#i hope you've had a wonderful day whether you celebrate or not and know that i'm sending you so many kisses right now it's obscene

[hopeinthebox]

i love your spotify playlists so much 🫶🏻

i hope this is not too forward, but will you marry me

[kingkat12]

say it (roman godfrey x reader)

WARNINGS: 18+, mentions of sex, jealousy-schemes, depictions of violence, blood, angst, fluff, Roman using his powers for no good as always

summary: many questions have been left unanswered-- is Roman really going to take revenge on the girls that hurt you, and will the avalanche of events lead him to finally tell you the words you've been longing to hear?

word count: 9,208 (holy fuck)

PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6, PART 7, PART 8, PART 9, PART 10

a/n: celebrating 400 followers (???) with an extra long chapter!! thank you all again for the support of this series!! all the comments have warmed my heaaarttt omg hope you enjoy!!!<3333 love u!!

Roman had always been highly unpredictable-- but this, I should've expected.

My hands trembled as I reached for the brand new phone in my locker, realizing he had bought me the most recent model he could find. As I picked it up, I slowly pried away the attached post-it note;

taking care of things - the one thing I do well

Knowing I had asked him not to do this, I could only sigh as I tucked my new phone away in my pocket. The day had certainly started on an odd note, but my main concern wasn't this-- it was rather the question of what Roman had done after he stormed away from my house that kept my mind occupied. 

Roman could be scary, and I was aware of this. But gifting me a brand new phone for several hundred dollars? It just proved I could never foresee his next moves. This only made me more anxious to learn why he had left my place in such a hurry shortly after seeing the cuts Jasmine had left on the back of my hands. 

As I closed the door to my locker, a group of girls passed me, their whispers catching my attention. I turned around, ready to face off with another group of bitches just like yesterday, all until I realized what they were whispering about. It wasn't me. 

I followed their gazes which were focused on something further down the hall, and it was at this moment that I spotted the man who hadn't answered any of my panicked messages or calls-- instead, he stood talking to Jasmine. 

Thankfully, it seemed to be quite a heated conversation, unlike how he usually spoke to girls. Roman's brows were drawn together in anger, nearing her slowly in his typical tactic of intimidation, clearly telling her off; I stood frozen by my locker, not bothering to suppress my growing smile at the sight. My stomach fluttered with warmth as I realized that he was standing up for me.

... However, my smile quickly faltered as I caught the change in Jasmine's face. Her lips had been pursed, her finger had been drawn forward to point at him in defense, but her whole fight-back demeanor faded within the snap of a second. It was as though she lost all the blood in her face, eyes not blinking as they met Roman's intense gaze-- everything about her state reminded me of mine yesterday, when I suddenly couldn't control my own words when I looked into his eyes and he interrogated me about my wounds. 

I couldn't deny how dangerous Roman looked, watching as he told her one last, short thing, before harshly nudging her shoulder and disappearing out of view.

Jasmine stood by her locker, completely frozen. I wondered whether she was still breathing, all until she finally moved. She slowly turned to stare into her reflection in the mirror she had hung up on her locker, still not blinking. 

I didn't think I could shriek the way I did-- the extent of my voice was something I discovered as Jasmine unexpectedly slammed her head against the mirror, a loud thud echoing through the hall. 

I wasn't the only one who had been caught by surprise, and I watched the people around her jump away in a mix of both fear and shock. 

Jasmine didn't look like herself; her eyes were dull, hollow, as she brought her head to her locker once more, now leaving bloody cracks in the mirror. 

I recognized Jasmine's posse of girls flocking to make their way through the crowds, and Letha appeared almost out of nowhere to grab her and pull her away from her locker. A shrill cry followed from Jasmine, who was clawing at Letha as though possessed. I watched as she fought, yelled-- I couldn't look at it anymore. I couldn't look at the tiny trickle of blood running down her nose, similar to Roman yesterday, or the small shards of glass she had managed to get lodged into her forehead. 

I turned away, clasping a hand over my mouth as I squeezed my eyes shut; something told me that the sight of the whole thing would burn itself into my mind forever.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

Oh, how right I was. I kept replaying the whole scene, but I had oddly enough fixated on something that wasn't the blood-- suddenly, my mind kept replaying how ridiculously hot Roman looked leaned over Jasmine with his intense, big eyes. 

I did my best not to think too much about it. I couldn't; it all brought back thoughts of how soft his lips were against mine.

Speaking of Roman, I didn't expect to talk to him at all today. He still hadn't answered any of my messages, so I assumed he needed time away to cool off.  However, I knew I had him cornered when I accidentally walked into the chemistry lab, catching him in the middle of... an experiment?

This was certainly a new side of Roman which I hadn't seen before-- I had never seen him do anything school-related, as I had gathered he didn't care much for it from our study sessions at Letha's place before everything happened. But here he was, so consumed in whatever he was doing that he didn't acknowledge that I had closed the door, leaving us alone in a confined space.

I pressed my back against the cold door, watching him from afar. Something about how calm he was made me uneasy; why was he so focused? Roman, captivated by the small, compact container before him, kept his eyes on his work as he spoke; "Are you lost?"

My brows drew together as I watched him pour a liquid gel into the container which contained what looked like blood-- he was so meticulous that it gave me an inkling that he had done this several times before. "No," I mumbled, clearing my throat as I fought my queasiness at the sight of his experiment. "What are you doing?"

Roman barely reacted to my question, busy with putting the container into a machine nearby. "Genetic testing,"

"Since when do you know how to do that?"

Annoyed by my continuous interruptions, Roman's gloved hand put the blood-box into the machine and pressed a button to start it, finally looking up to meet my nervous, flickering gaze. "You certainly have a lot of questions today," he huffed, adjusting his protective glasses. "My turn. How are your hands?"

I suddenly became very aware of the cuts on the back of my hands, and my eyes diverted down to watch my thumbs nervously brush over my wounded skin. "They'll heal. I'm not too worried about it," My next inquiry was one I was wary to say, but it became obvious to me that I had to; "I'm more worried about why you stormed off like that last night."

Roman didn't move a muscle, watching me with a blank look on his face. "You told me to go,"

"Come on," I was reminded of what my state had led me to yesterday; the way I wanted to push Roman away, to never see him again. But here I was, standing before him with no greater wish than to run to him. "I was worried sick that you'd do something... You looked like you were ready to kill someone." It was at this moment that I dared to look back at him and suddenly caught a glimpse of the hickey I had left on the side of his throat-- I immediately felt a familiar warmth creep up my cheeks, leaving me with a flustered, reddening expression on my face. "What did you do?"

Roman tilted his head to the side, scanning my state. "I haven't done anything--"

"Then why did you?--"

"Major," Roman bit down on his lower lip, trying to suppress his shameless grin. The familiar spark in his green eyes returned, and I could see it perfectly clear through his protective gear-- no matter how worried his words made me, that look never failed to make the butterflies in my stomach explode all over the place. 

I had to pull myself together, but my voice came out frail and shaky; "You're kidding, right?"

I recognized Roman's wish to remain reactionless and the way he fought the rounding out of his big, green eyes. It seemed to dawn on him that I was genuinely concerned. "... Sure. But what did you think of what happened this morning with Jasmine?"

"What?" That was certainly unexpected-- "Why?" I wanted to ask what he had said to her, but something told me he wouldn't tell me the truth about it anyway. Instead, I opted to find comfort in the fact that he had confronted her for my sake. 

Roman shrugged before his attention moved back to the machine. It was beeping rather obnoxiously, a sound impossible to ignore. He got back to work, pressing a few buttons here and there; "Just wondering. Did it not make you feel good to see her like that?"

I couldn't put my finger on why he was asking these peculiar questions. "Well... No? I was mostly scared. I've never seen anyone have a nervous breakdown before, and I didn't expect something like that to happen to Jasmine,"

"Nervous breakdown," Roman echoed, checking some numbers he had written down on a sheet nearby. Something told me he was upset I wasn't over the moon about it. "Don't you feel like she deserved it?"

It was mind-boggling to hear him talk like this, with such nonchalance about a girl slamming her head bloody-- I had suppressed the memory of this side of him. The inclination to anything pain-related, the scorching look of amusement in his green eyes at the sight of my flaring anxiety, and the infamous fucking needles. How he had gotten hard when seeing how scared I was when we hid from Letha on our first date. 

I hated every reminder of this side of Roman. Hated it. 

"I don't think anyone deserves to be driven to that," I mumbled, picking at my nails out of nervous habit. "I didn't know she was dealing with anything that would lead her to do that. Maybe that's why she acted out yesterday? I hope that's the reason, and not because Letha sent her to do it... " With a sigh, I brought my hands up to rub my temples. "It was so damn scary... The whole thing. And ever since, my head has been hurting like crazy."

Taking in the silence that ensued, Roman tapped the spot next to him on the counter-- come here.

I held my breath as I made my way over with shy steps, hoisting myself up on the cold surface. I watched as Roman removed his gloves along with the protective glasses, now reaching forward to part my legs and make space for himself between them. He listened to the hitch of my breath as he laid his hands on my hips, his calculated gaze scanning mine whilst pulling me towards him. 

By instinct, I rested my hands on his broad shoulders, taking in the moment our breaths became shared. Right now, it was impossible to believe that I had made the wrong choice in choosing him over my friendship with Letha-- something about the tenderness with which he was touching me, told me he was changing right before my eyes. 

With baby steps, of course.

Roman seemed to be taking pity on my state, softly nudging his upturned nose against mine. "Try not to think about it too much," he breathed, watching as I closed my eyes to savour the moment. "Trust that I know how to take care of this."

No, no, no-- "Please don't say that," I pulled away, my hands slowly reaching for his face, searching for the intent behind his eyes. "I know you well enough to know that you're capable of things I don't want to get into, and honestly? You scare me when you say shit like that."

Roman's brows drew together in a troubled look; "I scare you?"

"Yeah," I breathed, stroking my thumbs across his cheeks. "You and your infamous needles and stuff."

A drawn-out groan ensued-- "Again with the fucking needles!--"

"Roman!" My grip on his face hardened in an attempt to keep his focus. I watched his green eyes widen, clearly not used to being handled like that. "Whatever it is, please snap out of it! You can't even tell me that you're into me, but you're ready to go back to being all dark, and for what? My honour?"

Something in Roman's eyes changed-- For once in his life, he was stunned, unable to utter a proper response. 

Overcome by a newfound sense of confidence in his unproclaimed feelings for me, I gently twisted my fingers into the nape of his neck, pulling him in for a soft kiss. Roman let out a relieved sigh against my lips, his grip on my hips tightening as he moved me closer to the edge of the counter, closer to him. 

It took a lot of willpower to disconnect our kiss, the warmth of his touch luring me in. "I'm serious," I said, nudging his nose as I felt his breath hot against my upper lip. "I can stand up for myself--"

"Shut up," Roman's lips came crashing against mine with a hunger I hadn't expected, especially knowing we could be walked in on at any moment. But I gave in, letting his greedy hands travel further to grab my ass, pressing me against him as his tongue moved softly against mine. 

Usually, I'd taste the hints of his cinnamon cigarettes, but today there was nothing-- I knew he didn't smoke the days he knew he had to be focused. There wasn't much time to ponder why, especially now that our kiss heated further.

As I felt Roman drive his teeth into my lower lip, I could only whimper against him. My grip on his hair tightened in an attempt to pull him even closer, but the sharp sting of the tug only fueled Roman's obvious growing need for more. 

It was building in me as well-- in my anxious daze, I had forgotten how good it felt to feel him against me. How thrilling every touch, every kiss, every little breath was. And if anyone had told me a month ago that Roman Godfrey would be grabbing my ass in the chemistry lab, I would've probably fainted; which I struggled not to do right now.

And I knew we would've gone further, beyond all restrictions and rules of the school, had the door not opened with a loud creak.

Squeaking, I pushed Roman away out of pure instinct. He didn't go very far, feet planted to the ground, as his hands trailed down to rest comfortably at my thighs when he met the eyes of the intruder of our moment.

Letha still held onto the doorknob as though her life depended on it, knuckles nearly turning white at the sheer force-- she inhaled sharply, not yet able to exhale. 

I felt like an icicle, frozen by fear on the counter after meeting the eyes of my ex-best friend. Roman's hands on my thighs burned, the realization of being caught in such a compromising position making me want to burst into flames like the witches of Salem. 

Roman took the lead, catching onto the intense staring-contenst which ensued between me and his cousin; "Did you need anything?" he asked, gaze hardening. 

Letha cleared her throat, letting go of the door. I couldn't help but notice the slight shake of her hands. "I need to talk to you, Ro," 

"I don't want to talk," 

She sighed, visibly fed up with her stubborn cousin; "We didn't finish this conversation yesterday. Don't act like we're not still talking because she's here,"

Oh? I held my breath, my nervous gaze moving to Roman. He remained unfazed, but the minuscule twitch of his eye revealed that he didn't enjoy that information being aired out. "What do you want?"

"To talk. It's important," Letha glanced at me once more, an unintelligible emotion glossing over her eyes as she looked back at me; "Could you please leave?"

It took a few seconds before I realized she was talking to me. The coldness in her voice broke my heart all over-- I didn't have the energy to fight her. Uncomfortable and mortified by the situation, I nodded to myself before sliding off the counter, Roman's hand never leaving me. He now held onto my arm, not letting me go just yet. Leaning down to my level, he made sure he had my attention before he spoke in a hushed tone; "My number is already in your phone. Give me a text when you're free for lunch,"

My heart leaped up into the air as Roman pressed his lips against my forehead, the sincerity of the gesture flustering me beyond any previous point-- it was especially meaningful now that he did it in front of Letha. Realizing there was no going back, I got up on my toes to give him a short, soft kiss, feeling the plushness of his lips against mine before making my way to the door.

Passing Letha might've taken less than a second, but it felt like hours. I felt her green eyes burn into me, a sense of shock apparent in her body. We exchanged a short look, and I wondered whether I imagined the look of longing that so clearly streaked across her face; I didn't allow myself to dwell on it.

After closing the door behind me, I realized I had been holding my breath. I took a moment, regaining my composure before I got ready to kick off the door-- all until it dawned on me how clearly I could hear Letha's voice through the wall. My heart stopped, realizing I was about to do something I never thought I'd do; I pressed my ear against the door, mentally beating myself up for doing this.

"I see you guys are still getting along," Letha said, her fingers tapping against the door. "That's longer than any of the other friends you've stolen from me."

Roman groaned-- I didn't need to see him to know that he was rolling his eyes. "Get to the point,"

I drove my body closer to the door to hear them better, hearing Letha stepping away from the other side of it to come closer to her cousin. "Tell me why I had to drive Jasmine to school today because the wheels of her car had been punctured? Or even worse, how she got a note under her bedroom door saying she should watch her back?"

There was a long silence before Roman finally answered, a hint of humor in his voice; "... Maybe she should, then?--"

"Ro, you were in her house! Are you out of your mind?!"

As he groaned, I could almost see his usual annoyed stance and the way he grabbed the surface in front of him as his anger simmered to a boil. "Me? I would be more concerned about your own mind if I were you! Your cunt of a friend would've done it all again in a heartbeat if I hadn't scared her a little!"

Letha gasped; "What are you talking about? You have no right to call her a!--"

"That bitch hurt her!" Roman's fist came down against the counter, the thud making me jump away from the door. "Have you seen the state of her hands? How do you expect me to react when our petty bullshit comes down to this?!" 

I imagined the stunned look across Letha's face, the way her eyes widened as her lips parted, unable to find the right words. Eventually, she spoke; "Jasmine did what?"

I pressed myself harder up against the door, closing my eyes as it dawned on me how concerned Letha sounded. Everything about it made my heart swell with hope-- this meant she hadn't been the one to send Jasmine and her girls. If anything, she sounded horrified about the ordeal.

"Yeah... She did. And when I talked to Jasmine this morning, she seemed quite proud of it. You should be damn happy I didn't kill her on the spot," I heard the humming of the blood machine starting again, along with the snapping of gloves being pulled back on, indicating that Roman was back to work. "But does Jasmine suspect it's me?" he asked, a certain nonchalance about him. "The car and all?"

Letha sighed, trying to contain her outbursts; "She has no idea. And now she's just rambling incoherent things after what happened this morning... I think she's concussed,"

A hum. "Good,"

I clasped a hand over my mouth to suppress a snort. Against my palm, I could feel my growing smile as I realized this confirmed that Roman wasn't motivated to take revenge on Jasmine to quench his thirst to cause fear, but that he cared for me.

He cared for me.

My smile only grew as I stepped away from the door-- He cared for me. He cared for me!

Now, what remained was for Roman to actually own up to it... And I realized I was grinning as the perfect idea of how to get it out of him came to mind. But my plans came to a hard stop when Letha's voice sounded through the door once more; "Whose blood are you using this time?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood. I grimaced as I walked back to the door; I felt bad listening in on their conversation. Still, I imagined Letha was pointing at the machine Roman was using, as it kept making noise. 

"Jasmine's," Roman mumbled. "Got enough scraped off her locker to make a sample."

"Ro, that's not funny!--"

"Why haven't you girls made up yet?"

Letha sounded confused as she mentioned my name, not having foreseen the change of subject. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yeah? It's getting annoying at this point. I thought this would blow over several weeks ago," With another loud beep, Roman stopped the machine. "She talks about you a lot. Gets all quiet when I tell her we're having family dinner at your house... And she still has a picture of you two by her bed."

"Oh, and how do you know that? Did you spot it one of the times you were reaching for the condoms on her nightstand?"

His breathing got harder, choppy, before his frustration sounded through his answer; "It's not like that,"

"Okay, then," Letha snorted, clearly not sold. "I'll put it simply for you. How would you feel if I fucked your best friend?"

"Ew, don't give me that mental image!--"

"Fuck you, just imagine a world where I would be enough of an asshole to do that! Imagine I slept with Peter. How would you feel?"

Roman took his time to answer, clearly flustered. "... I get it, okay? I get it!" 

"No, you don't," I could almost see the way Letha now avoided his gaze. "But... did it have to be her? Why couldn't you mess around with anyone else, why did you choose the first girl I trusted to get close to me after you screwed all my other friends?"

Learning of his previous conquests with Letha's long line of friends made me sick, but I focused on the fact that Roman remained quiet. Honestly, I would've cut off my left arm in exchange for seeing him right now. I wondered whether he could meet her eyes or not, and whether he was defensive or anxious. 

Eventually, Roman answered; "She... sees me. And she makes me feel good about myself. So I'm sorry your bitch-friend got hurt or whatever, but I'm just trying to return the favour,"

I had to do a lot to contain my instinctual jump of joy-- I was two seconds away from skipping down the hallway like a German child in a fairytale. Everything about this conversation made me want to squeal and melt into the door. 

However, the other part of me hurt for Letha. Hurt for the girl who knew me better than anyone else, hurt for the first person to have shown me true friendship. I hoped that we could get together someday, to talk it out like people, and not like the two crazy families from Romeo and Juliet. 

The rest of the conversation quickly became a childish spat similar to one between siblings-- I stepped away from the door, making sure to keep breathing. 

The most important thing I gathered from that conversation was the fact that Roman saw me and that he definitely had feelings for me. However, I couldn't quite put my finger on why he couldn't say it to my face. If he was willing to go so far as to scare off Jasmine for my sake, why couldn't he look me in the eye and tell me what he truly felt about me? I knew it would make me feel much better to get his feelings for me confirmed-- the fact that he was evading it left me uneasy. Uncomfortable. And quite frankly, it only made me further insecure.

What if I had sacrificed my relationship with Letha for someone who would never commit to one with me? 

My mind returned to the plan I previously made up with my ear pressed to the door; maybe Roman just needed a push in the right direction?

Either that, or I had been led on like the biggest idiot of the century.

