#ill get close and shell wake up immediately

[ghosts-lot]

i just lived through the scariest moment of my life i feel like im going to go completely bald from the stress in the next hour or so

[banj0possum]

I immediately apologize for the bad English!

How does Caspian plan to keep the fem!reader underwater? Or does he have another plan? thank you, your work is very nice🛐

ill be making this gn since its a part 2 but if you want a one-off thing with a fem!reader, just request it! :3

Also sorry for the long hiatus again but here's the long awaited part 2 ! yaay you're not dead !! :D

Yandere!Siren x GN Reader Pt. 2

CW: Kidnapping, Slight Stockholm Syndrome, Non-con licking (reader is asleep), idk Caspian being a delulu icon

🌊 You wake up with a throbbing headache and a vague memory of what transpired before you blacked out.

🌊 The feeling of overwhelming pressure and deepness comes back to you, memories start to come back as you see a red mark on your arm.

🌊 You remember now, the screams and cries of your classmates ring in your ears before the memory of being dragged down to the depths hit you like a wave.

🌊 a splash of water pulled you out of your thoughts, it was then you looked around at the place you were in.

🌊 It looked like you were in a cave illuminated by algae and glowing sea creatures. the cavernous area was sandy and a bit wet with a deep pool which led to an underwater tunnel, it was the only entrance and exit to the cave from what you can see.

🌊 Behind you was a house built out of a shipwreck, the broken boards of the deck repaired with random planks and cloths.

🌊 "Honey~ I know you're a bit out of sorts right now but uhm..could you help me out a bit~?" a familiar voice echoed throughout the cave.

🌊 You gasp and instinctively stand up and back away from where the voice came from. Caspian was lying on the shore, a net full of what seems to be canned food and fish tied around his waist like a satchel.

🌊 "My treasure~! I know you're excited to explore your new home, but can you help me get to shore first~" Caspian coos as he smiles at you awkwardly, his large tail flopping on the sand.

🌊 You grab a piece of driftwood and hold it like a weapon. "D-Don't come any closer!" you yell at him nervously, afraid of what he might do after you saw his capabilities, and his sharp teeth..

🌊 "My sweet, you have nothing to worry about~! Why would I ever hurt you~? Those mean humans tried to hurt us! You'd never do that to me now would you~?" He tries to calm you down.

🌊 It takes a while for you to calm down considering how confused and scared you were, but with no way out and Caspians lack of intention to hurt you, the only thing left to do was to just sit and try to think logically about the situation.

🌊 Caspian tries to help you make sense of your little predicament, it was mostly him making an excuse to hold you close because "Am I not able to help you relax my treasure~?"

🌊 So you're in a cave after getting kidnapped brought to safety by a mermaid, how fun...

🌊 You has no choice but to accept your new lifestyle, after all, the only out was an underwater cavern, and you had no idea how deep or long it was. Caspian might not be the best at moving on land, but without him, you'd drown if you attempt to leave.

🌊 Once you told the siren that you weren't going anywhere soon unfortunately, He lit up and gave you a big, soaking wet hug. "Oh my treasure! You'll be happy here, I promise~!" He peppers your face with kisses, some making you shiver at the thought of his sharp teeth being so close to your flesh.

🌊 He'd go out every day to get food for you and him, sometimes surprising you with gifts!

🌊 He knows you like reading, so any book or parchment that he finds is immediately brought to you so you won't be so bored <3

🌊 More often than not they're too wet to actually read, but you appreciate the effort you suppose.

🌊 You also had to explain what cooking is to Caspian and that humans can't eat fish raw...and alive..

🌊 Get ready to be showered with pearls and pretty shells and treasure! Caspian is a bit picky when it comes to his own horde so anything that he considers nice but not on par with his tastes goes to you~!

🌊 He would always ask to sleep with you in your bed, and he doesn't take no for an answer.

🌊 "It's cold my treasure~! Could you warm me up~?"

🌊 "It gets so lonely in the water~ May I stay in bed with you my love~?"

🌊 "But I got all those nice things for you~!"

🌊 He would keep whining and fussing until you agree. He doesn't care at all that your sheets are all now soaked.

🌊 If you tell him to dry off first, he will! But you'll have to pay him with a kiss~

🌊 He may or may not sniff your hair while you sleep...and maybe lick your neck..

🌊 He can't get himself to sleep sometimes, he'd just watch you sleep the whole time. What can he say? You're too irresistible~!

🌊 Sometimes he'd even whisper sweet things into your ear, promising you the world if you'd let him.

🌊 More often than not, he sings you to sleep. The anxieties of never seeing your family again and living off of just fish and other sea creatures was getting to you, not to mention the many hours of being alone in a cave.

🌊 His siren song lulled you to bed every night. No matter how much you distanced yourself away from him, he was always able to calm you down with his voice.

🌊 "Hush now my dear~...You'll learn to like it here~ And one day, we'll be married and live happily ever after~ Just like in your stories~ Just you wait~..."

[tinyascanbe]

Beetle Shells Chapter 2

TW: nudity, very slight noncon, medical, insects

No sexual content

Deeply asleep from exhaustion and the effects from her transformation, Clementine began to have a nightmare. Horned brown glossy beetles surrounding her (at her once normal height), crawling up her, prickling legs like razors on her skin. I felt the pain in the dream and yet was glued in place, unable to even move my arms to knock off the insects. A strong odor filled my nose…sweet…but harsh like vinegar. I realized it was the pheromone, i was dripping it onto the ground, exuding the liquid as it quickly vaporized. I couldnt close my mouth or even scream as I felt the beetles begin crawling up my neck.

Immediately broken from sleep, a monumental force pushed me further into the balled up shirt. I looked around confused for a moment as my head felt clearer and the realization of everything slapped me in the face.

Kyles massive face loomed in front of me scrunched up in a look of concern eliciting a scream.

“Hey im sorry I didnt mean to scare you or hurt you with that poke, I just couldnt wake you up for awhile, I was really concerned. I cant feel a pulse on something…so little..” He trailed off and brought his face closer.

What kind of fucked up reality is this?! I attempt to move backwards but to my dismay I cant produce the force to push farther back on the shirt so i dart my eyes around observing the new location.

Im on a bed, presumably Kyles, that stretches out for what seems like forever with a fluffy blue comforter. I spot posters that look like huge billboards and the ceiling looks so so far away that its hard for me to make out any features of the overhead light. Its all too much. I realize my breathing has quickened and panic is swelling within me. I grab a corner of the shirt and pull it over the rest of my body/head and use the darkness to try and steady my emotions.

“Hey….please dont hide..” Kyle brought his hands and lifted the shirt to reveal my head. The panic and fear was tangible. Hesitantly a huge finger approached my head and despite my eyes widening and head tilting back at the massive and powerful form towering above.

He lowered the finger onto my head and its weight and size stunned me. He slowly dragged his finger back, petting my hair while he averted his eyes.

“Im hope this isnt weird I just dont know how to comfort someone at this size. I want to let you know that youre safe with me and Ill take care of you until we find a way to get you back to your normal size. Unless you have somewhere else you’d prefer to be.”

I look up and speak for the first time since Ive become so small.

“Thank you.” Its clear my shyness is apparent from the softness of my voice and I wonder how it might sound to someone of his size.

I lay in the shirt upon his thigh, heat radiating through me and my breath slows, eyes drifting close again.

“You cant sleep yet, we have to take care of your wounds Clem. You’re not really in a position to take care of them yourself at the moment. If you get an infection at this size, youre toast. Im going to take you to the bathroom now, Ill try and walk slowly for you.”

I lift up my head and observe the two hands close in on me and lift me. I observe the beige carpet and swallow realizing just how far of a fall it would be. I grip the shirt tightly and squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for it to be over.

Im lowered onto a marble countertop and watch Kyles features flush. A small medicine cabinet attached to the wall above the sink is opened above and he leans over me to sift through the contents. I stare up and the stories high man before me and watch him push back his long silky hair behind his ear. He pulls out gauze, antibiotic ointment, medical scissors, and a q-tip. My twisted or sprained ankle throbbed and Id wish I were able to walk on it so I could just take care of it all myself.

“Well… Im just going to get on with it then” Kyle states, his face flushing even darker. He moves his hands down and hesitates before removing the shirt from my tiny grasp and fully exposing me. I felt violated in the moment, like a baby getting their diaper changed. He looked me over and gently applied a prepared hand towel, damp with warm water and soap, that looked the size of a pool to me. He slowly dragged it down my body and I squirmed from the heat and rough fabric against the cuts from the glass and bug legs. A hiss escaped my lips.

“I know…I know..” he whispered from his massive lips.

“Can you flip for me?” He asked in a sheepish tone.

The embarrassment was horrific. It was like getting a brazillian wax. Bowing my head i adjust my position and then flip over as I was told to, shame overcoming me and pain shooting through my ankle. I soon felt the washcloth drape on my back and drag downward a few times. Two fingers suddenly clamped down on my sides cand lifted me into the air, my body dangling in front of his observant eyes before I was lowered onto a white fluffy hand cloth. I quickly pulled the fabric to cover myself.

“Not yet Clem. Im sorry.. Im just trying to help you. We’re almost done.” Kyle stated, still flushed as he reexposed me, now holding a qtip and antibiotic ointment.

I quickly used my hands to cover myself and crossed my legs, laid out on my back, and squeezing my eyes shut. Thick globs of the ointment now covered most of my skin which was pretty sticky and gross feeling. Kyle reached down and pulled the fluffy fabric around me, relief washing over me that it was finally done.

Silence dragged between us until a roll of gauze that was half the size of my body was held up against me. Looking up, I saw him nod and cut a 10 inch strip of it and open a small butterfly bandage.

“If you wrap this around yourself, I’ll secure it with the butterfly bandage and youll have a makeshift wrap dress, which should suffice for now.”

I take the dangling fabric from his outstretched hand and quickly wrap it around myself. He secures the bandage, bringing his fingers to gently press it on. He hesitates and brings a finger to brush my hair back from my bowed head.

“Cmon, lets go watch a tv show or something. Nothing else left we can do to change the situation tonight”

[skelebab]

My rottmnt oc, Antonio!

He's a black-knobbed map turtle :)

Lil back story (bear in mind that I'm still actually watching the show and like 90 percent of the info I know is from fandom content so yeah)(and also spoilers for the story I plan to write for them):

So after splinter took the og 4 turtles Draxum somehow had enough materials to make one more turtle, which he does, but then a scientist from New York gets into his lab (like April does in the first episode) and steals a bunch of stuff, including the new turtle (poor Barry can't catch a break)

So the scientist takes the turtle back to the lab they work at, where they and their coworkers proceed to experiment on him as he grows up(from the ages of like 2-13) and at some point they give him a dictionary as enrichment. This ended up being a big mistake, because Antonio (they don't have a name yet, but imma call them by their name anyways) ends up using the dictionary to break open the case holding a fire axe (don't think to hard about how they managed to get close enough to do that, just roll with it lol), kills all the scientist, and escapes the lab.

When he gets out on the street it's golden hour, so he associates yellow with freedom and develops an affinity for the colour and they even finds a yellow pair of pants in an alley somewhere, but as he wanders he gets super dehydrated because ofc turtles need water (and also it's summer), and luckily when he starts to get ill it begins to pour. He then sees that the water is flowing into the sewers, so he goes down there and floats along the water and falls asleep (he's been wandering the streets for days without rest at this point).

Cut to the bois swimming and having fun (the bois are a little older here, Raph is 17, Leo n Don are 16, and Mikey is 15) and Raph is floating or something when a turtle bumps into him. He thinks it's his brother for a second, but then he sees their shell has spikes, and he does a head count, and there's suddenly 5 of them. So they kinda freak out about what to do with this random mutant passed out in the water wearing raggedy pants (with a fire axe tucked in them, but they don't know that). Eventually they take them home to make sure they're not dead and figure out who they are.

Antonio wakes up in a place he's never been, but he's surrounded by people who look vaguely like him and not like the scientists that basically tortured him all his life. So he doesn't immediately attack them and instead asks them questions. They eventually figure out that he's technically their brother, and eventually he really becomes a part of their family (and gets a fresh pair of pants, amongst other clothing items), but he has a butt load of trauma to work through first.

I'll make more content about their relationships with each member of the family and how they settle in later :)

(they also have a bit of a morality thing going on, since they see no problem in killing people that pose a threat to them)

[papayasnz]

Hey! Same anon as before! These are a couple that I thought you would want to be in with Fukuchi:

Someone who’s so sick that their partner has to do everything for them. They help them warm up, cool down, get tea, make soup, and blow their nose. The poor sickie is so downtrodden from being sick, and sapped of almost every ounce of their pride that they burst into tears when their partner notices their breath hitching and sniffling helplessly.

“Oh, baby,” they coo with a warm smile and a hint of humor. “Do you need help sneezing, too?”

When a couple - A and B - is so much into caring for each other when one of them is sick, that they never take precautions against contagion and thus always end up catching each other's colds.

So when they talk about past illness, they say "Remember when we had that bad cold last Christmas?" instead of "Remember when you caught that bad cold, B?"

Want someone to tie me down and MAKE me sick. Force their cold on me. Is that too much to ask? 🙄

You’re saying if I kissed the top of your stuffy, snotty, ticklish, red, dry, inflamed, swollen nose right now, you’d sneeze?

Person A waking up with the sneezes and their partner, B, who has the kink, is still asleep next to them. Being the good, indulgent partner that they are, A wraps their arms around their sleeping darling's waist and snuggles in close to them, nuzzling their face into their neck before unleashing a few wet, messy sneezes, rubbing their nose on B's shoulder before sniffling thickly against the shell of their ear.

B stirs immediately when A's warm, stuffy breath hits their ear, and they shudder with desire. They mumble a 'good morning' to A, who responds by sneezing again into their shoulder. B allows themself a soft moan as they roll over in their partner’s arms to look at them.

A's nose is already pink and twitchy, and they've got mess running down their lips. They sneeze again, snot splattering onto B's face, relishing at how they moan again as they let out a couple irritated coughs.

B cups A's cheeks, feeling them for a fever as they lean in to press a tender kiss to their forehead. "Think this is allergies?" They ask, tilting their head as a small smile tugs at the corners of their lips. "Or are you coming down with a cold?"

A shrugs, sucking in another thick, soupy sniffle. They sneeze again, and again, and again, getting louder and more desperate with each one. They sniffle futilely, and cough a couple more times.

B hums, and dips two fingers into the mess pooling underneath A's nose, then pops their fingers into their own mouth, sucking on them as they stare at A. They roll over on top of A, then sit up, straddling their partner as they grind down on them, smirking at the way A's breath catches in their throat before they let out another sneeze. B leans in, locking their lips together in a heated kiss before pulling away again to lap up the mess on A's upper lip, coaxing out a few more sneezes that spray directly into their mouth. "I guess we're about to find out," they purr, beginning to strip down.

