#if his right hand looks weird no it doesn't

[flwrkid14]

The Curious Case of Phantom

It starts during patrol.

At first, Tim barely notices the small, white blur with eerily green eyes trailing behind him as he scales rooftops and darts through alleys. Gotham’s stray population is no joke, so he figures it’s just another cat—until it keeps happening. Night after night, the same cat follows him like a shadow, no matter how far or fast he goes.

He tries to lose it, but somehow, it always finds him. And soon, he realizes the cat isn’t just following him—it’s helping.

One night, the cat leaps from a rooftop and claws a mugger who’s sneaking up behind Tim. Another night, it leads him to a drug deal in progress, meowing insistently until Tim follows.

It’s eerie how good the cat is at finding trouble, but it’s also undeniably useful. Tim names it Phantom, mostly because of its hauntingly white fur and the way it moves like a ghost in the shadows.

He’s not ready to admit that he’s started looking for the cat on patrol, waiting for it to show up like some unofficial partner.

———

Then Phantom starts showing up at Tim’s apartment.

The first time, Tim finds the cat sitting on his fire escape, staring at him through the window. He brushes it off as coincidence. But then it happens again. And again. Every night, Phantom is there, waiting.

Tim tries ignoring it, but Phantom doesn’t scratch or meow—it just stares, patient and expectant.

Eventually, Tim gives in and lets the cat inside. Phantom struts in like he owns the place, jumps onto Tim’s desk, and curls up right on top of his notes.

“Guess I have a cat now,” Tim mutters, scratching behind Phantom’s ears.

Phantom quickly becomes a fixture in Tim’s life.

He lounges on Tim’s lap during stakeouts, naps on his keyboard, and somehow always knows when Tim needs a break. Phantom is weird, though. His movements are too precise, too deliberate, and sometimes Tim swears he’s glowing faintly green.

But Tim doesn’t question it too much. Phantom’s good company, and Gotham’s seen stranger things.

———

The family eventually notices Phantom soon enough.

“You adopted a stray?” Dick asks when he visits Tim’s apartment. He crouches to pet the cat, who immediately swats at him. Dick recoils, laughing. “Okay, wow. Even the cat thinks I’m beneath him.”

“He doesn't seem to like new people,” Tim mutters, watching Phantom hop onto his desk like nothing happened.

Steph is obsessed. “He’s adorable! Can I post him?” she asks, taking a hundred photos of Phantom lounging on Tim’s keyboard. “He’s like your spooky little sidekick.”

Jason, on the other hand, has a reaction.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?” Jason yells the first time he sees Phantom.

Tim frowns. “It’s a cat, Jason. Calm down.”

“No, it’s not! That thing is glowing green, Tim! It’s haunted or radioactive or something!”

Tim rolls his eyes. “He’s just a cat.”

Jason isn’t convinced, but Phantom doesn’t care. He just glares at Jason like he’s the dumbest person in the room and stretches out on the couch.

Damian, though, reacts... differently.

The second Damian sees Phantom, he freezes.

“This cat,” Damian says, voice trembling with reverence, “is extraordinary.”

Tim barely has time to blink before Damian has his hands full of silk-lined cat beds, imported food, and custom collars engraved with “Phantom, the Great.”

“He’s my cat, Damian,” Tim says when Damian tries to scold him for not brushing Phantom’s fur properly.

“You are unworthy of him, Drake,” Damian snaps. “This is a creature of unmatched perfection, and you’re treating him like a common house pet.”

Tim sighs, but Phantom climbs into his lap and starts purring loudly. Damian looks betrayed.

“Traitor,” Damian mutters at Phantom, who clearly doesn’t care.

———

But Phantom isn’t just a cat.

Danny Fenton—currently stuck in his ghost form as a cat and unable to shift back—has been following Tim for weeks, hoping the smartest Bat could help him figure out how to fix his situation.

At first, it was desperation. Danny didn’t know how to communicate with Tim or explain what had happened to him. But then Tim let him in, fed him, and started treating him with such quiet care that Danny couldn’t bring himself to reveal the truth.

Phantom became his escape. For the first time in ages, Danny didn’t have to fight or run or worry about anyone discovering his secrets. He could just... exist.

And, okay, messing with the family was a bonus.

Danny knew he couldn’t stay a cat forever, but with the way Tim scratched behind his ears and muttered soft compliments, he thought, Maybe I can stay like this for a little longer.

Or maybe a lot longer. Phantom had a good thing going, after all.

[cognitiveoverload]

The joke (Spencer Reid x reader)

summary: Spencer's joke doesn't land with the class, but you find him cute.

tags: fem!reader

note: Takes place at the beginning of 4x08.

1/?

The light bulb joke didn’t land. At all. It wasn’t bad. Well, not that bad, but it wasn’t great either. 

The silence in the room is deafening, and it’s so ridiculous that you can’t bite back the quiet chuckle that’s been threatening to escape your lips ever since that agent fell silent. His eyes shine with hope when they find you, accompanied by a sweet smile, and while it breaks your heart to say it, you can feel the weird looks the other students are sending your way. 

“Sorry, it was just so… quiet,” you say with a hand held up.

Disappointment. That’s what you see in the agent’s eyes after he heard you say that. It breaks your heart because he looks like a genuinely nice guy, but you have a reputation to uphold. It took so much hard work to be as social as possible, attending parties and hanging out with people, all while keeping your grades up, being among the top students. You can’t let finding a cute joke come in the way. 

You don’t pay much attention to the conversation after you hear one of the idiots ask them if they have shot anyone. That must be the most original, most important question you’ve ever heard. Congratulations, moron. Instead, you pull out a book and begin to flip through the pages, but you can feel it. You can feel a pair of eyes finding you over and over again, and when you finally look up and around to see who it is, your gaze falls on the agent, whose hazel eyes are fixed on you. Just when you flash a barely visible smile at him, though, he looks away. 

After their time here comes to an end, you quickly throw everything into your bag, then head down to meet them, because you know you have to apologize. You stop a few feet away, fidgeting with your fingers as you wait for Professor Harris to stop talking. There’s time, you’re not in a hurry to get out. The agent looks at you, his eyes mirroring a moderate amount of excitement, and you can feel the heat rise to your cheek to make you blush. Stupid biology. 

Harris notices this silent exchange, and decides to follow his eyes to see who has caught his attention. When he sees it’s you, he starts grinning and steps back with an arm extended to pull you a little closer to their little circle. “Let me introduce you to one of our brightest students. She’s studying psychology, and she wrote an amazing article that was published in a journal not long ago,” he says. 

Clearing your throat, you extend your hand to them and introduce yourself, and in return, they do the same. Dr. Spencer Reid. Now you definitely learned his name, you won’t be able to forget it, because the moment your hands touched, you could feel that unmistakable spark. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to apologize for that laugh. It wasn’t such a bad joke, it was just really… awkward here,” you say, unintentionally biting on your lower lip. 

Reid shakes his head as he reluctantly, but lets go of your hand. “It’s okay. Maybe these jokes should stay between philosophers,” he tells you with a humorless laugh. 

Next to you, Harris turns to the other agent and asks him if they could exchange a few words, but seeing the meaningful looks they exchange, it’s quite obvious they only want to give the two of you some space. You adjust the strap of your bag as you wait for him to speak up, because you have nothing on your mind. It’s not that you don’t want to talk, you just don’t really know what to say. He’s intelligent, that one’s clear, what could he possibly want from you? He probably wants someone who can challenge him, someone he can consider an equal, someone older than you, someone who’s–

“So, um… your article was published at your age?” he wonders, sounding a little surprised. Maybe he’s right, you're only completing your bachelor’s studies, not everyone takes the time to do these things. When you nod, he goes on. “I’d like to read it. Can you… send it to me?” 

“Sure, if you give me your email address, I’ll send it tonight,” you promise with a smile, still a little taken aback by the fact he’s interested. He didn’t even ask you what it’s about, but he wants to read it regardless of the topic. 

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a business card, which he immediately offers to you. “Thank you, I promise I won’t ghost you,” you assure him again.

Though there’s clearly something else he wants to say, you both turn toward the door when his colleague is calling out for him. You feel a pang of disappointment that your conversation ends before it truly begins, but there’s nothing to do about it. “I’m sorry, I have to go. It was nice to meet you,” he tells you, then awkwardly waves before walking away. 

He’s nice. And charming in his nerdy way. You can’t help but imagine what it would be like if you got to spend a little more time with him, maybe managing to coax him into joining you on your social adventures. Would he learn to enjoy it? Or is he the type who’d rather spend his time at home, reading books? Maybe watching movies or binge-watching TV shows? And would he talk about his work, tell you about some interesting cases? 

God, you’re pathetic. You barely know the guy, yet here you are, already thinking several steps ahead.

[goingdownondaisuke]

Girrrrl pls write more mouth washing headcannons like you just did 🙏🙏 truly you are a good writer and I enjoy your posts (I saw your intro and happy belated birthday!!)

thank you so much anonny!! so sweet :) i honestly love you for this request bc that means i can ramble on and on and be super unserious 👅 i'll section this off into two, nsfw and sfw!! (adding the read more link bc this is long!)

