coughing so hard you feel like you might be sick. 

Din is beside you, pants up around his waist again. His hand is on your back now but the heat from his fingertips on your shoulders is making you sweat even worse. You are already so hot. From the activity, from the coughing. It’s so overwhelming. You shrug his hand off and crawl two inches to the right of him and try to breathe but it’s so hard. Tears are rolling out of your eyes and directly onto the floor below you. 

“W-wat–” More choking. You can’t even get words out but Din is already standing, running into the dining area to get you what you’re asking for. You stay on the ground, breathing in quick, shallow gasps in between fits of sputtering and wheezing. Din’s padded footsteps on the floor of the ship and then there is a metal canteen of water in front of you. You grab at it; the top has already been twisted off for you. 

You take the smallest sip and try to quench the itch making you unable to stop this fit. The water helps tremendously, you sip and then sip again. Cough and sputter. Sip and then gulp. More gulps. It’s so good. So refreshing. Everything about this is heaven right now. You sit back on your bottom, taking in another pull off the canteen before you stop. And gasp. For what feels like ten minutes

Din is beside you again, sitting, holding your shoulders and now his warmth feels inviting. You lean into him and he braces and supports all of the weight you decide to put against him, which is a lot. You’re tired and that was physically exhausting even though you feel like you sat on your knees the whole time. Din did most of the work. His fingertips are so soft when they graze down the side of your arms, he’s being so gentle. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, little one are you okay?” Din’s voice is so soft now, so caring and concerned for you. You look at yourself in the face visor and see your tear stained cheeks and how flushed red they are from everything you’ve been through in the last ten minutes. Your hair is a mess and your lips are puffy and red. Din touches your cheek softly and rubs his fingers over your bottom lip. “I’m sorry.”

“ That’s what you wanted to give me?” Your voice is gravelly and deep. You have to clear your throat and take another sip of water. Din’s modulated chuckle makes you smirk. He’s gazing at you, his fingertip still touching and caressing your bottom lip while you stare into his face visor, watching his finger in the reflection. 

“I hope you didn’t hate it.” Soft. Apologetic. Sweet.

You shake your head at him and pant heavily. You didn’t hate it. Needed more warning from Din though. It’s okay. You’d do anything for him— you’re pretty sure as long as it didn’t kill you. You might though, if it meant keeping him safe. You want to keep Din safe, make sure that he always gets back on this ship with you and the green child. 

You proved to Din tonight that you could.

“You’re to stay beside me the whole time.” Din is placing Grogu's bag over your shoulder. “I’ll answer any questions you might have when we get back on the ship, alright? Try not to interrupt.” Din tilts the helmet down at you after he places Grogu in the bag.

Your head snaps down at him. “You’ve never seen me interact with one single other person since we’ve known each other. How would you know if I interrupted? I’m very polite. I wait for my turn.” You snip at him and cover the child with your fancy new robe you got from Ahsoka before you left. It’s got a nice hood that’s up over your face now. 

“Just please follow my instructions. Don’t make me regret this. You or Grogu," Din places both of his hands on your shoulders and touches the forehead of his helmet to yours. “I’m just trying to keep you safe. Please listen to everything that I tell you? It can be dangerous out there. I mean it. Listen to me.” 

Din leads you off the ship and it’s like a desert out here; so sandy and dusty but he’s parked the ship a ways away from a lake. It’s warm and the sun feels good on your face. You are enjoying all of the scenery around you.

Grogu is peeking out from behind your robe, you move the fabric a little so he can see better.

Something big, bigger than you could ever imagine breaks the surface of the water. You don’t even really see what it is. 

Just its back is huge. You could have landed the ship on the damn thing it was so big. It swims slowly and then returns back to the depth of the lake. You’ve stopped walking to watch and see that Din has not stopped walking, doesn’t notice you’re not beside him anymore. You see how close to the waters edge you are and you jog quickly to catch up to him, peering at the water out of the corner of your eye.

Din leads you into the mouth of a cave and you walk for a long time. It’s nice to stretch your legs, and Din basically told you to just shut up and listen to what he says. So you do. You’ll ask about the giant lake creature when you guys get back on the ship. You wonder where you are. Din didn’t say.

You both walk through the entrance to a large underground room. 

There are Mandalorian people everywhere. You’ve never seen this many before.

A couple in Canto Bight before Din, sure— but never this many. They’re all so tall and so intimidating in their helmets.

You try to keep your head forward and not look at any of them in particular. There is one of them standing on a platform above everyone else. They part for Din and watch as he passes. They look at you while you pass them as well. You hide Grogu behind your robe again. 

“Din Djarin.” The intimidating mandalorian woman speaks loudly. “You have removed your helmet. And what’s worse, you did it at your own free will.” 

What the fuck, Maker? Did you just hear that terrifying woman in the armor correctly? He took his helmet off? When the fuck did he do that? And who the fuck did he show because it most surely wasn’t you?

Grogu coos up to you from behind your robes— like he’s answering your silent question. Every bone in your body feels like it’s melting away and you’re having a hard time keeping your knees from giving out.

Din took his helmet off and didn’t show you? He didn’t let you see him?

You almost think about running back to the ship but whatever was lurking in the lake just outside the mouth of the cave makes you rethink.

You think you’re going to be sick.

Din and the woman are speaking and you’re trying to listen, like Din told you, but everything sounds muffled and you think your hands might be covering your ears but they’re still at your side. 

“I can visit the planet. I could bring you proof.” Din’s voice is clear in your head now.

Where is he going? Visit what planet? Why does he need to go there?

You tried so hard to listen but so many other thoughts were going through your head that it was hard to keep everything straight. “I’ll bathe in the living waters beneath the mine’s of Mandalore and bring you proof. Then by Creed; the decree of exile will be lifted and I would be redeemed.” 

Exile!? Redeemed?! What the fuck was Mando doing while you were gone?

The sand in this cave is so nice. You haven’t stopped looking at it since the woman Mandalorian said he took his helmet off. If you dare look up, the tears would roll down your cheek. This way they’re hidden in your robes at least. No one can see. 

“Then I will see you again.” Is the last thing the armored woman says!!

The long walk back to the ship is silent. A Mando specialty. Nothing but the sound of the green child babbling from behind your robe and the shifting of the sand beneath your shoes.

You cannot believe this. You thought–stupidly, it’s clear to you now– that if Mando was going to show anyone his face it would have been you. You feel so foolish. As foolish as you felt when you called him your friend after your trip to the market.

You are foolish, it’s obvious.

The ramp to the ship drops down, and you are the first one on. Quickly you're undoing your robes and letting Grogu out of his bag. You hold him in your arms for a while, looking down into his big eyes and at his wrinkly green skin.

You know Din took his helmet off for Grogu. It’s something you're sensing in your heart looking at him now.

If you wore a helmet and had sworn to do whatever Mando had to swear to wear it forever... you'd show Grogu too, for whatever reason.

That still doesn’t make this hurt any less. 

No words. No questions. Nothing.

You keep to yourself for the rest of the day, keeping busy sewing yourself a new nightgown. It was going to be short and cute for Mando but now you’ve decided to make it long. And down to the floor. Not cute. Just for sleeping. And it’ll be black. Hmph.

You sew so angrily that you stab your fingers more than once. You honestly aren’t even sewing, you’re just pulling thread through fabric with no reason or meaning behind it. You haven’t put a single thought into one stitch since you sat down. 

You hate him now. You really do.

When you thought he hadn’t shown his face to anyone it wasn’t a big deal but now…now you hate him.

It’s a tearing feeling right in your stomach. Every time you breathe or think, or even move it hurts. Brings tears to your eyes. 

Mando’s footsteps echo in the hallway towards the weapons room you’re hiding in after Grogu went to bed. You press yourself into the corner and hope he won't notice or isn’t looking for you when he walks in. 

“There you are," He rasps as if nothing is wrong. "Are we playing a hiding game?” He leans against the wall your back is on.

You shake your head side to side and go back to pretending to sew. You don’t look up at him. It’s obvious you’re mad. You haven’t said a single word to him since you got off the ship to go into that Maker forsaken cave.

Only to hear the worst news of your life so far; that he didn’t care about you enough. That you weren’t enough. 

Once you got back on the ship, you hid- just like he had said. A hiding game.

Fucking Mando!

A part of you-- it may be somewhere in your heart- is telling you to just be grateful for the man in the tin can suit who is standing in front of you.

Another part-- maybe inside your brain, as swirly and twirly as it is sometimes- is telling you to be negative. Telling you to be bitter and cold to him.

You’re jealous and feeling sorry for yourself. You know it. You don’t really care right now. Don’t know if you ever will care with how you’re feeling.

Nothing about this feels good. You had explained your feelings to him, told him how you had felt and he never mentioned any of this? Being exiled? Taking off that fucking helmet!?

Does he not remember the conversation before you left for Ossus' forsaken Jedi fucking temple!?

“I don’t feel well. I think I’m going to bed.” You stand up, gather up all your sewing in your arms and walk past him into the hallway.

Mando follows. “You’ve seemed quiet since we got back to the ship. I feared maybe you were upset with me.” Mando speaks at you while you walk into the sleeping quarters. “Are you alright? Can I get you anything? A warm compress? Water? Are you going to be... ill?”

