#if you’re complaining about lack of content TRY ENCOURAGING THE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GIVE IT TO YOU

[musicalmoritz]

Good Femslash Fics Already Exist

With the whole push for more femslash in fandoms, I’ve never understood the amount of hate I see femslash “fans” direct towards existing creations. There’s nothing wrong with wanting more variety, I do too, but every time someone brings up the fact that femslash fan fictions are already being written someone opens their mouth to say “yeah but those suck.” And then they proceed to read 300+ atrociously mischaracterized mlm fics. They complain abt plotless fluff and then read the exact same pwp scenarios over and over again

And hey, if you don’t want to read femslash that’s totally fine. You don’t have to pretend it interests you. I’m someone who actively looks for femslash and my only problem has been a lack of content in smaller/male-dominated fandoms, the fics themselves are cute af. Ya’ll are missing out on some real masterpieces by labeling all existing femslash fics as “boring,” some of my favorite fics ever are femslash. If an mlm ship invades the tags just filter it out, filter out every mlm pairing in the fandom if you have to. AO3 gives us that option for a reason

I’m not saying we don’t need more variety, but we’re not going to get that by shitting on writers who actively put in the work to make more femslash. When I started writing femslash consistently it was very discouraging because I’d seen soooooo many people online saying they want more femslash fics, yet nobody was reading mine. Then I looked at the stats on other femslash fics and they were the same, really great fics were barely getting any hits or kudos. It kinda sucks knowing that an mlm fic I wrote in 3 hours got more kudos than a wlw fic I spent months on (for pairings of relatively equal popularity). This seems to be the biggest roadblock for people wanting to write femslash, no one supports it. Even tho fandoms claim they would support it, they never do. It’s something I’ve learned to stop caring about but not every writer is gonna push through

This brings me back to a comment I saw about “boring, hair-braidy wlw fics.” That description really stood out to me, and to this day it makes me feel a little self-conscious about my old femslash fics that were “boring” and “hair-braidy.” But then I came across a fic for this one pairing that had actual hair-braiding. It was incredibly well-written and meaningful, exploring how both characters struggled to ask for help but they were able to recognize each other’s dilemmas and help in subtle ways. They did this, of course, by fixing each other’s hair when they both felt helpless to do anything with it. Such a simple way to express a very deep bond. This made me reassess the way people talk about femslash fics, and the way I’d been thinking of them myself. Is fluff really that much of a crime?? Do all cottagecore-type fics really have no substance?? Do femslash fics have to copy exactly what slash fics are doing, or are they allowed to have their own tropes??

My attitude towards the overload of plotless fluff wlw fics is “this is a good starting point.” We need more people writing femslash, more variety in what is written, but that doesn’t mean what we have is bad. I critique wlw fic tropes a lot but I always give the disclaimer that I actually love the fics themselves, I just want to see more of a different thing. And I comment on every femslash fic I read (every fic I read in general but especially femslash), I try to leave something thoughtful to let the writer know I appreciate the effort they put into their work. You’d be surprised how many writers said they were encouraged to update a fic or write more femslash because of a positive comment I left them. Engaging with fics will give you more of a good thing. It has so much more influence than that video you’re about to make talking about how there’s no good femslash fics. When you say things like that it actually discourages people from writing, and makes them feel bad about things they’ve already written. Support femslash writers guys, it’s sexy

[thatgirlonstage]

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[abbynx]

La Squadra Esecuzione as Best Friends Headcanons

Formaggio - Very chill, first and foremost, he is down for anything to do. Videogames? He'll try to beat your ass. Cat cafes? Heck ye he is down - The type of friend who will coax you to cut class to hang out behind the school or climb over the school fence to hang around the local arcade or theatre. But if he get caught, he won't snitch and he's willing to take responsibility. Begrudgingly. - Ohhhh physical touch is bare minimum for him. He'll occasionally lean on you, perhaps shrink himself to fit himself in your pocket just to platonically cuddle and perhaps, use you as a transport. - Will high five you as a greeting, and will high five you as a farewell. Usually followed by a hug too uwu "Bro!" He holds his hand out for a high five, in which you instinctively grant him one, when he also entwines his fingers through yours and pulling you for a hug, patting your back for a second and pulling away. "I missed you bro!" - Prepare for dumb jokes, dumb puns that he effortlessly come up with as time goes by. You can't go on a day without him cracking a joke. You'd either roll your eyes at it or laugh along with him. There's nothing in between "You see that guy over there, bro?" He leans on you, arm draped around your shoulder as he points at a person from afar. "Yeah, what?" "I say... You'd be a perfect match." You glanced at him, hearing him shake a box of matches as he wiggled his eyebrows with a dumb grin. - *Finger guns and bro intensifies* Illuso - That weird person you don't see yourself associating yourself with somehow befriended him for some reason. Most likely started when you both started to wake up at 3 AM and meet in the middle of the dark, in the kitchen, wanting to grab something to eat. At first it is awkward, but soon you learned to bond through it! And soon enough, your midnight chats extended to become actual friendships! - Seems distant, but he cares. He's the type pretend not to care about you, but will glare (or more than glare depending at the severity) at people who hurt you. He is the 'I'm the only one allowed to insult them like that' type of friend. "Huh, Formaggio hasn't been teasing me. I wonder what happened." You wondered aloud, as you say beside your friend Illuso. "Must be because of his bruised jaw. The previous mission must've been tough for him." "Yeah... That..." - Probs touched-starved. He acts irritated and push you away when you try to hug him, but secretly loves it. If you stop trying to hug him, he'd be kinda sad but will not say anything. - This friendship includes you listening to him rant about every little thing, and brag about things he can't do. He appreciates you listening to be honest, and that's initially how your friendships started anyways. - Will use derogatory terms as a term of endearment. Please don't be offended, he doesn't mean any offense "Hey idiot! Get your sorry ass right here! Risotto said we have someone to take care of!" "Thanks, dumbass." "Eyo slut! Take a look at this fugly idiot!" - Does not have the habit of knocking. In fact, he just barges into your room, through the mirror. In more than one occasion has he seen you undressed but he couldn't care less about it. "Hey dumbass can I borrow your— hey, stop screaming! Anyways I ran out of hair ties, do me a solid—" - Everyone around you being confused to how you two are most unlikely to become friends, but you two are practically unlikely twins Prosciutto - You can not stop me from assuming he is quite the mom friend if you pry his shell hard enough. Perhaps a mom friend mixed with tsundere friend. "Hey! Drink your water or I'll break your ankles! No I don't care that we're in the middle of killing someone! I packed you some water and you didn't drink it! Well shit I didn't pack it specifically for you, I just managed to pack extra! Now go ahead and drink, I'll handle this one myself! While you're at it, coat yourself with sunscreen! If I hear you whining about being burnt, I swear to God—" - If you happen to be a mom friend too, you'd be bonding over the

mutual stress of having to look over the rest of the gang over a glass of wine as chaos around you ensues because you two decided to take a small break. "Formaggio and Ghiaccio is up at it again..." You sigh, swirling the content of your stemware as the distant bickering of the two aforementioned assassins echoed. "Just... Let's just lay low. It'll be over soon." Prosciutto sighs along as well, before downing his glass of whiskey. "Hopefully." And it didn't end, as it ensued and progressive got worse. Stands were called, knives were thrown, guns were shot. And two mom friends of La Squadra almost lost their voice from all the yelling and lecturing - Will scold you for your bad habits. Bad posture? He will walk behind you, press his knee on your back and roll your shoulders back whilst he lectures you about it. Messy time management? Will buy you crap to make you keep track of time. Sleeping so late? He will take whatever you're distracted with, demand you to turn your lights off as he lights soothing scented candles and tossing you some comfortable blankets to use. Barely taking care of yourself? Bro prepare yourself. "I don't understand how you live like this! You'd be dead if you were to continue that habit! At least help me help you to make you be better!" - Very blunt and honest to the point it stings, but he never lies to people he is closed to. He prefers being upfront with his loved ones and will try to rebuild their confidence and reassure them that they can be better than what they are. "When I say you're idiotic, you're but a burden, I mean it. You have all rights to be hurt by it, but don't just live with it. Prove me wrong, that you can be better than that and you'll be the best version of yourself. I know you can do it." - Will accept hugs, but will most likely not hug back. Maybe he'll just out one hand on your back and lightly stroke it, but that's it. But in rare occasions, he will return them too. Sometimes, he'll even initiate it. - Your connection to him as a friend has lead several advantages. No one in general can make a negative comment about you with Prosciutto around. His glare alone was scary and they would not wish to stick around and find out what he can do than just glaring. - Extremely appreciates when you help him around by simply carrying things for him, fetching him coffee and actually doing your damn job properly is enough to make him be filled with gratitude. Pesci - Baby. Okay, so this boy. Boy oh boy, he is baby. Take care of him, bro. Don't coddle him to the point of him being entirely dependent on you, but sis you can always reassure and make him improve himself! Perhaps a tamer version of his relationship with his brother. - You two will mostly likely be friends because you always defend him from the others from teasing him and rooting for him. He is very grateful for it and can't thank you enough. Either that, or Prosciutto paid you to babysit him. - Will constantly cling on your arm when he's anxious. It's up to you whether you'll snap at him and slap his hand away, or just let him hang around you. He'll just simply grab your wrist, and sooner and later he'd have his body pressed against yours, completely clinging on the entirety of your arm. "D-don't leave me, Y/N! I'm scared—!" - He is extremely thankful for you watching over him and protecting and by this, he tries to improve himself a lot more just so he can confidently say he can watch over you and protect you as well - Just the sweetest little thing, whenever he'd be away with Prosciutto for a mission he'd return home bearing gifts from travel and he'd give it to you. It would be something either miniature, or something practical like a knife sharpener or something. "I-I got this for you... I hope you like it! Big bro helped me pick!" - Honestly, I can imagine him just being the best, supportive and encouraging friend there could be. If ever you needed someone to confide in, he'd just sit and listen and will certainly not repeat what you told him to others. He'll try his best to comfort

you, taking inspiration to how you comfort him and will just try his best to make you feel better. "I know life is rough and hard and bad, but you always told me it will change and soon it all be over and better. It's good that you recognise you're in a bad place, now you need to take a break and then later you won't even know you've already forgotten your problem! It's okay to be sad, too, but not for too long." - The type of friend that will share anything he has. He has a cookie with him? Shit, he'll split it in half and give the other half to you. Some soda? Well I hope you don't mind drinking from the same can as he is, he will give it to you. Melone - So this nerd isn't a complete creepy pervert, not entirely at all. He's chill for most of the time, so he's a neat company if you don't mind him bombarding you with questions regarding your genetics, heritage records, blood type, zodiac signs and whatnot. But knows when to stop. - You most likely befriended him because he is one of the chill people in the group... Somewhat. Or perhaps you just started to bond over mutual love for steamy, erotic novels from the same author. If this man has shame, his guilty pleasures would be reading these types of trashy novels filled with smut. - He is great as a wingman. Complain to him about your lack of a love life, he'll observe your types and he'll somehow come up with a list by the next day enthusiastically listing them to you in a PowerPoint presentation. "If you're into girls, I have this one right here! She's compatible with your zodiac sign, although she has quite the temper she can be extremely passionate and affectionate— or perhaps you're into men, that I have as well. Several, actually. This other fellow right here is also a part of Passione from the Human trafficking branch, stoic and quite a stern one, but knows when to lay low at times and appreciate those around him— either him or the girl, you'd make good babies together!" "Melone, what the fuck—" - Very touchy. He'd lean his head on your lap as you both read on the couch, or randomly put his head on your shoulder during meetings, grab you by the arm while crossing the road, smacking your ass as a greeting (if you tell him stop, he'd stop of course), will pretend to kiss you just so he can see your reaction, anything. He is one affectionate nut that he sometimes forget about personal spaces. If you're not particularly fond of being touched like I am, simply tell him nope. I mean, he'd be sad but will respect your boundaries. The only time he'll actually respect established boundaries, to be honest. - Knows the most random facts and will share them to you for the fun of it. Additional to that, he will also mutter his shower thoughts and random cursed facts out loud just so he can curse you with the knowledge and confusion. "Did you know that dolphins masturbate using dead fishes? Also, there was an experiment involving dolphins in which one of the scientist fell in love and had sex with it. Another fact, is that dolphins are also seen doing the deed—" "Okay, Melone, I get it! Dolphins aren't as innocent as they seem! Stop ruining it for me already!" ... "Did you know that a woman once used mayonnaise as a lubri—" "MELONE!" - Being his friends meaning being his impulse control. If he intends to use his Stand on some innocent passerby just for the heck of it (for science, as he claims), smack him by the wrist and glare at him. If he eyes a particular someone for too long that the person gets too uncomfortable, try to divert his attention away. "Ow! Y/N what the heck—!" "What did I told you about oogling at people? It's impolite and creepy, stop that!" - He may not seem like it, but bro he cares a lot. If ever you had a problem, he'd sit and listen, offer you his shoulder to cry on, and perhaps hang out to divert your attention away from what's bothering and hurting you. And if you need advice, he'll try his best to come up with a flawless solution to your problems. But if comfort is what you need, his arms are open baby. Ghiaccio

- Bro you must need emergency ear plugs for this one, he is a massive screamer, a ticking time bomb with no timer that will erupt at random. If ear plugs aren't enough, cover your ears. - Befriending him was an impulse control befriending him. Well, all you did was to constantly try to calm his tits and cool his head to the point he actually barges in your room to hang out so that he can cool his head from all of the shenanigans occuring all around him, or maybe he just had another thought about something maddening about the world. "WELL WHY?! WHY IS WOMEN'S CLOTHES SIZING CHART DIFFER FROM EACH STORE?! THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE! INCHES AND CENTIMETRES EXISTS FOR A REASON, DAMNIT!" - There are moments where he isn't screaming, thankfully and he's a decent person to talk to. If you're a listener, he'll do the talking, just ranting about things, rambling on and on, before complaining, and then another outbursts comes out. By this, you simply sigh, put a hand on his shoulder and talk to him in a gentle, calming voice. It usually does the trick. Formaggio and Melone joked about this talent of yours as witchcraft. - He appreciates you a lot and honestly doesn't know what to do without you and by that, he knows he has to reciprocate the care you give him somehow to show he is grateful of your friendship and care. He isn't the type to be physically affectionate, but he is extremely thoughtful about his closed loved onesa and prefers to be practical about it. He would save you your seat in meetings, fetch you snacks if he ran out for an errand, etc etc. Extremely observant of your mannerisms, that he might point that out to you and you won't even realise you do that. - So like, he is very protective as a friend. He will do something whenever someone has wronged you in any way. The others teasing you? Bam, he'll shoot them back with a witty insult. Your s/o cheated on you? Ohohoho boi, be prepared to see their name on a headline on the daily news. Your order was wrong? Bam, he'll have the waiter shaking in fear from a screaming, angry Italian mafioso as he demands for them to remake your order correctly. "WELL CAGACAZZO?! QUIT STANDING AROUND AND GET ORDERS CORRECTLY—" "G-Ghiaccio it's just a minor thing, let it go—" "THEY SERVED YOU AN INGREDIENT YOU SPECIFICALLY TOLD THEM NOT TO INCLUDE BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLERGIC TO IT! WHY ARE YOU LETTING THIS SLIDE OFF?!" - All in all, he's just glad you're there for him because damn, someday his temper is going to get the best of him and he doesn't know what to do. And with your friendship, he's learned how to cope with his spontaneous anger by carrying soothing stuff to ease his nerves (courtesy of your suggestions and gifts for him) - Basically the dynamic of a rapid gremlin with rabies and a calm, sunshine personified angel. Everyone (Riz, including, but he's more subtle and dry about it) joked about the unlikely friendship, and how your ears must've lost a little bit of hearing capacity. Rissoto - I feel like he'd be extremely attached to a childhood friend. You've been friends since before you underwent the drastic change by going through a lot to get to where he is now, and still the only person that stuck around with him was you. By that, you became the most trusted by him due to the fact you've known each other for very long. - As his best friend, you're his confidant and finds himself often going to you if ever he needed advice, or needed to vent about his stress. He really isn't vocal but when he's confiding in you, his words spill out of his mouth usually sealed tightly just steadily flows, his big strong Capo veneer falls apart in front of you but he doesn't necessarily feel unsafe by being vulnerable. That's how he trusts you. - No one will dare to bad mouth you in front of the Capo, or else there'd be hell to pay for. I mean, teasing is fine, he knows you can handle burns from team mates here and there (and will silently smirk at it) but he will not stand it if they attempt to belittle you for something unreasonable. "Watch your mouth. That was

out of their control, stop blaming them for something they can't do." - The type of friend that doesn't know how to comfort someone, but will try their best. So as you spill your heart out, tears, snot, sweat and all, he'll just pull you to his chest and awkwardly pat your shoulders to get you calm and comforted. Not to mention, he is extremely stiff at the hug and is very unsure what words to say to you to not upset or offend you any further, so he'll just ride it out smoothly, and let you let it all out on his chest. It's not like he can't wash your tears, snot and sweat on his chest anyways. - Since he is very non-vocal, he's a good listener so rant all the way! Complain about the weather, about your lack of love life, about how underpaid the hitmen team is, anything! He won't find the perfect response, so he'll just nod along and perhaps comment occasionally on what your saying. "So like, ugh, I am soooo frustrated at how Prosciutto could say that to Pesci! He makes a good point, but it's redundant for him to be too harsh on him! Look, all I'm saying is, maybe Prosciutto should start choosing his words correctly so that Pesci won't feel too upset! You know???" You glanced at your friend, as he simply sat attentively beside you. He nods silently as a response. "Anyways—" - Extremely great at deduction and the way he reads people so easily is so unreal. And so he uses this to his advantage to know what's up with you whenever you seemed off. By this, he's able to tell whenever you're upset but scared to talk about it, frustrated but too busy to talk about, etc etc. And with this, he takes the time to drag you to take a seat, and talk about what's been bothering you. If you don't wish to talk about it at all, he'll let you be after with a reassurance that you can overcome whatever the heck you're going through. - Everyone is surprised that you two aren't married??? That you're just friends??? The way you two look just makes you two look like a couple and it boggles the others how you two aren't one.

[simplive]

you will become a memory.

manhunt au! dream team, badboyhalo. general hunter mini headcanons

caution. death, insane sapnap per usual, maybe hints of yandere

DREAM.

─ “to hunt or be hunted.”

to be the hunter when he is usually the hunted is uncommon, but it is welcomed all the same ─ dream will revel in your fear from start, to finish as long as he possibly can. confident enough in his abilities to let you roam about in the world for a lengthy period of time because the direction of this compass will always point to where you resided. he’s not even worried when you reach the nether. whatever pace you decide to go about, will he respectively follow a suit, choosing to be calm and calculating. you don’t hear him ever speak from the ear piece, only the sounds of his shoes crushing the leaves below him as he gains closer, and closer towards your way. letting the impending dread crawl in.

he’ll let you have that sense of security, before tearing it all away.

to strike fear in others... it is what he does best.

sometimes you can get him to have conversation, just not for long. no larger than five minutes because he always returns to the same withdrawn, quiet self everyone knows him by. maybe smart, funny comments here and there to fill in the initial silence, but they are all disregarded by the fact that dream is coming to kill you regardless. there’s nothing he wants to change about that, you both signed yourself for this situation... he’s simply going to honor what it takes to be a professional, merciless hunter. an unofficial title he silently wears like an emblem. so you were doomed from the very start the moment it’s been heard who’d be tracking you down exactly.

out of everyone, they send out him, making you wonder as if the whole world wanted you to perish.

death is to be expected. you can still be good friends and still die at his hands. you’ll let him, won’t you? it’s destiny, your destiny, and everyone knows nobody can escape it once their future has been set, written in stone. what is there to have hope for? a painless death, maybe, depends on how dream feels that exact moment ─ their pain is what makes up a part of the amusement in the chase. although, it’s not like he’s going to drag it out unlike a close friend of his. do not fret, you’ll go down in history as the first prey he’s bothered to open up to... isn’t that good enough?

so why does his heart still pang at the thought?

no no, these are just mindless feelings, barely skin-deep. they’ll go away within seconds if he pays them no attention, just getting his objectives over with and moving onto the next victim. he’s doing this all for survival, and who knows... you’d do the exact same if you too wanted to live. this is a dog-eat-dog world, you either kill someone, or get killed. in fact, because you’re inflicting these unknown emotions on him gives dream more motivation to follow through with these objectives.

he’ll have you until your last breath.

GEORGE.

─ “love me until you die.”

george wants you to be comfortable and scared at the same time, he doesn’t want you to think of him as only a monster like the others. see? there’s still a bit of mercy in him to let you slide at times, shaking it off as a ‘silly little mistake’ of his, but it’s all planned. always has been. he doesn’t like to say this much, but, he pities your situation. the game cannot end until one completes the objectives... and by the looks of it, you’re nowhere as close to the finish line. be free to ask for tips or pointers whenever, he’s generous to share what he thinks will benefit you. it’s up to you whether you trust him or not, there is no offense to be taken, he’d have a hard time believing in your situation.

you can try to talk him out of this for a chance, but a job is a job, someone has to get this done.

and who knows what’ll happen to him if he doesn’t follow through.

your moments together were only meant to be full on bittersweet. you hate that he still tries to be nice against all, as if your life wasn’t placed in his hands to begin with. it would’ve been so much easier to despise george if he’d been vile, heartless, cruel even... but he isn’t. he’s kind, too kind, and you’re starting to think that maybe this was just your unescapable fate. something that transpired during your blurred life was apparently unacceptable for you to live on, it’s starting to finally make sense. no one can elude destiny as much as they pray. of course, when given a chance to slip from death, you’d take it without hesitation... but if all doesn’t go well, then that’s alright too.

everything should be okay if george is here, with you.

will you tell him these sentimental views, especially when you’re lying carelessly on the verge of death? absolutely not. he’d start to feel bad, and that’s the last thing you’d want from him. he’s only doing his job like anyone else, this is somewhat normal despite a few circumstances. you’ll keep reminding yourself anytime despair tries to reach out to you, pulling away from its tantalizing vicinity. don’t go back on this choice, don’t let the sadness take you.

don’t let him regret.

with your head perched comfortably onto his lap, blood spilling at your lips as you try to confess multiple things all at once, then failing miserably. they come out as a garbled mess of sounds unsurprisingly, rather faint to the ears, but there’s enough affection to get through him. you’ll squeeze his hand weakly in hopes of delivering a message, certainly woozy and content nonetheless. he smiles, smiles sadly at the result of his success, but this is what george had desired the whole time.

a chance to spill out his true feelings for you.

SAPNAP.

