#it is so wonderful to love something alongside you and to be treated so lovingly as fans by someone so close to the thing we love

[dykespirk]

WIL WHEATON??

tos spock conversing with the writing team at snw

[mooncrestedwaters]

Been thinking about Rafayel and how he shows his love (especially after his newest card trailer).

On the surface, Rafayel seems like he's an open book. He's witty, affectionate, chatty ect ect

But once you dig deeper you realise that he's that way...but only with the person he loves. He's actually quite reserved and doesn't enjoy being the center of attention, even going so far to say his job is a thing of self expression rather than something he actively strives to make money off of.

With the upcoming new 5* card of Rafayel's, I wasn't shocked that we didn't have a kiss or one where he tried to kiss us (and tbh his sweeter form of affection in wanting to cuddle us and snuggle into our neck made my tummy do flips and had me having a near breakdown from how much it made me gooey)

I feel like Rafayel is a yearner to his core, even his interviewer noted as much that he gave an air of 'romance' to him.

The best way I can describe it is; His love is like his profession and his EVOL.

Art takes time, it takes an observant eye and mind. I've grown up with artists my entire life and to make a painting is much more than slapping some acrylics onto a board and calling it a day. It takes tempering, to prepare the board, to build up layers upon the canvas to correct any mistakes without an eraser or undo button.

It's gentle, tending to the whims of the canvas to make a happy compromise of your own.

Onto his EVOL, Rafayel treats a relationship like a firepit. He wants it to have longevity, keeping himself and the fire alight. So instead of chucking a log onto the firepit he nourishes it with kindling, giving it a poke here and here to check on its status while being warmed by the flames.

Rafayel is also horrifically traumatised from previous encounters with love.

Think of it this way;

He was a Prince. Set to be throned as a King and live with his beloved forever.

He set out to find a devout follower to sacrifice their heart to him in turn found himself giving them his own heart and betraying everything because he wouldn't let a pre-destined prophecy rule himself or his beloved.

When he got his love back, in another timeline they were brainwashed and ended up killing him. The absolute agony you must go through, to be maliciously murdered and know that it's by the person you love but not their intention to do so and in your last breath you grant them mercy to die alongside you by singing them to death.

Moving onto Abysswalker Rafayel, the weight of being told you have to kill your love to resurrect your hometown, taking the love of your life on a wondrous journey to know you have to kill them in the end and instead erasing their memories of you permanently to protect them and keep them alive, rewriting a tome for their sake and thus dooming his beloved kingdom and people to be tormented for eternity of his peoples damned screams of death and agony.

Do you ever wonder if he has sat with himself and laminated over this horrifying fall from grace?

Yet he still does it, for them.

After ruminating over this; I wouldn't be as forward as the other LI either.

I think Rafayel is immaculately brave and loyal for even trying again, for still searching for his beloved over years and years.

He has his insecurities, they show when he gets bratty or needy. Quipping at his beloved for not having their sole attention on him, he's meant to be worshipped after all, doted on, praised for having put in so much effort.

Alas, his love doesn't remember, doesn't see the accumulation of sacrifices and things hes done for them.

So he hints, he prods and pokes gently and he starts having them warm up to him again. Braving a tender word here, a lovingly gentle touch there and moving up and forward until he can see that his beloved has fallen in love with him again.

Rafayel is a love that doesn't burn bright, it burns with stability, it burns with loyalty, it burns with truth and gentle care. He would never want to scorch his love.

Rafayel makes accommodations for them, weaving them into his life in any way, if that may be employing them to inviting them on little excursions. Even keeping a watchful eye over them, noticing when they're in need, hurt or just simply making his presence known as a comfortable 'You can come to me'.

He's a gentleman, a romantic...with a little edge (Rafayel audios I'm looking at you, hard)

Anyways, I should not drink copious amounts of caffeine within a short allotment of time. I hope my ramblings have been enjoyable 🤍🪽

[coraxcolt]

Kinktober Day 1 - Azul Ashengrotto (Oral Fixation)

Word Count 1.9k ☆ AFAB Reader but completely gender neutral! ☆ Includes oral and overstimulation! ☆ Azul is the dominant one here, you recieve the oral. ☆ Obviously this is smut (r18) so be wary.

You’ve been working at the Monstro Lounge for quite a while now, everything was really fun, from chatting with clients, teasing Jade alongside Floyd. But what is most special for you, having the opportunity to spend more time with your partner, Azul.  Although you didn't interact as much during working hours, it was sweet how he texted you, telling you to come to his office during your shift, all that just for him to kiss you gently. He treated you as his most valuable prize, taking care of you and being as sweet as he could. Yet one day, he texted you out of the blue.

        ⇢ “  My dear, could you please bring me a snack? “

If not that unusual, it was true that he never asked you for food or to bring anything with you, but since he’s your partner and boss, you happily oblige. After wondering about what could be appropriate for him, you decided to cut some fruits and put them on a plate before heading towards his office. You opened the door and placed the fruit on his desk while you looked at him with a smile.

- " Azul, I brought you some fruit! I hope they are to your liking... "

He stood up from his chair, walking slowly and silently towards you, he reached for your face and swiftly kissed you, pulling your shirt closer to him as a way to break the space between you. You knew it wasn't the usual and gentle kiss he gave whenever you came to him, this one was rougher, lustful, one that made you barely breathe. He held your head as he pushed you back into the door, breaking the kiss and stroking your cheek all while looking at your flushed face - “Cute..” - He said to himself before getting closer to your ear, feeling his hot breath over your neck as he whispered.

- " I truly appreciate what you brought me… It really makes my heart melt honey~ " 

Taking your distracted state as an advantage, he brought his hand to the door and locked it without you noticing. He then brought his hands up to your hips, kissing you once more as he moved them slightly up to intertwine your hands with his, he began raising both of your arms to your head, leaving your hands empty once more to then hold them firmly with one hand, while simultaneously his knee was already finding its way between your thighs. - " But you see… I was looking for something even tastier… " He kissed your neck lovingly, leaving behind small bites and licking them shortly after beginning to unbutton your shirt painfully slow - " Something that can appease... fulfill… and even satisfy or… please me " - He guided you both back to his desk, holding your waist with his other hand, careful not to break eye contact with you, his eyes looked hypnotizing and tempting, you were beginning to lose yourself in his stare as he pushed aside his papers, and the plate you just brought him, once more he went for a last kiss, letting your hands go as he led you to sit on his desk. - " You see.. I’ve been looking for an exclusive meal only I can get~ “ - He pressed wet kisses starting from your neck and going all the way down to your abdomen - " I’ve yearned for your taste so long, you are so, so divine…but alas, I guess I’ll have to get on my knees to worship you as you deserve~ " - He kneeled down as his hands wandered around your legs, then to your thighs, giving them a soft squeeze then looking back at you - “ May I continue my love? “ Even though his desperation was evident due to his agitated breathing, he put your comfort before anything - “Do as you please Azul” - His eyes lit up with excitement as he began removing your bottom clothing. - “Look at this… so wet.. so perfect for me” - He decided to tease you a little by removing his gloves using his teeth - “Haha… You like that?.. And we haven’t even begun...♡” - He ran two fingers over that particular damp spot on your undergarments, placing a small kiss on your inner thigh - “I guess it’s enough teasing for you” - He began removing your underwear leaving you completely exposed and at his mercy. He ran his fingers over your folds, his middle finger making sure to touch over your clit just enough to make you shiver, he chuckled at your reaction, and without hesitation, he began teasing your entrance with his middle finger, just enough to grab some of your own fluids to then bring his finger over to his lips, staining them with it before licking over both his lips and finger, holding back a moan just from the taste alone. - “I can’t keep entertaining myself just with samples when i have a whole meal just for me ♡” - Azul once more brought his hand close to your entrance and pressed two of his fingers inside, bringing them apart, opening  your insides just right, making you moan - “Enough… If you shall excuse me..” - He pulled his fingers out, spreading your legs open as his face got closer. His tongue gave a long lick going from your entrance over to your clit, using two fingers to leave your clit completely exposed, he began pressing the tip of his tongue on the previously unseen part of your clit. Every flick from the tip of his tongue made the hot and somehow burning sensation spread all over your insides - “Wait…Fuck It’s too much” - He pressed his whole tongue on your clit, slithering it just right before pulling away with a thin string of how own saliva still connected to you. - “But how could I? Your taste… Your smell… It’s driving me crazy ♡” - Once more he came closer and pressed his tongue on your entrance, making sure to loudly slurp your fluids - “Relax and just let me please you” -

Once he pushed his tongue inside, he earned a few moans from you before your hands traveled down to his hair, slightly pulling at it, making him moan at your heat, the vibrations of it making you feel an unknown yet pleasant sensation, in search of that once sensation, you pulled once more, making his tongue curl upwards, hitting one of your weak spots. - “Shit.. Azul.. I’m close…” - As soon as he heard that, his hand began to rub over your clit, bringing even more stimulation into the mix, this being the last stroke you needed to finally release right into his mouth. The force of the orgasm making you shake and moan as you threw your head back and tried to close your legs, Azul on the other hand, prevented this by forcing your legs open.

He removed his tongue from your insides waiting for you to stabilize - “Goodness wow.. that sure was a show…” - For the last time he rubbed his fingers over your folds, careful not to overstimulate you too much - “May I?” - Still trying to recover your breath you tried your best to answer - “Yeah~” - He laughed mockingly - “Excuse me? I didn’t quite hear you” - You looked at him pleading with your eyes - “Azul.. just.. do it” - He smiled, pressing his fingers on your entrance once more - “Do what?” - You whined and took a deep breath before speaking once more - “Finger me…” - He pushed them inside once more, slowly - “Such a cutie aren’t you? ♡” - With a single thrust he reached as deep as he could, angling his hand to make you feel even better, he began slowly and gently, wanting to enjoy how sensitive you were. This softness was not to last longer, before you noticed he began sucking at your clit and playing with his tongue, you tried to push him away but to no avail. It felt strange, the duality between both his slow and loving fingers but his rough and savage mouth, having no mercy at all. Azul’s member was painfully hard, and as much as he was enjoying giving you pleasure, he needed some as well, he pulled down his pants slightly just for his dick to spring free. He began stroking himself following the rhythm he was using to get you off, but no matter how gentle he was, he couldn’t help but moan right on your clit, louder than before. He was so hypnotized by the pleasure, he didn’t notice you came once more, he kept going, making his head foggier and dizzier with each stroke, following the sole purpose of cumming himself. - “Azul~.. stop! This is too much!.. Ah..Fuck~” - He was too focused on his own pleasure he stopped using his mouth but kept on fingering you - "Come on, you can handle it dear....I know you can...Hahah~...Oh~ So.. so good~ ♡" -Both of his hands' movements were becoming almost erratic as if he were in a trance, it was beginning to overstimulate you, yet you couldn't do anything but moan out loud with him - "You are so good...mghh~ I love you so much~ ♡" - He stroked himself so fast it was becoming painful and tiring, but he didn't care about the discomfort, his desire to cum was stronger - "Cum with me dear~ Cum for me...one more time~ Can you do that for me? Yeah?~ ♡" - He was chasing for both of your releases he, for the final time, he approached his tongue onto you as he kept moaning harder - - "I'm gonna fucking cum~ Ah~... Cum with me~ Please~ ♡" - He was chasing for both of your releases, for the final time he approached his tongue to your core, you began to pat his head and ruffle his hair, gaining some sweet moans as a response -"Ah~ Azul... Love you~" - Was the last thing you moaned as you pulled his light purple hair and pushed his face closer to you, wrapping your legs around his head, feeling as your eyes watered slightly and your mind went blank, it was even better than heaven itself.

As your body kept spasming due to the orgasm, he ended up cumming as well, moaning your name over and over, still buried between your legs, he came all over his hand painting it almost completely white with his cum. Your legs finally decided to let go of him, both of you panting as you rested on his desk and he on the floor beneath you, cleaning his hand with some tissues that were around. You were just recovering, your vision slightly blurry and your heart still beating fast, then you felt small kisses on your legs - "Did you enjoy the meal as well?" - He gave one last kiss on your clit before standing up, you observed as some of your fluids were scattered over his face, he cleaned them with his hand before licking them off and getting close to your face - "You taste even sweeter than those fruits you brought me, wanna try it out?" - He kissed you without waiting for a response, his tongue dancing with yours, mixing your fluids with both of your saliva, he pulled away caressing your cheek on the process - "You made such a mess you know... These are really expensive.." - He pointed out the few things around his desk, pens, papers and the desk itself - "Well then... Let's get you to rest" - He helped you walk over to his and helped you dress up again, he made you lay down and soon you were almost losing yourself in your own tiredness, soon you felt a slight discomfort and noticed the lack of underwear - "Azul... wait. Where's my underwear?" - He chuckled and covered your body with his coat - "I'll keep them for later use... now don't worry and just sleep ♡" -

✟ My god, i'm already 4 days behind i hate work... ✟ This one was an idea a friend of mine originally wrote, but they asked me to proofread and expand on it as well as posting it on their behalf. ✟ I think it ended up being very much longer than expected but i hope you enjoyed it! ✟ Also, please do excuse any grammatical error, english is not my first language -Corax out

[trigunwritings]

Bro,, plant courtship such an ascended idea 👀👀 may you please spare us some crumbs? 🙏🙏 how awkward would the courtship displays be for the boys? Would plant!reader even get it, or are they disconnected and kind of confused by them for whatever reason? What kind of display would impress them? It feels like you opened a floodgate in my brain and now I have to analyse the plant bros under a microscope– /pos

Between the two of them, Vash is the first one to make a move—it’s difficult to tell the difference between his motions of courtship and those that aren’t, as he is a friendly man to almost everyone he meets. Finding the occasional trinket hidden amongst your things was curious, but it never once struck you as something worth mentioning. Once you had found a shiny piece of sculpted metal made from several spent bullet casings, and on another occasion there had been a necklace placed perfectly so you’d come across it after waking up, crafted from a rough-cut gemstone that glittered like the full moon.

They were nice and lovely, but there was a particular gift that made your heart flutter upon finding it: a clean, fresh flower. There was something about seeing it, vibrant and in a full bloom, that made you incredibly happy—perhaps it was because the flower, though plucked, was something truly alive. You could feel the gentle hum of its energy flowing through the stem and petals, could sense the fertile soil where it had been so lovingly grown. The instincts of your true form were hardly needed to understand how precious the anonymous gift was, and you made sure to keep that flower alive for as long as you could spare the energy and attention.

Vash, of course, eventually commented upon it. He must have thought he was being sly, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out that it had been him who had gifted it to you. Despite the desire to know where he had gotten it from, there was something that had kept you silent; it felt like a game between the two of you, and somehow you instinctively knew that the game had to play out properly.

What that entailed was entirely beyond your conscious thoughts, since you understood your plant self about as much as you understood your human form: which is to mean not at all. Instincts and innate muscle memory are what led most things for you, like faraway whispers that tried to help you know what to do when all else failed.

You wonder if this is how your people—how plants so many generations back, before perhaps even human influence—had courted one another.

When Knives begun to follow suit with his brother, the notion became even more clear. One flower had become two, then three, then several more. You kept them all alive and at a full bloom, though you aren’t sure how. Instinct demanded that you treat them as precious things, wonderful things, but it was eventually infeasible to simply carry them in a bundle.

So, for no reason that your mind could offer, you started to weave them together. The motions themselves seemed familiar and comforting despite the fact that you had never been taught them; the stem of one flower braided alongside another, over and over until items formed that you could wear instead of carry. A bracelet of bright blossoms, a crown of beautiful blooms; these things somehow felt right to make of the brothers’ gifts, though you couldn’t place a particular reason as to why.

Was it the act of perceived creation which impressed you so deeply? The idea that they could produce something so fragile and beautiful on a planet that didn’t otherwise allow such things to grow?

You didn’t quite know the answer, and doubted that you ever will. What was more important was the fact that, whenever you started wearing their gifts, you couldn’t help but feel the warmth of their souls and the soft echoes of their thoughts against your own. Instinct or not, that alone made you feel very happy.

[star-spacer]

Pickled Plums

Adashino x reader x Ginko (can be read as platonic or romantic)

You loved the noise of cicadas in the ripe summer air.

Gravel crunched beneath your sandals as dappled sunlight filtered down from the canopy of green. It was the apex of summer and the forest was ripe and heavy with life and heat. From your peripherals, you could see the glowing forms of the familiar mushi dancing through the air. They were the same types that often frequented the village, a sure sign that your journey was coming to an end. You wondered if Ginko had yet to see them from wherever he was behind you.

The satchel sitting on your hip alongside the pack on your back was a reminder of the gifts wrapped lovingly in twine and leaves. Gifts for Adashino and Ginko both, picked specifically with them in mind as well as the food carefully preserved by a bit of yokai magic and plenty of salt. The thought of rice and Adashino’s pickled radish made you drool, and you had no doubts that Ginko’s endless stomach would appreciate some food as well.

