#just admit you don't like his glasses. admit you're a coward

[dinaniktotf2]

You know how some people will draw/animate Medic WITHOUT his glasses?

I automatically do not trust these people. I don't mean situations where glasses would handicap him or break his glasses, i.e. fistfighting, swimming, taking a shower, sleeping. I mean when Medic just... exists. Walks, eats, argues with people, runs from somebody.

I believe these people can't make good art or say anything of importance.

And each time I'm right.

[fuctacles]

<< ok fine i give up i lost track of the cat emojis. this is part 8 | 9 >>

Eddie wakes up late the next day but isn't surprised to find his uncle sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee and a crossword puzzle in front of him. Tormenting his nephew has been his favorite pastime now that he is stuck at home, so of course he would wait for him to emerge from his room.

"Didn't catch you coming back last night. Must have left Stephanie's awfully late, huh?" he asks nonchalantly, tapping his pen against the paper without looking up. 

"Mhm," Eddie hums, reaching for his favorite mug. 

"Did Miss Stephanie arrive late?"

"She did." He tries to focus on making coffee, and not on his uncle's prying questions. 

"Did she hold you back?" the man presses, unrelenting.

"We talked for a bit," Eddie eventually admits.

"How long?"

He fills up his mug with a frown before turning towards his uncle. 

"What is this? A crime interrogation?" he raises his eyebrow with annoyance. 

"I don't know." Wayne shrugs, finally looking up from his crossword to study his face. "Has a crime been committed?"

"I'm not banging your neighbor," Eddie hisses at his father figure with disdain. "Stop asking about it!"

His uncle sighs but seems to accept his defeat, at least for now. 

"All I ask is that you keep an open mind. I don't think she'd be against the idea," he gives his last two cents before hiding behind the newspaper like a coward. "I know you're not," he adds under his breath.

Eddie barely catches it, but it makes his skin crawl with heat. He's beyond denying it at this point but he won't admit it either. If Stephanie ever makes a move, he won't say no, but he doesn't want to presume anything. Or worse, make her uncomfortable.

"I'm going to my room," he declares, carrying his coffee away.

A couple of days later, Eddie is standing in front of a hair salon, staring at the handwritten note on the door. 

We close at 4 PM today, sorry for the inconvenience!

The opening times above declare that on weekdays, the shop should be open an hour longer, and Eddie worries that he misunderstood Stephanie's words. She told him to come in around 4 PM and she'll give him a haircut. But through the glass door, he can see her swiping the floor while talking to another hairdresser, a tiny woman who's cleaning up her station. It looks like they're closing up.

Then Stephanie looks up and spots him standing there like a dumbass, and she smiles, motioning him inside. So he pushes the door, moving the tiny bell above as he walks in. 

"Hi," he says, nodding to the unfamiliar woman. "Am I too late? Or too early?" 

Stephanie shakes her head, quickly putting the broom away. 

"You're perfectly on time," she assures him. "You can leave your jacket there and pick whichever chair you like. Do you want something to drink? Tea, coffee, water?" she asks, already halfway to what he assumes is the backroom.

"Coffee would be great," he says a little stunned, shaking his heavy leather jacket off his arms. He feels extremely out of place in a space usually frequented by gossiping ladies. In the waiting area, there's a stack of fashion magazines on top a tiny round table, and two huge colorful armchairs. He throws his things on one of them before sauntering to the station that's furthest away from the street, wary of the peering eyes.

There are some in the salon with him, though. 

"So you're Steph's special guest, huh?" the other co-worker asks conversationally. 

"Uh, I'm just her neighbor," he corrects, not sure what the woman has been told.

She hums, giving her station a thorough wipe.

"She wouldn't close early for just any neighbor," she counters. "Give yourself some credit." She smiles at him through the mirror and disappears into the backroom before he can react or even process her words.

"Sorry for the wait!" Stephanie joins him soon after. "I hope Joyce didn't grill you much," she says, putting a mug of coffee in front of him.

"Well," Eddie wraps his hand around the hot ceramic. "She just called me your special guest." He wants to pry much more than that, but he knows the other woman, Joyce, can be within hearing distance. 

"You kind of are." Stephanie tilts her head thoughtfully, before turning his chair around, so they can only look at each other through the mirror. "All my friends get special treatment."

"Of course," Eddie nods, torn between being happy and devastated by being called a friend. 

"Unless you don't want to be friends with an old lady," she pouts.

What he wants is to suck on that bottom lip. 

"You're not old!"

He startles when his voice is echoed, but it's just Joyce emerging from the back. She moves the jacket and bag she's holding to free one of her hands and smacks Stephanie on the shoulder. 

"Listen to the boy if you're not gonna listen to me," she says heatedly. "If you're old then I should be dead. Now come here."

With an exasperated sigh, Stephanie leans down so Joyce can press a kiss on her cheek. 

"I'm leaving, you kids don't do anything unsanitary, okay?"

"Joyce!" 

She moves like a hurricane of energy and despite her teasing, Eddie can't help but smile. Joyce seems like the kind of person who treats everyone like her kids. 

"What are you doing?" Stephanie asks suspiciously when Joyce hesitates by the door. 

"I'm just gonna..." she trails off before starting to pull down the blinds on both the door and the windows. "So nobody bothers you two," she explains with a charming smile. "Okay, bye!" the bell finally chimes as she heads out. "I'll see you tomorrow!" 

"See you!" 

Eddie barely lifts his hand for a wave before there's just the two of them. 

Stephanie breathes out and walks up to the door to lock it. The fact that they are now alone and hidden in a public space makes him hot under the collar. She could do to him anything she wanted right now. 

Like cutting his split ends and conditioning his hair, of course. 

"So." A radio buzzes to life, though it gets immediately turned to a lower volume. "As the one forced to sit there and endure my treatment, you get to pick the station," Stephanie smiles at him and he instructs her to his and Wayne's favorite frequency. The soft that starts playing is very quiet, and with the closed-off space he's found himself in, he feels like he's tripping. 

"Do you have anything in mind?"

So many things but nothing appropriate to say out loud. 

"Didn't you have a plan for me?" he raises an eyebrow at her reflection while she's thoughtfully tugging on his hair. 

"Yes, but mostly haircare. And I don't know what's popular in the metalhead hair fashion right now."

He chuckles at that.

"Just keeping them long and adding some tease now and then. Nothing as extreme as punk's liberty spikes," he assures. 

"Gotcha. But if you think of anything, let me know."

"You got it," he smiles. 

i feel weird tagging only one person here but: @wheneverfeasible

[quantum1mmortality]

Bi-Han, Kuai Liang, and Liu Kang showing up to Fem!Readers house exactly how they showed up to Johnny Cages mansion, except they aren't there to recruit her just yet......*Wink wink wink*

Oh my... What to write... What to write...

Tw/cw: AFAB reader, threesome, Mostly just Liu Kang watching as you get your brains fucked out, Liu Kang sort of stalking you but it's okay he's hot, kuai being a good boy, praise, piv, taking it up the ass for the homies, cursing, reader has a brain and doesn't stand for bullshit, ooc Liu Kang it's only for the plot I won't write him like this ever again I swear

Not proofread

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

Getting home from a long day of work always ended like this: watching a movie and drinking an entire bottle of rum.

Or at least that's how it should end, but not tonight. As soon as you opened up your new bottle of rumchata, you heard a knock at the door. 11 at night, who the hell is at your door?

You haphazardly discarded your glass on the counter as you walk to the door, only now realizing you'd be opening it in your pajamas. Oh well, that'll be a future problem.

When you do open the door, there stands three men you've never seen before. All three much taller than you, intimidating to say the least.

You must've looked scared with how soft spoken the man in the middle was. "Good evening, (Y/n). I am Liu Kang, protector of earthrealm. May we come in?"

First of all, protector of earthrealm??? Second of all, who??? All these thoughts we're racing in your head, none of them having any clear explanation.

"Uhm,, sure? Do you guys want any rumchata or anything? I have some if you do-"

"That will not be necessary, Miss (Y/n), but thank you for the offer." The dude with the glowing eyes that seemed to be called Liu Kang walked in first, followed by a man dressed in blue, and another dressed in orange. They stood next to each other, Liu Kang being in the middle while the other two were off to either side of him.

"This is Bi Han, he is grandmaster of the Lin Kuei," Liu Kang gestures to his right, pointing to the man in blue. "This, is Kuai Liang, Bi Hans younger brother. They are both highly skilled ninjas, also protectors of earthrealm as well."

"Ok.. may I ask why this is important?" Did this bitch really interrupt your very needed self care to tell you about some ninjas? No respect. You sigh as you take your glass, filling it to the top with rumchata.

"I'd like to recruit you, (Y/n). Although you are not fit to be a warrior, you are more than fit to be a consort."

You spit out your drink. "You came here to ask me to be a wife for these two? Yeah, no. Not gonna happen. I don't even know them."

Liu Kang seems surprised by your answer, so do Kuai Liang and Bi Han. The brothers share glances while they wait for Liu Kang to answer.

"I've been watching you for a while now, (Y/n). I've seen every relationship you've had crumble. I can promise you, my men will treat you better than you can imagine."

"First of all, that's creepy as fuck. You're watching me?? You seriously think that's gonna make me want to get into a relationship you set up? You're out of your mind. Second of all, I'm not looking for relationships right now. No, they aren't working out. So what? Flings are all I need."

You could see the two men get a bit embarrassed over the fact that Liu Kang willingly admitted to stalking you. Bi Han put his head down while Kuai Liang hid his face out of disappointment.

"And yet you're still unsatisfied, romantically and sexually. From my observations, no man you've been with has ever been able to satisfy you, but I've watched you. I know what you like. I'm sure with a few pointers, Bi Han and Kuai Liang can satisfy you like no other man has."

Jaw. Dropped. This bitch did not just call you out like that, nuh uh.

"Oh yeah? Well if you know what I like than why don't you fuck me yourself, you coward." Liu Kang found you incredibly amusing. He thought you were a perfect match for Bi Han and Kuai, which is mainly why he wanted you to be with them so bad.

"As much as I'd love to, you are for them. Bi Han and Kuai work up quite the appetite throughout their work, they need something to distress with. I'm sure you can be a good girl and handle it for them, yes?"

There it was. The only thing that got you weak, and he knew it. Liu Kang smirked as he watched you blush slightly at his praise, trying to hide it from him. He took small steps towards you, taking note that you weren't backing away. Maybe you did want this, you just didn't know it yet. He'll make sure you'll submit by the end of the night.

"Like I said (Y/n), I know what gets you going. I know what you like, and I know every thought going through your head as we speak. I know you want this. Please, let us give it to you. I promise you won't regret it."

You stood still for a minute darting your eyes around the room as you thought. The three men waited patiently for your answer. You looked at Liu Kang, then back to Kuai and Bi Han. They were very attractive men... They probably could satisfy you easily with how well defined they were, could it really hurt if you had just a night with them?

You gave a small nod to Liu Kang and a smile rose on his face. With a snap of his fingers, Kuai grabbed you gently from behind as Bi Han grabbed you from in front of you.

"Be careful now, she's only human. She can only take so much before she can breaks, I'm sure you two can do that on your own time, but for now, focus on her." Liu Kang opted to just watch you instead of joining in, pulling up a chair, he sits down and watches as the scene before him unfolds.

Kuai Liang began to slowly undress you as Bi Han trailed small kisses down your body. Kuai placed your thighs on either side of his, your back pressed to his chest as he spread your thighs for Bi Han.

"Don't be shy Bi Han, I know you want to. She's been such a good girl for us, treat her like one." Liu Kang smiles as Bi Han places his mouth to your clothed pussy, relishing in how wet your panties are. He tears the fabric off of you as he laps at your aching heat.

His tongue was uncoordinated, licking whatever surface it came into contact with. Liu Kang knew this, so he chirped in again. "There's a small part that you need to focus on, it's covered by a hood. Find it. Focus all of your attention on that."

Bi Han felt around with his tongue for a few seconds before hitting a spot that made you scream louder than before. He took Liu Kangs advice and focused every he had on it, sucking and licking your clit like his life depended on it.

"Kuai, she loves being praised. Tell her how good she's doing for us. Let your hands wander too, she can handle it." With that, Kuai began to sing you soft praises as his hands went to squeeze your thighs, waist, and breasts. He found you squirm slightly when his warm hands would play with your breasts, so he started rolling your soft nipples between his fingers, pinching them slightly.

Your back arched as Bi Han focused more, causing his tongue to become colder as he began to plunge it in and out of your sopping whole. Kuai continued his movements as he nipped at your neck. "Too much- it's too much-"

"You're taking us so well, I can't wait to have you begging for more on our cocks. You'll do good for us then too, right? God I don't ever want this to end." Kuai said as he pinched your nipples slightly harder. Your nails dug into his thighs as you practically rode Bi Hans face, coming on his tongue harsher than you ever have.

Your whimpering did nothing to help the two men's raging hard-ons. Kuai Liang couldn't help but slightly moan as you inadvertently grinded on his hard cock, riding out your high as Bi Han licked up every drop of your cum.

His eyes rolled back as he let out a loud groan, about to eat you out for a second time before Liu Kang cleared his throat, catching everyones attention. "You've had enough to eat, Bi Han. It's time you two show her actual pleasure."

Bi Han begrudgingly moves away from your pussy, more than dissatisfied that he can't be more of a munch. Kuai Liang gently placed you on the floor as him and Bi Han undressed themselves. When they did, you were in complete shock as to how big they both were.

Your mind was racing with fear, anxiety, but mostly arousal. "They will fit, (Y/n). I know they're both much bigger than anyone else you've ever been with, just let them do the work, you'll enjoy it."

