#i didnt get any kind of notification either

[thevalleyoftriumph]

thinking abt that time i accidentally followed an account i waz trying to block and had to immediately unfollow and commence blocking and hope they didnt get a notification bcoz thatz TERRIFYING. and also embarrassing. like really embarrassing. why r those buttonz so close .

[rubra-wav]

Why So Blue? Vox x Reader

[ Part 1 - A Like Morning Unlike Others ]

A/N: I have a kind of loose idea of where I'm maybe taking this one, but I am very much open to any suggestions.

People asked to be tagged in what was going to be part 2 to the oneshot. My ideas changed a bit with this tho, and it's being rewritten as a fic from the start - sorry if this isn't what you really had in mind w that request 😭

[ Taglist ] @gigglesandshits @serendipitous-fernweh @valentinosbabycakes @ seriouslyaverage (won't let me @ ???)

[ part 2 ] >>

Cw: SFW, Gn!Reader, slight staticmoth reference

The morning you first showed up was like any other for the Video Star.

As always, Vox awoke at 7:00 am on the dot, staring at the ceiling for a couple of seconds as his system warmed up properly for the day ahead.

After the 'sleep' cleared from his mind, he sat up and then climbed from his bed to quickly change before swiping his phone off his nightstand as he walked to the personal kitchen in his part of the building (he had it installed so he didnt have to see his colleagues before his persona was up to snuff) and began scrolling through his emails.

He opted for those from Carmine rather than Velvette or Valentino.

It was frankly too fucking early to deal with whatever bullshit they were yelling about on seemingly all of his socials in his mind. (a decision he'd come to regret rather soon)

Last night's hangover still clung to him, but he pushed through it. He was rather happy all things considered. Carmine's email confirmed that she was on board with partnering up for personal surveillance systems without much questioning, thankfully.

He was about to get even fucking richer.

He grinned widely at the prospect as he leisurely made his coffee - black, naturally - fantasising about how he'd be able to spy on hell's citizens even more with them literally installing surveillance cameras into their own homes for security purposes.

Those poor, desperate idiots practically exploit themselves!

Vox chuckled at the thought, humming as he walked in the direction of his broadcast room, scrolling to look over the email Carmine sent once again to fully understand all agreements. To try to see what he'd be able to push her into doing potentially.

The hatch to his lair broadcast room opened loudly and closed just as loudly behind him as his footfalls echoed in the silent room against the cold tiles.

Vox didn't look up once as he made his way to his seat.

He didn't need to.

He knew where everything was in here as nobody else was ever in here. And if they were?

Well, those demons wouldn't be 'employed' much longer, we'll say that.

His seat squeaked as he sat on it, sipping his coffee as he swiped through some more notifications.

He glanced at his monitor momentarily as he took a deep sip of coffee that would gross anyone else out, then promptly choked on it, gracelessly spitting some onto his keyboard and lap.

He felt truly chilled to the bone for the first time in a long while.

Wide, red eyes watched in horror as a very drunk version of himself from last night met him. In the video, he was shaking his hips from where he stood on a bar while singing (he assumed) shittily if his memory served right.

The video was muted from where it played on the screen of every monitor in his room, but he expected it.

His frozen present self watched himself in the video as drunk Vox stumbled and then proceeded to topple off-camera to the ground.

His instant assumption was that Valentino or Velvette had posted it online, but that was quickly off the cards when he noticed that not only were both of them watching him while laughing with no phones in their hands, but it was posted from his own fucking Sinstagram account.

It already had over a million likes, and it'd been up for only an hour at this point. His colleagues wrote surprised comments underneath, asking if he meant to post it. Valentino adding that Vox looked cute in it either way.

He could feel his fear and anger rising, loud zaps of electricity emitting from him already as his claws dug into either armrest of his desk chair, leaving long scratch marks on them which exposed the padding within.

Then he read the bottom caption of the looped post of himself and fully lost it.

'For someone who talks so big about being ahead technologically, it was awfully easy to hack old Boxy here.'

Vox lets out a loud, enraged yell, slamming his fist on his desk, promptly causing himself to Bluescreen and knocking out much of Pentagram's electricity in the process despite not being plugged into his set-up.

-

On the other side of the city, you laugh loudly as you watch the press conference where the Tech demon overlord fought to clean up his image.

It began just a few minutes after you were exposed to Vox's rage in the form of your lights shutting off.

It didn't affect your setup, of course. A certain someone you knew had helped you craft it, and it ran on a different server.

While others were still waiting for their shit to get back in order after Vox stopped plastering his rather strained grin on every screen, you were watching the press conference in one window while admiring how quickly his men raced to try and patch up the code you'd gotten through last time in another.

Of course, it hardly would do anything for you the next time around you decided to clown on him.

You shifted into a cross-legged position on the floor, glancing between the mess of old and new monitors surrounding you all interlocking with equally messy and tangled cables.

You passively wondered if anyone had been killed during all this, expecting yes, but not paying much attention to it. You couldn't do anything about what he decided to pull in response to your attacks.

Anything for your entertainment.

You cracked your fingers loudly as you began to prepare for the next bag of shit you'd be leaving on his doorstep.

Snickering with a smile, you watched his hypnosis ability activate, manipulating everyone watching outside of your own eyes.

They would forget this, but you wouldn't. And neither would Vox. You'd make sure all of them remembered you eventually.

Snorts and giggles echoed out in the silence of your small, shitty apartment as you mulled over all the things you had planned for the next few months.

Jesus christ, this would be fun.

Yeah, this reader isn't a good person either. They just wanna fuck around with Vox as much as they can and don't care much who becomes cannon fodder in the process.

I was considering also writing pt. 2 into this as well, but I figured that I would do this as just a taster for this series starting for the first post. Pt. 2 will be soon 🙏

Why So blue Masterlist (not much here yet obv)

Main Masterlist

[lotussuns]

implied fem! reader. she her pronouns used. kind of suggestive but no smut, talks about porn mostly. minors don’t interact please. i just spat it out in one sitting so lots of spelling mistakes probs. ooc gojo! he’s a loser

just a thought that i had today hihihi. i imagine a future where both gojo and geto are in their early twenties, in the middle of getting their teaching license to teach at jujutsu high. they are both young, healthy, attractive men so they sleep around a little bit, and of course share their experiences and preferences with each other. that further escalated to porn.

so geto and gojo have a tradition of sharing porn with each other. if geto finds something super hot, he most likely will send it to gojo to get a second opinion and they both talk about how that actress looked super hot while getting pounded from behind, or that they should find a hottie to have that specific threesome with.

anyway geto starts noticing a weird trend with the actresses that gojo sends him. why do they all … kind of look similar, they all kind of look like you.

it’s either the same hairstyle, same body type, similar facial structure. and geto is fucking freaking out because they have known you for like 3 months?? you just started here?? and he knew gojo was obsessed with you, everyone could tell (apart from you) but he didn’t know it was this severe.

he sends a quick text.

“i didn’t know anyone could be this down bad.”

which gojo quickly responds to with

“HUH?!”

“WHAT HAPPENED.”

geto answers with a vague. “i know what you are doing lol did you think you were slick like that.”

gojo fucking spirals.

“WHAT DID YOU FIND DID YOU TOUCH MY FUCKING LAPTOP?!?!?!???!??!!!!”

“HOLY SHIT YOU FUCKING TRAITOR IM TELEPORTING HOME YOU FUCKCKDMND.”

geto is super confused like what the fuck? gojo sent that shit himself, it was quite obvious the actresses looked as close to you as they could. was gojo not even realizing that? he couldn’t understand what the man was so worried about.

“?”

“what are you talking about lol. you sent that shit yourself.”

gojo responds with another wave of panicked texts.

“FUCK I CANNOT TELEPORT HOME IM TOO BUSY WHAT DID I AEND WHERE.”

“PLEASE SUGURU DONT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS PLEASE YOU CAN MAKE FUN OF ME ALL HOU WANT JUST DONT TELL ANYONE.”

and now geto was super confused what else did gojo hide from him. he decided it was the perfect opportunity to fuck around and find out.

“you’re absolutely insane i cannot believe you did that. sick fuck.”

geto’s phone once again lights up like crazy from all the notifications he’s bombarded with.

“PLEASE DONT TELL HER PLEASE.”

“AND DONT DELETE ANYTHINF DONT TOCUCHHF IT.”

“I WORKED SO HARD ON OUR LITTLE FAMILY.”

“SHES PREGANANT WITH OUR 6 CHILD ND IT WAS SO HARD TO GET OUR PENFHOUSE WITHOUT ANY CODES I EARNDNDD THAT SHIT WITH REAL WORK SUGURU REAL HONEST WORK NO MOTHERLODE AND SHIT.”

“I EVEN PAYED FOR OUR WEDDING MYSELF.”

and it was then that geto realized gojo was talking about something more cringe that his porn preferences. he was talking about the sims.

gojo fucking satoru made you guys in the sims. married. with 5 kids and 1 on its way.

after the initial wave of tremendous cringe geto felt in his body (he almost collapsed from how intense it was) geto didnt know if he should laugh or cry from how much of a pathetic loser gojo was, but he knew he would never let him live it down.

[f0rtuned]

Inbox: 3/5

Requests: Closed!

(Read the request etiquette before sending a request)

What I do

Stimboards

Moodboards

Xeno suggestions

Pfps

Character outfits (Closed)

Username suggestions (Closed)

Want something not listed? just ask, and i might do it!

Dni

Basic dni, transmed, misogynists, detrans kinks, any kink accounts of any sort, dark/immoral-ships, bullies, jerks in general, anti multispec gays/lesbians, gender/sexuality police, etc

About the blog

You can refer to us as Mangle, Foxy, or The Rot (note, The Rot is a separate part of us (kind of like an alter, but not actually an alter.) so if you refer to her she'll be the one replying

I instinctively tag things as kins, so if you dont want that please let me know!

i will NOT do extreme gore or any graphic content involving veins or eyes

in your requests please give me a theme you want me to do

i am not taking mod applications

We love getting promo requests

If we're an anon on your blog, we use the signoff "Capt. Mangle" (note: if we dont reblog/like what you made for us, we probably didnt see it! for some reason our tumblr doesnt give us notifications when we go on anon.)

Sometimes we refer to ourself using we/us/ours, but this blog is ran by one person

We have trouble doing comfycore or any emotion (hope, sadness, happiness, etc), so if you want that we reccomend going to another blog, but we can do our best!

Follow my main, @strzbzr

Anon list + how to become an anon + whitelist and blacklist + about the blog owner under the cut

Anon list

🐊 Anon, 🛡️ Anon, 🧺🎞️ Anon, essay anon, 🌈🎀 anon, 🐀🕸️ Anon, 🦝🎸/🍥🦴 Anon, Infected Anon, Spook anon, Chat/Vex anon, Mx. Nibbly anon

(did you ask to be an anon or use your signoff and youre not on this list? let us know! we'll fix it asap)

How to become an anon

all you have to do is use your signoff or ask me! the signoff can be letters, words, or emojis! as long as it isnt either taken by someone already or offensive/problematic, you can use it!

Whitelist (note: you can request other fandoms! these are just fandoms i know well / or arent commonly accepted on these types of blogs!)

(note no.2: I DO NOT WANT DISCOURSE HERE. the reason i allow problematic sources is to provide a safe space for everyone and accommodate for as many people as im comfortable with. If you try to start any discourse with me, you will be blocked.)

❤️ = favorites to do, 🩷 = ones we like to do, 🧡 = neutral, 🖤= fandoms we arent in/dont know anything about but still accept

Fandoms commonly accepted

Fnaf 🩷

Your turn to die 🩷

Oddities Roleplay / Minecraft Fnaf Roleplay ❤️

Welcome Home 🧡

The amazing digital circus 🧡

Danganronpa (games) 🧡

Danganronpa (anime) 🖤

Sonic 🧡

Springtrap and Mangle / S.A.M (Au by Quiettomato) ❤️

Slice of life (Fnaf au) 🧡

Regretevator ❤️

DDLC 🖤

Cookie run kingdom 🖤

Invader zim🖤

And some others I might have forgotten! (more on the carrd)

Fandoms commonly not accepted (please note that i do not support most of these!)

Boyfriend to Death 🩷 8:11 ❤️

Nekopara (NOTE: im only willing to do the characters who look like adults, the ones that look like kids give me the ick, sorry) 🖤

Dream smp / any smp in general 🖤

Most games with ns/fw (as long as the request is sfw)

The coffin of Andy and Leyley 🖤

Super Sonico 🧡

You and me and her 🧡

Blacklist

Alfreds Playhouse

Monster high (personal reasons)

Fandoms that entirely revolve around something super bad (not sure what counts? just ask me!)

About the blog owner

Our fictkins: The Mangle, Amy Rose, Streber (Spooky month), Pest (Regretevator), Beetle (8:11)

Our irls: Ryker Dublin, Sara Chidouin, Funtime Foxy (tor)

Kinsidering: Empty!

