#its so fun!! and exciting!! i never get that bored restless feeling when youre not actively interested in something

[khyeili]

I love that ttrpg podcasts/shows have been a part of my life for so long :D

I've had plenty of shorter special interests that last 6mo-1yr or so, but its rly nice having something you can always come back to, through it all :)

[jilixthinker]

SKZ AS SUBS - HYUNG LINE 🥀

as the self-proclaimed sub!skz ambassador, i felt the need to share my version to the internet just because this was boiling inside of my brain for too long, so... i am sorry ♡

(also a big thank you to my bub @straykeedz for listening to my rants at 2 a.m. ❤️‍🩹)

content warning: smut, sub!skz, dom!fem reader, unprotected sex, mention of subspace, edging, overstimulation, orgasm denial, spanking, mommy kink, praise kink, oral fixation, cross dressing, pet play, sexting, pegging, free use, mention of somnophilia, mirror sex

HYUNG LINE MAKNAE LINE

➛ Bang Chan

- sweet baby channie is 100% good boy, and he will do anything in the world to please you;

- wants to be your own fuckdoll and pleads to be used just for your pleasure. edging? yes ma'am. overstimulation? another big yes! he would satisfy every little kink of yours just to see you getting off because of him;

- service top !!! he has a great stamina and would go on for hours, fighting against every impending orgasm to make you enjoy sex as long as he can;

- he worships you. like a lot. he would call you his goddess, his princess, his angel, his light. he is a sucker for prasing you and your body;

- ... and he is also a sucker for being praised. call him your good pup or good boy to see his pretty face all flushed and his thrusts become erratic;

- he is into orgasm denial for sure, because it means he can please you more and see your face fall apart under him;

- soft grunts while he gently pounds into you;

- he probably has a daddy/mommy kink, but he likes to be called daddy just because he enjoys being slightly degraded by you. "Daddy wants to make mommy cum? But mommy is not done using daddy yet".

- "please please please please PLEASE". and "am I doing good enough?"

- if you spank his butt he will lose his mind and whine a lot, but he has the cutest voice when fucked up, so... why not?

- prefers staying on top of you because he doesn't want you to move one single finger and enjoys feeling like a big sized dildo for you;

- "Oh God, baby, b-baby. Can you let me cum? Are you letting me cum inside of your pussy? I don't... I don't d-deserve it".

➛ Lee Know

- minho is a fucking TEASE. 101% brat material;

- will answer back every single time and won't take a punishment without grunting and cursing;

- he will start arguments just because he is bored and you can swear to god he is the most annoying and restless thing on earth. it's not clear if he does it just for fun or if he enjoys the after treatment, but be ready to stuff his mouth full with something - a shirt, a sheet, his own underwear - because he won't shut the fuck up for one second;

-he becomes pliant just after you spanked him so much that he cums untouched on the mattress, face all flushed and drool over his chin;

- he secretly has a praise kink but he will never admit it. you just know because the only way to stop his trantrum is to remember him that you want him to be your pretty toy, your good boy to play with;

- drooly. leaky. just wet all the time;

- oral fixation. he will suck anything you present in front of his pretty mouth. your tongue, your tits, your pussy, your fingers, your strap;

- enjoys pain as long as paired with you sweet tone while you twist his nipples in between your fingers or gently scratch his balls with your pretty nails;

- after you tame him, he becomes almost non verbal and he falls quickly into his subspace. He enjoys being called pretty things while you ride him and milk him dry;

- "Uh, ah mmh, nffgh- uhh", that's all you are gonna hear from him;

- wants to be played with after he cums and loves to hear you calling him your little pretty boy after he drove you crazy the entire time.

➛ Changbin

- sub enthusiast agenda at its finest !! binnie is just so happy to be there for you that he could jump from excitement;

- the most obedient boy ever. not whiney, not sobbing, just pure and honest happiness everytime you are intimate;

- def into cross-dressing as in pink fluffy sweaters, cute aprons and lacey panties. he doesn't steal from you though! he politely asks if he can borrow some of your clothes, sending cute texts while you are at work. you spoil him by buying several matching sets for every occasion and he just beams;

- i can see binnie being into soft pet play. all of him is soft either and, of course, you are never harsh with him. he likes being addressed as a cute little puppy, being petted and fed from your hands while he gently humps your leg until he cums with a loving moan;

- similarly to chan, he loves being good for you, but binnie never gets desperate about it because he knows that he is the best boy. he enjoys the praise because he loves feeling pampered, but he doesn't crave it as much as chan since he is very confident about it;

- he smiles a lot. you give him a slow handjob? he smiles. you suck him sloppily? he smiles. you fuck him or you let him fuck you? he always smiles. he is the actual embodiment of the sun itself. he enjoys being your sub more than anything in the world;

- not embarassed to ask you anything. he will talk to you about every little kink and scene he wants to try and he is super vocal about it!!;

- very very loud. he has the loveliest grunts in the world and, since he's not shy, he will let you know exactly how he is feeling. "Ah, baby- feels so good. So good, so warm. Please let me cum, I've been so good to you. You're too tight, it's unreal".

- he loves to be pegged. honestly, he will ask you after a couple of months just to be sure you know each other for a sufficient amount of time. once you reassure him that you would love to try with him, he will kiss you all over to thank you. his moans while you pound gently into him and look at his pink rim engulfing your strap are enough to convince you that you should be doing this more often;

- he will sext and send nudes a lot, so... be prepared to see his chubby rosey cock appearing a lot on your phone screen;

- "Baby, I love you, I love you, I love you I - ungghh - love y-you";

- he cums a lot and he has a decent stamina. but he will make sure that you are fully satisfied before asking you if he can keep thrusting even if he already came;

➛ Hyunjin

- pillow princess. do we have to add something else? i don't think so;

- he is your baby, and wants to be treated like one. his submissive side is not just sexually oriented, it's more like his way of seeing your relationship dynamics;

- wants you to feed him and dress him and tell him he is the prettiest boy you've ever seen. it's the truth, and you will learn that you love pampering him till the end of your days;

- whiny? bratty? sobbing? screaming? requesting? yes. all of it. hyune is not an easy sub and taking care of him requests a lot of time and effort, but seeing him under you, all open and stretched and flushed is the best reward you could wish for;

- despite all of this, he is very romantic. he will make sure to kiss you a lot and tell you that he loves you so much several times a day;

- he is very open to the idea of free use, even if he is not properly active. as long as he feels nice and you are milking him good, he is more than okay to be used as you please, even during his sleep;

- the filthiest mouth. he knows that you won't deny him anything in the entire world and that you love hearing his voice, and he uses it to his own advantage;

- "Wanna be sucked, baby, wanna feel your lips around me. Let me feel good, let me cum in your mouth. And then fuck me and let me cum in your pussy too. You know I deserve it, right?";

- mirror sex is probably his biggest turn-on. he will convince you to fill your shared bedroom with mirrors until every wall has a reflective surface on it. he will look at his own fucked up face while you have your way with him and he cums hard every single time;

- likes to be pretty, of course. he will send you tons of artsy nudes while he wraps a hand around his leaky cock and spurts hot cum all over the red corset he put on for you;

- "can you fuck me to sleep? wanna be held by you".

taglist: @jisunglyricist @hannahhhhs-things @hyuniehwa @changisworld @hyunjinhoexxx @yoobears @rockstrhanji @yongboks-stuff @taliavaleska @hw4-l1z @4-chan-inpadella @k-cock @biglipsfattits @vanillacupcakefrosting @simpity-wimpity

if you see your name in bold, it means that I couldn't tag you!

©️ jilixthinker, 2024. please do not copy, translate, or republish my works anywhere.

[walkeddeath]

cont. from here for @walkedfire

　　there's a restlessness about her that she can't shake. something about time going by too fast but not fast enough. they want to get out, go to the festival, but they have to sit through mindless conversation first. it's boring, they want to die, and they don't hide it. it's been going on for hours and her brain is elsewhere, thinking about the fun she's missing, about the food she could be eating and the music she could be dancing to ––– and seeing him.

　　it's been too long, the same as it always is but there's something about this stretch that's been unbearable. they miss him constantly and their mind wanders to being able to finally reunite. her distraction is noted and remarked on and she shrugs, drifting off once more when the one sided conversation picks back up.

　　it takes another hour until she's finally free. they change as fast as they can, throwing on a dress they'd found specifically for the event, and almost forget their shoes in their rush. it's a quick return, and while she'd just wait to put them on there, she doesn't want to risk getting hurt. it all just has to be right tonight, go well, no bumps or hiccups. once they have the shoes on, she sprints, taking her hair down as she runs. there's a feeling of freedom boosted by the rising volume of laughter and music and life as she gets closer. 

　　they're out of breath when they arrive at the center of the gathering, wading through the crowd with ease, trying to calm herself before she finds buck. breaking through the crowd, they spot him and her heart starts beating faster and faster, a warmth spreading through her chest as she gets closer. he hasn't seen her yet, which she doesn't mind. it's nice when she can surprise him, he always seems to do that part, and they sneak up silently behind him. 

　　she beams at him, trying to keep some of her excitement buried, finding it an impossible task. he looks just the same as he always does, warm and inviting and beautiful, and they get lost staring at him for a moment. she never realizes just how much she misses him until this moment, like clockwork.

　　"oh now that would be a terrible thing to have happen, it would be downright dreadful. however, it's something i'm willing to risk. i happen to actually like dancing, so it really isn't a sacrifice." they take his hand and it's like she's touching the sun, the heat hits her and wraps her in its arms, and she hopes he follows suit.

　　"c'mon, lets go look around, you seem like the type to like wandering, come wander with me, yeah? maybe even dance a little, if that isn't too forward of me... whats your name again?" she can't stop beaming and it gives her away but gen doesn't care because he's back and he's holding her hand. she wants to kiss his forehead, his temple, his birthmark, nose and lips ––– all of him. 

　　gen can't, not yet, and especially not in front of prying eyes. still, she pins the wants for later to tell him when they're alone.

[writeyourstorywithink]

"Can't even see that from space..."

Pretty hard to describe how all of this is going for me so far... On one hand I am loving the hobby of collecting baseball cards, ripping packs like its my job (damn I wish it was) and on the other, the social media and vlogging aspect is so so. The thrill of making the videos, adding music or effects, applying fun text and researching the best hashtags to make it visible to the most amount of people is awesome! However, all of it truly takes time and thoughtfulness to make sure you are putting out quality content that people can enjoy, which is where I am falling a bit short. The excitement of the posting and tracking viewers/analytics has gotten the best of me and I deviate from my strategy causing some weaker content, missed hashtags or links to the proper video. SLOPPY! This is quite new to me though as you all know so I'm working hard to keep learning as I bang on this keyboard boring you with my growing pains. Seriously though what is going on with this THREADS thing...?

I thought that making the videos, being on camera and trying to talk about a subject that in the grand scheme of things I still know very little about would be terrifying and I would never be able to fill the time. On my YouTube and TikTok I have two ten minute videos and one five minute video, all three I barely finished what I was saying or doing in time and I was shocked! Based on my lengthy blog posts I'm sure you're not surprised but I sure was. Due to some internal issues, I have for the most part lived in solitude for the last two years so for me, all this putting myself out there and talking about this to you would have been impossible a few months ago. When you get to the point of drinking as much as I did, everything in your life starts to fade away. You slowly stop answering phone calls, make excuses not to go to weddings or events with friends, you become distant with your family, and all because of that perfect little shiver followed by the goosebumps you get after that first drink touches the back of your throat. That moment where nothing else around you matters, that moment you looked forward to since the moment you got up in the morning. When you're at the point that you can't totally function, converse with friends or feel good without alcohol, you completely abandon your life outside of work and home (you only work to get more booze so you stop feeling sick).

I spent a good part of the last decade perched on a barstool trying to relive an impossible past acting like somehow I'd find it at the bottom of any one of those glasses. I drank when I was happy, I drank when I was sad, I cheers'd birthdays of people I didn't even know, I drank... I had a promising career in the automotive industry, built some great relationships in the big city, yet none of that was enough to get the life I wanted back. I always thought that I needed more, I had to make more money, drive a better car otherwise she/anyone else would never love me (that was all in my head by the way). This feeling drove me crazy to the point of restless nights where my mind would never shut down which means...Night cap(s)! When you get to that point your only hobbies are planning out your day so you can strategically drink enough to keep from getting sick to your stomach or shaking so bad you can't hold a cup of water without spilling. If you think that doesn't seem like much to look forward to well...its not, but when you're in it that deep, knowing there is a bottle waiting for you at home is like knowing you get to go to Vegas after work...STOKED!

Enough about the drinking though for now, I just wanted to give you a little back story to build on what I talked about in my last post. Get out of your comfort zone and just do it! Sign up for that class, make conversation with that person you find attractive on the street, buy that pack of baseball cards and don't get wrapped up with living in the past. Do something today that will lead to even better things for you tomorrow. Whatever it is that gets you excited just do it and don't worry what people will say or think because your passion is the only ice breaker you'll need! The videos I talked about earlier and all of my card content are on instagram @vonarx_ink and TiKTok @vonarxink I hope this gets even just one person a little pumped to try something they've always wanted to try this weekend.

[sykokilljoyy]

can i place a request for wroetoshaw/harry? where the troops and their gfs and EVERYONE is out on a night out— and he gets drunk and just becomes so clingy and so so so obsessed and in love with the reader!! & everyone’s making fun or cooing at them LAMAO. i love drunk fluff & i love ur writing

this was such a cute request thank u so much i hope i did it justice

REQUESTS OPEN!!!

blinding lights - wroetoshaw imagine

request: can i place a request for wroetoshaw/harry? where the troops and their gfs and EVERYONE is out on a night out— and he gets drunk and just becomes so clingy and so so so obsessed and in love with the reader!! & everyone’s making fun or cooing at them LAMAO. i love drunk fluff & i love ur writing words: 1662 warnings: alcohol and thats about it!! just fluffy

TLDR: harry & y/n get drunk and clingy.

Nights out were never boring, especially not with your friends being the way they are. It was never just a few drinks, never just a few rounds, it was always go hard or go home. No matter what, you always had a good time.

So you were confused as to why your legs were jumping, anxiety filling your joints and jolting them up and down whilst they were restless on the car seat of the taxi, pushed up against your friends. Noticing this, your boyfriend, Harry, looked at you softly and placed his hand on your exposed thigh that immediately melted to his touch, halting its movements.

“What’s got you so nervous?” Harry muttered, close to your ear as the back of the taxi was absolutely manic from the excitement of your friends.

“I’m not sure, I just feel so nervous suddenly,” Your breath shook lightly as you patted down the hem of your dress that clung to your body.

“You look so beautiful, darlin’,” Harry spoke softly, earning a blush from you, “Hey, if you get too anxious when we’re there, just tap me and we can go, no questions asked.”

Heart full, you turned to him with a grateful smile, so thankful that he understood the way your brain works. But, you were determined, this night was special and you were lucky to spend it with the most amazing friends.

“Thank you, Harry,” You spoke, “I love you.”

“I love you, Y/N,” He placed a kiss on your forehead quickly, earning an ‘aw’ from Freya, who sat opposite the pair of you. It wasn’t surprising, Harry didn’t tend to like PDA too much, saying how his whole life is in front of an audience, he likes to keep you special, to himself. Not secret, but private. Freya smiled at you warmly.

It wasn’t long before the black cab pulled up on the curb, a roll of excitement and pre-drinks flooding through everyone like a wave and you all piled out, taking a moment to organise yourself and pay the driver before heading towards the pulsating hum of the club.

Inside was a whirlwind. Powering music hit the walls in every direction, paired with the linger of smoke and radiant, flashing lights bouncing off the skin of gyrating bodies. A thick smell of alcohol clung to the air and you held onto Harry’s hand as he dragged you through the crowds of people.

“Who’s got first round?” Ethan called out once you’d all squeezed into the seats surrounding the booths near the bar, hiding away from the crowds slightly.

Various heckles from the group earned a huff from Ethan as he accepted the loss and headed towards the bar - and so the drinking begun.

It wasn’t long before the bodies were swaying, hysterics breaking out as JJ and Freezy performed plenty of rap songs for the group, giggles from funny stories and anecdotes, and yells of excitement at the arrival of more drinks.

“Y/N, we’re going to the bathroom, wanna come?” Talia shouted in your direction, stumbling as she got from her seat, Freya linked in her arm.

“Sure,” You agreed, head spinning slightly after the shot you took not even a minute beforehand. Pushing out of your seat, you felt a pull of protest from next to you.

“Stay, Y/N,” Harry slurred from his spot on the booth beside yourself, strong arm wrapped around your waist, holding you tight against his intoxicated side.

Harry wasn’t ever one to stray from a drink, especially not when he’s dared to down a few every so often by his friends, but it always brought this side out of him. Though, usually it was the result of a few bottles at dinner in your flat, his cheeks rosy from the wine and his lips attached to you like they were made to live on your skin, telling you at every possible opportunity how beautiful you looked.

He wasn’t any different now, you’d seen it time and time before, but this time neither of you were in the privacy of your flat, and his brain was too intoxicated to care about his hatred of PDA.

“Harry, I’ll just be a few minutes,” You chuckled, “It’s okay, give Simon a cuddle until I come back.”

Earning a laugh from the tall body beside your boyfriend, he tussled Harry’s hair and opened his arms for a hug jokingly.

“No, I don’t want anyone else,” Harry whined, and your heart melted, the warmth from the alcohol and your boyfriends drunk words softening your chest.

“I’ll stay,” You gave in, gesturing towards your friends to carry on their bathroom trip and snuggling back into Harry’s side.

His grip on you was tight, holding you as close to his body as he could, head fuzzy and blurry as he laughed with his friends.

“Harry, Y/N’s not gonna break, you don’t have to hold her so tight,” Tobi joked, pointing out Harry’s needy grasp on you to the group, to which he huffed in response.

Where he would usually loosen it, letting you go in embarrassment, but tonight was different. He didn’t care who was watching, he just needed to have you close.

As the night went on and the drinks only got stronger, Harry became basically attached to your hip, the both of you using each other’s bodies to keep yourself upright and whilst Josh did his third Tommy T impression of the night, Harry turned and buried his face in your neck.

“The lights are so bright,” He muttered, the words barely intelligible with the mix of being muffled and slurred.

