#i should also. finish some older projects too. that is also something i should do

[arsenicflame]

i am very excited to start a new project with my new room layout. unfortunately i do have to finish moving everything about before i can do that :/

[bootsukki]

0.

fic masterlist!

full masterlist

taglist: @adelinesthoights @bellssforyou @halfp4stmidnight @avis-writeshq @carm1lla @sunghoonsgfreal @reirain @cherrypieyourface

There's nothing Tsukishima hates more than people trying to get information about his life. More especially, his dating life.

He hates it even more when it's his friends doing it.

Tsukishima has always considered himself a really honest person and he can't even recall the last time he lied (maybe it was that time he told Akiteru the cake he made for his 15th birthday was good?) but, as he has grown older, he has discovered that sometimes honesty is a curse. Being so blunt can cause problems, especially when it comes to someone asking for his opinion on clothes, he is really not the person to go for in those kinds of situations.

Tsukishima has also realized that, by being honest, people can make their own opinions, and he doesn't like that one bit.

Tsukishima has nothing to hide, so, why should he lie?

He sips on his beer, watching as his friends talk passionately about something. This was a last-minute get together proposed by Tobio Kageyama, one of his closest friends from high school. All of his group of friends are friends he has had since he was a teenager and now, university students, they are still going to the same university, different majors.

Tsukishima tends to like these midweek hangouts after working all day on projects, tests...

A few questions regarding Tadashi Yamaguchi's last tests followed from Shoyo Hinata but it wasn't long before Kei was placed as the topic of conversation.

"Hey, so." Kageyama sits down on the booth, takes his own beer, and looks at his friends. "Those girls by that booth are single."

"Cool." Tsukishima answers, finishing his beer. "You can ask them for their numbers."

"No need, my contact list is already full." Tsukishima grimaces at that statement. He hates when Kageyama gets into his "look at me I'm so cool and I fuck a lot" façade he has had since they started college. Kageyama was the most popular one out of their group and Tsukishima could understand why. He was athletic and confident but at the same time, he was a bit of a nerd when it came to volleyball, which always caught girls’ attention. "You never go on dates."

"That's true." Ryunosuke Tanaka adds, turning to glance at the girls. "You've never said anything about girls."

"No offense but... I don't talk about girls as if they were prizes."

Hinata laughs, looking at Kageyama with a smirk.

"Are you hiding something?" Kageyama insists. "You never tell us anything!"

"Well, I'm all ears for your love life, Kageyama, be my guest and delight us with all you have done this week. Still seeing Sayuri? Oh, wait, you dumped her for... Amane, was her name?"

"Ha, ha."

"I have a lot of stuff to focus on."

"Oh yeah? School breaks are a thing, you know?” Kageyama says and Tanaka nods vigorously. "You can't tell me that you haven't noticed anyone in campus on in your neighbourhood, I mean... You block is full of gorgeous woman who wouldn't mind dating you."

"What is your point?" Tsukishima feels himself getting irritated with the conversation.

Kageyama shrugs, exchanging a look with Yamaguchi. "I mean... If I lived where you do, I wouldn't waste a second. It doesn't have to be serious, it's not like you are going to marry any of these girls. They just want to have fun and enjoy their university life while they can."

"You should give dating a go, it's not that bad." Hinata adds, grabbing some olives.

"See? Even Hinata agrees."

"I think you should mind your own business."

Tsukishima hasn't met anyone he's wanted to date. He found some girls attractive, but he is too awkward to approach them. And truth be told, he was completely content with how things were in his life.

Tsukishima likes his routine, he likes everything about it, going to class, hanging out with friends... He has never thought about seriously dating.

Although, he couldn't help but think in some way, his friends are right. You never know how it will go until you give it a try, right? Maybe casually dating is not that bad. He doesn't want to be Kageyama, with girls hating him because he's obviously an asshole without feelings but he doesn't want to spend his university years not trying out new things and discovering what he genuinely likes or not.

"Dating is so much fun." Kageyama adds with a sigh.

"You don't date, Tobio." Yamaguchi chimes in the conversation. "If that's dating, Tsukki is in his right mind about not doing it."

"Don't be such a..." Kageyama trails off, focusing on the group of young women who have just entered the bar. Tsukishima recognises one of them, Mei, who goes to one of his classes. Mei turns her head and, noticing Tsukishima's presence, sends him a smile and a wave. Tsukishima smiles and averts his eyes after a few seconds. "party-pooper."

"Tsukishima!" Hinata nudges him on the shoulder. "She just smiled at you. Love is knocking on your door, answer it."

"She's still looking at you, champ." Tanaka adds, giving Tsukishima all their empty glasses. "While you're at it, buy us more drinks."

"Tanak-"

"Hi." Tsukishima turns, looking at Mei right in front of him and all of his friends leave small (but audible) gasps. "Need help with that?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Mei grabs some of the empty glasses, walking towards the bar, which isn't far along from his table. "How is the modern history project going? It's rough, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah, it's lengthy as well."

Mei smiles, nodding, leaving the empty glasses on the bar. "It's probably the worst one of all the ones we have."

"Yeah."

She looks at the empty glasses. "Would you like a drink?"

Tsukishima can't understand why, but he falls silent. Mei is a really nice girl and she's not ugly by any means, she’s totally gorgeous. He looks back at his friends, who are waiting for his answer but...

"I'm fine, thank you."

Mei's smile flattens for a second but doesn't seem disappointed by his answer. "I get it, classes tomorrow." Tsukishima nods. "But," she adds, getting closer to him. "If you're free tomorrow, maybe we can work on the history project and grab a drink afterwards."

Mei's bolder than he originally thought but he's not interested in her. They are classmates and that would only complicate things.

Tsukishima knows his friends are watching, completely abandoning their conversations, expecting an answer from him.

"I have a girlfriend." Tsukishima blurts. "Well, I'm seeing someone."

Mei blinks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Oh." Tsukishima wants to run, awkward tension rising between them but, without thinking, Mei regains her composure and smiles. "I didn't know, my bad."

Mei turns away and goes back to her friends.

His table has fallen completely silent, and Tsukishima just turns to the bartender.

"5 beers, please."

"What was that?" Kageyama is already at his side. "Mei Watako offers you a drink and you lie?"

"You know her?"

"Of fucking course I know her. She's Mei Watako, she's so hot." Kageyama glances back at her. "And she's still looking at you. You're a lost case."

Tsukishima feels his blood boil and looks straight into Kageyama's eyes.

"She may be hot but as I said, I'm seeing someone."

"As if."

"Tobio, that wasn't a lie." Tsukishima grabs some beers and goes back to the table. "Here you go."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"As I said, mind your own business."

"You're serious." Kageyama adds, laughing. "Who? Since when?"

"I'm seeing someone, that's all you need to know."

"Oh, come on! I need to know who she is! You must really like her if you're turning down a drink and a fun time with Mei."

"You don't know her."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, I'm sure. She hates assholes like you." Tsukishima doesn't feel like drinking anymore and grabs his jacket. "I'm out. See you at home, Yamaguchi."

You open your mailbox, taking out the letters that are meant for you and your roommate to find, once again, letter for your neighbours. With a sigh, you take them, locking your mailbox before making your way up the stairs to your apartment on the second floor. As you approach the stairs, you see your floormate, Tsukishima Kei stepping through the main door.

"Oh, hey."

"Hey." You wave, showing him the letters addressed to him. "Ugh, again?"

"Yeah, sorry. I don't know why they keep putting them on our mailbox."

You hover for a bit before making your way up, Kei following close behind.

"No, I'm sorry. We told the building manager, but he doesn't seem to care about it."

You nod, not knowing what to answer.

You've known Tsukishima for almost a year. He had been living in the block for three years and you moved in after... Well, after it all happened. You friend Hikota had a free room, and you took it without even questioning the logistics or how long it would take you to go to your classes.

You only see Kei in passing and it has only been a few months since you know his name, thanks to the incorrect mail you always seem to get but, being honest, he's the only person you talk to on the block aside from Hikota, him and his roommate Yamaguchi.

With nothing more to say, you stop at your door, waving goodbye. "See ya."

Kei nods, walking to his door, just a few meters away from yours.

As you enter, you take off your shoes and leave your backpack on the floor, making your way towards the kitchen, trying to find something to snack on before continuing with your digital documentation essay.

It didn't matter the day it was, your schedule always seemed full of assignments, projects, and tests. Although, that may be your fault. After last year, you decided to focus 100% on your studies, completely ignoring your social life, which you didn't have after almost all your friends stopped talking to you. All of them except for Yachi Hikota, the small-blonde girl who decided to be your friend after meeting in an elective course about graphic design.

You sigh, taking a bite of the cereal bar you had found. You're somewhat comfortable with the way things are but you cannot lie and say that you are happy with it. You don't have fun weekends like all your neighbours, you don't go out as much as you would like. Not as much as you used to.

Hikota invites you out with her friends and although you sometimes do accept her invitation, you sometimes feel out of place. Hikota's friends are nice, but you're hit with jealously when they talk about their plans, their boyfriends and everything in between.

Making friends at 21 feels weird. Everyone has their own friends. You're not a new student navigating through life and doing things for the first time. You're a third-year journalism students that feels... lonely.

Shaking your head, you throw the wrapping on the bin and walk towards your room.

Tsukishima cannot believe that he actually lied to his friends. There's no one in his life. He's not even texting anyone.

Why? Why did he do that? What is he supposed to do now? There's no way he can find a girlfriend and he knows that Tobio won't drop the subject until he meets Tsukishima's girlfriend or discovers the lie.

He's pathetic.

He has never been one to get his ego hurt by these things but tonight have been different and he just... said it. There. Done.

His phone buzzes at the back of his pocket. Taking out his phone, he feels himself getting angry again at Kageyama's message on the groupchat.

Our Tsukki's probably with his girlfriend atm (YES!!! he has a girlfriend!!!), wrap it first, k? ;)

"Fucking assh-"

The gears in Tsukishima's brain start to function and he locks his phone, grabbing his keys and leaving the apartment, walking towards door 927.

Tsukishima Kei's intense gaze falls to the ground, a flush at the tips of his ears, slowly spreading to his face.

"Excuse me? To be your fake-girlfriend?"

Tsukishima nods. You're by no means friends. You're only... neighbours.

You part your mouth, trying to think of an answer but, the only things that comes out of it is a laugh.

"You're joking."

But... he doesn't seem like he is joking. Tsukishima's cheeks are flushed, and you are crossed between surprise and confusion.

You are... strangers.

"I..." You clear your throat. "What?"

Tsukishima looks down at you and even though he's a giant of a man, he looks like a little kid at the moment.

"You can say no. This is just... sorry."

"Kei, no, I..." You look at him, trying to find an answer. "Why do you need a fake girlfriend? You're cute enough to get a real one."

Tsukishima's eyes widen and you part your mouth.

"I mean... You are... You... Never mind."

"Listen," he sighs. "All my friends are dating around, having lots of fun and yeah, I don't mind being like... single."

"But... They pick on you for being single?"

"I have a friend that... Tobio Kageyama, you know him?"

You shake your head. Why would you know his friend?

"Thank God..." Tsukishima sighs. "Anyway, he does, pretty much. I didn't mind at first but..."

You cross your arms over your chest. "It's..."

"I know. It's immature that 21-year-old men do that. It's stupid."

"So? Tell him."

"Yeah..." Tsukishima rans a hand through his hair. "I.... IsortofsaidIwasseeingsomeone haha."

"What?"

"I said, like, in the heat of the moment that I was... you know... seeing someone."

You laugh before you can even think about it.

"I... I just need someone to fill the spot for a few weeks and then I'll say we broke up."

You look at him. "Why me?"

Tsukishima looks at you.

"I... know you." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "This is pathetic but you're truly the only woman I interact with, if we even can call it interactions.” He stops for a second. “I don’t remember you having a boyfriend or anything, so… And, it is not that weird right? It is believable, we're neighbours, we could have met literally anywhere, we go to the same university... And, the best thing is that, you practically don't know any of my friends except for Yamaguchi and he doesn't notice a lot of things." You nod. "We don't know anything about each other, I know but... You seem like the perfect option."

You keep looking at him. He's right, in some way. You don't know or seem to know any of his friends and the idea of being friends make everything logical. Neighbours who meet because they get each other’s mail, start talking and date. Sounds a lot like those romance books you used to read before you were swamped with university work.

Except for the fact that, as he said, you know nothing about him.

"I know it is a lot to ask of you, but I can pay you or...."

You start thinking about it more seriously. If he needs a girlfriend to introduce to his friends, that means that you will probably interact with people. Interactions raise your social life and who knows? Maybe you'll have fun.

"Will you take me on dates?"

"Dates?" Tsukishima asks. "Like, you and me?"

"I mean... That's what dates are. And...." You smile. "I guess I should really get to know my “boyfriend” before he introduces me to his friends, right?"

"You'll do it?" Tsukishima smiles warmly. "Are you sure?"

"I'll be your girlfriend." You say. "Well, pretend. And you won't have to pay me or anything, I'm sure."

"Okay. Okay!" Tsukishima reaches for your hand, shaking it and bowing his head. You blush for a second and look at him. "Okay, thank you. Really, thank you. Just... if you ever want to quit, tell me and I'll just... I'll do it, okay? I’ll say we broke up or something."

"Okay." You laugh at his antics. "Have my number. We need to plan this perfectly if I'm going to meet your friends."

"Yeah, sure." Tsukishima extends a hand, giving you his phone and you offer yours. You exchange contact information as you plan your first moves: meeting for coffee tomorrow.

"I finish classes at 4, maybe we can meet in Suno's dining hall?"

"Yeah, that's perfect."

"Great, see you and thank you again."

"Bye, Tsukishima."

As you close the door, you smile, finding yourself nervous with the idea of the future of this lie.

[wethotcrazy]

THE GOLDEN LOTUS

pairing: Ollie Bearman x Reader

word count: 864

university au!! i just wanted something cute and sweet and i think i really cooked with this one. also thinking of maybe making this into a series or having other uni au's for other drivers, what do you guys think???

Ollie Bearman wasn’t one for change. Predictability was his sanctuary, a warm cocoon that he didn’t much like leaving. His life ran on routine: lectures, workouts, and pasta dinners in his dorm room. But predictability took a nosedive the day he stumbled into the Golden Lotus.

It was a small Chinese restaurant tucked between a laundromat and a charity shop, a little worn but radiating charm. Ollie’s first visit was born of desperation—he’d forgotten to do a food shop, and the Golden Lotus was cheap, convenient, and smelled amazing. He didn’t even like Chinese food that much, but the portion sizes? Enormous. Enough to feed a starving uni student for two days, if he rationed it right.

The food, however, quickly became secondary.

The real reason Ollie found himself at the Golden Lotus every Tuesday and Thursday night was the girl behind the counter. YN.

She was a computer science major with a sharp wit and a smile that felt like a reward when Ollie managed to coax it out of her. YN worked the evening shift, her laptop often open beside the register as she chipped away at coursework between filling takeout orders. She lived in the apartment above the restaurant, earning a rent discount by working their��� or so he overheard.

At first, Ollie had been too shy to do much more than order his food, offer a polite smile, and retreat to his usual table. But YN had noticed him—how could she not? He was the only customer who regularly dined in. That was rare enough, but when someone started showing up twice a week like clockwork, well… she couldn’t help but be a little curious.

It had started innocently.

“You’re becoming a regular,” she’d said one night, sliding his order across the counter. Her tone was teasing but kind, and Ollie had stammered some excuse about the convenience. She’d laughed softly, and the sound stuck with him longer than it should have.

From that moment, their interactions had begun to stretch beyond the standard “Cash or card?” conversations. On slow nights, Ollie would linger, striking up tentative chats about coursework or whatever music was playing on the overhead speakers. He learned that YN hated group projects but loved building things—apps, websites, anything she could tinker with. She learned that Ollie was studying business but had a secret dream of running his own karting center someday, a nod to his childhood passion for motorsports.

It wasn’t long before they’d fallen into a quiet rhythm.

When YN wasn’t busy, she’d sit at a table with her laptop open, her brow furrowed as she debugged code or prepared for lectures. One evening, Ollie surprised her by setting his business textbook across from her.

“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked.

She blinked at him, caught off guard, then shrugged. “Sure, but I’m not sharing my Wi-Fi password.”

He grinned, and just like that, Ollie became a fixture of her workspace.

Mr. Zhou, however, was less enthused at first.

“That boy again?” he’d muttered one evening, poking his head out of the kitchen to see Ollie hunched over his notes. “Does he not have a home?”

“He’s harmless,” YN had assured him.

“Harmless or homeless?”

