#i'm fresh here so I'll just keep on passing through and liking stuff I like lol

[st4rfckerz]

car troubles | james kelly x reader

word count: 2.6k

warnings: MDNI 18+, unprotected sex, breeding, praise, age gap, pet names (baby, sweetheart, pretty girl etc), very brief dry humping, a lottt of banter, mention of masturbation, cockwarming (?), afab reader

summary: your neighbor james kelly fixes your car for you while you're home alone.

a/n: i lowkey don't like this fic 😭 but it's probably not as bad as i think it is, BUT hopefully you guys enjoy it more than me :)

it was a blessing and a curse for owning an old car. it was a curse since issues flared up so frequently, but it was also a blessing because it prompted your neighbor, james kelly, to fix it for free.

james was hunched over your car's hood, with a number of tools arranged next to him.

"i doubt this'll take long at all. you just have a dead battery, and maybe a few other mishaps but other than that your car is fine." james explains.

"sounds great. thanks again for fixing my car." you give him a friendly smile. james quickly returns the smile, followed by a small laugh.

"of course, you can always count on me for these kinds of things."

"noted." I fiddle with my fingers nervously before turning away.

"i'll just be inside so just come get me if you need anything."

"alright, will do"

he gives a small nod as he watches you disappear inside. his attention turns back to the vehicle.

ever since your family moved into your home when you were 15 years old, you'd always had a small crush on james. but after you entered college and spent so much time away from home, he had aimlessly plagued your thoughts.

you didn't mean for it to happen, but he just always managed to be the only person you'd think about when you're in bed by yourself. thinking about his tall frame, his long, slender fingers, and the way his arms would shine with sweat from fixing cars all day long always sent a flash of heat through your body.

some time passes and you hear a faint knocking at your back window, followed by the door creaking open just a tad.

"hey, she should be good to go now." he spoke to you as you sit at your kitchen island.

"that was quick, usually the shop takes like, 2 hours. i'm impressed." you chuckle. james gives you a smile and a shrug.

"no need to flatter me sweetheart, I've been doin' this forever."

a shortly lived tinge of arousal goes straight to your core after hearing the sudden petname. it always surprises you when he calls you something other than your name because he rarely ever does.

"if you want you could stay and rest for a little while." you had articulated the plan earlier that day of keeping him in your home while your parents were out, just to see where it would go.

"You wouldn't mind?" james' tired, weary expression lit up and he seemed more hopeful than he had in a while.

"I wouldn't be intruding on anything?" he nervously asked.

"not at all, it's just me here anyways. my dad's at work," you explain, flashing him an innocent smile.

"there's fresh lemonade in the fridge, and if you'd like you can use the shower, i know how hot it is outside."

james cleared his throat and looked over towards you.

"that'd be really nice, actually."

you didn't think it would be so easy to have such a smart man like james fall into your trap, but somehow it worked perfectly. he was in your house, and was about to use your shower. the only thing that was on your mind was simply how much of a genius you are.

"the bathroom's right upstairs, here i'll take you," he follows you upstairs and you lead him to the bathroom.

"there's the shower, soap, shampoo all that stuff." you explain as james stands awkwardly beside you.

"sounds good, thank you i really appreciate it." his voice sounds sincere and soft.

"its no problem really, take as long as you need, i'll just be in my room." you walk out the door before closing it behind you. soon, you hear the sounds of water running from the showerhead.

eventually, you hear the bathroom door open and a small cloud of steam escaping the doorway.

james spots you laying on your bed wearing tiny blue shorts, and a small white tee.

his mouth suddenly goes dry and millions of thoughts begin to swarm around in his mind.

how could you just lay there and look so perfect?

james has been a nervous wreck ever since he arrived at your house. he knew it was wrong to be so attracted to you because of the obvious age gap, but he just couldn't help himself.

he's seen you in so many ways, so many times; outside in the pool wearing nothing but a bikini, laying in the grass wearing your skimpy shorts and tank top casually trying to get a tan, he's even watched you change your clothes right in front of your bedroom window.

he always saved those mental images of you so he could fuck his fist later on.

james clears his throat and looks over at you, standing awkwardly at your doorway.

"oh hey." you smile. james glances over your room and notices your college flag plastered on your wall.

"college huh?" he points at the flag and begins walking towards your bed.

"yeah, I'm almost done actually." you reply sitting up and swinging your legs across the side of your bed.

"how much longer do you have?" he crosses his arms and leans against the wall.

"about 6 months? i'm so ready for it to be over," you sigh heavily.

"did you go to college?" you ask him.

"trade school." james nods

"i figured, you don't seem like you were the frat boy type." you joke.

james' face lights up in amusement as he laughs a little walking over to you. he decides to take a seat right next to you on your bed

"yeah... no. definitely not the frat boy type. never saw the appeal in them."

"me neither they can be obnoxious, can't stand them." you explain. an awkward silence stills before you both.

he looks at you, the corner of his mouth curling slightly in anticipation.

"you must have boyfriends back at college, don't you?" his slight change in tone and lift in confidence makes you a little nervous.

"oh no, i-i don't, college guys aren't really my...thing." you stutter. your gaze lingers on james, drinking his presence in.

his hair, still wet from the shower, glistened in the sunlight coming through the window. you could drool on the spot at the sight of his broad shoulders, muscles barely peeking out of from under his gray t-shirt.

"then what is your 'thing'." james shifts his body to face you more.

you shrug and shake your head.

"i don't know, i guess i just always went for older guys." you confess. you knew it was slightly obvious what you were suggesting but it was now or never.

a sly smirk appears on james' face before speaking again.

"really?"

"always have." you look down at your legs quickly. the way james was staring at made you feel like you were on fire.

"do you like anyone in particular?" james was itching at some kind of answer that could miraculously allude to himself.

"that's confidential." you try to avoid looking at him so he doesn't see the obvious blush spread across your cheeks.

"right, right." james had a small grin on his face as you revealed the answer.

he was almost giddy with joy. he knew what he wanted to hear, but he never expected you still had feelings for him.

"it's dumb, i know," a wave of embarrassment rushes through your body and you immediately regret admitting something so elementary.

"i'm sorry if it bothers you i don't-" james cuts you off

"it doesn't bother me."

"it doesn't?" james shakes his head and smiles slightly.

"no, does it bother you?"

"no." he begins leaning towards you slowly and your brain shuts down completely.

james was close enough to feel your breath as you spoke. his face was a few inches away from yours, and he was looking straight into your eyes.

there was a long pause for a moment. It was as if james thought you were gonna do something.

his voice was a little quiet as he spoke his next words.

"good."

james finally closes the gap between you and presses his lips softly against yours.

a tingle went up his spine as your lips came into contact with his. he had never anticipated this, but it felt different. it felt right.

his hand reached to touch your face and he pulled you in closer slowly, your bodies connecting more and more as he leaned into you.

the kiss deepens and a small whimper erupts in your throat.

james noticed the noise you made and smiles against your lips. his big hands grab your thighs and pulls you onto his lap.

he gently pulled you closer to his body again, his arm wrapped around your waist, and his other arm reached to caress your body as both of your lips touched.

james' lips connect to your neck, nipping at the skin along your jawline.

you moan slightly and subconsciously rut your hips against his.

he let out a groan as he gently broke the embrace to look at you.

"needy girl." he teases.

james grabs your hips and moves them harder against his center. he began kissing your neck as you rested in the position he held you in.

you feel his hand suddenly slip into your underwear.

"oh, sweetheart," james breathes out. he could feel how wet and needy you were for him

a pathetic whine escapes your lips as his finger draws antagonizingly slow circles around your clit.

"james please, i need you." the words that escaped your lips sent a jolt of electricity through his body.

he kept kissing your neck, his hand slither up your shirt, caressing and pinching at your nipples.

your words sent him over the edge and he let out a soft groan.

you needed so much more than his single finger. you mindlessly began to toy with the waistband of his pants, itching to just rip them off of him completely.

james was more than ready to let your hands do there work, as he lifted up his hips slightly.

"can i take these off?" james asks you softly, he begins pushing your shorts down your thighs.

you nod your head quickly and discard your shorts along with your shirt leaving you only in your underwear.

james' eyes shoot straight down to your chest.

"so perfect for me," he coos as he quickly latches his mouth onto one of your nipples, soon leaving little purple bruises on them. your eyes squeeze shut as you feel his tongue flicking against the bud.

the sound of a belt hitting the ground makes you jump slightly.

"i can't wait any longer." james mutters against your lips before pressing his mouth against yours.

his fast hands move your underwear to the side.

the feeling of his cock finally entering your dripping hole made your head fall onto his shoulder and a long breathy moan fall from your lips.

you can feel james' body shudders under you.

"oh, fuck," james waits a few seconds before finally thrusting upwards, moving your hips to meet his simultaneously.

the sound of yours and james' moans followed by the slight slapping of skin filled the air of your bedroom.

"you feel so good baby, so good for me."

if james kept speaking to you in that velvety tone you were sure that you were gonna cum a lot quicker than expected.

your mind was completely empty, not a single thought popped into your brain.

that was soon interrupted by the sound of your cellphone.

"it's my dad." you tell james urgently but he continues to litter your neck with small kisses and bites.

"answer it."

you stare at him blankly, the annoying ringtone still erupting from your phone.

your fingers hesitate for a moment before accepting the call and pressing your phone up to your ear.

"hey dad." you try to stiffle a moan as james begins thrusting up into you again.

it was so difficult trying to contain your moans while still trying to have a conversation with your dad.

"yeah, james came over mm-" your hand flies to your mouth.

you could feel james smirk against your neck as he continues to thrust into you at a faster pace.

"no-sorry, it was a cough."

he was relentless with his hunger for you, and didn't want to keep it at bay.

"be quiet baby, we don't need daddy hearing how good i'm making you feel hm?"

his voice was suddenly filled with a deep and lustful tone, but you loved it.

james heard the talking from your phone but it didn't distract him, it only sent a tinge of excitement in his heart.

he let his hands to roam all over your body, causing goosebumps to spread all over your body.

"he did a great job, the car...the car should be ok now."

your dad just kept talking. completely oblivious to what was happening on the other side of the phone.

james grins widely and let out a quiet moan, feeling your pussy squeeze around him.

his lips left your neck and he let his head lean back on the headboard. he didn't even stop his advances as he heard your dad talking. he just enjoyed seeing you try your hardest to stay quiet as he abused your cunt.

your dad finally says his goodbyes after asking a million questions regarding james' visit and you have never felt so relieved.

"that was a close one." james chuckled.

you let out an exasperated laugh, still not able to fully function. especially now that his fingers begin rubbing furiously at your clit, causing you to moan louder and buck your hips harder against his.

"j-james..." your body was shaking uncontrollably. that familiar not began to form in your stomach and fiery heat began to spread through your legs.

"you gonna cum for me pretty girl?" he taunts.

your face contorts in pleasure as you try to muster up any words that come to mind.

"m'so close-"

"i know baby i know, me too." the grip he has on your thighs grows firmer and his nails begin to dig harshly into your skin.

"come on sweetheart, give it to me." james thrusts harder into you, swiftly hitting your sweet spot everytime.

your walls clench around his cock as you cum, earning a loud, throaty groan from james. his warm seed coats your insides, leaving you feeling full and absolutely satisfied.

"there you go," james coaxes you through your orgasm.

james felt your sweat covered body collapse onto his and he kissed your forehead softly.

he kept his arms wrapped around your back, holding you close to him.

"are you okay?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth after a moment.

"mhm, m'ok" you flash james a tired smile.

he slowly opened his eyes as well and kissed your forehead. he let out another sigh as his arms were still wrapped around you.

then he spoke again, his voice filled with curiosity.

"so...what did your dad want to talk about?" he asked softly, still laying back on the bed with you on top of him.

"he was just asking if you had already come over and everything," you let out a snort.

"i definitely came." you look up at james to see a cocky smile across his face.

"stop," you giggle and slap his arm playfully.

"he also mentioned that he would be staying an extra hour at work."

james' demeanor shifted once you told him the good news of your dad staying longer at work.

"good," james leaned forward and kissed you again, grabbing your hand and pulled you down to the bed.

his hands slowly traveled down to your thighs, and he caressed it slightly before pulling your legs apart and situating himself in between them.

"because i'm not done with you yet."

[revasserium]

hi! I've been reading your opla!zoro stuff and I wanted to tell you your writing is so gorgeous! it's truly breathtaking, you're really talented ❤️ i've looked through your prompts tag, im not sure how requesting works, but could I ask for "edge of falling" or "the spaces between us" (whichever one you like the most) with zoro and fem!reader? i'm a goner for longing and feelings realization and the prompts give me those vibes, but i'm sure anything you write will be lovely <3

reqs are open!

the edge of falling

opla!zoro; 7,475 words; fluff and angst, hurt/comfort, passing mentions of: cult!, physical violence, & trauma/cult-programming, ex-cult member!reader, strawhat!reader, traumatized!reader, protective!zoro, healing from past trauma, learning to trust etc, angst with a happy ending!, a metric TON of plot

summary: "Lie to me," Time said to Love; Love smiled and said, "I promise, I'll never let you slip away."

a/n: thank u for the request anon!!! i uhm idk what happened with this fic tbh. there's def uh -- longing of SOME kind here??? welp. pls read the tw list! there's some dark-ish content in this. but i promise it ends well u__u

prelude: in which a fox teaches you to speak

Time is the greatest liar, so you are told, over and over and over. For the longest time, you think it’s the only truth you’ll ever know.

But we will live forever…

So long as you do the things you’re told. So long as you make the Fox happy. So long, so long, so long.

There is no way to mark the passage of time in the compound; with no sunlight to guide the way, you are left to other, more primal ways of keeping track — that elusive, silver-fish creature — time — always slipping through your fingers when want to hold on most.

You measure it in wounds, in the time it takes for a fresh wound to seal over, for the scab to break and reveal the soft, tender pink flesh beneath. You measure it in gulps of water, in bites of cold food, in the droplets of artificial rain that they let fall through the ceiling sometimes. You measure it in rewards too, in long baths and hot meals, in the evenings when the Fox would tell you stories in his low, lilting voice instead of leaving you in his seething silences.

And he is ever so good with stories. If you stay still and keep quiet, and let his voice wash over you like a hungry tide across a rain-starved beach, you can feel the words seeping into your bones, ringing out till they feel like nothing but god’s given truth.

As long as you’re good… I promise I’ll make you live forever.

Like this, you learn the weapon of words, the power of speech, how to listen for lies, and how to tell them, and tell them, and tell them.

The Fox is good at lying; you’ll just have to learn to be better.

act i: yet another sad, desperate soul

Roronoa Zoro has never been a man of many words, but it would be remiss to say that he isn’t a man of his word — you see, when he does speak, he speaks with intention. And always, with conviction.

“Hey. No one’s gonna hurt you anymore.”

This, then, is the first lie he tells you.

“Liar.” You spit out the word, drawing back, your body a tangle of livewire nerves, your eyes darting back and forth, an entire life’s worth of fight and flight caught on the hair-pin trigger of his breath as he jolts back slightly and blinks at you.

“Y-you — you can’t know that,” you say, your voice still ragged. But Zoro sees it for the attempt it is — an olive branch, however tentatively extended. And he takes it, wordlessly.

He nods once, reaching out to help you up. The compound crumbles around you, and you unconsciously wrap your arms around yourself, as if to hold yourself together, to keep from shattering into a hundred million tiny little shards of pain and mistrust.

“The fox-guy’s dead! But it looks like this whole island’s gonna blow!” Nami races out of the massive, temple-esque structure just as it starts to collapse from the inside out.

Luffy slingshots passed, cackling as Sanji and Usopp bring up the rear. On the Merry, Robin and Chopper are waiting, and the second Zoro manages to hoist you onto the main deck, the ship careens off into the dark tumult of waves.

You skitter away the minute Zoro’s arm slips from around your waist, and he turns to find you pressing yourself back against the railings, staring at them all with wide eyes, your expression caught halfway between fear and consternation. He takes half a step back, crossing his arms just as Luffy bounds forward with a bright, unassuming smile.

“Don’t worry! You’re safe now!” He makes to slap one of your shoulders but you duck out of the way, chewing on your bottom lip.

Robin clears her throat gently and offers you a smile, “We’re not going to hurt you.”

You narrow your eyes, your gaze darting between them like a trapped animal, but after another beat of stillness (punctuated only by Nami swearing softly to herself as she steers the Merry around a particularly difficult formation of rocks), your entire body seems to soften, and Zoro uncrosses his arms again, resting a hand casually on the hilt of his blades.