 Cries of seabirds and waves crashing against the shore slowly began to replace cicadas as the forest opened up to show a fishing village in the distance. Your speed picked up, eagerly scattering pebbles at the sight of the clay-shingle roofs. As you passed through the dirt streets, villagers caught sight of you and an excited wind began to catch the sleepy adobes.

Calls of your name began to echo through the air as those living there went out to greet you.

“It’s you!”

“Welcome back!”

“Oho going to see the doctor aren’t we?”

The last one was met with a delighted laugh, your eyes twinkling with mirth at the old man. “Of course! Is he home right now?”

“He should be!” Another woman called, her child waving at you from behind her. “He just finished treating Aoi’s son a little bit ago.”

“Thank you,” you called back gratefully. Turning around to the villagers, you put a finger to your lips and winked. “I think Ginko is arriving soon, don’t tell any of them that I’m here, alright?”

“Cheeky!”

“We won’t,” The old man chuckled. “Good to know all three of you are back in town for a while. We were beginning to wonder when we’d see you two wanderers again.”

You shrugged as your eyes caught sight of a minuscule movement from the alleyway.

“We can never stay for long,” you said. “But we’ll always come back, of course. If you don't mind…” Your head tilted towards the alleyway, indicating your wish to leave.

“Of course!” He guffawed, stepping aside. 

“Here, here!” A man said, shoving an earthenware jar into your arms. “For you all. A thank you to the doctor for treating my little Tsumiki last month.”

“O-Oh thank you so much.” You bowed your head, clutching the clay pot in your arms. “I'll be on my way then.”

“Eager huh? I know how it was when I was your age. Ah, younguns…Always have one place or another to be.”

You brushed past them with a smile and a parting promise. “I’ll come back down to visit later.”

“You better!”

“We’ll be waiting, young lady.”

You threw back a wave, attention focused on the alleyway where you saw it. Stepping into the shade, you stopped to listen for the quiet noise of something moving. Your sharp ears finally picked up something.

There. To your left.

“Here you are, little one,” you murmured crouching down and setting the jar down next to you with a soft ‘thump’. Reaching forward, you cupped the spirit in your palms. There was an offended squeak and the flower yokai opened a bulbous, yellow eye in the middle of its petals. Upon seeing your face, its petals snapped back close with a quiver and another squeak. A nature yokai then.

“Sssh, it’s okay,” you soothed, stroking a finger down its body. It was smooth and lumpy, like one of those sea anemones Ginko showed you on the coast that you both went to once. After a moment, the petals crept back open and the yokai peeked back out, its big watery eye staring back at you. 

You gave it a soft smile and it quivered before wiggling back and forth before unfurling completely.

“There you are…You shouldn’t be here,” you told it. “It’s not safe for you to be here. Come with me and I’ll bring you somewhere safer, alright?”

You put the yokai on your shoulder, where it snuggled into the shoulder of your traveling yukata. You smiled and picked up the jar before setting off again for Adashino’s house at the other edge of the village. There would be nature there, where it could thrive and survive better than the streets of mankind. Yokais like these ones never survived for long in human settlements, dependent on green life to draw their energy source. Without it, they would wither and fade away. You were glad that you came across it when you did.

Slowly, the slope of the road increased as you reached the edge of the village. Yet your speed picked up all the same. Home was so close, you could almost taste it, that house upon the hill with its shelves of artifacts and rosewood-scented halls. 

Brown shingles peeked over the crest of the hill and you grinned, shifting the jar to one arm and placing your free one on the bag at your hip.

“Hang on,” you told the yokai on your shoulder.

An affirmative squeak was given and you broke into a full sprint over the ground, kicking up dust behind your sandals. At the new pace, it took no more than a few minutes to finally reach Adashino’s house. A jump cleared the stones at the foot of his house and you clattered onto the engawa, kicking your sandals off noisily.

“Adashino!!!!!” You yelled, letting your voice echo through the halls.

There was a clatter and someone yelping before Adashino stumbled out from an adjoining hallway, fixing his monocle. “Huh?”

He squinted at you, vision adjusting to the stark sunlight after being inside for so long. After a moment, his eyes widened as it clicked. He said your name sharply.

“You’re back!”

You nodded, shifting the earthenware jar to both your arms and showing it to him as well as the satchel to your side. “And I brought gifts too!”

Adashino tilted his head and moved forward, reaching out to take the vase away from you. “What's all this?” 

Shrugging, you relinquished it to the dark-haired man’s grasp. “Haven’t looked yet. Tsumiki’s father gave it to me just earlier as thanks for you treating her.”

He hummed, lifting the lid and you stuck your head over the opening to peer into it with him. Seeing the sight of green in pickling sauce made you gasp.

“Kyurizuke!”

“Ah… It is cucumber season, after all.”

“This could go really well with some of the stuff you have, Adashino!” You turned to him excitedly. “We should make some food! I also brought back some things too! Ginko should be arriving at the end of the day so maybe we can all eat together.”

“Are you sure this isn’t just a ploy to get into my cabbage stock?” The doctor asked you, raising one eyebrow. He startled as he made eye contact with the yokai on your shoulder, jolting back. “Ah–”

“Oh right!” You chirped. “I saw this yokai on the streets heading here. I’m going to release it near the treeline so it can go back to the forest.”

Adashino sighed, stepping aside and flapping a hand towards the back entrance of the home. “Go on do that then. Leave your bags here. I can get started on lunch.”

You grinned gratefully, carefully singing the bags of your shoulders. “Sounds good!”

“Oh, and stop bringing strays back to my house! I keep on having to redirect them away when you’re not here.”

You laughed and departed for the clearing, bare feet slapping against the warm ground, humming a jaunty tune. The yokai on your shoulder swayed along to your movement as you stepped into the shadows of the trees and kneeled down at the base of one. Your hands came up to move the spirit off your shoulders and it was brought to the front of your face.

It chirped and you smiled, letting out an animal-like coo in return. “Be safe, alright? Don’t wander into the human settlements like today, it’s not good for you.”

Your hand lowered and allowed the yokai to hop off, stubby limbs wiggling happily and it hopped into the underbrush. Just before it completely ducked under the leaves, it turned around to wave at you. You waved back and with a final cry, it turned around and vanished into greenery like it was never there. A moment passed as you stared at that spot with a bittersweet smile. Your job was done, fulfilling your duty as the bridge between yokai and humans once more. Like the others, you would never see it again, but there was solace in the knowledge that it was able to live its existence. With that, you quietly got to your feet and padded away.

***

“Come here help me get all of this onto the tray,” Adashino instructed, jerking his head to the various bowls as he picked up his own wooden board. “You wanted to have all these side dishes so you’re carrying them all. Come on, we’ll set stuff out on the engawa in the front.”

You hefted the plate up in one hand, pilling the dishes onto it easily. “On it.”

Adashino gawked and grumbled as you swept past him easily.

The pair of you made a few more trips before settling down at the edge of the doorway, midway between the engawa and the house. Adashino tugged the rag under the miso soup, moving the whole pot into the middle between you two and you rearranged the rest of the pickle bowls around that, the rice, and the cooked fish.

“Ah, hold on…” You said, leaning over to grab your satchel. You flipped the woven lid up and reached in to withdraw several wrapped packages and set them alongside the food. “I got us some stuff from one of the towns I was at.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Oh don’t worry. You should know that I’m well-versed enough in magic to preserve a little bit of food.”

“What’s this about food without me?”

The both of you perked up at that voice, attention snapping to the edge of the yard where a white-haired man stood.

“Ginko!” Adashino called. “Hey!”

You shot to your feet with another cry of his name, ditching your sandals where they were and launching yourself at him. Ginko grunted as you crashed into him, staggering at the force of your collision.

“Geez,” he grumbled, wheezing as you squeezed him in a hug. “Missed me much?”

The smoke of his mushi warding cigarette tickled your nose and you pulled back, sneezing heavily. However, despite the warding affecting you to some extent, it didn’t stop your face from splitting into a wide grin. “Duh. Come on, put your pack down, and let’s eat. No matter what you think, we were waiting for you.”

Adashino made a sound. “Maybe you should be quicker next time.”

“Hmph.” Ginko took his cigarette out, snubbing it and tossing the butt into the shrubbery to the dark-haired man’s dismay. As you pranced back to where Adashino was sitting, Ginko slung off his traveling case and set it down next to your own bags. He settled down with a groan, relieved to be off his feet after a long day.

As Adashino began to portion out the soup and rice, your deft fingers unknotted the twine trying up your first bundle of food. There was an electric crackle in the air that made both men pause, and a snap as verdant leaves opened to reveal pristine triangles of plump rice.

“Your magic?” Ginko asked as you reached to undo the other bundle.

You nodded. “Just a simple one for these to keep as I traveled back.”

There was a second snap and this time it revealed wrinkly dried fruits, the sour smell of pickled plums wafting up to join the other food odors in the air. Both of them immediately knew what those were and Adashino winced.

“I’m not touching those,” Ginko declared, reaching for one of the rice balls from the first bundle. He took a bite from it, not seeing Adashino trying to stop him. “I know that whatever you brought home, those are not normal umeboshi and–”

His expression deadpanned, lips thinning and eye twitching as the flavor finally hit him. Seeing that, you cracked.

“I tried to stop you…” Adashino sighed while you cackled. “But you weren’t paying attention.”

“I was going to say…” You began, trying to find air between your laughter as you scooped up your own rice ball. “I visited the Valley of the Plums. There was a seasonal shop there known for its intensely sour plums, so I got some to take home.”

A massive bite was taken out of yours, you humming in delight as you finally indulged in the treats after so long. Though you favored the sour flavors the same couldn’t be said for either of the men, who stared at you warily as you ate your rice ball with no reaction.

Adashino, fooled by your lack of response, tentatively reached for one of his own. “It can’t be that bad right…?” He picked it up and brought it closer to inspect it. Like he would one of his mushi items,

“Do it,” Ginko demanded.

The man, fool as he was, gave into his temptations and bit into it. His face puckered up, such a comical expression that sent you into another round of raucous laughter and even sparked Ginko to chuckle too.

“By the gods!” Adashino exclaimed once he got his mouthful down. “People eat this? This should belong on the shelves of my collectibles. Ginko why did you tell me to eat it?”

The said man forced himself to take another bite. “If I have to go through it, so do you. Someone has to go through this with me since this one–” he jerked a thumb to you, innocently sipping your miso soup to wash down your finished rice ball, “–is completely immune to everything.”

You smiled peacefully. “There are just the plain plums too if any of you want to eat them with the rest of the food."

“No way!!”

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

imagine that the first one you meet is not childe, but foul legacy. you don't know that underneath that form he's human. no one dares to tell you, least of all foul legacy, who's lowkey terrified that you'll like his human form better. he can't help but grow so fond of you, you're the first person who likes him as he is, abyssal form and all.

imagine falling in love with foul legacy soon after that, imagine living with him for a good while. until one day, that mask cracks. it happens so suddenly that even he doesn't realise that he's no longer stuck as an abyssal creature.

instead, you find yourself staring at this gorgeous blue eyed, orange haired boy. he's looking at you with all the love in the world but you're just so confused. childe grips you with a pleading look, trying his best to explain everything to you, and you eventually come to realise that they're the same person but…

what about the foul legacy you fell in love with...?

(this is just a brainrot that's been with me forever, and I wanted to share it with you! I love foul legacy childe and I'm so happy to have found your blog! please feel free to use this idea however you wish, and take care of yourself! ~🌸anon)

oh this- *points at this ask* this is beautiful

Childe is quick to reassure you that Foul Legacy's still here- well, not here here, but he's still around, just inactive. Foul Legacy is part of him, his Abyssal side is watching everything as Childe talks and tries to explain, just like Childe himself was watching you interact with his monstrous form so kindly.

that's when he fell in love with you, see- when you treated something you perceived as inhuman so gently, with that wonderful smile on your face, and when you had reached up to touch his face Foul Legacy had nudged your hands so hard you nearly fell over. and Childe does the same now, bringing your hands to his cheek and snuggling into them with a soft hum, the equivalent of the rumbling purrs of his Foul Legacy form, and gazing up at you with an almost desperate look in his eyes.

they're the same color as Foul Legacy's, clear and blue and bottomless as the sea.

your hands drift away from Childe's face and he whines sadly, sounding so much like his Abyssal counterpart that you have to bite your tongue to keep from chuckling at his neediness before resettling your hands in his ginger hair and Childe stills, almost frozen in place.

with a playful flick, you ruffle his hair, palms gliding over the tufts sticking out all fluffy-like and Childe melts, leaning his head towards your hands with his eyes closed and you can almost hear Foul Legacy purring contentedly alongside you.

and suddenly you do hear him, as Foul Legacy reemerges and forces you to quickly stand to keep your hands in his hair. he rests his head on your shoulder, rumbling in bliss and relief and looking at you so lovingly it makes your heart flutter. you trail your hands back down to his cheeks, now tough and grooved from his scarlet mask, and smile.

"it's so nice to meet you, Childe. but we've met before, haven't we?"

[duuhrayliegh]

my hero - request

request: anon: hi could you write a sebastian x female reader fic where she suffers from anxiety and feels bad because of it but he comforts her and tells her there’s nothing wrong with her and how strong she is even though she has this disorder

pairing: sebastian stan x female!reader

warnings: self-esteem issues, anxiety, toxicity in the fandom, language?

a/n: hey nona! you weren’t super specific on what type of anxiety that you wanted to reader to have, so if this isn’t what you had in mind, lmk and i’ll write you another fic! other than that i hope you like it!

p.s.: my requests and tag lists are open!!

xoxo ray

check out my m.list

You and Seb met at a coffee shop in New York. It was totally cliche and seemed straight out of a storybook. You had somehow managed to spill coffee on that specimen of a man, and he was kind enough to let you pay for his dry cleaning. Your relationship didn’t grow until you ran into him again while you were at a bar with your friends. If he had any say in telling the story of how you met, he spotted you from across the smoky bar and he knew then and there that he had to get to know you. Truthfully, you liked his version, but the real one was just indescribable. It seemed, to you at least, that you were destined to be with this man. Seeing him twice in one week? Come on, that’s possible if you were in the small town you grew up in, but not New York.

You obviously had recognized him as an actor, but really you didn’t care. That’s what drew Sebastian to you in the first place. You treated him as if he was any other guy on the street, he was able to be a normal person around you. Now, two years later, you lounge on the couch of your apartment in LA that you shared with the man you love. He’s still auditioning for any role that catches his eye and you’re supporting him no matter what.

His fans for the most part adored you and your relationship with Sebastian. The fans who didn’t like you were your only issue with this whole affair, but they had nothing to do with Sebastian other than flood his socials with nasty messages about you. You weren’t perfect, that you knew all too well, and you tried to let the comments roll off your shoulders. Most of the time you were successful in your efforts, but other times they clung to your skin like an unwanted disease.

Sebastian was currently promoting his new project Endings, Beginnings. You were so unbelievably proud of Seb, he was doing something that made him happy. In this particular film, he was acting alongside Shailene Woodley, who was just amazing. Seb always came home gushing about the new inside jokes that they had come up with. One of your favorite things that Seb did with you was run lines. You liked having the inside scoop on his new works, but this one was harder for you. It had quite a few sex scenes between Seb’s character Frank and Shailene’s Daphne.

Not that it bothered you. Nope. Didn’t bother you. At all.

...mmm, okay maybe it bugged you a little. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust Sebastian, it was… well you couldn’t really describe what it was. Whatever the case may be, it was putting you deeper and deeper into a funk, one that you were having a hard time coming out of. And Seb’s fans who weren’t in your corner, weren’t really helping you any.

A few nights ago, Seb surprised you with a casual night out in LA. He texted you before he got home and told you that he was going to be taking you out. Did he give you a dress code for the evening? No, he did not (wonderful, thanks so much Seb). You decided to dress in a half business casual, half rail me when we get home outfit. You ended up wearing an adorable bustier top that was embroidered with pretty blue and pink flowers, a pair of destroyed jeans covered your legs. You finished it off with a pair of nude heels, when you looked in the mirror, you thought you looked hot as fuck. It was around seven when Seb picked you up, mouth hanging open, in awe of your outfit.

“Oh my god. You look so beautiful, Y/N.” He opened the passenger door of his car after he hugged you, giving you a small peck on the lips. Sebastian drove you to a restaurant a block off of Thai Town called Home Restaurant.

“Babe, this place is so cute!” You squeezed Sebastian’s upper arm, jumping up and down beside him. “How’d you find this place?” Sebastian shook his head, smiling at you.

“I asked Shai, actually.” He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, and your heart sank a little. Why did it do that? “She said that the paps hardly ever come around here.” He leaned down pressing a kiss to your temple. “I thought that draga mea deserved a quiet night out on the town.” His voice rasped as he spoke in his native tongue, making a shiver race down your spine.

“Well, tell her I said thank you.” You offered him a small smile. He wrapped his arm around your waist, drawing circles on the exposed skin above your jeans. He spoke with the hostess as your mind drifted away. You were pulled out of your thoughts when he guided you to your table. Sebastian sat across from you, staring deeply into your eyes. You brought your hand up to rest your chin on it, staring back at him. “How’s everything been going?” You were genuinely interested in the answer and it made your heart warm watching his face light up.

