#i'll cheer myself up somehow now

[innuwu]

So I just got my hands on the 1938 German dub of Snow White and started thinking about the cast. A lot of information about them has been lost, since a lot of the cast was Jewish. So, here's a small list of them (again, a lot of information was lost so I can't cover all of them) and what happened to them.

(Tw! a lot of anti-semetism, genocide, Hitler, and Nazi stuff under the cut)

Snow White - Hortense Raky (1918 - 2006) She was a German born Austrian actress, and was 19 at the time of recording. She fled to Switzerland after the annexation of Austria, but got to return to Vienna after the war. She died at the age of 90 on September 25, 2006.

The Queen/Witch - Dora Gerson (1899 - 1943) She was a Jewish singer and actress of the silent film era. She was 39 at the time of the recording. She began her career as a touring singer and actress, during which she met her first husband, Veit Harlan. They divorced in 1924. Later, Veit would direct anti-semetic propoganda films under supposed coercion. She remarried to Max Sluzier, and had two children with him, Miriam Sluzier, and Abel Juda Sluzier. After the Nazi party came in to power, she was blacklisted on working on "Aryan films". So, she started working for a small Jewish record company. She also began recording in Yiddish. She went to the Netherlands to escape Nazi persecution. After the Netherlands was invaded, Dora and her family were caught fleeing to Switzerland. They were sent by railroad car to Drancy internment camp bound for Auschwitz were they died. Dora, her husband and her children died on February 14, 1943.She was 43, Maz was 36, Miriam was 5, and Abel was 2. Her body was lost or destroyed.

Sleepy, Bashful and the Magic Mirror - Kurt Gerron (1897 - 1944). He was a Jewish actor and Director, and was 41 at the time of filming. He studied medicine before he was deployed in World War 1, and after being seriously injured, he was qualified to be a Military doctor despite having been only in his second year of university. After world war 1, he became an actor and a director in 1920. After the Nazi government came into power, he fled with his wife and parents, first to Paris and then to Amsterdam. He continued to work as an actor there, and despite being offered many jobs in Hollywood, he refused to leave Europe. After the occupation of the Netherlands, they were captured and sent to a transit camp at Westerbork. His parents were deported and murdered in Sobibor. Kurt and his wife, Olga were sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp, where they were forced to make a lot of propoganda films. Once filming was done, the film crew were sent to Aushchwitz, were they were murdered immediately on arrival. They died on the 28th of October, 1944. Kurt was 47, and Olga was 48.

Doc and Chef - Otto Wallburg ( 1889 - 1944) He was a prolific actor of the late silent film, and early sound era. He was 48 at the time of recording. He was the son of a Jewish banker. He started stage acting before being deployed into world war 1. He was wounded whilst on the Eastern front after winning an iron cross. After 1926, he started working in the German film industry. He fled to Austria where he kept working in film. He was arrested on 1940, following German invasion. He was held for a while at Westerbrok transit camp befor being taken to Auschwitz where he died at the age of 55. He died on the 29th of October.

Sneezy and Grumpy - Kurt Lilien (1888 - 1943) He was a Jewish actor. He was 56 at the time of recording. He appeared in 50 films between 1919 and 1933. He was arrested and sent to Sobibor extermination camp where he was murdered on May 28 of 1943 at the age of 60.

Happy - Siegfried Arno (1895 - 1975) He was best known as Toto in The Palm Beach Story. He was also a well known stage comedian. He fled Germany and later Europe, and went to work in Hollywood, making him the only Jewish cast member that made it out of Nazi Germany alive. During the next 20 years, he appeared in films often as a waiter, and a "funny European". He was nominated for a Tony award as Best actor for his work on the play "Time remembered" in 1958. In 1966, he won an honorary award at the German Film Awards "for his continued outstanding individual contributions to the German film over the years." He died from Parkinson's disease in California on August 17, 1975, at the age of 79.

It's sad to think and know about the horrible things that happened to them and the people of that time (and today), but sometimes that's the point. It's to be sad and uncomfortable about the things that happened, and see how those things persist in different ways even today.

[orcelito]

I would like for life to stop hurting for a little while. Maybe. Pretty please.

[is-this-yuri]

Please help me survive and escape homelessness.

GFM

KF

CA

I want to be safe by the winter of 2025.

I'm having a difficult time fundraising for my van. Repeated car troubles and various other unexpected issues have eaten into my savings multiple times, and while in a slump I wasn't making as many posts about my situation and I got significantly less donations over the last ~6 weeks on both my gofundme and my kofi/cashapp. While I've 'regained' a lot of what I lost, I've been spending about as much as is coming in. Aside from one instance, my emergency expenses were eaten by my fundraiser savings, which was then gained back about as quickly as I was spending it on my daily expenses. I still haven't reached the goal for the recent $1000 I had to spend on my car.

So far I've lost $2,200 of the $3,100 that's shown on the GFM. I'll be updating the fundraiser to reflect the loss.

I'm autistic and struggle just to meet my basic needs, and despite that I've been denied disability income multiple times. Failing to hold a job (and developing PTSD symptoms from my time being employed), and let down and abandoned by anyone who could support me, I'm left with few resources and few options. I try to make posts when I'm in a good mood, or keep people updated when I'm in a bad mood. I make videos on YouTube, hoping eventually I can show people what their money has gotten for me.

On a good month, I only spend about $600, leaving me some space to save the donations I was previously getting. With winter and the holidays coming, I'm not sure I'll be getting as much money as the warmer months, and I'll be spending more on keeping myself warm and fed over the winter. It will be more like $800/mo now. The only real solution is getting more money than I'm spending, as I'm already spending as little as I safely can.

I'll only take financial advice from someone who has lowered their expenses below mine, with the same disabilities and circumstances as me. What I need is more money, and I don't always have the energy to pay back with art and things like that. I don't even always have the energy to post my pleas for help. I don't have a sponsor to help me make these posts.

I'm in a low energy mode because what can I do with no money? In a state where I have to spend as little as possible, see such slow results, see most of it taken by things outside my control, and somehow keep up hope that this will work?

When I feel safe and have adequate shelter in a van, I'll be able to REST. And then start working harder and making more money one way or another. Whether you think I should suck it up and get a job or you want to see me become a content creator, I need money for any kind of opportunity and I'm just not getting enough.

So, thank you to everyone who's suppported me so far. Thank you to the repeat supports. I'm sorry I had to spend your money on other things. Thank you to the person who covered most of a huge expense I was stressing about a couple months ago. Thank you to the person who sent me $200 to get a hotel and told me to take care of my mental health before saving anything. Thank you to the blogs that have featured my fundraiser in your posts. Thank you to everyone who keeps boosting and cheering me on even though you can't support financially.

I don't know what else I can do to get more people like that to see me. There are so many options on the internet, but it's still a daunting task and as much as I can't really afford to rest, I have to sometimes. Often, in fact.

Please keep boosting this post until my goal is really met. Until I can spend more than $600 a month and actually earn your money rather than beg for it.

[sanaexus]

pass pass- oh smash.

the inarazaki volleyball team was nothing short of chaos. be it the twins bickering, suna recording every fight, aran cheering them on, omimi's loud sighs of disappointment, kita's scolding and the manager's threat was something that happened on a daily basis, it was normal.

but despite all that nothing changed the fact that they were all extremely close, specially with the manager. in the past all most all the managers quit because of how patient you needed to be dealing with the havoc they created. but you were different. dealing with their bullshit every day, helping them with whatever they needed and just being a friend they really needed.

while to anyone outside it may have seemed like you have romantic feelings for one of them and that's why you chose to become the manager, so you could be closer to them. but that really wasn't the case. the last thing you'd like was one of those hooligans.

it was supposed to be a normal practice match with aoba johsai, but this was inarizaki they were talking about, of course it wasn't.

no one knew you were dating oikawa. no, everyone just automatically assumed you were with atsumu. they weren't exactly to blame, you were close to him but that's what happens when you know someone since your childhood.

to say you were tensed about the match was an understatement. not only about how this was going to end on the court but about how the teams would react if they somehow got to know you were with oikawa.

but it was as if luck decided to make a complete fool of me their entire team came barging in, the loud entrance made everyone flinch for a second as they stared at the door.

now you were panicking and omi being the actual saint he was asked you, "are you alright?"

"no, fuck shit no, do i look alright?" i was pacing back and forth trying to hide my face thinking about ways to hide myself from oikawa or at least let him no that he shouldn't approach me.

"are you alright you look like you just saw a ghost"

"that's because i saw someone worse than a ghost! oh my godd can i call in sick please?" you pleaded with him, trying to find any excuse that would get you out of here.

"no. why would you want that, what happened?"

"i'm kinda maybe sorta might be dating someone from seijoh"

"what's the problem, he's in seijoh this is volley- wait you have boyf- WHAT?"

the yelling had caught the team's attention as they look at the both of you confused.

"WE'RE FINE, NOTHING HAPPENED" as you glare at omi "shhh are you trying to get me killed here? the problem is he is the volleyball team and is kinda the captain of the team. i'm just gonna pray he isn't stupid enough to approach me here with these creatures all around me"

"praying isn't going to be enough for what the twins might do to him if they find out."

cue the bad luck as kindaichi and kunimi wave at you, surprised you're standing at the other side of the court. your hands frantically making the cross sign across your chest mouthing "stay away, you don't know me"

"oh wait how about you text him or something to like not come up to you and you'll explain later"

"ohhh my god you're a genius i love you omi"

as you whip your phone out going to text iwaizumi with your hands shaking.

-IWAIZUMI HELP

why do you look like you're about to pass out? are you fine?

-it's because i might pass out any second. my team doesn't know i'm dating oikawa

oh

-yeah tell him to not approach me please if they find out i'll be dead

i'll do it. good luck w this mess

-thank you i owe you big time

you look up from your phone to talk to omi- "i told his bestfriend to tell him to not approach me that should work right?"

"why didn't you tell him directly? what if he thinks he's just saying it so he stays focused"

"ohhh you're like SUPPER smart, i dont know what i'd do without you"

"probably have your little affair get caught"

you just mutter a little "rude" before going to text oikawa. but before you can, he comes in yelling.

"Y/NNN CHANN I MISSED YOUUU" his whiney voice can be heard to everyone as he jogs his over to you.

you sigh, knowing what's about to go down. "hi oikawa, i missed you too.." you whisper so only you can hear it. and before you can process the entire inarizaki volleyball team (and seijoh) is surrounding the two of you.

suna could careless about who you dated, if you were happy he didn't mind it. but this was something that was both surprising and funny, so of course he had to record it.

it was confusing to the team because up until now they were under the impression you were dating atsumu.

"wait wait wait what does he mean by he missed you? are you two friends?" osamu was curious, he knew you weren't dating his brother but he thought you liked him.

oikawa dramatically turned towards you "you haven't told them?"

"ladies, ladies there's enough of me to go around" which only brought you deadpan looks from both the volleyball teams "ok sorry, my bad for being funny"

"wait what does he mean you haven't told us??"

"we've been dating for a year, the last thing we could be is friends-"

"you're dating him? I thought you were with atsumu?"

"atsumu? i thought you were dating suna?"

"why me? i didn't even do anything keep me out of this?"

"NO WHY WOULD I BE DATING EITHER OF THEM?"

"what's wrong with us?" suna and atsumu asked offended.

"shut up i've seen you eating sand and you ask me what's wrong with the two of you?"

"y/n chan, what's going on?" kunimi asks curiously. the seijoh's team just stood there watching you, oikawa and the inarizaki members going back and forth.

"all of you shut up, we didn't even let y/n explain properly"

"oh my god thank you kita-"

"you don't like the twins?"

"KITA?! no oh lord i don't, i've been dating toruu for the past year, i never did and never will like any of these hooligans, no offense"

"HEY! that's rude-" before atsumu could whiney any further osamu smacked him in the back of his head, which shut him up immediately.

"what about the rumors of a girl making out with atsumu? that wasn't you?" suna finally asked, genuinely wanting to know more.

"Y/N-CHAN YOU MADE OUT WITH PISS HAIR? WHAT?"

"no oh my god toruu I didn't-"

"oh, that wasn't her that was just a junior i dated."

"yeah that wasn't me wait ew juniors? really atsumu?"

"she was cute! don't shift this on me"

"but guys seriously i never had have or will like anyone from the volleyball team. i'm sorry i hid it from you guys, but i was just scared of what you guys would think"

"are you happy? does he keep you happy?" aran asked borderline choking atsumu.

the question caught you off guard but instantly a small smile replaced the shock on your face "yes, he does, he's stupid but he really does make me happy"

"then that's all that matters"

"aww thank you-"

"nuh uh, i don't approve, what if he's a playboy?" atsumu disapprovingly shook his head praying aran's hands off him.

"oh god no one wants to hear that from you" suna shut atsumu up.

atsumu quietly huffed a "rude"

"well now that that's sorted, we should probably get back to warming up"

"yes thank you kindaichi, finally a normal person"

"y/n?" aran called out to you.

"yes?"

"just because your boyfriend's in that team doesn't mean we'll go easy on them, we'll just be rougher with them"

"if it makes you win, be my guest."

this was a bit awkward to write and I'm not proudest of this either but we'll js roll with it

@daisy-room here you go mam hope I did your idea justice

[mc-lukanette]

"I'm the least-witch witch ever," Marinette groaned, burying her head in her arms on the table. A book titled History of Witch Fashion, thick but shockingly lacking in substance, laid open in front of her, turned all the way to the last page.

She understood it to some degree. Witches of the past had little need to change the way they looked due to their circumstances, as they tended to live far out in the woods where no one would see them anyway. It was a "waste" to worry about updating their look, and wearing all black tended to make camouflaging spells go more smoothly if they needed to go anywhere potentially dangerous at night.

