#i was feeling really rusty to say the least but it worked out despite my friends having to hold my hand through it lmao

[naoreco]

For my artscuffle secret santa gift to lucien @luce-speaks wizbard i offered more laid to rest fanart. Don't ask any questions if you don't know what this is about just go read it right now right now right now right now right now.

i did take some inspo from my friend rose @good-beansdraws' own drawing of the scene preceding it you should also check that out :)))

[un-petit-sanctuaire]

Night Ride

Pairing: Sylus x f!MC

Genre: Fluff

Rating: General

Word Count: 2.8k

Summary: You were stressing out over your work, so Sylus decided to take you on a joyride on his motorcycle that night.

Author’s Note: It’s my first Love and Deepspace fic! I’d say it’s set not long after around Nightplumes. Anyway, I haven’t written in a while, so please excuse any rustiness. Also, English is not my first language, so feel free to point out any mistakes kindly. ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ Constructive criticism and feedback are very welcome! I’d really appreciate them to help me write better in the future. Last but not least, happy reading. ♡

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You were pacing back and forth in Sylus’s living room that evening, a bunch of files and documents spread around you on the floor. The owner of the house himself was sitting in a nearby armchair, his hands nonchalantly flipping today’s Linkon newspaper you brought him. On his shoulder, a familiar mechanical crow sat, glancing between the newspaper and your restless movements.

Two days ago, the Association assigned you and your team a mission. The assignment was broken down into smaller individual tasks and divided equally among your team members. Yet, somehow, you felt your part was very challenging to figure out. Your assigned location was close to the N109 Zone, though—you weren’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse. Feeling that your brain might explode for working outside alone, you decided to grace a certain white-haired man with your presence in his vicinity.

And that’s how you found yourself stressing out at Sylus’s home.

“That’s it,” his voice thundered, making you jump on the spot after what seemed to be an endless staring contest with the papers in front of you. Even Mephisto let out a sharp caw, flapping its wings as it flew off, startled by his master’s sudden break from the silence. Sylus rose from his seat, turning towards where he kept his keys before adding, “Let’s go, kitten.”

“... What?” You turned your attention from your papers towards him, eyebrows knitted.

“You should see the agitated look on your face. Your task isn’t going to resolve itself unless you have a clear mind.” With a casual flick of his finger, he sent his motorcycle keys spinning into his palm. “Let’s head outside.”

“But—”

“Do I look like I take no for an answer?”

Given how much time you’d spent together lately—no thanks to the energy linkage—you seemed to understand there was probably no room for debate with him under these circumstances. “Wait, where are we going? Can’t I just stay and do my work?” Despite your protests, you found yourself trailing after him, half-running to keep up with his long strides as he headed for the door.

“Somewhere to get some fresh air,” he replied without looking back at you. With another flick of his fingers, his jacket effortlessly landed over his shoulder. “I could use some too. Your little pacing game made my head spin.” He stopped outside in front of his bike, finally turning around to hand you your usual helmet. “And no, you’re still going whether you like it or not,” he declared. His sentence sounded like a threat, but his tone was somehow gentle.

You considered for a moment. He might have a point; you wouldn’t make any progress with your head clouded by frustration. Besides, your task wasn’t due any time soon, and after working on it all day long, you desperately needed to clear your mind. Normally you would argue, but your energy had already been drained from all the thinking. Sighing, you took the helmet from his hand and slipped it on. Your fingers fumbled, trying to fasten the buckle. Sylus let out a small scoff, stepping forward to help you click it into place.

As you settled behind him on the motorcycle, his eyes found yours in the reflection of the side mirror.

“Don’t be shy, sweetie. Hold on to me.”

You hesitated for a bit and ended up gripping his jacket, not quite fully clutching onto him. “Ease up on the speed, though,” you remarked, earning a soft chuckle from him.

“Oh? You get to tell the driver how to behave, now?” he shook his head, a subtle smirk curling at the corner of his lips. “Sure, I’ll keep it civil,” he replied, though you weren’t sure if he was being genuine or merely teasing you.

With a rev of the engine, he drove out of the side street and onto the main highway. The night sky above the N109 Zone hung in its usual dark and misty state, but the city lights gradually sprung to life around you. You inhaled the cool evening air, soaking in your surroundings. You were a biker yourself, but for once, it felt refreshing to be the passenger—especially since he always took the reins when the two of you rode his motorcycle.

You slowly became aware that you were heading towards Linkon. The highway stretched before you, nearly deserted, and the night enveloped you in a hush. The breeze rustled past, making your hair dance behind you.

The bike was gaining speed.

“Sylus,” you called, yanking his jacket lightly.

“Hm?”

The teasing tone in his hum was now evident.

“Don’t pretend that I don’t notice what you’re doing,” you retorted, the wind whipping fiercely around you.

“And what is it that I’m doing besides taking you for a ride?”

And as if on cue, the motorcycle roared, surging forward with a sudden burst of speed. The unexpected acceleration forced you to cling onto him for support to the point you were practically hugging him from the back, your fingers intertwined just below his stomach. “You’re doing this on purpose!” You half-shouted, your voice barely cutting through the rush of wind. “This was supposed to be a joyride, not a race!”

You couldn’t quite discern his response, but the side mirror reflected another smug smirk playing at the corner of his lips. You rolled your eyes. Oh, how you longed to wipe that smirk off his face. Speeding could be dangerous; what if a cat or some other creature suddenly crossed your path? You had no doubt he was far exceeding the speed limit. Luckily, the road was now completely empty. It also dawned on you that you weren’t heading into the center of Linkon, but rather veering towards the outskirts.

He slowed down as the bike left the main road and entered a slightly narrower one. “Don’t tell me Miss Hunter herself never accelerates?” he finally said, amusement lacing his tone.

“I’m a law-abiding citizen,” you rebutted, not quite answering his question. You did, in fact, once or twice speed up when you needed to arrive early for urgent missions. However, you were sure as hell it had never been as fast as Sylus was driving just now. “I mean, it was thrilling, but—”

“A-ha.”

He snickered, cutting you off. “I think someone is enjoying the ride more than they’re letting on,” his sing-songy tone made you roll your eyes again. “She’s practically holding onto me for dear life.”

Looking down, you realized your arms were still encircling his waist.

You quickly let go, straightening your posture behind him. “Because I was afraid I would be thrown off with that speed of yours, that’s why,” you said, pinching his side in an attempt to hide your own fluster at being caught off-guard. “It just seemed dangerous,” you mumbled.

“Careful, sweetie, no pinching the driver now,” he teased. As if reading your mind, he added with unexpected seriousness, “Your safety always comes first. We’ll be fine as long as I have good reflexes and solid bike-handling skills, which, lucky for you, I actually do.” Another smirk was visible from behind his visor, reflected in the mirror. “Besides, did you forget that I can use my Evol to secure you in place?”

You decided to ignore his remarks. Pretty sure the more you took the bait, the more amused he would be.

You noticed the road ascending towards the hill, and soon you found yourselves leaving the city behind and entering a somewhat wooded area.

“You’re not kidnapping me, are you?”

Your question elicited a chuckle from him. “You are powerful enough to knock me down when I’m distracted, and you could easily run off with my bike, leaving me here alone,” he said casually. “What makes you think I’d be kidnapping you? No, kitten, I’m not. Aren’t you curious to know what I have planned?”

He sounded almost giddy that your brows furrowed, half-annoyed.

“Very, actually,” you snorted, growing impatient. Was teasing you his way of taking your mind off work? “But as if you’ll actually tell me what it is.”

Sylus cackled. “Correct. You’ll have to suffer with anticipation, just like always.”

You restrained yourself from launching a punch at his shoulder. The area around you grew darker, with hardly any light in sight except for Sylus’s motorcycle and the occasional flicker from the lampposts. “Well, the breeze is getting rather cold,” you complained. You were only wearing your trusted white cropped jacket, while he was comfortably clad in leather.

There was a pause before he replied rather thoughtfully, “Stick close to me.”

You scooted forward, inching slightly closer to him. You heard him add, “We’re almost there.”

The bike eventually came to a halt a few minutes later. You dismounted, placing your helmet on the seat. Sylus followed suit, ruffling his silver hair back into place. You were probably going to involuntarily stare if the landscape before you didn’t capture your attention.

“Oh, wow...”

You took in your surroundings as you stood at the top of a hill, gazing out over the twinkling city below. The sky was a deep, rich shade of navy blue, dotted with shimmering stars. Linkon was clearly visible from up here; the illuminated skyscrapers flickered like fireflies, casting a warm glow against the darkness.

“Impressed?”

Sylus’s tall figure towered beside you. You glanced at him, expecting to find a smug expression there to show you an I-told-you-so look. However, while the corners of his lips did curl upward, his gaze remained soft, overlooking the gleaming city.

You were about to pester him, ‘Oh, even the big, scary leader of Onychinus can get sappy over things like this?’ but somehow the words stayed lodged in your throat.

“I am,” was all you could manage to utter. “I never knew we could see the entire city from up here.”

“I come here a lot whenever I need a break or want to be alone,” he nodded. “Just looking down at the city makes me feel at ease.”

Were you hallucinating, or did he seem a bit more sentimental than usual?

You felt his red irises shift from the scenery towards you.

Quickly, you turned your head away from him back to the view stretched beyond. “Oh, well,” you cleared your throat. “I didn’t know you could feel stressed too. You always seem... collected.”

Sylus laughed heartily. There was a pause before he replied, “I only do what I need to do.” He slid his hands into his pockets as if his words held no weight, leaving you to ponder for a moment.

The cold wind swept between you once again, prompting you to inch a little closer to him. It was really not that bad, but you hugged your arms for some warmth.

“... Thanks for bringing me here,” you muttered.

He noticed you creeping towards him, but he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, without averting his gaze from the city lights below, he wrapped an arm around your shoulder and gently pulled you closer to share his warmth. You were surprised you didn’t object or retreat—his presence felt oddly nice and comforting.

“You’re welcome, kitten.”

There were a few seconds of comfortable silence between you. Linkon was rather quiet that night—whether it was because you were quite far from the city center or because everyone else was already in a deep slumber. The only sounds that reached your ears were the delicate breeze rustling through the bushes and the distant hum of car engines.

“You’re right. This place is perfect for clearing your mind,” you spoke after what felt like a pregnant pause.

“It indeed is,” he replied. “You know, I’ve never brought anyone here before.”

The air felt warm, a stark contrast to the cold wind earlier. Or perhaps it was just your cheeks? “Not even Luke and Kieran? Or Mephisto?” You quickly covered it up and asked rather amusedly.

“Especially not the twins,” he chuckled. “Last time they discovered my hideout, things went chaotic. I take it you know them well enough now?”

The corners of your lips twitched upwards.

He then continued, “Mephisto would be a great companion, yes, if only he didn’t get too territorial and challenge the local birds to a boxing match. You saw how he was last time during our video call when I was in the park.”

You laughed—a genuine laugh after waves of frustration throughout the whole day. It felt warm and fuzzy, but it didn’t quite fight another blow of the cold gust. Up here definitely felt colder due to the high elevation. You fully folded your arms this time.

“Cold?” you heard Sylus ask.

“A little,” you allowed yourself to approach him closer. Half your back was now covered by his towering frame. You noticed him shifting, positioning his body to block the chilly breeze, his arm still wrapped around your shoulder.

You tilted your head upwards slightly to see his face. He wasn’t looking back at you; his eyes seemed glued to the illuminated city below. Only then did you realize how soft he looked, a striking contrast to the way he had presented himself during your first encounter. You couldn’t help but wonder what was on his mind. Was he thinking about...?

“You know, most people would be enjoying the view from up here,” his voice snapped you out of your thoughts. “But someone would rather stare at my face, apparently.”

This was the second time that night you realized you were staring at him. You turned your head, frantically searching for something else to look at from the glimmering Linkon.

“Yes, sweetie, the scenery is over there.”

You could feel he was grinning.

“Shut up.”

Perhaps it was another gust of wind that made you press your back against his chest, closing the distance between the two of you. He didn’t move, but his arm was still protecting you—practically hugging you from behind now with his hand reaching across your neck. A light chuckle escaped his lips when hearing your response, and you could feel his head leaning downwards. “No denying?”

“Not answering,” you muttered. You tried not to turn your head towards him, knowing that your faces would be only inches apart.

There was another chuckle before he called you in a low murmur.

“Kitten.”

His free hand glided from his pocket to your chin, delicately coaxing your head to face him. His touch felt so careful—so cautious as if he feared you would push him away or break or explode. You could even barely feel his finger graze your skin.

“... Hm?”

Once again, somehow, you obliged without protest. You looked at him; his face was so close you could feel the warmth of his breath. His crimson eyes locked onto you, and you forced yourself to meet his gaze this time. Only a few centimeters separated your face from his. You could feel your cheeks flush once again, your heart thumping faster than usual.

“I was right,” he uttered quietly. A smirk adorned the corner of his lips, but his eyes were tender.

Your answer was barely audible when you murmured, “About what?”

“I knew you were staring at me and not the city view,” he spoke in a soft whisper. His face was very near now that you could feel his nose lightly grazed yours, his breath warm against your skin. With such closeness, you realized how nice he smelled, how the faint radiance bathed his face, how his silvery strands fluttered and danced with the breeze.

You glanced down at his lips for a split second before darting your eyes back, locking them with his again.

“Three times now,” he breathed, catching you again. “Admit defeat, kitten...”

“... Fine.” You swore you could hear your own heartbeat thundering in your ears by now. One small move forward and—

“Fine, you’re right,” you repeated.

You didn’t realize you were holding your breath—your mind hazy from his proximity.

“Kitten?”

“... Yeah?”

His fingers still held your chin in place, his eyes never left yours, and his other arm remained wrapped around you. Perhaps it was his body acting like a shield, or perhaps the cold breeze ceased to exist, but you were almost sure you felt blanketed with warmth. You could feel your heart quicken, the anticipation hanging in the air like a fragile thread.

“May I...?”

Very subtly, your head nodded, and your eyes gave him the signal.

With that, Sylus closed the distance between you, and your lips met delicately. The world around you faded into a gentle hum, the city lights twinkling like distant stars as you closed your eyes. His lips were surprisingly warm, a tender caress you never expected from someone like him. The warmth radiating from him enveloped you, making you forget the chill of the night air as you melted into his kiss.

For the first time in two days, you gladly decided to ignore your work.

And perhaps scheduling future night rides with him wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

[stanzo75]

Scraped knees □

Background: y/n is hard of seeing, her peculiarity involves bioluminescent and partially acidic tears that over the years have worn down her eyes, although from a young age she could wipe the tears before they ran down her face, her eyes couldn't be saved and are mostly just white. The white eyes made it harder for enoch to trust her when he arrived in the loop, and he still doesn't quite seem to like her despite her attempts to earn his friendship.

Guys I'm sorry if this sucks, I'm rusty! This is my first attempt at writing since 2021 so I really hope it is at least decent!! I also have NOT proofread this.

"HEY! watch it!,"

a sharp, bitter tone snaps.

As you stumble back, you look down to see a blurry dark figure on the ground sitting against a tree.

"OH! Im so sorry-" you say quickly as you recognize the figure of enoch o'connor, the one peculiar in this loop who hasn't seemed to accept you yet.

You can't quite see his face, but you can faintly make out the scowl he's giving you. Claire's voice can be heard from nearby behind you, sounding to be getting closer with each word,

"y/n! We're over here! Come play." Suddenly claire is next to you, grabbing your hand and helping lead you away from the brooding boy.

Claire and bronwyn had invited you outside to the garden to play with them, they loved playing imaginary games, pretending to be princesses or mermaids or knights, and you were always their favorite person to play with, as Emma was always with Jake and olive preferred staying inside. They never made you feel like you were a burden, given your poor eyesight, every day for an hour or two after lunch you'd be outside in the garden with them having imaginary battles or pretend tea parties, and it always made your day. Especially on the days that enoch wouldn't hold his tongue around you.

"I found her! She almost ran into enoch!" Claire says as they reach bronwyn, letting go of your hand and bouncing over to sit next to her.

You follow, taking careful steps and sitting in a circle with the two younger girls.

"We should be pirates today!" Bronwyn exclaims excitedly.

"No, I wanted to be princesses!" Claire says back stubbornly.

"We did that yesterday! We're doing pirates today! Right y/n? It's my turn to pick!" Bronwyn says, sounding upset.

"Bronwyn is right claire, it's her turn, we can do princesses tomorrow, okay?" You say softly, seeing the silhouettes of both of them looking at you expectantly. You can hear claire sigh but she doesn't protest.

The three of you work out a storyline and the roles, Bronwyn was of course the captain while you and claire were her trusty crew members. You'd be sailing to an island to steal hidden treasure.

For about 30 minutes, things are going well, you all are running around running from pretend angry rival pirates, until you accidentally get too far away from the clear space they had established as their play place for your safety. You get near some trees, not realizing yet that you have gone to far, and something snags your foot. You can feel your heart drop as you lose your balance, feeling sharp pain digging into your skin after you fall. You hadn't quite hit the ground, and after a few moments of wriggling and feeling sharp thorns pricking you, you realize you had fallen into a thorn bush.

"Oh my- are you okay?!" Bronwyns voice says suddenly, sounding concerned.

You turn your head, seeing her silhouette standing a few feet away.

Before you can respond she blurts out

"Wait here!! Im going to get miss peregrine!"