“It’s been going really well. Everyone we worked with was real nice, it made all the scenes more comfortable.” Seb’s eyebrows rose at the mention of the scenes and you knew which ones he was referring to.

“Oh, right.” You tried not to let your emotions show.

“Yeah, we’re about to start teasing some of them to promote the show.” Seb sighed at the thought of having to use social media, you shook your head at him.

“I’ll help you with it, you dork.” You laughed to hide your discomfort. “Which scene did they approve for the posts?” Sebastian began to speak when he was interrupted by your waitress. After the two of you ordered your food, the waitress returned with your drinks. Sebastian took a large gulp of his before answering your previous question.

“They want me to post the trailer and then the scene between Frank and Daphne at the bar.” You tried to think back to the script, remembering the context. Frank and Daphne were meeting after Daphne had gone out on a date with Jack. Daphne was claiming that she didn’t want to be a wedge in their friendship, then proceeded to make out with Frank. If you were recalling correctly, Frank and Daphne’s first sex scene followed soon after.

“Okay, we can do that. Do you have any behind the scene pictures you wanna post too?” Seb got out his phone, scrolling through his camera roll to see. He had several different photos of him with Jamie and then him with Shailene. He showed you his phone on a picture of Shailene leaned against him on a couch, her arm over his waist. A red filter colored the photo, you had to hand it to him, it was a good one to use. “We can post it whenever we get home, love.” Sebastian locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket, to focus solely on you.

“How has your day been, draga mea?” You bit your lip as you thought about what you’ve been doing. You’ve been working towards your Master’s, so your days have been filled with preparing for your dissertation. On top of that, you’ve become a bit of an influencer on different social media platforms. Really, you believe your popularity came from your relationship with Sebastian. You’ve been giving his fans the content that they’ve always wanted. Not only that, but you’re active with them.

“My day was good today. I had to edit a few papers from my other classmates but other than that I didn’t do much. I did make a few TikTok videos, but really today was a bit of a lounge day for me.” Seb smiled at you, proud of how hard you’ve been working.

“I should be getting a few days off soon, so we can relax together in the apartment, if you aren’t too busy with your classes.” He stretched his arm across the table, palm up waiting for your hand. Seb pulled your hand up to his mouth, placing a sloppy kiss onto the back of it. His eyes settled on you lovingly. To Sebastian, you were the greatest thing that had ever happened to him.

The two of you managed to finish your meal in peace. No fans came up to Sebastian asking for photos, no paparazzi swarms when you left, just a quiet meal for a normal couple in love. After you got home and you were snuggled in your pajamas alongside Sebastian in your comfortable bed, he handed you his phone to read over his post for his Instagram. The paragraph was sappy, about his time working with Drake, the director, and working with the rest of the cast. Seb always was a softy, never was able to hide it, especially in promo posts.

“It looks good to me. Are you going to post it now? Or wait until tomorrow morning?” Seb debated, he probably should wait and do it tomorrow, but he was most likely going to forget to do it. He clicked post, putting his phone on charge and snuggling into you.

“Thank you for always being there for me, Y/N.” He kissed your jawline, nuzzling his face into your neck. “It really means a lot to me, baby. I love you so much.” He wrapped both hands around your waist, pulling you to his front. You smiled wide, momentarily forgetting all of your troubles.

“I love you too, Seb.” You turned your head slightly, pressing a kiss against the corner of his mouth. “Now let’s get some sleep, love.” Little did you know that a single post could ruin all of the progress that you thought you had made.

*********************

You woke the next morning, alone in bed. You could hear pots clanging in the kitchen of your home, bringing a smile to your face. Before you left the safety of your bed, you checked your socials out of habit. You opened Instagram first, seeing an absurd amount of notifications this early in the morning. Your smile dropped as soon as you opened the first post. Comments on Sebastian’s post about Endings, Beginnings and his chemistry with Shailene weren’t entirely out of the ordinary. They were to be expected, they were playing parts in a love triangle. People were ‘shipping’ Shailene with Seb and Jamie, so that wasn’t too crazy.

What hurt you were the comments saying, “living for shailene and sebastian! she’s a much better match for him than y/n.”

“never thought that y/n girl was going to last, glad he’s going w shailene”

“shailene and seb supremacy”

“yes! i’ve always supported seb in everything he’s done, but i rlly questioned him when he got w that y/n girl. what was he thinking?!”

Tears gathered in your eyes as you continued scrolling. You never thought you and Sebastian never fit. You knew that people had issues with your relationship, but you never let it get in your head this bad. You checked your explore page, pictures of you and Sebastian from last night were riddling the page.

Your heart dropped.

There were pictures of the two of you from last night with parts of your body circled. The exposed skin above your waistband, the excess skin on your neck and arms. You don’t know where they got these pictures, but your stomach was steadily sinking with each picture you saw. The door of your room opened, revealing a smiley Sebastian with a plate full of eggs in one hand and a cup of orange juice in the other.

“Good morning, baby.” You quickly shoved your phone away from you, wiping your tears away from your eyes to meet his. His brows furrowed immediately. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” You snuffled quietly, before answering.

“Uh, nothing. I’m just so proud of you.” You smiled at him, not wanting to bring down his already happy mood with your problems. Was that entirely healthy? Probably not, but you were doing it anyway, consequences be damned.

“Oh, well you don’t have to cry for me, Y/N. Even if you’re proud.” He walked up to your side of the bed, placing the cup and plate on your nightstand. He brought his hand up to your cheeks, wiping away your tear streaks. “You know that I only like to see tears whenever it’s me causing you so much pleasure you beg me to stop.” He winked at you, smirking at your rising blush. To say that didn’t lift your spirits for about half a second would be a lie. Sebastian brought the plate to your lap, waiting for you to start eating. At this particular moment, after seeing all those horrible pictures of your body, your appetite had gone out the window, but he was so smiley.

“After you eat, I want ya to shower.” Sebastian’s hand came up to your jaw, cupping it as you used it to chew the eggs. “We’ve got a long day of lounging and enjoying each other's company ahead of us.” Sebastian stood from the bed, throwing a wink at you as he left the room dramatically. You stopped eating soon after he left, the food tasting like ash on your tongue. At some point, you got into the bathroom, staring at the reflection in the mirror.

Your phone was in your hand again. The pictures flooding your Twitter feed. Shaky breaths left your mouth as you watched your reflection tilt its head. Tears began gathering in your eyes as it felt like you weren’t in your own skin anymore. You had worked so hard to be comfortable in your own body.

It’s amazing how just one picture can ruin everything.

You leaned forward on the countertop, hands holding up your weight. You shifted towards the mirror, examining every miniscule detail that your eyes could see. Your lids came down quickly, tears dragging down your cheeks. You squeezed your eyes closed, shaking your head back and forth.

“You are not going to let this get to you.” You took a few deep breaths as you turned on the shower. Not wanting to be around the mirror anymore, you kept your bath short, talking to yourself the whole time. By the time you left the bathroom, it was steamed completely, you couldn’t see your reflection even if you wanted to.

“He loves you.” You had a mantra and you continued to repeat it as you walked into your shared closet. “He loves all of you.” You pulled one of his old t-shirts off a hanger. “Sebastian loves you.” A pair of your underwear and his loose boxers covered your lower half. “Sebastian loves all of you.” You shoved your feet into a pair of fuzzy pink socks, leaving the closet still muttering to yourself. You tucked your phone into your waistband after checking your socials again. You know you shouldn’t have, but there was some part of you that just wouldn’t let you not.

The same shit covered your For You page on TikTok. Videos from the trailer of Seb and Shailene and then videos of you and Seb, comparing the two relationships. “They do fit well together.” You thought to yourself. A part of you wondering why Seb was with you in the first place.

“Did you say something, love?” Sebastian looked at you from the couch. A blanket was strewn over his lower half, his upper body inviting, waiting for you to join him. His smile dropped when he took in your glassy eyes instead of your usual happy expression.

“Oh baby, what’s wrong?” He started towards you, eyes running over your body for any outward injuries. An understanding look crossed his face when he saw your phone clutched in your hand. “Y/N, talk to me, baby.” Sebastian’s hands rested on your shoulders, lightly caressing your biceps. You recoiled from his touch, feeling uncomfortable in your own body.

“Just some stuff that some fans posted.” Seb’s thumb traced just under your eye, wiping away the tears. He held his right hand out for your phone, to understand what you were talking about. His brows furrowed deeply as he scrolled, not fully processing how destructive his fans could be. Sebastian always believed that they were the best fucking people in the world. He knew that they could be mean, but this was something else.

“They don’t know what they’re talking about, Y/N.” Sebastian’s voice was firm. It was almost strong enough to cut through the fog invading your brain, but not quite. You had officially zoned out. Dead to the world. Lost in your own thoughts. No matter how destructive those thoughts may be.

Sebastian noticed that you were already too deep, having experienced this with you many times before. He was aware that you were self-conscious, insecure, however you want to describe it. Your anxiety always got worse when you were stressed. Prepping for your dissertation was definitely a stressful time. Add on top of that, Sebastian was constantly pulling you from your work for various reasons. Had he contributed to this? Scratch that thought, he didn’t have time for that. He needed to bring you back down to Earth, back to him.

“Y/N.” His hands hovered over your hips. “I’m going to touch you for a second.” He directed you to the couch, settling on the coffee table in front of you. His fingers lightly traced circles onto your knees, as he assessed how he should approach this.

“Y/N. Baby?” Sebastian hesitated before bringing his fingers up to your chin, not wanting you to react badly. “I’m right here, Y/N, it’s Sebastian.” His left hand hadn’t left your knee, continuing to trace small patterns into your skin, giving you something to ground yourself with. He watched you blink and swallow harshly, inhaling sharply before opening your mouth.

“Why are you with me?” Your chin trembled with unvoiced sobs. “You deserve the world, Seb. I’m not even--” Your sentence was cut off by a loud whimper causing tears to start streak down. Sebastian wasn’t sure if this was a situation where you wanted him to be involved, so he waited for a sign.

“I’m not even worth a glance from you.” Your hand came up to wipe at your runny nose. “They’re so right. You need to be with someone like Shailene.” A bitter sob racked your body, making your body fold in half. Sebastian caught you before you hurt yourself.

“Y/N. I love you.” He always heard you say that to yourself when you thought he wasn’t listening. He knew that you suffered from anxiety, so he was always watching. Always paying attention to your little cues. The little things that he could use to help you as much as he could. “I love all of you.” He held one of your hands, running his thumb over the back of it.

“I don’t care what they say, baby.” He lifted your face to his, steel blue eyes locking with your cloudy pair. “I picked you.” He pecked your right cheek. “I want you.” A peck to your left. “I want only you.” One to your forehead. “It’s always been you, Y/N.” Another on your chin. “I love all of you, Y/N.” Sebastian landed a final short kiss to your lips, lingering for only a second.

“I want you to understand something, Y/N.” His gaze never left you. “I’m not going anywhere.” His brows raised as he hardened his voice. “I’m especially not going anywhere at the behest of my fans. I love them to death, but they don’t get to decide who I love.” Sebastian shifted to sit next to you on the couch. “Is it okay if I put my arms around you?” All he got was a brief nod in return, which was expected.

“I’m yours, Y/N. As much as you’re mine.” His arms descended around you, wrapping you in a loving embrace. You turned to face him fully, bringing your own arms around his waist, shoving your head into his neck.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with all my shit, Seb.” Sebastian almost missed your comment because you spoke into his shoulder and through loud snuffles. He backed away to look you in the face.

“I signed up for this, Y/N. I’m here for whatever we go through.” He tucked a stray hair behind your ear. “We go through ‘your shit’ together, Y/N. This is a partnership, a two-way street.” He looked at the weak smile on your face, heart warming slightly at the sight. His face turned serious, casting a glance at your phone on the coffee table.

“How long have you been sitting on this?” He knew how quickly your mind could twist things, so he wasn’t sure what to expect. You bit your lip, not meeting his eyes anymore.

“Just since this morning.” He held you away from his body, watching your expression.

“Is this why you were crying earlier?” You gave him a meek nod in response. “Baby, I thought we talked about this. We have to talk to each other when we think we’re going to go into a funk.” The two of you had talked about it before, but you didn’t think this was going to be a funk.

“I should’ve been able to just shake this off because I know you love me and you won’t leave me because of something that some people on the Internet say.” The words left your mouth before you could process everything, your mind quick to defend itself.

“It’s okay, Y/N. You don’t always have to be able to shake something off. We just have to keep each other in the loop.” Sebastian looked over your tear-stained face, pressing a kiss to your forehead again. “Let’s ditch the phones today. Just spend the day in each other’s arms, how’s that sound?” You smiled softly, nodding at the man in front of you. He got up quickly hiding both of your phones in the kitchen somewhere.

This definitely wasn’t a solution to dealing with your anxiety, Sebastian knew that. It also wasn’t dealing with the toxic people on the Internet, but you didn’t need that right now. You needed to be immersed in an environment that accepted what you were going through without judgement, Sebastian could provide that. Seb hummed happily when you snuggled into his side under the covers on your couch while he searched for a movie. He kissed the top of your head and he felt you smile against his stomach.

“I’m proud of you, draga mea.” You turned to face him, a confused expression lacing your features.

“For what, Seb?” He stroked your face with a single finger, mapping out your features.

“I’m proud of how you handle yourself. I’m amazed at how strong you are, even when you think you’re not.” He leaned closer to you, whispering his next words. “You’re my hero.” One corner of your mouth twitched upwards, not wanting to accept it. You rolled your eyes playfully, settling back onto his stomach before speaking.

“I love you, Sebastian.”

“And I love you, Y/N.”

[katzkinder]

Little Drops of Water

Tetsu is his pride and joy.

It goes without saying, really, that his dear Eve is his greatest treasure in the world, and that the Item he has been given, one half of the set of four hairclips Tetsu used to keep his hair out of his face all throughout middle and highschool, are almost equally as dear to him as the boy himself. Long after Tetsu is gone, their shiny plastic, ocean blue, will last and Hugh will add them to his treasures. There they will remain alongside a young noble girl’s favored comb, a king and hero’s favorite embroidery (done by the steady and lovely hand of his wife), and… A peasant girl’s dress, carefully, lovingly preserved against the ravages of time, so delicate now that only the most trusted of his subclass are allowed to care for it.

Yes, Tetsu is his pride and joy, and yes, it goes without saying that Hugh holds him near and dear to his heart… But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t brag about him to whoever was fortunate enough to have to listen to him.

...Which is why the situation in front of him is so… Frustrating.

Now, call him a coward, call him a fool, call him a doddering old man… Perhaps he was all those things. But he was not so fool enough as to blindly praise working oneself into the ground, nor was he the type to give praise where it wasn’t due.

Tetsu was not the brightest.

He would admit this, albeit no longer to his Eve’s face. And while he would admit this, he would also much more readily sing Tetsu’s redeeming qualities. Tetsu was a hard worker. Tetsu was steadfast. Tetsu was loyal. Tetsu was a good listener.

Tetsu was all these things and more, but most of all, Tetsu was dedicated.

Which is how Hugh found himself acting as tutor, with his brilliant mind and sharp wit, while his dear Eve prepared for university entrance exams.

It was heartbreaking, though, how hard he worked. Not because Hugh believed he would fail, oh no, far from it. Tetsu might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was fastidious, and really, Hugh thought, the thing that held him back the most was his lack of confidence in his own abilities, to which Hugh proudly thought he had been quite instrumental in rectifying, if he did say so himself.

It was heartbreaking because… Sometimes, it felt as if the only one who believed Tetsu would succeed was Tetsu himself.

And Hugh, of course.

Now, don’t get him wrong. He didn’t believe Tetsu’s family meant to discourage their son. Far from it, they wanted nothing more than for Tetsu to succeed, and they supported him fully in his university career endeavors. Except, well, Tetsu had told him that he wanted to go to university for one very simple, but very heartfelt reason.

He wanted to save their inn.

The inn which… Tetsu’s own parents felt had no future.

But Tetsu and his iron will, of course, thought otherwise, and he refused to give up on the family business, the place he had grown up and loved and worked so very hard to help run, even as far back as before he and Hugh had met. It was charming. It was lovely. It made Hugh want to fight for him, more than ever before.

The inn was something that, even more than a contract with Hugh, Tetsu took Pride in.

So Hugh, in order to nurture that pride, in order to care for his Eve, would do everything in his power to teach Tetsu everything he needed to know to make that dream of his come true. To make their home, because that’s what it is, this place. This little inn is Hugh’s home now, too. It’s no grand castle, no stone walls or towers or awe inspiring, imposing structures, but he loves it all the same, loves the people who make it such a warm, wonderful place.

He wonders how he could have ever considered letting this place die.

Hugh knows the answer, of course. It’s because he was a coward, a fool, and a doddering old man.

He refuses to be that way any longer.

***

“Hugh. Are you tired?”