(reader is afab and uses she/her pronouns)

୨⎯ sfw ⎯ ୧

anya ۶ৎ

strikes me heavily as the "stay at home and rot" typa gal

and she's so real for that!!!

dates w her would definitely consist of little picnics, sitting by the lake and having deep talks, stargazing, pottery, library dates, all that good stuff >0<

she's totally slavic

i can't exactly put my finger on it but she gives russian/polish

will def give you nicknames in her one of those! (im not listing any bc im gonna be so embarrassed if i butcher my own language 😭)

if you're good at it, she loves when you braid her hair or do it up in fancy styles, she'll wear it for literally the rest of the day

LOVES seeing you all dressed up

like if you have a job that requires you to dress formally, and you walk out that bathroom with a dress shirt and slacks on??? ur gonna be a little late for work

she makes GREAT pasta dishes

vodka pasta, shrimp/chicken alfredo, mac n cheese, lasagna, gnocchi, YUMM

likes baking as well, but isnt very good

the most impressive thing she's ever made was chocolate chunk cookies that had literal pockets of gooey chocolate

can you tell im hungry

she's toned asl

loves the gym!

i feel like she dresses modestly for the most part in public but at home she'll wear crop tops and teeny shorts

definitely the type of person to give great advice but never use it

likes your voice, will say whatever to get you to talk (even better if you're someone who just talks and talks and talks) (me)

very comforting to talk to

WOULD NEVER JUDGE YOU OMG

you almost ran someone over? we've all been there!!

you actually ran someone over? why were they jaywalking??!

they died on the spot? ...get the boat.

i feel like she displays all of the love languages

but her main one would be words of affection i think

calls you love, dear, darling, all that sappy mush

wife!!!!!

curly ۶ৎ

ever since i've read what the devs said abt him liking snow sports i genuinely cannot stop imagining this guy skiing or snowboarding w you LMAO

but besides his love for that, he likes summery sports as well!!

like surfing, volleyball, badminton, tennis, golf, etc

dont take this in a weird way but i rlly just see him as the sugar daddy type

like yes he's your significant other BUT he's a good-looking man who looks a bit older, so if you look a lot younger than him then yeah ppl are gonna raise an eyebrow

but they have the right to bc every time you two go out he buys you something expensiveee

showers you in jewelery

he loves the beach!! (same)

definitely the type to massage sunscreen on you EWWWW (im kicking my feet)

he likes to give you massages in general, those strong ass hands be at WORK!!!!

my friend said he looks german and i can't get it out my mind, pls gimme opinions bc i totally agree 😭

sosososo nice and friendly and caring

loves taking you out on cruises, swanky resorts, michelin-star restaurants, the works

and if you like to workout he takes you on gym dates

my favourite

sometimes when he doesn't feel like going he'll just use you as a weight lol

likes randomly lifting you up

loves to listen to you ramble while he's cooking

good at cooking!!

calls you darling, princess, baby, beautiful

gentleman!!!

daisuke ۶ৎ

dream gen z bf

has a skincare routine he does with you every night

and if you arent there with him in person he'll facetime/video call you so he can "make sure you're doing all the right steps"

(he just wants to admire your LETHAL face card)

pothead >0<

this man takes you on dates GALORE

the arcade, thrifting, the mall, walmart (if they in walmart together they fucking RAW /ref), go karts, amusement parks, the beach, more i can't think of

likes when you do his makeup/give him a full glam makeover, it's so fun to him

lots of piercings

you HAVE to have a good relationship with his parents (saw this somewhere on ao3!)

has HUNDREDS of pictures of you in his gallery

has pics of you sleeping, cooking, walking, eating, watching tv, doing work, drinking, just existing

the type of mf to take like a thousand pictures of himself if you leave your phone around him

his love language is 100% physical touch and sending sappy ass tiktoks/instagram reels/everything else

LIVES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

he totally has like a fashion acct and it's just him trying on clothes and giving reviews

he has an impressive following!!

omg speaking of fashion, THIS MAN.

he's not like wisdom kaye level (one of his biggest inspos) but he can DRESSS

he'd totally judge you for wearing like socks and sandals or something utterly unacceptable

"girl. take those ripped skinny jeans OFF."

kinda like swansea is, i can see him being a sneakerhead (no i am not projecting)

calls you babe, dude, pretty girl if he's feeling freaky

jimmy ۶ৎ

he's such a pos i need him so fucking bad

he tries to clean up for you

shaves more, wears cheap cologne, tries to keep his home as clean as possible (which...isn't very clean)

is EXTREMELY dependent on you, esp if you're well off

loves getting high with you

off of VARIOUS substances 😭

mostly powder or acid but you two will shoot up from time to time

you've bailed him out of jail several times

committing crime dates!!! like

oh and yk eating out (at mcdonalds off the dollar menu), road trips (in his rusty ass truck), facetime/videocalls (his phone is so fucked up, his internet is horrible, and his camera quality is disgusting) whatever

hes so pathetic but he loves you so so so much

even if he doesn't display it like a normal person

his love language is definitely physical touch and words of affirmation

because that's all he can afford

very jealous, the two of you got into an argument once bc he thought you were looking at curly

tries to keep him away from you as much as possible

dont hate me for this but he definitely abuses his partners

psychologically, physical, verbally, sexually

but i dont care we love you jimmy!!

tbh most of the headcanons i have for him are nsfw, hence why this list is so short

im sorry!!!

swansea ۶ৎ

now THIS is a sugar daddy

(he's not technically bc you don't use him for money) (you better not.)

anyway!!!

he absolutely LOVES to take you out on fancy dates

likes travelling!!!

i can see him being a big fan of italy, germany, thailand, the bahamas

(psa: guys once before you die you HAVE to go to the bahamas omg its so freaking lovely and the locals are very very sweet :) )

oh he definitely enjoys a leisurely game of golf

he's such a sweetheart like he'll make you breakfast in bed and cook you a romantic candle-lit dinner and give you back massages and urghh

gives THE most insightful advice

actually super smart, will help you with any college work you have

his strong suits are math and science!

very good at cooking, devs themselves said he makes a mean paella!

i can see him being rlly good at cooking cultural food

like dont let this man make butter chicken or pad thai 👅 it will be GONE.

he admires you very often! you're so beautiful!! yes you!!!

he really likes it when you cuddle him

like aww imagine he's just watching something on his macbook and then here you come curling up next to him

AWWW I LOVE HIM

he's not super affectionate himself but if he notices it makes you happy then he'll try to show you that he loves you more physically

his love language is gift giving/quality time

having long talks with you is a must, especially when you are tuckered and all snuggled in your bed, and the tv's on but you aren't paying attention to the plotless show because you're too focused on listening to each others life stories, revealing little bits of lessons you've learned and why the way you are

ily swansea

୨⎯ nsfw ⎯ ୧

anya ۶ৎ

very gentle

unless she's like super into it then she'll start gripping your thighs or tonguing you down more intensely

she def watches porn when you aren't around and imagines the actors are you and her

but only the amateur lesbian type. that produced shit makes her cringe and uncomfortable

lots of toys!!1!=1

has the softest cutest moans

isn't particularly loud in bed, the loudest you'll get from her is a long, shaky whimper

loves giving head!!!

she literally has a fucking waterpark like she gets SO wet

not the easiest to turn on, which is why sex is uber intimate and precious to and with her

she's very sensitive and he orgasms are intense

also doesn't have the best stamina, will go literally two rounds before she's knocked tf out

PILLOW TALK

ughh she can't keep her lips off of you

even when you two aren't making love she's always kissing you somewhere

do NOT let her get a hold of a strap-on.

her stroke game is so freaking good like where does she get the experience??!

she likes your tits, her hands are always on them even in non-sexual situations

no matter their shape and size, she thinks they were sculpted by the gods

she thinks you were sculpted by the gods!!!

if you're super loud in bed then you're in luck bc she can't get enough!! she cant!!

she only initiates if you two are laying down, she'll wrap her arm around you and kiss your jaw

then she'll ask "is this okay?"

HELL YEA

curly ۶ৎ

oh man

he's 100% the type to put you in the most absurd positions

one i think about him doing all the time is like he'll be standing and he'll be drilling into you while you're UPSIDE DOWN

he's such a gentle giant, if you like it rough you'll have to beg him to stop being so nice

makes the hottest noises when you give him head

aughh he'd totally shut his eyes and keep a hand tangled in your hair and curse under his breath and buck his hips

when he initiates, it's always by lovingly running his big hands up and down your waist and pressing tender kisses to your neck while he whispers "i love you" and "so beautiful" in your ear

ooh that'll do it!!

you trying to initiate though? literally just kiss his neck and all of a sudden you're on your back

you call him "grant" when things start to get hot

like imagine moaning "curly"

doesnt watch any porn whatsoever

if he's horny and alone he'll just pleasure himself thinking about you

very very romantic, don't let this man find out it's valentine's day or your birthday or ANY holiday for that matter

like yk those tiktoks where someone is showing off a hotel room that their spouse decorated all romantically for their birthday, and then it cuts to the morning after and everything is all messed up after a few rounds?

