#lastly warning for terrible half thought out writing :)

[fandom-blackhole]

Ok ok König half strung thoughts from someone who should be working on like three different school papers and a project->

+18 MDNI (check tags for warnings)

- König who literally has a run in with you bumping into his chest while texting and walking, squeaking out an apology to the giant of a man before scurrying away and he just immediately has his interest peaked and his eyes just follow you until you are no longer within eye sight, unable to work up the nerve to go speak to you without the fear of fucking things up.

- König who some how finds you once more in like a grocery store after not being able to stop thinking about you for the last week or so, to the point hes wondered if hes finally fallen off that line of insanity hes been toeing for years, and just follows and watches you from a distance unable to keep his eyes off of you for very long and manages to catch your name after you run into a friend of yours in the check out line.

- König who as soon as he gets home from the store barely has the mind to throw his cold items from the store into the fridge before pulling open his laptop with the intention of just looking you up on social media, but finds himself on a deep dive of investigating everything about you as he's convinced himself that if he can just find out the things you like, where you work, where you're from, and if you have a type when it comes to partners then he can get over his anxiety and not make a fool of himself and actually talk to you. Though he quickly finds out that the last part of that list of information turns his stomach as he already invested in his attraction to you and seeing you be romantic with others hurts and burns in more ways than one.

- König who when he looks up and sees the sunrising feels a little guilty for spending the whole night investigating you-he refusing to call it stalking even though his interest in you is becoming borderline obsessive as he's convinced himself that you are his one. Now he just needs to figured out how to put his new found knowledge into action.

- König who found out that you like this one local cafe goes in and just waits for you to come in and lucks out when he goes to order another coffee after being there for a few hours only to find you in line behind him so when he pays for his own drink he kinda of awkwardly loiters and jumps in after you order shoving his card down a little too harshly and says he'll pay for yours. You who turns to protest but he won't have it, pushing his card further towards the cashier until they take it.

- König who rushes from the Cafe after getting his card back forgetting his own ordered coffee and cutting off your thanks somewhat abruptly with a stiff head nod and jittery hands as he rushes from the Cafe.

- König who stands outside around the corner hidden grinding his teeth as he feels embarrassment creep over him as he feels like he fucked up the encounter he tried to plan so thoroughly for.

- König who for the next few days replays the whole event in his head over and over and over with a pit in his stomach. Though he also can't get the image of you looking up at him with those eyes of yours with surprise, how he swears he remembers how soft your eyes went, how your pupils widened just a but when you looked at him, convincing himself that maybe you are attracted to him too and maybe he should plan out another encounter.

- König who is deep in his own thoughts coming up with another plan to meet you once he's ready and over his embarrassment, only to have you come up to him with a shy smile while he's shopping a few weeks later causing him to kinda of short circuit because he's not planned for this to happen, he's not ready, he's gonna fuck up more he's sure of it, but you just shyly thank him again for buying your coffee the other day and he watches closely as your eyes kinda dart around refusing to look at him when you ask if he'd maybe like to go to dinner with you some time.

- König who manages to come out of his daze with a burst of confidence that comes from no where and accepts, suggesting a restaurant that he knows you love from all the stalk- research he did, as well as a day and time he knew would fit into your schedule, again from the research, making something spark within him as your eyes light up with excitement at his suggestions as you agree.

- König who spends the time between then and the date planning everything and being a fidgety wreck, but also taking a lot of cold showers because the way your eyes lit up because of him has him so whipped for you but the showers don't work like he needs them too so he finds himself pouring of audio porn sights for sounds of moans until he finds one he thinks you might sound like and then just looses himself with his eyes closed fucking into his fleshlight a few times. All this causing his borderline obsession to grow stronger.

- König who the day of the date fusses with his outfit until he finds one he likes and then rushes out to buy you your favorite flowers or flowers that are your favorite color and then goes and waits at the restaurant while being almost an hour early.

- König who when you finally arrive and he sees your eyes light up because he's there and he stands up awkwardly to pull your chair out for you, who watches the softest most sincere smile spread across your face and knows that he's done for.

- König who plays the perfect gentleman and listens to you talk about yourself all dinner even though he already knows everything you're saying. And at the end of the date he walks you to your car (or calls you transportation, paying in advance for you) and leans down to kiss you but ends up hesitating and finds himself regretting how much he's fantasized about your mouth because now he's popping a boner.

- König who can even make it home, who has to pull over because his phone pings (you'd exchanged numbers during dinner) and finds you sent him a message saying you'd enjoyed the date and would love to meet with him again and riding that high he can't hold back from fisting his cock and cumming all over his steering wheel only to blush hard as he cleans up the mess.

- König who finds himself on several more dates with you until you've found yourselves dating for a month now and he's using his research knowledge once more to buy a *thing* that you've wanted forever and he's excited because this date is the first time you're coming over to him little home, so he thoroughly cleans and prepares to cook your favorite food and dessert.

- König who finds out wasn't the only one who had a present when after he gives you the gift has you pushing him onto the couch as he looks at you somewhat surprised and startled until you climb onto his lap and start making out with him.

- König who thanks every deity that he keeps up with his workout routine when he stands up and carries you to his room laying you on his bed and removes your clothes to find his present which is black lingerie under your clothes.

- König who has to burt his head in your neck to calm himself because fuck do you look so good, but he can't keep his hands from wandering, letting his fingers brush over your ripples pulling on them to hear your sighs and moans as he has to grind into the bed.

- König who oils up his fingers and presses them into your hole, watching you swallow them up before curling them around til he sees you jolt slightly and your eyes roll back.

- König who just gets lost in the rhythm and the sight of you that he looses focus on anything else until you're begging for his cock and then he's realizing just how painfully hard he is so with haste he's gonna look back on and make himself cringe he pulls out his cock squeezing it with a groan and not bothering with his pants removes over you and presses his head to your shoulder as he slides into you feeling your walls squeeze him so good he swears he's seeing the pearly gates.

- König who has to drag this out, has to enjoy this to its fullest sets a slow steady pace, his face still buried in your neck so all your noises are going right into his ear and God was that audio he'd been imaging was you was completely off.

- König who is lost to anything bit your noises and the feeling of his tip brushing deep inside you keeps his pace even as you beg for more as you claw at his back as your clit/cock brushes tantalizingly against the hairs of his happy trail.

- König who finds the only thing to break him from his bubble of pleasure is you tightening around his cock, all but strangling it as you cum, the feeling and your noises driving him to runt into you helplessly until with a groan of your name so hard it hurts his throat his cock accidentally slips out of your hole and as he presses forward desperately to back inside of you he paints your hole white with his cum.

- König who looks down and sees you white covered fluttering hole refuses to move deciding it's a later problem and while he is still hard thrusts harshly back into you as you whine and he sighs and flips the two of you over so you're laying on his chest and he mumbles to sleep.

- König who is sweat and cum covered with your comforting sleeping weight on him you and your divine little hole still squeezing his cock decides that sometimes stalking is ok, just as long as you never find out.

Please reblog if you like this 🫣👉👈

[rottingpirate]

Price x male reader where the reader is the only medic seeming unfazed/unintimidated by John and when he gets injured on a mission, the reader is the one treating him.

Confessions || John Price x Medic M! reader

Warnings: medical inaccuracies, injuries, very light angst, bad love confessions because I can't write them, like one kiss

You weren’t the only medic on base, nor were you the best one. Sure you’d had your fair share of experience, you wouldn’t be there if you’d hadn’t, but by no means was there any logical reasoning as to why Captain Price seemed to seek you out to mend his injuries. Most often, it wasn’t anything to be terribly worried about, ranging from minor abrasions to angry looking lacerations to broken bones.

On the relatively rare occasion he did come back with more serious wounds you always felt the same creeping dread. It started whenever he was away, steadily growing in intensity, peaking when you would lay eyes on him in whatever poor state he returned. It wound through your lungs, wrapping so tight it threatened to pull them in with the gravitational force of a black hole. It was no secret that he could walk off base and never come back… at least not with a pulse.

 It wasn’t a pleasant thought. However, it did bring some sick sense of relief because it meant that he was barred from leaving for the next mission until he had a clean bill of health. Not that he hadn’t tried to persuade you otherwise. 

Today the mission had gone terribly. Half of the team ended up with some sort of injury thanks to Soap’s accidentally faulty intel. He would have his ear full of it by the time they made it back. What was supposed to be a simple in-and-out stealth mission turned into an ambush that the boys weren’t ready for at all. 

“We could use a medic.”

You remember hearing from one of the guys, though you weren’t sure who at the time as you had your back to them. This led you to the predicament you were currently in. 

The team was quiet for a few minutes as you had ushered Soap over to you so you could take a look at him. He had only suffered a small gun wound and you had easily patched him up with what supplies you had. He thanked you, making small talk and light jokes to relieve some stress off of one another’s shoulders.

While Ghost and Gaz's wounds weren't as severe, they were a little difficult to patch up. Gaz ended up with a knife stuck in his shoulder after they had both managed to get into a hand-to-hand fight.

“Ow! That hurts!” He whined, gripping your hand lightly. You gave him a gentle smile. “You’re doing great, Gaz. You’re almost done.” Lastly you lean down to wipe the blood and the dirt from his brow, holding his face so tenderly.

Ghost had a few wounds and a gnarly gash on his forearm which you were currently working on cleaning up.

“This will hurt, a lot. You can grab my arm if you like." You offered, but he just scoffed at you before you began wiping some antiseptic on his wound, as swiftly as you could. His jaw clenched, his lips set in a thin line, but that was the only reaction that you received.

Once you were done you told him to go find Price. A small “Okay” was all you heard as he left, heading toward where Price was at the moment.

He only left for a minute before shouting for Soap's assistance. Soap dashed as quickly as he could toward Ghost's voice as you and Gaz gave each other confused and worried looks. It didn't take long for you to see it.

"He's badly hurt, can you help him?" In concern for the captain, Soap's voice slightly shook. How could you have missed this?

Price was currently bleeding in Ghost's arms, his side bleeding from what you had only assumed to be a knife wound. To make matters worse, it was evident that he was attempting to conceal the wound and patch himself up. He had begun wrapping loose gauze around his middle from the torso upward to pressurize the wound and stop it from bleeding.

The sight of him in such a state broke your heart. As soon as you asked for him to put him down, you whipped around and grabbed whatever supplies you could find. Price had closed his eyes, but he was breathing deeply and steadily, which indicated that he was still alive. You tossed Price's vest and shirt to the side with Soap's assistance. His eyebrows creased together and he let out a painful groan as you started to remove the gauze.

You ordered for everyone to leave and everyone except for Gaz did as told.

Gaz stuck by your side as you began to look over Price’s wound. It was a deep cut, just underneath the edge of his right rib cage, but it thankfully was just a flesh wound, not deep enough to reach bone or any vital organ, Nevertheless, it still had to be extremely painful and if he was found not 30 minutes later, he surely would have been a goner. You took a small rag and began to disinfect the cut, earning a few disgruntled groans and whimpers from the man.

“Fuck..hurts…” He managed to let out. Your face scrunching up in worry.

“I know, I know. You just have to bear with me just a little longer, okay?” You responded on instinct, your heart heavy with sadness as you listened to the often caring and gentle captain you had grown a fondness of now writhing in pain and agony.

After you had cleaned the wound, you moved on to the worst part of the procedure: stitching. You tried your hardest to make it as painless as possible, but you felt bad for inflicting even more pain on him because you ran out of painkillers. He had always been so kind to you and genuinely interested about your activities. It wasn't that the others didn't, but it was nice to have someone there who understood what you were saying and asked questions to test your knowledge. You would be lying if you said you hadn't developed an attraction to the man now that you were closer to him.

Therefore, it broke your heart to see him lying here covered in blood and close to crying.

After the stitches were finished, you gathered any bandages you could to cover the wound. Gaz assisted you as you eventually began to clean up the areas that were covered in blood.

“Go get some rest, Gaz.” You told him. He let out a soft ‘thank you’ before looking back over to Price. “I’ll stay with him tonight. You need a mental break, doctor’s orders.” You told him with a small wink before hearing his gentle chuckle followed by the sound of him walking to inform the others of Price's current state.

Sitting down on a nearby chair, you crossed your arms before shutting your eyes.

//

You woke to the sound of sheets shuffling and soft groans. You sat up and looked over to Price who was rubbing his eyes and adjusting to his surroundings. He winced a bit as he propped himself up on one of the pillows, looking around before his eyes landed on you. “Careful, you have fresh stitches, might want to take it easy.” You informed him, keeping your voice low.

“What happened?”

“You got hurt pretty bad. When we found you– you had tried to wrap the wound up.”

“Ah…I remember.” He looked off to the side, his face scrunching up in embarrassment. His eyes gazed down to the handiwork you had made of his side before running his fingers over the bandages absentmindedly.

 “You okay? You had us worried.”

“I feel like utter shit,” he answered lucidly.

“You look like it. Why didn’t you come to me?” The statement wasn’t meant to be taken in a harsh way as it was just that, a statement.

“I..” He met your gaze before looking off toward something yet again, the gears in his head turning as he attempted to find the words he wished to say. “I see how much you care for the team and I have come to the evaluation that you put our well-being above your own. So, rather than overwork you, I wished to give you a small break. However…my plan seems to have backfired. I did not account for how deep my wound was and lost consciousness before I could finish cleaning it.” He explained and as you hung onto every word that poured from his mouth, you felt your chest clench in emotion.

“Price…”

“Looking at my actions now, I realize it wasn’t very clever of me to do that. But I do wish you would give yourself some…self-care. You have not had much of a break since you joined and I was merely hoping to give that to you.”

“But why? I understand wanting to give me a break– but why go so far as to risk your life to do so?” You challenged his argument and leaned forward to better look up at him and to study his facial features. He appeared to falter for a moment, once again thinking as to what he was about to say.

“I have become incredibly fond of you. At first, I thought it was just eagerness to have another member join the team– and one as brilliant as you.You have treated me differently and I might have grown feelings for you. Though, I don’t think-” He was starting to ramble until you decided to cut him off.

“I have feelings for you, too, Price.” watching his face morph from embarrassment to full-blown astonishment as his cheeks began to heat up.

“I..I enjoy your presence and you make me feel seen, and cared for– of course, I have feelings for you. I would be dumb not to.” You explained to him with a laugh, nudging his leg, making sure not to jostle his side even if it was currently numb. You pulled yourself to your feet and shuffled in next to him, ignoring the deep crimson stain on the edge of the sheets that you were sure would never come out.

There was a comfortable silence for a moment and you expected Price to be searching for something to say, but when you read his facial features, he was shocked and at a loss for words. He opened his mouth to say something, faltering and trying again twice before he finally managed to speak.

"Can I kiss you?”

Now, it was your turn to be speechless. Your mind was running a hundred miles per second and all you gave him was a nod of your head. The captain glanced at you before leaning closer, hesitating and pausing just in front of you. Nervousness ran through his body, you could tell, and before he had a chance to apologize, you closed the gap. His lips were unexpectedly soft and they melted and shaped against yours in such a perfect way, you were sure this had to be a dream.

Price’s hand came to rest on the back of your neck, gently pulling you closer to deepen the kiss. You let out a soft hum and after a few seconds, both of you pulled apart to take a breath. He smiled down at you and rested his forehead against your own.

[yourbestprincess]

HIIII! I was wondering if u could write a michael afton x fem reader smutt where they're coworkers as security guards and they kinda hate each other but somehow end up f-ing at work? Kind of like enemies to lovers :D thank uuu

YES OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS CONCEPT SO MUCH 🙏

WARNINGS- Smut 🫶, Fem!reader/Dom!Michael afton, lap sitting, kissing, p in v, creampies, Mike being super possessive, enemies to loves trope 🙏, Mikey falling for you, vulgar language (you should know that by now), slut shaming, daddy kink..,SLIGHT humiliation IF you squint. Enjoy!!! :3

BEEP! BEEP!

You flinch out of your sleep. The alarm clock on your cutesy nightstand said 11:00pm.

