#ignore that i'm over a week behind lol i've been busy

[shattered-tea-art]

Star Wars Artober | Day 1: Jedi | Kanan Jarrus

[queenpiranhadon]

As a counter to you sending me a scrumptious request, I SHALT DO THE SAME.

So, there's like a lot of drama going on rn (kinda juicy lols)

How about, Bakugou Katsuki whose best friend, Reader, (who he's secretly in love with) gets confessed to by a handful of people within two weeks' time or something.

Pwetty please? ✋😔

A/N: AHHH SEO I'M SO SORRY I'VE BEEN SO CAUGHT UP WITH THE WARRIOR SERIES THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TIMEEEE 😭 Here's the masterlist lol

Warning(s): Cursing, kabedon kinda, Bakugou gets kinda possessive, short but sweet, confessions, reader is obliviously in love, just fluff

Pairing(s): Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

•────•°•❀•°•──── ʟᴏᴄᴋᴇʀꜱ ────•°•☁︎•°•─────•

“I swear to ever loving fuck yer gonna be the death of me.”

You swat Bakugou’s arm, half joking, half serious.

“Bakugou! Don’t swear you idiot. Plus I think it’s sweet.” You chide, returning your gaze to the mess of gifts that lay on your desk. It was your third year- you would all be graduating next week. And over the past week, you were bombarded with love notes wherever you went, finding three in your locker one morning, 4 on your desk, and even one slipped into your gym back when you returned from training.

Bakugou clicks his teeth, and rolls his eyes. “I seriously have no idea what those idiots see in ya. Must need glasses like Four Eyes or somethin’

You snort at that, ignoring the sting you felt in your heart as he said the words. You knew he didn’t mean it, it was just Bakugou being Bakugou, so why did it hurt so much?

Thankfully, Aizawa chose that moment to walk in, sparing you the obligation to respond to Bakugou’s confusion when you went silent. 

***

Class was a drag, per usual, and you were packing up your stuff, planning on heading to your locker, when you were ambushed by yet another secret admirer. 

This person however, was bolder, deciding to give you flowers and a box of chocolates in person. You recognize him, a boy from one of the business courses, in the year below you. 

“L-L/N-san!” he says brightly, thrusting the box and bouquet into your arms, catching you off guard. “I like you a lot, ever since my first year here…! Would you go out with me? Just for one date, I promise you won’t regret it!”

To be honest, you really hadn’t thought about dating much - you were so caught up with school work and work studies that you never really focused on romantic relations. However, Hawks, your work studies mentor, allowed you off for the summer before you’d return to his agency as a sidekick.

You weren’t sure what to say- sure the boy in front of you was sweet and caring, but he wasn’t what you thought of when you thought about an ideal partner. 

But damn did you hate rejecting people.

Luckily, you didn’t have to. 

Bakugou storms in behind you, slamming your locker for full effect, his own way of self restraint. 

“Fuck off.” he growls, and you can tell it’s taking everything in him to not throttle the boy into the ground. 

The latter swallows thickly and throws his hands up, attempting to talk himself out of the situation. 

“Bakugou-san I was just-”

“Fuck. off.”he seethes, and with that the boy bolts down the hall.

You both stand there, not saying anything before you hear Bakugou’s voice again. 

“You.”

“Bakugou…?” you ask warily, and he slams you against the lockers, caging you against it with his body. You can almost feel the rage emanating off of him. 

“Do ya know, how annoyin ya’ve been these past few weeks, huh? Fuckin runnin around gettin love letters left and right.” he grumbles and you feel yourself getting a little angry too. 

“You don’t get to talk to me like that. Plus, I thought ‘you didn’t know what everyone else saw in me’. You can’t call me fucking ugly and then expect me to come trailing after you like a damn puppy.” you snap, and Bakugou’s eyes widen. 

“Goddamnit.” he groans, pulling off of you and his face turns red. 

“I..” he starts, and he groans again. “I fuckin like ya okay?!”

Your eyes widen, and you feel butterflies erupt in your stomach.

He…

You smile, and step closer to him, pressing a small kiss on his cheek.

“C’mon, Blasty. Let’s go back to the dorms.”

[soaps-mohawk]

So...

I've been doing some thinking about a couple of things.

This blog has grown considerably, even from its start and I appreciate each and every one of you so much. Your support never ceases to amaze me and I owe all of you a lot for giving me something to focus on this year instead of spiraling into insanity.

But

Things have gotten a tad bit overwhelming recently between trying to run the blog and trying to write. I find myself either having to ignore the blog to get writing done, or sacrifice writing time and energy to spend time on the blog and keep up with all the replies/reblogs/asks etc. Definitely not complaining, you all never cease to amaze me.

But, I am just one person and my brain only has so much power right now. So, I'm planning to take some (more) time off each week right now while I focus on writing and planning since we're getting into some serious plot stuff soon. So I'm planning to be on the blog three days a week for a while: Saturday, Sunday, and Thursday. That gives me some time to get some writing done as well as some time to rest my brain.

Saturday and Sunday of course to post the chapter and respond to replies and reblogs so I don't get super behind. Monday I'll have some asks queued up as well as maybe a few reblogs. I'll still use the queue Tuesday and Wednesday for reblogs/asks with spoilers as usual. Thursday I'll be on the blog answering asks from Monday - Wednesday as well as things I get that day. I'll queue up a few things for Friday since that day gives me a little break between to prepare for the weekend and posting the chapter.

I'll probably add more days as time goes on. You can still send in asks on the days I'm gone, but just know I won't see them or respond to them until later in the week. I already get behind by a couple days on asks anyway so that's not much of a change.

Don't feel bad for sending them either, I love getting all these asks, I just tend to get behind on days I spend more time writing.

The second order of business

has to do with my taglist. Most of you probably haven't noticed (which I don't blame you lol) but my taglist has gotten very big. Very, very big. It's just over 230 people right now, and I'm sure there will be others asking to join. It's quite time consuming to do all of these tags for every chapter (especially since we can't tag in blocks anymore) so I've been doing some thinking into how I can make it easier for me, and for you.

I know there's at least one blog I've heard of, though I'm sure there's more, that have made side blogs that they have people follow and turn on notifications for and just make a post on that blog when they post a chapter or fic, etc. I've been considering doing that since the taglist is a lot of work and time.

I've also seen blogs that have side blogs that just post chapters/fics and nothing else. I know quite a few of you only follow for the fic, so if anyone is interested, I could put together a side blog like that as well that you can follow and get notifications from instead of having to follow this blog and having to go through the probably 100 posts that I make a day 😂 (at least it feels that way for me)

Having a separate blog for the taglist too would allow me to schedule posts so I can have them come out a bit earlier than I get up for those of you across the world who stay up to read and have to wait for me to post in the morning when I get up (or later like today because I slept in). Of course Ao3 will get posted later because I can't schedule posts there, but at least for Tumblr I can have things post earlier.

So let me know what you think about the taglist side blog and the possible just chapters/fics side blog. Feel free to send in asks (anonymously or not) with your opinion. I might not answer them all (not tonight because my brain is fried and honestly i'm not sure if this is even comprehensible English) but I will at least use them to make the decision (or make a post with all of them and answer it as just one).

[sl33paholics]

Let's Start The Day Together.

Retsu Kaioh x black!fem reader

Warning(s): mentions of mental health / illnesses (social anxiety n depression), body image issues, social anxiety

I've been having a shitty, exhausting week. I had a huge exam on Tuesday and am now off for the rest of the week until my other exam. Had a health scare, so that wasn't good lol so I wanted to make this writing piece for comfort. This is more of a self-insert, but lowkey made it an "x reader" in case people can relate

It's hot.

You can feel small sweat glands running down your face as you scratch your durag to relieve the itching you had from last night, letting out a huft as you lay on your messy bed trying to get comfortable. You don’t know if it was the fact that you just woke up or if you were going crazy but somehow, this felt like a dream.

You felt sticky.

You were in heat.

You shifted your attention from the ceiling to the small clock on your desk. It was after 1:30 pm.

Your body temperature felt way hotter than normal, especially since you had slept with a sports bra on with your long, baggy ass shorts. Your durag smelled like sweat, and your skin smelled disgusting. You didn’t want to go to work today. But at least the heat was tolerable. You tried to rub away some of the sweat with a shirt that's been sitting on your bed for days, but that only made it worse.

You groaned, sitting up and rubbing your temples. Your head was pounding, making you nauseous.

Taking a good look around your decent-sized spaced room, it was a mess. Sorta. It was a chore to clean up when you have containers filled with unused clothes that you don't bother to wear, boxes of items that you hadn't opened once you moved out those years ago, or even your books that you had yet to read. Your closet looked like there was never an organization to it whatsoever; your bookshelves were mostly empty except for your favorite books. You had no pictures of family that hung anywhere. Everything seemed to be in the same state you left it in.

Why bother to clean? You'd always ask yourself, no one visits. So why would you bother taking care of anything? Maybe you could take a shower. Maybe. Hopefully. You weren't sure what else to do to cool off, besides sleep. You slowly stood up, stretching your arms above your head while yawning. When you finally decided that it was enough to rest for now, you made your way into your bathroom.

At least you took care of your living room. It looks decent if you're ignoring the fact that it took almost a month to finally get off your lazy ass to do something about it. It smells nice and feels nice as if a huge weight got lifted off whenever you step out of your horrid room.

After you did your business, you couldn't help but look at yourself in the mirror. Baggy eyes, stretch marks from your arms to the lower half of your stomach, and your unkempt hair. As if you looked homeless. As if you were lost in a trance, you didn't hear your front door being unlocked and opened by someone who had a spare key. You didn't even realize someone was in your apartment until they walked in.

"Y/N?" a voice called out to you as you shifted your attention to the person behind you, Retsu standing at the doorway with bags in his hand. Restu must've come over here because he wanted to check if everything was okay. "Did you just wake up? Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." He'd say, looking away to the side. You couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't used to seeing you in your condition. "I just wanted to make sure you're alright," he finished. His brows furrowed as he stared you dead in the eye. Was Retsu mad at you? That doesn't seem possible, but maybe he was just concerned for you? You shook it off, deciding not to dwell on it too much.

"Yeah," you replied awkwardly, putting your hands in your pockets. "I'm just feeling kind of under the weather right now... but I'll be alright." You trailed off, giving him a smile. As the two of you were settling down, you noticed that Retsu brought groceries and other things you'd need. You knew he was trying to make you feel better, so you appreciated it. You didn't even realize how hungry you were until Retsu mentioned food. How embarrassing, how did I forget about food? You thought, biting your lip sheepishly. It was quiet between you two. The only noise in the apartment was Retsu putting stuff away and making the two of you lunch. Once he was finished, he placed plates in front of you on the coffee table while he sat down across from you. You thanked him.

Silence. What was there to even talk about? You felt bad. Retsu did all this and took time out of his day to come to see you, only for you to not spark up a conversation. You let out a loud sigh. "Y/N." You looked over at him, noticing a soft expression on his face. It seemed to be a mixture of concern and pity. "Something's bothering you."

"Retsu, please..." You began. He held his hand up, stopping you immediately.

"Just tell me what's wrong."

"But-"

"No, Y/N," he interrupted sternly, "I've been texting you for days now. I haven't gotten one reply once. You're not looking too well, what happened? Your co-workers are saying you're not showing up to work either." Retsu would ask again. He was starting to sound annoyed. He leaned back on his chair, crossing his arm.

You sighed, knowing he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Okay. Fine." You looked back at your food, not sure what to say. The silence stretched for what felt like forever before you started speaking up again. "I'm just having one of those moments...y'know? I don't know. I don't think I left this building in a week?" You let out a nervous giggle, but you could tell Retsu wasn't happy with your response. "I don't have anybody who I consider friends that I can hang out with. I have work-friends. Not best friends. They do not acknowledge me outside of that, so I've just been in here in my room." You'd say turning your attention away from Retsu, your eyebrows frowning at what you just said.

Retsu didn't respond. You felt a pang of guilt run through you. He probably thinks you're a loser for talking to him like this. You rambled on how much it was difficult to wake up on time, and if you did, you didn't want to go anywhere for the day. You neglected your hygiene and physical appearance. Going on and on, you felt overwhelmed every time you looked in the mirror. You finally stopped your rant once you felt your throat clogging up and tears running down your face.

You sniffled, wiping at your eyes, hoping to catch them before you cry.

Retsu didn't move or speak for a few seconds, and then you heard him stand up from his seat. Before you could protest, you felt strong arms wrap themselves around you, hugging you tightly. You hugged him back as you felt your breath catch in your throat. "If it makes you feel better... I woke up around one o'clock. Last time, I woke up around six in the evening." You said with a chuckle to lighten up the mood. You let him go, but not before resting your hands on his chest to keep him at arm's length. You could feel your heart racing.

