#its ridiculous how hot that is considering the danger he's in

[leathfaic]

ghost probably went "i sure hope this doesn't awaken anything in me" seeing soap knocked to his knees in front of el sin nombres house but we all know it did

[venerawrites]

Hey, could you write some Gaara angst. He and his fiancé fought over something and the argument was that bad where he said things that he shouldn’t have. His fiancé has to leave for a mission the next day,a dangerous one at that. Things go wrong on her mission and she’s now in the hospital and it’s hard to say if she’ll live or not. Gaara is in complete emotional distress and guilt because he feels that it’s his fault that his fiancé might not live.

Have a lovely day!

author's note: I saw "she" in the request, so I am rolling with a fem! reader. It's not a secret I love writing angst, so I really enjoyed writing this one. I hope you like it as well! <3 Thank you for requesting!

warnings: none, other than reader can be a little bit annoying in the first half lol

This is not how the evening was supposed to go.

As the last day before your two-week mission, you imagined it as a romantic day, filled with lots of laughter, kisses, and good homemade food, which you had spent all day making.

A screaming match in your fiancé's office was definitely not part of the plan.

"Lower your voice", Gaara sighed, his fingers making their way to rub soothing circles on the side of his forehead. You had stormed into the Kazekage's building about an hour ago, and while your demeanour was progressively getting worse and more aggressive, somehow he had still managed to remain collected.

"Excuse me?", you let out a scoff, marching towards his desk and slamming your hands on top of it, "Don't command me like that! Who do you think you are?"

The words triggered something inside of him and he abruptly stood up, slamming his hands right next to yours and getting right in your face. His eyes, usually calm and inviting, were now cold and dark, showing that there was a storm brewing inside of him.

"I am your fiancé, but most importantly your Kazekage", he gritted his teeth, emphasizing his title, " I know you are upset and I said I am sorry! But your shenanigans stop now!"

Tilting your head, you remained silent and narrowed your eyes, determined not to give up on the little staring contest you had going on. Pressing your lips together, you moved your jaw in annoyance, your breathing heavy with the pent-up frustration.

"Well, guess what, Kazekage?", your words came out almost mocking, while a small sarcastic smirk appeared on your face, "If you tired of dealing with my "shenanigans", maybe you should run and complain to your little friend from the Leaf. I am sure he would be more than happy to hear we are on the verge of breaking up because of him."

"Are you hearing yourself?", Gaara finally raised his voice, moving away from the desk, while running his hand through his red locks, "Break up because of Naruto? You are being absolutely ridiculous, Y/N!"

"I am being ridiculous? This is our last day before my mission and you decide to spend it with Naruto!", you screamed, shaking your hands in the air and making a few steps towards him, "One would've thought that you two are engaged, instead!”

A dry chuckle made its way past his lips and he shook his head, trying to calm his mind. Gods knew he loved you more than life itself but in moments like these he questioned how fate decided to bring you together, considering you were polar opposites.

Gaara was a calm, collected, and reserved individual. He was extremely hard-working and devoted to his nation, so naturally every decision he made was always centered around the well-being of others. He always carefully considered all his options before acting, and rarely resolved to action, if the problem could be resolved peacefully with talks.

You ,on the other hand, were hot-headed, impulsive, and stubborn. Always acting before thinking, you often fail to consider anyone else's needs and wishes in moments like this, too blinded by your selfish desire and feeling of injustice. Unlike the red-headed shinobi, who you described as your "better half", you faced problems head-on, even if that meant you would regret it later.

There has always been some tension between you two, even since you met during your Chunin Exams, but no one believed you would get together, especially after Gaara went through his life-changing phase when he realised the importance of friends and family.

Yet, years later, here you were - a Leaf shinobi who transferred to Suna and was engaged to the Kazekage. Somehow your clashing personalities worked in harmony and you managed to bring the best out of each other.

Well, most of the time...

Today, after he decided to spend the whole day with Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, thus resulting in him having to work through the evening, was not one of these times.

While the Leaf ninjas were your old comrades, it was not a secret that you did not share a close bond with them, especially with the blonde.

Naruto has openly vocalized his opinion that Gaara is too good for you and he can find a better, calmer half, who would compliment him as a future spouse of the Kazekage. He always made it clear that while he did not exactly hate you, he did not approve of you.

In response, you did not hide your thoughts about their friendship and the fact that your partner was giving him too much credit. Of course, Naruto did have some role in his decision to change for the better, but ultimately it was Gaara who did all the work. Additionally, the blonde was loud, assertive, and loved to poke his nose in other people's business, including your relationship.

"Y/N, enough!", your fiancé's voice boomed, his aura suddenly darker, "Do not talk about my friends like this!"

"Do you keep the same energy when he talks about me?", your brow raised, "When he says how I don't deserve you and tries to fill your head with the craziest ideas about us!"

Gaara let out a puff of air, before turning around and marching towards you. Stopping just a foot away, he lifted his hands towards you, laying them on your shoulder.

"I. Had. Enough!", he hissed each word through his teeth, a sign he was really pissed off at you now, "No one talks about you and no one is trying to fill my head with anything! I don't need anyone to tell me that we are incompatible when I can clearly see that myself!"

The insults and swears that were ready to fall from your mouth got stuck in your throat and your eyes widened for a few seconds, before narrowing again.

"What are you getting at?", this time your voice was quieter, but still with a note of challenge behind it.

Suddenly there was a spark of uncertainty behind his blue eyes. Slowly removing his hands from your body, he walked towards the window with his back facing you.

"I think we need a break. It's just... It's not working anymore", he murmured, gaze focused on the peaceful streets of Suna. He found it easier to say what he was thinking right now if he avoided looking at you.

A minute passed.

Gaara expected you to scream at him, swear at him, or even grab something from his desk and throw it at his head. But when he heard the door of his office opening and slamming shut, he jumped in surprise. Turning around, he found the spot where you were standing just a minute ago, empty, while your diamond ring shined lonely at the edge of his desk.

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

It's strange how distorted a person's time perception becomes once they are eagerly waiting for something.

Two weeks, which usually flew by, given his busy schedule, now felt like an eternal nightmare for the young Kazekage. Eaten by the guilt of how your last conversation ended, he severely punished his mind and body by refusing to eat, drink, or socialize with anyone outside his work. He practically lived in his office and if it wasn't for Kankuro to send him to shower every morning, after working the whole night, he probably would had not set a foot outside.

This morning, however, he refused to do even that. You were supposed to come to report about your mission any moment now and he shifted nervously in his seat, mentally rehearsing the apology he wanted to say to you.

An hour passed.

Then two.

Gaara kept glancing towards the door, yet no one entered, except his secretary who kept dropping piles of paperwork on his desk. He tried to question if any ninjas have showed in the building today, but she kept shaking her head "no" with an apologetic smile on her lips.

Finally, just after noon, a small, barely audible knock reached his ear and he immediately straightened his posture and fixed his hair, before giving his response. His eyes gleamed with anticipation and he stood up, ready to greet you back home.

His, smile, however, quickly dropped once he saw that only one of your teammates, Bumi, entered his office. Covered in scratches across his face and hands, he looked like he had taken some rough beating not long ago. Gaara's blood froze.

If Bumi, the largest and the most skilled ninja in your squad, looked like this, what has happened to you?

"Lord Kazekage", the man greeted, before bowing his head. He made his way towards the desk and placed a tightly wrapped scroll on it, but his gaze remained cast downward.

"The report for our mission."

"Where is Y/N?", the red-headed ninja asked, not even glancing at the document given to him. He had a bad feeling about what was happening and Bumi's lack of eye contact and nervous twitching did not help to ease his worries.

Your teammate looked up, meeting Gaara's intense stare for just a second, before clearing his throat and focusing on his shoes again.

"She...", he stopped, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to another, "Um... she is not here at the moment."

"I can see that", the Kazekage pointed out, completely unamused, "Which is why I am asking - where is she?"

Bumi moved uncomfortably again, before letting out a sigh and taking a seat opposite his red-headed leader. His knee kept bouncing and he nervously shifted around his seat, before opening his mouth again:

"The Elders warned me not to tell you... yet."

Gaara's glare hardened and he crossed his fingers on top of his desk. Pressing his lips in a thin line, he took a deep breath, trying to calm the rising feeling of panic inside of him.

"You answer to me, not the Elders", he almost growled, his eyes not moving away from your teammate. His jaw tensed and that was enough of a sign for Bumi to spill out what was on his mind

"She is in the hospital", he blurted out and Gaara's breath hitched. His fingers started to tremble and he quickly placed them on his knees below his desk, a poor attempt to cover the shock that hit him when he heard the other male's words.

'Maybe it is just a check-up', he tried to reason in his head, 'maybe it is nothing too serious.'

Almost like he read his thoughts, Bumi decided to continue:

"It all happened so fast", he looked down, mentally reliving what happened just this morning, "We were on our way back when we were ambushed. Y/N... She has been acting weird the whole mission. She kept missing her shots and her reactions were slower than normal... I don't know what happened, but it was almost like she was not herself."

Cold sweat started forming on Gaara's temples and he felt his heart speeding inside his ribcage. He felt like he wanted to jump out of his seat and run to the hospital, but it was almost like his body was disconnected from his brain and it chose to stay frozen in place.

"So when this ninja swung his katana towards her stomach, it was too late for her to block it or move away...", Bumi gulped, his eyes now glossy, "The doctors said the cut was so deep, it damaged some of her insides too. And by the time we arrived, she also lost a ton of blood. They... They are not sure if she can make it."

Gaara always considered himself a man who knew what pain was. He has endured so much during his childhood, that he always thought nothing could hurt him anymore.

But the way his whole soul shattered the second he heard you may not make it, was a whole new type of pain. One that pointed its ugly finger to his face, screaming "It is all your fault!", while simultaneously creating feelings of rage and bloodthirst... feelings that stayed buried deep inside of him for years.

"Which village?", was all he said, his blue eyes now empty and staring at the blank wall at the opposite end of his office.

Bumi gulped, standing from his seat. The look on Gaara's face... He has not seen that look since their Chunin days. He was about to sneakily exit the office when the Kazekage's cold gaze fixated him on the spot.

"They had Leaf headbands...", he mumbled, before quickly adding, "But they could've gotten them from anywhere. I don't believe our allies-"

His words were interrupted by the Kazekage's hand which lifted in the air, cutting him mid-sentence. Getting up from his chair, he grabbed his hat, before walking past Bumi towards the door. Thousand different thoughts and ideas were racing through his brain about how he should deal with the situation, but they ultimately led to his need to see you straight away.

The last words he said to you kept echoing in his mind and he felt like throwing up. If he had shown up for your scheduled date night, if he had kept his tongue behind his teeth, if he had shown up at the gates the morning before you left... maybe you would be here, with him, instead of fighting for your life.

He knew he had to get to you, to be with you and somehow beg you to stay with him. But before that, he had one final request to make:

"Gather the Elders and the War Council", he instructed Bumi, while making his way past him, "Our alliance with the Leaf is over."

cc artwork: concept art for "Assassin's Creed: Mirage"

[cxrsed-angel]

I ♡︎ DILFS

word count: 3k

Warnings: smut 18+ only (minors DNI), Daddy kink (kinda expected), established relationship, age gap (reader is between 24-25, Joel is in his 50s), oral (male receiving), fem!reader

A/N: I've always thought Joel was hot but Pedro Pascal playing him really did it for me, trying to improve my smut so I hope this is better than my last one. <3!!

You were going through an old building as a short cut you didn't realize it at first from the decay and rubble, but the more you looked around, you could see that it used to be a mall. You looked inside a store seeing if you could find anything useful when you spot it. It was a sign from fate; you go and grab the shirt and hold it up to look at. Considering what it's been through, it was in pretty good condition, like it was saved for you. You quickly take off your backpack and put it on. It was a little small; you assume it was a baby tee from the fit of it, but you had a long sleeve under, so you were still covered. You hear Ellie call your name and grab your stuff and run over to them. Joel starts walking, leading you out once he sees you, “Took you long enough come on lets get out of here” You see Ellie looking at the shirt, trying to read it.

 “I heart-i heart, whats a DILF?” Ellie asks more so to anyone than directly to her you could see the gears turning in her head trying to figure out what each letter means. 

You wish you could take a picture of Joel's face when he heard that, he turned around so fast, “Where the hell did you find that at” “C’mon Joel you know this is my brand, my whole motto, this is me, it was fate that brought me and this shirt together and Im never taking it off.” 

“Dead I Like, Deadly I-ok I give up what is it” you both ignored Ellie trying to figure out what DILFS are. 

“I can't take you anywhere, how do you always manage to find the most ridiculous shit during an apocalypse.”

 “Hey! what is it, I don't get it.” You hear Ellie shouting at you clearly annoyed, but youre more focused on Joel at the moment. 

“Aw Joel don't be jealous you know you're the only DILF for me” 

“Can you shut the hell up.” You giggled slightly at the clear annoyance in his voice. You loved messing with him when you can, and when it wouldn't put you in danger of course, you added some much-needed fun to his life. 

You finally leave the mall and walk out onto the road; you were so excited about your DILF shirt, you had an eye for things like this. You knew you couldn't take back everything you find but if it was small or something you really liked you took with you like when you found an old hello kitty watch, it didn't work, but it was still cute. Another time you found a Britney Spears poster in decent condition that was currently hanging up in your room, but the DILFS shirt was definitely your favorite after the poster. You were happy to add it to your little collection. 

“Can someone please explain what is a DILF I don't get it and why is Joel one?” Ellie asks for the billionth time, getting frustrated at you both for not listening to her. 

“Its da-”  You were interrupted by Joel his deep voice, a little upset at you for almost telling Ellie, you didnt think it was too inappropriate but he clearly disagreed. 

“Absolutely not youre not telling her she doesn't need to know, way too young for that, Im surprised you even know what it means” he responded, looking back at you mortified at where you had learned it from. 

“Hey! I was born before the pandemic you know” you tell him, reminding him that you’re not that young. Although compared to him, you were. 

“You were what 4, 5 when it happened can’t have remembered much before.” you heard the sass in his voice but you continue trying to prove that it shouldn't be surprising that you know what a DILF is. 

 “Okay, Im not ancient like you but still I had older friends, and we would talk about-” He interrupts you again, staring at you with frowned eyebrows. 

“Please stop there I really don’t want to know what you and your friends talk about, can we just change topics please.” If they told you about DILFs, he really didn't want to hear what else teens talked about in this world. 

