#i wrote most of this while i was making dinner lmao

[baphometsss]

Solas repeatedly explains that things are not so black and white and the fandom's response to the nature of his relationships with Mythal and Felassan etc are weirdly reminiscent of what he finds frustrating about modern Thedas.

He explains repeatedly that the distinction between spirit and demon is not that black and white, that there's always an element of choice involved. Likewise, he cannot be so easily defined as wisdom or pride. He is a mix of both and will lean into one or the other depending on how he is perceived. Over and over again he tries to make people see that it's our expectations that create the dynamics of our relationships and therefore how we perceive others. If we respect others in the way they would like to be respected, you can come closer to an authentic and equal partnership.

Likewise, he says that he is not defined by his body, a point Trick said came from their own thoughts around their gender and figuring out that they were nonbinary. Solas chose a male body, seemingly because he had to choose one, not necessarily because he felt like a man. In fact he repeatedly explains that he sees himself as a spirit i.e. genderless

The romance or friendship with the Inquisitor is special because it is the first time that he's branching out of his comfort zone of bonding like a spirit bonds (reflecting) and trying to bond like a person does instead (meeting them on their level, sharing his heart with them and being vulnerable). This is why one of my favourite lines from him is 'You are unique. In all Thedas I never expected to find someone who could draw my attention from the Fade. You have become important to me.' This is the first time he has fallen in love, the first time he has actually relished being a person and not a spirit, because he's able to be with Lavellan this way. He can't fall in love as a spirit as spirits don't bond that way, as is repeatedly stated throughout his story. I personally think the relationships he forged before Inquisition were all done using the attachment style of spirits, which is apparently quite abstract, and not as a man, which is more understandable to mortals and us, the player.

What's especially pertinent about this is that says this line right before he's about to abandon his plan to tear down the Veil by telling the Inquisitor the truth, a plan that symbolises his attachment to his spirit-self and the world he inadvertently destroyed. Once he does that, there's no coming back; likewise, once you take a body, you cannot go back. When you fall in love in a way that makes all the parts of you line up perfectly for the first time, you can't go back.

What is so beautiful to me about Solas's love story with Lavellan is that we witness Solas in a chrysalis state between spirithood and personhood, past and present (and future), on the precipice of metamorphosis. At the very moment he's about to take that final leap like The Fool his romance card is based on, he backs out, because of guilt, trauma, grief, duty and the rest.

Even with a befriended Inquisitor, he bonds with them on their level. He doesn't try to elevate them to his level; he comes to theirs. He is the opposite of Pride in their friendship, which is why he respects them. They allow him to be himself.

It's because of this change in nature that I think Solas and Lavellan's love story is so compelling--Solas's world quite literally changes when he falls in love, as he states multiple times, in various ways. I mean, look at the way he needs time to think about a potential relationship with Lavellan. He probably knows that it's a bad idea, but at this point he has no idea how much of a bad idea it is with respect to his plans because he has no idea that it will make him want to give it up. If he had, he never would've entertained the idea of a relationship. His romance card in Veilguard explains that he didn't know what it would mean to fall in love, because he's never actually been in love. He has loved countless friends and companions, like Mythal and Felassan, but he has not fallen for someone like he falls for a romanced Lavellan; Lavellan, who is deified like he was deified, who sees him for who he is (as much as they can) and doesn't shun him or punish him for not doing as he was told like a good lapdog.

Once again there's more of the irony that pervades Solas's story at every turn. It's in falling for a mortal that Solas becomes a more complete person, more of the man he says he is and not the god others have revered him as. That is the deepest change of all and the one that reflects his earlier statements on the delineation between spirit and demon not being so black and white, and involving a level of choice. Solas chooses to be more of a man in a similar way to how Cole chooses to become more human. He knows deep down that he's already in too deep to stop, and this is why, despite knowing he has a job to do and a duty to fulfil, he leaves clues for the Inquisition to follow him. Because he's already gone too far, and now he can't go back, and deep down he wants to be stopped, like Varric said. Solas, as a former spirit, doesn't simply feel love, he embodies it, and so he is helpless to that emotion. Of course he left clues.

Because that is what falling in love meant for Solas. It meant going into that chrysalis state and emerging as a totally new being with an experience that is quite far removed from his spirit self and all the limitations that come with that. Mythal and Felassan etc predate this experience, they're intrinsically tied to his nature as a spirit and then as a manifested spirit. While he loved them, that love was tangled up with a simpler nature, and the love he shares with Lavellan is coming from a totally new place. For that reason, the two can't really be compared.

[tornoleander]

Finally Ironed out some ninja designs! I Usually don’t share references but with the behind the scenes stuff I’m doing on my Skybound project I don’t have much else I can share yet.

There is a few headcanon/ Fic stuff in references and powers and the all ninja shot is for first part of Skybound project.

I can share Skybound project Updates! I’m making lots of progress! Trying to focus on p1 stuff so I can put full force into the p2 stuff!

|

V

P1 may be ready Summer? 2025

My Skybound talk Video:

* God I have so much to ramble about just when I think I covered something a new angle gets me

* How TF am I supposed to sanely transition from the wholesome reasons I love this season into the horribly problem stuff. Sigh*

* Actually studying videos covering serious topics to navigate how to word things.

* I have to stop drawing so much art for everything or no one will ever see this video.

* The desire to animate my character lipsinking to me is an evolutionary disadvantage I will resist.

Cannon compliant Animatic:

* Song is Ironed out fought a while adding voice lines and I’m way more excited than I thought I’d be for this animatic because I thought it would be overshadowed by how strongly I feel about the other 2. But damn.

* I’m storyboarding after like my life depends on it rn

* Really trying to capture Nya’s character Ark which sent me right back to the video script because I remembered that one reddit post calling her a bitch and rage wrote for 2 hours.

* I am determined to make people see how good her character arc actually is.

* Throwing Jay shade in this one lol he was kinda awful even with being manipulated.

* Trying to convey clear Ideas and story through art is pain but also addicting.

* This is meant as a leading to both part two animatics, but bbnb Kai is shorter than wytyaa Kai. The difference is significant everything else pre dinner with Nadakhan is the same. The other head cannons are almost aligned as far as I know. It’s JUST Kai. What do I do with him?!? Lmao Might just distance him from the other ninja so you can’t tell how tall he is. Thank goodness he is the most gullible and first to wish it all away

P2 out like December if I’M lucky TT

Even though I should focus on first things first, I can’t help myself. these fics have lived rent free in my brain for like 2 years and despite plans shifting the excitement of drawing the story I read and put to music in my head is a force of nature. Thanks Adhd

Wytyaa:

* I storyboarded about half the scenes I want to. Songs are decided but a few parts I’m waiting for the rest of the story for.

* I think I’m going to mess with color palette. I really want to capture the emotion and intensity. I’m learning the full potential of my art and

* I need Final ch released for maping out the second half.

* BUT I AM NOT READY TO READ IT @mondothebombo And from what you told me I don’t think I’ll be able to finish P1 by then. cries*

* I wanna capture the feeling reading wytyaa.

* May make my wytyaa specific refs so I can make animatic art I can post early.

Bbnb

* It’s all storyboarded and half animated

* Thinking about redoing most the earlier stuff, consistency has been a problem

* Also was to mess with colors, dark backgrounds and intense colors.

* I fought with my ref forever to find good enough lightning scar colors cause figuring out the right amount of contrast is pain.

* So now I want to redraw my bbnb scar references a third time.

* May draw other bbnb specific refs so I can make some art for the animatic I can post here early or on on my old A03 book

If you have Any questions feel free to leave an ask! I answer all eventually sometimes I do save em up though so if I didn’t answer something yet, Sorry I will get to you.

[chuuyasheaven]

RAAAAAAAAH idk if this counts as an ask but this specific scenario has been marinating in my mind for WEEKS and i think you might enjoy it :3c

to put it shortly ive been thinking of hot-headed reader who has trouble containing their temper (im not projecting whar do you mean) x chuuya (established relationship) that goes from angst to smut…. teehee

basically chuuya and reader begin arguing bc i hc that EVEN THOUGH CHUUYA IS EXTREMELY LOYAL AND DOTING TO THE ONES HE CARES ABOUT…. his temper often gets the best of him. Recently, chuuya had been very busy, and reader knew that, and continuously made an effort to help him in whatever ways they could, be it making dinner/lunch for him, offering to help with paperwork, etc. BUT thing is.. chuuya isn't really noticing this and treats them like a nuisance. He hasn't said anything outright insulting or upsetting, but he treats reader so differently, like he's silently blaming reader for his own temper and mood. He doesn't even call them by their nickname/petname anymore, everything feels so distant now.

So in an attempt to yk, NOT give up on their relationship, reader decides to confront chuuya about this in a calm manner, but he blindly lashes out and reader is NOT having ANY of it… cue a petty back and forth between him and reader, and reader gets out of the house to cool off and meanwhile chuuya finally comes to his senses. He tries to reason with reader when they come back, but they end up doing exactly what chuuya did to them, dismissing him and not accepting any form of half-assed apology. and so,,,,,, chuuya tries to make it up to reader,,,, if ikwym :3c

cue chuuya eating out reader like his life depends on it /jjj ((THIS IS SO LONG LMAO IM LITERALLY SOSORRY))

"You're not getting tired of me, are you?" // C. Nakahara

Summary. Recently, Chuuya has been kinda distant lately, mostly due to his work. This also resulted into you mostly overthinking— what if he isn't at the office all the time just like says? With this thought at the back of your mind, you tried to make an effort to be nice and caring as possible, only for Chuuya to decline the food you make him, denying any help you offer and barely spending time, which made the thoughts even more scary. When you can't take it anymore, you snap, at first he didn't get what your problem was until he thought about your earlier attempts. Now driven with guilt, Chuuya wants to assure you're the most important thing to him and makes up for his actions in the process.

Tags. Chuuya N. / afab! Reader, the summary pretty much already tells the story, angst to smut to fluff maybe, miscommunication, Reader prolly has anxiety, swearing, ooc! Chuuya, suspicions of cheating, Chuuya didn't notice at first but it's okay he'll make it up by licking pussy ^_^, might be cringe, short too idk, Reader might be KINDAAA based off me, petnames (baby, doll, darlin', sweetheart), oral sex (afab! receiving), praising, overstimulation? , p in v, who knows maybe i fucked up the ask and wrote smth else, for the first time ever porn WITH plot, might have a rushed end, might contain grammar errors, etc.

"Hey, Chuuya, wanna eat? I made your favorite!", you said with a nervous tone painted in your voice, which Chuuya didn't really notice. "No, baby, I can't. Sorry, maybe next time?", he answered without even exchanging looks with you, just doing his paperwork as if it was more important to him. It's been like this for several days already and you did nothing but trying to help Chuuya to make things easier, but he didn't budge. You slowly started to get annoyed and just walked away to eat by yourself, silently.

With all kind of negative thoughts which caused you to overthink. These "thoughts" didn't leave you alone since he's become more distant. What if he's losing interest? What if he's not always late in the office? Am I annoying him and a burden? After you finished eating, you just put his plate into the fridge and sat alone in your living room. Some while later, Chuuya came to see you for a few minutes before returning to work. He tired hugging you but you rejected it. Confused, he looks at you before asking. "What's wrong, doll?", did he seriously just ask you that? After pushing away for the— what? The millionth time for his work? At this innocent question you snapped, well, not really but you were beyond pissed.

When Chuuya told you that he was probably busy for the next days, you understood, at first. Knowing Chuuya, he could make some time for you in between, right? He was your really loyal, sweet and loving boyfriend, caring was he too, of course Chuuya should be able to make atleast a little time. And to his credit, he did, at first. He took breaks in which he spent time with you, cooking your food with you, and also other activities you guys normally do. But with time, Chuuya got more and more work and spent less and less time with you. You also understood at first, and trying to be a good girlfriend, you tried to take some work off his back by doing some paperwork with him, only to deny you. Don't get Chuuya wrong, he appreciated it, but he'd rather do it himself. You understood, leaving him be, but then he started to work late, staying behind in the office. That's when you started to overthink a little. You really didn't want to let you thoughts get to you, Chuuya is loyal and so loving he would never, right? Why was he even staying so late in the first place? Was it because you constantly asked him to help to the point he wanted to work in the office at work? These thoughts would slowly consume you later on, and instead of speaking with Chuuya about it, you kept it to yourself, you didn't want to annoy him anyways. It's been 3 days later and he didn't even say a single word to you, just work, work, work. Were you even Chuuya's top priority at this point? You just let him distance himself, in hope of him noticing your presence. All this did was make the situation worse, to the point where you cried yourself to sleep at night feeling unwanted. Did Chuuya finally notice? No, his head is still drowned in paperwork. "Chuuya, do you have time right now?" — "No. Go do something else, doll, I still have work left." His tone had some harshness to it, a hint of annoyance too. But maybe it was because of the stress because of work. "I could help him maybe.", you told yourself, you don't want him to overwork himself, has he even eaten today? "Well, maybe I could help with the paper—" — "You can't, so please go. I still have a lot left." — "But I could—" — "Just go, I'm busy. I can't really talk with you 'cause you're gonna distract me." What a reason, but you can't let him push you away now, can you? "Chuuya, please, I just wanna help you—" — "Just leave me the hell alone and do something else. Look, I love you for trying, I don't need your help the only this you're doing right now is distracting me." "If you say so." Was all you said before leaving his home office without saying another word.

That was the last time you talked to him during these days, but today, was the day you finally snapped at him for pushing you away all these days. And for what did he push you away? For trying to be nice and take some shit off his back? "What's wrong?! What's wrong is that you pushed me away for— what? A week and a half?!", you explained with anger behind your voice, which Chuuya wasn't familiar with. "Doll, I didn't push you away—", before he could speak you went on. "Stop with the bullshit. Whenever I tried helping with anything you always denied me! I can't do this anymore.", you said with a crack in your voice, now Chuuya slowly got pissed too, was it his fault for having an asshole of a boss?

"Do you think I want to do this? Who in the hell would participate in such work as a fucking joke?!", he said rather louder than you. "Your damn work seems to be more important that me, when was the last time you looked me in my face?", you stood up from the couch. "You wouldn't even know what to do!", "I could've if you took some fucking time to explain!", you shouted back, this is where Chuuya might have lost his temper. "Why the hell should I? You won't even understand when I tell you to leave! I'm sorry if the world doesn't fucking revolve around you, some people have other priorities?!", his voice got angrier and louder.

"Appearently I'm not your first priority, which is what I'm supposed to be?! I just wanted to spend time with you, but if I'm so fucking 'distracting' then I'll leave!", "Oh, so now you can take a damn hint?", he called after you tried to walk away. "What?", you stopped and turned around to face him. "Fuck you, then. I'm done, go do your work which is more important to me! All I was doing was to try—", "I don't give a fuck if you were "trying" shit! Just fucking don't because it won't matter anyway all you're being is annoying and desperate.", Chuuya shouted at you.

"So I'm annoying you now?", you said, your voice going quieter. "Yeah, with the way you were constantly up in my shit. You're not the most important thing right now, just stop trying to stress me more than you already are.", when he said that, you were facing the floor, fighting back the angry tears that were building up. "Alright, go do your work. I'll leave you to it.", you muttered, walking towards your door to take a walk. Chuuya just tsk'ed and went back to his room. It was quiet in the apartment, Chuuya was working on some papers left when he thought about your earlier argument. Wondering why you started it, he thought about what you said and slowly realized that what you said was true. He has gotten more distant, he was a little rude to you about leaving him alone and barely paid you and your attempts to help attention.

Knowing he probably fucked up in those past days, hurting your feelings and calling you 'annoying and desperate' probably caused the biggest guilt he ever experienced. Chuuya tried calling you but you hung up instantly. Okay, reasonable. The second time he called you took you're time to pick up. "Hey, baby—", "What do you want?", you asked coldly. "I thought you wanted to be left alone.", Chuuya could hear the pain in your voice. "Look, darling, you know I didn't mean what I said. It was the stress—", you really didn't wanna hear him right now, especially his excuses. "Sorry, Chuuya but I don't really wanna talk right now, since I'm annoying you anyways, talk to you later.", before getting another word out, you hung up. Chuuya just took deep sigh and thought of ways to apologize and make it up to you.

You first left at 6pm but returned at 8pm, you were a little tired after walking a lot so you looked forward to lay in your shared bed, alone again probably. You changed into Chuuya's shirt just like you have been these last several days for some missing closure, not forgetting your shorts before you sat on the bed to be on your phone. Not even five minutes later, the door creaked open, revealing Chuuya with a guilt driven face. "What?, you asked him once again. "Can we talk, please?", you just stared at him before nodding. He sat down on the bed, patting the space next to him, you moved to the edge of the bed to sit down next to him.