You looked at Liu Kang, surprised to see him stroking his own cock. Was he.. getting off to this? Was he getting off to you???? How many times has he done this before when he watched you??? All of your thoughts were completely discarded when Kuai Liang left a small nip on your ear before speaking, "this is going to hurt, okay? We'll be slow, but I can't promise you'll be able to walk afterwards."

Both Kuai and Bi Han grabbed your waist, lifting you up with ease as Bi Han aligned his cock with your pussy, Kuai with your ass hole. Kuai was extremely gentle, prepping you slightly before slowly entering.

The three of you let out moans once they were both fully inside you. Kuai and Bi Han placed small kisses across your body as you adjust to their size.

"O-okay.. you can start m-moving.." talking at all was taking more energy than you could produce. Kuai stroked your thighs as Bi Han took your waist. He slowly lifted you up, making you wince as he then put you back down. Both men left out groans you've never heard be produced, ones of full pleasure. Your hands grabbed for anything they could settling just below Bi Hans arms and around his back. He blushed slightly at this, leaning in closer while pushing his cock deeper inside you.

Bi Han continued with his slow pace. He knew you needed more time to adjust, so he was going as slow as possible. Liu Kang on the other hand, didn't like how slow he was going. "Faster. She can take it. Make her scream your names." At this point you were wondering if Liu Kang was doing this just for his own personal pleasure, seeing how out of the corner of your eye, you could see his abdomen painted in his own cum.

Bi Han obliged, leaning into your ear before whispering apologies, preparing you for what's about to come. "Please forgive me, Miss (Y/n). You've been too good to us, I fear. I must apologize for what I am about to do."

With that, Bi Han lifted your waist up till both his and Kuais tips were just inside you, before slamming you down on them. Your head fell back, screaming his name as all you could feel was Bi Hans hands gripping you and both their cocks inside of you.

"Brother- she's going to pass out if you continue-" Kuai tried to reason with his brother, being met with Bi Hans eyes filled with apologies and lust. Truth be told, Bi Han wanted your first time with the both of them filled with love and passion. As much as he wanted to take it slow, he knew how much Liu Kang got off to seeing you like this, and he didn't want him to take you away from him. So he needed to be fast and harsh, he'll make it up to you later, but for now he needs to focus on getting you to cum as quickly as possible.

"Let her pass out, she needs to learn who she belongs to."

"She doesn't belong to us, Lord Liu Kang- she isn't a slave for our pleasure- She's her own person!"

"Brother-" Bi Han looked at Kuai Liang, giving him the, "shut the fuck up or you're going to get us both killed." look. Bi han continued his movements, gritting his teeth as he could feel himself getting close. Kuai attempted to grab onto your hips tighter, hoping it would slow Bi Hans pace, but Liu Kang yelled at him and told Bi Han to go faster.

Bi Han knew it was dangerous for you, your tongue was already lolling out of your mouth as your eyes watered from the pleasure, you could barely make any legible sounds other than moans. Yet, he continued with his harsh pace. Both him and Kuai whinced as they felt your walls flutter around their aching cocks. You soon after let out a loud moan of Bi Hans name before collapsing on the floor.

Kuai gently lifted you off both of their cocks, seeing your aching pussy clenching around nothing made Bi Han cum on the spot. Kuai gave a few strokes of his own cock before cumming in his hand. They both look at your now asleep figure, how it was sprawled out from exhaustion.

Liu Kang sat up front his chair, clapping slowly as he looked at both of the men. "You did good, very good. She enjoyed it a lot. I suggest one of you cleans her while the other gets a change of clothes for her."

Bi Han and Kuai were quick to oblige, standing up and putting their pants back on before getting to work. Kuai Liang grabbed a small wash cloth from your bathroom, dampening it with warm water before coming back out to your sleeping form and gently wiping you down.

He dabbed at your inner thighs and around your cunt, being careful as to not disturb you. He watched as you whinced at the cloth touching your aching hole, smiling slightly at the sight. Bi Han came back with a pair of long sleeve pajamas and soft panties. Both men worked on dressing you, paying no mind to the fact that you were naked and instead focusing on getting you warm.

"Poor doll must be shivering.. Kuai, make sure she's warm enough." Bi Han said softly as he finished buttoning your top. Kuai nodded in response, taking you in his arms before focusing on channeling his energy to you. You warmed up instantly, instinctively cuddling into Kuais chest for more warmth. All the three men smile at your sleeping figure, relishing in how peaceful you look.

Kuai took you to your room, tucking you in as he warmed up the room the best he could. Liu Kang was standing in the doorway as Bi Han was standing inside the room, watching as Kuai made it as comfortable as possible for you.

"She's a good woman. A perfect fit for both of you. She enjoyed tonight, may many more nights like this come for you three." Liu Kang smiled.

"Is she ours officially now?" Bi Han asked in anticipation, looking at Liu Kang with wide eyes.

"Not yet, Bi Han. She must make that decision for herself, yet I highly doubt she'd deny it."

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

A/n: life's been getting so hard guys I'm trying to stanky leg through it but my legs are cramping and I shower too often to stank </3

@tipreace124

I promised I'd tag them when this fic came out

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

Yandere! Gellert Grindelwald x Muggle! Female Reader.

One shot. Topic: Reader Chan who loses hope.

Grindelwald caressed your effeminate cheekbone with affection to get your attention. The two of you were bare naked and laying outside on the beach Grindelwald owned. He told his henchmen to close the land for today. It was just him and you.

You peeked at his awaiting expression. Just to get him off your back. You gave him a fake smile and ran your long piano fingers across his gray hair. 

You two married four days ago. When Grindelwald is finished with the last papers, he will take you to a real honeymoon. He wanted to take you to Denmark and then Libya. 

He imagined you wearing foreign dresses and jewelry. Grindelwald wanted to fuck you without taking them off. He fondly smiled at the memory of the wedding night. 

He didn't remove your huge sparkly wedding gown when he consummated the marriage. He let you bleed on the expensive silk material. To remind you, he is in charge. After that, Grindelwald didn't use his magic to clean the gown. He hung it up and placed it behind a glass case for display in his study. 

He wanted everyone to know he owned you. 

He was a fan of nature. So, he didn't make love to you on a bed in a bedroom. Too original and boring. No, he fucked you on the grass in the dark woods next to his old school, Hogwarts. His powerful magic skills blocked predators and made you two invisible. 

He felt as if he was the original Adam making love to his wife, Eve when they got expelled from Paradise. 

What a grand feeling.

You couldn't say the same. A elderly stranger whom you never met kidnapped you and chained you to a room. He didn't touch you but forced you to wed him. You tried to fight but he would whip and burn you. He tamed you like a horse. 

So, you had to respond to his kisses and look at him as he raped you. You felt like a coward. But who likes pain?

Grindelwald purred like a damn cat when you gave him his fake affection as if it was medicine. But, now. He noticed how lacking you were. As if you were not trying. You stopped giving him fake smiles and seemed to not mind getting hit by his slapping and hair pulling. 

How rude. He gritted his teeth at your defiance. So, he got his belt and whipped you. To his horror, you didn't seem to even feel him. You flinched and winced at the right time. But you didn't utter a word. The fuck is wrong with you?

He didn't feed you for two days. Then he finally came. 

"All right. That's enough!" He snarled and shook your shoulders. "Why are you acting like a bitch?"

"What's the point of my opinion? You're always offended by my answers anyway and deny them." You sarcastically replied as tears came out.

Grindelwald clenched his jaw. He demanded why you were ungrateful. You lost it. You pushed him out of his grip. You sobbed how you lost your freedom and all people you loved and how it was unfair that he expected you to love him like a mindless slave.

You clutched your face as you crumpled to the ground. The middle aged man watched you with a clean expression and said nothing. He didn't say it. He actually pitied you. He agreed he was rather mean to you. Grindelwald walked to the door. "Don't try to escape." His tone mellow and heartless once more. 

He was sitting on his favorite arm chair in his study with the fireplace lit. He had a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Fuck. He screwed up. He didn't mean to break your spirit. When he told you he loved you. It was real. If he didn't love you. He wouldn't feel guilty or ask why you were unhappy. Grindelwald is too proud. He will never apologize or admit his mistakes. 

But, he is affectionate and will make it up. He decided to give you more freedom. Going on leisures alone in the Muggle world only. Not the Magic world. And have your technology devices back. 

Yeah. That will do.  Hopefully, he will make you lovey dovey and wrapped around his finger. But he will make conditions. Nothing is free. Everything has a price. You have to suck his dick well and hard before stepping outside. A smirk graced his gray cracked lips. Not a bad deal. 

[sunnylands-world]

The ugly is pretty

Pairing: draco Malfoy x reader

Summary: you met an attractive boy at the perfume store but you had no idea that he was a bully…

Word count: 985

Warning: enemies to lovers, love at first sight? Hufflepuff and muggle reader, pov switching. I think that's it

Universe: Harry Potter

A/n: I'm so so sorry this took this long I just hadn't figured out a way to write it

Draco let out a sigh as he examined the bottles of strong smell. He didn't know what his mother would like, he wasn't a female. He huffed turning on the heel of his shoe only to be blinded by the girl who entered. Her hair had a simple yellow headband and her dress flowed a bit with the breeze of the open door giving him a peek of her soft skin under. She wandered around, small fingers grazing the bottles of perfume. A small smile made its way on her face and he saved it to his memory like photograph.

You smiled, glance through the fine glasses, seeing a blonde boy with a black suit. you'd never seen him around. He was tall enough that his body wasn't hidden but he didn't touch the ceiling. His eyes were icy blue making you wonder if his personality was as cold or if he was like hot chocolate the perfect contrast to a cold winter. Warm and comforting. His eyes caught yours and everything seemed to blur together before his face scrunched up like he was displeased about something. you couldn't help but wonder if you were the cause. You looked down swallowing your insecurities as they crept up in your mind.

His father appeared like a crow merely watching his son's next move. Draco felt his heart sink. He knew what he had to do. He dragged his feet in your direction making you look up with a returning smile before it quickly vanished. He took the bottle from the shelf dosing you in the fragrance. it soaked your hair and dripped down your clothes.

Your lip trembled as you looked back up at him but he ignored the broken look on your face adding more salt to your wounds. "You smell like you live in a barn. It's no wonder why you're in a store selling perfume. Not like you could afford it, you filthy, stinking mudblood." He finished but you don't catch the guilt in his eyes.

You're mortified and humiliated as you rush from the store, tears threatening to spill from your eyes as you make your way back to Hogwarts.

That boy wasn't at all warm or comforting; he wasn't anything your mind made him out to be. He's cruel just like his eyes. that icy blue color was exactly how he was; shards of ice that were painful and cold to slide across and you could feel it, feel yourself bleeding out as you ran past people sending you weird looks.

You smelled of the flowery fragrance and it wasn't in a pretty way. It was so intense it smelled more like flowers covered in chemicals.

He had humiliated you and you swore on your heart that you'd never look at him the same.

He knew you'd never spare him a glance when you saw him at school. He looked your way and you two probably looked like fools to the outside world. He looked guilty, apologetic while you looked enraged like you saw your worst enemy.

He deserved it. You didn't even know him and he just proved what others said about him and if you ran into Hermione and her two friends she was bound to have told you about him.

He had a chance to have someone look at him differently, like he wasn't a boy who had been an asshole to others and the truth was he had been but you didn't know that, well at least you didn't before.

He was sure it was too early to say he was in love but you were something fresh like new flowers in a garden of dead grass. He was dead grass and you were just planted in his yard of disaster. He only wished he hadn't ripped you from the field.

He figured he'd just have to tell you. He'd have to admit that his father was shitty and he chose to be a coward and never change courses because he was afraid of his father, afraid of losing what made him, him because who was he If he wasn't a bully, a Malfoy with money and pure blood.

He found you, out in the yard with your friends and even there you still lit up like the sun. No one else was there because you were just so bright that they weren't seeable; but it didn't matter he just needed to see you.

He walked towards you and your eyes met his as he stood patiently hoping he could make this right.

You sighed hating how your mind and heart couldn't agree. He was still pretty even after he did something so ugly. There was nothing attractive about his actions but he was. He was shards of ice but you still wanted to try and skate across the smooth parts.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" You groaned. He pushed down the lump in his throat taking a step forward, not just now but in life.

"I'm- I want you" he stuttered trying to figure out where to start.

You scoffed "you have a funny way of showing that"

"It's not- my father came and I have- I want to make my father approve of me so I did what I did because-"

"Your a coward" you finished with a chuckle and draco tried hide the hurt on his face when you said it

"Well what person doesn't come with problems," you sighed "it's always the ones I want most that have all the issues." You rolled your eyes

"Wait! So your not-"

"Oh no I'm still mad but you can try and change my mind" you giggled seeing the frustration on his face.

"Your gonna have to stop cutting me off or-"

"Careful Malfoy don't want to lose me" you smirked

"Your lucky I like you"

"Your lucky I like you" you both say in unison

@alexxavicry, @sarahthehuffpuff, @supercoffeeblogs, @thatwattpadobsessed, @amyclare04, @kyracanwrite, @animeloverfreak310, @imafangirl22, @phildunphyisadilf, @jac1ndaa, @lovelycassy

[lxcalmenace]

Good day, dear Kay! ^*^

Can I request some cute headcanons about being a blue lock fem!manager or assistant? Something like cute interactions, how manager cares of boys and they are simps/whipped or just have a soft spot for their cute manager. Please, ignore it, if it's uncomfortable for you!

Have a nice day~

The boys sure were surprised when Ego suddenly announced the news. Apparently the Bluelock boys were getting a new manager. Some were excited, some were angry but no one dared to oppose Ego. So here were they, with their new manager y/n l/n after a week they joined in.

How bluelock boys act with their new manager

F.t. The Bluelock boys

Gn! Y/n

Tw: Swearing

The art doesn't belong to me. Credits to the respective owner.