YEAH THATS CURLY

for the love of god PLEASE SIT ON HIS FACE

likes risky/public sex

definitely part of the mile high club

loves fucking you in the kitchen

he seems like the type to grope you

but in a 'husbandly' way

like before he leaves for work he'll kiss you and smack your rear

or while you're cooking dinner he'll just squeeze your tits/ass

he loves ur ass!! i see him as an ass man

LMAO ASS MAN

good stamina, can go a FEW rounds

he will ALWAYS let you come first. no exceptions except for when you're sucking him off

he's so fucking good at giving head it's genuinely unbelievable

he likes his nipples played with

guys i NEED you to hear me out on this, he'd eat your ass/he likes anal

BUT LIKE ONLY IF YOU WANTED

but c'monnn don't tell me he wouldn't spit on it and get it real wet before slipping it in

daisuke ۶ৎ

THE freak of mouthwashing

canonically he's always horny lol

other ppl say he'd be a virgin but i cant see it 😭 he been to all those parties and he looks that good, are you sure he didn't get him some?!

watched a shit ton of porn before you two got together

and lemme tell you

HE DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE

big ass, petite, goth, ebony, asian, latina, blonde, brunette, bbw, interracial, WHATEVER.

enough of that

he's soooo noisy and sensitive like it doesn't make ANY sense

ESPECIALLY from head like he'll be gripping the bed/couch and moaning like a girl into the air and his thighs will be twitching and-

loves to edge himself

like if you're sucking him off and he's close, he'll tug your head off of him and take a breather before letting you do your thing again

LOVES recording you

literally i can see him downloading snapchat for the sole purpose of the 'my eyes only' feature

he's absolutely down for anything you wanna do

he would let you peg him tbh

gives super sloppy head

like it's not bad but he's just so eager and excited to please you that he gets kinda carried away

his tongue piercing feels so good

he noticed how much you loved it so he bought a vibrating one

literally wants sex like everyday and his stamina is insane

GENUINELY he can go all night

worships tf outta you

he is so obsessed w you and loves you so much like pls ride his face

dry humping is a lost art and he is bringing it BACK

he's like a fucking dog he's so noisy and messy and sloppy and horny and ugh

i love him so much he's literally me

jimmy ۶ৎ

extremely rough

like hardcore shit

he will actually choke you until you pass out and then fuck your unconscious body

same with whenever you go down on him, he hold you there until he feels your body go limp and then fuck your face

he loves getting head so fucking much

he has lots of...philias

i REFUSE to name any of them pls

intense groper

complete disregards the idea of consent

he's gonna take what he wants, whenever he wants it

and im okay w that!! 😻

wakes you up with head every morning

has a super high sex drive

the littlest, stupidest things turn him on

you spilled water on yourself? he's hard. you burnt your hand from super hot tap water and yelped? he's hard. he sees you cry? he's hard.

his stroke game is actually insane

if his goal was to make you finish (it's typically not) he'd succeed in a very short amount of time

he likes anal and he doesn't care if you like it either

ugh he doesn't even lube you up correctly

he just spits on it and goes on

he loves when you mark him up

leaves insane hickeys like that mf will look like you got SOCKED

he totally bites...just look at him

has sickkkk fantasies and expects you to mold yourself to all of them

likes torturing you for no reason whatsoever

he has a bunch of whips and paddles

something i always imagine him doing is coming home from a long day of work, pulling down his pants the minute that he sees you, and just going at it

swansea ۶ৎ

he would spank you

just to get that out the way

like if you're pissing him off he'll tell you to bend over his lap and he'll strike your ass until it's flushed red and tears are streaming down your face

but it's okay because then he'll kiss you all over and fuck you oh so nicely after

he's kind of but not really the brat tamer type

ehhh

as i said before: pussy slapping, face slapping, clit pinching GALORE >0<

kinda mean

like a mixture of praise and degradation

he likes when you spread your legs wide for him

sex drive is not high whatsoever

i mean he's like 50

neither is his stamina 😣 but he gives it to you super good

he usually just lets you ride his thigh or has a snack between your legs

he's so good at fingering

like imagine just sitting on his lap writhing around while two thick fingers are plunging into you and two more are rubbing tight, fast circles on your clit

loves kissing you during the act, he knows it makes you feel good

loveeess seeing you squirt/cream

he loves your moans as well, they're so cute to him and they're letting him know that he's doing a good job pleasuring his baby

he honestly believes that his job as your partner is to please you as much as possible

and he does that

girthy as FUCK

doesn't make a lot of noise

but when he's close he'll grunt quite a bit

another position i imagine he likes is one where you're lying on your side and your leg is in the air, and he has a grip on it while he fucks the shit outta you ahhh

after the deed you two will lay down and simply make out while his hands roam your body

that's how it starts sometimes too!!!

[urinarythreatinfection]

Is This Love?

Luffy x Male Reader. Fluff. 2119 words. Part one, Part two, Part three

Desc: Luffy doesn't know what's going on but he does know that he enjoys eating fish.

Thump thump thump thump

Luffy bursts into the men’s quarters and flops onto his bed, putting his hand on his still thumping heart, “Hah… Hah…”

Thump thump thump thump

What’s going on? Is he having a poisonous reaction? But neither Chopper nor Sanji said anything. “Nnn…” No, it can’t be that, because it happened when you hugged him. That’s it! He’s just excited from being hugged by you after a whole week! He scratches at his heart… this doesn’t feel like excitement though. A scary thought pops into his mind as he starts to vibrate. ‘Am I dying!?’ If he’s dying why did he run away? He could’ve gone to Chopper but it was like everything in him told him to run, to get away. Like he just got caught trying to snag food while Sanji’s cooking or ate a week’s rations. “Uuuu..” He rolls onto his back and takes a big breath, letting it out to calm himself down. It’s okay, he isn’t dying and there’s no enemies, he isn’t in trouble either. It was just a hug from you. You used to do that all the time. You hugged him because you loved what he did. You loved it, you love him. Love.

THUMP

Dizziness starts to take over his mind again, as he shakes harder. Nonono. He wraps himself in his blanket hoping he’s cold but he feels too hot, kicking it off. Too excited, too dizzy, too much! He takes a giant breath and rolls back onto his stomach, letting it out and floating slightly before falling back onto the mattress. This is a mess, this is the worst. Then, a knock at the door.

“Hey, Luf, you in there?” Luffy flinches, it’s you. The door is unlocked, he was too panicked to lock it, but you knocked anyway to be nice. You aren’t sure why the captain ran off, after all. “Did you change your mind about giving me the fish? You didn’t have to run away, you can just tell me.” You’ve misunderstood, thinking Luffy ran because he wanted the fish but left to control the urges. But so has he, even if your voice is making him feel weirder. “You can still eat it, we can’t finish it all anyway.” On cue his stomach grumbles, fish does sound good right now. The captain looks down at his chest, he’s calmed down. That’s it, he’s just hungry, but what a weird type of hunger. Flip flops hit the floor as Luffy walks over, opening the door. “Oh, there you are. What happened?”

“I’m hungry.” He states, though his cheeks are still a bit flushed.

“...You sure? You look a little red, I mean you can eat anyway if you’re sick. You end up healing faster when you eat.” That’s true, but feels a little bad, not wanting to go back on his word. Especially when it’s for you.

“I caught it for you, though.” Luffy mumbles while he shifts in place. You think for a moment before replying.

“Okay. We’ll do this. I’ll eat as much as I can with the others, then you can have all the rest. Sounds good?” This brightens him up. That means he’s technically not breaking his word. He puts a hand over his chest, no quick thumping.

“Better.” He whispers, then he looks up at you and gives you a big hug, catching you off guard. It’s a little embarrassing but you did tell yourself you’d try to act normal again, so you hug back. He buries his face in your chest and everything’s normal.. until you hear him take a big sniff.

“???” You look down at him. “Did you just sniff me?” He looks up, resting his chest on your chest.

“You smell strong.” Weird, but if this put you off then you’d not have fallen in love with Luffy.

“..Thanks?” Could be a compliment.

“Mhm!” ..It was. Sanji was right. “Okay! Now let’s go!” Luffy hops up on your shoulders then points towards the deck. Cute. You run in the direction and he laughs before hitting his head on the top of the doorway. “Ack!” Oops.

____________________

Drool pools in Luffy’s mouth as he watches you eat. Intense, and it’s making you feel guilty for keeping food from him. “You don’t have to wait in here, you know. I can just call you when I'm full.”

“What if someone eats my food?” He’s nervous, staring intently at the fish on your plate.

“I’ll defend it.” Your tone is determined and his eyes meet yours.

“Promise?”

“Yeah.” You hold in your urge to hug him, your heart can’t take it right now, so you settle with petting his head. His eyes widen for a second before he smiles at you.

“Shi shi shi.” So cute!

‘Resist resist resist.’ You clench your jaw to hold it in, but it doesn’t matter since Luffy ends up giving you a quick hug before leaving the kitchen anyway. “Dammit..” You clench your fist on the table. When you look back at the others you notice everyone staring at you. It’s so obvious what they’re thinking, it pisses you off a bit so you take it out on Usopp. He gasps at your fork stabs into his food and shoves it in your mouth.

“Wha- Why only me!?” Too bad.

__________________

You pat your stomach with a content sigh. You’ve eaten a little less fish than being full to then save as much as you can for Luffy, but you’re still content. You want to spoil him, especially when he seemed excited about it. Enough to be upset and run away. “Hrm..” You hope he’s okay being kept from eating. Hopefully the variety of food will make it better. Grilled fish, fish soup, fish cake, sushi, lots of dishes that you can enjoy amazingly if you don't inhale it. You go outside and call for Luffy but there’s no answer. “Luffy!” You call again, now you hear the sound of hurried flip flops before he jumps on you.

“The smell was making me hungrier.” He had to go far so he couldn’t smell it. You chuckle a little then lead him back into the kitchen, setting him down once inside. His eyes widen with sparkles at all the food left. Here he’d thought there would only be a little, but you left so much for him. You smile when he looks at you gratefully.

“Hey, Sanji’s the one who made it, I just left what I couldn't eat for you.” To be honest there’s still some stored away, but you won’t say that for the chef’s sake.

“I’ll thank him later!” The captain yells and quickly stretches his arms to grab the pot of fish soup, immediately dropping it when it hurts. “HOT!” It’s falling! You run over and manage to catch it, wincing when the metal burns your hand. Still, you hold it and set it back onto the table.

“Here, be more careful.” You tell Luffy and give him cloths to use in order to hold the pot safely. He nods and uses them, tilting the soup into his open gullet happily. While he’s demolishing the soup you put your burnt hand under the sink, running cold water onto it. A minute passes and you hear Luffy put the empty pot down, grabbing sushi and putting it in his mouth before he finally notices what you’re doing. ‘Whar happefed” His speech is muffled by the food as he walks over to you.