─ “look at me in the eyes.”

perhaps the most happiest one of the bunch to end someone’s life for the fun of it, quickly that is. he doesn’t want to waste time chasing after you endlessly all over the world, takes too much energy and patience... sapnap prefers to have you right in front of him so he can get right into action. there’s no point in running, everyone knows this. you do too, but such fact could never stop you from trying anyways ─ why not take advantage of that ten percent chance survival rate than do nothing at all? even he somewhat agrees with this new knowledge. there’s no fun in having a compliant little mouse. despite the obvious frustration of tracking you down, he knows it’ll be worth it in the finale when seeing you beg.

always, always looking forward to new targets. everyone is unique: their reactions, their struggles, every part of them. it’s good to have a taste of something refreshing and new. for being the type of person he was, having the same type of people to play with is completely boring, hunting would’ve became a tedious chore at that point. sapnap is ecstatic to hear about you. not much information was disclosed about you, there must be something intriguing then for the lack of story.

he hopes you won’t disappoint him.

sometimes he’ll let his ‘guard down’, sometimes. it’s only to get you motivated again because hopelessness will begin to bore him exceedingly. “don’t give up completely, little [name],” sapnap coos sickeningly, “maybe you’ll have a chance if you actually try for once. should i be nice like george, and give you another head start?” his encouragement, if you could even call it that are down right patronizing, doesn’t try to hide any malicious undertones because he’s confident his words will affect you just the way he wanted.

the fun can’t go on forever. he wants you to suffer for everything you’d put him through. sapnap did not waste three full days trying to corner you, shedding sweat, effort, and time in doing so for you to try and come up with some other excuse for him not to kill you. no, you’re misunderstanding, that’s not what he’s here for. money? no. fame? absolutely not. if it wasn’t any obvious,

he’s here to feed on your fear.

BAD.

─ “forgive me.”

like george, does manhunts because he has to, and it is quite absurd. bad has a huge problem with others having a foul mouth, but happens to not have any qualms raising a blade at someone’s throat. what kind of morals were those? he too questions these actions like any sane person would, however, does not do anything to change his ways because... it’s not in his power. what good would it do to suddenly just switch mindsets all of a sudden, superiors will start to question him and everyone he’d grown to love would suspect. to quit then would be breaking the code, and that’ll be like breaking someone’s trust. bad shouldn’t do it, he’s always reminding himself.

he shouldn’t...

and still, he’s probably the only one who has the hearts to let you go.

for first impressions, bad certainly doesn’t strike you as a hunter. he takes the time to introduce him properly, salutations and a heartfelt apology. you ask, why apologize so suddenly, we just met. he can’t do anything other than sigh, letting the silence answer your question. well, you’re currently the first one on his list, the first to die at that. he’s just here for warnings, letting you gain a huge head start...

calls you muffin as another form of affection. strikes to be strange at first, but you slowly get used to the nickname as you do him, able to enjoy the situation because it’s starting to feel like a nice game of a fusion of hide and seek, and good ol’ tag. he hasn’t been able to physically hurt you once, or at least is trying to make it seem like a mistake ─ missing opportunities, or forgetting to. whatever the case may be, you’re not complaining one bit. in fact, you too haven’t tried to raise a blade at him either.

why would you even?

your kindness is limitless, and it proves when bad cannot fathom hurting you under any circumstances. most of his victims were very aggressive, always cussing at him no matter the context, maybe that’s why guilt hasn’t officially hit him until now. the you who still manages to laugh despite everything, thank you for letting him see the horrors of his actions. “will... i’ll be able to see you again?” you murmur, unsure if you should turn your back on him and leave.

“... maybe some day! for now, you should go. be careful though, some might recognize your face as well.”

he never tells you that his life would be of no more, and he lets you go, the oblivious one, with a bittersweet smile.

[margarethx]

I have some slightly controversial take about Sam Wilson fandom here, so maybe don’t reblog this post... Comment if you want, but I really don’t want to start arguing with anyone. I just need to vent and will probably delete the whole rant later.

So...

I know that Sam’s fans complain a lot about the treatment he gets in the fandom... I still do that from time to time and I probably will continue doing it in the future. But I’m starting to feel very, very tired with the people who act like their love for Sam can only be expressed through:

1) criticizing other people’s content,

2) hatered/dislike for Bucky or Sambucky,

3) complaining about other people in the fandom.

It’s so weird. We criticize the people who make Bucky-centric content with barely any mention of Sam and tag it with his name, because it’s annoying, but at the same time there is quite a big number of fans, whose posts in Sam Wilson tag are basically:

“omg he never gets recognition”, “MCU fandom hates Sam”, “Everything is about Bucky, where is Sam?!” “some of you only like sam when he’s with bucky :/”

And... sure. There’s a lot of truth to these statements. But saying that over and over again won’t fix the problem, especially if you yourself don’t do ANYTHING to remedy the situation. You’re flooding the tag too... Just in a different way. A few months ago I had this habit that I liked to follow people who wrote posts like these. Because I had this assumption that: if you complain about Sam being treated badly you probably love him a lot, so we should get along. I love him too!

But I realized that a lot of those people literally complain for the sake of complaining and than don’t even try to post Sam-centric content on their own. Why not??? You don’t have to be an amazing creator to make a good post. It’s not just about realistic fanart and 30k words fanfic with a complicated plot. You might write some weird HCs about Sam instead. Or a joke. Incorrect quotes. Ideas for fics you’ll never finish, but might inspire other people. Doodles that took 2 minutes of drawing. Edited photos. Favourite screenshots. Prompts. Learn to make poor-quality gifs of Sam’s cool fightigh style. Write a short scene analysis. Or ask other people how they analyse some scenes to start a discussion. Link some edits from YouTube.

And if you cannot think of a single thing to make on your own? Well. You can always promote art made by other people. Go through the tag and reblog things you loved. Find a good blog and search throught their archives to find older content. You can compile a post with fic recommendations so other people read what you enjoyed and see how good the content about Sam might be. Or recommend your favourite creators in general. Send encouraging asks to artists who you love so they feel motivated.

--- ----- ---

But these people do none of that. I can scroll throught their blog for 10 minutes and everything about Sam Wilson I see is complaining that people like Bucky more. Or that Sambucky is popular. (As if all the best Sambucky stories aren’t just fans expressing their love towards Sam through Bucky’s eyes...) I’m not trying to say that you have to be a creator to criticize the fandom, but it’s weird when you only yell at others for not posting enough about Sam when you didn’t post anything about him either unless it’s complaining. Kind of ironic...

Also! If you don’t promote other people’s content they get discoraged from posting. It’s a fact. I have probably over 80 different half-made and finished drawings with Sam Wilson on my tablet, but I have zero incentive to post any of them, because every attempt in the past ended with these posts getting 4 notes. Or 10 at best. So why bother? I can look at them alone. And I don’t remember these people who complained about the lack of Sam content supporting my Sam-centric art with nice comments.

You cannot expect the fandom to mass-produce content for you if you don’t encourage it. I got no feedback, so now I just sort of... write or draw for myself, because I enjoy it and have no incentive to publish any of that when no one’s interested. Instead I just make writing prompts or analysis of tfatws, because there’s a bigger chance I’ll have an interesting disussion with other fans in the comments or I’ll inspire other creators to make more art by posting that. I enjoy both of those things very much, but one evokes a reaction I want and the other just... doesn’t. (It’s not even about validation... even if it’s nice to get compliments. It’s just: “when other people are clearly not interested, why make the art public at all?”.)

--- ----- ---

Like I said. I’m not going to call out any specific person here. But there were a few people who harshly criticized me in asks or in private messages for “pretending to love Sam” just because I like Sambucky too. But if you scroll through my blog you’ll find that at least 95% of the posts are about Sam. And if you scroll through theirs it’s 3 posts - all of them about fandom not loving Sam enough. (I just checked.)

But I guess I’m a “disgrace to the fandom”, because I acknowledge that Sam might have a love interest while you said you hate Bucky, so... Apparently your love for Sam Wilson is more real if you despise more popular characters he interacts with. ...Be honest with yourselves. Some of you just like to whine and complain, but prefer to disguise it behind love for Sam, so it sounds justified.

And yes. There should be more content that is only about Sam. Or about Sam’s non-romantic relationships. Sure. But if my two choices are: “get a Sambucky fic about Bucky loving Sam very much” or “get a post where someone cries about Sam not being loved enough for the 10th time”... then pardon me for preferring the first option.

If any of you spent half the energy you waste on complaining on making a single post about your supposed love for Sam the tag would be much more full of good content. But it seems like making actual content requires more effort and talent, so you just stay there whining that other people don’t provide you with what you want and demand. And give zero encouragement and promotion to those who do the work.

So continue doing that if you wish. But I won’t waste all my energy on making my weekly “this fandom fucking sucks” post. I prefer promoting cool art other users made (now or years ago) and creating my own posts that might not be always 100% about only Sam... but are still focused on him. Because I like this fictional little guy. I’m not going to let this weird purity tests ruin my enjoyment. If the pretty drawing of Sam has Bucky on the other side of the canvas I still have a cool drawing of Sam to admire. So it’s a win for me.

--- ----- ---

[Reminder: please don’t reblog this. I really just need to vent. Comments are okay, I can discuss this. I just don’t want some peope to see that and go yell at me all over again. I was already harassed for allowing Bucky or Steve on my mostly Sam-Wilson-centric blog...]

[Also... if you think this is hypocritical of me to complain about complaining... Maybe. I don’t think it’s comparable here, but whatever.]

[flooffybits]

Hate To Break It

Idol: Dreamcatcher

Anon: A Dreamcatcher 8th member scenario where the 8th member who is the maknae and is still in school is being bullied pretty badly and hiding it from her members please

Warning: bullying, harrassment

A/n: this turned out longer than i expected

☕buy me a coffee☕

Handong yawned as she exited her and Gahyeon’s shared room before padding her way to the living room, blinking when she saw Bora in the kitchen and preparing breakfast.

“Unnie, how much sleep did you get?” The younger woman inquired, knowing that she had woken up in the middle of the night hearing the older woman, along with Minji, giggling and chatting outside their room.

The shorter one of the two looked over and smiled as she waved a hand, gesturing for Handong to come over. “Just a couple hours but don’t worry, I’ll go back to sleep after finishing Y/n’s lunch.” She explained when she gestured to the empty lunch box next to the stacked up pancakes.

“Oh, right. Is she awake already?” Since you were the only one who had yet to graduate, your members knew that you were still having a bit of a hard time juggling your school works and your schedules.

It was only recently that Siyeon had seen a nearly failing mark on one of your test papers. When she brought it up to the others, they had asked you if there was anything you were struggling with in school and you explained to them that you were just having some troubles focusing with the lack of sleep you’ve been getting because it just so happened that your comeback date was scheduled at the same time as your midterms.

“I haven’t checked yet. Would you mind? If she’s still asleep, wake her up so she can have breakfast and wash up.” Bora requested and Handong was already nodding and making her way to your and Yubin’s shared room.

Gently pushing the door open, the Chinese woman took a peek inside and noted that no lights were turned on, so she assumed that you had yet to get up. Taking a step into the room, Handong made her way over to your bed and smiled when she saw you curled up under the covers.

“Y/n? Time to wake up.” She tells you while placing a hand on your shoulder. She was trying not to be too loud because it looked like Yubin fell asleep not too long ago, judging by the percentage of her phone’s battery when she checked on it when she saw it plugged in.

After a few more attempts, you finally began to stir and Handong patted your hair gently so it wasn’t sticking to your face. “Hey, time to get up. Sua unnie said you should get ready for school.” She murmured and you groaned as you rested your head on her lap instead.

“I don’t want to go to school.” You mutter quietly, and if you weren’t so sleepy, Handong wouldn’t have excused it as you wanting to sleep in. “You have to. It’s only one more year and you’ll finally be out of there.” She encourages and you were able to wake up a bit more as she continued to talk to you.

Huffing, you finally sat up with a pout and the older woman giggled before kissing your forehead. “Go wash up. Food is ready outside so you better hurry before Sua unnie starts scolding you.”

By the time you were done and exiting your room, Minji gave you a grin and pulled you in a warm embrace as she nuzzled your head. “Good morning, maknae!” She greeted happily, kissing your cheek and then taking a good look at your uniform.

“Gahyeon said she would drop you off at school, today. We know that you like walking, but she insisted that she wanted to spend some time with you in the morning since she’s heading to her pilates trainer.” Your leader explained as she fixed your tie and flattened the collar of your uniform.

Blinking, you turn to the said person as she grinned at you and handed you your breakfast. “Isn’t it a bit early?” You ask confusedly, but she shook her head with a smile. “I always leave the dorm a little after you. But I wanted to get to spend the morning with you before your schedule gets too cramped.” She explained and you nod in understanding, smiling as you ate your breakfast.

By the time Yoohyeon wakes up, you and Gahyeon were already waving goodbye to everyone and the big puppy started whining with missing breakfast with you. “Why didn’t you wake me earlier?” She complained as you both giggled at her antics.

“Sorry, unnie, but we have to get going!” You tell her as you adjust your bag on your shoulders. “Bye!” Gahyeon teased as she shut the door and you both giggle when you could still her whining despite the door being closed.

In the car, Gahyeon beams at you when she makes her way to your school campus. “You’ve been really busy lately with all your school works. Are you sure you’re alright with everything? You can always ask us for help if you need it.” She suddenly spoke up and you hum in reply while shaking your head.

“It’s alright. I know you were all worried because of last time, but I swear, I’m managing.” You assure her, though it doesn’t stop the pout that rises to her lips. “I know, but you shouldn’t be pushing yourself too much, okay?” You offer her a smile and lean over to press a quick peck to her cheek.

“I’ll be alright.”

..

“Whoops! Sorry about that!” Flinching at the sudden coldness that was splashed over you, you could only keep your head down as your classmates laughed and walked away from you.

Looking down, you sighed when you saw the juice that they had spilled on you already staining your shirt. Getting up, you exited the room to head for the restroom and freshen up, clean the stain as best as you could. It would be easy to explain how that happened, but you had to wash your hair as well.

Right after getting back to the classroom, you were able to reach your desk without anyone messing with you. You were able to breathe out and pulled out the food Bora prepared for you.

Thinking that you could enjoy your lunch peacefully, you didn’t bother with the students around you and simply focused on your lunch.

That is until you couldn’t.

“You call that food? Where did you buy this trash?” One of your classmates mocked as they took the box from you and looked at its contents. “Give it back. My unnie prepared it for me.” You tell them with a glare fixed on your face, but the admission had only caused them to smirk.

“Oh, one of your failure members?” They snicker and you grit your teeth while clenching your fists tightly. “Don’t call them that.” You growled out, but it only pushed them to further insult you and your group. “I’m not lying though. Your group can’t even win and nobody knows you. Your company isn’t even big like SM or YG. There’s no place for you.” They spat out and it would be a lie if you said it didn’t hurt.

But you were able to mask your anger well. “We don’t have to be from a big company to be popular. Unlike you, people know who we are and you’re just jealous.” You retorted, and that seemed to make their expression falter.

“What was that?”

“You’re so used to being the most popular kids in school, but when you found out I was accepted and debuting in a group, it was so easy to feel threatened. You’re afraid of being dethroned and losing the privilege that you had.” You went on, unaware of where this sudden burst of courage came from.

But your words have only served to further anger your bullies as the one holding the lunchbox smacked it right back at your face before shoving you to the ground. “You think we’re afraid of trash like you?”

You grunted while holding your nose and looked up at them. “Not at all. In fact, I feel sorry for you that you’re so threatened by just one person you consider trash.” You shot back smugly.

“You have to learn to shut that mouth of yours, smartass.” They threatened, hand raised and ready to hit you, but before they could, one of the other students spoke up when they came into the room.

“Leave her alone already. Unless you want a trip to the principal’s office, I suggest you walk away.” You recognize the boy as the class representative and your bullies all scoffed before walking away, sending you another shove before finally leaving you alone, though not before leaving one last threat as they retreated.

You watch them with your eyes squinted before looking down at the mess they left. Frowning at the food Bora made, your mood further dampened as you cleaned it all up and threw it away.

You felt bad that she put such an effort to even wake up early to prepare it for you, only for someone to throw it away instead of letting you enjoy it. And aside from that, the uniform Minji prepared for you the night prior had been ruined, too.

When your classes finally end you let out a sigh of relief while exiting the classroom and then head for the exit so you could head home to change your clothes before heading to the company.

But it looked like your earlier courage had come to bite you in the ass when your bullies appear by your locker, smirks on their arrogant faces before one of them grabbed your arm. “I think you need to be reminded on where you belong.” They tell you, and even when you struggle, they were able to drag you all the way to the back of the school.

..

“What took you so long?” Yubin asked as soon as you entered the practice room, panting and trying to catch your breath. “Did you go to the dorm first?” Siyeon questioned when she took note of your still wet hair.

“I’m sorry! There was a lot to do at school and someone accidentally spilled their drink on me.” You huffed after finally catching your breath and then straightening up the best you could.

Seeing how tired you looked, Bora pursed her lips together when you dropped your bag on one of the chairs and took a seat on the floor to stretch your sore muscles. "Will you be okay?" She asked softly and you flash her an assuring smile. "I'll be okay, nothing I can't handle." You tell them and Minji chuckles while shaking her head.

“If you say so. But if you’re tired, be sure to tell us and you can take a break. How much homework do you have for today?” Yubin tells you while ruffling your hair. “I managed to finish most of it. I only have my math homework and a few essays.” You answer and Yoohyeon smiled while she raised her hands. “I can help!”

“Okay, okay. But for now, let’s get to work.”

And you did just that. While you all went through the choreography, you did your best to pay attention to everything. Falling into routine, you started off with the whole group before breaking into two groups just in case it helped with learning faster.

You managed to put this day’s events in the back of your mind as you listened to the sound of your song, your voices reaching your ears while you mentally counted. You watched your own movements through the mirror, noting every little detail and your members watched happily from the side.

An hour an a half, you were finally able to take a break from dancing and Gahyeon handed you a bottle when you laid down with a huff. Siyeon was laughing at you from the side and took a picture before you rolled to your side.

“No more!” You groan, only for Bora to start tugging at your leg. “Unnie!” The rest of the girls burst out laughing when the dancer started to drag your body on the floor and you could only scream at her to stop while squirming from her hold.

“You’re using me as a mop!” You yelled at her, but she merely cackled as she started to pull you once more, having Gahyeon’s help this time before you were left at the middle of the practice room.

Yubin shook her head at everything that was happening, though there was a smile on her face. Handong just watched with amusement while you laid, almost in defeat, on the floor and the rest of your members were laughing and Siyeon and Yoohyeon were laughing at the video and pictures they’ve taken.

“Okay, I think the floor is clean.” Minji teased as she sat next to you and poked your cheek with a smile. “You did great!” She laughed before Bora piped up. “Yah! What about me? I was the one who did the pulling!” She claimed before you sat up to playfully glare at her. “No one told you to do it!” 

“Is that a way to talk to your mother? Watch yourself, baby.” The older woman tutted and you stick your tongue out while crossing your arms across your chest.

Minji then lightly pushed you in Yoohyeon’s direction. “Go and do your homework.” She ushers and you nod your head before scrambling to your feet and hurrying to Yoohyeon who already had her arms outstretched for you.

The taller woman took you into her arms and nuzzled you before letting you grab your bag to retrieve your homework. As soon as you showed her, her eyes skimmed over the papers before you went to work. Next to you, Yubin and Gahyeon rechecked your already finished homework, especially ones you told them you weren’t sure of your answers.

While resting, the unnie line decided to start up the Vapp just to pass the time and show them what everyone was doing.

“Somnia! We’ve missed you!” They announce happily while setting the phone up. Since they decided to keep some distance just so they wouldn’t disturb any of you as you worked, none of the four of you were seen except through the mirror behind the older girls.

When people saw you in Yoohyeon’s arms while doing your homework, people began asking the four about it.

“Where is maknae line?” Handong read out before Minji adjusted the phone so show all four of you huddled together. “They’re all helping maknae with her homework. Yoohyeonnie volunteered to help Y/n, and then Dami and Gahyeon are checking her answers.” Bora explained while waving her hand. “So we’re not disturbing them because they’re all focused.”

“Y/n has been really busy with school, too. Sometimes I look at her and think ‘please don’t grow up so soon’ but look at her. She’s already taller than Sua unnie.” Siyeon laughed before Bora gave her a disbelieving look. “Yah!”

The pair disappeared from view and Yubin glanced up to look at what the ruckus was about, only to shake her head and continue to put your notebooks back in order.

“Are you almost done?” Minji asked you and Yoohyeon looked up from over your shoulder and then waved her hand. “Almost! Y/n just needs to fix a few things.” She replies as Gahyeon and Yubin head to join the other four.

When they looked at the comments and conversed with the fans while waiting for you, Gahyeon’s expression faltered when she saw a comment about you.

useless spoiled brat

Bora saw it not too long after and she leaned closer to get a good look before reporting the comment. The action had caught your members’ attention and their smiles faded even with the positive comments other fans were trying to send after they had also seen the comment.

“You know, there’s no need to bring other people down with you.” Siyeon said simply before Yoohyeon finally stood up and Handong looked back at you to see you putting your things away. “Y/n said she would finish the rest at the dorm so she can practice more.” The big puppy explained and the latter nodded her head before she reached for your hand when you were near enough.

You allowed her to pull you in for a hug and smiled before looking at the camera. “Hello Somnias! It’s been a while, how are you?” You greet them, oblivious to what happened just minutes ago. “They said they miss you.” Minji beamed as you rested your head on top of Handong’s.

Off to the side, Yubin had whispered to Yoohyeon about the comment aimed at you when you weren’t present and the pout on her face became apparent. “What happened?” She asked quietly so they wouldn’t be heard, but the younger woman shook her head in reply. “Just the usual people who send insults, I guess.” She mutters, displeased, and Yoohyeon huffs before nodding her head.

“I’m doing okay! The unnies have been really strict with me recently because I’ve been sleeping less than I should have.” You had explained when someone asked you about school. “Yoohyeon unnie likes to sneak into my and Dami unnie’s room, so there are times where she’ll make me sleep early.”

“That’s her excuse for when she wants to cuddle.” Yubin piped up and said girl lightly hit her arm in retaliation. “That’s not true!” She retorted, but you were already shaking your head and telling your viewers that it was.

Luckily, no other malicious comment came after that and you soon ended the live to resume with your practice before finally heading home.

..

A week after you had stood up against your bullies, things seemed to only grow worse. And it seemed that those who watched the live with your members found a way of tormenting you even more.