“Stupid ass alarm..” you mutter to yourself, barely awake. You dread going to work most days. It’s not the job itself, the jobs great, kinda. It’s a fun adrenaline rush, but what you hate the most, is Michael. Michael Afton. You had known the guy since high school. You always thought he was the cutest and most attractive man you’ve ever laid eyes on, but man, was he a jerk. He was so rude to you, especially.

Why me…

You think about the times back in 83’ where he would bully the hell out of you. At some point in the midst of him treating you like a dog, you begun to treat him equally. The bulling never stopped, even if you wanted it to. Michael was always so nice to everyone else, but he would say the meanest things to you, and you didn’t even deserve it. Poor thing.

It was a terrible miracle to work with Michael. You got to be around him all the time and he was almost warming up to you. The bulling was never as bad as it was in high school, but you still dreamed of being adored by him.

You move yourself gently to the edge of your pretty pink bed and slide off, putting your slippers on so your feet don’t get cold on the wood floor. You grab your black skirt and black t-shirt, then lastly slide the security vest over it. You put your black converse on, pretty pink ribbon as laces. You gain the willpower to move yourself to the bathroom. You brush your teeth and put light makeup on so that you don’t look half-dead.

After readying yourself, you grab your purse and keys. You go out to your car, already freezing from the coldness of November. You blast the heat in your car as you drive off to go to the best worst office.

I hope I’m here first. You think to yourself. I need to be here before Michael. You were usually there early anyway. 11:30, on the dot.

You quickly walk up to the front door and shakily get out the key for the door.

“Mrs. Early bird, huh.”

You turn around before putting the key in the lock. It was Michael. He was there early, for once.

“Yeah? what about it.” You say back, reluctance in your voice because you don’t feel like getting bullied tonight.

“Didn’t know you got here so early.” He roughly grabs your arm and turns you towards him. “Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

The sudden jerk of your body sent shock flowing through you. “o-oh, yeah. m’ sorry mike.” You said, blush burning at your nose and cheeks.

“Lemme unlock it cause you can’t seem to be able to do such a simple thing, princess.” Michael scoffs to himself.

Did he just call me princess? You turn even more red from the sudden ‘kindness’

After he unlocks the door, both of you get inside and rush to the office.

Michael looks down, into your eyes. “Okay dork,” his British accent is faded, but still there. “I’m working on the left today, so you take the right. I’m trusting you on that side.” He mustered out.

“Oh, um, okay, I guess.” You look back up at him.

“Mike, I just got one question.” You spoke.

He rolls his eyes at your statement . “And that is?”

“Why are you still so mean t’ me? I don’t think I deserve it.” The red, still flushed over your nose and cheeks as you speak.

“I- I um, I don’t really know. I don’t think I know how to stop.” Michael says, completely phased by the question.

“You knew how I felt about you in high school. Why did you push me away? Why did you resort to making us enemies?” You speak as you check down the hall with the built in light.

Fuck. You think to yourself. I said too much.

“I gotta go check on the…uh, whatever. I’ll be back.” Michael walks away with watery eyes, maybe you did say too much, or maybe you said it wrong? The feeling of messing up more with Michael makes you feel like you’re sinking.

You sit in the chair that Michael usually sits in. It was comfy and had a big cushion in the back. You tuck your knees into your oversized t-shirt and pick at your nails, waiting for him.

“MIIIKE! hurry up! It’s 11:50!” You yell across the pizzeria, hoping he would come soon, considering the time.

Did he leave me here all by myself..?

You hear fast footsteps outside the left door, holding something in his hands.

“I’m sorry.” He comes up to you, pries your hand open, and let’s you grab onto what he was holding… a plush version of Chicas’ cupcake.

“My da- I mean, the owner won’t care if you take this.” He said softly.

His dad?

You smile warmly, “Thanks Mike.”

He looks into your dark brown puppy eyes, “listen, I’m sorry about the past. I was and still am an asshole, I know, I’m sorry.” He sighs, “All I’ve ever wanted to do was to treat you good. I couldn’t stand you being with anyone else that wasn’t me.” He covers his face with his hands.

“It’s okay Mike. I forgive you. Y’know It was always obvious how much I liked you in high school.” You say, flustered.

“I- really? You did? I didn’t kn-“ before he can finish his sentence, you move grab his face gently and pull him in to look in your deep gaze.

“Can I…can I kiss you?” He says shyly, the bully in him leaving rather quickly.

You nod as Michael pulls you closer. Both of you indulge in the kiss, taking as much time that feels right.

You pull back, “Mikey…you feel so..good.” He picks you up, off the chair and sits down in your spot. He motions you to come sit on his lap, and you do.

“I’m so sorry, princess. Just wanna treat you so good. I need to make you feel so good, baby.” He slurs out.

“Please..” you whine, grinding yourself against him. At this point, his jeans will have a wet mark on them because of you.

Michael unbuttons and then unzips his pants, letting you rub his clothed hard and veiny cock.

You began to be impatient, so you take matters into your own hands and slide down his boxers. His cock springs out.

“Mike..how are you going to fit-“ your words being silenced by his lips again.

He lifts you up closer to his shaft and moves your soaked lacy pink panties to the side so that he can get access to your pretty pink pussy.

“Like this, baby.” He says as he shoves his length inside of you, making you whine like a bitch in heat.

“AH- fuck! Michael! Too much…t’ much…” your words become slurred by the pleasure of Michaels lengthy pushing on your g-spot repeatedly.

“Fuck, sweetheart. Atta girl, just like that baby.” Michael growls and whimpers from you bouncing on him over and over again.

“Mikey…feel so good in me, ugh can’t take it~ feels so good!” You whine out as you get pounded by him.

“Sweetheart, I’m sososo sorry. I needed to fuck your tight pussy so fucking bad baby.” Michael yells out. He picks you up and makes you bend over the desk.

He chuckles, “Better check those cameras while i fucking pound you, pretty girl.”

You turn the cams on, looking for any missing animatronics.

“looks clear for now..”

“Good job, princess. You’re doing so good for me, baby.” He giggles, “I bet you fucking love this don’t you. God your just such a slut for my cock aren’t you sweetheart?” He says pridefully. His words cause you to whine out.

“Oh cmon baby, just cause I don’t treat you like shit anymore doesn’t mean I don’t get to tease you, and both us know you fuckin’ love it.”

“Mikey…t” much…it hurts! Slow down!!” You whimper

“Oh yeah? I know you can take me. That’s what good girls do, baby. They take it like a good fuckin’ slut. Now, don’t you love?” He says as he picks up the pace, slamming into your walls.

“Oh fu- Daddy..~” you moan out, getting close to your orgasm, white heat flowing over you, taking over your body.

“Say that again.” Michael demands.

“Wh-“ you barely say before Michael thrusts deeply and painfully into you.

“I said fuckin’ say it, I didn’t studder now did I princess? You better say it before I don’t let you cum all over my cock.” He growls.

You whine and yelp, but you know you need to cum now, there’s no reason to fight it now.

“Fuck~ daddy… I need t’ cum so bad daddy! Please mikey, m’ so close…” you cry out. Your pussy grips him tightly, practically begging to cum.

“Holy- yesss, that’s fucking it. Good girl. Cum for daddy, just like that baby. Fuck yourself dumb on daddy cock.” The white heat fills up both of you as you go dumb by being fucked this hard.

“Mikey! I’m cumming, pleasepleaseplease-“ you helplessly cry out, Poor baby.

“Fuck! Me too, sweetheart, where do you want it?” Michael groans.

“Inside, please…”

“You want me to…fuck…breed you?”

“Yes! please daddy! I- ’m cumming!!” He continues to thrust into you sloppily, forcing his cum inside of you.

“Oh- oh my god- you feel so…so good.” Michael falls into your back, having his still-hard cock inside of you. His breath trickles down by the crook of your neck as your catch your breath.

“Oh shit! Check outside the doors!” Michael pulls out of you and looks outside of the left door.

“Fuck! Bonnie!” He slams the door down.

“Maybe next time we do this at my house, hm?” He says leaning against the door.

TO BE CONTINUED-

[bigbadripley]

I Wish you Roses - Prologue

Marc Spector/Steven Grant x Female!OC

Summary: Marc never expected to see his childhood friend Simone ever again. To Simone, Marc may as well have been dead. However, when Simone met Steven 15 years after Marc disappeared, she couldn't help but notice how familiar he was. 

18+!! | 1,417 Words | Third-person omniscient | Dark?fic/Angst/Eventual Smut | AU/AT | Warnings: OC with religious trauma, childhood trauma, sexual trauma. Mention of childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, the effects of child abuse in adulthood, murder, suicide, alcohol use, drug mention, all the parents in this story are terrible, The only saving grace is Steven

A/N: The songs used for this fic may not have anything to do with the story besides my thoughts when I hear the chosen lyrics. That being said, the chapter titles won't always make sense. It's just an idea I had.

I update warnings with each chapter. Only proceed if you can handle the themes included in the warnings. I wrote this entirely as a trauma dump. 

Lastly, Marc/Steven being involved and the addition of a traumatized psychiatrist is in no way meant to romanticize, fetishize, or otherwise; mental illness or illnesses/trauma. 

Minors DNI, DL;DR, if I miss a warning, please let me know.

Chapter list

"Never thought I would be without you I wish you love, I wish you well I wish you roses while you can still smell 'em With pretty flowers can come the bee sting" -"I Wish you Roses" by Kali Uchis

 I'm not great at writing like you are or brave enough to tell you all of this to your face. I don't even know if I'll be able to give you this note, but I want to try. I think you're great, and you should also see that in yourself. I like your hair and how soft it always is, same with your skin. I like the clothes you wear even though you don't always like them, you always look good. You're super funny and smart as fuck, and you're really pretty. I can't stop thinking about how cool it would be to not have to cut through the woods to get to your house anymore. Maybe we could get a place after graduation? I know your mom only likes me sometimes, and this is probably really weird to read, but I'm okay with just being best friends if you don't like me like that. I don't want things to be weird, so we can still run away and play bingo in the old folks home when we're 70. No matter what, I love you Moni. 

-Count Spector

P.S. if you read this and you don't like it please don't yell at me.

 It was an ordinary Tuesday afternoon when they met. 

It likely wouldn't have happened if Steven hadn't insisted that he and Marc go see an actual therapist, and Marc finally broke, telling him to go on his own. 

Ever since the divorce was finalized, Marc had been acting this way. They both obviously had their issues, but Marc was convinced that Steven would likely be his only companion again from then on.

That was what drove Steven to try and seek professional guidance. How do two people living in a single body branch out and get to know other people? He took the first step by finding a psychiatrist in the area. 

Steven wasn't sure what to expect when he picked Dr. Dooley, a polite-looking gent who was likely 60 years old. He just knew one person with an open appointment slot had experience with their problems. 

He arrived 20 minutes early in hopes of getting their paperwork filled out and getting in sooner. Neither he nor Marc expected to walk into the waiting room and be stopped dead in their tracks. 

Directly behind the reception desk was a wooden door with a metal plaque that dawned "Dr. Simone Fredrick" on it, and to the side was a crystal clear glass window to the office. 

The blinds were drawn, and they spotted a woman in a yellow button-up top through that window. This woman had long dark hair, skin that took the same tone as a cup of London Fog, and the sweetest smile that fit perfectly to the lower half of her face. She was chatting with another man who was barely visible through the window but was clearly the doctor they came to see. 

She was the most incredible woman Steven had ever laid eyes on. It was terrifying for him.

Without further deliberation, Marc backed them out of the office and outside. "Steven, Holy shit!" He said.

"She was gorgeous, yeah?" Steven replied. Marc popped back in, feeling slightly panicky. 

"We can't go back in there."

Steven felt Marc's anxiety but couldn't pinpoint why he was suddenly feeling this way. "Why the bloody hell not? We have an appointment!"

"I know that woman, or I knew her, at least," Marc said. Steven took control, thinking he had never seen her before, and stepped over to look through the glass doors. 

There she was, still talking to Dr. Dooley. She turned her head in their direction, and he moved to the side of the building again before she could spot them.

"How do you know her?" Steven asked, trying to make sense of it.

"We were friends in school. She was probably the only friend I had. She's-"

"She's so attractive it's unreal. I gotta meet her." Steven insisted. Marc took back over without warning and began walking in the opposite direction of the office.

"Nope. Absolutely not. Odds are she'll recognize me, and it'll be weird." 

Just as quickly, Steven changed their direction. "She won't recognize me, though." He said. Marc wouldn't budge on the subject. Knowing Simone, she would clock him right away. He pivoted and began walking the other way again.

"Right, the guy who shares a whole fuckin' face with me. Genius! We're going home."

"Why are you the one chickening out?" Steven asked, stopping them where they were, realizing to passersby they must look nuts pacing back and forth.

"Because I know she's gonna take one good look at us and say 'Marc motherfucking Spector' and hit me! And she's got a ruthless right hook that I don't think either of us wanna be on the business end of." 

As he spoke, he started taking off further down the sidewalk. 

Under no circumstances are we coming back to this place. Moni looks happy, let's not fuck that up. Marc thought to himself. Steven had just about given in to Marc's insistence.

"Excuse me?" They heard a sweet, American voice speak up from behind them. They stopped and turned around slowly to find Simone, who had seen them looking through the door after all, waiting for them to respond. 

Steven got in the driver's seat, and Marc retreated back to his corner of their collective brain. 

"Oh, hi." Steven greeted. 

Simone couldn't quite place it: she had seen this man before. Somewhere, somehow. She was surprised that he had a local accent, seeing as she didn't know many locals, particularly ones this gorgeous. She figured there wasn't any harm in coming out and asking. 

"Do I know you? I saw you from inside, and I could've sworn-"

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure," Steven said, holding his hand out. "Steven Grant," He introduced himself as casually as he could muster. She was even more beautiful up close.

Though Simone found him charming, she indeed hadn't met him before. She stuck her hand out and shook,

"Simone Fredrick." She greeted. She found him quite handsome when he wasn't creeping through her office door. So much so that their handshake was dragging on a bit longer than average. 

The pair realized this at the same time and pulled their hands away. Simone gestured to the building they were standing by, realizing there was zero context to how she spotted him. "I work just inside there, by the way. I'm taking lunch now, but I can help if you were looking for someone through that door." She said, followed by a laugh. 

Steven found the humor in it, realizing they hadn't backed out soon enough and admiring how adorable she was about teasing him for it. "Just never been in that building before. Wanted to see what it was all about... psychiatry and all." He told her awkwardly. 

Simone sensed this was a lie, but Steven spoke up again before she could overthink it. "You got a business card?" He asked. 

There was silence between them for a second as Simone thought about it. Business card? Like, he wants my office number? Who am I, Patrick Bateman? 

"I don't, actually. But-" Simone stopped and dug through her bag for a moment, pulling out a pen and an old punch card to a bubble tea place nearby. She put the card on the brick wall and wrote out her office number before, in a feat of spontaneity, she also wrote her personal cell number. "The first one is the number to the office, with my direct extension. The other is my cell." She told him as the card changed hands. 

Steven looked at the card and smiled, noticing how professional her handwriting looked and how she crossed her sevens. "I'll be using these." He told her. He took a second to think if he should ask her to lunch right then and there but realized how quiet Marc was. 

Shit, he thought. I should get home and talk to him about this. 

"I should get going. It was nice meeting you, Simone." Steven said, backing up down the sidewalk. Simone flashed him a million-dollar grin and nodded,

"You, as well, Steven."