"I'm sorry,", Chuuya started. "I'm sorry for neglecting you these past days, didn't mean to make you feel like a burden.", "So you finally got the hint?", you ask sarcastically. "Baby, I mean it. I shouldn't have priotized my work over you and pushed you away during it. I never wanted to feel unimportant.", he held your hand now, gently caressing it. "The stress made me act this way probably and i shouldn't have lashed out at you. You forgive me?", your gaze was still as cold. Chuuya just pulled you close to him, finally after a week, this made you realize that you missed him more than you thought.

Chuuya stroked your back, kissing your forehead first, then your cheeks, and lastly, your lips— those lips he hasn't kissed for something which felt like an eternity. He just wanted to make it up to you one way or another. "Lay down, dollface, wanna make you feel good.", Chuuya said to you while he was holding your chin. "I haven't fully forgiven you yet, y'know that, right?", looking away while you said this, Chuuya just had to chuckle. "You're gonna when I'm done with you, trust me.", you rolled your eyes and just laid back like he wanted. Chuuya moved himself between your legs, removing the shorts and panties blocking his path and letting your legs hang over his shoulders.

"No need to tense up, pretty, jus' relax,", he whispered, pressing kisses to your thighs, never breaking eye contact. Those kisses started to get closer and closer to your cunt, which was waiting for his tongue. Once his mouth got to it's destination, Chuuya started his work. He ate you out like his life depended on it, but he made sure he won't make a big mess. You where quietly moaning, trying to not be heard by him. "Why so quiet, sweetheart?", he lightly teased, you just looked away again. "C'mon, look at me. I wanna make you feel good, remember that?", you looked back at him, your cheeks were slightly flushed and lust was filled in your eyes. Chuuya dived back in and kept his eye contact with you, looking at you while you try to bite down your moans. This only made him suck on your clit, which also broke your silence.

It didn't take long for you to finish with Chuuya looking at you while pleasuring you. As you came on his tongue, still breathing unsteady, Chuuya got up between your legs. "You're so perfect like this, darlin'.", he whispered before kissing you, you could loosely taste yourself on his tongue. While he was kissing you, he freed his cock out of his pants. Chuuya stopped kissing you for a second to insert his dick inside you. He stroked your folds with his tip to catch some slick and entered almost easily, as if your cunt was sucking him in. "Fuck, I forgot how good you felt around me. Forgive me for neglecting this perfect— oh, fuck!", he cut himself off by starting to thrust.

If you weren't loud earlier, you definitely were now. Chuuya was kissing you while being inside you, thrusting while his lips were on yours, whispering "I love you"s and apologies to you. "You're so good for me, fuck— I love you so much.", his thrusts got sloppier, meaning he was close. Your arms were thrown around his neck as you threw your head back, you could feel your upcoming orgasm. "Chuuya— shit, 'm so close, please don't stop!", "Wasn't planning on it, you feel way too good for that, baby.", as your cunt clenched down around him, he surprisingly moaned, instantly cumming inside you. He thrusted once more and that's when you came undone a second time.

"So. . did you change your mind, doll?"

@moth-of-mythos // @pretendtobesick04 // @alastors-deerest // @shi-nakano // @samutoru // @munnaitorei // @sjsnsidream // @shuwyyx // @skelitea // @xaviawinter // @cvidy // @cherrytreegrove // @skk-lover // @pe4rl-diver // @walking-simp

Sorry if ur tag didn't work 😕 also sorry if I fucked the storyline up

[springgirlshowers]

could you do joost x gn reader, but it’s literally just them cuddling in bed during a thunderstorm??

Monsoon Season

Pairing: Joost x GN!Reader (no pronouns used)

CW: none!

WC: 726

AN: such a cutey cute lil concept!! fun fact: i wrote this as it was storming hard as hell outside lmao

Just as you were about to send Joost a text, asking how far away he was, you heard the front door open behind.

As you sat up from your spot on the couch, you were met with Joost standing with grocery bags in his hands, absolutely drenched from the rain.

It had started storming about ten minutes ago and Joost must’ve got caught in the middle of the rain on the way back from a recording session.

“I got the stuff you said we needed for dinner.” Joost gave you an amused smile as he held up the bag.

You immediately got up and went over to him, as much as you tried not to, you giggled at a bit at his soaked state.

“Thank you.” You smiled, giving him a small kiss, “Now, I’ll put these away, you go change.” You said as you took the bags from his hands, he just nodded and kicked off his shoes, walking down the hallway into your shared bedroom to change into drier clothes.

You put the groceries into the fridge and kitchen cabinets while waiting for Joost to get finished changing.

You were already done putting everything away by the time he returned, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a green hoodie, camouflage patterns on the hood. His hair had dried a bit more, now messier.

Joost walked up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“Better?” You asked, putting your hands on top of his.

“Mhm, much.” He let out a happy breath. It felt so peaceful in the apartment, the hard rain from outside with the warm light from the lamp in the living room made the perfect cozy atmosphere.

Until a flash of lightning and loud rumble of thunder struck outside, scaring and making both of you jump of you a tiny bit.

“The weather app said it’s gonna be like this for the next few days.” You sighed, turning around in his grasp.

“I guess we’ll be stuck inside for the next few days then.” He moved his hands from your waist to the sides of your face, you nearly shuddered when felt how cold his palms were.

“You’re really cold. You’re sure you feel better?”

“I could use some warming up.” He shrugged, a knowing smirk on his face. You rolled your eyes playfully, letting him take your hands and drag you into the bedroom.

You got into bed first, shuffling under the sheets while Joost followed, laying on top of you.

“I’m so tired. Today was so exhausting.” He mumbled against your chest. Joost enjoyed making music, but this feeling wasn’t uncommon for him after being at the studio for hours on end.

“How’s the album going?” You hummed, pulling the blankets up over the both of you.

“Its frustrating. Nothing is turning out the way I want it to.” He let out an annoyed sigh at the thought of it. “I’m honestly just thinking about scrapping most of the songs because of it.”

“Oh come on, you’ll get them how you want them eventually.” You frowned. “You always do.” You added, hoping it would bring some relief.

“You really think so?”

“I know so.” You ran your hands through his hair, he let out a pleased breath and wrapped his arms a little bit tighter around you in response.

Even though you didn’t have a good look at his face, you could feel his smile against your skin.

The sound of the rain hitting the window and soft thunder in the distance with the warmth of your body against his and you raking your hands through his hair made him feel the most relaxed he’s been in weeks.

It didn’t take long after for his eyelids to become droopy, eventually shutting his eyes in complete bliss.

“I was thinking dinner tomorrow could be pasta. But you might have to go back into the rain again to get the noodles.” You joked, there was no response from Joost.

“Joost?” You said softly, no response again.

Craning your neck a bit to get a better look at his face, you could see he was absolutely knocked out.

His eyes shut, lips slightly parted, face completely relaxed. You smiled to yourself, deciding maybe you could let him sleep for a little bit before you got up.

[portraitofalinkonfyre]

Happy Holidayz!! Ur SkyxReader Cupcakke remix edition fic was sooooooo good I ate that shit up 💕💕💕 now do LegendxReaderxRavio threesome with Legend n Reader as the bottoms (only if you want to 😳😳😳)

LORD HAVE MERCY I WROTE THIS IN AN HOUR

('Cupcakke remix edition fic' had me bawling with laughter LMAO)

Also slightly for @hornyonmainfics b/c I saw that you were thirsting for a Leg/Rav x reader fic..

Out Of Touch

Pairing: Legend x Reader x Ravio

Warning(s): You know what this is. No smut in this chapter, but this is an 18+ story, so please DNI if you're a minor!

Notes: Also inspired by "How Do I Make You Love Me" by The Weeknd.

Main Masterlist | Fic Masterlist | Next Chapter

"You've got to be kidding me," you deadpanned, staring at Ravio in his little green-apple eyes like he had personally wronged you, arms crossed over your chest as if to protect it from beating straight through your ribcage.

"Whatever do you mean, darling?" the Merchant flashed a smile that was all teeth. Oh, he made you mad. Ring-laden hands landed carefully in the middle of the large counter as he leaned forward to meet your disapproving gaze.

You pinched your temples, gesturing to the thick bundle of arrows like it would fortify your argument. "Goddamn it, Rav, these arrows were five rupees yesterday and you know it!"

You watched incredulously when he eyed the bundle, then returned to grinning you like the bastard he was. You couldn't believe him and Link were counterparts. "Were they?"

"Yes! And here I thought those ears would make it easier for you to hear," you hissed, pointing an accusing finger at that accursed rabbit hood of his, who he had most graciously shed when you stomped to the register nary five minutes ago. "Come on, dude. You can't be serious."

His eyes flashed wickedly and you knew you had made a terrible mistake. "Yeah, because I'm Ravio—"

You abruptly turned on your heel, only slid to a stop when a hand caught your wrist. It was the bunny bitch himself, practically bent over the counter in an attempt to keep stop you from marching out and finding another vendor.

"Hey! You can't just leave!"

You scoffed, pivoting slightly to face him once more, brow arched as you stared him down. "Why? This is a business, I'm not obligated to buy anything."

Ravio had the audacity to look affronted by the very insinuation that you would leave without spending your hard-earned rupees on his bullshit scams. "No, but you'd deny business to your ever-faithful roommate?"

"Um, Link is my roommate," but Link was also gone, having disappeared to do... whatever he did when he wasn't sulking around at home. You paused to think of an appropriate burn. "You're like the homeless guy who's taken residence in our rafters."

The Merchant gasped in faux offense, retracting his hand to slap it over his heart in what you could only assume was a wordless declaration of moral injury. "Rude! I steal nothing and contribute to rent."

You rolled your eyes. "Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Hyrule—"

"Not with that attitude, you aren't."

"...Fuck you, Rav."

Instead of firing some equally clever rebuttal your way, Ravio actually seemed to consider the prospect, all the while you blinked and wondered if now was a good time to start running. "I'd expect dinner first, as is proper" he eventually decided on, nodding slowly like it was a respectable response.

Your jaw nearly hit the floor; in no way, shape, or form was this a respectable response. "Um."

"And, of course, it would have to be when Mr. Hero is away, unless you're into that?"

Your cheeks flushed against your will. What... what was happening? Despite appearances, you'd known Ravio for years—which was probably why he was allowed to refer to you as a 'whore' when the two of you were tipsy and engrossed in a card game and you were allowed to screech about his outrageous prices in return—but never once had your roommate-esque relationship crossed over to... whatever this was.

And yet, here you were, being propositioned by the fucking Merchant.

Heart threatening to hammer from your chest, you turned, grabbed the bundle of arrows, and slung your entire pouch of rupees onto the counter.

"Keep the change."

You were gone before he could finish calling your name.

It was nearly nightfall by the time Ravio managed to drag his sorry butt home, slinking inside with unusual regard for your peace and quiet. Usually, he would fling the door open with some innocuous exclamation about the state of the Hyrulean weaponry market, but, this time, only a small creak could be heard, followed by the soft shuffling of boots.

"Hey, Rav," you called, back facing the door as you busied over the cooking pot, half-heartedly stirring the soup within. The three of you had learned early on that it was easier for everyone if you did the cooking, seeing as the other two were largely useless in the kitchen. "Did you make any sales?"

There was a pause. Then, he spoke: "Just yours. I closed up shop early."

Your head twisted around so fast you swore your neck cracked from the force of the action. Never in your life had you thought you'd hear Ravio, scammer of thousands, admit to willingly skip out on profits. Monsters had begun to emerge along the surrounding roads—which was likely why Link had traipsed into the wilderness a few days prior with only some bread, his sword, and a lingering gaze over his shoulder as you waved from the doorway—which meant business should be booming. "What?! Why?"

Now that he had your attention fixed on him, Ravio leaned against the wall beside the door, one hand combing through his soft black hair while the other braced across his stomach, like he was a swooning maiden rather than a self-proclaimed "Legendary" merchant. "And so the interrogation begins! If you must know, it's because someone bought my entire stock of arrows, leaving me high and—"

You eyed the bundle of arrows on the table, brain working furiously to decipher if he was lying or not. There was no way that Ravio, a god among merchants, hadn't seen fit to stock on arrows, one of the most popular weapons, in anticipation for what had colloquially become known as 'monster season' among the townspeople.

...Or was there?

"—dry! For shame, I tell you!"

Yeah, and then he'd propositioned you for sex, but you supposed it wasn't polite to mention when you had all but run out on him. Oops.

"That's so crazy," you said dryly, praying to whatever deity existed that it masked the budding nervousness in your tone. The soup burbled, and you turned to stir in some salt, still speaking: "Who would do that? That's just plain wrong. I'm appalled."

"So am I, darling," you heard the soft shuffle of footsteps, then the dull creaking of a familiar chair as he took his usual seat at the table, spinning around to lean his elbows back on the thick wood. You didn't need to see his smirk when you could practically hear it. "But, it would be wrong to say I'm not somewhat impressed.

You gave the soup a harsher-than-normal stir. "In what, your customer's ability to adapt to a changing business environment or yours to exploit them?"

There was a groan. "That's twice you've wounded me," he whined, to which you rolled your eyes and debated telling him to be a man. "And in a single day? For shame!"

"Sounds to me like you're ashamed of a lot of things," you sniped without any real heat, grabbing the pair of bowls you'd placed by the hearth and filling them with a hearty helping of mushroom-and-meat goodness. Ravio watched with rapt attention as you brought them to the table, placing one in front of him before taking a seat at the opposite side of the table. "You better eat up before Link comes home," you gestured to the half-full pot with a deadpan expression. "Because that won't stand a chance when he does, and I'd rather avoid trashing this place. Again."

"As you wish," he lifted the bowl to his lips and took a hearty sip. Your ears perked in realization, and you quickly snagged a spoon from the pocket of your borrowed apron, sliding it across the table to him with a muffled 'sorry'. He took the offering without hesitation, scooping a hearty portion of meat and mushroom, and you were grateful that someone in this house actually ate their fungi. Link had the nasty habit of glaring down anything vegetable on his plate like he was trying to absorb the nutrients through the power of his gaze alone. "And here I thought Mr. Hero was your favorite."

"I wouldn't worry, you can be just as much a pain in the ass, too," you assured him blandly; eyebrow raised, spoon filled to the brim.

He snapped his fingers. "And that's three!"

"Shut up and eat, Rav."

It was freezing.

A gust of wind rattled the house as you attempted to yank your thin blanket higher without exposing your feet to the abhorrent chill. You typically never bothered with repairs because Link was unusually obsessive in fixing any issues as soon as they arose, but with him gone... well, you weren't quite sure where the offending hole was, but, by Hylia, things would not be pretty when you discovered it.

You shivered; this sucked, and not in the good way. You yanked the blanket a bit higher, accidentally revealing the barest edge of toe to the air, which brought forth a hissed curse that was far too loud for comfort.

A beat passed. Then, from Link's bed on the opposite side of the room, you heard: "Are you awake?"

Your fingers, stiff and chilled, tightened around the threadbare hem of your blanket. If there was anything that Link and Ravio shared, it was that they were annoyingly persistent. There wasn't a single thought in your mind that he wouldn't bother you until you coughed up some sort of answer. "Yeah."

Another rush of wind battered the poor home, followed by... was that rain? Already? "Why?" Ravio's voice rang loud over the approaching storm.

"Because it's fucking cold," you bit out without much heat. Risking a glance at Link's bed, you found him bright-eyed and sitting upright, back against the thick headboard. It was strange seeing the Merchant without his usual adornments, like his rings or that horribly gaudy belt, but he was still wearing that bunny cloak-tunic-dress thing, so you supposed you couldn't complain that much. A thin laugh passed over your chilled lips, and you took the risk of rolling to your back, propping yourself slightly on your elbows to view him in greater detail. "What's your excuse?"

This was already turning out different than expected. After two years of being Link's roommate, you'd grown used to his quiet, somewhat brash demeanor, though it was hardly so when you had the vivid memories of joining him in bed when times got tough or nightmares tougher; arms snug around your back and a warm, silent face pressed to the indent of your collarbone, though he would kill you if did you anything more than acknowledge and move on. With Ravio, things were... uncertain. Not unwelcome, simply unknown.

"I don't like storms," he decided after a few beats, hands buried beneath Link's bedspread. His hair was as perfect as ever, nearly invisible in the darkness, but you would recognize its shine anywhere.

"It wasn't storming before," you said, not unkindly. The cold bit at your neck over the hem of your tunic-dress,

"No, it wasn't," he parroted, and the room fell silent once more. Until a crack of thunder rumbled outside and you both jumped, looked at each other, and burst into raucous laughter a second later.

"Hylia, I can't believe—!" you chortled, momentarily forgetting your grievances at the sheer absurdity of the situation. From across the room, Ravio shook from the force of his own chuckles as they bubbled up to join yours. He looked carefree, and you...

Well, you laughed a bit harder, knowing you weren't alone in the unexpected mirth. Clapping a hand over your mouth only did so much, and it wasn't until you heard the thick rustle of sheets did you finally give pause. It was the Merchant, of course, but he was... getting out of bed? Willingly??