The past week, you had been shoved into lockers and even locked inside the janitor’s closet until a random passerby heard your voice, asking for help and let you out. They did not stop throwing food or drinks at you and you were running out of excuses to tell your members as to why, thus the reason you started to bring extra clothes just to be safe.

The constant bullying along with your practices were taking a toll on your body. The beating was getting worse and worse and no one was able to step in to help you due to the threat of being bullied themselves. The only time you were safe was when your class representative or teachers were around, but every time that happened, they came back ten times harsher.

“Don’t you train? A little push shouldn’t hurt you.” Your bully said after pushing you to the ground. When you tried to get back up, they planted their foot firmly on your back just so you wouldn’t move.

Another leaned down to get a look at your face and you could only grit your teeth while trying to move from under your classmate’s foot. “Not so tough anymore?” They taunted before poking your forehead. “We told you, you don’t get the last laugh here.” They muttered before the back of their hand collided with your cheek.

With a harsh stomp on your leg, pain shot through you before they finally left you on the ground, dirt and garbage surrounding you like they did the first time you were brought to the back of the school.

At the company, your members were all waiting for you to arrive for them to start, though Handong and Siyeon were already reviewing their parts somewhere in the room while Gahyeon was sitting on the ground, phone pressed to her ear as she waited for you to pick up.

“She isn’t answering.” The second maknae mumbled worriedly since this had been her third time calling you and you weren’t answering any of their messages. “Should we call the school?” She suggested, but Minji shook her head. “Maybe she’s at the dorm to freshen up. She has a lot going on, so it’s understandable that she would head there, first.”

“But it’s been an hour. She’s never usually this late.” Yubin reasoned, frowning when another text was left unread. “What if something happened to her?” Gahyeon voiced her worries out, but Bora gave her a look. “Don’t think like that. Y/n is just late. She’ll be here in how many minutes and she’ll be fine.”

Despite her confidence, she had her own doubts because Yubin was right. You were a punctual person and you hated making others wait because of you, so there was worrying gnawing at the back of her mind with the more time that ticked by.

After another half hour passed by, Yoohyeon finally huffed and stood up. “Where are you going?” Siyeon questioned as the younger woman headed for the door. “I’m going to Y/n’s school to check on her.” She announced while yanking the door open, only to catch two of your managers on the phone and heading out.

“Oppa, where are you going?” She asked when she saw the urgency in their eyes. Your manager unnie looked hesitantly at her and then saw the rest of your members behind her before sighing. “We don’t know yet, but Y/n is at the hospital and we need to go with her.”

Hearing that had caused their blood to run cold before Yoohyeon shook her head and followed after the pair. “I’m coming, too.” She informs them, her tone clear that there was no room for argument and the rest snapped out of their shock to quickly collect their things.

Your manager let out another breath before nodding her head. “Okay, but you stay close and wait.” She tells them before they were led to the car and brought to the hospital you had been brought to.

“We’ve been told that the janitor found her passed out behind the school. She can’t walk, but we don’t know just how bad her injuries are as of yet.” Your manager explains, clearly disturbed by what they found out.

“Has Y/n ever mentioned having problems at school?” The other asked and the girls looked at each other before shaking their heads. “She doesn’t talk much about her classmates.” Handong explains and they nod before the car had been parked for them to get out.

While the other manager went to park the car, the girls, along with your manager unnie went inside to look for you, asking the front desk which room you were in before they made their way there.

All throughout the drive and the trip to your room, your members could only think about what could have caused your injuries or who could have done this to you because they just couldn’t imagine someone laying their hand on you.

When they reached the front of the door, your manager looked to each of the girls’ faces and saw the nervous and anxious looks that they wore. She was about to tell them that they didn’t have to enter, but she knows that none of them would be able to rest if they didn’t see you.

So upon entering the room you were in, they were greeted by the doctor and a few nurses that were in charge of looking after you. The doctor looked up from the clipboard she was holding and then offered a sympathetic smile to everyone as she ushered them all inside.

“How is she?” Your manager asked and the doctor turned back to your sleeping form. “She’s alright, nothing too serious. Aside from the bruises, it looks like her leg has been beat really badly. At first we thought she may have either fractured or dislocated it since she couldn’t move it, but luckily it isn’t that severe.” She explains while flipping through the page.

“The area isn’t somewhere for her to hurt during a fall unless there was a rock or bumps on the ground, but from what the man who brought her here stated, there wasn’t anything. Given that she was also behind their school, Y/n’s injuries weren’t caused by an accident.”

“So, you’re telling us that someone did this to her on purpose?” Bora demanded and your doctor sighed softly as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I can’t say that I’m certain, but with the blunt force needed to hurt her leg like this, it would appear so. And the fact that she was left behind their school with no one to find her is questionable, but I don’t have all the answers you’re looking for.”

She nodded to the man that stood at the side of the room, offering them a small nod before introducing himself. “You were the one who found her?” Your manager questions and he nods.

“Can you tell us what happened when you saw her? Was there anyone around?” The man frowned as he glanced at you and then shook his head. “She was all alone when I was cleaning up. The kids should have all left the school and the only people around when I was cleaning were a few members of the faculty, and they were even surprised when I reported Y/n being behind the school.”

Minji pursed her lips, inhaling deeply as she clenched her fists. “Do you see Y/n at school at all? Has anyone been bothering her?” She was dreading the answer, but when the grimace appeared on the man’s face, it was clear to them what was going on.

“Y/n was never one to get mixed into trouble, it just so happened that some kids from her class weren’t too fond of her. I don’t know the whole thing, but I’ve seen them pouring her with drinks and even stealing her food.” He then began to narrate everything he was able to witness and even the whispers of students he’s passed by.

Meanwhile your members all needed to pause and let the information sink in. Siyeon held on to Yubin’s shoulder to keep herself steady while Minji felt her eyes begin to tear up.

“How do none of the teachers know about this?” Yoohyeon demanded, but your manager gestured for them to keep quiet before she faced the male. “Would you mind if I ask a few more questions? This is a serious issue and endangering the health of one of our artists is definitely going to cause problems for the school.”

Your manager told your members to all stay in the room while she dealt with everything and none of them needed to be told twice as they approached the bed. Gahyeon took the seat closest to you and gently took your hand in her own.

The room was quiet, save for the steady beating of your heart through the monitor, but even that didn’t ease their worries as they watched over you.

Handong was lightly rubbing the leader’s back when she saw the concern on her face, the tears that she was trying to keep at bay was making her eyes sting. Yoohyeon held Bora’s hand when she saw the shorter woman already wiping her own tears, but the most prominent emotion she had in her was anger.

Who dared to hurt her baby so badly that she ended in the hospital?

It wasn’t acceptable.

“Don’t do anything brash.” Siyeon was the first to speak up, her expression dark while she kept her arms crossed. “We’re all upset, that’s clear, but we have to make sure maknae is alright before anything else.”

“She’s in the hospital, I think that’s a clear enough sign that she’s not alright.” Yoohyeon shot back with her teeth clenched. “Why would she not tell us she was being bullied? Who the heck would do such a thing?” Bora finally let out and Yubin pursed her lips as Minji sucked in a deep breath.

“Siyeon is right. We need to be calm about this.” But Minji’s words only further angered the pair. “How the hell are we going to be calm? Do you see what’s going on?” Bora gestured to you but Yubin shook her head. “Jiu unnie is right. We can’t be doing things that will only get everyone in trouble.”

“So we’re just going to let these kids go and keep tormenting Y/n?” Yoohyeon shot back. “You know that none of us want that, but we can always handle this in a civil manner.” Handong intervened, but their bickering had only further progressed until Gahyeon looked up.

“Be quiet!”

Surprised, all six of them turned to her as she bit her lip. She didn’t want to have to raise her voice, but they were not helping in making the situation better.

“Y/n is in the hospital, she’s hurt, we know that and we can’t do anything, but do you think arguing with each other is going to make her feel better? You want to do something, so do I but that’s not our call.” She said in between sobs, her grip on your hand growing tighter. “The best we can do is be there for her and make her feel better, not remind her of what happened.”

That seemed to help the girls in calming down. While their emotions clashed with one another, they decided to keep some space between them inside the room as they waited though Gahyeon refused to leave your side, along with Bora.

Your managers came back shortly afterwards to inform them about everything the janitor told them and that they would be having a meeting with the school, along with your director.

“He’ll be stopping by as soon as Y/n is comfortable enough to talk.” The girls nodded in understanding before the pair left to arrange whatever preparations they needed to make, as well as emailing your school.

..

“... wasn’t what I wanted and I shouldn’t have said that.”

Groaning softly, you force your eyes to open as you hear the sound of your members’ voices.

When did you fall asleep and when did you get home? You don’t remember getting to leave the school after-

“What happened?” Was the first thing you were able to croak out, voice hoarse after not using it for so long.

Settling down around the bed, all of the girls seemed relieved to see you awake after how many hours of waiting. Yubin offered you some water to drink before you took a sip, thanking her before finally taking in the scene that you were in.

“How are you feeling?” Gahyeon asked softly as she brushed your hair back. You let out a small huff before shifting in bed. “Like I went through our whole choreography for five days.” You mutter and it was able to draw some chuckles from your members. “Well, at least your sense of humor is fine.” Handong replies before Minji finally placed her hand on your leg.

You turn to her and there’s a look that you recognize from the time she sat you down to have a serious conversation regarding your schedules and how you were coping up. “Would you mind talking to us?” She asks carefully and you know that, by now, there was no hiding anything with how serious things have gotten between you and your classmates.

So with a nod, the girls take that as their cue to ask what they needed. “Why didn’t you tell us that people were picking on you?” Yoohyeon was the first to ask and you play with the sheets while avoiding their gaze. “I didn’t think it was a big deal at first. I assumed they would get bored and stop eventually.”

“But it only got worse.” Yubin said for you, and you grimaced while nodding. “They didn’t like me for being an idol. They didn’t want people to be better than them.” You sigh while leaning back. “... You know they can be charged for assault, right?”

At that, you kept quiet while they continued to explain the call they received from your director.

“We want you to transfer schools, but we don’t think it’s fair for us to be making that decision when it’s you who’s directly involved. So, the director wants to know what actions we’ll be taking from here.”

You were quiet for a while and they understood that this wasn’t an ideal position for someone at your age, but they couldn’t sit by and keep you in a place where it was clearly dangerous for you.

With a sigh,  you shake your head and look up to all of them. “I don’t want to press any charges.” Hearing your answer caused most of them to frown and Siyeon rubbed the back of your hand as she sat down. “Why not?”

“They’re kids my age and, sure, they hurt me, but the difference is that I already have a career. I can handle transferring but if I do press charges, that could potentially ruin their future even though I know there’s a chance of them changing.” You explain quietly, afraid that they wouldn’t agree with your sentiments.

But to your surprise, they don’t protest and, instead, smile before Yubin ruffled your hair whilst Minji placed a chaste kiss on your forehead, being mindful to avoid the bruises on your cheeks. “We’ll talk with the director tomorrow and tell him. For now, get some rest.”

And as you went back to sleep that night, all of your members could only watch over you with fond smiles and admiration swimming in their eyes. Because even when you were at the receiving end of other people’s words and actions, you were always understanding enough to give them another chance.

[thebiscuiteternal]

“A Safe Place To Die” Madwoman In The Attic, Forced Seclusion, Slow Death By Misplaced Kindness, Nie Huaisang tried to tell Lan Xichen his suspicions about his brother’s death and it Did Not Go Well, Not-Quite-Sangcheng.

__________

Three times, Jiang Cheng has informed the servants that he only wants a pot and some cups, and yet when he arrives at the door of the tiny house at the edge of the Cloud Recesses, there is a maid waiting with a fully-made tea tray. Well aware that he is already treading on thin ice with having demanded this visit, he bites back the acrid comment that threatens to bubble up behind his teeth and focuses his ire on the wards of the door instead.

Inside, Nie Huaisang sits on a cushion on an otherwise empty floor and doesn't so much as turn his head away from the window at the intrusion.

Jiang Cheng waves the maid over to put the tray down, then scowls thunderously when she putters at it for too long.

Point taken, she flees.

Once he's well and sure she's gone, he picks up the teapot, walks over to the window, and unceremoniously dumps the contents onto the bushes outside. Nie Huaisang hasn't moved, but Jiang Cheng is well aware that he's being watched as he takes a cloth from what he assumes is the bathing area and thoroughly wipes out the pot. He refills it with new water and presses a heating talisman to the ceramic, then sets it down and fetches another cloth. Settling himself onto the floor across from the other man, he begins wiping down the cups as well.

"I brought some of that spice tea from the southwest that you like," he says a little too roughly to be purely conversational. The cups now clean and clearly safe, he pulls a pouch from his sleeve and begins producing small, tightly wrapped packages to lay between them. "Nie Hengbai insisted I bring you these as well."

That finally makes Nie Huaisang turn his head a little, rather than observing him from the corner of his eye or through his eyelashes.

Good.

That's good.

He takes out the box of loose tea and opens the lid so that the other man can observe it for himself, setting it close enough that he won't have to lean too far to peer in.

"I actually had to explain all this to Sect Leader Lan, you know." Nie Huaisang blinks up at him, expression still unreadable. "Apparently the concept that you would fear being poisoned by the same people who locked you up for insisting your brother had been murdered never once occurred to him."

That earns him a snort, followed by a weak and rasping huff of not-quite-laughter that is both encouraging and a little unnerving. Apparently satisfied by his efforts, Nie Huaisang reaches out of the blanket he has cocooned himself in and gently pushes the box back.

Jiang Cheng focuses on the prep work of measuring and brewing the tea and adding the honey he has also brought. Focusing on that keeps his mind from dwelling on the thought that he could count the bones in his friend's wrist, or that the hollows of the other man's cheeks remind him uncomfortably of-

"How are they?"

The faded crackle of the other man's voice brings him out of his focus. "Who... the disciples?" he asks hesitantly. At the small nod he gets in return, some of the tension in his back eases. "They're... pretty pissed about all this. Nie Hengbai only took the leadership position three days ago after literally no one else would accept, and he's insisting he's only an interim leader."

Nie Huaisang blinks at him, confusion written all over his face. "Why?"

"Well, they're not happy with the elders rolling over for Lanling Jin and Gusu Lan, that's for sure, but mostly they want you back."

"Why?"

Jiang Cheng offers a teacup, keeping his hands around Nie Huaisang's when the other man's fingers tremble trying to hold it. "Is it so hard to believe?" he asks as he carefully helps his friend drink. "They know you. They know you'd watch over them no matter how much you complained about it."

Nie Huaisang swallows the last mouthful, then hesitates for a moment before letting him have the cup back. "And you?" he asks, so very softly and cautiously. "What do you know?"

"That you lie about things like hiding junk food from Grandmaster Lan, not about another sect scheming for your brother's life." He takes a deep breath, then picks up the pot and refills the cup. "I voted against the seclusion," he says quietly. "Even if you were losing your mind the way the others believed, and I don't think you were, being locked up alone wasn't going to do a damn thing to help."

"Oh, I have regular visitors," Nie Huaisang murmurs, and gods above, Jiang Cheng is glad to hear the sarcasm in it. He bites back the briefest smile before he picks up the cup and holds it to the other man's mouth again.

"When the vote passed, I offered..." He swallows hard. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not angry. Not at you, at any rate."

"You should be," he argues, but Nie Huaisang gently pushes back the cup so he can shake his head.

"It's not your fault. Not when you have to share Ling-er."

They fall into silence then, not quite companionable but not uncomfortable either, until the second cup is empty. Then Jiang Cheng opens the first of the little bundles sent from Qinghe. The sight of several rice flour balls, clearly made by an expert and caring hand, draws a broken little sob from his friend that makes his own chest tighten. Partially to give Nie Huaisang what laughably little privacy is available and partially to keep from breaking down himself, he turns away to examine their surroundings with a more critical eye.

The first thing he notices is that there is no bed frame. Several extra pallet mattresses have been added to make up for some of the lost height, but that's all the bed is. Pallets and a few pillows.

In fact, there isn't anything sturdy in the room. He'd picked up on the lack of a table, but now he sees that there are no shelves or a wardrobe; he sees a few boxes made of layered paper that might contain books and robes, but that's all. There's no tub, nor a privacy screen to go with it. The cloths are cut so small that they'd be useless for tying together. There is nothing remotely sharp to be seen anywhere.

This is, he realizes, a room entirely designed to keep the occupant from having anything they could use for a suicide attempt.

He inhales, keeping his breathing deep and slow, in order to swallow back the sudden and intense urge to vomit. He's not entirely surprised; Nie Huaisang has been painted as having gone mad and Sect Leader Lan genuinely seems to believe it. Of course he would want to keep his dearest friend's little brother safe after losing said friend to a violent madness of his own.

But this place is a nightmare cloaked in kindness.

Hell, if they'd locked him in here by himself, he probably would have been trying to tear down the walls after the first few days.

"Jiang-xiong?"

Another deep breath, then he turns back to find that Huaisang has finished the first of his gifts, his eyes red but the tears dried.

"I'm sorry, but I can't get the knots open," he says, looking somewhere between dejected and deeply embarrassed as he indicates another of the bundles. Trembling fingertips are red from his attempts to do just that.  Just a few months ago, Jiang Cheng would have rolled his eyes and called him lazy. Here and now, he simply nods and picks it up, and the irony is thick enough to choke on.

"I'm going to meet with Nie Hengbai as soon as I leave," he mutters as he pulls apart the strings. At the questioning head tilt, he continues. "We're going to get you a cook from Qinghe or Yunmeng. Someone we'll both vet. They'll handle all your meals and the delivery of them. And the Lans are going to accept them whether they like it or not."

"Are you sure that's-"

"I'm going to visit more often. I should have been visiting already."

"I told you, I don't blame-"

He takes a piece out of the pile of spiced and dried lamb in the package and pops it into Nie Huaisang's mouth, then grins when the other man sulks at him while chewing. "There you are. I was worried you wouldn't come back."

Nie Huaisang rolls his eyes and swallows, then sinks in to rest his head against Jiang Cheng's shoulder. "You're going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?"

"I am."

"You might get in trouble, too."

"Might not be so bad if they throw us in together."

It's a joke of incredibly poor taste, considering their situations, but at least it gets Nie Huaisang to actually laugh.

[twomanyideas]

The Way To A Man's Heart - Chapter 2

A collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404​

AO3 | Prev: Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Next:

Chapter 2

The hotel was fancier than Natsu remembered from their previous visit with Happy, Erza and Lucy, but he wasn’t all that concerned about it. Stuff like that had never mattered to him. He was much more worried about the line of people waiting to get into the restaurant. He’d been about to complain about it, but he never got the chance.

“Relax, Pyro. We have a reservation, remember?”

Right. And he was thankful for that. Outside of the unexpected train ride, this dinner had been a godsend. The perfect solution to what had been shaping up to be an uncomfortable situation.

Natsu loved his guildmates; they were his nakama after all, but they were too damn nosy for their own good. It was bad enough that they’d already made Gray’s life miserable by encouraging Juvia’s antics despite his constant rejections, but now it seemed they’d set their sights on him.

He knew he should have expected it, but he’d hoped that they would have interpreted his lack of romantic interest in Lucy for what it was. Instead, they’d decided he was oblivious, and encouraged her as well.

Natsu loved Lucy dearly. He just wasn’t in love with her, but he didn’t want to hurt her by telling her that. He’d kind of hoped she’d get bored by his lack of response and move on to someone else. Someone like Loke, who was clearly crazy about her. But that hadn’t happened yet, and even worse, he’d overheard Mira telling Cana that Lucy planned to make her move that night.

He’d jumped at the chance to escape the guild. A night full of food and drink was just what he’d been in the mood for, and the prospect of hanging out with Gray intrigued him.

He followed Gray to a podium, where a hostess greeted them. That already was a big change from the places they usually ate. The hostess verified their reservation and handed them off to a server, who led them down a dimly lit hallway and into a small room.

“Your table isn’t ready yet, but this is our lounge,” she announced with a smile. “It’s not as noisy as our main bar, and you can still enjoy a drink while you wait.”

She gestured towards the lounge’s bar area and left. Music played softly on the room’s music lacrimas, and along with the usual bar stools there were several sofas that looked more expensive than Natsu’s house, contents included. He decided the bar stools were probably safer.

The lounge had large windows, giving them a splendid view of the ocean.

“Oh wow, this is great!” he exclaimed, watching the people on the beach enjoy the warmth and beauty of the setting sun. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun, and there had been so many stalls to check out. He longed to go join them.

When was the last time they’d been able to do anything fun?

“Yeah,” Gray agreed. “Maybe we can check it out after we eat? Mavis knows I won’t be able to get you back on the train after that.”

Natsu hated to admit it, but Gray probably had a point. They took their seats, and the bartender walked over to them.

“Can I interest you in a drink?” she asked politely. “Yeah.” Gray pored over the wine and cocktail menu he received. “Could we get two of those magic drinks?” “Excellent choice, Sir. Two Magic Wonders coming right up.”

Natsu’s stomach rumbled as the smell of food wafted over to them, causing Gray to roll his eyes at him. Gray got the bartender’s attention again and added, “Can we get an order of your spiciest appetizer too?”

“Sure thing.” The bartender put their order in and continued to mix drink orders.

Gray got up and patted Natsu's shoulder, “There, don’t say I never did anything for you.”

“Hey, where you going?”

“To take a leak.”

He walked off and Natsu watched him go, amused to notice his friend had kept his shirt on for once. It felt almost unnatural. His eyes lingered briefly on Gray’s broad shoulders, traveling down his back, and before he even knew what he was doing, he found himself staring at Gray’s ass and thinking about how nice it was.

“Oh, and try not to destroy the place while I’m gone.”

Gray turned around then, a teasing smile on his face which turned into a wink when he noticed Natsu’s eyes on him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Natsu spluttered, his cheeks red with indignation, or at least that’s what he told himself, refusing to acknowledge for the moment that his best friend had caught him checking him out. Gray’s parting chuckle irritated him even more.

Stupid Ice Princess. Like he couldn’t be left alone for five minutes without getting into trouble. What did Gray think he was, a Vulcan in a pottery shop?

But seriously, what in the world had possessed him to do that?

It had to be Juvia. He cursed her for his sudden awareness. Ever since she’d joined the guild it had been Gray-sama this and Gray-sama that, until the guy’s name lingered in the air, working its way into Natsu’s brain like some kind of annoying hypnotic suggestion he couldn’t escape.

Yeah, that had to be it.

He went back to staring out the window while he waited for Gray to return.

0-0

Gray entered the restaurant’s bathroom, closing the door behind him quietly and checking the stalls to make sure they were empty before he allowed himself to react.