Our traumakin: Shin Tsukimki

Our regression kin: Ruby gloom

Our pronouns: bug/she/it/him/they/xe/exe/nyan

Our sexuality: Gay, multispec (quoigender), Polyam, demisexual

[grilledcheese-aspiration]

a discussion idea! (long post)

my husband and i were chatting last night while cleaning up dinner; he pitched a fun idea that could be a great topic of discussion in the simblr community. maybe this should be a SQotD submission - IDK but: he asked how i feel about sims 2 expansion packs now compared to when they came out. initially, i said "yeh idk, i guess the same?" and that was that.

i put a more thought towards his question and realized, i do feel a bit differently about some of the EPs now compared to when they came out - all under the cut!

university: i was SO SO excited about it bc i didnt go away to college like my friends did so it was a way to vicariously-ish get the experience and a bonus was zombies! now tho? yea i still enjoy it even tho the dormies eventually start pissing me off bc theyre just so damn dumb lmao

nightlife: same level of excitement. i LOVE cities and i love vampires too. this scratched the "i need to go downtown chicago" itch when i couldnt from lack of transportation and safey being a v smol person afraid of the worst. i played all my sims in "downtown", specifically, 107 Custer Blvd. I made-over that lot dozens of times, it's seen dozens of different families and had a million different lifetimes. Nightlife still stands as my fave TS2 EP and 107 Custer - my all-time favorite lot to play.

open for business: initially, i had ZERO excitement over this pack. i personally, right out of high school basically, had NO interest in working myself (i didnt, i went to community college and got by ok w/ chore-money basically) so why the hell would i want to put my sims to work too?? i also didnt care for the music (i like it more now tho) as an Adult - i do enjoy this pack more than i ever did when i was a clueless near-20-yo. also, love the servos but i dont play w them nearly as much as i should being a bot fan and all. (i should fix that)

pets&seasons: i was pumped for these bc MORE IMMERSION AND REAL LIFE STUFF!!! also, weather and animals LOL. i still love these packs the same as i did when they initially released. just kinda wish plantsims werent annoying for me to play, i love them from afar tho! werewolves are neat but theyre also kind of a PITA to play.

bon voyage: EH i dont really go on vaca a lot myself, my sims dont either for the same reasons: money! im also still scarred from the one time i did send my sims on vaca and they got STUCK THERE!!! it broke all my shit and i had no way of fixing it bc i didnt know about MTS, MATY and etc to ask for help/guidance. RIP to that family lmao i hope theyre still having a nice time in the vaca-void theyre prob still floating around in! (note: ive never found bigfoot, some day i wish to!)

freetime: we all have hobbies right? it was all fine and good until the fire nation attacked i was being inundated with a ton of hobby spam, be it notifications, the hobby sims and the lots. it was a lot. its far more manageable now thanks to mods so i dont mind playing into hobbies. i do appreciate the return of the genie tho!

apartment life: ok, look. i thought this was super cool then but now, after living in apartments myself, i despise them and dont put my sims in them anymore either. i do love the witches tho, prob my fave aspect of this pack!

edit to add rankings: nightlife, seasons, pets, apartment life, uni, ofc, free time then bon voyage lmao

id be interested to hear/read you guys' comparison's to the different EPs we have for Sims 2 or any of the sims games tbh. id go over The Sims but i dont have all day lmao ill make a different post on that some time bc i always get in my feels over the OG.

[l-cereta]

i dont like like... deleting stuff i post in general bc i have this weird complex abt permanent loss of information—like iirc my first post on this blog is a horribly misinformed 'political essay' which i kind of despise on every level. or like i have a homestuck sideblog i havent really touched in like 3 years that i still regularly get notifs from and it annoys me every time. and i havent gotten rid of either. bc my favorite song when i was in middle school was on soundcloud and the creator/artist just like erased it from existence so all i have of it is the first verse + chorus that i memorized. and one of the most important songs ive ever found is called 'hold on sailor' by jenna caravello which you Can find—but not in any official way at all bc the original vid is privated. and if this one random yt channel didnt rip it and upload it for views that would be, like, ruinous. so if u ever see a teenagers obnoxious hamilton post from five years ago going around maybe think that they actually despise it but havent deleted it in the honorable name of archival

[mosviqu]

lmao yeahhh at least the self awareness is there it's something iguess😭

i just hope i will grow to like them one day cuz i dont want to let go of the 03liners💔 their choreography and fits were great but i just hope they will get better songs next time or sumn (sorry if there are any boynextdoor fans who are reading this) DUDE SAME I WAS SO HAPPY ABOUT HIM!!!! (jiung is amazingggg) AHHH IM SO EXCITED AS WELL this is probably going to be my fav ep from them judging by the previews or whatever they are called🤭 IM GLAD SUNOO IS APART OF OUR CREW😌JUST A GREAT ADDITION REALLY!! (ooo at least the number of 03liners that i know about is growing xd)

THEY SHOULD JUST HIRE U THEN ACTUALLY LMAO U WOULD BE THE BEST PROTECTOR!!! and now i know that i definitely do not want u to get mad at me🥸

so true but i think writing might be like that as well because before i sent u that ask i literally just didn't really write in english at all😟 IM GLAD U UNDERSTAND ME🥳 ohh god i'm sorry but that's kind of a funny story ur poor roommate😭 I HOPE U GUYS STILL HAVE THEM JUST TO WATCH THEM BACK AND LAUGH (or cringe)

the tiktok algorithm just knows how to get people hooked onto something:o AND YESSS HE IS SO ADORABLE!! i only know them as well in addition with yujin(youngest) and gyuvin(my beloved) but the poor three left just feels like i will never get them😭😭 2hours is just too long of a time istg

IM GLAD U LIKED SOME BUT I THINK I DID VERY BAD WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS LMAO

(ajhdhdjfj dude when i read ur authors note i also almost cried i started reading it on my bus ride home so i think people thought i was crazy or sumn lmao) and also i can't remember wether i have replied to ur last reply on ur main or did i only reply to it in my head so if u would let me know i would appreciate it.-. (liebestraum anon💕💕)

no bc its so unfortunate i truly hope the next comeback is better 😭😭😭 im sorry boynextdoor fans it just wasnt for me sadly 😔 if the music is good we are more than happy to recruit new 03 line besties to the squad tho!!

THE CB LOOKS SO GOOD i keep hearing the song on tiktok and each time i think its out already and i go check it out and its not. this could be very well prevented if i just checked the cb date but im honestly too lazy so ill just wait for it to appear in my spotify notifs or something 😭😭

I AM THE BEST PROTECTOR its the aries rage and loyality ❤ also being the only daughter of the family helps SSHSJ. also dont worry i usually dont get violently mad at my friends i usually just turn petty on them so. no fights here dw dw AHAHA

no bc if i didnt have tumblr i just wouldnt use english much either LMAO also i feel like that every time i write a fic after a long time i feel like i turn rusty and i just cant get anything out of me 😭😭 takes me a few mins to adapt truly. also i would say poor my roommate but honestly she didnt know what major to pick so she copied me so thats on her 🤷‍♀️ (jk im glad we stuck together ive known her for 4 years now and if it wasnt for her i would be handling uni much worse than i am). ALSO WE DO HAVE MOST OF THEM but some got deleted 😔💔

LITERALLY the tiktok algorithm is my bestie but also my biggest enemy (have i mentioned that i got into wilbur through tiktok. :,)) but yes hanbin is the new love of my life thankyou. i am so excited for their debut TT lets hope i learn their names quickly AHAHA

YOU DIDNT DO BADLY W THE RECOMMENDATIONS I JUST NEED TO BE IN A SPECIFIC MOOD FOR NEW SONGS I GUESS 😭😭 i'll update u on all my next progress w the tbz listening party <3

:(((( crying is strictly prohibited with matters thay include me. /j ((also if u mean on rrxnjun,, i replied to your ask after u sent this one ?? Im not really sure ??? but as of now i have no more asks from u!)

[because-magic]

I posted 5,235 times in 2022

12 posts created (0%)

5,223 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@startrecks

@cryptidfucky

@pomodoko

@geeseareassholes

@estarii

I tagged 174 of my posts in 2022

#stranger things - 13 posts

#steve harrington - 8 posts

#stranger things spoilers - 7 posts

#do revenge - 6 posts

#eddie munson - 6 posts

#fire island - 6 posts

#filmedit - 6 posts

#wwdits spoilers - 6 posts

#userjasmine - 5 posts

#strangerthingsedit - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#yeah i was reading that and i was like gurl what. that almost definitely didnt happen but ill be honest i kinda believed it until i saw the

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

“its the power of friendship, dumbass” me screaming at shadow moth as he questions how his akumas are deterred

4 notes - Posted September 7, 2022

#4

See the full post

5 notes - Posted November 8, 2022

#3

thinking about how what if gabriel agreste hadnt turned off the video call in Queen Banana before he called on the miraculous cause I never see that man hit end call

6 notes - Posted September 7, 2022

#2

thanks for the notification the queen is dead Apple News but i already found out ten minutes ago from tumblr

63 notes - Posted September 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43436799/chapters/109196823

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

Steve was finding it harder and harder to recover after every rager the jocks threw, but it was what was expected of him right? King Steve was always meant to make an impression. 

Last night’s impression had ended with him falling into the pool and half of the laughter felt like it had been directed at him, rather than with him. He didn’t remember much of how he got out; there had been his jackets and jeans and boots weighing him down in the icy water. But he could recall the scraping of metal against his skin where someone’s hands had roughly dragged him to the shallow end and waded him out. A voice was cursing about it being the middle of winter and who would be lame enough to host a party around a pool and who was rich enough to leave a pool uncovered overwinter. 

He must have just stumbled his way upstairs and fallen into bed at that point, because Steve realized his clothes and sheets still had a dampness to them. He mentally cursed. If he got sick and couldn’t go to school, he’d be screwed; if his teachers didn’t fail him, his dad would certainly yell at him for being a deadbeat. 

As he rolled over, the drum beat against his skull worsened, and he flailed to reach his bedside table. He grabbed the glass of water and ibuprofen there, quickly downing some. He thanked his last night self for leaving it on the nightstand, but he couldn’t remember when he did. 

His alarm was still going off. He reached over to shut it off, groaning with the effort, and managed to drag himself out of bed to start the slow process of getting ready for school. Who threw parties on a  goddamn Sunday?

-----

Eddie Munson had saved Steve Harrington’s life on three separate occasions, and the man had never had the decency to even thank him for it. Granted, each of those times had been while the jock had been either stoned or drunk out of his mind, but some common courtesy was expected. 

In his latest bender, the great King had misstepped into the deep end of a perfectly cleaned pool in the middle of winter. It had definitely been funny, and a little vindicating to see the high and mighty in a state of shambles and fallen grace. But the fun had tapered away when Eddie realized Steve had continued sinking and the rest of the party goers were too wrapped up in their own ridiculing to offer any help. After dragging his ass out of the pool and up the stairs, Eddie had even been kind enough to leave the guy some water and medicine for the next morning. Maybe that would get him a thank you. 

But as he rolled into his Lit 101 class, he knew he wouldn’t be getting that expression of gratitude. To those who only casually watched the King around school, Steve Harrington still looked like an image of perfection, his hair styled high and looking soft, and wearing the perfect set of clothes. He even had an attitude of not giving a fuck with his dark sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. 

Eddie Munson was no casual viewer of Steve Harrington. Embarrassingly, he’d come to be able to notice the small changes in Steve’s demeanor and his appearance that indicated the other man had gone through some shit. That shit was most often getting drunk with his friends, but on a few occasions, Eddie had seen the peeking out of a black eye and bruising on the arms of the younger male, suggesting a home life that wasn’t as perfect as everyone else thought. 

Eddie wondered how many teachers had tried and failed to get the King to remove those glasses, and if they’d been persuaded by his charm or his daddy’s money. 

“Good to see you lived, Your Majesty,” Eddie called over with a large sweep of his arm and a deep bow, grinning in Steve’s direction. 

That got him was a shake of the head and a look of disgust on Tommy and Carol’s face, the two assholes Steve always seemed to be hanging around, although Eddie noted the two weren’t even talking to Steve this morning. When was the last time Eddie had seen them at a high school game together? Eddie wasn’t a big fan of sports himself; he only ever went to sell to the band kids and some of the jocks after the games, but he had taken note of the comings and goings of the more popular kids in the school. 

Steve for his part merely glanced in Eddie’s direction, raising an eyebrow up from behind his sunglasses as if asking who Eddie even was, before looking back to the chalkboard as the bell rang and class began. 

“Take your seat, Mr. Munson. The world waits for no man, and I wait for no student,” Mr. Conrad chided before beginning his mind numbing lecture on remorse in literature.

--------

At lunch, Eddie sat with his club mates and band members, picking at the sad excuse for a lunch that the cafeteria offered. Gareth was discussing new weapons and armor that had been introduced to the Dungeons and Dragons game for higher level characters, but Eddie was too preoccupied thinking about the events of the night before and what had happened that morning. With that, he was stuck thinking about the high school hierarchy and how he’d never had a conversation with Steve longer than it took to pass off some little baggies and receive cash in return. And Steve. Now he was thinking about Steve. The jock was infuriating overall, late to his morning classes and almost always eating something and leaving crumbs behind him. Looking up, Eddie was surprised to see how Steve had a full tray of food in front of him even now. They were already halfway through the lunch period, but it looked like Steve hadn’t even touched the food on the tray. The milk carton was still closed. As he watched, Steve started stacking salt packets together to make a tower. 

“Eddie. Hey, Eddie. Dude!” 

Suddenly his shoulder was being roughly shoved, and the trance Eddie was in had been broken. Gareth and his boys were staring at him expectantly. 

“What do you want?” Eddie asked with a frown. The troup rolled their eyes. 

“We asked if you had bought the new companion book yet dude, it's totally gonna sell out in this town,” one of the boys reiterated. Eddie scoffed at the question, rolling his eyes right back at them.

“Do you guys seriously doubt my skills? As much as I value the arcane and anachronistic writings in those books,” Eddie started, sarcasm dripping off every word, “I believe that the best quests are those we develop in our own minds.” He ended the last word with a long hiss, and punctuated it by bringing his hands up to his own head. This comment delved into a debate about the pros and cons of utilizing the books, and the beginnings of where to take their high level characters–retirement or otherwise–that lasted till the end of the lunch period. 