“Burned my hand catching the pot, but it would’ve dropped otherwise.” You explain with a sigh. Fast reflexes but you wish you’d grabbed a cloth. Now your hand is burnt and you’ll have to go to Chopper later. The captain swallows the sushi in his mouth and stares at your burnt hand, then his safe ones. He’s fine because he let go immediately, but now you’re hurt because of it. He should’ve been the one to put it back on the table, but he wasn’t, and now you’re injured. He stretches his hand to grab a piece of sushi and puts it to your mouth. “Luffy I’m fu-mmphh”

“Get better.” He states and you chew it. It’s good, made by an excellent chef, but you really don’t want to eat more. Still, you can’t disobey your love so you swallow it. “.. ‘m sorry for dropping it.” Wow, he apologized. Maybe because you actually got hurt because of it. He sounds guilty too.

“It’s okay, the soup is good and I didn’t want you to miss it.” You tell him and go back to your hand. “I knew you’d love it.”

Thump thump

Luffy flinches and puts a hand on his heart, it feels weird again. He scratches at it as you sigh. You’ll have to go to Chopper but it’ll burn worse once you take your hand out of the water. Still, you take a deep breath and bite the bullet. “I’m gonna go to Chopper, enjoy the food!” You say quickly and hurry to leave the kitchen before the pain gets worse, not noticing the rubber man watching you every step of the way. Once you’re gone he shifts around uncomfortably. He did love the soup, you’re right. He loved it a lot, but now his chest feels weird. ..Maybe it’s just heartburn. Luffy gulps down a glass of water and gets back to eating, trying to ignore what’s happening. The food tastes duller.

Meanwhile

“Owww…” You’ve made it to Chopper and he’s started patching you up. The ointment being put on is good for you but it burns so bad. You have to grit your teeth when the reindeer gauzes up your hand after.

“You should’ve just let it fall!” He’s upset you hurt yourself over some soup. The doctor would get it if Luffy, maybe even Sanji, burned themselves to catch a pot of food; but not you! The door suddenly opens, it’s rubber boy. He’s holding fish cakes in his arms.

“What’re you doing here?” You ask him but he just takes a bite of the fishcake, chewing and swallowing before a content smile forms on his face.

“Tastes better!” He states happily, casually squeezing himself on your other side.

‘aaaaaaaaaa’ He leans against you. So close, basically on your lap. To be honest you're not complaining but why is he so close?

“Luffy be more careful! And don’t eat in here. You’ll get crumbs on the bed.” Chopper scolds him but the captain just rests his head on your arm, tilting it up to look at you with a small frown. Dammit, he’s too adorable. What’s worse is ever since you confessed you’ve become even more sensitive to his presence instead of less. There’s crumbs on his lips and he licks them to get it off.

“I don’t wanna, my food doesn’t taste as good without (Y/n).” He likes you!? Wait, that could just mean he doesn’t like eating alone, makes more sense. He continues to stare at you and puts a fishcake in his mouth. “Wanna shtay.” His face is so close, the other side of the fish cake is pressing against your lips and he’s only getting closer. It's not long before you have to open your mouth to avoid making a mess, biting into it as he looks into your eyes. Before anything else happens a small voice speaks.

“Um..” Chopper is still sitting there, now rather awkwardly. Even if he doesn't understand what you two are doing he does understand that you’re both getting crumbs on the bed.. and while ignoring him. Once you become aware of his presence you inhale and start to choke on the fishcake, pulling back to cough. It makes the reindeer panic as he turns into his human form to squeeze your stomach til you hack out a piece of fishcake onto the ground. Gross.

‘What a waste…’ Luffy stares at the discarded fishcake.

“Luffy don’t even think about eating that! And get out!” The doctor has had enough, picking the captain up and kicking him out of the office to tend to you properly. Once outside Luffy pops the rest of the fishcake in his mouth.

“Weird.” He doesn’t understand why he was getting so close to you. He just felt like it was right for some reason. In fact, he felt like the fishcake was in the way. That it was stopping him from looking at you properly. He wants to look at you more, see all of the expressions on your face. His mind wanders to the one where you look a little embarrassed. That one is his favorite. Yes, he needs to see that one more often.

Thump thump

This is taking more chapters than I thought.. hope you don't mind. At this point I don't actually know if this is going to be slow burn or average burn. I was planning on putting more romance into this chapter but it just felt.. wrong. So I scrapped and rewrote it. This isn't really my best work either. I feel like i could write this better, make the flow better, but I keep writing these when I'm tired and I'm too impatient to just wait to post it and proofread it again when I'm well rested. Sorry about that.

[ahoyimlosingmymind]

Fanfic Angst Material that I won't write: There is a giant family portrait in Wayne Manor (taken recently) where everyone can see. The frame holds Bruce and all his children. Except Jason.

and slowly all the batfam members start to notice his transfixation on it. Because he mentions it randomly, asks when it was taken to a few separate siblings, because he's paranoid about the timeline. Was he in Gotham when they took it? (he was). and he jokes that his dead robin memoriam is just like the family portrait, because everyone else's suits are all beside each other down in the cave, and his is in a corner. (why can't he stop being dead?) and he's suddenly a lot more willing to be in selfies they take. He has a sudden, and odd insistence to be apart of whatever they're doing. But there's something specifically weird about the missions he tags along with. He's throwing himself into harms way for them, taking the brunt of the hits, and trying to listen really well to the plans they lay out. (He hates them all. He wants them to love him so badly).

That, and they all walk past the room to see him just standing there staring at it. The bat fam all start talking about the random experiences they've had with him, seeing him staring at it, and his comments, and it takes them way too long to realize he's like-- really, really hurt about it.

It all comes to a head when Jason is patrolling with Bruce, and gets really hurt. He's super out of it, minorly concussed, and seeing stars and suddenly he's calling Bruce 'dad', and he's asking why Bruce doesn't want him anymore--

And Jason is crying (thanks concussion) and is like: I can't stop calling you dad, but I don't think I'm your son anymore.

and Bruce, being the shitty and emotionally unaware person he is, is like: Jay tf?

and Jason brings up the portrait. And then he passes out.

(the whole next part is him waking up and Bruce and his siblings very awkwardly trying to address what he said right before he went out. He's mortified but also really wants some sort of excuse. and they all explain super emphatically that they figured he wouldn't want to be in the portrait, because of the way he is. They redo the photo with Jason in it, a week later, once his bruises have faded. He doesn't know if he feels any better about it. He doesn't like begging for scraps from them, and he doesn't like that it didn't occur to them to at least ask him if he wanted to be apart of it. But he's there now... and that's okay, right?)

BONUS POINTS if the batfam starts piecing it together because a working girl makes an off hand comment to Dick (when he's in crime alley looking for Jason) that Red Hood is really upset with his family right now.

And Dick is like: Um shit? like murder mad?

and she's like: No, like sad.

and then she says something about the portrait and Dick is like: NO MY BABY BROTHER--

(I just think it would be lowkey funny if a few of the working girls managed to get Jason to open up to them, and they know how to tell when Red Hood is in a rage induced rampage, or if he's in a state of sadness better than his own family).

[bitter-me]

My September

Harumasa Asaba | M. Reader as Mei Shijima [TBHK]

----------

Spoilers for those who haven't read the Picture Perfect Arc of Toilet Bound Hanako Kun

----------

For as long as Harumasa could remember, the entirety of his childhood was filled with a sterile white room, IV drips, and other machineries. That's just his normal. Wake up, eat, take his medicine, sleep. Rinse and repeat.

A rather boring and dull childhood.

Until one day. He saw someone poking their head into his room, eyes filled with curiosity and wonder. But the moment Harumasa noticed them, they fled. A strange encounter. However as time passes it becomes something Harumasa secretly looks forward to.

He would tell his master about it with a grin on his face while the adult laughs and encourages him. Thinking it's just an imaginary friend. It's normal for children to let their imagination wander after all, yet Harumasa would pout insisting that the encounter was real.

Determined to prove himself right one day, Harumasa decided to escape his room and search for this mysterious figure. Hiding from the adults and other unfamiliar figures Harumasa looks through every corner just to find them. Surely they were here, right? After what felt like an eternity Harumasa found a door, slightly ajar.

This must be it! And so without a second thought Harumasa went through it and was met by a room similar to his but with less medical equipment. Just an IV drip that's connected to the very person he's been trying to find.

That's when Harumasa.. met his first friend.

[Name] Shijima. A really talented artist. Well he's not a artist yet.. but Harumasa is super positive that he'll be one!

Through the times the two grew close. Perhaps their shared pain is what brought them together, but their ambitions and dreams drew them closer.

One day, Harumasa is in [Name]'s room. Chatting with him while the latter draws in his sketchbook. Until [Name] spoke up as he showed Harumasa his rough sketch with stars in his eyes. "In this Atelier Tower, there's a 'what if' version of me and he draws being healthy and well."

As he explains the backstory of his sketch one of his brushes rolls from the overbed table to the tiled floor. Seeing this [Name] attempts to grab it only to tugged his IV on his hand making him flinch in pain. Worried, Harumasa took the brush from the floor and handed it to the other with a weary smile. "Are you okay? Did it hurt?"

"I'm fine, it only hurts a little." [Name] reassures him. Setting down his sketchbook at the overbed table. He looks at it for a second, analyzing every detail of his Atelier Tower. Hie vision. His ambition. His dream.

Harumasa noticed the somber expression on his friend's face as he put the brush on the table. He was about to ask what was wrong, but the sound of the door opening stopped him, his master by the door. Ah, is it already time for him to get back? A hint of disappointment flashes in his eyes, reluctantly bidding his goodbyes to [Name].

When he's left alone [Name] let out a sigh before speaking in a low, somber tone. His gaze is still fixed on his sketch. "The me on this side... I'm just a tiny bit sick, you know? But I'm sure I'll get better soon!"

Lowering his head [Name] rested his cheek on the table. Looking at it with longing. "But until then... In my place, will you draw for me, other me?"

He said in a low, somber tone as if he's talking to his 'other version' that lives inside the Atelier Tower. "If you do that, I'll do my best."

"..isn't it weird? I'm talking to myself.."

...

.....

"...of course."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"The poor thing..."