A has a cold; B has the fetish. A feels the cold coming on while they're at work. they've had a sore throat since last night, but now, the congestion is starting to settle in their sinuses, and by mid-morning, they can't stop sniffling, and there's a faint, irritating prickle in their nose which they can't quite shake. they text B,

A: think i'm getting a cold

A: my nose tickles so badly. i really need to sneeze

they don't have to wait for long to get a response from B:

B: 👀 👀 👀

B: if that's the case...

B: you'd better save your cold for me

it's meant as a joke, but A decides to take it as a challenge.

for the rest of the day, they make an attempt to hold back for as long as they can. when they can't hold back anymore, they stifle sneeze after ticklish sneeze into their hands; even when it feels near impossible to stifle, they pinch their nose shut with their fingers, leading to a series of pinched stifles and ticklish false starts.

the lack of relief is agonizing. without a proper outlet for all the irritation, the tickle in their nose never quite subsides - by the time they're heading home, their sinuses are practically buzzing with irritation, but they resolve themselves to ticklish, unsatisfying stifles, to holding back every sneeze as long as possible, to pushing back the inevitable, all while their need to sneeze gets worse with every passing moment.

by the time they make it to their front door, they stand on the front step, fumbling with the keys, trying hard to keep the tickle at bay for just... hHh!... a little longer.

before they can get the door properly, B opens the door for them. "you're back," they say, with a smirk. "how's the cold?"

"i... hHEhh... h-have to..." is all A is able to stammer out.

"don't be shy," B encourages. "don't tell me you plan on keeping it all to yourself?"

after an entire day of holdbacks and stifles, A's body is practically just begging them to sneeze.

and so they do, at last - their head snaps forward with a messy, soaking, "ehHTSCHHUH! hiiH- hiih- hiiHGTzsHHuuh! hiiHH'tTSSCHHIEEW! HAHH'ASSCHHHUE! hhh-hhd'HIIID'SSCHHI'ue! hhah-haah-HAHh-hHHAH'DZSCHHEEEw! "

it's like a switch has been flipped, the floodgates opened. the sneezes they've been holding back all day expel themselves one by one, all over their partner's face, messy and spraying, the tickle they've been longing to rid themselves of for so long finally, finally given a proper outlet.

Holy… shit. I’m floored??? Listen, I don’t know who you are but ily. You are FEEDING ME, and I like can’t express MY JOY THANK YOU! LIKE ITS LITERALLY MY HONEY MY KITTY AND HES BEING ALL SNEEZY WHAT MORE COULD AN MF WANT??!!

You’re right btw I did enjoy this very much. I did in fact imagine my beloved Genichiro with these. I do actually want him so badly. Like it’s insane omg especially that one where he’d wake me up like THAT?? Oh my god if I didn’t already put a ring on his finger trust me I’ll give him literally my soul like

Also, I did get your other ask but got dayum it was LONG. Like damn bro it never ended (in a good way) like you really went ahead and put in all this work and it’s so precious. You’re so great and I appreciate the effort you make like really 😭🥺 whoever you are I hope you’re having an amazing week <3

[i-cant-sing]

Platonic Yandere Squid Game

Yes, I'm gonna idea dump here now.

Imagine reader being in her late teens. She comes from a poor background, which is why she had to leave school from an early age to do all kinds of odd jobs to help her parents pay their debts which seems to increase over time because her father is a gambler and her mother is chronically ill. Still, she loves them because things could've been way worse for her and she's grateful for them- they were good to her when she was young. Despite leaving behind her education, she is very smart- very observant and a quick learner who picks up on skills whenever she can, loves to learn new things so a part of her enjoys working.

Now our reader's parents are in deep trouble with the bank and the shark loans so when a man comes her way and asks if she'd like to play a game with him to make a quick hundred bucks, she agrees.

Fast forward to a week later, she wakes up in a bunk bed with several others after she'd called the number on the business card. There are many players, all that are in debt and want the prize money. You're the youngest player there, and you were already being pushed around and undermined by the other players.

So, when the first game starts, you're just as determined to win. But you stop breathing when the a player gets shot, you think you misheard, but then another person gets shot, and another and then its pretty much a mass shooting. Fortunately, you're too shell shocked to even move a muscle.

Somehow, you gain control over your body and realise that you need to make it over the line to stay alive. And you do it, closing your eyes as you heard the ones who didn't make it, get shot.

You're surprisingly very calm as you return back to your bed after the majority voted to continue playing instead of quitting. Quietly slipping under the covers, you let a few tears slip out of your eyes, recalling the massacre that you had just witnessed.

The next game, the honeycomb challenge was fairly easy to you. Being poor, you often had no food to eat so whenever you could manage to get the sugary treat, you would work hard to not break the shape of the candy so that you can get another one for free.

The masked men served lunch after the second game. You opened your tiffin and immediately scrunched up your face in disgust at the peas mixed in your rice. You began picking them out, trying to ignore how the number of players had dwindled.

When the third game, tug of war, was played, your team barely managed to pass, but they did win all because of your incredible leadership skills and strategy.

It was after that game when chaos started among the players. One of the bullies decided to fight one of the weaker players to establish his dominance and ended up killing him, and when the player's death added wads of cash to the piggy bank, you knew what was going to follow later that night.

You had no weapons, nothing to defend yourself. Well, not nothing. You had managed to get a soda can and put it in your empty pillow case, swinging it around and knocking people out cold when they got close to you. But one of the bully's men had managed to stab you with a shard of glass into your side. Just when you thought that he was going to slit your throat, the door opened and the masked guards came rushing in with their guns pointed at you guys.

You were taken to the infirmary, which was a bit weird because you didn't see anyone else being wheeled in there. For a second you thought they were about to extract your organs and sell them, but all fears went away when one of the masked guards, the one with the square on his mask, just stitched you up, advising you stay still and rest there. You were left there with two guards, both had circles on their masks. Maybe half an hour later, one of them left and brought your lunch- a tray with some soup, another tiffin, and a vanilla pudding. The guards helped you sit up, careful of your bandages and pushed the tray towards you. But since you were still high on pain meds, you couldn't feed yourself. So, they looked at the camera in the corner for a couple of seconds, as if waiting for a command, then nod and begin feeding you. One of them sits by your side and wipes your mouth, letting you rest your head on his shoulder, while the other spoon feeds you the warm soup. Then they open up the tiffin, and you once again scrunch up your face in disgust at the green peas in your rice. You turn your face away when they try to feed you the rice, and when they look at you questioningly, you point at the peas and make a face. The guard besides you had a hard time controlling the snort that almost escaped him, he just cant believe how childish and adorable you are. The other guard just sighs and looks at the camera for a few seconds, before nodding and begins picking out all the peas from the rice.

Suddenly, you take ahold of his hand, halting his pea-picking. "What-" he stops mid-sentence when he sees how you're looking at him- all star struck as you squeeze his hand in gratitude. "You- you're picking out the peas for me? You're- you're such a mice- no, not mice- a nice man! I love you!" Yeah, the pain killers definitely made you loopy, but that didn't mean the guards weren't 100% enjoying you in this state. And they were just so glad that the masks they were wearing were able to hide their blush and smiles.

After eating the rice, you didn't even give the guard a chance to grab the vanilla pudding as you suddenly snatched it, baffling the guards at this sudden burst of energy, and pretty much inhaled the sweet treat. The guard next to you wiped the corner of your mouth as you slurred. "S-sorry, its- just been too long since I had a 'nilla puddin" You smiled lazily before passing out on the guard's shoulder. The two looked at each other before shrugging and tucking you in, silently agreeing that this kid was actually kinda cute.

A couple of more days pass and the square faced guard still hasn't let you returned to your bunker where the rest of the players are. He says that you still haven't fully recovered, despite you telling him otherwise. But you're not complaining, a little less trauma is good for you. Plus, the circle faced guards, who you now call thing number 1 and 2, have been doing their best to keep you entertained. Sometimes they'd sneak you in an extra pudding cup, sometimes they'd bring in a deck of cards (after assuring you that this wasn't one of the games where'd you die if you lost). Even your rice were pea-free now!

Its hard to tell time in there, considering there aren't any clocks or someone who'd tell you what day it is, but judging by the meals they've given you, you think its your 10th or 11th day in the infirmary, and your stitches are almost healed by now, not to mention they took your blood and told you everything was good too. But they still won't let you go. That's when the fear of organ trafficking comes back to you like a rollercoaster.

It makes perfect sense, doesn't it? They've been keeping you healthy, watching you 24/7, having you on a strict diet and medicines, all because they want to take your organs and sell them.

You demand thing number 1 and 2 to let you go, to let you return back to the other players (where you think you have a better chance of survival). But they simply shake their heads, telling you to go back to your bed.

You panic, you know you should've bided your time, should've come up with a plan, but you panicked. Instincts kicked in and you pushed one of the guards down, taking the other one by surprise as you kicked him in the nuts, quickly snatching one of their guns and running out of the room. You knew there were cameras in every corner of this place, and you knew back up was coming to take you down, but that didn't stop you from running back to the bunker room, hoping to get the players on your side as you all band together against the guards.

But when you reached the room, it was... empty. Completely empty, even the bunk beds were gone now. Did they... all die? Did the games end? Did they escape? Or are they still playing another game?

You didn't have time to ponder more as you heard footsteps behind you, but as soon as you turned around, you were hit on the side of your head with something heavy by the man with the square on his mask. Thing number 1 and 2 were right by your side as you fell, and the last thing you saw before losing consciousness was a strange man in black that stood out amongst the sea of red guards.

You woke up to the sound of Sinatra's "Fly me to the moon" playing. Opening your eyes, you saw you were in a different room, not in the infirmary. The theme of the room was black and gold, with shiny marble floors and lavish furniture, a completely different aesthetic from the pastel colours you had been observing in the entire game.

Wait fuck- I'm not- I'm not trafficked to some rich perv, am I?

Your oncoming panic attack was stopped when the door suddenly opened, and in walked the same dude from before, the one clad in black.

He walked towards you with long strides, confidence and authority dripping off him. He pulled a chair besides you and sits down.

"How are you feeling now?"

"That's an ugly mask. Darth Vader's would've been better."

You both stared at each other for the next few seconds, giving you some time as you try to understand why you said that to someone who you're guessing is going to kill you soon.

"How are you feeling now?" He repeated his question.

"Like shit." You furrowed your brows at him. Hey, if he's gonna kill you, you might as well piss him off. "Look buddy, I was promised a fair chance at winning the prize. So, I'm not sure why you're holding me here instead of letting me play the games-"

"The games have ended."

Oh.

Oh shit.

You gulped. "So... I'm going to die now?"

"No."

"You're going to let me go home? The players decided to quit?"

"No."

"Well, then why am I still here?"

He stared at you, the few seconds feeling like he was going to deliver some very bad news to you. "I... have been looking for you. For quite some while." He watched your face turn even more confused. "I've been observing you ever since you entered the games."

Oh, there it is.

Nostrils flared, you couldn't help your anger. "So you've been watching me like some fucking creep? And now you wanna do it with a girl who's just barely legal? What the fuck-"

"Shut up." He said in a stern voice, that immediately had you shutting up.

He then took off his mask, revealing an older man, perhaps in his late 30s or early 40s. Setting his mask to the side, he looked at you and cleared his throat. "Many years ago, when I was 10, I had a little brother and sister, aged 6 and 4 respectively. We were very poor. When our parents used to leave for work, I was in charge of taking care of my siblings. But since money was tight, I started working in a rice field to help out the family." He paused, his eyes glazed as he recalled the past. "The owner would pay me by giving me rice. Half a pound of rice for a days work. I would bring that back home and cook it for my siblings. Sometimes if we were lucky, I'd even add some veggies- usually peas since they were the cheapest. But my sister didn't like peas, and she would pick them out. My little brother would eat all of her peas happily, even giving her his own portion of the rice." He smiled. "Jun Ho, he was always like that, the more caring of us three. So when one day I fell ill, he decided to cook the rice while I was supposed to keep an eye on our sister. But I- I fell asleep. I didn't mean to, but I did and the next thing I woke up to was her screaming. I rushed to where they were and found out that she had accidentally touched the hot stove, burning her hand. I grabbed her and took her to the nearest clinic. The doctor was able to apply some ointment on her hand and bandage it up quickly, but when time came to pay, I realised I had no money on me. One of the nurses said that she'll keep an eye on you while I went home to get money. But when I- when I came back, the nurse told me our parents had already paid the dues and taken her home." He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I was so stupid- I believed her. When I returned home, my parents were all panicked as they asked Jun Ho and I about you. Jun Ho had told them what had happened, how I took you to the doctor, but they didn't see my sister with me. And I didn't see her with them. Thats when we connected the dots and realised what had happened. My sister... she had been kidnapped. And it was all my fault."

You watched as the man straightened his back, as if trying to regain his composure. "I tried to find her, never stopped looking for her. But Korea's a big place, and I didn't even know if she was in Korea anymore. I left my family when I was 18, promising myself to only return when I found her. That's why I do this, that's why I... conduct this entire game. This game- its funded and watched by some very rich people. People who are so filthy rich that they don't know what to do with their money so they bid on the poor to see who would win and who would die. I thought... I thought that if I was able to use their resources and contacts, I would find my little sister. But then she entered the game."

"She died?" You asked.

He shook his head and smiled. "Almost. But I pulled her out of the game and now she's here. As is my brother, Jun Ho."

You nodded slowly. "Well, that's... great. So happy for your family reunion. Thanks for the story, can I leave now?"

He suddenly grabbed your hand, turning it to reveal the scar on the side. "You're my sister, Y/n."

You pulled your hand away. "Hey man, just because I don't like peas doesn't mean I'm your sister. Besides, this isn't a burn scar, its a birth mark, an ugly one but that's that." That's what you mom always told you.

"I tested your blood. DNA sampling, you're my sister." He said, pulling out a test report from his pocket.

"Well, I suppose you could fake a test report with the kind of money you have."

He raised a brow at you. "Why would I lie about something like this?"

"I don't know. Maybe this is another one of the sick games you're playing for those rich bastards." You huffed. "Besides, what did you think was going to happen? That you'd tell me some sob story and I'd believe you? And I'd just take your word for it and sit here for a family reunion, especially after you just confessed to hosting these sick games, murdering people for pleasure?"

"I don't host the games. I just manage them."

"Oh, thanks for clearing that up. That just makes it so much better." You said, rolling your eyes. "Now, if you're gonna kill me, then you better get to it right away. If not, let me go. I already have a family I need to take care of."