Retsu chuckled. "It does," he admitted. A genuine was spread across your face, the first one you'd smiled in weeks. You wiped at your eyes again before giving Retsu another hug. It was warm. You missed the warmth of him around you. He gave you another pat on your back before pulling away from the hug. He got on one knee before clasping your hand tightly. "I'm glad you told me what's been going on, Y/N." Retsu would say as you noticed his thumb was caressing on top of your hand. "And whatever's bothering you now, I'll do my best to help you." The sincerity in his voice was hard to ignore. You were touched by his words. "I'll stay the night here with you." Retsu would say, standing up again.

"You don't have to, I can take care of myself..." You tried to tell him. Retsu shook his head.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't watch over you, y'know." He gave you a reassuring smile as he offered his hand again to help you up. You took it hesitantly, allowing him to pull you up. "Let's leave in a few minutes. Getting fresh air is always good for the body." Retsu suggested.

You agreed easily, still feeling a little bit guilty for not opening up to him sooner. If only you had. But you were happy enough to have a guy like Retsu around to assist you during your roughest times.

[secret--psalms--saturn]

Inklings Challenge 2024

Hi! This is my first time finishing an inklings challenge( @inklings-challenge !) Yay! I've decided to keep it short and sweet.

My team is Tolkien and I've decided to do Secondary World Fantasy with the theme of comforting the sorrowful. With that being said,

TW: death mention, specifically suicide mention

I don't go into specifics and honestly just heavily implied, but I wanted to tag it just in case!

Anyways, enjoy! Please just ignore the ugly grammar lol:

Odeda looked up at her husband from her laptop, watching him wash dishes from today's breakfast. His skinny arms were quick but thorough, and his eyes focused on scrubbing each dish with care. He looked like he was studying each one as if he had saw them for the first time.

Constantine was just about done, she had guessed. Breakfast wasn't big, just some eggs and toast, with a few fresh strawberries. Work was a little slow this season, so he was able to sit down and have breakfast with her.

It was quiet, as so had the morning been. Neither of them talked much, just small talk about their plans for the day. Sunlight had trickled in kitchen window, illuminating Constantine's pale, smooth long face and tickled his long pointed ears. Odeda smiled softly, loving the simple but beautiful view. She tucked her curly hair behind her similar ears and rose a coffee mug to her lips, choosing to break from her writing to observe his long figure. He finally finished up, shook out his hands and dried them fully with an embroidered hand towel.

"Okay beloved, I'm gonna get going. We're gonna be picking up soon." Constantine pushed up his glasses as he walked over and gave her a tender kiss on her lips. He then looked down and put a hand on her dress, right on her stomach. "Be good for your mama, little one." He whispered with a smile and walked towards the door.

"Be safe honey." Odeda said, as he opened the door.

"Will do, business is just a mile down the road."

"I know, sometimes I wish you would just take a Ruby Share."

"Yeah but the time it takes to get a cab out here and drive me… I'd be there already." He let a small smile escape from his lips. "I'll be careful, don't you worry" He nodded in assurance.

"Okay, love you. Just text me when you get there alright?"

"Will do. Love you, bye." With that, he closed the door, barely making a sound.

She took a small sip of her black coffee, warm and comforting. Looking around, she took in the small kitchen space, enough for basic appliances and a few smaller ones pushed to the back of the light green walls. The toned wooden cabinets sat above the counters that held enough space for their dishes. Floral matching curtains were pushed aside the window and door window. A floral lamp that was off hung from the ceiling but gave light at dinner. A couple spring themed mats sat on the brown wooden floor near the sink and door.

Odeda whispered a small prayer, before closing her laptop and packed her things. She took a deep breath, hiked her bags up, and headed out the door.

Odeda placed a bag in her passenger seat, walked over to the driver side, and plumped down. It was getting a little harder to adjust in small spaces being 35 week pregnant, but she managed. She had offered her husband a ride to work the night before, but he declined knowing she had a doctor's appointment in the next town she had to get to. Shifting the car in reverse, she backed out of the driveway and headed down the dirt road. Drive was about an hour away, so she turned on her playlist and let her mind ease… at least as much as she could.

But her mind drifted instead. Odeda thought about the unusually warm May day it was, and how she brought a cardigan just in case but chose to feel the warm breeze against her skin anyway. Odeda gripped the staring wheel, thankfully sighing and taking deep breaths. She knew her doctor would tell her to relax her shoulders and unclench her jaw. Things have settled a bit since March, the last cold blow to their family. Finally, a warm day to bring some kind of relief to her and Constantine. The winter was long and bleak, as this region often gets. But this year had] been particularly hard. So many losses and hardships… they made it out, but barely.

Odeda shook her head, taking another deep breath. She turned up her music and tried to blare out her thoughts with her favourite playlist. She thought it was working, but asking her to not think about a white elephant, just brought a whole herd in. Soon her tears flowed and her driving sense kicked into auto pilot. Who was she to fight the memories that begged her to address them properly?

Just a few more days Odeda reminded herself. Her therapy appointment was Thursday, and then she could continue chipping away at the pain. Since she didn't want to burden her husband, she sought out to wear her heart out on her sleeve only in certain times.

Trees waved past her as she got onto more solid back roads. She loved it a bit more than highways. They were winding, quiet, and had a great view of the hills she passed by. Some clouds scattered the sky, allowing the sun to kiss the blooming plant life that is starting to wake up from the chilling winter. Broken brick side rails and wooden fences weaved in and out of the side of the road, separating the pavement from fields of gold and lush green pastures. It caused Odeda to glance upon it with a smile, giving her just enough hope to look forward to summer's glow.

About half way there, she heard her phone buzz. She knew better than to check her phone, however she knew it was her husband letting her know he was at the shop. They had started a floral business together, about a year ago. It's been a wild ride, adding weeds to their garden but for now, the garden is about to flourish again. Odeda usually helped a lot in shop, but as her pregnancy progressed she focused more on taking it easy.

Odeda put a hand on her tummy, looking forward to her ultrasound and hearing her little one's heartbeat. The young elven woman looked even more forward to meeting the child face to face,

xoxo

Odeda dialed her husband's number as she got into the car and sent it through Bluetooth.

"Hey love!" She greeted him.

"Hey honey, how'd your appointment go?"

"All is well." She assured him. Odeda knew he wanted to tag along with her, but if he did he would've had to stay late at the office. Constantine knew she rather would have him be home by dinner, so they both didn't mind.

"Good. Did you go to Sandy's afterwords?"

"Yeah, you know how I've been craving their chocolate croissants."

She could hear a small chuckle. "You and your chocolate."

"Hey! The baby wanted it."

She heard a sharp but short laugh. "Okay okay, your story going well?"

"Yeah."

There was a few moments of silence.

"Okay love," she finally said. "See you when I get home?"

"See you then"

"Love you"

"Love you too."

"Bye"

xoxo

"I got a summons to the court" Constantine said quietly, pulling out an envelope embellished with golf lettering and a wax seal of their kingdom's emblem.

"A summons!?" Odeda exclaimed, in disbelief. "For what?"

He opened the letter, and then smiled, breaking the 'act' that he had been concealing.

"Honey," he looked at her with a wide grin. "you know the prince is getting married, right?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well they need a florist"

"A florist…?" Odeda trailed off, thinking for a moment with her head focusing on the ground, tapping her chin. She then looked up at him, wide eyed. "And they asked..?"

"Us!" He exclaimed.

"Wonderful!" She yelled, jumping in his embrace. She gazed at his eyes for a moment, full of pure joy and happiness. She hadn't seen this look in his face in a long time. 3 months… she missed it.

"So we're going to the castle??" Odeda asked.

Constantine frowned a bit and grimaced. "Well I am…"

"You? Just you? Why can't I come?"

"Sweetheart you're getting to the end here. I don't want to travel so far out of town away from your midwife just in case something happens."

Odeda sighed. "I guess you're right but…" She straightened up a bit. "I've had a really healthy pregnancy and I am only 35 weeks. I guess if we plan for a week and a half there, it's not likely I would go into labor in that time."

Constantine looked at the letter again. "Babe I really think its best you stay. The travel might be a bit much."

Tears weld up in her eyes. She knew this was a losing battle. "What if… what if I talk to my midwife? What if she gives me the clearance to go? I just think I can be valuable for such an occasion."

Constantine thought for a moment. "Okay, I do really need you so… If the midwife give the okay, then it'll be okay with me." he smiled, embracing his excited wife once again.

xoxo

The train station was bustling with travelers going to and fro. Constantine clutched both their suitcases while standing on the platform. Odeda stood beaming next to her husband, looking at the tickets in her hands. Her majesty was kind to cover travel expenses as they rode them in here.

She was especially thankful her midwife, Malea, gave her the okay to go on the trip. "You're the picture of perfect pregnancy." Malea had labeled her, and she hasn't stopped smiling since.

"Train 564, red line, heading towards Audrella Spring Gardens, now boarding."

The steam train, very traditional in nature, rolled up to the platform. The conductor came out, opening the doors to let its passengers walk out.

"All aboard!" The conductor called out, after clearing the train.

After getting on, the couple made their way to their room. Sliding the door open, they both walked inside. To the left, there were bunk beds made nicely and a ladder leading up to the top bunk. To the right, there was a corner leather bench and a long, 4 foot table. Odeda smiled warmly and put her suitcase on the side of the bottom bunk.

"Dibs!" she cheered, flopping on the bed.

Constantine nodded, returning her smile. "Well I certainly wasn't going to ask you to climb."

Odeda laid down. "Do you mind if I lay down and rest a bit?" She asked him.

He nodded. "Take all the rest you need."

xoxo

Odeda's eyes fluttered open as she woke. Still a bit foggy, she peered through her sleepy eyelids to survey her surroundings. The golden light from the window trickled in, illuminating the room. It shun light on the floor, and onto the long wooden table. Though the shadowed wall next to it blocked some of the light, the light reached to a few of the paintings on the walls. It spilled on the leather bench where Constantine was sitting. Her husband was holding a book, relaxed and resting his head in his other hand. He leaned up against the wall in the corner bench. The light hit his soft auburn hair, making it glimmer and kissing his golden cheeks. He was a very beautiful man, she thought, bringing a smile to her face. Finally she yawned and stretched and sat up.

"Have a nice nap?" He asked, glancing slightly up at her.

"Yeah it was good." She affirmed, sitting up and swinging her legs around. Odeda got up and made her way to the bench next to him.

"I could tell, you were snoring quite loudly." He chuckled, turning the page.

"Yeah yeah." She smirked, waving him off. She reached down to her leather laptop bag and pulled out it out. "Whatcha reading?"

"Ah, a book that uh, Harry recommended to me at the beginning of this year. A theological book."

Odeda nodded, the name still giving her a slight pain through her chest. She chose however, not to dwell on it.

"What's it about?"

"It's about God the Father, and his attributes. Currently reading about His love."

She nodded again, waiting for the laptop to boot up. "Is it good?"

"Oh it's fantastic." He softly smiled. "Very convicting and comforting."

"That's really nice to hear." She said, putting in her password.

A few moments of silent lingered between the two. Odeda felt a bit of sadness begin to loom, and she shifted a bit in her seat. She brought up her book, and continued to type away. However, every few sentences her gaze went from her computer to her husband. She noticed he was reading much more slowly, or so she had thought.

"You know, Harry had great recommendations. Books, games, shows you name it. He was knowledgeable about them too."

"I know I heard you guys till 1 in the morning talking about Pelego the Porcupine." She smirked.

Constantine nodded slowly, a bit solemn. His smile dropped as she noticed he stopped reading, just staring at the page now.

Odeda let the silence linger a bit, memories flashing back in her mind. It was just another day; sunny, not a cloud in the sky. It was a few days since they had heard from Harry, but she reassured her husband he was taking some kind of break. Oh, how she wished she was right. That day, A friend from church was visiting and had just left. Then she got the call, from her husband himself. His voice was shaking, slowly telling her the news.

They found him. No breath, no pulse, and alone.

Constantine was impacted the most out of the two of them. Their friend was his best friend. The sobs she heard in the following days was something she could never forget. The pain in his eyes, his hollowed footsteps and sleepless nights overtook him.

Her pain couldn't even touch his, but she struggled right next to her husband. Maybe it was the fact of how he died, but nevertheless, she couldn't focus on anything the following days. There were multiple times Odeda just broke down alone in her car. She didn't want to burden him with her grief, of course. Despite having a therapist, she couldn't help but take the brunt of it. She had a million unanswered questions. Haunting questions that will hang like ghosts in her closet, and baggage in her heart.