But Ollie grew on Mr. Zhou over time. The older man had caught him fixing a wobbly table one night, unprompted, and begrudgingly admitted the “straggler” wasn’t so bad.

By November, Ollie had started hanging around until closing. Not to pester YN—though he did enjoy the extra time with her—but because the restaurant had become a comfort to him, a little pocket of warmth in his otherwise hectic uni life. Sometimes, after locking up, YN would invite him upstairs to her flat. It was tiny, crammed with textbooks and a perpetually half-finished Lego sets, but Ollie loved it.

Their hangouts weren’t dates. Not officially, anyway. But Ollie couldn’t deny how much he looked forward to them. Whether they were watching a movie or playing video games, he felt at ease in her company.

The turning point came in mid-December, on a freezing morning when Ollie was walking to class with his flatmate, Kimi.

“So,” Kimi began, glancing at him with a sly smile, “how’s your girlfriend?”

“What?” Ollie nearly tripped over his own feet.

“You know, YN,” Kimi said, casually sipping his coffee. “You’re at that restaurant all the time. I just thought… you know?”

“She’s not my—” Ollie started, but the words died in his throat.

Because, truthfully, he didn’t hate the idea. In fact, the thought of YN as his girlfriend made his stomach flip in a way he hadn’t felt before.

That evening, as he sat at his usual table in the Golden Lotus, Ollie caught himself staring at YN while she worked. She was wiping down the counter, humming softly to herself, her hair falling loose from its tie. She glanced up and caught him looking.

“What?” she asked, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

“Nothing,” Ollie said quickly, feeling his cheeks heat.

But in that moment, he realized he didn’t want to keep playing it safe. Maybe it was time to take a chance.

Just as soon as he worked up the courage.

[inksoakedparchment]

I Wanna Be Yours

pairing: theodore nott x fem!reader

genre: fluff

trope: strangers to friends to lovers

word cunt: 888

tw: swearing

a/n: maybe my life gives me inspo

You’ve been hanging around with Mattheo and his friend group for a few weeks now because of a project. A documentary about astronomy. Last week Mattheo invited Theodore Nott too - who’s the cameraman - and both of you started to open up to each other. Something feels strange around him but you can’t figure it out. He’s sweet, kind and clearly a nerd. At least you think he’s a nerd. His tattoos are gorgeous, but his look is not your type. Skinny, light brown hair with blue eyes. You think Theo is too skinny for you because you’re a little bit plus size. You texted him on Instagram on one of the team meetings which was at Mattheo’s place but he only replied the next morning. You two started chatting about every topic, surprisingly deep topics. Like what do you want to do when you’ve finished high school? They’re all older than you, so yeah. Mattheo and Enzo - they’re in the same school as you - are nineteen years old, Theo - he’s working as a cameraman and photographer - is twenty-two, Blaise - same school - is eighteen and Draco - your classmate - is the same age as you. Sixteen.

Mattheo called you this morning, “forcing” you to do a sleepover because of the project - Enzo, Theo and you are writing the script - but Blaise and Draco can’t come over. Of course, you agreed, also you can only stay til midnight. He said it’s okay, maybe another time you can sleep over. The sweet Enzo picked you up. Then you arrived and went to Mattheo’s living room, who’s not home yet so you’re gonna be alone with Theo and Enzo for an hour. And he was there. Lying on the couch, scrolling social media platforms.

“Hey, wassup?” Theo gets up and hugs you quickly.

“Nothing special. Just tired, as always,” you smile at him. “What about you?”

“Everything’s alright, thanks,” he smiles.

Then you sit down on the armchair and pack your things out of your bag. Laptop, chargers and the colouring book with markers - which Enzo asked you to bring over. Theo notices them and he immediately gets excited. He tried the colours while smiling like a kid. So damn adorable. He shows you his Funko pop collection.

“So there’s my Marvel collection,” he zooms on them. “Loki with Sylvie obviously, Tony, Natasha,” he would continue but you cut him off.

“Bucky? Wanda? Where are the best characters?” you sigh dramatically.

“I don’t have them,” he grins. “But I have to admit Joe Locke in Agatha all along is hot. Have you seen it?”

“I started it, but I haven’t finished it yet,” you smile. He’s gay? Or what? Bisexual? You can’t decide, he has many signs of being fruity. You’ll see so never mind.

“So cool series, you should continue,” he smiles.

After that three of you talk about relationships where you find out that he had two one-year-long relationships with girls. Still suspicious but you have to admit it’s a green flag. He’s not a player. His last date was one year ago. And you realize. You like him, so damn much. His mind is working really well, he’s intelligent and sweet too. Also, he’s fine. But the skinny body is something you want too. You can’t wear his hoodies, can’t sit on his lap because you’re scared of breaking his bones with your weight. But oh man, how you would like to do all of this with him.

“Can I try it?” you point at his camera.

“Of course, come here I’ll show you how to use it,” he smiles widely and starts to explain the buttons. Then you take some behind-the-scenes photos of Enzo and Theo. You take photos of Theo’s hands, his side profile and his smile. He’s mesmerizing.

“Damn, these are good. Y/N you’re doing this really well,” he pets your head with a grin.

“Thanks, I guess,” you shrug.

At midnight you’re about to call a taxi to take you home when Theo grabs your hand.

“I’ll take you home, okay? It’s not a big deal,” he smiles softly and you nod.

“I would be thankful.”

“Come,” he picks up his car keys while you hug both Enzo and Mattheo as a goodbye.

You and Theo sit in the car and he starts driving.

“So,” he clears his throat “Did you enjoy the meeting?”

“Of course. I liked the photographer me the best,” you laugh softly.

“Me too,” he bites his lower lip. “I wondered about that would you like to go on a date with me? I thought about we could go out for a coffee and take photos with my camera,” he shrugs nonchalantly, but his red face tells everything.

“I’m in,” a big smile spreads on your face.

“Glad to hear,” he parks down in front of your home. Theo leans closer then gently kisses you and you smile in the kiss.

“See you on the date. Text me the details,” you say with shining eyes and then you get out of his car. “Good night, Theo”

“Good night, Y/N,” he says quietly and then the radio starts playing ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ by Arctic Monkeys. He giggles because goddamn it fits perfectly. This is what he feels right now.

✨if you wanna be on my taglist, comment<3

taglist: @sunkissedscribbles @kandis-mom @idkkkkkkk123lgb @nottslvttt

[krirebr]

I Could Feel at the Time

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x female Reader

Word Count: 650

Warnings: Explicit language, references to forced marriage and forced pregnancy, angst, drinking, sads

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

A/N: Hello! So, with Part 6 of More Than This, we're coming to the end of what I've been thinking of as the first arc of that story. To celebrate, how about a super angsty ficlet of Ransom's POV of their first meeting???

Ransom sat in his car across the street from the restaurant. He watched you exit and get into a town car. He knew that from this distance he couldn’t actually see how upset you were. What he knew in his bones was just projection. But still. Your car drove away and he stayed where he was.

He’d spent the last week angrier than he’d ever been in his life. He’d sort of thought, as he’d kept getting older and no arrangements came to fruition, that he’d managed to avoid the whole thing. But now, at 35, his time had finally come. It was how condescending they’d been when they told him, his mom and granddad. “It’s time for you to grow up and settle down,” she’d said. “This will be so good for you, exactly what you need,” he’d said. And then they’d told him about the baby.

He should count himself lucky, he supposed, that he even knew. What kind of assholes must your parents be that they didn’t even tell you? Especially since it’d be your body doing the work. They’d left that dirty work to him.

He’d fucked it up. He knew that. But he was just so goddamn angry about the whole thing. He was mad at everyone involved for forcing the two of you into this. And he was mad at you for lying down and taking it. For being such a good girl. He chuckled to himself. Like he was any better.

He finally put his car in gear and pulled out onto the road. He drove for a mile or two before he saw a sign for some shitty chain steakhouse. Sure. Why the fuck not? He was hungry and wanted to keep feeling like shit. It was perfect.

He went in and sat himself at the bar. Everything was neon. It exacerbated the migraine that had been building all day. Fucking good.

They didn’t have any scotch and their best bourbon was some midtier piece of shit, so he just ordered the rail. A glass of shitty, watered-down sadness. Perfect. He also ordered the porterhouse, although that’s not what it was called here. It had some cutesy name that he forgot the moment the menu was taken away. And it came with too many sides. Everything was bullshit.

He’d lied when he told you he had other dinner plans. The plan had been for him to eat with you. But something had happened, sitting there with you. It was like everything was suddenly more real than it ever had been before. This arrangement. This marriage. This life. It was real. It was happening. He wouldn’t be able to get out of it. So as he looked at you, he couldn’t even bring himself to open the menu. And then you’d asked if he knew what he wanted and he’d panicked. It’d just fallen out of his mouth. A way to get himself out of there. 

But then you’d looked so hurt and he’d mocked you for it. Fuck. He was such an asshole. 

His food came. A rubbery steak and two different kinds of lukewarm potatoes. He’d left you at a five-star restaurant. He ate it silently while drinking his “bourbon”.

He had your number. He could call or text, apologize. But that wasn’t something he did. He wasn’t sure he fucking knew how. No. What would it help, anyway? Every time he thought about you, or the wedding, or the baby, there was this tightness in his chest that just wouldn’t let go. Whiskey sometimes helped. The real stuff, not this fucking swill he was currently drinking. Ignoring it helped a lot. So that was what he would do. He’d do what he told you to do, live the next three weeks like none of this was happening. What else was there?

And for now, he’d finish his fucking steak.

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[gabyun]

⋆ ˚｡⋆ ୨୧ he likes me, he likes me not. - n.riki

pairing - niki x fem! reader

genre - highschool! au , bestfriends to lovers , fluffy fluff, teenage love, awkwardness in some parts, amusement park date

warnings - none besides like a few swear words😭 AND ITS VERY CHEESY

summary - you and niki hangout consistently, multiple times a week. the air started to feel different between you two, but both of you just tried to ignore it. niki, unfortunately wasn’t able to ignore it so easily. he felt butterflies from such little things you would do, little things you would say. he lately had a fuzzy feeling around you, but he just kept telling himself ` i don’t like her, we’re just too close. i don’t like her, i don’t like her, i don’t like her. or do i? `

wc - 2.7k

a/n - ahh this is my first time even writing something like this, i hope its not cringe or anything and i hope it doesnt seem way too rushed. i’ve been wanting to write stuff for awhile now and i finally had the chance to so i hope this came out good 😽 lmk if theres anything i should keep in mind for the next one !! i also finished this at like 2am so its not entirely proofread but definitely give me advice 🙏(also this entire time ive been listening to ur so pretty by the wasia project so this is like the background song of this story.)

you and riki were inseparable. firstly, you guys had almost every class together so it truly added onto the fact that you both were rarely seen without each other. secondly, you both lived on the same street since second grade meaning you two walked home together everyday. so, obviously people had speculated that there was something between you both. but, you guys consistently turned the idea down. it was now last period, english class. you guys inevitably sat beside each other. " hey niki " you began. "hm? whats up?" he perked up after having his head laying down on his desk. "do you wanna stop at the convenience store before we head home? im kinda hungry and both of our parents dont get home until 6pm." you asked. "hell yeah i do!" he looked up at you excitedly. "but you have to pay this time. i didnt bring any money" "ugh, fine" you sulked. "y/n i literally payed last time." you shot him a dirty look. "fine. but dont get $30 worth of snacks like that one time." "yeah yeah whatever.."

the bell rang, and it was time to go home. you and niki excitedly walked to the convenience store you both previously mentioned. you walked up to the door, opening it and jokingly saying "ladies first" to niki. "tch" he said sassily, rolling his eyes. the door chimed whilst being opened, and the employee greeted you both. you guys walked around the snack isle, the brightly coloured drinks illuminating certain sections of the store. one in particular caught your eye, so you walked over and grabbed it "i cant believe you dont like milkis." you said. "there are way better drinks y/n. " "yeah? like what." you challenged him. "um, anything besides milkis?" he sarcastically smiled. you walked over toward the icecream bin, selecting your favourite one. "niki, u want ice cream? they have ur favourite." you reached in deeper to grab it. "yeah sure. thatll be nice on a day like this" "ugh, i don’t want winter to come.. it’ll be so cold!" you shuttered. "you’ll survive y/n" niki sighed. you walked up to the checkout counter with niki, placing your items down. "that’ll be $14!" the older, but sweet looking woman said. "thats much less then last time." you pulled out your wallet, giving her the money. you both walked out, and you sat down on the concrete steps next to the store windows. niki followed, sitting right next to you. you never noticed before, but he smells good. like a mix of shampoo and some sort of cologne. you never knew he wore cologne. you guys simultaneously unwrapped the ice cream together, and started indulging in the sweet snack. "this is so good!" you said. "i bet mines better." niki remarked. "let me try yours." he put his ice cream in-front of your mouth, and let you take a bite. "mmh.. its alright.. niki i just think my tastes are better then yours" you shrugged playfully. your relationship was always playful. you guys were constantly teasing each other, and it felt good. it felt good to be so close to someone. as you guys continued, he looked over at you. the lights of the convenience store lit up the back of your body as the sun started setting earlier due to it getting slightly colder, making your hair glisten. he never noticed how pretty your hair looked under the bright lights. you both finished up, starting to get ready to finish your walk home. as you guys cleaned up, you looked over toward his face. you giggled, reaching your hand towards his mouth. "you’ve always been such a messy eater." his eyes widened, a hint of pink slightly covering his cheeks. "i-i can clean my own face.." "oh. sorry niki." you trailed off, confused. this wasn’t your first time cleaning off his face yet to him it felt different. he felt an unusual feeling, his heart fluttered and his stomach felt warm as his face did too. throughout this whole interaction, the convenience store lady observed quietly through the window. "i miss my high school years." she sighed.

late summer turned into fall, and fall turned into winter. nikis feelings just kept getting harder and harder to ignore. niki was in the change room after gym class with his friends. "are you sure you dont have feelings for y/n?" his friend jay asked. he hesitated momentarily. "yes. i am sure.. why are you asking..?" he questioned, worriedly. "so you wont care if i ask her to go out with me?" niki looked shocked by his comment. "you dont even know her.. why would you wanna ask her out." he said, annoyed. "niki, she is really beautiful. im sure theres a lot of other guys who would love to get a chance with her." his other friend heeseung added. "still! y/n doesnt need to be dating shitty guys like you. she deserves someone who will treat her right.. especially not you guys." he huffed, even more annoyed. "and i dont like her." jay and heeseung shrugged in defeat. "or do you?" jay added. "i dont.." niki trailed off, thinking about it more. "whatever you say, buddy." heeseung said, sarcastically. niki finished changing quickly, grabbing his bag and leaving for his next class. once the door shut, jay and heeseung and a few other boys began talking "he definitely has feelings for her." "yeah, 100%" "i don’t doubt that" "its getting extremely obvious" "mhm"

he stood outside your house, waiting for you to come out so you both could get headed to school. he oddly felt nervous. you opened the door, and waved, cutely. you were wearing a scarf, as niki was also. you both had big puffy jackets. you walked towards him. "lets go! i dont wanna be late again." he took in your beauty. "mhm" he answered, quietly. as you were walking, you offered him your other earphone. you guys had similar music tastes. ‘somethin stupid’ by frank sintara had begun to play. "i love this song." you said, softly. "yeah. it is really nice." he breathed out air, the cold made it look like smoke. you opened your pocket mirror, adjusting your hair. "do i look good? i had such a bad hair day yesterday." niki turned to you, not surprised by your question, but hes never truly seen you that way before. hes always known you’re pretty, but he never actually felt that way. "you look beautiful. you are beautiful." he said. "w-what?" you said, completely taken aback. he’s obviously complimented you before, but about your looks more specifically? this time, it really sounded like he meant it. you looked away from your pocket mirror, facing him. he looked at you with a twinkle in his eyes. you both stood there for a couple seconds more. "n-nothing.. forget i even said anything." he looked down at his feet. you could practically feel his embarrassment radiating off of him. you guys continued walking, listening to your shared playlist. a couple minutes go by and you began to speak. "thank you, niki." "hm?" "thank you. for calling me beautiful." you looked down at your feet, smiling. "oh.. don’t worry about it." he rubbed the back of his neck. both of your feelings were becoming more and more apparent as the days went on.

you were laying in bed, reading your favourite book with a comforting lamp on. you were under your fluffy blanket, and your curtains flowed softly as your window was the slightest bit open. you felt the buzz go off on your phone sitting next to you.

riks : omg y/n

you : omg niki

riks : remember that amusement park we mentioned wanting to go to for awhile?