“Yes!” He pumped his fists in the air in celebration, smiling so widely he barely recognized himself in the mirror.

He had a chance! Natsu had been checking him out, and that had never happened before. At least, not that he’d ever noticed.

Feeling more confident that this plan might actually get him somewhere, Gray did his business, his head up in the clouds, filled with possible dream scenarios about how the evening could go.

You've got a little something there. Oh, it's me! Nah, too corny.

That sunset looks beautiful, doesn’t it? Not nearly as beautiful as you, though. Ugh… too sappy.

There had to be some smooth move he could make, something not too in-your-face yet still obvious enough even the Flame Brain would get it.

Well, whatever. He had Natsu all to himself tonight, with an enjoyable meal ahead of them and the beach to look forward to after that. He'd think of something. For now, he’d start small. Maybe he’d offer a compliment. Everyone liked those. Right?

Gray washed his hands, and after giving himself one last pep talk, he headed back to the bar. As he walked, he tried to remember a joke Loke had told him earlier. It had been a little crass, but he was sure Natsu would find it funny. Gray could almost hear Natsu’s laughter ringing in the air.

Yeah, just like that.

It took him a second to realize he hadn’t imagined it. As he got closer to the lounge, he could hear Natsu’s laughter loud and clear, and Gray thought it was the best sound in the world. A smile spread across his face, only to be wiped off immediately at the sight that greeted him at the bar.

More specifically, at the sight of the barstool he’d left behind, which was now occupied by none other than Sting Fucking Ew-cliffe.

He’d only been gone for a few minutes. Where had Sting even come from?!

Gray clenched his fists, fighting off the urge to grab the Sabertooth Master by the collar of his shirt and pull him out of his seat. But as much as he’d like to do something like that, he knew it was a bad idea. If he was a jerk, it would piss Natsu off and that would be the end of their evening.

Instead, he plastered a smile on his face and approached the two dragon slayers.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, hey, you’re back,” Natsu said as his laughter died down. “Sting told me a joke.”

Sting offered Gray a half wave, looking unexcited to see him. The feeling was entirely mutual.

“Well, it was nice of you to stop by to say hello but don’t let us keep you.”

“Me? Nah, I’ve got time to spare. Our table isn’t ready either.” Sting casually rested his arm on the bar and turned to Natsu, “I’m surprised to see you guys here.”

Great. This was going to be awhile. Gray decided he might as well sit down and begrudgingly claimed the vacant stool on Natsu's other side.

“Our table?” He looked around, trying to spot anyone he might recognize from Sabertooth. “I don’t see anyone else here. Did you get stood up?” “Of course not! He’s just late,” Sting said, sounding pretty sure of himself even as his legs bounced on the edge of the stool and his eyes darted in the direction of the hallway they'd come in from.

“Stood up? So you’re on a date?” Natsu asked, pouting in disappointment and giving Gray a mini heart attack for a second until he added, “I thought maybe Rogue would join you.” Sting promptly stilled, staring at Natsu and blinking rapidly. “Uhm... Rogue is my date.”

Natsu laughed heartily, “Good one, but seriously, is it anyone we know?”

Gray winced, almost feeling sorry for the guy. Definitely not what you wanted to hear, especially not from someone you looked up to. With any luck, Rogue would get there before Natsu’s obliviousness destroyed Sting’s confidence any further. Although, he had to admit that would be fun to watch, too.

“Why wouldn’t it be Rogue? I mean, you and uhm-” Sting looked over at Gray, eyes narrowing in concentration and fingers snapping before he shrugged his shoulders- “him don’t strike me as dating either, but here you are.”

“Well, but aren’t you the Twin Dragons? I thought you guys were brothers.”

Brothers?!

How the hell could Natsu think that? Sure they were called the Twin Dragons, but they looked nothing alike. They even had different last names, for fuck’s sake.

Gray could only stare at him in amazement. He was in love with an idiot. Might as well say he was moronsexual.

Sting spoke up before Gray could call Natsu out.

“That’s just our team name, stupid. Do you really think I’d date my brother?”

“Do you really think Gray would ask me out on a date?” It started out as a chortle, but Natsu soon burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Gray no longer thought it was the best sound ever.

“Why wouldn’t he? And I mean, look at this place-” Sting gestured at the fancy decor and the expensive furniture in the lounge- “It doesn’t exactly scream just friends, does it?”

Natsu shrugged, a faint smile still playing on his lips. "Nope, that’s not what happened here. I just overheard Gray talking about having a reservation at an all you can eat restaurant as part of a job reward and invited myself along."

It seemed his and Loke’s plan had worked a little too well. Gray desperately wanted to ask Natsu what he would have said if he had asked him out, but he wasn’t about to do that in front of Sting.

“You got a reservation as a reward? Man, I wish I’d seen that job.” Sting looked at Gray, eyes wide in disbelief. “I had to make one 3 weeks in advance!”

3 Weeks?!

Gray had no idea this place was that popular, and he wondered what strings Loke had pulled to get the last minute reservation. And more importantly, what he would ask for in return. He’d better make the most of it.

“Do you think Rogue will like it? It's our first date, so I wanted to impress him.” Sting looked around the lounge, suddenly eyeing the place with a look of dread.

“Um... sure,” Natsu said, “It has an awesome view of the beach and, you know, there’s food.”

“You’ve just described every restaurant in Akane,” Gray pointed out. Then again, he was pretty sure with restaurants, Natsu didn’t pay attention to anything outside of the food.

Natsu shrugged. “Where are our appetizers and drinks, anyway? Shouldn’t they be here by now?”

Gray silently agreed. He was hungry, and he’d really like for their date to start, minus the interloper.

“What about me? Do I look okay?” Sting stood up and turned around, eyes wide as he awaited their judgment.

“There’s something different about you. What is it?” Natsu muttered, tapping his chin with his finger as he studied Sting.

“Well, for one, he’s wearing an actual shirt.” Gray said with a frustrated sigh. This was not how he had envisioned their date going. What was it going to take to get rid of this guy?

Actually…

“You look fine, dude. Might have overdone it a bit on the cologne, though.”

“He’s not the only one.” Natsu scrunched up his nose. “You both smell like one of the Trimens.”

Gray bit back a retort, but Sting went into a panic, grabbing a napkin from the bar and scrubbing his neck. “Fuck, I knew it was too much. Does this help any? It doesn't, does it? I should clean it off.”

He bolted out of the lounge, dodging a few other guests who were being guided to their table, and shouting a “be right back” over his shoulder. Just as Gray had hoped he would.

“Take all the time you need,” Gray called out after him cheerfully, reclaiming his original seat because… well, he’d had it first.

“Well, that was something.” He said, glossing over that minor act of pettiness. “Didn’t think we’d bump into anyone we knew.”

“Hey, you think they'd be down for a fight later?” Nasu asked, punching his left fist into the palm of his right hand.

“Of course not. They’re on a date, moron. Do you really think they’d want to do something like that?”

“I would.”

“On a date?” Gray challenged, although he wasn’t sure why he was surprised. This was Natsu, after all.

“Yeah, why not? Aren’t you supposed to have fun on dates?”

Gray couldn’t really argue with that, and fighting with Natsu was always fun. He was about to suggest they spar later when he spotted the bartender coming their way.

“Two Magic Wonders, and some Firecracker Shrimp to whet your appetite,” she announced, arriving with their drinks and appetizer and setting them down before them. “Apologies for the long wait, we're fully booked tonight so we're a little backed up.”

Finally!

“I think they’re broken,” Natsu complained, examining the drinks with slight disappointment, “they just look like two glasses of plain water.”

Gray had to give him that one. This wasn’t what he’d expected from the so-called magically infused cocktails either.

“The spell is still unfinished,” the bartender explained. “You need to wrap your hand around the cup and focus some of your magic energy into it. It doesn’t need much-”

Gray could tell Natsu had stopped listening. Before she'd finished her sentence, he'd already grabbed the cup in his hand and set it on fire.

“Natsu!”

"Sir!"

He ignored the protests from both Gray and the bartender, keeping his attention on the glass, which had begun to shake in his hand. The liquid bubbled and turned bright red, and then it shot up like a failed potion, right into Natsu's face.

“You idiot! Do you ever think?!”

So much for not insulting him.

“Geez, relax, will ya? A little thing like that isn’t gonna hurt me,” Natsu pointed out, evaporating the liquid easily, as Gray had seen him do so many times. The bartender breathed an audible sigh of relief, wiping the remaining spillage from Natsu's drink off the bar with a cleaning rag. “I’ll be right back with another drink,” she assured them before moving to another section of the bar, where she restarted the mixing process.

“You’re still an idiot,” Gray grumbled, making Natsu laugh in response.

“Well, you know what they say, it takes one to know one.”

Gray opened his mouth to answer, but Natsu quickly changed the subject.

“Why don’t you try it then?”

“Gladly.”

Gray focused a small amount of magic on his hand and wrapped the glass in a thin layer of ice. As soon as he did so, bubbles sprouted from the bottom, rising to the surface and forming a vortex that spun until the liquid had changed color from clear to the vibrant blue of glacier ice. Vapor rose from the liquid’s surface and transformed into small snowflakes that gently floated back down into the drink.

“That’s so dainty. Precisely what I’d expect from an Ice Princess,” Natsu snickered. “I bet mine’s gonna be way cooler.”

“I just hope the restaurant’s still in one piece by the time you’re done.”

Gray took a small sip, swishing the contents around in his mouth and closing his eyes.

The liquid was cold, so much so that it sent a small but welcome shiver up his spine. Hints of chocolate and peppermint danced on his tongue, reminding him of when he’d lived with Ur and Lyon.

Their training had been intense, but on days when she’d been pleased with their progress, Ur had made him and Lyon hot cocoa that tasted much like this. She had made them responsible for crushing the candy mints, and they would bicker about the best way to do it as Ur laughed at them from behind the stove. He could almost picture it, and rather than cause him the usual grief, the memory made him smile.

He opened his eyes to find Natsu watching in rapt fascination, his curiosity just about bursting out of him.

“Well? What did it taste like?”

Gray didn’t answer right away, still caught up in his memories. It took him a while to even register that Natsu was staring at him, focusing on his lips as if he’d never seen them before.

Gray thought of how to describe it, and suddenly he knew. “It tastes like winter.”

And just like that, Natsu snapped out of his trance, bouncing in his seat with excitement. “Ooh, me! I want to try winter!” Gray covered his drink with his hand, fixing Natsu with a glare that screamed at him to back off.

“Come on, don’t be so stingy! I don’t have a drink.”

“And whose fault is that? Besides, I don’t know where your mouth has been. No way I want that in my drink!”

Natsu pouted, but soon mischief crept into his eyes. Before Gray could consider what that could mean, Natsu had already grabbed his hand. Gray’s heart beat faster, not sure where Natsu was going with this, but excited just the same. Natsu’s tongue darted out, licking a stripe across the palm of Gray’s hand while maintaining eye contact.

Holy shit!

“Now you do,” Natsu grinned, looking quite pleased with himself even as Gray struggled to come up with an appropriate reaction. He took advantage of that, grabbing Gray’s glass and taking a sip.

“What do you know! Your magic actually tastes good, kind of like peppermint hot chocolate.”

Gray looked away, not wanting Natsu to see just how much his little stunt had affected him.

“So, uh, what were you thinking about? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that before.”

“My drink tasted like the hot cocoa Ur used to make for us,” Gray said, relieved to be back on more comfortable ground.. “I hadn’t thought about that in a long time.”

“Why didn’t you just say that, you dumbass? I wouldn’t have pushed.”

“Yeah, you would have.” Gray chuckled.

Natsu tried to deny it, but he must’ve known it was a stretch, so he laughed along with Gray. “Okay, yeah. I would have.” He grabbed a Firecracker Shrimp and chewed on it. And for the second time since they’d arrived, Gray caught him staring out the window. “Another Magic Wonder,” the bartender returned with Natsu's drink. She'd also brought a fire extinguisher, and was trying, but failing, to hide it subtly under the bar.

If Natsu had noticed, he didn't seem to be bothered by it, focusing only on the glass in front of him.

“Don't overdo it this time,” Gray reminded him.

Natsu furrowed his brow in concentration, coating his glass in a small flame and anxiously watching the liquid change color again. It slowly turned that same intense red from before. Instead of the vapor from Gray’s drink, there was a plume of smoke that transformed into a bright flame that remained lit.

He eyed it for exactly one second before drinking all of it down in one gulp.

Gray had expected Natsu to react in some over the top manner. To yell, or go on about how his drink was superior, just like his magic, but there was only silence. That wasn’t exactly true, though. Now that he was paying more attention, Gray could see that Natsu’s eyes were teary.

“Natsu?” Gray put a hand on his arm, worried by the uncharacteristic change. “What’s happening?”

“I’m fine, it’s just- it tasted like Igneel’s fire,” Natsu sniffled, hugging the cup to his chest with reverence. “It’s been so long since I last tasted it and now it’s all gone.”

Oh no! Natsu looked like he was ready to cry. That wasn’t supposed to happen on a date! Gray panicked, not knowing what to do or say to make Natsu feel better. He looked at his drink, still sitting on the bar, and considered offering it to him.

Idiot! He won’t want your stupid drink after tasting Ignel’s fire. Oh, of course! How dense could he be? He could order him another one.

“Don't worry, I’ll get you another one.”

Gray scrambled out of his seat after glimpsing the bartender serving a customer at the other end of the bar.

“I’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder, determined to fix this slight glitch in his plans.

He waited as patiently as he was able for her to finish.

“I need another Magic Wonder.”

“Sure, I’ll put in an order, but it’s going to take a while. We’re very backed up.”

“Isn't there something I can do to speed it up?” He thought of the jewels in his pocket. “I can pay extra if that helps.”

“Sir, I already-”

“Please? This can literally make or destroy my night.”

The bartender glanced over at Natsu, who still looked despondent, hugging the empty glass to his chest. Her expression softened slightly. “Alright, I’ll do it just this once. Stay right there.”

Gray nodded, tapping his fingers on the bar as he waited. A couple sat next to him blocking his view of Natsu but he dared not move, worried the bartender might decide to give the drink to someone else.

As soon as she returned with his order, Gray turned around, almost dropping the drink he'd shamelessly begged for when he saw his bar stool once again occupied by someone who wasn't him. Any relief he might have felt that it wasn't Sting this time was overshadowed by dismay at seeing Rogue talking to Natsu, leaning in ever so slightly and nodding in sympathy.

Oh, come on!

He all but stomped his way back over, still careful not to spill any of the drink, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get another for quite a while.

“You’re in my seat,” Gray informed Rogue, attempting to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know.” Rogue got up and moved to stand on the other side of Natsu.

“Here you go,” Gray said, placing the fresh drink in front of Natsu before reclaiming his seat.

He watched as Natsu put the glass he had been holding on the bar and stared at the new drink with something akin to awe. He cupped his hand around it and let out the barest flicker of magic to complete the spell.

“Are you okay?” Gray asked worriedly, not used to seeing Natsu act this way.

“Yeah, I just don’t want to waste any of it.”

The way he said that made Gray feel like he was intruding, so he turned his attention to Rogue, who still stood peering into the dim corners of the lounge.

“You’re looking for Sting, right? He’s in the bathroom,” Gray informed him, frowning as he realized the Sabertooth Master had been gone for quite some time. “Come to think of it, he’s been in there a while.”

Rogue looked heavenward and sighed. “Great. I hope he's not munching on the paper towels again.”

“Seriously? That’s disgusting!” Gray pursed his lips in distaste.

“Meh, he’s eaten worse things.” Rogue shrugged, taking a seat next to Natsu.

To Gray’s slight surprise, he in no way looked like he was about to go on a first date. As far as Gray could tell, Rogue looked just about the same as he always did, contrary to Sting, who had obviously dolled himself up for the occasion like a teenage girl.

Gray leaned back so he could see past Natsu and study the shadow dragon slayer better, wondering if he was about to deal with another nervous wreck. But Rogue showed no signs of being anxious. If anything, he looked tired and frazzled, which Gray guessed made sense. The guy was late, probably just rolled off a train.

“Is something wrong? Was this your seat too?” Rogue frowned at him, realizing he was under scrutiny.

“Huh? Oh, no. I’m just surprised. The way Sting was talking earlier I thought you’d be more into this,” Gray said, turning his attention back to Natsu.

He seemed to have calmed down, although he appeared to be in deep thought while staring at his drink. Gray supposed there was a first time for everything. He’d give him a few more minutes to snap out of it. It’s not like they could get anywhere until they were either called to their table or Sting got out of the damn bathroom.

“This? This what? You mean the restaurant?”

“He means Sting,” Natsu said, joining the conversation when Gray least expected it.

“What about Sting?” “If you don't like him, just tell him. He's your friend. You should be honest with him about how you feel.”

Rogue flinched so hard he almost slid off his seat. “I- What? What the hell are you talking about?”

Gray began to suspect that Rogue was as clueless as Natsu as to why he was there.

“Rogue! You made it!” Gray, Natsu and Rogue all turned towards Sting’s voice, which could somehow be heard over all the other noise. He walked toward them in quick steps and Gray brought his hand up to his mouth to cover up the laugh he couldn’t contain.

Sting’s shirt was covered in wet spots. His hair, which had been styled in perfectly gelled spikes, had flattened into bangs, and there was a long piece of toilet paper attached to one of his shoes.

He’d gone to wash off some cologne, but had returned looking like a survivor of some bizarre bathroom battle, and somehow he still reeked of cologne. But you wouldn't know it from his beaming smile.

Sting walked up to Rogue, reaching into his pocket and pulling out... something Gray couldn’t make out at first because he shoved it at Rogue with such speed that it became nothing but a blurry shape.

“Here, for you.” Sting said, placing what looked to be a small box into Rogue's hand.

“What’s this for?” Rogue said, breaking away from the mess that was Sting, to glance down at the box.

“Open it.”

Rogue slowly slid the elastic bow off and opened it. Whatever was inside caused him to jerk his head back toward Sting with wide eyes.

“Oh.”

“Do you like it?” Sting stared at Rogue in a way that Gray recognized, with a face full of hope and hearts in his eyes.

“I-I uh,” Rogue stuttered, looking back and forth rapidly between Sting, Gray, Natsu, and the lounge. “Give me a minute...”

“You know, I‘m thinking Rogue didn’t know this was a date.” Natsu whispered in Gray’s ear, which was to say he’d blurted it out in a voice loud enough to make his ears ring.

“You think?”

“Yeah, I do,” Natsu nodded, the obvious sarcasm flying straight over his head. “I kinda feel bad now. Maybe we should have told him.” Gray stiffened, Natsu’s words along with the advice he’d offered Rogue earlier echoed through his head. No matter how the thought caused his stomach to twist itself into knots, he knew he’d have to be honest about his intentions at some point. Natsu was his friend too, he deserved as much. “Is that true?” Sting’s shoulders slumped upon hearing the less than subtle conversation between them. “But I asked you and everything.” “Yes, I realize that now,” Rogue said, sounding a bit snappy, which Gray couldn’t blame him for. He gathered himself quickly, though, taking a deep breath and getting up from his seat. “Come-” he grabbed Sting’s hand and led him to a sofa that had just opened up when a couple was called to their table. Gray took another sip of his drink, mirroring Natsu, who he could tell was focusing his ears on the Twin Dragons’ conversation. Under any other circumstance, Gray wouldn’t give a damn about how that would unfold, but the possibility of having a heartbroken Sting join them for the rest of the night changed things a bit. He nudged Natsu, raising his eyebrows in silent question. Natsu didn’t answer, still listening, but if his expressions were anything to go by, it was not going well. Fuck. Please. This can’t be happening… Curiosity getting the best of him, Gray peeked over his shoulder. Sting looked positively dejected, and the visible part of Rogue's face looked no better. “Well, this is awkward.” Gray turned back to Natsu, not sure if he’d be able to watch that train wreck in his current situation. Would his night end like that, too? “Yeah,” Natsu sighed, but then he perked up and started laughing. “Actually, I think they’ll be fine.” “Oh-” Gray absently grabbed a shrimp and began eating- “Good for them.” “Uhm, Gray…” “Hmm?” Gray grabbed another and chewed lazily, not realizing that Natsu might’ve been trying to warn him until he felt his lips and tongue burning with the heat of a thousand suns. He swallowed what was still in his mouth in one go, sending the burn down his throat now as well, and broke out in a violent coughing fit. The blazing heat spread through his entire body fast, setting his skin on fire and causing sweat drops to form on his face. Whose stupid idea was it to get the spiciest appetizer?! Oh, right, that would be him. God bless his icy drink. He gulped it all down, only half hearing Natsu’s rambunctious laughter.

“Who the hell deemed this safe for consumption?” he gasped, fanning at himself in a sorry attempt to cool down.

“Someone who's not an Ice Princess like you,” Natsu snickered, holding out a shirt that looked awfully familiar.

Damn it! How did that happen?!

Gray grabbed his shirt and put it back on before anyone could complain, calling on his magic to help cool himself down.

Natsu shook his head, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Pervert.”

“I can’t help it!”

“I know, Ice Block, I know.” Natsu finished the last of his drink and set it back down on the bar, his eyes straying back to the window for a full minute before peering back at Gray.

“Listen, I know this was a big part of your reward and everything, but do you mind if we take off?”

“You want to go back home?” Gray was crestfallen. He’d thought they were having a good time, outside of the unexpected drama.

“I didn’t say that, but it’s hard to sit still when I know that’s waiting for us,” Natsu said, pointing at the beach. “I’ll even pitch in since it’s my idea.”

Gray thought about it. This restaurant had been Loke’s idea and as far as he was concerned it had already served its purpose. If Natsu would rather go to the beach, then they’d do that. It was bound to be more fun. Plus, this way, if Natsu reacted badly to his confession, he wouldn’t have to worry about property damage.

As much.

“Yeah, we can do that.”

“Wow, that was easier than I thought. That shrimp too much for you?” Natsu taunted.

Gray ignored him, focusing on finding the bartender so he could close their tab. Luckily, she was heading towards him. He was just about to address her when a voice spoke up next to him. “Hey there! Can I get two of the Magic Something drinks?”

“Yes, of course,” the bartender assured Sting. She turned to Gray. “I believe your table should be ready any minute. Would you like anything else?”

“No, thank you. We actually won’t be needing that reservation after all.”

“Alright then, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“You’re leaving?” Rogue asked, appearing by Sting’s side. “But you haven’t even eaten yet.” “We passed a ton of food stalls on the way here,” Natsu said, already sounding excited by the prospect. “Besides, the food they serve here is too spicy for the Ice Princess.”

Gray glared, “Oy! That shrimp was the spiciest appetizer they had.”

