#i'm INCREDIBLY nervous about this one for. some reason ah

[smallsies]

new malev fic today??? maybe?

[perfectly-intoxicated]

Yancy isn't sure why he reaches out to Hannah.

Or he does know, and it's buried so deep that he can't get a proper look at it. Maybe he could if he wasn't currently pinned down by gunfire and about fifty percent sure he was close to finding out what the afterlife is like.

It isn't love. Hell, he's not sure he's capable of it... or if she is. They spent an incredible night (and morning) together. They've talked here and there. She makes him laugh. He appreciates her sass and how she doesn't take shit from nobody, not even him.

He smiles. Fuck it. Least he could do is let her hear his voice one last time in a message.

"Hey, gorgeous... yer not gonna believe the shit I've got myself into. Or hell, you probably will." He chuckles, and it's cut off by a pained groan as he clears his throat. "Listen... shits gone sideways. I, ah... got some rats that I need to exterminate. I just wanted to tell you that... I had a lotta fun. Yer one of a kind, ya know? Of course you do... that's why I like you." Another groan, pops of gunfire. "If anyone contacts you claimin' to know me, don't give 'em the time of day. If... when I'm good, I'll call you."

There's a pause and a grunt, and it sounds like he's on the move. "Take care, Red."

What the fuck.

Hannah stares down at her phone and feels her food turn into cardboard in her mouth. She swallows, and then blinks as she processes the absolute twisted shit that was the voice message left for her by Yancy.

What the fuck?

“Come on Opie, get off.” She’s gently ushering her dog off her lap, voice monotone and mind blank as she starts to listen in on the news being displayed on the TV. If it wasn’t for the voice message (her gut twists for some ridiculous reason at the reminder of pain in Yancy’s voice), she would’ve ignored it, but that’s one of his stupid cars and that’s his stupid self in the middle of a stupid fucking shootout.

She’s not nervous, she’s not anxious, and she definitely doesn’t get scared. Who knows how many times Yancy’s had to deal with this kind of stuff or something similar?

If she wasn’t currently so pissed off at the people shooting at him and maybe, selfishly, a little bit at Yancy himself for some reason, she would’ve gone back to eating. They weren’t even a thing. They weren’t anything important. She had no reason to go and help him, no excuse she could use without doing some internal searching.

She recognizes that street.

… Fuck.

With a loud groan of exasperation and frustration, she grabs her phone and heads out with her special guitar case and towards the center of the action. She dials his number, leaves a message when he doesn’t answer because he’s in the middle of his stupid fucking life-or-death situation, and quickens her pace.

“What the hell is going on, Yancy? Who the fuck are those people?!” She yells into her phone before lowering her voice to a loud scolding when she gets side-eyed by a random individual. “‘When you’re good, you’ll call me’? Like hell you will. I swear to God, if you get yourself killed, I’m raising you back from the dead and killing you myself!”

She’s already driving to the nearest corner where she won’t be seen when she hangs up.

[antimatterz]

how to get a boyfriend 101

dan heng x gn!reader

summary: your crush on dan heng is getting out of hand. to take matters into your own hands, you order your own copy of the popular book how to get a boyfriend 101. that should just do the trick, right?

cw: humor, fluff, friends to lovers, modern au

content under the cut | masterlist

"are you sure this is going to work?" march asked hesitantly, looking slightly worried as you held your new book as if it was the holy bible itself.

you nodded vigorously. this was it, your solace to all your problems. the much-praised book how to get a boyfriend 101. it was immensely popular for a reason, right? it was bound to let you succeed.

okay, you weren't all that convinced, but you would continue this act until you came to believe yourself as much as you pretended to do. and hey, right now your massive crush on your classmate was just existing. you weren't doing anything about it, which had to change. it wouldn't hurt to use the help of a book, would it? you couldn't figure it out on your own and you weren't sure if march's advice really suited you – you lacked the courage to be direct.

"this book is going to be my savior," you proclaimed. "watch me, dan heng will be head over heels for me soon."

"if you say so," your best friend mumbled, obviously doubtful of the entire ordeal. "i don't get why you don't just tell him. he's been our friend for ages."

"i'm not brave enough to do that," you shook your head. "i'm doing it more discreetly, following the advices in this book."

march gave in with a sigh. it was pretty clear she wouldn't be able to change your mind. you were dead set on following the path brought to you by the book, and there was only one way to find out how this would end. you flipped it open, skipping the introduction pages and going straight towards the tips. the minutes following were filled with ohs and ahs as you let your eyes wander over the pages, diligently taking in all the information.

"this is gonna be easy," you concluded. "it's as clear as night and day. all i have to do is follow these simple steps and... and... you get the gist."

today was sunday, and tomorrow would not only be the start of a new week of school, but it would also be the beginning of your big project. you were brimming with confidence and excitement, and more than ready to make dan heng fall for you.

but it wasn't all that easy.

the next day, you found yourself hiding behind the door of your locker with the book in your hands. you were doing some sort of final revision, all while playing countless scenarios in your head. most of them went well, but the ones that went utterly wrong made you incredibly nervous.

"it's not too late to back out," march remarked casually.

but you shook your head. you weren't going to back out. if any, you were going for it. your silly crush on dan heng had lasted long enough, it was time to do something about it.

"dan heng incoming at two o'clock," march whispered, before she patted your shoulder and mingled with the crowd in the hallways. it was clear that she had no desire to witness what was about to happen.

you felt a rush of panic as you looked up, only to find dan heng approaching his locker – that was conveniently next to yours. he was effortlessly handsome in his school uniform, wearing it like a model on the runway. his raven hair was slightly messy and his grey eyes serious as he was nearing you. quickly, you hid the book in your locker and slammed the door shut.

"h-hi, dan heng," you greeted him. you smiled awkwardly, making it painfully obvious that you were likely up to something.

"y/n," he greeted you back, expression stoic.

mentally you were swooning, but you scolded yourself and tried to remember any of the tips you revised not even a minute ago. uhm, what was it again? your mind had turned into jelly the moment you saw dan heng, and you forgot all the things the book had tried to teach you.

the male was rummaging through his locker, and it wouldn't be long until he had gathered his books and would leave his locker. you had to act now.

1. show interest in his life.

it shot through your mind right on time, as dan heng was about to leave. you grabbed the sleeve of his uniform blazer in a rush, and he gave you a confused look. suddenly you realized what you were doing, and quickly let go. a mad blush crept up your cheeks, and you apologized profusely.

"i'm sorry," you piped. "i just wanted to ask how your weekend has been?"

dan heng straightened his sleeve, looking a little lost after your completely random question. but then he flicked your forehead softly, shaking his head.

"we literally hung out this saturday," he replied.

"i know, i know," you quickly said. "i'm talking about the rest of your weekend. you know, the part where we didn't see each other."

"you know, homework and stuff," he shrugged. "class starts in five minutes, so i have to go. you should hurry, too."

with those words he walked off, leaving you standing there. your mind ran over the past minute, and you wondered, did that count as a success or as a failure? you had no idea, but dan heng was right. you had to hurry if you wanted to make it in time.

2. be around him

"what if he thinks you're stalking him?" march asked skeptically. she handed you the book and folded her arms. "this doesn't sound like a great idea."

you hesitated. what if your best friend was right? you didn't want to creep him out or make him uncomfortable, nor did you want to scare him off and chase him away. what if he would think of you as a total weirdo? this step was a little unclear and risky, you realized.

"i'll just be subtle about it," you promised, even though it was directed more to yourself than to march.

and so you did – or tried, at least.

you sat a little closer to him during your lunch break, barely noticable but enough to have your heart working double hours. you made sure to say hi to him every time you ran into him in the hallways between classes, and whenever the two of you shared a class you secured the seat next to him. it was not good for your poor heart, but it had to be done. you even accompanied him on his way home, even though you lived in the opposite direction – which earned you a confused look from the male, but alas.

3. dress to impress

well, that one stressed you out quite a bit. on school days there wasn't much you could do, since it was very limited what you could do when it was required to wear uniforms. but now the weekend rolled around again, and you forced your best friend to come over to help you pick out clothes for a so-called study date in the library with the one and only dan heng. you did that quite often, but today was different, you knew it.

"what about this?" march suggested, taking your favorite shirt from your closet. she tossed it over to you, and you held it up in front of you. no, that was not it. dan heng had seen you wearing it so often already, how was it supposed to impress him?

"i want to try something new," you stated, diving into a section of your wardrobe that held a wide array of untouched clothes. there was a reason you didn't wear them, as you realized when you took them out of the closet.

but desperate times called for desperate measurements. you just had to suck it up and wear them. hesitantly, you combined a few items that looked decent together and tried them on. oh, you felt weird in what you were wearing, but still showed it to your best friend.

much to your surprise, march showed a hint of enthusiasm for the first time since you started your project. she gave you a thumbs-up.

"that looks awesome, y/n!" she chimed.

her excitement brought you a little confidence, and thus you went out wearing your new outfit. when you met with dan heng outside of the library, his eyes widened slightly as his gaze landed on you. he took in your appearance, as if he had to do a double-take. was that a good sign? you had no idea.

for what remained of your study date, his eyes were on you more often than on his textbook. you felt awfully self-aware because of that, and you too couldn't focus on your work. it was a very unproductive afternoon, but at least you grabbed his attention, right?

later that day, when you called march to update her on how it went, she wasn't too sure what it meant, either. both of you agreed that it wasn't like dan heng to stare so obviously, but whether it was a good or bad sigh? neither of you knew.

4. show your sexy side.

"i have an amazing idea," you exclaimed, fanning your cheeks as embarrassment flared them.

"oh god, what is it," march asked, nervous to hear what you had in mind regarding this particular step.

"let's skip this one," you firmly said, and your best friend exhaled in relief.

5. hold eye contact for a few seconds longer

"can we skip this one too?" you pleaded, but march resolutely shook her head.

"this one actually sounds like it makes sense," she reasoned. "hold his gaze, magically convey your feelings, stare into his beautiful, dreamy orbs."

you pretended to gag as she spoke those last words, but didn't go against it. just, how were you going to survive that without combusting on the spot? you weren't sure if you could handle this particular step. heck, you already went up in flames when dan heng shot you a simple look. there was no way you could successfully do this.

yet, you tried.

you sat opposite of him during lunch break, and you felt the weight of the book in your bag. it was taunting you, and you gave in.

dan heng mentioned something about your english homework, and you just so happened to catch his gaze.

hold it, hold it, you told yourself. your silently looked into his grey irises, and it wasn't the first time you realized how beautiful his eyes were. quiet, solemn, full of mystery. you found yourself getting lost in them, but dan heng didn't look away, either. only when you were a minute into it, you shot awake, realizing you were overdoing it. a few seconds longer, the book told you. heck, you basically engaged in a staring competition with him.

heat rose to your cheeks and you quickly averted your gaze. from the corner of your eyes you found dan heng looking at you weirdly, and march pinched the bridge of her nose.

you should've skipped this step.

6. remember what he shares.

"so this basically means i have to remember what he talks about, right?" you mused, closing the book. easy peasy, you already did. your brain had a special slot for things dan heng told you.

that day you caught him in the hallway as he made his way to your usual lunch break spot. you greeted him with a smile, and he acknowledged your presence with a curt nodm

you racked your brain, trying to think of anything dan heng mentioned in the past few weeks. thing is, he doesn't share a lot, so the memories were sparce. a weird silence hung between the two of you, filled with only the chatters of the students around you. but then you remembered something, and you lit up.

"how did your family dog's surgery go?" you asked.

dan heng shot you a look of surprise.

"you remembered?" he reacted, taken-aback. then his expression lightened. "it went well, he's all better now. it was a minor surgery, but i was quite nervous regardless."

"of course i remembered," you chimed. "i'm glad to hear that, give him some belly rubs from me when you get home, okay?"

the beginning of a smile formed on his lips, as he gave you a nod.