I couldn't do this anymore-- I needed to know.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

And so, it was all set in motion. 

The first part of the plan was to find out whether it was necessary to have a plan at all. This, I decided to investigate in the backseat of Roman's car. 

It used to be a place that I refused to step foot in after hearing of his cheerleader-conquests. However, right now, it was a place of comfort and peace; he had parked it somewhere desolate, per my request. My parents had gotten suspicious after hearing steps on the roof the other day, and were now watching the whole area around our house like hawks to spot any possible intruders. So, as I didn't want to be caught sneaking a boy into my room, I told Roman to get creative-- and he had hit the jackpot.

This summer night was nice and warm, and we lay curled up in the back of his car as we stared up at the starry sky; this was one of the perks of Roman's car having the function of pulling down the roof. He sat with his back against the car door, me between his legs with my head leaned on his shoulder, the both of us looking up at tonight's constellations decorating the darkness above. 

"I'm not even going to act like I know what that one is," I mumbled, pointing up at the scatter of stars. I wrapped myself further up in his sweater, tracing patterns over the arm he had around me-- the night air was crisp, filled with the earthy scent of grass and the faintest hint of rain as my body filled with a certain satisfaction I hadn't felt in a while.

Roman chuckled, pressing a kiss against my cheek as his arm pulled my back flush against his chest. Like this, I could spot my hair ties still worn around his wrists. "It's the Little Bear constellation," he murmured, his long, slender fingers rubbing circles into my side. "See how it looks like a bear cub?"

I decided not to lie; he'd see right through me, anyway. "... No,"

"No?" Roman reached forward to grab my hand into his, closing one eye to position my hand properly with his vision. "Even if I trace it for you?"

It was impossible not to blush. His hand against mine, his warmth against my skin-- everything about this was so incredibly intimate, and I had to hold myself back from simply jumping him out of pure joy. "I-- Well," It was hard to speak when I was this flustered. I swallowed hard before trying again; "I don't think bears have long tails like that."

Roman seemed amused by my answer; "You make a good point," he purred, gently intertwining our fingers before bringing my hand towards his lips, pressing a kiss against my cuts. "As always."

I only blushed further, not bothering to suppress my smile anymore. Turning to him, I watched his big, green eyes meet mine with a softness that nearly made me melt right into him. "How do you even know all of this?" I asked, leaning my head on his shoulder. "You don't strike me as a constellation nerd."

Roman rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance. Something told me he was charmed by the subtle compliment of his intellect; "Is it hard for you to believe I'm not braindead?"

"Maybe," I turned back towards the stars, hoping he wouldn't spot my grin. "Pretty boys usually don't even know how to count to forty."

Chuckling, Roman nuzzled his cheek against the top of my head, wrapping both arms around me again. "So now I'm pretty, huh?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, deciding to be blunt-- I didn't gain anything by lying to him about it, anyway. Not after everything we had been through. "I think you're really damn pretty."

Something told me he hadn't expected the frankness, or for me to even be truthful at all. Roman remained quiet, taking in the sweetness of the moment. He took the time to kiss my temple, humming against my skin; "I think you're pretty too," he murmured. "Very, very pretty."

There was no way to suppress the blush burning its way up my cheeks, and I closed my eyes to savour the moment he kissed me. Roman was being so gentle, so loving-- I couldn't believe this was the same boy I had been running away from because I was scared he'd prick me with his scary needles. He seemed to notice how flustered I got from the compliment, letting out a warm chuckle as his gaze turned up at the sky again. As he pointed out a new constellation, Roman's voice was laced with a kind of wonder that made me smile; "If you want the full answer, it is the fact that there's something more up there that makes it interesting. Something much bigger than us... Something worth reaching for, y'know? The stars are just a blatant sign,"

I turned to look at him, watching the way his green eyes sparkled almost as brightly as the stars above us. Roman was so painfully beautiful, and so wonderfully at ease-- there was nothing I wanted more than for him to feel this peaceful all the time. I knew it would be good for his soul. 

I wondered whether Roman knew that he was something worth reaching for, as well. 

Everything about this evening made my body feel like gelatin. I couldn't even feel my fingers anymore, engulfed in the euphoria that was Roman. This was the perfect distraction from everything that had happened this week, and I realized it was also the perfect time to set my plan in motion; "So... you're willing to admit I'm pretty, but you're not going to say it?"

"Say what?"

I shrugged, feeling myself grow nervous. Roman was usually the one to mess up cute moments by saying something stupid, but I wondered whether now was my turn. "That you like me,"

However, he remained unfazed-- or, at least he was very good at acting like he was. His silence made me further anxious, now starting to wonder if I was the reason he wasn't able to say it to my face. Maybe he wasn't as into me as I had thought? Maybe this was just how he treated every girl he liked? 

I knew it wasn't, but I realized I was spiraling; I needed him to spell it out for me. I really, really hoped he would-- then I wouldn't have to go that dreaded extra length and go into phase two of my plan.

Roman pressed his lips against the top of my head, clearly lost in thought as he brought me back from mine. "Do you need me to?"

That was a good question-- one I knew the answer of. "I think so, yeah..."

"You need it spelled out?"

"Yeah,"

"Verbatim?"

"Verbatim, Rome,"

The nickname seemed to throw him off; he let out a breathy chuckle, shifting to get a good look at me. "Since when am I Rome to you?"

I shrugged, meeting his green eyes. "Since... now?"

Roman smiled down at me, clearly flattered. "Cute," he breathed, leaning in to place a sweet kiss against my cheek. I giggled as Roman's fingers dug into my skin, pressing me further up against him in a flash of passion-- although this moment was perfect in theory, I knew I hadn't gotten what I wanted out of him tonight, and I dreaded what I had to do because of it.

Quite frankly, I dreaded it mostly because I was very well aware that the second part of my plan was incredibly high-risk. Stupid. Reckless, even.

However, I didn't see any other way of forcing those three words out of Roman that I needed so much. How else was I supposed to prove to myself that I hadn't sacrificed my friendships for nothing?

I dreaded every single step up I took as I made my way through the cafeteria the next day. In my peripheral view, I saw Roman sitting next to his best friend, Peter, chatting away about something as none of them had noticed me yet. It was only when I caught Roman's eyes that my heart started racing-- I watched his confusion build as I started walking in the opposite direction.

Determined, I knew this was the perfect moment to execute the second part of the plan. I did my best to keep my face neutral, hoping not to be visibly bothered by Roman's watchful stare, as I deliberately sat down next to Daniel-- the guy who had flirted with me at an assembly a month ago. 

I specifically chose Daniel because I remembered Roman saying he had noticed me talking to him; I also knew that this guy was the key to making him see the consequences of staying unofficial. 

I didn't need to look at Roman to know he was seething.

Daniel turned to me, putting down his fork. We hadn't talked since I started seeing Roman and stopped responding to his messages-- he was visibly confused, but there was a certain sparkle in his blue eyes that gave away his delight. "Hi?" He quickly turned to his friends who were all staring at us and motioned for them to get back to their own shit. 

"Hey, you," I shifted in my seat, attempting to make myself comfortable whilst Roman's gaze drilled holes into the side of my skull. "Haven't seen you in a hot minute. How are you?" Putting on my nicest smile, I tilted my head a little as I spoke-- that used to work on him. 

Daniel blinked twice, clearly unsure what to say. "Uh... Yeah, of course I haven't seen you, you've been busy with Roman," His eyes darted over to the latter, watching as my very unofficial boyfriend glared daggers his way. "I'm fine now, but I'm afraid I won't be later if you don't move soon."

This had been one of the driving factors of me not falling for Daniel-- this guy was an absolute wuss. I did my best not to roll my eyes, knowing how to rope him back in again; I placed a gentle hand against his arm, rounding out my eyes as Daniel turned back to me. His blonde hair fell over his eyes, a bright contrast to the dark blue of his varsity jacket, as his heart visibly skipped a beat. 

"You want me to move?" I tried, keeping my tone soft as I gave his arm a short squeeze.

In my peripheral view, I caught a glimpse of Roman stiffening in his seat. His green, intense eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, and his fingers tapped impatiently against the table as his mood darkened. That same, unmistakable anger looming over him like a dark cloud worried me-- I knew I didn't have much time to make my point before he'd explode. 

However, distractingly comical, was the sight of Peter next to him, debating whether to put his hand on his best friend's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down; his hand kept jerking back and forth, jumping with every twitch of Roman's eye.

Daniel swallowed hard, his gaze never leaving mine. "Well... You don't have to move," He cleared his throat, giving in to a nervous chuckle. "You're already here, I guess. Pretty as always."

I had to fight my instincts to not throw up in my mouth-- it made me physically ill to flirt with him when I was so sickeningly crazy about Roman. "Oh, you're too kind," I tried, forcing a smile.

Daniel flashed me that typical heartthrob smile of his, finally giving in to my antics. He tilted his head, mimicking me, as his eyes sparkled with want; "Fuck, I've missed seeing you around,"

That seemed to be enough for Roman-- his possessive intensity came to a simmer, boiling over. He kicked away his chair as he got up, an angry groan escaping him as stormed off with balled fists. Peter sent me a sharp look of come on before he left his food behind to follow his best friend.

That was my cue to leave. "I, uh... Sorry," Releasing Daniel's arm with a quickness I didn't know I had in me, I practically jumped out of my seat, allowing myself to shudder when I was out of view. I didn't like touching any other guy like that, but I hoped that Roman would take the time to let it dawn on him that this could be his reality if he didn't step the fuck up.

... I really hoped that would be his conclusion. 

However, it dawned on me that this might've been my biggest misstep so far. I had learned that one of the most important things for Roman, was loyalty-- maybe I shouldn't have toyed with his perception of mine?

Putting it all together, I realized I should've expected it to blow up in my face.

The third and final part of my plan had been simple in my head; Roman would confront me about what had happened in the cafeteria, and then he'd tell me he couldn't stand the sight of me with another man and therefore wants us to be official.

... It seems that I had gotten in over my head.

The exact opposite of that happened. Now, Roman wasn't answering my calls. He would walk past me in the hallway as though I was a ghost, even though the fading hickey on the side of his neck served as a reminder of our time together. I hadn't expected him to ignore me like this, I really hadn't-- he was utterly unforgiving.

It had been three days of no contact. No shared glances, no exchanged words, simply because I got too confident. Why had I thought it would be so easy to get what I wanted? Why had I felt the need to drag a confession out of him when his actions spoke for him?

Roman had made sure none of Letha's friends would touch me again-- or, at least in the near future, seeing as the main instigator was at home with a severe concussion. He had put in a good word for me with Letha, he had bought me a new phone, and he had opened up enough to both accept and enjoy physical affection. Why hadn't I seen it this clearly before I messed it all up?

It all came down to one moment in the hallway. 

Exhausted and alone, I had zoned out like I usually did to distract myself from everything as I rummaged through my locker for my book. My body felt heavy with the sadness coursing through my veins, knowing I had no one anymore. No one. My every moment was slow, not having the energy to hurry much as I spent an unusual amount of time looking for the specific book I needed.

Up until my body froze at the sight to my right.

My head slowly turned to watch what was happening a few meters down the hall. There he was, the man that had haunted my every waking moment, vexed my every thought, with a girl. 

Roman had that classic heartbreaker look about him as always, leaning his hand next to the girl's head against the locker. From this angle, I could see the upward turn of his nose, the way his smirk painted across his lips, and the way his eyes practically sparkled at the sight of his next prey.

The most jarring part about it was the fact that I could still see my hair ties around Roman's wrist as his palm lay flat against the locker behind her, almost as though it was on purpose.

It became downright nauseating when the girl giggled and started twirling her finger around her hair-- I did my best not to throw up my breakfast. Questions raced through my mind, fogging up my brain; why was he doing this here, in front of me? Why was he doing this at all? 

I was sure this was what people meant when speaking of tasting their own medicine.

I stood frozen by my locker, one hand still shoved beneath the rubble of books, as involuntary tears pressed up against my eyes. I tried to ground myself with a few deep breaths, yet the world around me felt as though it was crumbling. All these games were so damn childish from the both of us; when would it end? I was living through my worst nightmare, and it became a hundred times worse when I realized I had been warned about this before by Roman himself.

I was reminded of the first night we kissed in that closet during seven minutes of heaven;

Roman stilled, eventually letting out a hum which sent a shiver down my spine. "You know nothing about nightmares," he breathed against my lips. "If I tell Letha we fucked in here, you'll be living through your worst one."

Oh, if only he'd known how right he was. Now I had no one to run to, no one to seek comfort from, all because of my own stupidity. Not only had I managed to lose all my friends, but now I had lost the one thing I had sacrificed everything for; Roman.

A pit formed in my stomach as I watched him lean closer to her, laughter dancing between them. Didn't he know how much that hurt? Didn't he see me standing here, shattered? I was so lost in the shock, that when Roman turned to face me, revealing that he knew exactly where I was and that I was watching, I barely registered it. My eyes had welled up in tears, looking completely shell-shocked as I watched his smirk immediately falter at the sight of my watery gaze.

In a flash of action, I slammed my locker shut, not bothering to look for my book anymore. I needed to get away. Now.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

When I got home that same day, I had expected to be left in peace-- that was the most logical conclusion. My parents were at a loss with what to do with me, and of course I had no friends reaching out to check up on me. I was quite sure I had hit the lowest of the low, simply sinking into a state of forced apathy as I lay with my face down into my pillow, spreading out on my bed wearing Roman's enormous sweater. I was quite sure I had been like this for hours, not getting up, not eating-- I didn't care anymore.

I couldn't care; it would break me. Just like that sight of Roman with that girl. 

I touched my neck, feeling the soreness of my fading hickeys as lightning struck outside. There were barely any traces now, and the realization that they would be gone in a day or two hit me like a truck. Thankfully, I didn't have many tears left in my body. I lay in the coldness of the puddle of grief I had left on my pillow, shivering as it dawned on me that I might never feel Roman's lips against mine again. Never feel his hands around my waist, never be in the back of his car, and never get to lay in his arms ever again. As the heavy rain continued to tap against my window, every drop felt like a reminder of the moments we'd shared, slipping away.

I remembered that first time Roman smiled at me in class. Every memory came to me; the rush of excitement coursing through my veins during our first kiss, the feeling of laughing with him at that café on our first date, and the way I would sometimes wake up to Roman's arm tightly wrapped around me in a protective, loving embrace. He wanted to hold me, even in sleep. 

He wanted me. Roman Godfrey wanted me, and I threw it all away because of my incessant need for him to commit.

And just as I was about to choke out any remaining tears, I heard a knock at my door. I didn't care to move, knowing my parents knew of my state, as my words got muffled against my pillow; "What is it? I'm not having dinner!"

"That's not it," My parents seemed to be whispering between themselves before one of them continued; "Sweetie... there's a boy for you at the door."

I bounced off of the bed as though I had heard a gunshot, and I landed on the floor with a groan as I crashed down against the hard wood. Wondering whether the thud had sounded through the ceiling downstairs, I realized I didn't have time to think about that; "Okay, give me-- Give me a second!" I got up from the floor, feeling my breath get stuck in my chest as I ran to my mirror, doing my best to fix the way I looked before leaving my room.

My thoughts were racing as I made my way past my parents, realizing they were staying upstairs to give us some space. I didn't need to guess who the boy at the door was-- still, I froze halfway down the stairs at the sight of him.

There he was, drenched in rain. Roman took a deep breath at the sight of me, watching the way his sweater draped over my shoulders with his big, green eyes. He, too, seemed to have frozen to his spot like an icicle, and a thick silence ensued as I gripped onto the banister of the stairs-- I was afraid I'd faint and roll right down. As he stood there, cold and vulnerable, I felt the walls of insecurity I had built up begin to crumble; his presence was both a comfort and a reminder of everything I'd lost.

Even worse was the way I tensed up, ready for him to yell at me and blow up. My grip on the banister tightened to suppress the subtle shake of my hands as I held my breath.

Finally, Roman spoke-- but it was far from what I had imagined him to say; "I don't know what happened. It doesn't make sense," His eyes rounded out, so heartbreakingly sincere. "We were good, and suddenly we weren't. I made sure you were safe from those girls, and then you went and flirted with that assembly guy... It doesn't make any sense."

I let in a long, shaky breath, feeling the guilt seeping through my veins. "I thought... I thought I needed you to say it,"

"Say what?" Roman shivered, clearly cold from his wet clothes. It made me wonder how long he had paced back and forth in the rain before approaching the door. "That I like you?"

My cheeks burned-- "Yeah..."

Another wave of silence ensued as Roman no longer met my gaze, biting his teeth together as he tried to steady his breathing. I could feel hints of his brewing anger beneath his attempts to keep calm; "Did you need me to say it so bad?" he mumbled. "Have I not shown you what I feel for you? Was it not blatantly obvious?"

Everything about his tone made me want to burst into tears-- it made me feel seven again, being told off in front of the whole class. "I'm sorry," I didn't know what else to say, at a loss for words. "You're just so hot and cold sometimes, I thought it would make me feel better if I got it confirmed. I sacrificed so much to be with you, and it was freaking me out that you couldn't say you want to be with me as well... I guess it really got to me."

It was clear that Roman was conflicted, consumed by a storm of thoughts. His green eyes softened, his brows drawing together in a look of melancholic sorrow as he let out a sigh. "I hear you, but it's just... Those girls went after you because you were with me. I know you've had a tough time, and I didn't want to make it any worse for you by making us official... By making my feelings official," His voice trembled, revealing the cracks in his tough exterior-- it was as though the weight of his own fears had finally become too much to bear.

Another wave of guilt washed over me, knowing I had driven him to this point with my schemes. "Why would that make it worse?" I dared to take another step down the stairs, letting go of the banister. "Wouldn't it be a good thing? Don't you think it would've made me feel better?"

Roman's eyes fixated on the laces of his wet shoes, and I watched him change his weight from one foot to the other. It was obvious that he was nervous, especially as he cleared his throat. "I don't think I'd be a good boyfriend," he mumbled. "I shut down. I retaliate when I'm angry. And I don't know whether Letha would ever forgive you if we got into a relationship, and I know that would crush you."

Despite the reminder of Letha, I had to bite down on my bottom lip to suppress my growing smile-- it warmed my heart to hear how he had thought this through down to every last detail. 

Roman was rambling at this point; "I was just so shocked when you went to Daniel, I thought I was going to faint. The way you smiled at him, the way you touched him... I couldn't even look at you these past few days, and then I couldn't stand the silence either, hence that show in the hallway... I just didn't expect you to cry. I fucking lost it,"

I reached the end of the stairs by the time he was done, now close enough to see that his drenched clothes were leaving small puddles of rain along the hardwood floor. "Roman--"

"--And I just don't want to hurt you, y'know?" He finally looked up to meet my gaze, an unfamiliar emotion swimming in his green eyes. There was a certain desperation about him as his words came out like a stream in a never-ending river; "Because even though we're fighting, you're still in my sweater. And even though you're fucking infuriating, I still want to hold you. No matter what people think, you're good. You're sweet, you're kind, you... There is a sanctity about you in my mind. I really don't want to hurt you, but it's fucking inevitable with me! That's just who I am!"

I was batting away tears at this point; "Rome, please, that's not!--"

"--Of course I like you!" Roman's eyes glossed over, letting his emotions shine through his tough exterior at the sound of his new nickname. "If anything, I adore you half to death, and you doubting that makes me feel like I've failed! I've failed to keep you happy, I've failed to make you feel seen, and I'm just-- I'm a mess!"

Attempting to pat away my tears with the sleeve of Roman's sweater, I sniffled as I realized I was unsuccessful, my tears now spilling down my cheeks. Suddenly, many parts of him made sense to me; after finally letting me hear his true, inner thoughts, I had never seen him more clearly than now. 