Rogue rolled his eyes at the exchange, “You two sound like a married couple.”

"Well, you kinda look like one," Natsu laughed, pointing at the necklace Rogue was now wearing. A thin silver chain with a crystal pendant that was identical to the one dangling from Sting's ear.

"Oh, shut up," Rogue huffed, clutching the piece of jewelry as his cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink than Natsu's hair.

“I’m glad things worked out,” Gray said, mostly to be polite. He winced as he heard people scream in panic as they witnessed Natsu drying off Sting’s clothing with his fire. He could almost hear the bartender rushing to the extinguisher. Why didn’t the idiot ever think?

Yeah, going to the beach was probably for the best.

"Me too." Rogue eyed the spectacle warily. "Sorry you got dragged into that."

“Yeah, it was… something.”

“He means well.” Rogue smiled apologetically, but his eyes were soft with affection. "Oh. That reminds me, can you thank Natsu for me? He was right."

“Now there’s something you don’t hear every day.”

Rogue snorted into his hand, looking less tired than he had when he'd just arrived. "Alright. Get Natsu out of here before-"

Whatever Rogue said after that became inaudible when the screams increased and were almost immediately joined by the loud hiss of the fire extinguisher.

At a loss for words, Gray and Rogue watched the chaos of scattering guests, the bartender frantically trying to extinguish the fire, Sting inhaling the massive gust of white powder blasted at him, and a loudly cheering Natsu.

"... Just get him out of here."

“Good plan.”

Gray hurried over to the two dragon slayers, not about to give Rogue another second to reconsider his life choices. He grabbed Natsu by the arm and pulled him back towards their seats so he could pay for their tab.

“It’s on the house, please just go!” The bartender waved him away, looking like she was on the brink of having a complete meltdown.

“Thank you.” Gray took out his jewel pouch and placed a large tip on the bar, wanting to make up for some of what they had put her through.

Natsu, oblivious as ever, thanked her and waved blithely even as Gray dragged him out of the lounge.

They had almost reached the exit when Natsu shook off Gray’s arm.

“I can walk on my own, you know.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

They left the restaurant and walked through the lobby in silence until Natsu started giggling.

“The look on the bartender’s face when Sting ate that powder!”

Now that the restaurant was safely behind them, Gray couldn’t help but join in. Soon they were laughing so hard they had to hold on to each other to keep from falling down, earning them curious but mostly annoyed looks from the other patrons.

[mypoisonedvine]

Double-Edged Sword: Capt. Syverson x Reader (Chapter 2)

(read the first chapter here)

Word Count: 5.5k (oh lordt I need to be stopped)

Taglist: @fantasygirlsuniverse @agniavateira @fcgrizi @stillreadingfantasy @itsjusttaralove @radaofrivia @p3nny4urth0ught5 @mary-ann84 @snatchedbylele @cheyentjj @maan24 @littlefreya

(emetophobia tw for this chapter)

You had no idea how you were going to survive meeting with him alone after this.  Of course, you realized now that this was one of many reasons why what had happened was against the rules, but the realization came just a bit too late.

“Good morning, Captain,” you nodded.

“Call me Sy,” he requested.

“I’d rather not.”

“Alright, well, just know that every time you call me ‘Captain,’ it reminds me of the way you said it when you were bent over that desk,” he explained simply.

“Right,” you nodded. “So, Sy, tell me what you want to do with this mission.”

“You know what I want to do,” he shrugged, and for some reason your mind interpreted that very differently than he meant it. “Divide and conquer.”

“Of course,” you agreed. “I suppose that works.”

“I thought you hated that idea,” he recalled.

“But I really hate having to argue with you about it.  Normally I’d fight harder for what I think is the best way.  But I’m losing that motivation, suddenly.”

He gave you an over-dramatic pouty look, as if he was mocking you, and you frowned in return.  “Aw, you don’t want to argue with me?  Is the magic really gone so soon?”

You rolled your eyes.  “The idea of any romantic sentiment between us is so outrageously implausible that it doesn’t even work in a sarcastic context.”

“Do you always talk like you’re readin’ an essay?” he frowned.

“You’re making fun of the way I talk?” you responded with an incredulous laugh. “You can’t see it, because it’s clear, but you’re currently sitting in a glass house.  I would recommend against throwing stones.”

He laughed, and it sounded halfway between genuine amusement and mockery.  “Were you up all night studying your vocab words, so you could better insult me?”

You know what I was doing last night, you instantly thought.

“Insulting you is so painfully easy.  I don’t lose sleep over it, in fact, I bet I could do it in my sleep,” you said instead.

“I’m not sure you should be so proud of that.  It’s like you go out of your way to make my life miserable,” he groaned.

You sighed, rubbing your temples in frustration.  How had it only taken thirty seconds for the conversation to turn into mud-slinging once again?  It seemed like no matter how hard you tried, you fell into this dynamic with him.  Considering how it went last time, you wanted very much to end it here.

“I apologize.  That’s not my intention,” you clarified.  He seemed taken aback by that, clearly having prepared for another witty comeback (or at least, an attempt at one).

“Well,” he began, but then trailed off.

“Well?”

“Well, alright,” he finished.

“Well, alright, what?”

“Let’s discuss the mission,” he further explained, saying it as if it were obvious what he meant.  You ignored the condescending tone and sat across from him at the table.

“Sit closer,” he offered.

“Not necessary,” you rebuffed.

He unrolled a map of the area for review, and it was incredibly small, so small that you couldn’t see it at all from your seat.

“You’re sure you don’t wanna come closer?” 

You got up and moved, closer but still a seat apart from him.  Suddenly you felt very aware of his presence-- not to say you somehow weren’t before, just that it was overpowering, that you felt like you could feel heat radiating off of him even though he wasn’t actually that close to you.  You were also very aware of how large this room was, and how empty.  It was just the two of you and a table, one clearly intended for larger conferences.

You had a somewhat civil discussion of the mission, but you were struggling to focus more than you possibly ever had before.

“You listenin’?” he prompted, and you jumped out of a daydream.  The content of the daydream was irrelevant, of course, but it was thoroughly distracting.

“What?  Um, yeah, sorry,” you mumbled.

“I’ve never been lost in thought about a mission before,” he chuckled.

“Well, it’s a complex issue…” you trailed off.

“What’s a complex issue?” he pressed.

“From which side to enter the compound,” you remembered. 

“Almost had ya,” he frowned.

“I was paying attention,” you defended weakly.

His hand suddenly brushed against your waist and you jumped.  You turned and realized he had leaned towards you, though you had no idea why.

“Don’t-” you began, and instantly he moved away.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, and you were a little surprised at the complete lack of sarcasm, and the apparent presence of guilt rather than guilt-tripping.

“It’s alright,” you soothed.

“Is it?” he asked with a slightly confused expression.

“It is.  It shouldn’t be,” you smirked, “but it is.”

“That describes a lot of things these days.”

You decided not to investigate that topic.  

“Anyways, the method of entry…” you redirected the conversation, and even that triggered some gutter-brained aspect of your psyche.

“Right, of course,” he nodded, turning back to the map.

~

The open-air “gym” (more like a bunch of random benches and assorted free weights, not much of a gym by your standards) was usually housed by only a few soldiers at a time, but as you walked by that afternoon, it was pretty busy.  Getting closer you observed that nearly everyone was watching two guys- one Marine, one Army- do push-ups.  Each group was cheering on their own, and you realized it was a competition of sorts.  And nothing got you excited quite like a competition.

“I can’t, I’m out,” Private Jones, one of yours, weakly announced as he fell to the ground.  The Marines booed and groaned but the Army soldiers cheered.

“How many was he at?” you asked one of the Marines.

“Just over a hundred,” he told you.  You nodded in approval, even if he’d lost.

“Looks like Army takes the lead, again,” one of the soldiers announced to the crowd.  “Next up, sit-ups.”

“There’s so few of us compared to them,” the Marine told you, “we are going to have to start sending in people who already competed.”

“I’m too tired, I don’t think I can go again,” Private Cooper sighed in exhaustion.

“There’s no way I can beat them at sit-ups, that was my weakest category at boot camp,” Private Jones added to the discussion.

“I can compete,” you offered.  Everyone, including the Army guys, turned to you.  “Are officers allowed in?”

The soldier you were supposed to go up against-- Private Hess, you were pretty sure was his name-- seemed incredulous.

“Fine by me,” he encouraged, clearly seeing it as a perfect opportunity since he was confident he would beat you.

“I need someone to hold my feet down,” you requested.

“I’ll do it,” you heard a Southern-twanged voice behind you, and lo and behold, there he was.

“I’m shocked you’re willing to help me,” you admitted.

“You’re going to get your ass handed to you,” Captain Syverson grinned, “and I want to see that up close.”

You and Hess laid on the ground a few feet apart, and the Captain took his spot in front of your legs, a hand on each boot.  You hoped they were extra dirty just to spite him, but then again, he didn’t seem to mind getting dirty very much.

“Sy, you mind counting hers?” the apparent referee asked.

“Sure,” he grunted.

You saw Hess start so you did too, and the Captain counted them for you.  You tried not to worry that he would miscount to try to set you back- you liked to think a guy like that believed in the sacred nature of exercise, even if he was a bastard.

It was weird to feel his touch on you, even through boots.  It was much, much weirder that each time you sat up, your face was so close to his.  Perhaps weirdest was how it made you feel to lay on your back and look up at him basically between your legs. 

It was about 50 that you really started to feel it.  At 100, the jeers of the crowd fell to silence as they watched closely for any signs of faltering.  You heard Hess beside you, and he seemed to be staying pretty consistent, not even breathing that hard.  Meanwhile, you were starting to remember why the requirements for men and women were different in this category.  

150 was a turning point.  You had a pretty good poker face, so everyone else seemed sure that the two of you were still neck-in-neck, but you knew Sy could see the cracks.

It must have been 200 that you heard yourself start to whimper and groan, while Hess was only just beginning to breathe heavily.  You didn’t want to make noises of stress but at a certain point you had no choice.

You fell back to the ground at 237 and even though you were barely there a second, somehow the Captain figured out you were considering quitting.

“Keep going,” he whispered to you.  You wanted to ask him why he was encouraging you but you didn’t want to give him away, since you could tell he hadn’t wanted anyone else to hear.  You fought harder to keep pushing, though each time you came up was a little shakier, and accompanied with a louder noise of pain.

“Come on man, she’s about to quit,” you heard someone say to Hess.

“I don’t know, I’m starting to cramp up,” Hess told them in reply, and you almost laughed because you had been cramping up since 145.

You pushed through the pain and you were afraid your body would fail before your mind did, that you would reach the point of being physically unable to lift yourself.  Your core muscles were so tired that pain began to radiate to your thighs and back, and you forced your eyes shut so you wouldn’t have to see your vision go spotty.

You tuned out all the noise except his voice counting.  263, 264, 265…

“I can’t,” you heard Hess groan.

“Come on, she’ll give out any minute!”

“Dude, it hurts!” he complained.

“You can take him,” Sy whispered to you.

“I know,” you whispered back.

It was 300 that he finally gave up.

“What the hell?!  You were so close!” the Army boys protested.

“Fuck off,” he groaned as he stood up and pushed them away.  

The Marines clapped and you smiled, falling back onto the ground and letting your arms rest.

Sy stood up, extending a hand to help you get up as well.  You made a point of standing up without his assistance, even though your entire midsection was literally shaking.  Thankfully it didn’t show through the loose-fitting fatigues.  He looked like he had something to say, but apparently he didn’t, as you two just stood there in silence for a second.

“That was amazing, Major!” one of your Marines said, and you turned to him.

“Oh what?  That was nothing,” you pshawed, even though you were beginning to feel dizzy and a bit nauseous.

In fact, you were suddenly feeling a lot nauseous.  You made an excuse to get out of the conversation and slipped out of sight, finding a nearby building to duck behind.  Instantly you fell on your knees and retched: you’d heard of this happening to poor enlisted at boot camp, where the constant movement of the abdominal muscles disturbed the stomach to the point of vomiting.  Thankfully it wasn’t that severe, though you were very much looking forward to drinking some water and not moving for an hour or two.

Just as you wiped your mouth and stood up, there was Sy-- of course.

“Are you following me or something?” you asked him.

“I just came by to tell you you did a good job,” he explained, “but seems like it took a toll.”

“Sorry I’m not as strong as you expected,” you sighed.

“If you kept going long enough to lose your lunch on the ground… then you’re actually a lot stronger than I expected,” he disagreed.

You paused, not sure how to respond.  

“What you think of me isn’t something I prioritize.”

“I know,” he replied. “I didn’t say that it was.”

“And yet, I’d guess that your caveman brain can’t comprehend that what I do has nothing to do with you,” you frowned.

He laughed and you fucking hated that.  He never seemed to take you seriously, and he must have been able to tell how angry that made you.

“If you think that what you do has nothing to do with me,” he countered, “then you are much, much dumber than I expected.”

“You are so self-obsessed,” you groaned as you rolled your eyes.

“Maybe, but it doesn’t mean I’m wrong,” he shrugged, and walked away.

~

As you grabbed your tray of dinner and turned to face the mess hall, you suffered the same dilemma that you’d had basically every day since high school: is there anywhere I can sit?

You were never the sort of person who had a welcome seat at a table.

You saw room next to some of the women in your unit and figured it was the best you could do.

“Hey, I heard you out-crunched Hess today,” Private Feng greeted you, “congrats!”

“It was sit-ups, and he’s a pussy, but thanks,” you smirked.  She smiled back.

The two Marines across from you were whispering to each other and giggling.  “What are you two talking about?” you asked them as you sat down.

“Oh, nothing,” Private Gonzalez answered, but she couldn’t even keep a straight face and started blushing.

“The hell is this, summer camp?” you groaned.  “Seriously, you two are Marines, not Girl Scouts.”

“Fine, fine,” the other-- Private Matthews-- relented, “we were talking about the hottest guys on base.”

“Maybe you actually are Girl Scouts,” you scowled.

“Stop being a Major and just be a woman for five seconds,” Gonzalez requested.  Feng and Matthews seemed to react strongly to that, like they were afraid to get in trouble for speaking freely.  You sighed, and motioned for them to continue the conversation.

“What do you think of Captain Syverson?” Matthews asked Gonzalez, but somehow you found yourself butting in.

“Syverson?!”

“Yeah, he’s totally sexy, right?” Matthews prompted.

“He’s totally an asshole,” you frowned, putting on a slightly-condescending impression of Matthews’ voice.

“Okay, yeah,” Gonzalez admitted, “but aside from that.  I mean, look at him.”

“Aside from that?  I’m supposed to just ignore his personality?”

“Honestly,” Matthews began, looking over to where Sy was sitting and looking at him with eyes that were hungry for a lot more than what was on her plate, “with a body like that, he doesn’t need a personality at all, let alone a good one.”

The other girls giggled but you felt an unfamiliar sensation burn under your skin.  Jealousy?  No, never.

“Don’t you agree?” she prompted you, and the girls looked to you for a response as if it were something deeply important.

“You didn’t hear it from me,” you whispered, leaning in so as not to be heard by others, “but I’m pretty sure he’s gay.”

The girls all sighed and slumped down, going back to their food with a lot less joy than they’d had before.  You, meanwhile, enjoyed your food in silence.

~

Normally you were the sort of person who worked late into the night, but after such an exhausting day, you wanted to get back to your quarters and slip into bed as soon as humanly possible.  

The one thing you probably hated most about deployment was the showers.  Normally a hot shower sounds great, but when you keep in mind that the water for the showers was heated simply by the outside temperature, you realize that it’s not refreshing at all.  Very rarely did you feel truly clean out here.

Your strategy was to let yourself air dry, something that only worked when you had a private bedroom which, thank the heavens, you did at this base.  

Of course it’s when you’re naked and dripping all over the floor that there’s a loud knock at your door.

“Gimme a sec!” you shouted out, dashing to grab the nearest clothes-- a tank top and athletic shorts, more revealing than you would normally go for but significantly less revealing than nudity-- and throw them on.

You opened the door the second you were decent, and at this rate you weren’t even surprised to see him.

“Just can’t seem to shake you, can I?” you groaned. He looked at you with wide eyes.

“You look so different in civilian clothes,” he observed.

“It can’t be that different.” “I’m more flustered by this than seeing you naked,” he admitted.

“Is that an insult?” you asked.

“No,” he said quickly, and you nodded. “Can I come in?”

You honestly thought about saying no.  He still hadn’t said why he was here.  But the way he looked at you had apparently corroded your judgment.  You stepped aside and he entered; you let the door shut behind him.

“You’re not wearing a bra,” he observed.

“Yeah, well, neither are you.  And your tits are bigger than mine,” you smiled.

“Touche,” he chuckled.

“Can I… help you?” you prompted.

“You did a good job, earlier today,” he congratulated.

“You already mentioned that,” you pointed out.

“I shouldn’t have volunteered to hold your feet down,” he admitted. “The sounds you made were… distracting.”

“Shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to you,” you smirked, “you’d already heard me sound like that.  Could’ve just searched your memory for it.” “Well, the memory is pretty distracting, too,” he smiled.

“Your poor attention span is not my problem, Capt- uh, Sy,” you mumbled nervously.

He stepped closer to you and you stepped back.

“Are you scared of me?” he asked.

“No,” you answered.

“Then why’re you runnin’ away?” he pressed.  You wondered if he was being literal or metaphorical.

“I’m not running away,” you explained, “I just don’t want to make the same mistake twice.”

“I’m not so convinced it was a mistake,” he explained. 

“You can’t- ugh, you are so…”  You started over.  “You can’t just keep being a shit to me 23 hours a day, and then suddenly decide you have some love-hate crush on me and expect me to spread my legs.”

He stepped forward again and you were forced to press against the wall.  He leaned into you until you were pressed into the corner; It must have been a minute that you two just stood there in silence, his eyes scanning you with fierce intensity, and you looking back with what you hoped wasn’t the deer-in-the-headlights expression that you almost certainly had.  His body against yours was such a strange and addictive feeling, and the short sleeves of his t-shirt made it hard to ignore the enormous arms that blocked you into the cramped space.

“You want me,” he said, and you couldn’t tell if it was a statement or just a deadpan question.

“Yes,” you agreed with a raspy voice, squirming against the wall.

“You need me to fuck you, right now,” he continued.  You nodded.  “Say it,” he demanded.

“Please fuck me,” you begged, swallowing nervously.

He weaved a hand into your hair, his thumb rubbing over your cheek.  He leaned down to kiss you and you closed your eyes, but just a second later you felt him step back and his hand pull away.

You opened your eyes in confusion to find him grinning at you with crossed arms.

“Looks like I can,” he announced.  Realization dawned, and quickly turned to fury.  As always, it was all a part of some fucking game for him.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“So, so much,” he smiled. 

“You get off on humiliating women, is that it?”

“Not women,” he corrected, “just you.”

“Well, congrats,” you frowned, “because you won!  Nothing could be more humiliating than being attracted to you.”

“You know, I really only just wanted to take you down a peg because Marines always act so high n’ mighty,” he explained, finally looking a little frustrated which was comforting for your own anger. “I wasn’t planning on taking it this far.  But it’s just too fun.”

You scoffed, but decided his backstory just didn’t add up.

“Hmm, I don’t think that’s it,” you announced, and he quirked an eyebrow in anticipation.  “I think you have some horrible achy feelings, and you’re just trying to prove I need you as bad as you need me.”

He didn’t say anything, but his jaw clenched.  You smiled.

“Well, newsflash, I don’t.  You’re just some underclassman to me, a very out-of-character blip in my sexual history.”

He started to speak but you spoke over him.

“I mean, good for you!  You get to say you lived the fantasy, fucked a higher-ranking officer, had some wild desert sex.  And me?  Well,” you grinned, “I won’t say anything.  Because you are just… humiliating.”

You saw the anger in his eyes and had to fight back the desire to laugh.  The upper-hand was always shifting between you two, and even if you knew it was temporary, it felt really good to have it back.

He stormed up to you and grabbed you by the neckline of your top, pulling you into an intense, aggressive kiss.  Your hands instantly flew to his hips as you pulled him closer by his belt.

Goodbye, upper-hand, you thought to yourself, it was fun while it lasted.

His hands roamed your body as if he’d been waiting a thousand years to touch you again even when it had only been less than a day.  The two of you stumbled back until you sat on your bed, but he stayed standing and towered over you, having to bend down to keep from breaking the kiss.  

One hand slipped down between your legs and even though it stayed outside your shorts, he still managed to find your clit instantly and press his fingers against it.  You whimpered, the sound lost into the kiss, and the fingers just had to push the fabric of your shorts to slide over your clit.  You were embarrassed at how wet you were, but somehow the embarrassment just made you feel even more aroused so it was a vicious cycle.

He pressed two fingers into you and you moaned, breaking the kiss.

“Humiliating?” he remembered. “You wish it was someone else doin’ this to you?” 

“Not someone else,” you corrected, “anyone else.”

He growled and pressed his fingers deeper into you until you whimpered.  His touch was rough but not painful, aggressive but not forceful, and it made you feel something you’d never felt before (or if you had, you’d forgotten).  

“Get on your knees,” you commanded him.  He raised an eyebrow but didn’t move. “Did I stutter?”

“Or what?” he asked.

“Get on your knees, or leave.”

He dropped instantly, kneeling on the floor in front of you.  You sat back as he grabbed the waistband of your shorts and pulled them off.  You spread your legs and he instantly dove into you.

“Oh, fuck,” you moaned, your head falling back.  His tongue explored you and his hands gripped at your thighs to pull you closer.  He moaned and grunted against your skin and the vibrations shot straight through you.

Your hand grabbed his head just as your hips bucked against his face, pushing his tongue deeper inside you.  

“Yes,” you gasped.  You felt him smile against you and his teeth grazed your clit sending jolts and shivers up your spine.  “Oh, god, fuck,” you groaned.

A few guys had done this to you before, but none of them had done it with this much enthusiasm, certainly.  He looked like he was having the time of his life down there-- he looked back up at you and your eyes met, and you wondered if you looked like you were having the time of your life, because you were.

His mouth worked you with such precision, taking you apart piece by piece with mastery and expertise, to the point that you couldn’t believe how well he knew your body already.  

“I-I’m close,” you whimpered.

He glared at you as if to say ‘I know.’

You felt your legs start to shake but his hands gripped them to keep them still.  Every sensation became so intense, too intense in the best possible way, and Sy showed no sign of stopping.

You weren’t sure if you came more than once, or if you just came for a really, really long time. What you were sure of, sadly was that this was going to make staying away from him so much harder.