Bringing your hand up to his hair, you ran your fingers through, holding him close, “We can head home if you want.”

“No, no, no,” He shook his head, immediately regretting it as his brain felt like it was spinning in his skull, “You look so happy being here, I just wanna see you smile.”

Blushing, you leant down to place a kiss on his forehead, feeling an overwhelming sweep of love hit you as you looked down at your drunk boyfriend cuddled into your side, using you to shield himself from the lights of the club.

“Aw, look at them!” Talia cooed from next to Simon, pointing out the two of you cuddled up at the corner of the booth. Drawing the attention of the whole group, you covered your face in embarrassment as they all chuckled at how clingy Harry was being. They weren’t used to seeing him as soft as he was with you.

“Shut up,” Harry groaned against your neck, earning nothing but laughter from his peers.

Although he sounded grievous, you could feel his smile against your skin.

“Anymore drinks in you, Harry, and Y/N’s gonna have to cut you off her,” Freya joked, and Harry replied with a simple, yet effective middle finger.

The conversation quickly moved on when a new song started blaring from the speakers, and another round was brought out, disappearing before it even really arrived.

“Am I being too much?” Harry spoke softly from beside you, making you turn towards him worriedly.

“No, no,” You ushered, putting your glass down and placing your hand softly on his burning cheek, “You’re perfect, Harry, why would you think that?”

“I just don’t want to be too full on and make you uncomfortable,” His speech was slurred, but you knew he meant it - as much as he is always loud and boisterous, he always made sure you were comfortable and content, dialling it down a few notches to make sure you were safe.

“You’re just,” He paused, hiccuped, and continued, “I love you so much, and, and I just wanna be near you like, all the time.”

Without even responding, you kissed him, ignoring the bitter taste of alcohol that clung to both of your mouths, “I love you, Harry.”

“I don’t care who sees us, or if anyone makes fun of me, I just love you so much,” His rambling didn’t stop and you saw in his eyes nothing but pure adoration. He was made for you.

It was obvious in so many ways, like the way his hand holds yours so perfectly, the way your bodies fit snug against each other, the way his kiss could cure any ailment you had.

“I wanna go home,” He mumbled, and you could feel in the way his face was heavy against your hand that he was tired.

“We’re gonna head off,” You called as you got to your feet, helping Harry up with you, who stumbled for a moment before stabilising and ushering away the scandalous calls from his friends.

Saying your goodbyes, Harry led you sheepishly through the crowd of people and out into the cold night air, holding you close to his warmth whilst you waited for a taxi.

Once home to his flat, he darted without hesitation to his bed, shimmying his clothes off with you not far behind,

It wasn’t until you were both on your backs, staring up at the ceiling in comfortable silence that the alcohol really hit the two of your, your bodies surging against your skin as the room span around you gently.

“I’m so fucked,” You giggled, turning your head to look at Harry, who was already looking at you softly, “What’s up?”

“You’re so beautiful,” He replied, turning his body towards you, to which you reciprocated, a heavy blush on your cheek.

“You’re perfect, Harry, you really are,” One of your hands came softly to his face, caressing his cheek softly, albeit drunkenly.

“We should sleep, because this is going to suck in the morning,” You spoke gently.

“As long as I’m waking up to you I don’t mind,” He slurred, eyes closed and already giving into sleep.

Pushing yourself closer to him, you rested your head on his chest and got comfortable, accepting the swimming feeling of the alcohol in your bloodstream and sea of calm in your head, falling asleep with a smile on your face.

He was yours, well and truly.

[edna-skiffens]

The Best Medicine

Summary: You are in the hospital, but you can never sleep in hospitals. Good thing you have a very attractive night shift nurse who is willing to help out.

Word Count: 4.5K

Warnings: hospitals, light med talk, bad medical writing, fluff

A/N: Please ignore the plot holes or the fact that this isn’t the most realistic and also I know this isn’t how discharge works at the hospital.. It’s called fiction for a reason, darling. Also, I left the reason the reader is in the hospital open ended bc some of us may have medical conditions/reasons that we can attach to this, but if not I tried to keep it vague enough on purpose so that you can imagine whatever. Also if you like Nurse!Tom and have requests for him lmk bc i’m happy to write for him.

Toss and turn. Toss and turn. The routine was getting old. This was your third night in the hospital and sleep just wasn’t coming to you.

Maybe it was the medicine they had you on. Maybe it was the constant symphony of sounds and people passing in the hallway. Maybe it was because you weren’t at home in your own bed.

Maybe it was just because you were in the hospital.

You couldn’t be sure. What you were sure of is that you weren’t falling asleep anytime soon.

Feeling another presence in the room, you looked from the ceiling to the doorway where you saw Tom, one of the night shift nurses, standing cautiously.

“I didn’t wake you did I?” He asked as he eased his way inside.

“Nope.”

“So no sleep again, huh?”

“Nope.”

“Sorry darling. Let’s go ahead and get these vitals over with.” He took your blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature and wrote it down in your chart. Putting the clipboard back on its hook at the end of the bed, he looked up at your tired face. “Okay. So now about that sleep. What do you think will help?”

“Not being in the hospital.”

He chuckled lightly while walking back towards your bedside.

“I know. You hate it here. You’ve made that very clear and I try not to take too much offense to it.” You let out a slight laugh and held back the fact that he was the best part of this whole experience. He almost made it worth it. “I’m sorry we can’t give you any sleeping medication. Do you think it’ll help if I talk to you?”

“You mean tell me bedtime stories?” You couldn’t help but tease him at the adorable suggestion, though it sent a swarm of butterflies off in your stomach.

“I was thinking more like bore you ‘till you fell asleep. But whatever works.”

“You’re the nurse. If you think it’ll help.” You both sat there smirking at each other for a moment. Something unspoken floating in the air between you two.

“Well, I need to finish my round of vitals first. I’ll come check on you when I’m done and if you’re still up we’ll see about those stories.”

“I’ll be here.”

About fifteen or twenty minutes later you heard a light tap on your door followed by “Still awake?”

“Always.”

“You up for a chat?” Tom asked as he made his way to the stool then rolled slightly closer to your bed.

“Got nothing better to do.” You teased again.

“Okay. Well you should probably lay down.”

“Oh. It’s going to be that kind of story, huh?” His laugh was so beautiful and you were happy you were the cause of it.

“No.” He corrected in between laughs “The goal is to get you to sleep. So sitting up won’t help.”

“Right. Right.”

“Well.. anything in particular you’d like to talk about?”

“Why did you choose to become a nurse?”

“Ahhh. Good question. So I actually went to an art school.” You couldn’t help the brief expression of surprise that crossed your face. “I know. Shocking. I did training specifically in dance and gymnastics and I loved it.”

“Wait, so what happened?” You asked, turning on your side to face him more comfortably.

“Well one day we were rehearsing for a show and I fell. Ruined my knee. Had to do physical therapy for months. I tried to get back into it, but it just wasn’t the same. However, through that process I learned a lot about medicine and the health side of things. It really turned me on to it. And when my Plan A got a bit messed up I thought ‘hey, this could work’. So far it’s treated me pretty well.”

You smiled at Tom, admiring his passion for his career and the determination he had to keep pushing after his accident. You enjoyed hearing him talk about it too. If you didn’t know any better you would say it was helping you relax.

“My story that boring?”

“Obviously.”

“Your sarcasm has no end.”

“Oh… goodness.. you thought that was sarcasm?”

Tom only laughed and shook his head the way he often did with you.

You may just have been his patient and he may have just been your nurse, but you both bonded. He kept you company and gave you comfort. In return, you kept him entertained during the quiet night shifts.

“I’m not going to sleep. I'm just resting my eyes. But still listening.” You told him as you nestled further into the hospital bed, trying to find a position that would make it comfortable.

“Okay, darling.” He grinned at you.

“Tell me more. What kind of-” You had to stop to yawn, “What kind of art stuff did you do?”

“Oh. Well, I was in a few musicals. I really enjoyed dancing. I did ballet ever since I was young and I love the control I have over my body. The tricks I can do with gymnastics or the turns and leaps. I mean I can’t do them to that level anymore, but I try to stay active.” He glanced up and noticed you hadn’t moved, “Are you still with me?”

“Mhm.” You barely respond.

“Okay. Well it was a performing arts school so we really were trained in many areas. We had classes in acting, singing, dancing, all of it. It was a lot of fun and I met my best friends there.”

Tom began telling stories about his time at school. Before he knew it, he lost himself and track of time. He looked back at you, quiet and still.

“Y/N?” You were finally asleep. “Goodnight, darling.” He whispered as he gently made his exit.

Because Tom worked the night shift, you never saw him when you woke in the morning. Instead, Tanya, a sweet nurse that felt like a big sister, or Linda, Nurse Ratched in the flesh, came in for morning vitals and meds.

You counted down the days until your release. Life in the hospital was pretty uneventful with the limit on visitors and limited activity. There’s only so many sitcoms one can take in a given timespan. The only thing that you really looked forward to each night was when Tom clocked in.

“Hi Y/N.”

“Hi Tom.” You would smile at each other.

“How are we feeling today?”

“Better. Ready to get out of here.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear you are feeling better and still ready to jailbreak.” He smiled while writing something down on your chart. “They should be bringing up your dinner tray soon and then I’ll bring by your evening meds after that.”

“Okay.”

“If you need me you know what to do.” He called to you before walking out the door.

You were disappointed when Shelley brought your evening meds by later. She was a nice enough nurse. She just wasn’t Tom.

You’d grown accustomed to mainly having him as your nurse during the evening shift. At first you weren’t sure if it was coincidence or on purpose, but after a few nights of staying up and talking, you grew closer to him. You saw less of the other nursing staff and more of Tom.

You tried not to build anything up in your head. You were sure everything he was doing was in his job description and a part of being a good nurse.

He would sneak you extra pudding cups from the cafeteria and bring you an extra heated blanket because you could never stay warm. If you needed a new IV, he held your hand to ease the anxiety. He kept you company and made you feel less alone in such a sterile and intimidating place. And when he noticed you had trouble sleeping he chose to sit with you to help you fall asleep. You couldn’t help the butterflies that built in your stomach.

It became a sort of routine. He checked on you during evening vitals, even if someone else was doing them, and you were always still awake. He would then come and sit with you and chat for a bit, telling you different stories until you eventually fell asleep.

Some nights when you were extra restless he would help you walk the halls.

“The doctors have to see you’re stable enough before you can be discharged. Plus, maybe it’ll tire you out.” He suggested.

He would help get your IV pole ready so you could walk with it. He helped you into your slippers and eased you out of bed after passing you your robe.

Walking the hall slowly, Tom knew he had to remain professional, yet he found a few excuses to graze his hand across your back to ‘steady you’ when you turned corners or he thought you were looking tired.

“It might take me a while to get back to my usual jogs in the park, huh?” You laughed in spite of yourself.

“You’ll get there. Baby steps.” He encouraged, as you turned around the Nurse’s Station. You missed the faces the other night shift nurses were giving you both, but Tom was sure to subtly flick them off. “So, do you like running?” He asked as you headed back towards your room.

Throughout your late nights together, he told you of his three younger brothers and his dog named Tessa. You spoke about what you would do when you were out of hospital. He talked about his friends and flatmates and the adventures they had. He told you many stories, but each morning when you woke up he was clocked out and the day shift nurses were there.

Tonight was your last night. You’re set to be discharged tomorrow and while you are ecstatic to go home, you’re going to miss one thing about this place.

“I bet you’re too excited to sleep tonight. I don’t know if my stories will even help.” Tom said as he sat down next to you.

You smiled up to him sweetly.

“What are you looking forward to the most once you get out of here?”

“Sleeping in my own bed.”

“Well that’s no surprise.” Tom laughed, a contagious sound making you giggle as well. “Isn’t there anything you’ll miss about this place?”

“Yeah.” He smiled “There’s one thing.”

“What’s that?” He asks.

“The pudding cups.”

“Ahh the pudding cups of course.” You giggled while fiddling with the IV line.

“They just don’t taste the same in the outside world.”

His smile grew wider as you giggled.

“No, but really. As much as I give this place grief and say I’m ready to get out of here - which I am,” You gave him a pointed look to which he held his hands up in mock surrender, fully believing you, “it hasn’t been too terribly awful I guess.”

“Oh, well, I’m glad we could make your stay not too terribly awful.. I guess.” He teased. “Do you have anything exciting to look forward to once you’re a free woman?”

“Nothing huge planned, really. The doctors did say to take it easy.”

“That’d be wise.”

“Yeah. I’ll just lay low for a while. My sister said she may try to come visit me though so that would be nice.”

“Oh that would be nice. She’s your older sister right?”

“Right. She moved away last year to be closer to her boyfriend.”

“Ah. Do you like him?”

“Sorry?”

“This boyfriend. Do you like him?”

“He’s alright, I suppose. He makes her happy.” Tom nodded along.

“And do you have a boyfriend that makes you happy?”

“N-No. No I don’t. Not at the moment.” You began fiddling with the IV cord again.

“No boyfriend or not a boyfriend that makes you happy?” He asked.

“Neither.”

“Well that’s a shame.” If the heart monitor was connected you would’ve been screwed. “I just mean someone needs to look after you once you get home. I hope this sister comes through for a visit. You’ve got to take it easy.”

“Oh I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you will be.” He smiled.

“How has your shift been tonight? Busy?” You asked, fighting back a yawn.

“A bit busier than usual. There was a slight emergency earlier which is why Shelley handed out meds tonight. Sorry I didn’t come around.”

“It’s alright. I know you have other patients.”

“Yeah, but none like you.” You were sure he said that to all of his patients. After all, you’ve heard similar lines ever since you went to the pediatrician as a child. But it still gave you butterflies.

“Are you getting sleepy?”

“A little. But it’s okay.” He gave you a pointed look but continued to talk anyway. “It’s the last night. One final request for storytime. Make it a good one.”

You thought for a moment before asking your question.

“Do you ever wish that life turned out differently? That you never had your accident and you could’ve followed your dreams to be a dancer?” You asked while turning on your side and getting more comfortable.

“Sometimes. At least, I used to. But I think I’ve accepted it now. And I really can’t see myself doing anything but this.” You nodded taking in his answer “I look at it this way. If it wasn’t for my injury then I never would’ve changed my career path and found my love for medicine. I never would have made so many of the friends I’ve made or the memories I’ve made. I never would have met you.” He finishes with a sweet smile.

“That’s a very positive way of looking at it.” You told him. “Be honest, are you a therapist during the day?” He laughed out loud.

“No. I’m not. I guess I’m a big believer in ‘everything happens for a reason’.” You nodded while covering a yawn.

“So I’ve been curious to ask you,” He began, “Do you usually have this much trouble sleeping? Because you can get help for that you know?” You smiled at him.

“What? I thought a night nurse talking to you was the cure?” Tom smirked and shook his head. “I’m kidding. No, I normally don’t. It’s just the stiff sheets and hospital sounds I think.”

“Darn hospital.” He rolled his eyes and joked. “So this time tomorrow you’ll be sound asleep in your own bed then?”

You knew it was meant to be a happy statement, but you were a little sad at the thought of not having any more late night chats with Tom.

“Yes. Thank God.” You forced a smile.

You felt another yawn coming and tried to hold it back. It was already past the usual time that you fell asleep.

Tom could tell you were exhausted so he launched into a story from nursing school, hoping to lull you to sleep.

You yawned your way through listening, trying to soak up every last moment with Tom. In the morning he wouldn’t be here. You’d leave and likely never see him again.

When he finished, your eyes were half open and he wondered how you were still awake. Or maybe why.

“Why are you fighting it? The point is to sleep. Give in.” He told you gently after another yawn.

You looked up at him, half asleep and rubbing your eyes, not finding the confidence to tell him the true reason you were trying to stay awake.

“I’m happy right now.”

He smiled down at you.

“I am too. But you need your sleep, darling.” You weren’t sure what to say and you didn’t have much energy left in you anyway. “How about this. I’ve probably been in here too long as it is. Let me go check in at the Nurse’s Station and then I’ll come back and check on you soon and see if you’re still awake okay?”

The thought that he was leaving gave you a sad feeling in your stomach. You tried to remind yourself that he was just your nurse. Nothing more.

“Okay.” You smiled at him, sleepily, while settling further into the bed.

He stood up and instead of walking towards the door he walked closer to you. He grabbed the thin, white hospital blanket and pulled it closer around your shoulders.

“Goodnight, Y/N.” He whispered before he walked to the door.

“Tom?” You called out just before he opened it. He turned around with an expectant look, “Thanks for everything.”

Even though the room was dim you could see his smile.

“You’re welcome, Y/N. Get some sleep.”

You don’t remember much after that. You don’t know if Tom came back to check on you. You just remember falling asleep with a smile on your face.

When you woke up the following morning it felt like any other morning in the hospital.

The hallways were much louder. Beeps, chatter, and phones were constant. The lights were brighter.

But you were quickly reminded that it wasn’t any other morning. You were going home today.

The door creaked open and Tanya, one of your regular daytime nurses, poked her head in.

“Oh good you’re up.” She made her way inside and over to the gloves. “How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good. Thanks.” She gave you a smile, something hidden behind it.

“I’m sure.” She said quietly to herself. You gave her a questioning look. “Oh I just mean I’m sure you’re excited to get out of here.”

You nodded as she took your vitals one last time.

“Everything looks good. What do you say about getting this IV out?”

“I say that sounds amazing.”

She took it out and bandaged up your arm while informing you of how the morning would go.

“Dr. McCoy is making rounds now then he’ll be by soon to go over your discharge. You can get dressed whenever you’re ready. If you need help, buzz me. You’ll still have a breakfast tray come, but you don’t have to eat it.” She gave you a wink while taking off her gloves.

“Thanks Tanya.”

“Of course, sweetie. And in case I don’t see you before you go, you’ve been a wonderful patient. Take care of yourself.” You smiled at her as she left you to change into some leggings and a sweatshirt.

You were packing your remaining things into your bag when your doctor walked in.

“Y/N! How are we doing today?”

“We’re doing great because we’re going home.” You smiled while taking a seat to rest for a few minutes.