"will do."

you smiled back, though it held a different reason. that actually went well! wait, this was the first step you didn't mess up, wasn't it? you knew this book would come in handy!

7. touch him.

"uhm, what?" you questioned with a frown.

"not like that, silly," march laughed. "just, touch his shoulder, place a hand on his arm when you laugh at his jokes. stuff like that."

"dan heng doesn't make jokes," you reminded your best friend.

"you get what i mean, though," the girl said. "it means that you have to show very small, almost invisible signs of affection to let him know you're interested in him."

"but i don't want him to know!" you countered.

"then what's the whole point of this?" march asked, giving you a dumbfounded look. "isn't the idea that he catches onto your feelings and makes a move?"

"i mean, yes, but–" you began.

"don't chicken out, y/n," your best friend encourages you. "you've spent money on this book and you already came this far."

"you're right," you sighed.

and thus, you followed this step, too.

you started off hesitantly, fingertips grazing the air without any conviction of actually touching him. but that wouldn't make the cut, you knew that very well. so you stepped up your game. you placed a hand on his shoulder as you tried to catch up with him in the hallways, you occasionally touched his arm to draw his eyes towards you in a conversation, you sometimes let your hands touch accidentally in the most cunning ways. the longer it went on, the better you became. you were actually kind of proud of yourself. and the best part? dan heng never moved away from your touch!

8. be yourself.

that was probably the most complicated one so far. sure, it sounded easy enough, but what exactly did you have to do? yes, be yourself, but what was that?

you stared at the text on the page, but it didn't really clear up the issue. frankly, you had no idea what to do when the book told you to be yourself. what exactly was being yourself? you were seriously puzzled.

"hi y/n, what are you reading?" a voice called out to you from behind. much to your horror, it was a voice that was all too familiar, and never before did you shut a book so rapidly.

sadly, closing the book revealed the front of the cover, which had the book's title on full display. you realized your mistake too late, and by the time you noticed, dan heng had already read the words.

"how to get a boyfriend one-o-one?" he said aloud, raising a brow. he gazed at you intently, as if he tried to figure out what was going on inside your mind. "can i see?"

you were obviously panic-stricken, that much wasn't hard to see. and dan heng, on his turn, was obviously suspicious of your behavior and the book you were reading.

it was pointless to hide the book behind your back and pretend nothing was there. so you gave in, handing the book to the male while you tried not to perish on the spot. you quickly averted your gaze, staring somewhere far away from the situation while you scolded yourself for reading this stupid book at school. why did you do that?!

you heard the sound of pages rustling, and you wanted nothing but to evaporate and disappear. you weren't ready for this. he would be so weirded out, he would judge you so hard. oh, you royally screwed up, and you weren't sure if this could be fixed.

"so this is why you've been acting so strange lately," the male remarked. "you were following instructions from a book that would get you a boyfriend. on me."

"i-i can explain," you stuttered. man, you felt embarrassed to the core. now you had to confess your feelings in the worst way possible. while you had tried to be subtle, you blew your own cover.

"you don't need to explain anything," dan heng shook his head as he took a seat next to you. "look, y/n, you don't need the help of a book to get my attention. you were doing perfectly fine on your own."

you were wallowing in self-pity and barely comprehended the words he spoke. by the time the meaning dawned upon you, a good minute had passed. you gazed up, finally mustering the courage to look at him directly. did that mean...?

as if he could read your mind, dan heng nodded.

"i've started liking you way before you started using tips from that book," he confessed, a smile appearing on his lips. "though, i must say it was very entertaining to see you act like that."

this wasn't how you expected things to go, but god, you weren't complaining. your heart was soaring in your chest upon his words. well, the book kind of still worked, right? because dan heng saw what you were scheming, he chose to confess his feelings to you.

your crush confessed his feelings to you!

"couldn't you have told me before i started acting like a fool?" you laughed sheepishly, even though you had no regrets. after all, it had been sort of fun in a way. it surely came with a lot of humor, and apparently, dan heng had found it entertaining just as much.

minutes ago, you had failed to understand what exactly the book meant by being yourself, but now you realized you had been doing exactly that all along before you started following the book. dan heng liked you for you, and wasn't that the greatest thing ever?

[weemsfreak]

Botany...Of Course, Pt 1

Summary: Peyton is the new Botany teacher at Nevermore. They are a telepath. They find themselves on a trip with Principal Weems. They discover what happened the year before they became a teacher at Nevermore, amongst other things. (Multiple parts)

Tw: None?

Note: This is my first fanfic, I don't know if it's any good! Let me know though. PS. I'm in love with Larissa :) ~2300 words

You were the new Botany teacher at Nevermore. You didn’t hear much of what happened last year, but judging by the fact that nobody wanted to talk about it, it wasn’t good. All you knew is that the botany teacher had died, and Larissa almost did too. Around three months ago, your friend Ren who worked at Nevermore told you to apply for the position as you had just graduated from your teaching degree. You were extremely grateful that Principal Weems had decided to give you a chance. Being 25, you felt really young and immature around other teachers, so you always tried to be incredibly professional and helpful.

One Friday you were walking to your room after classes. As you walked through the main doors to outside, Larissa was coming in. “Oh Peyton, I haven’t seen you this week, how are things?” she chirped when she saw you. She was wearing her green dress and matching coat with black gloves. This was your favourite outfit of hers if you’re being honest. “Hi Principal Weems, things are great! I’m learning a lot and the students are so well behaved.” “Well, so far, but that’s great to hear!” she said in a tone that seemed a bit hopeless, but caught herself. She paused for a moment and looked you up and down. You didn’t know if that was the end of the conversation and you should go? It sounded like she was going to continue. She was still staring at you, a slight smile on her face ,like she was pondering something. You stared back at her, eyes drifting to her outfit. You loved her style and how she was so confident and put together all the time. You envied her, for more reasons than just that. "You know, I don't have any plans for tonight, care to join me for some wine? Or just to talk if you're not into that. 8pm?" she asked you so sure, and batted her eyelashes when she did. You stuttered when you answered, surprised she would want to spend any time with you. "Yes, uh- sure Principal Weems, I would love to!"

You were facing her grand office doors, your phone read 7:50pm. You were trying to pick an outfit and get yourself together all night, you were surprised you weren't late. Confidence and having your crap together wasn't exactly your strong suit. With ten minutes to spare, you went for a walk through the hallway. Looking at some old photos, you noticed Larissa in one, a photo of award winners from 1991. She won a Literary award and a…Botany award? You thought that was the cutest thing ever. Young Larissa, how you would've loved to meet her. You knocked on her door once and when you went to knock again it opened. She stood there, her face lit up. You weren't surprised she was in a good mood, it was a Friday night, "Ah Peyton, come in!" You walked in and stood in the middle of her office as she gestured for you to sit on the sofa in front of the lit fireplace. As you sat, she poured you a glass of wine and took a sip from hers. She passed it to you and sat next to you, crossing her legs, her knee touching yours. She didn't say anything, just looked at you, again. You were usually uncomfortable with people staring at you, but you couldn't say much, you did the same to her. "I really like your dress, it looks stunning on you" you said, sounding nervous but giving her a sincere smile anyway. Ugh, why couldn't you just say 'I like your dress' and leave it at that, she's going to think you're a weirdo. "Why thank you, I did get it made specially for me" she said with a wink. Of course she did you thought, it hugged her perfectly, as it should. You grinned and looked away, trying to hide it. She asked you about your classes and how you felt with this being your first teaching job. Truthfully you loved it. The kids seemed so happy to be here and learn, and you loved teaching. You didn't know if you would when you took your degree, but you're glad you ended up here. "I'm really grateful to you Principal Weems, I think this was the best place for me to start my teaching career" you beamed at her after a couple glasses of wine. "Well good, I'm so glad to hear that."

You wanted to ask her about last year, about what happened and why the botany teacher died. You didn't want to ruin the mood though, or have her thinking about the time she almost died. You could, of course, try to find it in her memories, but only if she would allow you to. "So, do you have anything interesting going on lately?" you asked, genuinely curious. She poured another glass for you and her, and took her time to answer. "I am going to a principals conference in two weeks, it's being held at a very fabulous hotel in Tennessee" she trailed off, looking into the fire. Looking back at you, "I do feel rather lonely going though, usually I wouldn’t mind, but lately I just want someone to share things with, you know?" You did know, you knew all too well. Was this an invitation? Or was she just confiding in a friend? You weren't the best at picking up on hints or social cues. "I'll come with you" you said in a sarcastic tone, looking into the fire. You would go with her, but you didn't know if she wanted that. "What would you do when I go to the conference?" Oh, she was serious. "Well, I've been there before, they have some shops, including coffee and really good pretzels and cinnamon buns, and they have three different conservatories, it's absolutely incredible. I can get some ideas for our conservatory, maybe you can write it off as a work trip." You were surprised with your response, and so was she. You didn't realize how much you would love to go on vacation, especially with Larissa. She thought it adorable how you called it 'our' conservatory. She smirked down into her wine glass for a minute, then at you. "That sounds very convincing Peyton. If you really want to go, I can book your flight. Unfortunately, we would have to share a room. There are no more available, it's always very busy there." Unfortunate, for who you wondered. "Oh, I don’t want to infringe on your trip Principal Weems, I know it would be much more comfortable for you to not have to stay with me." You looked up at her as she moved closer to you, "Nonsense, it will be fun getting to know each other, maybe you can teach me a thing or two…about Botany, of course."

You leave tomorrow. Since Principal Weems proposed you go to Tennessee with her, you have only talked to her about your trip details. You were excited to get away for a few days, but being alone with her for that long scared you. What if she thought you were boring, what if she thought you didn't like having fun, or what if she thought you weren't responsible or professional? You didn't know which was worse. You had a gift, you thought, you had telekinetic abilities. Not very typically though, like feeling emotion or reading peoples thoughts. Yes, you could move things with your mind, but you were more telepathic. You could see a memory in someone's mind if it was a very joyous or very traumatic one. You could erase a memory/knowledge from someone's mind, and you could give someone knowledge as well. If anything went really wrong, Larissa wouldn't remember it, if you had something to do with it. "So, you're going away with the principal. Tsk, tsk Peyton, does she know you're into women?" Ren loved making fun of you over anything you did. You've known each other for so long, you both loved to bat back and forth. "No, she doesn't, and she's not going to Ren...because it's not like that." "Well, I've worked here for years, and she has never asked me on a trip, but whatever you say Peytato." You packed your favorite clothes, some dress pants and nice shirts, a dress and maxi skirt, your favorite penny loafers and platform sandals, and a black two piece in case you went swimming. "Toni, these bras and underwear are frigging old, are you trying to turn her away?" You didn't know how many times you had to say it. "Ren it doesn't matter, nobody is going to see them" you sighed. "Bullshit, we're going shopping so get ready, now!"

As you both arrived to the airport, you were nervous to get on the plane. It had been awhile since you were on one. You thought that it was fun to take off, but the rest of the trip was anxiety ridden and you could never relax, let alone sleep. As you boarded the plane you took your seat and looked out the window. You had booked your ticket after Larissa, so you couldn't get a seat next to her. As a man sat next to you, you became increasingly more nervous. You didn’t like feeling of doing something scary alone, let alone sitting next to a stranger, a man, doing it. Looking around to see where she was sitting, you bit your nails, you couldn't find her. She saw you looking for her with worry on your face and nails in your mouth. She was sat two rows behind you, and would've been so easy to catch if you had just looked back. Putting your head down you fiddled with your ear buds, maybe they would help with the noise. You closed your eyes and leaned your head against the window. A few minutes later you felt someone's hand on yours, and you froze, not wanting to open your eyes. You realized a mans hand wouldn't be this warm, this soft, this- you opened your eyes, red nails. You looked up beside you and Larissa was sitting there, giving you a reassuring smile. "Rissa, this isn't your seat" you beamed at her, being so relieved that you weren't alone. She smiled wider at your use of her nickname, "I know, I asked that man to trade seats. I saw you looking for me. Do you get nervous on planes? Why didn't you tell me?" You didn’t tell her before, you didn't want her to worry about you. "Yes, I just don't like them, they're loud and crammed and I always feel alone. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to bother you, since we didn't have seats together." "Well, we do now love."