The Servamp of Pride exaggerates his yawn further, rubs at one of his eyes with a tiny fist, and mumbles that he is fine, he can keep going, let them continue the lesson. Tetsu frowns at him, adjusts the reading glasses he now needs (and he’s grown into such a handsome young man, Hugh thinks, barely able to keep the smile off his face to continue his ruse), and sets the heavy prep book aside.

“No, it’s late. What time is it?”

“Check your phone, my boy… It’s almost a quarter to eleven,” Hugh informs him, just as Tetsu makes a startled noise when he confirms as such with his own eyes.

“It really is that late… Hugh, that’s amazing. You never need to check a clock or anything.” He shakes his head, willing the distraction away. “Sorry. I should have kept a better eye on the time. Let’s stop for the night. I didn’t notice, but… I’m kind of tired, too.”

And just like that, Tetsu starts tidying his space, placing his glasses back in their case and his books back in his bag while Hugh goes to fetch their pajamas. His Eve pats his head when he returns, murmuring a quiet thanks while Hugh soaks up the attention in a way very few people who aren’t big brother are able to earn from him, and after that, it’s the rest of their bedtime routine as normal. Getting changed, brushing their teeth, rolling out the futon, and climbing in together, Hugh always forever tiny against Tetsu’s larger frame, forever his Eve’s favorite teddy bear.

It suits him just fine, and he chitters softly, contently, when he’s snuggled close, tucks his head up under Tetsu’s chin and inhales the scent of pine he finds there, that wafts from Tetsu himself and his futon each. It’s soothing. It’s home.

Hugh cannot allow himself to fall asleep yet, no matter how tempting it is.

He lies there, being held, being loved, and waits for Tetsu’s breaths to slow, waits for his arms to go slack, just a bit, because once Tetsu is asleep… His real work begins.

It’s easy to slip away. A bat in the night, easing the door to Tetsu’s room open and swooping out into the halls, a wandering pet no one will see in the dark and no one will hear, silent as the beat of his wings are. He pauses, only briefly, when passing by the front desk where the lovely spouse of Tetsu’s elder sister still diligently works, greeting Miyako with a swoop and a cheep. She smiles at him, bids him safe journey.

“I’ll leave the lamp on for you. Take care, Hugh~”

A charming young lady, and she treats Tetsu well. Hugh can’t say he disapproves of her, even if her family is one he could do without. Of course, he never says as much, neither to her face nor to Tetsu’s.

That would be rude.

...To All of Love, however, he will gladly complain.

***

Hugh does not return until hours later, when the moon has passed its highest point in the sky and is on its journey back down to the horizon, chased by creatures neither he nor humanity can see, and yet, if you had asked him once, he would proclaim for certain that they were there.

Now, though, science tells otherwise, and he mourns the loss of that mysticism of the past at the same time he celebrates the inventions of the future, because it is only through the inventions of the future that he is able to monitor what needs to be monitored, and complete the tasks that need to be completed.

Such as keeping up with the local subclass, not all of which are his.

It is… Exhausting work.

Tokyo is a large place, and even without the Melancholy vampires to look after, knock on wood that it stays that way, even without Lust subclass, godspeed to All of Love, the number of them in Tokyo is staggering. Most of them are his, yes, and he does not regret granting them new life, no, never, not one bit, but… Well. Some of them need more assistance than others, and between tending the inn alongside Tetsu, studying, and this, his schedule is just… Completely packed full.

He wouldn’t trade this mind numbing feeling for the world. Not after they worked so hard to achieve what is still, unfortunately, an unsteady peace, but it’s an unsteady peace that has allowed his siblings and his subclass to prosper. To be happy, and healthy, and it leaves him puffing out his chest, tired but proud. Tired but happy.

Hugh would do even more if it were asked of him, he thinks as he sits to start putting together more flashcards and mnemonics and memory games, pens and books and note cards spread out in front of him while he lies on his stomach and gets to work. He would do even more, do whatever he could, if only to secure Tetsu’s future even more surely than the rising of the sun.

Because Tetsu is his pride and joy.

And as his pride and joy… Hugh would make certain that his Eve could rest without a single ounce of guilt.

Sleep well, my dear. The future is yours.

[slashyrogue]

Hannigram AU: House of Wax

Wolf Trap has never been exactly a large town, but it's still not a super small one, and there are some things there that other places don't have. 

Like The House of Wax. 

For as long as Will can remember it's been there, and he was lucky enough to get a job working alongside the Hannibal Lecter. Mr. Lecter isn't exactly elusive, he's known to throw elaborate parties for his rich friends from all over, but no one really knows him. He's unmarried, but seem so to have an endless supply of money, and even though the House of Wax rarely has visitors it's still there on the outskirts of town. 

Will was a fan long before he got a job there, though he mostly sweeps the floors, and he makes good enough money to stick around. Though Mr. Lecter won't let him in on the figure making, the one thing he's always been the most curious about, he loves his job. 

And maybe has a bit of a crush on Mr. Lecter. 

"Good afternoon, Will. Anyone come in?" 

Will blushes as Mr. Lecter walks into the main room, standing to watch him check the figures. "No, it's been quiet. Though I did see a few people around town on my drive in. It think their car broke down or something." 

Mr. Lecter pauses. "Oh?" 

"Uh huh," he says, "They didn't seem the type to want to come in here but you never know."

"Yes," Mr. Lecter says, smiling as he touches one of the figures almost lovingly, "You never know." 

"With Halloween coming up, I'm sure..." 

He turns and heads for the door, much to Will's disappointment. "I think I'll go in town to see on supplies. You're doing a wonderful job, Will," Mr. Lecter says, smiling, "As you always do." 

Will blushes harder, pushing up his glasses. "Thank you, Mister..."

"Hannibal, please," Mr. Lecter says, shaking his head, "You've worked here for nearly a year now, Will. I think it's about time you called me Hannibal."

Will blinks. "Um, ok....Hannibal." 

Hannibal smiles. "Look after them for me." 

"I will!" 

He leaves Will alone in the main hall, a little shaken, and smiling at being allowed to call Mr. Lecter by his first name. He's been coming to the House of Wax since he was a senior in high school, and though he's only nineteen now he still feels like a kid. 

But maybe Mr. Le--Hannibal, didn't see him that way anymore. 

Will laughs, shaking his head. "Dream on, Graham." 

He's just about to head for the Room of Thinkers when he hears a whimper, and looks around. 

"Hello?" 

Will frowns. 

He really thought he heard something. 

Weird. 

Will heads into the next room and starts to go through the figures one by one, dusting to perfection the way Hannibal likes. He goes through all eleven figures and is almost finished with Einstein when he notices something.

There’s a gray marking on Einstein’s neck, almost like a tattoo. He wipes harder, confused, and is just about to start scrubbing when loud laughter comes echoing into the room. Will drops his rag and runs for the front hall in time to see they have guests.

The strangers he’d seen just this morning are in the Leader Room, and they’re not alone.

“Will,” Mr. Lecter says, smiling, “Please direct our Chad, Brad, Marli, and…what was your name again, Miss?”

A blonde wearing a too tight college sweater bats her eyelashes at him. “Kitty, but you can call me whatever you want.”

The others all laugh and Will frowns when Kitty touches Hannibal’s chest. “Kitty,” he says, “I think Kitty will come with me to a…private viewing. Treat them well, Will.”

“But—-“

One of the guys slaps Will on the back. “Yeah, Will…treat us. Kitty…don’t take too long cuz that part might come in.”

Kitty grabs Hannibal’s arm. “Oh…we won’t.”

Will’s chest hurts as Mr. Lecter walks away with Kitty, her long blonde hair bouncing as they go, and he hates this part.

Why does he always have to be the one to show the guests around?

And what really happens in the private viewings?

He sighs.

“Right this way,” he mumbles, “You’re in for sights unlike anything you’ve seen before.”

They all laugh as he heads into the next room.

It’ll be just like all the others.

A lot of snickering followed by everyone not even finishing the whole viewing. Just once he’d like to get to the end.

Why did no one really appreciate The House of Wax like he did?

[asmo-ds]

(1) satan has been feeling a bit down lately because he really wants a cat but he knows that lucifer won't allow the cat inside. mc knows how satan feels about cats so as a christmas present they take him to volunteer in an animal shelter and more specifically one that's for cats.

The Purrfect Gift *HOLIDAY SPECIAL*

Satan x gn!MC Fluff

Word Count: 1517~

Summary: Knowing Lucifer would never allow them to bring a cat into the house, MC decides to bring Satan to an animal rescue shelter to keep the kittens’ company on the cold winter holiday, and despite entering the shelter with only two House of Lamentation residents, they leave with three.

“Please, Lucifer! I just know he’d love it and he’s a grown-up he’s responsible enough to have at LEAST one-”

“MC, for the last time, the way Satan’s mind works is if he is allowed to have one cat he’s allowed to have twelve more. It happens every time I’ve ever said yes to giving him a cat.” The first-born shakes his head and MC can see the vein on his forehead popping out from frustration. 

“Well, what the hell else could I get him?! He’s got every book anybody could ever want, he has all the detective movies and games I’ve ever seen, he just doesn’t exactly give me very many options…” MC rants, muttering towards the end. 

“Just take him to a cat café or animal shelter or something. I really couldn’t care less, MC,” Lucifer growls, a dark aura of frustration and annoyance surrounding him as he scribbles his signature onto papers with more and more aggression by the second.

“AN ANIMAL SHELTER! THAT’S PERFECT!” MC jumps and gives Lucifer a hug, making his annoyance only grow as he yells not to touch him while they skip off into the hallway. 

- 

“C’mon! C’mon! You walk so slow, Satan,” MC tugs his sleeve like a child, making him sigh loudly.

“MC, not to be rude, but as much as I’d like to get there quickly, you have me blindfolded and walking down an icy sidewalk, if I move any faster I have no doubt I will fa-ALL” Satan explains, slipping on a patch of ice at the end of his sentence. 

“Woah, careful, Satan, you have to watch your step,” MC snickers, watching his eyebrow twitch, indicating his eye had twitched along with it in annoyance. MC raises their head and looks up at the sign of the small building.

“We’re here!” MC sings letting go of their boyfriend’s hand and walking behind him to untie the blindfold. “Ta-da! We get to keep the kitties company on Christmas!”

Satan’s initial annoyance of the blindfold removal exposing him to the bright sun was quickly wiped away by the scene before him. MC opens the front door, the bell jingling above them as they step inside. 

MC takes the blond’s hand and rushes to the room of cats.

“Hey kitties!” MC falls to their knees almost instantly, petting the cats that had come to see them. They look up at Satan and see his eyes sparkling as Cats pour out of cages and small hiding spots, making their way towards the pair.

“Hey Satan, they seem like they like you,” MC points out, giggling as Satan crouches next to them and lets cats crawl all over him.

“I’ve never known why, but all felines have always been so drawn to me, which is lucky considering I like them so much,” Satan softly smiles. “And I mean felines both big and small. One time Mammon won a tiger while gambling, and when he brought it in the house it tackled me and purred while nuzzling me. It was the best moment of my life.”

MC and Satan play with the cats for hours, both feeling a bit guilty that these cats had no home for the cold holiday. 

While he was playing with an older cat, he heard a soft and broken meow accompanied by some soft thumping and dragging sounds. He turns around and sees a small, white kitten with only three legs attempting to reach him, but being pushed over by the numerous other cats trying to capture the demon’s attention.

Satan reaches over and picks her up, holding her and bringing her to an area of the room further from MC and the other cats.

“Hey there little girlie,” he says softly, petting the kitten gently and enjoying the vibrations of its purr. Satan plays around with the kitten and feeds it some treats before he hears the soft voice of a human, “we should probably, head home now,” MC comes towards him, only to be met with a big pout and puppy dog eyes. “No no no no NO! Lucifer made it very clear! I am not to bring home any furry friends, no matter how cute and fuzzy and lonely, and FUCK IT LETS BRING HER HOME,” MC gives into his pouting and watches it turn into a big smile. 

The Avatar of wrath picks up the amputated kitten, baby talking to it the entire way to the front desk.

After some paperwork and purchasing of some essential cat stuff, MC and Satan head back to the House of Lamentation, stopping outside the front gate to make their game plan.

“So, put all of this stuff into your bag, and I’ll hold the kitten under my coat.”

MC stuffs the cat food into their backpack, alongside a few small toys they had bought. Satan unzips his coat and places the cat underneath the clothing, holding it tightly to his chest by crossing his arms underneath it to keep it up. “Be quiet kitty, okay?” He presses a finger to his lips and smiles down at the kitty.

They quickly walk towards the front door, opening it quietly and closing it softly behind them. Footsteps come down the hall, both MC and Satan giving each other a worried glance, knowing exactly who was approaching.

“MC, Satan. How was the animal shelter?” Lucifer asks with no sign of emotion. 

“It was nice! I had no idea felines would be as attracted to him as he is to them.” MC giggles. Wow, they’re good at hiding things. I wonder what kind of things they did in the human world to get so good at this, Satan thinks to himself, a bit concerned about their lying skills.

“Yes. It was like a dream, having so many cats around on such a nice holiday,” Satan adds on with a mischievous smirk, “much better than any present you’ve gotten me in the past.”

“Good. Be sure to wash those clothes and shower off all the cat hair. You reek of felines,” Lucifer snarls as he walks away, obviously suspicious of the intense cat smell that his demon nose could easily pick up.

MC and Satan quickly rush to his room, going to the furthest corner to set up their new daughter and her toys. 

They both watch the cat hobble around, sniffing the room and exploring as they whisper to each other. “She needs a name.” 

“How about, MC JR.,” MC says confidently.

“No, she doesn’t seem like an MC, if she were an MC she’d be getting nearly killed every five minutes, yet so far there have been no fatal incidents,” Satan states, earning a big punch to the shoulder from the human.

“Okay fine, you come up with one, then!” MC looks at Satan with a playful glare.

“Fine. How about Icy, y’know since it was so icy today,” Satan suggests, earning a loud purr from the kitten in question.

“I think she likes it. Do you like being called Icy?” MC coos at Icy, receiving another purr followed by a happy meow.

“Who likes being called Icy?” a chilling voice says from behind the couple. 

“Our daughter,” MC smiles, holding the kitten up to Lucifer, showing its cuteness to the annoyed man looming above them. 

“I specifically told you that-” Seeing Satan’s disappointed face for even half a second gave MC the balls to stand up against Lucifer.

“NO! Satan is a grown man, and even if you’re the oldest brother and choose to look down on everyone I will NOT let you ruin this Christmas for him! I got him a cat! You will allow him to keep this cat unless you want me to give a bad essay on my time in the Devildom and go to Lord Diavolo about all of this and your stuck up attitude and pride that have no place interfering with the happiness of your brothers!” As MC finishes they notice Lucifer is in demon form, seconds away from attacking them, they flinch before their lover appears before them, gripping Lucifer’s wrist and preventing him from getting to them. 

MC hears hissing from the ground and sees that even Icy is trying to stand up for her new parents. 

MC takes to caring for the distressed kitten as the two men argued. They hear Lucifer give in and storm out before Satan dives down to where MC and the kitten lay, squeezing both of them tightly and lovingly.

“Fuck Lucifer,” MC grumbles making Satan laugh. 

“Not literally, but yes fuck Lucifer.”

The rest of the night is spent petting and holding both MC and Icy as he truly feels serenity for the first time in centuries. 

“I love you, both,” Satan mumbles, falling asleep and kissing both MC and Icy on the forehead.

“I wuv u too!” MC fakes a voice for Icy making Satan sleepily laugh before he dozes off.

“But I love you the most, Merry Christmas, Satan.” MC places a soft kiss on his cheek before falling asleep holding one tiny kitten and Satan one very large kitten.

[sheyshen]

Fictober ‘21: Day 2

Prompt: “You have no proof“ Fandom: Dragon Age Origins Rating: G Pairing: Rana (F!Cousland)/Alistair/Nathaniel

-

"Over there! No, no, not there, over…" Rana pointed to the other side of the room. "Look, just give it here, I'll get it."

Leliana handed her the basket she had been carrying, laughing quietly as she headed across the room to continue decorating, Schmooples bounding alongside her as she went. They had been working on decorating the ballroom all afternoon as a surprise for Alistair's birthday and were finally nearly done. It had been mainly just the 3 of them, Nathaniel keeping watch while Leliana helped her friend with the decorations for much of the time, though Morrigan had joined them about halfway through, using her magic to get to the harder to reach areas of the room, complaining the whole way, but still wanting to lend a hand to her closest friend.

Nathaniel whistled from the doorway, alerting her that the man of the hour was arriving a bit earlier than he should've. Abandoning her work she went to her lover's side and handed him the basket. "I'll stall him, can you finish up?"

Taking the basket he nodded, "of course." And gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as he walked past.

As soon as he had passed her Rana strode out into the hall, heading to cut off her husband before he ruined the surprise. It shouldn't take too much longer, but she wanted it to be perfect before letting him in the room.

An excited bark greeted her as she turned the corner, Bear charging from Alistair's side to hers as soon as he saw her. She grinned, scratching behind the mabari's ear before turning her attention to her husband.

