#i had a blast making his wings all shimmery

[snowyllama-art]

the iced dagger :]

[tadpolesonalgae]

Azriel x Borrower!reader: The Secret World of Borrowing

A/N: uh, so, yeah…making it so borrowers have little wings in this, so I guess you could just call them fairies at this point.

Warnings: none???? for once??? maybe like bad language if I’m really trying???

Word Count: 3,327

-Part 2-

Anything in excess will do your body no good.

Initially, you had dismissed the thought—living off sugar cubes sounded like absolute heaven. But after about a month of surviving solely off the sweet substance, you’ve begun to dread your next meal.

Your stomach’s rumbling again, so you hop from the burnt out candle pot—cramped as it is—hidden behind a stack of books, perched precariously at the edge of the fae’s desks. So far, you’ve managed to avoid them all, darting behind teacups or ducking beneath the lip of a plate, and soon, you’ll be done with them. Just one more week, and your shimmery, iridescent wing will be fully operational.

It’s already been three since that dreadful storm that had sent you whipping through the air, smacking into the wooden frame of what you’ve now pieced together was a window ledge. From there on, you’d used your small reserves of magic to bind and set your wing, but it’s been lessening your healing powers—hence the exacerbated pain and elongated recovery time.

Slowly, carefully, you peek out from behind the towering stacks of parchment, spotting the sugar jar that’s kept on the desk. A quick scan of the room tells you the fae that inhabits it is not around at the moment. While you’ve made a point of remaining hidden and out of sight, you’ve noted a few peculiar things about the male. There’s a strange darkness that wafts around him, a bleakness that surrounds his wings—great things, that stick out from his back and loom over his shoulders! He has an odd sort of schedule, too. Blasted male. He often works late into the nights—confining you to your too-small candle pot that’s cramped, and stuffy, and really not good for your healing wing.

But you can blame him for all those wrongs until the day you die—for now, your keen nose is picking up a delicious smell. Doing another scan, you peek out further, to spot a plate laden with food.

Dear Mother, it’s one of the most beautiful sights you’ve ever seen. You ignore the meat at the side, instead staring at the beans, and salad, and beside the plate— Berries! You could dance, leap for joy, cry, or sob, at the welcomed sight. You rush out, darting over the grain of the wooden desk. The small, glass bowl comes up to your stomach—a little taller than the plate—and you eagerly grab a berry.

The food is still warm though, which means he will likely be returning at some point soon. You turn, scanning the flat expanse of his desk. There’s a metal-looking container, housing some ink pens. That will do perfectly well should he return.

You open your mouth, poised to chomp down on the berry, when the hairs on your neck rise. Then something snags your ankles, pulling you off balance. A tiny scream spills from your lips as you drop the berry, face smacking into the desk. Quickly, you flip over, ignoring the blood dripping down your upper lip. It’s that darkness he’s always wrapped in, but—why is it bothering you? You didn’t know it could detach from him? That’s unfair!

You shoo it away, kicking your legs but it curls higher, tentatively. You snarl, writhing more frantically as it creeps up your knee, over your thigh. A growl rips from your throat in warning, but it doesn’t listen. Instead, more darkness swells, wrapping up your hips and around your waist. You shriek in anger, practically vibrating as the shadows press and push at your skin.

The final straw comes when you receive a pinch on the ass, red colouring your vision as magic wraps around your hands and you grip a strand of darkness firmly, yanking it off your body as if it were some weak rope. The darkness twitches, writhing in your hand, suddenly desperate to get away from you. “That’s what I thought,” you snap, indignantly, tossing it off you.

It slinks away, once again leaving you to the berry. You huff, wiping your nose on your forearm, attempting to get rid of the blood. But then you’re knocked into from behind, making you stumble. The shadows coil, springing forward, tackling you to the wooden desk as they keep you pinned. You struggle and writhe, worried about what this position will do to your wing, but then you hear the ominous scuff of boots in the hallway.

Panic surges in your chest, and you once again coat your hands in magic, but the shadows have learned from last time, shackling your wrists to the wood so you’re unable to touch them. You snarl in fury, pushing the magic to your mouth as you sink your teeth into the shadow. It twitches and jerks about, but you hold fast. The constraints remove themselves from your wrists, and you take the chance to flip the shadow over—the others that had been holding you down skittering away, scrambling for cover.

With your hands now free, you keep it pinned to the table, slamming your magic coated fists into it, beating it off you until—

Reinforcements have come, and they’re dragging you off the smaller shadow that’s twitching and flickering. “Let me go!” You snarl, tugging against the restraints, “it started first! Let me finish it!”

The door swings open, and you all freeze.

It only takes a second, but then his hazel eyes have landed on you, piercing into your form as he stiffens. His shadows release you, darting away as if they were completely innocent, and then you’re scrambling for cover. You were mistaken though, his shadows didn’t go into hiding. They were grabbing a jar.

You slam into the glass, a fresh wave of blood running down your upper lip as you smack your palms into the glass—to no avail. On the bright side, the berry’s in here with you. You grab it, placing it between you and the edge the desk, between you and the approaching male.

His eyes are marginally widened as he comes to a stop, pausing warily as he takes you in. You go rigid under his scrutinising gaze, crouching down behind the berry. It only comes up to your knees, but it’s better than nothing. A shadow curls over his ear, and you hiss at it, backing as far against the glass as you can, keeping your magic on hand.

Slowly, he pulls out the chair, lowering himself into the seat, still staring at you. You offer him your most scathing glare, trying not to be too intimidated by his size and piercing eyes. “Let me go,” you shout, scrunching your hands into fists over the berry. His features shift into mild shock, or surprise. “You can…talk.”

You don’t lessen your glare, instead you make it harder. “Of course I can talk, you blithering idiot! Why wouldn’t I be able to talk?” You snap furiously, nails sinking into your palms. He shifts uncomfortably in his chair, bracing his fingers on the table. Your eyes dart to his hands, cringing further back against the glass.

He lowers his hands, and you stop trying to push through the jar.

“You…what are you?” He asks, settling his hands on the wooden chair arms. Your nose wrinkles as you stare at him for a long moment. Then, “I’m a Borrower,” you spit out, “and you have no right to keep me here. None. So let me go.”

Again, he shifts in his chair, those great, powerful wings at his back catching in the light, showing off the gilt looking membrane of the inner skin. “You’re a what?” He asks slowly, as if your size would somehow interfere with the speed you hear. “I’m a Borrower. And I’m not dim. I can hear you perfectly fine. Just a bit muffled through the glass,” you snap pointedly, eyeing the confinement he’s trapped you in.

He’s quiet for a while, and your heart spikes. What’s he going to do with you? With his size, and shadows, a number of cruel fates await, all because you’re a little too small for him to consider a life form. He raises his hand to rub over his mouth, appearing in thought. Then, “you’re the creature the made those little footprints, aren’t you.”

You blink, caught of guard, “I— What?” He nods his head, as if confirming something. “You got stuck in the gravy, didn’t you? That’s where those marks came from.” You flush with embarrassment, baring your teeth at him, “it’s your damn fault for swamping your food in that rutting sauce,” you snarl viciously, remembering how the gloopy liquid had come up to your thighs in some places. It had taken a lot of work to get clean again.

He nods quietly, watching you with those piercing hazel eyes of his that make you want to curl up in your candle pot. “I’m Azriel,” he says at last, making you jump. “What’s your name? Or are you just called Borrower?” He inquires, seemingly earnestly. It doesn’t stop the fumes pouring from your pointed ears, “is my name Borrower?” You repeat, rage building in the pit of your belly.

“Insolent! Arrogant! The lot of you!” You shout at him through the glass, magic flaring in your palms, but you tamp it down. “We have names, just like you. How would you like it if we all insisted on calling you by your kind’s name?” You snap aggressively. His brows raise a little at your outburst, raising his palms in what you guess is supposed to be a calming gesture. Red tints your vision, “don’t you try and placate me! Condescending brute!”

“I meant no harm,” he says, “but I want your name. So I know what to call you.”

You hesitate, pausing your rampage. “Why should I tell you my name?” You ask, eyes narrowing on the male. He makes another calming gesture, and you settle a little, “I’m not trying to antagonise you—you’re a creature I’ve never even heard of before, so I’m going about this as logically as possible,” he replies smoothly. You deflate a little at how genuine he sounds. “So,” he says, sensing your mood calm, “what is your name?"

Your head dips down for a moment, hands wringing in your lap as you keep near your berry. “I…I don’t know,” you stammer, softly. His brow furrows in confusion, “what do you mean you don’t know?” Your eyes flit about, darting away from his. “My mother… I can’t read. She wrote my name down for me, so I would never forget it, but I was never told what it was.” You laugh quietly to yourself, “three hundred years, and I’ve never gotten the chance to learn. Or ask…” His eyes soften at your harrowing tale.

“I could read it,” he offers. You peer up at him with wide eyes. “Provided it’s in a language I know,” he adds, hastily. You suppress the urge to snap at him that you have the same language, why would it be written differently? Instead dip your head almost imperceptibly.

You get to your feet, hesitantly making your way to the front of the clear glass jar. He leans in closer to be able to see and you reach into one of your pockets, then pull out your fisted hand, holding it out toward the glass. Azriel squints a little as he peers closer, hoping to at least give you the knowledge of your name…and after three hundred years, too.

Daintily, you raise your middle finger, effectively flipping him off, “eat shit and die, asshole.”

Silence stretches between you, a storm brewing in the air, and you tense, waiting for him to break upon you. But then he huffs out a puff of air, and his eyes are crinkling and he’s laughing, chuckling softly to himself. You stare with wide eyes, tiny finger still raised in defiance as he laughs to himself.

You flush with indignation—he should be furious! “Hey!” You snap. “I don’t know what the hell you’re laughing at. It’s not funny.” He laughs harder, hiding his face in his the crook of his elbow and you watch his shoulders tremble as he attempts to control himself. “Hey!” You repeat, a little bewildered, “Azriel!”

After a few moments, and a few more deep breaths, he raises his head so he can peer at you. You take a few shuffling steps back away from him, returning to your berry. “If you won’t tell me your name,” he says, smiling faintly, “will you at least tell me what you were getting into a scrap about with my shadows?”

“They attacked me first,” you snap at him, scowling. His eyes flick over your bloody nose, “you were stealing my food.” You narrow your eyes at him, “I was hungry.”

“So you thought stealing was a good idea?”