He smiled smugly. "What family? The ones you came here for? The ones who kidnapped you? Yeah, they happily gave you up in exchange for paying off their debts."

What? No, they wouldn't.

"You're lying-" He pulled out his phone to show you a video of your parents talking to the guy who was filming the video, agreeing to give you up in exchange for money.

No, they couldn't do that- fuck!

You looked at him, eyes teary yet furious from both the betrayal from your parents and at this man. "You probably forced them to. Or maybe this is just doctored. Doesn't matter. I'm not theirs or anyone's to give up!"

He pulled out a handkerchief and held it to you, but you smacked his hand away. "If its any consolation, they're dead now." He said nonchalantly, nodding towards the phone.

You watched as your parents signed off a contract and as soon as they did that, the man that was filming this shot them dead. You felt like a freight train had hit you as the sound of the loud shots ringed in your ears, your dads eyes rolled back into his head while your mother's mouth fell open in horror.

Dead? They- did they just die?

"They were never your parents-" You lunged at the man causing him to fall off the chair as you punched him. "YOU FUCKING PSYCHOPATH! YOU FUCKING PYSCHO! I'M GONNA KILL YOU-!" But you were no match for the man, as he quickly grabbed your wrists and flipped you over, watching you struggle to get out of his grip.

He pressed on some pressure point on your neck and watched as you fell asleep instantly. Sighing, he carried you back to bed, tucking you under the soft covers. Brushing the hair out of your face, he kissed your forehead.

"Maybe you'll feel better when you see Jun Ho. He was your favourite among us." He smiled, walking towards the door.

"Welcome home, Y/n."

Part 2 is here!

[jar-of-ectoplasm]

La Squadra Cuddling Headcanons

Genre/Warnings: Pure fluff, no sad shit this time, established relationships, polyamory (for sorbet and gelato's part)

~Risotto~

-fuck being the big spoon, risotto's a whole ass ladle

-literally he's just too big, there's no way he could ever little spoon (he IS very prone to lay his head on your chest though)

-He likes keeping you close to him because he wants to protect you (or at least feel like he is, i doubt anybody in their right mind would try to break into la squadra's headquarters)

-would pass out immediately if you played with his hair

-not too comfortable with PDA, even if it's just in front of the team, but he will wrap his arm around your shoulders/waist and pull you into his side

~Prosciutto~

-pros smells like expensive cologne and cigarettes, which sounds horrible but it's weirdly comforting

-is obsessed with laying his head in the crook of your neck, literally no matter what he'll always make sure he does it at least once a day

-not opposed to PDA but won't initiate it either, if you want Prosciutto affection you'll have to ask for it

-OOOH HUGS FROM BEHIND GOD DAMN

-really likes when you lay your head on his chest, it gives him the perfect opportunity to kiss the top of your head/forehead/hairline area

~Pesci~

-it doesn't matter where you're cuddling or what position you're in, you HAVE to face Pesci

-will only cuddle if you guys are alone and in his/your room, it's not that he's embarrassed about you but literally the entire team (yes, even risotto) will comment on/tease you guys about it and he'd really rather not have that happen

-will hold your hand the entire time, no exceptions

-y'all think risotto enjoys feeling like he's protecting you by holding you to his chest??? well pesci's fucking addicted to it (it makes him feel very important and useful, even though he's both of those things already)

-pesci'll talk in his sleep about how much he loves you and it's just so soft istg

~Illuso~

-pretends like cuddling you is a hassle and that it bothers him but we both know if you ever missed your nightly cuddle sessions he'd cry

-not really into PDA but he'll sneak a kiss or two and hold your hand every once in a while

-usually likes cuddling in the mirror world so nobody walks in and bothers you

-if he thinks you fell asleep, he'll sing to you (most of the time you're not really asleep and he gets really embarrassed but he won't stop)

-another fan of spooning, but really likes to be the little spoon. you guys'll alternate between big and little spoon day to day unless somebody really needs to be held

~Formaggio~

-UGH HE'S SUCH A SLUT FOR HAVING YOU IN HIS LAP AND RESTING HIS HEAD ON TOP OF YOURS

-if you guys are near each other, you're cuddling. doesn't matter who's around, Formaggio's got his grubby little hands on you

-also likes holding your hands while you're cuddling (he'll just play with your fingers too, anything to keep himself occupied)

-holds you from behind and rocks side to side while you're sitting up watching TV on his bed/couch

-likes to leave little kisses behind and on the shell of your ears. he'll also whisper some dumb shit to you to make you laugh but he does that all the time anyway

~Ghiaccio~

-his hands, feet and nose are always cold no matter what season it is, so it'll take a bit to get used to having a boyfriend with literally ice fingers

-but the rest of his body usually runs pretty warm, so it's a very pleasant experience

-usually sleeps on his back, so you'll have to lay your head on his chest and cuddle up to his side (then he'll lay his freeze hands on your back)

-wait fuck imagine waking up next to ghiaccio and he's squinting down at you cause he can't see anything without his glasses but he's too lazy to get them off the nightstand SHIT

-also likes to pretend that PDA is gross but he secretly loves it when you cling onto him around the team (gives him a huge ego boost)

-ghia's hair is so soft when he's washed all the gel and hairspray out of it and he really enjoys when you play with it

~Melone~

-he was basically cuddling you before you guys even got together tbh

-PDA is and will always be on the table. you guys could be on a mission and holding hands while trying to locate your target

-you guys have scheduled cuddling sessions. an hour is taken out of both of your agendas just to make sure Melone doesn't cling to Prosciutto while waiting for you to get your work done (it's happened before)

-melone likes being the little spoon just as much as he likes being the big spoon, so whatever you feel like that day he can accommodate

-mel likes to caress your face while you guys are cuddling so he will want you to face him for at least 15 minutes so he can get all his staring in

~Sorbet and Gelato~

-cuddle sandwich. one person's in the middle while the other two are holding them from both sides

-usually, it's either you or gelato in the middle. sorbet ends up feeling trapped and starts getting overwhelmed by all the close contact (he's claustrophobic)

-it's that or you guys just straight up lay on top of each other and move every once in a while

-gelato usually talks about anything he can think of and you and sorbet just listen and entertain his strange ideas (like if instead of zodiac signs, people got mental illnesses based on what month they were born in)

-sorbet likes to play with your and gelato's hair, while gelato usually peppers both of your faces with kisses

[nejibaby]

Memories

Pairing: Neji x Fem!Uchiha Reader

Summary: There are a lot of terrible things that have happened to you as an Uchiha that you wanted to forget. But with Neji’s help, you’re able to move on and move along. Things have started getting better for you, however, once the Fourth Shinobi War was declared, time seemed to start running out.

Word Count: 2.1k

Memories - Part 1 | Deja Vu - Part 2

A/N: I didn’t exactly follow the plot and somehow it turned so angsty 🙈 Please let me know your thoughts~

There are memories you hold so dear that you refuse to have them tainted no matter what. Most of those memories are of the times you spent playing or training with your brother Shishui, his best friend Itachi, and Itachi’s brother Sasuke. Those times were the golden days for you; the best of the best, if you may.

Conversely, there are also memories that you just wish would disappear. They’re the memories of incidents you wish didn’t happen at all. They’re the type of memories that you push at the back of your mind, because you believe that if you think about it or even spare a single second for it, then it’ll be more real. Because you’re in denial. You’re in denial not only about the death of Shisui, but also of the Uchiha clan.

But then there’s a single memory you have that always stands out. It’s a memory that you both want to forget and remember.

The tragedy of the Uchiha clan had changed the only survivors — you and Sasuke. You had already started changing a little because you had to deal with your brother’s death, but seeing the horrible scene in the clan’s district had been the icing on top.

Your drastic change had been evident on the day you came back to the Academy after you were discharged at the hospital. What once was a girl full of life had become an empty shell.

The moment you sat down entered the room, people had started talking. Mostly it’s just about asking someone else if you were an Uchiha or if they know about the clan’s misfortune. They were meaningless chatters so you easily drowned them out.

But there was a comment that had reached your ears. “Why is it such a big deal? People die anyway, it just so happened her clan died on the same day.”

The comment kept ringing inside your head but then someone beside you spoke up, “Don’t you have anything else better to do than talk about someone else’s life?”

He was met with silence so he continued saying, “People die everyday, it’s a fact. Some die because of illnesses, some because of old age, some because of poverty, accidents, or murder. As shinobi, we can die in the line of duty. But that doesn’t make death any less painful to the one left behind.

“If your family is alive, then good, but maybe use that brain of yours because logic says not everyone gets to be as lucky as you.”

Naturally, you want to forget about the unsolicited comment of your classmate, but you want to remember that among the students inside the room, one boy had stood up for you. Quite frankly, you needed his saving that day. Otherwise, you would’ve beaten yourself up for mourning too long.

And when you realized who that boy was, his words weighed even more. Because Hyuga Neji was a boy notoriously known for thinking that everyone’s fate is predetermined from birth and that luck plays absolutely no part in it.

“Not everyone gets to be as lucky as you.”

And for a hot minute he had abandoned his belief as he stood up for you.

It sounds hypocritical if you think about it.

But maybe just as he had saved you, you had opened his eyes just a little bit and helped him see that his beliefs were skewed too. In a way, you had helped each other, at least you hoped.

It’s because of that day, that memory, that you find yourself gravitating towards Neji.

It isn’t attraction at all at first, more like genuine curiosity about him and his life. But you didn’t get to know him further until the Chunin exams where he had disclosed the way of their clan. It’s at that time where you understood why he acts the way he acts.

You can’t help but wonder about how two clans with almost similar circumstances— both with kekkei genkai, both living in Konoha, both considered to be one of the strongest clans in the shinobi world— could have completely different ways of living. One clan is almost completely annihilated, while the other has slaves of their own blood. And if you’re being completely honest, you aren’t exactly sure which is better.

You have gotten the urge to talk to him after hearing his story, although you really didn’t know what to say. But then the chance never came up because of the chaos orchestrated by Orochimaru.

After the Chunin exams and the attack of Orochimaru, you hadn’t heard of Neji for a while since you’ve been tasked to help with the repairs of the village. And when you did hear about him, it was terrible, terrible news.

Sasuke left the village to seek power from the very person who just wrecked havoc in Konoha. His leaving alone left you in despair. What Itachi was to Shisui is exactly what Sasuke means to you, and him doing such a thing without even letting you know makes you feel like a failure both as a friend and as a family.

The news didn’t end there, however. Apparently the squad that Shikamaru had led to retrieve Sasuke had been severely injured and were on the brink of death — one of them being Neji.

You remember feeling guilt and regret burning your skin. You remember the shame of not being able to save Sasuke from the darkness and not being able to help the retrieval squad in any way. You blame yourself for the horrible things that happened.

Since then, you have made it a point to visit the squad in the hospital every day, making sure you apologize and thank them for their service. But admittedly, it’s Neji that you always stay with longer.

It’s not that you aren’t comfortable with the others, they’re really nice and easy to get along with. But they always have other visitors with them, mostly their team members and relatives. Neji, on the other hand, didn’t get as many visits since his other teammate, Rock Lee, was also injured because of his fight with Gaara. So Tenten and Guy sensei would switch visits between the two every other day.

Besides that, his clan members rarely ever visited. And you didn’t want him to be alone in such trying moments, especially when you didn’t get to do anything to prevent this from happening.

As closed off as Neji is, because of your constant visits, you have found a way to worm yourself into the walls he put up. And by the time he’s discharged from the hospital, you somehow became close friends.

From that moment on, you find yourself coming to Neji on times that you’re in despair and in doubt. You trust him enough to tell him your stories, worries, and fears because he doesn’t judge you. And he does the same with you.

Neji listens when you want him to listen, and talks when you need him to talk. He’s quite level headed and very much rational, and because of that he gives the best advice.

With him, you find yourself healing and growing. With you, he finds himself learning to forgive.

Neji easily makes you see things in a different way; a different light; a different perspective, and helps you become a better shinobi and a better person in general.

For you, Neji has such a comforting aura. While he’s sometimes cold and stoic around others, with you, he softens up. With you, he’s gentle; careful even. And it’s because of this that you find yourself admiring him more and more.

But before anything could happen — before you could even confess — the Fourth Shinobi War was declared.

Just like that, time seemed to start running out. And you have lost all hopes of being together with Neji as a lover rather than a friend.

The war is awful. Quite frankly, it overwhelmed you too much, too easily. The bodies lying on the floor with dried out blood reminded you of the massacre of the Uchiha clan. But the only person who’s able to calm you down and help you move along is Neji.

The both of you fight side by side, always nearby Hinata in case she would need help. When the night comes and the enemies cease their attack, it’s your turn to talk Neji into relaxing a bit because he’s started straining his eyes from too much use. And because it’s you who asked and it’s you who’s there with him, he knows he and the rest of the Allied Forces are safe, so he rests.

But somehow chaos ensues and in the middle of it, you both get separated. You’re worried deeply, but you trust his skills and his strength, and you know you’ll be reuniting with him again.

And reunited with him you did. But when you have found him once again, he’s blocking out the Ten Tails’ attack with... his body.

With desperation, you transported to his side as quickly as you can. Summoning your last bits of chakra, you use Susanoo to protect him, Hinata, and Naruto. The last thing you remember is the look of relief on Neji’s face, but before it could morph into worry, you have already blacked out.

By the time you have woken up, you’re in Konoha’s hospital. The first thing you see is Neji resting his head on the side of your bed, peacefully sleeping, looking as angelic as ever.

Your body aches with every breath you take, even more so with little movement. But you didn’t let that deter you from weaving your fingers along the Hyuga’s hair. He stirs almost immediately and then he opens his pretty eyes. He sits up upon seeing you.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” You softly ask.

He doesn’t respond to your question. “You’re awake,” he sighs in relief. “You’re finally awake. Let me go call Lady Tsunade and Sakura.” He stands up.

But before he can even take a step, you grab his wrist. “Stay,” you mumble.

Neji looks at you, reading your face. But then he nods and sits.

“Is it over?” You ask.

“Yes, the war’s over.”

“What happened after?”

“It’s a long story… but tell me, how are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine. My body aches, but it’s not a big deal.”

“What do you mean it’s not a big deal?!” Neji looks upset that it takes you by surprise. “Do you remember what happened? Didn’t you know you almost died?! You almost used up all your chakra to use Susanoo! That’s so stupid and reckless!”

His aggressive tone effectively gets you angry. “I did it for you!” You snap. “Of course I remember what happened! Even if I want to forget, the memory is branded in my mind! You fucking wanted to use your body to shield Naruto from that attack, didn’t you? How is that not stupid and reckless? Huh?”

Neji’s chakra flares up as he clenches his jaw. Yet, he doesn’t speak.