Even in the modern day, there remained reasons to stick to tradition, such as to ensure that people knew what they were. Anyone who looked like a "genuine witch" was someone people could trust for potions or spells once magic became more socially acceptable.

But Marinette's problem was simple: she hated it. She couldn't pull off the all black look and found the generic pointy witch hats to, quite bluntly, look like traffic cones that just came back from a funeral.

"I don't even have a black cat!" she cried out in distress.

"Mrrah?"

She pushed herself up, turning to the white short-haired cat sitting nearby. "It's not your fault, Clawton! You're perfect just the way you are!"

The cat puffed out its chest with pride, a tiny gentlecat without a tuxedo.

Marinette smiled, feeling a little cheered up by it, but faltered when she looked at the book again. Centuries of witch fashion laid before her, yet there were only tiny, insignificant changes made over time. Even seasonal changes recommended temperature-related spells to show off instead of dressing for the weather like a normal person.

"It's fine!" she told herself, hitting the table with both hands. A surge of magic caused the book to float upwards, and Marinette ordered it into the garbage, deciding, "I'll just... have to take the witch fashion world by storm, all by myself!"

Clawton let out a concerned mew, but didn't protest.

—————

Step one of Marinette's lack of a plan was finding inspiration, and there were few better ways of doing that than walking around the town and taking in the sights. Clawton walked next to her, tiny pawsteps sounding beside her own footsteps as she scribbled anything that gave even remotely "witch-y" vibes. It was like making a mood board.

Nothing solid was forming in her head thus far, but it was better than nothing. While it wasn't likely to happen, she did hope for that special spark, that magical thing that'd make her go—

"Mrreow!"

Marinette stopped, surprised to hear her cat speak up when it was usually so quiet in public. Looking down, she called out worriedly, "Clawton?"

It didn't even glance at her, taking off like a shot down the street. She gasped, shocked but reacting quickly enough to chase after it.

"Hey, come back! Where are you going?"

She only hoped that her mood as of late hadn't been affecting it. Cats were sensitive to magical and emotional fluctuations in witches, making them solid pets but ones that could also take on or share a witch's stress if they chose to.

If that did end up being the case, she probably owed it a few treats.

Clawton turned on a dime to dart around a corner, Marinette not far behind. She heard someone yelp and fall over just as she turned that same corner, though slightly clumsier than her cat had been.

Sitting on the ground was a teenage boy, probably around her age, though she focused on little else when she saw Clawton purring in his lap. Horrified, she hurried to the two, plucking her cat from him and settling it in her arms.

She rambled off, "I'm so sorry! It's not usually like that, but now it knocked you over and—did it rip your clothes?! I swear I'll sew them up—I'll make it better even, I—!"

"They didn't scratch me."

Marinette paused mid-sentence, somehow managing to hear his soft voice over her panicking, and blinked at him. Taking in what she had assumed were "cat scratches," she realized that they were actually purposeful rips in the clothes. Even the knees of his pants had similar ones when she actually looked, and they more obviously weren't caused by a cat.

As the boy stood back up, entirely calm despite what had happened, Clawton hopped down from her arms to do figure eights around his legs. Marinette was still busy taking in his fashion, eyes scanning him up and down to fully capture it.

His pants and shoes were notably black, but not too much even with his black hair. He kept it interesting with the white and shades of blue he wore on his upper body, in addition to the blue highlights in his hair that were either natural or dyed. The rips she'd mistaken for cat scratches did still give off the same energy in a way, and if they were in another place, then maybe—

Marinette's eyes widened. Without another thought, she stepped forward, taking the boy's hands and clasping them together in her own. Looking him right in the eyes, she asked spontaneously, "Will you be my muse?!"

He blinked.

—————

The embarrassment took a few seconds to strike, after which came a slew of apologies and a promise to make up for the onslaught from both her and her cat. He insisted it was fine, but she insisted right back.

They eventually ended up sitting on a bench together at a public flower garden, complete with iced tea that Marinette had bought for them. Apparently, the boy often went there himself for his own inspiration - just as a musician rather than a fashion designer - so he smelled strongly of flowers that her cat adored, which explained why it had jumped him.

While Clawton rolled around and stretched amongst some thyme, the boy took a sip of his iced tea and wondered aloud, "So, changing witch fashion all on your own, huh?"

She whined, wishing she could hide behind her own cup. "I know. It sounds insane."

"No, I like the sound of that." He turned to her with a gentle smile. "I'm Luka, by the way."

She shot him a skeptical look. "Marinette. Are we exchanging names because you want a restraining order?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're fine. Honestly, I want to help you if I can."

"Really?" She paused. "Clawton didn't hit your head, did he? I know I said when we were getting drinks that you'd get benefits if this took off, but..."

He leaned back against the bench and swung an arm over the top of it, shrugging with the arm holding his cup. "I think if anyone can do it, it's you. You have incredible energy, Marinette." He grinned. "Enough to ask a stranger to be your muse."

He somehow felt positive enough about the experience to joke about it. Marinette knew then that either she had overreacted, she had struck diamond in finding this boy, or both. Either way, giving him up would be the most foolish thing she could do.

It helped that he, now that she was truly looking at him and not just his clothes, was exactly her type. He dressed in a style that was clearly his own and carried himself as such, confident and comfortable in the clothes he wore without coming off arrogant. Better yet was that he still had cat fur on his pants from when Clawton had rubbed itself on him, yet he seemed totally unbothered.

Gods and goddesses above, he was perfect.

Of course, if he was going to be her muse for such an important task, then it would have to be strictly professional, so she tried not to think about it too hard. She'd been told before that she could be a bit much, so she would have to be all business about this.

"Can I add a condition?" Luka asked suddenly.

"Huh? Yeah—er, yes." She tried to say it formally, straightening her back in perfect posture even if the colorful cup of iced tea kind of ruined it. "What is it?"

The corner of his lips twitched into a brief smirk at the action, but he carried on, "Can you be my muse too?"

"Ah?" Her shoulders slumped, already ruining the poise she'd been trying to maintain. "Me? You mean Clawton?"

"You," he insisted. "I like your cat too, but I think you're interesting, Marinette. If we're going to get to know each other, shouldn't we do it the best way creative people like us do?"

The logic was hard to argue with, especially with the slew of emotions he'd just caused her: bafflement that he'd want her of all people as a muse, shyness at the look he'd given her when he'd said it, and all of that preceding sheer joy.

"S-so you'll really do it then?" she realized, bouncing up out of her seat and facing him. "You'll be my muse?!"

He nodded, reaching a hand up to her for a handshake. "We've got a deal."

"Yes! I could just kiss you!" she blurted out. A second later, she caught herself and quickly corrected, "Ah, not really—not now—unless you—ah, thanks!"

She put her own hand out to complete the handshake, the two positively beaming, and thus began the relationship between the two teenage business partners that just happened to be each other's muse.

[harunovella]

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ love language (verse iii); s.g.

synopsis: a first date with gojo satoru? maybe... or maybe not... content: canon divergence (still teen!gojo era!), fem!reader, hopeless romantic gojo, best bros satoru and suguru bickering as always, gojo has given you a nickname (and I will now claim reader and gojo as "gojo and his mochi"), unimpressed nanami, not beta read (sorry for any errors!) note: another addition to my gojo anthology series! I'm having sm fun writing these lil things for myself and you all! also... should I start a tag list? lmk in the replies!

"Nanami Kento, Haibara Yu, and," Yaga Masamichi introduced before gesturing in your direction, speaking your name. "You may know the first two already but we've got another sorcerer to the school roster." Continuing his speech towards his three students that sat before him, Suguru and Shoko listened closely, eyeing a brooding Kento and a smiley Yu... while Satoru gazed at you with the biggest heart eyes. He didn't seem to care if he was obvious, after his first interaction with you ever (possibly the best moment of his life), he made it his goal to see you at least once a day. If you were away on missions, or busy during a lecture, he'd find a way to see you... even if it was from afar. "I want you three to mentor them from now on. Each of you teaming up with one of them and spending at least an hour a day to help them boost up their technique—"

"I'll be partnered up with mochi!" Gojo exclaimed, interrupting his teacher with a hand in the air.

"What's the point of raising your hand if you're gonna interrupt anyway?" Geto teased, earning a look from his best friend as he stuck out his tongue.

"Who... is mochi?" Yaga asked, pinching the bridge of his nose, never quite getting used to his white haired student. 

Pointing at you and speaking your name, you stood there with wide eyes and a blush. You weren't new to Gojo's behavior, after you first met him (helping you rescue your now kitten off a tree), you had plenty of... interesting interactions. At first, it was a lot to take in, seeing as he was very eccentric and grew really comfortable with you so easily, but after some time, you grew comfortable with it. With him. However, him calling you one of his favorite treats was a first. "She's cute like a mochi—"

"Oh, god..." Shoko shook her head as Suguru raised his eyebrows.

"That's a first," Yu spoke up, covering his mouth as he couldn't help but chuckle.

"No," the shared teacher spoke. "You will not be paired with her—"

"What! Why not?! We're best friends!" Satoru whined as you looked away with a subtle blush.

"Psht, that's harsh, am I now forgotten?" Suguru crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. "What if I want to team up with mochi?" The young man smirked, earning a scowl from his best friend.

"Never call her that again," Gojo hissed, earning a laugh from Geto.

"Enough, you two, she will be partnered up with Shoko. Knowing you two, you'd end up getting her hurt somehow," earning a gasp from the two boys, you couldn't help but smile, biting your bottom lip at the way they reacted. "I trust Nanami and Haibara will be fine in either of your care."

"Ugh," Gojo groaned.

"I suppose that's fair," Geto shrugged, earning a shove from Gojo in which he shoved back. "Who are we teamed up with, then?"

"Geto, you'll be paired up with Haibara," hearing a faint cheer come from Yu, Kento only sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Which means Gojo, you'll be paired up with Nanami."

"Well, if I can't have my mochi, I guess Nanamin is fine!" Gojo crossed his arms behind his head. "No offense, Haibara! Nanamin is just great company to tease," he grinned, earning an eye roll from the young, blond man.

"Perfect, today will be your first day. Report back here in an hour. Get to know one another's abilities better." At that, Yaga dismissed the class, Shoko rushing up to you and interlocking arms as she pulled you out with her. You couldn't help but look back at Satoru, seeing his grin towards  Kento turn into a frown as he looked at you. Sending him a small smile and wave, he waved back, happy that he at least got your attention for the time being.

Weeks then passed after Yaga paired everyone off, though it didn't change how things went—specifically missions—Gojo found another reason to see you. At least, another way to see you. Shoko's RCT required her to be in specific places, so he was well aware of where to find you when he wasn't with his own classmates. Nanami, on the occasion, was dragged along. Forced to watch his senior poorly flirt with you when you (shockingly) didn't seem too bothered by it. Instead, it made you flustered. You seemed to have enjoyed Satoru's attention. Of course, it never lasted long with Ieiri kicking both boys out (or just Gojo if he was the only one there) because she was busy being a good mentor and teaching you.

"I'm bored," Satoru whined as he sat on a bench, eyeing Kento as he trained on the open field. "This pairing up thing isn't all that fun."

"That's because you're not doing your job as my senior," Nanami spoke with a lack of enthusiasm.

"What's there to teach you? You're good as it is," he waved a hand as he sipped at his milk box. "I just wanna see my mochi..."

Sighing, Nanami shook his head before lifting it from his palm as he massaged his temples. A faint smile grew on his lips at the sight of you approaching, it seemed as if Shoko had lead the way before parting to go on her own route. You waved happily as he waved back, only to look at his senior to see that he hadn't noticed you. Grinning, Nanami quietly made his way towards you, his fellow classmate. To anyones shock, the two of you actually grew close. You saw one another like siblings, getting along quite well and actually maintaining interesting conversations. No one would've figured, he was a quiet boy and only really spoke when spoken to, but you brought something out of him. You always found something to speak about. Maybe it was your shared love for baked goods, or the possibility that you weren't annoying like most of the people around him. You were timid, but you were also very kind and social with those you were comfortable with. "How'd it go today?"

"Good, Shoko is very skilled, it's a shame we don't focus much on her technique. RCT is very important, no one does it like her." Smiling up at him as the two of you bumped fists, you then peeked over to Satoru, who was now lying on the bench, completely unaware of your presence. "Is he okay?"

"Being lazy as always," Nanami shrugged, but you slightly frowned. "Don't worry about it."

"What are you two babbling about?!" Gojo called out, not realizing who he had been yelling at. 

"I'll catch you later..." the blond said before patting your head, then walking away.

"Hey, I asked you a—" Sitting up and realizing who he had been yelling at, Gojo's eyes widened as he gulped. "Mochi!"

"Hi, Satoru," you greeted with a kind smile, causing him to blush. "Long day?"

Instantly standing up, nearly tripping over his own feet, he shook his head. "No! I was just... taking a break! Y'know... training others can be so tiring," he frowned while slumping forward as you let out a small laugh. "Especially someone as skilled as Nanamin!"

"Right," You nodded. "I hadn't seen you all day. I was thinking..."

Blinking a few times as he watched you approach, Gojo gulped, "yeah?"

"We should get an early dinner—"

"Now?" His eyes widen as he stood straight, earning another laugh from you.

"Mhm, or later, whatever you prefer—"

"Now! Now is good," He nodded, meeting you halfway before he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. "I know the perfect place! Plus, right next door, they sell some delicious mochi..." He grinned as you smiled up at him.

"Is this our first date?" Gojo teased as you sat on a bench, sharing a box of mochi. The dinner was as great as he had promised, a cute little restaurant that Gojo frequented. Satoru tried his best to impress you with his cooking skills, only to burn half of what he ordered. You couldn't help but laugh it off, deciding to cook the rest—in which he praised your skills (and promised to improve his own for the next time). For someone trying to do some impressing, he's constantly teetering between being shy and letting his confidence kick in (even if it was false, trying to win you over).