"Star! What brings you all the way out here?"

He stopped before her, giving her a soft kiss in greeting before Bear forced his way between them seeking more scritches.

"Just going for a walk, getting some air, interrupting some dastardly plans, the usual." He tried to walk past her, figuring they could talk as he continued his escape from his duties as king for a while, but she blocked him. Cocking an eyebrow at her he attempted to go around her but she continued to block his path. "And what about you my dear? You seem to be up to something."

"Me? Never!" She teased, once more blocking his attempts at getting around her. Bear bounced around, barking, thinking it a game and wishing to join in as well.

Alistair stopped his attempts, crossing his arms in mock frustration. "No, you definitely are. What is it you're planning?"

"I'm not planning anything, I swear."

"Rana, I can tell when you're lying."

"You have no proof." She grinned at him, stepping closer as she said each word so she was mere inches from him. Just a few more minutes.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her lovingly, a gesture she returned. He went to say something but before he could Nathaniel ran into sight, chasing down Schmooples as the nug tried to make off with a pastry-shaped toy. The small critter bolted between the king and queen, surprising Bear before turning and running back the way it had come, the mabari hot on its heels.

Nathaniel skidded to a halt and grumbled as both companions ran into the ballroom.

"Everything alright Nate?" Alistair released his wife, both wardens going to their lover's side.

He let out a frustrated breath, before replying. "Everything is fine. Perfect even." He focused on Rana in particular, "and ready if you are."

"Ah! Wonderful!" She grabbed Alistair's hand, urging him down the hall, "come on."

"And what are you two planning, hm?" He teased, refusing to budge at first before allowing his lovers to lead him.

"Close your eyes, love."

He obliged, though he made a show of it, pulling a laugh from his wife. They lead him by the hand, into another room, one that smelled… sweet. Like freshly baked treats and his love's favorite snacks.

"Alright, you can open them."

Slowly he opened his eyes and took in the room. Streamers were hung all about, although most connected to the chandelier that hung in the center of the ballroom. Various colors were splashed onto the walls, a bit of magic keeping them from getting stained, a handful of gifts were stacked on a nearby table, and a table full of all his favorite foods was set up as well. Schmooples ran by, toy still in its mouth, before being scooped up by Leliana before Bear could catch him.

He grinned, excitement clear on his face before the look softened when he turned his attention to Rana. "I love you."

"I love you too." She returned the smile, "Happy birthday."

[wlw-lovestruck-fiction]

Can I request a Helena fluff we’re Helena’s double Helen wasn’t killed by the witch queen? Helena and Mc went to go meet her as Helena and Helen cries as they now call each other family.

Written by: @psychasylumpoetry

US

TW: Mention of Suicide/Suicide Attempt; Mention of Abuse

“Are you ready?” Angel gazes at me with a radiant grin. “To be frank, I’m hesitant to do this.” I tenderly take her hand, holding it in mine. “It’s okay. I promise, she won’t say anything or do anything that’ll make you uncomfortable.” I nod, taking deep breaths. “I’m ready.” She smiles before getting on her toes to kiss my forehead. I gradually open the door, wandering into the well-lit studio.

“Is Helen Kay here at the moment?”

“I am Helen Kay, what can I do for y-”

She spins around, abruptly halting her words. I let go of Angel’s hand, stepping towards her. “I’m Helena Klein.” Her eyes broaden somewhat as I put out my hand for her.

“I know you don’t know me at all but-”

“You look just like me…”

She responds breathlessly, slowly walking forward, gazing into my eyes.

“All the way to the eye colour.”

She grins softly, “Are you a cosplayer?” My eyes widen, “Cosplayer…what is a cosplayer…” I glance back at Angel, she steps up alongside me, “No, she isn’t.”

“Can I ask why you look like a mirror image of me? Not to be rude or anything.”

I stare back at Angel. She provides me with the nod of approval before beaming at me. “Do you believe there are additional realms… different strata of existence?” Helen’s grin brightens. “I do actually. I’ve been studying it for a small while.” I nod.

“Well, I am…you. From another realm, it is fine if you don’t bel-”

“I believe you.”

I hesitate, gazing back within her royal cerulean eyes…our royal cerulean eyes. “You believe me?” She smirks.

Gods, it looks quite like my own

“You’re standing in front of me, flesh and blood. How could I not believe you?” She grins, before walking in front of me. I trace her features with my eyes.

Her piercing cerulean eyes, pale skin and full lips. Pale blonde hair and precise cheekbones. It’s similar to staring in a mirror.

Her hand hovers over my cheek. “Is it okay if I touch you?” I nod softly. Her soft fingers frame my cheek. She traces my jawline with her fingers, making out the features of my face. She runs her blunt nails down the side of my face before running her fingers down my hair, out of the way of my face.

“I’m sorry…I was just making sure you were real.”

“It’s fine,” I say softly smiling.

“You seem kind. That’s the only reason I let you touch me.” She smiles, “Or is it because you don’t let yourself be touched unless you know the person or feel safe around them?” My eyes widen slightly. “That is the reason…I feel like I know you…”

“Like best friends?”

“No…not friends…family.” Silent wonder fills her eyes. “I’m glad we’re on the same page, Helena.” She smiles, gently running her thumb over my cheek. “Now, what is it you’ve come to see me for?” She motions over to a couple of chairs. She articulates with a soothing tone. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a chair for you.”

“Oh it’s fine, I can leave you two to talk.”

Angel smiles before walking off. I stare after her. “Hey, it’s fine. I’m sure she won’t leave you here for too long.” She tips her head, “Anything in particular you need?”

“To get to know you a bit would be nice…”

I say softly, averting my gaze before looking back. “How about we get to know each other?” She tilts her head, looking at me. “That…Would be lovely.”

“Excellent. Let’s start with birthdays.”

“27th day of Frozen Lakes.”

“Ah, forgot…different realms…I was born on January 27th, 1990. In LA.” She hums. “LA?” I reply in question. “Ah- Los Angeles.” I nod, “What is your preferred season."

"Fall. The perfect season for sweaters. Not too hot, not too cold.”

“I hate being cold.” We speak at the same time before staring at each other wide-eyed. We pause for a moment before she speaks again. “Do you have any questions?” I sit a bit straighter.

“What was your life like?”

She hummed softly. “Well, I had a mother and a father. Very supportive people.” I nod, not showing on my face that I was happy she had supportive parents. “I was in the higher class as a child…I didn’t like being referred to as a rich kid,” She chuckled. “I didn’t have a lot of riches myself.” She tilts her head. “I can only imagine…” She slowly exhales. I can feel the tension between her shoulders.

“My father took his own life when I was eighteen and still living at home. My mother went into a deep depression. I tried to cheer her up.” She gently runs her nails down her arm. “I failed to do so, and she turned into a bitter woman…” Tears begin to form on the corners of her eyes. “She forced me to drop out. She made me do things that…I regret, even now.” The tremble in her voice only grew stronger.

I act on pure instinct. “It was only until a few years ago she decided to do the s-” I kneel in front of her and pull her into a tight hug. I hear her glasses clink to the floor. She sits still before beginning to warm into the hug. Her tears flowing freely as I gently rub her back.

She eased out of the hug, letting me kneel in front of her, “Alan was with me since childhood…Helping me through everything that had happened to me from breaking my ankle when we were fifteen up until now.” She smiled softly before sniffing and wiping her face. “I…um.” She cleared her throat, reaching for her glasses which were on the floor. I pass them to her, giving her a moment to compose herself before she spoke up.

“What about you?”

“My…life?” I look at her with a confused look. She nods with a soft smile, "It’s a nice way to get to know each other.” I chuckle softly, “We should probably sit over there then.” I point at the couch on the other side of the studio. “That works.” As we get up, I start talking.

“When I was younger, I didn’t possess very supportive parents. Magic was feared in my village and I was discriminated against for my magical abilities.”

“Mmm?” She hums before sitting on the couch, I sit on the corner as she lays her head on my shoulder. “I was seven when I cast my first spell.” I gently run my fingers through her hair. “A bit after that, I had met a ginger kitten.” I smile softly, “A bit bigger than how my hand was now…I named her Ember… Ember Cornelius Flame.”

“That’s adorable, Helena.”

I smile softly, nodding. “She was a very adorable kitten…I treated her like my own, like a daughter. Feeding her, washing her fur when I had the chance…” I sigh, “Well…one day…I found Ember dead…In the vibrant field, we used to play in.”

“Oh…”

I hum at her realization. “I was heartbroken…It hurt even more as a child. Out of instinct…I used my power…I drained the grass of its life and tried to give it to Ember.” I exhale slowly, “Well…I saw her paw twitch…then stop."

"That was when…one of the villagers cried, witch…”

I say in a hushed whisper. “I was forced to leave. And I did.” Helen looks up at me. “Is this how you arrived here?” I chuckle, “No, no…That was way later…After that, I left I set out to find a calling.”

“Well, that was when the witch queen came into my life.”

I softly stroke her hair. “I wanted to be her. And I tried to do so. I tried to kill her and take her power.” She tensed a bit, “You…” I shake my head, “I couldn’t…She did something to me…Made me submit.”

“She saw me useful. I became her protégé…I was a fool for falling in love with such a wicked woman.” A tremble ran through my body. “She used me for pleasure, giving me pain…painting my skin with scars…I became one of her prized possessions…Her little plaything…"

"Then she died.”

“In a war that she got herself into and one that I fought beside her in.” Helen gently turned to put her arms around my shoulders. “I wasn’t allowed to mourn. I had to be strong.” She rubs my shoulder gently. “Then suddenly…she was there…flesh and blood…but not really.”

“It was her but not really?”

I nod, “Looks it was her…attitude wasn’t.” I glance at the door. “That woman was her.” Helen tenses. “The woman outside is…” I smile softly, “No, she’s not the Witch Queen…I was even shocked.”

“I thought the witch queen had truly ceased…I was in love with the woman that had looked like her…Not for her looks but for how she carried herself.” I sigh lovingly before I continue. “Well, one night…while Angel was sleeping in my room, she was tossing and turning.”

“I watched her for a little bit before her face sported a wicked smirk only the witch queen wore…” My trembling grew just a bit. “The woman I had loved, and the woman I caused a genocide for were sharing a body…”

“Oh…Helena…”

“Even worse…Now that I knew that Angel wasn’t the Witch Queen…I had to hide it from the generals…And Alain…” My trembling ceases a bit. “I did so before they brought the Queen out of Angel…She wanted me to come back…But I refused…” I sigh, “So, I picked up Angel…and ran.”

“You ran away from the Witch Queen?”

“Yes…It was very difficult because she was looking for me…” I reply. Helen rubs my shoulder as she hugs me, “I can only imagine…” I nod, “We found shelter, had a few near-death situations…I made friends with my enemies…” I smile softly before sighing. “We went back to fight…”

“That was when I was transported here for the first time.”

“You’ve been here before?” Helen questions, “Yes, I didn’t quite know where I was at first…but Angel helped me through it all.” Helen nods, “Angel seems like a really good person…helping you through everything.” I smile, “She really is.” Helen softly squeezes my shoulder.

“We decided to go back and end the witch queen’s reign…” I draw a trembling breath. “That was when she killed him…She killed Alain…one of the only men I considered a friend since childhood.” Tears started to slowly form at the corner of my eyes, “One of the only people I could talk to when I wasn’t having the most enjoyable day.” Soon, my tears started to fall, “The one person who I could be myself around before I met Angel.”

I sob quietly trying to talk between each sobbing breath, “What she did hurt me to the point I used all of my magic against her…which lead her to redirect it and plunge the world into darkness…” I explain the time of the war to her as she gently hugs me.

My shoulders tremble softly as I try to smile, “After all of that…after everything we went through…I decided to propose…Everything was finally over and all I wanted to do was be with Angel. And that’s what happened. We got married, and officially moved back to Chicago to stay.” Helen rubbed my shoulder, gently wiping away my tears.

“You’ve been through a lot…I’m glad it’s over.”

She hums before pulling me in a tight hug. “I’m glad it’s over too.” I sigh, melting into the hug. “Thank you…” I whisper softly, “No, thank you.” She gently strokes my hair before pulling away. “Let’s change to lighter topics?”

“Please.”

We giggle before starting to talk about things like our favourite ice cream flavours, colours, and type of music. After a bit of time, Angel walks in. “Hey, babe?” I look up with a soft smile, “Yes, my love?” She scratches her neck with a nervous smile, “It’s seven. Are you ready to head out?” Helen checks her phone, “Ah! Crap! I missed meeting up with Alan! We were planning to catch a movie!"

"I apologize for keeping you for so long.”

“Oh no. It’s fine! I can just say that I was with my twin sister.” I lift an eyebrow, “Twin sister?” She chuckles, booping my forehead. “You, sapphire!” I look away, “I should have known.” I chuckle softly.

“When will I see you again?”

“Mmmm, Angel?” I look at Angel, she blushes at the sudden attention. “Ah, well…we’re going to be in town for a bit.” Helen speaks up, “Friday?” I look at Angel before nodding. “Yes.”

We discuss the plans for Friday, which ends up being ice cream at her favourite ice cream place. We exchange numbers and we’re out of the studio by 8:30 pm.

“Why are you smiling so hard?”

“I have a sister now.”

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

Hey, wonderful Yiga Scribe!! Wondering if you could treat us to the boys having some sleepy morning sex? If Sooga initiates it all romantic-like, the better :3

Oh that's ABSOLUTELY adorable. Let's do it!

Sooga still wasn't used to sleeping. Used to being unconscious, used to being so vulnerable for so long. He almost hated it. But there was ONE thing that made the unsettling feeling bearable. Master Kohga. He was the first thing he saw once he awoke, and it made all unease go away, like muck being washed away by the purest water. He looked so pure in his arms, his bare body felt so soft in his own. He couldn't resist leaning down to peck at his cheek.

"You're so beautiful...so wonderful. So precious to me."

He wasn't even awake just yet. Supposed it WAS a bit early for him. He should leave him alone. But...well. Man was always selfish in the face of beauty. He kissed at his cheek, his shoulder, his chin. Right till Kohga groggily woke up. One would assume he was grumpy, but Kohga was just chuckling, letting himself be kissed by this wall of a man.

"Hey hey, knock it off….idiot, I'm trying to sleep here."

"I'm not hearing 'command', so I'm afraid I cannot obey. So sorry."

"No you’re not!"

"Good point."

They BOTH chuckled at that, with Kohga accepting the assaults of affection. Kohga was half asleep, and the dreary look on his face really stole Sooga's poor heart.

"Master Kohga? I'd...like to ask your permission for something."

"If it's getting up to work, permission denied."

"No no, I...I don't want to work. I...would like to make love to you, please."

Kohga groaned, putting his hand on Sooga’s face.

"I don't wanna do any work, Sooga. We do it, imma just be laying here the whole time like a doll."

Like a doll. The fact that notion made him harder was perplexing. He kissed alongside his shoulder, down his arm, right down to those soft, nimble fingers.

"I have no qualms. If you do not want me, that is a different story. If it's an issue on labor...I can assure you, I'll pull my weight."

Kohga chuckled, shaking his head as he stretched, then settled again.

"Alright, alright. Get your kicks, pretty boy."

Sooga didn’t hesitate to softly massage his ass in his hand, all while his lips kept smooching his Master so affectionately.

"Sleep all you'd like, my Master. I will enjoy you, and all you have to offer. My precious doll…"

He liked that. Something pretty, something precious, to be in his arms forever. Kohga, half asleep, chuckled as Sooga’s boner rubbed against his ass.

"Mmm...for someone who wants their cock in my ass, you’re kinda sweet."

"I try."

He chuckled. He rubbed the head of his cock against his ass, nudging it until it slowly pushed itself into his ass. Sooga moaned a swear under his breath, slowly rolling his hips into Kohga, all while he was rubbing that big, precious belly. So soft, so warm, so tight around him. Sooga kept moving at a slow ish pace, hands kneading and palming at that soft stomach.

"I like your stomach."

"Ah ah ah. Right name."

"...poochy tummy. I like your poochy tummy."

Kohga chuckled, not doing a DAMN thing but sitting there and looking pretty.

"How much stupid shit would you say for me?"

"I hate that I know where this is going. But, anything you wish to hear, I'll say it."

Kohga chuckled, scratching his mane of pretty hair.

"Say 'I like your tummy wummy, Master Kohga'."

"...I like your tummy wummy, Master Kohga."

Kohga chuckled, getting a kick out of this, clearly.

"Say 'your belly is perfect for my cummies'"

"For the love of-your belly is perfect for my...c-cummies."

"You're so stupid."

"You're so stupid."

"I didn't say repeat!"

Kohga huffed, lightly slapping Sooga’s smug face. It was such cute, playful banter, and Sooga’s cock was THROBBING. It was so cute, so romantic, so precious, Sooga wanted to stuff him like a cream puff. Kohga grumbled a bit, pretending to be angry.

"Cheeky bastard. Alright, smart ass, let's get you saying something I think you'd like. Say 'my cock is throbbing'. But do it in that voice I like."