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Headcanons!

•Day 1 and it's hella akward. Isagi and Chigiri will try to ease the tension and befriend you. They realised that it's probably not that bad as they thought at first.

•Soon enough, everyone gets comfortable with you; well almost everyone except RinRin and Barou

•After spending a whole week with them you finally realise the reason Ego sent you as their manager. It was a whole chaos but somehow you still managed it.

•Nagi is like a parasite, always attached to you. Mainly because he gets to be lazy around you. "Y/nnn, you're the only one who is not a hassle. Please stay here forever"

"You're only saying this because I cleaned your room"

•On the other hand, Reo scolds you for babying Nagi (says who 🙄). But Reo will also teach you some of his football tricks in his free time.

•The worry about Shidou and Rin constantly being at each other's throats never leaves you alone.

"FUCK YOU STUPID BUMBLING ANTENNAE! " "OH FUCK ME YOURSELF YOU COWARD! "

*Aggressively throwing hands*

•Yeah, pretty much like that. You practically have to step in between their argument or else someone's definitely going to the hospital tonight.

•Although uou never believed Shidou being a 'Demon' because he always acts like an angel around you. Keeping you company when you're doing some boring paperwork and occasionally asking for your number.

•Same goes for Barou. He might look all scary and mean but inside, he's just a soft guy who likes cleaning with you. He'll often help you with cleaning the mess created by the other players.

•Whenever you're not doing your work, you're always seen with Otoya and Karasu. Whether it being pulling off small, harmless pranks or just having a chat in the lunch room. Karasu always bonks Otoya in the head for flirting with you. Oh god, he's such a simp for you.

•Saturdays for you are 'Self-care Saturdays'. Aryu along with Chigiri will both help you with your hair. Sharing their secrets and tips to self care. Oh boy, you sure are leaving Bluelock looking like a model.

•Isagi and Bachira never let the boredom get to you. Monopoly, snake and ladder, uno, whatever you want, they are always ready to play with you. The duo itself is so entertaining that you don't even need anything else.

•Ok but Rin Itoshi's usually 'so cold' and 'merciless' eyes always soften when you are with him. He hates to admit it but he has finally started to let down his tough walls around you. You being the only one whose presence is somewhat tolerable to him. You're often seen helping him with his workout.

•Yukimiya let's you wear his glasses PERIOD

•You definitely have regular sleepovers with Nanase and Hiori, with Niko sometimes joining you. Those 3 pure balls of sunshine never fail to make your day brighter.

•You still wonder, what would've happened if you had declined Ego's proposal. You would've never met such unique people. But you know one thing for sure, you will always stay in touch with the boys, no matter what path you or they choose in the future.

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I tried to include every character in this. I sincerely apologize but I couldn't think anymore. I'm not a manga reader, I'm sorry (　；∀；)

Soo how does it feel to be the Bluelock's favorite manager? I have decided that I'll start requests for Chainsaw man and Jujutsu Kaisen too. So currently, I'm open to write for 3 fandoms: Bluelock, Chainsaw man and Jujutsu Kaisen

Soo, let the requests roll in!

[clumsy-jiminie]

ɪɴᴇᴠɪᴛᴀʙʟʏ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ | ᴘᴊᴍ | ᴛᴇᴀꜱᴇʀ

↣ summary :: Kiara Smith had dreamed of true love for as long as she could remember. from being obsessed with the Disney princesses who found affection in the strangest situations to dressing up as a bride from kindergarten to fourth grade. it was the only thing she ever truly desired, so much so that a pleasant smile and kind eyes could have her smitten in seconds. right when she thought she found the one, a chance encounter with Park Jimin—the city’s famously perfect fuck boy with a smile so warm and a heart of ice—has her feeling quite the opposite. he knocks her off her axis and derails her life as she knows it, yet the universe seems to have another plan for the two.

↣ rating :: 18+

↣ genre :: fluff, angst, smut, e2l, slow burn

↣ pairing :: business owner!jimin x fem!oc

↣ notes :: the babiest of teasers 💕 I’ve had this sitting in my drafts for so long now. I can’t wait for you guys to read this series.

"So," Jimin started once the waiter had collected their plates. He picked up his glass, putting it to his lips to take a sip of red wine. "Why do you hide?"

Kiara's brows furrowed. "Why do I hide?" She picked up her own glass of water as he nodded. "I don't hide, necessarily. I just don't think I need to show my face for people to understand my art. Plus, I enjoy still having a normal life."

His brows knitted together as his head tilted to the side. "A normal life?" He put his glass down. "I hate to say it, but it sounds like you're a coward, Kiara."

"What?" She asked sharply.

"Think about it; you're hiding your face and missing out on all the beautiful opportunities to have a 'normal life'. It sounds like you're scared of the fame."

"I'm not scared of the fame," she quickly objected. She could feel her heart beating in her face like she just ran a 5k. It was solid and brisk, spreading up to where she felt the pulse throbbing in her cheeks. "I just don't want people to take advantage of me."

"They'll take advantage of you whether or not your name is known. So what is it?" His eyes then narrowed as he straightened his back. His shoulders appeared broader than before. "Why do you hide?"

Kiara stared at the man for a second, eyes searching for an answer in his. She's been Luna for so long now. She couldn't even remember why she hid her name and face. Was it anxiety? Was it the fear of rejection? Was it the fear of being judged? It could've been all of the above at this point.

"It's OK to admit that you're scared."

His words were all but comforting. "I'm not! I just…." She trailed off, eyes leaving him and resting on the tablecloth before her.

"You had me sign an NDA before I could even step foot in this restaurant. There's this special section specifically made for you to have these types of dinners. There's even security at the door to get in!" He spat out before she even got the moment to gather her thoughts. She felt under attack, though it was just a simple question. Even his points were valid. She never prepared herself for a question like this.

"Sir," she started to reel back in the conversation, but his eyelids lowered at her. "I have these dinners to discuss my work, not to be disrespected."

"But Luna is your work. I'm asking you questions to understand why you actively chose to stay hidden. Every day you have the opportunity to come out, and you ignore it every day. If it's not because you're a coward, it's because you're selfish."

"Excuse me?!" She fumed, her eyes narrowing at the man.

He didn't flinch at her glare. Instead, he chose to shift his position by leaning closer toward her. "Choosing to stay hidden robs you of the chance to do any public charity event. You have to let people see you or at least hear your voice. Right now, Luna is only a thought. No one even knows if she's human. People have the right to see who they're supporting, and you shouldn't have to make them spend over ten thousand to meet you."

The more he spoke, the more infuriated Kiara got. Being interrogated or called out wasn't the reason she had these dinners. This conversation was barely a discussion but a lecture from some 20-something-year-old nepo baby who thinks he can speak on how she chooses to live her life and spend her money. Her lips pressed into a taught line, keeping herself quiet when all she wanted to do was curse him out.

"And it's not like you could slap on some wig and be Hannah Montana. People aren't that dumb." As he continued, her eye twitched a little. "So which is it?" Jimin watched as Kiara nodded her head a few times. She grabbed the napkin off her lap and placed it on the table.

"And to think that maybe you were just having a bad day earlier." She chuckled softly as his brows furrowed. "Turns out that you're just an asshole regardless."

"Excuse—"

Kiara swiftly threw water in his face, drenching him and his hair as she stood up. He scoffed loudly, hanging his head down to keep any more water from going into his eyes. "Does that answer your question?" He looked up at her and locked eyes one last time, exchanging the same look of hate before she stormed off to the door. "Fucking dick," she mumbled to herself as her heels quickly lead her through the restaurant. She dug her hand into her purse, feeling around until she grabbed her cell phone.

[conretewings]

"Love Song"

-Vander x OC. Angst and romantic fluff.

-When Vander finally decides to visit Rosemary at the club she's performing at, he'll find out much more than he ever expected to.

Rosemary peeked through a slit in the worn velvet curtains at the back of the stage, absentmindedly spinning the glass sapphire ring on her index finger to calm her nerves. There was quite the crowd tonight; normally this particular club wasn't this packed even on a Saturday, but apparently her growing popularity had pulled in more patrons than usual, something the owner was, of course, pleased as punch about.

She scanned the room, seeing a bunch of the usual suspects and a slew of new faces, most looking like they were already a drink or so in. Classy and expensive as this establishment was with it's heavy wood tables, thick, patterned tablecloths, plush-backed chairs and beautiful decor, the crowd's more inebriated behavior tended to, ironically, vary little from the dilapidated places down in the Undercity.

Biting her inner lip, mindful of the crimson lipstick painting them, she searched in the sea of well-groomed faces for one in particular, one less so but leagues more handsome. She had hoped many a time to see that face during one of her performances, but sadly, so far he'd yet to appear...

-"Please Van! It'd be great to see ya in the audience sometime!"

"So I can stick out like a sore thumb? Sorry love those fancy places ya sing at aren't for me..."

It was about a week prior, and she'd invited Vander out for a beer after her family's shop had closed and he'd finished his shift in the mines. In time their conversation turned to her budding singing career, and eventually to the stalemate they'd found themselves at; her persistent invitation for him to come see her, and his reluctance to do so.

Rosemary blew out an annoyed breath and took a long gulp of her beer before swiveling on her barstool to rest an elbow on the counter and poke at his arm, "Know what I think? I think you're afraid you'll actually enjoy yourself, 'n then you'd hafta admit it's not all bad!"

"And I think you're already drunk." he quipped dryly.

"Coward."

"Lil' pest."

Switching tactics, she turned her brows downward and poked out her lip, doing her best pleading expression, "I'm singin' at the Owl Club just over the bridge on Friday. It'd really mean a lot to have my mate's support!"

He lit a cigarette and after silently offering her a puff, blew several thoughtful wisps into the air, "And I can support ya without havin' everyone starin' at me and makin' remarks about the trencher trash," his expression darkened and voice dropped to a low growl, "Topsiders will always think they're better than us, that they're above us both literally and otherwise...sometimes I dunno how you can stomach it."

She fell quiet, turning away to face the chipped and stained mirror behind the bar. In it she saw duel reflections of them; one more clear, one murky and cracked. She sipped some more of her drink and in her inebriated mind swirled a melancholy thought as she mused, as she sometimes did, which one reflected the future?

At length she sighed lowly and murmured, "A'right. I respect that. I won't bug ya anymore 'bout it."

He glanced sideways at her, seeing the sadness and loneliness behind her bright hazel eyes despite her efforts to hide it and felt a traitorous stab of guilt. Dammit all. He didn't want to give those pompous fucks the satisfaction of mocking him, but he also hated to see her of all people like this. Maybe...

Mirroring her, he sighed and rubbed his temples, only smearing the dust around more and shifted to face her, "Tell ya what. I'll...consider it. Maybe some time if I'm not too busy. Just don't hold your breath."

"W-wait really?" Rosemary blinked in disbelief, then broke into a radiant smile, the one that made his heart skip and warmth bubble up in his chest.

Hoping she couldn't see that warmth beginning to paint his cheeks he scoffed with a smirk, "If I didn't give in ya were just gonna keep buggin' me."

That damned smile of his, that crinkled the corners of his eyes and sent tiny lightning bolts zipping throughout her body rendered her momentarily stupefied-although the ale wasn't helping-before she felt her face warm and retorted, "I said I would drop it! But...thank you."

"Sure ya would." he teased.

"Asshole! You're lucky you're so damn handsome!"

Vander winked, "And you're lucky to have me."

She began to toss another sarcastic remark at him when she froze, cursing silently as she felt the heat flush her cheeks deeper and was unable to tear her eyes from his. Oh, she'd like to have him all right. In several ways. Before she could stop the words rolling off her tongue they were out.

"Do I...?"

His eyebrows knitted as he briefly pondered her words and how to reply; he still wasn't completely certain of how she saw him, saw them, the subject being so difficult to broach they avoided it with banter and booze, the irony being the longer they stuck their heads in the sand the more they felt suffocated by the tension.

Clearing his throat, Vander tapped his fingers on the counter and carefully asked, "When we uh, gonna talk 'bout last week...?"

Rosemary swallowed audibly, knowing exactly to what he was referring; the night at Iron Bear when their game of flirting and wits had taken a much more serious and unquestionable turn, when she'd purred downright raunchy suggestions in his ear unlike anything they'd said to each other prior, throwing their relationship into question. He'd taken off, not sure how to process it and they'd awkwardly avoided the topic since.

"Oh-oh. Right. Thaaaat..." she coughed, nervously kicking her feet and glancing everywhere but at him directly. She hadn't expected him to be the one to break the ice but here they were. "Well...I guess I-"

"Vander?! There you are I been lookin' for you!"

Abruptly, Benzo appeared and rushed over, looking gravely serious. He gave her a quick nod of greeting and apology and Rosemary, both irritated at the interruption of their important discussion, yet admittedly slightly relieved, leaned to peer around his large frame, only able to catch bits of their conversation despite her closeness. After a few moments Vander stood and snatched up his jacket, his expression of barely controlled rage and exasperation sending goosebumps of a different kind up her back.

He glanced at her, a shadow of guilt crossing his face, "Sorry Rosie, some bad business at the docks...I have to go. We'll catch up later."

She didn't have time to reply beyond an acknowledgement and a quick wish for his safety before the group was gone.

-Rosemary exhaled wearily, gripping the plush curtain; such was the price of starting a black market empire. She hadn't seen him since, though according to Benzo he was fine. Still she wondered when they'd cross paths again and what that conversation might entail.

"Miss? Miss Rosemary?" came an uncertain voice, snapping her focus back to the present.

She turned to see a young man with a clipboard and the tell-tale patchy acne of unfortunate teens, his suit a size too large and standing with as much confidence as could be mustered. He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, "I'm sorry-I don't want to rush you b-but you're up in two minutes. Oh! And...um, you look really beautiful today!"