You wriggle again, trying to free yourself from the thorns but only getting yourself more snagged, gasping in pain as the thorns prick your skin.

After a few moments you hear heavy footsteps, too heavy to be claire or Bronwyn, and you assume that miss peregrine has come to the rescue.

But as gentle hands slowly lift your arm from the entanglement, you smell a faint aroma of chemicals, dirt, and worn down cologne. That isn't miss peregrine, is it,, enoch? Gently he untangles you and lifts you from the thorn bush.

"Are you okay? This looks like it hurts" he says gruffly after setting you on the soft grass.

You look up at him, faintly seeing his blurry face, he looks to be,, worried?

You nod gently, feeling deeply embarrassed and slightly nervous by his presence.

"Let's get you inside and cleaned up, okay?" His voice sounds reluctant, but you can hear a hint of worry, or care, or something other than hate hidden behind the irritated tone.

You feel him help lift you up, one arm around your waist and one holding your arm around his neck.

You give in to his guidance, partially because you know you need the help, and partially because you've always wanted to be this close to him.

"Thank you" you whisper softly as he walks you to the house. You hadn't yet noticed the sharp stinging in your knees, but as you walk the pain becomes more noticeable. You grimace softly, stopping abruptly to graze your knees with your fingertips, flinching at the pain and feeling a wet substance coating your fingers.

"No, don't touch it, you don't want it to get infected" enoch says firmly as he gently nudges you back into walking.

He leads you into the house, helping you settle down on a couch. You can hear his footsteps fading and you're left alone.

Your knees are throbbing in pain now, and you can feel tears welling up in your eyes, its a familiar faint sting.

You didn't quite know why you were crying, it could be the pain, or the embarrassment, or maybe the shock of the boy you had been silently pining for finally paying you any attention.

"Are you in pain?"

You jump at his voice, you hadn't noticed his footsteps returning.

"Yeah! Im okay!"

You reply quickly, reaching up the quickly wipe your eyes, hissing in pain as your acidic tears sink into one of your scrapes.

He doesn't respond, but he kneels in front of you and you can make out a concerned look on his face.

You can feel him gently take your hand and you feel a cold but relieving sensation over the tear covered scrape.

Little by little he wipes down every cut and scrape with a wet rag, despite your wincing he continues cleaning your wounds silently.

You yelp out in pain as the rag touches one of your knees.

"Shh, you're okay, I'm just cleaning it off"

he whispers.

"Is everything alright?" You hear a calm voice say

You look towards the doorway to see the unmistakable figure of miss peregrine standing.

You nod, looking at her with an expression of embarrassment.

"She had a fall when playing with claire and bronwyn, I'm taking care of it"

Enoch replies

"Very well, come to me if you need anything"

Miss peregrine says softly before walking off.

Enoch continues wiping down your knees, gently holding down your legs to prevent you from pulling away.

"Be still, I'm almost done" he says firmly, moving the rag down to clean the scrapes on your legs.

Once he is finished he sets down the rag and pulls out a first aid kit, you can faintly recognize it, a big red tin box.

You close your eyes as he pulls out gauze and wraps up each of your knees slowly and firmly.

"Why are you doing this?" You ask him, sounding a mix of confused and hopeful, secretly wanting him to say he cares for you.

"Claire got me, I didnt want to disappoint her." He says gruffly, his emotion unintelligible.

You feel a pang of disappointment, but you try your best not to let it show.

"Is that all?" You ask quietly.

Enoch hesitates for a moment, clearly thinking over what to say.

"I didn't want to see you hurt" he replies, sounding as if he's holding something back.

You accidentally let a sigh of disappointment slip as you sit back.

"Dont do that" he says firmly.

"Why?" Your voice sounds wavy, disappointment clear in your tone.

He doesn't respond, and you sigh again.

"I do,, care about you" he sounds hesitant, but genuine.

You dont respond this time.

"Don't do that, say something." You can't make out his tone, but he sounds kind of,, hurt?

"Do you actually or are you just saying that to make me feel better?" You reply, sounding bitter.

"I do actually!" He snaps.

"Then why do you constantly act like I'm a burden?" You snap back, finally losing your patience with him.

"I- i don't know! I don't know how to act around you!" He shouts. "Maybe you just,, make me feel a way I've never felt before and I don't know what to do about it" he says, quieter, sounding both angry and unsure of himself.

You sit there for a moment, processing his words.

"You mean,, you like me?"

He groans, sounding frustrated.

"Maybe! I dont know! okay? Just don't- don't think anything of it, I'm trying to stop it." He sounds hesitant, as if that's not what he really wants.

Unbeknownst to you, enoch had liked you ever since he laid eyes on you. You made him nervous in a way he had never felt before, he loved it and hated it at the same time. So instead of trying to get close to you, he acted like he hated you, it was easier than facing his real feelings, ones he had never had to deal with before.

"You don't have to you know" you whisper.

"What do you mean?" He asks, his voice sounding strained.

You take a deep breath and reply in a voice barely above a whisper, "I like you too."

He goes silent, presumably in disbelief.

"You're not messing with me right? That's not fair."

He says, sounding uncertain.

"I'm not messing with you, I'm being honest!" You says defensively.

"Okay okay! I believe you, but what do we do now?" He says back, sounding frustrated again.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?" You ask quietly.

",,can I try something? You can say no" he whispers.

You nod, trying to make out his face through your blurry vision.

His face suddenly gets closer to yours, and for once you can make out his features, you can feel his warm hands cupping your face as he looks into your eyes.

"Are you sure?" He whispers, and you nod again.

He leans in closer, seemingly nervous and unsure, so you take your chances and lean into him, connecting your lips in a gentle kiss. At first the kiss seems unsure, but as you both lean into it, it turns to a sweet, deep kiss.

As you pull away after a few moments, you can faintly see his flushed face, looking starstruck.

"I- let me continue bandaging you up" he whispers, a hint of excitement in his voice.

You smile, finally at peace knowing you hadnt been pining over him for so long for nothing.

[megxplryxb]

More Than This Part 2.

Authors Note: I am beyond sorry for the 9 month wait for this. I just lost my motivation for writing but its slowly and surely coming back. Thank you all for being so patient. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: GIF is not mine.

Link for Part 1: More Than This

The last of your salty tears trickle down the bathtub drain as you wrap yourself up in a well-worn motel towel. The shower had done little to improve your mood, switching from hot to cold just as you had been with Steve for the past several weeks. You had been doing so well up until recently, trying to avoid him and your feelings but now that you were sharing a room and bed with him for the night, it was going to be next to impossible to hide the fact that you were hopelessly in love with your best friend.

The rusty faucet dripped little beads of water into the sink despite it being turned off while you carefully applied your make up, hoping Steve and the others wouldn’t notice the slight puffiness under your eyes from crying. Admittedly, you were taking a little longer than usual to get ready, making sure your eyeliner was just right, lips perfectly glossed and kissable and your outfit was showing off all your best features, ‘cause although you felt like utter shit, you didn't want to look like shit too.

As you began to gather up your things, folding the towel back on to the rack, you heard a tap on the bathroom door. “Hey, are you almost done in there? I need to take a piss really bad.” Steve said in a seemingly more relaxed tone than earlier. Unlocking the bathroom door, you find your best friend standing shirtless in his Levi's, leaning against the doorframe and you curse him for looking so damn beautiful.

“I did ask if you needed to use the bathroom before I went in.” You huff, quick to brush past him, clothes and make up bundled in your arms as his eyes follow you around the room, nostrils filling with the scent of your vanilla perfume, jaw a little slack as he scanned your body.

Steve couldn't help but notice the little black dress you were wearing along with your signature converse, how it sparkled and fit perfectly on your body, breasts spilling out over the top ever so slightly. He knows it’s wrong to think of you that way, because you’re his best friend and he's seeing someone else but sometimes he wonders if you know just how pretty you are.

“Uh, the air cons not working in here, the room's like a god damn sauna.” He informs, scratching the back of his neck, trying to avert his gaze from your frame.

“Well if you hadn’t made such a fuss about the sleeping arrangements, at least one of us would have had working air con tonight, Harrington.” You mutter, tucking your things back in to your duffle, pushing by him. Steve presses his tongue to his cheek, realising that whatever the hell was bothering you, wasn’t going to disappear anytime soon. Defeated, he shuts the bathroom door, leaving you to finish getting ready alone.

He emerges fifteen minutes later, freshly showered, smelling great and you hate how good he looks in his tight jeans and white t-shirt, hair perfectly in place, not that it wasn’t always. It wasn't exactly the attire you expected someone to wear to a Metallica concert, but it was Steve after all, he wasn't exactly into Heavy metal.

You can feel the tension rising between you with each passing minute of silence, unspoken words hanging in the air as his hazel eyes burn a hole through your head while you both walk on eggshells around the small room. With one quick look in the mirror and one final spray of perfume, you grab your purse and head for the front door, not being able to stand the awkwardness a second longer. “I’m gonna go see if the others are ready.” You say, reaching for the door handle but you already hear his footsteps behind you.

“Wait, can we just talk for a sec?” Steve pleads, eyes wide with concern when you sigh loudly.

“About what?” You ask as he scoffs at your response. “Seriously? Oh, I don’t know, maybe about why you’ve been acting weird with me all day?” He replies, folding his strong arms and you immediately regret not just walking out of the room to find your friends because you aren't ready to have this conversation with him.

“Steve...”

“Not just today actually, it’s been going on for a while and honestly, I don’t know what I’ve said or done to piss you off and believe me, I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure it out. But I’ve obviously done something because you’re so angry at me and.….”

“I’m not…I’m not angry.” You reply, not really knowing what else to say to him.

“You’re not?” He asks, raising his brows in surprise.

“Look, you haven’t done anything to upset me, alright?” You say, giving him a fake smile but he’s not convinced at all.

“Come on, give me some credit here sweetheart. We’re supposed to be best friends, yeah?” He asks moving closer towards you.

“Mhm” Is all you manage to say when he takes your hand but you’re quick to pull it away again, feeling the heat on your cheeks start to rise, placing a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“Then what's going on huh? Why are you staying at Robin’s? I really miss you.” Steve confesses with such a mixture of sadness and sincerity that you almost consider telling him everything right there and then but you're not ready to hear that he doesn't feel the same way and so instead, you lie.

“There’s no big reason, Steve. Robin mentioned that you were on a couple of dates and I didn’t want to get in the way of anything, I think it’d be a bit awkward with me in the next room, don’t you?” You joke, trying to make an effort with him and you can see the confused expression on his face.

“Robin told you about Tracy?” He asks, surprised by how cool you were being about this, but the minute you hear the name fall from his mouth, he instantly realises Robin never told you who it was he was actually dating.

“Wait, did you say Tracy? As in Tracy Turner from high school, that’s who you’re dating!?” You question, furrowing your brows as Steve takes a step back, sensing the air getting thicker between you again.

“Uh, yeah. Sort of, I mean it’s pretty new and…”

"How....when did...where did you even..."

"She was at the video store a few times and I don't know, we were talking one day and she just sort of asked me out." Steve explained nervously.

“And you said yes?"

"Well, girls haven't exactly been lining up to date me recently if you hadn’t noticed.” He muttered, trying to make a joke out of it but it wasn’t working.

"I can’t believe you’d date her after what she did to me!” You yell, shaking your head in disbelief.

Tracey Turner had been one of your closest friends, once upon a time. That was until you found her in the back seat of a car with your then boyfriend Matt Anderson. It wasn’t that you’d been with Matt for long or even loved him but she was supposed to be your friend and she didn’t even apologise for hurting you. Now here she was, a couple of years later trying to take Steve away from you too. Your Steve. Steve, who you actually loved.

“Come on, that was years ago! She’s changed since then.” Steve says, panic apparent in his voice when he sees the look in your eyes and he knows he’s said the wrong thing again.

“Don’t you dare defend her!” You growl and he’s wincing at how angry you are now. “Can you just calm down for a second?” He begs, hands in the air, surrendering to you immediately, not wanting to fight or upset you anymore than he already had.

“Calm down? My “best friend” is dating a girl who FUCKED my boyfriend and you want me to calm down?” You yell, enraged at the new information you've discovered, seeing nothing but visions of them together in your head. Had he slept with her already? Had she occupied your side of Steve’s bed that you’d sleep on when you watched movies late in to the night? Had she seen pieces of your clothing lying around his house? Had she seen the pictures of you and Steve on his bedside table? Had he told her he loved her? Oh god, you were going to be sick.

“I’m sorry, alright? Shit, I didn’t think it would be such a big deal.” He exhales, throwing his head back.

“Oh really, Steve? If it wasn't such a big deal to you then why didn't you tell me about her, huh?” You ask bluntly as Steve's face begins to harden.

"You didn't tell me about Hargrove."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I had to find out from Henderson that you were dating that asshole and that’s only because he caught you making out on the couch while you were supposed to be babysitting!” Steve argues and you can't help but laugh at how immature he was being.

"That's completely different, we were barely even friends back then."

“But we were friends and you knew I hated him but you went out with him anyway!" He fires back, leaning against the old chest of drawers.

"Yeah, only because you were still getting....." You start to say before you stop yourself, realising that you'd almost blown your cover when Steve looks at you confused.

“Because I was still getting what?” He asks with a heightened interest, just as a knock comes to the door.

“What the hell is going on in here, we could hear you yelling outside!” Eddie shouts when you open the door, seeing the distressed look on your face as Steve stood silent, still waiting for your reply.

"Nothing, let's just go." You mutter, moving by your friends to exit the room. "You are SUCH a dingus, dingus." Robin rolls her eyes at Steve before chasing after you, figuring that you've somehow found out about Tracy Turner, praying that you won't be pissed at her for not telling you.

"Yeah, I know Robin, thanks." Steve sighs heavily, trying to follow but Eddie holds him back, placing a hand on his friends chest. "Dude, take it from me, let her cool off for a while."

"Eddie, I need to talk to her man, I need to fix this." He attempts to push by again but the metal head refuses to budge.

"How are you going to fix it Steve, huh? Do you even know what's going on with her?" Eddie questions, as Steve sighs, placing his hands on his hips.

"No, but I guess she told you, yeah? You two looked pretty close in the parking lot earlier." Steve grunts, while Eddie lets out a smug laugh. "Careful big boy, you almost sound jealous."

"I'm not jealous man, I'm just...fuck, I don't know!” He exhales loudly, leaning against the wall of the motel room. “Maybe I am." Steve admits, putting a hand through his hair, slumping to the ground. “I just, I don’t know what’s going on with her y’know? She's always talked to me about everything and now? I can barely get her to look at me.” Steve sighs as Eddie takes a seat beside his friend, patting him on the shoulder.

“Look dude, there’s nothing to be jealous about ok? There’s nothing going on between us, shit I’d be so lucky.” Eddie chuckles and Steve feels a sudden feeling of relief wash over him. “Sadly, she’s only got eyes for one lucky son of a bitch and unfortunately, it isn’t me.” Eddie smirks, as the other boy lifts his head in a panic.

“She’s seeing someone?”

“No dumbass, fuck– do I really need to spell it out for you?" Eddie asks, his eyes rolling back in his head when Steve still hadn't gotten the hint. “Come on man, you’ve gotta know she’s fucking crazy about you?”

“What?” Steve exhales in disbelief as Eddie's words reply in his head. “Did she tell you that?”

“She didn’t have to.” Eddie replies letting out a heavy breath. “Steve man, you didn’t see her that night on the lake. You didn’t see the fear in her eyes when you got pulled under the water. She jumped in after you so fast, she didn't even look back to see if the rest of us were following."

Steve remembered that night vividly, probably better than anyone else. Hell, there were still nights that he woke up in a cold sweat, thinking those bats were feasting on his flesh. Those were the nights that he missed you the most. How you’d wrap your arms around him, pull him close and tell him everything was ok now. That you could finally all move on with your lives. He missed the feeling of your fingers running through his hair, the sound of your heartbeat as his head rested on your chest. You never told anyone about those nights, he’d made you promise. Cause he had to be strong for the kids.

He thought back to that night in the Upside Down, how he feared he'd never see your face again, that he'd never be able to tell you how he really felt about you. Then suddenly, you were there, eliminating the demobats one by one, tears in your eyes as you ran to him in a panic. He should have told you then, should have made it clear that you meant everything to him but then the others appeared and so he decided to choose another time. A time when you weren't in immediate danger. A time when it was just you and him and fuck, he'd tried to tell you so many times after that but every time he got close to saying it, something stopped him.

Fear.

What if he ruined everything?

What if you laughed in his face?

What if you didn't feel the same way?

What if it didn't work out and you left him like Nancy did?

Steve couldn't bare the thought of losing you, so instead of telling you the truth, he decided to bury his feelings deep down inside. Deciding, that he'd rather have you as a friend than not have you in his life at all. So, when Tracy Turner boldly asked him on a date, he begrudgingly accepted, hoping it would stop him from thinking about you.

It didn’t.

“Jesus Eddie, I’ve been such an idiot." Steve sighs angrily. "I’ve been trying so damn hard to pretend that I don’t have feelings for her instead of just..”

“Instead of what?” Eddie asks as Steve moves his head to look at his friend.

“Instead of telling her that I love her. That I’ve been in love with her since the moment she answered Henderson’s door three years ago.” He reveals and Eddie lets out the smallest of laughs.