Why did he do it? Why didn't he call someone? Why didn't he get help?

Odeda would've dropped everything to save his life. Could she have done something? Something more? Tell him she loved him more? Be more involved in conversations with him? She clenched her jaw, feeling a tear brim her eye. Despite living a few hours away, Odeda was sure that even if he had any inkling of struggle, she would be the first to risk a speeding ticket just to show up at his doorstep, if it meant he would still be here today. Constantine would do even more. Odeda knew that her husband would even take his place and sacrifice everything to save his friend's life.

Taking a deep breath, she looked over to her husband. Constantine had put the book down, and was now staring off into space. A few tears had escaped from his eyes as well, but remained perfectly still. Odeda scooted closer to him, and put her head on his shoulder, linking her arms through his. She closed her eyes, sighed, and silently prayed. There were no words needed; she had already said everything she needed in the last few months. Now, she will grieve with him in silence. It was comforting; to know someone was there, hurting with them. The gesture was whispering, "I'm here, it's okay, you're safe." without a word being spoken. He didn't have to say a thing; she knew it was all that was needed in the moment. A grief shared meant the absence of suffering alone.

That following night, as they said their "I love yous" and goodnights", she waiting until she could hear soft snores from on top of her. Her mind still resonated on Harry. She reflected on the remembrance service, surrounded by friends and family. Odeda remembered looking around. Hundreds of people there, but not one could do anything about it except wish they had the power to rewind time and make sure they finished the race together. Not a dry eye left that day. But a willingness to live, did.

xoxo

[aquareegia]

Okay so hello! I managed to get the 4th tier bundle of the graphic novel and I'm so grateful. But it was only out of pure luck that my bf managed to get the email nearly ten minutes before most. While I get why the brand itself (Sleep Token as a brand, not as the musicians behind it) would drop something like this all cryptically, I really wish they wouldn't so we'd have time to prepare more. But that's not that big of an issue to me right now.

My bigger issue is that there is a shit ton of merch that's often overpriced as hell depending on where you get it from and the only thing that comforts me is that it would be, as far as I know, extremely rare that the band themselves would be all that involved if at ALL with the pricing and what *kind* of merch it is. Their music easily reflects that they (especially Vessel and II, hopefully III and IV are more involved in the next album<3) are a quality over quantity band like you mentioned, so I definitely think this is more on RCA.

After they switched to RCA, Idk it seems like the merch/tickets side of things kinda got fucked? And, not to be delusional, I'd imagine Vessel isn't too happy abt that lol but I genuinely think they don't have control over this. The graphic novel is clearly different tho. Although I do wish they'd picked anyone but Sumerian lol /half-joking.

So, please don't listen to anons who think these grown men need to be defended against valid opinions and/or criticisms that are worded well, such as your post. Take care of yourself and if you don't want to keep this topic going in your blog you can simply ignore this or answer it privately.

Have this cute emoji〜⁠(⁠꒪⁠꒳⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜

I agree. The problem is that whether it's the band or the label making the decisions, it still reflects on the band because they are the face of the brand Sleep Token. RCA is great for exposure and opportunities, but they're also extremely exploitative, as any other label. I'm very much aware of that. And I'm very much aware that they have their hands in it. BUT it STILL reflects on Sleep Token's image. I didn't think I'd have to explicitly discuss the exploitative structures of the music industry to voice a critique about one singular band. 🙃 This is not directed at you, btw. It just felt like I was holding a gun to Vessel's head and told him what to do and insulted his entire family in the process to some. 😭

You can very much love and support artists and still critique their business practices (and I don't think I was being rude or unfair with my wording), especially when you want them to thrive in the future.

Anyways, thank you for being a reasonable human being. I've seen too many rude and condescending messages the past week, so I really appreciate your message! 😭🫶

(Also agree on Sumerian, I've been holding a personal grudge against them for a while. 😅)

[bidonica]

Hey! I see you're into fragile/higgs ship and caught myself quite like them too recently (tho i've been in DS fandom already for a year and mostly thought about them as a friends)

Just wondering why do you like them? Do you have any headcanons/interesting thoughts? I'm very curious 👀

Hi! First of all apologies for the wall of text you're about to get, but unfortunately you came knocking at my door after I spent nearly two months ruminating about this ship basically by myself sooo I'm dumping it all here

Well the short (lol) version is that in my first playthrough I mostly just absorbed the characters and storyline, but by the time I got to their final scene on the Beach I was like wait a minute... their whole shared storyline feels way too loaded for them to simply have been business associates, that shit is personal, even Higgs wanting to damage Fragile feels way too pointed to just be justified by "he was a turncloak with a secret agenda." Now, I'm not against a "they were simply close friends" interpretation, it works just as well to explain the emotional weight of their falling out, BUT I also cannot ignore the zest, the flavor, the spice of them actually having been involved romantically at some point. And honestly going into my second playthrough with the shipping goggles on I can't help thinking that Fragile speaks about Higgs like he was an ex that hurt her, and the way that she is suspiciously cagey about the specifics of their relationship makes my ears shoot up like a German shepherd.

On a Doylist level I also find it interesting that Kojima gave Higgs extra backstory that connects him to Fragile in the Director's Cut, and also how the behind the scenes for the DS2 mocap show Troy and Léa sharing a scene... I think Kojima is not done intertwining their story and we'll get more info in the sequel.

Now for the headcanons... I have enough that I might or might not be writing a long-ish fic about it, but I want to finish this Director's Cut playthrough before completing it (I could just look stuff up on the wiki but that's not fun). Also I have some art in the pipeline about it that I hope to post within the week. Anyway, the bite sized version of how I envision their relationship:

I hc Higgs as being immediately attracted to Fragile but not really acting on it, while she develops her attraction after getting to know him a little. Then she's down bad but she doesn't even realize it until it's so obvious it hits her in the face

A few people at their joint Fragile Express/whatever Higgs' operation was called co-op assume they are an item long before anything ever happens, because they just hang out together a lot. They have a similar penchant for corny jokes and puns and enjoy some light banter; Fragile finds Higgs' flair for theatrics endearing, while he is drawn to how gentle she is because he has known so little softness in his life (also he thinks she's insanely pretty, which duh. It's self evident because Léa Seydoux) (it's his first serious girl crush anyway; I hc him as bi and as having had mostly experiences with men before her)

They bond over their DOOMS condition and Higgs is fascinated by Fragile's powers, while she is less enthused by all the collateral effects. In my hc, at this point she has yet to become as skilled at traveling through dimensions as she is in the game, which makes her reluctant to agree to Higgs' requests to show him the Beach. This sows the seeds of his resentment towards her, because he feels she has a privilege she doesn't make use of and doesn't want to share.

They are both pretty touchy feely (canon!) so when their relationship goes from friendly to romantic it gets physical immediately and enthusiastically. Yes even accounting for the worldwide lowered sex drive. If there's one thing I never do is put characters in horny jail 🫡

 I think Fragile got to know a version of Higgs that was quite different from what we see in the game, which you sort of can gauge from the more optimistic pages of his diary. Like there's a part of him who's starved for love and connection and a sense of belonging and gravitates towards people like Coffin (he never had a mother) and Fragile herself; ironically, the pull towards Amelie answers to the same need but in reality it feeds on his more nihilistic, call-of-the-void side. I'm not saying that Amelie brainwashed him or anything, but I think she saw what was already there – a  deep seated resentment towards a hostile world and towards those he feels got handed a luckier deal than he did, that he countered by clinging to the notion of being special because of his DOOMS, but then there's someone like Fragile who's even more special and doesn't seem to be doing much with it. Amelie gave him a chance to fulfill what he felt was his potential and shared her power with him, but the tradeoff was severing  the connections he had, "killing" the part of him that wanted to be loved to make space for what he perceived as a higher form of love ("I found someone who completes me" which he says to Fragile specifically like he wants to rub it in her face? Like she wasn’t  enough to fulfill that role?)

That’s why I think it’s significant that he lost his hands with his power-up, because the (holding, welcoming) hands are strongly associated with Fragile; and to me it makes sense if he purposely ruins her body also because it’s a way to stifle his attraction to her. There’s also a lot of projection because HE is the one who’s felt like damaged goods all along, who grew up being  crushed psychologically and physically. I also think that both of them coming close to annihilating the other but choosing not to – leaving them in a dicey situation but not entirely without escape – shows in some twisted way that their bond still exists, which makes me giggle and rub my hands like a nasty little goblin knowing we have another game coming.

So… That’s the gist of it. Sorry for rambling on but as I said, I don’t really get the chance to talk about this ship much – greetings from rarepair hell, etc.

[just-some-random-blogger]

Vengeance & Nightmares

Dream of the Endless x Wayne!Reader, Bruce Wayne & Sister!Reader

Summary: You confront Bruce with the fact that he hasn't been sleeping, and his eye twitches as the mention of Dream. He does not enjoy the nagging so much that he sleeps out of spite, willing a gun in his thoughts as he did so.

Word Count: 1k+

Warnings: Sibling arguments, angry delirious & sleep deprived!Bruce, angst ig, briefest mentions of injury, girl please idk if i have to keep saying there is no incest in this but i will because if any of you come with that I will riot, typos, etc.

A/N: This isn't necessarily a part 2 but yeah i have another wayne!reader fic you might wanna check out. Also i made a technical p3 I'm tagging @lexi-anastasia @igotanidea because they seemed to like the first one lol also my loves @pinksirensong @deniixlovezelda @shadow-pancake9

Bruce grunts, holding the strained part of his ribcage as he walks over to his computer chair.

His chair then swivels unexpectedly which makes him freeze. He grunts at what he sees, tension leaving him quickly, "get off my chair."

"You mean," I look at his injured face and torn suit, "the chair I bought because you lost 2 inches of your height after hunching over for days."

I narrow my eyes as he walks over to me.

"Yes, yes, thank you," he says, grabbing me then unceremoniously ripping me off his spot where he heavily plops down.

I groan at his actions, eye twitching at the sound of his quick typing. I do not pullback my punch on his arm, which causes a loud thud to echo in the bat cave along with his whine.

Bruce snaps to me and screams my name out in annoyance and anger.

"Dream told me you have not been sleeping for two weeks!"

At once, he shoots up, peering down at me angrily.

I am not in the slightest intimidated, "he said he's been anticipating you but you have not-"

"Do you and your boyfriend have nothing better to talk about?"

I roll my eyes, "besides the fact you've clearly not been listening to all the times I've chastised you for not going to bed-"

Bruce scoffs.

"-you've also not been listening to my stories about my relationship with Dream."

His eye twitches before he turns away and sits back down, "and why would I care about your relationship with him."

"Well, for starters he's not my boyfriend, we're taking it slow after he proposed again, but you obviously don't even-."

"Mmm, no, I know. It's a wise decision of a fool to go about with no labels with a man who clearly-"

Bruce does not get to continue when I kick his chair roughly and he shoots away to the other side of the room, office chair wheels whirring.

He calls my name out again but I ignore him and I begin to type away on his computer.

He is standing behind me when the profile pops up on screen: Dream of the Endless, a subfolder of Death, Delirium, ??? is attached.

I glare up at him and cross my arms, "maybe instead of sleuthing like a moron, you can just as me, ask him about whatever it is you need to know."

"The moron sleuth talks herself," Bruce presses the Esc button, "I know everything I need to know about your not boyfriend, little girl."

"You are," I pinch my fingers together tightly, "insufferable!"

"Clearly, it's genetic."

I shove him away, knowing well he was injured underneath his armor, and storm off.

Just then, Alfred, who was holding a tray of medical equipment freezers. I give him a look as I leave, "let him suffer, Alfred."

"Yes, I have withheld the pain killers, ma'am."

Bruce only turns to Alfred when he hands him a pill bottle.

"You should listen to your sister for once."

He looks at the sleeping pills in Alfred's grip and feels his pulse quicken. His eye begins to twitch, "fine," he grabs it, "I have business I need to discuss with her not boyfriend anyway."

Alfred sighs deeply.

Dream senses him the moment he made it to the Dreaming.

"Bruce," the king of Dreams greets the elder Wayne with a soft smile, "I am glad to finally have-"

The sound of a gun cocking stops him.

The two stare at each other for a long moment.

Bruce's breathing is taxed, his arm is shaking, his eyes were blown. He was severely fatigued, even in his dreams, because that was how he was projecting himself.

Dream narrows his eyes at him, "you think you can harm me in my realm?"

"No, but it will get my point across," Bruce mutters and begins shooting. Though there is a sound of gunshots, instead of bullets, cherry candies fall to the ground, the exact one Wayne the younger absolutely adores.

Bruce twitches at the sight of it and throws the gun at Dream. It turns into a butterfly midway.