As Eddie walked to throw his trash away, he saw Steve ahead of him walking alone, and still wearing those asshole sunglasses. When God provided an opportunity to annoy, Eddie happily took it, and he hustled to catch up to Steve. And maybe Eddie was hoping this would be the time Steve finally said thank you with none of his other lackeys around. 

“Hey! Mr. Big Shot, just the guy I wanted to see!”A voice behind Steve exclaimed, with a hand clamping down on Steve’s shoulder. Steve jerked to a stop, turning to stare at one Eddie Munson in bewilderment. To Eddie, Steve was just giving him a frown while his eyes were hidden. 

Eddie Munson hesitated. How was he supposed to go about this? He could be smooth, he could be snarky, he could–

“You didn’t eat your lunch,” Eddie said lamely, noticing the still full tray in Steve’s hands. One milk carton unopened. 

The jock shifted from foot to foot, the frown on his face deepening. 

“What’s it matter to you, freak?”

See the full post

100 notes - Posted November 9, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[trainer-stealthclaw]

Hi guys, one of my art posts has been hidden, but there doesn't seem to be any visible way for me to appeal the decision to hide the post, and I can't access the post either. What do I do??

[theepisceswriter]

Sending nudes/sexting w/ AOT characters (Erwin, Levi, Reiner, Zeke, Connie)

TW: mature things obviously, fembodied!reader, typos probably bc I didnt proofread, 18+, MINORS DNI

ERWIN

Okay but having Erwin as a sugar daddy who never really expects too much of the “sugar” part out of you, but he’s so sweet and nice and such a gentleman that you can’t help but feel bad one day and send him a teasing photo of you in some lingerie he bought you a while ago and oop—now you totally just started something between you two.

It started off as just pictures in you in lingerie. You mostly covered with maybe a nipples or two poking out through the fabric, but eventually you felt comfortable enough to send him picture of nude parts of you body. And eventually you built your confidence up to send him full body nude picture in stances that make him go crazy. Like you on your knees with your hands flat against your thighs or bent over something with your ass and cunt on display.

One time you sent him soapy titty pictures and a video of you putting the soap on your titties and when I tell you this man went feral with horniness, I mean it.

I wish I could write out sexts for Erwin but he strikes me more of a video call type person rather than text. He’ll FaceTime you in a heartbeat after you send a picture, instructing you on what he wants to see and what he wants you to do with your body. Often times the video calls end up with you either fingering yourself or fucking yourself with a toy he bought for you as he watches from the other end.

“Good girl, just like that. Now spread those lips for daddy so he can get a good look at you.”

Sometimes he’ll even join in with you for a mutual masturbation. Large cock on display in the camera and in his hand as he jerks it at the same pace you’re fingering yourself so you can both reach your orgasms at the same time.

After you both but you think that’s the end of that until the next time he wants to have a session like that, but seeing you over the phone only edge him on more. “I’m sending someone to come pick you up. Be ready in 10 minutes.” Not even a goodbye or anything, but an order.

LEVI

Nudes and sexting between you and Levi are not a common occurrence at all. You two would much rather be in the physical company of each other to do anything to each other and plus, Levi doesn’t like using his phone a lot.

That’s why when Levi sent you a picture of himself with the cockring you had put on him earlier in the week as a reminder that it was still on, you were shook to your core. Not only because of the fact that he just sent you a nude, but because he looked so good in it with his cheeks flushed, eyes low just begging to orgasm, and his pink cock standing straight up screaming for someone other than him to touch it.

It was almost like he sent it to you knowing that it would rile you up and hopefully cut down on his punishment so the two of you can hurry up and use each other to your liking. And you would be lying if you said that thought wasn’t peaking at the back of your head, but this week was all about your self control along with his. As you’re thinking on how you should reply, maybe with a picture of your own or a few words to tease him, he sends you a string of texts:

(txt) I’m so needy for you baby

(txt) I don’t think I can wait three more days with this thing on

(txt) it hurts, I need you to make me feel good

(txt) so I can make you feel good too

But, just to torture him longer and get him at his neediest, you send him a picture of your cunt along with a text:

(txt) only 3 more days and then you’ll be able to have me any way you want 💜

REINER

As an adult it’s so clear that Reiner really lacks confidence at times and can be quite shy and uneasy when it comes to things. Especially when that thing is something like taking nudes that requires so much confident because let’s be honest, sending nudes isn’t always easy.

Plenty of times you’ve blessed him with lewd photos of yourself to add to his spank bank or tried to sext with him, but he just couldn’t quite catch on, but you really don’t mind at all! As long as you’re helping him orgasm and not making him uncomfortable then you could care less about his poor sexting and nude taking skills. But he wants to learn how to be more comfortable in his own skin, so he enlists in your help. At first you thought he was joking, but nope, he was dead serious.

It was kind of awkward at first trying to give him directions on how to pose if it was a nude as if you weren’t the one taking the pictures for him, but it didn’t take long for the two of you to get the hang of it. At one point he looked so good, so hot and flustered with his cock in his hand spread out on the bed that you couldn’t resist pouncing on him then and there. Which resulted in hun taking the camera from you as you rode him and taking pictures of the two of you fucking.

It sparked a tradition between you two from there on out; taking pictures of each other in sexual context whenever you can. You two don’t even need to send each other nudes at this point because you have so many nude pictures of your phone already on each other’s phones.

Not saying you dressed Reiner up in a maid outfit once and took pictures of him with his erect cock poking out underneath the dress, but you dressed Reiner up in a maid outfit once and took pictures of him with his erect cock poking out underneath the dress and you keep it in the favorites tab in your camera roll for whenever you need spank bank material.

Now he’s much more confidence with taking nude photos of himself and sometimes he’s the one to start up sexting conversations between you two.

ZEKE

There’s no one in this world who sexts better than Zeke sexts. His messages are like poetry, so descriptive and easy to visualize and leave you melting in your seat with hot cheeks. They’re just as effective on you as his dirty talk in the bedroom and if you sat there for a good thirty minutes just reading them and thinking about all you experience with him, then you could probably make yourself cum just from that.

(txt) I just want to make you tremble in my arms so bad while I pound into you from behind, my fingers playing with your swollen clit to push you into sensitivity while you orgasm

(txt) want a cock covered in cum by the time I’m through with you

What’s so funny is that he’s behind the screen doing a mundane task like eating cereal while texting you all this. He’s not even too turned on or overly horny at all, just messing with you because he knows the two of you are so far away from each other at the moment.

It’s not until you send him a video of your wet cunt on display with your fingers knuckles deep into yourself moaning out his name trying to mimic his touch, that he really gets riled up. Sitting his cereal down and all to focus on the short snippet of a video, feeling himself get harder and harder in his pants as he watches it on repeat.

(txt) Aw the needy little slut can’t get off properly without me there, can you?

He knows you’re using these texts to coax yourself into your orgasm, probably imagining him behind you whispering them in ear. So, to mess with you further knowing how much you want him right now, he sends a video back to you of him palming his erection through his pants. Knowing it’ll drive you crazy that you can’t have him right now in this moment.

CONNIE

Connie sends you pictures of his dick all the time and not even necessarily in sexual content either. You’ll be minding your business at work and get a picture of Connie’s dick with tiny sunglasses and a mustache on it with a text that reads: “Look babe 😌 I dressed him up. He wants to go on a date with your pussy tonight.”

You cannot take this man seriously at all, simply replying to him with an emoji like ‘🤨’ thinking that’ll be the last of that for today, but boy oh boy were you wrong. Minutes later your phone is buzzing with a notification from Connie. It’s a video and because you think it’s going to be a meme or something you open it without considering your surroundings.

Immediately, the sounds of his whines and moans exit the speakers on your phone and you have to run to the bathroom to finish the rest of the video. This time you’re able to actually look at it; Connie’s hand stroking the base of his cock with a lubricant all over his hands at a pace that was going to have him cumming in only a couple of minutes. And no, the mustache and sunglasses were no longer on anymore.

You take pity on your poor boyfriend and decided to do him a favor, pulling down your shirt and bra so you’re breasts were on display for them. Angling them and holding them up in a way you knew would make him go crazy before you sent the picture to him.

(txt) enjoy 🥰

And in return? He sent you a nut video with the sound on.

[iv-aur-y]

₃ mornin’ sunshine

— my kind of perfect, jj maybank

PHOEBE TIGHTLY GRIPPED the collar of Rafe's dress shirt, fingers moving discreetly up the base of his neck. To reaching the small tufts of his hair, she could practically see the sly smirk paint itself on his face as she let out a low moan. And she stood corrected, feeling his lips curl up into a smile in between kisses. "You're so pretty like this," His voice echoed off her pale skin, as he tried to unravel her dress behind her, to him; He felt like he was unwrapping the most promising-looking gift on his birthday.

The distant popping and sizzling of the fireworks kept her distracted as he made quick work of the back of her dress, much to her surprise, gently pulling her up in his lap, and steadying her hips against his. There was friction in their movements, and the pent-up stress, excitement, and pure euphoria were bound to go off any time soon.

Those were the last few memories Phoebe could recall, well that was a lie. But whatever came after that she did not want to think about it again. The girl had made it clear previously that she had no intent on having a relationship with Rafe Cameron. But then, just last night, went ahead and got laid by Rafe fucking Cameron. Ugh dammit. You brought this upon yourself.

Phoebe peeked at the man laid beside her, fast asleep. An arm draped over her waist, head snugly stuffed against her back. The window was open, so the wind was blowing against Rafe's mop of hair, tickling her exposed back. She blew out a puff of frustration at her own hair, which was tangled and in a mess, laying flat against her cheeks and nose.

Slowly she swapped herself out of his embrace for a pillow she had found, its previous resting place was the floor, where her garments were left scattered about. Swiftly scooping them up and barely managing to slip into them, Phoebe then turned to search Rafe's room for her bag and phone, either one would be a victory. Luckily her little search-and-rescue mission was cut short since she found her bag on the bedside table.

Her eyes skimmed through the contents of the bag, rejoicing when she got a hold of her phone. Clicking it open, she was barraged with many texts and call notifications from various people. She knew in an instant it was her mother's doing, she had probably bothered her daughter's friends to try and get a hold of her. Although her mother had been the one to push her out of the house dressed up formally, prettied up by doing makeup, getting her nails done, and so on and so forth, she knew for a fact that her mother wouldn't tolerate her coming come a night after the party.

It would be a cold day in Hell if her mother didn't care.

sarah 🧸: i saw u leave but you didnt look too alone 😏

Phoebe sighed into her hands, there were a couple of other texts that she didn't bother reading. It was probably going to take a bit of scrolling to reach the words she wanted to see.

sarah🧸: IS THAT A MAN I SEE HELLO?!?!??? ARE YOU REALLY PHOEBE? PHEOB AMAEAIA VEMILLOIFN

The black-haired girl chuckled, amused by her friend's response to Phoebe's exit (partially because she could tell her friend had drunk a bit, and Sarah was a bit dramatic when it came to texting grammatically). Most, if not all, times, she usually leaves for home with close friends like Sarah, and if not friends, then she would be checking out early to head home for the night.

sarah 🧸: ur mom called told her u were staying the night w me

The text was sent at around 1 am. "Oh, thank God." She breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken a couple of seconds to find the texts she was looking for, countless of them suggesting she 'indulge her in what happened 😏😏😏', which she had no plans of doing. Though mentally noting Sarah was probably sleeping a couple of rooms down, it wouldn't be that unlikely to run into her.

Phoebe snapped out of her trance as she heard Rafe groan in his sleep, "Goodness," She whisper-yelled, a hand on her heart to emphasise how the sleeping boy caught her by surprise. Before leaving his room, however, the teen girl fixed herself up a bit in his bathroom. Washing out the drowsiness from her eyes and making sure to get rid of her smeared makeup. Patting her skin dry, she was on her way.

Hurrying down the stairs of the Cameron mansion, she couldn't go through the front door so she had to make her way around their backyard and lawn, jumping over the gate with her three-inch heels in hand.

The green-eyed girl was happy to remember she hadn't gotten drunk, spotting her car where she remembered she had parked it. Sitting in the driver's seat was a comfort she could never imagine, giving her sore legs a break. It was 6:38 am, and she was not ready for whatever the next few hours of her life had in store for her.

. . .

Phoebe's appearance was starkly different from the way they had left her house, not only did she look different, but she also felt different. Sticky and smelly from the events of last night, the first place you would think to go in the shower, but the black-haired teen had other plans. Firstly, she had no idea whether or not Rafe used protection, it was strangely one of the few things she was forgetting, she could remember everything else that happened last night with pinpoint accuracy though. And you know what? She was this close to graduating high school with a perfectly normal and clean record, getting pregnant did not have the green light from her, just yet.

She let her thoughts run wild, driving to the closest convenience store. In the Outer Banks, due to the masses of tourists that flock to the islands, there were a decent number of stores that were open for the entire day. One of which had the courtesy to be visited by Phoebe.

The girl hadn't minded the idea of kids, per se. It was more the process in which they were brought into the world that bothered her. When she had been younger and had recently figured out where children came from, she had asked her mother what it felt like to give birth. Her mother's description put her off, "It's like pooping out a watermelon, but from the other side." Freaky.

She hummed, skimming through the aisles, occasionally dropping candy or chocolate, she bought extra... Only because it was for her brother! She didn't plan on eating them.

"P..." Trailing off, in a world of her own. "Ah!" Rejoicing her find, the black-haired girl dropped the pregnancy tests in her basket and made her way to the cashier. There was no one line, it was practically dead in the store.