you : yes ofc i remember?!?

riks : WELL THEYRE OPENING NEXT WEEKEND!!

you : NO WAY FR??

riks : YES DO U WANNA GO

you : is that even a question.

riks : alr alr IM SO EXCITED

you : ME TOO

you shut off ur phone, kicking around in your bed out of excitement. you and nikis parents would always take you guys to amusement parks or fairs when you were little. you guys haven’t gone in quite a while, so this was gonna be fun, but also nostalgic. big rides were always your favourite thing, but he hated them. he was always so scared to go on them, so this time you were absolutely determined to make him go on one with you.

around a week passes by, and its time to get ready to go to the amusement park with niki. it was still pretty cold, so you had to take that into account. the park was opening back up for some sort of winter event, apparently it was supposed to be really pretty. you’re getting ready, styling your hair and doing your makeup. usually, you dont put that much makeup on. but this time, without even realizing, you were doing alot more. you put some really pretty eyeglitter on, using waterproof mascara so your eyelashes hold better, just overall doing stuff you wouldnt usually do on a day to day basis. "wait.. why am i so worried about how i look, its just niki." you told yourself. just niki. as you were continuing to get ready, you were getting increasingly nervous. "this isnt a date y/n, this isnt a date. you have nothing to be worried about. its just a regular hangout with your bestfriend." you kept telling yourself. you put your jacket on, and you also grabbed a fuzzy scarf. little did you know, niki was telling himself the same things in the mirror as he tried to lessen the sweat on his palms.

you and niki arrive at the amusement park. it was beautiful lit, even though it wasn’t late the lights of all the fun rides illuminated the place wonderfully. you and niki looked at each other and smiled brightly, bringing back tons of memories. niki ran over to the bumper cars, and you followed. it was always his favourite thing to do. you hopped in the car of your choice and niki went in the one beside you. the game started, and you tried your best to hit niki as hard as you possibly could, whipping him forward practically giving him whiplash. you were basically pissing yourself laughing as he gave you the nastiest look. it took him a few tries but he finally ended up beside you once again and repeatedly rammed into you. you guys went 2 more rounds before becoming tired and finally leaving the bumper car area. you both adjusted yourselves, but niki noticed your shoelace was untied. "y/n, hang on." he knelt down in-front of you, and began tying your shoelaces with his slender fingers. "i could’ve done it myself but thank you niki" he looked up at you, smiling and nodding. you ruffled his hair and he shot up. "hey!! i spent a while trying to make my hair look good.." you laughed at him, continuing to look for other things to do. one of those water gun games caught your eye. "niki look! we used to always try and win plushies on that." his head swung toward you, immediately challenging you to see who could score higher. you both were trying your hardest, and you obviously won. he sighed in defeat. the employee handed you this adorable hamster plushie. you looked at it, smiling. "niki you kinda look like a hamster when you’re sulking." you put the hamster up to his face to compare, jokingly. "tch, yeah yeah whatever y/n" he said. "niki, you should have it. it looks like you anyways, and you’ll be reminded of me everytime you look at it." you shot him a joking wink. he took the plushie as you said he should. some time passes by, and you guys already ate and drank stuff, went on the carrousel and all of the basics and its been a few hours. the sun was starting to set, and the lights of the park continued to get brighter. "niki. we need to go on a big ride." niki looked at you for a split second, as if you just told him his pet died. "um absolutely not?" he answered. "niki pleaaaaaase" you clung onto his arm, pretty close to his face. "cmonnn just this once?" you blinked at him. he was looking directly at you, but no words were escaping his mouth. "f-fine.." he looked away, with a tinge of pink covering his ears. you were unable to tell if he was blushing or if he was cold. "i never thought you’d actually agree. this is like the best day ever?!" you grabbed nikis arm, and rushed into the line of one of the relatively larger rides, but not too large so niki wouldn’t be too terrified. after a bit you guys got seated beside eachother, and the employee pulled the over the shoulder restraint on you guys. you could tell niki was obviously nervous. "y/n i cant believe you made me do this. i actually despise you right now." "im sorry!!! only this once okay, i’ve always wanted to go on one with yo-" your sentence was cut short as the ride began, making a loud noise. "y/n i cant believe this." niki panicked. you giggled slightly as the ride made its way up to the highest point. you put your hand out for niki to hold, and he grabbed it immediately. after a few more seconds of comforting him the ride reached its highest point. after the it holding for a few seconds, it let go and your free hand went up. niki squeezed tighter and screamed loud. "Y/N L/N I DONT KNOW WHY I AGREED TO THIS" "I DONT KNOW EITHER" you yelled back. after around a minute, the ride came to its final stop.

you got off smiling and happy, whereas niki came off completely disheveled. it was a funny scene, you looked like a joyful golden retriever puppy and he looked like a grumpy black cat. you looked back at him and noticed his messy appearance. "sooo, how was it." you asked curiously, fixing his jacket along with his scarf. "never again." his eyes met your face. "it couldnt have been that bad." you reached your arms up, fixing his fluffy hair. you smiled at him whilst he stared into your face, unable to think of anything besides you.

it turned late, and it was 10 minutes left on the clock before the beautiful fireworks started. you guys found a decent place to stand, and you were both snacking on a pretzel. you witnessed multiple couples walking by, and thinking about how you wouldn’t be so opposed to being in a relationship. "gosh, theres so many couples here today." "theres couples here constantly." he added. "okay, but still. they’re all so lovey-dovey." "i guess so." you guys continued talking and the fire work show started, beginning with a few small ones. you both looked up in sync, mesmerized by the bright colours. twinkling eyes, niki looked over at you. it took him a while to take it in, but at this very moment his feelings truly solidified and he wasn’t so unsure anymore. it was forever since you spent a day together at your favourite childhood place, and now its the place where he recognizes how much he likes you. "y/n?" he says your name. "mhm.. whats up..?" you say slowly, completely and utterly enthralled by the fireworks growing in size. "i-i.." he trailed off, still facing the fireworks but his head facing you. "i think i like you." a huge firework exploded. "no, i do like you." it took you a moment to process. you turned towards him in shock. "i hope this doesn’t ruin anything, i cherish our friendship and i don’t ever want to lose yo-" you cut him off, grabbing his face. "you could never lose me. i like you too, dummy." you gave him a quick peck as another firework exploded. it felt like there were mini fireworks exploding in both of your hearts.

[alienpossession]

Bodies a Day 25: Choice

After my conditioning inside the model human for the past 24 hours, I'm now ordered to lay in the platform so they can extract me out from the model and then directed to my preferred bodies down on Earth. I guess this is the benefit for latecomer of a successful transplant project. We have influx of empties in our stock, and it leads to so many available option for me to choose from to ensure our project run smoothly and the continuation of the community ensured. Guess the First Settler did a bit too much with the extraction, they turned the whole college town population into empties to be used by the next batches without necessarily calculating that in order to fill 40,000 humans, we need at least 100 batch to land on Earth and started the infiltration, and I'm still the 34th Batch. But well, it's not like the First Settler known to be nothing but brute force after all, whenever they landed and no matter how much work they needed to do, they always ensured to finish the job. I heard that they settled into the lumberjack and some outcast of the town that lived nearby the woods as part of their ongoing mission of watching over newcomer and tracked whether the human government, especially the United States where we landed, aware of our presence.

Me....well, as I said, I have lots of choices available. The Committee directed me to become human male, and I spotted some desirable figures like these human male....or men that studied human's business and economic system in college. They're also known to be very active in social organization and sporting activities, which piqued my interest because it's such an interesting balance between community involvement but also full-time studying

There's also this group of younger but like-minded bunch of men to the earlier group, the description stated that most of them are pledges. They are also studying full-time per the description and still going to study for the next 3-5 years depending on the field they want to get into. Maybe I do want to learn longer? Hmm.....can't tell just yet

The other group of men are older and there's not much studying in their description. But one group is quite interesting because it stated that they are involved in an open relationship with the four of them as the core component. What does that mean? I did hear about human's sexual fluidity, but during my learning, it's stated that it's not really that common still despite recent documented spike in the past few years, especially in our landed geographical area.

The other group, well, aside from the explained "larger than average" built, I somehow found them to be rather plain. Yes they are strong and based on my notes, seemed like a desired version of men, but some others viewed them as obsessive or intimidating. I guess those kind of bodies deserved to be filled by some of the stronger member of my batch, they probably can put the body into better use or something

So, do you have any suggestion which group I should choose? It's your choice as much as mine, I really can't decide

[crowchemicals]

Things i think Lucifer would do while you're dating

♥︎fluffy fluff all over, sfw

✧ i don't think there's any warnings i should put here other than me projecting onto my favourite babygirl. and very soft Luci 🙏 (my personal religion)

☆ these are purely some scenarios i like to think about often in my lil fantasy world in my head, (and yes this is still and art account i don't write much<33)

• He keeps a list of things you like so he can get them for you. He's very observant, especially when it comes to his beloved, so if he sees something catch your eye while on an outing or you've liked/shared an item on your story/ saved something pretty to pinterest (which he follows but won't admit it. it's not like he really uses the app for anything other than gift ideas for you anyway) he will keep it in mind and write it down in his notes app when you're not looking/there.

• He brings you flowers every week. He learns flower language so he can give you the most meaningful bouquets he can. When they start wilting he immediately replaces them with fresh ones, but he doesn't throw the bouquets away, he proudly displays them in vases around his study.

• You mentioned your favorite snack/sweets (that you can't find in the devildom) once in a conversation with Asmo that he overheard and since then he periodically goes up to the human world to stock up on them so you can have a treat whenever you like :)

• He asks you to do his nails one time as an excuse to get away from paperwork for a little bit and spend some time with you, and you both started gossiping and just talking about RAD, his brothers, etc, and this has since become a routine between you two, one day a week either in his room or yours you get together to sit on the floor while you do his nails and gossip

• he has awful night terrors and has no idea how to cope with them, of course he can't go telling anyone about them that would be embarrassing but he also doesn't want to worry anybody. he's the big brother he's not supposed to show any weaknesses so that his brothers have someone to rely on (shhh I'm projecting) so he distracts himself with work and music, he's lost too much sleep over these kind of nights. One night after you two had been dating for a while though he woke up in a cold sweat and while his first instinct was to go to your room there was something stopping him. So he turned to distracting himself again this time by putting on your favourite show/movie. And he continues doing this every time he has a nightmare until he feels comfortable sharing such vulnerability with you. He finds it oddly comforting even if it's a genre he wouldn't typically enjoy, remembering you talking so fondly about it gives it a different kind of vibe, sometimes depending on how exhausted he is or how bad the night terror was he'll fall asleep with it in the background.

• Takes interest in your hobbies and makes sure you never run out of supplies and new things to try out. And if he sees you eyeing anything relating to your craft or a game or ANYTHING REALLY you'll have it the next day

• Will ask you to come do your work/chill in his study while he's working as a way to spend time together, in the beginning he says it's bc you'll be able to focus better since no one will disturb you there and there's less noise but later he realises that your presence helps him be more productive so when he feels his motivation and focus slip he'll come into your room to do the rest of his paperwork next to you or if you're sleeping in his bedroom that night he'll come work at his desk there, as long as he can be near you he has a reason to finish his work faster.

• Lucifer being an exhausted older sister™️, never really gets to let his guard down so when he trusts you enough he'll finally let his mask slip and give up control for a moment (something all of us wish we could do tbh). someone go bigspoon this man he needs it.

• ^ so he likes to walk up to your/his bed after a long day and just plop on top of you in his pjs and demon form, he knows he's heavy, he knows you were reading but tbh he doesn't care he needs to be held right this instant. bonus points for you if play with his wings, scratch his head esp near the horns or rub his back. you're never getting rid of him now.

• he's so interested by everything you tell him, you wanna explain the plot of a new book in excruciating detail? tell him all the hot gossip you've been hearing from your friends at RAD/Asmo? Make him watch a 10 season long show while explaining every minor thing? go ahead, he will literally give you his full attention if he's not swarmed with paperwork. he'll remember 99.9% of what you tell him too.

[asmallpinkfan3]

Hobie brown and young troubled teen reader who acts like an adult.

(I probably should not have listened to mitski while writing this)

Warnings: swearing, alcohol, underage drinking, smoking, and reader not acting their age, readers parents suck so much ass. Reader also not caring if they get hurt or not.

GN reader

(Me projecting a little)

You were so motivated as a child to become something great for your self, however the family you have grown up around shattered that slowly. you got older and you watched how your parents handled their problems some included drinking, some smoking, and some were just dropping you off at your grandparents house. Since you were the youngest they slowly stopped being parents and by you were 13 they really only felt like roommates.

They didn’t even care when you came home late, didn’t care that you would disappear at hours of the night and never seem to notice the way you slowly stopped doing all the little childish things you did and slowly started taking interest in more adult things. They didn’t even notice how the beers in the box under the table were slowly missing as they had no clue you were in your room chugging down a couple as you held a spider man mask in the other hand. As your eyes dimly lit by the light outside the window of the night sky, you knew that any “innocence” was slipping and all you could do was watch it melt away as you nursed the rim of the beer bottle to your lips and you downed another gulp.

The nasty taste causing you to shut your eyes and scrunch your face up as you shook your head. You had drank two before hand, why was the taste not going away and why did each taste worse then the one before? When you finished the bottle you threw it under your bed for the night until in the morning. As you got comfortable the watch on your arm tingled and you groaned softly as it’s Miguel sending you another message saying that you and Hobie were going on a mission.

With a heavy sigh and small curses leaving your mouth you got into your spider suit and grabbed your mask as you locked your door before seeing the orange portal appear in front of you and so with a few stumbling steps you walk in it. When you got to the spider society Miguel and hobie stood there, you looked at Hobie and prayed he wouldn’t be able to smell the alcohol on you. As you walked over to him and he gave you a small smile as you gave him a nod.

“Hey it’s been a bit huh mate?” He asked with a chuckle, his cockney accent strong as you and him swung through the streets of his universe. You could barely answer as the alcohol was really having an effect on your small mind as you landed and ended up stumbling into a wall slightly. “You ok-“ “I’m fine.” You cut him off with a growl and he seemed surprised as you stormed past him as you shot a web into the air again and looked around for the anomaly you guys needed to catch. As he swung behind you you felt dizzy, you really shouldn’t have drank 3 beers when you’re not old enough to take it well huh?

This landing was worse then the other one as you full on stumbled forward and hit the ground and Hobie immediately landed beside you. “Mate, what’s going on?” He asked more seriously as he held your arm slightly, not too hard to hurt you but enough to keep you there. “Nothing is wrong hobie I’m just tired”. You lie and then he sniffs the air, shit. “Y/n, you drunk?” He asked as he looked down at you. “…what if I am it’s none of your business, it’s no one’s business but mine.” You replied as you yanked your arm out of his grasp.

“It’s just that you’re a little young-“ “so fucking what?” You cut him off again as you glared at him under your mask. “It’s not good for you.” He said seriously concerned for you, he honestly saw you as a little sibling so he wanted to make sure that you weren’t out there dying or anything. “It’s not good for me?” A dry laugh escaped your mouth as you peel your mask off and look up at him. “I don’t care what’s good for me and what’s not it’s my decision not yours”. God why were you so stubborn? “Y/n, if you don’t stop you’re gonna die at a young age”.

He says trying as he looks into your eyes with a soft but stern look in them. “So what if I die it’s not like I’m missing out in anything.” You replied with venom before walking around and “patrolling” when you just grabbed another beer that you found from some shady guy in an alley way while Hobie looks for the anomaly. You were a feind for anything to hurt you as you chug the beer down and soon return to Hobie and about 5 minutes later you’re sobbing in an alley way, you’re at the stage where all you can think about while drunk is how much of “a fucked up child” you are and how you wished you didn’t do this.

“Y/n, you gotta stop-“ this time he cut him self off as he turned a corner the annoyed expression he had with you leaving and abandoning him immediately softened as he saw you in the corner of the alley sobbing. You looked like a small child who had just gotten their toy taken away as he approached you softly and kneeled. “Hobie what’s wrong with me, why can’t I act my age why can’t I be normal and not smoke weed and drink to feel something?” You asked inbetween sobs as he slowly hugged you holding you like a small child as he just sat there with you. “Because you were forced to grow up to fast.” He spoke softly rubbing your back and you held him back as you felt pathetic, crying in his arms a second time.

He didn’t seem to mind as he held you and rocked you slowly and softly, he just sat there with you until you felt better and when you stopped sobbing he helped you off the cold alley way ground and you two continued the mission and soon headed to his camp boat that he’s made his home and you got comfortable on the couch and ended up sleeping there for the night. He ended up placing a blanket on you softly so you wouldn’t be cold, in this moment you just laid there safe from everything and for once you didn’t feel like an adult stick in a kids body but you felt like a 13 year old for once being taken care of by their “older brother”.

