#idk if i should hope for one for everyone else's sake though

[redinkofshame]

Yeah yeah a Solavellan sex scene would be cool... But you know what else would be cool? If we get to see him on his knees sobbing at her feet, finally letting go his calm facade as she comforts him through his pain, then silent cuddling, then her cracking some inside joke that makes him laugh so hard he toots a little.

[sscieloz]

As you dance

Huh Yunjin x itzy6thmember!reader

Synopsis: Yunjin didn’t know you knew how to dance. That was, until she saw you wasted at an after party, laughing and moving your body along with the neon lights.

Warnings: nsfw, …? Idk what else. drinking, perhaps. smut. sub!yunjin x dom!reader.

Word count: 5.8 k.

Notes: I AM BACK ONCE AGAIN! And Idk what I did here. It just kept going. I think I’m getting better at writing smut, though! This was way more comfortable to write than my previous one (which I’m working on part 2 already!!). I did check for spelling errors and everything in general (yay!), but if there’s anything that makes you uncomfortable lmk so I can change it. that’s it enjoy!! muah kisses ily my loves. ps: Yn is part of itzy but I think I’ve made it general enough you can imagine any gg you’d like, kind of. But itzy rocks.

Yunjin stared shamelessly as you danced around with your bandmates at the secret afterparty you were all attending. She watched as you swayed your hips along with the rhythm of the music and twirled your friends around, laughing when one of them lost balance and almost fell to the ground. To her, the way you moved around was completely indecent, for God’s sake. It made everyone stare at you, in awe. She hated that— so many eyes on you. She should be the only one.

Yunjin doesn’t know why she assumed you weren’t good at it. maybe by the way you talked about yourself, always saying how you hated to dance and were always behind your bandmates in choreography, looking too out of place to blend in. She should’ve known you were, as always, just insecure.

She had seen you dance before, of course. You were good with the choreography you were given, even if it wasn’t always your style. But to see you dance so freely… It was truly a sight.

To others, however, you were enjoying yourself and having fun with your friends, but Yunjin knew better— knew you better. It was a clear challenge, she could tell by the way your hands ventured to your chest, mostly exposed by your top’s neckline. The subtle looks she’d send you across the room, every time your hands touched your best friends’, the one your stupid fans were always shipping you with, waist, were meant to defy her; provoke her.

It had made Yunjin so horny it hurt. She clenched her thighs, hoping for some kind of relief, but it did nothing to ease the burning sensation building up in her core.

Thankfully, the next set of songs were ones you disliked, so you excused yourself from your friends and neared the bar, taking a break. Yunjin didn’t waste any time following you, sending hard glances to the people who motioned to greet you before she was by your side. As if she’d ever let them steal your attention from her.

"I didn't know you could dance," Yunjin casually told you, leaning against the balcony. Her tone was light, making it seem like a simple observation, attempting to mask the fact that simply watching you dance had made her incredibly turned on.

Your moves were experienced, almost obscene. And the micro skirt you wore had you looking irresistible, shining like a beacon in the middle of the damn dance floor. It made her want to snatch you up and fuck you right in the restrooms, for everybody to hear you screaming her name, simply to get rid of that smug smile on your face.

You weren’t hers, though. The two of you were merely friends, so her actions were resumed to her wettest, dirtiest dreams.

"You assumed that, unnie,” you replied, after catching your breath for a few seconds. Your cheeks were flustered from the alcohol, and the dance had messed your hair up even more, making the curls run towards all places. You looked wild, free. Alive. Yunjin would definitely write about you once she went home. She could already plot the verses in her head. "I said I didn't like it, and I don't," you continued, picking up the drink the waiter had handed you and thanking him with a bow and a small smile. "But it's fun, sometimes. I did ballet for quite a while, remember? I know a few things."

A few things.

You turned to her, taking a step so you’d be closer. Her eyes were beautiful, all bright and expressive, and you so hoped to get to be someone special in her life. You’d grown used to talking to her over the last weeks, after you asked for her number at an award ceremony. You two texted all the time, and told each other just about everything: she had told you about the hard time she had at produce 48, then the frustration when she decided to give up the trainee life and go to college; the insecurity she faced after finally living her dream, constantly wondering if she was enough, if she was worthy of all of this wonder. You, on the other hand, shared about your family; how your mother and grandmother, mostly, coerced you into dancing, specially ballet, and how you absolutely loathed it. You told her that you tried out for JYP with one of your best friends at the time, who you admired so much and was such an inspiration to you. Yunjin was the only one who knew how surprised you were when you got in, and she didn’t. And how her coldness and rudeness towards you broke your heart. You two knew so many profound things about each other, but it was so awkward to stare at her personally. Yunjin, who knew the raw version of you, who knew each and every one of your nightmares, and still wanted to be friends.

To you, it was embarrassing how much you knew about her. Each time you spoke, you took an effort not to reveal anything she hadn’t told you yet. About her hobbies, her sister… you knew it all. And you so desperately wanted her to notice you. To truly see you much you desired her.

Oblivious, the two of you. Both playing a game of hide and seek with your feelings, afraid you’d scare each other and make one run away.

She was taken by surprise by your movements, but quickly recovered and took a step towards you herself. She grabbed a strand of your hair, admiring the way the curls fell so graciously into place, adorning your delicate face.

“You look beautiful today.” She thought better, frowning slightly. “Every day, actually.”

You smiled at her, not thinking much of it, but before you could thank her, Kazuha showed up, jumping up and down.

“Yunjin unnie! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” She stopped to acknowledge you, still moving frantically. “Hello Yn! You look so, so pretty!”

“So I’ve told her,” Yunjin mumbled, as you nudged her and thanked Kazuha, this time.

“Thank you, Zuha. Did you take too many Red Bulls again?” She nodded, as if the ground was sending electric waves into her body.

“Only two, Yn-ah!” She did the number 2 with her fingers before turning to Yunjin. “Chaewon unnie says we have to go. We have rehearsals tomorrow morning, remember? We can’t be tired.” Kazuha explained, gripping the girl’s arm as she tried to drag her towards the rest of the bandmates. Yunjin stood frozen, though. There was no possibility she’d leave you here, not when everyone was staring at you like they were just waiting for an opportunity to snatch you and take you home.

They wouldn’t dare. Taking you from her was not a possibility.

“I can’t go, Zuha.” Yunjin said, looking at you sneakily so the ballerina would, hopefully, get the hint. Kazuha furrowed her brows, confused.

“Why not, unnie?” She kept looking at you, then at yunjin, trying to understand.

“I can’t.”

You felt like you were intruding, but you couldn’t let Yunjin go, either. You put your hands on her other arm, asking her softly, “Is everything ok? You look a bit pale. I can go if you'd like, the girls are probably looking for me anyw—“

“No!” Both girls exclaimed, making you take your arms off the older girl, taken aback by their intensity. Yunjin eyed Kazuha before turning back to you, annoyed to not have your full attention anymore. Her thoughts were racing, and you’d given her the perfect cue: she wasn’t going to waste it. Clinging onto you, she grabbed your tiny waist, burying her face in your neck since you knew she was a terrible liar. Yunjin was tall herself, so she was constantly towering over people, but you were two, maybe three inches taller than her, which had always pleased her.

“Actually, I don’t think I feel so good, Yn. Perhaps you could come with us to the dorm? The girls sleep like rocks, and I’m afraid I’ll start to get nauseous, and I’ll be all alone because they never wake up.” She pleaded, making her voice crack so it would look real. Yunjin did feel a little bad for lying so bluntly to you, but she wouldn’t leave you alone at the club for everyone to have you.

She felt cold hands being pressed on her neck and her forehead, making her shiver. She could only think how it would feel to have those same hands pressing slightly into her pulse point, as she was pounded by behind—

“You really are a bit hot,” she heard you say, and it took all of her strength not to laugh. “And shivering. Why did you come? You should’ve gone straight home.”

To see you.

“Yes! Please come with us, Yn! Yunjin is always talking about how you take such good care of your bandmates when they drink too much! You should care of unnie, too.” Zuha said, picking up on her friend’s act. She shamelessly winked at the girl, but you didn’t even notice, too busy staring at your feet at the thought of Yunjin talking about you to her friends.

“Apparently, not so much,” You frowned, realizing your bandmates were no longer on the dance floor. They often drank over their heads, and you were always worrying they wouldn’t pass out in a chair or do something reckless. “Yeji is probably up to something somewhere, and Lia’s too sweet when she’s drunk. Now I’ve lost them.” You mumbled, truly thorn between the pretty girl in your arms and your bandmates. Sensing your hesitation, Yunjin gave your waist a reassuring squeeze, which you pretended not to be affected by.

“We’ll find them and ask about it, ok? I’ll survive on my own if they’re too bad themselves.” She assured you, making you feel lighter. You nodded, and soon the trio started searching for your friends through the club.

-

Turns out you were right, after all. Yeji was as red as a tomato, laughing at Chaeryoung who had just tripped over the chair. Lia was flirting with someone you couldn’t see clearly in the dark, and Yuna looked in her own world besides Ryujin, downing shots by herself. Surprisingly, Ryujin was cool, watching the whole scene with a small smile as she sipped on her drink. She frowned at the sight of Yunjin clinging to you and Kazuha jumping on your other side, but her smile quickly became malicious as she noticed the older girl’s hands on your waist. You shook your head, mouthing her to stop.

Yunjin simply didn’t see you like this, no matter how much you wanted her to.

“We were looking for you,” she said, over the music, as soon as you were near enough to hear. Yeji had taken Kazuha for a dance, and now they were both in a jumping contest, apparently. Yunjin didn’t catch the way your friend’s voice dropped an octave, but you certainly did, “But you were busy, I see.”

“Yunjin is not feeling so good,” You clarified, giving her your best, stop trying to suggest things that didn’t happen stare. Ryujin new about your crush and how you and Yunjin texted all the time, and had always tried to convince you that the girl liked you as much as you liked her.

“I asked her to go home with us, to take care of me.” Yunjin explained, squeezing your waist again. She liked the way you tensed around her hands when she first did it, momentarily closing your eyes to regain your focus, “Because she always takes such good care of you, when you guys are not feeling so good. But she was wary of leaving you here alone.”

“Nonsense! We were actually looking for you to go home, too. It’s getting late anyway. You should take care of Yunjin-sunbaenim.” Ryujin approved, giggling. She motioned to the girls, pushing the two of you. “Get better! Rest well.” She wished Yunjin, and you wanted to kill her for laughing. Yunjin, who was having the time of her life clinging onto you, sighed as she saw Kazuha’s energy. She motioned to let go of you to get her friend, but you tightened your grip, instead and reaching for the ballerina yourself.

You said goodbye to the rest of your bandmates, explaining them you’d spend the night at Lesserafim’s dorm, and they promptly wished Yunjin a speed recovery, clearly too drunk to think much of it. In a few minutes, you were in a van with the rest of Yunjin and Kazuha’s members. They were such dears, and you already knew so much about them because of Yunjin, so thankfully the atmosphere was calm, with all the girls tired from the busy day and the party.

“It’s so cool that you’re sleeping over, Yn-unnie! Yunjin unnie talks about you all the time.” Eunchae had excitedly said, making everyone laugh. Yunjin stared at the window, muttering that the maknae was lying, but the blush in her face was proof enough.

“Yn will be busy taking care of Yunjin, though, Manchae,” Chaewon said, knowing exactly what her friend was up to. “Yunjin might even puke.” She joked, earning a general ‘ewwww!’ from the girls, and a laugh from you.

You saw that Yunjin was still with her head on the window, so you poked her to get the girl’s attention.

“You shouldn’t be looking at the window so much if you’re dizzy,” you gently pushed her head to rest on your shoulder, which she did. “I did that once after drinking and puked in our dorm’s parking lot.” You frowned, remembering how you didn’t even drink too much that day, but still ended up sick.

“That’s gross.” She said, laughing and focusing on your lap, instead. She grabbed your hands, playing with your fingers to distract herself from the fact that you had really accepted to take care of her.

Yunjin kept reminding herself she was your friend, nothing else. She couldn’t risk making a move on you and having to handle your rejection. She wouldn’t dare. Friends.

The van stopped to drop Sakura and Eunchae at their dorm, and Sakura smiled at you before leaving.

“Take care of her, Yn. Yunjin gets really whiny when she’s not feeling good.” She said, with playful eyes. Yunjin looked like she was at a staring contest with the oldest, but let her go with a sigh.

“Goodnight to you too, unnie.” She mumbled, a pout on her lips.

Soon, you were in Chaewon, Kazuha and Yunjin’s dorm, and you took a good look at it before going to Yunjin’s room. It was spacious, neat and very light, just like the girls. Chaewon and Kazuha bid you goodnight before retreating to their rooms, after giving Yunjin a hug.

When you entered her bedroom, she was riffling through her drawers, looking for something. You examined her room, too, as you’ve never been to her dorm before. There were plenty of posters on her walls, and a collage of polaroids hanging just beside her full-length mirror. You smiled, spotting the one you took at Music Bank, when you stumbled briefly across each other as you were running late— both of you looking flustered but with big smiles.

“It’s one of my favorites.” You’ve heard her say, behind you. “I just wished we had more pictures together.”

You turned to see her in a big T-shirt and small shorts, another set of clothes in her hands. You took it from her and quickly undressed from your sparkly skirt and black top, not bothering to go to the bathroom — you were friends, after all.

“We could go out more and take pictures, if you weren’t so busy all the time.” You whined, as she shook her head and threw herself in her bed, making sure to leave space for you.

“As if you weren’t busy yourself.” She answered, although her tone was still playful.

You left her room to get her a set of water and some painkillers — for if she had a headache from the drinks, and quickly came back. You wished she was in your room instead, so you could dote on her better.

“Do you have painkillers? And snacks?” You asked, standing still as she grabbed your arms to pull you to bed. You let her have her way, eventually, but scoffed as she hugged you close. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you, unnie.” You reminded her, making the older girl giggle.

“You are taking care of me just by being here, Yn.” She said, sniffling your perfume. Seeing your glare, she sat on the bed, reaching out to her nightstand, “See? I’ve got the painkillers already, and there are some more in the bathroom. I’ve got some for nausea, too, but I don’t think I’ll take them. I think what was getting me all messed up were the lights and the loud music after having a full day of recording and rehearsing.” and seeing all of those people wanting you. Yunjin wanted to say.

She wouldn’t, though. She didn't intend to scare you away.

Yunjin finally relaxed, lying against her headboard as she closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t fully lie to you when she said she didn’t feel so good back at the club. The group was going on a rollercoaster of rehearsals, promotions, photoshoots, and the anxiety of whether people were going to accept them or not. She was always feeling like she wasn’t good enough, and her exhaustion — both physical and mental — was starting to get her.

You embraced her, kissing her hair as you ran your fingers through the way you knew she liked it. The touch soothed her, and you slowly felt her relaxing.

“You’ll do great, Jen. All of you.” You told her, holding her a little bit tighter to reassure her of it. “You’re more than worthy, too. You’re talented, kind, and beautiful in all the ways that are possible. There’s simply no possibility of your fans not falling in love with you, with what you’ll inspire them with.” like I have.

It pained you that she didn’t believe in her herself, the years of training and not being chosen making her insecure. You wished she could see herself like you see her.

You two stayed like that for a while, with Yunjin tracing circles in your shirt and you running your hands through her hair and her upper-back, as if you’ve been doing this forever. You noticed her desk, all messy with empty cups and a pile of crumpled papers that also filled the small trash can on its side.