As the green-eyed girl queued her items, her phone rang, surprising her. The loud tone gave her whiplash from the contrast of the quiet store. She didn't need to see the caller ID to simmer down to a small list of people that would be calling her at nearly 7 am.

Before she had even put the phone against her ear, she could already hear incoherent screaming from the other end of the call. "Naomi?" She spoke, tired but not entirely drowsy. And her friend over the line babbled on dismissively. She could only make out a couple of words, "Phoebe, I saw you with Rafe last night!" From a little distance, she heard her other friend's voice. "He finally got to her!" Ugh, she was kind of hoping that she wasn't spotted with the Cameron teen, well now that her friends knew, she couldn't even neither try to nor attempt to hide the truth with them. "Last night," she started, tapping her credit card against the machine, waiting for the cashier to hand her receipt.

"Basically..."

[honeypirate]

bestie bestie bakugou

Bakugou and fem!reader, best friends, roommates, loveeee

Warning - swears, mentions of sex

You were walking around the city for hours now, you left the apartment just before sundown and now it’s raining and you think you see the light from the sun turning the clouds lighter on the horizon. You came home after a long day of work, of fighting a villain, of almost not making it back this time, to find your boyfriend, who you didnt even live with mind you, fucking someone else on your bed. You didn’t say anything, you just walked out, quietly, he didn’t even notice. 

The buzzing in your hand caught your attention, making you aware of the heaviness of something in your palm, you raise it to see and then remember it’s your phone. The action causes it to wake up, showing your notifications, 50 missed calls from him and almost as many texts and double the amount of calls and texts from your two best friends

The screen catches the water from the rain as it flows down the surface, you try to unlock your phone, a sudden urge to not be alone hitting you, but your thumb was too cold and wet to unlock with the fingerprint. You go to press in the buttons but the screen doesnt recognize your fingers either, you’re starting to panic, to hyperventilate when the screen lights up, you relax seeing the name pop up and try to answer but you were shaking so much, you brought the phone to your lips, sticking your tongue out to click the green button. 

“Fucking bastard is going to die” he says as he wraps you in a towel, pulling you to his chest, “y/n im so sorry. You’re staying here with me for now on, i’ll go to your place tomorrow and get some of your things and get your key back from that fucker.” he was pissed, fuming, you haven't seen him this mad since high school “Katsuki i couldn't possibly put you out” he holds his finger to your lips “shut up, im insisting, plus this place is too big for just me” you chuckle through the shivers that are now finding your body, your skin and bones finally reacting to the cold as your body shakes uncontrollably. “T-t-thank you K-Kacchan” he sighs and takes your hand, pulling you with him down the hall to the bathroom. 

After a really nice shower, you exit his big ass fancy shower that was really more like a spaceship, you had to use a step stool to get inside it. It had multiple different heads, a steam option, and could even convert into a jacuzzi, if only you didn’t feel like a bath was too close to being a ‘you’ flavored soup. 

You find a change of clothes for you waiting on his bed, a pair of his sweats and one of his shirts, you brought them to your nose, taking a deep breath. They smelled like downey, the yellow kind your parents used to use, it smelt comforting. You slip on his clothes and feel like you’re getting a hug from him. 

When you make it back to the kitchen you have the shivers again, your wet hair making your back wet. He takes one look at you, arms hugged around your body, and he throws you over his shoulder and takes you right back to his room. He sets you down on the bed and then takes a hold of his hood and pulls his hoodie off, shoving it down over your head. “I’m making you some tea and then you are going to talk to me more if you feel like it okay?” you nod with a small smile as you pop your arms through the sleeves. 

Its been six months, Bakugou has helped you heal through your pain, he got you some things from your apartment and got your key back. He also officially, and with pleasure, told your ex to fuck off, that it was over and to never contact you again, with too many threats to count. He really enjoyed it and wanted to do it for a long time but he’d never tell you that. You cut your ex out of your life, easily letting him go because if you caught him cheating once who knows how long he did it, you were 100% okay with never seeing him again, the hard part was waiting for the feelings to go away, to rid yourself of the habit that was your ex. 

You tried to go back to your apartment after a few weeks, it was fine for the most part, you found a completely new bed in your room courtesy of Bakugou and although he denies it wholeheartedly you know no one else would have done that,... but after a few days you called Bakugou, telling him that it just felt empty and that it didn’t feel like your home anymore, he invited you to move in immediately and you never looked back. 

Your new bed and all the furniture you didn't sell sit proudly in the spacious spare bedroom at Bakugous apartment. He was right, this apartment was way too big for one person.

Bakugou had girls over periodically and you didn’t mind them at first, you even made them breakfast sometimes, on the off chance Bakugou slept late and didn’t kick them out immediately. He’s never liked the morning after, the girls he has dated were just to fill the hole in his soul made by the feelings he has developed for you. He’s trying to find one that makes him feel as electric as you make him feel. 

After a month of random girls you start to notice yourself resenting the girls you hear him with, the way they fake moan in the bedroom, loudly just so you will hear and then they will give you evil stares as they walk out in the morning. You asked Yao-Momo for some advice once, calling her after you hear another loud girl as you went to the kitchen for some ice cream, losing your appetite you left the ice cream on the counter and just left the kitchen (just eyerolling when he tried to give you shit about it) . “just ask him to stop” you sigh “I cant do that. I dont want to cause him any trouble. I just dont know why he has to go for girls like that” you fake throw up and she laughs “y/n do you think you like bakugou?” she asks and you gasp “of course not! He’s my best friend! And hes bakugou! I couldnt possibly…” you pause for a while as you think, were you really discovering feelings for the blasty explosion boy? This was such a rub. She just laughs at you from over the phone “unclench your jaw y/n. Dont be so tense” you realize shes right as you release your teeth, relaxing your face and jaw “you know me so well” you say with a laugh “of course i do. I’m your real best friend. Not some ill tempered boy. If you like him great, tell him and he’ll stop fucking randoms or if you dont like him tell him to stop fucking randoms so loud” you laugh “so wise Yao-momo, me lovely sensei Yao-Momo” she laughs at you before you guys have to hang up, both having work in the morning. 

After the next few days you realized just how in love you were with him, getting more and more annoyed with the girls he brought home, not even noticing that they were showing up less and less, pretty soon the random girls have stopped coming over all together, not that you knew that, you still heard what seemed to be sex noises from his room every once in a while, you just assumed he kicked them out right after, not that he was thinking about you and … you know wink wink  

Another six months later  you’re with him on a mission, the villains just keep coming wave after wave, a quirk controlling their (dead before you even came around) bodies, it was never ending, if you stopped fighting they would kill you and you didn’t know who the villain was or where they were. You had your agencies looking for them and until then you had to fight, to keep these bodies occupied so they didn't bring chaos anywhere else. You didn’t talk during the fighting but you both were paying more attention to making sure that the other was fine that you ended up just fighting the villains going after each other. When you get home, battered, bruised, and covered in sweat and blood and many tears, you each take turns showering in his amazing shower, you couldn't use a normal shower for your sore muscles. 

You made a meal for you both quietly as he showered, too tired to speak or do more than was required, when he came to find you he almost cried with relief at your home cooked meal, he was starving. You ate together in silence, both reflecting on the battle, both reliving every moment where you almost lost the other, where you almost lost the fight, feeling more and more anxious the more you thought about it. What would you have done without him? You didnt want to lose him and regret never telling him, but you know you are way to exhausted to speak. 

You stare at each other in the hallway, both wanting to say something, to not leave each other yet. You turn to go and he grabs your hand, pulling you with him into his room before climbing in bed and pulling you along with him down into his soft comfortable bed, he pulls you to his chest and you feel all your stress and anxiety leave your body. He kisses the back of your head “I love you” he whispers into your hair, the only energy he has left. You turn in his arms to look at him and see his eyes blink slowly, he can hardly hold them open anymore. You smile softly “I love you” you whisper back and he sighs, a happy smile on his lips as he lets his eyes close “good” he says and you chuckle, your eyes closing as you lean forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before allowing yourself to fall asleep, the feeling of his arm around you and the sound of his soft breaths comforting you.

[blackwaxidol]

shallow i just feel terribly alone my only indicator in my mind that i am not in an abyssal plane devoid of everything is something stupid like a notification and when i am just the only person left i fully assume i am no longer of any value. there was a point where i'd write in a vent post to not pay attention to me at all but just to amuse themselvf with a normal post id made earlier because i didnt care and thats almodt a lie in a way because i just want some kind of worthless indicator of being noticed by another person i panic when this has not occurrd this is shallow i knoe this is shallow i am fully completely utterly aware this is shallow my alter tells me it is shallow he mocks me for it constantly but then turns around and uses it like a weapon because suddenly it is not that i am overreacting but that i am worthless and easily missed and i do not know how to even disagree with him. wtiting these sentences in of itself is branding me selfish. i dont know the answer really. am i selfish. i dont know... i judt feel so fucking stupid that a proportion of my idiot emotions can be tempered by "oh your vent post received a like" and its so fucking juvenile that i even live likrnthis. every now and again i go around snd take the time to catch up on posts i miss from people becausr its what makes sense to me but i cannot do that peacefully either because it is therefore evidence that i am clawing for scraps of reciprocity and thus my actions have ulterior motives and that i am a hollow thing that does not care for anything else. i cannot win. yet again i cannot win. sometimes i have moments of clarity where i am calm and rejective of these narratives but i never remember what happens after i have this calm because it isnt even mine to experience as an emotion. i am meant to be a thing of panic. i dont have it in me to reread any of what i have written i am just hoping or less dreaded within that i have written something i wanted very badly to say, at least a part of it. i do get that impression because i am being discouraged from it as usual. i hope so. i hope i do not wake up and find myself in a pile of ashes with that part screaming and asking me what i ever expected to happen otherwise. goodnight everyone.

[consumeconstantly]

Small Buff Girl Sightings Ch. 5

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ao3

3:00AM | CoffeeVamp: bb bat update us TheOG: ^^ more info on the situation in paris

3:28AM | Demonspawn: It is difficult to obtain information on Hawkmoth. The butterflies disperse after they are cleansed, and before they land their target, they don’t show up electronically.  Coffee Vamp: o how the mighty have fallen i thought u said u could best me bb boi

3:42AM | Demonspawn: I’d like to see you do better. Coffee Vamp: IS THAT A CHALLENGE Coffee Vamp: ill take u up on that gimme 24 hours and ur going down TheOG: he has had a whole month so dont be too sure of that LadyLady: would you guys SHUT UP its two and some of us have jobs to do Coffee Vamp: cmon babs u luv us dont deny it LadyLady: Don’t make me hunt you down, Tim. Coffee Vamp: oOooO proper punctuation im shaking TheOG: just shut off notifications Babs TheOG: Bruce does Jesus: i don’t think the man has checked this chat in years Coffee Vamp: wdym brucie checks the chat all the time hes just a silent lurker Coffee Vamp: he doesnt even set himself to invisible

3:57AM | Daddy is away. Coffee Vamp: im so glad i have admin privileges imagine if i didnt bruce would have a boring normal nickname like his actual name LadyLady: good lord, why am I even in this chat?? Daddy: You’re supposed to keep them under control. Coffee Vamp: SEE I TOLD U BRUCE IS A SILENT LURKER> THIS. IS. SOLID. PROOF. IN YOUR FACE TheOG: nobody said otherwise Coffee Vamp: also how are the people have you made friends Jesus: Demon spawn? Making friends? Id be less surprised if he told us he has a new fling Coffee Vamp: is j right? Got a winter fling? 

4:12AM | Coffee Vamp: ur lack of a response tells us nothing  TheOG: im sure he’s just adopted his usual icy persona Coffee Vamp: haha hes the bb of so many things Coffee Vamp: bb vamp bb demon spawn ice ice bb Coffee Vamp: getitt im so funny

4:36AM | Coffee Vamp: guys?

“I told you I could get her to write her number on your cup,” Marinette grins with pride.

“And I told you I didn’t want her to.” Damian scowls and kicks a pebble in his path.

“You’re still wearing the clothes I picked out for you,” she points out.

“You told me to wear it. I wore it. I’m not interested in her.” 

Marinette squints at Damian, evaluates whether he’s telling the truth or not. “Huh, you really aren’t interested. I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t wear the other outfit I picked out for you-- that one would have gotten her to ask you out on the spot.”

Damian groans. “We’re going to have to find a new coffee place.”

“Or we could just come when she’s not on shift and run away like mice when we do see her?”

Damian gives her The Look.

“But they have good coffee here,” Marinette whines.

“Maybe you should have thought about that before dressing me up and sending me to my death.”

“It’s not my fault! You only have your parents to blame for your looks.”

It’s true; both of Damian’s parents are good-looking. His whole family is, actually, adopted or not. All of the good looking people he meets are talented and have a tragic life story. Which is the cause and which is the effect, Damian isn’t sure. But it holds true even in Paris. All he has to do is look at Marinette or Adrien, though he’s not a hundred percent sure where the tragedy kicks in for Marinette. Probably the time when she was at odds with Lila, but he hasn’t looked much into the situation. He can even use Lila Rossi as an example. She has even worse color coordination than Damian is, but her features are model worthy. Lila Rossi is also definitely fucked up in ways that Damian doesn’t care to explore.