(I dont like this one as much as I did the hcs tbh)

[thorin-baby-bear]

Glowy Stars

A Lost Boys Agere fic :))

Tags: Little!Reader, Flip!Paul, x reader

CW: Paul gets a little panicked, but he gets lots of hugs and reassurance afterwards!

A/N: I've had this idea like forever, and I finally finished it! Also, Reader takes a bit of a backseat to Paul in this one, which is not at all how I meant it to be but is how it ended up lol! I hope you enjoy :)

“Alright, baby bat bedtime!”

You stared down from where you floated, hand pressed to the ceiling. Paul looked up with his hands on his hip and a shuffle in his feet. You tilted your head to the side before looking back to the ceiling and the Very Important Job you were working on that was almost finished. Just a few more stars, maybe some moons, and you couldn’t forget about all of those comets still in your pockets!

“Kid,” Paul called again, trying to sound more firm and failing, “c’mon down, I need to get you tucked in before the others get home.” You huffed and shook your head before sticking another sun on the ceiling.

“Don’ wanna.” You called. Paul frowned and looked around for backup before remembering it was just you and him. With a frustrated sigh, he kicked off of the floor and flew up towards the ceiling. You glanced at him as he came to a stop next to you.

Paul opened his mouth to say something, but you turned back to your project, floating slowly away and leaving a little trail of stars. The older vampire groaned and rubbed his eyes. If it had been earlier in the night, this would’ve been cute. He would’ve had the time to chase after you, maybe steal a few stars along the way, it would have been fun! But it was late, and he didn’t have time, and the others would be back soon and they would see he didn’t have you all ready for bed and they’d think he couldn’t watch you and-

So maybe he was also a little regressed. Not little little, like you were, but kind of middle, like he was 13 again. It was just enough that it was noticeable, and just enough that it was making everything else a little bit too overwhelming. As he watched you float and giggle happily and thought about what the others would think when they got back, his eyes began to water. He shook his head roughly. He was a big kid, a grown up even, he shouldn’t be crying over this! But the tears still came, and he found himself pulling his knees into a tight ball and shoving his face between them.

For a while, he felt angry at himself for crying, he told himself that it was stupid. But eventually he just felt sad and scared. He tried not to sniffle too loudly so he wouldn’t alert you, and he thought he was doing a good job too until-

“Paulie?” A little voice came from his side. He popped his head up to look at your big, questioning eyes. Neither of you said anything for a long, sniffly moment. Then, ever so slowly, you reached up and placed a little glow in the dark star on his forehead. “’s okay, it keeps you safe.” You murmured, wrapping yourself around one of his arms.

Paul reached up and touched the star gently, carefully, before giving you a watery smile. “Thanks,” He mumbled as he bumped his head to yours. You nodded and smiled wide before starting to float away again. This time, however, you kept hold of his hand as you went.

“Help?” You asked, reaching your free hand into your pocket and offering Paul some sticky stars and planets.

Paul hesitated. You both really should be going to bed soon but…

“Aw what the heck.” He smiled, reaching out and taking the stickies. “Where do you want ‘em?”

When the others got back you and Paul were still up, giggling and shouting and sticking little glow in the dark stars and planets and comets all over the cave. David put his hands on his hips and shook his head as Marco giggled at the two of you. “Alright you two, bed time.”

You grumbled, but then he fixed you with his Stern Look and bedtime didn’t seem so awful anymore. You floated down, still holding Paul’s hand, and began to trudge towards the nest.

“Hey Paul, can I talk to you for a minute?” David called. You looked at Paul and he hesitated before nodding and letting go of your hand. You nodded and continued on your way. Paul took a deep breath and turned, watching as David started walking towards him. Behind him, Marco was still giggling and Dwayne had started to put out the lights in the cave with a fond shake of his head.

Paul looked down and shuffled his feet as David stopped in front of him. “So, bedtime, hmm?” Paul cringed a little bit and nodded.

“Uh huh, bedtime.” He mumbled.

David raised an eyebrow. This was not very Paul like behavior.

“You know, you can’t always just give in when they-”

“Yeah I know, alright? Just tell me I can’t watch them again and lets be done.” Paul tried not to sniffle too much, but the tears were already threatening to come back. David’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“I- what?” He asked.

Paul shook his head as the tears started to flow. “I did a bad job. I didn’t get them to bed.” He wiped his nose roughly. “So you’re not gonna let me babysit anymore.”

David sighed and shook his head. He bent down, making eye contact with the taller vampire and trying to understand what was going on. His eyes were puffy and a bit baggy, and they darted around the room the way they always did when he was…

Ah. It was starting to make sense.

The elder vampire grabbed Paul’s shoulder and pulled him into a gentle hug. “Of course you can watch them again.” He murmured. “Honestly, I kind of expected you two to still be awake. You’re not exactly known for your rule following, are you?” Paul huffed a bit and shook his head against David’s coat.

“Besides,” David chuckled, “look at how nice you two made the cave!” Paul looked up right as Dwayne put out the last flame and gasped. All across the ceiling, stars, suns, comets and planets twinkled brightly. They almost looked real, if you squinted just right. Paul found himself grinning ear to ear at the beautiful sky he had helped you make. Marco whistled and floated towards the two, Dwayne close behind.

“Hey, that’s pretty nice!” He grinned. “The best the cave’s looked in years, I think.” Dwayne nodded and put a gentle hand on Paul’s shoulders.

“Good job.” He whispered, looking over David’s shoulder as a grumpy huff came from the nest room. “And you to, y/n.” David glanced back and sighed as you stared at him innocently.

“Okay. Bed time, for real this time.” He said, keeping an arm around Paul and leading them all back towards the nest. You grinned and grabbed hold of Paul’s hand. He smiled down at you before leaning down sneakily.

“Hey, you got any more of those things?” Your smile widened as you pulled more glow in the dark stickers. Paul giggled and swung your joined hands back and forth.

“It looks awful dark in here, don’t you think?”

[queenshelby]

The Fourth Season (Rewritten)

Part One: Intro

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Religious and Anti-Religious Themes

Notes:

Being obsessed with Cillian’s post Oppenheimer image, I have decided to rewrite this story as well and make it play during the filming of “Small Things Like These”…

I hope I still get some following and promise no further re-writes! Following my break from the fandom last year, I struggled a bit with finding my style and my head was a bit all over the place, so when I started this fanfic, I wasn’t planning it out properly. I do like the premise of it though and do not want to abandon it.

I also won’t rename it as “The Fourth Season” seems quite fitting considering that “Small Things Like These” follow a character leading up to Christmas.

Background

This fic plays in 2023 and, as usual, there will be an age-gap romance as Cillian is 46 and the reader is 25. I made her a little older than usual.

The reader comes from a strictly catholic family and, as a result, her family is appalled by the fact that the reader has taken a roll in this movie as it does not put the catholic church into a very good light.

For the reader, however, this is an opportunity not only for her career but also to get away from her family for a little while which is still in turmoil after the reader had separated from her high school sweetheart and husband James McCallum.  

As for Cillian, in early 2023, he is divorced with two young children. He has been single for three years and life was good. He finished filming Oppenheimer and took some time off before embarking in this passion project of his.

Six months ago…

Cillian’s POV

It was late July and the summer heat was scorching as Cillian walked down the pier in Dalkey with a fellow actor friend Matt Damon who, just like Cillian, had invested in the movie production.

The movie was said to be produced by Tim Mielants who also accompanied Cillian and Matt on their walk, and filming was scheduled to commence just after Christmas which left just one minor issue yet to be considered.

Whilst Cillian was staring the lead role of Bill Furlong, the woman who had been casted by Tim to play Bill’s wife Eileen had just pulled out, leaving this role yet to be filled with an affordable actress.

“You could ask Emily” Matt joked, seeing that both him and Cillian were close friends with Emily Blunt, but both of them knew that Emily would not be available for this role.

“I think we should concentrate on getting someone Irish” Tim told both Matt and Cillian who, by this point, had already come up with four unsuitable candidates for Tim to choose from.

“I think Matt was joking when suggesting Emily Blunt for the role” Cillian chuckled while adjusting his sunglasses and looking towards the horizon which prompted Matt to an idea.

“You know guys, I’ve seen a play last night at the Gaiety” he said before pulling out his phone and handing it to Cillian and Tim.

“The actress in that play was good and, when I say good, I mean really good. The play was called Dark Horizon and she played a widow named Siobhan who lost her husband at sea. Her ghost then plagued her until she was driven completely mad” Matt explained while showing Cillian and Tim the video he took from last night’s performance.

“She is good. What’s her name?” Cillian asked as he watched the video with an intention of his own to go and see the play.

“Y/N McCallum, aged twenty-five, from Cork” Matt said after pulling his phone from Cillian’s hand and opening the e-pamphlet which he had saved on his screen instead.

“She might be a little too young to play a forty something year old woman” Cillian chuckled while Matt put your name into Google.

“Make-up can take care of that” Tim said before continuing to read your agency profile and anything else that popped up in his newsfeed. “The bigger problem I see now is that she is married to James McCallum and working with couples on set might get a little annoying” Tim then pointed out, causing Cillian and Matt to furrow their eyebrows.

“Who is James McCallum?” Cillian asked as he could not remember anyone by that name

“He is in charge of logistics. You would have met him on the set of Peaky Blinders last year. He is thorough when it comes to staying within budget and organising essentials for the cast, which is why I hired him for the shoot” Tim explained and Cillian remembered him.  

“Fuck, I do remember that guy. He gave me a bible after he caught on to…you know…never mind…” Cillian said, aborting his sentence but Tim already knew.

“After he caught you and Sarah making out?” he thus said, causing Cillian to swallow harshly.

“Who is Sarah?” Matt wanted to know as he was not privy to this kind of onset gossip.

“His ex” Tim explained but Cillian shook his head.

“It wasn’t like that. It was just a fling. Nothing serious” Cillian pointed out but Tim couldn’t help but make another joke about it.

“Yeah, that’s why he gave you a bible, so that you could pray for forgiveness for your sins” Tim laughed before suggesting to see the play together with Cillian that night.

Your POV

Later that night, Cillian and Tim had indeed gone to see your play and the way you performed a troubled woman like the one on stage blew them away.

They were both mesmerised by your performance and ought to speak to you when you finished, which was something that you had not expected.

“This is a little weird but there are two men here to see you” one of the theatre clerks said after barging into the change room where you and some of the other actresses were putting on your regular clothes.

“That sure is weird” you joked, seeing that you did not usually get any visitors backstage.

“One of them is Cillian Murphy” the clerk then said and your chin dropped. You have heard of him, of course. Your husband had spoken of him in the past when working on set, although he did not have the nicest things to say about him.

“The actor?” you ought to clarify nonetheless, causing the clerk to nod.

“Yes” she said. “Do you want to speak with them?” she then wanted to know and, of course, you were intrigued about what they had to say.

“Tell them I will be just a minute please” you instructed the clerk who did as you had requested and, after putting on a jumper and tying back your hair, you met with Cillian and Tim in the lobby.

Both men greeted you professionally and with a handshake before telling you that they enjoyed the play and your performance.

“Thanks. I really appreciate it” you said before asking the men whether there was anything you could help them with and, when Cillian said that there was indeed something you could him with, you looked at him with some surprise.

“Okay, what is it?” you asked with a smile while struggling to focus. His eyes were really as blue as everyone had said and he must have noticed you starring at them by now.

“Well, we’ve got a role for you in a movie” Cillian said, causing Tim to furrow his eyebrows. Cillian was clearly more confident than he was and he would have approached this a little differently to say the least.

“And you want me to audition for it?” you queried, causing Cillian to shake his head.

“No, I want you to take it. Your performance on stage today was incredible and I would love to work with you” he responded, causing your chin to drop again.

“I have never been in front of a camera before” you explained but Cillian did not seem to care.

“There is always a first time for everything” he reassured you and you felt somewhat shocked.

“Well, I feel flattered” you said before asking Tim and Cillian for a script.

“I will send it to your agent tomorrow along with all of the particulars for production” Tim said just before shaking your hand and when Cillian said that he was looking forward to working with you, you could not help but chuckle.

“I didn’t say yes yet” you informed him. 

“I know, but I like being optimistic” he winked which left you and some other girls in the lobby somewhat speechless.

To be continued…

Please comment and engage. I love getting comments and predictions pretty please!

[rogerswifesblog]

Stacy’s mom

My Masterlist

A/N: inspired by the song “Stacys mom” and our conversation @jamneuromain 😋 it was very spontaneous and I wrote it in a few hours but…It was kinda fun🤣 so let me know how you liked it! I’m thinking about a pt 2! (Yes I know I have thousands series and one shots planned and am still working on the bingo drabbles but…I like writing most of my things depending on my mood😋)

Summary: Steve knew he was in trouble walking into his friends house and seeing her mom.

Pairing: highschool!Steve Rogers x Stacys Mom reader

Warnings: stacys mom reader, older reader, age gap, Steve is 17/18 but reader and him don’t interact then besides some teasing, masturbation, underage drinking

“I think we should choose the second topic. Benefits of daily exercise and how to incorporate it into your routine. Let’s be honest, I’m the real life example”, Steve laughed, sitting with Stacy in her living room on the floor, in front of the coffee table. It was the first time he was at her place, needing to finish a project that was very important for the grade.

A few months ago his asthma became much better and his many asthma attacks stopped, making it possible for him to exercise. Puberty finally hit him and he got a growth spurt, growing nearly ten inches in just a few months. He was still lanky, but happy about not being the shortest in the class anymore.

But with puberty also came acne, his forehead and cheeks were covered in small and annoying pimples. He used extra creams to get rid of them, which slowly helped.

“That’s a good idea. Maybe you could talk about your experience…how it affected your health and body”, Stacy thought about it for a second before taking some notes. “We can-“ The slamming of a door made Stacy jump slightly, so did Steve.

“Are you stupid?! I said no. It’s tomorrow and not in a week do you hear me? You’re not going on any stupid trips with your new wh- oh I will call her what I want! You dirty cheater-don’t you dare not show up tomorrow-” a woman’s voice carried through the house, the clicking of heels coming closer as you walked into the kitchen, Stacy and Steve watching you as you opened the fridge, not even noticing the two teenagers.

“For fucks sake, I have all rights being mad at you. We were together for-” They both didn’t listen much further as Stacy started talking about the project again, but Steve wasn’t listening to her either. His gaze was glued to your form, dressed in an expensive looking suit, the red-bottomed heels making your legs look incredibly hot, your butt- “Steve, are you even listening?” “Of course I do. Yes. Definitely.-“ “yeah? What was I talking about?”

“….could you…maybe repeat it?” Steve felt himself blush a dark red, his face burning with shame of being caught checking out her mom. That was definitely embarrassing.

Even though he started working on the project again, he couldn’t stop himself from peaking over at you. You were still turned with your back to Them arguing on the phone.

“She’s probably talking to dad again. They argue a lot now with the divorce…I don’t blame her. Of course I love my dad, but he did her wrong. They were married for nearly twenty years and he cheated on her-from what I’ve heard it wasn’t the first time or at least it wasn’t a one time thing”, explained Stacy, seeing as Steve was looking over to the kitchen.

He blushed again, nodding slowly. “Sorry, I just thought we’d be alone. It’s a bit distracting-“ for other reasons that Stacy might suspect. “I can tell her to go to her office or bedroom. They’ll probably argue for a long long time…”, she sighed, already standing up. Steve immediately followed her, shaking his head, “no, no. It’s fine. We can just take a break for now-maybe order something to eat? Your mom maybe wants something too…”, he felt himself blush again, as Stacy walked to the kitchen, Steve following her.

“Hi mom-could you please talk a bit quieter? I told you Steve’s coming over today. We have a project”, said Stacy walking into the open kitchen. “But we’ll take a break now-order something to eat. You want something? A pizza? Thai?”

Hearing your daughters voice you lowered your phone, turning around to look at her, your gaze falling onto the young blonde boy watching your every move. He seemed…mesmerised. He extended his hand to introduce himself properly, making you smile lightly as you ended the call without saying anything else and took his hand. “Nice to meet you, Steve. I’m sorry you had to hear this. I’m usually not such a bitch it’s just my soon ex-husband makes my blood boil” You laughed quietly.

Steve chuckled too. You could tell it was a nervous chuckle. You imagined he may have liked your daughter and was stressed of meeting you, her mother.