"Thank you Charlie," she smiled, reaching to adjust his slightly crooked tie and he chuckled out a nervous 'thanks', "You're always so kind. Hold onto that yeah? And don't worry I'll be ready."

"Cool, cool, good. Okay! I'll let Abe know," he whirled away but then turned back as he awkwardly walked sideways off the backstage, "Good luck!"

She gave him a little wave with another smile before turning back and after one last vainly hopeful and ultimately fruitless peek, smoothed her cream-colored, ankle length dress and drew several deep, restorative breaths, getting herself into the right mindset. It was time to let Rosemary, the mechanic's daughter and rebellious Undercity youth, take a break to allow her alter ego to shine through the rust and grease.

She heard the chatter drop off with Abe, the club owner's, heavy footfalls crossing the stage and calling for attention.

"Good ladies and gents!" he boomed, all smiles and arms outstretched, "I trust you've been having a splendid time. We at the Owl Club aim to please with the finest spirits, dishes and entertainment. Speaking of, I do believe it's time for our star act this evening, the reason, I suspect, at least some of you fine people came."

Rosemary prepped herself, drawing a few more calming breaths and quietly singing a few last-minute warmup scales as Abe continued to work the crowd and build excitement.

Neither he nor anyone noticed the figure that slipped into the room, taking an inconspicuous spot in the back and partially behind a fake vine-festooned column.

"-May I present, the lovely, the talented, the nightingale of the mines, the beautiful blossom that grows even in darkness, the one and only-!"

Flawlessly on cue, Rosemary dramatically flung the curtains aside and swaggered onto the stage, the lights making her gown shimmer and smiled broadly, waving to the crowd.

"Lady Rose!"

There was an outburst of applause and cheers mingled with occasional whistle or cheesy 'howl'. Laughing, Rosemary took up the microphone at center stage and struck a pose.

"Hello boys and gals," she all but purred, then continued with a coy grin, "So wonderful to see you all! I do hope you're having a real...hoot tonight."

The audience laughed approvingly at her little pun, while she herself cringed inside; she loathed that stupid joke, but Abe always insisted she work it in, for 'branding' he had explained. She thought he was a dumbass but kept that to herself.

"I've got a nice little lineup of tunes I think you'll enjoy. First off is the classic and ever classy, 'Dont Leave Me Lonely'."

A record player just out of sight sparked to life, the sound quickly moving to a set of speakers behind the large potted plants on the stage's sides and Rosemary folded one hand over her heart, raising the microphone and swaying to the opening lyrics.

"Darling don't leave me lonely, don't leave me here tonight...come sit with me on this bed of stars and all will be alright..."

Rosemary had gone through almost her entire set, pausing between songs to breathe and entertain the audience with a witty quip or friendly, appropriately flirty banter, part of her enjoying the attention and the other remembering Vander's words;

'Topsiders will always think they're better than us, that they're above us both literally and otherwise...sometimes I dunno how you can stomach it...'

If he bothered to show up, he'd see that from her elevated vantage point she was now, ironically, the one above them. It was a thought she relished with more than a dab of petty glee...and a touch of bitterness. Pushing these melancholy thoughts and thoughts of him at all aside-she needed to focus-she went back to center stage.

"Now then, this will have to be my last song for the evening-" she paused to let them good-naturedly protest, smiling sadly, "I know, I know, but I'll be back! So, for this final piece..."

She trailed off, noticing for the first time the large figure in the back and instantly recognized those broad shoulders and intense eyes even from the half shadow he stood in and her heart soared; Vander had shown up at last and it was all she could do to stop herself from running to embrace him. Instead an idea crossed her mind and giddy from the happiness of seeing him, she composed herself and broke into a warm smile, clearing her throat.

"Actually...I was going to sing 'Beyond the Waters' however..." she grabbed a stool that had also been behind one of plants. With a flourish, she dragged it to front and center and gracefully perched herself on it, making direct eye contact with Vander, "I believe I'll do 'Fancy Seeing You..'."

-"You need my assistance with what now?"

Silco swiveled in his chair to gaze incredulously at Vander sprawled on the couch in their 'office', a spare room in the small bar they owned. The place was as much a blatant front for their black market dealings as it was a legitimate business, but the Enforcers had yet to catch on.

Vander sighed and removed his feet from the coffee table to stand and pace, "I...decided I'm gonna go see Rosie sing, but I can't go like this. They won't even let me in prob'ly. So uh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "Think ya can help me spiff up a bit?"

Eyebrow crooked, a small smile tugged at one corner of Silco's mouth as he casually flipped to another page, "I'm glad to see you're finally attending. Benzo and I did some time ago. What's taken you so long, I wonder?"

"Didn't wanna start nothin'."

A flash of suspicion crossed Silco's expression, "I very much doubt the man who beats up Enforcers on a semi-regular basis is concerned about decorum or reputation."

Vander paused in his pacing, hands thrust into his pockets. He couldn't bring himself to admit, to Silco or anyone, that part of the reason was he was afraid; afraid of seeing her all dolled up, shining like a star and losing what part of his heart didn't already belong to her. He wasn't sure how she felt, and didn't want to ruin their friendship if she didn't feel the same. But if he saw her, he knew it'd be over.

Instead he said, "You're right. I don't give two shits 'bout what they think of me. But even if I'm not a fan of the places or Pilties she's 'round...I can't ruin what she's worked for by startin' a fight. So, think ya can help me blend in?"

Satisfied seemingly by this, Silco dropped the sheaf of papers with a flourish and stood, walking up to Vander and circling him, hands clasped behind his back. Vander watched him curiously before coughing pointedly.

"Well...?"

"Of course I'll help. I'll get in touch with one of my contacts to provide you with a suitable wardrobe; should be only a couple of days. But first I need to see what I'm working with...and some work does need to be done."

"Fuck you." Vander smirked, and Silco shot him a sideways glance while clicking his tongue disapprovingly, "Language. That's tip number one. Tip number two.."

Silco reached up and flicked his fingers through Vander's thick, messy hair, "Proper clothing is important yes, but so is grooming. We'll start here..."

-When he'd entered the club, Vander felt painfully awkward and uncomfortable among the crowd, full well knowing he didn't belong despite the fashionable clothes and neatly combed hair. But, gazing up at Rosemary on that stage, joyful smile as bright as her gown shining under the twinkling lights, voice sweeter than honey and beautiful eyes fixed on him as if this was a private concert just for them, all that melted away and suddenly they were the only ones in the room.

"Fancy seeing you here, it's been too long...Fancy seeing you here, won't you stay a while?...."

Vander felt a hot tightness in his chest he didn't know a name for and all he could do was watch in awe as the woman who drank cheap beer with him, teased and gave him hell, would show up covered in engine oil and dirt had transformed into an angel complete with halo from the spotlight.

High from the adrenaline and feeling daring, Rosemary decided to crank things up a notch...and make her way to someone without seeming too suspicious. Sliding off the stool, without missing a beat of the song she swaggered down the short stairs off the stage and into the audience itself, pausing at various tables for a moment or two. The audience was abuzz, people leaning around each other to get a better glimpse and murmuring excitedly among themselves.

Vander was abruptly startled from his musings by someone bumping an elbow into him. Glancing to his right he saw a group of several people, faces flushed pink and drinks in their hands.

One short, balding man smirked drunkenly at him, "Ain't she something special? Beautiful. Talented. Man when I tell you I'd love to know what else she's good at..."

The others echoed his sentiments, one even making a squeezing gesture and the group chortled with booze-soaked glee.

Vander's jaw clenched and he quickly bit the inside of his cheek, hard, to stop himself from saying something rash, fists clenched white-knuckled; he had to keep his cover for her sake, and thus quelled his reactive instinct to beat the shit out of them. With horror he realized several others around them were sharing similar remarks, making his stomach turn.

What he couldn't hide was the flash of rage in his steel-blue eyes, because the man paled, "Oh...um..."

Vander, still fighting to keep his composure, all but growled, "I'm sure you would mate, but she ain't a toy."

He cursed silently, sure he'd blown his cover...before the man suddenly guffawed and clapped a hand on his shoulder, "I like your fire sir. Maybe you should be a bouncer for this place!"

He then removed his hand and staggered off with the rest of his inebriated posse, which was fortunate, because Vander was about to remove it for him...and perhaps from his arm entirely.

By this time, Rosemary had circled almost the whole room, singing 'directly' to random patrons and enjoying their sometimes flustered reactions-and then she was suddenly right in front of him.

And for a brief, frozen moment as they stared at each other, they were the only two souls in the world.

Heart hammering so loudly she was sure he could hear, she reached out to grasp the end of his tie, playing with the silken fabric as her wavering eyes dared to meet his and she raised the microphone to finish the song.

"Fancy seeing you here...and here it is...I love you...won't you stay forever?"

And with those words the fear he'd held came to pass as she stole his breath and abruptly that tightness had a name. He swallowed thickly, stunned and uncertain; it was just the lyrics, wasn't it? She didn't actually just...?

Silently mouthing 'thank you', she spun on her heel before her face gave away her feelings and made her way back to the stage, waving politely to the cheering and whistling crowd. Unable to stand it and mind whirling, Vander also turned quickly and strode out, ignoring the scattered chuckles behind him with gritted teeth and shoved open a back door to a side alley.

Twirling back around, Rosemary's face fell; where did he go? She had to compose herself swiftly though, and blowing kisses to the audience, thanked them and bade them goodnight before exiting as soon and discreetly as possible. She barreled past Abe in the side hall, who was already in the middle of a rambling speech both praising and admonishing her little 'stunt'.

"I don't know what you were thinking young lady but maybe you can try that-"

"Thanks-Abe-sorry-be-back-!"

Meanwhile in the alley, a faint drizzle had begun, scattering drops on the cobblestone. Pacing, breath rapid, Vander hiccuped out a cross between a sob and a snarl and not sure how to process the hurricane of emotion inside, swung a fist into the brick wall, scraping his knuckles raw. He let it sit there, the throbbing pain giving him something else to focus on-

"Van?!"

He paused, glancing toward the exclamation of his nickname to see her standing there, concern painting her beautiful features. Letting his fist fall limpy to his side, it left a bloody streak on the orange brick, the pain doing it's job as he snorted out a breath and, as he always did, resorted to covering his emotions with a familiar veneer of anger.

"How can ya fuckin' stand them, Rosie? Ya know what they say about you, what they think of ya?!"

Rosemary started to reply but paused, seeing that she had to choose her words carefully; the furrow of his brow and wound tension of his shoulders gave away how the storm raged under the surface.

"...Of course I do, Van," she responded calmly, "I'm not that naive. But ya know how much coin I rake in per night?"

He barked out a bitter laugh, the words pouring out as his deep voice echoed loudly off the walls, "I know I know but-you're nothin' but a toy to them! They don't respect what ya do! Hell they don't respect ya at all! They don't really care about ya! They'll never know you, never love you like we do like I do-"

He trailed off, the silence that refilled the space deafening as her mouth hung open. Her heart raced anew, hope beginning to seep into it like the raindrops in her hair as she'd never dared to feel before.

"Did you...?" she managed, and he exhaled in frustration, then realizing he'd already blown it-in for a penny in for a pound right?-he blurted the thing that kept repeating in his head, the thing that would make or break what they had but he could no longer ignore.

"Was that just the song talkin' or was that you too?!"

There it was; the flash of hope and uncertainty mirroring her own touching his expression and despite the seriousness of the situation, her happiness bubbled up, resulting in a nervous, soft laugh.

"I'm glad one of us finds this funny." he sourly grumbled, running a hand through his hair and purposely messing it up.

"No! Vander-" she clutched her dress with a shaky breath and lowered her voice, as if she'd scare him away if she spoke a fraction too loud, "I'm just...why do you think I chose that song?"

The realization sinking in, his expression softened as he met her gaze again, her hazel eyes seeming to desperately try and convey what words adequately could not.

His own voice carefully measured yet a shade brighter he asked, "So you really...?"

"Yeah...I do!"

"Ya sure?"

"Pretty damn sure but figure it out big guy."

"...Lil' pest."

"...Coward."

They laughed then, some of the tension alleviated as Rosemary rubbed her arms, beginning to feel a tad chilled from the misty rain. Noting this, Vander approached and removed his vest, draping it over her shoulders.

"Thanks," she smiled almost shyly, then her attention turned abruptly to his bloodied, scraped hand. Instantly her demeanor switched back to her 'normal' self with a huff.

Grabbing his hand she rolled her eyes, "How many times I gotta tell ya?! Keep this up and you'll get a nasty infection-again! I swear-!"

Reaching down she tore a strip of her dress's underlayer off. Winding the soft fabric around his injuries she continued to mutter and scold him, as if he were a reckless child and not a fully grown man nearly a foot taller than herself. He protested and grumbled, insisting he was fine and she didn't need to make such a fuss.

"For fuck's sake yer bein' ridiculous I've gotten hurt worse 'n this."

Glaring at him she worked to cinch the makeshift bandage tight, "Deal with it."

"Look I'm not a kid ya don't gotta-"

"-then quit whining and let me-"

"Hey! Ow! Dammit Rosie-!"

"It's yer own fault ya-"

Abruptly, amidst their squabbling their eyes locked and silence fell again...and then the dam burst at last.

Without thinking about it too hard, or indeed at all, before any doubts or stray imagined barriers could resurface their arms were around each other, lips pressed together and for just a brief, blissful second, nothing else existed.

Rosemary tangled her fingers in his thick tresses, so intoxicated by the sensation and taste of him she barely registered when he literally swept her off her feet, lifting her so he didn't have to bend down as much.