“I know you’re excited.” He laughed before explaining the conditions of your discharge. You had medicines to take, a follow up appointment, and strict instructions to rest for the next few weeks. After signing some forms he left you with a stack of papers. “Is someone coming to pick you up?”

“Yeah my neighbor should be here within an hour.”

“Sounds good. Don’t hesitate to call us or come back in if you have any trouble or questions.”

“Will do. Thanks.”

A few minutes after he left a nurse brought in your breakfast tray. There wasn’t much of a point for it but since your discharge wasn’t technically until 10:30 am you were still a patient during breakfast.

You took the pudding cup that you requested with every meal off the tray before sliding it away. Smiling to yourself, you tucked it away in your bag. All you had left to do was wait for 10:30.

Tanya came in to check on you again and told you to buzz the Nurse’s Station when you knew your ride was here. At 10:27 you had a text from your neighbor that they were out front in the pickup zone. So you hit the call button.

“Yes?” Linda, the scariest dayshift nurse, answered.

“Um hi. Tanya told me to buzz in when my ride was here so I could go down.”

“Okay we’ll be right in.”

Not even a minute later you heard your door open. Expecting to see Tanya or maybe even Linda you looked up.

An audible gasp left your lips when Tom stood in your doorway with a wheelchair.

“I hear someone needs a ride?” He smiled as he made his way closer to the bed.

“Tom. What are you still doing here?”

“I pulled a double.” You wanted to ask why, but decided against it. You were still in a little bit of shock from seeing him again. “If you’d rather I can go get Linda to walk you down?” He pointed back towards your door.

“No! No.. I’m just surprised s’all.”

“Well come on. I thought you’d be running out of this place once the clock hit 10:30.” Glancing up you saw it was now 10:34. Your neighbor is probably tired of waiting already.

You grabbed your discharge papers and reached for your bag when you heard, “I got it.” Smiling at him, you sat down in the wheelchair. Tom placed the bag around his shoulder and kicked the brakes off the chair. “Ready?” You nodded up at him.

He rolled you out of the room that felt so small for a final time. You passed the Nurse’s Station and waved bye to the staff. He turned by the elevators and when you looked up at him in question, he read your mind. Looked down at you he said, “We’re taking the staff elevators.”

When you made it there he hit the button, turning you around and backing you in once the doors opened. He hit the button for the Lobby and leaned up against the wall of the elevator, briefly glancing at you, as you rode down together.

“Well you made it. You’re a free woman.” He smiled shyly.

“Yippee.” He met your eyes for a moment before looking back to the floor. The dynamics felt different. It wasn’t like your late night talks together.

“Listen, Y/N.” Tom began as he stood up from the wall and faced you. He was about to continue when the elevator ding cut him off, signaling you had reached your destination.

Maybe that was what was different. You had reached your destination.

You had a fun time talking with Tom and entertaining each other when you were both up late at night. He was fun to get to know and you enjoyed having someone care for you. He was easy to banter with and certainly easy on the eyes. But your time at the hospital was up. You knew it would be eventually. You wanted it to be.

Tom was a nurse. He was just doing his job. He was helping take care of you. He was being nice. He was trying to make your stay more comfortable. There was nothing to read into.

Your time being his patient was up and your time with him was up.

You tried to remain realistic, but the sadness still crept up as he rolled you closer to the door.

Once outside, you saw your neighbor exit the car and wave you over. Tom steered in the direction and slowed before rolling to a stop and hitting the brake locks on the wheels.

“Hi, I’m Taylor.”

“Tom.” They shook hands as Tom passed off your bag for Taylor to put in the backseat.

“I’m sorry for the circumstances, but it really has been a pleasure having you as a patient and getting to know you, Y/N.” Tom admitted as he walked around to face you. He grabbed the papers from your lap. “Take care of yourself, okay?” You had shared many smiles with Tom, but this one felt sadder.

“I will. Thank you for everything, Tom. I mean it.” You reached up and squeezed his hand. He gave you a light squeeze back while smiling down at you. Taylor returned from the backseat of the car and Tom turned to them.

“These are her important papers about follow up appointments, medications, what to do at home, all of that so please make sure she doesn’t lose any of them.” He emphasized the point.

“Got it. Thanks.” Taylor held onto the stack while Tom turned back to you.

“If I can’t handle a few papers on my own, then maybe I shouldn’t be going home yet, Tom.” You laughed.

“I know, I just wanted to make sure they made it home with you.” He walked closer. “You ready to get in?”

“Yeah.” You nodded. He helped you up, supporting you just as a precaution. Once seated, you took a moment to catch your breath as you pulled the seatbelt down. He met your hand, taking it from you to buckle you in.

“You good?”

You nodded with a smile, “Just a little tired. No biggie.”

He looked you over before returning your smile, though his didn’t quite reach his eyes, “If you need us, call us. Otherwise go home and rest.”

This was it. This was goodbye.

“Thanks, Tom.”

“Goodbye, Y/N.”

He shut the door. He walked back to the wheelchair, released the brake locks and headed inside. He looked back only when your car was driving away.

“Here’s those papers that are so important.” Taylor handed you the stack after they got in.

“Thanks.”

“So how are you feeling?”

“Better. Thanks.” You felt them looking at you as they joined traffic.

“You sure? You sound like you feel awful.”

You try to remind yourself to forget the sweet and attractive nurse and start moving forward.

“Yeah. Yeah I’m okay.” You decide to distract yourself by reading through your discharge paperwork, when something caught your eye. On top was a sticky note with the hospital’s letterhead. You were sure it wasn’t there before. Looking closer it read,

Y/N,

In case you need someone to talk to when you can’t sleep.

555-5555

P. S. I have a connection to some pretty good pudding cups too.

Tom

The smile that grew on your face was undeniable. All the feelings you suppressed came flooding in. He wasn’t just being nice. He actually liked you.

One thing you knew for sure was that even though you would be in your own bed tonight, you still would be up, talking to a very special nurse.

Lmk if you want to be on my tag list

[luminnara]

Flying On Wings Made From Feathers and Wax | Ganondorf x Gerudo OC | Ch 1

Chapter one | Chapter two

Summary:  10,000 years before the events of Breath of the Wild, a little Gerudo vai moves to the desert and makes a new friend in the form of the young Gerudo prince, Ganondorf. The two grow up together, enjoying a worry-free life...but distant memories of a long-dead demon king and a sheikah prophecy nag at everyone's minds, and tensions between the Gerudo and Hylians are on the rise. As the years pass, it becomes clear that this little vai will play an important role in the shaping of Hyrule. Loyalty and love will be tested, empires will rise and fall, and at the center of it all is that mysterious godly power...

Warnings: eventual violence and smut

The sand is hot.

The sun is unforgiving.

The desert is inhospitable, a dry, brutal place that tests and tries its inhabitants, a vast, sprawling land that will viciously take the life of anything unsuited to its harsh days and frigid nights. Few species manage to survive in such a place, a habitat ruled over by stern gods and haunted by restless spirits.

The Gerudo, though, lived proudly in the great desert, amongst the massive skeletons of ancient serpents and hidden by the raging sandstorms that kept much of the rest of the world away. In a land in which only the strongest survive, the Gerudo chose to become stronger, to thrive in a place other races like the Hylians and Rito hardly dared to venture to.

Gerudo women were powerful and proud, building a city and several outlying encampments for themselves. They preferred to remain reclusive, despite their generally peaceful relations with the Hylians and other races occupying the verdant spaces to the north of the desert, and as per a tradition created from centuries of hardships, no men of any race were permitted within the walls of Gerudo Town. 

Save for one.

He was born beneath a harsh, burning sun, on the hottest day in a decade. Though his mother was no chief, the baby was royalty from the moment he drew his first breath and cried his first cry, and news of the new king traveled quickly. Only one male Gerudo was born every hundred years, always becoming king, as was the law, and on the day of his birth, the Gerudo celebrated. The bar was crowded, the people drinking and feasting while the new king was placed in a royal crib, a guard detail standing at the door. The current chief would continue to rule, until the boy came of age, at which time she would be expected to step down and relinquish the throne. There was almost never any resistance or arguing; this was an old Gerudo tradition, and it was always honored. The chief would take care of the tribe, as was expected of her, preparing the desert for the new king it was about to receive. 

The infant was treated as a god. His mother was a warrior, tall and proud, and she claimed that his father was a hylian voe who was large for his kind. That didn’t matter much, though; Gerudo always produced Gerudo, and while a father’s genetics played some small part in determining how a child looked, they would never be anything but Gerudo. 

This new baby, the prince of the Gerudo, was showered in gifts. Before he could stand, he was being dressed in the finest silks and most expensive jewelry, small gold bracelets and anklets adorning his chubby limbs. He was strong, his lungs capable of producing a loud, healthy cry, his small fists already packing quite the punch. The Gerudo saw this as a blessing, and surely, their prince was to grow into a capable king one day. 

They did their best to focus on all of the good signs—that he would become strong, that he would be raised with respect and levelheadedness, that he would become a ruler worthy of the Gerudo throne. Surely, with so much adoration and positivity around him, their future king would stand tall and steady amongst the harsh sandstorms. He would not wither beneath the bright sun, nor would he be burned by the searing hot sands. His mother and the Royal guard would ensure that this rare Gerudo voe would know kindness and love, and they would do their best to always ignore any creeping feelings of dread. 

“A prophecy? Bah!” His mother would say whenever the topic was breached. “There is no reason that it points specifically to this voe. It could refer to the next one. Or it could be complete nonsense, the paranoid ramblings of an old sheikah.”

“But in the ancient past—”

“In the ancient past what?” His mother would snap. “Evil will always exist in this world. There will always be a great demon to defeat, a fiend to cut down. Perhaps the next voe born into this tribe will become a monster...but not mine.”

And she would look down at the tiny face of her son, the baby sleeping peacefully in her arms, swaddled in silks, and she would find no malice there. How could she? He was innocent, an infant who was most concerned with napping until it was time to wake up and cry. There was no malice in this boy, and she would ensure that he grew up surrounded by love. There would be no chance for her son to become the demon king the sheikah spoke of. They were an ancient people, with impressive magic and wise elders...but to the Gerudo, they were just another race who turned a blind eye to the suffering of the desert dwellers. 

The sheikah were no doubt watching for a male Gerudo, waiting for their prophecy from nearly a century earlier to play out, but the Gerudo were determined to hide their king. If the hylian royal family was alerted to the boy’s presence, there was a very strong possibility that they would demand his death--and that would surely spur on yet another war that no one wanted to fight. The Gerudo would defend their king until their dying breaths, loyal to the end, and perhaps to a fault...and they would do whatever it took to keep him safe. Amongst the harsh desert sands, they would do what they did best—remain strong and secluded, putting on a happy face for the rest of the world. Their king was sacred to them, and no one, not even the ancient sheikah, would meddle in their affairs.

On his first birthday, when it was clear that he would survive to see his childhood, the boy was finally given a name. In a great ceremony, the chief and his mother presented the baby to the rest of the tribe, and for the first time, they spoke his name:

Ganondorf.

A strong name for a strong boy, one destined to become a great king. His early years were spent toddling around the palace that would one day become his, occasionally being allowed outside into the blazing sun to see Gerudo Town and the people he would rule. As all children, he was high spirited and rambunctious, and as he grew, so did his energy. It became hard for his mother and the guards to keep him inside the palace, and eventually settled for keeping him within the town’s walls. He needed to remain safe...but they knew that he needed to have fun, too.

“Ganondorf!” His mother yelled one day as he tore down the steps of the palace, “slow down!”

But her words were ignored, the prince determined to have an adventure without his mother or his guards breathing down his neck. The downside to this freedom was that he would be alone; the other Gerudo children were nervous around him, afraid and in awe of the voe that would rule over them one day, and as such...he didn’t really have any friends. It was okay, and he managed on his own, but...he would really like to have just one.

“Mother,” a little red-haired vai groaned, plopping down in the sand. 

“What is it, vehvi?” Her mother asked absentmindedly as she picked up a hydromelon. 

“I’m bored.”

The Gerudo looked down at her daughter with a bemused expression. “Your first day in Gerudo Town, and you’re already bored? I thought you were excited to be moving here finally.”

The little girl sighed dramatically, flopping down onto her back. “I didn’t think it would be so boring!”

The melon vendor snorted in amusement. “I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Kiluki.”

“What does that mean, Uvira?” The girl’s mother asked in confusion. 

The vendor shrugged. “It’s something the Hylians say.”

“...why do they say it?”

“When they mean to tell someone that their daughter acts the same way her mother does.” Uvira laughed. “But I agree with Ilula...Gerudo Town has plenty to offer. Perhaps she should go see it all.”

The girl sat up straight. “Yes!”

Her mother was less eager. “I don’t know…”

“Mom, come on!” Ilula rolled her eyes. “I’m almost eight. I’m practically a grown up.”

Uvira barked a laugh. “Certainly have the attitude of one!”

Kiluki shot the woman a glare. “Ilula, I just want you to stay safe. This isn’t Castle Town, things here are bigger…”

“And I’m small. I know.” The little Gerudo sighed. “But mom, look at all the guards!”

“No one gets in or out of town without them seeing,” Uvira shrugged. “I doubt even a little vai could go unnoticed.”

“See?”

Kiluki looked down at her runt of a daughter. “Ilula, I just don’t want you running off on your own until you get to know Gerudo Town better. I just want you to stay safe.”

“Well…” Ilula looked around the market square. “Maybe I can find a friend?”

“There are plenty of little vai running around these days,” Uvira agreed. “Let her stretch her legs, Kiluki. This is your home again, and there are so few travelers these days that it’s nearly only Gerudo in town. You know we take care of our own.”

“Well…” Kiluki seemed to be on the verge of giving in, and Ilula stood excitedly. “...alright. But don’t go far, and if you need something, come right back here, or ask a guard to help you, or—“

Ilula was already tearing away, her little bare feet kicking up sand. “Thanks, mom!” 

As Kiluki watched her daughter run away, she felt her chest tighten. “Be careful!”

Uvira chuckled. “I don’t seem to recall you ever being particularly careful, sister. What’s changed?”

“I have something to worry about now,” Kiluki growled. “And she’s...so small…”

“That she is,” Uvira rubbed her chin in thought. “I could have sworn she was a few years younger, what with her height…”

Kiluki sighed. “The Hylian healers assured me that she’s perfectly healthy, but I’ve never seen such a small Gerudo. She’s hit all her milestones...except for the height ones.”

“So she’s a little thing,” Uvira shrugged. “Perhaps she’ll grow late.”

“Or never at all.”

“Would that matter much?”

“The world is a harsh place. I brought her here to be safe, with our people, but I fear now that the desert will be too much…”

“Kiluki, in the few hours you’ve been here, I have not once seen that vehvi show any signs of slowing down.” Uvira laughed. “You worry too much. Take her to one of our healers so they can reassure you.”

Her sister nodded. “I plan to.”

“I’m sure she’ll have no trouble making friends with the others.” Uvira smiled. “You’ll both have a fine life here, now that you’re back home where you belong.”

Kiluki tried to look like she agreed, but she was still worried. “You’re right. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

On the other side of the market, Ilula was approaching a group of children. They were playing a game with a small leather ball, kicking it around to each other, and it wasn’t unlike the sort of games the Hylian children in Castle Town played. 

“Hey!” Ilula called, running towards them. “Can i join?”

The girls all stopped and looked at her. She was unfamiliar, but she was clearly Gerudo, though she was...small.

“This is a game for big kids,” one of the girls said, waving her away. “Go play with someone your own age.”

Ilula stopped just outside their circle. “I am a big kid!”

“Uh, no you’re not,” she scoffed. “How old are you? Five?”

“I’m almost eight!” Ilula stamped her foot in anger. 

The girl paused in surprise. “What? No way. You’re so small!”

Ilula’s cheeks burned with rage. She wasn’t used to other kids commenting on her height; she was bigger than the Hylians her age, and back in Castle Town, they were the little kids compared to her. Here, though, she actually had to look up at the Gerudo kids, and as she did so, she began to frown.

“S-so?” She asked, stammering in her anger.

“So?” The bigger girl laughed. “So you can’t play with us!”

Ilula’s hands balled into fists. “Fine! I didn’t want to anyways!”

The other children all broke into laughter as she spun on her heel, cheeks hot, teeth clenched. She had never been treated like that, and she was experiencing her first real rage. All she wanted was to get as far away from them as possible now, and she made a beeline for the archway leading to a row of homes and bars off to the side of the market. 

As she marched away, determined to ignore their shrill taunts as they called after her, her pace quickened, toes digging into the sand with such fervor that she didn’t notice where she was going. 

“Too small? I’m not too small, I’ll show them too small—hey!” As she grumbled to herself, she suddenly made contact with something sturdy, and next thing she knew, she was landing on her butt. “Watch where you’re going!”

The something she had run into turned and looked down at her. “Oh, sorry!”

Ilula’s eyes widened as she took him in. 

“I thought—I thought there weren’t any boys allowed here!” She blurted out.

The person in front of her was a shirtless boy, a small mane of fiery red hair framing his face. He wore white silk pants held up by a golden belt, matching bands fastened around his upper arms. His skin was tan, his eyes bright amber, a bejeweled circlet resting on his head. He looked regal, as he should...but Ilula didn’t notice that. All she noticed was that he was a boy, and he was in her way.

He laughed and offered his hand to help her up. “I’m allowed to be here.”

She took his offer and allowed him to pull her to her feet. “Why?”

“Because I’m the prince,” he smirked, puffing his chest out a little. 

Ilula rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

He visibly deflated, unused to anyone questioning or not believing him. In a town full of Gerudo who worshipped him, nobody ever rolled their eyes like that in his presence. “Huh?”

“If you’re a prince, why are you wandering around out here?” She shook her head. “And there’s never any boy Gerudo. You’re just making things up.”

He blinked at her in disbelief. “But I—I am! I’m gonna be king one day!”

“We don’t have a king, we have a chief!” Ilula laughed, but it wasn’t cruel or mocking; instead, it was genuine, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked up at the boy. “Mama told me all about the chief before we came here.”

“You just moved here?” He tilted his head curiously.

“Yep!”

“Where did you live before?”

“Castle Town,” She sighed. “It was nice, I guess. The castle is pretty.”

“Isn’t that where all the Hylians live?” He scoffed. “You shouldn’t be out there. You should be with your people.”