"Hmm, I was the one who asked to go to dinner," you said, biting into your mochi. "Shouldn't I decide that?"

"Wait!" Gojo lifted his hands, pulling the box of mochi away as you tilted your head. "I took us here to get our dessert," he nudged his head back, towards the stand. 

"So..." you trailed. 

"So... this could be our first date!" He beamed, earning a look from you as you playfully lifted an eyebrow.

"Maybe."

[acozysoulwrites]

Spider monkey | Sun Wukong x reader

Requested by @kaycode1999 : Could you do one where the reader and Monkey King somehow end up doing the spider-man kiss?

a/n - I loved this idea so fuckin much…

"Just a little bit further" Monkey had said over three hours ago.

You were accompanying him on his journey to defeat one of the most powerful demons in the land. Monkey really didn't want his only… companion (other than stick) getting hurt or worse... killed. However, you were insufferably stubborn.

"Monkeyyy, how much longer" You groan, your feet were aching so badly that you thought you might fall over right here on the path.

The tree leaves rustle and you glance to your left. A quick, red blur passes through a gap in the treeline and you roll your eyes.

"Just a feeew more miles" Monkey calls.

He was lucky that he could swing through the trees, honestly, any other form of travel would be better than walking right about now.

You groan and force yourself to take another step.

"Hey... cheer up, wanna play a game?" Monkey lands next to you with a sly grin plastered on his face.

You aren't sure if you should say yes, but a distraction would do wonders at this point.

"Anything to make this awful hike move faster," You say.

"Great! I'll hide, you seek, but keep walking okay? We don't have all day you know"

Your lips part to speak, but before you get even a mumble out, Monkey has disappeared into the trees with a sneer.

Some time passes as you walk along the path and you haven't heard from Monkey in a while. Only the faint sound of him swinging through the trees could be heard.

Suddenly you hear a loud thud from behind and spin around, ready for a fight. When you don't see anyone, your eyes drop to the ground. Laying there in the dirt is a twig. You spin around and nearly scream.

"Hey," Monkey says, his voice sultry, a smug grin on his upside-down face.

Monkey hangs from a tree, his tail snuggly wrapped around a thick branch that overreaches the road. "Found ya" He coos, reaching out to boop you on the nose.

Your faces are just inches apart, and you can't deny the heat rising in your chest. The two of you had never been this close. His temperature was rising as well, you felt it radiating off him.

You roll your eyes. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Giving myself away, duh. I'm way too good at this whole hide-and-seek thing. You'd never have found me" He boasts, yammering on and on. However, your mind was only on one thing.

You slowly lean in, all the while Monkey still goes on about his perfect hiding skills.

"I mean, c'mon... At least pretend like you know where I am- mmm" His eyes go wide as his words come to a satisfying halt.

Monkey doesnt pull away, instead, he leans into the kiss, his tail losing grip slightly as his body fills with sensations. The hair on his neck stands up slightly as you pull him closer.

"W-What was that for?" He mumbles when you pull away.

"Oh, well you wouldn't shut up, I had to think of something" You tease, this time booping his nose, you smile sweetly as you walk past him.

"What- I-" Monkey hangs there, mouth agape. His heart is beating so fast and he isn't sure if it's because of the stunt you just pulled or if there was too much blood rushing to his head.

He hops down from the tree, his shock still visible. "Hey! You can't just walk away after that, Pebble" He calls, running to catch up with you.

“Try me spider monkey!”

[thelazyhermits]

After reading the first TWST novel and seeing how Yuu/Grim's first meeting with Ace went there, I decided to write a drabble about how that encounter went with my Yuu, which I'll put underneath the cut.

Also, I've gone back and edited An Unlikely Team as well as Grim/Ace's chapters in An Unlikely Friendship, although there was only a minor edit in Grim's chapter as compared to Ace's chapter which got a whole different dialogue added in the final scene thanks to me getting inspired by the novel.

I hope y'all enjoy the new content! 😊💕

He’s definitely up to something.

That was the first thought that crossed your mind upon meeting Ace Trappola, a first-year student who introduced himself after approaching you and Grim while you both were studying the seven statues on Main Street that, for some reason, look exactly like popular Disney villains.

Grim, however, obviously felt differently since, ever since Ace showed up, he’s been amicably chatting with the redhead about the statues, all the while not looking the least bit suspicious of Ace.

Meanwhile, you’ve been working on cleaning the surrounding area, which is the job that had been assigned to both you and that procrastinating monster, because you really don’t want to risk getting in trouble with Crowley for not doing your job since said job is the reason you now have a free place to stay as well as a means to make money for food and everything else you'll need to survive in this strange, foreign world you've somehow found yourself in.

Plus, you had wanted to put some space between you and Ace since you don’t trust him and that fake smile of his, especially since he’s wearing the kind of fake smile that looks so genuine that only someone like you who’s grown up surrounded by adults, who use their professional fake smiles to take advantage of others for a living, would be able to see through his façade.

The whole time you’ve been cleaning, you’ve been surreptitiously scrutinizing Ace, trying to figure out what his hidden agenda is, all while simultaneously listening carefully to all the information he provides about the statues - information that matches well with what you know about the Disney villains they resemble.

Except for the fact that everything Ace says makes these villains sound like actual decent people who are worth revering rather than the scoundrels they were in the movies from your world.

Every time you hear Ace compliment the people the statues are based on, you have to fight the urge to scoff since so much of what he says is just so difficult for you to believe.

I can’t believe these villains’ stories got so twisted that they became people who are seriously revered in this world. You incredulously shake your head. Even worse, the Queen of Hearts’ story is pretty much the same as it was in Alice in Wonderland, meaning these people seriously didn’t mind a crazy queen who decapitates people as a regular form of punishment.

Just what kind of world have you found yourself in?

You wearily massage your temple. Hopefully, all that nonsense is just a part of this world’s history and not its present. Otherwise, I’ll need to steer clear of the part of the world where the Queen of Hearts reigned for the sake of my own well-being, although I can’t see myself leaving this school anytime soon, considering traveling requires money among many other things.

Obviously, I’ll need to do some more research on this subject. You muse. If I’m gonna survive in this crazy world, I need to learn as much about it as I can since knowledge is power.

Plus, you’re genuinely curious about this world’s “Great Seven” and want to see if there are any more commonalities between them and the movie villains from your world whom they so greatly resemble.

“Pretty cool, huh? Not like some piddling weasel.”

You’re abruptly pulled away from your thoughts when Ace’s previously friendly and cheerful voice suddenly becomes noticeably cold and malicious.

While Grim makes a surprised sound, you quickly focus your now narrowed gaze on the redhead. So he’s finally making his move. It’s about time. Now, I’ll finally find out what his deal is since I couldn’t get any clues from his earlier behavior when I was watching him.

“Pfft! Ah ha ha! I can't hold it back anymore!” Ace declares as he starts laughing, hard enough that he doubles over. “It’s too funny! I can’t breathe!”

For several seconds, his loud, wild laughter fills the air, and during this time, you give Ace an unimpressed look while Grim just stares at him with wide eyes, appearing stunned.

Once he eventually manages to compose himself, Ace wipes away the tears of mirth from his eyes. “Come on, you're the ones who turned orientation into a fiasco, right?”

“You two seriously stand out.” Ace sneers as he points at you. “A total normie, the perfect punchline to a disappointing joke. Every eye in the school focused on you last night, and you can’t even use a drop of magic.”

Completely unfazed by his mocking words, you maintain your unimpressed expression, which you can tell bothers him because his face briefly appears annoyed when you don’t give him the kind of reaction that you know he was hoping for.

Since he clearly won’t have any fun with you as his target, Ace quickly moves onto his next one and points at Grim. “And a monster who wasn’t even summoned by the Dark Mirror in the first place but crashed orientation anyway and got beaten to a pulp by my dorm leader.”

Wearing a cold smile, Ace gives both you and Grim a once-over before saying, “You’re perfect for each other.”

“W-What are ya-” Grim briefly stammers before scowling, “Ya don't gotta be a jerk! Comin' at us all of a sudden like this!”

“It’s not all of a sudden, dude.” Ace smirks, “The look on your face when they picked you up and tossed you out was hilarious! It took everything I had not to burst into laughter right in the middle of the ceremony!”

After giving you and the cleaning equipment that’s beside you a particularly withering look, Ace snickers, “So, in the end, neither of you got admitted, and now, you're janitors? SO lame!”

Upon realizing that Ace seriously is only here to taunt you and Grim, the tension in your frame eases as you roll your eyes. Really? That’s it? I was worried he might be someone secretly dangerous since his fake smile is so convincing, like the ones I always saw back in my world, but he’s really just an immature brat. I don’t know if I should be relieved or disappointed.

In direct contrast to you, who has calmed down now that you’ve realized Ace is no threat to you, Grim becomes increasingly more irritated. “Shaddup, you! I’m gonna be a student at this school in no time!”

“Nuh-uh! No way!” Ace shakes his head. “You're so clueless you don't even know who the Great Seven are. Not a one of them! Maybe before you try getting into the academy again, you ought to take a second crack at kindergarten?”

Unable to help yourself, you dryly retort, “Really? YOU’RE the one who’s saying someone should go back to kindergarten - the grade that so obviously suits you way better?”

Caught off guard since you’ve been silent pretty much the whole time he’s been here, Ace, along with Grim, turns to look at you in surprise.

Soon after, Ace’s surprise turns into annoyance. “And what’s THAT supposed to mean?”

You raise an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious? Even though you could’ve been doing way more productive things with your time, you instead went out of your way to come taunt us ‘cause you hated how much attention we got thanks to the orientation fiasco, like an immature, jealous brat.”

“Not only that, you’re getting in our way when we have work to do.” You huff before making a shooing gesture. “So can you just leave already? I have way more important things to do than listen to someone whose opinions I don’t give a damn about.”

Once he overcomes his surprise, Grim starts guffawing, “Way to tell him, Henchman! That’ll teach that jealous brat not to mess with the Great Grim! Myahaha!”

“I am NOT jealous!” Ace scowls, “Why the hell would I be jealous of losers like you two who are only still around ‘cause you got lucky enough to get a job cleaning up all of the WAY more important people’s trash?!”

After saying that, Ace angrily stomps over to where you’re standing and jabs a finger at your chest, glaring all the while. “You have a lotta nerve looking down on me when I actually earned my place here fair and square after working my ass off, unlike you who just waltzed right in and did whatever you pleased. A magicless loser like you has no place at this school, so get off your damn high horse already before you get knocked off.”

Completely unfazed by his anger since you’ve gone up against far scarier people in Japan’s underworld, you boredly swat away his finger. “I’m not looking down on you.”

Faster than he can react, you reach out and grab onto Ace’s shoulder with a tight enough grip that makes him cry out in pain.

Using your grip on his shoulder, you push down with enough strength to force the redhead, whom you quickly realize has no real fighting experience, to his knees.

In hopes that he will refrain from bothering you and Grim in the future if you give him a scary enough warning, you fiercely glare down at the shocked boy who’s now kneeling before you. “NOW, I am, and if you don’t want to end up in way worse shape, I highly recommend that you leave me and Grim alone and just focus on your studies like a good little student.”

As expected, upon being on the receiving end of your heated glare, Ace flinches and becomes noticeably paler.

Unfortunately, it would seem Ace Trappola is not as smart as you had originally thought he was since, rather than follow his instincts, which have surely identified you as an opponent he has no hope of ever beating by this point, Ace, whose fear quickly turns into ire, instead immediately shoots back up to his feet and tries to grab you by the collar of your hoodie. “You arrogant bastard! Don’t you dare make fun of me!”

Naturally, you smoothly avoid his hands since he’s nowhere near fast enough to grab hold of an experienced fighter like you.

“Alright, Henchman, you’ve done your part! Now, it’s time for your amazing boss to take over! Myaaaaah!”

Catching you and Ace off guard, Grim, who had been laughing on the sidelines up until this point, decides to get in on the action and proceeds to use his fire magic on Ace who just barely manages to avoid Grim’s fireball attack.

“Whoa!” Ace exclaims before turning to scowl at Grim. “What are you doing?!”

Grim smirks, “Now that my henchman’s had a turn, it’s time for me to dole out some payback ‘cause no one makes fun of Grim, Master of Fire, and gets away with it! I'll make ya regret messin’ with me!”

Ace scoffs, “You wanna throw down with me, shorty? You got some guts.”

Realizing that the two boys look like they seriously intend to fight, you face-palm. This is not what I was hoping to accomplish when I tried to intimidate Ace. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have done anything to him.

Just when you think this situation couldn’t possibly get any more exasperating, several NRC students, who had been on their way to class, start approaching the area where you, Grim, and Ace are, obviously curious about what’s going on between Grim and Ace.

Upon realizing that a fight is about to happen, the crowd of boys starts jeering and cheering, earning themselves an exasperated look from you. Boys…

Deciding it’s better to ignore the crowd for now, you quickly get in between Grim and Ace. “Enough! Grim, you can’t use your magic to fight here! If you cause any property damage, we’ll both get in serious trouble with the Headmage, and I do NOT wanna have to deal with that! And I bet you won’t be happy either when your tuna funds get taken away!”

Much to your annoyance, rather than heed your words, Grim scurries around you, moving fast enough that you can’t catch him. “Relax, Henchman! The only thing gettin’ damaged here is Ace’s ugly mug! Myahaha!”

Right after saying that, Grim launches another fireball at Ace. Unfortunately for the monster, his attack misses its mark just like it did last time, although it’s because of a completely different reason.