The effects of Marinette’s well-placed compliments has Damian thinking about himself in a positive manner that he never has before. Bruce is always stingy with praise, and the other senior members of the Justice League of America see him as another Robin that doesn’t need praise because competency comes with the mantle. Dick and Barbara compliment him occasionally, but that’s rarer now that his place is more firmly cemented in the family. Damian doesn’t think he’s ever had someone so willing to genuinely compliment him. Marinette’s compliments extend to more than just his looks, as well. She praises his technological skills as he sets up her website and has complimented him as he helps her out with whatever altercations she inevitably comes across on the streets. If he reveals his skills as Robin, reveals himself as Damian Wayne, will he receive even more praise?

“But since we did buy you that absolute knockout of an outfit, you’re going to have to wear it eventually. So whose heart do you want to steal?”

“I don’t want a relationship,” Damian repeats. They seem like more effort than they’re worth, and he always sees couples fighting and complaining about each other. Plus, they have to make time for each other and his alter ego doesn’t allow for that, though he supposes that he isn't Robin. At least, not right now.

“You don’t need to want a relationship just to flirt with somebody. Who’s it going to be? The intern at the Louvre? My parent’s newest hire? Oooh, how about Nicolette?” Marinette’s voice takes on a more mischievous tone. 

Damian will give Marinette this much: her taste in the aesthetics of people is far from bad. The intern from the Louvre is two hundred pounds of lean muscle with a devil-may-care smile and a deep, belly laugh that makes people laugh with him, but Damian and he don’t have anything in common. Her parent’s new hire is knockout gorgeous, with warm brown eyes, and definitely the kind of girl Damian would have gone for as a one night stand back in Gotham. However, he’s also 98% sure that she has a very possessive boyfriend who stops by the bakery every time she has a shift. Nicolette is considered her college’s belle, and her intense gaze paired with her surprisingly friendly demeanor might have been appealing to Damian if she weren’t ten years older than him. 

“I’m not into any of them,” he says, simply.

“Then who are you into? Surely someone has caught your eye in the past month?” Marinette looks genuinely curious, but her expression shifts into horror. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I never asked your preferences, if I was being insensitive, I’m sorry, I mean I’m pan, but you absolutely don’t have to tell me, it’s your right if you’re not comfortable.”

Damian does look slightly uncomfortable now that she’s looking at him more closely. His arms are crossed over each other, across his chest, and his hair is tousled. Then, he lets out a small laugh, and Marinette melts. “It’s fine, Pigtails. All of the people you listed are attractive, but I’m not attracted to them. I’m more of a personality guy, though I can’t say that personality has stopped me from things more than dates before.”

He’s had his fair share of hook-ups and makeout sessions in the past when feeling particularly frustrated with something that wasn’t going his way, though his primary method of relief is through sparring. Short missions and one night stands go fairly well together; he doesn’t ever have to deal with people wanting long term relationships, and even if they do, he’s gone before they know it. So far, he hasn’t hooked up with anyone in Paris, but then again, he’s only been here for a month and this is a long term mission. Whatever time he’s not with Marinette or at school is dedicated to piecing together the mystery that is the Miraculous and trying to figure out Hawkmoth’s identity. 

“Oh,” Marinette continues to blush.

She’s clearly too embarrassed to bring up any other topic, so Damian decides that he’ll shoot the same conversation topic back at her. Marinette is attractive, and people she meets ask for her numbers and dates often enough. She’ll accept the former if they aren’t a total creep, but she always turns down requests for dates.

“And you? Why aren’t you out there questing for love? No crushes or significant others that I need to beat off with a stick?”

This does manage to lessen her flush. She frowns, turns something over in her mind. 

“No crushes right now, no. I used to have a huge crush on Adrien just a year ago. He’s such a sweet person, but we don’t see eye to eye on important matters.” And also not into sex, either. Even physical affection hits him the wrong way sometimes, which makes Marinette worry even further for his well being with Lila’s constant touches. Still, he hasn’t said anything, and Lila hasn’t done anything more than grasp his arm or shoulders every now and then, to reassure the class that yes, they are the golden couple. Marinette also suspects that he is very unwilling to talk about the whole situation in general, and it’s not as though they’re super close.

Of course she had a crush on Adrien. Damian can see it now, Marinette looking at Adrien with her big blue eyes, her lashes fluttering when she gets close to him. Stuttering when she gets embarrassed or when she gets close to him. It makes his lungs constrict, but he’s not sure why.

“As for past relationships, there’s only really Luka. We had a pretty good run, but he’s out of the country, touring. He wanted to try long distance, but I didn’t really want that. But he’s respectful-- there’s no need to beat him off with a stick or anything.”

“I’m surprised a pretty girl like you doesn’t have more suitors,” Damian says, stepping over a crack in the sidewalk as they walk towards the park.

Marinette gags. “There are some other people who have been interested, but I wouldn’t exactly consider them relationship material. If you’re going after a girl just because she looks exotic, that’s sort of nasty. I guess I’m just unlucky in love.”

“At least you’re not as bad off as Ladybug is,” Damian jokes.

She looks at him strangely. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, first there was that creepy sculptor who must have been twice her age, then there’s Chat Noir who keeps flirting with her despite her requests not to, plus all of the random love akumas. I’m not even going to talk about the hordes of guys who chase after her, trying to get a date just because she’s a superhero. It’s not even like she can kick them between the legs because she has an image to uphold and all that.” He smirks, nudges her with his arm. “I’m surprised you haven’t done that with some of your stalkers.”

“Oh. You’re right, huh. Though, I don’t think Chat Noir has actually flirted for a while now.”  Chat Noir has been very subdued as of late, and it makes Ladybug worry.

Marinette feels uncomfortable with the way the conversation has shifted. How does Damian know about all of these past akuma attacks? As far as Marinette is aware, most information about anything Miraculous related is difficult to get a hold of abroad, largely because the Miraculous try to hide their existence as best they can, and partially because Mayor Bourgeois doesn’t want word to get out that he hasn’t flushed a supervillain terrorist out even though he’s had three years to do it.

“Copycat happened three years ago.” It’s a question, almost.

“I figure I might as well keep up with the heroes of Paris. I’m here and they’re interesting.” Damian figures this is as good a time as any to bring up his interest in Hawkmoth. Marinette has been nothing but helpful and she’s definitely the kind of person whose heart is in the right place. Not to mention that she’s definitely smart and seems impartial; the one time he asked her about her thoughts on the heroes, he found out that she didn’t see them as perfect. She was able to critique Ladybug in full, which seemed pretty odd considering the rest of Paris seemed to have nothing but glowing praise for the heroine. “You’ve had some awful luck with akumas yourself. Weird how Ladybug didn’t show up when you got kidnapped by Evillustrator. One of the only times she didn’t show up for an akuma.”

“And what happened to the other heroes? It’s mostly Ladybug now. She must be in an awful state with her civilian life.” He looks off to the park, occasionally flicking his attention back Marinette’s face, evaluating her expression.

She catches his eyes and he swiftly looks away, looking almost nervous. Marinette stiffens. He knows, he knows, he knows, he can’t know. But how? How does he know that she’s Ladybug? She hasn’t let anything slip around him. She's been careful not to. Everything she’s ever said about Ladybug has been brief and curt, taking on an almost angry tone.

“If you’re so interested in Parisian heroes, I’m sure you saw the press conference Ladybug and Chat Noir gave last year about why the other heroes would be showing up less often.” Marinette keeps her voice carefully neutral. She needs to play this safe. She’s probably over reacting-- she’s been on edge with Hawkmoth sending out an akuma attack nearly every single day for the past few months.

Damian shakes his head. “It didn’t seem like good reasoning. Ladybug and Chat Noir are too untrained. They haven’t beat two villains in three years. They should let someone else take over.” 

Marinette has come across a good number of Ladybug and Chat Noir haters throughout her time. Those who dislike the Parisian heroes often make the exact same arguments Damian is now. That they’re not fast enough. That they should have taken down Hawkmoth and Mayura already. This is nothing new to her, though it does hurt hearing it from Damian, for some reason. She can’t even argue with most of the points he’s brought up. Going mostly solo was because of her own, selfish reasons. She really should have beaten Hawkmoth and Mayura by now. 

“The only thing they have going for them right now is that they’re keeping their Miraculous out of Hawkmoth’s hands.” She pretends that the reason why Chat Noir doesn’t show up to battle is to ensure that Hawkmoth can’t get both of the Miraculous in one fell swoop. It feels hopeless to fight villain after villain without any movement forwards. Her mind wanders to the increasing frequency of akumas and smiles, sardonically. “Some people think it’s only a matter of time until Ladybug and Chat Noir lose.”

“Hawkmoth almost seems to be the better strategist.” The two of them pass store front after store front. “Do you ever wonder what they look like, under the mask? Who they are?”

Marinette stares at the concrete underneath her feet. Hawkmoth, the better strategist? Laughable, and entirely incorrect. Even the people who hate Ladybug admit that her plans almost always work out, and that her plans are second to none. Really the only person who can possibly think that Hawkmoth is a better strategist is--

She can’t think like that. Damian is her friend. He’s just curious about Paris. Her lack of sleep and increase in paranoia re making her imagine things that are impossible. Besides, Damian isn’t on her list of suspects-- he told her he’s only been here for a short time, and Hawkmoth’s Miraculous definitely has a limited range. It’s a real pity that the world of Miraculous makes concrete evidence hard to come by, otherwise, Marinette likes to think Hawkmoth would have been behind bars already. 

“No,” she lies. Hawkmoth haunts her dreams and every waking hour. She spends hours and hours on theories and scouring out information and people who fit the clues she’s painstakingly pieced together. “Not really.”

Damian’s eyes are a piercing green, and for a moment, Marinette thinks she stops breathing. “Is that so? I’m really interested in who Ladybug is under the mask. I’d love the opportunity to talk to her in person, especially about her Miraculous. The powers she has are… very interesting.”

No. There’s no way that Damian can be Hawkmoth, right? This is all just her paranoia speaking. Damian is just a foreigner who is interested in super heroes. It’s no biggie. Still, she can’t shake off the idea that there’s more to Damian than meets the eye. The way he walks-- no, prowls-- commands respect. Marinette can tell that he knows how to fight, and knows how to fight well. He’s very good at finding information on people-- she sent a whole case file to her on Renee and his situation with his mother within twenty four hours of going into the precinct, complete with video evidence Marinette knows should have been impossible to procure without hacking-- and keeps up with her critiques on Ladybug and Chat Noir’s techniques like he’s watched their battles over and over again. He remembers akuma battles Marinette has half forgotten, because they happened so long ago.

She stares up at him, hands shoved in the pockets of the jacket she chose for him when they went on their wardrobe makeover. Damian is surprisingly wealthy; he purchased anything she even glanced at with passing approval. He looks straight forward, apparently waiting for some response from her. Just because Damian is her friend, doesn’t mean she can immediately expunge him from her list of suspects. So far, she has taken all of Damian’s words at face value. It didn’t matter to her that he rarely talks about his family or his life before Paris. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t brought her to his home during all of the weeks that they’ve been hanging out together. Really, Marinette just figured that he had a rocky relationship with his family, and that he may have been on the poorer side and was embarrassed to show her where he lived. But clearly. Damian is well off enough to afford brand name clothes without batting an eye. Things aren’t adding up. All of the red flags that she’s blatantly ignored start to crop up in her head.

The book on the species of butterflies that akumas are made of, tucked under his arm. The way he showed up after every single akuma attack when she rarely saw him in the area before or during it. His knowledge of the three languages that form the basis of the Miraculous Tome-- Mandarin, Arabic, and English.

If he is Hawkmoth, what sort of emotions would he be feeling right now? Some sort of euphoria, maybe, realizing that he could get infinitely closer to Ladybug when she is Marinette. Anticipation, too. Has Marinette been hanging out with a super villain for the past month? Has she really come to the point where she can call a supervillain her best friend?

Marinette takes another look at Damian’s outfit. Master Fu said that the Miraculous Hawkmoth owns is in the shape of a brooch. Marinette sees no such object on Damian, which could either mean that he’s not Hawkmoth or that he’s just been taking it off whenever he’s with her. She’s really hoping it’s not the second option.

She needs to gather her thoughts, make a plan on how to proceed. When she’s sure that Damian isn’t looking, Marinette sets off the ringtone that is saved for her Maman’s texts and calls. This catches Damian’s attention, and she waves looks up from her phone as though she’s responding. 

“Maman wants me to do a delivery. If you’re looking for more information on the whole superhero situation in Paris, I can get you Alya’s number. She runs the Ladyblog-- I’m sure she’d be glad to talk with you.” Alya also has some of the worst conspiracy theories that Marinette has ever seen. She doesn’t often keep abreast of what the Ladyblog’s portrayal of Ladybug is, but back when Marinette and Alya were friends, she was subjected to wild theories that made her stomach nauseous with how little logic there was. Which means that if-- if-- Damian is actually Hawkmoth, he might be thrown off by what she says.

“I’ll see you on Monday? Jagged texted me last night and wants me to change the embroidery on his commission.” This isn’t exactly a lie; Jagged wants one of the smaller details to be changed, but it certainly won’t take as long as she’s suggesting. Marinette hopes that it’s enough of an excuse to get Damian off her back for the rest of today and tomorrow while she reevaluates her game plans and life choices. 

Damian waves her off. “I don’t think that Ladyblogger girl knows anymore than I do. She’s of no help to me. I’ll see you on Monday.”

#

Marinette’s reaction to Damian’s questions are weird. There’s an underlying tension that she exuded before they parted ways, and he’s still thinking about it a day later.

Marinette, who he always finds near an akuma attack right after it occurs. Marinette, who is emotionally and physically superior to most other Parisians. Marinette, who hasn’t been akumatized in a class full of idiots and other victims. Marinette, who doesn’t like Ladybug even though she seems like a fairly competent and kind hero, despite the fact that she hasn’t caught Hawkmoth yet. Marinette, who rarely talks about akumas despite all of the time he spends with her, which is highly unusual because even people he only briefly meets manage to slip in something about akumas into the conversation. Damian feels like there must be some sort of connection between Marintte and the akuma situation that he’s not getting, but it’s eluding him.