Apparently, the storm could wait; you were far more interested in whatever fuckery he planned on doing, anyway. You watched with rapt attention as he walked across the room, expression twisting in the barest grimace when the cold floor met his bare feet.

"What are you doing?"

Your voice sounded booming in the budding silence.

Ravio didn't answer. He grabbed his scarf from where it was folded on the table, and ambled to your bedside. "Here," he said, offering the thick, black-and-blue fabric to you. "It's not much, but it should do the trick."

"Um," you blinked owlishly. "It's fine, you don't have to give me your stuff."

It was with much surprise that you watched his face harden into something akin to a disappointed scowl, like something a parent might give their misbehaving child. What the fuck was happening? "Of course I don't have, I want to."

Fuck, why did he always have to make such stunningly good points when you were least expecting it? Despite this, you bit your tongue, and your lip, accepting the scarf with about as much enthusiasm as a sleepy kitten. "Thanks, Rav."

The Merchant's smile shone brighter than the terrible, brilliant sun. "Keep the change," he said in a tone that couldn't have been anything but fond and you... well, you just watched as he began to shuffle back to Link's bed.

There was nothing between you and Ravi, or you and Link, or any such combination that involved you and the barest idea of romance. It was preposterous, and horribly disrespectful to your beloved roommates.

...So why did you want to reach out and stop him?

"Hey, Rav," at the sound of your voice, he paused, halfway between both beds. Anything could happen when a middle was involved, and you both knew how much he hated extremes.

The storm howled outside.

"Hm?"

You tried to stave off the spike of disappointment that rose at the loss of the term "darling", but some feelings had an annoying habit of simply bouncing back stronger. Hylia, you really were out of touch, weren't you?

The window rattled. You could have sworn someone was outside.

It would be so easy to tell him, so easy to cajole a warn body into the sheets beside you. You'd slept with Link countless times, cuddled in his embrace until the kiss of morning, when he'd slip out and carry you to your bed, gingerly tucking in while you feigned sleep. And if he pressed a pat to your head or brushed some hair from your face, who were you to judge. Link was a hero. Ravio was a merchant. All you wanted was to—

"Have a good night."

Candy-green eyes shone in the low moonlight. Ravio tipped his head just as you let yours fall on the pillow, the folded square of his scarf clenched tightly between trembling, frozen fingers.

"You too, darling," said the Merchant, and, without another word he retreated.

Stay here, your mind whispered. Bring me back to reality.

This was supposed to be one chapter, but my brain kind of got away from me so enjoy!!!

[edgeray]

Hi Ray! 🍅 Anon here~

Have fun on your holiday and enjoy it to the best you can! Be sure to stay hydrated, the weather is really mental these days.

Just wanted to share a bit of brainrot I had regarding soft Arle, whether or not you choose to make it into a fic is up to you!

Arle with her frame and demeanor is most definitely the Top + Dom in the relationship with reader, but how about when she’s insecure? Seeing reader take care of the children and feeling as though she doesn’t deserve to be as loved as said children, then reader after putting the kids to bed embraces Arle and puts her head against their chest so Arle can hear their heartbeat more clearly while patting Arle and assuring her that they love her for her and that she DEFINITELY deserves to be spoilt… (reader knows Arle too well to not pick up on her tells and knows that Arle’s being harsh on herself)

Or maybe reader writing in to the Tsaritsa (without Arle knowing) to ask if Arle can take a 2 week break just to take care of the children and spend time as a couple (What if!! Tsaritsa was the one who wed them!!! And just closes both eyes and approves time off). Then reader proceeds to spoil Arle in every way possible - breakfast in bed, a warm bath after sparring with the children (no, not that kind of bath, but a fluffy one where Arle gets a shoulder massage and scrubbed clean and gets lots of loving kisses everywhere she’s insecure of), a feast of sashimi and steak tartare for dinner and a soft bed and loving wife in the night. I wanna spoil Arle like that but 😭

Oh! And since Harbingers are like celebrities in Snezhnaya, do you think Arle would have a fanclub there? Think about it! She’s young, has a boatload of money (you CANNOT convince me #4 doesn’t have money when #11 has an unimaginable sum at the bank), can handle kids well (she runs the HotH), and as a Harbinger who fights she probably is ripped (RIP her actual body proportions, they’re limited by Hoyo’s models, nobody is convincing me her body type isn’t like Lady Maria’s from Bloodborne, with abs, guns and muscular. Thighs.)

0 chance that she doesn’t have a line of sapphics lining up for her in Snezhnaya, even with the rumors of her being ruthless and cruel (I mean. If the rumors worked in making people back off. Arle simps like us wouldn’t exist to begin with lmao)… Imagine Arle trying to placate Jealous!Teasing!Reader!! Like Arle coming home on Valentine’s day a bit late to find reader teasing her about having a new lover meanwhile Arle was actually out buying a new dagger for reader to protect themselves with… reader being melodramatic because she knows and trusts Arle enough that Arle would never do anything like that (and Arle knows but plays along)

R: “Oh, woe is me! My wife came home late on Valentine’s with a dagger to end our relationship, whatever should I do?”

Arle: “My love…”

And if the children are around? They’d be busy either pretending they didn’t see anything or resisting the urge to claw their eyes out or handing each other eye bleach. Sending condolences to Lyney when one of the younger children ask something along the lines of

“Brother Lyney, do you think we’ll have another sibling soon if Father and Mother are this loving with each other”

(I headcanon that Arle does teach them sexuality education but not until they’re 10 and before that the older children tell their younger siblings that children pop into existence when Papa and Mama love each other lots)

I’m so sorry this is getting really out of hand but Arle has me in a brainrot when I should be focusing elsewhere 💀

Rest Your Worries, Lax Your Heart

(Arlecchino x GN! Reader)

A/N - Thank you, I did have a fun vacation :). Wow that is a lot and I love every single bit of this ask 🍅 anon. It'd be unfair if I just wrote one part and not all of them, so what did I do? Combined all of them as best as I can, but of course some details had to be omitted/changed because of that–hopefully you don't mind. I'm a fucking genius. Also considering that Arle has an anime, but never got a beach episode, this is said beach episode. This took so long because this turned out to be pretty self-indulgent (I'm sure you know which scene it was). This is a long boi, way over what the request range is supposed to be, but hope this is worth it? Somehow, my brain was able to focus for at least like… 4 hours. Started this at 23:00 something, and it's nearly 04:00. 🍅 anon, I enjoy your asks, so I hope you personally enjoy this one :)  Content warnings / info - a bit of suggestiveness, reader is referred to as ‘Mother’ but is otherwise gn!, 3.2k words 

It took a lot of back and forth over the span of four months, writing to the Tsaritsa, but you had finally been able to arrange this without the knowledge of your husband. The Archon, generous as she is, approved of your proposal for a two week long break without much pushback or questioning, saying that loyalty was rewarded and as one of her more productive Harbingers, Arlecchino’s efforts warrant her a break. All the Tsaritsa asked for was the general details of the vacation: when, where, and the activities you would be doing, which was easy enough to answer to. Surprisingly, she bought an entire section of the Sumeru coast along with a sizable cabin for the two of you and the children for the duration of your respite when you told where you plan on the location being. You're not one to turn down such a gracious offer so you accepted it. As a Pyro user, she would surely enjoy somewhere as warm as Sumeru. 

Currently, you're holding the letter from the Tsaritsa, which contains a direct order from the Archon addressed to Arlecchino to stay at Sumeru. No matter how much you plead for her to rest, your husband only says that she can keep working and for you to not worry. Tracing the envelope stamp, you breathe in deeply before knocking on the door.

“Yes?” Called from beyond the door. 

“Can I come in, Arle?”

“Yes, my love,” she says with a lilt. 

You come in, striding towards her, holding up the back of the envelope while trying to suppress your smile. “This was addressed for you.”

Arlecchino takes it with a bit of suspicion at the crack in your facial expression. Turning it over, she notices the stamp, which is the mark of the word of the Archon. She narrows her brows and takes out a letter opener, taking out the letter with a bit more urgency. You watch her expression morph from confusion to mild shock to indifference again. 

“What does it say?” You inquire her, biting your lip to hide the smile.

“It says that I'm going to Sumeru in three days. For a respite.” She eyes you carefully, her eyes glinting red. “But you seem to know that already.” 

You nod, a smile forming . “I thought… you were working so hard, and you deserve a break. I asked the Tsaritsa if it was possible and she agreed to it, even paying for our stay there.” 

Arlecchino's face flicks to something indecipherable, like there was a hesitation, but it quickly disappears before you can think too much on it. She gets up from her desk chair, strutting to you before wrapping her arms around your midsection, pulling you into an embrace. She presses a tender kiss against your forehead. “Thank you, my dear, for your thinking of me. I'm sure the children would appreciate being out of the House. I'll tell the children about this, and we should begin packing.”  

But does she appreciate it? It's for her, after all. You chew on the inside of your cheek but your smile remains in place.

You tilt your head up to kiss her cheek. “I already packed for us. And I told the kids, already.”

“Hm, that's why they seem so antsy lately. Thank you,” Arlecchino hums. “You picked for us already?”

“Yes. Including your clothes,” you chuckle, deviously imagining her in the attires you picked out for her. At that, she raises her eyebrows.

“Oh? What are you planning, my love?” She teases, seizing your chin in her hands and tilting your head up to lock her eyes with yours. You can't stop the giggle that bubbles out. 

“Nothing too… scandalous…” you answer back. “Don't worry, it's nothing too bad. This is all for you to relax, remember? You've been working so hard, been such a good husband, so…”

You lean forward to kiss her on the mouth. Whispering against her lips, you say, “As your partner, it's my duty to make sure you're happy. Isn't that right?”

If she physically could at that moment, Arlecchino would melt underneath your words. 

—

Upon your arrival at Sumeru, you were glad you picked the outfits that you did. Travel with around twenty kids was difficult, but luckily the older kids, the twins and Freminet especially, helped a lot. Everyone was practically vibrating in excitement, with the exception of Arlecchino, though you knew it was mostly because of how inexpressive she usually was. 

Right? 

Currently, the two of you lay on the sand by the crystal clear waters, enjoying the sight of the children playing. The little ones are playing in the sand, presumably sculpting a castle, and the older ones are either engaging in a heated battle involving smacking a ball around or with Freminent in the ocean. Here, you forget that they’re a part of the Fatui, child soldiers for the Tsaritsa; here, they look like normal children and it makes your heart swell. 

Unfortunately, you're stuck in a dilemma–observe your children and take in their contagious laughter, or ogle your husband who is in the most delicious and mouth-watering attire possible. Underneath her short gray collarless jacket, was a cropped, sleeveless turtleneck that exposed her lower half of her toned stomach, including her v-line. Below are tight, black leggings which do little in hiding her muscular thighs. Everytime you look at her, a flush runs to your cheeks and you find yourself too flustered for your stare to linger because of the growing amount of indecent thoughts. You breathe deeply in an attempt to calm the raging storms of desire in your stomach, distracting yourself by observing the waves and digging your feet in the sand. For the sake of your children, you'd like for your mind to be as pure as possible. 

Blackened arms wrap around your waist, pulling you into a lap. You squeal at the sudden contact. Your husband's mouth hovers beside your ear, hot breath brushing against the shell of your ear. 

“Something interesting?” Arlecchino huskily whispers, making you shudder. One hand strokes over your stomach, invoking shivers from you. You inhale sharply before glancing at Arlecchino's face. 

“Just… watching the waves. It's calming,” you lie quickly, wondering if your racing heartbeat can be felt underneath her fingertips. 

“Your heart says otherwise,” she chuckles, turning your head over your shoulder so she can kiss you. 

After a few moments, you pull away from the kiss, and your eyes flick over to the children in the sand, still tossing around that ball over a net. “Why don't you join them? I'm sure they would love it if their Father joined their game.”

“My dear, I would destroy them,” Arlecchino bluntly remarks, and you chuckle. 

“Fair enough, I suppose.”

The two of you watch them in silence until Arlecchino breaks the silence. 

“I like what you picked for me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Your reaction is adorable.” 

Something white-hot pricks the back of your neck. “I-I'm glad you like it. I like it too,” you stammer out, your abashment evident in your voice. 

“I can tell. Perhaps… you'd like to help me put on sun protection?” Arlecchino teases with a small smirk, removing her jacket off to reveal her lean biceps. “Over the pants, if that's alright.”

This handsome–sexy–woman is going to be the death of you, you’re sure of it. Your heart is going into overdrive, and you would be terrified of going into a stroke if you aren't more focused on your husband's physique. If it's not your heart that's going to kill you, it's the pending combustion inside of you. You squeeze your thighs against one another, pooling heat forming between your legs. 

“Y-yeah, sure,” you manage in between your laboring breathing, getting off of her lap to face her. Spreading the paste in your hand, you first venture over her neck, tenderly rubbing over her throat and then her nape, down to her sides. Her skin is hot to the touch, as expected of a Pyro user, but it somehow retains softness and flawlessness despite all the combat and harshness your husband deals with as a Fatui Harbinger. Still, unlike her composed facial features, you can feel that her pulse is as frenzied as yours–it gives you comfort that you’re not the only one feeling this. Your husband hums with contentment, watching you carefully. 

Next, you slide your hands over to her broad shoulders before feeling down her upper arm, deliberate attention to her biceps. A shuddering breath comes from you as she shifts, extending her arms more out towards you. You trace down the markings of her arm before caressing her inky elbow and forearms. Finally, you get to her wrists. An idea pops in your head as you bring her hands to your lips, kissing her knuckles and rings, giving special focus onto her engagement ring. An amused huff escapes from her, and you glance back at her. Her eyes gleam with such a rare fondness, reserved only for you. 

You glance down at the only part of her that's yet been touched, your stomach churning in itself when you're able to get a closer, longer look. You gulp considerably, your hands shaking slightly as they hover over it. 

A charcoal hand wraps around your wrist, gently guiding your palm to her until it's flushed against her skin. “Don't be shy now, love.” She smirks wickedly and you have the sense to kiss that smile off her face. 

“Shut up,” you murmur meekly, but place both hands on her stomach, your fingertips traversing over every dips created by her well-muscles stomach. It feels like your body will implode at any second now, as her body heat infects your fingers and spreads to the rest of your body. You coat her waist before your touch lingers lower, just above the waistband of her pants. You trace the indent of her v-line, your fingers nearly dip underneath her leggings. Before it can, she stops you, grasping both of your wrists with one hand as she leans in to whisper hotly near your ear.

“Let's save that for later, hm?” 

—

“Lyney, what are they doing?” One of the children inquires, as they point at Mother and Father still by the water. Father remains on top of Mother, seemingly applying sun protection, though Lyney isn't quite sure if their position is truly that… innocent. 

“Oh… Father is just helping Mother, like how I helped with the sun protection on your back,” Lyney quickly comes up with an explanation, looking away from them. 

The child remains silent, observing the older male's expression, before looking back at them once more. “Lyney, you said that when a mother and father love each other a lot, a new child comes right?” 

Lyney isn't sure if he was going to enjoy what comes next, though he has an inkling that he won't. “Yes…” 

“Does that mean Mother and Father will bring us a new sibling soon?”

Lyney sputters, looking to Lynette for assistance. 

—

After a nice day at the beach, Arlecchino takes you and the children to a local restaurant. Luckily, she was able to find one that was relatively empty, so there was no problem with fitting you and your twenty children inside. You find that the two of you rather enjoy Sumeru dishes; while you enjoy the variety of flavors, Arlecchino rather indulges in the spiciness of them. Your favorite is between the tandoori roast chicken and the lambad fish roll. Though, something bothers you during your time at the restaurant.

Arlecchino is an attractive woman; that much is undeniable, and you're well aware of the fact that she's pleasing to both men's and women's eyes. It is a common occurrence for her to attract the sights of those around her, for whatever the reason, though among the women, it is typically out of admiration. Here, this is the case as well, wandering eyes from other customers, and subtle flirting from the audacious waitress. 

After finishing your dinner, you excuse yourself to the bathroom, only to return to the two of them chatting up, although in reality it’s more like a one-sided conversation and Arlecchino is ignoring her– you're well aware of this, but you find the waitress’ presence pervasive. You approach your table quickly, kissing your husband on the cheek before glancing at the waitress.

“My husband and I would like to order dessert. Can you fetch us a menu, please?” You ask, disguising your ire with a practiced smile. Instantly, the waitress's flirtation dies and she walks away. 

You huff at the sight of the woman. “How could you, Arlecchino? After all we've been through? Talking so casually with her when I'm gone?” You jest with a gasp, faux jealousy in your tone once you notice the relieved sigh from her. Her claws release its hold on the tablecloth, leaving behind tattered sheets. 

“Oh, how I've been caught,” Arlecchino responds monotonously, playing along. “My affair with an unnamed, rather plain-featured woman has been discovered.” 

You giggle as her hand finds yours, interlocking with your fingers. “I'm in disbelief, betrayed by who I thought was my true love.”

“Oh hush now, love. Will Baklava buy your silence and heart again?” 