Instead of moving to dodge the attack like he did earlier, Ace, after pulling out what looks like a pen with a red gem on it, summons a gust of wind that knocks away Grim’s fireball before it can reach him. 

Ace smirks, “Ha! How do you like that?”

As Grim complains about Ace blowing away his fireballs and the redhead taunts him in return, you just blink. Huh, guess magic can control elements here like it can on TV back in my world. Good to know.

Seconds after that thought crosses your mind, realization suddenly dawns on your now pale features. Wait a minute. Fire and wind together? Oh no…

Realizing that this is a recipe for disaster, you shout, “Both of you, stop! If you keep mixing fire and wind magic together, you’ll-!”

Before you can finish that sentence, Grim, who has chosen to completely ignore you, angrily fires off another fireball at Ace, which the redhead once again blows away with his wind magic.

Unfortunately, unlike last time, the fire doesn’t simply get diverted to an area where it can’t harm anyone. This time, it hits a target.

The worst possible target.

Horrified, you watch as Grim’s attack, which became stronger thanks to Ace's wind magic fanning its flames, just as you had feared would happen, lands a direct hit on the Queen of Hearts’ statue, causing the statue to become completely engulfed in flames. Oh, shit. We are so screwed...

And, of course, you were exactly right.

[shanastoryteller]

Happy Valentine’s Day! Do you have more gryffindor draco or more slytherin harry? Thanks so much

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Remus doesn't get many visitors. He has few friends and those that he does have are disinclined to meet him at the edge of a middle of nowhere muggle village, especially when he's decided against connecting his fireplace to the floo network.

So the last thing he's expecting is a teenage witch banging down his door in the middle of winter, shivering and glaring at him like it's somehow his fault. She smooths her face into a pleasant smile which instantly puts him on edge. "Hello, Mr. Lupin, my name is Agnesa and I'm a fifth year Hogwarts student. Can I come in?"

"Do your parents know where you are?" he asks.

She doesn't so much as blink. "I'm here to talk to you about Harry Potter."

Harry. He ignores the familiar clench in his chest and doesn't look back to the box where he keeps all the articles he'd clipped out. He looks so much like James, although his friend would probably be rolling to hear that his son was sorted into Slytherin. Lily would have slapped some sense into him, he knows, but cheering for the Slytherin team would have sent him into the five stages of grief every game.

"You should invite me in now," Agnes says. "It's cold and I can't perform any warming charms in the middle of a muggle town without setting off an alert at the ministry." She frowns. "Although they must be used to your magic popping up here so maybe they wouldn't notice."

They'd notice. The ministry monitors him closer than most, searching for a spike of magic that they can use to raid his home and arrest him.

"You should go," he says. "There's nothing I can help you with."

He starts to close the door and she jams her foot in it, her veneer of niceness dropped as she glares at him with all the scorn an inconvenienced teenage girl can muster. "Mr. Lupin, let me inside and hear me out or your lycanthropy status will be in every tawdry gossip rag I can bribe."

How did she - "Who are you?" he snaps.

"Don't you listen? I'm Agnesa, I'm a Prefect, and Harry Potter is in my house and he's my responsibility and he's yours too and you're going to help me or else."

Of course she's a Slytherin. "As you're seemingly well aware, given my status there's nothing I can do for Harry."

He'd tried. Dumbledore had insisted it wasn't safe.

"As you're seemingly unaware, better a werewolf than the worst sort of muggles," she retorts. It's odd to here McGonagall's decade old words coming out of her mouth. "We can arrange for Harry to be out of the house when you transform, but I can't exactly go and intimidate a bunch of muggles into acting correctly without landing myself in Azkaban. Also Wolfsbane exists."

"Petunia isn't that bad," he says, taken aback at her vehemence. She and Lily hadn't always gotten along, especially towards the end, but she'd loved her sister.

"She is, and if you'll let me inside, I'll tell you why," Agnesa stresses.

Remus sighs and steps back.

"Thank you," she says pointedly, whipping off her cloak and then giving him a betrayed look when he has no coat hook handy.

He'd really been hoping for a quiet afternoon.

[13as07]

Sweet Girl #2

(Shikaku Nara Smut)

[Artwork is not mine! Credit to Pii (Fc2)]

Requested by: Also my hormones

Word Count: 3,733

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

Age-gap

Oral (fe/male receiving)

Dacryphilia (aka getting hard cause of tears)

Creampie

Fighting (yelling)

Name Calling: Commander, Sweet Girl, Bitch, Good Girl

Pleasure Kink

Praise

Auralism (hearing people having sex)

Hairpulling

Exhibitionism

Three some (with Inoichi, kinda and cause you can’t convince me that the Ino-Shika-Cho first gen weren't swingers. Those men were real close)

Face fucking

Coercion (more or less)

Part Three?

———————————————————————

The tingles of neediness coat me, mixed with a layer of grogginess as I slowly shift out of sleep. Fear is the next thing to coat my senses, the feeling of something slithering through my pussy sparking it. "Good Morning, Sweet Girl. How'd you sleep?" The Nara chief's voice mutters, sending hot waves of breath across my very present arousal as his eyes look up at me.

Once the question is out, Shikaku tips his head down again, going back to lazily licking at me, toying with my clit before poking his tongue in, then making a slow trip back to my clit. "I... um... uh..." The answer won't form in my head, my eyes close as my hands ball up the sheet under me.

The events of the day before slowly filter in, making it even harder to form an answer. Shikamaru cheating. Shikaku 'apologizing' for his son. Shikaku pleading with me balls deep to stick around, to let him take care of me in any and every way I want. Shikaku filled me constantly, somehow managing to go the rest of the day with no problem. Shikaku buried between my thighs again and again, somehow between my knees more than he was in me.

"I slept good," I finally manage to push out, fluttering my eyes back open.

"Wonderful!" He cheers, his usual smirk coating his lips as his head picks up from its spot. "We have a busy day today," he tells me, slowly climbing up my body. Shikaku hooks his elbows under my knees, dragging my legs up with him as he crawls. "But, before you, pretty little thing, tug along with me for the day, I should properly greet you good morning," he says, leaning against me and pressing my knees into the mattress by my head.

Shikaku's nose brushes against mine, his dark eyes soft and admiring as he scans over my face. "Good morning, Sweet Girl. Thank you for spending the night with me."

"You're welc - mhm," the reply is cut off by Shikaku sinking into me. My pussy is raw and sensitive from constant use yesterday, a slight aching burn pooling with my arousal. Before I can stop myself, my hands shoot up, gripping the loose ends of his hair and tugging on it.

His head falls to the side I'm pulling it towards, eyes shiny and smile wide as he looks at me. "I know, I know. You ache, don't you? My poor Sweets. I promise as soon as we're done I'll help all those pains go away. But, for now, I need a little help with my morning wood, okay? Do you think you can help me with that?"

     "Yes Commander," I murmur, tugging his head further to the side.

     Shikaku gets off on my reactions, the ones he especially likes getting a chuckle from him, like this one is. "That's my Sweet Girl," he praises, working against me to settle his head on my shoulder. My painful cries are praised with kisses littered up and down my shoulder. "I'm sorry" and "Thank you" spilling on repeat from the older man as he slowly works himself in and out of me.

     When I need a distraction from the pain, I tug on Shikaku's hair again, tugging his face closer to mine. "Oh, Sweet Girl," he coos, eyes sparkling at the sight of tears streaming down my cheeks. "You know I can't help myself when you cry," the chief mutters, lips brushing across my face to clean up my tears. "You're just going to dig yourself a deeper hole doing that. Calm yourself."

     One of his hands drops from under my thigh, letting my legs tumble back to the bed. The hand still wrapped around my other leg pushes it further, as if the mattress will give way and let Shikaku snap me in half. His free hand snakes between us, ghosting over my clit, pulling another sob from me, and costing my cheeks in fresh tears. "Shikaku," I whine, trying to tug his hand away. "I'm - "

     "I know, I know, I know. I've been overworking you. You're all sensitive and your cunt aches from stretching around me so much. I know, Sweets. I'm sorry for being so selfish, but I can't help it. The more you cry, the more I want to stuff you," he softly taunts, head dipped to suck on my titties for the first time today.

     My nipples ache too from all the pinching and playing he did with them yesterday. Another sob comes from the added pain, my sight going blurry. "Damn it," he mutters, mouth snapping down on my nipple, his teeth tugging in it as he shoves himself into me. Shikaku tops off in me, coating my pussy in his cum. His chest pumps for air, mouth soft and pressing soft licks to my bruised tit as he calms himself down.

     "I'm sorry, that was selfish of me. You're hurting and didn't get to finish. I'm sorry, Sweets," he mutters against my skin, slowly slamming his softening dick into me, shoving his cum deeper and deeper into me.

     "Shikaku," I whine, snapping his head back, another round of chuckles spilling from him. "If you keep finishing in me, I'm going to get pregnant."

     "I wish, Sweet Girl, but I'm shooting blankets. Don't worry your pretty little head."

     Thank the Lord.

                ————————————

   Shikaku's frame wraps around me, as we sway back and forth in the kitchen, singing along to the radio. I'm pressed up against the counter, caught between his arms as I watch him chop the vegetables for breakfast. "If you're crying in an unfamiliar town, even if I'm not by your side, I want to send you a smile," He hums in my ear, brushing a kiss against the shell of it now and again.

     Once the vegetables are done, Shikaku settles the knife down, hands falling onto his T-shirt I'm wearing. His fingertips slide under the hem, toying with my stomach, swaying us more as he continues singing to me. "Even now, the shining, sparkling stars are shining on you," he whispers against my throat, ghosting kisses into my skin.

     "Your hair tickles," I giggle, the mix of his hair and lips brushing against my neck making me stir.

     "Oh, ya?" He asks, fingertips sliding over my sides, tickling me even more. "Does this tickle too? Does it?" He teases, fingers digging into my sides as I try to tug myself out of his hold.

     "Shikaku!" I giggle, thrusting around in his arms. "Yes, it tickles! Knock it off!" My hands cling to his arms, trying to push them off me. My ribs are starting to hurt from laughing so much.

     "Alright," he says, hands going still just under my boobs. "Be a Sweet Girl and set the table for me, okay?"

     "Yes, Commander," I mutter, heat climbing up my cheeks now that the title has been tainted. My obedience is rewarded with a kiss to my cheek and a smack on my butt, pulling a soft yelp from me when Shikaku's hand lands.

     As I walk around the kitchen collecting the kitchenware, tap after tap land on my ass, Shikaku giving me a love tap every time I pass him. "Commander!" I fake whine, another tap landing as he uses his bottom half to press me against the table.

"Sweet Girl," he mocks my voice, tugging his shirt up my body again. One hand keeps it tugged up, wrapped around the fingers he has pressed between my boobs. "You're so pretty," he praises, his free hand sliding down my stomach, and landing on my panties.

His fingertips dance over my clothes core, sparking my arousal as he toys with me. He prods at me, pressing against my hole and his dumb sliding over my clit. "Look at you, all sorts of excited," he chuckles, stratified with my growing wetness.

"Maybe don't fuck my girlfriend on the kitchen table," Shikamaru's voice cuts through the growing tension.

Shikaku rolls his eyes but does pull away from me, sulking back to the kitchen to finish breakfast. "Ex-girlfriend," I mutter, laying out the placements for dinner.

     "What?" Shikamaru hisses, plopping in his unassigned seat at the table. His arms are crossed over his chest as he leans back in his chair, eyes hard and set on me.

     "Ex-girlfriend," I repeat louder, focusing on setting the plates and silverware out. "I'm your ex-girlfriend, Shika."

     "Well we never officially broke up, so - "

     "I came home to you fucking Temari!" I yell, slamming one of the plates against the table, the glass giving way and breaking. "You fucked someone else, I fucked someone else. I'm pretty confident there's no better way to solidify a breakup."

     "You didn't fuck someone else, you fucked my dad!"

     "And I fucked him over and over and over again. I just fucked him this morning, and I sure as hell will do it again later!" I huff, glaring at the man I swore was the love of my life. "Don't forget, you're the one that cheated, not me."

     "You! Fucked. My. Dad." He repeats, stressing the first word. His hands are boxed, moving to the left with every word, as if his motion while make me hear his words better. "My dad. Not Naruto, not Shino, not even Choji. My dad. My dad. You've known the man your whole life. You knew my mom your whole life! And you what? Honor her death by fucking her husband?"

     "Shikamaru," I mutter, rubbing my hands up and down the sides of my head. "Your mom has been dead for years. It's not like I was fucking him when she was alive, because unlike you, your dad and I aren't cheaters."

     "You're being a bitch. That's what you're doing, you're acting like a bitch right now."

     "Okay," I sigh, turning on my heels and heading toward the kitchen. I need to clean up the broken plate and grab another one from the cabinet.

"Make sure you grab an extra plate. Temari will be awake soon and she'll probably want to eat too. After all, my dad isn't the only man in the house that has a bitch stay overnight!" He yells after me, a huff following his words.

"Whatever," I mumble, rolling my eyes at the distraught man. It's not my fault he cheated, and it's not my fault his dad makes me feel good. He's just pissed at himself.

"That was... interesting," Shikaku chuckles, poking into the rice pot to check on it.

"It was stressful," I correct, pulling two more plates out of the cabinet. "Your son is stressful and cannot admit when he's in the wrong."

"I'm sorry I didn't raise him better," the Commander apologizes for the hundredth time, his arms wrapping around my hips again. "Let me make it up to you."

"Shikaku," I whine, clicking my knees closed. "I can't. I really can't."

"I know, Sweet Girl. Your poor cunt is all sore but don't worry, I won't stretch you out this time," He soothes, the man turning me around, and lifting me onto the counter. My panties are stripped off and left lying on the floor before Shikaku sinks to his knees.