Roman sniffled as well, head hanging low in shame. "Why would you want a mess?" he echoed, his voice breaking. "I don't want to hurt you. I really, really don't."

Enough-- It was breaking my heart to hear him so broken. I finally dared to step towards him, slowly reaching for his soaked jacket. Roman's eyes widened as he watched me hang it up in the hallway; "What are you?--"

"Stay the night," I placed myself in front of him, having to get up on my tippytoes to brush his wet hair away from his forehead. "My parents probably won't mind if I ask nicely."

Roman's green eyes rounded out with every soft touch against his skin, and he placed his hands over mine as I cupped his face; it dawned on me that I hadn't felt so calm in a while. "I want to be yours, Rome. In every sense of the word," My thumbs stroked over his cheeks, watching his heavy lids fall over his eyes as he keened against my touch, succumbing to the comfort. "So what if you're a mess? You think I'm not, with the way I've been running around you for months like a dog?"

It warmed my heart to hear him laugh, even if it was for a few seconds-- I knew my eyes weren't deceiving me when I spotted a tear or two heavying down his long lashes, making their way out of hiding. 

I had to bat away my own, my voice barely baring through the sentence; "You're much kinder than you think you are, much more gentle... If only I could make you see it yourself," Getting up to his level was impossible, but I was able to tilt his head down enough for me to place a soft kiss between his brows. "I want us to be together. I want us to at least have each other,"

Roman's breath hitched, letting his hands travel down to rest at my waist as he opened his eyes. revealing an ocean of tears about to spill down his rosy cheeks. "We're going to crash and burn,"

"... Let us, then,"

It was as though time stood still in the moments I waited for signs of a yes. My thumbs stroked over his temples, realizing our chests were rising and falling at the same time, trapping us in one breath, one body. For a second, it felt as though Roman and I melted into each other, the green of his eyes engulfing me with a look that told me everything I needed to know. 

Roman's breath was hot and heavy as he searched for the right words. I was sure he'd said enough dumb things for a lifetime to know he needed to choose wisely for once. But hence, his lips curled up into the sweetest smile known to man as he spoke against mine--

"Let us," he breathed. "Let's burn together, then."

(a/n: if you've come this far, thank u so much omg!! here's PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 6, PART 7, PART 8, PART 9 and PART 10 if you want to check them out!<33 )

[banmitbandit]

Pots 'N' Picks Week 2024: Day 7: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Snacks/Dessert/Family/Goodbye

[Dungeon Meshi spoilers (with a big amount of canon divergence) and a long, long caption beneath the Keep Reading]

November 20th, 1484 Dear Senshi, It's been a little over eighty two years since you've been gone. In that time, Merrywinn, the newborn baby you held in your arms days before you passed, became a great-great-grandmother, and her funeral last week was as rancorous as every other half-foot funeral we attended. Soon, it will be my one thousandth birthday, and I can only hope that, like you and Marcille, that's when this curse will finally be lifted, and I can see you again. If that's true, then that means I'm the beginning of an end. Instead of twenty one years, Laios will only have to wait three until he dies after me, and Falin will only have to wait three after that. In twelve years from now, Izutsumi will pass on too, and the six of us will get to share a meal together once again. I've missed your cooking, sure, but most importantly, I've missed you. Do you remember when we first shared that bottle of wine in my new house in Kahka Brud, over nine hundred years ago, before we had the slightest idea that something was wrong? I told you that I didn't want to make you feel the way I felt when Fayfinn left me. You said you didn't care, that it was worth whatever small amount of time you had me. Obviously, it turned out that fate had different plans for us, that the Winged Lion had cursed Marcille too, that we'd each live as long as she would. It's been hard, but since then, you've been there for me every step of the way. When Fayfinn passed, when my girls passed, when their children passed, and theirs too. You've been there for everything, and I'm thankful for it, from the bottom of my heart. I knew I wouldn't be prepared to lose you, and I wasn't. But no matter how much I hurt, Izutsumi was worse, even if she'd never admit it, and I had to be strong for her, too. She's strong and independent, just like she's always been, since the day we met her, but you were the closest thing to a father she ever had. She loved you, Senshi. She said so herself at your funeral. I just hope she doesn't miss me enough to cry at mine. I don't care what dwarves or tallmen or elves think, you and I both know funerals are supposed to be celebrations. Fun is in the name, isn't it? I haven't been okay in a long time, but these days, I feel somewhat peaceful. I have lived my life to the fullest, like any good half-foot should. My birthday gets nearer and nearer with each passing day. Tomorrow, Lochlee, Merrywinn's great-grandson, is helping me collect my things so that I can return to Merini for Laios and Falin's birthday in a few days, and I plan to stay there at the castle until my time is up. I've packed the cheesecake recipe you perfected, and I'm going to sneak it to the cooks whilst Laios isn't looking. I'm sure he'll end up eating yours and Marcille's portions too, but I know you won't mind. After that, it's Marcille's birthday. Then Izutsumi's. Then mine. I'm looking forward to it; like funerals, birthdays are for celebrating. Even elves know that. I can't wait to see you again, Senshi. Yours, -Chilchuck Tims

An AU I proposed back in the Chilshi Nation server a while ago seemed to be a good way to break my heart when rounding off Chilshi week. A lot of people bring up the tragedy of Chilchuck and Senshi's lifespans being so different, and it makes me wonder what it would be like if Marcille's misguided wish had long term consequences.

This wasn't intended to be seven pages long with the lyrics to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri shoved in, but that's what it ended up being. The song seemed a little too perfect not to include.

All of my Chilshi posts were drawn up on the day, and I used them mostly as an excuse to experiment, whether it be posing, body types, shading, comic layouts... My later entries got to be a little more ambitious with what I wanted to do with them, so they're maybe not as polished as I would like them to be, but I hope you can enjoy them anyways.

Whilst I'm here, I'd like to extend a special thankyou to @dumblilracoon for dealing with my awful brainstorming and struggling all week. Couldn't have done this without you. And of course, the Chilshi Nation discord server for being so lovely! :)

If you reblogged or liked or commented on even one of my Chilshi week posts, thankyou so much! Chilshi week has been a blast and working on it and seeing all the lovely art and writing that's come up from it has been a treat.

Happy Chilshi Week, everybody!

[penkura]

knowing [8/8]

Summary: Sanji knew you were the one the moment he met you.

Pairing: Sanji x Reader

Warnings: None really. Normal One Piece stuff I guess.

Note: I changed my mind, I'm posting this today because I loved this and just can't wait any longer. Thank you all for reading this little fanfic!! I wrote this before I fully finished reading Wano, so it's not 100% accurate at first, but that's fine, this is a fanfic of course. I hope you all enjoy, and I do have another two one-shots connected to this series!

Taglist:

@jzkeisuke | @arcanumlaw

[Ch. 1] ● [Ch. 2] ● [Ch. 3] ● [Ch. 4] ● [Ch. 5] ● [Ch. 6] ● [Ch. 7]

With Big Mom and Kaido defeated, Wano freed from the Animal Kingdom Pirates reign, you were beyond relieved when you'd heard you could all rest. Luffy and Zoro seemed near death, both had just woken up when you'd snuck out with Sanji to another area. He still needed rest more than you, and Chopper had followed along to make sure neither of you did anything to upset your wounds. You'd made it out with a few small burns, some scrapes and cuts, a slightly deeper wound on your abdomen, but Chopper had taken great care of you and gotten you as close to 100% as he could. Sanji too of course, he suffered slightly worse wounds than you did, but the geishas had taken great care of him and he had nowhere near the same battle damage as the other two members of your monster trio. Chopper had instructed him to lay down and rest, which Sanji did, trusting your doctor that he knew what was best, despite his wanting to join in whatever party was being started in the other room. You knew there was no way the people of Wano would let you leave without a large celebration, Sanji would just have to wait for that.

After Chopper left the infirmary you'd walked off to, you gave Sanji a smile while saying something about changing your own bandages real quick. Despite your insistence that it was fine, he looked away while you stripped off your shirt to change your bandages, instead quietly pulling something small out of his pocket to occupy his eyes, wondering if now was the best time or if he should wait.

"What's that you've got there, Sanji?"

Your voice brought him out of his millions of thoughts, making him decide that yes now's the time, before he smiled softly and held it up, making your eyes widen and your mouth open just a bit.

There's no way…no way, right?

"I picked this up in Dressrosa."

"Sanji, you did not."

Sanji grinned at you, nodding happily. "I did! I saw it and…I thought of you instantly."

It was a small ring he held in his hand, a thin silver band with some blue gem on it, perhaps a small sapphire, you weren't sure, but it was very pretty to you anyway. You didn't care for gaudy, showy jewelry anyway, so if this really was an engagement ring, you were all too ready to accept.

Even without a ring you'd accept. You loved Sanji, more than anything. If he had shown up to the women's bunks in his pajamas without a ring at 3am and asked you to marry him, you would accept even then. The middle of battle, though not his style, you'd say yes. An evening after dinner where you'd both drank a little too much and were giggly messes, if he said 'marry me' you'd accept instantly, whether you remembered it the next morning or not.

It didn't matter. You'd marry Sanji no matter how he proposed.

"Maybe I'm crazy, or all that wedding talk because of them got to me, or even us playing husband and wife for the time we did here, but…I'm certain of this." His voice was quiet, even though it was just the two of you at the moment, and it made you start to tear up.

It definitely was crazy. The fight with Kaido and Big Mom had ended just two days ago, you were still surprised Sanji was even capable of walking and sitting up right after his fight against Queen. You half wondered if he suffered a blow to the head that knocked something loose that was making him do this right now.

But really, you knew he hadn't. He was mentally sound, he knew what he was doing.

"Sanji…"

"I'm probably the worst mess of a man you've ever met, I'm worthless really, but I know I love you," Sanji smiled softly while you cried and gladly held your hand out for him to take when he reached out for it, "I don't want to ever again look at another woman the way I look at you. I can't imagine myself with anyone else, married to anyone else, becoming a parent with anyone else, if we're so blessed. Everything that's happened recently just made me more aware of that."

Sanji moved more towards the edge of the bed while gently pulling you closer to him. You couldn't have cared less if he was on one knee or not, it didn't matter to you.

What mattered was that it was Sanji.

You wished you weren't crying, especially when he pulled you down beside him, just to place his forehead against yours and wipe your happy tears away.

"I love you so much, [Y/N]. You mean the world to me and I just want to be with you forever. I wanted to ask you weeks ago now, even when we all met up again in Sabaody…but now feels like the perfect time. Please, [Y/N], will you marry me?"

Trying your hardest to stop crying, you nodded and kissed him, hoping he didn't mind your salty, teary kisses.

"Yes! Yes, a million times yes, my dear!"

Sanji pulled you into a tight hug that you returned, telling you again that he loved you and you responded in kind. You took a few minutes to fully calm down, and once you did, you let Sanji put the ring he'd bought all the way back in Dressrosa on your finger, not at all surprised it was a perfect fit. Of course he knew your ring size, either that or he borrowed one of your rings you wore for fun and took it with him to get the right size.

"A perfect fit."

"Just like us." You smiled brightly at Sanji, which he returned before kissing you again.

Your sweet moment was interrupted when the door to the infirmary almost flew open, and you jumped back up a bit, only to be relieved when you saw it was Zoro, who looked like he didn't know what he was even doing there.

"What do you want, moss head??"

"...looking for Chopper." Zoro's eye wandered over to you, noticing you'd been crying and he looked almost ready to cut down Sanji, until he took in the fact you now had a ring on your finger.

That same ring he'd watched Sanji pick out in Dressrosa.

"Oh!" You nodded, giving a smile. "He left a while ago, said he was going to go check on the Samurai and Luffy!"

Zoro nodded, turning to leave before he stopped and looked over his shoulder at you. "Congrats. If he hurts you, let me know and I'll kill him."

"Zoro!"

"As if you could, moss head!!"

"Sanji, stay in bed!" You pushed him back down when he went to get up, a scowl on his face while Zoro left and closed the door behind him. Sanji started complaining to you about the "stupid moss head" and how he couldn't touch him, but it made you laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh…it's just…it's like a little brother protecting his big sister…that's all Zoro means by it."

Somehow, Sanji understood what you meant when you said that. If his family had been different, he probably would have been the same with Reiju, protective of her when any potential boyfriends or suitors would come to see her, if they ever did considering how their father was. If your lives were different, if you had met under different circumstances, he was sure your biological brothers would be the same.

While he was thinking about it, Sanji barely realized you had crawled into bed with him, until you wrapped your arms around him and hugged him close. He did the same, kissing the top of your head as well.

"I love you, Sanji."

"I love you too."

I can't wait to marry you.

+!+

Once the Thousand Sunny had taken off from Wano, your next destination decided by the log pose, you were determined to be married with your found family as the witnesses. While in Wano, you and Sanji had slipped away to find something like a courthouse, whatever their equivalent was, to get a marriage certificate so you could have a small ceremony on the Sunny. It took a bit of time, but you found a place that processed marriage certificates and got one printed immediately, knowing that technically, as soon as you signed and dated it, you'd be husband and wife.

You hadn't told anyone yet, Zoro would never, you knew that, but you had told Sanji you wanted everyone there and to be married on the ship you called home. He quickly agreed, telling you that he'd do whatever you wanted for the wedding, while thinking it was the best place for you two to get married. You were both absolutely sure your crewmates would be happy for you, they'd all be glad to participate in the wedding and help you two tie the knot.

You also made Sanji promise not to spend so much time on the cake or to make it too big, though you had to give some leeway there due to Luffy. But he promised he wouldn't work on it so much that he was doing last minute touches when he was supposed to be saying his vows to you. You didn't want the wedding to be an extravagant, fancy affair. Just something small and simple with everyone you loved there.

Sanji didn't tell you, though, that he'd talked to Nami and told her you two were engaged and wanting to get married as soon as possible. She was so happy for the two of you that she burst into tears and hugged him, about to run off to find you when he stopped her. He wanted to surprise you with your parents and siblings at the ceremony, and knew your home was an island in the New World, so Nami put the ship on a detour there in the middle of the night when Sanji had a night watch, so no one would have any idea. There were no questions about where the ship was heading the next morning, and Nami was constantly talking about romance and things like that to you, trying to get you to spill your engagement to her. Anything she said you related back to Sanji with a smile, annoying her that you were acting so dense.

It was about two days before your unknown arrival to your home island that Sanji convinced you to tell everyone. You had gone over it multiple times in your head, wondering if it was a good time, before he told you that you'd probably never be ready to tell them, so might as well do so now. When he said that, you ended up agreeing and when everyone was on the deck that night, Sanji told them all you two had an announcement to make.

"You guys aren't gonna leave, are you??" Luffy was so terribly concerned that you and Sanji had chosen to leave the crew, but you quickly reassured him it wasn't anything like that.

"No, no, not at all! We," you took a breath and smiled at Sanji, taking his hand, "We've decided to get married."

"Ahh!"

"And we want the ceremony to be on Sunny in a few days."

"AHH!!"

Everyone was so excited for the two of you! Nami immediately ran over and hugged you, Robin joining her after a moment and both asking to see your ring, where Sanji got it, and what you were going to wear. Luffy laughed a bit and threw himself on Sanji, saying he was glad for the two of you. Brook said something weird about marriage; Franky was crying but patting Sanji on the back; Usopp wanted to know when and how you'd be married without a priest; Chopper said he was very excited for the two of you; Jimbei also gave his congratulations, saying he may not have known you both very long, but you seemed like quite the loving couple, and Zoro, who still viewed you as his sister, reiterated his previous statement of being willing to kill Sanji if he ever hurt you. Before Sanji could argue back at him, Zoro put a hand on his shoulder and congratulated him, causing everyone that heard him to be shocked, and then even more surprised when Sanji thanked him.

The Straw Hats threw a celebration party for the two of you the rest of the night, almost like an engagement party. There was a point where Sanji had slipped away, knowing you were in good hands with Nami and Robin, who were trying to help you decide on a few things for the wedding. He went back to your shared room, picking up the transponder snail you'd bought a while back, and made a call to the Baratie. He didn't let whoever picked up know it was him, requesting to speak to Zeff personally.

"Hey, old man, it's me."

"Sanji? What's this about, calling after heading off two years ago?"

"I…I had some news I wanted to tell you, that's all."

He couldn't see him, but Zeff was a slight bit concerned with how calm Sanji sounded, to the point he made him hold on while he transferred the call over to his personal snail.

"Sanji, you in here?" You had gone searching for your fiance once you noticed he was missing and found him in your room, he waved you over to sit beside him on the bed while he waited for Zeff to get back on the phone. "Who'd you call?"

"Zeff."

"Ooooh." You nodded and took his free hand in yours, Sanji gripping it tightly, nervously waiting.

"All right, what'd you wanna tell me, kid?"

"I'm…getting married in a few days. I just…I wanted you to know."

It was quiet for a bit, and you worried that maybe Zeff was angry that this was the first thing he'd heard from Sanji in over two years, but then heard laughter.

"So! You finally found a girl willing to put up with you, huh?"

You giggled and Sanji smiled.

"I found a girl that's done more than just put up with me."

The two of you stayed on the line with Zeff for a while longer, Sanji's tight grip on your hand loosening after he realized Zeff was truly happy for him. Eventually you decided to let him have his privacy with his true father, kissing his cheek and returning to the party your crewmates were still throwing.

You finally decided you'd get married four days later, the two of you were ready for this step and didn't want anything to interfere, not the Marines or another pirate, nothing.

However, when Nami had said you'd all reached an island to dock at, your breath caught in your throat and you started to tear up when you recognized the pier, despite it being nearly seven years since you'd last been there.

"This…this is my home."

"Yeah," Sanji held your hand and gave you a smile, "I…figured you'd want your family there when we got married, so I asked Nami if we could take a detour. Is…is this okay?"

You looked up at him and smiled brightly, despite the tears threatening to fall down your face. "Of course!!"

Once the Sunny was fully docked, you didn't bother waiting for your allowance from Nami, grabbing Sanji by the arm and dragging him in the direction of your childhood home. None of your crewmates bothered to stop you, they did stop Luffy from following and getting in the way of you introducing your fiance to your family.

To your surprise, your family already knew you were on the way, you figured Sanji had something to do with that as well (you'd be correct if you asked him). Your mom was the first to hug you, telling you how much she missed you and how beautiful you'd become in the last few years. Your dad told you the same, before he and your mom introduced themselves to Sanji, you weren't at all surprised at how easily he won them over despite not being able to ask their permission to marry you.

All your siblings ended up running at you when they knew you were there, and it made you beyond happy to see you had a new sister after all. She was a little more shy around you, but Sanji speaking to her convinced her that everything was all right. Everyone ended up mentioning how they had copies of your wanted poster, your brothers would brag to their friends that their big sister was a badass pirate while your sisters would use that as leverage against the boys in town they didn't like, and it all made you blush and become flustered.

Your parents insisted the two of you and the rest of your crewmates join them for dinner, which you happily accepted and so did Luffy when he heard. Your family gladly accepted your found family, sharing stories and having a lovely time with everyone around.

It got to be a little much for you, you had to step out on the porch for a bit so you didn't get too overwhelmed, Sanji following you a moment later to make sure you were okay.

"You know, sometimes, I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't left."

"Oh yeah?"  Sanji smiled a bit while lighting a cigarette and watching you.

You nodded, sitting down with your legs dangling off the edge of the porch, your youngest sister having followed you and Sanji out the door and now cuddling next to you. She'd opened up quickly and became attached to you and Sanji.

"I wonder if we ever would have met."

"I still would've found you."

"You're sure about that?" You laughed a bit, but Sanji sat down beside you, putting his arm around your shoulders.

"Luffy still would have come to the Baratie and convinced me to join him. We'd still have all the same adventures, and eventually end up here…where I'd find you. And I'd still be attracted to you, and try to get you to come with us, and we'd still end up together."