“You’ve been writing again.” You commented, feeling her tense for a second before she stared at the desk, too. She’d always told you about her songs, and you loved listening to her talk about their meaning for hours when you were facetiming. It did upset you a little that she hadn’t shown you any of her latest works, but you understood: with both of you so busy, it was hard to share stuff like that in such little time.

Forcing herself to relax, Yunjin tried to sound careless as she shrugged. “They’re not finished yet, not even the first chorus. I just have the melody and a few words that don’t make sense at all. I’ll show them to you when it’s not… you know, a total mess.”

I can’t show you the lyrics because they are all about you.

You mumbled an “okay”, happy to be included in her life.

“Are you feeling better?” Yunjin nodded, and you continued, “We should watch a movie. The girls and I always watch something to sleep when we’re drunk, but not too drunk to simply pass out in our beds.” You explained, and she grabbed her laptop to abide to your wishes.

“Good idea.” She smiled, typing her password. “Disney movies?” You loved those, so you smiled brightly at her.

“Disney movies.”

-

You did try to watch the movie, but you’d never sleep while Yunjin was by your side. You could feel her breath hovering and the subtle glances she’d send you while she thought you were focused on the movie. It was too much, to be around her so close and still not be able to truly touch her like you wanted to, and the feeling of not having her for yourself started to suffocate you. You paused “The emperor’s new groove”, hearing her protests as you shut the notebook down.

“Do you feel better?” Your polite tone didn’t quite reach your eyes, and you cut her before she even had the chance to answer, “Because I think I should go. We also have a tight schedule tomorrow and I don’t want to intrude your dorm either, so maybe it’s best if I—“

“Wait!” Yunjin said, exasperated. She took a deep breath before speaking, clutching her hands. “No, I don’t feel better. I need something.”

And she kissed you.

Her touch was hungry and intense, as she gathered her hands to your face, scared you’d push her away and tell her you hated her, or that you didn’t like her like that. However, her worries subsided when you immediately corresponded, starved for her touch yourself. Yunjin only pulled away when there was no air anymore, and rested her forehead on yours.

“Please, please don’t go.” She pleaded, pecking your lips delicately, almost unsure. You melted, surrendering to her as you’ve only dreamed of doing.

“I won’t.” You promised, finally kissing her back. “I’ll do whatever you want, Jen.” And you truly would, if she such as whispered for you to.

You pushed her back onto the bed, sitting on top of her without placing your whole weight on her abdomen. Your fingers toyed with her shirt as you occupied yourself with sucking her lips, ravishing her taste. Yunjin tasted like cherries, such as her perfume and her favorite lip-gloss— the one you’ve taken so much effort not to stare at whenever she applied it around you, not wanting to make it obvious.

“Are you really good, though?” You murmured, searching for any signs of drunkness or discomfort in her eyes as you’ve distanced yourself to take a proper look at her: beautifully settled on her bed, with messy hair from the making out and her mouth slightly bruised, marked in a deep crimson that also adorned her cheeks. She was so beautiful, like a painting.

You never wanted to forget such a sight.

Yunjin took your hands, her touch strong and decided as she stared at you with her big eyes, her tone nothing but serious.

“I’m perfectly fine, Yn.” She giggled a little when she realized she was caught in her lie, but her expression quickly went serious again. “I want you. I think I’ve wanted you for a while, actually…” she was shy, tracing circles in the palm of your hands as she took another big breath to steady herself. “I like you. I really, really like you. And it’s ok if you don’t like me back, either. I’m sorry I kissed you so suddenly but I jus—“

You silenced her with another kiss, laughing it through to shake the urge to cry from relief. You truly couldn’t believe she felt that way towards you, not when you’ve been trying so hard to be her friend, worried to fuck it all up.

“I like you too.” You answered, trailing kisses down her face as you made your way to her exposed neck, “I’ve wanted you since the first time we talked, at that stupid music award.” She was moaning under you, as wet as the kisses you placed on her fair skin, and you couldn’t get enough of her. “God, I’ve wanted you for so long.”

You licked her neck, sucking and marking it to your liking as you felt Yunjin’s fingers grab your hair, pushing you down with urgency. You laughed, stopping completely to admire her desperate face.

“Do you want me down here, baby?” You murmured in her ear, cupping her cunt through her shorts and feeling how wet she was. It pleased you to get those sensations from her body, and her whines aroused you even more; you could feel yourself so wet from simply kissing her, too.

“Please, Yn.” She pleaded, humping herself against your hand to try to have more friction, anything against her pussy to have her relief. “Please f-fuck me.”

You wanted to have her completely at your mercy, a mess of whimpers and begs until she was crying out your name so loud for all the neighbors to hear. But she looked so exasperated— almost in pain, when you weren’t touching her, so you quickly decided to give her whatever she wanted you to. To adore her body as much as you adored her soul.

“Very well, then.” You quickly got rid of her clothes, lowering yourself where she needed you the most, but Yunjin got up before you could move, placing her hands on your shoulders.

You shot her a glare, stopping to see if she wanted for you to cease completely, but she clumsily tried to take out your shirt instead, her neediness making you smile. You intercepted her, locking her wrists gently in front of her before kissing her jaw. “Try again, princess? Talk to me, this time.”

She looked away from your stare, embarrassed by how the nickname aroused her and how hot you looked, towering over her frame as you corrected her. She tried again, this time, tone unsure as her long fingers plucked the ends of your shirt.

“Take yours off too, please?” You smiled at her gentleness, stripping for her as you made her lie down once again.

“Good job, babe.” You placed yourself between her thighs, loving to see how she shivered at every deep breath you took, the breeze reaching her aching pussy as she clenched her muscles to try to get some relief.

You gathered her slick from her slit and used it to rub on her clit softly, with barely enough pressure, but it was enough for her to moan loudly, closing her eyes to maximize the feeling. It encouraged you to keep going, tracing faster circles in her clit as you kissed and sucked on her thighs as you wished.

“Fuck, Jen. You’re so beautiful like this.” You murmured, watching her lost in pleasure as you entered her with one finger. She lost her air, and you let your hands hover through her body before giving her your thumb to suck on, which she gladly did.

Having her displayed like that, bare and so responsive to your touch, was heavenly, so special. It was greater than you’d ever imagined it.

You added a second finger in her soaked entrance, but she was still whining as she stared at you with her hazel eyes.

“What do you want, love?” You asked, taking your hand from her mouth. “Say it, and it’s yours.” You didn’t ease your rhythm, still going in and out as you touched her clit now slowly, wanting to build the pleasure rather from taking it from her so fast.

It was difficult for Yunjin to think: her whole body was on fire, and you kept talking so sweetly her head was a mess of nothing and everything and the way you touched her was just so good, making her so full, but at the same time, she needed more.

“Just take a deep breath and the words will come up, babe.” She was reminded by you, as your hands gripped her thighs in the gentlest way you could, grounding her back.

She did as told, taking a couple seconds to gather herself.

“I-fuck” She let out a loud pitch she so wished Kazuha hadn’t heard as you curled your fingers inside her, reaching a spot that made her see little starts in her ceiling. “I n-need your mouth.” Yunjin frowned when you didn’t comply with her immediately, vaguely annoyed before she remembered, “Please, Yn. I want y-you down.”

You smiled against her cunt, giving it a long lick as you watched her shake strongly.

“You’re learning, Jen. We’ll get you all obedient soon enough.” You murmured, and Yunjin wanted to ask you further about it, but your mouth finally made contact with her cunt, your tongue entering her hole along with your fingers, making her curl her toes, drunk in pleasure.

Yunjin’s moans were delicious to hear, now more than ever, as she had given up on being silent for the girls not to hear. Surely, they expected it. She’d make up to them later, buy Kazuha a new plushie and Chaewon that purse she was whining so much to get all week. For now, the only thing that mattered was your mouth and fingers on her, making her so full and loved it hurt.

Your mouth let her slit to give attention to her clit, licking it fast as you alternated it with moving your tongue in zigzag to maximize her pleasure. You had Yunjin feel her pleasure come to her in a strong wave, clenching furiously as you gripped her hips to hold her into place. With a high cry, she came, and you kept fingering her until she came down from her high, her bare chest going up and down fast to steady her heartbeats.

“That was strong.” You murmured, taking your hands off her pussy to lie down next to her. “Are you okay?” You asked, cupping her cheek as she gave you a small nod. You tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears, to keep it away from her face. Yunjin’s face was adorned with a thin coat of sweat, and she reached for you to taste herself.

“I’m okay. So okay, thank you.” She hugged you, now clingier than ever, and you embraced her tightly as she relaxed, kissing you slowly as she ravished her own salty taste in your mouth.

You thought she’d sleep, too worn out from the whole day, but you felt her fingers teasing your thighs soon enough, brushing at your cunt gently.

“Jen, you don’t have to—“ You stood half-up to look her in the eyes, protesting.

She wasn’t looking at your face, though. Her eyes were focused on your body, drinking every inch of it with lust. Only after a minute she stared back at you, with a pout.

“I want to touch you, too. You’ve made me feel so good, Yn.” She said, giving you her best puppy eyes. “Let me make you feel good, please?”

Never denying her anything, you positioned yourself between her thighs, so she could have better access to your pussy. You couldn’t resist touching her, even though she was the one giving you pleasure, so you’ve placed quick kisses on her chest, making your way to her hardened nipple as you sucked on it.

She moaned loudly at the feeling of your hot mouth against her skin, her fingers losing rhythm on your clit as she tried to wriggle out of your touch. You placed both of your hands on her hips, gently forcing her into place.

“It’s not fair, Yn-ah.” Yunjin complained, as you laughed. You guided her hand back to your cunt before lowering yourself against her again, as she got her focus back on you.

“You’re a smart girl, Jen. You can keep your focus.” You smirked, sucking as your other hand left her hips to squeeze her other breast. “That’s it, baby. You’re—fuck, you’re doing so good. You’re so good with your fingers.” You praised her as Yunjin glowed at it, gaining rhythm as her thumb applied pressure on your hardened bud each time she thrusted in your pussy.

She was skilled with her fingers, the ones you’ve daydreamed to have knuckles deep in you so many times before, when she played for you through your FaceTime calls, and you were quick to have your pleasure building up on your lower abdomen, already so aroused from her reactions to your touches and just the sight of her at all.

“Fuck, baby, I’m gonna c-cum.” You sucked harder, both of you moaning together as you arched your back, reaching your high. She pulled you towards herself, kissing you passionately as you corresponded with equal fervor, grabbing her closer until there wasn’t a single molecule between you.

“I can’t get enough of you.” Yunjin told you, kissing your cheeks, your nose, your neck. She made herself busy there, making sure to mark you as you’ve done to her. So everyone would know who you belonged to.

“Lucky for you, Huh Yunjin.” You said, feeling fully loved and complete by being by her side. “I can’t seem to get enough of you, either.”

Now, every time you danced, Yunjin wouldn’t be bitter anymore: she knew where you’d be looking. Your eyes would always be on her.

-

“Unnie, why do you have such a thick scarf on? It’s barely autumn yet.” Eunchae was the first to speak as Yunjin entered the van, late as they were making their way to the company for rehearsals.

“And the glasses, too. There’s no sun, unnie.” Kazuha motioned to her face, trying to mask her laugh, as Eunchae got even more riled up, babbling about the weather and her worries towards her unnie.

Yunjin only shushed the younger girl, brushing her hand in her mouth to make her stop talking so loudly.

“Quiet, Manchae. Unnie is sick, remember? I think I drank too much last night. I’m hangover.” She managed to say it seriously, making the maknae finally tone herself down. The girls were laughing freely now, but Yunjin only glared at them in hopes they’d stop teasing, too tired to argue it out.

“You guys are ridiculous.” She muttered, ignoring the kissing sounds they were making, like 5th graders.

Yunjin couldn’t help but smile, though. And to think about you. Her songs were definitely going to be finished as soon as she got home again.

[lennadanvers]

Seven Minutes in Hell

Uni Student!Eddie x Asexual!Reader

A/N: One day left of the Ace Week and I finally finished this (kinda sorta, in the way that I can't and I won't keep adding to it, or editing it or rewriting it). I'm completely burned out, my back hurts and I lowkey hate how this turned out- there's so much dialogue and I read it so many times I just think it's bad now. However, since I put so much effort into it, and since I want Eddie to be with an ace reader, I'm posting it anyway. Please be nice, because I've been in a crisis for over a week and I will cry if you're mean. Also, this is terribly long compared with my usual works. Idk.

NOTE: The Reader is asexual. No, there is no use of the word "asexual" here, because it's not needed for a character to be ace. No, the Reader doesn't explain/teach to others what it means to be ace- they just voice their boundaries. Asexual is someone who feels little to no sexual attraction (and you can use it either as an umbrella term or a micro label- please investigate more if you feel like it! It's a very interesting topic and you can learn a lot!). Being asexual doesn't equal to being aromantic: an asexual can still feel romantic attraction. Also, asexuality looks different for everybody- some aces may be okay with kissing but not sex, for example. This Reader isn't okay with either. I hope you enjoy the fic! Happy Ace Week!!

Okay, this was a very bad idea and you should have realized sooner.

In your defense, life this far from your hometown is�� different. Lonely. In Hawkins, everyone knew everyone. You had a safety net all the time. Maybe you weren’t friends with everybody- but you were friendly with most, at least.

Here, on the other hand, you are alone. Big city, small-town girl… a sad combination. You’re barely learning how to survive. None of the skills you had acquired at home are useful here. For God’s sake, you can’t even bike to the store- you have to take the subway.

One good thing about the city, though, is the variety. When you first came here, the thing that seemed the most exiting was how open people were about themselves.

They’re just not that friendly, though. No in a deeper level, at least. They are, however, very active. Lots of parties, concerts, bars and nights out. The girls in your dorm are unable to sleep during the night, apparently.

And if you want to fit in with them, you have to at least attend a party once in a while.

That’s what brought you here. You start to question if it’s worth it, though, when Lindsay- redhead, loud, flirty Lindsay- grabs you by the waist and starts dragging you across the room. She’s nice, but she’s… different. She goes out with a different boy every Friday, and brings another one to her dorm room every Saturday. It’s really not your business, and it seems to make her happy, so you simply steer away from her business.

It's not that it bothers you. You just don’t get it. Well, not in practice. In theory, it makes sense. But when you picture yourself in her place… It’s uncomfortable. Weird. Foreign. You’re happy she’s happy this way- it’s just not for you.

She doesn’t feel the same way.

You see the circle of people too late, take too long to come up with an excuse; and before you can stop her, she’s announced you’re playing Seven Minutes in Heaven.

You’ve never taken part in things like this. Never wanted to. Now everyone is looking at you, and you’re just too uncomfortable to run away, even if what you want the most is to disappear. Lindsay goes over the rules. You look around for a way out. Maybe a fire alarm will be waiting for you.

That’s when you see him. A curious pair of puppy eyes, a wild mane of hair and an unmistakable rockstar vibe.

Eddie Munson.

This has to be a nightmare. You remember him from Hawkins High- how could you not? He was always so loud an opinionated, so funny and charming, so… So different from everyone else. It was hard not to notice him in the hallways, but that wasn’t the reason you were always looking for him. See, he had- still has, now that you’re face to face again- something that draws you to him. Something in his smile, in the way he moves his hands, so confident, so in display, like the world is a stage and he’s the main character.