You breathe out, trying to calm down. You rarely ever fought with Neji and he’s never really raised his voice to you. With your body still tired and aching from the war, you didn’t want this conversation to escalate further so you try to diffuse the situation before it blows even more out of proportion.

In a low voice, you speak, “I was so scared, Neji. I didn’t want to lose you. I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved.”

A tear falls down from your eye and Neji’s heart breaks at your forlorn state. “I don’t want to lose you too. I can’t…” you squeak. “I love you so much, I can’t lose you.”

Neji’s breath hitches at your declaration. He could hear his heart drumming against his chest.

You love him?

He doesn’t know if he heard you right or if his mind is just playing tricks on him. It happened before. He’s loved you for so long… and there have been plenty of days he dreamt of hearing you say you love him too. And right now he isn’t sure if this is the reality or just another one of his dreams.

As if you’ve read his mind — like you always seem to be able to do — you repeat your words. “I love you, Neji.”

It’s the confirmation that he needs. And hearing your words knocked the wind out of him. “I… I…” he starts saying.

But you’ve taken his stuttering and his pale, panic-stricken face as a sign of an incoming rejection, so you look down instantly and say, “It’s fine if you don’t like me the same way. I just hope we can still be friends after—”

“No, I… I love you too,” he breathlessly confesses before you even finish your rambling.

Your head whips up after the words left his lips. You stare at him, unbelieving.

And just as you did a while ago, he repeats his words with conviction, “I love you too.”

A smile makes its way to your face, and when he smiles back, you immediately know this is a memory you won’t ever forget.

[noforkingclue]

Hi! I’m so sorry but I’m not sure if your requests are open and you’re totally free to ignore this…

BUT, could I be cheeky and request some Dhawan!master fluff of the ultimate scale? I’m sick atm (2 negative Covid tests don’t worry) but I’m feeling miserable and would like some master fluff…. Also Whittaker!master…Shes fun too. (Please not anything dirty or anything, I’m innocent and can’t take it 🥺)

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and again, totally fine to just ignore it.

I love your fics and you’re giving me life.

Oh no, I hope you feel better soon anon! In the meantime here's your request! And don't worry, I make nothing NSFW unless people specifically request it. There's two kisses but nothing smutty at all!

Thank you so much! Honestly, you guys don't know how much I love receiving and writing all your requests! During last year writing seriously helped keep me sane during lockdown!

Title: Two Helping Timelords

Doctor Who tag list: @v4n1r, @queerconfusionthings, @yourneighbourhoodclown, @love-of-fandoms, @emilythezeldafan, @fabulous-jj-style, @theseeker945, @pleadingeyes, @kjaneway1, @truthbehindthemysteries, @im-a-muggleborn, @startrekkingaroundasgard, @mythandmagik, @geocookie21, @zerocanonlywriteshit, @thewinterpoet2, @anteroom-of-death

Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary, @imjustassaneasyou

You coughed pitifully and laid back on the soft pillows. The Master was lying next to you and stroking your head gently. You groaned and opened your eyes slightly and looked into his deep brown ones.

“Are you feeling any better?” he asked

“My throat feels like it’s been rubbed with sandpaper,” you croaked, “Feel like shit.”

The Master exhaled deeply as he rolled onto his back. To other people it would look like he didn’t care but you knew better. There was nothing you could do but wait out your cold as you didn’t know how future medicines would react to your body. The Master was upset because he couldn’t help you. For once he was helpless.

“Is there anything you want?” he asked eventually

“A cup of tea might be nice.”

“Right,” he immediately got off the bed, “Whatever you wish.”

You gave him a soft smile as he left the room. This was a side of the Master that only you had the honour of seeing. The knowledge that he’d do anything for you while you were sick did make you feel slightly better. He was your timelord and you were his human. You shut your eyes as you relaxed against the mattress a you waited for his return. Suddenly the bed dipped and you felt a cool hand press against your forehead.

“Oh my poor human,” cooed a familiar voice, “He hasn’t been taking good care of you.”

Your eyes fluttered open and you looked up at the other familiar timelord above you.

“Doctor?” you asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Doctor,” she sounded amused, “Usually I’d take offense to that but because you’re ill I’ll let you off with a warning. I’m the Master, pet.”

“Master?” you opened your eyes again and looked at her closely, “Yes, you have the same eyes.”

You reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She leant into your touch but quickly realised what she was doing and pulled away. Your hand hovered for a moment before you started to lower it. You were too sick to question what she was doing here but her mannerisms reminded you of the other Master. Wanting your touch and yet not believing that he was deserving of it.

“What are you doing here?”

Your Master shut the door behind him as he walked towards you and the other timelord. He set the cup of tea on the bedside table before quickly lying down next to you. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled your against his chest. You sighed happily as he pressed a kiss against your cheek.

“Just visiting my favourite human,” the other timelord reached over and patted your cheek, “I’ve been missing them. Poor little thing, I forget how fragile humans can be.”

She lay down and rested her head on your stomach. You felt your cheeks heat up and you knew it wasn’t from your cold.

“My tea,” you said, “It’ll get cold if I don’t drink it soon.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said the Master behind you, “We’re comfortable here.”

“Aren’t you?” asked the other Master

“Yes.” You said quietly

“Then go to sleep, love.” He breathed against the shell of your ear

“We’ll be right here when you wake up.” She said

“Get some rest,” he said, “We’ll keep you safe.”

He lean forward and pressed a soft kiss against your cheek. The other Master glared at him before leaning up and pressing a kiss again your other cheek. You sighed contentedly as you were finally able to relax in the arms of two of the most dangerous people in the universe. Right now, as you slowly drifted off to sleep, there was nowhere else you’d rather be.

[raelly-writing]

Tiny Big Demands

Silly 5.4-5.5 fluff that’s been lounging in my WIPs folder for several months. There’s some Thancred/WoL at the end but otherwise it’s mainly uh... nutkin shenanigans.

---

“What the Hells Than..red…”

Frowning, Viana rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow to shut out the early morning light. Another sharp, nipping sensation at her other ear followed shortly afterwards, rousing her involuntarily further from her sleep.

Her quiet curse was muffled against her pillow as she blindly reached out a hand to find Thancred and hit his shoulder or chest for the unpleasant wake up call.

But all she found was empty air and cold sheets. Immediately, a harsh sense of disappointment cut through her sleep-logged mind.

Right, he’d be far past the Garlean border by now.

Exhaling, she burrowed back into the covers in a sudden bout of moody resignation. As ridiculous as she felt for missing him so sorely, it was a small comfort that the scent of him still lingered on her sheets, even after the days since his departure.

Maybe she should heed the voice at the back of her head that urged her to rise and face the day, but the warmth of her bed was too comfortable. After the hustle of finding a cure for tempering and applying it to the kobolds, nevermind dealing with a new Ascian’s gloating, she was ready to drift back to sleep, if just for a little while longer.

The soft brush of fur against her arm, followed by a familiar, insistent chittering made her crack open an eye to squint against the morning light. Dark eyes stared back at her, a pink nose and long whiskers wiggling in what could only be described as petulant manner as the nutkin squeaked loudly at her.

Viana blinked owlishly, utterly confused at its appearance. Surely she wasn’t missing Thancred so much she was dreaming about his pet. “Why're you…?”

The only answer she got was another series of high pitched noises. Before she knew it, it’d scampered up her shoulder, sharp claws digging into the fabric of her shirt and soft fur teasing the bare skin at the back of her neck. Definitely not a dream then.

“Ow, okay okay, I’m awake, you little monster,” she groaned, and carefully pushed herself up on her elbows.

If she didn’t know better, she could swear the critter sounded victorious as it scurried up over her head before hopping down onto her pillow. It’s big dark eyes stared up at her as it made a big show of rubbing its clearly empty cheeks while fluffing up its tail in an indignant manner.

Viana snorted and slowly sat up.  Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she yawned widely, “How did you even get in here?”

Glancing down at the nutkin, she watched as it stood on its hind legs, squeaking up at her.

“Mhm, well, figures,” she muttered drowsily.  “Now I assume this isn’t just a friendly visit?” It flicked its tail and gave a singular squeak. It would appear that in Thancred’s absence it’d decided that she was best to see to its needs. “Thought as much.”

Sighing, she held out her hand to the nutkin, and it quickly hopped up into her palm, evidently eager to have its demands fulfilled. “Very well then,” she mused as she climbed out of bed. “Let’s see what we can find for you.”

In response she got a series of satisfied squeaks as it excitedly turned in circles in her palm. Though the stone floor was cold beneath her bare feet, she couldn’t bother to find a pair of socks for the short walk - besides, judging by how the nutkin kept chittering while twisting and turning, she doubted such delays would be tolerated to start with.

“Why, I agree, it’s most cruel of him to leave you again so soon.”

Taking her keys from where she kept them on her desk, she left her room and wandered down the empty hallway towards Thancred’s. Well, at least nobody would give her strange looks for walking around in just shorts and a simple top while talking to the small rodent in her hand. “And he didn’t leave you with enough tasty treats?” The nutkin chittered and nuzzled into her thumb when she absentmindedly petted it - a rather abrupt shift from its more aloof behaviour with her in the past, and one that left her feeling oddly manipulated at that. As sneaky and charming as its owner, clearly.

“Just Tataru refilling your bowl with plain seeds and nuts?” she tutted. “How dreadful. You better have a chat with him once he gets back from Garlemald so he knows such things won’t be accepted.”

The nutkin gave a singular high squeak in reply, one paw braced on her ring finger as it peered up at her expectantly. A small smile curled the corner of Viana’s mouth. It really was adorable when it wasn’t driving Krile to the brink of sanity by stashing nuts all around Thancred’s unconscious body.

Or when it decided to demand attention from Thancred just when the two of them were having a private moment.

The moment she unlocked his door and slipped into his room, the nutkin’s attention immediately fixated on one bookshelf in particular.

Her gaze found the familiar wooden box sitting amidst the various books, one she’d seen Thancred retrieve several times. “Suppose you never made a fuss to anyone else before, because nobody else knew where he kept the good treats, hm?”

It squeaked again.

“Well, don’t think I’m going to spoil you just because Thancred’s not here,” she said firmly as she set down the nutkin on his desk, the dark wooden surface being void of any of the document folders and notebooks that usually had occupied its surface since their return from the First.

The nutkin instantly hopped to the edge where it perched atop a discarded book, watching her intently as she took down the simple but sturdy box from the shelf. The heavy lid opened easily on well-oiled hinges and Viana took out approximately the same amount of the big nuts she’d usually seen Thancred retrieve before closing the lid once more.

Before she’d even had a chance to return the box to its place, the nutkin was squeaking excitedly. It stood on its hindlegs, small pink paws already raised as if grasping for its treats.

Viana paused, clicking her tongue. “Such ill manners,” she tutted.

The only response she got was an impatient flick of its fluffed up tail and wiggle of a pink nose as it defiantly stared up at her. It really didn’t have a shred of fear, did it? Sighing, she held out her empty hand and it quickly jumped into her palm, attention honed in on the nuts in her other hand.

But rather than waiting patiently for her to find a bowl for the nuts, it leaned off from the edge of her hand, as if readying to jump.

“Hold on now, no jumping!” Without thinking Viana quickly cupped her hands. A delighted chirp instantly resounded from the nutkin as it surveyed its pile of nuts, then latched onto a particularly big one, twisting and turning it in its hands before starting to gnaw at it.

“My my, one would almost think you’ve had naught to eat for days,” Viana chuckled. Then she looked around, the mirth making way for dismay when she was unable to locate any bowl or other container into which to deposit the hungry critter and its nuts.

Hells, she was too tired for this. With a sigh of resignation, she walked over to Thancred’s reading chair and curled up in it, cold feet tucked beneath her, while careful not to disturb the happily gnawing nutkin that was utterly oblivious to her dilemma.

Viana looked on as it began to make short work of the sturdy shell and dug into its delicious prize within, stuffing it into its cheek for later. “You know, if you’re gonna wake me like this while he’s away,” she drawled, “you could be nice and not interrupt us when he gets back.”

The nutkin paused to look up at her, almost as if it was contemplating her words, before digging back into the next nut.

Huffing out a little laugh, Viana leaned back and closed her eyes. “Well, it was worth a try,” she sighed.

With one thumb she slowly petted the nutkin’s soft fur, earning her another series of happy little noises and the distinct feeling of a nose nuzzling against her hand. Maybe she should just get a box with nuts and seeds and put it in her own room. And a bowl.

It would save her the walk over here every time it decided it wanted some attention.

Yawning, she snuggled back into the chair. Well, she could look into that later today. Before she knew it, the sound of the nutkin happily eating was lulling her back into a light sleep.

---

Thancred carefully set down the sturdy clay bowl on Viana’s nightstand, but the nutkin barely noticed, too busy with digging around amongst the seeds and nuts for its favourites to pay him any heed. For now, at least, he thought as he climbed back into bed.

“Well, I am glad to hear that the two of you got along while I was gone,” he said. “I do apologise though, I did not expect her to bother you.”

Viana made a drowsy noise as she rolled over to rest her head on his shoulder once more. “‘tis fine,” she murmured. “I suppose we did come to an understanding. Even though it required a few early mornings.”

At the sound of her voice the nutkin looked up and squeaked, as if in agreement, before digging back into its meal.

With a soft chuckle, he grasped her hand and - mindful of her shoulder - pressed a kiss to her fingers. “Glad to hear it,” he mused. Why he hadn’t thought of putting a box with the nutkin’s food in her room he wasn’t sure. Unwillingness to intrude on her space, perhaps? Ah, well, she’d taken the step herself.

“Hope this means fewer… interruptions,” she mumbled. Thancred couldn’t help but smile at the sleepy tone of her voice while his chest felt warm and comfortable. Twelve, he’d missed mornings such as this - nutkin interruptions or not - where he just got to treasure her presence. It wasn’t many who got to see the fearsome Warrior of Light in a half-asleep state like this.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” he snorted with a glance at the critter in question.

The only response he got was a muffled hum. Clearly she too was still worn out from the fighting in Pagl’than the day prior.

With a quiet, fond laugh, he brushed his fingers through her hair, prompting her to snuggle closer to him. After giving the nutkin a last pet, Thancred let his eyes fall shut and sleep reclaim him.

[make-me-imagine]

Submission by @thebookbakery; this is their first published fic, so I hope you guys enjoy it, and let them know what you think!

—–

Bruce Banner (MCU) x Female!Reader (sorry…)

Warnings: Reader with mental illness, so much fluff, code green (but dw, Hulk is a softie)

Marvel Taglist: @aquariuslavenderhoney

Fic Written by: @thebookbakery 

Go check out their new fic blog @trashywritestrash !!!

