#it overfills some stuff and not other stuff and there's nothing you can really do

[plantsucc]

Karamatsu glitter graphics I made because it's in-character for him. he would love this. do it for him 💙

[night-dark-woods]

ID. photo of a whiteboard with bullet points written on it, titled "Stocking Reminders."

Top stock goes in the same 4' section as the stock.

Each SKU's overstock should be all in one spot. (below this point there is a diagram of a shelf with colorcoded boxes, one mixed up and one with the colors together)

Don't overfill hooks/shelves. There should be one straight line of product! If it won't hang nicely that is too much.

End ID.

end of my fucking rope tuesday. this won't stop my coworkers because they can't read but the amount of topstock i found in fucking random aisles today was truly absurd. like we've graduated from putting it in the same aisle 16ft away on the opposite side (annoying but at least line of sight) to putting it in topstock in its unlabeled cardboard shipping box, three aisles away, in a different department.

other highlights of today:

i asked this kid to downstock One Aisle and he spent 3(?) hours standing over there doing, as far as i can tell, nothing. which dgmw i can respect. minimum wage => minimum effort but my man that wasn't even CLOSE to the minimum and you are actively making everyone else's lives more difficult!!!

hardware mgr tried to have someone else (the aforementioned kid who can't even put stock in the right spot!!!) do counts on stock, BEHIND MY BACK, AGAIN. so i started off the day with an argument with him. bc if im not shooting outs regularly enough for you fucking TALK TO ME. and i will tell you what i need, which is you to do your fucking JOB and MANAGE YOUR PEOPLE. and get on their asses to actually maintain their sections!!! i could do the whole fucking store in an hour if literally anyone else did their jobs!!!

got a new rope assortment in from a new vendor, hardware mgr packed up the old stuff for buyback but ALSO managed to pack up a bunch of the NEW stuff with it despite the packaging being a completely different color AND saying the new brand name, so i had to go digging in 15 different taped-shut boxes to find it back.

just some truly atrocious and annoying customers. girl if youre in a hurry that is YOUR problem for not planning. i cant read your mind and i cant give you an answer if you cant explain your problem to me.

got called "ladies" collectively about 8 times today by my coworker who a) does ABA as his other job b) asked me if ozzy was my "real name" and c) said he used to be a liberal but he thinks there are more important things than peoples' identities. we're mostly copacetic now though bc he sees how much work i do and also we've commiserated about the state of the educational system & when he was talking about how "boys and girls learn differently" i very lightly floated the "well, i don't think that's inherent necessarily, you know, like we're raised and taught certain ways to be from SUCH a young age, and kids pick up on stuff pretty fast," and he was like huh ive never thought about that. ill have to think about that. so not unsalvageable! just a particular Kind Of Guy.

they're doing work on the roof and they fucking broke the ancient drainpipe that runs through our upstairs backstock area, so theres like three totes worth of roof-water-soaked merchandise that i have to take out of inventory tomorrow. and everything else in that backstock area has a fine coating of rust flakes from the disintegrating ceiling. and i was paged up there to help sort thru the stock and like. there are THREE PEOPLE here today who actually have a manager title, which I DONT!!! so why cant the three of you take care of it!!! and i KNOW its bc im good at problem-solving and don't really say no and would do it faster than anyone else but god. come on. its putting wet stock in totes.

also in the last 30 min of my shift (in the hardware dept!!! doing inventory counts!!!) my coworker walkied Me, Specifically, even though i knowww they were fully staffed in cashiers and housewares today, to pick up a call from a specific problem customer ABOUT A HOUSEWARES PRODUCT. bro i know FULL WELL you are doing fucking nothing but online shopping on the work computer, you fucking handle it!!! im on a DIFFERENT FLOOR and im busy doing other shit!!!

and its only tuesday!!! yippee!!!

[therhythmafterthesummer]

hi baby rhythm <3 how are you angel???

i had an idea… Princess reader and king chan going to their lakeside den with her pups for day offs. She wears long white linen gowns,that make it easier for her to feed them pups + pup dad, carries a journal to write little excerpts about herself, family and love. And she wears much less gold because she doesnt want to draw too much attention to herself. Her hair is down and her pups are free to roam this place in the forest. We know chris has many wolves guarding this space, for his family’s securty. Hes usually in his human form here, sometimes shifting to relax on the grassbed. But in his human form he wears a loose shirt and some brown pants lookin like a little poet.

He takes his queen here to unwind from responsibilities, and a lot of times when she needs to be stress free during her numerous pregnancies.

Cos the pups sleep in different rooms, and durinf summer the heat is scorching so princess and her king sleep naked. Usually ends up in another breast play or feeding session or cockwarming. MINIMALLY! They try out numerous tried and true methods! From riding to missionary, to 69.

Sometimes his cum trails throughout her gown cos her pussy was overfilled w his nut

Something ab princess being a free woman in a shielded community makes chris’s heart swell

AND THE PUPS they draw they make jewelry out of stems and leaves, they swim w their parents, they learn play hunting.

- 🐧

i love how this is kind of like a wholesome and horny burger dfskjhdfskjhjd

it's really cute to think of the family all going to a safe place to unwind 🥺 looking all normal, like they're not the royal family of the forest.

little felix and baby princess making flower crowns for mama and papa... little seungmin and little jeongin running around, wrestling with his dad... such a peaceful and lovely image

now.... for the nsfw Thoughts.....

unrelated, but do you think king chris sometimes takes the queen to his study, asks her to sit on his cock and warm him up while he goes through all sorts of paper work or whatever the king of the forest is supposed to be doing in there??? how would she last there, unmoving, trying to distract herself with her own work as if her husband's monster cock isn't stretching her open to her limits???

anyway, back to the family escapade...

i can see chris leaving the pups with an attendant for a couple of hours every day... just so he can enjoy his precious queen without interruptions. there's just something about seeing her all relaxed, barely even dressed, being an amazing mother to their pups, that just makes him want to stuff her full over and over again

he can't help it, he just needs to, and i'm sure she won't have any complaints

some nights they all snuggle together in a cuddle pile, being the lovely family that they are, but other nights, they'll have the pups sleep in a separate room, because fucking once in the morning just isn't enough. there's nothing quite as nice for our dearest queen reader than to fall asleep with her husband's cock inside of her after having had him play with her tits for hours. he was always so warm and hard and how could she not enjoy it???

anyway i'm super sleepy and i'm rambling skjdfsjkdf love you, penguin

[the-firebird69]

The money that the Morlock on the whole plan to use to pair some the underpayments they think that it was taken out off and on and by Trump and they think that it's missing and they are after it and they can't get to it it's in the backyard now they pull that pool up and he's gonna try and point out where it is.

It is 26 fire Lane Westborough MA. Bayard BYARD. And you can see in the backyard that he put a pin right about where it is he says it's towards the S a little because the septic tank was there and it was out a little from the house that porch is only like six feet out from the house or something it's not very big and they took down the rest of it and they're nasty **** **** there's nothing to the place it's boring it was bad enough when you put that stupid porch in but the old one was rotted and kinda gross and he had a brick patio and somewhere around here those you can see the pavers and that's kind of weird and Paul Blanchard next door put the pavers in and he put it right over the treasure and our son and daughter say no but it's true they put it right up to the patio porch they put it right to the porch and it did cover where it was and they just took the pool out and the brick and they didn't hit the money because the pool was to the it was further out from the septic tank and it was to the N which is towards the savallones and it was not near it and they dug and it was not close now it was close it was like 10 or so feet away but nobody knew about it what you have here is something that trump would always go for if he had half a brain because nobody knows about this money where it is and they don't really understand what it is and it's not out yet. This money is more like code money and they don't know what our son did with it and they thought he was spending it because they're ignorant slobs they're fighting each other and really they do really bad work they just kind of flow in and say they know everything. They knew that he was saving it they could see that and one day it disappeared so somebody knew that and that was his family and these guys didn't think to ask so there it is and he says it's really actually a little bit deeper than a shovel the one that is out back is the same shovel that he used to put it in and the shovel is about 4 foot three inches and he went down probably a couple feet so yeah 6 foot or so and he put it in the hole and it was cold and he packed it back in and said he was fixing the footing his dad actually asked him what he was doing no he stopped when it came outside and he started up again and is quiet so we were surprised nobody caught it you people are out to lunch

''think of it john r you can blame m for tons of things as this got bye them all. tons"

Please considering it and he is looking at it and he's contemplating it and this is where the pretzel jar is it's a plastic jar and he's sealed it with sealant and he doesn't remember doing that and then he put it in two or three plastic bags one was facing out one was facing down one was facing up and one was facing down and he lowered it into the hole and the septic overfilled so people hoped that it didn't rot but back then those plastic bags were pretty rugged and they were the big black ones and he wrapped it around it and we know the plastic should survive it but it was floating practically all the grass actually was floating about two feet up in the air and 15 by 15 foot so our son popped it and they decided to go to the sewer by then and they fixed the septic but the leaching field was right with a pool in but it did drain off all the contaminated stuff and people are laughing because it has to do with **** in a pool and it's not funny because people are saying it who are mac proper and he said it awhile ago in purpose 'cause he knew about this weird thing happening and boy you got a stupid The Max they are actually up in arms about this post so we're gonna post it

Thor Freya

Olympus

and us Hera Zues

[ilylovelyz]

SICKLY IN LOVE.

❥main character(s): hyung line (bangchan lee know changbin hyunjin x genderneutral!reader

❥genre: fluff (with a sprinkle of angst)

❥warning(s): sickness, medication, vomiting, just basically sick people stuff, hyunjin bathes you, mentions of fainting

❥wc: 1-2k

❥special note: yes i know there is a girl in the concept photo however reader is genderneutral based, just ignore it. also i made this because im sick too and just wanted to write my feelings out.

bangchan.

look imma be honest with y'all, i bet he does not know what to do when his partner is sick.

he doesnt even know how to take care of himself when he is sick.

since he does have little siblings, he does have basic knowledge of how to take care of a sickly.

however, when you come down with the flu, all of his knowledge basically leaves his brain and he is just standing there with a blank face as you look like you are near dead.

of course, when you snap him out of his predicament, he is rushing to your side.

i feel like he is the type to get you whatever you ask for (and sometimes what he thinks you would want.)

he accidentally overfills his medication cabinet and you are staring at the multiple plushies and snacks he bought you from the local walgreens.

listen, he is trying his best.

"chris-," you croak out, clearing your dry throat before continuing. "you can't just buy all of this. i really appreciate but you are just wasting your money away." you finish, taking one of the plushies into your hand. it was an elephant, with a unique textured trunk.

"i'm not wasting my money away, if it's for you." he smiles, setting down your medication onto the wardrobe. "..how have you been feeling?" he asks, feeling a bit guilty due to his lack of knowledge on how to take care of you.

"i've been feeling better, chris. thank you for taking care of me. if-if you keep this up, then i'll be better i-in no time." you say, coughing inbetween some words. chris seems to relax at your words, but he still guard-fully leans against the wardrobe so that way he can watch you closely, trying to see if you really have everything you need or if he can scout out some new symptoms on you.

it's quiet for a good minute before you speak again. "there's no need to worry, chris. you're d-doing a good job. i've got everything i need."

it seems your words just go in one ear and out the other and it's quiet again. you understand why chris feels this way. he naturally cares for everyone, and tries the best he can so everyone is happy.

but now, he feels so fucking useless because he can't even take care of his own soulmate. he knows health is nothing he can control, but he knows he could do plenty of things to make you more comfortable, but for some reason he can't even think of one.

you sigh before you slump down in your shared bed again. "chris," you speak, "come here. if there is one thing you do best for me, it's cuddling."

that seems to work as his eyes are immediately lighting up and he practically dashes to the bed. he doesn't seem to care that he could possibly get your contagious illness too as he happily tucks himself (and you) under the warm comforter of your shared bed, wrapping his arm around your waist to bring you in closer.

"i love you." he whispers, his unoccupied hand coming up to pat your head. in no time, you are caressed into a deep slumber, truly a miracle as you've been barely able to sleep for more than 2 hours whenever you try. chris soon falls asleep after you, satisfied that his work being able to bring comfort to you for once.

lee know.

with every cough you have, he feels his heart break.

you are lee know and lee know is you, is best as he can describe it, so he easily feels for you.

as result of your flu, he is so attentive and coddling.

your teaseful bastard lee know, turned into into a gentle and quiet imposter, is how you described it at the time.

he rarely talked when he was taking care of you, and when he did, he talked in low whispers and soothing words of encouragement.

he touched you as if you were fine china, as if you could break any second.

even though you assured him it was just the flu, and that he should probably distance himself because you don't want him to get sick either, he still couldn't stop his overthinking.

even though it was just the flu, what if it got worse?

that thought alone spurred him to not be more than 5 feet away from you, getting even closer when he heard you cough and looking at you with those tearful cat eyes.

even though you are sick right now, you somehow feel like you are on cloud 9. wrapped up your bed's comforter with two cats snuggling close to you, their warmth acting as a comforting substitute to your boyfriend, who was currently taking on the chores you usually did.

everything you wanted was at the palm of your hand (and definitely not because your boyfriend decided that you needed everything in the medicine and comfort aisles.)

you couldn't say that your boyfriend was on cloud 9 though as well. from the way he rushed to get the chores done, from running across the apartment you both share back and forth to make sure your needs are being attended to and also making sure that the apartment is tidy and molded to your current needs, you can't tell if you should be the one comforting him and telling him that it's going to be alright.

startling Doongie and Dori on you, you let out a demonic-like cough. it hurt, yes, it felt like your throat was as dry and rough as sandpaper, but you got used to it.

minho, however, has not gotten used to it. and probably never will.

before you even realize it, the tv show you were watching is interrupted with minho practically zoom-walking into your shared bedroom, harassing you with the question he asks with every cough you let out. "are you alright? do you need something? more tea?"

at first, it was charming, seeing your usually bastard cat of a boyfriend soften down to a golden-retriever who was at your side with every beckon. except, he is a sad, worried golden retriever. you could see the heartbreak in his eyes whenever you cough.

but now, you can't help but be worried for him because what would happen if something worse happened to your health? probably fly off the rails that for sure.

rolling your eyes out of feigned annoyance, "oh yes, dear boyfriend. can you please give yourself a break and lay down with me for a bit?" you smile, patting the cold, empty spot next to you that was once your boyfriend's.

he gives a soft smile before he is crawling under the comforter, careful not to disturb his cats and intertwining his body with yours.

maybe he will take a short break, just for now.

changbin.

oh lord, oh god.

he gets more worried than minho.

he will never leave your side.

somehow he predicted your symptoms before you.

by the time you were feeling feverish he was already surprisingly prepared.

i feel like when it comes to it, changbin will absolutely become serious and prepare for things.

he is so sweet about it too.

"are you feeling better baby? do you need to go to the bathroom? ☺️"

gah hes so cute.

will 100% look at you with warm and loving eyes even when you are coughing up your sins.

carries you everywhere if you cant walk.

doesnt mind if you get him sick.

probably does end up sick afterwards lol

it was your 4th day of your fever. your fevers always last long, however that does not mean you've gotten used to them. you'll never get used to loosing all of your appetite, suddenly being unable to walk due to loosing your strength, or even being unable to sleep.

and it always felt worse because you had nobody to comfort you. when you were younger your parents did make sure you were doing well but didn't necessarily do anything that they didn't have to do. so you were always alone, seeking warmth from your pillow.

but now, you have changbin.

now, changbin takes care of you even when you are practically heaving and gagging from the heinous coughing you are doing. he stays up with you now that you are unable to sleep. he keeps you entertained with stories and jokes.

it all worked for a while until the 4th day. the 4th day of loosing your appetite, loosing the strength in your legs, and worse of all, feeling the toll that being sleep deprived was taking upon your body and mental state.

changbin, after leaving you for the first time in a few hours to go to the bathroom, came back to you sobbing uncontrollably. of course, he rushed to you, immediately looking for the source of your distress.

"'m tired binnie. i can't breathe. my head hurts." you cried, lazily wiping your tears from your flushed face. changbin knows you are tired. it's written all over your body. he wishes he could do more, but ultimately knows he cant.

"i know, pretty." he whispers. an idea pops into his head as he remembers an old tactic of his that his mother used to get him to fall asleep.

cooing at you, he gently takes you into his arms over his lap, cradling you like a baby. "changbin.. what are you doin?" you whine, not that you are necessarily against it, but you really don't want to play around or listen to anymore stories. you just want to sleep.

"just go to sleep." he says, kissing your forehead before slowly rocking you back and forth. your sobs and hiccups slowed down before they eventually stopped all together. you fell asleep in his arms like a baby.

to be more specific, you're his baby.

hyunjin.

hes like all 3 combined.

but he's more put together.

it doesn't let his nervousness show because he doesn't want you to reassure him when he is the one who should be reassuring you.

makes you lots of tea.

shows you the paintings he's been working on and sometimes will carry you if you want to the spare room where he paints.

you two will have a silent mental conversation as you watch him paint you in all of your sick glory.

even though you tried to persuade him that you don't look you best right now, he said that you'll always look beautiful to him.

he thinks the constant blushing, bed hair, and snot is for some reason cute.

really makes sure that you are up to date with your medicine.

tries to get you to eat, but if you can't, he'll try to get you to settle for those good flavored nutrition shakes instead.

100% will play with your hair to soothe you whenever you watch tv.

still takes pictures of you despite your protests.

you feel a bit bad for hyunjin. he is probably exhausted from taking care of you. he probably feels sweaty from all of the stream in the bathroom. he took it upon himself to bathe you today. you haven't been able to shower because the time you attempted to you nearly fainted due it being too warm or being too cold.

"jinnie.. i can do it myself." you pout, turning your head slightly so you can look at him. right now he is sitting outside of the bathtub on a chair, his right hand holding the soapy sponge and dragging it gently across your skin. he looks up at you, his eye-bags show exhaustion but his eyes show love and adoration. "it's okay. you're tired. let me take care of you." he smiles, massaging the sponge into your neck and back.