You were laid back next to Larissa, chest rising and falling slowly. She watched you sleep, glad that you were no longer nervous. She thought you looked so beautiful and at peace. You later awoke with a jolt and looked around, just turbulence. All of the sudden you were hit with the urge to listen in on peoples conversations, and you found yourself detecting whether they were being truthful with their words. or not. One man sitting behind you, "Yes, I brought the gift for your sister"- lie, a flight attendant, "We don't have any juice left" - lie, a woman in front of you, "My husband is picking me up when we land" - blatant lie. "Ugh, Wednesday Addams will be the death of me" you look to Larissa who is in a huff, totally engrossed in and typing away on her laptop. You didn't know if she was talking to you or if she even meant to say that aloud. You observed her, her nose was scrunched up, her lips were pursed, otherwise she looked perfect. Perfect posture, perfect hair, perfect outfit, perfect jewellery, soft hands with nails painted perfectly -wait. You didn't pay attention to what she really said, you were too caught up in observing her. "Larissa, what did you just say?" Looking at you confused, she tilts her head and tries to recall if she had even said anything. "Oh, I didn't mean to speak aloud, apologies for waking you." You were asleep? "No worries, but what did you say?" Typing away again, you waited for her reply. "I think I said that Wednesday Addams will be the death of me" she said with a chuckle. You stared at her as your heart ached a bit, you didn't detect that as a lie, though you couldn't say it was the truth, you couldn't see into the future. She caught you staring, "Peyton what's wrong?" Nobody knew you could detect lies, as it was something new to you, and it only came on at random. In fact, nobody knew of your telepathic powers, besides the fact that you could control objects with your mind. "Uh, nothing, all good" you said softly with a forced smile. Turning back to the window, Larissa shut her laptop and put her hand back on yours. "You looked so peaceful sleeping, I'm happy you passed some time getting rest." You smiled up at her, her face so sincere, so true were her words. "I never sleep on planes, I guess I must feel safe enough with you that I can relax." She gave your hand a squeeze, "Only 20 more minutes" she said with excitement in her voice. You smiled, relieved to be landing soon. You took a chance and laid your head on her shoulder, hoping to god that she wouldn't reject you. To your surprise, she laid her head on yours and said in a low almost vulnerable tone, "Peyton, thank you for coming with me. This is so much better than being alone."

Link to Pt 2

[baeklination]

Balcoyny

Date: 230814

Warnings: SMUT 🔞, it's a short one so I don't have to give it away (nothing worth red siren)

Pairing: Baekhyun x F. Reader

WC: 682

NOTE: I've been having some difficulties writing. Not block per se, just that it doesn't go as smoothly as it usually does and I nod of while writing after work, so I decided to take a day to write freely (and it kinda worked). As I was doing this I realised I hadn't done a summer one yet, which I always do (not as a plan, just...) I'm happy I managed, 'cus you guys deserve at least something.

And no, the title doesn't have a type-o.

Masterlist

¤¤

Turning the magazine to its front you smile, but this cozy morning with Baekhyun is too sweet, so you keep it in its plastic, opting for a later read. Aow. Stepping on the threshold of the balcony is uncomfortable, so why do you do it?

"Do you believe in the Loch Ness monster..?"

"All of a sudden?"

The sun isn't hitting the balcony directly but he still squints when he looks your way. Holding up this month's National Geographic you show him the reason for your sudden interest. 

"Haha. I haven't thought about it. Do you? You do, I know you do."

"No. I don't, but-"

"Buuut?'

"No. I don't. But I guess I'd like it - them - to be real. It would be like almost seeing a dinosaur, a Brachiosaurus. The ones with the long neck, you know."

Dropping the magazine on the table you see Baekhyun smiling and know exactly why, so you put your hand up.

"Don't say it."

"Wh-what..?"

"I know you were gonna say something about how you've got a long yada, yada, Baekhyun."

He bursts out laughing. He can be a total dweeb sometimes, which is an incredibly endearing contrast to his serious and cool side and makes your heart flutter with light.

"Okay. But if you're curious we can go inside and I'll show you…"

"Why go inside?", you challenge him. "Show me right here."

You said it as a joke, but actually, why go inside..? Baekhyun's eyes zigzag before settling on your face. Lowering his voice he speaks cautiously - warning against, but also…

"The neighbours… Mrs. Janczak is out on her balcony…"

When you sit down on the rug he turns his body to face yours, but keeps a nervous hand on the hem of his shorts.

"Unless she has x-ray vision she's hardly gonna see from down there."

Surveying the building across the yard for a few seconds, he gathers the coast is clear, stretches out the waistband and raises up his cock. 

Even now, he's got such an adorable expression of nerves mixed in with his arousal and when you push your mouth down the head he moans in the most shaky of voices. He isn't fully hard yet, so he grows and stiffens with each nod of your head. Emitting a sound too loud for his comfort makes him look around again, fearing he's been caught. 

"Baekhyun, relax…", you whisper, slowly pumping him. "...or do you want me to stop..?"

Taking a deep breath he shakes his head no (like you knew he would), so you continue sucking, letting him to the back of your throat. 

"Ah…."

 Closing your hand and lips tighter you focus on making him climax, wanting to feel his cum spurt into your mouth. 

"A-hh, f……. Wait. Here, move", he all of a sudden whispers in a hurry, sliding down from the chair to the rug, pushing his clothes down and when you start bending he stops you. Cupping his hand by your ear, voice dripping, he explains: "Sit on me."

He's not finished the sentence before pulling at your shorts and even only taking them off the one leg you feel like maybe someone is seeing, kind of nervous like he was. 

Having fallen into the moment, he sees only you; kissing with so much juice while you let yourself adjust to his size, but when your faster tempo won't allow for it you simply press your cheek to his, feeling his hands grab your t-shirt.

The summer makes even this short time warm quickly, makes the heat build up around your body as you smack down on his shaft. 

"H-hh…..h-hh……don't stop, I'm coming………ahh…..ah, shh" 

Filling his hands with your thighs, he drops his head to the chair and whines, pressing you down as he lets go of his semen while his smile twitches from the stimulation.

Sparing a few moments to calm down brings him back, rolling his head to the side to look at the building across.

"No one's out, right?", he asks breathing hard.

"No. No one…"

"Agh…mh…..let's go in."

●

[nights-nonsensical-ramblings]

When people line up Sonic and mlp characters I always see Knuckles being teamed up with Applejack (my two favourites, yay!)

These two stubborn, strong, hard working cool hat wearers would be great friends.

Both of them are so done with everyone's bs and should've had a nap hours but their friends keep getting into nonsense and they're the ones left to deal with it. (Of course they're not immune to being the ridiculous one and have caused their fair share of nonsense themselves)

These two are both the ones who take on way too much work and stubbornly insist they can handle it. Aj has the responsibility of running the farm and works hard to maintain sweet apple acers and Knuckles has the responsibility of guarding the Master Emerald and works hard to maintain Angel Island.

It would also be pretty funny for these two to be in a situation where they need to lie for whatever reason. They're both so bad at lying and it could be so entertaining to watch them stumble over their words and do their best but fail spectacularly.

And on that note I can picture a moment where Sonic and Rainbow did a thing and Applejack tells it to them that "That was just about the worst idea you've ever had. What the hay were you two thinking." And then Knuckles, no hesitation calls them "Dumbasses"

But Knuckles would would definitely feel out of place with how big a focus Applejack has on family and how he grew up completely alone. But could lead to a super wholesome moment of AJ telling him he's always welcome in the Apple family and then he proceeds to get adored by them.

I have lots more more thoughts on these two but I also really want to see is between Knuckles and Fluttershy.

I SO want these two to be besties. Sitting quietly together surrounded by little creatures because they found everyone else too much and needed some space. (social anxiety buds)

I'm picturing a scenario where at first Fluttershy is intimidated and nervous around Knuckles cuz she witnesses him snapping at Sonic or something but then he disappears from the group at some point and she goes looking for him to make sure he's okay, and then she finds him nearby calmly chatting with some of the local animals and letting them climb and sit on him. So then she goes over and the two enjoy each others quiet company far away from the others who can be a bit much and overbearing at times.

And even though he's got quite a temper Knuckles is super kind-hearted and put that next to Fluttershy who's often shy and meek but also has the incredibly kind heart and you've got two super kind characters who still contrast each other.

It was fluttershy's kindness that put discord on the path to reformation and Knuckles has the whole thing of believing there is good in people and how often he jumps to save his enemies.

You know what. these three would be such a nice trio that balance each other out and could be so fun together.

Although Knuckles and Applejack both being stubborn at the same time would be a such a bother for Fluttershy to deal with. But her being one of the few people who can get them to let up could be so cute

AH! I am really starting to adore this trio I have lots more thoughts as well as some thoughts for other characters but i'll save that for another post.

[withacapitalp]

Hidden Gem Friday

Hi guys!!! Okay so today is the first Hidden Gem Friday!!! I'm super pumped to be able to do this, I think it's gonna be so much fun. I have like 30 prompts already, so I'm going to try and do a little bit of a variety in these? Anyways!! I'm super psyched about this and I hope you guys leave comments for these writers when you read their stuff!!! Also let the writer know how you found them bc I always wonder when I get a random uptick in hits/comments/kudos! Anyways here's the actual rec list

Shoot by alligator_writes recced by me written by @riality-check! 1.2k words (Complete)- Jancy

Summary:

Jonathan shoots to capture. Nancy shoots to kill.  OR A character study of the two of them and their relationship.

My Thoughts:

WOW Honestly that's my thought with everything Ria writes, but this one is so overlooked!!! It's so short but every word packs an incredibly punch and it's the epitome of quality over quantity. The characterization is perfect, the parallels are so well written. Ah I just love this one

always surprised by what i do for love by birthdaycandles recced by @andrea-csenge 6.3k words (Complete)- Gen

Summary:

“He’s dressed like Steve.” Dustin says plainly, monotone in that way he gets when he’s genuinely upset and not just worked up for show. “Why?” Mike is asking because he still hasn’t processed the ugly fact of the matter, reasonably so considering how bizarre it is to witness someone be so braindead in public, but Lucas would like an answer that addresses the other type of why. Like, why is Conner Marrigan such a fucking asshole? “Clearly, uh, Marrigan wanted to have a costume no one else would think of.” Eddie chimes in. For once he sounds almost nervous, though Lucas has no idea why. “I figured I’d let you know, considering your allegiance to Harrington and also the general fact that it’s a pretty fucked up thing to do.”

My thoughts:

I love this one so much!!!! It's really well written first of all, and secondly the characterization of Lucas here is so unique!! This is my kind of Lucas, and the thought behind the premise is really interesting. Plus the Jason here is accurate to real Jason and I like that a lot (So many people just make irredeemable monster Jason when like before he went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs he was just your regular small town jock asshole)

It has been a beautiful fight. (it still is.) by througheden aka the amazing @thefreakandthehair !!!!! Recced by Lex technically, but also by me bc wowwww 3.3k words (Complete) - Steddie

Summary:

Steve wasn’t sure how the fuck he ended up at The Hideout on a Tuesday night.  Okay, that wasn’t true— Eddie invited him, he was loath to admit that he was still harboring an unexpected and ill-fated crush, and he’d agreed to go before his brain could catch up with his mouth. That's how he ended up at The Hideout on a Tuesday night.