[chincilla-on-the-moon]

My Whole World- Connor Murphy X Reader

Request:  I am in desperate need of a fic where Connor finds that the reader struggles with self harm and where he helps them though such thoughts and just ends with some fluffy cuddles. Anything is better than what’s going on rn - Anon

Word Count: 1009

Warnings: Implied Self harm (cutting), Self-loathing, Self-hatred, Feeling like a burden

Authors Note: Hello! I know I’m literally the worst ever but honestly existing this past year has been really hard which makes doing the things I enjoy, like writing, really hard to do. BUT I do finally think I’m reaching a better place, (I know I say this like every authors note but I really think I am this time). Also saw the DEH movie last night and ended up sobbing over Connor I love him so much :((. Lastly and most importantly: if you ever feel like self harming there are alternatives! If you need resources about this feel free to message me or send me an ask! I’m more than happy to help <3 Thats it. As all ways thank you for reading and have a lovely day/night! :) <3

You were having an awful day, an awful week even. It seemed everything that could go wrong did. It just seemed the world was against you and you were tired of it. You were approaching your breaking point and fast. You could see this but you didn’t know what to do about it. You could reach out to your boyfriend Connor. But no he was doing so well recently and you didn’t want to burden him or bring him down with your negative thoughts. So you decided to do what you always did which was just distract yourself from your emotions because if you didn’t think about them they weren’t there. You put your earbuds in and put on one of the playlists Connor had made for you, once you got home and went up to your room without saying a word to anyone and plopped face down into your bed. For a couple minutes you were able to ignore all the thoughts racing through your mind but eventually the music stopped working and you were left alone with your thoughts. 

You’re pathetic and a burden to everyone. Why would anyone want to deal with you, especially Connor? You’re probably the most annoying person on the planet right? With your constant pestering and need for reassurance every two seconds it’s truly a wonder that you haven’t been abandoned by everyone in your life. 

You were angry at yourself. How could you possibly let yourself be this awful of a person? You wanted to do something horrible to yourself as a punishment, to force yourself to feel the pain you bring to everyone in your life. 

The next time you had a coherent thought was at least a half hour later. You felt a stinging sensation coming from your wrists and started crying as you fully processed what you had done. Without realizing it you texted Connor asking him to come over. You just sat waiting staring at nothing until Connor knocked on the door to your room. You were broken out of your trance and weakly said “It’s open” so he knew he could come in. 

Once Connor opened the door he knew something was up. The energy in the room just felt wrong. Then he saw your hunched figure on the bed and could tell something was up just by how you were sitting and approached the bed slowly so as to not startle you. Once he came into your field of vision you broke down even more feeling so pathetic in this moment. “Oh sweetheart,” he says softly. He sat down in front of you and took one of your arma in his hand and inspected the damage gently. He did the same with the other and once he was done he opened his arms and you crashed into his chest, violently crying at this point. He held you tight and pressed soft kisses into your head. He just let you cry it out rubbing soft circles into your back but while he was he couldn’t help but think how could the light of his life ever feel so bad that you felt you had to do this to yourself? 

Once your cries had calmed down to soft sniffles every once in a while he said “Let’s get you cleaned up then we can cuddle. Sound good?” You nodded tiredly. “Okay let’s go to the bathroom,” he said, grabbing your hands to pull you up and guide you to the bathroom. Once you got there you sat on the counter and Connor got to work. He carefully applied antibiotic ointment and bandages to the affected areas and when he was done pressed gentle kisses to all of the bandages.  After that he cleaned up his ‘workspace’ and led you back to your bedroom. The two got ready and had settled into your bed when he broke the comfortable silence that had settled between you two. “You know we have to talk about this right?” You nodded timidly. “Why?” he said simply. You explained how terrible this week had been for you and how it all got to be too much. The whole time Connor listened with his undivided attention on you, holding your hand and rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. At some point while you were explaining you had started crying, He sat up causing you to sit up as well. He grabbed your face, wiped your tears and stared deeply into your eyes. It felt like he was staring into your soul but you didn’t look away. After what feels like an eternity he finally spoke up and said “I don’t know how you could think all those awful things about yourself. You’re the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. Your kind, smart, compassionate, not to mention most beautiful person I’ve ever met. You’re not a burden to those around you, especially not me ever. Next time you feel like this, I want you to talk to me okay? I’m here to help you. I know you would do the same for me in a heartbeat so let me help you. I love you so much and I don’t want to lose you, you’re my whole world.” You were crying again but for the first time today they were happy tears. 

“Thank you for always reminding me how loved I am. I love you so much Con,” you said smiling through the tears. 

“I love you more Y/N/N,” he said, smiling sweetly at you. He gave you a tender kiss on the forehead and then said “You’ve had a long day we should get some sleep.”

“Yeah you’re right,” you said through a yawn. The two of you got cozy again, your head on Connor’s chest, his hands running through your hair. The sound of his heartbeat, the one he swore beat for only you, lulled you to sleep. The last thing you heard before you felt before you fell fully unconscious was a kiss being pressed to the top of your head.

[cierrabiscuits]

Koutaro Bokuto x Fem Reader: Eligible Bachelor

 Summary: Some of the MSBY team are scheduled at a charity event and are auctioned off for dates, you being the manager go with them. The team is well aware of your crush on Bokuto and put a plan in motion. What’s the worst that can happen. 

 Words: 5.1K

 Warnings: Angst if squint, happy ending, MSBY 4 being sold as dates for Charity.

 Authors Note: Hello! This is my first time posting a fic so go easy on me, I hope you all enjoy it and get a good laugh out of it like I did! This is part of a collab with @ambershaydeoffical! Please support all the talented writes who participated. 

Update: I made a route for Sakusa! Find that here

Update: I made a route for Atsumu! Finda that here

Story

“Alrighty boys are you ready to go on in?” You said staring at the four well dressed men  behind you.

 “No, and I want to go home.” Sakusa adjusted his black facemask. He wasn’t keen on coming to this event whatsoever.

 “Sakusa I know, but I really need you! Besides what would you be doing anyway? It's Valentine's day and you're as single as single gets. Live a little. Maybe you will find your Mrs.Clean tonight! Ya never know!” You said as he rolled his eyes and scoffed.

 “Omi-Omi don't be that way. Our lovely manager here worked hard to get us this opportunity, and it's benefiting a charity you scrooge.” Atsumu smacked Sakusa’s back.”I think your just upset because you know all the ladies are going to bid on me.” The blond setter smirked at the very pissed Sakusa who just glared at him.

 “NOoO It's going to be me who gets all the bids. I still have my tan from Brazil and I’m alot cooler than all of you.” Hinata piped up, proudly adjusting his tie that had little volleyballs on it. 

 “Well if we don’t get our asses in that building, aint none of y’all getting any bids, besides I’m freezing to death,” You said rubbing your arms. The dress you wore done little to protect you from the cold night. 

 “Take this please, I don’t want to freeze to death. I like you warm and alive.” Bokuto, who's been oddly quiet, spoke up wrapping his grey tux jacket around your shoulders leaving him in his blue button up. You could smell his cologne on the jacket, you could drown in this and wouldn't complain. Your cheeks ran hot and you managed to let out a “thank you” through chattering teeth.

 “Okay let’s get going.” You said wrapping the jacket tighter around you as the boys followed you like baby ducks. Bokuto walked up beside you while the two boys bickered over who would have the most bids in the back, Sakusa wanted no part in it and stayed to himself. You look at Bokuto  who seemed nervous. You decided to hype him up a bit before he went into emo mode. “Bokuto you are going to have some gorgeous high profile women coming after you tonight, I’m jealous of them.” You didn't lie, you had the biggest crush on Bo, ever since you took the job as the MSBY manager. You never have a frown on your face next to him- until now. You knew he’d have a woman, that's not you, by his side tonight. You’d bid on him until your bank went in the negative but you don’t get paid like the women at this event do.

 “You wait and see, I’ll have the most beautiful one by time the night is out.” Bokuto said, smiling at you. You felt a pang of sadness creep on you, if he only knew. 

 The warm air of the ballroom felt nice against your cool body. You gave Bokuto his jacket back, you secretly wished you could keep it forever. You took in your surroundings, the ball room was filled with women in designer dresses and you could see the small stage in the middle of the room. 

 “Guys I have to find the event coordinator and see what time you guys need to get on stage. Please be on your best behavior, there are cameras everywhere. Atsumu keep the drinking to a minimum, Shoyo for the love of God go to the bathroom now, Omi keep these fools in line and you better be nice to people and last but never the least Bokuto, If you dance please be careful, I don’t want to take you to the ER again because you hit the Cha cha slide too hard. And with that I’m out. I’m counting on you guys.” You said giving them a thumbs up as you got lost into the sea of people to hunt the event coordinator. 

~

 “Thank you so much Y/N! Everyone is looking forward to the auction. We have some models and a couple pop stars who will be in the line up as well as a few volunteers . I want your boys to go at the end, as they say ‘always save the best for last’.” The coordinator spoke over the bustling crowd. She went over the rules and where they needed to go and what time to line up. You soaked in all the information the bubbly coordinator was giving you. “I have to go let the rest of the people know the game plan. Please have your guys here and lined up in half an hour. Thank you again!” And with that she disappeared into the crowd. Now here came the hard part.

You scanned the large ballroom to find your heathens. Sakusa would be the easiest to find because he is most likely on one of the four corners in the building. Hinata was most likely with Bokuto, and Atsumu was a wild card, he could be at the bar, maybe even on the dance floor trying to impress girls with his dance moves(That suck by the way). You recall the time you found him passed out in a bush drunk off ass at a gala last year. You make up a game plan, you would get Bo and Hinata first, then find a hopefully sober Tsumu and lastly get Sakusa (you figured it best not to drag him around the ballroom) You spot Bokuto’s tall figure next to a snack bar, and as you figured Hinata was with him. They were both stuffing their mouths with meat kebabs and other foods like wild animals, they sure love to eat you thought. 

 “Bokuto,Hinata, they are getting ready to line everyone up, wait for me over there.” You said pointing towards an area that was not  too terribly crowded.

 “HEY HEY HEY Y/N try one of these things, they are so freakin good.” He shoved a cake pop in front of your face. You took it from the gray haired boy.

 “Thank you Bo, but we really need to go.” You took a bite from the cake pop. “Wow that is really good.” You said finishing it in one bite. You heard some snickers from a group of girls, they made a smug comment about you eating it all at once. You normally would throw hands but you had an image to uphold. You shouldn't let it bother you but it did.

 “Hey don’t let that bother you, besides I like a girl that can eat.” Bokuto said, patting your head. He is literally the human version of sunshine. 

 “Thanks Bo. But really we need to get the move on, I still have to hunt Tsumu down. Can you and Hinata wait for me over there.” You said pointing to the area again.

 “Roger that.” They said unison. 

  “I’ll be right back.” You said going back into the crowd. You checked the dancefloor first and he wasn't there(You were relieved he was not.). You made your way to the bar and found him surrounded by women who were mesmerized by his thick accent. You waved him down and he nodded and turned his attention back to the group he had attracted.

 “It looks like It's time fer’ me to go, make sure you all bid for me. I’ll be a waitin’” He said getting up and following you. The women he had been entertaining giggled as he walked away.

 “Look at you being a player. I didn’t expect that from a man who yells at girls when they cheer for him.” You leaned into him so he could hear you over the crowd.

 “I’m just tryin’ to raise some money, it's strictly business. My heart belongs to volleyball for the most part.”He said winking at you. He truly is just a fool in love with the sport. 

You led Atsumu to the group and went to retrieve poor  Sakusa. You looked around for a few minutes and felt a tug at the back of your shirt. You turn around and see Sakusa towering over you. 

 “This is new, I’m used to finding you sulking in a corner.” You said staring into his black eyes. 

 “I watched you gather everyone up, I figured I would come on over to make it easier for you.” He began to walk towards the rest of the group.

 “I guess being 6’4 has its perks huh Omi? You're like a watchtower.” You said looking up at the tall spiker.

 “Yeah, guess so.”He said playing with one of his dark curls.

~~

 “Okay we have everyone, so you guys are going last, I’ll leave who goes first to you guys. Now let's go get lined up.” You lead them to the stage and let them line up. Atsumu insisted on going first, Hinata would go after him, then Sakusa and lastly Bokuto. 

 “You owe me some umeboshi after this.” Sakusa said, taking his mask off and putting it in the pocket of his tux.

 “Sure thing. I'll even throw in a thing of nice smelling hand sanitizer for the trouble.” You crossed your arms and smirked at him.

 “I’ll hold you to that.” He said, filing behind Hinata.

 You looked at Bokuto who appeared to be a nervous wreck. He had a small layer of sweat on his forehead and his hands were shaking slightly. “Hey it's going to be okay, I’ll be right here.” You said pulling out your handkerchief and dabbing the sweat off his forehead. “You're amazing and dare I say you're the best looking one.” You said making him blush.

 “Ummm HEY.” Atsumu said glaring at you, obviously butt hurt from your comment. Sakusa was unamused and took it upon himself to kick Atsumu. That gave you the opportunity to turn your attention back to the nervous male beside you. Before you could comfort him the loud speaker cut you off.

 “Ladies and gentleman, would you please give your attention to the center stage, the date auction will begin momentarily.” The coordinator announced causing everyone to tense up a bit.

 “Come on guys loosen up a bit, I’m going to be in the front taking pictures for our instagram page. So show off a little! Show them you are proud to be a part of such an awesome volleyball team!” You hyped them up one last team. “With that being said I want a group picture so bring it in guys.” You said pulling the camera and ushering the athletes into the frame. “Say cheese.” Atsumu wrapped his arm around Sakusa who didn’t have the chance to push him off, Bokuto gave Hinata bunny ears. It was a chaotic photo, but It caught their true essence. 

 “I want a picture with you before you go Y/N. Pleaseee.” Bokuto gave you puppy dogs eyes and you couldn't deny him.

 “Sure Bo. Atsumu here.” You handed him the camera and got beside Bokuto. He wrapped an arm around your waist and held you close to him. You could feel his muscles through the tux that fit just a little too good. 

 “Aww you look like a cute couple.” Atsumu teased as he brought the camera up to snap a picture. You couldn't make a comeback as embarrassment washed over you. You looked up at Bokuto who had a blush adorning his handsome face.

 “Y/N I’m going to do something, don’t get mad.” Bokuto said, picking you up bridal style before you could even protest.

 “That’s what I’m talking about!” Atsumu said, snapping more pictures. 

 “Bokuto put me down, I'm heavy!” You shriked  gripping onto his tux.

 “No you're not. I could carry you around all night like this if you wanted me to!” He smiled down at you! You felt your face light up like a Christmas tree. No matter how big or small you were, Bokuto always made you feel like a princess. 

 “As much as I’d love you to, we gotta get this ball rolling.” You said as he gently placed you back on your feet. “I’ll be taking that.” You said snatching the camera from Atsumu who was smirking. He seemed to be hiding something from the way he was acting. He is definitely sus you thought. You waved the boys goodbye and made you way to the front of the crowd. You got the camera ready as the spotlight of the stage flickered on. 

 “Thank you all for coming out tonight! We hope you are ready to see the heartthrobs we have lined up for you!!” The announcer said setting the tone. “Valentine's day is all about love and being with one another. So if your single, ladies, pull those yen out and let’s get to business!” The crowd cheered and applauded as the auction began.

You didn’t pay much attention to the men coming on stage, your only worry was the last 4. You scrolled through the camera to see the pictures Atsumu took of you and Bokuto. Bokuto had such a wide smile on his face in the pictures, your smile was just as big, even though your face was full of panic in the one where he effortlessly picked you up. You’re pulled from your day dream when you heard the announcer’s voice.

 “We have some special guests tonight from the MSBY volleyball team! We’ll start first with Miya Atsumu!” The announcer said as Atsumu walked on the stage like he owned it. He flipped his hair and looked at the group of women he serenaded earlier and blew them a kiss. You got lucky and snapped a picture of it, he may be annoying as hell but he knows how to get women. He had about ten women fighting over him, his bids kept going up and up. After a cutthroat battle he was sold for roughly  200,000 yen. He smirked and walked off the stage. You couldn’t help but chuckled to yourself, he’d be one of a kind if he didn’t have a twin. 

 “Up next we have Hinata Shoyo!” She said as the tangerine headed boy shly walked on stage. He looked confident for the most part and he thankfully went to the bathroom before this. He had on one of his classic charming but cute smiles. You could hear girls behind you talk about how cute he was. His skin was glowing under the spotlight thanks to the Brazilian sun. His bids went up high, he ended up being sold for 120,000 yen. He waved at the audience and bounced off the stage.