—–

Bruce’s POV

  I shove my head in my hands, closing my eyes in a desperate attempt to calm my mind; even though I know it’s pointless. My thoughts have been bouncing around all day, leaving me unable to focus on any task for longer than thirty seconds. Even as they run circles in my head, my thoughts keep making their way back to her.

  Y/N has been avoiding me for the past four days. But, to be fair, it’s not only me that she’s been avoiding. Wanda and Bucky noticed it too, but when I asked, they told me to let her come back in her own time. I understand why they would say that; but it’s getting increasingly difficult to hold myself back from knocking on her bedroom door. I’ve never been the type to be that direct- especially when it comes to women- but these past couple of days have been driving me to my wits end. I thought I was just worried, like any good friend would… But that’s not it. Tony’s daily ritual of annoying me while I try to work made me realize that I’m not worried I did something wrong.

  I miss her.

  Normally, she would come into the lab with enough coffee to kill a horse and sit with us. She would occasionally help me with an equation or grab Tony some tool he needed- but Y/N mainly stayed to keep us company. She’d join in on jokes and keep us from losing our minds to an unfinished project or a lack of sleep. I miss having her sit on an empty desk and read my screen over my shoulder. I miss seeing the sparkle in her eyes when we’d explain what we’re planning next. What I miss most is simply hearing her laugh at something I said. It’s nice. Knowing that Y/N enjoys my company. Or, at least, she did.

  I have no idea what time it is, but it must be late. The compound is dead silent, and it’s pitch black outside. Suddenly, I can feel the other guy clawing at my brain, trying to take control. My head feels as if it’s splitting open, my eyes watering as a searing pain shoots from my temples outwards. The reflection of my face on the desk shows green veins appearing.

Oh no.

Y/N’s POV

  I feel nothing but the cool water lapping at my ankles. My mind has been almost blank for the past week. This isn’t new, it’s basically a routine by now. Every once in a while, my head will empty, save for a few thoughts here and there. I won’t feel emotions, and when I do, they are so watered-down that I wonder if they’re real or if it’s just a reflex I’ve picked up after faking it for so long. When I get like this, I hide. I stay in my room, only leaving when necessary. I speak in short sentences, if at all. They don’t need to see me like this. I’m not fun, I don’t speak up, I sit on the couch and zone-out the whole time. Words will go in one ear and out the other, leaving only a small trace behind. I don’t want this version of me to be all they can see.

  So here I sit with my feet in the pool at three in the morning because I can’t fall asleep. The pool is my usual choice on these nights. If anyone has a nightmare, they’ll go to the kitchen or the common room. No one comes out here. Especially not at night.

  I take steady breaths, keeping myself calm. My eyes drift shut as tears slip out and land on my pajama bottoms. I lift my hand to cover my mouth as I sniffle, not wanting to make noise. The worst part of this is that I don’t have a reason for crying. I just feel like I need to get it out.

  As I wipe my tears away, I hear movement behind me to my left and quickly turn. Years of spy training and paranoia helps in the reaction time department. My eyes widen.

  “Bruce?” Loud footsteps approach and I realize that isn’t Bruce. The large green figure steps closer, dropping onto the ground beside me, “What are you doing out?”

  “Hulk heard pretty girl cry,” He mumbles, not wanting to be loud. Y/N wonders if he’s being quiet out of courtesy or fear.

  “I’m okay, big guy. But what about you? Are you okay? Did Stark do something stupid again?” He gives a small shake of his head.

  “Y/N cry.”

  My chest tightens slightly, “You… you came out just to check on me?” Hulk hums in agreeance, looking down into the clear blue water of the pool. “That’s sweet of you.”

  After a moment of silence, Hulk glances over at me. When our eyes meet, he looks back to the pool and gently slides in, careful not to splash. Although he went slowly, Hulk is so large that the water overflows and spills over the edges of the tile. It soaks my bottom, but I don’t care; it’s just water. I give him a smile as he steps in front of me, “What are you doing?” the depth of the pool makes him slightly shorter than me, causing me to look down the tiniest bit to see his face.

  “Pretty girl still sad,” he answers simply. I huff out a laugh.

  “Why do you call me that?”

  “Hulk think Y/N pretty,” Hulk looks down, like he’s nervous.

  I roll my eyes with a soft chuckle, “Well, you need to meet more people,” he looks back up at me.

  “Puny Banner think Y/N pretty too,” my eyes widen slightly.

  “Really?” I feel my face heat up, but I try to keep calm. I don’t want to get my hopes up. So, what if he thinks I’m pretty? That doesn’t automatically mean he thinks of me as anything more than a friend.

  “Yes,” I take a moment to collect my thoughts before Hulk asks, “Why pretty Y/N so sad?”

  After taking a deep breath, I explain, “Sometimes… my mind goes blank and I- I feel kind of empty?” Knowing he’s probably confused, I elaborate, “Do you remember that shell I showed you? It was small and pink- you called it fragile.”

  His eyes light up a bit as he nods, starting to get it, “Remember how I told you that a crab used to live inside of it, like a home?” Another nod, “Well… I kind of feel like a shell without a crab. It’s empty, and it just sits there until it’s useful again. When I feel like that, it’s sometimes hard for me to feel happy.” Hulk seems to get it but doesn’t say anything. Then, suddenly, he goes underwater. I watch curiously as he resurfaces, cheeks puffed out full of water. He looks up and puckers his lips, spurting water from his mouth like a roman fountain. And for the first time in the past week, I laugh. It’s quiet, subtle, but it’s real; and it feels good. Hulk sees and smiles when he’s done. Looking at him now, in this moment, it’s even harder for me to understand how people could be afraid of him. Hulk may look big and scary, but he’s a sweetheart.

  “Y/N happy?” I couldn’t stop my smile if I wanted to.

  “I am now.”

  He looks excited, “Hulk make Y/N happy?”

  “Yes, you do,” He smiles wide and steps forward, setting his head on your lap. He’s so precious. Carefully, I slide my fingers into his sopping hair, gently massaging his scalp. His eyes fall shut as he stays where he is. I’m completely soaked now, but I couldn’t care less- the incredible Hulk himself is snuggling me like a puppy and it’s adorable.

  I don’t know how much time passes like this. Eventually, Hulk pulls away with a frown, “Puny Banner want out.” I reach out to cup his cheek, causing him to lean into my touch with a content smile.

  “That’s okay, isn’t it? You can see me again soon.” I use both my hands to pull his face closer to mine, allowing me to place a small kiss on his forehead. He nods slowly.

  “Bye-bye pretty Y/N,” And with that, he begins shrinking. I move my hands under his arms so that Bruce doesn’t drown as soon as he wakes up. When he’s back to normal, he immediately shoots up and looks around frantically.

  “Bruce- it’s okay, you’re okay! I’m right here,” he calms down and leans his arms against the edge of the pool to hold himself up.

  “Oh my- Y/N! Are you okay? Are you hurt?!” He begins looking over me for any injuries.

  “No, no, I’m okay. He didn’t hurt anyone,” once he relaxes some, he places his head in his hands. Bruce didn’t move far after transforming, so he’s still close enough for you to comfortably place your fingers back into his hair.

  “Y/N… Are you okay?”

  I sigh, “Bruce, I promise you, Hulk did not hurt me,” he tenses slightly.

  “I wasn’t talking about him…” I get the message and remove my hand from his hair.

  “I’m sorry. I was playing with Hulk’s hair before, but I shouldn’t have assumed that you’d be okay with it too,” he looks confused. “You’re two different people with two different opinions. Just because he likes something, that doesn’t mean you like it too.”

  “Actually,” Bruce looks down in his attempt to hide a blush, “I, uh… I do kinda like it. It feels… It feels nice.” I smile softly and nod, continuing the motions I was using on Hulk, getting a very similar reaction.

  Bruce opens his eyes and looks up at me, not speaking until our eyes meet and are locked for an amount of time that is probably too long for ‘just friends’.

  “Are you afraid of him?” I shake my head no, “Why not?”

  I hold back my giggles, “Because you’re both big babies.”

  His eyes widen slightly with curiosity, “What did he say that would make you think that?” The laugh escapes before I can stop it.

  “Let’s see… He came out just because he heard me crying and wanted to check on me, then he called me pretty. After all that, he spit water out of his mouth like a fountain to cheer me up,” Bruce smiles softly, but it falls as he thinks on the words.

  “Wait… What did he call you?” He sounds nervous. I was hoping he’d overlook that, but I guess I’m not that lucky.

  “Hulk kept calling me ‘pretty girl’ or 'pretty Y/N’,” suddenly feeling shy, I continue, “He’s actually really sweet when you get to know him…” My voice trails off as I worry if I said too much. I know Bruce doesn’t like talking about Hulk, especially right after switching back. However, he only seems to blush at my words.

  “Did he- uh, did he say anything else?” Bruce is looking down at his hands, fidgeting nervously like a child who is afraid he’s going to be yelled at. As if the skies finally clear on a cloudy day, I get an idea as to why he is acting this way. Against my better judgement, I speak up.

  “He said that you do too… That you think I’m pretty, I mean!” I press my lips together tightly, trying to form a seal. Maybe if my lips fuse together, it’ll finally get me to shut my mouth before I make a fool of myself rather than after. Alas, it doesn’t work, “Hulk probably only said that to make me feel better though, so don’t worry.”

  Bruce tenses up at the mention of that. I open my mouth to apologize, but he beats me to it, “No, he didn’t. I- um… I do… think that you’re pretty…” His face flushes beet red and he refuses to meet my gaze. I slowly inch my hand closer to his until they are on top of each other. Carefully, he interlocks our fingers, obviously still scared that he might hurt me. I give his hand a gentle squeeze, causing him to look up.

  “Thank you.”

  We spend the next few minutes in total silence, staring at our joined hands and appreciate how calm this moment is. No missions, no aliens, no Loki, and most importantly- no Tony. I don’t think either of us could do this with him teasing us the whole time. Bruce moves his hand and, for a second, I’m afraid he’s going to pull away. Instead, he holds both of my hands in both of his, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles lovingly.

  “Y/N, would you… Would you like to go to dinner with me?”

  I quickly- probably too quickly- nod, trying to conceal my smile. After realizing how desperate I must look, I pull myself together, “I’d love to, Bruce.”

  His eyes shine in the moonlight as he smiles wide. Keeping his hands in mine, I pull them up to my face and plant gentle kisses on his knuckles. We just stay there, blushing and grinning like idiots as we bask in the comfort that comes with not being alone. No words are spoken, but they don’t need to be. I look into his eyes and I can feel the warmth and love radiating from him. And I will do everything in my power to show Bruce that I trust him and Hulk. That I am not afraid of him and never will be.

Tony’s POV

  “Did I just see that right?” asks Steve as he stares in disbelief at what we just witnessed.

  “Do we need to get you bifocals, grandpa? I knew you were old, but I didn’t think your eyesight was that questionable yet,” I quip as I slide my phone back into my pocket.

  F.R.I.D.A.Y alerted me as soon as the code green began. I woke Steve on my way to where the big guy was, but when I saw what was happening, I held Cap back. Y/N has a special effect on Hulk, we all know it. This only proves it. Steve scoffs at my comment, but I don’t care, it’s about damn time Bruce talks to her. Y/N is good for him, she makes him happy… They both deserve to be happy, to feel loved. If they can do that for each other, who are any of us to call it dangerous.

  Steve looks back at them through the sliding door, “What do we do now?”

  Bruce looks so happy. He’s never happy after going green. We can’t see Y/N’s face from this angle, but I can only guess how she must feel right now. For being a couple of Earth’s mightiest heroes who kick ass for a living, they seem content. Peaceful even.

  “We go back to sleep.”

[ineloqueent]

a night in

Brian May x Fem!Reader

synopsis: your plans for christmas turn sour when you fall ill. but at least you’ve got Brian there with you.

warnings: swearing

word count: 2.2k

⭒

The end of December was approaching at a pace which could only be described as rapid, and christmas was lurking around the corner in a rather sinister manner, given that you had hardly got anything done in the weeks leading up to it, and were now facing the daunting task of wrapping presents, decorating the tree, and baking enough reserves of biscuits to last the presence of your sweet-toothed family.

It was the day before christmas, which really did not bode well for either you or your boyfriend. You both had yet to pack, having felt almost nothing but reluctance toward the idea of going to visit your family— you because your family, as much as you loved them, often drove you up the wall, and Brian because he had never met your family, and was nervous for the occasion to finally arise.

Typical Brian.

He worried about everything. It was quite sweet, really, the way he worried about your family not liking him, because Brian was just about the best thing ever to have happened to you, and with his humility and his kindness, his cleverness and his wit, you could not imagine anyone seriously disliking him.

Except for when he left. That made you quite upset with him. Especially on the mornings where he had to get up early, and left you alone in bed without a source of warmth.

But for this morning, at least, he still had yet to get up, despite the multitude of things on your combined to-do list.

Instead, the two of you lay intertwined with each other, soft breaths and soft skin and mouths.

Brian was warmth, and you pressed closer to him, tightening your grasp around his impossibly slim frame, breathing in the smell of his hair and his skin, strawberries turned musky with sleep, like Turkish delight offered on a wintry day— some semblance of a fairytale was interwoven with his curls, with the blushing pink of his lips, and the contrast between the two.

He shifted in your arms, a sigh falling from him the way that the first snow of the year always falls— peaceful, gentle, almost tentatively— the way he’d kissed you the first time.

You remembered it as though it were yesterday.

You’d been sitting beside him on the grass of Hyde Park, the lazy summer sun circling overhead, and you’d pushed your sunglasses up atop your head, and glanced over at Brian.

He’d smiled at you, and you’d sighed, lying back on the grass. Brian had followed suit, and the two of you had gazed up at the sky in tandem, watching the clouds turn about the sky like the whitewash of the sea, becoming and undoing themselves all at once, fluctuating between infinite numbers of shapes which appeared to your imagination as animals or plants, people and inanimate objects.

“This is how life should always be,” Brian had said.

You’d hummed in agreement. “No responsibilities, no schedules, just the sky and the world beneath it.”

“And you.”

“Me?” You had turned your head to face him, your fingers knotting in the grass as your pulse elevated by no intentions of its own.

“Mmm.” His curls had fluttered in the breeze as he’d nodded, his hazel eyes turning your legs to caramel beneath you. You were glad you were not standing.

“Brian?”

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me.”

He’d opened his mouth as though to say something, but then seemed to have lost all ability to do so, and pressed his lips together.

Slowly— so slowly you thought he’d change his mind halfway and leave you lying motionless on the ground, unable to move for how closely Brian Harold May had been to kissing you— he raised himself to his elbows, and moved to hover above you.