He sits down with his laptop in his apartment and looks up information about Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s definitely just as talented as he suspected; in her ninth year of schooling, she won a Gabriel competition, participated in a music video of Clara Nightingale’s, and collaborated with Jagged Stone on an album cover. So that was how she met him-- he wondered, but never asked. There are also a few instagram posts that have tagged her as a good samaritan and a few articles that detail a small, asian girl who’s going around Paris helping random people that are in need.

The weird things that Damian finds are contained in her school records. She’s apparently in very good company with her IQ, but what’s more interesting is all the dates that she is tardy or absent from school. They line up perfectly with all of the dates that akumas appear. He feels dread gather in his stomach. 

A few more searches seem to cement his growing suspicions. Around the same time that Marinette obtained a truce with Lila matched up with when theorists believed that the Italian girl started working with Hawkmoth. He reads the instagrams and tweets of her classmates from the first year that Hawkmoth arrived, which talk about how excellent Marinette is at calming them down and guiding them to a better place. He also reads the posts of Chloe Bourgeois and Alya Cesaire and the articles about Marinette and Evillustrator that tell a slightly different story-- that Marinette is capable of manipulating others into more unpleasant situations.

Damian jolts. There is an incoming call from his father. 

“Are updates on Paris, Damian?” 

Should he give them a clue to his growing suspicions that Marinette is Hawkmoth? No, he can’t tell them until he gathers more information. 

“No,” he says. “Information about Hawkmoth and the Miraculous are hard to come by.”

There’s a sigh and what sounds like the rustling of papers from the other side. “I figured. Tim and Barbara can’t find anything over here, either, but the Justice League is worried. They want results.”

“The Justice League and I agreed that having Robin make an appearance would be beneficial. Gain Ladybug and Chat Noir’s trust, or find Hawkmoth. Information might come easier with your alter ego.”

“All right.” 

Another pause. He and his father have always had an awkward relationship. Bruce didn’t know of his existence until he was ten, and by that time, the most formative years of Damian’s life had already passed. Bruce Wayne may be many things, but good at dealing with children, he is not. Even after adopting so many children, he doesn’t know how to raise a child. Damian and his brothers have all raised themselves, with Bruce only stepping in when one of them is really going off the rails.

“Is everything else going well in Paris? School is good?”

“School is fine.” Damian wonders whether he should tell his father about Marinette. About the girl who is kind and capable and scarily efficient at dispatching criminals for a citizen and-- he can’t think about her like that. He decides against telling his father about her. She might be Hawkmoth, after all, and confirming her existence to his father means that he’s denying that possibility. “Gotham?”

“Nothing out of the usual. A few run-ins with the Joker.”

Another silence. The lapses in conversation aren’t awkward, but Damian thinks of the playful banter Marinette has with her parents and frowns. 

“Goodbye, Father.”

“Goodnight, Damian.”

Damian looks around at his empty apartment. There is nothing in it, except for his suitcase and a few pieces of furniture. It’s nothing like the manor, where he knows that Tim is up at all hours slaving away on another project that Damian rarely gets to see, or that Jason is in the training room with Dick joining him occasionally. He can’t pick a fight with Tim or have Dick try to mediate the conflicts between himself and Jason. No nightly patrols with three or four people talking over the comms, or near instantaneous backup when he gets into a tight spot. There is no Alfred or Barbara or Cassandra or Bruce here. Only Damian. 

He looks down at his laptop, at the various information and images of Marinette that he has up on his screen. In good conscience, he can’t continue being friends with her. Not with the possibility that she is the person he’s trying to hunt down. 

He remembers her saying that being lonely is different than being alone. 

Damian is lonely.

#

Patrol is a necessary evil. 

Ladybug doesn’t hate patrol. She’s not very fond of it, though. It cuts into time that she could be spending sleeping or designing or anything else, really. In the beginning, it started as a way to figure out how everything worked under the guise of the dark and without the constant threat of an akuma hanging over head. Then, it progressed into disproving the theory about Ladybug’s age, because civilians aren’t inclined to believe that a teenage girl who has school the next day would patrol every day in the early morning. Now, it shows the Parisians how devoted Ladybug is-- that’s something that she’s struggled with ever since withdrawing the Miraculous from all of the part time heroes-- and lets Marinette blow off any steam that she has. 

Right now, Marinette needs to blow off a lot of steam. Still, even as Ladybug, as much as Marinette wants to scream to high hell and back about how she’s been friends-- very close friends, she’d dare to say-- with the same person who has been terrorizing Paris for years, she can’t. If she screams, there will be media coverage on it, and she doesn’t want to deal with what the press would write up some article about how Ladybug was overworked and needed to bring back the other heroes, or that Ladybug wasn’t mentally sound enough to take care of Paris, she should just give up the Miraculous, or that Ladybug’s scream was [insert some poetic nonsense that English teachers wax about for hours even though the author never intended the audience to read that deeply into it].

Marinette doesn’t want to admit it, but she’s gotten close to Damian. She’s as close to him as she is with Kagami, Luka, Jagged and Penny. Damian knows that she’s MDC. He knows her hopes and aspirations. He knows her family, knows the majority of her friends, and knows what’s important to her. It will be so easy for him to tear her apart now. Marinette isn’t sure what Hawkmoth is waiting for, but she almost hopes that he’ll get it over with sooner rather than later.

What will Hawkmoth do first? Go after the website that he helped her make, probably. Cut off the financial support that she could use to run away and create another identity. Then, he’ll go after her friends, few and far as they may be. Renee next. Her family, last. She wonders who Mayura is, if he is Hawkmoth. She hasn’t seen anyone that’s close to him. Then again, Damian reveals next to nothing about himself. She’s never even seen where he lives.

There’s a shadow on the rooftops. 

God, of course Hawkmoth would send out an akuma today. He knows how horrible her mental state must be. There’s no way he wouldn’t take advantage of that.

She yoyos over to the shadow, not close enough to strike or apprehend, but close enough to easily give chase without the akuma being able to give her the slip.

“Ladybug,” the akuma says.

“Cut the crap. We all know you want the Miraculous, Hawkmoth. Let’s get to it.” The shadow steps forward where a street lamp illuminates its costume, and once again, she is assaulted by the barrage of colors on her eyes. After seeing how awful Damian’s color coordination was, it’s easy to come to terms with the awful designs of all of his costumes. Still, she’s surprised that the boy who dresses in the same outfit every day creates such outlandish costumes for all of his minions. 

The akuma frowns, tenses. 

“I’m not Hawkmoth,” it insists. “I’m Robin, a vigilante from Gotham. I’ve come to learn more about the current situation and aid you in taking Hawkmoth down.”

 Ladybug scoffs. She’s not sure what this akuma’s tactic is, but none of the others have tried to lie to her so blatantly about their identity. And ripping off an identity? That is a new low, even for Hawkmoth. She’s sure that the real Robin didn’t agree to this, and if she were close with the vigilante, maybe she could get him to throw a lawsuit or two at Hawkmoth once he was in custody, just for kicks.

Robin the akuma scrambles, apparently looking for something that can verify his identity. 

Ladybug strikes. There’s no pride in striking an opponent when they are distracted, but it’s a means to an end. If Damian is dumb enough to send out an akuma confused about its identity tonight of all nights-- a night where Ladybug is distressed and it would be all too easy to take advantage of her-- then she’s going to take advantage of it.

It’s easy to bind the akuma. Startlingly easy. The akuma is different tonight, then. His powers have something to do with close contact, maybe? Ladybug looks on his person for things that could be the point of akumatization, eyes flitting from Robin’s waistband to his mask.

She comes to an unpleasant conclusion. The measurements and the coloring are a perfect match. Hawkmoth has come to meet her in person.

“Damian,” Ladybug hisses. 

Damian’s eyes widen, like he doesn’t know how she’s pieced together his identity. How stupid does he think she is? He’s been dropping hints constantly. Information a transfer to Paris shouldn’t know. Never telling Marinette anything personal. Always being near an akuma attack when it happens. It’s almost like he wanted her to figure out his identity.

“How did you know?” 

“Please, Hawkmoth, did you really think that Marinette couldn’t connect the dots? You must have thought awfully little of her if you thought that your constant appearances near all of the akuma and questions about the Miraculous didn’t lead me to your identity.”

“Hawkmoth? Ladybug, I’m not Hawkmoth, I’m Robin.”

“And I’m the queen of England. Renounce your Miraculous now, Hawkmoth. Or I’ll beat you until you detransform and take it from you.” 

Damian looks confused before his face contorts to an expression of resignation. He recognizes a cold fury in her eyes that is distinct to people who won’t give up until they get their way, and there’s really no other way around this right now. He should have brought his comm with him, but he wasn’t expecting to meet Ladybug tonight; he just wanted to assess the situation as Robin, to get out from his apartment for a second. Rookie mistake. 

True to her word, Ladybug beats Damian unconscious and also until he’s black and blue. She’ll be lying if she didn’t say she took out some of her fury from the past years on him.

But here’s the thing; Damian doesn’t detransform. He stays in his god-awful costume that has the same disgusting shade of mustard yellow as that one top Damian owns. That’s not what’s supposed to happen. When Miraculous users faint, they detransform because it takes a sort of mental awareness to handle the powers bestowed upon them. Is it different because Damian is an akuma? Is there some sort of Miraculous bylaw that if a Miraculous user gets akumatized, they get to stay in their alternate form? Oh wait, that’s right, he’s an akuma, not Hawkmoth right now.

Ladybug stumbles forward, breaking all of the weapons that are on his belt, taking off his mask and breaking that as well. No akuma comes out. She tries his gloves, then his boots. She pats him down, seeing if there’s anything she missed. She rips his suit, too. Nothing. There’s no brooch in his personal effects either.

What is she supposed to do now? 

Seeing no alternative, Ladybug picks Damian up and yoyos back to Tom and Sabine’s Boulangerie to safely detransform and figure out what the fuck is going on.

He’s not Hawkmoth, is the conclusion Marinette comes to after a side by side comparison of pictures of the vigilante and Damian. The horrifying conclusion: the person lying on the floor of her bedroom is actually Robin, the vigilante from Gotham. 

Marinette knows it’s better to err on the side of caution, but she still buries her head in her hands in embarrassment. How can she have gotten him so wrong? She really needs to get better at reading people, because deciding that random civilians are Hawkmoth clearly has not paid off. 

She also cannot believe that the Justice League has decided to step in now, and with a sidekick from America, of all things--Marinette is pretty sure that she sent the videos to the European branch. It must have been three years since her first notification to them. She contacted them immediately after Stoneheart, and again, after Syren when she was distraught at the death that surrounded her. With no response, there was nothing she could do. She has to start relying on herself and her own skills. 

Ladybug only contacted them once more, after Heroes’ Day. At that point, Ladybug had been thinking for a while that someone who was naturally superpowered or someone with a high grade of intelligence-- like the heroes affiliated with the Justice League-- would do more harm than good if they were allowed in the city. After the devastation of her teammates being akumatized, and the nearly week long battle that ensued, she was certain that she could barely fight her teammates, let alone trained professionals. So with shaky hands and red rimmed eyes, she said to please disregard her earlier messages; the situation in Paris wasn’t that bad, and Ladybug could handle it. 

Damian groans. Marinette jumps; he is waking up far earlier than she anticipated. She wants to transform back into Ladybug. Being in her spots gives her a pseudo sense of security. First, though, she has to restrain him. Even though he isn’t Hawkmoth, she’s not sure whether he’s a threat or not. She makes quick work of it, using the thickest zip ties that she has on hand and restraining his arms and legs.

She doesn’t get the chance to transform back into Ladybug, but that’s just as well, because at the end of the day, Marinette is the foundation of anything that makes Ladybug a hero to the public. Damian opens his eyes almost immediately after she has finished restraining him, taking in his surroundings and the person in front of him.

“Marinette? Where’s Ladybug?” No questions of how he got there; Ladybug can clearly carry her own weight and more. No questions as to why there are zip ties cutting into his wrists and ankles; he has seen too many of Marinette’s victims on the streets.

“What do you mean, where’s Ladybug?” Marinette is right in front of him. She might not have the suit on, but at the end of the day, she does have the Ladybug Miraculous, which means she’s Ladybug through and through, and Damian must know that. Otherwise, there’s no real reason for Robin to be spending so much time with Marinette. The fact that she feels more real and true to herself as Marinette than as Ladybug probably means nothing to him.

“She knocked me out on a rooftop. Didn’t know that you two knew each other personally. I’m not Hawkmoth, by the way.” He twitches, then realizes that he’s been tied up. “Why’d she leave me with you?”

So he doesn’t know that she’s also Ladybug? This whole thing keeps getting more confusing. Still, the less people that know about her alter ego, the better. Marinette will keep him in the dark. She attributes his blatant misunderstanding to the identity concealment magic of the Miraculous. It’s powerful stuff. If it didn’t exist, she’s sure she would have found concrete evidence as to who Hawkmoth is by now. 

“She asked me to assess whether you were a threat or not. Whether or not she casts the Miraculous Cure is contingent on my response.”

“Ladybug wants you to assess whether I’m a threat or not? Why’d she leave a possible super villain with a civilian?”