"....And so young, how sad..."

"That poor boy... he's still drawing..."

"But... it's such a severe illness..."

"Recently all he does is sleep.... he seldom eats any of his food! Surely that boy..."

"..is going to die soon..."

----------

That was the last day Harumasa saw [Name].

His master doesn't let him hang out with [Name] anymore and when he asked, all Harumasa got was a small smile. As if the older man is trying to comfort him silently. The same goes for the other doctors there. He doesn't understand.

Why? Why are they not letting him see his friend anymore? That's not fair! Not fair at all! [Name] was in the middle of creating that Atelier Tower of his! And he was planning on showing the finished painting to Harumasa! And [Name] was about to go to art school and became an artist!

...oh sweet childhood innocence..

In the end. Harumasa did see the painting [Name] had promised him. It was on display at an art room of a well-known art school. The creator was nowhere to be seen.

Now he stood there with eyes fixed on the painting. A student, on his way to become a part of HSO. Stood motionless at the mere sight of it as people whispered around him.

"Have you heard? They say that the creator of that painting was very talented at drawing.. but his parents were opposed to him continuing the path of art.. so, in order to chase his dreams.."

"He decided to kill himself."

Harumasa's heart dropped at the sound of their whispers. No.. it's not true.. it can't be true. [Name] didn't..

"Whoa, that makes sense!"

"What so, he killed himself?"

"The painting is kinda scary too.. I don't like it.."

"What if it has all of his evil resentment inside it?"

"That's scary!"

No! [Name] parents supported him. They encourage him to follow his dreams! They weren't opposed to it! Harumasa would know! He would know! They were.. they were..

.

.

.

The Atelier Tower was finished.

And so is its creator.

.

.

.

Time somehow passes by in a blur. Before Harumasa knew it he had graduated. This is it. He's going to be a part of HSO now. All he needs to do is..

Harumasa froze. His feet glued to the ground as his eyes widened. His classmates were all busy with their families, friends, and loved ones. Of course they are, they just graduated, they're celebrating!

Yet his golden eyes caught something else—or perhaps it's more appropriate to say, someone else.

He stood there. Locking eyes with Harumasa. Then.. he smiles. The same smile Harumasa had grown to like.. to adore..

"[Name]..?"

[doe-eyed-disaster]

Reading the new Vulture article about Neil Gaiman's serial sexual abuse (and Amanda Palmer's complicity) has shaken me, maybe most viscerally in the way it describes the weird kind of normal that victims so often have to construct.

Many survivors of sexual violence do not process their experience as such, not at first. I was one of them. It's such a shock to the system that lots of us kind of just... erase it? Like the tape is fuzzy there or the file got corrupted or the footage is just abruptly missing for that stretch of time. You just go on and don't really account for that lost time.

I got changed and threw out the clothes I'd been wearing in a dumpster, came back to the room, and woke the rest of the band up to start loading the trailer so we could get to the next show. One of the men in that room had raped me only a few hours earlier.

One of my band mates was having marriage trouble and asked us, his friends and me, for advice. I gave him genuinely good insight and helped navigate a tough moment in the relationship. He had raped me less than 12 hours previously.

We played a show with some artists I looked up to. I was in the green room with them and him. He saw how excited I was to be talking to these people and started talking me up as a musician to them. He had raped me only a few weeks prior.

Who do you tell? Who can you tell? Who will believe you? Who will do something, anything, to help you? I wasn't talking to my family. I didn't have other friends. I didn't know anyone in the scene. I wasn't thinking explicitly in those terms, but they lurked in the back of my head, the kinds of things that redirect you out of any critical analysis.

Lots of things went unexamined: why I'd thrown those clothes out; why I was bleeding and bruised the next day; why I was still nursing those injuries weeks later. That sort of thing. I didn't think to wonder why I didn't like to let him out of my sight when we hang out. I didn't pay any mind to how I'd get so anxious that I could barely breathe if he walked behind me or between me and a door. I couldn't bear to think precisely *whose* hands I kept feeling around my waist and neck when I woke up in a panic.

And you just keep on with that fractured kind of normal for as long as it takes, every day that you can't admit it adding interest to the emotional devastation. You wonder sometimes "am I crazy? I must be. Normal people don't feel that way." You deflect when the conversation veers too close. You feel afraid to label your experience *that* way because really it wasn't all that bad and I'm just exaggerating like I do.

And then one day you can't keep up the facade. Something slips. Someone sees something you didn't want them to. Someone comments and then doesn't buy the deflection. The details are different every time for every person, but two things are always true:

* you're gonna grieve hideously for the hideous thing that was done to you

* you're gonna have to deal with the thought that no one might ever believe you

It's a power thing. He had the power to do that to you. To me. To her. To them. That's what made you vulnerable. He wasn't suave or seductive or darkly brilliant. He was just stronger than you, more powerful. That's what keeps you quiet. He'll be able to shut the conversation down, deflect and move on, label you a libellous slut and call it a day with no more inconvenience than wiping off his shoes. He'll have friends that help him find his marks, who make him opportunities. He'll toss you right out and not think twice about doing it. My guy got to do it to me once, and it took everything in me to manage to keep it from happening again without *looking* like that's what I was doing. Sometimes though, when they're rich and powerful, they just get to keep doing and doing and doing. Dozens of times to dozens of women, every one of them living the same fractured reality that I and so many others have woken up into.

If you're reading the accusations against Neil Gaiman and wondering how it went on so long and so far, that's the whole equation: powerful men surrounded by enablers, living in a culture that sees their trauma as fodder for literary awards and ours as something so inconvenient to consider that it's easier to leave us all alone with nothing to console the sense that, even though you can't quite remember it, something terrible happened right where the tape skips.

[ithilien-writes]

yaaay! my prompt is choosing joy verse wedding planning (even if it’s just your thoughts on the roles everyone takes on!) ♥️♥️

Okay, this is probably not at all what you were envisioning, but I hope you still like it!! Thank you for the prompt! 💜💜

(to anyone reading: these were meant to be quick scenes to help unblock me so please take them in that spirit. ie. this was written really quickly and without much editing. feel free to send me some more!!

---

Best Laid Plans [Buck/Eddie (Buck & Maddie), G, ~900 words]

Buck is not being a bridezilla, okay? Or groomzilla? Whatever. He's not. No matter what Chim says about it. Buck is just being... particular. So that everything will be perfect. Eddie deserves that. Buck deserves that. So he's just- he's taking the wedding planning seriously, that's all.

"I'm just saying, why does he always have to do it here?" he can hear Chim saying in the other room, followed by a distinctly Maddie-sounding huff that's part fond and part exasperated.

Whatever she says in response, it's too low for Buck to hear, but when she comes back into the kitchen she's alone and he can hear the front door opening and then closing again. Buck can't help but wince a little in apology.

"Sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to drive Chim out of his own house."

But Maddie waves him off, one hand resting on her now very pregnant stomach.

"It's not you," she says, too forgiving of Buck, as always. "He's just stressed about the baby coming so soon. I sent him to run some errands; it's fine."

She comes around the island to peer over his shoulder at the three invitation samples currently spread out in front of him and hums thoughtfully.

"I like the cream with the blue font," she says. "The gold looks to fancy and the grey's a little boring."

"Right?" Buck agrees, probably a little too emphatically, as he twists around to look at her. When he sees her smile though, it makes him feel a little like he's twelve years old again, and the sudden surge of love that wells up in him almost takes him by surprise, if only just in it's ferocity.

"That's uh. That's what I was saying," he adds lamely, after a moment.

Maddie's smile gets a little brighter and she rests a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so happy for you," she says, getting a little teary the way she seems to be at the drop of a hat these days. "You know that, right?"

"I know," Buck tells her, feeling his own throat tighten a little around the words.

Maddie sniffles and then rolls her eyes at herself.

"God sorry," she says. "Third trimester. I've already cried three times today. This baby needs to hurry up already."

Buck laughs with her, picking up their chosen invitation and tucking the other two back behind it. Maddie circles the counter again and goes to make another pot of coffee. It's decaf, but she swears it still has some kind of placebo effect. Buck's not entirely convinced.

He drums his fingers on the table a little, debating with himself. But it's just Maddie. It's just the two of them. He could ask her.

"Hey, um," he starts, a little awkwardly. "Do you- do you ever feel. I don't know. Weird? A-about Jee-Yun spending time with Mom and Dad?"

Maddie turns back from the coffee maker and regards him seriously. She doesn't look thrown by the question, even though Buck knows it has to seem like it's coming out of nowhere.

"Honestly? Yeah, sometimes," she says, and Buck lets out a slightly shaky breath, feeling weirdly relieved by her answer.

"It's not like-" she pauses, considering- "I'm not worried about her safety or anything, obviously. But I remember what it was like growing up in that house. Some of things they said to us. To you."

She sighs, fidgeting with the mug in her hands a little.

"So yeah, I worry a little," she admits. "Sometimes."

Buck nods, looking down at the invitation without really seeing it this time. Eventually he looks back up at Maddie and finds her still just waiting. Always so patient with him.

Buck clears his throat.

"They just- they haven't really... met Christopher," he says eventually. "I mean, obviously they did, at your wedding. But like, they haven't really spent any time with him. And I'm- I know it's dumb, but I'm-"

"I get it," Maddie tells him, voice soft.

Then, even more softly-

"You don't have to invite them, Buck."

Buck scoffs a little, at that.

"Come on," he argues. "They're our parents. I have to invite them."

"No," she argues back. "You really don't."

Buck shakes his head.

"That's not even- I want them there," he says. And he does. He's... pretty sure he does. "I'm just-"

Maddie sets down her coffee.

"Okay, how about this then - maybe you should just talk to Christopher about it," she suggests. "He's a teenager, so he's old enough to understand complicated family stuff-" Buck can't help but snort a little, at that- "and maybe it would good for you guys anyway. For him to understand things a little better."