“Duh, I’m here now, aren’t I?” Her voice was full of attitude as she rolled her eyes at him a second time. 

Ganondorf decided that he didn’t hate it. 

“Why’d you live there in the first place?” He folded his arms over his chest. 

“My daddy is a knight.” Ilula played with the hem of her shirt, rocking on her heels. “He works in the castle. But him and Mama had a fight, so she decided to move here.”

The boy made a thoughtful noise and nodded. “Well...I’m glad you’re here.”

“Why?” She tilted her head. 

“Because now I have a friend!” He grinned, grabbing her hands and spinning her around. 

Ilula shrieked with laughter, and he loved how it sounded. 

“We’re friends?” She asked, giggling as she fell still again.

“Yeah! I mean...do you wanna be?”

“Yes!” She looked relieved.

“Whats your name?” He asked. 

“Ilula.” She smiled.

“I’m Ganondorf. Future king of the Gerudo.” His grin widened.

“Yeah, very funny.” She said sarcastically. “You’re weird, but I’m glad I have a friend now. I tried to make friends before, but they just made fun of me…”

The boy frowned. “Who did?”

Ilula shrugged, nodding towards the archway she had come through. “A bunch of girls in the market. They wouldn’t play with me.”

His brow creased angrily. “Why?”

“They said I was too small. They thought I was five! I’m almost eight!”

“I’m already eight,” her new friend smirked.

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. They were mean.”

His frown was back. “Did they make fun of you?”

“Yes.” She grumbled, kicking the sand. 

“Come on.” He grabbed her hand again, pulling her towards the market. 

“What are you doing?” She asked, short legs stumbling as she tried to keep up with the tall boy.

“Being a prince,” he growled. 

Ilula scoffed. There he went again, pretending to be royalty. She didn’t have much of a choice than to follow him, though, and she let him drag her back to where the girls were playing.

“Hey!” He snapped, standing in front of them.

They all immediately froze and snapped to attention, staring at him with wide eyes. 

“Y-yes?” One of them gulped. 

“Were you being mean to her?” He yanked Ilula forward, holding her up by her wrist as if she weighed nothing at all. She dangled in his grip, toes barely brushing the sand, but she found that she didn’t hate it. 

“N-no, Prince Ganondorf!” The girl who had bullied Ilula said quickly, taking a few steps back towards her friends.

“Then why wouldn’t you let her play with you?” He asked dangerously.

“Because—because she’s too small!” The girl stammered. “Sh-She wouldn’t be able to keep up!”

“Tell her you’re sorry,” he ordered, setting Ilula down.

“But—“

“Say you’re sorry!”

“W-we’re sorry!” She said. “P-please don’t tell my mom, she’ll be so mad at me…y-you can play whenever you want, you can be friends with us, I promise—“

“I don’t want to,” Ilula wrinkled her nose. “I have my own friend now.”

She turned away from them for the second time, spinning on her heel and marching away with her nose in the air. The girls stared after her in horror, looking back at the prince with wide eyes and gaping mouths. How could she turn her back on royalty and just walk away like that? She should be put to death for her rudeness! 

He gave the girls one last glare before turning to join the little foreigner, catching up with her short stride quickly. 

“That was awesome!” She exclaimed when they were out of earshot, stopping and turning to face him. “That was so cool, they were so scared of you! They—wait.” She paused as thoughts flew through her head. “They called you prince. Did you convince them like you tried to convince me? Wow, they’re dumb!”

He just stared at her before throwing his head back and laughing loudly. 

“What?” She asked. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he chuckled. “Wanna go play?”

Ilula grinned and nodded and they were off, running through the market to have fun. 

Ganondorf showed her the aqueducts that carried fresh water throughout the city, laughing as she splashed him. He took her to see the sand seals living in pens just next to the side gate, telling her that soon, he was going to learn how to shield surf with one. After that, they ran up and down the palace steps, seeing how many they could each jump. The guards at the top of the stairs shared a bemused smile behind their veils, eyes crinkling with laughter as they watched their prince play with someone his age finally.

“This place is huge!” Ilula said, sitting down on a step. The sun was low in the sky, some of its heat finally ebbing as the evening air cooled. 

“Yeah, it is,” Ganondorf sat beside her, looking out over his city. “The desert is even bigger. It goes on and on forever.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” Ilula sighed. “I can’t wait to see everything.”

“I’ll show you,” he promised. “I’ve lived here my whole life. I know everything about the desert.”

“Then maybe one day I can show you Castle Town!” She said excitedly. “Deal?”

He grinned. “Deal.”

“My prince,” one of the guards from the top of the steps approached them. “It is growing late. Your mother wishes you to accompany her for supper.”

Ilula stared at the tall Gerudo guard. Maybe the whole prince thing wasn’t just a joke amongst children, after all...

Ganondorf sighed. “Can we take Ilula home first?”

The guard looked down at the runt and gave a quick nod. “Who is your mother, vehvi?”

“Kiluki,” She said, her voice suddenly as small as she felt. “She was in the market talking to Aunt Uvira…”

The guard’s gaze softened at the sound of an old friend’s name. “Very well. Let us go find her together.”

Spear in hand, she led the children down the steps. The setting sun was casting long shadows across the square, Gerudo all waving goodbyes as they headed home or to the spa or bar. The market was much less crowded than it had been during the day, shopkeepers drawing down the flaps on their stalls as they closed up for the night. 

“Ilula!” A voice called. 

“Mama!” Ilula ran forward as she spotted her mother still talking to Uvira at her stand. 

Kiluki caught her small daughter in an embrace, smiling as she picked her up and set her in her hip. “I see you’ve come back to me in one piece.”

“Of course,” the guard escorting the children said, coming to stand before Kiluki. “The prince and his friend were only playing on the palace steps today. I did not let them out of my sight.”

Kiluki’s eyes grew wide as Ganondorf stepped up next to the guard. “O-oh, my prince, forgive me—“ 

She tried to bow while holding Ilula, bending at the waist while her daughter clung to her arm for dear life. Ganondorf only laughed, enjoying the sight of such a close bond between the two, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched. 

“Ilula and I are friends now,” he told her. 

Kiluki looked at her daughter in shock. “...you befriended the prince?”

“I didn’t know he was the prince,” Ilula smiled sheepishly. 

“She didn’t believe me when I kept telling her.” Ganondorf piped up.

“...were you rude to the prince?” Her mother asked.

“No!” Ilula protested. “I wasn’t! Besides, he’s not the prince, he’s my friend.”

Kiluki shook her head in disbelief as Uvira laughed behind them. “You never cease to amaze me, vehvi.”

Ilula grinned, then squirmed in her mother’s grip. The moment she was let down, she ran forward to hug Ganondorf, and the boy happily wrapped his arms around her. He picked her up and spun her around, one of his new favorite games, his face alight with laughter as the two quickly began making plans to play in the morning.

“Thank you for keeping an eye on her,” Kiluki said to the guard as she watched her daughter and the prince. 

“Of course,” the guard dipped her head in a nod. “At the prince’s side is the safest place she could ever be.”

Kiluki nodded in agreement. She couldn’t believe how well everything had worked out. With a guard detail always keeping an eye on Ganondorf, Ilula would no doubt always be under their watch as well. Her daughter gained a friend, and Kiluki gained some peace of mind. 

“Come, my prince,” the guard said after a few more minutes. “We must let Ilula and Kiluki get home, and we must not keep your mother waiting.”

Ganondorf sighed and gave Ilula one last smile before joining the guard. Ilula waved after him as he walked towards the palace, her mother taking her hand to lead her to Uvira. 

“Well, how about that?” Ilula’s aunt chuckled. “Making friends on your very first day here!”

Ilula giggled. “He’s not just my friend. He’s the prince.”

[chokemeanakin]

can i request some fluff? literally anything just make it t o o t h - r o t t i n g

Fluff is my middle name 😏😘

Masterlist

Read it on ao3

Wc: 1.4k

Distraction- Anakin x gn Reader fluff

(Anakin distracts you while you try to study)

Your eyes ached as they took in the words on your computer screen. With every passing minute, you swore the letters were getting more tiny and blurry.

No… not just minutes. It had been hours since you started studying, but your tests were coming up fast and you had to know this stuff. The look on Anakin’s face mirrored exactly how you felt on the inside.

“Are you done yet?” He asked for the millionth time, perched on your bed with his arms behind his head and legs crossed at the ankles. You had convinced him to take a shower 10 minutes ago so he would stop bugging you as you worked, but now he was back and had been begging for attention ever since.

It certainly didn’t help your willpower that he looked so devastatingly handsome and cozy, his hair dark and dripping and cheeks rosy from the shower. He was wearing his sleep robe, which was wrapped half-hazardly around his bare torso, exposing patches of his muscled midriff. You tore your eyes away before they could stay there for too long and lose focus altogether.

“Almost,” you muttered the answer to his previous question, biting down on the end of your pen. You read another line, but couldn’t retain any of the words as your mind kept drifting to the restless Jedi in your bed.

“You done now?”

“Getting there.”

You just had to finish this page, summarize it in a doc, and then you could log out of everything. It should only take a few more minutes of focus, and then you could give all your attention to Anakin.

You blinked hard, took a deep breath, and then got back to reading. You had only gotten one more paragraph done when you felt two large arms slip around your waist.

“Please hurry up.”

He kissed your neck and then rested his chin gently on your shoulder, making goosebumps erupt all over your skin. You hadn’t realized how cold you were, now that his warm embrace was pressed against you.

“I’m trying,” you whined, bouncing your knee as you skimmed the rest of the reading, then clicked to a document page.

“Not hard enough,” he chuckled. You could feel the deep vibrations in his chest against your back, and you wanted nothing more than to melt into him and have him carry you off to bed. But no— you had to finish this.

“Hey…” you suddenly had an idea. “Couldn’t you just, I don’t know, compel me to do my work faster?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like… your Jedi mind tricks. You can make people do stuff. Make me do this.”

“That would be an invasion of your privacy,” his voice slipped past your ear like smooth velvet.

“Not if I’m asking for it.”

He sighed, breath tickling your neck. “Just finish up. I’m getting bored.”

“Oh, you’re bored? I’ve been working on this since 8 this morning!”

“Then you should be done by now.”

You groaned and set the pen in your grasp down so you could get typing. It was slightly unnerving having him read your work over your shoulder, but at this point you were so tired and burnt out that you didn’t care how bad it was. All you could really focus on was the feeling of his hands roaming over your sides and innocently slipping a few inches under your shirt.

“Anakin…” you warned.

“Just warming you up. You’re freezing.”

You bit your lip at his sly tone, but he was right. You kept working as he slowly rubbed some warmth back into your skin. Once you finished, you slammed the x button on all of your tabs and slapped your laptop closed. Sighing in relief, you leaned back into Anakin’s chest and held his hands against you.

“All done,” you smiled.

He responded by pressing a few more kisses into your cheek, trailing them up your face to your temple. “About time.”

“For real, though,” you spoke absentmindedly as you relished the feeling of his lips against your skin. “I want you to do that cool mind trick thing on me.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, just to see,” you shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be anything big. How about you… make me pick up that pen?”

“You’re sure you’re okay with it?”

“Yeah! I just wanna know what it feels like.”

“It feels like you’re doing something against your will,” his tone wasn’t very happy, and you could tell you were teetering on a soft spot. You knew he didn’t often use Jedi mind control, even on enemies, and it had a lot to do with forcing people to do things unwillingly. And that, of course, tied into his awful past. But you were only asking out of curiosity, purely for innocent purposes, and he knew that. So he gave a little huff, and then pulled back so he could look at your face.

“You’re positive about this?”

“Making me pick up a pen isn’t a huge deal, Ani.”

“Alright,” he grimaced, then brought his metal hand before your face. To your pleasure, his glove was off and resting on the bedside dresser. You always liked seeing his arm free from its constraints, glinting gold in the low light and whirring softly as it moved. “If you hate this and never want me to do it ever again, just tell me.”

“Just do it,” you pressed, staring at the hand in anticipation.

“Ok. You will pick up that pen.”

He waved his hand in a downward motion as he said this, and then retracted it as you felt a weird sensation wash over your body. You wanted that pen. You reached for it as if it had been your own thought all along, and the feeling left as soon as you retrieved it from the desk.

“Woah,” you giggled, an excited smile washing over your face. “Make me do something else!”

“Really?” He let out a relieved laugh.

“Make me put it back!”

He shook his head at you, but waved his hand before your face again. “You will put the pen on the desk.”

Your arm instinctively reached out for the desk, dropping the pen back where it had come from. You gasped in delight, turning around in his embrace to look him fully in the face. “Make me do something else!”

“You’re having too much fun with this,” he muttered, fitting his hands around your waist and lifting you into his arms. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he carried you over to the bed, laying you down and hovering over you. He nuzzled his head into your neck and pressed playful kisses into your skin, the ends of his hair tickling your cheek. “Besides, I don’t need to use mind control in order to make you do things for me.”

“Oh yeah?” You challenged, burying your hands in his damp hair as he left a trail of kisses downward.

“Mhm.”

“Well, we’ll see about that the next time you want me to make you a Ruby Bliel.”

He paused. “That’s not exactly what I meant.”

You smirked, knowing exactly what he had been insinuating. If you were being honest, he was right. You’d do anything he asked— but his ego did not need to know that.

“Can you show me more tricks?” You changed the subject.

“More tricks,” he settled back onto the bed beside you with a grunt, pulling you into him with his metal arm. “Is that what you call years of Jedi training?”

“That telekinesis stuff is cool. Make something float.”

“I’m just a toy to you.”

“Here, this,” you tossed a pillow into the air, but it landed back onto your stomach. “Make it float.”

You tossed it again, and this time it came down and stopped right before landing on you. It rose a few inches, and then moved behind you, nudging its way back behind your head.

“That’s so cool,” You looked at him, and he was smiling gently back at you. Suddenly, you felt cool air on your stomach and found that your shirt was slowly inching its way upward on its own. “Hey!”

He laughed and your shirt was put back to its normal position, his hand following to grip your side again as he pressed his smile against your lips.

“Anything else I can interest you with?”

[beewolfwrites]

An Iron Box - The Answer

@cheshiya @tenseoyong @szallejhscorner @something-more-original-please @ofsunsetsandpoetries @nek0dzuken @allozaur @hiqhkey @serenzippity

That rooftop scene is growing closer, and so is my excitement :D

I’ve noticed a few new readers, and I just wanted to add a heads up that you can find the Tumblr post links and the AO3 links to each of the three fics at the top of my Tumblr, if that helps at all! 

Here’s the AO3 link to this chapter too.  

I hope you like it! <3

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

‘Chishiya, I’d hate to be your enemy.’ 

When Arisu had spoken those words right as he punched in the code, he’d already made his fatal mistake.

You are all my enemies, in a way.   

I stood back, watching as Arisu’s bloodied and unconscious body was slung over a militant’s shoulder and carried out of the royal suite. Usagi went next, kicking and screaming her boyfriend’s name. Just as she was dragged out the door, her eyes locked on me, and I could see the sheer betrayal there, the hatred burning and seething under her skin. 

I simply smiled. 

It wasn’t personal. It’s just how this world works.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn to reach the king. 

The rest of us meandered out into the hall where the two traitors were being hauled towards their fate. I felt a hand clamp firmly on my shoulder, and fought the urge to move away when I saw Aguni standing beside me.

‘You did good, Chishiya. I never did trust those two.’ 

You should rethink where you put your trust. 

‘Don’t mention it,’ I said. ‘It’s the least I could do.’ 

There was a furious cry down the hall as Usagi bit someone’s hand, followed by a slap, and then silence. I already had an inkling about what would happen to the two of them. Knowing Niragi, he would have some fun with Usagi before disposing of her. Perhaps I should’ve felt guilty. Some people certainly would. But there was a small, satisfied part of me that was glad it was her instead of... 

‘That reminds me,’ Aguni said. ‘How did you know about them?’ 

‘Ah… that.’ I took the walkie talkie out of my pocket and flashed it to him. ‘They tried to get me to join them. I went along with it to find out the details, and you know the rest.’ 

Aguni’s brows furrowed at the sight of the device, but he didn’t ask to inspect or keep it. That’s when I knew I had him wrapped around my finger. 

‘I understand. If you see any other suspicious behaviour, let me know.’ 

‘Of course.’ 

I nodded politely as he disappeared down the hall and submerged himself in his room.

Now that those two were taken care of, the militants would be distracted for a little while. That left us a generous amount of time until dark, although the real plan wouldn’t take long to execute, especially now I knew where the actual safe was.  

Aguni may have been observant, but not nearly as observant as I was. Knowing that he had come so close to having the cards snatched from right under his nose, it would’ve unsettled anyone. And in such an unstable situation, it was only human nature to seek stability by making sure that your precious items are untouched. 

I guess I was wrong about the blank sheet. 

There was a room on the top floor that I knew wasn’t currently being used. In such close proximity to the royal suite, it was the perfect hideout where I could talk into the walkie talkie without worrying about eavesdroppers. 

Slipping inside, I pulled it from my pocket once again to tune it to a radio frequency I had told Kuina about earlier. Knowing her, she would have tuned (name’s) to the same one right after Arisu’s capture. 

I lifted the walkie talkie to my mouth. ‘Kuina?’ 

There was a drawn out moment of static, then Kuina’s voice crackled through. ‘I’m here. (Name) still needs a minute though.’ 

I figured as much. Once she realised what was happening, it was inevitable that she would react badly. Having Kuina there to keep her away from Arisu and Usagi had been for the best. And now she knew that I had unwillingly involved her in a plan like this, her opinion of me had probably sunk lower than before. 

Is this also for the best? 

I sat down on the unused bed, deciding that yes, it was. She would only be a distraction. If it came down to it, I needed to survive. And once we left the Beach, if she despised me so much that she chose to go down a separate path, it couldn’t be better. 

But still… 

‘Chishiya.’ Kuina’s voice interrupted the quiet. ‘I hope you feel guilty for this. I seriously hope a small part of you realises how screwed up this was.’ 

I smiled at her lack of understanding. I realised perfectly well, but for the sake of surviving in a world like this, you couldn’t allow yourself to slip to the bottom of the food chain.

‘You’ve changed your tune,’ I replied. ‘Are you backing out all of a sudden?’ 