“Th-thank you…” you bob your head once, swallowing hard passed chapped lips and a raw throat. Your white linen dress is stained with blood and dirt, a tear at your collar making it slip from your shoulder.

“’S alright now, darlin’ — how bout we run you a nice, hot bath? I could cook you just about anything y’like. Fancy a drink as well? I think a bubbly would be good for a —”

“Lay off, cook.” Zoro cuts Sanji off with a scoff, barring Sanji’s approach with an arm in the gut.

You watch them with dark eyes, your expression curiously blank.

“Will you let me look at your wounds?” Chopper offers.

You jump a little at his voice, piping up from your left side. You glance at Zoro once before looking back at Chopper and nodding.

Sanji tucks his hands into his pockets and watches as Chopper leads you beneath the deck, Zoro following a few steps behind. He lights a cigarette as soon as the trap door clanks shut.

A beat of silence, and then —

“Wow, that island really, really sucked!” Luffy says, turning back to his crew.

Sanji lets out a puff of smoke as Usopp slumps down against the main mast with a groan.

“You can say that again.”

“What happened?” Robin asks.

Sanji sighs, shaking his head, “Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”

Below deck, Chopper dabs at your wounds with expert ease as you sit very still on the kitchen island and Zoro watches from the sofa, arms crossed loosely over his chest.

“These surface wounds aren’t that bad but…” Chopper trails off, his eyes running over the network of old scars that mar your skin, layers and layers of them — down your arms and along your torso.

“It’s fine,” you say, your voice smooth as polished marble, “I’m —” you swallow, “I’m fine.”

And if it weren’t for the hiccup, the slight hitch in your breath, you would’ve been utterly convincing. Your expression is flat, your voice, even more so.

Across the room, Zoro makes disbelieving noise, “If it hurts, just say so. Chopper’ll fix it.”

“I’m… I’m fine,” you say again, tugging at the sleeve of your torn shift, your tone now a bit more honest, your words tired and resigned. Zoro looks to Chopper, who gives a faint nod of acquiescence before Zoro stands up and jerks his head towards the door.

“Cook’s right — you should wash up before dinner.”

You follow him down the hallway, through a small door that leads into a washroom that’s much cleaner than one might expect a ship’s bathroom to be. A large, wooden soaking tub sits in the middle of the room, and a clean change of clothes has already been laid out on a bench next to the bath.

Zoro grunts after he takes a once-over of the room, satisfied that all’s in order, and makes to leave.

You tug at his sleeve, head lowered.

“Can you…” you lick your lips, “can you stay?”

Zoro glances down at your fingers curled into his shirt sleeve before his eyes flick up to find your face. You’re looking at some indiscriminate point over his left shoulder, but your lips are trembling and your jaw is set.

He lets out a long breath, slowly twisting his body towards the room and you.

“Sure.”

He makes a show of turning around to face the door as you slip off your clothes and sink into the steaming bath water. A long exhale and the light slosh of water is all the indication he gets that it’s safe to turn back around.

He leans himself against the door, his swords propped on his shoulder, his head lolled back, his eyes closed.

He listens to the soft sounds of the water, to the faint splashes as you rub the grit and grime from your skin, inch by inch.

“We were only allowed to bathe as a reward for doing a good deed.”

Your voice makes him open his eyes, his gaze focusing in on the shape of you, nearly submerged in the bathtub, your hair slick and sticking to your pale shoulders. Even in this dim lighting, he can see the patterns your scars make against your skin. Water glimmers along the contours of your face as you run your palms along your cheeks, rubbing at them till they’re ruddy with color.

Zoro ticks his tongue against his teeth, “Quit bein’ so rough,” he moves forward without thinking, reaching out a hand to help you with some of the more stubborn pieces of dirt but he pauses, realizing how utterly still you’ve gone.

You stare at him for a long moment before relaxing back into the water and shifting towards the edge of the tub to allow him better access.

He runs a callused thumb along your cheekbones, wiping away the remaining dirt there.

“What was a ‘good deed’?” he asks, letting the tips of his fingers skim the warm water’s surface.

You shrug, “Mostly anything that made Mr. Fox happy… so all of us would —” you take another breath, your hand opening and closing beneath the surface of the still bath water, “we’d spend all our waking hours trying to think of something — anything — that’d please him. No matter how small… no matter how… terrible.”

“This Mr. Fox… what was his deal, anyway?”

You stare down into the dark water, now rapidly cooling from warm to lukewarm.

You take a deep breath, lifting a hand out of the water to distort the image of your ghostly reflection.

“He… was a liar. Except… he could make all his lies sound like the truth.”

“It was uncanny, really,” Sanji says, now at full throttle in the kitchen prepping for dinner service, Usopp lounging on sofa, his feet propped up on the hanging table.

Chopper and Robin both frown.

“What do you mean?” Robin asks.

“It was like… the guy could say anything and make it sound like the truth — even though you knew somewhere inside you that it can’t be real. Like — he could tell you the sky was green and every single part of you would believe him, even though you’re outside and starin’ up at the sky.”

“Yeah! Like he said I’d never be able to beat him and… for a second, I kinda almost believed him!” Luffy offers, munching on a bushel of apples and spitting out the seeds.

Robin’s brows furrow, tapping at her chin with a thin finger.

“It sounds like the Uso-Uso no Mi…”

“Ugh, what a weird, scary power…” Chopper shudders, shaking his head, his tiny hooved hands coming up to cup his cheeks, “I’m sure it’d mess with people’s heads!”

“It sure did. But he also used it to feed false information to the Marines,” Nami says, slipping through the half-opened door to join the rest of the crew on the sofa, “ran a series of taverns that just so happened to be situated in major Marine towns.”

Sanji glances up from a huge, steaming pan of paella, a cigarette caught between his teeth.

“So what was his end goal then? Just to fuck over the Marines?”

Back in the bathroom, you run your fingers along the edge of the tub as if playing an invisible piano.

“Power, domination… I don’t think he had a goal or purpose… I think… he just got off on it…”

Your voice is light, conversational, almost as if you were talking about the weather. But Zoro sees the glazed look in your eyes, the tightness at the edges of your lips.

“You called me a liar,” he says, reaching into the tub and flicking you lightly with a bit of water.

You blink, a smile threatening the corners of your mouth.

“Yeah… guess I did.”

“I wasn’t lying.”

He pulls out his hand and wipes it on a towel, leaning back to stare at you.

You shrug, “Sometimes… people lie to others, and sometimes, people lie to themselves. It’s the ones we tell ourselves that are always the most convincing.”

“I don’t lie. ‘Specially not to myself.”

You let out a tiny laugh, “But I guess… sometimes, if you believe in something hard enough… it’ll just start to be come the truth.”

There’s a note of… something in your voice that Zoro doesn’t like, but he can’t put a name to the feeling so he stays quiet as you continue the laborious work of scrubbing your skin clean, till all the water in the tub’s gone cold.

The rest of the evening passes as most evenings on the Merry do after a big fight — with a lot of food and even more booze. With music and laughter, and new crew member, sitting in the corner, watching mostly and smiling occasionally. No one pushes you, though Sanji does make a valiant effort in getting you to admit to your favorite foods, and Luffy tries two or three times to drag you into the more raucous celebrations (mostly involving way too much meat being roasted on a spike).

No one questions the way Zoro never wanders too far.

No one questions the way your eyes track him around the room, or how, even when Robin and Nami finally get a laugh out of you, you still instinctively searched for Zoro’s figure till you’ve found it in the other corner, a bottle caught between his lips, his eyes half-shut but his gaze caught on you like a fish to a seaman’s hook.

act ii: everything and nothing

A week passes, and then another. And you slowly, but surely, come out of your shell — it’s a strange sort of blossoming, the way you reveal yourself in shards and pieces, jagged and jarring. The shrapnel bits of your personality peaking out amidst the flotsam and jetsam of all your manifold defense mechanisms.

You’re a brilliant liar, but even better at spotting a lie, and it’s a thing that none of the crew had ever really thought about until you’d come along, casually poking holes in their daily deceits.

“Mm! These pancakes are perfect! Just the way I like them!”

“The new dress looks beautiful, Nami.”

“I absolutely did not finish the last bag of popcorn… Luffy did it!”

You clear your throat.

“Okay fine… the pancakes were really good but… but I like them… sweeter.”

“The dress is… well, everything looks gorgeous on you, of course, you know that Nami! But — the color… clashes just a tiny little bit with your… hair.”

“I might’ve uh… taken a few bites out of the popcorn bag… last night… but I was keeping watch and I needed to keep my energy up!”

Robin titters, a sphinx-like smile spreading across her lips.

“Apparently, 60% of people lie at least once every 10 minutes,” she says, casually taking a sip of orange juice as Zoro runs through his daily training regime, seemingly unbothered by the chaos currently taking place on the main deck regarding the “popcorn incident”.

“Dunno why people bother,” Zoro says, working through a set of single-armed burpees.

“I suppose it’s just human nature. We want other people to like us… so we say what we think they might want to hear, instead of what we really think. It’s harmless, mostly,” Robin remarks, leaning back against a white planter box, basking in the shade of the tangerine trees.

“Till it isn’t,” Zoro says, finishing up his workout and pushing himself up for a long stretch. He casts his eyes once more towards where you’re now laughing as Usopp tries to think of some new tall tale to tell.

It only takes you half a second to turn your head, and Zoro wonders at the kind of life you might’ve led to make you so sensitive to another person’s gaze. What must’ve happened to warrant this kind of alertness? But then again, he’d been a hunter long enough to know exactly what being hunted looks like.

He caught a glimpse of it at the compound but — still, his fingers itch toward his swords, his jaw clenches tight enough for Robin to cock her head and raise a brow.

“Yes… until it isn’t…” she echoes, her eyes also trailing towards you.

Zoro holds your gaze for a second before rolling his shoulders and looking away, squinting at the far horizon.

“Oi. Looks like trouble.”

Robin straightens, and a second later, Chopper sounds the alarm from the crow’s nest.

“Marines! Marines!”

There is the shink of swords being drawn, the gentle echo of Robin’s voice as her arms multiply. There’s canon fire and a lot of yelling. But at the end, there’s only bodies and blood and the tattered remains of the Marine’s ship, bobbing in the stained sea below them.

“Should we go after them?” Sanji asks, lighting up a cig, watching as the tiny emergency boat rows off into the distance.

“Nah. We’ll be alright!” Luffy says, wiping a hand across his nose.

Zoro turns towards you, sheathing his swords.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine,” you say, your voice immediately taking on an unctuous sheen that makes Zoro take a step closer.

“You hurt anywhere?” he runs an appraising eye down your form and nods in the knowledge that at least you don’t look hurt.

“No… I —” you chew down on your bottom lip, fingers digging into the bare flesh of your arms. But you back away from him the moment he tries to take a step forward.

“Hey — quit that,” he taps at your wrist with the hilt of his sword, the touch hard but not harsh, forcing you to pull away.

“It’s — I’m — I’m alright,” you say, insistent and mollifying. Zoro runs his thumb against the hilt of his blades and scoffs.

“Liar,” he says, tossing the word casually back at you in a way that makes your breath hitch. Then, he turns, and marches below decks to tend to his own wounds.

A deafening silence rings out around you as you stare down at the ships blood-drenched planks before Robin places a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“C’mon now — lets get your back looked at.”

Below decks, you find Zoro dabbing gingerly at a large slash on his right arm.

“Here, you’ve missed a spot —” you reach out to take the iodine soaked cloth from Zoro’s hand, only to have him jerk away. You flinch back, wide-eyed.

Zoro softens, if only ever so slightly.

“I’m fine,” he says, a harsh edge to his voice as he goes back to trying to twist around himself enough to see the spot he’s missed. You purse your lips, watching him for a second, two seconds, three — before you glance back at the place Robin had been only to realize that she’d gone.

“May… I?” you reach out your hand, palm up, tentative and imploring. But you hold yourself still, waiting for Zoro to make the next move. And he does, eventually, sighing as he turns back around to drop the piece of cloth into your palm.

You reach forward as he turns to his side, offering up his arm as you slowly start to wipe away at the bits of dried blood caking his skin to reveal the raw, red gash, the angry, raised flesh around it. You lean forward, blowing slightly as you daub at the wound, making your way down his bicep till the entire cut’s been coated in iodine.

“There. All done.”

You lean back to toss the cloth into the sink but Zoro stops you. He catches your wrist in his good hand and with a slight tug, has you toppling forward towards his chest.

“Turn around.”

His voice is soft, but firm. And it leaves no room for protests as you stare at him for a long moment before sighing and resigning yourself to your fate. You turn to show him your back.

A disgruntled huff is all you get before you hear the distinct sounds of Zoro rummaging around the first aide kit for a fresh piece of cloth, and the pop of the iodine bottle opening again.

“Who did this?” he asks as he slowly reaches out to tug a thin spike from your skin, small as a needle and just as sharp. You bite back a wince.

“The porcupine guy…” your voice trails off as Zoro grunts.

“Right.”

He tugs out another spike; it tinks against the metal of the sink as he tosses it away. A brief sting, and then the cooling feeling of the iodine cloth.

After a few minutes of working in silence, Zoro sighs.

“Geez, he really got you bad, didn’t he?”

“Not really,” you say, and you feel Zoro’s hands pause.

“No?”

You shake your head, “I’ve… been through much worse… and lived to tell the tale so…”

Zoro doesn’t need to ask to know that you’re talking about your past on the island, inside that windowless compound. He can see it in the scars that mar nearly the entirety of your back, the criss-cross lines of what looks like knife-wounds, the occasional puckered marks that look suspiciously like burns. He steels himself then, and continues to work — plucking out a spike and cleaning out the wound.

“You were right,” he says, when he finally finishes cleaning up your back and you both straighten to face each other. He wipes his hands clean and winces slightly as he flexes his newly bandaged arm.

“Right about what?” your voice is innocent, but the flash in your eyes tells him that you know exactly what he’s talking about.

“That first day — I couldn’t protect you. I couldn’t… make sure that no one ever hurt you again.”

His fingers curl into fists at his sides and you can see the muscle ticking in his jaw as he clenches his teeth.

You reach out, tracing a thumb along his jawline. When you pull back, there’s a small daub of blood on your finger and you wipe it away without breaking his gaze.

“No, you couldn’t but… you tried.”

Zoro scoffs, “Tryin’s not good enough.”

“No,” you jerk up to glare at him, your voice harsh in a way that he’s only ever heard right after they’d rescued you, the edges of your words raw and ragged as a serrated blade, “trying is everything.”

interlude: truth or dare

It gets better after that, and you grow and bloom and grow some more. Zoro does too, though in his own way — he gets stronger, gets faster, hits harder. And though you two never quite agree on anything, he is always by your side, and you’re somehow always by his.

“’M not even a lil drunk —”

“Liar~” you singsong, giggling as Zoro shakes his head, tipping the remains of a bottle of sake back down his throat before wiping at his lips with the back of his hand.

“Mm… ‘s that all I am to you? Just another guy who lies?” Zoro swings lazily on the hammock hung on the main deck, his eyes half-lidded and alight with the dancing firelight.

“Stupid question — drink,” you answer, bringing our own bottle up to your lips.

Zoro laughs, quiet and pleased as he reaches for a new bottle.

“Alright then — truth or dare?” he asks, uncorking the new bottle and reaching out to offer you some. You bat him away, your movements languid and heavy, your back pressed against a heavy wooden barrel, one leg propped up to support your arm, the other stretched out long and lithe in front of you.

“Truth,” you say, your voice easy, your smile even more so.

“Alright then — do you trust me?” Zoro’s voice dips, and your eyes flash up. There’s a sobering light somewhere behind the alcohol soaked haze clouding his gaze and you can tell by the steadiness of his hands that he’s not nearly as drunk as he might seem.

“What do you mean?” you ask, casually evading the question.

Zoro tuts, “’S not an answer.”

“I’m asking for a clarification.”

Zoro shakes his head, taking another soft swig, “Simple question — do you trust me?”

You purse your lips, mulling over the myriad answers you could provide and make it sound like the truth. But that’s not really how the game goes. So instead, you take a deep breath.

“I — I want to,” and it’s the way your voice breaks that makes it honest, the way you can’t hold the truth in by the seams of your careful cadence, no matter how hard you try to smooth out the ragged edges.

“So… that’s a no,” Zoro says, keeping his tone even. You can’t help reaching for him — imploring.

“Not yet but —”

“Why?”

“Why… what?”

“I guess…” Zoro leans back, casting his eyes up at the wild, dark sky, careening above the ship in an ecstatic spread of stars and, long sinuous, moon-silvered clouds, “why d’you want to trust me? Doesn’t seem like something you’d be eager to do after… y’know, everything.”