His arms rest on my thighs, clinging to them as his thumbs rub circles into me. "Come on, Sweet Girl. Let your Commander have a little taste. Let me have some Sweets before breakfast is done."

I let out a soft whimper but shift my legs open, getting a pleased smile and Shikaku's tongue sliding across his lips hungrily. "That's a good girl. You're so sweet to me." The compliment is followed by his tongue sliding through my folds, eagerly lapping at my pussy.

My fingers flutter over his shoulders before culling his face, my thumb running over the jagged scars on his face. Shikaku's head tilts up, lips wrapping around my clit as his eyes lock on me. "Hey," I whimper, a new sensation sparking through me as he hums against my pussy.

He sucks harder on my clit, continuing it for a few more moments before he releases it with a pop. "See? You're fine. Your pussy just needs a little rest from being filled. It doesn't mean you can't be enjoyed," he mutters, eyes glancing towards my chest that heaves and jumping from the noises I'm making.

Shikaku's tongue dips back in, repeating his lazy back and forth between teasing my hole and teasing my clit. It doesn't take long for the knot in my stomach to build, nails digging into his scalp as I'm shoved closer to release. "Shikaku," I whine, tugging on his hair. "Commander, Shikaku."

His tongue slides over my clit again, jump-starting my orgasm. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," I whine between moans, slamming my thighs against his face as my body tenses. "Damn it."

He chuckles, lapping up my juices that dribble onto his face. "Thank you, Sweet Girl," he praises, eyes as shiny as his face that's covered in me. "You're always so good to me. Now, put your pretty panties back on and go wait at the table for me to serve you breakfast," he orders, stamping kisses across my thighs. "Am I understood?"

"Yes, Commander," I slur out, clumsily climbing back to my feet.

Shikaku's hands crawl up and down my body, helping me keep my balance as I slide my underwear back on. "Good girl. Good, good girl. Always so pretty for me, so sweet, so taste," he coos, shoving his tongue into my mouth as his lips crash against mine. "Now, go sit down," he orders again, smacking my ass harder than the new usual.

"Yes, Commander," I repeat, heat racing to my cheeks as I grab the plates and waltz out toward the dinner table, the leftover sizzles of my arousal still bouncing between my thighs.

Shikamaru looks like he's not sure if he's going to throw up or punch someone when I walk in, anger fuming off of him. Turns out he wasn't lying, the blonde girl is sat next to him, eyes wide and fluttering between the two of us. "So..." she mutters, tapping her hands against the table.

"Just be quiet Temari," Shika grumbles, snatching a plate from me and laying it in front of her.

Someone isn't hitting it right, and it sure as hell isn't Shikaku.

————————————

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Sweet Girl," Shikaku breathes out, curses whispered under his breath as I bob my head up and down his penis.

The past week I've been joining Shikaku at work, the whole time I've begged to do some under-the-desk support. Today he finally gave in. Hence, me kneeling shirtless on a cushion under his desk with his dick down my throat and his hands attempting to be gentle in my hair. He clings to it, then he realizes how rough his hold is before his fingers go gentle again, repeating the cycle over and over again.

"My Sweet Girl - " Shikaku is cut off by a knock, his eyes flickering away from me to rest on the door. His hands slide out of my hair, culling my cheeks as he tries to calm himself. "Sweets - " Another knock comes, this time paired with a shout of his name. "Just stay put," he mutters, gently tapping my cheek as he pulls his erection out of my mouth, nearly putting himself away.

"Shikaku," I whine, trying - and failing - to take him back down my throat.

"Hush," he orders me, scooting in so I'm pressed into him more. "Just be silent," Shikaku says, resting my head on his lap, and slowly sliding his fingers through my hair. "Come in!" He calls, twirling the ends of a strand.

"Shikaku! We need to talk!" A voice shouts once the door is opened, said door slamming closed behind the person.

My eyes flicker up, scanning Shikaku for a reaction. He seems unfazed so everything is fine. I settle my hand back down in his lap, letting my eyes flicker closed.

"What in the world do you think you're doing, Shika?" Oh, it's Inoichi; Ino's dad and Shikaku's best friend. "You're sleeping with your son's girlfriend? Or... or dating her? What the hell are you two doing? What the hell are you doing?"

"I mean, we haven't put a title on it but ya we're... sleeping together and we've been spending more time together. It's not that big of a deal," Shikaku answers, twirling my hair tighter.

My eyes flutter open, glancing up again. His full focus is on his friend, which means... my eyes flicker down to his still-hard crotch, the outline of his bulge fighting against his pants making my mouth water.

"'It's not that big of a deal'?" Inoichi shrieks, his voice getting closer to the desk. "She is young enough to be your daughter, literally! I get... I get the whole Shikamaru cheating, and her being upset about it and all, I get that part, but really Shika? You're fucking her? What... what the hell is going through your mind? That you just want some young tail? That you're cool with being a rebound? What?"

Their fight continues the sound of their voices becoming background noise as I work him back out of his pants. His hands tighten on my hair, tugging my head away from his penis. Shikaku's eyes flicker down, sending me a warning to knock it off before his attention turns back to his fight.

I wiggle around between Shikaku's legs, tugging at his hands to let go. His split attention makes it easier for me to loosen his hold, letting my head fall far enough down to suck on his tip. My eyes jump up to his face, watching it contort as I suckle on him. His face flushes, jaw locking and unlocking as he talks, and hands knotted in my hair, gently pushing my head further down his length.

     "I just..." Shikaku starts, cutting himself off as he huffs out a breath. "She's fun, okay? She makes life fun again. I haven't had that since Yoshino died. So what if I'm a rebound? At least I get to have some fun while she's recovering."

     "Fun? Is that what you're calling it? Her blowing you under your desk, 'fun'? Thrilling, even?"

     We both freeze from Inoichi’s observation. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to blow Shikaku with his friend, another high-ranked Shinobi, in the room. "Yes," Shikaku answers slowly, lengthening the word as he says it. His hands gently push my head again, encouraging me to start bobbing it.

     My eyes flicker up again, being met with a soft smile. I keep my sights set as I slide down his length, his tip tapping against my throat and causing a gag to gurgle up. Shikaku takes control, moving me slowly and easily as I focus on sucking him. "I don't see why you don't try it out."

     "Fucking my son's girlfriend? Do we need to talk about how that's impossible?"

     "That's not... what I meant," Shikaku mumbles, his hands moving a bit faster as his orgasm approaches.

     "Oh, so you meant fucking your son's girlfriend," Inoichi mocks, his tone sarcastic.

     "I mean... no but if she's willing then whatever. You haven't fucked anyone since your wife died. Maybe getting some while help you unwind yourself a bit," the Commander says, eyes intensely on me as he shoves himself down my throat. I choke around him, more gagging coming as Shikaku spills out down my throat, his cum sliding down and filling my stomach instead of my pussy for once.

     "I was... it was a joke. I was kidding," Inoichi races out as Shikaku slowly pulls himself out of my mouth. "I was..." I'm helped to my feet, the Commander's hands pawing at me as he pulls me out from under his desk. "I was... kidding," His friend mutters, eyes locked on my chest as Shikamaru settles me on his lap, my back pressed into his chest.

     "Sweet Girl," he purrs in my ear, hands gripping my boobs, squeezing them with my bra between our skin. "Can't you be sweet and help Chief Yamanaka calm down? Please?"

     "I don't... I don't know," I mutter, a blush crawling across my face because of Shikaku's hands toying with me and the thought of getting another man off.

     "I won't mind, Sweets. After all, a good friend shares," he adds, sending a wink to his friend. "Only if you want to though. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Do you want to? You want to fuck Inoichi?"

     "N... no," I mumble, tingles swirling between my legs.

     Shikaku hums in disagreement, a hand jumping down and sliding into my pants, quickly skirting past my panties as well. "That's not what your pussy says. You're all hot and bothered. Do you like the idea of taking the two of us? Do you want to be the center of attention in an orgy? How about you Inoichi? You want to fuck my 'too young for me' Sweets?"

     Inoichi's eyes jump down, watching as his friend toys with me, fingers barely tipping into me to keep me squirming in his lap. His cheeks heat up too, eyes bouncing away but quickly moving back towards me. "I... she's..." He tries to say, cutting himself off with a hum and another eye flicker. "Yes," he whispers, eyes set on me again.

     "How about you, Sweet Girl?" Shikaku whispers in my ear, finally thrusting the length of his fingers into me.

     "Yes! Yes, yes, yes," I race out, clinging to his thighs as widen my legs, hoping it'll help his fingers reach into me deeper. Shikaku chuckles, curling his fingers a few times before pulling them out of me. "Shikaku!"

     "Sweet Girl!" He teases, picking me up to rest me on my feet. "You won't die because you have to wait a minute or two," he tells me, a hand sliding up my bare back to unclasp my bra. Once it's tugged off of me, Shikaku's focus switches to tugging my bottoms off, leaving me bare in his office. "Door please."

     Inoichi turns on his heels, closing the door and locking it before heading back towards the desk. What the hell did I just sign myself up for?

———————————————————————

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[bluestar22x]

The Shot Not Taken

Pairing: Marcus Pike x F!Reader (Nickname "Sunny")

Summary: It was one last night in a cabin after a case; it wasn't supposed to end this way

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 3,400(ish)

Warnings: Sexual tension, yearning, violence, fairly graphic mentions of blood, angst, tragedy - Might be AUish since I don't know what time of year Marcus actually moved to D.C.

Author's Note: I wrote this for @almostfoxglove 's Angst Challenge, and I almost made myself cry, so prepare yourselves. (Moodboard was made by them)

xxx

"You wanna quit while you're ahead, Pike?" you questioned, a smirk on your face. "Before I take what's left of your cash?"

"You're bluffing," he said warily, his dark eyes peering over his hand of cards to where you sat across the table. "There's no way you're that lucky. You've already won five rounds tonight."

"Don't get mad at me when you can't afford breakfast tomorrow."

He flashed you a wicked smile as he placed his hand on the table. "Somehow I doubt that'll be the case." He nodded at his cards. "Four of a kind."

You glanced down to see that he indeed had four aces. You chuckled, surprising him. "Weak."

You dropped your cards on the table revealing that you had the ultimate hand. "Royal flush."

He groaned. "What the hell, Sunny?"

"If it makes you feel better, I'll share my breakfast with you tomorrow," you promised. "Now hand over the money."

A thin smile broke through his look of disbelief. "You should've been nicknamed Lucky instead of Sunny. I'm never playing poker with you again."

"Aw, but you just paid my rent for the month," you teased.

"Exactly."

He reached for his bottle of beer and took a sip before throwing the cash he owed you onto the center of the kitchen table. "I'm bailing before I can't afford my rent."

You pretended to pout but couldn't keep up the act for long. You were nicknamed Sunny for a reason. You hardly ever were in a bad mood. There wasn't much that could keep your spirits down. Which was a good thing, considering your job as an FBI agent for the art crimes department in Washington D.C. involved some very long hours and carried plenty of risk when out in the field.

"Chicken," you declared as you pushed your chair away from the table. "Fine. I wanted to go for a walk before it got too dark outside anyway."

Pike nodded at you as you sprung to your feet. "I'll pick up the cabin while you're out."

"How chivalrous of you, Agent Pike," you sang out. "I'll be back by sunset the latest. Send the hounds if I'm not."

It was a joke, but unsurprisingly the lines over your partner's brows etched in a little deeper. Worried at just the idea of you not coming back. It was sweet, considering you'd only been partners for four months. He'd just moved to the capital on a promotion.

Maybe that meant you were friends.

When he'd first been paired up with you Marcus Pike had been reserved around you, almost like he was afraid to become friends with you.

You'd been secretly hurt by it because he was fine with almost everyone else. His cheerfulness almost rivaling your own at times. He was one of the most good-natured agents you'd ever met, but he was quiet around you. Not necessarily cold, but strictly professional.

You'd wondered if someone had hurt him and if you reminded him of them somehow. He seldom mentioned his final months in Texas to anyone.

You'd thought you were reaching before Marcus came around, because he seemed as married to his work as you were, but your superior had revealed to you at a work party that Marcus had requested for his ex fiancée to have a job at the capital too but she'd never shown up. Marcus had simply told him they'd broken up.

"I doubt you'll need to," you assured him. "Last I checked the case is closed so no stolen art dealers should be stalking these woods. We cuffed our guy last night. Only possible danger out there now is bigfoot."

Marcus huffed. "I have a feeling you're more likely to run into a black bear. Not as many bigfoot sightings in upper New York as there are in the northwest."

You grinned. "Good thing I'm good at intimating anything bigger than me." You patted the holster on your hip. "And my gun's right here for backup."

You fled the cabin you'd been stuck in for most of the past month while you were working on your latest case and headed out on the dirt trail alongside the lake that bordered the back of the property.

There were trees on either side of the path, but you were close enough to the lake's border to be able to see the water the whole time you strolled along it.

It didn't take you long to settle into the peace that nature often brought you. You loved the city life, all the things you could do instead of being bored, but every once in a while it was nice to get away.

You couldn't really count one evening before your flight back to D.C. as a "get away" but you'd take what you could get before your next assignment.

It was autumn, after all, your favorite season. The air was crisp but not quite yet cold enough for you to bother with a jacket, and most of the trees were at the height of flaunting their bright, colorful leaves. In less than a month most of them would fall away, their remains scattered by the wind, leaving the branches bare, exposed, until the trees resurrected in the spring.

Though it wasn't quite yet jacket weather, there was enough of a breeze to compel you to slip on the sweater that you'd tied around your waist on the way out along with the fingerless gloves that had been stuffed into its only pocket.