“Dude c’mon, why can't you tell me, Im not a little kid.” Ellie says again, trying to get both of your attention and get you to explain it to her. You know now she’s not gonna let it go since Joel told her no. But you decided you’ll explain it later, especially after the whole playboy magazine situation, and she was around the same age you first heard it from your friends so you didnt see the issue.

“Alright from here until we get to where we are headed we are quiet, no one says a word unless you're dying got it” you could tell Joel had heard enough, and considering that you were outside you told it was best to listen to him and not distract him or yourself. 

“got it” “yes sir” you lean towards Ellie. “He’s in a mood today huh” deciding to bother him one last time before you would have be serious. 

She was about to respond until you walked right into Joel, giving you a yet intimidating glare frowning his eyebrows at you.  “alright alright, i’ll shut up.” 

After a couple hours of walking, Joel found a small safe building to sleep for the night, and you had been talking to Ellie until she fell asleep; you walk over into the room Joel was in, deciding to tease him again.

 “Hey daddy whatcha doing?” you call out in his direction, watching as he rolls his eyes at the name. 

“Stop.” he responded flatly, clearly not amused by your jokes, but you decided to keep them going. 

 “What's wrong Daddy does it make you flustered?” You thought he was going to give you another flat response or tell you to shut up. But you were wrong, instead, he stands up and walks over to you, standing closer than you anticipated, you try to step back slightly, but his arm around your waist prevents you from going too far. You feel the blood rush to your cheek and ears, your mouth goes dry, not knowing what to say or how to respond.

“Oh look who’s flustered now, sweetheart.” His deep voice teases you back, having more of an effect on you than your teasing did on him. You feel yourself get hotter, your brain is unable to focus anything except on how close he was and his rough hand around your waist forcing you closer to him, though you didn't mind. You continue blinking up at him, speechless.

“Youre so quiet now what happened, thought you were teasing me baby?” 

You continue to stare at his brown eyes, the only thing you brain was thinking way, wow hes so hot. You look up into his face, taking in his features. The wrinkles around his pretty brown eyes, the scars and cuts around his face. God you always thought he was attractive but it still amazes you how hot and pretty he was. You could look at him all day. 

He wraps both his hand around your waist, pulling you to him,places his lips on yours. You loved kissing Joel. It was rare having him kiss you while you weren’t in the safety of the QZ. He usually couldn’t relax enough to kiss you, needing to be alert and focused just in case. So this took you by surprise but his kisses always made you feel warm and safe, and in that moment, you didn't have to worry about anything. All that mattered was him. 

You wrap your hands around his neck as you deepen the kiss, pressing your lips against his rough lips, closing your eyes as you melt into his embrace; his hands lower down your waist and squeeze your ass, which surprises you so much that you let out a small gasp against his lips. Joel pulls away slightly, smiling at you “youre cute” His actions confused you; you rarely ever are intimate outside the walls, but you trusted him and if he felt comfortable you knew you were safe so you decided to mess with him “hmm I dont daddy youre pretty cute yourself.” 

He guides you over to the makeshift bed, leading you by your waist, making you walk backward, as you continue kissing him, parting your lips slightly, allowing his tongue to slip inside yours. 

 “You ain’t gonna stop are you” he asks he sits down and pulls you down onto his lap; you couldn’t tell iif he seriously was tired of you calling him that or if he just teasing too. 

 “what you don't like it Daddy?” you ask, trying to gauge his reaction you didn’t want to push it too far or actually make him uncomfortable. 

 “I never say that now did I, sweetheart?” again, he confused you does that mean he liked it or that he didn’t mind you joking about it? you stare at his face trying to see. 

Your thoughts are interrupted by him pulling your lips onto his again. But more aggressively than earlier, moaning into his mouth and rolling your hips against him as he gropes your ass through your jeans.

“Joel” You moan against his lips before you lean your head into his neck.

 “Aw baby what happened to daddy huh” you pull away, looking up at him with wide eyes, surprised. Did he like it? You look at his face and see his eyes full of lust, and you realized he liked it. He liked it when you called him daddy. You look down, suddenly getting shy and embarrassed about saying it. It was one thing saying it as a joke and teasing him about it, but to moan, it was different; it was dirtier. 

He saw you getting shy and flustered in his lap, avoiding eye contact with him. Unlike you, he could read you like the back of his hand; he could easily tell you were embarrassed.

“c’mon baby no need to be shy, I can tell you like too don’t you” he softly stroked your waist when one hand and squeezes your ass with the other. you take your gaze off the floor onto him. nodding in agreement with him.

“C’mon baby need you say it, you like calling me daddy don’t you” you could tell he wanted you to say it out loud, his hand rubbing small patterns on your waist encouraging you, reassuring you that you didn’t need to be embarrassed. 

“Yea i like it daddy” you mutter quietly, still ashamed to say in a serious setting. Not quite ready to admit to yourself that calling Joel daddy turned you on as much as it did. 

You didn't think you would like it or find it this attractive. Maybe it was your lack of a father growing up, and Joel being older than you. You didn't know why; all you knew is that once you said it, you felt yourself getting wetter. 

“hmm good girl” he takes your face into his hands, kissing you again; you slip your tongue into his mouth, his deep voice letting out a moan against your mouth. You couldnt help but grind and roll your hips against him, searching for any type of release. 

He goes to lift your shirt but stops slightly, rolling his eyes “Want me to fuck you in the I heart DILFS shirt dont you?” you look at him, nodding laughing a little “you know me so well.” 

He sighs and shakes his head. Although there’s disappointment in his voice, you can tell there’s also amusement. “ I do, dont why I tolerate you” 

 “You love me, cant live without me, I bring adventure into your life you’d be so bored without me.” you remind him why he puts up with you.

“Shut up” he mutters, though you sensed the amusement in his voice because he knows you’re right. As much as you annoyed him, he couldn’t imagine living without your teasing and antics. 

You unbutton his shirt and take it off, lightly grazing your fingers across his chest, admiring his chest and body, you see more scars and healed wounds but you also see his muscles. You’ve always loved his body. You remember the nights in your apartment placing, kissing along his waist, his chest, his stomach. 

You thought about placing marks on his chest but were interrupted by him unzipping your jeans and lifts your hips up to slide your pants off, you get off his lap, taking off the rest of your pants.  You unzip his pants, pulling them down, you stare at his bulge through his boxers and press kisses onto his dick, teasing him through his boxers. 

“Wanna suck you off” you mumble quietly, focusing on how much you need him in your mouth. You weren’t even sure he heard or understood you until you hear his deep voice speak to you, breaking you away from your thoughts. 

“What’d you say darling couldnt hear” You know he heard you he just wanted you to say it louder. 

“Can I please suck your dick daddy” you look up at him batting your eyelashes while you rub your hand against his hard dick. You feel his dick twitch against your hand while he bites his lip, suppressing a moan. 

“Goddamn darling you’re killing me” his texas accent getting stronger as he gets harder in his boxers, you loved hearing his deep texas accent come out as he gets more turned on by you. 

He pulls down his boxers, and no matter how many times you’ve seen his dick, you’re still in shocked at how big he is. You can’t help but to stare for a couple of seconds taking it in, you smile up at him before teasing him licking the tip gently as you lightly stroke him, you continue placing kitty licks on his dick. He shivers against your tongue, and you love it, love watching him fall apart because of you and seeing how much your mouth affected him. 

 You gather some spit in your mouth before you drool some onto his dick. He rolls his eyes back as you slowly stroke his cock in your hand, using your spit as lube. You hear his deep voice moaning as you lean down and lick the tip while still stroking him. You start to slowly speed your hand when you feel his hand lightly tugging your hair making you stop and stare up at him.

 “you’re gonna have to speed it up sweetheart.” 

That was all he said before his hand grabbed the back of your head and forced your lips onto his cock. You hollow your cheeks and take him in further, feeling your nose brush against his hair at the base of his cock. He moves his hips gently fucking your throat 

“Fuck you feel so good” he murmured under his breath, his voice deeper than his usual tone. You closed your eyes as you felt yourself starting to choke on him,he started to thrust his hips faster into your mouth. 

“C’mon baby look at me, look at daddy.” 

You couldn’t help but moan around him at his words, feeling yourself getting more turned on as he called himself daddy. You listen, looking up at him through your eyelashes as you continue taking him down your throat. 

“Atta girl, so pretty looking up at me like that.” you feel yourself getting warmer from his praise, loving how vocal he was, you wish you were back at his apartment so he could be louder without the risk of drawing unwanted and dangerous attention. 

He moves the hair that was falling in front of your face behind your ears “you look fucking gorgeous sucking my dick darling” feeling butterflies in your stomach as he compliments you.  

You take him out of your swollen lips when you start feeling dizzy from the lack of air; you continue to stroke him in your hands as you catch your breath until he puts his hand on your head, guiding your mouth back onto his cock. His deep voice moans out your name under his breath as he gets closer to his release. 

“fuck darling i’m close keep on-yes like that baby god you like this huh like having daddy’s dick in your mouth sweetheart?”

You nod as best you could, trying to agree, but all that comes out is your moans against his dick. You could tell he was close as his started to get slightly louder, but you could tell he was trying his best to be quiet. His deep voice, making your head go fuzzy in arousal. He start making you gag as he thrusting into your mouth faster , sloppy fucking into your mouth as he closer to his release. After a few more thrust you hear him moaning your name as he cums into your mouth. You feel his cum shoot into your mouth and down your throat.

You held your head onto his cock until he finish before you slowly took him out your mouth. He holds your cheek in his hands, lightly caressing them. 

“Open baby girl let me see.” you happily open your mouth, showing how you swallowed his cum. “Good girl baby c’mere” he pulls you onto his lap again before placing a kiss on your lips , softly biting your bottom lip before pulling away. He holds you in his lap for a couple of minutes. you lay your head on his shoulder as he softly rubs his hand up and down your back.

“if we were at home you know i’d take care of you right baby” his deep voice makes you lift your head off of him, looking into his eyes. Before you met Joel, you thought older men didn’t have much of a sex drive, you didn’t know if it was just Joel or all men in their 50s but he proved you wrong. There have been many nights in his room where he would fuck more than one time; the first time caught you by surprise. Of course, you both paid the price in the morning; both sore, aching muscles had to spend the next day in bed, not being able to do much. So you know he would have fuck if you were back at home. 

“Of course i do” you play with the hair at the back of his neck for a little while before getting off his lap so he could put his clothes back on, and you do the same. You didn't mind; you knew sucking him off was as much risk as he could take, and you didn't really feel comfortable enough to fuck out in the open like this. After you both have your clothes on, you lay down with Joel, wrapping your arms around his waist as he turned, pressing your back into your chest, falling asleep. Trying to rest before you’d have to walk back to the QZ in the morning.

[bumblebeehug]

Gave him her heart

Ship: Natsu Dragneel x Lucy Heartfilia Summary: Lucy worries about what to get Natsu for his birthday, not knowing how ridiculously easy it actually is. Day 5 of Nalu Week 2023 - prompt: gifts Ao3

***

Natsu was a good man. He was wild, fun, crazy, but most of all: good. Lucy was very aware of this and knew that such a good man truly deserved the best. So, naturally she felt slightly panicked when she realised his birthday was coming up.

Lucy liked to believe that she was good at giving gifts. She was observant, both on the battlefield and off, so she knew what people looked a little extra at when they browsed shops or went by markets. Wendy turned to sweets, cute dresses or jewellery, something Lucy was relieved over when she noticed it – Lucy was nothing if not good at picking clothes and accessories, and Wendy was transparent with her tastes (sweet = good, savoury = fine, if there was a good reason to why it was gifted, otherwise a little weird, and sour = danger zone. It could be risky, but citrusy tastes were appreciated in sweet desserts). Erza was also easy to please with gifts – either go the sword and armour route, or go the girly route, possibly with some suggestive books. Gray appreciated nice soaps and clean décor for his house, and if she wanted to be funny with him she could always gift him underwear, seeing as it was the only clothing that stayed on for a while (though since him and Juvia got together it wasn’t really an option – Juvia didn’t care too much about what Lucy gave him, underwear or not, but Lucy herself felt weird about it, so nowadays she kept to soaps). Carla liked tea and pretty dresses as well, but appreciated flowers and other handmade things, and Happy was never happier than on his birthday, when he practically could get buried in the number of fishes he’d be given.

Natsu, however? Lucy wasn’t too sure what she could give him. He liked loads of things – food, fights, adventures, funny hats, board games: few things were off the table with that guy. If she gave him a bouquet of flowers he’d probably smile and say thanks (and maybe he’d try to eat them once he got home), if she gave him tea, he’d probably set the leaves on fire and accidentally get high or something – she didn’t want to risk it either way. He’d be thankful for any clothes she would give him, but would most likely only wear them when he really had to, or to sleep if they were comfortable enough. He really liked his special made ones, that managed to stay intact no matter how hot his fire was. He would definitely try to eat the soaps, and that wasn’t worth it in her opinion, and if she gave him a fish he’d very likely think she was either giving Happy a gift through him, or that she was confessing her undying love for him, since that’s what it meant when Happy gave fishes as gifts to the opposite gender (of the same species, might be important to add).

Point is: giving Natsu gifts was hard when you knew him too well. She had even considered giving him jewellery that matched with the ones she had gotten from him recently, but it once again came down to him only wearing them as a chore, and her pride couldn’t really take that. She would have to put a pin in this challenge though, because she was expected at the guild to help cover a shift for Mira as she dealt with one of her requested missions.

As she entered the guild hall, she was relieved to see that it was rather empty. It had its perks, working at a bar in the middle of the day, and since she saw some of her closer mates, she knew she could take her chance to dig around and find out what others would be gifting him.

“Hi Master,” she greeted Makarov, still using the title he had tried to give over so many times already. Though technically he was still in charge, so Lucy thought it only appropriate to keep calling him master until he truly was off the position. “I’m covering for Mira this afternoon.”

“I heard,” he grumbled from his position in the wheelchair. “You’ve been behind the bar before, so you know the drill. In fact, could you bring me a plate of fried squid and a beer? Just put it on my tab.”

Lucy took his order and sent a note into the kitchen per his request. Normally Mira would help out in the kitchen as well, but since Lucy had limited experience with cooking the meals they were serving, she was excused to just manage the drinks and easier snacks, like nuts and chips. As she waited for the staff in the kitchen to finish the order, she poured a glass of beer for Makarov. Half with light alcohol, half with none. He was currently cutting down on his alcohol intake, Porlyusica’s demand, but to not make him fall back immediately from quitting cold turkey, they slowly made him drink lighter and lighter.