“Yeah Harrington, you are an idiot and out of all the dumb shit you’ve ever done, pretending you don't love that girl is probably way up there. But from what I can see, she’s always gonna carry a big ol’ torch for you. So come on, go make this right and go get your girl. I’ve got a fuckin’ mosh pit to get to.”

When Steve and Eddie finally get to the entrance gate of the concert, they see Robin pacing back and fourth with a stressed out look on her face and Steve instantly feels a knot forming in his stomach when he realises you’re nowhere in sight.

"What the hell took you both so long?" She yells frantically.

“Had to knock some sense into Harrington here.” Eddie smirks, winking at Robin who offers him a confused glance.

"Where is she?" Steve questions his friend and Robin throws her hands in the air.

"I don’t know Steve! She took off by herself with some guy, went in with him, she didn't want to talk to me. She's pissed with a capital P!" Robin yells, angry at her friend for ever telling her that he'd been seeing Tracy Turner. Angry that she’d been put in the middle of this situation.

"Calm down Robs, we'll find her." Eddie reassures, placing a supportive arm around his friend.

"No, I'll find her, this is all my fault and I’m going to fix it." Steve says adamantly.

“I think you’re the last person she wants to see right now dingus.” Robin grunts but Steve’s already making a beeline for the entrance to the outdoor concert.

"Harrington!" Eddie yells as Steve takes a quick look back to his friends.

"Don't fuck it up." He shouts as the boy nods back before marching through a sea of bodies.

“What the hell is going on?” Robin questions, earning a grin from the metal head standing beside her as he throws a lazy arm over her shoulder.

“Fifty bucks says they’re fucking by the end of the night.”

Thirty minutes later and Steve is no closer to finding you. The darkness beginning to bleed in to the sky, the smell of weed and cheap alcohol lingering in the air as he looks for you in every queue, at every stand but it isn't until he hears the familiar laughter coming from behind him that he finally sees you. You’re sitting on the ground with a beer in hand, looking very cosy with the attractive tattooed stranger that’s much too close to you for Steve’s liking and your smile fades immediately when you see the boy standing in front of you.

"What are you doing? I've been looking everywhere for you." Steve asks, clearly annoyed by the presence of the other male beside you.

"I'm just making some new friends, not that it's any of your business." You mutter, taking a sip of your beer.

"This your boyfriend, sweetheart?" The man sitting next to you asks, grinning at Steve who keeps his eyes solely focused on you.

You shake your head instantly. "Nope. He's just a friend, or at least I thought he was."

“Can you please come with me? We really need to talk.” Steve begs, holding out a hand to you but you refuse to move. “We don’t have anything left to talk about.”

“I think we both know that we do.” Steve says, staring at you and you’re sure you see new determination behind his caramel tinted eyes.

"Don't worry about her pretty boy, I'll take good care of her, you go enjoy the show." The man smirks, placing a hand on your thigh as Steve’s jaw clenches.

"Get your hands off of her." Steve warns and suddenly you feel the tension in the air. Your eyes widen as Steve's fists begin to ball up, finally removing his eyes from you to look at the man sitting beside you.

"Why? She just said you're not her boyfriend and I don’t see her saying no.” The man responds, finally standing up to meet Steve face to face.

“Listen man, she’s coming with me, alright? Now get out of my face.” Steve threatens and you’re quick to jump to your feet now.

“Or what pretty boy?” The stranger smirks, shoving Steve back before you could get between them.

“Steve, don’t!” You warn, as his fist connects with the mans jaw, knocking him to the ground.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” You yell at your best friend but he’s too focused on the impending retaliation to hear you. But just as the tattooed stranger tries to take a swing at Steve, his arm is dragged back by the security guard who had witnessed the whole altercation, deciding enough was enough,

“You three, you’re out of here now!” He demands, getting in the middle of the two males who had been fighting over you.

“He fucking suckered me, dude!” The other boy argues, holding his jaw but the security guard just laughs, ignoring his pleas. “You shoved me first, pal.” Steve replies smugly as you’re all led to the exit.

You don’t even try to defend yourself or make an argument as to why you should be left stay to watch the concert, deciding that going back to the motel was probably for the best, the night had already been ruined for you long ago and you just wanted to be alone.

“Hey, where are you going now?” Steve shouts after you, following you back towards the direction of the motel.

“Just go away Steve, haven’t you already caused enough trouble for one day?” You fire at him.

“Look, I’m sorry, I know I’ve been a jerk but I really need to talk to you.”

“I already told you, I don’t have anything left to say, so just leave me alone.” You beg but Steve shakes his head, catching up to you.

“I can’t do that.” He says as you roll your eyes trying to pass him but he gets in your way again. He was never going to let you walk back to the motel alone in the dark. Not when you were both well aware that things do in fact, go bump in the night.

“Steve, why can’t you just–"

“Look, I know you hate me right now and trust me, I really hate me too. But I just need to know one thing, please? Fuck, I’ll even switch with Robin so you don’t have to share a room with me, alright?” He bargains, as you finally give in. The prospect of not having to share a bed with him being too much to turn down.

What? What do you want to know, Steve?” You question, folding your arms as he takes a deep breath before placing his hands on his hips.

“I want to know what you were going to say before Eddie knocked on the door earlier."

"What are you talking about?" You say, eyes widening in panic as Steve lets out a breath, pleading with you to be honest.

“You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I..."

"When we were arguing and I brought up Hargrove, you said you were only with him because I was still getting–?" He questions softly as you shake your head, looking anywhere but at him.

"I don't remember."

"Honey, please just–"

“I don’t remember Steve! So just drop it, ok?” You interrupt, starting to walk away as you hear his voice calling behind you.

“Because I was still getting over Nancy?” He asks, as your whole body freezes.

How did he know?

When you turn back to face him, he’s still standing there, staring at you, waiting for you to say something. Anything.

“You really are full of yourself, you know that?” You reply, voice trembling as he begins to close the space between you and you're not sure how much longer you can keep this up.

“If that's not what you were going to say, then tell me?" .

"Why does it matter?" You question, raising a frustrated brow at him, not understanding why he couldn't just let it go.

"Because I need to know–"

"Need to know what Steve? If I had a crush on you three years ago? Fine, ok, yes, I had a crush on you. Who fucking didn't? You were the most popular guy in school! And yeah, I did go out with Billy because I knew you were still getting over Nancy but you know what? I actually liked Billy. He was different with me but he just couldn't stand me being friends with you. He kept saying that I had feelings for you, that what I felt for you was more than a friendship and so he made me choose: him or you.…and I picked you.” You reveal, tears beginning to fall from your eyes as you finally decide to be honest with your best friend. “Cause all this time, Billy fucking Hargrove was right. I did have feelings for you, even if it took me almost losing you that night on the lake to figure it out." You cry, finally feeling a huge weight lifting from your chest and for the first time in months, you could breathe again.

Steve was frozen, pink lips pursed as he put a hand through his hair, heart aching at your admission and how much it was killing him to see you so upset. He wishes he hadn't been so stupid, hadn't been so afraid of losing you and just told you the truth when he had the chance. You’d never told him or anyone else why you and Billy broke up, always keeping it to yourself and he was more than a little shocked to realise it was because of him.

Because you chose him.

“I..I didn’t know I was the reason you guys broke up.” He confessed, a sorrowful look on his face. “M’sorry.”

“Forget about it, it was a long time ago.” You shrugged coldly, hoping this would be the end of the conversation.

"I can't believe you picked me." He whispers as you let out a sarcastic huff, lifting your head to look at him.

"And I can't believe you picked Tracy."

You fire back, turning on your heels to walk towards your motel room, heartbroken, tired of arguing with him, tired of wanting him, tired of loving him and just as you were about to close the door, Steve’s hand stops you from shutting it, from shutting him out, a hurt look in his eyes as he stares at you silently for a moment before speaking.

"You think I picked Tracy over you?" Steve asks with sadness and anger in his voice as you wipe your tears, resting your head on the side of the door.

“Steve, I told you what you wanted to know. Please just-”

“No! You can't actually think I'd pick her over you?” Steve quizzes again, brows knitted together, voice more stern than the last time he asked.

“Why not? You wouldn’t be the first one.” You reply, referring to your old High School ex boyfriend Matt and Steve scoffs bitterly, hurt at the comparison.

“I can’t believe you could even think that, after everything we’ve been through, you know me better than that!”

“No Steve, I thought I knew you better than that! I thought we were best friends and that you would never ever hurt me but then you went and slept with her!” You fume, shoving him backwards as he grabs your arms gently but sternly, holding you in place. Finally letting himself inside, closing the door with the back of his foot.

“I didn’t, I didn’t sleep with Tracy!” He growls back at you, frustration apparent in his voice as you sneer at him, well aware of the notches on his bedpost. "Oh please, how stupid do you think I am, Steve?"

"I'm telling you the truth!” He snaps, as you get in his face. "Cause you've been so good at that lately, huh Harrington?" You reply, a harsh tone in your voice, refusing to back down.

"Jesus Christ, will you just listen to me for one god damn minute? I haven’t had sex with her alright? I couldn't."

"And why is that Steve? Did you realise she's a fucking–"

"Because of you!” Steve interrupts loudly, silencing you. "Because I'm in love with you! Because for the past three years since that night you answered Henderson’s door, it’s only been you.” He finally confesses, cupping your face, begging you to believe him as you see the sincerity written all over his face.

“Honey, do you really think if I had known that you had feelings for me– if I thought that me and you being together was even a possibility, that I’d be seeing anybody else?” He questions, as you stare silently at him, heart beating out of your chest as he looks into your eyes. His lips ghosting over your own as you try to catch your breath.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" You manage to ask as he shakes his head and smiles.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He retorts before cupping your face again, taking a deep breath. "I tried to, so many times. But every time I got close to it, I just...got scared." He admits, as you stare at him confused.

"Scared of what?"

"Of you not feeling the same way, of ruining our friendship, of us not working out... I was just scared of losing you." He mutters, lowering his head as you grab his face, forcing him to look at you.

"That would never happen, Steve."

"But it almost did! And it's my fault because I decided to be an asshole and date someone else instead of just telling you that I love–" You cut him off, placing your lips on his to stop him from talking but before Steve could even fathom what was happening, you broke the kiss again, resting your forehead on his.

"I love you too, Steve." You whisper, as he pulls you in for another kiss.

There were no words left to say, you’d said them all.

Two hours later, after the concert, Robin and Eddie decided to head back to the motel, having long given up on their search for you and Steve at the venue.

“What if she’s killed him Eddie? What if they’re fighting so bad that none of us can hang out anymore? What if we have to meet up with them at different times because they can’t stand being around each other? What about the kids?” Robin panics as Eddie laughs, rolling his eyes as he knocks on your motel room door.

After a few seconds, when the door remains unanswered, Robin begins to walk towards her own room, anxiety getting the better of her as Eddie continues to wrap on the door resiliently.

“Will someone open the god damn door before Buckley files a missing persons report?” The metal head pleads for his own sanity as he finally hears shuffling on the other side of the door.

His eyes light up and a shit eating grin spreads across his face as Steve finally answers the door, shirtless flushed and struggling to zip up his Levi’s.

“Sorry Munson, we were just, uh…sleeping.” Steve lies even though he knows it’s pointless. He can hear you giggling under the covers as Eddie notices your underwear on the floor behind Steve.

“Atta boy Harrington, I knew you had it in you.” Eddie winks. “I’ll leave you lovebirds get back to sleep. Don’t snore too loud, we’re in the next room.” He subtly teases as Steve smirks, quickly closing the door to join you in bed again.

“Did I hear Steve? Are they ok?” Robin asks, as Eddie enters their room smiling.

“Oh yeah, they’re fine. By the way, you owe me fifty bucks Buckley.”

Taglist: @freezaz123 @pbs-theundeadmaggot @season4steve @param8re @is-this-a-febreze-commercial @kathieycarrerarosshley @somethingvicked @l0ve-0f-my-life @hotelfohn @iheartjennaaa @whisperingwillowxox @chickenxdrum @eddiesguitarskills @mgchaser @mgmolina2000 @keerysfolklore

[theworldendswithsho]

OKAY can you please hit me with some nanami wherein he is pinning for the reader? She’s insecure because the higher ups prefer her ex 💔

ALRIGHT here's my very first fanfiction in AGES! Sorry if its not great, I'm definitely rusty! I wasn't sure who to put in as the ex so I chose Kusakabe lol, hopefully that doesn't ruin it for ya. Enjoy!

warnings: very slight nsfw, mentions of sex, some angst

His Life's Work, Reimagined

Kento Nanami was a man dedicated to his life’s work. At least, that’s what he told himself after dropping out of life as a Tokyo businessman and returning to Jujutsu High as a teacher. He had nothing and no one else to dedicate himself to, after all. He was a sorcerer of immense talent, though he was humble and stoic. Though reserved and a bit stern at times, his students loved and respected him.

You, on the other hand, were having a hard time settling in as a teacher. Here you were, brand new to a job you loved, but you behaved so youthfully that your students had a hard time taking you seriously. Hell, you’d have a hard time taking you seriously. To make matters worse, you’re teaching alongside your ex-boyfriend, Atsuya Kusakabe. Before you’d landed the job at Jujutsu High, you had met him at a bar. You were there with a couple of friends from college, and he was there to have a drink after work with Nanami, the only teacher he really got along with at Jujutsu High. Nanami, being the responsible man he was, left after two drinks and got a taxi home. Your friends ran off with some guys they met at the bar, and there you were, alone, and there Kusakabe was, alone. A few drinks later, you went home together in the back of a taxi cab and the rest was history. 

He was handsome, but he was a fucking coward. He ran away with his tail between his legs, afraid of committing to you the way you wanted. Everyone at work noticed a strange tension between you and Kusakabe, but no one said a word. Everyone, Principal Yaga included, seemed to respect him, and no matter how badly you hated him, you had to smile and nod whenever his praises were sung. Several times, you tried to speak with Principal Yaga about how to engage with the students, and he told you to speak with Kusakabe, that he was a master at engaging with his pupils. Needless to say, you never spoke with him, and your teaching skills haven’t gotten any better.

Word gets out about a Special Grade curse in Shinjuku, and a meeting is called for all of the Jujutsu High teachers. When you enter the room, you expect to be struggling to keep your piercing eyes off of Kusakabe, but when Nanami walks in, you find your eyes have a new target. He was stony-faced, but awfully handsome, and his body seemed well defined, despite being hidden underneath his suit. Briefly, Nanami looks over his glasses at you and you suddenly look down, feeling your face go red. Did he catch you? What must he be thinking right now?

Principal Yaga assigns Nanami to the mission, and tells him he can pick any other teacher to bring with him as his partner. You look up, and Nanami’s gaze is steady on you. “Y/N will come with me,” he says with unwavering confidence. Your mouth falls open, and then closes again, before you nod your head. The meeting is adjourned and the teachers file out one by one, leaving you and Nanami alone to walk out together.

“Hello, Y/N. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Kento Nanami,” he says cordially, extending a hand.

You take his hand and shake it. “I’m Y/N L/N, nice to meet you.”

~~~~~

You leave Jujutsu High late in the day. The mission goes off without a hitch. The curse is exorcized, and the city of Shinjuku is safe again (for now). You yawn, and Nanami looks up, noticing the bags under your eyes. He feels his heart tug upon seeing you look so exhausted. He quickly shakes his head, thinking to himself that he cannot let himself feel for a coworker. To do so would be unprofessional. And yet…

“You look tired. We should get you some coffee before we head back to campus,” he says, motioning with his chin in the direction of a cafe. You nod, and he straightens his tie before walking silently with you to the cafe.

It is there, over coffee, that he gives you advice on teaching. For someone so stoic, he was surprisingly caring and ready to engage in conversation. Sitting across from him at the small table and sipping your cappuccino while he had his black coffee, you began to realize he was even more handsome than you’d thought. His hair was neatly kept, his face was chiseled and strong, yet possessed a kind of grace that was uncharacteristic of such strength. His normally downturned lips would quirk upwards sometimes during conversation, or when he had a particularly delightful sip of his coffee.

You both stood up from the table after finishing your coffee, you stretching your arms over your head and Nanami straightening his suit jacket. He held the door for you as you left the cafe, and you made your way back to Jujutsu High without a problem. You found yourself thinking about him, and how truly mature and responsible he was. You felt your heart flutter, and then you squeezed your eyes shut. I can’t fall in love with another teacher again. If this goes badly, my job will be twice as hellish as it is now.

Little did you know, Nanami was in the dark of his room on campus thinking about you, too. Thinking about your dainty hands around your coffee cup, and then around your weapon, and then around him. Suddenly, he had a new reason to go teach every day, and it wasn’t that he was dedicated to his life’s work.

~~~~~

During a lunch break, you observe Nanami and Kusakabe sitting together and chatting. You feel your stomach clench nervously. How could I have forgotten they were friends? They were at the bar together that night, weren’t they? You noticed Kusakabe’s eyes flicker behind Nanami and land on you, and you squeeze your lunch box a little tighter. Nanami, whose back is currently to you, follows Kusakabe’s gaze, and his lips upturn slightly upon seeing you.

“L/N, come sit with us. We were just talking about the mission last evening,” Nanami says.

