#i realize this is just him basically talking mouth open full of food and

[hyunpic]

DAILY HYUNJIN GIFS UNTIL HIS BDAY: love you and all your little things - the duck lips while eating

[adhd-fandom-hyperfocus]

✧₊⁺ Little Secret✧₊⁺

Pairing: Roboute Guilliman x Reader(f)

part 2

Arthur's Note: Guilliman has a new serf and she isn't taking his bullshit. The Imperium held on with less for 10k years. Man will stop and take care of himself. I am also finishing higher than hel.

Warnings: General Grimdarkness.

+18 Minors DNI

★。------ ＼｜／------。★

He could smell the food and hear you humming a little diddy down the hall; his gaze looked over at the clock, was it that time already? His stomach growled, which surprised him. That was not something his body did, ever.

Roboute smiled as he put the documents aside, you have gone and spoiled him is what happened. Not that he minded, your cooking was one of the few things he looked forward to in this new millennium. It was hardy and rustic, but bursting with flavor.

It was a home-cooked meal. It was real food.

When you open the door and greet him with your warm smile, the room feels a bit brighter. And now that the scent of his lunch filled the air around him, his mouth watered. Roboute wondered how you did it. He knew full well how much food it took to nourish him, which was why he was content to eat, or swallow the paste and other types of gruel. It was efficient and practical. But you didn't care about those things. At least not in this sense. Complained it lacked heart and care. That no man or woman could function eating such boring tasteless things.

"Good afternoon Mister Guilliman!" you say with that bright smile, "Time to let the Imperium wait so you can eat."

Guilliman chuckles gesturing to the cleared spot on his desk, "I have learned my lesson." he teased.

The first time he refused to eat properly you did something that triggered a long-buried fear. You slipped off your sandal and threatened to beat him with it should he not eat his meals. When tried to argue about what he wrote in his codex, his own logic was turned against him in righteous fury. That the codex should be a guideline, and more importantly you argued he was simply wrong.

Roboute realized you were not a woman to fight with. He knew what a woman could do with a sandal. Even thinking about it now gave him a chill down his spine.

He takes the platter from you and eyes the food. Large cuts of meat mixed with apples and peaches, clearly slowly cooked together to make the harmonious scent that he had been enthralled by. Heaping side of potatoes smashed, but hand by the looks and some of the freshest bread he'd seen in a while.

How lonely and depressed was he that looking at this meal, made by someone whose duty was to serve him, made his heartache? Surely if you were not his serf you wouldn't be this caring. If he wasn't what he was...

No, he refused to believe that. He'd seen you fixing socks and scolding his men, mothering them, some grumbled, but he could tell they enjoyed it. Someone looking out for them in a gentler manner.

"Hope you like it. It's something my momma used to make. Generally, it's for supper, but you need more meat on you. Can't find a Mister or Missus Guilliman looking half corpse half god."

Roboute felt his cheeks flare up, and his throat get tangled with the air in it. There was so much in that comment he wanted to unpack and he didn't know where to start. A rarity for the primarch.

"Mister or Missus'?" he asked with far more inflection of shock than he would have liked.

You nodded, "Yes, Momma always said we love who we love. Maybe you aren't so big on the ladies, maybe you are, Maybe you like both? Not my place to judge."

Guilliman felt genuine shock. So casually talking about him marrying like he was just another man. That such simple aspects of life were his to have. Even if marrying was something he thought on, and found himself wanting, he couldn't. Not in the current state of things. He was viewed basically as a god; a son of a god. No marriage would be from love, but pure disgusting lust and fantastical eroticism. It made him ill thinking about it.

"No, I mean think you for your openness, but I mean just the married part. How would I find someone who doesn't see me as.." a tool, a stepping stone, a thing, "well as anything but the son of a god?"

You shrug, "Well, that I don't right know, just a serf after all. But I am sure we could find someone with that big brain of yours and my baseline human charm!"

What if he didn't want someone else, he thought suddenly. He had you. You joked with him, talked to him about boring dull things like weather. You asked if he had hobbies outside governing. Fed him food, real food! Not just that, food your mother made! You shared basic things all took for granted or didn't see the importance of.

Why did he need anyone else?

He let out a small chuckle, not wanting to focus on the thoughts that just came to him. They were terrifying.

"I am sure you're right."

You patted his arm, "Well, I must be off Mister Guilliman. I have work to do, I am afraid I cannot sit and chat while you eat."

Roboute frowned. That was the other reason these extra meal breaks meant so much to him. You would sit and chat with him, about things not world-ending. What was so important you couldn't stay and talk to him?

"What work? Did I give you orders while half asleep last night? If so disregard them." Roboute replied before tearing into the bread.

Throne, it was warm and soft with a harder exterior, and clearly made this morning. You spoiled him, and he wish he didn't like it.

"Oh no! It is a little surprise I am working on. No worries Mister Guilliman you will be the first to see it when I am done. It is a surprise for you after all." You reply happily.

Something for him? He didn't like surprises. Hated them some might say. He couldn't work theoreticals and practicals when he wasn't aware of what something was. Couldn't plan for what he didn't know. But you looked so happy about this little secret! And you should be, as he had no idea you were working on anything.

Perhaps this surprise he would allow. He trusted you. Even if he was feeling moody over you not spending this break with him.

"Very well," he did his best to not look like he was pouting. Thorne was he pouting?! Roboute Guilliman did not pout! "I do hope dinner will be as normal?"

You perk up and smile, "Of course! I found a baby bird I wish to tell you about! Oh and we need to talk about your sons bathing! They stink!"

Guilliman snorted between large bites of food. Food this good would be considered heretical by the Inquisition he was sure. Mostly because he figured they thought all things good were heresy.

Satisfied he would have your ear tonight, and you his, you made your way out of the office and moved through the corridors. The fortress was in the cold mountains, and not ideal conditions for things to grow, but he was seldom down in the Capital. He was either in Hera or on Terra. It wasn't easy she convinced some of his sons to help her make this gift. There outside the fortress a small greenhouse. Well, small to Astartes and Primarchs. It had been so hard to keep this from Guilliman, and the strings pulled, but it would be worth it.

It was no Agi world Iax, where you overheard Guilliman talking to Lion about how he really did wish he could have retired there to farm, but perhaps a nice little garden would suffice.

[imninahchan]

⌜ 𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮: strangers to lovers, my poor spanish skills, casual and unprotected sex [you can't do that, c'mon!], readerʼs a brazilian woman, some portuguese words, dirty talk, age difference, finger sucking, male oral, manhandling, light pussy spanking, ʽpapiʼ, dumbification, dacryphilia. ˚ ☽ ˚.⋆ ⌝

꒰ 𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑹ʼ𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬 ꒱ sooo never thought about posting something in eng but @femmechaotic (thx baby) showed me her translation and i gave it a second chance. This was originally written by me in portuguese, thatʼs why the reader is brazilian. Eng is not our first language, sorry for any mistakes, just posting for the fun of it♡

𓍢ִ໋🀦 HE'S THE KIND OF MAN YOU'LL ONLY MEET ONCE IN A LIFETIME ─────

You realized this from the moment you laid eyes on him for the first time. Sitting a couple of tables away from his, on the balcony of the hotel lobby.

You simply couldn't help but notice it: the thick strands of dark hair, how his hands run through it, as the gentle morning wind blowed. The basic white tank top, a coat hanging over the chair next to him at the table. His big and pointed nose, his eyes hidden mysteriously behind the lenses of the fancy sunglasses.

He's definitely not Brazilian. You could tell just by the food he chose from the buffet on his plate. Youʼre just so genuinely intrigued by the whole set of ongoings, obsessed with watching him, that you forgot about your own — boring — breakfast. The buns were cooling next to the black coffee in the porcelain cup.

You wanted to open the messaging app on your phone and send a sassy comment to your best friend, saying something like: “omg u won't believe how cute is the guy i just saw”, but you didn't even have time for that. The man raises his chin, with his attention shifting from the phone device in his hands to noticing your presence ahead.

You look down immediately, feeling as if you had committed a crime and you've just been caught in the act. You bite your lip, trying to hold down a childish smile, like a vicious little girl. Your palms starts sweating; suddenly cold. The intention was to keep yourself busy with the porcelain cup in the short meantime, trying to deal with the awkward sensation of being caught.

Itʼs not working, of course. You didn't know whether to drink or not, sometimes you try to sip the hot liquid, but you give up halfway through, lost like a robot in a breakdown. And when he raises his eyes once more, in the same direction as you looked for so long, the man's gaze meet yours again.

It feels, apparently, like youʼre going to faint, to actually die, Jesus! You've never felt so embarrassed in your entire life and you insist on thinking about how you're never gonna be able to eat, think or breathe while being in this crime scene — also known as the balcony of the hotel lobby.

“Get up, then!”, you think to yourself. You pick up on a couple of the cold buns from the plate, taking a sip of the — now cold — coffee, and walking towards the lobby. Like, damn, youʼre not even dressed up, maybe the clothes are not so bad but you donʼt even have any makeup on or hair done the way you liked it so much (and did it religiously every day).

But there is an actual explanation for you not being ready. The plan, initially, was just having breakfast and enjoying the view for a short period of time, so you could visit the downtown in Madrid afterwards. Now, you are running away like a criminal, with your mouth full of bread heading towards the elevator.

When you finally thought that the closing of the gray automatic doors would mean freedom, your heart has one more reason to flutter, as soon as the man steps into the cubicle before he could lose the sight of you.

You decide to chew more quickly, hiding the other roll of bun between your hands. Standing next to you, he takes off his pair of glasses, holding his coat and a crossbody bag.

He looks at you.

— Enzo — he says, and from the way he announced his name, you can tell by his accent that he speak Spanish. You swipe the back of your hand over your mouth, wiping away any remaining crumbs.

— Oi... hmm — You stammer the response in Portuguese, automatically panicking again for a few seconds when realizing that your brain couldn't think of a greeting, even in your first language. After some quick struggles, you tell him your name.

— ¿Eres de aquí? ¿de Madrid? (Are you from here? From Madrid?)

— Ahm... — You stutter, again (unfortunately). — Brasil!

He smiles.

— Ah, sí. Brasil... ¡Es un lugar magnífico! (Oh, yes. Brasil... It's a wonderful place!) — and praises. But his gaze turns sharp, he needs to know: “Entiendes lo que digo, ¿no?” (Do you understand what I say, right?)

— Sí, sí! (Yeah, yes!) — you return with a wide smile back at him, almost hyperventilating.

Your desperation is pathetically noticeable, itʼs cute actually. He watched you, smiles softly, almost like a chuckle. The curiosity gets into your nerves, you wanted to ask more questions, extend the conversation, but the elevator reaches your floor, and you leave, too withdrawn to say anything.

“Shit”, you curse at yourself, it wasn't so difficult to have a decent small talk, you should've said something, anything. You brood all day long, thinking you're such a dummy for missing the opportunity. Why did you have to act like a stupid teenager, huh? Then, after what happened, not even the museums — that you were so excited to visit — were fun anymore, no place in this goddamn city could take away that little thread of regret from you.

In the next day, however, you go down for some coffee at the same time as you did the other day, with the foolish intention of trying to see him again, and thatʼs it, it worked; like a freaking miracle. The man was sitting in an armchair in the lobby, it seemed like he was waiting for you too, what were the odds?

You can even feel your legs wobble.

— ¡Buenos días! (Good morning!) — he greets you. — ¿Cómo se dice ‘Buenos días’ en Brasil? (How do you say ‘Good morning’ in Portuguese?)

It takes a few seconds for you to think and say it back, ‘Bom dia’ (Good morning), you respond. He smiles.

— Es muy parecido (It's pretty similar) — he comments, awkwardly. Then, looks at the buffet, “¿Vamos?” (Shall we?)

Although he sometimes used terms that you completely donʼt know the meaning of and have to ask him to explain again, the conversation is, apparently, going very well. You discover that he is older, Uruguayan, and not Spanish as you immediately thought he was. You tell him a little about the country you come from, and he gets enchanted by the way your accent pronounces his name. Enzo. Paying attention to the ʽzʼ sound, unlike the pronunciation in Spanish.

it was with his company that you explored the city. The both of you went to a small square together, had some ice cream, met tourists hotspots, then chatted while exploring a little shop nearby. You hated to admit it but the situation was indeed romantic. Later in the afternoon, you were taken by him to a bar.

There, the conversation extended even further, including the beer you guys shared. When you didn't understand anything he said, (what was quite often in the conversation) you just laughed, your cheeks getting really hot and red from smiling that much. Honestly, you could leave him talking to himself for hours, just because you loved the husky sound of his deep voice and his pair of brown sparkling eyes.

It didn't mean that you were in love or anything, right? Besides, there was no way you could fall in love in such a short period of time.

But the heat you felt emanating from your own body definitely meant something. It could be because of the dark blue button-down shirt — these pieces never fail to be attractive, right? —, or the silver ring that caught your eyes every time he articulated with his hands in the air. Even his perfume... ah, the perfume! A fragrance that filled your lungs, woody but with a slight sweet note. Projecting all day long, torturing, practically inviting you to bury your face in the curve of the moreno's neck.

At nighttime, he takes you back to the hotel: his excuse was that he wanted to help you with the shopping bags, as if you had bought all of Madrid. And it was supposed to end there, at your hotel room door, simple as that. He hands you your things, and the most he does is lean over, slowly, as if he is silently asking for permission, and so, he places a small kiss on the corner of your mouth, millimeters away from touching your lipstick-painted lips. But you hold his hand, before the man walks away down the hall, you donʼt let him escape.

He approaches you again, his other hand touches the corner of your face. Warm, affectionate. ¿Qué te pasa, nena? (What's wrong with you, baby?) The focus of his brown eyes are on your mouth now, the question is whispered, seductive. The touch of his fingers bypass your jaw until it gets on your chin. ¿Quieres algo más que un beso? (Do you want something more than a kiss?)

Youʼre not sure which words to use, which command to prefer. In fact, you donʼt even want to be thinking. You want to shut your brain, to be so dissociated so that only your body can enjoy the moment. You wrapp your arms around him, your face can finally hid in the curve of his neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent of his. You hear the sound of his chuckle, feeling his big hands being placed on your waist. ¿Qué quieres? Dímelo. (What do you want? tell me)

You look up to him, shy. The tip of your nose rubs against his, creating a friction that, just because of the absurd proximity, makes everything even more tense, burning erotic.

— No Brasil — you say, trying to hide it by biting your lip —, se diz ‘foder.’

Enzo's smile grows, almost in slow motion. “Foder” (fuck), he repeats the word in a whisper. Again, you donʼt even have to think much to understand. Everything sounded similar, and it seemed that your mind was connected to his by a chaotic carnal desire.

The Uruguayan's lips meets yours; his hot tongue brushes against yours. Your bodies take on a life of their own. Little by little, the main setting stopped being the hotel hallway and became your room. The door gets closed with a gentle push from his feet, while the chosen path is towards your bed.

His hands moves up from your waist to grab your blouse and take it off from your warm body. When you lay on the mattress, supporting on your elbows, itʼs the cue the man needeed to messily pull down your shorts.

— ¿Quieres ponerte de rodillas? (Do you want to be on your knees?) — he asks, as he unbuttons his own blouse. The sharp look he gives you, bathed in desire, delirious. On his lips, you notice the smudged red of your lipstick. — Correrme en tu boca... (Cum in your mouth...)

Maybe itʼs your mind lost in urgency, because you donʼt process what was said to you. You keep your eyes still, your mouth half-open, taking in air, panting. So pathetic that all he does is laugh at your face, running his hands through his hair instead of going straight to the belt of his shorts.

— ¿Qué? ¿No lo comprendes, no? (What? you don't understand it, do you?) — the tone used with you bordered mockery. And contrary to what you would normally feel like, it gives room to a sick feeling, butterflies in your stomach, you feel even more horny, stimulated. He leans in close. — Mira. (Look)

And as if you were learning something for the first time, you imitate him when he parts his lips. You let the man's thumb drag over your lower lip, and then his middle and index fingers together slide over your tongue, until they occupy your mouth. “Así” (like that), he pushes and retreats with his hand, in a slow, sensual movement, “Metértelo en la boca.” (Put it in your mouth)

Ah, now you understand him well. Your face burns, the wet way the fingers come out of your mouth, a little strand of saliva kept resisting in the distance, itʼs wanton. You nod, kneeling on the wooden floor, eyes glued to him unbuckling his belt until you could have his erection in full view.

You part your lips once again, as you were ‘taught’. He fills your mouth, up to a point where your nose touches his crotch, and comes back, completely wet. It allows the Uruguayan to control the pace, to catch the corner of your face. You raise your gaze to his, surrendered not only by the lasciviousness of what you were doing, but also by the beautiful view you had of his face from that angle.

Enzo uses the index finger of his free hand to run down the curve of your nose, affectionately.

— Qué ojitos más bonitos... (You have such beautiful little eyes) — he praises you, with a smile. At that moment, you could swear your heart felt like it exploded. — Eres tan bella, nena. Preciosa. (You are so beautiful, baby. Precious) — he sighs, his head falls back, then to a slide side angle. He looks at you in such a mischievous way that you avoid returning the look. — Me encantaría correrme en tu boca... pero prefiero guardarlo todo para dentro de ti. (I would love to cum into your mouth... but I prefer to keep it all inside you)

You get taken back to bed, easily manhandled by him when you silently gave up control of the situation. He comes over, dangerously close, unlocked the front fitting of your bra, getting lost between your breasts as soon as he releases them from the tightness of the piece. You hold onto his hair, restless under the delicious sucking of his tongue, the wild bite of his teeth. You gasp, having to move away from the black threads of his hair while his mouth travels down your belly.

He releases you from the last piece of underwear too, the wet kisses were loud and pornographic, crackling on your skin. The tip of his big nose rubs lightly over the area where he knew your sensitive clit was. His palm run through your wetness, the chill of the his silver ring sliding across your boiling skin.

He clicks two, three slaps in a row that makes you shudder, whimpering softly. Enzo smiles, he didn't need to, but he returned to that mocking tone from before, of someone who had to calmly spell out the commands so you could understand.

He brings his hand to your lips, gave a little tap on the top, de aquí, and then went all the way down again, leaving a wet trail until he gave your pussy another tap, a aquí. And itʼs these little details that makes everything even better. It makes you feel so dumb, foolish, but itʼs so strangely good...

When he puts himself inside you, you lock your legs around his waist, wrapping your arms around him, feeling him dominate everything in you. He, however, insists on eye contact, lifting his torso, resting his forearm against the mattress, to look you in the eye. He smiles, panting like you; moaning low, hoarse. At first, slow, but soon he surrendered to the speed, to the sharp sound of your moans with each stronger thrust.

And there where so many thrilling impulses, fuck it... You want to cover your mouth, close your eyes to try to contain yourself. Itʼs the nasty noise of your bodies in shock, his deep voice, the scent of his hot skin. Youʼre so sensitive that your eyes get wet, a little tear runs down your cheek.

— Oh, no... Perdón, perdóname, cariño. (Oh, no... I'm so sorry, honey) — he stops, his thumb wipes the tear from your face.

'En—', you even started to want to call his name, but the frustration of no longer receiving the same thrilling sensations and to the same extent was such that you only knew how whine; your mind melting, finally murmuring “Dale, dale, papi.” (Give it to me, please, daddy)

Enzo smiles again. He leaves a few kisses on your lips, repeating your words between the kisses, as if he was making fun of your desperation and also the term you used to refer to him.

— ¿Más rápido, hm? Más duro? (Faster, hm? Harder?) — he turns you over on the bed, putting you on all fours. The dirty talk makes you smile, dumb with lust already, clinging to one of the pillows. The Uruguayan's body lead over yours, bringing his mouth close to your ear. — Tranquila, nena. Te daré todo lo que quieras. ( Calm down, baby. I will give you everything you want.)

[chiiyuuvv]

SOHEE MINI SERIES PART 1.

1.9k words

For the poll: @ohmykwonsoonyoung , @kissohee (i decided to combine it since its basically the same)

Taglist -> @snowyseungs , @eun-luv , @cr1tzen , @cupofmelatea

taglist | masterlist

Celebration for 300 :( <3

His steady eyes pace around the room, a hand scratching the back of his nape and the other twiddling with his pencil, playing it off like he wasnt just staring at you. His eyes glance back to yours, finding that you were still looking at him, so he awkwardly ducks his head, faking laughing with his set of friends beside him.

'Go along with it' his eyes seemed to convey, the boys look at themselves, him, then at you. Sohee watches as their mouths turn into small 'o's, before faking a loud laugh, one slapping his knee while the other pointing.

"You should just talk to her," sungchan whispers into the annoyed males ears. "You've been staring at her for weeks." He exaggerates, his eyes widening as he looks at the boy. But no matter how many times sohee had to explain, no one would ever listen.

You see, yes its well known that sohee has been googly eyes over you for weeks, (hes pretty sure you know by now since hes so obvious) but he cant just walk up to you and start a conversation. What if he trips? What if he stutters? What if you dont like him? What if he makes you uncomfortable? That was his biggest fear.

Especially since you were so pretty and a tad reserved unlike his friends, he didnt know how to approach you; It made his heart jump.

He still remembers the first day hes laid eyes on you, his breath instantly taken away. Anton had invited you to sit at his table since you were working together for a project, and you needed to discuss who would do what.

The light shined on your face perfectly, complimenting your hair length as you sat on the small bench, a little smile on your face as you conversed with anton. Anton stopped talking to take a bite of his food, giving you the opportunity to look around the wide table; wonbin and shotaro laughing at a video, eunseoks head resting on sungchans shoulder, and seunghan annoying anton as he eats.

You look forward to find sohee staring at you, his jaw dropped open and small, quick blinks leaving his eyes. Who was he staring at? You think to yourself, turning to look behind you to only find your shadow, facing forward to see that he was still looking at you.

So you wave. Why not be friendly, you know? You watch as the boys face slowly turns red, frozen like a stone until he realizes you waved at him. It finally dawns on him, you just waved at him. Quicker than flash he snaps his head to his plate, taking a bite full of the cafeteria food, refusing to look in your direction.