Vander's head was spinning, his heart pounded anew, scarcely believing this was really happening and not one of the many daydreams he'd dared to spin about this moment; no, there it was, her soft mouth molded to his and her scent filling his lungs, a divine perfume so far a cry from the filthy air of the Undercity he imagined this was the smell of heaven.

Eventually they disentangled themselves enough to pause and attempt to take stock of the situation and their new-found status. Rosemary coughed and brushed some stray hairs that had come undone back into place.

"Well..." she began, "Where does this leave us?"

Vander smirked, and she crooked an eyebrow as he slid one arm around her, "I uh, think it's safe to say we're a lil' more than friends. Definitely probably a couple. Maybe besides that we can...figure it out as we go?"

"Yeah...I like that," she nodded with another rare, sweetly shy smile, the kind that sent sparks up his spine all over again, then her expression abruptly turned downright devious, "And I have a brilliant idea for a first date..."

-Abe was on his usual rounds, making sure everything in the club was closed, locked, or otherwise buttoned up for the night. Seeing that everything was seemingly in it's rightful place he made one final lap back past a couple offices and storerooms-when he spotted one door slightly ajar.

Muttering, he closed it fully and turned the key in the lock, walking away with a yawn...never noticing all the missing items or small bags of coins.

Meanwhile, Vander and Rosemary dashed through the streets and alleys, laughing gleefully and pausing occasionally for another victory smooch, the coins in their pockets shining as brightly as their spirits.

[shytastemakerthing]

hello! May I request a romantic matchup for Twst. I hope I make sense as I try and put everything together. I'm a 20-year-old Infp Aries that goes by they/them. I may be a little awkward around new people due to anxiety but I warm up pretty quickly especially if someone has the same interests or I just feel comfortable. But once I'm comfortable I'm usually loud even without realizing it which goes along with my stubbornness and not-so-short temper. I am still open-minded to things and topics I don't have a strict stance on and do like to try new things. I am a very introverted leaning ambivert and fit best in a small group of friends.

But I do care for the people I'm close to and try to show it, whether it's trying to gift them stuff, listen to them and give advice, or asking for physical affection like hugs. When it comes to romantic interests I do get cocky easily and I like to flirt and tease them, usually by playfully poking their buttons. Though I am easy to fluster and get excited especially if it's about a most recent hyper fixation, which is usually anime or video games, or if my advances are returned. I'm rather short, I have blue eyes and glasses with currently dark blond hair I may like to dye from time to time, mostly bold colors. My wardrobe taste has ranged from feminine to masculine unsurprisingly and I have a keen eye for fashion whether it's cute or makes me look like a vampire or both. I'm generally attracted to someone who I can be myself around and I know I'll get along with easily, that when together balances/compliments each other. I know this is long so goodbye and thank you!

A/N: Hello and thank you for your request! I do hope that you like this match-up! Have a great day!

Tw: None

I match you with.......

Floyd Leech

Listen, this eel lives for your wardrobe tastes. With such an array of anything and everything inside, he never knows what you'll have on. One day, it is something so pretty and feminine, the next? Masculine and stunning. He loves the unpredictability of it all, and yes, he will get you more. As a mer, he has a fascination with human clothing, especially with shoes.

Seeing as how you have such a keen eye for fashion, he is one to trust your judgement on certain clothing choices. He is still learning after all.

Floyd loves it when you get all flirty and tease him because this means he gets to do it right back. It's rather hard to fluster him, but the times that you do manage, it certainly is a sight to see. Seeing his cheeks flush all the way down his neck and to the tips of ears, and there are times he is quick to make a retreat. After all, he did admit that morays were cowards by nature. Just give him a moment and he will be back to tormenting you.

He will love any form of affection you give to him, but physical affection holds a very special place in his heart. Floyd is a very physical eel, and he will hold you at any chance that he can get. So the fact that you actively come to him to be held? It makes his day so much better.

One time, Jade was rightfully impressed when he stumbled upon you and his twin, seeming floating in the tanks in the lounge, Floyd being in his mer form as you rested on his chest, both just floating along. Never before had he seen Floyd so still for so long in his life. You bring out a side in his twin that he hardly ever saw.

Floyd is someone you can very easily be yourself around. He is a very outgoing eel and has no issues in just being himself, so he encourages the same for you. Anytime you're having a down day, he is there to be able to help. He doesn't do it much, so that's how you know you are important to him.

Overall, you get unlimited hugs, someone fun to poke at, and someone you can very easily be yourself around. Jade is merely happy to see how happy his brother is with you. And you're just happy to have Floyd by your side.

[mrscoulter5ever]

Truth Requires Bravery Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Eric's POV

Eric was pissed. Royally pissed. He had had it all figured out. Jeanine was going to inject the Dauntless with the serum, they'd kill off all the Divergents, including that old coot Max, who we all knew had a divergent streak in him, and then Eric would take over the faction. But then those two stiffs had to go and run off like cowards and blow it all to shit.

Now Eric found himself wandering around the city for the fifth day in a row and he was really starting to get irked. Jeanine had been talking about razing Abnegation. Eric knew of her hatred of the faction and he thought the measure to be a little extreme, but he found himself unable to really give a shit. Hell, a pair of stiffs had started this mess in the first place.

Eric and his team of Dauntless soldiers, including Peter, who had somehow managed to weasel his way into Dauntless' good graces, had scoured Dauntless and Erudite already. Clearly the stiffs and their ragtag team of refugees were smart enough to not lie wait in the lions' den, so now Dauntless were headed to Candor. At the very least, even if the stiffs weren't there, the Candor would at least give them some honest information, and information was something Eric desperately needed right now.

Around midnight, he and the Dauntless reached the gateway outside the Candor building. Eric almost laughed at the faction's protection. Four security guards, armed with nothing more than a couple stun guns, stood at arms. He and the Dauntless made quick work of the guards. Eric quickly barked out instructions to detain - by whatever means necessary - any remaining guards they came across. Soon, Eric threw open the main glass doors of Candor, and his men made quick work of the guards. Eric noticed a few slumped over with bullet wounds, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Right now, he needed to know where those fucking stiffs were. There might even be some divergents in Candor who were working with them.

Eric got to the front desk of the main hall, where a young woman was watching the commotion. Eric had to admit, she was pretty, but he was smarter than to date a Candor smart mouth. Eric much preferred when women's mouths were giving him pleasure rather than yapping in his ear. He resolved to get some information out of her quickly and be on his way.

"Who are your divergents," he barked at her.

"Last I checked, I don't answer to you," she had the nerve to reply. Insolent little chit.

She was really starting to piss him off. He leaned right up into her face to try to intimidate her. "I'm going to say this again. Who. Are. Your. Divergents?"

"I can see why you're not Erudite," she said with a gleeful smugness. It took everything Eric had in him to not kill the bitch right there and then. "Nevertheless, I'll repeat it again for your Neanderthalic brain. I. Don't. Answer. To. You." That bitch had the fucking nerve to point her finger into his chest. Oh no she didn't. Eric was not going to let her get away with this; he needed to make sure the little shit knew her place.

He threw her up against the wall and began to start choking her. Her eyes widened briefly with fear, which caused a little jolt of sadistic pleasure to travel down Eric's spine, before she quickly masked it with a blank face. Damn, for a Candor, she's really good at hiding how she's feeling.

He heard Peter behind him laughing at the scene. "Let her go, Eric, if you kill her, we won't have any fun with her. And she is pretty feisty," he said, leering at her.

"Shut up, Peter". Eric was already starting to get annoyed at the opportunistic little fucker. Still, he recognized the truth in Peter's words; if he wanted information out of the bitch, she needed to be able to speak. Reluctantly, Eric let go of her throat. He wasn't stupid enough to just let her walk away, though. No, instead, he quickly drew his gun and pointed it towards her forehead, threatening her.

She blinked, and then pulled the butt of the gun against her forehead. Eric was shocked - no one, not even the women at Dauntless had that kind of balls to do what she just did. He couldn't help but feel his dick twitch a little bit. Still, now was not the time to be distracted. Get your shit together, Coulter, Eric chided himself.

She still had the nerve to try to defy him. Eric stared at her for as long as he could to try to intimidate her into submission. He knew he was an intimidating yet well-built man, and many an intense stare with women had either led to them looking away in fear or gazes traveling down his body in lust. The Candor girl, however, continued to maintain his eye contact with a fiery glare that had Eric's heart skipping a beat. Begrudgingly, he looked away, trying to think of everything he could to put his growing erection at bay.

He put the gun into her back and she started walking forwards. Eric couldn't help but check out her ass as he walked behind her. Clearly Peter had the same idea, since he looked at Eric and then nodded to her conspiratorily. Eric grimaced and felt a flash of jealousy. Wait - jealousy? He was Eric Coulter, ladies' man, a hitter and quitter. He was never jealous, certainly not over some Candor bitch. Eric needed to find a way to get this bitch out of his head, but first, he really needed some information to track down those damn stiffs.

"Show us somewhere we can stay for the night," he ordered her. Silently, she began leading them down a marble hallway towards a series of sleek escalators. He, Peter, and a few other Dauntless entered into the elevator with her. The others waited outside; they'd guide them to the right place through their radio comms. She pressed a delicate finger on the button for the eleventh floor. Eric took a moment in the elevator to admire how her shiny hair cascaded in gentle waves from her ponytail. God, how he'd love to grab that ponytail while he - no. Eric forced himself to relinquish his fantasies. He'd never want to be with such a defiant little shit. But, oh, imagine the satisfaction if he could be the one to finally rope her into submission - seriously, Coulter, get your shit together!

Eventually, the elevator dinged open and they followed the girl - Eric realized he still didn't know her name - down another marble hallway. Eventually, she led him to a series of guest suites on the far end of the building.

"You can stay here," she said coolly. "There are bedrooms with fresh linens and some showers. I'll come get you in the morning to show you where the kitchens are."

"Thank you," Eric replied calmly, leaning closer to her. "What's your name?"

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him. "Alissa," she replied.

"Alissa," he repeated smoothly, hissing the Sses and liking the way it rolled off of his tongue. Eric brushed her hair off her shoulder, subtly placing a tracking chip in the back of her neck. He wasn't stupid enough to just let her run off after showing them to their rooms.

The girl turned around and walked out. Eric found himself desperately in need of a shower. He grabbed the largest one and let the steamy hot water roll down his toned, muscular body. He quickly took care of himself in the shower, which wasn't an uncommon occurence for Eric, but this time he couldn't help but find himself moaning the girl's name. Alissa, he hissed to himself, half in reverie. Finally, he finished, and disgusted with himself, Eric rinsed himself off and turned off the shower.

He seriously needed to do something about that girl. It infuriated him how much he both hated her and needed her, but he was Eric Coulter, and he couldn't afford any distractions on his rise to power. God, what was he going to do about her?

[20cm]

gabe don't look if you see this (cp77 spoilers) but i have to yell for a second

after finishing the game for a second time with the ending unlocked by doing phantom liberty and making the worst decision ever, i decided to replay just the ending of my first playthrough. aka when i tried for the secret suicide pact ending that leads to deciding whether v or johnny get to keep the body they're sharing.

and new dawn fades is driving me insane. i replayed it just to see if it got to me as strongly a second time around and it Does. not only do you see the whole time during (dont fear) the reaper just how much johnny cares about v, thinks so highly of them, is scared for them, that the thought that they genuinely would sacrifice themself for him without him asking terrifies him? not only do you see his facade slip the fastest it ever has when he initially lashes out and tells them that theyre giving up, a coward, keeps trying to drag them back from the literal ledge because even with all his bluster about being more used to being digital, to being dead, the thought of them being gone and leaving him behind is scary

the fucking defeat and acceptance in his face when v tells him that theyre tired and this will be a new start for them both. the way he curls in on himself in a display so fucking unlike him because he's admitting to being afraid

the way he's needled in the ending credits by rogue who incorrectly (but not without reason) assumes he must have tricked v. that he must be laughing at how gullible they are and how he's gotta be wasting this second chance by disrespecting their body and memory. how does it feel to have someone die for you so willingly? and how much that must terrify him too. how much that must weigh on him as a man who has changed thanks to the one person he's now losing

and how v can accuse him of tricking them, but he really truly does intend, even if hes scared and asks v to reconsider, to die for them. how he tells v in the dlc ending that nothing scares him more than thinking that they wont be around. how he tells them he's scared for them so frequently at the end. that he wants there to be a world with them in it. that he wishes he could stick around to see how it pans out for them and the world.

and so when you let him live, let him be the one that wakes up in a body thats young and healthy. gives him a second chance... and he really does take it? how could i not feel crazy when he lives in some hole in the wall apartment in the city. hes a mentor figure to his teenage neighbor who he, before leaving the city, spends time giving advice to. about life, about his abusive dad, about music, about rebellion, about not smoking.

he takes the kid to a music store and shows him antique guitars and this kid is now one of two people who know hes Johnny and not V. he "accidentally" leaves the guitar in the kids car. he spent time teaching him guitar, nurturing his talent, sticking up for him, looking after him.

and the fucking columbarium. oh brother. god. the fact that he wears v's pendent and the kid asks if it belonged to someone important and johnny says someone really important. the fact that Johnny keeps fucking talking to them like a habit he wants to break but cant. the way that he looks in the mirror and sees their face and sounds so broken. the way he wears his glasses to obscure his face for himself and to others. the way he tells v he could never forget them even if he wants to. he bought them a gravesite. he put their necklace there. he's been obsessing over what happens. he cant stay in the city. he gets on the bus and takes the glasses off and stares out the window and he smiles.

idk where im going with this its just killing me. its killing me. help me.

you're telling me people think johnny silverhand isnt a person who Cares? that he never changed? that to be known by v didnt irrevocably shift his priorities away from himself, from fear, from anger? that he didnt move on? that hes not holding himself to not fucking it all up and not honoring v? ill die

the way his relationship bar is at 100%. and the progression of sickness is at 0%. bc v's finally free of death and johnny's never forgetting them ever... these being changed to being written from Johnny's pov just like the mission journal entries always were... ill cry. "life without v"...