My thoughts

Augh I just love the way you write. Something about it is so flowy, like a river or a silk dress. Anyways this is such a sweet little one shot, I always get so eeeeeee over a first kiss, and this was perfect!!!! I have a v similar idea for a story ending that is taking place soon, so great minds lolol but yes amazing show stopping wonderful etc. etc.

Words caught in my throat (who talks first?) by fragilecapric0rn recced by @flashyysins 12.2k (Complete)- Steddie

Summary:

Steve and Eddie get snowed in together. Emotional constipation and all the things left unsaid are also in attendance.

My Thoughts:

Okay so I said to myself I would put at least one WIP on this, but then I just read this one and Was going to skim it, but I literally couldn't put it down. It's so fucking good and I got choked up more than once I loved all the characterizations they felt so in synch. There are some spicy bits in this so fair warning, but there's also dad hopper and Wayne and stobin soulmate moments and just AUGH this is amazing it really honestly Is everyone should go read this and the fact that it only has 886 hits is a fucking travesty. I could easily see this as one of the seminal steddie fics tbh.

[princessasmosprincess]

Charmed, I'm Sure

Chapter 21

Summary: No human has ever avoided Asmodeus's charm. Except for you.

Pairing: Asmodeus x GN Reader/MC

Genre: Drama, angst, a little fluff.

Warnings: None for this chapter.

***

When Diavolo called you in to the student council room at RAD, you started to get nervous. As far as you knew, no one else knew about the attack other than yourself and Asmo, and you intended to keep it that way. Besides being incredibly embarrassing, you knew it would mean punishment for Mammon for letting you go alone. He hadn't done anything wrong and you were mostly ok, so you hoped to avoid that inevitability.

As busy as Diavolo was, you couldn't think of any other reason he'd need you to come to him. Most important information was relayed to you from Lucifer or through messages on your D.D.D.

“Ah, MC, it's so good to see you,” He said as you entered the room.

You smiled shyly at Diavolo. You’d only ever had a few opportunities to speak with the Demon Prince, and with the way Lucifer and the others built up his image, he was intimidating to say the least. You were grateful there were others in the room, but then, they all seemed mostly indifferent to your existence. At least Barbatos had given you a smile before returning to his task.

Lucifer was at one end of the long table, busy making room assignments for the field trip. He passed a finished document to Asmo, who matched them with the class lists and students’ permission slips when applicable. Diavolo then reviewed the assignments, giving them his stamp of approval.

You hadn't expected Asmo to be there, and you tried not to let his presence shake you. It made sense, though, he was a student council member and he occasionally had work to do. But he wouldn't even look in your general direction. It had been days since he’d saved you from those two demons. Days since he’d spoken to you or even acknowledged your existence. It was an uncomfortable reminder of how much he disliked you. You seemed to almost shrink within yourself as you approached the table. Diavolo took notice.

“MC, I just need you to sign your permission slip for the Moryo Town field trip. I hope you don't mind, we filled out most of the information for you since you were absent the day they were handed out. Please let me know if there’s anything you'd like to change.” Diavolo slid the paper to you. You looked over the permission slip. It just contained basic information like your homeroom class, emergency contacts, and allergy information, none of which would require changing. It had already been signed at the bottom by Lucifer, who was listed as your guardian. “And that reminds me, Asmodeus,”

Asmo looked up reluctantly. “Yes, Lord Diavolo?”

“You need to sign this,” Diavolo handed him a paper.

“I thought I didn’t need a permission slip since I’m over 5,000 years old.” He said.

“That’s Solomon’s permission slip,” said Lucifer, rolling his eyes. “He listed you as his guardian for some reason.”

“Oh, honestly,” Asmo huffed. “Me, his guardian? Why didn't he list Barbatos?”

“Barbatos declined that position, I’m afraid.” Diavolo handed Asmo a pen.

“I will be too busy watching over the Young Master,” said Barbatos as he poured hot water from a kettle into a pale green teapot with a dragonfly pattern painted on it.

“You were Solomon’s first choice anyway, Asmodeus.” Diavolo said as an aside. “And at Solomon’s age it’s mostly a formality, you won't be required to do anything.”

Asmo made a show of signing his name at the bottom of the paper like he would with an autograph, adding a little heart at the end for good measure. He was just about to add a lipgloss kiss mark when he felt Lucifer’s eyes boring into him.

“Excellent!” Diavolo laughed, clearly amused by Asmo’s antics.

You had just finished signing your own permission slip, you and Asmo ending up turning in the papers at the same time. Asmo withdrew his hand so quickly, as if he’d catch some disease just by being in close proximity to you. He quietly returned to his work, keeping his gaze on the table.

Diavolo looked over your permission slip, making sure everything was in order.

“Your penmanship is lovely, MC,” he smiled. You’d taken the opportunity to use Devildom writing when you had signed your name.

You stood a little straighter, “I had a great teacher,” you said, smiling at the memory from not so long ago. Your eyes were drawn back to Asmo who froze, his face coloring but his expression unreadable.

“Was it Lucifer?” Diavolo asked. “It looks a little bit like his.” He compared the signatures at the bottom of the page.

Asmo slowly began sorting through the permission slips again, totally focused on his task as if nothing else mattered in the world.

“It was not me,” Lucifer answered from his end of the table.

Asmo kept his eyes on his work. You wanted him to speak up, to acknowledge what he’d done for you. You had practiced your writing so diligently after he’d taught you. You didn't want his effort to have gone to waste, especially when it was something that hadn’t been required of him.

Diavolo scanned the page once more. “What a fun little mystery, I think I’ll try to work this out on my own,” He then turned back to you. “You’re welcome to stay if you’d like, MC, Barbatos was just about to serve tea.”

As much as you wanted to stay and enjoy Barbatos’ famous tea and desserts served by the butler himself, it was clear that, to at least one demon in the room, you weren't welcome.

“I should get going,” you said. “My next class begins soon.” It wasn't a lie.

Diavolo gave an apologetic smile. “That's quite alright. But before you go…” There was concern in his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

You paused for a moment, not knowing what to say. You were back to feeling small under his gaze. He seemed to be able to see everything. Did he know exactly what had happened the other day? He must have known, he was the prince. Of what little you did know of him, he kept careful watch over his kingdom.

You looked at his expression. His questioning seemed genuine, he really wanted to know if you were ok. That was comforting, at least.

But your problems couldn't be solved by the Demon Prince. It was all between you and Asmo.

“I’m fine,” you said finally, squaring your shoulders into some semblance of confidence and health. “Really, I am.”

Diavolo nodded, seeming to accept your answer, “Well if you ever find yourself needing anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. And I do mean that.”

“Thank you, Lord Diavolo.”

With that, you said goodbye to everyone, with a final glance to Asmo. You turned to leave, trying to hide the frown on your face.

“You may go as well, Asmodeus, if you wish to do so,” said Diavolo as you shut the door behind you. “I’m sure Lucifer and I can finish up from here.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Asmo picked up his things and left quickly. “See you at home, Lucifer.”

“Asmo,” said Lucifer, “Don’t forget, after school there’s a student council meet-”

Asmo was already out of the room.

Lucifer sighed, shaking his head. He returned to his paperwork. Barbatos began to clear the table for tea.

“They both seemed off today,” said Diavolo, still staring at the student council room door.

“MC is still recovering,” Lucifer capped his pen.

“Does it really take that long?” It had been well over a week by now.

“Humans are fragile, more than you’d expect,” said Lucifer. “And as for Asmo… I’m not exactly sure what’s wrong with him. He hasn't been his usual self for a few days now.”

“Have you talked to him about it?” Diavolo asked.

“When my brothers are quiet, I usually take that as a good thing, especially with Asmo. It means I can get my work done.” Lucifer got up from his seat and walked over to Diavolo’s side of the table, sitting down next to him. He began to pour himself a cup of tea. “He gets in these moods from time to time, usually over something frivolous. His favorite skincare product was probably discontinued. I’m sure it's nothing to worry about.”

No, there was something strange going on between you and Asmo. Diavolo was sure of it. He hadn't missed the hopeful way you glanced in Asmo’s direction, only for him to snub you. For someone who took the opportunity to flirt with everyone he met, Asmo’s behavior was peculiar. Diavolo had a feeling it had something to do with whatever had happened the other day.

The demons were already receiving their due punishments. Diavolo and Barbatos had picked them up, no questions asked, both impressed with the way Asmo had incapacitated them. They’d been interrogated and dealt with quietly. Lucifer didn't even know about it. Diavolo didn't want to risk him punishing Asmo again. He’d thought it was a bit cruel that Lucifer had grounded Asmo from partying the first time. What he’d done then by protecting one of RAD’s exchange students was a very good thing, if not discreet.

Diavolo added a third lump of sugar to the two Barbatos had already stirred into his tea. He swirled the reddish-brown liquid with his spoon, watching the sugar dissolve into nothing. It wasn’t just Asmo you weren't connecting with. You’d had run-ins with several of the brothers, most of them ending with pacts, which was somewhat promising. But when you had faced Lucifer, he would have killed you if Diavolo hadn't stepped in. Diavolo wondered how many other close calls there had been.

If he wanted to, he could press Lucifer for the details, it was well within his right as prince, and with a direct question Lucifer would not be able to lie to him. But Diavolo refused to use his powers in that way. Friendship required trust, and that couldn’t be maintained by interrogating one’s friends. It was something given freely, not forced. He would remain in the dark until Lucifer chose to divulge the truth to him.

Needless to say, the exchange program was proving more difficult than expected. He had to figure out a way to deal with this.

“I think I'm going to have to cancel the hot springs trip.” He said after a while.

“My lord,” said Barbatos.

Lucifer almost spit out a mouthful of tea, standing from his seat. He swallowed, his eyes wide. “Diavolo, you can’t do that. All the hours of work we’ve put into planning; permits obtained, lodging booked, facilities rented…” Lucifer pressed his palms against the table, his head hanging low. He began calculating just how much Grimm RAD would lose by canceling the trip.

“The permits are hardly anything to worry about,” said Diavolo. “I am the prince and we are the government, if you’ll recall.”

Lucifer shot him a withering glance, something he’d never do except in the privacy of the student council room with only Diavolo and Barbatos as witnesses. Diavolo met his gaze with a carefree smile, sometimes Lucifer was so uptight.

“The student body is already excited for the trip, my lord.” Barbatos added.

“That’s true…” Diavolo mused. “But I can’t expect the exchange program to go well if the rulers of the Devildom can't even get along with our human exchange students. We need to be promoting harmony. That’s the whole point in all of this.”

“What do you propose then, my lord?” Barbatos asked.

Diavolo thought for a long moment, weighing his options.

“The hot springs trip is postponed until further notice,” he said finally, “In the meantime, the student council and exchange students are going to have our own little retreat."

***

Author's note: This isn't the last you'll hear of the hot springs trip ;)

***

Cross-posted on AO3

[goawaypopup]

Roddacember Day 15: Playful

I'm going to mix things up a bit with this one.

The anthology copy I had of Deltora Quest as a kid had an excerpt from The Key to Rondo at the end. I didn't read it every time I read the book, but I read it enough times to have that mental image of butterflies being sucked into a music box ingrained into my small brain.

Now, fantasy based on the "real" modern world doesn't usually have quite the same pull to me, so I didn't actually look for a copy until uh, last month, actually! I didn't even know it was a trilogy until I got to the end of the first one and found the promotional section.

And it's actually really good!

There's a reason Australia keeps giving Rodda so many kids' literature medals. The thoughtful characters, the rich world, and especially that plot-twisty quality are all still there.