"hyunjin aren't you tired too? you've been taking care of me, don't worry i can do it myself-" "yeah but let's not forget when i found you sprawled over the bathroom mat." he interrupts, raising his eyebrow at the mention of you nearly passed out when you tried to take a bath yourself.

that immediately shuts you up, somehow making you feel embarrassed but that feeling doesn't last long when he shampoos your hair, running his long fingers throughout your locks.

yeah, he is tired, but he doesn't care. he's pretty much used to it. he has better things to do than sleep, which is take care of you. he loves taking care of you.

humming a sweet melody, he warns you before he slowly pours a lukewarm bowl of water over your head, making sure to adjust your hair during it so it gets as much shampoo out as it can before he does the same with conditioner.

you wish it didn't end when he drained the water from the tub, carefully raising you from it like you were fine china and then wrapping a fluffy towel around your naked body. he guides you out of the tub and helps you put on your pajamas and brushes your hair for you.

he guides you back to your shared bedroom, your hand intertwined with yours and tucks you into the comfort of your bed.

he stares at you with love and adoration, even when you look like shit.

c/maknae line.

[lovries]

LOVRIES 500 FOLLOWERS EVENT

How to participate / Rules

Send in a character (lucifer, mammon, leviathan, satan, asmodeus, beelzebub, belphegor, diavolo, barbatos, simeon, solomon).

And then choose up to two prompts below! (prompt credits: here, here, here, and here).

example: "Hi! May I have [character] with [fluff/angst] prompt [#]? Thank you!"

Also (optional) you can add any other notes to your request, such as specific au, trope, etc. I'll try to incorporate as much of your request into the writing as I can!

Remember to follow the basic rules of this blog, and to be kind and respectful as I work on this event! I'll only be accepting the first twenty to come, after that I won't be accepting anymore and any sent after will be deleted.

content warning, some prompts include: children, marriage, illness, cheating, general angst.

FLUFF/DOMESTIC PROMPTS

"Do I smell breakfast or is that the house burning down?"

"Honey, you look tired. Go sleep."

"So I was driving past a pet store the other day and couldn't help but wonder how cute an animal would be like in our home."

"I want to move in with you."

"Our son/daughter got sent to the principals office today."

"Babe, can you explain to me what this is doing here?"

"You look like you could use a massage."

"I want to take a shower so you should probably join me. It'll save water."

"I may have broken the dish washer."

"There's a spider in the shower!"

"I want to adopt a child."

"Think about it. The little patter of children in our home."

"I want to marry you."

"What do you think about this color wall for our room?"

"Why is the bathroom overfilling with water?"

"Did you eat all my oreos?"

"We live together. You can't blame this on anyone else."

"I've got a romantic surprise for you."

"Let's just stay in bed."

"Get back into bed."

"Can you call in sick today?"

"I just want to lie here all day with you."

"Oh, there's no need to put a shirt on."

"I'm sick of doing all the chores!"

"We can't afford this!"

"Don't mind me, just want to remember how beautiful you look in bed this morning."

"Your heartbeat’s really loud."

"You asleep?"

"I like this, being so close to you."

"Your hair keeps falling into your eyes, do you know that? Here, lemme just—"

"You’re so, so, so pretty."

"I just — I’m breathless, okay? Whenever I’m with you, it happens."

"You make my heart beat so quick."

"You always know how to make me smile."

"You’ll always be safe with me."

"I can’t imagine being anywhere but here with you."

"All my choices lead me to you."

"I’ll never give you up."

"I sleep better if you’re around."

"You snore in your sleep. But… it’s adorable, okay?"

"I like this. A quiet breakfast with you."

"There’re billions of people on this planet, and I love you. How incredible is that?"

"I trust you."

"You keep staring at me instead of watching the film. What’s up?"

"Let’s push all of these stuff away. I wanna dance here right now with you."

"Are we really doing this? Are we really slow-dancing?"

"When you laugh like that, it just — you’re so beautiful, you know that?"

"You haven’t laughed in a long time, and I guess I was staring ‘cause I forgot how that looked like."

"I will never let you go."

"You’re the best thing to have ever happened to me."

"You’ve got a fever. Of course I’m not going anywhere."

"I just feel calmer. When I’m with you."

"You’re not in bed. I came looking for you."

"What are you doing up? Come to bed."

"It’s weird. I never thought I could feel like this, but you showed up. Now, it’s like I don’t wanna go on knowing I might lose the feeling."

"I don’t mind sharing the blankets with you."

"You’re cold. Come here."

"You always do that. You always warm me up."

"Stay."

"It’s getting crowded. Here, hold my hand."

"I’m so proud of you, you know that?"

ANGST PROMPTS

"I really, really hate you!"

"You mean nothing to me anymore."

"I don't trust you. Not anymore!"

"You disgust me."

"How can I believe you after everything you've done?"

"I should've known better than to trust a liar!"

"Do not touch me!"

"Get away from me!"  

"Touch me and it'll be the last thing you do!"  

"Just please shut up. I'm done with your excuses!"

"How long have you been cheating on me?"

"You know what? I'm done. I'm just done!"

"There's this new side of you and I don't like it!"

"I can't believe this is happening!"

"After all we've been through, you're just going to leave?"  

"Just pack up your things and leave!"

"Go on! Leave like you always leave!"

"When I look at you, I no longer see the person I fell in love with!"

"You really haven't changed huh?"

"So you're just going to leave?"

"It’s over between us. We are over!"

"Get away from me! I can’t even look at you right now."

"Please, look at me! Why won’t you even look at me?!"

"Wh-why did you do this?"

"How do you sleep at night, after all you’ve done?"

"You… You never really cared at all, did you?"

"That’s it then? you’re giving up, just like that?"

"Yeah, I’m a bastard. Tell me something I don’t know."

"You say you don’t love them, but you keep helping them. Why?"

"It doesn’t matter how much I try! They’re going to hate me anyway."

"How cute, you actually thought anyone cared?"

"What can I do to make it up to you?"

"It’s too late to fix it now!"

"You can’t just show up again and act like nothing’s wrong!"

"It’s not like we’re friends or anything, right?"

"We’re not friends, we never were."

"Goddamn it, I hate you so much! Just fuck off already!"

[duskamethyst]

deception.

a/n: if you ask me why i did this, the answer is i don’t know.

word count: 4.6k

genre: smut, nsfw, angst, quirkless AU

warnings: daddy kink, degradation, edging, age gap, implied cheating, reader is a little delusional

pairing: sugardaddy!bakugou x f!reader

summary: where you fall in love with your own sugar daddy and you finally confess to him.

pretending to be in love with old men for a couple of hours can be exhausting and it might seem like a nonideal way to get money, but desperate times call for desperate measures. you’ve met plenty of these people, who have too much money they could spend. some are just lonely; in need of company from a young, pretty girl and some just want to have fun despite having their wives and kids at home. they come and go, and you couldn’t care less about what happens to them after your encounter, as long as you get your money’s worth. 

but never have you ever thought that you’d be so attached to one. maybe entertaining sugar daddies isn’t that tiring when they’re really attractive (it’s natural to like good looking people, can anyone blame you?). he’s truly a sight for sore eyes and you often wonder how he possesses so much stamina in bed. bakugou makes you feel some kind of way, it’s wrong, but with more time you spend with him, you can’t help but to actually fall in love with the guy. he makes you feel antsy and you often find yourself waiting for his texts, either the dirty ones or the ones that expresses his anticipation to see you again soon.

it’s not like he doesn’t do the same thing as the others; buys you things you know you can’t afford, spends his money on fancy dinners and continues to spend the rest of the night with you at random five stars hotels after. the difference is, you actually somewhat enjoy being around him as his spoiled little princess and you find yourself to gladly do anything for him like the time you let him fuck you raw because he wanted to. 

for a man his age, bakugou is well maintained. you love to lay your head down on his huge chest and rake your nails on his broad back, eliciting deep grunts of pleasure from the man in return. he looks appetizing; toned abs and a happy trail that leads to his trimmed pubes and down to his massive cock. if it isn’t for the fine lines on his face and the white streaks on his hair, you wouldn’t think he’d be reaching 50. 

you don’t know if you should even feel jealous of his wife. if you were born years earlier, would he choose you instead? the thought of him being with someone else and vowed to be together for the rest of their lives makes you want to puke. bakugou must’ve realized that it was a mistake too. if he still loves her, why would he have his cock sink inside you? if he really loves her, why are you the one he tells that to instead? 

“daddy loves you. daddy loves fucking your tight cunt. baby, you feel so fuckin’ good– so fuckin’ good for daddy. love you too– fuck.”

you can already picture the image of him on top of you as you replay those same words like a broken record player inside your head; lips part slightly in heavy pants, vermillion irises overfill with lechery as he fucks you senseless.

daddy loves you. he loves you and you're more than certain that you love him. not for his money, not for the stuff he indulges you with but only for himself. 

you want him. you want him to make you all his. you want him to be able to see you freely and not sneaking behind someone else’s back. you want to sit pretty as you wait for him to come back home from work every day, all wet and ready to please him. he loves you, and that’s what he deserves after a stressful day. 

as soon as you get inside the room and kick off your heels, a strong pair of hands grab you by the thighs and easily lift you up. you wrap your legs around his waist in an instant, dropping your bag to the floor unceremoniously before circling your arms around his neck as he draws you in a passionate, hungry kiss. a battle of dominance has always been nonexistent when it comes to bakugou, he naturally holds everything in the palm of his hand and both of you like it that way.

his lips never stray away from yours, not even when he walks towards the bed with you clinging onto his strong physique while his hands squeeze firmly on the flesh of your bum before he breaks away, but only to throw you on the soft mattress. you prop up on your side, looking up at him innocently and pleadingly with doe eyes that you know would never fail to stir up something primal inside him. his gaze drinks in every inch of you; the heave of your chest, the curve of your ass and overall your smaller frame that lies submissively in front of him. 

“look at you. such a fucking doll.” he takes off his slim fit suit, throwing the coat carelessly on the ground before loosening up his tie until it unfolds completely. “you like the dress? it’s shorter than i imagined, can’t help but to notice how the other guys kept on checking you out.”

you nod your head, pressing your thighs together as you notice how his lustful eyes linger a little too long on your ass that’s barely hiding under the hem of your mini dress. “yes, because daddy bought it for me.”

“damn right he did.” he smirks, unfastening about three buttons of his dress shirt. “ass up.”

you hurriedly roll on your stomach, planting your cheek on the mattress and arching your back perfectly as you lift your ass in the air. you feel the bed dipping from your back before a calloused hand caresses your thigh and trails up to your cheeks slowly, appreciating the smooth and youthful skin before he gets to ruin it.

“good. lift your head up.”

it’s never your position to question. carefully, you do as told by lifting yourself up on your hands and knees. you can discern the shifting of his body from behind and by your side as you look ahead and face the curtains before your sight is abruptly seized by darkness.

the silky material biting your lids suggests that he has wrapped his tie around your head, purposely blindfolding you to amplify your other senses as your sight is consumed with pitch black. bakugou pushes your head down with his hand, keeping you on your knees and lets you stay in the position while he takes off his dress shirt.  

“you’re gonna be a good girl for daddy.” he states more than questions, hiking up the hem of your dress to your waist to feed him with an unobstructed view of the damp patch adhering on your flimsy panties. bakugou presses his thumb on the splotch and his eyes flick over to your quivering body. “gonna let daddy use his tongue to fuck you?”

“please, daddy.” you whine, bucking your hips closer to ease the ache with his touch but is greeted with a sharp smack across your skin instead. 

“so impatient,” he tuts, rubbing the red print gently. “you’re just a horny little girl, aren’t you? can’t live without daddy’s dick inside her cunt.”

“just you– only yours.” 

“you know just what to say, don’t you?” his voice husky and rasp, complimenting the conceited smirk on his lips as he spoke. you learn that bakugou is actually a man that is easy to please, only if you know how to stroke his ego and as simple as that, his intimidating persona would be long gone. 

cold air brushes against your wet folds once he strips off your panties. he lifts up both knees to get you out from the garment and crumple it into a ball with his hand before bringing it in front of your face. 

“open.” you obey and open your mouth, allowing him to gag you with the cloth and quickly filling your senses with a mixture of lace and your own scent. “so good for me.”

bakugou moves back to his initial position, smearing his fingers against your puffy folds with your slick. he circles your clit teasingly and slowly, resulting in you to squirm while your hands find purchase on the sheets beneath you. 

“stop squirming around or i’m not gonna eat you.” he warns as his ministrations come to a halt to observe your compliance before he continues. for a man that is impatient himself, it’s quite hard to take his sweet time teasing you. maybe with the fact that you’re so querulous, a surge of power and pride rushes through him and his willpower tells him not to lose his machismo too quickly.

a satisfying grin tugs on the corner of his lips while he watches you struggle to follow his order and his thumb presses tight circles on your swollen clit to draw out sweet, muffled whines. once he notices your legs begin to tense and toes to curl, he pulls away. 

“you can’t cum yet.” he licks up the slick from his fingers clean before settling his head in front of your rear. an anticipative knot swells in your lower stomach as you feel hot plumes of breath prickling against your puffy folds before he spreads them open with his fingers. with how much your senses have spiked up, you can feel your pussy dripping with so much arousal and you know damn well that bakugou can see it too. 

“you’re nothing but a dirty little slut, aren’t you?” he coos, sounding both demeaning and amused as he rubs your lips, sending more waves of sensation on the bundle of nerves. “my dirty little slut.”

bakugou doesn’t expect you to answer but as soon as his warm tongue takes the first lap of your slick, a loud squeal rips from your throat. his large hands rest on your hips as he tilts his head to reach your clit, toying and teasing by using the tip of his tongue while his own plump lips and stubble graze against your slit.

you’re quick to turn into a sobbing mess, unheedful of the saliva trickling from the corner of your mouth when you’re aware that it won’t take too long until you’d eventually break. just as the stimulation is becoming more overbearing, his hands clench on your supple flesh tighter in a silent command that tells you it’s not time to cum yet. 

after he’s satisfied with abusing the bud, he drags down his tongue and pumps inside your quivering hole, causing you to jolt in a delighted surprise. from the loud, lewd squelching sounds of your own fluid mixing with his spit, you can only picture the way he looks right now; face buried between your ass cheeks, nose deep in your cunt while his tongue works miraculously around your walls. 

even the image beyond the abyss itself makes you more delirious. 

“c-can’t–” you break into a muffled cry as your hips bucks into his mouth without conscious control. another harsh slap is what you receive, but you can’t seem to care when a thick fog of desire is already clouding your brain; making the pain and pleasure to become one divine fusion. 

bakugou’s blows don't stop with how much you’re grinding so earnestly on his face. your skin burns from the cruel attention, yet your cunt just keeps on seeping with slick that trickles down to his chin and drips down on the sheets beneath you. 

“you’re such a fucking pain slut.” he growls, hot breath fanning your greedy cunt and making the pressure even tighter in your stomach. “not yet.” his tongue is anything but languid; swirling hastily as it explores your little hole as far as he can reach. it’s obscene. the way that the muscle glides so smoothly.. the warmth, the moisture– 

next thing you know, your eyes are already rolled to the back of your eyelids as your body tenses while waves of gratification crash down throughout your entire being.

“cumming on daddy’s tongue without permission.” he tsks, giving one last spank before standing up at the edge of the bed as he burns the image of your quivering body into the back of his head, adorned by the red imprint of his hand on your pliant skin. “turn around.” 

without a spare moment to gather yourself, you get up on wobbly legs and arms, carefully turn around like a fawn taking its first baby steps and rebuild your senses at the same time to estimate where he currently stands until he tells you to stop. 

your eyes squint as they adjust to the subdued room, finally able to see faint light again after bakugou takes off the tie around your head. you look up to the older man, only to be pierced by a pair of carmine orbs and a disgruntled look on his face.

“you know what you did wrong.” a thin string of drool latches onto the panties when he pulls it out from your mouth to observe the drenched fabric between his thumb and pointer finger. “looks like you had a great time.” you can see how it’s embarrassingly soaked, but not as embarrassing as the amount of slick glistening around his lips and chin that he doesn’t even bother to wipe off.

“’m sorry, daddy.” you whisper hoarsely through dry throat while giving him your most remorseful look. it would’ve deceived him if he didn’t know any better, but receiving punishments is something he knows you’d enjoy.

the slight upturn at the corner of his lips etches into a lazy grin as he unfastens his belt and takes off his pants along with his briefs to release his erected cock– now standing proudly in front of your face. 

“what do you have to do now?” he hums, tapping the flushed tip on your lips as if moisturizing the parched skin with his leaking precum. 

“m-make daddy proud.” you shamelessly steal a taste, flattening your tongue out so he can rub it on your palate. 

“can’t fuckin’ understand you– cock hungry slut.” he chuckles with mirth, one hand tucking your hair behind each ear as his gaze softens for a moment. “but that’s why i fuckin’ love you.”

your lashes flutter as you stare up at him, heart blooming like flowers on a fresh start of spring after a harsh, cold winter as the words he uttered loops inside your head. with a content hum, you close your eyes and wrap your lips around his cock, eliciting a hiss from the male once engulfed in the warmth of your mouth. 

“shit, i haven’t even told you to suck me yet.” his own eyes follow suit, throwing his head back as his own hand finds home on top of your head. your eagerness makes it hard for him to stay mad. if he was younger he would’ve been a little irritated if someone tried to take control, but maybe aging really did something and made your whims seem more tolerable for him. but what he loves most is seeing you struggle to fit his fat cock; whether it’s by your mouth or your pussy.

“just like that,” his voice drops an octave, watching most of his length disappear inside your mouth while your tongue runs against his veins. “fuckin’ look at me when you’re suckin’.”

you submissively comply to his command, meeting those sharp eyes you adore beneath the tousled mess of his blond and white hair. 

“you love daddy’s cock?” he doesn’t intend to give you a second to answer before he continues,  “then you wouldn’t mind chokin’ on it, don’t ya?” 

you moan in response just as he expected and he snorts through his nose. “of course you don’t.”

bakugou brings your head closer, shoving down his cock your throat before he starts to snap his hips. a chorus of curses pass his lips, taut muscles relaxing as he drowns in euphoria. drool soon starts to dribble from the corner of your lips and your jaw starts to ache, yet you’re still insistent on accommodating his cock– using your tongue when you could until he’s exploding with a mouthful of oaths.

“such a good girl.” he grunts, holding your head firmly with tension in his fingers as he stares down at you with knitted brows. “feels good havin’ dick in your mouth? hm?”

“hmm–” you moan in concur, the vibration almost drives him mad and it’s evident through the twitch you feel against your hollowed cheeks. with an exasperated groan, he pulls out his cock from your mouth and pumps it in his fist. 