His exhale touched your lips before his own did, and you shuddered involuntarily. Then, he leaned down to you, and overlapped your mouth with his, breathing into the kiss in a manner which set goosebumps prickling along every inch of your skin, scattered asunder the butterflies in your stomach till their wings tickled along every part of your body, like a sparkler catching flame.

Your hand slid to cover the nape of his neck, sinking into his ringlet curls as you pulled him to you and became nothingness beneath his touch, dissolving as his fingertips brushed your waist, his tongue your lower lip. And god— he was good at this.

A small sound escaped him, and you parted your lips and let your shoulders sink into the grass. You drew Brian with you, kissing him, kissing him, kissing him, so many times you thought you’d never stop, because you never wanted to be without this feeling again— this feeling of him.

You remembered that kiss this morning, as he wrinkled his nose in his sleep, and you traced your fingers from his temple to his jaw, before brushing over his sternum, and trailing down the centre of his chest—

His eyes flew open and he grasped your wrist, his breath coming sharp and short.

Your heart seized.

As though waking from a dream, he relaxed, a sigh scattering his curls briefly away from his face, before they fell back into his eyes. You smiled fondly at the sight, and Brian bit his lip shyly. He was still shy, shy at the affection offered to him, after all this time. Some part of him still doubted he was deserving; you could see it in the dip of his mouth, the downward flick of his eyes, and pink rising in his face.

“Hello,” he murmured.

“Hello, Brian,” you whispered back, and kissed his collarbone.

You lingered, and felt his breath against your forehead, the beat of his heart upon the place where your cheek had come to rest.

“Not getting out of bed today?”

“Uh-uh.”

He chuckled, the sound humming over your skin. “No visiting family, then?”

“You’re my family.”

“Oh, my love—”

“Shh, go back to sleep.”

Brian frowned. “As much as I hate the thought of getting out of bed right now, we really must, if we’re to catch that train.”

Nestling into him, you whined, “But you’re so warm…”

Brian’s frown deepened, a crease appearing between his eyes. “As are you,” he said.

Then at once, he pushed you away, sat up, and pulled you up with him. You blinked dazedly, as Brian shook his head. “God, you’re warm,” he muttered, and pressed the back of his palm against your forehead. His eyes widened suddenly, as both his hands came up to cradle your face. “Christ, love, I think you’ve got a fever.”

You blinked. “What?”

He shook his head again. “You’re ill.”

“But what about—”

“We are not going anywhere.”

“Christmas—”

Brian scoffed, “Absolutely bloody not.”

You fought for control of your mind, which seemed suddenly cloudy, in the wake of Brian’s realisation. “But I’ve bought presents, and baked biscuits, and I promised my mum—”

“There’s no such thing as late presents,” said Brian, “and the biscuits we’ll eat ourselves, and your mum will understand that you’re sick and not to leave your bed until you’re feeling better.”

You grew suddenly despairing at the thought of spending christmas in bed, with nothing to show for the wasted time, and you said desperately, “But Brian, I can’t not— what about— oh, I’ve ruined everything.”

You felt suddenly rather overwhelmed, fisting your hands in the sheets. He was right, that was for certain; you felt so very cold, though he insisted that you were warm, and yes— that was a sweat breaking out on your neck, tingles starting down your spine. And you were tired. So, so tired.

And then you were blushing, that Brian should have to see you like this— pathetic, weak, and not entirely pretty, at that— deal with you like this.

You ducked your head. “Please don’t feel obligated to stay here with me. I’m sure I can take care of it, be better in a few days’ time…”

“You, my love, are entirely ridiculous, if you think that I am going to leave you here for a single second, in this state.”

Your blush deepened at his words, but if Brian noticed, he said nothing.

“I don’t—”

“Shush,” said Brian, rising from your side, before pulling on the pair of trousers previously discarded by the bed. You pressed your lips together immediately at his insistence, and he swept around the side of the bed, kneeling by your side. “You’re going to stay right here whilst I make you a cup of tea and phone your mum, and then we’re going to do everything in our power to get you on the mend, yeah?”

You nodded silently, biting your lip. A distinct sense of shame still weighed upon you.

At your nod, Brian nodded as well, and stood.

You bowed your head and resigned yourself to a miserable christmas.

But then suddenly, Brian’s lips were at the shell of your ear.

“And just for the record,” he whispered, “you couldn’t ruin anything if you tried.”

His fingers brushed the nape of your neck before he dropped a kiss to your hair, and departed the bedroom for the kitchen.

⭒

The cup of chamomile tea had not gone down easily, but with thirty minutes of sipping the hot, warm, then lukewarm, liquid— and no small amount of coaxing from Brian— it was done.

He took your temperature after that, and grumbled disapprovingly, until he saw your downcast eyes, and stroked a hand over your head.

“Good girl,” he murmured.

Then he reached above the bed and drew the curtains shut, before undressing again and crawling back beneath the duvet and wrapping his arms around you, pulling you against his chest and kissing the curve of your neck.

“What can I do for you, love? Anything you need, just tell me.”

But all you really wanted was sleep. And Brian there with you.

“Just…” you started. “Just hold me.”

“I can do that,” Brian said. “I’m very good at that.”

And you slept through to dinnertime.

When you awoke, Brian was gone, but you could hear him singing in the kitchen, and a lovely smell wafted through the flat to your bedroom.

He returned with a bowl of soup, which he assured you was fresh, because he had just made it. He sat with you whilst you ate slowly, your movements still as lethargic as they had been in the morning. But he stayed by your side, eating his own soup as he kept you company, combing your hair with his fingers, clearing away your bowl when you eventually finished.

He then took your temperature again, tutting like a mother hen. He urged you take a shower to ease your aching muscles, and you complied, whilst he exchanged the sweat-matted sheets of your bed to clean ones. When you slipped back into bed, the cotton was cool against your skin, and your heart swelled with gratitude for Brian and his attentiveness.

You fell asleep quickly, and though you awoke throughout the night, Brian was always awake too, there to sing you back to sleep, or talk or read in comforting tones until you drifted off again.

But when you eyes opened christmas morning, Brian was nowhere to be found.

Until he was— sitting beside you on the bed, smiling softly.

He held out a mug to you, and involuntarily, you cringed.

He laughed. “It’s not chamomile tea, today,” he assured you, and you sighed in relief, because you had never particularly liked chamomile tea in the first place, and after the events of yesterday, there would be no redemption for it, ever.

“Hot chocolate, to celebrate,” he said. “Happy christmas, my love.”

Letting you take the offered cup, Brian clinked his own against yours.

“Happy christmas, Bri,” you responded, sleepily but happily, and he smiled again, and it warmed your heart to no end.

He blew on his hot chocolate before taking a delicate sip, and as you drank as well, you could not help but stare at him, at this beautiful being who, for presumably no reason at all, had chosen to love you.

“What?” he said, when he noticed you looking, and you chewed your lip.

“I really want to kiss you,” you answered.

Brian set down his cup on the bedside table, and leaned close to you.

“No,” you pushed him away gently, “I’ll get you sick.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “Oh, fuck it,” he muttered. “I love you.”

“I love you—”

He silenced you with a kiss, drawing you in with a breath, nipping lightly as your lower lip so that you all but melted into his arms.

And you kissed him and you kissed him, and in an infinite cycle, he kissed you, until the world fell away, its colours softening to sunset pastels. And you floated away, awash with the sort of love you had never thought possible, before you had met Brian.

[beitingz]

Headcanon: TMNT x younger! Reader

This is platonic, do not worry lol!! thank you for the asks/requests!! i have looked at all of them and have them “queued” to write in my notes

❤️ This is something I started working on beforehand. I didn’t really bother with capitalization and whatnot with this piece, so this isn’t really my writing style. Let me know if you want another part to this or a specific headcanon for a younger! reader :)

———

-you followed Mikey into the sewers when you saw him kicking trash on the roof of your apartment building

-you were caught because... well, he’s a ninja. he isn’t THAT careless...

-he brought you back home since taking you home would be a super stupid idea, plus he just knew Leonardo was going to kill him!

-he tells his brothers immediately when he gets home....... maybe not immediately..... he has to butter them up first so they don’t hit him

-Raph still slaps the back of his neck

-you wake up to Mikey poking your cheek and see that three other turtles have joined him

-Leo is the scariest, Raph’s Batman voice intimidates you, Donnie is just... kinda there, co-signing, and Mikey tries to get Leo and Raph to chill because they’re scaring you

-you swear not to tell anyone about them and Donnie takes your phone to make sure you have no videos or anything of them and they disappear

-after school you tracked your phone with your old phone after heading back into the sewers

-Turtles were not pleased

-the story is long, but they agreed that you could keep coming down to see them as long as you never told anyone about them and called/texted before coming.... and you weren’t being annoying

-you don’t know what happened to your phone tbh but donnie gave you some sort of modified track phone to use instead while he made you a t-phone

-you texted Mikey mostly. he was really cool and felt like an older brother to you. he always made you laugh

-Donnie rarely replied, so you would have to call him..... not much to talk about at first

-Leo left you on read a lot

-Raph tries to make sense of your text messages... NY colloquialism is interesting sometimes and you tend to miss out when you live in the sewers

-Mikey is the one to escort you to the lair the first (technically second) time

-you bring candy from a corner store for him and his brothers hoping they’d start to be more welcoming

-Donnie has a bit of a sweet-tooth and accepts the peace offering

-Raph and Leo pass on that

-Mikey happily takes their portion

-they soon warm up to you and begin randomly checking up on you and inviting you over

-you eventually meet April

-she’s really nice and always tries to form some sort of close relationship with you. she’s like an older sister

-have a gaming console? bring it with you and introduce mikey to some new games, he will absolutely adore you for it

-bonding with raph is harder, but eventually you learn that you dont really have to talk much to do that

-just kinda walk into the training room and either join him (he’ll automatically want to help when you’re doing something wrong) or carefully crawl on top of his shell while he’s doing push-ups

-he’ll stop and tell you to get off, but when you simply refuse, he’ll shake his head and mumble something, however will continue

-this will become a routine/habit and you’ll sometimes vent to each other like that

-donnie lets you in his labs for school related things only (unless you’re really into STEM, then he’ll definitely allow you to come in more often)

-he gets frustrated with your math book bro

- “that’s... not the way you’re supposed to do it, donnie... they want us to do it this way.”

- “i don’t know that way! why would they change math?? math is MATH!”

- “i’ll just wait for April to get back...”

- “what??? well she wont understand it any better than i do!”

-leo, as intimidating as he seems, has grown fond of you from a distance. you seem to light up the lair with your youthful spirit. they’ve all matured in their own ways. yes, even mikey. it’s nice to have a change

-you’ll have to approach him first

-join him while he’s meditating. he’ll give you tips and may even strike up a conversation unrelated. he enjoys the company

-leonardo tells you stories and let’s you hold his katanas and sometimes wear his mask from time to time

-youve never seen the turtles in action. you knew they were ninjas though.

-they typically train towards the end of the school day, so if you decide to cut class, you just might catch them

-you’ll be in awe

-you silently sit beside a panting Donatello and compliment his skills, he’ll say thanks and then suddenly realize your presence

-you’re sent back to school lol

-or you just have to wait in the livingroom

-Mikey is actually the one who offers to train you and the boys actually think it’s a good idea since he’s really patient with you and he took the longest to learn the art of ninjitsu when they were little

-sometimes Mikey strays from the lesson, so be sure to remind him that you’re training

-Leo begins to supervise when he hears laughter in the dojo

-he eventually takes over and you actually learn a lot more faster and realize Mikey was going super easy on you and taking it really slow

-you won’t be sparring for a while. Leo doesn’t want you getting hurt. they don’t know their own strength sometimes

-you have the most gifts on christmas, ill tell you that

-the turtles are basically your big bros

-you can’t stay late!!! forgot to mention that. they will not allow it... unless you have a good excuse set for your parent(s)/guardian(s)

[tatianafarenheit]

Devourer (open ending)

TW: GORE, slight lime,

It was pouring. The wind was howling woefully while it quickly rushed trought the trembling leafs of the Wangshu Inn’s Foundation of a tree. Even the sound of the other travelers, stopping for the night, was drowned by the white noise that rang trough-out the halls of the Inn, creating a terribly uncomfortable sensation of chaos. Xiao hated these kind of nights where the inn was bustling more than usual, and the fact that his only remaining comrade from the war was near him did not comfort him either.

He felt restrained almost rigid at the heavy awkwardness that strangled the room for the past two hours. Neither him or Yanay said a single word since they first reunited and Xiao’s mind was near overheating while trying to think of something to say.

His attempts where rewarded with emptiness and that frustrated him. He hated feeling like a kid, palms almost sweaty because he could not communicate with the only being that experienced the same pain he did, the only being who also had to witness the same horrors of war and was unfortunate enough to live on to tell the story.

Truth be told, they didn’t end on the best terms. Xiao blamed Yanay for years for the cause of his comrades deaths and vice versa, only to realize later that the person to blame was the misleading messenger between them. Yanay didnt in fact given the wrong orders, the messenger did and Xiao in fact did not leave his friends to die because he ran off, he was just too late to help.

Every since the truth emerged the both of them felt uncomfortably awkward next to each other, stuck between feeling a need to apologize and not wanting to open the wound that the sorrowful memories left behind. How easy it would be if stolen glances could be an actual form of communication. Yanay hearts raced while looking at Xiao, she felt a painful voide eating away at her heart while she looked at the broken man, a small fragment of what he used to be, almost like a living memory of the past, a guardian cursed to carry and reopen his old wounds each time he looked around him. Every single fragment of Liyue was a breathing reminder of what happened upon its lands all those years ago.

Yanay managed to find herself a new purpose, or more like the purpose found her. Ningguan found the resentful and nugatory girl and could not help but see potential in her, a woman that only needed someone to open her eyes. Ningguan offered her a job and a promise of a new start, a painfully docile life, she promised she would never have to suffer again and so Yanay followed her. Ningguan’s helping hand helped Yanay wake up, but only by her own will did she only find herself again, patching up her still bleeding old wounds hoping that one day they would stop…but they still bleed to this day.

Thats the difference between Xiao and Yanay is that Xiao accepted it, came to terms with the brokenness his whole existence represents, he got accustomed to the horrible misey that chews and spits him out every time he breathes, so accustomed to it to the point he doesnt feel it anymore. Yanay on the other hand could not, her mind still whispers menacingly to her, each time her eyelids tremble shut, the terrifying truth she had to endure. And each time, she fights it, she refuses it wholeheartedly, her resistance only making everything burn even more and even deeper.