The thing that really distinguishes Rondo from the barrel of isekai-type fantasy adventures, for me, is how well-defined the boundaries of Rondo are. Rondo is not exactly a special world outside our own. It is literally a music box. It has talking animals and people with fairy-tale roles because they were made from whole cloth by some guy who imagined them that way. Just look at this bit: "Are the people who run the toy factory really called Dolly and Teddy?" Leo interrupted suddenly. "Yes," said the man, looking surprised. "I told you!" "And the tavern landlord's called Jolly, and the flower seller's called Posy, and the pie man is Crumbles and there's a policeman called Officer Begood?" Leo went on, his voice rising in disbelief. Mimi gave a snort of nervous laughter. "Ah!" said the man, his face clearing. "You mean the names suit the people? Yes. Quite a coincidence, isn't it? Happens a lot around here, for some reason."

Something about this setup, the way that Rondo was made as a self-contained playground, appeals to me in a similar way to the Deltora books, and a number of other things I like.

A beautiful little system that nevertheless holds an incredible array of fantastical phenomena, which are well-defined enough to understand and theorize about their behavior.

Dang, I wish I had a music box full of, uh, fully independent human lives.

[lgcxjasper]

NOW PLAYING: Girls, Love Boys, Loves Girls by MZSD SOLO- LEADER | NEW KIDS NEW DREAMS wc: 589 jasper contemplates his possible role as becoming the leader of the unit.

he knows he'd make a good leader. a great leader even. he has all the traits, at least in theory of what a leader should be-- he's mature, hard working, and likes to be apart of a team despite his lack of siblings or even his introverted personality. he never was too reactive, never late to rehearsals. he stayed late, and didn't have too many commitments besides the team, now. he never had.

but did he want it?

that was a different question altogether. one he wasn't sure he had quite the strength to answer. and if he did answer, he wasn't sure some people(read: his mother, possibly some coaches), would like the answer he had to give to them.

he wasn't aware of how young he was until the time came and went, until he's apart of unit that reminds him sharply about much he feels about just that. being young, being free. he had a whole life ahead of him. while that was partially a bit dramatic regarding leading the entire group.... well-- it made sense to him.

he dresses simply, the plaid shirt and white tank on his body complimenting a pair of dark jeans and black air force ones that he had on his feet. there's a polite bow to daehyun, of course, followed by a handshake that's a bit more accustomed to where jasper grew up in london.

and then, he takes a seat.

after all, there's a reason he was even considered. it would make sense for him to at least try, and in his mother's words, it would be a travesty if he didn't and let 'all his potential go to waste'.

bloody hell.

he wipes his palms on his pants as he sits up straighter, fully prepared for what could possibly be thrown at him.

at one particular question, jasper offers a bit of nervous laughter, meeting his eyes with a sort of a resounding sigh. "ah, frankly, i think we're already great as a unit-- it's one reason you've picked us all in particular. we all bring something different to team, and yet, even when we're all together, there's a sort of cohesiveness i'm not quite sure i've seen in other groups from legacy..." he trails off, hand up in a bit of defense. "what i mean by that, is that it's simply different. there's a sort of freshness there, perhaps? i think that reflects well as a group that could be seen as a force for this generation of music. the first group they think of when they do think of our generation, but also a group that can't quite be replicated. many imitators, but none who quite hit the mark." he grins at the thought, before he's leaning back. "we've already portrayed a sort of... for lack of better words, sir, rowdy sort of reputation. regardless of whether anyone wants us to, we're going to make noise, and make our mark. i think it's a good way to continue. bright, fresh, unique. eight boys who will leave dust when they've left, something that long lingers. i'd like to make sure we all become a unit that is so incredibly tight, not only personally, but performance as well. people will have a hard time distinguishing who is where, perhaps. eight visuals, eight rappers, eight dancers, eight vocalists, eight unforgettable performers."

he rambles. he absolutely absolutely rambles, and despite his.... er, initial plans, he really did mean every word he was saying. he wanted them to really be unforgettable.

dammit.

[citrusfield]

( continued. ) ♡ @hcrdknocklife

"how do you know that i’m out of his league if you’ve never met him?” there’s still a small smile on her lips regardless of the finer details because even after all this time, it’s reassuring to hear from people who couldn’t disagree with her ex’s words more; especially when it’s a person she respects so much. the sad truth is that if someone spends enough time telling you that you’re not very smart, you’ll eventually start to believe it, and there are some tougher days at work where riley will start to fall back into that pattern. she swears she’s trying, but learning how to deal with failure without shouldering the full blame has never come naturally for her. “you say you don’t have much experience with it and that might be true, but whatever articles you’ve read seem to be pretty accurate. i can barely remember what not being anxious feels like.” when was the last time they were genuinely entirely carefree, with no nagging thoughts at the back of their mind or something lurking beneath that causes their stomach to twist itself into nervous knots? it must have been around their early school years, back before anybody had managed to figure out just how advanced her little brain could be in comparison to her classmates. once they did, it was all downhill from there. if she asked for assistance with something, what if the adults were disappointed? she was the clever one, after all. surely she shouldn’t need to be talked through the process like everyone else. sadly, she knows not everyone thinks the same way hayes does. not everyone is so willing to help.

“yeah, i know… although i’m starting to think there might be such a thing as caring too much.” imagine how much easier life would be if they could just shut off the limbic system in their brain for a little while and coast through the day without getting caught up on every minor mistake or overthinking every conversation hours after they've already ended. what a dream that would be. “that’s probably the smarter choice in the long run. but for what it's worth, i think you deserve all that praise you don't listen to.” it seems like feeling undeserving of flattery is just another thing they have in common. "i suppose if it was easy, anybody could do it, right? but you're the one in that position for a reason. you said you're doing the best you can and if everyone can already see that when you've barely just begun, i'd take that as a sign that you're moving in the right direction. so don't worry, i don't think you'll disappoint me either." realistically, they aren't even the one he should be afraid of letting down — what does their personal opinion really matter in the long run? "oh, ouch… are you trying to tell me to get a life right now?" being so directly called out would be woefully embarrassing if the initial surprise hadn’t made her laugh. is she that predictable? it's not like she never sees the light of day and spends the time in between shifts at home, staring blankly at the wall until it's time to leave again; she just tends not to do stuff that most people would deem as particularly adventurous or exciting. it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone to learn that she's not much of an extrovert. “hey, if you don't have confidence in your love life, someone has to. whatever form it ends up taking, yes, i'm willing to bet that you’ll get there. is that so hard to believe?" riley of all people giving out any kind of relationship advice is incredibly ironic, but she has a feeling about this one. he's so stereotypically perfect, it's close to frustrating. "yeah, that's what i thought… but then again, how else do you plan on meeting someone if you're exhausting all your other options?" at the mention of dating essentially getting in the way of work however, a knowing smile settles on their lips. ah, that sounds familiar. “i'm sorry, what was that you were saying earlier about me needing to work on my work-life balance? i'm afraid you might need to start taking your own advice." at this point, it should probably be considered a miracle that they aren't both still at the hospital right now.

“oh, i see… i suppose i didn’t think about that part.” she hadn't even thought that a member of staff would be an option for him, but it makes sense in hindsight; it's where he spends most of his time after all. the downside to this information is that now, their mind is running at a rapid pace trying to figure out who exactly has managed to capture his attention. they’re not one to gossip — especially not while at work — but they’d be lying if they said their curiosity wasn’t piqued. “as long as it’s consensual though, i’m sure there’s a way to work around the rules somehow, right? it may technically be frowned upon, but it’s not like you’d be breaking the law… i doubt you’re the first person to ever develop feelings for an employee.” aren’t there hundreds of cliche romance books out there about dating your boss? it must be a pretty common line of thinking for some people. as soon as it becomes clear that he's finally going to tell her why they're really here, riley's spine straightens and she tries not to lean forward in anticipation. she hadn’t the faintest idea what she was actually expecting him to say, but it wasn’t… that. her mouth opens the second the words leave his lips, but no sound comes out yet and she has to quickly shut it again. is he positive he hasn’t gotten her mixed up with someone else? “um, the clinic sounds like a great idea,” she begins, trying to find the best way to voice her confusion. this day has taken so many unexpected turns, she's shocked she's not dizzy. “but… why would you want me? you have plenty of other doctors who are far more experienced and capable than i am. giving me that responsibility... it feels like a risk.” 

[casspurrjoybell-19]

Does it Matter? - Chapter 12 - Part 3

*Warning: Adult Content*   

"You don't want me to be a better bed slave?"

"Ah. So that was what you were referring to."

"It wasn't. Really. I just would have thought you would have seen me being better in that regard as a good thing."

Maric sighed.

"I don't want a bed slave, Dara. I don't think I ever really did. That's not to say that I'm not attracted to you or sexually interested in you, of course. You know that's not the case but I only want what's genuine."

"Ah. Well, fortunately I'm not very good at being anything else."

"Is sexual contact with me something you actually want? I've told myself it is because you can be incredibly responsive but you often look scared or unsure."

"It's nice. There's just a lot of fear, a lot of pressure to do a good job and then I couldn't do a good job because I was so nervous and it's just a cycle, I suppose."

"A cycle?"

"It's like you're just about to drift off to sleep when a man with a knife sits down next to you and tells you that if you're not asleep by dawn, he's going to stab you and if he hadn't said that you would have been asleep before dawn because you always are, so now you're scared so you can't sleep even though you wouldn't have a problem in the first place if you weren't scared."

Maric had been listening intently to Dara's analogy but he still looked confused.

"And this is about you not being able to ejaculate when we're together?"

"I think it's about a lot of things and maybe they're connected in a way but yes, I suppose that's one of them."

"And in this analogy I'm the man with the knife?"

"I suppose or you're the man who just switched shifts with the knife man and you also have a knife which you say you won't stab me with but you know, you have it and you're watching me try to sleep and no matter how nice you are it's not easy to just surrender and completely trust someone in that situation."

"I'm watching over you and I'm going to stab the other knife man if he comes back."

Dara couldn't help but laugh at how sincere Maric sounded.

"I like that."

"Do you actually want to be able to ejaculate when we're together? Is it important to you for reasons other than pleasing me or a perceived sense of doing a good job?"

"Yes, I think so. It would be nice and..." Dara let out a sigh as he thought for a moment.

"I think if I can find a way to break through that cycle of fear, it might help me in a broader sense."

"So I need to be as different as possible from the knife man."

Dara bit back a smile.

He'd made the knife man analogy up on the spot and it was amusing him that Maric was taking it so seriously.

"I suppose so."

"And the knife man is someone who has expectations of you and will punish you if those expectations are not met."

"Essentially, yes. Specifically expectations that I can't simply choose to fulfil."

"Okay," Maric said,and then he sat up and began unbuttoning his shirt.

Dara's fingers leapt to his own shirt buttons and then released.

Excitement and apprehension mingled in his gut.

"What should I do?"

Maric tossed his shirt aside and climbed off the bed.

"Nothing unless you want to do something. I have zero expectations of you."

"Okay," Dara said but he still couldn't relax as he watched Maric start to strip out of his pants.

He watched him, searching for some hint of what was about to happen and what Maric wanted from him and then Maric was nake, and Maric was on his knees at the edge of the bed, beckoning Dara over.

Dara shuffled towards him and Maric buried his face in the front of Dara's pants, breathing in his scent and gently nudging with his nose but he took things no further.

He waited,and Dara waited, until finally arousal gave Dara enough courage to unbutton his pants and then Maric's lips were there, teasing gently at first and then fully engulfing him.

Maric lifted Dara's hand and placed it on the top of his head, guiding Dara to grip his hair, push him down, take control.

As Maric let go, leaving Dara in complete control, something in Dara let go as well and he thrust up, using his grip on Maric's hair to keep his head in place.

Maric didn't resist as he swallowed Dara down.

Maric wasn't a prince and Dara wasn't a slave.

There was no past or future, just this moment and the warm mouth around him.

Nothing mattered except driving himself forward, chasing that pleasure and then he found it, a raw energy that burnt its way through his gut and tore its way out of him, primal and powerful and unrelenting.

It was dizzying and disorienting like being struck in the head but as the quivering of his body subsided the burning in his gut remained.