“I help Ladybug out with many things.” Her voice turns to clinical detachment. She uses this method to dissociate as Ladybug when things get overwhelming. Assess the situation. Get in, deakumatize, get out. Marinette needs to distance herself. It’s bad enough that the situation is this convoluted, but she doesn’t need Damian to doubt Ladybug’s capabilities as well. “Ladybug knows that you’re not Hawkmoth now, and she knows that I can handle myself with any run of the mill bad guy, even if they are a supposed vigilante.”

“Tell me, Robin,” Marinette spits the name like a curse, “Why should I tell Ladybug that you’re not a threat? That you are who you say you are?”

In all honesty, all Marinette wants to do is knock Damian out again so she can collect her thoughts. She’s not sure how she should address his presence as Robin in Paris and is still reeling from the whiplash of thinking he was Hawkmoth only for him to turn into a foreign vigilante. Next thing she knows, he’ll tell her that his name isn’t even Damian Grayson. Well, now that she thinks about it, he’s definitely not. After this encounter finishes, she’ll look up Damian and Gotham and see what she gets.

He looks flustered, like he never expected anybody to question his identity or presence. It’s laughable, really. Marinette doubts that the Justice League actually sent him; he’s probably here to explore on his own. That means he’ll only be a pain in the ass to deal with. Maybe she needs to get into contact with the Justice League again, if only just so she can deport Robin with more ease. 

“I can call Batman,” he says.

Marinette doesn’t think this is a very good solution. There’s no way for her to prove that the person on the other side actually is Batman and not some actor. But after racking her brain, she can’t come up with a much better solution. It’s not like Robin has any superpowers that she can request to see, and she doesn’t have a direct line to anybody from the Justice League.

“Fine. Call Batman.”

“It’s in the pocket near on my right side.” Marinette doesn’t bother going closer to him. She destroyed everything on him earlier, in case it was the akuma’s vessel. Ladybug thought she came across a phone, but now she’s glad she smashed it and left it on that random rooftop. He probably has some sort of tracker on his phone. In any case, Marinette thinks it’s weird for a vigilante to have a phone on them while on the rooftops. Shouldn’t he have an earpiece or something? 

“Your phone was destroyed by Ladybug. Tell me the number to call. I’ll put it on speaker.” Marinette isn’t sure if the number he’ll have her call will be some sort of secure connection or direct line that is only accessible through Damian’s phone, but she doesn’t particularly care because the Miraculous Communicators are exactly that. Miraculous. Master Fu assured her that all communications were private and impossible to crack unless they also had a Miraculous. Which is why she’s using the Miraculous Communicator to call Batman.

Damian winces, then speaks into the offered phone. 

“Batman, it’s Robin. I need to verify my identity in order to proceed.”

“Are you with Ladybug?”

So he is on a mission, then, and not just playing hooky. If Batman is involved, Marinette has no doubt the rest of the Justice League will follow soon. This will be a dreadfully unpleasant call.

“I’m making it a video call,” Marinette says. “And no, he’s not with Ladybug. I’m Ladybug’s point of contact, and she doesn’t take kindly to people encroaching on her territory without permission.”

“Robin, what happened?” Batman isn’t accepting her video request.

Marinette cuts off whatever Damian is about to say. “Damian was suspicious; I reported his activities to Ladybug and she believed that he could be Hawkmoth. Then, she caught him on the roofs and took him back to my place after verifying that he wasn’t Hawkmoth. Video call, Batman. I’d like to see that you are who you say you are, before I send Robin back to the states.”

“She knows your civilian identity? Two people know that you’re Robin?”

“Turn your video on. If you can’t prove that you are who Damian says you are, Ladybug and I will do everything in our powers to deport him and make sure that the Justice League is not allowed in Paris again. Ladybug said that she doesn’t need any unknowns in her city, and I’ve been hoping Robin came here of his own volition. It sounds like that isn’t the case.”

Marinette thinks that Batman curses in English, but she’s not sure. Fluent though Marinette may be, she is not well versed in curses, colloquialisms, or American memes. The camera turns on. It’s Batman, or at the very least, an actor wearing a very good knock off costume.

It’s annoying that Marinette can’t see his eyes. There’s some white film where his eyes should be, and the fact that his cowl covers more than half of his face isn’t doing her any favors in letting her read his facial expression. She moves herself so that Batman can see both her and Robin.

“Why is Robin restrained?”

“Like I said: he was suspicious. I’m not taking any chances.”

A moment of silence.

“How do you want me to prove my identity?” 

That’s good. He’s not asking who she is, though she’s sure that there are cameras pointing at the screen on Batman’s end, running facial analysis and background checks on her. The Miraculous magic will ensure that any connections between her and Ladybug will not come to light. Other than her identity as Ladybug, Marinette has nothing to hide.

“If you’re Batman, then you should have access to the League’s calls, European and otherwise. Play me the last video that Ladybug sent you. I know what she said.” She spares a glance at Damian. His jaw is tight, but when he looks at her, she finds what looks like regret. It’s not entirely Damian’s fault. A mission is a responsibility, and Marinette understands that in order to be a hero or vigilante, one must be willing to do anything to accomplish the mission. Really, she’s only Ladybug because she feels that heavy weight of the words duty and responsibility on her shoulders. Fu’s fault.

“Behave. If you try something, I’ll knock you out.” Marinette sets the communicator on her desk and eyes him. The zipties are so tight around his arms and legs that he is bleeding. Marinette feels a flash of sympathy, then pushes it away. It was his fault for-- why was he at fault, again? 

“I have the video.” Batman sounds even peakier than when they started the call. He plays the video.

“Justice League. This is Ladybug. I rescind my requests for help; I can take care of Paris with my own team. Any help from you at this point would be a detriment and could potentially harm the citizens of Paris. Hawkmoth manipulates strong emotions, and I don’t need to handle a metahuman or tactical genius to gain more power to wreak havoc on my city. I will not contact you with any further requests for assistance.”

It’s an awful video. Marinette had to wait a day after the Heroes’ week fiasco just so her eyes wouldn’t be red. At least her voice doesn’t waver in it. There’s a conviction in the whole video that was unique to that moment. 

Marinette looks at Batman, then at Robin. 

“Clearly the Justice League refused to listen. Ladybug doesn’t want or need your help at this point in time. Why are you here?”

“The Justice League is at fault for not paying attention to Ladybug’s other videos. But Mayor Bourgeois and President Macron can only cover such alarming incidents for so long. Ladybug and her… team clearly need help in order to find and take down Hawkmoth, so once the American branch of the Justice League found out half a year ago, we started to investigate.” Batman speaks in lieu of Damian. Marinette briefly wonders if Damian knows who Batman is under the mask. She bets he does. They’re probably close, what with how worried Batman sounds. 

“What makes you think that the Justice League is any better equipped to handle this situation? Ladybug and her team have been fighting for the past three years and resolved every akuma with no help from you. She needed your help in earlier years. Now she doesn’t.”

“Exactly; it’s been three years and she still hasn’t caught Hawkmoth.”

“You say that like the Justice League doesn’t have a team with more wealth and manpower than Ladybug does that’s been looking into Hawkmoth and the Miraculous for the past half year and clearly has not found any reasonable leads. Ladybug has only been actively looking for Hawkmoth for the past two years, not three. The police handled the first year, not that you’ve done any homework on the situation. Thought that a field agent would help your chances?” 

There is fire in Marinette’s stomach. Batman sounds so dismissive of all of the work that she’s been doing. It’s been hard on her; she doesn’t have the support that she needs and doesn’t have the experience or expertise to hunt down Hawkmoth on her own. She trained briefly under Master Fu to learn spells and ways to expand her powers as Ladybug, but that was an equivalent exchange: she no longer trusts that other holders won’t be akumatized. Her growing cynicism and physical training from Maman came at the expense of Chat Noir; after the whole Lila incident in her first year as Ladybug, she found out that Chat Noir and Adrien were one and the same. And Gabriel Agreste is not afraid to use his son until Adrien is stretched far too thin, which forced Marinette to nearly bench her partner.

“Three years,” Batman says again.

“If the Justice League can’t figure it out nearly unlimited resources and funding in half a year-- both ordinary and super human-- then clearly it isn’t a question of time. It’s a question of capability. Get off your high horse, Batman. You haven’t given me any reasons why Ladybug and I shouldn’t deport Robin here, and you’re definitely not making a good case as to why she shouldn’t go to Mayor Bourgeois and France’s president to ensure that the Justice League and its affiliates and ban hero travel into Paris. Bourgeois already doesn’t want information on it’s supervillain situation to get out.” 

“Marinette,” Damian pleads.

As Robin and as Damian, he doesn’t pose a threat. He hasn’t been helpful, but he certainly hasn’t messed with the status quo for the month that he’s been here. Still, he is a liability. If he stays in Paris, he is the gateway for the other members of the Justice League to fly in and try to commandeer the fragile balance that she has found. She can’t afford for something like that to happen.  

“You’re not any better, Robin. Why did you even hang around me? Thought I was a threat?” Her eyes narrow in realization. It makes sense why he decided to hang out with her, despite his initial cold front. He was playing a role.“You thought I was Hawkmoth.”

His silence is an agreement.

“We just want to help,” Damian says, and against her better judgement, Marinette believes him. 

Her shoulders round, and Marinette sighs. She can’t truly begrudge Damian for that train of thought, not when she believed the same about him. She’s been a little harsh on them so far, in part due to old resentment that they never responded to her in that first, awful year when she needed the help. 

There’s a dull tiredness that comes with knowing someone who she considered one of her closest friends suspected her of being a supervillain, though she did believe the same of him, so maybe they’re even. It still hurts, though. It hurts like when Alya decided that Marinette was mean-hearted enough to stop the members of their class from reaching their full potential. It hurts like when Marinette finally realized that she couldn’t repair their friendship, not to what it used to be. It hurts like when she looked around the classroom and realized that she couldn’t talk to anyone there. It hurts like when Marinette decided that she couldn’t risk helping her friends the way she wanted to. 

“What kind of help can you offer us? We don’t need any more of you to come out here.” Resources are nice. More money to fund therapy programs around town won’t hurt. Master Fu doesn’t help on that part. Really, he doesn’t help at all. Even though she has Chat Noir and had a team, she often feels like it’s herself against the world. Some days, she reaches up to her earrings and feels an aching emptiness, like there’s something more to the Miraculous that’s been sealed away.

“We can give you resources. Money, connections, experience. Robin is good with technology. He can help you track down where Hawkmoth is.”

Marinette’s laugh is bitter. “Sure, he can try, but the butterflies Hawkmoth sends out aren’t visible by the normal human eye or electronically until they’ve found their mark. Once they’re purified, they’re just normal butterflies, and they go off in random directions.”

“Normal human eye? It sounds like there are exceptions.” Damian readjusts himself. He has fidgeted his way into an uncomfortable looking seiza position, where his ankles are bleeding. 

“A true holder can see the butterflies at all times.”

Marinette also decides to throw them a bone so there’s no questions as to why a mere civilian is working with Ladybug. “That’s why Ladybug recruited me. I was Multimouse.”

Multimouse was in the file that Damian sent his father, but he asks, just to make sure. “The one that can split itself?”

“That’s correct. I guess now is as good a time as any for the two of you to get your questions answered.”

“Why are you the point of civilian contact instead of any of the other more frequently used heroes? Didn’t you appear only once?” Damian avoids looking Marinette in the eyes, and that makes her feel slightly better. He’s ashamed of his actions. Good. 

“Ladybug said that the other hero’s civilian forms were either compromised or not in a good position.”

“Ladybug knows who all the holders are.” Batman speculates. He looks less tense now that Damian is no longer tied up, but his voice remains gravelly and distrubed. Maybe that’s what he sounds like all the time.  “Who else knows? Do you?” 

“Only Ladybug knows.” Marinette lives in half truths. She’s not sure that they’re much better than lies, but they’re all she has. Secrecy is the only thing Master Fu has sincerely taught her.

“Why have all the other heroes disappeared?” 

“Ladybug said that it was too dangerous for someone who could be akumatized to hold a Miraculous. Rena Rage, Shell Shock, Queen Wasp-- they were all frighteningly powerful akumas. It’s also why Chat Noir has been showing up less and less; his home life is not the best, and she’s trying her best to ensure that he doesn’t get akumatized.”

“She’s not worried for herself or,” Damian’s eyes flick to Marinette, away from Batman. “For you?” 

“She knows that both of us are good at dealing with stress. We have our own methods of coping.” She looks at Damian, her mouth tightening into a frown. “If you want to stay in Paris, I’ll cut you a deal. We can work together for two weeks, and if we don’t get any results, you have to leave and the Justice League must promise that they won’t interfere again.”

“Two weeks isn’t enough time,” Damian objects.

“If you don’t think it’s enough time, just leave now. I’ll say now that I’m only willing to work with you during the night. That’s the time I work on Miraculous related stuff now, anyways. And stay out of the akuma battles.” She doesn’t actually think that working together will help anyways, and she wants Damian gone sooner rather than later. He’s been making her feel too much and emotions that are far more explosive and easy to take advantage of than Marinette has in a long time. She doesn’t want to be targeted by an akuma because of her inner conflict. 

“Two weeks, then,” Batman agrees. “Robin can contact me if you need any extra resources.”

Marinette hangs up and assesses Damian. He looks almost pitiful, with bruising around his eyes, tousled hair, a ripped suit, and cuts where his skin is exposed. She opens her trap door in a clear gesture for him to depart. Downstairs is dark; her Maman and Papa have long since gone to sleep, and it’s only a few more hours until they wake up to start baking. “We start tomorrow. If you need Ladybug for anything, tell me.”

He’s half way down the ladder when he looks back up at Marinette, into her eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” he says.