Dream allows him to charge at him. He is grabbed by the collar, shaken angrily by Bruce, but he only looks at him blankly.

"You know damn well why I don't sleep," he seethes, "you are the one that wills these nightmares into my mind to torment me."

"I do not will nightmares to torment you any more than I do anyone else."

"So, you think you are so just with your cruelty?"

"You think yourself so clever, but you would not understand my mind anymore than ant could."

"Oh, but I know you well enough," Bruce clenches his Dream's collar, grip shaking in anger, "my nightmares have changed ever since you started messing around with my sister."

Dream's expression barely falters, but it does not matter, he caught it. Bruce caught him.

He shoves him off, but he does not budge. Bruce pulls away, finally finding it in himself to gather some composure.

"You care for her a great deal-"

"She's my sister."

"-and I am not trying to steal her from you."

Bruce narrows his eyes, "you cannot steal her from me because she does not belong to me."

"Then I am not trying to steal your moments with her," Dream rephrases.

Bruce looks at him for a moment. A butterfly flutters between them.

"It would surprise you to know that your will dictates your own dreams as much as mine," Dream says, placing his hands behind his back, "I had meant to give you a peaceful dream but you dreamt it all on your own."

Bruce freezes.

Dream watches him intently.

"The dream at the toy shop."

"Yes."

"... that wasn't you?"

"No."

Bruce could not stop himself form knitting his brows deeply, feeling his throat constrict along with his chest.

"You are too hard on yourself, Bruce," Dream says, pulling a toy robot from behind him, "too hard on your sister."

Bruce doesn't take it. He only stares at the outdated thing and allows tears to fall from his eyes.

"Sleeping regularly will allow you not to be."

"Don't tell me what to do, old man," Bruce eyes him darkly, "my father's dead, and you sure as hell won't act like mine."

Batman clenches his jaw tightly, scrutinizing his sister's preference in the Endless, "and stay out of my dreams."

Lord Morpheus feels the boy struggle with himself.

Bruce abruptly wakes up, tense in his bed. He relaxes when he realizes he successfully woke himself up.

[nellasbookplanet]

I was tagged by the wonderful @kmackatie, thank you!

Last song/piece I listened to: not to sound like a huge killjoy, but I don't listen to all that much music lol. I can't really have music on in the background when writing/doing work where I need to think (too easily distracted) and when i do more mindless work i prefer to listen to audiobooks or podcasts over music. Mostly I listen to music while driving, but I can't stand commercials and my car doesn't have bluetooth so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Probably the last full song I listened to was the Critical Role opening theme, which feels on brand.

Last book I read: I just finished Max Gladstone's (one of the authors behind This is How You Lose the Time War!) Empress of Forever earlier today! A woman gets transported into the far future by a mysterious all-powerful space empress and must assemble a crew of misfits to fight her and get back home. It was a bit more episodic than I prefer, but overall a lot of fun with some Wild worldbuilding and good characters. Also, it's very gay, which is always a plus.

Last film I watched: I'm not sure actually? I tried watching The Witches of Eastwick a bit ago but dropped it. I'm planning to watch The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (frankenstein retelling!) soon though!

Last TV series: I watched an episode of Resident Alien the other day (an alien has crash landed on Earth and is hiding in a small community as he tries to repair his spaceship. also he's planning to destroy Earth, but first he needs to survive Living Around People, and also he really wants to solve this murder and prove he's cooler than the town doctor while he's at it, he'll get around to the destruction later) and have yet to decide whether I'll continue watching it or not. I enjoy the premise and the characters but the humor doesn't entirely work for me.

Last thing I googled: something about archives for my masters. did you know there are so many different definitions of an archive. too many in fact. but also i'm about to invent a new one.

Last thing I ate: An apple lol. I had pasta for dinner though.

Sweet, Savory or Spicy: Probably savory. I love sweet stuff but mostly in dessert form, and while I enjoy a bit of spice my tolerance for when it stops being taste and starts being Pure Pain is pretty low.

Amount of sleep: never enough even with naps. Which reminds me I should start getting ready for bed 😔

Currently reading: Too many books. I just picked up Abbadon's Gate (part 3 of the Expanse series, space and horrific aliens and body horror my beloved). I'm also sporadically listening to The Wandering Inn (it is. very long. it's got some interesting things going on but I'm not a fan of the whole levelling concept, but I should've known that going in) and trying to read Jonathan Sim's Family Business (it's good I'm just bad at reading these days, I've been picking away at this book for weeks and it's very spooky). I'm also rereading Things That Gods Despise by dawl-and-dapple for bookbinding purposes, it's one of my favorite fics!

Not entirely sure how many have already done this thing yet, so if you've been double-tagged (or don't feel like it) feel free to ignore, but I'm tagging @mllekurtz, @aravhy and @howlsmovinglibrary!

[claudiajcregg]

Hoo boy, I'm behind on tagged stuff. (After this, I owe the last line I've written, the 8 tv shows, and who knows what else!) But this one was rather easy, even if formatting took me longer than I thought.

Tagged by the incredibly talented @onekisstotakewithme, whose stuff you should absolutely read because she's so good. (And prolific, too!) Thank you, Ally <3

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written fewer than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

I have eleven (for now? hopefully?) and I'll put them under a cut because this might get long for my mobile peeps. (I'm not the best at first lines. Or all that follow. I noticed a pattern, lol.)

Tagging anyone who wants to do it, of course! Feel free to ignore it if you don't want to do it, or if you've been already been tagged, etc. I probably missed some posts here and there. ♥️ @miabicicletta, @ballroompink, @holy-ships-x-red-lips, @district447, @eyes-onthehorizon

From most recent to oldest. They are all for The West Wing. Will I come out of this hating my writing even more? We'll see!

still you never took your hand from mine

The idea of writing a book by herself had always felt like this thing she wasn’t sure she wanted to do, at least not at that point in her life. 

The (in)famous memoir fic. CJ starts writing a memoir while pregnant with her first child.

haunted by the notion somewhere there's a love in flames

Filomena Ristorante was an enchanting establishment she hadn’t heard of until earlier this afternoon. 

Set during CJ and Danny's business dinner in S1. It's two chapters long!)

just your smile lit a 60-watt bulb in my house that was darkened for days

When the President summoned her to the Oval Office on Tuesday, the last thing C.J. was expecting was for him to invite her to their Thanksgiving festivities up in the Residence — that was, if she didn’t have plans already.

Thanksgiving 2006 in the Residence, with a dash of thanks and trivia. CJ/Danny, with Jed/Abbey, Josh/Donna, Charlie/Zoey

don't want you to go but I'll be okay

The flight back to Andrews Air Force Base had been pushed back until the morning for various reasons; not least of which had been avoiding a repeat of everyone’s protests on the way to Portland due to the late departure time.

C.J. finds some unexpected closure when she goes out for dinner during the Portland trip. (Yes, I'm copying some of the summary for some of these, lol.)

I'll be your friend in the daylight again

If C.J. was asked to name whatever meetings she had been a part of this week, she would fail.

C.J. and her complicated feelings about her NSC card resurface once Josh gets his during the Santos administration. (No, but I'm actually surprised by how accurate and succinct some of these summaries are.)

catch my pieces as they fall apart

His beautiful wife was sad and exhausted and likely sick, and Danny didn’t know how to take her pain away.

After her father passes away, C.J. grapples with grief and what her future might hold.

say it's here where our pieces fall in place

The sun over the plains was unforgiving on this late winter day.

A series of glimpses into C.J. and Danny’s lives, together and apart, from 1998 to 2008. It's 11 chapters!

we could be the way forward and I know I'll pay for it

The second the call with Hogan disconnected, she stopped walking around the secluded garden area and was hit with a cold breeze she wasn’t prepared for.

St. Augustine, FL; spring of 1998. C.J. wrestles with her burgeoning feelings for Danny when she runs into him outside a campaign event.

maybe everything's turning out how it should be

This wasn’t the same without Leo.

As a way to honor his late mentor, Josh brings back Leo’s Big Block of Cheese tradition during the Santos Administration. Unbeknownst to him, he ends up having a special crackpot meeting of his own. (This has implied CJ/Danny and Josh/Donna.)

all's well that ends well to end up with you

The sun was setting over the small mountain range in the distance, coloring the sky with a pink-orange hue that was breathtaking. 

C.J. and Danny find a moment of quiet in a hectic day and reflect about how they got to where they are. Their wedding. It's set after their wedding.

... and +1, because I felt bad leaving it behind

maybe we'll sleep here covered in star shine

At four in the morning, the sky was beautifully dark with just the slightest hint of the day that would soon start on the horizon. 

On a sleepless night, C.J. finds herself staring at the stars and reminiscing about her childhood.

[deafdogaitathrowaway]

Yo 👋 There weren't many INFO votes, but I figured I might as well make a post addressing a few points that came up.

First, yes, I did post this to both A Poll a Day and @am-i-the-asshole-official, about 1 week apart. Did not expect them to end up getting posted on the same day, but I noticed over the past few days that it was probably going to line up that way lol 🥴

Second, for anyone who didn't see this in the replies: I want to sincerely apologize for the small text. I used it to keep my asides a bit more aside, and make a long post a little less long, but I didn't think about how it would would be difficult for some to read, and honestly didn't realize (until reading the replies on another AITA post the other day) that it's no good for screen readers. That was plain ignorance on my part, I'm really sorry.

Third, I called LG a collie, but I think he is specifically a border collie (or maybe a mix), and a rather large one at that; he stands at about thigh-height next to FB. So, considering that combined with the deafness, I do understand why she struggles to handle him well. My issue is that she doesn't really seem to try, and if she isn't willing to try, then I don't think she should have taken in a dog with particular needs.

Regarding specific comments: • You should have recorded it and/or reported it to authorities. Yup, if I'd had my phone on me I would have tried to take a video. I know from previous experience that reporting animal abuse or neglect without video evidence is pointless, Bylaw Enforcement won't do anything and the SPCA/Humane Society both direct you back to Bylaw.

• There might not be any better way to keep the dog safe (e.g. from cars, etc.). This is fair...ish, because it definitely isn't clear in my post, but to BE clear, this happened at the far end of our backyard (where she takes the dogs to poop), which is behind our building, which is already well set back from the road. LG was nowhere near any cars, and there's a fence between our yard and the house next door's yard, so he and their dog couldn't have hurt each other either. I will say on FB's behalf that she acquired a sort of belt? harness? that she wears when she is walking LG - or GD's massive German Shepherd, K - near/across the road, so she can use her whole body to hold them back. Don't get me started on them keeping 2 large dogs in a 900 sq. ft. apartment though. I'm trying to mind my own business …

• GD "tattled" to your mom because you didn't answer the door when FB knocked. This is definitely fair. I also should have mentioned in the ask that GD wasn't around when this all went down; he only gets home from work shortly before my mom usually does. So I guess at the time, I was thinking he should have just come up to talk to me, since things had had time to cool off by then. But yeah, he probably did assume I wouldn't answer. I still say that answering FB's knock wouldn't have been wise; I feel I would have said something inadvisable.

• People are too focused on staying in their own lane / your mom's a coward. Mm, it's definitely seen as overstepping here to comment on how someone else handles their animals. It's not the first time I've been taken to task for it. ("Then you should have known what would happen" yes well as I said, I didn't think, I just wanted her to leave the dog alone.) As for my mom … she really hates conflict and typically prefers to stay silent rather than speak up, even on her own behalf. I'm really not like that, if anything I've been told I'm too opinionated. She and I grew up in different eras and environments, so I don't really hold it against her. Admittedly I was hurt that she wasn't more on my side, but she's my mom and I love her, so in the end, I just wanted to keep her from being stressed out.

• Report this to the landlord / you shouldn't get evicted over someone else abusing a dog. Our landlord is … how can I put this politely … kind of a tool. If I'm being generous I could say he is "hands off" when it comes to our building. If I'm being honest: he doesn't give a shit. My mom and I and our other neighbors and our past neighbors have all tried reporting stuff to him, he just … doesn't do anything. There would have been very little point, imo, in reporting this to him, especially as he's shown bias toward GD in the past (because GD mows the lawn approximately 2.67 times a year and Landlord uses that as an excuse not to hire anyone else to do yardwork so he can save a buck 🙃) As for getting evicted, honestly I don't think he could legally evict me over this one incident, but my mom is terrified of either of us getting on Landlord's bad side and being thrown out on the street.