A bit confused, you brush it off, welcoming anton back to your paused conversation as he was done eating, your forearms resting on the table as you get back to planning.

You had no idea how fast sohees heart was beating.

One look at you, one sound of your laugh, one accidental touch; he knew he had fallen deep this time, his face burning red at any simple interaction, if you were in the same room as him. He hated it. It was so embarrassing how easily flustered he got, only able to look at you when you turn your head, getting to know you more through anton. He still had to thank him.

"Shoot." Sohee mumbles under his breath, looking down to see that his phone was about to die. "Eunseok hyung!" He calls for the older, swinging back on his chair to see him better. "Let's switch spots, so i can charge my phone."

"Hmm..." eunseok thinks to himself, a finger tapping his chin. "Nope." He finally says with a smile.

"What?! But theres a plug right beside you."

"No there isnt." A voice calls, seunghans, as he plugs his charger in. "But i know where another one is.." he says in a flirty tone, wiggling his eyebrows with a little giggle at the end.

Sohee scans the room confused, before his eyes widen, his head shaking profoundly. "Oh no.. no, no, no."

"Yep!" Seunghan exclaims, the boys laughing at sohees red expression. There was another charging port, yes, but it was right beside you. Great!

"Just go!!" Anton pushes him out of his chair. "Shes really nice, i promise."

But you guys arent

His heart hammering out of his chest as he nervously gulps, hearing a small "thank us later!" From shotaro as he tries to calm himself down.

"H-hey umm.." no stuttering!! "..can i plug in my phone, right next to you? I-its fine if you dont want to haha.."

"Oh yeah, sure!" You wave him off with your hands, looking up from your own phone. "T-thanks.." he mutters, looking over to find the boys gesturing him to sit beside him. And so he does, a little clumsily, a hand coming up to move some hair away from his face, the other awkwardly scrolling on his phone.

Sohee rests lazily against his chair, stealing a glance of you working on your laptop, your mouth curled up to blow some of your bangs annoyedly, your chin resting on your raised knee. It seemed like you needed help with something.

Sohee steals another glance at you before batting his eyes away, looking back at his phone when he sees something out of the corner of his eye. There he found wonbin, frantically shaking around in his chair. He was trying to say something to sohee, the latters eyes narrowed to decode what he was trying to say.

Go.. beside you.. snatch your phone.. and start texting??

Wonbin lets out a loud sigh, slapping his hand over his closed eyes before whipping his phone out of his pocket.

Go help her idiot!!

Sohees mouth turns into an 'o' when he reads wonbins text, looking at you with a concerned look then back at wonbin, he shrugs his shoulders. How??

Wonbin slaps his face over his closed eyes for the ninth time. Do you need help??

"Ahh.." sohee mumbles, his heart beating heavy against his chest at the thought of talking to you, but he does it anyway. Its now or never!!

"Um hey.." he taps your shoulder, a awkward smile on his face as his voice was barely above a whisper. "D-do you need any help? I couldnt help but notice you struggling."

A small smile appears on your face, shaking your head with a light chuckle leaving your lips. "No its fine.. you wouldnt understand my teacher anyways."

"Mr. Han?"

"Yea- wait, how do you know?" Your eyebrows raise, looking at him expectedly as he nervously gulps. How was he going to get out of this one?

"I um.. it says it right there." He stammers, pointing to the corner on your laptop, the words MR. HAN typed proudly in all caps.

"Oh!" You let out a tired laugh, "sorry, i didnt notice."

"Yeah.." he lets out a laugh of his own, scratching the back of his head as he looks over, finding the boys silently cheering him on. He turns his head with a light blush on a cheek, looking over to find you staring at him. The view makes his heart jump, his eyes widen and his lips parted, his throat suddenly feeling dry. "I, um-"

"You're in my class too." You cut him off, tapping your pencil against the side of your head while thinking to yourself. Yeah, you've totally seen him before, outside of this class, and lunch. It was making sense now.

"Oh yeah! I didnt notice you!" A complete, total lie. Of course he saw you, and of course he was staring at you the entire time. You were too busy typing up your essays to notice.

"Me either!" You chuckle, feeling a bit guilty. "Its so hard to see students other than those couples that block the view of everything."

Sohee lets out a gasp. "You find that annoying too?" He points at your nodding figure, clicking his tongue, "they arent going to last long anyways, just break up and go home."

You laugh at his statement, his cheeks going rosy red as you nod again. "You know," you add, taking a breath. "I hear one breaking up with the other by playing the song candy, by nct dream. It was so harsh and everyone was laughing."

"Wait you know that song too?? Thats one of my favorites."

"Yeah, i love cand- wait the song candy, or the food, candy?"

"Both, i guess." You share a laugh. "Yeah me too." You reply. "I guess we have something in common." You say in a flirtly tone, winking at the grinning boy before cringing at yourself.

"So sorry!! I promised myself i would have a mysterious personality, cant show you my real self until you've fallen in my trap." You joke.

"No, no, i get it. Its really cute."

"Its what?" You ask, turning your gaze from the boy to power off your computer.

"Nothing uh- whats your favorite candy??" He quickly changes the conversation, letting out an awkward laugh.

"My favorite candy.." you ponder to yourself, placing your foot onto your chair and resting your chin to your knee again. "Hmm, maybe sour patch? Hershey? I think those two are my favorites."

"I love sour patch! Sour, sweet, gone." He imitates the sour patch ads, a giggle leaving your lips. "Yeah, I-" the bell rings, signaling the period was over. "Aw." You pout, watching visable disappointed wash sohees face.

"See you tomorrow?" You ask, sliding your laptop into your bag and swing it over your shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, of course, sure." He gets up, nodding his head wildly as he gets up too, bring his hand up for you to shake. Wait, for you to shake?

A bit confused, you laughed at his gesture, slipping your hand into his with a shake. A wide smile plastered on your face before letting go and walking out the class, stopping one final time to wave at the frozen boy.

After a few seconds he waves back, his smile matching yours as his cheeks were light red, pumping his closed fist in the air. "Yes! Yes!!" He laughs to himself, finally able to talk to you after staring at you for weeks. The boys come to circle him, letting out a series of cheers, shaking the boy with such pride; your laughter from a few minutes ago filling his ears, your touch engraved in his mind.

The next day, sohee ditches the boys, claiming that 'he had to charge his phone again' even though it was at 100 percent. They let out a series of wiggled eyebrows and 'ohh's in a flirty tone, teasing him before letting him go sit with the love of his life, sohee giving you a shy smile and wave as you welcome him.

"Wait, wait." He says, sitting down in his chair and taking off his backpack. In one of the pockets, he pulls out a bag of sour patch kids, a gasp leaving your mouth as he hands them to you. "I um.. saw them when i went to the convenient store.. and i thought of you, so i got them for you!!" He shyly admits, a light blush forming on his neck at the soft smile you were giving him.

"Thats so sweet of you." Sohee lets out a smile, looking down to hide it. "Want some?" You open the pack, gesturing him to take some which he does, a soft giggle leaving his lips as he bites into the sweet but sour treat.

[theclairvoyage]

Centrifugation: Chapter 6

Series Masterlist

A familiar face returns to the center.

Warnings: gun violence, knife violence, character death, mentions of blood, brief smut, panic attack, fluff, emotional turmoil, hospital stuff, stitches.

WC: 4.1k

Banners courtesy of @cafekitsune and @saradika

Wednesday, October 20th | 0755

As you clock in for your first shift after some time off, you feel recharged and ready to tackle the day.  The parking lot wasn’t too full, which was a good start—much easier than having to do cleanup as soon as you walk in the door.  Keri came in later today, meaning you’d get to spend a little more time with her in the afternoon—she usually opened and was one of the first ones to leave.  The morning rush was decent, and your trainee, Jayla, came in for a bit to make up for the lost hours last week.  You showed her the basics of setting up a machine, sticking a donor, and disconnecting them once they were done.  She seemed eager to learn and caught on quickly—by midday, she was doing setups and disconnects by herself.  Keri rolled in around 1100 and sent the two of you to your lunch break.

“I need an update on your date,” she says as she throws on a lab coat, winking at you.  You smile and feel your cheeks warm.

“You were right about him being great in bed,” you say, and her jaw drops.  She punches your arm with a giggle.

“I knew it!! And he lives in West O?  I didn’t realize he was rich rich,” she says, eyes widening.  Her expression turns to confusion soon after, and she asks, “Wait, why does he donate, then?”  You explain Sarah’s “fun money” situation, admitting that even if he didn’t donate, she’d probably still have plenty of fun money.

“You know, there are good people out there that donate just to be helpful,” Keri reminds you, half-sarcastically.  Those people existed, but they were few and far between.  Most people needed the money—Joel was not one of them.

“So, now that we both know he doesn’t need the money, really… it means if he keeps coming here, it’s just to see you,” she says with a snicker.

“I have a feeling those won’t be the only times he’ll see me during the week,” you say, giving her an exaggerated wink, mouth dropping open as you squeeze one eyelid shut.  She laughs.

“Girl… how big is he?” she whispers, leaning in close to you so any donors nearby won’t hear.  Your cheeks heat up at the memory of your escapades the last few days.

“Biggest I’ve ever had, swear,” you whisper, “He’s very… thick.”  Her eyes widen.

“So, what you’re saying is that you’re sore right now?” she asks, a devilish smirk curling on her cheeks.

“It’s like I rode a horse,” you say, causing you both to bust out laughing.  Keri pushes you toward the break room door as she giggles.

“Go to break before I waste all my time talking about your sex life!”  You wink at her again and do just that.

Wednesday, October 20th | 1315

Your lunch break went by smoothly—you ate some of the food you had meal prepped yesterday and got to know Jayla a bit more.  She was a freshman studying premed at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, not too far from the center.  She admitted that this was her first real job, but she enjoyed it and looked forward to learning more—she even apologized for the call-ins last week.  Feeling confident that she could take on some tasks independently, you let her man her own section for a bit.  You remember now that you need to request some time off to see your grandma.

You hang up your coat and ask Keri to keep an eye on Jayla before making your way to the manager’s office, which is on the opposite side of the building.  You walk past the reception area and back to the restricted area to find Trina’s office door open.  She’s perched at her desk, searching through the camera footage.  An officer is next to her, staring at the monitor as she clicks through the archived footage.  Apprehensively, you knock on the door.  Trina looks up and gives you a warm smile.

“Hey!  We were just going through the footage of Cedric’s incident last week so they can finalize the police report,” Trina says, giving you a reassuring nod.  “Officer Petrovski, this is my lead phlebotomist and the one who was threatened by him.”  You offer your hand and shake his.  He’s shorter than you and quite thin, bald with thick-rimmed glasses.  He must be the cyber crimes type, you think.

“Excellent, send the footage to this email address and we’ll notify you once everything is complete,” he says, giving Trina a business card before shaking her hand.  He gives you a short nod as he steps out of the office.

“So, what brings you in here, dear?” Trina asks, organizing some stacks of paper on her desk before looking up at you.

“I need to request some PTO next month—my Grandma isn’t doing too well,” you say, trying to keep the conversation light-hearted.  She gives you a sympathetic look and pulls a calendar off the wall behind her.

“You have the most PTO of everyone, as you know,” she says with a chuckle, “So your options are pretty open.”  You look down at the calendar and see a handful of people have requested Thanksgiving off, which is par for the course.  There’s a week at the beginning of November that’s empty.

“How about the first week of November?  Monday the 1st through the 8th,” you offer, pointing at the empty dates.  She scribbles your name in each of the date boxes for that week.

“You’re all set.  I’ll put in your PTO the week before then.  And please—,” she stops to put a thoughtful hand on your arm, “Reach out if you need anything.  You’re aware of our counseling resources, but also if you just need to talk.”  You smile, blinking back tears.  Trina has always been thoughtful—always puts her employees first.

“Thanks, Trina.  I will,” you say, waving at her as you step out of the office.  You pull your phone up to text Joel the dates, noticing that he’s already texted you.

Joel: Hope you have a great day, sweetheart.

Joel: Let me know when I need to take off work for our trip.

You smile.  You two must have some telekinetic connection.

You: I literally just requested the time off not even 5 minutes ago.  November 1st-8th.  Does that work for you?

Joel: Yep.  Helps to be the boss 😉

You: Sorry I missed your first text.  It’s been a good morning!  My trainee is doing really well and it’s not too busy here.

Joel: That’s great.  I gotta get back to a client with Tommy, but I’ll talk to you later this evening.  Miss you already.

You: You too 😊

You head back to the break room to drop your phone off, walking through the reception area first.  The chairs are empty—unusual for this time of day.  Usually, the late lunch rush starts and bleeds into the dinner rush.  The front door swings open right as you’re about to head through the restricted employee-only area—the person that steps in makes you freeze.

It's Cedric.  He looks like a cracked-out white Jesus—long, stringy blonde hair that probably hasn’t been brushed in days.  Skinny figure, average height.  His pupils are pinpointed, dark circles pooling underneath his eyes, fingers twitching, baring teeth that have an overdue need for dental work—very Smeagol-like.  He’s high on something.  He’s hunched over slightly and staring right at you, bloodthirsty.  You’re still frozen in place, unsure of what to do.  He speaks first.

“You got me deferred, and I’m short on cash,” he spits, teeth gritted.  His hands curl into clenched fists.  Your eyes narrow briefly as you stare at him, anger flashing through your system.

“You got yourself deferred by blowing something out of proportion and throwing your dirty arm wrap at me,” you remind him, taking a deep breath.  One of the employees in reception has to be seeing this showdown and calling Trina—otherwise this could get ugly, fast.  Your response pisses him off more.

“Bitch!  Your shitty phleb wrapped my arm wrong and I spoke up about it!” he flares, voice raising with each word.  He steps toward you, reaching in his rear waistband for something.  Fuck.  Your phone is in your pocket, and you need to pull it out to activate 911.  You hold both hands up, palms facing him in a surrender-type gesture.  Eyes still on him, you lean your head toward the reception and office area, prepared to scream.  He steps closer, now 20 feet away from you, hand still glued to his rear waistband.

“Come closer and I’ll fucking scream,” you warn him.  He smiles creepily, his disgusting yellow teeth on full display.  He pulls a knife out of his rear waistband, the handle wrapped in camoflauge tape.  It’s a drop-point blade, roughly six inches long.  The blade is dirty and rusty.

The next few moments are a blur and propelled not by thought, but by instinct.  Cedric lunges forward at you, slashing at you with the knife.  A sharp pain lights up your arm.  You kick his stomach after the slash, knocking him to the ground.  You run back toward Trina’s office, warm liquid spilling down your arm.  She’s not in here.  You lock yourself in, comforted by the fact that he doesn’t know the door code.  Plasma centers are built to keep donor access very limited—something you’re quite grateful for in this moment.  Sirens are blaring, but you can’t remember when they started.  The cops must’ve been called during your confrontation.  You hear shouting, footsteps screeching and pounding on the vinyl composite tile floors, some terrified screams, a man yelling—must be one of the officers.  Boom.  Boom.  Boom.  Three gunshots.  Oh god—what the fuck is happening out there?  You remember Trina has access to the camera footage in here, but her screen is locked.  You’re stuck in here.  Now that you’re still, the adrenaline clouding your pain has subsided, and you look down to see a decently-sized gash on your left outer forearm—you must’ve raised your hands defensively when Cedric slashed at you.  It’s deep.  Frantically, you look for something to stop the bleeding—there’s a black jacket resting on Trina’s chair.  You rip it off and wrap it around your wound, squeezing tight.  There’s a heavy knock at the door.

“Police!  Is anyone in here?” a man’s voice shouts.  You open your mouth to reply, but your breath catches in your throat.  Wobbily, you step forward to open the door.  Two officers are behind the door, guns pointed at you.

“Ma’am, are you hurt?” one of them asks.  You try to lift your arm, blood seeping out from under the jacket and onto the floor.  Before you can respond verbally, the room turns black.

Wednesday, October 20th | 1857

Bright.  Fuck, it’s bright in here.  You try to open your eyes, but the fluorescent light stings them, forcing you to squeeze them shut.  You groan in confusion.  A cold hand comes up to grip your shoulder.

“Hon, you’re awake—you alright?” a familiar voice asks, frantic.  It’s Keri.  You open your eyes, vision blurry and eyes heavy.  You’re in a hospital room, donned in one of those ugly printed gowns.  Your left arm is wrapped with thick gauze, IV taped to your hand.  You’re tired, sluggish—like each movement of your pupils is draining what little energy you have left.  Blinking a few times, you finally focus on Keri’s face.  She’s seated on your bed, hands holding your uninjured arm for dear life.  Her face is red, and tear stained.

“Ker—wh-why are we in a hospital?” you ask, moving your bandaged arm up to block the bright light.  Your arm aches, a dull throb pulsing down to your shoulder.  You wince.  She shushes you.

“Don’t try to move your arm, hon—relax.  Cedric came back for revenge and stabbed you.  Do you remember that?” she asks, rubbing your shoulder.  You close your eyes and remember his nasty yellow teeth bared at you, the hunch of his figure, him reaching in his waistband for something—then clips of you on a stretcher, healthcare workers shouting as they push you through a hallway.

“Fuck,” you whisper, “Yeah, I remember—did they, did—,” you cut yourself off, remembering hearing gunshots at the center.

“Cedric’s dead.  Tried to stab the cops, apparently.  He was wigged out on heroin,” Keri says, voice calm, grounding.  Your stomach drops, imagining his lifeless body on the vinyl floor in the main lobby of the center.  Trina walks into the room, eyes red and swollen.  She’s been crying, too.  She sobs a sigh of relief seeing you awake and talking, albeit sluggishly.  She comes up behind Keri and holds your right hand tightly.

“Jesus, I’m so glad you’re okay, I’m so sorry I wasn’t by the front when he came in,” she says, clearly racked with guilt.  You shake your heavy head.

“S’not your fault, Trin—he just got lucky,” you say, smirking and forcing a laugh out of those two.

“Heard you kicked the shit outta him,” she says, smiling and wiping tears from her cheeks.  Keri’s crying again, too, but also laughing.

“Felt like Street Fighter,” you mumble, clearly high on whatever painkillers are dripping through your IV, and they cackle.  Suddenly, you remember wrapping your arm with the jacket on her chair.  “Trin—I, your jacket, I had to—,” she cuts you off, squeezing your hand and closing her eyes as she shakes her head.

“Don’t even worry about it—I’m glad there was something in there that helped you,” she assures you.

“Stitches?” you ask them.  They both nod.

“Fourteen,” Keri says, voice calm but apprehensive.  Your eyes widen.

“He got me good,” you breathe, leaning your head back onto your pillow and clamping your eyes shut.  There’s a knock at the open door of your room.  A tall, dark, curly-haired handsome man is at the doorway.  Joel.  You smile as best you can in your current state.  Keri leans into your ear.

“I called him,” she whispers, “I know you’re stubborn as hell, but I’m pretty certain he’s crazy about you and would want to help.”  You’re not mad at her—you’re relieved to see him.  Keri and Trina step out and shut the door behind them, giving you privacy.  Joel rushes over to where Keri sat and replaces her.  His face is stricken with worry, eyes wet and red—he’s been crying.  Shit.  He wraps his arms around you, careful not to squeeze too hard, and buries his face in your neck.

“I was so fuckin’ worried about you, I came as soon as I could—fuck, darlin’ I’m so sorry I wasn’t here faster, I shouldn’t have let h—,” you cut him off with a shush, running the fingers of your right hand through his hair and smoothing the back of his neck.

“It’s okay, Joel—not your fault.  Please don’t blame yourself,” you whisper in his ear, holding him tightly.  You want him to stay as close as possible.  Pain and guilt curl around your lungs at the sight of your closest ones being upset.  You know it’s not your fault, but it hurts to see them like this.

“God, I’m so fuckin’ glad you’re okay, baby, when I got the call, I was—,” he stops for a second, tears pooling in his beautiful amber eyes.  He stares in your eyes and smiles, the sight of you calming him.  You’re clearly loaded on morphine and exhausted out of your mind, dark circles under your eyes, hair a tangly mess—but you’re still gorgeous.

“Kiss me, Joel,” you plead quietly, tears forming in your eyes.  One trickles down.  He kisses it, the salt stinging his lips.  He kisses the corner of your mouth, your chin, your jaw, before finally placing his lips on yours.  The kiss is gentle at first, but your exhaustion and his despair at the thought of losing you take over, and it gets hot and heavy.  Your mouths are frantic, teeth bumping and tongues twisting—it’s fast and messy, both of you pouring your relief into one another.  His beard scratches your chin, and you moan, pulling him tighter to you.  He cups your face in his hands and pulls away, panting heavily in your face.

“We’re alright, darlin’, let’s get you better before we do anything else,” he says, chuckling and pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“S’just my arm, Joel—I don’t need it for that,” you say, slurring your words.  You’re starting to succumb to morphine, eyelids heavy and drooping.  He’s smiling at you softly, though eyes still veiled in worry.

“Get some sleep, my sweet girl.  I’ll be right here, okay?  I promise,” he says, giving you a chaste kiss before you drift off to sleep.

Thursday, October 21st | 0904

You slept all night, Joel in the chair by your side the entire time.  You woke feeling fine, minus the sore sting of your arm.  The charge nurse came in and changed your gauze and unhooked your IV, followed by the doctor, who cleared you to check out that morning.  She advised you to take it easy and come back for a follow-up appointment in two weeks.  She prescribed you some hefty pain pills, which worried you—the doctor stated that it’d be best to stay with someone while you were taking them.  Joel assured the doctor that he’d be taking care of you—making you swoon. The doctor also scheduled you for a psychiatric consultation, which was the standard for patients experiencing traumatic events like yours–probably a good thing.

Keri and Trina stopped by before you left and gave you the lowdown on the center, which would be closed for an indefinite amount of time so the police could investigate, and the staff could take time to recover from the incident.  Trina requested a medical leave of absence for you, which was approved by the corporate office quickly.