Humming a bit, you nodded.

"I know you'd still find me."

+!+

The next day was your wedding. You'd woken up early with a bit of happy anxiety, Nami and Robin were already up and ready to help you get dressed and do your hair. You'd ended up buying a white sundress with a [f/c] colored sash around the waist and white flats to make it simple, you never really wanted a fancy wedding dress anyway. Nami took a curling iron to your hair and added some soft curls, while Robin brought you a flower crown your sisters had made overnight for you to wear in place of a veil. Both girls were still beyond excited for you, and Nami kept giving you hugs through the morning. You and her were like sisters at this point, she'd already called being aunt to any kids you and Sanji may have in the future. Having her and Robin with you helped calm your nerves, and you were more than ready to get married to the love of your life.

Sanji, though, was almost a nervous wreck. He'd already gone through half a pack of cigarettes, before he even got dressed for your wedding. You'd told him during the events at Whole Cake Island that you really preferred black suits on him, so he gladly got one specifically for your wedding, choosing a [f/c] colored tie to match with you. He didn't know why he was so nervous, probably the fears that he wasn't good enough for you and wouldn't be able to make you happy were the cause, but he couldn't stop his racing mind. He tried everything but went back to smoking as his stress reliever, worried you'd change your mind at the last second and leave him.

"She's not gonna leave you."

Surprisingly, Zoro was the one to get Sanji to calm down.

"And what if she does?"

"She won't. She wouldn't have agreed to marry you and plan a wedding so quickly if she wasn't sure about it. If she didn't want to be with you she would've rejected your ass all the way back at Alabasta."

"What. How do you know about that?! I thought you didn’t know until Skypiea!"

Zoro rolled his visible eye and smirked.

"You guys weren't exactly subtle back then. Freaking weirdos making out in the kitchen."

Despite Zoro being amused, Sanji knew he was right. If you really didn't love him and were going to leave, you probably would have done so after everything that happened with his family and that attempted arranged marriage. Instead you had stuck by him, giving him a smile and hug when he first told you how much he loved you, repeating it to him every day since you all had left Thriller Bark, telling him even more so after you'd retrieved him from his screwed up family, giving him the time he needed before showering him in hugs, kisses, and constant 'I love you's so he knew you'd never leave him or let him go again, and that you understood what he was doing when he fought with Luffy and 'broke up' with you in front of his brothers and sister. When he told you everything about his childhood, despite your crying and wishing you'd been born in the North Blue so you could have been his friend, you accepted every bit of it, telling him how much his mother must have loved him and you would have loved to have met her. He'd never felt more relieved than when you said his past didn't matter, the things his father said didn't matter. What mattered was that he was Sanji and you loved him. That was the first time he'd cried to you, hugging you and letting you stroke his hair, while he thanked you for loving a “failure” like him.

"You're not a failure. You're Sanji, and you're perfect as you are."

Sanji knew Zoro was right, you'd never leave him. If you did he'd fight to get you back, but he was sure that wouldn't be necessary.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

"No problem. …don't tell anyone about this."

"Wouldn't dare."

+!+

Your wedding ceremony went off without a hitch, several hours ago now, and you and Sanji were finally married. While you were being wed, you couldn't stop smiling and crying lightly, Sanji giving you soft sweet smiles while he held your hands. Your mother, Nami, Franky, and Brook were all blubbering messes, you wondered if they'd actually heard anything the whole time. Your dad was slightly teary, but he'd never fully admit that to you. All your siblings were excited, more so that they were on a pirate ship but your wedding was a nice excuse to be on the ship. Luffy couldn't stop grinning, he was beyond happy for the two of you. Usopp was also slightly teary, mostly because he couldn't believe you two were actually getting married. Chopper was anxiously waiting for when he could have cake, but he had told you when he saw you earlier that day that he thought you looked pretty. Robin smiled, looking at you like you were her baby sister who was getting married and she couldn't have been happier for you both. Jimbei acted as your priest, after you learned he actually could legally perform marriages, you practically begged him to be the one to marry you. He agreed quickly and you were grateful for it. Zoro, always the quiet one, watched without much emotion visible on his face, but those of you who knew him well enough could see he was happy for you.

Of course, you and Sanji were the happiest ones there. Your ceremony wasn't long, it didn't need to be really, just something small to show you were committed to each other, now and forever. When Jimbei pronounced you husband and wife, and said Sanji could kiss you, you had to keep yourself from almost bouncing out of your shoes in excitement. Once he did kiss you, everyone cheered for you, which made you giggle after breaking the kiss and giving Sanji a smile that he returned.

"We're married!"

He couldn't help it, Sanji picked you up and spun you around, he was so happy! You two had gone from awkwardly facing your feelings for each other, to now being deeply in love, and married finally. He set you back down, only to kiss you again, laying his forehead against yours afterwards.

"I love you, ma femme."

"I love you too, my husband!"

"Come on you lovebirds, let's start the reception!"

The reception, which was really just a normal Straw Hat party, went on for several hours. You had to step away at one point to bid farewell to your family, none of whom wanted to see you go but they understood you couldn't stay on your island for more than a few days, and the Sunny would be taking off in the morning.

Sanji noticed quickly you'd disappeared from his side while he was fighting to keep Luffy from finishing off your piece of cake, and when he saw where you were, he put Zoro in charge of keeping Luffy at bay so he could go stay with you.

Your family had already walked off the dock and back into town when you felt Sanji wrap his arms around your waist and place his chin on the top of your head.

"We'll come back someday."

"I know we will."

"And you can always call or write."

You nod, looking up at Sanji with a smile. "This was a wonderful surprise, thank you. It meant a lot to have them here."

Sanji returned your smile, kissing your forehead. "Anything for you, mon amour."

You were about to suggest the two of you slip out and go off to bed, before Luffy shouted your names.

"Come oooonnnn!! The party's for you guys!" Really he just wanted more cake, but Sanji and Zoro had stopped him from having anything more until you had what you wanted.

Grumbling a bit, Sanji pulled away but still held your waist, causing you to giggle a bit and turn around in his hold, putting your arms around his shoulders.

"A bit longer, then we'll go to bed." You whispered before kissing him with a smile.

He sighed but still nodded. "Fine, fine."

Your reception continued well into the night, you avoided drinking too much so you'd remember it not only in the morning but in years to come. Eventually everyone had either passed out or was calmed down enough to start cleaning, refusing any help from you or Sanji and telling you to both go on to bed, with a kind a smile from Robin or Nami but a sly smirk from Franky.

Once you did, you both simply admired each other's ring and how right it felt to have them now. Within a few more minutes your exhaustion was taking over and you took Sanji's hand in yours, snuggling right up next to him, causing him to do the same with you. You'd consummate your marriage another night, but for tonight, all you wanted was to bask in the fact you were married to the love of your life, and enjoy the warmth that came from knowing that you were his and he was yours. Sanji had tried to say something to you at one point, but you were so near sleep you didn't hear him, except for when he chuckled lightly and kissed the top of your head.

"I love you, [Y/N]...in every lifetime and every universe, I'll always love you."

[fourmoony]

May I go on a 𝐏𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 with Sirius and #6 if you’re feeling it <3 (I can’t get over how fun this celebration is!! Love you regardless of whether you’re feeling this or not haha)

pls don't stop requesting i'm having so much fun writing these lmao!!!! thanks angel, you're too sweet ♡︎

774 words | cw: none

Sirius is a ball of energy as he weaves in and out of stalls, a bag of cinnamon cookies in one hand and a caramel hot chocolate in the other. He has a pumpkin woollen hat on that Hope, Remus' mum, knit him last year, his hair falling in wild curls out of it. He looks happy. Undoubtedly so. It makes your chest warm, even if the rest of you is absolutely freezing.

You assume he's too excited to notice your sniffling, but when you hit the fifth time in two minutes, Sirius whirls on you to find you trying to wiggle some feeling back into your nose. Your cheeks redden, even more so than the autumn air has already made them. You've been caught.

When you'd told Sirius about the autumn themed market in town, he'd made immediate plans to take you. What you hadn't accounted for, was how high maintenance he'd be about the whole thing. This morning, when you arrived at his apartment, he'd practically reamed you out for not choosing appropriate attire. Apparently, stylish was not the vibe and "keeping all of your lovely limbs from getting frostbite" is.

Sue you, for wanting to look cute.

He'd rambled on for ten minutes about how cold you were going to be and only allowed you to leave the house when you agreed to wear the matching mittens to Sirius' hat.

"Don't even say it, Sirius." You warn him.

Sirius holds his hands up in mock defence, his smile equally as goading as it is knowing. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean, doll face." He quips, stuffing the cookies into his jacket pocket and using his now free hand to poke at your cheek.

You try to bat him away whilst fighting off an amused smile.

"Oh, my!" Sirius beams, "Your cheeks are as cold as ice cubes," his pointer finger boops your nose, "Nose, too!"

"I'm fine." You pout, childishly.

It's rare, that Sirius is wholly right about something. You know he's going to milk this all day, now.

"If only you had a handsome, smart, caring, wonderful, boyfriend who could have pre-warned you that this might happen!" Sirius exclaims. Passers by eye you both sceptically, but you're used to the attention with Sirius - always the loudest in any room - Black.

"Okay, enough. I'm fine, really." You shoulder Sirius on, who's still muttering about how amazing he is at predicting the future.

The next few stalls are torturous. Your face only gets colder, your sniffling louder. Sirius refrains from goading you further, but seems to reach the end of his tether when he catches you blowing into your hands and rubbing them on your nose.

He sighs, pulling you to the side and out of the way of foot traffic.

"Okay, give me your face." He says, bluntly.

A startled laugh tumbles from your lips, "What?"

"Give me your face, I'm going to warm it up."

You stare at him perplexed, "Sirius-"

"No, your nose is practically blue. I love you, but I think I'm just vain enough to be less attracted to you if you don't have a nose." Sirius takes your face in his hands.

Your eyes go wide, desperate to fact check whether your boyfriend would actually love you less without a nose, but Sirius already has his entire mouth around your nose. His teeth nip the skin a little teasingly and you huff, resigned to the fate of having a slightly abnormal boyfriend.

You're glad he's pulled you away from the crowds as he blows hot air directly onto your nose. The warmth is welcomed, but his method is arguably questionable.

When he's done, he pulls back and gives you a once over. Then, he removes his scarf and wraps it in bundles around your neck. He presses a final kiss to the tip of your nose, which, thanks to him, you can feel.

"See, fixed it. Nose safe. Lets get some treacle tarts and head home." Sirius says, like he hasn't just tried to eat your nose.

It's a little much to keep up with, so you allow him to guide you, rather stunned, along to the next treat stall. It's not until you're home, in fuzzy pyjamas, with a mug of hot chocolate that you remember to ask, "Would you actually love me less without a nose?"

Sirius looks over, a little alarmed, with a mouth full of cinnamon cookie. He swallows, shrugs, devilish smile on full display. "As long as I'm here to save you, we'll never know."

You scoff, fuzzy socked foot reaching out to kick his thigh.

[lilac-5ky]

Roommates from Hell, pt.1 (Toji x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 1: Stolen Fries taste best

(pic from loving yamada at lvl999, adorable manga, recommend)

Chapter 2 | Story Masterlist | Masterlist

Plot: Out of all the women that come and go in Toji's life, you're the only one he calls his friend. But when he suddenly forces his way into your apartment, the feelings you've kept from him are put to the test.

Setting: Pre Hidden Inventory Arc. Toji and reader are both in their late twenties, no Megumi in picture... yet :p

Themes: Cohabitation, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers

Warning: Slight sexual content minus the actual smut.

A/N at the bottom

“You’re late. Again.”

The small silver bell at the top of the glass door notified you of a man’s arrival, his heavy steps refusing to wipe themselves upon entry, spreading mud all over the now-blotted checkered tiles of the dimly lit diner. You’d been expecting the owner of those shoes for the past six hours, his untimely arrival coming as a bitter aftertaste to an afternoon full of childish joy and mayhem— popped balloons, colorful confetti, and half-eaten pieces of cakes swept into one big pile at the room’s southernmost corner by yours truly.

“I never said I was coming,” the voice retorted, its defiant sound overshadowed by the gruesome screech of a metallic chair. “Not interested in celebrating some brat’s b-day, ‘specially if it ain’t mine.”

“How many helpless children must have spent their birthdays without their no-good father, I wonder,” you wiped your hands against your cherry-red apron, pushing the broom back into place. “If your goal is to repopulate Japan, I’m certain you’ll succeed.”

Hefty fingers mindlessly combed through a head of obsidian black, little spikes forming and then settling back down. “None, as far as I’m concerned,” sarcasm dripped from his tongue.

“Well, I find that hard to believe,” you mumbled under your breath, circling through the room to ensure everything was dealt with: leftovers in the fridge, gift wrappings in the bin, and the large aforementioned pile of garbage waiting to be scooped up. “You’ve known Kenzo since birth. Even if this ain’t your thing, the least you could’ve done was make an appearance. He kept asking about his favorite uncle all night long.”

“Except I’m not his uncle. Don’t mix me in with your sister’s family, I ride solo.”

Sigh.

“My sister’s family might as well be your family, Toji. You know how much Hinata and her kids adore you.”

“Good for them, I suppose.”

Another sigh.

“Can you at least tell me what was so important for you to not even pick the goddamn phone up?”

As if the device had grown sentient, a generic tune began tooting from the back pocket of his sweatpants, eradicating your final hope that it’d simply run out of battery.

Without budging from his seat, Toji twisted an arm around his back to pull his flip-phone out, the silver-tinted lid slamming shut as soon as he’d peered at the caller’s number, his next immediate move being to drown the sound in a glass of leftover Coke, fizzy bubbles playing the device’s final requiem.

You didn’t need to ask to know it was a woman, and he didn’t need to answer that she, whatever the name of his latest conquest was, happened to also be the reason for his being unfashionably late.

It was always like that. He was always like that. He went out with one girl after the other; from women of extreme beauty and poise to mindless bimbos who couldn’t tell tea leaves and coffee beans apart. He’d spend some cash to butter them up with expensive meals at overpriced restaurants, or VIP entrance at the hottest club, or even pay for the name tag on their designer clothes, but come next morning, he was either caught stealing straight out of their pockets or checking whether the tag was still attached to the dress for him to return it to the store—at which point, the vast majority gave up, except for those few poor souls who earnestly believed they could fix him, though they never would.

If there were two things in this world that remained unfaltering and resolute throughout the eons, then that was the earth’s orbiting the sun, and Zen’in Toji’s being the bastard of a man you knew and loved— special intonation of that last part.

It was quite the oxymoron. To know him as an irredeemable scumbag with no intention of changing, and to love him for all he was; a sentence as contradictory and controversial as the man before you. What was there to love? He never gave two shits about the people around him dying, and if he could encourage or partake in their deaths then he certainly would. He gambled every cent of cash in his hands away, and his every attachment ended with the disposal of his used-up condom. He was vulgar, cynical, and brass, and he possessed a great charisma of making people dislike him at first glance. His only saving grace was his good looks and even those he managed to scrape on a daily basis.

So, really, what was there to love about a man whose place fitted best among the pile of garbage in the corner? What was the point in all that?

He never answered your question, and when you realized he wasn’t planning to, you dragged a second chair to his side, propping your elbows first and then your chin over the vinyl backrest, feet landing at each side. You took in his expression— sour and undeniably agitated, with a frown tugging at the scarred corner of his lower lip, and a glare too icy to be meant for the wall of American-styled neon billboards he mercilessly studied. Something definitely bothered him, and as a huff stiffened his chin, the reason became evident enough for you to point at it.

“Woman or work?” you gestured at the blood that dribbled below his ear and down his neck.

He followed your forefinger with his eyes, thumb scrubbing where the gush began. He seemed oblivious to his injury, though it wasn’t as if his becoming aware changed a thing.

“So it is a woman,” you gladly seized the chance to rub salt into his wound, drawing a frustrated grumble from him.“What did you do this time? Stole her car and crashed it into a tree? Blew all her savings on cockfight betting?”

“Horse races,” he had the nerve to correct.

“Or… did you by any chance bring an uncalled ménage à trois to her bed?”

“What kind of man you take me for?” Toji protested.

“A very, very, veeeery bad man,” you smirked, and he returned it. You knew him like the back of your hand. There was no need to pretend otherwise after well over a decade’s worth of friendship.

“If a very bad man is what I am, then why’d ya let me in?” he asked. “A young unprotected woman all by herself in the middle of the night letting such scum in never ends well. Thought you were smarter than this.”

“If I was smarter, then I wouldn’t be calling you my friend, would I?”

His grimace turned into a full-blown devilish grin, the kind that secretly had your heart buzzing against the frail set of bones of your chest. He always looked so dazzling when he smiled, that sometimes you couldn’t find fault in those women wanting to believe in his pretty lies, because you, too, wanted to. You hoped that whatever the price for those smiles was, you would one day be able to afford it and gain ownership of his heart, no matter how wretched or blackened it was.

“You are a real idiot to mix it up with me,” he conceded. “Though, you are a greater idiot for letting that term define us. I bet your nights serving meals at some kiddie place get rather lonely. But I could help. I could make you feel really good, Y/N. So good that you’d risk some prick getting in, lest he is me.”

His tongue poked out his mouth, giving his bottom lip a brief lick while he peered at you through half-lidded eyes. He had this way of turning things sexual in the blink of an eye, selling himself so well that your refusal to buy seemed commendable— despite the unmistakable affection you held for his face. Little did he know how much you longed to push that chair to the side and rip his cocky expression along his black-sleeved shirt off his body, making it so that neither of you had a place to hide from the other.

Now, that’d feel good.

“My nights are fine as they are, thank you very much,” you countered your instincts much to his disappointment. “And if I ever needed myself a helping hand, know that you’d be the last I’d call!” Not as if you’d pick up, anyway, you mentally added.

His gust of interest fizzled out as soon as it surged, your rejection forcing him to rock back and forth between the chair’s legs. He wasn’t interested in continuing this. It was enough for him to take in the dusty pink shading of your ears and smile to himself, knowing you were still the kind of woman affected by his charms. Yes, that certainly was enough, for now.

“I’ll clean you up,” you declared, getting off your spot in haste and strolling through the bar in search of a clean towel.

Once you found it, you let it soak under the faucet and brought it back to him, rubbing against his skin regardless of his petty attempt at gritting his teeth. You placed one hand on his shoulder and another at his jaw, pushing them apart to no avail. Every muscle in his body was stronger than your entire bodily force combined, and he was awfully willing to flex that difference between you, just as he was at letting you straddle his hips and climb all over his body like some sort of feral monkey in heat.

A string of profanities that ranged from “bastard” to “shit-eating-asshole-shithead” poured out your mouth while Toji smirked, and smiled, and grinned, and didn’t even try to stop you from knocking the two of you onto the ground, palms barely managing to stable your head over his face. Your pleated skirt had risen, or rather flipped, over your panties, revealing the strawberry pattern panties you were wearing to his greedy hands as they hiked up your flesh without an ounce of shame.

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

“What do you think I’m doing?” he cooed, burying his calloused fingers under the elastic waistband of your underwear.

You felt him trace the inward of your thighs in languid strokes, the fabric stretching the further his hand dipped— closer, and closer to your now-pulsing core, but never so close as to make actual contact. His hot breath tingled your lips, smelling of nothing in particular, but a sweaty tang of a woman’s deodorant that still lingered in his clothes. Had he fucked her before making it here, you wondered, heart tightening at the thought.

Your legs wiggled shut, unable to fully repel his hand, and for a brief moment, you considered letting him go through with this— whatever this was. Even if you came to be another conquest won, you didn’t care. All you needed was for him to hush all logic from your brain, and fuck you senselessly against the checkered tile floor of the “kiddie food place” you served meals at.