 “Let’s welcome our next bachelor who just so happens to be the tallest one tonight, Sakusa Kiyoomi!” You watched on edge as Sakusa walked out, he didn’t seem nervous but he wasn’t all that interested either, he stood in the middle of the stage like a statue. To make matters worse he wasn’t smiling. You grabbed his attention for a moment and smiled as wide as you could and pointed at your face, you felt like one of the psychotic moms from toddlers and tiaras but you had to do something or he wasn't going to get any bids. You mouthed the words “Smile please” at him and he finally took the hint. He had an awkward but cute smile on his face finally. You relaxed a little and resumed taking pictures. His bids began to go up and quick. Sakusa looked at the exit of the stage and smirked at someone and turned his attention back to the crowd. You could only guess he was looking at Atsumu who was probably pissed at how high Sakusa’s bids were. Sakusa was sold for a whopping 500,000 yen. You know Tsumu’s ego was damaged beyond repair right now. Sakusa bowed and left the stage. 

 “Now let’s end this night right! We have one more contest so let’s welcome Bokuto Koutarou to the stage!” You felt your heart drop and the announcer said his name. You had to watch someone you loved dearly be bid off to some rich girl who would probably steal him away. You tried to knock away negative thoughts but you couldn’t help it. He looked sinfully good when he walked on stage. What nervousness he felt was gone and now it’s nothing but his overwhelming confidence. He carefully watched one specific area of the crowd. You snapped pictures of him (a lot of them being for your personal collection) as he walked around the stage flexing and showing off. His eyes met yours a lot and he seemed to be smirking at you. But his attention always went back to the one area of the crowd. You heard his bids go up, one particular girl was bidding for him like her life depended on having him. Her voice came from the direction he kept starting at. He looked nervous when anyone but her called out a bid. You began to get ate up with pure jealousy, you wish you could take him off the stage and run away with him right then and there. The bids kept going up and up and the girl that kept bidding on him got him for 150,000 yen. He looked ecstatic. He looked at you and smiled before he went off stage. Your heart dropped and you wanted to leave, but you still have work to do. 

 “That concludes the auction tonight! If you won you can meet up with your bachelor over here on the left.” The announcer pointed towards the group of men. You made your way to find the guys so you can take more pictures and let them know where you’ll be when they get done.

 “You guys did awesome!” You said running up to them. They gave you a soft smile. You notice Bokuto was MIA. “Umm guys, where is Bo?” They hesitated for a second but your conversation was cut short as the boys dates for the evening came up.

 “Sakusa was it?” A well dressed man walked up to the tall volleyball player. You noticed a small girl clutching his dress shirt. She couldn’t be any older than 8. “This is my daughter, she wanted someone to dance with her but in all honesty I’m trying to make some business deals while I’m here, keep her company for me.” The man patted his shoulder and slipped some extra money in Sakusa’s shirt pocket, leaving him slacked jawed. 

  “All the umeboshi your heart desires, a big box of the nice face masks you like, and whatever else you want, just please be nice to this poor girl. She looks sad.” You whispered into Omi’s ear trying to persuade him a little more.

 “I didn’t come here to babysit, but I guess I can.” He said low enough that the girl couldn’t hear. Omi peered down at the small girl, she actually had moles on her face kinda like he does but on the opposite side.

 “Umm hi.” She said looking up at the tall man. She seemed nervous. You nugged Omi in the side to get him to say anything.

 “When was the last time you washed your hands?” He asked the girl and you could have choked him. The girl giggled at his statement.

 “I wash my hands all the time! Look my mom even bought me this!” She pulled out a small key chain with a rabbit on it, attached was a small bottle of hand sanitizer. “Would you like some?” She said opening the cap. Sakusa held his hand as the small girl poured some into his hands and she gave herself some as well.

 “Good.” Sakusa said, pulling his mask from his pocket to put it back on. The little girl grabbed his hand and dragged him to the dance floor. You knew this was way out of his comfort zone, but he was still doing it. 

 “Omg your hair is so cute! Can I touch it?” You whipped your head around to see a young bubbly girl talking to Hinata. 

 “Umm s—s sure.” He said nervously as the girl ran and hand through his hair. You couldn’t help but laugh a little. The poor baby seemed so embarrassed. The dance floor was filled with couples and the girl dragged Hinata to the dance floor before he could even get her name. You turned to Atsumu who looked like he had seen a ghost.

 “Young man I’m getting my money's worth tonight so let's go dance.” An old lady who you thought resemble Baba Yaga from spirited away stood in front of poor Atsumu. 

 “Yes ma’am.” He said, forcing a smile.  He looked at you pleasing eyes that screamed “please save me Y/N”. You shook your head at him.

 “Pay attention to me boy, I paid good money for you.” The old lady said whacking Atsumu with the cane she carried.

 “Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am.” He said walking with the old woman to the dance floor. You had to turn your head and laugh, between Sakusa getting stuck babysitting a kid and Atsumu being stuck with a senior citizen after talking all that smack, it was priceless. You guess them ladies Atsumu talked to must not have liked him that much.

You searched around for Bokuto to make sure he got his date for the night, you were also curious who she was and how pretty she was. You felt that jealousy creep back on you. This was going to be a long night. You finally spot Bokuto talking to a drop dead beautiful girl, she looked familiar but you couldn’t quite place her. She and Bokuto seemed to be having a good time, she was laughing at something he had said. Your heart shattered. You look back up to see Bo making eye contact with you. All you could do was smile and get lost in the crowd before he could see the stray tear falling down your cheek. You needed to get outside for a bit, you felt like you were suffocating. You fought the crowd and finally made your way to the exit. You pushed the metal door open. The cold night felt good against your hot skin. You walked down a path in front of the building and tried to collect yourself. 

 “Another year alone and single.” You blurted out to yourself. You find a small bench and decide to sit down for a bit. The night sky brought a sort of comfort to you. The stars twinkled and the moon casted a peaceful light. The cold was getting to you but you were afraid to go back in. You mentally couldn’t handle it. 

 “PARKOUR.” You felt your soul leave your body as you saw a shadow jump over the bench you were sitting on. You flinched back ready to fight off the attacker only to be met with Bokuto standing in front.

 “BO you scared me to death!” You said inhaling a deep breath and clutching your chest.

 “I’m sorry my parkour was so awesome it scared you.” He said, taking his jacket off and draping it yet again around your cold body. Your nose flooded again with the scent of his cologne. It’s calmed you down in a bittersweet way. “But angel what are you doing out here, you’ll get sick if you're not careful.” He kneeled down a bit and pulled the jacket around your cold body more. 

 “I could ask you the same things Mr. Parkour, you have a beautiful woman in there waiting on you, so stop wasting your time on me.” You said trying to hold it together.

 “Well I’m more concerned with the real beautiful one sitting right in front of me.” He said grabbing your shaking hands. Your eyes went wide with what he said.

 “Bo I’m confused?” You said looking into his golden eyes.

 “Well that woman you saw me with is not really my date, yes she did bid on me, but she was never my real date. She is actually the guy who owns our gym's daughter! She agreed to bid on me, but in return she wanted a date with Atsumu’s brother and he agreed to do it! The team helped me do this so I could be with you tonight, but I guess it didn’t go as smoothly as I planned. I’m sorry I made you sad.” Bokuto sat beside you on the bench,

 “Bokuto are you low key confessing to me?” You looked over at him and he smiled and shook his head. 

 “Yes and let me do this properly.” He cleared his throat and held his hand out for you to grab, which you gladly accepted. “Y/N please let me be your date tonight and from here on out please!”  

 “So like boyfriend and girlfriend Bo?” You said wanting to make sure you got the message right.

 “Yes Y/N, please be my girlfriend. All that flexin on the stage was for you baby!” He stood up and flexed again making you laugh. “But in all seriousness, I freakin love you. So what do you say Y/N?” 

 “Yes. I would love nothing mo-“ Bokuto cut you off by lifting your body into his strong arms. You giggled as he swung you both in circles. He slowed down and seen you finally smile again

 “Now that’s a pretty sight, you're not going to be sad on my watch anymore. Now we better get back inside before we freeze to death!” Bokuto wrapped an arm around your shoulder as you two began to walk back. “Wait I have something for you!” He dug through his pockets and pulled out a small jewelry box and handed it to you. You opened it and there was a necklace with a small owl charm and a “B” charm next to it.

 “Bo this is so cute! Can you help me put it on!” You said handing him the necklace. He struggled to get it on but finally got it. The silver was cold on your skin, but you didn’t mind at all.

 “Omi actually helped me pick it out, believe it or not. He said if I would have went alone I would have got something stupid.” Bokuto said, sliding the jewelry box back into his coat pocket. You hate to admit it but Sakusa going was probably a good thing. 

 “Bo I really love it, thank you.” You said leaving up and kissing his cheek. “Now let’s go back, I’ve got to check in on everyone.” You walked into the ballroom with your arm hooked around Bokuto’s bicep. 

You scanned the room to see if you could find any of the guys and the only one you could see was Hinata laughing with his date. They seemed to be hitting it off pretty good. “Bokuto let’s go get something to drink.” You both walked towards the bar, you see that girl who bid on Bokuto sitting next to Osamu. They both seemed to be having a good time.

 “Thank you again! The planned worked Y/N is my girlfriend now!” Bokuto walked up to them and showed you off. 

 “I’m so glad!” The girl said, clasping her hands together. “You are a cute couple.” 

 “Speaking of a cute couple.” Osamu chimed in and pointed towards his brother Atsumu who was being dragged around by that old lady. “I may have given her some free Onigiri vouchers and a few hundred yen to bid on him.” The twin laughed at his brother's despair. 

 “Your evil, but I like it.” The girl said as they clinked their drinks together. 

 “You guys enjoy it, we still have to hunt for Omi.” You bowed and clung back on to Bokuto. 

After circulating the ballroom a few times you finally find Sakusa and the little girl sitting at a table. Sakusa looked dead tired and the little girl was stuffing her face with cake

 “Omi you look like a tired dad.” Bokuto said bursting out laughing at his teammate. 

 “I see your plan worked.” Sakusa said, looking at the necklace through tired eyes. 

 “Yes it did now this cutie is all mine.” Bokuto said peppering your cheek with kisses.

 “How disgusting, when you grow up don’t date idiots like him.” Sakusa looked at the child who just nodded her head. It was hilarious to see Omi so out of his element. “That was directed at you Bokuto not Y/N.” 

 “Omi, he is a idiot but he is my idiot.” You patted Bokuto's back. 

 “Omi-Omi let’s go dance some more. I like this song.” The little girl tugged on his jacket. 

 “Fine.” Omi sighed and followed her dance floor.

 “Now that we know everyone (for the most part) is okay let’s dance!” You said leading Bokuto to the dance floor.

 You danced to every single song and Bo didn’t break anything when the cha cha slide came on. He swung you around all night without a care in the world. 

 “Let’s end the night with something nice and slow.” The Dj said putting on (Insert your favorite slow song)

  “May I have this dance pretty girl?” Bokuto asked, holding his hand out to pull you closer to him.

 “The Macarena may have wore me out, but I guess I have enough wind in me for one last song.” You teased wrapping your arms around his neck. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and began to slowly dance you around the room. 

 You see that little girl struggling to keep up with Omi’s big steps as he attempted to dance with her, he was at least trying you thought. Hinata was slow dancing with his date of the night, they both seemed comfortable and content with each other. Atsumu was still with that granny but he seemed to have accepted defeat as he danced around with her. Osamu danced with the gym owner's daughter and made it a mission to kick his brother when they got close enough, he even messed him up enough to cause the old to hit him with the cane again. You felt Bokuto's grip tighten and he dipped you down enough to finally kiss you on the lips. He pulled away and brought you back up to continue dancing. 

“ I love you Y/N.” Bokuto spoke softly in your ear. 

 “I love you too.” You said as the song faded out.

   “And one more thing Y/N” Bokuto said, leaning down to whisper in your ear. “I told you I would have the most beautiful girl here.”

Fin

[koushisatori]

Anniversary

First of all: If you happen to stumble across this, please cut me some slack and be gentle with me. English is not my mother tongue, and on top of that, I got rusty by procrastinating everything (literally) for the last half-year (*μ_μ) I am apologizing in advance if something is weirdly written.

This is also my first ever piece of fanfiction, so I have to get used to that to :(( So if you got ideas or anything, I’ll gladly try to fulfill your wishes to simultaneously improve my writing.

Hmm, is there anything else? I hope not, and if there is, I’ll add it !! 

tendou x f!reader

genre: small bit of angst, fluff

warnings: none

word count: 2.7k

note: /

__________________________________________________________

usually, your relationship with Tendou is smooth sailing, both of you decided to take the step of moving in together relatively early, exceeding the common couples limit by not only doing this barely a year into your relationship but doing so in a different country far from your family and friends

(both of you learning french together to survive a new life in an absolutely foreign country...however, the first months of grocery shopping were disastrous ) 

you both became a couple in your last year at Shiratorizawa, surprising absolutely....well,...no one, honestly

every person just seeing a moment of your interactions with each other would have guessed that you already were dating

Tendou and you were the embodiment of being disgustingly in love - like people see you and feel  s i n g l e wanting to have what you two obviously found with the other

(SemiSemi, to this day, shudders violently thinking about how he caught you two making out in the storage room a week after Tendou finally confessed to you <3) 

anyway

while Tendou followed his dream of becoming a chocolatier, you began to study - enter: stress

after finishing his required training he got a job at a high-class factory (everything his handmade and super expensive?? You’re just so lucky to be his better half and get to taste his creations for free)

they value his skills and invest in him to become better, but that also means that his time for you shrank even more

you understood that, of course, and it's not like you didn’t spend a lot of your times crouching over books either with being close to receiving your first degree

in general, your fights are stressed-induced, and as quickly forgotten as they came up bc...let’s not beat around the bush, both of you are shit at staying mad at the other, especially if it means cutting short the already sparse time you currently have <3

they’re usually about petty stuff, too

recently though it happens more regularly and they ever so slowly started to border on painful

he stays at work for longer to perfect his already otherworldly skills; and your patience is running thin with all the deadlines and exams putting immense pressure on you

both of you are just so unsatisfied and stressed and...so fucking tired

it’s always forgivable though

you don’t mind planned dinner dates turning into movie nights with him falling asleep on you after what feels like seconds

because he’s there, pressing his face into your side or stomach hard enough for you to wonder if he’s trying to suffocate himself, while his long arms are around your waist holding onto you as if his life depends on it

he doesn’t mind being splayed across your lap watching the latest episodes of his series while you type away on your laptop, even though you were supposed to enjoy a nice weekend lazying in front of the tv with him 

a forgotten date hasn’t killed you yet as well, but the amount of times it was currently happening allowed insecurities to have their way with you

both of you always make up for it one way or another (leaving an apology breakfast or even taking it to bed, buying flowers, sharing the sweet kisses you were supposed to enjoy the night before,...) 

but this time, he didn’t just forget to be on time for any date.

he completely missed your anniversary

you spend the whole afternoon cooking his favorite dish for dinner, making yourself all pretty for him, wearing the jewelry he got you for your birthday, it was some kind of tradition by now

just to be stood up, dinner turning cold and your mood sour

no message, no callback

around 11pm he - finally ! - gets in touch with you 

‘‘(Y/N)!! Bunny, did something happen? Did you miss me so much?’’

you could hear the dopey grin he was wearing while teasing you, one you usually loved, one that was contagious

but it didn’t help the pain and disappointment nesting in your heart, right now

he really didn’t remember

was the date so insignificant to him? were you no longer a priority?

you swallow around the lump in your throat, desperately begging your brain to not amplify your insecurities even more

‘’No...it’s...it’s alright, I just wanted to know when you’re home...’’ your attempt to keep the doubts and pain you experienced that second hidden was pointless, because even on the phone, your boyfriend was able to look right through you

‘‘Bunny what’s wrong?’’ he asks worriedly

normally you’d say that it was alright, that you’d speak later or directly say what was bugging you so terribly

this time...you didn’t feel like talking or maybe even fighting, scared that he might confirm your thoughts and leave you

‘’It’s nothing, Tendou,...’’ you hear him wince, you can’t remember the last time you called him that ’’don’t bother with me if it’s not as important to you.’’ 