• "You shouldn't have apologized, because now she definitely wont learn from her behavior" Mm … well, again, I wanted to keep the peace with my mom, and not turn this into a major incident, as much as I do care about the dog. Imo, FB wouldn't have learned a damn thing regardless. _____ That's all I have to say, I think. Thanks to everyone who voted and commented, I genuinely appreciate the perspective (yes even the YTA and ESH votes, y'all keeping me humble 👉👉). Hopefully nothing like this happens again but it's somewhat comforting to know that most people don't think I was out of line for speaking up, and that most would want to do something if it weren't for anxiety. To be honest, I have very severe anxiety myself, but I love animals with all my heart, and trying to help or protect them is one of the few things that can override anxiety for me. This was all very interesting! (And to anyone who glimpsed my real URL when I accidentally replied with it, pretend you saw nothing 😊) Okay bye 👻

AITA for "attacking" my neighbor's girlfriend? 🗣️🐶👻

Potentially relevant background: I (35F) live in a small apartment building with a very large shared back yard. My mom lives in the same building. We're both close with one of our neighbors and on pleasant terms with the other occupants, but we've also both had various problems with the guy who lives below my apartment ever since he arrived. Details aren't really relevant, he's just one of those people who have clearly never lived in an apartment building before. A couple months ago, his girlfriend moved in along with her young, very excitable, deaf collie. She has almost no control over this dog and can barely even walk him. In the past she used a regular collar for him, which meant she was pulling the dog back by the neck whenever she tried - not very successfully - to control him, but thankfully, she did recently start using a harness instead. (The other people in the building have commented on this as well, I swear I'm not nosy - or at least I'm not the only one who is.)

So anyway, a few weeks ago I was in the back room and when I looked out the window, I saw the girlfriend (FB, 30sF) in the yard with the dog (LG). He was being his usual hyperactive self, and she was as usual being pretty ineffective in handling him. I guess FB got tired of LG haring off away from her as she stood in one place, because she shortened the lead and started pulling him back to her side with a hard yank anytime he got more than a foot or so away from her. At some point, the people who live in the house next to our building must have let their dog out as well, because LG went absolutely nuts trying to get over to the fence and pulled FB a few steps forward with him. She hauled back on the lead with both hands, hard enough that LG yelped, which actually lifted him off his front paws with his back paws barely touching the ground, then shook him roughly and shouted angrily in his face (I could hear her even from inside, and while I couldn't understand her since she speaks in French to the dog, her tone was angry).

Without even thinking about it I immediately opened the door, took a single step onto the deck, and yelled "HEY, stop it!" at her. I wasn't yelling with aggression, I just had to raise my voice for her to hear me across the yard. FB dropped LG and looked up at me and she seemed confused, so I pointed at the dog and shook my head and said "Don't shake him like that, and don't yank him back like that, you're gonna hurt him!" She shook her head back at me and was like "What is 'yank', I don't know, I'm not hurting him." I mimed the way she'd pulled on his lead and said something like "Pulling on him like that and shaking him so hard could hurt him." She was like, "He is deaf, I have to pull him to make him understand." I said, "You don't need to pull him that hard!" FB goes, "Well, he pulls me?" I'm like, "Well, he's a dog? You're a human, you can do better?" Finally she just waved me off and walked back toward the front of the building, so I went back inside, annoyed. After a little bit, she stomped up the stairs, then knocked - as quiet as a mouse - on my door. I didn't bother answering because I didn't have anything else to say to her (or at least nothing polite).

Later that night, when my mom (64F) got home from work, FB's boyfriend (GD, 38M) was apparently waiting outside for her to report the incident. She came up to my place and asked me what happened, so I explained basically exactly as I did above. Mom tells me that GD told her I "attacked" his girlfriend and really upset her by implying she was hurting her dog. (Why he felt the need to like, tattle to my mother instead of talking to me personally, I do not know. It's fine, I totally love being treated like a wayward child.) I was like, "I didn't 'attack' her, I yelled one time and then spoke normally, from like 30 feet away. But I wasn't implying anything, I TOLD her that what she was doing could hurt the dog." Mom told me it wasn't my business to say anything to FB about how she treats her own dog. I said that if I see someone mistreating an animal I do consider it my business to step in. She told me I was rude and what I did was wrong, and then asked what I thought I was going to do if GD complained to the landlord and got me evicted. I was pretty irritated, but eventually - more to appease my mom than because I actually felt sorry - I wrote GD and FB an apology note "admitting" that I was "wrong" for letting my concern for an animal make me act without thinking and get involved in something that "wasn't my business".

Truth is, I still don't think I was wrong, and I would do it again. I think there must be better ways to discipline your deaf dog, and if you aren't willing to learn them then you shouldn't take in a deaf dog. (Also, if what she was doing was just out of trying to control him and not out of anger, why did she shout in his face like that? Girl he's deaf, he can't hear you???) But, after some reflection, I recognize that my already established dislike of these people may have colored my perspective somewhat. It's all over and done with now, but I just want a wider perspective.

Was I the asshole?

What are these acronyms?

[ravenintraining]

MAG 1- Anglerfish

I hate hearing the first episodes of anything over again because the voices lack all of the personality they grow into over time. Especially this posh prick I'm hearing right now.(/j)

(analysis under cut so i don't feel bad)

Anyways, let's get down to business.

I've spent many of the last few weeks trying to visualize the layout of the Archives(for fic writing purposes), and the part where he can see thousands just from where he's sitting (in a room with a door separating it from the rest of the area, as is mentioned later) really throws all of that off. I like to think he saw a bunch of boxes full of papers and assumed those were statements, even though in the event that his predecessor wasn't an eldritch horror they're probably be print-offs from seminars or audit logs or literally anything else. In my head all of them are actually mounds of scrap paper from a local school so that Elias has to deal with the information overload of creative writing classes.

"so the only thing in most of the files are the statements themselves" this is REALLY outing Jon for not understanding what an Archive does. Why, pray tell, would the research be down in long-term storage? When you have a whole section of this Institute called RESEARCH DIVISION? Obviously they'd keep their OWN RECORDS UP THERE. Probably digitized by now because you all had your own computers. Give me a BREAK.

"he's not likely to contribute anything but deh-LAYS >://" i think you should re-adjust that stick up your ass it's starting to effect your Brain. you've known this dude for all of an hour tops calm your tits. Technically speaking so far the only one that's delayed you was your inability to record something digitally and so it's You who is currently delaying the Archives. Chomp my dick loserboy.

Just remembered that these recordings are available to the public. Dog no college student gives a shit about you and your problems they're just gonna make fun of you on the internet. Actually I think a really funny socmed au could come out of the twitter commentary of someone reading the statements from the magnus institute bc the transcriber drops his drama ALL OVER them.

they must have gotten SO many statements in 2012. I mean, people thought the world was going to end. This of course is the largest part behind why I think the Extinction isn't real and is just a version of the End, because it would have manifested in either 1999 or 2012 when everyone was so worried the world would end. (which also, sidenote, i think could have been perfect explanations of end rituals that failed. i think end avatars would 100% try at least a few times)

sorry I haven't even gotten to the statement yet. idk this one really isnt even that interesting? like oooo dude trips on brick path, stranger ignores that he hurt himself and wants to bum a cigarette. i think it would be better if the anglerfish like actually got its hand(s?) on him and then he got away instead bc without that the only scary part is the implications the episode name gives you. it leads to a great reveal of what happened to the victims later on in the melanie statement (stapling her skin back on) but without that context it's just a dude who's talking to you without opening his mouth.

"el oh el" i bet tim and sasha took the tape after he recorded it just to hear how jon would pronounce 'lol.' i only think that bc that's what I would do.

it is interesting that the body doesnt show up in the images though. like i figured considering the way the stranger loves manipulating digital tech that it would get a kick out of the picture showing the guy just floating there boreing its eyes into your skull. like i get it was meant to be the "light" of the anglerfish creating the illusion of a harmless creature that then turns out to not be there but come onnnn is that Really a stranger thing to do. could be so much better. the stranger should get a suggestion box i have some thoughts.

okay that's all folks. catch you tomorrow for the same shenanigans

[that-sokovian-bastard]

Crazy Rich Gothamite - Bruce Wayne x Reader (1/2)

Words: 3471 Pairing: Bruce Wayne x Reader Warnings: Mentions hospital, mentions being sick, identity shenanigans, swearing Summary: In this AU, Bruce has more secrets than you would expect. When things in his world start to change, he has something important to tell you. Author's Note: I've been calling this the "Crazy Rich Asians AU" but it really only has to do with no one knowing Bruce is Bruce Wayne with billionaire parents. He changed his last name to Pennyworth after his parents died and has lived an almost normal life. Also he's still Batman, this takes place after like 6 months of being Batman. Both you and Bruce are 20, going to college and working part-time jobs.

(Also this is not about any specific Bruce, I just used Battinson for the gif lol)

Part Two

Bruce / Full Masterlist

—

Mondays are always rough, but they are a little easier when you stop into Starbucks on your way to school and see your boyfriend smiling behind the counter. It was busy, so he didn't see you come in, and you waited in line to order. A few minutes later, you ordered your usual drink, told the cashier your name, and walked over to wait for your drink.

"Have a great day," You watched Bruce tell an old man as he handed out the coffee. He was handed the next drink, which had your name on the cup, and he looked up excitedly to make eye contact with you. "You snuck in!" He said.

"Well, you're a bit busy," You shrugged and gestured to the rush.

He nodded and made your drink like he had hundreds of times before. When he reached over to hand it to you, he checked behind him and leaned further over the counter to sneak a kiss on your cheek. "Have a great day," Bruce said softly.

"Thanks; I'll see you after school. Six o'clock, don't forget!" You pointed a finger at him.

"Wouldn't dream of it," He said as he leaned back and grabbed the next cup.

You turned to leave but paused before you got even a step away. "Love you!" You called out.

"Love you, too," He added and got back to work.

As you rushed out the door and back to your car, Bruce's coworker, Seth, slid next to him. "If the boss catches you kissing again, she's gonna write you up."

"She's not going to write me up," Bruce said, not even looking at Seth. "I'm the best worker here; she's not going to risk it." Sure, it was a bit cocky, but he wasn't wrong. He's been working there since before he graduated high school, and there's no way the manager would risk making him mad and losing him.

Seth shrugged. "I don't know, kissing the customers? I don't think that's something she'd like to see."

"It's not like she doesn't know we're together. Besides, no one else saw. Doesn't matter," Bruce said. "Now, are you going to keep gossiping, or are you going to hand me the whipped cream?" Seth didn't respond, only rolled his eyes and grabbed the whipped cream for Bruce.

Relatively, it was an uneventful day for both of you. As usual, Bruce got off work earlier than your day finished since he normally works the early shift. Things were normal until he checked his phone before heading home and saw he had an abnormal amount of calls from Alfred. He figured he would wait until he made it back home until he called Alfred, just in case it was anything weird.

Bruce made it home and fiddled with his lock, giving up after a few minutes of trying to get it to lock correctly. He realized he would have to call the building manager again to try to get the lock fixed. He's thankful that if someone did decide to check out his apartment, he would be able to defend himself, but it was very annoying to have to fight with the lock every few weeks.

He forgot all about the lock when he called Alfred and found out what was going on.

Things were going to change.

But he pushed it to the back of his brain and headed to his apartment to finish some schoolwork before your date tonight. Bruce tried to ignore everything and get his paper done for his English class. He could hardly focus and ended up not getting any more than a hundred words written before he had to get ready to go see you.

Though a bit distraught, Bruce was determined to go on this date and not let anything worry him. He knocked before letting himself into your apartment and announced loudly that he was there so he didn't scare you. "I'm almost ready!" You yelled back, and Bruce followed your voice to your bedroom to see you just finishing up.

"You look nice," Bruce smiled.

You turned to him, also smiling. "As do you, Mr. Pennyworth." You admired him. "How was your day?"

Bruce shrugged. "Work was uneventful, which is always nice. Didn't get much done for class, though."

"Aw, I know you wanted to get that paper done. At least you still have another week," You said, then noticed he wasn't looking at you. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" He hummed, now looking into your eyes.

You grabbed his hand. "You seem distracted. Are you okay?" You repeated.

"Oh, yeah. There's just a lot going on right now." He didn't elaborate at first, but he continued when you gave him a confused look. "Family stuff."

"Is your grandpa okay?" You asked.

"He's fine; it's someone else. More like a family friend, I guess," Bruce said.

You nodded, understanding that he didn't want to talk about it. "Well, you know I'll always listen if you want to talk. Would you rather we not go to dinner?"

He looked at you like you were crazy. "No, we've had this reservation for weeks. Besides, it will help stop me from thinking about all of this."

You knew he was right; it would be a good distraction. You guys have been looking forward to this dinner for a while, and it wasn't worth it to cancel. So you went. You knew Bruce's rent was due at the end of the week, so you made sure you were the one to pay the bill and would not hear any objections from him about it.