“You shouldn’t leave food out where nasty little Borrowers can get their grubby little hands on it,” you counter, folding your arms over your chest.

He pauses, eyes running over you properly. “Why are you in my room?” You know he marks the way you stiffen, but you force every ounce of nonchalance you have into your body as you shift your weight to one hip, examining your nails that aren’t as clean as you would like. “Because I seem to come by a lot of free meals.”

It’s his turn to furrow his brows, leaning closer, examining you, “how long have you been in here?”

“Long enough to know you’re a cranky old bastard who’s so obsessed with his work he’s unable to notice when a little thing like me sneaks in,” you reply smoothly, holding your own as he stares at you. He nods again, “a while, then.” You nod, giving him a smarmy little smile.

He leans forward more, resting his cheek on his forearm as he looks at you sidewards. Gods—he’s so much bigger than you. “Where have you been relieving yourself, then?” You’re stunned for a moment, before you dig your nails into your palms, stomping forward to the edge of the glass cage. “In your food,” you snarl angrily, flushing at the rude question. His lips quirk up at that, crossing his arms over the desk as he rests his chin on the table, “I’d been wondering what that sweet flavour was.”

“You crass, brazen, pig,” you snap indignantly, absolutely appalled.

He chuckles again, seemingly enjoying getting under your skin. “You Big Ones are all the same,” you hiss. “You’re rude, disgusting, and have no concept of manners.” He blinks as you blow off some steam, going on a rant that matches your size. “Big Ones?” He asks, “is that your name for my kind?” You nod in response, a stern dip of your chin. “So are you a Little One, then?” He asks, mildly pleased when your lip curls back from your teeth. How can something so small carry so much anger in her little body? He’s surprised you can fit it all in. “Don’t call me that,” you snap, plumes of smoke practically shooting from your little ears, “it is rude.”

His smirk widens, “what about Tiny? Or Goblin?” Your lips part in astonishment, “I am not a goblin.” A tiny foot stomps down on the desk. “You might be a goblin,” he says, amusement dancing in his hazel eyes. “They’re old wives tales. Folklore, nothing more,” you snap indignantly, tapping a tiny, impatient foot on the wood. “I don’t know what they look like,” he reasons.

You scowl at him, “they’re ugly little things.” He smiles a little, a single dimple appearing beside the edge of his mouth, “they could be lovely, little things with ugly tempers.” You snarl at the taunt, practically vibrating with anger.

“Is this how you’re going to torture me? By boring me to death? Pretty unimaginative, if you ask me,” you snarl, nails digging into your palms as you glare at him. He regards you silently; it’s an effort not to shift beneath his gaze. “What makes you think I’ll hurt you?” He asks softly, watching from beneath dark, silky locks that curl over his brow. You narrow your eyes at the male suspiciously, “it’s what you do. Don’t try and make a fool out of me. I know your kind’s tricks.”

His frown deepens, watching you in his glass jar. “I’m not going to hurt you, or torture you, for that matter,” he says at last. It’s your turn to frown, “you’re letting me go?” His eyes narrow a little as he peers at you closely. “Do you want to stay?” You take a subconscious step away from the edge of the jar, then shake your head.

Azriel sighs, then removes the confinement, releasing you back into the world. “Go on,” he says, nodding to the window. “Get a move on.” You flush, eyeing the distance from the opening far above to the level of his desk—to your eyes, at least. Turning back to him, you scowl, “I’m not even allowed my food?” He arches a single brow, lips quirking at their corners, “I would have thought you’d be leaping at the chance of freedom.”

“Well, I don’t want you watching me,” you snap, folding your arms over your chest standoffishly. He smirks, “oh yeah?”

You scowl. “Yes.”

He leans back in his seat, wings flexing at his back, making your working one twitch in response. “So it’s nothing to do with the bandage around you wing, there?” He points, and you try to tuck them in tight, but a spike of pain licks up your spine, making you bite your lip. You shake your head adamantly, “I’m fine.”

He hums in response, and before you know it, his shadows have you by the waist, the ankles—everywhere. You shriek with anger as he lifts you into the air, depositing you back into the jar, this time with it the correct way up. His shadows give you an unfriendly shove once you’ve settled, and you snap your jaws at them, making them hurriedly scuttle away.

“So if I leave you now, you’ll be gone when I return?” He asks, brow raised in silent taunt—he knows something’s wrong. You narrow your eyes, but say nothing. Amusement gleams in his gaze, triumph and satisfaction quietly mocking you as you scowl.

He rolls his shoulders, muscle shifting beneath his leathers, “I don’t think I can trust you not to go through my things, or to try and escape only to get yourself killed in the process…” He drawls. “How long until it’s healed? You can stay until you’re ready for flight.”

You’re too stunned to speak.

He’s offering to…help you?

Can’t be.

“In exchange for what, exactly?” You ask warily, squinting at him. He laughs a little at that, and you’re confused why. “Can’t it just be for the pleasure of your wonderful company?” He asks, deep voice lilting with mirth. Still, your brow narrows into a scathing glare, “you want me for your pleasure? Is that it?” You spit out, feigning fury even as terror warms your lower belly.

His grin widens, “with your size? What could I ever do with you?” He inquires, laughing, “have you run up and down my skin with those tiny, bare feet of yours?”

A wild flush warms your cheeks at the image, making you snarl. “Laugh all you want. I know what your kind is like.” He gives you a challenging look, “pray tell.”

“You’re crass, cruel, and lewd. You won’t trick me,” you declare.

“‘Crass, cruel, and lewd,’ huh?” He repeats, smiling faintly, leaning in a little, “sounds like a good night, to me.”

Your jaw drops open, rendered speechless. Then red is seeping in, and magic coats your hands as tiny fists slam into the glass. “Big! Arrogant!” You snarl, fractures spiderwebbing through the jar.

“You’re going to rot in hell for that, Azriel!”

General Taglist: @myheartfollower @tcris2020 @mali22 @amygdtjhddzvb @sfhsgrad-blog @needylilgal022

Az Taglist: @azrielshadows1nger @jurdanpotter @positivewitch

[hippolotamus]

✨2023 writing round-up✨

Writing Round-Up: Share what you wrote this year! It can be works you posted to Ao3, Wattpad, Tumblr, or anywhere else! You can share everything you wrote or just the ones your most excited about.

2023 saw me writing a lot of unexpected and new things! It's been a unique year in the Hippoverse to say the least. Going to highlight some of my favs as well as things that never made it to AO3 💖 Putting it all under the cut to save your dash 😘

January

you spoke to me so sweetly | 2.6k | E (Twylexis)

aka the fic I wrote before shit got real

Alexis hums her appreciation, letting her eyes fall closed while Twyla repeats the circuitous route, and breathing in the blend of lavender and lemon oil her wife insisted upon for “calm and good luck”. The temporary serenity only lasts for three or four passes until a light knock at the door interrupts. She doesn’t try to hide her instant pout when the gentle pressure disappears and she’s forced to open her eyes again. Dr. Rist breezes inside, far too perky in Alexis’s opinion. Perhaps it’s a good sign. Despite her nerves, Alexis plasters her PR smile on, and clasps Twyla’s hand – the only tell she’ll allow to indicate she’s worried while they wait to find out what kind of life changing the appointment will be. “Well,” Dr. Rist says. “Alexis. Twyla. Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s begin, shall we?”

tumblr prompt fill for but I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on new years day featuring David and Stevie -

Stevie turns her head and he’s very uninterested in the look on her face, what it might mean. He’s only seen it once before - in the low light of her messy apartment - which is why he’s positive she’s about to drop a bomb on him. Something that preemptively makes his insides twist. It’s too much for getting high and laying out on the roof of the high school.

March

all in the Jee-tails | 4.5k | T (Buddie)

Okay. Just a little turn aaaand- yes. Alright, only one more to go. You got this, Buckley. Buck watches with fascination as the sewing machine’s needle dips and resurfaces, piercing the shimmery blue fabric. A wave of satisfaction and pride washes over him when the final stitches meet seamlessly with the beginning ones. For only putting in minimal effort during Family & Consumer Sciences, he’s impressed with his handiwork. He eases his foot off the pedal and snips the thread, freeing his creation so he can try it on. Ever since Jee watched Sleeping Beauty and Shrek for the first time she’s become obsessed with all things fantasy. Much to Maddie, Chim and Eddie’s amusement, Buck couldn’t help himself from buying her a sparkly dress (or three), as well as a tiara fit for pint-sized royalty. Of course, once she had her clothes to play dress up, she needed a fearsome beast to battle. And, well, how was Buck supposed to be an effective dragon without his own wings? OR There is a Princess, Knight, Dragon, Wizard and Damsel in Distress and there is nothing Uncle Buck won't do for his niece.

NGL I absolutely adore this one. I had a blast writing it and assigning roles to the Han-Buckley-Diaz family.

I'm reaching for you, terrified | Buddie tumblr post

I’m leaving the 118. Buck has had his oxygen tank run out, he’s been caught in more natural disasters than he’d prefer, and trapped under a ladder truck. Among other things. Those agonizing memories pale in comparison to what he feels now, hearing Eddie’s announcement. He’s a mix of breathless and numb and tingling pinpricks dancing over his skin. Of too much and not enough and loss. 