“So, Natsu’s birthday is coming up,” Lucy said, trying to cover it up as small talk, but realising it was obvious what she was trying to do.

“I’ve heard.” A smug grin graced Makarov’s face. The relations between the mages in his guild were always amusing, especially in the stage that Lucy’s and Natsu’s had been in the last couple of years.

“I’m a bit curious…” She gave him his order. “What do you think he wants? You’ve known him for longest.”

“Child, I’m too old to remember all my guild members’ gift preferences, and I’m definitely not rich enough to give away gifts like it’s nothing. For a long time now, I’ve allowed myself to forget who likes what.” Lucy smiled, ready to brush the topic off and take another order across the hall, but he continued. “I do, however, know that you could give him a stick or a pebble you found on the sidewalk, and that boy would treasure it like it’s his most sacred, most valuable item in his possession. Do what feels right, Lucy.”

She thanked him, but within she felt like she was back at square one. She knew he would be happy about getting any gift, but she didn’t want to give him just any gift. She wanted it to reflect how much she appreciated him and their friendship, and she wanted it to stick out. Maybe it could even suggest that she appreciated him more than a normal friend, but only if he started overthinking the gift (which she doubted he would do anyways). It was meant to be subtle, but not subtle enough for it to never be discovered by him. And if it needed to be discovered by him, whatever this little message it was she was trying to convey to him, then it would have to be flashing in neon lights above his bed when he woke up in the morning.

So, she spent a few hours continuing to ponder on what to do, as she was taking more and more orders as people kept dropping in. At around 6:30pm her true saviours arrived at the guild hall. Her team, plus a few other closer friends and minus Natsu and Happy, who were camping today and tomorrow, were back from one of their shorter missions, and they were probably starving for some dinner. Lucy was quick to come over and take their order, also grabbing her chance to question them about their thoughts on this conundrum.

“Hi guys, did the mission go well?” She greeted them, preparing her notepad.

“It went great!” Wendy beamed, and Lucy made a quick mental note to ask about the mission more in detail at a later date. She must have done a good job if she allowed herself to be this proud – Lucy always thought she was too harsh on herself when they fought on missions.

“Gray even kept his clothes on,” Erza added, praising the man on her right.

They took a quick moment to chat, and as they finally decided on what to eat, Lucy seized her moment.

“So,” she started, already knowing she would never live down asking a question like this, considering that many of the people at the table were quite transparent on their opinions on Lucy’s and Natsu’s relationship, “Natsu’s birthday, huh?”

The silence her sentence brought made her regret it immediately. She could already see how their brains were working on new ways to tease her for whatever she was going to say next, but she would have to swallow her pride once again. It’s for a good cause, she kept telling herself.

“Have you gotten your presents yet?” She chuckled awkwardly, hoping their answers would be enough to inspire her, so she could get their food and forget she ever brought it up in the first place.

“Mhm.”

“Yep.”

“I have too.”

“And I’m with Wendy on her gift,” Carla added, still making it painfully obvious that nobody was elaborating their answers. They were making Lucy work for it; she just knew it. They loved grabbing their chances to make her say embarrassing things, and today was no exception.

“Really…” She forced out a laugh. “So, what have you gotten him?” She tried again to prompt anyone at the table to speak up, but they knew she would have to continue pressing, and that it would sound more and more desperate the less information they gave her, so after they all stayed silent for another minute, Lucy gave in.

“I’ve just completely blanked out; I can’t even remember a single thing he likes! Please, help me! Give me some inspiration!”

Erza exchanged a glance with Wendy before she answered.

“Well, he likes fire.”

“And fighting.”

“And ugly tourist shirts,” Gray chimed in. Lucy groaned.

“I can’t exactly give him a clip card for sparring matches, and I’ve already considered a bonfire, but I wanted to have a get together later with all of us where we make a bonfire and drink hot chocolate and stuff.” She spared Gray a short glance as well. “And he only wears his special made clothes, so I can’t give him a shirt to frame for 200 jewel.”

“Then we can’t help you,” Erza said, flipping her bangs as she always does when she lies. Lucy pouted.

“I’ll get you your food, please help me afterwards?”

“Deal.”

After 30 minutes she finally had four hot plates balancing on her arms, ready to serve to her stubborn teammates. They were chatting along just fine now, so hopefully the would have forgotten their silent agreement to keep themselves clammed about their gifts. Lucy hurried to place out their food, hoping that they would notice her way of bribing them by giving them extra big portions.

“Now please...! What should I give him?” Lucy sat down at the table. She wasn’t going anywhere until she got an answer she was pleased with.

Wendy gave her an apologetic smile.

“Well… We can tell you what we think, but don’t you think he’d like it better if it truly came from you?” Erza nodded along.

“I’m going to give him a sword that’s enchanted with endless fire,” she revealed. “But you know, it’s not really a gift that screams ‘Lucy’.”

“Erza’s right. I’m giving him some scrap wood I found in the woods because I can’t really bother, but no gift we tell you to get will be as appreciated as the one you come up with,” Gray said, taking a sip from his beer.

“And we’re getting him a small cupon at a restaurant,” Wendy added.

Lucy sighed.

“I know it won’t be the same, but my creative well has completely dried up. Nothing I think of feels like enough. If I get him something I’d appreciate it would be like I don’t know him at all, and that doesn’t feel fair.” She started to feel hopeless. She didn’t like how drained she got from worrying about this – she loved Natsu! And she would love to properly show him how much she loved him, because he truly deserved that. Platonic or not.

“Hey, you look like you’re giving up, that’s not like you! Think of it like this, we’ve all combined our own interests with Natsu’s interest: Erza with the sword, Wendy and Carla with the food, and me with the scrap wood that shows that I have zero interest in him. Why don’t you write something to him? It may not look like it, but I think he know how to read. At least simple words.” Gray gave Lucy a half-hug from his seat in an attempt to comfort her.

“So… you think I should write him a letter? Would that be enough?” She felt sceptical, but it could work.

“You spitting on him would be enough,” Carla snorted, almost offended by her obliviousness.

“Carla!” Wendy burst out, not before Lucy raised an eyebrow in confusion. Her gut told her not to ask, and for once, she decided to actually follow that gut feeling.

“Do you really think a letter would be enough though?” She asked.

“How about you give him an experience? A friendly date of sorts,” Carla suggested.

“An experience?”

“Like going to the movies, or to a restaurant, or maybe picknick or stargazing?” It was Erza who spoke up this time, and Lucy thought she could see a sparkle in her eye. If she didn’t know better, she would almost think that Erza had been on dates like that herself.

“Hm… I guess you’re right. If he doesn’t like it, I’ll just have to ask him directly, I suppose.”

Lucy stood up from her seat at the table and bid farewell to her friends, along with her thanks. A letter would have to do, and she had a gut feeling that told her that she would figure out a good topic to write about. She hurried to end her shift so she could get to her gift-making. A good idea rarely stayed for long in one’s head.

When she finally sat at her desk, pen in her right hand and paper in front of her, she knew this was the right thing to do. What better way was there to tell Natsu how much she appreciated him, if not through words on paper? It was her speciality, after all. She had even lighted some candles to keep her company, since she knew she would sit there for a while. There was a lot of things she wanted to tell him and thank him for, and the letter would be the perfect way to convey these feelings. Right. Feelings. That could include her less platonic ones, and even if this was a great opportunity for that as well, she didn’t know if she was quite ready to go that far yet. In the meantime, she would just have to tell him she loved him in every way except the straightforward one.

Four hours and 16 pages later, she had her letter. It was ridiculously long, she knew that, and he probably wouldn’t be able to read it in one go, but her heart felt light. A letter was the perfect gift. She had even included multiple invites to ‘experiences’ she wanted to give him, and if he took as long to read it as she thought he would, then those experiences would be experienced with about one week in between them. Lucy gave the thick envelope a quick lick to seal it, and after that she couldn’t help but to give it a soft kiss. She had poured her heart out, and though it would be embarrassing for her to know that he would read such things, it also felt very right. It wasn’t a love letter, but in a way, it felt like it was. She had told him all the things she loved about him, all the moments she especially appreciated him being there, and how great her entire life was thanks to him. If read with the intent of reading a love letter, it could very well translate into one, and maybe, someday in the future, he could look back at it and see the hints she left him.

Lucy leaned back in her chair with a big yawn. It was well into midnight hours by now, and she really needed a refreshing shower. A thought went to how Natsu and Happy were having it right now, in a tent somewhere in the woods. Though she was happy to get to sleep in her soft bed, she was missing them. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough. To speed time up she hurried to the bathroom so she could get into bed as soon as possible – her apartment wasn’t the same without those two.

Lucy cursed herself. Why, why, why had she written that letter? It was the most obvious love-confession anyone could ever read, how on earth had she not realised that when she read it through yesterday? She was dragging her feet behind her, because if the embarrassment wouldn’t kill her when he read it later, she would have to kill herself, and no one non-suicidal would ever look forward to something like that. So, her feet dragged. The letter felt heavy in her hands, and she knew that as soon as it would be opened, she would feel naked. Her gut was begging her to turn back, but her heart told her that celebrating Natsu today was more important than her pride. Him and Happy were coming back from their camping trip, and they promised her they would stop by the guild to say hi before heading home, and that’s when they would be surprised with a small celebration. Nothing like other events, where people went completely wild, but a celebration big enough to show him some appreciation.

Checking the clock one last time, she made sure that she was there before they arrived. They woke up pretty late generally and their favourite camping spot was about an hour into the woods. 10am. Maybe they hadn’t even woken up yet, but Lucy didn’t want to risk it. She wanted to prepare and decorate the guild, and then she would grab something to eat, considering she hadn’t eaten any breakfast yet.

As she entered the guild, she was relieved to only see her team and a handful more people. They were chatting and blowing up balloons, and they had turned one of the tables into a gift-table. Lucy hurried to put her letter amongst the others, eager to get the gift out of her hands.

“Good morning, Lucy!” Levy greeted her with a hug. “You’re pretty late, did you stay up last night?” Lucy chuckled lightly.

“Yeah, I had something important to finish.” She felt her team’s eyes in her back – they knew she had stayed up writing, and though Lucy knew she hadn’t written a love confession of any sort (other than platonic) she still managed to feel a blush creep onto her cheeks.

“So, do you need help with the balloons?” She offered, greeting the rest of the group.

“It’s fine, you go ahead and grab some breakfast instead,” Mira smiled.

“How did you know I haven’t eaten?” Lucy sat down at a table.

“You have a tendency to forget to eat when you have other things on your plate,” Mira just answered, placing down a yoghurt bowl with homemade granola and fruits. Lucy could only smile sheepishly, slightly embarrassed how obviously nervous she was about this event. She was sure Erza had told her about her moment of weakness yesterday, so she reminded herself to try to keep herself under the radar. She’d just be here, sing a happy birthday song, eat a piece of cake and watch Natsu open his presents, then the day would be over and the whole Lucy-confesses-her-feelings-though-a-letter thing would be over! No unnecessary teasing from her friends, if all went well.

“I’m back!”

The guild door shot open with a noise loud enough to give the untrained ear a heart attack. Lucy however had a trained ear, so she just turned her head and met Natsu’s happy gaze, her heart fluttering at the fact that his eyes immediately searched for her and no one else.

“Happy birthday!” The guild cheered. Lucy stood up from her place at the table, not really knowing why until Natsu stood in front of her, just an arm’s length away. If she reached, she would be able to bring him into a hug, and it truly itched in her arms to do exactly that.

“Hey,” Lucy smiled softly. “Happy birthday.” Watching Natsu’s smile go from surprised and generally happy, to soft and caring made Lucy lose what little control she had, and she caved into her needs to hug him. As soon as she felt him hug her back, she knew that whatever the others thought about the content of her letter contained, as long as Natsu read it and took it to heart, all would be fine.

“Thank you,” he whispered, tightening the hug for a second before he went ahead and thanked the rest of his friends, never straying far from Lucy.

The birthday party was overall a quite big success, everyone had a great time, and Natsu, who not so secretly had been itching to open the presents, finally gave in and announced what he was planning to do.

“Time to open the presents!” He cheered, almost jumping in place in excitement, clearly not representing the age he was turning (400-something years old) but making everyone smile regardless. Everyone except Lucy, whose heart flew up in her throat, suddenly getting the strongest urge to grab her letter before he got to it so she could throw it away or burn it. Not because she didn’t want him to read it – she would just prefer it if he read it somewhere more private, where the burning eyes of her much beloved friends could read it and jump to conclusions. So, she hurried close to whisper her plan to Natsu – despite him being the cause of these nerve-racking feelings, he was still her partner in crime, and she knew he would break his neck to achieve whatever she asked him to do. This time, what she asked him not to do.

“Psst!”

Natsu shot a glance to Lucy, who was whispering just quietly enough that no one else would notice, unless they had dragon ears and paid attention to her. Lucy, who saw that he had heard her, hurried to shoot her shot.

“My gift is the letter, I would kinda like it if you read it after the party instead? It’s just – it’s quite long and it won’t be any fun if you sat down and read it here, you know?”

The ball was in the air, and now she could at least sleep well knowing that no matter the outcome, she did try her best to steer the situation into best case scenario – all to her means of course.

Natsu, the king of pranks and someone who was surprisingly good at sneaking around, despite his usual love for the “let’s just barge in and fight anyone who tries to stop us” approach, still managed to keep up his gleeful demeanour as he had listened to Lucy’s request. He once again met her gaze and gave her a quick nod, ensuring that she had scored. The rest of the evening would manage to stay calm and uneventful. All thanks to their ways to keep down low. It was really convenient to have dragon hearing at times like these – though usually she had that thought on missions, and not happy, meant to be uneventful celebrations and parties.

The birthday boy himself didn’t mind opening Lucy’s gift later. In fact, he was just happy he was getting something at all from her, considering how stressful most birthdays could be for her. Sure, she already knew what genre people liked, but getting down to picking the actual thing and managing prices was a hard task for Lucy to tackle without stress. So instead, he went ahead and opened the elongated, wrapped gift that said “Happy birthday, from Erza” on the card. He would make sure to ease Lucy’s mind today, considering how stressed she clearly had been the last couple of weeks.

Natsu couldn’t stop grinning. He truly had the best friends ever, and despite him not being a big birthday celebrator when it came to himself, it felt good to be appreciated. There had been good songs playing, yummy food to eat, and most importantly: good company. He especially loved the presents he had gotten, since they clearly were gifts that his friends had carefully thought through and taken into consideration before giving them – yes, even Gray’s gift was appreciated, because though it seemed silly, he did sometimes need firewood after hard missions to speed up his recovery. Everything was dear to him, so when he finally got home with that thick letter in his hands, he couldn’t wait a second more to open it. This, you see, might be the dearest gift of all.