“Toji…” you begged, uncertain what you were begging him for until you felt the warmth in your thighs subside.

“Makin’ sure to preserve your maiden’s dignity,” he said as he fixed your skirt in place. “Wouldn’t want some perv catching sight of your cute little ass, would we?”

His condescending tone made you want to throw a slap across his face and then yours; for thinking that maybe this wasn’t a mistake, that you could really move past the pretense of friendship and aim at what you really sought. But he’d been right once before. You were stupid, stupider than all those girls combined, considering you knew and still wouldn’t mind being dragged down with him one bit.

“Fucking asshole,” you blurted as you pushed yourself off him, dumping the cloth on his smug face.

Your lip quivered as you stepped onto your feet, unable to quite shake the feeling of incompletion from your core, walls pathetically clenching around nothingness. You refused to look at him, lest you caved in a second time, and thus you paced around the booths, stopping before the one window whose blinds didn’t block the magnificent parking lot view. Only a black SUV was left— most likely his newest rental.

Following a beep, you watched the lights flicker white, his reflection in the window lifting the chair back up. You crossed your arms over your chest and waited, your impatience and frustration churning into a dangerous mix within your guts, as the asshole whose name wasn’t worth saying moved past you and walked straight to the door, not a single word or goodbye said.

“What about your phone?” you asked, at last paying him a look of spite.

“I’ll text ya my new number.”

“We both know you won’t.”

He glanced over his shoulder and showed you his pearly white canines, his expression not polished enough to be called a smile. You rolled your eyes in the opposite direction, spotting his old device blinking a variety of different lights, refusing to die just like its bastard of an owner.

“What should I do with this?”

“How the hell should I know?” Toji shrugged. “Get rid of it, or toss it in some burger. I’m sure no one will be able to tell the difference. Later,” the bell chimed as the door collided with the frame, chiming a second time as his head popped in a moment later. “Loved the raspberries.”

“They were strawberries, you scatterbrained swine,” you cursed, but he’d heard none of it. The car was gone, and so was he, and it was for the best that he didn’t get to witness the strawberry-colored shadow that loomed over both your cheeks.

Fanning some of that heat away, you returned to the table, surprised to find a white envelope with the name Kenzo hastily written on the front. Cash. Lots of cash. Enough cash to keep a low-end apartment afloat for at least a couple of months. An excuse and simultaneously the answer to all your previous questions.

“You fucking bastard,” you hummed, the term switching to one of utter endearment.

When the first instance of a wintry breeze came charging at the semi-exposed features of your face—a scarf’s fluff tucked right below your nose— you knew that walking all the way to the location where the unknown ID claiming to be Zen’in Toji ordered you to meet up was probably a bad idea.

For starters, you’d turn into an icicle long before making it back to your workplace. Not to mention you had no foolproof way of guaranteeing the person you were about to meet wasn’t some random impersonating psychopath. But when you finally spotted the yellow curvy “M” upon the rectangular red sign that spelled the fast food chain’s name, you narrowed down the psychopaths to that one cheapskate you happened to know.

Walking into the nearly vacant dining area —only the first two booths near the door occupying a family of four each— you detected him almost immediately. He was the only one seated in his wing. Head slightly tilted to look past the window, golden highlights showering the curve of a nose as it arched into thin eyebrows, calm eyes glinting with subtle emerald, and fingers that absentmindedly tapped away onto one of the two paper-covered trays. He had the decency to wait for you before getting into his food, though that didn’t stop him from munching on the occasional fry.

You tugged the handbag off your shoulder and slowly approached him, hesitating to enter his field of view, if just for a moment. He seemed so peaceful and serene, that if you had the guts, you’d snap a picture of him right then and there and make it into your phone’s wallpaper. But you didn’t. You’d never be able to explain it to him in a non-humiliating way, should he catch you in the act, and so, you shook the notion off and marched in his direction, his eyes lighting up in recognition.

“What’s the point of calling me out here for lunch if we are gonna have burgers?” you dropped your bag at the far end of the table. “Why not eat at our place?”

“I like the fries here better,” he bit onto one as if to affirm his claim, licking the salty essence off his fingers. “You should be glad I got you some, too,” he nodded toward the closed dome-shaped box that lay in front of you. “Nuggets over burgers, right? Didn’t know what toy ya wanted though. Cashier girl told me bunnies are quite popular with girls your age, so I went with that.”

Ignoring, or rather postponing your answer to his outrageous suggestion, you peered through the contents of your meal’s box, spotting the wrapped-in-plastic purple-colored bunny key chain right at the bottom between the small portion of deluxe potatoes and even smaller portion of chicken nuggets that still steamed hot air. You were surprised he remembered everything about your order, down to your preference for milkshake over other beverages, and perhaps you would have shown your gratitude if it wasn’t for that last comment of his gnawing at your pride.

“How old did you tell the cashier I was, again?” you gritted, trying to suppress the toy’s cuteness within your fist.

“Didn’t. Just said it’s for some kid I know. Probably thought it was for my daughter or something.”

A pair of googly eyes popped out from their sockets, the bunny’s head in serious danger of coming right off.

“Stop acting like an old man,” you muttered in embarrassment. “A nine-month head start in life doesn’t make you old enough to be my father.”

“Still older than you, kid,” said Toji, his fingers latching onto his wrapped-up burger. “Now eat up. Didn’t pay ya lunch for it to go cold.”

Annoyed by his remarks, but oh-so terribly starved, you decided to let things slide, the two of you lunching in a period of temporal truce. He went through his burger in big bites, clearing it out before you even finished your portion of nuggets. You mildly wondered why he’d held off if he was this hungry, but didn’t press on the reason behind his invitation until after his tray was half-emptied.

“So… why’d you wanna meet up? Got something to tell me?”

“Mhm, I actually do. How would you like us to be room—Nah, that doesn’t sound too right,” Toji shook his head off, dusting the excess salt off his fingers. “I decided I’m moving in with you.”

“You, what?!?” You shrieked, eyes wide with shock, resembling those of your newly acquired key chain.

“What I just said. I’m moving in,” he repeated as if you hadn’t heard him the first time around. “Got everything right here. I’ll pop by later so you can show me my room.”

You glanced down at what he tapped as “here”, spotting a large black duffel bag that rested on his feet. He wasn’t joking, you panicked. He was being 100% serious about this. Directing your milkshake to your mouth, you took a nervous sip, nearly choking on the plastic straw between your teeth, while Toji kept staring at you, awaiting no answer in particular. After all, he wasn’t asking. He was proclaiming.

“Why would you want that?” you asked once you regained the ability to think rationally. “Weren’t you the one who said you ride solo?”

“Numerous reasons,” he stated, drawing his forefinger forth as if to recount. “For starters, rental prices going up, gas too. Inflation in the market and all that crap. Your place is also closer to work, and” he leaned closer, “wasn’t your neighborhood the one on the news recently? You know, those serial break-and-enter cases? As far as I’m aware, the culprit’s still running loose, could be a cursed spirit or something. You can’t see ‘em, but I can. I’ll keep ya safe. Wouldn’t you want that? Sounds like a fair deal to me, at least.”

The repetitive pattern of a catchy pop song blasting from the speakers served as a backdrop to your thoughts, eyes flickering between the table and his face. He wasn’t exactly wrong about what he said. The girl next door was the robber’s last victim, and from what you’d gathered, it seemed like the ones targeted were exclusively single women in their twenties. Curse or not, that was the intruder’s type, and you just so happened to tick both of those boxes.

From a standpoint of reason, his suggestion sounded fair alright, but this was Toji we were talking about. The man whose name was your first thought in the morning and the final afterthought in the night. The man you were coincidentally in love with.

Living with him would entail being around him a lot more than you could handle. Waking and sleeping and eating in the same house as him, spending your days off together, bickering about bills, take-out, and the TV remote’s ownership, doing things that only couples got to do, and of course, sharing a bathroom, which on its own meant seeing him parade through the cramped little space of your apartment in nothing but a soggy towel, hair slick and teeth beaming as he’d be asking if you’d like to join him in the shower—

You hit the break on these thoughts and pressed your forehead flat against both palms, feeling the heat exuding through your fingers. You were only able to keep this relationship platonic because of the distance he put between you. If he were to suddenly close it, what would come of you? How on earth would you be able to hold back?

“Don’t you want me?”

“Huh?” you bit at the straw again, snapping it in half.

“I said, you hate the idea of living with me that much?”

Toji certainly didn’t mince his words, but the way he was looking at you, brows furrowing and lips quivering into a frown despite the edge in his tone, almost made it seem as if hearing your rejection out loud would hurt him, and because of that, you had no choice, but to shake your head in denial. You wanted this. More than words could express, you wanted to be with him like that, even if you refrained from disclosing that truth.

You wanted him.

“What about your girlfriends? Wouldn’t they be against you living with some woman?”

“Nah, I’m done with that. Done with all of ‘em.”

“But my apartment is too small. I don’t think it’d suit you—”

“I’ll manage,” he cut you off.

“I don’t even have a second bed-”

“We can always share,” he smirked, letting out a light-hearted chuckle as he watched color paint your cheeks. “Couch is fine, too. So, whaddya say, roomie?”

“…Fine,” you conceded, very well knowing you’d come to regret this decision. “But we need to set some ground rules! No trashing the apartment, no throwing your ‘work tools’ all over the place, no smoking, no drinking, no loud music, and no bringing in random women. No starting fights either! You’ll help around and pay half of what’s needed, so no gambling your money away. Those are my terms.”

“You drive a hard bargain, roomie,” Toji said, balancing his chin atop his elbow. “Fine by me. Told you I’m done with half those things anyway, and I don’t mind helping you with anything. I mean that.”

But I could help. I could make you feel really good, Y/N.

His words from that night still lingered in your mind like an unfulfilled promise, and when he phrased it like that, you couldn’t help but be reminded of how good his hands felt that night, creeping all over your skin as if he owned it— as if he owned you.

“G-good!” you said, picking up a fry off his tray and tossing it in your mouth, lest you said something stupid.

“No one taught you stealing other people’s food is rude?” Toji shot you a glare unequal to your crime.

“It’s not stealing if you are done with it!” you protested. “You haven’t touched your fries in over ten minutes now.”

His tongue clicked against his mouth’s roof, producing a series of “tsk” sounds while he shook his head in disapproval. “Didn’t take ya for such a brat, Y/N. Disrespecting me in my face right after we came to an agreement? That’s some bad business ethics.”

You rolled your eyes at his comment, barely keeping yourself from groaning. “I’m so terribly sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have stolen your esteemed fries, sir. Won’t ever happen again, sir. Please allow me to express my profound remorse, sir.”

Although Toji knew you only addressed him as such to get on his nerves, he was still pleased enough to grace with you an unsuspecting smile, seconds before you shoved a ketchup-covered potato against his mouth, smudging the left corner of his lips in a way akin to that of his right corner scar. He blinked, clouds of fury gathering in the bleakness of his eyes and cheeks puffing up, painting the most adorable expression you’d ever seen him wear.

“So cute,” you gushed, unable to suppress a hearty laughter that agitated him even more, red blooming across his cheeks— most likely by the lack of oxygen, you interpreted.

“Fucking brat,” he hissed, dipping the last of his fries in ketchup and then stuffing your mouth with it before you could even react. “I’ll show ya how it’s done!” he declared, your lips puckering against his fingers, condiment spreading all over like lipstick. His other hand forced your head in place, stilling your chin for him to work on his masterpiece, making a much bigger mess out of you than you had made of him.

“Hmphmmph!” you hummed while Toji laughed, a deep sound that reverberated straight from his guts, his eyes glinting along with his teeth in sheer joy that convinced you to give up so as to not spoil his fun. It was rare to see him genuinely happy.

“That should teach ya to behave,” he spat, smugness in every aspect of his features as he pressed his thumb onto his mouth, cleaning the ketchup off with a lick. “But you did address me properly, so you’ve earned the right to choose. Napkin or my lips? Which one?”

Stupefied as you were, you didn’t understand the full context of his question until you felt the sudden warmth of his mouth flutter over your skin, the tip of his tongue sloppily gathering the leftover ketchup off your right cheek. Your jaw popped open, a small gasp escaping as a result of his action.

“Too slow,” Toji whispered, hooded green eyes peering right into yours. “I’ll ask again. Napkin or my lips? What’s it gonna be, doll?”

“N-n-n-napkin!” you must have stuttered at least a thousand times before forming a comprehensible answer. He was so close that if he tilted his head any closer your lips were sure to touch. “P-please get me a napkin.”

“Please?” he chuckled, acting as if was really going to kiss you and then pulling away. “Be right back.”

Even after Toji let go, you could still feel the weight of his thumb holding you down, your eyes zeroing in on his black sweater as he set off for the other side of the room where the napkin and condiments stand was located. You heard a few whispers coming from beside your table, catching three pairs of eyes shooting daggers right at your back.

“Don’t they have a home?” a woman’s voice echoed first.

“Kids these days…” a man added.

“Honey, don’t look at their sinfulness, it’s the devil’s work.” A second woman concluded.

You were on the verge of experiencing a cardiac arrest, and you were pretty darn sure you would have if Toji hadn’t returned with the napkins in time, his hand snatched by yours as you forcefully dragged him out of the place, spelling frantic apologies at whoever was listening.

Once you’d made it outside, you sighed in relief, winter’s viciousness coming as a much-needed slap across your face. You took in a few breaths, letting go of his hand and padding a few steps away from the store’s windows, afraid you were still the focus of their attention. Toji followed, one hand stuffed inside his jeans pocket, while the other held the duffel bag over his shoulder in a lazy manner.

“Can you give me a lift to work?” you managed to ask, dodging his stare even as he stepped to the front.

“I would, but I can’t. Gave the car away.”

“You did what?”

Nothing about your reaction was funny in any shape or form, but he seemed amused enough to break into a soft chuckle, his eyes, too, softening ever so slightly.

“Planning to walk around town like a bloodsucker?” he asked, bringing a napkin to wipe your lips with greater care than you’d think. “How dirty,” he cooed, gently tapping at the center. “Next time, I won’t ask for permission to kiss you, roomie. Let’s go.”

“W-Where?” your voice came out so frail that you doubted he’d heard your question, his bag bouncing over his taut body with every step he took outside the parking lot.

“You asked for a ride, didn’t ya? Come.”

A/N: Launching a new series because I have so many feelings bottled up that I'm in danger of farting hearts and rainbows and shit. Decided to take the time off and write this fic for myself cause I needed it, but then I thought why not share it with the world? First time writing for Jujutsu Kaisen and Toji in particular, so hopefully it's received well!

[cantwritethetword]

Squealing Santa 2024 - What You Enjoy

fic descript: Basically plotless banter and tickles lmao. Eddie and Steve teasing each other before Steve starts tickling the shit out of Eddie - and doesn't stop until Eddie admits he's having fun.

~A/N  - Happy Squealing Santa everybody!!!

This year I will be gifting a fic to the wonderful @theoncelee , who requested a Stranger Things fic with Steve and Eddie :D

I hope you've all had a wonderful festive season, and are looking after yourselves as well as the ones you love <333

- Enoy! ~

Tag List: @theoncelee

Masterpost Link

"Are you even listening?" Eddie asked Steve, interrupting his own monologue explaining his latest Dungeons and Dragons campaign idea in excruciating detail.

The pair had been sitting on Eddie's bed for the last half hour, exchanging their Christmas gifts and catching up on what each other had been up to in the few days since they had last had the chance to see each other. Both had families who demanded their full attendance for whatever Christmas activities were planned, and so the boys had to settle for a very belated celebration with each other.

Steve - who admittedly had been focusing more on Eddie than what Eddie was saying for the last few minutes - pulled an interested face before nodding. "Of course."

"Oh yeah?" Eddie raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did you gather from the last encounter I just explained."

Steve grinned. "That you're cute when you're nerdy."

Eddie groaned. "Shut up you dork! At least I have something I've worked on for years that isn't attached to my scalp."

"Hey!" Steve jabbed his partner in the ribs, earning a yelp. "I happened to have many things i like doing."

Eddie scoffed playfully, "Oh yeah? Name something you like doing."

Steve wiggled his eyebrows with a suggestive look, eyeing Eddie up and down.

"Oh my god." Eddie rolled his eyes with a laugh, leaning backwards onto his elbows. "You're such a dork!"

The moment the taunt left Eddie's lips, Steve leapt from his seated position to almost completely looming over his boyfriend. His hands pressed into the mattress on either side of Eddie's ribs, legs putting just enough pressure on Eddie's left thigh to add a slight sense of entrapment.

"Say that again." Steve growled, a smirk on his face.

Eddie smirked right back. "Say what? That you're a dork?"

"One. More. Time." Steve continued, poking Eddie in the ribs with each word.

"Steheve!" Eddie yelped, immediately going slightly pink at the cheeks. "Quihit it!"

Satisfied, Steve leant backwards into a kneeling position.

With the newfound freedom for his upper body, Eddie regained some of his attitude, whispering a single "dork" under his breath.

"Right, you asked for it!" Steve grinned, launching himself on top of Eddie's hips and raising his hands into claws.

"STEVE NONONONO WAHAIT!" Eddie squealed, attempting to intercept Steve's hands as they descended onto his stupidly ticklish sides.

Luck was not on Eddie's side that day, but Steve's fingers certainly were. The man was playing Eddie's ribs like a bass guitar, skillfully finding each ticklish gap between the bones to elicit the most authentic, uncontrollable, giggly laughter from his boyfriend.

"Huh," Steve commented above the sound of Eddie's hysteria. "I guess this is another thing I enjoy doing!"

"SHUHUT UHUHUP!" Eddie whined, his hands moving from batting half-heartedly at Steve's to covering his face.

"Aaaaand." Steve vibrated all ten fingers as he spoke. "I know you enjoy this too."

'WHAHAT?!" Eddie cackled, unable to tell whether he was more red from the tickling or the commentary.

Steve lessened the intensity of his attack briefly, letting his fingers delicately trace over the bare skin on Eddie's lower stomach that had been revealed in the tussle. "Oh please, you knew exactly what was coming, yet you didn't even try to escape."

Eddie's hands were practically super-glued to his face at this point, soft giggles escaping through the gaps in his fingers.

"And if this is your attempt at fighting back Eddie," Steve gestured to his partner's body language. "I'm a little concerned."

"Oh fuck off." Eddie giggled, lightly slapping Steve's leg.

Steve leant closer, pressing a kiss to Eddie's neck (and making him squeak in surprise as he scrunched up). "Not until you admit it!"

Before Eddie could protest, Steve latched onto Eddie's hip bones and began massaging his thumbs in small circles around the joint. And, just to add insult to injury, he continued peppering small kisses into Eddie's neck.

"IHI DOHOHON'T!" Eddie squeaked, goosebumps shooting down his back every time Steve's lips made contact with his ridiculously ticklish skin.

"Eddie~" Steve sang. "I know you're just refusing so I tickle you longer."

"SHUHUT UHUHUP!"

"You're not even denying it!"

"STEHEHEVE!"

"Just admit it!" Steve grinned, suddenly shooting his hands under Eddie's armpits and wriggling his thumbs into the centre. "I promise I'll keep going!"

"OKAHAYOKAHAHAYOKAHAY FIHIHIHINE!" Eddie screeched.

Steve paused, his hands frozen under Eddie's arms.

"THIS IS FUHUN! This is greheat! Just plehease move sohomewhere ehelse I cahan't..."

Steve chuckled, tugging his hands out and resting them on Eddie's chest. "You holding up ok?"

Eddie threw his arm over his face again, nestling into the crook of his elbow, and nodded.

"Alright then, where were we..."

[moonlight-sonata99]

The Batch Batch: The Sith

Headcanons

The Bad batch comes across a unique individual, they find themselves strangely attracted to them and relationship's blossom, however there comes a point where their past is questioned...