And you’ve always felt like the audience, an external observer, the witness to other people’s stories.

Until now, that Eddie Munson is in the same city- the same party, the same room, the same group of people- as you, far away from the hellhole that is Hawkins. Until now, that he’s staring at you, just as surprised, but a little less terrified. Until now, that Eddie looks like he’s expecting something from you. You’re sure your clueless expression is what makes him smile shily and look down at the floor, where an empty beer bottle points straight at you.

Dread washes over you as people start to cheer. Eddie chuckles and stands up. Lindsay grabs you by the arm- who knew that a girl this petite could be so strong? – and drags you to an empty closet.

Only when the door slams behind you, muffling out the music and noise from the party, you realize what happened.

You’re alone, in the dark, with Eddie Munson.

Trapped in a tiny space for the next eternity (seven minutes). And he’s cute, taller than you remember, and he smells nice. And he’s probably expecting something from you. Something like a kiss. Or more.

And you, for the love of God, do not want a kiss. You want him to be pretty and funny and at a safe distance from you.

The silence is overwhelming, his breathing too close for your liking. That’s the only excuse you can find for what you blurt out next.

“I absolutely do not wanna kiss you!”

The silence turns heavier. You press your hands against your mouth, but it’s too late. Maybe it’s a good thing it’s dark in the tiny closet, because at least he can’t see your horrified face. You hear a scoff and what sound like his feet shuffling to the side.

“Of course you don’t. You’re way too out of my reach, yeah? Were you hoping to be paired up with one of those pretty boys?”

His voice is harsh.

You had seen him argue with Jason Carver before. You had seen him mad, frustrated and mocking. None of those times did he sound quite like this. Never had such an edge. If the lights were on, you worry you’d see a sparkle of hurt in his eyes.

Maybe that’s why you start to explain yourself, panic taking over.

“No! No, that’s… That’s not what I meant at all! I just do not wanna kiss!”

Eddie’s laugh is sarcastic and dark.

“Yeah, I figured that much. Well, guess what? I didn’t wanna kiss you either!”

He sounds angrier now. It’s easy to picture him with his arms crossed.

“Really?”

When the only reply is silence, you know you should have shut the hell up. Or at least you could have tried to not sound so relieved. You cringe.

“Wait, that’s not what I meant either. I-”

“Listen, I have no intention of kissing someone who doesn’t want to kiss me. So why don’t we just wait in silence until the time is up?”

You remember his frown when the jocks made fun of him at gym class. Eddie looked miserable half of the time at school. Now he’s left school, moved away from Hawkins, and you’re making him miserable all over again. Even if you really don’t mean to.

The guilt makes you start whispering.

“Anyone. Ever. I don’t want to kiss anyone. Not now. Certainly not any of them. It’s just that Lindsay forced me to play! I didn’t even want to be here in the first place. Trust me, Eddie, if I wanted to be locked in a tiny closet with any guy at this party it would be you, but I don’t! I just really, really don’t want a kiss- I don’t want anyone to touch me, actually… I’m sorry- I bet you wanted to have fun here and I ended up ruining your chance. Listen, I’ll just walk out of here and tell them I feel sick or something, and they’ll have to give you another chance-”

Before you get the chance to embarrass yourself further, Eddie interrupts you.

“Hey, hey, wait a second there.”

You can feel his eyes on you. That’s the only thing that stops you from yapping to death. You wait, but he takes too long to speak.

“I’m sorry if you thought-”

“I never wanted to make you uncomfortable!”

He cuts your apology short yet again.

“I just thought… I recognized you. From Hawkins. Class of ’89, right? I remember you. I just…”

Eddie clears his throat. You take a deep breath because he sounds softer now. He starts talking again and it’s like listening to a cartoon character- fast and disorganized. Cute.

“I just… I thought you were kinda pretty- back then! You were always smiling, and you used to carry around some of my favorite books. I- it’s not like I like you, I… It’s-it’s been a long time, and… I saw you in here. And you look just as beautiful, you know? I’m never lucky like this. Then the bottle landed on you- I thought I had a chance, after all the years of pini- It’s okay, though, I understand! I bet you have better things to worry about, huh? I bet you’re busy publishing novels or something, right? I remember your poem, the one you read on the talent show- I really liked it!”

Somewhere between pretty and beautiful, Eddie started leaning against the wall. His shoulder is warm against yours. You really don’t mean to, but a giggle escapes you.

“Oh, and now it’s me who can’t shut up. I really should have learned by now. I always end up getting in trouble like this. Do you think I could finish all the oxygen here if I keep talking? I could die of suffocation. That would save me the embarrassment of having to see your face when your friend opens the door. Would you do me a favor and forget any of this happened? I really don’t want you to remember how much of a loser I am...”

You’re laughing now. Eddie’s head thumps against the wall next to you and you decide to stop him.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no way. I don’t think I can forget how you think I’m pretty and beautiful…”

Eddie is groaning, and probably shaking his head too- his hair tickles the side of your arm.

“Also, if you died of suffocation now you wouldn’t know that I thought you were pretty too. Back then, I mean. Oh, and you were never a loser. I always thought you were very smart- with all the ways you found to get back at Carver and his clique. Also, it’d be a shame to deprive the world of your music! I remember you at the talent show too.”

His voice sounds muffled. Is he hiding his face in his hands?

“Stop making fun of me!”

It’s not an accusation. It’s whinier and more playful. It helps you relax a little.

“Are you kidding? I’d never make fun of you! I’ve actually always liked you, Eddie.”

You’d swear his breath just hitched.

“Are you serious?”

Lucky you, the darkness won’t let him see the way you’re blushing. You shrug, trying to look nonchalant even if he doesn’t see you.

“Well, yeah.”

He’s quiet for a moment.

“Listen, I think we started with the wrong foot here. Why don’t we… Would you like to… I don’t know, maybe sometime we could-”

A beam of blinding light and awfully loud music interrupts him.

Oh, God.

“Time’s up, lovebirds! Ooh, look at you! Girl, you’re red as a cherry! What were you guys up to, all cozy in here?”

Lindsay is smiling at you, and you want to disappear again. You don’t dare take a look at Eddie; you just push past her, out into the party. You just want to get away. You need to get out of this house; out of the city, maybe- run away from the stupidity.

Stupid Lindsay.

Stupid game.

Stupid kisses.

Stupid expectations.

Stupid yo-

Someone takes a hold of your wrist and brings your escape to an end. Shit.

“Hey, hold on! Wait up!”

You really don’t want to turn around. You really, really don’t want to see his round, starry eyes up this close. You really, really, really don’t want to know how far you’ve embarrassed yourself in front of Eddie. No, you want to pretend you never saw him here. No, the last time you saw Eddie Munson was graduation. He was happy, had that stupidly cute smile of his, and then you never heard anything from him-

“Hey, I’m sorry- oh, God, you said you didn’t want to be touched. I’m sorry!”

He lets go of your wrist as if it was hurting him. His voice is a little too loud now that you’re out of the house. But it’s still gentle and nervous. You take a deep breath and turn around. At least you can’t make this worse, can you?

“I didn’t mean it that way, Eddie.”

“You didn’t…? Oh! Oh, no, you didn’t! No, I see, I- I know. Okay!”

Eddie closes his eyes and scrunches his nose, his head falling backwards. It’s a cute face, even if he looks completely humiliated right now. Something that makes no sense to you.

“Listen, I… Would you like to hang out sometime?”

It’s a simple question. That doesn’t stop you from blinking three times before replying with another question.

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

Eddie’s eyes open like a cartoon character’s.

“Shit! You don’t do that either? I’m really sorry. Fuck, I’m an asshole, and I should leave you alone. I’m so sorry. I promise you’ll never see me again…!”

In his rush to give you space, he ends up tripping over his own feet and falling on his ass. You try to catch him by the arm, but he’s too heavy and you end up falling too.

It’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

A laugh makes its way out of your chest and it’s impossible to stop it.

“Oh, God…! Are you… okay, Eddie?”

He’s staring at you as if you were crazy. Fair, because you probably are.

“I didn’t mean to laugh,” but you’re still laughing, “I’m sorry. I guess we’re both sorry, huh?”

The giggles keep coming out.

“Yes… I’d like to hang out sometime.”

His head snaps to you.

“Really?”

You do your best to get the laugh under control.

“Really.”

“Okay, then.”

Now he’s taking your hand and lifting you to your feet. It’s a simple movement, fast and soft; but not faster than your ability to blush. At least you’re not laughing anymore. Eddie is closer now than he was in the closet, his chin a couple inches away from your eyes. He smells like wood and blankets: warm and cozy. It’s easy to forget the party behind you, the loud music and cold air disappearing into his eyes.

“So… No kisses, then? Of any kind? Or is it like touching?”

You find yourself whispering too.

“Just no kisses on the mouth.”

“Great.”

Suddenly, coming to this stupid party doesn’t seem that terrible of an idea, because Eddie Munson is kissing your forehead. And it’s ridiculous, silly and amazing. He’s also blushing, eyes crinkling at the sides and a round, shy smile reflecting yours.

“Just so you know, that counts as our first kiss.”

“First? That implies more than one. Someone’s very confident.”

“Well, the night is young and you look like you have some time to spare. What do you say we get out of here? I could introduce you to the best milkshakes in the city.”

“…I’d actually love that.”

This time it’s you who grabs his hand. Eddie grins, and he looks just like the boy who stood on tables back at Hawkins High: young, brave, ready for adventure.

“I shall show thee the path, milady.”

He bows and you laugh. Walking away from the party and the rest of the world is easy. Comfortable. Natural. The way heaven must feel like, if you had to describe it.

[suzunara]

cw: mpreg. Pregnant Madara.

I'd like to think even if Konoha was established under minimum conflict (Izuna didn't die, Zetsu never meddled, the Uchihas are happy), Hashirama and Madara SOMEHOW still stuck in their pathetic pining phase with miscommunication.

It's pitiful as much as how astounding the situation was. Tobirama felt like laughing and cringing so hard.

It'll also be extra crack if Tobirama and Izuna ACTUALLY ended together first rather than Hashimada. And even with Tobirama's announcement he would like to take Izuna's hand in marriage, Hashirama still wouldn't get the fucking hint, and Madara was miserable.

Hashirama declined various proposals (Mito still went to Konoha because Touka was far hotter than any women in Uzushio), Madara also claimed he had his heart dedicated to someone else ....... everyone in Konoha and their cats correctly guessed Madara's beloved was Hashirama, it's just that the subjects of the gossip are heavily dense to realize.

Now to twist this up, LET'S ADD A BABY

Hashi and Mada, drunk off their socks, they consummated outside of wedlock and guess what happened few weeks later lmao.

Madara threw up all over his carefully tended garden and even in the engawa. Izuna was terrified over the prospect that his brother was terminally sick.

No Izuna, your brother wasn't sick. He's just carrying the future heir of the Senju and Uchiha clan.

The news actually sent a storm in the two previously mentioned clans. Everyone scrambled and wild guessing who the father was, but it didn't take Tobi, Izu, Mito, and Touka minutes to deduce who the baby daddy was.

Mito: this is quite a scandal ... they must marry straight away

Tobirama, *nodding sagely* indeed, I did half expected my nephew/niece would be conceived out of wedlock, but I am worried for their safety because they're conceived out of wedlock

Izuna: ARGHH I can't stand it if they start to accuse my brother for willing to have a bastard child!!!

Izuna: though ... how come by brother fell pregnant before me? Tobirama you better up your game

Tobirama: Izuna!!

Mito: boys ....

Thankfully, Madara later confessed the father was Hashirama. Which this sent Konoha to another whirlwind because WHAAAAAT?! OUR SHODAIME FUCKED THE UCHIHA CLAN HEAD?!

But then! Lucky on us and the village, Hashirama took responsibility by marrying Madara to ensure the baby's security (after a long discussion with their younger brothers if Madara wanted the baby or not. Madara wanted it and Hashirama wouldn't lie; he was very happy.)

Finally, FINALLY, Hashirama and Madara confessed during their wedding night.

It started when Hashirama offered he would sleep in a separate room and Madara could take the master bedroom. Madara insisted they should sleep together as a married couple, but Hashirama declined gently because he had sullied Madara enough. And oh it actually made Madara snap. He waited far too long until he was pregnant so might as well spilled the beans.

First he exploded at Hashirama for being so fucking dense, insulting him but also not at the same time (idk how Madara managed to do that it's impressive.), and then he confessed he had waited for Hashirama to declare his love for him for years ... and if Hashirama doesn't love him, marrying him for the sake of heirs was enough for Madara.

He was willing to put down his pride for Hashirama, and it made the heartbreak felt worse for Madara.

That actually do the trick. Because the next thing was Hashirama pinning Madara to the nearest wall with desperation and hope. He had to hear those words from Madara, he HAD to hear it again that Madara loves him.

Their wedding night and honeymoon went smoothly without a hitch. And it even bore satisfying results.

Tobirama and Izuna expected the worse post Hashimada honeymoon (sleeping in separate rooms was one of them), but Izuna was the one crying tears of happiness when Hashirama-nii and Madara greeted them hand in hand.

9 months later, Konoha celebrated the birth of Senju Kazuki. Some undercover shinobis from other hidden villages had the privilege to witness Hashirama looking proud and smug because his expression screamed "yeah me and Madara made our son. He will be Konoha's brightest prodigy."

— omake!!

Madara, in the middle of feeding his newborn son: so Izuna, when will you have your own little one with Tobirama?

Izuna: nii-san?!?!?! I thought you still despise Tobirama????

Madara: I still do don't worry *evil grin* but I am willing to put down my distaste over that ... guy—

Izuna: that "guy" is my husband by the way

Madara: yes him. Well, the point is maybe I want a niece from you, otouto

Izuna: *internally screams as his face burns from embarrassment*

- meanwhile with Hashirama and Tobirama

Hashirama: so Tobi, I think it's high time for you to also have a little on with Izuna

Tobirama: rest assured anija, we're working on it *smirks faintly*

[achaotichuman]

Hello 👋

I hope you're well

Idk if you're taking prompts for fics but if you are, could you please write something for Tarquin from ACOTAR? Could it be something platonic (not sexual at all), him interacting with the other High Lords or yelling at the IC or maybe just expanding on the Summer Court? I feel like there's so little Tarquin-centric fics and i am dying just to get something.

I hope i'm not pressuring you into doing anything tho (and am really sorry if i'm sounding like i am) becoz if you don't want to or want to do something else, that's fine as well. I love your writing and will be happy regardless

Sorry if i'm disturbing you

Helloo!!!

Omg I love this prompt so much!!

Don't ever think you are disturbing me by sending me prompts, I am always happy to receive them!!! And if anyone is ever wondering whether or not I am taking requests, in the pinned post on my blog, it will tell you whether my inbox is open or closed. We def need more Tarquin-centric fics so I am very happy to write this one!!!

Okay so, I definitely wanted fluff and a touch of hurt/comfort, but mostly good vibes. Tarquin's trauma in the books is completely swept under the rug and I absolutely despise it, so here we see a window into him healing from Under the Mountain. Some friendship with Eris and Tamlin, and his relationship with Cresseida and Varian.

I hope you enjoy anon!!