Maric had found Dara's magic.

It was only when Maric tried to lift his head that Dara released he was still gripping his hair and much too tightly and abruptly let go.

Maric rested his head against Dara's thigh, looked up at him and smiled.

"Thank you," Dara said.

He didn't know what else to say.

Prince Maric let out a huff of laughter that tickled over far too sensitive skin.

"You're welcome."

"Do you want me to...?" Dara made a vague gesture with his hand.

"Ah, no."

Maric sat back on his knees and looked down.

He was flaccid and there was evidence of his own release on his stomach.

"I wasn't looking to satisfy myself with this but I have to say having you fuck my mouth like that was something I hadn't realised I would be so into until it was happening."

"Oh," Dara said because... oh.

"Well, I can do that for you. Apparently."

"This was explicitly not supposed to be about what you can do for me. I hope that was clear."

"I know. I didn't think..." Dara bit back on a smile.

"Actually, I didn't think much of anything after a while."

Maric smiled, open and proud.

"Good. That was the idea."

He found an wash cloth on the table, wiped his stomach off and then climbed onto the bed.

As he lay down he pulled Dara down with him and cuddled in against his side, Dara still completely clothed and Maric completely naked.

"I'm tired."

"Okay," Dara said as he wrapped an arm around Maric and Maric snuggled closer.

"Maric?"

Maric's head lifted slightly.

"Hmm?"

"Can I stay with you?"

"I don't know how we're going to make this work but I won't give you away again, Dara. Not unless you ask me to."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

Maric was already half asleep but Dara was wide awake, his magic a raging inferno deep in his gut that sent waves of heat out through the rest of his body every now and then.

If Maric had been hurt right then, he was certain he would have been able to heal him.

To harness that energy and shape it to his will.

He just needed an opportunity to test it, to prove it to himself before he had to finally be honest and tell Maric the full truth of what he was.

Just one clean, pressure free attempt.

Maybe next time they stopped for the night he could ask to spend some time alone in the stables.

The horses were well cared for but he could surely find a few small scratches here and there to confirm his magic was within his reach and then he would have to tell Maric.

He had no idea how Maric would respond.

Surely he would be happy to find out he owned something as rare and valuable as a healer.

Dara had been told many times that there was nothing in this world worth more than a healer but there were feelings involved now, ones that were starting to run far deeper than Dara had ever anticipated and they went both ways.

Would Maric be angry?

Would the nature of their relationship have to change?

As the fire in his belly began to settle, Dara pushed those thoughts away.

He couldn't let fear kill his nerve now.

He needed his magic back.

[dark--eclipse]

Okay. Okay. He could do this. Tikhas was being perfectly nice to him thus far. A proper gentleman, one could even say with a bit of a stretch, though the coral snake naga had told Donnie that they identified as non-binary rather than strictly masculine or feminine. He hadn't quite gotten bold enough yet to tell Tikhas about being trans himself, but somehow.....somehow he was having a good feeling about it. They were getting along swimmingly, after all. Thus far.

So why was he so nervous about this? Why did it feel like his heart was trying to clamber out of his chest as he followed Tikhas into the woods then, trying to make sure he was following at a respectable distance and that his emotions were kept carefully in check and that he didn't hold eye contact for too long but also--

Gods. He wanted Tikhas to like him. He.....he wanted Tikhas to stick around and not get scared off by all of his oddities. But that was a normal thing to feel in a friendship, right? It didn't mean he had a crush, didn't mean that he was some lovesick fool waiting to fall right back into the arms of romance again. Donnie had learned his lesson when it came to that particular endeavor. He'd never try to get involved with that ever again--

"Hey. You okay?" He was startled out of his thoughts by Tikhas backtracking to slither up next to him, a concerned look on their face. "If this is too much, we can go back and just have a chill night at the house or something-"

"No! No. I'm fine. Really. I'm perfectly fine. If I was any more fine, I'd be---anyway. We're good to continue. I just have a lot on my mind, is all." Donnie tried for a reassuring smile then, hoping that it wouldn't come out looking more like a pained grimace.

Tikhas smiled in turn, exposing just the tiniest bit of his upper fangs. "Alright. Come on, I think the grove I wanted to check out is this way."

Oh. Oh, wow, he had a nice smile. Donnie found himself standing there as the naga forged on ahead, a soft smile of his own coming to his face as his shadows swirled around him and chittered.

Crush! You have crush! You LIKE snake---

Crush crush crush!

"Shut up. I do not," he hissed, forcing his stupid unruly body to just move forward and follow Tikhas into the grove. "It is not a crush. I've learned my lesson. Too many people taking advantage of me, or....or getting scared off, or--"

You liiiiiike him.

Ugh. Tiny menaces. Donnie simply rolled his eyes, continuing onwards until--

--until he almost ran into Tikhas's backside, stopping just in the nick of time. "Ah, here we are. The grove of glow mushrooms I was talking about!"

Woah. Woah. That was.....mushrooms in a lot greater of number than Donnie had been expecting. He was aware that his mouth was hanging open in awe and that he probably looked like a poleaxed idiot as he stood there, but Donnie couldn't help it. This was....amazing. This was such a rare horticultural find! He found his hands raising up to give an excited flap before he could stop himself, a grin spreading across his lips. "Oh. Oh wow. This is.....this is amazing! How did you ever find this place? I have to take samples! Within reason, of course. I wouldn't want to disturb the ecological balance of this place, but....oh my gods, look at all of this! A grove of this size is incredibly rare!"

"Yeah, so I've heard. My family's actually known about it for ages, I guess it's a bit of a family secret. We usually don't give it out to people? But, uh. You and your brothers seem like you're trustworthy folks who aren't going to raze the whole thing, so." Tikhas smiled again, then, the bottom half of their body resting languidly upon a log in the center of the clearing. "Feel free to take a few. You know what they're used for, right?"

"Yes! You can melt them down to create a pigment of sorts, or writing ink, or they can be used as energy sources in lanterns. They're also quite good to eat, but they have to be mixed with other ingredients, otherwise the flavor is a bit strong. They prefer more acidic soil and-" Donnie cut himself off, smiling sheepishly. "Oh. Sorry. I'll go on all night if you let me. I didn't mean to ramble."

"It's alright. I actually like it when you share things about the plants we use. It's nice to meet someone who has the same interests as me. And you're....smart. Smarter than me, even."

Donnie spluttered, putting a hand to his chest in mock offense. "Oh, perish that thought. You're quite good at retaining horticultural knowledge. Better than me. My talents lie in spellwork--"

"I can't even really draw a summoning circle. So I'm jealous of that much."

"--what I'm trying to say is that we have different talents when it comes to retaining knowledge, and that's fine. Perfectly acceptable." Donnie gave a soft smile of his own, then, stilling his hands at his side. There was a beat in which they looked at each other, and he felt some indescribable warmth of sorts blossoming in his chest--

And then he looked away, coughing somewhat nervously. "Uh. Right. I shall....gather samples, and then we'll head back?"

"Sounds good to me." Tikhas turned away to--right, they'd said they were going to monitor the wildlife in the grove to ensure that everything was still thriving and growing as smoothly as possible. Donnie watched for a moment as he knelt to survey several fireflies at the grove's edge, chuckling softly as they nestled against his scales, and for a moment Donnie felt that warmth coming back at how gentle Tikhas was with the tiny creatures, how his gaze softened as he looked at them, and he felt that tiny affectionate smile creeping back onto--

His shadows chittered, snapping him back to himself. Ugh. What was he doing. He was only interested in Tikhas as a friend. A friend. Nothing more. Sure, the coral snake naga had a nice smile, and he had been good with Themis, and Donnie wanted them to like him so terribly badly--but that didn't mean anything! It didn't mean that he actually felt the way that everyone was saying. They didn't know anything about him. They didn't know that he was apparently pre-destined to not have romance work out for him, or that he had long ago accepted that everyone else would have a partner but not him, or--they didn't know. How could they possibly--

Oh, shit, he'd thought he was far enough from that tree root to not trip over--

Faster than he could keep track of, Tikhas was there, grabbing him and holding him steady from falling directly onto the rather squishy-looking fungi. "Woah, hey. Are you alright?"

And Donnie was left to stare up into their face, then, and that strange warmth was back as he looked into those warm yellow eyes, and he really should have said something but he just kept staring like an idiot and oh gods oh gods his face felt warm was he actually blushing was---

SPEAK, you fool.

"Ahah! Yes! I'm fine! Just a....just a little stumble, you can....you can let go now!" Gods damn it, why did his voice sound so squeaky all of a sudden. He had to get it together. He pushed himself away from Tikhas's hold as gently as possible, adjusting the areas of his clothing that had come askew before clearing his throat. "Uh. Right. I've gotten what I needed, so. Uh. We should head back."

"Are you sure? You look upset over something."

No no no this was not happening. "I'm fine."

"Don, it's okay if--"

"I SAID I'm FINE." The shadows swirled around him for a moment, and no, no, he couldn't get emotional right now, he couldn't let Tikhas see the ugly parts of him that he tried so hard to keep hidden, just breathe. They snapped back into him then as he offered yet another sheepish smile, exhaling softly. "Sorry. Sorry. It's not you, uh. Like I said. I've been on edge lately. Let's just....go back to the house."

"Sure. Uh. I didn't do anything wrong, did I? Because I would like to.....see you again."

Donnie froze, spinning back towards him. "You....would?"

"Yeah. Unless I've....messed this up. Somehow."

"No! No, you didn't.....it's. Complicated, is all. Can I think about it? Before I....I mean, I can come to the shop and give you a definitive answer either way, I...."

Tikhas smiled again, but it seemed a bit loose around the edges, almost as if they were struggling with it. "Yeah. Sure. Do whatever you have to. Sorry, I'm just....hoo boy. Not used to staying out this late, really."

"I....know the feeling. Themis keeps me up all hours of the night sometimes-"

"Eh, she's adorable. It makes up for it, doesn't it?"

That got a genuine laugh out of Donnie as he followed Tikhas back out of the grove, his eyes sparkling. "I guess it does. She's the apple of my eye, really--"

"I'll have to make something for her sometime. A little bundle of herbs to help her sleep, or something."

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that. Really--"

"Yeah, but I want to. Mikey's been so nice to me, and your brothers are pretty kind too, and....well. I'd like for us to be friends, yeah? And I can't really do spells, so this is the next best thing to thank you for letting me take you here." Tikhas gestured as they slithered along, hands moving at a mile a minute. "You think she'd like the smell of lavender? I'm thinking more subtle scents, especially since she's so young--"

And as they headed back towards home, Donnie found himself examining that warm feeling within his chest, wondering what seemed so familiar about it, wondering why it was so all-encompassing and--

Oh. Oh.

....shit.

[sgnjimmy]

✓𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 Part. 3

vinny hong x gn!reader

A/n: brain going brrrr w this. (and WTF is this anyways). i'm ignoring canon bc that shit hunts me every day, our man does not have a break, lemme tell u. fun fact i did this during class cuz who tf participes in PE??

A/n (2): for some reason i'm not feeling this so ignore any mistakes again. 🙏😭

Part. 1, Part. 2, Part. 4

"you were right, this is really good" you comment still chowing your food. after what he had said to you vinny told you to wait in a bench while he went buy the food for you both. now you two are sitting in the same park you had encounter him a few weeks ago. enjoying each other's presence, the feeling being oddly familiar.

"it's good to see you're still cycling" "it always made you feel better, from what i remember". little did you know it wasn't riding a bike that made him feel better, but you. you always hyped him up, and praised him, saying he looked cool and all. it never failed to make him happy. you never failed to make him happy. vinny feels his cheeks heating up thanks to those thoughts, he tries to hide it by lowering his head, hoping you wouldn't notice. it's been barley five minutes and you're already making him feel things, damn it. "fuck" he mumbles under his breath.