I offer a fake smile and apologize. “Sorry, I was just about to take my lunch back to my classroom. I’ve got some lesson planning to do,” you say, and with that, you scurry out of the faculty room and back to your classroom. Nanami’s slight smile drops, and Kusakabe shakes his head. “If she wants to keep her job here, she’ll have to be a little friendlier than that,” Kusakabe mutters. Nanami looks confusedly at Kusakabe, who then explains that you used to date. Nanami feels a pang of jealousy in his chest upon hearing Kusakabe joke, “She must still be in love with me or something.”

The next few days at lunch, Kusakabe continues talking with Nanami about you. He always makes snide comments about your abilities as a sorcerer and as a teacher, and of course, your relationship together. Nanami senses your presence in the lunch room, and though Kusakabe is speaking quietly, Nanami decides to speak up so you know he was talking about you.

“Actually, L/N’s a pretty good teacher. I think she just needed time to settle in, is all,” Nanami says loudly. Kusakabe’s face drops and he shushes Nanami. “Kento, she’s in the room. Don’t need her knowing I’m talking about her.” Nanami nods in false agreement, and turns to you and gives you a slight smile when Kusakabe looks away.

You feel pride swell in your chest knowing that Nanami thinks highly of you. Who cares what your ex says, right? Nanami believes in you. The feeling of pride ebbs away as your thoughts run wild, and you begin to wonder if Nanami was just trying to save face. How much have they said about me when I wasn’t there? Does Nanami think I’m easy for dating Kusakabe?