‘Of course not. I can’t afford to, and neither can (name).’ She paused, then tentatively asked, ‘Did you know? About her… and you, you know.’ 

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ 

‘Did you know she had feel—’ Kuina’s voice stopped, then she hushed, ‘She’s coming out now. We’ll be upstairs soon.’ 

The communication cut off, and all I could do was wait until they were in position. Wait, and mull over Kuina’s unfinished question. Obviously, they had been talking about me, but I almost didn’t want to know what they had said. 

I waited fifteen minutes, and there was still no sign from either of them. If they carried on at this speed, we would run out of time. Growing restless, I held up the walkie talkie. 

‘You two, how are things on your side?’

There was no response, but they would have to reply eventually. What I didn’t expect was her voice to come through. 

‘You’re all good to go from where I’m standing.’ Her voice was still dripping with unspoken anger and betrayal, and it was surprising she was even willing to talk to me. 

So you’re not as childish as you act. Who would’ve thought. 

‘Aguni’s still in his room,’ Kuina followed up with a sigh. ‘We’re getting bored now.’ 

‘Then should we get going with the plan?’ I suggested. The reply I got was scathing. 

‘We’ve already gotten going. It’s you who needs to hurry up.’ 

That attitude, it was almost laughable. How commanding (name) had become in an instant, as if she weren’t tagging along on someone else’s plan.

‘Patience,’ I reminded her, and turning down the volume on the walkie talkie, I cracked open the door. 

In the hall, there wasn’t a soul in sight. It couldn’t have been more perfect. The royal suite was unguarded, and I easily slipped by unnoticed. Inside, the room was bathed in darkness, and it became apparent Aguni hadn’t yet bothered to move his belongings in. There were still traces of the incident earlier. The carpet by the open wardrobe was spotted with blood. Arisu’s blood. 

I turned the volume on the walkie talkie back up. ‘I don’t know if Arisu is stupid or intelligent. Hatter was paranoid. He wouldn’t have hidden the cards in a normal safe.’

‘Where’s the real one then?’ Kuina asked. 

I turned to the deer painting on the wall. It didn’t particularly stand out as anything special, just a deer’s face and antlers against a blue toned background. And yet earlier that day, despite all the commotion and Arisu’s screams of pain, it had captured Aguni’s focus. 

‘When Arisu was caught,’ I said, slowly approaching the painting, ‘Aguni wasn’t paying attention. He was looking towards a certain picture on the wall. It turns out the paper wasn’t empty after all. It contained a drawing instead.’ 

Briefly placing the walkie talkie on a side table, I lifted the painting from the wall, uncovering the hidden treasure that I had been hoping for. The plaster had been carved up, forming a hole large enough to jam a small safe inside. And sure enough, there it was. A hotel safe, much like the one Arisu had tried, was embedded deep into the wall. 

Her voice, sounded through the static. ‘So, you had no idea where it was until then?’ 

I picked up the walkie talkie again. ‘Exactly. What happened to Arisu was necessary if we were going to find the real safe. Speaking of which, I’ve found it.’ 

Now it was the moment of truth. The final test to see if my code was correct. I punched the numbers in one by one. 8022. Each one held its own magnitude, and I half-expected an alarm to ring out. 

Except it didn’t. The safe display read ‘OPEN’. 

‘You used him just for that?’ was Kuina’s tired response. 

Really, after all this time, did she not realise that this was the price one had to pay? This world had a certain dynamic. In order to survive, you couldn’t allow yourself to get caught up in guilt or shame. 

‘In order to gain something, you have to lose something,’ I said. ‘He’s just a sacrifice. Things like this happen a lot, don’t they?’

'No, they don’t. Not at all. I really don’t want to be your enemy.’

I smiled, remembering the betrayal in Arisu’s expression. ‘I get that a lot.’ 

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

The deck was like a weight, swinging in my pocket. A surefire sense of power and danger, all hidden within a stack of cards. There was no way of knowing whether collecting them granted any passage back to the old world. But there was also nothing to prove that they didn’t. 

Either way, I’m certain something will happen once the deck is completed. 

These cards couldn’t be for nothing. 

After replacing the painting, I told Kuina and (name) to meet me near the patio exit at the east of the hotel. I could’ve caught up with them on my way down from the top floor, but I wanted to make a small diversion. 

I’d never felt any attachment to my room, and even now as I took one last look, there was nothing in particular keeping me here. 

Well, maybe just one thing. 

Pulling open the second drawer down on the desk, I felt around at the back for the tiny box. It was only small, and the ring inside even smaller. It sat open in the palm of my hand, the silver fashioned into a small sun with a glistening green centre. 

Somehow, its weight was even heavier than the cards. 

Is there any point?

I could’ve easily slipped it into my pocket, but it was practically useless. Even if I gave it to her, she would instantly reject it. 

I placed the box back in the draw. It would stay a secret for the next person moving into this room. As I shut the drawer, I suddenly remembered another, darker secret hidden inside the one below. I opened it up, seeing the little souvenir I’d taken from my first game. 

The pistol glistened inside, metallic and dangerous. Now that would certainly keep Niragi at bay. But again, was it worth it? It didn’t hold many bullets, and it wouldn’t stand a chance against a rifle. Once we were out of here, I could probably find something a little bigger, perhaps in Tokyo’s empty Yakuza hotspots. 

I left it there along with the ring. Even walking away felt like tugging at a string that kept pulling me back towards that tiny box. I would have to rip that string apart. 

Making my way down through the hotel, I strolled outside, dipping into the smaller paths where the patio was peaceful. The only sounds were the faded music drowned out by wind, and the soft trill of crickets. Two silhouettes came into view, one basking in the glow beneath a lamppost, the other hidden against the wall in its shadow. 

‘I guess we won’t be needing these anymore.’ I pulled off the wristband I had gotten so used to wearing. Just as I reached the brick archway at the edge of the grounds, Kuina spoke.

‘Don’t you feel sorry?’ 

I paused. ‘Sorry?’ 

‘About what happened to Arisu,’ (name) said. ‘I feel really sorry for him. We both do.’

Kuina hummed in agreement. ‘Don’t you?’

I turned, glancing from Kuina’s frown to the figure behind her. No matter how hard she tried to hide in her friend’s shadow, I could always find her, especially when her eyes looked so full of anger and hurt. Standing there, both bracing themselves against the cold, the two of them echoed off one another in perfect harmony. 

‘I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.’ 

I knew what line came next. She didn’t have to sing, so long as she was still breathing. Perhaps I could make her understand. 

‘Is there anything we wouldn’t do in order to survive?’ 

Clearly, there was. Their eyes widened, as if the truth of this world hadn’t fully hit them yet. As if all my efforts had been for nothing in their eyes. 

Fine. Very well. 

I smiled, no longer caring to hide the bitterness. ‘If you both feel so worried, then maybe you should go and help him.’ 

And of course, neither of them budged. They knew they couldn’t. They were both so happy to come with me if it meant escaping the Beach, yet they still felt the right to criticise my methods. I turned back towards the arch and took the first step forward into freedom, only to hear that tiny, oh-so-familiar sound. 

A buzzing. 

‘It can’t be,’ I muttered. 

This was always a possibility. But why here? Why now? Why, when I was so close to winning? Any other time, and I wouldn’t have minded. This, however, was simply annoying. 

I was so deep in thought, I barely registered the footsteps behind me… the familiar form sliding past me… walking closer towards the arch. 

‘Stop.’

My hand moved on its own, grabbing her wrist and tugging her back just in time. For one small second I felt the heat of her skin, right before it was yanked out of my grip. 

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ She touched her wrist as if it had been burned, unaware that it had been the other way around. 

I couldn’t answer. The cold had settled back in, the emptiness. It only confirmed that nagging suspicion I already knew. The reason I couldn’t rip the string apart. She was the answer.

Kuina appeared at my side, waiting for an explanation. Her presence reminded me that there was something far, far more pressing at stake. Suddenly remembering the wristband I was holding, I tossed it into the arch. 

A glowing red laser shot through the centre and it clattered to the ground. 

The timing was almost ironic, too perfect to be true. Almost like the gamemasters had been watching us all along, just as they had with that little stunt they pulled in the Eight of Hearts. As frustrating as this was, I had to admire their creativity. 

I sighed, turning around to see a wall of lasers appear along the parameters of the hotel.

Touche. 

[clefairymuke]

regrets | chapter fourteen

prev. chapter | next chapter

pairing: levi ackerman x reader

themes: enemies to lovers, slowburn, angst, fluff, smut

tw: violence / explicit sexual content

word count: 2075

For the days to come, Levi remained calm and cold. It was difficult to hide your protests and questions behind your tongue, but when he arrived one night with one teacup instead of two, you grew exhausted of fighting. In fact, the two of you rarely shared anything more than smalltalk, which was the most disheartening product of the newfound awkwardness between you and Levi. Really, disheartening was the least of emotions you could assign to this new mode of interaction -- it was miserable.

It was nearly impossible to accept that the relationship may never return to its previous tranquility; however, this was the hard truth. As your leg grew closer to normal than injured, it was undeniable that you would soon be returning to life among your peers -- the dining hall, training exercises, expeditions outside the walls. Though daunting, it was the inevitable -- likely coming as early as this morning, as terrifying, exciting, anxious and wonderful as that may sound. Although one part of you was as excited as ever to get back in the field with your comrades, the simple comfort you achieved within the walls of the infirmary had become your personal normal. You shuttered at the thought of sharing a room with fifty other girls, without room for moonlight visitors and warm, comforting company. Without room for Jean.

Without room for Levi.

Your mind, though wandering, seemed as if it always led in a meandering circle back to him. It was a stark change in thought -- a chat in the Captain's office was once your definition of a nightmare. Now you wished for just one more shared grin over a lukewarm teapot. It was almost embarrassing.

Maybe, you considered often, his feelings did not change as yours did. Perhaps you did look too far into it. In fact, he likely still saw you as the same nuisance he did a month ago, and nothing you ever saw in him and his softened grey eyes was any more than a delusion. You were another young girl with wild feelings for her superior. He was used to that. Then you remembered his hand on yours, how he poured your tea, how he drew circles along your body as you "slept," and remembered again that it was impossible to imagine how he cared for you. The key word, of course, was the past-tense "cared."

At times, your restless mind brought forward the offhanded thought that Eren did care for you. You would remember how you cast him aside without a chance, and then only a week later were you pining after Levi like a schoolgirl with a crush. Maybe that was proof that you didn't deserve that kind of relationship; maybe you were stupid to shoo Eren away like a dog that got a bit too playful. But, however fortunate or unfortunate it may be, the past is unchanging. Not that that made the present any less of a confusing, painful mess. Sometimes it felt like it made it even worse.

---

The smell of the dining hall rushed over you before realization settled. You walked next to Jean -- not holding onto him, or using him to support you every few steps, actually walking. It felt nice. Though you made friendly and funny conversation, you knew he could sense your clear apprehension. Before you entered, he squeezed your shoulder in one hand and shot you a comforting grin.

You noticed a few eyes trailing over at you as you walked to pick up your tray; it didn't bother you. You expected some of those outside your circle to wonder about how you had been -- the news of you saving Jean's life would've been talked about at least a few times. What bothered you was that a certain pair of grey eyes never bothered to look away from Erwin, even when you passed straight by where he sat. Was the disinterest real?

You took your tray from the line and peered down at it: soup, bread, and a potato. Same as always. You wondered how Sasha always made it seem so appetizing. Jean led you over to the table you spent two long weeks without -- everyone greeting you with a smile and Sasha with a hug. You sat amongst your friends with an unpreventable grin, their excited "hello"s giving you the bit of joy you needed to keep going that day. You fielded their questions about your time at the infirmary with boring half-truths, trying your best to avoid the secret you entrusted only with Jean. You began to realize how difficult it was to separate your time in the infirmary from talks of your time spent with Levi.

Every so often, you found your eyes trailing over to where he sat, your line of sight grazing his raven-colored hair. You remembered how messy it was that morning after he spent the night. It brought the beginnings of a frown to your face. Against your better judgement, you allowed yourself to ponder on why he hadn't so much as glanced in your direction; was he not concerned for you as everyone else was? You had even met eyes once with Mike and Reiner, and yet Levi was not the slightest bit curious about you?

It pulled your spirits down rather quickly, the joy brought on by your friends dwindling down each time you allowed yourself to gaze at the puzzling and infuriating man across the room. Jean followed your eyes once or twice, seeing your face fall a bit lower each time. He tossed his arm around you, pulling you close; he tried to make it as casual as possible, while still giving you as much comfort as he could.

You leaned into him and closed your eyes, trying your hardest to rid Levi from even the furthest parts of your mind. This was a happy day -- you shouldn't let your infatuation with him ruin that. Jean rubbed your shoulder with his thumb inconspicuously, as if to tell you everything would be alright.

Unbeknownst to you, he saw Levi's head turn to gaze at you for a few seconds -- not an offhanded or accidental glance. The look in his eyes could most closely be described as wistful. When his eyes met Jean's, he looked away briskly, returning to his conversation with Erwin as if he had never even noticed you.

---

Sparring with Christa was nowhere near challenging, but you understood why you were paired with her. Your superiors still worried about your injury and likely would in the coming weeks; still, you had hoped for at least a little bit of a challenge. Hange was leading the activity, scanning across the scouts to make corrections or shout words of encouragement. To your dismay, however, Levi hung idly by, eyes focusing dead on one soldier at a time, presumably determining each individual weakness and scolding them in the confines of his mind.

You had begun to goof off, laughing at a joke Christa told and hardly trying to land any hits. If anything, it was entertaining. You worried you would grow tired too quickly during training, anyway; maybe easing into it was best.

You dodged another weak punch, laughing as her eyes grew jokingly narrower. It seemed as if no one else around was having as much fun as you were -- focused in on their partner and trying their hardest to look like they were the best. You watched Mikasa's unwavering stare at Sasha, who evaded her as best she could. Then you turned your eyes to Jean and Eren, their hits getting a bit too real and anger replacing focus. It made you laugh again.

You and Christa elected to take a small break, sipping from your canteens and chatting about your walking lessons with Hange. You froze mid-smile as you heard a certain voice call out your name from several yards away -- Levi.

You stood, screwing the lid back onto your water and laying it down on the ground. "Yes?" you replied, your eyes meeting his for the first time in days. They didn't look happy.

He approached you with a glare until he stood only a foot from you, his voice lowering with the distance. "What are you doing?" he asked, his eyebrows drawn together.

"Um --" you started, unsure of exactly what he was asking, "I'm taking a break?"

"I've seen much more talking than training. You don't seem tired in the slightest. Why are you taking a break?" he demanded, his arms folding over his chest.

His words puzzled you -- why does he care if you take a break? You were recently injured. None of your other superiors would object to a bit of rest on your first day back. Nonetheless, the fire of his anger had never once failed to light the match within you. "Who are you to tell me if I'm tired? Fuck, Levi, I just got out of the infirmary. Give me a break."

He shook his head, exhaling loudly to make his annoyance clear. "Captain. We should test it to see what you look like when you're actually tired enough for a break. Do you think ten laps would do it?"

"You can't be serious. That's bullshit and you know it," you grumbled, hands balling into fists at your side.

"What's bullshit is the way you're treating this training exercise as a game. Ten laps. Now."

Maybe things really were returning to normal. It almost made you want to laugh.

---

As you laid in your bed that night -- finally your bed -- you replayed the events of the day like a movie. The girls inhabiting the beds around you were long asleep, the moon peering through the window and reminding you that you would be awake and staring up at it for hours to come.

It was your first night without him. Even when your relationship had crumbled into nothing, he still came to sit at your side. And you still found an easy journey to your dreams each and every night. Of course, you knew there would be a time when he wasn't there and the nights grew long yet again -- you just didn't expect these negative emotions overtaking your mind to assist in depriving you of much-needed sleep.

Your anger with Levi had yet to subside, your legs aching from all the running he had you do. You considered for a moment marching over to his suite and giving him a piece of your mind; you thought of reminding him of the moments the two of you had shared just so he had to make the contrast in how he was acting now. You wanted to yell at him, and you wanted him to yell back, and you wanted to be angry. You didn't understand why he had all the freedom in the world to be a dick to you and all you could do was stand there and take it.

Maybe when you were done yelling at each other, you could curl up in his bed and get a good night's rest. You could kill two birds with one stone and avoid the seven or eight nightmares that were guaranteed to keep you awake and alert until morning. What a rock and a hard place situation -- for the man that made you more angry than you had ever been to simultaneously be your only solace from insomnia. It infuriated you even further.

As you had already done three times before, you decided against it. Arguing with him wasn't worth it. Again, the past was unchanging. Your anger was quickly replaced with the sadness the night frequently brought along, your thoughts traveling yet again to your feelings for Levi and your longing for him to share them.

You were wary, at best, for the long night ahead of you; you were sick and tired of long nights. Part of you hoped to break your right leg tomorrow, so you could have a little bit more time to solve it all and get some sleep while you were at it. You were even warier for the weeks to come, knowing that you would be forced to come to terms with the situation as it was.

Levi, Levi, Levi. If everything else was going back to how it was before, why couldn't you take your mind off of him?

[voiceless-terror]

Of Deadlines and Drama

For @jontim-week Day Three: Late

Rating: T

Words: 2.5k

Summary: Jon’s has trouble with his expenses. Tim helps out. 

“Late again? Really, Jon?”

“I know, I know!” Jon types as fast as his shaking hands will allow, but it’s no use. It’s Wednesday and its half past twelve, meaning Rosie will not be accepting his expense report under any circumstances. She’s a stickler for deadlines- at least, when it comes to Jon. They’ve never been on the best of terms, but ever since what Jon has deemed ‘The Incident,’ she’s been downright unpleasant. 

“I thought you set an alarm this time!” Tim says, coming over to lean against his desk. Tim has an alarm for everything - waking up, eating, exercising, going to bed. Jon doesn't know how he stands it. “I didn’t hear anything go off.”

“I might have told you I set one,” he winces, avoiding Tim’s eyes. “And then forgot to.”