"vinny, you're okay?" "..hey, don't look down, it doesn't suits you" when you say this you softly reaches for his chin with your hand, making him look at you."there... much prettier" that damn smile again, vinny swears you're doing this on purpose, there's no other explanation. "yeah, y-yeah" "i'm good" he replies, missing your touch when you pull your hand away from him. "you sure? you're a little red." you ask concerned."no, yeah- i'm okay"

"...alright" "oh, right! so how's your mom doing?" he tenses up after hearing that. what's he supposed to say... that she's incredible sick and he's worried something bad could happen...? he doesn't want to think about it right now. "...she's sick" vinny get's visually uncomfortable talking about this so you pick it up fast enough."prefer not talk about it, right?". "yeah.." you hear him say.

"and how about that girl? is she your girlfriend?" you ask to try to change the subject "what...? NO no, she is not my girlfriend." "she's not..." he's looking at you so flustered you can't help but laugh. he's cute, you think. "haha, okay okay..." "hm, do you have a girlfriend or a partner?" you're ask picking at your food. "i- i don't, no..." his head falls once more, and the look you see on his face is kind of... sad? "hey hey don't worry about it!" "is okay if you don't date, or don't want to talk about it" he nods slowly but then suddenly looks at you "do you? do you have.... a partner?" he's staring at you with such a intense gaze, it makes you feel nervous. vinny seems genuinely so interested and curious so he waits for your answer. "eh, no- well, not currently..."

"ah..." "wait, but you did?!" vinny throws you off balance asking that, why so many questions? and about your dating life no less... he could just be curious about it, your inner voice tells you. you guys don't see each other since you were nine, your life charged since. is understandable him trying to catch up...

vinny's mind is running wild at the moment. you had dated?? with who? when? how? what...? i'm mean is true you were incredible, and still seems to be so. and holy shit you're gorgeous, really really gorgeous. he could imagine someone falling for you. he's just... he... he doesn't know how to call what's he's feeling. it bothers him to imagine you with someone. imaging you laughing so closely to someone, or going on late walks... he thinks, what if he was the one you call partner...?

wait, what is he thinking? god, no- no, stop. you're just his friend. his best friend or more like his ex best friend... anyhow, he shouldn't think those things about you. you're free to date whoever you want and do whatever you want... vinny can't help though, he wishes you'd choose to do those things with him. maybe you would... he stops himself from going any further in his thoughts. vinny knows better than that, those kind of things never work out for him, and besides... why would you ever choose him.

(no one asked for this sequel but, hey 😀... also i'm genuinely going w the flow, had to stop myself from making it longer.)

and for my vinny tag list (anyone who wants to join massage me or just lemme know, i'll add you): @vinnyshongf

[violetarks]

making up after a fight

anime: tokyo revengers

characters: hanagaki takemichi, sano 'mikey' manjiro, baji keisuke, hanma shuji

summary: how you two rekindle your relationship after hard times

warnings: afab! reader, use of she/her pronouns, third person pov

a/n: for all my tokyo rev fans, sorry i've only been posting "self-control" fics!!

↣ hanagaki takemichi:

Fighting with Takemichi was very emotional. And not beccause he;s crying as soon as the both of them raise their voices.

It was emotional because of stress. Which was the real reason why everything started. But at this point, where Takemichi stood in the past, he didn't even remember what they are arguing about. At least Y/N's mother liked him enough to let him in to apologise.

"Um... Y/N?" He called, knocking on the door quietly. He's nervous, because he's never done this before. They've never had a fight this big before. "It's—It's Takemichi."

There was no response to him, making Takemichi close his eyes and lean his forehead against the door. He hasn't fucked up this bad in a while. He was so caught up in saving Toman that he didn't realise the strain he put on their relationship. All the yelling and the tears had just now taken its toll on him.

Y/N was incredible special to him. When he first began getting into fights, she'd be there on the sidelines to intervene. She'd help patch him back together and be there for him. Even in his original past, Y/N was there.

But as it changed and got more intense, Y/N was getting overwhelmed.

"Are you alright?" Takemichi questions, hand against the door. He's kind of nervous that she'll just leave him alone, tell him to get out. "I'm sorry for fighting with you, I really didn't mean anything I said. Do... Do you want to talk to me? Or do you want me to go?"

Y/N was never one to fully run from her problems, she just needed some time to think everything over. She still loved Takemichi, after everything. He was still her love, someone who'd always get so flustered when she'd see him in an awkward situation. She was his, just as Takemichi was hers.

So she opens the door.

Takemichi, who was still leaning against the door, is now quite literally falling into his girlfriend's arms. He widens his eyes as his arms fall over Y/N's shoulders, tensing up once he weighs onto her. And he's quick to apologise.

"Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to—" He's interrupted by the feeling of her arms going around his waist. His cheeks are heating up in a blush as Y/N hugs him closer, face nuzzled in his shoulder.

"Stay for a bit?" She mumbles, closing her eyes, "I'm sorry. Really didn't want to leave like that..."

He's soft for her, never able to say 'no' to something she wanted. A smile falls on his lips before he hugs her tighter, chin on top of her shoulders.

"I don't really wanna' go." He whispers out in a slight chuckle, heart racing. He holds her closer, wanting to make up for loss time. "I'm sorry too."

She grins at that, pulling away a little and pressing gentle kisses to his cheek. "I, um, have a confession to make." She mumbles, making Takemichi straighten out, "Because I was mad at you, I started watching our show without you..."

And he would've started a whole other silly fight about that if it weren't for the fact that he's seen that series like sixteen times. The only different is that now, he can re-watch it with her.

With a mock hurt expression, Takemichi sighs out, "I suppose I can brush off this one, Y/N."

She laughs back, ruffling his hair and pulling him inside the bedroom, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! This was the only way I thought I could get back at you!" She frantically shakes his arms. "Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me!"

He's holding her face in both of his hands with a smile. "Alright, alright. Just because you ask." He sighs out, shaking his head.

There it is. The smile that he wants to protect.

↣ sano 'mikey' manjiro:

Mikey holds true to his word and usually tries to avoid fighting with people he can't stand to lose.

So when Y/N storms out of the house with tears in her eyes and her last 'fuck you, Manjiro', Mikey can't help but feel drained. He can't always have things go his way, and he knows that.

But something about seeing his girlfriend be so mad at him, makes his heart cave into his chest.

Draken, who has passed Y/N by the entrance and noticed the look on her face, faces Mikey with a shrug of his shoulders. "Give her some time." He tells his best friend, noticing the antsy look on his face, "She looks Hella' mad right now. Probably just needs some space at the moment."

Mikey is sitting on the couch, slapping a palm over his forehead with a groan, "Shit. You think she'll come back here later?" He's got some thoughts running through his mind.

Draken sits down beside him, handing him a snack he went out and bought. "Probably. You two can't stand to be away from each other for more than a day." He claims, rolling his eyes, as if he wasn't needy to see Emma at least twice in 24 hours. Why do you think he was there now?

"But don't worry." He hums out, patting Mikey's back, "Y/N won't leave something unfinished. And she loves you, doesn't she?"

Draken actually waits for an answer. Mikey blinks before he clears his throat, "Oh, um... yeah."

"Then chill out." His taller friend scoffs out, standing up and pulling out his phone, "I'm taking Emma out. I'll have her home later."

Mikey nods his head, sitting back to wait.

Y/N and Mikey have never had a real fight before. It was usually just her scolding her boyfriend for coming back with bruises everywhere. Sometimes he'd tell her that it was necessary, so she'd just put it off.

But this time, it was too far. He had gone off to fight with Draken and Mitsuya, completely missing out on her night with her boyfriend. They had agreed that today would be their movie night, which had been pushed back so many times before. She was fine to wait until he got home, but then Mikey arrived with all these cuts and bruises.

It takes about four hours until he hears the door open.

Draken and Emma were out together, which left Mikey by himself in the house. He perks up at the sound, bouncing from his seat and walking to the entrance of the house.

There Y/N was, taking off her shoes before looking up to her boyfriend. The two of them stand there in silence, unable to say anything. But then Y/N bows her head a little.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Mikey. I shouldn't have said those things." She apologises, face heating up in embarrassment. In a heated argument, she tends to just say the most random shit. "I was just mad, and um..." She lifts a hand to brush the back of her neck. "I kinda' just missed you a lot recently.

Mikey is moving towards her, one hand landing on the top of her head. Y/N glances up at her boyfriend, who just tilts his head and smiles. "No, it was my fault." He claims, giving a small pat, "It's not good to make your girlfriend worry about you too much. I'm sorry, Y/N."

And she's taking his hand, the one on the top of her head, and lacing her fingers through his. Mikey gulps when she presses a kiss to his knuckles, bruised and bandaged. "If I didn't worry about you, then I'm sure you'd fall apart." She jokes, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, "Just be more careful. And make some time to relax."

Mikey nods his head, melting into his girlfriend's embrace. He sighs, closing his eyes, "I will."

Y/N grins at him and holds tightly to both of his hands. "Good. Now, it's lunch time." She reminds him, pulling out a plastic bag from behind her back. He perks up at that. "I went out and got something to eat. Watch some movies?"

"I really love you."

↣ baji keisuke:

Baji's a good boy. He never really likes to argue with his girlfriend because he loves her. And you shouldn't like to do that. If you're normal, y'know?

"Keisuke, that was stupid." Y/N claims in an angered tone, shutting the window of her bedroom after Baji sneaks in at 1 AM. A few streets down, there's a firetruck — no, no, there's two, another one is pulling up into the street — putting out one of Baji's late night adventures.

Baji doesn't say anything, only standing in front of Y/N as she closes her blinds. She doesn't expect him to talk yet, mainly because she believes they've said all they needed to in their argument earlier that day.

It was just about how he needed to focus more on school than Toman. And she understands just how important Toman is to Baji, it's his life, but his mother had voiced her concerns to Y/N. She was practically balling her eyes out to her when Baji comes home from another fight. Y/N had tried to have a conversation about it but with Baji's tiredness mixed with Y/N's willingness to push him harder to studying, it didn't go well.

He ended up storming off and leaving Y/N to comfort his mother. Hours later, when Y/N had to go home, Baji had returned to apologise. He promised his mother that he'd do better, and he wanted to keep that promise.

Y/N knew that as soon as she saw the fire outside her window, that it was her delinquent boyfriend just blowing off some steam. So she called him to come here before he got in trouble.

She dug through her closet, grabbing one of Baji's hoodies that she did in fact steal. His shirt was currently burnt at the bottom. "Put this on. It's cold." She mumbles, handing it to him before going downstairs and grabbing a drink and a snack for him.

When she returns, Baji is curled up in her blankets and facing the wall. A habit he picked up once finally being comfortable in her house. She gives a small smile before setting the food on the bedside table.

"Kei." She whispers out, shifting in beside him and leaning over his shoulder. He's got this blank stare in his eyes. She frowns, laying back down and hugging his back. "I shouldn't have done that, pressured you. I'm sorry."

He's shifting in her arms, turning around and now wrapping his own arms around her, digging his face into her hair. "I'm sorry too." He mumbles, closing his eyes, "Was mean to you... didn't mean it."

Y/N smiles at that, inhaling that feeble sent of smoke lingering on his skin. He must've been really frustrated because of that fight. "We'll both agree to try our best." She states, earning a hum of agreement from her boyfriend.

She hugs tightly onto his back, glancing up to Baji. He blinks a few times with his heart racing, because of her.

He makes a small noise as Y/N leans up and gives him a soft kiss on his lips, quick and cute. Baji barely has any time to react before she pulls away, giving another smile.

"Aw, are you blushing?" She chuckles.

"You're seeing things—Go to sleep." Embarrassing, is what she was to Baji.

↣ hanma shuji:

Hanma has a hard shell to crack. He's always doing things on his own and never telling anyone what he really felt. Which became a problem in his relationship.