He hesitates to say the word like it make you ill all over him!

You ignore him and instead of crawling into the bed you shared with him the night before, you set all of your sewing on your nightstand and get into your bed. The one you haven’t thought about since Mando carried you back into his bed last night.

“So you are upset with me.” Mando rasps, like he knew it all along and tilts his head to the side, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’m not upset about anything-- what would I even be upset about?” You bring the blankets up to your chin.

You didn’t even change into your sleepwear! Just crawled right into bed with the clothes you’ve had on all day! Weren’t even trying to seem unwell.

This is the worst.

Now you wish that he had just dropped you off on Cantonica at Canto Bight, or that some man with a face had tried to make you forget about Mando. 

“I assume what was spoken about within the clan.” He rasps softly. “I was going to tell you. I just didn’t know when would be a good time.” His stupid modulator is sounding so apologetic now. 

“I’m not upset. I don’t care. Show your face to whoever you want. Don't show it--- Doesn’t matter to me.” 

Mando sighs softly from under the helmet. 

“I did it so that Grogu would know how much I cared for him. So that he wouldn’t forget me.” Mando tries to help, but his explanation makes things worse.

“It’s fine. I said I don’t care. I get it." Your voice is snappy and mean. "We never talked about the night before you abandoned me with no timeline of when you'd be back."

Mando just watches you talk from behind his helmet, never saying anything-- as always-- and you once again, feel as though you may as well be talking to your reflection alone. It's quiet for a beat before you say anything else.

"We never talk about our feelings ever so you must have none! Unless it’s for the child. Which is fine, I feel the same for him. I just don’t care to speak about this anymore.” You speak so fast trying to get all the words out as a literal planet forms in your throat. Stupid tears burn at your eyes because you do care.

It’s hurting you so badly. 

“Was–Did you–...” You can feel Mando looking into the back of your head like he’s got lasers in his helmet. You turn now to look at him. 

“What?” You snap. “What could you have to say now?” 

“I made Luke and Ahsoka let you stay... because it’s what you desired. I made that happen for you.” Mando’s talking like you’re ungrateful for what he did for you. 

"Thank you. Thank you so much for that, I appreciate everything that I learned there. I am stronger, faster, a better protector of my the child for that reason-- and I have you to thank for it. Yes." It's hard to not sound unappreciative now, when you're on the verge of tears and angry about his lack of love for you!

Mando doesn’t speak, as usual. Just watching you talk and also, probably the tears welling in your eyes. 

You roll over to hide the wet, glassiness of your eyes, "I care for you so much, and you can't tell me the same? You don't feel it?" The heat pools behind your cheeks and down your neck and into your chest. "I thought you did once," you murmur, almost silently.

“You think I don’t care for you?” Mando sounds confused.

That makes you so your blood boil; what is he confused about? What could he possibly not understand? 

“You showed Grogu your face but not me... You obviously didn’t care if I forgot you. Despite what you said last night you didn’t seem to care if I knew how much you cared for me before you left for two years.” You keep your head turned away from him because luckily it doesn’t sound like you’re crying, but you’ve got endless tears rolling down your cheeks. 

“Mando.” His voice sounds reminiscent of a time when you only called him that. 

“Yes. Mando. Because your real name should be saved for your close friends, and the people you show your face to." You hiss. "I didn’t even get to hear it from you, I had to hear it from the woman in the fucking cave! I hate caves. I hate helmets-- I hate them all so much. Every single one.” You look back at him over your shoulder with tear stained cheeks and red eyes.

“You brought me here to watch the child and to touch me. I don’t know if that’s what I want anymore.” You say quickly, the pitch growing higher and higher as you speak.

Mando stands up from the side of your bed and says nothing. He just leaves the room without a word. 

This is it.

It’s actually coming to an end. Your time with him and the child. Officially over.

tag list: @thereaperisabitch @pedrospookie @furiousmushroom @creepycorbeaux

I promise the next chapter is satisfying and doesn't end on a cliffhanger- not really.

I'm still so uncomfortable tagging people in my stories, so like I said, please tell me to fuck off if you want me to stop. My feelings won't be hurt (yes they will), and it's completely fine (I'm a big girl and can handle it).

[the-teufort-nine]

The BLU Chemist Reader returns for their final fic! 11k words and about a week of work and beta reading by @pinkypiechar have led to this! I hope it lives up to expectations!

If you like the idea of a Chemist Reader, please consider checking out my longer, RED Chemist Fem!Reader fic, whenever I actually get around to writing it.

Mercs x GN!Reader | Respawn Malfunction PART 3: Chem and RED's Excellent Adventure

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Hurt/Comfort, Discussion of Poly Relationship, Crossfaction Flirting | NSFW, because while technically no sex happens, its definitely discussed/implied| Cw: starvation, mentions of graphic death/description of a corpse, mentions of pet death (non graphic), possesive behaviours ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Featuring:

Everyone! Even Miss Pauling is here, as well as a particularly charming duo from the enemy team.

Scenario: Having been stranded at the new base with no hope of making it back to their team alone, the BLU Chemist must ask their mortal enemy for help. Thankfully, even a RED Engineer has some good ole' southern hospitality, and the Texan offers to get the BLU back to their team. (Un)fortunately, someone else has joined in on their little quest...

The RED team's Engineer had seen many things during his time working for Mann Co., but the sight before him now may have been the strangest yet.

The BLU Chemist, whom everyone knew had died during that horrible Respawn failure, was standing on the other end of his trusty shotgun.

Well, standing might have been too generous a word. The Merc was swaying like a sapling in a storm, trembling from the effort of staying upright. Their usually vibrant eyes were dull behind their safety goggles, which didn't hug their face like usual. Everything they wore looked baggy and ill-fitting, barely hanging onto their gaunt, thin form. They looked dead, as though their soul had been dragged back from the afterlife and shoved into their corpse.

“How the hell…” he lowered his gun, blue eyes narrowing in disbelief, “Ain't you supposed to be dead?” 

“I was.” They shrugged weakly, stumbling slightly, “Now I'm not. I actually just died again a few hours ago, and I'm pretty sure my team might think I'm actually dead. Again.”

“Jesus Mary and Joseph.” The Engineer cursed, before opening the door wider. “Well, I reckon since it's a ceasefire, ah ain't bein’ paid t’ kill ‘ya, so y’ may as well come in. Just try ‘n keep the noise down, otherwise you're gonna have 9 curious bastards pokin’ atcha.”

“I'll be as quiet as a church mouse.” The BLU replied, wincing as they stepped into the illuminated interior. “Jesus, that's bright.”

“It really ain't.” The Southerner arched a concerned brow, “You’re just sick as a dog.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Came the Chemist’s grumbled response.

“Where’d you come from? Ain’t much ‘round here that could get ‘ya killed, aside from us.” He asked, extending a hand to steady his unexpected guest as they tilted towards the wall.

“Uhhhh,” The Chemist scrubbed at their eyes, letting their hand drag down their face. Their E/C eyes stared blankly at the wall as they tried to call forth an answer. “Colorado. Yeah, we were in Colorado. We had to stop at this little town called Limon ‘cause there was a tornado.”

“A tornado?”

“Yeah. It knocked down a utility pole. That’s how I died again, actually! Biggggg ole electric shock.”

Engineer let out a low whistle. “Nasty way to go. You are one unlucky sumbitch, huh?”

The Chemist inclined their head. “Or, I’m a lucky ‘sumbitch’, depending on how you look at it. I’ve cheated Death twice now, after all.”

Engineer snorted at their attempt to mimic his accent. It reminded him of his own team’s Chemist, who was tucked away upstairs, sleeping peacefully. She often copied his countryisms, and he would sometimes catch her unconsciously copying the accent or speech mannerisms of whomever she was speaking to.

“Maybe.” he acquiesced, “Yer a right tough bastard, ah’ll give ‘ya that. No wonder yer such a pain in the ass when we’re scrappin’.”

The other Merc grinned a bit. “Being a pain in the ass is my specialty.”

Before he knew it, Engineer found himself standing in the Intel room, where the base’s phone was located. Thankfully, their Intel was still packed away in a secure safe, but even if it wasn’t, the man was fairly sure that this BLU wouldn’t try and snag it.

“Here ‘ya are! Hope ‘ya get through to someone.” He said, offering the phone to the exhausted Chemist.

“‘Preciate it.” They said, taking the phone and punching in a few numbers. They leaned against the wall, head resting on the wood as they listened to the phone ring. After a minute, they frowned, letting out a soft curse.

“Pauling’s not picking up. The storm must have knocked out her signal.” They sighed, “Great. Guess I'm waiting back at our base for them to show up. Whenever that is.”

“Are you gonna be able to hang on that long?” The Texan questioned, “No offense, partner, but you look like yer gonna drop.”

The Chemist sighed again, in a long, drawn out way, the way someone did when bone deep exhaustion finally caught up to them. The way animals do when they've given all they can, and now simply must lie down and wait for the inevitable.

“It's not like I have much of a choice. I mean, what else am I supposed to do?” They asked.

“Well,” The RED Merc scratched at his chin, contemplating if what he was about to do was a good idea, “Ah don't know if you know this, but we're in good ‘ole Texas, and Colorado really ain't too far from where we're stationed. If ‘ya want, ah could drive ‘ya on over there.”