His lips moved away from your clit and kissed the inside of your thighs.  It was a disappointment and a relief simultaneously, somehow.

He slapped your leg suddenly-- not very hard, but hard enough that you yelped in surprise.  He came up from kneeling and started to work on his belt.  You just watched him as you tried to catch your breath, and involuntarily bit your lip as he freed his cock from his jeans.

“Want me to fuck you?” he asked in a low growl.

“Last time you asked that, it was a trick question,” you remembered, “so I’m a little hesitant to answer.”

“Alright,” he whispered as he leaned close, his breath warm against your ear, “I’m going to fuck you, Major.  Would you like that?”

“Take your shirt off,” you demanded suddenly.  He growled, leaning back and quickly pulling it over his head.  You smiled.  

“Are you done bossin’ me around?” he asked with a frown.

“Just fuck me,” you begged.

“Well, I can’t say no to that,” he grinned, roughly pulling your hips forward and kneeling on the bed between your legs.  He used one hand to hold your face up, forcing you to look at him, as the other slid his cock into your folds.  He pressed into you slowly, excruciatingly slowly, in fact, and you felt very self-conscious as he watched your face closely.  

Even as you tried to suppress your reaction, you were sure you could feel every detail of him as he entered you and the effort was futile.

“You look beautiful like this,” he murmured, and you felt yourself blush.

“Like what?” you managed to ask through heavy breaths.

“Desperate.”

When he was fully inside you, you were confident there was none of you left to take, literally and metaphorically.  The way your body accepted him with just enough ease that there was no pain, and yet he pushed you to your limits until your head began to spin… it felt like you were made for each other.

“Yeah,” he agreed, and you hadn’t realized you had said the last part aloud.

As he moved inside you, you started to process that it was all a little too slow, a little too… sensual for your tastes.  Not to say you didn’t love it, because you did-- it was that you loved it too much, it made your heart ache in a way you preferred not to deal with at the moment.

“Faster, please,” you whimpered.

“No,” he sternly replied.

“Please,” you begged again.  You tried to give him your best doe eyes and pouty lip, a face nobody could say no to.

“Say my name,” he demanded in reply.

You still had some shred of defiance left, apparently, because you were trying to make this less personal and here he was turning it into something it wasn’t.

“Make me,” you whispered.

His hand wrapped around your neck and you uselessly gasped for air, already feeling your face tingle from the lack of blood flow.  He didn’t stay long though, pushing you back onto the bed and, finally, fucking you hard.

“Yes!” you yelped.

“Say my name,” he demanded again, grabbing your hips.

“Fuck you,” you growled.  He probably realized that he was giving you what you wanted by punishing you for that, but he didn’t seem to mind, roughly rubbing his thumb against your clit.

“Oh god,” you groaned, arching your back.

"So fuckin' good," he groaned.

You felt your orgasm coming on way too quickly, even when you’d already gotten off when he ate you out.

“Say my name,” he asked one last time,

“Sy,” you moaned, “Sy, baby, don’t stop.”

You started to lean your head back but he grabbed your face and forced you to meet his gaze.

“You’d better look at me when I make you come,” he instructed.

You obeyed but it made it so much harder to keep from screaming which was rather inconvenient with enlisted sleeping not too far away.

“You’re so fuckin’ cute,” he announced, and the severity of his tone was mismatched with the sensitivity of his words, “and all mine.”

Your gut twisted in the most delicious way.  “Yours,” you agreed fervently, “I’m yours, Sy.”

He smiled as if he was actually surprised, when you thought it had been pretty obvious.

"Sy, I- I'm gonna-" you stuttered.

"Come for me," he said darkly and you weren't sure if it was a command or if he was just finishing your sentence.  Regardless, it was very effective. 

You unintentionally held your breath and your orgasm hit you so hard that you feared you would pass out or something.  Instead your entire body quivered and jerked and you made a noise you were confident that you had never made before in your whole life.  He fucked into you as hard as ever, but leaned down, wrapping his arms around you and holding you close.  Your nails dug into his shoulders but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Inside me,” you managed to beg through the haze of pleasure, “please come inside me.”

He growled and held you so tight that you couldn’t breathe very well but it was worth it as you felt him flex inside you and heard him moan-- not a grunt, not a sigh, but a true, proper moan, and it was the best thing you’d ever heard.

His movements slowed to a stop and you just listened to the sound of his breathing.  He rolled off of you after a moment and you laid side by side, staring at the ceiling.

“Is this the part where you kick me out?” he asked quietly after a moment.

“I mean, it’s not like you can stay,” you replied.  He sighed and sat up on the bed, and if you didn’t know better you’d say he looked dejected-- heartbroken, even.  “But, you don’t have to leave right now,” you offered.

“That’s my reward?  I don’t have to leave thirty seconds after we fuck?”

You swallowed.  “I… I didn’t realize you wanted to stay.”

“I can take a hint, Major,” he frowned, looking back at you. “I’ll go.”

“No, Sy-” you began, and he relaxed a bit.  “I just meant that you couldn’t stay the night.  It’s just too risky, you know, we could get caught-”

“Right,” he nodded.

“But I don’t want you to leave,” you admitted.

He smiled and leaned down over you, brushing a hand through your hair.

“Do you want me to stay?” he pressed.

“Just for a while, we can just… talk,” you shrugged.

“Then say it,” he requested.

It wasn’t until that moment that you finally understood why he was always asking you to say that you wanted him aloud.  You had just assumed it was a dominance thing, one more tool in his “ways to piss her off and make her feel like an idiot” kit.  But you saw now that he was insecure, that he wouldn’t believe you wanted him unless you made it abundantly clear.  Now, what would make a guy like him insecure, that was a mystery for another day. 

“I want you to stay, Sy,” you said firmly.  He kissed you, and it was oddly sweet, sort of domestic even.  You had to force yourself not to tense up when you processed that this was a boyfriend/girlfriend sort of kiss, rather than a fuck-buddy kiss or an enemies-with-benefits kiss.  You let your hand reach up and wrap around the back of his neck, pulling him in even more.  Of course, that was the exact moment he decided to pull back.

“Don’t get greedy,” he scolded with a grin.

“Don’t get snarky,” you returned.

And when he kissed you again you felt that part of your brain screaming at you.  This is a terrible idea, you can’t come back from this, all your relationships get fucked up.

But there was another part of you, perhaps your heart, that responded, at least this one can’t get fucked up, because it started fucked up.

[silvorr]

Lila’s Best Friend; Ladybug

In the words of miraculous-of-salt: ‘Another person comes in and teams up with Lila by claiming to everyone they are ladybug. Adrien immediately starts dating her and such while she and Lila work together playing the ‘best friends thing’

Felinette prompt’

I would also like to clear up two things before you start reading:

1. Felix knows Marinette is Ladybug

2.Marinette knows Adrien is Chat Noir

That’s all. Enjoy!

-

Lila could feel the curious but frustrated gaze on her as she silently smirked down at her phone. Everyone in class was busy completing the assignment that the teacher had handed out, everyone excluding Marinette and Lila. Lila knew that Marinette already had her suspicions that something was about to happen, and Lila couldn’t wait for the party to start.

-

When Lila came to school the next day, she came arm in arm with a girl that a lot of students had never seen before. The girl had black hair that shined blue in the light and pretty bluebell eyes that only highlighted her pretty looks. Lila’s smirk only widened when she spotted Alya and Marinette at the base of the school steps, Alya too busy showing Marinette something on her phone for the girls to notice the brunette and her friend approach.

Alya only looked up when Lila cleared her throat and said, “Oh hey Alya! Whatcha up to?”

Alya smiled, “Hey girl. I was just showing Marinette my latest post on the Ladyblog. Who’s your friend?”

If it was possible, Lila’s smile just got wider, “This is my friend Dalia!” Lila then looked around, as if afraid that someone would overhear their conversation. Marinette simply rolled her eyes at this and gave Lila an unimpressed stare as Lila then whispered, “You might know her as Ladybug.”

Marinette’s eyes widened in surprise as Alya let out a soft ‘what’. Alya looked at ‘Dalia’ as the latter shyly waved at them and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

“That’s not Ladybug!”

All eyes were suddenly on Marinette. Marinette was scowling fiercely at both Dalia and Lila as Alya winced, “Mari-“

“That is not Ladybug. Alya, you’ve met Ladybug and that is not her! Besides, Ladybug’s number one rule is to never reveal her identity!”

Lila was getting ready to burst out the waterworks just as Alya tried to interrupt, but Marinette wasn’t done yet. “I don’t know what you’re up to Lila but I swear-“

“Marinette!”

“What?!”

“You’re being extremely rude right now girl!”

Marinette looked at Alya in surprise, “Me? I’m being rude? I’m only telling the truth!”

“A truth that has no evidence to support it! You know Lila is best friends with Ladybug and you know that she’s nice enough to introduce us to her! I don’t know what’s gotten into you girl but you need to slow down and give Lila a chance.”

It was at this moment that Lila decided it was finally time to speak up, “I-I don’t know what I’ve done to offend you Marinette but please, you have to believe me when I say I didn’t mean to get on your bad side.”

Marinette could only spare her a furious glance, “You’ve done enough.

Dalia could only look at everyone with nervous eyes as Alya decided that frankly enough was enough, “If you don’t want part in this conversation, Marinette, you’re welcome to leave.”

Marinette hissed, “Fine then. Have it your way.”

None of the three girls noticed the tears in Marinette’s eyes as she turned her backs to them and walked up the school steps to class.

-

Naturally, things only got worse from there. The news spread through school like wildfire and no matter where Marinette turned, someone or another was talking about the same thing;

“Do you really think that’s Ladybug?”

A lot of people in school hadn’t been convicted of the validity of Lila’s claim of being Ladybug’s best friends, but now when they saw a girl who looked exactly like the real deal, well... no one could really blame them for having their doubts. That didn’t mean that the whole thing didn’t piss Marinette off a great deal, but it did mean that Felix got to hear all about the ongoing drama.

“I can’t believe them! They’re actually buying this! They actually think that Dalia is Ladybug!”

Felix sat on the chaise in Marinette’s room and watched her pace around. “Well-“

“Haven’t I always made it clear? Haven’t I always stressed professionalism? Don’t they realise that I would never ever reveal my identity just like that?!”

“She does look exactly like you.”

Marinette threw her arms up in frustration, “That does not excuse their behaviour!”

“True.”

“I just- UGH.” Marinette ran a hand through her hair and let out a heavy sigh as she collapsed into her desk chair.

“I’ve tried so many times to warn them about Lila’s lies Felix.” Her voice had gotten smaller, defeated.

Marinette looked so tired and sad that Felix couldn’t help himself when he got up and crossed the room to her. “Come here.”

Marinette got up and folded herself into a hug, content to continue her ramble even if she was just mumbling into Felix’s collarbone. “I really wish they would see sense Felix. I don’t want them getting hurt. I just-“

“-want to be listened to. They’re fools if they don’t.”

He allowed her to pull back just enough so that he could meet her eyes, “They don’t deserve your care if your ‘friends’ choose to actively avoid your advise. Sad to say, you’d be the fool if you kept on trying.”

Marinette sighed sadly, “I know.” She knew he was right, and for that she couldn’t meet his eyes, “But it’s impossible to just- stop caring.”

Felix pulled her into him again and let his chin rest on her head, “I know.”

-

Felix considered himself to be a simple and practical person. So naturally, when he saw others causing harm to the one he cared for, his reaction was to retaliate back. Or at least, it would have been, if Marinette hadn’t stopped him.

Felix had quickly realise that Marinette was not a person of conflict. She did her best to actively avoid it, which was sometimes harmful as some confrontations would always be necessary. The only reason Felix hadn’t gone and collected evidence against Lila was because Marinette told him not to do it. And the main reason Marinette had told him not to, was Adrien.

Pushover Agreste with his high road and ‘kindness’ approach, the guy who couldn’t even stand up for himself, let alone anybody else. Felix was a little appalled to learn that Marinette had been crushing on the guy for quite some time, but with Lila taking center stage as main villain, that crush had died down almost completely. Not to mention, finding out that Adrien was Chat Noir only furthered the deterioration her crush, because Chat Noir was…. well, Chat Noir.

Not that Felix would complain. What he would complain about though, was the situation that Marinette had found herself in. Specifically, the ‘Dalia’ situation.

Marinette wasn’t the only one who believed that Lila had gone too far this time around. There was certain limits you did not cross, and this was one of them.

Enough was enough. And if Marinette wouldn’t do anything about it, well, Felix wasn’t Marinette, now was he?

That was what found him outside the girl’s washroom and leaning on the wall beside the open door, phone camera in hand and tilted just so to capture two laughing girls inside.

“I know I’ve said this before but honestly Lila, your classmates are so fucking dumb!”

Lila smiled at her reflection in the mirror, “They do seem to lack in common sense, don’t they?”

“Like, how stupid do you have to believe some random stranger claiming to be Ladybug?! Like seriously, use your brain a little? I mean, when you first suggested this whole plan I thought ‘No way are we going to pull this off’, but they didn’t even question it! Not one bit!”

“I told you it would work.”

Dalia huffed and shook her head, “Seriously though. I didn’t think people could be that stupid.”

Felix watched as Lila dug through her purse and pulled out some lip gloss before popping it open and applying some to her lips. He took that his cue to leave. No doubt the girls would be done any minute, and he didn’t want them catching on to his plan before he had a chance to set it in motion. He strode purposefully through the school halls, hoping that Marinette didn’t think too much of his absence, and that they still had time to go out to that cafe she had been wanting to go to for quite a while now.

-

Marinette and Felix could have in no way predicted what happened next. They walked into their classroom, back from a lovely lunch in a quaint little cafe that Marinette had only discovered a few days ago and had just taken their seats when Adrien walked into the room, followed by a smiling Dalia and smirking Lila. Dalia gave Adrien a meaningful look and Adrien smiled at her, before clearing his throat to get the attention of his classmates.

“Everyone!”

Slowly, the clamour died down until all eyes were on the blonde. Adrien gulped audibly, and you could hear the shake in his voice, “As you all know, I’ve been in love with Ladybug ever since she first saved Paris from Stone Heart.”

This set off a clamour of whispering as a few students sent Adrien encouraging smiles. Marinette, meanwhile, sat frozen in her seat and she could feel Alya’s sympathetic gaze all the way from the front of the classroom. Felix narrowed his eyes at the blonde, as if daring him to continue.

Lila broke up the whispering by saying, “Come on guys, let the guy speak.”

Adrien acknowledged Lila with a shaky nod, “Well, I’ll keep this short because I don’t have the courage to say more than a few words, but Ladybug- she’s finally returned my feelings.”

Dalia smiled at the class and stepped forward to take Adrien’s hand, “Adrien and I are officially a couple form this day forward.”

Pandemonium ensued. People were shouting and speaking over one another while numerous students came down to congratulate the new couple. Chloe sat pouting in her seat while Sabrina comforted her and behind them Alix rolled her eyes, muttering something about ‘gross’ and ‘couples, ugh’.

In all the commotion, no one saw Marinette and then Felix slip out of the room.

That is, no one except Alya.

-

It had been a few days since Dalia had first joined their class and a lot had changed since then. Alya had been extremely disappointed when Marinette hadn’t been able to look past her dislike of Lila and had ended up projecting it on Dalia. Alya got that you couldn’t have a good impression of everyone you met, but forcing that impression on a stranger you were just introduced to? Marinette was much better than that and Alya knew it.

Alya had never understood Marinette’s deep hate for Lila but it was something she tried to keep away from, excepting it for what it was. After all, it was what Marinette had always done when it came to Alya disliking a person for no discernible reason. But what Marinette had said to Lila and Dalia that day had been unacceptable, and Alya was hoping that if she just gave Marinette some space the girl would eventually see sense in her own time.

Unfortunately, that was yet to happen. But right now, Alya had more important things to deal with. She needed to fulfil her job as Marinette’s best friend, disagreement or no. Alya was probably the only person who knew of the true extent of Marinette’s crush on Adrien, which meant she also knew how much it would have hurt Marinette to see Adrien announce his relationship to the whole class. Maybe they hadn’t talked about the blonde in a long time, and maybe things between the two girls were a little shaky at best but damnit, they were best friends and best friends were always there for each other, no matter what.

She needed to find that girl, and fast.

Alya skidded around another corner and booked it down another hallway, desperately searching through classrooms as she ran past. She almost missed the two figures standing by the window in one of the unused rooms, and would have continued running had their voices not caught her attention. She doubled back and peered inside to find that indeed, the two figures were Felix and Marinette engaged in a conversation spoken in whispers. Alya could barely make out the words as she pressed herself against the wall beside the classroom door.

“-trusted him to make smarter decisions! To realise the truth! And this- this isn’t even the first time that this has happened Felix! Can you believe that?! I’ve given him chance after chance after chance-“

Felix interrupted her by softly pulling her into a hug just as Marinette broke down sobbing. Alya watched with wide eyes as Felix let the petite girl in his arms cry her eyes out on his shoulder while lovingly stroking her hair. Alya almost couldn’t believe it when he tilted his head and kissed her forehead and continued to comfort the crying girl. Marinette was a blubbering mess in his arms and Felix was that calm in her storm. Anyone with two eyes could see that the two had something special in between them.

Alya slowly backed away from that classroom, mind running a mile per minute. She had so many unanswered questions to ask and yet some part of her knew that now wasn’t the time to ask them.

At least she could be sure that she was leaving Marinette in good hands.

-

It was another few days before disaster truly struck. If Marinette thought that her situation had been bad before, then what would happen next was hell on Earth.

Marinette had been ignoring Chat Noir’s requests for patrol ever since Adrien had started dated Dalia. They insisted on being the overly affectionate and touchy-feely couple that people got tired of real quick. Funny thing was, if an outsider were to look at the situation, they wouldn’t have been able to tell if Adrien’s girlfriend was Dalia…. Or Lila. Both girls were seen constantly latched on to Adrien’s arms. It seemed that Dalia had insisted that her ‘best friend’ come everywhere with her, even on her and Adrien’s dates. Both girls looked quite content to share their ‘loot’, whether he liked it or not.

Marinette, frankly, was sick of it, even more so than Felix (which Felix would insist was impossible). She had mostly gotten over losing Adrien, because that was exactly what this was. He had finally slipped out of her reach and reason. Far too many times had her ‘trusty’ partner failed her, both on and off the battle field. There was only so much a person could take, only so many chances a person could give before they reached the limit of their patience. And Marinette, who had prided herself in having no exhaustion point, realised that everyone had their limits, and that this was hers.

That is why nothing could have prepared her for what was to come.

 The school day was turning out to be the rare few peaceful days they got, until it wasn’t. The only thing that registered in Marinette’s mind was a scream and the shattering of glass until an akuma was standing in their class. The akuma glared at them with menacing eyes before his gaze stopped on one girl in particular.

“There you are, Ladybug.”

In two quick strides the akuma had walked over to the front desk where Dalia was seated next to Adrien. She tried to hide behind the blonde but it wasn’t of any use as the akuma grabbed onto her arm and pulled her up and out of her seat. She screamed just as Chloe suddenly broke out of her shock and snarled, pulling back her arm and aiming a punch straight at the akuma. The akuma jerked back and Chloe ended up hitting Dalia straight on her cheek, causing the girl to stagger back in pain.

“Ow! What the hell!”

The akuma snarled, “You’re coming with me, Spots.”

The akuma grabbed her and escaped from the room, until only Dalia’s screams were audible, becoming fainter by the second. The next second Adrien bolted out of the door followed closely by Marinette, but not before she heard Mylene mutter:

“Brown. Her eyes were… brown?”

Marinette had no time to worry about what Mylene had said before she was calling on her transformation phrase and speeding out of school building, trying to follow the sounds of destruction that the akuma left in his wake. She swung over her parent’s bakery and caught sight of the akuma, until a figure barrelled straight into her and knocked them both into an alleyway. Ladybug staggered to her feet with an uneasy groan.

“Ladybug? Ladybug! I knew you could take care of yourself! I’m so glad-”

“Chat Noir! Do you realise what you’ve done?!”

Chat tilted his head in confusion, “Dalia? Wh-what’s wrong?”

Ladybug groaned in frustration, “That’s just it! I’m not Dalia! I don’t go to your school, and I’m certainly not in love with you!”

But it seemed as if Chat still hadn’t caught on yet when he laughed nervously and walked closer to her, “What are you talking about, m’lady? Of course-“

He was interrupted when Ladybug’s yo-yo beeped. She opened the screen and immediately a message started playing, a message that was being delivered live to the whole of Paris. The video showed the akuma who had just struck at Francis Dupont on the top of the Eiffel Tower with a hostage in his arms. The camera zoomed to get a closer look at the hostage’s face, and Chat Noir felt the blood leave his face as he stared at the terrified expression of his ‘girlfriend’.

“Citizens of Paris! I have a message for your beloved superheroes!” the akuma chuckled ruefully, “Or should I say, superhero, as in singular. If Chat Noir fails to deliver his miraculous in the next five minutes, you can all watch your precious Ladybug fall to her death from the very tower she first made her stand on. I’m not joking around here Cat, if I don’t get your miraculous, I will make sure your Lady meets her demise.” The screen went blank before switching to Nadja as she continued her news story.

There was a spot of silence before Chat Noir stumbled away from the yo-yo with wide eyes, “I-I no. It- It can’t be- it can’t. I told her who I was- I-“

“You did what?”

Chat flinched and looked up to meet furious bluebell eyes. “I’m- I’m sorry m’lady! It’s- It’s just a misunderstanding! I promise we can fix this; I swear on all my nine lives!”

Chat watched the fury melt in Ladybugs eyes. It lit a hopeful fire in his chest when she sighed sadly and stepped towards him before opening her arms in invitation. “You’re right Chat Noir. This isn’t your fault. How could it be when you were tricked? Come here kitty, its obvious you’ve been through a lot.”

Chat Noir fell into the warmth of Ladybug’s arms for one last time before suddenly she was jerking away from him and his transformation was falling away.

“M- m’lady?”

Gone was the false warmth she had shown moments ago, instead replaced by a cold cold fury. “You do not deserve this ring Chat Noir. As Guardian in Training, I hereby revoke you of the miraculous of Destruction. You are no longer its user, and it shall never happen by your hands ever again.”

Just like that she was gone, leaving a deep shadow in her wake as Chat Noir collapsed to his knees.

-

Ladybug quickly made her way to where she knew she would find Felix. She wasn’t disappointed when she caught sight of a shadow lurking in the alleyway beside the school. She quickly swung down to meet the figure.

“You came back for me.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes, though there was a indisputable sadness in her playful smile, “Don’t be a drama queen.” She rolled the ring over in her palm before tossing it to him. Felix caught it in his hand and looked at her with a raised brow, “You sure?”