[yoakenouta]

ㅤㅤTHE immediate refute caught the master in a flinch and he found himself nervously holding onto the other side of his arm, gaze lowered elsewhere as if he were the picture of uncertainty. Honestly ... what was he so afraid of ? Being an ordinary person, he was well aware he had the privilege to love and be loved just like anyone else but standing here now, he couldn't help but wonder ... just what sort of person did everyone see across the glass ? Perhaps, all they saw was the ideal facade that the master had desperately maintained for as long as he could remember. It was the self that everyone flocked to because he was incredibly kind, helpful and most of all, willing to accept anything that came his way. But yet behind this ideal, he was an utterly selfish and miserable person who sought to act out of self-gratification ( it was the only way he knew to make himself feel like he was worth something ). So that's why, he was content to stay where he was, wearing that same smile while his true self remained behind the looking-glass self, detached from the world.

ㅤㅤBut to admit all of this ... would be pretty pathetic wouldn't it ? In the end, he was nothing more than a coward, afraid to have his true self acknowledged out of the fear that there was truly nothing worth staying for. Besides, why did it matter ? His own insecurities were practically miniscule in the face of the world. He was just but an ordinary person that didn't have anything worth going for him.

ㅤㅤ" ... Breaking that wall is pretty scary, you know ? " He finally, spoke his voice quivering ever so slightly even with a smile on his face. " I wouldn't want them to get hurt after all. " He was only making excuses ( after all, he was the one afraid of getting hurt ). " ... Maybe under normal circumstances, it'd be difficult for her to believe you when you act the way you usually do but I think if you're honest about your feelings like this, maybe you would get through to her. Even if it's just by a little. She and I are pretty different people after all so maybe you'd have a better chance there. " It would be pretty upsetting if she was anything like her master after all.

ㅤㅤ" ... But ... well ... it's not that I don't understand where you're coming from -- rather ... it's a bit hard to believe in myself. It might be a little hard to understand but ... " He trailed off as he found himself hesitant to continue. " ... I do appreciate the sentiment at least. " It seemed more like an apology rather an expression of gratitude. Even his gaze that flicked towards Dark's extended hand had followed the same sentiment.

ㅤㅤ" In the end, you don't really need to do any of that for me. It's not as if it's that big of a deal and besides, I'm already happy enough where I am. " He suddenly reached out, as if to finally take Dark's hand but instead, he seized his wrist to pull him into a tender embrace. " Still ... I'm really happy to have a friend like you. You and Daisuke both. " Perhaps on the surface, it could be perceived as an act of appreciation towards Dark's concern for him but in reality, this was his way of deflecting any attempts to peer into his heart ( this was his way of regaining the control that momentarily slipped from his fingers ). All he had to do was veil himself with the facade that everyone was so happily acquainted with. " So, you don't have to worry about me in the slightest. " He reassured with a gentle smile, squeezing his shoulders ever so slightly.

' it's not . ' immediate , and just as matter-of-fact . his voice nips low , a snarl without any bite . ' ordinary people ... ' and yet , despite the strength of his initial decline , the rest of the words start to feel strange in his mouth . would a thing like him really try to talk about what ordinary lives it hardly should have known ? even his most stubborn ideas about humanity were nothing more than ideals . and yet , he hisses and bares his teeth ; growls out his thoughts from between the long , razor points anyways . ' ordinary people are always allowed something beyond just that . what is it you're so afraid of ? ' the slit pupils of his eyes cinch , each thinning line trying to needle into the other , and yet it wasn't enough ; would never be to slice the master open and place all their parts into vivisection . all he had to work with were ritsuka's words ; vague confessions and self-lashings .

( ... so you're the same , huh . )

' in the first place , it should be enough that you're there . whether it's a servant or even an ordinary human being , there's nothing more precious than anyone's time . second , even if there's a wall , don't you want to try to break it ? to crack and smash it into pieces , just so you can reach person on the other side ? even if you think you have next-to-nothing to give , you can still give it your all for the sake of someone , right ? '

it would have been hypocrisy to call the master a coward , and yet it still might have been a truth . ' --- when i think about her , i want her to trust me . when i call her cute or beautiful , when i call her clever , even for insulting me ... even if she can't believe it about herself , i want her to at last believe me . it's only natural , then , that hearing the opposite would hurt , ' like the ache in his borrowed body , stemming from the heart and bruising him all the way down to the very bone . even this sense of violently being pulped --- was love , too .

' master , we might not be a couple , but we're still friends . if i can make a hole even just the size of my hand in any wall that springs up between us , then that's good enough for me . ' his fist raises and approaches , only to blossom its fingers into an open , waiting palm . ' a box that can't be broken from the inside might still be able to be broken from the outside . if you can find someone to accept things , then there's nothing wrong with living like that ... so believe in me . please . '

an empty thanks would never be enough . ' --- i want to meet you at least halfway . '

[saga-project]

❤️

❤️- A happy memory that makes them smile

"April."

"Mmhmm?"

"I'm not entirely sure what the point of this is. I don't really need new clothes? I'm perfectly fine with the ones I have now--"

"Yeahhhh, but what if they get dirty?" Mikey was pouncing onto his shoulders now, causing Saga to let out a muffled squawk under his breath. "It's all about gettin' fits that make you feel good! You deserve to have some stuff of your own, and not just hand-me-downs and dyed fabric 'n stuff."

"If you say so. I'm sure making clothes of your own isn't that hard. Raph's been meaning to teach me how to sew, I--"

"Don." April spun him around, looking him dead in the eyes--and uh oh. He knew that look. The patented O'Neil "you better listen to what I'm saying or I'll kick your ass from here to China" look. The look that made him feel uncomfortably like what he imagined a rabbit would feel if it turned from grazing only to see a hawk's talons glinting in its peripheral vision. It was a look that promised danger if he didn't heed the words well. Danger that was less severe than anything the Syndicate had subjected him to, but danger nevertheless.

"You're gonna have a nice night out on the town with us, and we're gonna get you some new clothes that you feel awesome in. Deal?"

"....ma'am yes ma'am."

"Good. Now c'mon, stop standing there like a museum diorama. Relax. This is meant to be a low-stress day, okay?"

***

Low-stress, his ass.

April had tugged him into a changing room, and Mikey had left him with a great big pile of things to try on, things that he thought Saga would look nice in, and the expectations had all been too much and the lights in the store had been too bright and every time he put something on his stupid brain tried to convince him that it wasn't good enough, that it didn't look right, that he was wasting his time because he didn't deserve nice things and--

--and he wanted to try on some of the dresses. Some of the frillier things in the store. But his brain was so, so afraid of how April and Mikey would react, if he allowed himself to be that vulnerable. To admit that maybe he wasn't all sharp edges and sandpaper skin and who knew what other defense mechanisms he'd put up over the years. Saga knew they'd be fine. He knew they wouldn't judge. He knew gender was but a stupid construct. So why did it feel so terrifying and like he shouldn't touch it, shouldn't even look at it--

And now he was hiding under a fucking clothing rack like a coward. Because he couldn't even having a night out with his younger brother and with his friend without causing a scene and acting out and--

"Donnie?"

He flinched, blinking the tears out of his vision just in the nick of time as first Mikey and then April slid under the rack with him. Shame rose up in him at the worried looks on their faces, white-hot and all-consuming. Great. Now he'd managed to make this whole day about him again, instead of just letting them help him like he'd so desperately wanted to do--

Jinx. Jinx. You ruin EVERYTHING. Ruined this too. Now they'll PUNISH you. Oooooh, what'll it be. Standing on broken glass? Locking you in a room for hours on end until you turn into a raving mess?

Shut up shut up shut up they're my FAMILY they'd never--

"Hey, hey. Shake your hands out instead, okay?" They hadn't even realized they were beginning to rap at their head with their knuckles until April moved their hands away, gently but firmly. "What's goin' on?"

A gulp of air. Another. Another. God, they wished they hadn't left Maias back at the lair. And then--

"I c....I can't do this, April. I can't--" They broke off, huddling into themselves and trembling. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I'm ruining this, but I don't....I don't....I can't.....nothing looks right on me that I've tried on so far, and nothing feels right, nothing feels like me, I....I don't even know who I am anymore. And it's all so....I don't....I don't deserve clothes that are this nice. I'll ruin them. I'll ruin them or get them dirty or something because that's all I know how to do. I don't get to keep good things in my life, I....I'm sorry I'm ruining this, I'm--" Another choked off sob sounded from their throat as hands were gently placed over theirs, trying to anchor them, trying to keep them from drifting off like a ship cut loose from its mooring.

"Hey, hey. Look at me. You didn't ruin anything, okay? You do deserve nice things. Trust me. You deserve to have gaudy outfits and you deserve to take up space and you deserve to have what you want in life, mmkay? I promise. And that's an O'Neil promise, so you know it's good."

"And plus, I think we're startin' to find some stuff that fits! Purple and yellow are complementary colors, so they may be flashy but I think they'd work well!" Mikey was bouncing in place then, grinning widely, looking like a goddamn beam of sunlight even in the gloom.

"If this was too much, though, we can head home. No hard feelings either way, tough guy."

Oh. They were both looking at him. They probably expected a response. One shaky breath. In, out. A moment of consideration. And then--

"No. I....I don't want to go home. But this feels a little....overwhelming. I....there's something I want to try on, but I don't know if it's allowed."

"Try us."

Another deep breath. "I....some of the. The dresses. At the front. They're....I mean, I wouldn't really wear them out and about, but the fabric looked pleasing and....I. I'd like to try those on. I mean, I don't....I'm not lapsing into feeling feminine or anything, I just....I like them. They make me feel.....nice. When I look at them."

"It's okay. You don't have to explain. I think you'd rock a dress."

He looked towards April with a slight smile, then. "R-really?"

"Yeah! Here, let's get out from under here and....oh, man, how is this position not killing your joints--"

"Skill issue."

"Don, just because we had an emotional moment doesn't mean I'm above throat-punching you."

"Right. Sorry. Shutting up now."

"Now. Let's go get you some fits."

***

Okay. Okay. He still wasn't sure about this, and April and Mikey had been rather pointedly keeping him away from the mirrors so he couldn't see exactly how he looked--

"Just let me sneak one peek so I can see whether it's absolutely hideous or not--"

"Not talking like that, you won't."

"Aprillllll. Mikey, she is being mean to me. Do you see how she's being mean to me?"

"Oh, Doctor Delicate Touch can get meaner if he needs to."

"Ah ah ah, no need for that--" He shimmied the rest of the way into the fabric with April and Mikey's help, smoothing it against his skin slightly. "Can you please uncover my eyes now, Mikey."

"Not yet! We'll walk you to the mirror first!" Mikey chirped out, his hand at a distance to Saga's mouth that would have heavily tempted him to reach out and bite had it been virtually anyone else. As it was, he settled for an eye roll under the cover of his little brother's hand, meekly following along with the instructions. "Okay. Forward forward forward left left left ooooh right there right there! Perfecto! You ready, Don?"

Saga sighed, good-naturedly. "Alright. Fine. Let me see."

The hand moved away from his face, and lo and behold--

Oh.

Oh.

He....he didn't look silly. The dress fit against his frame nicely, and the fabric wasn't scratchy but was soft instead, and it swished when he moved and it sparkled and---

He. He looked good. He looked positively dashing. And this nice thing was....his. He was wearing it and he wasn't ruining it, he could get it, it was his to wear and nobody could judge him--

"Don? You good?"

Oh. They'd been standing there in stunned silence for a while, but now the grin was spreading across their face, wider than they'd grinned in more than a decade. Saga spun towards April and Mikey again, their hands flapping at their sides excitedly as they beamed. "I am more than good! This is amazing! Amazing, amazing, amazing! That's three amazings--"

"It's a yes to that one, then?" April was grinning somewhat knowingly, but they couldn't bring themselves to care as they hopped on the balls of their feet slightly.

"Yes! One hundred percent, a million times yes. I need to try more on! I need to try so many more clothes on. Mikey, here, bring the purple and yellow outfit here again, I think I want to try....oooooh, yes, the fabric texture on this one is exquisite, hand it over--"

Their face would hurt from smiling by the end of the day, but Saga couldn't bring themselves to care. They'd finally managed to secure something for themselves, for a change. Just them. Nobody else's. They'd allowed themselves to try on the frilly, sparkly things that they'd secretly always wanted, and said things hadn't looked ridiculous. And now, they had a little brother and a friend to share the experience with, the same little brother who would later squawk at them in mock offense when they stole a handful of his food court fries. Right before he flicked straw paper at them, and then attempted to chase Saga around to dump ice cubes down their new shirt while they squealed in barely-contained laughter.

And it felt good.

[morningsunandnightsky]

Passion of hope | Lee Mark

friends-to-lovers au

pairing: Mark x reader feat. Jungwoo

Warnings: cursing, playful hitting (lol), slight mention of drinking

Words: 2.8 k

Genre: angst, fluff

sypnosis: he loved you, but he was too big of a coward to admit it. What happens when someone else comes into the picture and he is on the verge of losing you forever?

an: This is inspired by the conversation I had with my friend @69markwoo420 and is written for him. I did not use any pronouns so anyone can enjoy it. This isn't proofread by my beta reader so expect the worst lol.

"You do know, you can just go up to him and tell him you're hopelessly in love with him?" Haechan asks.

“Huh? "What are you on about?"

“Mark. You've been staring at him since the lecture began, which was half an hour ago."

"No, I am not!" "All I was doing was thinking."