‘‘Not as...’’ a moment of silence follows, in which he checked the date and, lastly, Tendou understood ‘’Oh. Oh shit, (Y/N),...Bunny, please, wait for me, please, let me explain...’‘

It’s not the answer you wanted (on the other hand, what answer would that be?)

‘‘I waited...and I’m tired,’‘ you add without thinking, hanging up before he even got the chance to answer

while you don’t want things to end...you can’t help but think ‘what if?’ - that thought alone though is enough for the dams to burst

With a soft groan, you blink your burning eyes open, noticing your spine protesting and pop from the uncomfortable position you fell asleep in. A glance at the alarm clock elicited another tired groan, the 4 on display mocking you. 

The burning and overall sluggish feeling controlling your body immediately reminded you of the things that had taken place. That his scent surrounding you arose solely due to his pillow in which you had pressed your face.

While you obviously weren’t on the best of terms right now, a small part of you was still hopeful and reached out across the bed in search for the warmth your red-haired better half usually provided. Unsurprisingly, your hand met a cold bed half.

An annoyed sigh later, you sat up and rubbed over your eyes angrily. You were hurt, which should be understandable, but remembering his overly happy tone even with evident tiredness underlaying it, you guessed that he didn’t stay behind on purpose and that, maybe, something good had happened. So to say, you as well behaved like an idiot.

Suddenly, you remember the last sentence you said. Realizing what it implied, you felt like banging your head against the wall. You wanted to be understood by him. What you didn’t want was to give Satori the time to allow his anxious tendencies to fester while he was alone, foregoing untrue, negative ideas. The fact that he still wasn’t in bed with you, was proof enough which lead to you cursing out loud.

While your last words towards him told something differently, you surely didn’t want to leave him or him to leave you. Both of you could work things out, you always did, and…well, you always hoped that it would stay that way until you had lived a fulfilling life as a couple, with grey hair and wrinkles taking your last breath together wherever life would lead the two of you.

The simple solution was to communicate like the grown adults you are. 

Determined to talk through it the way you should have done earlier and maybe...just maybe get some cuddles afterward, you swung your legs out from under the blankets. After you quickly put on some warm, worn-out socks, you quietly leave the bedroom and tip-toe through the hallway.

You expected the apartment to be silent, to be dark. What you didn’t expect is the soft light coming from your shared kitchen. Or the clinking noises of bowls and pots colliding lightly, lowly muttered, sleepy curses, and even quieter sniffles interrupting the barrage of words from time to time.

Upon hearing those little sounds - no doubt coming from your anxious boyfriend - your heart clenched painfully in your chest. This is your injudicious doing. Straightening your back, you stepped into the kitchen, slightly squinting against the much harsher ceiling lights assaulting your eyes.

The original plan was to offer a heartfelt apology, and follow it up by an honest declaration of love and the proposal to talk about everything. There were a lot of things that needed to be cleared up between you and Tendou. But after entering the kitchen, you came to an abrupt halt.

Your eyes wandered, lingering on cuts, burns, and blisters that blemished your boyfriends' pretty fingers. Slowly, your gaze continued to move up his arms and shoulders, tensed and screaming out his fear of losing you. For a moment, you hesitated, but you eventually lifted your gaze to meet his wide eyes, as red-rimmed and puffy as yours. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. Normally, you would find it adorable and stretch your hands out to cup his cheeks (not to pull him down, definitely not) and press a kiss to his lips...but right now? You really just felt like crying, seeing your Satori so heartbroken over something you said carelessly in the heat of the moment.

Suddenly wincing, Tendou quickly pulls back his hand to his chest away from the hot stove. Yet, he did not dare to break eye contact with you. Seemingly afraid that what he currently saw is nothing but a sleep-deprivation induced hallucination. That you would just vanish if he so much dared to even think of blinking.

The stupor rooting you to the spot though vanished in favor of closing the gap between the two of you to help him.

‘‘Tori...’‘ you croaked worriedly, eyes flickering down to his hands and back up to his watery, sad eyes. ‘‘I’m so sorry,’’ you whispered. Any louder and your voice might break. ’’...let me take care of you.’‘ 

You turned off the stove before you gently tugged Tendou behind you to the bathroom. Making him sit on the edge of the small tub, you gathered everything you needed to patch him up with rehearsed movements.

For a while, both of you were silent. 

You carefully worked on disinfecting cuts and putting special creams on the different wounds and burns, while not hurting him any further. Concentrating on ignoring the thick tension of untold apologies, and fear. Doubt weighing heavy on the two of you. 

Meanwhile, Tendou couldn't help but admire your features. Your soft hair - faintly smelling like peaches and anis - falling into your face, hiding away your pretty (Y/E/C) eyes. He loved to get lost in them. Or how your tongue poked out between your lips in concentration and the little scrunch of your nose when you thought that you could have done better. 

Even in this hazy state of mind, he knew for certain that he would try to hold onto you for as long as possible. That he would do anything to make you forgive him.

After you finished gently wrapping band-aids (silly ones with colorful patterns just the way you both love) around his fingers, on his palm, and back of his hand, he quickly moved them to hold onto yours.

‘‘Don’t leave me.’‘ Tendou's voice is just above a whisper, and if you wouldn't have been that close to him as you were, you would have missed it. But you could hear him, and your eyes immediately met his, filling with tears all over again.

‘‘Satori, I’m-’‘

‘‘(Y/N), please...please, don’t leave me. I’m so sorry. Of course, I care. Our relationship, you...nothing’s as important to me as you are. It was the only thing keeping me sane that last week. I don't know why I forgot about it. I truly feel horrible.'' he started. ''Please, believe me. I love you so, so much. I...I can’t imagine a life without you. I don’t want to.’’ Even with his voice quivering, it was crystal clear just how serious his words were to him. 

He needed to get it out in the open. There was no way in hell that he would allow any doubts about your relationship to fester in your mind.

‘’I was held back to talk about the upcoming Christmas preparations that I’m supposed to be leading this year, and then I was called into the boss’ office and I couldn’t check my phone,’‘ the desperation to explain still evident, Tendou resorted to rambling about the happenings of the day.

‘‘I’m sorry for hurting you, but Bunny, I beg you...I know that we haven't had enough time those last weeks, that we didn't have any if we’re honest. I understand that you must feel neglected. I will change that, give me a chance to make you forgive me, please.’‘ 

It wasn’t like you wanted to cry again, but the tears rolling down your cheeks seemed to have a mind on their own. ‘’ ‘Tori...’’ you sniffled, your voice breaking away at the last syllable. ‘’Can I hug you?’’  

The relief on his face spoke volumes, and before you even got the chance to make good on your words, he already stands tall in front of you, enveloping you tightly.

Securely wrapped up in Satoris’ arms, you feel like coming home after months away. Or like taking in the first gasp of fresh air after holding your breath underwater for too long. With Tendou holding onto you like this, you found the strength to answer.

''I'm sorry, too...I love you so much, and...I know you always have a reason, and it was childish to hang up on you and leave you worrying alone instead of talking to you. And...if you neglected me those last weeks, then I did the same. We both were too busy for each other...'' 

After a short pause, you ask: ''B-but we can work it out, right?’’ Slowly, you looked up to him. ‘’I want to spend my life with you, Satori. Don’t listen to dumb me 5 hours earlier. 5-hours-ago-me was so stupid, and petty, and does not reflect my true wishes,’’ you added. ’’No one of our old friends wanted to put up with me the last week because I’m so head over heels in love with you and all I do is tell them ‘’You should have seen what Tori did for me’’ and what I plan to do for you...I can feel them roll their eyes from the other side of the world!’’

Suddenly aware of your very honest words, you pushed your face against his chest to hide your burning cheeks. Embarrassment painting them in a pretty hue of pink. 

Tendou hadn't realized that he had actually held his breath listening to your words until he chuckled a bit breathlessly. The remaining tension possessing both of your bodies faded away after that, allowing you to relish in the feeling of having the other in your arms again.

After a while, you bravely gazed up at him again, even with your cheeks still set ablaze. ''Come to bed?'' And with a sweet smile, one that reached his eyes and made your heart stutter, he nodded. 

Things between the two of you weren't ideal quite yet, Tendou kknew that much. But they would be. Tomorrow would be a new day. You would hopefully agree to celebrate your anniversary a day later. He hoped, that you would agree to spend it with him from the first second you woke up to the very last before you fell asleep. You will hopefully enjoy the news that his promotion was topped with holidays that allowed you to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve with your families in Japan.

He also hoped for you to say yes when, surrounded by your friends, he would ask you to marry him under the Cherry Blossoms in spring.

Things weren't quite ideal, but watching your peaceful expression while sleeping on his chest, he knew, all the up and downs were worth powering through. He would embrace every hardship if that meant keeping you by his side forever.

[rat-father]

Part 7! Pora needed some love, so they got it

I'm just having fun writing this

Tagging; @skunkandgrenade @jordanstrophe

-- tw;; slave/captivity whump, collars, restraints, gags, dehumanising, intimate whumper, starvation, passing out, burning, cruel whumper, torture --

The wind had been rough for a couple days, and Pora was convinced the tents would be sent flying with how much they got pushed back and forth. All the shows had been canceled, which meant Mynci would get stressed trying to figure out how to reschedule things. And him being stressed only meant bad for Pora. They had to clean the entire place by themselves, and make sure it was all spotless. At first it wasn’t so bad, but they quickly got tired out, their hands aching from scrubbing the floor. They were forced to keep going until they passed out. When they did, Mynci kicked the bucket of hot water over them to wake them up, and told them to redo all of it. When they were done with half of the tents, they got to take a break. Gratefully Pora sat down panting against one of the stages. Their whole body was shaking, despite them feeling like they were on fire. 

The break didn’t last long as Mynci quickly grew impatient. He pulled Pora up by their hair and told them to continue scrubbing. They cleaned as fast as they could, just wanting to get it over with. Their stomach growled, begging for food. He had been starving them for days, forgetting to feed them. But he said they’d get food if they did well, and they were desperate. After hours and hours of cleaning they finally finished. Happy to have it over with they followed Mynci to the back room, stumbling the entire way.

“You’ll be taking care of the horses tomorrow. You better rest.” He threw a slice of bread at them and left, locking the door behind him.

They sighed in relief, crawling back into their corner. They ate the bread slowly, savoring each bite while trying to regain some energy. It wasn’t much but they were grateful nonetheless. Anything was better then nothing. Shivering, they fell into a micro sleep. Footsteps neared and they jolted awake, instantly relaxing when they saw Val. She gave them their thin blanket, too thin to stay warm, but at least they could cover themselves. They both knew Mynci would take it away again as soon as he saw Pora with it, but they could enjoy it temporarily. Quickly they wrapped it around themselves and tried to stop their shivering. Even though they were exhausted, sleeping was difficult. They dreaded the moment Mynci would be back again. They tried to disappear in their mind, focus on anything else. Nothing seemed to work. Dark thoughts constantly loomed in their head making them feel terrible. Tears just kept rolling down their face without them even realizing. Nothing felt right, everything hurt, ached, burned.

Eventually they fell asleep, and for once they woke up feeling well rested. They still had their blanket, meaning Mynci probably forgot they existed. It happened before in the past, and they had tried to use it as an opportunity to escape, but they got caught. What he did to them afterwards was something they’d rather not think about. Pora used what little time they had to rest some more. When Mynci did come to get them, he wasn’t happy that they were still sleeping. He ripped the blanket off of them and kicked them in the ribs. They woke up with a gasp, tears filling their eyes.

“Did I give you permission to sleep longer, slave?” Mynci asked in a stern tone.

“No, sir.”

“Then why did you do it?”

Pora quietly pushed themselves onto their knees.

“I’m sorry sir.” They managed to whisper.

“That’s not what I asked.” He snapped. “And since you decided to break my rules, I’ll need to punish you, maybe then you’ll learn.”

He took them by their upper arm and roughly dragged them to his room. He threw them on the floor, watching them scramble into a kneeling position.

“I know a perfect punishment for you,” he opened a drawer, taking multiple things out. “Open your mouth.”

Hesitantly they did and immediately got a ball gag shoved between their teeth. He strapped it on tight making them whimper. Without warning he ripped their shirt off, and tied their wrists together behind their back. Lastly he attached a leash to the collar to finish the look. He chuckled and pulled them back up to their feet.

”Aren’t you just adorable like this?” Mynci held them close, softly stroking their cheek. They tried to squirm away from the touch. “Like a cute little pet, all mine for the taking.”

Pora started to panic, pleading with their eyes. He pressed a long kiss against their cheek before taking them outside. The wind was still rough and ice cold against their skin, their thin shorts not helping them stay warm. He took them to the back and tied the leash to a pole. He patted them on the head and silently walked back, leaving them alone in the cold. They tried to beg for him to come back but the gag muffled any noise they made. Silently they pulled their knees up to their chest, letting the tears roll down their face. They hoped he wouldn’t forget about them this time. The sound of wind blowing next to them was all they heard for hours.

For the first time, Pora was actually happy to see Mynci walk towards them. He untied the leash and hoisted them up over his shoulder. They rested their chin on his shoulder blade, wanting to hold onto the warmth. He gently placed them into his bed and tucked them in under the blanket.

“Do you want me to take off your restraints? Get you something to drink too?” His tone was soft and kind.

They nodded desperately, hope glistening in their eyes.

“What was that? You’re gonna need to speak up, and ask me politely.”

Their expression turned to fear as they tried to ask, beg, but only muffled noises came out. He sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

“If you don’t want anything, then I’ll leave you alone.”

He got up and left the room, ignoring their muffled cries. They couldn’t lay comfortably, their whole body still ice cold, they didn’t want to be alone.

[black-streak]

Waiting For The Worms - The Show Must Go On

Part 4

Sooo, this isn't nearly as dark and has very little angst in comparison to the point I'd almost say it isn't? It's pretty much just an update on life in a way. Which is also part of why it took so long for me to write. Like, the struggle was real. Next chapter will go back to your regularly scheduled heartbreak.

Warnings from chapter 1, while mostly inapplicable for this part, still in effect.

The gallery: @northernbluetongue @thethirdwheelfriend @shizukiryuu @theatreandcomicfreak @michellemagic @karategirl119 @moonlightstar64 @my-name-is-michell @mystery-5-5 @zalladane @queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm @miraculousdisapointment @dorkus-minimus @jardimazul @allthebooksandcrannies @g-arya @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @persephonescat @mycupisbroken @luciferge @18-fandoms-unite-08 @dawnwave16 @alwaysreblogneverpost @kris-pines04 @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @weird-pale-blonde-person @you-will-never-know-how-i-think @kokotaru @naclychilli @slytherinhquinn @clumsy-owl-4178 @ladybug-182 @darkthunder1589 @evil-elf16 @dast218 @lysslovsanime @emilytopaz @naoryllis @iloontjeboontje @thepeacetea @danielslilangel @finallyaniguana @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @vixen-uchiha @yuulxd @bleeding-heart-romantic @magic-inthe-stars @st0rmy-w1th1n

~---~

The next year of Jason's life was hectic to say the least.

It started with the downfall of Lila Rossi. Which consequently, he had no part in. She stepped on the wrong toes, made a few too many contradictions and suddenly a pile of lawsuits were stacked against her. Her mother went completely ape shit on her and pulled her out immediately to be shipped off to a very strict boarding school. More like a juvenile detention center if the rumors were true.

For the first month, no one approached him. The guilty, stricken looks upon his classmates' faces told a million stories of apologetic remorse, but since becoming a jaded, snarky outcast, 'Marinette' was no longer the person you could give a simple apology to and expect forgiveness. And no one wanted to be the first to get shot down.

Eventually, the first apology came. Surprisingly, Alya tried to win his favor. She groveled and apologized up and down on how terrible she and Lila had been and named every reason in the book as to why she had reacted and treated Marinette the way she did in an attempt to explain herself. While it wasn't necessarily surprising that she would be the first to not fear him, it was shocking she saw the error of her ways so soon with all that bull headed ego she carried around.