“Just order the usual pizza I like and take some money from my purse, I’ll go change into something more comfortable.” With that you left the room and seeing how Steve couldn’t take his eyes off of you he knew he was in trouble.

The next time he saw you was only three weeks later, once again at stacys house. After working some more on the project they both decided to sit at the pool and sunbathe a bit. When he noticed the lawnmower at the gate seemingly unused since the lawn wasn’t taken care of. “You need help with the lawn maybe? I can take care of that”, said the young boy already standing up and walking over to the lawnmower.

Stacy wanted to argue with him about not needing to do so, but he did anyway. It’d only take him a few minutes and he liked the idea of impressing Stacy’s mom, you.

When he was nearly finished you walked out of the house, a towel wrapped around your body, the strings of a black bikini wrapped around your neck. And when you dropped the towel-he could burst. Your body was incredible. You were already a bit tanned, your curves dressed only in the bikini, your thighs moving against one another, the thick flesh wiggling with every step, making him want to bite into it.

Jesus. He really shouldn’t be thinking about things like that or he’d soon have a problem that needs to be hidden.

You were incredibly beautiful, your breasts and stomach looking so soft. He could see some stretch marks, but they only made you even more attractive.

“You missed a spot over there, Stevie sweetheart”, you teased him, noticing how he stopped concentrating on his task. He felt himself blush, a small smile creeping on his lips as he nodded and kept going, this time a bit more concentrated.

You couldn’t stop yourself from teasing him a bit more, since he watched you Everytime he walked by, so you took the sunscreen and started applying it on your whole body. Stacy didn’t notice any of it since she had her eyes closed. Besides you tried to make it look like you weren’t doing anything on purpose-especially not then you stood up and started applying the suncream on your legs, bending down and showing off your legs.

A grin crept on your lips when you heard the Grill being knocked over. It was your ex husbands anyway.

After finishing mowing the lawn he quickly excused himself to the bathroom, closing the door and immediately leaning against the text wall, pushing down his swim shorts. His hardness springing free. He didn’t waste any time before spitting in his palm and wrapping his fingers around his length, stroking himself hard and fast.

He tried to keep his moans quiet, but still couldn’t stop the gasps escaping his lips, especially when he started imagining it wasn’t his hand on his dick. He thought about your soft skin against his body. Your thighs wrapped around his slim waist-or even better if he’d fuck your thighs. Your meaty legs would feel amazing, squeezing his dick. Maybe you’d even let him finish like that. On your stomach and tits-or Steve you’d let him fuck your pussy without a condom, letting him feel your velvet walls. Your wet and tight curb gripping him tightly, your moans would be so soft and sweet.

Before he’d let himself come he’d make sure to get at least two orgasm out of you. Maybe one with his mouth or fingers, then on his cock…then he’d love to shoot his load in you. Filling you with his seed.

The thought was all he needed to come, shooting his load all over himself. Thank god he managed to push his shirt up just in time before making a mess.

He felt ashamed wiping off his cum from the bathroom floor before walking back to the pool, where his heart's desire sat.

It was a fantasy. He knew. He definitely had no chance, being only a teenager and especially being friends with your daughter.

But having a fantasy didn’t hurt even a bit, right?

He loved watching you whenever you moved or walked around the house. Your house quickly became a place he visited at least once a week, always working on the project. But the worst was happening-well, two things. One, the project was slowly coming to an end and you had a date.

It’s not like he had any right to be jealous, but…still. Watching you getting all dolled up for some guy made his heart tighten. You always looked beautiful but seeing you in a beautiful light blue dress, with a low cleavage, showing off your shoulders and collarbones made his throat dry. The dark, black choker you wore made you look a bit like…Cinderella.

A smile crept onto his lips as he thought about it, quickly looking down not to get caught.

He wished you looked this good for him. He wished he could take you out on a date, have your soft hands wrapped around his arm.

But he couldn’t take you out. He didn’t even have the money to do so.

Sighing he opened his textbook again, taking some last notes.

Maybe one day he could at least buy you a bouquet of the most beautiful roses…

The project was finally finished, only two weeks later Stacy and Steve had everything ready to hand in and decided to have a nice and relaxing evening together drinking some beer which…Stacy asked you to buy. Surprisingly Stacy said you had only chuckled at that question and actually bought a few.

In all These weeks Steve and Stacy got closer, but only in a platonic way. Stacy had tried to flirt with him at first, but it changed quickly. He couldn’t tell exactly when but at some point she just stopped.

And now they were just sitting in the backyard, drinking beers, both on their third ones.

“Steve…I wanted to ask you…have you a thing for my mom?”, not expecting this question Steve choked on his beer, immediately coughing and spitting his beer all over himself.

“Wh-what?”, he croaked, shaking his head quickly. “I-I'd never-no. Of course not. That’s-That'd be…that’d be weird. I’m mean-it’s your mom-“ Stacys laugh interrupted his rambling.

“I knew it. You’re not very subtle with all the question you know? Is your mom back from the business trip? Is she away for work again? Do you think she likes roses or sunflowers more? You weren’t subtle. Not at all, Steve. At first I was really weirded out, but…I guess we all have some weird crushes at some point, you know? We’ll go to college soon, anyway, so you’ll get over it”, she shrugged, making Steve blush with every next sentence.

He took another big sip from his bottle, looking to the house for a second, where he could see you walking around the kitchen, preparing dinner. “Yeah…’s just a crush”, he mumbled, not wanting to tell Stacy how much he actually liked you.

But she was right. He’d probably get over you soon. He’d meet someone at his new university…

But did he really want that??

This thought stayed in his head for the rest of the evening, his chest feeling incredibly tight knowing it may be the last time he’d see you.

Slightly drunk Stacy and Steve walked back into the house, seeing you had left the food for them on the counter. They are quietly, not wanting to disturb you and after both laid down-Stacy in her room and Steve in the living room on the pull-out sofa. Even tho he was comfortable and surrounded by your smell he didn’t feel any peace. He couldn’t fall asleep, his mind was racing.

You yourself had eaten earlier before taking a bath and walked into your bedroom to go to sleep early.

But of course you were awoken by your small bladder, needing release. Sighing you sat up, straightening your nightgown in case the kids were still outside or still awake. Then you walked out of your bedroom, wrapping a silky robe around your body.

You did your business quietly, washed your hands and looked a bit tiredly into the mirror. A sigh escaped your lips. You were getting old, weren’t you? This year you turned 36 and it showed. The wrinkles around your eyes couldn’t be hidden anymore. Your skin wasn’t as smooth as it used to be. Your body wasn’t the same anymore, you had stretch marks, it was hard to stay in shape, especially with your limited time since you were always busy with work…

You sighed again, putting your night creame once again on. It wouldn’t change anything overnight of course, but you still hoped it’d slow down the aging. It’s not like you looked bad or really old-you weren’t even that old, if you had to be honest, but….you’d love to be twenty again, for one night at least.

Leaving the bathroom you walked quietly through the room, being stopped when Steve stumbled out of the living room, looking like he was in a hurry-at First you thought he wanted to go to the bathroom but when you stepped aside to let him through, he only stepped closer to you.

Your gaze fell for a second on his bare, slim chest. He gained a bit muscles since you had last seen him at the pool a few weeks ago. He looked cute. Not that it mattered. It’s weird you were even thinking like this.

“Give me a chance”, he mumbled, making you furrow your eyebrows, a little wrinkle appearing between them. “What?” “Give me a chance…I-I’ll try to be the perfect guy for you. I could be-I just-I need to finish school-and co-“ You shook your head, now understanding. “Steve, Steve, stop-We can’t. I can’t…you’re just drunk. You gotta go back to sleep, okay?”, you smiled kindly, slowly wrapping your fingers around his wrists and pulling him with you to the living room, pushing him into a sitting position.

“I mean it-you deserve a guy like me. I’ll be perfect for you-I know I’m still young but-“ “exactly Steve. You’re young. You could be my child-your friends is my daughter, okay? I’m really flattered by your attraction but…it’s not right. I’m sorry, Steve, you need to go to sleep now. And let’s just ignore this conversation, okay”, you tried to be gentle with your words but still saw some tears well up in his eyes.

Hesitatly you stepped between his legs, wrapping your arms around him and pulling into a hug. His head immediately rested against your stomach, right below your breasts as he sniffed quietly. Not wanting to make it any harder for him…and maybe also yourself…you pulled away.

While leaving the living room your couldn’t stop yourself from looking over your shoulder at him, meeting his gaze. You immediately looked away again and walked to your room.

This time it was much harder to fall asleep.

In the morning you quietly made some scrambled eggs and beacon, trying to ignore the feeling rising up in your chest when Steve woke up from the smell and a smile appeared on his lips, you noticed it, because you were watching him from the open kitchen. You could see him perfectly. And it broke your heart.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, feeling a bit of a headache, especially remembering the conversation with you. Oh god. Had he really did it? Said he wanted to be with you?

You noticed how Steve blushed and when he looked up at you, your eyes meeting, your own face started burning. As quick and nonchalant as possible you looked away.

Only a few minutes later Stacy came to the kitchen and you sat down together to eat breakfast. All this time you tried to ignore Steve even though you still felt his gaze on you.

After finishing the food it was time for him to leave and stacy decided to drive him, so she quickly went to her room to get ready. Meanwhile steve stayed with you in the kitchen, putting the dishes away.

“About yesterday…I’m sorry. For everything…I still stand by it, but I shouldn’t have be so pressing-“ “Steve, don’t worry. I get it…in a way, at least. You’re a very sweet boy, but I’m too old for you. It can’t happen”, You explained friendly, smiling at him before looking once again.

You felt Steve step a bit closer to you, the warmth of his body radiating. “Is…is there really no chance? Not even a small one? Please…”, he whispered, his hand gently touching your arm.

Steve noticed how you got goosebumps as soon as he touched you. A nervous chuckle escaped your lips as you patted his arm gently, yearning Stacy walking down the stairs.

“Yeah, sure Steve, come back when you’re twenty one”, you joked quietly, stepping away again just in time for Stacy to walk into the kitchen. “Okay-we can go!”

With that Steve looked at you one last time before disappearing. Not only did he leave your house that day, but also walked out of your life forever.

Or so you thought.

In the first few weeks you had thought about him more than you should. About his pretty smile and the beautiful blues. About his graduation and which college he chose. About if you’d ever see him again, which you knew you shouldn’t.

Months later you stopped thinking about him so often. There were a few evenings where you thought about him, sure, but less and less…

And then the years went by and Steve became one of Stacys old highschool friends that she hadn’t talked to in a long time.

So it surprised you to say the least when you heard the doorbell, interrupting your quiet moment of reading. You were so concerned on the book you jumped slightly, putting your book down and walking to the door. In this time the doorbell rang again. “Jesus, so inpatient…”, you mumbled to yourself, opening the door.

Your breath hitched.

Your heartbeat immediately speeding up.

In the first second you didn’t even recognise him.

He was bigger. His shoulder so broad you weren’t sure if he’d fit in the door, taller than before and…a beard. Wow.

He changed a lot.

But his beautiful eyes stayed the same. The same bright blue.

“Steve? What-“ “You said to come back when I’m twenty one…so, can I take you out on a proper date now?”, he interrupted you, holding out his ID for you to look over.

He was indeed twenty one. Today was his birthday.

Pt 2

Thank you for reading!

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[princess-leaorgana]

What Tielfings Do Chpt. 2

Summary: After the takedown of The Absolute, Zelphie finds her city in need of more help and her home destroyed. She won't stop helping, but who can help her?

Rolan x Tav (Zelphie; ~30y.o AFAB, Sorcerer, Tiefling, not really described physically on purpose <3)

M/F

Author's Note: I fucking love tielfings. Along with this being a budding romance/smut/fluff/word vomit fanfiction, it's also my case study in DnD 5e tieflings, how they act, what sets them apart from humans and devils and elves. That being said, I have a few artistic liberties in here as well where I couldn't find a straight answer, if you'll amuse me.

Warnings - Spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3, lots of blood discussion in this one, as our favorite vampire, Astarion, pays a little visit. Just fluff for today. Oh well.

Chapter One

Zelphie made herself very useful, very quickly. She was delighted to find her natural talents in the Weave could help her city outside of battling enemies. She wasn’t the best healer, but she was strong, able to move large rubble easily and safely. In the midafternoon, she was on construction duty, the medical cases in the store front were slimming down to just those who needed rest and maybe a little food. As large bookcases were being moved around for manageable cleaning, two children wandered into the store front. Cal saw them first and walked over to them. They were very frightened, neither one of them looked older than eight. He bent down to meet them at a safe level, they were human children and could easily be afraid of the sight of a full grown tielfling walking over to them.

‘Well, hello there, you two look pretty hungry,’ he said easily, a happy smile on his face. Zelphie watched him happily and she finished a little chore. She would only help if Cal asked, human children were timid. The oldest child nodded very slowly and Cal looked at the youngest. ‘How about you then? Should we find something good to fill your belly?’ He asked and the little one just stared warily up at him. Helm bless Cal for being so gentle and patient. ‘Come on then, come meet my sister Lia, we’ll get you feeling right as rain over here,’ he said and stood up, walking the two little ones over to Lia, who was readying two bowls of soup for them. Cal sat with the children, being cautiously friendly with them. It looked as though he had everything under control and Zelphie went back to her project. 

‘He’s always been great with children,’ Rolan spoke and Zelphie smiled.

‘He has a very gentle heart,’ Zelphie responded and Rolan smiled.

‘I envy him,’ he said and walked back a few steps to take in a bigger picture of the corner they were in. He might as well decorate to his liking, seeing as they were moving absolutely everything anyway.

‘You shouldn’t,’ Zelphie told him. Rolan looked back at her. ‘The three of you are in perfect balance, Cal, the sweet mediator with a level head. You, the logical one, Lia, the heart. I wouldn’t change anything about any of you, you three fit perfectly together,’ she said and Rolan smiled.

‘That’s…very kind,’ he said and Zelphie’s smile matched his, her tail wagging. They looked at each other for a moment and Rolan looked back to the wall. ‘Do you think, maybe, this area is too cluttered with merchandise? Maybe…this bookcase could be moved downstairs, we can add a display or something here instead?’ He asked and Zelphie clicked her tongue.

‘I think that would be nice, move some of the interesting pieces for the customers to actually look at,’ she said and nodded. ‘Right, I’ll get this moved then and you can think of what should replace it,’ she said and commanded her mage hand.

‘Oh, no, I’ll be coming with you,’ he said and Zelphie sighed.

‘I’m not going to break anything, Rolan,’ she said and he chuckled.

‘Yes, but I need to tell you where it goes,’ he told her as the bookshelf began to move.

‘It’ll go in the first empty nook I find,’ she said with a giggle and Rolan shook his head, following right behind her.

‘I figured you would know me by now to understand that is absolutely not where it will go,’ he bickered and Zelphie scoffed playfully.

‘You are a bit of a pain in the ass,’ she said and Rolan laughed.

‘Now now, you just said a moment ago you wouldn’t change a thing about me,’ he told her proudly and she smirked at him.

‘I am going to blast you out a window,’ she said and he grinned at her, still following her and the large bookcase down to the basement. Lia, mildly bored with her work, watched her brother and Zelphie bicker and disappear. She smiled and looked over at Cal, who was looking right back at her. He gave his sister a knowing smile.

‘I think you and I should meet the girls at the Elfsong tonight, you know…see if they need any help,’ Lia said with a sly grin which Cal copied.

‘Yes, and Zelphie and Rolan should stay behind, in case anyone needs them here,’ he said, a playful tone to his voice and Lia giggled, nodding.

‘It’s about time,’ she said simply, handing one of the children a soft bread roll for her soup.

‘Can’t we just finish the store front, then worry about the basement?’ Zelphie asked Rolan, who was tutting over the placement of some tomes.

‘We are down here now, and now that I look at everything, I can’t simply go back up there and focus, no, we’ll do this for now,’ he told her and Zelphie sighed.

‘I’m going to take back what I said earlier, Cal and Lia are perfect,’ she said and Rolan looked back at her.

‘You can go back upstairs, by all means,’ he told her and she bit her lip.

‘No, no, I’d rather help you,’ she said and Rolan looked around some more. Zelphie let him think and he glanced back at her. She was looking up at the ceiling, her mage hand idle behind her, waiting for instruction.

‘What is that like?’ He asked her, pointing to the phantom limb. She looked back at him and raised an eyebrow.

‘What do you mean?’ She asked. Surely Rolan was learned enough to have his own summon.

‘You’re not concentrating on it,’ he told her simply and she glanced at it.