“take it off and lie down. now.” his words thrum through you in a burst of heat. you swiftly discard the dress and rest on your back, spreading your legs in front of him in anticipation before he proceeds to climb on the bed. you shudder when he spits on your cunt before smothering his cock against the slit and down to your entrance to give extra lubrication. 

a deep, inarticulate sound rips from his throat, one that conveys pleasure as he sheathes his cock inside you. he can feel your walls sucking him in so welcomingly and squeezing him so tight that he thought he might cum then and there.

“that’s fuckin’ tight.” he girts out, pushing through the walls until he has bottomed out. with each hand on the sides of your head, his large and shredded build looms on top of you and keeps your smaller frame caged underneath. 

“daddy– s-so big.” you extend your arms to cling around his neck, looking up at him with a lust addled gaze. 

“i know you can handle me, sweetheart.” he smirks conceitedly and starts to roll his hips, dragging every ridge and vein against your walls through each thrust. your toes curl when he goes deeper and your nails dig into his back, leaving crimson trails as they rake.

“l-love you, daddy.” the words slip past your lips so naturally in flawless manifestation of your genuine feelings towards him. 

you observe how his lips stretch into a simper, fiery and lustrous eyes staring back at you before he replies, “love you too, ba– fuck–” 

bakugou feels you clench around him impossibly tighter and he leans down to kiss you, forcing you to swallow down his moans as he ruts inside you harder and faster.

“baby– that’s right. daddy fuckin’ loves you.” his low and resonant voice fills your ears, pleasure pulling taut in your lower stomach as the pressure begins to build up rapidly for your second orgasm. “–and he loves this tight cunt.”

“ah– daddy! p-please make me cum–” you start to babble, too lost in pleasure and your legs find themselves wrapping around bakugou’s waist to keep him closer and deeper.

“don’t you fucking dare cum yet.” he snarls before lifting himself up to keep his hands on the headboard in front of him and instantly blocking your view of the room. not that you mind when you’ve already set your eyes on him the whole time. 

“no matter how many times i’ve fucked you–” he pulls out almost completely before ramming in again, making you squeal.  “you still feel so fucking good.”

your hands reach to cup his face gently, your lips parted and wet, eyes glazed with adoration and an overflowing want for him. “all for you.” 

he chuckles quietly to himself. who knew that he would find himself burying his cock in some dumb college girl? with her heart filled eyes that tell him he’s some kind of a savior or the last man on earth. whether it’s all superficial or not, he thinks you’re pretty damn good at it.

“you sure make it hard for daddy not to love you.” he scoffs. you let out a needy whine when he pulls out and your hole convulses, instantly missing the way his cock stretches you out and makes you feel full. 

but it’s not for long when your vision suddenly keels as he flips you over to lie down on your stomach. bakugou easily hoists up your hips and pushes down your back to force you into a perfect arch before he sinks his throbbing cock inside your sloppy cunt without warning. 

“nghh– daddy–!” you cry as bakugou pounds into you with a menacing pace and hits you at the right places at the same time. 

“yeah? you like it when daddy uses you like the little slut you are?” he grabs a fistful of your hair, jerking your head up. “like you’re nothing but my little cocksleeve?”

“yesyesyes– daddy–! s-so deep– can’t!” your strength begins to drain out and you don’t know how much longer you can hold yourself  before he allows you to cum.

“you can– fuck– you’re clamping down on me.” he growls, one hand on your hips forming crescent shapes on your skin with his fingers.

your jaw has fallen slack, mouth gaping in breathless whimpers as you let bakugou abuse your little cunny while your own hands are balling into fists that your knuckles turn white. the air is filled with the sound of skin slapping against each other, mingling with his heavy pants.

“you’re really– hah– milking this fat cock.” his own rhythm turns sporadic, skin burning red with every second he prolongs his desire.

“please– daddy–” you let out a feeble moan and your legs begin to tremble as a result of the unbearable pressure tightening in your lower stomach. your pussy is already leaking with so much slick and it’s making a filthy mess on the bed. 

“you’re ready to cum for daddy?” he fucks you harder with deep strokes, knocking the breath from your lungs each time he presses into you. 

“pleasepleaseplease–” tears prickle from the corner of your eyes as the coil in your stomach threatens to snap.

“cum.” 

the word left his lips in a pure command and you break down instantly with a loud cry. a huge wash of pleasure winds its way through every nerve and your pussy gushes and clenches around his cock. 

“that’s it. good girl.” a deep growl rumbles in his chest as he observes every twitch of pleasure he has brought into you. 

“th-thank you, daddy.” you mumble, still deeply doused in ecstasy.

bakugou finally releases his harsh grip and your head plops down on the soft pillow while he pulls out and pumps his cock in his own fist, coated with your own arousal before he splurts thick ropes of cum all over your cheeks and watches as it trickles down to your cunt. 

after a brief moment of catching his breath, bakugou reaches for the nearest tissue box and helps to clean off the mess you both made. you let your exhausted body fall onto the mattress and he throws the used tissues away before leaning back on the headboard next to you, still panting and trying to get down from his high. 

“you okay?” he breaks the silence, flicking his gaze towards you and rubs your head gently in hopes to soothe the pain he caused from pulling your hair so roughly. 

you hum, seeking for solace from his touch as he pulls the blanket up to cover your bodies and reaches for his phone on the nightstand with his other hand. you silently observe him as he looks at his phone, probably reading and scrolling through emails or texts like he’d usually do after having you wrecked. 

“love you, daddy.” you suddenly squeak, yet bakugou doesn’t tear his eyes from the screen and it leaves you unsure if he heard you or not. 

“hm.” his response is indifferent and your stomach churns into an unpleasant feeling; one you don’t appreciate at all. 

“daddy.” you swallow past the lump in your throat. “i said i love you.”

bakugou clicks his tongue and your heart shatters slightly at the sound, thinking that you probably just annoyed him, “yeah, i heard you.”

“bakugou.” you suddenly snap and the hand on top of your head stills. you don’t know where the courage to call him by his name comes from, but you want to convey your sobriety over the current situation and for what you’re about to say next. cold shivers run down your spine once his attention diverges towards you and he raises a questioning brow, ushering you to speak. 

“i-i love you–” you gulp, taking a deep breath. “like, i’m in love with you.” 

his stare is impassive and there’s an uncomfortable silence weighing the air between the two of you. your cheeks begin to warm up with humiliation and a part of you dreads with regret. you aren’t sure how long the deafening silence lasted before you see a twitch at the corner of his lips. 

“you gotta be kidding me.” he snickers, shaking his head in disbelief. 

you rise up on your side and your eyes waver with confusion as you look at him. “b-but you said you love me too. you do, r-right?”

he scoffs, mostly galled by the fact that he’s actually having this conversation with you– a dumb college girl, but he doesn’t expect much either. “why the hell would i be in love with you? did i knock your head?”

getting straight to the point is one of bakugou’s nature; his bluntness is like a sharp knife that stabs you in the heart. 

“but you said–”

“why do you think i only said it when i had my cock buried inside your cunt?”

and it twists painfully. 

“forget about it. go to sleep.” he nonchalantly replies and returns back to his phone, brushing off the wounded look that’s written all over your face.

you feel humiliated, angered and disregarded. given that you were always spoiled, you can’t stand having your feelings unreciprocated and rejection is one of the things you aren’t familiar with.

“why? because you have a wife? you don’t even love her–”

you flinch when you hear the loud thud of bakugou slamming his phone down on the bed, but it’s not as fearsome as the malicious glare he’s shooting at you. “don’t you fucking say that. i don’t wanna hear that, especially coming from a dumb whore like you.”

harsh reality gives you a massive slap in the face. 

your heart is hammering against your chest and your vision begins to blur as tears well up in your eyes, threatening to spill out. you feel like you want to scream at him but the words you want to say only get caught in your throat. bakugou notices how you’re about to burst but he only rolls his eyes, expressing his vexation. 

“god,” he sighs exasperatedly and gets off from the bed to pick up his clothes from the floor. “the last thing i need is another fucking nuisance.”

“w-where are you going?” you croak as you watch him put on his clothes. 

bakugou turns to your direction and snarls, “what does it look like? leaving.” 

the pain in your chest becomes harder to bear, fat tears start to roll down your cheeks and when you try to reach for him, he coldly shoves your hand away. you saw how furious he could be through his phone calls but you were never on the receiving end; always the one who calmed him down and let him use you as a way to take out his frustrations on. now you’re nothing different than the rest of the people in his life, or maybe you were just too stupid to realize that you were never any different before too. 

“just leave when it’s time to check out. you’d know at least that much.” he scoffs as he walks to the door and twists the doorknob before turning back to you for what it seems would be the last time. 

“and don’t even think of finding me again.”

duskamethyst © 2020 • do not modify, translate or repost anywhere.

[mooncxmm]

Todo's Petal

You rest your back against the roughed up bark of the old Sakura tree and let a relaxed sigh. You tilt your head back and squint up at the swaying flowers.

It feels like you're in your own little peaceful beautiful world, until footsteps snap you back into reality. 

Looking at who was walking up to you, you see it's the love of your life, Shoto Todoroki.

The half n' half male approaches and stops in his tracks as he's right in front of you.  “Petal… You actually came. I’m glad.” He spoke in his monotone voice.

“Of course I came, Sho. I wanted to see what you wanted to talk about,” you said softly.  You watch your boyfriend sit down next to you and look up at the pink flowers.

"Petal I just want to apologize for not spending as much time with you anymore. Nakamura-Chan is really all on me and has me on a leash," your beloved explained. 

"Nakamura-Chan this, Nakamura-Chan that… you know, I'm really sick and tired of hearing that bitch's name," you mumble under your breath. 

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Shoto said, looking at the ground covered in cherry blossoms. “I don’t want this to happen either. You know I'm against it, too.”

“You know I’m against it, too,” you mocked. ”If you were so against it, we wouldn’t be here in the first place."

Todoroki just looked at you in shock. He knew how you could get when you were upset but damn. 

"You know if I see that bitch being all lovey dovey with you again, I'm going ape shit on her ass," You bluntly put that out there. 

Todoroki's eyes widened. As he knew you showed your emotion with your eyes, he knew you were dead serious. 

“I know you’re upset, but please don’t do that,” he said. You could tell he was shaken after what you said.

"No promises boo," you say nonchalantly. Your blood was boiling. All the times you had to watch Nakamura be all up on your man, touching him and shit, it was living hell for you.

"Baby look at me," Shoto said softly. He reaches for your cheek, but you slap his hand away, making him frown.

"I don't want your Nakamura germs," you say straightforwardly. 

"Baby, please don't be like that," Todoroki pouts.

"Baby, please don't be like that," you mocked. 

"Petal," Todoroki said firmly. 

"Don't 'Petal' me," you said. 

"It was all a lie when you said you loved me, wasn't it!" You shout in frustration. You slowly feel yourself lose your composure, your anger slowly increasing.

Todoroki's eyes widened. Did he just hear you right? He knew you didn't like the situation you were in at all but he didn't think you were doubting your guys' relationship. Did he do something wrong? Was it all his fault? Immediate guilt overfilled his soul and mind.

"Petal I-" Before he could even form a sentence you just shut him up real quick. 

"No, just stop! I'm sick of this! I can't take it anymore. I'm about to lose my shit!" You yell at him before bursting into tears. 

Todoroki's heart broke into pieces as he watched your tears stain your cute cheeks. He didn't mean to make you upset. None of this was supposed to happen. 

“Peta- Y/n...I’m sorry,” he said, you can hear his voice cracking, choking even. 

As you sob, Shoto leans towards you, grasping you with his arms, holding you tight. He just allowed you to punch his chest as you cried and shouted out threats towards Nakamura who wasn't even there. 

"It's not fair! Not fair! Not fair! Why don't you just tell her that we're in a relationship already?! Please! Just end it with her!  Who cares about your fucking father?!" You cried. You were just so tired of this whole situation. 

Todoroki just held you and took it all in. He started to apologize over and over to you. He was so sorry that he had put you through this. He felt so shitty for doing this to your guys' relationship. 

“If you hate him so much, why can’t you just tell him no? The one time you really need to?” You said through tears. “Why is this happening? Why is this the thing you can’t bring yourself to do?”

“I'm scared for both of our safeties,” he blurted. “I kept this up with Nakamura for as long as I did for us.” He looked a bit ashamed.

"What the fuck do you mean you're scared for both of our safeties? What do you mean by you did this for us?" You asked. 

“I didn’t know, or even expect, that Nakamura would…” he trailed, “I didn’t expect that Nakamura would threaten to hurt you.”

You freeze. That bitch really threatened both you and your boyfriend. Ah hell no. She's definitely getting a beat down now.

In the midst of all of your confusion, Shoto's phone had a bing, and you could’ve guessed who it was.

*Nakamura<3 sent a message:*

‘hey! I noticed you were looking a bit down recently and I wanted to treat you!! meet me at that restaurant near your house, we can get some cold soba, i know you love that stuff!!! <33’

Confusion is gone, regret is in. You didn’t know what to do after your fit. His reason wasn’t something that you were really expecting.

“Shoto I…” you trail. ”I’m so sorry.” The embarrassment you felt was immeasurable and the regret was overwhelming.

“It’s okay Petal, I know this is something I should’ve said sooner so we could put an end to this but…the thought of Nakamura going through with it,” he exhaled. You could hear his shaky breath. “It frightened me beyond belief. And if she really did do it, I don’t know what I would have done with myself.”

You frown as you wrap your arms around his waist. "Sho it's okay… she can't hurt me. You know I'm a big girl. I can handle myself," you reassure him. "I'm a crazy bitch, I know how to handle myself," you joke.

Shoto chuckled and he nodded his head. He buried his head in the crook of your neck and he plants gentle kisses on the skin of your neck. 

You started to giggle a bit, since your neck is ticklish. "Sho! Stop it!"

Shoto chuckled once again and he moved and kissed another spot on your neck and gently nibbled down on your skin. 

A faint moan escapes from your lips. "Baby…" you whisper. 

Shoto let out a curious 'hm' as he was making love to your neck. He was really into it as well.

"I swear if you leave a hickey on me…" you mumble. 

Shoto growls at you playfully. He pulls away from your neck and asks,"What if I did?" 

You pout your lips and you poke his cheek harshly. "Sho sho!" 

"Okay that's enough. Let's go to the restaurant and meet up with Miss Nakamura," you say as you push away Shoto and crack your knuckles. 

Shoto pouts as you push him away from your neck, his sweat drops when he hears you cracking your knuckles. Shit was about to go down. 

The way to the restaurant wasn’t too far from the park you had been at, and the excitement of beating down Nakamura was getting to you; making you speed up your pace, basically dragging Shoto.

“Finally! The moment I’ve been waiting for is coming!” You said in a mix of giddiness and aggression, looking like a mad man speed walking to your destination.

“Slow down a little, Petal,” Shoto chuckled, you could tell he was stumbling over his feet a little from the pace of speed.

You could just see the restaurant in the distance. Oh gurl you were r e a d y to beat her ass. You were holding Shoto's hand, dragging him to the restaurant but in your other hand, you had a fist. Your knuckles were white from how tight your fist was. 

Once the restaurant was in your view, you licked your lips as you saw a certain person standing outside of it. You let go of Shoto's hand and sprinted towards them. 

"What the fuck?! You crazy bitch!" 

-

The sun was setting, and the wind was blowing gently. The sky was the most beautiful thing you had seen, a mix of orange, red, yellow, blue, and even the clouds looked a beautiful shade of pink. Undoubtedly, today was probably one of the best you’ve had in a while, and nothing could ruin it.

“Thank you for taking me out Sho,”You said, a giant smile plastered on your face.”I know I’ve been a little rash, everything just hasn’t been the best lately.”

“It’s okay, Petal, I get it,” Shoto said, he had a gentle smile on. Your heart has never felt this warm and you know it’s because of him. How could you have been so lucky to find someone who understood you so well? Someone who basically knew you inside and out?

While walking, you could see his black roofed house. Even though this was one of the most beautiful sceneries you could possibly witness, all you wanted to do was get to his place, plop down, and rest your footsies.

Like the gentleman you knew Sho was, he pulled the slide doors open for you, obviously to let you in first. And to your surprise when you had taken your first step, you saw Enji. And he wasn’t alone.

He had a petite brunette girl with golden yellow eyes, and you had no idea who she was.

After you had technically stepped into the house, Sho was a couple of seconds after, making a joke on the way in. Once he turned around from closing the door, you could see he was just as startled as you were. 

"Father, who is this girl?" Shoto asked as he took off his shoes. He places his shoes next to yours. 

"Hikari Nakamura met my son, Shoto Todoroki, your new boyfriend," Enji said bluntly. 

Both Shoto and you froze, in shock. 

This hurt you so badly. You knew and respected that Shoto wanted to keep your guys relationship a secret but this was bad. 

[hockeyboysiguess]

eight maids a-milking -> eight pucks a-slinging | j. debrusk

a/n: a christmas fic at 10 am? sure. there are no rules about time in 2020. rest of the series linked here. 

word count: 3,046

warnings: none. pure christmas fluff

You sighed as you slammed your car door closed with your hip, your movement jostling the box you were carrying, causing the bells inside to ring among the garland. Luckily, the contents of the slightly overfilled box stayed inside. You let out a sigh of relief and headed inside the arena, box in tow. The Bruins were doing some charity thing that involved decorating a tree and Jake forgot his box of decorations at home this morning, so he asked you to bring it by on your way home. It was just one more thing to do in your already incredibly busy day. Jake was always forgetting things, his wallet, his phone, his keys, his coat, everything, constantly. You frequently had to drive to the airport, ten minutes behind him, hot on his heels, with his passport in your passenger seat, so he could actually get into Canada for a game. Picking up Jake’s forgotten things was something you were used to now. It had become a habit, part of your daily activities.

It was something you did for him, because of the thousands of things he did for you. Jake was the one who told you when you were trying to carry too many things, when you were stretching yourself too thin, he always noticed before anyone else and shifted weight to himself to lessen your burden. He never let you push yourself too far, to the point of fully expending yourself to exhaustion, something you did far too often before him and something that was so easy to do this time of year. Work piled up, tasks upon tasks to finish before the end of December to be completed, along with pressing from yours and Jake’s family with activities and travel and gifts to buy, it was all too easy a time to forget to put some things in Jake’s lap to take care of. He might be a tad forgetful, but he never failed to step up to the plate if it made you happy. If there was nothing he could take on, no burden he could share, then he used every ounce of him to try and be a bright spot in your day. Jake was positive in the face of anything, incapable of holding a grudge or letting negativity rest on his mind for more than a fleeting second. He was a forever kid at Christmas, loving each present more than the last, no matter the cost or its contents. His love of it came from love for the person who bought it for him and in the intent of giving it, not in the material item.