May

I know all your secrets | 4.6k | E (David/Patrick)

A fic I originally published in 2022 but added a much needed chapter to

Patrick grins, noting the warm, spicy scent filling the spaces between them. It should make him wary, but that sensation stopped long ago, replaced by want and lust. “Rose, we meet again.” “So we do,” David purrs in response. “I hope you’ve been well since Denmark.” Patrick traces a finger over the curves he’s become so accustomed to, feeling the sleek mother-of-pearl buttons under his skin until he hooks onto the V of the single-breasted tuxedo jacket. “Never better. Should we exchange the usual my country wants you dead pleasantries first or is foreplay off the menu tonight?” or the AU where Agents Brewer and Rose are rival spies who can't seem to stay away from each other

June

the only thing that matters now (is everything) | 882 | G (Twylexis)

aka the fic I wrote after shit got real

Alexis combs her fingers through her hair, letting manicured nails lightly scratch along her scalp while she stares at the ceiling. Golden wavy strands glide between her fingertips before dropping back to the pillow, a feeling she wants to take advantage of while she can. The self-soothing act had always calmed her as a little girl. Tonight she’s not exactly troubled, but ever since the tests came back, and the immediate future is wrapped in so much uncertainty, she’s found herself doing it more often. Beyond the sliver of moonlight spilling through the window, painting an ethereal line across the carpet and over the blankets, she doesn’t know what time it is. Only that it’s still night, and dawn could be minutes or hours away. Patrick, with all his lil’ nature skills, would probably know without having to look at a clock. She’ll have to ask next time they talk. ---------------------- A future fic that leaves Alexis pondering life put on hold by the unexpected

October

A lil teen Eddie sneaking out to look at the stars tumblr post

November

if this love is pain (let's hurt tonight) | 3.2k | T Buddie

a foray into angsty writing

Eddie knows it’s him immediately. Feels the weight of his presence like a favorite coat that doesn’t quite fit anymore. Of course he does. Try as he might, Eddie will never not know when Buck is nearby. They are too intertwined. Had become too embedded in each other’s lives before- well, before everything. Before death doulas and school projects, lightning strikes and gunshots, poker games and treasure hunts. Long before Christopher graduated high school, Bobby retired and Hen became captain, and Buck… disappeared. One day he and Buck were moving Christopher into his dorm room, laughing and making plans to send care packages from themselves and Tía Pepa. And the next Eddie felt like he was reliving I need some time too all over again. OR After Chris leaves for college Buck mysteriously disappears. Five years later he finally returns with some answers.

stay here honey (i don't wanna share) | 1.8k | E Lutalia

baby's first Lutalia fic!

This – laying around cuddling after sex – isn’t their usual arrangement. Not like they have a usual arrangement. The only constant is one of them needing to blow off some steam and sending a text that sometimes only consists of a question mark. Then they fuck wherever is most convenient, whether that’s a car, motel room or, on at least one occasion, Nat’s office. Once in a while, like tonight, they both have the time and coordination to meet at one of their apartments, although it’s a scenario they tend to use infrequently for the purposes of keeping things casual. OR Natalia helps soothe Lucy after a rough shift

December

Buddie-ish prompt fill for @steadfastsaturnsrings - Eddie doesn’t remember hanging up the phone, or locking the door. He doesn’t remember grabbing the baseball bat that he keeps under his bed in case someone breaks in. Or where his reign of terror began. He supposes he swung for the first thing within reach and didn’t stop until there was nothing left his brain recognized as destructible. 

Buddie prompt fill for @statueinthestone (also added to the WIP pile to explore later) - Buck doesn’t remember exactly when the dreams started, just that it was sometime during his 1.0 phase. Like his subconscious realized before he did that sleeping around wasn’t cutting it. That he craved something deeper and more complex than purely physical relationships.

Fellow Travelers prompt fill for @vanillahigh00 - The words are a balm as much as they are a cut. A stabbing reminder of everything Tim can’t have. Could never have, really. Hawk was never his to keep. And as impossible as their love was before, it’s even more so now. Because Hawk belongs to Lucy. He’s a family man, a paragon of virtue within his world. Even if it’s all a lie.

Miscellaneous (edits and other things)

shall i write it in a letter? - Buckley-Diaz Family edit

And there's this boy... Buddie edit

Offering original poem

Adulting Gold Stars (part 2)

Poker Date Buddie edit

Now & Then Buddie edit

TG:M Buddie edit (is it the most amazing thing ever? not particularly but it was my first so you get it too)

London Boy Oliver edit

tagged by @exhuastedpigeon @thekristen999 @wikiangela

no pressure tagging mi amor @disasterbuckdiaz @monsterrae1 @buddierights @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @spotsandsocks @elvensorceress @stereopticons @blackandwhiteandrose LOML @lizzie-bennetdarcy @apothecarose @rmd-writes @welcometololaland @jesuisici33 @statueinthestone @pirrusstuff @daffi-990 @watchyourbuck @jamespearce9-1-1 @vanillahigh00 @malewifediaz @chaosandwolves @heartshapedvows @hoodie-buck @loserdiaz @gayedmundodiaz @honestlydarkprincess @giddyupbuck @eowon @spagheddiediaz @wildlife4life @your-catfish-friend @spaceprincessem @fionaswhvre @barbiediaz @steadfastsaturnsrings @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @lemonzestywrites and of course anyone else who wants to share

[markberries]

like we used to [2]┊lee jeno , na jaemin

•  info: everything comes crumbling down when you lose the only thing that kept you going; lee jeno. lucky for you, na jaemin is there to pick up the pieces.

•  warnings: swearing, mentions cheating

•  genre: angst, idk like a sprinkle of fluff, fem reader

•  word count: 3,820

•  a/n: hello everyone! i’m back <3 make sure to let me know if you would like to be on the tag list!

• tag list: @sunflowerhae​ @cherrym4rk​

chapter one : chapter two : chapter three (final)

“are you finished getting ready?” na jaemin yells from your living room, growing a little bored of playing bitlife on his phone. he earns a shout back from you, saying “no!” he groans, growing more uninterested by the minute.

you stood in the bathroom, zipping up the back of your black short dress, spaghetti straps hugging your shoulders. you wore brown eye shadow, a shimmery gold in the middle of your lid, with slick eyeliner forming a wing. you brushed a light amount of blush on the apples of your cheeks, then swiping a small amount of gloss across your peach colored lips.

you combed your fingers through your hair, then brushing the sides of your dress as you stared in the mirror. after days of dressing in sweats and hoodies, you weren’t used to your glammed up look. 

you hear footsteps coming towards you, followed by a knock on your bathroom door. 

“come in,” you answered, taking a final look at yourself in the mirror, twirling around.

“how long does it take you to— oh,” jaemin said, and you grew a little self conscious of your body, hugging yourself.

“do i look okay? i tried my best to conceal my eyebags, i hope it doesn’t look too bad,” you went on, and jaemin let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.

“you look fine, but can we go? the uber is waiting,” he asks, making puppy dog eyes at you. you pinch his cheek, earning a yelp back from him as he holds his right cheek in pain. 

“yeah yeah, come on you big baby,” you joke, exiting the bathroom and heading towards the front door, slipping on your favorite pair of black heels.

—

your heart is pounding when you and jaemin stand at the front door of the party, the party being hosted by a good friend of yours, jaehyun. a party where all of your friends were, the friends who hadn’t seen you in weeks because they pitied you for being the poor victim of your ex boyfriend’s horrible decision.

the last time your friends had seen you, your eyes were swollen and red from crying, hair disheveled and you reeked of body odor. you stared, music blasting and people talking from beyond the white door. the cold air tickled your arms, forming goosebumps along them.

“we can leave,” jaemin says, turning to you with concern in his eyes. “right now, we can turn around and go grab dinner if you don’t feel like partying, everything is up to you.”

you look to him, shaking your head. “let’s get drunk.”

he grins, twisting the knob open to reveal bodies pressed up against each other, drinks in hands and loud shouts. 

“it feels like we’re back in uni again,” you shout in his ear due to the amount of noise being emitted by people around you. 

“right? can’t believe we’re still 23 and partying!”

you spot familiar faces around the room, people dancing to the beat, and some people dancing completely off beat. warmth was all around you, resulting in all the sweaty people filling the room.

“i’ll get us some drinks,” jaemin stated, and before you could protest, he was out of sight. 

all of a sudden, you felt an overwhelming amount of nostalgia take over you. it was merely the first few months of yours and jeno’s relationship when he began taking you to his friends’ frat parties with you hanging off his arm, bragging about how amazing you were.

you two would get drunk and make out on the stairs, smelling of alcohol. your faces would be red, hands tangling in each other’s hair as your situation would escalate. 

sometimes you two would part, him to go talk to a few of his friends while you went to dance with yours, and he would give you the prettiest smile from across the room. you would teasingly signal for him to come to you with your finger, and he would happily oblige, dancing with his body against yours.

“hey!” jaemin’s voice calls, handing over your drink in a red solo cup.

“what’s in this?” you question, staring at him.

“guess,” he replies.

“hope it’s poison.”

“oh shut up, it’s vodka, straight,” he says, and you look down into the cup that had way too much alcohol in with wide eyes. 

“what? you said let’s get drunk!” he laughs, and you grow a bit nervous. it had been awhile since you last drank, so you weren’t sure if this amount of alcohol would be smart to start with.

but as you began to think about jeno again, you didn’t hesitate to gulp down the liquid, a burning sensation coating your throat as you coughed at the bitter taste.

“holy! you were supposed to just take sips!” jaemin explains with wide eyes, earning a heartedly giggle from you. 

“like i said,” you start, beginning to sway your body to the music, “let’s get drunk!”

as the night continued on, you couldn’t get jeno off your mind. you would grab another drink and chug it down every time you thought of him, and the amount of drinks you had were uncountable.

your vision was impaired, stumbling over your own feet as the party progressed. jeno never left your mind, he was all you could think of — how his lips would drag across your neck, your favorite date where you watched a horror movie at the drive-in movie theatre, the way he wrapped his arms around you that night when you began to get scared.

it was such a perfect night, you buried your head in his chest, one eye being kept open to watch the screen. he kissed your forehead, sweetly reassuring you that it would be alright.

then you remembered what he did — who he did. he left you for someone else. he didn’t even turn back, he let you sit up in your apartment, rethinking every part of your relationship, wondering to yourself, where did i go wrong?

the saddest part was you knew that he probably didn’t care. you knew that he was probably busy with her, the girl who was now the center of his affection.

the longer jeno occupied your thoughts, the sicker you started to feel. your head spun, throbbing as you wobbled around to search for jaemin, whom you lost when you were running to grab your 3rd drink of the night.

you darted to the kitchen, bumping into someone’s chest and muttering a “sorry”.

“y/n? you’re here?” the person said, and you stood still once more. you lifted your head to see jeno’s face, dressed in a blue flannel, white tee, and black skinny jeans.

you nearly melted at the sight of him, nodding as you were speechless.

“how are you?” he asks, eyes softening as they flooded with guilt. you felt like puking at the mere sight of him, you couldn’t put up with this right now.

“i-i’m okay,” you slur your words, cheeks bright red.

“what are you doing here?” he questions again, making you look around in hopes of jaemin spotting you to pull you out of this mess.

“i-i needed to,” you pause, taking a breath in. “stop thinking about you.”

“where’s your girlfriend?” you say, not really knowing why you were still standing here, talking to him.