Marinette can’t breath. She feels like vomiting. His eyes are so green in comparison to the purple bruising on his face. She did that to him. She made him look that way. All she’s ever wanted to do as Ladybug is protect the people she cared for. But Damian-- Marinette doesn’t know. She doesn't know whether what Damian has done can actually be described as bad. He was just trying to do what Batman told him to do. Keeping an eye on a threat. Marinette wonders how long he thought she was Hawkmoth. She wonders if he ever thought they were friends. 

“I’m sorry too,” Marinette says, and shuts the trap door.

They’re both sorry for very different things.

[words-for-holland]

Happier (3) | T.H.

Summary: Harrison is looking for answers. More unknown text messages and blackmail. A phone conversation takes place. Wait...who’s the new guy?

A/N: Don’t be shy let me know all your theories! Again, thank you for the support on Happier! The story continues!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

Puzzle

This whole thing was just a giant puzzle that needed to be solved, but the closer one got to solving it, another complication comes around. The story wasn’t clear for anyone, but for Harrison it was a mess. He had so many questions that needed to be answered, so many clues he wish could have been solved at the snap of a finger.

Tom was too lost in himself to even comprehend the puzzling reality, Y/N while also lost in heartbreak had been awefully quiet since she left London, Kate was lying to Harrison, and Natalie had been too friendly with Tom.

Harrison replayed the conversation with Kate over and over again in his mind, trying to remember every little thing she said that night. He knew Kate was aware of something. Her tone said it all.

“Listen I dont know who you are, but if its the same person that sent my best friend a threatening message that she’s better off breaking up with her boyfriend”

“She received a few messages...from Tom.”

“Oh my god.” Harrison said to himself in realization. How could he have been so dim to not recognize what Kate had said in the first place? He paced around as he continued to think it through. But a threat message? Who would send a threat to Y/N? And what did they threaten her with? Tom and Y/N’s relationship has been secretly hidden from the public for as long as they’d been together. No one knew she even existed...right?

For a moment, Harrison stopped in his tracks, thinking of Natalie. Though he quickly shook the idea off. Natalie may have wanted Tom, but she wouldnt go as far as threatening Y/N. He had been friends with her since they went to primary school, and knew she wouldn’t go that far. “Maybe a stalker fan?” He questioned himself. Though he also quickly ruled it out, but something about it just didnt feel right.

In the kitchen, Harrison took out his laptop and started googling Y/N’s name. If her name didn’t show on the News or one of those Tom Holland fan accounts, it would at least answer one theory. As he scrolled through pages and pages, nothing showed up until...he found on account. He logged into the site and browsed the history, realizing it was all about Y/N and Toms life. Not as a couple but seperately. It all seemed too strange. Only very few accounts followed it and yet no other accounts in the world had mentioned Y/N. Harrison quickly shut his laptop when he saw Natalie enter the room.

“Oh don’t mind me just...grabbing a water.” She giggled, making her way to the fridge.

“Hey mate...uh..I guess everyone got hungry at the same time?” Harry asked, a bit surprised to see Harrison and Natalie in the kitchen.

“Yeah. I guess.” Harrison muttered.

“Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine. If i didn’t know I’d say you were the one more affected by the break up then Tom and Y/N themselves.” Natalie commented.

“No. It’s just that I dont think Y/N broke up with Tom just because of some rumors about you and him.” He explained rubbing his face from exhaustion. Natalie’s smile dropped, when she heard Harrison mention his potential theory.

“Well...did you talk to Y/N about it?” Harry asked him, also intrigued by the theory. “Now that I think about it she —“

“Oh come on. Just leave the poor girl alone. Im sure she knew what was best for the both of them. You’ll only make it worse.” Natalie interrupted, taking a sip from her water. “Well since you boys are all talk, Im gonna go find something more worth my while.”

Out of sight and out of mind, Natalie made a quick call about what she heard. “Harrison’s getting suspicious, and so is Harry.”

“Time to clean up then.” The unknown number spoke out before hanging up on Natalie completely.

Meanwhile, Kate had managed to get Y/N out of the apartment and walk the streets of the city. Her heart and spirits were still low, but she appreciated the efforts. Kate and Y/N went around stuffing their faces with crepes and ice cream. It was the cure to any bad days, but it wouldnt have been a Kate and Y/N date if they didn’t hang around the New York Aquarium. It was also the perfect time to crack out what Y/N really knew about the unknown text message, and who was harrassing the both of them. “Look, I know I promised you a stress free outing, but I saw a text from your phone the night you came back home.” Kate confessed.

Y/N’s face became pale almost as if she’d seen a ghost. She knew, and now there was no point in going back. “So you know then.” She says quietly looking at the fishes.

“I only know they threatened you.” Kate states, leaving out that she, herself, was also threatened. Y/N had enough on her plate to worry about, and it wouldn’t be the best time to being up how her message also threatened their friendship. “How long?” She continues.

“Weeks maybe. They started around the time I was fighting with Tom.” Y/N vents, she takes a deep breath before she continues. “Each message was worse than the last. They threatened that if I didnt leave, Tom would lose career, and I...I couldnt do that to him.” Tears were falling slowly, but Y/N was quick to pick them.

“Why didnt you tell him?”

“Yeah, Kate let me just tell him the truth of why I left him because the messages weren’t offensive nor threatening enough. And let’s just assume that the person texting wouldn’t blackmail either of us if they knew I said something. Anyways, maybe it was for the best...I could never fit in his world and those past few months just proved that.” Y/N’s words continue to spill out every fear and thought she had bottled up within her. It felt good..for a moment, but nothing can really erase a heartbreak of losing the one you loved.

As the pair walked through the shark tunnel, Y/N bumped into a tall figure. “Oh my god, Im so sorry...Matt?” she asked in confusion. The moment Y/N looked up into those familiar brown eyes hidden behind the thin glasses, she knew. How could she forget? 

“Y/N? Wow, it’s been so long how are you?” Matt greeted as he wrapped her into a hug. “Kate, it’s good to see you again too.” 

“Yeah, we’re great, just you know...navigating life.” Kate responded to him. “We haven’t seen you since what?  High school?”

Matt smiled and nodded at Kate’s response, his focus remaining on Y/N. He didn’t remember much with Kate back in high school, but Y/N was a different story. They were good friends at the time, always competing in classes, but as junior year rolled by things got awkward. Y/N was falling for Matt while he didn’t return the favor at the time. Though he’d be lying if he didn’t say he may have felt the same at one point, but just never committed. Now all grown up, he didn’t realize how pretty she turned out, but her personality wasn't there. He must have figured something was wrong. After all, a girl with that kind of spunk back in the day, didn't seem like the one to lose hers so easily. “Yeah, look. I know it’s kind of a spur in the moment, but maybe we can all hang out sometime? I’d love to catch up.” 

Kate was all for it, but Y/N felt a tension she wasn’t sure if she wanted to act upon. After all, breaking up with your boyfriend after 2 weeks, because of threatening messages and still loving him deeply, it wasn’t an easy thing to move on from. Then again it’s not like Matt was asking for a date, it was just to catch up after not seeing each other for 6 years. “Uh, maybe. I have to check my schedule, and see when Im free, but I can let you know” Y/N answers him. 

“Great, well..here’s my number, and hopefully I hear from you guys. I gotta get back to my brother, so hope to see you around.” he quickly says as he walks away. 

“Wow. Matt Brynne, who would have guessed?” Kate says, breaking the silence. 

“I know...Funny I used to be so head over heels with him at the time, and now I barely feel a thing.” 

“Well yeah, cause you still love...you-know-who.” she teases, though it probably wasn't the best time to be making that type of joke with everything going on.

“And I don't think I’ll ever stop.” Y/N mutters to herself. As Y/N and Kate make their way forward, Kate’s phone began to vibrate. 

Unknown

Set up a date and take a picture of Y/N and that boy you posted on your insta story. Or Y/N finds out the truth about what you did. XOXO

Kate looked up as she cursed herself, realizing she forgot to keep her story private. It was supposed to be a harmless post of old friends reuniting and now the unknown number has used it as blackmail. It would have been easy to find the culprit, but her view count was up in the thousands with unfamiliar faces. It’s what she gets after gaining a decent following on TikTok. Kate couldn’t let Y/N know what she did, and she’d make sure she would hide that truth from her for as long as she can. “Hey, Y/N...I think we should hit up Matt.” she says, running after her best friend. 

At the same time, another texted popped from Y/N’s phone. She picked up thinking it might have been a group chat with her close friends, but it was from the only person who could make her heart flutter and break simultaneously. 

Tom

I can’t stop thinking about you. About us. I still love you. 

Y/N almost called him..almost, but she knew better. She couldn’t...not unless she wanted to continue to hurt each other. 

Meanwhile, back in London, Harrison was ready to come clean to Tom about what he’d found out. He watched as Tom finished typing on his phone, and throwing it on the side of the bed, rubbing his face. This was the new normal. Tom being alone in the dark, reflecting on his sadness and exhaustion. Only stepping out when needed and keeping up smiles for appearances. 

It was then Harrison was ready to knock on the door, when his phone received a notification.

Unknown

Don’t even think about it. Or I’ll make sure you and your lads careers are over for good.

Harrison sighed deeply, as he put his phone down, and walked away. Until he came to a most probable conclusion. “Natalie.” he says anger. “I should have fucking known.” At this point he no longer cared, about who she was before and how they were friends. The timing of it all seemed too perfect. Her arrival, the eavesdropping, the flirting. It had to be her but with what proof other than unknown numbers and good timing? Another part of him feared...what if it wasn't her?

Meanwhile, Tom was still unaware of what was really happening behind his door, but he did know, he had to take a chance now and try to contact her instead of sending these useless messages. In the moment, he showed no signs of regret, only praying Y/N would pick up so he could hear her voice. 

“Tom?” Y/N answers hesitantly.

Tom closes his eyes, as he takes in her soft and gently voice. “Y/N.” he speaks softly into the phone. 

Taglist:

@hollanddolanfangirl​ @ifilosemyselfagain @hevjadams @averyfosterthoughts​ @fangirl-with-a-mission @drishtisikarwar @eridanuswave​ @ifntelyinspirit​ @trumpettay @astridcommings

[rhyslikesart]

Blog info:

Hey so because I'm quite new to actually posting some of my own content to this account and I've started to see a good few new faces popping up recently in my notifications, I thought I'd just make this so ya can get to know me a bit better and the kinda stuff I'll be posting etc.

Even though I've been on tumblr since I was way too young to be using tumblr, I'm very new to using this app for stuff other than reblogging content that I like so if I'm taking a while to reply to stuff then I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure stuff out 😅

Me:

General info-

Name- I go by rhys as both a nickname and because it makes me feel more comfortable as its gender neutral but I still go by georgia on the most part as it's still my name and I dont mind it too much. So feel free to call me either but I'd prefer rhys :)

Pronouns- any of them work for me so just use whatever. I'd say if you are stuck then just go for they/them

Age- 18 at the time of writing this

Star sign- I'm a sagittarius :)

Sexuality- I'd consider myself somewhere in the bisexuality/ pansexuality field of things. I think I identify more with pan

Hogwarts house- I'm a slytherin. Before I took the pottermore test I thought I was a ravenclaw

Where am I from- i live in the UK in southwest devon and it's really great because I have a really nice mix of the seaside and the countryside/ moorland so I'm super grateful for that. Also I myself am not dutch but my stepdad is and so I have a lot of dutch family and I tend to go to holland quite often.

Enfj

Hobbies-

martial arts: I compete in taekwondo and I also do kickboxing

art: I do art as both a hobby and for my school work

I'm currently starting to learn french and its v fun

I love reading which I feel was kind of expected seems as I'm on tumblr and I have an academia themed account so yeah,,

Im a bartender in a seaside cocktail bar

School -

I'm an A level student and I'm going to be doing a third year because I chose to drop a subject in my 1st year so that I could take art in my second and third year.

A level subjects - I'm doing art, sports and biology although I'm tragically failing biology because of all the time off that we have had 😓

GCSE subjects- apart from the core subjects I also did triple science, spanish, art, history and religious studies. My school didnt give me much of a choice and made me chose a humanities, a language, triple science and religious studies because I was getting high grades so that was very not cool of them. My favourites were art and English literature

Uni- I'm hoping to study fine art at uni but I'll wait and see what happens cause I tend to change my mind on that kinda stuff a lot :)

Blog-

Content/ stuff I'll probably be posting about

Greek mythology

Classic art

Renaissance art

Pre- raphaelite art

The song of Achilles and Homer's iliad

Gothic literature

Occasional stuff about my ocs

Books I'm reading

Artist research

Pages from my sketchbooks

Spotify playlists

Might see the occasional content from games I play such as dragon age and assasins creed

Aesthetics

Dark academia

Light academia from time to time

Grey academia

Classic academia

Art academia

Dark cottagecore

Seaside cottagecore

Why am I using this blog?

Motivation to keep up with school work

To meet people with similar interests as me

To get inspiration for my art

To share my art

Share content that I enjoy

Because Twitter feels too public

To interact with content that I like

Other stuff

My other social media accounts

Instagram- @ rhyslikesart @ georgia.tkd @ georgiastans

Pinterest- @ rhyslikesart

Spotify- @ georgiastans

Tiktok- @ rhyslikesanime

Ocs you might hear about from time to time

(Pretty much all of them I have made with my best friend and girlfriend allie)

Made for my main story with allie. Fantasy, elf type of vibe

Neiryn (my main oc)

Breir

Laiyria

Vonin

Anji

Aelon

Made for a fun modern witch rp (with allie)

Rowan Irvine

My viking shield maiden and Christian lesbians

Ada

Tarja