A/N:Thank you to @ihatepeez I'm sorry it took so long to come out;( but really hope you enjoy it . I changed it a little, as I felt the batch with a sith that's in their prime..they would not go well with them XD

Hunter

One of the more hesitant people to approach you

He must admit- he did suspect something about you,but it passed 

But like also that were kinda attractive

he didnttell anyone..

but that didn't mean anyone could tell (Omega)

But as time passed, you…you stayed and center yourself apart of the group. 

With that being said. From the start hunter would have sensed something was off,

Upon being revealed you were a sith…

He felt…conflicted for a bit. 

Scratch that, very conflicted.

First where you being followed?

What kind of dangers did sith bring? 

What if…those dangers hurt omega

But you reassured him that it was your past. You trying to change now.

Though a bit weary, he believes in you. 

As time passes hunter finds that…you have changed. For the better.

And the feelings he had holding back finally came back Into play. 

Although he's a bit confused on what he should do in general

In general, hunters very hard on himself in terms on letting himself feel, 

But…he learns that it's alright. You two can have a new life together…

Echo

Honestly this man doesn't like you on sight for some reason

Idk but I think…that since echo worked so closely to the jedi, he would naturally dislike the Sith. 

But he does wonder to himself why he doesn't like you sometimes…

As time passes he realizes you are a force user, since you saved omega once from falling with the force. But…he didn't see a lightsaber.

Still even as time passes he isn't as hostile, you two can sit together in the same room, but not talk.

It isn't until, one day omega found your lightsaber hidden and she turned it off

Igniting the bright red color…

The innocent girl only gazed at the thing with wonder and echo…felt his heart drop.

This event lead to you being interrogated by the guys

To which you admitted to being sith, however. It was who you were before.

But now, you didn't know what you wanted.

After this, echo full on ignores you

He felt so... 

So…

He didn't know how to explain it…but the other part that knew you wanted to change…it made him…happy..?

After a while, you notice he's around you more often, and when you offer to drive the ship he's the only one who stays with you.

Was it because he was still weary of you..?

Tech

I think.. That tech out of everyone would know the quickest.

He would be intrigued.

He knows immediately that you are force user, 

How? Even he doesn't know himself.

 I imagine he has many questions for you, like a interviewer asking a celebrity

Whether you were a sith , it never crossed his mind.

However the questions stay in head, 

And he spends the days in the marauder glancing at you

You can feel it.

there glaces of curiosity,you think

Though you wield a lightsaber(albeit hidden) 

You've never used it.

Overall, I think tech would use his curiosity as an excuse to learn more about you, a sith.

Something even his brothers realize XD

"I see it y’know" You say once when everyone is sleeping and tech remained in the pilot seat as you sat behind him.

 "Pardon?" He replied looking up from his data pad,

 "I feel it too, the staring." He only remains quiet,"You…have questions?" You ask closing your eyes and leaning back on the chair

"Your…a jedi?" Tech questions and he hears you chuckle under your breath"Not really," 

"Then..?"  He trails off he only looks back once again and his heart stops for a moment as he met your piercing gaze, within your locked eyes there's a…silent understanding.

 "I see" he only says and looks back at his data.

 You only looked at him for a brief moment, and examined his figure were his ears red…?

Wrecker

I'm excited for this man onfggsysgs

Okay so, although at first he has a rough exterior, with time he sees you're just someone who's confused on where to go,who to rely on. He doesn't realize it but unknowingly he drops that persona early on.

He approaches you slowly, closer and closer each day.

Until when you've integrated yourself into the group,

That's when he's comfortable with being more…cuddly.

He knows that at night you stay awake, sitting on one of the pilot chairs looking at the stars outside

He wants to ask why

But he never does.

Wrecker eventually gathers up the courage to one day sit down next to you and ask why your always awake.

He's usually not one to do so

And honestly 

On the spot you reveal your past, why? You didn't even know why. But he was comforting. 

He's shocked, yea, but to Wreckers credit..he knows you're not your past.

And then on Wrecker sticks closely to you as if he's a small puppy,

It's because your close friends right?

…right?

Crosshair

Man's hated you from the get-go,

And you returned that energy 

He does notice that your force sensitive but is the least to actually do anything

He pretty much ignores it lmao

He still hates you either way💀💀

Enemies to lovers fr

Like his brothers he's under the assumption your a jedi on the run.

That's until…

You two were separated on a mission and you pulled out your lightsaber 

Which…was red.

After that crosshair pretended he didn't really see anything, treating you normally.

But he did piece together you were trying to live a new life, like them.

He eases off after that, and he finds you trying a put a blaster one day when you guys were fueling up. 

Chuckling he grabs the blaster from you and just says 

"Watch."

Slowly but surely...with every lesson, everytime he seems to be getting closer and closer...

And his always seem to wander

Not that you noticed...👀👀

[teaberrii]

Chapter 15: The Stuff of Nightmares

You've been Cupid for as long as you can remember. You've brought countless soulmates together, yet you've never found love.

When you're assigned to bring two childhood friends back together, it should be simple until you unexpectedly catch feelings for the mysterious and cold Ph.D. student, Dan Heng, the man with a soulmate… the man with answers to your past.

Dan Heng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Cloudy skies loomed above the palace the day Luocha had passed his exam to become a certified doctor. He’d gotten the news from his teachers today and couldn’t wait to spread the word to the family. You were nowhere to be found, which lead him to suspect you were probably with Young... again. Luocha reached his parent's room,  but just before he could slide the wooden door open, he heard the familiar voices of the maids.

“Surely, that’s just a nasty rumour. How could Master Luocha not be their son?”

His heart almost stopped.

"It was a conversation I was not supposed to hear. But, the Queen admitted it! Besides, haven't you ever wondered why he looks a little… different from his sister?"

Luocha heard something like an object hitting something soft.

“But he has his father’s eyes!”

“That’s because he’s the king's son, not the queen’s!”

“Luocha?”

Startled, Luocha turned around and saw Jing Yuan. Suddenly, the doors opened, and Luocha heard a gasp.

“Master Luocha!” Luocha turned and saw the obvious surprise on the maids’ faces. Then, he looked in the room, and one of the maids quickly said, “T-They paid a visit to the village. We haven't seen them return."

“And my sister?”

“We…” The maids glanced at each other. “We haven’t seen her since this morning.”

They quickly excused themselves. As they hurried off, Luocha saw one gently hit the other as if to chastise her for what she’d said. Then came Jing Yuan’s footsteps. Soon, he stood beside him.

“You look a bit pale,” Jing Yuan said. “Are you all right?”

Luocha didn’t know why he couldn’t look his friend in the eyes. Perhaps it was because he was still reeling from what he’d overheard. He knew better than to believe the words of gossiping maids, but he knew they wouldn’t go around spreading lies, especially something as serious as that. There had to be a grain of truth, no matter how small. But this was too much.

“What… What are you doing here?” Luocha finally asked.

Jing Yuan was a rising commander in the ranks. With the developing relationship between the North and the South, the kingdoms often held military training together, which explained Jing Yuan’s growing presence in the North. But today was no training day.

“We’ve received new equipment today, so I was asked to test its quality.”

“That’s not something you’d usually do.”

"You're right. I have a motive, if I'm being honest," Jing Yuan said. "I stayed because I wanted to spend time with your sister."

Luocha finally looked Jing Yuan in the eyes. “Are you… interested in her?”

Jing Yuan looked down and smiled slightly. "I hope I have your blessing."

“If there’s anyone my parents would want her to be with, it’s probably you.”

Jing Yuan curiously looked at him. “I answered your question. So, shouldn’t you answer mine?”

“I’m fine. I… passed my exam, so I can officially start training to become a doctor.”

“Well, this calls for a celebration.”

The last person Luocha was expecting to celebrate the good news with was Jing Yuan. But he was a good friend. So, Luocha nodded and pushed what he'd just heard to the back of his mind, not knowing that it wouldn't take long for him to confide in the commander.

“...which will ultimately help boost efficiency and productivity. Are there any questions?”

Jing Yuan is sitting at the end of a large desk, the latest project proposal in front of him. He barely got any sleep the night before as he was trying to piece everything together, and the ultimate question he came up with is whether there was a way to get all of his memories back… at once. He'd brought it up with Lan the other day, and the god's answer sounded too ominous.

“There has to be a trigger powerful enough,” Lan said.

Jing Yuan gestured for him to go on. “Like…?”

“Extreme happiness… sadness… hatred… an event that mirrored one of your past to trigger a powerful emotion. But”—Lan walked over and poured himself a glass of alcohol—”that’s just what I’ve heard. I haven’t tested this theory myself.”

“In other words, you don’t know,” Luocha said.

Lan shrugged. “I never had to get my memories back.”

Jing Yuan still has nothing to go on. How can he mirror a past event if he has no memory of them? That’s just ridiculous. Then, he thinks about you.

Jing Yuan subconsciously starts twirling the ring with his thumb. Do you know about this theory? You and he are clearly connected, but you hate him. While Jing Yuan has no idea what he did, he feels there's no other way. He needs to get back into your life… whether you like it or not. He likes to think he's doing you a favour.

His golden eyes flash toward the presenter as he crosses one leg over the other. After firing a series of questions, Jing Yuan says, "We need to address these problems first. Fix 'em, and then let's talk."

Jing Yuan is the first to leave the room, but it’s not long before a tall man wearing a black suit approaches him from behind.

“You have a visitor, Boss.”

Jing Yuan turns the corner. “Schedule him for later. I—”

“He says he’s willing to pay.”

Jing Yuan stops and turns around. “Who are we talking about?”

“The government official.”

Only one person comes to mind: the father of the latest victim of The Withering. They crossed paths years ago as Caelus's father almost put one of Jing Yuan's own behind bars. However, with Jing Yuan's blackmail, the situation quickly reversed. They would keep each other's dirty secrets and pretend not to know of one another for years. But after finding out about Caelus, Jing Yuan wonders how long it'd take for their paths to cross again.

Jing Yuan enters an exclusive area, and just before he steps into the elevator, he says, “Send him up.”

By the time Caelus’s father arrives at Jing Yuan’s office, Jing Yuan is sitting on a sofa with his laptop. When he hears the door open, he looks up.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Official.”

“Not long enough,” Caelus’s father says with a frown as Jing Yuan gestures for him to sit on the couch across from him.

“Oh, come now. Why the long face? We haven’t seen each other in years. The least you can do for me is smile.”

“I’m here for business.”

Jing Yuan crosses one leg over the other. “Well, shoot. Time is money.”

“...I need your help. I need you to find somebody.”

Caelus’s father reaches into his pocket, pulls out a note, and puts it on the table. Jing Yuan looks down and sees a scribbled message: your father’s one of the useless ones. can’t do anything about the disease that’s killing your brother. why don’t you die too

"Somebody sent that note to my daughter." Jing Yuan looks up as Caelus's father continues, "I checked all the security cameras around the house. Nothing."

“What about your son?”

“He says he’s fine.”

Jing Yuan almost feels sorry for the family. Who knows when Caelus's lie will blow up in his face? How devastated will his family be when they find out? Jing Yuan would almost pay to see their reaction.

This sounds like a job for the police,” Jing Yuan says. “You know… actual law enforcement.”

"I can't afford to wait. There's already an article that will run about the government's incompetence to discover anything worthwhile about this disease. I've managed to stall its release, and that's what I'm focusing on."

Jing Yuan can see the frustration all over the man's face. His furrowed brows, his inability to sit still, and the dark circles under his slightly red eyes. Jing Yuan almost finds it amusing. A father who’s more concerned about public opinion than finding a person who’s threatening his daughter? Well, whatever. As long as he’s willing to pay. Jing Yuan can make anything happen… as long as his client has the cash.

Jing Yuan twirls the ring on his finger with his thumb. "Why don't I solve both of your problems? At a price, that is."

Caelus’s father narrows his eyes. “As long it’s within reason.”

Jing Yuan slightly leans forward, looking at the man as if he’s his next meal. “Do you want results?”

Of course, Jing Yuan has his motive. Who's threatening Caelus’s father? How do they know about Caelus? How do they know about The Withering? Perhaps it’s just a psychopath. Jing Yuan vaguely knows about Stelle, so maybe it’s a deranged fan? Regardless, something tells him that whoever this is shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Jing Yuan smiles upon seeing the look on the other man’s face. It’s telling him everything he needs to know. He leans back and says, “I accept cash only, like always.”

◆◆◆

Ever since Luocha came under suspicion, you and Dan Heng made an active effort to check on Caelus every day. However, Caelus's hostility towards you doesn't go unnoticed. So, you've stopped your visits and left them to Dan Heng. After telling him about your special ability, you thought Dan Heng would consider telling Caelus. However, it's just recently Dan Heng tells you and Pom about his stance.

"I never thought I'd say this," Dan Heng said. "...But we can't use that to cure him."

"Are you thinking about the consequences?" Pom asked. "That Caelus could die through some other means?"

"That too. But"—Dan Heng sighs—"he's... been acting strange lately."

"In what way?" you asked.

"He's been telling me about who he used to be."

Pom tilted his head in confusion. "Who he... used to be? As in his past life?"

When you saw Dan Heng nod, a million questions came to mind. But most importantly: Where was getting Caelus getting this information from? Dreams? Visions? Was that why he was so hostile towards you?

"...This is going to sound crazy," Dan Heng said quietly. "But, I've noticed that the more the disease spreads, the more he tells me."

A small pause.

"I'm starting to think The Withering isn't really a disease... but more of an actual curse."

You're visiting Caelus today as you want to see for yourself how much Caelus knows. According to Dan Heng, Caelus hasn't talked about you, which makes you wonder if Caelus is purposely hiding something. While Dan Heng wants to go together, you might get a bit more out of Caelus if you go alone. Of course, there's also Luocha to watch out for. But you, Dan Heng, and Pom are one step ahead. At least... that's what you thought.

When you arrive at the hospital, you get a text from Dan Heng that he'll be there in a couple of hours as he's supervising an undergraduate chemistry class. You also get a text from a Pom that he has safely arrived at Stelle's place. She had messaged him, saying she wanted company as everyone else was busy. 

You're about to reach Caelus's room when the door opens, and you stiffen upon seeing Luocha coming out of the room. As he closes the door, he looks over at you and smiles.

“It's been a while. Here to see Caelus, I assume.”

“How is he?” You hope you don't sound as tense as you think you do.

Luocha's face falls. "Not good, if I'm being honest." You put a hand on the door, but Luocha's hand is on yours so fast that it surprises you. "...You have something to do with this curse, don't you?" His voice is low, borderline threatening, and you're almost afraid to look at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

“You can’t play dumb forever… Cupid.” Your eyes widen when you hear the nickname. Finally, you look at him. He’s staring at you, but you’re no longer feeling like it’s the gentle doctor you first met. "That necklace... it's meant to protect you and you alone, isn't it?" At your silence, Luocha scoffs. "Caelus has been regaining his memories. He’s been telling me things… things that I don’t think you want to hear.”

You hate how it sounds like he’s one step ahead.

"Are you sure you should rely on one person?" You glare at him. "Do you even know what he's talking about?"

"I know about doppelgangers and reincarnations." His polite smile is back. "Your friend, Lan, was so kind to provide that explanation." You clench your fists. "I'll let you in on a little secret. I've known about The Withering long before Jing Yuan. My father was the first victim."

His father? Your heart almost stops. But if his father was the first victim, and Luocha was your brother in the past, did that mean the King was the first victim of The Withering? Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach. If you’re the one who created The Withering, why in the world would you curse your father?

"I've had suspicions that the disease isn't what it appears to be." Luocha smiles as if proud of himself. "I've withheld a lot of information."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Luocha steps toward you. You step back. This continues until your back is against a wall.

"Because I've been trying to figure out who started this damn thing in the first place. Why is it even here? And because of you, it looks like I can finally start piecing everything together." He smiles as if he's proud... of you. "I never thought you'd had it in you. You completely changed, Sister."

Your eyes widen.

"I don't know how much you know, but let me tell you something." His gaze turns cold. "There are no heroes in this story. Not even you." He nods toward Caelus's room. “Maybe you should talk to him.” Then, as if reading your mind, Luocha says, “I’m not going to keep him quiet.”

You hear him walk a few steps, and then, “Trust me, Sister… I’m not your enemy. Jing Yuan’s not your enemy. Not in this time period, at least.”

As Luocha finally walks away, you hear your heart hammer. You slowly look at Caelus's door. You want to take that step forward, but it's as if your body is frozen in place. What can possibly be awaiting you behind that door? 

Suddenly, you feel a light breeze on the nape of your neck and flitters out to your shoulders. It’s as if you can feel someone’s hands on them, reassuring you, but when you turn around, the windows are closed. Then, you gently grip the pendant around your neck. You can do this. You have to do this. You have no choice. So, you turn around and open the door to Caelus’s room.

It’s eerily quiet when you slide the door open. You look around the nearly empty room and see Caelus sitting on his bed, facing the open window. The notebook sits open on the nightstand. When you get closer, a breeze comes in and flips the pages of the notebook. That's when you realize he's been using it… a lot. You see scribbles of illegible words, but then you start seeing drawings. But before you can get a closer look, Caelus suddenly speaks.

“It's been a while.”

You quickly look towards him, but he hasn’t turned to look at you.

“How are you feeling?” you ask.

Caelus looks over his shoulder. His eyes are slightly reddish, and the pigment has already reached the front of his neck.

“What do you think?”

“What have you been telling Luocha?”

Caelus looks back out the window. “Stories."

...Stories?

"The more this thing spreads, the more my story expands." He stands and fully turns to you. His head is slightly tilted, and one of his hands has been taken over by the pigment. “Today, I told him about the story of me... and you.” He walks toward you, and with a tight smile, he says, "Should I skip straight to the climax?"

You hold his stare.

"I helped Jing Yuan kill Young."

It felt like someone punched you in the gut, but the shock morphs into a bubbling rage…

The night was not nearly as quiet as the others. A crowd had gathered on the palace grounds. Some were holding torchers while other onlookers were whispering amongst themselves. You had just returned from the forest to the palace grounds to a growing chant of “Execute him!”

You forced your way through the crowd, your fear escalating with more of what you saw. Finally, when you reached the front, the scene ripped your heart out of your chest. Young was naked from the waist up, in handcuffs, and on his knees where his ankles were chained together. His back was riddled with deep scars; some still had blood oozing from the gashes.

“...No!”

You didn't even get close to him when two huge men grabbed you from either side. You quickly looked from side to side and saw they were your father's people.

“Let him go!”

One stared at you with dead-looking eyes. The other was looking at you as if you’d gone mad. Young slowly looked over his shoulder, and as soon as your desperate eyes met his, all he could do was give you a little smile.

“I was wondering when you were going to show.”

As soon as you saw Jing Yuan, everything snapped.

“You son of a bitch."

Jing Yuan stood in front of you, blocking your view of Young. Then, he leaned toward you and said, “Am I really the bad guy when I have so many people on my side?”

"If you kill him, you will kill the entire nation," you spat. 

Jing Yuan almost laughed. "You think I'm dumb enough to let this start a war?" He cupped your face. "I'm smarter than that, Princess."

You literally spat in his face.

"Fuck you."

After wiping your spit from his face, Jing Yuan said in a low voice, "You really shouldn't tempt me, sweetheart." He lifted his hand, ready to snap his fingers. "I'm going to give you one chance to apologize. Or else Young gets the whip."

"Kill me instead." Your nails dug into your skin so forcefully, you almost bled. "Please." You couldn't stop the tears anymore. "Let him go."

“You’re willing to die for him?”

"Yes.”

Jing Yuan clenched his fists. He was angry. You could tell. The bob of his throat when he swallowed. He was glaring at you but turned the other way when you held his glare. “How romantic. Unfortunately, only one of you dies tonight.” Finally, he looked back. “Your fate will be worse than death.”