The BLU raised their head off the wall, eyes widening in surprise.

“You- you'd do that? For me? Why?” 

Engineer shrugged. “Ah feel bad fer ‘ya. ‘Sides, if you die, then they're gonna replace you with someone new, and ah rather prefer the enemy ah know to the enemy ah don't.”

The two mercenaries stared at one another for a long moment, the only sound being the cricket song coming from outside. Finally, the Chemist let out a dry, wheezing laugh, their teeth bared in a vicious grin.

“Good God I must be insane, trusting a RED.” They chuckled, “You know what? Sure, I'll take you up on that offer, cowboy.”

They reached forward and playfully tugged down the brim of Engineer's hat, causing him to lightly bat their hand away.

“Cream gravy! Alright, let's mosey on out then. Ah wanna be back before mah team starts wonderin’ where ah went.” He said, starting off in the direction of his truck, which was parked faithfully outside.

The Chemist plodded along behind him, and there were a few times where he had to glance back to make sure that they hadn't fallen behind too much. When they finally did make it to the truck, Engineer let them climb into the passenger seat while he nipped over to the trunk. Flipping it open, he pulled out an old, well loved blanket. It was black and white and gray striped, something he'd gotten for his childhood dog, Bucket. Bucket had been a fat, lazy beagle who did nothing but lounge around and bark at guests, but the man had loved him more than anything.

Bucket had passed away some time ago, but he'd never stopped taking the blanket along with him. Now, it would finally get to see some use again.

“Here,” he passed the blanket to the shivering Merc, “It ain't much, but it should help keep ‘ya from freezin’ over ‘till the heat kicks on.”

“T- Thanks.” The Chemist replied, gingerly taking the offered fabric. They thumbed the worn fabric, setting it across their lap.

“No problem.” Engineer replied, shutting the door to his side. 

For a moment, it almost sounded like one of the back doors had shut as well, and he looked back over his shoulder, eyes squinting in the low light. His gaze lingered for a moment, but when nothing revealed itself, he slowly turned back around and started up the truck.

“Ah’ve got a map in ‘m glove box. Pull it out and let's find that little town of yers.”

The Chemist nodded, and Engineer put the truck into drive.

It was going to be a long drive.

A couple of hours into their trek, the RED Engineer noticed that his passenger was starting to droop more than usual. Worse than that, he could hear their stomach growling like an ornery gator every few minutes.

Wordlessly, he eyed up the nearby fast food places before pulling off the road they'd been driving on. The Chemist didn't even seem to notice, too preoccupied with just staying somewhat awake.

“You up for a snack, Darl’?” He asked, gently nudging the BLU.

“Mnhm.” They mumbled back, “C’n I have m’ cheeseburger yet?”

“Sure, we can do a McDonald's run.” Engineer replied, turning into the nearest drive through.

He quickly placed an order for both his guest and himself, paying and grabbing the food before finding a spot to park.

“Here ‘ya go. One genuine American cheeseburger.” The Texan said, handing the Chemist their food.

The Chemist stared at the offered meal, gently cradling the wrapped burger in their hands, as though it were some sort of priceless treasure.

“Engie, I could genuinely suck your dick right now.” They said softly, before sinking their teeth into the cheeseburger, not even bothering to take off the wrapper.

The RED Merc’s face turned the same shade as his uniform, and he pulled down his hat to hide his rosey cheeks.

“Don't- y’ cant just-” he stumbled, trying to make words come out of his mouth properly, “Jesus, don't eat the wrapper!”

“Sorieh, ah can't heawr you.” The Chemist replied through a mouthful of cheeseburger and cheeseburger wrapper, “Ahm too buwsy eaghting.”

“At least slow down.” He muttered, tucking into his own food.

And yes, he did take the wrapper off, thank you very much.

“Yes, please do. I have no desire to see you hork down that disgusting slop like a wild beast.”

Both BLU and RED mercenaries choked as a third voice piped up from the back, scaring them out of their wits. 

“SPY!” Engineer whirled around as the Chemist hacked up their mouthful of food, the BLU thankfully having the wherewithal to stick their head out of the window, “What the hell do you think you're doing here?! How did you even get in mah truck?!”

“I followed you and slipped into the back when you were rooting around for that rag.” Spy replied, indicating to the blanket, which had halfway slipped down onto the floor. “What are you doing here, labourer? Having some sort of illicit affair with zhe enemy?”

“If- If you actually thought that,” the Chemist coughed, pounding on their chest, “then you hiding out in the back is super creepy, dude.”

“Yeah, well bein’ a creep is about all this one knows.” Engineer grit out, nostrils flaring like an enraged bull, “But usually, he knows better than to try that with me.”

“I was simply curious as to why you were sneaking off with someone who is supposed to be dead.” The masked man said, producing a cigarette from one of his pockets, “Zhe Administrator is not going to be pleased when she finds out you have been acting rather… friendly with each other.”

“Yeah, well, what is she gonna do, kill me?” The Chemist snarked. “If she wanted me dead, she wouldn't have let Pauling go ‘n get me. I must be worth more to her alive than dead.”

“She ain't got no eyes here anyway.” Engineer added, “Trust me. Ah personally go over every inch of mah equipment and vehicles at least once a week, t’ check for any bugs or cameras. Mah Betsy is as clean as a whistle.”

Engineer moved like a striking cobra, his prosthetic hand closing around Spy's suit jacket. The Frenchman dropped his cigarette as he was jerked forward, a flicker of fear coming over his face.

“And you, spook, ain't gonna breathe a damn word to Her ‘bout anything that happens on this trip, ‘cause if you do,” he tightened his grip, the metal components straining slightly under the pressure, “ah’ll know, and you won't like what happens next.”

Spy rolled his eyes, but both the Chemist and the Engineer could see that the man was sufficiently intimidated.

“Very well, I shall be silent about your little ‘road trip.’” he sneered, “And zhe Chemist's generous offer.”

“Great.” Engineer said cheerily through gritted teeth, “Ah can tell this is gonna be real fun.”

“Yippee.” The Chemist added dully, before taking another bite of their burger.

“Wh- TAKE OFF THE DAMN WRAPPER!”

Travelling with the RED Engineer had been surprisingly nice. It was almost like being back with your own Engineer, what with the southern man being so kind and polite to you, despite you both being on opposing sides.

Travelling with the RED Spy was not nearly as pleasant.

Him and the Engineer bickered almost constantly, and when they weren't bickering, Spy started semi-flirting, semi-picking on you, which usually led to yet another round of bickering.

Truly, it was almost like being stuck in a car with two overgrown toddlers.

“Is he always this insufferable?” You hissed to Engineer after Spy started listing off all the ways your outfit was offending the very concept of clothing.

“No.” Engineer sighed, looking very much like he'd like to drive all three of you into a ditch, “He's purposefully bein’ more of an ass than usual ‘cause you're here. Usually, he's a lot more quiet.”

“I'd like to see that.” You groused, before refocusing on the map in your lap. Your previous consumed cheeseburger and fries felt uncomfortably heavy in your weakened stomach, but they did help to restore some of your lost energy.

“Okay, it looks like we need to take a left in about 6 miles. We'll be turning onto Canyon Rd.” You read aloud, “We'll be on that one for a while.”

“It's real nice to have someone along who can actually read a map.” Engineer chuckled, “Usually, it's either Scout, Solly, or Pyro who rides with me into town every time we need t’ get supplies, and none ‘a them are any help when it comes to navigatin.’”

“Heh, yeah, mine aren't real great at that either.” You smiled, thinking of all the times you'd heard the three of them bickering on missions.

“Are zhose three good for anything besides destroying zhings?” Spy asked, lounging in the back like a smug cat.

“Sure.” You replied, not looking up from the map, “My Scout's actually really good at impersonating other people, Soldier is a baking whiz when it comes to bread, and Pyro can sniff out backstabbing French bastards like nobody else.”

Spy definitely didn't start pouting as Engineer started cackling like a madman, his shoulders shaking with mirth. You grinned at the sound, your own quiet chuckles joining in.

“Hooo-wee! They gotcha there, slim!” he laughed, wiping at his eye.

Spy glared. “I'm glad you find zhe idea of me dying so amusing, toymaker.” 

“Oh, lighten up, would you.” You glanced back over your shoulder to look at the masked man, “Are you seriously going to tell me you guys don't joke about killing us?”

“I don't joke about killing,” Spy sniffed, “I just kill.”

Engineer snorted as you rolled your eyes, turning back to your map. “Uh huh. Sure. Whatever you say, frog legs. Turn left up here, Engie.”

“No insulting names for zhe cowpoke?” Spy arched his brow.

“Considering he's been nothing but nice to me? No. Maybe if you turn your attitude around, I'll think of something nicer to call you, too.”

“I have no desire to be as, ah, close as you two seem to be.”

You gripped the seat as you whipped around again, eyes widened in anger-tinged disbelief. “Holy shit are you still fixated on that? What, do you want me to offer to suck you off too?!”

Spy recoiled back a bit, stiffening up as the exposed skin of his upper cheeks turned a shade of pink usually reserved for flowers. However,

He didn’t say no.