That purity of the way he loved, as fresh as snow that has just fallen, was why you didn’t mind coming to the arena after a long day at work with a box of Christmas decorations. Because Jake would do the same for you, with an even bigger smile on his face than the one he gave you when he saw you coming down the hallway with that box in hand. He looked at you like he hadn’t seen you in ages, even though he’d kissed you goodbye hours ago when you left for work. He scooped the box out of your hands while placing a quick kiss to your cheek. 

“Thank you, as always,” Jake told you, relief evident in his voice. 

You never felt underappreciated with Jake, even if part of the reason he appreciated you so openly is because you were always the one tying his ties and making sure the back of his dress shirt was tucked in properly. Jake didn’t have much polish about him but you had plenty to spare and didn’t mind sharing. Relationships were a series of compromises. You tucked in shirt tails and Jake made sure you took breaks, used your paid time off from work, and always threw your towels in the dryer in the last ten minutes of your shower so he could wrap you up in a warm one when you were done, even if he forgot until you shouted his name in search of your towel. You missed the warm towels and your far too warm boyfriend when he was away. 

“No problem. Happy to do it.” 

And you were. You were genuinely happy to do it for him. Anyone else, and you couldn’t stand the forgetfulness of the small things, but it was Jake’s biggest fault. If your partner’s biggest fault was forgetting their wallet, you were pretty sure you’d won the lottery. 

“So,” you sighed, running a hand through your hair as you did, “where is this tree we’re decorating?” 

“We?”

He raised his eyebrows at you in a challenge, but Jake could only hold an expression that wasn’t a smile for so long. It fell apart and gave way to that smile you saw across the table during your first date and realized you wanted to see it for the rest of your life if you could, if he allowed you to. 

You rolled your eyes, which only spurred a small laugh from him, “Yes, DeBrusk. We. I didn’t come this far out of my way during rush hour to not decorate a Christmas tree.” 

Jake smiled at you broadly, then nodded softly, “Okay, okay. We’ll do the tree then. Come on.” He turned away from you, sticking his hand out behind him for you to take, “Follow me to your Christmas tree.” 

You followed Jake through the arena, hand in his leading the way. You waved to a few familiar faces as you passed, who waved back more excitedly than usual. You attributed to a large majority of people’s favorite holiday being right around the corner, and the annual Christmas party tomorrow where the champagne would be flowing tomorrow night. Jake gave your hand a tug when you fell behind trying to wave to one of his teammates and you took a few long steps to catch up to him. 

“You’re eager,” you pointed out as you had to practically jog every few steps to keep up with his ungodly pace. 

“Always eager to do things with you,” Jake replied smoothly, but he ruined any ounce of smooth he might have had with a giggle after. 

You loved that he couldn’t keep up a straight face, or really any sort of false face. What he felt and his intentions were drawn perfectly on his face every single moment of every single day. You never had to question what he was feeling. It was another reason among the many as to why you loved him. 

He pushed open a door with the box on his hip and guided you in, dropping your hand to put his entire self into his best impression of a doorman. You thanked him with a tip of an imaginary hat and that smile you loved more than Christmas morning spread across his face. Jake dropped the box onto a nearby table next to a lit, but undecorated Christmas tree you assumed would be your joint task together. The room was set up for the annual Christmas charity event they did with local kids. There were different game stations set up around the large foyer of the arena, some you recognized from last year and others that were new. The largest addition was on a wall covered in netting and trimmed with red piping designed to look like a hockey net with balloons taped to it in a grid, each balloon red or green or white with a different letter printed on the latex. 

“That one’s new from last year,” you noticed. 

Jake smiled one of the widest you’d seen from him in a while, a smile that seemed to tell you something had just fallen perfectly into place for him. You couldn’t even begin to fathom how Jake’s mind worked, so you let what you thought his smile might have meant pass without comment. You could spend your time and energy trying to figure Jake out, or you could spend your time and energy being with him and enjoying him and the results of his less than linear thoughts. You chose the latter as Jake dumped a crate of pucks out onto the ground. 

“It’s for the kids,” Jake told you as he grabbed a stick leaning against a nearby wall, “but I don’t think they’ll mind if I show you, as long as we fix it after.” 

He separated one puck from the rest, handling it back and forth across the floor effortlessly. He jerked his head, motioning for you to come over and join him. A bright smile came across his face when you moved to comply with his silent request. 

“So the whole point for them,” his hands continued to mindlessly shift the puck back and forth across the floor as he talked, “is to spell words by popping the balloons. There’s glitter and candy and stuff instead for them if they can do it.”

“Ah yes, the herpes of crafts,” you noted in response to the word glitter. 

Jake’s ever familiar laughter rang out through the lobby in response to your statement, bringing you right along with him. No one made you feel brighter and lighter than he did, even on your heaviest, darkest days. 

“God, I love you,” he breathed out as his laughter slowly came to a close. “Anyway, so it’s just like this.”

Effortless, Jake pulled a puck back with his stick on the floor, then sent it sailing forward effortlessly. The puck collided and popped a red balloon with the letter “B” printed on it, causing glitter and candy to rain down onto the previously spotless floor below. Jake didn’t hesitate before repeating his actions, targeting and successfully popping a green balloon with the letter “E” emblazoned on it. Jake paused, leaning onto the stick and gesturing for you to go retrieve your candy. He’d seen the look on your face when one of your holiday favorites had dropped to the floor with the second balloon he popped. You pressed a quick, grazing kiss to his lips before shuffling to retrieve the candy he’d freed for you, happily opening your favorite immediately and sighing with relief when the taste hit your tongue. 

“Hey, get out of the way!” Jake teased you when you didn’t return to him, too focused on your candy to realize you were in his way. 

“Oh, you’re still going?” you asked him as you headed back over to join him, candy in your mouth muffling your words a little. 

He nodded to you as you returned to your place beside him, “And you better be paying attention to what I’m spelling. There’s a quiz at the end.” 

“A quiz? After my long day of work? With your spelling skills?” You were smiling as you teased him, and he was smiling back. You were allowed to tease him whenever you wanted because he knew it came from a place of absolute and complete love. “Seems like cruel and unusual punishment.” 

“It’s not too long, promise,” he informed you. “Also, it’s three words, just to help with your spelling a little bit.” 

“Three whole words?” you gasped, words heavily coated in sarcasm. “However will I manage to keep track?” 

Jake didn’t answer. He just laughed lightly before, just as easily as the first two, slinging a third puck against the wall, popping a balloon with the letter “M” on its surface, showering the floor below it with glitter and candy. He followed it up quickly by popping his first white balloon with a “Y” on it, more candy and glitter joining the rest on the floor. You mentally tallied up the letters so far. B, E, M, and Y. You decided it was most likely as simple as it looked, just “be my.” Jake’s hands slipped on the fifth puck, sending it wide of whatever balloon was his target, leaving a black mark on the wall instead. 

“Whoopsie,” he giggled a little. “Nerves are getting to me I guess.” 

“What are you even nervous about?” You laughed a little as you talked, hands fussing with your second candy wrapper that was putting up a hell of a blockade between you and Jake’s favorite Christmas candy, which had become your second favorite after all this time with him. “It’s just me.” 

“Have you ever seen you?” he joked, glancing back at you so you could see his eyebrows raise. “You’re always going to make me just a little nervous, baby.”

You rolled your eyes at him as your cheeks heated up a little in response to his words. With a wave of your hand, encouraged him to get back to spelling whatever he was so insistent on spelling for you. You figured it was probably, knowing Jake as well as you did, something incredibly cheesy and Christmasy, so sickeningly sweet you’d definitely roll your eyes again when he finally got to the end. You knew his intentions were nothing but pure, just him trying to bring a smile to your face. He didn’t need to go to all this trouble to do it though. His smile did the trick itself. 

Jake separated another few pucks from the pile, setting himself up for his remaining word. He took a deep breath and bounced on his heels, spinning the stick in his hands as he did. He settled down and set himself up for the next shot in one motion, letting the puck fly forward. Another balloon, this time with a “W” detailed on it, burst on the impact from the puck. You suspected it had something to do with winter, a suspicion further upheld with the next green balloon to fall victim to one of his pucks with a spray of its contents to the floor had the letter “I” drawn on it. He took a pause with the next puck, spending a little extra time lining himself up, stick swinging back and forth for a moment in the motion of his shot, but not actually letting it content with the puck. Jake took a deep breath before letting it go. You were expecting an “N” to continue with your winter theory, but the puck made contact with and bursted a red balloon with an “F” on its surface, the now familiar sound of candy hitting the floor rang through the foyer after. Now, all of your theories were thrown out the window. Whatever he was spelling, you were done guessing because you weren’t going to be able to align your thoughts with his. 

Jake hesitated another moment, as if waiting for you to have put the pieces together already, but when you didn’t respond, he lined up another puck. His hands shifted on the stick for a moment, finding the perfect positioning again before pulling his stick back, then letting it snap forward to send the puck toward the wall. You watched as another balloon burst, no candy or glitter raining down this time, no newly familiar pings of candy hitting the floor following it. Instead, all you could hear was your heart beating in your ears and your body forcibly pulling air in and pushing it back out of your lungs. It was an “E”, the final balloon. B, E, M, Y, W, I, F, and E. Be my wife. 

“Jake…” 

He set the stick down before turning to you, dropping to one knee as he did. Your hands flew up to cover your mouth as he opened the box in his hands. He was breathing as hard as you as he watched you take in the ring he had been agonizing over, designing and redesigning, for months. Jake’s hands were shaking, the box shaking a little along with it, and he didn’t even notice because it felt like his entire body was shaking as nerves ravaged him. All you had said was his name.

“It was, um-” He paused to clear his throat because the first two words had come out choked. Jake took a deep, centering breath before trying again, “It was, ‘be my wife,’ in case you missed a letter or something. I don’t know. I didn’t actually get to do a practice run of this or anything. But, baby, I love you. You’re the most patient and incredible person I’ve ever met. I- I feel like sometimes I annoy everyone else on the planet, but I’ve never felt like that with you. You make me feel so loved and appreciated for being me, exactly how I am, and I can only hope I make you feel the same way because how you make me feel is something I wish everyone could feel at some point in their lives because it’s the single most incredible thing I’ve ever felt. I want to spend my life trying to make you feel like you make me feel and you make me feel like I’m your favorite person and I feel like, maybe just me here, but you should probably try and marry your favorite person. You’re mine and I’d really love it if I got to remember Christmas for the rest of my life as the time when my favorite person said she’d be my wife. So, what do you say? Will you marry me?”  

You couldn’t speak with every possible emotion built up in your throat. You had to nod as your answer, and shakily extend your left hand to him. The smile that came across his face was the broadest and best you’d ever seen from him, and it warmed you from the inside out. The cool metal of the ring sliding onto your finger contrasted the warmth you felt inside and the warmth of his hands. It was yours now, the ring Jake agonized over for months, and he was yours now, soon-to-be forever yours. He stood on shaking legs to press a soft kiss to your lips. Forever was an odd concept at a time of year that was inherently limited, but the warmth of Christmas would hang in your heart forever, and on your left hand forever, and in the bed you shared with him forever. Christmas lasting forever, like Jake DeBrusk, was a dream come true.

[biot08]

Abstracted

(Shadowbringers spoilers)

The first one hadn’t been so bad.

Its aether had flowed into her, and it had given her skin a bit of a tingly feeling. Rather like being out in the cold too long, or perhaps like hitting that one spot in her elbow.

Not great, but easily manageable.

The second one had been a little worse. Now there was a slight pressure under her skin everywhere, and a weird feeling in her joints that she could only describe as ‘humming’.

And the entire time, Emet-Selch had been nearby, providing his commentary, providing his history, and occasionally even being helpful.

He helped bring Y’shtola back. A minor thing to him, a major thing for her. So he was tolerated, even entertained at points.

Until that fateful moment.

The last Lightbringer had been rather too much, far too much. And when the possibility of relief had been made, Emet-selch had ensured it was stolen away, and that she would be left here, like this.

He had told her, again and again, that she was nothing; less than nothing. That he did not view her as alive. That he viewed her existence as a mockery of life.

She should have kept a closer eye on him, been more wary of the inevitable betrayal. After all, it made sense. He was immortal; she was not. He could afford to play any game he wished, knowing he would always be the one to make the last move.

But now she was here, and the Light aether was threatening to snuff her out, once and for all, and replace her with something else, something worse, a terrible monster that would threaten the First and by extension the Source.

Her skin felt as though it would burst outward like an overfill sausage at any moment. Her nerves were all cold and afire, rather like frostbite. Her vision was full to white.

And now he was monologuing.

Insult and injury.

“You are a mistake. For we who have known perfection, the shattered Source and these shards are ghastly mockeries of the true world. The ephemeral lives you exalt are pale imitations, utterly devoid of meaning.” he’d said.

“Fool. Who are you? No one. Nothing.” he’d said.

“Weary wanderer! You’ve no fight left to fight! No life left to live!” he’d said.

And now she was collapsed on the floor, in a puddle of Light, watching as the world faded to white, motes of it drifting by her vision, a roaring in her ears.

She watched the motes drift upwards, and turn reddish. She heard the roaring die down, to snaps and pops and crackles. The ground beneath her continued to shift to white, but the white seemed to clear from the rest of her vision. She rolled onto her back to gaze up into a sky full of stars, and took a deep breath.

The snaps and pops and crackles continued. A source of fire, and heat. She turned her head, and saw a campfire. Across from her, she saw a hooded figure sitting on a log.

She recognized the form this time.

An ancient.

She propped herself up on one arm, and frowned, looking across at the Ancient. It turned its masked face towards her, and somehow, she could tell, she could just feel, that it was smiling. It was a feeling of genuine warmth. Of kindness. Of a kind of love and care.

She took several deep breaths, coughing a few times, before sitting up.

They were in the middle of a vast white powdery expanse. Above them, the sky was thick with stars. The horizon stretched infinitely in every direction. She saw the edge of a mighty sun slip behind it.

“I’ve been here before,” she said. “I… I remember.”

The hooded figure- the Ancient- simply nodded.

The fire continued to crackle and burn, giving off a pleasant heat. She looked around more, seeing little else in the plain. Some logs for sitting on. The sharp shadows cast by her and the Ancient. Some stars drifted lazily down from the heavens, settling to form vague ghostly impressions just beyond the little campsite, visions that refused to resolve even as she looked at them.

They were growing closer.

She looked to the Ancient.

“…am I… you?” she asked.

“Of a sort,” the Ancient replied in their language. She liked listening to them. They had a musical cadence to their speech. She leaned back on her arms.

“Aren’t you long passed?” she asked.

“Of a sort,” the enigmatic being responded again. She sighed.

She was tired. Surely being dead wasn’t meant to be exhausting.

“I am… sorry,” she said. “I have failed you. I think you’ll need to find a new Warrior of Light.”

“You think so?” the Ancient responded. “I think you have done splendidly. But in any case, the path you walk, we walk together.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she didn’t. Around her, the vague ghostly impressions beyond the campsite continued to get closer, and some of the began to come into focus.

The vague pale haze around each of them reminded her of the flood of ‘heroes’ she had had to fight on her way to get this far, but as each of them resolved a little more clearly, she felt as well as saw them for who they were.

She saw a younger version of herself settle down on one of the logs. Another one of her stood behind that one, dressed in some kind of sharp looking uniform with clean lines; a style she didn’t recognize. Another, dressed in a suit that looked to be some form of magitek.

More and more, some more like her, some less like her, coming forward and taking their seats.

“Are these all… us?” she asked.

“Every one,” the Ancient replied.

“So the vision from earlier… the one who became a dragon kin?”

“And the one who cried at the injustice of the Inquisition.”

She pointed. “Flew a weird machine.”

The Ancient nodded at another one. “Held the line.”

The fire continued to crackle, and more gathered in.

She saw one in particular. “…the one who I saw stand up for that young child.” she said, flatly.

That memory in particular was a sore one for her.

The Ancient nodded directly at her. “…and the one who learned something powerful about herself that day.”

She watched them for a bit, taking slow, careful breaths. She saw them bump into each other, greet each other, talk to each other; she could see them, but could not hear them, could not quite interact with them. They were there, but to her, they were not quite real. Abstractions of what it was to be herself.

Abstractions of what it was to be real.

She looked to the Ancient.

“How many of them are there?” she asked.

“Countless. There are many of you, as if stars in the sky. You, and others like you, and others not like you, and others not at all you.”

She saw a particularly odd looking one, short, with longer ears, and a strange flat disc-like hat that seems rather too large. And many of them did not appear to be Elezen at all.

And there was more, always more.

“They’re just… echos. Of you.”

“Perhaps.”

“…Echo. Hah. It seems obvious, in retrospect.”

That feeling from the Ancient again. Of a smile. Of that irrepressible kindness born of love.

She looked at the fire, and felt a deep sadness.

“That’s why he hates us, isn’t it. We really are just pale imitations to him.”

“Are you?”

She looked to the Ancient quizzically.

“Think about it. You may be made of the same stuff as me, but so is everything in existence. Everything is made of aether, is it not? That the same parts are used over and over again do not make the same thing.”

She considered the fire again. “…I think he thought I was you.”

“Of course he would. If you take a board from a house and use it another, can you not see the original marks on the board? The places where nails were before, the staining of age already upon it? That does not make the new house the old.”

“…it also doesn’t make the old house entirely new.”

“Ah, but here the analogy falls apart. The fault is mine. Because houses do not have experiences, and certainly, do not build new houses.”

She swept her gaze around to the other apparitions. They were a veritable crowd, now.

So many possibilities.

She wondered how many of them failed.

“Not as many as you would think,” the Ancient said.

She looked to the Ancient, then back outwards.

“Are they real?” she asked.

“As real as you. As real as anything. Let me pick a better analogy for this next explanation. Each of you… are a voice. A voice in a chorus. A chorus that tells a story. Your voices echo, and resonate with each other. One voice is a quiet sound in a vast room, but all of your voices together form a beautiful song that reaches out to the ends of existence itself. Every voice is needed in the choir. Some will falter, yes. Some of them already have. But so many do not. So many raise their voices, ever stronger. Each is real. Each is necessary.”