Bravery got her nowhere, however, as Jason only lifted an eyebrow, arms crossed as he leaned back, and calmly replied.

"Cool story, still betrayal."

As the girl sputtered before him, he turned back towards Chloe, continuing to make their plans for the day. After two minutes had passed and Alya still stood there hunting for her words, he turned back.

"Can you leave? Sometime today would be nice."

And so the precedent was set. While it took another week for someone else to approach, they seemed spurred on by the ease of Alya's dismissal. Suppose they figured if the biggest offender only got mild verbal abuse and dismissal, things had to go more smoothly for them.

Nino came next, awkward shuffling and avoided eye contact included. He pushed through his apology, beating around the bush and trying to defuse the situation at the same time he built it up. It only served to piss Jason off. They deserve better than this. At least meet her eyes if you're going to apologize and expect me to believe it.

"Uh… Marinette? Did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry, were you talking to me? I assumed you were talking to the desk next to me and minded my business. Would hate to be accused of eavesdropping."

He flinched at the reminder and finally looked him in the eye.

"I'm sorry. What we did was wrong. What I did was wrong and I am so beyond sorry for it. There is no excuse for my behavior."

"You're right. There isn't. Do better in the future."

"I will!," he rushed to reassure Jason, voice hopeful, "Does this mean we can be friends again?"

"No. Do better for those who chose to be your friend in the future."

"Oh… okay, yeah, that's fair," Nino gave a downtrodden look and wandered off.

Next came Sabrina and Rose, who didn't so much as apologize to him, but instead tried to reattach themselves to Chloe and Juleka's sides as if nothing had happened at all. This might not have thrown Chloe in the slightest, but poor Juleka looked a moment from having an anxiety attack. Chloe made short work of both girls, dismissing them entirely and when Rose started to cry and stare at Juleka for reassurance that everything was okay, Jason pulled the goth into a hug, glaring at the little blonde girl, until eventually she received the hint and ran off, tears streaming down her face. Apparently Nathaniel gave Marc the same treatment.

Lastly Kim, Alix, Max, Ivan, and Mylene came as a group. They must've taken comfort in their numbers, hoping it would somehow protect them from him singling them out. Thought everything would go smoother that way. He could hear Juleka grumbling at his side where they sat under a tree for lunch. They both appreciated the shade and quiet peace of the place. Marc sat on her other side, writing away in a journal.

"Hey Mari, we wanted to apologize for the way we've been acting lately," Alix took the lead.

"Yeah, it was really uncool of us," Kim followed up, the others nodding along.

They looked imploring. Like they were waiting for some sort of forgiveness. He couldn't help but wonder if they thought their actions were somehow better. That he couldn't really be mad at them because they weren't the ones who lied or lead the pack against his soulmate. They didn't make harsh accusations or physically attack Marinette. So somehow, they were better and their apologies could be less.

How fucking rude. How presumptuous. How entitled to think his time, thoughts, feelings were forfeit in their need for forgiveness. Marinette deserved better in her time here than these heartless bastards. None of them ever defended her either. Or him for that matter. Not one of them tried to so much as change the subject to avoid harping on him. None cared when his soulmate never returned to her body. Maybe that wasn't fair, but at the very least they could've approached him in his grief when it was easily displayed. Everyone here had a soulmate and knew the signs of loss for when one died. Surely they knew that this person in this body lost their other half. And yet not a soul outside of his group had offered condolences.

"That's all you have to offer? That it wasn't cool?" Juleka asked, tone quiet but sharp.

"Well it's not like we-"

"Let me cut you off there, before you piss me off. You didn't personally attack me, you just watched and snickered behind hands. Joined in to the cruel jokes and snide remarks. Encouraged those who did attack. At least they had the decency to be that way to my face and let me know where we stood. You? Hiding behind others actions and grouping up to give half-hearted sorrys that you barely think of before you speak? Now you guys are the ones that truly infuriate me. Either you believed I deserved the treatment I received but refused to be singled out for it. Or you thought what was happening was wrong and were too much of a coward to step up and help me out. I'm not sure which is worse. Either way, I don't want to see a single one of you approach me again. I don't mean enough to you to make a stand? Then you don't mean enough to me to even speak to. Get out of my face."

When his little speech was done and the startled masses ran off with an added glare, protests held on the tip of tongues, Jason slumped back against the tree, taking small comforts in the silent support of his two companions.

Adrien never approached. That was for the best.

His friend group was also something new. Marc, Juleka, Chloe, and Kagami. The group technically leaned more female than anything, but after the heavy masculine energy of his old life, this turn of events felt refreshing. It helped that Marc came out as nonbinary and Jason couldn't help but relate in a way with his view of this body fitting as female, but his mind staying firmly male. Altering his soulmate's body to fit would never happen, but it also didn't match him. 

The group only grew stronger and more resilient after Jason agreed to revealing identities in the team. After the loss of Mari and the stripping of the ring from Adrien, Jason found it necessary to place new permanent holders. With Kagami and Chloe having screwed up their original hero personas, the placement became a challenge. 

He started out with figuring out his new cat. 

Talking it over with Fu and dragging the decision out way longer than it needed to, he eventually convinced the old guardian of Kagami's worth. She took to Plagg with ease, the design of her look altering to match. The suit stayed all black but wasn't leather and had gold detailing. The ears and tail looked more realistic as well. Her hair went pitch black and eyes went to shades of gold. Kagami insisted her new name be Serval.

Next came Chloe who ended up comforting Jason the most through his despair, whether she knew the reason for it or not. Without the bee as an easy go to, he ended up giving her the Dragon. Sure, the mix wasn't the best ever, but it kept her on the offensive side and more active, so it worked the way they needed it to. Her outfit consisted of tight fitted scales in shades of black and blue. Unlike when Kagami used the dragon, her and Longg took more to the shades of blue that came with most weather. Her shock of blonde hair played nicely with the idea of lightening on a stormy day. She went with Nimbus.

Surprisingly, Marc became the next holder. Jason planned on handing off the fox to Juleka, only to realize it wouldn't quite suit the girl. She stayed in the shadows most of the time, yes, but not really by choice. She wanted to be a model and show up in photos more than anything, so it made no sense to stick her with another identity she had to hide in. Add on the fact that she wasn't necessarily the most creative and well, Jason couldn't hand off an illusion piece to her. That's when Marc came into play. The kid had creativity in spades and preferred to avoid the spotlight. Marc and Marinette grew closer with all their time spent in the art room and courtyard together and especially with Nathaniel having ditched them. With Marc starting to build a spot of their own within the group, it only made sense to pair them with the Fox.

Now that he thought about it, the whole team really stuck with black. Marc had a black velvety almost shapeless form, with white tail, ears, sash, gloves, and boots. Their eyes fell white on gray on black and gave off an eerie feel. They choose Jocular for their hero name.

Finally, Jason hunted down the perfect miraculous for Juleka. The mouse. Quiet and unseen, playing in the background until the moment was right. And then she was everywhere, a multitude taking over the scene and overwhelming the enemy in a matter of moments. Perfect for the girl who hid behind her bangs but longed for the spotlight. Mullo played to both halves of her personality. The suit that came with consisted of a deep vivid purple that matched her bangs while detransformed. While in costume, the highlights disappeared and her eyes shined purple as well. The fit was reminiscent of a belted, hooded tunic with black leggings and matching purple booties. She went with Fievel. Turns out Juleka had an interesting favorite childhood movie. Months later, they would find themselves sitting around a tv, watching the old animated musical, but in the beginning, they just took it in stride.

The last major change came in a heavier bond forming amongst his team.

When Jason agreed to reveal identities, if for no other reason than the guilt of already keeping one major secret from the group, things spiced up. For one, Juleka and Marc traded their respective miraculouses back and forth depending on their comfort level for the day. If one felt more ready for the spotlight, they took to the mouse for the battle. If one felt especially creative at the moment, they tagged in for the fox. Of course, they jumped in with whichever they had when an akuma hit while separated, but the switch off seemed to comfort them.

Secondly, Chloe started running more interference to allow them escape time if stuck up in civilian form. Her false bratty attitude and daddy issues came into play here, despite her actual maturity about both. It helped to amp it up from time to time.

Lastly, Kagami and Jason begin to switch on occasion.

Plagg hadn't been outside the ring since Jason removed him from Adrien and Kagami received him. The shock and horror on his face when Tikki told him the reality of their situation broke Jason a little more. The cat insisted on spending more time with Jason after that. His soul resonated better with the ring anyways, so the time spent as the cat holder felt soothing after so long as the ladybug, despite this body feeling more receptive towards Tikki's magic. 

As an added bonus, the two kept the other's costume and attributes such as eyes and hair. Between that and the heavy magical glamour hiding their identities, no one, not even Hawkmoth, knew which one was which until their fighting style came into play at which point, it was too late. Luckily, with the sneaky aspects of the mouse and fox, the other two became quite the ambush as well. Add in Chloe showing up with one of three different powers at any given moment, and Hawkmoth's akumas became easy prey.

By the time the year ran out, their team ran as a well oiled machine. Despite the horrific heartbreak festering in his heart, Jason felt hopeful. Hopeful that they might take down the villain that had taken over his soulmate's life from so young. That this battle at least might end on a happy note. That soon he would be free to seek out justice for Marinette once and for all.

[elizabeatrice]

Mystery Spot (Chapter 68)

Let’s Talk About JSHK Manga #4

If you get the title reference, I applaud you.

Warning: 1) !!! MANGA SPOILERS UP TO CHAPTER 68 !!! Duh.

2) I dropped a couple of f bombs and several curses here ... I really ranted lmao.

3) This reaction/review is closer to me spewing wild theories rather than an actual review. But these wild theories are my reactions. So. Ehhh these theories are probably wrong anyway. Lemme have my dark, twisted fun, mkay? Not sure if they’re entirely coherent though.

Had trouble copying some kanji this time around ‘cause they’re so freaking blurry! So I got too lazy to write this yesterday haha. Thank you Ropes of Fate for the translation! Truly commendable heroes of the fandom *sobs*. I also used three panels from Chapter 61, translated by Caim.

Let’s jump into it (ba dum tss).

This chapter is a bit shorter than usual and boy do you feel it. Well. At least I do. But I really hope sensei are taking some time to relax. Last chapter was 45 pages, after all. Y’all deserve it you wonderful creators.

First of all I would like to dedicate the biggest f bomb for the villagers because what the fuck. Why the fuck would you sacrifice poor, innocent young girls just to keep yourself safe? And it’s not even a sacrifice to kami-sama! Y’all just droppin’ these girls to be eaten by supernaturals! And y’all practically manipulated them smh.

Are y’all insane?! Y’all could’ve just moved the fuck out. What kind of insane people just decide to stay near a literal pit of hell? Don’t give me the ‘we’ve lived here for generations’ bs okay ‘cause y’all neighbors be getting eaten by supernaturals but y’all rather trade innocent young girls for your own safety. If Berkians and Asgardians can suck it up and be the bigger nation with all that ‘Berk/Asgard is not a place it’s the people’ shit, y’all can too.

I’ve disliked characters in JSHK before. But I’ve never hated JSHK characters before. Until now. Y’all fucking did it, dumbass villagers.

Ahem. Pardon me.

Because my brain is a literal self-debate machine let me just say that I did consider several possibilities in these ‘people’’s defense. There’s the obvious ‘some people back then didn’t know any better and believe a human sacrifice will solve everything’ mindset. Then there’s the possibility of them being trapped in their village for some reason, hence not having any other choice but to sacrifice those girls.

But y’know what else could be the case? ‘Cause my mind really went dark there for a bit.

The Minamoto clan let it happen.

In the last chapter it was mentioned that the Minamoto clan was involved. And this is a bit shocking now that I think about it more ‘cause Teru has always been adamant that all supernaturals are evil and must be exorcised, humans must be protected.

But what if they just let the villagers sacrifice these girls so that the monsters can be contained in this village, in that pit, instead of running amok to other places and cause more trouble?

Which makes me wonder.

Uh. Where did Teru go to? Does he know about this? Did he go to that pit (or that village, if Kamome Academy wasn’t built on its land)?

If he does know, isn’t he interested in saving a fellow human student and underclassman? If he does know about the Akane clan, isn’t he interested in telling his VP, who’s obsessed with an Akane? Unless ... you know ... he meant for this to happen, which I kinda doubt.

He must know something about this. He went out of his way to make Akane promise to protect Kou if something were to happen. What’s more dangerous than the Grim Reaper showing up looking for a sacrifice who turned out to be Kou’s beloved senpai’s best friend? What if Akane had to choose between Aoi and Kou at some point?

Okie next I wanna talk about Hanako. This is gonna sound just as far fetched as the previous bit lmao but here goes.

Boiiii y’all saw it. The pause before his answer. His face drawn out of view, in an evasive body language.

(Hanako my boy pls do us all a favor and stop lying to your girlfriend, we all know how well that turned out in Picture Perfect lmao)

Theory. He knew what’s been going on all along. Or at least the gist of it.

Remember this?

Imma take a detour a lil bit.

The Far Shore/torii gate refused Nene in chapter 67, right? In my Chapter 67 reaction I said it was the bracelet that saved her but now I think the bracelet probably disguised her as Sumire in the villagers’ eyes. So the Far Shore/torii gate refused her, and we all thought it was because she wasn’t an Akane.

But then we found out that Hanako was right about the village. It was just a ‘made up world’ inside Shinigami’s boundary. It’s just a reenactment of the day Sumire died, probably based on Shinigami’s memories, as the first page of Chapter 64 said.

So of course Nene was refused. Because in his memories, Sumire was the one who fell into the pit that day.

Sumire also said in this chapter’s narration that the villagers sacrificed young girls. Not Akane girls. Also, before the sacrifices began, the monsters already ate villagers anyway, right? They didn’t only eat young girls. It wasn’t said as such. The villagers probably just chose young girls because that’s sorta like the equivalent of offering the best meat or smth. Practically a please accept our humble offering of tenderloin wagyu, O Horrible Monsters.

The coveted bloodline thing was probably a plus, not obligatory. Often in stories, people with high ‘spiritual energy’ are supposed to taste more delicious and grant whoever eats their meat special powers or smth (e.g. Tang Sanzang from Journey to the West). Also ancient cultures sacrifice young girls often, that was the trend.

And they proceeded to try to sacrifice Nene anyway, despite her not being an Akane. They said it themselves. “It doesn’t matter if it’s that girl.”

So according to the (rather vague) information we have, it’s possible that the sacrifice doesn’t have to be an Akane or a girl.

Some of y’all have been theorizing that the Yugi twins got involved with supernaturals, and that sorta lead to their death.

What if this is it?

I myself am not sure how it went down if this is really the case. But I keep imagining our boy’s infamous ‘I’m not going anywhere’ being said by Sumire because bruh she’s the epitome of not going anywhere. She was chosen to be sacrificed since she was a child, not given a choice. Even after she died and became a yorishiro, she was imprisoned in this time prison world or whatever, reliving her death every single day with no escape.

And I couldn’t help but think ‘hoooo shit what if???’

I mean. I don’t know who was the chosen sacrifice. Could be Tsukasa, could be Amane. Maybe he killed his brother so that he wouldn’t get sacrificed, and decided that he’ll die along with his brother. I’m not going anywhere. Maybe it also means I’m not letting you send my brother to be eaten by monsters, and since we can’t escape either, we’re staying here no matter what.

And if the Minamotos were really in on it, it makes sense for Grandma Minamoto to accuse Amane of being an evil murderer. He practically got in the way ‘of other people’s safety’ by killing the chosen sacrifice.

banjjakz also said something about the possibility of Tsukasa being a previous sacrifice. Read about it here and here. It’s pretty interesting!

Besides, a wonder whose precious person got sacrificed and later became their yorishiro? That’d be some parallel, haha.

Sure, Sumire said ‘if the kannagi was switched’. But the early narration didn’t mention a sacrifice of kannagi. Just ‘young girls’.