The softly written “To: Natsu Dragneel” on the front of the envelope made Natsu’s heart beat harder. He knew that the content in it probably wasn’t anything out of the ordinary stuff the two of them said to each other, but still. He liked that Lucy had put extra thought into whatever she had written. Or, at least he hoped she had, seeing as he didn’t actually know what the letter said yet.

Happy peaked over Natsu’s shoulder, closing the door behind the two.

“So, what are you waiting for? Open it!” Happy urged, eager to see what Lucy wanted to say to him, but clearly couldn’t since she had to write it down. In his opinion a speech would be quicker, knowing how slowly Natsu read.

Carefully Natsu parted the sealed wax from the paper, making sure not to tear anything. If he could make some space, he’d want to hang everything on his memory wall later, and in that case he didn’t want to ruin it.

Still standing just inside the door, Natsu began to read. The letter started out rather normal. She was writing the obligatory happy birthdays and saying hi to Happy, who she knew would read over Natsu’s shoulder despite it being a private message. That part piqued Natsu’s interest a little extra. What did she have to say to him that not only had to be written, but wasn’t meant for Happy to know? It sparked some hope in his heart that she possibly could feel something special about him – special-er than what they already had. He continued down the page. She started reminiscing about the past, and about halfway through the second page, Happy gave up on Natsu’s slow reading and told him he’d simply read it after Natsu was done with it. Natsu took a seat as he joined Lucy’s trip down memory lane, enjoying the new information on how she saw him when they first met, during their first missions and more. He especially liked learning that despite his foul mood the first days together, she still had fond memories of him, like when he included her in his list of friends when they fought Macao (before they knew it was him, since he had turned into a Vulcan) and how the reason she didn’t refuse to get along with him after he had seemingly deceived her for a mission, was because he had managed to get a few lucky words in. Something like “because we thought you seemed nice” had made her stick, and Natsu could only thank his past self for accidentally pressing the right buttons.

As he continued reading, he was struck by the wonderful realisation that he truly mattered to Lucy. It’s not like he didn’t know that she enjoyed his company, but seeing in in black and white was completely different. It wasn’t just that she had written something along the lines of “I care about you, your existence matters to me” (though that would have worked as well), but the fact that she could remember so many small details of what he had said and done, that she may as well have written a complete book with all those moments, and it would probably be at least 200 pages long. He knew she had been cutting down on what memories she brought up in the letter, because enough talks with one person made them show how much brain capacity they had, and Natsu knew that her brain capacity was way longer than a 16-page letter. This was her way of being concise. Yet she still managed to bring up moments he only vaguely remembered, sharing almost exact quotes of what was said and by who. Mostly the who was either Natsu or Lucy, but it was still impressive.

Natsu had never been interested in reading. It was a chore he had to go through to get the money he needed for food, had never been any more interesting than that. Except for two occasions: Lucy’s first published book, and this letter. Sure, he had been reading it for almost double as long as it probably took to write it, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t interested. This letter was so far the greatest thing he had ever received, which wasn’t an easy thing to manage.

At 4am had he gotten to the last line of the letter. His eyes were trying to force him to rest, but his mind fought it like never before. He had skipped dinner for this, and he was not planning to give up last minute, just to succumb to something so superficial, boring and unnecessary as sleep. No, he gathered up some extra will power and pulled though. “Though you probably understand this after reading this letter, I am simply eternally grateful for everything you are, and what you’ve just read is the best I could do at describing my gratefulness in words. Thank you for all you’ve done, and for being unapologetically you. No one else could make me as happy as you have, so once again: Happy birthday, Natsu Dragneel.” She had signed it with her signature at the very bottom, ensuring that all he had just read was completely and wholly from Lucy. After reading the whole thing, he felt his legs itch. No, maybe it was his arms. Feet, hands? No, it was most definitely his soul that had started to climb inside his body. He wanted to go to her, and he wanted to see her. Preferably five minutes ago. He threw another glance at the clock. 4:50am. He had been tossing around, unable to even do as much as close his eyes, for the last 40 minutes, and he knew he wouldn’t feel better until he was within a 20-meter radius of Lucy. Or rather, 2-meter radius.

Not bothering to sneak around the heavy sleeper that the exceed was, Natsu jumped out of the bed and pulled on his slippers. In less than 3 seconds he was out the door, and in another 3 he noticed that he was running. He wasn’t quite sure what he would do when he saw her, especially considering that she most likely was asleep in this hour, but he simply had to get to her, quickly. The time was ticking, like he was a bomb soon to explode, like he was going to run out of time if he didn’t arrive soon. Wind blowing in his ears, he could barely make out the sound of his heavy breathing. He hadn’t run this fast in Mavis knows how long, and he might actually had made it outside her apartment in record time. His chest rising and lowering in big breaths, he managed to make something of a sigh in relief to see her window slightly opened. Climbing the wall quietly was no challenge with Natsu’s experience, so he swiftly pulled himself up, making sure to fully open and enter the window as quickly as possible – though this time with less success since he didn’t have as much experience with that part. Usually he just barged in after scaling the wall, seeing as the time he did it at was most often a time where Lucy either was away or awake.

Either way, he didn’t manage to sneak in as stealthily as he’d like. The window creaked and his body almost fell limp after getting a whiff of Lucy’s calming scent – that he had been running like a maniac to get there didn’t help either, and after a loud, nongraceful landing, Lucy was already awake.

“Natsu? ‘s that you?” She mumbled, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“Yeah, sorry for waking you,” he whispered, finding his balance on his legs again as he stood up.

“No worries.” Lucy had now swung her legs over the edge of her bed and sat in a more upright position. “Did you need anything? Is Happy alright?”

“Yeah, he’s at home sleeping. I just felt like coming here,” Natsu said, full transparency.

“Alright,” Lucy said, now taking a better look at his face. He looked red and flustered, but with his heavy breathing it might just be the fact that he ran to her place.

“I read it.”

Lucy’s face started getting hot as well.

“The letter?”

“The entire thing.”

“Wow. Uh, so what do you think of it?” Had the hour been normal she might not have asked him such a bold question, but something about the way the streetlights and moon illuminating the room made her feel brave. Perhaps she still thought she was dreaming, but this felt much too real to be just a dream.

“It’s perfect.” Natsu took a few steps closer. He could now make out most of her facial features, sleepy yet alert of his presence.

“I’m glad.”

A few more seconds went by, though it felt like minutes.

“Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“All of it. All the things you wrote?”

A soft smile graced Lucy’s lips.

“Of course. I would never lie about those things.”

Natsu knew he could be dense in most situations. He couldn’t always read the room, and he wasn’t good at subtext. This time however, he had felt something the whole time as he read that letter. Maybe it was what other would call “reading between the lines” but he suddenly had great confidence in something that could change their relationship forever. Of course, it was a very long shot, but perhaps the adrenaline from all that running was just what he needed to gather the courage to take it. He did, however, decide to test out the water first. Running headfirst was usually his go-to method if he could choose, but he wasn’t blind to the delicacy of the situation he was putting himself in.

“Can I assume things?” He tried.

“Assume things? From what I wrote?” Lucy asked, curious where he was leading this conversation. She was very aware of her heartbeat, but she didn’t know that she didn’t have to be this time, considering that all that Natsu was hearing was his own.

“Yeah.”

“It depends. What do you want to assume?”

Natsu swallowed. Did he always have this much saliva? If so, maybe something was wrong with him. He swallowed again, clenching and unclenching his fists. Had he ever been this nervous in a situation as calm as this? No bandits, no monsters, no big wild animals – not even an annoyed Erza was around.

“That…” he started, his tongue thickening as he spoke. Not literally, but it sure felt like it. He could barely concentrate on what he wanted to say, gazing into those doe eyes. She was so, ridiculously pretty. He knew that before, of course, but he almost found it unfair. How could he think of any words when she sat there, looking all nice and pretty. “That you like me?”

He had said it as a question, though it sounded more like a statement right now. Lucy’s heart must have skipped a beat or two. She was still sleepy, but the tiny possibility that this wasn’t just a perfect dream made her stop herself from straight up answering yes.

“Well… I hoped my letter was clear on that. You’re my best friend in the whole world, how could I not like you?” She let out a small chuckle at the very idea of disliking a friend. She didn’t, however, predict what he would say next.

Natsu reached out his left hand, touching a piece of her hair that had fallen out from behind her ears.

“But can I assume…” He put it behind her ear, “that you like me more than a friend?”

Natsu’s eyes were darker than usual in the dimmed light, but Lucy saw clearly that he was being serious. Though, this exact facial expression was one she had never seen before. She had seen his tender look, his soft look, his happy look, his loving look, but she had never seen this combination of all. And it was her he was showing it to. In fact, maybe it was exactly this expression that made her admit the truth for once. For so long she had been scared that he would feel bothered or surprised by the very idea of “liking beyond friendship”, or love, as she would prefer to call it. She had been afraid that he would find her fantasies of the two of them living their life together as a couple weird, or even mildly repulsive. That her confession would lead to their friendship breaking apart forever. That, however, could no longer be the case. Lucy wasn’t blind, and she certainly wasn’t dumb. If Natsu looked this… happy? To even assume that she likes him beyond friendship, then the outcome from telling him the truth couldn’t possibly be bad. She tilted her head lightly towards his hand, sharing another smile.

“Yeah. I do like you more than a friend, or a best friend.” Natsu took another step closer, now close enough to make her feel his hot breath on her face that he had tilted upwards, towards him.

“Then…” He bended down slowly to come closer to her sitting position. “Can I kiss you?” His words didn’t come out louder than a breath, but Lucy knew what she heard. Her heart had never danced as wildly as it did when she nodded and closed her eyes as Natsu closed the space between them.

The kiss itself was probably nothing special to someone watching. It was plain and soft, just two mouths pressing against each other. For them, however, it was nothing short of magical fireworks. Lucy’s cool, soft lips against Natsu’s hot, slightly rougher ones sent shivers throughout both of them, as if the small touch had opened a completely new door, a way for them to connect and become closer than ever.

Inexperienced as they both were though, they soon had to break it off to breathe. After less than 20 seconds, Lucy pulled their faces together again. How could they have been missing out on this awesome experience for all the years they had known each other? Natsu knew that this already had topped the list of his favourite activities – even placing higher than eating and fighting. The next time they went up for air, they couldn’t stop themselves from giggling.

“Can this count as a birthday gift if I haven’t slept since yesterday?” Natsu asked, more energetic than reasonable after his long day.

“If that makes you happy,” Lucy smiled, giving him another peck on his lips. Whatever they decided to do from this point on, Lucy knew they would figure it out. After all, if they had managed to overcome the obstacle of going from friends to whatever this was, then they could definitely manage anything and everything else thrown at them. What’s important was that they from this point out, took on every challenge together.

[textualviolence]

Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao's Lovers Fuckability ranking

Level minus zero: Lan Xichen. Does not have even a shred of a fatherly relationship to JGY. Treats him like an equal. Is kind to him. Respects him as a person and genuinely likes who he is. Probably inspires JGY to become celibate so they can be chaste together. Some erotic tension if they don't fuck, brushes of hands, purity and chastity causing a rising of tension etc. But there's no way they can have actual sex outside of maybe the hiding from the Wen context. I bet they write poems to each other though. That's very nice. 2/10

Level 1: Nie Mingjue pre-Meng Yao's dismissal. Is technically probably Meng Yao's first dubious fatherbosslover figure. I do imagine he had a certain degree of guilt about it which isn't hot for anyone being victimized by an older authority figure. Definitely probably a lot of the sex they had and especially the kind they didn't have hinged on the fact that Meng Yao looks exactly like Nie Huaisang. I think if NMJ had been willing to cross that line and actually made Meng Yao kinda sorta pretend to be his little brother he would be further up the ranking, alas. The most morally dubious it gets is that Meng Yao is his servant and social inferior and probably aged around 15. However the incredibly high amount of approval he probably dished out regularly and easily alongside sex and orders did prepare the grounds for Meng Yao to then crave that kind of validation all the time and go to ridiculous lengths for it. 4/10

Level 2: Wen Ruohan. Will groom Meng Yao without subjecting him to his weird morality complex. WRH is just a bad guy and doesn't care. Also will favor Meng Yao over his actual blood children, partly as a manipulation tactic and also because his children kind of suck. Definitely loves to play people against each other and will use the trading of sexual favors as a political tool. Actually old enough to be his dad and is also in the same social position as his dad, currently beating his dad in a war, and acting as his dad dangling promises of legitimization in between throne room handjobs and prisoner torture sessions. Can humiliate both NMJ and JGS. Honestly the ideal situation. Too ideal? It's just too straightforward. Give yourself over to me body and soul and do my evil bidding and in exchange i'll give you all the validation you crave. That's so reliable that its suspicious and kind of a turn off. Where's the excitement and rollercoaster of unpredictable reward/punishment? 6/10

Level 5: Nie Mingjue post-Meng Yao's dismissal: No more little brother issue now it's all about how NMJ just wants to kill him at all cost and will risk political disaster in order to do so. NMJ who used to shower him with affection and validation, telling him all the time that he was proud of him and what a good job he was doing as a deputy, now wants him dead. The dick must be incredible. They probably don't have sex often & its never not violent & dangerous, but the high of it lasts for days. It doesn't lessen the rage in the long term but it evacuates it in the short term & where before the sex was coexisting with the validation now the sex IS the validation. Which makes it hot no matter how unvalidating its actually meant to be. Half those bruises he's hiding under his sleeves aren't from Madam Jin let me tell you. Plus he's writing poems to Lan Xichen and strongly considering the benefits of a chaste existence in between. The guilt and hypocrisy and having to lie to Lan Xichen's concerned and loving face when he sees the bruises is only making it more intense. 9/10

Level 7: Mo Xuanyu: He gets to become his dad(s) and take advantage of the willingness and admiration of a beautiful youth who would do anything for him. On top of that they're related. It's 100% reenactment power reversal fantasy combined with the horror of his marriage to Qin Su finding a concrete twisted sexual outlet. This time he fucked a half-sibling on purpose!!! And then he can dismiss him for sexual impropriety the second he comes to his senses and be rid of the sin forever which was half of the need. And then he can feel even more like his dad. 8/10

Level 10: Jin Guangshan: What more can I say. He slaps with one hand and caresses with another. Literally makes Jin Guangyao do the most secret taboo vile political tasks he can't offload onto anyone else and then refuses to touch him because of it until Meng Yao performs some kind of cleansing action, for which he is briefly rewarded with mild approval and even certain shows of affection, but never outside of the bedroom. Keeps a large retinue of whores and plays them off against each other, includes Meng Yao in the games to make sure he feels like one of them. No way to ever feel too comfortable in the certainty he has his father's anything because any shred of positive interaction is extremely hard-earned, unless he shows sign of wanting to leave or waver in his loyalties, in which case his father WILL pull him back with more love and care than he's ever shown which will feel like a drug. I bet he had more than one fight with NMJ over the issue of which groomer his son was to listen to and he won everytime. One show of possessiveness equivalent to 10'000 hours of basic respect in Meng Yao's heart. 10/10

[deezee112]

A Decision to Make

A/N : I decided to make a part 2 because I saw that people liked my little idea. I'm so glad you liked it!