You don’t know that Nanami thinks about you every morning when he combs his hair and puts on his cologne. You don’t know that he wishes he was waking up next to you in the morning, or cooking meals for you when he’s cooking for himself. You don’t know the way your name falls from his lips when his hands roam his body in the shower at night, after a long day of work.

~~~~~

You’re sitting at the your desk in your empty classroom, mulling over the lesson plans in your binder. You look up at the clock. Its 2:27, and Nanami is supposed to be here at 2:30. You feel your palms begin to sweat at the thought of being alone in an empty classroom with him, but wipe the sweat off on your skirt and resume mulling through your lesson plans. The door to your classroom is open, but there’s a knock. You look up, pleasantly surprised that Nanami is early, only to find Kusakabe leaning in the doorframe, looking at you with a smirk.

“What are you doing here?” You say, disgust clear in your voice.

“Now, now, Y/N… You’re really going to have to be nicer to me than that. I’ve got a meeting with Yaga and some of the other teachers today to discuss your performance… and your behavior.”

Your eyes widen. Was he seriously blackmailing you right now?

“What do you want?”

“I want those teaching the next generation of Jujutsu sorcerers to actually be worth their salt,” he retorts. “Your performance has been lackluster, to say the least. Nanami’s the only reason Yaga hasn’t put you on administrative leave, yet.”

Kusakabe saunters over from the door frame, putting his hands on your desk and leaning over you.

“Nanami speaks real highly of you, y’know. You fuckin’ him?” he says in a low voice, leaning in close to you.

In the uncomfortable silence following that statement, you hear Nanami clear his throat. You look towards the doorway, and Kusakabe whips around and stands up straight. “Oh hey, Ken-”

“Save it, Atsuya. There’s nothing going on with me and L/N. I’ve been mentoring her in her teaching skills and I have seen genuine improvement. She is more than worth her salt, and she is more than capable of teaching the next generation. I advise you leave so I can go over lesson plans with her. And be very sure Principal Yaga will be hearing about this at the faculty meeting later,” Nanami says, his voice stern and low, a near growl.

Kusakabe rolls his eyes and stalks out of the classroom.

The air in the room suddenly feels very hot as Nanami pulls a chair over to your desk and sits next to you, looking towards the binder full of lesson plans on the desk. 

“Thank you, Nanami. For standing up for me.”

“Please, call me Kento,” he says in a honeyed voice, his eyes meeting yours and softening.

“Nan- I mean Kento,” you start, not yet used to the name change. “About what Kusakabe was saying… I know you said there’s nothing going on between us, but to be honest, I kind of wish there was.”

Your words hang in the air, and your face flushes. You expect Nanami to push his chair back, to tell you its unprofessional, to shake his head and pretend it didn’t happen. But instead, he smiles, a real genuine smile, and leans closer to you.

“I’ve been wishing there was something going on between us since I first met you at the mission briefing,” he practically whispers. His voice is steady, but it cannot conceal his longing for you. “Is this okay?” Kento asks, bringing his hand up to brush a piece of hair behind your ear. You nod once, and that is all it takes for him to press his lips to yours.

[josnhoes]

Hi Hun! I know it's been a while since I sent an ask, but reading your knak au stuff has got it stuck in my head now too. Do you have any headcanons for Halsin from BG3 with knak reader? Thank you so much in advance! 😘

I'm sorry this took so long to get to bestie ilu tho

Warnings: mentions of dead animals/ animal death in tones of getting food and natural causes. Hints of yandere but it's mostly over protective papa bear activity.

Halsin started out feeling uncomfortable having such a small child with the group. But at the same time he doesn't really have a say on who is in the party at all. At least you seemed okay with everything.

It took a month for that uncomfortable feeling to go away and be replaced with a need to have you close. He was a worry wort. While he did think it was important kids be kids and learn of dangers naturally; that protective instinct he had was in overdrive. Somewhere in that month he had gotten attached, and now his lectures of nature being a good teacher for a child he gave to a few over protective druids felt hollow. He finally understood the whole 'you'll know when you have one of your own' was actually an ancient curse. Because he understood now.

It didn't help his heart that despite being well meaning and kind, you thrived in chaos and making it. Luckily the chaos you make is playful...mostly. He doesn't *blame* you for your curiosity, but please stop experimenting with your magic so much.

Luckily the stress wasn't constant, as fit as he was much more stress and he may just pass away. He said as much once to the group and you burst into tears because you didn't want him to die.

He felt so guilty making you cry he really did. Enough that he let you 'guard' him from danger for a full week. You playing mother hen to him during that time was adorable and helped his attachment grow.

Unbeknownst to Halsin you knew what you were doing post tear fit and that his comment was a joke. Yes you were playing around being the mother hen and such; but those tears had been real from a build up of stress and the thought of one of your party dying was just too much. (Bonus the time Gale mentioned blowing himself up as an option you forbade it and promised you'd knock him out if he tried)

Halsin takes pride in teaching you how to survive. While he doesn't plan on leaving you alone in the wild, it was better safe then sorry. Plus he couldn't help but imagine when all was said and done the two of you moving into the grove;so it was imperative you knew those skills.

He takes you hunting often. Each trip is spent learning. From gathering, survival, and actually hunting. His archery is rusty since usually he hunts as a bear... so Astarion had to step in at the beginning to teach.

You asked him why you couldn't just magic at them. And that lead to a full debate on what counts as an act of nature. Because apparently you had to hunt fairly to preserve the balance..but also magic was *natural* and nature gave you the gift so shouldn't you using it be nature's will? Animals didn't complain of the unfairness in predators and that was natural advantages so you should be fine.

He did *not* enjoy that talk. It left him questioning a few too many things. Not to mention seeing you all fired up got the camp interested. More opinions were added and you had a defense squad. Eventually just to get out of the topic he claimed magic killed meat tasted funny. Which you were ready to accept until *Gale* interjected with the fact that wasn't always true and that magics left unique flavors based on type. Suddenly you were insistent again and needed to taste the magic. So another attempted to dissuade you began. A side which he was alone on.

Speaking of magic Halsin was terrified by the amount of power you had. How differently your magic worked, and the debate on if you could learn the magic here with out danger. But that was only because he wanted to teach you to become a druid. He wouldn't force it on you but he would make a strong argument for it though. That argument being if you learn you can talk to cats and become an animal. What kid doesn't want to be some form of animal? It's a very strong argument.

Yes he knows being a druid is far more then that, but you could learn the details after you started learning. Halsin knew that was a bit messed up but he was allowed to be selfish a little right? Besides you'd only benefit from the knowledge.

He hasn't seriously brought it up yet only dropping hints and seeing your reactions. Spoiler you don't want to follow what's basically a religion but still wanted to be an animal. So you hijinks-ed and got the ability.

He loves spending time with you as animals. One time you both went out as bears to learn to navigate as an animals. Your small cub form nearly made him coo. Best night of his life emotionally. Him and his child out enjoying nature with no worries living like the animals.

You are his kid and while he won't force you to call him dad or anything but he's going to look after you. Besides wasn't this entire group a just an odd pack anyway? Practically family.

Halsin basically is co-parenting with Astarion and Gale at this point. The others are more aunts, and uncles; with a big brother (Wyll) included in the mess.

[t-t-tau-me]

Steven should have been grounded in episode 10 of future

Hello, welcome to my blog/post. Before I say anything, I just want it to be known that I'm not making this simply to crap on Steven universe future. I do like some of the ideas in it, Even if I personally don't like it. I hate how I even have to preface this for my opinion, But I've seen how vicious the Steven universe community can be. You're free to open discussions about this post of course, But I'm not tolerating petty insults or death threats.

So you're probably wondering why I believe Steven should have been grounded, especially considering his mental state. I won't be covering every second of the episode in question, But I'll go over the most important points for my argument.

In the episode 'Prickly Pair' we get to see Steven after quitting little homeschool, throwing himself into gardening and clearly not coping as well as he thinks. While tending to his plants, Steven pricks his finger while transplanting a cactus cutting, then heals it with his saliva and touches the cutting to finish the process. Like we've seen in the past the plant comes to life, But this time with the ability to parrot with Steven says.

Steven later on in that episode begins to rant to the cactus about some of the more negative thoughts he has, Which seems to result in it growing and becoming a monster later. (Obviously, there's finer details I'm skipping, but they're not important to my point. Feel free to watch the episode for the full context)

Cactus Steven grows into a monster and proceeds to attack the gems, destroying a bit of the house in the process and parroting all the horrible things Steven said. (I know they're supposed to be rusty, but they get their butts thoroughly kicked here). After good old-fashioned violence doesn't work against the cactus, Steven apologizes and gives it a hug, being gifted with a flower in return as the cactus Steven leaves by making a hole through the door.

So thanks to Steven's choices, the home has been damaged and He has put the others in danger, he also said some arguably hurtful things that got back to the crystal gems. (Granted, they don't really react outside of moments of pausing before getting wrecked, But that's besides the point). And what does Steven and the Crystal gem have to say after this whole situation?

Amethyst: "hey, dude?"

Pearl: "is there anything you need to talk about?"

Steven: "I think I said enough..."

...excusez-fucking-moi?

Steven, You think you said enough? How about "My powers have been acting crazy and I might need your help" or, And hear me out on this one,

A goddamn apology?

For someone who is so quick to pick apart the people who have done nothing but show you love, You got real quiet when they actually wanted to talk about what you said.

Before someone calls me out for being insensitive to the mental state of Steven. Number one, someone's mental status doesn't necessarily negate their criticism, number two, I have multiple disorders including depression and PTSD, and number three, Your mental health does not excuse you from the consequences of your actions.

And don't bother telling me "it happened off screen." There's no evidence for this, and even if it did happen off screen that wouldn't make it good. (Yes I'm aware of Lars and Sadie, I like what they did, just not how they did it. Might make a post on it.)

But despite this, there's actually someone I have even a bigger problem with.

The Crystal gems

If you'll entertain me for a sec, imagine you had a kid, now imagine that kid drove a car through your house, You tried to meet them with kindness and ask what's wrong and all they reply with is "I think I've done enough." I imagine that most of us would be a little bit more than angry, Even outside of the damages done to the house.

It would be one thing if Steven did all this damage and was willing to at least give an apology, But he can't even do that. Love isn't patiently sitting on your ass hoping the other person corrects their behavior, sometimes it's doing stuff that you or the other person doesn't want in hopes of helping. Steven himself has done things others don't like in order to try and fix things in the past. I understand it's the end of the episode, they could have simply moved the consequences to the next one.

I understand wanting to show compassion to your kids, But if they're starting to show a pattern of destructive behavior and won't even give you the time of day to try and help them through it, sometimes you need to put your foot down. What happened to the pearl who participated in a competition against peridot for her respect? What happened to the Garnet who could be laid back at times but knew when to put her foot down? Where did the amethyst who attempted to throw peridot's tablet in the ocean So she listen go? I'm not saying each of these actions are justified per se, I'm just saying it shows a certain level of care.

As someone who grew up with mental health problems and became a rather shitty teenager because of it, I'm honestly thankful people in my life were willing to call me out and at least attempt to work with me. It showed a level of self-respect and care, Knowing that I was going through something but not letting that fact allow me to hurt them.

Do I think actually grounding Steven would have done anything?...Not really, I wouldn't even be surprised if he didn't follow the grounding. Attempting to do so would just show the gems are taking an active parental role and doing something, trying to make sure someone they care about doesn't hurt others or themselves while taking the time to cool off.

If Steven was my kid, and I had asked him what was going on after he wrecked our home and I only got "I think I said enough." He would be grounded for months. Of course I care about the well-being of my kid And I want to give them the space they need, But when what they're doing is clearly not working and is actively hurting themselves or others, That's when parents should have a problem.

Not only would this give the crystal gems a bit more of an impact in future, But the consequences would give weight to Steven's actions.

(Hope you liked my ramblings and and it entertained you for a bit. I plan on posting more Steven universe stuff, especially in the regards of the show and AUs, So maybe hit me with a follow if you think that's something you like.)

[the-s1lly-corner]

Shut In (Eyeless Jack x reader oneshot!)

Basic plot: its really cold outside, and you urge Jack to stay in your home with you... he decides to stay despite knowing full well that he will be fine out in the freezing temperatures. You both decide to do things to pass the time and stay warm! Turns out Jack can make a mean cup of hot coco, too

Extra notes: I dont usually write fanfics, and the last one I've written was a personal one from late August... so to say I'm rusty and underexperienced is an understatement! I feel this one ended up a little.. weirdly paced imo but I think I'm still happy with the end result! Dialogue I feel I could have done better on but I'm going to be nice to myself since I mostly write hc posts so this is way out of my comfort zone.. Drafted on Tumblr then sent through google docs to pick up on some mistakes I missed, briefly reread no proper proof reading imo... lets hope this isnt a train wreck + it copied back to tumblr okay!! LMAO

Brief joke about pregnancy/making a pregnancy but its like one small snippet but I know that can make people uncomfortable + implies at least one of the characters is AFAB

Word Count: 2915

Extra Admin's note: I want to say again that I am so so happy about this blog hitting 1k followers, when I first started this blog I was originally going to use it to burn time and have something to do on the side, as well as having a place to put out my cringe ideas and hcs. I never thought this many people would be interested in my dumb thoughts, but here we are! I intend to keep writing this year, and perhaps even make more non-celebratory one shots this year? Maybe? I don't know I guess we'll see the reception on this fic!

It was the middle of the night, around the middle of January. Your boyfriend and you were holed up inside your apartment, you having locked the man up with you after seeing that it was below freezing out, as well as raining. You had to practically beg your boyfriend to stay with you for the night.

Your boyfriend, who also just so happened to be a man eating demon with tar dripping out of his hollowed out eye sockets. Your boyfriend, who was currently sitting still and staring forward, the only sound in the apartment coming from the dripping of your faucet. You had asked him to come visit you, it'd been a while... and he would never ever let you go to his cabin when it's this cold out. So here you both were now.

You pat the palms of your hands on your knees, sucking in one of your cheeks and working the flesh through your jaws for a moment. You were both technically stuck in the apartment now; you didn't want Jack to go out and risk getting sick, and Jack more than likely wouldn't want you to step out for the same reasons. So, you were both confined to what you already had within the space. You were about to open your mouth to speak but Jack broke the silence first. "You're shivering, do you want me to get some blankets?", blunt and almost robotic. He was never that expressive. "Or would you like to go to your room?" He added after a brief pause, his fangs poking just over his lip before he readjusted his mouth. You were both in the living room, sitting together on the couch; the front door to your left and a view of the kitchen to the right. You thought for a minute as your eyes lingered on the kitchen for a moment. You'd already eaten, before your partner arrived... but..

"That's fine, I'm probably going to make some hot coco," You pulled yourself up, stretching up. "Powdered stuff ooor..?" Jack mimicked you. You only shook your head, earning a disapproving look from him. "What?" You questioned, but he only dismissed you. "Why don't you get some blankets, I'll handle it," and he turned on his heel to make his way to the kitchen. "Maybe put on a movie, too, your choice." He added as his voice carried off. "Are you saying I can't cook?" You called back, following after him. No answer as he tugged out a pot. "I'll have you know-" you started once more

"Do you have half and half?" He was already opening your pantry to grab things.

"No, I don't,"

"Heavy cream? Whipping cream? Whatever it's called..." He mumbled as he placed various ingredients on the counter. Cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and sugar. You only nodded, and as he was about to begin working he paused. "Do you want anything else in it? Cinnamon? Nutmeg?" He paused and through gritted teeth, "Coffee?"

It was almost midnight, of course he would be opposed to you having caffeine so late.

"Cinnamon is fine," You watched him get to work. He measured everything out; even mixing the heavy cream with some milk to make a substitute for half and half.... was that really all it was? You weren't sure what you expected it to be, if it weren't..

He pulled his head up and stared at you. It was then that you noticed he had actually taken his mask off and set it at the end of the counter and out of the way. The black ooze dripping from his eyes was slow and posed little threat to dripping into your drink. He had a fistful of napkins on standby to dap his face dry should the flow quicken. "Aren't you going to get the blankets?"

You pat your hands on your thighs, pausing... watching him. His body had a warm glow on him from the old light bulb in the ceiling; it flickered every now and then. Under the yellowed light he almost looked healthy and alive, though there was no glint where his eyes should have been. His sharp nail tapping on the counter brought you back to the moment, blinking a few times. "Yeah.." you mumbled, defeated at the chance of making a drink for yourself stolen from you. But was that so bad?

You backed out of the kitchen, dragging your feet across the floor. Your apartment was.. a little on the smaller side so within a few steps you were in front of your bedroom door. You didn't really pay much attention to your surroundings as you shuffled through the blankets on the bed.. eventually you settled on just grabbing an arm full and waddling back to the living room, dumping everything you had grabbed onto the couch.

The house smelled of cinnamon and chocolate.. with a hint of vanilla.

Turning your gaze to the tv, your eyes scanned across the DVDs you had stacked messily. Nothing sounded good. "Is there anything you want specifically?" You called out as you settled yourself down criss cross in front of the tv and pulling all the cases onto the floor next to you. "Movie wise," You added as you pulled the first case into your hands. The DVD collection for Child's Play.. you had gotten it a few weeks ago, finding it on sale at your local store. You still hadn't popped it in to watch..

"I have.. Chucky, uhm..." You shuffled for the next case. "All the movies by the way.. I have that and.. most of the Friday the 13th movies," You called out. No answer, the only sound coming from the kitchen was the noise of a whisk gently being stirred. "I don't have Jason goes to hell... But!" You pulled out a third case with the Nightmare on Elm Street DVDs. "I DO have Freddy vs Jason," You mumbled and spread the three disks on the floor in front of you. Most of the disks you had, you noticed, were mostly older slasher movies. Still, Jack hadn't answered you. You pull yourself to your feet and trudge back into the kitchen. His back was to you, too preoccupied with the stove... He hadn't noticed you, not yet. An idea blossomed in your head, a smirk pulling itself across your lips. You steeled yourself, trying to force yourself to stop shivering.. Jack was always paying attention to his surroundings, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

You take a step forward and he still doesn't notice your approach.

Another step.

And another.

Jack wasn't the tallest, in fact if you wanted to you could rest your chin on his shoulder... and that's what you ended up doing, while wrapping your arms around his thick waist. You could feel his body seize up just a little bit against you, before relaxing. "You didn't answer, what sounds good?" You pulled your eyes down to look at the pot. Your drink was nearly finished. You view rocked as your boyfriend shrugged, still silent but the twitching of his pointed ears let you know he was listening.

"Anything's fine," Another shrug as he cuts the heat. "You're the one cooking for me, you get to pick the movie," You insisted. He paused mid-whisk, letting out a soft huff. Suddenly he spun around, his face just a few inches from yours. In the dimmed light his eye sockets seemed deeper, it's black ooze lazily dripping down his cheeks. You noticed the smudges on his face, from wiping the streaks. You briefly wondered what it was like to sleep with them, but your thoughts were cut short as he pulled a blackened and clawed hand to your hair; tucking a lock behind your ear. "How does...." He paused, sucking in his teeth. He looked almost embarrassed. "Bride of Chucky sound?"

"What? Want to study the characters again so we can dress up again this year for Halloween?" You tease. You had convinced him a few months ago to dress up with you. With him as Chucky, and you as Tiffany... It had taken some begging and convincing but you ultimately got him to agree. Although you didn't go out to get candy, you were both fine with staying inside watching movies together in costume. It was also that night you got him to watch the movies..

His ears darkened, before he scoffed. "No... actually this year I was thinking of..." He took a long pause, visibly scraping his brain for names of characters, before seemingly giving up. "Look I don't watch many movies I don't know any.. characters.." He grimaced, before gently pushing you off of him so he could turn his attention back to the hot cocoa. "We've still got nine months, more than enough time to come up with something..." You shrugged, then smirked. "Not enough time to make a Glen... or Glenda," You teased before turning on your heel. You held back a snicker as you heard Jack splutter, finally processing what you had just said to him.

"W-"

"I'm gonna go ahead and put in the disc, I'll leave it paused for you," You cut him off, still grinning to yourself as you kneeled down to do as you had said.

Soon enough Jack walked into the room with a mug, as well as a platter of cookies. "You didn't have to," You mumbled as you eyed the treats, but he only waved you off as he placed the plate and mug onto the coffee table. "You don't have to eat them, but I figured you might want a snack while watching the movie," He mumbled. You took the mug, and swirled the drink inside of it. "I hope I didn't put in too much cinnamon," Jack added as he watched you. He leaned over and started the movie.

You took a sip, smiling a little as the warmness crept in. "You did good, probably the best hot cocoa I've ever had." You offered a grin to him. "That has got to be the fakest compliment I've ever heard," Jack shot back, though you could see the corners of his mouth turning up just slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry! I believe this is the most decadent and satisfying beverage I've had ever been graced with in my life, and-" You began, only for Jack to hush you. "I'd rather you throw it on me, don't... say words like that again," He grumbled as readjusted himself into the couch. You took a sip and shrugged, "It's just absolutely immaculate," and he lightly smacked you on the arm. "I'm never making anything for you again," He snorted, before turning his attention to the movie.