Ladybug grinned, “How could I not be?”

-

The akuma was taken down in no time at all. It was one of the heroes’ fastest victories yet, though people liked to say it was because there was a new Cat in town. He called himself Roi des Ombres or King for short (which a lot of people though was kinda egotistical but oh well, as long as he got the job done). When interviewers asked why the sudden change, Ladybug looked straight at the camera and replied, “Chat Noir broke the most basic and most important rule that superheroes have, and that is you should never ever reveal your secret identity to someone, not even if you think you can trust them.” She said it as if she was addressing certain people, but no one was wiser as to just who the message might be meant for.

After a public denunciation and an official statement from Ladybug herself, Dalia’s parents soon decided that it was best if they left the country all together.

When Lila Rossi got to school the next day she was subjected to multiple hate filled glares and people openly scowling at her, It wasn’t long until she found out that someone at anonymously posted a video of her and Dalia, one which showed them making fun of the school for falling for their trick. Lila’s classmates refused to talk to her and eventually, after a week of hateful glares and horrible messages found in her locker, her mother finally decided to pull her out of school when her daughter came home crying one day.

Alya gave an apology that was long due to Marinette and Marinette forgave her, albeit saying that it would take time to mend their friendship. Alya was happy just being allowed near the girl that she didn’t argue, and said she would do everything in her power to win back Marinette’s trust.

Adrien continued to attend school but it was clear to see that something was wrong with him and his mental health, until his father had finally had enough with his moping and decided to pull him out of school for the time it would take Adrien to get back on his feet again.

All things considered, everything turned out to be fine in the end, and it was an ending that Marinette would settle for any day.

[hoe-imaginess]

Hey, Love. I read your post and it really made my heart hurt for you. I've been keeping up with your posts for quite a long time and I feel like you deserve so much for the incredible writing that you've put out! Your writing has been a bit of a happy place for me and I'm so grateful for it, I just wish that I could do something for you. I know that getting feedback for your writing is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world, and you deserve so much more than you say you're getting.

))): hello thank u so much for this 

I feel silly for feeling the way I do but, I’ve just been running this blog for so many years that at some point it’s like... the no-feedback culture of Tumblr is not worth it anymore. I’m so grateful that it’s a happy place for you—I know lots of other people have said similair things and I hate feeling greedy for wanting more validation, but it’s so difficult putting out post after post and just... watching the notes stay at such a low number, lower numbers than I used to get, despite an influx of followers recently, and despite the requests coming in increasing in numbers, too

It’s like the appreciation is sinking but the readership is skyrocketing and that’s just... a horrible feeling. It really is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world to see something you make do really well, to know it’s reached a lot of people and that they like it. But I’m just not feeling that anymore

Basically... seeing a lot of notes on the posts I make is like... empirical encouragement. It’s tangible evidence that something I make is good and people like it. That’s why they’re so important. I know there’s probably people out there who think it’s greedy and silly to complain over wanting more notes, but that’s literally all we can go by in terms of knowing our stuff is received, and we’re not just putting time and effort into projects that no one cares about 

All in all I’m not sure this blog will have a future (that sounds so morbid lol) and I don’t know where else besides Archive to post stuff. But even there I’m expecting to be discouraged, too. It’s unfortunately become routine for me now to be discouraged from sharing my stuff, and being disappointed when I do. It’s so so depressing 

other replies of a similair nature under the cut, I just didn’t want to clog everyone’s dash

It’s pretty rare for imagines blog writers to write solely for themselves tbh, especially if they’re not one of those ‘selective character’ blogs who only write for the things they like. I write for everything. I try to. Pretty much whatever people want. Basically we write out people’s fantasies and favorites—but the issue is not getting appreciation in return for doing that, and for free. Occasionally I write a request that I actually loved writing, but recently when I’ve done that, the feedback (lack of it) is discouraging. So it’s difficult to see that as a positive. And like I said, things I write for myself are things I’m writing in private, but still with the intention to share it with everyone, because I thought you guys might like to read it—I mean, people say they want to read it and encourage me to share. But it’s not something I can do if I end up feeling silly and embarrassed after I share, which is what happens when there’s such low feedback

By feedback I really just mean pressing a like button. Maybe a reblog if you’re okay with that stuff on your dash. One comment. Unless you’re leaving a critique there’s really on way it could be stupid or mean lol so don’t worry. If you love someone’s writing please please show appreciation in any form you can/ feel comfortable with. I can’t even begin to explain how uplifting it is. Putting your time and effort into a post and then seeing it get such a lack of appreciation is a horrible feeling for content-creators

!!!!! This. Imo if I wanted to write for myself then I would just... keep that stuff in my google docs. I do in fact have stuff that I write solely fir myself which I’ll never end up posting. That’s for me

But almost 90% of what I write and want to write is for the blog, for my followers, for the people who say they love my writing and want me to share the stuff I’ve been working on—i’m writing for myself in that sense, but I’m doing it because I’m excited to share, excited to share with the people who claim to be excited to read. But it just doesn’t feel worth it anymore to do that if I’ll just be disappointed

Yeah, I really don’t know where to move to. Archive has such a better reader-feedback culture but it’s difficult moving platforms cold-turkey. I have to think about it

Well, I would say this is probably the truth but in the last few weeks I’ve been updating again, I’ve amassed a hugeee influx of followers, enough that the gap between people that are apparently reading my stuff now+ people I know have stayed as followers in the past few years, and the feedback I’ve been seeing, is still really discouraging. I still think a simple favorite on a post that you like and read suffices. I guess that’s just the ‘lazy’ part, like you said. Or people don’t want the posts clogging up their likes. Idk. It’s just... eh

Hi! This is it

Favoriting a post (the heart thing, yes!) that you read and enjoy is really the simplest form of feedback! So thank you! Reblogs and comments are of course always nice to see, but really just giving a post a heart is great. Thank you <3 

[channelmono]

I dunno if I have a lot to say, but I figured that give how many people follow me, I wanna share some tips on preserving mental health during these chaotic times

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed my last story QA, which was a bit of a survey just to see how some of you lovely monitors are feeling, because I know the world in general has been stressed lately for obvious reasons. The elephant in the room is that we as individuals are all walking a tightrope of staying up-to-date about the future and how to maintain our physical health while also trying to preserve a sense of productivity and activity to sustain our mental health, the latter of which I’m noticing being especially strenuous for many of you, likely because this prolonged period of uncertainty and anxiety is highly unfamiliar. I want to disclaim right away: I am not a doctor, I am not a psychologist trained in extensive therapy who knows how to guide each and every one of you to your healthiest behaviors. However, I still wish to still help you with some advice. I do wish to see you as my friends, and as my friends, I want to ensure that you are happy and healthy. I already have a history of self-isolation, and without getting too in-depth of the exact details, this involuntarily hermit-like lifestyle we’re all being encouraged to ascribe to has been my way of living for the past several years (the involuntary-ness included). I’ve become much more acclimated to not just being alone, but stuck in a place of residence with little directive or seeming control of my own future, with a long history of trying to discern of not just what to do with my life in general, but just getting through the day-to-day. I want to discuss that day-to-day, because the month(s) away we have from returning to a normal world again is still comprised of many, many days, and if I can’t come up with a surefire long-term plan for how to deal with a future we are all in unfamiliar territory of dealing with, I can at least suggest a few low-cost stepping stones to helping you take in each day a lot easier, and hopefully help lift a bit of the collective burden over however long we may be like this. 1) DON'T LET YOURSELF GIVE UP. I feel like this is a bit of an obvious tip that might come across as “are you feeling sad? Just be happy!”, but hear me out. One of the biggest sources of human (or human-equivalent) stress is the feeling that one has no control over their life. The period where I fussed incredibly hard about the fate of my future as I was first condemned was one of the darkest, most exhausting parts of my life, as were all the times I had done before. It wasn’t merely that I was so ashamed of my failures, but it was the fact that I’d constantly and semi-consciously associate it with my entire being, to the point where I couldn’t make a casual joke in a non-depressed context that didn’t end with a side remark of how I wanted to die (now that I explained it without context… yikes.) Eventually, there was a eureka moment for me where I had enough of being tired. I’m not sure exactly what triggered it -- perhaps it was just dealing with the banality of the isolation, perhaps it was just me thinking more about how I mentally hurt myself and what I could do to stop, perhaps it was me simply deciding to find professional psychological help for it -- but whatever the case, I realized that even if the world could do bad things to me, I wanted to stop doing things that would hurt myself, as not only was being good to myself the least that I could do, but it also helped me forge a modicum of very real power for my self-esteem, giving that first boost to kickstart my life again (in part by starting this channel and making new online friends!) This wasn’t a solution to get rid of all my outside problems, but rather a means to help accept that things would be tough, but I could still live with them. Challenges will need to be faced, and there will be failures because that’s how life can be sometimes, but it also helped me better comprehend that there will also be victories, because that’s ALSO how life can be sometimes! I can’t say for sure how each and every one of you will be able to help yourself realize that negativity, hopelessness, and cynicism are not the only means to approach an uncertain and stressful future. Perhaps you already realized it! Perhaps you were in the process of realizing it but the articulation of my journey may give some guidance. Perhaps you still need some more time and thought to think about it. But whichever way, I implore you to consider that this future is not solely one to be defeated by, but one which you can fight to be happy in… and win. 2) GIVE YOURSELF A DAILY RHYTHM. One of the biggest things I see people complaining about is how without their usual daily schedule with work or school, their mental acuity is going haywire and it’s difficult to get things done. There are many reasons for why our brains are reacting to the situation the way they do: a bunch of collective trauma surrounding the pandemic putting our brains on edge for what to expect next, stress making us unable to register complex tasks, our inner survival instinct diverting away our ability to think about personal minutiae, etc. The human brain is a fickle thing doing its best to cope with the trauma it’s presented with, and first and foremost, it’s important to be patient with yourself. Going back to the “how to take on the day-to-day”, let’s talk about schedules. The truth is that many of us crave at least a mild semblance of structure and compartmentalization, and a big factor for why our minds are getting sloggy is because we’ve lost the ones we followed, mostly ones imposed onto us by our professions, and were wholly unprepared to figure out a compensation plan (as many of you students learning via Zoom conferences are aware). The practical trick I have to help remedy this is a pretty basic-on-paper one: seek out your own schedule. Speaking from my own experience, the daily grind into this miasma of a future becomes less cumbersome once you intuit what you actually define as “the daily grind”. This is not to say you need to become a rigid, Clock King-esque fanatic who plans every action by the minute, as simply understanding what you do and what you WANT to do will be of help. For me, I schedule my alarm clock to go off at 8:30. Every day I get up and make coffee or tea along with breakfast for myself and The Master. My current daily priorities are messy janitorial duties and Animal Crossing, while my personal hobbies that I’d reserve to my free time include filming content, playing video games, watching movies or Youtube, cooking, or going outside to jog. Every week or so, I go out for groceries. I do my best to go to bed and sleep before midnight. Of course, this is just MY schedule, but this is how rudimentary it can get while still giving me a sense of fulfillment when I do pass the time as I do accomplish my tasks. There are many ways to go about it, but really, one of the simplest ways to recognize them in your life is just write it out. Actually articulate it into just a really simple list that you have to transfer from mind onto paper/digital text. This is especially recommended if additional tasks or changes to your life occurs: write it down so you can remember everything! And allow yourself to do it! This is not to say you should be worrying constantly about how productive you are, as the goal is not to define yourself by how much you accomplish per day, but rather a way to give yourself that sorely needed daily rhythm we all miss, while allowing you to reward yourself when you hit your goals. And like every plan, it doesn’t need to be flawless -- there will be times where we need to relax and take a break. There might be emergencies to deal with. There may be times where things are so overwhelming where it’s like “Yknow what? I don’t wanna do anything today.” And that’s okay. On a related note: Something I’d like to place importance on with my schedule is my sleep. As someone who has experienced long periods of miserable exhaustion in my life, I cannot overstate just how important and cathartic a good, consistent sleep schedule is. I’m not joking: the night when I stopped being “insomniac” by going to bed tired but staying on my phone up until 2 AM, and instead actually went to bed at 11-ish, I woke up feeling the best I had in years. Exhaustion no longer felt like a necessary, expected burden. I felt legitimately well-rested, and discovering that I could freely feel things that weren’t depression was almost epiphanic (if that’s a word lol). I know that going to sleep and waking up on a consistent time of day might sound chore-like to many of you night owls, and there may be other concerns at play like actual insomnia, but I implore you to at least consider giving yourself a consistent nightly rhythm as well as your daily one. Being exhausted is an easy way to get stuck in your own head, and if you’re thinking dark thoughts and lack the energy to force yourself out, you can be in trouble. Don’t underdo or overdo it that you still feel like crap when you wake up. Be honest to yourself. Good sleep can be incredibly rewarding in ways that you might not even believe until you experience it for yourself.

[best-bois-of-kny]

aaa i love every little scketch you do with evry hcs its so cute owo and you are a sweet bean welcome to the fam owo may i request some hcs of zenitsuxreader where they are both oblivious and shy about their crushes and everyone try to get them togheter ? thank you :3

Hello there sweet anon, your words are too kind, thank you q//w//q

And the idea is really cute too! I hope you don't mind that I made this into a oneshot/scenarios, and that there's like 2 people who brought them together instead of everyone ;w;

I accidentally made this longer than I expected , I was smiling like a dork while writing this ;w;

💛 Your Laughter 💛

Every time when someone sees you two, there's always a blush on your faces and laughing together in content. Tanjirou found it adorable whenever he passes by them, there's always a scent of love between the two. There's just one problem though: you two don't know that you are in love with each other.

Zenitsu being Zenitsu, he instantly felt attracted to you when he first met you at the Butterfly Estate. You were just minding your own business and then your torso suddenly wrapped by two arms, hearing the words, "Please marry me! I don't have much to live for, I'm going to die soon and-!" The person who spoke got pulled away from you. It was a boy with burgundy hair and a scar on his forehead that stopped the whining boy, bowing and apologizing to you for his actions

Learning further to know who they are, they're demon slayers just like you. Tanjirou was a kind and helpful guy who is trying to cure his demon-turned sister and Zenitsu was the one who asked you to marry him, always complaining about not wanting to train. You also met Inosuke sometime later when he tried to punch Zenitsu from behind

From that day forward, you find yourself becoming close to the golden-haired boy, he wasn't as bad as you thought he would be. He was a nice person to have a casual conversation with, you were able to vent your stress from missions and training, and he cheers you up a lot in the end. Not to mention when he hugs you out of frustration, fear, or happiness, it made your heart beat faster, he was suddenly so adorable that you wanted to make him happy and hug him back. The more you spend time with him, the more your feelings grew, but you always shrugged it off since you thought that he saw you as a friend.

Zenitsu on the other hand, he wasn't aware that his temporary attraction to you developed into falling in love with you completely. Sure there were times that he thought about Nezuko, but most of the time, he only thinks of you. During training, missions, eating, and even in his dreams. You were one of the first people who understood his pain and fear, his lack of motivation and encouragement. He loved to hear the sound of your laughter, it always lifted the weight off his shoulders and make him feel happy as you were too. He would've confessed his love for you right then and there, but deep down he thinks that you'll never see yourself being with such a coward like him. 

~~~💛~~~💛~~~💛~~~

You were currently training with the pillar of love as she tested your flexibility once more, stretching your legs open with hers. "Oh, you've improved your flexibility (y/n)!" She congratulated to you, grinning. You let out a laughter that hinted with pain due to you going over your limits with your training, "Thanks… Mitsuri-san… I'm getting close!" You breathed out each word as you fought back the tears. Mitsuri noticed the pained expression across your face and decided to stop stretching your legs, causing you to let out a cry of relief.

 "Well, let's get something to eat, alright? You deserve it after almost stretching your legs completely!" She beamed happily as she patted your shoulder, to which you nodded with a smile, "Hai, let's do it!"

In the next moments, you two are now sitting down with a rather large quantity of food on the table that would feed a family of 5, remembering that the love pillar has a big appetite. "I'm really surprised about your improvements (y/n)-san, you've only been here for 4 days." She said as she chowed down on her food. "Thank you, Zeni-kun has been cheering me on since, just like with the other training I had." You giggled, taking a bite on her westernized food. "Zeni-kun? You mean the boy with the blonde hair?" She asked. You nodded with a blush on your face, "Yeah, he's been encouraging me that I wanted to do my best! He's just the sweetest and I want to do the same as well."

Mitsuri grinned at you, "My, aren't you two a cute couple~" You almost choked on your food, "C-Couple? No way, he'd never see me as his girlfriend/boyfriend!" You stuttered. "Tell me, do you have nicknames for each other? Do you two hang out more than anyone? And hug a lot?" She asked, her grin getting bigger and her eyes sparkling. "W-Well yeah! I mean, those are all friendly things that friends do! Right?!" You desperately reasoned, your blush getting bigger by the moment. "Maybe, but you guys act like a couple. Not to mention, you're blushing right now~" she teased as you buried your face in your hands, embarrassed that know that those were all true.

"Why don't you tell him about your feelings? I'm sure he feels the same." She suggested, patting you on the head. You slowly peeked out from your hands and pouted. "But… what if he doesn't? What if he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore? Then I won't get to be with him at least…" you replied sadly. 

'My, this is saddening to see! A person who can't confess their feelings to their crush!' Mitsuri thought, 'I must make a plan, and I know just the person to help me!'

~~~💛~~~💛~~~💛~~~

"AAAGH! THIS IS HELL!" Zenitsu cried out in anger, all beat up from the hellish that he and Tanjirou had. "I WANNA SEE (Y/N)-CHAN AGAIN!" Tanjirou looked at the crying boy, "I'm sure you'll see them, I heard that you've been helping them out." He said. Zenitsu huffed, "Well of course! I care about them and I want them to succeed." He blushed at the image of you, "They're just so caring about me and they even cheer me up after this hell of a training! And their laugh, it's so angelic that I feel better instantly!" 

The burgundy haired boy smiled, "I know, it's so nice to see that someone loves you as much as you love them." Zenitsu stopped in his tracks, "But Tanjirou! They don't love me, they only see me as their friend! There's no way that I'm worthy of being their lover…" he groaned and sighed. Tanjirou placed a hand on his shoulder, "Zenitsu, I'm sure that they love you back. Whenever I see you two together, I can smell the scent of love between you two, it's amazing!" He cheered.

The blonde just sighed, "I know you're just cheering me up but there's just no way… not especially from them." He turned his back from him, "I'll see you tomorrow at training, if I do survive." And with that, he left. Tanjirou frowned, "Poor Zenitsu… if only you knew."

"Tanjirou-saaan!" He heard a female voice called out to him. He turned to the source of the voice, seeing Mitsuri ruining towards him. "Ah, Mitsuri-san!" He waved happily. The girl stopped in front of him, gasping, "You won't believe it, (y/n) and Zenitsu are in love! And they don't even know it!" She exclaimed, shaking her hands up and down. "I know, it's really strange, I thought that it was obvious." He said. Mitsuri grabbed his shoulders, "Well it's time for me, the love pillar, to bring them together, with your help!" She beamed with a determined look on her eyes. Tanjirou blinked, "E-Eh? What are we going to do Mitsuri-san?"

The girl grinned, "Operation: Lunch Date!"

~~~💛~~~💛~~~💛~~~

"Hey, (y/n)-san! Let's have lunch together!" Mitsuri said, patting the spot next to her on the ground. She had food ready again on the table in front of her, except, you were outside instead of her dojo. "Huh? Aren't we going to train?" You asked, tilting your head in confusion. She just smiled, "Yeah, but I thought we'll make this day special, and I brought someone over~" she said with mischief in her tone. "What-"

"Mitsuri-san! We're here." A voice called out, revealing two familiar faces. "Tanjirou, Zenitsu!" Your face lit up in happiness to the appearance of your friends, more so on your crush. "(Y-Y/n)-chan!" Zenitsu cried out happily, charging towards you and caught you in a bear hug. You yelped from the sudden affection, but giggled, "Zeni-kun, it's nice to see you again." You said, petting his hair. You heard a giggle from Mitsuri and as you turn to her, her smile grew, and more mischievous than before. Your eyes widen and a blush rose to your face.

'Oh damn you Mitsuri!'

~~~💛~~~💛~~~💛~~~

The 4 of you started to eat lunch together, Mitsuri and Tanjirou on one side, you and Zenitsu on the other. You felt so awkward after knowing what was Mitsuri's intention, but at the same time, you're happy that Zenitsu is with you again. Mitsuri was just grinning happily while eating, and Tanjirou was just giving you an awkward smile that you can read it as "I'm-sorry-I-was-forced". 

"Oh, this food is really good Mitsuri-san!" Zenitsu exclaimed, taking a huge bite from his bowl. The pink haired giggled, "Thank you, this is the same lunch that (y/n) and I had yesterday." She replied. "And so I thought that I could invite her friends over! Right Tanjirou?" She asked, nudging him with her elbow. "O-oh, that's right! She told me about having lunch together with you and (y/n)." He replied.

'Yeah, this is definitely intentional!' You internally screamed as you started to sweat. "I see, well it's nice that we're having lunch together, as friends, right?" You asked with uneasiness, hoping that you won't be embarrassed in front of Zenitsu. "You could say that, buuut." Mitsuri said. The blonde haired boy tilted his head, "But what?" He asked.

"It could be also be a lunch date, for a couple like you two." She giggled, giving a wink to both you and Zenitsu. A moment of silence came as both you and Zenitsu blushed a very dark red before your senses came back.

"Eh?! C-Couple!? B-But we're not dating!" Zenitsu rambled on. 

"T-That's right! W-we're just good friends! Nothing more!" You stuttered, embarrassment has started to wash on your face, "Besides-"

"I may love him but he'll never return my feelings!"

"I may love them but they'll never return my feelings!"

You both then stared at each other after that confession you two made.

"Wait what?" You two repeated after each other again.

Mitsuri smiled happily, "Do you see now? You guys are made for each other, and you even confessed at the same time! How cute!" She squealed in excitement. Tanjirou on the other hand, could smell the embarrassment from the two that he honestly felt kinda bad. But he knew that things will go right, after all, you now know that you and Zenitsu love each other.

"(Y-y/n), you love me?" Zenitsu asked, sounding hopeful when he heard the rapid thumping from your heart. You looked down and held your hands close to your chest, "Yeah… it's just that you're the sweetest person ever, you make me happy and well…" she giggled nervously, making the blonde haired melt at the sound, "I love you Zenitsu."