“Im going to sleep” Yanay whispered and Xiao heard it, looking away and only giving a hum as a response. He felt bad, truly, he wish he could speak to her more, to apologize, to tell her that he can be there- but his savage heart wont let him, his prode chaining his mouth shut so he could not get himself hurt more. He tried to justify his actions by saying things such as ‘she wouldn’t care anyway’; ‘it would not help her so whats the point?’ But Xiao forgot to consider how much Yanay cared for such small things, how much she cherished in the back of her rotting soul the fact that someone thought that she deserved an apology.

Yanay laid down, her back facing Xiao, afraid of letting him see her composure falling apart each second she was next to him. And so with one last heavy puff of air her eyes closed. Xiao soon followed laying as far away as possible from her.

Xiao was awoken by the sound of the sheets being tousled around and as he looked in Yanays direction he could only see her figure hunched over. “Why are you awake?” He said in a gruff voice, slight annoyance tainting his tone from being awoken this early in the night. What he saw next made him freeze up, his blood turned cold and eyes froze open. Yanay looked back at him with tears in her wide eyes “Take them away-“ she barely whispered, her voice trembling along with the hands that gripped her sides in a crushing strenght.

Xiao felt like his world crashed down onto him, his veins thinning as he looked the the now seemingly vulnerable woman in front of him. His whole idea of who Yanay is was completely ruined, hes never seen her like this. So fragile and so… brittle- It was almost like someone’s possessed her body.

“You can eat dreams, right? Please-“ the girl cut herself short, her eyes scanning him frantically. She knew she was asking for too much, she felt it so deep in her bones that they felt like they might snap-. “I know im asking for too much but please- take them! Devour them until theres not even a single one that escapes!” Her voice was getting more and more unstable, her gaze running over the room back and forth, avoiding his apparent burning gaze. He just stared for a second, it all felt unreal to him. His breathing got labored and heavy as he saw the marking scene before him. A warrior turned to a broken maiden, looking for a kind of alleviation that only he could bring her.

Yanay took his silence as a refusal, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she turned back to her hunched position. His gaze felt unbearably heavy on her back, almost quelling her to the point she felt minuscule. “Never mind- it was stupid of me to ask that. Please forget i ever said anything.” There it goes again, the voice Xiao was so accustomed to. He couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment wash over him.

Without rationality he reached out to her, his fingers grabbing onto her shoulder and turning her around a bit more harshly than what he meant.

Yanay jumped, her composure falling apart by his own hand. “Tell me what dreams im looking for..” his voice was awfully soft, so soft that it made a small electric string run up Yanay’s spine, a wave of ecstasy running over her body. But once the realization of what he really asked hit her, her eyes turned dark and cold. The kind of eyes Xiao used to have, so he immediately knew what he had to look for. “I will help you but-“ it was now his turn to look away in embarrassment, his face feeling way too scorching all of the sudden.

Yanay stared at him and thought of how she’s never looked at him in this kind of light before, he was absolutely breathtaking and innocent, not a shred of bad ill painted onto his face and so yet again she felt selfish for never trying to understand him- and now- here she is, asking him to do something that he most likely won’t enjoy. “Its gonna be a hell of a lot to take in, not only for you but me as well.” He continued and turned back to look at her. She almost gasped once her eyes met his, shes never seen them so close in order to see the true intensity they held. His gaze pierced trough her with such power that her breathy hitched. She only nodded. Xiao sighed, his fingers now trembling onto her skin knowing that whats about to come wont be able to be erased. Yanay’s perception of him was about to change even more.

“Turn around for me..” his voice was almost a whisper but still so moving that it made goosebumps rise on Yanay’s skin. She eagerly complied, her shoulders relaxing under his vexing touch. As she tuned around the sound around her began to fade, her attention fully concentrated onto Xiao. The next thing she felt was his chest pressed against her back, so tender yet so much pressure. She had to restrain herself from releasing a shuddered gasp once his body connected to hers. Her skin lit up, nerves trembling deliciously. Xiao felt it too, his eyes closing shut as he bit back a groan, his hands rose next to Yanays own hands, almost afraid of touching her thinking that shes gonna break. He was afraid that she’s gonna be repulsed by his touch but nonetheless he placed his hands in front of Yanay’s torso. “Grab onto one of my hands and relax into me.” He said again, his breath gently caressing Yanay’s ear shell.

Yanay’s lucidity began to dissolve, he was so close oh so close that if she turned around she could kiss him…to bad that will never be an option. After regaining a fracture of her rationality back, she complied to his words, her hand gripping one of his while she relaxed fully into him. His other hand gripped her jaw and moved it so that her face was right under his. Her eyes opened and looked at Xiao with such an irresistible innocence that he almost lost it. It was refreshing to see his comrade so complying and so sweetly vulnerable. Xiao leaned his head in, his lips barely above hers, so close that she could feel the heat coming from his face.

“Tell me when you if want me to stop..” he said against her lips before they met. Yanay’s heart felt like it was imploding, beating so hard and fast that it almost punched trough her ribcage but what came next took Yanay by surprise even more. Her limbs started to feel like putty, so soft and light. While her mind started to become intoxicated and slow, she wasn’t thinking of anything but Xiao and the overwhelmingly pleasurable feeling that started to spread inside her. It almost felt like and aphrodisiac, her body disconnecting from her mind, detaching so much that it almost felt like another person possessing her body. Xiao felt the affects too, his hand gripping Yanay’s jaw harder as he leaned his head in more, deepening the kiss, his tongue running hungrily over hers. While he knew that he was supposed to focus only on devouring Yanay’s horrible nightmares he couldn’t help but indulge in the sweet release that she was, a breath of fresh air. He wanted to claim her, to make her heal him with just her presence and maybe he could help her by erasing every parasitic nightmare that plagued her thoughts every night, but that wouldn’t be healthy and he knew it.

Yanay tried so hard to grip onto her lucidity but the more she tried the damned thing ran further and further away. Her flesh felt like smoldering cinder while her stomach felt like a void, it felt like feathers were running over her skin. She was so overwhelmed that she almost passed out from the electrifying feeling that he induced. Xiaos hand left hers and opted for her waist, digging his fingers in and dragging her torso impossibly closer to his. She was so delicious that it drove him mad, forget the damned nightmares he wanted to devour her. To rip her ignorant facade apart and watch her true face show itself from the ruins that he alone tore down.

His hunger was cut short when he finally reached the nightmares he was looking for and they were exactly as he expected. Corpses rotting on the muddy field while tired soldiers pushed on whith their last breath, people screaming and crying and the worst of all, the feeling of being helpless, powerless, the feeling of having to watch knowing you cant change a god damn thing.

He couldnt stand looking at the dreadfully realistic replicas of the past so he started tearing them down, devouring the from the most affecting ones to the lesser. He tore them down with each movemnt of his lips against hers and she couldnt have been more grateful. Suddenly his kisses turned from exhilarating to melting. His movements so soft and tender that Yanay felt like she was about to burst. She never realized how much she craved this feeling before and now- now she couldnt get enough of it, she was frightened that if he touched her like that one more time shed forever be bound to him, craving him each second of her existence. Her hand slowly moved to the nape of his neck, softly caressing his satin like hair.

Xiao couldnt do anything but melt under her gentle touch, his mind finally going at ease after all of these tormenting years he had to indure all alone. Afraid as if shed disappear from his desperate clutch, he held her closer, relishing into this intoxicatingly serene moment. Oh how he truly wished they could stay like this more…

[sugarmaplewings-fics]

Deep Blue Fantasy Part One

Pairing: Merman!Tamaki x fem reader

Warnings: None

{Pt. 1}  {Pt. 2}  {Pt. 3}  {Pt. 4}  {Pt. 5}  {Pt. 6}  {Pt. 7}

Author's Note:

It’s here! Finally! An AU by me! Yay! This is just part one of a little mini-series I decided to do. I had a lot of fun writing this and exploring the concept! I played around with different ideas and I think I might do another mermaid/man AU with a different character (because I like recycling ideas). Feel free to leave your own ideas, requests, and suggestions!

Btw, this whole story is going to be x fem!reader.

Also, after much thought I decided NOT to make Tamaki half-octopus (even though I thought about it and I love that idea).

I would like you to know that my friend calls him Tomato.

Enjoy some fun times with Mermaki and Merio!

-Sugar

くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡

You inhaled deeply, the sea breeze perfectly filling your lungs. Salty water sprayed itself over your bare legs, droplets collecting and running down in cool rivulets that tickled the surface of your skin.

Every morning you came out on the beach, watching the tumultuous waves crash over each other in the distance. Every day it was different. The sky might be a deep gray, reflecting upon the sea, turning her waters a mysterious black. Others the sky was clear and blue, and the ocean looked bright and inviting. But you knew her secrets. The ocean was one to be respected. No one dared enter her. The people of your island only looked on, scanning her depths. She was never benevolent.

You couldn't help but be drawn to her, however. The breeze flooded your senses, the sounds of the waves calmed you, and her sight hurled you into an almost poetic state. You began to hum, the music intertwining with the curls of deep green water. The form of a bird caught your attention, and you watched it catch the cool updrafts of the ocean breeze.

While you stood there, distractedly humming, something else was watching you. Someone.

Pale arms hugged a black rock protruding out of the water as the dark-haired figure watched your form, skirt fluttering in the breeze. He sighed, watching you, your gentle voice carrying over the water into his pointed awaiting ears. Tamaki Amajiki had a morning routine of his own, and that was watching you follow yours. Every day he would show up early to wait for you by the rocks, watching your angelic form as you gazed out wistfully at the sea.

Tamaki had decided that what he was doing was not spying, or at least, he detested thinking of it as such. He just . . . enjoyed watching you. He had no ill intentions behind it. He simply found you to be the most wonderful and interesting thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

There was only one problem. Well, maybe two.

One. He was shy. Even amongst peers that he didn't idolize as much as he did you, he often found himself struggling to speak. He had no idea how to approach you. What if you didn't like him back? What if you weren't interested in being friends? What if you thought the two of you were too different?

His second problem: he was a merman. You were a human. How could that even work out? The existence of his kind was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the ocean. He wasn't even supposed to be this close to shore.

Tamaki had always had a fascination with humans. He knew his part of the empire was close to a human settlement, but it had taken him up until a few months ago to work up the courage to go take a glimpse of the island's shore for himself. That was when he had spotted you, and upon cautiously swimming closer, heard your voice.

Ever since, he'd come back every day, just to see you, to hear you. He longed to speak to you, to learn more about you and your kind, but he simply wasn't ready yet.

He watched your chest rise and fall as you heaved in a final sigh of sea air. Tamaki pushed himself further down into the crashing waves and longingly watched you turn and go. What he would give to be able to follow you where he could not.

Once you were gone, he never lingered. As the sight of your (H/L) (H/C) hair disappeared over the crest of the hill, he would depart, not wanting to be spotted by another member of your species. With a few flicks of his powerful deep indigo-black tail, he was once again under the waves, alone in the comforting cold wetness. He sped through the water, making his way home.

Just as he saw the soft glow of the little town he'd grown up in, he was jolted to the side, being grabbed by a pair of strong arms. Tamaki made a little squeaking noise in his throat in surprise, squeezing his eyes shut.

Bubbles tickled his cheeks as they marched across his face, desperate to reach the surface. He opened his eyes again to be met with clear blue ones, still crinkled in the aftermaths of laughter.

"Got you!" Tamaki's best friend, Mirio, signed to him.

Tamaki rolled his eyes, relaxing his shoulders slightly. He had thought he had been discovered by one of the town leaders. He tried to make his visits to the surface as discreet as possible, but someone had to question his routine absence each morning eventually.

"I guess you did," Tamaki signed back.

The merpeople communicated in a combination of sign language and high pitched squeaks and clicks, much like dolphins. While their voice boxes had difficulties speaking like we humans do, they could manipulate them to create an eerie, haunting music, just as the ancient legends of sailors described.

"Where were you?" Mirio asked, his face changing from bright and humorous to nigh concerned.

Tamaki faltered slightly, trying to think of how to answer. "Just looking for shells for my collection," he lied.

Mirio looked down at his empty arms. "Didn't find any?"

"Nope."

He looked into Tamaki's face again, suspicion settling over his features. The two had been friends since they were very young, and Mirio had learned Tamaki's ways better than even his own parents.

"Do you want help finding some?" he asked, wiping the expression off his face and changing it to a more cheerful one. He'd let it slide, just this once.

"No, thank you," Tamaki responded. "I think I'll just head home."

"Okay." The blond merman watched his friend swim off. Something wasn't right, and he knew it was up to him to find out what it was that his friend was up to.

✤✤✤✤✤

The next morning, Mirio went straight to Tamaki's house. The blond was used to waking up early, but he usually spent his mornings with himself; working out or some other such self-improvement he allowed himself to indulge in in order to make himself the strong, cheery merperson he was. Today, however, he decided to check up on his friend.

Sure enough, just as he was approaching the mound of stones and sea mud that was the home of his best friend, Mirio saw the retreating dark purplish-blue tail of Tamaki. He subtly began to follow him, keeping a distance just enough so he would still be able to see the flashing of his friend's tail ahead of him. After about ten minutes, Mirio began to suspect where they were going.

Isn't that island in this direction? What are you doing over here, Tamaki? he wondered to himself.

Another fifteen minutes or so later, the water became more shallow and littered with black rocks. Mirio sped up, occasionally utilizing the new terrain to hide from his unsuspecting friend. Now that they were so far away, Tamaki had completely stopped checking behind him, and Mirio watched as he hoisted his waist out of the water, pulling himself up above the crashing waves.

Mirio stared at him, confused for a few minutes as his friend propped himself against the rock, clearly watching for something. He suddenly noticed him stiffen, now clearly more alert. It appeared as though whatever he had been waiting for had arrived. But what was it?

Mirio couldn't take it anymore. He swam the few lengths of distance that he had kept between them and popped his own head out of the water beside Tamaki.

His black-haired friend jumped at his sudden appearance.

"What are you doing?" Mirio signed.

Tamaki fearfully glanced toward shore before tackling Mirio, pushing him back underwater.

"What are you doing?" Tamaki frantically signed back.

"I wanted to know what you were doing."

Tamaki glanced up towards the surface, unsure of what to do.

"What's on the beach?" Mirio asked. "That's what you were looking at, right?"

Tamaki suddenly felt his cheeks begin to warm, color flooding his pale skin. "There's a human over there," he finally signed, deciding to tell his best friend everything.

Mirio stiffened, now uneasy. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"You know how dangerous they are, right? They're stupid but they'll kill you if you get too close. It hasn't seen you, has it?"

"No no." Tamaki shook his head, an uncomfortable feeling of annoyance settling in his chest. "I just stay over here and watch. Besides, I don't think she'd hurt anything."

"She?" Mirio asked, incredulous.

"Do you want to see for yourself?" Tamaki asked. "She should still be there."

Mirio narrowed his eyes warily.

