#i was struggling a bit with the 22 prompt since it seemed too big for what I had energy for :'D

[mitamicah]

Combined two more prompts of @kaarija-inktober so here's day 22+23 being AU and leather

Trans!Käärijä at his first pride parade after top surgery proudly showing his scars in a leather harness :D

[ijwrff]

Hi, i was wondering if i could request a Natemare x reader with the prompts:

Angst:

8

19

20

Fluff:

6

7

10

11

18

19

21

22

24

I understand if its too much or something but i was thinking, Mare gets into a bad place mentally or something happens to the reader (or both?) and starts questioning if the reader (femme pronouns please) actually loves him but she shows that she does and they fall back together after some mutual pining? (Im a sucker for mutual pining and just falling so completely in love with someone) ty ty ^-^

Also protective and cuddly Mare has my WHOLE entire heart, hes so PRECIOUS

Ty ty ^-^

~ ^-^ anon

So there were a lot of prompts here XD I couldn't figure out how to get Mare to say them ALL so some of them, you say to him. Prompts are also super out of order, to form a more coherent story. I have also bolded all the quotes so you know when and where those prompts are :3

Thank you so much for requesting, I'm sorry it took so long to get around to >.> But I hope it was worth the wait!

Tw; angst and some swearing but it all turns into fluff

For some reason…Mare was acting differently. You’d been together for months, and were friends for even longer before that. You couldn’t explain it, but he seemed…empty. He smiled, yes. But it never reached his eyes. When you would go in for a hug, he’d stop you. He wouldn’t even kiss you! That was the biggest key in that something was horribly wrong. 

He was who knows where, and you were sitting at home trying to think of what to do. It had been a couple days since you saw him, and not so much as a text. You’d been hiding away in your home, wondering if you did something wrong. You wanted to help him if he was struggling, but you couldn’t if he didn’t tell you why he’s been so distraught. 

Deciding to send a text, you made up your mind and took a few minutes to figure out what you wanted to say. ‘Hey Mare…you know you can tell me anything right? Are you okay? It’s been days…I’m worried about you.” It was simple, but maybe he was just stressed? You hoped he’d be alright, but if anything you wanted to be there for him. 

Throughout the day, you sent him a couple more texts. All met with silence. Something was definitely up, and you were determined to get to the bottom of it. Even after a few calls, you were met with nothing each time. One last time ‘If you’re busy that’s fine…but I know something’s wrong. Please talk to me?” You almost wanted to cry, not out of your own sadness. But out of love. Because the one who had your heart was going through something big and you didn’t know what. 

Your phone buzzed, and you quickly checked to see it was Mare. However…it wasn’t his usual dorky or even flirty self. He usually sent you paragraphs at a time, and several messages at once. This one was short and cold. 

‘Stop texting me.’ 

You were baffled. Thoughts flooded and you worried about every possible thing that could be wrong. Did you do something? Something to make him this upset? But…everything was so good a couple days ago. Before he practically ghosted you out of nowhere. This was so random, you couldn’t even think of anything that might have made him upset. It was only more worrisome. 

‘You make it sound like I don’t care…But I love you.” Was the response you sent. Maybe your words would help him, and make him realize you’d always be there for him. His response was instant. As if he’d been waiting to say those words. 

‘No you don’t! Stop the fucking mind games!’ 

This time you really did cry. He was being so harsh, but why? A deep breath and you stopped your tears. Crying wouldn’t help in this situation. You had to get to the bottom of this. If you could help even a tiny bit, it’d be worth it. 

‘Come over. Talk to me. We need to figure this out.’ Was what you sent. You didn’t know if he’d read it. Given how cruel his words sounded, you half believed he was completely done with you. You didn’t want to think that way, but your overthinking brain couldn’t come up with other possibilities. Just thinking of the worst scenario. 

However only moments later, a familiar wave of smoke passed through your room’s door. Then Mare was standing in front of you with an expression on his face that can’t be described as anything but hateful. It made you recoil back, but you knew sometimes he needed some tough love. So you tried to look tougher than you felt. 

“Well? What?” He almost growled, but he reeled himself back a bit. “What do you want?” There was venom laced in his words, and you started to become even more confused. 

“What’s wrong? You’re being hateful and I don’t understand why…if I did something wrong please tell me.” Your eyes were filled with concern, but that only seemed to make him angrier. 

He started to reach out, but he stopped himself. “It sucks because as much as I want to hate you…” He looked away, and went from looking angry to defeated. He looked at you after several seconds and finished, “I can’t.” He approached you this time, and pulled you close. 

He buried his face in your neck and sighed. “No one’s ever made me feel this way before…” He pulled back and put his forehead against yours. His look was finally back to something aside from anger. “It…scares me.” Mare confessed, and wrapped his arms around you. “Everyone expects so little from me and thinks I’m worthless, but you make me want to prove them different. Show them they’re wrong.” 

You hugged him, and kissed his nose. He did the adorable thing he always did, and wiggled his nose a bit at the action. “You already are so much bigger than the people who say you’re less…you’re kind, you care about the world and the people in it. Well…most of them.” You winked to try and lighten the mood and he let out a chuckle. 

He looked terrified after he laughed and he pulled back. “I…I shouldn’t have said all that. Shit…SHIT!” Mare wasn’t used to opening up about insecurities in any way, and a lot of people would believe he didn’t have any. You knew different, you always have. “I…have to go.” He turned around, but you reached out faster and grabbed his hand. 

“Stay…please?” It almost sounded like a whine, but you didn’t care. You needed him here with you. “I missed you…I want to talk. Help you figure out anything you can. And let you know I’m here for you no matter what. Anything you’re going through…we’ll get through…together.” When he turned back towards you he was met with the kind smile he loved to see on your face. 

“What did I do to deserve you?” He tried to hide it, but tears welled up in his eyes. “I can’t provide for you like I want to…I’m practically useless to you. You should expect better from me, and you deserve that but I…can’t help it.” Without even realizing it, he squeezed your hand back tightly. He was so scared to let you go. “I don’t deserve to love you.” 

You tilted your head, and smiled at him, guiding him to look into your eyes. “Why can’t you love me with no strings attached?” He looked shocked and you continued, “Without expectations. Without guilt, or worry, or insecurities. If I say I love you…and you love me…fuck the world. We have each other. Forget all the bad shit they say about you, and listen to your heart.” You gained a small bashful smile, “If your heart wants me then that’s all that matters.” 

He looked away again, only to be guided back to you, “There’s better people out there…I love you so fucking much, but I don’t get how you can love me. I can’t offer anything-” Mare started when you cut him off. 

“I don’t care. I love you and only you.” You held both his hands, and looked at him with determination in your eyes. “I don’t believe that there’s better people. You think you don’t offer me anything? Happiness. Something most important to almost everyone out there. You make me happy. More than anyone else in the world.” At his soft gaze, you smiled. It was the kind of smile that made him want to smile too. 

So he did, and he responded in a whisper, “I’ll never get tired of seeing you. Everything you do…I love it. You’re my everything. My world.” He meant every word, he felt almost silly for having such a mental spiral, knowing it could have been prevented had he just got over his pride and talked with you. He should have known better, but it seemed like his fatigue was starting to show. 

He sighed, and looked away from you briefly only to return his gaze. Mare almost shuffled in his spot, and decided to pull you into that deep and warm hug that he always did. Without meaning to at all, he yawned into your shoulder. You did notice him looking tired, but figured whatever was bothering him was keeping him awake. Now that you knew, you giggled softly and pulled back. He whined, and pouted at you once he could see your face. 

“Tired?” It was technically a question, but sounded a whole lot more like a statement. “Haven’t been able to sleep?” You looked at him sympathetically and cradled his cheek with your hand and rubbed under his eyes where the dark bags had formed. It was impossible to hide your worry, but it was far overshadowed by the care and love that was directed right at this man you loved. 

He leaned into your hand, and nuzzled it lightly as he shut his eyes. “I…sleep better when you’re in my arms.” It was a confession of sorts, and you knew it could be terrifying to say. Sometimes he was scared to make confessions that would make him look “weak” when he was already being vulnerable. 

You weren’t going to make him ever feel bad for confiding in you, so you grabbed his hand and led him towards the bedroom. He followed, and you wordlessly laid down with Mare. He pulled the blankets over you both, and let out an adorable yawn. He snuggled in close to you, and you heard him let out a big sigh of contentment. “I can’t believe…you actually want me.” It wasn’t in a negative or sad tone, he was just making a statement at this point. 

“Mare…you’re all I’ve ever wanted. I’ll be here for and with you, through everything. I mean it.” You leaned more against him, and pressed kisses across his arms as they wrapped around you. “I’ll prove it to you…over time. But for now…you need some sleep.” You giggled, as you held each other as close as you possibly could. 

It wasn’t long before you were almost asleep, yourself. It was just so comforting to be in his arms again. Though after a moment, he leaned close to your ear and whispered, “Thank you for never giving up on me.” You weren’t sure if he was intending to say that while you were awake or not, but it didn’t matter. Either way, you heard it. 

“I won’t give up on you. Not for a million years.” 

@serenitydusk @nerdqueenkat @thattiredanimator1t0mblr @viciouslyyearning

[robinofgothamcity]

♡ prompt: "you accidentally get sent into the future and see how you both turn out.”

♡ pairing: dick grayson (anyverse / nightwing) x fem reader

♡ lyric inspiration: “I said that’s life and as funny as it may seem, some people get their kicks stomping on a dream but I don’t let it get me down cause this fine old world keeps spinning around.” 

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes / again like what I said with my Jason fic, you don’t necessarily use the TITANS universe to imagine this fic. i just used this version of dick for no reason. 

“god, this is the last time I do any kind of work with ANY OF YOU!” you yelled at Dick as he bit on his inner cheek. all of you had been fighting off a bunch of crooks and at first, you thought it was okay.....that was until one of the crooks pulled out his hidden magical abilities, “at the very least, we could’ve called Klarion for help!” 

Damian gave you a look as if what you were saying was stupid, “I’M JUST SAYING! WE’RE ALL FUCKING HUMAN AND ZATANNA ISN’T EVEN IN THE COUNTRY TO HELP!” you yelled back. 

Dick was trying to remain calm as he hadn’t seen one of the criminals approaching him. he was too busy charging one that was heading towards you. you; however, had saw them out of the corner of you eye and practically sped to Dick which is what the criminal wanted. 

he wanted you and Dick out of the way in order to get Damian trapped. as you and Dick had passed each other with the notion to save each other, the crook pulled out a gadget that opened up a portal. 

“NIGHTWING!” “( YOUR HERO NAME )!” 

+

the two of you went to grab each other but it was too late. you and Dick had gotten sucked into the portal as you let out a piercing yell. Dick tried grabbing you, hoping that wherever the two of you landed, he would get the hardest impact. 

soon enough, both you and Nightwing collided with the ground. you instantly shot up, preparing to fight whoever was around. Dick had took in the surrounding and whispered that the two of you were safe. 

“where the hell are we?” you asked, trying not to panic, “we need to find another portal back. Damian is on his own!” you fidgeted with your fingers as Dick waved you off. 

“if anything, Damian might be more in his element,” he whispered, “you forget how Damian grew up. I think he’ll be fine. he probably already called Bruce or one of the boys.” you tried to figure out how the hell Dick was so calm about the situation. 

Dick took off his mask as you followed along, “I think are biggest issue might be trying to figure out what year he took us too. I can’t imagine he took us in the past so we might just be in the future,” Dick explained. 

both of you walked down the hill that you had landed on and saw you were in Bludhaven, “I think we’re in your home territory,” you murmured. Dick sighed in relief. he was more relieved that both of you landed in his hometown because had you landed in Gotham, he felt like that would’ve landed you in more trouble with the Bat, “I didn’t think Bludhaven was this ran down,” you told Dick. 

“hey!” he exclaimed, “it isn’t as bad as it looks!” you giggled trying not to catch attention from anyone. the two of you made it down the hill when the realization hit you. Bludhaven had snow falling all over the town and you nor Dick were even mildly dressed in clothes to handle the cold. 

“do you have clothes in your apartment? it’s freezing out here!” you exclaimed. Dick gave you the side eye, “I do but if we landed in the future, my future self might be there. we can run into a store and get clothes there.” 

“and do you have cash? bc if you’re carrying a debit card, that would be really weird to see a transaction from the future,” you replied. Dick took out his wallet and pulled out a crisp 100, “I stand defeated,” you murmured. Dick rolled his eyes as the two of you saw a department store at the corner of the street. 

before you could pull in, you heard someone scream you hero name, “hey! those are sick cosplays!” they said running up to you. you gave him a confused look before realizing, you had to pretend that you weren’t actually yourself, “thanks! it took a lot of work,” you tried to say. 

“I bet. it looks super realistic too! ever since she stopped fighting, it’s been super weird not seeing ( your hero name ) around.” you stood confused, wondering what he meant by that, “oh! you’re supposed to be Nightwing! that’s awesome! do you think I can get a picture!” he asked. 

you looked to Dick who just shrugged and agreed. the two of you smiled for the photo as he scanned it, “thanks! I swear, you look exactly like her too! but clearly that can’t be right since the actual ( your hero name ) is pregnant allegedly!” he said as he turned around to leave. 

“pregnant?” you yelled, holding onto Dick who was laughing hysterically, “it’s not fucking funny! I’m pregnant in whatever year this is!” you yelled. Dick could see the panic in your eyes, “he never said it was actually true. he said it was alleged that you were,” Dick tried to emphasize. 

you walked into the department store, which ended up being a Target, and ran to the women’s section, wanting to get out of your hero costume as soon as possible. once you and Dick grabbed the clothes, he quickly paid for it before the two of you darted to the bathrooms to get dressed. 

you managed to come out faster than Dick as you held onto your costume by hand. with curiosity plaguing your mind, you saw a magazine and looked at the date. 

December 22, 2024.

you sighed in relief. the two of you had only gone three years into the future which was a good thing....right?

“we’re three years into the future,” you told Dick. he nodded as you walked outside, “we can check if future you is actually home and if he’s not, you making some portal to get us back home!” you threatened. 

“at this rate, I would’ve preferred if Damian would’ve been the one to come along,” Dick retorted. you pushed him to street, making him stumble over his feet, “say some snark shit again and see where that gets you,” you told him, “plus, you think I want to get stuck in the future with you? I would have preferred Jason if we’re going to be honest. at least he would’ve been more entertaining to be around.” 

Dick remained quiet, not knowing how to respond. 

the two of you had a weird relationship with each other. at times, the two of you got along, to the point where some thought the two of you were together while other times, you practically hated his guts. no one knew why the relationship was this way but his heart felt a pang as you confessed that you would have rather been here with Jason than him. 

“way to kill a mood,” Dick said. you rolled your eyes, “you literally just said you’d rather be with Damian! don’t blame me for this shit. plus, if it wasn’t Damian, I’m sure you would wanted Starfire next,” you added on. 

Dick looked at you stunned, “what makes you say that?” he asked. you rolled your eyes, “please, it’s not hard to tell that you and Star have a thing for each other,” you said, this time more quietly than before. Dick didn’t know how to respond but quickly for him, he didn’t have to. the two of you had arrived to where lived or at least hope he still lived there. 

the house wasn’t big, not in the slightest; however, it was big enough for him on his own. the two of you looked inside of the window and saw that someone was facing their back towards it. 

“whose that?” you asked Dick. he shrugged, half of him annoyed at you and the other half not knowing who it actually was. the two of you remained looking at the person, hoping they turned around so you could get a look, “it looks like you if I’m going to be honest,” Dick replied. 

you sighed, “I don’t think it is but sure,” your statement was quickly taken back as the person finally turned around. it was in fact you...fully pregnant and opening up the window. you let out a piercing scream as Dick quickly covered your mouth, trying not to get caught. 

“can you shut the hell up?” he whisper screamed, “you’re going to get us caught!” he continued. you took his hand off your mouth, “do that shit again and you’ll be dead before you can even see your future self,” you threatened, “plus! that’s me! pregnant as fuck!” 

Dick tried not to laugh at your last statement but couldn’t, “if you’re pregnant, I wonder whose kid it is and why the hell you’re even at my place,” he wondered, “it’s probably yours,” you joked, making the both of you laugh quietly. 

you remained looking through the window, watching as you stood up and got different things from a box. you were whispered things you couldn’t exactly heart but one thing you did notice was the huge ring on your left finger. 

you whipped your head to look at Dick as his eyes widened. his future self had walked into the living room, giving you a peck on the cheek before bending down and kissing your stomach, “hey bubba! treating your creator well?” he asked. 

both you and Dick looked at each other speechless as you put two and two together. you were pregnant....with Dick’s child, “you better because your mom might kill me if you’re giving her a hard time,” he joked before placing a kiss on your lips, “we should eat before John gets hungry and your dad thinks we ditched out on the plans,” you mentioned. 

“John?” you whispered to yourself, wondering why the hell you named your future kid John, “John was my fathers name, you know, before he passed,” Dick confessed. your eyes widened, “oh, is it?” you murmured back, not knowing what to say. 

the two of you walked closer the door as you noticed your belly again. it was bigger than you realized as Dick had to help you down the stairs. you watched yourself get into Dick’s are as you were struggling to put the belt around you. eventually, Dick drove away and left the two of you alone again. 

the air was thick with silence as you had no idea what to say, “parents huh?” Dick asked with a chuckle of nervousness, “yup....and you’re the dad,” you added on. Dick nodded as you sat on the curb with your hands on your knees, “and you’re the mom,” he replied. 

you let out a laugh of disbelief as you couldn’t make up anything to say, “crazy right? I think we’re married too,” you finally looked at Dick as he stared at you, almost lovingly, “is there an issue with that?” he asked as seriously as possible. you shook your head no, “nope. just weird that we were the ones that ended up married and having kids together,” you said. 