‘I am, but passively. Like a thought in the back of my head. If something was to dramatically capture my attention, it would fade.’ He nodded at her mild explanation. He walked over to her and glanced at the floating appendage. It was a very convincing replica of her hand.

‘Do you mind?’ He asked and reached out towards it. She shook her head and smiled, her tail curling up. It was very common for sorcerers and wizards to butt heads when it came to their methods of magic; she and Gale had a few arguments. It was very nice for a wizard to be interested in her magic. Rolan reached out to it, inspecting it closely. ‘It’s very good,’ he told her and her cheeks burned.

‘Thank you,’ she said softly. She could feel her heart flip, watching Rolan gently inspect the hand. She felt like she had last night, when he was massaging her. Although, right now she was well rested and sober, so the feeling was a little more intense. He was very handsome, he was fussing over something, learning and studying. It was very attractive. Her tail wagged a little and she reached behind her to hold it steady. She did not want Rolan to feel uncomfortable around her.

‘How intricate can it be?’ He asked and held his palm up. Zelphie’s hand mirrored his and met his palm. The fingers spread and interlaced with Rolan’s.

‘I can write with it, not long essays or anything, but enough,’ she said and Rolan was frozen, holding hands with this phantom figure. It was still a perfect replica of Zelphie’s hand.

‘Very impressive,’ he whispered and Zelphie just watched him. She couldn’t feel his hand with the mage hand, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t thinking about it. With blind confidence, she walked over to Rolan and lifted a hand to his free hand.

‘As a learned mage, I’m sure you would appreciate a comparison,’ she offered, her face rising in temperature. She wanted his hand in hers. Rolan looked from the mage hand to her and took a second to respond. He did so only by lifting his hand to her real one. His hands were so soft. She knew that, she knew they were soft. He was a wizard, of course they were soft. She had felt his hands last night, but this was a little different. She interlaced her fingers with his, mimicking the mage hand. ‘Is that alright?’ She asked him. He was just staring at her hand. Tieflings didn’t hold much emotion in their eyes, just orbs of fire and color. Everything was in their tails, and Zelphie was very upset she couldn’t see Rolan’s. Was his tail curled with excitement like hers was?

‘Yes, it’s…’ he said and trailed off. His face moved to look at hers. She looked so earnest. What did she want? She wanted to kiss him. But it was too soon, yes? After everything that had happened, was a kiss now too soon? Maybe too late? She didn’t know, but she wanted to kiss him. He had just opened his home to her, didn’t she have enough from him? Did he want to kiss her? ‘Wonderful,’ he finished his sentence and Zelphie swallowed hard. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said and his brows knit together. ‘You….uhm…I don’t know if I can handle you looking at me like that,’ he whispered and she blushed deep red.

‘Is it unwelcome?’ She asked softly and he shook his head.

‘No, it’s encouraging,’ he told her and just before she felt herself lean up, he let go of both her real and false hands and shook his head. Zelphie frowned and her heart flipped again. The mage hand disappeared. ‘I’m sorry Zelphie, that was incredibly inappropriate…I know better, please, please forgive me,’ he said, his eyes on the floor.

‘What is there to forgive?’ She asked and he sighed.

‘You were showing me your phenomenal talent, and I made it…awkward. I’m sorry, I hope you do not think my behavior is why I asked you to stay here. I would hate to make you uncomfortable, Zelphie,’ he said and just hung his head in shame. Shame that he should not have had. 

‘Please don’t apologize Rolan,’ she whispered. ‘You didn’t make me feel uncomfortable.’ He shook his head and sighed out of his nose.

‘Thank you, I appreciate your…patience,’ he said and looked her up and down quickly. He then clasped his hands behind his back and moved away from her a bit. ‘Now…uhm, shall we continue?’ He asked and turned on his heel, raising his arm to light the braziers in the room. She chewed on her lip, but she would follow his command.

‘Yes, what did you need me to move here? Should one of these pieces go upstairs?’ She asked him. Back to normal. But what in the hell was all of that?

She spent another chunk of her day organizing scrolls with Cal. It was a lot of fun to do something as mindless as this with Cal. He was a goofball. Torn scrolls that had no chance of reanimation were used as weapons against each other. Any question Cal asked her about a certain scroll, Zelphie would try to explain but he would just shake his head and explain to Zelphie how skill in stealth and a good smoke bomb arrow could do the same as half of the magic in the store. She would indulge him. Zelphie took a handful of scrolls, all neat and orderly and slowly floated up to one of the top shelves of the highest bookcase.

‘You need to teach Rolan how to do that one,’ Cal said, chucking a tightly folded scroll at her. She laughed and kicked the wad of paper.

‘I wish I could! I don’t exactly know the spell that goes with this one,’ she said, knowing a sorcerer’s ability to ‘fly’ was a well guarded mystery. Even Gale would get a little jealous when she would use this power around him. It was minor, and only could get her so high and far before it waned, but it was still incredibly handy.

‘Levitate,’ a voice called from behind them. Zelphie placed the scrolls down and looked behind her as she slowly floated back down. Rolan was standing there, looking up at her. ‘It does not work on the self, I am afraid,’ he explained and Zelphie smirked as her feet touched the floor.

‘I stand corrected,’ she said and looked down at Cal, who was on the floor, a mass of scrolls around him still in little piles. Rolan looked down at Cal and sighed.

‘Are you even helping?’ He asked and Cal looked up at him.

‘Not even a little,’ he said, chucking a wad of parchment at Rolan’s left horn. Rolan sighed and turned to Zelphie.

‘You have a visitor,’ he said simply and she smiled.

‘Oh? Really? Who?’ She asked and Rolan glanced down at Cal quickly and back up to Zelphie.

‘Someone who came to see you right as the sun set,’ he said and sighed. Astarion. Zelphie grinned and looked down at Cal.

‘Come on, let’s not leave the vampire lord waiting,’ she said and Cal quickly got to his feet. She walked past Rolan, looking at his tense body language, and walked with Cal to the store front.

‘Please don’t be too long, Zelphie, if we finish this up before bed tonight-’

‘I’ll just be a moment, Rolan,’ she said over her shoulder and walked to the large, much less messy, storefront of Sorcerer’s Sundries. Leaning his entire back and elbows on the counter was Astarion Ancunin. The very last time Zelphie had seen her friend, he was running from the sun. She had hoped he would be fine, and he was. He turned his head to face her, those sharp pale features and dangerous eyes finding her immediately.

‘There she is!’ He said, standing off of the counter and walked over to her. He always had a little dance in his step. ‘I cannot believe I was to find you here of all places, my darling,’ he said and Zelphie shook her head.

‘I’m glad to see you intact, Astarion,’ she said and he smirked.

‘But are you really surprised? Of course, yes, the sun is my mortal enemy once more, however, with the tadpole gone, my powers as a vampire have returned. My healing sleep made quick work of that little sunburn,’ he explained, being as dramatic as possible. ‘Please don’t tell me, with all of my talents returned, you’ve begun working in a book shop.’

‘You know just as much as I do that Sorcerer’s Sundries is not a bookshop,’ she said with a laugh. ‘But yes, I am working here, helping them back on their feet and they have let me stay, Cal, Rolan and Lia,’ she said and looked over at Cal, next to her. It was more than a little evident that Cal had a little crush on the vampire standing in front of them. Everyone Zelphie knew did. Zelphie had as well. Zelphie and Astarion had had a physical relationship, and it dimmed slowly once Zelphie realized how vulnerable he really was. At that time in his life, he didn’t need sex, nor romance, he needed friendship. He needed a person who he could trust not to use him. Zelphie was incredibly happy to call Astarion a friend now. After the ending of their little affair, Zelphie felt their bond only strengthen.

‘Oh is that right?’ Astarion asked and looked at Cal. ‘And you’re Cal, yes, I remember you,’ he said and smirked at the now blushing tiefling. Good thing Cal’s skin was a ruddy red already.

‘It’s good to see you again, Astarion,’ Cal said and Zelphie winked at Astarion quickly who then raised his eyebrows.

‘Are you in the Underdark now?’ Zelphie asked, continuing the conversation.

‘Mmm…yes, the lovely, lovely, bloodless Underdark,’ he said sarcastically. ‘I came to the city in search of…ethically sourced blood,’ he said and gave Cal another little glance and Zelphie cleared her throat, gaining Astarion’s attention once more.

‘Any luck?’ She asked and Astarion smirked.

‘I think that is up to you,’ he said and Zelphie tilted her head. Ah. That is why he came. ‘You don’t have to and I promise I will continue my search for other resources right away.’

‘No, it’s fine, I’ll just be happy that you’ll be healthy and happy,’ she said and sighed. ‘Let me just check with Rolan…’ she said and looked behind her.

‘Need daddy’s permission?’ Astarion teased and Zelphie looked back at him.

‘Sort of, if you are going to feed on me, I’d like to do it in my bedroom, you know how woozy I can get,’ she said and turned back around to see if she could find Rolan.

‘Oh you flirt,’ Astarion said and leaned on the counter once more. Zelphie ignored him.

‘I just need to make sure I’m allowed to bring you up there,’ she continued. 

‘I doubt Rolan will have an issue with it, Zelphie, I’ll go with you two and escort Astarion out,’ Cal suggested and Zelphie smiled up at him.

‘Unfortunately, Zelphie is right, I will need permission to enter,’ Astarion told Cal and Zelphie nodded. No tadpole, and Astarion was more than likely capable of his vampiric powers once more, but also its many drawbacks. Including burning in the sun and not being allowed through thresholds without permission.

‘I’ll be right back,’ she said and turned on her heel. She walked back to the back of the store to find Rolan sneering over a few of the scrolls that had left a mess on the floor. He glanced at her and looked at the parchments in his hand.

‘That was quick,’ he said with a little smirk.

‘I wanted to ask you, actually, if you would be willing to give permission to let Astarion in the tower?’ She asked and Rolan’s face hardened. He looked at her again. ‘He’ll won’t be ten minutes, I promise, then he’ll be back…doing whatever it is that he does,’ she said and Rolan sighed.

‘Fine, ten minutes, and then I need you and Cal back here,’ he told her and she bit her lip.

‘Cal will be back…I will need a little longer,’ she said and Rolan’s tail whipped a little.

‘Why?’ He asked, but knew the reason.

‘He hasn’t eaten in two tendays, Rolan, he has seven thousand spawn to lead through The Underdark, he needs to be strong-’

‘At the cost of your strength,’ Rolan pointed at her and her eyebrows furrowed.

‘For a few hours! I’ll be alright, and he’ll be strong for days. Please, I’ll just need a little nap and a rare steak,’ she told him and placed a hand on his arm. He was very tense. Rolan shook his head.

‘Fine, he can go into the tower,’ he muttered and Zelphie nodded.

‘Thank you, Rolan, thank you so much, this is very helpful,’ she told him, knowing not to push her luck. He clearly was not very happy. She walked back to Cal and Astarion and the three walked up the stairs, taking the portal to the tower. Zelphie warned Cal that he would probably feel most comfortable outside while Astarion fed, but he insisted on staying in the room.

‘Let the pup watch,’ Astarion told her as she got into bed. He followed her in, climbing over her and helped her loosen the top wrap of her dress. ‘I do appreciate this, darling, and I promise, I will find something else,’ he told her and she smirked up at him.

‘Oh I’m sure you will, Star,’ she said and once her neck and shoulder were revealed, he glanced down at her. He took a deep breath and leaned over, kissing her forehead gently.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered and quickly, like the blade of a rogue, his fangs were in the skin of her neck. She hissed, it always hurt for that first second, but then her neck went numb. He held her hand, making the moment more intimate for anyone watching, but it was a simple act of trust. He was draining her of her blood, but he cared for her. Even while satiating his blood lust, his most carnal instinct, Astarion was still her friend. His hand would let her know that she was safe. It was also used to tell him to stop. Once she began to fade, she would squeeze his hand and he would be done. He sat up and licked his lips, smiling down at her. This was his happiest, right after a feeding. ‘Hopefully the next one tastes as good as you,’ he said and winked. He then looked at Cal, easily slipping off of the bed. ‘Are you my chaperone?’ He asked and Zelphie began to fade quickly.

Zelphie’s eyes closed, feeling heavy and numb. She knew Cal had a little crush on the vampire, how could he not. Maybe he understood now that as intimate as the feeding was, it wasn’t pleasant. A vampire drinking your blood seemed romantic, incredibly sensual, but in reality, it hurt and made the victim very tired and weak. Once a ten day, she would allow her friend to feed because she needed him strong. She wanted him to be happy. Astarion without blood was not a wonderful camp mate, he was moody, vicious and tired. Astarion was barely tolerable when he was in a good mood, so feeding him was necessary. She turned to her side, remembering that she was on a new bed, refusing to let the blood from her neck get anywhere. The next thing she remembered was a knock on her door.

Zelphie groaned in response, unable to speak loud enough. Another knock and she groaned again. ‘Come,’ she was able to make out and the door slowly opened.

‘Zelphie?’ Rolan was calling her name, but still wasn’t entering.

‘Come in,’ she tried again and Rolan managed to hear her. He walked in and scoffed when he saw her. She wasn’t even looking at him, but she knew exactly what his opinion of this was.

‘Good gods, Zelphie, you’re so pale,’ he said and she heard him walk over to her. ‘What do you need?’ He said and knelt down next to her. ‘I cannot believe this is the state you’re in after you let him feed on you, no, no this is unacceptable…’ his words faded as Zelphie fell asleep. He was muffled, clear, then muffled again and then silent. She wished she could tell him that she would just need sleep and a sugary treat when she woke, but she didn’t get any of that out before her consciousness faded. She was fine, she would be fine. But how would Rolan or Lia or Cal know that? Maybe Astarion hadn’t left.

It was dark when Zelphie woke up with a stretch and a yawn. Her neck was sore and she felt a little tired, but all sensations that she was used to. In her bedroom, sitting in her vanity chair and on her bed were Cal and Lia and Astarion.

‘Oh, finally,’ the vampire snickered. ‘Am I free to go? Or am I still to be punished by the master?’ He asked Cal, his voice dripping with venom.

‘I’m fine, I’m sorry Star, I’m fine,’ Zelphie but-in and sat up. She wasn’t going to let them continue interrogating Astarion. He had done nothing wrong at all. Astarion got off of her bed and Cal followed him to lead him back out. How long had she been out?

‘You scared the shit out of us,’ Lia said, standing up from her perch at Zelphie’s vanity. Zelphie sighed, the guilt she had fallen asleep with was back.

‘I know, it’s second nature to me and I should have said something, you three don’t know anything about that, I’m so sorry. And I missed half a day helping out downstairs,’ she said and sighed and Lia sat down on the bed with her.

‘Yeah, it wasn’t nice hearing all of that shouting and coming up here to find you passed out with fang marks and blood all over your neck,’ she said and Zelphie nodded, looking down at her lap. ‘Is it supposed to be like that?’

‘It’s always been like that, so I assume so, please, please don’t let this hurt your view of Astarion. I am one hundred percent consenting to this, I’ve been doing it with him for a while. He only does it if I tell him yes, I promise. This stops him from feeding on innocent victims, and as long as I do it before I know I can just lie down for a while, it’s not inconvenient for me. I just fall asleep,’ she said and Lia nodded.

‘Well, you’ll have to tell all of that to Rolan. I had to stop him from staking Astarion. Well. Cal did,’ she said and smirked.

‘I hope after witnessing all of that, Cal learns to be smart around Astarion,’ she said and Lia tilted her head.

‘If you were me, would you be alright with Cal getting…friendly with Astarion?’ She asked and Zelphie smiled.

‘Two months ago? Absolutely not. Now I’d trust a newborn with him. He’s changed for the better, I promise. As we all have,’ she said and Lia’s smile grew.

‘I’ll trust you. Alright, do you need anything? I’m going to alert Master Grump that you are awake. I had to kick him out of here,’ she explained and stood back up.

‘Anything with a bit of sugar would be good. Or a raw steak, whichever is easier,’ she said and Lia laughed, nodded and walked out of the room. Zelphie got out of bed once the door was shut and began to change into night clothes. Glancing out the balcony doors, it was certainly nighttime and she was sure that bed would be next for her. She chucked her robes into a bin once she was changed and walked out to the balcony. The city was still a chaotic mess, but it was very much alive, all the way down there. She leaned on the balcony and just looked down at what she could see. The street did look better than the night before. No fireworks tonight in the sky. She looked to the north, The Upper City was in ruins. Then she remembered the last companion she saw after their victory, Jaheira lived so close to The Upper City.

Zelphie closed her eyes, preparing a sending spell. It wasn’t something she was skilled in, but Halsin had given her the tools to clear her mind for one.