He's watched Y/N walk out of a room hundreds of times, always staring and wondering just where she was going. But this time, he watches her storm out with harsh steps and her flipping him off. She called a quick 'I can't handle you sometimes, Shuji, asshole'.

Because sometimes it's a lot for Y/N to have to deal with Hanma's constant pushing away of his emotions whenever she asks.

"Alright, I'm back." Y/N huffs, rubbing the back of her head and putting her keys down on on the table. Hanma sat in the same spot, leaning against the back of the couch, arm slung over the top.

She blinks at him before furrowing her brows. "Have you even eaten? I was gone for like three hours." She questions, hand on her hip.

She looks over to the kitchen table to see that the dinner they ordered before was still there.

Nope, he hasn't eaten yet.

"Shuji." She sighs out, walking over to him and tilting her head at his blank expression. He really doesn't care, does he? "Come on, I'll re-heat it for you."

She leans forward and takes his hands gently. At the end of the day, they still love each other. Y/N still cares for him and wants him to stay healthy. She pulls him to his feet.

Times like this were Hanma would disregard his needs and responsibilities just to be petty or get back at someone.

When he's standing up, Y/N squeezes his hands. "You're okay, Shuji." She says, tilting her head, "You'll be fine."

And at that, he goes limp against Y/N, making her take a few steps back before stabling her footing. "I—Shuji, hey." She begins, wrapping her arms around him and keeping him standing.

He was usually like this whenever he was frustrated or annoyed. Kisaki would get on his nerve sometimes and he'd come home and just lay on top of her, groaning on about how shitty his day was. Y/N was like a calming station. Somehow always getting Hanma get to his senses.

"Sorry." He says, "Being dumb..." It's short but he means it.

He's never been good at expressing the right emotions at the right times. Y/N learnt to deal with it, because at times Hanma's shell would crack. More frequent kisses and hugs and holding hands. She was never one to push something unless needed.

She feels him shiver a little before he hugs her back. A sign of him pulling himself back together. She smiles, leaning back into him and kissing the side of his temple. "Yeah, but I'm used to that." She claims, earning a click of his tongue, "Sorry for yelling at you, Shuji."

He hums back, arms around her neck as he pulls away, "Eh, I deserved it." He's sheepish about it because it's true. Y/N seemed to be right most of the time. "Wanna' eat now?"

"Sure, okay." Y/N responds, tugging him along to the kitchen, "You still wait for me to eat dinner with you? Even when we're fighting?"

Hanma rolls his eyes at that, hugging her from behind as she heats up the ordered food. He scoffs out, "Yeah, well, it isn't gonna' happen often. Might as well keep my habits the same."

She smiles. Her boyfriend could be cute, sometimes.

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

Love Me Gently

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: mentions of an abusive relationship and resulting anxieties

Genre: fluff with some dashes of angst

Summary: Loki's freaks out when he doesn't know where you are and your reaction upsets him

***

When you first arrived at the Avengers tower you were very shy. You didn't speak unless spoken to, didn't question directives, never even raised your voice, but you did your job well so no one complained. You were only a lab assistant to Tony Stark anyway. With time though you became friends with some of the Avengers. You slowly started to come out of your shell as you got more comfortable with all of them. You were incredibly witty and funny once you trusted them. The only person at the tower who made you revert to that quiet timid version of yourself was Loki. You found him intimidating really, although he didn't talk to you often so it never mattered much. You were sure The God of Mischief couldn't be bothered with a Midgardian lab assistant who can barely say two words to him. Although he did try to speak to you- once.

"Stark." Thor's voice boomed through the lab while you were taking notes on your latest experiment.

"Mr. Stark is in a meeting." You responded without looking up.

"Are you new in the tower?" Loki squinted at you.

"K-kinda." You nodded, tight-lipped, avoiding his gaze.

"Oh, hello Lady y/n." Thor said.

"Hello Thor. Can I help you with something?" You asked quietly.

"Ah Loki had a question for Stark. We'll ask later." Thor waved a dismissive hand. Loki glanced at you once more.

"Who are you?" Loki had looked at you quizzically.

"I'm Tony's lab assistant." You responded tightly. You were too nervous to look at him directly for longer than a moment, but you pat yourself on the back for not stuttering through that sentence.

"Loki leave lady y/n alone." Thor had grabbed Loki and dragged him out of the lab after that.

Loki knew he wasn't the most popular person in the tower. He had absolutely no problems with that either. Still, for some reason, your reactions to him managed to bothered him. So he ignored you. Or, at least he tried to anyway. Though you hardly ever spoke to him your presence was not easily overlooked. Not even when you went mousy around him. He found himself more aware of you than he wanted to be whenever you entered a room. watched you learn to joke with the others, smile shyly at their compliments, talk excitedly about experiments with Tony and Bruce. After months of sideline observation that bordered on obsessive he realized he had started to grow fond of you, much to his dismay, but the realization set him on a mission. He would do whatever it took to make you stop acting so standoffish with him. His first plan, ask you to dinner.

"Y/n." He approaches you one night while you're sitting with Steve and Bucky talking about their childhoods together. Your demeanor changes slightly when you register the voice.

"Uh- yes Loki?" You glance up at him briefly but don't maintain eye contact.

"Will you have dinner with me? Tomorrow?" He asks in his usual sharp tone.

"Dinner?" Your eyes snap up to his in confusion.

"Was I unclear in my question?" His eyebrow quirks inquisitively at you.

"N-no." You mutter, gaze darting around the room somewhat anxiously now.

"Well?" He asks with a huff, why wouldn't you simply answer the question already.

"Uh- s-sure. W-what time?"

"Eight o'clock." He says.

"Alright, I'll uh- meet you here then." You nod stiffly. You let out a breath once he's left the room.

"Did Loki just ask you on a date? Sounded to me like he just asked you on a date." Bucky looks at you.

"I- I don't think so? Loki barely speaks to me." You frown.

"I think he just asked you on a date." Steve affirms.

"Why would he do that? Loki and I don't talk to each other- I- should I be worried he's playing a trick on me or something? Loki makes me too nervous." You mutter.

"If he is we'll get Hulk to kick his ass." Bucky shrugs.

"Again." Steve adds. You let out a light laugh.

"Well I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Anyway finish telling me about that girl Stevie almost got his head smashed in over." You joke. Bucky laughs and launches back into the story, Steve mostly offering details when Bucky misses something. The three of you chat late into the night, sharing stories and cracking jokes until you're eventually too exhausted.

To your surprise, Loki asking you on a date was not just some trick. He was charming, and funny, the perfect gentleman, and the perfect date. He managed to ease your nerves rather quickly and by the end of the night, you were agreeing to another date with the god. From that point on it didn't take long for you to become completely enchanted by Loki, with each date you find yourself wanting to spend more time with him and eventually he asks you to be his girlfriend in a sort of awkward but sweet moment during a walk in the park. Since then your relationship with Loki has been something like a dream. He's just as charming as he was on your first date, he's attentive and kind in ways most people would overlook but you appreciate.

You're preparing dinner one night when your front door opens violently. You let out a quiet yelp and clutch the knife you were using tightly in your hand as you peek around the corner to see your boyfriend breathing heavily as he looks around. You sigh in relief and place the knife on the counter.

"Hi Loki, I didn't know you were visiting tonight." You say walking over to him.

"Why weren't you at the lab? You're always in the tower at this time." Loki looks at you.

"Uh there was a malfunction at the lab so Tony just sent me home early. Why what's going on?" You ask, fingers absentmindedly twirling at the ring on your middle finger.

"The tower was attacked. I had no idea where you were. I- I thought something had happened to you." Loki says.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I'm alright Loki." You tell him. His eyes scan you, for injuries you guess, but his gaze stops at your hands that are still fidgeting in front of you.

"What's going on? What are you doing that for?" He asks, his gaze snapping between your hands and your face.

"Doing what?" You ask.

"Your ring. You're twirling your ring. Why?"

"Oh- no reason." You stop twirling your ring and put your hands behind you.

"Not true. There has to be a reason. It's a nervous tick of yours."

"No it's not." You frown.

"Yes it is. I've seen you do it before. You do it only when you're anxious. What's going on y/n? Are you hiding something?" Loki's starte is questioning, calculated, almost accusatory and it makes you shuffle uncomfortably as you answer quickly.

"No." You shake your head.

"Don't lie to me." He takes a step towards you and on instinct, you take one back. He freezes and an unreadable look crosses his face. "You're scared of me." He says.

"What? I'm not scared of you." You say with a confused look on your face.

"You just flinched away from me." His eyes look away from you.

"It's not because I'm afraid of you Loki, I'm just- jumpy sometimes. You know that, I've always been jumpy." You say.

"I haven't seen you jumpy in months. You don't get jumpy around Stark, or Banner and he has a monster sharing his mind, or the super soldiers and one of them is an ex assassin who had to have his brain basically reprogrammed after he was kidnapped and brainwashed by a German terrorist group. I've never seen you jumpy around my brother."

"You haven't seen me jumpy around you before today either. It is not because I'm afraid of you Loki." You insist.

"Then what is it?" He looks at you.

"Loki." You frown.

"Just- tell me." He says. You sigh, unsure of what to say "Now y/n!" He slams his hand on the counter. You let out a squeak and jump back trying to take a deep breath only to find yourself unable to take in enough air. Loki's demeanor changes drastically when he notices you're basically hyperventilating.

"Y/n- y/n, darling look at me." Loki guides you to one of the stools at your counter and sits you down. "Y/n my love take a deep breath- can you count for me? Just from 10 to 1. Can you?" He looks at you with concern as he tries to help you calm down. He takes deep breaths in hopes you will do the same and he holds up his 10 fingers.

"T-t-ten." You say breathlessly and he puts down a finger.

"Good. Keep going." He nods.

"Nine." You rush out trying to get your breathing to slow but struggling.

"Good, next one." Loki puts another finger down.

"E-eight." You stutter.

"Mhm, that's good." He puts down another finger.

"Sev-seven." You manage, blinking harshly to stay focused.

"Good. You're doing well." He says as he puts down another finger.

"Six." You say between gulps of air.

"Halfway through darling, keep going." He encourages you.

"Five- five." Your breathing is slower now but still uneven.

"Good." He nods.

"Four." You say quietly.

"You're almost done darling. Deep breaths."

"Three." You say on an exhale. Your breathing is pretty much steady now.

"Good."

"Two. One." You take a deep breath between the last two counts feeling your heart rate slowing down.

"You did great my love. Let me get you some water." Loki grabs a bottle from your fridge and opens it before bringing it to you helping you drink until you move the bottle from your lips. "Are you feeling better darling?" You nod.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have panicked like that." You mutter looking at the floor.

"Don't be ridiculous that couldn't have been your fault. You don't have to apologize for it but- could you please tell me what's going on?" He asks. You take a deep breath.

"I just, I had an ex. They had- a temper. They would get mad if they didn't know where I was. Sometimes I still react when people raise their voices at me. I'm not scared of you Loki, I promise." You say.

"I believe you, I'm sorry for thinking you were. I didn't realize-"

"I never told you. How could you know?" You shrug.

"How long?" Loki asks.

"Two years. I was staying with them at the time so, getting away from them wasn't easy. It was before I knew any of you and I know you'd never put your hands on me the way they did but- sometimes I can't- sometimes I still react when people yell. I'm sorry." You explain nervously. Loki shakes his head.

"You do not have to apologize for that. You're not responsible for anything that moronic imbecile dared do." He says firmly.

"L-Loki." You mutter. He wraps his arms around you tightly.

"It's alright darling. You're safe here. I'll protect you with my last breath."

"I love you Loki." You say quietly.

"I love you too. More than you know." Loki kisses the top of your head. Loki didn't understand, how someone could have the privilege of being loved by you and take it for granted that way but he knows your happiness will be his top priority as long as you allow him.

***