Dick slowly grabbed your hand and held it softly. 

“I mean it could be weirder...it could have been Jason or Tim,” he said out loud. you shrugged, “I mean, that would have weird too,” you played with Dick’s fingers and bit your lip, “I guess we should try and find our way back? we wouldn’t want to change the future,” you gave Dick a hopeful look. 

he nodded as he helped you up but without hesitation, he pulled you in for a searing kiss, “I’ve been meaning to do that for a while now,” he whispered as he put his hand on your cheek and caressed it softly with his thumb. 

a few seconds later, both of you saw a portal opening with Damian screeching from the other side of it, “COME ON YOU BUNCH OF IDIOTS!” he yelled dramatically. you laughed, looking to Dick, “you heard the boy, let’s get the future started,” Dick nodded grabbing your hand and stepping into the portal. 

[crispycrimebrulee]

hiii! i love your work and I really admire the way you write 💕💖, so I couldn't resist making a request hehe. if it's not too much of a hassle, i'd like 11 or 22 for Illumi, please. thank you very much in advance, i send you a lot of love from Madrid uwuwu 💗💕💞😘 (and sorry for my bad English 😓😭)

your english is wonderful >:( also MADRID!!! I wanna go to Madrid...

[Prompt #22 "Stop Being Seductive!" "I Was Being Myself, But Okay"] [Fluff and a bit of Crack because I couldnt help it]

A Date?

You stood on the outskirts of a private estate, ¾ of the view of the mansion obscured by a hedge of lush green arborvitae rising above a brick wall about twice your height. Not that you would have been able to see much if the obstructions weren’t there, it was the dead of night and the mansion only provided faint specks of light in the distance, with the scattered decorative lamp posts offering faint halos of light every few feet, but still managing to leave you shrouded in darkness.

Frankly, you had no reason to be there; in the mansion, near it, or outside of it. You had been asked to accompany Illumi on a job, and although this had slowly become a frequent occurrence, it always puzzled you every time. The first time he’d asked you, he had essentially appeared in your living room and asked you to come with him “somewhere” and upon asking him to clarify, he followed with again asking you to come with him, this time saying to join him on a job. You had been ready to participate, but he ended up leaving you standing around nowhere near the actual action, and would then return to you after 30 minutes and would bring you home. Now, this had been about the tenth time he’d asked you to join him on a job, knowing very well he’d have you standing around waiting for him. This was only made stranger by the fact that not only did he have someone that he did jobs with (a questionable jester), but you had actually actively participated in jobs with Illumi, so why Illumi had changed your position from job partner to benching you. In his defense, you had failed to ask him why he had been doing this lately, rather, you had been attempting for the last 3 or so meetings to figure it out yourself. There were no logical reasons as to why he dragged you to his missions but his ‘work partner’, as Illumi so endearingly referred to, had once run into you while you were waiting on the sidelines for Illumi and given you a strange bit of insight in passing.

He had questioned why Illumi had you waiting out there all by your lonesome, knowing how much Illumi cared for you. Cared for you? That was an interesting bit of news… Illumi had never made it apparent that he so much as a thought of you other than a work associate, let alone that he ‘cared’ for you beyond that. As this jester had left you standing in the dark, a final passing comment of “what a strange way to bond with someone you fancy” caught you off guard.

A way to bond?

Someone you fancy?

Granted this was Illumi Zoldyck you were talking about, and he was dense like fruitcake in terms of making bonds and connections other than things pertaining strictly to work, but the thought of him fancying you and trying to bond with you made your gears turn.

On your end, you’d done a surprisingly good job at keeping your own feelings towards Illumi at bay, weary about how he would react to the prospect of someone fancying him. You couldn’t really lie to yourself when you thought about him. One would definitely call him strange, which was an understatement in most circumstances, but something about his strangeness and lack of awareness for social cues was oddly endearing. Little quirks about how he liked his tea or the occasional indulgence he took part in, or his particular hair care routine always managed to captivate you. Along with his (albeit something he was at a default) honesty and genuine answers, and his offhand compliments, you struggled to keep yourself together at his awkwardness. Not to mention, he was simply physically stunning, while some would call him rather plain. It might be his plainness that intrigued you, but it wasn’t like it’d be wrong to think so. Even if you felt this way about him, he had no way of knowing, and you had no inclination that it was reciprocated. He’d never made it known about having feelings for you, so you wondered if the two of you were playing an evenly matched waiting game with each other at this juncture.

Why would he feel the same anyway? It’s not like you were eccentric like that questionable jester Illumi was friends with, or that you came from an affluent family of assassins… you provided no value to Illumi other than… company.

“Let's go.”

You shifted your eyes around, noticing Illumi standing beside you, his eyes burning into yours. How long had he been standing there…?

You nodded, picking yourself up off the wall, and began walking back the way you two had come, only for Illumi to stand in front of you and stop you.

“This way.” he pointed behind you and you turned, looking at hazy streetlamps down the way.

“But home is” you pointed past him in the opposite direction, “this way.”

“I am bringing you somewhere. This way.” he turned you around and began walking further away from home with you in tow.

“Where are we goin’ Illu?” you asked, wondering what was past the dark street if anything at all.

“The park,” he answered, still walking, his eyes straight ahead.

Wasn’t it around 1am? What could be at the park at this hour?

Upon arriving at the park, the park was equally as dark as the street by the mansion, and since the scarce lights in the park were so dim, it only served to make the park feel barren, especially with only you and Illumi here.

He’d stopped by a bench situated in front of a small pond, the water gently breaking the silence whilst reflecting soft moonlight, and you couldn’t help but get lost in your thoughts while staring at the dark pond until Illumi called your name.

You didn’t answer, you only let your distant gaze fall on him, taking him in one aspect at a time. Everything, everything was perfect about him, regardless if that was what he was ‘created’ to be or if your thoughts about him made you feel like he was perfect. What had his friend been thinking, “someone you fancy”? Compared to Illumi you were nowhere near perfection, you still had so much work to do on yourself and perfecting your trade, yet the hint that Illumi felt something towards you felt absolutely absurd when you realized what you were up against. Apart from living up to his family's expectations, would you be able to live up to his? Highly unlikely, at least to you.

There you stood, brooding at Illumi who was merely standing there looking stunning, although there was rarely a time he didn’t.

“Y/n.”

Nothing out of you yet again, still brooding.

“Y/n.”

Again, calling out to you like you’d left the scene as he stared at you as you stared at him.

“Y/n you are staring.”

You scowled, finally looking away, huffing as you did so.

“You’re being….seductive. Stop being seductive!” you muttered, attempting to inspect the tops of your shoes.

You glanced at him and he blinked, big eyes holding a sense of genuine confusion as he slowly answered.

“I was not.”

“Yes, you are!”

“I was being myself, but okay y/n.”

You sighed, giving him a glare as you sat down on the bench, feeling somewhat defeated and wholly embarrassed for attempting to call him out… on seductiveness.

“Why’d you bring me here anyways?” you asked, kicking at the rocks on the ground.

“A date.”

You turned your head fast enough you felt the strain in your neck from doing so. Eyes wide and full of confusion, you attempted to string a coherent sentence together all while giving him a bewildered look.

“Date? Now?”

“Yes. This is a date.”

You cocked your head to the side and squinted at him.

As smart as he is, he seems to be as thick as mince when it comes to dates…

“Illumi this isn’t… a date.”

“Yes, it is.”

“We’re sitting in a park, Illu. In the middle of the night.”

“Did you prefer the previous occurrences as dates?”

“What previous occurrences…” you whispered, wondering how he could become vaguer and vaguer with his view of dates.

“My missions.”

“Those were dates?!” you slumped down in your spot, rubbing your face with your hands.

“Were you not aware.”

“Those aren’t dates! You never even asked me on a date!”

“I asked you to come with me.”

“That's asking to tag along! Not a date!”

He was silent for a moment, looking at you with a classically vacant look before speaking up.

“I will take you on a date.”

“That’s a nice sentiment, Lumi, but when? And why?”

“Tomorrow. I like you.”

Slack-jawed but somewhat satisfied (courtesy of his honesty, no matter how jarring) you nodded slowly, wondering if that jester wasn’t so wrong after all.

“Okay.”

“Good.”

He took a seat by you, watching the water as well. You never could tell what he was thinking, and more often than not you’d rather not find out, but whatever those thoughts were now… he seemed calmer, almost or at least at ease. Whether that was due to your acceptance of a (proper) date or not was something you’d maybe find out later, but that was of little concern right now.

The main concern would be finding a last-minute date outfit… and hoping it wasn’t the park during the day.

[ladyc0312]

A Jikook Guide to RunBTS: 66-80

Things in this batch start out a little slow, KM-wise, but seriously pick up around the Toronto episodes. It features the episodes where both RM and Jin ask if JK and JM are a couple, so it includes the giggly hand-push game that helped make me a jikook believer! 

As usual, let me know if I’ve missed anything or should take another look at something. :)

Ep 66 "BTS in a Comic Book Cafe Part 1" (Ep: 2 / KM: 1)

The one that I can’t help but feel would be more fun if I was more familiar with the comics involved, but the guys make it cute anyway

3:08 - This is a little hard to see because they use weird angles and cuts, but JK sings a piece of a theme song and JM catches his eye and sings with him.

9:23 - JK leans in over JM's shoulder to see how many people are on the comic book page

10:18 - JM does the same when it's JK's turn

BEHIND 10:29 - JM jokes around with JK and does the playful chest tap thing

Ep 67 "BTS in a Comic Book Cafe Part 2" (Ep: 3 / KM: 1)

None

BEHIND 7:28 - JM asks JK if there's a comic book he wants and says he'll buy it for him if so

Ep 68 "Heart Pang" (Ep: 1 / KM: 0)

The one where I can't for the life of me understand the board game they are playing

None. 

Ep 69 "BTS in Toronto Part 1" (Ep: 4 / KM: 5)

The Toronto one where Jikook wear matching denim shirts while going to Niagara Falls, getting lunch, and playing games

2:36 - RM says there are certain people who will struggle with the wake up challenge. JK and JM readily seem to admit it's them. 

6:29 - JM hangs back (to walk with JK?) when the rest of the group starts heading for the Falls.

8:06 - There's a "teleporting" moment where Jin is in between JM and JK, then the camera cuts away, then it comes back and jikook are next to each other. They stay next to each other as they walk on.

9:52 - You can see jikook interacting in the background.

12:25 - JM takes a photo of JK and gets him to giggle, then they huddle to look at the pic.

13:56 - JM puts his arm around JK and takes a selca in the background, causing RM to ask "what, are you a couple or something? Both wearing denim shirts?" He says it fairly seriously for a line that seems like it's supposed to be a joke and they don't laugh or say anything in response - it looks like JM looks away and flips his hair while JK shifts and awkwardly rubs his forehead. You can also see a quiet exchange after between RM and JM where RM says no to something, then nods at JK. Unclear if it's related, but including it just in case. 

15:25 - JK doesnn't try to distract JM while he did the staring contest like he did with Hobi. When Jimin passes, JK is the only one to clap. 

18:04 - Quick moment where you can see JK start to rub the arm of JM's shirt before the camera cuts away.

18:50 - JM laughs and touches JK's chest after JK loses the rocks paper scissor game, too.

19:53 - When the other five walk away and JK is doing something with his mic, we don't see where JM is.

22:02 - JK appears to help JM with something with his camera in the foreground.

BEHIND 4:12 - After JHope scolds JK for letting Suga pour everyone's water, JK goes to pour JM some water, then puts the pitcher down. JM seemingly tries to help him out by saying it's a new trend for the oldest to pour water. 

Ep 70 "BTS in Toronto Part 2" (Ep: 3 / KM: 5)

The Toronto one where the guys go shopping, pick beds, and play games

1:15 - JK slows down to walk side by side with JM.

2:00 - When JK messes up the game he was confident he'd win, JK laughs and playfully shoves at his chest.

7:23 - When JK loses a game and has to buy the others hoodies, JM sneaks a hat into the pile while JK has his back turned. RM rats him out.

8:01 - JM quietly puts the hat back in the pile, then walks over and hugs JK.

8:40 - JK walks over to Jimin to show him something (sunglasses he wanted?).

20:30 - When they're all joking around about whether they can fit four people on a bed, JK moves JM into an L-shape and then lays down nested with him.

BEHIND 0:09 - JK calls out "Jimin-ssi!" and tosses JM that hat he bought him.

4:49 - When the guys are all stretching and JM is in an inconvenient place, JK calls him "Jimin-ssi" again, essentially feels up his calf, and then pushes his upper thigh, all purportedly to get him to move over.

5:28 - JK kneels down behind JM, who's on all fours, and holds his hips to correct his position (I am literally just describing what happens in the clip, but I kind of feel like I'm writing porn, here...). JK then picks Jimin up to move him over a bit. Both giggle as JK starts to stand up and then the camera cuts away.  I can't even begin to think what exercising looks like for these two when there aren't cameras on them...

6:55 - JK reads out the words on the Jimin shirt they're all wearing, which happen to be, "BTS Park Jimin, I love you! I root for you! I'm ARMY!" with a huge grin on his face. Jimin laughs - no one else does - and then jokes that they should wear the shirts back to Korea, prompting JK to tell him "bye!" and wave while giggling. 

7:37 - Jimin shows the parts of the shirt design he would change by poking JK's chest, and then JK and JM share a fairly steamy look until RM interrupts. 

7:52 - JK folds up the shirt so JM's face looks weird and Jimin points to him doing it and laughs. No one else does.  Man, these two were really in their own world this whole Toronto trip, weren't they?

8:02 - JM tries to give JK some advice on the game he's about to play. Before starting, JK starts what seems like it's going to be a silly pose, but ends up being him dragging his fingers down his face, neck, and chest. Sadly for JK, JM wasn't looking. Happily for us, we can look as much as we want. 

8:18 - When JM wins a game, JK claps for him. You can probably guess by now that he's the only one who does. 

10:09 - JM steals a piece of steak, then JK does some cross-cut teleporting to come over and sink down into a chair next to him. JM overdoes making his eyes look big and innocent (perhaps hoping to get caught and scolded?).

10:35 - JM makes Jin move when he takes JM's seat next to JK I feel like just the Behind for this episode needs it's own jikook rating! And most of it is watching JK lead the guys in a workout. If you're going to watch just one Run Behind, consider making it this one!

Ep 71 "BTS in Toronto Part 3" (Ep: 3 / KM: 3)

The Toronto one where the guys have dinner, have breakfast, and play games

14:28 - Maybe nothing, but just to note it - in this and the next shot, you can see JM heading towards where JK is lying back on the couch after losing a game, then there's an abrupt cut and everyone is in a totally different position. 

29:20 - JK tells JM the "super-pancake" he made is for him since he has to do the penalties. 

BEHIND 6:59 - JM says that he thinks JK will want to eat and calls out for him.

Ep 72 "BTS and Mafia" (Ep: 3 / KM: 2)

The one in which we learn that BTS is so terrible at the Mafia game that it almost comes back around to being impressive 

3:10 - When Jin says JK is suspicious because he isn't talking, JM defends him, saying "you know he doesn't talk much." 

8:34 - JM seems to direct his appeal to be spared to JK.

18:16 - JK compliments how well Jimin is doing at the game.

20:13 - After Jimin says he's ARMY, JK asks, "do you like me that much?" Then there's a quick cut and Jin is doing a Jim Halpert face at the camera.

28:03 - Confusing maybe-moment - let me know if it's clearer to anyone else! - but after JH is sending finger heart guns, JM points gun fingers directly at JK for no apparent reason. 

BEHIND 2:39 - Before they start playing, JK predicts that JM and Jin will be good at the game.

Eps 73-76 “Run BTS Drama Parts 1-4″ (n/a)

The ones where BTS spend four episodes making a “comedic” skit

01:09 - After JK explains that he had a wisdom tooth taken out, Jimin adds the info that they had to take out the whole root.  09:10 - Even though V is the "director" of Jimin's scene, JK speaks up and takes over the role, saying that directors use informal language and repeating twice in informal language "Jimin, let's go!" He continues speaking informally when Jimin messes up and JK scolds him.  11:40 - When it's JK's turn to deliver a line and he gets nervous about remembering it, JM reads it out loud for him. He also says as soon as JK delivers the line that he did the best job and adds to Hobi, "he doesn't get embarassed, I told you."  16:26 - It's a little hard to see for sure, but it looks like Jimin votes for JK when it's time to choose who should be the skit's director. I'm going to be totally honest with you guys - I didn't rewatch these episodes past this. I first saw it months ago and remember being disappointed and fairly bored through most of it past the first half of the first episode - I don't find the skit funny and the behind-the-scenes stuff isn't amusing enough to make a four-part episode about. I’m sure there are others who completely disagree with me and no judgment if you don't share my opinion! But I'm doing this guide for fun and I don't want to spend two hours rewatching them. 