 I’m almost me again, she’s almost you

I got some colour back, She thinks so too. I’m almost me again, She’s almost you. -(Almost (Sweet Music) Hozier

I’m running a circus. Tarquin thought to himself as he watched the three lords around the glass circle table bicker over minor details of the recent High Lord’s meeting. Debating seating arrangements, decorations and who would greet who. Tarquin listened as each Lord gave his opinion, only to be talked over by the other. 

Eventually though, his eyes slid to Cresseida who met his gaze. He gave the slightest of nods, and she plucked a crystal bell from the table. Ringing it loud and suddenly to catch the full attention of everyone in the room. 

Tarquin smoothly stood from his seat, folding his hands in front of him. He said cooly, “We will assess and organise the arrangements as necessary, but first I would like to discuss the logistics of the meeting with my second. For now you are all excused.”

There was a murmuring of ‘yes High lord.’ And general thank you’s for the meeting before everyone began to file out. The door finally clicked shut and Tarquin fell back into his chair. 

Cresseida hid her laugh behind her palm, but couldn’t stop the shaking of her shoulders as she watched her younger cousin practically melt into his chair. 

“What we really need to do is prepare a room as far away from the rest of the Palace as possible. And find some sort of enchanted unbreakable chairs.”

His second nodded thoughtfully, “Perhaps, my lord, we should nail them into the ground so that no one decides it's necessary to use them as an aerial weapon.”

Tarquin faced her with a deadpan expression as Cresseida struggled to reign in her giggles. 

“I swear to the Mother and Cauldron, if anyone ends up getting choked on my floors-”

“We’ll make it mandatory to remove all weapons. And ask Thesan for his spells to ward the room against magic.”

“I think we’d have outrage from the Night Court if we made their spymaster strip off all his weaponry.” He mumbled. 

“Maybe then they won’t come.” Cresseida murmured as she picked at her nails. 

“Cress-”

“It would certainly be a more peaceful meeting then.” She argued. 

“We have to get along with them. If only for Varian’s sake.”

She frowned, “Varian is a love-sick fool. Completely blind, I couldn’t tell you what he sees in her.”

Tarquin waved his hand in dismissal, he didn’t really want to think about his cousin’s love affairs right now. As strange as they may be and as much as he did not understand them. They weren’t his business. 

They were when he found out Varian had been telling Amren Summer’s personal matters. It got him revoked from the Court until Tarquin was completely sure it would not happen again. Since that day, Varian had not been seen in Adriata. And Tarquin didn’t go looking for him. 

“I need a drink.” Tarquin said, standing up and stretching his arms, hearing his joints crack and pop. 

Cresseida stood with him. Her skirts wishing around her ankles. The long, slim flowing blue fabric of the Summer Court billowed in the sea air as they opened the doors. 

Most of the palace was open to the air. The tall stone pillars that lined the hallways, allowing the breeze to waft in. As well as the hot, buttery yellow sun combining with the salt in the air. Tarquin closed his eyes as he breathed it in. 

He had taken it for granted. In his decades before Amarantha came for them, he had taken this all for granted. 

He breathed it in like the salt might burn away the tang of blood which tainted his senses. The thick crimson which had caked Norstrus’ and Brutius’ skin as Tarquin watched them executed. The image was there whenever he dreamt, stained in the sky at sunset, in his the blood rubies he sent to the Night Court after their thievery. 

Tarquin had always hated the colour red, it was too harsh, too cruel, too much like fire for him. It was a stain to the normal whites, blues and gold he wore. 

But after Amarantha, it was a nightmare of itself. 

“Tar?” Cresseida asked, snapping him from his own thoughts. 

Tarquin looked down at Cresseida, her eyebrows furrowed as she watched him carefully.

“Are you okay?” She asked. 

Her eyes were an earthy brown, skin made vibrant and dark by the sun again. She was alive, and so was he. She was breathing and he did too. The scars on her arms from where she had been grabbed by the Attor at times hadn’t faded entirely, and the claw marks down Tarquin’s thighs from when he had been in a grapple with one of the guards who picked on Varian still got sore sometimes. 

But they were healing. They would heal in time. 

“Yeah, Cress.” Tarquin smiled and it was real, “I’m okay.”

She smiled back, and he knew she knew what he meant. 

“We’re both okay.” She took his hand and gave it a loving squeeze. 

“You thought you could escape me.” Her voice was dripping with cruelty as she laughed and laughed, “Did you think I wouldn’t see through your plans, oh Norstrus, you weren’t this dense even when I first entrapped you.”

Cresseida grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight enough to grind the bones, as tears flowed relentlessly down her face. She couldn’t stop them. 

Tarquin squeezed her hand back. 

“I feel like something fruity and full of good alcohol.” Tarquin loudly proclaimed, “And let’s go to the beach, I’ve been in shoes for far too long now.”

Cresseida laughed, “Cousin, you are full of good ideas.”

“Ive more ideas that all of Helion’s libraries combined, you should know this well.” Tarquin grinned. 

Cresseida looked out over their people in the city streets far below, she smiled at what she saw, “Of course, of course.”

Tarquin and Cresseida sat at a busy bar at the beach that night. Tarquin got to lose his shoes and feel the sand under his feet, the sea lapping at ankles. Now he savoured a pineapple drink and watched the ocean sparkling in the deep orange light as the sun began to set. The band of red glimmered at him, Tarquin watched as the colours darkened, the stars beginning to shine from the blanket of darkness high above. 

Cresseida happily sipped on her drink, watching the sunset with her cousin. He wondered if she also saw blood in the sky as he did. 

“I love sunsets,” She said, he looked over to her, to see her eyes trained on the display before them. 

“They’re pretty,” He agreed. 

“They’re unique.” She said, “Not one is the same as another. Just like people, you’ll never see one the exact same as the other.”

Tarquin looked over the sea again, the sky an array of blended colours and dimming light. 

He watched the red as it began to fade, seeing that deep orange-tinted colour as it blended with the pinks, blues, purples, fading into the silvery ocean as the sun fully dipped below the horizon. 

“You know,” Cresseida said, “When you were young, I told you that no sunset is the same and the one we saw that night you would never see again.”

Tarquin rubbed a finger along the lip of his drink, listening intently as he turned to stare into the yellow of his drink. 

“You didn’t like that,” She laughed, “You asked me if we could get on a ship and sail to the horizon, if we could chase the sunset and see it forever.”

He followed the line of his fingers with his eyes, his skin, his wrists, his veins. He saw it all. 

“What did the sunset look like that night?” He asked.

Cresseida sighed dreamily as she thought back fondly on the memory, “It was marvellous, the whole sky was red, even the ocean shone crimson. You were amazed by it. Said it looked like the Mother had dipped a bucket of red paint over the sky.”

He remembered it, he remembered holding Cresseida’s finger with one hand and clutching a stuffed seahorse in the other. He had smiled and pointed at the sky and been upset when Cresseida said he would not see it again. 

Perhaps he had not hated red as much as he thought. 

Amarantha had tainted his memory, dragged jagged claws and left a bleeding scar. 

But blood clotted, and scars healed over. His were no different. 

Tarquin turned to face the sky. He looked at the red band, and saw the Mother’s grand expanse of paints. 

Norstrus’ blood would always haunt his mind. 

But he would look at the sunset, and he wouldn’t be afraid. 

______________________________________________

Music played in the air, a symphony of notes that wrapped around his limbs like hands pulling him forward. The night air was cool, the notes of ocean, fruits and citrus salt blew through his hair and pushed him in all directions. 

Every string was plucked with the celebrations of his lands. Tarquin clutched a flute of bubbling Faerie wine in one hand, watching the dancing Fae, twirling and spinning in long fluttering layers of fabric. A sea of blue and gold, as shining and unbound as the ocean itself. 

The meeting was over and he forgot the stress as he drank deeply from his glass. Swallowing each pale gold drop. A haze settled deep in his bones, making him as free as raging currents coursing through the sea itself. Tarquin didn’t know when or how, but he found himself spinning and twisting in the crowds to the music which wrote and rewrote itself into his soul. Etching this memory into his bones. Burning out the memories of days and nights under a cave’s ceiling, they turned to ashes which blew out into the night with the ocean air, replaced with the view of the stars above, the perfume of his Court, and the smiling, free people around him. 

At some point he spotted Cresseida, she was twirled around by a man he hadn’t met before. She met his gaze and laughed, in a second she was beside him. Grabbing his hands and spinning him around. 

“You got wine on your shirt, dunce!” She laughed, throwing her head back, white curls bouncing around. 

Tarquin stopped his spinning just enough to grab his shirt and look down. And instead droplets had splattered across his pale blue and gold shirt. 

“Oh well!” He laughed with her, grabbing her hands again. 

The night spun away from him, it came back to earth when another set of hands caught his wrists. 

“Cousin!” There was Varian, grinning from ear to ear, drunk on alcohol and the spirit of the crowd. 

“Var!” Tarquin caught him in a tight hug, catching Cresseida’s arm once more and drunkenly pulling her into the embrace. 

The three laughed and danced and drank to their merry heart’s content. Allowing the night to sweep them off their feet, whisking them into the antics of the party. 

At some point, sometime very early in the morning, Tarquin found himself laying across an empty beach, the last rays of moonlight shining down on him, painting the sand in pure silver. The ocean shimmering like the scales of a fish with every tiny wave. His shoes were gone, possibly for good, and his loose pants were rolled up past his ankles. 

He laid supported by his elbows. Watching the horizon as the very first drop of sunlight broke from below the horizon. 

“Well that was a wild night.” A voice he didn’t immediately recognise commented. 

Tarquin looked up to see a head of blond nearly right beside him, supporting a near unconscious pale-skinned redhead. 

“Tamlin,” Tarquin grinned, he glanced down at Eris and raised an eyebrow. 

Tamlin laughed, slowly lowering Eris who swayed with every movement like he’d be sick. 

“Too much Faerie wine for you, Lord of Autumn.”

“It was your terrorising cousin who wished to see me undone who kept shoving a full glass into my hand.” Eris said. 

“Cresseida is a force to be reckoned with.” Tamlin noted, flopping down on Tarquin’s other side. 

“Truer words have never been spoken, Spring,” Tarquin said, letting himself fall back down into the sand. Tamlin joined him. Staring up at the last remnants of the stars. 

“You’ll both come to Spring solstice this year.” Tamlin said, not even an invitation, almost an order. Almost, if Tarquin did not know he had long planned to go regardless of if Tamlin even wanted him to be there. 

“And I’ll be at the Autumn Equinox,” Tarquin noted, “I have to get Eris back for emptying out my cellars by doing the same to him.”

“You’ll never succeed.” Eris responded, laying back with them, looking a little more in control of himself, “If there was anything Beron was good for it was collecting the good stuff. There’s hoards of it that will put your treasure trove to shame.”

“We’ll compare and see who comes out on top then.” Tarquin said with a challenging grin. 

“What new kind of dick measuring contest is this? I’ll have to start my own hoard.” Tamlin laughed. 

“What are you going to hoard Tamlin? Flower crowns? Those would rot in mere days.” Eris snapped. 

“That's why you either dry or freeze them, Eris, then you can keep them forever. I still have the flower crowns my mother had her nieces wear to her wedding.”

“Introduce me to them one day.” Tarquin said, “I’ve heard many good tales about Lady Dahlie Fairburn.”

“My mother was awesome.” Tamlin grinned. 

“Your mother’s awesome? My mother is the most awesome,” Tarquin said, “But your mother can have second place.”

“No, my mother is the most awesome.” Eris said, “Not even a competition, you two can fight over second place.”

“Oh, please,” Tamlin scoffed, “It’s not even a fair contest, Tarquin never even met my mother.”

“What are the three of you bickering over?” Someone else chimed from above. 

Tarquin tilted his head as back as he could to try and make out who stood above them. 

“Mother, you’re just in time!” Eris chimed, clambering to sit up properly. 

Andrea took in a deep breath whilst the observed the three males try and stumble to get up. Dusting sand that stuck to their wine-stained clothes and hair. 

“Come inside the lot of you, you can sleep all this off.” She said, beginning to walk back to the Palace. 

“Wait Andrea! You knew my mother, you can settle this argument.” Tamlin shouted after her. 

Eris, Tarquin and Tamlin got up and started running after the Lady of Day. The soft fluffy sand cold beneath their feet, turning to the stone steps and the rocky cobblestone as they continued to argue. 

Andrea laughed as she listened to the three, her ribs ached as they tried to make her pick who would win their imaginary competition. 

The sun’s rays grew stronger, blue bleeding into the dark as day overtook night. 

Tarquin looked up at the sky and saw the endlessness spread out for all to see. 

Maybe he was stained with the darkness of that depraved mountain forever. 

But right now. 

He was almost him again. 

[himbeaux-on-ice]

some new non-comprehensive thoughts on Pride and the meaning of warmup jerseys

(the following is drawn largely from my twitter thread)

honestly, i think the Panthers have like the Sharks taken the best route you can in a bad situation. and there's relief for me in that.

don't cave and undermine all the planning and work you did in order to cover for a few homophobic players. let it land on them. do not stop for their sake. thank you.

idk, personally the teams that backtrack on the jerseys entirely to cover for homophobes in their ranks leave me feeling way more angry and disillusioned than the ones where 90% of the guys are still out there in those jerseys and just one or two dipshits loudly sat out. i would have been way more disappointed by an entire organization making the decision to coddle and shelter homophobes than i am by the revelation that 2/18 players suck but the rest of them got with the program.

maybe that's a low bar. but yeah, i'm weirdly relieved that the jerseys made it to the ice at all. that so many chose to wear them.

it's like. at least some people cared enough to stick by us and not be cowards, y'know? even though dipping out was an option, somebody answered in the affirmative when asked if they'd stand with us. several somebodies did, actually.

when teams pull back entirely, we don't even get that much.

people talk about the "epidemic" of homophobia in the NHL and whether it should change how/if teams do Pride nights, but i would take an epidemic of 1-2 idiots per team sitting out of warmups over having an epidemic of all teams deciding not to do Pride at all because of those few. i would, genuinely.

are they "hijacking the events" or "taking away from the meaning of them"? idk man. these days bigots show up where queerness is visible to spout their bigot shit regardless. i have two pride flags in my hockey twitter display name, trust me, i know. at least when it happens like this, there's also people and an organization supporting us instead of just leaving us to deal with it alone.

does finding out some guys are homophobes suck? yeah. but we always knew these people existed. they're just showing themselves out loud.

and that blows. and it hurts.

but also, the entire rest of the team and the organization showed who they are tonight by not protecting or accommodating them, too.

i'm seeing so many people feel hurt by the two dumbasses who wouldn't stand beside them rather than encouraged by *every* other member of the team who *chose* not to cop out. and like. i get your hurt. but everyone else CHOSE to stand with us.

think about that for a second. sitting out was clearly an option here, if they put up enough of a stink. and yeah, two guys took that out. but *every other player* DID NOT. on the Sharks and Flyers, all but *one* guy apiece got with the program. some of them even did really meaningful community work!!

and the Panthers franchise decision-makers stood by their choice to do this, loudly and with meaningful activism attached, in FLORIDA, even when two of their own players pulled the religious protest card and copped out.

i extremely, massively respect that. i really do.

maybe i'm just a terminal optimist by nature, but. to me, what we are seeing is that when given the choice, so far the vast majority of players on these teams are still choosing to participate when given the option. when it's not taken out of their hands entirely by people upstairs.

the outliers suck, but they are just that. outliers. and i hope they feel like it.

personally, i'm not leaving this sport i love just because it's got a stubborn lingering jackass infestation. they can't have it. no, *you* move.

also, shoutout to the guys who extremely voluntarily opt-in even though it's not even their team's Pride night. genuinely means something

people vocally being asshats is discouraging. yeah. it always is. it stings.

but all is not lost. not by far. keep your head up. and stay loud. 💜

[larmalot]

who else has conflicted feelings on the Bad Batch finale

Maybe it was the budget but something just felt off to me -- I don't know that I can put it into words but it was there. I am whelmed.