"We did uh. We did kind of talk about it once," he tells her. "Or well, I did. He said our family was messed up."

This time it's Maddie's turn to snort.

"Well, if the shoe fits," she quips, picking up her coffee again but sighing a little discontentedly as she takes a sip.

Buck looks over at her and can't help but smile again.

"I don't know," he says, "I think my family is actually pretty great, these days."

Maddie smiles back at him, even as her eyes immediately go teary again. And well- if Buck gets an earful from Chim when he gets home about making Maddie cry, he can take it.

It's worth it.

[silverynight]

The leotard

Actually, Tanjirou felt really comfortable wearing the outfit Kanroji picked for him. It's a pink leotard, white stockings and a cute yellow ribbon tied around the waist.

It's light and it makes it easier for him to move with the stretching and jumping exercises Kanroji seems to love.

The first time the love hashira sees him with it though she turns so red, Tanjirou worries there's something wrong with the way he put it on.

"It's perfectly fine, Tanjirou," she mumbles, almost dreamily. "It's... I mean, I didn't know how thick your thighs were before!"

"Oh," Tanjirou tilts his head in confusion before looking down at himself. "Well, it's because I do a lot of leg exercises before I start my daily training!"

"Yes, I can see that," she sighs with a happy smile on her lips before cupping her own face with her hands.

Tanjirou has no idea why she looks so flustered.

The rest of the day is a little bit weird, Tanjirou feels that a lot of the slayers are looking at him until Kanroji tells them to stare right ahead while they train. It's a little bit odd because even though she's smiling, she smells irritated when that happens.

But she gets over it soon because she puts them in pairs and she decides to train with Tanjirou herself, which improves her mood a lot.

"You look lovely, Tanjirou! I told Iguro about it!" She giggles, blushing again.

"Thanks!" Tanjirou grins back, happy to be with someone as cheerful as her.

Kanroji looks sad when it's time for Tanjirou to leave, but she gives him a hug, a kiss on the cheek and makes him promise to come back so she can make more pancakes for him.

"Of course!"

"Wait! Take the outfit with you!" She giggles. "It's yours now!"

Tanjirou thanks her from the bottom of his heart and heads to the serpent hashira estate.

***

Things get weird again when he arrives; Iguro is waiting for him with an irritated expression on his face, almost murderous, but he actually smells nervous and slightly content.

Tanjirou doesn't understand.

"You probably had a good time with Kanroji!" He hisses, narrowing his eyes. "Well, I'm not as kind as her! So prepare to suffer! But... you'll have to wear the leotard she gave you all the time."

He hesitates a bit after saying that, but Tanjirou thinks he imagined it because he suddenly looks annoyed again.

"Alright!"

When Tanjirou comes back to the training area, wearing the outfit, the first thing Iguro does upon seeing him is to choke.

Then he looks away for a second and clears his throat before explaining the exercise to him.

Tanjirou gets a little bit nervous when he sees a lot of slayers tied to the obstacles and realizes that they have become part of the training room themselves.

They look terrified, which is understandable, but even though they're scared, they seem to notice Tanjirou's outfit.

"If any of you look at him, I'll hit you with this on the face!" Iguro growls, suddenly looking even more pissed than before.

At least he's grabbing a wooden sword at the moment.

The poor slayers close their eyes then; it makes Tanjirou worry even more about them.

The first day of training is brutal, but surprisingly, Tanjirou almost manages to hit Iguro, which shocks him a bit.

Although the serpent hashira informs him that it doesn't count.

"I was distracted!" He hisses, face turning slightly pink. "You shouldn't bend over like that!"

Tanjirou narrows his eyes in confusion. He was just trying to avoid another hit from him; he's not sure why he's so angry about that.

Before leaving, and once Iguro allows everyone to take a break, he tells Tanjirou to change back to his regular uniform.

"Don't wear the outfit unless I'm in the estate, alright?" He snarls, viciously glaring at the other slayers before looking back at Tanjirou.

The redhead nods, wondering why that leotard has become so important for his training.

"Didn't know he was a thirsty bastard," one slayer comments, as soon as Iguro is gone.

"I thought he only liked the love hashira!" Says another, looking particularly amused. "But it seems he also likes redheads!"

Tanjirou's confusion only grows, but he's a little bit busy, trying to take care of his wounds to pay attention to their conversation.

"Can you blame him though?" Another one chuckles and suddenly everyone stares back at Tanjirou again.

"At least we get to bathe with him!"

"Yes!"

"Huh?" Tanjirou blinks in confusion again as another slayers pushes him inside.

When it's time to leave, Iguro tells him he needs to come back after all his training is over and that he must wear the outfit again.

"Oh, alright!" Tanjirou smiles, deciding not to question it. "I'll see you then!"

***

Shinazugawa's training is hell; it's even worse than Iguro's because the wind hashira doesn't give them a break until they pass out on the ground. No wonder why Zenitsu is so terrified of it.

And for some reason, Shinazugawa seems to make it more difficult for Tanjirou than everyone else.

Genya is there too, but the wind hashira ignores him completely. Tanjirou doesn't understand; Kanroji told him before that they were brothers.

"You all are a waste of my time! Useless!"

Just then, as Tanjirou falls on the ground for the fifth time that day, he thinks about the leotard.

"Wait! Can I put on the outfit Kanroji-san gave me?" He asks Shinazugawa, who's eye is twitching now. "Iguro-san thought it was important for my training too and made me wear it!"

Despite looking clearly irritated, the wind hashira nods, mostly because he's curious now.

When Tanjirou comes back wearing the leotard, a lot of things happen at once: Genya turns completely red and falls on the ground, the other slayers keep staring at Tanjirou until Shinazugawa snaps at them and when he finally looks back at the redhead, he freezes, a light blush covering his cheeks before he turns his back on Tanjirou.

"We're done for today. I need to take a cold bath," he grumbles, voice not as loud as usual. "If I find you staring at him again, I'll gouge your fucking eyes out!"

When he leaves, Zenitsu pulls Tanjirou into his arms and starts sobbing over his shoulder.

"You saved us, Tanjirou!" He cries happily. "Please wear this every day!"

"Huh? Why?"

Genya pushes Zenitsu away and hugs Tanjirou against his broad chest, covering him with his arms.

"Sanemi told you not to look at him!" He yells, still as red as a tomato.

Tanjirou is so confused. Maybe he shouldn't wear the leotard again, at least not during Shinazugawa's training.

***

Patreon

[ultr4vjolence]

@ULTR4VJOLENCE MISC RECS 2.0 .ᐟ

𖥔 ˑ ִ ֗ ִ CHO HYUN-JU

ᥫ᭡ dreams and lights (mean nothing if i can't have you)

how did it get to this? blood coated on your skin and murder seeping from each wall, echoes of bullets in your ears and the warmth of a hand in yours; enveloping, all-encompassing, larger and softer than any other that’s held you. and blood. so, so much blood. how did you get here?

the cheerful buzzing of the circle is louder than life itself. hyun-ju’s hand is coated in the phosphorescence of it, miles apart with eyes that pierce right through you. the blue reflections on her cheek make bile rise in your throat; red illuminates your face when your number is called, and red coats your eyes when she dares meet them.

ᥫ᭡ unforgettable

you can’t wait any longer for her to come around, knowing either of you could be gone in an instant. luckily for you, she feels the same way.

ᥫ᭡ version of me

it takes one miracle for her life to change. whether or not it's too good to be true or rather, if she's dreaming or not, she'll leave it for another day.

ᥫ᭡ you are all i long for, all i worship and adore

it’s as if the world has quieted around you, the edges blurring until it’s only her and the way she’s looking at you—soft but searching, vulnerable but steady.

it feels like a path is unfolding before you, one that you can’t resist. it’s as if the universe itself is nudging you forward, whispering ‘this is it, this is the moment.’ there’s a weight to it, a certainty that nothing will ever be the same after this.

her fingers slide between yours, hesitant at first, but then firmer, like she’s testing the waters and daring to hope. Her breath quickens and she’s glancing at your lips, too.

██▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 20%

𖥔 ˑ ִ ֗ ִ EDDIE MUNSON

ᥫ᭡ ruined expectations

when marriage season begins, you've just returned home from a grand graduation from finishing school. expectations are high, a marriage and an heir must be produced as soon as possible, and an old friend doesn't seem interested in being a friend any longer. being the good, obedient daughter that you are expected to be, you do what is asked of you and definitely do not get distracted by that old friend. certainly not. your childhood friend turned rake who only greets you with disrespect, disgust, and disinterest?

nope. eddie munson is not a distraction. at all.

* an angsty regency era au rake!eddie munson x virgin!fem!reader slow-burn.

ᥫ᭡ boundary testing

you and eddie are just exceptionally good friends who keep redefining the boundary of said friendship. so long as you both agree that what you’re doing is in the confines of said friendship boundary, then it’s just…that. you’re just friends. just really, really good friends. really good friends who sometimes kiss a little (a lot). and at your friend’s christmas party, things take a unique turn. for better or for worse, you don’t know yet.

ᥫ᭡ through a glass darkly

eddie would have to wait until his lunch break to see this new, hot, weird chick. he wondered which flavor of weird she was. art weird? theater weird? band weird?

weird weird?

he shrugged. he liked weird.

in other words, you’re the new girl in town, and eddie is intrigued.