I don't recall a ton of jikook beyond the above - I think there's a moment in part 3 where JK is getting tired and Jimin offers to take over slating for him. So, anyone who is a fan and knows / finds more jikook moments, please let me know and I will update this guide to reflect that. Otherwise, let's happily move along. :)

Ep 77 “Food Guest Part 1″ (Ep: 4 / KM: 5)

The weirdly-named ones that are prob better translated as "food connoisseurs" but the specifics of the foods theme don't really matter because JIKOOK  

07:41 - When Jin says JK and JM will be competing in a palm-push game, JM says he's already lost (because JK is strong).

07:55 - I'm fairly certain that, if you're a jikook-er, you've seen this moment. It's so unabashedly flirty a description can't really do it justice.   JK and JM are supposed to be playing a game where they put their palms together and shove to see who can make the other lose their balance. JM shoves lightly at JK's chest before they even start the game, then both start giggling. Still giggly, JM asks if JK's ready and JK says he is. JM pushes at JK's palms and JK just swings his arms back as they look at each other and smile. Jin interrupts to ask, "are you a dating couple?" (that's the most direct translation - V app translation is "are you two together?"). JK and JM both laugh, the latter so hard that he spins around, thus losing the game. 

17:08 - JK is staring so intently at Jimin on his knees with a blow-pen in his mouth that he completely misses RM trying to give him a high five. Jin has to call for JK to please respond to RM before JK looks away and returns the high five, laughing and apologizing. He looks back immediately after. 

BEHIND 0:58 - JK gives JM a shoulder massage while holding his chest as JM makes satisfied noises. I've seen this clip in compilations before, but hadn't realized it was also from  this episode. It's really the gift that keeps on giving! 

4:29 - Just prior to the above palm-push game, JM reaches out to do something to JK's sleeve (I think?). The camera cuts before we see clearly.  

4:31 - Slightly different angle of JM and JK giggling at the start of the palm-push game.

7:11 - Reveals that RM actually tried to high five JK and was ignored TWICE before Jin called JK's attention away from JM on his knees with a blow-pen in his mouth. 

Ep 78 “Food Guest Part 2″ (Ep: 3 / KM: 3)

15:00 - JK jokingly asks what the answer is and Jimin giggles at him as the on-screen text says, "how adorable." Unsurprisingly, the others are less enamored. (JK's biggest fans = 1. Jimin  2. Run BTS on-screen text writers)

BEHIND 9:56 - JK watches JM dance playfully, then wiggles his own hips, seeming to want JM's attention. Jimin smiles and starts to say something that gets cut off. 

10:03 - JK films JM as JM dances and smiles while looking into the camera. Jimin is doing silly dance, but JK zooms in on his joyful face. He quickly licks his lips as he watches. 

[hpkinktober]

Almost a month after HP Kinktober ended, I have finally created a complete masterlist of the wonderful Drarry works we were gifted with from this astoundingly creative community. Since I am only human, please let me know if anything is wrong with this post (broken link, mispelled author name, etc). 

Day 1: Foreplay 

Love Me Like Red Wine by @triggerlil​ (M, 290) 

Harry prepares a meal, but Draco can't focus on the food. It's not his fault that Harry's so damn attractive.

Foreplay by @ladderofyears​ (E, 100)

In which Draco wears sky-blue, lacy bikini knickers. 

Kiss Him All the Way Up by @chuckweasley​ (M, Digital Art) 

Is Harry into feet? Does he want to kiss Draco on every square inch of his body? Is he kissing a trail from his toes up? You decide!

Water Spirit by @laurisophi​ (E, 703) 

Harry wants to surprise Draco for their anniversary and show more of himself.

"You look like a lake spirit, bath by the moon, covered in green.” He kisses your shoulder and one hand slides over your back, your side, your hip.

A ficlet for the first day of HP Kinktober 2020: foreplay.

Day 2: Instant Darkness Powder 

Under the Cover of Darkness by @manixzen​ (M, 2k) 

Thanks to Pansy, Draco's stuck at a party with a whole bunch of drunk Gryffindors. And now they want to play party games. If only Draco can slip out unnoticed before this gets any worse.

Instant Darkness Powder by @ladderofyears​ (M, 116) 

Auror Partners Harry and Draco are trapped in the dark. Flirting ensues.

A Smoke Afterwards by @chuckweasley​ (M, Digital Art) 

I wonder who’s holding the lighter...

Day 3: Polyjuice 

Prompt: Polyjuice by blackswingsblackwords (T, 349) 

In which there is (supposed to be) roleplaying.

Polyjuice by @ladderofyears​ (E, 100) 

Harry takes Polyjuice Potion so Draco can fuck himself. 

Polyjuice by CuriousEmWanders (E, 985)

In which Draco lets his curiosity and obsession get the best of him. He just needs to know what Harry looks like. How else is he supposed to find out?

Day 4: Amortentia 

Occupational Hazard by @ladderofyears​ (E, 100)

Potions Master Draco has been brewing Amortentia. 

Prompt: Amortentia by blackwingsblackwords (T, 463)

In which there is a secret relationship. 

Smells Like You by CuriousEmWanders (E, 3.1k) 

Draco may not smell anything in his Amortentia, but that doesn't stop him from taking it to help him submit to his Dom de jour. 

Day 5: Spell Play 

A Magic Number of Orgasms @ladderofyears​ (E, 100) 

Harry and Draco experiment with a sex spell. 

Just Let Go by @manixzen​ (E, 3.4k) 

Draco struggles with letting go of his need for control, both at work and at home. Harry can help.

Prompt: Spell Play by blackwingsblackwords (T, 1.1k) 

In which an exhausted dad dates a smitten hero.

Day 6: Parseltongue 

Lucky Bloody Serpent by @ladderofyears​ (G, 100) 

When Harry gets a pet snake, Draco gets (a tiny bit) jealous.

a simple thank you can go a long way by @crimsonhead-ache​ (E, 2.7k)

The one where Draco needs to thank him and Harry allows him.

Also Parseltongue.

And dicks.

Draco’s Favorite Thing by CuriousEmWanders (E, 1.2k)

Draco has a thing for when Harry talks to him in parseltongue, and he's glad Harry doesn't know. Or does he?

The Hottest Parselmouth by @chuckweasley​ (T, Digital Art) 

Draco cannot handle how hot Harry is when he’s speaking parseltongue, even though he has no idea what Harry’s saying.

Day 7: Creature!Fic 

I’ll Huff, And I’ll Puff, And I’ll Blow Your House In... by @ladderofyears​ (M, 100)

There’s a Werewolf on the loose and he’s out to get Draco! 

Thirst by @fluxweeed​ (E, 4.4k) 

The path of Malfoy’s scent is obvious; Harry hasn’t fed for days, so his senses are sharp. Deadly.

And Malfoy smells so good.

Day 8: Imperius

Imperius by @ladderofyears​ (E, 100)

Harry and Draco are put under the Imperius Curse.

Non-con warning 

Day 9: Legilimency 

Legilimens by @ladderofyears​ (E, 100)

Draco shares his sexual fantasies with his lover Harry. 

Day 10: Dark Magic Ritual 

Reanimation Ritual by @ladderofyears​ (M, 100) 

Draco performs a Dark Magic ritual to bring his dead lover Harry back to him. 

A Moment of Intent by @manixzen​ (E, 4.6k) 

Auror Harry Potter and Curse Breaker Draco Malfoy are on another case, this time a Dark Arts Ritual gone wrong. Surely, they won’t botch up yet another crime scene.

Day 11: Invisibility Cloak

Tryst Behind The Tapestry by @ladderofyears​ (E, 1k)

It's Eighth Year and Harry and Draco enjoy some very sexy - and very invisible - fun after dark has fallen at Hogwarts.

Invisibly Arouse (E, Digital Art) by @chuckweasley​

The boys get frisky under the cloak!

Day 12: Duelling

Duel by @ladderofyears​ (M, 365) 

Harry and Draco practice duelling and things get a little heated.

Prompt: Dueling by blackwingsblackwords (T, 534)

In which a lesson is learned.

Cut Me Open (and use me) by @triggerlil​

Draco is the heir to the throne of England. Harry is a nobleman who wants to reclaim his honour. Somehow, these two things are intimately linked. Enter a sword, a dagger, and the hands of God, and you have a story about two men with tongues like knives, learning to lick love off sharp edges.

Day 13: Mirror

Deep Dark Truthful Mirror by @ladderofyears​ (E, 2k)

Draco shows Harry a very old, very powerful magical object: a mirror that will show his deepest, darkest sexual desires.

Getting Ready for Harry by @chuckweasley​ (G, Digital Art) 

Harry likes Draco in glitter and cozy sweaters...don’t we all?

Day 16: Magic Sex Toys 

hot damn, hot water, hot shower by @crimsonhead-ache​

Harry was more than ready for a long soak, a nice glass of firewhiskey, and twelve hours of sleep.

Too bad life never works out the way it's planned, or is it?

Colour, love?  by @choulatte​ (E, 7.7k) 

Holding Harry’s gaze, Draco took out the lube and let his fingers dance over the golden cockring he'd previously kept hidden, liberally coating it in the slippery substance. He watched how Harry’s eyes followed his movements, a desperate groan escaping the other man when he finally recognized his fate.

Draco merely smiled.

Both by @chuckweasley​ (E, Digital Art) 

Harry knows Draco likes to be filled.

Day 17: Room of Requirement 

No Fantasy Required by @manixzen​ (E, 4.1k) 

The Room of Requirement has never quite recovered from the war. It seems hell-bent on fulfilling every need of students and faculty alike, in or out of the room itself. Professors Potter and Malfoy really wish it would stop trying to do the students’ homework, though.

The Room Of Requirement Always Provides by @ladderofyears​ (E, 100)

Just a hundred words of Draco and Harry having some smutty fun in the Room of Requirement.

Day 18: Herbology 

Knowledge by @ladderofyears​ (E, 100)

Harry and Draco inhale sex pollen.

Day 19: Hair Pulling 

Yeah, Pull it Harder by @chuckweasley​ (E, Digital Art) 

The sex is very good. 

Day 20: Veritaserum 

Neither Of Us Have To Say A Single Word by @ladderofyears​ (T, 365) 

When Draco is being badly bullied, Harry steps in and looks after him. Pre-slash.

A Bit of Honesty by @manixzen​ (E, 3.6k) 

A Hogwarts ball, a spiked punch, Professor Potter and Professor Malfoy on chaperone duty… what could go wrong?

Day 21: Dragonhide 

Dressing Up by @ladderofyears​ (T, 333) 

The Potter-Malfoy family negotiate the tricky issue of Halloween costumes.

All Wrapped Up by @chuckweasley​ (E, Digital Art) 

The boys take care of each other the best they can. 

Day 22: Gillyweed 

The Shape Of Love by @ladderofyears​ (E, 200) 

Harry and Draco take Gillyweed and make love in The Black Lake. 

Day 25: Tattoos 

Tear it down piece by piece by moonstruckmuse (E, 7.8k) 

Draco just wants to get rid of this stupid Dark Mark. Why is this so complicated?

His to Adorn, to Cherish, & to Keep by @maesmora​ (E, 1.4k) 

Draco Malfoy is many things: calm, collected, in control. At least until Harry Potter gets his hands on him, and those aren't the only things Draco lets Harry put on his body...

Day 26: Exhibitionism 

how can anybody have you and lose you and not lose their mind too? by @crimsonhead-ache​ (E, 3.8k) 

As soon as he received that letter in the post last week from Potter’s boyfriend, he knew he would be in for it. 

Day 27: Formal Wear 

I guess that’s just me, honey, I guess that’s how I’m built by @crimsonhead-ache​ (E, 4k)

The way they adorned Potter’s body like they were made for him made him want to kiss his seamstresses’ feet. The lines, the colors, brought out his skin tone like nothing ever could.

Well, except perhaps the ropes Draco keeps in the bottom drawer of his bedside table.

Harry Potter and his Great Big Suit Kink by @swisstae​ (M, 2k)

Harry really doesn’t want to say it. Not because he thinks Draco will judge, mind you, but because it’s so embarrassing. Harry Potter—Saviour of the Wizarding World—turning into an incoherent mess at the sight of his boyfriend wearing a suit.

Waste Not, Want Not by @dragontamerdame​ (M, Art) 

Harry may have gone a bit too far. 

Day 28: Floo 

the rush I get touchin’ you is somethin’ else by @crimsonhead-ache​ (E, 3.1k)

Harry frowned though; instead of feeling his joggers that had adorned his lower-half, now he felt the air hit his bare legs.   He was going to murder Draco.

come through the fire my love by @triggerlil​ (T, 534) 

Harry prepares for date night with Draco... until the man calls him through the floo to tell him he'll be late. Draco's just lucky Harry has a thing for fire.

Day 29: Wandless Magic 

Without a touch by moonstruckmuse (M, 207) 

Learning to do wandless magic. 

[ibijau]

I believe you can bring this trashfire to life. 22 and 21 for Xuanwu/Jingy 😉

1. I treated this way too seriously 2. congrats on winning the ‘crackiest ship prompt I’ve received’ award 3. I picked the “Bandaging them up, scolding them for getting themselves hurt” prompt but tbh it’s barely there

There is pain, worse than anything that it has ever known, and then there is darkness and bone deep cold.

There isn’t death though.

It is too old to die so easily.

When it regains some sort of consciousness, it is weak. Weaker than it has been in many, many years. It hasn’t been so weak since it started cultivating. The energy it carefully accumulated through eating other creatures has been almost depleted to keep it alive, just as it was finally getting strong enough to consider taking a human shape. It will have to wait a little more.

That’s not a problem.

It is patient.

It is also hungry.

Its current form, massive and deadly, is a waste of energy, so one of the first things it does, upon waking up, is to make itself smaller. It can move faster like this, and prey on small creatures until it finds a good place to cultivate. Then, when it has strength again, it will devour humans once more, until it can take their shape and be one step closer to immortality and true power and then… then it will be untouchable.

Like most things, it fears death.

Having come too close to it, it fears it more than ever.

Smaller and nimbler it escapes the cave that had become its prison without issue, and sets out to feed itself. The mountains around its cave become bloodied and fearful, as they should be. And yet, there isn’t much to eat there. Mice, rabbits, a fox here and there. There are boars too, but it dares not attack them yet, not until it knows it is strong enough for it.

After some months, it feels confident enough.

It shouldn’t have.

The boars in these mountains are led by a demon, one stronger and older than him, protecting its herd from all enemies. The demon boar lunges upon it as soon as it approaches one of the sows, and thus starts a duel between them. For ten days and ten nights, it fights the demon boar, refusing to admit defeat. There can be no defeat. Not when the two humans weakened it so much in that cave, not when the demon boar has what they lacked: the power to truly kill it.

Day after day, night after night, the two bite and stomp and growl, disturbing the mountains around them, pursuing each other even into the lands that humans occupy.

This, it turns out, is what saves it.

Because they are disturbed, the humans take arms and join the fight. Figures in white that bear swords attack them. The demon board, proud and ancient, fights right back, outraged that mere mortals dare to stand against its power. While it is occupied with these new opponents, the old one flees to lick its wounds.

It cannot go very far, not in the state it is in. All it can do is make itself smaller still, to save energy, and hide under a fallen tree to bide its time. Sooner or later, the smell of its blood will attract insects, or perhaps some mice if it is lucky. A fox even, who knows. It is sure to attract something, and then it will feast, and then it will heal. This is only a minor setback. It doesn’t change its plans in the least.

All it means is that someday, when it is back to its full strength, it will challenge the demon boar again and devour it.

It will not lose again.

That plan is ruined when it is found by something rather bigger than a fox. Something more dangerous as well. 

A few hours after escaping the demon boar, it is found by a human. 

Small as it currently is, it can still tell that the human isn't very big for one of its kind. Its energy is wild and uncontrolled too, meaning it must still be young. If it had any strength left, it would devour that child. Even in its diminished state, it considers it. Taking on its true shape would be exhausting, but it might be worth the risk. 

Before it can get started on that, the child laughs and lifts it up to look at it. 

"You're a funny turtle!" it giggles. "Oh ! Your neck is so long!" 

Furious at being handled like this, it tries to bite the human. To its surprise, the child has quick reflexes and grabs it by the base of its neck before its teeth can sink into flesh. 

"Oh, you have big teeth. I didn't even know turtles had teeth. Maybe you're a special turtle? But you also look a bit like a snake…" 

It is not a turtle, and it is not a snake. It is what it is, and does not need a name, though it knows fearful humans once gave it one. 

"You really are funny," the child says. "I'm going to keep you with me until a-niang and a-die come back. They'll know what you are. A-niang knows everything."

It struggles, trying to escape, but the child holds on. 

"It's okay, you don't have to be scared," the child says. "You don't have a lot of strength, but it's fine, I'll protect you and we're going to be friends. I'll take you home, and I'll find a secret place to keep you, and it'll be great." 

Satisfied with that decision, the child walks away from the place where it hid, taking it with him. 

As hours pass, it becomes resigned to its situation, and helplessly listen to the child's chatter. 

He is called Lan Jingyi. He is learning cultivation in a great sect. His parents and him were on their way home after visiting his maternal grandparents for the new year, but they stumbled upon some problems. Jingyi's parents told him to hide while they took care of some disturbances, and will return when things are safe again. After a while Jingyi got bored, and started to walk around looking for something to do. 

It has been a long, long while since it has spent so much time in the company of a creature without fighting to kill. This child talks too much, but he bears it no ill will, which is an odd feeling. In fact, Jingyi, upon noticing on its body the marks of its fight with the demon boar, takes something greasy from a pouch he carries, and applies it to the wounds. 

The grease smells of grass and flowers, but the taste of it is unpleasant. 