“Perhaps.” 

The House of the Hearth children gag as Mother and Father conciliate. 

—

“Mother, can't we stay up any longer? We're on vacation. Pleaseeeeee,” one of the children pleads as you usher them to bed, pulling the covers over them. 

“It's not healthy for you to stay up. Besides, you have plenty of time tomorrow and the rest of the two weeks to have fun. Your Father and I can't keep watch over you during the night,” you respond with, kissing them on the forehead. 

“What if Lyney or Lynette watches us?” 

“Lyney and Lynette are probably just as tired. When you wake up, we can go to the beach again, does that sound okay?” 

“Okay… good night Mother.”

You hum in delight, caressing their head. “Good night. Sweet dreams.” 

You silently walk towards the door. Arlecchino leans against the doorframe, observing you wordlessly–again, that unreadable expression appears over her, but this time it lingers. You shut the door as quietly as you can, before turning to your husband.

“Is there something you need, Arle?” You inquire. 

She shakes her head. You don't quite believe her, but you don't address it. “I'm going to go take a bath. Get all this sand off of me. Would you like to join me?” 

Arlecchino nods, and soon the two of you are in the bathroom. You let the faucet run, filling the bathtub with water as Arlecchino removes her clothing. It only takes a few moments before the two of you are seated in the bathtub, but it's a change of position this time. Arlecchino sits in between your legs, facing away from you.

“It's been a while since we've bathed like this, right?” You question softly, lightly carding your fingers through her untied hair. 

“It has been,” she merely replies, her voice almost far-away; like there’s something else on her mind. Even though you only face her back, you can tell from her lack of movement that she’s in deep contemplation.

“What are you thinking about, Arle?” Your husband bristles a bit at the question. Even after being married to you for a couple years, she's still unaccustomed to how you can read her so easily, especially when she prides herself in being incomprehensible to others, even her children. 

“Do you… not enjoy this?” You ask hesitantly with a lump in your throat. You know that she knows what you meant by ‘this’– the vacation; the entire notion of taking a break is foreign to Arlecchino, but you hope that she was able to find this beneficial. If she hates this and this vacation is supposed to be two weeks long… you don't want to say you'd be disappointed but you'd hope she'd at least be able to relax from her Harbinger duties. 

Arlecchino is silent for a few moments. “I admit… I am uneased by this, to be so vulnerable and open to assaults now that we're not in the House of the Hearth. I feel unproductive and restless without my usual work. However, at the same time, I can see how beneficial this is to the children, and it is a nice change for once to see them like this. Being able to spend time with you like this is also rather indulgent, but I cannot complain about it.” 

You smile, a weight lifted off your chest as you lean forward to press a kiss against her nape. “I’m glad. This was for you after all.”

“Although I am gratified that the children are able to experience this as well … I cannot see why you would put this much effort for me. After all, I am…” Arlecchino pauses, raising her blackened hands to her view. She doesn’t finish her sentence, but you're able to get a sense of what she’s trying to say, and another weight is placed heavy on your heart. For as confident and assured that Arlecchino likes to present herself, when it is just the two of you, she reveals a rawer, more unguarded side to her. Often, she confides in you how she grapples with why you can so fondly view her, and every time, your heart sinks. How could your husband think this way? 

Laying your chin over her shoulder, you gingerly place both of your hands underneath hers, stroking the inside of her palm with your thumb. “I know where your thoughts are leading to, Arlecchino, and they're wrong. I love you, Arlecchino. You deserve this. You deserve this treatment, you deserve a break, you deserve to be loved. Your curse, your past… it doesn't matter. These hands…” 

You continue caressing her hand with your fingers. “...They are not cursed. These hands are not unloveable. These are the same hands that protect and care for our children. The same hands that hold me. The same hands that please me. They are a part of you, and they aren't evidence that you are a monster. If you are, you wouldn't have me, and you wouldn't have the children.” 

You kiss down along her bare back, gaining shivers from the woman. “Enjoy this, my love, for me at the very least. You are my husband, so let me do my part in loving you. You've done an innumerable amount of things for me and the children, so consider this to be our repayment for you.” 

“That is why I am doing this for you, do you understand?” You whisper against her skin. 

Arlecchino nods, a shaky breath escaping from her. You finish your treatment around her shoulderblades and gesture for her to turn around. When she does, the first thing that you do is kiss her hands, peppering them with as much devotion as you can give them. To you, nothing is more beautiful. 

“You deserve everything and more. Don't forget that, Arlecchino. So let me do this for you.” It isn't an ask. It is a demand from the one person whose authority is higher than the Tsaritsa: you. 

Arlecchino closes her eyes, and lets herself melt into you. 

[withleeknow]

endgame. (m)

pairing: minho x reader genre/warnings: established relationship, fluff, explicit smut; unedited. minors dni. word count: 1.1k note: she was gonna be a cute fluffy piece but she got away from me and turned slutty all of a sudden lmao... anywhomst, i wrote this while half asleep so it definitely could've been better but oh well 🤷‍♀️

as always, i’d appreciate any thoughts or comments you may have, and please drop a like and/or reblog if you enjoy reading ♡

navigation › masterlist › ko-fi

It started off innocently at first, or as innocent as can be when you’re naked together in a bathtub, with your husband’s hands roaming your body, kneading any spot he thinks would help you ease your tension. The knot on the back of your neck, your shoulders, down your arms and legs, until he paused at your thighs.

Today was a crappy day, one of the worst you've had in a while. Everything started going downhill about an hour after you showed up to work, and it kept rolling down the slope of bad-day-ness until you got home. Shitty boss, shitty coworkers, some annoying backhanded remarks from your family that you didn't appreciate at all. It was too much.

You just wanted to go home, cuddle up with your Minho, and start anew tomorrow.

The second that you opened the door, though, your husband was there, greeting you with a soft smile and an even softer kiss. Like he could sense that something was up even though you hadn't mentioned anything to him all day. You even tried to hide your sour mood from him, thinking that maybe you were overreacting, that maybe it would go away eventually.

You don't know how he knew, but there he was, trying to cheer you up without you having to ask. He'd made all of your favorite dishes, because he knows you love it when he cooks for you more than any expensive meal he could get for you. After dinner, he'd told you to just sit there and look pretty with your favorite ice cream that he bought earlier today, while he cleaned everything up. He'd gotten on the couch afterward and cuddled with you while watching your comfort show.

And now here you are, in a bath that he ran for the both of you, trying to help you wind down after a hellish day.

He's been showering you with affection and pampering you with love all evening, without even being aware of everything that transpired throughout the day. He just knew, and he just simply made it his personal mission to comfort you any way he could. The mere thought of it is enough to bring your tears to your eyes.

Slender fingers squeeze your flesh before they start drawing odd patterns into your skin. Minho tilts your head to the side so he can kiss the corner of your mouth. “Can I make it better?” he asks.

You don’t answer him with words. Instead, you place your hand on top of his and guide it toward where you need him the most. Your husband graces you with an endeared smile the second his fingers meet your core while you sigh, eager for what’s to come.

He finds your clit with ease, just rubbing it for a moment and relishing in the way your voice gets caught in your throat, until he’s satisfied with how wet you are.

You wait with bated breath as he starts circling your entrance with the tip of his middle finger. And when he finally pushes in, burying the digit to the knuckle, all you can do is moan his name with a neediness that’s only reserved for instances like this.

“Fuck…”

You throw your head back to rest on his shoulder, your lips parting in a silent prayer as your thighs try to close around his hand, to keep it there between your legs. There's no one you love as much as him, and even after all these years, sometimes you still wonder how he could possibly be yours.

It's this kind of moments that makes you want to thank all the higher powers out there that aligned the stars for you and him.

“Feel good?” he asks, dragging his lips to pepper the side of your face with soft kisses.

“So good… You’re so good to me…”

Minho thrusts the single digit into you for a while, just testing the waters, easing you into the feeling, before he adds a second finger to join the first. It earns him a beautiful whimper from you, then a clench of your velvety walls around his fingers.

Then you’re turning your body to try and face him better. You catch his mouth in a kiss, but the way he instantly takes control and deepens it makes your head spin with desire. You think he must be doing it on purpose when his digits suddenly curl inside of you, making you gasp against his lips. If there’s one thing that Minho loves more than hearing the sounds you keen out for him, it’s feeling those sounds being released into him.

You attempt to reach for his hardened length - which must be throbbing at this point - between your bodies, but he just swats your hand away. “Just let me take care of you," he scolds lightly.

You want to protest, want to say that he should feel good too, but it's not exactly easy to put up much of a fight when his fingers are still relentlessly pumping into you, caressing your walls on every stroke.

His thumb flicks your slippery clit as his other hand comes up to cup one of your tits, squeezing it in his palm until you’re arching desperately into his touch. Some water splashes over the edge of the tub and onto the marbled floor as you squirm against his body, your hips bucking wildly into his hand, trying to find that high and hoping to crash into it headfirst.

Minho can tell that you're close. He knows you too well.

“Come on,” he says softly, before pressing a gentle kiss to your neck. “My love.”

A few more swipes at your clit coupled with some more consistent thrusts into your slickened heat and you're done for. Your cunt spasms around his fingers as you cry out his name, grinding feverishly against his hand. He helps you through your orgasm, all the while whispering sweet nothings into your ear. There's my girl. You did so well for me. I love you. Just things that he tells you practically every day, but they still make you flutter with absolute fondness for him nonetheless.

Once you've calmed down, you peer up at him lazily, still leaning against his body with his arms around you. Minho just smiles, seemingly so proud of himself that he's made you feel better.

More than better, actually.

You love him, so goddamn much. If only he knew that he didn't have to do anything to salvage your day. Only his presence was enough for you. It's always been enough for you.

The thought of ever loving anyone else seems like an impossible one. He's it for you. This is your endgame, right here.

"Thank you," you say.

"You never have to thank me." He shrugs sheepishly, then kisses you again, softer and slower this time. "You're my wife. I love you. I'm always going to want to make your days better."

all rights reserved © withleeknow. reposting, translating and/or modifying is not permitted by any means. [posted 06.11.2023]

[goldencuffs]

genuinely that snippet you linked in the latest ask gave me palpitations. the thing that carries me through it all is the fact that you once said damen and laurent will always have a happy ending for you. so yes, while i love meself some good ol angst, im absolutely looking forward to how you resolve that (BECAUSE YOURE SO GOOD AT IT!!! so excited to see what youre grace us with next, idec how long its gonna take ahahah)

omgggggg thank you so much!!!! 🥹❤️😭 i'm the same--as much as i love senseless fluff, nothing gets to me more than a story that's 99% angst and has that satisfying, happy ending 😮‍💨

AND YES while most of this fic is laurent sad and pining and damen being a dick, they do indeed have a very happy ending!!!! it made me cry when i wrote the outline LMAO

i really wish i could post more snippets but besides that opening scene damen and laurent haven't interacted much... yet. here's two seperate scenes just because!

"Look who's here," Coach said. There was the sound of backs being slapped. "Damen smelt your cooking and wanted to come right over. That's a credit to you Laurent."

Laurent didn't look up. "Aimeric cooked most of it."

"That's right, gorgeous, and there's plenty more where that came from. Believe me, I'm very skilled."

Coach laughed, as he did with most things Aimeric said. He didn't even seem bothered that Aimeric was openly flirting with his star player. He seemed charmed, actually, and Laurent's nape prickled. He didn't lift his head, but he did pull out an extra bowl and placemat.

Coach ruffled his hair as he walked past. Laurent threw him a brief smile, tried to make it seem natural, because his whole body was singing with tension.

Damen came close; Laurent smelt him before he saw him. Fresh, clean, woody--it was so familiar, Laurent's heart sped up, a subconscious response.

He looked up. Their eyes met. Laurent's heart kicked into overdrive.

Damen said, "Soup? Seriously? It's a hundred degrees."

And just like that, all his complicated feelings died in his chest. Laurent scowled and put the bowl and mat away.

❤️

So Laurent was surprised when Damen said, "Let's go out for dinner. I'm hungry."

"What?" Laurent said, pushing himself up on his elbows.

It was late; they had only fucked once today because Damen had been in training and Laurent had been in class all day. It wasn't a cool, breezy night like the other day; it was muggy and thick. Laurent's skin stuck to the sheets of Damen's bed.

"Are you fucking deaf?" Damen snapped. He was already dressed and showered, shoving that ugly baseball cap on his head. "Hurry up, you have ten minutes."

Laurent shot up; from experience he knew Damen would make good on his threat and leave him here. He yelped when Damen smacked his bare ass as he rushed past him on the way to the bathroom.

It was the quickest shower of Laurent's life; he had already taken one before he arrived here, so he didn't feel too gross by the time he stepped out again.

He rushed downstairs; Damen was already waiting, impatient, car keys in his hand.

"Can I drive?" Laurent said.

Damen huffed. "Funny."

The Cadillac was a thing of beauty. Laurent had grown up with fast cars his entire life. Coach obviously had a few, but Hennike and Auguste loved them too. Auguste had a Quattroporte. Hennike had had a vintage Aston Martin. When she had died, Laurent had fantasies of driving it for himself, but Coach had promptly sold it.

The Cadillac was special, though. It was rare to see Damen so excited about something, but Laurent remembered long, winter nights where they had huddled in bed together, going over all the specs, handles, and metrics of the car. Laurent learned about analog guages and different cuts of leather and even Bakelite by the time Damen had decided he had wanted to purchase it.

Except, Damen had taken Jokaste to buy the car. He had dumped Laurent three nights before.

Still, that didn't really affect how Laurent felt about the car. It was all sleek wood panelling and fresh, fragrant leather. It was pretty big too; he and Damen had tested that theory early on by fucking in the backseat.

"Don't cross your legs on the seat, for fucks sake," Damen snapped as they backed out of the driveway.

"I took off my shoes," Laurent muttered, already pulling out his phone.

[stanleypinesgf]

Falling for Mystery - Chapter Eight

Falling for Mystery Masterlist

Warnings: mentions of abusive ex (i hate this guy and i wrote him lmao), general feelings of being misunderstood, we're getting to the good stuff now though folks! Please note: this is a slow burn fic with eventual smut and mature themes, 18+ only and please check warnings at the start of chapters! TYSM for all the support so far!!

w/c: 2,289 The air between us wasn’t hostile, but something about Stan had changed. He still talked to me, still helped me with the little things, but we hadn’t shared a real moment together since that kiss. He’d stopped joining me on the porch in the evenings, opting instead to vanish without a word for hours at a time. Sometimes, I’d catch sight of him near the woods, like he was avoiding me, but other times he seemed to reappear in the living room out of nowhere, like he’d been there all along.

I didn’t ask where he went. It wasn’t my place, not after I’d been the one to pull away.

The distance between us wasn’t helping, though. If anything, it made me feel worse. Keeping him at arm’s length was supposed to protect me, but all it did was make me more miserable. I was starting to rethink everything, especially my reasons for keeping him out. I knew I was pushing him away for all the wrong reasons.

At work, I stuck to tasks that kept me busy and distracted. Stan handled the tours and put on the show for the customers, while I focused on stocking the trinket shelves, ordering stock and ringing up tourists. The energy we once had, that easy banter we shared, was gone. Neither of us wanted to admit it, but something had cracked between us, and I didn’t know how to fix it.

And maybe I didn’t deserve to.

Still, there were those moments—small, fleeting signs that things weren’t completely broken. I’d catch him watching me, like he was trying to figure out what was going on in my head, but he never asked. And sometimes, when I made dinner, he’d come in quietly and start chopping vegetables without a word. It was his way of showing me he was still there, still paying attention.

But as much as I appreciated it, the silence between us was getting too heavy.

That night, after Stan disappeared into the woods again, I couldn’t take the tension anymore. It wasn’t just Stan that was getting to me; it was everything. The strange feelings I’d had since arriving in this town, the woods, and most of all, the memories I was trying to outrun.

I needed something normal, something from my old life. Without another thought, I grabbed my phone and called my mom.

Her voice on the other end was instantly comforting, like a warm hug. “Hey, sweetie! It’s been a while.”

I smiled faintly, though it felt forced. “Yeah, sorry. I’ve just been settling in here. It’s... nice. Quiet.”

“Away from everything, huh?” she asked, her voice knowing. “Away from Jake?”

The name hit me like a slap, my smile dropping. I hadn’t heard anyone say his name out loud in so long, it almost felt foreign. “Yeah. That’s... part of it.”

There was a brief pause before she continued. “Have you thought about... giving things with him another chance?”

I froze, gripping the phone tighter. My heart started racing, a familiar panic bubbling up inside me. “Mom, no. I left for a reason.”

“I know, but sweetheart, he seemed so sorry. Jake was good to you, wasn’t he? Maybe he just—”

“No,” I interrupted, my voice sharper than I intended. “He wasn’t good to me.”

There was a pause, and I could feel her confusion through the line. “Honey, I’m just saying... he’s been asking about you. He’s still really upset. I’m sure he didn’t mean for things to get so bad.”