He needed this: just talking with you about nonsense and not thinking about how his life could change in an instant over the next few days. But he didn't know how to tell you about it, so he didn't. He kept pretending.

—

Things had been normal the past few days. Bruce was still not himself, but his friend was still in the hospital, so you understood. He had work this morning, so you hoped that would keep his mind off everything. You didn't see him when you walked into his Starbucks but didn't think anything of it. He was probably getting something from storage and he'd be out to make your drink in a minute.

"Good morning," Seth smiled when you made it to the register. "Your usual?"

"Yes, please," You nodded and handed him your card.

Seth swiped it, then gave you your card back. "Hey, is Bruce okay?"

You shrugged, not thinking much of the question. "He's a bit stressed, but fine. Why?"

"Well, since he called out this morning, I was worried he was sick," Seth said, immediately catching your attention, causing your head to snap back at him.

You stared for a minute to see if he was going to elaborate. When he didn't, you added, "He called out?"

Now Seth had a confused look on his face. "Yeah, this morning. Did you not know?"

"No," You shook your head. "He seemed fine last night, but I'll call him. Thanks for letting me know."

"Of course, I hope he's okay!" Seth said, and you both said goodbye as you moved out of the way to wait for your drink. As you waited, you thought about if anything was off last night when you saw Bruce, but besides him being worried about his friend, nothing. It was weird that he didn't tell you he wasn't going to be at work, but it's possible it just slipped his mind. Instead of jumping to conclusions, you decided it would be easiest to just text him.

You: Hey Bruce, are you okay? Seth just told me you called out of work

Bruce: Hey, sorry for not telling you earlier. I'm fine. At the hospital with our friend.

You: Oh shit, I'm sorry Bruce. Do you want me to come by with some extra support? And snacks?

Bruce: No, that's okay. He should be fine, he just wanted to talk before his surgery. I'll be over tonight like we planned.

You: If you need to raincheck tonight, it's okay

Bruce: I don't want to raincheck. It'll help me not worry about him.

You: Then I will see you tonight. Let me know if anything changes

You: Love you!

Bruce: Love you too

With that, your name was called, and you grabbed your drink. There was nothing out of the ordinary to worry about; he just had a lot going on. Just like you thought. Why were you overthinking it?

—

You were worried your overthinking was coming back to bite you. You got so worried over nothing this morning, and now the karma has come back to hit you for jumping to weird conclusions that didn't make any sense. Bruce said he wanted to come over tonight, and he's usually over around dinnertime, so you could eat together. But it was already nine o'clock, and he hadn't texted or called, so the overthinking was back.

It's not like you see each other every night; you both lead busy lives and have other things going on. But normally, you two stick to a schedule of when you get together, which has always worked well for you. You had an inkling over the last few weeks that something was...different, but you hadn't approached him about it yet. Bruce would tell you when he was ready. You didn't need to expose it; that would make the trust between you guys worse. When he was ready, he'd tell you his secret.

God, you hoped that he would tell you soon. It was starting to eat you alive.

You ate dinner while scrolling through your phone, waiting for a call or a text that he was on his way. But it didn't come, so you resigned to cleaning up and saving the leftovers for when he did show. Maybe something came up with his friend, and he was back at the hospital. He'd never intentionally stand you up, so you knew not to worry. As you sat on the couch with your computer, there was that little voice in your head...

Which was whipped away immediately as your door was slammed open. "Sorry I'm late!" Bruce busted in, jamming the key you gave him back into his pocket. "I was working on homework and lost track of time. I'm so sorry," He rushed over to you and grabbed your hands to apologize.

"It's okay; it happens. Besides, you have a lot going on right now," You said.

You don't even know the half of it, Bruce thought, then was brought back to reality when he saw you staring at him.

"I have leftovers from dinner. Do you want me to heat them up?" You asked, already releasing his hands and standing up from the couch to go to the kitchen.

"No, it's okay. I have to tell you something," Bruce called from the couch, but you didn't pay attention to that.

"You sure? It was a really good meal," You enticed him.

Bruce sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. This is important; I have to tell you something."

"Hmm?" You hummed out as you didn't hear what he said since he was still on the couch, and you were in the kitchen, pulling out the container of leftovers.

Bruce was getting antsy now and gave up trying to get you to come back, so he followed you to the kitchen. "I have to tell you something."

"Yeah? What's up?" You asked; still working on getting the food together.

Bruce grabbed the container from your hands, which forced you to look into his eyes. "I've been lying to you."

This made you cock your head in confusion. "Lying to me? About what?"

He took a deep breath to get the confidence to tell you the truth. "About who I am."

"Oh!" You said, sounding strangely relieved. You grabbed the container back from Bruce and opened it to put it on a plate. "Are you finally going to tell me that you're the Batman?"

You didn't look at him while he processed what you said, just continued to make his plate and put it in the microwave. "W-what?" Bruce finally got out.

Now that his food was heating up, you turned to him. "Don't act like I'm stupid. I know it's you, and now you don't have to worry about telling me!"

"How...how did you know?" He asked, in shock.

"I've known you for far too long and know how you act. Besides, Batman helped me a few weeks ago when a creepy guy was following me on my way home from work. It all seemed a little too familiar, then I put it all together not too long after," You shrugged, happy with your explanation. Thank god this finally came up; it was driving you crazy. Though, you wouldn't let Bruce know that.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Oh. Uh, okay."

You were trying to lighten the mood now, and you had a slight smile on your face. "I made that easy, huh? Now, where's your home base? I just know it's not at your apartment because you always complain about how small it is and that your landlord won't let you use the storage space in the basement. So spill, where's your base?"

Bruce tried to get a word in through your questions, but you didn't let him. This wasn't his plan, but maybe it would lead into the actual thing he had to tell you. So, he played along. "It's at my house."

"I just said I know it's not at your apartment," You rolled your eyes. Just in time, the microwave beeped, and you pulled his plate of food out. Now, with his snack ready, you two took a seat at the small table in the kitchen.

Bruce nodded, not acknowledging the food as he sat across from you. "I know. It's not at my apartment. It's at my house."

"Oh god, you roped your grandpa into this?" You asked.

"No," Bruce said, then thought about it. "Well, he knows. But that's not it, hun."

You were back to confusion again. "What do you mean?"

Bruce was finally getting to the point he's been trying to make since he got to your apartment. "I wasn't going to tell you that I'm Batman." That was true. He didn't want you in danger because he wanted to protect Gotham.

"Huh?" You asked again.

"That wasn't what I had to tell you. It's...something else. I've been lying to you." He said, going back to how he started this conversation so he could do it the way he wanted. This was turning out to be worse than he expected; now he has two secrets to tell you? Which one was going to be worse?

You groaned, feeling like you two were running in circles. "I know, about the Batman thing. I'm not mad if that's what you're worried about. I get having a secret identity-"

"No!" You jumped when Bruce interrupted. He never does, but he continued on."I'm lying to you about who I am!"

You weren't getting this. Why was he being so cryptic about it? "I don't think I'm understanding."

"My last name isn't Pennyworth," Bruce confessed.

You shook your head, knowing that wasn't true. "Now I really need you to elaborate because I've seen your ID with your last name."

"Well, legally, it is. I changed it after my parents died." Bruce said, hoping you would know what he was hinting at by telling you his name. "My real name is Bruce Wayne."

"Wayne? Wait, you changed your name? I am so confused."

He nodded, continuing to explain. "I changed my name after my parents were murdered when I was ten. My parents were Thomas and Martha Wayne."

"Hang on, Wayne, as in the big building downtown? As in the millionaires?" You leaned forward in your chair like everyone in the city could hear you, and you two needed to keep this quiet.

"No," He said.

"Oh, okay." You leaned back, feeling a bit better.

"Wayne, as in the billionaires," Bruce clarified.

There was a moment of silence where you two just stared at each other. Your brain was spinning in circles, and you couldn't comprehend what he was saying. How was this more surprising than him being the frickin' Batman? "Bruce, I really need some elaboration. You're a...billionaire? Why the hell are you working at Starbucks? I paid for your dinner last night!"

Bruce shrugged. "Well, I'm technically not a billionaire right now. I don't get access to that money until I'm twenty-one."

"So, you would've been a billionaire in, like, four months?" You asked, and he hesitantly nodded. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"My friend that's been in the hospital is the current CEO of Wayne Enterprises. He was really sick, you remember?" He posed, but you didn't reply, still in shock. "We didn't know how bad it was and were preparing for the worst, so we were getting ready for me to take over. He's fine, thankfully, but I was set to start working there after I turned twenty-one. So, we figured, why not start a little early since all this happened?" Bruce sputtered off, but you were still confused why any of this was happening at all.

You stood up from the table and ran your hands over your face and through your hair. "What?" Bruce asked, not leaving the table as he watched you pace slowly.

"I'm just... so confused how all this even happened. Why do you go by a different name? Why did you give up that life?" You asked. You had a million questions, but they all wrapped in those two.

He shrugged. "I wanted a normal life. I didn't want to be known as the orphan billionaire whose parents were murdered. So, Alfred and I made an agreement. I didn't want to be Bruce Wayne; then I wasn't going to have any of the benefits of it. It was perfect for me," He said, not seeing anything confusing about the situation. You, however, were still staring with wide eyes.

"The only people with access to the bank account are Alfred and our friend. Alfred used it to take care of us and anything relating to it, like school. The agreement was that I'd have my humble teen years living in an apartment with Alfred as my grandfather, and once I turned twenty-one, I would learn from the CEO and executives how to run the business. Sure, it was going to be after I graduated, but still," Bruce said. "Anything else?"

You sighed, thinking about what other questions you had. Sure, you had a ton, but you couldn't come up with anything important this second. "I don't know. This is a lot, Bruce."

"It's a lot for me, too. I was expecting that I would have a few more months of normal life before starting the training at Wayne Enterprises and changing my name back, but now it's come a lot faster. I thought by the time I started the job, I would have already graduated with my degree and know more. But here we are," He said, finally standing up from the table and walking over to you. He grabbed your hands and looked into your eyes with a sad face. "And the worst part is that I have to quit my job."

With that, you burst out laughing. That was his biggest worry? Not anything about the lifestyle change or explaining to the world what's going on? No, he was upset about quitting his job.

"I'm serious!" He groaned. "Seth was giving me shit a few days ago that the boss would fire me. And now I have to quit because I have to work at the family business. After four years!" He was genuinely upset about this.

With another chuckle, you cupped Bruce's cheek with your hand. "You're going to be a billionaire, and you're worried about your barista job?"

"Yes!" He said. "I like my job; it's going to suck having to quit."

"You're literally going to be a CEO," You rolled your eyes when your hand dropped from his face, quickly losing sympathy for him.

Bruce shook his head. "Technically, I think I'll be a CEO in training until I graduate, at least. Hopefully, I can graduate early like I've been planning, but who knows anymore," He said.

You took a deep breath and didn't respond to his statement. It was a lot to take in, but you were sure it was a lot for Bruce, too. So, instead of pestering him with more questions, you pulled him into a hug, letting him know you were here for him. And he knew it.

[one-boring-person]

Hi ! I have a request for a one-shot with this picture ^ paired with August Rosenbluth !

( I always wondered what would be his reaction if a psychic / medium joined the circus , would he be curious ? Indifferent ? )

Hope this ask isn't too weird lol

I really love this ask! Thank you so much!

The Reversed Fool.

August Rosenbluth (Water For Elephants) x reader

Warnings: none

Masterlist

"May I inquire as to when you joined my circus, and who allowed you to?" A stern voice at the door of my carriage snaps me from my reverie, my hands stilling in their job shuffling the tarot deck.

Looking up, I feel myself go pale as I recognise August, the owner of the circus, standing in the dim light from outside, silhouetted by the lamplight. Blinking, I swallow and stand, placing the deck down as I collect myself.

"I joined some months ago, sir. Your wife allowed me to join." I instantly regret bringing her up, remembering the hellish weeks following her departure from the train with the vet. 

Indeed, the reminder clearly sets him on edge, his jaw clenching as he steps inside.

"And how is it I've not been made aware of your presence?" He continues, looking around at my collection of trinkets and tools. 

"I-i wouldn't know, sir. I've made no secret of my being here." I twist my fingers, swallowing again.

A scowl works its way onto his face as he looks at me, glancing at the deck on the table.

"And? Is your...business drawing in any income?" August lifts an eyebrow, folding his arms.

"Yes, it is. I give all of it to the man who runs the books." I nod, picking up the deck again to put away. As I do so, a card falls from the middle, landing face-down on the floor, my breath catching in my throat; that's a clear message if ever I've seen one.