“Don’t eat that, it’s for healing!” Jingyi scolds it. “Also, you should be more careful. How did you get all hurt like that? You shouldn’t pick fights, you know. A-niang says, don’t fight others if you can’t win.”

It hisses at the child. It would have won that fight, if those humans had not weakened it.

"When we go home, I'll ask Hanguang-jun to look at you," Jingyi announces. "He knows about rabbits, and turtles can't be too different. Then we’ll heal you, and find you a nice place to stay and… and if you’re not in the house, you’re not a pet, so it’s fine. Sizhui says that’s why the rabbits are allowed.”

It tries, again, to bite the child, but is stopped. Its indignation and anger remain. It does not like being compared to rabbits, which are mere prey. It is a hunter, a dangerous killer, a king among beasts. It is a triumphant being that none can harm… or it was, once. It will be so again, once it recovers.

“It’s getting kind of dark, isn’t it?” Jingyi remarks, his voice trembling slightly. “I think… I think we should have dinner, and maybe find a place to stop and continue waiting for a-niang and a-die. I bet you’re hungry too, right?”

It is, of course, famished. It worries for a brief moment that the child will attempt to eat it. It would do that, if it only had the strength, or if this were a weaker child, but Jingyi has shown already he would be no easy prey in spite of his youth. If Jingyi attacks it and tries to eat it…

But this does not happen. Instead, from the little pouch at his side, Jingyi now produces a few round and pale balls. Their fragrant smell hits its nose with enough strength to make it dizzy. There is meat in there, among other things.

Jingyi sits on the forest ground, very mindful of his posture and his clothes, and puts the creature next to him. He takes one of the balls for himself, and puts the other on the ground.

“I hope it’s okay that it’ll get a bit dirty. A-niang says I can’t eat things that have fallen in the dirt, but since you’re a turtle I guess that’s fine.”

It does not mind the dirt. That’s a part of feeding.

It is, however, confused by the offering of food. It knows that gods are gifted sacrifices, but this seems different. Jingyi does not know it is not an ordinary beast, so he cannot be trying to appease it, or to demand favours from it. So why waste food on another being? It has never seen such a thing. Even before it began cultivating, its species was a solitary one, born from eggs that hatched alone, and then never collaborated with its own kind save for the brief necessities of reproduction. Generosity is a foreign concept for it, and so this makes it suspicious.

Compared to hunger, suspicion doesn’t hold much power.

The fight with the demon boar was a fierce one, it is now famished, and the pale ball smells delicious. Keeping an eye on Jingyi, it extends its neck and bites into the ball.

The texture of the ball is soft as snow, the taste richer than anything it has ever eaten. For a moment it stays frozen, shocked that such a sensation is even possible. This is nothing like devouring fresh flesh and bones. This is a delight so great that it wonders, for a moment, if it has ascended to immortality all of a sudden, because nothing in the mortal realm could be this pleasant.

That first bite is quickly swallowed, and it bites again, and again, until it reaches the filling inside that pale ball. Somehow, that manages to be even better. The meat there has been made tender and savoury, there are herbs and plants which compliments one another to perfection.

For the first time in its life, it is eating not merely out of hunger, but out of pleasure.

“I guess you like that,” Jingyi remarks, chewing on his own share. “I made them with a-niang, that’s why they have meat. A-die doesn’t eat meat, because of Lan rules, but a-niang says it’s stupid and meat buns bring more energy when we travel. Also, they’re tasty, right? Hm… but if you eat meat, I can’t show you to Hanguang-Jun. He wouldn’t like it if you tried to bite the rabbits. Maybe I can ask Zewu-Jun to look at you… but he follows the rules more so he’ll probably… ah! I forgot I’m not supposed to talk during meals!”

Jingyi looks down at the creature which is still devouring the bun with such pleasure it would weep, if its body were made for it.

“Hey, you won’t tell anyone that I talked during the meal, right? We’re friends, so you can’t tell anyone. Friends have to stick together.”

He sounds worried enough that the creature stops eating and looks at him. Friends, like generosity, is a foreign concept to it, though one it has witnessed a little more often. Groups of friends have attempted to defeat it in the past, and it has seen weak demons band together to better survive. It remembers, also, those two humans in the cave, working together with practiced ease, coming so close to killing it.

After some consideration, it nods at Jingyi. They can be friends, as thanks for the food.

Jingyi grins, and resumes chatting about many things and many people. Clearly, he enjoys talking, and so this rule of silence must be hard on him.

After a while, they both finish eating. The creature feels warm and content and sleepy, even more than it did so many years ago when it entered that cave, fat on the flesh of those it devoured. Since night has now fallen, Jingyi lays down on the ground, curled up on himself, the creature in his arm. He smells faintly of fear, but he is young and walked a lot, and so he still manages to fall asleep.

It starts nodding off as well, but is quickly awakened by the presence of others nearby.

This forest, at the foot of the mountain, is ancient, and has seen many tragedies. As such, of course there are many beings there that are attracted by the tasty energy of a young boy. As the night gets dark, ghosts and demons gather around Jingyi, sniffing him out, desperate to steal his energy and be fed for a little while. It is an isolated place, and they often go years without sustenance.

If not for the creature in Jingyi’s arms, the boy would be dead.

It is not, at the moment, very impressive to look at, but its aura is still that of a centuries old demon that has eaten more humans than those pitiful ghosts could ever dream of. It is powerful beyond anything they’ve ever seen, except maybe the boar demon that occasionally comes down from the mountain… and since they’ve learned to fear that boar demon, they know they probably need to fear this one as well.

Still, the sleeping boy tempts them. They beg for a taste, for a bite.

“Mine,” it hisses, snapping its weak jaws at those who dare come too close. “Mine!”

There is an alliance now between it and Jingyi. The child gave it food, and asked for friendship in return, which it agreed to. It is now bound to its word, bound to this child, and it will protect him.

“Mine.”

If even one of these ghosts and demons tried to attack, then it would probably be powerless to defend Jingyi. Even after the miracle that was eating that bun, it still hasn’t recovered its strength. The fight with the demon boar was just too much. Still it makes itself feel scary, hissing and snapping, growling threats at them all, until dawn arrives at last and they return into hiding.

It has protected Jingyi.

It has been a friend.

Jingyi wakes soon after the sun rises. He looks a little tired still, but that is no surprise with so many ghosts and demons gathered around him all night. He eats a bun, and once again gives another to the creature.

Agreeing to the friendship was a good choice. Even now that it is no longer starving, the bun still tastes as delicious. More so perhaps. It can eat more slowly this time, and fully appreciate the flavour.

It has only eaten about half of the bun, while listening to more of Jingyi’s chatter, when other voices start being heard, coming from far away. It braces itself, fearing it might be stronger demons, the sort that would dare to attack even in daylight, but next to it, Jingyi jumps to his feet and starts shouting back.

“A-niang! A-niang, I’m here! A-die, a-niang!”

The voices come closer. Jingyi gets more and more excited, jumping in place, but still careful not to trample his friend.

“They’re here, they found me!” he exclaims as he grabs his friend, and brings it toward the pouch at his side. “We’re going home! Just, be quiet, don’t make a fuss. If they see you they’ll make me leave you behind, so you have to be quiet.”

That is all the warning it gets before it is dumped into the pouch. It fears being in such a small space, but quickly realises that the inside of the pouch is bigger than the outside, and relaxes. When its half eaten bun joins it, it decides that this isn’t a bad arrangement, and simply goes back to eating. It protected Jingyi during the night, and now is being protected by him during the day. This seems like a good arrangement. Friendship is not a bad thing to have.

A long while seems to pass after that. It does not mind. Having eaten that second bun made it sleepy, and so it takes the chance to rest.

It awakes to the pouch being opened, and Jingyi’s hand seizing it with great gentleness. It is pleased to see its friend again, and shows it by not trying to bite him. Jingyi smiles at it, and a faint smell of fear disappears.

“Sorry to have left you in there so long, I just couldn’t find a moment,” Jingyi says with relief. “I’m glad you’re fine. And your wounds are better too! That’s great!”

“That’s a weird turtle,” another youthful voice says. “Maybe you really should show it to an adult.”

Next to where Jingyi is sitting in the grass, there is another boy. He is shorter, but seems older, and doesn’t appear too impressed with the creature, as if he can guess its true nature.

“They’ll tell me to put it in the wild,” Jingyi says. “And then maybe it’ll be eaten by… by… what eats turtles, anyway?”

“I think foxes,” the other boy guesses. “They eat everything, right?”

“I can’t let it be eaten by a fox!” Jingyi gasps with horror. “But here, it’ll be safe, and I can check on it, and bring it buns.”

“I don’t think turtles are supposed to eat buns.”

It is starting to dislike the second boy. Thankfully, Jingyi only laughs.

“This one does. That’s because a-niang’s buns are the best,” he explains, before turning his attention back to the creature. “Look, I found you such a nice place to live, okay? Isn’t this a nice little pond? I’m sure you’ll find stuff to eat, and anyway I’ll come visit often to give you buns. Do you like it?”

He puts down his friend near the edge of the water. This is, in fact, a very nice pond. The water is clear, showing fish inside. Nearby, mice can be heard. It will not lack for food. More importantly though, the pond has all the signs of being a good place to cultivate, better even than the one where it started its journey, centuries ago. It will be easy, here, to regain what was lost to the two humans and the demon boar. Agreeing to Jingyi’s friendship continues to be a great decision. 

For the first time in its long life, it feels truly grateful. And so, to show it, it bows to Jingyi before entering the water. It hears the two boys gasp, Jingyi claiming this is proof his friend is no ordinary animal, the other boy worrying that maybe there is something wrong with the creature.

It ignores both of them, and swims around to map its new territory.

It is a very good pond, and already, it feels new energy flowing through it just from being in such an auspicious place. In a few months, it will easily be able to take again its old shape if it wishes, and then it could go on a rampage again.

It could.

It might not. If it kills humans, Jingyi might not bring it buns anymore.

Better, then, to cultivate in the slower method, to keep this smaller shape for now. With some luck and effort, in a few years, it will reach again the level it was at before those two humans harmed it, and then…

And then, it will be able to take a human shape at last.

It wonders how Jingyi will react to that.

It cannot wait to find out.

[the-hobgoblins]

✸ one short day [in the emerald city] ✸

Who: Ozymandias Pryce

Where: Ministry of Magic, London

When: 22 May 2020

When Oz came to, he was in a dark and unfamiliar room, blinking drearily into the sinister greenish haze. His head was throbbing and his wrists felt sore—which upon further investigation might’ve had something to do with the fact that he was sitting upright in a stiff wooden chair with his hands restrained behind his back by faintly buzzing cuffs of magic, which heated up and zapped when he pulled on them too hard. “Ow, fuck me sideways…” he groaned, trying to remember how he’d gotten here.

The trouble must have started that morning, when Oz ran out of rolling tobacco. 

Wait, no—that’s not quite right, is it? Let’s back up a bit…

Actually, the real trouble started when a daunting envelope stamped with an M arrived on the doorstep of Borgin and Burkes. A census questionnaire from the Magicky Government in England, and it sent everyone into a real tizzy—especially Piper.

They’d all just agreed to not send it back; after all, what were they gonna do, really? “The feds are always trying to stir up shit in Knockturn Alley…” Maeko had said, tossing the papers into a rubbish bin definitively. “…but any of ‘em who know anything won’t be stupid enough to get near this building.”

And that was true enough—the house wards and general reputation did prevent anyone wearing government robes from approaching the building. Staking it out from down the alley, though? That only got worse as time passed and the census documents from 13B remained unreturned, until the household were practically self-imposed hostages in their own home, apparating straight to and from the property interior, the windows and shutters and blinds all firmly closed.

And then Oz had run out of rolling tobacco. 

The sun was just starting to come up (not that you could ever tell very well in the perpetual shadowy gloom of Knockturn), but it was definitely too early still to really be considered morning. Oz groaned irritably, restless, and high, and hungover. He peeked out from behind the closed curtained window in his room down the empty alleyway. Five minutes, he’d be gone, tops. No life-or-death crises ever happened in five minutes, at five in the morning. 

Out and back, no problem.

Except, of course, for the increased patrols that had been ordered all along the alley for the past two weeks—which none of the Borgin and Burkes crew knew about, not having physically walked up or down Knockturn Alley in roughly a month. Oz emerged from the smoke shop to the sight of a literal kid—must have been affiliated with one of the local gangs that struggled for underground dominance in the area—pointing at Oz, and then two big robed thugs pulled out wands and started toward him with threatening intent.

And that’s when Oz bolted down the alley in the direction of Borgin and Burkes, all the way at the end. He didn’t get far before a spell hit him in the back and he fell, and when his head hit the cobblestone he was out like a light. 

And that, ladies and gents, brings us up to speed on the knee-slapping nonstop jokefest that brought Oz to this current moment—detained inside the infamous Ministry of Magic. 

They must have had some way to detect when he woke up, because not a minute after he’d opened his eyes, a heavy metal door opened and in strolled the two beefy brutes who’d shot him down in the street like a…pheasant, or something? Whatever, Oz didn’t know a lick about hunting for sport, and was that a bad thing? The English were barbaric creatures, honestly. 

After the men came a woman with coiffed grey hair that didn’t match the age of the rest of her, wearing a wide-belted trench coat and a cravat and a very outlandish hat. Her thin matte red lips were absolutely predatory. 

Under other circumstances, Oz thought he would have liked her. 

“Well, good morning to both of you very capable stalkers! And my gentle lady…” Oz said amiably, shifting as much as was possible into a lounging position given the way he was being restrained. “…or should I say afternoon? Evening? Gute Nacht?” He had no clue how much time had passed since he’d stupidly left Borgin and Burkes that morning, how long he’d been in here. He looked between the men, who just stood in front of the closed door with muscly arms folded in surly silence, while the woman pulled out a chair and sat down in it; it gave a screech as the legs scratched the floor, the kind that made your skin crawl, and her red lips got even thinner as she smirked. Not very forthcoming, then, it seemed. Lovely. 

Oz, not thrown in the least by the silent treatment, said, “So what can I do ya for?”

The woman pulled some papers out of a briefcase, straightened them by tapping the bottom edge on the table, examined them a moment. Then: “Ozymandias Pryce, is it?”

“In the flesh, as they say…” Oz replied, all cheek and ease. 

“I thought so…” the woman said, and her smugness was sinister. She lit a cigarette at the end of a long, old-fashioned cigarette holder and leaned back in her chair. The smell of smoke immediately made Oz itch with craving. The woman smoked for a moment, her eyes never leaving Oz. Then she added, “…I must say, Mister Pryce, that your reputation precedes you…”

“Does it?” said Oz. “Well I’m tickled pink to hear it, truly. In fact, if you undid these very, ah—zappy cuffs, here, I’d be more than happy to—”

“—I think not,” she cut him off, smirk widening, flipping a page. “You’re the Squib brother of Maeko Burke, is that correct?”

Oz laughed. “Is that what my file there says? I suppose the Very Official Documents always know best…”

“And are you aware, Mister Pryce, that performing magic with a wand that has not been licensed to you is a fineable—sometimes even punishable offense?”

Here Oz really cackled. “Are you lot cracked? You think poor little un-magical me was so desperate to be a Manly Wizard Man that I stole someone’s little Spelly-Stick to wave around when your suits refused to license me one?” His tone was thick with mocking.

“I’m not alleging that…” the woman said, shifting, unfazed. “…I’m merely pointing out the fact that it’s considered unusual—highly unusual, for someone with your handicap—”

“My what?”

“—to take up residence in a strictly magical area of commerce. And that one, in particular. Makes one wonder…”

“So you’re saying it’s a crime to live with my sister? My only relative who isn’t currently servin’ a life’s sentence—and oh wait, whose fault is that again?”

“And you’re saying we don’t have just cause to be suspicious of the children of known felons, living amongst the highest density of criminal activity in the entire country—”

“My sister an’ I aren’t fuckin’ criminals, you intolerant twot—” Oz spat back, straining against the restraints despite the stinging buzz the dissenting effort shot up his arms. 

The woman leaned across the table like a cat taunting its prey, breathing smoke into Oz’s face. She grinned, as if riling him up were some kind of victory. “Not yet, maybe. But keep it up, mister—you and Miss Burke will be joining your beloved parents in the company of Dementors in no time.”

Oz shrank back into his seat, admittedly just a little bit shaken in the face of an actual, overt threat. After a moment, deflated, he said, “Whadda you want, then, reely? I’m not fuckin’ touched, I know I’m not shit to you ’n yours…let’s just get this bit over ’n done with, shall we? So we can all go home?”

“I’m happy to hear you’re willing to be so cooperative…” the woman said, pleased as punch. “…for starters, the 13B Knockturn Alley residence has failed to return the mandatory census questionnaire, and has exhibited suspicious behavior—not just in the past month, but for years that we’ve sent patrols to maintain peace in the area. If you confess what you’re hiding to me, now, I’d be willing to consider advocating for leniency for you…”

“And Maeko?” asked Oz warily. This wasn’t just about Piper, then—that was just the tip of the iceberg. 

“Miss Burke’s case would be separately considered, in relation to the severity of her crimes—if she has nothing to hide, then she should have nothing to worry about…”

Oz narrowed his eyes and kept quiet, not taking the bait. After a minute, the woman prompted, “One more question, Mister Pryce—what can you tell me about your involvement with the underground insurgency group who’ve been spreading violent, anti-regulatory propaganda under the guise of rock music?”