“Oh, my God.” You said, raising your brows as a smirk pulled the corner of your mouth upwards, “Oh, my God.”

“Merde, no, zhat’s not what I-”

“Well,” You relaxed your grip on the seat and folded your arms, tilting your head slightly as you watched Spy squirm, looking every bit like the cat that got the cream, “you’d have to be very nice to me to get that sort of offer.”

“Je vais t'éviscérer comme un poisson si tu continues à parler!”

“Now, see, I don’t know what you just said, but it didn’t sound very nice.” You turned back around, barely holding in your laughter, “No blowjob offer for you. I guess you won’t have to share, Engie.”

“Well don’t that beat all?” Engineer replied playfully, “You sure yer team won’t mind, though?”

“The way I see it,” You said, readjusting the blanket the man had given you, “you have gone out of your way to bring me back to them, and you let me actually eat the cheeseburger you bought me. They can suck it up.”

“Sounds like you’ll be the one suckin’.” The Texan murmured under his breath, too quiet for you to hear.

“What was that?”

“Nothin!” Engineer replied, “Just talkin’ t’ m’self.”

“Is that a thing all engineers do?” You asked, “My Engie does that too, usually when he’s working on something.”

“Maybe. Mah Pa used to do it fer sure.” The RED Merc shrugged, “Wait, does yer Engineer let y’all into his workshop?”

“Well, he let’s me and Pyro in.” You said, recalling all the times you and the firebug had hung out in the space, “Sometimes Medic is allowed in, but everyone else gets the boot, unless he calls them in to help him with something.”

“Interesting.” Spy said, apparently having recovered from his embarrassment enough to speak, “Zhis one has barred us all from entering his sacred domain. Not even our Chemist get’s zhat privilege. You must mean quite a bit to him.”

“If y’all didn’t go ‘round putin’ yer grubby mitts all over everything, maybe I would let y’ in.” Engineer smacked the steering wheel, frustration in his tone, “Honestly, it’s like herdin’ cats when I let y’all anywhere near mah stuff! ‘Sides, don’tcha remember what happened the last time I let someone play around with mah equipment, Spy?”

“Oui.” Spy shuddered, “I don’t zhink we will ever fully get zhe smell of bread yeast out of zhat base.”

“I’m sorry- bread yeast?” You shot the two RED members a confused look, “What does bread have to do with you not letting anyone near your stuff?”

“It’s a long story, but I suppose we got the time.” Engineer cleared his throat, “It all started one afternoon. We’d just got done killin’ yer team and makin’ off with yer Intelligence…”

Engineer and Spy’s wild tale of love, RED victory, and bread monsters kept you entertained for the next few hours or so, the three of you eventually getting sidetracked by various other topics. By the time the sun started to rise over the Colorado horizon, the conversation had switched to being about everyone’s favourite foods.

“Look, there ain’t nothin’ better fer breakfast than a nice cup’ a coffee, bacon ‘n eggs with a side of buttered toast, biscuits, and sausage gravy ‘n grits.” Engineer said, voice full of confidence.

“I think I would actually explode if I ate all of that.” You stuck out your tongue, feeling ill at just the thought of eating so much food. If this man ate like that every morning, then it was no wonder that he sported such a plump figure in comparison to most of his other teammates.

Not that you were complaining.

“I agree, mon petit saphir.” Spy said, curling his lip. “Zhat is a disgusting amount of food for zhe very first meal of zhe day.”

“Ooh, whatever that name was, it sounded a lot nicer.” You said teasingly. “See? I knew you could do it!”

“Well would ‘ya look at that? You actually got him to simmer down.” Engineer grinned, ducking when Spy swiped irritably at his head, “Maybe you should come join up with RED. We could probably stash you away somewhere, hand y’ over to Spy when we need him to settle.”

You laughed, imagining yourself with a little service animal harness. “Tell you what, If my team decides to murder me for dying again right in front of ‘em, I’ll switch sides.” 

“Heh, partner, you’ve got yerself a deal.” Engineer stuck out his hand, and you gripped it, giving it the best shake your weak arms could manage. 

“It seems as zhough you’ll be making your decision sooner rather zhan later.” Spy leaned forward and pointed at an upcoming road sign, which read “Limon Welcomes You!”

“Oh SHIT we’re here!” You sat forward quickly, before wincing and holding your head, “Oh, woof, headrush. That was a bad idea.”

“Good Lord, this place has seen better days.” Engineer said, gazing at the many fallen tree branches and damaged buildings, “Where did you say y’all were stayin’ again?”

“We sheltered in an old garage near the outskirts of town.” You replied, wincing at the amount of damage you saw, “I hope they haven’t gone too far, but I wouldn’t blame them for wanting to get away as soon as possible.”

“I doubt zhey wanted to linger around your charred corpse.” You nodded grimly at Spy’s comment, not particularly looking forward to seeing it yourself, but needing to check if your team was still around.

Soon enough, the three of you pulled up to the abandoned mechanic shop. The building looked even worse than when you had last seen it, and the lack of nearby vehicles did not make you feel particularly hopeful that you would find your team here. Still, your temporary RED companion pulled over and hopped out of his truck, putting a steadying hand on your shoulder when he saw you struggling to maintain your balance. Spending so many hours sitting down did not help your already weak legs to support your weight. Stepping inside the building proper, you were careful to avoid the downed utility pole and various cables. Only a few feet away from the door lay an unmoving mass with a familiar colour scheme.

Seeing your own dead body never got any less unsettling. Usually, it was blown into unrecognizable pieces, or shot so full of bullet holes that it resembled red and blue swiss cheese, but this time it was wholly intact, save for the skin that had burned and blackened from the intense heat of the electricity that had rocketed through your body. The stench of burnt clothes, hair, skin, and the early stages of rot permeated the still air, and you quickly tugged your respirator on in disgust. 

“Eugh, thank God I ate earlier, because I think I just lost my appetite.” You scrunched your nose, pulled down your goggles over your eyes, and began gathering chemicals from the various pockets and vials on your person. “Step outside, gentlemen, I’ll have this gone in a moment.”

The two RED’s quickly nodded and left, eager to get away from the smell and knowing exactly how dangerous your materials could be.

After a few minutes and a decent amount of hydrogen fluoride and antimony pentafluoride later, you emerged from the workshop’s interior to see Engineer kneeling on the ground, looking at some tire tracks that you hadn’t noticed before.

“Looks like they turned themselves ‘round and went back the way they came. They’re probably takin’ one’a the nearby backroads.”

“Think you can catch up to them?” You asked, praying that you wouldn’t have to return to your new base without your team. You wouldn’t be able to make it by yourself, and you doubted that the rest of the RED team would be as kind and hospitable as their Engineer had been.

The Texan gave you a sharp grin as he pushed himself up, dusting off his overalls.

“Do sheep wear sweaters? Hop in, and ah’ll show ‘ya just how fast ol’ Betsy can be.”

If you asked Florence if she knew her mercenaries well, you’d probably end up with a bullet in your skull, because you were not supposed to know about her mercenaries. Well, technically, they were Reliable Excavation & Demolition and Builders League United’s mercenaries, and, really, the Administrator’s above even them, but she was the one who scouted them out, checked in on them, interacted with them, gave them their assignments, and helped cover up their fuck ups. 

So, yeah, they were her mercenaries. And you weren’t supposed to know about them, so now you’re lying in a shallow grave after getting very well acquainted with her hacksaw.

But if she pondered your question after the fact, then she’d say that, yeah, she did. She’d spent almost all of her very limited free time around them for the last few years, after all, and she kept an eye on them through the various hidden cameras almost as much as her boss did. She knew both teams equally well, easily picking out each of their many similarities, as well as all their little quirks and differences. For example, she knew that the RED Scout had far more freckles than the BLU one. She knew that the BLU Soldier was actually slightly more tame than his counterpart, and that he wore earplugs more often than not, though he is dedicated to never ever letting anyone find out. She knew that both Pyro’s were afraid of the dark, and she knew the exact brand of cigarettes the Spies liked to order.

She knew that both teams were full of loud, borderline rabid, bat-shit insane lunatics that enjoyed the thrill of killing almost as much as she did, maybe even more. She knew, from experience, just how difficult it was to get most of them to quiet down.

Which is what made the situation she was in so damn eerie.

She was back in Spy’s car, having taken the now available passenger seat. Her eyes kept flicking to the neatly folded blanket in Spy’s lap, its minky blue fabric still damp from the rain. The car was silent, save for the occasional muffled wheeze from Pyro, who had just about cried themself hoarse. Medic was sitting next to the arsonist, hands folded as he stared out the window. To a regular onlooker, he likely would have appeared chillingly nonchalant or uncaring. However, as has been established, Florence Pauling personally knew the men she hired to kill each other, and so she was able to see the little cracks in the man’s facade; the way his lips twitched occasionally, like they almost started to wobble before he caught himself, the slow, controlled breaths he was taking, the way his eyes were wet behind his glasses.

Spy was much the same; a perfect picture of poise and aloofness, unless you knew where to look. His suit had been left lightly rumpled, his expensive leather gloves creaked when his hands shifted, showing just how hard he was gripping the wheel, and his mouth was set in an unnaturally tense line. Occasionally, one of his hands would release their death grip on the steering wheel and slip down to feel the blanket in his lap, gently rolling the fabric between his thumb and forefinger.