If this chapter is finished, I will go write the "worst ending" which is the boys.

Warning : This story contains themes of psychological tension , unease , an unsettling relationship dynamic between a protagonist and a mysterious humanoid object , y/n is a hot-tempered and tall person.

English is not my first language.

You stared at the doll, now seated upright on you couch, its unsettlingly realistic features illuminated by the soft morning light filtering through your apartment’s curtains. The doll no, the child was unlike anything you had ever seen.

It was designed to look like a young boy, somewhere between eight and twelve years old. Its face was delicate, almost too perfect, with skin that looked touchably soft, faintly blushed cheeks, and glassy eyes that seemed to follow your every move. It wore a simple outfit a plain shirt and pants that looked like they’d been picked out of a catalog

You crossed you arms, narrowing your eyes at it. “ So, this is my life now, huh? Babysitting a hyper realistic doll while Crowley pretends this is normal. ”

The doll, of course, didn’t respond. It simply sat there, motionless and silent, but its very presence seemed to dominate the room.

You walked to the kitchen and poured youself another cup of coffee. You mind was spinning as you tried to process the absurdity of the situation. Crowley hadn’t given you any real instructions beyond vague platitudes about care and confidentiality. What exactly was you supposed to do with it? Did it have a purpose? Could it think?

As the rich scent of coffee filled the air, you leaned against the counter and stared at the doll from afar. “ I should just return it. March back into that office and tell Crowley he’s out of his mind. Let someone else deal with this. ”

But even as you said the words, you knew you wouldn’t. Crowley had a way of making you feel trapped. Four years of working under him had taught you that refusing his " special assignments " only led to more trouble. And besides…

Your glanced at the doll again, you frown deepening. There was something about it something you couldn’t quite put your finger on. It wasn’t just its unsettling realism. It was the way it seemed to be there, as though it were more than just an object.

“ Damn it ” you muttered, taking a sip of your coffee. “ Why do I always get stuck with the weird stuff? ”

After finishing you breakfast, You decided to get a closer look at you peculiar new charge. You approached the doll cautiously, half expecting it to suddenly blink or move. When it didn’t, you crouched down in front of it, you eyes scanning its face.

Its expression was neutral but oddly serene, like a child caught mid thought. The craftsmanship was impeccable every detail, from the faint freckles on its nose to the slight sheen on its lips, was painstakingly precise. You reached out and touched its hand, startled by how warm it felt.

“ This is insane ” you muttered, pulling your hand back quickly.

You circled the doll, inspecting it from all angles. There didn’t seem to be any obvious signs of robotics no seams, no wires, no panels. Yet it wasn’t purely-organic either. It existed in some strange in between state, blurring the lines between artificial and alive.

“ What are you, exactly? ” you asked aloud, as if expecting an answer.

Silence

" cool... " You cross your arms and With a sigh, you sat down on the couch beside it, keeping a cautious distance. “ Okay. Let’s think about this logically. Crowley wouldn’t give me something dangerous… probably. So, either this is some kind of advanced tech demo, or it’s… I don’t know, magic? ”

The word felt ridiculous on you tongue, but considering who you boss was, it wasn’t entirely out of the question. Crowley had always had a flair for the dramatic, and you wouldn’t put it past him to pull something out of left field.

You leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. “ Why me? Why not someone else? Someone who actually likes kids? ”

The doll remained silent, unmoving.

As the hours passed, You found yourself pacing the apartment, you thoughts racing. What was you supposed to do with it? Was you really expected to raise it like a child? That couldn’t be right—could it?

You phone buzzed on the counter, breaking you train of thought. You grabbed it and saw another message from Crowley.

How’s it going with the little one? Don’t forget feed it, talk to it, treat it like a real child. These are crucial developmental stages, after all!

You groaned, resisting the urge to throw you phone across the room. “ Treat it like a real child ” you muttered. “ Sure, why not? Because this is totally normal... ”

You set the phone down and glanced back at the doll. Despite you initial resistance, you found herself feeling a pang of… something. Pity? Responsibility? You wasn’t sure. But the idea of simply ignoring it felt wrong.

“ Fine ” you said aloud, rubbing you temples. “ Let’s see what you can do. ”

You spent the next hour tentatively testing the doll’s capabilities. Your offered it a glass of water, surprised when it tilted its head slightly and opened its mouth to drink. You spoke to it, asking simple questions, though it didn’t respond verbally. Instead, it blinked slowly or nodded, its movements smooth and eerily lifelike.

When you touched its hand again, it gripped your faintly, its skin warm and soft. You couldn’t shake the feeling that it was trying to communicate, even without words.

By the time the sun began to set, Your was sitting on the floor in front of the doll, studying it intently. It was undeniably strange, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. There was something almost endearing about its childlike mannerisms, the way it tilted its head when you spoke or blinked up at your with those unnervingly realistic eyes.

“ So, you eat, you drink, and you blink ” you said, ticking off items on your fingers. “ But you don’t talk. Or walk. Or do anything remotely useful. Great. Just great. ”

The doll blinked at you, its expression unchanging.

You sighed, leaning back against the couch. “ What am I supposed to do with you? Crowley really expects me to raise you like a kid? That’s insane. ”

But even as you said it, you couldn’t deny the faint flicker of curiosity growing inside you. What if your did try? What if you treated it like a real child, just to see what would happen?

You stared at the doll for a long moment, weighing you options. You could call Crowley and demand he take it back, or you could…

You shook you head, a wry smile tugging at you lips. “ This is ridiculous. ”

The doll tilted its head slightly, as if sensing you hesitation.

“ Okay ” you said finally, running a hand through you hair. “ Let’s give this a shot. But if you start moving around on your own, I’m locking you in a closet, got it? ”

The doll blinked again.

You chuckled despite yourself. “ All right, then. I guess the first step is figuring out what to call you. ”

You leaned forward, studying its face. There was something neutral about its features, neither overtly feminine nor masculine. It felt like a blank canvas, waiting for you to paint it with meaning.

“ Okay ” you said slowly, a faint smile playing at you lips. “ What should I name you? ”

The doll’s glassy eyes seemed to shimmer faintly in the fading light, and for a moment, You could have sworn she saw a flicker of recognition in its gaze.

But it was probably just you imagination.

[melishade]

Me after Reading the Optimus Dinobot what if

Love your what ifs

Previous Episode of the Dinobot Timeline

I guess this is a timeline now lol

So Optimus is obviously in hot water for not revealing this form to the Survey Corps and Megatron, even though he has explained that he can't control it. Hanji immediately wants to run experiments, but the Survey Corps has to take care of the coup. The bad news is that the ruling party got wind of Optimus' chaotic form and used that to slander Optimus' name throughout the public. Now the titan that was lauded as being a Savior was now being seen as someone to be feared.

It makes Optimus feel bad, obviously. All that hard work and he's being scorned and ridiculed. He can't blame the humans for their fear. However, the Survey Corps and Megatron are obviously pissed off for this injustice.

Reiner and Bertholdt are still in the Survey Corps, helping them out and obviously buying time to try and get at least Annie back. Pieck managed to worm her way into the outer rim of the rulers of the inner wall. So she's getting a substantial amount of information. Specifically about Annie's location and their experimentations on her, Eren holding both the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan, and Historia Reiss being of royal blood. Meaning the most valuable players that could turn the tide in this war and make up for the loss were standing right there. Zeke and the Jaws were no doubt a small price to pay if they could somehow get Annie, Eren, and Historia.

Rod is still able to successfully replicate the energon serum and use it on Annie while also making spares of the energon. Pieck, being closer to the inner circle, is able to find Annie, free her and take her out right before Armin, Mikasa, and Megatron get there. Pieck also manages to spot a spare energon titan serum and grabs it before bolting. Armin, Megatron, and Mikasa don't find Annie, but after a little more digging, the trio find notes on the energon serum, and now there's more of an urgency to find where the rest of the serums are and where Annie is.

The coup itself plays out like it does in the anime, not like in AOP. Because Optimus is currently feared for his titan form, Hanji thought it would be unwise to use him, and the people of Trost probably wouldn't rally behind him when marching to Sina considering what they've learned.

So the Survey Corps and Megatron break into the underground cavern to get Eren and Historia back. However, Pieck is close by, debating her options on whether to take the energon serum. She knows if she doesn't, the chance to take Eren and Historia are gone. But, she has to take a chance. Pieck takes the serum and transforms into her titan form, busting through the ceiling of the underground cavern, startling everyone. They try to use their weapons on her, but because of the energon, she's immune. The Survey Corps have to take cover, but Reiner and Bertholdt use the distraction to get to Eren and Historia. Megatron sees this and immediately bolts after them.

But because of Pieck, there's a delay. And Historia still makes the decision on her own to judo flip Rod while Kenny is watching in delight. But Rod still takes the energon serum and becomes that massive titan with energon in its system now. Kenny manages to leave unscathed because his team isn't coming in to break his focus. Reiner and Bertholdt come in to 'help' rescue Historia and free Eren. And as they're ready to bolt out of there, Megatron screams at Eren and Historia to run before fatally shooting Reiner in the neck. However, Reiner uses whatever energy he has left to transform into his titan form to take Bertholdt, Historia, and Eren out of there. Megatron is ready to pursue in his bipedal mode, but there's the matter of the Survey Corps still being in danger and the massive lumbering titan heading towards one of the walled towns. Pieck does manage to catch Reiner in titan form running away and quickly bolts after him, surprised at how fast she's able to run now. Reiner gets out of his titan form and he and Bertholdt take a depressed Eren and screaming Historia away. The Survey Corps do manage to escape the rubble, and so does Kenny, but not his team as they get crushed. Megatron informs them all that Reiner is a titan shifter and he took Eren and Historia. Ymir quickly turns into a titan and bolts after them, ignoring the screams of her comrades. She barely manages to see Pieck climbing over the wall and screams Historia's name in titan form, while Historia screams Ymir's name.

Normally, the Survey Corps would have pursued, but again, Rod's titan form. They have to focus their resources there to prevent civilians from being killed. Megatron and Optimus end up tag teaming to take out Rod's titan form with the civilians in the walled town watching. Optimus also uses his Dinobot form during the battle, and everyone is in awe to see Optimus and Megatron work together like this.

When it's over, Ymir informs them in sorrow that Historia and Eren have been captured by Marley, and everyone is devastated, but Megatron is the one asking what Marley is. Ymir explains that's its the most powerful nation in the outside world, and that humanity is not extinct at all.

A few notes:

-The monarchy government is replaced with the military government, but because of the Survey Corps actions and Optimus and Megatron's battle prowess, the public don't seem to mind them being in power. Megatron and Optimus were able to prove they are trustworthy.

-Because Reiner and co flee to Marley, the Survey Corps are able to retake Wall Maria with no casualties, using Optimus, Megatron, and Ymir to eliminate the titans.

-Kenny's been captured and interrogated for obvious reasons, but Kenny is willing to spill what he knows. Specifically how Eren's father Grisha stole the power of the titans from Rod years ago. With Mikasa's help, they do find the basement and manage to pry open the drawer with the notebooks with brute force. And they get more history about the current outside world since Ymir's knowledge is no doubt outdated.

-Ymir, Armin, Mikasa, and Optimus are the most devastated out of the loss of Eren and Historia for obvious reasons.

-Megatron does notice the photo and how the kid looks similar to Zeke, now that he's completely healed. No one actually knew Zeke's name up until the notebook's discovery. So Megatron brings it up during interrogation of Zeke. He brings up his name first, which gets a visible reaction. Then Megatron shows the picture, which Zeke is surprised by, then Megatron brings up Grisha Jaeger by name, pointing at the standing man. Zeke realizes that the Founding Titan is being held by Eren Jaeger, his brother and decides to offer his help to the Survey Corps on the condition he be granted immunity. Megatron questions why he should even bother doing that, and Zeke retorts that if Marley has both someone of royal blood and the Founding Titan, that it's only a matter of time before they get around the vow renouncing war. They need him in order to stop Marley's continued reign over the world and the abuse of Eldians everywhere. Megatron says he'll run it by the military first.

(Man this was not something I was not expecting with the Dinobot timeline)

[mod-kyoko]

Hello! Id like to make another request! So this one is not exactly nsfw in the general sense, but does involve link, although it does seem thats alright on this blog

Would it be possible to make hcs or a story (both are completely alright) with the scenario where gender-neutral reader meets Gundham Tanaka, and it starts off with fearplay vibes before becoming fluff later? (Reader starts off intimidated/scared of Gundham, but warms up to him)

Thank you a lot for reading and potentially considering this! Its alright if youd prefer nto to write it of course too!

gundham tanaka w/ reader that's scared of him (then warms up to him)

info: gn!reader, kinda nsfw?, fearplay kink, reader is DOWN BAD

type: hc format, in neo world program

a/n: I had no idea what to even call this ask lmfao, I love this funky nerdy DND soundin' ass mfker

⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡

waking up on this strange island, meeting the oddball of characters made you stand out if anything

still you made introductions around the island, everyone seemed like fun people... even hiyoko and fuyuhiko weren't as scary as they should be. but that might just be because they were short..

you last stop was the... ranch? why was there a ranch on an island?

ignoring the strange logic you noticed a boy you hadn't met before

...

he looked like dracula's son

now, you weren't one to judge another by the cover, even with nekomaru large size and ibuki's punky attire you didn't judge base off looks

but with him... you felt nervous to even approach him, his mere aura made a tight cramp form in your stomach and you face felt hot

was that a scar over his eye?!

and his arm is bandaged... was he a dangerous person?

you approached him cautiously, he seemed to be in thought and didn't notice you until you spoke up

"h-hi... I'm-"

"fuhahaha! do you wish to know my name?"