“A chorus.”

“Yes.”

She watched the fire for a bit.

“… what about Ardbert? Is he… part of my choir?”

“Not yet. But close. As you have learned about his companions, as you have learned about him, as you have learned about his story - your songs have grown closer. Your song is now part of his, and his now part of yours. You are harmonizing. Keep that in mind.”

“… I will.”

She watched the fire. It seemed to be growing brighter.

“…but wait. If we are a song, a chorus… then what happens… it’s a combination of all of our experiences, isn’t it?”

The Ancient looked directly at her then, and seemed to sit up a little straighter, lean forward a little closer.

“If I fail… someone else might not. If I succeed, then in a way, we all succeed. It’s not just me. It’s… it’s all of us.”

“And all of your friends, and those who are not yet, and others besides.”

“And you say it forms a song. A song… and… it transcends boundaries, doesn’t it? I may not hear it, but I am part of singing it, and all realities know it.”

The Ancient was nodding now, enthusiastically. “Yes, yes!”

“So it’s not just me. That’s what you’re trying to show me. You’re trying to show me… how much bigger you’ve become, how much more you are, how much we - “

She paused. A thought occurred. She looked at the ancient, and blinked a few times.

“I am not an echo of you. You… you’re long gone. But you’re the memories of what it was to be you. You’re... you’re…”

The Ancient nodded, holdings its hand together, leaning so far forward it looked to be about to fall into the fire.

“…you’re an echo of me. Of us. Of our shared experiences!”

The Ancient stood to its feet then, clapping.

Zoissette suddenly understood, and she flopped to the ground on her back, arms spread, laughing, laughing, laughing so it hurt, laughing so she cried.

She looked at the stars, and despite her sudden feeling of smallness, she felt grander than she ever had. And as she looked, the apparitions of all of her possibilities stood around her, and they drifted back up into the sky as stars.

Stars growing ever brighter.

The fire grew louder, and its flames licked higher.

The sky began to turn white with the brilliance of it star-like tapestry.

“I understand now,” she said, quietly.

She rolled over, gently, as the world went white. The weight in her limbs returned. The pressure behind her skin began to press out again. The pain drifted back into her awareness, and she struggled to try to push herself to her feet, and she grinned grimly at a ground she could no longer see.

She might die here.

She might fail here.

This might be the end.

And she thought of her friends, the Scions, behind her, and all they had done.

She thought of her friends on another world.

It would be alright.

This would be a good death.

But she would not go quietly into that night.

And then, she heard a voice.

“If you had the strength, to take another step… could you do it? Could you save our worlds?”