I bit back the urge to scream. It was like she wasn’t listening, like no one ever really understood. “Mom, he hurt me. You know that.”

“I know he wasn’t perfect, but he loved you,” she said softly. “He did so much for you. He was always so polite when he visited—”

“You don’t know what he was really like!” I snapped, my voice breaking as the tears threatened to spill over. “He made me feel worthless, Mom. He broke me.”

The silence that followed was deafening. My chest tightened, the weight of her misunderstanding crushing me. She didn’t get it. She never had.

“I have to go,” I muttered, ending the call before she could say anything else.

I dropped the phone onto the table, feeling the dam inside me burst. The tears I’d been holding in for so long finally spilled over, and I sank to the floor, curling up as sobs wracked my body. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. It was all too much—the fear, the anger, the memories of what Jake had done to me. I thought I’d left it all behind, but the pain was still there, gnawing at me like an old wound that wouldn’t heal.

I didn’t hear the door open, but I felt the shift in the air, the familiar presence behind me.

“Hey,” Stan’s voice was soft, gruff.

I didn’t look up. I didn’t want him to see me like this, falling apart. But I couldn’t stop the tears.

Stan’s footsteps were quiet as he crossed the room, kneeling beside me. “What happened?”

I shook my head, unable to speak. How could I explain everything to him? He didn’t even know who Jake was, or what I’d been through. And I wasn’t sure I could tell him. Not yet.

Stan didn’t push. Instead, he reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm but gentle. “C’mere.”

Before I could react, he pulled me into a hug, his arms wrapping around me protectively. I stiffened for a moment, surprised by the sudden closeness, but then I melted into him, letting the warmth of his embrace ground me.

For a long moment, we didn’t say anything. My tears soaked into his shirt, and I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath me. It was oddly comforting, being held like this, like the world wasn’t crashing down around me for just a second. His scent was soothing, slowly grounding me and bringing me back to the moment.

After a while, Stan pulled back just enough to look at me. His face was serious, his eyes dark with concern. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not stupid. There’s something you’re not telling me.”

I hesitated, biting my lip. “It’s... complicated.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I can handle complicated.”

I gave a small, shaky laugh. “I’m not ready to talk about it all yet, but I left Portland to get away from someone. He wasn’t good to me...”

Stan’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Okay. I won’t push. But if this guy—whoever he is—is the reason you’re like this...” His voice took on a protective edge, his eyes narrowing. “I need to know if he’s still a problem.”

I looked away, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “He’s not here. I made sure of that when I left.”

Stan exhaled slowly, like he was holding back a wave of questions. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just watched me with that sharp, calculating gaze of his. “Well, if he shows up anywhere near you...”

His voice trailed off, but the threat was clear. Whoever Jake was, Stan wasn’t going to let him anywhere near me.

The thought of Stan protecting me, of him taking on that role, made something inside me soften. Maybe it was the relief of knowing I wasn’t alone in this anymore, or maybe it was just the way he’d held me without asking for explanations. Either way, I felt safe with him, and that was scaring me less and less. He had seen me upset and he hadn’t dismissed my feelings once. If Jake was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, maybe Stan was the opposite. The gruff conman exterior almost didn’t fit with his kind heart.

“I don’t want you to worry about him,” I said quietly. “I’m trying to move on. I just don’t know if I can let it all go so easily.”

His eyes softened, and he nodded slowly, the rough edges of his usual gruff demeanor melting away as he watched me with quiet understanding. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. The way he looked at me—the way he held onto me—said more than words ever could.

For a moment, I just stood there, letting the silence fill the space between us. It wasn’t the tense, suffocating silence that had hung over us before. It felt different. It felt... safe.

“I’m not asking for all the answers right now,” Stan said softly, his voice a low rumble that seemed to settle deep inside me. “I just want you to know that... I’m here. You don’t have to handle this alone anymore.”

Something inside me shifted at his words. It was like a weight I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying started to lift, piece by piece. I didn’t know if I was ready to open up entirely, but the fact that Stan was willing to wait, to be patient—it meant everything. I looked up at him, and for the first time in a long while, I allowed myself to really see him. The way his brow furrowed slightly, the way his eyes searched mine with such sincerity, such care. It was overwhelming, but in the best possible way.

“Stan...” I started, but the words caught in my throat.

He didn’t push. He just held my gaze, waiting, his hand still resting gently on my shoulder.

Without thinking, I closed the small gap between us, my body moving on instinct. My hands found their way to his chest, fingers trembling slightly as they brushed against the fabric of his shirt. I felt the steady beat of his heart beneath my palm, grounding me, calming the storm that had been raging inside me for so long.

Stan’s breath hitched, and his hand slid down to rest on my waist, his touch light but deliberate. My pulse quickened as I felt him lean in, his forehead gently pressing against mine. For a moment, the world seemed to narrow down to just the two of us—our shared breath, the warmth radiating between us, the quiet tension crackling in the air.

“I... don’t want to mess this up,” I whispered, my voice barely audible, afraid of the vulnerability in the words.

“You won’t,” Stan murmured, his voice rough with emotion. “Not with me.”

The way he said it—so certain, so unshakable—it sent a shiver down my spine. And in that moment, something inside me broke free. The walls I’d built, the armor I’d worn for so long, it all started to crumble, piece by piece.

I leaned in closer, my lips just inches from his, and I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin, the anticipation hanging heavy between us. Stan’s hand tightened on my waist, pulling me just a little bit closer, and I could feel the unspoken question in the air—both of us waiting, teetering on the edge of something we couldn’t take back.

“I trust you,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Stan’s eyes flickered, something raw and vulnerable flashing across his face, as if this meant more to him than I could ever know. And then, without a word, he closed the remaining distance between us, his lips brushing mine in a soft, tentative kiss.

The world seemed to still for a moment, the only sound the quiet hitch of my breath as I melted into him, the feel of his hands steady and warm against me. The kiss was slow, unhurried, as if we were both testing the waters, afraid to dive too deep too fast.

But it wasn’t enough. Not for me. Not anymore. I could feel Stan holding back, clearly letting me set the pace for now.

I deepened the kiss, my fingers tangling in his shirt as I pulled him closer, desperate for more—for the connection I had been denying myself for so long. Stan responded in kind, his grip on my waist tightening as he pressed against me, his kiss growing more urgent, more certain.

And just like that, the space between us disappeared. The tension that had been building for weeks, the emotions that had been simmering just beneath the surface—they all came rushing out in a wave of heat and longing.

Stan broke the kiss, his forehead resting against mine as he caught his breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His hands trembled slightly as they slid up to cradle my face, his thumb brushing over my cheek.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked, his voice rough with emotion.

I looked up at him, my heart racing, my pulse thrumming in my ears. And in that moment, there was no doubt, no hesitation.

“I’m sure.”

Stan’s eyes darkened, a flicker of something intense passing over his features. He leaned in again, his lips brushing mine in a kiss that was both tender and desperate, filled with everything we hadn’t said, everything we hadn’t done.

And then, just as the heat between us reached its peak, just as the world seemed to narrow down to the feel of his hands on me and the press of his body against mine...

I pulled back, my breath ragged, my heart pounding in my chest.

“Not here,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Stan’s brow furrowed in confusion, but when he saw the look in my eyes, understanding dawned. He nodded slowly, his hands sliding down to my thighs, his strong arms lifting me with ease as i wrapped my legs around his waist.

Together, we moved towards my bedroom, the tension between us crackling like electricity, unspoken promises hanging in the air. Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[mumms-the-word]

Forearms

Pairing: Gale x Tav (Dani) Summary: Set immediately after this fic about Dani settling into a new life with her companions on the road, Dani offers to mend Gale's robe. Which involves him having to take it off, naturally. (no smut, just Dani being ridiculous about Gale's forearms) A/N: This is 100% the moment where Dani is like "oh no he's hot." She thinks everyone is hot, but this is the moment where Gale starts to rise above everyone for her. It's silly, it's stupid, and I wrote it like months ago, but y'all asked for it lmao also yes this does adhere to the Gale Wrap Shirt Theory (I just borrowed Astarion's shirt because I don't have mods)

Dani stretched out her back and got to her feet, leaving behind her now-sorted camp supplies to make her way over to Gale and his cooking fire. She peered down into the pot before looking at Gale. “What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Stew,” Gale said, smiling apologetically. “I hesitate to give it any more of a descriptor than that. Oh, and a few leftover loaves of bread, too. Might as well use them up before they go bad. I think one of them was starting to mold…”

He said this last line to himself, turning to rifle through the box that contained most of their food. He pulled out a small, torn half-loaf of bread and examined it, turning it this way and that before tearing it and peering inside. Dani reached over and plucked the smaller half from his fingers, claiming it for herself. She tore off a bit and popped it into her mouth.

“Seems decent to me,” she said.

Gale looked briefly alarmed before shaking his head, amused. “You’d probably eat it even if it had mold on it.”

“Not true. I’d scrape the mold off first and eat around it. Wouldn’t be the first time.” She raised her eyebrows at him as she pulled off another bite of bread to eat, silently challenging him to judge her.

Gale made a face but didn’t respond, turning back to his stew and flicking his wrist. The spectral mage hand that was stirring the pot lifted the ladle for him to inspect. He picked up a small spoon from his utensil set (of course he had a utensil set wrapped in leather, a hodgepodge set he’d collected over the last couple of days, but that he kept packed away like it was some sort of adventurer’s kit) and used the spoon to taste the broth in the ladle.

“Hmm…nearly there, I think,” he said. He let the mage hand go back to stirring while he wiped his spoon on a bit of cloth he had tucked into his belt. “Gods, what I wouldn’t give for my spice shelf. Or just some extra salt.”

“Just add it to the list of things we’ll buy as soon as we see any,” Dani said, still eating her bit of bread piece by little torn piece. “I know I have a running list of my own.”

“Far be it from me to add to your growing shopping list of potentially expensive and ever practical items,” Gale said dryly, “but if you do happen to find a small case of salt, or any spice really, I think we’d all be a little better for it. It shouldn’t detract too much from your funds. I know you’re careful with your money.”

She arched an eyebrow. As the team’s craftiest barterer, she was in possession of most of the money, and her companions had already watched her haggle and cajole until a price was a bit closer to where she’d prefer it to be. Sometimes it took a minute.

She thought about pointing out that she was “careful” with her gold for a variety of reasons, including stocking up an emergency fund for magical items should his arcane hunger trigger and she find herself without something to give him. But she stayed silent, watching him pull a few herbs from their food box and set them on a flat rock he’d taken to using as a cutting board. He sat with the rock in his lap, cutting the herbs up with a dagger that he kept on hand for food preparation. As he turned to hold the rock over the cookpot and brush the chopped herbs into the stew, she noticed a bit of white peeking through his purple robe sleeve, right at the shoulder seam. A tear in the fabric.

“Take off your robe,” she said.

He jolted, nearly dropping the rock and dagger directly into the stew. “I beg your pardon?” Maybe it was the firelight and the darkening shadows of dusk, but Dani could have sworn his face was suddenly pinker than before.

“Your robe,” Dani said, tossing the last bit of bread into her mouth and holding out her hand. “Take it off. You’ve got a tear.”

“Wha—a tear?” Gale looked all down his arms and the front of his robe before twisting his neck to spot the rip in his shoulder. “Argh, damn. This was one of my better robes, too…”

Dani snickered and gestured for him to get on with it. “Come on, hand it over. I’ll fix it for you.”

“What—now?” 

“Why not? You’re busy. Everyone else is busy—well, except Astarion. And I can mend it for you.”

Gale looked a little surprised. “I didn’t know you could mend.”

She shrugged. “My mother is a seamstress and I used to help her out every now and again. Plus, when you’re on the road, you have to keep up with a few skills. You’re just lucky we have a bit of needle and thread on hand. So.” She gestured again with her hand.

Gale squirmed as if uncomfortable. “I’m sure it can wait. The stew is nearly ready and we’re all about to dress down for the night. I can give it to you then.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, Gale. If it was armor Lae’zel would be hounding you until you gave it up for her to fix. If it was your spellbook you’d want to mend it as soon as possible. Just take it off and let me do it.”

“Fine, fine.” He held up his hands, his face still a little flushed, but he acquiesced. He undid the belt around his middle and tugged off his leather bracers before finally untying the robe and shrugging it off. He still looked a little sheepish, but he willingly handed the robe over to her. 

The moment the robe was off, something shifted in Dani’s mind. She realized only then that she’d only ever seen him either fully dressed in his robes or in his velvety lounge clothes, but never in just his white wrap shirt and high-waisted pants. She paused a moment, her eyes roving over his form. In just his shirt, pants, and boots, he cut a trim figure, looking a bit like one of the handsome men drawn on the covers of tawdry romance novels she used to read back in Baldur’s Gate. Especially when he set one hand on his hip and frowned faintly at her, his earring glinting in the firelight.

“I hope it won’t take too long,” he said.

She blinked. Oh right, the robe. “It’s a simple tear, super easy to fix,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

She turned and hurried away, her own face feeling a little warm. Was she honestly thinking…no. Well—maybe. Gale was handsome. No point in ignoring otherwise. But Gale in just a shirt and trousers? Or, perhaps, Gale in just his trousers…or, going further, Gale in nothing but—

Gods, Dani! She mentally shook herself and sat back down at her bedroll, digging her sewing kit from her bag. Now was not the time. She said she’d mend his robe and she would, so she had better get started.

But mending was mindless work for her, leaving her alone to her thoughts, so of course her mind drifted back to the subject of Gale as she dragged needle and thread through the purple fabric of his robe. Why was she only now struck by how handsome he looked? Sure, she’d flirted with him before, but she flirted harmlessly with everyone in camp. It wasn’t her fault she was surrounded by attractive companions. But Gale…

She glanced surreptitiously at him as he worked by the cooking fire, his focus on the food. He’d rolled up his sleeves to his elbows to keep his cuffs away from the food, which was honestly worse for Dani. Rolled up sleeves and forearms? She could just swoon. She watched as he packed away unused food items and utensils, muscles in his forearms flexing, the dark hair on his arms made darker by the dusk and firelight. He stood back and rested both hands on his hips as he watched the stew, his white shirt stretching a little more tightly across his chest.

She bit her lip and focused back on the robe. Just get it done, girl, and then give it back so you can go back to thinking he’s just a fun, quirky wizard nerd and not the hottest guy in camp.

Oh gods, if only.

...was he the hottest guy in camp? 

She glanced around quickly at Astarion, still lounging with his book. His lips made a pretty pout as he read and his hair was damn near perfect, but he didn’t make Dani’s heart flutter in quite the same way the sight of Gale in his wrap shirt and rolled up sleeves did. She searched for Wyll, walking around in his ragged black tank and black trousers, his biceps glistening with a fine sheen of sweat as he carried the last of the firewood over to Gale. Even with his devil horns, he was an attractive man. Dani was tempted to think he was even hotter than Gale—until Wyll set the fire down near Gale and Dani was forced to compare the two of them again.

…damn. What was it about Gale?

Gale glanced her way, raising his eyebrows at her questioningly when he caught her staring. She felt her heart go ba-dump like some cliche heroine in a romance novel and she quickly lowered her gaze back to her work.

Damn it. It was his eyes wasn’t it? His big, stupid, wet brown eyes, made darker and richer in the evening light. That and those stupid forearms she’d never seen before.

She almost wished she could go back to fifteen minutes ago, when she thought Gale was “handsome enough” but not exactly tempting. Not with Astarion smirking at her from across the campfire and Wyll flirting with all of them, not to mention all the flirting she’d done with Karlach and Shadowheart and Lae’zel too. She forced her attention back on the final stitches, determined to get this robe fixed as soon as possible.

She finished the last stitch and knotted the thread, giving the fabric a little tug on either side of the mended seam to test the strength of her work. Not bad, she had to admit. It almost looked as good as new.

She looked back at Gale and then down at the robe. She should give it back. Right now. Immediately. But…then again…if she kept it longer, he’d have to walk around without it longer. Which meant more eye candy for her, in theory. She pursed her lips, glancing back at Gale again.

No! She had to give it back. Now or never, Dani!

She got to her feet and walked back over to the fire, his purple robe tossed over her arm. He looked up from the cookpot again as she stopped near him.

“All finished?” he asked. “You do quick work.”

“Thanks,” she said, holding out the robe to him. Be casual, Dani girl, don’t be odd. “I’m famished. How much longer until dinnertime?” Success!

“Any moment now, I suspect.” 

He took the robe and examined the seams, running his thumb over the stitches. She was caught up watching his hands, admiring the perfect shape of his nails and how long and slender his fingers were. A pianist’s hands, she thought idly. An artist's hands. The kind of hands she'd want drawing patterns on her skin, fingers curling into her softer parts, sliding up her thighs to—snap out of it!

She sucked a short breath through her nose, trying to distract herself. Her gaze traveled up to his wrists, and then his bared forearms. There was a faint hint of ash lingering in his arm hairs from standing so close to the fire. Without thinking, she reached out and brushed it away. He looked up, surprised and she snatched her hand back, hiding it behind her back like she’d done something wrong.