None of them spoke. 

What was there to say? What could any of them possibly say to make this situation better? 

What could she say? ‘Sorry for your loss, let me fax you those application forms Medic shredded?’ ‘I know you’re mourning, but we need to hurry up and get back so you can all go back to killing the RED team, which still has their Chemist?’ 

No, silence was the better option here by far.

The purple-clad woman leaned back in her seat, head resting against the window as she committed to memory the sound of a tired yet happy voice saying her name, and the feeling of gloved hands pushing her back towards safety. It was better to think of that, rather than the sight of the BLU Chemist’s body spasming wildly before collapsing to the ground, their smoking body giving a few last jerking, dying nerve reactions. 

As she stared out into the vast, dusty nothingness of the New Mexico landscape, something odd began to appear in the corner of her vision. At first, she thought it was a mirage, a strange flash of red in an otherwise sky blue and sand yellow landscape. 

But then it didn’t go away. 

In fact, it actually began to get bigger, becoming clearer and more defined as whatever it was drew closer. On instinct, she reached for the radio and tuned it to a specific frequency, drawing confused looks from her fellow passengers.

“Guys, I don’t want to alarm you, but something’s coming at us. Fast.” she said, leaning in close to the speaker.

“What zhe hell?” Spy said from her left, taking his eyes off the road to squint towards the horizon.

Pyro and Medic peered outside as well, squeezing in close so they could both get a look at the strange thing that was approaching.

“Sniper, can you get eyes on that thing?” Engineer asked over the radio.

Yeah mate. Just gimme a sec.” came the marksman’s reply.

Turning around in her seat, the raven could see Sniper’s van through the rear window. The man was in the passenger seat now, holding up his rifle and peering through the scope. After a moment, he jerked back, a look of shock on his face. He ducked his head back down to look again, as though he wasn’t sure he’d seen something right. In the driver’s seat, Heavy, who had taken the wheel, gave his teammate a confused and slightly concerned look.

Sniper lowered his rifle after another few moments passed, sliding back into his seat as he shouted something to Heavy, who’s confusion visibly deepened. The Russian did a double take when the marksman said something else, and he quickly said something back to the Australian, who shook his head and pointed out towards the still encroaching… whatever it was.

“Sniper wants team to slow down.” Heavy relayed, his tone making it clear that he wasn’t onboard with the idea. “Says that he… believes he saw leetle Chemist.”

“Oh joy,” Spy snarled, baring his teeth in clear disdain as he spoke into the radio, “our Sniper has finally lost it. I knew too much time spent in zhat deathtrap of his would eventually get to him.”

“Ah hate ‘t say it, but ah agree with Spy. We all- we all saw what happened to ‘em. Even if they survived comin’ back again, they'd have died of exposure, thirst, or starvation by now.” Engineer added glumly, “‘Sides, how in the Sam Hill would they get all the way out here? Snipes, ah think you should maybe go lie down for a bit while we deal with whatever's chasin’ us.”

“What is that?” Pauling asked in a low whisper, rolling down her window to get a better view.

Tuning out the sound of fully grown men bickering behind her, she focused on the anomaly. It was a bright, almost familiar shade of red, and it was kicking up quite a bit of dust as it moved across the desert. Pushing herself slightly out of the window, she picked up on the faint sound of… an engine?

Wait a damn minute.

Wait a Goddamn fucking minute.

Faster than a striking rattlesnake on cocaine, Pauling whipped her phone out and began dialing, holding it up to her ear. After a few rings, a man answered in a thick, smug-sounding Southern drawl.

“Why hello Miss Pauling! To what do ah owe the pleasure?”

“Engie, you fucking asshole!” Florence screeched, getting a confused, offended yell from the BLU Engineer, who could still hear what was being said over their shared transmission, “Did you seriously find the BLU Chemist and not tell me?! Do you know how mad the Administrator was going to be at me?!”

She could hear the RED Spy's telltale snorting cackles in the background of the call, while his BLU counterpart looked the farthest thing from amused.

“Qu'est-ce que c'est? Il vaut mieux que ce ne soit pas une mauvaise blague, sinon je jure devant Dieu que je tâcherai de rouge le sable autour de moi.” he growled as he began to slow down, shooting a deadly glare at what was now obviously a RED vehicle, likely their Engineer's truck.

“Woah now lil’ missy, we didn't mean any harm by it. You were outta range back at the base, and ah just figured it'd be easier to just deliver ‘em right to ‘ya.” The RED chuckled, “Iffen y'all are lookin’ t’ shoot us as soon as we come near, though, then we can always keep ‘em. They make pretty good company, and ‘ah know Spy likes ‘em well enough to help vouch for ‘em to the rest of the team.”

“Shoot you, what are you-” the young woman turned around, spotting several members of BLU pointing their weapons at the approaching REDs, “Scout, Soldier, Sniper! Put your guns away- Engie DROP IT!” 

The other Texan had been gearing up to toss down a mini sentry, but paused at his boss’s shout. Disgruntled, he acquiesced, dropping the beeping little robot back down onto the seat.

“Now that's a might bit better. Chem, you wanna take over communications?” The RED Engineer said, before sounds of rustling fabric and a quiet ‘Thank you!’ came over the line.

“Hey, P.” Pauling could almost hear the smile in the other's voice, something that was rather impressive, given the explosion of noise that came over the radio at the sound, “Guess who's two for two on kicking Death's ass?”

“Hello, Chemist.” She replied softly, smiling back, “Are you alright?”

“Oh yeah, I'm fine!” The mercenary replied quickly, sounding tired, but cheerful, “These two have been great company. Well, Engie has, at least- Spy I'm kidding- and guess what? I finally got my cheeseburger!”

“Zhose are not vhat you should be eating!” Medic chastised from the back, “Zhey are nothing but empty calories! 

“Shut up! I was hungry, and Sniper didn’t let me have mine!”

“Chem,” Pauling interrupted, not wanting to be caught in the middle of another argument, “I’m happy you’re alive, really, I am, but how did you get here?”

“Oh, I Respawned at the new base. I guess the system kicked on because the other team was already there.” the Chemist explained, “I tried calling you, but it didn’t go through, so Engie offered to take me so I didn’t, you know, curl up and die.”

“I… wow, that was really nice of him.”

“Yeah, it was. I seriously owe him for this. I’ll have to buy him a nice dinner some time, or, uh,” they snickered, clearly trying to muffle their laughter, “do something for him.”

Florence got the feeling that she was missing something here.

Judging by the intense glares and scowls Medic, Spy, and likely Pyro were directing towards the truck, which was now close enough for her to pick out details, she knew she wasn’t the only one who picked up on the Chemist’s friendly tone.

“Whatever it is you two end up doing, just remember that, if you want me to not have to rat you out, the Administrator cannot know about it, which means I can’t know about it.” the purple-clad woman stressed.

“I would certainly like to know what zhat cow-boy analphabète believes our Chemist shall be doing for him.” Spy muttered lowly, finally bringing the car to a stop as the RED Engineer’s truck parked on the dusty scrubland a few feet away from them.

“No fighting guys. We don’t need anyone else having to risk not coming back.” Florence warned.

Like a pack of stalking wolves, the nine BLU mercenaries leapt out of their respective vehicles and formed an almost defensive group, most of them having only heard bits and pieces of the phone call, but understanding that they were not here to fight. They walked with an air of tenseness, hands flexing as they resisted the urge to reach for their weapons, clearly feeling uneasy in this unprecedented situation.

Still, there was a clear feeling of nervous excitement. The emotional whiplash of the past few hours had left their emotions raw and more sensitive than usual. All of them stopped when the passenger door of the dusty red truck opened with a soft ‘click!’, the wearily smiling face of their teammate popping up over the metal as they shuffled carefully towards the road.

“CHEM!” Scout yelled, unable to hold himself back anymore. A fond smile made its way onto Pauling’s face as she watched the young Bostonian dash over and scoop the other mercenary up, spinning them around for a moment before gently setting them back down on their feet.

Like deadly, man-slaughtering ducklings, the rest of BLU followed after, warmly welcoming their missing friend back into the fold. Medic was on the Chemist in an instant, examining them while asking more questions than was probably necessary. Soldier gave them what was likely meant to be a gentle pat on the back, but which ended up nearly sending poor Y/N to the ground. 

Meanwhile, Pauling, Spy, and Engineer moved to greet the RED team members, who were stepping out of the vehicle themselves. The two men at Pauling’s side kept their professional appearances well, but she knew they’d like nothing more than to give into their instincts and go for their counterparts’ throats.

“Hey guys,” Florence started, hoping to make this conversation as smooth and bloodshed-free as possible, “thank you so much for bringing the Chemist back. I’ll arrange for your team to get a bonus or something for this, I promise.”

“Aw shucks,” the RED Engineer replied, tipping his hat, “it weren’t no trouble. Ahm sure y’all woulda done the same if y’ were in our shoes.”

“But of course.” the BLU Spy responded, “We’re mercenaries, not monsters.”

“What you are is lucky. Your Chemist should have never survived zhe first time, let alone a second.” the opposite colour Frenchman said, producing a cigarette to light, “Tell me, has your team figured out why Respawn went down?”