The runtime was so short! And for a show typically heavy on nuanced emotions, it felt rushed and pointedly lacking on emotional impact. 

We absolutely should have heard more from the rescued clone prisoners! And we barely got anything from Crosshair even though he got dismembered!! Emerie's betrayal for the sake of the children and finally her choosing her OWN path -- that deserved *way* more time.

Nala Se honestly deserved to kill Hemlock herself, but killing Rampart was actually pretty good consolation. I enjoyed that scene even though I was surprised the dialogue didn't reference Rampart destroying Kamino directly.

But so many plot things went unaddressed. The clone special operative set up as a mirror rival for Crosshair (i only recently learned his name was CX-2) i think died when Hunter hit him with a spear, but i'm not even sure it was him bc those agents were so anonymized in part from the canon of having their identities erased. But definitely it should have been Crosshair who killed him!!

I was also a bit disappointed that Hemlock didn't go off the rails more. Even Anakin lost it at the end and became super aggressive and violent, and i was expecting was at least some growling and rough handling from Hemlock -- especially directed at Omega, whom he views as imperial property. But I guess this is a kids' show. Part of me was also hoping to find out the reason behind his excellent gloved hand tic, but nada. I'm just saying he spent two seasons priming that hand to strangle someone and then never did. *shrugs*

The appearance of those CX(?) agents emerging from their tanks with new special weapons we'd never seen before -- well it wasn't unfathable, but it was a bit random and almost too much (i was reminded of those helicopter lightsabers from the season 2 Rebels finale). With how they seemed to be designed to hold off the Batch with varying weapons and body types, i could easily buy them as orginially designed as mirror antagonists for an aborted season 4.

(The whole fan theory that Tech is alive but Hemlock made him an evil brainwashed clone would have been interesting, but i'm glad they left the sacrifice of his death intact.)

Rex never arriving with a calvary of reinforcements was the real surprise of this finale. As much as I like the title, I don't think it suited the episode at all or fit well with the context of these last episodes. It's a line said by Wrecker when the Batch debuted in TCW, but in this episode the Batch retired???! Plus they arrived on Tantiss in the episode before this one and were captured as soon as they entered the hangar. Not really the mighty calvary... Maybe it's that they arrived on Pabu (to stay). Idk.

And!!! the massive giant hanging plotline of the offscreen clone rebellion is so odd. The same guy does all these voices!!! It's a lot less forgivable than the way they've been writing around the Pabu characters -- which, by the way, got old FAST. This season it was worse than ever and since all the Pabu characters are POC, there is definitely another race insensitivity case to be made here. I know it ultimately boils down to budget, but how many times can an established character be mentioned or seen in a non-speaking role before it becomes a massive disservice?

I wasn't exactly expecting it but I'm also surprised they never wrapped up Cid's character. Another reason I'm thinking The Bad Batch was meant to run for at least 4 seasons, bc she also kinda deserved a farewell or a chance to make amends. And Emerie deserved more development!! Her joining the clone rebellion is just one small step of a whole new life, making her own decisions and learning to value herself!

I know I should be happy with the ending but it all felt so sanitized and disneyfied. Everyone chilling around Pabu in their Tantiss clothes was just too much for me. I'm convinced there was a budget issue that affected those decisions. And the finale scene -- even though I *liked* it, it felt like a neatly wrapped up means to funnel a grown up Omega directly into a Rebellion era show/movie as a guaranteed fan favorite character. That cheapened things for me, a lot.

Anyway, I'm glad people got what they wanted -- wet Batch boys in the rain, salt and pepper daddy Hunter, and the Zillo Beast going off into the sunset to live happy and free in the jungle. I didn't hate it, I'm just surprisingly unenthused. I'm holding out for bonus content to drop on May 4 (but i doubt it lmao).

[screentime-princess]

Some thoughts on Titans (hbo max) now that show ended.

(In my head it's not over, bc I'm big on rewatching things so... anyways)

Okay. So first thing I want to make clear is that I'm super new to DC and stuff. I've seen arrowverse, most of it, and some movies, also I really like and care about these characters even though show isn't the best, as I hear everyone say and I kinda agree. But still I like the show!!!

Another thing is that I've seen a lot of people hate on this show and I get that it's not the best show, like writing is sometimes very iffy but I think that it's a good introduction to these characters for someone who has never seen anything or read the comics or stuff like that.

Next one is that I am one season short of finishing Gotham and then I plan on watching DC Animated Universe. So I guess my opinions from this post, might change in the future.

So yeah. Here it goes.

I liked the way first season focused on characters and not so much story even though the bigger story was always it like in the back of the episode(s). But I really enjoyed the fact that it was focused mainly on characters of Dick, Hank. Dawn etc. Who they are as people and how what happened to them is influencing their actions. I really liked every character introduction fr.

Even though I watched the show in like few weeks and then waited for last few episodes to come out week by week, I feel like they should have made Dick and Kory cannon or whatever way sooner. They did, kinda, in those dreams/hallucinations, but still, as much as I like this little kind of open ending, I feel like they have so much chemistry, and it just should've happened sooner. When they were in Gotham that Barbara again storyline, I don't know. That wasn't my cup of tea. Also, the flashback episode with Aqualad in season 2, why introduce a character to be killed?! Give us something else than a cute little love story between Donna and Garth and then pain. I don't know. It was so sudden and I don't like character deaths just for the sake of story line.

One thing I did really like was Gar and Rachel, from the beginning from their first meet-cute in the arcade. It was so freaking cute. The fact that they are different, special, that mutual understanding and acceptance ugh. I don't know why we didn't get that like cannon confirmation that they are a thing. We got all those like little cute scenes of them sitting together and stuff but I don't know, I just needed something real just as for Dick and Kory.

As for other characters, I really liked everyone. Conner's little split good and evil personas. Dawn is the most gentle soul I love her so much. Hank was annoying at moments but he was fine. Donna is the beauty, she is grace. <Tim3 (that's how I feel about him). (And I rant about Jason later, wait for it). I don't know what to say like, I really really liked everyone.

Now, maybe I do a separate post about season 4 because it's the, you know, the freshest one in my head but I did rewatch some of the episodes so idk.

As I'm writing this, I see that it's not all like in chronological order as the seasons progress, but I hope you get the gist of it. I wanted to say that I cannot imagine in my head waiting entire week for the episode about Connor after Jason gets dropped off a building even though I knew that's not how he dies fr, I was scared shitless, like, I love him so much, I don't know. Also that fucking scene on the roof killed me, like it seriously messed me up and no one ever talked about it ever again (him being suicidal). Also Dick going of alone every chance he gets to do stupid shit that would 100% get him killed (babe have you heard of therapy, no?).

The thing that bothered me the most, throughout the entire show is how only Gar seemed to care about others. He was the only one to care about anyone. Only one who gave a fuck when Jason died. Like when Kory was mad @ Jason for "getting himself killed"<<<< (what?). He was the only one that was trying to find out what happened to Jason and how he came back. And he did find out (Go Gar).

I know now that that is most likely because of his connection to all the things dead and living, but they explained it very late in the show, so for someone who has no background knowledge, it was confusing.

Major thing that bothers me -> Why is everyone hating on... Literally everyone. Like these people, actors and actresses did in my opinion, amazing job. Considering the writing, okay?

Like let's be fucking for real. This is the first live action adaptation of these characters. And it could have been so much worse. Let's be honest. It could have been so.much.worse. But it's fine and I think that if people are just okay, with something being different, it would have been fine. Like it doesn't have to be the same as in comics. And from what I heard, there are many interpretations of these characters in different comics and different animated series. I don't understand why everything has to be by the book. Like I've been a MCU fan for a while. And l feel like as much as Marvel fans are like haters at the bottom of their souls (not as much as Star Wars fans) and they are (haters), I feel like they appreciate change a little more. (Haters comment is about fanboys don't get ne wrong babes)

It's fine that it's different. Different is okay. Most of hate I've seen is about Jason. And I don't know, like, people calling him a whining c word?!?!?!? Sorry, why is it bad that he's portrayed with more emotions? Or him feeling like he is not good enough (relatable) and always being second thought would bring anyone to tears (it brought me to tears). So why is that a bad thing in portrayal of this character? Like I said, I know very little about his character and I feel like this introduction is fine, it made me care about him. Isn't that what other people in the fandom want? For other people to care. Why does it have to be a specific version? It made me care. That should be enough no? It made me want to learn more about these characters. So why is everyone so offended by this version of Jason Todd? It doesn't make any sense in my head. I was literally losing my shit watching episode 11 of season 4. Last week was peek of my existence because of him showing up again. I have no words.

So yeah, I don't know. I have so many thoughts about this show and no one to talk to because my friends are lame, not watching the same shows I'm watching, watching Bridgerton and shit (no hate to Bridgerton fans).

<3 if you read it all, thank you <3

[underratedandoverit]

Who Else Would Understand

~1,1k words orangekip (orange cassidy/kip sabian)

set in the belt corruption arc/immortal fears. im mcfucking projecting and what of it. yes i know i should be asleep lemme be sad. everyones anxious and sad. but i guess its like. content ending? idk

@midnightpretenders0 hi i have orangekip to serve to you sorry

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

Cassidy stared up at the ceiling, listening to the silence lingering in the bathroom. This was the first time he had time for himself all week, having to constantly appear in events and do stuff for television and then behind the scenes, and so on. Obviously he knew this was part of his job, but after losing his status as the champion a long time ago, Cassidy didn’t really think they would still try to keep him this busy.

On one hand, he didn’t mind it. It kept his mind busy, kept him on track, let him see friends and other people, and it didn’t allow him the time to stop to think about things that were bad for him for too long. It was all nice and dandy to him, honestly.

But then on the other hand, Cassidy was exhausted. Tired. Running around for weeks on end, so much traveling and being around other people also took it’s toll on him.

And most of all, he just felt guilty about not having enough time to spend around Kip anymore.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with him. Their schedules were constantly clashing now, and every time one of them was free, the other one wasn’t. And when they were both maybe free, one of them didn’t have the energy to spend the free day or the evening or whatever time they had together anymore. Social exhaustion was getting to both of them, especially after having been out of this loop for a long time, both at their own turns, so getting back to the grind was really hard for both of them.

Cassidy sighed, sinking a little deeper into his bath. The water felt nice, it was warm and relaxing, and he honestly just enjoyed looking at the little bubbles, even if his original intention was absolutely to use them to hide his body from view. The last thing he wanted to look at after this week was the new bruises that he had acquired from work, and if some stupid little bubbles were helping with that, then so be it. At least they were adding up to the relaxation.

He closed his eyes, but was soon disturbed as Cassidy could hear the hotel room door opening. He frowned a little, but didn’t bother to do anything about it. They had finally managed to be in the same town together after what felt like weeks, so they had arranged for a shared hotel room. Though Cassidy had to ask himself if it had been a mistake, knowing that he really needed some time alone after this week, he also knew saying no to Kip after all this time was going to be really hard. For both of their sakes.

Cassidy listened as the footsteps walked around the room, followed by what sounded like wheels of a suitcase. It stopped after a while, silence falling back into the room. Cassidy sighed quietly, trying to settle into a comfortable spot in the bath. Kip was aware of his current activity, Cassidy had made sure to inform him beforehand that he needed this time to relax for a bit. He hadn’t exactly said to let him be while he was in here, but Cassidy was hoping the tone of the texts was enough.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with Kip. But he just really needed some quiet alone time right now.

Almost on cue there was a soft knock on the door, barely audible. Cassidy opened his eyes, staring back at the blank white ceiling, trying not to sound too annoyed. It was really hard, but at the same time he was hoping maybe Kip would just check in on him and let him know he had arrived. He knew Kip didn’t do this on purpose, there was always a reason to his madness, but Cassidy was just really, really tired.

“Yeah.”

The door opened, Cassidy asking himself why he left it unlocked in the first place as a familiar face peeked inside, Kip sending him a little sheepish smile from the doorway. Almost on cue Cassidy perked up a little as his eyes landed on the other man, even in the terrible fluorescent lighting of the bathroom he could see from his face that something was not alright.

“No, no, don’t get up, it’s fine.”

Kip knew this reaction too well by now, trying to mask his exhausted, anxious look behind a smile. He knew he failed immediately as Cassidy just grew more and more concerned looking the longer he observed Kip’s face. “I promise you, it’s fine. Please, don’t get up. I just wanted to let you know I’m here.”

Cassidy looked at him, expecting Kip to just leave the doorway at that point with those words, but he stood by, fidgeting with the door handle instead. He obviously didn’t want to talk about it, as messed up as he looked, but he also clearly had woken up the worry in Cassidy enough that he just wasn’t going to let it go that easily. However, Cassidy also knew how hard it was to get Kip to talk at times, and this one was very much looking like he wasn’t going to get a peep out of him either.

“…Come here.”

Kip glanced towards him, a somewhat questioning look on his face. He had fully expected Cassidy to tell him to leave, that they would talk later. Instead he watched as the blond sat up in the tub, hand lifting up from the water and bubbles, motioning him closer. With a bit of hesitance in his step, Kip obliged, walking up to him. Cassidy motioned towards the floor, Kip following instructions to take a seat on it.

Trying not to get his clothes too wet, Cassidy carefully pulled Kip closer, resting his head against his shoulder. Kip didn’t resist, but Cassidy could feel him being tense about the whole situation. Leaning his head against Kip’s, he sighed quietly. This wasn’t how he had intended this night to go, but the distress was so obvious he couldn’t ignore it. Hell, he didn’t want to ignore it. Be as exhausted as he was, there was one person that came up in priority before himself, and that was the man now sitting on the bathroom floor next to him.

“I—”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Cassidy cut him off, feeling Kip tensing up again at his words. “You don’t have to explain. It’s okay.”

He could feel Kip trembling a bit. Not that he was hiding it, but the audible sniffle was definitely a giveaway. Cassidy lifted up a hand, running it through Kip’s hair and stopping to play with the overgrown coils behind his head as the sobs coming from him were more and more difficult to hide with each one.

“It’s okay.”

[mrcrowblargs]

The final battle... to confront the Netherbrain. Even though I had gotten more used to switching up the party during Act 3, I wanted to have my favourites along, though I ended up choosing Lae'zel over Karlach because one Lae'zel quest thing remained.

So it was Aldiirn, Astarion, Gale, and Lae'zel, all in for a big headache. End spoilers below!

big brain! big scary brain! Throwing the Netherstones was scream inducing. They gave a variety of options for each throw but it was always my weak stats grouped together lmao. Aldiirn passed the first INT check, then fucking whiffed the second CHA check because I just assumed I would pass and hit continue... but then I kinda got the sense passing or failing would not make much difference here and... yup.

Empy scoops us up into the Astral Prism and it's Orpheus time, babey. Freeing Orpheus was no question but I did question, "what if I became the mindflayer" which prompted Astarion to be like, "could we have an aside, privately? You're not really going to throw away that pretty face of yours?????" very cute.