You lick your lips and stare into the empty bottom of your glass.

“Honestly?” you say, “because you’re kind of a shit liar —”

Zoro lets out a soft, rumbling laugh, but doesn’t deny it.

“But… also because you’re the only person I’ve met who… who treats words so carefully — I mean…” you swallow, leaning forward slightly as Zoro drops his gaze back down to you, “it’s like — my whole life has just been people saying things they don’t really mean, and never meaning what they say, and then trying to figure out what’s really happening — trying to say the right thing, not the thing you mean but the thing you think they’d want to hear —” your breath quickens, “and — and if you don’t or if you’re bad at it, then bad things happen to you and the people you care about —”

“Hey.”

A hand presses down on your shoulder and you gasp, your breath knifing through your chest as you clasp your shaking hands to your sternum.

“Breathe. You’re okay.”

You nod, unable to say anything as Zoro sits in front of you, his hand like an anchor in a summer storm, keeping you tethered.

You breathe and take stock of your limbs — feet, legs, hands, arms. It’s then that you realize Zoro’s crouching in front of you, your drink glass resting by his side.

“Thanks,” you say, nodding as he gives your shoulder a slight squeeze before pulling away. Physical touch has never been one of your strong points, and it seems Zoro’s learned that without you ever having to tell him.

It’s strange — the sudden knowledge that somehow, his understanding of you has been wordless and implicit. Complete, from nearly the day the Straw Hats had picked you up on that island. You’d never had to explain, never had to draw your boundaries.

And yet somehow, he knew. As if he’d always just known.

“Truth or dare?” you ask him, your voice barely a whisper, shifting to make more space for him on the dark deck of the ship’s forecastle. Zoro sits down in front of you, crossing his legs.

“Dare.”

You don’t fight the grin as it lifts the side of your lips.

The quiet pulses between the pair of you like a heartbeat.

“Tell me a secret.”

“Gotta be more specific,” Zoro’s grin lilts to mirror your own.

“Any secret,” you say, “something you… something you wouldn’t otherwise say out loud.”

“Isn’t that what a secret’s supposed to be? Something you don’t say?”

You laugh, tasting the sound like a mouthful of champagne, bubbling up through you and spiraling towards the endless summer’s night.

“Quit stalling!”

“Think I wanna kiss you.”

A gasp slices through the air between you. You feel the weight of it in your throat, the white-hot flicker of his gaze as he glances down at your lips. You wet them without thinking, and as Zoro lean’s in, you can sense the night around you slowly coalescing into something warm, something solid. Like a marble clutched in a child’s palm, or a pearl held on an oyster’s velvet tongue.

“Truth or dare?” he asks.

He stops just short of your lips, his nose almost grazing yours. You can nearly taste the sweet sake on his breath —

“Dare.”

“Close your eyes.”

Your lashes flutter and for a second, an eternity revolves in the space between your heartbeats. Faintly, you register the gentle rocking of the ship as an indolent wave catches her starboard side.

You close your eyes.

For a second, there is space. For a second, there is breath. For a second, there is gravity. And then — all of that disappears. All of it eclipsed by the kiss. And then, the kiss is all there is.

All there was, and ever will be.

There’s a graze of fingers against skin, the bump of legs against legs against thighs against knees — there’s knuckles and noses and hair falling, hair being tugged into closing fists. There’s the clink-clink-clink of earrings, and the clatter-clap-clat of swords and hilts and rough, wooden planks.

There’s the dull thunk and baseline rumble of a glass being knocked over and rolling away.

But all of that is afterthought. All of that is supplement, a postscript, marginalia and footnotes.

Because there, then — there is only the kiss, and nothing but the kiss: a catastrophe of inevitability, smooth as a secret, and whisper-sweet.

When the pair of you pull away, there’s a chaos of wings against your ribcage.

There’s the honeyed, lambent light in Zoro’s eyes as he grins down at you.

“Truth — or dare,” a breathless gasp punctuates your words.

Zoro’s grin only grows as he tips your chin back between his thumb and forefinger.

“Dare.”

It’s only then that you realize his cheeks are wine-flushed, his chest rising and falling nearly as fast as yours. You swallow slow and track his eyes as he watches the pale bob of your throat.

“Kiss me again.”

act iii: fool’s gold

It takes all of three hours for Sanji to get something out of Zoro, and three days before Robin and Nami manage to wheedle something out of you.

“No seriously! Things have been different since that one party we had —” Nami presses her palm to the kitchen table, here eyes wide. Robin sits on the couch, her expression one of mixed amusement and near academic interest.

“Different how?” you reach into the cookie jar and fish out a crumbled corner of what used to be a double chocolate chip cookie.

“Ugh! You know what I mean!” Nami turns to Robin, motioning towards you, “Help me here!”

Robin laughs, tossing up a graceful hand, “I suppose something does seem… changed.”

“Something?” you ask, licking at a smudge of chocolate on your thumb.

“Well…” Robin says, drawing out the syllable and making to examine the nails on her long, thin fingers, “it’s definitely not nothing.”

You allow yourself a smile, “Something’s definitely not nothing.”

Nami lets out a frustrated groan, but she’s smiling too.

It’s been long enough that you’d learned to relax around them, and you’d since also learned that nothing is so sacred as the sanctity of sisterhood. That bonds between friends might be forged in fire and brimstone, but bonds between women are forged in cinder and smoke — in the wreckage of after, when the fighting’s been done and all that’s left is the mending.

“What’s all this giggling about?” Zoro ducks into the half-ajar door, staring at the three of you.

Nami cocks an eyebrow; Robin shrugs.

You, for your part, smile and bat your lashes.

“Oh nothing,” you say.

“Just girl-talk,” offers Nami.

“Nothing to interest a legendary swordsman like yourself,” Robin polishes off.

Zoro’s eyes narrow, his gaze jumping between the three of you before it lands on you and he scoffs.

“Yeah, whatever. We’re docking soon.”

And that’s all he offers before sauntering back out of the room, leaving the door swinging behind him, but not before you catch sight of the redness at the tips of his ears as he hurries away.

You give it a beat of three seconds before pushing to your feet and following after, humming to yourself. Behind you, Nami and Robin share a knowing look.

“Definitely not nothing,” Robin says as she stands to follow you.

The island, if it can even be called that, is nothing more than a rough conglomeration of steep cliffs strapped together by a thin band of land barely wide enough to be categorized as a beach.

“Well! This is something!” Luffy declares, his arms akimbo on his hips as he stares at the island.

“Yeah… it’s uh… something for sure,” Usopp agrees, making a face as he squints at the cluster of rocks that look more like the jagged edges of a broken bottle than any kind of proper land formation.

“We’ll just anchor here for the night… get some good rest, and then...” Sanji’s words trail off, interrupted by a ghostly wail that rises from the gathering of dark cliffs, turning them into an echo chamber until it seems to rumble through the sand beneath them.

“… gold, all gold! — no, not a liar — please!”

A shiver etches itself up your spine and instinctively, you wrap your arms around yourself.

Zoro steps out in front of you, as if to shield you from whatever might come. His thumb presses against the hilt of his swords, his shoulders tense as corded wire.

“Uh… everyone else heard that too, right?” Chopper asks, peaking out from around Robin’s legs.

“Yep. Definitely not just you,” Sanji confirms.

Luffy grins, “Seems like there’s someone else on this island! Maybe they can show us around!”

Time passes by strangely on the island — one minute, the sun is still hanging low on the far horizon, and the next, the sky is the color of a bullet wound, darkness seeping in around the horizon.

“Whoever’s here on the island — they sure aren’t making it — easy —” Sanji grunts as he hoists himself up a slippery piece of rock face, sweat glistening on his forehead as he squints into the looming blackness.

“Luffy? You sure you know where we’re going?” Nami shouts, her voice ringing back in a way that makes everyone wince and cover their ears.

Zoro grabs your elbow a second before you slip, fingers digging into your flesh even as you steady yourself against him.

“Sorry — thanks,” you say, unsure of which one you really mean.

“Yeah! I can smell something — like a campfire! And… cooking!” Luffy’s voice calls back from somewhere in the gathering dark. Everyone shares a glance before bracing themselves and trudging on.

By the time you all catch up to Luffy, no one is certain of what time it is, only that it’s dark. But the kind of darkness that seems to cling to the skin — a darkness so dense it starts to take on shape and weight.

It presses in around you and you feel your breaths shortening in your chest.

Beside you, Zoro reaches out to brace a hand at the small of your back.

“Oh! I see a light ahead! C’mon!” Luffy’s voice rings out from somewhere up ahead, followed by the patter of sandals on stone. The rest of you follow, and then all too suddenly, light flickers to life in what seems to be a huge, subterranean cave deep within the cliffs of the island. It casts stark shadows against the slick, cavernous walls.

You frown, goosebumps rising along your arms and legs.

But before you have time to dwell on the wrongness of something there, Luffy’s voice snags your attention like a thread on an errant splinter.

“Hi! Oh, wow — that looks delicious!”

You turn a corner to find Luffy hunkering down over a blazing campfire and the silhouette of someone sitting opposite him, a sharp spike held out in front of them, turning slowly over the flickering flames.

“Oh… please… come join me — sit and listen to a story — I have so many stories — so many adventures to share!” the figure across the fire seems to quiver with the dancing flames, his voice filling up the whole of the cave, loud and boisterous and eager. But strange and hollow too.

You frown, chewing on the insides of your cheeks.

Ahead of you, Usopp and Chopper both take tentative seats next to Luffy, who had cheerfully plopped down next to the fire.

“Wow, this looks great! Are you here by yourself? I’m here with my crew! Are you a pirate too?” Luffy asks, his endless enthusiasm pouring from him like a spring.

Robin, Nami, and Sanji all hold back, but you take a step forward, and then another. Something compelling you towards the voice, pulling you closer. There’s a desperation, a loneliness with which you’re all too familiar — you inch closer, and then closer, till you’re almost level with Luffy, and you lower yourself to the ground next to him, Zoro dropping down beside you, his knee pressing against your leg in a silent reassurance.

“Come… come closer! It’s a good story — I promise!”

“Truth,” you mutter, just beneath your breath. Beside you, Zoro lets out a puff of breath, though his stance doesn’t loosen.

Behind you, you can hear the distinct sounds of the rest of the crew drawing just a step closer.

“Once upon a time… there was a city on an island where everything, and I mean everything was made of gold!”

The figure across the fire sounds cheered, elated even. Behind you, you feel Nami take half a step closer. Cold seeps into your veins despite the warm, dancing flames, and your fingers dig into the hard packed earth beneath you.

“I found it — I did! With my crew — the best sailors and seamen around! But the king… he was greedy! And he wanted his own men to take the treasures, so he forced me to lead them to the city again —”

“Truth,” you say again, but something in the tone of the figure’s voice makes you frown.

“Except… the city had gone… and there was nothing left… nothing but lies!”

You shudder back, swallowing hard. All around you, the darkness presses in with long, thin tendrils like so many loving fingers. The fire flares up, casting sparks up towards the cave’s ceiling, where stalagmites hang like broken teeth in a petrified monster’s maw.

“Oh… don’t be scared… come back — I won’t hurt you —”

“Liar!” you spit, the word scraping its way out of your throat.

Zoro leaps to his feet just as Luffy does the same. The fire flares again, a second before snuffing itself out, but in that second, you finally catch sight of the figure, hooded in shadow, sitting across from you — it has the shape of a man, tall and broad, but the limbs of a spindle-legged monster. It wears the darkness like a cloak, with beady, red eyes and a too-wide mouth.

“Don’t! Call me a liar! That’s what they called me — that’s what they called when they killed me! KILLED ME FOR TELLING THE TRUTH!”

You scramble back, Zoro nearly lifting you off the ground in his haste to pull you away. Luffy whips back his arm and swings it forward but all it catches is tendrils of shadow.

“Hey! That’s not nice!” he shakes off his fist, frowning as he stares at the bits of wriggling darkness still clinging to his skin.

“Run!” you shout as everyone bolts for the lightless path you all took to get to the heart of the cave.

“NOT A LIAR! NOT A LIAR! I FOUND IT! THE CITY! BELIEVE ME! BELIEVE ME!”

You clap your hands around your ears and race for what you hope is the exit. Behind you, you can hear the distinct sounds of Zoro’s blades whistling through the air*.*

“Damnit! How’dyou fight a shadow? There’s nothin’ to hit!”

“Quit tryna hit it and just run!” Sanji’s voice answers a second before he breezes passed you.

“Why don’t you believe me? Why?!”

“We — I believe you!” you shout, your chest a thundering mess of footfalls and scrambling bodies, and against all instinct, you turn around to face the darkness again, cupping your hands around your mouth, “I believe you! I know — I know you’re telling the truth!”

“What’re you doing?” Zoro asks, leveling himself by your side, his arm pressing against yours. Behind you, the thinnest sliver of light is creeping into the cave from what you assume is the entrance.

Morning. Has it really been that long?

Time is the greatest liar, you remember, suddenly, violently, the thought tearing through you like teeth.

“I — he’s telling the truth,” you say through gritted teeth, even as you take a few steps back. Inside the cave, the figure seems to shrink back from the encroaching light.

“What truth?” Zoro asks, his blade held aloft, his stance wide and ready.

“All of it,” you say, forcing your voice to be gentle, turning your face back towards the darkness, “I know, I can hear it — I know you’re telling the truth — about the island, the city — all of it!”

“Yes… all I wanted was to get back to the city… but… no one believe me… and I died… I died for it!”

“I know, and I’m sorry… no one should be punished for telling the truth —” your voice cracks.

“I tried!”

“I know…” you say as the figure shrinks and shrinks and shrinks and the light behind you grows and grows and grows, until you can feel the warm seeping into the skin of your back.

“And trying is everything,” you say, biting your lip as Zoro wraps an arm around your waist.

“Come with me… I’ll take you to the city — we can go together!”

You shake your head, heat prickling at your eyes as you turn away from the darkness of the cave and towards the light of the oncoming day.

“Liar…” the word falls from you like a rock, or a tear, cast off the cliff that greets you and Zoro as you both stare over the edge. The rest of the crew is nowhere to be found, but Zoro’s arm is still around your waist, and you can feel his warm breath by your cheek.

“Hey — do you trust me?”

You look up; in the dawning, morning light, Zoro, with his sun-kissed skin and dark moss hair appears to be limned in gold.

And maybe it’s the air, or the sea, or simply the angry pieces of this jagged, left-behind island of shadows like broken teeth trying to tear apart the sky, conducting his voice into a cacophony of echoes that sing and scream through the crags and eves of the valley beneath — but the whole island seems to reverberate with the question —

Do you trust me?

You close your eyes and breath. When you open them again, your heartbeat is steady. And when you speak, the rising sun streaks the tips of the saw-toothed peaks in strokes of molten gold. The valleys beneath you conduct your answer into an entire single-syllabled symphony —

Yes.

You feel his arm tighten around your waist, the wind as it tangles soft fingers in your hair. All around you, everything is light, and light, and light.

“Jump!”

You close your eyes, and jump.

-----

footnotes/appendix

uso-uso no mi translates to "lie-lie fruit"; i made it up bc it would be too op to have in the actual animanga i think

the "acts" refer to a classical 3-act structure that most movies/plays/scripts are written in: setup, confrontation, and resolution... with a smattering of other things sprinkled in for ~vibes~

in much of classical japanese and chinese mythology, foxes are associated with trickers and lies, often turning into beautiful women to deceive men, luring them into forests and mountains before taking their lives

the "figure" in the last scene is... can you guess? noland! kudos to anyone who figured it out as they were reading *\ (>o<) /*

did i absolutely take the "do you trust me" line from disney's aladdin??? HELL YEAH i did !!!! tru trust is my kink u__u

[amara-scott]

Imagine Mattheo and Theodore fighting over you constantly.

P.2 // MATTHEO'S ENDING

P.1 // HERE

“It’s true, isn’t it?” My head snaps around, Theo’s sad eyes glossy. He looks down, stepping closer and stops a foot from me. His eyes wandering back up, like he’s taking one last good look at me. Taking me in.

“It’s always been him.” He continues.

“It’s always been him.” Theo's words are buzzing around in my head now and then. Every time I try to study, eat, sleep.

A few days have passed and my head still keeps me awake most nights. During classes, I tried to focus on what the professors were saying- but failed miserably.

Pansy tried to get through to me, sitting beside me during every meal and while I studied in the library. Just like right now. My eyes are fixed on the upper level, where it happened. I have to think back to Matt's eyes. The way his face dropped. The face I haven't seen in a while and catch myself missing deeply.