"uhm.. I didn't say-"

"very well, you may be graced by the Lord of Ice himself; listen well for I am GUNDHAM TANAKA! supreme overlord of ice and destroyer of worlds! cower in fear at my power!"

you were doing just that

even though it sounded ridiculous to hear it from a human being's mouth, somehow you felt like he was really a 'destroyer of worlds' from how he presented himself

you stood there with wide eyes, you had to admit that you were actually afraid of him... more so than the other students on this island

he chuckled and crossed his arms, leering at you

"well, mortal? are you truly speechless at the supreme form of the dark lord? my all-seeing eyes see your shaking form!"

indeed, you were shaking in your shoes and you tried to hide it by saying that it was just cold although he went on a rant that his title of 'lord as ice' gives such an aura

whilst he was rambling, your eyes looked him over

he seemed pretty fit and your eyes admittedly stare at his chest, your face couldn't help but heat up

this was weird... you were scared and intimidated by him, yet you found his appearance and demeanour very attractive

supreme overlord of ice... you wondered if you could be his loyal minion and to follow his every beck and call

whilst staring, you noticed his scarf was moving around and your gasp got his attention

"kehehehe...how lucky of a mortal you are that my four dark devas of destruction are not hungry, for as they are violent as they look..."

he pulled at his scarf and... four little hamsters scurried around him

gundham told you their names, adding dramatic flair to each one of them

however, you were mainly focused on how cute they were! you couldn't help but pet one of them much to gundham's surprise

"they are so... terrifyingly cute!"

gundham began to blush and hide part of his face into his scarf

"hm... it seems you have an affinity with even my dark devas... they would not usually allow mortals to touch them. perhaps you have a hidden dark power not even yourself know."

you had absolutely no idea what he was talking about but it intrigued you regardless, still petting his little hamsters

that was when you were made aware of his talent as an ultimate 'breeder'... so he works with animals? huh...

maybe you were quick to judge his character, even if he is still kind of... scary, he must have a heart of gold to love animals this much

you walked back with gundham to the hotel whilst he went on and on about demons and... deities, something like that. you just stared at him for the rest of the way

⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡⟡♡

-Mod Kirumi

[cometchasinglove]

‘Sup, everyone? Here’s a fic I wrote for my friend featuring TFP Starscream and her lovely OC - Polaris! If you’re an adult, go check her out at @hollister-mc!

Seeking Warmth

Warnings: None

Word Count: 728

Starscream settled himself beneath the earthy overhang, grumbling and sighing to himself with soft vents. The rain didn’t seem to stop. It poured as the stretch of darkness from above occasionally glowed with the presence of lightning. Thunder shook the area, causing the trees to shake and bow with the wind. It was peculiar to Starscream, and he didn’t like it. 

He huffed, glancing down at his human…companion.  

“Your planet has such miserable weather patterns.”

Polaris shrugged, curling in on herself as though the water could reach her. 

“Yeah, I know, but at least it’s not blistering hot anymore.”

Starscream blinked, supposing that it was true. Well, at least for her. As far as he could surmise, human bodies didn’t regulate their core temperatures in the way that Cybertronians did. It couldn’t have been more obvious, too; Polaris was trembling. She kept her arms to her legs and her knees to her chest. She rocked herself in slow, back-and-forth motions, presumably as a method of gathering warmth.

Curiously, Starscream eyed her. Was this dangerous for her? How long could humans survive in the cold? Unfortunately, Polaris noticed his staring and glared at him. 

“Well, what are you looking at?”

Starscream scowled and turned the other way, embarrassed that he was caught. He folded his arms to his silver chest and thought for a nanosec, smirking to himself.

“As expected, the human body is a weak and feeble thing.” 

“You’re shaking too, dumbass.”

Starscream scoffed at her snarky words. 

“I am not.” 

Frustrated, he pressed his wings flat against the wall of the overhang. No. She was right. He was shaking. Just a bit. Still, it was nothing that he couldn’t handle, nothing that could be compared to a human.

He tapped his claws to his elbows, barely grazing his missiles. Slowly, his gaze returned to Polaris, and his focus shifted to her arm. No, not her human arm, but the one made of metal. He squinted, lifting his optic ridges in an inquisitive manner. As she shivered, she held the arm closer to her body, prompting the Seeker to part his dermas and speak.

“That arm…it makes you colder.” 

Thunder crackled in the distance, causing him to slightly jump. Polaris flinched, rubbing her fingers over the appendage. 

“I mean…I guess so. Why do you care?”

Starscream frowned.

“It was only a simple observation.”

He narrowed his optics on her. Before he could think, he lifted his helm and puffed his chest out with a grin. Amused, he spoke. 

“Fortunately for me, my frame possesses its own internal heating equipment.”

Polaris glanced at him, briefly studying him.

“Doesn’t look like it.” 

Starscream rolled his optics, shifting in his position. 

“Fine. Whatever. Sit there and freeze to death.” 

Polaris blinked, pausing. She flipped her hair out of her face and lightly glared at him. 

“Are you…like…inviting me to come closer to you for warmth?” 

Starscream shook his helm and averted his gaze from her. 

“Don’t be foolish.” 

Frankly, it was almost laughable. He should be laughing at the ridiculous notion, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t even chuckle. Before he could even wonder why, however, he stole a glance at Polaris once again. To his surprise, she now rested near him. No, not directly beside him, but she was certainly closer to him than before. 

Polaris thought to herself, a flash of heavy reluctance in her eyes. She sighed, rubbing her shoulders with her hands and shivering. If he really strained his audials, Starscream could even hear the sound of her teeth chattering together. She waited, taking her time by considering her options. Starscream said nothing, but he stared at her and wondered what her next move would be. 

Finally, Polaris touched Starscream’s plating. When she climbed atop him, Starscream lacked the strength to deny her until her movements forced him to grunt. 

“Will you quit squirming so much?”

“I will if you quit complaining.” 

There was another flicker of lightning, one that encouraged Polaris to rest her tummy against his chest. He felt her heartbeat, the tiny muscle pounding quite violently within her own body. She exhaled, steadying herself. Several nanosecs passed, and Polaris gradually calmed. 

“Thanks, I guess.”

Starscream huffed.

She gazed into his eyes before shutting her own. In time, the human’s trembling ceased, and the Cybertronian drew his claws closer towards her little body. 

Divider Credit: @/saradika

[sunsetsnz]

reassurance

summary: seph is having a hard time with the flu, and jonathan is there to console him through a particularly rough moment.

notes: sfw, some swearing. there isn’t actually much snz in this (technically two?) but there is plenty of illness/whump/comfort if you’re into that <3

-----------

Seph reaches for his water bottle in its usual place on the nightstand to attempt a sip. He winces. The cool water is momentarily soothing, but with his inflamed throat and swollen lymph nodes, swallowing is torture.

He's curled up in a miserable ball of infection in his own bed, head pounding with dull congestion, stuffed up to hell and back, shivers and aches running through him like tremors before an earthquake. He hasn't had the flu in quite a few years, and it's hitting him like a fucking train.

The arm nestled around his shoulders belongs to one Jonathan Dempsey, who’s watching this with quiet concern and trying his best to be subtle about it. His slightly bushy brows furrow when Seph swallows and whimpers, visibly in pain. His free hand reaches up to tuck a stray braid behind Seph's ear.

“I'm sorry, I know it hurts…”

Seph’s heart sinks in his chest. He feels so utterly pathetic right now he could cry, but he doesn’t want to look ridiculous in front of Jonathan.

“It’s dot your fault,” he croaks. Fuck, talking really hurts too.

They've been trying to watch a shared comfort movie in bed with the lights dimmed, at Seph's request, because anything bright physically hurts. Except it's not helping much tonight…nothing seems to be. His head is swimming too much to concentrate, he's shivering and sweating and nothing feels comfortable no matter what position he's in. He just feels…absolutely wretched and useless.

“I know,” Jonathan murmurs. “I just wish I could do more for you.”

With a weak sigh, Seph buries his aching face in his boyfriend’s fisherman sweater. It’s about the only thing bringing him any kind of comfort right now. Jonathan hugs him to his chest, rubbing his nose on the fuzzy sections of hair where each twist braid begins.

Seph loves having such a human pillow for a boyfriend, always wearing soft clothes and down to cuddle…but being touched and held in this state is reminding him just how gross and repulsive he looks and feels. It’s not the first time Jonathan has seen Seph ill, but he’s never been this bad in front of him before.

The irony of all this is not lost on Seph, either. He’s fully aware of how stupid these feelings are, considering his own kink, and how into Jonathan’s sneezes, allergies and colds he always is. It’s certainly never put him off. But he still can’t help the way he feels about himself, and it makes him feel even more pathetic.

The truth is that he honestly doesn't really want anyone to see or perceive him like this…even Jonathan. Especially Jonathan.

Yet here he is, lying in his partner's arms, snotting and breathing his contagiousness all over him. Shame and disgust begin to bubble up inside him as he thinks about how disgusted by him Jonathan probably is right now.

He starts to pull away from the embrace, and is met with a perplexed look.

“What's wrong?”

“I—” Seph's voice catches dangerously. Wearily he closes his eyes, knowing he has no strength to keep his emotions at bay right now but still trying to fight it anyway. “I just—”

Sitting up further, Jonathan nods for him to go on.

“I feel disgustig,” he eventually chokes out, hot tears pricking his eyes.

Jonathan looks confused again for a fraction of a second. When he realises that Seph means it literally, his face falls. “Wait, what?” He reaches out, touching Seph's knee. “You’re not! Oh, Seph, of course you're not.”

Humiliated by his own vulnerability, Seph turns away from him. “I'b sorry. You shouldd't even be anywhere near be right now...”

“Please don’t say that.”

“Sittig here, breathig all over you…it's gross. I'll make you sick, too.”

Shaking his head, Jonathan frowns. “You know I don't care about that.”

Back still turned, Seph's shoulders slump, voice cracking as the first of a stream of tears spills over and escapes down his cheek. “Well I do.”

Jonathan's entire being softens. Taking a second to pause the movie, he turns his full attention back to him with gentle determination. “Babe, look at me.”

For a moment, the only response he gets is a sniffle.

“Please…”

Wiping his eyes, Seph reluctantly half-turns his body to face him again. His warm brown skin tone is almost ashen, nose running helplessly, teardrops clinging to his eyelashes. He looks so miserable, it's breaking Jonathan's heart.

“You are not disgusting, Seph. Not at all,” Jonathan urges softly, cupping his damp cheek in his palm and brushing away a stray tear with his thumb. “I don't think that, and I'm not letting you believe that either, not for one second. If you don't want me to touch you, that's completely okay, but if it's because you think I'm grossed out, then you're astronomically wrong.”

Seph briefly meets his eyes, a shaky breath escaping his parted lips. “You're dot just sayig that?”

“I'm not.” Leaning in, Jonathan presses their foreheads together, their noses, their lips. “I love you, no matter what condition you're in.”

This seems to be exactly what Seph needed to hear, because his eyes flutter closed with an exhausted sigh. Wordlessly his fingers wrap around Jonathan's wrist, another tear streaking down his cheek.

Jonathan smiles gently, closing his eyes with him. “It's okay to be sick, y'know. It's okay to feel shitty. You're not superhuman, and nobody expects you to be. Least of all me.” He presses a kiss to Seph's burning forehead, murmuring against his skin. “You helped me feel less embarrassed and gross about the things that are out of my control — I'm gonna do the same for you.”

Seph simply nods, letting Jonathan hold him while he calms down, which is answer enough for Jonathan.

As emotions begin to wind down, he reaches for the handkerchief that lives in his pocket and dutifully dabs at his lover's tear-stained face and leaking nostrils. The motion seems to stir up Seph’s oversensitive nose, though, because his breath starts to hitch.

“Heh—heh—!”

Quickly Jonathan clamps the handkerchief over the twitching nose before him, right as Seph explodes into a messy double sneeze.

“—yyISSHUHH! T’ISSCHH-uhhh…”

Jonathan cringes as Seph clutches at his throat in pain once more, shuddering and sighing. Gently he mops his nose for him a second time. “There you go.”

Finally, after allowing himself back into Jonathan's arms and having pressed play on the movie once again, Seph finds his words.

“Sorry for beig such a mess,” he muffles, curling against his chest. Breaking down like that was embarrassing…but he can work on being more okay with that, after he recovers from this nasty flu. Despite the humiliation, it did feel good to let it out to Jonathan and to feel so safe and comforted in return. If it had to happen in front of anyone, he's really glad it was him.

A soft hum comes from atop his head, where Jonathan's chin rests gently. “No more apologising, okay?”

For the first time tonight, Seph's mouth quirks up into the tiniest of smiles. “Okay.”

“Good.” He can't see Jonathan's expression, but he can hear the smile in his voice too. “And no more talking for a while. I can hear how much it hurts to talk, so…rest your throat, love.”

Nodding against his chest, Seph murmurs sleepily in agreement.

“One last thig,” he whispers, reaching up to grasp Jonathan's hand in his own.

“Mm?”

There are many words floating around Seph’s tired mind, all of the sentiments he wishes he could adequately express sitting on the tip of his tongue: Thank you. I'm sorry. I don't deserve you. But he settles on the most important one, the only one that truly encompasses everything he wants to tell him.

“…I really love you.”

He feels Jonathan pull back just a little, and looks up to see that half-grin of his that feels like a patch of warm sunshine all on its own. It's not going to cure him tonight, but it sure isn't hurting.

“I love you too. And I'm not going anywhere.”

[newlesbianprideflag]

Sooo sorry your car broke down, I know the feeling, it's the worst. Here's some quick prompts you can do to pass the time like you asked for

There's only one can of coke left so byler ends up sharing/splitting it and Mike's freaking out cuz it's intimate while Will is just totally oblivious to the implication

Byler watching the starry night sky together and fighting off mosquitos

They bike race and whoever wins gets to pick the next movie they watch

Hopefully you can pick something from either of those options! Glad your also in a safe area while waiting for car services 💙💜💚

hi hello !! thank you so very much, I ended up going with the first one (and i kinda ran with it!) enjoy very silly byler first kiss. (crossposted on ao3)

-

"Catch," Will says, and throws a can dangerously close to Mike's head.

He doesn't catch it, of course.

"Hey!" Mike leans over the edge of the couch to pick up the fallen (and likely now incredibly shaken) Coke. "You know I don't have the reflexes for that."

Will shrugs and grins and sits down next to him. "Sorry for believing in you."

Mike cracks the tab and the fix overflow is only slightly terrible. He drinks the settled Coke off the lid of the can, and when he looks up, Will is smiling at him. "What?"