The BLU Engineer frowned. “Can’t say we have. I reckon y’all haven’t either, then?”

“Unfortunately not. It's got our team all twisted up with worry, ‘specially our Chemist. The stress has been makin’ her feel just plum awful these past few days.” the crimson-clad Texan sighed, pushing up his goggles to pinch the area between his eyes, “To be honest wit ‘ya, ah’d somewhat hoped that travelin’ with yer one might’a given me some answers, or at least an idea of what went wrong, but ah couldn’t find one single tell. If yer feelin’ amicable enough, ah’d like to work with ya t’ find the problem, so we can all stop bein’ so damn nervous.”

“Hmm.” the BLU Engineer hummed, resting a hand on his chin before glancing over at his boss, “Would that be alright, Miss Pauling?”

Florence adjusted her glasses and nodded. “Usually it wouldn’t, but under these circumstances, I’m sure the Administrator will understand.”

Suddenly, she jumped, remembering something.

“Oh, shit! Guys, we actually need to get going! I need to give the RED Chemist a contract and, like, a thousand other things that have been piling up since I’ve been gone.” She said apologetically, before turning to the RED team members, “Do you two mind if I ride back with you?”

“‘Course not.”

“It’s always a pleasure to have you around, mademoiselle.”

“Okay, great!” the raven said, smoothing down her skirt. She looked over at her companions, tilting her head slightly, “You’ll be fine getting back, right?”

They nodded, and started walking back over to rejoin their teammates. They explained that their employer wouldn’t be coming back with them, and, to her surprise, Chemist pulled away from the rest of the BLUs, walking as fast as they could over to her.

“Hey, I just wanted to ask if you were alright before you left.” The goggle-wearing chemist said, their worry clear in their voice as they laid a hand on her shoulder, “You were pretty close to that powerline too, and I wasn’t sure if you’d gotten injured or not.”

“I’m fine, Chem.” Florence reassured, giving her friend a smile, “My clothes are going to smell like burned cloth and skin for a bit, but that’s it. You got me out of the way in time. Thank you, for that, by the way.”

The Chemist inclined their head, smiling back before turning their attention to the two RED Mercs. “You two get her back safe, understand? I’d hate to have to kill you permanently after all this.” they joked, pointing a ‘stern’ finger at them.

The RED Engineer raised his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t worry, Darl’, she’ll get there right as rain.”

He stepped forward, took the white cowboy hat off his head, and plopped it down onto the Chemist’s, tugging it down gently to secure it.

A few feet away, the other Engineer’s mechanical hand nearly crushed his gun as he shot daggers at his counterpart. 

“Y’ can give me that back when y’all finally show up at the base.” he smirked, “And, iffen yer still up for it, ah think I’ll take ‘ya up on that offer of yours from earlier.”

The Chemist turned a very interesting shade of pink as they tipped the brim of the hat up slightly, revealing that their pupils were blown wide.

“Mnhm, sounds good.” they replied softly, before spinning on their heels and making a beeline for their teammates. 

“I-” Florence started, before cutting herself off, 

“You know what? It’s better if I don’t know what that’s all about.”

You watched as the RED Engineer, Spy, and Miss Pauling drove off, waving to them as best you could.

“Well, ain’t you ‘n them real close.” Engineer said in a tight voice. While it was quite hard to tell where the man was looking most of the time, you got the distinct feeling that he was staring at your new accessory.

“I had to listen to them argue for, like, half the trip.” You replied, “If you come out of that having not murdered them or killed yourself, then it's because you learned to like them.”

“Kinda sounded like you didn’t just like ‘em.” Scout pouted, crossing his arms, “What the hell did youse three get up to?”

“Well let’s see.” You raised your hand, ticking off your fingers as you recounted your joyous road trip shenanigans, “I got the ever loving shit scared out of me by the RED Spy, melted my own corpse, got a cheeseburger so absolutely scrumptious I offered to suck off the RED Engineer,”

“You did what now?!” your Engineer yelped.

“I listened to two fully grown men bicker like toddlers, got regaled with a tale of bread monsters, got my outfit called every French insult under the sun, and passed out from, like, severe malnutrition, probably.” You finished.

“Uh, can we walk that back a couple’a steps, mate?” Sniper asked, flushing pink.

“What, you mean the bread monster? Yeah, no, I didn’t believe it at first either, but Spy swears-”

“Not the bloody bread monster, ya daft tit!” Demo groaned, slapping a hand onto his face, “Why the bleedin’ hell are ya offerin’ t’ give our enemy a gobble?!

“Dear GOD, have they brainwashed you?!” Soldier gasped suddenly, “I swear, I will hunt down each and every one of those communist RED bastards if they so much as touched-”

“Woah, woah, woah!” You rushed to clear up the misconception, “Easy, Sol! No one did anything to me, I promise. I’m still one hundred percent me.”

“Zhen vhy…?” Medic questioned, coughing into his gloves as he trailed off.

“It started as just a joke, honestly. I wasn’t seriously thinking about acting on it at first, but when their Spy accidentally revealed that he was jealous, I started thinking about it a little bit more.” You shrugged, “Plus, well… he’s hot! And he’s nice! And he’s clearly into the idea, so… why not?”

“Why not? Why not?” Spy growled, “Because you are ours! You wear zhe same uniform and kill zhe same men as us! You are a member of BLU, and your standards should be higher zhan zhe first, non, not even zhe first, man who shows even zhe slightest interest in you! Il n’y a aucune raison de se prostituer à ce gros, analphabète Texan!”

You threw your hands up into the air, letting out your own growl of annoyance.

“Look, unless one of you is going to help me take care of my needs when I’m better, I’m walking my ass over to that pretty little base they have!” You stated firmly, crossing your arms and tilting your chin up in a petty, almost defiant way. “Maybe I’ll even proposition the rest of ‘em, I don’t know!”

“Oh my freakin’ GOD!” Scout yelled, “We are literally right here! I don’t know a guy on this team that wouldn’t fuck you if you just asked!”

There was a moment of silence after that sentence, the Bostonian’s words echoing slightly in the empty desert scrubland. The ten of you all stood there, turning red from something that wasn’t the harsh New Mexico sun.

Heavy made a sound first, awkwardly clearing his throat. 

“Scout is- what is word- tactless, but he is also… not wrong.”

“Er, yeah,” Sniper scratched at the back of his neck, “the big guy's got it right. It's just we, uh…”

“Mh muph mmnmnh mhmh.” Pyro finished, talking animatedly with their hands.

“The arsonist is correct.” Spy agreed, still looking a bit flustered under his mask, “This is far from something that is easily brought up.” 

You blinked slowly at your team, absorbing the information. Now, technically, you'd heard this all before, right before you'd died, but hearing it again solidified it in your mind as being real. 

“Well shit.” You swore, planting your hands on your hips, “We all could have been a lot happier ages ago, huh?”

The gathered mercenaries made various sounds of awkward agreement.

“Okay, we definitely need to talk about this, and I mean a real conversation, not all of us standing around like idiots, cooking our brains in the sun while we all blush over the fact that you'd all like a piece of me.” You said, “But I think I'd rather talk in the comfort of our base, wouldn't you all agree?”

Your teammates nodded in agreement, dispersing into their chosen groups as they started back towards your vehicles.

“Yo, Chem, you ridin’ with us?” Scout asked hopefully, hooking his arm beneath yours instinctively as you wobbled slightly. He looked as though he was still feeling a bit hot under the collar, but was doing his very best to keep your conversation casual. 

“Sorry, Scout, but I think I’m gonna pass out soon if I don’t lay down.” you admitted. “I promise I’ll spend some time with you when we get back. Maybe I could help you pack when I’m feeling a bit better?”

“Don’t even worry ‘bout it. You should focus on gettin’ bettah first.” Scout replied, leading you towards Sniper’s campervan, “‘Sides, I already packed up most of my crap, and I think Pyro handled your stuff, so you can just take it easy. Pretty sure the Doc is gonna make you stay in the Medbay, anyway.”

“Scout is correct, mein Chemiker.” Medic piped up, matching your slow, careful stride as he came up beside you, “Now don’t give me zhat face; it vill only be for a few days. I just want to ensure that jou are okay after going through Respawn again in jour state.”

Your expression, which had been one of pouty, light annoyance at being forced into mandatory bedrest in the Medbay, softened a bit. You could hear the genuine concern in the German’s voice, and you knew he had good reason to be. You yourself were worried that something might have gotten messed up, and you knew you were due for another round of supplement shots.

Still, it was going to suck to not be in your own room, surrounded by your familiar comforts. You knew that you’d have a lot of pent up energy by the time you got out.

Huh, actually… you could think of a few fun ways to burn off any excess energy.

“Okay, Doc, I’ll come to my appointment, I promise.” you said, smiling, “But this time, I get to choose the operating room music. You’re not cutting me open to Lili Marlén again.”

“But jou said zhat jou enjoyed it last time! Lale Andersen has zhe voice of ein Engel.” Medic pouted.

“Yeah, but if you keep playing it while you're dissecting my spleen, I’m always going to associate it with getting picked apart like a biology student’s frog.” you explained, “I won’t pick anything too bad, swear on my good beakers!”