Two hands suddenly grabbed your waist and lifted you in the air, "Waaah, (y/n)-chan loves me! I'm so happy!" You looked down to see Zenitsu, tears of happiness formed in his eyes, "I love you so much (y/n)-chan!" Your heart nearly jumped out of your body, but you laughed whole-heartedly. 

"I love you too Zenitsu." The boy couldn't be any happier, to hear his love of life say those words as they laugh happily. He brought you down, held your face closer to his with one hand and kissed your lips. You were surprised by this, but kissed him back and wrapped your arms around him. After all, you can't complain about kissing your crush, who is now your boyfriend.

"Ah Tanjirou, we did it! Our mission is a success!" Mitsuri cheered and jumped happily.

"The only thing I did was to bring Zenitsu here though." He sweat-dropped. Tanjirou looked over the two who were still laughing in content and smiled, the scent of love was stronger than ever "But I'm happy for them."

[allthebooksandcrannies]

I think it's interesting how much having been in fandom for a while, regardless of what fandom it is, affects the very process by which you consume new media. I was talking to my mom this morning about sequels and how important it is when making one it is to realize what actually made the original good and how misunderstanding what fans actually enjoyed vs what a vocal group may be telling you was enjoyable or by appealing to toxic tropes or fanbases can ruin a franchise, mainly using the masterpiece that was the Incredibles sequel vs the monstrosity that turned out to be the most recent Star Wars trilogy. And here I'm ranting about how horribly people treated Kelly Marie Tran and how the third movie catered to that and embraced the praise they got from Reylo fans to completely refocus Rey's arc on her toxic relationship with him, and how they dealt with Luke completely undermined his whole character arc and that's a running trend in this trilogy...

And she just responds with "see that's the thing about not being in fandom. Normal viewers can still enjoy it because we're not overly emotionally invested in it"

And I'm like ?!?!?! in my head because in one hand she's got a point, I do get more angry and enjoy things less than I would if I just mindlessly consumed it but I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing to expect better from art, and that's what entertainment is meant to be. Because so many people mindlessly consume media for the enjoyment (and I'm not saying that's inherently bad either) they still are absorbing and being influenced by what they see (be that the glorification of toxic relationships, heteronormativity, negative racial stereotypes, etc), it's just mostly subconscious.

But when you're in a fandom for something you are going to pay attention. You're going to know the background both in universe and in the previous messages and themes that have been explored. You're going to recognize the symbolism and the difference in the amount of work and respect that goes into different projects. You're more likely to be a producer or consumer of fanworks as well, and may have higher expectations of further canon content because surely it should be at least as good as this fanfiction I just read. You're more likely to have read or listened to other people's analysis of what works or doesn't and the implications and subliminal messages that may never have occurred to you because of your own limited life experience but that would be noticeable to a significant part of the viewership/readership. Once you've learned to think this way, it doesn't really turn off either. And I don't think it should. After all, once you've come to appreciate how well done Zuko's character arc was or realized how dangerous the glorification of abusive relationships or if the need for relationships to define your own identity and self-worth was to the millions of literal girls who grew up with Twilight serving as a model for their developing minds, do you really want to go back to financially supporting lack-luster or harmful works and tropes when you could instead reward and encourage what is done well and give companies an incentive to be better in the future?

I think fan culture has the potential to be an important check for cultures and to hold creators to a higher standard, especially the creators of child-focused or family friendly content. After all, I'm sure we can all think about both harmful and positive things we absorbed from the media we preferred as children, sometimes even from the exact same work. For me, I can't tell you how much characters in things like the Teen Titans and Nancy Drew or Spiderman or Scooby Doo reinforced for me that if you have the ability to help someone, to make a positive change, you have a responsibility to do so, even if authority would prefer you keep your nose out of it. And I can tell you that all the movies I watched and rewatched over and over as a kid where the characters inevitably end up in a romantic relationship if they're a good guy firmly cemented in my mind that relationships = fulfillment/happily-ever-after definitely have me some internalized aphobia that made it really hard for me to accept the possibility of being on either the ace or aro spectrum because I had been told my whole life that that wasn't an option if I didn't want to be lonely my whole life. It's why I would have killed to have had a character like Frozen 1's Elsa when I was a little girl. Entertainment is such a crucial part of shaping how kids learn to view themselves and their world that creators have a responsibility to be mindful of the impact of the stories they choose to tell and how they tell them.

Plus, I did not spend seven years in English classes being trained to look for symbolism, themes, characterization, and the implicit messages an author might be trying to convey by including a certain bird or making a character look the way they do for people to start complaining when I try to do exactly what they taught me in the real world.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Revelations

Summary: You had been friends with Yugyeom just as long as his older sister had been your best friend. What you weren’t aware of was Yugyeom didn’t just see you as his friend.

Pairing: Kim Yugyeom x noona/older reader

Genre: friends to lovers au / fluff

Anonymous said:

Hi!! was wondering if you could write something with yugyeom having a crush on his older sisters best friend?? i need more yugyeom x noona content 😂😂 (ps i am obsessed with everything you write and find myself coming back to read them over and over)

Word count: 2329

You laughed when Yugyeom came into the living room and slumped down on the sofa you were sat upon dramatically. Poking him with your foot playfully, you smirked. “What’s wrong with you?”

“What else? School.”

“Well if you spent more time awake in classes, I’m sure you’d actually grasp what you’re being taught, Gyeom.” You scooted closer to him. “Which subject is it this time?”

“Don’t humour him, Y/N,” his sister and your best friend instructed upon re-entering the living space, shaking her head firmly. “He has to learn to do it himself.”

“So it was alright for you to get help with your schoolwork from friends, but not me?” the youngest of the three scoffed and you tried to hide your smile. You failed and patted his knee gently.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you. But only this time.”

“That’s what you said last time, Y/N,” Yubin reminded sourly and let out a groan. “Stop hogging my best friend. She’s not your friend, Yugyeom!”

“Who gets to decide who’s friend she is, huh? Noona has always been my friend too!”

You held up your hands at the siblings and laughed lightly. “Hey, there’s no need to fight over me. There’s plenty to go around.”

Yugyeom smiled smugly at his older sister, who poked her tongue at him immaturely. You sighed, though you continued to smile. It had always been like this. Growing up together, it meant you had been in Yugyeom’s life for just as long as you had been in Yubin’s. Their family was loud and dramatic, unlike yours, and you naturally gravitated towards spending your afternoons and weekends at their house. You liked the bustle within their home and even now as you were wrapping up on your university degree, you still found yourself de-stressing whenever you were here. It was why you had suggested the movie marathon in the first place tonight. You were exhausted from cramming for mid-terms and needed to relax within good company. Despite their banter, Yugyeom and Yubin were close. You had always been jealous of their bond, not being as close to your own siblings. Perhaps it was because they were much too quiet compared.

Yubin suddenly sat up and looked at her brother pointedly. “Wait, why are you here? This was a movie marathon for us. Don’t you have other people to hang out with on a Saturday night?”

Yugyeom rolled his eyes, uncaring of the whine from his sister as he reached for some of the popcorn on the table. “In case you’ve forgotten, big sis, I live here too. I don’t have any plans for the night.”

“It’s a public domain of the house as well,” you mentioned and Yubin turned to look at you suspiciously. “What, you’re always on his case!”

“You’re too soft towards him, don’t encourage him.” Yubin then pulled her phone out of her lap and answered it, leaving the room as her voice grew sweeter, indicating it was her boyfriend on the other end.

Yugyeom scrunched his nose up. “Why is she so two-faced? I hate that voice she puts on for Mark-hyung.”

“I’m sure when you date someone, you naturally treat them affectionately.” Yugyeom glanced at you, his cheeks flushing lightly. You laughed and nodded. “See, you are aware of it.”

“No, I don’t do anything differently than how I am with you.”

“Well you treat me nicely, so I wouldn’t complain if I was your girlfriend,” you stated with a smile, looking back at the movie. You felt his eyes still attached to the side of your head and glanced towards him again. “Yugyeom, you okay?”

“Huh?” He blinked slowly and then seemed to come out of his stupor, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Right, just as if you were my girlfriend.”

“Who’s girlfriend?” Yubin asked when she entered the room and when Yugyeom wasn’t immediately forthcoming with an answer, she shrugged and looked over at you pleadingly. “So Mark’s been injured at work tonight and I need to go meet up with him, is that okay?”

“Of course, go!”

She glanced at you both; seeming satisfied you still had company. “Looks like your lack of plans worked out well. Don’t harass Y/N too much and get her whatever she wants to eat.”

“I have my own hands and know the way into the kitchen,” you replied with a laugh, Yugyeom still not responding to either of you. His change in mood was lost on his older sister who waved in farewell, the front door closing soon after she disappeared. You nudged Yugyeom. “Are you not in the mood for the movie anymore? We don’t have to watch it. We could do something else.”

“Oh, uh-”

“Didn’t you say you needed help with your school work? Let’s do that instead. We’re both kind of distracted from the movie now.”

Yugyeom stared at you again and right before you went to ask if he was okay, he seemed to relax, grinning over at you. “Would you? That would be such a big help.”

An hour later, you were deep into the throes of explaining Moll Flanders to Yugyeom. You stopped when you noticed that he wasn’t paying attention, a playful smile crossing your lips. “And then a unicorn appeared and had a disco party.”

“Yeah,” he said with a slight nod, frowning soon after. “Wait, what?!”

“So you are paying attention after all,” you mused and Yugyeom rolled his eyes. “I thought you were going to fall asleep.”

“Well, it’s not exactly comfortable studying here at the dining table.”

You nodded. “Do you want to go somewhere else? You’ve got a lot of texts up in your room, right? We can go up there and-”

“No!” he cut in, his cheeks flushing. You poked him again with a laugh.

“Why are you being so cute and shy tonight with me? You know I’ve seen your room multiple times when we’ve studied in there before. Heck, I still remember that time when we were teens and I walked in on you-”

“You promised you would never bring that up ever again!” he hissed vehemently and you laughed loudly. Yugyeom shook his head, insulted. “Noona, you’re not playing fair with me!”

“Why should I? Having dirt on you could benefit me in some way one day.”

He let out a dry laugh. “Have you forgotten I’ve got equal amounts of knowledge of what you’ve done over the years?”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” you challenged and Yugyeom’s previous boredom was soon erased. His eyes glistened with mischief and you eyed him carefully.

“Like that time one summer where your bikini top came undone and you had to hide behind the bushes for an hour whilst Yubin and Mark-hyung played in the pool because you couldn’t grab your top in time and got frightened. Had I not come to your rescue, what would you have done, huh?”

You instinctively clutched at your chest with the memory resurfacing and shuddered. “I paid you back by pretending to be your girlfriend last year when that girl wouldn’t stop stalking you.”

“She still thinks we’re dating,” he mentioned softly and you grinned. “Doesn’t that bother you?”

“As long as she’s not harassing you, I’m fine about it.”

“You know that Jinyoung-hyung wanted to ask you out but heard about us so he hasn’t, right? You could be potentially missing out on a boyfriend right now.”

“Wait, what?!”

Yugyeom smirked. “He really liked you too. A shame he’s moved on now with Jem, right?”

“Why didn’t you tell him the truth?!” you asked and the tall boy shrugged. “Yugyeom!”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“You need to tell all your friends I’m single! Right now!”

“It’s nearing midnight, Noona. I’m not going to message anyone.”

“Where’s your phone, I’ll do it!” Your eyes searched the spread before you on the table and then looked at Yugyeom. His gaze gave him away by looking to his sweats and you jumped up from your chair, rounding the table in haste. He was just as quick, however, shifting back with a chuckle.

“What are you going to do, fish it out of my pocket?”

You nodded adamantly. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do, so come here!”

Yugyeom instead took off around the house and you followed in pursuit, screaming at him to give you his phone. You thumped upstairs and through his open bedroom door, grinning when he cornered himself. Yugyeom darted his focus to the door and went to dash for it. You leapt up onto the bed and reached out for him, yanking him back with the help of his t-shirt.

Breathlessly, you laughed in triumph. “Going somewhere?”

“You have to get it off me first,” he answered, breathing just as heavy as you.

“I’ll use any tactic necessary,” you grunted, trying to avoid his hands grabbing at yours with every chance you tried to take to get into his pocket.

Eventually, your arms became tangled and Yugyeom let them go, instead holding you to his chest. You smirked. “Bad move, my hand is free to reach down.”

“Can’t you just let everyone still think we’re dating?” he asked, his tone serious. You paused in your efforts, frowning when you couldn’t find a trace of humour in his face. Yugyeom let out a heavy breath. “We’ve known each other for years and yet you’re still blind to the crush I have had on you forever, right?”

“Wait… crush?” you echoed and Yugyeom shook his head incredulously. You attempted to laugh. “Hey, if this is your way of preventing me from-”

“Can’t we make it go from fake dating to something real between us?” he continued and you stopped talking altogether. “Do you really just see me as some kid that’s followed you and my sister around all these years?”

“You’re not a kid,” you countered but you diverted your gaze at the same time. You were becoming acutely aware of how much he had transformed from the boy you’d known all your life. His chest was too firm, and his arms strong. You gulped and tried to push away from him. Yugyeom let you with a sigh but your force sent you into a seated position on his bed, stunned.

“But I’m not a man, right?”

“I don’t know what you are to me,” you admitted and then glanced up at him. “Are you sure you’re not confused with how much of a show we had to put on last year? I mean, I even kissed you that one time.”

Yugyeom smiled weakly as he sat down beside you. “It’s been over five years now.”

“T-that long?!” you squeaked out, your eyes widening with his announcement. How had you been blind to it? You racked your brain for any tell-tale signs and apart from the blushes he would now and then succumb to, he just seemed like regular Yugyeom to you. Looking into his warm brown eyes, you tried looking for signs there instead. And it was as you stared deeply at him that you realised all the little things you loved about him. His face was gentle and welcoming, and the small smile on his lips made you smile too. Yugyeom reached out for you slowly, linking his hand with yours.

“Are you realising it yet?”

“Your sister would kill you for having a crush on me.”

“Yubin is all talk. She loves me as much as she does you. Who better to look after and protect you than me, huh?”

“You can protect me? From what?”

Yugyeom grinned cheekily. “From the likes of Park Jinyoung.”

You rolled your eyes. “That’s immature!”

“So, you still like it,” he mentioned and you nodded before you realised it. His smile grew wider. “You like me.”

“Are you stalling on kissing me by talking so much or should I figure this out by making the first move?” you wondered impatiently and with a chuckle, Yugyeom lowered his head before capturing your lips in a soft, lingering embrace. You remembered how you had kissed him last year, albeit that kiss was quick and purposeful. And whilst there was purpose to the reason for kissing Yugyeom now, it was vastly different from your memory of the previous one. Everything inside of you felt as if it was burning hot, and as the kiss grew passionate, you realised that deep down there didn’t need to be any sign to show you how much you liked Yugyeom. You had always liked him. He was your friend, your shadow at times, and your confidante. You would never admit to Yubin just how many secrets you hadn’t told her but her brother instead.

Though you would need to tell her about this, given the fact that you were pretty sure you couldn’t stop kissing Yugyeom now that you had started. When he finally pulled away, you were somehow underneath him on his bed, his hand ghosting the thin strip of skin that was showing from your top riding up getting into this position. You reached out to cup his cheek in your hand and smiled. “Anything else you want to tell me tonight? Or was the crush the only thing I need to worry about?”

Yugyeom chuckled, turning to kiss your palm gently before grinning at you. “About that homework, I already submitted my Moll Flanders essay three days ago.”

You let out a short laugh, shaking your head softly. “You faked needing help?”

“All these years,” he confirmed cheekily and you feigned annoyance. “Should I ask for forgiveness?”

“I could think of a few ways to punish you,” you mentioned airily and his eyes widened. Then you groaned. “However, after kissing you like that, I don’t want to hold back because then it’ll be me who suffers too.”

Yugyeom moved to kiss you again. “Well, I don’t want you to suffer; it’s been far too long waiting for this moment to arrive.”

_________________

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[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Hi CJ, I have a question. I'll understand if you don't want to answer it, but what are your thoughts about the fighting about Lou and Vi that keeps happening? Do you think thier routes are unequal? I keep seeing posts about ppl insisting that the devs favor Vi and ppl getting nasty towards her about it. I love Louis and sometimes I agree with the posts but they are so mean about it that it makes me feel bad. You don't have to answer but I'd like to know your thoughts on the whole thing. Thank u

…….Sigh.

Okay. 

Anon, I’m sorry that it’s taken me a while to get back to you, given all the things I’ve had weighing down on me recently about my blog and life outside the fandom.

I answered this already and was ready to post it but then erased everything. When I reread it to make sure it was alright, I said, “Yeah, okay, that’s really nice and positive and… I don’t like it.”  So, let me try again and get what’s really on my mind off my chest. 

Basically, there’s a difference between being positive and being fake, and that answer I gave you originally was fake. 

You guys know that I like to remain mostly positive about everything on this blog. I don’t tolerate hate towards each other or towards myself. I rarely answer hate anons, if ever. I don’t start shit with other blogs because they happen to disagree with me on one little thing. 

Yeah, I get mad about things and complain and be anything but positive when it comes to topics such as Mitch’s death, Lilly’s character just in general, the flaws with ep4′s ending, ect. If you’ve been here a while, you know what I’m talking about.

When I talk about positivity, I mean it more in a way that I like to focus on the good within the fandom while also discussing things I would’ve liked within the series or things I didn’t like and would’ve changed, certain ‘what if’ scenarios. I try to do these things with a kind and optimistic outlook while also allowing myself to be truthful in how I feel. 

What I’m trying to say is I try to be a good person on here. I try to be nice, respectful and encourage you guys to create good things within the community and get invested in these characters and other topics. 

However, I also firmly believe in honesty. 

You asked for my opinion on this topic? Okay. I’ve yet to ever give a fake answer and I’m not starting now. 

If you’re new here: Hello. My name is CJ and I am a Louis/Clouis blog who loves twdg and discussing all the different characters, ships, and story elements within the game. I’m about to talk about some stuff with full honesty that it may get me some hate but y’know what? I don’t care, we’re gonna discuss it anyway. 

What are my thoughts on the constant fight between Louis/Clouis and Violet/Violentine?

It’s a waste of time. 

There are so many talented people out there who are wasting their energy on sending hate to each other, making nasty posts about the developers, shitting on the characters and the community, and then constantly wondering why this fandom is so damn negative.

I made an instagram account a long time ago for this blog where I started posting my favorite screenshots of Louis and posts from this blog. I followed the #twdglouis and #clouis tags and was seeing a lot of great things until I wasn’t anymore. 

I don’t post on instagram anymore because it’s a shitshow of hate. What’s new in the #clouis tag? Violentine hate. What’s new in the #twdglouis tag? Violet hate. 

I don’t know if y’all know this, but if I’m in any of the Louis tags, it’s because I want to see some good Louis content. OBVIOUSLY.

I swear, if these people sat down, took ALL of that energy they’re using for this nonsense and put it towards the thing they claimed to love, we would have the most amazing content of any fandom out there. I would be able to check the louis tags every day and see brand new, beautiful artwork and read amazing stories. 

But no.

 As for your second question, that’s where my honesty really comes into play.

Do I think Louis and Violet’s routes are unequal?

Yeah, I do. 

I think Violet’s romance has a few more things to offer than Louis’.

When you go fishing with Violet and Brody, you don’t get a choice- you have to hang out with Violet. 

If you go hunting with Louis and Aasim, you have to choose Louis if you want to hang out with him. 

Brody mentions that she hasn’t seen Violet warm up to someone like she has Clem in a long time. 

Not a single person mentions anything about Louis in regards to Clem coming along. 

Violet stands up for Clementine in ep2 no matter what you do. She takes on the leader position and you can imply that she and Clementine spent the most time together during the two week time skip, making their romance feel more balanced and understandable.

Louis is still on iffy terms with Clementine and you can imply that they barely speak until their talk during the archery practice, making their romance feel rushed and questionable. 

Violet’s romance has a star gazing mini-game.

Louis’ romance does not have a mini-game. 

Violet makes Clementine a pin so that they can remember that night because it was easy to retexture one of Violet’s pin and have Clementine wear it.

Louis can’t give Clementine anything because the idea of a piano key necklace was scrapped even though they could’ve made a small model for it for her to wear. 

I’m sure there are more, and yeah if I’m being completely 100% honest with you? It does bother me sometimes and it’s okay if it bothers you, Anon. What really matters is what you do with those feelings. 

Because y’know what?

Just because I can play a mini-game in Violet’s route doesn’t make me like her more Louis, but it also doesn’t make me want to spam hate posts about her. 

Complaining and whining and talking shit about the developers because so many believe Violet is favored over Louis isn’t going to do anything. 

Melissa saying she prefers violentine doesn’t make me want to drop everything clouis because “Oh Melissa said it so it’s canon even though we went over this her word doesn’t mean anything.” 

Sterling not being on the commentary while Gideon is doesn’t mean anything. 

The ending stats don’t mean anything. 

The hateful people on here and instagram don’t mean anything. 

None of it means anything. 

The only thing that means something is you and how you deal with this.

Clouis is the love of my life, as I’ve said many times. 

I love Violet. I think she’s a great character and I appreciate the happiness she and violentine have brought to many people in our community. 

All the things listed above? They may bother me sometimes, but I can and have written fanfics that have solved this problem. I’ve talked with you guys about it, talked about how I will be forever bitter about a lack of piano mini-game while also sharing cute headcanons and gushing about the wonderful clouis moments we do get in canon. I’ve read amazing clouis fanfics and admired beautiful fanart. 

I don’t pick fights, I don’t write hate posts, I don’t shit on the devs [although I will admit that I’ve thrown my fair share of shade at Kent but that was over Mitch’s death so that’s completely different right? …Right?]  or throw little baby tantrums because someone said something I don’t like or someone doesn’t like Louis or WHATEVER. 

I focus on better things, like this blog, you guys, Louis, Clouis, and many other better things. 

Anon, as I’ve said before, all this nonsense is just that: nonsense and a waste of time. It’s okay to feel the way you do but I encourage you to take those feelings a create something better with them. If you, or anyone, ever want to talk about this more, feel free to DM me. If something like this is bothering you, I am more than happy to try and help you. 

Alright, that’s enough brutal honesty for one night. 

I don’t think I’ve ever admitted to thinking that about the different routes so I’m a little nervous about that, but I’m also not going to pretend that I think they’re equal just to remain neutral and “positive.” It’s actually kind of cathartic to get it off my chest… huh. 

God, I hope this post got across everything I tried to say because I don’t want to rewrite it again.

Also, drinking game: take a shot every time I say positive or a variation of honest. 

Unless your underage. Then use apple juice or something. 

I don’t know what I’m typing anymore ignore me