He just watches as I bend to pick it up, clearly unimpressed with me, still staring as I turn the card over, a frown coming onto my face. Placing the card at the bottom of the deck, I can't help the odd look I send his way as I put them away, taking note of his beautifully highlighted features in this flickering light. Muscle ripples a little along his forearms, showing experience in the ring, made more obvious by the sharp contrasts in light values. 

"As long as you continue to bring money in, I will allow you to stay." The ringleader finally says, meeting my gaze as he goes to leave, sliding the door shut behind him.

I sigh as he leaves, still mulling over the card in my head, confused as to its meaning and message for him. 

It was the fool, reversed...an indicator that he's resisting a new beginning. 

Which new beginning is he resisting? He's done everything in his power to start again, changing a lot of the circus acts up since Marlene and Jacob's departure, changing his own stage personality, repainting and changing up the train, too. Maybe it's something more personal than he's letting on. 

Maybe I don't want to know.

*

A week passes before August's next visit. This time, he takes the time to sit and talk with me, the experience odd to say the least as he simply speaks with me, discussing randomly selected topics of his choice. When he leaves, I'm left wondering what on earth just happened, confused as all hell by the ringleader and his antics. 

His visits become more frequent after that, the man coming and sitting with me many times a week, drinking tea with me and talking about anything we want to. I find it has become a pleasant experience, my opinion of him improving drastically, especially as I hear him laugh properly for the first time, and when I see him smile as if he really means it, my heart warming. I can't help but feel attraction to him, the tarot decks and rune stones soon telling me the one thing I wanted to hide from: I've fallen for him. 

Trying to ignore it, I do my best to stay casual with him, finding it harder than expected with every flirtatious look he begins sending my way, his eyes often taking over my form as we meet, evidently appreciating what he sees. It gets me hot, unused to being on the receiving end of looks like this.

Unfortunately, he must've noticed this, as observant as ever. It took him mere days to ask me to dinner in his own train car after he first told me he liked being around me. Now, sitting in his living space, wearing the best clothes I own, sipping chilled wine from fragile glasses, I'm starting to wonder if the feelings I've got for him are reciprocated. 

Naturally, I'm nervous, admiring his relaxed demeanor as he sits, drinking and watching me, mouth pulled into a friendly laugh.

"Are you enjoying the food, (Y/n)?" He asks me after a while, head tilting to the side curiously.

"Yes, it's wonderful." I nod, smiling politely.

"I'm glad you think so." He replies, clearly pleased, "I'm also glad you joined me tonight. I was afraid you'd say no."

Looking at him, I can see he's being genuine, a vulnerability shining through the facade of confidence he's built up, my heart jumping at the knowledge of this.

"And miss out on your company? I don't think so." I laugh, sipping some wine, not kissing how his eyes flash with happiness at the compliment. 

"Still, I am glad."

We sit in silence for a moment, before he speaks again.

"Have you read your own cards recently?" He asks me curiously, tilting his head.

Surprised, I shake my head.

"No, that I haven't. Why?" 

He chuckles nervously.

"I only wondered if you'd foreseen the question I'm about to ask you in any way." 

"What question?" I frown, confused.

He takes a breath, standing from the table and coming over to me.

"(Y/n), you enthrall me. I've never met someone so clever and wise as you, nor someone as beautiful. You have not been reproachful to me, not that I know of in any case, and you've helped me through some difficult times, even indirectly." He takes my hand, "I wondered if you'd give me a chance, romantically?"

As he says this, the pieces finally click in my head: I know now which new beginning he was resisting, and I also know it wasn't just him resisting.

[castiel-left-his-mark-on-me]

Hi, Ary, very inactive ex-mutual(i think???) here. Good to see you thriving! ♥ It's been a while since I've dipped my head into cockles stuff. Could I perchance maybe ask uuuuum tf is going on??? lol I see Mish apparently confirmed he used to stay over at Jensen's in Van, and heard newbs were apparently freaking out about it and getting a bit messy, which I get that, business as usual. But I'm also seeing shit about spin-offs? And Jared getting in a twitter fight with Jensen, causing/resulting in stans to going feral and sending hate?? I know you're not as big a fan of Jar, but that's part of why I figured I'd ask you, you usually have a really level head about this kinda stuff. If you don't wanna answer publically, or at all, that's totally chill!

Hey, Rhi! We're still mutuals! Of course we're still mutuals! When I saw the notification of your ask, I was like "Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!" and my husband was like "???" and I said "Tumblr" and he said "Oh."

It was a wild time haha.

In any case, welcome back to the dumpster fire! We are obviously still a mess. So to catch you up, I guess I will start by summarizing both before and after the finale (not sure where you left off so this might be redundant for you) ... basically, it became obvious as the end of the show neared that Jensen was not on board with the plan for the finale; although Jared never stopped singing its praises.

We got confirmation of this during a zoom interview where Jensen said that he actually went into the writers room as well as called Kripke to basically voice how he didn't agree with the direction the final season was going, but he was shot down on all fronts. In another interview, he was asked "What would you tell your younger self going into this career?" And Jensen responded with: "I would tell myself to just keep your head down and do the work" meaning, "Don't try to change things because you can't." I also think that this whole situation is what he wrote "Let Me Be" about for his first Radio Company album, but that is just my own speculation. All of his reluctance, even though he always followed it up with "But I eventually saw the value in the script" or "I came around in the end" (which never sounded sincere, and I don't think he was really trying to sound sincere) made us all very nervous about what was to come for 15x20; and of course, when the last two episodes aired, we saw just how badly they fucked it up.

After the awful finale, the entire fandom became aware of the CW's heavy handed role in the thing, basically squeezing all the life out of SPN to shape it into a ramp from which Walker could launch itself. They not only erased all the love and joy and representation that Cas's love confession gave us, they also tore apart the things that made sense about the bond between Sam and Dean, making it really just about Sam-- and therefore Jared, which of course, Jared seemed to be fine with ... even though no one else was. Misha barely said anything during the finale, and a few of the other actors talked about the show ending in various posts, but Jared tweeted up a storm ... and Jensen? Jensen just sat in sexy-silent resentment of the whole thing. He didn't tweet, he didn't post, he didn't say a word once he no longer had to, and I think that's because he was already going full-steam-ahead on his plans for redemption.

Which brings us to Chaos Machine-- Jensen and Danneel's new production company that is being run by a queer creative director and has a mantra of inclusivity and representation woven throughout it's fabric; and apparently, the first story that Jensen wanted to tell through this new platform is the origin story of Sam and Dean's parents; so last week (?) he announced the upcoming production of "The Winchesters" -- the untold love story of John and Mary. Obviously, John is not the most likable character from the show, so the idea was met with a lot of resentment when it was first announced, but Jensen has gone on to say that he is excited to take on the task of telling the "true" story behind these characters-- the one that makes sense with the pre-established canon and doesn't reject it. So, given that, the idea is being mulled over with a bit more optimism from the fandom.

Who isn't being optimistic though?

Jared Padalecki.

When Jensen made this announcement on Twitter, many of his friends and coworkers congratulated him, but not Jared. Jared responded with a passive aggressive: "I'm happy for you, man, but I wish I didn't hear about it through Twitter." This of course, sent all the die-hard Jared fans into a tizzy and they immediately began asking him if he was serious (hoping it was just a joke-- we all hoped it was because there would be fallout no matter what one's opinion on Jared is). Instead of leaving it there though or just deleting that tweet, Jared went on to tweet some more, saying that he was being serious that he didn't know about the plans for the prequel, and that he was "gutted" that Sam apparenlty wouldn't be included (mind you, this a prequel to SPN... meaning BEFORE Sam and Dean were even born, so how could Sam be included? But Dean is apparently narrating this story so maybe Jared thought Sam should be helping to narrate it? I don't know). But Jared being Jared couldn't just leave that there, he then went on to tweet at Robbie Thompson who was announced as a writer for "The Winchesters" so then Jared went off on him too, calling him "Brutus" and a "coward" acting like Robbie betrayed him (speculation is-- Robbie refused to write for Walker, so Jared is pissed that he essentially chose Jensen over him). He did fairly quickly, remove that tweet attacking Robbie, but of course the damage was done at that point. And it truly only took his first tweet calling out Jensen for some people to be like "Jared-- that sucks if you didn't know but why are you saying any of this publicly?"

As you might know, Jared has had issues in the past with posting hurtful things on social media, and has even used it as a tool for attack before-- calling out customer service agents and public workers that he felt have wronged him, which is bad enough ... but for him to then do the same thing to his best friend of well over a decade? Many people who had once liked him or at least gave him the benefit of the doubt (I used to ...) stopped after this latest twitter tantrum.

However, some people have suspected for some time that J2 had a falling out either shortly before the finale or just after. Their public/social media interactions have seemed awkward, stilted or even non-existent in moments that they normally wouldn't be. In the past year, when Walker premiered, Jensen didn't say much about his friend's new venture other than a "Congrats. buddy" here and there. Later, we learned that Jensen refused to work on the show ... Jared said he make him do it, drag Jensen to the set "kicking and screaming" which made many fans quirk up an eyebrow because, why would Jensen put up a fight unless the two weren't as close as they used to be? And then Jensen moved his family to Colorado (either permanently or for an extended period at least) which is notable considering how he moved to Texas seemingly to be closer to Jared, even buying a house that was near his. All this was just speculation though; but it wasn't until Jared's tweet complaining about not knowing about the prequel that the theories behind them falling out, became less theory and more fact.

The day after his twitter tantrum, Jared tweeted again-- not retracting his statements or apologizing, but instead saying that he and Jensen "talked" and were "all good". Jensen then tweeted too, parroting this statement to some degree, which only made the whole thing even more sour in the mouths of the fans. The fact that Jared didn't apologize for his outburst and throwing his friend under the bus, and also the fact that Jensen-- Mr. Sexy Silence, Mr. Never Tweets, Mr. Tech-Ignorant-and-Proud, actually had to POST SOMETHING saying that he and Jared made up, it just screamed OPTICS. It was obviously the work of agents and PR firms and lots of people going "Look, if you two keep beefing, that will mean the death of both of your projects. Even more people will stop watching Walker, and this SPN prequel will never get picked up due to the scandal." So, the two "made nice" publicly to quell the chaos, but in my opinion, it's all too little too late. Jared started a storm that he can't contain now with a little tweet, and it seems like he knows that too because before he talked about him and Jensen making up, he asked that people "not send threats". He could have just as easily said that he shouldn't have made this a public issue and that he's sorry, but instead, he continued to play the victim and stoke the flames by alerting us all to the damage he's done.

Now, like I said before-- I used to give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he's an awful human or that he deserves to be attacked or anything, but he is an adult man with very poor judgment and an obvious selfish-streak a mile wide. He should know better, and he should have more respect for his so-called "friends" and "brothers" than to make them targets to public ridicule. I have a hard time believing that Jensen still sees Jared the way he used to, and I wouldn't blame him a bit for wanting to pull away-- especially when he's moving on to so many new and exciting things. Jared certainly deserves happiness just as much as anyone else, but he went on twitter and basically asked for a scandal, and he got one.

The question is now-- was there a motive behind it? Was just looking for a reason to bring his and Jensen's falling out to light-- while making himself looking like the victim in the process? Or did he genuinely not know about the prequel and just decided to go about "not knowing" in the most toxic and hurtful way he could manage?

In any case, that is the drama ... that is the J2 insanity in a rather lengthy nutshell ... that is the tea ... and I hope it all makes sense.

But the good news out of all of this is, Cockles is thriving-- they are happy and in love and Jensen calls Misha "Babe" and Misha misses waking up to see Jensen in the morning, and they are just as cute and wonderful as can be.

So, I will end that there. I am so glad to see you back, and I hope I answered all your questions in a way that made sense ... I tried anyway!

💖💖💖

[kerie-prince]

forgotten birthdays

Fred Weasley x Slytherin!reader

requested: (anon) Hiii, can I request something aangsty with Fred Weasley and slytherin reader? Like he got mad for something, maybe jealousy bc reader was spending much time with her house mates and he ignores her or says mean things to her but with a happy ending please 🥺

warnings: language

summary: Fred has his suspicions about your best friend and on the day of your birthday, he crosses the line which causes you to rethink your relationship

a/n: yoo this was hard to write for a quick second lol i hope you enjoy ~ plus, i got a new job so i'm in training and i'm so excited bc i've been wanting this job for so long (y/n/n = your nickname)

(gif not mine, cred to owner)

It was getting irritating.

You love Fred with all your heart, but he needed to stop being jealous. Marcus Flint was, is, and always will just be a friend of yours. You two grew up together and are nearly attached to the hip. Never once had you two of you flirted or done anything together. It was purely platonic, but Fred insisted there was something.