She looked up to see a man who had been her companion nearly since she had stepped foot on this world, and she smiled at him, and accepted his offer to join his voice to hers.

~~~

Emet-Selch watched as the so-called Warrior of Darkness - Warrior of Light, what a joke that was now - writhed on the ground like a worm as the Light overtook her. He had to shield his eyes as a brilliant pillar of light shot up and pierced the heavens, threatening to blind him.

Surely this was it. Surely this was the moment of triumph, the transformation completing, his plans come to fruition.

The end of a burden.

“This is not yours to end…this is our future. Our story,” said a voice that was familiar to him.

Emet-selch looked to the Light, and he saw… an imagine of one of his brethren. A familiar figure, in familiar robes.

“No… it can’t be.” he said, staggering back.

The light faded, and in its place, he saw Zoissette. She was standing tall, strong. Looking straight at him, with an expression of… was that pity?

“Bah, a trick of the light. You are a broken husk, nothing more!” he spat.

She inclined her head at him, with a slight tilt.

“You may be immortal, I have experienced infinity in ways you never can,” she said. “Until you are let go and in turn can let go.”

He clenched his fist, and fair trembled with rage.

“How can you hope to stand against me alone?” he seethed.

“We stand together!” another voice chimed in.

Together, Zoissette thought.

She looked up at the stars, and smiled.

She understood.

[life-rewritten]

WHAT I WANT FROM BLS IN 2021 AKA A LOOK AND DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE THE BL GENRE

Hi, Hello; Bls have become incredibly saturated and growing each day, every single day we hear about new projects, new ideas, latest trailers, and it's been so great to see how BL has changed from 2015 to now. It's been a positive upward trajectory; however, again, we have to mention that it's being overfilled and not always with good shows. From the six or more countries that fight to get our energy and time to watch their shows, movies and animations, to the low budget, lazy plots that don't need to be written, Bl can sometimes be a phenomenal experience and incredible stories that make us cry and feel and learn or it can be this flop with no message, no structured plot, stiff acting and more. Am I being harsh? Should we just be okay with the fact there are more BL shows now to binge and to watch? Should we just settle for these bad stories just because there's nothing else available? I don't think so, I think with shows like ITSAY, Cherry Magic, GAYA SA, Bls have the potential to be so prominent, so unique and even beat out other heterosexual shows. So I am here to make a list of what I would like to see in 2021 with these new BL shows. Because it's quality, not quantity we want, we want better stories, better characters, better developments, just better. If we can be better, we can take over a lot of media, and there'd be more representation, education and more for the voices that want to be represented through BLs. Okay so without further or do let's get into it; 

The problem with Skinship

Now I hate to be the one that has to mention this issue, because sometimes in BLs this is not an issue; in fact sometimes some shows have too many kisses/skin ship, that end up making fans bored and frustrated with how much screen time is not being used to tell a great plot. But for me, since I started this journey into this genre, kissing has always been an issue with forced censorship that makes no sense, and stiff actors that clearly aren't comfortable with doing that. To couples that are meant to be so devoted and in love they resort to acting like buddies who can't touch each other to cut scenes and weird camera angles for a scene. Skinship isn't always needed but when a couple is meant to be obsessed with each other or addicted to thinking about touching the other, or there's a build-up of longing, and they're a long term relationship,  passionate couples kissing makes it more believable to me. What's up with this pattern of BLS avoiding kisses; please stop it's irksome I know I sound like a fujoshi but those couples that do this make me want to throw something because they're not believable no matter how much they scream from the top of their lungs,  that they love being with each other, or are attracted to each other, the lack of skinship just makes me get annoyed by it all. I also love shows like Cherry Magic where it's a softer relationship but teasing kisses and then like hiding behind an elevator for the main couple, not cool.

 I'm not going to make it a big deal, but I did feel somehow cheated at the finale of the show because one, in the manga this is not a problem, there is a lot of kisses with Adachi and Kurosawa, two, why would the second lead couple get a kiss scene but then when it comes to the main it's hidden behind an elevator, it's such a cheap way to censor it in my opinion especially since we've been teased about these two's kiss since episode 2/3. I don't need to see Adachi losing his virginity or whatnot, but I was disappointed when the elevator scene happened I was like but why it could have just been a cute kiss scene on the roof. It didn't need to be so covered and hidden. Make it make sense.  

So I don't particularly appreciate being teased by stuff like this, because it's not a sin for two people to show they care about each other like an average couple and kiss. It doesn't make the show not tasteful, or too crass, it just means that the couple are attracted to each other. I don't know, maybe it's just me, perhaps I am a fujoshi, and this is bothering me. But it's seriously to me more than that; there are some shows where this isn't a problem, where we don't need kisses and all that, but there are some where it feels so hypocritical and odd to censor a kiss like it's a sin or something. And with these shows (2gether for example)  it doesn't sit well with me, it really doesn't.  Just my opinion

The Issue With Side couples. 

Side couples need to add something to the show's plot or be balanced: there's the saying too much or too little. And with BLs I have found that the screen time of side couples can ruin or elevate a show. If you can't write a well thought out plot for extra couples, then don't add them. Normally some side couples are written powerfully and interesting as the central couple like Tin and Can from LBC or KingRam from My engineer etc., other times side couples just steal screen time for no reason, we could be using that time to make the other main couple stronger and it would be fine. Not in every BL show, that every single person have to turn out gay in the show, it's not by force. What side couples should do in a show, is add to the structured plot, give information/exposition about the world of the show, the ideas of the show, the themes of the show, they should be just as 3dimensional, just as important and fleshed out as the other characters are otherwise there's no need for them. 

Why R U, for example, had great bases for every side couple but failed due to rushed editing, lazy directing and more to make use of them. At the end of the day, the confusion with the side couples ruined the show and made everyone feel frustrated and tired by how the show was done because it felt unsatisfactory for the other plots of the side couples. An example where a side couple was done right in terms of plot but also didn't have enough coverage was TharnType season 1 with Tum and Tar, their plot was fantastic, essential and necessary to the storyline and it made sense. However, it still left a weird empty feeling because their relationship was still confusing, in LBC 2 we were meant to sort that out and Love by Chance 2 was one of the worst ways side couples are done. 

They used them for product placement (same as TharnType 7 years). Their stories were just repeating the same things we've already seen before, with no effort, no energy, and no direction given to the actors who were working hard to portray these roles. It's frustrating when side couples could be just as great in the show, but they're ruined by bad writing. 

Either have side couples with depth and storytelling that is good or don't add them at all. An example of a show without a side couple is Gaya Sa Pelikula and ITSAY. And you didn't see us moaning or crying about the lack of side couples instead it was praised because every side character had a purpose, a story of their own to tell, and depth to their characters that was needed to get us to the rest of the plot. Everyone had their own important role in the plot, and it was brilliant. So you don't need a show with many couples, you can just focus on one, or if you do have many storylines for couples, please just make it worthwhile. Please? 2021? I'm begging

More unique BLS: 

When we think about plot lines for BLs, we tend to especially in Thailand have one thing in mind which is engineering, medical students, university angst and guys in white t-shirts playing the same role over and over and over again. Don't forget the sotus gear being a symbol of their heart. I find it funny because I don't have a problem with this; if the storyline is unique/addicting enough for me to not focus on the fact it's a university plot. For example, Theory of love, but it is funny that for a very long time BLs have been focused on one type of setting; the university. We had other BLs that came from China, and Taiwan and others that weren't always based on this setting, especially China which has fantasy and more but those ended up being sad, censored or ruined. 

This is the problem. Luckily in 2020/2019, Bls started to want to be different, with new stories based on mafia-like worlds like Trapped, with supernatural storylines like He's coming to me, with the introduction of Korean BLs and Philippine BLs, we're starting to see different tropes soulmate aus, paranormal, fantasy, action, adventure etc. And 2021 already has a line up where most of the storylines veer from this engineering university plot. It's exciting. To think every country is trying to move away from student/ university storylines or give them more depth and change the normal tropes and ideas with them is so exciting and needed. I still love these tropes, but less is more, and a unique plot is even more because it shows BL can be more than just stories, can have depth, can have different versions, and can reach out to a new audience, to other tastes etc. It's been changing, and in 2021 I can't wait to see these new stories come to life. 

It’s Quality not Quantity : 

This is so important, bls are becoming saturated as happy as this makes me; it also suffocated me with bad shows not worth the praise of effort and energy and these aren't put into some shows. In 2020 we got shows like ITSAY where the producers, actors and directors fought and worked so hard to make it happen, they went through obstacles, struggled with days, they pushed through just to make sure ITSAY was created to the best of its ability. This was so incredible, and it made me almost tear up each time I watched the documentaries about how ITSAY came to life.  

Shows like ITSAY and Gaya Sa again that have directors and producers with fixed goals of trying to make a BL show more than just a typical low budget show, putting all their effort, time and ideas to make this mean something is so incredible, so excellent, words can't explain the masterpieces that are created from people who take what they're doing with this genre seriously. And for a long time, we've struggled for people to take this genre seriously, to put in effort and energy to ensure that the story they're telling makes sense, and is done well. 

I'm always harsh because you know sometimes the things needed to make something high quality isn't always available. Some people are genuinely putting everything they can into shows. However I feel like you can tell which shows do that, you can tell when a show is doing all it can to be as great as it possibly could be, for example, the History series; it's a low budget, but it's brilliant, some shows like Love By chance season 2 yes I'm going to keep on calling out this mess, you can tell did not try at all with what they were given, it was a lazy attempt just to feed fan girls and make money. And the thing about things like that is that it's just insulting, to the fans who waited with anticipation only to see the sequel come to life, to the actors who put in the effort and tried to make it be something, it's just disappointing.

 I'm sorry, but like in 2021, we don't want a repeat of that. If you don't want to put in the effort and make something that is high quality despite the low funds or whatever then don't make a show. Other shows are being made and you won't be missed.  Luckily 2021 seems like we will be getting shows of better quality, GMMTV appears like they've invested a lot this year into making BLs be more, we have the incredible Filmania KinnPorsche that is just outstanding for just a 10-minute pilot teaser, we have new channels with budgets and research ready to make new shows like Channel 3, and we have China with new directors wanting to make more danmei donghuas (with incredible quality like TGCF, with excellent live actions like the Untamed) and we have more countries just making good stories and good productions with all they have. So yeah I'm excited to see what shows will be created with this type of energy in 2021.

Let’s make it more risky

So already discussed about unique plotlines and better quality. But one thing as well in the same category as all of these suggestions is BLs being riskier. There are times where BLs try and go overboard and take risks to do new stories that make people uncomfortable, or agitated like Friendzone but the thing is I live for these storylines because it's not just fluffy or tropey stories that are based on novels that need to be told. BL can be so much more. Sometimes bls are stale, and sometimes they try to do riskier messier stories with more depth. And for example, with a company like GMMTV where they have sources and sources of stories they can tell that can be riskier and be different to the pattern they usually follow, we can get such great plots and tales based on new ideas.  I want to see a show like the gifted with bl plotline, the shipper season 2, focused on WayKim,  things without using a book adaptation and without basic plots we needed to settle for. GMMTV is trying to do that now with Not Me coming soon and shows like Friendzone, Baker Boys etc. But I want more riskier stories. Again so that BLs are more than just what they're known for, the same tropes all over and over again, the same ideas and plotlines, but new screenwriters, unique stories not based on books or what's already been made, just new ideas. That's one thing that will pave new ways for BL. Like Give us a historical Thai BL, give us a sageuk Korean show, give us time travelling. I don't know just new ideas, sci-fi, new genres, more psychological thrillers. It could be anything, and it would be so fantastic. Let's see what 2021 offers. 

Let's keep with the PC Energy; 

Shows are being called out for unnecessary toxicity, sexism, bad females that don't get the point that they're beards, problems with non-consent; these need to stop in 2021. I'm not saying we can't have shows that talk about the results and consequences of these kinds of issues, because I find it fascinating when shows take a risk and mention that, like TharnType, but it is 2021 , a new decade, we really need to stop having shows that romanticise topics that aren't okay, emotionally abusive relationships should be seen as emotionally abusive and not praised, character toxicity needs to be called out and shown as that, not as a typical bad boy who needs to be saved trope etc. I don't want to get rid of angsty haters to lovers or flawed characters that need to grow; because those stories are so exciting to watch, and analyse, but don't just add trauma for no reason and not take it seriously, don't just make characters do things without making sure the audience knows this isn't okay. We're getting better, and we're getting more healthier relationships, tropes and conversations, but there's more work to be done in some shows in 2021. Some shows like the shipper in 2020 that had predatory behaviour, incest  (not dealt with properly) which felt like a flashback to the past. 

Longer BLS:

Looking at you Korea, don't mess around you literally can have this genre in your hand,s if you make a worthy production like a typical kdrama it doesn't have to be 16 episodes. Ten is fine, even just 30 minute per episode is okay with us. If you just add more minutes and more depth to the stories, so there are more character flesh outs and more chances for your stories to be developed and not rushed. Then Korean BL will literally take over everything.  There's nothing else to really say, Korea has fantastic plot lines, intriguing characters, fun storylines that make you addicted. Yet, it always feels unsatisfactory and annoying because it's just 10-15 minutes per episode. Make it make sense. I mean there are reasons for it because of budget, and lack of mainstream support but I still think we can just focus on one show, with all the money and effort from the other shows add it to one show, make it long, make it big and create a masterpiece and it will explode. The potential is there, plus with Channels like Channel 3 in Thailand, Bls are really starting to be one hour long and have like 16 or more episodes. That's been a fun journey. But Korea, please join this energy and make more shows that are longer and better. Please??

China it's enough: 

I'm being serious; I don't know how we'll ever pass this problem, but TGCF tried to, and I can see many companies are trying to find a way to overcome this. I know with China it's not fair to demand this it's not a full representation of the Chinese culture or whatever,  but it's irksome; there's a lot of shows that can take our breaths all away in China, so many great shows so please stop ruining that. I'm tired of the PTSD of the shows potentials we lost (The guardian)  because of censorship and other issues, sad forced endings, cutting scenes and deleting episodes like it needs to stop in 2021. Because now, don't pretend that the success of BLs isn't making money and causing the Chinese industry to make more shows like these. But this is my wishful thinking like I said I don't fault writers for trying to be careful with laws, but it is incredibly frustrating when you have a country with the best creativity, storylines, acting etc., and it's ruined by censorship. Let's hope 2021 finds a way to get around this. 

Let the BL animation rain; 2020 saw a remarkable rise to danmei donguas! I'm talking MXTX universe with scum villain, TGCF, Mo dao zu shi and more, so let's keep that energy; what I love about danmei is how unique the plots are we can have transmigration, fantasy, supernatural, mafia etc. it never ends, these stories are incredible, the quality of the animations are so excellent, and the love of the characters always get me. We just need to see more come to life. 

The Brilliance of Meta; 

With ITSAY and Gaya SA and Cherry Magic taking over 2020, meta in BLS have been delicious to watch and analyse, and I want more. This is such a selfish ask, but what can I say, I live for shows filled with meta, with depth, with analysis, with characters that are not just one way on the surface but they tell a different story in subtext. I live for clues, and evidence, and production choices, hidden facial gestures, and objects with meanings;  more symbolisms, more foreshadowings, more dramatic ironies, more character dynamics, more use or other literature/media as bases for the story (like Theory of Love with Flipped and movies). I live for this. It makes a show so much more special and exciting when we're part of the journey; it gives something to do other than just watch the story unfold, we can predict, we can guess, we can analyse, we can just be part of the world of the story and fully understand the message that the writer is trying to tell us. Give us something to look for; clues to watch for, to see where the story is going. Change my mind.  For example with Cherry Magic, the fact that it was already precious and made us smile, was even more enhanced by how relatable it was with the meta, the pain, and the struggles the characters went through was so fascinating to analyse and read into and relate to. That's what I want from more BLs, like it's incredible when any kind of show has meta. I think it's one of the best signs of a great writer and production team. 

More Dimensional Characters; 

Especially villains, we don't want  stale girlfriends who know they're a beard but refuses to let go, we don't want the stale homophobic parent all the time, we don't want the bullies that always try to out people. Give me villains with revenge that makes me question who's in the wrong, reformed villains who become love interests, powerful villains we can't help but hate, but we also love, shocking villains with plot twists we can't see coming (like Lhong from TharnType). Give me depth give me angst, give me plot.

 Villains can make or break a show, they can make the show so exciting and thrilling to watch like we want to see them be discovered or end up where they deserve to go, we like feeling bad for people, and getting to see another side of a villain, we enjoy seeing villains that are different from what we initially thought about them. We like deep villains; we don't always need the same villain, like give us unique ones, give us interesting, weird ones, give us conflicting ones that make us side with them. I want that. Example of a show where there's no actual villain, but they all act like it, is Friendzone and it's so incredible to watch and see how these characters behave, grow, regress etc. I want more characters like this, real, human and makes mistakes. I want more flawed characters with deeper reasons for why they're the way they are. It makes a show very addicting to watch. Maybe that's just me.

The problem with streaming services, YouTube and international fans;

  It's weird international fans need to be taken seriously,  international fans are part of your shows rise to fame, more fame, more success , more projects can be made, and more bls can be seen. Some shows in 2020 lost their chance to shine because of the streaming issues (My engineer), subtitle issues and more. Please stop, please take this into account; try harder, there is always someone internationally willing to help translate or help. Just let us know. Putting shows on Aisplay without subs when you can find a contract that enables you to do so, is a bad move. It's just making you lose because international fans will always find an alternative source to spite you. Like it makes no sense to me, if in 2021 we're still struggling with subs, and where to watch a BL show. It makes no sense because 2020 showed that international fans could break or make a show (2gether) and as much it's privileged for me to say this, international fans should be respected and taken seriously. Luckily Channel 3, GMMTV and others are starting to put more effort into recognising international fans. Finally thank you. Let's see if we improve in 2021. 

This has been a fun rant and discussion to write. I sound so spoilt, and annoying complaining about each of these minor issues, but it really does mean a lot when a BL show tries hard to make their show worth it. Like it might seem like a small issue, with like the skinship, censorship, meta, saturated stories etc., but if BLs just stop focusing on the genre and what other people think this genre should be if people stop focusing on BLs as just BLs and see it as stories of love and representation and more, BLs can be incredible, they can be better than other dramas out there with better budgets, and mainstream support, they can have meaning, and create incredible, incredible one a kind stories. I just want that so badly for this genre. Like I don't want BLs to be seen as just the same tropes, and same issues, and same ideas that we had about them in 2015, we want growth and improvement and effort, this is not just for weird rabid fangirls only, this can be more, it can be for representation, education, for entertainment, and it can be for more people and cause a shift in the media in the world. It really can one day become just as big as many other versions of media like the world of kpop, kdramas etc. in the world.  I don't know, that's what I've always thought it could be. And if that happens, it'll be just a great thing. Anyway Let's defeat 2020, we need to keep this upwards trajectory going, and from the shows coming in 2021, I think it's possible. 

[collecting-stories]

Dear John - John B Routledge

Request: can i request dear john by taylor swift with John B

A/N: I love this song so much, I think it always gets over looked as just another breakup song but it really is deeper than that.

TS Anthology Masterlist | Outer Banks Masterlist

_ . ◦ ⭐︎:*.☾.*:⭐︎◦∙._

Maybe the ocean should’ve given away the temperate feeling that cascaded over you as you stepped off the ferry, or maybe you should’ve known that the Outer Banks wouldn’t feel like home any longer. Either way, the warning signs were ignored as you stood on the dock hands clutching onto the straps of your backpack, that familiar feeling settling into the pit of your stomach. The feeling that had haunted you for a year, a long, excruciating year, of nothing but emptiness. And if it wasn’t for Pope graduating you thought, you wouldn’t be here at all.

-

“I’m going to fall!” You’re voice felt like it echoed in the darkness as you climbed out of the window and onto the roof with John B, your hand gripping onto his.

“You’re not gonna fall, I’ve got you.” He promised, pulling you as your knees found ground, collapsing against him. “See?”

“I see,” you laughed, leaning into the space between the two of you to kiss him.

The sun was just rising and he’d woken you up, insisting that the two of you watch the morning sky together. You had stayed up late with him the night before because he couldn’t sleep, plagued by nightmares of his father out at sea, and had practically begged you to come over and ease them. Exhausted yourself, though feeling guilty instantly for thinking you’d rather sleep, you had snuck out of the house and gone to the chateau.

“Hey,” he nudged you when you leaned your head on his shoulder, “stay awake.”

“I am,” you promised.

“No, you’re falling asleep. I want you to see this.”

“I am, I promise.” You repeated, blinking back sleep to watch the sun.

-

The road back down the cut to the Chateau was etched into your memory. A recent hurricane had taken down the tree you always thought was shaped like an arm, reaching out to grip passers by in terror, dragging them back to the woods. It was cut up in pieces now, lying on the shoulder, defeated by the storm and then again by men with chainsaws determined not to let some old tree stand between them and the rest of the island.

You steadied your breathing as you drew closer, heart pounding in your chest as your mind did it’s best to conjure up images of John B. You couldn’t help yourself. You had gotten so far away that you told yourself you forgot what he looked like, what his town looked like, and yet each landmark seemed to jump out at you along the way, familiar to you, however changed. You wondered how much of that would be true of John B. If he too was familiar but changed and in what ways? A new coat of paint, like the Wreck, just a fresh color covering up all the disappointment and manipulation. Or would he be like the ghost tree, cut down and pushed aside, had he retired his condescension and his snark.

-

“No, of course not,” you swore, holding your phone against your ear as you sat up on your bed, trying to apply enough pressure to the heating pad on your stomach, “I just don’t feel good, JB, the last thing I wanna do is go out tonight.”

It wasn’t technically your anniversary, that had been three days prior, when John B was busy with ‘stuff’ as he so eloquently put it and couldn’t get together. He’d promised to make it up to you and tonight he had intended to fulfill that promise, which might’ve been fine if you weren’t laid up in bed with ginger ale and saltines, trying to keep anything down.