“I don’t wanna see you back at work until after your November trip—and take more time after that if you need it. You have a bank of PTO, remember,” she told you, wagging an index finger at you while smirking.

“Yes, ma’am,” you had said, saluting her and making everyone in the room giggle.

Now, you’re getting dressed and getting ready to leave the hospital with Joel.  He unties your gown from the front and pulls it off you, covering you with a blanket while he finds clothes that Keri had brought for you.  The room is cold, the frigid air making your nipples peak.  You’re naked under this blanket, and Joel is aware—painfully, so—but respects you in your time of vulnerability.  You’re mostly covered except the middle of your chest and abdomen, where the blanket doesn’t overlap, revealing a long triangle of skin from your sternum to underneath your belly button.  He turns back to you with some clothes in hand and his eyes latch onto your bare skin.  Sucking in a breath, he steps closer to you and hands you the clothes.  You watch him with a smirk and drop the blanket, eyes holding his gaze the entire time.  He can’t help but stare at your naked body—still mesmerized at your beauty.

“Sweetheart, not here,” he says, pained, dick tense against his denim, “As much as I want you and as fuckin’ beautiful as you are, we need to get you home first.”  His eyes strain to stay locked with yours.  You’re a mess, too—seeing him and his being there for you has been keeping you in a low, steady state of arousal the last 12 hours or so.  You’re dripping but can wait until you’re back in a bedroom and not a bright, stuffy hospital room.  For now, though, you want to tease him.

You reach down with your right hand and rub two fingers through your folds, eyes still locked on his.  He gasps and holds his breath, eyes traveling down to watch.  Rubbing slowly, you watch the desire flash over his face, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows tightly.  You remove your fingers and step closer to him.  You put your fingers up to his lips and he swallows again before opening his mouth to take them in.  He sucks on them with a long, low moan, eyes closed in delight at the sweet taste of you—the sight makes your pussy tingle.

Once he’s sucked them clean, you pull them out of his mouth and resume getting dressed like nothing happened.  He growls and comes up behind you, one arm snaked around your waist and the other hand draped around your throat loosely.  He tightens the hand around your neck just slightly, forcing your head up.  You gasp, the display of control and desire heightening your arousal.

“Baby… when we get home, I’m gonna make you come on my tongue as many times as I see fit, y’hear me?” he murmurs in your ear, facial hair close enough to brush your earlobe, “Doctor’s orders.”  You nod, shivering.  He lets go of you and smacks your ass lightly. You finish getting dressed and Joel walks you out of the room, one arm around your waist and the other hooked under the elbow of your injured arm. Both of you thank the nurses and doctor as he guides you to the elevator.

Once you’re outside, you’re relieved to see the sun shining.  It feels odd, though—like the weather doesn’t match your current mental state.  You realize now that you haven’t thought about what happened yesterday; rather, you haven’t had the opportunity to, given the fact that you’d been virtually unconscious until now.  Your introspection has caused you to stop walking, concerning Joel.  He steps in front of you and places both hands on your shoulders.

“Y’alright, sweetheart?” He blinks, clearly nervous about your current state.  You snap back into the present and shift your gaze between each of his eyes.  Your body is trembling, skin feeling clammy all the sudden—like a panic attack is on the verge.

“Y-yeah… I just realized I didn’t really have time to process yesterday—just kinda hit me all at once.  I’m fine though,” you lie, plastering a forced, fake smile on your face.  Joel sees right through it.

“Baby, I know you’re strong, but y’ain’t that strong—what happened to you was major, and it’s gonna take time to heal.  I’m right here with ya, every step of the way, I promise,” he assures you, squeezing your shoulders.  Tears spring from your eyes, a quiet sob escaping your throat.  You feel pathetic—one moment you’re naked, teasing Joel, and the next, you’re in a catatonic state, bawling on the sidewalk of a hospital.  He pulls you into a comforting hug, rubbing circles on your back and stroking your hair.  He repeats you’re okay baby, it’s okay, I got you.  You pull back, sniffling.  Joel wipes the tears from your face.  You let out a weak giggle. This man has known you for a blip and has seen so much of you already.

“This is pitiful, huh?” You ask him, wiping snot with the back of your good hand.  He laughs at you.

“Darlin’, you’re anything but.  Let’s get you home.  D’you wanna stay with me, or want me to stay at your place for a while?” You consider the options: your small apartment that contains all your clothes, or Joel’s luxurious, spacious home.

“Both?  If that’s okay… All my stuff is at my place, and I don’t wanna make you abandon your house,” you offer.  He nods.

“Whatever you want, sweetheart—I’ll be doin’ some work remotely, though you’ll have to help me with my damn computer,” he gripes, making you chuckle.  “I told Tommy what was goin’ on and he’s pullin’ a guy up from the Kansas City office to help for a few weeks, but I’ll still be takin’ care of the books and ordering things,” he says.

“Clerical duties,” you say, winking at him.

“Exactly, darlin’,” he winks back at you.  “So, do y’mind stayin’ at my place the first few nights?  We can stop and get some of your stuff,” he asks, rubbing the back of his neck.  He must not have slept well in that stiff hospital room chair.  You nod and give him a warm smile.

“Let’s get goin’ then, we can stop by the grocery store and get whatever y’might want—snacks, all that,” he says, returning one arm to your waist as you both make your way to his truck.

“You’re such a dad, Joel,” you joke, poking his ribs lightly with your elbow.

“Don’t I know it, baby.”

Taglist: @burntheedges, @syd-djarin, @anoverwhelmingdin <3

[sepublic]

Thinking of an AU where Envy, whom I’ll call William because of fanon, is there with his younger brothers from the start. He’s that scary elder brother who does care for the others on some basic level and all they have is each other, but his volatility, bitterness, and poor emotional management issues make him a ticking time bomb the others tiptoe around. He is MEAN to poor Al, and Ed is caught between as the buffer, the middle child who has to talk to both.

William will do the basic stuff of like, occasionally checking up to make sure his brothers aren’t dead and resolving problems that require someone older, usually if it involves fighting and confrontation. He is a leader for them sometimes, he’ll wake them up by calling them little shits, and drive them to school. He has his nice moments, times where they actually have fun together and they can believe William isn’t just some brooding rage monster.

But Ed is otherwise forced to do all of the logistical work of feeding them, of organizing them as an emotional unit. And most of the time William isn’t even around for that bonding part. William broods a bunch, he’s a troubled delinquent for whom a formative memory for Ed was his older brother inviting him to sit with him, and offering him a cig so they can both be underage smokers and angst over their neglectful dad together. Maybe William has a friend group of other delinquents he’s consistently affable and rough around, which kinda pisses off his little bros because like okay so you CAN be a functioning person around others, I see now.

William was old enough to know Dad more and get into teenage fights with him, Ed was younger and so everything was simpler, and Al was too young to really remember and that major disconnect makes William kinda resentful towards Al for not hating Dad and daring to hopefully idealize him as a myth that isn’t contradicted by a reality he knows. William thinks Al is a sensitive idiot who isn’t capable of righteous rage like he is but Al very much is, he’s just not a massive open douche like William and also that anger is very much from William too. Lo and behold he became the terrible father that two brothers bond over surviving.

One time his younger brothers got into trouble with some local gangsters and William came to their rescue, just go get his ass beaten. Despite this he kept trash talking and showing defiance, and even when his mouth was full of blood from being kicked in it and he was on the ground he bitterly laughed as the gangster asked what was so funny. The gangsters got bored and left. Afterwards the brothers walked off as a sore and bloody William bought them some food from a shocked but compliant fast food worker and they had a surprisingly quiet meal together.

At some point Mustang sees this and thinks, Sweet vulnerable young children to recruit into the military! He knocks on their door and William opens it to spit in this stupid state worker’s face and call him a slur, before slamming the door in his face; Mustang didn’t even say anything, nobody’s sure if William even knew Mustang was a recruiter or just thought he was from social services. Mustang gives up and leaves. This is the kindest thing William has ever done for his brothers.

And in the end, the greatest reckoning these three brothers will ever have is the realization that William is an egg after he somehow got into a situation where he did drag. In a moment of hilarious hypocrisy, William suddenly disappeared without a trace until years later, when the Elric brothers got a message from “him.” Except William was now Envy and fully transitioned, with two new friends; A Romani woman suffering from a skin condition resulting in melanin loss, and a weightlifter with a developmental disorder. The two brothers look at each other and sigh; At least Envy isn’t terrorizing them anymore, and even seems happy with their fellow misfits. They leave on mixed but ultimately respectful terms.

[angelasscribbles]

A Fervid Fixation Chapter 4: Explosion

Series: A Fervid Fixation

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Drake

Rating: NSFW

Warnings for this chapter: Lemons 🍋🍋🍋

Word Count: 4,156

A/N: I'm through trying to predict how long this is going to be. I think just one more chapter, two at most. But your guess is as good as mine at this point!🤷‍♀️

My other stuff: Master List.

She woke up to the smell of bacon wafting through the cabin. Her stomach growled and she realized she was ravenous. Dinner had been hours before the coronation fiasco, and she hadn’t eaten since.

She needed her luggage to get dressed. Drake had been going to get them the last time she’d seen him. She opened the bedroom door and found her suitcases stacked neatly in the hall.

She got dressed quickly and made her way downstairs. The living room opened into a long, narrow kitchen. Drake stood at the stove, shirtless, stirring eggs in a skillet. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, drinking in the sight. She hadn’t seen him shirtless since the beach party and the image of Drake in a speedo was burned into her memory.

He turned slightly, reaching for a cup of coffee on the counter next to him, and caught sight of her out of his peripheral vision. His eyes had already started to track back to the pan so he did a double take as his head jerked back toward her, “Hey! Good morning! Want some breakfast?”

“Uh…sure,” spurred into motion, she left the foot of the staircase and traversed the living room. 

His brows pulled together in confusion, “What were you doing just standing at the bottom of the stairs?”

Her cheeks pinkened as she made it to the kitchen, “Nothing, just…nothing!”

“Okay…”

“Can I do anything to help?”

“You could get the plates out,” he reached over and flipped open one of the cabinet doors.

“It smells delicious!” She chirped as she slid two plates out of the cupboard, discreetly cutting her eyes to the side to admire his shirtless form up close. Her eyes ran over his bare chest, shoulders, arms, and back, paying rapt attention to the way the muscles flexed and coiled as he moved.

“It’s just bacon, eggs, and toast, the basics,” he told her, “And I have coffee if you want it. I also have orange juice if you’d rather.”

“Coffee is fine,” she sat the plates down on the counter next to the stove, “Where’s the silverware?”

He pointed and she opened a drawer, pulling out two forks and two butter knives before letting her eyes wander back to him. This time they continued past the bare skin, taking in the curve of the denim that hugged his ass. Her eyes lingered there for a moment then made their way slowly upward again.

She flushed a deep crimson when her eyes met his amused gaze, “Are you checking me out, Brooks?”

“N-No!”

“Then what were you doing? Because I’m pretty sure you were just looking at my ass.”

“I….you know what? Fuck you! You check me out all the damn time! You think I haven’t noticed?”

The grin on his face broadened into a full-fledged smile, “You’re paying attention to what I do?”

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

He pushed the skillet to a cool burner and turned off the stovetop then he stepped into her personal space, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, “If you want me, all you have to do is say so.”

She felt a little lightheaded as heat flooded her body, threatening to wipe out all of her common sense. Her mouth went dry as she croaked out, “I don’t….” Even to her ears, it sounded like a lie.

“Okay,” he moved away with a shrug, “but the offer stands.”

He handed her a plate and she mentally shook herself as she took it, “Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure,” he loaded food onto this plate and moved to the back of the kitchen where a small table sat in an alcove surrounded on three sides by windows, “How did you sleep last night?”

“Like a baby!” she said as she scooped scrambled eggs onto her plate.

“I can light a fire in there tonight if you want it.” He offered as he returned to the counter to fill two cups of coffee.

“That would be nice,” she buttered a piece of toast and added it to the bacon and eggs already on her plate.

“It’s nice outside today, I could take you fishing,” he told her as he placed the cups on the table and took his seat.

“I prefer to eat the fish,” she said as she joined him at the table, “I’ll leave the catching them up to you.”

“All right, I get it… city girl.”

“More like small-town girl,��� she corrected him, “I didn’t grow up in New York.”

“I remember. California, right?”

“Right. How was the couch?”

“It was a couch.”

“Uncomfortable?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

“I still feel bad about putting you out of your own room.”

He looked at her across the table as he tore his toast in half, “Did you really think it was necessary to lock the bedroom door last night?”

She paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. Setting it back onto the plate she lifted her eyebrows, “Considering you know that I locked it, yes.”

Considering that he had just offered to have sex with her and she’d almost taken him up on it, double yes.

“I just wanted to grab some clean clothes; it is my room you know.”

Her eyes flicked down to take in the fact that he was still wearing yesterday’s pants, but that was a mistake as all it did was remind her that he was still wearing only half his clothes. “Ah….sorry. I just fell asleep after my bath.”

“It’s okay, I’ll grab a shower after breakfast. Did you find everything okay? Is there anything else you need?”

“No, I found everything I needed, even a brand-new toothbrush.”

“Good.” He took a long drink of his coffee, watching her over the edge of the cup as he did so.

The predatory way his eyes tracked her every movement left her unsettled. She liked it and she hated the fact that she liked it.

It was time to do what she always did when her unmet need for him threatened to overwhelm her.

Pick a fight.

“So how long am I going to be stuck here?”

He raised his eyebrows, “I thought you liked it here.”

“That’s not the point!”

He picked up on the shift in her demeanor, “Why are you mad?”

“Because you brought me here against my will and threw my phone out the window!”

He pushed his plate away, “I told you why I had to throw your phone away and you got in my car of your own volition!”

“Did I though? It was the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere! Where else was I going to go? And might I remind you that I never consented to get in the back of that SUV!” She may have manufactured the fight to distract herself from the feelings he inspired in her, but as she reviewed the previous evening’s proceedings, she found herself getting actually angry.

He drained the last of his coffee before responding, “It was the SUV or the limo to the airport.”

“Exactly! I didn’t consent to any of it!”

“Welcome to Cordonia, an absolute monarchy. You have no rights here.”

“That…that’s fucked up!”

“That’s Liam’s world, the one you want so badly to be a part of.” He reminded her.

“You have no idea what I want, Drake!”

“Yeah? Why don’t you tell me then?”

“Maybe I would if I weren’t being held prisoner!”

“You’re not a prisoner!”

“No?”

“No!”

“So, I can just get up and leave if I want to?”

“Yes! I’m not stopping you from leaving!” he threw his hands up in the air, “Go!”

“Fine! I will!” She pushed away from the table, stomped through the house, jerked the door open, and stepped out onto the porch. Glancing up and down the property, she saw nothing but wilderness.

There was a lake in front of her and woods to the right and back of the clearing. To her left, a dirt road stretched and curved through the tree line, disappearing from view over a rise in the road, with no other houses or buildings in sight.

She backed into the cabin to find him standing in the living room watching her, “I need the car keys.”

“I’m not giving you my car,” he laughed.

“Then how am I supposed to leave?”

“That’s your problem,” he shrugged, “I said I wasn’t holding you here against your will, I didn’t say I would help you leave.”

“But I don’t even know where I am or how far the nearest town is!”

“That sounds a like a you problem, Brooks,” he replied evenly.

“How am I not a prisoner if I’m not allowed to leave?” She yelled at him.

“You’re allowed to leave!” He shouted back at her, “I’m not stopping you!”

“But you’re not helping me?”

“Fuck no I’m not!”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I think it’s a mistake!” he exploded, “Your best bet is to stay here until we know exactly who set you up and why! Why won’t you just let me help you?”

“I don’t need your help, Drake! Liam has the entirety of the Cordonian government at his disposal! He can get to the bottom of everything, I know he can!”

“Yeah? Maybe, but where is he?”

“How would I know? You took my phone!” she slammed back out the door.

“Good luck in the woods!” he yelled after her.

“Don’t need it!” She yelled back, “I was a girl scout!”

All she needed was to get back to civilization.

She decided that following the driveway out to the main road made the most sense. The problem was that the driveway was more of a path than a road and not a very good path at that. She tried to follow the ruts and patches of beaten-down grass, but they weren’t always easy to find. She somehow managed to end up in the middle of the woods. She was quite sure she had strayed from the path.

She blundered around in the woods refusing to admit she was lost until she passed a fallen tree she was certain she had passed at least twice already. “Well, shit!” she kicked at the rotted trunk like it was the dead tree’s fault.

There was a rattling behind her, the sound of twigs snapping sounded close by and she jumped, then dropped into a karate stance she remembered from her junior high self-defense class, ready to fight whatever wild animal threatened her.

Drake appeared beside her, “Always ready with the violence, Brooks. And you judge me for it.”

“Drake!” Her body sagged with relief but she didn’t want to admit it. She tried to sound annoyed as she asked, “How did you find me?”

“Well, first of all,” he shook his head, “You’re not hard to find, you leave a trail like a fucking tornado came through the woods and second, I’ve been following you the whole time.”

“What?” she was genuinely shocked. She hadn’t known he was there.

“It wasn’t hard. You’re about as quiet as a herd of thundering elephants.”

“Oh.” She stood awkwardly looking at him, unsure what to say.

“Can we go back to the cabin now? It’s almost lunchtime and I still haven’t had a shower.”

“Sure.” She followed along behind him, her mind spinning furiously looking for a way to salvage her injured pride.

He glanced behind him, “You know I’m just trying to help you, right?”

“Well, I don’t like feeling like a prisoner!”

“You’re not a prisoner, Riley, you’re a guest! What do you want? An engraved invitation?”

“It would have been nice to have been asked if I wanted to come here!”

“Oh, sweet Jesus give me strength,” he muttered under his breath.

“What was that?”

“I said, Lady Riley Brooks, would you do me the great honor of accompanying me back to my humble abode and temporarily residing there with me until such a time we are able to ascertain who is behind the plot against you and ensure it is safe for you to return to the palace, should you choose to do so?”

“You’re a real asshole, you know that, right?”

“I just gave you exactly what you said you wanted, how am I an asshole?”

“It’s the way you said it!”

“Oh, my God! You’re impossible!”   

“I’m impossible? I’m not the one running around kidnaping people!”

“For the last time,” he threw his hands up in the air, “I did not kidnap you! I rescued you!”

“From what?”

“From being deported! Or did you want to go back to New York?”

“I don’t know…maybe!”

“Maybe? Wait…really?” He stopped walking and turned to face her, “You wanted to leave?”

“I don’t know, Drake! I never got a chance to think about it! I was drug out of the coronation by one set of soldiers who were going to put me on a plane whether I liked it or not then I was taken by another set of soldiers who made sure I came here, again, whether I liked it or not! At no point did anyone consult me about anything!”

“I’m sorry. You’re right.”

“No, Drake! You just- oh! What? I am?”

“Yes,” he said quietly, “I didn’t consult you. There were reasons for that, but I can see how it felt heavy-handed and authoritarian from your perspective.”

“I…yes. Well…thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he turned back and continued walking.

She stumbled over an exposed root but caught herself.

“You okay?” he asked in concern.

“I’m fine, just tired and a little clumsy.”

“You’re tired? Here, let me help you,” he reached for her.

She shoved his hands away, “No, I’m fine, I can make it.”

“Don’t be a stubborn ass, just let me help you!”

“I don’t want your help, Drake! I wanted to get away from you, remember?”

“I remember,” He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, carrying her the rest of the way back to the cabin.

“Goddamn it, Drake!” Her fists pounded on his back to no avail. She was acutely aware of his arms wrapped around her body.

He sat her down on the porch, “Why do you have to be so fucking difficult?”

“Maybe because you continue to disregard my choice in all matters pertaining to my fucking life!”

“Disregard your- I just wanted to make it back home before next week!”

“I hate you!” she slammed into the cabin.

He followed behind her, “You don’t mean that.”

“I do, I really fucking do!”

“In Lythikos, I got the distinct impression that you liked me. A lot.”

“Well, your impression was wrong!”

“Was it?”

“If you want me to like you, Drake, get me a fucking phone!”

“I’m not trying to keep you from the outside world! I just couldn’t have your phone tracked! Here!” he pulled his phone from his pocket and thrust it at her, “Call your mom, call your sister, call Hana if you want to! Let your friends and family know you’re okay.”

“What if I want to call Max?”

A frustrated sigh escaped him, “I mean…I guess but you can’t tell him-“

“What if I want to call Liam?”          

He snatched the phone out of her hand with an aggravated growl, “No!”

“What’s your problem with Liam? I thought he was your best friend!”

“He was! He is! I…it’s complicated!”

“Seems pretty simple to me. You want to get to the bottom of who set me up? Who better to do that than Liam?”

“You know he’s engaged to someone else now, right?”

“So? He’s also king now! He could help us! Liam could-“

“Liam, Liam, Liam!” Drake sent everything from the mantle crashing to the floor. He kicked out and sent the drink cart careening into a wall then he grabbed a lamp from an end table and threw it with all his might, shattering it against the stone of the fireplace. ”When are you going to notice me, Riley?”

She stared at him with wide eyes, “What?”

“You heard me!” He stalked closer to her and took her by the arm, yanking her to him, “After everything that’s happened, how do you still not see me?”

“Drake, I see you just fine,” she said softly, struggling to convince herself that his outburst was not turning her on.

It shouldn’t be, right?

“Do you? Because all I ever hear you talk about is fucking Liam! Liam isn’t here right now, is he, Riley? I am!” his hand thumped his chest, “I’m the one who figured out you were being set up! I’m the one that kept you from being put on a plane back to America that night and I’m the one standing in front of you offering you everything that I have! Why won’t you take it?”

“Drake,” she croaked out, “I didn’t know-“

He pulled her closer, so close she could feel his body heat as he stared down into her eyes, anger, pain, and desire burning in his, “That’s a lie! You know exactly what you do to me!”