He has ignored me ever since. Theo at least tried to get over the fact that I discovered what they were fighting about all the time. He even sent me a small smile during lunch today. But one that didn't fully reach his eyes.

"-We could go to Hogsmeade, get some fresh air?" I blink back into reality and sigh, closing my book. I shrug, sitting back in the chair and chew on my bottom lip.

"I'll take that as a yes." She stuffs our books into her bag and stands up, pulling me after her by my hand. Back in our dorm room, we got dressed and cosy up, today was a chilly October day. I buttoned up the last few buttons on my coat. We walk up the stairs, down the hall and out of the castle. All in peace. No annoying Draco in sight. No Blaise pulling a prank. No Matt hexing a first year.

"Listen, Y/N –" I look up and try not to roll my eyes, knowing what will come next. "– hey! Don't do that. I don't get a kick out of this either, okay?" I glance over and nod. She hooks her arm with mine as we walk on the path to Hogsmeade.

"I know, sorry. It's just – I'm so tired." I wipe my eye, probably smudging my mascara, but I don't care enough to fix it.

"Trust me, I know. You lay awake and toss and turn a lot lately." She sends me a small smile and I huff a laugh, nudging my shoulder with hers.

"Do you think it would help if I talked to Matt?" She asks and I frown, shaking my head.

"I don't want him to think I don't care enough to go up to him." She nods.

"I get it."

The rest of the way we talk about everything but him. But my mind is clouded with every moment we ever shared. I try to find out if I missed the hints. Missed a note he might have sent me. Overheard a sentence he breathed out. Or maybe misinterpreted an invitation to a party.

"Butterbeer?" I glance over at Pansy and nod, smiling as we enter the warm and welcoming Three Broomsticks. It's not too crowded. We walk a bit further to get a good seat in a booth. I sit by the window and take off my wool coat, rubbing my bare hands together. Pansy sits down across from me after ordering a few butterbeers for us.

"So, what do –"

"– Pansy! Y/N! –" Our heads go over to the voice, Enzo stumbles over, Theo and Draco trailing behind him. They were coming down from the second floor. Enzo falls into place beside Pansy and hugs her, making her squeal and I have to laugh at the view, they definitely have had a few butterbeers. Punched ones. Or maybe a different kind of substance. Draco rolls his eyes and greets us too. My eyes meet Theo's as he stuffs his hands into his pockets, glancing at the spot next to me. I patt the cushion and he looks up, raising a brow.

"Either you sit down now or I will." Draco says and frowns at him. Theo quickly slides in next to me and Draco pulls up a chair, sitting at the head of the table.

I look at my hands in my lap, playing with the ring on my pointy finger. I listen to Enzo's conversation with Pansy. Draco throws in a comment here and there. When Theo's knee bumps against mine, I look up at him. "Sorry." He mumbles, running his fingers through his hair. "How – how are you doing? Haven't seen you around a lot lately." He asks and I sigh, shrugging.

"Well, not too good." I admit and he nods, looking down at his hands, also playing with his fingers. "I'm sorry." He adds, looking back at me.

"For pressuring you. I feel like an idiot." He shakes his head to himself and smiles, waiting for my reaction.

"No! No – you don't have to apologize." I say and glance over to the door as it opens, holding my breath. A few more Hogwarts students come inside with red cheeks and thick clothing.

"He's not coming tonight." I meet Enzo's eyes and gulp. "Matt's been ignoring us all." He mumbles.

"It's all my fault."

"No, love – don't say that! He's a bloody, stupid git for acting that way." I raise my brows at Enzo's outburst and see Pansy covering her lips, holding back a grin. Draco chuckles and Theo joins in.

"He should have manned up way long ago and none of this would have happened."

Draco nods, rolling his eyes. "His constant blabbering about you irritated me to no end. No offence, Y/N." He talked about me? What did he say?

"Oh no." I glance at Theo and follow his line of sight. Matt. With – a girl? Is he for real? Who even is that?

"He's such a dimwit." Enzo mumbles, turning on the couch to get a better look at him. Matt and his friend haven't seen us yet, but I had enough. I feel like walking up to him right now and shaking him by his shoulders until he could think straight again.

I didn't notice my balled up fist until Theo takes my hand in his and I look up, still fuming. Matt and her sit not far from us, sharing a couch. His eyes meet mine.

"He's a fool, you know that." I huff at Theo's statement but nod. "Oh, believe me, I know." I mutter. Matt leans over to the girl, talking into her neck and making her giggle. I clench my jaw and force my eyes away. He's dead to me. Who in their right mind would do that?

I try to focus on the outdoors. Or my mug. Nothing really distracting me.

"Hey everyone." The utter audacity. Matt and his date stand next to a sitting Draco, looking at everyone. My eyes stay fixed on my empty glass. Everyone greets back. From the corner of my eye I see Matt laying his arm around her.

"Well, we don't want to intrude any further –" The girl says but Pansy slams down her mug, looking up at her.

"– you don't! This is quite entertaining, really. Why don't you take a seat? We can all make some room." I glare at her but she still smirks at Matt. A deathly smile. And we actually make room for them. Matt next to Theo and the girl next to Enzo. Well, this isn't awkward.

"I'd love to take a picture right now." Pansy adds and I roll my eyes, looking out the window again and biting my inner cheek. Draco and Matt start talking about Quidditch training as Enzo and Pansy fall back into conversation about Merlin knows what.

"What's your name." I can't hold back any longer and look at her. Only now taking her in. Blonde hair, blue eyes and a button nose. A blue tie around her neck. So Matt's into Ravenclaws now?

"Julie. And you? You're Y/N, right? Matt hasn't mentioned you yet but I guess rumor has it you're into him." I am now gripping my wand below the table tightly, thinking about all the ways I could curse her, what kind of potion I could pour into her morning tea or if chasing her into the forbidden forest would be enough.

"Oh, me? Quite passionately, actually. He is the man any woman would want, you want to know why?" I ask her, ready to burst. Theo sighs, muttering my name warningly, which I ignore. Julie frowns at me, looking uneasy, shifting in her seat.

"He's egoistical, he would never put you first. He plays with you – and your feelings – not caring about any consequences because, well, quite frankly they don't typically affect him. And the best part is, once he is ready to admit his feelings, he simply ignores you, having you toss and turn at night until you go mad. Sounds pretty good to me." I shrug and lean back with a tight smile, focusing on my glass again.

"Anyone else need another drink? I certainly do." I mumble at the end and stand up, taking my glass and climbing over the back of the couch. As I pass behind Julie, I send Pansy a look of disgust. She shakes her beaming head at me, looking like a proud mom.

At the bar I take a deep breath, slowly feeling my heart sinking and reality kicking in. That he is all that what I described him as. But also the one who made me feel special and loved. Cared about. I press my teeth together as I feel a wave of utter despair hit me. I gesture to my empty mug as a bartender sees me. I tap my finger on the wooden bar top, debating if walking back to the table would be a good idea.

"Ouch." I glance over to him as he sits down next to me, sliding the mug forward. He sighs, leaning his crossed arms onto the counter top.

"Fuck off, Riddle." I turn my head, not wanting to take any of him in. Not his messy chocolate brown curls. Neither the dark circles under his eyes.

"I know, I deserved that." I nod at his statement.

"Would you look at me?" I glare at him, placing a hand on my hip.

"And now? What do you want, Riddle." He rolls his eyes, turning in his seat to face me.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously, I couldn't think of a single thing you would want from me right now." I get out and sound as harsh as I wanted to.

"Hey, everything okay over here?" The bartender asks, placing two filled mugs in front of us. We both look at him.

"Yes!" "Yes!"

We say in union, the guy raises his hands in defense and walks off. I turn back to Matt once more.

"I want to know why you're such a bitch to me." He says, his eyes boring into me as I let his words sink in. My mouth opening in shock.

"What?" I ask in disbelieve, daring him to repeat himself.

He stands up, stepping closer. I get up too and have to tilt my head but don't blink once as he towers over me. His fists by his sides and my hand hovering above my wand. Breath shallow.

"You heard me. "

*Slap.*

I pull my tingling hand back, still glaring up at him. His face is still turned to the side, one of his hands covering his cheek as he looks at me again.

"How dare you call me that, you ignorant –" I hit his chest.

"– thickheaded, –" Another hit.

"– senseless, –" Another one. He let me continue for a few more words until I was a crying mess and he held my hand that got weaker with every hit.

"You done yet, love?" He asks, a small smile on his lips. I frown, blinking a couple times to clear my vision.

"I don't think I will ever be." I mutter and he grins, looking down at the ground and slowly back up at me. The warm lights turning his eyes almost golden.

"I don't want you to." He mumbles and leans his head lower, my breath is quick but I can't even think of another word before his lips meet mine.

His arms grow around me like veins, pulling me closer to his chest and deepening the kiss. I tangle my hands into his hair, my stomach buzzing with an annoyingly sweet feeling. He smells so good.

As we part, I catch my breath, glancing at his slightly parted, puffy lips.

"You did that on purpose?" I ask, referring to the girl. He can't hold back a grin and nods.

"I'm sorry, I just had to know for sure if – you really wanted me the way I need you." I roll my eyes weakly, sighing.

"Boys."

"Your boy."

—

Tags for Mattheo's Endling:

@bbysebbystan @leona-hawthorne @vaseoftulips @readingthingsonhere @bluee-23 @elowynev @zoeonsaturn

— Theo's Ending is coming soon 🖤

[dakotalun]

What Now? | Eddie Munson

pairing: Eddie Munson X Fem Reader

summary: PART 2-- Eddie helps you deal with your break up.

warnings: none

word count: 1.1k

a/n: please comment if you want to be added to the taglist!

*******NOT MY GIF, CREDIT TO OWNERS*******

"Uh, I guess you're wondering why I'm walking to your place at 10pm in the pouring rain," I tried to make a joke but it came out soft and broken.

"A little bit but I'm not gonna push you. You can tell me when you’re ready," The softness and sincerity in his voice makes me wanna start crying all over again. God why does he have to be so perfect all the time?

"Jamie um,” I pause, the wound still too fresh to speak of, “Broke up with me."

"What?! Why??" I can picture the expression in his face without even looking, mouth open and brows furrowed. Almost like an angry dad scolding their child, I would laugh at the thought if I wasn’t so damn sad right now.

"They said they had shit to work on and that having a partner would hold them back and they'd feel like they were lying to me if we kept going."

"Bullshit,” I wasn’t expecting this reaction out of him, “I don’t believe that for a second.”

"It's whatever, I just couldn't stay there and I can’t go home because Robin has Vickie over for the weekend, Chrissy is at Jason’s this weekend and apparently Nancy has an impromptu date with Johnathan, I was supposed to stay at Jamie's this weekend, but clearly…”

"You're staying here. No question. Do you need anything? Water? Tea?" He stands up and walks over to his small kitchen, rummaging through the fridge for something for me to drink.

"Honestly I just wanna get out of these clothes," And cry. But I don’t say that because he’s seen me cry enough already.

"You can cry if you need to, you know. I won’t judge, it’s a perfectly understandable situation.” Can this man read my mind or something? I sure as shit hope not. I just nod and look down at my shaking hands, from either the cold, or sadness I can’t quite tell.

“I'll put on some water for tea then start the shower for you," He pulls out his kettle from above his fridge, filling it with water and turning it on. Then he disappears into his room and returns a minute later with a t-shirt, crew neck and a pair of his boxers.

"I wasn't sure if you had stuff to wear so here are some options, towels are in the bathroom. I'll be out here if you need anything."

I grab the pile of clothes from him, "Thank you."

"It's nothing. Anything for you," His smile is infectious and a small one spreads to my face as well.

His words mean so much more to me than he can ever imagine. I get up off the couch and head to the bathroom to shower off the mixture of rain water and tears. As the water hits me, my brain keeps thinking of all the things Jamie and I did together; buying Gregory, going to Lolla, spending weekends watching Criminal Minds and eating ice cream. Before I know it I'm crying and I can't stop the tears. I don’t know how much time has passed since I got in but I snap out of my crying fit when I hear a soft knock on the bathroom door.

I wipe my tears, as if it makes a difference with water pouring down on me, and clear my throat before speaking, “Uh yeah?”

“Sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if you’d eaten yet?” His voice is slightly muffled from the door and the sound of the water doesn’t help either.

“I uh,” I pause before answering, I know that I haven’t eaten since Jamie and I were gonna cook something at their place but I also know that Eddie will want to pay for the food and him allowing me to stay here is already too much, “Yeah, I ate before I went over to Jamie’s”

“Hmm,” I hope he can’t tell I’m lying, “Okay.”

I let out a breath and go back to cleaning myself off, I need to get rid of their smell.

After my shower I put on his boxers and the crewneck he offered me. A genuine smile crosses my face when I notice it’s the same one he let me borrow in early August when we went to his lake house. But the happiness of the memory gets overshadowed by the thought of the fact that not only 4 hours before that I was in Chicago with Jamie, leaving Lollapalooza.

I shake my head and get rid of those thoughts before heading out to the living room with my dirty clothes in my hand. I see Eddie standing by his balcony door, hands in his pockets just staring out into the night sky. I watch him for a second and think about how someone like him can be so friendly and happy around me. It’s confused me since the day we met.

It was the first day of freshman orientation and we were all in a small classroom waiting for our group mentor to show up and tell us about what we’d be doing this week. I chose to sit in the middle of the room but in a seat next to the wall so I could rest my back against it and watch the entire room.

As I sat there scanning the room my eyes landed on a handful of interesting people, some that I’ve recognized from orientation day, others who just had interesting clothes or hair, and then there was Eddie. There was just something about him, his long curly hair, his dark clothes, the chains hanging around his neck and off his plants, and those rings.

I couldn’t help but stare, from what I could see he was clearly attractive and dressed very differently from what I’ve noticed most men wear. As I admired him from afar, our mentor came rushing in apologizing for being late. They had to make sure they had the right group since some people had to switch at the last minute.

We all turned our attention to the two mentors standing in the front as they talked about what the next few days were going to look like for us. I tried my best to retain the information but then they had us do a “get to know you” game and my heart dropped. I’ve always hated talking about myself and what I enjoy and it seemed kind of redundant to say I like art seeing as though this is an art school. But the curiosity to find out more about the mysterious man across the room was too strong.

Taglist: @ali-r3n @dixontardis @witchwolflea @micheledawn1975 @daydreaming-mood @idfwfeelings @adaydreamaway08 @preciousbumplingbee @rustboxstarr @plk-18 @teary-eyed-egg @needylilgal022 @exploding-bonbon @gagasbee @eddiemunsonsguitarpic @aol19 @thatwitchyoucouldntburn @meanlilbean @sonnyahngel @corrodedcass @pigwidgeonxo @marsmunson86 @lottie-90 @figmentofquinn @sareim123122 @eddies-puppet @gvf23 @kennedy-brooke @rocklees-wife @emma77645 @cherris-n-peaches @breehumbles @joequinn-love @anyoddthoughts @aysheashea @eddiesskittle @uncxmfxrtablex @cherrymedicine13 @mrsjellymunson @shotgunhallelujah @bambipowerblueaddition @hexqueensupreme @josephquinnsfreckles @harrysgothicbitch @paleidiot @smurfflynn @lilyungpeanut @selena-rocker27

[catnipaddictt]

jailbreak

scott barringer x gn!reader

synopsis: You and Scott decide to escape New Horizons, a camp for at risk teens.

wc: 1.3k

tw: none

comment: there is a lack of Scott content on tumblr so I decided I wanted to write something. Also I fell in love with higher ground, i didn't think it was going to be that good, but i binged it in under a week.

You kick at the ground with your beat-up old sneakers, watching as moisture falls from the blades of grass. Grumbling could be heard from in front of you as the ground of teens treked behind their leader. Ever since you had arrived at New Horizons, it was basically walk after walker. You swear once you are out of this place you would never hike again. But alas you had now been here for almost 2 months, and Peter sure wasn't letting you out anytime soon. 

Picking up your feet, you begin to follow your group as they walk uphill through the forest that surrounds the school. You make up the back of the pack, mostly just because you prefer to walk at a more leisurely pace. 

“Hey” you glance to your side to be met with blue eyes. Scott. He had been here for around the same time you had meaning that you were both ‘fresh meat’. If you could even call yourself that anymore. You reply back with a “hi” focusing on not tripping on any tree roots. Scott was at New Horizons for a drug related problem, something a lot of the students had issues with. He was normally standoffish and refused to participate but you two got along just fine. Which led to the little problem of your not so little crush on the tall boy.