"...voice?"

"Yeah, the sexy one!"

"I have a sexy voice?"

Kohga turned to look at him, clearly gobsmacked, before lightly sighing.

"Just...shut the hell up and give me some tongue, boy."

Sooga obeyed, pressing his lips against his, and slowly, sensually caressing the other's tongue with his own. The way he moaned into his mouth, the way he purred for more. It was too much for Sooga.

"I'm g-gonna...c-can I finish-"

"Go ahead, in my ass is totally fine."

Sooga swore up quite the storm, lost in the sweet, tender lust. It was but mere moments before he came, shoving his load right into Kohga's ass. Kohga chuckled, moving his ass back and forth, smearing the cum all over that sensitive cock.

"Thank...you. I REALLY like doing that with you."

"I can tell, you got a decent load in, big boy. You good enough to go back to sleep?"

Sooga nodded, burying his face in his neck, and sighing oh so lovingly.

"You're so wonderful. My little doll. My precious, sweet-"

"Sleep, dumbass."

"Yes, Master Kohga."

His precious doll. He loved him oh so terribly much.

[introvert-celeste]

su prompt: Bismuth trying to come to terms with Rose trying to flee the Diamonds and how this informed Rose's entire military strategy, in that she didn't want ANYONE to get hurt at all and the whole revolution expanded way out of what she might have originally planned?

HI, HELLO. Yes, I FINALLY finished this prompt, and it’s quite a bit longer than I had planned (I was aiming for >1000 words but *shrugs*). I’m not sure if this was exactly what you meant, but I chose to go a more personal route for this. Bismuth is torn by her feelings about Rose, the war, and her own actions and this is her trying to air these feelings out.

Bismuth stood on the warp pad for a moment as the light dissipated around her, determined and nervous in equal measures.

Rose’s fountain stood serenely in the shadows of the surrounding cliffs, silent save for the distant babbling of its healing waters. Under different circumstances, it could have been a peaceful retreat from the trials of daily life; to Bismuth and the countless gems who passed through its arches over the years, however, it was not so simple. This fountain was their saving grace, discussed in hushed whispers during the war lest their enemies learn of its miraculous properties, and in extension the legendary abilities of their leader. It was also a grim reminder, recalling its necessity in the intensifying rebellion. To Bismuth, it was a symbol of her devotion to a gem she thought she knew.

The gems of Little Homeworld scarcely ventured out to the fountain after they were healed of their corruption, treating it with the same respect as a sacred place. Since Steven hit the road, however, this was the only place that gems could reasonably travel to in order to heal any damage to their gemstones. One could find a small group gathered here on any given day, recovering and finding solace in the tranquil setting, but Bismuth was lucky enough to find it completely deserted.

In those three years following the healing, Bismuth had her own reasons for keeping her distance, and they all boiled down to her complicated feelings surrounding Rose. She was not ready to confront them. In the spirit of personal growth, however, she figured it was time to revisit those feelings.

As she walked the path toward one of the fountain’s four star-shaped entrances, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia. She recalled the countless rotations she spent in this spot, carefully carving out what she considered one of her greatest works of architecture from mountainous terrain, using nothing but her own two hands.

As the fighting increased between the Crystal Gem rebels and Homeworld’s armies, so too did the casualties, and Bismuth was one of the few gems close enough to Rose to know that it was taking a serious toll on her. She remembered the crowds of rebels who would flock to her after every battle, barely holding themselves together as they waited for her soothing tears and comforting smile. She remembered the moment she realized that Rose was not, in fact, infallible when, after many days of healing, she found that she had no more tears to shed for the gems she could not bring back.

This fountain was one of Bismuth’s many gifts to her idol, her friend. Every stone in this place had been so lovingly crafted; she didn’t even know that it would work, and yet she worked so diligently so that, even in the midst of great tragedy, Rose could still find peace. Indeed, the immense relief on Rose’s face made it all worth it. As she stood at the top of the stairs, gazing at its magnificence, however, she struggled to recall that simple gratification.

Alongside Rose’s tears, Bismuth poured her heart and soul into this fountain, this planet, this cause. She laid her gem on Rose’s anvil because she trusted her. All of the Crystal Gems trusted her, found hope in her presence. Old, bitter tears burned at the corners of her eyes as she gazed at the towering statue before her, its arms outstretched, inviting all who entered the sanctuary into its stony embrace. Even as the artist, she wondered how she could just stand there so serenely, as if she wasn’t playing everyone for a fool. How dare she look so peaceful when her actions were actively hurting her own gems, on both sides of the war?

Rose Quartz. Pink Diamond. How ironic, that Bismuth would spend so much energy fighting against the Diamonds, only to learn that she had idolized one the whole time.

Still, approaching the base of the fountain, she felt some of that old devotion weigh on her, bringing her to her knees before one of the seated statues. She bowed, waited in earnest for Rose’s insistent voice urging her to rise, but it never came. When she raised her head, the statue didn’t so much as regard her, bearing the same impassive expression as its larger sister.

In that moment, she realized that she had never seen Rose with such a tranquil expression. There was always a storm behind her eyes, a storm that Bismuth always mistook as Rose’s inner fighting spirit. Turns out, it was just another façade.

“Been awhile, huh?” She said, her voice cutting through the still air.

The statue was, of course, silent.

Without thinking, Bismuth got up and seated herself beside it. She closed her eyes, feeling the presence of the statue. True to size, it almost felt as if they were here again in this place, sharing a pensive moment before heading back to the battlefield. The moment hurt more than Bismuth could even begin to describe.

There were a million things she wanted to say, so much pain she waited to offload onto this piece of stone, and yet when she opened her mouth to speak, the first thing that came out of her mouth was this:

“I pity you.”

And she felt it in the very core of her gem, at the very depths of her soul, she felt it. She pitied her as much as she pitied herself, and the Crystal Gems, and all the gems who had to fight in this gem-forsaken war. She pitied her with the same intensity that she worshipped the ground beneath her feet, those thousands of years ago. She wanted to hate her, and yet how could she, after she had invested so much of herself in loving her, as a leader, as a friend?

“You were in way over your head, and so was I,” was the next thing she said. “I wanted to fix a system that was too big and broken to fix, and you wanted to hide from it. In the process, we were doing exactly what we were made to do: you led; I followed…until I didn’t.” I guess it makes sense that you poofed me. Discipline for a gem who’s stepped out of line, she continued in her head, unwilling to speak this bitter thought into existence. Instead, she turned away from the statue, unwilling to face it anymore. “Sometimes, I still wish you woulda shattered me back then, so I could hate you properly now.”

Her breath hitched as the tears started to flow. “I wish I could hate you, so I wouldn’t have to think about the terrible things that I’ve done!”

Her voice echoed against the walls and the surrounding cliffs. The rose bushes—her rose bushes—rustled at the disturbance, the first time they acknowledged her presence since she got there. Steven had told her about them once, about how aimless and hostile they became without Rose’s guidance, but they never caused any trouble for as long as Bismuth had known of them. Sure enough, they stopped moving as quickly as they had started, and all was quiet once more.

It was almost a comfort, knowing that a piece of Rose was there, a passive listener to her deepest feelings, one that could easily pass its judgement onto her if it so chose.

“Yellow started healing shattered gems from the war a couple weeks ago. I bet you never expected that.” Bismuth continued evenly, grabbing control of her voice. “Did you know they were still on Earth? Did you know about the Cluster?” She sighed. “I guess it doesn’t matter now, but you were always so concerned about those shards. Crystal gems, Homeworld gems, they were all balled up together and stuffed in the planet’s mantle just so they can blow the planet up thousands of years later. I hope you didn’t know about all that.”

She was beating around the bush, and she knew it. That awful guilt that had been building inside her throughout those two weeks was becoming too much to bear. That was why she came here in the first place: to get this weight off her chest and finally air out that old resentment she still clung to, toward Rose, toward herself, toward the entire system that put them in this situation in the first place.

In her peripheral vision, she caught a glimpse of her reflection on the water, with the statue barely visible beside her. The curls of its hair were crafted so delicately, she could have sworn she saw them bounce in the gentle breeze. A great tangle of emotions moved her to action as she gazed at her face in the pale pink waters, slapping at it angrily.

“I can’t bear to even look ‘em in the eyes!” She sobbed, as a cascade of droplets rained down on the pair and their distorted images in the disturbed pool. “Those healed gems come to Little Homeworld because they don’t know what to do with themselves, and I don’t feel right telling them what to do! I don’t feel right because…”

She turned to the statue, her anguish overflowing.

“Because half the time I’m wondering ‘did I shatter this one?’”

She wanted comfort; she wanted punishment; she wanted something; but the statue was quiet, painfully quiet.

“Yeah, I’ve shattered gems, way more than I’d care to admit. I bet you didn’t know that.” She said it like she had gotten the final word, but she didn’t feel at all triumphant.

In that moment, all Bismuth could think of was Rose’s horrified expression as she showed off the Breaking Point, what it was capable of. She could only imagine how Rose would have reacted to this. Yes, accidents happened and self defense was necessary on the battlefield, but she’d be fooling herself if she thought that that was all she ever shattered a gem for. She knew what she was capable of. She preached about a fair fight, but there were plenty of fights where her first blow was the killing blow. She knew what it felt like to have a gemstone crush against her fist.

“Would you hate me if you knew?”

Although the statue still offered no response, Bismuth already knew the answer to that one. Rose felt many things and did many things—she was many things—but Bismuth knew without a doubt that she didn’t have a hateful photon in her physical form. She may resent her, she may never forgive her, but she would never hate her, or anyone, for that matter.

Bismuth considered herself a proud gem, but she wasn’t too proud to admit that she was wrong. It wasn’t even a matter of right or wrong when it came to the war. There were no winners, only those who came out better off than their opponents. Everyone suffered, one way or another. Bismuth suffered from trauma and guilt, equally; she suffered every time a reconstructed gem soldier regarded her wearily, a gem who had followed orders right to their own demise.

She laid a hand on the statue’s shoulder, drained and defeated. “I don’t forgive you,” she said simply, “but I don’t forgive myself, either.”

They were both desperate to end the fighting, but their desperation only led to greater destruction.

“I hope you would feel the same.”

[littlemisssquiggles]

I just realized, in the movie, "Return to Oz", Dorothy gets separated from Princess Ozma in the beginning of the movie and the Knome King, a tyrant, kidnaps the Scarecrow. Which is pretty similar to getting separated from Oscar and Qrow getting arrested. This could also mean Ruby thinks Oscar is dead but then aids the team against Mombi aka Cinder

For real. Y'know as you brought up “Return to Oz”, it makes me wonder if we’ll get any more Oz-inspired characters for next season.

Like for example, this squiggle meister is still hoping for a Jack Pumpkinhead inspired RWBY Character. I even started toying around with the thought of what if…apart from Oz, Oscar is somehow joined by Jack Pumpkinhead who helps him on his journey back to Atlas?

Basically I have this new Pinehead headcanon where Oscar meets a RWBY versions of “Return to Oz” characters—Jack Pumpkinhead (and byextension Sawhorse), Tik Tok and even Bilinda the Talking Hen who become his companions for V8 while he’s separated from his main team.

Okay, hear me out with this: If I recall correctly, Jack Pumpkinhead had his own house in Oz, correct?

According to research, Jack Pumpkinhead’s house was hollowed out pumpkin located in the Gilikin Country near the Tin Woodman’s castle and a day’s journey from the Emerald City. Based on a description from the Oz Fandom Wiki page, Jack’s house rested in the centre of a vast pumpkin field where vines grew in profusion and bore pumpkins of varying sizes along with other vegetables that Jack grew in his garden.

With this in mind, if the CRWBY Writers wished to incorporate elements of “Return to Oz” into Oscar’s story, this could potentially be a neat way they could also introduce characters such as Jack Pumpkinhead. As of the end of V7, Oscar is on his own far, far away somewhere off in Solitas or far Mantle that is right below Atlas Kingdom.

Imagine if…after wandering through the cold of Solitas (especially in his current state), Oscar suddenly collapses from exhaustion in the snow where he is ultimately discovered by a Jack Pumpkinhead inspired RWBY Character.

Jack Pumpkinhead takes Oscar back to his little home that was located right below Atlas—a.k.a the Castle of the Tin Man meaning Ironwood. At his house, Jack Pumpkinhead nurses Oscar back to health, providing him with a nice hot meal prepared with some of the vegetables he had successfully managed to harvest in spite of the cold climate. He even took the liberty of washing Oscar’s clothes for him and/or providing him with new attire better acclimatized for the Solitas weather. Remember, apart from visiting Pietro’s workshop and fighting off the Saybers in downtown Mantle, Oscar hasn’t experienced being out in Solitas unlike his peers. Remember Ruby’s comment about it being “freezing” out in Solitas near the mines? Remember Weiss’ comment that without aura and proper heating, the cold of Solitas can kill you in a matter of minutes.

Remember Blake’s comment about not feeling so bad about leaving Oscar behind so he doesn’t have to experience how cold it really was out there in the tundra.

Remember where Oscar is right now as of the end of V7? Out in the cold of Solitas, near the mines! I’m just saying—it would be really cool if Oscar got a little wardrobe upgrade for V8. He doesn’t necessarily have to change his whole outfit. But he could get a nice red scarf for the cold and y’know hiding his identity too since he’s supposed to be a dead man. Juuuuust saying…

Unlike my previous musings of a RWBY-inspired Pumpkinhead character, thi s version is a human but his personality and mannerisms still comply with his Ozcounterpart. If I had to picture a human version of Jack Pumpkinhead—I’dimagine him being an exceedingly tall Mantlese youth, no older than nineteenyears old  physically but possessing the naivety of a kid younger than Oscar.

I like the idea of this Jack character taking an instant shine to Oscar, treating him as a little brother almost; nicknaming him “Princey” in reference to his attire.

Basically the idea I have is that Jack Pumpkinhead would join Oscar Pine (Princess Ozma/Tip/The Little Prince) in his return to Atlas by transporting him on the back of his mighty steed—a motorcycle with a sidecar that Jack lovingly christened Sawhorse (based of the Oz character of the same name who was Jack’s form of transport).

Seriously if the CRWBY wished to introduce a Jack Pumpkinhead character into the series for Oscar’s side of things, now would be an appropriate time to do it. Just picture it: Oscar on the back of Sawhorse being driven by Jack Pumpkinhead back to Atlas. I would honestly lose my shit if something like that happened for V8.

Not to mention that I also have this neat way the show could bring Klein Sieban back into the story. Since Klein was unjustly fired from Schnee Manor by Jacques, according to Whitley, this got me thinking.

What if…and this is a huge IF, Oscar meets Klein down in Far Solitas as well and just like Jack Pumpkinhead, Klein ends up accompanying Oscar as a companion on his journey and basically acts as his version of Tik Tok.

I’m just saying. In terms of build, Klein is the perfect candidate for a Tik Tok inspired RWBY Character especially since RWBY Characters can have multiple inspirations.

I really dig the idea of Klein playing a double role as the embodiment of the Seven Dwarves in Weiss’ Snow White Story in addition to TikTok in Oscar’s Little Prince/ Return to Oz story. It’s perfect!

Not to mention that I just would love to see Oscar meet Klein and go on adventure with him. We never got to see Klein reunite with Weiss and meet any of her friends that he got fired trying to help her get back to. It would be nice if Klein is brought back into the series this way and part of his motive for joining Oscar on his journey and even helping him in the first place was after he discovered that he was an ally of his “little snowflake”.

As for Bilinda the Talking Hen. Well for RWBY, Bilinda the Talking Hen could be Bilinda the Talking Baby Chick—the pet chick of Jack Pumpkinhead who also an immediate liking to Oscar upon first meeting—probably because of his farm boy background since back on the farm, chicks loved Oscar for some reason.  

From what I know about Bilinda, her character was basically the Toto of “Return to Oz”. As we know, Zwei is RWBY’s version of Toto. So…why not have a version of Bilinda too? RWBY could use more legit animal characters. Zwei can’t be the only animal mascot of the series.

If Ruby can have Zwei, then let Oscar have Bilinda, dagnabbit!  Make Bilinda a cute little baby chick thatlikes to sit on top Oscar’s bed of fluffy hair.

Bonus if Oscar introduces Bilinda to Ruby and the prince’s rose becomes enamoured with his little feathered friend since remember, Ruby thinks feeding chickens is fun (according to the DC Comics).

But y’know, this is just me spouting ideas here as always. Take it or leave it.

Not saying we’ll get to see Return to Oz characters for V8. Nor am I saying Oscar will even have his own set of companions for his journey with Oz.

Still…it suuuuuuure would’ve GREAT to see Oscar riding through Solitas on the back of Sawhorse who is a badass-looking motorcycle in the RWBY-verse owned by Jack Pumkinhead who dutifully agrees to help the prince with his journey back to Atlas to reunite with his rose and their friends, alongside Klein Sieban and Bilinda the Baby Chick who is kind of Oscar’sversion of Zwei.