This was it, the moment she’d been fighting against for months. He was going to kiss her, and she was going to let him, then the pressure cooker of emotions she’d been holding in was going to explode. “I-“

His lips crashed into hers, cutting off her reply.

“I thought you said we couldn't....” She breathed when the kiss broke.

“I don’t care anymore,” he murmured as he slid the straps of her spaghetti top blouse down so his fingers could stroke softly across her shoulders, “I’m willing to sacrifice everything for you!”

The intensity of his words burned across her skin, “Drake…”

“You have no idea what I’ve already risked for you…” he continued, his breath hot against her skin as his lips ghosted down the side of her neck.

“I don’t…know…what that means…” she gasped out as her head fell back and her fingers twisted in his hair.

“I did what I had to do to protect you,” he gathered the fabric of her silky top in his hands and yanked it upward, pulling it from her body and tossing it to the side, “I want to protect you, Riley,” his lips found the hollow of her neck, “I want to do other things too.”

His tongue glided across her skin; his lips laid demanding kisses along her breastbone as his hands found and cupped her breasts. His head dipped down to join his hands, sucking and pulling at her puckered nipples.

Her back arched, as one hand ran across the smooth expanse of his back, the other tightening in his hair.

His mouth continued its downward trek, stopping at the waistband of her denim shorts. He stood back upright and captured her gaze with his own, “Can we get you out of those?”

She licked her lips and nodded, not trusting her voice to work correctly. Her body was aflame, she was breathing hard, and her heart felt like it was trying to escape her chest.

She was on fire.

His gaze stayed locked on hers as he tugged her zipper down then slipped his hand inside her shorts. His fingers stroked her gently through the soft cotton fabric of her panties and she almost came undone right then.

Pushing the fabric to the side, he plunged a finger into her and she pitched forward with a gasp, clutching both of his shoulders for support. He withdrew the finger and brought it to his mouth. Eyes still locked on hers, he stuck it in his mouth and slowly withdrew it. “Fucking delicious!”

She made a mewling sound as she fought to keep her knees from buckling. He shoved her shorts down and she stepped out of them.

“You feel it too, don’t you? I’m not just making it all up in my head, am I? Or am I crazy? Irrationally obsessed with you like Liam and Bas think?” He yanked her off her feet and lifted her into his arms.

Her arms and legs wrapped around him as he walked from the living room into the attached kitchen. He lowered her onto the counter and sank to his knees. Shoving her thighs apart, he brought his face close to her core and paused to inhale deeply, “I never thought this moment would be anything but a fantasy,” he told her before drawing a straight line up her center with his tongue.

“Ungh!” she nearly twisted off the counter.

“Hold still, baby,” his hands pressed her thighs, holding her body in place as he resumed his ministrations.

Riley’s hands scrambled for purchase on the cabinets behind her, on the countertop under her, and on his back and shoulders as her body writhed and undulated in response to the magical touch of his tongue.

She felt herself creep closer and closer to the edge of the abyss as his tongue moved faster and pushed harder against her throbbing clit. Darkness coalesced around the edges of her vision as her entire body arched off the kitchen counter. Exquisite ecstasy burst over her in waves so intense she felt no pain when she slammed her head back into the cabinet.

“Fuck! Drake!” Her body went limp and she started to slide forward off the counter.

“If you don’t want this, you’d better tell me to stop right now,” he pulled her off the counter and spun her around. He pressed her body forward, her cheek laid against the cool marble of the countertop as he forced her legs apart and pushed himself inside her.

Her body tensed up for a fraction of a second as he entered her then relaxed as she felt another wave of pleasure building inside her.

One hand held her at the hip while the other tangled in her hair. He pounded into her at an impossible pace. Her fingers grappled fruitlessly with the smooth countertop, unable to make purchase.

His girth filled her perfectly and every stroke brushed against her sweet spot. Unintentional gasps and moans spilled out of her as she struggled to stay on her feet.

She had never been fucked with such divine brutality before.

A tidal wave of euphoria broke over her. Her knees buckled, tears clouded her eyes, and her soul left her body for a moment.

Her incoherent screams in his ears coupled with the squirt of hot liquid as she tightened around him finished him. He slammed into her as he exploded.

His body dropped forward onto hers, pinning her to the counter, the only thing keeping her from sliding right off it and onto the floor.

His lips trailed down the back of her neck. “I love you,” he whispered so softly she wasn’t sure she heard it.

They lay draped across the counter for several long moments, panting, regaining their breath, luxuriating in the afterglow.

Then he pulled away, anguish coloring his voice, “I’m sorry, Riley. We shouldn’t have done this; I shouldn’t have done this!”

She turned around, leaning her back into the counter because her legs still felt like jelly, “What are you talking about? Why not?”

“Because we can’t take it back and you don’t know what you want.”

“So, after delivering the most amazing sexual experience of my life, you’re telling me that it can never happen again?”

“I’m telling you that-“ he froze in the middle of zipping his pants up. His eyes lifted to meet hers, “It was the most amazing sexual experience of your life?”

“I mean it was pretty damn good, is all I’m saying…”

“Yeah, for me too, that’s the problem.” He tracked back to the living room to retrieve her clothes.

“How is that a problem?” She asked as he handed her clothes to her.

He looked the other way while she got dressed, not trusting himself not to take her again right there on the counter. “Because I know exactly what I want, Riley! And this just reinforces that, but you don’t know what the hell you want, and if you haven’t noticed, watching you trying to figure out if Liam is what you want has just about destroyed my sanity and my reputation!”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Liam ordered me to stay away from you and Bas thinks I’ve lost my mind!”

“Why?”

“They think I’m acting irrationally over a woman I barely know.”

“You know me better than anyone else here!”

“Thought I did.”

“You do!” She insisted, “All those nights we spent in Olivia’s wine cellar…I told you things I’ve never told another person!”

“I know. Those were the best three weeks of my life.”

“So…Lythikos meant something to you?”

“It meant everything to me, Riley!”

“Then why didn’t you say so?”

“You asked me to give you space, and that’s what I did!”

“That’s not how I remember it….”

[poptart-productions]

『 003 | training corps : harsh words 』

[snk series]

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↳ ❝ [summary] ¡! ❞

as your six weeks of basic training comes to a close , you find yourself building bonds—some growing stronger than you could ever anticipate.

in honor of your “graduation” , your brother pays you a visit in order to offer up his honest advice.

↳ ❝ [content] ¡! ❞

black fem! reader ; first person p.o.v ; damn-near every cadet is featured here ; annoying brother content ; ( slight ) angst ; op reader ; bad german ( y’all , this language has me fighting for my life ) ; last fully ( not really )happy chapter before everyone dies ; this chapter is so long 😭

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now playing:

[so ist es immer]-[hiroyuki sawano]

0:00 ❍─────── 3:18

↻ ⊲ Ⅱ ⊳ ↺

✧;── 003 ──;✧

AN IMPORTANT DAY WAS COMING.

although–at the time–i could not fully grasp just how important that day would be.

i did know that soon , we’d finally start working with the omnidirectional mobility gear.

i was rather looking forward to it. however , it seemed the closer we got to starting the aptitude tests , the more commander shadis seemed to think that forcing us to clean or spar against each other was very important all of a sudden.

eren was more enthusiastic about completing the training than anyone else , and so–naturally–he had been grumbling about being denied it since breakfast that morning.

although , i shared his frustrations for once.

we had just finished another “unnecessary” sparring match after being out on the fields since dawn , “i think he’s just messing with us.” eren surmised , stretching his tense shoulders.

“by the way ,” he turned to me, “sorry about mikasa.”

“it's not your fault ,” i assured , “i think there’s just been a misunderstanding”

“so , don’t worry about it.” i waved eren off as shadis called us to attention.

i tried my best to pay attention to shadis, but my thoughts were still occupied with my so-called solution.

i soon picked up that we were meant to be sparring once more when i was shoved off in the direction of a cadet named “kirstein”.

he was tall , and his hair was ash blonde–he had an undercut.

his eyes were dark and focused , but they softened when he looked at me.

as we shook hands , his shook violently ; i giggled and pretended to ignore it as kirstein spoke , “. . .so you’re [l/n]. . .?”

i was surprised to hear my real name come from his mouth in such a casual way.

my face grew warm as i smiled up at him , “. . .i am. and , you’re kirstein?” “yes!” it took a few moments for the boy to realize that he had just screamed at me.

the realization was clear on his face , but he remained unmoving ; his stare only grew more intense.

the insecurity was etched into my face as i asked ,“—what is it?” i finally let go of his hand , letting mine fall against my leg.

“you’re very pretty!” startled , i took a step back as he continued , “—it’s just—i’ve never seen a woman that looks like you before. . .”

i blinked , “. . .—thank you.”

he nodded at me , ears red and lips curled upward.

“well,” i try in earnest to wipe the grin forming on my face , settling into a fighting position.

“let’s begin.”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

we’d eventually gotten sent to the mess hall around noon , much to eren’s chagrin.

his complaints were interrupted , though , when ymir made an uncharacteristic stop at our usual table.

“well , aren’t you popular?” she raised her brow at me , to which i glance around me with a smile , “i’m lucky to have these two as my friends.”

eren nudged my shoulder upon hearing my response ; chuckling , ymir shook her head at me , “cute , but that’s not what i was talking about.”

i paused , giving the girl my full attention as she continued.

“i saw kirstein flirting with you during drills.”

before i could even open my mouth , eren damn-near chokes on his food ; to which—of course , ackermann came to his aid.

seconds after his recovery , he snapped at me , “you were flirting with jean?!” “--that’s jean?!”

i slapped a hand over my mouth , realizing how loudly i said that.

that was him? i glanced at jean from across the room , then back at eren—who filled my brain with falsehoods—he was so sweet.

i continued in a hushed tone , “i thought—i thought he was a perfect gentleman!” i assert with a pout

cackling broke the conversation that was previously held by three people ; connie springer—before i knew it , had already sat down across from eren and looked at me.

he eventually stopped laughing , but was still very tickled by what i said ,“he must have a crush on you or something.”

i sighed ,”what is your problem with him?”

eren shook his head at me ,“he was all over mikasa when we first got here ; i wouldn’t trust him if i were you.”

“is that right. . . ?” ymir raised a brow.

now all three of them were staring at me ; i averted my gaze , “we were just talking , you guys.” “right. . .” connie chuckled.

“—so armin!” i quickly changed the subject ,”you think you could help me prepare for the final written exam?”

“between training and infirmary visits , studying sort’ve got away from me.”

“yeah , of course!” as i nodded at him and relaxed my body , relishing in the fact that i’d successfully shifted attention away from me.

eventually , ymir went back to her usual seat—but not springer , because he seemed rather invested in the conversation we were having.

ackermann remained silent beside us—i still have to talk to her , but i can’t bring it up here—as she always was.

“are you still with me?” springer tilts his head at me , and i nod ,”yes—of course! i’m just thinking.”

“you seemed out of it these past couple days.” armin observed , and i could only nod at him.

“well , i guess she has been , huh. . .” eren shrugged ,”she’s as sharp as ever during training.”

snickering , springer adds ,“yeah , you would know that better than anyone.”

i held back a laugh when i recalled the day he was referring to ; eren stammered ,“she—she just caught me off guard—” “—she beat your ass.”

i’ve known eren jaeger long enough to know he cannot take most things in stride.

slamming his hand down on the table , eren stands up , “eren” “eren , calm down”

both ackermann and i grasped at eren’s arms ; the two stopped to stare at me , and i snatched my hand away.

he seemed confused but sat back down , nonetheless.

i placed my hands on the table , pressing my lips together as i glanced at eren—please don’t mention that.

thankfully , i was saved by the bell ; i was the first out on the field that day.

eren was very pleased to find that he was finally standing in front of the simulation rigs.

[b/n] had told me about these ; ‘they lift you up in the air , and you’re meant to distribute your weight evenly throughout your center.’

eventually , the group i was in was up next ; after fastening the harness , i kept my knees apart as i waited for the staffing sergeant to lift me up.

“lift them up.” “yes sir!”

i stared down at my feet as they left the ground with a slow creak behind me.

i straightened my back as i swayed back and forth , looking around at the facilitators as they took their notes.

“we’ve got a lot of natural talent this year , huh?” one sergeant nudged the other beside him as they surveyed our aptitude.

“. . .what about him?” i glanced in the direction she had pointed , only to find that eren had somehow turned completely upside down.

her superior responded with a pitiful smile , “truth is: no matter how hard some people try , they still don’t succeed.”

i frowned as the my surrounding comrades snickered and gossiped ; gaze focused.

eren’s eyes darted around , and i quickly acted as if i didn’t see that.

i hear shadis’s voice , “what the hell are you doing , eren jaeger?!”

eren didn’t respond—his lips trembled as they parted but no words came out.

it wasn’t until shadis walked away that he boy managed to force the words out of his mouth ,

“wie. . .mache ich das. . . ?”

how do i do this?

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

as soon as i helped eren out of the harness , he started babbling about how he’d practice before supper—‘i just need more time’ he said.

i only smiled at him and nodded , knowing he’d run himself ragged regardless of what i said.

i returned to the girl’s dorm to shower , and while i knew ackermann was liable to stay back and help eren , i was hoping i’d be able to talk to her alone.

as i was heading into the showers , a fellow cadet was heading out ; she didn’t appear to be paying attention to her surroundings.

i stopped walking to let her pass but she still ended up getting startled ; the black-haired girl began to react , but then stopped herself.

she dropped her hand , mumbling an apology before trying to dash away.

“you’ve got good instincts; you shouldn't second-guess them” i state , “if your gut is telling you to do something, you should do it.”

she stopped , waiting a moment before turning back to me , “. . .what?”

i raised a brow , “you were gonna hit me just now , right?” the girl’s face shifted , as if embarrassed that I even mentioned it in the first place.

she started stammering , “well yes , but i just kinda—“ “—you won’t get a chance to think in a life or death situation.”

she blinked at me , and i looked away , “i’m sorry , that was rude.” i turned back around.

she called after me , urgency laced in her tone , “no , you’re right. . .thank you!”

i nodded at her , continuing on my path toward the showers when she called to me again , “hey—what’s your name?”

i gave my name to her , watching how excited she seemed to get upon hearing it ,

“i thought so! you’re amazing , y’know. . .” i arched an eyebrow , “me?” she nods , feverishly , “yeah you! you and ackermann–you’re so good at everything”

she takes a breath , composing herself as prepared to speak again ,“anyway–it’s nice to meet you! my name is mina carolina.”

i giggled at her , finding her childlike excitement rather refreshing , “nice to meet you , carolina—“ “—call me mina!”

i cleared my throat , correcting myself accordingly , “nice to meet you , mina.” mina then smiled at me , before averting her gaze ,“well , i’ll leave you alone now”

i watched as she skipped off , finding that–to my delight–i could see through my mental fog just a little better now.

after washing up , i entered the mess hall to find eren slumped over the table with a bandage wrapped around his head.

i glanced at armin as i approached , “i take it that practice didn’t go well.” i whispered , sitting down across from him.

he nods at me before glancing over at the defeated brunette , “don’t give up so easily , eren ; you still have until the final exam.”

eren only whined in response ; i giggled . and he shot up to stare at me— but i couldn’t help it ; he was acting like a child.

“what are you laughing at?” “--nothing.” my eyes wandered away from him as i feigned innocence.

eren raised his eyebrows at me , to which i changed the topic of discussion , “eren? i didn’t know you spoke the old tongue?”

“huh?” he blinked , “oh yeah , me and armin grew up speaking it”

he’s so easily distracted.

“do you?” eren leaned toward me , “—speak the language , i mean.”

“nur ein wenig”

just a little

they smiled at me ,“your pronunciation is good—how’d you learn?”

“oh—“ bashfully , i averted my gaze , “my brother taught me.”

eren grinned at me , “not too bad , [l/n]” i nudged his shoulder ,

“thanks , jaeger.”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

when we were dismissed to the dorms , i made sure to follow close behind ackermann as she walked , making sure to bring up my concerns when the people around us thinned out

when it seemed that we were the only ones that were still outside , called to her , “ackermann!” she stopped and glanced over her shoulder at me. “may i speak with you for a moment?” i asked.

ackermann raised a brow , urging me to continue , “it’s about eren and armin. . .?” the young woman stilled completely , her intense eye contact a sign of her undivided attention.

i averted my eyes , “i understand that you three are very close. . .they’re great people—great friends.”

“i know them and i have gotten close over these past few weeks , but i-. . .” i trailed off , realizing i didn’t know where i was going and decided to start over , “--you three will always be childhood friends , and i can’t change that—and i won’t try.”

she remained silent as she bored holes through my skull ; are my words not being understood?

“i’m telling you this because—“ i’m rambling now , “i feel that there’s been tension between us because of my constant insertion into your lives.”

“i’m not trying to take your place , and actually—. . .“ “i’ve been hoping that you and i. . . ?” i fidgeted with my fingers as i tried to choose my words.

“. . .could be friends , too?”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

i felt much better after being able to speak honestly about my feelings , but i didn’t know how ackermann felt about me one way or another.

all i knew was that she seemed to understand.

she understood my thoughts , and she understood my intentions. because of this , she treated me more favorably ; always greeting me with nods and indifferent looks , and she spoke with me more frequently as well.

it was a start , at least.

my contemplation was interrupted when i noticed a familiar blonde amongst the crowd of my comrades “armin!” i jogged up to him.

“hey,” armin greeted.

“where’s eren?” armin chuckled , “trying to get himself motivated.” i smiled at the mental image , “he needs it ; it’s an important day , afterall.”

we continued on our path to the fields in silence for a few minutes , “you seem to be in a better mood” he observed.

nodding , i smiled , “i managed to solve a problem that was bothering me for a while.”

nudging my side , armin smiled back , “i’m glad.”

the two of us eventually fell into a comfortable silence as we walked , the quiet was only broken when a boy cleared his throat behind me.

i turned to find jean , along with an unfamiliar freckled boy , “good morning , you two!” i smiled , “good morning.”

“we haven’t met ; my name is marco bodt.” with a gentle smile , the boy offered his hand for me to shake , to which i awkwardly reached over my shoulder—while walking—to do so.

i open my mouth to introduce myself , “you’re [y/n] [l/n] and armin arlert , right?”

the blonde and i glance at each other, “you know us?” “you’re at the top of our class—of course i know you guys!”

i paused for a moment and averted my gaze , focusing on where i was headed as my face grew warm.

“also , [l/n]. . .” bodt lowered his voice , “i’ve just been hearing a lot about you these past few days.”

jean laughed loudly , “anyway—i just wanted to ask if you were nervous about the final evaluation today?” i shook my head , “no , are you?” i raised a brow at him and he scoffed , “never!”

“jaeger should be , though.” i found myself pouting as jean snickered behind me , “it’s true that eren had some trouble getting comfortable with the rig , but he tries harder than anyone.”

i assert , and armin hums in agreement with me.

“what’s so special about jaeger anyway. . . ?” he mumbled under her breath , side-stepping me as he passed me ; i glanced back at marco , who just shrugs and apologizes for his friend’s actions.

we eventually reached the simulation rigs , being joined by eren and ackermann shortly thereafter ; i glanced at them , trying to gauge how he felt based on his facial expression.

with a sigh , i turned away from him when my group was called.

the final evaluation mostly went off without a hitch.

that is , until it was eren’s turn to use the rig.

although i wouldn’t like to admit it , i was nervous upon hearing eren’s name being called. i found myself drifting toward ackermann , as we both shared the same worry at that moment.

i tensed more and more–my muscles getting tighter and tighter as eren was lifted up in his harness. my fellow comrades seemed to feel the tension as well , leaving the entire field engulfed in silence.

my body stilled as eren had been lifted up completely ; his body shifted and flinched but he didn’t fall–some of my comrades began celebrating , and eren remained focused on maintaining his balance.

i pressed my lips together , watching as he struggled ; he’s made incredible strides , but with that kind of balance. . .

my thoughts would be confirmed when everyone all that were cheering eren on changed their tunes rather quickly when he fell over ; their whoops and hollers fading into gasps and whispers.

eren’s resolve was unwavering , glancing at shadis as he begs for another chance , “no. . .no–i can still-. . .”

shadis takes a look at the brunette , “bring him down.” is all he says , “yes sir!” the cadet complies.

is it over? i recall thinking.

by the time eren sat up to look at shadis once more , “i–. . .i can still. . .” he looked utterly mortified.

“thomas! give jaeger your belt.” “yes sir!”

i glanced at armin , then at ackermann ; both of their expressions mirrored my own.

we watched in confusion as eren gave shadis the belt he was previously wearing , buckling himself into thomas’s instead.

we all fell silent once more as we gave our undivided attention to eren in that moment , leering as he was lifting back into the harness–i flinched , as if preparing for his inevitable toppling over.

he never did.

eren held his arms out in front of him , as he swayed back and forth ; the muscles in his torso contract beneath his tunic.

he was doing a lot of work to stay upright , but he was keeping his balance.

i turned to commander shadis as he made his prognosis , “the equipment was faulty.”

“i’ve never seen this part rust before. . .i’ll have to add it to the maintenance list.”

as shadis grumbled to himself , people gasped loudly behind me , exclaiming how amazing it was that eren managed to work with a damaged belt.

it is amazing. however , i refrained from being too eager , as i waited for commander shadis to make his decision.

“so ,” eren finally spoke , not looking up from his harness , “what’s your final decision?”

i gnawed on my bottom lip , looking up at armin as he gripped my shoulder.

“you’re good to go.” shadis sighed, “train hard!”

everyone erupted into loud cheers.

including eren , “hell yeah! i did it!” he finally glanced down at us , a determined look in his eyes , “now i can fight the titans!”

i looked at ackermann with a smile ; she nodded back. when i glanced at armin , i found that he was talking to reiner braun.

“he actually pulled it off. . .” braun chuckled , glancing in between his taller friend and the three of us.

armin nodded back , a wide smile on his face as he turned to ackermann , “he looks like he’s challenging you with his eyes!” the girl shook her head , “no.”

we all stopped and listened intently as she continued , “now that we won’t be separated. . .”