“I hate walking” he states plainly and you agree, nodding your head. “I mean, how is this supposed to help, walking up hills isn't going to fix a bunch of messed up kids” Scott continues. “It sucks, I just want to get out of here” you reply. “Hey, what if we-” Scott seems to want to say something but changes his mind, shaking his head. “Nevermind.” You glance at him confused. “C'mon, you have got to say it now” you laugh. “It was stupid anyways” he grumbles at the ground. 

“Oh boo-hoo, just tell me” you practically beg. Scott sees this and ultimately starts to speak, “we could get out of here you know? It's only the forest holding us back I mean. And we have pretty much walked all of it twice over.” You turn your head to look at him, “you mean run away?” you ask. He has caught your full attention now. “See, told you it was dumb” Scott answers. 

“Let's do it.” 

“Sorry?” He states, “you can't be serious.” He raises an eyebrow. “Oh I'm serious. I have had enough of this place. Worst case scenario we get caught, that's like a few days of confinement to the cabins.” You reply smoothly. It was definitely a horrible idea but it's not like life was too exciting for you at the moment.”I mean, I'm down if you are” Scott shrugs. You think for a moment before replying. “Okay two days from now there is the school bonfire thing. We pack bags beforehand, I'll sneak into the kitchens and get us some food and stuff, and we can meet up by the docks. They won't notice we have gone for a few hours at least.” 

Scott looks at you “a few hours head start is probably as good as we are going to get.” He makes up his mind, “okay I'm in.” 

The next two days passed rather slowly, with not much really happening apart from lectures about personal wellness. What a waste of your time. You were counting down the minutes until your and Scott's escape out of here.

The final hours of your time at New Horizons were spent packing a bag, light enough to not slow you down, but enough to keep you going until you could get more supplies. Your next job was the kitchen.

The sun had almost disappeared by the time you reached the space, quietly opening and shutting the door behind you. You grabbed two large plastic bottles of water, placing them in your bag, as well as a few cans of food and lots of snacks. This was definitely enough to last you a few days. Getting through the forest should only take a few hours, the tricky part was not being seen around town.

Zipping up your bag you sneak out of the kitchen, making your way to the docks. You could see Scott's shadow cast on the wooden planks, giving his location away. You walk almost silently up to him and he jumps a little at you appearing. “Don't sneak up on me like that” he says playfully.

You nod your head in the direction of the path leading to the forest “time to go?” The light from the bonfire flickers over the landscape, making it feel like something out of a 80’s horror film. “Yeah, let's do it”

You both make your way out of the school and into the dense forest. There is nearly no light apart from the occasional bit of moon peeking through the canopy. Scott pulls two flashlights out of his bag, passing one to you “borrowed Auggie’s, hope he doesn't mind” he shrugs and you laugh. Poor Auggie had been robbed of his only torch. 

After about an hour of walking Scott starts telling you clearly made up stories about people getting lost in the woods never to be seen again. Typical teenager boy behavior. You roll your eyes in response - not that he could see. “That's so not real” you speak, only to be met with a yelp as he trips over a tree root. You cannot contain your laughter at the action. “Not funny” he grumbles. 

The next few hours pass in a blur. The clear night makes your walk nicer than you thought it was going to be. Scott being there helped a lot. You both exchange tales of your lives before New Horizons, Scott tells you about his football games and school. Up ahead of you, you can see where the ground drops about 6 feet or so, meaning you will have to climb down. Scott goes first, passing you his bag so you can throw it down to him once he is on solid ground. Once he reaches the earth again you throw down his bag followed by yours. He catches them and puts them down on the ground. Now it's your turn to make the descent. 

You make it most of the way down without fail, but the place where you put your left foot collapses and you are forced to jump back and onto the dirt covered ground. Luckily you don’t hurt yourself but in the process you manage to basically slam into your companion. He lets out a sound at the impact, “woah there.” “Sorry Scott.”

After another hour you finally reach the edge of civilization and you exchange grins with the blonde boy. You had made it with close to little hiccups. Making it onto town, you and Scott begin to brainstorm what to do now. “We need to get further away before first light, then people might see the two of us. And when Peter comes asking they will know we were here” You think out loud. “We could hitchhike?” Scott suggests “It's risky but if we walk further out of town we have a better chance of someone who is passing through and not a local?”

You agree to the plan and after a quick break from walking you both set out again. Now that you are out of the dense forest you can see the night sky. It's clear tonight and you can see all the stars, you will miss it in a way. But you made your decision. As you walk, your hand brushes against Scott’s prompting you to snap your arm close to your side, embarrassed. You can sense his head turning to look at you briefly before he looks straight ahead again. Then, if on second thought, he grabs your hand in his, interlocking your pinkies. You look down at your and Scott's hand and smile. Maybe, just maybe it would all work out fine.

I'm not sure about the ending of this one as I kinda didn't know how to finish it but oh well. Im also finishing writing a whole heap of requests, so expect those soon!

[masonmyluv]

Part 4

A/N: things are getting more interesting from now on 🤭

Summary: Fermin is sick, so you’re taking care of him and also meet his best mate.

You can find the other parts here

"Hey"

His voice was groggy on the phone when he picked up. "Hey. Are you coming today?" You asked. "Sorry I completely forgot to tell you. I'm not feeling very well" he groaned, probably frustrated he forgot. "It's okay... if you want I can pass by, bring you the new stuff" you suggested. "Yeah, if you have time" he coughed. "Sure. Can I come now? Or is it too late?" You asked, looking at the clock. 4 pm. "No, it's okay" he replied. "Okay I'll be there in an hour".

Before packing your books, you made a list with what to buy. He wasn't very specific with what was not well with him, but you supposed he got the flu, so you typed some things on your phone and left your apartment.

While you were decided which sweets to buy, Fermin was freaking out. His place was a mess, he didn't even unpack his bag from the National camp, he didn't wash the dishes and he didn't change his clothes for two days. The fever he got made him not leave the bed that much. So he put the dishes into the dishwasher, threw his clothes from the bag into the washing machine and put on a fresh pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Then he cleaned the living room and kitchen for a bit, and turned the tv on. Now he knew how you felt when he came into your place.

"Hi?" Fermin asked, picking up his phone. "Hey Fermin, it's me. I forgot to ask you where you live" you chuckled. Damn, having a crush on you made him look stupid. "Yeah I'll share the location" he replied. You were both two idiots (in love).

"Hey" he said, opening the door for you. "Nice neighbourhood" you said, passing by him. "You didn't have to" he said, helping you with the bags in your hands. "Well, I remember someone bringing me coffee and breakfast, so it felt just right to do this. Especially since you said you're not feeling well" you blushed, taking your shoes off. "Well thanks, but this is not really food? Like they're ingredients" he asked confused. "Well yeah, I thought I could cook my secret recipe for when I'm not feeling well" you said, following him to the kitchen. "You don't have to" he said. "I know, but I want to" you shrugged. "And here are the notes I made. And we have to do a presentation for next time" you said, placing your books on the kitchen island. "Me and you?" He asked. "I don't know yet. Professor M. said he'll think about it. But you need to come to the class to present it together" you explained. "Well I can come, but I'm a bit sick" he chuckled. "That's okay. I bet you're not in for a project" you said, getting the ingredients out. "Not even for keeping my eyes opened" he said. "So what are you making?" He asked. "Chicken soup. And a dessert, I hope you can eat it" you said. "Usually maybe not, but coach told me to do anything to be fully recovered in a week, so..." he shrugged, sitting on the bar stool, watching how easily you made your way through his kitchen. Like you actually lived here. It felt so domestic being like this with you.

He browsed through your notes, groaning when a sharp pain went through his head. "You okay?" You asked worried. "Yeah, I have a headache" he replied. "Maybe you should lay down" you suggested. "But the courses—". "Go on the sofa" you said. "So bossy" he smirked, but you were right. No point in forcing his brain to do anything if it was in pain. He laid down, still having a view of you in the kitchen. "Here. It's for headaches and fever. And put a blanket on" you sighed. "Food is almost ready, so don't fall asleep" you said, noticing how his eyes got drowsier. You went back into the kitchen, finishing the last things when the door bell rang. "You stay right there" you warned him. "I'll take it".

"Hola?" The guy you opened the door to said. "Is Fermin home?" He asked. "Yeah hi. He is a bit sick. Come in" you said politely. "Gracias" he smiled, coming in and discarding his shoes. "Fermin cabron..." he said, sitting near Fermin on the sofa and started talking in Spanish. You went to put the food into the dishes while you heard them talking and caught some words novia, muy guapa. "Food's ready" you announced and the boys came to sit at the kitchen island.

"Fermin didn't tell us he had a girlfriend" the guy said smirking. "Y/N, this is Gavi and Gavi this is Y/N, a colleague from university" Fermin introduced the two of you. "Nice to meet you" you smiled, taking a bite of your food. "She's a fan actually. Has a t-shirt of you" Fermin said casually and you choked on your food. "That so? Maybe I can sign in for you some time" he offered. "Yeah that would be great thanks" you said, kicking Fermin under the table. "It's good that there is someone to take care of him, poor guy. He really wanted to train today" Gavi said with puppy eyes. "If he rests, he'll be back in no time" you said. "But he has to study right?" He asked and you nodded. "Yeah actually we have a project together, so tell me when it's okay to come" you said to Fermin. "Well I'm already a bit better thanks to you, so maybe in 2 days? That okay?" Fermin asked and you nodded.

"You walked here?" Fermin asked as you washed the dishes, even though he told you to just leave them, you couldn't. "Yeah". "It's pretty late. I can ask Gavi to drive you home" he suggested. "If he doesn't mind me" you shrugged. "He won't. Thank you for today. You didn't have to—". "I wanted to. And I'll see you in 2 days" you said, taking your things. "Yeah see y'a. And goodnight" Fermin smiled.

"So... you're together?" Gavi broke the ice. You burst into laughing and so did he. "That was so lame" you said. "I know I know, sorry. But he's very focused on football, so I didn't know if he had someone" he explained. "But I forgot about university and pretty girls" he added. "It's just this year that we started talking more. His friends dropped out and I'm the only one who's actually going to classes so" you shrugged. "And I like helping people and he needs help with all this. Wouldn't want him not scoring goals" you grinned. "You're a fan, that's amazing. And I don't feel weird" he said. "Most of the girls are like omg Gavi, let's take a picture, they try to kiss me and so on. I don't like it and neither Fermin likes it" he said when you have him a confused look. "I wouldn't like it either" you said. "Thanks for the ride. Goodnight" you said as you arrived in front of your building. "No problem. And maybe we'll meet again. Maybe at a game" he said. "That would be nice. Bye" you smiled, waving at him.

Gavi ⚽️

She's a keeper ;)

Gavi's text startled Fermin as he was stalking your Instagram. Of course Fermin knew you were one to keep, but he wasn't sure you two were on the same page. You were a neat smart girl who knew what she wanted and he was a football player, travelling a lot. He remembered hearing you talk with a girl about what you want in a future relationship: I want stability. He could be that, but travelling a lot wouldn't be it. You needed someone who was there with you, not away playing football. With this sad thought, he went to sleep, knowing he had to forget that stupid crush.

Hope you like it 🥰

[daysofyellowroses]

cake

richie jerimovich x reader, background syd x carmy| 3.0k | tw: nothing too major, smoking, drinking, language, sentimentality

🐻

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I'm sure.”

“But like..are you sure?”

You let out a sigh as you walked over to the vanity table, leaning down and looking into the mirror, smiling at Sydney and resting your hand on her shoulder.

“I'm one million percent sure. You look stunning.”

“But-”

“Stunning,” You held your hand up. “Just relax, today is supposed to be fun, remember?”

Syd nodded, taking a deep breath. 

“I know. Fun.”

“Good,” You smiled, standing back up straight and smoothing out your forest green dress. “I'm gonna run outside for a super quick smoke then I'll be right back.”

You grabbed your coat, throwing it on and heading out of the hotel room. You passed some other guests as you made your way out to the front of the building, giving them all a polite nod and smile. You had been so focused on keeping Syd calm that you didn't realize there were butterflies in your own stomach.

Once the fresh air hit you, you felt a little better. You took a seat on the patio, fishing your cigarettes from your coat pocket. There were some kids playing on the grass, a couple of other smokers standing by the wall and chatting.

“Oh, hey. Mind if I join you?”

You looked up and smiled as you spotted Richie, a coat thrown over his navy suit. 

“Of course you can,” You gestured to the chair opposite you. “Be my guest.”

You lit your cigarette as Richie sat down, closing your eyes for a moment and savoring it.

“Can I ask you something?” Richie asked, lightly tapping his fingers on the round table. “It's a little stupid but.."

“Ask me anything,” You nodded, sitting back and pulling your coat around yourself. “I'm sure it won't be stupid.”

“You're the maid of honor, right?” Richie asked, reaching into his pocket for a pack of smokes. 

“Right,” You nodded, raising a brow. “I am. And you're the best man.”

“Yeah,” Richie nodded, dropping the box in his hand down onto the table. “Never thought I'd see the fucking day.”

He lit his cigarette, sitting back and looking up for a moment.

“Are you..nervous, at all?”

You thought about it for a moment, flicking your cigarette and nodding slowly.

“Pretty fucking terrified, if I'm honest. I mean, I'm so thrilled that it's finally here and everything but..I am really not looking forward to having to get up and make a speech.”

“Same,” Richie nodded, rubbing his forehead. “I thought it would be easy but..it's hard to find the right words. You gotta be so..personal and funny and charming and it's..a lot.”

You tilted your head slightly as you took a drag on your cigarette, blowing the smoke off to the side.

“Your speech at the rehearsal dinner was amazing, you could do the exact same one and it would be great.”

“Nah,” Richie shook his head. “That was different..that was a smaller group, more relaxed..today is like three times as many people. I'm not great with rehearsed stuff, I prefer to just say what comes to mind but..I don't want to say the wrong fucking thing.”

You smiled softly as you sat up, looking over to Richie. You weren't super close, but you knew him through Sydney and from what you did know he seemed like a pretty decent guy, certainly funny and charming.

“Why don't you just write some notes for yourself?” You suggested. “Not a whole speech but like..some bullet points to hit. It will still be natural but with a little more structure to fall back on.

“Hm,” Richie nodded, looking up for a moment. “That might do it. Thanks.”

“Anytime,” You smiled. “It's what I've done. The last thing I want is to get up there and go blank.”

“You'll be fine,” Richie smiled, taking a drag on his cigarette and glancing over to the hotel. “Your speech last night was pretty great.”

You smiled to yourself, flicking your cigarette and looking up for a moment, the sun starting to emerge from the clouds. You sat in comfortable silence with Richie, the sound of kids playing in the background and birds chirping filling the air around you.

“I better get back,” You stubbed out your cigarette and stood up, wrapping your coat around yourself. “I'll see you later.”

“See you at the altar,” Richie nodded, covering his face after a moment and shaking his head. “Sorry, I didn't mean it like that..”

You laughed softly, looking over to him. 

“Don't worry, you have to take me up the aisle first."

Before long you were standing in the church entrance with Syd, her father, the other bridesmaids and the groomsmen, a nervous excitement filling you. 

“You look so beautiful,” You smiled at Syd, taking her hand. “I'm so proud of you.”

“Don't make cry,” Syd laughed softly, squeezing your hand. “I need some photos without tears in my eyes.”

“Okay everyone, places,” The wedding co-ordinator clapped her hands. “line up.”

“I love you, you got this.” You smiled at Syd, squeezing her hand before taking your place at the back of the line next to Richie. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” He grinned, holding out his arm. “Care to take a walk?”

“Oh I would love to,” You grinned, wrapping your hand around Richie's bicep. “though I don't think I have much choice, with Napoleon up there.”

At the front of the line the wedding co-ordinator was shooing everyone down the aisle, snapping her fingers for the next pair.

Richie laughed beside you, and you smiled as the two of you stepped forward, clutching your bouquet in your hand as you stepped into the church.

You had never been so grateful for waterproof mascara in your life, spending the majority of the ceremony in tears as you watched Syd and Carmy exchange beautiful vows. Occasionally you would catch Richie's eye and he would give you a reassuring smile, making you smile a little wider.

Once the reverend declared “You may now kiss the bride,” the church erupted into a sea of applause and cheers, whistles and whoops. You watched with immense pride as the newly married pair walked down the aisle together, flower petals being strewn over them.

The reception was held on the grounds of the hotel, billowing white marquees set up, covered with flowers and paper lanterns. While the guests mingled and drank champagne, the official pictures were taken, your cheeks starting to hurt from smiling so much. 

You cried again when Syd insisted she wanted a picture with just you and her, wrapping your arms around each other as the photographer snapped the photo.

When it was your turn to take a photo with Richie, Syd gave you a wink and you rolled your eyes with a grin, going to stand next to the older man and laughing softly as he held his arm in mid air, unsure what to do with it.