This question did, genuinely, confuse Oz. “The—the who?”

“I believe they refer to themselves as ‘The Band Cthulhu?’”

And then Oz burst into loud, hysterical laughter. He rocked in his chair with the force of it and then spat—literally—at the woman across the table. He propped up his dirty sneakers, his legging-clad legs, and grinned. “Up yours, ya loony bitch. Your lot’ve got fuck all on me.”

He was still laughing when the woman stormed out of the interrogation room, enraged, wiping her spat-upon face with her cravat. And even when her muscle came and roughed him up a little for his insolence, Oz kept laughing.

And several hours later, when Maeko and a portly gentlemen claiming to be Oz’s legal council showed up and facilitated his release, Oz walked out of the Ministry of Magic laughing.

[diyunho]

The Joker x Reader - “ What Death Tastes Like” Part 5

Scarecrow’s daughter might be only 22, yet the terminal lung cancer she was diagnosed with six months ago didn’t discriminate against her age; the young woman didn’t show worrisome symptoms until it was too late. Y/N always had a fascination for the much older King of Gotham and despite the consequences, maybe it’s finally time to do something about it.

Part 1    Part 2   Part 3     Part 4

The Joker feels his face covered in soft kisses and although generally speaking he loves being pampered, this particular instance awakens his self-defense mechanism.

“What time is it?” J mutters.

“Let me see,” you stretch for your phone. “12:03 am.”

“I should go,” he lifts his head up from the pillow and you pull him back in your arms, yawning.

“Stay for a little bit longer, ok?”

“Why?”

“I wish to hold on to my birthday present for a few more minutes,” Y/N pleads with the man she senses doesn’t want to be there anymore. “Don’t worry, I’m aware it was a casual affair,” your sad smile prompts a completely out of context answer:

“If you noticed I fell asleep, you should have woken me up!” The King of Gotham complains.

“I fell asleep also,” you snuggle to him and since J is suddenly quiet you whisper. “It was amazing.”

He keeps staring which makes you wonder what the hell is going on in his mind right now.

“At least for me,” you underline after you grasp he won’t comment on the subject; you didn’t have a clue he’ll convert the night you spent together into awkwardness for no reason. “Get out of my tent!” you snap at his behavior, irritated. “Get out!” you shove him and The Clown Prince of Crime doesn’t budge.

“Why are you mad?” he finally addresses the annoyed Y/N.

“Because you’re a jerk!”

“Come again?!” The Joker frowns and Scarecrow’s daughter has a clever response; she doesn’t share his genes for nothing.

“I would but I guess you’re not a big fan of us having sex a second time!!!”

“Wow!” J bitterly scoffs. “You sure can twist a guy’s words, huh? If you really must pry into my personal life, I’ll have you know that I’m not used with small talk afterwards, understand?”

While you wonder if he’s bluffing, you can’t help offer the benefit of doubt served with a side of insolence.

“Well, maybe if you would give it a try with someone that actually cares, you’d have stuff to discuss.”

“Miss Crane, what makes you think Mara doesn’t like me?”

The Joker expects a feisty reply to his audacious remark yet he receives a piece of sturdy logic instead:

“If she was crazy in love, she wouldn’t agree and with this on and off relationship you two have.”

J is obviously displeased at your statement thus Y/N has to unleash her creativity in order to push him comprehend what she’s aiming at.

“The problem is you don’t approach anything important, you only shut down everyone. Even Emma believes she’s not yours.”

The King of Gotham was preparing to lash out but your latest sentence totally catches him off guard.

“What do you mean?!”

“You never talk about her mother granted she keeps asking so Emma presumes you probably stole her from an individual you consider your enemy and raised her as revenge.”

“Huh?!” The Joker gets on his elbow, appalled. “She is my daughter!”

“I say that to her when she panics, unfortunately random people do look similar…,” you twirl a strand of his green hair around your fingers. “Steering clear from issues we’re uncomfortable with doesn’t necessarily result in a positive outcome,” Y/N concludes and her partner is not excited at all.

“Are you psychoanalyzing me?!”

“I’m a Crane,” you peck his lips. “It’s in our blood.”

A lot of thoughts rushing behind those blue eyes and you’re confident his patience is running low; add a short fuse to the combo and according to your flawless instinct J will bite soon.

“Take me for example,” you attempt to cram in the main point of your dialogue before it happens. “I don’t care you’re older, I fancy your company nevertheless: you’re super handsome plus emotionally unattractive…”

“I’m what?!” The Joker interrupts.

“Umm… emotionally unattractive?” you hesitantly repeat while watching him jump off the pillows and start to collect his clothes in the semi darkness.

“Serves me right for sleeping with somebody half my age!” he growls at the young woman realizing she upset him with her rant.

“So you’re 46?” you struggle to joke at his affirmation.

“Listen here, Miss Crane!” J dresses in a hurry, angry at your stunt. “If you imagine you figured me out, you didn’t!! Nobody fucks with me!” he violently kicks the mattress and you can’t avoid it:

“I think I just did. Literally.”

The hate in his demeanor makes you regret opening up; your goal was to imply you like him no matter what yet the aftermath is way off what you intended.

“I apologize, OK?” you sigh and reach your hand for his.

“I hope you perish!” he strikes your fingers with such brutality it stings. “You’re dying anyway but hopefully the Cromyxillium kills you faster!” The Joker unzips the tent and leaves a shocked Y/N breathless at his hurtful tirade.

“That’s all you got? Stupid old man…” you whimper and cuddle under the thin blanket with his cushion.

Grief is not the correct term to describe what you experience for the moment: a perfect birthday turned into exactly the opposite in a blink of an eye simply because The Joker proved once more he has no concept on how to handle dynamite; fire suits him better.

***************

Next morning, 10:14am

“Are you hot or cold?” your father inquires since your intravenous therapy commenced 10 minutes ago.

“No,” you gaze at the IV bag and Jonathan lingers by your bed, reminding his offspring about their plan.

“We’ll do 3 hours on, 3 hours off; I’ll monitor your vitals and if you feel strange alert me immediately, deal?”

You nod a yes and his perseverance in aiding you with your terminal cancer evokes a sincere confession:

“Daddy…Thank you for trying to save me…I’m sorry I’m a burden…”

“A burden?!” Scarecrow mumbles.

There are a million facts you should evoke, yet the predominant one keeps hunting you.

“You buried yourself in the lab because of me…and Evelyn left…”

“Evelyn and I broke up for various motives,” your parent grumbles. “Saying I immersed myself into working because of you hints that I was forced into it against my will which is not true. I did everything out of love… I can’t bear the idea of losing you,” he kisses your temple; you wrap your free arm around his neck, squeezing him tight.

“You’re the best dad; I’m lucky you’re my father. If I die… you think mom is waiting for me?...”

Jonathan Crane has the weird sensation he’s choking; his wife died after you were born due to leukemia, now their daughter is fighting for survival: she’s plainly the last fortress separating him from utter madness.

“I couldn’t save your mother, but I’ll be damned if I let you die kid,” he caresses your cheek. “She can wait; I bet she’s not eager to take you with her,” Scarecrow reassures his daughter. “Rest honey.”

“I will…” you consent and Emma barging in the bedroom with her duffle bag switches your attention.

“I’m here, I’m here!” she exclaims. “Traffic was horrible, bad accident on the freeway!”

**************

11 am

“Are you comfortable?” Emma checks with her friend, not entirely certain how to bring up a very delicate topic clouding her usually bubbly disposition.

“Of course,” you smile and she wiggles in her recliner. “Are you?” you wink at her visible restlessness as you attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

“Y/N…,” she taps the fluffy carpet with her feet. “Mmmm… last night after we returned from the river I dropped by to see how you’re doing and… I came to your tent…,” Emma pauses seeing the stupefied expression on your face. “I…I found my father sleeping in there with you…”

You lick your lips and strain to keep your calm even if your heart is pounding out of your chest.

“Did my dad take advantage of you?” she lowers her voice and you can tell she’s torn apart by the horrible notion.

“He didn’t,” you shake your head.

“Dumb girl…” Emma admonishes without any trace of resentment; what else can she articulate in these circumstances regardless?  

“I can’t believe I’m inquiring… Did you use protection?”

“No…It just happened…”

“Oh my God!” the concerned judgement pressures you to continue:

“It didn’t end well so it’s fair to assume we’re not in any danger of me becoming your stepmom,” your tone diminishes and she leans over to scold when The Joker passes by the opened door without bothering to peek inside your bedroom; you didn’t spot him but Emma did.

“I’ll be back!” she hisses and you’re confused at her desire to leave you.

“Hey, where are you going?”

She ignores your question and races after The King of Gotham, catching up with him at the end of the long corridor.

“Dad!” Emma shouts and he turns around.

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing?!” she interrogates the clueless Joker.

“I’m meeting Crane. Is he downstairs?”

“In his lab compounding the next batch of Cromyxillium for Y/N,” she fumes at J’s impertinence. “Didn’t you forget something?”

He seems puzzled and Emma is not tricked by his deceiving performance.

“My best friend is in her quarters, uncertain if she’ll survive the cancer treatment. Are you pretending she doesn’t exist?”

“Meaning?” The Joker sneers.

“I know you slept with her!” the accusation follows instantly. “Don’t deny it! How could you take advantage of her?!”

The Clown Prince of Crime straightens his shoulders, aware he can’t negotiate his innocence out of this complicated riddle.

“I did not take advantage of her! How dare you accuse me of such low move?”

“You didn’t?” Emma closes the gap between them. “You know she has a crush on you and she’s vulnerable; what type of man would prey on that?!”

J is not thrilled with the innuendos and cuts her off:

“She basically begged for some and I obliged out of pity!”

Emma slaps him and The Joker gasps, enraged she had the audacity:

“Do that again and I’ll neglect you’re my daughter!” he growls and the serious threat doesn’t faze her.

“Hurt her more and I’ll forget you’re my father! If you are indeed my father,” she emphasizes while stomping away towards the kitchen.

“I am your father!” J simmers at her impeccable strategy: Emma is retreating to a different corner of the house giving him the opportunity to choose.

Who the heck knows if she’s actually his?

One thing is undeniable though: they share the same despicable temper.

****************

You discern The Joker in the doorway and your body stiffens; you stare at the TV screen wishing he’ll disappear.

“Where’s Crane?” J analyzes Y/N’s IV pole.

You don’t engage so his crankiness emerges.

“I suppose you didn’t flatlined yet!”

“Nope,” you grunt at the provocative declaration that served its goal: you did reply to The Clown’s rubbish.

“Where’s Crane?”

“I heard you the first time and I’m not sure why you focus your energy on a useless interrogation. You know where my father is!”

“Where?” The Joker’s vile attitude can’t compromise for less than instigating his fling.

“Please take your stuff that’s firm now but will get saggy in maximum 20 years and vanish!” the poisonous remark makes him groan.

“What stuff?!”

You check him out glaring at his mid-section before dismissing his presence.

“That’s the rudest fucking criticism ever!” The Joker barks and Y/N crabbily indicates:

“It’s not criticism, it’s reality! Gravity’s a bitch! Mara won’t mind, won’t she? After all, you two share a very special bond: on today, off tomorrow, hookup next week, take a break next month. Such dreamy relationship!”

“Do you have more derogatory references to my private life?!” J grinds his teeth ready to unleash several atrocities your way.

“No, too busy dying…” you show him the needle in your arm. “I don’t feel the pain from the medication burning my veins; I’m used with my sickness, with the ups and downs. What I do feel is the pain of being taken for granted.”

The Joker is not a fan of the insinuated context.  

“You said no strings attached!” he stresses the lack of commitment consented the previous evening.

“You’re the one that came to me; I thought it meant you were accepting to be the center of my universe.”

J ogles the ceiling of Y/N’s bedroom and assembles a couple of harsh disclosures in his brain when her entitled smirk halts the project.

“You’re buying it, aren’t you?” you chuckle at his astonishment. “I’m just messing with you Mister Joker; who in their right mind would make you the center of their universe?! You have 10 seconds to leave, otherwise I’ll scream and security will come!” you shelter your head with the quilt so you don’t have to see his mug anymore.

No outpour of vexation from his part which is cool: means he bailed.

The blanket is slowly pulled until your eyes emerge; J hovers your face, pissed at the unwelcomed clash.

“I’m checking if you kicked the bucket; corpses are usually covered thus my dilemma.”

“Go away!” you advise. “Or I’ll scream!”

You inhale preparing to yell: The Joker didn’t predict you’d defy him and he swiftly kisses you in order to stop the sounds.

The door is cracked and Emma witnesses the scene, reckoning bizarre elements:

Her father holds grudges and was mad at Y/N earlier due to whatever happened yesterday; nevertheless he still kissed her.

On the other hand, you were definitely miserable after your escapade, yet you didn’t reject him.

Emma may not be informed about the entire story, but one detail is crystal clear: the future is far from being simple.

 Also read: MASTERLIST

[melinaajamie]

35 Questions for Fanfic Writers

Thanks @bachint for tagging me! I’ll try to provide you with the best answers I can come up with ^^

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!) Probably three stars, maybe four? Yeah, four. I know it seems arrogant but aside from the occasional “OMG EVERYTHING I WRITE IS CRAP!” that ever writer experiences from time to time, I usually like what I’m writing and especially how I write ^^

2. Why do you write fanfiction? Bc I love exploring the universes and characters I love further. Ehy accept the canon as it is? ;D

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works? Puuh, that’s a hard one? Maybe that I like to kill a bunch of characters? :D Naah, it’s probably the length of what I write. Once I get started I can’t seem to stop.

4. Are there any writers that inspire you? Since I study literature and read a bunch of books for it, absolutely. It can be any book from any author I read. But Arthur Conan Doyle inspires me a lot, Simon Beckett and Paulo Coelho.

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of? My Professor Layton fanfic “The Cogs of Time” ^^

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily? The start. I hear a lot of people say this is the hardest and in some ways I agree with them. But I usually just start writing and go with the flow. Or I immediately have the beginning of a story/chapter in my mind once I start thinking about it.

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most? Writing believable dialogue between parents and their kids. I’m fine as long as the kids are little (let’s say up to 8, maybe 10), but then I’m stumped.

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write? Like in general or specific characters? I can write any characters as long as they are not parents. Then I have a bit of a problem.

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write? Ah. Okay. Tying in with (7) here, parents (:

10. What’s your favorite genre to write for? To write for? Hm... probably adventure, crime fiction/detective fiction and Young Adult? I don’t know, I like a quite realistic approach that can and will take a dark turn.

11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most? About the world. About what’s wrong. About relationships that took a wrong turn, about things that are almost right, about figure skating (big fan!), about growing up, about changing.

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about. Currently, I’m absolutely excited about my Layton Brothers; Mystery Room fanfic “A Game of Murder”! I’m SO close to the ending and I can’t wait to solve the murder and finally reveal the killer! Everyone will hate me XD

13. First fandom you ever wrote for? Disney’s “Frozen”

14. What’s your favorite fandom to write for? That changes according to my current obsession. At the moment, my favourite fandoms are Professor Layton and Pokemon.

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for? Weird in what way? I don’t believe in that concept, sorry :)

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)? Does murdering characters I and the audience love count? Then it’s that XD

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for. Probably more of a genre but romance. If romance is the main plot/trope I’m off. If it is a sub plot that’s interesting AND supports the story in some way, I will take a look.

18. Wildest fic you’ve ever written? Probably also “Cogs of Time”. So much death in the end that no one expected, so much heartbreak. I admit, I indeed was a bit of an asshole with that last chapter XD

19. Do you prefer canon-compliant, AUs, or something in-between? I like giving the canon a little twist and AUs ^^

20. Gen fic or shippy stuff? Gen. If it’s shippy, then it’s usually just something short. Like I said, I’m not one for romance.

21. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!) That also depends on my current obsession. At the moment, that would be LayClaire and Lemmy (both romantic, both Professor Layton) and Lucifendi (platonic and romantic, Layton Brothers; Mystery Room). And any Pokemon couple for friendship ^^

22. Do you listen to anything while you write? MUSIC! Always!!

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas? independent ideas. But I often find myself including a line I’ve read as a prompt somewhere or making it the theme of a chapter.

24. One-shots or multi-chaptered works? Multi-chapter works.

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic?Tell us about them! I have dreamt about my fics being movies or TV series, but spin-offs? If I want a spin-off I write it :D

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try? So far, nope. As Margaret Atwood once said, “The paper basket is your friend. It was invented for you by God.”

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received? Someone saying I made their day with my writing :) I love to make people happy!”

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing? It does hurt but I know people want to help so I try to be open to it and look back into the part that was given critic.

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out? I always do that when I have to write interaction between parents and older children. I always feel like it’s very stiff but my friends say it’s okay. Well.

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst? MERCILESS ANGST ALL THE WAY.

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them! Yep! I once created a Professor Layton OC whom was the dead (well, we never really got to know if she was indeed dead, she has just vanished) daughter of a character. She was instead just kidnapped by the criminal organisation her father was fighting and trained to be one of their soldiers. I never write the fanfic but it never left my mind. Might do that one day :)

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less. “Let’s play my favourite game. A game of murder.”

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process? That I put as much effort in as I can to make it as good as possible fir you guys!! And that I usually do a lot of research and put the most effort into the tiniest things to make it realistic and add another layer to make it a shade darker ;D

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of. I’m really proud of this but it’s not a fanfic. I hope that’s okay. I can’t really think of one thing that I’m proud of bc there are many. It’ from the book I’m currently writing.