“she’s in the washroom,” he nods awkwardly, “but y/n — i’m so sorry. i hope you know it was never my intention to hurt you—“

you cut him off, “but you did. because you’re selfish.”

you never realized how much anger you held inside you that was aimed at jeno, only being able to focus on the sadness you felt during the past couple of weeks. now you know, it takes a couple of drinks to let out all the pent up rage you had.

he tries to brush a piece of hair out of your face with his hand, making you slap it away harshly.

“don’t touch me. you lied to me. i thought you were the one, you know? i thought you were gonna be the one i was gonna marry. you are so fucking full of shit, i hate you, you hear me? i fucking hate you, lee jeno!”

throughtout the entire confrontation, he’s silent, and you’re sure that your makeup and hair was a mess, but you didn’t care. your hands were in fists, you may have been completely and utterly wasted, but you did not regret a single thing you said.

“you do not get to ask me how the fuck i am, when you know exactly how i feel right now! you know that you hurt me, so don’t play dumb. you cannot treat me like i am your friend, because you know damn well that i can’t just forget about everything we had and act like you are my friend. fuck you!” you shouted, fighting the urge to throw a punch at jeno’s perfect face.

a hand is placed on your shoulder, making you turn your head to the culprit, jaemin. he looks to you, then to jeno, face full of anger, similar to your own.

“why are you here?” jaemin asks jeno. jeno’s eyes look to you, then to jaemin.

“why are you talking to her?” jaemin shouts over the music, hand lowering to grasp your own. he holds it tightly, squeezing it comfortingly.

jeno looks lost, staring at your hands intertwined. “wait, are you two...”

in the moment, you’re so full of anger and adrenaline, you only cared about one thing; hurting jeno.

“you know what? yeah! and there’s nothing you can do about it!” you grab jaemin’s shirt, pulling him towards you to aggresively kiss him. it seemed like jaemin didn’t care either, kissing back with the same amount of passion as you.

jeno stared dumbfoundedly as he watched his best friend, and his ex-girlfriend, share a kiss right in front of him. you gave an exact amount of zero shits as jaemin’s lips moved in sync with your own, his hands grasping at your waist as yours were placed on the back of his head.

finally pulling away, you turn to jeno who had an unreadable expression on his face. you felt satisfied, giving him the middle finger, then walking away with jaemin’s hand in your own.

“wanna go home?” jaemin asks you, and you nod. your lip gloss was now smeared across of jaemin’s lips, and you were now beginning to register what had just happened.

“i wish you had asked that sooner.”

—

the following morning was full of headaches and the desire to run to the toilet and throw up the remnants of the alcohol that you ingested last night, you were sure that you had more than enough to say goodbye to your liver.

you hadn’t completely forgotten what had happened, only missing some bits and pieces. you recalled seeing jeno, telling him off (not remembering exactly what you said), kissing jaemin, and getting a ride back home.

the night went completely unexpectedly, as all you wanted to do was get drunk and forget, but you ended up getting drunk and remembering. it wasn’t like you were ashamed of how everything went down, but there was a pinch of remorse for using jaemin how you did.

“morning,” jaemin says, knocking on your open door with a smile. you rub your eyes, squinting at the bright sun that entered the blinds, shining throughout your small bedroom.

“what time is it?” you groan, pulling the sheets closer to you.

“nearly 12 pm,” he states, pointing to your alarm clock that sat on your night stand. you sigh, sitting up and rubbing your temples. your entire body ached in pain, your feet sore and your stomach did somersaults, and not in the good way.

you get out of bed, the cold hitting you immediately after you had taken the covers off of yourself. jaemin hands you a glass of water, making you smile, sipping it diligently.

“last night was something, wasn’t it?” he chuckles, watching you slowly drink your water.

“yeah, well, remind me to never do that again.”

“never let you do what? shout ‘i fucking hate you’ to jeno or kiss me? because both were entertaining if you ask me,” jaemin grins. you playfully smack his shoulder, biting down on your lip at the thought of the state of affairs that occurred that night.

“i’m sorry about that, by the way,” you admit, sitting back down on your bed comfortably, “i was drunk and i used you to get back at jeno, it just wasn’t right of me to do.”

“hey hey hey, i’m not complaining,” jaemin expresses, putting his hands up. “in my opinion, it was fun. didn’t feel weird to me.”

“yeah well, everything you do is weird,” you comment, sticking your tongue out at him.

“put that tongue back in your mouth or i’ll kiss you again.”

“shut up!”

your phone buzzes, lighting up. unplugging it, you open your messages and read the texts.

unknown number [12:03 pm] hey

you [12:03 pm] who’s this??

unknown number [12:03 pm] will you block me if i tell you?

you [12:04 pm] depends on who this is lmao

unknown number [12:04 pm] it’s jeno

your body stiffens noticeably, but jaemin had already waltzed out of your room to watch netflix on your tv.

you [12:05 pm] leave me the fuck alone, do you not remember what i said to you last night? i said i fucking hate you.

unknown number [12:05 pm] and you meant that?

you [12:05 pm] every word.

that was a blatant lie you spat out to get jeno to stop messaging you, but it was no use.

unknown number [12:06 pm] we never got to speak about it

you [12:06 pm} we spoke plenty, jeno. how are you even messaging me right now? i’m blocking you. stop trying to contact me.

unknown number [12:07 pm] no, y/n, you spoke. i just listened to everything you said. plus, you still have some of my things and i still have some of yours. we can give them back to each other, and then we can have a proper conversation.

you [12:07 pm] what do you not understand??? i don’t want to talk to you, i don’t want to hear from you, and i don’t want to see you. i don’t care about my belongings, throw them out for all i care.

unknown number [12:08 pm] but i have your necklace too

on your first year anniversary, jeno bought you a necklace. it was simple, a silver chain with a small diamond pendant in the middle. it must have cost him quite a lot, as the jewel was not fake, and you wore it almost all the time. when he gave it to you, he was looking at you with so much love, and you stared at him with sparkles in your eyes.

you [12:09 pm] keep it. give it to her. i don’t want it. BLOCK CONTACT you will no longer receive phone calls, messages, or facetimes from this user.

you stare at the light of your phone screen, tears beginning to fill your eyes. you drop the phone on the floor, climbing back to bed as your heart pounded out of your chest. the room began to fill with your silent cries, tugging the blankets over your head as you kept a hand to your mouth to not worry jaemin.

as you cried, the only thought racing through your mind was “he loves her; not you.”

—

“what should we eat for dinner?” jaemin asks you, munching on a bag of chips on your couch as you come out of your room to sit beside him.

“i have a better question, why are you still in my house?” you reply, faking a sweet smile at him as he continues to chew loudly, a hand draped across the back of your sofa while the other continued to shove handfuls of doritos in his mouth.

“because the moment i leave, you’re gonna crawl back in bed and bawl your eyes out.”

“shut up.”

“nope, i don’t feel like it.”

right now, being around jaemin has improved your much more than your previous days, but the problem was, you knew it was because you were distracted, and not happy. almost every minute of your day, you were left wondering what could’ve been with jeno, if he hadn’t left. he had chosen you.

“i have to do something,” you mumble, getting up from your previous spot, only to have jaemin jump up to follow you, rushing to close the room to your door.

“nuh uh,” he says, “you’re not going in there to cry. you wanna cry? you cry with me. i want to be there so you don’t feel alone.”

you pinch him, his face scrunching up in pain. “i’m not going to cry! i just need to get some stuff and drop it off to a friend.”

“i wanna come.”

“why!?”

“because,” jaemin starts, “i’m bored.”

“yeah, you’re a pain in the ass too,” you retaliate, he gives you a fake frown and you merely scoff.

“who are you visiting?” jaemin asks you curiously, poking at your arm playfully.

“i just really need to return some stuff, doesn’t matter who i’m seeing,” you shrug, opening the door to your room. you grab an empty plastic box, placing it on your bed as you began to gather a few of jeno’s items.

“oh my god, you’re going to see jeno?” he judges, watching you collect his things.

“what makes you say that?”

“y/n,” he chuckles, “i helped jeno pick out that hoodie you’re holding. i know it’s his.”

“be quiet,” you grumble, frowning. jaemin sits down on your bed, watching you intently.

“i can go with you,” he offers sweetly, and you almost forget that jaemin and jeno share a dorm together. “i definitely need a change of clothes.”

“or maybe you could, i don’t know, go back because you live there? i don’t need a babysitter, jaems.”

“okay you’re not wrong, but you need a friend,” he tells you, and he’s definitely got a point there. you spent weeks without socializing before jaemin came to your doorstep, and it would probably be a good thing if he came with you to drop off jeno’s belongings.

you huff, closing the now full box, “fine, you can come.”

—

when you knock on jeno’s door, an odd sense of deja vu overcomes you, and a simmer of regret, as you had told yourself over and over again that you would not be coming back to this very doorstep.

when jeno opens the door, that regret begins to build up, as his hair is messy and he’s standing in his pajamas. you almost smile, but fight it, the same way you fought the thought of getting back together with jeno everyday.

“oh,” he says breathily, eyes widening. you didn’t contact jeno about coming to drop off his things, and in all honesty, you still did not care about your possessions that jeno probably had tucked away neatly somewhere in his closet. you would rather throw them away than have him give them back to you.

jaemin presses his hand to your back, reassuringly. you cough awkwardly, holding out the plastic container and handing it over to jeno.

“i didn’t know you were gonna be here,” he says, taking the box into his own hands. “do you want to come in?”

“no,” jaemin says for you, and you purse your lips. “she doesn’t, but i do. i’m just grabbing some stuff and leaving.”

“oh,” jeno nods, moving out of the way so jaemin can enter, and jaemin purposely hits his shoulder against jeno’s pettily. jeno then looks back at you, who is trying desperately to avoid his gaze.

“y/n, i just wanna say i’m sorry. also, i could go grab your things if you want.”

you lock eyes with him, wanting so badly to just embrace him, and to have him wrap your arms around you and kiss you, as if everything was alright, as if nothing had changed.

“you already said you’re sorry, and i’ve already told you that i don’t want my things,” you say, almost robotically.

“you know i still love you.”

you clench your fists, a cold look on your face, “stop it.”

“just because we aren’t together doesn’t mean i stopped loving you. i-i don’t know, i just.. wanted you to know that. can’t a guy love two girls?”

“i don’t know jeno,” you snap, “you’re telling me that the love you gained for me through the three years we were together is the same as the love you gained with that girl within months? or however long you cheated on me?”

“she was different,” he admits, guilt filling his eyes, “but god, i know it was stupid.”