And going to Marcus’ prefect dorm after every fight probably didn't help your cause all that well, but he's your best friend. Who else would you talk to? You didn't have many girlfriends and when Fred introduced you to Angelina, you had gotten into a big fight for no reason. But you never asked him to stop hanging out with her even though you wanted to.

You could tell she liked Fred, but you were confident enough to know that Fred would never do you wrong like that. So why does he think that of you? Why does he get to hang out with Angelina, but he gets angry when you barely say two words to Marcus?

It was hard, but you’d work it out and still love each other at the end of the day. But then your birthday came around, and you’d just about had it.

You woke up in a good mood; the river sent in flowing rays of sunlight. Not too blinding, but not too dim either. This would be the second time celebrating your birthday with your boyfriend and if last year was amazing, you couldn't wait to see what Fred had planned for you today.

You took your time getting ready; you put on more make-up than usual and rather than tying your hair up with a clip as you always did, you let it down and fixed some strays to better frame your face. When you walked into the common room, your best friend snuck up behind you and yelled in your ear, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Y/N!”

Your natural response was to duck down and cover your ears. You hated when he did that, but you still appreciate the sentiment. You punched his arm as you laughed. “That’s not funny.”

“Oh yeah, then why did I laugh?” Marcus joked. Malfoy and his friends were behind him chuckling, all boys greeting you and wishing you a happy birthday. Marcus flung his arm around your shoulder and walked with you to get breakfast.

Once in the Great Hall, you saw Fred and his friends all laughing at the Gryffindor table and just when you were about to break free from Marcus’ hold, he pulled you back, “Oh no you don’t. You have all day to hang out with Weasley and company, but right now, you are gonna have at least one meal with your best friend.” You weren't going to argue; you didn't want to. If you wanted to sit with Fred, you wouldn't have to put up a fight, you would just do it. At your Slytherin table were Marcus’ other friends, Adrian Pucey and Terence Higgs. You sat in between them and pulled your hood up when they started embarrassing you by singing a birthday song. It was starting to be a great day.

However, across the Hall was Fred glaring daggers at your best friends’ arm around you. He couldn't hear what was going on, either due to the fact that you were pretty far from where he sat, or from jealous rage. “Freddie, you alright?” George asked his brother. “Yeah, just fine, Georgie.” He couldn't stand Flint. He would be enraged with every glance towards you, every whisper in your ear during class, and every time he made you laugh. Fred was sure that Flint was in love with you, but because you grew up with him you were too blind to see it. He was convinced that at any given moment, your ‘best friend’ would take advantage of you.

What also made him upset is that not only did you let Flint wrap his arm around you, you didn't even come say hi to your boyfriend. You always came every morning to his table to give him a morning kiss and sometimes even sat at the Gryffindor table.

In potions class, you sat and waited for your boyfriend to come through the doors. You weren't sure what to expect from him. Fred is an absolute wild card and could come through those doors with anything. And no matter what he brought, he’d for sure get in trouble with Snape.

When he walked through the doors with his brother and Lee, you sat up straight in your seat and waved at him. He saw you, but instead of smiling at you and taking the seat next to yours, he just looked away and sat on the other side of the room. Did something happen? You chose to ignore it until lunch rolled around and he still hadn't come up to you to even say ‘hi’ to you. Had he forgotten your birthday? It could happen, but that doesn't explain why he looked to be in a bad mood.

Once your classes were finished, you walked up the changing stairs and said the password to the Gryffindor dorms. You remembered the updated password your boyfriend gave you the week before and it was your first time using it today.

You didn't know what to expect to see; you secretly wished that today was just a big prank and Fred had actually planned a surprise party of some sort. But when you stepped foot into the room filled with tones of red and gold, there was no party. Just Fred laughing with his friends like normal. Normal without you.

Lee’s laugh died down when he noticed you walking up to Fred. He noticed Lee getting quiet all of a sudden and asked him, “Why are you quiet all of a sudden?” He felt a tap on his shoulder and spun around. “What are you doing in here?”

“Why, are Slytherins not allowed inside?” you joked. Your voice was slightly quiet and had a slight sad tone to it. “I missed you today, is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Fine. I've just been busy. Like you have,” Fred didn't mean to sound so bitter, but he was getting tired of it. He was tired of being second best to Flint.

“What are you talking about?” you asked.

“You've been with Flint all day,” Fred explained himself. You rolled your eyes, two fingers grabbing the temple of your nose from it suddenly starting to become irritated like you were. “Merlin, this again? Freddie, we talked about this. Marcus is just a friend. He's my best friend.”

Fred scoffed, “Y/N/N, you may think that but he doesn't. You trust him too much to see it, but I do. He's not just a friend.”

“You’re friends with Angelina when you know she likes you. And I know it too, but I don't say anything because I don't want to be that girlfriend who controls her boyfriends,” you were tired of playing this game with him. Your voice was heard by everyone in the room and soon enough, tons of peers had all eyes on you. Some either decided to stay, and some like Neville decided to head straight into their dorm rooms and lock the door for safety.

“Me being friends with Angelina is nothing like you being friends with Flint and you know that,” Fred raised his voice louder than anyone’s probably heard him. George and Lee silently guided people out of the common room and up to the dorms. Some people looked over the stairs to get a view of the commotion downstairs. One of them being Angelina herself when she heard her name being called out.

“No you’re right, it's different because he’s not pining over me and waiting for me to become available,” your arms were flailing about in anger, pointing at nothing to put emphasis in your words.

“How many times do I have to say I don’t like Ang? It’s never going to happen!” Angelina heard from up the staircase. Everyone heard him, loud and clear. She ran into her dorm and slammed the door so hard that you could feel the walls shake. “Great,” Fred sighed in frustration. It wasn't the ideal way to let someone down. He intended on talking to her in private without listening ears so she wouldn't be embarrassed.

“I'm not saying you like Angelina. I know you don’t like Angelina. What I’m saying is that you’re wrong about Marcus. I know he doesn't like me, you're just acting insecure,” you yelled back at him..

“I don’t know why it’s so hard for you to see he has feelings for you, Y/N/N,” Fred yelled, “I see the way he looks at you in every class and in the Hall. But you’re too fucking stupid to see–,” he immediately stopped what he was saying.

You couldn't believe what he was telling you right now. You could handle him calling you naive, but stupid? This was low, even for him.

You were getting stares from everyone in the common room. Your pride was more than hurt in this moment; it was destroyed. No words came from your mouth as you were completely still in your seat on the couch. Your nails dug into your skin as it was formed into a tight fist. But the worst of all was that your lips were quivering and you had to fight the tears on your birthday.

Your fucking birthday.

“Well if it bothers you so much, then fine. I'll fix the problem,” you started to speak low for only him to hear you.

“How?”

“I’ll end the problem,” a single tear escaped and trailed down your cheeks. This was the last thing you wanted to do today, but you couldn't take it anymore. He was scared to ask, but his ego got in the way, “And what's the problem?”

“Us,” you stated. He started saying something, but you couldn't hear it as you left. No, you actively ignored everything he was saying at that point. The second you were outside, you started bawling. And you kept at it all the way to the Slytherin common room and into your room.

You paced around your room rubbing your hands on your arms to try and calm yourself down, but nothing was working. Before you even processed it, your legs took you to Marcus’ room without second thought. You continuously knocked on his door until he answered, shirtless and with sweatpants that looked like they were just thrown on.

“Listen, I know it’s your birthday but that doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want–,” he focused in on your face and saw your red cheeks and puffy eyes. You looked behind him and there was a girl with him who sat in his bed looking curious. He looked back to her and just simply ordered, “Out,” which got her moving in seconds.

Once she was gone, he pulled you in and shut his door. Marcus guided you to a black leather chair in his room. “Sit,” his voice was stern, but never harsh with you. “What happened?”

As if by cue, you broke down completely. “It's o-o-over.”

“What is?” he questioned. But piecing it together, there's only one reason you'd be this upset in his room.

He never really knew what to do in situations like when you'd have your usual arguments, always just telling you that everything will be fine and you and Fred would be fine in the morning.

But now, he was feeling two things. One, slight heartache that his best friend is upset in front of him and two, nearly absolute rage that Fred is such an idiot.

Marcus started rubbing your back, “Hey, look at me.” When you shook your head no, he gently tapped on your shoulders until you did. “You are gonna be fine. Okay? You will be fine. There's plenty of other guys here–”

“I don't want to be with other guys, Marcus. I want Fred. I love Fred. But,” you shrugged up both hands, “I don't know. I don't know.” Your best friend pulled you in for a hug.

“Hey, sleep here tonight. You shouldn't be alone right now, especially today.” You nodded your head and kept crying until you couldn't anymore.

—

“HEY!” Marcus’ voice traveled beyond the corridors. Students were fleeing left and right to move out of his way as he made a straight line towards the group of Gryffindors who sat around a tree outside.

Before they could react to what was going on, Marcus punched one of the tall gingers in his abdomen. “OW, what was that for?!”

“You're going to apologize to Y/N right now,” Marcus demanded.

“You idiot, I'm George,” he corrected, still bent over and leaning on Lee for balance. “Shit, sorry.” Marcus looked at Fred and punched him in the same area quicker before Fred could block it. “You're going to apologize to Y/N.”

With a strain in his voice, Fred looked at the Slytherin in front of him, “What for, she broke up with me.”

“Okay, why? Because you're pathetic and insecure.”

“Is that what she told you?” Fred straightened himself up rubbing on the pain. “Of course she told you, she tells you everything.”

“Yeah, why wouldn't she? I'm her cousin,” Marcus pointed out. If he wasn't so mad, he would laugh at Fred's look of astonishment.

“No, you have different family names. And you don't even look related,” Fred wasn't buying it.

“That's because when I was eight, my dad married her aunt. I'm still her cousin,” Marcus explained.

“She never told me anything, how was I supposed to know?” Fred complained. George and his other friends left the two to argue by themselves but stood at a close enough distance to hear the conversation and be able to jump in if it were to get violent.

“Maybe if you got your head out of your ass, you would actually pay attention to her,” Marcus used his pointer finger to push against Fred’s forehead which caused the ginger to swat his hand away. “So get over whatever complex you have and apologize. If I'm being honest, there's plenty of Slytherins that can treat her better but she wants you for some reason.”

Fred knew he was right. And it was that reason why he always felt the way he did. You were enamored by many housemates, all handsome and rich. But you didn't like any of them. You love Fred. You love the lanky, devious, modestly handsome, funny Gryffindor more than anyone you've ever met.

Fred didn't say anything and walked away. His brother was asking where he was going but he didn't answer. Before he was out of Marcus’ sight, the Slytherin said one last thing, “By the way, I hope you know it was her birthday yesterday.”

Fuck. He picked up his pace and ran towards the dungeons. Halfway there, he figured that he didn't want to show up empty handed, so he made a detour to the greenhouse to 'borrow’ some flowers from Sprout’s personal garden.

You sat on one of the couches in your common room. Across from you was Adrian and Terence, arguing about some Ravenclaw girl. Some younger students passed by and whispered amongst themselves to which you didn't pay any mind to until you heard a third year say something about a Weasley being outside.

You knew it wasn't Ron because after his second year break in with Harry, he vowed that he'd never do it again. You stood up and nearly sprinted outside.

Fred was standing awkwardly outside. He tried to get a student to ask for you to come outside but they would all just scrunch their noses in disgust and keep walking. “Annoying little–”

“What are you doing here?” you asked. Your arms were crossed and you slouched your shoulders a bit. Fred noticed how your cheeks were swollen and the bags under your eyes were tinted a rosy pink. In his left hand, there was a single, large sunflower. He raised it in front of you, hoping you would accept it. “You know I’m allergic to those, right?”

Fred’s eyes bulged out. There is no way I didn't know this. Figuring he’s had enough torture, you spoke again, “I’m joking.”

“O-oh. Heh.” You grabbed the flower from him. “I’m… really sorry. I was such an arse–”

“You are an arse,” you corrected. “Yeah, you’re right. I should have trusted Flint. I should have trusted you. And if you’d let me, I want to prove that I do.”

You released a deep sigh and rubbed your forehead. “Freddie. You have to mean it this time. I can't keep going back and forth with you like this. You can't throw a fit every time I hang out with Marcus. Or Adrian. Or Terence.”

“So is that a yes?” Fred persisted. You looked at him properly in his eyes; he seemed sincere this time. And you could only hope that he was. With a nod of your head, Fred broke into smiles and picked you up from the floor and twirled you around. Your head was still sore from all the crying the night before, but you still had a smile on your face.

When he put you down, he took the hand that wasn't holding the flower and walked with you to the Great Hall for food. “So when were you going to tell me that Flint is your cousin?”

“I figured you’d find out at a family gathering or something had you waited a little longer.” He pinched your nose in response, “And you call me devious.”

—

requests open!