‘High Harper, I’ll be living at Ramazith’s Tower. My home did not make it. Come and visit if you need me.’

Twenty one words were sent directly to her friend. She hoped Jaheira would receive the message and hoped her family was safe. She sighed out her nose and stood up. As she did, the High Harper’s voice rang through her head.

‘Please come and pick up Rion.’

Zelphie laughed and walked back to her bedroom. Humor from Jaheira was normal, so it couldn’t be too terrible for her right then. Good. She shut the balcony door and there was a knock at the bedroom door.

‘Come in,’ she called, pulling the shades to the balcony. It was grumpy Rolan. She wasn’t thrilled to have this conversation with him. At least Lia warned her it was about to get ugly. ‘Rolan, I’m sorry, I didn’t think, I’m so desensitized to it, I forgot how intense it could seem,’ she said and Rolan shut the door behind him, stepping in.

‘I don’t want that happening again,’ he told her squarely and she frowned.

‘I won’t let him up here again, I promise. I’m sorry,’ she told him and held her hands behind her back ashamed as she was scolded. Rolan’s eyes narrowed and he cleared his throat.

‘No, I mean I don’t want him feeding on you anymore,’ he told her and she tilted her head. ‘Oh, don’t give me that look. You have no idea what that was like…coming in here and seeing you like that. Close to death and for what?’

‘So my friend doesn’t need to take innocent victims to survive? Have you ever met a hungry vampire, Rolan?’ She asked and he shook his head.

‘You can’t do that again. I understand why you used to do it, when your life depended on it, but that’s all over now,’ he explained and she frowned.

‘I will not bring him back up here, but you cannot tell me what I can and cannot do with my own body, Rolan,’ she told him and his frown matched hers. She did not want to have another fight with him. The last little one was about Gale, this would be about herself.

‘Where will you go, then?’ He asked her, clearly annoyed and thinking the same as her. He did not want to fight with her.

‘I don’t know…I can’t think right now,’ she said and rubbed her temples. ‘Just…I am sorry and I promise I won’t continue being a burden,’ she said and Rolan’s face softened. This was not how he usually settled things. People usually fought him until a physical fight broke out. She was just giving in.

‘You are not a burden, I just…’ he said and took a long inhale. ‘I’m worried about you. We’re all lucky you survived yesterday. Or the previous months. I apologize that my anger is the only tool I have to express my care,’ he said and Zelphie’s eyebrow arched. His care, those words rang through her like a gong. Rolan straightened up a little. ‘What’s that look for?’

‘Do you care about me?’ She asked him softly. She cared about him. She assumed he didn’t want much to do with her besides pay her back. Rolan’s tail twitched and he looked away for a moment.

‘Of course I do,’ he said and Zelphie’s tail twitched a little as well. That felt nice. ‘I care very deeply for you…I meant everything that I have said to you and about you, Zelphie,’ he said and was about to continue, but Zelphie butted in.

‘I care for you, too,’ she said quickly and Rolan just looked at her. The eyes of a tiefling never gave away much emotion, but with the soft swishing of his tail, she knew she hadn’t said the wrong thing.

‘I am glad to hear that,’ he said and took in another deep breath. ‘I’m sure you are hungry, and even if you are not, you must eat,’ he said and reached out to gently touch her face with the back of his hand. He was close again. Her tail was giving her away. ‘You are freezing, my dear,’ he said, but she was paralyzed. Damn him. ‘I’ll go fetch you something warm,’ he said and his hand left her cheek.

‘I’ll come with you,’ she said, maybe a little eagerly and he smiled a little, his red neck getting even more red.

‘If you wish,’ he said and led her out. Her heart was very light, some of that feeling could be attributed to the lack of blood, but it was very nice to hear Rolan being so…nice. Of course she was keen on him, he was handsome and passionate and incredibly frumpy. He was very kind to her, her mind flashed to the party Zevlor had thrown for her companions and the tieflings. Goodness how naive they all were back then. He had been in a very good mood that night, everyone was, well, almost everyone. Save poor Wyll, who was still very fragile that night. He had been in no mood to make merry.

‘You remember that light show you put on, those months ago when we first met?’ She asked him as they walked. Rolan chuckled and nodded his head.

‘Oh yes, that’s what you’ll get when you give me too much cheap wine and the excitement of getting out of a druid’s hole in the ground,’ he said and Zelphie laughed.

‘I was on the balcony earlier, you see, and I was thinking. I was looking out to the people down below and I was a bit upset I didn’t see or hear any fireworks. Someday soon, for the people, maybe the new master of Ramazith’s Tower could put on a show? I could help too, crack of lightning, a burst of fire, hm? I think it could be fun,’ she said and he watched her and shook his head.

‘I was wondering when the real you was going to show up,’ he said, sounding amused.

‘Could we? Please Rolan, I think the city needs a big surprise, and is there a more spectacular building in Baldur’s Gate?’ She asked and his smile grew. He was not exactly the biggest fan of ‘fun’, not in the childlike way that Zelphie enjoyed. But he was never a man to shy from a compliment. It would be nice, receiving applause from the city. ‘And is there a more brilliant wizard?’ She asked and nudged him.

‘Alright, fine, fine,’ he said and looked down at her. She was happily grinning up at him, and his smile matched hers. ‘You are really something else, you know that?’ He asked her as they entered the kitchen, maintained by elementals.

‘Oh? What would that be?’ She asked him and he laughed.

‘Mostly annoying,’ he said playfully and she cackled. ‘But other than that, very surprising,’ he said and Zelphie picked at a tray of sweet biscuits.

‘Hopefully not in an annoying way,’ she said and took a bite of one.

‘No, no, in a very good way. You know I’m very set in my ways, but you just…plow through everything and when I get upset and annoyed at the change…it turns out you are always…always right,’ he said and she stared up at him. ‘And even just that is annoying, but I am growing to like it a lot,’ he added and looked down at her. She had no idea what to say.

‘You’re the one who is surprising,’ she finally said, and he smirked. ‘Maybe we will both make each other better,’ she said and watched him collect a rare steak from one of his many elementals. He cut it in half and plated both halves, handing her one.

‘I think you’ve already changed me for the better,’ he told her and she just shook her head. She took the plate and walked over to the large kitchen counter with him to sit and eat.

‘All these compliments because I suggested we put on a fireworks show,’ she said, very happy with herself. He chuckled and sat down.

‘Because you suggested putting on a fireworks show after you were bled dry and we had a row,’ he corrected and she shook her head.

‘I would not consider that little bickering a row, Rolan. Not one fireball was cast,’ she said, taking a bite of her steak and sighed out happily. He just watched her.

‘Is that usually how fights with you end?’ He asked her and she laughed.

‘It’s a very quick way to end a fight, that is for sure,’ she said and he laughed at her. She took another bite and looked at him as she chewed. She was just watching him, watching him be normal, ordinary. It was nice, it wasn’t special or anything, it just felt nice. ‘This is a very good way to end a day, though,’ she said and he looked up at her.

‘Oh? Empty of plasma?’ He snickered and she shook her head, unphased.

‘No. Eating and talking with you,’ she said and took another bite. Her feelings for Rolan were clearly more than just civil or friendly. She did like him, of course she did. But could she tell him that? Should she tell him that? He just looked at her, he was searching her eyes and face with his own. As the two just stared at each other, Zelphie’s exhausted body was working through instinct alone and Rolan looked down at his own tail. Without meaning to, Zelphie’s tail had wrapped around his. Tiefling tails were very much like a cat’s tail. It expressed their emotional and comfort levels. Because of this, a touch from another’s tail was a little intimate, like holding another’s hand. Zelphie’s eyes followed his eyes and she gasped, seeing as she was the culprit. Her mind controlled her tail once more and she left Rolan’s alone. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, waves of embarrassment and guilt hitting her like a tidal wave. If she could fall through the floor and away from Rolan’s eye, she would have. But she hid her face in her hand, looking down at her plate.

‘No…no, it’s alright…it was nice,’ he said and Zelphie felt a little spark. Rolan’s tail weaved around hers. Zelphie’s cheeks and ears burned hot. She curled her tail with his, not having a clue exactly what was happening. But maybe that was a good thing? No, no, she needed to know what he was thinking. She let her hand down from her face and looked up at him. As she did, he leaned down and she felt his lips on her burning cheek. Just a soft little kiss. ‘But you must eat, rest up, I’ll greet you in the morning, my dear,’ he whispered and she felt almost as faint as she did after feeding Astarion. She couldn’t make words come out, and she didn’t know what to say. She was frozen. He got up, and she was screaming on the inside. No, don’t go, don’t leave. But Rolan wasn’t like Astarion, he wasn’t like anyone she had ever met. Rolan left her, speechless, in the kitchen, and she caught sight of his tail, curled up in an S-shape. Oh. Oh!

[bengiyo]

Hi Ben!

I saw Vee from You're My Sky in your most misunderstood characters list and now I'm curious, what's your opinion on this series as a whole? Gifs tell me that it has a high production value, great cinematography and Suar in it, so I'm quite tempted to give it a go. But it's rarely talked about so... is it really worth a watch?

I love You're My Sky because it was the first show to follow in the wake of I Told Sunset About You and try to bring rich color, engaging cinematography, and and structured presentation of character dynamics after ITSAY. It's also a sports BL that takes its sports portion super seriously. It's also the show you should watch if you like when the younger guy is pursuing the older guy, because that's true for all three couples.

The show has three couples in it, and I really liked how the show kept all three couples at about the same moment emotionally throughout the entire runtime. It meant that we sometimes wouldn't see one of the side couples for a while, but I much prefer that to having the couples be in really different places and throw off the emotional tone of an episode.

Our primary pairing is between Thorn and Tupfah. They are childhood friends. Thorn followed Tupfah to his college after a few years and was confused why Tupfah no longer plays basketball. Theirs is a friends-to-lovers story where Thorn has been pining for a long time.

This show let us also see them spend time as a couple and face real complications that a couple of two aspiring professional athletes would face, including availability for college practice and potentially ending up with different clubs. There's also a great deal of examination of the kinds of coaching environments athletes might suffer or thrive under.

The second couple, Saen and Aii, aren't a sports couple, but Aii is older and graduating. He's focused on leaving Thailand and pursuing a professional career in Japan. In them you get a determined, sociable younger pursuer and a standoffish older interest.

I really liked where they went with this couple because we got to see a grandmother giving a knowing smirk when she enters the bedroom after their first night together, and we see them deal with the impending stress of being in a long-distance relationship for likely years.

I wrote about Vee in the ask you mentioned, but to reiterate, Vee is assigned to work with his sister's boyfriend on the track team. Vee, being the flirty little shit he is, teases Dome and is having a good time until it gets way too serious for both of them and he's having a panic attack in the middle of a race.

Their story is compelling because it doesn't end in success on screen. The social politics of their attraction make it impossible for them to consummate this romance under the current circumstances, and the show explores how this choice impacted the sister as well.

And then there's the basketball! This show does so much cool shit with the camera and the frame around the basketball itself. It also has a robust supporting cast in the basketball team. There's a beautiful scene of the whole team giving space to Thorn and Fah to figure out something important, and there's another lovely scene where they talk about gender identity.

Truly, as a man who enjoys sports and sports dramas, they did not fuck around when it came to doing the sports portion of this. The only other BL I remember being this serious about the sports was maybe Project S: Spike. Almost all the gifs are going to be the romance stuff, but the sports stuff in this show is well done.

I'm a big fan of this project, and I think it has some of my favorite presentations of masculinity in genre. I will probably rewatch it after I finish this UWMA rewatch.

Thanks for the ask!

[daemour]

Shut Up Before I Fall In Love

Pairing: Jongho x f!Reader

Genre: Angst, fluff, childhood f2l, family au

WC: 3729

Warnings: Cursing, absent family is a big part of it but not explored too much.

Summary: After you finish college, your parents ask you to move back home to help with your nephew. As much as you are bitter about your older sister dumping her child to go “find herself”, you’d do anything for little Jihoon.

When you return home, you’re surprised to see your childhood best friend, Jongho, still around, after growing up hearing him talk about how he’d love to move to America. But you won’t say no to his company.

This is written for @pirateeznet's anniversary project! My quiz result was Illusion :) Go and check out the other authors' works!

I do have an idea for a continuation of this more focused on the family part of it so if you want to see that too let me know ^^

-

As you leave the taxi, you hear your nephew screech your name before he can barrel himself into your legs. “Auntie!” You gasp playfully as you wrap your arms around the ball of energy clinging to you. “You’re here!”

“I am!” you cheer as you sweep the preschooler up in your arms, spinning him around once before setting him back down. “You’ve gotten so big, baby. Soon I won’t be able to pick you up anymore!” Jihoon puffs out his chest, proud of his achievement.

“Yeah! Soon I’ll pick you up instead!” You laugh, ruffling his hair. “Will you take me to the park instead of Gramma and Grampa?”

“Yes, baby. We can spend all summer together.” Jihoon cheers, his little fists pumping up in the air, and you smile at the cute action.

When you finally look up from the top of your nephew’s head, you first see your mother waving languidly and then your eyes catch on a familiar figure. “Jongho?” the name falls out of your mouth and the man in question smiles and raises a hand in acknowledgement.

“(Y/N), it’s been a while.”

Your heart is overflowing with such warmth at the familiar sight. “It certainly has been. Still in the same neighbourhood, Mr America?” you tease, grinning at the sight of Jongho’s ears turning red as he averts his eyes.

“Yeah,” Jongho rolls his eyes at your jibe good-naturedly. “I was six, dude. You’re never gonna let me live that down.”

You laugh, shoving at his shoulder. “You were six, and then you were twelve, and then you were eighteen and still talking about it. No, I will not be letting it go. But really, it’s good to see you again. Hopefully we can catch up at some point.”

Before Jongho even gets a chance to respond, Jihoon pulls at your pant leg. “Auntie, talk grown-up later! I’m more important!” At his straight-forward demand, all three of the “grown-ups” laugh and you’re quickly ushered into the house by the child, looking back and giving Jongho a quick wave. His pealing laughter follows you even after the door closes.

-

It’s only been about a week since you’ve returned, and it feels like both nothing and so much has changed. Your room has been changed into a storage unit and you’ve currently taken over the guest room, but the rest of the house’s layout remains unchanged save a few decor. Your mom also remains unchanged, and the only large difference is, well, the presence of Jihoon.

Every so often, you don’t expect him barreling around the corners into your knees and every time you see him, your disdain for your sister grows. It’s not his fault, and it’s definitely not her fault that the father is a deadbeat and out of the picture. And it’s not her fault that she wants to be able to have fun in life, but you also think that her time spent “finding herself” should not be spent partying it up dangerously and only showing up when she wants something from your mother. She doesn’t call him her son unless it’s to his face, but still won’t give him up for adoption for the pity points. It’s despicable in your eyes. Jihoon needs his mom but he doesn’t need your sister.

Thinking about the situation just causes you stress each day. You dropped everything to come here to care for your nephew, but she can’t even spare time to see her son win an award at his preschool. Jihoon is always asking about his mother, and neither you nor your mother has the heart to tell him the truth. Not just yet. His world is full of empty promises and you don’t know how to fix it.

Today’s another day of your mother desperately begging your sister to spend time with Jihoon and you taking the few school hours you have left to sit on the porch and contemplate life. Every so often you can hear another door slam as your mother paces from room to room and you wonder how you got here.

A gentle nudge to your shoulder makes your eyes fly open as you stare up at Jongho. “Falling asleep on the job?” he teases, a crooked smile on his face as he dodges your swat.

“It’s not a job,” you snark, even though you and Jongho know that’s a lie. “I’m just waiting for him to come barrelling down the sidewalk.”

“Spoken like a true mother hen,” Jongho laughs, and judging from his facial expressions he immediately regrets his choice of joke. You don’t point it out, however, and so neither does he. Instead, you scoot aside on the porch swing and Jongho plops down beside you.

You decide to ignore the heat of his body next to you and the press of his thighs against yours, just closing your eyes and letting your head fall against the back of the swing. A moment passes.

“What time is Jihoon’s bedtime?” The question makes your eyes open as you turn your head to look at Jongho’s soft side profile. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“How’d you know I was looking at you?” you ask without expecting an answer. “Anyways, he goes to bed around nine, why?”

Jongho still refuses to look at you and you wonder why in the back of your head. “Wanna get fries afterwards?” You raise an eyebrow at the familiar olive branch, poking at Jongho’s leg with your foot. Every time he felt like he hurt you somehow, he would always offer to buy you food, starting way back in grade school when he accidentally broke your glasses.