“he’s relieved.”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

“you did it , eren!” i practically screamed the moment he came into my line of sight. both him and the ever-present ackermann turn to face me.

even if i had never said a word , they would’ve heard me a kilometer away ; the gear shuffled and clinked , painfully as i jogged over to the two.

ackermann tilted her head , lips curling up a tad as i beamed at her–making sure to ask how she was , to which she replied with a quiet ‘fine.’

the moment went unnoticed by me , and was very much short-lived , as eren soon brought the subject back to himself ; he let out a small giggle , patting the side of the bulk of his gear.

“i almost gave up for a second!” he smiled down at me , eyes gleaming , “thanks.”

“me? armin and ackermann are the ones that helped you practice.”

“i know that! but–just-. . .” he appeared to get flustered , trailing off as he searched for the right words , “thanks for sticking around.”

i could begin to hide the dopey grin etching itself into my countenance ,“thank you too , eren.”

“there you. . . three are!” a winded armin comes stumbling up to all of us , his gear weighing him down a substantial amount.

“armin. . .?” ackermann takes a cautious step toward the blonde , to which he shakes his head at her ; he just needed a moment to catch his breath.

“you guys must’ve been eager ; left me in the dust just now.” the three of us all spoke the same half-hearted word , “sorry.”

the next few moments were filled with excited chatter , on both my and my comrades’ part.

when commander shadis finally showed up , he was not wearing the gear like i–for some reason–expected him to be , instead he was atop a war horse.

he scans the group of cadets , stopping his apparent search when he lays eyes on me.

“[l/n]! ackermann! up front!”

“sir yes sir!”

the two of us make our way to the front of the formation , staring up at the commander as we awaited his next order. his words were instead , directed at those behind me and her , “follow them.”

ackermann and i moved to stand at the opposite side of the horse , “just watch.” i prefaced , knowing it could be chaotic if everyone tried to do it at the same time , all packed together like this.

i raised my hands above my head so that my comrades could see what i was doing. ackermann glanced at me before doing the same.

first triggers ; a mechanical whir sounds in the otherwise silent air as the wired anchors come flying from the bulk of our gear , latching into the trunks of distant trees with an audible thud.

second triggers ; the gas canister audibly tightens. i took a deep breath.

i released the triggers and immediately , i’m being dragged forward. a cacophony of wind bellowed in my ears as i struggled to keep my body upright–traveling at break-neck speed.

it was a miracle it was my feet that hit the bark and not my face. ackermann stared at me as i composed myself , “are you alright?”

“yeah ,” i pressed my lips together , letting a stifled laugh fall from them , “it’s just more powerful than i thought it’d be.”

she nods at me , and i turn back towards the edge of the treeline , where my comrades and commander were still waiting for the go-ahead.

“everyone!” i called to them ,before maneuvering to the other side of the tree and gesturing for ackermann to do the same , ”a few at a time!”

five loud thuds sounded behind us and i peeked out from behind the tree , “good job , you guys!” i then nodded in the direction of the greatest forest beyond , before reeling my wires in and anchored to a different tree.

i called for the next group and released the triggers , but i had better control this time. i glanced behind me at the growing group of cadets , then at ackermann beside me.

only going in one direction , i thought , may not be the best idea.

when my anchors snapped into place once again , i pressed my fingers down on the triggers before making the purely intuitive decision to release only the right anchor trigger.

i’m sent spinning in all directions , slamming into a stray branch ; i clutched my stomach immediately upon impact , groaning.

not ideal.

the spinning helped me build speed–and would no doubt , be useful in evading attacks–but thanks to the lack of control , i was left carefully unwrapping the metal cord from my waist as i dangled precariously from a tree.

“would you look at that?” i jumped at the sound of boy’s voice , looking up to find springer.

as he was leering down at me , i opened my mouth to ask ‘what?’ but he continued , “is little miss perfect struggling with her gear , huh?”

i went back to untangling myself with a snort, “i was just testing something.”

“oh really?” he tilted his head at me , “then you wouldn’t mind a friendly little race , would you?”

i huffed , pondering it for a moment. by the time i was done thinking , i had already finished freeing myself from the wire.

i stood up , shooting him a challenging glare ,“i wouldn’t mind at all , actually.”

“great , the edge of the woods is the finish line.”

without another word , or countdown , springer had started the race–and effectively gave himself a head start

instead of abandoning the spinning technique , i decided to try it once more.

i released the left triggers , this time retracting my anchors as soon as i started spinning , directing my position with a burst of gas before releasing my right triggers.

it only took me repeating this two times before i caught up with him , and three more before i was ahead of him ; i cackled as my comrade complained behind me.

he was close enough to reach out and grab me , but with the finish line so close , there was no way he could’ve won ; he realized that , so he didn’t let me win either.

he waited until i wasn’t anchored to anything and grabbed my ankle , and i didn’t realize he had practically tackled me until i hit the ground with a thud.

sharp pain shoots up my arm on impact , and springer–who was clearly tickled–stopped laughing the moment he heard me scream , “bastard!”

even now , it’s unclear if i was cursing at springer or the very blades of grass i was laying on but either way , you connie got off of me right after hearing this.

i sit up , staring at him as he stared back , slack jawed. as soon as i began to stutter out an apology , springer started laughing again.

i go silent , refusing eye contact as springer laughs at me ; he breaks his laughter as he forces out a few words , “you might be hot stuff after all , [y/n].”

i tensed , processing what he said for a moment before smiling down at my lap , still not making eye contact , “thanks. . .”

“connie.”

✧;── 🕰️ ──;✧

the next day , we had officially finished our basic training , with our very last sparring match taking place that morning. the cheers and hollers of my friends and comrades filled my ears as everyone filed into the mess hall for our mid-day meal.

eren was by far , the loudest ; he was still going on about how he was happy to be done with training by the time i sat down with my tray.

“you do realize we’ll have to train even harder after this , right?” armin inquired , a puzzled smile on his face ; i quickly answered before eren could , “--you have to celebrate your victories when you can , y’know?”

ackermann spoke up , leaning over the table to look at me , “would your recent lack of nosebleeds constitute as a victory?”

i pressed my lips together , “oh. . .i guess it would , yeah.” eren chuckled , arching an eyebrow at me ,“haven’t you noticed?” i nod , “i have noticed , i just didn’t want to jinx it.”

armin smiled , “i didn’t take you for a superstitious person.” and i only shrugged.

the four of us sat in silence for a moment , and before i could change the topic of discussion , a stern , loud voice sounds from the entrance of the mess hall

“[y/n] [l/n]!” i flinched , looking up to find a drill sergeant ; i stood up , “yes sir?” “you have a visitor.”

i sighed , and my shoulders relaxed. i glanced at my friends , mumbling that i’d ‘be right back’ before heading outside.

to my “surprise” , the visitor was my brother ; leaning against the wall with his arms crossed , that same annoyed expression on his face.

i took stock of his visible injuries : none.

something had changed , though

“your hair’s different.” i observed , getting [b/n]’s attention.

he turned to me ,“yeah , it’ll be easier to take care of this way—you might wanna do the same. . .” as i wander closer to him , he reached out to touch my hair , “judging by this bird’s nest–” “--what do you want?” i swatted his hand away.

he stumbled back , feigning hurt , “aren’t you happy to see me? . . .you used to tackle me whenever i came back. . .”

“i am happy to see you! but , you usually don’t visit me without a reason.”

[b/n] shrugs , nodding at me , “been hearing big things about you , thought i’d come see for myself.” my eyebrows found themselves knitting together , “and not just because you wanted to see me , huh?”

“well , you’re graduating soon. . .” “i wanted to talk to you.”

i tilted my head , moving to go lean beside him ; my brother then rested the side of his head against the wall , taking in a labored breath , “i don’t-. . .” he turned to me , “--we’ve never been sure of anything in our lives,”

“people just die.” my stomach dropped , taken aback by the sudden shift in mood “what are you talking about–” “--we just act on instinct in hopes everyone we love will make it out alive–but the truth is , we’ll never know the answer.”

“[b/n] , what happened?” my voice was stern but he didn’t appear to hear me at all , patting my shoulder as he finished what he was saying. “take care of your friends.”

with that , he walked away. as i was prepared to go after him , someone tapped my shoulder.

i was frustrated , but turned around nonetheless ; “oh , hello kirstein” the boy nods at me , a nervous look on his face

“can i talk to you for a second?”

↳ ❝ [tags] ¡! ❞

@y-yinyang , @cafesho , @blackdxggr , @bambam1sa

[anon-apple]

Hot Soup and Soft Bread Chapter 22

ToC and Synopsis <- Chapter 21 Read on WordPress

Chapter 22: Wild Onions Fried Rice IV

t/n: ANGST WARNING

Zhou Cunqu decided to help out Shi Shiyuan for a bit to get a feel for working. On the first day of work, Zhong Qiuyan drove Cunqu to the building where Shiyuan’s office was located. As Cunqu was getting out of the car holding his laptop bag, Qiuyan sighed and said: “I feel a bit uneasy. It’s a little like when a child leaves home to go to school.”

Cunqu laughed as he replied: “Dad, drive carefully.”

He had just arrived at the office when Qiuyan texted him, saying, “If you’re unhappy at kindergarten, make sure to call Dad. Dad will come pick you up.”

Cunqu started laughing while looking down at the screen. Shiyuan snapped her fingers before him and said: “Stop dumbly standing there. I’m a capitalist. I don’t allow my employees to slack off.”

Cunqu sat down at the desk that was cleared out for him. He entered the work mentality faster than he thought he would. In the morning, he met with Shiyuan’s team. After clarifying the details of his assigned project, he immediately got started. During lunch, Shiyuan asked him how he was adjusting.

Cunqu replied, “Pretty well.” Back then, when he sat in his office facing two monitors and one laptop, the heat was similarly cranked up to high. He felt like a piece of dried potato that had been overbaked and was starting to curl up on itself, losing the last bit of moisture. He no longer felt that way. It was still easy to be sapped of energy and want to rest after working for a while. So he would get up and stand for a bit in the break room. 

The break room is a small area sectioned by 3 tea-colored glass walls. There were two sets of tables and chairs placed within. No one talked much in the cubicle setup. The floor was covered in a thin carpet. A sanitation worker was watering a few large potted plants to the side. Only then did Cunqu realize he was no longer in the pile of books on the fifth floor of Building No.3 of the Qin Qin Homeland community. He had truly walked out into the working society again.

It was already around 7pm that night after getting off work. Cunqu left the building, and Qiuyan’s car was parked outside. When Cunqu sat down on the passenger’s seat, Qiuyan dug out a box of Chocomonts and tossed it onto Cunqu’s lap. He said, “A reward for our family’s baby.”

Cunqu felt happy as if he had just won a reward. As Qiuyan was driving home, he had already opened the packaging and started eating. Qiuyan said: “Later, Liu Xiaoying’s bound to say that you aren’t properly eating real food and only eat snacks.”

Cunqu smiled and stuffed a piece of Chocomont into Qiuyan’s mouth as well.

Maybe because going to work tired Cunqu out, he ate a lot at dinner and slept deeply at night. Xiaoying sat on the couch, soaking her feet while watching Cunqu and Qiuyan sit eating dinner at that small square dining table. Qiuyan would eat a bit, then pass a piece of meat to Cunqu out of habit. They sat under the warm yellow light from the ceiling light, chatting about whatever, and slowly ate their meal.

Xiaoying looked around at the slightly worn-down house that was basically as old as her. Six years ago, the pipes of the sixth-floor residence leaked water and caused two large mildew spots to form on her ceiling. Her four children had asked her if she wanted to renovate. Xiaoying thought back then, so what if they renovated and everything was bright and new again. She liked living in this place piled with her belongings, a place so old it was shedding.

All the accomplishments in her life were placed in the living room. A low cabinet with trophies and certificates. A family photo taken at her eightieth birthday. This was the full life that Liu Xiaoying lived. 

One month later, Cunqu accompanied Shuyan to meet a client for the first time. He got off early and went back home. When he entered the door, he noticed that there weren’t any sounds coming from the kitchen. The round electric rice cooker was also empty. Cunqu called out: “Grandma?” No one answered him.

Cunqu opened Xiaoying’s bedroom door. This morning, both Qiuyan and he hurriedly left for work. Neither had noticed that Xiaoying didn’t go out for her morning exercises. She had continued sleeping in her bed and quietly and peacefully passed away. Cunqu stood beside the bed and watched his grandma, whose eyes were shut. She looked just as if she was still in a deep sleep. 

Two days later, when organizing the belongings she left behind, Cunqu found in Xiaoying’s desk drawer a letter that had been written for him very early on. Liu Xiaoying had written: 

Cunqu, if you are reading this letter, then doesn’t it mean that Grandma had gone on to see your Grandpa? These two years, Grandma lived rather happily, and this is the truth. I accompanied you, but didn’t you accompany me all the same? Your youngest aunt always said I was biased towards you. But that’s not the case. Cunqu, that day, it wouldn’t matter which of my grandchildren sat outside my building. I would have the exact same attitude. I can only do so much. These couple of days, I’d always recall the time when you lived here when you were little. Your Grandpa, carrying me with his bicycle, stopped below the building, and you would lean out from the balcony and yell, “Grandma, Grandpa!” Then you would crouch down, hide away, preventing us from finding you. But I found you no matter what. It didn’t matter whether you hid behind the curtains, inside the bathroom, or inside the wardrobe. At that moment, you’d always yell loudly with surprise, then pounce onto me while laughing. I like seeing you laugh.

Cunqu, I wrote my will. After I pass away, this house is for you. It doesn’t matter if they call me biased or not. I’m already dead; I don’t need to care about them. And the bank cards you gave me before, they’re all inside a small jewelry box in Grandma’s wardrobe. I’ve never touched the money inside.

My baby grandson, live well in Grandma’s house. That way, Grandma can find you. 

Liu Xiaoying.

Cunqu sat on the patio recliner, clutching this letter in his hand. He saw the tea jar that had been cleaned spotlessly by his hand. He kept staring out from the patio. Just a few days ago, Xiaoying was leaning against the railing with him, saying: “Once the construction finishes at the residential community up front, the housing price there will be very high. I was thinking that a dwelling is just a dwelling in the end. I live quite comfortably inside my old little place…”

In the family photo, Xiaoying wore a rose-red dress and looked at the camera with her legs placed together. She was used to being a teacher. When she wasn’t smiling, she gave off a stern feeling. Cunqu stood up, leaned against the patio railing, and looked down. Over ten years ago, Qi Wenqian rode home on a crickety bicycle with Xiaoying sitting in the back. They came to a stop at the bottom of the building while arguing about something or the other.

Cunqu’s tears fell down. 

Qi Wenqian grumbled: “Is it raining?” Xiaoying angrily replied: “Let’s hurry home and bring the clothes inside.”

Cunqu lightly called out: “Grandpa, Grandma…” 

t/n: Good night, Liu Xiaoying -> Chapter 23

[enkisstories]

Steadfast Island

Chapter 8 of The wrecking of the Steadfast, in which General Pryde dies of Hux' cooking (from a certain point of view anyway) and Hux finally commits to his changing allegiances.

Outtake:

Hux woke up in sitting position, outside, on cold soil. His arms were pulled around a tree that’s trunk was too broad for his bound hands to meet behind his back. The saltwater-soaked clothes still hadn’t fully dried on his body. They felt damp and heavy. A burning sensation on his cheek and traces of earth on his skin suggested that Hux had gotten kicked awake by his captors.

So far, so expected. Listening into the wind, the captive heard the sound of boot-wearing feet, people talking in loud, harsh voices, but not shouting, with some “baah”s and “bleeh”s from the local life stock sprinkled in.

Hux opened his eyes and raised his head. Right in front of the prisoner four people were towering, blocking out the morning sun that had just about crept over the horizon: a First Order stormtrooper, a Sith trooper, the vexing Lieutenant and General Pryde. [...]

“Did he have identification on him, Lieutenant?”

The junior officer held up the Resistance rankplate Hux had gotten issued by Rose, but never worn openly.

“Says here “Isbrand Cycen, Commander”, Sir.”

“Commander, so. That’s closer to your actual capabilities”, Pryde remarked. He poked the prisoner with his ebonwood stick. “Who gave you that surname?”

“Doeth id madder?” Hux produced from a dried out mouth. He tried to lick his lips and gums, but it didn’t do much.

“Whoever it was probably isn’t a friend of yours.”

“Damn… Dameron. Dameron picked that name.”

“Interesting. And yet he proudly proclaimed that a man whom he took for a potential defector could trust you. I wonder what changed…”

“You learned about that? Right before you hightailed it out of New Harvest city, I take it?”

The insult earned the prisoner a beating with the ebonwood cane.

“There’s nothing shameful about a strategic retreat that puts the retreating party into a more favorable position!”

“Ngh…”

There was no doubting it anymore. Armitage Hux was back home. Everything was as it always had been. People who couldn’t deal with the idea of him being more clever than them thought they could kick him around, with him giving back as good as he received. Only now the former General felt the wrongness of it all, not just the sting of each individual episode and the satisfaction of getting even. The solace all those revenges had brought had been short-lived, he now realized, and had never served to delete the initial slight from his memory. Still his reaction was pretty much the same it had always been:

I’ll end you. I’ll end you and level your fortress flat and if I collapse on its ruins, then I’ll die content.

“I’ll…” Hux croaked, then coughed.

Pryde looked down on the squirming prisoner.

“You’re hard to understand”, he said, then pulled a flask from his belt. “Want some water?”

“Ye… No. Not yet. My bladder’s full to the brim already, first I need to…”

Already the prisoner (futilely) started to raise himself up against the tree, fully expecting to get cut free temporarily and escorted behind the tree to water it. That was a basic courtesy captives of the Resistance could take for granted. Food, water, the resemblance of a roof over one’s head (although apparently sometimes that roof belonged to the broom cabinet) and basic dignity (broom cabinets excluded). But now Hux was back in the real world, where things worked differently.

“Then speeding up the process by drinking some water will shorten your suffering”, Pryde stated.

“You can’t contemplate to… Not really?!”

“Water? Yes or no?”

“Go mate with a sheep!” Hux spouted.

Pryde bend down and splashed the water into the bound man’s face. Reflexively Hux licked some of it, even swallowed, although more liquid was the last thing he needed now. At least it had only been water… for now.

Pryde gestured to a stormtrooper, who immediately closed in, a cable in hand. A plasteel-gloved hand grabbed the prisoners chin and forced his mouth open. Before he fully understood what was happening, Hux already had the cable running through his mouth and once around the tree. It kept his face up – he was now staring into a hand camera held by the Lieutenant with no chance to lower his head. Trying to look away only caused the cable to painfully cut into the corners of the prisoner’s mouth.

“Lt. Kornsenf, record how he waters the tree!” Pryde ordered. “We’ll send the footage to his friends – it’ll motivate them to come to Steadfast Island in a rescue attempt.”

My… friends. So they got away! At the very least the First Order couldn’t confirm their deaths. No, WE couldn’t conf… Fuck you all! There is no more “we”, if you took them from me. It’s enough that you think you can kick me around, but hands off my belongings!

“My pleasure, Sir!” the Lieutenant replied and with an evil grin focused his camera. It was like looking into a mirror, only at Kornsenf’s age Armitage Hux had been Captain already. At that time he’d seen his share of battles and victories and lived through more numerous injuries and humiliations than a broken hand. This spiteful youth couldn’t even begin to understand the difference in scale between them both as victims and perpetrators.

Hux glared at the Lieutenant, all the while his heart was racing as his bladder was threatening to take matters into its own hands. Regardless of how much the General prided himself on his patience, his intestines didn’t share this virtue.

This isn’t happening… this isn’t happening… this can’t be happening… not to ME…

But whom was he kidding, of course it would happen to him – to whom else? Armitage Hux was the laughingstock of the galaxy, after all.

No, I’m not! I’m the fire, the vanquisher of the New Republic, the man who had sex with Poe Dameron TWICE!

Sweat running down his face, Hux uttered (with some difficulty on account of the blasted cable): “‘ou ‘hink ‘ourself all ‘ark and eshy ‘ow, huh? Bu’ I’ve ‘one far wor’ ‘han ‘ou…”

He kept his eyes on the Lieutenant until they hurt and the younger man had to look away. But the victory didn’t last long. Kornsenf smirked, when the prisoner’s squirming intensified and he started whimpering. He zoomed in on Hux’ increasingly desperate mimic and then out again.

A little later a drawn out, anguished wail startled the sheep, the goats and the conscripted workers alike. It was followed by uncontrolled sobbing.

It was close to midday already, when Pryde thought to check on the captive again. “How’s the hostage?” he inquired.

“Cried like a little girl, as expected”, Kornsenf replied. “For quite some time, too. But then he just blanked out.”

Pryde looked at the prisoner bound to the tree. The man’s eyes were unfocused, the lids rapidly flashing for brief moments, then going still again. It was doubtful whether Hux was still aware of what happened around him, or if he was, then there was no drive to react to anything.

“Keep filming.”

Pryde silently counted to ten, before he spoke into the camera: “You can still save your friend, you know. But given the state he’s in, the longer you hesitate, the more the window closes.”

Ten more seconds and no change in the hostage’s demeanor later, Pryde told the lieutenant to stop recording. He connected the camera to Hux’ comlink and copied the footage over. A couple of clicks later, the hologram was on the way to Poe’s, Finn’s, Rose’s, Rey’s and Ben’s devices as well as the two droid brains.

“I don’t understand what’s keeping the rebels… they all but adopted him”, Pryde murmured, while the data got transmitted. “Overconfident as they are, they will think they can trick us.”

Five beeps indicated that the messages had gotten received by the recipients’ comlinks at least. If they were alive, the rebels would certainly want to take a look at who was contacting them? And alive they certainly were, of that General Pryde was certain. Had they all drowned, by now their bodies would have surfaced.

“Maybe we need to raise the stakes a little. Untie the hostage and take him to the kitchen”, Pryde instructed Lt. Kornsenf.