“Hmph, I vill hold you to zhat.” the doctor warned teasingly, “Zhere vill be no more ‘Sugar Pie Honey Bunch’ in my operating room.”

“Ugh, you’re so boring.” you teased right back, sticking your tongue out at the man as Scout handed you off to Sniper, who had a fond, lopsided smile on his face. “Hey there, Stretch. Mind helping me to the bed?”

“Not at all, mate.” Sniper replied, laying a warm, sturdy arm across your shoulders, “Not at all.”

Sure enough, after around two weeks of being kept in the Medbay upon your return, your prediction of being just about ready to explode with unreleased energy had proven to be true. Your organs had actually suffered a bit of damage this time around, which had necessitated a longer stay. On top of that, you had needed to move to the new base midway through your treatment, which hadn’t helped things. However, this also meant that Medic could focus on accelerating your healing, and by the time you pranced out of those swinging double doors, you were feeling like your old self again.

Scout and Soldier were waiting there for you, just as they had been on the day you’d failed to come back.

“Heyyyyy, there you are! Freakin’ finally.” Scout whooped, bringing you into a tight hug. You returned it, squeezing back with all your regained strength, “Oof! Yup, you’re bettah alright!”

“Sure am.” you grinned, before releasing the Bostonian to tackle Soldier, who grinned and crushed you to his chest.

“It’s good to have you back in fighting shape, private! Your presence has been missed on the battlefield.” he said, patting you in between your shoulder blades, “Also, I just missed you.”

“I missed you too, Solly.” you replied, knocking your forehead against his helmet gently, “Show me around the base? I saw a bit of it when I Respawned here, but I wasn’t exactly taking in all the finer details.”

“Of course!” Soldier set you down, taking the lead as you, him, and Scout headed off down the hall.

He gave you a tour of the base and the battleground, loudly and excitedly chattering about all the great places to set up ambushes and assaults that this new location provided. You nodded along, adding your own ideas occasionally as you took in your surroundings, inhaling a lungful of warm, apple-scented air for the first time without pain. In a few days, the RED Chemist would be returning from her contract, and you would be returning to the fray, but for now you got to revel in the relative peace of the time between battles.

Eventually, Soldier led you to the barracks, showing you to your room. It had been partially set up; your bed was made and your uniforms had been hung up in your closet, but your casual clothes and personal belongings had been left in their moving boxes. You smiled softly when you flipped open the first box and spotted Pyro’s drawings sitting on top. The firebug had added a few new ones, depicting a healthy you and them frolicking through a shimmering candyland, or petting beautiful unicorns. You snorted with laughter at one of the last ones, which showed you and Pyro sitting aside a golden, fire-breathing dragon, flying high above the base, the arsonist flipping off the RED Spy and Engineer, who were being roasted by the beast.

Speaking of…

“Hey, has anyone seen my hat?” you asked Soldier and Scout, who were peering into one of your, currently empty, terrariums. The two mercenaries glanced at each other.

“Uh, I think Engie took it.” Scout rubbed his chin, “Kept mutterin’ something about the ‘cowboy hat rule.’ He sounded real pissed about it too.”

You tilted your head and frowned. “Cowboy hat rule? What the hell is that?”

“Dunno.” Scout shrugged, “You’d have to ask Hardhat.”

“Maybe I will.” you said, putting the drawings down, “Where is he?”

“The grease monkey is in his workshop!” Soldier said helpfully, “I saw him go in there before I went to wait for you.”

“Perfect,” you smiled, “I’ll be back soon, fellas. Oh, actually, could you two do me a favour?”

The men nodded.

“Tell the others I’d finally like to have that conversation we talked about.” you winked, stepping out the door, “We’ll talk at dinner, yeah?”

Slipping out into the hallway proper, you left two very warm-cheeked mercenaries behind.

“What are the chances we actually score tonight, you think?” Scout asked, biting his lip slightly.

“If Engie doesn’t make ‘em mad?” Soldier grinned, tipping up his helmet slightly, “I’d say I like our odds.”

“God, he bettah not screw dis up.” Scout huffed, folding his arms, “I hope he’s smart enough to just give Chem that hat.”

“Ah ain’t givin’ you that hat.”

The Texan and the Chemist stood almost chest-to-chest, locked in a standoff. Engineer folded his arms and fixed his colleague with the firmest look he could muster, standing absolutely resolute in his decision.

Chemist set their jaw, squinting in annoyance.

“Engie,” they started, voice firm and tone indicating that they were done with this argument, “that hat was a temporary gift. I need to give it back. I don’t know why you’re being such an ass over this, but-”

“Because it ain’t a gift!” the man finally shouted, gritting his teeth.

Chemist reeled back as if they’d been struck, shocked at the man’s outburst. They blinked, then slowly shifted to a more passive stance.

“Okay, clearly I’m missing something here, and it’s making you upset.” they said, backing up a step to give Engineer some much needed space, “Mind filling me in? Does it have something to do with that ‘cowboy hat rule’ Scout mentioned?”

“It has everything to do with that.” Engineer sighed, deflating slightly as his anger returned to a very low simmer, “A cowboy’s hat is considered an extension of his body, a real special article of clothin’. If he puts it on someone’s head, or if someone takes it and puts it on, then that’s basically the same as sayin’ yer real interested in ‘em. The ‘rule’ is basically that if you wear the hat, y’gotta ride the cowboy.”

He folded his arms again, looking into Chemist’s wide eyes. “Him puttin’ that hat on ‘ya like he did and bein’ all flirtatious was almost like him brandin’ you; a real bold move to pull right in front of all of us. You bein’ so friendly ‘n receptive ‘bout it all was just salt in the wound, and now he’s been down right gloatin’ about it ever since we got here!”

Chemist winced, rubbing at the back of their neck. “Aw, jeeze, I’m- I’m sorry, Engie. I didn’t realize how much that might bother you. This has really been eating at you, huh?”

“It has.” he confessed, feeling slightly ashamed by just how much it bothered him, “Ah know yer a grown adult, and ah obviously can’t control what ‘ya do in yer free time, but as ahm sure you’ve figured out, we’re all rather fond of ‘ya, and I ain’t no exception. Seein’ you with him? And then having to work with ‘im these past few days?”

The man shook himself, scowling. “It’s like swallowin’ glass.”

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this worked up outside of battle.” the other mercenary said, before reaching out and taking Engineer’s hands into their own, causing the Texan to jolt slightly in surprise, “Look, I might joke around sometimes, but I am one hundred percent loyal to BLU and everyone who’s a part of it. That other Engineer might get me once, but you can have me as many times as you like.” 

Chemist winked, and Engineer’s eyes widened like saucers, his mouth turning dry as cotton as any words he might have intended to say died in his throat. The other BLU leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, and Engineer closed his eyes, burning the sensation into his mind as he swallowed.

“And if you’re still worried,” they whispered into his ear, “you can always leave your mark on me.”

“Careful, Darl’,” he growled lowly, wrapping a hand around their waist, enjoying the feeling of muscle and fat, “you don’t know what yer askin’ for.”

“Oh, I think I do.” they grinned ferally, nipping at the Southerner’s neck. Engineer inhaled sharply and let out a curse, tightening his hold when he felt a warm tongue lave the area lovingly.

Suddenly, the contact was gone, Chemist pulling away with a satisfied grin and leaving the poor Texan stunned.

“You can hang onto the hat for now, but I really do need it back.” they tapped his nose, causing him to blink, “Now, we’re all gonna have that little chat at dinner tonight, so don’t be late.”

And with that, they sauntered right back out the door they'd come through earlier, leaving Engie to try and collect himself. Eventually, he managed to shake himself out of his stupor, a grin coming across his face.

“Well, this ought to be mighty interestin’.”

The conversation at dinner had been, to absolutely no one’s shock, awkward as all hell to begin with.

Once everyone had gotten a plate of food in front of them to stare at when things got too uncomfortable, you started laying out basic ground rules. You stressed, through your many stutters, the importance of boundaries, consent and communication, and you made it very clear that if anyone was at all uncomfortable with what you were proposing, then they were more than welcome to voice that without judgement. You were firm as you warned that if you caught wind of anyone teasing or pressuring another teammate about this was going to lose any and all privileges, as well as getting a face full of acid at any given time. 

“Any objections or questions so far?” you asked, taking a bite of your dinner, which was macaroni and cheese.

“If ve’re really going to to zhis, I vould like to propose regular STD tests und use of condoms.” Medic said after a few moments of silence passed in the room, folding his hands in front of him, “Zhis isn’t exactly a closed relationship ve’re talking about here, und I for one vould feel a lot better vith zhat reassurance, zhough I know jou’re all clean as of right now.”

Everyone made noises of agreement. No one wanted to take that risk.

“Do we have to do stuff with everyone? ‘Cause, uh, I definitely ain’t cool with that.” Scout asked, rubbing his arm in discomfort.

“No, of course not.” you reassured, laying a comforting hand over his. “You’re free to be with whoever you want, and you certainly aren’t going to be forced into a relationship.”

Scout relaxed, some of the tension leaving his body. Around the table, a few others seemed to relax as well.

“We will have to keep zhis a well-kept secret. If zhe Administrator finds out, zhen I suspect we will be punished in some cruel and unusual manner.” Spy added, resting his chin on one hand.