Look just lemme have this, alright?

Oh. Also I wanted to point out the possible tension/trust issues between Hanako and Nene but many other blogs have pointed it out quite well so I’m just gonna stick with my wild theories.

But I will address what Nene said about the pit.

Where is said pit anyway? In Kamome? Why is it open? Is it Tsukasa changing rumors and allowing more supernaturals to cross back to the Near shore? More likely. I mean, he does grant wishes for supernaturals after all.

Oh. Speaking of Nene. Let’s give her a round of applause for her character development. She’s become of better judgement regarding men’s terrible behavior. Wow. That’s my girl. I mean, we still don’t know much about Shinigami, but from what I’ve seen so far, Sumire guuuurrrrllllll you deserve better.

Regardless of my ships, these supernatural boys should take notes from my precious Kou and how he loves so selflessly. Lmao. Remember that one post-chapter panels in Picture Perfect where he said he’ll find Nene a prince in the real world, even though he likes her? Broooo I want ten of this precious boy.

Lastly, Akane and Aoi.

Where are they? They look like they’re stranded in some wild boundary somewhere, the one with half sunken houses and lost things that usually appear in color spreads. I am so hyped, ‘cause I love the aesthetics, and I wanna see more of this place.

Oh. And Akane’s alive. Phew. I gotta be honest though, I kinda looked forward to his death. Not because I hate the kiddo. He’s technically still human, right. I’m just wondering whether his death or Aoi’s would cause Teru to outright declare war against the Seven Wonders because aren’t these folks supposed to protect students like they claim to be? (This, of course, ignores my previous theories about the Minamoto clan)

Basically I just wanna see some shit go down with Teru mkay ‘cause this powerful dude has been useless for quite too long now.

Aoi’s still pretty confusing, too. She went from this weird expression:

to this:

She kinda looked like she was still under the influence of the drug thingy. But she was also concerned about Akane, even though it’s not like how she worried about Nene in the past. And she knew Akane longer than her, they practically grew up together. Real Aoi would be in tears seeing his condition, y’all. So I guess the drug thingy’s effect is slowly wearing out.

Closing! JSHK is dark but usually not in ways my brain expects it to be. (And a lot of times I still get surprised with the amount of comedy it has lmao.) Sooo sensei are probably gonna prove me wrong about most of these, anyway. Haha.

As always feel free to discuss.

[captain-of-the-historicfuture]

~hello~ !! For the meta asks!: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, and 25 :))

Hello!! Thank you for sending these; I was really excited to see that ask game and I was hoping somebody would send some in. It still took me a while to actually answer them though, and for that I apologise. But without further ado! Some meta answers (under the cut because they ended up being fairly long, whoops):

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (Consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway.)

I thought of a few examples, but they could basically be grouped together under a common theme: whumpy/angsty scenes that were self-indulgent as all heck. The whole self-indulgent aspect often required the characters to be just the teeniest, tiniest bit OOC and/or necessitated rather unrealistic plot circumstances. So it was simply easier to keep such scenes as maladaptive daydreams, rather than trying to think of explanations for the character/plot issues…or exposing myself to judgement for them LOL.

Receiving permission to write/share one such scene anyway is an opportunity I can’t let slip by though. It might be because I’m writing this while running on zero (0) hours of sleep—let’s hear it for insomnia, y’all!—but I suddenly couldn’t remember any of my newer ideas under this category. However, I did recall a one-shot I had started writing a couple of months ago that sort of counts? “Sort of” because I could actually be arsed to write it since I was, ya know, writing it. Only got about six hundred words down though.

…should I share those six hundred words…?

………nahhh. I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet.

But here’s the gist of it: Coulson and May (because of course it’s Philinda) were married for quite some time before the Attack on New York. But then Coulson DiedTM and then got ResurrectedTM. But gasp of horror, he had to lose his memories of his romantic relationship with May because reasons. (I actually did have some ideas for those reasons but sshhhh this is about me yeeting context and setup.)

The first half of S1 still happens as normal (except MayWard doesn’t happen because??? Vows) and it’s now post-E20 “Nothing Personal”. The morning after (or a morning soon after, whatever) the T.A.H.I.T.I. reveal! May’s mom—who doesn’t know about GH.325 and whom May fed a cover story about Coulson divorcing her or something equally as oof, IDK—shows up at the hotel and starts ripping into Coulson for breaking her daughter’s heart, then dragging her back into the field with her ex-husband (him), then accusing her of terrible things and forcing her away again.

Poor guy’s confused as heck, and so is the team, and soon enough so is Lian. The only one who understands what’s going on is May, and she’s freaking dying off to the side like why is this happening to me and eventually everybody’s like! Explain??? (Was thinking about including something from Coulson like, “Are you still keeping things from me?” Just for that extra smidge of angst, yay!)

So yeah then May gives a, like, two-sentence debriefing that elicits more questions than answers. Coulson decides to take May aside and they have a heart-to-heart. Lots of feelings and angst and hurt/comfort and at some point plenty of kissing too. Just! May hiding her feelings for Coulson’s sake but really magnified, plus some actual apologies and consideration of the grief May’s been through on Coulson’s part.

And uhh yeah that’s basically it I dunno hdsjncjshd. I warned y’all it’s OOC, plot-bendy, and very self-indulgent!

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

I don’t think I could name a single character for this. I get different things out of taking on different voices, you know? I guess recently I’ve found myself gravitating towards more taciturn and introspective points of view, like JQ from my original novel Rosewood or M. Yisbon from my…other original novel Temple.

Generally, however, I like tackling stories from an outsider’s perspective. That’s why I so rarely write my more “substantial” (serious? demanding? for lack of better words?) projects from the PoV of my “preferred” character. This usually means writing from their love interest’s perspective, but not always. With shorter fanfic, using a more removed/unconventional/niche PoV can be really fun. Like, I once wrote a canon compliant ficlet purely(-ish) about Philinda from Tony Stark’s perspective. That isn’t always sustainable with stories that demand more character development or closer character studies, however, which is why it’s a good thing I like writing drabbles!

9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?

My word counts tend to run long, but I usually only write one-shots for fanfic. If I’m even inspired with a novella- or novel-length story idea for a fandom, you already know I’m in deep with them. And if I actually find the motivation to plan and execute that idea? Dangg. That’s only ever happened…twice, maybe thrice, and I’m in a lot of fandoms.

At times, I wish I could go for more of a middle ground ’cause, like, you know what I love to see? An AO3 dashboard with several completed novellas for my ship/character of choice. I mean yes, I hecking love >90k fics, but sometimes I’m in the mood for quick reads…and what am I supposed to do when I burn through all the drabbles and 2k one-shots? (Besides despair and/or reread my faves desperately.) Novellas are basically always safe for me LOL, and I’d hope to be able to give as much as I take.

Ultimately though, I think I’m okay with where I am with regards to that. I wish I could write more in general, but I’d be okay with “writing more” just meaning “writing more one-shots”, ya know? More than okay, really. I have mad respect for fic writers who have, like, a hundred or more one-shots under their belt for this one ship. The fandom ecosystem would be incomplete without them (as well as every other type of writer, but sshhh that’s the type of writer I’m closest to being right now).

I’m definitely a plotter, and I definitely prefer it that way. It’s cool having such a detailed record of my process. I like feeling like a frazzled genius on the brink of a major discovery with all of my different outlines and colour coding and many drafts and various websites.

12. Do you want your writing to be famous?

Not exactly. It might be cool if my original works were recognisable in the world, but I don’t think I’d want to be recognisable. As for fanfic, I’d low-key enjoy gaining a place in that fandom’s community as a fic writer. Like someone who gave and got fic gifts from fic writer friends, who participated in challenges and GCs, who received writing prompts on Tumblr, whose name was known for doing a certain trope/genre a bunch of times… Ya know what I mean?

Unlikely to happen when I’m so hecking hesitant to publicly (i.e., outside of AO3) claim credit for my writing, but fjnskfsjhfjs. A writer can dream, right?

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

Of those three, tags are the easiest for me, for I have a reliable system for figuring out those.

Next easiest would probably be titles. For fanfiction, I like to use titles that are a quote from the source material. You should have seen all of my old Hamilton fanfic… I was really proud of some of those titles. And I don’t mean, like, whole lines—usually only two to five words. It’s a unique type of wordplay that I just love dabbling in.

And lastly, summaries. Sometimes inspiration strikes me and a snappy and intriguing synopsis just jumps out—one that I’m quietly pleased with—but most of the time I’ll spend way too long trying to think of such a synopsis and eventually just go with whatever I’d come up with so far. And live with my quiet dissatisfaction for the rest of time.

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (Plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations...?) Tell us about them!

Typically, no. If I have deleted scenes, I save and publish them separately, but that’s about it. I sometimes think of AUs for my own work and might talk about them in my author’s notes—might even talk about writing them—but I never really do anything with them.

Although…

It’s not uncommon for me to decide a plotline isn’t working for a certain story or to think of an interesting but undoable arc for a certain character, but what I’ll do is make a whole new story for those ideas. Once I’m done developing the original idea and the branched-off one, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell they grew from the same roots. Does that count?

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as (film, webcomic, animated series, etc.)?

That depends on the story. I’ve actually written stories in other mediums—movie screenplay, musical stageplay, poetry, TV show scripts, play scripts, roleplay—but the novel does tend to be my comfort zone. Sometimes, if I have an idea that I think could work, or would even work better, as another medium, I’ll label it as such in my folder of ideas and decide not to write it as a novel.

Most of the time, my non-book projects are collaborations. I’m working with five different people on six different story ideas: two webcomics, one stage musical, one anime, and two animated TV shows. Little concrete progress has been made in any of those, mind you, but they’re still fun to discuss!

24. Would you say your writing has changed over time?

Absolutely. But I’ve been writing stories since I was five years old, so we would hope so, huh?

I wouldn’t say my writing’s changed completely, though maybe that’s just my insider’s perspective.

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

Oh gosh, I can’t believe you’d make me choose. Writing is just such a wonderful experience for me; I love just about everything to do with it. Admittedly, not all the time, but. Since that barely qualifies as an answer, however, I’ll give you this—

The endings. Not only that intense feeling of rightness when you wrap up that last sentence, but also the moments before. The adrenaline of knowing you’re almost there but you gotta push just a bit more to actually get there. And also the part right after—the real wrap-up, honestly: the revision and the editing. Heavens, I love revising and editing my work.

Which is not to say I don’t like writing it out for the first time, too—there’s nothing quite like seeing your cursor scroll to the next page, like going from a blank expanse to a Oh man, how many more lines are even going to fit on this page?, like watching that page counter tick up another number. However, there’s something cathartic about finally ironing out those problems I had to force myself to stop worrying about earlier because “just finish the first draft dangit”.

I guess that’s not really the end of the writing process, but whatever. Close enough (as fic writers are wont to say).

Another thank-you for these asks, and feel free to come back with more at any time! ;P

Send in fun meta asks for your friendly neighbourhood writer!

[sootcloak]

Living Gale

So I got permission yesterday(????? Is time a thing anymore ????) to write a thing for @lordofcrowns‘ Captain Cyril Stacy, a diabolically fun villain. This piece was based around the general evocative aesthetic of the art he made for the Good Captain. So I did that. It was a good exercise, and doing it for someone else helped keep me motivated.

~2000 words of whip-snappin action and tense posturing, mostly trying to just capture the aesthetic i got from his work in my own medium. General warnings for the things which come with this kinda territory: murder, violence, abduction, etc. And lastly, if you wanna see more of that diabolically fun man, go to lordofcrown’s page.

The jade islets of the Sea of Clouds hang on umbral winds, drifting up and down on the aircurrents. The sky is dark, moody greys and greens which shift over one another. Three figures race across the shifting jadestone islets. Two chainmail-clad templars charge through the underbrush, over stone outgrowths, and across the shallow waters. Their footfalls drum against the earth, scaring gaelicats and other rodents down to earth.

The third figure is a full 30 yalms ahead of them. A heavy white coat trails behind him, billowing as he takes leaping, bounding strides. Strands of his turquoise hair hang in the air as he runs, whipped by both the wind and his own dead spring ahead. 

His boots scuff and slide on the slick, smooth stone beneath his feet, the sky suddenly opening up in front of him as he finds himself not at the edge of the island. The two templars come barreling to a halt, their pursuit stopping ten yalms away from their quarry.

“Nowhere left…” One of the templars devolves into a heavy cough, and gasps for his breath in a distinctly over-exerted wheeze. His fellow looks at him with distinct concern in her eyes behind that metal mask.

“I must say, you both have kept up admirably.” The Miqo’te man turns to face his pursuants, gilded eye smoldering as he looks the two over. “Mostly.” He adds. Both tense, and the wheezing knight’s comrade steps forward, clears her throat, and speaks.

“You’ve nowhere left to run. By orders of the Holy See of Ishgard and other bodies of the Eorzean Alliance, you are under arrest under suspicion of crimes against Eorzea and her people, including treason, aiding and abetting heretics, and murder of the highest order.” She takes a bold step forward, shield held to face him with it’s rook-like insignia, and sword leveled at his throat. 

“Halone’s Inquisitors will extract the truth of your actions from you.” The out-of-breath templar says, squaring his shoulders. He moves forward slowly, one cautious step and then another, speartip leveled at the Captain’s chest.

Beneath his cap, Cyril’s ears twitch. The clouds far below howl with an odd, almost-beast-like sound. The wind snaps, changing directions and whistling just a little faster around the trio.

“This is certainly a mistake. You should consider what you’re suggesting here.” The Captain’s voice is a halfway-point between a snarl and a purr, low and rumbling in his ribs. He holds one hand up, in something almost akin to a surrender. His other hand thumbs his belt, or rather the handle of the whip wrapped around it.

“You see, I’m just a trader. I have my permits and licenses here, with me. If you’d like-” He shifts his weight from one leg to the other, the heels of his boots slowly, subtly shifting to steady his center of balance. The distant, rumbling, angry roar slowly grows louder and louder. 

“Save it.” The shield-bearer says, voice muffled by her metal mask and the rising wind. 

“We have evidence under sworn testimony that an individual with ties to certain black-market elements would be in this sector of the Sea of Clouds. If this really is a ‘misunderstanding’, you should hold your testimony for Halone’s Inquisitors. You’ll need it.” She spits her words and steps forward, closer to both her companion and the Captain. Her chin raises upwards, coming to rest at an accusatory slant as she waits.

“Ah, someone implicated me, then?” He says, words slow and flowing like honey. His eyes remain steady on the two templars, but his ears are trained on the approaching, angry wind.

“That’s right.” The wheezing knight says, inching closer with. His hands shake and jostle his own spear nervously. “So you’d better come peacefully. We have authorization to kill the target if we have to, and you’re standing real close to that ledge.”

“How brave of you.” The Captain says slowly, his lips turning into a subtle sneer, “Why, such forthright persistence is so rare these days. I’m pleased to know the Temple Knights are yet the bravest, most chivalrous warriors in Eorzea.”

“Of course we- Oh you little.” The realization hits the out-of-breath knight in the middle of his sentence. “Playing cheeky are you, I’ll be sure to teach you some real manners.”

“Don’t take the bait. He’s just trying to get you to attack. He’s better use to us alive.” The swordwoman pauses in the middle of her thought, stopping to listen.

“What’s… What’s that sound?” She says, not loud enough for her companion to hear. Her sword drops ever so slightly.

Cyril snaps into motion as soon as she finishes, hand drawing out his whip and swinging it back in a single motion. The long, sinuous leather snakes around him, curling like a dragon’s tail. The spear-bearer lurches forward, pushing against the now-feverous wind. He plants his feet, and thrusts forward with the point of his spear.

Captain Stacy twitches his wrist. 

The length spins out and away from him, like the arms of a cyclone. Whistling, it smashes into the center of the lancer’s chest. The mail rings like a cymbal, and the templar’s ribs snap loudly. His feet lift a few inches up off the ground. A resounding crack silences the wind for a brief second. The lancer lands a few paces back from where he’d stood, groaning on his side. His spear clatters to the ground where he was struck. The whip lurches back, Cyril’s arm winding and tensing back behind his head in a circular, casting motion. His coat billows out over the ledge, filling with air.