“Sorry,” she said. “Just some—some ash. You should probably put that robe back on. As soon as possible, probably.”

Oh gods, she could just die.

Gale stared at her a moment before glancing at his arms again and then the robe. She saw something shift in his expression as his eyes came back up to meet hers, but she dared not interpret it. That, she thought, would be a dangerous mind game and her imagination was already working overtime.

“Well,” she said, and hated how weirdly breathless the word came out of her mouth. She cleared her throat. “I’ll go fetch the others, then, shall I?”

Without waiting for him to respond, she turned on her heel and hurried away, intending to go after whoever was the furthest away from the cook fire. Surely she’d cool off in the time it took to gather everyone. Fantasies were for bedtime, not right before dinner when the object of her fancy was right there.

But when she finally returned after all that, he was still standing in his wrap shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He hadn’t even put the robe back on. He laid it off to the side.  She glanced at the robe and then up to Gale, who was ladling stew into bowls and passing them around. He caught her eyes and gave her a faint, intentional smirk meant just for her before turning his attention back to the stew.

That’s when Dani knew, with a rush of realization that struck her a bit like lightning and left her sitting, silent and dazed and a little offended and a little impressed.

She’d been as obvious as day, and now he was teasing her about it. And that smirk? He was being a bit of an arrogant bastard…but gods, he was suddenly all the sexier for it.

She was doomed.

[pabl0andm3]

Our dinner | Part one

Warning: *incorrect grammar sorry I'm still learning English btw*

{This is my first ever Story I wrote ✍️. And believe me or not It's kinda cringe Lmao. I write for fun though so if you don't like it, feel free to scroll 💮🦢🌺}

So this is love felt like? An aroma of trauma a touch of comfort and a sprinkle with tears? The girl said to her self while sobbing on the hoodie she wore. when she felt like her breath fell like a cigarette that going to d!e and that's when she felt her eyes closed...........

I walk to the kitchen to found my Boyfriend cooking some breakfast .I walked up to him and give him a peck as a good morning and he hug me and said "Morning Amor" in his morning voice clearly he is tired but still manage to get us breakfast.. once he's done making breakfast i set the plates so that we can start eating.

While I took a bite on my food I saw Pablo staring at me. " What you staring babe" I said in a pink blushy cheeks. "Can't I started at my pretty girl" he said coming closer to you as you fell him hugging you in the back while he leaves wet kisses on you neck. You humm in satisfied. " Stop bèbè your going to make me late at my work" you said chuckling at his sudden behavior.

He finally stop. And you both get ready and after that he drop you to your work and you got to your office to start the day.

Months past your relationship with pablo is not going good you both argue at the smallest thing. For example he forgot to pick you up and you get upset but your upset turn to anger and that's when you both couldn't stand each other anymore you often only talk when one of you need something or ask something.

Some of your friends and family notice this and said that both of us should commutate property but it only turns into yelling. That's when you start to realize that you both need to fix your relationship but Pablo is to stubborn and always find a way to defend himself while you in the other hand trying to fix it. You want to ask him about this really cute Restaurant that's near the beach and he knows you love the beach the most.

You scroll to your phone and Wondering if you should ask Pablo about it since it's been a while you guys go out together. The door open reveling Pablo in his training kit. You got up and hug him and you said " hello" he only reply with "Mhmm" and got upstairs to get change. After a while he finally came back but his outfit is giving " going out" look and you stand up ask him where he go and he said "At pedri's house" he said fixing his hair in the mirror

"oh I was uhm.. thinking maybe we could go out since it's been a while and uhmm.. I found this really cute Restaurant near at the beach and-" before you could finish he cut you off my saying "sorry but I think next time" he said hugging you and left.

Those words keep you head for the past moths

Next time, next time , next time

The words you only hear when you try to convince him to go out. You were upset and sad the whole month thinking maybe Pablo doesn't love you anymore and that's when you have the urge to ask him but you stop when you change your mind that maybe this is the right time you will ask him to go out with you.

He Finally comeback after an hour he go to the bedroom where you are scrolling to your Instagram seeing some couple going out. You sigh and turn and saw Pablo Walking to wards you and take the remote to watch a movie. You finally have the urge to speak " uhm Pablo I..a found this another cute and cozy restaurant just a few walks by and I'm think maybe this is the right time?" You ask not looking at him. He sighed in annoyed how you always ask him about it.

"well I already told you that I'm not in the mood and that you-" he got cut by saying him

" But you always say Next time,next time and. Those words aren't even true anymore. How many Seconds, minutes, hours, days, week, months should I wait for you to say yes. You only spent time with your friends when you can't even hug or kissed you girlfriend that's so unfair Pablo!" You shout back felling that the anger that you carry finally relief. After you said that he's blood boil and Turn off the tv and turn to you and said " OH WOW NOW IT'S MY FAULT THAT I DON'T SPENT TIME WITH YOU!? WHILE YOUR HERE TRYING TO GET MY ATTENTION NOT KNOWING WELL I'M TIRED OFF YOUR BULLSH!T AND IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT YOUR ANNOYING, SELFFISH AND DRAMATIC B!TCH YOU ARE. AND NOW YOUR SAYING IT'S MY FAULT" he said shouting at you .

You couldn't believe what got into him saying stuff like that especially the word " annoying, selfish, dramatic b!tch" you want to cry so hard but You don't want him to show you how week you are so instead you walk out and go downstairs and Lay to the Coach while tears form in your eyes. You fall asleep with an arching heart.

You woke up by the sun hitting your face and you get back and go to the bathroom and clean your self as you look into the mirror only to find red puff eyes and dry tears. Once you finally step out to the spare bathroom you head up stairs to change. You sigh while opening the door only to find Pablo changing as well you didn't look at him not even a glance. You pick an outfit and go to the bathroom to change and brush your teeth when he start to walk towards you. You instally go out the bathroom and head downstairs to Get your shoes on and you are about to leave when Pablo appear out of nowhere and said

" Are you not going to eat" you respond with nothing. You can't Just pretend like nothing happened last night it's still hunt you. So instead you walk past him and start walking the street since you don't have a car yet and it must be crazy asking Pablo to drop you of knowing your goal was to ignore him and teach him a lesson. After a couple of minutes you finally arrived at your office to do some paperwork and While you take a break your phone rang and it appears Pablo's name

Mi bèbè 💘: Amor don't wait for me where going to the club.

You want to smack his head, yell at him why he's acting like nothing happened last night all you could do from now is to not respond. Finally focusing your work about an Hour You start packing your things and cleaning some papers. After that your finally ready to go home. You call an Uber since it's dark outside and your scare something happened.

You finally Came home and start getting ready to sleep since your tired asf and before you lay down to bed you scroll on Instagram and find a picture of Pablo with a Brunette girl that looks really Damn pretty and when you look closer His hand was in her wrist while the girls hand was on his bicep

You ignore it thinking it was his fan while little did you know what will happened in your relationship with Pablo...

{ I know it's boring but like I said it's my first time writing it. So please be nice and Probably I'll Make part 2 of this lmao. Sorry about my English and grammar! Not my first Language Plus I'm currently learning it ❤️}

Thanks for reading 💮

[glassandhamsandwich]

the fix it au. pls pls tell me about it.

Ok so again, this is very underdeveloped… It will get better I prommy….. Also this is so cringe and incredibly self indulgent but I DONT GIVE A CRAP!!!!!!!

Also I wrote this over the course of 3 days and I did NOT re-read it so if it sucks to read I am SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!

ADDAIR CENTERED AU BECAUSE I LOVE HIM I DON’T CARE IM GIVING HIM A REDEMPTION ARC BUT ITS NOT AN ARC ITS JUST THE WHOLE STORY !!!!!!

Actually let me start with a list of all the people that get to survive in this…. Its just all of the characters that I care for at all.

All of the infected (including Roper, O’Connor, and Raffs even though I always forget about them LMAO… i still have to decide if I want them to be infected in here…. Raffs is a most likely because I’m making a design for him rn)

Caz, Finlay, Roy, Brodie, Innes, maybe Archie, and maybe a few other background characters so that it seems a little bit less like everyone died because now that I’m writing this down thats really not a lot of people….. But also a lot of people did die

so if i ever did decide to do any writing for this like i wanted to.. It would start pre-making the infected be normal again. The way that they figure out to bring them back to normal is that they basically have to remove the shape from whatever part of them it attached itself to, because theres always one main “contact point”. The shape can either be removed by basically poisoning them into throwing it up and/or killing the shape with chemicals, because it is technically just a plant. Or cutting it out of them.

Muir was pretty easy to poison because he kept trying to eat things because…. cwd.. bro was hungry.. And he still is it did NOT help!!!

Both Trots and Gibbo had to be restrained, Trots got it basically tore out from his goopy lack of legs and Gibbo had to be force fed rat poison and cleaning chemicals because he was freaking out too much for them to safely cut into him.

Rennick incapacitated himself by getting into a battle with Addair and got fucked up pretty bad because his ass is NOT built like Addair’s is, and they were able to cut it out of him fish dinner style.

They did not get Addair he is still out there at this point.

So since they figured that the shape can be killed they start destroying it little by little, tearing it down when they can and drowning all of it in chemicals. This is a pretty slow process because I think that the game would be so much cooler if it took place over multiple days because I just like drawn out horror. Also because I want this to last longer, the shape did not damage the rig to the extent that it did in the game, so it was still “safe” to be on.

And now is an important time to get into how the shape affected them mentally. Pretty similar to how it is in canon where it gives you hallucinations of your loved ones, but in addition to the auditory hallucinations, they also have visual ones.

This was basically Addair’s motive for working for the shape so insistently, it gave him the illusion that he was providing for his family.

Uhm anyway when they managed to fully kill the shape Addair’s currently messed up brain saw that as them killing his family…. Which he was not super psyched about obviously. The shape is dead and its dead in him… but 1. He was affected the longest so his head was a little crazier than the rest of them and 2. He never got it properly removed so erm… he's a little freaked!!!!

Anyway so after they kill the shape the main challenge just becomes not letting the damage that was caused break the whole rig and kill them all while they await rescue, and also avoiding Addair at all costs because he is more out for them than he was before.

And I totally forgot to mention this before but it is important.. Addair has a tendency to specifically target Caz… actually just hates that guy so much there is a seething jealousy he has for him that comes out as anger because that's just how he makes himself.

So yeah the rig is still kind of falling apart and not working like it should….. including the flare stack…. and I think we know where this is going…

This is what that comic that i mentioned like one time and then never finished was about. So Caz, Finlay, Gibbo, Trots, and Roper are sent to go relight the flare stack, because safety in numbers or whatever. And Brodie and Raffs stay in whatever that section Brodie is in during the flare stack scene in the game idk what it's called…. but erm… yuh oh! Addair is here….. down at the flare stack I mean.

Caz takes the relighter to run down the stack while the rest of them try to distract Addair. But that buzz sound that happens in the game happens and draws Addair’s attention over to Caz… who again he just absolutely hates… way more than everyone else so he changes his focus onto getting Caz. And obviously he blows up like he does in the game because he's a fucking idiot… But the flare stack doesn't go down with him this time so Caz is mostly safe on that front. So yeah Addair falls in the ocean but he very shockingly survives it… and manages to crawl his way into the pontoons (or whatever that flooded part is idk anymore) and basically collapses there for the time being.

Back to everyone else they are somehow still waiting for rescue to come after a few days and are wondering if it's even coming at all so they’re now having to worry about that.. And their also having to worry about running out of supplies.. So they hit that classic “let’s split up, gang!”, both to scrounge around the entire rig for literally anything they can find, and to check for any final traces of the shape. Gibbo get sent to the pontoons by himself because he can navigate it way easier than anyone else can because I gave him gills😁😁😁 but uhh yeah guess who he finds down there….. Haha….

This is were this au slowly gets more character relationship based because I LOVE character relationships and interactions they are my favorite things ever.

So yeah Gibbo find Addair down in the pontoons and is like “WHAT THE FLIP!!!!!” and at this point Addair has gotten a bit more of his normal conscience back because the shapes been dead for “a while” now and he hasn’t been surrounded by people that he feels he needs to kill so he’s got more of an understanding of his environment then he used to but he’s still kind of in that animal instinct going on so he ATTEMPTS to scare Gibbo off because he sees him as a threat obvi. But he does a very poor job of this because he’s still incredibly injured and honestly Gibbo just thinks it’s a little pathetic. because it is…. So Gibbo basically decided to just leave him down there and not mention it to anyone else because he is NOT feeling up to dealing with that rn but he knows that Addair wouldn’t want the others to know he’s there and at the moment he’s just going to let Addair have it his way because he is in a PITIFUL state rn and even if that's not the best decision, it's the easiest. He backtracks on this decision pretty quickly though because it’s hard to just forget that there's a dying little freak in your basement so he’s like…. I should probably go check on him… So he does.. And then he keeps doing it and they start BONDING i'm forcing them to be friends because they're my favorites and Gibbo’s trying and SUCCEEDING to make him a better person. Uhm so since Gibbo keeps going to check on Addair in the pontoons, he keeps just disappearing for a while and everyone else is obviously wondering where he’s going because he isn't telling anyone. They all decide to send Trots after him when they catch him leaving one time because Trots is who he’d probably trust the most to tell anything. He does NOT tell Trots anything so Trots pulls the good ol’ “I better follow him” and struggles his way down to the pontoons following Gibbo as best he can and when he finally gets down there he sees Addair obviously. He's very hard to miss. So now Trots gets his turn to go “WHAT THE FLIP 😨😨😨😨” But he agrees to not tell the others that he saw him, against his better judgment, after Gibbo begs him not too.

When Trots goes back to the rest of the group and they ask him what he found he just LIES and says that he lost Gibbo’s trail and couldn’t follow him the whole way. The next 2 times that Gibbo goes down to see Addair, Trots goes with him, but it only takes those two times for him to be lik e”yeah… you cant keep doing this dude and also I think we need to get Addair some “proper” medical attention or else hes going to die…” because at this point hes just been sitting with untreated crazy ass wounds from being BLOWN UP (they aren’t as bad as they would be because I think that the shape made them really physically strong, like they can take some crazy blows and be mostly ok) and they’re getting infected (IRONIC!!!!) because hes been sitting in these nasty ass pontoons for a while now and those wounds are FREAKED!!!!! SO Gibbo and Addair are both (very reluctantly on Addair’s part) “ok I guess☹️” and they VERY painstakingly make their way out of the pontoons because Addair can NOT move very well.

OIL RIG FAMILY REUNION!!!! The rest of them are NOT happy about Addair being here. They don’t feel threatened by him because… again he can barely move it snot like he can really do anything. But Gibbo and Trots vouch for him that he’s mostly normal now and isn’t going to try to kill them and also is trying his darndest to start being a better person. They agree to basically not kill him I guess and let him stay (Caz, Finlay, and O’Connor were against this decision but in the end they aren't going to actually leave him to die(Caz would actually I think)). So he gets the most lackluster medical treatment (basically just bandages and like…. Neosporin or something idk) and begins his terribly slow physical recovery process.

During this this time they finally are able to figure out that the reason rescue is taking so long is because the rigs communications got cut off so none of their messages actually went through and somehow Cadal hasn’t realized that something is wrong yet and nothing has been coming from the Beira D. TERRIBLE COMPANY I HATE YOU!!!!!

Ok i need to wrap this up im 3 pages into the google doc im writing this in oh em gee….. Anyway rescue finally comes eventually and they get back to shore and Cadal is like “ok guys so how about we DON’T talk about this or sue us over this or anything yeah 😊😊😊😊 we’ll give you some money if you don't talk about it <333” and they all just kind of have to oblige because otherwise they risk the safety of the infected if the public finds out about them. So they find a place to stay and then the rest of the AU is just me putting Addair THROUGH THE WRINGER. He is NOT having a good time… that's my promise to you…

“This is underdeveloped” I say and then write 3 pages worth of stuff for it….. and I didn't even really get into any of the character relationships.....

Anyway if you want to ask me anything else……. You know what to do……

Posting this and not opening tumblr for a while because I’m embarrassed about it LMAO… MY IRL FRIENDS ARE GOING TO SEE THIS THIS IS SO NOT COOL!!!!! I’m blocking you guys…..

[brain-rot-central]

Sonnet was mentioned by @deadly-diminuendo, @bardic-inspo, and @paganwitchisis! Thank you guys so much -- stealing the game from you, if you don't mind!

words posted: 67,589 additional words written: (nothing as of yet; taking a brain break for today lol) grand total of words: 67,589

fandoms: BG3, Dragon Age

highest kudos: Sonnet of the Lone Cardinal, sitting at 510! <3 highest hit oneshot: Possession, at 7,168 new things I tried: Started a longfic (Sonnet), a new fandom, and just allowed myself to be more creative this year. fic I spent the most time on: Definitely Sonnet, and my pegging fic. I distinctly remember sitting on my couch trying to finish that one up as quickly as possible lol. fic I spent the least amount of time on: A Moment's Respite; really started as an idea tossed around with friends and I wanted to write a short, sweet scene. favorite thing I wrote: I'm still currently writing Sonnet; there was a line I wrote for Tav in chapter 10 as she's arguing with AA:

“Is that what I’m to do, Astarion? Piece everything together and just assume how you feel? Like a dog that waits patiently for scraps at the dinner table?”