It's perfectly pleasant out with the extra layer on, and you enjoy every second of the rest of your time in the woods. The loss of light from the setting sun was the only real reason you eventually wanted to turn back. After a raven startled you with its call you decided it was time to return to the cabin before your paranoia got the better of you.

You'd never liked being in the woods at night.

You didn't immediately go back inside the cabin though. Instead you chose to plop yourself down on a massive rock by the edge of the lake and watch the sun as it set.

It was so calming to observe that you zoned out and didn't hear Marcus approaching until he was already sliding onto the rock with you.

He offered you a green mug that clearly contained coffee, its smell filling your nostrils almost as soon as you'd spotted it in his massive hands.

"Decafe, milk only?" you asked. You hated drinking caffeine after six o'clock. You always tossed and turned in bed after.

"Of course."

You accepted the mug from him and tested it. It wasn't bad for cheap home brewed coffee from the local gas station and Marcus had got the ratio of milk right.

He was good with details even outside work.

"It's quiet out here," he noted, pleased.

"A little too quiet at this time of day," you told him. "The day animals are going to sleep and the night ones are just starting to get up. We're in the between."

"Spending time out here has got me thinking," he confessed. "I think I'm going to search for a cabin in Virginia when I get back. It would give me a place to unwind, a place where I don't hear an engine roaring and tires screeching every minute of the day. Would be good for the kids too when I have some someday."

You glanced at him, stunned by his casual mention of wanting to start a family someday. He'd never mentioned it before, but there he was beside you, a wistful look in his eyes, probably imagining his hypothetical future children playing in a lake similar to the one in front of you, splashing each other relentlessly or something as he watched them from the shoreline.

You couldn't help but shake your head at that. It wasn't meant for his eyes, but he noticed anyway.

"What?"

"Nothing," you mumbled, adverting your gaze from his handsome face.

"Tell me."

You shook your head. "It's nothing you'll want to hear. I don't want to ruin your night. Besides, it's none of my business."

"Tell me anyway," he insisted.

You sighed, not wanting to give in but knowing you were going to anyway. "It's just...we're both on the border of forty and we're on the wrong end of a gun at least once a month. The picket fence with the spouse and the two-point-five kids? That's not for us. We're not normal. This isn't normal. This isn't the way normal people live, Marcus."

"Plenty of other agents have families," he pointed out.

"And their families wait with baited breath every day until they come home," you reminded him. "And sometimes there's no relief. Sometimes their spouse, their parent, never comes back home."

It was Marcus' turn to sigh. "This is about your dad."

Your father had been an FBI agent too, in the National Security branch. You'd been only eleven years old when he was shot to death with twelve rounds by the suspect he'd been chasing down in the middle of the city.

"It's not fair to do that to anyone Marcus," you told him. "That's why I'm still single. Why I refuse to get married. It was that or get a desk job, and that's not me. But maybe, if you really want a family, a desk job is what you need. If you have a family, you should commit to them fully."

You were sure he'd be upset with you for everything you'd just said, but instead of getting defensive he scratched the top of his left arm and nodded.

"I've actually been thinking about that lately. The promotion's already given me more of a taste of what it would be like being in the office more often than not, and it doesn't disagree with me. Honestly, I think I'm over my risk taking days."

"What's stopping you then?" you questioned.

"Lately, you," he answered without really thinking.

You startled and stared at him. You noticed he was looking at you in a completely new way, or maybe you were waking up to something in his expression that had always been there. "What?"

"I didn't want to make our partnership a problem, but I also don't want to transfer without you knowing," he continued.

"Knowing what?" You were in complete disbelief. You already knew what he was going to say.

"I care about you, Sunny." He said your nickname so softly. "I want you. Have since we met. Tell me you feel the same."

They were bold words but you found yourself drawn towards him anyway, your lips crashing into his.

You had been yearning for him too. He was your friend, the best partner you'd had in a long time, and he was pretty to boot. You may have already had several dreams about kissing him like this...and more.

Despite all that, you pushed him away when he tried to deepen the kiss, as he cupped your jaw. "The picket fence isn't my ending, Marcus. I don't ever want a desk job. I don't want kids. You deserve someone who shares your dreams. I'm one night stand material, nothing more."

"That's alright," he said so surely the words made your stomach flutter.

You knew him better than that though. "No, it's not," you refuted. "You're not one night stand material, Pike, or else you'd be a lot more relaxed than you are lately. Have you ever slept with a woman you didn't love before? No matter how briefly you'd known each other?"

He stayed silent, answering your question.

You hopped off the rock for his sake, not wanting to be another of his relationships that ended in disappointment, and headed for the cabin to get in some extra hours of sleep.

There was nothing left to say. You couldn't be who Marcus needed you to be and you'd both get hurt if you gave into your lustful desires.

You dreamed of him in vivid detail that night.

x

The next morning Marcus stirred to the sound of slamming doors through the kitchen window, which he guessed you must've cracked open while going through your morning routine as you usually did during warmer weather.

You were the one making the ruckus, already packing your belongings into the black government issued SUV you'd been assigned while on the case.

After a bathroom break Marcus smoothed down his sleep mussed hair and headed for the kitchen where you'd left out a cup of caffeinated coffee you'd brewed for him after pouring yourself one. His lips quirked upward as he thought about your kindness and he snatched the cup up so he could take a sip. The coffee was on the cooler side of hot, but that was exactly how he preferred it.

You had gotten to know each other quite well during the few months you'd known each other, much more than just your coffee preferences. But he'd caught feelings for you early on, before that, despite not wanting to. Realizing he liked you had been a painful revelation. The last thing he'd wanted was another workplace romance, not even a month after his last had ended poorly.

He had tried to keep you at an arm's length at first, but that hadn't worked out. You'd seemed hurt by it, and that had eventually broken his resolve.

He'd tried to be satisfied with your friendship, but as soon as he could call you a friend, he'd started dreaming at night about you being more than that.

He'd thought maybe, just maybe sleeping with you would've been enough, but you were also right. He wasn't one night stand material. He'd never had casual sex in his life. There were always feelings attached to it.

And you wanted different lives. Like his last girlfriend, you were simply just not meant to be his.

That hadn't stopped him from restlessly tossing and turning in his bed the night before. Thinking about that kiss. How needy your response to his confession had been. How soft your lips had felt against his.

The memory began to make him aroused and he had to shift in his spot by the kitchen sink to get more comfortable.

Think of anything else, Pike.

He focused on the view through the window, a fog carpeting the rocky shores of the lake that cool, sunny morning. He was a city guy at heart, but he'd meant what he'd said the night before. It would be nice to get a cabin and spend some time in nature once in a while. It would be therapeutic.

He'd lost himself in the sight before him when two overlapping gunshots broke the peaceful morning.

Marcus jumped into action, scrambling for his work appointed glock and charging outside to the driveway with little thought for his own safety.

He froze when he turned the corner to the back of the cabin and his eyes found you slumped against the back end of the SUV, the trunk still raised, open.

You were wide-eyed, gasping for air, shaking, and you were holding your left hand over a dark patch of blood that was expanding alarmingly fast over your white tank top on the mid-left side of your chest. Your right hand still had a white-knuckled grip on your gun.

Marcus' heart nearly stopped at the sight. He barely noticed the body of the man laying only a few feet in front of you as he raced to your side to help you.

"Shit, Sunny," he hissed as he added pressure to your bullet wound with one of his own hands.

You coughed, and when you responded you sounded weak and pained. "It's bad." You looked scared.

Marcus brushed your cheek with the back of his hand comfortingly. "Shhh...save your strength."

He slipped his hand into the front right pocket of your jeans where he knew you always kept your cell phone and dialed 911. He later wouldn't be able to recall exactly what he'd told the emergency operator, only that he'd given them enough details to get the paramedics there fast.

"Hang on, Sunny," he murmured when he got off the phone. "They're on their way."

He was in complete denial of what was happening in front of him. If he hadn't been he'd have written you off as already dead. Because you basically were. You'd lost far too much blood. The bullet had most likely nicked a part of your heart. You were fading fast. Your eyes already falling.

"Marcus," you somehow managed to croak out. "Promise me you won't give up. You keep...looking for someone...to share that cabin with."

He shook his head at you, feeling desperate. "No."

"Please," you begged.

"Fine," he said, "But you're gonna have to be my wing woman. Keep me from moving too quick."

You almost managed a chuckle before the last of your strength slipped from you and you stopped breathing altogether. It was that abrupt.

Panic soared in Marcus. He carefully laid you out on your back in the dirt and pressed two fingers to your neck, searching for a pulse. Finding none he could palpate, he knelt over you and started to do chest compressions.

"Damn it, Sunny! Come on! Stay with me!"

Any civilian watching would've been horrified by the sight of your blood squirting out of your wound onto his hands and gray sleep shirt as he worked. It was a futile effort, keeping your heart going when there wasn't enough blood to pump anymore, but it wasn't until he heard the ambulance sirens that Marcus became aware of that.

The tears welled up then, his chest tightening as he went blind.

"Sunny, oh god," he sobbed out, taking in the gruesome sight before him. It seemed like the blood was everywhere.

He pulled your upper body off the ground and cradled it in his arms, pressing his forehead against your own, his lips grazing your closed right eye.

"Damn it, Sunny," he whimpered out before the full bulk of his grief hit him.

He nuzzled his face against your cooling one and finally wept.

x

Marcus wasn't sure how he'd managed to pull himself together enough to be the one to inform your sister of your passing, but he had.

He'd insisted on it. It was only right he be the one to tell her since he'd been your partner and had been there for your dying breath.

He'd promised your sister that it had been quick and that you hadn't died alone. And even though that made her cry harder, she'd promised him that it made a difference and thanked him for doing everything he could for you in the moment.

He hoped she had family to lean on the day of your funeral. He wasn't there when they put you in the hole. He'd been busy on another case, having buried himself in work to distract himself from his own pain, despite his superior begging him to take some time off to properly mourn you.

Witnessing the funeral would've made it too final. He hadn't been ready yet.

It wasn't until he finally met the one, someone who made him smile again, for real, who shared his dreams for the future, that his heart truly began to mend from your loss.

It wasn't until he had the wedding band, the cabin, and the kids that he completely stopped having the nightmares.

There were still nights though, usually around the anniversary of your death, when he'd lie awake wondering what would have happened if he had stopped you from leaving the rock by yourself that night.

Would you have woken up late, tangled in the sheets with him instead of being outside to face the secret partner of the illegal art dealer alone? Would he have harmlessly stolen back the painting hidden under the rear seat of the SUV instead of stealing your life?

Even though he was sure now that you were never meant to be his, he still couldn't help but wonder if he'd made a mistake letting you go back to the cabin without him. If you should've been his exception.

You would always be his biggest regret.

The shot not taken.

xxx

Tagged: @harriedandharassed

xxx

Main Masterlist

xxx

[rxmqnova]

My little troublemaker

Y/N: 4 years old Lizzie: 19 years old ——————————————————

LIZZIE'S POV Having a little todler running around the house is not easy. Especially when you're only 19 and you're raising your child alone. The judging looks by other people when Y/N calls me 'mom' in the store or just somewhere in public aren't helping at all, but I wouldn't change a thing in my life.

Y/N wasn't planned at all. Her father left me right after I told him I want to keep her. He was quite rude about it which only made things so much harder, but I'm trying my best to give her as much love as I can. I know for sure she'll ask me the question about her dad in the future, but for now I'm trying my best to make up for both parents and to make sure she has everything she needs.

I do have an amazing family though. My parents and siblings are helping me as much as they can which I'll be forever grateful for. Also my daughter is the most amazing little human in the world. She's pretty smart on her age and thank god she's not one of those children who throw tantrums about everything.

Y/N and I had a movie night yesterday, so I'm not even surprised when I find myself surrounded by a bunch of blankets and Y/N's teddy bears after waking up. My eyes widen when I don't find my daughter underneath the blankets or anywhere in the room though. She's usually the one who wakes me up by laying her small body on mine and squishing my cheeks with her tiny hands.

"Y/N?" I look around the room once again, not seeing her anywhere. I immediately rush down the stairs to find her. "Oh my god, Y/N!" I raise my voice when I see her standing on a chair in the kitchen, a knife in her hand. I quickly lift her up, immediately taking the knife from her hand. "Honey, you could have hurt yourself. You can't use a knife without me knowing" I sigh, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Are you okay?"

"But I wanted to make you breakfast" She pouts, crossing her arms.

"Oh did you?" I raise an eyebrow which makes her giggle. Y/N nods with a smile, pointing at a piece of bread which is placed on the kitchen counter. "That's for me?"

"Yes, mama! You have to try!" She grins, happily kicking her legs.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I will try it out right now" I take the bread and sit down on a chair with Y/N on my lap. I take a bite, trying hard to pretend like it's really good. I don't know what's in this, but it really doesn't taste good.

"Do you like it?" Y/N asks with a huge smile, watching me carefully.

"It's really good, sweetheart. Thank you. It's so good that I'm gonna save it for later" I smile at her, Y/N nodding her head and smiling at me in response. "But what would you say on some pancakes now, hm?" I boop her nose which never fails and always makes her smile.

"Yay!" Y/N cheers, throwing her arms in the air.

———————————

"Mommy? Do I have a dad?" Y/N asks quietly, watching me with her big green eyes. I just tucked her in for bed and I definitely wasn't expecting this question tonight.

"I. Hm… You do have a dad, sweetheart. Why are you asking?" I give her a smile and brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She needs to know she can ask me or speak to me about everything.

"Because the boys from my preschool say it's weird to only have a mommy" She explains, adding a dramatic sigh to the end.

"It's not weird at all, honey. A lot of children have only a mommy or only a daddy. Sometimes it just happens, but it doesn't mean it's weird" I tell her, stroking her cheek with my finger.