Will laughs, and flushes, and looks away. "Nothing."

"What about you?" Mike continues, gesturing with the can, at the can. (It isn't a very clear gesture, and Will definitely agrees, with the incredulous look he gives.) "I thought you said you were thirsty too?"

Will's shoulders lift, a bit close to his ears, the way they do when he's mildly embarrassed — not so much he feels he has to look away. "Yeah, but there was only one."

"What?" Mike gives a sour look to the can of coke, realizing immediately that that is ridiculous, and it isn't the coke's fault it's the last of its kind. "Will, you should have taken it."

"This is your house! By definition, it's your soda."

"Definition of what!" Mike throws his hands in the air, and nearly causes the soda to lurch out of the can. He halts the motion. "Here, we can pour it in a cup or something, you can have it."

"Oh my god, Mike, I'll be okay." Mike gives Will a look that definitely isn't a pout. Probably. Will shakes his head. "If you're so insistent, we can share."

Mike nods. "If you're sure you don't want the whole thing."

"Mhm," Will nods, and leans over, and plucks the can from Mike's hand, and takes a sip.

Like it hadn't just been on Mike's mouth.

"I thought—" Mike starts, and pretends his voice didn't definitely just squeak. "I meant we could like, pour in a cup." Because if Mike takes it back, and drinks from it, that means his mouth will be where Will's mouth just was, which would be— A lot.

Will furrows his brow. "Are you squeamish about germs? Since when?" It isn't the germs, it's the — mouth. Thing. But Mike doesn't know how to say that without sounding crazy.

It's not like Mike is obsessed with Will's mouth, or anything, because that would be, weird. And not the gay part of it — Mike's working on that, he's come to terms, but he's not so freaked by it, like he used to be. He's not obsessed with Will, either. He's been handling it all really well, the whole 'crush' thing, and if he keeps getting caught looking at Will's mouth, the shape of his words, the different angles in his smile, that's — it's not obsession. Will just happens to have a really, really nice mouth. And so, all things considered, it makes a lot of sense, that Mike would be a bit hesitant about putting his own mouth somewhere Will's has been. It's intimate! And Mike has a crush! And when you're trying to get over your crush, it's like, 101 shit to not do intimate stuff with them.

(Not that Mike is really trying all that hard to get over this crush, but, well.)

When Mike fails to answer (not because he's too busy looking at Will's mouth. He is looking at Will's mouth, though, obviously, because the soda has left a sheen that glints in the light and it's kind of really hot and Mike has a crush and, etc), Will continues, "Didn't you have a phase when we were six where you were really into licking my face?"

This manages to snap Mike out of the somewhat detailed fantasy of kissing the soda off of Will's lower lip (he bets it would be sweeter). "That was for like, three days."

"I just think we're past the point of being preoccupied with each other's spit." Mike isn't. Not that that's something he wants to advertise. "But if you're inclined to go upstairs and have your mom ask you about college for five straight minutes..."

"No, no, it's fine, it's just..." Will looks at him while he trails off. He'd brought the can back to his lips, his long, lovely cupid's bow shadowed over by his nose. (Mike's not obsessed.) The eye contact feels heady, to Mike, watching Will so intently. Heady enough to make him stupid, apparently, because the next word he says is, "Mouths."

Will laughs abruptly and Mike can see how he nearly chokes on the drink. He hands the can back to Mike (if Mike drank from it, it would be in the same space as the ghost of Will's lips) and wipes a hand over his mouth. "It's mouths?"

"I mean—" The main thought Mike is having about mouths right now is that he wishes he could shut his own. "It's my mouth where your mouth was."

"Yes...?"

"So, it's like—" Like a single step from Will's mouth on his, like a type of closeness Mike always wants with Will, like intimacy, like— "Kissing."

While Mike considers banging his head against the basement, he watches from the corner of his eye as Will drops his hand, looking down at his lap. "That's why you're freaked out?" He's clearly trying to keep the incredulous tone, even amused, but it falls very, very flat. He sounds hurt. "Also, it literally isn't."

"No, I mean—" Mike's an idiot, and the last thing he wants is Will's gorgeous mouth shaped into a frown. Because of him. "It's... intimate."

"It's a soda can!"

"But it's you." Will scoffs, and Mike can tell he's not getting his point across. "It's your mouth. So it's, intimate."

The look is still incredulous, but at least confusion seems to have taken over the hurt. Will asks, "What are you talking about?"

Mike should probably abandon ship. Like, now. "I don't even know. It's stupid." For something to do with his hands, he takes the can and brings it to his mouth. He takes a sip. And it's just Coke, just the same as it was before Will drank from it. It's sweet, at least.

When he looks up, Will is watching him. Watching his mouth, specifically. From his lips falls a quiet, gentle, "Oh."

"What?"

"I get it." Will smiles, and finally meets Mike's eyes. "Mouths." He leans forward, and holds Mike's face in his hand. His mouth is so much closer to Mike's. He looks at Mike's lips, then at his eyes, then says, "Just, shove me off if I'm wrong, okay?"

"I don't think I will," Mike says, and then he can't say anything, because Will Byers is kissing him.

He was right. The soda is sweeter, on Will's mouth.

[inghrafn]

Translation of the Rolling Stone article:

Remember when rockers were flashy, excessive, exaggerated libertines? Neither do we, but Måneskin are here to refresh our memories. On the third album Rush! former Eurovision winners and would-be saviors of rock from Rome do everything to live up to the exclamation point contained in the title.

Judging from the lyrics, Måneskin's life would seem like one bacchanal after another, with weed, beer, coke and hot chicks at hand, while singer Damiano David is, in his own words, "a lion tamer who behaves indecently and makes love to danger”. He's the guy who watches a 90s model in decline steal a Basquiat and a minute later boasts : “They ask me how I'm so hot, it's because I'm Italian ”.

In a sense, the Månekins have won the battle for the right to party . Thanks to their sense of fame and fashion, and with a guitarist (Thomas Raggi) who places a few solos here and there, they are the only major rock band capable of influencing contemporary popular culture. In case you don't consider Damiano a rock star, try listening to Timezone where he changes a flight for twice as much and blows up his plans since he's so excited about meeting his girlfriend: "I don't give a shit about contracts which I signed". Being a Lizard King in 2023 has its perks.

Starting with the 2017 EP Chosen , Måneskin's records have become increasingly boisterous and audacious. Rush! is their first album sung predominantly in English and is also the most ambitious, starting with the number of songs it contains-- 17, an Exile on Main Street. For them, as for other modern rock bands, punk is a blend of chants, beats that sound like programmed ones, a sound that seems to rumble in a wind tunnel. Sometimes an irresistibly catchy piece like Baby Said or Gossip comes up, with guest Tom Morello on guitar. It gets even better when Måneskin revitalize the lost art of tongue-in-cheek, half-spoken new wave song, as in the amusing and mocking Kool Kids (who are losers “who don't like rock, they only listen to trap or pop”) and Bla Bla Bla where David sings: "You said I'm ugly and my band sucks, but a song of mine just passed a billion streams, so kiss my cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-ass."

Given the mocking and alluring tone of Damiano's singing, it's hard to say how seriously the Måneskin take this ridicule. Of course, the best moments are the exaggerated ones, while the most sincere ones are the weakest. If Not for You is a power ballad like many others, The Gift of Life is heated grunge. The point may just be the ridiculousness of much of Rush! . In a world dominated by trap and pop, the Måneskin know they have to go further and further, even if it means advertising in a text to OnlyFans. It's confirmation of how much rockers have to bang these days to get noticed.

Translated from Rolling Stone US and printed in Rolling Stone Italia, January 2023.

[aetheternity]

i like hearing you talk about things so here's this: which characters do you think are underappreciated/not respected enough by the fan base? (besides the ones that you've made very clear of)

I've said it before and I'll say it again Xiao. I feel like a lot of people see him as some sort of hot object to project themselves onto either that or some kind of ship bait. I wish more people saw him as the beautiful character he is and yeah that's probably rich coming from someone who mostly posts Xiao when it's in relation to Aether but I truly do love his character as its own thing. I love how gentle he truly is despite his rough exterior. I love how socially awkward he is. I love it when he starts in on his old friends because it's the love he has for them still inside him showing. I love how dedicated he is to protecting Liyue and never takes credit for it. I wish he was a little less hard on himself and allowed himself to feel outside of his normal limits but yeah his karmic debt is scary and dangerous and he's always a little worried which makes sense because he's so so sensitive and it's really adorable 🥺 I wish I used him more but I truly hate his burst. Like HATE. I hate how annoying it is to use omg. But yeah he's so mischarcterized as like this hard ass dom and I'm like be serious he would cry the first time you tell him you love him 😭😭 I know you said besides the usual anon but like not enough people talk about Xiao as he is and not what the fandom has made him.

Qiqi 😭😭

My sweet little girl! She doesn't deserve literally any of the shit the fandom gives her. She's just a two hundred something year old little girl who wants to remember and live and dream. She told Traveler she wants to live with them till death. She's a really good healer even at C0 and she begs not to be buried again when she dies. She's way too cute. I wanna give her the world.

I think I've said before that Diluc deserves better. He's always called emo and stuck up but I have a secret love for Diluc. He's so caring and capable he immediately sought to help Venti without even being asked to. He loves Mondstadt so much he became rip off batman to protect it from evil. He used to own a turtle. He loves grape juice and hates wine despite being the owner of a tavern. He's just made fun of so much but he's such a unique and interesting character. I love his dark dealings and how he takes on the Fatui all on his own without asking for help and even when he knows it will ultimately do a lot of good for the Knights of Favonious he still helps out anyway. I'll never understand why people hate him so much. Mostly because I've never seen a Diluc hater explain why they hate him. It's always just "I hate Diluc." I don't get it.

Jean as well. She's so cute she is the only anemo female that I use on a consistent basis despite hating the mechanics of her burst. I hate how people simplify her to just being a woman obsessed with her job. Putting her in the same group as Ganyu and Kokomi like bitch Jean loves reading romance novels and projects onto the characters because she wants romance too! She used to own a turtle too! I am seriously so so happy that someone wrote that in Jean and Diluc are turtle twins. I hate that everyone forgets it's so freaking cute 😭. Jean literally had to take on a job that requires her to: make orders for groups of individuals on a daily basis, protect Mondstadt at all times including during fucking festivals, watch over K*ee and take care of the tiniest most ridiculous problems Mondstadt has to offer. Cause if Jean had been there she would've had to help Venti get his strings back and listen to Kaeya's demands. I probably missed some stuff she does on a daily but like yeah I think you get my point. I one thousand percent believe if Traveler weren't there and Jean just up and fainted again the whole city would be up in smoke in less than three hours. I don't think Jean deserves to be considered as nothing more than a hard working woman. Plus unlike Albedo with that little brat K*ee I one hundred percent believe Jean would hang out with Barbara all day if she could.

[thenewnio]

Fantasy OC: Bibi

The magical Renlei Fountain transforms any living creature it touches into a human, regardless of species. The Dragon demonstrates the fountain's power by capturing a honeybee that got separated from its swarm and pouring Renlei water on it, turning it into a human girl and leaving the poor thing utterly confused and mortified. Initially uncomfortable in her newly human body, Bibi joins the good guys in hopes of returning to both her bee form and her hive, only to end up learning that being human is not that bad.

Character Tropes

Adorkable: As both a bee and a human.

Badass Adorable: Slowly but surely Takes a Level in Badass.

Bag of Kidnapping: The Kamen Brothers use this method to kidnap her, planning to take her to Dolph. However it doesn't go as well as planned when the others intervine.

Bemoaning the New Body: After being transformed, Bibi, horrified by her altered appearance, starts freaking out until Keith steps in.

Berserk Button: Destroying flowers or harming bees will cause her to lose her temper.

Damsel in Distress: Sometimes gets herself into dangerous situations.

Emergent Human: Thanks in most part to Keith, Bibi learns almost everything she needs to know about humanity.

Fatal Flaw: Impatience. Her tirelessly waiting around for one of her older sisters is what drove her to leave her swarm cluster, ultimately leading to her abduction and transfiguration into a human. She also often makes rash decisions in an attempt to speed things up that — more often than not — lead to trouble.

Freakiness Shame: Bibi is distraught upon becoming human, but Keith not only doesn't care, he knows she's actually cute in her new form.

Hot in Human Form: Is just as adorable as a human than she is as a bee.

Humanity Ensues: Bibi is transformed by Thiago into a human girl against her will via Renlei Fountain water. The other heroes promise to have her restored somehow.

I Am Not Pretty: Bibi initially thinks of her human self as ugly, due to believing that all humans are hideous, inscrutable entities, but Keith knows otherwise, and make sure she becomes aware of that.

It's All About Me: Tends to be somewhat self-centered sometimes.

Leeroy Jenkins: She's extremely stubborn and impatient, and as a result often runs headlong into a situation without really considering the consequences. This is toned down as she undergoes Character Development.

Morphic Resonance: When she turns into a girl, she keeps the golden tawny hair and large eyes that she had as a honeybee. Due to Magic Pants, the transformation also gives her clothes which match the colors of her bee form.

Mukokuseki: Bibi has very wide and round Moe eyes as a human, which invoke the similar shape of her eyes in her bee form.

Nice Girl: She's a kind individual and a loyal friend overall, though she can be a little cocky and self-absorbed at times.

Not Quite Back to Normal: She at first isn't able to speak the human language, but after being turned into a human and then being transformed back she retains the ability to speak to humans.

Over-the-Shoulder Carry: Once Bibi's been turned into a human, Brooks has to pull a Crisis Catch-and-Carry with this method after one of Mato's fireworks is accidentally set off. Bibi, understandably, isn't too happy about this.

Really Was Born Yesterday: She looks 13 in her human form, but she's really 21 days old at the time of her transformation, having just completed metamorphosis from a larva into a bee. Once transformed she struggles with walking on two legs as much as a toddler, and has to be carried to safety by Brooks.

Ridiculously Cute Critter: Even in her realistically-portrayed honeybee form, she still holds this element of adorableness.

Virtuous Bees: Bibi is an absolutely adorable honeybee who gets transformed into an equally adorable human girl.

Stumbling in the New Form: It takes some time for her to figure out how to walk in a human body. Before learning how to do so, she has to be carried.

Sweet Polly Oliver: After her rescue from the Kamen Brothers, the group has Bibi disguise herself as a regular human boy named Gabriel, or "Gabby". It fools everyone but Lola.

Uniqueness Value: After returning to her honeybee form she becomes unique because she's the only worker bee who can both talk to humans and know about love.