“Yeah, she’s real good at that.” Soldier mumbled, still sore over the fact that he’d be tricked and threatened into breaking off the best friendship he’d ever had, one that still hadn’t recovered.

“So no flirting, or anything else, on the battlefield or during work hours.” you nodded, “We’ll save it for contracts, ceasefires, and late night meet ups, I suppose.”

Sniper raised his hand slightly, swallowing his mouthful of food. “And how exactly are we plannin’ on deciding who gets to do what, and when?”

“Scheduling.” you replied, having pondered that very same question, “We’ll come up with a schedule. You guys can draw straws or wrestle or something. I’ll leave how the order gets decided up to you.”

“Battle’s comin’ up in a few days.” Demo said, taking a sip of his Scrumpy, “How’s about we use our performances to decide?”

“Heavy likes that idea,” the large Russian man nodded, “it means I will be first.”

“Hey, woah, back it up, tons ‘a fun!” Scout protested, jabbing his fork in the other’s direction, “You musta hit yer head or somethin, cause everyone knows I’m gonna be the one comin’ out on top, as usual.”

“You? Do something aside from running your mouth and getting shot full of bullets? Please, don’t make me laugh.” Spy snarked, picking at his dinner while side-eying the Bostonian.

“Don’t get too cocky, Spook. God knows yer gonna end up on the hot end of the enemy Pyro’s flamethrower more often than not.” Sniper teased, “Meanwhile, I’ll be rackin’ up kills left ‘n right.”

“Hey Py, ah’ll share mah time if y’ team up with me.” Engineer offered, smirking when the arsonist mumbled in cheerful agreement, giving the Southerner a fistbump.

“Ooh, ve’re making alliances?” Medic perked up, “Heavy, team up with me, ja?”

“конечно, доктор.” 

“Oye, that ain’t fair!” Demo shouted, banging his fist down on the table, “Soldier, yer with me!”

“Affirmative!” the American saluted, “We are going to crush each and every one of your pansy asses!”

“This is bullshit!” Scout yipped, realizing that his teammates were absolutely willing to partner up if it meant having a better shot at first pick, “Yo, Snipes, we teamin’ up?”

“Bettah you then Spy.” the marksman leaned over the table and shook hands with the runner. “Alright, jackrabbit, let’s do this.”

“Feelin’ left out, Spy?” Engineer asked, reaching for his cup of sweet tea.

“Not at all.” came the Frenchman’s smooth reply, “I am confident enough in my abilities to not feel zhe need to rely on zhe help of another to win. Unlike you, toymaker, I am not willing to share my lovers.”

“Keep a good hold on that confidence ‘a yers.” the Texan chuckled, “You’ll need somethin’ t’ help repair yer shattered pride once you come dead last.”

You took another bite of your macaroni, enjoying the growing sense of… friendly competition. The next battle was going to be a bloodbath, and you absolutely could not wait to see it.

And, of course, you were very excited to see who came out as the victor.

The sound of gunfire and dying men was like music to your ears as you finally returned to the battlefield. Your limbs ached from the lack of use, and you could certainly feel the strain now, but you welcomed the pain, grinning into your mask as you lobbed another vial at a passing Scout, your smile widening as you snickered at his howls of pain.

Your team was dominating the battlefield today, each member striving to get the most amount of kills. The energy of the battle was even a little bit lighter than usual today, likely due to the fact that the mystery of the Respawn malfunction had finally been solved on the Sunday before the battle.

Apparently, according to Engineer, the issue had been caused by too many units being active at once, which all but confirmed your theory of other teams existing out in the world. It had nothing to do with you specifically, you’d simply been the unlucky bastard who had come through at the boiling point. The information had come as a huge relief, even if the answer had left you with quite a few questions. You would have to ask Miss Pauling about it the next time she came around the base, though you doubted you’d get any real answers. Something told you that, if the other teams had never been mentioned to any of you before, then you weren’t supposed to know about them.

Actually, maybe you should just keep your mouth shut this time. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction wouldn’t be enough to bring you back, if the Administrator decided to disable your Respawn capability.

Shaking your head, you dashed forward, side-stepping the sizzling corpse at your feet. Running across the dry Texas grass, you threw yourself against the side of the nearest building, a smaller, ramshackle barn at the edge of the treeline. From where you stood, you managed to catch a glimpse of Pyro, Soldier, and Engineer taking a new vantage point to set up a sentry, before the arsonist suddenly spun around, blasting a plume of flame at your helmeted friend. You winced, watching as the RED Spy’s illusion melted away, along with his skin.

Well, you supposed you wouldn’t be seeing too much of him today. That was a shame; the Frenchman could be surprisingly funny, when he wanted to be. You’d hoped to get a chance to tease him and see if you could make him blush again, or perhaps some part of you wanted to provide your own Spy with an easy kill.

Just as you started off towards your teammates, ready to help them secure the nearest point, you saw something whip over your head. Before you knew it, your arms were suddenly pinned at your sides, and you’d been tugged backwards, landing on your rump with a sharp yelp of pain. The white cowboy hat that you’d managed to get back from Engineer, which had been sitting snugly on your head, slipped down over your eyes as you were dragged back towards the trees, leaving you blind.

You panicked for a moment, struggling against the tight rope. However, you paused upon hearing a familiar voice, chills running up your spine, both from fear and from pleasure. A gloved hand plucked the hat off your head, the mechanical movement clicking softly in your ear. You tilted your head back, looking up at the man who was holding the lasso that had left you so defenseless.

“Hello there, Darl’.” The RED Engineer purred, leaning against the trunk of one of the apple trees, “Ready to make good on that offer?”

Annnnd that wraps up Respawn Malfunction! Again, big thanks to @pinkypiechar for reading along with me in the wee hours of the morning, keeping me motivated and catching any mistakes I made. You a real one pookie. <3

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Major Blog Update: Inbox Cleared, Life Updates, a big thank you and More!

First of all the big one:

The deed is done...The Inbox is dead.

Long live the inbox.

To get a fresh start, I've deleted the current inbox of all my asks.

The inbox memes, the nightmares...they're finally over...

ANYWAYS, feel free to send in any request you may have as per usual, just figured I clear that damn thing finally out considering I've had asks that are three years old in there.

Right now I'm really getting into Honkai: Star Rail since Natlan kinda killed my enjoyment of Genshin, but those gals I will still love and write for (I mean, I'm sure as heck not changing the blog url) so don't feel discouraged if you came to this blog because of my Genshin content. And of course my other fandoms are still good to rock and roll!

One last thing before the cut:

I want to thank EVERY ONE of you for following this blog and sticking around with my goofy ah for so long.

I genuinely get excited to read any message or request you put under my posts or inbox, whether it be feedback or joking around! And I know we have the memes going on about me being drowned, please know I do genuinely take the time to look at every single one that comes in everyday, even if I didn't say anything or respond. And it means the world to me that ya'll like my writing enough to continue asking of me.

You all are the reason I even put the effort I do in this blog for so many years, from my newer followers to those who have followed me since my first blog. I could not ask for a better group than ya'll.

From the bottom of my heart, thanks, and let's have a great year together!

ANYWHO: For those who care enough, this is what's been going on with me for the last few months.

Work:

As for why I've been absent for a while: simply put because I work a retail job. Thankfully nothing too bad, it's just normal scheduling and it IS work I very much enjoy and get paid relatively well. My love for writing is still very strong as is my simping, so no worries, I don't plan on going anywhere.

I DO greatly apologize for making everyone wait for literally ANYTHING, doubly so if you had an ask I didn't get to yet. I wanted to honestly save everything into my drafts, but alas I could only choose some select ones.

You're more than welcome to send it back in, and since things have calmed down I SHOULD be getting to them a lot faster.

Genshin:

In regards to what I said earlier about Genshin: Natlan kind of killed any enjoyment I had playing, characters were REALLY unappealing to me, it made my friends stop playing so therefore I stopped as well as that was the major reason I still had it installed. I don't really plan on adding anyone from Natlan or anyone else from that game in the future, so apologies if you were looking forward to that from me specifically.

Star Rail has been filling the hole in my heart and honestly? I have a lot more writing freedom writing the gals from there, but again, don't feel afraid to send me any genshin request! I still simp for my Mondstadt women after all.

Other things I've been doing/Ideas for the blog:

I've also been playing games (and getting distracted) with my irl friends and trying to catch up on my hobbies to prevent myself from burning out, Minecraft has been a big thing lately for me again: specifically Pixelmon LMAO.

For 2025 though, I plan to at least post an imagine once a week starting next week since things are still settling down and I have to get my work schedule.

I might also start posting (Eventually) my personal writing projects here to get feedback and possibly go to AO3 to post my crossover series since Tumblr isn't really the place to be doing so (Chief among them my FE3H AU: House Isekai), or if demand is high enough I'll post it here.

Oh, and with this major update I have once again updated my banner, not that it's really important, just that I put a good amount of effort in it, more than you'd think for how simple it is. I also want to see if anyone even gets my reference LMAO

Once this post goes live, I plan to add a few new characters, starting with the Commander from Girls' Frontline but we'll see how it goes.

I think that's all I got for right now, so see ya soon guys!

- Chris