Aldiirn knew Emperor was vehemently against freeing Orpheus, but hoped he could convince Emperor to see reason. Like they all got the same goals, they can all combine their power, we can talk Orpheus into cooling don his blood feud for the sake of a bigger bad. Aldiirn's a fucking bard with +15 Persuasion if anyone could do it, it would be him, but--- NO!!! EMPEROR HAD TO BE A GODDAMN BITCH AND SWITCHED SIDES LIKE. IMMEDIATELY. NO DISCUSSION. BRUH.

Also one thing I feel there was a missed opportunity on was confronting Emperor over, hey buddy weren't you the mindflayer that put tadpoles in our heads??? It's definitely Emperor in the opening scene. I really wanted to hear from it about what happened on the nautiloid but all we got were like, some records in Gortash's palace and it's ambiguous if Emperor was of itself at the time. alas.

Gave Lae'zel the honours to free Orpheus aaaand here's the mindflayer conversation all over again. And like, shit, after everything that was done to free the guy and drive the githyanki revolution, becoming the mindflayer felt most in character for Aldiirn. I'm pretty sure I sat over the decision for a solid ten minutes like WONT SOMEONE PERSUADE ME OUT OF THIS lmao. But Astarion kinda had with the aside before. I might make a comic to flesh out the moment like... I think it would be a good one of the party backing Aldiirn up to choose his own freedom after pushing for everyone else's.

Orpheus became the mindflayer, tragic but necessary. I felt so bad for Lae'zel. Uuggh the emotion in her face here.

and then the goofiest smile ever in High Hall haha. Everyone from Gather Your Allies being mushed in there felt a little contrived but, what the hell, SUMMON YOUR SOCIAL LINKS!!! I love a good friendship moment.

Hooboy the battles here really gave the D&D experience: waiting 40 minutes for your turn in initiative to show up. IDK why but at first I thought it would be a brilliant idea to surround the enemy but soon realised it turned the battle into an immediate slog. Reload, and instead fought starting from the wall on the west side. Got this nice little screencap of my mans fighting side by side even though neither should be anywhere near melee haha.

I have to say, I think I would have preferred that all the companions be allowed into the battle over the ally summons for the final battle. At least the origin ones. I want to replay it at some point with the party limit begone mod.

The tower was the hardest part, getting up past that stupid statue that COULDNT BE BROKEN DOWN... Aldiirn and Lae'zel could fly but Astarion and Gale couldn't even see where to teleport. It's SO annoying that Dimension Door has to be a point you can see now, its whole thing in 5e was that you didn't need to.

Whenever Gale brings up exploding himself I wanna do that Archer slap fest bit to him. Buddy, no, we are ALL getting out of this alive!

Up we go to the brain of the bad bitch herself and THE BIGGEST TRAITOR BITCH!!!!!! okay but bringing out the dream visitors to fight was cool. Seems Aldiirn's got reverted to the default drow dude (he should have had similar green skiin and short white hair) and I'm guessing the others are just kinda like, stock random ones. Looks like they are all human female. Would have been nice to see ones tailored for each companion you bring. Then they can all chide each other later like "so THAT'S what you find attractive?" hehe

Remember I stole that runepowder bomb from Wulbren? Yeah, I brought it with me as a parting gift for Emperor. Threw the bomb at its feet and then KA-BOOM!!!!! Wiped out Empy, all the Guardians, and fucked up everything else INCLUDING ALDIIRN. I have no idea WHAT happened -- maybe Emperor's shield of thralls??? -- because I'm certain he was behind Lae'zel when she threw & exploded the bomb and she was kind. Aldiirn just fucking dropped dead behind her. I just laughed and rolled with it, Astarion got Aldiirn back on his feet.

Fight was good, the most annoying bit were the Mindflayers and Dominating Aylin AGAIN. I swear to got that woman can never pass a WIS save.

And then when we got to the unshakeable will of the netherbrain???? Lae'zel fucking shredded it with 9 attacks. Astarion gets a crit with an Arrow of Aberration Slaying (but no sneak attack). It's hanging on by a thread.

Aldiirn enters.

"TWIT"

"TWAT"

"TWERP"

fucking. Vicious Mockeried the BBEG to death. The most legendary goddamn move a Bard can ever do. No other bard I play will ever top that.

Down she goooooes and oh fuck everyone's getting fucked from the tadpoles dying in their heads

And then... silence. it's over. Aldiirn has his cute face back I wanted to sob seeing it again. I really expected more consquences for taking the Astral tadpole but... still, I wanted him to survive and enjoy the rest of his life.

But of course there were still things to go wrong.

Lae'zel and Orpheus, I couldn't let Lae'zel devote her life to another cult and endless war when she could have her own freedom, forge her own destiny, so I persuaded her to stay on Faerun. Orpheus went and committed sudoku which, eh, tbh I feel like he was weak willed for that. It does feel a bit like everything done to free Orpheus was for naught but Lae'zel deserves a chance to live her own life.

Side note, I was amused that Aldiirn apparently still had his Illithid Expertise feature as that was his source of Persuasion Expertise at the end heh.

continuing the mood of "fuck doing anymore quests" I told Gale to leave the crown in the river... completely fucking forgetting that Mystra was gonna remove the orb in exchange for it afhdjkfsd. I like to think it keeps Aldiirn awake at night sometimes. "why did he listen to me. why hasn't he gone back for it. all our brains were fried right then why couldn't any of you make your own decisions." lmao.

and POOR ASTARION. Just fucking fried right there in the beautiful sun. Gale's like "well we'll never see him again" UH BRO WHAT??? PLEASE JUST HOLD THE OTHER END OF THIS FUCKING TARP SO WE CAN GET HIM INSIDE SOMEWHERE. Thooouuughhh I headcanon that Aldiirn cast Darkness on Astarion and tell him to hold on while another pressing matter ignites...

Karlach, baby, noooo!!! Promising to be with Karlach at the end is the only reason Aldiirn wouldn't immediately chase after Astarion and, yeah. Aaa my eyes were tearing so much. I thought back to her post-Gortash breakdown and was like, "karlach. you want to live. you SHOULD get to live. Go with Wyll to Avernus."

Kicking demon ass never looked so good. I figure, there's some hellish real estate opening, those two should look into it, and the REAL celebration party should be at the House of Hope so everyone can be there. :D

Aldiirn would have gone with Karlach and Wyll, but he's needed on this plane.

God, Astarion looks so hollow when he mentions losing his time in the sun. Aldiirn wants that back for him so badly, but also needs a fucking break from adventuring. I headcanon that reverting the partial illithid transforation was not a clean cut thing by any measure and Aldiirn has a longer road to recovery ahead of him. But he's not gonna sit idle. There's thousands of vampire spawn in is home, the Underdark, that need guidance, and just maybe a bardy bard is just the type needed to inspire them to band together. Aldiirn's gotta know of a large enough abandoned megadungeon that could house them all while they work to support themselves. And then, when he's in good enough shape, Aldiirn will find a way for Astarion to bask in the sun again.

[dez-wade]

Omg idk if you use Twitter but I needed to quickly rant and you also have an interesting perspective on the aspects of the fandom that people usually avoid talking about. So I went on Twitter and saw that someone had made a tweet about how people need to realise that hating on a cc (they were talking about BBH just didn’t name him) is pointless because they’re going to be with your faves on new years hanging out etc etc the tweet was whatever and as usual people were fighting in the comments and qrts as they do then suddenly Lore (Cellbits gf) decided to comment and now it’s an even bigger thing and she was talking about how everyone (in the fandom not the ccs) tries to make everything a big event and that the cc being spoken about in the tweet isn’t even going to be there because a lot of them are spending the holidays with their families etc and her response is not a bad take at all I understand what she’s saying but by replying the whole thing has become an even bigger argument. I need ccs and ccs adjacent people such as their partners to stop adding fuel to the fire by directly responding to tweets that don’t need to be replied to in these issues because now you’ve got one side being like “See she hates him too and he’s not even going to be there speak your truth queen yeah!!” And then the other side is like “wow imagine airing out the friendships between people online and she’s inviting hate towards him etc etc” and it’s just so ugh… what was the need for this to become a bigger issue. If the tweet was like directly talking shit about her or Cellbit I’d he like yeah ofc she replied why shouldn’t she? but this didn’t directly impact her at all?? And I’m not someone to hate on Lore I think she’s wonderful but this was just so unneeded and has now created an even bigger issue that was just between the fandom has now involved ccs/people related the ccs for no reason

I understand Lore's sentiment, but the twitter fandom is too annoying and it went completely over their head what she meant. Or rather, they just twisted it for their narratives.

I'm also someone who's not very keen on ccBad either after the Dream situation, but just because you think in a way, it doesn't mean everyone does. And I see a lot of people make up stuff about this situation, like the eggs admins hating him too (like Richas or Leo) so even though Lore is just a normal girl who dates a popular streamer, that's enough for most people to take her opinion and create a huge drama over it. So in my opinion, she should have avoided talking about this mostly for her own sake. Especially when it's just a very annoying, but small, part of the fandom discussing this drama. I know her intentions were different, but the fandom won't care. It's always been like this.

She tweeted about stopping people from treating their meetings as an event since they're just friends hanging out and people immediately did the opposite lol

Regardless I hope that's the type of drama that sticks on Twitter and doesn't affect anything else. They know way more than we do, they actually know and talk with each other, we're just watchers from afar we don't know anything about them as much people like to think they do. They're all adults capable of talking with each other and we should respect that instead of meddling about what friends they have or don't.

[dxwnfxll]

Spicy Jack Bright x Reader ?

Sure! (At least i shall try lolol)

For everyones sake i'm gonna use the version I came up with for 'Dr Bright/Shaw' which is Dr. Ambrose

Sorry for so many name changes but this should be the LAST time.

Dr. Amar spicy time

Dr. Amar has a male body for this, but will use any pronouns

-You and Jack were just chilling around the office, you two were in a relationship and have been in one forrr a couple months?

-Jackhad begun to get more *clingy* towards you, always wanting to be near you and touch you. You could probably already guess as to why, so you just prepared yourself for the day she'll finally ask you

-after all you've heard 'stories' about his 'lovemaking' how they're a damn masochist, how rough she can be so you just mentally prepared yourself. After all you DID want this lol

-You heard Jacks chair move as he got up and walked over to you, you looked up at him as he just looked down at you with a smile

-you smiled back at him before he sat next to you on the couch she totally didn't steal from someone elses office.

-they held your face in their hand before leaning in and kissing you, you closed your eyes as you leaned into the kiss

-she held your sides as their kiss got more 'hungry' as if he had been craving this for so long, which most likely they had

-you felt yourself fall back onto the couch as she was above you, he grabbed your arms holding them above you as they looked down at you smirking "you've been waiting for this huh?"

-you didn't know what to say as you could feel your face grow red, they leaned in for another kiss before trailing the kiss from your jaw down to your neck

-you gasped as they kissed 'the spot', Jack bit down immediately as they heard the gasp. Which in turn made you moan and squirm a bit under her

-they leaned back up once they thought their work was good enough and proceeded to kiss down stopping once they reached your chest.

-they let go of your hands "you sure you're ready for this?" You nodded as you felt your shirt become discarded elsewhere leaving you bare.

-eventually both of your clothes were off, and you both were back into a deep makeout session on the damn couch

-she was between your legs, your legs wrapped around him as you two continued your lil makeout sesh

-eventually he pulled up "ready for this pookie?" You frowned at the name as she laughed "sorry babe, you know me"

-with that you felt them enter slowly a gasp escaping your lips as they did so.

-man was she a 'beast in the sheets' of course they took it slow if you asked, but you were still covered in marks and so was she

-she's really driven by pain, oh yeah all those times of dying has realllly affected their 'kinkyness'. She's not wanting you to bring a sledgehammer into the bedroom though, but she definitely loves it if you're also a lil rough in bed

-whatever body he's in will depend on how they act in bed, of course they'll be rough either way but sometimes if they have a 'fembod' she'll definitely want you to call her 'mistress' in bed

-idk what else to write for this as i'm bad at spiciness

Hope you enjoyed this requests always open!

[acourtofquestions]

Elain Archeron deserves more credit as a character…

I know some people get frustrated by her whether it be blamed on her naivety, or abandonment of Feyre, or “doe-eyed-damsel” vibe — HOWEVER — might I also argue in favor of her other qualities & defense of these three… (I am not trying to invalidate anyone else’s opinions, just share my own)… especially as I tend to be someone who can see multiple facets to an argument & just enjoys enjoying characters & the fandom for the sake of why it exists & what it is; a chance to enjoy something & celebrate the voice it gives… I am also not claiming she is perfect; I would not claim ANY of the Archeron sisters (or any characters period) ARE perfect; at least not good ones (good heroes are flawed, good villains can be heroic… or at least they are my favorites). — Often I find good writing exists within flaws…

A big one for me off the bat as a whole series relies on the age of these characters: yes Elain is Feyre’s “big sister” but she was still a child. At the end of the day though her & Nesta could’ve done differently, the true job & responsibility (/failure) lies heaviest upon the adults; the parents, the village, etc. it’s not “removing blame” or “giving excuses” just there to say these things should never be any child’s “job”.

Another big one I think we need to address moving forward is that Elain Archeron is NO LONGER naive; perhaps she was at one point; but entering into ACOTAR (5/6/4.5? 5&1/2 idk lol) she is not. Recognizing characters where they are; not where they have been; occasionally where they are going; but right now REALLY where they ARE… and wherever that is for her, it has been given time & plot points to show; she & it have changed. … She is the one who first slayed Hybern! — He may have been evil, but taking a life is not without cost. … She is a character that has also experienced serious trauma (comparing them isn’t a fair game) & as she later states ‘everyone frequently makes HER trauma into THEIR effect’ ‘forgetting what she went through in the first place’… there is a sadness to it, to the lost innocence, but it needs to be acknowledged as that. … Another being that the job of being the “happy” one is not without its own burden. — As Feyre states (quoting incorrectly on lazy memory along the lines of); ‘there was something incredibly strong and terribly brave about remaining hopeful even amongst such horror’ — THAT is Elain. … While she may have experienced a different side of loss, it was STILL loss nonetheless; where Feyre never felt loved in the first place, and Nesta never experienced a non-transactional compassion; Elain felt loved, & consequently felt the loss of it. Elain remembers their mother where Feyre does not, Elain was adored by her mother unconditionally where Nesta was taught with cruelty; Elain was beloved. & Elain felt the loss of it; over, & over, & over again. Elain was given magic where as Nesta had to steal/stole it; yet despite the gift the cauldron still stole back; it stole Elain’s mind & humanity (for a time) nonetheless. — Elain had a life & dreams, & every piece of the life she had wished & come so close to grasping in forever was stolen… And she was sent splintered through time barely knowing herself anymore… — While she grew in Nesta’s shelter and Feyre’s provision, she also fractured; while they lost her, she was stolen in the dead of night; where Feyre witnessed a moment of Briar’s torment & saved her, Elain spent hours watching all the others die with no cursebreaking savior or power to save them let alone herself (like when Aelin says ‘how terrible & odd it must be to not have any defense or not know how’)… — Elain was not a spared innocent in the war; she lost her innocence to it; and there is something terribly heartbreaking about that, because there was a time before when she knew & was such things; something was lost.