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𖥔 ˑ ִ ֗ ִ ARTHUR MORGAN

ᥫ᭡ the old therebefore (when nothing is left anymore)

fourteen years ago, dutch van der linde saved your brother’s life and offered you a home amongst outlaws and thieves. since then, you’ve been robbing and fighting your way across the nation, all while caring for your reckless brother, john marston, and trying to force down feelings for your partner-in-crime, arthur morgan. but after a failed robbery in blackwater forces the entire gang to flee, all hopes of freedom on the great frontier are lost. danger descends from all sides, forcing you to confront the uncertain future and the regrets of your past.

or, a complete retelling of red dead redemption II from start to finish…

ᥫ᭡ a new beginning

determined to hunt down your father’s murderer and bring him to justice, you refuse to be deterred when your venture takes you to the dangerous backwoods of roanoke ridge and you run into the last man you had ever wanted to see again. or maybe deep, deep down you had. a turbulent and treacherous journey awaits, where battles will be fought not only against man and nature but within your heart as well as the long but unescapable road towards forgiveness begins.

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𖥔 ˑ ִ ֗ ִ CHALLENGERS TRIO

ᥫ᭡ runner-up

this is the story of how you and tashi duncan become best friends in college. or more so, the story of how she had chosen you to be her best friend. if only you knew then what a dangerous thing that was—to be chosen by someone like tashi.

█████▒▒▒▒▒ 50%

𖥔 ˑ ִ ֗ ִ FEZCO O’NEILL

ᥫ᭡ baby, can you see through the tears?

he’d walked into the room looking like a dream. your eyes burned the first time you saw him. you told him this later and he blushed and laughed, but it was true. it’s hard not to cry right now, watching as he’s escorted into the visitor hall where you’re sitting at a tiny square table. a guard brings fez towards you, and he’s like a vision haloed by white buzzing fluorescent lights.

██████▒▒▒▒ 60%

𖥔 ˑ ִ ֗ ִ KAZ BREKKER

ᥫ᭡ it’s nice to have a friend

one of these days, you’ll realize how hungry you are for the scraps he throws you and that it’s not a good look that you’d rather salivate for him than devour the feast anyone else could give you. but today is not that day. you’re both fourteen, you’ve only just run away from home, you’re still trying to carve out a place in this world, his world.

███████▒▒▒ 70%

𖥔 ˑ ִ ֗ ִ SILCO

ᥫ᭡ drink with me

the lanes never sleep. the sunken streets may lie beneath piltover’s heavy shadow, and it's faults are numerous and deadly, but no one can claim that the Undercity is boring. there is always colour to be found, if you know where to look. it’s something you pride yourself on – the ability to see what others can’t. some mistake it for simple optimism. but you know it’s more than just that. it’s the thing that’s kept you alive this long, in more ways than one. you’ve always been happy to go wherever life has taken you, and you’re a big believer in gut instinct.

but you never expected to end up working as a bartender at the last drop – having been scouted by a blue haired girl who wouldn’t take no for an answer. neither did you expect to find yourself landed with the terrifying task of ensuring silco’s personal drinks cart is kept well stocked. and you certainly never expected to find yourself inadvertently become the weekly drinking partner of the eye of zaun himself.

ᥫ᭡ bend but not break

silco is a wealthy industrialist who makes a deal with piltover to open trade with zaun, in which his own diplomatic dealings are just to gain more power and undermine piltover. he purchases an old mansion in the wealthiest part of of piltover in hopes of raising his ward to give her a better life than he had, including looking for a wife to blend in with his new surroundings, a masquerade game of lies. he never anticipates you, his new governess, hired by sevika for his young ward, jinx.

a young woman in house that has more questions than answers. a strange and hidden creature lurks in the attic. a man, that should be fighting for zaun as he once did, is now mingling with his sworn enemies and this close to buying a seat on the council. a man, who is an enigma, raising a girl who isn’t his and you finding him more and more intoxicating as you fall into his world of shady politics.

jane eyre AU.

████████▒▒ 80%

𖥔 ˑ ִ ֗ ִ ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

ᥫ᭡ glimmer in the void

you’re part of a crew on a deep space exploration ship traveling beyond the solar system. when the ship is attacked and crashes on a nearby planet, you find yourself stranded with an unexpected and intriguing creature.

ᥫ᭡ blood catalase

you’re a crime scene cleaner who happens across an advertisement for a mansion housekeeper in exchange for room and board. it’s close to work, close to your university, and an easy job. the ultimate package. right away, you notice the owner’s beauty as well as his eccentricities, but decide to commit to it. the spiral into depravity and debauchery begins when you’re tasked with cleaning the site of a savage murder, solidifying you as a irreplaceable treasure.

ᥫ᭡ opaque

in this world, androids outnumber humans, privacy does not exist, and your public profile determines whether you sink or swim in society. following the dissolution of your job and glamorizing your resume, you’re invited to interview with the prestigious hyperion—the world’s foremost in AI and robotics—for a position to test the newest android model. after a surprising turn of events, you’re introduced to elio, the first of the generation seven androids and the catalyst of your awakening.

█████████▒ 90%

𖥔 ˑ ִ ֗ ִ JAKE SULLY

ᥫ᭡ fantasize

it’s official – jake is sick and tired of norm giving him shit. while he can’t claim to know as much about pandora as norm does, there’s still a few things jake can afford to do to piss him off even more for the fun of it, and it just so happens that norm’s sister works as a scientist in the human compound – which to jake spells perfect revenge in its simplest form.

██████████ 100%

A C C E S S G R A N T E D. . .

ultr4vjolence © 2025 .ᐟ

[wolfstarlibrarian]

Hey, I was wondering if you had any good soulmate fics

Yes! The Librarian LOVES this trope! Below is an old list of fic recs along with new fics recs. Hope you enjoy!

Wolfstar Soulmate Fics 1

Wolfstar Soulmate Fics 2

instance of happenstance by @magicbeings Sirius Black has everything in his life sorted—except for one small detail: he’s yet to find true love. Since his usual methods (aka dating apps) don’t seem to be working, he decides to leave it to the hands of fate. He’ll let an ancient deck of Tarot Cards guide his every move and hope that this will lead him to the arms of his true soulmate. Spoiler alert: it does work, of course—but not without a few unexpected twists and turns along the way.

I found you by @de-sire-blog On a sunny, absolutely ordinary Tuesday morning, after twenty-six years of longing, yearning, searching, Sirius Black finally finds his soulmate. He’s not a fair maiden in need of saving, he’s not a prince on a white horse. He is just a werewolf with a Welsh accent and a little too much self-loathing for Sirius’ liking. Regardless, he’s not disappointed.

As the Moon Knows the Stars by @mcdynamite On the day Sirius Black turned seventeen, he had his soulmark removed in order to protect the soulmate he'd never met from the wrath of his own family. In the eight years since, he's managed to make his peace with living the rest of his life without falling in love. Though he mourns his lost soulmate every day, he's confident he made the right choice to protect them, and no one has ever made him question that. Until, of course, Lily Evans brings her childhood friend along for a pub night, and Sirius finds himself utterly enamored with the kind, mysterious stranger. But Remus Lupin surely has a soulmate of his own waiting out there somewhere, and Sirius won't let himself get in the way of that. He just wishes Remus weren't so damn easy to love.

Museum of Flight by Obsessive_RS Sirius watches him ceaselessly, the motion of his long fingers visible in the silver moonlight coming through the staircase’s window. “You’re the best mate a bloke can ask for.” Sirius says, but something about it seems wrong and insincere, like an unfinished statement hanging in the air, waiting to be grabbed and fulfilled. A soulmate AU in which Sirius doesn't get his mark when he's supposed to, and neither does Remus. (Modern AU.)

nobody loves me (like you do) by @iamsiriuslyriddikulus Everybody has a TiMER on their wrist which counts down to the moment they meet their soulmate. When Remus's goes black at 16, he knows it must mean his soulmate died. Cue Sirius Black, entering his life like a whirlwind. It's just too bad that he has a TiMER.

Running with Wolves by @a-fiery-fox w/art by @pid-widgin All Sirius wanted was to be a good friend. A friend that gets his best friend's favorite book signed while said best friend is on honeymoon with his own baby brother. Yes, the circumstances are weird, and no, Sirius does not want to talk about it. When the author of said book turns out to be a very attractive man with a very big target on his back, Sirius has already fallen too deep into the whole mess to get out anymore. If someone had told Sirius that werewolves existed a week ago, he’d have called them completely out of their head. Now, he’s not so sure anymore…

I Knew You In Another Life by @shoopsthereitis In the passing of the book, their hands brush and at the touch, there’s a quiet, unspoken recognition stirred inside Sirius. An electric current that hums with a deep familiarity, one he can’t explain. It’s the feeling of something long lost and suddenly rediscovered, like they’ve touched in another lifetime, in another place, and now, without words, their fingers whisper the secret. OR Sirius and Remus meet in a bookshop and instantly feel like they've known each other in another lifetime.

📚 And if you want a book series that features soulmates (and vampires) then check out the Vampire Mates series! The covers might look a bit corny but the writing is ADDICTIVE and I swear the first book is an RS au.

[flameassassinqueen]

I know people give violet a lot of shit. Especially in Iron flame. But I would like to remind everyone that she has basically been brainwashed her whole life by lies. She had every right to be upset with Xaden lack of truth. Even Tairn points out that they should have told her earlier and that was a mistake he wouldn't make again. Yes, Papa Sorrengail did make sure to give violet all the information she would need to make a DECISION once it was given to her to make. But that doesn't mean that violet would look into all the weird stuff going. Much like Brennan, violet would have figured it out over time. But her relationship with Xaden just pushed it forward much faster. I understand how hurt she was. Because we all know xaden wouldn't have told her until much later if his hands hadn't been forced. She has every right to be angry and not trust Xaden.

[cryptic--writing]

Hi sigma 🦐👅u asked for werewolf James reqs (no smut :/) so OK!!!