He let go of him so suddenly that the cold hit him like a brick. Mikhail gasped for air, needed a few seconds until he could open his eyes again. The view was heaven-sent. Vasja was standing above him, the gaze of his icy blue eyes troubled yet so piercing and captivating that Mikhail found himself sitting up without another thought as if someone had turned him into a puppet. At times, he felt as if Vasja was the great puppet master who made Mikhail’s entire world dance as he liked. And he loved dancing for Vasja. The gaze of his icy blue eyes contrasted with his ruby red hair which surrounded his face like a bloody halo; it made his snow white skin glow even more. He remembered the feeling of Vasja’s hair between his fingers, as soft as velvet, as clouds, as a mild breeze o fair on one oft he first days of spring. He reached out for Vasja but he was quick to grab the boy’s hands and place them low on his stomach. A shudder ran down Mikhail’s spine when he felt Vasja’s finger travel across his arms until they cupped his face. He lifted it so Mikhail had to look at him. „You know the rules, right, Micky?“

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want! Like, it’s so amazing?? You get millions of words for FREE and the authors don’t get ANYTHING but STILL we have this amazing community who keeps writing and reading and commenting... It’s just AWESOME!! I’m so glad I discovered fanfiction bc the community is so awesome and I always wanted to give some canons a good twist or just think of new things with characters I love!!

[sapientiiae-a]

@fxmiliarity​​ asked: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Send 🌟 for a headcanon about our muses’ relationship | accepting

Mun’s note: I posted this prompt, and Lane went and sent me 22 dang stars! I really don’t think they intended for me to in return write up 22 headcanons (or they didn’t expect that I’d actually do it). But here we are! I told myself I’d just do 10. I didn’t think 22 was possible (at least not in a day). But behold!

Yvaine has served as familiar to the reincarnations of the goddess for many life cycles. In Zelda’s studies, she has read of Yvaine, but I think there is a part of her that believed maybe it was just a legend (or exaggeration) or “But who’s to say this legendary familiar will show up this time.” So I imagine Zelda was very shocked/dumbfounded when she first meets Yvaine.

Side note that counts as its own headcanon, I also imagine Yvaine’s arrival was a very grand thing, even though she likely did not intend it to be such? Yvaine just has this demeanor/aura that she radiates, which honestly probably had some of Zelda’s court members stricken with fear at first and probably even had Zelda going “Wait! She’s real?! And she’s….standing…no not standing….TOWERING over me??” Like Yvaine just seems like the person thats presence demands attention when in the room. You just can’t help but to stop and notice her.

When they do finally meet and start to spend time around one another, Zelda enters this really weird internal battle of not knowing what to say to this legendary familiar that she thought may have been myth but also literally wanting to ask a million questions. Her internal monologue is “What do you say to this being that is wisened? Saged? (yes that’s an Iliza Shlesinger joke) She looks like she could step on me and probably has the experience to do so. But I also want to know about this….and this….oh and we can’t forget that….”

I know we’ve discussed this before, but once the contract is made and Zelda finds out? Not good. She’s going to feel so much guilt about it, and it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if she lashes out at Yvaine at first. She’d be very upset with Yvaine because she knew, but she didn’t warn her or try to stop it from happening. Eventually, she will come to terms with it, but she’s going to be very angry/upset with herself for a while so just….expect Zelda to avoid Yve and not talk to her for a while.

When they get into a relationship, Zelda will probably try to keep it hush hush for a while out of fear of what the court will say. Is it appropriate for a princess to fall for her familiar/body guard? Probably not. Plus, I think there’s a part of her that will want it to be just theirs for a while. She doesn’t want the court to know and meddle. She doesn’t want Impa or Link or the generals to find out and form their thoughts or make comments? She doesn’t want the kingdom of Hyrule to start looking to their queen and her new relationship. She just wants to have time to enjoy their time together for a bit without anyone’s input or interference.

But on the flip side of that, once they get into a relationship, Zelda will absolutely spoil Yvaine. She’s a bit reserved with her feelings, but once she falls she falls hard. She’s incredibly loyal. And she knows she’s lived a better life than most just because she happened to be born into a certain family — so anything she can do to make her love’s life easier/better, she will do it no questions asked. Plus, she’ll always view her partner as an equal, so she’ll think they’re worthy of being treated like a king/queen.

This isn’t really a headcanon. It’s more of just something I want but like....Zelda gets injured during battle or something and can’t walk (sprained ankle, too weak, been stabbed, whatever) and Yvaine just has Zelda get on her back so she can carry her back to camp. Yvaine is pretty much a giant, so just imagine how cute it would be seeing an injured Zelda getting a piggyback ride from Yvaine (and probably begrudgingly getting it at that).

When Yve struggles to fall asleep at night, Zelda will do anything to coax her into coming to lay down. Once she finally succeeds, she’ll just lay there and play with Yvaine’s hair for hours, hoping it’ll help her fall asleep because it always helped Zelda when she was growing up.

I think there are some moments, specifically when her and Yve get closer, that she forgets Yvaine is so much older than her. There are times where she’ll forget and have these thoughts of “You’re just a normal (as normal as can be) person like me.” And then she remembers and is like “Oh wait.....” (Also, remembering probably makes her sad sometimes because it’s the realization of “And you’re stuck going through this same cursed cycle as us....but you don’t even get the gift of forgetting the other lifetimes.”

Not a headcanon but an idea. Split timelines are a thing in Zelda, right? And if there’s any game that involves merging of timelines it’s Hyrule Warriors because we see characters from other games in on place. So....what if Zelda accidentally stumbles into an alternate timeline and finds the Yvaine from that timeline? I don’t know but now I can’t get this idea out of my head.

Zelda can be very stubborn. 100% people (who are close to her) have cracked jokes at her along the lines of “I don’t know who is more fiery and hot-tempered. The dragon or you?”

In the AU we discussed where Zelda can remember all her past lives? The moment she finally unlocks those memories and sees Yvaine for the first time, she immediately breaks down into tears.

This one’s based off another conversation we had: Zelda thinks Yvaine’s cooking is even better than the cook’s at the castle. Their cooking is great, but if given the choice she’d choose whatever Yvaine is making.

Zelda taunts/teases Yve a lot when they’re sparring/training together. I don’t imagine it works well since Yvaine seems like the type to compose herself really well, especially when she knows what the princess is doing. But it doesn’t keep Zelda from trying.

Zelda? Using any excuse to pair up with Yvaine as her second when the army has to split up for different missions? Absolutely.

I have decided that Zelda will 100% start calling her Cassiopeia as a pet name/term of endearment. The explanation I provided for it, which can be found here, is just too perfect for me to not stick with this.

Hyrule Warriors Zelda isn’t as....ritzy as some of her previous incarnations. She’s not as into the lavish balls and stuff, probably because so much of her focus is on Hyrule’s forces and keeping the kingdom safe. But you can bet she uses these events as an opportunity to strut around on Yve’s arm and show her off. Yes, show Yve off, not the other way around.

Zelda knows how to play the lyre, and if you think she hasn’t written a song either about Yvaine or for Yvaine, then you’re definitely wrong. Lullabies are a big thing to Zelda, and Yvaine has trouble sleeping, so Zelda has definitely come up with a lullaby on her lyre to play for Yvaine.

I imagine that if Zelda is ever feeling down in regards to her powers (not feeling strong or having issues with her light magic), Yvaine tries to encourage Zelda by talking about Hylia, focusing on how amazing and strong Hylia was and reminding Zelda that she is the goddess reincarnate.

They’re a war couple. They go marching off to battle often, and while Zelda is used to that, it’s still a bit nerve-wracking to think the people she loves are going into a fight that could be life or death for them (even though Yve can’t truly die). But I imagine after the first incident that prompts Zelda to finally confess her feelings, she eventually has a special amulet made (probably something fused with light magic) that she gives to Yvaine as a sort of protection charm to keep her safe. Just something to give Zelda some extra peace of mind.

Once Zelda finds out what Yve’s favorite color is, she tries to find ways to incorporate it into her clothing more (because there’s just something super appealing about seeing your significant other wearing your favorite color). This is actually super easy for Zelda to subtly get away with since the color plum goes so well with her royal attire anyway.

I need to think through this idea and flesh it out more, but I imagine sometime after the events of Hyrule Warriors, Zelda is presented a new rapier that has ‘dragon’ somewhere in the name and was inspired by Yvaine, being that she’s a dragon familiar.

[rushingheadlong]

As of December 2020, only Reader-insert fics are being cross-posted to tumblr. Please see my AO3 for additional non-Reader fics or check the #my fic tag for my monthly AO3 round-up posts.

♪ Requests: CLOSED ♫ General tag: #my fic ♪ Short imagines: #my hc ♫ My AO3: RushingHeadlong ♪ Updated: December 22, 2020

Almost Make Believe

♪ 18+, smut, Brian May/F!Reader, semi-public sex ~2.6k words ♪ When you saw Brian’s performance at the Big Mama Club you thought nothing could ever top being front-and-center to him rocking out in a tight black tank top… and then you run into him a bar after the show, and your night goes from great to amazing.

Together With You

♪ 18+, smut, Brian May/F!Reader, cockwarming, ~1.9k words ♪ You spend an intimate morning keeping Brian company as he works.

Make My Life Worthwhile

♪ Fluff, Female Reader, ~3.1k ♪ You always know to expect a few surprises at any Queen party. You just weren’t expecting a surprise like this. **Halloqueen Event gift**

Prompt: Sex under the stars 

♪ Light Smut, Female Reader, ~500 ♪ No kinks, just soft and gentle sex

Take Me Home Tonight 

♪ Smut, Female Reader, ~4.6k ♪ You’re not expecting Brian May, of all people, to walk into your record shop late one evening, but when he asks you to go home with him you’re certainly not going to pass on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have all your fantasies fulfilled.  ♪  Dirty talk, oral (m&f receiving), fingering, a bit of size kink

I Love Your Mind (But Give Me Your Body) 

♪ Smut, Female Reader, ~3.4k ♪ The moment you lay eyes on your substitute math tutor you know that you’re in for a world of fun. He just might need a little encouragement to realize it too.  ♪ Height kink, semi-public sex, shy!70s!Brian

Teasin’ Around With Me 

♪ Smut, Female Reader, ~3.7k ♪ Brian’s hands are paying the price after the first rehearsal following some time off. You know a trick or two to help him out, but it turns out that Brian has other plans on his mind.  ♪ Hand kink, fingering, teasing & orgasm denial

Prompt: Angry sex with Bri

♪ Smut, Female Reader, ~1k ♪ Angry sex (consent is explicitly given)

Just Excitation 

♪ Smut, Female Reader, ~3.6k ♪ You’ve always had a thing for Brian’s hands (and his arms, and his fingers, and-). But wanting his hands wrapped around your neck is certainly a new one, even for you.  ♪ Choking, breathplay, semi-public sex, minor D/s and minor facefucking

Wrap Those Arms Around Me 

♪ Smut, Female Reader, ~2.3k ♪ Brian knows that whenever he wears tank tops you want to jump his bones. This time, though, he’s going to make you wait for it. ♪ Arm/hand kink, dirty talk, slight D/s, orgasm denial

Our Love Will Keep You Warm

♪ Fluff, Unspecified Reader, ~3k ♪ On the day of a Queen music video shoot, you find a few ways to take care of Brian and show him just how much you love him.

Dear Friend, We’ll Carry On

♪ Light angst and H/C, eventual smut, Trans Male Reader, ~9.5k words ♪  You’ve known Brian since the early days of Queen, but when he comes to New Haven on his solo tour you haven’t seen him in years. You’re both different people now but, as the saying goes, the more things change the more they stay the same…

One Hundred and Thirty-Six

♪ H/C, Unspecified Reader, alcoholism, ~900 words ♪  You are 136 days sober - and there are two bottles of wine on the counter in front of you

Concept: Soft, Cozy Moments With Brian

♪ Fluff, Unspecified Reader, ~400 words

Take My Breath Away

♪ Kink & smut, Unspecified Reader, ~20k ♪ Brian has a thing for drawing sex out for as long as possible, but it’s harder to do that when breathplay is involved… at least until you come up with a bit of an unorthodox solution: corsets. ♪ Sub!Bri, corsets, breathplay, kink exploration & negotiation

Prompt: Brian in a tight corset 

♪ Kink but no smut, Unspecified Reader, ~750 ♪ Breathplay, corsets, sub!Bri

Prompt: Jewelry shopping for Brian 

♪ Fluff, Unspecified Reader, ~800

Prompt: Being friends with Brian 

♪ Fluff, Non-Romantic, Male Reader, ~800

Prompt: Brian taking care of Reader 

♪ Fluff, Unspecified Reader, ~600

Oh, You’re Good For Me 

♪ Kink but no smut, Male or Unspecified Reader, ~1.5k ♪ Brian comes to you to be tied up and to submit.  ♪ D/s (sub!Bri), rope bondage

Make It Up (As You Go Along)

♪ H/C, Male Reader, ~2.2k ♪  Freddie’s birthday is quickly approaching… and so is yours. The only problem is that Freddie doesn’t know that, and you don’t particularly want to tell him.

Very, Very Frightening

♪ Fluff, Trans Male Reader, ~2.9k ♪ You’re not a fan of power outages, but Freddie is there to remind you that you don’t have to face it alone.

It’s (Not) So Easy 

♪ H/C, Male Reader, ~2.6k ♪ 5 times you and Freddie hid your relationship and 1 time you didn’t

So Much Ado 

♪ H/C and Fluff, Trans Male Reader, ~3.1k ♪ Freddie wants to buy a cat, but some things are more important than that.

One Year of Love 

♪ Fluff, Trans Male Reader, ~5.5k ♪ Your first anniversary with Freddie is quickly approaching, and you know that you don’t have the money to spoil him with the lavish sorts of gifts that he deserves. But with a little help from a friend, you realize that you don’t need to buy his love and you instead set about creating an evening that the two of you will never forget. **ANatF Event gift**

Concept: Dating Roger in 1974

♪ Fluff, Female Reader, ~700 words **STL Event gift**

Got Me In A Mood

♪ Light smut and h/c, Female Reader, ~5.3k ♪ You and Roger are friends, who just happen to occasionally sleep together. It’s just a bit of fun, nothing serious… until you realize that you’ve gone and fallen in love with him. **TGIC Event gift**

Prompt: Roger confesses his love to his long-term friend 

♪ Fluff, Female Reader, ~1k

You Could Know Me 

♪ H/C, Gen, Non-Binary Reader, ~2.8k ♪ You knew that coming out as non-binary wouldn’t always be smooth sailing, but you weren’t expecting to face rejection at every turn. Luckily your dad, Roger Taylor, is there to support you no matter what.

Prompt:  Picking out a Christmas tree with John

♪ Fluff, Unspecified Reader, ~600

Still Come Back to You 

♪ Fluff, Male Reader, ~1k ♪ John returns home late after wrapping up the latest Queen tour, and he’s missed you just as much as you’ve missed him.

Baked With Love

♪ Gen, fluff, vague modern Queen AU, ~1.2k ♪ No matter how famous they get, Queen has one birthday tradition that they refuse to give up.

Lockdown Blues

♪ Gen, H/C, vague modern & early Queen AU, ~2k words ♪ Freddie has made it his mission to keep everyone’s spirits up while they’re stuck at home. He doesn’t think the others have noticed - but they have, and they’re ready to remind him that they have his back too.

Prompt: Brian May & Tony Iommi

♪ Gen, fluff, current era, ~400 words

And I Get Afraid

♪ H/C, Gen, early Queen, ~4.5k ♪ Queen has come to a standstill as they try to get their debut album released, and John seems to be the only one left who isn’t optimistic about their chances for success. Now with his graduation quickly approaching, he finds himself struggling to decide between sticking by the band- and his friends- or leaving this sinking ship while he can still make something of his future.

Losing My Way

♪ H/C, angst, gen, early Queen, ~4.5k ♪ Brian is burning himself out trying to stay on top of all of his responsibilities. He knows it’s only a matter of time until something gives, and he knows that something will probably be his thesis - but that doesn’t make his failure any easier to stomach. **Companion to And I Get Afraid**

The Hazier Days

♪ Fluff, Gen, early Queen, ~1.6k ♪ It’s too hot for embarrassment as Brian finally caves to the summer heat.

Prompt: Freddie loses the week’s earnings from the stall

♪ H/C and Fluff, Gen, slighty Christmas themed, ~1k

Car Song 

♪ H/C and Fluff, Gen, BoRhap references, ~500 ♪ Roger and John tease Brian about his song “Driven By You” while working on Made in Heaven

Haul Away, You Rolling Queens

♪ AU (Nautical & Mermaid), H/C, Angst with a happy ending, Gen, ~40k ♪ It was Freddie who told them stories of the Kingdom of Rhye, an ancient mer kingdom that once ruled the seven seas before disappearing a thousand years ago. According to Brian it was just a myth, but Freddie was always certain that it was real and waiting to be discovered - but he never found proof of it before he fell sick, and vanished suddenly without a trace.

Now, 25 years later, Roger stumbles across a new clue that could lead them to Rhye - one with unexplained ties to their lost friend. But convincing Brian and John to take a leap of faith and join him in one final adventure is only the first hurdle. If they want to weather the rough seas ahead, they’ll have to not only sail into the unknown but finally face the unanswered questions and lingering grief left from Freddie’s disappearance.