“yeah, it was fucking stupid of you to ruin a relationship for different. i thought i was different. maybe i’m the stupid one.”

“you’re not stupid,” his eyes soften, and you laugh, masking the pain behind it.

“i’m stupid for ever thinking that what we had could have lasted. i feel so fucking stupid for being oblivious for so long.”

jeno sighs, “is jaemin treating you well?”

you pause, remembering what you told jeno on the night of the party, and how jeno thought that you and jaemin were a couple. you begin to grasp the fact that you may have dug yourself a little lie, and it takes you a moment to think of a reply.

“yeah, he is.”

“surprised you got over me just like that,” jeno replies, and it makes your blood boil.

“you’re one to fucking talk, you got over me while we were still in a relationship,” you remark.

“never said i got over you.”

“then why are you still with her?”

at this point, you’re wondering what the hell is taking jaemin so long to get a damn change of clothes and toiletries, the tension between you and jeno beginning to rise. you tried your best to put up a strong front, when all you wanted to do was be in jeno’s arms again. the worst part was jeno knew you well, and he knew you had a habit of doing that; never wanting to look weak in front of others.

“i don’t know.”

jaemin comes rushing back to the front door, going back to stand next to you, he scowls at jeno. you reach for jaemin’s hand, intertwining it with your own as he looks down at you. he’s confused at first, but then he remembers the kiss, and everything you told jeno.

“i said it once and i’ll say it again; fuck you, lee jeno.”

[kaaytea]

S/O does their makeup

⤷Includes: Akaashi, Kuroo, Bokuto, Sugawara

A/N: wow look I did self insert stuff for once, absolutely wild. I had a blast writing this so enjoy :))

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

Akaashi

The both of you were lying on the couch in the living room, he was lying on top of you while you scrolled through Instagram

You landed on a post with a very pretty, shimmery smoky eye

Inspiration has struck ✨

"Kaashi?"

"hmm?"

"can I do your makeup?"

"..."

"ok"

Tired Akaashi = he really doesn't care as long as he can relax

He gets up off of you and waits for you to return with yo makeup bag

He mayhaps have dozed off for a bit while you were doing his eyebrows

You were just being very gentle with him and he was so relaxed he just-🥺🥺 sleepy boy

You had to wake him up to do his eyeshadow tho and you felt so bad bc he looked so peaceful

He hated the eyeliner

It felt weird and you poked his eye a few times bc he kept moving

3/10 he doesn't recommend not a fun experience

You on the other hand were loving the look rn tho

He had a shimmery black smoky eye w/ some sliver glitter on the lid, and winged liner

Originally you wanted to do lashes too but decided not to for his safety and comfort

"Akaashi I need you to open your mouth slightly"

".....huh?"

"I'm putting your lipstick on"

"ok"

He's so compliant, he knows how happy this is making you so he just rolls with it

When you finish he opens his eyes and looks at you and you just 😳😳

If you thought he was beautiful before he is absolutely gorgeous now

"can I see?"

" OH... uh yeah sure"

You give him a hand held mirror and....he actually really likes how he looks? Never really thought makeup was for him but.... apparently it is bc wOw his brows look good

Has a big smile when he looks back at you

" I really like it"

" I- you don't hate it? Really?"

" of course not, my eyebrows look cool :))"

Only Akaashi Keiji would describe his perfect eyebrows as "cool"

Kuroo

Ha ha a curious kitty

You had just finished organizing your makeup, you had been putting off going through all of it and getting rid of expired/things you didn't use but you finally did it and now everything is v v clean and organized

Little did you know this curious cat had been watching you the whole time from your bed

Literally didn't even know he was there till he spoke to you

"Could you do my makeup?"

"what? You really want me to put makeup on you?"

"yeah, I'm intrigued by it. I wanna know how it feels"

You just kinda shrug, grab a few products and go to sit in front of him on the bed

Doesn't fidget at all, he stays completely still throughout the entire process

Asks alot of questions tho

"what's this do?"

" That's an eyelash curler"

" It looks like a torture device"

At first you were just gonna put some eyeliner on him and give him a fun lip color, but then you added a bit of pink eyeshadow and some gold graphic liner...and some red liner on his lower lash line

Yeah you kinda went wild

He was snooping around in the lil bag you had your single shadows in when you heard him gasp

" is this heart shaped glitter??!!"

"uuh yeah"

"PUT IT ON ME!!"

He's very excited about the glitter 😌😌

You put it high up on his cheek bones/ under his eyes

By some miracle you were able to get lashes on him

He was very happy with how it turned out

" damn I look really hot"

"wait this isn't fair, how come you're like 10x more sexy now :("

"Some people are just born with it babe"

Deff sends a photo to Bokuto and acts like he's trying to slide into his dms

"Hey there big boy, heard you're good at spiking balls, maybe you could hit some other things for me ;))"

"HDJDBSKSJ!!!"

"WAIT WHY DO YOU ACTUALLY LOOK GOOD?? I DONT LIKE THIS!!!"

";))"

Bokuto

He's the one who asked you

He was really bored and just kinda flopped on your bed, it was one of those stormy days where you couldn't go out

He spotted your makeup bag on top of the dresser

Came up to you in the kitchen holding it like 🥺👉👈

"Can you make me pretty like you?"

"you're already pretty Bo"

"But I want to be as pretty as you.."

"....ok sit down"

"🥰🥰"

Will nOt stop moving, he is vErY fidgety

Opens almost every product you have and smells it

Was very excited to find out liquid lipstick smelt like cupcakes

You let him choose what colors he wanted bc of how excited he seemed

Was that a mistake?....maybe but the way his face lit up looking at all the colors was worth it

"YEs!"

"so you want blue eyeshadow with lime green eyeliner and purple lipstick?"

He's just a big puppy let him be 🥺🥺

You had to redo his eyeliner like 3 times bc he kept fidgeting

Liked looking at all the different brushes you had, he also ranked them by their softness level

Picked up one of your blending brushes and booped you on the nose with it

Explaining fake lashes to him is so difficult, he looks at you like you're explaining rocket science

"you just add a bit of glue on here, and then put the lash on your eye. They just make your lashes look really long and full"

"......eye wigs"

"I- no"

He was very excited when you finished

Immediately took on the persona of a rich lady

Was using one of the tote bags you use to carry your groceries as a "purse" and grabbed the small bitchy sunglasses you own

He looked really good

"ok ok, Bo thats enough"

"Sorry what? I don't speak poor person"

Sugawara

Sunday afternoon cuddles with Suga are the best

You guys were both lounging curled up together doing your own things

He was reading a book Ennoshita recommend and you were messing around on your phone

You ended up getting bored so you put your phone down to snuggle closer to him

You just kinda watched him read for a bit, admiring his features

He let out a small sigh and put his book down

"What are you thinking about?"

"Just how pretty you are"

"Well I think you're gorgeous"

He's such a sweetheart 🥺

You guys just kinda enjoy the silence for a bit as he pressed light kisses down your jaw

"Would you let me do your makeup?"

"mmm I don't know..."

"....I'll give you kisses"

"...."

"deal 👀"

Tells you not to do anything too crazy, which is fine with you

You opt for the classic cat eye and red lip 😌

He stays still for the most part but makes you take breaks when doing the eyeliner bc it feels funky

He has a habit of humming so he hums lil songs for you while you work 🥺

Had a blAst playing with your beauty blender, it was like a lil stress ball

He looks v v good with highlighter on, he's just got really nice cheek bones

Sorry babe but fake lashes aren't happening, he will physically resist if you attempt to put them on him

He liked the lipstick tho, it felt nice

You took a picture of him before handing him a mirror new phone background

Was kinda meh about wearing makeup but complimented your skills

He loves encouraging you and praising your skills bro

"you're really good at doing makeup y/n"

"well I'd hope so, I've been doing it for a long time"

"....."

"Can I get my kisses now"

"Of course you can baby"

The kisses were worth the wait :))

[foxfossil]

7, 9, 22, 27, 53, 74?

7. describe your character’s current appearance: clothes, armor, scars they’ve picked up along the journey, etc:

quest is a tiefling!! he's extremely tall (6'9 it was a joke but i cant take it back now), muscular but not bulky, esp ripped in the arms, dark bluish purple skin, glowing white eyes, sharp blackish blue horns that curve up and out from his face that he adorns w thin gold chains&crystals. he's got five pointed star tattoos all up and down his shoulders/neck/sides of face + a septum piercing, an eyebrow piercing, a piercing over the bridge of his nose, and 3 ear piercings on each side. he also has a long tail w four fins on it that i dont? rly know how to describe. ALSO big ol bat/dragon wings tht he has pierced all over.

he has a bag of holding which facilitates him having a DUMB amount of clothing. he wears leather armor of some sort (i should know what kind but i dont lol), and generally dresses pretty opulently underneath it or when he's out of combat. he likes tight pants in bright colors/drop crotch pants made of intensely patterned or shimmery fabric. he wears a lot of like.. halter tops almost, bc of his wings. he's also always decked out in the jewelry he managed to hold onto when his ship went down.

as for scars he has a bunch of em from old battles up and down his arms, legs, and torso. but the most prevalent one is his gunshot wound at his left side / through his leg wing.

OK THT WAS RLY LONG

9. what deity, if any, does your character worship? what’s their opinion on other people’s worship?

he's never had a god, but he has a patron now. he always considered gods to be useless, or at least too complicated to be worth getting involved w lmao. it honestly wasn't until this adventuring party that he decided gods can be useful + important in a tangible way. he sees now just how meaningful those relationships can be and is coming to terms w the fact that there are things bigger than him in the world. im definitely angling for him to begin worshipping the luck deity in our campaign! she's the god he feels the most kinship with because he's practically patronized by good luck

22. what animal best represents your character?

UHHH i have NO idea. it's boring but maybe just a big ass dog? lowkey scary as hell, could fuck u up, but is loyal to a fault and loves his friends? oh thats so cheesy oh my god

27. what is your character’s greatest fear? deep, irrational?

deep: being alone / dying alone

irrational: dragons ehehe

53. what is your character’s favorite spell? If they don’t use spells: what is their favorite personal weapon/combat maneuver/skill/etc.?

spell: mirror image orrrrr eldritch blast specifically w his hex ability as the ground work. sword burst also!

weapon: his pact blade, keelhaul !