"Oh, I'm sure you were."

You give him a nudge and return your attention to your notes. You'd been staring at Mark the whole time, but you'd never admit it.

It has been 3 years since you first met him. You still remember the first time you saw him. You'd just transferred and were looking for your class when a swarm of boys rushed past you, knocking you down. You heard apologies being hurled your way, but none of them looked you in the eyes before walking away.

"What a great start," you thought as you gathered your papers that had been strewn across the floor when you heard a voice ask if you were okay.

When you looked up, you saw the cutest face you'd ever seen. With sparkly dark eyes, messy black hair, and glasses that slid off his nose.

He pushed his glasses back, and a smile spread across his face, causing the apples of his cheeks to protrude. You were in complete awe and didn't know what to say.

That was the first time you felt your heartbeat increase while looking someone in the eyes. The first time you felt that strange feeling in your stomach and the first time someone’s smile made your whole day.

And now, three years later, you still have the same feelings about him.

-

Jeno looks behind him, trying to figure out what was making Mark turn around every 2 minutes.

He follows Mark's gaze and notices you sitting in the back row, laughing with Haechan. He liked hearing you laugh but he wanted to be the cause of it.

He returns Mark's gaze with a knowing chuckle. Who was attempting to maintain a blank expression but failing badly.

"Why don't you sit next to me?" Mark keeps thinking.

He was aware that he was behaving immaturely and tried to ignore his thoughts, but it didn't work, especially when you were giggling with Haechan. It just didn't make sense! It was just Haechan, your friend who wasn’t even interested in you. He wasn't, was he? No, of course not...he'd be aware of it otherwise. Besides Haechan was more interested in him to be completely honest.

-

Your class came to an end after what seemed like an eternity. You quickly gathered your belongings and made your way over to Mark and Jeno, who were waiting for you and Haechan at the door.

"Oh my goodness! "That was the most boring shit ever," Haechan exclaims once everyone is outside.

"You act as if we don't have this class every week."

"Even so, this time it was much worse."

"I thought it was fine," you explain.

"Because you weren't even paying attention!" You were too preoccupied-" He stops talking as soon as you punch him in the arm.

"Shut the fuck up," you mumble.

Mark shifts his gaze from Haechan to you but says nothing.

"That sounds familiar," Jeno remarks while casting a glance at Mark.

"Let's go, I'm hungry," Mark says as he puts Jeno in a headlock and pulls him away before anyone else can say anything.

-

"Jaemin is throwing a party this weekend and wants us to come."

"No, thank you," you respond.

"Oh, please! "I'd already told him we'd be there."

"That's your problem; I've got better things to do than go over there."

"Yeah, what do you mean? Studying? Or perhaps you're sleeping? Because that's all you're ever known to do." Haechan avoids your hand before it reaches his head.

"Let's all go,  I'll drive us there.  You're sure you don't want to go? Jaemin will be disappointed as well."  Mark says.

You want to give him everything he asks for when he looke at you like that, so you do. You say you'll join them.

The week flew by faster than you expected. You would have been pleased if it had been any other week. But now you just want to punch yourself in the face for giving in. Why did he have to stare at you in that way?

It wasn't even his fault.  It was yours because you couldn't stop yourself when you were around him.

You sigh as you look at yourself in the mirror.

It wasn't that you disliked parties in general; it was just that this particular one didn't excite you. Because Jaemin's parties were always a mess in one way or another. But you'd already promised to be there, and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't come up with a valid excuse.

Mark sends you a message informing you that he and the boys have arrived.

With a final sigh, you exit your apartment and make your way downstairs.

"You look great tonight," Mark says as you take a seat in the passenger seat. You notice him looking away, as if he was trying to hide the blush that was forming on his cheeks.

His hair was styled, and he was dressed in black jeans and a tucked-in shirt. It was a simple outfit, but it made him look as good as ever.

You tell him, smiling to yourself, that he doesn't look too bad either. At the back, Jeno and Haechan exchange knowing glances.

-

As you enter the house, you greet Jaemin and move ahead to the kitchen. You needed something to drink before going back in there. You look around to see what your options are, but you end up going with what you always choose.

Someone bumps into you and spills it all over the floor before you can even take a sip.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry," a soft voice says.

"It's fine," you say without looking up.

"I wasn't paying attention; I'll help you in cleaning up."

That's when you notice it's him, it was the new student.

"It's you! We share a class, no ?" he asks.

“Yeah! You're Jungwoo, right? "I've seen you around."

"Oh god, I've been wanting to talk to you, but this isn't how I expected it to go..." he says, scratching his chin.

"It was an accident, you're fine!"

You look down at your shirt after you've both cleaned up the mess. Jungwoo notices it as well, and says, "Let's go to the bathroom, I'll help you get it out."

He takes your hand in his and leads you upstairs. "May I?" he asks before removing your shirt. You let him, not knowing why.

You notice him attempting to avoid staring at your body by focusing all of his attention on the shirt in order to avoid making you uncomfortable.

Just as he's about to finish, the door swings open, revealing Mark standing there. He looks the scene in front of him, which includes you standing shirtless while Jungwoo holds it in his hands. There isn't even much space between you two, and the way you both appear flustered makes him imagine all kinds of things. It didn't appear to be as innocent as it was.

"I'm sorry," he says as he walks away, closing the door behind him.

"No, Mark, hold on-"

"It's fine, I'll go." "Here, wait until it dries up before putting it on." Jungwoo says, before leaving the room.

"Wait, Jungwoo! "Thank you," you tell him, when he looks at you.

He smiles at you before going after Mark.

-

When you get downstairs, you look for Mark, but he's nowhere to be found. That's when you see Haechan approaching you and he takes you with him.

Apparentely they needed one more person for truth or dare.

You find the boy you've been looking for sitting in the circle as well, so you take a seat next to him.

"Mark, you misunderstood-" you begin to explain, but he cuts you off.

"It's fine, you don't have to explain yourself." We're friends! You are free to do whatever you want." Right...you were friends and only friends. What on earth were you even thinking?

You weren't interested in the game to begin with, but now that reality had hit you, you didn't care at all. Not until Mark was asked if he was interested in anyone.

Your heart began to race, but you pretended to be unconcerned. You knew what his response would be, but you couldn't help but still be nervous.

Mark wanted to confess right in front of everyone, especially Jungwoo, but he couldn't help himself after what he had just witnessed. He couldn't ruin his friendship with you simply because he couldn't control his emotions.

"No, no one interesting has showed up," he finally says, looking at you from the corner of his eye. He knew it was impossible, but he still hoped for a reaction from you, that his words had an effect on you. They didn't, of course, because your face hadn't changed an inch since you walked in.

Eventhough you were expecting it, hearing the words come out of his mouth hurt so much.

So you kept your distance from him for the rest of the evening. Except for him, you were preoccupied with everything and everyone. And it got a lot easier when Jungwoo was dared to kiss someone in the room, and he chose you.

You were left breathless not only because you weren't expecting the kiss, but also because of its intensity. His lips felt soft against yours, which was both exciting and strange. You liked it, but you didn't know how much you liked it.

That night, something changed, you were all aware of it, but no one mentioned it. You and Jungwoo went home together, while the boys went their separate ways.

Mark wished he hadn't asked you to accompany them because now everything was lost. If he didn't have a chance before, he surely didn't have any now.

-

You and Jungwoo were getting closer, and everyone seemed to be happy about it, except Mark. He hated not seeing you at lunch because you ate with him. Or if you did join them, he would be there as well.

He hated the fact that you were always together in every class, and that you didn't even pay attention to him anymore, aside from the usual hellos and goodbyes.

He hated how easily he made you laugh and how you were always talking about him when he wasn't there. Or how you'd dash off to meet him. Or how excited you seemed when you told him you were going on your first official date. He hated it all, but there was nothing he could do because he'd rather suffer alone than take away your happiness...

You were getting ready for your date when Mark appeared in your mind. You hadn't thought of him in a long time, but he returned on the most important day. You wanted to forget him and begin a relationship with Jungwoo. The one who has always been truthful with you, who has never caused you to doubt or feel insecure. He made you happy and was always there for you. And you could tell he was sincere.

You wished to return those feelings, but a small voice inside your head told you otherwise.

No,  It would never work out with Mark anyway, and you could feel the same way about Jungwoo if you just tried hard enough, you thought.

So you tune out that little voice and head out to where you were supposed to meet.

Mark was aware of your date, and he couldn't think of anything else for the rest of the day. Whatever he did, all he could think about was you going on a date with someone else.

So he makes a decision, he would go too. He was aware that he was being selfish, but he couldn't stop himself.

He arrives at the cinema and notices you standing at the door, clearly waiting for him. He parks the car and reaches out to open the door. But he comes to a halt just as he gets to the door handle.

How could he do this to you? How could he ruin everything for you just because he was a coward and didn't have the courage to confess when the opportunity arose?

His heart sinks as a result of the thoughts, and he lets his arm fall on his thigh. Instead, he just sits there staring at you. "I'll stay until he gets here," he tells himself.

-

You check your phone to see what time it is, quarter to eight o'clock, you read. The film begins at eight, but there is still no sign of Jungwoo. He has also not sent any texts.

Eventually the film begins, and he still hasn't arrived but you continue to wait.

After an hour, two hours, and even three hours, the sun has completely set. Numerous people walked in and out of the building, but you remained in the same spot. You called him several times, but he never answered.

The little voice inside your head informs you that he has ghosted you and will not appear at all. But, once again, you don't listen to it. 

He wouldn’t do something like that unless there's a very good reason, so he'll come, you keep telling yourself.

Mark is still in his car when he notices you wrapping your arms around yourself to keep warm. He absolutely hates seeing you in this state, cold and alone at night. Waiting for someone who did not appear. He curses Jungwoo for doing this, but he still remains in his car.

Your mind is racing with all of the possible explanations for why he didn't show up. Your thoughts were logical at first, but as time passes, you begin to believe the little voice. 

You feel a raindrop land on your arm, and when you look up at the dark sky, you see it pouring down. You quickly seek refuge at the now-closed cinema's entrance.

That’s you feel someone take your hand in theirs. You look up, expecting to see Jungwoo, but instead, you see Mark.

"Come with me," he tells you.

“Mark? "What brings you here?"

"I'll explain everything later, but first come to my car." "You're shivering."

“No. "I'm waiting for Jungwoo," 

“He is not coming, you know that too!” 

"He is!" He promised to come, so he will."

"Don't be so stubborn! "You've been waiting for three hours, and he hasn't arrived," he says.

“what? How did you find out? "Have you been watching me?" you ask in disbelief.

"NO, no, let me explain-"

"No, I don't want to hear anything from you." I don't want to see you, and I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Let me at least take you home, and we'll talk later."

"I can go home by myself."

You begin to walk away but he stops you. "Please, it's dangerous."

You turn around and ask him why he bothers, why he suddenly cares about you.

He stakes everything on his last shred of hope. And he wishes with all his might that he isn't too late.

"Because I fucking love you,"

Those five words are all you hear, you don't even hear  the heavy rain or the cars driving by anymore.

"What did you just say?"

"I love you." I have always loved you. "And I always will." 

He did say it, you weren't dreaming or mishearing any of it.

Mark Lee, the boy you'd been hopelessly in love with for so long, stood in front of you, confessing while drenched in rain.

"I know I'm late, but I couldn't keep it in any longer; I had to tell you before I went insane." I hate seeing you with someone else..."

You don't say anything because you're too shocked. So he takes it as a final rejection and begins to turn around.

"I love you, too." 

He comes to a halt and looks at you.

You run into his arms with a smile on your face. He clutches you tightly, afraid you'll slip away if he lets go.

"I love you, Mark"

He looks into your eyes for a moment before capturing your lips. He starts slowly but passionately. As if he's pouring all of the unspoken words and feelings he's harboured for years into the kiss. Your heart is pounding in your chest, and your knees are becoming weaker by the minute. You're both drenched, but you couldn't care less because the boy you loved with all your heart, loved you back.

[charles-rxwlands]

the aftermath of 'i love you.'

this is the sequel to my fic how kaz would react to 'i love you.' which was basically all angst. spoiler alert: this is all angst, too.

pairing: kaz brekker/reader but not exactly (??) cause they've broken up so uh

rating: teen

word count: 1.5k (rounded up)

summary: what happened after you said 'i love you,' to kaz

tags: gender neutral!reader, angst, unhappy ending

warnings: swearing, self-deprecating thoughts, and i think that's it? but pls lmk if anything else is needed

read on ao3

a/n: the writing quality of this really went 📉📈📉 but in my defense i wrote most of this while my brother watched tommy innit videos at full volume so ofc i was distracted.

and fyi muzzen is not an oc, he's one of the minor minor characters in soc!

once again, feedback and reblogs are appreciated! hope you enjoy reading <3

Kaz's pov

He watched you from the other side of the room as you blatantly flirted with Muzzen. He had his glass of kvas (Jesper had begged for the club to order the ravkan mead for weeks) in a death grip. You ran your fingers through your hair, and smiled at something Muzzen had said. He tugged lightly on the collar of your jacket, making you laugh softly. Kaz's heart tightened, jealousy settling in his chest.

You looked happy, even as you conversed with the brainless bodyguard who probably couldn't count up to ten. Kaz hadn't been able to make you happy like that. But you had loved him anyway, and he had 'fucked you over', as you'd put it.

I love you.

You're a coward, Brekker.

Kaz let out something in between a sigh and a frustrated grunt. He drained the rest of his drink in one go, and set the glass down more violently than he'd intended. His scowl deepened, if that were even possible, when he sensex Inej slide into the seat next to him. He waited for her to speak, because he sure as hell wasn't going to initiate the conversation. What was there to say? You and him were over. And it was all his fault. 