“Slick, dude. But yeah, I’d like to.” No more words are spoken on the matter as Jihoon runs up the driveway, just a nod and then your attention turns to the three-year-old. Once again, it’s time to forget you are your own person and become a parental figure for Jihoon. With a sigh and a  shake of your head, you will those thoughts out of your head and prepare for a busy afternoon of watching Jihoon.

-

“Okay, I'm home free,” you announce as you come down the stairs to where Jongho is waiting with a patient smile on his face. “Let’s go get fries.”

“The usual place?” Jongho asks and you nod excitedly.

“I haven’t been to that diner in forever! Ahjussi still going strong?” Your eyes are practically sparkling at the prospect of going to the “old” spot.

Jongho smiles knowingly and that gives you the only answer you need. “And he still hates being called Ahjussi. Come on, I’ll drive.”

Excitedly, you follow him out to his old sedan, hopping into the passenger seat. “Any better at driving?” you tease and he smacks your arm without hesitation. Some things never change.

And just as you remembered, the drive takes a meagre ten minutes, most of which was you singing along badly to the radio with Jongho laughing at your pitiful attempts. Not that you were actually trying.

Giggling, the two of you stumble into the 24/7 diner, placing orders through laughter and you’re pretty sure the worker is already sick of you two. Jongho makes sure to tip her well and you ignore the warmth in your stomach again at seeing his warm smile and hearing his low ‘thanks’.

“So!” Jongho proclaims in a news anchor voice, holding his straw as a makeshift microphone, “Here we have Ms. (Y/N) (L/N), home from college! Please, update us on how your life has been in the great shining city of Seoul!”

You’re laughing too hard to answer him properly and Jongho smiles at you fondly. “You’re just as weird as I remember, huh,” you finally manage to say, wiping the tears from your eyes. “It’s been nice. I really enjoy all the little hole-in-the-wall stores I chance upon there, but it’s really fast-paced there.”

Jongho nods understandingly. “Small towns are really nice in that way. Not so much getting everywhere at all times.”

You frown, leaning forward. ‘That reminds me…why didn’t you go to America? You certainly had the grades to do it.” You didn’t mean to be direct about it, but it’s been pressing on your mind since you returned to town. “I left quickly for college, so I don’t know what was up with you for so long.”

Jongho grows silent, his eyes darting away. “It wasn’t much. I just wanted to stay instead.” But alas, Jongho can’t lie when it comes to you, and he never could. All it takes is one look from you for his resolve to fold. “I…you can’t hate me for this, okay?”

You frown, tilting your head at that. “I could never hate you, Jongho. Come on, just tell me.”

Jongho bites his lip and averts his eyes, but finally speaks. “I stayed for Jihoon.” You blink, confused, and Jongho rushes to explain himself. “You couldn’t just drop college—you were in your second year—and your mom couldn’t handle both your sister and a newborn. I didn’t want them to have to call you back if they could help it. I didn’t even apply to colleges at that point so I didn’t lose anything. I just–”

“Jongho,” you whisper, feeling your heart bloom with affection for him. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

Jongho smiles weakly. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. All you knew was that there was a baby, but not all the issues that came with him.”

You smile back at him, reaching out to take his hands. “I don’t hate you, you know. You’ve done so much for us, and I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like without you here. Jihoon loves you.” Jongho peeks at you and you squeeze his hands comfortingly.  “Thank you for all your help.”

Jongho’s eyes are suspiciously shiny, but before anything else can happen, the girl who took your order shyly approaches the table. “Uh, I’m sorry to interrupt…but we’re closing and need to wipe down the tables.”

You and Jongho both stand up startlingly fast, averting both of your eyes in embarrassment. “Yeah, sorry. We’ll be out of your hair,” Jongho reassures before turning to you. “Let’s get you home. It’s a school night after all.”

At that, the tension is gone and you smack his bicep with a snort. “Yeah yeah, dad, let’s go home.”

When the two of you finally arrive home, you pause in the driveway. “I don’t want to go in,” you blurt out and Jongho frowns, coming up behind you. “I know I’m being dramatic, but it feels like if I go in, my life will be gone. I’m twenty-three, Jongho. I can’t be a parent. I love Jihoon but I don’t want to live my life being his mom for my sister.”

Jongho’s hand comes to rest on your shoulder. “I get it. But you know, I think you’re doing great. Jihoon will get older soon and he’ll understand. And you have me and your mom to lean on.” He squeezes your shoulder, and in typical Jongho fashion, winks to brighten up the conversation. You roll your eyes but smile at him, thankful for his comfort.

“Thanks, Jongho. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When he leaves, his words stick with you up until you get ready to sleep and lie in bed, and you dream of his warm smile.

-

“Fries?”

“Fries.”

Those two words became a staple of your and Jongho’s relationship. About once a week, you’d go get fries and just chill and feel like the young adults you actually are. But a new problem has occurred.

You have a crush on Jongho.

And maybe in any other circumstance, it would’ve been fine. Perhaps in a different life, you would’ve been happy with Jongho, starting a life together. But not now, not like this. Not whenever you think about having a life of your own guilt wrenches in your gut because of Jihoon.

So like any self-respecting human being would do, you start to avoid him. At first, it wasn’t an issue. You didn’t mind hanging out in groups, but you avoided one-on-one time like the plague. It helped to use Jihoon as an excuse, but sooner or later, that wasn’t going to fly.

But on a day like this, when it’s just you and your nephew, you feel at peace.  Your mom is having a luncheon with her friends and Jongho is at work so you’re watching your nephew yourself, something that surprisingly doesn’t happen too often. But your mom deserves some time with her friends too and you like having alone time while Jihoon plays by himself.

The pitter-patter of his feet does not catch your attention right until he stops at your side. “Hey, auntie?” Jihoon tugs at your pant legs as you cut vegetables in preparation for lunch. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” you smile at him, putting down the knife and wiping your hands on your apron as you crouch down. “What’s up, kiddo?”

“Are you my mom now?” Your jaw drops and you’re pretty sure you’re not blinking because your eyes are stinging as you just stay in the same position. You both knew this question would be coming and yet weren’t expecting it at all.

“Jihoon, what do you mean by that?” You do know what he means by that but you need to get to the root of his thoughts.

Jihoon shrugs, no longer looking into your eyes as if he did something bad, and you feel guilty over your reaction although you don’t think you could’ve helped it. “My teachers always say mommies are always here and you are! So can you be my new mom?”

You try to speak but nothing but a strangled sob comes out and you clear your throat. “Jihoon, honey…it’s not quite how that works. I take care of you but I can’t be your mom.”

“Why? Grandma’s too old so it’s you!” He sounds almost angry about it and if not for the context you would laugh.

You frown as you think of the best way to explain this to someone whose knowledge of the world consists of LEGOs and Frozen. “It’s just a lot of adult problems that need to be solved first. Just like when you play with building blocks! You gotta build the bottom before the next part!”

Jihoon nods sagely. “Okay,” he agrees easily, patting you on the knee before going back to colouring pages on the couch. You’re left in the kitchen on your knees, silently letting the tears fall as your family breaks apart even more.

You want someone to come. You want your mom, you want Jongho. Distancing be damned. You just want someone. You try your best to wipe away your tears furiously when you hear the door creak open. “Uncle Jongho!”

Oh shit. You didn’t mean to actually manifest Jongho coming around, even if you knew that it was very likely that he would just go over to your place instead of heading to his own. It was almost like his own home at this point, no matter how much you and your mom tried to convince him that he didn’t have to let his life be taken up by your little family.

“Hey, kiddo,” you hear Jongho high-five your nephew and you smile despite your overflowing emotions. “Where’s (Y/N)?”

“Kitchen,” your rascal of a relative rats you out with relative ease (not that he would take that much interest in your forest fire of a crush). “She’s making lunch.”

“Thanks, kiddo.” You can practically see Jongho ruffle Jihoon’s hair, an action the toddler absolutely adores. And soon enough, his heavy footsteps make their way to where you’re standing like a buffoon.

As you’ve mentioned, you’re a self-respecting human. So self-respecting that you whirl around to hide your red eyes and overall pretty shabby appearance. “Hello, Jongho,” you greet him a little too casually and Jongho is immediately on high alert.

“What happened?” is his first question, with no hesitation whatsoever and you silently curse at how well he knows you. “Are you all right?”

“Oh yeah, I’m okay.” You’re not fooling anyone, not with a voice thick with tears and you’re refusal to turn around. “Uh…do you mind finishing up lunch for me? I think I need a moment to myself.”

“Yeah, of course…” There’s confusion and worry prevalent in his voice, and before you can escape to your room, you feel his hand grip at your shoulder as he pulls you into a bone-crushing hug.

The warmth and sturdiness of his arms comforts you more than you can explain and it takes all your energy to not let the tears break free as you squeeze his waist before pulling back and sighing deeply with a whispered “thank you”. You’re still not ready to talk to him but you will never take his consideration for granted.

“Let’s talk later, okay?” Jongho raises an eyebrow and you know it’s not really a question. You can only nod and hope that you can escape the questioning for a little longer before you get your thoughts under control.

-

And you’re caught not two precious weeks later when Jongho corners you before you can go to bed, raising an eyebrow along with his request “fries?” and you know you can’t back out this time.

To your surprise, he doesn’t pull into a parking space, instead utilising the drive-through, before going down an old road you almost don’t remember. It’s only when you reach the destination that you remember—the open field you and Jongho used to skip classes at.

“Jongho?” you start to question but he holds up a hand.

“Not yet. Let’s set up first.”

“Set up?” Your words are stopped short when he pulls out a large picnic blanket from the backseat.

Not moments later, Jongho motions for you to come join him on the ground, smiling to himself at his little impromptu picnic. Unsure, you slowly lower yourself on the ground, and it’s only when you get comfortable he finally speaks. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

You blanch, not ready to have been called out so quickly. “What? What do you mean?” you try to defend but it comes out so squeakily that you know there’s no escaping the conversation. With another look from Jongho, you sigh. “I just needed to think over things. Nothing against you. Getting my life straight and all that.”

Jongho frowns, his concern sweet. “Is it about Jihoon?”

You almost laugh at how close and yet so far he is. “Basically. Just a lot of things adding up and I don’t know…just trying to sort through it.” It’s so hard to lie to him, even if your ability to is a little better than his. It takes everything in your willpower to not spill everything like you’re so used to doing.

Jongho tilts his head adorably and you can feel your cheeks warming up. You turn your gaze away lest you fall further. “I can help you, (Y/N). You don’t have to shoulder it all by yourself.”

Before you can stop yourself, the mental blockade falls and you blink at him, before blurting out, “Stop.” Jongho stares at you, surprised and maybe a little hurt, but your big fat mouth can’t stop moving. “Shut up before I fall in love with you, okay? It’s so hard, Jongho. I just want to be able to live without the guilt of Jihoon and eonni over my head but when you’re so perfect, so pretty and so kind it’s so damn hard to not love you.”

Jongho opens his mouth and nothing comes out and it’s only then you realise the weight of your words. “I…I’m sorry. Just forget I said anything,” you mutter, turning away in embarrassment. You didn’t mean to let it all spill out, and now what is Jongho going to think of you? You want to go home and hide under all of your blankets but the issue is Jongho is your ride home. You’re in no mood to walk and there’s no way Jongho would let you walk home either.

As you sit in awkward silence, a single fry coming into your line of vision baffles you enough to look up. Jongho sits right in front of you, his expression stone cold as he attempts to feed you a fry. When you open your mouth to question him, he just sticks the fry in your mouth. Unfortunately, he is a little too enthusiastic and basically shoves it down your throat and you cough violently.

“Oh shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to do it that harshly,” he panics, rummaging around the bag he brought trying to find his water bottle, and you almost laugh but choke some more instead. “Stop talking you’re making it worse!”

With some patting on the back by Jongho and an unholy amount of water, you finally manage to swallow the fry properly. “What was that for?” you croak out and it’s Jongho’s turn to look away bashfully.

“I just wanted you to shut up and stop being stupid.” Jongho scolds, his hand coming up to rest at the top of your head. You can’t help but notice the way his fingers slowly stroke at your hair. “You shouldn’t hold all that to yourself. Talk about it, you idiot. How else would I know you like me too?”

You stare at him, unblinking as you process his words. “You what?”

Jongho rolls his eyes before leaning closer so his nose almost touches yours. “I like you, you fool. Don’t feel guilty about it, idiot. Jihoon would want you to be happy, and I won’t be weird about it. I practically raised him too, you know. It hurts a little you think I wouldn’t care that much.” 

You don’t know what to say to that and instead just opt for something more simple. “Can I kiss you?”

All Jongho does in answer is press his lips to yours. As soon as your faces meet, you feel the warmth in your stomach bubble up so intensely that you fear you might melt with all the love you have for him. “What did I do to deserve you?” you mumble and you can feel Jongho’s smile against your lips.

“You were you.”

[tornrose24]

After finishing rewatching all of The Ghost and Molly Mcgee, these are my thoughts.

I think this is the one time in who knows how many years I’ve been invested in something that came from Disney. I haven’t seen this kind of passion project in a long time and sadly I don’t know if I’ll ever see that magic again for awhile, considering how Disney itself has suffered with many poor choices.

As for the show, a lot hits different when you know how it ends. Certain moments become a lot more meaningful with that knowledge.

I’d say first season was the better of the two. There was far more at stake and the story was building up to its climax in numerous ways compared to season two. The threat of The Chairman and the discovering of the duo’s friendship is very much felt in more episodes compared to Jinx.

Scratch’s character development is really noticeable in season 1, but in a way Molly’s is as well, given how one learns to open up and learn kindness and optimism while the other also needs to learn to open up in other ways, as well as grow into the wise, yet still optimistic teenager she becomes at the end of the show.

Season two… the stakes aren’t as great here. As stated by others, the Chens are overall not given much as a threat for season 2, and Jinx is used too sparingly so the penultimate season does feel a bit rushed. I honestly would have taken out some episodes from this season and replaced them with ones that could have addressed this, especially had the creators known they’d only get two seasons. Though of course they did not when starting out and it’s surreal to think that–had things gone right–we’d be waiting for season 3 right now.

However, I’m still sticking to my initial thoughts regarding ‘The End.’ I still don’t think it was necessary for Scratch to forget Molly.

The first problem is that this plot point is already one a lot of us are familiar with (I’ve seen it quite a lot in my case). Doctor Who used it (before it got changed), Spiderman No Way Home used it to a painful extreme, and Gravity Falls temporarily used it in its own finale. There’s a novel called ‘Just like Heaven’ that is a more romantic version of TGAMM, and it ended with memory loss as well (though the movie has a happier ending). I feel sad, but I also feel angry, which leads to my second problem.

Molly and Scratch’s friendship is the heart of this show. We were entertained and moved by it, as well as how far they would go for each other. So when Scratch forgets, we feel Molly’s pain as observers to her and Scratch’s story. We want Scratch to live his life as a human, and we wanted him to go out and see the world, but he should NOT have had to forget Molly in exchange. I know we always have to say goodbye and that there are some people who were special to us that we might/will never see again, but dear lord, being forgotten is a certain type of pain that hurts even worse. 

Rewatching/remembering certain scenes is now more painful, knowing now that Scratch will forget them. Him saying that he’d hate to forget Molly was too cruel. When I was getting cloer to revisiting ‘The End’ I was feeling reluctance to continue on, and not just because I was almost done with the re-watching. When Scratch merged back with his body and the screen turned to white, I had to fight the urge to shut the episode down and pretend things went differently. That’s how much it hurts when it’s not just a casual viewing. I know these characters ultimately belong to someone else, but I wouldn’t want to put them through that kind of suffering.

Had I been in charge of the show, but kept the idea of ‘taking risks is what makes if worth living,’ I would have used one of two different endings. One where its the same, but Scratch remembers Molly. The other would have been a time skip, when Scratch returned to Brighton with Adia and he reunited with Molly who is a little older but is still the girl he knew.

But… I do appreciate the small ray of hope that was given. That Scratch’s behavior as a human and certain use of words–as well as calling Molly by name despite supposedly never hearing it before-fuels a lot of hope that one day Scratch will remember and he will reunite with Molly one day. That even a few writers proposed a reunion story where Molly hugging Scratch would trigger his memories to come back gives me hope that there's still a possibility in that story. (If anyone tells me I'm stupid to be thinking those things, please don't because I care about those characters THAT much.)

Until then, we have aus, what ifs, and fan fics to fix that.

So… I don’t know when I’ll rewatch the whole show again, given the emotional toll. I’ll still revisit some episodes and scenes. But I’m grateful that Disney allowed this show to exist–it deserved more love and attention. If this had to be the very last good thing to ever come out of Disney, I’ll take it.