74. what makes your character feel safe?

people, specifically his friends/crew. he feels safest when he's taking care of/watching over others. he just enjoys being around people. (extroverted king)

also his SWORDS

[ruknowhere]

a few Robert Wrigley poems

IT WAS LIKE THIS

So abundant around camp, the huckleberries

I spilled in the dust just before breakfast

hardly seemed worth picking up and rinsing,

but I thought I should. But in the time

it took me to fetch from the kitchen box

the colander in which I planned to gather

and wash them clean, a pair of cedar waxwings

lit among them and began to feast, heedless

of the dust, and I made no move to shoo them

but moved off downstream to pick more.

By the time I returned they’d disappeared.

You were beginning to stir in the tent,

and by the time you emerged I had two bowls

of berries on the table, bagels toasted

and eggs scrambled, the coffee perked,

and even, in the vase made from a hollow

bone, plugged at the end with a wine cork,

a spray of vivid Indian Paintbrush awaiting.

We were halfway through when you noticed,

on a bare limb of the pine at the edge of the river,

the waxwings seated side-by-side and watching us,

uttering from time to time their brief

and beautiful song, which the field guide says

is a high-pitched whistle—See! See!—

shortly before you saw in the dust,

just south of where we sat, the mosaic of their tracks

and two last berries they missed or abandoned

when I returned. This is the whole story.

After a Rainstorm

Because I have come to the fence at night, the horses arrive also from their ancient stable. They let me stroke their long faces, and I note in the light of the now-merging moon

how they, a Morgan and a Quarter, have been by shake-guttered raindrops spotted around their rumps and thus made Appaloosas, the ancestral horses of this place.

Maybe because it is night, they are nervous, or maybe because they too sense what they have become, they seem to be waiting for me to say something

to whatever ancient spirits might still abide here, that they might awaken from this strange dream, in which there are fences and stables and a man who doesn't know a single word they understand.

Accounting

Burgdorf Hot Springs, Perseids, August, 1982

There was no moon that night, and the moose might have thought that we, naked and heeled together on our innertubes, were a pair of gigantic lily pads.

Then he came through the left-open gate and clomped along the wooden walkway toward us. His antlers shed shadows halfway across the pool.

When he leaped into the five-foot middle depths, he cast a wave that nearly capsized us but paid us no mind at all, thrashing out

and scampering in the cold toward our towels. Instead, he plunged his head again and again into the hot water and flung from his horns

enormous starlit hafts of droplets shimmering, while we shivered in our towels but could not not watch him there, now at the farthest, deepest end,

the water barely reaching his withers. He blew three blasts of breath from his flues and at last clambered out at the meadow end, stepping over a yard-high fence

as though it were a city curb. He stood in the starlight then, steam rising from him like a cape of diaphanous tulle, before he walked

into the meadow itself, among the grazing elk we’d been listening to for an hour, and we dropped our towels and made our way

back to the innertubes and stayed several hours more, making love once, counting seventy-three meteors, nine bull elk bugles, six cow barks, one moose.

Dust

From that hard-rutted, high-line road, the dust billowed up like spindrift behind us, a cloud the color of my skin, slowly ghosting away. I loved the dry poultice a single summer day could be in the mountains, even these mountains, heavily timbered and ripped again and again for their logs. I loved the dust as fine as flour, settled in wind rows and sometimes— in a low, exposed spot on a south-facing slope— drifted over the road like a waterless pool, a swamp of bones and dead men’s breath, untracked and hot as fresh ash. And it is a fact that we usually exploded into such places like children, laughing, while the dust chased us along the road. But there was one dry wash we stopped for: lake-sized, the pure dun from moth wings troweled smooth as glass. It was a miracle we waded into past our knees, a hot bath of earth you swore we could swim through, so we did, and it poured into us like sun, like music, and we rose on that other shore changed, our clothes, our hair, our hands, our lips altogether earth. That day, we learned again the easy worth of motion, the truck a dead sea away, idling, shimmery with heat, and in every way the antithesis of mountains, their imperceptible dance, their purity of waiting, those certainties we see as chance.

Dark Forest

. . . and then, in dreaming, The clouds methought would open and show riches Ready to drop upon me, that, when I waked, I cried to dream again.         -CALIBAN

I love the way the woods arrange themselves for my convenience: here's the stob

I hang my pants on and here the shrub I nestle my still warm

underwear over, out of each leg hole a leaf like an almond eye, one black

fly strolling the vent like a big city boardwalk. And see how my shirt flung up

is the residue of flame, a long smoke fading in the weeds.

I hear my boots go running, though they will not go far down that ravine:

they miss my socks, one fist-sized stone in the toes and thrown.

I'm ready now, dark forest. Bring on your snakes and bears,

your coyotes singing praises to my pink and nearly hairless flanks.

Bring on the icy night, the cocktail stars, the flamboyant, androgynous sun going down.

Let me soles go bloody through the puncture weeds and shards,

let my legs be slashed by thorns: I will follow my old compass, slouching

toward the north. I will paint myself in the mud wallows of elk and make my skin

a new brown thing. Give my eyes to the ravens, my heart to the ungainly buzzard, its head

gone red over all the earth's unaccountable cadavers, liberator of the dust.

I bequeath my clothes to the unraveling jays and I will, if I should survive the night,

rise reborn, my opposable thumbs surrendered to the palms, to find

in a snowmelt puddle, a draught of the same old wretched light,

seeing as the water stills at last the man I refuse to be.

The Other World

So here is the old buck who all winter long had traveled with the does and yearlings, with the fawns just past their spots, and who had hung back, walking where the others had walked, eating what they had left, and who had struck now and then a pose against the wind, against a twig-snap or the way the light came slinking among the trees.

Here is the mangled ear and the twisted, hindering leg. Here, already bearing him away among the last drifts of snow and the nightly hard freezes, is a line of tiny ants, making its way from the cave of the right eye, over the steep occipital ridge, across the moonscape, shed-horn medallion and through the valley of the ear's cloven shadow to the ground, where among the staves of shed needles and the red earthy wine they carry him bit by gnawn bit into another world.

[lapuswolf]

Skylanders Prompts 1

Day One: Questioning (This isn’t really “struggling” about something, but I thought this would be cute anyways. Also I’m going to try and connect all the prompts, like one long continuous story)

@cyberstarfox @skylander-prompts

Warning: Small language and long post. (I’m on mobile so I can’t change it..)

Blades Finds Love?

“Could be better.” He huffed in his gruff tone. “Y’know it’s pride month right?” Blades rolled his eyes making Five frown. “This means you could totally get somebody. I’m tired of watching you be so lonely all the time. As your friend, I will be your wingman. Literally.” He fluttered two of his wings.

“Thanks mate, but I already have all the ladies!” He stood up proudly, opening his wings to show the underside. “Everyone loves me!” He looked over and winked at a passing dragon, Flashwing. Just as he thought, she giggled and waved her tail before trotting over to Bash and Terrafin. “See? I could totally get any girl I please! Even a dude! I can be gay.”

Five grimaced slightly. “Gooood to know. Just saying, Flashwing is off limits. She’s with, Bash and just about every other dragon as someone. And if your trying to be gay, don’t look at me. Not interested.” Blades frowned slightly before looking around the area again. That’s when he saw her. A beautiful finned water dragon. Echo. “Oh no, no no no. Don’t be thinking about Echo. Y’know how she is about relationships! She’s asexual! And imagine a playboy like YOU trying to flirt with her!” Five hissed.

Blades grinned over to Five. “I take that as a compliment. Besides I like a good challenge. I’ll just use my good looks and charm to get her swooned!” Five could only stare in horror. He knew how terribly this would tumble downhill. Blades made his way over to the dragon and puffed his chest, and opened his wings a bit. “Greetings, Echo. Fine day it is, isn’t it?”

“Uhm…” Echo turned her head to face Blades. Her bright yellow eyes looked into Blades’. Blades could only stare in her eyes. His wings shifted slightly. “Did you need something?” He faltered, and was no longer confident. His heart practically melted but he tried to stay strong.

“I-I-I uh.” He stammered, mentally cursing at himself. What the bloody hell is wrong with me? Just ask her out! “I was w-wondering I’d like you dinner go s-somewhere me with? Uh…” Echo stared in confusion. Blades took in a deep breath. “Wouldyouliketogoonadatwwithme?”

Echo’s eyes widened before she snorted. “Haha? That’s a joke right? Cause this is really funny. You’re just a playboy, I’m surprised your dim brain wanted to ask an asexual out.” Blades’ wings drooped, and his heart ached. More than it should. He couldn’t help but laugh nervously. “Yeah, no. You’re weird. Go find yourself a nice slut, m’Kay?” She turned on her heels before bouncing away.

Blades blinked before slumping down to the ground. His eyes sparkled and watered at the same time. He had no clue what he was feeling. While he was so caught up in his emotions, he didn’t hear High Five coming up behind him. “Yeesh, that sucks man. Better luck next time.” When he didn’t get a response, he leaned his head down to look at Blades’ face. Five blinked before frowning. “Oh, wooow I can’t believe it! You’re in love! Oh my god! Playboy, narcissistic, Blades is in love!”

“I-is that what I’m feeling?” Blades covered his face with his claws. “O-oh wow…” Five was certainly surprised, as he has never seen Blades so hopeless. “I think...I think I am in love….” He stood up and spun around happily. “Didya look at the way she smiled and laughed?! Her voice his like butter! She’s so amazing!”