You weren't going to lie, you felt a little bad treating yourself to the cookies, knowing Jack was unable to eat them without upsetting his stomach. Being a man-eating monster must really be hard. You purse your lips, and shoot a look at him from the corner of your eye. He must have been doing the same, because he turned his head to look at you. "Do you want to do something else?" He asked lightly, his grin from a few minutes ago already faded. "Do you ever miss eating.. food?" You asked before you could stop yourself. He didn't bother pausing the movie, instead he just fell silent and stared down, into the space between the two of you on the couch.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up, I know it's a touchy subject for you," You mumbled and put the mug on the table. You sucked in the air between your teeth, flicking your eyes up to the movie, before bringing them back down to your lap. It stayed like that for a minute before Jack broke the silence. "I mean... yeah, I do. But at least I don't have to eat every day like you do, means I can have more time to do what I want," He said. Clearly, he was still bothered, tip-toeing around the big.. thing about him. The air was still tense and thick, all of the previous joking gone now. It was nearly unbearable. Nearly.

"You know," Jack began after a few more seconds of silence when you didn't reply. "I've never tried cinnamon in hot cocoa, I didn't know that was a thing people did," He was changing the subject. "You haven't?" You asked, raising a brow. He eyed your mug, but you both knew there was no way he was going to take a sip.

"It's really good," You mumbled, and took the drink, "The combo, I mean," You added. He hummed, patting his knees lightly. You swirled the drink again, watching the... what was it called? Those lighter swirls in the drink.. Did that have a name?

"You've had hot cocoa before, right?" You asked. He hummed again, nodding his head. "Well.. the cinnamon makes it warm. Taste wise.. It makes it.." You took a sip and thought for a minute. "Richer, I guess? It's hard to explain," You muttered, then looked back at him. You tore your eyes back down when you saw he was looking right at you, totally hooked onto your words. "I hear nutmeg goes good in it, too.. but I've only tried nutmeg and chocolate together in baked goods," You shrugged. "You did really good with this, you know... not too much cinnamon.. not spicy, at least." You smiled. He nodded, before turning back to the movie.

"Woody, I hear people describe cinnamon like that," He leaned back into the couch, a dull pop came from his back.

"Woody," You repeated, then took a large sip of the hot cocoa. You put the mug down onto the table, and leaned into your boyfriend as the warmth crept and settled into your bones. You weren't even paying attention to the movie, your mind was now occupied with how tired you were. Your eyes slipped up to the clock on the wall, It was nearly one in the morning. Had it only been an hour since Jack walked himself into the kitchen?

You lean deeper into Jack, not caring about his body's natural chill. His clothing still smelled a little like the cocoa from earlier.. "Gotta invest in some cologne, you smell nice like this," You mumbled into his arm. "The cinnamon?" He asked, not looking down at you. "No.. the cocoa, I mean cinnamon would be a nice touch... but you don't seem like a sweet smelling guy, do you?" You muttered. "Are you already getting tired?" Jack asked, and he leaned over you to grab the remote, pausing the movie. You muttered, the heat of the hot cocoa doing way more than you expected on the tiredness you didn't notice you had. "A little," You shrugged, "But we can still try to finish the movie," You offered, but he shook his head. Of course he would, as much of a hard ass or party pooper he came off as, he was going to make sure you were going to get your rest.

You put your hand in his, the one that had the remote.. you unpaused the movie. He paused it, and you unpaused it again. It kind of kept up like this before Jack conceited and kept it playing, although he did lower the volume.. The subtitles were already on, though. "I win," You smirked up at him, before crawling into his lap. You placed your head on his chest, pausing when you felt him stiffen before relaxing against you. His heart beat for a moment before settling to its barely there rhythm. For a minute you thought about asking about his heart, as far as you knew he explained himself like he was becoming a walking corpse... how does that work?

You decided against it, you already asked about him earlier.. and besides, your mind was already beginning to blank as Jack reached to the side of the couch, and turned the lamp off.. It was dark now. It was still raining, you could more clearly hear the drops outside now that the movie was turned down. Plus, Jack was running his fingers through your hair, lightly massaging your scalp. It wouldn't be long until you finally gave in and fell asleep.

"Are you going to still be here in the morning?" You asked, melting into his chest as he hummed in response. "Plan on it, I still need to clean up the kitchen," He added as he curled your hair around his hand. "It'll still be cold in the morning," He added, "I need to make sure you bundle up before you go out for work," He added. "I'm not that dumb," You muttered and lightly slapped his arm. You swear, if he still had his eyes he would have rolled them.

"How do you see? I know you're not.. a normal person, but," You blurted out, lifting your head. He pushed your face back down, shushing you. "Sleep," He ordered, before loosening his hold on you a bit so you could get comfortable. It wasn't an order but it may as well have been with how your body started to loosen into him within the next few minutes, quickly snuffling out your curiosity and questions.

He'd still be here in the morning, you could pester him then. After all, it's what he signed up for when the two of you started to date one another..

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

I really enjoyed Mark Russell's Flintstones comic, which was pretty in-your-face satire, but still gave the characters some heart, so I'm willing to give his X-Factor a chance. That being said:

Gee, I'm sooooo glad we're back to pointlessly killing off D-List mutants after Krakoa did the work of putting everyone back on the table for writers to use, it's definitely my favorite part of the X-Books and not a creatively bankrupt waste or anything. I know people might say, "There's too many mutants," or "Who cares about Rusty Collins?" But despite there already being too many mutants for people to use, writers keep adding more (even this book has like three new characters), and every character is someone's favorite.

I don't even particularly like Rusty, he was one of those characters that never caught on for me. I thought his personality was bland, and even back when he was first introduced I thought being "just" a pyrokinetic was boring (at least characters like Pyro and Magma had some unique aspect to their "fire" powers). But damn, I feel so sorry for any Rusty fans out there, he was dead for decades, he was barely there in Krakoa, and now he gets killed off one issue into X-Factor. I still have some hope for Feral, though, given that some of the team is "clinging to life."

I don't know how much, if any of the characters history Russell is aware of. He at least knows that Rusty was part of the original X-Factor, so there's that. Too bad Rusty is dead again. I really don't know what Frenzy and Cecelia are doing on this team. I could believe it of Pyro, since he already served on Freedom Force, and was only too happy to attack his fellow mutants while on the government payroll. Still, I'd expect him to have a more realistic and cynical attitude about the new X-Factor, given that Freedom Force ended with him and Blob abandoned to die, and the US government not giving a shit. But then, that would require actually engaging with the character's history which neither Russell nor Duggan seemed interested in doing.

Pyro's new characterization seems to be "party idiot." I can't say I completely mind, Duggan's Pyro was at least a "fun" version of the character, but this is the second time now Pyro's been a cast member for an X-Book, is it too much to ask that a writer actually take him seriously? I don't even mean "make him a badass," I mean give us some actual crumbs of character development, even if he's still mostly comic relief. The dude died saving Senator Kelly after a long, lingering terminal illness, and no one wants to address that? Like, at all?

Good question, Pyro, what IS Cecelia doing there? She was always one of the more reluctant X-Men who was more interested in being a doctor, how was she talked into this? Also, Pyro, your last direct interaction with Cecelia was when you betrayed her and got her fired after she saved your life treating your bullet wounds, you've got a lot of nerve flirting with her. I am reluctantly accepting that Pyro is basically being written as "straight" now, given that the "gay Pyro" storyline was stolen out from under him by bland replacement Simon "No one asked for this fucking character to exist" Lasker. Deeply bitter that the Pyro who got to canonically fulfill our movie-verse Allerdrake fantasies wasn't even the right Pyro.

Speaking of which, it would actually be a very funny meta-joke if Pyro gets killed off and immediately replaced by Pyro II/Simon, but if that actually happens I will absolutely start biting people. I waited decades for my fave to come back, do NOT take him away again, Mark Russell.

Also wondering how Pyro got the second-in-command gig. Was it just a stupid decision by corporate guy who doesn't understand how the team should function, or is there something sinister going on, like Pyro is more willing to toe the corporate line? Also, shut up, Alex, Pyro was actually doing some good with the Marauders while you were on the "fucked-up remedial last-chance" Hellions team

Like I said, I am willing to give this book a chance, and see what Russell does with it, but he's already shown he's willing to throw characters into the meat-grinder. I don't mind satire and a good story, but I also actually LIKE the characters. I like Pyro and Cecelia and Frenzy, I'd rather not see them twisted into satirical versions of themselves or abruptly killed off. I'd like to see their histories actually dealt with instead of jokes about Frenzy once working as a dog breeder. Despite the meta-commentary in the first issue about "the characters are interchangable, it's all about the story," in long-running comic series like X-Men, a lot of us actually DO care about the characters. That's what keeps us reading. Have fun with your story, Russell, but please don't break the toys.

I'm sure there's much more to say here about the writing for Havok and Polaris, but I'll let other people handle that, I'm mostly here for Pyro.

[inured-ethereal]

Triple Black

Chapter One: Life A New

Many in the mafia believe that the highest of the mafia’s rankings is the boss, Ougai’s ranking, but that assumption would be incorrect. I hold the most elevated position of power in the mafia, the mafia’s underboss, but Ougai seems to favor the term “little princess”. He may be the boss but I’m the real strength behind the mafia.

Walking along the railings of the mafia headquarters is always calming, at one point it was my only escape from Ougai and his ways. The wind blew through my long hair tossing it around along with the fabric of my long red dress. The sound of the bustling streets of Yokohama rings in my ears despite it being late night or early morning, I can't keep track anymore. The days just run by, hours blending together, waiting for a call from Ougai, him needing me for my power or something else. Basking in the moonlight is my only solace until I feel my phone vibrating in my bag. He needs me. I hop off the railing and reach for my bag and the device inside, answering it.

"Hello." I greeted simply,

"Why hello, my darling! I require you in my office immediately!" he quickly responds his usual cheery voice sounding the slightest bit off,

"Yes sir." then the buzzing of an ending phone call rang through the night.

Our phone conversations are always short but never sweet, they hold a bitter taste on my tongue, holding fear for what's to come. Nonetheless, I take a fast pace down the stairs toward his office. Arriving within a minute I take my usual perch above his bookshelves, a spot he carved out to be seen by no one but himself, being able to keep me close without the other's knowledge. I take a quick look at his face, gauging his mood behind that lying smile.

“X, I require your services…” Ougai voiced out loud, seemingly more to the room than to me.

I see what’s going on.

"A mission has been quite troublesome and I require your expertise, it seems as though no one is competent here but you X…" he continues.

Who's there? He just lets a sigh out through his mouth, disappointed in my lack of an answer. Ushering for two men to come out from their hiding places. They were both.. on the ceiling? What is going on here? I was almost surprised that they still seemed confused, they still couldn’t see me even when they were on the ceiling Ougai really thought of everything with this hiding place, but I remained unmoving. I can’t move until he makes the order. I can’t do anything without his order. Without him…

"This is X. X meet Chuuya and Dazai, I'm sure you've heard about them by now." He pointed at each of them as he said their names. He continued to say "While they're strong and I'm sure could take care of this task alone, I fear that you have become rusty. So I will be pairing the three of you up for this mission at least."

‘Rusty’. God’s no, I’m not rusty, I can’t be rusty, he’ll dispose of me. I can’t go back there. Never. No matter what.

Ougai wasn’t able to continue speaking before he was cut off by the two’s bickering. Yelling something about not wanting to work with the other, throwing insults left and right. The brunette mainly insulted the ginger's height, which while slightly funny I didn't dare voice a laugh, I continued to stare at Ougai. Once the two were done with their screaming match Chuuya turned away, opting to look towards Ougai instead.

"Who is this X anyways? How can they do better than me alone? Is their ability really that great? I don't need him or them to complete any mission! The coward hasn’t even shown their face to us!" Chuuya voiced loudly.

Ougai smiled, the smile he had when he was ready to play his trump card. “X, you may come out now.” he looked at me from my quarter nodding, and I jumped down to meet him at his side.

Chuuya quickly shut up, I couldn’t make out the expression on his face. It was like nothing I’d seen aimed toward me before, it was soft, a face of pity perhaps, kindness maybe? I had no idea but it made me feel something I couldn’t put into words. Dazai interjected with a scoff, adding to Chuuya’s previous disdain.

"I think she's beautiful but surely she can't do the job better than me! And such lovely hands, perhaps she could strangle me with those pretty nails digging into my neck" Dazai fantasized while I had to hold back a jolt at his words.

"She can do anything you can do five times faster and more efficiently I promise you." Ougai snapped harshly. I almost let out a scoff, he never liked it when someone mistreated me. Not because he cared about me though, after all, he does the same. He just didn't like when people insulted his possessions. He calmed and said "She will be an asset to your team trust me. Your mission will be explained to you soon, arrive on time, and complete this at all costs." They both nodded, Chuuya more angrily, and walked out.

As soon as I was sure the door had shut I looked to Ougai silently asking permission to speak, with his nod of approval I spoke, "What's assignment is so difficult you need me and two other people to complete it?" I asked. He smiled at me, the smile I loathed, "I have no doubt that you could do this alone, however, I worry for you, you know?" I shot him a confused look, he has never shown any care for my well-being, "I fear you will become rusty without the proper use… You seem to just soak in solitude when you aren’t on a job, I think this will be good for you." I wanted to laugh, he just wanted to show me off huh, scare some other organization out of messing with the Port Mafia again. He doesn't care. Not that I’d want him to care, like when I was younger.

"Very well is that all?" he sighs at my lack of excitement about this arrangement and the prospect of his care. "Yes that will be all, go to your room and prepare for the assignment, a car will arrive early tomorrow to drive you and the executives to your mission." I nod in recognition and walk out, heading toward my small room, at least it's not his room like it was when I was younger. Walking in I discard my dress and get into my combat uniform, I prefer it over the dress Ougai makes me wear, just a simple black turtleneck and black pants accompanied by Ougai’s coat and exchange the long elegant white gloves with the short black ones he gave me when he took me in. Then I sat in wait letting the hours ooze between my gloved fingers until it was time.

When the clock struck two, I got up off the bed heading toward the area with the car that would be taking us to our mission, the car was already there as expected, but there were the two executives despite me being thirty minutes early. Much to my dismay, this was not one of the usual cars nor the limo Ougai likes to drive around in, so I assume we are trying to be more inconspicuous. However, this also meant there were only three seats in the back seat, and because the two boys were already seated a space away from each other I was forced to sit between them.

It was odd, instead of feeling uncomfortable squished between the two men, it almost felt peaceful. Chuuya was warm and comforting against me, while Dazai was cold but just as comforting. Never before have I felt like this, but, I guess that's to be expected considering how little interaction I've had with anyone outside of Ougai, who is far from comforting. It was a pleasant ride, silent and oddly without tension between the two men, which I had come to expect from them, I can only imagine why. However, I couldn't be comforted by their presence for long, I know they would surely despise me after using my ability, but I suppose that is my fate, an eternity of loneliness.

Though I felt comforted by their presence I could still feel that they were sizing me up. Their burning gazes didn’t cease until we arrived at our destination, a warehouse of sorts, who would’ve thought? If he called on me surely it means that there is more to this than a small exchange of goods. We all exited the car and headed toward the large doors pushing past them and being met with nothing but the usual worn-down walls and crumbling ceiling that usually was present in these types of exchanges.

The confused silence didn’t last long though it was quickly replaced with gunfire, nothing new. I swept past the bullets, heading toward the area where the gunfire was coming from. While I was doing so the two executives didn’t take too much longer than me to regain their composure and begin to use their weapons and abilities. Chuuya activated his ability and began to fight back against the bullets sending them back toward the attackers with a swift kick. Dazai seemed to not have much going for him in this situation though he just seemed to be scraping by, using his gun instead of his ability. While he is a nice shot, surely he can’t make it far with that alone?

Never mind that I need to focus at least a little on my own safety and part in this mission. It won’t take much longer with my ability anyway. I made it to the outside of the building within seconds, still hearing the gunfire, I deduced that they were somewhere outside the building. They were easy to spot though wearing way too much armor out in the open, clearly a sign of fear. With urgency, I made my way up the side of the building toward the platforms where the men were shooting from and strolled towards them. They were too wrapped up in their own mission to even notice that I was approaching until it was too late. I had already taken off my leather gloves and placed my left hand on each of them with an uttered “I order you, die now…” with that they immediately fell to the floor with no sign of distress or wounds, the perfect murder. The two below me finally noticed both that I was gone and that the gunfire ceased.

I jumped through the window on the ceiling that the men were shooting from to the floor a few feet in front of the two men. I walked slowly up to the red-headed executive placed my right hand on his arm and muttered quietly “I order you, live now…” And then placed my gloves back on looked the two in the eye without another word and walked out to the car waiting. This time I got to pick the seat I was in, and based on the little interaction I’d seen between the two, I was expecting a long and loud car ride. The car ride back to headquarters was silent unlike what I expected, though it was not unpredictable per se. As is my curse, the curse of war.

They followed close behind me towards Ougai’s office, in silence still, Dazai only running ahead of me once we were within a few feet of the door. He knocked earning a quick ‘come in’ from Ougai before pushing the double doors open. Ougai was facing us, holding his head in his hands with his usual smile.

“Did you complete the mission?” he asked, he already knew the answer, but I suspect he wanted to know their impression of me and my ability.

Dazai paused, looking down, I was preparing myself for an onslaught of disgust and insults, instead, Dazai looked up with a chipper smile.

“She was amazing! I’ve never seen such amazing power! She even looked good while doing it! She could kill me so easily and painlessly! If only this troublesome ability wasn’t in the way!” he swooned, racing towards me and getting on his knees below me, caressing my hand through my gloves before intertwining his hand with mine “Either way, Belladonna would you please grant me an elegant death with your exquisite hands?”

Of all the things I was expecting to happen, this never qualified. This man really did have a death wish, his intense gaze was making me somewhat uncomfortable. Just then Chuuya placed his hand on my shoulder making me jump slightly.

“I hate to agree with the mackerel but he’s right her power was… helpful. The mission went smoothly.” Chuuya grumbled.

Ougai laughed, “Yes she’s a spectacle isn’t she!”

I whipped my head up looking at Ougai, a pitiful look on my face a look of confusion, fear, and discomfort. What was going on? I’m not prepared to handle this.

Ougai laughed again at the look on my face, “I’m glad the three of you are getting along so well, based on this experimental mission I’ve come to a decision!”

The three of us directed our attention back at him waiting for his next words.

He continued, “From this point to the foreseeable future, the three of you will be working together” he smiled as if we were all supposed to be delighted by this news.

I was not, I snatched my hand away from Dazai and shrugged Chuuya’s hand off of me shifting left of them, enough for me to calm down but not enough to the point that Ougai could be upset. They just stared at me confused, then Dazai got up off of his knees below me heading toward where I was standing, getting closer than I’d liked him to be.

“I for one think it’s a great idea boss! It’s sure an upgrade from the slug! A stunning and powerful asset!” he complimented as Chuuya grumbled in the same spot. Why was this happening? Was I not useful on my own anymore? Has he grown tired of me? Is it just a matter of time before he sends me back there? I was dwelling in my own thoughts, the darkness having its’ grip on me once again, the war stirring in me. Chuuya just nodded in agreement at Dazai’s statement and with everyone’s content but mine Ougai smiled.

“Effective immediately I would like the three of you to move into a room at headquarters so that your progress can be monitored and your teamwork can improve” Ougai finished.

This time the two seemed less enthralled by the news, I’m glad I’m not the only one objecting now. They were now yelling about each other’s bad habits and how annoyed they would be having to share a living space with each other. It was odd for them to hate each other so much but know so much about each other laughable even. So against my better judgment, I let out a little snicker. I thought it wouldn’t even be audible over their yelling but apparently, it was because both of them turned to look at me, both of their stern gazes softening the smallest bit at my laugh. Once I realized it was silent and everyone was staring at me I retreated to behind Ougai’s desk and away from the two allowing a stern look to return to my face.

Ougai looked from me and then back at the two before speaking to us again, “I expect the three of you to train together tomorrow, I will send some men to clear out your respective rooms and move them into your new home!” he exclaimed. The two of them nodded before taking the hint and leaving the room, I stayed silent until they left. It finally dawned on me how serious he was, this was actually happening.

Turning to Ougai I looked at him with a face of fear, he smiled at me as he usually did. “Come now this is good for you! I have no doubt you’ll make a great team!” he waited for my answer. “I have no doubt of that either… However, you know very well I can take any mission on my own so why pair me up with two executives?” I asked. “You know very well why. Or would you prefer to go back there?” he threatened with a dead look in his eyes, a sinister look he only held when he wanted to instill fear, to make it known that he was serious. “No sir” and with that, his usual cheery smile was back. “Good girl!” he beamed “It appears double black is now triple black..”

Slight A/N: Sorry that the reader is portrayed with feminine characteristics and she/her pronouns! This will change after the first few chapters! I'm not sure how often I'll update this but I will be uploading other content as well! I have two other chapters written so far and will post those within a few days! I hope you enjoyed this! Also, this is a very self-indulgent series btw so it will probably not be for everyone </3 Also if anyone is curious this takes place when Dazai, Chuuya, and the reader are all 18!

[glorious-spoon]

Second-Guessing [9-1-1 | Buck/Eddie | 1/1]

Rating: Teen Wordcount: ~1000 Warnings: None Other Tags: Pre-relationship, Emotional hurt/comfort, Friendship, Episode tag - 6x13 Mixed Feelings

-

“Do you think I’m bad at sex?”