Now on the earlier note of their childhood: Yes, Elain did not go into the woods with Feyre. When Tamlin came she cowered behind her sisters. She blissfully glimmered in the world. And she very well should/could have done more; they all could have been better to each other; but for those older siblings out there you probably have seen the blessed wide-eyed innocence that you cannot bear to break (it would be like kicking a puppy) you just cannot do it; Nesta & even Feyre felt that with Elain (they didn’t want to take that “innocence” from her) There are moments like Robin (yes, another Swift reference, sry not sry); “The secret we all vowed to keep it, from you, in sweetness”. And for you younger siblings you probably also know all you saw, learned not to do, & possibly relished in shelter (or later resented & felt hidden by) Nesta also gave her this (from a place of good heart of course). And for you out there; you know; As a middle child you / she got both. … She did not ask to be sheltered nor did she fight against it; but why would she, when she was given every reason NOT to do so? — Perhaps it was selfish, perhaps it was ignorant, but it is not all she ever was. … As Feyre also makes a point to mention (frustratingly “unknowing” as it may have felt at the time) Elain bought her paint, she did not understand the stress of the cost, but she still did (& once again Feyre didn’t tell her; because yes, she carried the burden. Because yes; it was kind, it was still kind. & while I am not arguing that it wasn’t damaging, Feyre should not have gone through what she did, I am saying it isn’t all Elain’s fault either) I state this because this piece of Elain is one of my favorites — Elain is extremely kind in the most genuine of ways that has not changed even after everything, Elain spends so much time watching & gathering detail; she notices even that which makes the shadows laugh, Elain can make the shadows brighter; the cabin colorful; her sister have 1 nice thing & memory; & Elain (even in all her innocence sees & the more) in all her light she does not cower. Not from shadow or venom or thorns. … Elain has the patience to tend to flowers & the grit to withstand thorns. Elain is a giver & a helper & a lover. These things are gifts not to be downplayed.

She is NOT a damsel. Even while being saved she helps save Briar. She does not cower. She first slays Hybern! She saves her sisters! Elain is NOT a damsel!!! — Nor do I think it fair to hate on her gentler traits for being too “old school feminine” or equal her as the sum of only them alone.

Largely I also love the traits she does share as a non-stereotype (rule-breaking) Archeron for instance her stubbornness; (though her treatment of Lucien is severely complicated & sad) there is an element of familiar familial humor to the fact she is not just “going along” with anything. She is also genuinely funny in her own nature that is often very laughter inducing: the scene where Nesta curses her out is absolute genius, her gift to Azriel is room-brightening in its levity & light. Elain is fiercely loyal (& Elain is not a dog either). Elain is the one there for Feyre with Nyx. And Elain does come for Nesta too. She comes back, she forgives (why can’t we?).

And yes their relationships are severely complicated but these things always are! Personally, I look forward to seeing more aspects of her character going forward… and the sisterhood it brings! … I guess my point is more about that going forward; regardless of right & wrong (in fictional morality)they have forgiven, they are trying to be apart of each others lives. Whether you agree they should or shouldn’t they did. Feyre is happy right now, as is Nesta, Elain deserves the same… So maybe we can take a moment & appreciate what there is.

[ariariari-freehounreal]

If I do make this, for coherency sake I think that the combine should provide housing to citizens (shitty little assigned apartments) and when they take GLaDOS in, after processing her they assign her to live in the same apartment complex as Chell so that’s how they meet.

Also GLaDOS can see with the eyepatch over her optic because the fabric is kinda sheer and also she just has that good robot vision. Though her vision is impaired when she wears it.

I also thought it would be neat if GLaDOS suffers from a bit of brain fog due to being in a smaller body with less processing power, and it really makes her angry because she *knows* she’s smart and can be smarter. Maybe, ironically, she sometimes becomes sensitive about her intelligence being insulted. (Who’s the moron NOW?) Perhaps there can be a heavy scene where Chell and GLaDOS are bickering or there’s some sort of scuffle and Chell implies that GLaDOS isn’t as smart as her or says something about her skills worsening as an insult and GLaDOS gets WAY too mad abt it and they end up talking it out and GLaDOS explains the brain fog.

Also, sadly, I think P-body and Atlas would have to die during the Combines assault, unless they were taken into custody hoping to use them in some way.

If I go with the route of them dying, I want there to be something in there about GLaDOS grieving them almost like her children. Not like full on sobbing why couldn’t it be me grief but like, she’s sad and angry and mad at herself for being unable to do more, though she doesn’t really express it. It’s more hinted at yk?

ALSO I want this to take place during the events of half life 2 or shortly after. I thought it might be neat to have something like GLaDOS doing under the table trading (physical or info) and assistance for the resistance in exchange for certain stuff like parts and general goods (maybe even food for Chell later on?)

Idk if they’d really meet with the half life dudes at any point face to face or if it would just be stated or implied, but if they do I was thinking maybe Kleiner like goes out of his way at some point to have a gift basket delivered to chell because they’re interested in working with her and everyone else is like ARE YOU STUPID why would you do that.

If I go with that idea either way, maybe near the end when they’re on the run they join the resistance or use one of their bases as a hideout in exchange for information

Maybe a spy arc would be cool!

Also, GLaDOS built her android with like super strength but she feigns weakness when it’s necessary to not draw suspicion. But like, obv if some combine bastard is trying to beat her up or something she isn’t gonna let it slide. Operation broken wing ong. (yk, like how birds pretend to be injured to lure predators away from their eggs?)

I think Chell would be not only touch starved badly but also really sensitive about touch and nervous/iffy abt it. She’s probably been through a lot in the city, being beaten by the combine or something

Sorry for the huge paragraph, just writing down ideas here so I don’t forget. Might add more later.

Android!GLaDOS from this dream I had where aperture got overrun and before they destroyed the Mainframe GLaDOS backed herself up into a realistically human android and they thought she was a test subject so they helped her get out.

She wore an eyepatch because she couldn’t really hide her optic or she wouldn’t be able to see

She tells people that her optic is a prosthetic eye she had to get after an accident, but the actual prosthetic is the ‘normal’ eye

Chell had been on the surface for a few years when she ran into GLaDOS while applying for a job in a city [THE WORLD IS OVERRUN BY COMBINE STILL AHHHH] And she got the job and they became friends and had a slow burn and then Chell discovered her real identity and was like. [shocked ASL noises!] but then GLaDOS was like

I’m your only chance at getting out of this place

So they lesbianly teamed up while in their workplace situationship and awkwardly flirted their way to GLaDOS committing violence against a police officer bc the combine discovered she was a robot and they tried to grab Chell bc they were like

This citizen is in danger!

And GLaDOS just pulled out a Glock and shot him and was like that’s MYYY girl and then they started a police chase and then I woke up

Maybe I should make this into a fanfic

[jschllatt]

𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐁𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 | 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦

Prompt: (Based off of the song I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys) Clay’s recent fame leads to a difficult decision to be made. Months later, he’s still regretful. You seem to be fine, so why can’t he move on, too? 

Warnings: Swearing, alcohol consumption, slight angst

Pairing: Dream x GN!Reader

Words: 2.5k

Masterlist

I spent a week on this and idk how I feel about it but I hope you enjoy <3

Clay had been consumed by an overwhelming emptiness, his entire body hollow as the lack of your presence took its toll. 

Two months. Two devastating months had passed since he’d made a grave mistake, and now he was facing the agonous repercussions. He was a mess—anyone could see it. Between his long, disheveled hair, the light scruff that covered his face, and his bloodshot eyes, it was clear that Clay’s mind had been somewhere else. And it had been. Every passing second was a constant reminder of his solitude, causing the emptiness in his heart to evolve into a deep, incessant void, no longer inhabited by the happiness you had ingrained in him just months before. Why? Clay was overcome with a sense of deep regret as a result of your absence, feeling more alone than he ever had before. What could have possibly happened to make him feel this way? To make you leave? The answer was rather simple—he was just too damn busy. 

Clay had dedicated a considerable amount of time to his career, filming or streaming during the little free time he had. As he grew more popular, the time that you had spent in each other’s presence dwindled significantly, each day becoming lonelier than the last. Your interactions with him had shortened drastically—what were once long, lingering kisses placed on your forehead had devolved into chaste pecks, void of any true care or meaning. While you understood entirely that Clay’s career was important, you found yourself slowly losing hope.

You realized it one day as he was filming. 

It was a day no different from the last. Clay was recording a Manhunt video in his office, his voice shrill as he begged his friends for mercy. He was always loud when he filmed, and though you had chastised him for it countless times, he never listened. A loud sigh escaped your lips, going unheard, and you shifted your position on the couch, uncomfortable. Everyday seemed to be the same—each as lonely and frustrating as the last. Clay’s ignorance only fueled your apathy towards your relationship more, and you couldn’t help but find yourself growing hopeless at the thought of Clay being unaware of your unhappiness. Your troubled thoughts continued until a week had passed—a long, grueling week in which you had hopelessly tried to burrow your apathetic thoughts. But you couldn’t. You were giving up. The realization of your unhappiness made a pit grow in your stomach. You knew that you cared about Clay, but you couldn’t keep living the way you were—tired, unacknowledged, pitiful. 

And so, you let him go.

Clay was editing by the time you gathered the courage to face him, your stomach nauseous as you approached his office door. A light knock signaled your presence, and Clay muttered a quiet ‘come in,’ his voice raspy after hours of unuse. Blowing out a breath, you entered the room, your expression sullen upon noticing Clay’s inattentiveness. His eyes were still glued to his monitor, deeply focused on editing rather than your presence. You waited for a few seconds, silently hoping he would pay you any mind, but he didn’t. A wave of disappointment washed over you, though you managed to keep your voice steady as you declared, “We should break up.” Clay tensed in his seat, suddenly fixated on your words rather than the hours worth of footage he was editing. His chair turned with a quiet squeak as he swiveled around to face you. “What?” You sensed the subtle indignation of his tone as he squinted confusedly at your abrupt words. “We should break up.” You were much quieter this time, unable to meet his eyes as your words died silently in the tense air. You wrung your hands together anxiously as you leaned back on your heels, feeling awkward under Clay’s intense gaze. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe you should’ve just stayed quiet and dealt with it. Maybe—

“Okay.” 

Immediately, your eyes flickered up to meet his, filled with a silent desperation as you searched his emerald irises for any indication of his intentions. Nothing. 

“Okay?”

Clay remained silent for a moment, his body stiff as he leaned back in his noisy chair. His expression was inscrutable as he stared at you blankly, trying to find the right words to say as he watched your face remain solemn at his confound brevity. His voice was level as he spoke, “I know I’ve been busy lately. We haven’t spent a lot of time together and that’s my fault. I could sit here and promise to change, but we both know I can’t—not right now.” Though you felt your heart shatter, you knew he was right. His job was too important, too time consuming.

A nod signaled your understanding and you turned to leave, feeling overwhelmingly dejected. 

“Hey.” You turned around to meet Clay’s eyes, noticing the hurt that was settled in them. “I hope you know I care about you.” You fought the urge to cry and shot him a watery smile, struggling to keep your tone unwavering as you agreed, “Me too.”

Two months had passed. 

Clay had been struggling. Everyone knew it—his friends, family, even his fans. It was clear that the once cheerful, happy man had become melancholy, suddenly depressed and unable to hide his unhappiness on camera. There had been numerous speculations of why this was, but only few knew the truth. Sapnap was among one of them and had been staying at Clay’s for the past month, creating content with his best friend while simultaneously making sure he was okay. Though two months had passed, Clay was still a mess. Perhaps it was because it hadn’t hit him that day. He had momentarily convinced himself that his career was more important than you, but deep down he knew that wasn’t true. He wanted so desperately to reach out to you, but assumed you had moved on—another incorrect belief of his. Clay cooped himself up in his home, never leaving unless it was urgent. He had sunken into a deep depression and the only remedy for his pain was you. You. He treated you so poorly. Everyday was a constant reminder of your absence and it was his fault. He could’ve made more time for you, or at least spent the free time he had with you. 

Remorseful thoughts ran through his head everyday, nearly driving himself crazy, and Sapnap knew he needed to get Clay out of the house. 

“There’s a party tonight, I think we should go.” Clay immediately denied the offer with a shake of his head, grumbling to himself. His best friend sighed indignantly, blowing out a breath of frustration before stating, “You don’t have a choice, you need to get out of the house.” Sapnap stood his ground, arms crossed as he stared at Clay sternly. A minute had passed and Clay, aware of his best friend’s stubbornness, gave in begrudgingly, “Fine, but only for an hour.” Sapnap grinned triumphantly, exiting the room with a smirk. He slammed the door behind him, heading back to his room while yelling, “And shave, for fuck sake.” Clay shook his head, cracking a small smile at his friend’s words.

The party was overwhelming to say the least. Bodies swarmed the crowded living room, reeking of alcohol and sweat. Music blared from a speaker, a shrill, nearly deafening melody that was sure to give Clay a headache by the end of the night. The room was buzzing with conversation, every word drowning out in the loud atmosphere. Almost immediately, Clay was passed a beer, and he lifted the bottle to his lips to take a swig. If Sapnap was going to make him stay here, he may as well take some edge off while doing so. A few minutes had passed and he finished the bottle, discarding it in a bin nearby. “I’m gonna go get another drink.” Clay muttered to Sapnap, who was talking loudly to a group of people he’d recognized. His best friend patted his back in response, chuckling as he gave him a playful shove towards the kitchen. Stumbling through the drunken crowd, Clay soon broke free as he neared his destination. He grabbed a beer, opening it skillfully off of the edge of a table, and turned around wordlessly. Taking a big sip, he hoped to free his mind from thoughts of you. Though he wasn’t one to drink, especially when upset, Clay knew that, aside from you, alcohol was the only other solution to temporarily mask his pain. He’d already drank half before he warned himself to slow down, knowing that if he got too drunk, he’d probably do something he regretted. Turning around so he could rejoin Sapnap, Clay nearly dropped his drink on the floor, feeling his heart drop. 

His eyes met yours. And then, he heard the music. 

I wanna be your vacuum cleaner

Breathin’ in your dust.

Clay felt his breath hitch in his throat, noticing the surprise in your eyes as you stared at him, astonished. As he stood there, staring at you shamelessly, he regretted it—everything. He regretted how he neglected you, ignored you, prioritized all of the wrong things when the only right thing in his life was right in front of him: you. Memories flashed before his eyes, quick and familiar, yet saddening all the same. The way you smiled at him from across the room when he was filming, the way you held him when he was stressed, the way you spoke to him, softly, while he was streaming to check up on him. Everything.

I wanna be your Ford Cortina

I will never rust

You looked away, suddenly nervous, though the eye contact was all-too-familiar. You felt your heart begin to race as you processed every detail of Clay’s face—from his anxious expression to the dark circles beneath his eyes. He looked like a mess. But so did you. You mirrored most of his tired, dejected qualities because you, too, were hurting. 

If you like your coffee hot

Let me be your coffee pot

Snapping you out of your daze, you felt a tug on your arm. “Hey, you alright?” Your friend asked worriedly. Nodding briskly, you muttered a quiet ‘yeah’ and smiled in a poor attempt to sound convincing. Seconds passed, and you could still feel the intensity of Clay’s burning gaze as your friend tugged you through the crowd, handing you a drink in the process. You dared to look up, instantly locking eyes with Clay, and swallowed thickly. You knew you couldn’t avoid him forever, not when he was looking at you like that—desperate, longing. 