“Jon, Jon, Jon…”

“Don’t triple Jon me!” he snaps, attempting to focus on the meaningless numbers in front of him. “I’m stressed enough as is. God, Elias is going to kill me…”

“Why are you trying to impress him?” Tim plops down in the chair beside him and props his feet up on Jon’s desk, raising an eyebrow. He looks infuriatingly handsome in his button up and sweater, a look that Jon has tried to emulate, only to achieve ‘overworked librarian.’ “The only person you should be trying to impress is me. Your boyfriend. The light of your life, the reason you get up in the morning-”

“The reason these are going to be even later than usual,” Jon snaps and knocks Tim’s feet off of the desk with a sharp elbow. Tim yelps and throws Jon a hurt look that he tries and fails to ignore. “I’m sorry. You did tell me to set an alarm. It’s just...these things get away from me.”

“I know.” Tim’s face softens as he scooches his chair over and leans forward, resting his arms on his thighs. “How can I help?”

“You can convince Rosie to accept these. You’re very persuasive.” He turns and gives Tim his best doe-eyed look, though he already knows the answer.

“I am persuasive, aren’t I?” Jon ignores his preening. “But that’s not going to work. You know as soon as she sees your name…”

Jon sighs, resting his chin in his hand. “Yes, I know.”

“What did you do to her, Jon? Run over her dog? I know they scare you, but still...”

“They don’t scare me,” Jon lies, pointedly looking away. “I just...would rather not have them near my person. And you know I can’t drive.”

“What then?” Jon says nothing, focusing instead on chipping away at a small scratch in the wood of his desk. The whole thing’s rather embarrassing, and he’s gone this long without telling anyone. Tim moves his chair even closer, nudging it against Jon’s and squishing him into his desk. He’s effectively trapped.

“C’mon. Pleeease?”

Jon sighs at the wheedling tone. “I...may have snapped at her.” 

“You do that with everyone, though. Unless you said something especially heinous...” Another nudge to his chair. 

“And then... stumbled.”

“...okay?”

Jon closes his eyes. “And spilled my tea all over Elias’s mail.”

Tim guffaws, as expected, and Jon can feel his face warm. It certainly wasn’t his proudest moment, he can still hear Rosie’s screeching and his own stammered apologies. “That’ll do it! God, I wish I’d seen that.”

“It was incredibly embarrassing, and I’m glad you didn’t. Elias wasn’t in, thank god.”

“You could’ve gotten it all over one of those posh suits he wears.” Jon shudders at the thought. Elias is fastidious about his appearance, he would’ve been fired on the spot. Starting to feel claustrophobic, Jon pushes back against Tim’s chair to give himself breathing room and tries to refocus. He’s dawdled long enough.

Tim hums. “Hmm, maybe…”

“Maybe what?” He tucks his head over Jon’s shoulder, probably eying the obvious errors in his report. Jon’s never been good with numbers. 

“Rosie doesn’t accept expenses after twelve, that’s true. But…” Tim trails off, definitely relishing in the small twitch in Jon’s eye when he does it. He enjoys riling him up, and he’s very good at it. Jon contains the urge to elbow him in the stomach.

“But what?” He’s starting to sound like a broken record. 

“But she doesn’t actually give them to Elias until three or four.” Tim smirks at his affronted gasp. Jon’s never been that late, but Rosie’s always going on about ‘deadlines being very important to Mr. Bouchard’ and ‘I’m sorry I just can’t accept these so late, I’ve already given him the pile.’ Jon’s wallet has paid the price for this on more than one occasion- he counts on those reimbursements, and it often leaves him short on cash for the rest of the week. Tim will pick up the check on those days, waving off Jon’s protests and trying to assuage his guilt. Before he can start raging about the newly-discovered arbitrary deadline, Tim cuts in.

“But if I distract her, you can slip them in her little pile and she’ll be none the wiser!” Tim gives him a cheeky grin. It’s...not a bad plan, but Jon’s hesitant at the thought of pulling one over on his boss’s secretary.

“Or I could just wait until she goes to the bathroom and do it then.” Tim’s face falls at the suggestion.

“Or I could distract her.” 

Ah. So that’s what this is about. They haven’t been on an investigation in weeks, and he always gets restless when they’re cooped up in the institute. And a bored Tim is a dangerous Tim.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun! This way we can control the scenario, make sure you have enough time to get in and out.”

Jon raises an eyebrow. “And what if she sees through your antics?”

Tim gives a dramatic gasp, rearing back in his seat and just barely missing a passing librarian. “Are you doubting my acting skills? I’ll have you know you aren’t the only theater kid in this place. And I didn’t want to bring it up, but...you owe me.”

Jon’s heart drops. Of course. Jon can’t coast along on his boyfriend’s paychecks, that’s asking too much. It’s his fault he’s in this predicament, and honestly, he should be thanking Tim for even offering.

“For bailing on that stakeout.” 

Jon pauses, and promptly dismisses his guilt. “I was sick! From a cold you gave me, might I add-”

“Technicalities.” Tim waves a dismissive hand. “C’mon. Do me a favor. Let your boyfriend save the day. Please?” He does his best impression of a kicked puppy, and Jon’s almost afraid he’ll go down on his knees to complete the look.

“Fine,” he sighs, ignoring the answering cheer. “If you must. But how are you going to-”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it,” Tim winks, jumping up from his seat and throwing his bag over his shoulder. “Leave it to me. Finish those up, and I’ll be back before you know it.” He’s already halfway through the door before Jon can say thank you, and only pauses to call back “Have Sasha check for typos! Love you!”

Jon scowls at the snickers that follow this statement, and turns back to his screen. The numbers blurred together, and he’s pretty sure he’s subtracted when he should’ve added. It’s a wonder he ever gets these done at all. 

“Sasha? Can you look at this for me?”

_________

Tim promptly comes back with coffee (which Jon knows he hates) and cronuts, dropping one off at Jon’s desk. “She won’t be able to resist,” he promises with a peck to Jon’s cheek. “When you see us in the hallway, that’s your cue!”

In spite of himself, he starts to feel a little excited. Tim’s exuberance is contagious, and while not as thrilling as an investigation, Jon’s not above a bit of petty revenge. Not even revenge, really, more justice for the pain and suffering of his bank account. And not ten minutes later, Tim and Rosie are chatting amicably as they walk past the library, cronuts in hand. He feels the slightest bit of envy at how easily Tim can make friends, but tamps it down as he tiptoes up the stairs and over to Rosie’s desk. Elias’s door is thankfully closed.

And her desk is...empty. Immaculate. Nothing but a tiny notepad and her usual knickknacks, not a paper in sight. Fuck. Had she already given them to Elias? Is Jon too late? Did Tim waste money on coffee and cronuts for nothing? Calm down, he tells himself, willing his heart to slow. Just...have a look around. 

He tries not to feel too guilty as he rummages through her mail trays and under her place mat. There’s nothing too personal, though he averts his eyes at a list entitled New Year, New Intentions.  It’s when he finally turns to the drawers that he sees it- the corner of a file folder, sticking out of the bottom drawer. Please be it, please be it. He tugs it out, wincing at the small tear it causes and aha! He’s found it. A pile of neatly clipped expense reports is nestled inside, and all he needs to do is stick his in the middle where she can’t see and he’ll be fine-

“Jon?”

The voice startles him so badly he lets out a little yelp, the folder flying from his hands and papers littering the floor around him. He puts a hand on his chest to calm his racing heart and turns around to find Elias, who’s just caught him snooping through his secretary’s desk like a little thief. Jon didn’t even hear the door open. Oh god. I’m fucked. I’m fired.

“I-um, h-hello! Elias.” He gives an awkward little wave and immediately curses himself for doing it. It’s like he’s suddenly forgotten what normal people do with their hands. “I was just...looking for a pen. T-To write Rosie. A note.” 

“A note.” Elias raises one eyebrow, and it’s clear he doesn’t believe a word coming out of Jon’s mouth. To be fair, Jon wouldn’t either. When put on the spot, Jon can’t lie to save his life. “And this file…?” He bends down to pick up the folder clearly marked ‘Expenses’ in bold, black print. Jon winces.

“It...fell out?”

“Oh, Jon.” Elias tuts, and Jon refrains from full body flinching. He has a particular hatred of being scolded, and especially by Elias, of all people. The man he’s desperate to impress, who holds his job in his hands. “There’s no need for the ruse. Deadlines aren’t exactly your strong suit, are they?”

“No,” he mumbles, the words barely audible as he struggles to meet Elias’s eyes. He loves having his flaws pointed out to him. Loves it. “I’m sorry.”

“However, you do fine work.” Jon blinks and there it is- a rare, indulgent smile. It’s incongruous with those strange, cold eyes, but it makes Jon feel better all the same. “You’re one of our best researchers. But if you want to move up in the world, timeliness is of the utmost importance, yes?”

“Y-Yes,” Jon stammers, nodding his head up and down like a puppet. Move up in the world? Jon’s never considered himself ‘promotion material,’ but the thought that Elias thinks it possible fills him with excitement. You do fine work, he said. Fine work! “I’ll do my best.”

“Of course.” Elias offers the folder to Jon’s trembling hands, and gives him a conspiratorial smile. “This, however, can be our little secret, hm? I believe I saw Rosie and Mr. Stoker in the break room, but I think they’ll be back any minute. Best to tidy up before she notices.”

Jon can’t help the beam that spreads across his face. “T-Thank you, Elias. Really. It won’t happen again-”

“I know it won’t.” Elias gives him a brisk nod, suddenly all business, and turns back to his office, shutting the door briskly behind him without another word. Jon takes that as his cue to scurry across the floor, grabbing up the papers as frantically as possible while taking care not to crumple them further. It takes him a few moments, but he manages to get them in order and tucks his own into the pile. He places it carefully in the drawer he found it in, corner sticking out just as before. No Rosie in sight. Thank god.

With that, he bolted. Best not to be spotted anywhere near the scene of the crime. 

______

“Did it work?” Tim rushes into the library, talking entirely too loudly and plopping down on Jon’s desk, sending pens flying. Jon chooses to ignore this. “I brought Rosie her favorites, gave up my choicest gossip to get her out of that seat. Told her if Elias overheard he’d go mental.” Tim pauses to consider this. “Actually, that might’ve been true. It involves a copier and a certain someone-”

“It worked,” Jon quickly cuts him off. He doesn’t need any more info on whatever...that was. “Thank you. But Elias caught me.” Tim looks at him incredulously, as if surprised he survived the encounter. “And he was...okay with it? I mean, he told me it couldn't happen again, but he said ’it’s our little secret.”

Tim blanches at the words. “What?”

“He also said I did fine work,” Jon admits shyly. “I didn’t know he paid attention to me, but-”

“Hang on, ‘our little secret’? Fine work!?” Tim shrieks and Jon hurriedly shushes him, looking anxiously around the library. No one pays attention, used to their antics by now. “What’s that supposed to be, a euphemism?”

“A euphemism? What on earth could that be a euphemism for?”

“I don’t know!” Tim waves a hand around dramatically, and he actually looks a bit put out. Is he...jealous? Jon can’t help the small smirk and Tim notices it right away. “Don’t give me that! I don’t like the way he looks at you. Sasha’s noticed too. It’s downright creepy.”

“The grey is a bit disconcerting, I’ll give you that.”

“It doesn’t match his face! Weird, right?”

“Anyway,” Jon says, eager to cut off yet another tangent. “Your plan worked.”

“Not really.” Tim pouts, kicking his feet out like a toddler and turning away with his arms crossed. Only Tim can manage to make the petulant look work on a twenty-eight year old man.

“Yes, really!” Tim doesn’t turn around and Jon internally rolls his eyes, albeit fondly. “Look, I’ll get my check next Friday with everyone else. And then I’ll take you out to dinner. How does that sound?”

That did it. Tim tilts his head towards him, gives him a playful smile. “Gonna romance me, Sims? Pull out all the stops?”

Jon returns it. “All the second-rate sushi you want.”

“You’re a prince among men.” Tim hops off his desk and gives his forehead a kiss. Jon’s partial to those kisses and he can feel himself melting at the touch, even as his smile turns wicked.

“I could ask Elias if he’s free as well-” 

He doesn’t manage to dodge the pen that flies his way, but he doesn’t mind. Jealousy’s not a bad look on Tim.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30103509

[moonlilith]

stuck with you

↬ Pairing: Kozume Kenma x reader

↬ Timeline: timeskip  

↬ Genre: Fluff ☁️

↬ Wordcount: 1,061

↬  Masterlist: HERE!

↬ AN: another self-indulge fic that relates to me sometimes even before quarantine has started. Im currently ongoing with online classes which I believe is making me lazier than I usually do but still it's better than when my classes haven’t started. And this is basically the rules that my country had mandated during the first wave of covid where we couldn’t go out like we do now. Anyhow, stay safe everyone and thank you frontlines, may god bless you all.  

“What are you doing?” Kenma popped his head and looked at you questionably as he looked at the wall clock. It was close to 2pm and you haven't even got up from your bed. “I’m meditating.” You answer as you tugged the covers off you. It was a hot day, and it has been close to two weeks of total quarantine. Only the head households are allowed to go out and its only on Tuesday and Thursday so getting the groceries wasn’t an activity you can do now.  

“Get up, y/n.” he said softly walking towards you and pulling your leg softly. “You’re not meditating, you’re sleeping and it’s only going to make your insomnia worse if you sleep during the day.” Kenma only sigh worriedly looking at you. He can't blame you for being so lethargic.  

Before the lockdown, you were always moving around from one place to another and to Kenma, the current situation isn't that much different from his usual maybe for the university part, but his university decided to have a short break to adjust with the unforeseeable events.  

“Get up and take a shower y/n. I have cooked some noodles and we’ll have to think early what we’ll eat tonight since food delivery is only until 7pm.” He walked towards the bathroom and got your clothes ready for you. You only send a glare at him but continue pouting when he pointed towards the bathroom.  

You both were eating in silence and yet it saddens Kenma out to see his sunshine all worn down. You both knew this quarantine was for the best and knew how thankful you were to the healthcare profession, but you just can't help but feel the quarantine have been dragging you so down. “Let’s do this.” Kenma reaches for your hand on the other side of the table.  

“Every day we’ll do a new activity, so you would be excited every day.Besides, I’m stuck with you and you’re stuck with me. ” You brighten up at the idea. “Hey! You made that sound like it’s a bad thing.” You pouted playfully. You had always been someone that just couldn’t sit still and Kenma was the total opposite. It still amazed Kuroo how someone like Kenma fall in love with someone as restless as you. Kenma gain the courage to confess to you right after they’ve won a game and you, you always had a crush on him.  

“Hey babe, can you get the parcel at the door. I’m still streaming.” He shouted from his work room aka his game room. You obliged since you weren't actually doing anything. You picked up the parcel that the deliveryman left after he had announced that there was a parcel. It was contactless ofcourse to avoid the virus spreading around. You picked up the box and left it on the counter when Kenma went out of his room and picked up a penknife.  

“Let’s open my present for us. Thankfully it didn’t sell out before I bought it because this is a quarantine essential.” He urged you to help him open the parcel and it was two Nintendo switch. “Babe!” You were in shock as you pulled out not one but two Nintendo switch. “You could have just bought one.” You told him again when he went ahead and open his as you still shocked staring at the box.  

“If I bought one, I can’t play Animal Crossing with you. Now less complaining, more islandning.” You thought that was the last where he had spent money just for you to have a different activity. The next day, a parcel of embroideries set came. When you asked him all he said that ‘Tiktok says it’s fun.” The next was a painting set by numbers, and the other day was skincare set that Kenma sees everywhere in Tiktok.  

The next day after he had done with his activities, he pulled you towards the gaming room. “Let’s farming.” He said briefly and you were confused until you see the ‘Stardew Valley’ intro. It was easy to get lose in the game. The next day, he taught you to play Valorant. It was intense and you play with Kuroo, Yaku and Lev too. It was fun, you must admit since you can’t physically see them.  

The next after, you played Among Us but this time there was Shoyo, Kageyama, Tsukishima, Bokuto, and Akaashi. It was truly fun and scary to see how Kenma could lie straight to everyone faces but one thing for sure was that he refused to kill you which led to Kuroo calling him a simp. A term that you definitely have heard but didn’t know the meaning off.  

“Love?” You peeked at him as he was scrolling through the online shopping site. “What are you doing?” You walked towards him. “Oh, I didn’t know you were up. I was looking for some fun activities to do.” You frowned looking at him, pulling him outside to the living room. “Let’s watch anime or kdrama for today.” He gave you a frown but still followed you out as you picked what show you wanted.  

And as much as you hated how he was spending his money recklessly; you still love every inch of Kenma for going beyond just so that he could see you smile. You were getting ready for bed when you see that Kenma was still streaming. You decided to peek at him and slowly walked behind his chair, your hand looping around his neck before kissing his cheek. “Let’s just stick to watching shows or playing games and anything we’ve had for tomorrow and the next day it comes.” Kenma didn’t paused his game yet he took a glance towards you, “You’ll get bored--”  

“As long as I’m with you and we’re together, I’ll never get bored.” You said kissing his forehead, forgetting that the stream was still on. “Ah, I’m sorry guys, I have to end the stream abruptly.” He said and pulled you towards the bedroom. “What? What about your stream Kodzuken, your fans Kenchis?.” You said pushing him softly, but he shook his head. “Kuroo’s right. I am a simp for you.” You only can tilt your head confused looking at him. “And my fans are not Kenchis.” He laid his head on your lap as you played with his hair.

↬ happy late birthday kenma!!

↬ luckily kenma is a rich btch that can buy the nintendo switch. i cant relate since im broke af and i still want to play acnh. and all i wanted is to have gaming dates with my s/o but first i need to find a s/o.

[ecrivant]

to be known by you | reiner braun

(reiner braun x reader)

it had been the strangest summer of recent memory: the days were lingering and dilatory, and rife with inexplicable phenomena.  when reiner meets a stranger he feels he recognizes, someone as ethereal and bizarre as the summer atmosphere itself, he cannot resist the beguiling nature of this newfound acquaintance and decides to accompany them for a night.  

word count: 2.7k

It had been the strangest summer of recent memory.  The days were lingering and dilatory and often seemed swathed in some turbid and ethereal atmosphere, augmented by an interminable humidity which each day lasted far past dusk.  The sun would hang in the sky for longer than its allotted time, and at duskfall, all terrene happenings stilled and gave way to strange, supernal movements to which no living being bore witness.  The beach house tenanted by the Brauns, which sat in the very center of this surreal environment and was not much more than a well-maintained shanty abutting the shore—the transition from sparse greenery to sand occurring directly beneath its raised foundation—was too pervaded by this sense of uncanny.  The inside seemed impossibly large for the dimensions of its edifice, and doors within moved on their own, and one could easily lose himself, sitting in one place, for hours at a time, staring at the irregularities in the wood wall panels or the microcosmic topography of the popcorn ceilings or the addled patterns in the stained, grey carpets.  Reiner liked to taunt Gabi and tell her the house was haunted, but it was something neither was completely disinclined to believe.