[...]

The smell of the forest pig slowly getting roasted over an open grill had emanated through the camp all morning. Later today there’d be roast pig for the officers, while the rest of the meat, that would still be half-raw by evening, would find its way into everyone’s soup tomorrow. Hux only consciously noticed the smell when he passed by the droid-operated grill. Likewise he didn’t feel the heat the grill generated. Had the man analyzed the metal construction long enough to identify it as what it was, his head would have told him that it was probably unsafe to approach too closely, even though he still wouldn’t have felt the heat. But as things stood, the grill and the droid were just metal-colored lines and curves in the landscape, that in turn was composed of coarse strokes of blue, green and beige. There was no substance to any of that, or to the mind behind the eyes that were taking all of this in.

Lt. Kornsenf pushed the handcuffed prisoner in front of him. “Move it!” he hissed. “And don’t even think of making yourself useless as a hostage! Not that you’ve ever been anything other than useless, but…”

From the prisoner came no reaction. The body was reacting to stimulus, but only in the most basic of ways. Inside his head, though, a thought processes kicked in, only none that would have helped the man dig himself out of the hole he had dropped into:

But I AM useless as a hostage, what’s not to understand about that? Nobody will come to rescue someone they saw pee himself and sit in the puddle afterwards. Poe won’t want to touch me ever again.

[...]

Past the grill there was a gaping hole in the Steadfast’s wreck. Had Kornsenf pushed the hostage so far, he now firmly grabbed Hux’ arms. They stepped on a narrow catwalk without a railing whatsoever that was spanning a chasm, suggesting the existence of another level below the one they were on. The Steadfast hadn’t so much as landed on the island named in her honor, but dug herself deep into it. The walkway led to a large room of unknown original purpose, that was serving as a combined kitchen and mess hall now. The place offered shelter from the elements, but wasn’t really a fully enclosed inside space – Hux hadn’t failed to note a door coming in, there simply was no door, just an open arch. [...]

In Kornsenf’s and Hux’s backs workers and troopers were slowly trickling in from the morning shift. Everyone was relaxed in a subdued way, as the work progressed at a satisfactory pace with no major setbacks or complications. But that didn’t change the fact that the colonists had gotten drafted away from their homes and their actual work for an undefined time (not to mention for an uncertain compensation) or that the First Order soldiers had only so recently survived first the battle of Exegol and then the insurrection of New Harvest City by the skin of their teeth. Things could have been worse, but also a whole lot better.

At the table closest to the kitchen counters one of the waterskimmer pilots in his coastguard uniform sat in the company of two stormtroopers and three fellow colonists, two men and a woman. He grumbled about all the trouble the disgruntled workers who had fled last night were giving him, first by stirring up actual rebels in the middle of a damn ocean and now by drowning.

“We’ll have to go out again after lunch, to search for the bodies, just to make sure they haven’t joined the rebels. I mean, how much trouble can three unarmed fishermen give anybody, even if they DID join the Resistance?”

“It’s about sending a message, Barley”, the lieutenant snapped. “They cannot just run away and then mock us!”

“Yes, Sir, that makes sense, of course”, Barley replied.

“Like New Harvest City had to pay the price for their disloyalty!” Kornsenf proudly proclaimed.

One of the workers turned his head towards the officer. “Is it true that the capital got obliterated?” The man’s mimic was hard to read, it could convey anything from mild interest in the topic to well concealed disgust to resignation.

“Yes!”

“Everyone… from the outskirts… survived”, a dreamy voice added. The mess hall’s patrons looked towards its source and realized that the prisoner had spoken.

“No!” Kornsenf insisted. “There were no survivors.”

Hux blinked and looked at his captor, surprised at his own initiative, trying to come to a decision whether engaging was worth the effort. But since the very act of asking himself this question had already jolted him back into an awareness of a world outside himself, he opened his mouth again:

“Then I’m not here now, because I’m dead.” He nodded, a little awkwardly though, given that his neck was still stiff. “Ingeniousss.” The sharp hiss at the end could be taken as cheek, but really was the result of all the other muscles reporting their continued existence and tensed state to the brain now, too.

Instead of silencing the mouthy hostage, Lt. Kornsenf panicked: “The prison, of course, is outside the city boundaries! Don’t pay this insurgent any heed, citizen. He escaped from prison, that’s how he survived. The city itself was leveled flat!”

Again Hux raised his voice: “Just to make this absolutely clear. The incarcerated political prisoners, those who oppose the First Order, all survived the airstrike? While the law abiding, innocent city dwellers got roasted? That what you mean to tell us… Sir?”

“What…?”

“That’s important information”, Hux stressed. “Really puts into perspective how the government works, doesn’t it?”

Kornsenf felt his innards tense up when he spotted a handful of amused faces and a couple of thoughtful ones, but nobody openly scoffing at Hux’ words. This wasn’t how this should have went, not by a long shot!

“Who are you, chatterbox?” a stormtrooper asked the captive directly. Their voice was distorted, since they still had to wear their helmet till their shift was officially over. That wouldn’t be until forty more minutes from now.

“You know him”, Lt. Kornsenf scolded the soldier. “That’s the traitor, former General Hux.”

“There’s a certain likeness, I suppose, and the coat does complete the image”, the stormtrooper relented, still they were not fully convinced. The next moment Maybe-Hux already announced that his name was Isbrand Cycen.

“I overheard the Lieutenant read that name from this man’s identification earlier”, the female colonist confirmed. “He’s a Commander of the Resistance.”

Isbrand really liked the emphasis the woman put on “Commander”. It meant that he wasn’t just generic rebel scum, but one of the truly evil guys, a ringleader, and maybe in direct contact with the anarchists’ Big Bad. But seeing that this rebel Commander was properly restrained, he was also exotic and interesting.

Getting caught at a lie – or what appeared as one to the audience - for the second time in a row didn’t exactly improve Lt. Kornsenf’s mood. He switched Cycen’s restraints from the wrists to the ankles, then cued the hand camera again. Whatever would happen next wouldn’t be pleasant, that’s why the “rebel commander” made haste to get one, perhaps last, hit in:

“You lost a bunch of capital ships over Exegol…”

The bait wasn’t especially sophisticated or well thought out, but Kornsenf took it regardless: “These were new ones!” he cried. “The rebels shot down defenseless ships that were about to get commissioned the next day. The First Order didn’t lose any previously existing star destroyers!”

“Oh. My bad. I wasn’t aware that the Steadfast isn’t classified as a Star Destroyer anymore”, Cycen apologized while trying to stretch as non-aggressively as possible. The combination made him appear casually arrogant, what was quite the irony, seeing how much effort General Hux had put into conveying his superiority to everyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in his presence in the past. Every gaze or gesture had been calculated for maximum impressiveness – with little success, though. But that persona had gotten dissolved in urine this morning, leaving only a husk that was slowly getting claimed by Isbrand Cycen, the rebel-scum. Turned out Hux/Cycen’s natural arrogance was much more convincing and far more infuriating than anything he had trained himself to display in his role as Snoke’s General. Rubbing his shoulder, the prisoner asked: “It’s because Steadfast was the flagship, right?”

Steadfast… Even the dumbest nerf herder among the workers was able to connect the island’s name to the star destroyer’s wreck they were sitting in just now. There was no margin for misunderstanding here: The Resistance had shot down the First Order’s flagship and most likely many more. Commander Cycen’s credibility in this regard was much higher than Lt. Kornsenf’s. An enemy this man might be, and a major jerk to boot, but it wasn’t him, who had gotten caught pants down at lying thrice now.

“You know, I’d believed this was Hux, just from the looks of this rebel”, the second stormtrooper remarked. “But that sorry excuse of a General never was this astute.” The soldier got up and stepped up to Cycen, all the while drawing their blaster. They raised it and put it below Cycen’s chin, forcing the man’s head upwards a little. A sharp pain ran through Cycen’s sinews from the strain, just when they had gotten a little more supple. “Don’t get airs, though, rebel-scum!” the trooper threatened. “Amusing as your parading the kid in front of everyone was, don’t for a moment believe that you can play us out against each other. That’s not how the First Order works!”

Hux/Cycen pressed his lips shut. He had no idea whether he was getting tested or if the trooper sincerely believed him to be a different person. He only knew that if there had ever been a moment where he absolutely needed to keep his composure, then that was now. But his drying underpants were chafing and the memory was burning and he wasn’t Poe Dameron level of witty, after all, so the best he could do was to say nothing.

After the stormtrooper was convinced that Cycen had been sufficiently intimidated, they withdrew their weapon, smacked the prisoner with it for good measure and returned to their seat at the table. The little episode had been a nice distraction on such a slow day (and regardless of Barley’s complaining, for the stormtroopers it really was a boring one).

“Well, that was all very entertaining, but I take it you want the rebel to help me in the kitchen?” the kitchen master addressed the Lieutenant, her words half question and half suggestion.

“Oh, yes, that’s the general idea.”

He expects me to flare up and give my real identity away. And Pryde just wants me to cry again over my heritage to bait my friends into rescuing me. But you are all wrong. My mother wasn’t a kitchen worker. If I interpret the hydrospanner memory and Rey’s analysis correctly, she was a mechanic in charge of the academy’s droids. That’s where I’ve got my talent for engineering from. Knowing this, it should be perfectly safe for me to touch a… pot or… stirring spoon or…

At this point Armitage Hux’ incredibly extensive knowledge of kitchen utensils unfortunately ended.

“Let’s get this over with already”, he said with a sigh.

[...]

Meanwhile in the improvised kitchen Hux was confronted with a confusing array of foods in different stages of preparation, all running parallelly. Portions of wild spinach from the forest had to get washed, grinded down and cooked in a seemingly never ending chain. Potatoes requisitioned from the nearest town were steaming in large pots, occasionally getting poked by the kitchen master to check how far they had come already. (A task Hux had gotten excluded from after he had told the vegetables to “get a move on” and accidently smashed one.) And finally the greatest riddle of them all, the…

“Mind the scrambled eggs! You need to add salt and pepper while they are still somewhat liquid!”

Without looking up from the bowl he was mixing ingredients for the officers’ stew in, Hux asked back: “How much?” There was no scale on the dispensers, but he had found a digital kitchen scale, that he could use to measure the needed amount of material.

However, the kitchen master’s answer was simply: “Until you like the taste.”

“I like my food tasting good, but seeing that this is for enemies, let’s settle on average cantina quality. How much salt and pepper each would that require?”

“You’ll have to try it out. Add a little with every shake and taste-test until you got it right.”

But now Hux looked up and his expression was one of utter disbelief. Even the Resistance defying them at every turn despite the First Order clearly being superior in weapons and worldview had not thrown the General off the track this much.

“So next time we meet in battle, you shoot closer and closer to the target until you eventually hit the bridge? This makes no sense!” he cried.

“Cooking isn’t a battle”, the kitchen master replied sternly, but her helper begged do disagree: “It very much is.”

“Strange”, the lieutenant commented, to elicit a reaction from the hostage that he could use for the next broadcast he was preparing. “Cooking should be in your blood!”

Eyes narrowed, nose twitching, Hux glared at the man. Kornsenf zoomed in, causing the hostage to avert his gaze. The last thing Hux wanted was Poe, should he still be watching, to meet this hateful eyes; their deathglare was not meant for the space rat.

“Don’t forget to stir!” the kitchen master reminded the involuntary movie star, while tending to the neglected and steadily drying out forest bird eggs in the pan herself now.

“How long do I stir?”

“Until the sauce has the right consistency.”

“Why did I even ask…”

Once around the bowl the spoon went. Onion- and leek rings bobbed up and down in the crème, following no rhyme or reason. What were cookbooks even for, when everything was kept as vague as classified military intel?! And commoners without an academic education were expected to handle this every day? Had Rey cooked for herself on Jakku? Were the rebels taking turns doing kitchen shifts in their makeshift bases? Maybe… Just maybe this still wouldn’t make sense, but be fun in some way that was escaping the prisoner now, if he was sharing a campfire shift with Poe, Finn or Rose. He closed his eyes and focused on the mental image, but all it did was making his eyes watery. The rebels were done with him, Pryde had seen to that. They wouldn’t ever share star destroyer shaped sandwiches or stolen soda again.

Where are you now… Isn’t it ironic that the inventor of hyperspace tracking doesn’t have the slightest inkling where his former friends have went to?

But was that really true? Unlike cooking, this could get solved with logic! The waterskimmer pilots were still tasked with searching for the rebels’ bodies. They hadn’t gotten found drifting on the ocean nor hiding on the surrounding islands. That meant they were right here! On Steadfast Island, maybe hidden in abandoned sections of the wreck, or in plain sight amongst the workers. For what it was worth, behind every red or white helmet a familiar face might lurk, watching patiently, waiting for the right moment to strike. The trooper threatening Hux with the blaster earlier? Finn could easily have pulled that off.

And if that was so, then the hostage had to somehow communicate to the others that he still was an asset to the Resistance. For the First Order had crossed a line. For this final debasement at their hands and for destroying the bond that had developed between Hux and the reb… the Resistance agents, the First Order would burn until nothing would be left of it. If he felt like it, he’d perhaps even plant the blasted New Republic’s flag in the ashes to add insult to injury!

Hux wiped his eyes dry, then faced Lt. Kornsenf, but really the camera the man was holding. He straightened his hair and winked into the sensor.

“Hey, space rat… This is Commander Cycen reporting in for duty. It’s so nice of the First Order to give us this means of keeping in touch with each other!”

“No! That’s not how this is going!” the Lieutenant shouted. He raised his hand, intent on smacking the hostage with the camera, but Hux dodged. His feet still being cuffed, he lost his balance and had to hold fast to the kitchen counter. Kornsenf lashed out with his boot. He kicked the captive into the stomach, causing him to keel over.

“I didn’t know you had the guts to beat someone who’s not half-conscious and restrained to a torture table”, Hux pressed through clenched teeth. “Hero, you!”

“Is this still about me having hit Dameron?” the Lieutenant gasped in genuine surprise. “He’s just one person. YOU were a weak link in the system, you dragged us all down with you!”

“Like this?”

Hux pulled his knees towards his body, then kicked into Kornsenf’s direction. He managed to connect to his target and while the other was struggling to keep his balance, pulled himself up again. Once back on his feet, Hux quickly grabbed the stirring spoon with one hand and rammed it back into the bowl, keeping the other hand behind the back of his head. It was undignified as heck, but the only way to convey that this wasn’t an attempt at rendering resistance. See? I’m back to work already. My quarrel was only with your Lieutenant, not with any of you. (For now.) Totally docile hostage here!

“You won’t have done that for nothing!” Kornsenf hissed. He turned around and ventured deeper into the wreck, stating as he left: “I’m going to fetch the whip.”

Seemingly unfazed by the announcement, Hux smashed half a dozen eggs into a bowl and grabbed an eggbeater. “Which direction do I stir again?”

“Now you’re messing with me!” the kitchen master protested. “No way that was a real question!”

“Tell me how you expect me to take this seriously, if all of it is so incredibly stupid!”

“It’s not! You’re simply the most untalented cook I ever met and Captain Barley set the bar in this regard pretty low!”

There was an uncomfortable pause, after which Hux asked: “Did I just kill you?”

“What? No!”

“Then I haven’t learned cooking, but something.”

The kitchen master studied the captive. Now that Kornsenf wasn’t in the room anymore, her stance was way more relaxed, her face to the contrary more tense.

“You brought that on yourself, you know?” she said. “No one here likes the Lieutenant, but I can’t say we like you, either. You’re full of yourself, all talk, but have yet to impress anybody.”

“Implying something?!”

“Just an observation.”

The kitchen master filled one part of a ready meal tray with the stew she had been working on and the other with potatoes, sealed the tray shut with a thin metal foil to keep the contents warm and piled slices of the First Order standard bread on top. She then pasted a tube with spice paste to the tray’s side and told the captive:

“Go deliver this to General Pryde!”

“With these?” Hux pointed at his ankle cuffs.

“They cuffs will ensure that you won’t return too quickly, as would be in your best interest, considering what Kornsenf if getting from the armory.”

“Right. Uh… thanks. Where…?”

“Down this floor. The door at its end leads to the General’s office.”

(Thank you for reading! Read the rest on Aooo - link at the beginning of the post)

[crypticcupid]

Brief posting about T.aka and Myst's relationship hehehe

So, pretty much they have a chance meeting in a bar where T.aka is doing solo performances for himself. Myst is like "You sound sooo familiar and look it to, where have I seen your ass?", and once it clicks they start talking.

It starts nice until T.aka opens his mouth and then they both become insufferable. It's a snarky back and forth arguing with a strange mixture of genuine moments and basically ends with them exchanging numbers. Myst gets home and is like "WHY DID I GIVE HIM MY NUMBER WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY ASS?".

So he just plays the waiting game of waiting for T.aka to say something stupid to give them a valid reason to ghost him in their mind.

…However, T.aka fails to give them their angle needed. Sure they bicker playfully, but nothing to merit dropping off entirely. Whenever they happen to be in the same place, they get food or hang out together.

They went on several of these dates without Myst ever fully realizing they were dates. It wasn't until the 3rd date they actually realized it.

Yeah, and it went uhhhhh.

T.aka had booked a hotel room for a weekend and Myst chalks it up to "Oh. Okay yeah that seems like a rich person thing to do. Whatever". They hang out, it's pretty casual, nothing special really but T.aka decides to just say he loves them and wants to be an item. This scares Myst who's responds bitterly laughing and asking where is the camera and what's the joke. Which, rightfully so, confuses the Hell out of T.aka who is like "I genuinely like you, what are you even fucking talking about????". Basically they both hurt themselves and each other in confusion before it gets sorted out. Definitely has Myst crying a little and T.aka being stunned that his first thought was that T.aka was joking with them.

Post that mess of a confession; the two start warming up to the relationship and Myst becomes the true hopeless romantic they are at heart. Touchy feely, sweet affirmations, just goes over the top being a big, dopey sweetheart. T.aka eats it up because of all the attention and just because it's been a hot moment since he's been in a serious/long lasting relationship with a few flings here and there between. He hadn't expected to get Myst being so lovey-dovey so early in. They still bicker, but Myst always smiles when they argue.

Really annoying cringe fail couple, T.aka acts like he's a total hot shot and Myst is down to Earth and humble. But Myst will praise T.aka for nearly anything he does and T.aka is of the mentality that 'My boyfriend is the coolest person ever because I have great taste obviously".

N.ishida and K.uze are so thankful that someone can now wrangle T.aka's ass in. Because he has the tendency to just do whatever he sees fit with minimal thoughts about other's. Not in the purposely being a dickhead way, but in the, "I forgot my actions actually affect others" way.

At first he's really assured in the relationship because it's that fresh honeymoon emotion, but he gets a smidge nervous when he remembers the reason his prior relationship broke off was due to his traveling for performances. He tries to compensate by being absolutely touchy as all Hell when with Myst. This works because Myst is everything starved, seriously what is their mental health, and so they eat it all up.

Eventually they do talk about that, which is hella' needed with Myst's inability to communicate full emotions at times being similar to the previous partner's. It is a pretty easy convo though because Myst is pretty laid-back and jokes lightly that T.aka can go everywhere and anywhere as long as Myst can follow to, if need be.

Anyways, they are both cringe fail boyfriends. This is not a "I can make him better," or "I can make him worse" scenario. This is a "I could fix him, but whatever is wrong with him is way funnier" type of situation.

[mcyt-peach]

Ok I am dumb🙈😅

I want to request but idk who it best suits?? Like Sapnap or quackity (I think might work nicely) x streamer reader and they are talking how they got together (classic bf to lovers) but the reason would be so dumb and funny at the same time😅😂 like “yeah we were celebrating and then we kissed so we are together “

Ok if you don’t understand that that’s ok (you don’t have to write it) cuz my brain can’t understand it either 😅😂anyway have a nice day🌸

Yours 🎧anon

getting together with sapnap and quackity on stream

⋆｡˚ summary: chat's used to seeing their favorite streamer/best friend duo on screen, but they're not accustomed to the two of you kissing

⋆｡˚ pairings: cc!sapnap x gn!reader, cc!quackity x gn!reader

⋆｡˚ warnings: reader uses they/them pronouns, yelling, kissing (obvi)

⋆｡˚ note: 🎧anon I am OBSESSED with this idea, I can just imagine these two getting so hyped they forget not to express just how in love with the reader they are!!!

Sapnap

Sapnap and you always had a tradition of doing a meet up during MCC so you could practice together and rack up those sweet, sweet collab views

MCC was bound to get Sapnap hyped and his excitement was more than infectious, making you louder and louder with every successful practice

luckily enough, the two of you had been put on the same team, meaning your practice would pay off even more

the nonstop training meant Sapnap basically had to host you for the week leading up to the event, offering you his bed while he slept on the couch

finally, it was time to compete

Sapnap and you were both completely focused on the match and could communicate without having mics on, giving you a bit of an advantage, but shhh don’t tell anyone

the last game between your team and victory was dodgebolt and you put all your trust in Sap when you were eliminated halfway through the game

his last shot flew through the air, hit the other player and your screen lit up with a crown and congratulations from your chat

Sapnap was shouting and you were flying out of your seat to wrap him in a hug

before either of you could stop yourselves, Sapnaps was cradling your face and kissing you with way too much passion to just be spur of the moment

chat was lucky enough to see the kiss from both you and Sap’s cams, which were turned off seconds after

P.S. Sapnap didn’t sleep on the couch that night

Quackity

Quackity had been running a massive subathon that lasted the greater part of a week, hosting friends and planning events to gain viewers and subs

you were one of the last people to join his stream, in person, due to your status as his all-time best friend forever

he was completely wired, running off energy drinks and food he had ordered from doordash, so your presence was a breath of fresh air

while he was still glued to his stream, you were able to cook some real food for him, trying to up his energy without making him rely on monster or some other drink chock full of caffeine

but eventually you started to nod off beside him, so while he was still playing a game and talking to chat, you let him know you were going to bed

maybe it was how tired he was, maybe it was the fact that you looked so cute when you were sleepy, but he only leaned over and kissed you, turning back to his screen and saying goodnight

you shuffled out of the room in your tired daze, closing the door behind you, only to realize what happened and throw the door open again

“Did you just kiss me?”