…I’m just saying…this could’ve been really, really, REALLY neat to see. But y’know. We’ll see what the CRWBY Writers actually have planned for Oscar for V8. Looking forward to it.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

[randomfandomimagine]

Soul of a Warrior. Chapter 11: Overflown

Fandom: The Witcher

Ship: Jaskier x Nissa (OC)

Previous Chapter - Chapter Index - Next Chapter

AO3

Please reblog and leave a comment, it would make my day!

A/N: These are some of my favorite Jasnissa (Jaskier + Nissa, do you all like the ship name? :D) interactions in the series! I hope you enjoy reading! 

Panic takes over my blissful serenity when I come to my senses. My head is pounding. I can’t remember what happened or when I went to sleep. I stir a bit, yet freeze when I meet with something warm and firm against me. I open my eyes and look over my shoulder. Jaskier peacefully sleeps behind me, with his arm dangled over my waist. My mind races, urgently trying to recover memories from yesterday. It is blank. Not being able to remember anything worries me. I think hard, shutting my eyes tight in concentration.

Geralt got hurt. We treated him. That sorceress, Yennefer, was here too. She and Geralt argued. He shouted at me when I tried to reassure him about how they actually loved each other despite it all. And then… I returned to Jaskier. We drank. A lot. That is all.

“J-Jaskier?” I utter, hoping in our drunkenness we didn’t do anything… intimate. At least we are still fully clothed, which contributes to calm me down.

He only hums quite happily and snuggles even closer to me. I blush. Fortunately, we didn’t seem to do anything. Not that I wouldn’t want to, but… Wait, do I want to? Well, perhaps, but not when I am not fully aware, when I can’t even remember it.

I sigh, resolved to enjoying his closeness. As quietly as possible, I shift to be facing him. Jaskier is smiling in his sleep, looking quite adorable. I smile myself and snuggle closer. His arms unconsciously tighten around me. My heart flutters. A new feeling takes over me, threatening to make me addicted to it. It is so unbelievably wonderful. I have to hold back the urge to lovingly push his hair out of his eyes. It tangles with his eyelashes.

Geralt’s words suddenly echo in my mind. Despite his harsh ways and high volume, he was right about one thing: it is stupid to conceal our feelings. Even if I am still not sure about Jaskier’s, I might as well try my luck by confessing to him. Easier said than done, though. I picture the scene, of professing my undying love for him. He would only flirt back and not take it seriously. If I insisted, he might laugh. Jaskier would think I was teasing and not believe me when I admitted that my feelings were true. Even if he did, could he reciprocate them? Would he reject me and ruin our wonderful dynamic?

Groaning in frustration, I hold on to his shirt. Stupid bard. This wouldn’t be so hard if he was more sincere. Is his flattering honest or just a façade? I have seen him flirt with other women, why would I be any different from all of them?

“Mm… Hey” A somnolent voice welcomes me, inviting me to look up into his eyes.

I chuckle as he watches me through one eye, rubbing the other to sober up. Just a glance at his angelic face and my vexation disappears, especially when he looks so sleepy and he still smiles at me. I can’t quite explain why, but it feels… magical. All of this.

“Did I wake you?” I gently tug at his shirt and he shakes his head.

“How are you feeling?” Jaskier asks, much to my surprise.

I gawk at him, but he only examines my expression. Did I miss something? Oh, gods… Did something actually happen last night? Did I somehow hurt myself? Did I say something that perhaps upset and worried him?

“Why would you ask?”

“Well” He makes a pause, laughing a little. “You were quite… giddy…”

“Oh, dear…” I cover my face with my hands in anticipation. “What happened?”

“You see, heartbroken by Geralt’s boorish manners, you came to me” The drowsiness slowly leaves his face as he smirks. “And I looked after you when you drank wine like it was water and you were stranded on a desert”

“You drank too” I complain, though his grin doesn’t leave off.

“Unlike you, my fair Nissa, I can hold my liquor” He taps my nose with one finger and I scrunch it. “I didn’t drink that much in any case”

“Ugh…” Just imagining the events that could have taken place, I cringe in embarrassment.

“I brought you here to the room and made sure you were alright. You know, like a gentleman” His deeds lose significance the more he gloats about them. “You felt a bit sick, so I put you to bed”

I observe him in search of signs that prove he is making it up. He only tilts his head innocently.

“If you are lying to me…”

“I would never!”

Before I can make up my mind about the veracity of his tale, the door roughly swings open. I groan and shrink closer to Jaskier when a headache throbs in my temples as a result of the loud noises. He protectively holds me closer.

“You’re awake” I didn’t quite appreciate the low volume of Jaskier’s tender voice until Geralt came along being loud and crude. “We’re leaving”

“We’re not talking to you” Jaskier proudly says, not even looking his direction.

I have a full view of the witcher from my spot. He stares at the bard’s back without a word. One of his grunts echoes around the silent room. Tempting Jaskier, Geralt doesn’t move a muscle. As expected, the curiosity gets the better of him and the bard looks at his friend over the shoulder.

“Where are we going, exactly?”

“I thought you weren’t talking to me”

“And bless you with absolute silence?” I sarcastically tell him, sitting up on the bed. “Not a chance, witcher”

“Hm…” Geralt only says, refusing to make eye contact with me. Still, he does not apologize. And I doubt he ever will.

“Uh… well?” Jaskier sits up too, awkwardly glancing between the both of us. “Where are we off to?”

“The outskirts”

“That sounds fun”

“Yen is taking us there”

So they have worked things out after all. How ironic that his outburst was for naught.

“What?!” The bard jumps to his feet, a hand falling over his hip. “Absolutely not!”

My head pounds, although that is not the only reason why I grumble. I find myself bearing certain hostility towards Yennefer myself. Even if she hasn’t personally attacked me as Jaskier claimed she has him, it is her mere presence in the group that disrupts our entire dynamic. With Geralt especially, who loses his mind whenever she is around.

“Why on earth is she taking us there?” I stand myself, stopping beside Jaskier.

“She wants to go to a nearby intersection” Geralt briefly explains. “It will probably be swarming with monsters”

Jaskier blinks repeatedly, surely holding back a snarky remark on the matter. Instead he grins sarcastically.

“I see” He says as he nods vehemently. “So you, ever her loyal protector, insisted on accompanying her. How did that work out for you, Geralt?”

He must have been painfully accurate, because the witcher only groans.

“We must go, Nissa” Jaskier takes me by the arm and goes ahead of him. “To make sure she doesn’t spill venom all over and poison him”

I look back just in time to see Geralt rubbing his temples and arming himself with patience.

_

A small river runs alongside us, and its music accompanies us as we walk. Sporadic sprouts of green vegetation cover the brown soil. The ground is soft under our boots. It feels as though we could dig to reach the power hidden beneath, yet that won’t be necessary in the presence of a mage. Yennefer now leads the way, and although an outsider would think she was wandering, the sorceress seems to know what she is doing. The horses are restless when we stop and search, which alludes to the presumed large amount of power contained in here. A few cats calmly sit around as well, seemingly attracted by the very same thing.

“Uh… forgive my ignorance” Jaskier pipes up. “But… what is an intersection, exactly?”

I remain silent, because even if I have a vague notion about what they are, I wouldn’t be able to put it into words. Especially not with how sluggish I feel at the moment. Geralt steps right in, however, expertly teaching us more on the matter.

“They’re places from which mages can draw power” He responds, although his eyes never once leave Yennefer. The latter stops walking and stares at her hands, and she grins widely.

“It’s here” She confirms, facing her palms to the ground.

Geralt pulls out his sword, vigilant to our surroundings, and nods in her direction. He has her back. The sorceress then closes her eyes. She doesn’t move from the spot, but she looks focused. Jaskier sighs in boredom next to me, leaning an elbow on my shoulder. It is indeed uneventful, not the adventure I expected. Had I known we would be watching Yennefer just standing there, I would have stayed in the inn and sulked, perhaps prepare a witty speech to scold Geralt... or just continue to enjoy that closeness with Jaskier.

“So…” He mutters in my direction. “How’s your hangover?”

I bite my lip in self-restraint, only further irritated by his smirk.

“Quit your smugness, bard”

“What smugness? It was a genuine question”

“Well, I am going to genuinely wipe that smirk off your face”

"I care about you, Nissa, I was only... Wait, what was that sound?”

“Don’t change the subject now”

“No, really… I heard something…”

I open my mouth to complain, too tired to put up with it. And then I hear it too, some sort of growling sound. Geralt calls attention to it soon after.

“Archespores!” He warns us before lunging towards a disgusting looking plant that emerges from the ground with a hissing sound. It is nearly camouflaged amongst the vegetation. “Be careful, they are poisonous!”

“Jaskier!” I hurriedly push him off me. “Protect the horses!”

While he stumbles back to go do what I asked him to, I study my surroundings. Geralt is easily fighting off those creatures as he expertly swings his blade, protecting Yennefer while she takes the power from the intersection. I take my sword, which I have been carrying lately since training with Geralt. Unlike the witcher, who fends up the poisonous spikes that the archespores throw, I can only try to fight them off as best I can. I swing my sword in a pathetic attempt to deflect them, though it isn’t quite as effective as when Geralt does it. I grit my teeth and take a step back.

“Nissa, look out!” Jaskier’s voice sounds extremely close to me.

Everything seems to happen slowly. Thanks to his warning, I manage to see one of the creatures approach me. An arcespore has suddenly protruded from the ground to my right, and so I cut through it precisely in time to avoid myself getting hurt. I cut off its stem and kick it to push it away from me. It drags across the ground like a disgusting reptile. I exhale in relief. However, Jaskier had thrown himself forward in an attempt to warn me. 

The archespore that I cut off is headed is way now. When he yelps, Geralt calls his name. The witcher’s hand is stretched out in his direction, flexing his fingers in a very specific way. I know what will happen before it occurs. I am not quick enough to stop it. Indeed, Geralt’s sign violently sends Jaskier flying back and slamming his back on the ground. While his landing is rough and he gasps when his body meets the hard surface, I can tell Geralt was only trying to get him out of harm’s way. 

As soon as the path is free, the witcher casts fire upon the creature. The archespore shrieks, though it doesn’t die. It is adamant on hurting us, returning to its target. My hearts is pounding in my chest, though skips a beat when Jaskier screams in pain.

“Jaskier!” I quickly glance at him to see he is still on the ground, groaning and clutching his side. If he doesn’t move, he’ll get hurt. “Hold on!”

While Geralt prepares to cast the sign again, I stand between Jaskier and the archespore. My hands are trembling and hinder the simple task of wielding my sword. Fortunately, Geralt rids us of the creature with the summoning of his fire sign. Another one has erupted from the ground close to Jaskier’s head, and so I don’t hesitate to cut off its stem and kick it as far away as possible. Then I glance at him as the bard writhes in pain.

“Hang on, Jaskier!” I insist, even though when I look again, the chaos has died down. The archespores have all being taken care of. Geralt stands in the middle of it all, silver sword dripping with archespore juice. Yennefer triumphantly sighs next to him, breathing heavily after canalizing the power this place offered her.

“Everyone okay?” The witcher’s eyes sweep around.

“No!” Jaskier exclaims, holding his hand up as a cry for help. “I might be dying”

“Jas…” I worriedly call him, rushing to kneel by his side. “What happened?”

“Geralt threw me across with his witchering” He whines, wincing and clutching his side.

“Uh… yeah…” The witcher mutters, approaching us. “I was trying to get you away from the archespore”

“Are you bleeding?” I ask Jaskier, looking him up and down for signs of injury.

“No, but…” He sharply breathes in, groaning in pain. “I-I think I broke something”

I have a haunting suspicion that it’s his ribs. While I carefully move his hands away, I feel Geralt and Yennefer hovering over me, watching the bard. I push his doublet to the side to have better access to his injury. Jaskier yelps in pain when my fingers gingerly press there where he was clutching. I bow my head, confirming my early diagnosis. At least this is something quite simple and my many hours dedicated to studying have been useful on the matter.

“You broke some ribs” I carefully palpate, feeling the bone under his shirt.

“Ugh, brilliant...” He fidgets in the spot, still not daring to sit up further.

“You’ll survive” Yennefer tiredly tells him behind me.

I sneak my hands under his shirt to properly feel the fracture. He immediately shrinks away from my touch.

“Ah, your hands are cold!” Before I can ask him to suck it up, he sighs and presses my hands against his side. “It's quite nice, actually”

“We should get you some ice” I still check his ribs, counting two broken bones. It is a relief that they are the lower ribs, since the higher ones are closer to the lungs and the heart and could have complicated things by breaking, being so close to the organs.

“Let’s go back” Geralt offers Jaskier a hand, which he immediately takes. Quite easily, he is pulled to his feet.

I stand up myself, watching him carefully. Jaskier still holds a hand to his side. Broken ribs are indeed extremely painful as well as a slow healing process. He drags his feet across the ground, carrying himself differently as he tries to favor his injury. His hand never leaves that spot, putting pressure while he breathes carefully.

As we walk away from that blasted place, Yennefer has started speaking and commenting about the newfound power surging through her veins. Jaskier talks over her, seemingly too focused on his pain to pay attention to her. Or perhaps he does it to antagonize her.

“Ugh… Geralt, you beast” He mutters, still groaning. “You broke my ribs”

“Better having broken ribs than being dead” The witcher dryly replies. However, when I glance at him he is frowning a bit. “Nissa will patch you up when we’re back”

That comment gathers Jaskier’s attention on me. Intending to help him, I quietly move to his good side and close the distance between us. He watches me in curiosity as I wrap an arm around him. This way, I securely hold him up by with one hand on his back and other on his chest. Jaskier smiles a bit and accepts my aid by resting an arm over my shoulders and leaning his weight over me. He sighs in relief with my support.

“You’re awfully quiet” He points out, which I hadn’t realized myself. I am just not feeling very talkative at the moment.

It isn’t the first time I see him getting hurt, and yet… a sudden restlessness has nestled within me. When I saw him falling and heard him scream, something stirred in my heart. Despite knowing he wasn’t badly injured, my mind began racing. He occupied all my thoughts, and it pained me deeply to know he was hurt in any way, no matter how mild.

“Uh…” I trail off while I buy myself some time to think. “I have a headache”

Jaskier grins when he is reminded of my hangover, and hence, of what happened last night. Honestly, I don’t feel the same amusement right now. I hope he isn’t aware of how distressed I am at the moment. I tremble slightly, and my lungs work relentlessly to get some air I can breathe with. All because of that thought that consumes me, that something far worse than a few broken ribs could have been his fate and can be at any given moment during our journey. That thought deeply upsets me.

_

Jaskier’s added weight proves exhausting as we finally reach the inn once more. The tension makes home in my muscles, and my entire being begs for me to rest. Sleep for a long time. These days have been daunting to say the least.

I am about to enter the establishment when I realize Geralt and Yennefer have stopped. They are a few steps of distance from Jaskier and me, calmly speaking. Really close. Too close. They then kiss, and my stomach churns at the sight. A non-physical ache overpowers any other discomfort in my body. It is a yearning too deep to fathom. Jaskier is extremely close to me, though it breaks my heart to think that I might never have with him what they have. Refusing to idly watch Yennefer and Geralt kissing, I turn to him.

“W… What’s wrong?” He immediately asks, noticing something is off. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Because I wish you learned my feelings. And I feel stupidly happy whenever you are around me. I swoon at the thought of kissing you. I tingle all over at the memory of our fake kiss. I sigh when I lock eyes with you and immerse myself in the unforgiving beauty of the ocean in your eyes. Your smile makes my heart sing loud enough for me to compose the best of ballads despite knowing nothing about music. Because I would die for you. And in spite of it all, I am too frightened to tell you any of this.

I shake my head and tiredly put my arms around his neck instead. Very gingerly, I hold him close and nuzzle his chest. There’s that gentle warmth I crave.

“You scared me…” I say instead, concealing all these thoughts swarming in my mind.

“Sorry…” Jaskier whispers, tenderly wrapping an arm around me as well. “I’m alright, Nissa”

Were it not by his broken ribs, I would squeeze him tight against me, as tight as I could. So tight I’d bruise him. That may quell this need I have, this longing to have him impossibly close. At least that would make me content if I can’t have him.

“You are” I only mutter, scolding myself for being a coward. For yielding to this weakness.

I cannot conceive the idea of telling him. Even after all these emotions resurged, it is impossible for me to muster enough courage to pour them all out. The result is far too unnerving and intimidating, and a possible rejection is enough to break my heart just with the thought of it. Instead, I content myself with holding him. Feel him close against me. A bit hurt, but alive and well. Warm and gentle as always. Yes, that may be enough for now. How could I confess at this moment, in any case? We are all tired and a bit grumpy. It isn’t the right time.

His hand finds the dip in my waist, that spot it has rested on so many times and that seems the perfect place for him to hold on to. He gently pushes me off him. He stares. Despite how pleasant and hypnotizing they are, I cannot seem to be able to look into his eyes.

“Hey” Jaskier whispers, reluctantly making me gaze into them. “Did I scare you so badly?”

“Well…”

“Are you still worried then?”