“Oh well, I’m sorry that the last thing you wanna do tonight is spend time with me!” He snapped and you could hear the sound of things being slammed around.

“That’s not what I said!” You snapped. You were exhausted, the stomach bug had kept you unable to relax for the entirety of the day and all you were really hoping for was a little relief now.

“Look whatever, you’re still pressed about not spending the actual day together but I rearranged my whole day just to go out tonight!”

You knew it was a lie, it wasn’t even a necessarily good one. But still, the anger in his voice would’ve made you get up and go out if you didn’t think you could puke at any given moment. “I’m not upset about the other day,” you promised, “I know you had work.” You replied, “I’m really sick though John B, ask Pope, he’ll tell you.” You just wanted him off your back and for a split second you failed to realize that telling him Pope knew you were sick would only send him into a tailspin.

“Ask Pope?” John B repeated, “should I call him or do you just wanna slide the phone over…maybe he could do a fake sick voice too?”

“He’s not here!” You snapped, frustrated and a little more confident since he wasn’t physically in your room, just a disembodied voice on a phone. “He came by earlier cause I called Heyward’s for groceries. God, what is your problem today?”

“My problem is that my girlfriend is unappreciative of the fact that I had other shit to do and I put it aside to take you out.”

“I’m sick!” You practically yelled it, hanging up the phone and throwing it across the room before pulling your blankets over your head and closing your eyes. The phone rang again, ten more times in total but you ignored the calls, trying to get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow John B would be feeling different, better.

-

You pulled off the road and down the dirt driveway that Big John had always sworn he was going to pave. It had never happened, mostly because saying things and doing them were not actions easily connected in either of the Routledge’s minds. You parked behind an older Subaru that you recognised as Kiara’s, a ‘save the turtles’ bumper sticker on display near the license plate.

There were other cars, some familiar to you, like Luke Maybank’s truck, no doubt driven over by JJ, or Sarah’s SUV, but there were other cars you didn’t recognise. Ones that belonged to people you didn’t know well enough or know at all. You cut the engine but didn’t open the door, sitting there in the yard just staring at the house. Could you do this? Could you walk back in there? Would the parts of you that had taken so long to reconstruct, the pieces that you had to reassemble into some new version of a past you, survive inside that place?

It had been some months, years really, since you had run. Not so long that you had erased all the bad memories but long enough that they no longer played on a loop in your mind. John B wasn’t your only example of love, just the worst one.

The car door felt heavy when you shut it though not so much as the screen door on the porch of the chateau. It was Sarah who answered when you knocked, graduation gift tucked securely under your arm. She hugged you, looking a little more tired than you remembered and you wondered how much of a place you had to step in and say something. Was she there yet? That desperate place where she would listen because this wasn’t what she remembered wanting.

“How’re you?” You had never been mad at Sarah. Everyone always acted like you were, they scarcely talked about her, as if you were waiting for the chance to villainize her. In actuality, you liked Sarah, she was too good for this.

“Good,” her smile strained, “we didn’t think you’d make it.”

“I promised Pope I’d be at his graduation.” You replied, stepping inside with her. Pope looked up at the sound of his name, smiling at you, “I never break a promise.”

-

You stood there in the Chateau, eyes cast just to the side of John B as he tried to explain some trip to Chapel Hill that he took. You stared down the picture of his mom, smiling, and wondered if Big John was the same sort of man his son had become. Had she left because she was selfish or because she wanted her freedom back?

“…and I needed to get into the college to see the paper-“ he kept going, overfilling the story with details you didn’t think actually mattered at all.

“So what’s your point?” You tried again to get him there. Maybe it was the after effects of being sick but the exhaustion that you’d been feeling for the past year and a half had crept into your bones and settled there, wrapping you up like a blanket. You had no other way to explain yourself other than to say that you felt done. Done with this conversation, with his roundabout way of telling you something you didn’t want to hear, as if he got brownie points for ‘breaking the news’ delicately.

“Sarah and I kissed.” John B replied.

“Oh.” What emotion did he want you to have, which did he think you were still capable of mustering?

“I don’t love you anymore, I don’t think I ever did.”

You had to agree, really. You hoped he didn’t, at least, because if this was the way John B loved people, by draining them of any kind of life at all, you hated yourself even more for hanging on.

-

“Oh my god!” Kiara hugged you next, followed by Pope. John B was by the table, you had seen him immediately, waited for the ache but it didn’t come. He was watching you though, as if he was assessing the damage. “You look good,” Kiara said, “happy.

“Yeah,” you nodded, smiling, “I am.”

The house was just a house after all, just walls put together and not a prison. And John B was just a boy.

-

Taglist: @heavenlymama @vindictive-hearts @alexa-playafricabytoto @dontjinx-it @randomficsandshit @niamhobrien @strangerthanfanfiction713 @tovvaa @freckled-and-daydreaming @harleylynn @bibliophilewednesday @dpaccione @bolaurel @poguestyleskye @beautyandthebleh @under-a-canyon-moon @mysterious-adventurer @minigranger @obxsummer 

[kalinawtokilig]

180 Turn to You

{Bokuto Koutarou x genderneutral! Reader} 

((Do you guys even need the guide?))

Guide : 

(Y/N) = Your Name 

(C/N) = Crush’s name 

((bruh,, do you really need ya crush??? That bih broke ya heart,,, now ya reading anime men,, honestly same)) 

(((((is this how I write him????? Did I do it right???? I’m not sure how to tag this ending, I’m writing at the top of my head))))) 

----------------------------

It was no surprise to see you at the gymnasium again, the Fukurodani volleyball team were used to seeing you come in. You were always the plug, bringing snacks during their break and sometimes even energy drinks. The managers were always thankful of you dropping in from time to time, cause not only do you help them give out the towels and help refill the bottles, but you somehow held their precious and hyperactive ace on a leash. Besides Akaashi, who had seemed to have a lightbulb go off when Bokuto responded positively and listened to you when things are not going his way, Akaashi threw a meaningful nod, a silent ‘Thank you for being alive to help me with the emotional owl’. 

Which you responded, an ‘ok’ gesture, a signal to reply to him, ‘I gotchu bruh’. 

But this visit was different. Instead of approaching with your mellow and calm vibes, you appeared with red-rimmed, puffy eyes, glossed with already shed tears and eyes looking heartbroken.  You tried your best biting the inside of your cheek to prevent yourself from crying, and you did, as no one even noticed, not looking anyone in the eye for more than five seconds before turning elsewhere to give out the last water bottle. 

Like anyone else, Akaashi was known to be observant and perspective, seeing other peoples tells and what they results are. He was good at that. He was also known for being a good friend and wingman. Contrary to belief, Bokuto had noticed your change in demeanor, shoulders slumped a bit and the forced smile he always love seeing on your cute face hadn’t reached the corners of your eyes. 

“Akaashi,” The dark-haired male looked to his captain, the ends of his excited hair drooping a bit, “Doesn’t (Y/N) seem...weird?"

Akaashi wiped the sweat from the corner of his brow with the towel you’ve given to him, as he drank his water bottle, his eyes glanced to your figure, standing by the doors of the gym, you were kicking off something off your shoe and every time you let out a deep exhale, you begin to wipe your face with the end of your sleeve. Placing down the water bottle, he sat down on the bench and turned to his dear friend, “Bokuto-san, weird is a rude way to put it. Odd, yes. Weird, no. (Y/N) seems different today because maybe something happened, like they didn’t pass a test or they got into an argument with a friend.” 

Bokuto drilled his eyes onto you, not like you noticed, you were too busy checking your phone, seeing if (C/N) texted you, expecting a better response to how they rejected you so curtly today. Yet, nothing. Well, nothing apologetic, as (C/N) continued to text you as if you didn’t pour your heart into confessing to them as they laughed at your face and denied your attraction towards them. You bit your lip, fingers gripping the phone as you shoved it into your pocket, hands balled into fists as you felt the utter annoyance and humiliation from how naive you thought you are, thinking that they’ll like you back. 

As you waited for the team to leave, you sat on the bench at the corner of the gym building, you kept scrolling past through several past messages you had with (C/N). It was weird, how they would act so cozy and cutesy, but once you address them that you like them, thinking the signals they sent were definitely mutual between you and them, they shoot it down. Tears began to drop, one by one, as you sniffled, rubbing your nose with the hem of your sleeve, hiccuping a bit. 

Something draped over your head, startled from the suddenness, you look up and see Bokuto looking down, standing as he crouches to your feet. He didn’t say anything, taking your phone and placing it to your side. You feel for the cloth that was on your head, soft and woodsy smell. It was his jacket. 

“Heya.” He grins to you. 

“Hi...” You mutter, looking down to your hands. 

Bokuto tilts his head owlishly, his large hand holding yours, not hesitant by the fact you twitched by his impulsive actions. “Why are you sad?” He asks, peeking to see your face. 

Sniffling, you shrugged. 

“Did you fail a test? You shouldn’t worry about that, I fail plenty of tests, but I’m still passing somehow. Akaashi helps me a lot, but Konoha says its cause people don’t like to see himbos sad. I don’t really know what that means, but I’m glad no one likes to see me sad.”  He pouts a bit, “I don’t wanna see you sad. Himbo or not, I think you’re really smart and you’re able to get back up if things don’t go your way.” 

You let out a watery giggle, the unintended joke that Bokuto made was pretty funny, seeing your light reaction made Bokuto feel happier, he continued, “I think whatever happened today, or yesterday, or three days before, I think you were able to study and prepare for what happened! You’re always prepared for stuff! I’m not usually prepared cause I just wing it, but I know from you, you can keep going when things aren’t okay. You help through that a lot,” He plays with your fingers and holds both in his own, “I wanna help you through it, too, y’know.” 

Bokuto always had something to say, even if it was a bit off. Yet somehow, what he says hits the mark most of the time. Three days before, you had planned and rehearsed your confession, thinking of possibilities of what will happen. Though, you hadn’t prepared to be laughed at by (C/N) and have what had between you two pretend like nothing happened, going throughout their day, whilst you stay sad with a broken heart. 

Bokuto did make you feel better. You started to forget what happened today, sure it made you a bit bitter, but Bokuto’s sweetness overfilled your heart. 

The ace began to see you stare at your hands, the small smile fading a bit. He pouted even more, grabbing your hands and placing them on his face, pushing cheeks together as he leaned close to you. “Don’t get sad now, (Y/N)! Let’s head to my place and watch that anime you like! The guy that keeps eating fingers!” 

Your eyes widened to see his golden eyes sparkle, staring into yours. “U-Uh, sure, Bokuto.” Blushing from how close he is, you should be used to this, as Bokuto doesn’t recognize the concept of personal space.

He scrunched his nose, his hands pressing against yours to squish his face he hummed. “I know what we should do! Let’s do those sleepovers where you put that face masks of animals on me! The ones that smell good! I can take some from my sisters, they won’t know!” He proposed his idea, attempting to make you feel better as he plans. 

“I-I’m not sure, Bo...” “Please! I’m here, y’know? I wanna help you, and I know you like to do those skincare stuff! My skin needs extra help, feel it!” 

Blinking, you gulp down the internal screams as you rub your thumbs on his cheek, seeing his happy face become dazed a bit, he looked as if he was melting in your hands while you continued to caress him. You chuckled at how cute he can be. 

“Fine, let’s go.” 

He beamed, smile shining as bright as the sun, “Yosh!” 

---------

Bokuto kept patting his face, astonished by how soft his skin is. “(Y/N), (Y/N)! Feel my skin! it’s so soft and shiny! The wonders of the mask is so cool!”

You smiled at him, patting your own face and began rubbing your hands. While he was busy, occupied with how amazing his skin had become, your phone chimed. Glancing at it, you frowned immediately. 

(C/N) : Let’s hang out, just the two of us! It’ll be a date :D 

When Bokuto turned around, seeing that you haven’t answered his question, his smile faltered, seeing you frown again, he shuffled onto the bed and plopped his chin on your shoulder.  “Why are you sad again?” He muttered in a defeated tone. He thought having a sleepover will make you feel better, were you not enjoying it? Was he forcing too much of you? Is he making you feel bad or trapped that you had to be obligated to hang out with him? 

“It’s not you, Bo. It’s...(C/N).” You replied, chucking your phone to the heap of pillows on his bed. 

“(C/N)? The one in Akaashi’s class?” He asked, lifting his chin as you turn to him. 

You nodded. “I told them I liked them and they...laughed at me. They said they didn’t like me and they only liked me as a friend. But it’s weird! They text me and get all...hugging and cutesy with me, they pretend they haven’t rejected me and go one through their day. Then,”  “Then?” 

“Then, they want to go on a date. Frickin, pick what you want us to be, jeez! I can’t keep up with their 180 turns! It’s getting me confused and I don’t want to keep having my heart ache.” You cross your arms on your chest and Bokuto hugs you from behind. 

He hums. “Well, if it was me, I’ll say I’ll like you.” “That would be nice. And way better to understand. You’re straightforward. Not to mention even though your emotions do complete 180s, I’ll be there and I’ll be able to keep you close, also we get to be straightforward and have no...weird mixed signals to know that we’re just dancing around the subject of hand.” 

Bokuto nuzzles his head into the crook of your neck, his hair no longer his usual hairstyle as he already took a shower as its down and fluffier. “Mm! You don’t have to see them anymore either! We see each other more often and hang out more!” 

You continued on, “We also are kind of that hyperactive and calm-collected dynamic too!”

“Ohoh! If you got together with (C/N), you have to memorize their favorite foods and movies. You already know tons of stuff about me!” He hugs you closer as you begin to laugh. “Bo, you have to know their favorite movies and foods if you’re dating. It’s part of being together. Making an effort is what makes the relationship work.” 

He cuddles you more, strong arms around your waist and legs on either side of yours, “We make everything work, even if we argue n’ stuff like that.”  You blink slowly. “We...Do, don’t we?”

“If anything, I’m always here, (Y/N).”  “You always were and still, Bokuto.” You spoke, realization dawning on you. 

He sighs, breathing in your scent mixed in with his conditioner, “I’ll always like you, even if you do a 180.” 

Your hand held onto his, a small smile of fondness on your face as he laces your fingers with his, “I’ll always like you too. Even if your emotions do a 180.” 

[maribatshipper]

Miraculous 39 Clues

Lillian glares with her dark eyes at the picture of the Ladybug-themed heroine. The heroine was lying on the ground with her arm twisted into an unnatural shape after a fight with one of these akumas. Lillian picks up her phone & calls a cousin of hers.

"Dan, I'm going to Paris. I need to speak to Stone." Lillian growls.

Dan asks, "Why? What's wrong with him?"

Lillian frowns, "Not what's wrong with him, what's wrong with the city he lives in. Check a site called the Ladyblog. You'll see why. I have to look out for my fellow Janus."

Lillian hangs up as she buys a ticket to Paris, running her hair through her burnt amber hair.

***

"STONE!"

Jagged Stone winces. He's always known about his heritage & everything that went on. He preferred the love he got from people when they heard his music compared to the backstabbers he called his family & their obsession with the clues.

"Lily, what are you doing here? In Paris?" Jagged asks, his pale-green eyes hidden by some glasses with 2 Eiffel towers & Paris' flag incorporated into it.

"Why didn't you tell the Cahill's about the situation in Paris? Those of us who are good could have done something to help the heroes of this city. They clearly need all the help they can get, & who better to help than an entire family of spies, inventors, artists, & jocks?" Lillian glares at the much older man.

Jagged sighs, "The Lucians have a base here & said nothing. You've seen the reports, Lillian. The heroes are just kids. I was turned into a rockin' villain. What was I supposed to do? Call the entire family over to get us all akumatised when they find out what's going on?"

Lillian glares, "No, you're supposed to warn us about Paris & about keeping emotions in check! The Lucians here are fools for not bringing this to our attention! Our branch is supposed to share information with the rest of our branch! This is something that has to be taken to the head of our family! This Hawk Moth character could be a rogue Cahill, or a Vesper! If this guy is a Vesper, our whole family needs to be warned about him! No matter how much we hate each other, we don't leave other Cahill's to deal with Vespers. What if he's like Peirce? What then, Stone?"

Jagged sighs, "You're right. I haven't been thinking clearly. So un-rock'n'roll of me. But this isn't something that can be fixed with the master serum. Cahill's can't face against the power of these jewels called Miraculous. Even with that serum. These Miraculous are more powerful than anything, & they should be kept out of our family's greedy hands."

Lillian frowns, "But we could help. We've had exper-"

Jagged whirls around, "Not with this! We've never had any experience with this! This is dangerous, Lily! No matter how genuine our talents, we can't help them against this! I know it's un-rock'n'roll, but that's what it is, Lillian!"

A knock comes from the door. Jagged breathes a few times & opens the door to see a familiar face. Jagged's face stretches into a giant grin.

"Marinette! There's my Rockin' designer! Whatcha got for me this time?" Jagged asks.

Marinette smiles, "Well, I designed you some new glasses, because the ones you have right now are starting to fall apart, since I didn't really have the best materials when I started that, but these new ones should last at least for a few years, & I have a small-scale of that poster you asked me to do, & I need to just adjust your outfit for your show tomorrow. Oh, I also have some stuff for Fang. It's all in my backpack."

Lillian walks up to Marinette & studies her, a suspicious glint in her eyes.

"Who's this, Stone?" Lillian asks, not taking her eyes off of the teen.

Jagged smiles, "Lily, this is my best designer, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Marinette, this is a relative of mine, Lillian."

Marinette smiles & holds her hand out to shake with Lillian's, only to fall when her backpack bursts from being overfilled. Lillian's eyes widen as Marinette collides with the ground. She crouches down to help Marinette pick the stuff up, only to catch her eye on an open design book. She picks up the design book. Her eyes widen at every design. Marinette panics as she sees this & grabs the design book quickly.

"I'm so sorry. I'm madly clumsy. Those are just rough sketches-"

Lillian smirks, "Rough sketches? If those are rough sketches, the finished product must be good enough to go to heaven, Dupain-Cheng."

Jagged stares at Lillian in shock. She is harsh, cold, & not one you'd expect compliments from, even if she is a Janus.

"Stone, I need to talk to you." Lillian grabs Jagged's arm & drags him away from the confused blue-eyed teenager.

"What is it?" Jagged asks, rubbing his sore arm where Lillian's nails were digging into his skin.

Lillian frowns, "She's got the skill of a Cahill with the Janus serum. Does she know anything about the Cahills?"

Jagged shakes his head, "Not a thing. Her mother is most likely a Tomas from China, even though she is small. I saw her in action when Penny was akumatised. Her father is a French baker, & she designs clothes, posters, glasses, she could design a coat for Fang if she wanted to."

Lillian holds a dark coloured hair between her fingers & smirks, "Let's see if she is a Cahill."

Jagged gapes, "How did you get that?"

Lillian laughs, "Stone, I'm a Janus who's been taught at each of our branches bases & in each art. Canada, Hollywood, Venice, any base there was, I've been there. I've done what our ancestors did. We test this. If it comes back positive, we train her in the Janus ways. If not, you don't have to worry about anything."

***

Marinette was confused when this strange teenager who was somewhat older than her dragged her favourite singer away with such authority.

"What was that, Tikki?" She whispers to her little purse attached to her hip.

The quiet being in her purse answers, "I don't know Marinette. She radiates an artists' soul, but she seems so..."

Marinette offers, "Standoffish?"

Tikki chuckles, "Yeah, but there's something more to her than that."

The two older artists come back, Jagged cowering slightly when Lillian looks towards him. Tikki stays hidden in the purse.

"Do I wanna know what that was?" Marinette asks.

Jagged laughs, "It wasn't really anything Rock'n'roll to talk about."

Lillian nods, keeping an eye on the teen.

"So, Marinette, what are your interests?" Lillian asks.

Marinette smiles, "Well, I'm really into fashion, I even design & sew my own clothes. I'm really good at video games, especially Ultimate Mecha Strike 3. Then of course there is music, I mean, I listen to Jagged's music all the time while I'm sketching out designs, his music inspires me! Unlike XY. Bleh! I even designed the costumes for Kitty Section, & I've made so many different outfits, & I'm starting my own website, but I really don't know if it's a great idea with so much stress at school, & akumas, & of course I'm class representative for my class."

Lillian smirks, "I think I'll visit your school, kid. See how well you do in a place like that."

Marinette panics, "It's really no biggie, I just have a lot on my plate."

Lillian smiles, "Either way, I'll be visiting. I gotta go to my apartment. Remember, Stone. I will be telling."

Jagged nods, confusing Marinette.

"Am I missing something here?" Marinette asks.

Lillian smiles, "Nothing to worry about, kid. See you at your school, Dupain-Cheng."

Lillian walks away with a dangerous looking smile on, which scares Marinette slightly.

Marinette suddenly asks, "Does she even know which school I go to?"

***

Lillian checks the test results of the hair she plucked from Marinette's head earlier. Lillian calls Jagged.

Jagged sighs, "Well?"

"It's a match. She's Janus alright. But she's also Lucian & Tomas. Test result says 5% Lucian, 5% Tomas, & 90% Janus." Lillian smiles.

Jagged sighs, "Check her classmates & parents too."

***

A month has passed, & Lillian gathered as much information about the Dupain-Chengs as she could. Marinette's mother, Sabine, is the Cahill with genes. The father, Tom, is a Tomas, which Lillian thought was funny. The only issue? Neither parent knew that they were part of a giant family spreading all across the world. Marinette's grandmother Gina seemed to at least know something of the Cahill name.

Lillian sighs, "I can't believe they don't know a thing about us."

She looks at her research notes on the classmates. All of them have tiny bits of Cahill DNA except Cesaire and Bourgeois. When she visited with Marinette that one day, the kids seemed sweet, but Lillian's a Janus. She can tell when someone's acting. There was one that was acting the most. Her acting was spot on, except for one small issue. She couldn't keep her stories straight.

"Well, miss Rossi, you are about to get a few dozen lawsuits delivered right to your school in the middle of your class. You shouldn't have messed with Marinette. You mess with a Janus, you mess with a powerful enemy. Now to get the kid trained like a Janus."

***

Lillian shows up to Marinette's school again & points out a flaw in one of Lila's stories. She then walks to the bathroom, where she has laid a trap for the fox.

"Hello. Lillian, right?" Lila fakely smiles.

"& you must be Splenda." Lillian smirks.

Lila asks, "What?"

Lillian explains, "Artificially Sweet. Like Splenda. Fake sugar. Drop the act, I can smell the Lucian on you!"

Lila actually seems surprised, & asks, "What's a Lucian?"

Lillian looks through Lila for any sign of deception, but she sees that Lila actually has no idea what she's talking about.

"Of course. That makes this so much easier. Keep away from Marinette, or I can guarantee all your fame will disappear."

Lila drops her Façade & smirks, "How could you possibly do that? Everyone here can't resist when they hear what they want to hear. There's nothing you can do about it anyway. You don't want to be my friend, fine, but I'll make sure no one here wants to be your friend at all. You're a little less dumb than the others, so I'll give you one chance. You're either with me, or against me. You only have until the end of class to decide, Lillian."

Lillian giggles, then full out laughs.

"Oh you poor, delusional soul! I don't want to be friends with anyone here except Marinette! & thanks for saying that. Now I have all the proof I need!" Lillian smirks.

Lila asks, "What do you mean?"

Lillian smirks, "You'll find out."

***

Months passed, & Lila's entire empire toppled once lawsuits were coming to her in public for defamation & slander, & Lila was also sued for abuse. Marinette got paparazzi swamping her, asking about how long Lila had threatened her, but Lillian kept Marinette away from the Paparazzi with practiced ease. Marinette had found out how she was related to many important people. Lillian trained her, causing Ladybug to defeat villains much quicker, & Cat Noir stopped showing, not that it bothered her. Cat Noir stopped even helping, acting childish every time Ladybug denied his feelings. Ladybug decided to pick a new hero, a new fox. The new fox made everything easier on Ladybug, & even stole Cat Noir's ring & gave it to Ladybug after his first week.

Ladybug smiles, "You ready for patrol, Corsac?"

The new Fox smiles, his red hair with white tips blowing in the wind. He was also a Janus, which is why Ladybug chose him for the fox. One needs a really good artistic mind to use the fox power.

Corsac's blue eyes widen in happiness.

(I couldn't find one with white tips. Imagine they're white.)

"Of course, Ladybug."

A/N: While reading Miraculous Salt fics, I suddenly had the thought, “What if the 39 Clues universe was part of the Miraculous Universe?” And this came to life with a prompt. I can’t remember the prompt, but I’m happy with how this came out. 