Also this one:

“Should I take a page out of your book then, and lie to your face?” Tav realizes she's playing with fire the more she pushes, but she can't help herself. The smell of raw, open wounds fills her; she finally has him cornered. “Would you rather I fall to my knees and swear fealty to you, all while brandishing a dagger behind my back? Is that in more of a language you understand?”

You ever write something, read it back to yourself and go "oof yeah. that's it. that's so fucking it"? Ngl was real proud of myself after that lmao.

favorite thing(s) I read: I'm absolutely loving @cursedhaglette's new fic Requited. It's a DAI retelling from dual POVs between Solas and her oc Morinne Lavellan. It contains spoilers for Veilguard, so if you haven't played that yet or are planning on doing so, just a word of caution. It's sweet, thoughtfully, and the slow burn is killing me. The fire was just recently sparked in her latest chapter and my god is it good. Definitely something to read if you're a Solavellan fan!

Midnight at Skyhold by LadyDanya on Ao3. Where the fuck do I begin? A Cullen/Female Trevelyan fic; he's crushing on the Inquisitor but doesn't think he's enough as is to face her. Varric also decided to litter copies of his latest smut novel around Skyhold, leaving all the women in a tizzy. Cullen gets his hands on a copy after hearing Trevelyan's praise about it and decides to take a few pages out of the book to help him out. Idk the whole concept makes me insane in a good way. It's unfinished but where the author left off is more than sufficient of an ending.

You'll hate me (make love) by @astarionfreak AA x Tav post-break up fic. They're dying and their last wish is to have the rogue they fell in love with make love to them one final time. I absolutely love this fic though it also makes me want to bawl my eyes out.

writing goals for 2025: not really writing but I hope to put more energy into reading more fic. If I'm actively writing, I find it hard to simultaneously read fic because then I start comparing myself to what I'm reading and psyche myself out of writing. Absolutely no one's fault but mine, I know, and I apologize for it. But that's the truth lol. But I hopefully will finish Sonnet by the end of the year. We're about halfway done. And idk, maybe allow myself the space to think of an original work? I'm not the best with world building but I've also never allowed myself to explore the possibility of writing something entirely from my own brain. Hopefully I can unshackle it this year and come up with something. Will it ever see the light of day, who knows. But everyone should be able to dream, yes?

Opening this up to all to participate!!

[gottagetshiver]

Shiver's Fics of 2024

As inspired by Scoops, I'm rating all the fics I've written this year from least favourite to most favourite :) I'm not counting cowritten fics, so Sexmas isn't on the list.

A lot of this year was tied up in writing two novel length fics that have yet to be posted, so it's been predominantly short oneshots out of me but hopefully that's set to change in the next couple months!

In 9th place: A Phantom's Touch. I don't dislike it, not at all, but I was writing it alongside several other fics at the time and basically just got to a point where I was writing it just to finish it. I still like the basic concept and wish I'd have the foresight to give it the time it deserved because I think it could have been really, really fun.

8th place: Peace In My Ear. This was written based on an old prompt from my and Neuro's unholy doc of smutty ideas. Again a fun write, but because I was writing it with a deadline and I am so, so terrible with deadlines, it got rushed and looking back on it now, I would do parts of it differently.

7th place: Faulty Wires. This is the fic that reminded me why I don't like writing phone sex lmao. I went right from writing Peace In My Ear to this, which is just a heck of a lot of e-sex to write in the span of a few weeks. That said, I rated this one higher because I think the idea is both more fun, and my writing feels like it flows a bit better to me.

6th place: Levels Of Detail. I reread this fic as I'm making this list because honestly? I didn't remember it whatsoever. I think it's a fun idea and the first 3/4 are lovely, but I wish I'd developed the ending more. I think I fell into the classic "I just need to get this thing finished" trap I tend to with it and should've taken a break to recharge before writing the ending.

5th place: In Safety There Is Bravery. Now this is a fic I really look back on and enjoy. I had a blast exploring a version of Dream whose size kink leads him to want to be the smaller one between him and his partner. I've not written him that way before and it was fun. This was also a fic in which I explored some insecurity for the first time through writing, and it was an important stepping stone for me as a writer that I'm now using in other works that are yet to be posted.

4th place: Illuminated. Here it is, the sequel to the fic that nearly killed me dead. I never thought I'd touch the Golden Roots, Yellow Velvet universe again, but Sam fit so perfectly into it that I just had to let him have his moment in the cuck chair spotlight. It ended up being some of the most fun I've had writing this year, and I do have plans to continue the breeding bench series!

3rd place: The Games We Play. Something about this fic changed me on an atomic level to write I think. It was just one of those ones that sort of possessed me while I was writing it, you know? Everything about it felt like it fell together naturally in my mind and the words were easy to find. George's brattiness, Dream's desperation, all of it meshed together into something I'm really proud of and that's why it's earned the top spot of my shorter oneshots for the year.

2nd place: September Blossoms. I wrote this fic while I was going through a pretty hard time, and I credit it with helping me to keep looking forward at the time. Flexing my creative muscles to create my own little version of omegaverse courting rituals was a delight, and then putting them into practice was even more so. I don't know exactly what all clicked together for me on this one, but I feel like it's some of the best writing I've done to date.

Winner winner chicken dinner: Honeysuckle Jam. C'mon, how could 1st place go to anything other than HJ? It's a big, big turning point for me as a writer as the first novel length work I've written, and the first big project I've managed to complete. Writing a novel has been my dream since I was a little kid, and for those who don't know, I had given up on it a decade ago when I lost all my functional reading and writing skills due to a health problem. Back then, I would have been fucking thrilled to write something that was 1k and mostly coherent, and now here I am, having completed and posted a 70k fic and with two more on the go that'll be even longer and more complex. HJ healed something within me very dear to my heart and for that, I think it may always hold the number one spot for me.

[slytherinshua]

LETTERBOY

genre. fluff. subtly vintage/older time period. college au. ft. minji and hanni of newjeans. warnings. kissing. i wrote this on an airplane and its not proofread lmao. pairing. riwoo x fem!reader. wc. 1.7k. a/n. this fics marks at least one fic for every member of bnd!!

You could only think of one word to describe Riwoo. Adorable. With his blue messenger bag that he was always clutching as if it was his emotional support. The way his cheeks flushed whenever you threw him a compliment or the little smile that never left his face after you accepted a cup of his homemade sweet tea. And, of course, his catlike eyes that went wide whenever he was embarrassed. Everything about the boy was absolutely adorable.

You were one of the top students at Hana’s Academy for Girls and the only reason you even knew Riwoo was because he delivered the mail. You got a lot of mail, most of which you didn’t even bother to open. Job offers and special apprenticeships were the contents of most of the letters— the thought of which bored you to death.

There was always at least 1 letter that you looked forward to in the batch, though. It was usually a faded blue colour and sealed with a simple and old fashioned wax seal. Inside were messages from a secret admirer. 

Well, it would be secret if you hadn’t figured out exactly who was writing the letters a couple months in. Riwoo had a charming way with words, you couldn’t deny that. Everyday there was a new letter you found yourself falling deeper and deeper for the boy.

Due to your advanced classes and strict curfew, you didn’t have much time to go out and have fun like the other girls. You had 3 extra honours classes on top of your regular ones, and while the rest of your roommates went shopping or out on blind dates, you stayed in the library writing your thesis.

You were distracted amongst your notes of the lectures you had attended and some resources of studies by renowned professors when you heard an unmistakable rhythm of knocking on your table. You glanced up, already expecting the faces of Minji and Hanni. They had just gotten back from dress shopping downtown. 

“I’m a bit busy right now.” You mumbled out, flipping to the next page of your textbook.

“Y/n you need to see the dresses we found! They’re perfect for the upcoming dance!!” Hanni said excitedly. Both girls were used to your disinterest in events or dressing up since you were so focused on your studies, but they knew you were still listening to what they were saying even though you were writing on your paper.

“I found a yellow summer dress that will go perfectly with the heels my aunt sent me last month-” Minji continued.

“But when we were looking in the store, the yellow dress came in matching colours. We couldn’t just get the yellow one, so we ended up getting all 3. I’m going to wear the pink one. Y/n you have to wear the blue one to the dance— we’ll all be matching!” Hanni insisted. Minji had walked over to the window, peering out of the glass. The sky was darkening as it got later.

You sighed and placed your pencil on top of your open notebook, “I’m not going to the dance, I don’t have a date.” 

“We can find you a date-”

“Speaking of dates, I think your letter-boy is here.” Minji interrupted with a teasing tone, pointing to the window. You froze, attempting to stretch your neck to see out the window from your seat, but it was too far away.

Minji opened the window a crack, “Hey!! Mail boy!” Minji shouted. Riwoo looked up, eventually spotting the open window. “I’ll send her down, there’s still 4 hours before curfew! Take her somewhere nice, she hasn’t eaten dinner yet!” All this was said with a sneaky wink from the girl and your jaw fell open a bit.

Riwoo flushed and then shouted back, “A-alright!”

Once you were certain the window had been shut again, you panicked. “I don’t have anything to wear, why would you ask him to go out to dinner with me?!” 

“You can borrow one of my dresses. We’ll make sure you look like the prettiest girl in South Korea before he sees you.” Hanni assured. 

6 minutes later they had shoved you back into the dorm room, picked a simple pink dress from Hanni’s closet and fixed your messy hair. Minji somehow managed to do your makeup in less than a minute, and by the end of it, you actually looked quite pretty.

“If you don’t ask him to be your date for the dance, then I’ll ask him to be your date for you and say you were too embarrassed to do it.” Minji warned, pushing you out the door. Hanni and Minji exchanged a gleeful high-five at finally getting you to step out of the dorms, that too with a boy.

The air was chilly. That was the first thing you noticed as you walked down the steps of the dorm. It was a pleasant chill, though, and the air smelled fresh. The library felt stuffy in comparison to the cool breeze you felt on your skin.

Riwoo sat at the bottom of the stairs in a brown jacket that you hadn’t seen on him before. He turned at the sound of your footsteps and stood up, a shy smile gracing his face.

“Did you get a new jacket?” You asked, slipping your hand into his.

“My grandpa got it for me after my old one got too weatherworn.” He said with pink cheeks.

“It looks nice on you.” You gave his hand a gentle squeeze since you could tell he was nervous. I’m nervous too, it’s okay. It seemed like he got your message, though his cheeks turned a shade brighter at your compliment.

“I hope you’re okay with soup bread bowls?” Riwoo asked anxiously.

You smiled, “That sounds delicious.”

“I know the grandma that owns a soup shop near here. Her chowders are the best I’ve ever tried.”

The night was all stolen glances and contagious smiles, all because you were with him. Riwoo didn’t lie about the soup being good. You chose a slightly spicy tomato stew in a fresh bread bowl and it was one of the best dinners you had ever had.

After dinner you walked around the streets hand in hand, talking about whatever came to mind. You hadn’t been able to spend a lot of time with Riwoo in the past. Most of your interactions didn’t last more than 20 minutes. He always had more mail to deliver and you had classes to catch.

But all those usual obligations were the last thing on either of your minds. For once, you were living in the moment. You weren’t thinking about your future or any upcoming exams or presentations. You weren’t thinking about all the times you had messed up in the past and what could have been had the circumstances been different.

No, the only thing on your mind was Riwoo. You focused on how his hand felt holding yours, the smile that was on his face (though it had never left from the moment he saw you), the warm butterflies in your stomach and your racing heart.

He was animatedly telling you about the pet kittens he had adopted when he was little; a small black one named Charcoal and a grumpy orange tabby called Persimmon. Everyone in his family had adored Charcoal for his clingy and loving personality, but Riwoo had personally taken care of Persimmon and had developed a close bond to her.

“I always wanted a cat, but the dorm won’t allow pets.” 

“They’re all grown up now, but maybe sometime I can show you Persimmon and Charcoal. They’d like you.”

“I’d love to meet them.” You replied, and then shivered. The night was even chillier as it got later.

“Oh- here.” Like the gentleman he was, Riwoo swiftly slid off his jacket and wrapped it around your shoulders. You mumbled a small thank you, feeling flustered.

There was a silence and neither of you knew what to say. You suddenly remembered Minji’s threat earlier. You had to ask Riwoo to be your partner for the dance.

“Would-“

“Y/n-“

Riwoo laughed and motioned for you to go first.

“There’s a dance coming up at the dormitory. It’s a special event cause the girls fought for it so hard. I don’t have a date to it, so I was wondering if-“

“Yes. I’d love to.” He cut you off, knowing you were stalling out of awkwardness. 

“What were you going to say?” You asked.

“Well, it was less saying…” He mumbled, cheeks burning.

“Huh?” 

“Run away if you don’t want me to.” He stalled, fiddling with his fingers. His eyes went back and forth on your face. Lips, eyes, lips, eyes.

You nodded, giving him the last bit of courage he needed to finally press his lips to yours. The kiss was sweet and soft, but mostly it was way too short.

Riwoo frowned, “That wasn’t…” 

“Enough?” You offered.

“Yeah.” He breathed out.

You laughed, hand cupping his cheek because he was so damn cute. You kissed him again, and then again, and even more after that until you were both satisfied.

“What will you wear to the dance?” Riwoo asked, lying down with his head in your lap, your hand gently playing with his hair. It was dark and only a streetlight illuminated the park.

“Apparently Minji and Hanni found cute dresses. Mine’s blue. What about you?”

“I’ll borrow my dad’s suit. I don’t have anything better. I hope it’s okay.”

“You look amazing in anything, don’t worry.” You kissed his forehead.

“When is your curfew…?” Riwoo asked suddenly. Your heart dropped.

“10 pm. What time is it now?”

“10:30.”

“Shit.”

Riwoo chuckled at your hushed swear and sat up.

“I’ll walk you back.” He offered out his hand and you grinned, lacing your fingers with his.

“Will I still get letters from the mysterious ‘R’?” You asked, swinging your arm back and forth.

“You knew?”

“Wasn’t that hard to figure out, sweetheart.”

He flushed at the nickname and nodded, “W-we’re here.”

“So we are. Saturday at 5 pm, okay? Don’t be late or I’ll break up with you.”

“I won’t.” He assured you and you smiled.

“Thank you for the soup and everything.” You kissed him one more time before scurrying up the stairs, leaving him with a thumping heart and giddy smile.

↳ boynextdoor taglist: @rizzshimura,, @captivq,, @icyminghao,, @yeonjuns-redhair,, @metalchick529,, @schmocolateschmchip,, @kpoprhia

[thelaughtercafe]

Muted Memories Chapter 2

Tea Type: Milk Tea

Potential Triggers:  Verbal and physical abuse, dissociating as a trauma response, nondescriptive murder, descriptive threats(not at reader).

Pairing: Issac Foster/F! Reader

Length: 4k+

Summary: Library explorations, and meeting new characters, fun for the whole family!

A/N: Chapter 2 is here!! Excited I finally got this done!! I’m not fully happy with the way it turned out but after messing with a few other ideas, I decided to go with the one I wrote while genuinely triggered since it felt the most raw and real.

I’m okay now; emotional flashbacks just really suck. Do not recommend lmao. Hope everyone enjoys and please do leave feedback! Always excited to hear from my readers on what they think!! ❤️

The rest of the day was easy once Zack dragged you back. Ray had thanked him in a reverent tone, to which the bandaged boy had only ruffled her hair fondly. They really were close. You hadn’t been expecting him to do the same to you however and it showed as you ducked your head to hide your burning face in Ray’s shoulder a moment. She giggled at your embarrassment and pet your hair. 

You all sat down and ate after that. Ray was attached to your side the rest of the morning, constantly either hanging off you, holding your hand or hugging you. She seemed touched starved, though given you were as well you easily obliged and accommodated her. You had to go to the library after breakfast since you no longer had a laptop and Zack had declined your offer to come, saying he had “better shit to do”. 

You shrugged him off but again reminded him to take anything he needed and disguised Rachel in one of your big hoodies before heading out. When talking about how well they were known they said their popularity had been dying down and they’d come here since it was so out of the way, hoping to find a forever home.

The air was a little chilly so you were glad you’d bundled up Rachel, however you were left shivering a little, given your other hoodie was still being repaired. You’d torn a noticeable hole in it on a rushed run out one day and the mender was blind; a friend Mr. Takamata had met and grown close to, and you had as well in turn. You wouldn’t give your business to anyone else despite the longer wait times. His job was always impeccable. Maybe you could get it on the way back, if he was still open. 