"Kaz," Inej said. Her tone of voice was gentle - too gentle. He didn't want to be pitied, for fuck's sake. 

"What is it, Inej?" he snapped. 

"Tell me what happened between you and Y/n."

"Nothing to tell." He shrugged. 

Annoyance flickered over her face. "I care about you both, you know," she said. "I don't like seeing you two like this."

He gave her a withering look, if only to disguise the ugly feeling that flared up within him at her words. 

Don't care about me.

Don't love me.

You can't.

Kaz bit the inside of his cheek and hung his head. He studiously ignored Inej for a solid minute. At some point, he noticed that you and Muzzen had abandoned your corner table, most likely to go suck each other's faces off. The thought sent jolts of jealousy through his heart. 

"For Saint's sake- did she break your heart? Is that it?" she demanded, apparently having had enough of his silence.

He 'tsked' in annoyance, standing up abruptly. He snatched up his cane. "Maybe I broke hers," he muttered before walking off. He didn't want to answer questions today. Or ever.

Inej didn't follow him, and he was thankful for that. He trudged up the stairway, the rickety steps creaking under his weight. Emotions swirled within him, brewing up a storm. It was just a matter of time before he exploded, because as much as he hated to admit it, he was still human. Especially when it came to you. 

You had been one of the first people to see his humanity, and the last thing he wanted was to become another monster in your life.

But then again, maybe it was too late.

Suddenly, he bumped into someone. He hissed, flinching backwards. "Watch it-," his next words died on his tongue when he looked up, and came face to face with you. For a few, painfully awkward moments, the two of you held eye contact. Your face was stony, but your e/c eyes betrayed some kind of emotion that Kaz couldn't be bothered to decipher right now.

"Sorry, Brekker," you apologised. Your tone was flat. "C'mon, Muzzen," you gestured for him to follow you back down with a jerk of your head.

His hand twitched at his side as you left, almost as if his body yearned for your presence. Your shoulders nearly touched - missing each other by less than a centimetre. He couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. 

Letting out another sharp breath, Kaz resumed the walk back to his room. His footsteps grew quicker and more urgent. Your name echoed in his mind, as well as the three words that had haunted him for days now. 

Y/n. Y/n. Y/n.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

He slammed the door behind him when he finally reached his quarters. His cane fell to the floor, although his gloves stayed on. He stumbled into the cramped bathroom, bracing two hands against the rusty sink. He twisted the tap open, ignoring the squeak of the old mechanism that would have otherwise annoyed him. A gentle stream of water flowed from the tap head, and he splashed some on his face. 

No, he thought stubbornly, I am not going to break down because of Y/n.

The despair that rattled inside of him said otherwise.

f only he had reacted better when you'd told him you loved him. If only he hadn't yelled at you and called you all those horrible things that weren't true about you in the slightest. You weren't selfish at all. You were the exact opposite. You were kind, and thoughtful, and understanding - so, so understanding of him and his endless baggage. And he had- he had ruined it all, because of his own cowardice.

You're a coward, Brekker.

I know, he thought, not for the first time. I'm sorry. 

· · ─── ·𖥸· ─── · ·

Your pov

"I- I'm sorry, Muzzen, but I think I'm gonna turn in for the night," you said to the bodyguard, smiling sheepishly. "I've got a bit of a headache."

"It's alright," he said, giving a half-hearted smile back. It was clear he didn't believe you. You didn't know if that was because your acting skills weren't as up to par as you thought, or because the bodyguard was smarter than you made him out to be.

You all but ran up the stairs, nearly sagging in relief as the door closed behind you. You suddenly couldn't stand the feeling of the fabric of your coat on your skin and shrugged it off; Kaz had bought it for you, because of course the reminder of him lingered everywhere you went.

Your room wasn't anywhere near big, but it was a good way away from Kaz's, and for the first time, you were grateful for that. You couldn't deal with him at the moment.

Wait, no, that came out wrong. It wasn't him specifically that you couldn't deal with, it was the bad memories (or, rather, memory, as there was one key shitshow that had ruimed everything) that came with him.

Oh, Saints, why, why, why had you told him you loved him? Things had been going so well! And then you- you fucked it up. Yes, you had blatantly blamed this on Kaz the day of the argument, but deep down, you knew you were the one at fault. 

Your heart ached every time you thought of him. You missed Kaz. So, so much. It hadn't escaped you how he had been eyeing you and Muzzen earlier in the evening. You could only hope that he was staring out of jealousy, and not devising some foolproof plan to get rid of you.

What would it take for Kaz to forgive you? Or had you fucked things up beyond repair? 

"Shit," you whispered, leaning your head against the wall. Tears burned at the corners of your eyes. "Shit." You didn't know what exactly was 'shit'. Maybe the decision you came to moments later.

I'm going to apologise to him," you said to your empty room. "I will."

With a sniffle, you cracked open your door and slipped back outside. You had left your coat in a pile on the floor, making you vulnerable to the cold that pierced the empty areas of the Crow Club. Your feet carried you to Kaz's room naturally. You barely had to think about where you were going. Instead, you thought of Kaz himself. 

Kaz. Your fallen angel, you used to call him in your mind. You couldn't express how sorry you were. You didn't even know what you were sorry for. Loving him? Loving him, and saying it aloud? Loving him, and saying it aloud, because you were so sure he felt the same way? 

You had been being selfish. Kaz said so himself. Selfish and stupid. Of course Kaz didn't love you.

At last, you were in front of his door. You raised a fist to knock. Opened your mouth to call out. Except you did none of those. You just stood there, tears welling up in your eyes once again, a familiar pang of sadness in your chest. 

He wouldn't want to see you. How could he? This was your fault, wasn't it? It was your selfishness, and your wishful thinking that had gotten you two into this position. You missed him, but you wouldn't go as far as to think he missed you, too. If you attempted to apologise… would it really be for him? 

You wouldn't be selfish. Not again.

"I'm sorry," you whispered. 

You turned around, and walked away. 

[factsilike]

Lol imagine nitpicking the author's words to only see what you want to see. She literally adds the words 'wouldn't be too much dispute between them.' It possibly could not be that maybe Lwj excels in virtue or WWX in character, or that both of them have highly idealistic traits to have, no? Just because she tells us to be like Lwj in virtue does not mean WWX lacks virtue, that's your own incorrect assumption.

You know, you're right that WWX did go too far. Specifically during the Sunshot Campaign when he looks back and regrets. He looks back and admits that he went too far, that he was too focused on revenge in the war, and stooped to underhanded methods to achieve it. The fact that he was able to do that, to draw the line at when too much blood had been shed, when enough was enough, when so many others could not is another reason why he's morally righteous.

Run, where exactly? Literally where could he have run where he would be safe, and live in hiding for the rest of his life? Like a coward? Sooner or later they find him and the confrontation starts all over again? What would running away have solved? The Wens would still be killed, with the added knowledge that WWX abandoned them to their fate. Nothing would have changed for the better. WWX did everything he could to peacefully protect the Wens and himself, that's the point, peace was no longer an option. There was nothing else he could do.

No, WWX did not destroy the seal because he felt he was wrong. He destroyed it because he realised that it was too dangerous a thing for those bloodthirsty sects to have, too much power for one person, and it was mostly likely to fall in their hands after his death, which would certainly be a disaster. As evidenced by how half of it ended up in XY's hands and the Jin clan was all too eager to pardon his numerous crimes so that he could fully restore it for them to use.

True, Jiang Yanli dies but how is that his fault? He did not deliberately kill her, first it was her choice to run out to an open battlefield without any support, and then sacrifice her life for him. Her death was a tragic accident. Also I couldn't help noticing that she sees the thousands of these cultivators attacking a single man, and asks that man to stop defending himself. Smh.

There are so many things wrong with your Tgcf notes, I don't even know where to begin.

'He merely escalated the situation-' even if that's true he still played a major role in the kingdom's downfall. It was entirely his fault, not XL's. He even goes out of his way to hinder XL's efforts to provide relief for his people, multiple times in increasingly drastic ways.

What use was that help? It was that XL's intentions matter here, not his actions. Take a look at this passage

Both of them indirectly imply that there must be some deciding factor that tells them which one to give the glass.

However Xie Lian says,

He challenges the notion that FX and MQ had accepted, that even as gods, they are limited. If they are gods, why shouldn't they find a way to get a second cup?

And if they can't, they can still do something that neither the Guoshi nor FX or MQ considered; he can give his own cup. And you'll see XL sticks to this mentality for the rest of the novel. So long as his own cup is flowing, he can find a way to help people.

Yes, it's true that FX and MQ are highly incompatible but again it doesn't fall to Xie Lian to make them get along. He still tries though, because he's good at it. He's able to calm FX down before he jumps to accusing MQ of something and ask him to first listen to what MQ has to say when he will not speak up, as well as remind MQ that FX is not capable of scheming against him as he will just silently brood in his head about him conspiring against him. They would truly not be friends without XL.

Who asked you to post a whole book?? I said some passages. Here, let me lead by example

'Did not want to eat the food offered to him-' ah I see you're the type of person who takes the characters words at face value and ignores their actions and what the narrative is saying. What does this passage say?

That Xie Lian had only been in a mortal body again after a long time and forgotten that he needed to eat to sustain it? And not that he was being picky about food, or going on a starving spree to throw a tantrum about poor food? But we see how MQ here assumes the worst of XL as he often does all throughout the novel, because of his own resentment towards XL? There are many such examples in the book.

Congratulations, you missed the point of the book more than twice then. One of the Mxtx book's morals is not to take the antagonists' words at face value, when they literally twist facts to make themselves look better. They are not victims, and their downfall is simply the consequences of their own immoral actions.

XL literally insists on going along with FX to earn money in the streets, and does his fair share, even when FX insists he doesn't have to. And well XL must always be this perfect person who's never allowed to have a breakdown, right? Even after suffering blow after blow after blow. Of course they had it hard, it was a lose lose situation.

Not to mention FX who is too caught up in his love affair completely fails to notice that the 'master' he serves is being stalked and tormented for months by a psychopathic maniac, and as a result his mental health has drastically deteriorated. He brushes off XL when he tells him about White No Face, thinking he was just losing his mind from poverty or stress.

Oh, I forgot a few years had passed. My bad, but 20 is still so young.

Also, you're seriously suggesting that what MQ thought was a good solution could have worked? Those are literal war crimes, XL had every right to reject them.

Look at this guy jumping at the chance to harm innocent people, especially civilians. And you think XL made bad decisions? Somehow you read this chapter and thought MQ was right and you also know what morally righteous actions entail.

As for the exhausting resources...

He will point this out like there's nothing they can do about it, yet the people in charge (the useless king) will not think to remove these corrupt people and strip them of power.

Also oh my god. That's the most callous thing ever, that you think his parents killed themselves because they thought they knew that XL couldn't take care of them, as if they only ever had expectations from XL to unconditionally serve them. They killed themselves because they didn't want their son to be burdened by the immense task of taking care of them, not that he was incapable of doing so. They took that decision off his hands. Your interpretation of their actions is horrible. That whole tragic scene was XL's breaking point.

Seriously, read the book again.

Really tired of constantly seeing posts declaring that everyone in MXTX novels is complicated and 'morally grey' and that's what makes her works wonderfully written, and that everyone else who doesn't see that is stupid, or is 'demonising' characters and bashing them for rightfully criticising their shitty, very much unjustified actions.

And ironically it seems so simplistic to just declare that, because yes her stories are wonderfully written and complex, but not for that reason. You're clearly not reading her works and only spouting what you think her stories say. There are many morally grey characters in morally complex stories out there, but MDZS IS NOT ONE OF THEM.

NONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS (i.e protagonists and their male leads except for LBH maybe) ARE MORALLY GREY OR MORALLY COMPLEX.

THEY ARE ALL MORALLY RIGHTEOUS.

Just take a closer look at their actions compared to the actions of literally everyone else around them, it's not that hard to see.

Not to mention that MXTX herself literally says that WWX and LWJ are both morally ideal and that ahe hopes her readers can be like them, but people seem to have no respect for the word of authors in the name of their self projection onto the characters being contradicted nowadays 😒

(also saw someone dismissively say that HC may think that the world revolves around XL or whatever, but others don't and they're right??

First of all, did you even read the novel? HC made his judgement based on how others treated him versus how XL did when he was a CHILD. And how XL continues to treat others to this day. He is well within his rights to think the world of XL, especially since XL suffered more than every other person and still doesn't succumb to evil, despite having every right to do so, miles more than others. He all but regards XL as his moral compass, because he's proof that truly good people do exist in this world, and not ONE other person in the novel is shown to be as good as him.)

One of the reasons why I really don't like the Xianle Trio is this; neither FX nor MQ seem to regard XL as his own person with his own agency, who is capable of making his own decisions initially as HC does, and only near the end of the novel do they let up a bit when their asses had to be saved by XL multiple times. (especially considering what fools they made of themselves in that spiderweb cave lmao)

Both of them try to enforce XL ALL THE TIME ("Your Highness don't do this or don't do that or don't say this or don't go there or don't talk to him"), as if XL has not survived perfectly well on his own without them FOR 800 YEARS.

The difference between them and HC is clearly spelled out when FC asks HC about why he is not stopping XL, and HC replies that while he may not agree with some of XL's decisions, he would never force him to do what he thinks is correct, something both MQ and FX are CONSTANTLY shown to try to do.

Like please. Xianle Trio who? More like suffering XL and his pair of nuisances who think themselves to be his babysitters. And most of the time he's the one babysitting them.

Another thing that irks me is that their frequent arguments are often played off for laughs, but XL is truly a saint, because if my friends were constantly bickering over petty things all throughout our dangerous journey and giving me nothing but headaches, especially in survival situations, I'd given them the boot a long time ago.