"She hasn't noticed me yet," Tamaki went on, trying to soothe his friend. "I've been coming here for a while now. If you just make sure you're behind one of these rocks, it's like you're invisible."

Mirio slowly flared his gills in the merperson version of a sigh. Of course Tamaki would figure out how to be invisible.

Tamaki turned and hoisted himself out of the water again and Mirio did the same, pulling himself against a bigger rock a length away from his friend. He spotted you immediately, the light fabrics of your clothing contrasting the black sand beach. The two mermen watched as you gazed up at the sky, studying the white puffy shapes of the clouds above, being quickly blown about by the wind.

Mirio had only been to the surface a few times, and each occasion he was startled by how different the air was from the water, yet somehow almost the same. He knew that wind was the same as currents, birds an equivalent to fish, but clouds always amazed him. He liked their shapes and colors, each one decorating the atmosphere in its own unique way.

He found himself looking up too, and soon he spotted a cloud whose shape reminded him of a conch shell. He looked to Tamaki, prepared to point it out when he saw the expression on his friend's face.

He had never seen such a look of soft love swimming in his dark eyes. A small wistful smile had spread across his lips, and a light shade of pink dusted over his cheeks.

Beginning to catch on, Mirio looked from him to you and then back to his friend. He liked you, that much was blatantly clear. A grin of his own rose to Mirio's features, his sharp teeth flashing in the morning sun. He leaned over to Tamaki and nudged him, giving him a knowing look.

"You like her." Mirio signed, stating the obvious.

Tamaki blushed further, shrugging.

Mirio opened his mouth to click something, but Tamaki halted him by shoving a finger over his lips.

"Wait," he signed, pointing back to you.

As if on cue, music began to float over the water, carried by the breeze. They were lucky that the wind blew so, although it was still a bit of a strain to hear your voice.

Tamaki melted back against the rock, closing his eyes to fully take in the sound of your aubade.

Mirio watched him pityingly. His friend was hopelessly in love with a human; the most dangerous species on the planet. How had Tamaki, the cautious, sweet, shy boy he was, taken such an interest into something like a human?

It was no secret that the vast majority of the mer population had at minimum a mild interest in humans. There was an odd kinship in the blatant similarities between them, so there was an undoubtable draw to their kind. Merpeople also knew, however, of the dangers humans held. Ships, plastics, fishing nets, things called labs and circuses; each one posed its own horror story against the species, driving merpeople further away from the shores.

"I wish I could talk to her," Tamaki said, his fingers softly forming meaning with their nimble gestures. He finally turned to Mirio. "You haven't seen what I have. She's kind and smart and pretty. Maybe some humans are no good, but I'm sure she is."

Mirio pushed his lips to the side, torn and thinking. "Why don't you just go up to her, then?"

Tamaki almost fell back underwater. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Well, first of all, I can't even speak Human."

Mirio glanced over at you, then back to Tamaki. "If she's so smart, she should be able to figure out something."

Tamaki slumped. "Yeah . . . ."

"So just go then! Say hi!"

Tamaki looked back at Mirio, horrified. "But that's so against the rules! Besides, weren't you saying how awful humans are a minute ago? What made you change your mind?"

"How you look at her," Mirio stated simply, causing Tamaki to blush all over again. "Just kill a fish or something and swim up and present it to her. How different can she be from the mermaids back home?"

Tamaki had never really flirted with any girls, primarily keeping to himself and hanging around Mirio. It was completely foreign territory to him, and the fact that you were a human only made it worse.

"She wouldn't even like me—"

"Nonsense!" Mirio countered, now beginning to grow frustrated with his friend. He knew Tamaki struggled with anxiety, but sometimes he simply couldn't understand why his friend couldn't just go out and take what he wanted.

The boys noticed that the music had stopped. They turned back to shore, watching as you stood and brushed yourself off. You left the beach, taking one final look at the waves before disappearing onto land.

Mirio slumped back in the water. "Now she's gone. You said she comes here every day?"

Tamaki hesitantly answered. "Yes."

"Well, come back tomorrow and confess your love!"

"I don't love—" Tamaki faltered, realization flooding his being. He did love you. Or, at least, he admired you. He wanted to get to know you enough to eventually love you. "How do I even have a chance?" he clicked sadly. "We're so different—"

Mirio put a hand on Tamaki's shoulder. "Love finds a way," he said. "I'm going to help you."

"You will?"

"Of course. What are best friends for?"

Tamaki allowed himself a small smile. "Thanks, Mirio."

Mirio gave his back a firm pat. "No problem. Now come on, let's go home and plan."

Apprehension welled in Tamaki's chest. What had he gotten himself into?

...

The two had found themselves at the library, digging through scrolls to find as much information as they could on the landwalkers. Most of it was fiction and unhelpful; children's stories warning against getting too close to boats and land.

They found a few history texts about human alliances with the merpeople, most of them occurring thousands of years ago.

"What happened?" Tamaki quietly clicked, running his fingers over artwork of the deity Poseidon.

Mirio shrugged, glancing at it over his shoulder. He picked up another scroll, this one newer. He unrolled it to find a little leaf of seaweed paper, text scrawled on its surface.

"Tamaki, look at this." Mirio nudged his friend, gesturing towards his discovery.

The Sea Witch, Tamaki read. Ancient artifacts to make your dreams come true!

"Want to give her a try?" Mirio asked. "She only lives a few leagues away."

"That's still a lot of swimming," Tamaki said, his fingers hesitant.

"It's for love," Mirio countered, waggling his eyebrows.

Tamaki bit his lip. "Okay. I guess it's worth a try."

Mirio pumped his fist in the water. "We're going on an adventure!"

...

To be continued . . . .

[Part Two]

くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡

Taglist: @inumorph​ @engel-hageshii​​ @basicaegyo​ @iiminibattlehero​ @pyrofanatic​ @sokkasangel​​ @xoxopam4​​ @kingtamakimurder​​

[bonjour-rainycity]

Odin’s Ward ~ Chapter 16

Link to previous part: https://bonjour-rainycity.tumblr.com/post/639618035738607616/odins-ward-chapter-15

Pairing: Loki x female reader

Word count: 1836

Warnings: Brief mentions of death

True age: Y/n: 1449 // Loki: 1575 // Thor: 1827 // Audunn 3213

Human equivalent age: Y/n: 23 // Loki: 25 // Thor: 29// Audunn: 51

Loki’s POV

The trial is brutal.

In the course of his attempt to save his life, Audunn does everything he can to discredit Y/n. He paints her as a liar, a schemer, the mastermind behind the coup, and at one point, even accuses her of sleeping with his servant, Sveinn.

But she faces it with her head held high and takes none of it, delivering her account of the coup honestly and clearly.

She will make a great queen someday, and I can see by the sparkle in his eye that Odin recognizes this too.

In the end, the evidence against Audunn is too damning, and he is sentenced to death, to be carried out in two days time. It comes a shock to no one, except maybe him, and he meets the verdict with false claims of injustice and conspiracy. He has to be dragged from the courtroom.

Y/n watches him go, flinching slightly when he gives her a look of such hatred, I can feel it in my own bones. Thor — the dutiful fiancé — shields her from Audunn’s view.

After we are dismissed, Y/n disappears, and I resist the urge to go looking for her. She probably wishes to be on her own, and I have no right to offer her comfort, anyway. But fate, it seems, has other plans, and a few hours later, I find her sitting in the gardens, absently staring at a light pink flower.

I have to say her name twice before she notices my presence. She looks up, blinking as if working herself out of a daze.

“Oh, hi Loki,” she murmurs, staring at my shoulder rather than my face.

I’ve never seen her like this. The Y/n I know has always had a bite to her, a spark of passion. But the woman before me may as well be a shell of Y/n, for all the light that is in her eyes.

I’m at a complete loss for what to do.

So, without thinking, I conjure a bottle of wine and hold it out to her, sitting next to her on the bench.

She looks between me and the bottle, and then the clouds in her eyes break and she gives a soft laugh. She takes the bottle and drinks deeply, clutching it to her chest when she’s finished. “We cannot solve all our problems with alcohol.”

I try to study her inconspicuously, still concerned for her state of mind. “Yes, but it can take the edge off.”

She chuckles more freely, taking another long drink. “When I am queen, that shall be the cornerstone of my domestic policy — your children might be starving, but here, have something to drink! It’ll take the edge off.” Then, with a noise between a laugh and a sob, she forces the bottle back into my grasp and drops her head into her hands. “Oh my gods. What went wrong, Loki? How did we mess up our lives this badly?”

I shake my head vehemently. I know I’ve screwed up, but she’s done nothing of the sort. “You’ve not done anything wrong.”

“Haven’t I?” She raises her head, and when she looks at me, I can see her eyes brim with tears. “I fell in love with you when I knew I would belong to someone else.”

I furrow my eyebrows, confused as to why she’s upset about something so out of her control. “You didn’t choose to—”

She raises a challenging eyebrow. “I cheated on my husband with you.”

Does she regret that? I try again to stop her self-berating. “That was my fault, I—”

She begins to talk over me, her voice growing more hysterical with every word. “I let an innocent servant be beaten half to death because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. My people were massacred while I relaxed in the bath—”

“—Y/n please, stop this. It isn’t—”

She refuses to be consoled. “I’ve sent my husband to his death. I looked him in the eye and condemned him! And I will never love Thor. He doesn’t deserve that. I’ve taken away his chance at happiness with Jane, I—my chest hurts — I can’t breathe.” She gasps through panicked sobs.

Without thinking, I place the bottle on the ground and gather her in my arms. She clutches at my shirt, shaking and gasping in shallow breaths. We hold onto each other too tightly, like if we relax even slightly, the other will crumble apart.

“Okay,” I try to soothe, my own voice wavering with worry. “Okay, deep breaths.” We draw in air and exhale together. I bring my hand to the back of her head and draw what I hope are calming lines with my thumb. After a few minutes, she regains control of her breathing and leans further into me, visibly exhausted. I lay my cheek against her hair, grateful that she seems to be through the worst of it but knowing she’s not out of the woods yet — I’ve had enough panic attacks to know how volatile they can be. “When was the last time you slept?”

“I don’t know.”

As gently as I can, I stand, pulling her with me. “Come.”

She doesn’t protest when I transport us inside her chambers, though she does look a bit sick at all the movement. I walk her to her bed then bring her a glass of water — something I probably should have provided her with initially, instead of the wine.

“I’m sorry,” she nearly whimpers, sagging against the pillows.

Immediately, I shake my head. “There’s no need to apologize. I…”

Don’t do it, I beg myself. Don’t give in…it will only hurt you both. You are undeserving of her love, and probably incapable of giving it back.

But I have always been selfish. I am unable to stop myself from repeating her words to me from a few days ago, showing just how deeply I have taken them to heart. “I am always on your side.”

This seems to calm her. She sighs contentedly, her eyes fluttering shut. Within seconds, she’s asleep.

I know I should leave. But instead of walking out the door like I planned, I find myself settling on the couch facing her bed. Now that Y/n is settled, I take notice of the exhaustion in my own body — sleep frequently eludes me, too. And, without meaning to, I drift off to sleep.

Y/n’s POV

I awake to the soft peals of bells in the distance and the first rays of the sun. For the first time in while, I feel rested. I did not wake once, it seems, and slept soundly from afternoon to early morning.

There’s a figure lying on my couch.

Loki is too long for the small furniture, so he sleeps curled up, wrapped in his cape. He looks so innocent and peaceful that it makes my stomach hurt, because I know those qualities will flee once he wakes. He’s gone through so much. And yes, a good part of it is by his own hand, but still, I ache with the desire to see him well-cared for and happy and free of the weight he keeps himself under.

As if feeling my gaze, he stirs. He stretches out, groaning softly, then sits up straight, blinking to adjust to the limited light.

We stare at each other for a moment before I gather the courage to speak. “Good morning.”

I feel unsure.

How many times had we woken up together, in much more intimate contexts than this?

But this moment…this moment feels dangerous. It teeters on the edge of something familiar, something we could so easily slip back into….

He swallows, holding my gaze with equal gravity.

Then, he breaks it. “I’m sorry. I should not have stayed.” He gets up, and moves to the door.

But I am not ready to let this moment go, and I call after him. “No—I don’t mind. Please, stay.”

He looks at me over his shoulder, uncertainty in his eyes and…hope?

Unsure what exactly compels me to move, I rise from the bed. I take my time walking to him, fearful that if I move too quickly or too loudly, all this will fade away. When I reach him, I stop just short of our shoes touching.

The words I feel so strongly come out as no more than a breath. “I want you to stay.”

Slowly, hesitantly, and with all the force of a brush of air, he takes my hand in his. “We cannot fall back into old habits.” But even as he says this, he steps closer, bringing up his fingers to twine in the ends of my hair.

I’m unable to stop my free hand from running up his chest. He feels so familiar, so solid, so safe. “We would be terrible people to do so.” Somehow, my lips are now only centimeters from his.

His grip tightens in my hair. “I wish I cared about that.” My fingers brush against his neck, and his lips touch mine.

A sharp knock echoes through the room.

I jump, and Loki closes his eyes, leaning his forehead against mine. “Send them away.”

“Yes,” I agree, reluctantly releasing him from my hold and pushing him out of sight. As I walk to my chamber door, I have to blink a few times to steady myself.

Am I really going to do this? Aren’t I strong enough to stop myself?

Do I want to stop myself?

I pull open the door, to reveal a smiling Thor.

Oh gods.

“Thor,” I half-gasp, the excitement and peace I felt just a seconds ago shattering on the ground. “I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you.”

He eyes my rumpled dress—yesterday’s dress—with amusement. “I can see that.”

I feel heat gather in my cheeks. “Yes, uh…I was so exhausted after yesterday’s events that I fell asleep in the afternoon and only just woke up a few moments ago. I should call Ragna and dress for the day.”

“Perhaps that would be wise,” he agrees politely. “And after, would you be so kind as to join me in the dining hall? I would enjoy sharing breakfast with you.”

“Oh.”

Because he’s my fiancé.

Fiancé’s spend time together.

Former lovers do not.

Oh, I am awful.

I force a too-sunny smile to my face. “Yes, I would like that as well. I shall be there shortly.”

He bows, and brings the back of my hand to his lips for a kiss.

I’m the worst. The shame makes me feel ill.

I close the door. As much as I dread doing so, it is Loki I must send away. Because he is not my intended.

Gathering my resolve, I turn to search for him.

But he is already gone.

A/n Hey everyone, sorry for the month in between posts! I don’t know why, but I just could NOT get myself to write this chapter! But I finally figured out what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it, so here ya go!

Comments, likes, and reblogs mean the world to me! Let me know if you would like to be added or removed from the tag list. 

Masterlist

Link to next part: To be posted

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