You couldn’t see it, but you heard the sound of a whip against flesh and Young’s muffled cry of pain that shattered your heart.

“...Please,” you begged. “Please stop."

When you heard footsteps approaching, you finally looked to the side and saw a young man with short, silver hair wearing a yellow and black hanfu.

"...You," you said quietly.  The man was looking at you with such hatred that could only be explained if you had done something personal to him. It wasn’t until much later that you figured out the reason why. "Why are you..."

Jing Yuan suddenly snapped his fingers, and you saw a large man carrying an axe begin walking towards Young. When Jing Yuan stepped aside, you saw Young was now facing the crowd. Facing you. There were patches of dirt on his face, and there was no life left in his green eyes. Yet, when he saw you, you saw that familiar sparkle in his eyes. Coupled with that smile, it left you trembling.

You desperately struggled to free yourself from the two men. You were struggling so much that they had to force you to the ground. When the man raised his axe, tears were falling from your red eyes.

Young smiled and the wind carried the sound of his broken voice.

“...I love you.”

And the axe came down.

You can’t see it, but your eyes have become darker. You’re standing in front of Caelus with a hand around his neck. He's still looking at you as he tries clawing his way out but to no avail.

“...You.” Your voice sounded slightly distorted as you tighten your grip on his neck. You know he can’t breathe, yet you’re relishing in his suffering.

Suddenly, a hand is over yours, but it’s not Caelus. The touch is warm and gentle, and it’s when you look to the right that you see Dan Heng looking at you.

“...Let him go,” he says softly.

You don’t.

So, he tries again. “Please." There's a desperation in Dan Heng's voice that instantly snaps you back to reality. "Let him go.”

Your hand is trembling as you slowly release Caelus, and the man falls while holding his neck and coughing continuously.

Dan Heng takes your hand in his and puts another around your head. The way you’re pressed up against him, he can hear your thundering heartbeat. He reassuringly strokes your hair as he calmly says, “Everything’s okay.”

Dan Heng was on the train to the hospital when it entered a dark tunnel. He’d been thinking of you… and about Young. Young was in love with you, perhaps so much that he became tied to the world after his death. But, why? Was he waiting for you? Waiting for you to regain your memories so the two of you could move on together?

Dan Heng looked down as he contemplated his feelings for you. Were they genuine? Or were they because of his connection to Young? Was everything that was happening a repeat of the past? Things that he’d experienced with you… were any of them new?

When Dan Heng looked at his reflection in the door, he immediately sensed something was wrong. He turned and saw that the other passengers had disappeared, but he also saw Young who was standing in the middle of the empty aisle.

Was Dan Heng dreaming?

“You need to look after her,” Young said. " Help her.” His voice was fading away. “...Help her move on.”

Then, Dan Heng blinked once, and everything was as it should be.

“Let her go, Dan Heng.” Dan Heng looks at Caelus who slowly gets to his feet. “You saw what just happened. She’s dangerous.”

Dan Heng pushes you behind him as he says, “What’s gotten into you?”

As soon as he sees his friend's clouded eyes, Dan Heng knows something is not right. But before he can do anything, Lan suddenly appears in front of him. The god looks over his shoulder and says, “Take her and get out of here. Now.”

Dan Heng doesn't hesitate. Once you and Dan Heng are in the hallway, he notices the colour still hasn't returned to your face. He puts his hands on your shoulders, which makes you look up at him. But before he can say anything, you look back down. Instead of prying for answers, he hugs you in silence.

The door slides open, and Lan quickly slides it closed as he steps out.

“We need to talk,” he says. “All of us.”

Chapter 16

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn @seirenspinel @tanspostsblog @theprinceofkhaos @nqctre @lunavixia @akwardbiscuit @kplatzman @sunsethw4 @hiqhkey @n8mareee

[yume-chin]

Hello there! Hope you're having a great day. I saw requests were open and was hoping to request a TMNT 2012 imagine? Doesn't have to be any romance in it, but I thought about this today: in the first episode it's their bday and they have a cake made of algae and worms. We later see them have pizza and pizza gyoza but nothing else I can recall. So my request is if the reader is friends with the guys and finds out shortly before their next mutation day that they hadn't actually had a birthday cake before and reader gets them one?

Hey Anon!

Thank you very much for the request.

I actually wanted to write this request when I was a little calmer but today I had yet another argument with my family and I realized that the only thing I needed was to write, so here I am.

As soon as I read your request I exploded at how cute it was. In reality I had never thought of something like that but as soon as I read it I said to myself: -why not?- turtles deserve only love and affection and that's what I will give them.

Having said that, I wish you a good read and I hope you will make further requests.

••═════════════════════════════════════════••

tmnt 2012 x reader (platonic)

There are no romantic interactions between the turtles and the reader. It's all written on the basis of a solid friendship

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

Request: Yes ( @pensaremightierthanswords )

Warning: just bad english and possible errors

Genre: She/her

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

Total words: 1279

Text words: 1059

••═════════════════════════════════════════••

You've known turtles for a while now. The first time you met them was pure chance. You ventured into the sewers passing by the subway which was under renovation. You pushed further and further until you found their lair.

Initially they were a little hostile but they immediately became familiar with you and you soon became a very dear friend of theirs.

You always went to visit them and spent the entire afternoons in their company.

In doing so, days passed and then months.

You always wondered when their birthdays were and one day your questions were answered, even if not directly and even if those directly involved didn't know it.

Like every afternoon you went to them and by pure chance you heard them talking to each other and, between one sentence and another you heard them talking about a certain "mutation day". They were discussing a certain cake made of algae and worms, Mikey was asking whether or not his brothers thought you would be reluctant to eat it and right at that moment you asked yourself: -why not make them a real cake to celebrate this elusive "day of mutation"?-. And so your plan began.

That afternoon you acted normal, playing with Mikey while also chatting with the other siblings.

-[Y/N]! YOU ARE TOO STRONG! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT YOU! - Mikey shouted after losing for the umpteenth time.

-It's not that [y/n] is too strong. It's just that you're too poor!- Raph teased, making you burst into a small laugh.

-Mikey, everyone is good at something specific. For example, if I tried to do all the stunts you do with your skateboard I would end up breaking some bones while you, on the other hand, are a marvel! - you compliment him making him smile.

It's true, they were an extremely particular family, but you had the best moments with them. You feel good with them, you feel truly appreciated.

The afternoon passed in the blink of an eye and soon it was time to go home.

You said goodbye to them and then headed home and, once you arrived, you got to work.

You started making a list of all the ingredients you needed and checked that you had everything at home.

You immediately started preparing the cake and within a couple of hours you were done cooking.

You went to sleep and the next morning you took advantage of the fact that there was no school to decorate the cake and package it.

You had prepared a classic chocolate cake, with cream filling and chocolate chips. With the icing you had made various decorations and added a writing, "best wishes for the day of mutation".

You were proud of the result but at the same time you were a little scared. How would they react? Would it have been to their liking?

You couldn't answer these questions on your own so you finished getting ready and carefully taking the cake you went to their den.

Your heart was pounding, you were afraid of ruining everything, but once you arrived you were welcomed by Mikey.

-[Y/n]! [Y/n]! You're finally here! - he ran towards you but as soon as he arrived he noticed the box in your hands and started filling you with questions. -What is it? What's in there? For who is it?-

You burst out laughing and took Mikey's arm. -It's a little surprise for all of you, but I think it's time to open it with everyone, don't you think?- you asked, and Mikey immediately nodded, dragging you into the kitchen.

-Hey [Y/n], welcome- Leonardo greeted.

-It took you a long time, huh- Raph teased but was immediately interrupted by Donnie -what are you saying? it's rare to see her so on time-

-Oh, [Y/n]? What's there? - Leo asked curiously.

Your heart beat fast again and you carefully placed the package on the table.

-I have to tell you something...- your cheeks colored a light red and this made everyone present curious.

-Yesterday, when I arrived at the den, I heard you talking about the "mutation day"... I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped but I was too curious... I understood that this is a very important celebration for you, like a birthday... so I I thought I'd surprise you...- you explained, playing with your fingers out of embarrassment.

-It was a beautiful thought [Y/n], but you shouldn't have- Splinter said kindly.

-But yes... these months with you have been truly very beautiful and I wanted to thank you in some way...- you explained making Splinter smile.

-Best wishes on your mutation day- you say, opening the box and taking out the cake.

There was a long moment of silence. You couldn't understand what was going through the boys' minds. Your heart was racing and the fear of having done something wrong made itself felt.

The first to do something was Mikey, who suddenly started crying and ran to hug you tightly.

He was immediately followed by all the other brothers who joined in the embrace, under the happy gaze of their father.

-[Y/n]! A thousand thanks!! It's the best surprise of my life! - Mikey cries.

-It's obvious! It's our first surprise!- Raph scolded, trying to hold back his tears.

After a while the boys broke away.

-[Y/n], I really don't know how to thank you. The cake is beautiful - said Leo

-And it looks very good too... Did you make it? - Donnie asked, attracting the brothers' curiosity.

-Actually yes... I really hope you like it- you replied smiling.

-And so for this party we will eat our first real cake eh- Raph joked as he took his seat, followed by everyone else.

Once Splinter took his seat he cut the cake, handing everyone a slice and once they tasted it the 4 brothers were enchanted by how good it was.

-It's really good, congratulations [Y/n]- Splinter complimented.

-It's the best thing I've ever eaten!- Mikey said, taking another slice and eating it in a very short time.

You couldn't be happier with that day. You were with your friends and you had given them a wonderful party. You had made them understand how important they were to you and how happy you were to have them as friends.

You couldn't hope for anything better.

••═════════════════════════════════════════••

If you don't like it feel free to tell me and I will write it again. My mood is really in shambles and I needed a distraction to not think about it.

Requests are open, if you have ideas please come forward ♡

A big hug ♡

[cherryxblossxms]

Hello there I hope not to bother For the NSFW alphabet can I please ikemen sengoky Kennyo with the letters A C E F K M O P U Z ?

Thank you Have a wonderful day 🙏🤗

Hi my dear! I'd love to do some headcanons for Kennyo 😊 I hope you enjoy these! Sorry about the wait but I promise I'm getting to the others 😅

Kennyo

A for Aphrodisiac (What always turns them on?)

One of the easiest turn ons for Kennyo is simply physical intimacy. Getting touchy-feely with him, so long as it's done privately of course, can excite him, especially if you're the one to initiate. He loves the feel of you in his arms, the warmth of your body against his and hearing and feeling your breaths, being in each other's space.

Any reminders of size difference, he greatly enjoy that too. He's a hulking man, with a powerful aura. He has this dwarfing presence on others but also on you, and something about that feeling is just a little bit addicting to him.

C for Cuddling (How do they cuddle after sex?)

Kennyo loves to wrap his arm around you and spoon after sex, whether you're facing him or away doesn't matter. But he enjoys that closeness, maybe some skin to skin contact, feeling the warmth of your body close by as your bodies calm down from the exertion. He also just enjoys lying side by side, holding your hand in his or having you sprawl out on top of him for a little. He's rather touchy-feely after sex, although he won't admit to knowing it.

E for Exposed (What is the most daring place they’ve had sex?)

The most daring place was the garden. Of course, it was under the heavy cover of trees and well-placed bushes, because Kennyo couldn't stand it if someone else caught sight of your bare body. But one day, when he saw the cherry blossoms swirling around and watched the way it decorated your hair and kimono, he couldn't stop his desires from rising up, taking you under the tree in the cool spring air. He could just barely keep it to one round before you gently reminded him you two were still outside, and he quickly relocated you to his room for some further celebration of spring.

F for Favorite (What do they find sexiest about their partner?)

He loves when you speak your mind to him, truthfully. He loves to hear about what you think about something, when you're enjoying something that he does or when you ask him to do something specifically. Of course, if you're shy, he can read your body language well enough, he'll never force you say it out loud. But it makes him happy and hard when you're telling him how good you feel as he pleasures you, directing him on how to give you that earth-shattering orgasm.

K for Kink (What’s their secret kink?)

Kennyo's secret kink is size kink. Although it's well known how strong you are in spirit, he still wins out in physical strength, tough and battle hardened over the years from unfortunate circumstances. And Kennyo is a large man, towering over most others. He loves being able to envelop you in his presence, the way you struggle just a little bit to fit him; it feels like you're made for him, honestly.

M for Moan (What kind of noises do they make? What sounds do they like to hear from their partner?)

Kennyo is a grunter. He doesn't make much noise to begin with and that follows in the bedroom. It'll be a lot of heavy breathing, and as he exerts more effort, gets more lost in the pleasure, he may begin to grunt more noticeably.

He loves to hear his partner moan, especially when you say his name. It's an auditory confirmation that you're enjoying what he's doing to you, that you're feeling good and that he's doing things right.

O for Oral (Giving or receiving? Why?)

Giving. I know I say that for all suitors but just bear with me. Kennyo would give the world over for you, you were a light in the darkness for him and he always seeks to repay you in every way possible for what you've done for him. That includes acts of service in the bedroom; he loves expressing his love and his happiness by pleasuring you, making you feel as good as possible because it's what he believes you deserve.

He isn't wholly against the idea of receiving, but he's a little uncomfortable with it. Something about seeing you go down on him feels dirty, and although it sparks intrigue deep inside and hes far from being holy, he still doesn't like seeing you do that for him. It'll take a lot of convincing for him to be okay, and even then, it'll only be on rare occasions.

P for Position (What is their favorite position(s) and why?)

Honestly, Kennyo likes having you on top. He's a large man, he knows that, and sometimes gets worried about crushing you while making love. He also just really likes seeing you above him, getting to see your face so clearly, twisted in pleasure, as he's helping you rock back and forth on his cock. One other favorite is spooning sex, feeling all of your body pressed up against him as he pumps into you, giving the chance for his large hands to roam your body, to squeeze and hold you as he likes.

U for Under (Who’s in charge and how?)

Kennyo is effectively in charge, although he would argue that with the way you affect him, you're the one truly in charge in bed. He often underestimates his ability to charm you, and its easy for him to get you melting under his touch, sometimes unintentionally.

Z for Zipper (How do they prefer to undress? Both themselves and their partner.)

Kennyo largely prefers undressing himself and you. Not that he doesn't appreciate it when you want to take the initiative, but when you're making moves on him, it turns him on more than he knows how to deal with. He's just worried about getting a little too excited if you're undressing him, so he prefers to take the reins. It gives him the chance to control himself and slow down, tampering down his desire so he doesn't appear like an overeager fool in front of you.

Hes also a little guilty of wanting to tease you, from time to time. And being in charge of undressing you, he loves seeing the shifts in your expression as you get more heated, more eager for his touch.

[twst-beam]

Hi there! I've reading your twst content for a bit now and I was wonder if you could do some Jade, Vil, and Cater x gn!reader (separate) birthday comfort since I got recently told by my parents that I'm not allowed to celebrate my birthday.

Feel free to work your magic ^^

hi anon! thank you for reading! I'm so sorry about that, i hope this'll make you feel better 🥺

Special

??? words, in which your s/o comforts you on your birthday, fluffy because it's a special day! >:D

Cater Diamond

"No birthday celebration?? That's, like, the WORST. No cake, no presents, no party, no anything? Babe, no. We are going to make you feel special, birthday or no!"

Cater takes you in his arms and puts his phone down a bit for once, listening intently and typing down notes as you talk about what you would have wanted to do had you been allowed to celebrate, and nodding with finality when you finished.

"You sit tight there, baby, cay-cay's gonna take care of everything~☆"

With that, he kisses your cheek before getting off the bed the two of you were sitting on, heading out the door and humming a tune as he went who-knows-where.

When he comes back, everything you've asked for is in his arms, and those that he can't get or find he'll make sure to make up for with entertaining videos and sweet words.

He nuzzles into the crook of your neck, or you nuzzle into his, and he, with so much affection, utters a wish:

"Happy birthday, babe."

Jade Leech

"That is.. most unfortunate.. birthdays are special, at least, that's what everyone agrees on, why should you be different?"

Whether you request cuddles or adventuring, you've got Jade at your beck and call; he shows it, doting on your every need and showering you with affection with a gentle smile and comforting words.

And maybe you don't need to tell him at all; Jade could have planned the entire day precisely to your liking if you told him to, letting you just relax and feel appreciated.

A simple "what else, my pearl?" whenever an activity is done, to see how you liked it and what you would want, going as far as using his connections to get even the hardest to reach things that you covet.

He presses his lips to the back of your hand at the end of the day, and in a way it feels.. intimate, how much he loves you; how much you mean to him; how special you are.

Vil Schoenheit

"Not celebrate your birthday? Sweet potato, that's simply nonsense. Come, tell me what you want."

For Vil, nothing is too much, nothing too outlandish for his sweetest potato, and whatever you want, he'll give to the best of his abilities.

He takes your hand, cupping your face as he looks at you. Your birthday was a reminder that you're here, that you've graced the world with your presence, and by the Sevens he was going to show it.

All contracts, deals, and scedules are put on hold on your day, nothing was to get in between the two of you and your pampering.

No paparazzi, no noise, no parents telling you you're not allowed to celebrate your birthday, just you and him, doing whatever your heart desires.

[ask-sibverse]

T1D Reader- Halloween Party (Bad Sanses X Reader)

I was hoping to get this out yesterday but shit happens. Halloween costume probably looks like this. Honestly while doing Killer and Horror is so much fun, this time it's Dust's turn.

Note to self: never underestimate Killer's persistence. When that skeleton wants something he can be incredibly stubborn about it.

And what he wanted was for everyone to get a "day off" to celebrate Halloween. Why? You weren't sure at first until you noticed all the sexy costumes pulled up on his computer.

Note to self: never underestimate Killer's persistence. When that skeleton wants something he can be incredibly stubborn about it.

And what he wanted was for everyone to get a "day off" to celebrate Halloween. Why? You weren't sure at first until you noticed all the sexy costumes pulled up on his computer.

But you agreed to come along, if only to keep Killer out of trouble. Cross seemed to agree for a similar reason, although you weren't sure why Dust came along. Horror was staying home, which made sense. A party would probably be hell on his sensory issues.

Killer somehow managed to talk you into a fairly revealing "witch costume." You were just hoping it wouldn't be too cold in the AU you were going to, although Killer probably wouldn't register it was too cold for you.

Lazy ass usual, Dust was just using his knife as a "serial killer" costume. Killer used one of those axe headbands and (probably, hopefully) fake blood to be a "murder victim." Killer, asshole that he is, picked out a cow costume for Cross that was *immediately* denied, and the former royal guard ended up wearing a soldier costume instead that Killer complained was "so boring."

You all went to a surface AU, obviously, because monsters underground did not know about or celebrate Halloween (honestly you wondered if some monsters found the holiday insensitive.) A neutral AU, one with some tension between monsters and humans, but nothing so bad a couple monsters couldn't attend a Halloween party.

Once arriving you remembered one reason you never went to parties- alcohol. You never drank, couldn't figure out how to manage it and your diabetes. You'd heard how you behaved low was how you would act while drunk, but different sources said to bolus for it or not bolus. Some said you'd spike, others said you'd drop, it was just too unpredictable for your tastes and not worth the risks. Killer respected that, sort of, after telling him "no" several times. You... Really couldn't tell if Killer was *actually* drink or just liked acting drunk. Dust seemed to have a beer or two himself while Cross was with you in the "100% sober" category.

At least the food was good. The host had fun making "spooky" snacks that were still recognizable enough for you to dose correctly. At least it was human food, monster food still needed a whole other layer of guesstimating.

Somewhere later into the night you grabbed Dust and dragged him into a dance. Maybe the atmosphere, maybe your outfit, but something had you tired of being a wallflower and wanting to *do* something. You weren't an amazing dancer but you were at least coordinated enough to avoid tripping over yourself or Dust. It wasn't a Dancetale so your skills weren't that important anyways.