Quackity’s mouth is hanging open as he glances between you and chat, “I don’t know!”

“WHY DID YOU KISS ME?!”

“I DON’T KNOW!!”

while you and Quackity are at a loss for words, his viewers certainly are not

Quackity tries to do damage control by pausing his subathon for the first time all week, but hey, chat got a new streamer power couple by the end of it, so...

[thewildwaffle]

Humans are Weird: Antibiotics

A story prompt from a user on a03. Apparently, this is my 50th short story, or at least the 50th installment of m humans are weird short stories. Hurray!

****

Ni Andu watched a dried sickle leaf roll across the empty courtyard from her window. A deep sigh made her breath fog up the glass. The courtyard wasn't supposed to be empty. Especially not this time of year. The Gauru Ni Moon Festival usually brought visitors from around the world and across multiple star systems right about now. But the disease meant no bright banners were hung. No music echoed cheerily through around the corners and down the streets. There were no wafting scents of fresh fruits and fried breads.

It was amazing and terrifying that something so small that it couldn’t be seen had done all this. The Ni were a proud race, rich in culture, and until now, seemingly sturdy in constitution. Diseases had come and gone in the past, but in such small and freak cases that they were hardly given much attention. It was assumed that Ni immune systems were the best in the galaxy and many other races had even requested to study how they were so effective.

Those prideful memories felt hollow now as Ni Andu sighed and pulled herself away from the dreary sight outside. As a new and reluctant head of the house, she had more pressing things to deal with than moping in the past. Several members of her own family were still sick, two of her hatch mates had been very touch-and-go as of late. She slowly made her way to the cushions where they were sleeping to check on them. To her relief, she saw the soft blankets they were wrapped in rose and fell slowly. She stood there, watching them for a bit in the gathering darkness of their shared humble abode. Matki’s breathing sounded like gravel stuck in a child’s rolling skiffer.

“What are we going to do?” Andu’s wide nose scrunched up as she begged the silent house. “What am I supposed to do next?”

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there trying to think of everything and nothing all at once. It was a good while though and was only interrupted when a small light turned on in the meal room. Andu looked up at the light streaming out of the door’s archway. With a sigh, she gathered her strength to move again to see who was up. As she approached, she heard small claws scrabbling on the stonework floor and storage pods opening and closing.

Sure enough, when she peeked in, Andu could see little Piri shuffling through food storage pods that looked even less stocked than she thought they’d been. There were a few bottled foods, a few containers of ingredient-prepped soup containers, but certainly nothing immediately ready for consumption. Most easy and ready-to-eat foods had been eaten long ago or destroyed when they began to decay and grow dangerous molds. And to a small three-year-old Ni, that basically meant there was no food at all.

“Hey Piri, are you hungry?” Even though Andu had kept her voice quiet, little Piri still jumped and tucked his small thin tail like he was ashamed he’d been caught. Andu smiled comfortingly and stepped into the room to pick up one of the soup packs.

“It’s okay, you’re fine,” she patted him on the head softly, “I think it’s time for a meal too. I’m sure everyone else would agree once they wake up and smell the food.”

“There’s not much left,” Piri’s small voice was so sad and only made the words themselves feel sharper to Andu’s hearts. She tried to think of something she could say to make their situation seem less dire, but nothing came to mind. Instead, she scooped up Piri’s small form and waited until his thin arms latched securely around her scruff before she walked over to get a pot to cook in. She was going to have to add quite a bit of water to this if it was going to make enough to sustain everyone for a meal.

Cooking, even making something simple, helped ease Andu’s mind. There was a sense of normalcy in standing in front of a firebox and stirring a bubbling pot of soup. She tried to ignore how thin it was. Still, the smell made her feel warm and it must have wafted across the house as she could soon hear the tell-tale signs of her hatch mates waking up. She gathered bowls and filled each one. Lowering Piri back down, she handed the young Ni a bowl and carried the rest to the cushions where the rest of the family was slowly waking up.

They ate together slowly, trying to make the contents of their bowl last and talking quietly about anything they could to distract themselves from their situation. Matki was recalling a story from four lunar years ago when Andu had entered a fried bread pastry into a competition. Between Matki’s coughing and Andu interjecting to defend herself, the story kept getting interrupted! She’d worked on the recipe for her pastry for so long and was so proud of it, but the night before, something went wrong when she was making her entry. Whether it was nerves, exhaustion, oversight, or Jentala above forbid, sabotage, it went very wrong. From the way Matki described the judges’ reaction, one might have thought Andu had purposefully tried poisoning them! As everyone chuckled, Matki claimed he still had the video recording from the competition and pulled it out, much to Andu’s chagrin.

Andu pretended to be exasperated by the teasing, but really she was just glad everyone felt good enough to laugh again.

It took a while before she and the others noticed that Matki hadn’t pulled up the video. Instead, his eyes locked on the comm tablet screen.

“Matki?”

“Hey, did you find it?”

“Matki are you okay?”

Matki finally looked up, eyes still wide from whatever he’d been looking at. “They’re coming to help.”

Everyone shared a worried look. What?

“Who are you talking about? Who’s coming?” Andu broke the confused silence.

Matki tapped something on-screen with the pad of a finger and a holographic projection display rose up.

Everyone watched enraptured by the newscast. It was about humans. From halfway across the galaxy, they’d heard about the Ni’s plight and had come claiming they had a cure. They were offering aid and resources to run tests to make sure their medicine was safe and effective for Ni use and make alterations if needed. They were even claiming they’d help distribute the finalized cure the moment it was given the go-ahead. In the meantime, they were also sending ships of food and supplies.

Andu could feel the back of her throat tighten. Was this real? Did she dare hope? There’d been so many reports before about help being promised, well, not help to this extent, but help nonetheless. They’d ended up being just for show and were proven empty once those who offered realized how impossible the situation really was.

But humans? She’d heard they were tough. And stubborn. Maybe they were stubborn enough to see their promises through?

The embarrassing video of Andu’s failed pastry was long forgotten, the conversation instead jumped between wild rumors her family had overheard about humans and speculation about how long it would take for the humans to actually lend aid if they were really coming at all. Andu could see a shimmer in the eyes of her hatch mates as they spoke that she hadn’t seen in a while. Although she wished she could feel the same optimism, she could also see how quickly they were all tiring out. Although they’d slept most of the day, the disease was still taking its toll on them all.

Once the meager meal was finished, she stood to gather the now empty bowls. She noticed Piri quickly scrape a finger along the side of his bowl to snag any last morsel before she came along to collect it. ‘Jentala above,’ she prayed mentally, ‘if help truly is coming, send it along soon.”

With bellies no longer completely empty, everyone settled in, and soon the room was full of sleeping or near sleeping Ni.

Andu slept fitfully. She dreamed, but it was fractured and confusing. Even before the disease came, she had a hard time remembering her dreams once she woke up. It was near impossible now. She did remember a loud humming noise though. As she blinked her eyes and lifted her head, she realized the humming was still there. She rose and searched for the source. It almost sounded like… engines? But that, that had to be impossible - the quarantine…

She looked out the window. Dried sickle leaves were flying around wildly as a large shuttle slowly came in for a landing in the courtyard. Andu opened her mouth to call out to the rest of her family, but nothing would come. How were they still asleep with this racket? Apparently, it managed to wake up Piri, who nearly made Andu jump when he bumped into her side while trying to climb up for a better view out the window.

“What’s going on? Who’s outside?” Piri waited to ask until Andu had resettled herself after being startled.

“I’m not sure yet,” she answered as they both watched the shuttle’s doors slowly work through the unsealing process. Across the courtyard, she could see other Ni’s faces peeking out their windows. As far as she could tell, expressions seemed to range anywhere from fear to curiosity to… was that hope? Wait, had they seen the newscast last night? Did they think this was… there’s no way the humans could be here already, right?

They both watched intently as the doors finally opened and a ramp extended. Soon a line of creatures she’d only seen on screens filed down wearing yellow vests and hauling huge boxes in their arms or on carts they pulled behind them.

“It is the humans!” Piri yelled and jumped down from his perch. He ran to where everyone was stirring on the cushions, “Wake up! Wake up! The humans are here!”

Andu wasn’t sure if she should reprimand Piri for disturbing them, or if she should join in. Instead, she watched as the humans in the courtyard started setting up stations and continued hauling load after load filled with what must have been hexaheebs of food, clean water, and various supplies.

She turned to look back at her family who were trying to rise as fast as their weakened bodies would allow. Matki began coughing violently and had to rest against the wall. Andu went to help support him when a knock at the front door startled everyone. They all stared at the old chirrowood door, then around at each other. It had been so long since quarantine had started, they’d almost forgotten what a knock on the door sounded like.

After a pause, the knock came again, this time followed by a worried and drawn-out, “Hello?”

Once she was sure Matki was standing stable, Andu, being the least sick among everyone, walked to and slowly opened the door.

A human from the shuttle stood in the doorway. They were wearing a mask over their mouth and nose, but it was definitely a human! Their eyes closed slightly and creased in the corners as they nodded a greeting. “Hi, my name is Ali, I’m part of the relief team that’s been assigned to this district. We’ve got food and essentials to distribute and I just need to know how many are in this household and if anyone here is in critical condition.”

Andu blinked at the human for a moment as she took in what they’d said.

“We, uh, we have four adults and one child. There, there were more, but…” she couldn’t finish that sentence. From the look the human gave her, she didn’t need to finish it. Her sinuses stung as she fought to not cry. The first visitor in how long and here she was almost crying in the doorway?

“I'm so sorry for your loss,” the human’s head bowed and their shoulders dropped. “I wish we’d known and could have helped earlier. Is anyone here in need of immediate emergency care?”

At that point, Matki started coughing again. Andu and Ali looked back to see him sit back down until his coughing died down.

Andu sighed and turned back to the human. “None of us are great right now. Matki’s probably the worst out of all of us. He sounds bad, but he actually has started to stabilize in the past few days.”

Human Ali gave a short nod and started writing something on a tablet in his hands.

“Do you,” Andu’s voice trembled, “we heard a report last night about you. That you were coming. That you… do you…” she swallowed and fought back desperate tears, “do you really have a cure?”

The human’s eyes creased again. “We do.”

Andu didn’t need to turn around to know the effect this had on her family. She heard it. She felt it. This time, she didn’t fight back the tears.

“Right now,” Human Ali continued, “it’s in the final stages of approval for Ni use, we’re just waiting for the ‘go-ahead’ and we’ll help distribute it as soon as it arrives. Until then, I’ve got some food and supplies for you. I can help unload and unpack if you need?”

“That… that would be... thank you,” she wiped at her tears. “Thank you so much.”

Over the next few days, more shuttles came and went, bringing more supplies, food, tools, and just in general, a brighter outlook and mood to the entire neighborhood. The humans really were here to help, and they seemed happy to do so. Not only were they good with their promises of aid, but they also delivered on the cure they said they had. Ni were instructed on the drug’s use and administration directions thoroughly for both the tablet and liquid forms of the cure. The effects were quick, and from the reports on the newscast, overwhelmingly positive. The Ni were cured! The plague that had once threatened to wipe out their entire population was gone! Celebrations larger than even the Gauru Ni Moon Festival were planned, songs were written, stories shared and spread. It was wholly agreed by all that this was a historic time in Ni history that they all survived through, and all thanked Jentala above for sending the humans to help.

It went without saying that everyone wanted to know more about the cure itself. And that meant everyone, not just the Ni, but the rest of the galactic community who before, had written the Ni off as a lost cause because of the horrific disease. What was this miracle cure? What other things could it do? Where, by all that is bright and shining, did the humans get it, and could it be easily replicated?

The humans, for their part, were again as open and gracious with their information as they had been with their aid. It was an old medicine they’d discovered long ago on their planet. Considered to be the first “antibiotic,” it was widely used on Earth and had saved millions of lives since its discovery. It worked by interfering with bacteria cell walls and destroyed them by causing them to burst.

It was called

Penicillin.

“Amazing!” “Spectacular!” “So simple, yet so ingenious!” many in the galactic community praised. “How ever did you discover this amazing drug?”

The initial answer wasn’t too surprising, for humans at least: it was an accident.

Andu almost snorted as she read the report to the rest of her family. Granted, the end of the plague was the first time any of them had come in direct contact with humans, but they all had heard many of the stories about human escapades. Wild experiments that on paper seemed more like a drunken brainstorm party that ended up advancing rocket fuel technology by at least 8 lunar years. Crash-landings on category 3 death worlds and they ended up liking them so much they decided to set up colonies. Half of what they did seemed to be mistakes that just went right for them. Apparently, the miracle drug penicillin was included in those stories.

She looked up its history and manufacturing.

Andu felt claws dance down her back as she read more. It came… from mold? Mold?! She looked up from the tablet to the faces of her equally horrified hatch mates. It took them a moment to remember how to close their mouths.

"You mean like mold on old bread?" Piri broke the shocked silence.

Andu blinked and looked back at the report. Old bread? How many times had they not eaten bread fast enough in the warm humid seasons only to pick up a bul of bread and find mold growing on it. It was dangerous, it had to be carefully disposed of, it was… able to save lives?

She returned to the report. The more she read, the more comforted she became in the safety of the miracle antibiotic. That, and she couldn't argue with the results. Her family was around her, now loudly being altogether boisterous together as they "discussed" the humans and all the ways they played with death in order to save life.

Matki snatched the tablet from her claws, wanting to read the report for himself. As Andu was jostled by her now healthy, energetic family, she was just happy and eternally thankful that the humans were crazy enough to play with something as dangerous as fungus, and then kind enough to share what they discovered.

[lesbianjunimo]

That time you and your demon boyfriend went viral

hi yes hello obey me fandom!! my name is Gabbi and i have never played a single second of the actual game but i have read enough fanon content for the past year to have this idea swimming around in my head and now i am finally letting this accursed thing out of my brain and putting it in yours

also i’m only doing the brothers because any more than that and i’d have an aneurysm probably. oh and shoutout to @obeythebutler and @beels-burger-babe for inspiring me with their works to feel brave enough to write for this fandom

Lucifer:

You and Lucifer go viral on Asmo’s Devilgram story!

You’re in the kitchen helping Asmo with dinner duty and singing along to one of your playlists of human realm music that you like to show him.

Asmo starts filming your cute little dance while you stir the pot on the stove because you are just adorable!

About ten seconds into him filming, Lucifer appears in the doorway with quite the stern look on his face. You know, the one that comes right before a “MAMMOOOOOON” and strikes fear into the heart of all those with functioning eardrums. That one.

He opens his mouth, presumably to tell y’all to shut the fuck up, but then there’s a lull in the music and the eldest can hear your voice ever so slightly above the song’s vocalist and he freezes.

Man stops in his tracks like someone just smacked him in the face with a midair volleyball.

Asmo can be heard stifling a laugh behind his phone.

Lucifer’s face gets so soft and he almost, almost, loosens his metal-rod-through-the-ass posture before you notice him and give a little wave and ask if you and Asmo were being too loud like the considerate darling you are.

Lucifer clears and his throat and says something like, “No, you aren’t. I was just coming to check on how dinner is coming along,” and leaves, after which Asmo immediately presses the post button.

Screenshots of Lucifer’s heart eyes for you go absolutely viral because every demon on Devilgram goes absolutely feral for seeing the eldest demon brother lose his dignified composure. It becomes a meme template. “Get you someone who looks at you like Lucifer looks at MC” and “me at the delivery demon when he shows up with my spicy bat wings” posts become commonplace. (Asmo thinks the memes are totally worth getting strung up with Mammon for laughing at them.)

Mammon:

Much like Lucifer, you and Mammon end up going viral off Asmo’s Devilgram. (Noticing a pattern here?) 

He pulls a silly prank on your asses and honestly I don’t know how you fell for it. But hey, they say “idiots in love” for a reason, so...

You and Asmo are sitting in the common room of the House of Lamentation just chillin. Well, he’s chillin, you’re on the floor studying for an upcoming exam.

The video starts in the middle of a conversation you and the avatar of lust were having.

“No, Asmo,” you say. “Mammon and I don’t use pet names for each other.” Now that’s just a darn lie, and every demon and crow within ten miles of Mammon and you together knows it.

“Really? I find that very hard to believe, MC.~” 

You sigh in response to Asmo’s teasing. “Okay, he has a lot for me but I’m just not much of a pet name person, y’know?” The rest of the exchange goes like this:

“Oh, I totally get it.” *pause* “Hey MC, what do human world bees make again?”

“Honey.”

Cue a sheepish Mammon sticking his head in the doorway at the bluntness of your tone when you answered Asmo.

“Yeah, babe?” he looks like a puppy left on the side of a highway oh my god hUG HIM-

Asmo turns the camera back to his smug ass face and in the background you can be heard tripping on the damn carpet trying to get up and hug your mans. (”MAMMON GET OVER HERE SO I CAN HUG YOU” “W-WHAT? I THOUGHT YA WERE MAD AT ME?!?!?!?!”)

Leviathan:

Streamer Levi? Streamer Levi.

You guys go viral the first time you make an appearance on one of Levi’s weekly (insert cool Devildom streaming service name here) streams. 

It’s completely unintentional. You had been asking him for weeks to play with him on there, but he’s the avatar of envy after all. He doesn’t like sharing his partner, even if it’s with random strangers who have no real access to you.

However, he has his stream on a Thursday instead of a Friday one week, and you come into his room carrying dinner because 1) You didn’t realize he was streaming and 2) No matter what he was doing, the boy needed to eat. It wasn’t unusual for you to bring him dinner, so you had no idea why he was blushing and stammering even more than usual this time in particular. Boy was speaking in beached whale trying to tell you what was wrong.

Then you notice his screen. Oh! “Hi chat!” You wave, setting Levi’s food down on his desk in front of his keyboard. “M-MC!” He full-on whines, slamming a hand over his mouth afterwards when he remembers his viewers could hear that.

Honestly, they’d meme the fuck out of him if it weren’t for the fact that they are FINALLY SEEING HIS HENRY!!! THE MYSTERIOUS MC!!!

Chat is bombarding you with questions while you make Levi eat dinner. And by make him eat dinner, I mean literally feeding this man forkfuls/spoonfuls while he games because you love how flustered he gets when you do that. 

Does it impact his score? Absolutely. Does he care? Not really when you’re pampering him like that.

You start answering chat’s questions about you while he’s chewing so he can’t tell you to stop LMAO-

You’re a natural on stream. The VOD becomes the most popular on Levi’s account in a matter of hours and soon cute highlights compilations of you and him on that stream start making the rounds on Devildom Twitter.

Satan:

There was buildup to Satan going viral, similar to Levi in a way. 

Satan does have a Devilgram, but it’s basically a white woman’s Instagram with added book reviews for variety. Unless you’re a reader his account is pretty boring: candles, books, fireplaces, and cats.

However, after you two started reading together fairly often he began posting pictures of your legs draped over his while you sat together. They’d always be captioned with vague ass pretentious literary criticism. 

This goes on for months, and he gains a lot of (horny) followers after the leg pics start up. He doesn’t really get why but you both joke that it’s because you have some damn nice legs and I mean neither of you are complaining about the new following.

You two go viral when he finally shows your face, entirely by accident.

The post is a video, which is already strange for him and grabs attention. In it, you’re scoffing and reading an excerpt of a book, mocking its understanding of female anatomy.

“I’m quoting here, Satan: ‘her breasts bouncing around like giant pacmen.’ I’M SORRY?? THAT ISN’T HOW BOOBS WORK SIR. WHY ARE MEN ALLOWED TO WRITE?” 

(fun fact that is a very real quote from a very real book I really read last month pls save me)

Originally the camera is focused on your body, with your head out of frame to protect your privacy, but your righteous anger made Satan laugh. Like, a real laugh. The one that makes you and everyone in earshot wonder if he truly was never an angel cause he sure as hell laughs like one but anyway-

When he threw his head back, his DDD angled up just a tad without him noticing, and your face was in view for like .2 seconds. Screenshots of it are making the rounds on Devilgram almost immediately: FINALLY THE LEGS’ OWNER HAS BEEN FOUND.

Satan apologizes profusely but you honestly find it funny and you two opt to just start taking selfies while reading with both of your faces in them from now on. 

Asmodeus:

I’m gonna be real with you: you and Asmo go viral all the time. Pretty much everything Asmo posts can be considered viral because of his social media following and his status as one of the seven avatars of sin.

However, there are some fairly cute highlights to be pointed out among the times you were both featured in a post that blew up.

Your favorite is probably that time Asmo livestreamed on of you guys’ ‘Nail Nites,’ as you call them.

You’re both on the floor, doing your nails and kicking your feet back and forth while talking to chat. A lot of the questions are about your relationship, and there’s a lot of flirting back and forth between the two of you.

A particular clip of the stream does blow the fuck up on Devilgram, though, when someone screen records it and posts it with a bunch of heart emojis edited over it.

“’What colors do you think best describe each other?’ Ooo, that’s a good one, chat!” Asmo claps his hands together excitedly, making sure to be  careful of his nails.

Pretty much everyone expected you to say pink, but you surprised both your boyfriend and your viewers when, after a pensive few moments, you replied with “Hmm...probably yellow or orange.”

“Can I ask why, darling?” Asmo tilts his head in confusion. I mean, yeah, those colors look good on him, but he doesn’t wear them often so he’s wondering about your thought process. 

“Well, in the human world those colors often represent happiness, optimism, and positivity. You’re always the cheerful presence I need in my life when things get hard, so you have the vibe of those colors.”

Asmo proceeds to burst into tears and hug you, messing up both of your nails and prolonging the stream since you both have to start over. But neither of you particularly care. 

Fun fact: Asmo has the clip that demon made of that portion of the stream saved on his DDD and watches it whenever he feels sad.