“Just wrap it around my waist,” You smiled, gently moving his arm before touching his back. “I don't bite.”

“What if I ask nicely?” Richie leaned in to murmur in your ear, making you laugh and your heart race.

Before long you had a glass of champagne in your hand and got to mingle with the guests, posing for some more casual photos and doing what felt like a million twirls in your dress.

When it was time for dinner, you were relieved to finally sit down and relax, trying to remember who had told you that the maid of honor doesn't get to eat because that was ridiculous. The food was obviously delicious, there was no way you were leaving it untouched.

After dinner, there was a little pause before the speeches, your heart starting to race at the thought. You took a long sip of wine, trying to calm yourself. Both Syd and Carmy made speeches, both of them sending you into yet more floods of tears.

When it was Richie's turn, you gave his arm a gentle squeeze before he stood up, watching him deliver a speech that was the perfect blend of emotional, personal and funny. 

“No pressure,” He grinned as he sat back down, handing you the microphone. “You got this.”

You stood up slowly, looking out to the large crowd and taking a deep breath.

"Hi everyone," You smiled, biting your lip softly. You introduced yourself, placing your hand over your heart and feeling it hammer under your touch. “I am also the maid of honor, and the most fortunate to also be Sydney's best friend."

You looked down to her and felt yourself relax as she smiled at you, taking a deep breath before looking back to the crowd.

"I am so beyond excited and proud to be here today with you all to celebrate Sydney and Carmen, the most wonderful couple."

There were loud cheers, and you found yourself smiling more.

"Syd and I first met in elementary school, the very first day of first grade. We were randomly assigned to sit together, and when she let me borrow her scooby doo pencil I knew I had found a friend. From day one she has been the most incredibly kind, loyal, smart, creative, funny girl, and my life would not be the same without her,” You glanced down to her with a grin and gently touched her shoulder before looking back. 

“She is so talented and driven, there's nothing she can't put her hand to. I remember when she told me she'd applied for the CIA, and how hard she laughed when I told her I never knew she wanted to be a spy," You paused as there was a flood of laughter, feeling your heart beat calm. "then the day came when she got her acceptance letter, we sat in my rickety old car, staring at this envelope until eventually opening it after about 56 hours, and when we saw she was accepted we started screaming and crying and hugging for another 56 hours."

You paused, looking over to Syd and Carmy with a smile. "But of course, we are here to celebrate Syd and her wonderful husband, Carmy," 

There was another round of cheers and applause, Richie whistling beside you.

“I remember when Syd told me she had started seeing someone,” You continued with a smile. “and I immediately knew who it was, it was honestly a relief that I didn't have to keep hearing ‘we're just friends’ because..come on,” You raised a brow with a grin, laughter ringing around the room.

“But I must say, I have been so privileged to see their relationship go from strength to strength, they are the most perfect couple I know, and to be here now celebrating their wedding is such a blessing,” You beamed, tears starting to sting the corners of your eyes. 

“As I said, Syd and I have been best friends for a long time now, and I can honestly say that Carm has brought out the best in her, from the first moment she told me about him I could see something new in her, a renewed drive and fire. They bring out the best in each other, they encourage each other to be the best they can be and lift each other up to new heights.”

You wiped your eyes, smiling as Syd reached up to touch your arm. 

“All you want is for the people you love to be happy,” You smiled, looking down to Syd and Carmy. “and I can safely say I have never known Syd to be happier than she is with Carm. If I had to give Carm any advice it would be..keep doing what you're doing, keep lifting her up and pushing her and celebrating her. And always, always, let her choose the movie,” You grinned. 

“I wish you both all the love and happiness in the universe, thank you so much for letting me be part of your lives, I love you both so much.”

There was a rapturous round of applause and you felt the tears flow freely as Syd and Carmy stood up to hug you. When you sat back down, Richie gave you a smile, gently touching your arm. 

“Aced it.”

A little while after dinner, the DJ set up and called Syd and Carmy up for their first dance. They both looked a little embarrassed as they made their way to the center of the dancefloor, but when the opening strains of Ella Fitzgerald's ‘Let's fall in love’ began, they wrapped their arms around each other and began to sway along to the music. He whispered something in her ear and she covered her mouth as she laughed, your heart melting at the sight.

As the dance floor began to fill for the next song, you turned to see Richie beside you, holding out his hand with a smile.

“Care to dance?”

“I thought you'd never ask.”

You fell into an easy rhythm with Richie, he spun you around and dipped you dramatically as you laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck as he pulled you back up. His hands settled on your waist, your eyes meeting. It felt natural, comfortable. 

The song ended sooner than you would have liked, leaving you standing there in Richie's arms, your heart racing. He was about to say something when you felt a hand on your back and turned to see Syd, pulling you in for a dance. You glanced back at Richie, mouthing an apology before turning back to Syd with a grin, the two of you singing along to ‘This Will Be’.

After you danced with what felt like every single guest, you slipped outside for a smoke, the lights from the marquee illuminating the perfect lawn. 

“Fun day huh?”

You glanced over your shoulder and smiled as you spotted Richie, walking over to join him. His jacket was gone and his tie was loose around his neck. 

“I've never been so happy while crying so much,” You laughed softly. “I guess that's just weddings.”

“Yeah,” Richie nodded, taking a drag on his cigarette. “Especially this one. I was starting to worry cousin would never propose.”

“Hm, I always knew he would,” You grinned, folding your arms and flicking your cigarette. “From the first moment I met him. I saw the way he looked at Syd and I could see wedding bells. You know when two people are just clearly meant to be together but they're too stubborn to see it?”

“Those two wrote the fucking book on it,” Richie shook his head with a laugh. “If I had to see them making puppy eyes at each other once more I was gonna clunk their heads together.”

You laughed, your hand sitting over your chest. 

“You would've had to get in line, I was first up to clunk them.”

You took a drag on your cigarette, looking up and blowing the smoke away before looking back at Richie.

“I never thanked you for our dance, earlier. Sorry about that, I wouldn't want you to think I didn't enjoy it..I haven't been dipped like that in a long while.”

“Oh yeah?” Richie raised a brow with a grin. “It was my pleasure.”

You smiled as met his eyes, a warmth settling over you. 

There was a call for everyone to head inside as Syd and Carmy cut the wedding cake, the two of them laughing as they cut into it, sharing a kiss that had the room filling with cheers.

Syd’s dad took you for a spin on the dance floor after the cake, you posed for more photos, drank more champagne and felt happier than ever.

As you made your way back into the hotel at god only knows what time, you felt pleasantly buzzed. A group of you stayed in the bar for a while, telling stories and laughing raucously. At some point you found yourself in Richie's lap, his arm around your waist, your head tucked into his neck.

As the group started to peel off, you found yourself walking down a hallway with Richie, your arm around his waist, his arm around your shoulders. All too soon you were outside your room, reaching into your bag for your key.

“Drink some water,” Richie told you, holding his hand up, pointing at you. “and get some rest.”

“I'll agree to one of those,” You smiled, lightly tapping your key against your palm. “Come on.”

You opened the door and walked inside, smiling as Richie followed you.

“I'm just making sure you have that water,” He insisted, going to the desk and picking up a bottle of water, pouring it into a glass. “That's all.”

“I know,” You grinned, watching him. “you're being very responsible.”

You accepted the glass that was handed to you, noticing that Richie wasn't exactly rushing out the door.

“Could you do me a favor?” You asked, smiling sweetly.

“Of course.” Richie nodded, looking at you with curiosity. “What is it?”

“Take this off?” You gestured to your dress, turning around and pointing to the zipper along your back. “I can't quite reach.”

“Oh," Richie murmured softly, clearing his throat. “Uh..yeah, let me just..”

You waited for a moment before you felt him move behind you, his hands carefully holding the zipper and easing it down. 

“That feels better,” You sighed softly, holding your dress to your chest as you turned back around, taking a sip of water. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Richie murmured softly, his gaze darkening as he looked at you. “I..I should go.”

You felt a disappointed tension rise in you as Richie really did leave, leaving you alone in your hotel room. You half expected him to knock on the door the second he closed it but when he didn't you let out a frustrated sigh.

Taking your dress off, you hung it up in the closet before throwing on the silvery gray silk robe embroidered on the back. You removed your makeup, brushed your teeth, finished the glass of water and were just about to get into bed when you heard a knock on your door.

You put your robe back on before heading to the door, opening it and finding Richie standing on the other side of it.

“Lost my room key.”

You looked at him for a moment before you gently took his tie in your hand, tugging him forward.

“Don't worry, you won't need it.”

[marshallpupfan]

How did season 10 of Paw Patrol do with Marshall? You know how you said that season 9 treated Marshall badly and season 7 restricted him so I'm just wondering what were your thoughts about season 10 and did season 10 do good to Marshall or not? How was season 10 doing to Marshall?

Right off the bat, I'll say it was an improvement over season 9. There were times it felt like he got some legit good moments, not to mention a few surprises here and there.

POSITIVES~

I quite liked Marshall's role in Jungle Pups, especially during "Pups Save the Big, Big Animals". I'm glad this subseries finally gave him plenty of focus, especially after Aqua Pups. To be honest, some of the things he did even felt like a breath of fresh air, especially for this franchise! Jungle Pups was easily a highlight of season 10, imo.

The biggest surprise, however, was during "Pups vs. the Hum-Flectors". Ultimate Fire Rescue aside, I'm glad it allowed Marshall to put out some fires in the TV series again! This is such a game changer for PAW Patrol, as we might finally start seeing more now! Thanks to a leaked image, we know the second subseries of season 11 is "FIRE RESCUE", and given that the cartoon's finally willing to show fires again, I think it has the potential to be really exciting!

We also got many cute moments here and there, including a rather unexpected one between him and Chase. I'm always glad to see them hang out and show off their big friendship, especially in the wake of that interview with the Spin Master president and her silly claim.

NEGATIVES~

Now, while season 10 was better to Marshall than 9... overall, it still wasn't THAT good to him, sadly.

I'm glad he found use in that Mighty Pups episodes, but it was basically a rehash of a prior season 6 mission, just on a bigger scale. Harold Humdinger was even the villain trying to freeze things again. They should've thought up something more original.

While I think Hum-Flectors was good, and I'm grateful it broke the "no fire" rule in the TV series... I just wish it was more ultimate. I'm always glad to see Marshall's UFR gear & firetruck, but the mission could've easily been solved with his regular equipment. This also makes me worry they'll only use fire for special occasions, no matter how big or small they are. I'd like to see regular missions involve fires. too.

And then, there's the part that still feels like a slap to the face to all Marshall fans; having Alex get stuck up in a tree, and Ryder calling Skye to save him. Again, her harness cable quite literally passed through solid branches to make sure she succeeded. This never would've happened in the earlier seasons. It's easily one of the stupidest moments to ever be written in PAW Patrol.

Rescue Wheels, sadly, hasn't been good to Marshall. Still better than Aqua Pups, but not by much. You give Marshall a new, big-wheeled firetruck, and the first task you give him is something meager like washing graffiti off walls? The second episode at least had him use his ladder to save two people, but something happened to stop him from succeeding completely. Spoiler; the next one, "Rescue Wheels: Pups Save the Spelunkers", does the same thing. I hate seeing stuff like this, especially given how the franchise treats Marshall nowadays. It's like the writers are afraid of letting him succeed too much or something.

As for his other moments this season... I can't remember that many of them now. You've got stuff like Marshall interacting with that newborn lizard, which was cute and all... but I keep hoping to see him shine more during missions, and we still don't get that too much... typically in favor of Skye, Skye, and more Skye (her saving Alex from the tree like I mentioned earlier is proof of that). Then again, it's not like he's the only one inflicted by this, really. But yeah, outside of Jungle Pups, the positives I mentioned above, and a few other things like Boomer... season 10's just a shoulder shrug to me.

This is another one of those times I wish I could be more positive, and I'm sorry if anyone's getting tired of me being like this. Again, season 10 was a step up from season 9 for Marshall, just... not by much. I still think he deserves way better than what he's getting, and I'm hoping season 11 will give us just that. Breaking the no fire rule might accomplish this? I'm not bursting with confidence, but who knows.

[areyoudreaminof]

Leave Out a Cup For Me: An Amren Playlist

The Inner Circle is complete and I have finally conquered the tiny ancient one.

This was without a doubt the hardest playlist to make. Amren is tough for me, she's sort of a strange enigma. She's our look into the greater Fae world and beyond, she's a shrewd second-in-command and brilliant. But, like the cosmic entity she is, she can be cruel and condescending. So, that leaves me with the question; what does Amren sound like? For me, she sounds like a lot of gothic synths and Americana. I expect this playlist to be as divisive as her character. Either way, I hope you enjoy it! Meet me behind the cut!

Listen Here!

Apply-Glasser

If the walls were too thin You would break in If the walls were too thin You would break right in

Out in the thunder Opens my eyes wide There is sound in my mind Keeps me up all night

Fresh Blood-Eels

Whatever trepidation you may feel In your heart, you know it's not real In a moment of clarity Summon an act of charity

You gotta pull me out of this mud Sweet baby, I need fresh blood

Same Old Energy-Kiki Rockwell

It's your own damn fault, boy, you handed us the broom Four hundred years ago, sayin' "You know what to do" Yes sir, we do, beep beep, comin' through Close your damn mouth, my man, I told you we flew

Rise up, oh, flame, come join the game They started a frenzy, but we’ll take the blame A bare chested dame who goes by no name Their arsenal's empty, all they got is shame

Hot Gum-SOFIA ISELLA

Your teeth are on fire, do you notice? No Your mouth is burning, do you notice? No Your hair burns, my hair burns Your skin burns, my skin burns Do you feel anything? No If I tell you what I’m thinking promise, you won’t tell yourself If you tell me what you’re thinking, I swear I won’t tell myself He’s on the ground, he’s on his knees, he’s a believer He’s on the ground, he didn’t listen to the preacher

Lose Your Soul-Dead Man's Bones

I get up in the morning To the beat of the drum I get up to this feeling Keeps me on the run I get up in the morning Put my dreams away I get up, I get up, I get up again

Devil's Resting Place-Laura Marling

When you ask to drink of me I think out on the case Look down to my aloe cup and take myself a taste Bitterness is thick like blood and cold as a wind sea breeze If you must drink of me, take of me what you please I am loathe to say it's the devil's taste I've been with the devil in the devil's resting place

Bad Ritual-Timber Timbre

There's a hat on the bed,the clock has stopped ticking And nothing remotely romantic has been said Let's not pass on the steps, let's take the season very easy Let's take pills, saltwater, let's keep looking ahead It's a bad, bad ritual But it calms me down

In the Dark-Cathedrals

I can see you fall apart You turn away and fade out of sight But I hear you call in the night Let it go, let me hold you this time Lying in the hollows of your heart I see you lying awake in your ride I’ll be a spark in the sky When you want it, I’ll be on the other side

Deep Green-Marika Hackman

Just because I love your skin Doesn't mean I'll jump in The water's clean and warm and green I'm not allowed to swim I'm scared of getting in

Pyre-Son Lux

We're wresting now from our own hands a future Regret the flower of watered seed Are we the ghosts that swarm about us? We can begin

Thanatos-Soap & Skin

Ages of delirium Curse of my oblivion I swell without a scar To the end of time A shell without a star At the end of time

I am not a woman, I'm a god-Halsey

I am not a woman, I'm a god I am not a martyr, I'm a problem I am not a legend, I'm a fraud So keep your heart 'cause I already got one

TAGLIST: @aldbooks @bookofmirth @brieq @bagelfyre @c-e-d-dreamer @cursebrkr @darling-archeron @damedechance @gwyns @gimme-mor @harrysringss @highqueenmorrigan @talons-and-teeth @kataravimes-of-the-shire @krem-does-stuff @krem-has-a-mess @kingofsummer93 @lidiacervos @lucienarcheron @octobers-veryown @ofduskanddreams @panicatthenightcourt @queercontrarian @reverie-tales @asnowfern @spell-cleavers @separatist-apologist @wilde-knight @thesistersarcheron @thelovelymadone @the-lonelybarricade @ultadverb @vulpes-fennec @velidewrites @vanserrass @yazthebookish @mossytrashcan @bennylavasbuns @tuzna-pesma-snova @andrigyn @thecrispypotatochip @elvhendis @fieldofdaisiies @xtaketwox @popjunkie42-blog

[faint-kitten]

This battle pass looks fucking terrible.

I don't like any of these rewards. They just gave everyone the same white and black outfit and slathered the same goop on one side. I don't know enough about design to tell you why, but nothing here looks good. These skins are fucking aweful.