Eddie barks out a startled laugh at his ceiling, then straightens up. This is not, unfortunately, the weirdest way Buck has ever opened a phone call with him, but it’s definitely up there. “What?”

“That call the other day, you know, the lady with the vibrator—”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Eddie,” Buck whines. “This is important!”

“Is it, really?”

“Eighty percent. He said that the article said eighty percent of people report being unsatisfied. Do you know how many women I’ve slept with? Eighty percent of that is, like, a lot. Okay? And I was doing some research—on a first time hookup, did you know that only forty percent of women even have an orgasm at all? So if I do the math on that—”

“Buck.”

Buck lets out a deep sigh that crackles down the phone line. “I’m being an idiot about this, aren’t I?”

“Nah. Well, I mean, kinda. But it’s okay.”

“Is it, though? Like—” there’s a rustle on the other end of the line. It’s easy to imagine Buck right now, flopped out across his bed because the couch his parents bought him is a bona fide torture device. In his sweatpants, probably, his hair still damp from the shower. He lets out another sigh, then says, “You know, Bobby was saying—when I was with Taylor, Bobby said that the problem was that I never talk to my partners, that I don’t know how to communicate, and that’s why my relationships always turn into catastrophes.”

“I don’t think that’s quite what he was saying. And Taylor—”

“I know. You hate her guts.”

Eddie snorts. “I was gonna say that it’s different, in a long term relationship.”

“Right, but. I haven’t historically had a lot of success with those.”

“Relationships don’t work out sometimes. A lot of the time.”

There’s silence for a moment. It’s not just Taylor hanging over the conversation now; Ana is there too. And Shannon.

Sex with Ana was always stilted, awkward in a way that he told himself at the time was just the newness of it all. Just a new person, a new body to learn, just Eddie being rusty when it came to literally any form of physical intimacy. He and Shannon were each other's firsts, so of course neither of them knew what they were doing to start with, and what they learned they learned together. By the end of it, sex was the only part of their relationship that actually worked. Beyond that—

He doesn’t really have a lot of perspective to offer Buck, is the thing. Even setting aside the fact that he’s not sure he can give an objective analysis of the sexual history of the guy he’s in love with.

So there’s that.

“It’s just…” Buck sounds quieter now, almost miserable, and it tugs at Eddie's heartstrings despite the absurdity of this whole conversation. “That was like. The one thing I knew I was good at. You know? Everything else, sure, my life was a mess, I made a lot of dumb choices and messed up a lot of relationships and got myself fired, and—but at least I knew how to, you know, make somebody feel good. Except maybe I didn’t after all. And if I wasn’t even any good at that, then—”

“Buck,” Eddie interrupts again. Gently, this time. He firmly squashes the unhelpful little voice in the back of his head that wants to ask for a hands-on demonstration. Buck sounds freaked out enough that he might actually take Eddie up on it, and Eddie is… really not ready to cope with that possibility. “You’re spiraling.”

Another silence. Then: “I called them. Some of them.”

Good grief. “Your hookups?”

“Yeah—is that a disrespectful way to talk about them? I mean—anyway, yeah. The ones I still have phone numbers for, I called them. Most of them didn’t want to talk to me.”

“Shocking,” Eddie deadpans.

Buck laughs, which is what he was going for. “Shut up.”

“So? What was the verdict?”

He regrets asking the moment the words are out of his mouth, but he doesn't take it back.

“Uh,” Buck says, still laughing a little. “Of the ones I actually got a hold of? Yes, yes, probably, no, who the hell are you, I thought I blocked your number, yes, no, I don't remember, yes.”

“More yeses than nos,” Eddie offers.

“Unless they were lying to make me feel better,” Buck counters triumphantly.

“Buck. If someone called you up out of the blue after years of radio silence to ask if you had an orgasm when you slept together, would you lie about it to spare their feelings?”

Buck is quiet for a minute. “Yeah, okay, that was kind of an insane thing to do, huh.”

“A little. Yeah.”

He can hear the fondness in his own voice and is helpless to mute it. Though he's honestly not really trying that hard. Buck deserves to know that he's loved, even when he's being ridiculous. Maybe especially then.

“I just worry. You know, that all the shit I thought I knew about myself—that maybe it’s not really true after all. And if that’s the case then who the hell am I, anyway?”

“Feels like this maybe isn’t actually about whether or not you’re good in bed,” Eddie offers, and bites his teeth on anything else he could say about that. About finding out that maybe the person you thought you were was just a carefully painted mask over the messy, tender reality underneath. He could offer Buck some truth of his own, but he doesn’t. It doesn’t feel like the right time for it.

That, or he’s a coward. He’s working on it, though.

“Maybe not. I guess. Eddie, I…” Buck trails off.

“What?” Eddie asks, when a few moments of silence have passed.

“Nothing,” Buck says. He laughs quietly; Eddie can conjure up the shape of his smile and the crinkles at the corners of his eyes as easily as breathing. “Just. Thanks for taking my call.”

“Of course. Always.”

For a little while, they just breathe together across the miles between them as night falls gently over Los Angeles. Then Buck says softly, “Come over tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Eddie says back, just as soft. There’s nothing new about the invitation, but it feels new, somehow, anyway. Either way, the answer is the same as it’s always been. “Yeah, okay.”

[voltronisanobsession]

Platonic Yandere! Voltron x Reader

These are my first headcanons I’ve uploaded so they might be a little all over the place and unorganized💀💀 but anyways hope you guys enjoy?

I don’t know if having all of them obsessed with you is a good thing or a bad thing

On one side, they’d be willing to do anything in order to protect you

But on the other, there’s literally no way you’re ever getting away from them, not with the defenders of the universe being your personal guard dogs

You had to have been friends with at LEAST one of them before finding the blue lion and I’m feeling Pidge was the first one to have been the starting catalyst

So once you’ve met everyone else, something just clicked in their brains

Your whole being was just so comforting and familiar for them that they didn’t even realize their feelings towards you becoming twisted

You wouldn’t be able to go anywhere by yourself

Feel like eating something? Good thing Hunk’s tagging along, maybe he’ll make you a tasty meal

Need to train in the training deck? Well, Keith feels like his fighting skills are getting a little rusty

Want to look over the star chart? Luckily Coran and Pidge are right there to help you understand some of the patterns

Want to get some rest in your room? Allura’s already suggesting you guys should have a slumber party in her room!

You won’t get any time to yourself, not with one of them breathing down your neck

There will always be one of them right next to you wherever you are

Like they’re clinginess is unreal💀 some will make their clingy needs obvious (LANCE, Hunk, Coran) while the others will be a bit more discreet about it (Shiro, Keith, Pidge)

I feel like Allura would be in between

But despite this, none of them are willing to take the risk of you roaming around outside the castle

You could try and run from them, maybe the aliens on the planets they visit will want to keep you for themselves, or the galra might show up and start attacking!

Because of that lingering fear, missions are usually done with you back in the safety of the castle with Coran and Allura (if she hasn’t begun piloting the lion yet)

They’re usually left on babysitting duties with you which they don’t honestly mind…

All of them would be SUPER overprotective of you to the absolute MAX, telling you the castle was the only place that could keep you safe

If they aren’t around that is

Being around them in the castle begins to feel more an obligation, and you feel more like a prisoner

Which is why you prefer Shiro out of all of them because he’s the only one who gives you some amount of freedom

Shiro understands what it’s like to be kept as a prisoner and understands just how restricting your situation is

He definitely tries to work out some negotiation with you

To make up for the others obsessive need to constantly be around you, he forces them to chill out and just let you be

Kind of like a schedule of some sort

With Shiro’s light supervision, you can finally take a moment for yourself without having to worry about the lingering eyes you’ve felt since leaving earth

Just don’t take advantage of Shiro’s kindness because the little privacy he’s given you can easily be taken away and you’d be back at stage one with the group hogging for your attention

Because this group is diverse in personalities, it can be extremely draining having to deal with them all on a daily basis

Lance and Keith fight for your attention, Lance being more loud and open about it

It’s like a tug of war situation with them, constantly having them bicker over who gets to hangout with you and fighting for that right

“Hey y/n, I say we make a break for it. You, me, we’ll make a great pair just saving the universe!”

“You really think they want to spend time with you?? I think y/n was on their way to the training deck right?”

It’s exhausting to say the least

Having Pidge run on and on about programs she’s working on can be draining and you often find yourself dozing off until she wakes you up, forcing you to listen to her rants and programs she’s currently working on again

(Definitely has some sort of tracker on you, everybody knows about it except you)

I feel like Hunk wouldn’t be as bad as the others but he does force you to cook with him in the kitchen, constantly wanting your inputs and needing compliments, not allowing you to leave until you’ve taste tested all of his new dishes

Manipulates you into staying with him by saying no one appreciates his cooking💀 makes you feel bad so you reluctantly stay in your seat

Allura and Coran…

They have never felt such intense feelings for a person before, so it really throws them off once they’ve developed their twisted version of affection for you

Their planet was destroyed and now that they finally found a home in you, they’re both willing to do anything in order to keep you in the safety of their arms

“Y/n just the person I was looking for! I need your help in running some tests for me”

“Ah y/n there you are! I was starting to get worried when I didn’t find you with the others,,”

Shiro plans on keeping and protecting the innocence he saw in you when you guys first met

Definitely gives overprotective dad vibes

He’ll be forceful with you if you try and do anything dangerous, like trying to go out on missions or even trying to escape them

I don’t think escaping is even possible tbh, they all kinda desperate ngl💔

Overall, this group is dead set on keeping you with them

It doesn’t really matter what you want because you don’t really understand the true dangers the universe can throw at you

They just want to keep you safe and happy

As long as you follow along with their rules and requests, living in the castle with this group won’t be as terrible as compared to you constantly fighting against them

That won’t be well received by either of them, especially Allura and Shiro

[twistedwonderlandshenanigans]

How do you think Rook would respond to MC!Reader going/went through a similar childhood? At least pertaining to the extreme mess, neglect and homebody parents.

I'd imagine MC would be absolutely relieved to be in a new different world rather than being trapped. Like Ramshackles not the best but it's a step up from what MC had; and they have Ghost friends (and Grim too I guess) to help clean it up. Not unlike a Disney princess and their familiars!

MC invites him to stay at Ramshackle during the breaks and summer. There they'd regale him with what it's like being the eldest child. Nevertheless MC feels deeply sympathetic towards him and wants to establish a place where he can be free. Together making a better home.

(Bonus points for him being romantically involved with MC)

SORRY THIS IS REALLY KINDA RAMBLY LMAO I hope it kinda. like tangentially answers your question if nothing else, I'm sorry I struggle to respond to asks about hyperspecific situations, but I'll try!!This is a really good question! I think we have slightly different interpretations of Rook, so this is my take on him in this scenario-

Rook is a very closed-off person when it comes to his personal life. He doesn't take kindly to being asked about his past, and the likelihood of him being open enough about his past to get MC to be sympathetic towards him, I feel, would be very low.

That being said. I do think there are hints MC could pick up on.

Let's say MC and Rook have been friends right from the very beginning, MC capturing Rook's attention as a being from a different universe, and Rook capturing MC's attention because of his Particular charm.

Let's say winter break rolls around, so about four months of being friends. Rook never goes 'home' for breaks, he just says he does to avoid any sort of confrontation on what he's doing over the break or if he has any family plans. He lets the mirror teleport him, and he spends his time in the woods rather than in the house. 'Home' looks more cluttered than ever, there are boxes starting to pile up outside, he can see through small gaps in the window the black mold continuing to fester on the walls, he can smell food decomposing in the midst of everything. He can see portions of the ceiling falling apart, he can see how splintered the kitchen cupboards are, he knows the integrity of his home is not dependable. He can see his dad struggling to bring food to his mother because of all the mess. He knows, his parents would be happy to see him for the first time in two years, but he would want to clean, and they would not let him. It's too much for him, he goes back to NRC.

He knows, that there is at least one person still at NRC, but likely more as he is aware many merfolk cannot return home due to the ice floes. The last thing he expects to find when he returns is an empty Ramshackle.

Two parts of his mind are immediately at war, one, trying to reason why you wouldn't be present, and if he should go find you. The other is the overwhelming compulsion to fix Ramshackle to the best of his ability. He remembers that the headmage asked you to tend to the fireplaces on campus, and despite his instinct to track you down, he starts fixing.

He isn't thinking very rationally in the moment, he just can't stand the thought of another person that he cares about, living in a dangerous, dirty home. You shouldn't have to walk around with shoes on all the time just to avoid splinters. You shouldn't have to use duct tape to patch over holes in the wall. You shouldn't have to be worried while you walk around your home because of rusty metal ware that threatens to cut you.

He travels to the woodworking classroom (bear with me for this one) to grab a sander, hacksaw, axe and a few other tools. Even though it's freezing outside, he cuts down wood, and brings it inside to dry out. Every splinter he sees, he sands it down, every wayward nail and screw, removed or sawed and filed down to no longer pose a threat to you.

Somehow he's worked through the entire night. You're not home yet, and he's exhausted and paranoid, which only makes his compulsion to clean worse.

When you finally come home, Rook is furiously scrubbing away at dirt you can't see, and Ramshackle is in the best shape it's ever been. His hands are raw, and the bags under his eyes are the darkest you've ever seen them.

You're home, and Rook could not be more relieved, even as you take his hands and fuss over them, all he can do is plop his forehead on your shoulder before pulling his hands away from you enough to hug you.

Both of you are exhausted - you've dealt with an overblot and he's had a major mental breakdown and also worked himself way too hard. You don't want to be alone, he doesn't want to be alone, he ends up sleeping in the corner chair of your room, and Grim ends up curling up in his lap. Grim can faintly hear Rook mumble something about having had a pet once and missing her.

Rook doesn't want you to speak about that night, not the state you found him in, at all. But it was more than enough for you to be concerned.

He still can't handle Ramshackle, it's still reminiscent of the home he left behind, and there isn't much he can do to change that...however, he does notice you inviting him to 'hang out' whenever there is a break coming up, and he takes you up on it, usually also planning activities for you two to do either outside or in the pristine environment of Pomefiore. It's not until post chapter 5, once renovations are done, that he really feels he can go to Ramshackle and be comfortable there. By then, it's in a state that is structurally sound and does not resemble home, and also easier to maintain the cleanliness of the entire dorm.

It's the one place where he finds he can sit down and be still for a while, without being on the hunt.

It's the one place where he knows he made a physical, meaningful difference to someone.

It's the one place that feels like home.

But that's nothing he did. That was you. :D

[slashersgostabbystabstab]

Downtime

Hello Hux fans, I come with yet another Singularity offering ^^ This was meant to be a suggestive/smutty one but it went a whole other route towards the end. Maybe I just want so much fluff with Hux and I accidently go that route every time...

Anyways, hope you guys enjoy! I feel like this went in so many directions and I screwed it up a lot lmao. I'm off to write for his chapter series now!

Which btw a little context for this fic without spoiling too much(which you will see more of in this next chapter series): Reader is a friend of Gabriel's, they knew each other Pre-Entity and they were a robotics engineer. They didnt't create Hux but helped a co-worker with his former self (who is briefly referred to as 13). Reader has a prosthetic arm due to an accident they endured before coming into the Entity's realm. I think that should do?

Words: 3003

Hux, like any other robot, struggled to properly demonstrate any kind of emotion, or at least in his case he didn’t exactly care enough to display what he felt.  His nonchalance was something he definitely excelled at, and when he wasn’t being apathetic he would show his disapproval during a trial. Or when Gabriel’s name just so happened to escape your lips mid-conversation. Or even when your friend happened to be in the same realm as you, apparently no close proximity was even required for that. 

It felt so unfortunate just how impossible it basically was to coax out some kind of positive, or any non negative or uncaring, reaction from Hux. One who really knew what went on between the two of you behind curtains could disagree and say that the private moments you shared with the former cobot differed, but even then Hux was his typical unemotional self with a few short circuits every now and then.

Quite frequently you had the same thought circle through your mind…what was it that could possibly make a being like Hux squirm? 

And you currently pondered at the question as you sat on top of a closed crate beside the robot, somehow having convinced him to be seated on another despite how awkward the position felt for him. 

In your dominant hand you had a wrench, one that you used on Hux’s left arm that was held in your other hand. You were thankful his limb was light in weight, for you focused on tightening the locknut that connected his engine fuel line from his upper arm to the mechanical block near his projectile claw. Once you were done with that nut you set the wrench back inside the toolbox you found within the Huxlee Caracas III, taking a moment to examine Hux’s claw more closely. In spite of the several times you had gotten to embrace or even have the smallest of holds on Hux, you didn’t ever get the chance to properly inspect him like you did now. But you at least knew his every ins and outs, even if he had drastically changed his form.

“A hex socket screwdriver is required to fasten the hex button head screws.” Hux pointed out before you gave a slight chuckle.

“I know, I made sure to use that specific head for you.” you admired his three claws, attaching the screwdriver you took from your toolbox to one of Hux’s screws that had begun to loosen up. As “perfect” as Hux was, it seemed that the Entity momentarily slacked off with Hux’s condition. “I’m glad you kept the same kind of bolts, very smart of you in fact.”

You glanced up from Hux’s arm, somewhat hoping the tiny flattery made him budge even just a bit. But to your misfortune, he merely stared ahead into the emptiness of the room.

“Is this blood on your metal, or are you becoming a bit rusty?” you resumed your conversation after fixing the second screw, taking a moment to eye the brown-ish coloring coating his limb’s surface.

“Collecting genetic material and ridding this realm of its infinitesimal worms can not be completed without a mess. At least it is done fast.” Hux retrieved his claw from your hold to have it hover in front of his visor, admiring your simple work. “Vital fluid from J15L19 appears to stain my claw.”

Oh boy…here he goes.

“Well maybe if you weren’t so focused on targeting Gabriel who’s learning more and more about you every time, then maybe your body wouldn’t be coming apart so easily.” you posited as you stood up, very well knowing that Hux shot you what could be considered a glare. “Some powder or organic coating, and I don’t mean human, might do your claws some good. Though I honestly am not sure what to recommend for this metal I don’t understand yet.”

“This alien metal is too advanced for feeble Earth minds to understand.”

“Reminder that I wasn’t born on Earth, Huxlee. Cut me some slack at least.”

“You were born on Proxima Centauri A.” Hux added before a soft smile came upon your features, and you turned to him to see that his vexation seemed to have disappeared rather fast. “We are finished.” 

Of course you were, conversations tended to be quite short between the two of you if the topic at hand was not to Hux’s interest. Somehow you believed that karma had come back to bite you in the ass after the numerous times you unintentionally pushed Gabriel away when work got the best of you. 

So the moment you felt your smile begin to falter, you instantly stood from your spot before returning your screwdriver to its place inside the toolbox. You promptly closed the box and picked it up, soon turning on your heel to make your way towards the designated sleeping area where you typically left whatever belongings the Entity allowed you to keep. But before you were able to do that, something definitely seemed off. 

“Why are you leaving?”

Much to your surprise, you caught sight of Hux who remained sitting on his crate while he looked at you with as much puzzlement as a robot could display. 

“I thought we were done.”

“Negative.” Hux expressed with a twitch of his head, now observing as you returned to his location and stood before him. 

“So what’d I miss?”

Hux gave no response other than his head tilting to the side, watching you set down your toolbox before he finally lifted his singular claw. You felt the sharp weapon go around and behind you, gingerly pushing you towards his seated form until your face was mere inches away from his visor.

“Oh,” a quiet chuckle came from your lips that curved into a soft smile, meanwhile your hands reached up to take hold of his head. “I forgot.” 

How dare you forget his special treatment? The very same he received any time you left his presence?

“Don’t forget. Be better.” Hux’s red lights dimmed down almost as if he were shutting his eyes the moment your lips touched the middle of his visor, immediately lighting back up once you released him. Clearly much to his disappointment. 

“I thought you’d only want one.” you teased, now feeling his claw shove you further into his form. You propped your knee up onto the space between his legs, leaning your head to the side to then kiss the circular piece connected on the left of his visor. Once again your hands came upwards, but this time around your left held onto the machinery bit of his right arm. Meanwhile, your non-artificial hand was careful not to interact with the alien crystal on his left side, instead placing itself closer to what was his neck. “Are two enough?”

“Negative.”

You brought your body even closer to his before connecting your lips near his gaping mouth and then on the flesh near his neck, sliding your right hand down from his neck to his miniature monitor. But there was soon a surge of surprise in you when you felt Hux writhe and twitch intensely in your hold, forcing you to jump back and release him. Clearly that was a sensitive area.

“Shit, I’m sorry.” you began to remove your leg from the crate he sat on to create a proper space between the two of you, but you instantly felt as Hux’s claw pushed you back into him. “Hux?”

“Don’t. Leave.” He almost tried to intimidate you while your body was pressed against his form, practically forced onto him. This made you place your hands on his chest while being careful with his protruding machinery. “Proceed.”

The command had you rather stunned as you stared directly into Hux’s red orbs, unconsciously gripping onto the flesh of his chest as he gave a few more spasms. Slowly your hands glided over his skin, feeling every groove and vein they passed which you realized made the robot lean back as if to get comfortable. His head followed his actions as you touched the area leading up to his neck, giving a gentle squeeze which resulted in another spasm, this time from his leg.

After coming to the realms and learning of what had become of your precious 13, it really did stagger you to know that he had found a way to incorporate the sense of touch into his body. You had learned he had turned up every dial to the max, so his sensations were much stronger than any human's meaning that a pleasing feeling was ecstasy to him. And anytime there was a new sensation introduced to Hux that didn’t have him disapproving of it, he just wanted more and more of it. From what this situation looked like…you knew a simple kiss on the neck would have Hux regretting not letting you feel his body much sooner.