It had been the morning of third day that his mother mentioned the storage shed for the first and last time. Reiner, awake since sunrise on account of his prolonged restlessness, and Gabi, wanting to be with him, sat at the kitchen table, Reiner’s unfocused gaze resting on the view outside the window and Gabi’s on a spoon she mindlessly fingered.  His mother’s words had drawn his eyes towards her—her stare, intense, eyes narrowed in questioning:

“Were you doing something in the storage shed last night?”  

He shook his head ‘no’ and watched her interrogation move from him to Gabi.

“Gabi?”

“Mm?”  Eyes not acknowledging her.

“Were you?”

“Was I what?”

“Doing something in the shed?  The storage shed.  Last night.”

“No.”  Gabi finally looked up, not at her aunt but at Reiner, eyes wide and brows raised.  Body turning, she met her aunt’s gaze.  “Should I have been?”

“It was open this morning,” his mother finally clarified, turning and reaching for a glass as she spoke. “The door was just cracked, but it was open.”

“Maybe someone didn’t shut it all the way.”

“Maybe.”  

Her response hung in the air, suspended by doubt, unconvinced of her son’s suggestion.  She glanced out the window, towards the shed in question—its door long since closed and locked after her curious discovery that morning—and it seemed to stare back at her.

“It’s nothing.”  Gabi’s remark interrupted her aunt’s staring contest with the building.  Her tone was playfully dismissive.  

“I think you just want to find something to worry about, Aunt Karina.”

“Maybe.”

There was no more mention of the shed after that day, but Reiner, usually awake before the rest of the house, would, without fail, hear his mother exit the house, creep into the backyard, and shut and lock the shed door each morning in the dim-blue dawn light.

Later that same week Reiner had convinced Gabi to camp in the backyard with him under the guise of fun activity, though he truly intended to observe the shed for the whole night. She had been excited at the prospect of staying awake into the morning and then promptly fell asleep before midnight, and for the rest of the time he simply sat, cross-legged and perspiring, under an ether rife with stars, eyes unwavering from that damn shed.  

Apparently having dozed off, though, as he awoke to the sound of the back door and his mother’s soft footfalls and opened his eyes to see her locking the shed.  Like every morning, a cyclical action of the damned in hell.  He accepted the phenomenon as an unknowable and moved on.  

—

Reiner could not remember how long they had been there; time moved differently in this place.  He drove to explore and found that the main road stretched on forever, never bending or turning, and the area itself laid among an immutable scenery: an arrant wasteland of vacant beachfront housing, like some vast and spanning afterthought.  Could you get lost on a road like this?  A pavement belt, flanked by stark shrubbery and shallow gullies full of groundwater. Sometimes, the rare stretch of unsettled coastline with a view of the sea uninhibited by copy-pasted housing.  There was something beautiful in the desolate and purgatorial landscape.  

The road ended at a bridge, one with caving beams and a skeletal substructure which barely supported its own weight.  He never dared explore it, or God forbid drive over it, but he often sat in his car, pulled off to the side of the road, and stared at it.  Captivated by the disrepair, what it represented—nothing better elucidated the mortality and impermanence of humanity than infrastructural decay.  The view would eventually become too unsettling, as if it watched him as well, and he would reverse the car and turn around and drive back towards the house.  When he would arrive, his mother would sometimes report he had been gone for hours, sometimes thirty minutes.  

—

“Why don’t you take Gabi to the farmers’ market today?”

He didn’t know there was a farmers’ market, much less even a place to host one.  At his mother’s suggestion, though, he drove down that endless stretch of road with Gabi in tow, and miraculously came upon a densely populated park, filled with tents which did little to block the relentless heat. Gabi bounded towards the entrance, Reiner trailing behind, and they quickly ate through the two twenty-dollar bills unceremoniously handed to them before their departure that morning.  Reiner was glad his mother hadn’t expected any money to be left.  

The park itself held towering trees with sparse canopies which casted amorphous shadows on the dirt paths.  So unlike any area found at a coast.  Walking along, enveloped in shade and shielded from the sun, one could almost be comfortable. The main walkway was wide, easily fitting five people across, and flanked by densely packed tents.  Each with their own smiling vendor.  They were nice, maybe a little too nice, and each offered a too-wide smile at Gabi as she made off with their too-good products.  He was uneased by the whole affair.  In retrospect, he couldn’t remember the last time he actually saw people in the area, and he assumed it was because it was so sparely populated.  Yet, with the sheer wall of bodies milling around the park, he felt he had accidently wandered into a city, the market itself some kind of microcosmic metropolis.  Strange to have never noticed the park while driving; it was never there until it was, as if it materialized out of nothing.  

He glanced around him, suddenly struck by Gabi’s absence.  A warning call of her name, and at the lack of response, another, more frantic one.  He spun around once, scanning the area, and continued to do so despite remarking how the crowd—a singular, ebbing mass of people—perfectly and wholly obscured her location.  But she soon yelled his name and beckoned him over to a booth replete with floral bouquets and emitting an aroma so intense he had to pause before continuing into the miasma.

“Can we get some?  For Aunt Karina?”

Her eyes pleaded with the potency of a mendicant’s—nothing but a scoundrel, he thought, who knows I cannot say no.  He reached into his wallet and searched for bills and found none.  He sheepishly asked the vendor, who was obscured by the perennial heaps before them, if they accepted cards.  A soft ‘yes’ spurred Gabi on to grab at a bouquet of yarrow and roses, a perfumed, white and yellow amalgam; a movement which revealed the vendor’s face.

Reiner was struck immobile. You, once hidden, now revealed, were immediately alluring, aura imbued with such profound familiarity.  As if you were already his lover.  He stumbled through his transaction as you stared at him with eyes he felt he knew.

“Would you like to include a handwritten note?”

Gabi nodded furiously, as if possessed by some excitable demon.  She dictated a note, childishly simple yet unequivocally kind, and you wrote it out on a notecard with a flourish.  Wrapping the cluster of flowers in tissue paper and tulle and tucking the note in the center, ending the routine by handing it to Gabi.  With a smile that was just right.  She ran off again, and Reiner waited for a moment longer, as if he knew to wait to be handed that scribbled note which read, ‘Meet me at the bridge tonight.’  

You felt so much like a memory.  He could not shake the feeling he knew you, deeply and wholly.  

—

Such vague wording, as if designed to make one second guess himself.  He would have to trust his instinct about the time.  In the moment he felt as if he knew you, but your thought process was unfamiliar to him—had you been struck by the same overwhelming feeling of familiarity?  Assumed he would understand what ‘tonight’ meant?  Or was this some omniscience taunting him and his implicit trust of a stranger?

He was at the bridge by sundown.  Car idled. He waited.  An hour, a minute.  And suddenly you were there—he jumped when he saw you.  You sat on the rotted and caving beams of the bridge, beckoning him with a gaze.  He approached you and stood at the first interstice between road and bridge and after a pause, dumbly said:

“I think I know you.”

And you confirmed his sentiment with echoed words.  He creeped onto the railing, supporting himself on rusted girders resembling steles erected to commemorate some bygone and lost epoch.  The chapped wood on which he sat dug into his thighs, and when he looked down, his feet hung over a canyon which in the dark became some measureless void.  Your sillage, floral and penetrative and everlasting.  You seemed to fluoresce in the pitch.

“Have you ever been in love?”

Your timid venture—the question, just for him.  He stared at you and thought for a moment and replied no, not that he could remember. You asked him if you could tell him of your first love, puerile and real.  He nodded yes.  And you began:

You spoke beautifully and openly about your childhood with a rawness, a candor, otherwise unshared between strangers.  You spoke of how your memories were places and people, painted in golden hues.  How your childhood room was always bright—in the morning, the rising sun would creep onto the bedroom wall and stay there as if resting in a lover’s embrace; and at sunset, the light would grow weary and slink away to make room for the night.  How those walls saw many things: your great-grandfather’s paintings, your mother’s smiling face.  And how it all smelled so distinct, even now, like old books and incense.  How, as a child, you often felt like some unchanging cairn laid solely to watch the world move around you.  

And as you spoke about the young boy you had once loved, Reiner thought of the way this intellection you so tenderly painted sounded like him: a child, tall, with a mess of blonde hair and hazel eyes that held an unusual intensity; a child with a tender voice, high-pitched and soft, and a lopsided smile.  And you repeated the words, “I can so clearly remember him,” like some unspoken truism.  You had shared your favorite places with this boy; your first kiss, and your hopes and fears; and the pain of aging and coming to know the dark and black and crushing void associated with it.

You spoke of how the young boy suddenly died, without explanation.  How the last time you saw him, there was such a pervasive sadness in his gaze.  How you despised this was the way you remembered him—with mournful and darkened eyes.  You had asked what was wrong, and he had not been sure.  Instead, the two of you clasped hands and sat in silence for a last time.

“I just remember the chaos.” A whisper, spoken more to yourself.

“I remember waking up to blue lights on my ceiling.  It was a cold blue light, a crude perversion of the warmness of the rising sun.  I looked out the window, and cars were crowded under the flickering streetlamp below, and I heard the wailing through my window.  I knew. I knew, but I just climbed in my bed and pulled the covers over my head, as if they would drown out the light and the shouts of a broken mother, and squeezed my eyes shut and saw his eyes and cowlicked hair and a toothy, lopsided grin.”

You asserted that part of you died with him.  A pause.

“It felt odd to be in love with someone who was already dead.”

And then you were finished. You took a deep breath, as if the story had been spoken with one, single inhalation.  Reiner blinked hard and processed the words and tried to think of something to say.  ‘Sorry’ seemed so blithe.

“What was his name?”

You shrugged your shoulders.

“I can’t remember.”

He stared at you, incredulous, half-expecting you to be joking.  How could one possibly—

“Sometimes I think he didn’t have one.”

Your whispered voice, as if about to shatter: “You remind me of him.  That’s why you’re here.”

Effervescent words that dissolved in the air.  Something nagging at the back of his mind.  He wrapped you in an embrace and held you there, and he thought not of you as a stranger.  A hand on your back and the other in your hair.  Breathing your exhalations.  An intimacy impossible between two unfamiliar people.  He swore he knew you.  

He felt your lips on his neck, testing, inquisitive.  He pulled back, meeting your gaze, eyes melancholic and wistful and searching for something intangible, possibly nonexistent.  You had the eyes of someone who was never anything but lost, and despite your shared unfamiliarity, he hoped you would find something within him as he leaned to press his lips to yours.  This kiss begot another and another, and his hand was on your cheek, and your skin was warm beneath his fingers, betraying your spectral nature. He thought he heard you whisper his name, though it was something you couldn’t have known.

He held you, again, with no desire to do more; this chaste intimacy was so much more potent. He savored your embrace and felt he could stay here, in your presence, with your touch, until he aged and crumbled like the disintegrating bridge on which they sat. A moment of abject redamancy.  Time moved differently here, with you.  

He was then inexplicably struck with the feeling that he missed you, as if he had finally found that which he had gone years without.

You pulled away and stood. Without warning.

“Can I see you again?” His plea, desperate, closing.

“I’m not certain.”

And with that, you asked him to leave.  He somehow knew he was meant to comply without question.

As he departed, and behind him the road and the bridge and you faded into blackness, he was reminded of the first time he moved homes—that unsettling and melancholic feeling of abandoning something familiar.  He drove and drove and missed his street, and instead of turning around, he surrendered to the compulsion to keep driving, and he drove some more.   He thought of you the entire time, oblivious his own existence.  He then thought of himself, and when reflecting on his childhood, he could not remember it; he only saw himself in the presence of a young child who looked like you, a shared heart between you.  He drove through the sunrise and another sunset, and he stopped to fill up his car with gas and kept driving.  He wasn’t sure how, but he eventually found his way back to the beach.

He arrived at the house and quietly climbed into bed.  He imagined you dissolving into the landscape; the canyon beneath the bridge widening like an open mouth and swallowing you.  Purloined by the purgatory which begot you.  

He suddenly could not remember your face.  

A thought, lost, just as he heard his mother closing and locking the shed door outside.  

—

thank you again to @casualityrantfun​ for suggesting a reiner piece!  it was very sweet of you to request something, and i hope you enjoy it.  also, thank you to everyone who has been reading/liking/reblogging my stuff!  it means the world to me, and i really love being able to write creatively for something i enjoy!

part of me wants to make this a long-form piece, but i don’t think i have the patience or the talent to do so.  maybe later down the line, though, we’ll see.  also, this piece is inspired by @dappermouth’s art, specifically this piece, which has literally captivated me for years, as well as the campfire scene from my own private idaho, which i watched the day before yesterday and fell in love with.  go hold someone you love, xoxo

masterlist

taglist: @flam3bird

[kurlyfrasier]

Little Piggy

Hello, can you do a fic were Bayverse Raph and his S.O get into a fight and he hurts her feelings and Raph go to her house to apologize? Please, I love your writing ❤️

~~~

A/N: The above is my very first request ever! I was so excited about it! and so very nervous I have the feeling the ‘fight’ isn’t quite as...idk...horrible? as you were hoping for, but I still hope you like it! :D @samyp05 Also, I assumed you wanted Raph and Reader to be in a relationship already. Although, now that I’m reading it again, I could have started them out as ‘friends’ (teehee)... BUT I liked how this turned out for the most part (: ENJOY!

p.s. I’m glad you asked for Bayverse cuz...he’s basically the only one I write lol

Warnings: non-graphic bullying/mentions of bullying. Writer took liberties of a couple of reader’s favorite things/skills/hobbies but nothing major...hopefully

Word Count: 1429

~~~~~~~~~~~

I was heaving, eyes blazed with fury, fists clenched at my sides to keep myself from slapping the daylights out of my so-called boyfriend. He was being such a freaking jerk.

First, it was my favorite pizza toppings. Okay, so they might be considered weird, but honestly? What’s better than my favorite foods in one?

Then, it was my music. So what if rock wasn’t my favorite?

My sad video-gaming skills. Of course I’m terrible, idiot. That was my first time playing the game!

My favorite movie. Okay, so the best movie ever made might not be his speed. Would it really kill him to watch it with me?

My favorite color. Just because it isn’t red doesn’t mean I don’t love it; it’s just…a new favorite that he doesn’t know about, is all.

And so many other stupid little things.

But now. Now, he was making fun of my laugh. He called me ‘little piggy’.

That stupid, red bandana-wearing, mutant freak!

“I can’t control how I laugh, Raphael,” I seethed through clenched teeth.

“But it’s funny-”

“It’s not funny,” I deadpanned.

Flashes of all the popular kids in school flew through my mind. Their perfect, snortless laughing. Their oinking in my face. Their leftover food from lunch dumped on my head. Their mean little notes they left in my locker. The pigs they drew on my face in permanent marker when I fell asleep on the bus. School was not a safe place, no matter how much parents think it may be.

“Okay,” he chuckled, moving his toothpick from one corner of his mouth to the other with his tongue. “I don’t see wha’ the big deal is, Sweets.”

“The deal, Raph, is that I’m going home,” I fumed, turning away to walk out of the lair before shouting over my shoulder. “And I’m not sure if I’m ever coming back.”

“Wait! Whaddya mean yer not comin’ back?” He shouted, his steps heavy as he quickly caught up to me.

“Really?” I spun around to face him, yanking my arm out of his gentle hold. “For someone who isn’t accepted by the world for reasons he can’t control; he sure is quick to make fun of the things his significant other can’t control about themself.”

“Come on Y/n,” he groaned, sounding exasperated. “I was jus’ teasin’. Ya know that.”

“Raph,” I put a hand on my hip and glared up at him. “I’m fed up with all of your so-called teasing. That’s all you ever do-”

“Ya nevah seemed ta care before-”

“Shut it!” I put a palm up, signalling silence as frustrated tears started to prick at my eyes. “I deserve cuddles and hugs and kisses and my choice of pizza toppings! I’m going home. Don’t follow me.”

“Bu-”

“I said don’t, Raph,” I sighed- my sad attempt at keeping the tears at bay before he saw. “I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s daylight. Wouldn’t want you to be seen.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raph watched you walk down the tunnel, heart shattering, until he couldn’t hear your footsteps anymore and stomped to his makeshift gym, ignoring his brothers’ stares. He needed to hit something- hard. He didn’t understand what had you in such a tiff.

Thump-thump.

So he teased you about your laugh. So what?

Whack!

He had always teased you about every little thing. You were always such a good sport about it all. It was one of the many reasons he fell for you.

Thump-thump, whack!

What was so different about your cute little snort. It was adorable to his ears. He couldn’t help but say something about it. It’s not a big deal, right? You never got so upset about his teasing before.

Whack! Thunk-whack!

Your reaction said otherwise, though. The light in your e/c eyes disappeared as if he blew the candle out himself. Your carefree smile slipped away like it was never there in the first place.

Thunk-thunk. Whack! Thump.

Then you were gone. Threatening to never return and he couldn’t live with that. Especially since you were fine until-

Until he called you ‘little piggy’. He groaned, realizing the nickname was what hit a nerve. He checked the time on his phone, also hoping to see a message from you. There was nothing and only a couple of hours had gone by. There were still a few more to go until it got dark. Restless, he paced the lair, taking extra care to avoid his brothers’ gazes- and Master Splinter’s. Definitely Master Splinter’s. He always knew the best way to make Raph feel infinitely worse about his stupidity without actually saying anything.

Deciding that pacing was getting him nowhere, Raph left the lair. Questions of where he was going shouted after him. He ignored them, thinking only of you. He had to apologize. He needed to see you. He had to convince you to come back. If he didn’t-

Well, Raph didn’t want to think about that.