Like I'm genuinely considering not purchasing this battle pass and I have free coins. Like, did they burn up all their ideas last season? Last season was killer. Like did they put a lot of work into their cosmetics to make up for not having a new legend? I was okay with it. But so far this season is not impressing me... Something I came to realize playing fortnite last week was that I will always have that addictive dopamine rush of unlocking a new thing just to keep a game fresh, but once I get it I'll realize: oh I only really like using X Y or Z. I unfavorited a lot of skins in apex because I just don't like them and I'm very wary of buying new ones in fortnite because once the rush is over I just keep using the same 3 or 4 I like. Maybe I'm reaching that point where I just have one GOOD skin for every character in apex, and I'm privledged? But I don't think I'd use any of these. Everything I have is better. Which sucks because Seer's been needing a weird new skin, all of his stuff looks the same. I just. I look at these, and I see a mess. Like a Michael bay transformer, these look like a mess. For contrast: here's the skins we were given for free, in the battle pass, event stores, or that I unlocked last season (though some aren't season specific)

I might be slightly off on the timing of some of these, but like... These are all skins where you can fucking clearly see a design, an intent, a goal, the colors work well together, you can tell what the fucking character is. These new skins are nothing. (I'll also grant that the lifeline and bloodhound skins are old re-works but I only got them last season) My point is, looking at these new skins they're fucking nothing. There's nothing there. I am excited for Apex to have it's very own Juri Han from SF or Jinx from League of Legends type girl, A lot of characters get the same basic apex pack skins and you get some characters like Catalyst, or Wraith, or Valk, or Lifeline where the colors are placed well and look good on a character. Conduit's overall scheme changes and pops based on even the basic skins. You kind of need to find a balance of colors and a space where the familiar stuff like "Arachnophobia" and "alpha royal" textures can dramatically alter the skin, and the texture can pop. Sometimes you get Ballistic, or Wattson where it's either too small, or it's paired with Wattson's weird grey scheme so they stuff doesn't work together. I do think some of Alter's stuff pops pretty well in the rare tier: I've never liked either of these, but they look phenominal with her hair and sort of head shadow.

But her common skins are kinda nothing. Idk my big takeaway as I get older are developers struggling with deadlines have to choose what to invest their time into and I feel the more I play things like Fortnite, Apex, Starfield, MMO's I'm starting to recognize 'where the budget' (not just money, but resources and time) went. And I feel like Last season they just blew their whole load, and behind the scenes they were working on a new character, and by the time they finished her and blew all those other crazy skins out they maybe just didn't have any good ideas left? I dunno. I guess it's thematic but this...this season...these rewards...they're nothing. Also I'm not liking the look of yet another fucking currency added to the game. I know about as much as anyone else does about exotic shards, but until I have enough in a quantity that matters, or they lock something I want behind them I'm just gonna have the stance of "I don't completely get them, but after burning through almost all my level ups to get what might be my one and only heirloom I'm lowkey kinda pissed you're introducing something ELSE I could get into my apex packs."

----- Edit: Since initially posting this, I've tried solo's and ngl I kinda love it. As someone who's never cared about winning and feels like looting is taking too long in this game, the idea of just "KILL KILL KILL KILL *die* QUEU UP AGAIN! KILL KILL KILL!" is a lot of fun.

[dumbasscitylmfao]

Cause the old post got a bit too long. I'm making a new one lol

These two pages already have translations on them, dont gotta write stuff here

These two don't tho, gonna grab these in a sec

3rd page "Alright, I'm back to work! I still don't know what to write, tho…"

"Writing this a day later cuz I passed out, apparently I'm going to a lakehouse?? I wanted to fill out a whole page but it'll just be this for now. Gonna try and get a better notebook, too!" "And we're back! (Woaa... Like the Off The Hook song !!) Anyway, I'm probably gonna keep writing like i'm posting on tumblr, turns out it's actually good practice!" "Ok so I just read through Project Splatoon 3, It's actually so fucking good !! I'll link it so you can see it too!"

"Stay Fresh!"

4th page "Hey! I finally got a new notebook ! I also changed the numbering system bc this is a different notebook, lol." "I also got most, if not all of the splatoon merch I ordered !! All I'm waiting on is a couple [more] so I can make my chromebook not boring." "I'm feeling pretty fried over here, though... I'd love to keep writing, but my brain is givinw[g] out. I'll translate this later." "Don't get cooked, stay off the hook!" Yeah you can really see where my brain shut off there lol, couldn't even write right. I'm very normal about these squids yep

[ask-homoclan]

Question for everyone

What’s your favorite and least favorite season?

Favorite season:

Whiskerdrum:"I especially love Winter! The cool air goes through my fur, keeping me fresh

With my amount of fur, I get really warm and overheat. And the snow is so much fun!

It's great to play in the snow with the kits!"

Curlstep: “Winter! Everybody wants to cuddle with me. I like it.”

Snapsong: "Fall! There's something strangely peaceful about the falling leaves. I'm what kittypets call a "sweater kitty" lol (I found a sweater in twolegplace once and now I wear it whenever it's cold)"

Nightsnow: "Mine is autumn. I like the cool and windy weather. Not to mention the red and brown leaves on trees too. Nobody appreciate them like I do.

Winter would be my 2nd. I love playing in the snow but my short fur can't help me from being frozen."

Blackbeak: "Hmm.. Summer, fuh sure! Muh fur's nice and thin, and de heat makes a refreshin' dive into the water so much more fun! Ah've yet to get Haildance to join me, though. Honestly, ah think the main reason 'e prefers winter is because the water's all frozen ovah and ah can't beg 'im to swim with me."

Rubytail: mmph. no... i guess not... i dont have a favorite. nor least... But I dont *dislike* autumn the most. Specificslly when it's raining and some housefolk take me inside and set me by the fire place... or back when I was in the foresr and the sun was setting and i could lay down on my back in a pile of leaves and just sleep without resting, knowing I was just not there. Or anywhere... I think. I dont remember. Dont ask me stuff like this. I dont remember. I never do really...

haildance: “Definitely wintertime. It’s the perfect time to snuggle up with Blackbeak and everyone else. Not to mention the frozen lakes and rivers, I don’t have to worry about falling in! Ice fishing is a whole new kind of fun from regular fishing too, it’s a delight.”

Hawkblaze: Summer or spring is my favorite because it's the perfect weather to begin looking for toms. The sun is out and the birds are singing. Fall is alright because things cool down and it's pretty when the leaves change color. I despise winter because it's just so cold and everyone is basically miserable. I will say snuggling for body warmth is a plus!

Seaflower: "I thrive in the cold of Leafbare, but unfortunately many of the cats around here don't, so I suppose I'll go with Newleaf as my favorite season since that's the best time to start restocking on herbs. As for a least favorite? Probably Greenleaf, as it's always just *far* too hot. End up spending most of my time in or around a body of water, if I can manage it."

Featherwalker: I love the cold, it’s so much fun to play in the snow plus I have the fur to handle it. Greenleaf tho, too hot for my fur, stars makes me want to get wet just to deal with it.

Foxfeather: I love both Winter and Spring because even though in winter prey and herbs is pretty scarce I don’t mind the cold weather and I love taking care of the sick cats.

And I love Spring because all the flowers bloom and all the prey is are up for hibernating and I get to see these groups of deers!

Least favorite season:

Foxfeather: My least favorite season is Summer because it’s too hot and even though the amount pelt is great for Winter it’s absolute hell for me in the Summer I nearly died of the heat stroke.

Snapsong:"Winter is definitely my least favorite. Things are always gloomier in the colder months. It fucks with my head too much.

And it's hard as hell to find catmint in winter."

Hawkblaze: I hate winter because no toms.

Curlstep: My least favorite though is Spring. Summer can be nice, but Spring is just, eugh.”

Whiskerdrum: My least favorite is Summer. The heat along with my crazy amount of fur has actually one time made me pass out from heat exhaustion.

[bunnys-lil-hideout]

🎫 That dude from Little Nightmares. Also here is a free pass to get FREAKY wink wink

THINNY. omggggg thinny he's so hehehehe.

god i remember watching my friend play the second game right after it released. it was such a wonderful experience seeing a new light be put onto the world, and Thinny was definitely a very nice welcome into it.

of course when he first appeared in the game he was meant to seem like the antagonist, and i gave into that impression.... while also thinking he was kinda. uhm hehe *kicks my feet* y'all know me from my f/o list i clearly have a thing for weirdly tall skinny uncanny men but at least i admit to it.

hes SO inhumanly tall and slender. BIG long arms to wrap around you and bring you close, he can just put his skinny weird limbs around you like a snake. he's probably extremely cold which i will gladly warm him up with my body heat. he's got some dirt all over him which is to be expected in that dingy city. not a problem though i'll take a nice warm cloth with soap and clean him up he deserves to feel fresh and clean <3

i'll help him fix up any holes in his suit and hat. i'll watch as he slides and crawls out of the TVs and be entertained by it every single time like it's the first time i'm seeing a magic trick as a kid. i'll let him take me on a tour around the city, show me all the places that are beautiful despite the horrors around it all, and look at every building and light from the top of the Tower. it would be a lovely dream.

and i could give him so many gifts. i would give him a new suit or a toy he never got to play with, or even bring him food he never got to eat. a nice big cooked fish, a fat burger, a giant slice of cake. i'll watch him happily enjoy the food he never got to experience after what happened to him because he deserves it.

and also i don't care that i'm barely up to his thighs i will do my best to keep him safe around the city even if it kills me. i'll keep that doctor and teacher far away from him as much as i can and i won't let anything try to hurt him. if he does get hurt i'll take care of his wounds and injuries and i'll rest with him while he heals and get him whatever he needs.

and god god god GOD............. kinda spoilers for LN2 for anyone who wants to play it/watch it, that fucking ending...... hurt my heart so bad :[ my poor baby, he didn't deserve to be stuck in that position, to be seen in that light when all he wanted was to have someone with him. i wish i could've been there for him. that i could've walked into that room and just stayed in there to give him company, show him he's not alone.

my poor thinny deserved better <3

ok now the freaky stuff under the cut

i am not immune to how long limbs would wrap around me and keep me in place on someone's lap because Thinny could fully do that. he could grab me from 2 feet away and just yank me from wherever i'm standing and bring me right up against his chest and i would just lose my breath on the spot. his long fingers. sorry his long fingers trailing over my body. sorry his long fingers reaching down to my thighs because he likes how big and thick i am. sorry his long fingers reaching towards my crotch while i'm just relaxing to his gentle touch on his lap and i jolt when i feel the tip of his finger touch me through the fabric on my pants because he's already made me so sensitive with how he's treating me. sorry sorry sorry i need that man palm me so bad.

also of COURSE i'm gonna praise him and make sure he knows that he's loved. i'll caress his face in the softest way and tell him how important and special he is and that i'd never want him to be hurt like that again. i'll give him soft kisses on his cheeks and neck as my hands take off his suit jacket and feel around his stomach under his white shirt. i'll whisper in his ear how handsome and sweet he is and how i'm so lucky to get to be with him meanwhile my hands have unbuckled his belt and reached into his boxers and started stroking him. i'll tell him i'll do whatever he wants me to do to make him feel loved and seen al while i peck kisses from his face all the way down to his hard on and look up at him with such a tender gaze.

also if he ever wants to try and use his powers in the bedroom i'm absolutely agreeing to that cause can you fucking imagine. he's physically in a different part of the city and i'm in a living room watching TV, his arm suddenly reaches out of the screen and gropes my chest and stomach and i'm so startled by it but also IMMEDIATELY turning into putty while his hand slides under my stomach and touches my crotch and slips into my panties and starts to tease the lips and folds until i'm soaked almost instantly and he fingers me like crazy while both the TV and my brain just become static. hello can any one fucking hear me.

also his dick his fuckin dick. i imagine he's gotta be like 8 to 9 feet tall so even if his dick is "average size" for his height it would still be fucking MASSIVE for me even when flaccid cause like what is that, like 10 inches flaccid and 12 inches hard? to him that's normal but to me PLEASE try and plug the whole thing in and hit the back as much as you can please i am begging you so so so bad i need my walls BEATEN.

i like big men a heeheheheh FUCK

[ogkitkaat]

I'VE BEEN SILENT FOR FAR TOO LONG!!

i want to come home to aki, splayed out on the couch!

a lit cigarette in his mouth, but he's not smoking it despite their being fresh ash in the tray, it's just hanging there as he's completely leaned into the seat.

"my love, i told you to not do that inside anymore," my lips form a thin line across my face as i express my dislike and disappointment. i would sigh as he remains silent, thinking he's ignoring me and i immediately begin worrying that i'm pestering him. nagging him about what he can do in his own apartment. i did move in with him after all.

"aki?" moving closer to him i see he's actually asleep. his mouth slightly agape as the cigarette teeters dangerously close, wanting to succumb to the will of gravity. "oh aki, poor baby." i coo, carefully taking the cigarette from him mouth and tamping it out on the ashtray.

carefully, i would beging loosening his tie, taking off his shoes, undoing his belt and uniform to make sure he was comfortable. poor guy must've had another rough day at work. of course he did, being a devil hunter mustn't be easy. sometime between me removing his belt and going to his shoes, i imagine he wakes up. i won't notice it, i'm too focused on my task. it wouldn't be until i notice the slight change in the air around me and when he, of course, calls my name.

"what- whatre you doing?" his voice is soft, quiet and exhausted.

"i'm just taking care of you, you were passed out." by this time, i've removed his shoes and was looking at him. trying to figure out what he needed. "i was just.. trying to have a break before starting dinner. i'm sorry, i didn't mean to." i know he's talking about the cigarette, it's scent still fresh in the air surrounding us. just us.

"that's not important now, love. what's important now..." i slowly begin making my way into his lap, legs on either side of him and my arms wrapping around his torso. my head resting and nuzzling into his chest, taking in his scent. the cologne he wore just a faint memory as it's worn down throughout the day. the smell of tobacco now wrapped around him, and while on anyone and anywhere else, i would hate it but on him? oh, how it smells divine.

"what's important now, is that you're taken care of." i say and he sighs, his arms around me now, taking in all me. "you don't need to take care of me, sweetheart." i would laugh, slightly, and raise my head to look at him. "i don't want to hear it, you're going to sit here and look pretty, relaxing, having a drink while i make dinner for us tonight."

leaning forward, foreheads connecting i would continue my little speech.

"i'll never know the extent of what you have to go through every day. i just know it's never easy, you come exhausted every single day and i'm worried about you aki. you never talk about it." he remains quiet and i keep going, "there's some things i'll never know and that's okay but i just wish you would talk to me sometimes."

his hold around me would tighten as he brought me closer, our foreheads pressing even closer together if that were possible. "i don't want to burden you with that kind of stuff-"

"i'm gonna stop you there. aki, you and me are the same in which we don't like to rely on others. but i know that i can rely on you, i want you to know that you can rely on me too. about anything."

i would stare at him, while he looked anywhere but my eyes. sighing, i would shift to rest my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. "stop being so silly already and you can tell me what's bugging you over dinner." he hums and takes my head gently in his hand, guiding me back to him. at this point, tears were forming in the corners of my eyes. not for any real reason, i suppose. maybe because i just love him so much.

"i know i can't take your pain away, but i just want to be able to help you." i sniffle now, and i know ive just made him feel worse. i didn't mean to. he carefully holds my face with both his hands and wipes my eyes gently. "i'm sorry, i'm so sorry i've been making you feel like this." he mumbles as his thumb gently begins caressing my face. i lean further into his touch, as he begins to speak softly to me again. "just have a little bit more patience with me, love. i can't just open up overnight,"

"i know! i'm aware! but it sucks seeing you struggling through something all by yourself. you don't have to tell me right away, but it's like i said, you don't have to go through it alone."

i pout as i stare at him, trying to read him as if just staring at him would allow me to see into his mind and pick out every worry and struggle that was causing conflict within him. his hands slowly move from my face, trailing slowly down my body, his touch alone sending shivers down my spine. he leans forward, resting his head on my shoulder as one hand rests on my hip and the other trails down my arm until our hands are connecting. i instantly intertwine our fingers, yearning for that closeness, and the extra comfort and assurance that i am his. and only his.

"i know it won't happen overnight, or a few days and i know you need time and space," my free hand slowly runs up his arm, and i feel him place a gentle kiss underneath my jaw, "and i won't push you further until you're ready," my hand is at his head now, fingers itching to run thru his hair and feel him melt into my touch. "but what i can ask of you now is please," i slowly push his hair out from his ponytail, feeling it fall and relax after being up for who knows how long.

"can we please start dinner now?"