“No…” I manage a feeble smile. “No, I’m only tired”

“Me too” He heavily sighs, although the movement pains him and causes him to wince.

“You should get some rest, Jas” I am about to hold on to him again and take him inside, though I glance at the pair.

Geralt and Yennefer are still standing too closely, and I don’t need to be a seer to understand their intimate thoughts. I would assume she wishes to leave soon, but not without spending some time alone with the witcher first. My heart bleeds in envy of what they have when their foreheads touch.

“Go on” I kindly pat Jaskier’s back. “I will be right there”

The bard nods and slowly makes his way into the inn. I on turn move towards them. Noticing this, Geralt walks my direction as well, gesturing for Yennefer to wait for him. A bit distant from us, the sorceress stares at me. Her violet eyes hold my gaze when I reciprocate, though they then follow Jaskier quite eloquently. Am I truly that transparent?

The witcher watches me expectantly, and so I say what I came to. No more.

“Uh… Jaskier and I are going in… to get some rest and treat to his injury”

“Good”

“Good…”

“What is it then?”

“I don’t understand…”

“You’re upset”

“What are you talking about?”

“Jaskier will recover”

“I… I know”

“And still lost your smile”

He doesn’t alter his expression, only watching me closely. Self-conscious about it, I let out a forced chuckle. He’s trying. He is stubborn and exasperating, but he is trying.

“I thought you didn’t care, witcher”

“Hm”

The silence is painfully heavy. We refuse to make eye contact. I rummage my brain to think of something to say, but my mind is completely blank. Anyhow, I don’t have the energy to even attempt to regain our prior dynamic. I am absolutely exhausted.

“Well, uh… Enjoy yourselves” I blurt out, rubbing my nape.

“You too” Even though the conversation is clearly over, we linger in the spot.

That dreaded silence returns. I internally cringe at the awkward moment. His golden eyes watch me. I take a hesitant step back. Geralt turns his body away from me as well. We say nothing else. I grimace at how terrible that interaction was and go to reunite with Jaskier.

_

When I enter the room, I find Jaskier sitting in the bed. He has taken his doublet off to be left in his white undershirt. As much as it vexes me, he looks very attractive in it. His notepad lies on his lap, and he furiously scribbles down on it. A pronounced frown is etched in his brow.

“What did that poor paper ever do to you?” My voice gathers is attention in me now.

“Ugh, Nissa…” Jaskier sighs. “It took me ages to get my doublet off!”

My lips part and I am about to mindlessly reply. Had he waited, I could have helped him take his clothes off. I remain silent and gather my efforts in not blushing when the thought flusters me. This is getting ridiculous.

Jaskier does not notice any of my inner struggles, far too preoccupied with his injury.

“I can’t do anything, it hurts all over!” He continues to complain, throwing an arm up in the air. “I can’t play my lute, I can’t walk, I can’t even sing!”

“Then lie down” I take the notepad from him and set it over the table.

“Bollocks” He barks even as he obeys and lies on his back. His hand keeps pressing against his side as though it is stuck there. “Every breath is agony”

“Try to relax” I say as I put a blanket over him, not wanting him to on top of all get cold.

“Will you be looking after me, Nissa?” There is a bit of vulnerability in his voice that makes me feel even more protective of him, if possible.

“Of course, my duties as the group medic bound me” I accommodate the blanket over his chest, and he smirks at me as though he is enjoying my cares far too much.

“Don’t lie, love, you do it because you adore me”

“Or because otherwise you would only whine all day”

"I would not..." While he talks, I take a step away from the bed, but he is already alert. “Wait, w-where are you going?”

“I should get you some ice for the swelling of the ribs and-“ Before I can move further, his hand has tenderly wrapped around mine.

“No, just stay here with me” When I stare at him astonishment, he gives me those blasted puppy eyes that I can’t resist. “Please?”

I heave a dramatic sigh and sit in the bed with him, careful to choose his good side. Jaskier grins in celebration and I shake my head at him. It sets my teeth on edge how much I adore him.

“You think you only have to give me those eyes and cutely say ‘please’ and I will do anything”

“I absolutely do”

“Stupid bard”

Perhaps at any other moment, I would have been able to wittily retort back. Yet right this second I can’t think clearly. Many hypotheses circle my brain as to why that can be: my dispute with Geralt, my hangover, the remnants of adrenaline still pursing through my veins… though none of that is true, I am only deceiving myself and I know it. It’s Jaskier. It’s always him, flustering me with his presence alone, with his dashing smile and kind eyes. Gods, when did I become a hopeless romantic that believes in true love? Pathetic.

“You can lie down with me” He teases me, poking my side and making me jolt up when it tickles. “My ribs may be broken, but I’m not made of glass”

“You might still break, Jas” I acquire a confident façade to hide the turmoil nestled deep within me. “You are such a delicate flower”

Jaskier completely freezes for a moment. His expression showcases a myriad of emotions as it changes from confusion to outrage to moderate amusement.

“Wh…” He only utters. His mouth falls agape. “You… Nissa, I…”

A genuine grin takes over my mouth, though it quickly vanishes when he harshly pulls at my arm. I squeak and fall over him, lying down as he wanted me to. Fortunately, I leaned on his chest and not on his ribs. Even so, he grimaces a bit as it probably hurt in any case. Nonetheless, he doesn’t complain. He only stares at me with great concentration.

Rolling my eyes in resignation, I get comfortable next to him. The bed is still too small for two people and we are forced to press our bodies together. I take notice of the mere inches that separate our faces, our noses and our foreheads. Our lips. Considering leaning back, I open my mouth to utter an excuse. However, Jaskier fidgets and clears his throat himself.

“Will you speak to me, Nissa?” I watch him in confusion, so he elaborates. “The sound of your voice is soothing”

The intensity of his gaze takes my breath away. I part my lips once more, trying to say something, perhaps trying to say it all. He said something so sweet that I want to reciprocate. The moment is tender and intimate, and he hasn't said a joke in a bit. Perhaps the outcome may be more favorable than I first imagined. This is my chance. If I could speak my mind…

My cheeks burn in anticipation. My breath hitches in my throat.

“Actually, I…” I start, mentally cursing my rapid heartbeat. “I need to tell you something”

“Oh, please, not now, love! We’re both exhausted” When his fingers reach out to fix my hair, I feel as though my heart will jump out of my chest. “It surely can wait”

“But you said…” I clumsily mutter, feeling myself blushing still. Can he not see it?

“I meant something trivial” He sighs, and I can nearly read the exhaustion in his features.

“A-Alright” Perhaps it’s for the best. I wouldn’t know how to say it in any case.

We have plenty of time, I can tell him some other moment. And yet, this sudden weight in my chest, this craving, won’t leave anymore. I am suddenly certain that I won't find peace until I express these feelings that have been eating me alive before I even realized them. I had loved Jaskier for longer than I'd care to admit, long before he kissed me. Although I had loved plenty of times before, it was never in such a way, as now my emotions and thoughts are flimsy and changing. All because of him.

“Good” He murmurs, never looking away from my eyes.

“I… don’t know what to talk about” His staring rattles me, although I can’t look away either. His eyes are so pleasant to look at, so beautiful and comforting.

“Sing to me then” He closes his eyes and snuggles closer to me. Does he even realize the way he makes my heart race? How the sight of his comfortable smile makes me sigh?

Glad to spoil him, I accede to his petition. However, the only songs that I can think of are his, and I refuse to give him the satisfaction of singing one of his ballads back to him. He would never let me forget it.

“Nothing comes to mind” I stutter, noticing how close we are still. “What am I to sing?”

“Anything” His hand once more returns to my waist as he easily lets his arm fall over me.

A melody suddenly reaches my mind and I start singing. It is a slow song, one talking about feelings and romance. Quite fitting given the situation. Jaskier’s grin grows as he lowly sings along with me. Of course he knows the song. I shiver at how beautiful the sound of our voices together is. The wonderful music of our souls dancing together. It perfectly fills the quietness and nearly lulls me to sleep. I sink down into him. I smile from how perfect it is to be by his side, and give in to exhaustion as our harmonies die down.

_

An unknown sound pulls me out of my peaceful slumber. I am still tired when I open my eyes, yet it all melts away at the sight of a sleeping Jaskier. We haven’t moved from our position, facing each other. I am slightly worried, however, when I notice he seems a bit pale and sick. My hand gingerly brushes against his cheek. When my palm presses against it, I breathe out in relief that he doesn't have a fever. Instead of retracting my hand, however, I find the touch to be far too enjoyable. I stroke his skin and reach out to push his hair to the side. It’s always in his eyes.

“Nissa…” He smiles. A tingling sensation spreads up my back. I freeze, fearing that he caught me, yet Jaskier stills. After several more seconds of silence, I confirm that he is still asleep. My lips automatically curve up in a smile. Butterflies flies in my stomach. I tenderly stroke his cheek again.

I turn on my back, hurriedly taking my hand off his face, when the door swings open. In walks Geralt, eyebrows raised at the state he finds us in. Jaskier’s head then softly falls on my shoulder. I happily chuckle, and the witcher lets out an amused hum as well. I smile at him.

“I was hoping we could do some more training” He says, loud enough for me to hear but low enough not to wake him. “Guess this isn’t the best moment”

I flush knowing he is perfectly aware of how comfortable and delighted I currently am. Nonetheless, it does not bother me. I am willing to put up with his teasing, it can’t ruin my happiness.

“Later perhaps?” I only say, unable to contain a big smile.

“Hm” His eyes move from him to me. “I’ll be outside”

Jaskier tightens his arm, previously loosely falling over me, to pull himself incredibly close to me. I am conflicted between yelping and laughing. Geralt does chuckle himself before leaving us. I ultimately giggle a bit myself, wondering if it’s normal to be overwhelmed with bliss in such a manner. I feel giddy and silly for it. He is only resting over me, yet I have never felt safer and happier. Perhaps I am more fatigued that I had anticipated, these days have certainly been challenging... or perhaps I am too comfortable with Jaskier. Whatever the reason, I fall asleep again before I can do anything about it.

_

For several days, we have been taking it easy, barely leaving the inn and ensuring our dear bard gets plenty of rest. While he does, Geralt has insisted on training with me, yet ensuring I don’t overwork myself either. I was recently gravely injured after all.

It is taking me a bit to grow used to the weight and feeling of the bigger weapon, but Kader’s sword proves more useful than my small dagger. It is also a bit difficult to focus on the witcher’s lessons ever since Jaskier has gone outside with us and curiously watches. At least he is feelings better. Yet his mere presence proves distracting, even if he remains mostly quiet. Mostly.

Now, as I watch Geralt demonstrate how he swings his sword, I feel slightly more confident when wielding mine. I idly watch the small cloud of dust his boots create when his feet drags across the ground. My hand falls on my hip, and I nod for the tenth time when he asks if I am paying attention.

“You taught me all of this already, Geralt” I tiredly tell him, rolling my eyes at him.

“You need to master this first before you learn anything else” Is his monotonous response.

Perhaps he is right, but it is agonizing to endlessly repeat the same movement over and over. It might be the very reasoning behind his insistence, but my arms and legs have already memorized the motion, and tey are sore from how often they have moved in such a manner: one foot behind and the other alert at the front, both arms up, strongly wielding the sword in a defensive horizontal position. I am so eager to learn something new already.

“I am fed up with this” The thought that he might believe I am not prepared to move on bothers me. “I can defend myself!”

It is him who insists on teaching me, I'm not quite sure why. It may be his strange attempt to apologize for being so stubborn. In any case, I know enough after he showed me the basics.

“You’re defenseless if you don’t have your weapons” Striding over to me, he takes the sword from my hand and carelessly throws it to the ground.

“That’s not true” I reply in outrage. “I can still punch an asshole”

Jaskier laughs a little at something about how I said it. The witcher sighs, however.

“Show me then” He lifts his hands up in the air, squaring up to prepare. I resign myself.

I tighten my hand into a fist and thrust it against his palm as hard as I can. Geralt watches me, unimpressed, as I try again. I look at him helplessly, wondering what I did wrong. With a sigh, he positions himself behind me and fixes my stance. His arms reach me from behind and I rest against his broad chest. How had I not realized how muscular he truly is? I am embarrassed, as we had never been this close. It doesn’t seem to fluster Geralt, however, not even when he twists my hip to demonstrate how I must turn.

"Use your whole body to give power to your blow" He calmly instructs. "It will be more effective"

“Um…” Jaskier intervenes, now standing beside us. “Can I help?”

“You can barely keep yourself alive, Jaskier” Geralt carelessly waves him off. I giggle.

“Well, I never!” He tugs at my arm until I am dragged away from the witcher. “I can be useful in a fight! Just teach me”

“You can be my punching bag” I joke, gingerly pushing my fist against his shoulder.

“Not like that” Geralt falls into place behind me again and lays his arm over mine to get ahold of my wrist, correcting my form. “Or you’ll hurt yourself instead of them”

Jaskier purses his lips tightly, glaring at the witcher behind me. I pay no attention to his unexpected sulkiness and punch his shoulder again, this time in the way Geralt advised.

“Ow!” The bard complains, stepping back and clutching the spot. “Mother of-“

I giggle against my hand, and that remedies whatever has gotten into Jaskier. He chuckles a bit, although still rubbing his sore shoulder.

“There, now I know how to punch an asshole” I conclude, changing sides to stand by Jaskier. He complains at the insinuations of my sentence, but I cutely bat my eyelashes at him. “Do you think we could take a walk now, Jas? I truly need a break”

“You little devil” He replies, albeit with a fond grin. “Of course we can”

Knowing I have bribed Jaskier against him, Geralt hums and begrudgingly goes to sheath our weapons. I can barely contain my eagerness and happily clap in anticipation. These days have been so repetitive and dull… it was beginning to break my spirits.

Jaskier laughs as he circles my waist with his arm, shoving me against him.

“That’s cute, love, but save it for Geralt. You don’t have to convince me”

“I am not putting on an act” Falsely offended, I rest a hand on my chest. “Can’t I be genuinely excited to take a stroll with my two favorite men?”

“Two?” Jaskier tuts his tongue as he shakes his head. “You have to choose one”

“I couldn’t possibly do that” I smirk, gently pushing his arm off me. “Unless you gave me some solid reasons to sway my decision”

He lifts his eyebrows. When he opens his mouth, he is forced to save that thought.

“Hey” Geralt scolds us. When we cautiously glance at him, he only nods his head to the right. Following him obediently, Jaskier and I move to one side of him each. Even if we still lock gazes and giggle like children.

_

I would have never thought Geralt would be the one annoying me to death. Jaskier is behaving, lowly singing as he mindlessly walks by our side. His voice is as sweet and melodic as ever. He also seems quite into the song as he is finally making some progress. On the other hand, here’s Geralt asking me question after question to ensure I remember everything he taught me about how to fight. I have never heard him talk so much, and I suspect he might be doing it only to wind me up.

“No offence, Geralt” I cut him off, finally fed up with his patronizing tone, as much as he is only trying to ensure I don’t ever get hurt again. “But you’re ruining my idyllic moment”

Jaskier laughs out loud at my observation, yet it is true. The meadow we are on is indeed quite beautiful. Beams of sunlight reach us from above, filtering between the tall tree trops. The grass carries a strong yet pleasant scent. Tiny daisies of white petals peek amongst the vibrant green. I am tempted to pick some of the flowers out and ask Jaskier if he knows how to make a flower crown. For me or him, I don’t mind. Perhaps even for Geralt, it would be certainly a sight worth seeing: a witcher with a flower crown… surely, a scowling witcher in that case.

This is the very same meadow we found an injured Geralt in, though I make a conscious effort to substitute that memory with this current one of wandering around with them, listening to Jaskier beautifully singing and knowing that, even if obnoxiously, Geralt is looking after me.

Just when I managed to silence Geralt, my delightful moment is suddenly interrupted by the bard’s cautious voice.

“Who… who’s that?” He stares somewhere over my shoulder, so I turn around following his gaze. A woman is standing there, looking at us. An odd feeling creeps up to the pit of my stomach. I can’t see her face because she has covered her head with the hood of her maroon cape but… her eyes… brown, kind and warm… they look familiar…

I frown, though the gesture soon softens. That woman stares at us, and I hear Jaskier behind me muttering things to Geralt. I don’t distinguish his words, I’m far too focused on her. It can’t be…

“H-Hana?” My voice gets caught in my throat, shaking as much as my hands suddenly are.

“Nissa?” When she speaks, I get all confirmation I need. Her voice. It’s Hana’s voice…

My mind blanks. I freeze. My ears whistle. The sunlight dims. I cannot believe it…

“Isn’t that your friend?” Jaskier fidgets behind me. “Y-Yeah, from the tavern, I saw you talking that day, before…”

Before that dreadful day. The day she died. The day I lost her. Yet… he is right, Hana is standing there. Before us. Alive. She’s actually there. She… Oh, God… A wave of nausea hits me. The world seems to spin around me. Two arms get ahold of me, making me realize I am swaying. Not only swaying, I am falling. I’m… I’m…

“Nissa!!” My friends call me before I sink into that welcoming darkness.

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