What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Experiences romantic love for the first time with Keith as a human, since only queen and drone bees have this knowledge. By the end she's the only worker bee to know what love is.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

No because I think about this every so often like…Otoya you have two sisters and you act this way??? Stark difference between two boys with sisters we have Karasu and Otoya LMAOO It fr makes me wonder bc I’d imagine his older sister would knock some sense into him?? Like yes use those eldest sibling privileges….but anyways

And you’re sooo right for that!! Honestly I love it when people make jokes like “you guys act like you’re an old married couple” etc as a way to show how close two people are even when they aren’t romantically involved?? I usually just find it funny but it’s like I’ll look at the comments of a post and people take it literally (which they’re free to do! I’ve just never seen it so honestly real with that western influence idea..) It’s funny because I’ve had convos with friends before and we laugh like if we were in a show we’d definitely be shipped so hard bc of how close we are LOL

Honestly I wonder if maybe his proportions were done that way intentionally to make him more villainy in addition to maybe the changing art style of the manga?? Or maybe I’m looking into it too much and it’s eightbit being eightbit oops

Ok wait yeah I didn’t think of that a lot of designer clothes are like the most unwearable pieces I’ve ever seen like…wow…it’s like he exclusively buys the most ridiculous most expensive outfit in shop I could see him saying something like “wealth is always in fashion” LMAO

Tabieitaken keeping it real, so true!!! Honestly yeah I love how they add a bit of like slice of life realness like these are just teenage dudes LOLLL Now that you mention it it is really interesting!! Third selection ranked them as the top players in BLLK but it’s not like their life depends on soccer alone which I honestly appreciate sm too! This just reminds me of Karasu saying like “if you only ever do soccer you’re just mediocre” in the light novel and then he goes on to talk abt stocks and city building games LMAOOO

Had to look up what a Great Pyrenees is and 1) SO THATS WHAT THAT DOGS CALLED?? 2) YOURE SO RIGHT??? I retract my statement this is even more like nagi than the samoyed…I feel the fluffy bear vibes!

I interpreted the globe emojis as Rin having disproportionately giant eyes (like that hamster) oops LMAOO But that green blue = teal makes sense now too HAHA and OUU second lead Rin would actually be really interesting….im kinda curious about who you’d consider putting for main lead! I know sae is an obvious option but I feel like that’d be like ripping Rin’s heart out and stomping on it LMAO and also maybe a bit cliche…

And OOO THATS SO COOL! I can imagine jumps being stressful and possibly a bit dangerous if not done properly!! It’s amazing you get to work with horses though they’re so gorgeous and intelligent!!! I got thrown onto horsetok for a bit and just seeing all the horses they’re so cute and goofy too sometimes LOL and awww that’s too bad about your horse! :( Hope you’ve been able to make some cute memories with the ones you work with now! I can imagine it getting super hot I see all the fits and gear people wear and I’m like wow I would sweat sm in that

Pause the horse talking makes me think back to that one BLLK jockey collab..? It was just in passing so tbh I have no idea what it really was but I think it was nagi chigiri Isagi and Barou as like jockeys??? I don’t know enough about horses to do this but I wonder what horses tabieitaken and hiori would work with….like imagine instead of soccer its equestrian LOL would make for a good fanart prompt perhaps…

LMAOOO a different breed frfr You look for real men I write up mine kinda energy I love it HAHAH But you’re so real for that honestly fwtkac Karasu raising my standards like I don’t see you guys existing irl sooo come hit me up when you learn the art of hairwax and surprise dates….

IM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT PART whenever I see works above 1k I clap because I LOVE reading longer works like I’m being fed too well… In Mira we trust o7

LMAOO Imagine him pulling up a stocks review podcast in the car I could NEVER but you’re so real for that…it’s either that or the most random music like a few select songs amongst the other podcast episodes about stocks finance inflation….i honestly can’t imagine him being a SUPER big music appreciator…? Like bro gets dragged to karaoke by Otoya and knows NOTHING except the super popular songs that get blasted on the streets or something….on a side note I do have some friends who are just like “I don’t listen to music” and I’m like “??? How do you survive in car rides??” But that’s besides the point LMAO

OMG YOU HAVE A RINGNECK!!! WHAT COLOR?? They’re so adorable even if they don’t talk hehe but I love seeing people post their ringnecks on social media hsjshsjsh also wait you’re onto something with the cockatiel…I think it’s the crest matching his hair too… and I LOVE conures!! I actually had a green cheeked one in the past but sadly had to give him to a family friend due to some circumstances :( they’re so cute and playful though ugh I just love birds (maybe this is why we like Karasu LMFAO)

I patiently await your next masterpiece o7 I’ve reread fwtdac like 5 times already it’s just too good!!! Take care of yourself and good luck on any upcoming dressage competitions you have!! And don’t overheat I can imagine it’s getting real hot right about now!!

-Karasu anon

EXACTLYYYY i trained my little brother STRICTLY so he knows better than to treat a girl as anything less than a queen…i wonder if maybe otoya’s older sister is like a LOT older than him so she just dgaf what he’s up to because she has like a career and whatnot already??? regardless honestly eita gives me the vibes where he’ll do his womanizing nonsense without any regret but if someone else DAREDDD to do smth even slightly off to one of his sisters/someone he cared abt he’d lowkey freak out LMAOAOAO. truly friends to lovers is the only trope that i could ever believe working out w that man…crazy how he and karasu are besties because they have like. opposite views on women 😭 karasu still remembering his first crush from like ten years ago vs otoya not even remembering who he dated last month PLSS

HE LOOKED SO DEHYDRATED both in the manga and anime!! i think it’s mostly because the art style was still being developed back then though because nagi also looks a little odd (still cutie ofc) in his first appearances during team z vs team v. but omg barou was just so skinny for some reason?? idk how to put it LMAOAO like they had my man dejuiced 😔 but he gets it back w INTEREST later on so i cannot complain too much

“wealth is always in fashion” HELP MEEEE HE WOULD SAY SMTH LIKE THAT TO ZANTETSU PROBABLY and zantetsu would be like 😲 i actually love him and zantetsu’s dynamic they’re so funny together i feel like reo’s true personality really blossoms around him!! to me they’re kinda like nagibarou but a more chill version

tabieitaken are probably the most bearable of the bllk boys irl. like i’m sorry but if i had to talk to sae “idk abt anything but soccer” itoshi i would be so bored because i am not that into soccer 😓 but tabieitaken all feel like they could hold a normal conversation and actually be entertaining to talk with regularly!! plus not only are they good at soccer, they have normal interests and lives (model yuki + stock manager (??) karasu + serial dater otoya). they’re also on the older end for bllk (yuki and karasu are both 18 already and i think otoya is abt to be 18 as well)?? so that might be a factor…meanwhile rin is in his angsty phase so he’s saying random nonsense because that’s just how puberty goes.

HAHA no it was definitely meant to be that as well!! a double representation ig you could say hehe. he’s staring at you with flashlight eyes and you feel vaguely unsettled…like did you do smth to wrong him?? is he going to beat you up?? why are his eyes so teal??

if rin was the second lead i’d probably make nagi or one of the older boys (not sae because that’s boring to me) the ml!! nagi because i love him obv but one of the older boys (tabieitaken, barou) just because i think the idea of the reader being a bit older than rin which worsens his inferiority complex has sm potential. like her treating him like a child because she thinks of him like a little brother (kinda like fwtkac y/n w hiori) vs him being madly in love with her and doing his best to get her to view him as an equal/adult (almost how he does with sae) but failing miserably every time would probably crush him and i love crushing my characters. tbh even nagi is a year or so older than him i think?? honestly anyone but chigiri/hiori could work given that setup…but nagi and tabieitaken + barou are my favs that i would also actually want to write as main love interests so it would probably be one of them!! sae shidou and isagi def not though because i think that’s been done a lot before and none of them are particular favs of mine so i couldn’t justify it

OMG I JUST LOOKED THAT ART UP HAHAH I think karasu would be a foxhunter (though he would only go on hunts where the scent is laid and no live foxes are hurt #ethicalking) because it’s very traditional and it makes him feel cool…otoya DEF just pulls up to horse shows to pick up girls (it is a very female dominated sport at the lower levels and i guarantee if a hot guy pulled up at a show he’d leave with at least five or so phone numbers) and yuki would be an eventer because imo he’d enjoy the rush of cross country. hiori i can see working with racehorses but only as a groom because he’s way too tall to be a jockey!! he’d sneak them treats whenever possible hehe

JDJDJS EXACTLY like i’m sorry but if you’re not willing to pay attention to everything i say and face your greatest fears for me then i don’t want you. my standards are too high but oh well i’m not abt to settle 🙄

i don’t think i’ve ever written anything UNDER 1k!! i’m just incapable of it i’m p sure. meanwhile i have several longfics over 100k and two of them at around 200k 😭 i think this installment (bllk vs u/20s + the two week break) is going to be even longer than fwtkac itself HAHA mostly because the cast of characters is bigger and it’s over a longer period of time so there’s lots to get down!!

PEOPLE WHO DON’T LISTEN TO MUSIC SCARE ME but fr w karasu it’s either podcasts, random obscure dad rock songs, or like super basic radio songs which pisses otoya off because he def has a super carefully curated music taste. i bet the two of them sing “my heart will go on” as a duet on karaoke nights because it’s the only song karasu reliably knows and they get SO into it to the point that everyone else is like concerned for them 😭

YES he’s the bright green kind!! very basic parrot over in india because they’re so common there. one thing abt me i WILL love a bird themed character and if none exist i will create my own (in one of my jjk stories the main character has powers based on hummingbirds). my fav animals are actually swans!! so yk i’m locked in w birds like that 🤞🏻

i was hoping to post the next part tn but based on how long it’s ending up it might be a bit more time before it’s up 😭 oh well at least there will be a LOT to read when it comes out!! rn it’s looking like it might end up at over 10k words but i don’t want to make any promises so don’t hold me to that jic 😔 and thank you sm you’re so sweet!! my mother comes to my shows and buys me peach dragonfruit slushees from 7/11 so the heat gets cancelled out and it’s all good 😪 def can’t wait for it to cool down a bit though!! fall is my fav season so i’m excited for that october chill to come around

[gotwcird]

it should be illegal how happy she feels when he says those words. so simple, yet so effective. words she'd heard before, sure, but words she'd never believed maybe until this moment. with nico saying it, smiling at her, just her. it helps with trying not to look too flustered when he mentions how thirsty she is, which makes her clear her throat and adjust herself. ( hates that she can feel the slick between her thighs building just from how she moves. ) "mhmm!" makes a point to pop another blueberry in her mouth before reaching over to place the empty glass and blueberries on her dresser so she doesn't have to answer. alas, star is fighting a losing battle anyways because he tugs on her sensitive nipple and she lets slip a little moan. soft, but unmistakable in its nature. sucks in a breath when he soothes over it, braces herself for him to do more — circle his finger over it, tug it again maybe — but then he moves his hand to smooth down her back. can't help but feel disappointed, even if just a little. "you're teasing me," she murmurs, betraying her efforts to stay cool.

it's also ridiculous how his little sounds can affect her so much. his little hums, and yeahs, how he looks up at her half-lidded and absolutely gorgeous. wants, selfishly, for him to stay here like this forever. naked, smiling, and telling her filthy things. has to take in a shaky breath because suddenly he's talking about how she tastes, how he wants to stay between her legs, and good lord she didn't know how hot that could be. "your mouth's dangerous for me . . . but don't stop, please." has to pause when he cups ass, not because she's surprised, but because it makes her physically ache for a second, makes all coherent thought scramble away from her grasp.

his words do spark something back in her thoughts eventually though and byeol lets the idea run through her head for a second. she takes nico's free hand in both of her's, considers it for a second, then looks up at him. "can i . . ." pauses, only because she's suddenly hit with the fact that it more than likely will happen. wants to make him feel good like he's made her feel good. if she'd been dreaming of it before this, then she's entirely much more eager than before somehow. knowing how it looked, how it felt inside her. "can i taste you?" looks down at his hand again and is struck by a new urge. of course, when she asked, she'd meant his cock. but slowly, she raises his hand up toward her mouth. wants to make sure he'll say yes, somehow. doesn't want to ask anymore, but is willing to convince him. stares intently at his fingers . . . then carefully opens her mouth to take two of them in her mouth. immediately sucks and laves over them, keeps her eyes on his. they're thick, calloused, and she feels her stomach burn as a result.

( if he knows what she looks like with his fingers in her mouth, then he'd surely want his cock in there too right? )

HE TEASINGLY ROLLS HIS EYES BACK . " star . " he levels her with his eyes , finding his lips are still quirked up uncharacteristically . despite his teasing - the words come out incredibly easily . " you're exceptionally beautiful . " his words are slow and deliberate , like they always are . filled with purpose and meaning . he watches as she chugs down more water , his eyebrow lifting . " i didn't know you were this thirsty . " nico says . she's like a woman at the end of a marathon . he finds it silly yet endearing .

his fingers stay over her nipple . he gently tugs , as if testing he can . his eyes flick to hers to gauge her reaction , before he thumbs over it again soothingly . beside them , his cock twitches again . nico pays it no mind though . he wants to explore . he wants to know star on every level he can , and that means putting her first and above anything else . he smooths his hand away , running it over her back instead . nico doesn't want to seem INSATIABLE . plus , he likes her like this . he doesn't think he's ever seen her this relaxed and comfortable before .

nico's eyes float to her body , taking in the curves of her . she looks airbrushed . his own hands look too rough and coarse in comparison , yet he watches them in amazement as they gently press and glide over her . he hums , low , as she chokes out her own words . nico would be lying if he said he didn't like this effect on her . he never realised how much he enjoyed VOCALITY , as someone who isn't very vocal himself . but star is continuously making him find out new things about himself . it's like one sentence paves way to another . they tumble out of star's mouth with brief hesitation yet confidence . he looks up at her , half lidded . " yeah ? " he breathes out , that small fond smile back on his face . he likes her talking like this . he notes the mention of praise and locks it into his brain . that's something he can do for her VERY EASILY . he'll just need to work on VOCALISING it a bit more . his mind works over and over , like an exercise . yet again , he's stumped for words , but he likes when star has them , unfiltered from her own mouth . he closes his eyes at the touch of her hand on his head . nico could fall asleep like this . " you taste . . . incredible . " he pauses , unsure of what's too much or not enough . he's never good at finding balance . " i could spend hours between your legs . making you moan , and cum . then moan and cum again . " his hand grazes down her back , to her ass where he cups her . " and again . and again . "