Beelzebub:

Beel and you probably go the most viral out of everybody. Like this moment is an entire phenomenon across the Devildom internet. 

It’s a video, or well, multiple videos, taken at the end of a Fangol game that Beel’s team had just won. Everyone is cheering and going crazy, yourself included, and you just really wanted to congratulate your boyfriend.

So, like the rational person you are, you elect to climb up onto the railing of the bleachers and wave to get his attention. 

You were absolutely fine up there, and sat all comfortably motioning Beel over to you. He notices, of course, and jogs over, standing right beneath you and looking up. (Back where you were sitting, Mammon is screeching like a hyena in heat and Belphie, who is laying down, has one eye open to glare at him. The youngest knows Beel would never let you hurt yourself; you’re fine.)

A bunch of assorted demons at the game has started filming while you were sat atop the railing since you were rather noticeable. Therefore, there’s a shit ton of different angles of the adorable events that follow:

You slide off the railing, landing right in Beel’s waiting arms bridal style. You’ve got this brilliant smile on your face as you pull his helmet off. None of the DDDs filming can hear it over the crowd noise, but Beel asks you why you just went through all that trouble and you tell him it’s because you wanted to tell him how proud you are.

Soft boy’s chest puffs up and he smiles this big cheesy smile at you reach up to run a hand through his hair. You feel him practically purr at the contact, and with a laugh you pull him in and plant a big ole smooch on him.

The crowd, at least those of them that can see, scream. Everyone is running high on adrenaline and happy emotions; something that cute causes a ruckus!! When you pull away Beel proceeds to put you on his shoulders and you celebrate with him and the rest of his team.

The videos of you two being adorable go completely viral and there are some threads dedicated to stockpiling every single angle taken of the event. Beel is completely oblivious to the attention but you have a lot of them saved on your DDD.

Belphegor:

If you think Belphegor has any sort of social media presence whatsoever then you are sorely mistaken. (Well okay he actually does run some anonymous troll accounts to meme on Lucifer’s posts but that’s neither here nor there-)

Therefore, naturally, you two go viral off of Asmo’s Devilgram. 

Okay so someone in the obey me tag the other say headcanoned that Belphie will go out of his way to nap in ridiculous places and my brain really took that and RAN WITH IT.

So what happens is that Belphie will fall asleep in the fucking weirdest places. I’m talking on top of the fridge, underneath the dinner table, on top of bookshelves...you name it, he has slept there, no matter the effort it takes to get there in the first place. 

And, ever since you two started dating, you would join him. Sometimes it involved putting yourself at risk of great bodily harm, but the little smile he gave when you he saw you fucking scaling the countertop to reach him made it worth it.

So anyway, since Beel adores the both of you to no end, he takes pictures whenever he sees you two napping together, whether or not it is in a crazy place. He sends these to the family group chat because he thinks they’re adorable.

Over a span of weeks to months, Asmo has built up a stock of images of you and Belphie cuddles up in seemingly impossible places. Once he has about ten or so, he posts a compilation of them to his Devilgram with some cheesy ass caption like “The things we do for love <3″.

They become a meme SO QUICKLY. Like UNBELIEVABLY quickly. 

The picture of you and Belphie sleeping on top of a bookshelf, in particular, is a big hit. Memes abound.

“If my girl doesn’t climb up a bookshelf to cuddle my ass, she don’t love me.” “Get yourself a partner who scales bookshelves just to be with your ass.” Etc etc...Belphie doesn’t give a shit but you laugh at a lot of them so he sees that as a good outcome.

[moemammon]

hey !! I've recently discovered your writing and fallen in love !! everything you do is so amazing !!! I love it all!! could you write about how the boys would react to MC getting a little cold/stomach bug and needing to be taken care of ?? if this hits too close to home I'm sorry !! you def don't have to write it but I've always been a sucker for sicfic fluff !!

MC is Sick?! (Feat. The Demon Bros!)

(Tw for illness)

Lucifer

It was universally known that humans were fragile, and prone to illness. Some even died from simple colds. That being said, your little cold was still enough to bother the oldest brother. So much so that his work has been... of a lower quality than usual.

This dude is all disheveled and haggard because he's so worried over you, but that doesn't mean he's skimping on your care.

It's a surprise to everyone that he keeps you in his room, where he can monitor you and make sure you have everything you need. Might even cheat a little with magic from time to time, as long as it speeds up your recovery.

He's also making sure you're comfortable and at ease, often putting on a soothing record to lull you to sleep. In reality, he might also be using it to de-stress, too-

"To think you ended up like this while in my care... I should have paid closer attention to you. But now, you're my entire focus. Leave your recovery to me."

Mammon

You've been sneezing, coughing, and vomiting all over the place! This is some kinda human illness, right?? aRE YOU OKAY-

Proceeds to go OVERBOARD with the care. You're wrapped in twenty blankets, you've got an ice pack on your head and a thermometer in your mouth (the kind used in cooking because they don't own a normal thermometer), and he's gathered every medicine he could get his hands on

But once he calms down, he's actually pretty good at caring for you. Mammon isn't COMPLETELY useless when it comes to caregiving, so that's a plus. He's just especially worried because it's you.

Refuses to leave your side, and won't let you leave your room. If you need anything, he's just going to get it for you! He's also barring his brothers form entering, claiming that he's trying to keep them from getting sick.

"Who told ya to go out and get sick, huh?! Makin' me all worried and stuff... Guess I've got no choice but to take care of ya! I'm not leavin' your side, ya hear??"

Levi

Levi's literally been dreaming of a scenario where he’d be able to nurse you back to health. Uh, not that he wanted you to get sick, though!

He's always wanted to do the 'pressing your foreheads together to check your temp' thing.... And 100% own a nurse cosplay that he's tempted to wear

But it's a little hard for him to focus on his fantasies when you look so pitiful. He's got to make sure you're back to full health ASAP! There's a marathon you two need to binge, and he doesn't want you throwing up every five seconds!

He'll take you to his room, since he'll be able to take care of you 24/7. And tbh?? He actually does a decent job?? He's a little annoying about it because he keeps checking on you every three seconds and talking to you when you're trying to sleep, but he means well.

"If only the 'Kira Kira Curing Beam' was a real thing.... For now, I'll just do my best with what I've got! Ganbare, MC!! Faito! Faitoooo!!!!"

Satan

The first one to notice that you're getting sick, so he's on it 👌

Obviously he's read enough to know the basics of taking care of a sick human, and he can study anything else he doesn't know, so you're in good hands.

Also EXTREMELY worried. It's written all over his face, despite his attempts to keep it cool. He's read how humans can succumb to things like this....Actually, he just finished a novel where that was essentially the main plot-!

So gentle with you throughout the entire process. He makes sure to keep you warm, brings you all the essentials, makes sure you're hydrated, and keeps tabs on your medicine. He's got a schedule for your care and everything!

"Honestly, you should have told me sooner that you weren't feeling well. It's fine to come to me for things like that, you know? I'll always be happy to take care of you."

Asmo

Snot, phlegm, AND vomit??? Yeah,,,, that's a hard pass,,,,

It's taking every ounce of his mental strength not to abandon you in your time of need, but thankfully his love for you is greater than the disgust for now

But his dramatic ass is gonna come into your room in full hazmat when he takes care of you, no exceptions. Even if you ask him to bring you a glass of water, he's acting like you have the plague.

But he's also pretty good at taking care of you? Even demons get sick, and Asmo has a tendency to get pretty intimate with wide varieties of demons, so he's had his fair share of sick days.

"How am I supposed to hug and kiss you if you're so sick?? It's killing me, MC! Though, they say you can sweat an illness out of your body if you try hard enough. I think I know plenty of ways to work up a sweat~"

Beel

Now is no time to think about how hungry he is becaUSE HES WORRIED ABOUT YOU

Beel isn't the type to really know much about humans, other than stuff about their food and how weak they are, so he's pretty much assuming you're going to die.

Literally won't leave your side. If you need anything, he brings it. If you need to go somewhere, he's carrying you.

He doesn't know how to care for you, so he asks his brothers for all the help he can get. Though he insists on personally bringing you the remedies they give him.

"Hang in there, MC. You should eat more to build up your strength. I know you can't keep anything down, so I asked Satan to make something good. Here, it's soup. I'll blow it off for you, so open wide."

Belphie

Honestly, he thought you were just taking a REALLY long nap. You hadn't left your room at all, and you didn't even go to RAD. He was lowkey jealous that Lucifer didn't scold you until he realized it was because you were sick.

And very sick from the looks of it. There were tissues everywhere, your room was hot, and you looked like you'd been dropped in a lake, fished back out, then beaten up and thrown back in.

He couldn't even tease you when you were in such a pitiful state. Belphie had seen illness plenty of times, so this wasn't anything new. It didn't ease his worries, though.

So he keeps you company by curling up in bed with you, not caring if he's close enough that he might get sick. He's not the best at actually caring for you, because he tends to forget to bring you things or falls asleep on the way, so he leaves that to his brothers.

"You must be lonely, being holed up in your room all alone. It can't be helped, so I'll stay with you until you're feeling better. Just don't get your snot on me, okay? ....heheh, I'm just joking. Come here."

[s-creations]

Finding Green - Mario & Rabbids One Shot

The worlds in complete and utter chaos (again). Which wouldn't be an issue, if it wasn't for the fact that Mario can't fight like he normally could. Meaning relying on his normally tactics and power-ups are a no go.

Which also leads him to worry how his brother is doing.

Fandom: Mario & Rabbids Kingdom Battle Rating: General Audience Relationships: Luigi & Mario (Nintendo) Warnings/Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Mario's a good brother, Mario's worried, Mario's freaking out slightly, Peach is sweet and caring, Luigi is shockingly in a bit of trouble, the world has changed and that's dangerous, the Rabbids talk in this one.

Really, at this point, destruction befalling the Mushroom Kingdom was to be expected. It was just a question of what caused it, why it was happening, and how to get it fixed. Mario, however, wouldn’t lie at the sinking feeling that entered his stomach when the sky darkened. Watching as a large, ominous portal opened in the sky brought back some rather unpleasant memories. End of Worlds being consumed by a black portal kind of memories. The panic rising further as Luigi floated by him, seeming to struggle against some invisible force. 

There’s no way the Dark Prognosticus could be active again, right? 

A strange sense of relief hit in finding out that it had nothing to do with that dark book. Instead, the cause of the current craziness were these strange creatures called ‘Rabbids’. Some wild looking, bi-pedal rabbit creatures with wide mouths and crazy ways of thinking. A small disk-like robot named Beep-O frantically explained how a specific Rabbid had control over a powerful item. Something that could combine items together. Which resulted in the Mushroom Kingdom looking like it all went through a blinder. 

Mario’s current companions, Beep-O dubbing them Rabbid Luigi and Rabbid Peach, were overly eager to stomp on their out of control friends. Happy to explore this insane world and to never really ask questions as to why it was like this. Mario felt weirdly content in knowing he had partners with him who just took everything in like it was a normal day. 

Because that gave him moments to worry about everyone else. 

For the longest time, Toads had been the only known being they’d come across. All just as confused as Mario was on how to traverse this new world. Days passed with only the Rabbids and Toads as travel partners. Beep-O, seeing Mario’s stress, had attempted to calm the hero.

“I’m sure the others are fine! All in the Mushroom Kingdom are strong and resourceful. …Well, besides the Toads, they seem more likely to panic… But everyone else, I have full confidence in! …Except the change in the environment has caused us some issues. You can’t fight your enemies normally… But-” 

The hovering robot quickly fell quiet at a small glare from Mario.

When they arrived at the kingdom’s castle, Mario felt all of the tension leave his shoulders. Eyes frantically looking around the ruined foundation. Holding back a wince realizing how absolutely destroyed this place was as well. There was a hopefulness to his search upon seeing so many familiar faces already at the castle. Meaning a confirmation that his worrying hadn’t been necessary.

Peach soon greeted the large group, thrilled upon seeing the number of Toads saved. Giving Mario a quick kiss on the cheek as thanks. She was provided the short version of the events by Beep-O. Nodding in understanding before giving a warm smile to the group. “Well, it can’t be helped for now. At least we have something of a plan to try and get this all fixed.”

“Too true your highness,” said Beep-O, “But, I don’t suppose you’ll allow us to rest before we continue on our journey.”

“Of course! I’m sure you’re all very tired. Please head inside, my assistants will be happy to get you what you need.”

“FOOD!” Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Luigi called out in absolute glee. Basically climbing over each other to get to the castle first. Beep-O was at least polite enough to bow and give a small ‘Thank you,’ before departing as well.

She turned to talk to Mario, only to find him searching the area once more. Frowning softly, Peach reached over to place a hand on the red-cladded hero’s shoulder. Causing him to flinch, his head snapping over to look at her. Clearly distraught.

“Is he here? Did Luigi already get here?” Mario asked, trying to keep his voice even. 

“...No, I haven’t seen him.”

That caused the pit of absolute fear to return and grow larger. Mario took a deep breath and set his face. 

“I’m sure he’s fine.” The princess offered in an attempt to calm Mario.

“It’s…so different, Peach,” the hero argued back weakly, “If you think it’s bad here, it’s 10 times worse out there. I can’t fight like I usually do. Normal hits, my power-ups, my Firehands, nothing. Nothing affects these enemies, just these blasters that I had to be given my Beep-O. I was fortunate enough to find people to help. But…I don’t know if he was that lucky. Or if he’s in a safe place. Or if he has what he needs to-”

Peach clasped her hands over one of Mario’s, offering a warm smile. “Luigi has some very interesting luck. Something that’s helped him out of a few dangerous scraps before. We’ll find him soon enough, don’t worry. He can handle himself just fine.”

Mario really wished it was that easy. Just keep looking for the positive outcome and it’ll all be fine. But he knew trouble seemed to cling to his brother. Knew Luigi was unintentionally accident prone. It wasn’t that Mario didn’t trust Luigi to keep himself safe. But that didn’t mean that Mario trusted this new world around them to not harm his brother. 

 Finding sleep was almost impossible that night, even being back in a regular bed with a stomach filled with a warm meal. Mario’s mind only thinking of the fact that Luigi wasn’t there to get the rest he no doubt needed.  He was itching to go back out when the sun rose once more. But had to wait when his Rabbid companions begged to have another large meal before heading out. 

The new area was a jungle, all paths uneven and crowded with wild vegetation. Unnerving sounds emanating from the shadowing depths. Mario attempted to keep Rabbid Luigi calm as they slowly made their way in. Rabbid Peach being unhelpful with teasing comments and playing ‘What’s out there that could eat us?’ guessing game. Which she’d just made for the occasion. 

“Can you please not do that?” Beep-O hissed at Rabbid Peach as she finished a round.

Who merely rolled her eyes before focusing on scrolling through her phone. “Oh shush, it’s just teasing. Not like there’s something in that overgrowth that’s actually to worry about with how strong we are. Right Mario?”

“Um, sure, we’ll be able to handle anything that we cross. But we should also save our energy to be on guard and not playing games.” Mario calmly meditated while patting the top of Rabbid Luigi’s head.

The other Rabbid dramatically sighed, but conceded with a loud, “Fine!”

Mario was silently thankful they could finally start making progress into the jungle. Not minding as Rabbid Luigi remained close. The deeper they went, the more dangerous it became. The terrain was hard to maneuver around. On top of that, the enemies were becoming stronger, with a few more tricks up their sleeves. Mario was not thrilled when he’d been inked for the first time. Having to rely on the Rabbids to move until the black substance was fully removed from his face.

As Rabbid Peach healed over a nasty gash, Mario could only panic in thinking, “How is Luigi handling this?”

He found his answer soon enough.

The group was following a new lead about the merging power Rabbid when they heard fighting coming from ahead. Some creature was roaring in anger, causing a ruckus and, from the way the ground shook, causing some heavy damage. 

“Don’t suppose…we could find a way around whatever is up ahead?” Rabbid Luigi requested quietly. 

“You wuss,” Rabbid Peach teased. Only to tense and fall quiet hearing a shriek of rage echo, “...But that might not be such a bad idea.”

Mario was about to agree when something new sounded. The familiar sound of crackling lighting. A panicked yell filled with fear and panic before being drowned out by another roar. The plumber was running off before the rest of the group could protest. Pushing past the thick foliage, drawing closer to the heavily fought battle.

He arrived just as a vine was slammed onto the ground. Said appendage belonging to a monstrosity of a mixture between a Rabbid and a Piranha Plant. Said Rabbid seeming to be wearing said plant as a suit. A mischievous smirk on their face as they towered over a clearly battered and bruised Luigi. The younger brother’s hands sparking with the leftover discharge from his previous lightning attack. Attempting to give a glare in return. But he was shaking and dangerously pale, so the attempt didn’t deter the towering creature. 

“Mario, what was the cause of your- WHAT IS THAT!?” Beep-O had just appeared in the clearing. Going from berating to absolute panic. The Pirabbid Plant’s attention turned from Luigi to the new arrivals in the battle arena. Rabbid Peach let out a small ‘Oooh.’ in impressed awe as she took a quick picture. 

Luigi also turned to the group. Fear turned to absolute joy and relief seeing his brother. Hands even dropping. “Mari-”

Another vine appeared, wrapping tightly around Luigi and picking the younger brother up. Luigi’s eyes widened realizing that he wasn’t able to breathe with the vine wrapped around his throat. The Pirabbid Plant giving a warning growl to the green-cladded hero, as if warning him that moving was going to be his worst decision.

Mario immediately pulled his blasters out, aiming directly at the creature. The other two followed quickly after. “Let him go!”

The Pirabbid Plant let out a hiss at the demand, Luigi letting out a choked gasp as the grip on him tightened. Casting a side glance towards the struggling brother, Mario’s heart fell as a wicked smirk crossed the creature’s face. They turned their attention back to the horrified hero and, with an easy flick, sent Luigi flying back. Mario let out a strangled cry of distress as he could only watch as his brother hit a nearby rock wall. 

Hard. 

Even from a distance, there was a clear, sickening crack. Luigi’s eyes made connection to Mario’s before closing as he slid down to the grassy terrain, slumping when he finally landed. Unmoving and limp as the tall grass swayed in the breeze. The cursed plant creature chuckled deeply as they turned back to the group. Clearly enjoying the rage and fear that crossed Mario’s face as their smile widened further. 

Mario didn’t remember much about that fight. It was long and challenging. Every attempt to reach his brother was thwarted when the creature would directly block his path. Or would even launch an attack that kept Luigi in a makeshift cage. It was a relief when the creature finally fell. Mario left his cover the moment he could and rushed towards Luigi. 

Pointedly ignoring Beep-O’s cry of, “Wait, we still may be in danger!”

Mario knelt over his brother. Moving slowly as he gently and cautiously cradled Luigi close. Checking over every bump, cut, and bruise that decorated the pale skin. His pulse was weak and his breathing was slow. Mario’s call out to his brother resulted with nothing in return. Luigi’s head slumping over onto his brother’s shoulder. 

“We need to get back to the castle, now.” Mario looked up to the rest of the group. Beep-O and Rabbid Luigi looking nervous while Rabbid Peach tapped her foot with her arms crossed. 

“The castle is too far,” Beep-O offered weakly, “and with how dangerous it’s already been…”

Rabbid Luigi softly asking, “Can…we help him here?”

“In the middle of a literal jungle? How do you propose we-”

“Ugh! Just move.” Rabbid Peach huffed and marched over. Dropping dramatically to kneel on the opposite side of Luigi.

Mario looked up to the Rabbid in confusion. “What are you-”

“You morons seem to have forgotten I can heal. This’ll take longer than normal. But it’ll be enough so we can get him back to the castle without issue. Unless we get into another bad fight like this one. He should probably sit out for a while…” 

The older brother watched as Rabbid Peach’s hands began to glow a gentle, pastel pink. Pressing her palms to Luigi’s forehead and chest. 

“Thank you.” Mario whispered. 

“Hush and let me focus,” said Rabbid Peach, but a small smile did appear on her face. They sat there and watched as a pulse of pastel pink energy traveled over Luigi. The color slowly returned to his cheeks, looking less pale than before. The other two companions inching forward to watch as the numerous cuts and bruises disappear. 

Mario felt a wave of relief wash over him as Luigi slowly started to wake. Unable to hold back a laugh of happiness as he shifted his brother closer. The younger’s eyes unfocused at first but eventually landed on Mario. 

“...H-Hey bro…” Luigi said quietly, a weak smile on his face.

Mario gave a wobbly smile in return, “H-Hey you… You really scared me.” 

“Sorry…didn’t mean to…”

Rabbid Peach huffed and leaned away after a few more seconds. The pastel pink light disappearing from Luigi. “That’s the best I can do. You’re still not 100% better, but better than what you were before. I would suggest not moving or doing anything too extreme for a while.” 

“Thank you… Um, who are you?” Luigi asked calmly. Eyes widening a bit further when Rabbid Luigi and Beep-O came into view. “Oh…yeah, I’m gonna need an explanation.”

So they set up camp. Luigi was more or less forced to sit still as the rest did the work. Eventually, all were sitting around a happily crackling fire. Food in hand while Beep-O attempts to tell the grand tales of what’s been happening. Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Luigi adding their own parts in, which annoyed the floating robot more than help. Causing the floating robot to try and raise his voice over the other’s interruptions. Which only caused the Rabbids to become more grand in their gestures and added details. Luigi didn’t seem to mind the chaos before him. Laughing softly on occasion as he listened and ate. Shuffling over slightly until his and Mario’s arm were touching. 

Mario smiled, leaning over to apply a bit of pressure. A silent reply of ‘I’m here, you’re okay.’

Luigi relaxed further at this, head casually resting against his brother’s. Soon enough falling asleep with his arms slipping from his lab and onto the ground. Mario quickly, but gently, takes the empty plate before it lands and puts it off to the side. Wrapping a protective arm around his brother. The younger sleeping on as Beep-O attempted to bring order back to the story. Only for Rabbid Luigi to now claimed they had faced down a gang of dinosaur aliens. The group not realizing that their two part audience had fallen asleep.