Five couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Oh boy…” he said sarcastically.

~~~

“Hey! Oh wow! Would ya look at that?” Blades exclaimed, shaking High Five by the shoulders. He tugged away and gave Blades a death glare. “She looked at me!” He smiled dreamily.

“Not anymore when you act like that.” Five mused before he was shoved down into a bush. “What the— Blades! What are you doing?!” A fake mustache was slapped onto his face. He blinked confusingly, before turning over to his friends. Blades also had a fake mustache, and a pair of black shades. “What the actual hell.”

“It’s our disguises!”

“For what?! What are we even doing?!”

“Checking out the competition! Look.” Blades pointed a claw over to Echo, who was talking with another water skylander. “Who does he think he is?! Zap shouldn’t be allowed to hang out with her! Only I can.”

Five shivered slightly as he heard what Blades said. “First off, I’m getting serious yandere vibes right now. Secondly, aren’t Zap and Echo cousins or something?” (It's a headcanon of mine)

Blades lifted off his shades and narrowed his eyes, “Mother of god…” He tosses the glasses on the ground and pulled off his mustache. He sighed to himself and watched Echo laugh with Zap. The way she wailed out in laughter really made his heart flutter. He really did like her. His thoughts were interrupted as he saw something move in the distance. He turned his head and his eyes widened. A giant ball of bright energy came swooshing forward. “Echo! Look out!” He cried before he kept out of the bush.

Echo was quite surprised to see a fellow dragon randomly jump out of the bushes. That when she realized what he was doing. He opened his wings and used them as a shield. The golden light slammed against him. His body slowly turned into gold, and he muttered something under his breath. Echo watched in horror as Blades was now a gold statue. “Holy smokes!” Zap screamed. “GOLDEN QUEEN IS HERE!”

“I’ll sound the alarm!” High five called out before he used his power to zip away. Zap growled and his mouth filled up with lightning, and Echo readied herself.

“Ahaha, oh how sweet. The pathetic dragon sacrificed himself!” Golden Queen appeared and spun her staff around. She smirked before speaking again. “What a useless bunch of skylanders!” She cackled.

Echo raised an eyebrow. “Why are you alone? Where’s the rest of the Doom Raiders?!”

“They’re all trapped in CloudCracker Prison!” Golden Queen grumbled. “I was lucky enough to not get captured…”

“For some reason I don’t believe you.” Zap hissed. Golden scowled before sending a beam of light. Zap helped as he jumped away, barely missing the blast. He growled before sending a blast of lightly back at her. She easily dodged and laughed.

“You are all pathetic!” She boomed and was preparing for another attack. Suddenly there was a large cracking noise. Everyone turned to the Blades’ golden statue. It cracked and a giant burst of light appeared. Blades appeared and his scales glistened. He had summoned his legendary armor, and his scales were a shimmery gold and blue. “You’re a legendary?!” Golden exclaimed.

“You sure bet I am!” Blades chuckled before he spun around. A giant tornado appeared, spinning a handful of tiny swords. Golden cried out in agony, before the tornado swept her up and she was sent flying off the island. Blades couldn’t help but laugh as his armor slowly faded and he turned back to his normal blue color.

He turned around and looked at Echo and Zap. Zap’s mouth hung open, while Echo was frozen in shock. She shook her head and she smiled slightly. She carefully bounced over to Blades and nudged him. “So, what about that date?”

“H-huh?” Blades flushed, his wings, becoming stone. “Y-you want to go on a date? With me? Why me? I thought you were asexual? And you hated playboys!”

“I am, I despise playboys. But I love heroes.” She smiled and looked over where Golden Queen fell. “You save my life, I have to pay you back somehow.” She chuckled before nuzzling his cheek, “meet you here tomorrow at noon.” She waved her claw before heading back over to Zap and the two walked away.

Blades eyes were wide and he stood there dumbfounded. “Hiyah!” He yelped as he was slammed down onto the ground by a very cold blade. “Die you ugly bad guy!”

“Woah! Freeze! Calm down! That’s Blades! Golden Queen is the bad guy!” High Five called out as he caught up with the super speedy skylander. Freeze Blade sulked slightly and hopped off of Blades. “Speaking of the Doom Raider, where is she?”

“I defeated her.” Blades huffed as he stood back up, flapping his wings to heat them up. “I had this awesome heroic moment where I broke free of her power with my superior legendary armor. Then Echo asked me out. Who knew that to get the girl of your dreams all you needed to do was be in a life threatening situation with a Doom Raider.”

Freeze was oddly confused at what as going on and tilted his head in confusion. Five just sighed and frowned. “He’ll never learn...will he…”

[frankierising-blog]

Lair Review for Cov

@cov-rising I’m sorry, I had to cut this one short because it is somehow now 6:30am and I need to start wrapping up to finish my shift!!

First Impressions:

Okay, wow. From your front page I thought I was going to be blasted to death by pinks and cuteness, but this is actually a pretty cool, relatively varied lair!! I like it!

Honey

Is this your Progen!? If it’s not, I basically hate you. Honey is GORGEOUS!! HOT DIGGETTY DAMN! Al those golds and yellows, absolute perfection!!I love the subtle greens in Sylvan Apparel and the Peace Dove! It blends in really nicely! And of course, matches the sprite perfectly!

I like that you’ve managed to keep the bulk of it within the yellow/gold range without making it look tacky or cluttered! Very, very well done! The accent compliments it all perfectly! LOVE IT!!!

Neria

Stop, STOP! What a perfect Mate for Honey! This is fantastic! The oranges and the golds with the contrast of the Midnight! The Candles match the midnight perfectly, I love it! I do feel like this one is not quite as perfectly balanced as Honey, but that kind of makes sense! If they’re both perfect then it would probably look more like twins!

Do you have any character or lore for these? Are they actually a pair or am I making incorrect assumptions? Also, the Reaper kind of makes it look like Neria is the more sinister of the pair, or maybe has a darker history, is this a correct impression?

Lucian

Lucian, stop. No. This is freaking amazing! The colours, the Iri/Shim/Thyla that actually WORKS! I don’t know if I’ve seen that before! That accent is freaking PERFECT! I feel like the Golden Wing Silks doesn’t match quite as perfectly as I’d like, but there’s definitely nothing wrong with it! I wonder what he’d look like with the matching Ember dress and then more exposed wings? IDK my lair is a freaking mess so wtf do I know?

 Love the Mith familiar with him, too! The purples in it are dang spot on! And so much gorgeous art! LOOOOVE!!!! But gurl, even if you don’t write lore yourself – if you can spend that much commissioning art, COMISSION SOME DANG LORE – IT’S KILLING ME NOT KNOWING WHAT HE’S ABOUT! Get on that. My interest is now your No.1 priority, KTHXBAI

Atlas

“Atlas is a smart philosopher man with a beard and a bird” THAT IS THE BEST SENTENCE I HAVE EVER READ ON THIS DAMN SITE! 10/10 WOULD READ AGAIN!

Atlas looks PERFECT! He’s like this well-read, learned old kook who’s always got his nose in some book, tome or scroll. The Ethereal Ribbons really look like he’s gotten himself tangled up in some long, ancient scroll he was reading and just couldn’t be bothered untangling himself.

I get the impression he doesn’t even realise there’s a cat on his head, he’s just busy thinking about where he left that book he’d borrowed from some ancient library or temple that he seems to have misplaced.

But gurl, he is a philosopher with a beard, why is he covered in flower petals? Wouldn’t that piss him off? OR IS THAT PESKY BIRD GIVING HIM HELL!? IS THAT HOW HE GOT TANGLED IN THE SCROLL!?

Tea

Tea seems like she’d be the head of the clan…. But she’s not at the front – I always just assume that’s where the head goes.

So I have decided that Tea is not the leader, but is extremely up herself. Flaunting her golden spoils. Just look at the snobby way she’s got her head turned to get more light on her face, and that self-important smile.

JOKES ON YOU, TEA, THAT BIRD LOOKS LIKE IT’S ABOUT TO NEST IN YOUR PRECIOUS CROWN!! HA!

But seriously, I really love how nice and subtle this is.  Tea has this almost oxymoronic shimmery, pastel look about her, I really dig it!

Essence

Um, excuse me, I’m pretty sure someone vomited pretty things on a gorgeous GenOne. IT’S A DOUBLE BLUSH, WHY IS IT COVERED IN LEAVES!!!

Okay, but seriously, I LOVE the colours, and Daisy Flowerfall, Crown and Peace Dove look absolutely FANTASTIC but I just wonder if the golds are a little too light against the Blush. Or is that something that changes once the gene-ing is finished?

 Also, I just learned that a Pink-Tail Mole exists so thank you for that! It also looks fantastic with Essence’s colours! :)

Blossom

Why stop at 2 Flowerfalls? Why not get the Violet one going? While you’re at it – chuck some snowflakes and fire in there too! Screw it, grab those Festival Butterflies! Let’s just go all in here!

But seriously, dayum, you’re fond of the Flowerfalls, haha!

I actually really love Blossom! Especially the greens to compliment the Blush. 33KG HOLY FREAKING CRAP OKAY PUT ALL THE FLOWERFALLS, PUT EVERYTHING ON THIS OH MY GOD. JUST SELL EVERY OTHER DRAGON AND GIVE THIS EVERYTHING BECAUSE WOWEE THAT’S AN EXPENSIVE BABBY!

Were the Witch’s Cobwebs supposed to look like Moss? I hope so because that’s exactly what I see! Birds and moss and flowers floating in the breeze, little white butterflies resting on his limbs. Freaking gorgeous!

I don’t like the tail rings but I think that has more to do with the fact that I don’t like them in general! YOU MATCHED THE SPEEDY WITH  HIM SO WELL! I LOVE THIS!!!

Bloom

Holy freaking cow. That is a lot of pretty things on one pretty, pretty Wildclaw! The Sylvan Wings and the Alchemist Tools work SO WELL together, holy crap! They compliment the Pistachio and the Spined Cobra SO MUCH!!!

I love the way the accent looks on the legs! I just wish there was some way to break up the green on the tail a bit? IDK

But uhm… I don’t mean to alarm you, but I think a tacky feather boa has somehow connected itself to this gorgeous masterpiece’s tail? :P

Honeysuckle

Okay, I actually really like the River Royalist Tail Rings on this one! Maybe I’m just extremely picky!! Honeysuckle looks absolutely fantastic!! Look how nicely the green highlights in butterfly work with the green in Spring’s Breath! The only thing that will forever shit me about Springs Breath is that green petal right on his thigh. WHY THIS, SPRING’S BREATH!?

I’m REALLY impressed by your Familiar matching skills, too, you got the yellows, golds and greens spot on! Also, your GenOnes in general are… decadent *Drools*

Dahlia

A dragon representations of the Tumblr Aesthetic

Allium

The Tumblr Aesthetic going through it’s SLIGHTLY edgy animal print phase

Hydrangea