“Alright, to the library! We’ll go grocery shopping tonight on the way home and I’ll make dinner.”

“We’re gonna spend the whole day there?”

Rachel sounded excited at the prospect and you hummed in agreement. 

“Yeah, as long as you don’t mind. I need to do some school work and print out an essay. After that I figured I could show you some of my favorite books and maybe bring some home for Zack too.“

"That sounds fun but…mm…" 

Ray sounded happy at the prospect but trailed off and seemed conflicted, looking at the ground as she walked. 

"What’s wrong?”

“Oh I suppose it’s okay if I tell you. Zack can’t read.”

You blinked at that. He was around your age wasn’t he? You supposed you shouldn’t have been surprised. He clearly had a lot of inner trauma in addition to the physical. 

You smiled down at Ray though, swinging your held hands cheerfully. 

“I’ll get him some anyway. He doesn’t have to learn if he doesn’t want to of course, but I’d be more than happy to teach him. Even if he doesn’t, I like to read aloud anyway so he can enjoy it that way if he’d like.”

Ray gave a contemplative hum. 

“I don’t understand why you’re so nice to us. After everything we’ve done-”

You heard her voice crack and quickly stopped walking, gently pulling her aside and crouching down to her level to allow the other people milling about to pass. 

“Hey, hey! You keep sayin’ that, but from what I’ve seen you two are both damaged, but have been kind to me. It’s like I told Zack last night too…I’m lonely, sad as that may sound. So…no more apologies, okay? I’m happy to give you both a place to stay and let you have a fresh start. Mr. Takamata gave one to me…it seems only right that I should do the same.”

Ray threw her arms around you and you hugged her back before moving to stand. 

"Now, how about that library trip?”

She beamed up at you.  

“Let’s go!”

—–

You couldn’t help but sigh in relief as you both entered the library. It was cold, now. The wind had really picked up and you were already dreading the 20-minute walk back home when it’d be colder tonight.

Maybe you ought to stop by Reginald’s place on the way back after all. Now that you were here though, you had to put your game face on. You had two essays and one story to work on. Your only fun elective this semester was Monsters in Literature. Best teacher too; he reminded you of Robin Williams in his enthusiasm and inspiring words. You had a vague outline of ideas for the story and you wrote often, but creating original content was much harder than the fanworks you were used to. 

The essays were honestly easier. Everyone was always surprised when you told them that, but essay’s were really just cramming as many words as possible to get a simple point across most of the time, and given you enjoyed writing, even if it was boring as sin it was at least easy to bullshit. 

You observed Ray as you put your bookbag down, wanting to get her set up before starting. 

“You’re around 14 right?”

She nodded. 

“15, now actually. As of a few weeks ago.”

“Oh! We’ll have to celebrate. I’ll pick up some overtime, make sure to remind me to get a cake this weekend okay? Just in case my memory goes kaput after all this school work.”

She giggled and nodded happily as you mimed passing out. 

“Do you know what kind of books you like hun? I can get you set up in the right section and then get started here.”

She gave a carefree shrug. 

“I didn’t read much. Too noisy before.” 

Seeing the way her eyes went dull again you got to your feet and held your hand out to her before she could go too deep into her memories.

She took it and you led her into the adjoining room for Young Adult Fiction, not acknowledging the fact that she trembling with anything more than a soothing thumb rub. 

“Here’s the YA section. All kinds of scenarios and characters here- I recommend reading the back or inside of the flap and then just picking whichever one sounds interesting! You can always just go based on the cover if you’d like a more randomized experience though. This is still my favorite section honestly; if you need any help with the words or have any questions don’t be afraid to ask me. Feel free to get comfy, and if anyone that’s not me comes up to you, come get me or yell my name if you get scared, I’ll be just in the other room.”

After making sure she was okay you left her, happy to see she was already hesitantly beginning to explore. 

You sighed in resignation, sitting down and cracking your neck.

No more distractions, time to get your work done!

—–

The day passed quickly, with Ray occasionally coming over to ask for help with a word she didn’t know but it was a rarity and she was already on the 2nd book in a supernatural fantasy series when you were finished. You playfully took it from her to check the title. 

“Ooh Maximum Ride hm? That’s a good one, haven’t read it in ages. One of my favorites at your age too. Let’s bring it home with us huh?”

She nodded eagerly, a big grin on her face as she made grabby hands for the book, and you obliged, quickly grabbing the 3rd and 4th one as well. After a moment’s hesitation you grabbed 2 more for good measure, one for you, and one for Zack. You know how you were as a child and better safe than leave the poor girl on a cliffhanger. Luckily the librarians and you were already well acquainted given you came to volunteer to read to the kids here when you weren’t in school. It was a quick affair to check the books out and you were on your way. 

The essays had given you no trouble and were already sent to your professors…but that damn story had you completely stuck. You knew the general concept you wanted was dealing with possession of some sort but you couldn’t figure out who should be doing the possessing. It was the idea of being out of control you wanted to tap into Such a primal fear so underexplored by most monsters. 

It was still freezing oh God- you shivered as you and Ray made your way home. She looked at you worriedly and you could tell she was going to offer you the jacket but you patted her head. 

“I’ll be okay- gonna s-stop and get my m-m-mended one before groceries after all.” 

You sped walked and reached Reginald’s in record time, who luckily was just about to close up. 

“Reggie, please tell me you have my coat finished?”

Your eyes and voice were pleading and when he reached out to touch your arm in greeting he recoiled, frowning in fatherly disapproval. 

“Young lady, what on Earth are you doing out here in this cold without any protection?”

He sighed heavily and easily made his way back inside, holding the door open for you and Ray. 

It was the same as always, not a speck of dust in sight, but homey and most importantly, warm. You held your hands to your lips and warmed them. You could’ve cried when after a few moments Reginald came out, coat in hand. 

“Oh thank you so much! I’m in your debt! Here-” 

You went to pull out your wallet but at the sound of rustling Reggie tsk’d and shook his head. 

“No need, sweetheart. Can’t let ole’ Takamata’s daughter freeze now can I? How’s about you introduce me to your little friend here and I’ll call it even.”

You smiled fondly and sighed in defeat, slipping your dark burgundy coat over your t-shirt and zipping it up.  

“Fair deal! This is Ray, her and her older brother Zack will be staying with me from now on. They broke in and I couldn’t just turn away hungry people, especially a young girl like her. You know how Mr. Takamata was, he’d roll over in his grave if I didn’t help!”

The lies merged with the truth and Reginald laughed heartily, while Ray looked at you in disbelief. She surely expected you to give them fake names or backstories but there was no need. To lie effectively, you just had to be confident and believe what you were saying. 

���True enough!! Well, nice to meet you little lady, call me Reggie hm? Here, this hoodie feels too thin-”

“Reggie!”

He ignored your exasperated voice and before you knew it he’d tossed a small lilac coat and large black one your way and was shooing you out despite you protests. 

“I’ll hear nothing of it! Consider it a welcoming gift! Now get!” 

“Thank you Reggie. Really.”

He waved you off and patted Ray’s head before walking off. You smirked fondly and turned to look down at Ray. 

“Welp. How’s about we just get something hot and head on home? Zack may get worried if we’re out too much longer.” 

Ray nodded cheerfully. 

“Sounds great to me! I’m starved! That man was really nice, I hope we see him again soon.”

You giggled at her enthusiasm, opting to get pizza at the place right down the hill so it wouldn’t be a long walk. 

“Me too. I’m sure you’ll like him even more as you get to know him. He’s very kind. He has a service dog named Bucky, I’m sure you’ll get to meet them both again soon.” 

You held the pizza and Zack’s new coat, while Ray got the soda, garlic knots and the pepperoni pinwheel you caught her drooling over in the display case. 

You walked through the door with her on your heels, grinning and calling for Zack as you entered. 

“Zack we’re ho-”

Your voice died out at the sight in front of you. You couldn’t breathe. 

Why was he…here?

“Chris?”

That cursed name escaped your lips, bile burned your throat as he smiled and took a step closer. You went to back up, the door still open and remembered Ray and the fact your hands were full. 

Where was Zack? Didn’t matter you had to get Ray to safety. But she was already entering behind you, and setting the food on the table like he wasn’t there. She came over to take the pizza but you were in shock.

“The one and only!” 

His smile twitched, but you knew behind the mask he was seething as Ray began pulling out the food and setting the table. 

“Pizza night hm? Funny. I haven’t gotten my pay this month yet, I trust you have that ready for me?”

You just stared at him in stricken fear. The door was closed but you still felt just as frozen.

“…What are you doing here? How did you find this place?”

“Oh here? I’ve known for years, pet.I just…”

His smirk turned to a sneer. 

“Loosened your leash a little. Now, if you won’t give me what I want, you’re surely not fit to raise a child here. Maybe I’ll take her home…give her a proper enviorment. I mean, she didn’t even greet me properly. You know what happens to impolite children, don’t you?”

You didn’t speak up but you moved your body to block the way to the kitchen, motioning for Ray to run with your free hand, but she was completely oblivious. Your eyes steeled a little, but your voice was still that of a terrified kid. It didn’t matter that you were older now, it didn’t matter that you thought you were getting better. 

Suddenly you were a frightened child all over again. 

“I won’t let you have her.” 

You flinched at the feeling of a hand on you and looked down to find her gripping your hand, tugging you lightly towards the table.  

“Dinner’s ready. Come eat.”

Her eyes had gone dead, and she was pointedly ignoring Chris. She seemed very dissociated; probably a trauma response from her own family, if you had to guess. You realized your other hand still held the black coat and tossed it on the couch before reluctantly letting her take you to the table where you sat down. She sat too, and began eating while you looked numbly down at your plate. 

You heard the chair slide back as he sat at the head of the table, beginning to dissociate a little yourself but maintaining your hypervigilance. You felt shaky and scared, aware of every move he and yourself made. He began to eat, completely unbothered. 

You’d finally felt safe, away from him. Thought he was oblivious and finally mostly out of your life, save the monthly payments. You should have known you could never beat him. That he couldn’t cope with the loss of control. 

Now one of the first people in your life you allowed yourself to care for was at risk. It was your fault for not safeguarding against this possibility and the only reason you weren’t spiraling was because you knew you had to keep Ray safe. 

“What do you want?”

Your voice shook, but it was low and even, in hopes of being non-threatening. 

He was nonchalant as ever.

“You’re going to protect me, and let me stay here. I’m only hiding here because some psychopath showed up at my place.”

Your breath hitched and you looked up in fear as Ray jumped to her feet.

“Zack!?”

You hopped up quickly and wrapped Ray in your arms to shield her, and quickly mustered a lie. 

“Shh…shh…Zack isn’t here sweetheart.”

“That’s the second time I’ve heard that name. Who is he? Is he staying here too?”

“He’s her older brother. When she gets scared she seeks him out- I’m not the only one who got traumatized.”

Your mutter was bitter and under your breath but he caught it. 

He always heard it. He stood and you held Ray tighter. You just had to last until Zack got here. Keep him placated. You trembled- God why did the shakes never stop around him?

“Talking back? Pathetic. You’re shaking like a damn leaf. Whatever. You’ll always be a freak.”

You swayed as the familiar insult caused an emotional and partially visual flashback, hearing faint words, catching glimpses from the back of your mom’s car. She was inside getting groceries. 

“You’re such a damn freak- those bullies at school were right about you. You’re really nothing but a freak. Everything you do is freaky-”

He’d used variations of the word till you were hyperventilating upon your mother’s return. You couldn’t hide it fast enough, but his mask was right back on. Told your mother he was “getting you used to the word.” Ha. She’d harmlessly shared the bullying you’d confided in her about, having no idea you intentionally hadn’t told him because she didn’t know any better. 

But your Mother isn’t here now. 

Your shaking stopped and you took a deep breath, steeling your own mask. You straightened from hugging Ray and glared at where he stood by the chair he claimed. 

“I don’t care what you do with me, but you won’t hurt her. I’ll never let you abuse anyone else I care about again.”

He threw his head back in bitter, sadistic laughter and you acted quickly, grabbing her jacket in one smooth motion and rushing to shove Ray outside, with a simple command before slamming the side door shut and locking it, tossing the key out there with her so she nor Chris could get her back inside. 

“Find Zack and stay hidden if you can’t!”

She hesitated, meeting your eyes and you smiled at her, trying to make her feel secure only to yelp as something slammed hard on the back of your head, sending you to the floor. You vaguely registered the picture and glass surrounding you, and the sound of Ray crying out your name in panic. The picture of you and Mr. Takamata lay near your face and you smiled weakly.. 

“…Sorry, Dad. Looks like I won’t be able to fulfill my promise after all.”

Your head felt wet and warm, and your vision was getting murky. You felt dizzy, trying to stay conscious. Chris was yelling, but for once…you felt serene. No fear. No constant hypervigilance. No more masks. But…Zack. Where was he? You never got to give him his new coat…

Darkness took you under. 

—–

Zack burst into the door with a loud bang, wild eyes scanning the area. He’d been searching frantically for the bastard all day and was exhausted and starving after a long day. He’d been planning to pick up the following day when he arrived, only to hear an unfamiliar male screaming curses. 

Zack didn’t consider himself a protective person. He’d grown up most of his life alone and fending for himself. Ray was an exception to the rule, and he thought he’d never find someone he wanted to protect again. Till he met you. He didn’t know you well. Didn’t even fully trust you yet, honestly, always wary to give trust. But he saw something of himself in you. Plus, you were horrendously naive and so, so in need of protection. 

This bastard seemed the best place to start. 

To see him in his new home, where he finally felt safe? Zack was anything but happy. The man froze after kicking you on the floor. Zack spotted Ray with tears swimming in her eyes as she screamed behind the back door, before rushing to meet up with him, heading around to the front once she saw him. 

Things moved quickly after that. 

Zack had the man by the throat, sadistic snickers leaving him ceaselessly as he held him against the nearby wall because if he didn’t laugh and scream he was going to do something else and he vowed to never do that again. 

“You’ve got 3 seconds. Talk.”

The man, if he could be called that, was near pissing himself in fear but Zack felt none of the typical satisfaction. Just rage, simmering under the surface along with his want to rip the slight smirk he saw tugging at the asshole face whenever he glanced at your crumpled body. 

“I have no problem with you, alright!? I don’t know what you want- if you want to kill her she’s all yours, but I haven’t done anything! I’m an upstanding citizen, I swear!”

“So lemme see if I got this right. You come into my house, trash my place, hurt my family, not only fucking up their heads but physically too and you think I’m gonna let you walk outta here?”

Zack threw his head back in magical laughter at the thought; it was the funniest damn joke he’d ever heard. At that, Chris finally snapped and threw a punch, facade dropping in an instant, but Zack held fast, vaguely noticing Ray walking up next to him a look in her eye he hadn’t seen since they were trapped. 

“God you’re a freak just like her- no, you’re some kinda monster! Guh-!”

Ray stabbed hard into his stomach, making the man gurgle on his words. He looked down in shocked horror and Ray was impassive. 

“You hurt her, so I hurt you.”

He cursed at her too. 

“You little bitch!! You’ll never get away with this, I’ll make you pay!”

Ray shook her head in disappointment.

“There’s no fixing you.”

She waved before turning her attention to you.  

“Bye bye.”

Chris opened his mouth to snarl at her again but Zack was done playing games. He had more important things to do. He glared, shaking the man before beginning to drag him outside and into the forest, talking casually.

“Pretty sure we got unfinished business buddy. See I’ve got a sharp knife, and I’m curious how many pieces I can cut off before you bleed out. Shall we find out together?”

“No, no God please!! Have mercy!”

“Shut the Hell up!”

His shout was one of anger as he tossed the man down and kicked him hard in the ribs, paying no mind as he screamed in pain. 

“That’s what I caught you doing to the woman who let us stay here! I don’t know why she’s afraid of you, but after tonight she’ll never have to fear you again. Nothing should scare her more than me. I won’t let you have her. I refuse. Her fear belongs to me. Now do the whole damn world a favor and DIE!”

His last word was a guttural roar of anger and when the man was finally dead by his hand, Zack crumpled. He didn’t know why, or how. His body was shaking and his bandaged were wet and it wouldn’t stop. He didn’t like it at all. This feeling, the way His mouth made sounds out of his control. It felt like…he’d killed his demon a second time, but this time it wasn’t just his. It was yours too. He found…he liked the feeling. More than his usual kills. This was more…liberating. He took the time to let whatever was happening run its course as he dragged the now dead piece of meat into the forest and buried him with the very shovel you used to do as he had, but for someone you loved rather than loathed. Love. Still such a foreign word and concept to him. He shook off his thoughts 

But now he needed to make sure you stayed alive long enough to hear him gloat. He could worry about the oddness of “feelings” later. Ugh. He shuddered. Feelings. Gross. 

He bit down a smile as he made his way back towards the house, seeing from the window that Ray was already patching you up, one of your textbooks open next to her. 

Maybe whatever he felt for you and Ray though, wasn’t quite so bad.