I think if you’ve been gone all day, he’d be really needy when u get home, so he just wants to lay his head on your lap as u run ur hands through his hair n pet his ears… perchance…

hihi!

first real fic after my hiatus

this turned out to be ass and short but im getting back into writing again so bare w me!!

also everyone always writes werewolf James as black album era which makes sense but this req seemed very young James to me and esp this pics!!!! he was SO cute!

anyways I NEED more werewolf James reqs or vampire Kirk or wtv you wanna make the other band members this is my new fav thing (yes smut is allowed)

anyways here's the fic I've rambled enough

word count: 763

warnings: none just fluff

COLD NIGHTS (1985)

These were always the harder days with James. The moon still wasn't completely full, so we would have a bit more peace before things got reckless. Only a week until the moon would appear and my life would be hell. But I loved him, so I would put up with it.

Possibly the worst part of it all is I had just started working longer hours at work, meaning I was away from James for such long periods of time. He still wasn't used to it, and I knew he'd be a clingy mess the second I got home. He was still asleep when I left in the morning, so that only is worsening my case. Not only is that the downside, but once he turns fully and it's already impossible to try and control him, he will be alone once again. I just hope he doesn't get destructive.

I had finally been able to leave work, exiting the building and looking up at the dark night sky above me. Working from eight in the morning to eight at night was far too long, but we needed the money. The moon shimmered in the abyss, a waxing gibbous. I took a breath to try and calm myself before beginning to walk to my car, preparing for whatever I might encounter when I come home.

I pulled up into the driveway, noticing the lights on the inside were off. They always gave him headaches when he was transforming, so we had a strict no light rule. As I stepped out, it was also silent. Maybe I was too worried about him rampaging or being annoying. Well, I never really found him annoying when he was clingy, it was cute, just sometimes it got to be too much.

I gently opened the door, careful not to disturb him. I peered in, searching for him to be maybe on the couch asleep, but I still hadn't seen him. I shut the door behind me, “James? ‘You asleep?” I called out into the silent dark house, before hearing footsteps and seeing him with a smile, his canines sharp and evident, “You're back!” His hair was messy, he had probably just taken a nap and woken up. “Yeah, how are you feeling?” Before I could finish my sentence his arms were wrapped around me, his face buried in the crook of my neck and shoulder. “Missed you,” he mumbled. “Let's go sit down on the bed, yeah?” I offered and he quickly accepted, almost dragging me with him. I sat down on my side of the bed, my legs stretched out in front of me as James padded towards his side, getting on the bed before sitting down and leaning his head against my shoulder. It was silent between us for a bit before he started moving around, almost shifting uncomfortably. 

His body language concerned me, “Is everything ok?” I asked, bringing my arm around to try and stroke his long blonde hair. “I dunno, just… I feel weird…” He mumbled, hiding his face in my shoulder. “Weird how? Weirder than usual?” I tried to figure out what the issue could be, my fingers still carding through his hair. “I.. I wanna be closer to you..” He admitted, slightly embarrassed even though it was known he got like this. This was normal for us.

“Of course, baby.. You don't gotta ask,” I responded sweetly, watching as he moved so he was laying down, curled up like a dog with his head in my lap. He let out a content hum, my hands returning to their rightful place in his gold locks, now even thicker with the transformation occurring. 

Though still with the adjustment, his head stirred in my lap, and this time it didn't take long for me to figure out what he wanted. I should've noticed earlier when he was almost whiny, but he wanted me to pet and  scratch his ears, as he normally did. As soon as I moved my hands to the desired furry skin, stroking and scratching gently he let out a contented purr like hum. “Does that feel good, baby?” I asked softly, continuing my ministrations. He just mumbled into my thigh, “Mhm…” 

And as I continued, I could feel his head get heavy and his breathing even out as he fell asleep with his head in my lap. The weight of his head made my legs grow tingly and numb, but I didn't mind, continuing to give him the love he craved, even if not conscious to appreciate them.

[batheir]

"see, that's why i don't talk to you," hand throwing up in frustration, JUST as she predicted. "i knew you'd say that, that's why i don't bother. meanwhile, i'm right. it goes completely right over your head... one day you'll realize it." that she was right and he'll feel like an idiot or either return his friend's love, because he realized he liked her too all along which is probably the case. "oh, thats just a cover up. she definitely is into guys like you. that's just what insecure girls do." eyes rolling, she doesn't want to talk about this though because it makes her sick. her crush on him is officially crushed. "we're NOT all friends, she makes it blatantly obvious ALL the time." her attitude starting to become more soured by the growing seconds.

"actually, they're the disrespectful ones for not coming." they just didn't let a night go to waste. "why? i'm not wasting my time trying to explain why it'd make me uncomfortable to someone who doesn't find anything wrong in it. you'll never get it." and there's clearly something wrong with someone if their girlfriend going off with a guy, leaving them behind on the trip, wouldn't bother them. "when it's simply just that anyway, it's uncomfortable and weird and makes me feel like i'm not important enough. i've never seen anyone do such things." she can't be crazy. "if he insisted on going with a girl on a trip without me, then i'd insist on leaving him. that's so royally disrespectful and ungentlemanly. and clearly i don't really mean a lot to him." and that's one thing helena will not tolerate once it gets to that point. in fact, she's getting to her tipping point now with harry. she can feel herself on the edge of breaking up with him because her mom and dad taught her so much better than this, to never let little boys treat her this way.

the stumbling around for an answer is causing her cheeks to flush, anger boiling her blood, he's royally starting to tick her off. she's getting so tired of everyone choosing their other friends over her. harry. alex. it's making her explode into emotional turmoil. "what we have isn't as special, that's what you're saying." her heart drops, wiggling her nose to keep the tears away. "i already knew that. i'm second best. you always do a good job at making me feel that way... that i'm excluded always from your little clique." speaking flatly, pretending it doesn't bother her anymore. but... screw him. next time she's stuck in a situation like this with him, she'll be sure to get on her phone and ignore him the entire time instead of engage. looking out the window as she chews, hard to swallow her dessert from emotions balling up in her throat. she can't look at him right now. "whatever, alex," saying exhaustingly, "i'm tired of hearing your excuses you're trying to pin on harry. i really don't care if he accuses me of being unfaithful, when he's probably already guilty for it at that lounge he goes to." when he tries to hide it but gets irritated when she pushes him away, because she doesn't want to be intimate– she has a good feeling he's already cheating. that she's pushed him to it. "i'm about sick of harry and all men because the males in my life have been extremely disappointing." all except her father, the only one she can say that doesn't make her cry and makes her feel less than. she's her father's whole world and helena knows it, it's probably why it's so difficult to take this treatment off men because she knows what it's like to feel like to be someone's world and this isn't it.

“actually,  that’s not what you were doing.   you were making faces and sarcastic remarks,  and so i just decided to clarify a few things.”   for conversation.   yeah,  right.   bullshit.   she thought she’d get away with yet another unfair implication.   he doesn’t expect to get an honest answer to his question and so it catches him by surprise,  his brows inching closer together,  lines appearing on his forehead.   “that’s kind of ridiculous,  helena.   poppy doesn’t have a crush on me.   she doesn’t like men like myself.   she’s into parties and wild adventures and cool guys,  and i’m —   i’m just not her type.”   teeth sinking into his lower lip as they walk across the parking lot,  his cheeks burning and the cool wind isn’t to blame.   he doesn’t have an explanation prepared and can’t really argue with the other part of helena’s sentence.   “if we are all friends,  then how is anyone in anyone’s way?”   but deep down,  he’s sensed it,  too.   poppy’s reluctance to accept helena as part of their inner circle,  as someone equal to her,  as alex’s other best friend.   and he knows why there’s so much tension between them.   but if he said those things out loud,  if he accepted them,  he would have to do something about them and he’s not ready for the changes that would surely follow.

“by that logic,  is what we’re doing now disrespectful as well?   if so,  why do we keep doing this?”   was the way they were holding onto each other on ice disrespectful towards sarah and harry?   he thinks he knows the answer,  but once again refuses to acknowledge it.   “but why would you be offended?   do you not trust him?”   not that he would trust harry.   harry’s a selfish prick.   “i trust sarah.   if she wanted to go on a trip with a guy friend,  i’d tell her go ahead,  have fun,  baby.   why are you trying to say that jealousy is normal when it’s such a negative thing?   i’m not mocking you or making fun of you.   i genuinely want to understand where you’re coming from.”   he only wouldn’t be jealous of sarah because he doesn’t love sarah enough to care so deeply.   “why wouldn’t you let harry go on a trip with a girl friend?   what has he done to make you distrust him so much?”   instead of facing the truth,  he turns the spotlight back onto helena,  waiting by the driver’s side of her car to open the door for her when she unlocks the car.   he might be annoyed with her,  but that doesn’t mean he’ll forget his manners.   but she reaches for it first and lets herself in,  leaves him looking like an idiot.

circling around the car as it comes to life,  he jolts a little at the sudden roar of the engine.   “well,  because…”   he opens the passenger’s door and climbs inside,  setting the paper bag with churros and small containers with dipping sauces on the console between them.   think,  you idiot,  think,  he scolds himself,  closing the door and rubbing his hands together,  waiting for the interior to warm up.   “because it’s different,  helena.   what you and i have.”   because he’s deeply attracted to her,  because he never met a woman so beautiful,  because he loves her mind more than anything else in this world…   “i mean,”   he’s quick to backtrack,  unzipping his jacket just a little bit so that it’s not suffocating him,  laying his gloves in his lap.   “i met poppy before i met sarah.   sarah’s used to having her around.   i don’t think she knows you all that well.”   because she avoids helena like the plague.   apparently,  every woman in his life feels threatened by helena wayne.   rightfully so.   “he’ll want to go,  though.   the second he hears that i’m going.   and then he’ll accuse you of being unfaithful.”   it’s his turn to grab a churro,  numb fingers tearing off a piece and picking up the raspberry sauce since she took the best one.   munching on it for a moment,  he eventually speaks up again,   “i do want to go.”   

[doodledoodledab]

Shout-out to Zeffo for being so... like that..!

[arinmoss]

Willow wip (he/him)