He didn’t care that there was still two hours left until the sun set. He needed to see you. Needed to hug you, kiss you, cuddle up in bed with you and watch your favorite movie together. The one he secretly loved, but would never admit. Maybe even order a pizza with all of your favorite toppings that should be illegal to add on it.

Finally, after a long fifteen minutes of jumping rooftop to rooftop, Raph landed on your apartment building with a loud thud. He winced at the sound, hoping whoever lived directly below didn’t hear anything. Taking a deep breath, he climbed down the fire escape to your window.

It was closed.

That simple fact broke the fragile remains of his heart. Although, the sun was still out. Maybe you didn’t open your window for him until the sun set? It was a sliver of hope and he grabbed onto it for all he was worth as he peeped through your window.

You laid in bed, watching the very movie he hoped to watch with you tonight. He sighed, wondering if he shouldn’t have come. The thought slipped away the moment he caught sight of the kleenexes surrounding you. He hoped they were there due to allergies, but knew better.

Tentatively, Raph tapped on your window, holding his breath. If you wouldn’t speak to him tonight, he didn’t know what he would do. Just the thought of you storming away earlier that day had his chest aching and vision blurring.

“What are you doing! Get in here before someone sees you, idiot!”

Idiot. Accurate as it may be, right now he didn’t know if the word was a good or bad thing as he squeezed through the window. Still, the sound of your voice allowed him to breathe again.

“Y/n,” he stated hoarsely as you sat on your bed, looking exhausted.

“Yeah, Raph?” You asked after a long moment, looking up at him, waiting.

“I’m sorry. I won’t call ya little piggy-”

You flinched at the words.

“Sorry, I won’t say it again. I didn’t know it would upset ya so much,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his head, taking a small step toward you now that the hard part was over, and continued in a rush. “And we can watch yer favorite movie anytime ya want. And eat yer weird pizza. And-”

“Play video games in the lair without you taking over?”

“Yeah-”

“And listen to my favorite music?”

“Yeah, Swee’heart. Anything ya want. Just please,” his voice cracked as he took another small step closer, those green eyes boring into your own. “Please, don’t leave me.”

“Okay,” you whispered, still staring up at him.

“Yeah?” His heart soared, feeling lighter as you glued its broken pieces back into place.

You nodded, eyes flicking around your room as if you were searching for something.

“Ya gonna tell me why it botha’ed ya so much?” Raph took care to make himself sound curious, but all he really wanted were the details of who he needed to knock some sense into. He had never seen you so distraught before and he didn’t like it. Nobody messed with those he loved without facing his fists.

Your head shook, eyes tightly closed in an attempt to block the memories away.

“Okay, okay,” you were snatched off your bed and into a pair of strong arms, holding you close as he whispered in your ear. “Ya don’t gotta tell me today.”

You nodded, unable to voice your thanks.

“Whaddya say we order yer pizza, cuddle up in yer bed, and start this movie over?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Bullies = not cool. People have feelings so DON’T DO IT. Think before you say and do things, people, it really is not that difficult.

[sunbeams-and-honey]

Hello!! First off I just wanted to say that your blog is so amazing like I have learned many great things about astrology so for that thank you 🙏☺️ I want to know your opinion about my chart, in fact I am a Sagittarius sun/mercury/venus/pluto (2nd house) , capricorn moon (3rd house), virgo mars(11th house), pisces jupiter (5th house) and scorpio rising. Thanks already 🙏💕

Hi darling! Thanks for the question and sorry about the wait. Also I’m so glad my blog has helped you learn about astrology! It’s such a beautiful subject, I think we can all agree.

Anyways, I've already gone over the following placements! Click on each one to find each respective post:

Sagittarius Sun Capricorn Moon

Sagittarius Pluto

Virgo Mars

Scorpio Rising

Moving on, your Sagittarius Mercury makes you constantly on the lookout for opportunities to try new things, and oftentimes you are successful in doing this. You always want to push the boundaries of your own knowledge and abilities, which is good because you are never accepting limits, but can put you at risk of overworking yourself. You want to move around as much as possible, expanding however you can, but this makes you incredibly restless. You shouldn't settle for anything less than you deserve, but you do run the risk of just never stopping for a moment and taking time to relax. To you, life is an adventure that you want to make the absolute most of at all times.

Your Mercury in the 2nd means that you absolutely think before you speak. You aren't really the impulsive type when it comes to how you communicate. You know the impact your words can have, whether that's for better or worse, and so you choose them carefully. You have a natural affinity with anyone related to financial matters. You put all your efforts into your studies, always wanting to work hard and to achiever the best possible results. You have an innate thirst knowledge, constantly looking out for new information you can accumulate. Your curiosity is insatiable, and while this does have its benefits, it can get the better of you, leading you to learn things you'd much rather forget as soon as possible.

Your Sun is in the 2nd too, which makes you someone who always keeps their word, no matter what. Promises are very important to you, as well as trust in general. The only thing you hate more than making empty promises is other people making them to you. You are very practical and driven, always striving for success. This is another placement which promises a keen eye for financial matters. You can be quite materialistic and even greedy, always wanting to accumulate as many things as possible. You can be rather power-hungry because you crave the security and status that comes with that kind of power. You also have a talent for business.

You have your Venus in Sagittarius, which means you would absolutely take risks, no matter how big, just so you can have a little more fun and excitement in your life. This can be good because it means you're unlikely to ever be bored for too long, but it can mean that you unknowingly hurt others for the sake of your own entertainment. You want to explore the world around you and uncover all of its secrets. It may sound extreme, but you're more or less repulsed by the mere idea of settling down one day. In terms of romantic partners, you have to be with someone who you have things in common with. You desire relationships that allow you the chance to become a better person or to learn a new skill. You love people who can teach you something about pretty much anything.

Your 2nd House Venus makes you appear materialistic and greedy to others, when in reality you are actually very empathetic and kind. You are fond of your physical possessions, but it's not the most important thing to you in the world. You're an expert in matters of the heart, despite what other people may think. You have a great appreciation for all things beautiful, whether that's in a physical or metaphorical sense. You probably like to collect things that make you happy when you look at them. You are very elegant and want the best that life has to offer. Your love language is probably giving and receiving gifts. You're not shallow, you just like to be appreciated in that way. You don't want to settle for any less than what you believe you deserve.

Your Pluto in the 2nd means that you are rather business-like in more or less everything that you do. You are hard-headed, taking no shit from anyone. You hate wasting time, which does help you to be a very productive person overall, but does put you at serious risk of overworking yourself. Learning to allow yourself to take breaks is going to be a very valuable lesson for you. I know that resting can make you feel very guilty, but you need rest, and you don't have to work for it and 'earn' it. You might go through a lot of emotional distress throughout your life, but please don't let this scare you. It all depends on the rest of your chart, and even then, astrology is not, and never will be, a guarantee. You will always have the power to control your own life.

Your Moon is in the 3rd House, which makes you rather balanced, in that you are rational while also taking your emotions into account. You highly value your personal relationships with the people you love, and you want to forge real connections with anyone in your life. You hate being fake. You're quite open when it comes to your thoughts and feelings. You voice them when you feel the need to and you don't tend to feel uncomfortable doing it. This placement combined with your Mercury in the 2nd can mean that you sometimes overshare, though you shouldn't let this discourage you from being open with your loved ones.

You have your Mars in the 11th House, which means you are enthusiastic, energetic and capable. You love to take part in a wide variety of activities, often surprising people with how broad your interests are. You have many dreams that you would love to achieve in your lifetime, and have enough faith to at least try to make them come true. You have great leadership skills and you usually know exactly what you're doing. You tend to pick things up pretty quickly. You like to work on your relationships in order to strengthen them, but you can be quite ignorant of the actual people you are friends with. Both you and your friends are at risk of being taken advantage of by the other person(s), so it's vital that you make yourself aware of this so you can prevent it before it happens.

Your Pisces Jupiter makes you a very intuitive person who would definitely use that ability to get what you want in life. You play around with the subconscious of yourself and of others frequently, which is something that interests you deeply, but is something that can make you somewhat manipulative. You are very invested in the dreams of others, always interested in what they want to achieve in life and very dedicated in helping them get there. You can sometimes neglect your own though so be sure to pay attention to yours from time to time. You should also practise setting healthy boundaries, even with the people you love. You may feel guilty because of it but I promise that it will be for your own benefit and the people around you should understand. Don't be afraid to say 'no' if you feel you need or want to.

Your Jupiter in the 5th means that you love expressing your identity in any which way you choose, especially if it involves being creative. You don't like to dwell too much on decisions, but this can mean that you make choices carelessly, potentially causing extra problems down the line as a result of that. You are quite a fun person, always looking for the next adventure. You're eager to get everything you can out of life. You are quite confident when it comes to your relationships with others. You may be good with kids unless there are other placements that say otherwise. You have the courage needed to express your true identity to the world.

Words Of Advice:

Make sure you take the time to show your good intentions.

Don't give up too quickly.

Don't let your pride cloud your judgment.

Don't waste your energy on short and passionate affairs all the time.

Things become much easier when you calm down.

Don't let money be the only thing that drives you.

Think before you act and speak.

Try not to bite off more than you can chew.

Listen to what the people around you have to say for themselves.

Work on feeling more comfortable with who you are as a person.

Thanks for the question darling and I hope this helped! Sending good vibes your way and have a wonderful rest of your day! And just a reminder for everyone else, my inbox is currently closed (I received this ask long before I closed my inbox) so please don't send in anything else! Thank you and I'll let you all know when it's open again!

[lokidrabbles]

Pleasure Control (Loki x Reader)

Reader misses Loki and things get very heated.

A/N: Another short, stand alone oneshot! This one didn’t have much direction, I do apologize, but just to get me into the grove of things again. Thank you all for your likes and reblogs, I hope these stories bring some enjoyment to you all! As always, Gender Neutral Reader!

Warnings: Suggested smut, horny reader in general

You swore time began to move much more slower. You eyes remained glued on the clock on your laptop, waiting for an excruciating minute until you could finally clock out. You were restless. It had been a grueling week, which is a lot to say for working under Tony Stark.

The weekend was just at your fingertips, and you could almost foresee yourself lounging at home, phone tossed to the side, completely forgetting about your career for a moment. You ached for the time off for your own personal care, but also because an itch had been begging at you the entire week. This was one of the months where the Asgardian brothers would frequent in New York, and you were more than eager to meet up with Loki.

You missed him when he was away. You admitted your relationship with him was unorthodox, and gratifying at times, but you were genuine with your yearning for his company. Conveniently enough, your desk had become riddled with reports needing to all be documented and processed ASAP, preventing you from even saying a hello to him.

As a motivator, your thoughts were focused on finishing every single task in the most efficient and adequate manner, all for the sake of slamming your laptop close and skipping off to see your Asgardian lover. Your mind began to conjure a plan of how to spend the weekend with him, mostly involving some fancy wine, expensive sweets and a midnight stroll. The images in your head soon turned into another direction, one not so sweetly romantic or innocent. This was midweek, and you struggled with containing the lewd thoughts at bay. It was a piercing heat, distracting you frequently throughout the intensity of the office.

Your memory began to work double, drawing back to the moments when both you and Loki were explicitly intimate. The first time you had both laid with one another became one of your most cherished memories of him. It was completely unexpected but you certainly did not object at his advances. It was curious to even think Loki would have some type of sexual drive, he always appeared very reserved and aloof about the subject to you. However, you soon figured it was just a matter of feeling extremely comfortable around you, and then he would unleash something even you wouldn’t be able to control for long periods.

Now he could go for much, much longer than you had been used to, again, not that you were complaining. It was during this when you finally got a good understanding at just how strong he actually was. He wasn’t as muscular as his brother per say, but he could maneuver you around willingly without breaking a sweat. At times, he would suspend you in the air whilst having his way with you, providing you with an awesome and unique experience. His kisses would become much slower and tender, peppering you all over your body and in places where you had never been kissed before. He was very quiet during all of it, every now and then muttering things about how you’d look and how hard you had made him. It seemed sex was an experience he took much time and appreciation with. Certainly he wasn’t the type to look for some quick fun on the spot.

Your favorite sensation was his hands grasping tightly at your thighs and ass, as if to say these belonged to him. Another spine tingling behavior of his was his playful teasing over your neck. He seemed to have a sick enjoyment of watching you twitch and quiver as he laid fluttering kisses on your collarbone, all the way up to your jaw. You’d become so weak when he would then whisper terrible, sultry things into your ear. You often wondered if his magic would cause you to become so blissfully content under his touch, almost needing to beg at times to slow down when it would become intense. You knew he loved it all, being in control and having that dominance over you and you loved all the attention you’d receive.

You took many restroom breaks by the end of the work week, often splashing cold water on your face in an effort to both physically and mentally cool down. You chastised yourself, ashamed at the poor control you had over your thoughts, perceiving Loki as nothing but a piece of meat. You liked him for more than just his appeal, that was certain. But perhaps your innate human sexuality was asking for more than that, maybe as a way to de-stress from the long week.

The minute soon came to an end, prompting you to hastily clock out. You messily gathered your belongings, quickly waving good bye to your coworkers and practically sprinted out of the department.

Your eyes darted back and forth all over the facility, on the search for that familiar, grumpy Asgardian in green. Your heart began to beat faster as the adrenaline began to kick in. The excitement was tantalizing, and you knew you had failed at keeping your itch at bay. You were well intending to jump all over him and allow you body to do the talking despite knowing he’d push you off in an instant.

Your instinct guided you towards a lower floor, where the employee kitchen and lounge area for the I.T. department was. For whatever reason, the area was often empty, and you’d sneak a couple of lunch breaks here when your floor’s lounge area was full. Naturally, you’d let Loki know about the barren area, knowing he wasn’t one for large crowds as well. You briefly thought of the possibilities of what could transpire in such a place, and your lips quivered uncontrollably.

The planets must have been aligned. The corner of your eye quickly caught onto the tinge of forest green that would always decorate Loki’s attire. He was leaning against one of the counters in the lounge room, flipping mindlessly through a magazine of sorts. It was never an easy feat to sneak up to Loki and he immediately perked his head upwards to catch you stepping towards him.

“I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me.” He said teasingly, putting down the reading material. “It has been a bore meandering around-”

His words failed to register in your head. An uncontrollable desire guided your instincts and you practically jumped onto him, wrapping your arms tightly around his shoulders and neck, bringing him close to a messy, crooked kiss. You were lucky to have Loki react instantly. His hands landed on your waist, gripping whilst holding you up and making sure you didn’t tumble downwards. It must have just lasted for a few seconds, as the Asgardian prince promptly pulled away from your pursed lips. He held onto your waist still, your legs dangling slightly above the floor.

You looked up, concerned as to why he physically pulled you away from him. He looked disheveled. Several strands of hair hung delicately over his face, and the only way you could describe his expression was a charming mixture of embarrassment and disbelief.

“Would you mind not doing that out in the open?” He asked aggressively between gritted teeth.

“There’s literally no one around us, stop being like that.” You retorted, an unknowing pout forming on your lips. “Don’t you realize how long its been since I’ve been able to see you?”

“You were going to see me eventually.” He said bluntly, lowering you gently on the floor. “And I’d rather not have anyone walk in on something like that, lest you’d enjoy a very taxing conversation among your employer.”

“You’re killing me here Loki.” You said while crossing your arms around your chest. “It’s a huge bummer to see you’re clearly not as enthusiastic about this.”

“Don’t put words into my mouth mortal, I never said that.”

You squinted at him. “You sure are showing it though.”

He sighed in defeat, pushing his hair away from his face. “Yes, I missed you. Very dearly. Are you content?”

You jumped on him again, this time high enough to wrap your legs around his waist. Loki almost toppled to the side, again holding you upwards towards him. His hands landed almost purposefully on your thighs, fluttering just slightly over your rear. Your lips met his once more, but you could feel his struggle in wanting to give in, maintaining his balance, and fearing someone would walk in on the both of you.

“Y/N.” He said your name through the corner of his mouth, as much as he could before it became covered in a sloppy kiss. “Y/N. Get off.”

“Come on Loki.” You whispered at him. “I’ve been waiting a really, really long time.”

He raised an eyebrow, noticing the very hazy look in your eyes. “Wait. Norns. You’re in heat, aren’t you?”

You bit your lip, your eyes shifting to the side to avoid his own. You inched close to his ear and began to whisper all of the lewd and inappropriate thoughts you were having of him. You told him how much you had missed his touch on your skin and how it was making you unbelievably crazy the entirety of the week.   You felt his grip tighten on your thighs as you went over detailed accounts of what you to do to him, and what you wanted him to do to you.

“It’s worse than I thought.” Was all he could say, but even you noticed how dry his lips had become.

“Unless, you don’t want to. Then that’s all you have to say.” You said, a part of you knowing it would be hard for him to even resist the temptation.

“Stupid of you to even assume such a thing.” He answered immediately. “You’re heading to your home, are you not?”

You nodded. “I am, but I was thinking, since no one is around here...” Your voice trailed off, nudging your neck at the empty space all around the both of you.

“No.”

“Come on, you didn’t even think about it!”

“I don’t need to. We’ll do it, but not here.” He pulled you off from him again, placing you promptly on your feet. “I’d rather not do my business with you inside this facility, and within this area where everyone has their meals.”

“You’re not at all as adventurous about this as I thought you’d be.” You responded with yet another pout.

“If this is what adventurous means to you, then we both have very different ideals. Besides, I wouldn’t want to tarnish bedding you in such a way.”

“Hmm?“ You hummed, your ears perked up. “You mean, it’s something you really like doing with me?”

“Of course I do.” He responded genuinely, taking you a bit by surprise. “And because it’s something so important to me, I’d rather do it somewhere more private, more intimate. If that doesn’t satisfy you, then perhaps we shouldn’t do it at all then.”

“No, no no!” You interjected, waving your hands at him. “It’s not that at all! Jesus, don’t scare me like that. I’m totally cool doing it at home too, I love it.”

He smirked, a low chuckle coming from his chest. “I’ll admit, it does stroke my ego a bit to hear you day dream about me in such a way.”

“Stop talking and let’s go home. Now.” You urged at him, tugging at his forearm.

“Though it does beg the question at what other things you are into.” He pondered as he padded along with you. “ I didn’t think you were such an erotic human.”

“Keep talking like that and I’m gonna have to shove you in that broom closet.”