It wasn't long before Dust's face was flushed, whether from exertion or something else you weren't sure. The skeleton often kept to distance attacks in fights and teleported everywhere, so you weren't sure.

Even still, seeing him blushing made you feel... Something. You were *definitely* feeling bold tonight because before you knew it, you leaned in and kissed him.

You've kissed other humans before, but kissing a skeleton was such an incredibly different experience. Despite your lips being pressed directly to teeth, it wasn't uncomfortable at all. Honestly, it felt amazing, even more so when Dust's mouth opened slightly and oh stars okay ecto tongues felt *great.*

You both ended up off the dance floor for a rather steamy and handsy makeout session that had both of you flushed and panting afterwards. Dust grinned at you. "Wanna continue this back in my room?" You nodded eagerly.

Dust got Cross to tear a portal home for you both, although he was staying behind to make sure Killer got home eventually.

The two of you barely made it to Dust's room before he was making out with you again, tearing at your clothes with a passion and energy you hadn't seen in the lazy skeleton before. Honestly, sex with him was incredible.

And totally worth the look you got from Nightmare the next day. And the teasing from Killer.

(I know you guys probably want the sexy times, but honestly diabetes + sex is something I had planned for it's own one shot, so pls be patient. If you have any prompts or ideas for T1D, shoot me an ask!)

[ivoryhq]

good morning, everyone! i hope you're all having a wonderful start to your tuesday. as we dive into the day, i wanted to remind each of you how much i appreciate the patience you've all had with this space. i know we're still pretty small and the community has been slowing down as a whole for the most part but i appreciate those of you who have been sticking around and still putting in the effort to post during these slower times. now i want to take a moment to say hello to any babes lurking in the tags; hello :) right now we have a ton of open roles available so whether or not you’re looking to fill a new spot or know someone who you think might be interested in joining, now is the perfect time. we’d love to see some fresh faces and there are plenty of exciting characters waiting to be brought to life.

here are just a few celebrities i’d personally love to see on the roster:

actors & actresses: timothée chalamet, alexa demie, anya taylor-joy, jacob elordi, margot robbie, oscar isaac, emily browning & andrew garfield.

musicians: sza, olivia rodrigo, conan gray, charli xcx, maggie lindemann, troye sivan, beabadoobee, hayley williams & omar apollo.

influencers: emma chamberlain, addison rae, bretman rock, loey lane, arden rose, sam golbach, lilypichu, fuslie, colby brock & bigbossboze.

faceclaims: ig: teafl0wer, ig: vanjajagnic, ig: deviilbby, ig: laurenxburch, ig: milkgore, ig: yuuulieta, ig: jessicaclements, ig: laytugce.

if you or anyone you know might be interested in any of these roles, now's the time to jump in!

lastly, i’m excited to announce that i'll be opening applications for one or two secondary mod positions. if you’d like to be more involved in the behind the scenes at ivory, this is a great opportunity. the application form can be found here. i hope today is kind to you all. please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything. have a fantastic day, everyone!

take care for now, mod azriel.

[hassedah]

MC meets the mansion boys after Neil's neutral ending:

Hi! How are you? I hope you are well! ^^

I had a request on the subject, but it got lost, fortunately it was noted in my word file folder. For this version of the story, the boys (Vladimir and co) didn't settle in MC's parents' manor. MC met Neil on her own and left her parents' manor after Neil left, and she settled with the boys while waiting for him to return.

Take care of yourself and have a nice day! ^^

Vladimir :

Vladimir is very suspicious at first. He doesn't understand how you can have such good control over yourself when you claim to have been transformed into a vampire barely a year ago. He remembers his first year of transformation well enough and still feels unstable enough to make it seem impossible. After all, despite being almost 150 years old, he still wants to attack humans when he feels strong emotions.

He knows that Aaron is very suspicious of you and that worries him a bit, to tell you the truth. He doesn't really know how to react when you're with him, seriously, he feels he has less self-control than you do. And yet, despite your impressive abilities, you don't seem to want to do them any harm. That's the only reason he agrees to put you up… and also because you told him you'd be alone if he didn't. He knows that solitude is too much to bear, and if he can help you avoid it, then he will.

Finally, as time goes by, they begin to trust you. You help them a lot around the manor, whether it's with day-to-day tasks such as tending the garden, or more complex tasks such as managing the visitors at the Beliath celebrations in helping them manage Ivan.

What's more, you're quite calm and friendly. He feels safe with you if he thinks it's a bit ridiculous, because you're the one who should feel safe with him. He's the older of the two of you, he's the one who should be protecting you if anything goes wrong.

Finally, he finds it pleasant to spend time with you. You seem to know a lot and you're a curious person. You listen to him when he has things to say and you ask him questions about his garden. In fact, you always seem to be looking for something new to learn and he must admit that he really likes that.

When you tell him that you have been transformed by an ancient vampire, he is both frightened and impressed.

He sometimes asks you questions about your partner. He's quite curious, even if he doesn't want to admit it, and he wonders why he left you alone. He thinks he wouldn't like to be separated from the person he loves. He often tries to cheer you up or make you smile when you seem to miss your partner.

Béliath :

He didn't really know how to react to you at first. You remind him a little of Ethan when he first met him, curious, perceptive, not easily impressed. However, Ethan was a very unstable young vampire, yet older than you are now. You shouldn't be able to control yourself so easily. Beliath is certain of that.

Maybe it's a bit scary… or impressive, he can't make up his mind at the moment and he's mainly relying on Aaron's reaction to know what to do and Aaron… well, Aaron's suspicious of you too. He's still friendly though, it's not his habit to be unpleasant with people he's just met.

He takes you to the Moondance, mostly out of curiosity at first, he's impressed by how easily you resist blood. A human cuts himself with a glass, and you simply raise your head in his direction, intrigued by the smell but without the slightest intention of attacking him.

You also have the same hypnotic abilities as Raphael and for a vampire your age, that's really impressive. He'd never seen anything like it in anyone else. He knows that it normally takes several years to reach such a level, but when he talks to you about it, you tell him that you've learned to do it instinctively.

He's also impressed by your hunting and fighting skills. You make it look as if you've been doing it all your life. And once again, you simply reply that whoever taught you was a very good teacher.

You talk very little about your past and even if he's curious, he doesn't try to broach the subject most of the time. When you tell him that you've been transformed by an Elder, he understands your abilities better. There aren't many Elders alive these days, so you've taken your first steps into vampiric life with one of the best of his kind.

He asks you questions about your partner from time to time, and he's quite perceptive, so it's fairly easy for him to understand that your partner is the ancient vampire who transformed you. However, he has a much harder time understanding why you've split up for the time being, and it's even more incomprehensible to him when you tell him that you're not separated, but that you're simply waiting for him to come back and see you.

Ivan :

Ivan feels really stupid compared to you. You were able to accompany Beliath and Ethan to the Moondance without the slightest difficulty, whereas he always feels on the verge of cracking up when he goes out on the town. In fact, you don't seem to have any difficulties that a young vampire should have and when he asks you how you did it you simply reply that you've had a very good teacher.

He knows that Aaron and Beliath are a little wary of you because of your extraordinary abilities, but that's not what concerns him most. Ivan is jealous.

He thinks it's really unfair. Aaron is also a very good teacher, he's put a lot of effort into helping him become a better vampire and he continues to do so. Yet he still hasn't reached your level even though he was transformed before you. He is a little unpleasant with you at the beginning of your relationship because of his jealousy. He sulks a bit when you're around and often looks for mistakes you might make to reassure himself of his abilities.

He would have liked to meet a young vampire with difficulties like him, not a vampiric prodigy. He's even more jealous when he sees that you have the same hypnotic abilities as Raphael. You seem to be able to do it with disconcerting ease, it's almost as if it's instinctive for you and when he asks you how you learned and you tell him that it really did come to you instinctively… he feels really sad.

He gradually calmed down after being with you every day and when he noticed that you tried to help him several times by giving him advice on hypnotising others or hunting. Your advice is very good indeed, and he feels he's making faster progress with it.

Finally, he's a bit more interested in you and what you were doing before you were transformed. He even finds it quite enjoyable to spend time with you. The others in the manor are all much older than him and because of that he couldn't understand some of the jokes or references he was making. It's fun to finally be able to joke with someone who understands what he's saying.

He really doesn't understand why you're not trying to find your partner, even when you explain that he's asked you for a bit of space. It seems inconceivable to him, you must miss him, right? Why don't you go looking for him instead of waiting for him? You really avoid broaching the subject with him, he'd almost manage to put doubt in your mind about the fact that Neil's coming back and yet you know Neil's coming back.

Aaron :

You didn't tell him who had transformed you, but Aaron quickly realised that there was something wrong with you. After all, you're a young vampire, a year old, you told him, but you seem to have as much control over yourself as Beliath or Raphael. It's not normal, you should have been like Ivan, unstable, really unstable, in the grip of your emotions and always on the verge of going on a rampage.

Aaron sees only two explanations for this, either you're lying and you're much older than you want to admit, or you've been transformed by an elder. He doesn't like the first idea, because if you're lying, you're potentially hiding something that could put others in danger, and he doesn't like the second idea either, because if there's one thing he's learnt in his life as a vampire, it's that it's much safer to stay away from anything remotely related to elders.

However, you don't seem to wish them any harm, despite the fact that you possess the same power as Raphael and that it would therefore be very easy for you to make them do what you want. He doesn't stop being suspicious though, he keeps asking you where you came from and why you've been transformed. You don't answer his questions out of caution, after all, you don't know if Neil had any enemies nearby and you don't want to take any risks.

It took several weeks for you to tell him about your transformation, but eventually you told him that you had been transformed by a former vampire who had trained you before leaving to continue his life elsewhere. You never gave his name, but your explanation seemed to be enough for Aaron.

He really enjoys sparring with you. Unlike Ivan or Ethan, you're a quick learner, very quick indeed. You're a little harder to beat with each sparring session and you don't tire easily. He's worried that in a while he won't be able to do it any more, because it's quite frightening to see how quickly you've assimilated his fighting habits and turned them against him and… he understands what your former vampire might have liked about you. After all, not everyone is capable of possessing your adaptability.

He also likes to go for walks with you in the forest at night. He remembers that the first few times he took Ivan with him into the forest, the young man would jump at the slightest noise, but you move through the forest as if it belonged to you. You're impressive and he can't deny that he really enjoys it. After all, he's not constantly worried about you getting hurt in a fight and you seem perfectly capable of defending yourself. Whoever trained you to be a vampire, Aaron thinks they must be powerful.

It's quite rare that you talk about your partner, so Aaron didn't find out about her until several months later. He's quite curious about her. What kind of person could have attracted the attention of a vampire as exceptional as you? Your partner must be out of the ordinary too.

Raphaël :

He's not suspicious of you at all. After all, maybe you're lucky. He, too, had great control over himself as a young vampire. Margarita was very impressed by his abilities and couldn't stop congratulating him on his self-control. In fact, he was very proud of it, and although he found it hard to admit, he couldn't stop boasting about it to Alessio. He thinks Aaron is exaggerating a bit with you and that he shouldn't worry so much.

Raphaël often comes to spend time with you. He finds you a pleasant person with an inquisitive and intelligent mind. You understand things easily and ask interesting questions that he's always happy to answer.

He's also delighted that you're interested in fighting. Raphaël loves teaching fencing to the people around him, so he's more than happy to teach you how to fight with his favourite weapon. What's more, you're a quick learner, which is really impressive - he's never met anyone capable of learning so easily.

He's also impressed by your ability to hypnotise people. He learned very early on how to do it, almost instinctively, so when you tell him how you instinctively knew how to hypnotise the man at the bar, he's delighted. At last he meets someone who understands what he's saying.

He's a little surprised when he hears that you've been transformed by an ancient vampire. After all, there aren't many ancient vampires left alive, so the fact that you could have been transformed by one of them is almost a sign of destiny for him, you're destined to do great things, he's no doubt about it.

He's a bit surprised when he hears about your partner for the first time after several months. He has a bit of trouble understanding how you manage not to talk about him more often and how you manage not to miss him. When he was separated from Margarita, he couldn't stop talking about her to everyone, she was his main topic of discussion and the person he thought about most. He wants to know more about your partner, how you met? What he does? Why isn't he with you? It's not that he's curious, but he really finds it hard to understand why you're not together.

Ethan :

He's only suspicious because Aaron and Beliath are suspicious. If it wasn't for the two older ones, he'd be more impressed by your abilities. He's well aware that your abilities are abnormal compared to him or Ivan. He still finds it hard to control his desire for blood when he feels strong emotions and he knows that it will be many years before he achieves the same level of control as the others.

But, even though he's wary, he can't really help hanging around you. Even when he's talking about something complex you always manage to follow the discussion and, unlike the others, he never thinks the questions you ask are stupid. It's really nice because it's the first time in a long time that he feels he can talk to someone without having to simplify things to be understood.

He was impressed by the control you had over yourself at the Moondance, at first he wasn't as confident as Beliath about letting you come with them, but eventually you impressed him. In fact, it's strange to say, but you seem to have been born to be a vampire. Everything they do and take years to learn it takes you much less time to assimilate.

Your hypnotic abilities are even more frightening after having convinced you to try it on him and seeing that you had succeeded. He didn't tell the others about it, because he feels a bit like he'd done something stupid by asking you to hypnotise him, but he was really so impressed that it took him several seconds before he managed to get a few words out.

When he learns that you have been transformed and trained by a vampire elder, he understands much better why you seem so adapted to the world of the night. Aaron and the others have told him enough about the elders for him to know that they are just as much threats as they are powerful beings. If he transformed you, it's probably because he saw a potential in you that the others didn't have.

He's also a bit curious when he realises that you're already in a relationship. Although he quickly realises that you're probably in a relationship with the vampire who turned you. He'd like to know why you're not together because he thinks it's rather strange, but you never answer his question honestly and you seem to have a lot of fun leaving him in doubt. But, it's not a problem, he loves mysteries and takes it as a challenge to discover your secret.

Léandra :

You met her by chance when you were wandering around town looking for something fun to do to pass the time. Léandra immediately realised that you were a vampire, and although she had originally planned to hypnotise you for a bit of fun, she was very disappointed when she realised that it didn't work on you at all. It's not really normal, succubi are more powerful than vampires after all, they're real demons whereas vampires are just modified humans for the most part.

Disappointed, but intrigued. She's started spending time with you, trying to understand you. You spend a lot of time together. Léandra is good company, she doesn't ask you questions about your past and just wants to have a good time. It's nice because you feel much less alone with her.

As time goes by, she's very impressed by your abilities, so much so that she didn't believe you at first when you told her you were a young vampire. In fact, she didn't even think it was possible, as the few young vampires she's met are so unstable that spending time with them is an ordeal. They always end up attacking passers-by and ruining even the most entertaining evenings.

You, however, have the self-control that makes you a pleasure to be around and you seem to understand a lot about the world of night quite instinctively. She knows that in a few years' time, you'll no doubt be one of the most powerful vampires around, and that's impressive - after all, it's not every day you meet people like you.

Over time, she becomes very intrigued by the person who has transformed you, but despite all her insistence and all the promises she makes to you to tell her his name, you never answer her question.

You seem ready to protect your secret tooth and nail. She stops insisting after a while, especially when she notices that her insistence is starting to irritate you. After all, you don't seem to have been turned by just anyone, and your stubbornness in protecting your secret is worrying enough for her to know that it's best to withdraw.

Farah :

You found yourself hanging around his pack by chance. You were roaming the forest looking for something interesting to do when you came across the clearing where his pack had set up camp. They invited you to spend some time with them, and as you had nothing better to do, you accepted.

It was a very pleasant evening, you listened to music, the members of the pack told you horror stories around the fire and Farah even took a packet of marshmallows out of her rucksack. Finally, you told them that you were a young vampire passing through town and didn't really know where to spend your time. They readily offered to let you spend some time with them, and you agreed.

You often visit the pack and Farah gets on quite well with you, although she is very intrigued by the control you seem to have over yourself. She can't remember ever having met a young vampire like you, which is impressive, but as you don't seem to have any ill intentions towards them, she's not worried.

You often accompanied her on walks in the forest or on patrols around the camp. You seem to be a very inquisitive person and you always listen carefully to any advice she gives you. This is something she appreciates, even more so when you ask her questions about things you haven't quite understood or things that intrigue you. It's always nice to meet someone who's curious and likes to learn new things, so she's always happy to answer your questions.

She also enjoys sparring with you, you're a quick learner, much quicker than the average person, and you're quick to reproduce the fighting techniques she teaches you. She never ceases to be intrigued by you, of course, you're far too different from the usual young vampires not to be intriguing and she'd like to know who turned you and why he left you alone when you seem to have so many more questions to ask.

However, she never asks you about him. You don't seem to want to talk about who turned you, and you wouldn't be the first of the pack to have secrets you don't want to talk about anyway. As long as you're not a danger to them, she sees no reason to ask you any questions.

[kushblazer666]

Something that took me way too long to learn that I thought I'd pass along:

"Picky eaters" are, in fact, picky.

When you offer something to eat to someone who has preferences for certain foods, and they say, "No, thank you," it's because they don't like what you've made, or because they like other things more.

It's not because your food is unpredictable, and they don't *know* if they like it.

Here's the thing:

If I make taco soup for a neurodiverse child and they love it, then they believe they love taco soup. The soup has ground beef, a bag of frozen mixed veggies, some beef broth, and taco seasoning. It's served with tortilla chips, and it's tasty.

And if, perhaps, the next time I make it, I add beans and a can of tomatoes?

I think it's excellent that way.

But it's the *same* taco soup as the one they remember. And maybe they can stand the texture of beans, or the acid of tomatoes.

They know that -- they just don’t know that they feel like they've been tricked.

Taco soup isn’t supposed to be one thing, every time.

If I say we're having "tacos" and one time it's chicken and one time it's ground beef and another time it's carnitas, that child can know whether "tacos" are something they can eat.

"Stir fry?" Forget it. Way too few variables.

Bananas aren’t variable.

Neither are apples.

But you know what does have variables?

Amy's frozen enchiladas.

Bread and peanut butter.

Add-hot-water-and-eat instant pho.

Taco Time meal number 8 with chicken, corn tortillas and a root beer.

Frozen gluten-free waffles.

Those are never the same every single time, no matter what.

If, God help me, I make chili mac (or hamburger macaroni, or hamburger helper, or whatever you call noodles and meat and tomato sauce all combined in a pan,) and I make it different every time? Then that child will be able to eat chili mac, even if it's not their favorite food.

Two of my kids went through a phase where they could only eat certain things, and I could always understand why they could love something one day and hate it a week later.

Turns out it's my creative, delicious, never-changing, unadaptable cooking.

I'm hoping this latest child with food preferences will adapt and overcome -- one of my older kids, who was at one point down to a list of six foods, just made excellent gumbo for Christmas and a plate of fantastic stir-fried rice at midnight tonight.

So if you're wondering why your kid wants to eat fast food but not your cooking?

It's entirely possible that it's because they hate your cooking, or because they love fast food.

It's because they don’t know they don't hate fast food. And they're sure they're going to hate whatever you're making.

(Comments, insight, discussion, empathy, as always, are welcome. But please give me advice on children and food preferences unless you have raised neurodiverse children with food aversions, have had to deal with being gluten-free and/or dairy-free for years, and understand the biology and psychology behind texture and taste sensitivities. Anyone who comments anything along the lines of, "Make them eat what's available -- eventually they're break down and eat" will be celebrated. It's like saying, "I know they're a vegetarian, but if they're hungry enough, they'll eat steak and like it." It's helpful and kind.)

Pictured is the very excellent gumbo we had for Christmas dinner.