Take a Picture (It’ll Last Longer)

♪ Jimercury, Modern/Everyone Lives AU, fluff, ~800 words ♪ If Jim was still alive and still with Freddie he would absolutely have an instagram account where he mostly posts photos of their cats and the garden.

Wanna Be Beside You Now

♪ Jimercury, fluff and smut, phone sex, ~800 words ♪ Jim receives a call one night when Freddie is away.

Love in the Shape of Things

♪ Maycury, Modern AU & early Queen, H/C and fluff, ~63k ♪  They’re both searching for their place in the world, but it takes a new flat and a housewarming gift gone awry for Freddie and Brian’s friendship to slowly turn into something deeper. And through long evenings of commiseration and camaraderie, their feelings for each other continue to grow - until one misunderstanding threatens to tear everything apart.

Buttons

♪ Maycury, early Queen, pining, ~700 words ♪ A moment of tenderness before a show leaves Brian yearning.

Take This Message

♪ Two Maycury fics, one AU & H/C, one fluff, ~500 words each ♪ Two short Maycury fics inspired by the Calling All Girls music video. In the first, Freddie with the help of Brian has to propose the video idea to Roger. The second is a short AU based on the video itself.

Love Him From Where You Are

♪ Maylor, H/C, pining, early Queen, some vague allusions to sex, ~7.2k ♪  Five times Roger was sure that Brian didn’t love him, and one time he knew that he did.

The Fire You Ignite

♪ Maylor, 18+, sub!Brian, bondage, gags, temperature play, orgasm denial, ~3k ♪  Roger takes his time playing with Brian.

Trust Issues

♪ H/C, Maylor, ~500 words ♪ Roger borrows the Red Special when Brian isn’t there, and Brian freaks out.

Thrill Me, Chill Me, Fulfill Me

♪ Poly!Queen, 18+, vague modern AU, crossdressing/corset kink, ~1.7k ♪  The boys plan an evening of dressing up and watching Rocky Horror Picture Show, but the effort that Brian puts into his outfit takes the others by surprise.

I’ll Put A Spell On You

♪ Dealor, 18+, crossdressing, slight D/s (sub!John), ~5.9k ♪ John is tired of always getting teased for wearing “boring” costumes, so he decides to spice things up this year - and when Roger makes sure to show his appreciation for John’s costume choice, they both end up having a good time.

Alone Time

♪ 18+, smut, Brian May solo, masturbation & toys, ~1.1k ♪ Brian always tells himself that he’s going to take his time with this... but he never does.

[hazelnmae]

good evening! I was looking through your fluffy prompt list and I wanted to request number 22 and 23 with Alfie Solomons? I have a big soft spot for him (although he is difficult for me to fully understand but as a fellow Jew--Jerusalem born but now I live in Boston-- I try hard) and he deserves more love x could it be mlm as I'm male too? Please and thank you's 💕

Oh my goodness, Anon–this might be one of my favorites yet! I hope you like reading it as much as I loved writing it!!! Thanks so much for the ask! XOXO

22. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m in love with you!” & 23. “I will kill anyone that looks at you the way I look at you.”

You’d worked for Alfie Solomons for three years, two months, and fourteen days. In that time, you’d spoken to Alfie exactly thirty two times. 

Most of those conversations–twenty two, to be exact–revolved around work.

You distilled rum. Had done so since you could remember, having been raised by a bootlegger in Boston. You were one of the best and Alfie had hired you on reputation alone–knowing that if any Boston Jew would willingly send his oldest son to London to work, he must be good.

Eight of your thirty two conversations with Alfie had revolved around your upbringing, shared over late nights in the bakery, in which you both complained about your overprotective mothers, pushy fathers, and dreams that surpassed both. 

The other two conversations you’d had with Alfie were harder to place. Those conversations had been accidents–topics you’d stumbled into without either of you knowing. Discussions of the war, your lives during and after it, and the urges that you both struggled to understand. 

You hadn’t admitted to being attracted to him, per se, but you hadn’t denied it either.

And what’s more is that he didn’t deny returning the feeling. 

Your thirty third conversation came last night, when after a particularly grueling day, you stayed late to clean a still and found yourself embroiled in one of those not-so-easy-to-place discussions with Alfie.

“Do you ever take a night off?” He’d asked, sneaking up behind you.

His voice startled you but comforted you at the same time. “Not with my boss,” you said winking. “He’s quite demanding.”

“You don’t know the half of it, love,” Alfie responded, playing into your flirtatious banter.

After several more hours of small talk and a few glasses of rum, all consumed by you because Alfie didn’t partake, he’d walked you home in the dark.

He brushed a piece of lint off your shoulder when you turned to tell him goodnight, a movement you mistook for something more prompting you to lean in for a kiss.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” He asked. “I don’t know what you’ve fucking heard, right, but–”

“Oh god, Alfie, I’m so sorry,” you interrupted in embarrassment. You covered your face with your hands and turned toward the door. Though you couldn’t see what you were doing, you stumbled for the handle wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible.

“Wait a minute there, mate,” he said, placing a hand on your shoulder. “Just calm down for a fuckin’ second. It’s alright, then.” 

But you just ignored him, moving quickly into your house with embarrassment and shedding your coat as fast as you could. Despite the fact that you took the time to dress for bed, and settle in for a nice sleep, you lay awake tossing and turning, overthinking every single thing you’d said and done.

By the morning, you’d only had a couple of hours of actual sleep. You walked to the bakery fully prepared to quit on the spot if shit got too awkward. There were only a few things you could imagine were worse than working for a boss you’d tried to kiss. And one of those things was actually fucking talking about it.

Alfie went along with his day as if it’d never happened. At first you were grateful for this, but by the end of the day you were at least a little hurt that he hadn’t attempted to discuss it with you.

But that all changed when he cornered you in the back of the warehouse when you thought you were alone.

“Umm, listen,” he said, after clearing his throat to get your attention. He seemed nervous, which is something you didn’t think he experienced. It was a bit endearing to watch him fumble with his cane and run a hand through his hair and over his face.

“I’m so sorry about yesterday,” you found yourself saying. “It’s just, well, I thought I’d noticed something in the way you look at me. Not that you can’t look at me. It’s just–” 

You were scrambling.

“–It’s just that very few people look at me like that, and I guess I just though–”

But before you could finish, Alfie had closed the space between you and had raised a hand to stroke your cheek.

You struggled to breathe, taken completely aback. You couldn’t make sense of his action–at least not in light of his response to you last night. You didn’t understand what he was doing, but it felt incredible–and also terrible. 

It just felt--and that’s something you couldn’t understand.

But he answered all of your questions before you could ask them. 

“Who’s looking at you that way, eh?” He asked, rubbing your cheek with his thumb. “I will kill anyone who fuckin’ looks at you the way I look at you, yeah?”

You swallowed the words that were on the tip of your tongue, unable to actually speak them and still unsure of what he was saying.

Alfie just looked at you, his eyes darting between yours. It was as if he could read you–knew exactly what you were thinking, despite the fact that you had no fucking clue. He looked at you like no one had ever looked at you. Like you were worth something. Like you had something to give. And like he wanted to take it.

“Goddammit, Alfie,” you muttered, looking away from his eyes. You couldn’t bear his gaze any longer.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He whispered, placing his free hand on the small of your back and pulling you in close. “I’m in love with you.”

You realized in that moment that he’d said all you had wanted to hear. You leaned against him, feeling the warmth from his body pressed against yours. You stood on your toes to reach his mouth with your own. It took all you could muster to not fall apart when you felt him return the kiss. His beard tickled your cleanly shaven jaw, his breath felt heavy against yours, his tongue fought your lips for access to your mouth.

Alfie’s kiss was laced with heat and passion. It was driven by desire. It was warm. It was soft. It was fire.

And when it was over, and he pulled away from you, you looked at him–really looked at him–for the first time. You could see the desire in his eyes. You recognized, for the first time, what had always been there.

You realized in that moment that you never had to count your conversations with Alfie again. The possibilities were infinite.

“I’m yours,” you whispered, leaning your forehead against his.

“Mine,” he responded, closing his eyes.

[thewritewolf]

Inseparable Chapter 2: Civilian Life

Back in school, Marinette arrives to class exhausted from a late patrol.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

@ladynoirjuly2019

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Marinette shambled after Alya, the best speed she could manage after being up so late last night. They hadn’t intended to be patrolling that late, or at least she hadn’t. It was just… nice, spending some quality time with Chat Noir. His jokes were much more tolerable when they weren’t in immediate danger.

The rest of the class was already present - not unusual, since Marinette always cut it close and Alya tried to wait for her so they could go in together. No one really paid much attention to their arrival, except for the two boys that they had to walk past to get to their places. While Nino finger gunned a greeting to them, Adrien flashed a weak smile and waved. It was enough to perk Marinette up a little and she smiled and waved back at him.

That was when she noticed he seemed a little… rumpled, compared to his usual perfect appearance. His hair was just a little untamed, shirt a bit askew. There was a hint of bags to his eyes. Was he tired too? Busy staring at him, Marinette stumbled, prompting a flurry of giggles from the class. Ears burning, she rushed to her spot. Hopefully, he didn’t notice. Even though it happened right next to him.

They sat down at their usual spots and Marinette rested her head against their shared desk, using her backpack as a pillow. An awful pillow, but better than the wood at least. She heard Alya sigh beside her and felt a comforting pat on her back.

“Up late again?” Alya asked, sympathy in her voice.

“Yeah… You know how it is, once I get started on those designs it’s hard to stop!” It bothered Marinette how easy the lie came to her, but what else could she do? No one could know.

Alya frowned. “I guess, but this the third time this week, girl! And you still won’t let me see what you’ve been working on.”

In front of them, she saw Adrien tilt his head curiously and turn to face them. Whatever he was going to say was lost when Ms. Bustier walked through the classroom doors and the last bell went off.

“Good morning, everyone!” A moderately enthusiastic greeting sounded back at her. “Now that we’re a week back into the new school year, I think it’s time to tell you our big project for the semester!”

Marinette missed most of the details of the project as she struggled to stay awake, but her sleep deprived brain caught a few facts - it was a big, semester long project. Not too bad, even though it would be hard to juggle with her new duties. Second, they would be working in pairs. Immediately, she felt a rush of giddiness. A whole semester working with Alya, renown ace researcher, and fully understanding if Marinette couldn’t help a lot? Perfect!

Those hopes were quickly dashed to pieces when Ms. Bustier finished by telling them that she had randomly assigned partners. If the best she could hope for was Alya, then her worst choice was Chloe - practically anyone would be better. Now fully awake, she listened to the pairs being called out like the ominous tolling of bells.

“Alya and Nino!” Marinette gave thumbs up to Alya, happy that she got to work with her boyfriend for once, but secretly worried now that her best choice was taken from her.

Slowly, the rest of the class was paired off, most people being landed with someone that they rarely interacted with - Max and Ivan, Sabrina and Kim, etc. Were these names really random, or was Ms. Bustier trying to be sneaky? She was still listening for her own name when Chloe was called.

“Chloe…” The brief moment hung in the air as Marinette tensed up. “...and Rose!”

She relaxed, but struggled to remember who was left. Thoughts moving as sluggishly as they were, Marinette didn’t have time to speculate before the last pair was called out.

“Marinette and Adrien! Now, will you all please move to sit by your new partner.”

Her heart did a backflip and Alya playfully punched her shoulder. She whispered, “Go get him, girl!”

Marinette got to her feet hesitantly and switched spots with Nino. Her eyes were firmly fixed in front of her as she sat stock still beside him. She jumped at his hand on her shoulder.

“Are you okay, Marinette? I’m sure Ms. Bustier will let you switch partners if you don’t feel comfortable.” The sympathy in his voice drew her attention and she could see the slight hurt in his eyes. She pushed down her discomfort to flash a smile at him.

“N-no! You’re good, I mean, I’m good! Not that you’re not good, you’re great.” She cleared her throat and took a breath. “I… I’m excited to work with you is all.”

She glanced back at him to see his patient smile blossom into a cheerful grin. “I’m glad to hear it, since I’m super glad I got assigned with you. I know that whatever we do, it’ll be awesome!”

The murmur of conversation died down as Ms. Bustier started the lesson in earnest, and so did the buzz Marinette felt from Adrien’s praise. Before long, she found herself nodding off. She awoke with a jolt and quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed.

Beside her, Adrien’s eyes were shut, his face a serene mask. Despite everything in her wanting to just take in that angelic expression for a while longer, Ms. Bustier wouldn’t be distracted for much longer. She nudged his arm and his eyes fluttered.

When he realized what had happened, he nodded appreciatively at her and whispered, "Thanks. I'll order us some coffee for lunch. I get the feeling we're going to need it."

For the rest of the period, they diligently watched out for each other and kept themselves awake. Maybe they’d make a good team after all.

[lovlieziam]

For the writing prompts, can I be greedy? If so, I will throw out Ziam and #22 and #82 :D

I don’t mind you being greedy at all if you don’t mind me being lazy and combining them :) It got long fast, oops. At some point this became really self indulgent so I apologize for that…

22.I am not telling you how I lost my virginity, nope.

82. I was kind of wondering if maybe…could we…you want to go to the movies with me?

Zayn didn’t like Liam Payne. Not one fucking bit. He knew thewhole school was in love with him—something about everyone falling for thetoken bad boy. But this wasn’t a fucking rom com and Liam Payne was an asshole.He was cocky and pompous. He thought mouthing off was an effective way to get attentionand smoking cigarettes was cool—it wasn’t, Zayn would know, since he also smokedbut wasn’t worshiped by the entirestudent body.

Zayn just didn’t understand the appeal. He was pretty sureLiam hadn’t taken anything seriously in his life, never mind be expected tohold a decent conversation. He thought kid like Liam stopped being cool in highschool—at least there they were only popular because they were ‘interesting,’but Liam wasn’t. He was a dime adozen at Zayn’s high school, a type he had hoped he could get away with once hegot to college. He had done so well in the beginning, so one could only imaginehis disappointment when he got trapped in a fucking elevator with the dude. An elevator.What the fuck.

And the icing on the cake? Zayn thought he had done a prettygood job of keeping on the down low in his college career, but apparently hewas wrong because Liam Payne? Yeah, he knew who the fuck Zayn was. He made thatabundantly clear when he started up a conversation after the elevator shut downand addressed Zayn by name and started talking about his interests. Never mindthe fact that they were trapped in a death shute, Liam wanted to know if Zaynhad ‘seen the new Marvel movie yet’ because it looked ‘sick.’ Again, what thefuck?

“’M not really in the mood for a chat about Marvel rightnow, Liam,” he snapped. They were trapped in an elevator, didn’t Liam realizethat? The thing had come to a complete stop. It was no longer going up anddown. They could not get out and had no way of being able to get out withouthelp and they had already done that and had gotten a curt ‘We’re sending someonenow. The elevator should be running again in roughly half an hour. Pleaseremain calm’ like Zayn could keep his cool when trapped in a metal death boxwith the one man he hated. Did Liam notrealize that?

“Then what do you want to talk about?”

Zayn spun to face Liam, his expression no doubt displayinghis pure disbelief because what? Didn’tLiam realize he didn’t want to talk about anything besides how to get out ofhere?

“I don’t want to talk about anything! I want the elevator tostart moving again.”

Liam sighed next to him, leaning against the wall and crossinghis arms over his stupidly big chest. That was another issue Zayn had withLiam. What the fuck even were his muscles? The were big and dumb and delicious. Zayn hated them, even thoughhe kind of wanted to lick Liam from head to toe. It was awful.

“The elevator doesn’t run on silence, Zayn. If we play thequiet game it won’t decide it’s bored and magically start working again.”

Zayn turned his head to glare at Liam. “Sarcasm and shittyjokes are the last thing I want to deal with right now, Liam. How ‘bout youjust keep your comments to yourself.”

Liam rolled his eyes. Zayn thought he did that a lot. “Thelast thing I want to deal with is your bad attitude and sense of entitlement,but I guess we don’t always get what we want.”

Zayn let his crossed arms drop to his side, indignationtaking over. “I am not entitled!”

Liam raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? So you don’t go around ignoringanyone who isn’t one of your little friends because you’re better than them? Orsneer at people who don’t perform well in class? God forbid the rest of usstruggle a little bit in school.”

Okay, what the fuck? Zayn didn’t think any of those things. Never once had he looked down on anyonebecause they struggled in school, and he definitely didn’t think he was better than anyone. What the fuck?

“Fuck you, I don’t think any of that. Maybe if you pulledyour head out of your ass and paid attention to anyone but yourself you’drealize that. If maybe for once you gave a shit in general.”

Liam pushed himself away from the wall, advancing towardZayn. “No, fuck you. I do give a shit,but I’m not a fucking genius like you, Zayn. Just because I don’t get highmarks doesn’t mean I don’t fucking care. Did you ever think about that? Thatmaybe I’m just fucking drowning in work I don’t understand? That I wasn’t bornwith a natural ability to just understandstuff like you can?” Liam had practically boxed Zayn in at this point, hislarge frame seeming to dwarf Zayn and he should be scared, maybe even offended,but mostly he was angry and weirdly turned on. Seriously, fuck Liam Payne.

“Please Liam, I’ve seen you. You walk around with your superfanstrailing you, getting by on your looks and reputation. I’ve seen you in action.”

Liam’s eyes were still filled with fire, an anger Zayn hadnever seen this close, but there was something else lingering in their depth—somethingZayn didn’t know Liam well enough to place. As soon as Zayn noticed it, Liamwas backing away from him just as quickly as he’d advanced.