[ohjustkreat]

Closing the Distance

A Shuri x Riri Fanfic

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

A/N: Hi everyone! Not much to say other than thank you! As always, Enjoy!- Kreat

Table of contents

Available on AO3/Wattpad (Kreat)

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

Chapter 16

"Okay, babe, I think that's everything. I'll have the rest of my stuff shipped over."

Various packing supplies scattered the almost empty dorm room. The earlier part of the couple's day was filled with tying up Riri's loose ends. The day had passed in blur.

"Hey, did you talk with your professors? I know your final exams are approaching." Shuri still felt some ping of guilt knowing her girlfriend's leaving was partially her fault. She thought the least she could do was make sure Riri was okay academically.

"Oh, uh, yea. None of them seem to have a problem with me taking my exams proctored online. I don't think they're worried about me passing anyways." Riri let out a soft chuckle.

"I don't think so either." Shuri placed the box she was holding down. Closing the space between them, she pulled Riri in for a kiss. "Come on, let's finish cleaning this up. Ayo and Aneka should be here soon."

Riri sighed as she started cleaning up the scraps and bits of trash around the dorm. " You'd think I'd feel some type of way about leaving but I'm actually , I don't know, glad. It just feels like a fresh start. Somewhere from all of this."

"Mm, why's that?" Shuri questioned.

"A new start? Things were kind of getting boring here. Before you got here anyways. Guess I got kind of spoiled after being in Wakanda." Riri laughs.

"Funny how I just wanted to escape from there." Shuri responded. She had tried to keep thoughts of her homeland in the back of her mind. The events of the last year were like fresh wounds, still tender to the touch and painful.

'I'm kinda glad you did." Riri said, a sly smile growing on her face as she began to walk towards Shuri.

"Is that so?" Shuri said, biting her lip in anticipation as supple lips inched towards her own.

"Mhm." Riri answered, this time it was her who pulled Shuri's face, stealing a kiss.

Just as they were about to deepen it, the door swung open.

"I hope we're not interrupting?" Ayo's unexpected voice surged through the couple causing them to jump away from each other.

"Bast!" Shuri shouted.

"Damn, could y'all knock or something?" Riri asked, now slightly frustrated.

Aneka laughed, "We suspected this would be funnier."

"And we were right. Now, are you all packed and ready? We need to leave soon." Ayo said, still smiling.

"Yea, I think we're ready." Riri answered.

"Any word from Okoye?" Anxiety clung onto Shuri's words as she questioned Ayo.

"Not yet. It's been radio silent. I'm sure we will find out more information once we arrive."

"I'd prefer knowing the situation before landing, but I guess we have no choice. Thank you, Ayo." Shuri was becoming frustrated at the lack of knowledge at her hand. It always seemed as if she were in the dark.

Sensing her girlfriend's frustrations. Riri started to draw her fingers across Shuri's back. The small efforts proved successful as she felt her girlfriend relax under her touch.

"Can we have a second? We'll be down in a moment." Riri asked Ayo and Aneka.

"Okay. Someone will have your things shipped, Riri if Shuri has not told you. We'll be waiting in the car."

"Thank you, again." Riri responded.

Ayo and Aneka let themselves out, leaving the couple in the dorm.Shuri pulled riri into her arms, taking the moment in. Her voice broke the bittersweet silence first. "It's always something. I'm glad I have you though. And I just want to say I'll do my best to support you as you,uhm, as we, step into this new chapter of our lives together. I'm not sure what we're about to step into, but I'm by your side every step of the way."

Riri felt tears threaten to spill from her eyes. "Babe, don't make me cry. Thank you. For always being so supportive. And for always being there for me. I'm excited about this next step. And relax, everything is going to work out Okay? " Riri received only a nod from Shuri. "I love you, Shuri."

"I love you, too, Ri."Shuri grabbed her tighter, not wanting to let go. Even if the dorm was small, any distance between them was too much in Shuri's eyes.

"Alright, enough sweet talk, we gotta go." Reluctance laced her voice, as she wished she could stay in Shur's arms forever.

"Fine." Shuri rooted her eyes as she went to help Riri grab the few bags she was actually taking with her.

As they headed out of the dorm building, Riri stopped. Thinking to herself, she took a minute to take in the fact that she was really leaving. She was grateful for all the university ahd to offer. And this wouldn;t be the last time, just a goodbye for now. Not only was she leaving the university, but also the safe haven Riri and herself had created. A space that was only for them. Oftentimes she found herself contemplating how Shuri and herself would navigate the world they faced. One that wasn't built for them and seemed as if it had turned their backs on them.

"You good, Ri?" Shuri wore a puzzled look, she could tell her girlfriend was thinking about something. She was lost in her thoughts.

Riri snapped out of her thoughts as she turned around, her eyes falling on Shuri's. "Yea, babe I'm good. Let's head out." Riri grabbed Shuri's hand with her free one and they made their way across the campus to the parking garage.

"Look who decided to join us." Ayo sarcasm cut through the frigid air with a warm sense of familiarity.

"Are you always this impatient?" A small smile played on Riri's face as she approached the warrior.

"Only when we have business to attend to." Ayo responded jokingly as she took the bags Riri and Shuri carried, loading them into the vehicle.

Both Riri and Shuri rolled their eyes at Ayo's usual antics as they proceeded to get settled into the SUV. Once everything was loaded into the trunk, the group began on the first part of their journey.

As city lights turned to starry skies and buildings turned to trees and forests, a feeling of calmness took over the group as well. Conversation was traded for silence, as Shuri and Riri cuddled each other in the backseat. Ayo held Aneka's hand from her seat in the front. The wind howled outside as a cold front had been settling in the days before. Coming upon the side road to the safe house, the calmness quickly slipped from the air. A sense of uncertainty taking its place. The vehicle came to a stop once it reached the cement floors of the safe house.

As Riri stepped out into the cold air, she bit back a laugh. Shuri threw her a confused look.

"At some point, you need to fix that desk."

Shuri rolled her eyes before responding, "Unfortunately that won't be any time soon."

"Yea. And I don't think we're catching that Bull's game anytime soon either."

"Full of jokes tonight are we?"

"Just trying to lighten the mood. Your mind seems to be in another place. Somewhere I can't find."

"I don't know. I guess I'm just worried, But we can talk about that on the way. I think they're almost done loading. We should probably go ahead and board."

"If you say so. Come on, let's go." Riri knew better than to push Shuri when it came to her emotions. Her usual sarcastic and hardened self she portrayed fooled many, except Riri. Riri thought of Shuri as her favorite book No matter how many times she read it, there was always something new she discovered. A new piece of information that only made her love for the Wakandan grow.

Boarding the plane, Shuri gave one last glance through the window of the Royal Ralon. She had

been so concerned about Riri, she had failed to think of what her role in all of this was. Returning to Wakanda meant facing all the things she had been trying to escape. In her short time here, Riri had taught her how to care again. Her heart had been hardened by the trauma's of the world, but were softened by Riri's warmth. Shuri had come to learn that no matter how far she ran, her problems would follow her. And rather in the physical world or her nightmares, she was learning how to not face them alone. So long had she been isolated and confined in the realm of her family, relationships outside of that weren't a necessity. Her work had been her only priority.Yet her family was gone; her throne taken. What did she have left? Who did she have left? She realized that in running away from loneliness, she found the answer to these questions. She found them in Riri. Shuri glanced at Riri who was scrolling through her phone.

"Is everyone prepared for take off?" Aneka said at the controls, pulling Shuri out of her trance like state. Receiving a nod from everyone, Aneka pulled at the controls until the airship was out of the safe house and onto the makeshift air strip. Once in the air, Ayo and Aneka talked quietly amongst themselves. Occasionally, Ayo would throw a glance at her other passengers. At some point both Riri and Shuri had fallen asleep, Shuri's head resting on top of Riri's. Who was nestled into Shuri's side, her head on Shuri's shoulder.

"Did you hear how Okoye sounded? Something's off. Something she did not feel comfortable talking about over the phone." Aneka sighed as she put the ship on auto-pilot and turned to face Ayo.

"I am not sure what is going on. We should be getting more details soon. Let's just get there first." Ayo responded as she grabbed Aneka's hand, squeezing it tenderly.

"You're right. I think I'm going to get some rest. We should be arriving soon. Would you mind taking the controls?" Aneka asked as she stretched and got up from her seat.

"Of course, my love. Get some rest." Ayo switched seats.Sitting down, she took the ship off of autopilot. She wasn't sure if they were nerves or excitement that pulsed through her as their destination became closer. She didn't let that stop her from navigating the ship through the sky. Once in view, those same feelings returned. As she landed the ship, she heard movement behind her.

"I guess we're here." Shuri's raspy voice broke through the quiet ship.

"Home sweet home, Shuri." Ayo called out from her seat.

Moments later, Riri and Aneka woke up as well. Not being able to sleep through the ship's descent or their girlfriend's talking.

"We're here babe." Shuri said, rubbing Riri's back who was not fully awake.

"Shuri, what time is it?" Riri asked, still full of sleep.

"Sometime in the morning. Come on. Let's go so we can figure out what the hell is going on." Shuri responded.

Shuri's feet touched the green grass surrounding the airfield. Almost as soon as everyone one had unboarded, they heard the sound of marching in the distance. Looking out into the field, they saw teh Dora Milaje come into view. Their red suits illuminated by the sun. Okoye in front, leading them to meet the party. Approaching the group, they stopped not too far from them and gave the infamous salute. Everyone but Riri returned the salute. Riri made a mental note to ask Shuri if that was something she should be doing.

"Shuri, it is so good to have you back and in good health." Okoye said, dropping her arms.

"At ease." She barked the command at the warriors.

"It is good to be back." Shuri responded, embracing Okoye.

"And it is good to see you again, iIron Heart." She added, offering Riri a warm smile.

"Thank you for welcoming me. It is an honor to be here again." Riri replied.

"I hate to cute this reunion short, but M'baku had requested your audience in the throne room. He saw the Talcon when it landed."

Shuri looked at Riri who looked worried. "It's fine, babe. I might as well get this over with. Okoye, will you have the rest of the Dora Milaje escort Riri to our quarters? And you can take me that over-sized Gorilla." Shuri commanded more than asking, a look of determination now in her eyes.

Riri had noticed the power shift. She sensed it the moment they had stepped off of the Royal Talon. Shuri had stepped back into her leadership role. Her entire aura was different, stronger. As if her homeland had been tied to her strength. Riri knew it wasn't the time, but seeing her girlfriend in this light only made her more attracted to Shuri.

"You ready, Ri?" Shuri asked, pulling Riri out of her thoughts.

"What, oh , uh, yea,babe. Sorry, just taking all of this in. I'll see you later?" Riri asked.

"Of course. This shouldn't take too long." Shuri pulled Riri in for a kiss, not caring about their audience at the moment.

"Everything's going to be okay. And I'll be waiting for you when you're done,okay?" Riri said as she broke their kiss and stepped away to join the Dora Milaje.

"Okay. See you soon." Shuri turned away and began to follow Okoye.

"Now, let's go see what we're dealing with." Shuri's face hardened as she began walking towards the city and onwards towards the palace. She only received a nod from Okoye who was walking with a new sense of pride after having her leader return.

As they approached the city, they were met with cheers and shouts. The return of their beloved Black Panther had caused such celebration. Not concerned with the antics, although grateful, Shuri continued with Okoye by her side. Never stopping to interact with her fellow citizens. There would be time for celebration, but that time wasn't now. Coming to the palace steps, Shuri felt the threats of anger boiling under her skin. Just the mere sight of the palace bought back still tender memories. Making their way inside, Shuri quickly found her way to the throne room. As angry as she was, she was also impatient. Standing outside, she waited until the throne doors were opened. Once the doors opened and M'baku came into sight, she had to fight her emotions. The sight of him on her throne, her family's throne, it enraged her.

"Ah, Welcome back little panther." M'baku said coyly.

"Don't call me that. What are you doing on my throne?" Shuri spat out, walking towards the throne. Before she could get to the steps, she was met with the spears of his warriors.

"Ah, she is fine. Let her pass. And leave us. Close the doors as well."

M'baku instructed his men. He watched as they hesitantly lowered their weapons and walked out the throne room.

"Start talking, M'baku." Shuri demanded.

"I had to be sure we were alone first." M'baku's voice was filled with a concerning tone, one Shuri wasn't familiar with. Standing up from his seat, he made his way towards Shuri."The elders do not think you are fit to be the Queen or the Black Panther. Shuri, they wanted to kill you. And they wanted me to do it. In combat. For the throne."

Shuri pulled away from him in shock. "So that's why you-"

"Yes, if I challenged you while you were gone it was forfeit. But Shuri, that's not all. They want to strip you of Black Panther as well. I'm on your side, and I will do what I can do to protect you. I promised your mother that. But I need you to keep this quiet until I have more time. Until we have more time. I don't know what they are planning, but it's big."

Shuri was still in shock.

"Shuri say something?"

"What do you expect me to say. I need some time. We will talk about this later." Shuri said, responding the best way she knew how.

"Fine. Meet me later tonigh. Outside te city walls. You know where." M'baku said.

"Hm, of course you would pick that spot. And fine. I'll see you tonight. Don't make me regret this M'baku."

"You have my word. Now go before someone starts to get suspicious. The elders seem to have eyes and ears everywhere. Be careful, I'm not sure who we can trust." M'baku Shuri a nod.

Shuri didn't respond as she gave M'baku a nod in response and exited the throne room.

What had she just come back to?

[blazehedgehog]

As someone who has tinkered around with youtube video stuff on a very amateur level, I would absolutely love to hear some details on what you do to your audio to neutralize sibilants. I've tried many things to clean up my audio — and I'll flatter myself to say that I believe I've largely succeeded — but those S sounds stubbornly stay stable.

I would say it's nothing special, but it's also something I have dialed in slowly over the course of the last ten years. I go back and listen to some of my earlier videos and they sound absolutely dreadful, and 80% of the time that's down to the EQ work on my voice.

And not to throw shade or anything, but I even listen to guys like Super Eyepatch Wolf and think "jeeze, dude, turn down your EQ knobs a little." Dude seems to crank the bass and the treble as high as they'll go.

For that reason, I've tried to keep my process simple. So here's the current version of the plugin chain I use in FL Studio:

First, I run it through something called the "Soundgoodizer", which is a general collection of EQ presents you can turn up and down. I leave it fairly low as to not overpower the audio (which would give me the Eyepatch Wolf effect). Mostly this fills out the bass and balances the audio a little.

In the EQ bar there in the middle, I also drop out the highest frequencies. Just completely zero them out. This is the biggest component of the sibilants. It greatly reduces the sharp sounds that come with the S and C words.

That's FX channel 1, which then feeds in to the main FX channel, where the rest of my plugins are. So everything I just said was step 1, and now these are step 2:

First up is a Multiband Compressor. These are a lot of scary knobs but I just use the "Mastering 2.4db" preset. This also levels the audio to make sure nothing is too loud or too quiet. It also does some of its own EQ work, but mostly its to make sure everything stays in balance.

Next I run it through a Low Pass filter at 16000hz (again, another preset). Dropping out the high frequencies in FX Channel 1 does a lot of legwork in cutting down the sharp sounds and this finishes the job. However, if you look at the full size image, the mixing knob for this one isn't at 100%. That's because at 100% mix, I find it makes my audio feel a little muffled, since I'm basically doing a low pass (FX1) on top of a low pass. Turning the mix down to 75% helps retain some clarity while making sure you aren't being stabbed in the ears.

The Parametric EQ plugin is the only plugin where I'm not just using a preset. The EQ profile you see on the left is something I looked up on a guide somewhere once years ago for how to attain the so-called "radio voice" EQ ratio. I've modified it a bit here to be less aggressive than the guide showed, because I'm looking for a light touch, since over-EQing your audio is easy to do.

Down at the bottom is a Fruity Limiter plugin, which is always there every time you start a fresh project in FL Studio. It's kind of just another kind of compressor, and I never think about it or look at it or mess with it. I don't actually know what it even does to the audio. Like I said, it's just there on every fresh project by default. It might not be doing anything at all.

After all of that, this is the end result:

Not dramatically different, and some would even say the raw audio from the microphone is good enough, but again, it's all about having a light touch on the enhancements while catching and limiting the problems. You'll notice that on the sibilants (the S sounds), they still exist, but they're a lot less sharp.

(Bottom is before EQ, top is after)

If worst comes to worst and there's something I just can't get rid of, Vegas also has an audio plugin called "Multiband Dynamics" that has a de-esser setting, but I find that can sometimes make my audio sound a little strange, so I use it as a last resort.

I don't know if any of this means anything to anyone but me, but maybe it did! And I hope it helps.