You call the shots, babe

I just wanna be yours

Lifting up the red solo cup to your lips, you downed its contents quickly, eliciting a few laughs and impressed hollers from your friends. You were never the type to drink, but you felt that it was necessary, especially when you knew Clay was still staring at you intently. Downing another shot, you risked glancing up towards Clay, but he was gone. Suddenly anxious as a result of his absence, you surveyed the room. Nothing. “I’m gonna go get a drink.” You said before you could stop yourself, not giving your friends the chance to answer you before you ventured into the kitchen. You tried to dodge the swaying, drunken bodies as you made your way quickly into the room, frowning upon entry. Clay wasn’t there either. You sighed, frustrated, and grabbed a beer, struggling to open it. You nearly laughed at your incompetence, feeling sadly nostalgic despite the humor you found in your struggles—Clay had always opened your beers, then teased you for being incapable. You fought back an onslaught of tears at the memory and sighed deeply, leaning against the table with your head in your hands. 

Secrets I have held in my heart.

“Hey.” Your body jolted at the sound of his voice. Daring to turn around, you felt your chest constrict at the sight of him clutching your now-opened beer, a sad smile plastered on his tired features. 

Are harder to hide than I thought. 

“Hey.” You breathed. Clay passed the beer to your shaking hand, trying to ignore the way his fingers brushed against yours. Chewing on the inside of his cheek nervously as he tried to find the right words to say, Clay admitted, “I’m sorry.” A few quiet moments passed, though they felt like an eternity, and you replied simply,  “Don’t be.” You tried to hide the tremor that shook your arm as you took another swig of your beer, noticing how Clay’s face fell in sudden disappointment. What? Did you say the wrong thing? You didn’t want Clay to feel guilty, to blame himself for your failed relationship though it was mostly his fault. Why? Because you cared about him. You could immediately sense the despair that washed over him. And, though you weren’t sure if it was the alcohol coursing through your veins or the pure adrenaline from the moment, you hugged him. 

Maybe I just wanna be yours

I wanna be yours

I wanna be yours

Clay tensed at your touch, wondering if the beer had gotten to him or if this really was happening. It was. He soon wrapped his arms around your waist, grip purposeful as he tugged you into him. Your head rested against his chest, the steady thumping of his heartbeat in your ear far more of a melodic sound compared to any music you’d ever listened to.

Wanna be yours

Clay swayed the two of you softly, resting his chin atop your head. You clung to him tightly, shutting your eyes as he held you, gentle. “I missed you so much.” You admitted before your mind could even process it. Clay chuckled, lowering his head so his lips were close to your ear, “I missed you more, baby.” You tried to fight the grin that plastered itself on your face as you took in his words, squeezing his torso with such force you were sure he’d explode. Clay went to speak again, caressing your sides so gently you could barely feel it, before being interrupted. 

“Holy shit, there you are, dumbass!” 

Sapnap. 

Clay pulled away from you to glare at his best friend, trying to ignore the shit eating grin on Sapnap’s face as he glanced at you. “My bad, I didn’t mean to interrupt...whatever the hell I just interrupted. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, but you clearly are.” Before either of you could respond, he left, shooting his friend a thumbs up before disappearing into the crowd. You couldn’t help but laugh at the interaction, noticing the slight rosiness Clay’s cheeks had suddenly sported, embarrassed. “Sorry about that, he…” Clay struggled to find the perfect word to describe his best friend, but trailed off. “Yeah.” You agreed, seemingly understanding what he meant despite his silence. Clay laughed, then. The sound was music to your ears, and when his smile faded, the two of you were serious again. Clay’s hand found refuge in yours as he began to speak, his face solemn as he confessed, “I lied. I can change. I will right now if you want me to—I’d do anything for you.” 

Wanna be yours

You smiled lovingly at the man, interlocking the fingers of his hand that wasn’t already occupied in yours, and pulled him closer to you, wanting him near. 

Wanna be yours

“Deal.”

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 308: VIBE: CHECKED

Previously on BnHA: Lots and lots of Shindou idk what else to tell you.

Today on BnHA: Tired Nomad Deku rescues Shindou from Muscular, and us from Shindou. Muscular is all “OH BOY I SURE CAN’T WAIT TO FIGHT DEKU AGAIN AFTER HE TOTALLY KICKED MY ASS THE LAST TIME!! I’M SURE THIS TIME WILL GO DIFFERENTLY SEEING AS HE’S HAD ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR’S WORTH OF ADDITIONAL TRAINING, AND ALSO HAS SIX FOURQUIRKS NOW, IN ADDITION TO THE CONFIDENCE THAT COMES WITH HAVING EIGHT OTHER PEOPLE’S SOULS CHILLING OUT INSIDE HIM OFFERING MORAL SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT.” Deku is all, “[kicks Muscular’s ass effortlessly].” Muscular is all, “[gets his ass totally kicked].” I for one am very satisfied with this, and with respect to all, I would like to hereby declare this post a discourse-free zone. I’m just happy to see my son out here making good use of his FOURQUIRKS, and more importantly beating Muscular in less than seventeen pages so we can all go on with our lives lol.

damn Deku since when were you allowed to look this cool

from this perspective and with the smoke, cape, backpack, and mask more or less obscuring his actual profile, he looks less like a sixteen-year-old boy and more like a grownass man

OH SNAP

we got a glimpse of this in the cleaned-up scan of 307, but seeing both of his eyes looking so distinctively All Might-esque here is... whoa. I mean we know that his face still looks pretty normal underneath the mask and he doesn’t actually have the black sclera, but still, this is an awesome look. mini-Might

lol Muscular

you and me both. I mean no offense, but yeah

so Deku is just standing there silently

typical Deku. tight-lipped and expressionless. mum’s the word. quiet as a mouse. silent as a grave

okay no but seriously this is so weird and creepy though you guys. Deku please say something or else I’m just gonna mindlessly say whatever stupid things come into my head in an effort to make things less awkward

so Muscular is all “I should probably make a cool speech about revenge but Horikoshi couldn’t think of anything good so I’m just going to stand here clenching my fist real slowly”

“I’m not here to go on a monologue” he says, as he monologues about not monologuing

okay you guys I confess I have only read through/watched the Deku VS Muscular fight once because the arm-breaking is just way too uncomfortable for me to revisit. and so as a result, I have completely forgotten Whatever The Deal Is with Muscular’s eye lmao so let me go look it up real quick

okay so it’s a prosthetic, obviously, and he changes it out according to his mood. that part does sound familiar. I just can’t remember which eye is supposed to indicate which mood. don’t tell me I actually have to go back and reread this shit

lol I’m skimming through chapter 75 now and remembering/realizing that I hardly paid any attention to this the first time around because as soon as I found out the villains were after Kacchan my brain was like “TIME TO FOCUS ON THIS AND ONLY THIS NOW AND FOREVER” and yeah. ah memories

anyway so he started out with the flower-looking eye, and then later on he was all

which begs the question, how on earth could I have ever forgotten the most ridiculous panel I’ve ever read lmao

anyway, but so after all of that, I'm only just now realizing that this isn't one of his previous eye prosthetics in the current chapter; this is an ACTUAL FUCKING ROCK that he's just randomly shoved into his eye socket fkdsjlk

so basically (1) I did all of that painstaking research for nothing, five whole minutes of my life wasted THANKS A LOT, and (2) what, and I have never meant this more emphatically, THE FUCK

anyway so now he's leaping at the building that Deku is standing on top of. but he’s not aiming anywhere near Deku though, wtf

(ETA: HAHA YOU BROKE ALL YOUR MUSCLES YOU LOSER.)

...huh

lmao okay then. I hope those annoying citizens in the building next door are watching this go down and rethinking their life choices

dlkdkljk

just keep standing there pressed right up against the window, why don’t you. “WHAT’S GOING ON THIS SUPER CLOSE COLLAPSING BUILDING IS BLOCKING OUR VIEW.” well, folks, we’ve long since known there’s a critical shortage of hero and villain brain cells, but what we’re learning now is that civilian brain cells are also in short supply

OH THANK GOD DEKU IS FINALLY TALKING THAT WAS ACTUALLY UNSETTLING AS FUCK

SO HE’S STILL OUR GOOD, POLITE, WORRIED, CONSIDERATE DEKU UNDERNEATH THAT COOL AND MYSTERIOUS VENEER. for real, thank fuck, because I swear to god if he suddenly started acting like the Dekus in all of the vigilante AUs my interest in this series would have dropped something like 50% lol. just because he dropped out of school and ran away from home and is currently dressed like the physical manifestation of a Linkin Park playlist doesn’t mean he’s not still the WORLD’S BIGGEST DORK okay

I MEAN, THIS RIGHT HERE. THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT. HE’S APOLOGIZING FOR THE DELAY

PLEASE FIND THE ATTACHED SHINDOU YOU REQUESTED. BEST REGARDS!!!

OH MY GOD WHY IS HE SUCH A BADASS

something about making bold, confident statements while obscured in smoke?? idk but damn it fucking works

ffjkkl

more importantly, should you tell him you actually need your copy of Shindou in excel format and not pdf?? on the one hand you don’t want to sound ungrateful, but on the other hand what are you even supposed to do with this

this chapter so far consists of like 50% smoke, but on the other hand Deku VS Kacchan 2 had a lot of cinematic smoke too so who am I to complain

OMG IS IT HIS ARMS

IDK DID YOU?! TELL ME YOUR SECRETS. PLEASE, AT SOME POINT THIS FIGHT HAS GOT TO ACTUALLY ADVANCE THE PLOT

OHHHHHHH

IT’S EN’S QUIRK!! OH MY GOD OKAY THAT’S ACTUALLY AWESOME

I CAN HEAR THE SOUND OF DISCOURSE RUMBLING IN THE BACKGROUND BUT I DON’T CARE LOL. WON’T CATCH ME EVER SAYING NO TO ANOTHER SIXQUIRK. GO AHEAD, BRING THEM ON, I WANT TO SEE THEM ALL but take it easy though Deku. don’t want to give yourself lung cancer or anything

also it’s good to see that in a very real sense he’s not fighting alone. the Vestiges really did mean it when they said they could appear more easily now. this is on a whole other level

so is this whole next page still En talking, or someone else? because whoever it is sure is chatty

okay, several things

pretty sure it is En, because he keeps saying “I suppose.” for someone who never said two words until one page ago, this guy sure never shuts up. we can’t all follow Muscular’s lead I suppose. oh my god now I’m doing it too

really like the suggestion of Deku using the SIXQUIRKS like tools in an arsenal, because that’s what he’s good at! it’s almost like he’s been training for this his entire life. “you value quirks too much” LOOK HE JUST THINKS THEY’RE COOL OKAY IS THAT A CRIME

where the fuck did all this rope come from

not gonna ask what the fuck that thing is sticking out from the back of his utility belt. Horikoshi will surely explain this

is that a fucking jetpack. I’m sorry Deku were six fucking quirks not enough for you. you can fucking float??? but JUST TO BE SAFE, LET’S STRAP A PAIR OF ROCKETS TO OUR SHOULDERS IDK

-- or wait, is this all supposed to be like a visual representation of En’s metaphor?? OH MY GOD AM I JUST STUPID LOL, DON’T ANSWER THAT. NEVER MIND. NEW LIST!!

rope = blackwhip

jetpack = float

radio = danger sense

and so I’m guessing that this ridiculously phallic thing is supposed to be a flare or something?? and that = the new quirk, smokescreen. well that was a fucking ride lmao we now return you to our regularly scheduled chapter

so now Deku is floating to his heart’s content and thinking that he’ll just sneak up on Muscular and vibe check his ass or whatever

WOOOOOOOO DANGER SENSE YESSSS I LOVE THIS FOR HIM

okay guys, I'm gonna press pause here for a sec to make a serious note, because I am loving the shit out of this, but tbh I'm having trouble enjoying it as much as I want to because I keep getting anxious thinking about the discourse. I know that a lot of the fandom has very strong opinions on Deku's character development one way or the other, and I want to respect that. but I also really have no spoons to debate this topic at all beyond what I’ve already weighed in on. so if it’s all the same to everyone, I plan on staying out of this discussion, at least this week

anyway! that said, YEAH BOI GET HIS ASS

VIBE: CHECKED. CURB: STOMPED. HOTEL: TRIVAGO

-- OF COURSE HE’S STILL FUCKING FINE LOL HE CRASHES INTO BUILDINGS FOR FUN IDK WHAT I WAS EXPECTING

dammit Muscular. how many fucking quirks does it take to beat you?! the annoying thing is that even with all of his cool new powers, Deku is still something of a mismatch against him. anyway r.i.p. to all these poor buildings

OOOOOHHHHH

you guys have no idea how intrigued I am at the prospect of watching Deku try to play both good cop and bad cop here lmao

anyway so Muscular says he doesn’t know, go figure

“I’m not here to make small talk or anything” he says as he small talks about not small talking

OH MY GOD DEKU

are you really gonna talk no jutsu all of these villains from now on?? that last battle really did have a profound impact on you, huh! interesting

you guys he’s really doing it omg

Deku this guy tried to murder a five-year-old literally just for fun. I mean more power to you, but holy shit you’re really gonna try to defeat Muscular with anger management therapy huh

I MEAN

WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THAT RESPONSE COMING dlkjslkjk

FUCK’S SAKE DEKU, I KNOW YOU MEAN WELL BUT THEY CAN’T ALL HAVE TRAGIC PASTS KIDDO

but. I have to admit, I do still like that he tried. probably knew just as well as we did what the end result was going to be, but still. he made the effort in good faith and I respect that

uh oh

why do I get the feeling Muscular just got a whole lot deader

oh my god oh my god he’s doing the “powering up” stance ffff don’t fucking tell me you can still use your fucking arms here, Deku

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WHAT’S THIS??

okay so basically he’s saying that whatever it was he sensed in Tomura, he doesn’t sense from Muscular. which, yeah, that sounds exactly right. good judge of character here lol

AHHHHAHAHA YESS

WHOOPS, GET FUCKED I GUESS

WOOOOHOOOOOOOO

lmao so apparently this is the belated result of Shindou’s attack from chapter 307?? I’ll be damned. good for you Shindou!! I always liked you buddy. please just take my word on that and don’t fact check that statement

okay lol the one tiny bit of discourse I will allow is that it’s bullshit that he just did that with his right arm. like, I’ll fully acknowledge that. that makes no fucking sense, and I demand an explanation from the Great Plot Hole Filler himself. he’s never let us down before when it comes to continuity so I’m trusting him not to suddenly start now

that said, we love to see a rematch against a boring guy settled quickly and decisively within the span of a single chapter. THANK YOU

I like that Deku implies that his power is being a smart nerd who battles villains using the power of ANALYTICS. he basically didn’t do anything except restrain Muscular and wait for Shindou’s attack to take effect while halfheartedly checking to see if he regretted any of that murder and stuff

(ETA: and almost forgot to mention, he made excellent use of all four of his active SIXQUIRKS. it’s like the chapter title said; this is basically him fighting all-out, and it’s a sight to see.)

also, as cool as the mask was, this just feels right. like, we had our fun, now let us see his face, yes good

anyway, I think this was a good start towards establishing What’s Up With Deku Right Now! so if it’s all the same to Horikoshi, I would next like to take some time to explore Why’s Up With Deku. that, and What’s Up With Everyone Else, Especially Kacchan. por favor