Had you perhaps finally found your long awaited answer?

Considering how your current position was already awkward enough, you made the choice to climb on top of the robot so that you were now straddling his lap. You removed your hands from his upper area, instead moving your prosthetic to the flesh bits that connected his torso to his leg. While that hand stroked that part of him, your other went to the fleshy webbing that encased his appliances meant to resemble a waist.

No sounds came from Hux other than the whirring of his body, but you could feel under your own figure that his twitching had become somewhat more powerful with each stroke of your fingers.

An awe and adoration overcame you as you noticed his visor’s lights dimming down once more, exhibiting his ability to feel every touch. That if he spoke in a more human-like manner, there would without a doubt be some kind of whimper coming from his system. Mainly with how you now removed your hand from his fleshy waist, receiving a sudden jolt from Hux who whipped his head in your direction. Quite peeved in fact. 

“Relax,” you breathed out before bringing your hand behind you to then place it over his right thigh, giving the synthetic skin a gentle squeeze before a caress followed after. “I’m not done with you just yet.”

The android made sure to watch your every move as you entangled your other hand’s fingers into his webbing again, making sure to hold every girthy strand in between your fingertips. You soothed every bit of his waist until trailing back up to his chest where his pec was now stroked again, resulting in you removing your hand from his thigh much to his disappointment yet again. At least what was what you hoped.

Feeling rather optimistic, you leaned your face towards his chest where you took notice of his miniature screen that read all sorts of binary code. It was already very difficult to decipher any of the phrases he was coding, but with every move you made on his body, the codes only wrote themselves faster as if trying to comprehend themselves. So you dared to plant your lips on his chest, making a trail up to his neck before you did the unthinkable as all cares flew out the window. You were too damn determined and roused by every reaction that came from Hux no matter how small they were; so you gave his skin a quick nip before sucking on one of the his veins that bulged out more than the rest. 

Hux’s lower body jerked up and into your own that very instant, making you slightly jump but eventually ease up with a sly grin before you buried your face back into the crook of his neck.

“Is that to your liking, Huxlee?”

As your smile firmly remained on your features, Hux once again lacked any kind of reaction. Normally this would have had you disappointed, but this mode of silence had you beaming with pride. Especially with a new beeping that sounded from Hux’s chest screen that was quite reminiscent of a fast beating heart, so you pulled yourself away from him to take a peek at it. Yet another plethora of ones and zeros were drawn over his screen, lines coming in swift waves while you directed your attention to Hux’s visor. 

“Should I stop?” you teased the android who now looked like he just got out of his sleep mode. And he clearly did not appreciate you detaching your hands from his body the moment it happened. “Maybe I should head off?”

“Stop squabbling.” Hux finally responded, encouraging you to press your chest against his again. 

Right away did you wrap yourself around him, making sure to let your hands wander over the surface of his back. Somehow you had a hunch about the flesh surrounding the mechanical parts of Hux’s back, predicting that those specific areas would have a higher sensitivity. And it seemed that your predictions were accurate with how Hux reacted when you paid special attention to those locations.

He practically threw himself against you, twitching his head that you could say was buried in the crook of your neck. 

Now you adjusted your legs so that they wrapped around Hux’s trembling body, ankles hooked together while your fingers played with a particular tube on his back. Your fingertips followed the strand from one end to the other until reaching a definite spot where it impaled into Hux’s flesh. You brushed your fingers against that very spot before actually caressing it, feeling his twitching intensify while his projectile limb held you close against him.

In spite of all the quivering, Hux felt completely limp against your body. The feeling of awe never left you, merely increasing with every passing second that Hux seemed to glitch. Oh how you wondered what kind of squabbling sounds would escape his voice box had he possessed the ability to communicate more than just words. 

“Huxlee,” you whispered as one of your hands snaked its way up to Hux’s head to caress his damaged skin. Your lips grazed against its side before returning to his neck where you couldn’t help but tease with your hot breaths. And you soon elicited a powerful twitch from him the moment you kissed and nibbled on his neck right after you let out a tender whisper. “My lucky star.”

Amidst all his trembling, Hux looked straight into your eyes with every sensor on his visor. It was clear that his system was acting up with how overwhelmed he had become in such a short time span. What was not present to your eyes were the various codes swimming in his vision, lines of him attempting to recalculate and fathom every sensation he was feeling. Yes he had experienced his fair share of unpleasant feelings, such as when one of the worms managed to stun him with a pallet when he wasn’t in Overclock Mode or when J15L19 dared burn him. But…everything you provided made up for every single one of those moments of inflicted discomfort. You were blind to the new fuzziness in Hux’s sensors as he now tried to analyze your smile, your eyes, anything to ground himself and come to terms that he was still in the colony ship. However…your voice…the satisfying sound of your voice proved to be both relieving and torturous as you spoke to him.

 “Hux?” you finally voiced, scratching the back of the robot’s head once you took notice of his wandering mind. With your palm pressed against the now still surface that was his cheek, you made him focus on you as you beamed at him but now spoke sincerely. “I can stop if you need me to, I know it can be too much.”

“You won’t do such things.” Hux expressed with his head deepening into your palm, sensors once again powering down into a sort of sleep mode as his hold on you tightened once more, if it was even possible to hold you any tighter. “It’s really annoying when you continue squabbling.”

“Then maybe I should do this instead,” you resumed your affections by planting yet another kiss on his visor’s middle area, prompting a shudder from his head that nearly bumped into your nose. “Hey! Watch it.”

“How do you do it.”

“Do what?” you cooed with a tilt of your head, removing your hands from his head to let your arms hang loosely over his shoulders. 

“Create complications in my design.” Hux enunciated without hesitation, only proving his point when you soothed his back once more. It was then that you felt him hold you, not just hug your body, but hold you as he began to lean forwards until you were dipped  and hovering over the floor.

“What are you doing?” your giggling rang in his visor’s microphones while you made sure to hold onto him securely so as to not fall. It was then that you noticed his lights back on and shining on your complexion with how close he was to your face. With his machine parts and your prosthetic, you were basically magnets attracting each other every time. 

“This is better.” Of course when he had any kind of leverage over you was when he was actually content. “Finish what you began.”

“I fear that if I do, you’ll either drop me on my head or crush me with that arm of yours.” 

“Don’t tempt me.” Hux placed his visor against your forehead as you giggled again. 

“And what’ll you do if I don’t do as you say?” you held onto the robot with your prosthetic, this thankfully strong enough to hold you while you used your other hand to hold his face one last time. 

“I will make you succumb.” He practically threatened, but you knew no kind of harm would be brought upon you. And so, you grinned from ear to ear before giving his cheek yet another kiss:much to his satisfaction.

[circuses-and-childhoodtrauma]

So, guess who finally sucked it up and watch the final two (three? The two parter was a whole thing) episodes of danger force and…yep. It’s currently 5am so I’ll probably have more thoughts to post on the whole plot and what it means for character progression and endings in my mind once I’ve actually processed and thought about it. This may include what you’d consider hot takes on characters but just know it’s from a place of love and I wouldn’t want them to change (unless, of course, I’m talking about things I wished went differently) because that’s the best part of the show. Long post ahead and Spoilers for that btw

I will say I procrastinated the hell out of it after hearing a spoiler that Drex has an anticlimactic death, a spoiler which turned out to only be half the truth. I can’t remember where I saw it, but I will say thank you to whoever unknowingly spoiled it because y’all should’ve seen the look on my face when that motherfucker came back from his unimpressive dusty death. Truly, pure joy. The finale itself was weirdly underwhelming and I guess on brand for the show but I thought maybe they’d put more heart into it; you can really tell the difference of investment put into danger force versus the finale of Henry danger which was, despite Henry and rays final words being a joke, far more touching than the awkward, we know it’s abrupt ending that we got for DF. It feels a little odd as a Henry danger fan since it’s first season to see it end in such a way that leaves me with. Nothing really emotionally.

I’ll start with my thoughts on Ray’s character. Keep in mind it’s been a good few months since I’ve seen any episodes besides these last few (“Ray Forgives” and “The Battle for Swellview”) so forgive me if I’m rusty on some things I’m due for a full rewatch and so point out any contradiction or disagreements you may have because his character is one of my favorites to discuss due to the extremely polarized view fans have on him. I will say this ending truly showcases the final decline of Ray’s character as the show accepts him for what he truly is (see one of his final lines in the last episode as the DF kids try to process his departure “classic me”). Ray, I never had high hopes for you and I truly enjoy watching such a despicable person be our main mentor of the show and without you I would definitely be down a few class essays. I wish we could’ve touched on Ray’s inner workings and childhood as well as how his relationship with Henry is involved in any of this? The first part of that sentence I’m fine without simply because part of Ray’s charm is being a pretty vain character that gathers most of his motivations through that vanity and pursuit of his own goals, but the latter half? I really feel like the show is pretty lackluster for that loose end of Henry’s involvement which I now doubt we will see in the movie. More on that later.

As for Ray, I think I’ve mentioned in the past that his behavior over the course of the later seasons on HD as well as the first two seasons of DF (which is all that was out at the time) could really only lead to three options for his character. Either 1. he has to become so bad that he is actively a villain in the show (I say villain not antagonist because Ray has already been the antagonist of a few episodes), 2. He fully turns over a new leaf and actively works back to the strong figure he was in Season One of HD (too little time for that, get him a therapist), or 3. He spirals into a character so objectively and morally grey that he just leaves. I honestly figured they’d go for something more of 2 (or at the very least give us some growth and then lead into the third; which, no. The MILES system plot line does not count and I’ll explain why), but it seems the show went right for the third option. His character in the ending was just so shallow and lacking empathy that I was actually shocked. And sure, the show tried to play it off by saying “oh well he saw the kids prove themselves in the big fight”, when Ray had very clearly already announced his retirement before this happened?

The whole ending with Credenza felt very “Love Muffin”-esque in the way that you only see one aspect of Ray’s character (which makes sense in Love Muffin because he only had one portion of his character thanks to the muffin) but it was certainly a…decision…for the final ending of not just danger force but the full run of the Henry danger force series as a whole being considering there was no pause between the finale of HD and the premiere of DF. There’s just so much more to his character that could’ve been used there, and it contradicts a lot of things he’s stood for even as late as the second season of DF. Even if you follow his decline of character, there are still other notable qualities that would be far better suited for a goodbye like that. Ray is known for his childishness and his immature attachment style, I don’t think I need to show proof or references if you’ve seen the show but I will if need be. Ray is also shown with outbursts of anger and things like that which would have been a bit of a dud considering he did that in the HD finale and we don’t want a redo because this is something different. I really think the show could’ve done something better than just…calm acceptance? I could even call it delusion but it just wasn’t enough for a final goodbye. Ray’s immaturity, his anxious need for his employees to love him, his relationship with Bose? I can’t really think of a worse way to end things aside from Ray leaving offscreen like they couldn’t pay Cooper his final check.

It seems Ray simply doesn’t want to be a mentor anymore. Like other things, he grew bored of it? He found something better? One can only guess. But it feels almost as though the show is painting a picture that Ray was just doing the whole mentoring sidekicks thing while he looked for a hot date. Which, if so, was his whole goal from the beginning? Because Ray spent all 8 seasons of show trying his luck with various women and he was quick to jump in their arms at any moment to leave his superhero life behind. But then again, he was quick to take any opportunity to leave his job. It’s not a good characterization of him to say that he was just “looking for love” the whole time and once he found it, he was done with the superhero schtick. It disregards his whole obsession with the city of Swellview loving him. It disregards his childish idealization of super heroism (buying capes, creating other super identities) , something that persisted even after he’d worked the job for decades. You could say he “grew up”? But then why the “classic me” line at the end and why have we seen no other growth in any areas? I have my own view and characterization of Ray that was not changed by the finale, so I am ignoring a large portion of it, something you’ll see as a trend with the other characters. But, this is just food for thought.

And obviously, since he’s truly the highlight of the show in my eyes and the light of my life who brightens my face and day every time he comes on screen, I was very happy to see Drex make his presence in the finale. Of course I knew about him being Buddy Fudgers real dad (see the timeline I made for it because the initial reveal in the trailers and clips had me absolutely reeling trying to keep my own interpretations of the show at least somewhat in line with whatever canon threw at me). The simple fact of him *being* buddy fudgers biological father is the only good and useful thing to come of it in my opinion. The actual details…Credenza being Drex’s ex-wife?? Drex apparently being an active part of Buddy’s life for an undisclosed amount of time before leaving and then apparently finding the time to come back into Buddy’s life and having SHARED CUSTODY for an also UNDISCLOSED amount of time?? The retcons in this specific plot line and Drex’s plot as a whole make my head hurt. I’m not even going to touch on the marriage thing until I’m good and ready, but, let’s just say I have ideas for that. As for everything else? Scrap it, honestly. The show itself pokes fun at the paradox of Drex’s character (always losing for…some reason…as he puts it) and I am happy to keep my own Drex and Ray and hell even Buddy Fudgers dolls away from the canon of it all and leave it there.

I liked that the show didn’t try to put on an elaborate backstory as to why Drex and Ray really hate each other (because, hey, whaddya know, we already got that in Drex’s DEBUT episode in 2016, but it’s not like the writers are aware of that…) and they just left it at “I don’t know why we’re mad” as well as leaving any backstories of their friendship in one little photograph. Don’t bother with the details, we know it’ll make our brains hurt anyway. Even though it’s a bit of a copout, I wouldn’t have wanted to see one of the only stable and serious relationships in the show be reduced to a joke like “oh Drex are my last poptart 15 odd years ago and we’ve been enemies ever since”. A good part of Drex and Ray’s rivalry that still held up even onto season 3 of DF was because so much of it was left in the dark, we can only speculate. They always have just enough motive and reasoning for you to be like “sure, that makes sense” (In Hour of Power when Ray explains that Drex’s violent tendencies led to them just “having it out” provides a father-son Batman type feud between them as Drex’s rage is obviously not dealt with in a proper way, as well as in the finale of Henry Danger on the blimp where Drex’s thought-to-be final words to Henry are “I was always the better sidekick” implying a clear jealousy at Ray’s favor towards Henry). It kept things neat and clean and dark enough for Drex to be a good bad guy. And he makes a pretty good show of being a good guy in his fifteen seconds of fame (which btw had me beaming and shaking my screen at his happy saunter ahh I just love him so much I can’t)

And, of course, I must discuss, my Roman Empire, my magnum opus, Ray and Drex’s relationship. Or rather their father and son. relationship. Let me preface by saying of course you may interpret Ray and Drex’s relationship however you want (father-son, brothers, I think some people ship them as lovers as well) and by extension Henry and Ray’s. However, if you’ve caught even one glimpse of this account you’d likely see that I consider them to be scorned father and son. Same goes for Henry, I know some people think of him and Ray like brothers and that’s fine, but in my mind they will always have a pseudo father son relationship. Now, I’ve talked about all three of them and their relationships with each other a lot on my account, so I won’t waste space reiterating it. I do want to talk about the show’s portrayal of Drex and Ray’s latest moments together. Now, right from the getgo Drex is very much coded as a scorned son (or ex lover if you listen to Hour of Power’s euphemisms which is so gross not for Drex but for the implications the show put on Henry). He calls Ray “old man” and “pops” and even says something similar to dad if you’re desperate like me “finally got the outfit to match your dad bod”(excuse my paraphrasing on that last one it’s 6am and I don’t want to go look for the exact quote). But by the latest episode Ray calls him brother? I preferred the ambiguity; it’s not the biggest issue in the world but it feels like another part of Drex that they were trying to retcon. I have much bigger plans for him though, always.

There seemed to be a lot of copout “for some reason”s in the last few plots of the season but honestly, I don’t want to compare the two finales because they’re separate things and also one continuation of each other, and also I don’t care for the discourse between which is better. I simply look at this finale for a three season show that took the time to invest us in its characters and I just feel disappointed. I didn’t have high hopes for the ending given what they were working with.

Some other thoughts that didn’t make it into my totally “neat” paragraphs:

Ray getting decapitated was the total best move for showing just how unhinged and detached Henry danger force is from the rest of Nickelodeon in terms of censoring and morals, and I absolutely loved it.

Buddy turning into Drex, only to turn back into himself but bigger a few minutes later was…a choice. Although I did find it funny that the show pointed out his return back to Buddy-likeness.

I’m not sure where any of this fits into the movie but considering it didn’t begin work until after season three was done, it might have some impact. I would love to see Henry’s reaction to all of this.

I’m not sure why they felt the need to hammer home Bose’s dad being gone? It felt like a bad punchline the third or fourth time around and I was very confused and annoyed when they mentioned it 3+ times per episode despite it not being a prominent thing in any prior seasons. Felt like maybe it was supposed to be lead up for a conclusion that didn’t happen, so it was. Odd.

I felt like Chapa really got her spotlight in those final episodes which is cool but we also didn’t really see anything come of it, especially when Mika was the unofficial leader of the group, it seemed like Chapa was stepping up to take that place with her initiative. I’ve always felt like Chapa would be the one hero to stay in Swellview after CM if they took the route of only one hero taking over. But then again, nothing came of it.

Mike’s visions also got pushed to the back which, they kind of always have been, although it was always an opening to introduce new powers for the others, nothing came of that either.

As for Mika, no notes really. Great job. Although it seemed like there was supposed to be a romance between her and Bose that just never came to fruition either for time or other changes, which left us with something very similar to the Henry and Charlotte run. Bose and Mika seemed to have more intentional moments so I had a little more hope for them considering they weren’t just a few circumstantial jokes and a rushed one-off episode like Charlotte and Henry. Would’ve like to see something happen there simply because of the clear intent for something to happen there, but, unfortunately it didn’t happen.

Credenza I haven’t got much to say about, except the whole cult thing being ingrained into her by her ancestors seems like a cool aspect to her character that might lend to some neat little details in other stories. Buddy was cool, I think his character was fine as well although I never understand why they love to do this trope where these superheroes with SUPER SECRET IDENTITIES apparently “can’t ever keep any secrets at all” but it’s a gag at the end of the day and Mika suffers from the same trope at times.

That’s all my thoughts for now, I know it’s a lot, and I’ll probably have more once I’ve had time to fully flesh things out in my mind. I would love to use this for a chance to write new stuff, but unfortunately my laptop melted, so that’s that. Feel free to discuss your thoughts on any of this! Thanks for reading if you got this far I know it’s jumbled

[thesubtlegatsby]

I’ve been trying to figure out since the news broke last night why Andre Braugher’s passing has hit me so hard, despite not watching Brooklyn 99 in quite some time. Not to say I wouldn’t have expected to be sad at his passing, but I typically react pretty coolly to celebrity deaths with very few exceptions, because it’s not like I really know them.

I’ve been thinking about it and I think I may have figured it out. I believe I started watching b99 somewhere in early 2016. I can’t say for sure. But I know I wasn’t on it right at the start of its airtime. 2016 was a… year for a lot of reasons as I’m sure the citizens of earth are all pretty aware of at this point. But on a smaller, more personal level, 2016 is the year I publicly came out, as well as finally telling my parents I was gay after a good 12 years of internal struggle.

And while I’m not sure I recognized it at the time, looking back now, 7 years after that, a solid year into some very serious therapy about some stuff, I can see just how truly powerful a character like Raymond Holt was to someone like me. He was a gay lead character in a show I was watching at the time, and his gayness was so natural to the show I remember being almost shocked. It wasn’t played for jokes (at least, not without the characters own participation). He had love. He had strength. He was respected and in the rare cases plots dipped towards homophobia, thoroughly defended by the other characters.

That in and of itself was such a gift, but in seeing clips and gifs today I’m struck by something else I couldn’t see at the time. A lot of my time in therapy has included work about understanding the size of my emotions, the way my parents and my friends growing up made them, and by extension me, small for their convenience, and learning how to have and express them again. One in particular I struggle with is love. I don’t want to get too into my own shit, but verbalized affection is not I skill I’ve had most of my life.

And that’s where I think my affection for Holt hid. Holts character was repeatedly the but of jokes about being a robot, being emotionless, missing emotional cues - all jabs I’d had directed at me before. But underneath it all flowed the deepest, most full bodied love for the people around him that in the rare moments Holt found the words, the show would seem to stop and exhale. There was so much power in the moments where he could express the size of what he really felt.

That’s just… exactly how I feel sometimes. The love and emotion I feel is just so big, and my skills on the matter are so fucking rusty and worn out, that I can’t get it out right. But now that I’m starting to learn, it feels like learning how to breathe again.

And that’s what I think Andre gave me that has left me so full of grief. Through how he depicted Holt, he showed me that it’s okay if I don’t have the words. It’s okay if people don’t believe I feel strongly. What matters is that I do, and it’s there, and it’s powerful in spite of how hard it can be. It will exist inside me and be real and true even when it isn’t seen. When it can’t be vocalized.

And it can be so scary but so freeing when I do figure it out and the moments happen where I can let it flow.

This got long but… yeah. Thank you, Mr Braugher.