“Okay, Zayn,” Liam said, but his voice trembled. He justsounded tired. “Whatever you say.” Liam walked back to the opposite wall, fallingheavily against it before scrubbing a hand down his face and thunking his headagainst the wall behind him. Guilt slowly started curling it’s way around Zayn’sstomach and he couldn’t place why. He was speaking the truth. It wasn’t like hewas accusing Liam of those things based purely on observation; he had heardcountless stories about Liam from so many people. They couldn’t all be lying,right? Then again, Liam had said some pretty interesting things about Zayn. Wasthat just Liam’s opinion, or had he been hearing the same kinds of stories Zaynhad. Regardless, he was terribly confused.

“Liam?” The other man looked up at his name, connecting hisgaze with Zayn’s. “I’m sorry. For, um, presuming, I guess?”

Liam cracked a smile, a little warmth shining through hisotherwise rough exterior. “Yeah, uh, me, too. I should’ve known better.” Zayncouldn’t help but smile back.

“So…what do you wanna talk about?” Zayn asked.

Liam let out a guffaw, his eyes crinkling up in a way Zaynabsolutely adored. When he finally settled down, Zayn noticed the slight mischieflined in his face.

“You could tell me an embarrassing story. Ooooh, I know.Tell me how you lost your virginity, Zayn.” He followed this with suggestiveeyebrow waggles, and Zayn was back to square one because a. his eyebrows andtheir movements should not be thatattractive and b. how dare Liam cheapen this moment with a joke. They weremaking progress.

Zayn stared at him for a moment, waiting for Liam to say ‘justkidding!’ When Liam just continued to stare at him, Zayn let out a very inelegantsnort.

“I am not telling you how I lost my virginity, nope. That isthe last thing that is happening.”When Zayn looked back up, Liam was sticking his bottom lip out in an exaggerated—andhot, fuck you very much Liam Payne—pout that Zayn wanted to punch off hisstupid face.

“Awww, boo. You’re boring.” A devilish grin replaced thepout as a wicked gleam started to shine in Liam’s eyes. “I’ll tell you how Ilost mine if you tell me how you lost yours. C’mon, Z, I bet you’re curious.”

“We are not talking about our sex lives, Liam. What’s wrongwith you? Are you mental?” Zayn decidedly ignored the thrill that went throughhim at Liam calling him ‘Z’. Liam was messing him up so bad.

Liam let out a loud laugh and Zayn fell a little in lovewith it—again, fuck you Liam Payne. Liam definitely didn’t laugh enough, andZayn ached to fix that.

What the fuck,Zayn thought. Being trapped in an enclosed space was really starting to affecthim.

Almost as soon as he had the thought, though, the elevatordinged, the numbers glowing back to life and the telltale whirring of the boxechoing through the space. When he looked back up at Liam ready to celebratetheir freedom, Liam was already looking back with an incredibly soft look onhis face. It momentarily threw Zayn off kilter—why was Liam looking at him likethat? More importantly, when had almost half an hour passed?

With a start, Zayn realized it was in part because of Liam.If the man hadn’t been keeping up a constant stream of conversation andridiculous questions, Zayn would probably be a mess of nerves right now.

When the elevator doors finally opened up, Zayn practically flung himself through them, ready toforget the whole thing ever happened. Well, kinda. He would definitely be rememberingthe way Liam looked towering over him later. Liam, however, had other ideas.

“Hey, um, Zayn? I was, um…I was kind of wondering ifmaybe…could we…,” Liam trailed off, shifting nervously in front of Zayn. Zaynheard a muttered fuck before Liam lookedback up, the most nervous Zayn had ever seen him. The man normally oozedconfidence, but now he was standing in front of Zayn looking as if he was readyto run for the hills. It only made Zayn more curious as to just what Liam waswondering. “You want to go to the movies with me?”

And okay, Zayn definitely wasn’t thinking that. Did Liamjust ask him to the movies? Because ifhe had it sounded and awful lot like he was asking Zayn on a date. The more Zaynthought about it, the more that made perfect sense. Liam knew who he was. Liamstarted a conversation with him as soon as the elevator stopped—and wasn’t thatsuspicious, almost like Liam knew itwas going to stop—and his first question was whether Zayn had seen the newMarvel movie. Liam was nervous, for Christ’s sake. He was asking Zayn on a date.

“Liam Payne, are you asking me out on a date?” Zayn watchedas a blush rose high on Liam’s cheeks, and he couldn’t help the pure giddiness that rushed through him. LiamPayne, resident bad ass, was fumbling and blushinghis was through asking Zayn, of all people, on a date. It was incredible.

“Um, I…yes?”

Zayn fought back a laugh, overcome with a sudden urge topush Liam up against the nearest surface and kiss the fuck out of him. Okay, somaybe Zayn didn’t hate Liam quite asmuch as he might have led everyone to believe.

“I’ll go out with you,” Zayn began. A smile startedspreading across Liam’s lips, hope filling his eyes. Zayn held up a hand betweenthem, halting anything Liam might say. “On one condition.”

Liam’s smile dimmed a little, but he nodded for Zayn tocontinue.

“You have to tell me how you lost your virginity, Liam ‘badass’ Payne.” He emphasized badass with fingerquotes and all. Liam giggled in front of him, fucking giggled, and Zayn knew he was so, so fucked.

“Yeah, okay,” he agreed. As soon as the words left Liam’smouth, Zayn launched himself at the man, pinning him up against the wall nextto the elevator and kissing the mouth that had been driving him mad.

And when Liam eventually confesses he paid one of the facility managers to stop the elevator so he couldask him out, Zayn teased the fuck outof Liam. He absolutely did not letthat go. In fact, he told everyone.

But for now, now the only thought Zayn had—aside from how fucking good of a kisser Liam Payne was—was howmaybe life did turn out like a romcom sometimes.

[alloveroliver]

Tell Me Anything Answers

From the V-Day Smooch Event Survey~💋

(Suggestions, comments, questions, or just say Hi!)

Here is where I answer some questions and just plain ol’ respond to all the positive feedback I got for fun!

Take the kiss survey HERE!

♥ ♡ ♥ ♡ ♥ ♡  ♥ ୨♡୧ ♥  ♡ ♥ ♡ ♥ ♡ ♥

HI I LOVE YOU -I love you too!!! Thanks for filling out my survey XD

Hiiii you’re awesome!!! - No, you’re awesome!

Thank you! -You’re v welcome my friend

Can I just like... Smooch Zero all over his sweet face? Or have Seth smooch me all over MY sweet face~ -So pure! <3 Goals tbh. I will add this to my list of ideas cuz I like this xD

A scavenger hunt! Maybe ending in a proposal?🤔 -I actually love this! I'll add it to my idea pile XD

Hi! Hope you're doing good😊😊- I am doing great! Thank you! I hope you are well~

Hi thanks so much for this event, it will probably be more fun then what rev does! Looking forward to it so much! Thank you for all the effort you always put into your work and for sharing it for us all to read!-skjfdlsldfk AHHH YOU'RE AWESOME! I appreciate your words of encouragement so much! I hope this event is fun for everyone! A small healthy competition and some smooches seem like a good way to kick off valentine's day.

Hi ^^- helooooo <3

You're the best, ash!- AH! TY! I think  you’re the best sooo

Hiya! Just wanted to say I love your writing! Always eager to see more.-Oh thank you so much!!!! I’m so happy to share something I love with the world! And i'm DOUBLE happy people are enjoying it!

Psst ily <3- ILY TOO! lsdjflksdj

I love both Jonah and Edgar. It's sooo hard to pick one for Red Army 😭 Can I not kiss Black Army to kiss our Red Queen and Jack instead XD I love your writing and room full of Oliver! - I know it's hard to pick just one D’: but don’t fret! Even if they don’t win this time around, there will be another open request box soon!!! I’m so happy you love my writing! Ty for telling me! And ROOM FULL OF OLIVER YES!!! I love those little chibis XD even the grumpy ones.

Have a wonderful day Mrs. Ash Knight :)- AHHHHHHHHHHH!~~!!!!!! YOU JUST MADE MY ENTIRE LIFE CALLING ME THAT! I'M MARRIED YALL!!!! LSDJFLSJDFL I am legally obligated to have a wonderful day now after reading that XD XD XD Tbh this will be my pen name from now on XD

WHATEVER YOU WRITE IS A BLESSING AND I'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!!! -THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!! I’m excited to see what prompts come above the rest!

Love your writing! Xoxo- Thank you so much! XOXOXO I appreciate you!

💖💖💖💖- <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Hello! Thanks for doing this <3 lots of hugs from a fan!- Hi! You’re v welcome my friend! I hug you back HARDER! *Many bear hugs*

Ily pls hydrate urself- ILY TOO! I cannot hydrate, for when I see Oliver I simply become hella thirsty.

I love your work <3- I am so happy! Thank you so much!!! I am happy to share it with you!

JSJSJSHKWJQ STOP MAKING ME CHOOSE ;;;;; but thank you for doing this! ♡♡♡♡♡- Lololololol. I am happy to do this! You are welcome XD <3

❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️- XOXOXOXOXOXO *Muah*

Hallo~! Good luck ducky. Wish ya the best on your writing prompts.- Thanks for the luck! Also, you said ducky and I thought of the creeks helping me type out the fics XD They would be good helpers tbh.

Hi! <333- Hey! <3 Thanks for filling out the survey

Just to say thanks for doing this <3<3- *Muah!* You’re welcome, my friend!

Thank you for doing this survey! I appreciate that you’re writing things for us, and can’t wait to see what comes out as the winning prompt! - NP NP!!! I am happy to do so! I want to make this round of fics extra special! I hope you enjoy them!!! Thank you <3

Hello! I love your stories! As someone who spends a lot of time on tumblr reading b/c the teacher can't recommend me stuff, I really appreciate it. A thank you from a struggling student trying ( and failing) to get her life together.- XD I'm glad to be of assistance! I am still very new to writing but with encouragement like this, it makes me want to practice more!!! Thank you!

Luka! :)- I agree 100%. <3 <3 <3

Hello! I just want to say, I love your writing! I’m a newer fan, but I already love your stuff! I don’t really have any questions though... whatever. Bye! <3 Lots Of love! - Thank you for telling me you love it!!! I appreciate you! Welcome to my blog XD lol Happy to have you <3

I'm not sure if you would know but when do you think Loki's Main Route will come out?  I just finished Edgar's (🎉👏♥️😍😍) and I'm not sure if I should wait or if I should just play Jonah's route as if there is time.-I am going to guess around the end of Feb. Maybe the 20-22 since the new bonus stories end around that time XD Might be a few days before, but all the bonus stories will be released before the route is released I'm sure. OH! You can start a new route! Ikerev allows you to switch routes for free and it saves you spot on the old route! So whenever you want to go back, you don’t have to start all over again. I hope that helps!

I'm so excited for this. Can't wait! Thank you. I'm looking forward for it~ (๑>ᴗ<)و- I can’t wait either!!! I’m glad you’re excited! This is gonna be so much fun XD

I love your writing and am super excited you are doing this event! Eagerly awaiting the winners and the stories!!!- Thank you so much!!!! That makes me giddy that you like my writing!!!! I am also eagerly awaiting. I’m taking bets with myself to see who’s going to win in each category XD

I'm really glad I subscribed to your blog as soon as I found it :з Keep being awesome (and don't push yourself) - Oh yay!!! I am super happy you did! I update a lot right now lolol. And if they ever release Olivers route NO FORCE CAN STOP ME! XD XD XD but also your concern is so sweeeeet lasdjgldsjkfl I may push myself a bit but I will take lots of breaks I promise! Thank you! <3

Hewwo :3- Henlo :3

I love your writing, it makes me feel like I can travel to a different universe without leaving my bedroom :) - WOW OMG THIS IS A HUGE COMPLIMENT TY!!!!! I strive for this!! I want to be transported somewhere everytime I read and I'm so happy to be doing that for you!!!! <3

Loki & Me are my OTP. This rhymes, so it counts as a poem- lmFAO you crack me up XD. It does, you are a poet now my friend.

I wuv you Ash, you is a good bean <3- I love you tooo!!! I’m happy to be a bean :3 Thank you for taking your time to do this survey!!! You’re awesome!!!

Love your work!!! My heart skips a beat whenever I see you post new stuff! As a fellow writer, let’s support each other! -IT SKIPS A BEAT!? I AM SLDKGJLKSDFJ SPEECHLESS TY!!!! I am here to support all writers!!!

Hello you wonderful person you. 😘- WONDERFUL!? LSDJGFLSDJF YOU’RE SO SWEET! I think YOU are wonderful!!!!

Hewwo I luv you uwu- :3 hello!!!! ILY!!!!

I have nothing to say except I'm excited to see what you come up with! Your stories are always amazing and I'm sure these will be too! :)- WOW TY! Thank you so much! I work really hard to try to make something fresh and new every time and I’m glad you like them!!!! I am excited to see what comes out of the tips of my fingers too XD XD

I say hi! Good luck for this event! You're doing amazing ~- Pure. Wholesome. I love you. Thank you!

This is fun! Thank you.- Woo! Im glad it’s fun!!! NP NP! I appreciate you!

I love you and your writing you are so amazing ❤❤❤❤❤- I LOVE YOU MORE!!!! AHH~!! Youre awesome! Thank you for the compliment!!!! <3 <3

Some of those prompts seemed a little assulty?? I'm sorry! E.g. kisses them to make them stop saying something; angry kisses (no consent...) -  These are prompts and not stories, so extrapolating saying its non-consensual is of your own imagination. “Angry kisses,” and “Stopping someone one from saying something with a kiss,” can be written a thousand different ways. Many of the prompts here have hundreds of different scenarios to be written around. However, If I write something, that is dub/con or non/con it will be tagged at the beginning of the fic so you can freely skip over it. :)

This will be exciting. I’m Looking forward to reading your stories. -I am perpetually excited as I tally up the smooches! I can’t wait to post them to see what you think! <3

This is a great idea and a big inspiration, thank you! - IM GLAD YOU THINK SO!!! <3 <3  You’re v welcome! XOXO

I appreciate all the work you put into this. The prompts are so interesting. Fenray kiss!- YOU APPRECIATE ME OGMOMG TY!!!!! ILY ILY. I’m glad you like the prompts XD I sifted through so many until I was happy with the ones left hehe. FENRAY! They seem to be v popular! I also ship them, but I am a slut and I ship everyone with everyone sooo xD

I love your work!❤- THANK YOU SO MUCH! I’m glad!!!!! This fills my heart with joyyyyy!

Hi!  ;-)- Hellloooo *wink wonk*

I love your blog❤️❤️- I appreciate that!!! Thank you for taking my survey! XD

I'm so excited to see the results of this!! I hope Blanc will get a story >////<- I am excited too!!! You never know who will come out on top! The results have been going back and forth a bit XD

Hi Ash, I'm already looking forward to the outcome of this survey- Hey!!! I am so ecstatic!!!!! I will be posting a bunch of graphs to show the results. So that should be fun to see <3

Are you going to write a fic for each category? I'm really looking for them!! 💕- I sure am! I have 5 fics waiting to be planned based on the results! I will also be doing some inspo-driven drabbles of some of the results for funsies XD

SENPAI!!! I love your work! Are you excited for Loki’s route?- sldkjglsjdf IM NOTICING YOU!!! Lolol omg (that was a dumb joke from me sorry lol).  I am so happy you love my work!!!! THANK YOUUUU I am v excited for Loki’s route! I think Loki is an interesting guy and he’s got a back story I’d like to sip through a straw.

Thank you a lot for doing this, you're awesome ♡- You are welcome my friend!! And I think YOU'RE AWESOME!!!

God's work op!!!!- lololool THANKS! XD Thank you for taking the survey!

Hello, Ash!- Hello there! I hope you have a great week!

I just wanted to let you know that I absolutely adore your Lancelot x Alice fics! They are masterpieces and your writing is so awesome! - MASTERPIECES!? AHHH!!!! TY!!!! <3 <3 BLESS YOU lsjdkflsjfd  I-um-lowkey LOVE Lance. It was his side content that got me tbh. I feel like I connected with him more with the side content. Maybe because I played his route early on and was v new to ikerev. Either way, he's, uhhhh a top bae now XD

Please write more Lance and Alice fics! I always enjoy reading them:)- Yes!!!! There will be more in the future for sure! XD I sooo soo happy you enjoy them!!!

I'm also really looking forward to your ""kiss in the rain"" fic, featuring Lancelot and Alice. I just hope you decide that this fic is worth writing!- It’s going to be based on popular vote, but the kiss in the rain seems to be a general fav! So I’m excited to see who wins and who gets it! XD

I wish you the best of luck for the upcoming Valentine's gacha!- Thank you so much!!! I can’t wait to see what the gacha gods have in store for me this round XD Thanks for the luck!!! <3

こんにちわ！😁 - Howdy XD

♥ ♡ ♥ ♡ ♥ ♡  ♥ ୨♡୧ ♥  ♡ ♥ ♡ ♥ ♡ ♥

-Some are edited to conceal people’s identity or a defining feature XD (just to keep this anon since I didn’t ask specifically if anyone wanted to be called out <3)

I want to thank everyone for participating in the voting!!! I had a bigger turnout than I would have ever dreamed! You guys are awesome and I am looking forward to writing these fics for you lovely people 💋

If you haven’t already, Take the kiss survey HERE!