Okay, so I like to make fun of girly things that I secretly love and that whole row are absolutely STUNNING but Hydrangea takes the damn cake!!! For one – way to nail Piebald! I haven’t seen Piebald properly utilized in a fairly long time so it’s really impressive how much you’ve nailed it! PLUS the wings of the fairies make it look like you’ve got Thylacine-like markings that actually spill into the secondary field and the tie the Skys in nicely! This is absolutely amazing!! I really love the tiny bits of gold from the Sky Blue Silks and the very discrete Clawtips! I didn’t even notice those till just now, THIS IS ACTUALLY PERFECTION, HOLY CRAP!!!!!!

Amity

Yet again, you’ve managed to match your familiar PERFECTLY! Amity is STUNNNNNNIIIINNNNNGGGG!!! What are your plans for the primary? I kind of hope you ditch the sylvan on it’s neck and chuck in another Piebald HINT HINT!!! But again, customisation is lovely AND I SEE YOU’RE BRANCHING OUT A LITTLE WITH YOUR DUAL FLOWERFALLS NOW!

I really love how discretely complimentary the Cobwebs are, and what a surprise it is when you finally notice the Tail Jewel, so many hidden little treasures here! I love it!

Laurel

Get out. You have no business here anymore. I’ma need you to just pack your things and exit this site, this is too much. You have too many amazing gems in here (that I’m sure you worked extremely hard for, but I’m still going to be ridiculously jealous!)

 How GREAT does Oilslick look with the cream!? It’s perfect! Like, if the Tert was much darker than that, it might have come off a little too Pastel Goth and then seemed forced with the Antique Lace, but Oilslick Glimmer comes out just brown enough and with just enough highlight to perfectly compliment the antique and cream! LOOOOVE IT!

 And once again you’ve matched the familiar freaking perfectly, even the Accent creates the ultimate perfect match!

Laurel is gorgeous to the point that I feel like you could make a real life porceline statue and people would display it in there homes or gardens loll.

OH AND YES, I SEE YOU SNEAKY ICE EYES BRINGING ALL THE BLUES IN.

You are a freaking ARTIST with these customisations, dayum!

[lonestorm]

The Inugami - Short 3: Shippo

Summary: When Kagome Higurashi moved to the bad side of Chicago to help with her grandfather’s restaurant, she expected chaos. Being thrown into a fake gang, caught in the middle of a drug war and grudge that stretches centuries back in time, befriending a grumpy half demon along with a ragtag bunch of three other misfits… wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. High school AU. Inukag.

Rating: T (some language)

Pairings: Inukag, Mirsan

Chapters: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 |  Ch. 10 | Ch. 11

Shorts: 1. Sesshomaru | 2. Miroku | 3. Shippo

**Also on ff.net here.

Who would’ve guessed that some grumpy-asshole-dadfriend like Inuyasha would be so freaking loaded?

Shippo’s mouth dropped open when the Inugami filed into Inuyasha’s flat, gazing around at the massive TV, shimmery, new appliances, tall ceilings, Chicago skyline stretching to Lake Michigan view out of floor to ceiling windows, polished, wood floors…

“I can’t believe,” Shippo finally muttered, aghast, as Sango and Miroku gaped beside him, “that you refused to pay for my dinner last week, you rich bastard.”

Shippo ducked Inuyasha’s swing and wandered over to set his backpack beside the shiny countertop opposite the deep, double sided sink.

“No time for gawking,” Inuyasha barked at them. “Miroku, you’ve got about a week to teach Kagome how to blast people with her miko powers, so let’s head to the gym.”

“Of course you have a gym in your house. That’s normal. That’s not Batmanish or anything,” said Miroku, dropping his backpack by Shippo’s.

Kagome laughed, causing Inuyasha’s scowl to cease and a rather hazy smile appear. Ugh, honestly, those two were so nauseating. He had a love and hate relationship with that nausea. Shippo had, many a time, considered forging them a marriage certificate.

Inuyasha led them to the end of the hall, where the door opened to a gym with a cushy floor, marked with sparring mats, punching bags, and weapons hung on the wall. Shippo kind of doubted they were just for decoration.

He was jarred out of his observation by Inuyasha grabbing his upper arm. “You. Runt. Drop down and gimme thirty while they start. These excuses for arms of yours are twiggy and gonna be snapped against Spiders.”

With a glare, Shippo’s foxfire lashed out of his arm, causing Inuyasha to let go with a hiss. “Since when are you my personal trainer?”

“Since when are you strong enough to make a hit that will do more than tickle me in a spar, huh? You’re in my gym and while we’re here, we’re gonna get ready to storm Naraku’s crib just like Kagome is. Drop down. Gimme forty. Then punching bags.”

Rolling her eyes, Sango came to his rescue. “C’mon, Shippo. Let’s see who can get to thirty fastest. You, me, or Inuyasha.”

Kagome was already near the firing range, having just set up the gun targets for practice. Miroku was quietly explaining something to her, gesturing up his body with purple light drifting from his fingers. She nodded, and they sat, beginning to meditate.

With a sigh, Shippo finally dropped down to the mat in front of him with Sango and Inuyasha to his right. The challenge from Sango had made Inuyasha’s eyes light up in fiery competition.

“Ready,” Sango said slowly, “set… go!”

Shippo screwed up his face in determination; he was stronger than he looked! He was a fox demon… and, well, he was competing with a powerful half dog demon and a demon slayer.

Inuyasha won. Barely. By a second. Or two. Nothing Inuyasha should’ve been smirking about. Of course, he was anyway.

Scowling, Shippo absently followed Inuyasha and Sango to the punching bags. Miroku and Kagome were just standing up from their meditation now, Miroku indicating how to hold out her hand to best channel her power.

Inuyasha had decided, while he’d been trying to escape the hospital again, that Kagome had to learn to use her powers before they asked the Wolves for help and went through with Shippo’s plan. Just for basic attack purposes; apparently barriers were too advanced to learn in a week, but according to Miroku, she should be able to learn purification energy blasting at demons quickly enough.

“She’ll be able to protect herself better,” Inuyasha had said. “She’s very powerful and has the right to fight with all her strength, just like the rest of us.”

AKA, Inuyasha was an overprotective dork about Kagome. Nothing new.

“Remember that nine-step boxing technique I was talking about earlier, Shippo?” Shippo only heard what was being said to him when he remembered that first, to annoy or roast Inuyasha, you had to actually listen to what he said sometimes.

“No,” Shippo said, “I’ve developed this useful habit of tuning you out.”

Of course he remembered the boxing technique. But as if he’d ever admit to seeing Inuyasha as having useful advice or being something close to, like, a father or brother figure. Nah.

Inuyasha made a satisfying, pissed-off huff, crinkling up his nose and everything, before saying, “For frick’s sake… okay, the stance you know at least, right? Left foot forward, balance your weight-”

Shippo was just positioning his feet like so when Inuyasha was cut off by an explosion.

Shippo cried out, ducking his head instinctively as pink light burst into a heat shockwave that blasted the wall to their left into oblivion. It sent brick flying, Miroku and Kagome stumbling to the floor, Sango letting out a shriek, and Inuyasha grabbing Shippo by the back of the shirt. Shippo was shoved behind Inuyasha, where clawed hands kept him firmly while a brick tore through the spot he’d just been standing.

Miroku, bless his quick reactions, had put his hands together to create a barrier, stopping the debris from raining on the citizens below. People on the streets were staring and gasping up at the hole in the side of the tall building, how the purple light was pulling up all the rock to the inside, where Miroku dropped it in the corner. He was panting, and lowered his hands. Luckily, Miroku was mostly uninjured; he only sported some cuts and red spots of skin that would become bruises, from where he’d thrown his arms up over his face.

Kagome was staring at the wall in abject horror, on her feet now and only as hurt as Miroku; apparently, most of the explosion had just been directed outward.

Peeking out from behind Inuyasha, Shippo squeaked, “Kagome? Are you okay? Miroku?

“Fine,” they chorused tightly.

Nodding, Shippo asked hesitantly, “Um, Kagome? Was that… you?”

Sango walked over to the hole, eyes wide as she examined the wall. Shippo followed her, eyes locked on the smoking edges of the hole that was about six by six feet. “Well… I take it something went a little wrong,” guessed Sango.

“A little wrong?” Kagome choked. “I bombed Inuyasha’s house!”

“Well,” Miroku tried, voice high and strained. “Your aim was decent.”

Finally, the group turned their gazes to Inuyasha, who was staring at the wreck with an unreadable expression. He almost looked as blank and unnerving as his brother.

“I-Inuyasha?” said Kagome tentatively. “I’m really sorry! I’ll do anything I can to make it up to you! It was a complete accident, I swear.”

He didn’t exactly look upset. Instead, he turned towards the door and began to stride away. Wincing in apprehension, the Inugami hurried after him.

In the kitchen, Inuyasha stopped and tugged a pamphlet from the magnetic side of the refrigerator. Nonchalantly, while glancing at the paper, he began to dial a number on his phone.

“Inuyasha?” Sango, this time. “Are you… mad?”

He held up the phone to his ear. “Shh.”

They obediently stayed silent. It wasn’t as if the Inugami usually took any orders from Inuyasha, but… they had just kinda destroyed part of his house.

“Hey,” Inuyasha said, once the call was answered. “Yeah, three large deep dish, two of them meat and more meat, one of them chicken sausage deluxe. Also, an order of cheesy garlic bread, mozzarella triangles, loaded potato fritters, and chicken wings, and then could you do a root beer bottle and an entire triple layer chocolate cake from the catering menu? Big tip and I can pay, I promise. You can? Great. Thanks. Yeah, I know it’ll be a wait. Sorry about the sudden, huge order. It’s okay. I’ll still be alive for about five hours. Nah, I’m not in the hospital. No, you don’t need to call the police. That would be extremely counterproductive. No, you don’t want to know. Thank you for caring about my wellbeing more than everyone except my dead mother in my shitty childhood.” Inuyasha gave his address and hung up.

“So…” Miroku trailed off. “Your wall gets blown up, and you order pizza?”

“I refuse to die without feasting on Giordano’s one last time,” Inuyasha said.

“Die?” Kagome said, blinking.

“When my brother gets home in about five hours and sees that wall, he’ll revert to a fratricidal maniac, and tonight is New Moon. It’s over. You’ll have to defeat Naraku without me.” He wandered to the couch and slouched into it like he’d never move again. “Avatar: The Last Airbender, anyone?”

It was Shippo who shrugged, and threw himself down next to Inuyasha. “Ember Island Players. Best episode first. Put in some popcorn, would you, Miroku?”

(It wasn’t until halfway through the second pizza in which Shippo asked Miroku, “Does putting your hands together help you focus to make your barrier, Miroku, like you did in the gym today? Any way you put them together?”

“Yes, any way. Strange, but true. Why?”

“Do you have any excuse for making the hand sign for a shadow clone?”

“...I do not.”)