"But why, mommy? Why isn't he here with us?" She asks, wrapping her little arms around my neck. I take a deep breath, thinking about what to tell her. But I think it'll be better to just tell her the truth somehow, even though it's not really nice.

"You know, baby… Your dad was very mean to mommy, so she decided she's better without him" I tell her honestly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I don't like him then. You are the bestest and nicest mommy in the world" Y/N pouts, making me wonder how did I get so lucky to have her as my daughter.

"I love you the most, my little monkey" I smile, pushing back my tears. Y/N's words really got me. "It's getting late now though and you need to get some sleep, so we can play all day tomorrow" I rub the tip of my nose against hers, making her smile.

"I love you, mama" She says, pouting her lips for a kiss. I peck her lips with a kiss before pulling up the covers to her chest. "Mommy, my teddy bear!" She suddenly gasps, looking around the bed to find her favorite teddy.

"I'll bring him. Stay here and don't move" I warn before standing up and walking to find Y/N's favorite teddy.

I make my way to the living room and as I expected, she left him there, so now I'm on my way back to the bedroom.

"I found him, baby. You left him in the-" I start, cutting myself off when I see Y/N sitting on the table in front of the window, her face and hands pressed against the glass. "Y/N, that's really dangerous. How did you get there?" I sigh, immediately lifting her up on which she whines.

"But there was a butterfly, mama" She pouts.

"A butterfly? Now? At night?" I raise an eyebrow on which Y/N nods. "That was probably a moth, sweetheart. But no climbing on the table when mama isn't with you, okay?"

"Yes, mama" Y/N says with that cute pout again.

"It's really time for bed now, my little troublemaker"

----------------------

Elizabeth Olsen masterlist

Masterlist

[solaceintimeandspace]

the journal

i've been bullet journaling in an a5 leuchtturm1917 for 4 years now. i feel very happy with the system i put in place, and i've taken to decorating it heavily this past year. i have a basic calendar view, with a direction of notes that doesn't make sense. i often repeat what i've written in my weekly spreads here, but it gives me a a nice overview of the whole month. i do feel and organise myself in months, so this is the best layout for me.

i track 25 habits because i don't want to lose sight of what i'm doing, i track what i eat because i don't want to be mistaken about what i consume, i track how im feeling because i know i will forget.

i also list my "commonplacing" entries, they're simply what i write down in my book where everything goes. this list does not include the more visceral stuff that i sometimes purge in a mess book that's structured like a puzzle. these writings are on my archive though. i also keep short overviews of what happened during the day.

i also track what i listen to, watch and read, who i have talked to, what i was interested in, and good things. at the end of the month, i write a retrospective, trying to look back on what i did and what consequences it has on present me going into the new month.

my week layouts are used for planning, but mainly archiving and quick journaling, so i don't forget. i decorate them with pictures that spoke to me as they help me anchor what i wrote with an image i will remember, even if it has nothing to do with the events i write about.

i've bought an a5 hobonichi cousin for next year, and it worries me somehow. i want to commonplace and journal in the a5, making it an archive of sorts -- but i know it's going to be difficult to get used to this new structure and system. i will likely end up buying a new leuchtturm but this time with grid paper. if anyone else is worried about getting comfortable in a new book next year, i'm with you, *please give me your tips, i will die*.

bonus: i use the hobonichi cover i bought for my cousin, and i fill it up with little pictures. i put them together from my pinterest boards and then print them out at a print shop. i should buy a printer, but these days i'm short on money. i just use them for personal use, so i don't reference them, but maybe i should if i take pictures of my pages and post them here? i'm not sure.

anyway, this was my neverending rambling about my journaling system. if you have questions or comments please fire away. i'll likely make a post about what months are what color to me and show you some other spreads from other months that i liked soon.

cheers ✸

[kiruamon]

Spring through the Seasons AU - From winter back to spring

Next part of the AU. Pretty much Y/N having found a new companion in Moon. And them doing some backtracking through Moon's and Y/N's own home territory. (Like the times before: Sketches are found in between the text. Just saying in case that some of you are only here for the art and not the story which is also completely fine.)

_

The night was over. And with it, the raging of the snowstorm. Once again, the landscape lay untouched before your eyes as you step out of the cave into the bright light of the morning sun allowing your eyes to adjust to the brilliant white of the snow. Behind you, the snow crunches under Moon's boots as he walks to your side. Your gaze remains fixed straight ahead, roaming over the landscape. "Have you thought about what you want to do now?" you hear him ask with his calm voice. You realize that he wants to know whether he should lead you to the border in the north despite his warning or not. Of course you would like to get to your destination as quickly as possible, but… what's it worth putting yourself in pointless danger when there could be another way? "I… will take your advice to heart and go back to my home. After that, I'll try to travel further east. Maybe I'll find a way there," you answer him with a wry smile. Despite the minor setback, you haven't given up yet. You notice how the three wolves step out of the cave. They shake themselves under the rays of the sun as if to drive the last remnants of drowsiness from their bones. Then they pass the two of you, casting only a quick glance back at you before running off into the vastness of the plain and through the freshly fallen snow. You look after them with a smile, hoping to see them again one day.

Moon remains silent. And you simply allow yourself to lose yourself for a while in this moment. The mixture of cold air and warm sunbeams on your skin feels vitalizing. It's as if your senses are hyper-aware of everything, like the sound of the piled-up snow collapsing and falling to the ground from the heavy, low-hanging branches. Even standing here side by side with someone you feel connected to in a way you can't quite put into words yet. But for how much longer? What will become of Moon when you take your way home? "I will accompany you," he suddenly says, as if he has managed to read your thoughts. You look up and blink at him in surprise. "You… are coming with me?" "Someone has to make sure nothing happens to you." There is a reserved lightheartedness in his voice as he utters these words. "I-I can definitely take care of myself," you say, puffing out your cheeks a little, but honestly you're more than happy to hear his words and your vines bob up and down in a treacherously cheerful manner as you try not to grin too much. Moon seems to notice the little motion that betrays the tone of your voice, as the corners of his mouth twitch slightly upwards. "I'd still be more at ease if I knew you wouldn't freeze into an ice pillar while you try to get back home on your own." You giggle a little at his jest, which he says half-joking and half-serious. "Thanks Moon," you appreciate his offer. Very much actually. Somehow you had even hoped that you wouldn't have to say goodbye to each other so soon. To find Moon and be able to talk to him had made you realize how lonely your previous life had been, even though you had never thought of it that way before. "Do you know which way we have to go? Honestly, after that… Snowstorm? That's what you called it, right?" He nods with amusement at you. Okay. Good. Snowstorm. "Well, I'm afraid I don't really have a clue where we are after yesterday."

He laughs softly. "I know where we are. And also the direction we need to go," his voice sounds kind-hearted as he says this. The feeling of being able to rely on someone is reassuring and makes you feel more optimistic about your upcoming journey.

_

"Ooooh!" You pause as you notice the icicles sparkling in the sunlight on the branch of a tree. They glisten almost like the clear water of the lake when the rays of the midday sun dance across the small ripples. "They look even prettier in the sunlight." "Is this really your first time seeing something like this?" "Mhm. There's nothing like this where I come from. No snow and no ice either." Maybe that's why you find it so hard to get tired of looking at all these things. Moon certainly doesn't seem to mind. He patiently answers all your questions as you walk through his kingdom together. You were surprised to learn that ice was just another form of water. That it froze due to the cold in these lands and sometimes melted on days when the sun shone a little warmer than usual. Thaw, which could make the snow become more soggy. But at the moment it was more powdery, like the fine dust of flowers. It was simply gorgeous. And being able to look at these things together with Moon instead of doing so alone only made the whole experience more exciting. "When we reach the border and my home, there's so much I have to show you!" you say with a smile as you turn your gaze away from the icicles to look at him. You can't wait. Will he like your home? Will you be able to surprise him as much as he did with all his amazing knowledge of this icy land? It… would just be nice to make him smile more. Not to mention how much you would like to repay him for his help. He tilts his head a little and the hint of a smile steals its way into his uniquely colored eyes. His gaze rests gently and in an almost warm way on you as he replies: "I'm looking forward to it."

The world is changing. The masses of snow become more shallow. The further you walk, the less your steps sink into the snow. The more green blades of grass emerge from underneath it until they cover the whole ground in front of you. You have reached the border to your homeland. "We're here," you shout cheerfully, stepping with glee out of the cold masses of snow and onto the meadow in front of you. You turn and look at Moon, who has paused. He looks at the unfamiliar landscape before him as if he were frozen into ice.

A new world opened up before him. Completely different from the icy wilds of his realm. The cold beauty that snow and ice brought with them was familiar to him. The sparkle of ice in the sunlight. The glistening frost that clung to rocks or the bark of trees. Fir trees whose branches bent under the weight of the snow.

But this… This ocean of green blades of grass covering the ground is unlike anything he had ever seen before. The mild spring breeze makes the grass bob up and down playfully as if it was fondly ruffling the fur of an animal. Colorful flowers whose names he didn't know brought even more color to the blossoming landscape with their vibrant petals. The bushes and trees are no longer bare, frozen constructs and instead unfurl delicate sprouts and leaves that sway in the wind. Even the wind is different here. He can feel it blowing mildly and gentle under his hood and against his face. For a while, he simply stays still as he takes in the sight of your homeland and tries to understand what he is feeling.

The way Moon stands there with his eyes wide open, looking at the landscape in front of him, brings a small smile to your face. Yes, you felt the same way when you reached the border of your realms for the first time. But… unlike you, Moon is not alone at this foreign place. Just as he was there for you in his realm, you will now be there for him. To be his guide. "Moon? Are you coming?" "…" "Yes… Yes, I'm coming." Your voice grounds him. Gives him something familiar to hold on to in a world that is so completely different from what he has known so far. With his back to his own realm and this strange landscape in front of him, he slowly understands how you must have felt when you stood in this place and decided to move on. He takes a deep breath as he slowly lifts his boots and places them on the green-covered ground. Yes, he will follow you. He wants to join you on this journey. The feeling being accompanied by a silent wish that your shared time will last a little longer. It stays hidden deep in his heart as he dares not to express it out loud to you. Because… last night he wasn't completely honest with you.

It wasn't that he had lied to you. The cliff, the unstable weather near the border of the realm you want to visit, it was all very real. The fact that he didn't know where the passage lay that the animals used was also true. But… the passage was not the only way that would have taken you to your destination. It would have been impossible for you alone, but with his help you could have reached your destination quickly and fairly easy. And yet he had decided against telling you about it. Because… as incomprehensible as it was to him, he didn't wanted to say goodbye to you just yet.

He just wanted to spend a little more time with you. To be by your side and learn what the world looked like through your eyes. A little detour would certainly not hurt anyone. And even if the path was blocked at one of the other borders, he would make sure to bring you safely to your destination in his own way.

_ Side by side, you have left the border between your two territories behind you. All signs of snow and frost are gone. The trees and plants flourish in the gentle rays of sunlight. Bathing in its warm embrace. The further you travel along, the more the landscape starts to blossom. Young shrubs with green branches and the first delicate leaves nestle in the shade of the trees, which do not yet have their full crowns of leaves.

Instead, some of them bear buds that are on the verge of opening. "Moon! Look! The blossoms over there look almost like snow, don't they?" You grab his hand without thinking about it. You can feel his cold fingertips on your warm skin, but you don't let go and instead lead him with eager and excited steps to a large tree in the middle of the meadow. Apart from a few closed buds, its branches are covered over and over in delicate white blossoms. The wind rustles gently through the branches of the old cherry tree. And scattered petals fall from it to the ground like the snowflakes you saw in Moon's realm. "It looks so nice, doesn't it?" You turn to him with a broad smile and see him gazing upwards with a mixture of fascination and wonder.

He wasn't sure what took his breath away more. Whether it was the warmth of your touch that made his heart beat so fast or the sight of the white flowers floating to the ground like snowflakes. Both seemed to make his heart go faster in his chest. The way you stand in front of him. Beaming with joy and surrounded by the falling blossoms… He can't name the feeling it evokes in him. All he knows is that he doesn't dislike it. That it makes him want to see this endearing little smile of yours even more often.

"Yes, it's really… beautiful," you hear Moon say as his multi-colored eyes rest on you with an almost tender expression. You even think you can hear a little laugh lurking in his voice. He probably thinks you're a bit childish because you're so easily excited. But you don't mind. After all, you finally have the chance to share all these great things with someone. So how could you not feel so happy? Therefore, you don't even try to keep the smile off your face. Gently, you let go of Moon's hand and hold your hands out in front of you, both palms facing up. "Come on, let's see which of us catches one faster," you suggest in a playful mood. This time you're quite sure you heard a small chuckle coming from Moon. "A challenge… Well, in that case I can hardly refuse."

_ "So, what do you think? Did you like what you've seen so far?" It did. More than you probably would realize. Your eyes may still be resting on the flowers swaying in the wind around you. But Moon's eyes, on the other hand, are completely on you. Attracted by the joyful sparkle in them that always appears as soon as you see something you love with all your heart. "This land is truly unlike anything I've ever seen. Unique and full of wonders … just like the one who inhabits it… ", Moon's words are so quiet towards the end that you can't really make out the last part of it. But you are still overjoyed to hear that the place you call your home has become so dear to him as well.