Okay... so... I ran out of really cool fox names, so I actually googled Fox species, and there was only 2 cool sounding ones. Culpeo and Corsac. Can anyone guess who Corsac is?

[tizzymcwizzy]

Home Is Where The Heart Is - Chap 1

Ladynoir July Day 10 - Breakdown

lol okay so this was an idea that was requested by my friend @orcarriagesthatwork who was inspired by a headcanon post thing from @rosekasa, but anyway, here it is!!! aaahhh,, I haven't written anything in forever so this may be bad, also it's 1 am but whatever, enjoy!! also, also, this does contain some mild child abuse,, uuhhh should I even call it that? Just a trigger warning, it's not too extreme, not super violent, just be aware!

@ladynoirjuly2020   

Chap 1 - Here    Chap 2

Ao3 Link

Chat Noir rolled a pebble in his hand. Up and over, up and over, up and over. It was a smooth rock he found on the roof of the building he was sat upon. Up and over, up and over, up and-

His ear twitched at the thump that came from behind him. Chat tensed up and dropped the pebble off the side of the building. He made a vain attempt to catch the pebbled as a set of footsteps came closer. Chat froze and let his hand fall limp.

"Hey, Chat. Did I miss anything?" Ladybug asked cheerily as she sat next to him. 

He stared down at the street below. Nothing much. Did you see anything on your way here? It would be so easy to say it, but his tongue felt like lead in his mouth.

"Chat?" She asked, turning her head to look at him. She sounded confused. "Did anything happen?" Ladybug looked between his blank face and the street below.

He didn't say anything for a moment. "I dropped a pebble." His voice was almost a whisper.

She blinked at him. "Wha- Is everything alright?" She asked. Her tone was soft and concerned. 

He didn't reply again. It felt like there was something stuck in the back of his throat. If he were to speak, they would all fall out and he'd never be able to stop it. Chat swallowed.

"Chaton, you know you can talk to me," she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to look at him. He looked away.

"I can't," he choked. The lump in his throat was growing bigger. Y'know, Adrien thought it would be easy. Simple, even, to pretend. To smile, to brush the whole thing off, just like he'd done a million times before. But, but this time, it was different. He was tired. So, so very tired. He couldn't push it down, no matter how much he really wanted to. It was stuck, right up in his throat, waiting to spill out. Like an overfilled wine glass at the edge of a table. 

"Is it me?" She asked with a slight tremble in her voice, pulling her hand off his shoulder.

"What?" He whipped his head back at her, "why would-" He shouldn't have looked at her. That's why he was staring at the street in the first place. 

Ladybug’s head was downturned, slightly away from him. The crease between her brows had turned up, different than her usual pout. She pursed her lips and stared at her fingers, which were fidgeting slightly.

He inhaled sharply and slapped a hand over his mouth. A sudden pain struck him in the chest.

She looked up at him, worried, concerned, despairing. "Chaton?"

It broke equally him, and the flood gates. He muffled a cry into his hand, staring into her eyes. Ladybug’s eyebrows shot up and she glanced quickly between his eyes as if trying to figure out how to fix him, like a broken puzzle.

Adrien hated crying. Not the feeling of emotion, though that sucked, it was the rapid breathing, the choked exhales, the tightened windpipe, the snot welling up in his nose, the pounding headache, and the helplessness to stop it all.

He let out another choked noise and held both hands over his mouth as if to try and stop himself. Chat doubled over and tried to breathe, but his body kept shaking with rapid hiccups and sobs. The pain in his chest burned and his throat screamed for air.

“Chaton?” Her voice was breaking. Small hands held his shoulders and pulled him to look up. “Oh, oh, oh, oh, Chat Noir, hey, hey look at me," she said softly as she looked into his eyes. Adrien had never seen that expression before. She looked almost terrified, worry covered every inch of her and she sucked in a sharp breath.

He cried again and put his hands over his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he croaked between heaves. “I’m, I’m sorry.” He clenched his jaw and tried to force his breathing to steady.

Those small arms wrapped around him completely, holding him and rubbing circles into his back. "Don’t be sorry, It's okay, just let it out, it's okay to cry," she whispered softly into his ear. He hated the tremor in her voice.

Chat’s hands slowly fell from his face and wrapped around her. Even though he was maybe twice her size, he felt so small in her arms, like a child. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and just sobbed wreaking, hacking cries, and his body heaved with the hiccups. The pain in his chest spread to his gut and he grimaced. His head hurt terribly, but all he wanted was to cry, and she, for all the world, was letting him. 

Ladybug began to hum softly in his ear after a while. He couldn't recognize the tune. It was warm though, and he could feel it in his arms as she sang. She nestled her head next to his and held him tighter.

His breathing eventually slowed as she rubbed circles into his back. Chat pulled himself away from her, rubbing his nose on his arm. Though, she tugged him back so he was an arms reach away. "Sorry, I got snot on you," he said in a small voice, getsuring to her shoulder. 

"It's fine, it'll be gone with my transformation." Ladybug smiled at him, still with creased brows.

He looked down at his hands, unsure of what to do. Chat hiccuped.

“How do you feel?” She rubbed his arm.

Better. “I’m, I’m okay, I’ve had better days,” He laughed dryly. “I feel better. I,” he trailed off. “Thank you,” He murmured.

“No problem,” She laughed airily. Do, do you want to talk about it?" She asked, gently. 

He looked up. "I shouldn't, the whole identity thing, y'know," he hiccuped and waved his hand, not quite meeting her eyes. Adrien was afraid that if he did, he’d start bawling all over again.

Her eyebrows traced up her head again, she frowned and looked down at the space between them, which wasn't much. "I don't think that stuff matters if you're feeling terrible.” She rubbed his arm as she explained. "We wouldn't be able to work as a team if you couldn't tell me what was going on." She glanced up at him. "Y'know? And it's snot like you're gonna tell me who you are," she quirked a small smile.

He squinted at her for a second before realizing the pun. Chat snorted, she grinned and chuckled at him. Then they doubled over in full laughter, which slowly turned into deep sighs. "That was a good one," he chuckled and rested his head on her collarbone. Then he frowned. "I," he started slowly. "I got into a fight with my dad." Chat bit his lip and let her curl their hands together as she rested her head on his. "I barely even remember what it was about, it was stupid, but, but then we started yelling at each other, and, I dunno why I said it, but-" his voice climbed higher and higher until he choked on a sob and bit his hand, trying to steady his breathing. 

She sighed and traced circles on his hand. "It's okay," she whispered again.

"I-" he took a deep breath, 

---

It was dumb really, arguing with his father. There was little to no point, and he knew it. Fighting with him only fanned the flames and earned a harsher punishment for backtalking. But, for some reason, Adrien was sick and goddamned tired. So, he did the senseless thing and yelled at his father.

“Why?!” Adrien mocked as he whirled around and glared at his father. “Why!? Are you kidding me? How much is it to ask for one little thing around here, huh?” What was he doing, he should stop. As Adrien glanced up to see the ever-growing look of disdain on his father’s face he quickly realized more and more that he should stop, let it go, and apologize. But the glare only emboldened him, somehow. “I do everything you ask, and more! I model, I get the top grades in my class, I hang out with Lila, I practice piano, fencing, I win trophies upon trophies for you,  what else do I have to do? What do I have to do to earn this one thing?” He snapped.

“This is not a matter of your actions, this is a matter of your safety. You stay here where I can keep an eye on you,” His father snarled.

“My safety!” Adrien howled with laughed. “Our city is being guarded by two superheroes, and guess what, you hired a bodyguard for me! If you’re so worried about my safety than what the hell is he there for?” He should really tone it down. The increasing redness of his father’s face wasn’t a good sign.

“You’re so foolish. Count, how many times have you run away from your bodyguard? How many times have you been in the middle of danger? And even with those incompetent superheroes, there is no way you will be as safe out there as you are in here,” He barked, jutting a firm finger at the ground. His father turned away. “You’re just like your mother, never listening to my warning, always recklessly running into danger with her head in the clouds,” he muttered and placed a tense hand on the bridge of his nose.

Adrien shouldn’t have said it, but he did. He blurted it out like the idiot he was. “If I’m so much like my mother, then maybe I should leave just like she did.” His father blinked and turned back towards him. He should’ve stopped there. “Y’know,” Adrien scoffed, “that’s probably why she left us, isn’t it, abandoned you and your stupid rules, I bet she couldn’t take either.” Adrien’s tone turned bitter. “Mom probably got sick from your suffocation, didn’t she,” His voice began to tremble. He should stop, he needed to stop. “She couldn’t take it and hopped on the next train leaving to who knows where all because of your stupid-”

Gabriel backhanded him. Square on the cheek, forcing Adrien to shut up and turn away. He froze. The room was suddenly very very quiet apart for Adrien’s sharp inhale. He shouldn’t have been as shocked as he was, really. Adrien glance back at Gabriel to see a look of horror that crawled across the man’s face. 

“Don’t,” his voice wavered. “Don’t you ever talk about your mother that way.” His tone was harsh, stinging like his cheek. Half of him wanted to apologize, the other half wanted to run, but he stayed rooted there like a statue, head still turned with the way he was hit. Adrien felt everything slow. Had Gabriel hit him with his ringed hand? Is that why it stung so much? “You won’t be going back to school on Monday, and that is final. Go to your room.” The quiet power in his tone, that all the while seethed with rage, forced Adrien from his spot rooted on the tile to run past Gabriel and up to his room. Gabriel, however, remained where he stood and flinched when Adrien slammed the door to his bedroom.

Adrien twisted around and fumbled with the lock on his door. Once it was locked he backed away from it slowly, almost expecting it to burst open. All he wanted was to leave, to run away, to get out of this damn house that was too big and too empty for its own good.

“Adrien?” Plagg asked, flying out of his jacket and hovering near his face, gently touching his cheek.

“I need to go,” Adrien strained to speak, his throat felt raw and tight. His walls would crumble any minute. Plagg nodded at him, concern filling his eyes.

“Transform me, Plagg.” 

Chat Noir lept out of the window and away from that house.

---

Chat Noir continued to sob as he explained to her what happened, leaving out as many details as he could for the sake of his identity. His voice trembled and grew scratchy as he spoke. “I don’t know what I should do,” He wiped his eyes. “I don’t want to go back, all I really want to do is run away, but I wouldn’t know where to go, and I’ve got to-”

“Don’t go back,” Ladybug interjected.

“What? Wha- where would I go?” Chat looked up at her. Her traditional pout was back, but this time it was broiling with rage. Her nostrils were flared, her lips were strewn tight together in a thin line, and the look in her eye frightened any other confused statement right out of him. She stood up and pulled him to his feet. 

“Don’t go back.” She threw her arms around his middle and squeezed him in a tight embrace. “Please,” she looked up at his face, resting her chin on his chest and reached up to wipe a tear off his face. “Don’t ever go back there.”

“Where would I go?” His voice was quiet and weak. Chat’s heart swelled with affection, feeling loved and cared for, and nearly started crying again.

“Go,” She trailed off, thinking. Her nose scrunched up in the way that it always did. “Come- come home with me,” she said.

What? He almost laughed. “What? With you? My lady, I’m flattered,” he tried to joke, though it fell a bit flat as his voice was still torn from tears, “but that’s impossible, what about our identities?” He asked, already knowing the answer. They shouldn’t, the couldn’t, he knew. Didn’t make it hurt less, though.

“Who cares?” What? “Who cares, I don’t, I- I can’t care about that anymore.” She shook her head. 

“What are you saying?” Chat’s throat was suddenly feeling very tight. 

“We have a guest bedroom upstairs, or you could stay in my room, she rambled on. “And I’m sure I have some clothes that will fit you-”

“Wait, wait, slow down,” He looked deep into her eyes, hoping to find some sort of catch, but there was nothing but earnestness. “What? Why, b- but,” he exhaled.

“Come home, please.” She cupped his cheek and stared firmly into his eyes.

mwahahahah cliff hanger!!! >:3 The next chapter will go up tomorrow if I don't die before then,, Thank you for reading!!

[ilooklikeaburntchickenugget]

Holiday Dates (Pt. 1)

 A/N: So I got this idea at like 1 am, and here I am writing it. I know it’s not even really the Christmas season next, but I thought this mini series would be cute for the holidays. So here goes nothing! Pairing: Teen!Gerard x Teen!F!Reader Word count: 2587 Warnings: A few curse words

School projects in general were a pain in your ass. Having to go and work with someone or a group of people on a topic you’re not even interested in, and then present it like your entire career depends on it. Nothing about that was appealing.

So walking into your AP psychology class a week before your two week Christmas break, only for your teacher to announce a partner project would be due the day before break made you mentally punch your desk. “To make this a little more interesting,” Mr. Young began, the tall, black haired man grabbing an old, clear container. “I’ve placed all your names into this jar, and I’ll just draw a few. It’ll present an element of surprise.” He smiled, clearly excited even though no one else was. You rolled your eyes through the pain.

He shook the jar quite violently, as if to emphasize that this would truly be random. One by one, he stuck his hand in, pulling out two small sliver of papers, announcing your peers names. A few grudges, shrugs, and even celebratory cheers erupted depending on the individual’s opinions toward whomever they were paired with.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” He called out, you looking up. As much as you hated it, you admitted the small rush of adrenaline in anticipation for who you would be paired with gave a little excitement. “Gerard Way.” He stated, placing the two pieces to the side.

Gerard Way? You had heard of him. He was the shy, nerdy, smart boy. Okay, well, this should be easy. He should know everything in psych, you’ll help him create a project, and bam. There’s your A. A few more names were called before your teacher finally dismissed you from your seats, to go talk with your partners, get a game play.

You got up, grabbing your backpack and phone, looking around until you found the stark black haired boy. He was looking up to you with a light smile, which you returned as you walked to him. You had never payed much attention to him, but his mess of a head of hair, hazel eyes, and smile were adorable. If you were being honest. You took a seat next to him.

“I’m Gerard.” He smiled to you.

“I’m Y/N.” You smiled back. Okay, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. A smart boy and a sight to look at? Perfect.

“Yeah, I- I know.” He stuttered, immediately regretting that, “Sorry, that was weird.” He lightly laughed at his own mistake.

“It’s alright.” You admitted, pulling out your notebook and pens. “So, any idea for what we should do this on?” You asked next. “Well,” He sighed, turning to you in his desk, “I was thinking something along the lines of adolescent psychology? There’s a lot we can do there. Or social psych, that’s interesting too.” He began, “But it’s whatever you want to do, really.” He smiled again.

“I think social psych would be cool.” You looked back at him, from where you were scanning your notes, “I’ll go tell Mr. Young, as long as that’s fine with you.” “Yeah, of course.” He smiled, going back to his own notes as you got up, walking to the front of the room.

“Hey, Mr. Young.” You walked up to the man, “Gerard and I want to sign up to cover social psych.” “Great.” He said, typing it into a word document, “Hey Y/N,” He began before you could walk away. “Be nice to Gerard if you would. He’s a smart kid, gets used a lot for his academics. Just, treat him like a human, alright?” “Yeah, of course Mr. Young.” You smiled at him, wondering what he exactly meant.

“I knew I could trust you with that, Y/N.” He smiled back, as you walked back to your seat next to the boy.

“We could start with the basics,” He spoke up, “You know, personality and all that stuff like that.” You nodded.

“Sounds great.”

“So if we look at attributions,” He began, “The Fundamental Attribution Error may be the best place to start.” “Agreed,” You stated, “So that’s a person’s tendency to associate what someone has done with an internal cause, not an external one based on the situation?” “Right,” he looked at you, “So, like, if someone is driving, and someone else cuts them off, and they call them an asshole,” You lightly laughed, and he smiled, “That would be the fundamental attribution error. Because maybe, in reality, that person could be late to work, or late to pick their kid up from school. I mean they could be an asshole, but we don’t know that.” You giggled again. “Yeah,” You concluded, “But an attribution would be like me saying you’re funny, based off of what you just said. So I can properly attribute that a characteristic of you is you’re funny.” He smiled, a light red coming to his cheeks.

“I, mean,” he stumbled, “y-yeah I suppose.” Then the bell rang.

“Hey, by the way,” You began, “Could I get your number, to text you for when we need to meet?” “Yeah, of course.” He smiled again. You handed him your phone, and he typed in his number and name, handing it back. “Thanks, Gerard.” “Yeah, of course. Bye Y/N.” You walked out a few moments later, walking to your locker where you began putting your stuff away. You walked into the cafeteria, sitting at the table with all your friends.

“Hey, Y/N.” Everyone smiled and you smiled back, “How are you?” Jason, one of the boys on the football team who you just happened to hang out with asked.

“Alright,” You admitted, sipping on your water, “Mr. Young assigned us a project in AP psych.” You sighed.

“Who with?” Shanna asked, another one of the girls you hung out with. “Gerard Way.” You stated and everyone began laughing under their breaths, “What?” You asked next.

“Nerdy, smart one?” You nodded, “At least you won’t have to do work.” Jason scoffed.

“I’m still going to do the work,” You said, “It’s a partner project. Besides, he’s really nice and funny.” He rolled his eyes.

“He’s weird, Y/N.” “No he’s not.” You fought back, “Besides, judging people you don’t even know does nothing good for anyone or anything. Other than your fragile ego.” Everyone oohed, as you looked up at him. “Fine,” he sighed, “I won’t say anything else.” Besides being friends with some of the most popular, and worst people in school, you hated bullies. The idea of hurting someone for something they can’t control, or for being who they are made you infuriated.

Your classes went by, one by one for the rest of the day. They were of course boring, not much intriguing or interesting in any one. You eventually grabbed all of your things, placing them into your bag, and walking out and through the doors back into the crowded streets of New York. Going down only a few blocks, you reached the Subway where you hopped on, went for only three stops, and finally arrived at your stop in Midtown.

Your family’s apartment was great for what it was. A three bedroom in a usual sky rise. It even had a second floor, something not all that common in New York. You shut your door to your bedroom, your parents nor your younger brother were home yet. Placing in your earbuds, you grabbed your laptop and homework, trying to get most of it done so you could have some down time.

Absorbed within your chemistry work, you got a sudden ding. Showing the screen of your phone, you saw a little text bubble, Gerard’s name on the top. “Hey Y/N! It’s Gerard, I was wondering what days would work best for you to work on the project? You could come over to my place, as long as you feel comfortable. Everyday this week works for me.” It read.

You smiled as you opened up your phone, heading straight to the messages app, and responding. “Tomorrow works! Right after school?” You sent, a little three dotted message bubble showing he was typing popping up immediately after. “Sounds great :)” He finished. You placed your phone back down, playing some more of your music and continuing your homework.

Finally submitting all your assignments, you closed your laptop and walked downstairs to find your mom working at the kitchen table. “Hey, sweetheart.” She lightly smiled at you.

“Hey mom.” You smiled back, going to grab a snack from the pantry.

“How was your day at school?” “Good.” You sighed.

“Good.” She responded.

“By the way, I have to go to a friend’s house tomorrow to do a project for AP psych with.” “Alright.” She responded, still writing a few things down, “Sounds great.”

-Time skip-

“Hey, Y/N.” Gerard waved walking up to your locker after school.

“Hey,” You responded and smiled, “Just a minute, I just need to finish putting my stuff away.” “Yeah, of course, take your time.” You finished stuffing your various collection of textbooks and overfilled binders in your backpack, zipping it up and throwing it over your shoulder. “Ready?” He asked and you nodded.

The two of you walked out into the streets, as you followed Gerard down only a few blocks and to a large sky rise in lower Manhattan, near the financial district, where your school was. The two of you walked through the large glass doors, through the marble lobby, and into the elevators where he pressed 68. It was pretty silent as you rode your way up, and once the box dinged, you two got out and walked through a long hallway, down to the last door, where Gerard put his key in, jingled a bit, and let the two of you in.

The apartment was large, and gorgeous. Nothing like you had ever seen. It was also expensive, you knew by just looking at it. Everything was so large, large windows the scaled floor to ceiling that overlooked New York. You were in a trance by the beauty of it all. “You like it?” You heard Gerard behind you. You nodded.

“Uh, yeah,” You said, trying to pretend everything was normal, “It’s really cool.” He lightly smiled.

“Thanks.” He responded, “Do you want anything to drink, by the way? Water, tea, coffee?” “A water would be great, thank you.” You looked back. He smiled again, going to the fridge and grabbing two bottles, handing one to you and keeping one for himself. “Thanks.” “No problem.” He looked up, “Do you mind working in my room? If you don’t feel comfortable I get it I-” “No, it’s completely fine.” You reassured him, glad to see the respect he held. He led the two of you through a few various large hallways and into his room, in the corner of the apartment.

The room was huge, the two out of four walls that weren’t huge windows were covered with various posters of Star Wars, Marvel heroes, even Watchmen. Your mouth opened slightly in awe, all of it was just too cool. And stuff that you liked.

“It’s really nerdy I know.” He stated awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“No, it’s awesome.” You lightly laughed.

“R-really?” He stuttered, looking to you with wide eyes.

“Well yeah, I mean, who wouldn’t think it is?” He shrugged.

“You just seemed like a girl who-” “Would be into nail polish and shopping and gossiping about boys. Yeah, I know.” You sat down on his bed. “But, to tell you a secret, I fucking love Star Wars. And Marvel.” You smiled.

“Really?” He asked again, sitting next to you.

“Yeah, my younger brother and dad loved them before I did, but I stated to tag along to see Marvel movies and would watch Star Wars with them at home. And I fell in love with it.”

“That’s cool,” He said, “I’ve always just liked them.” You nodded. There were a few moments of awkward silence, “Should we get started.” You nodded.

“We probably should.” The two of you went through your bags, grabbing your binders designated to the class.

“So why don’t we go with positive and negative reactions to social interactions?” You nodded, and he continued, “So, do you have any ideas for positive or negative reactions?” “Sure,” You began, “If you tell someone they’re smart, that would be a positive reaction.”

“Great,” He wrote it down, “Or giving someone else money would be a positive reaction.” “Yeah,” You said thinking for a moment. You noticed Gerard looked at you for a moment, seemingly studying your facial features while you pretended to look away, focusing on another example.

“We could try some examples now.” “Great,” You turned to him a little more. “So, Gerard,” You began, as he placed his notebook and pencil down. “I like your hair.” You said and he lightly smiled.

“Thanks,” He said, “You have pretty eyes.” He said next.

“Thanks.” You could feel yourself blush as you smiled.

“You are a super cool guy, and you have an awesome personality.” You said next. He took a pause.

“Do you mean that?” He asked, stopping himself only a moment later, “Never mind, that was stupid, these are just examples.”

“No, I do mean it.” You said, with a confused look. “You really are pretty cool.” He looked even more shocked.

“You’re just saying that to be nice I-” “I’m saying it because it’s true, Gerard.” You stated. It was only silent for a few more seconds.

“Well um,” He began, “You’re absolutely gorgeous.” You looked at him for a brief moment, making sure your ears were reliable at the moment. He noticed your stare, “That was creepy, wasn’t it? I’m so sorry-” “No, no, that was really sweet.” You lightly blushed and looked away before laughing. “Great, now you’re making me shy!” You smiled like a fool at him.

“Well you said something truthful, so I did too.” “Y-you meant that?” You asked next and he nodded.

“Yeah, I mean, did you not know that?” He asked as if it were obvious. You shook your head.

“I mean, my mom calls me beautiful and all but that’s different.” “I thought you knew, I mean, I’m surprised you haven’t been picked up by a model agency yet. You’re absolutely stunning.” He smiled.

“I um, I-” You paused, “That’s too much.” He shook his head.

“Do you know how many guys would like to call you theirs?” He asked next, you shook your head again, “Literally every single one in our grade.” You shook your head again with a smile.

“Oh please.” “What? I’m for real here.” He smiled, “Literally any guy would be lucky to have you as a girlfriend.” You nudged him playfully. “Well I can say the same for you. But a boyfriend, of course.” You lightly giggled and he chuckled.

“I mean, if you say so.” He grabbed his notebook and pencil again, “By the way,” He began, “I, um, this is going to sound so weird, but would you like to go on a date maybe? Like somewhere? If you say no I completely get it I just thought it was worth a shot-” “I would love to,” You smiled. “Let’s finish this real quick, and then I’ll send you my house address. How about Friday, after school? After our big presentation, ya know?” “Yeah, sounds great.” He said, smiling bigger than before and looking between you and the page. “It’s a date.”