-

Bonus that isn't part of the main story (or at least this won't happen until after meeting Sun and Eclipse):

As careful as always when he touches you, Moon takes your hands in his. Cold and warmth meet each other in that moment and send a tingling sensation through both of your skin. His fingertips are cool, while yours are warm. And yet you can see the warmth in his eyes as soon as his gaze rests on you. Just like now. "Moon? What are-" "Let's dance." Dance? Your cheeks suddenly feel like they're burning with heat, and it continues to spread to the tips of your ears like a wildfire. Some of the little buds on your vines begin to blossom as they move closer to Moon, as if he were the sun they crave for its soothing warmth. He laughs softly. Your reaction only seems to delight him more. "There's no need to be so nervous, little Snowflake." You should be feeling cold to be so close to him, but somehow Moon manages it that you only feel warmer and warmer. "Do you trust me?" he asks in a hushed voice. You already know the answer to this question. "Yes. I trust you." With all your heart. You know you're in good hands with him. "Then let us have some fun," he says with such a tender smile. A smile so gentle that it makes your heart flutter so excitedly in your chest as if it were a little fledgling taking its first flight. Your fingers clasp around Moon's a little more and you allow him to lead you. Your first dance together may be awkward, the steps clumsy and wobbly, but neither of you cares. Not as long as you have each other. Another cherished memory that you will keep in your heart forever.

TBC

[hufflepuff-16]

You're a cutie ☆ミ

Harry Potter x gn reader (〝⌒∇⌒〝)

Warnings: just a tiny big of angst mostly cute fluff

Summary: Reader is feeling a bit sad, so Harry tries to cheer her up (friends to lovers fic).

Link to my previous James Potter fanfic

You arrive at Diagon Alley for your yearly shopping trip, but instead of feeling happy, you feel rather lonely and melancholy, it had been a year since the battle of hogwarts so after having visited half the shops, you decide to go to the Leaky Cauldron, hoping the warmth of the pub will make you feel better. When you enter, your mood lifts immediately. The bar is crowded, and the atmosphere is cosy. You find a booth in the back, and as you look up, you notice a familiar face walking in, who grins when you smile and wave him over to sit with you.

"Hi Harry," you say loudly

Harry waves at you and slides into the booth, grabbing a pitcher of Butterbeer as he does so.

“You look a little down. What’s the matter? Everything alright?” He says with a sympathetic smile.

Oh, Harry is so sweet, you thought. He was always looking out for others.

"Ah... you know, feeling a bit tired," you say truthfully.

Harry’s eyes soften upon hearing you say that. He reaches out an arm and rests a hand on your shoulder.

“Anything I can do to help? I may not be the wisest fella, but I’ve been told I am rather good at cheering people up.” He offers you a comforting smile, which somehow warms you from the inside out.

"You’re cute Harry you know that," You say teasingly.

Harry feels himself blushing at the compliment, and then grins at you.

“Well, thanks? I’d like to think that I have my charm moments,” he says in a playful tone.

He then smiles at you, “but honestly? I think you’re the cute one.”

You roll your eyes playfully at his comment, "What brings you here, Harry?"

“I could do with a chat and a good butterbeer,” Harry says and smiles warmly at you. He also happens to think you look really great tonight and is very tempted to say so, but decides against it for now.

“What are you doing in Diagon Alley, if you don’t mind me asking. I don’t really recognise this as your usual hangout place.”

"Oh, I'm just doing my yearly school shop."

Harry nods along and makes a little “Mm-hm” sound.

“Did you manage to get all the supplies you need?” He asks with a curious expression. “Not like a certain someone who’s a chronic procrastinator who would rather goof off than get his supply list finished…” He says with a joking smirk and nudging your shoulder with his.

"Yup, I've got everything, Mr Procrastinator ," You tease.

Harry laughs lightly. “I was talking about myself, you know,” he says with a smile, “but you knew that.” He says with a grin and nudges your shoulder once more. “I’m glad to hear you managed to get everything you need, though. I wouldn’t want you to be underprepared the day for the school year starts.”

He tilts his head at you, “So… how are you liking your holiday so far?” He asks, wanting to know how your time off from Hogwarts has been treating you.

"Actually to tell you the truth it's been quite hard, I'm just scared for them to end because then we would be back at hogwarts and.....you know.....that's where the battle happened and I'm worried I'll just see the bodies of our loved ones, and death eaters!" You give a shudder.

Harry looks worried and reaches to grab your hand to offer you comfort as you speak.

“I… I completely understand,” he says quietly and then sighs a little bit.

“Unfortunately I can’t exactly promise you nothing bad will happen. Death Eaters are ruthless, and I can’t make any guarantees. However…” he gives you a soft smile, “I can promise we’ll be there for each other. We’re in this together.”

He squeezes your hand a little.

“You have my word. And you have me.”

You give him a smile, "Thanks, Harry, you are a good person, you know."

Harry blushes at your kind words.

“Well… I try to be,” he says as he smiles at you. He then clears his throat and attempts to shift the conversation into a slightly lighter tone.

“So if you could do anything you wanted right now, what would you do?” He asks playfully. “You can ask for the moon and stars. The sky is the limit. It’s your wish, whatever it is.” He says with a grin.

You think for a moment and then decide what you wish for.

"I think I'd like to be in my house with some hot chocolate and a blanket, maybe watch a movie."

Harry nods. “Sounds perfect. What movie would you like to watch?” He asks curiously.

“And you can have all the hot chocolate you’d like. I’ll whip you up a batch.” He adds with a warm smile.

You blush, did he truly mean that?

"You want to go home with me and do that?" You ask, blushing.

Harry blushes and looks at you for a moment. “I…” he trails off for a second, blushing even more as his eyes look you up and down, taking you in.

“Yeah, I think I would.” He smiles back at you. “It would be nice.”

You smile at him, feeling a little bit shy, "Ok, let's go to my house, I'll apparate us there."

“Alright, lead the way,” Harry says with a warm smile and stands up to follow after you.

He pauses for a second before asking quietly, “Would it be okay if I held your hand?” He asks sincerely. “I just want to know what you're comfortable with.”

you love how sensitive Harry is with what you are comfortable with, "of course, cutie!"

Harry smiles at you and blushes at that adorable nickname you gave him.

“Thank you,” he says quietly, and as he holds your hand, he feels this sense of rightness within him, and the realization that you and him have a connection that goes deeper than just friends. That this is something special.

He laces his fingers with yours as he walks along with you. “So have you got any cute roommates I should know about?” He asks with a teasing twinkle in his eyes.

"You'll see," you laugh, apparating yourselves into your home.

Your home is amazing. It’s the definition of cosy. Just like you described, there’s a blanket on the couch and hot chocolate steaming away on the kitchen counter. It really is the perfect place to relax and watch a movie.

“This is nice,” Harry says with a content sigh and then takes a seat on the couch, putting his arm around you in an affectionate motion. “I’m really glad you brought me here.” He smiles kindly at you.

you give a small smile and plop right down next to him on the couch, waiting for him to choose a movie to watch, when your cat comes to see who is sitting on their favourite napping place

"Harry, meet my cute roommate flutter," you tease gesturing towards the fluffy cat.

Harry smiles and picks up your cat, giving it a few scritches and pats.

“Hello, Flutter,” he says in a soft and gentle voice. “Very cute roommates you’ve got!” He says as he giggles and sets his kitty friend down next to you at the end of the couch.

Harry looks through the collection of DVDs at your coffee table and ends up picking out a movie called “The Breakfast Club.”

“Do you want to watch this? I quite liked it when I was younger.”

"Sure!" Leaning your head against his shoulder, getting yourself into a comfy position on the lumpy couch.

Harry blushes a little more at the way you melt into his body, and smiles softly as he feels you pull closer.

“Are you comfortable?” He asks you and looks down at you with a look of pure concern and caringness. “If you want the remote, I can grab it for you.” He offers as the title menu starts loading.

"No, cutie, I'm perfectly content," you say.

Harry’s cheeks keep growing red as he hears that adorable nickname again, but the heat he feels in his face is completely justified now and comes from something more than just being warm. It’s from pure affection and fondness.

“That’s good,” he says quietly, and kisses you on the cheek as the movie starts playing. His lips softly press against your skin, and his touch is light, careful, but there’s a little bit of pressure too, enough for you to know that he means it, and that this is no casual peck.

"Harry...... can I ask you?" Something you aren't sure if the question is appropriate or if your anxiety is acting up.

Harry looks at you with an expression of concern, and then nods at you.

“Of course you can, anything,” he says, and his tone is empathetic and compassionate. “What’s on your mind?” He asks earnestly, and his expression is warm, inviting, and soft. It makes you want to tell him anything you want to get off your chest when you look at him because you just know that he would handle your feelings responsibly and carefully.

"Are you still seeing Ginny?" You really hoped he wasn't because she had been harbouring a crush on him forever, and now has he been showing you some affectionate signs.

Harry looks at you, and it’s as if the rest of the world just falls away when you look into his eyes. They’re warm, kind and thoughtful, and the moment you see them, your heart skips a beat and you feel that familiar feeling of butterflies in your stomach, the one that’s just for him.

It’s like you’re in your own little world with him. No one else exists.

He takes a moment to collect his thoughts and consider what you asked.

“No,” he says quietly, “I’m not seeing Ginny.”

"Oh....." relief floods through you.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Harry says with a gentle smile at you. “I like you, you know that. And nobody else is going to steal my attention or affections.” He says with absolute sincerity and truthfulness. He leans in to kiss you lightly on the forehead.

“You’re my main priority.” He says as he pulls back after the kiss, looking down at you with an adoring and fond expression.

"Harry Potter, you make me the happiest person in the world!" You say genuinely.

Harry sighs softly and smiles at you.

“You make me the happiest person in the world, y’know?” He says while nodding, “so it’s only fitting that the feeling is mutual,” he adds, his tone soft and tender.

There’s something about you that just… makes him want to shower you with all the love he has in him. It’s that deep sense of being special to one another that he’s never felt before.

"I'd like to start seeing you when we go back to school, Harry." You say wanting to have something more with Harry.

Harry’s eyes light up and he nods. “That’s… definitely something I’d like as well,” he says with a warm and genuine smile on his face.

“You’re an amazing person. I feel like we have something very special here and… honestly, I’d like to see where this goes.” He says softly, placing a hand on your cheek and looking into your eyes. His gentle touch sends a thrill of excitement throughout your heart and makes you feel giddy with happiness.

You smile, pressing a soft peck to his lips.

Harry blushes and his heart skips a beat at your kiss. It’s the perfect blend of cute and flirty.

“Mmm…” he mumbles softly and blushes even more. “That felt really nice, y’know?”

He leans in and kisses you again, this time just a little bit more deeply than last time. For the first time, a trace of his tongue moves to meet yours, slowly, with no rush or pressure to the moment. As you pull back, you see Harry’s face is all glowing red still, and his expression is one of pure joy.

"I love you, Harry," you say your heart had never been this full of happiness before.

Harry’s lips part as you say that in a breath of surprise. His eyes are wide as he looks at you, and for a moment, he just stares in disbelief.

“I…I-I…” he stammers out, his voice breaking as his chest flutters with an overwhelming sense of emotions. “I love you too!” He says in a soft whisper, and tears stream down his cheeks as he realizes just how much that statement means to him. He leans in to pull you in for an all-consuming kiss.

The End

[tarnishedinquirer]

Rogier and Fia

After my audience with the Two Fingers, I decided to look around and talk to people.

I was relieved to find Rogier alive, but my relief quickly turned to concern when I saw the state he was in. He had a blanket over his lower body, but strange protrusions were visible writhing underneath. In places they poked through, resembling black thorns, but somehow... squirming? I tried not to stare, but he still covered it up.

Word must get around fast because he congratulated me on my defeat of Godrick and offered me his sword as a reward because he wouldn't be needing it anymore.

Piercing sword of superior quality, featuring intricate ornamentation. Signature weapon of the sorcerer Rogier. High dexterity is required to wield the blade to its full potential, but mastery is a sight to behold, characterized by a flowing style which excels in successive attacks.

Unfortunately, I lack the skill right now to wield it more effectively than my Estoc, so I'll stick with that for the time being.

I finally asked him what happened down there, and he explained that the face was a relic of the Black Knives plot. One thing that jumped out at me is when he said that it happened long before the Elden Ring was shattered, and then some time after that, there was the Shattering War. I'd been under the impression that these three events were successive, but if they happened with significant gaps of time between them, that changes a few things. He urged me not to disturb the thing more than necessary, which made me think of all the times I stabbed it to make sure it wasn't made of rock.

Guess I got lucky.

He also talked about how he and D used to be friends before they drifted apart, but he was happy that D found the cursemark that he was looking for too. I had assumed the "mark of the centipede" was like the golden centipedes, but now I remembered the painting from my death dream. The assassins were carving a rune into Godwyn's back, and it did in fact resemble the centipede.

Perhaps Summonwater Village was more important than I thought? I'd have to give it a second look.

It was with a heavy heart I bid Rogier good day. Despite his good cheer, there was a smell of death about him, and flies gathering ominously.

Fia has a way of drawing out my innermost thoughts. As she pressed her cold skin against mine, she asked what troubled me, and I told her about Rogier. She said he visits her too, and often talks about the black knives. It troubles him that he will not be able to research it more, so much so that he weeps. She offered me something that might help: a map she got from "someone else" that would lead me to a black knifeprint. It could be used to help his research, though she tried to insinuate without saying that it might lead to a cure.

Of course, the only person she could be talking about is D. He's got the same interest as Rogier, if from different ideological angles. I thanked her, though it troubled me a little that she was so willing to kiss and tell. Still, I'll do what I can to help Rogier. I thanked her, for everything, and departed. As always, I felt a little drained, but I knew that was the bargain I made for the smallest of comfort.

What is growing out of Rogier? Is it a danger?

What does D know about the Mark of the Centipede?

How will the black knifeprint lead me to the conspiracy?

What is Fia's interest in this, playing D, Rogier, and myself like this?

What exactly is the timeline of the Shattering, if things did not happen one after the other?

What is the body under Stormveil? How does it tie to the Black Knives?