“Shit!” The shield-bearer pushes off of her back foot, covering close to half the distance between her and the captain in a single bound. Cyril’s arm circles round once more, and then reaches up towards the churning skies.

“Fast.” He notes, his voice growling in tandem with the fibers of his whip. It would almost sound complementary, if not for the predatory glint in his eye.

“But it’s pointless!” The whip snakes around him, curling inwards and coursing across the surface of his coat. The leather hisses, and his arm streaks downward, painting a thick, vertical black line in the sky as the whip follows his motion.

It falls like lightning, the whip bending outward as it hisses downwards towards her. She raises her shield, but true to his word she’s not fast enough to match the sinuous, ebony whip. It moves in a blur, first striking her shield and shoulder, then twisting around her and catching her in the side of her ribs. Her feet skid, but she holds her balance from the twin strikes.

Then it wraps around her left arm from below. As it snaps into place with an iron-hot shot of pain, she feels more than sees as the captain pulls her elbow and shoulder inward with a terrible jerk. She feels her arm pop free of her shoulder as the whip holds fast and jerks her to the side. She screams in rage and pain as her elbow breaks backwards, her shield clattering to the ground.

Through biting tears, she pushes through the pain and pushes forward yet, blade still in steady hand. She plants her feet as she nears him, his eyes burning into her with all the apathy of a storm at sea. Her good arm pushes forward, tearing the air, cleaving towards him in a single upwards, goring slash. He darts to the side, coat trailing behind him like a phantom.

There one moment. Gone the next.

Something hard and fast buries itself in her gut. His fist, she realizes dully. Her sword soars upwards and then over the ledge as she’s thrown backwards and lands with a metal thud.

She gasps for breath, lungs finding none. Nevertheless, she struggles to her knee, and then to her feet. Her eyes blearily stare upwards. She locks her eyes on him, blurred from pain and tears. Her head is wracked with the building panic born of being so thoroughly dismantled so rapidly. Her ears ring, but her sweat-stung eyes sweep off the Captain to her companion on the ground. He claws at the dirt, trying desperately to flee, but unable to get his footing.

The wind suddenly bellows, the droning that’d haunted the brief encounter opening up into a deathly roar. A monster of wood, metal and steam breaks through the mist and clouds around them, screeching all the while. A magitek-powered airship, leaden with naval cannons and watchful, dark shadows atop the deck darkens the sky behind the captain. He reaches up to hold his cap steady in the gale. The humm and roar of it’s engines rumbes in her aching, airless lungs. 

Her eyes, though, remain locked on him. He looks down towards her, and without a word just raises one arm. He points to her fallen comrade, then holds an open hand towards the vessel behind him. He closes his fist.

She makes another breakneck dash for him, legs still wobbly after having the air knocked from her. His eye shines in the umbral glow of the Sea of clouds, and he opens his arms wide as she charges him.

The moment hangs for a second, as she stares with murderous intent. The wind whipping around them loses its sound. Something guttural and crass has torn free of her chest, curses just out of reach of her panicked, enraged instincts. All the while, he stands with his arms wide and head low. The wind races out from behind him, blowing the tails of his coat up and kicking up dust around his feet.

As she rears back with one fist, he steps into her space and snags her wrist with his gloved hand. He spins around her, pulling her back by the arm. As his other hand ensnares her other wrist, she feels the coils of his whip bind her by the wrists. She tries to pivot, to face him, but her legs trip on his knee. Gravity grips her, her body once again thrown to the jade earth of the islet. He places a foot on her hips and a knee on her broken shoulder.

The pain is there, she can feel it, numb and aching as she tries to unpin herself from the Captain atop her. He waves over to the hovering ship, and like vultures, crewmen descend on ropes. As they take her and bring her to her feet, binding her properly, they throw the lancer off the island’s ledge, down towards the clouds.

“You can’t escape.” He says, all the charm gone from his voice as his sneer creeps into more of his face. “And you’re more useful to me alive.” He turns his attention, but not his eye, away from her and to his crew.

“Take her. I’ll see to her when I’ve the time. I have questions for her regarding who they received their information from.” Cyril says.

The men and women gripping her pull her over to one of the dangling ropes, but she keeps her head and eyes pinned on the Captain as he slowly walks over to her still-crawling compatriot. He drops into a squat beside the prone man, hand reaching into his coat, to somewhere near the small of his back.

“You would tell me whatever you want, wouldn’t you.” It’s not a question, but the templar nods in jerky, quick motions. The knight’s movements get more and more frantic, all the while the Captain’s gaze unfalteringly falls on him.

“Yes, of course! Yes!” The dark glint in Captain Stacy’s eye sparks a moment.

“Thought so.” She can barely hear the crack of gunfire over the winds, but the stark red of her friend’s blood staining the jadestone dirt around the Captain’s boots is impossible for her to miss.

“I have no need for a coward and a liar.” He turns his deathly gaze to the woman in his crew’s grip. “We’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted, lady knight. But for now, enjoy your rest.” He nods to someone behind her, and her vision goes dark as a club strikes the back of her chain-clad skull.

[interstellix]

gentleman ↳ han jisung

genre: fluff

summary: in which your awful sense of direction and your date standing up on you leads to something good

word count: 1489

requested: “hmmm something cute and fluffy any member please?“

warnings: none

a/n: none

to say your sense of direction sucks is an understatement.

it’s awful, utterly terrible and a total joke. it’s also the reason your curse yourself for looking like a lost chicken in the middle of the city - even with google maps in your hands.

you run a frustrated hand through your hair for the nth time and groan, though silently for the people walking past you to not hear. your eyes keep nervously switching back and forth between the screen of your phone and the crowded streets around you. “where the hell is it?”

“excuse me, are you... okay?”

you slightly jump in surprise, not expecting someone to suddenly talk to you. looking up, you’re met by a guy squinting his eyes at you, though with a small grin spread across his face.

“what...?”

upon seeing the attire - the one clearly of a barista - a bad feeling slowly rises within you. you look back at him when he answers, “you’ve been walking past here like twelve, thirteen times.”

“uh... er, I’m looking for a coffee shop, cafe... stay.”

the guy blinks at you before looking behind himself, back at you.

and he laughs, not so discreetly either. he digs his face into the palm of his hands but the giggles behind them are impossible to miss, even in a crowd like this. once he looks back at you, he chuckles, “no need to look anymore.”

you internally groan when he heads towards where he had turned to before. coming to a stop, he crouches down in front of a chalkboard sign, drags a hand across its already smudged surface, the other reaching out for the pocket of his apron. he pulls out a chalk and starts writing something and meanwhile, you exit the app and open your latest conversation, the one that had mentioned a certain café.

as you had feared, it matches the one the barista writes down on the chalkboard in a pretty font: “café stay.”

“sorry ‘bout that, I guess the sign wasn’t clear,” he chuckles when he returns to you, hands clapping off the dust from the chalk. much to your embarrassment, he chuckles, clearly amused as he nods at the building behind him, “gotta say though, I’m surprised you couldn’t tell.”

this time, you can’t even stop yourself from letting out a loud groan which only makes him laugh even more. “but...” nevertheless, he opens the french style door and the smile on his lips turns into a kind one, “welcome inside.”

as embarrassed as you feel, you still smile back at him in gratitude and let him lead you inside, further inside the rather cozy café and lastly to a vacant table.

“what can I get you today?” the barista asks once you’re seated, pulling out a small notebook and ink pen from another pocket of his pocket.

“ah, thanks, I’m waiting for someone,” you answer, slightly waving your hand in denial.

he shows you a small smirk and upon hearing his question, your cheeks heat up, “waiting for a date?” your silence only confirms it but he doesn’t comment it and instead says, “well then, just let me know when you’re ready to order.”

without any further ado, you watch him walk away and outside your sight. left alone, your foot starts nervously tapping against the wooden floor and your hands tightly ball into fists, undeniably nervous for the mentioned date.

your date doesn’t come.

customers come and go but you stay for god knows how long. you’ve lost count of how often you’ve considered leaving but the thought that your date maybe just is late and will come right after you’re gone keeps you remained and still in your seat.

eventually, a voice speaks up, making you hastily look up. however, it’s not your date and you only feel the same embarrassment from before returns upon seeing the same barista from before. this time though, he has a mug in his hands and despite unable to see its content, it’s clearly warm from the steam raising from it.

the barista completely ignores you though. “don’t you feel lonely?” he asks instead, momentarily glancing at a clock hanging on the wall before going on, “it’s been over an hour, you know.”

somewhere in the back of your mind, you already know that. in fact, you know that just as well as the tragic truth that you’ve most likely been stood up on - as much as you don’t want to believe that.

rather than pushing it any further though, he places the mug  in front of you - revealing the hot chocolate inside - and you frown in confusion, “I... didn’t order this though.”

“it’s on me.”

the frown turns into a slight glare, “thank you but I don’t need your symapthy.”

the barista chuckles, “it’s called a kind gesture, not sympathy.”

this time, the look in your eyes turns into a suspicious one, “should a barista really do that though?”

“barista? please, I’m just a customer now.” you’re not entirely sure what he means at first but only until he takes his apron off and hangs it on another chair and you realize his shift must’ve ended.

however it may be, he flashes you a humble smile and asks, “may I sit down?”

truthfully, any other day you would’ve only found his free attitude rather odd, to say the least but as you’re left today left stood up on, you can’t seem to care and just wave at the chair on the opposite side. “make yourself comfortable.”

he laughs but does as told, “isn’t that what a barista should say?”

“didn’t you say you’re just a customer?”

“... fair enough,” he answers in what sounds like a slightly bashful chuckles. reaching out a hand across the table, “I’m jisung, by the way.”

“y/n, nice to meet you,” you introduce yourself in return and shake his hand.

he - jisung - silently watches you as you carefully take a sip from the mug, happy to see the satisfied expression you leave at the taste of the drink he had made. when you put it down on the table again, he asks, “so... what kind of date were they to leave you waiting here?”

the question makes you sigh, “someone from uni.”

“stood up on you?”

you show him yet another glare, “do you have to put it like that?”

“isn’t that what they did though?” jisung chuckles, “I’m sorry but you’re the first customer I’ve seen to wait over an hour for a date.”

“what do you want me to say, congratulations?” you roll your eyes. supporting your elbows against the table, clear disappointment stains your features as you stare down at your mug.

“it’s a shame though...” when he doesn’t continue, your curiously look up at jisung. however, the wink, smirk and comment you’re given leaves you the slightest bit flustered, “for them.”

in a god awful attempt to hide the red growing on your cheeks, you once again drink from your mug before speaking, “let me guess, you’re the barista who flirts with half of the customers here?”

“that’s rude! I so do not,” jisung gasps in an overly dramatic manner, feigning hurt, “mind you, I’m just being a gentleman.”

“a gentleman doesn’t point out that someone was stood up on,” you snort.

“man, you’re harsh,” he says but struggles with holding a laugh back.

“just stating facts here,” you answer but at this point, you have to laugh as well.

“whatever...” jisung rolls his eyes. that said, he supports his own elbows on the table and leans forwards, “so, y/n, you mentioned uni, what’s your major?”

and like that, before you’re even entirely aware of it, you’re soon engrossed in a long but pleasant conversation. truth be told, it’s a bit odd, talking to strangers isn’t something you do on the daily; whether it’s jisung’s bubbly attitude, the never-ending smiles he flashes you or simply your need of company, you don’t know but you quickly find yourself growing comfortable around him.

the talking and laughing only comes to a stop when you notice how the coffee shop has become fairly empty. jisung takes another glance at the clock and slightly pouts, “we’re closing soon...”

“yeah, well, I think it’s time I leave anyway,” you sigh. gathering your coat and bag, you pick up the mug and smile at him, “hey, thanks for the drink, how much is it?”

“hey, I told you it’s on me, you don’t have to pa- ...”

furrowing your eyebrows, you tilt your head to the side, “jisung?”

“actually... I know how you can pay me.”

“hm?”

“let me take you on a date.”

you can’t help but feel yourself become flustered once again but cover that with the arch of an eyebrow, “will you make me wait an hour?”

jisung smugly smirks at you one last time,

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m a gentleman.”

[galactichoneybee92]

Some Improbable Season 5 Headcanons

Fair warning: These things aren’t going to happen. But while I’m obsessing, I sometimes imagine possible scenarios that would be interesting to watch play out. Perhaps a more industrious person would write these into fanfiction however, I am not that person. And so you get a half-assed  Tumblr post about my imaginings. Please enjoy:

1. What happened to the sword? I don’t remember, I just know that it broke and now Adora is unable to become She-Ra (Until she inevitably learns how to do so without the sword as Madame Razz was clearly insinuating was possible to Mara) But I like to imagine that she lef the pieces of the broken sword where they lay. I also like to imagine  a scenario in which Hoard Prime has his clone minions doing recon on the new planet and they find the pieces of the sword. Later, they bring them back to the ship. 

Skip to a scene where Catra and Glimmer are present, perhaps being questioned about someone his troops have heard about called She-Ra, a defender of this planet. He wonders aloud if this She-Ra will be someone he will have to contend with, only to have one of his troops present the broken pieces of the sword. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about anything like that, Sir. I have it on good authority that there is no more She-Ra” (Or something like that Idk how they talk) He smiles, meanwhile Catra and Glimmer poorly try to conceal their reactions. They have both been operating under the assumption (hope) that since the planet survived, that Adora did too. Not knowing that Adora shattered the sword herself, tey are now faced with the horrifying realization that perhaps Adora didn’t make it out of this and that for both of them, their last interaction was horrible. 

I like the miguided assumption that Adora has died, mostly because I want to torture the two of them a little for being butts, but also because often people don’t appreciate what they have until they lose it. Even having “lost” Adora like Catra did, she still saw her regularly. They still interacted, even if those interactions were fighting or exchanging snarky banter. Even if someone hates you (Which Adora clearly doesn’t, Catra, you’re just being self destructive)  that hatred is still a form of ackowledgement- It’s not the same as losing someone entirely. I want to see the two of them (But mostly Catra because she’s my favorite little disaster) forced to face with the reality of Adora’s “death” Especially since in Catra’s case it’s sort of like getting what you asked for and realizing that it wasn’t what you wanted at all. 

I want Glimmer specifically to witness Catra’s reaction to this news as a way of gaining a deeper understanding of the relationship between the two of them. I feel like Glimmer has never viewed Catra as very nuanced, instead just grouping her into a box, labeling it “villain” and calling it a day. Realistically she’s never had any reason to consider any of the layers of Catra’s character but I kind of find it odd considering that Adora used to be best friends with Catra. Has Glimmer really never wondered why? Never thought that somewhere under all the snark and barbs there must be a reason why Adora loved her  was her friend in the first place? 

Lastly, I’m a sucker for a dramatic entrance, and if they think that Adora is dead, they’d never expect her to show up, which leads to self indulgent imaging number two...

2. Sneaky spy Adora. I feel like I am perhaps giving Adora and Bow too much credit here because espionage has never really been their strong suit, but imagine for me if you will a scenario in which they decide to be subtle. The two of them sneak onto Hoard Prime’s ship and do some spy work, trying to decide on the best course of action to take him out and get Glimmer home. This would be a great opportunity to give Adora a much needed costume change and while realistically I know that the whole vibrant 80′s theme isn’t going to allow it, I would love to see her in black. Also something backless, but that comes into play later in part three. This all ties together. I’ve had a lot of time to plan this. 

So they sneak in and while like, peering out from an air vent or something (Idk the make up of the ship ) she is shocked to see that Catra is there too and that while she and Glimmer still snap at eachother and exchange dirty looks and stuff, they are reluctantly working together. I imagine their situation is sort of like, they come out and do various activities on the ship, whatever Hoard Prime deems them useful for, but they are locked in a cell overnight. Adora observes both situations while trying to get the layout of the ship and formulate a game plan.

I’m not going to say that Bow having actual real live pointy arrows made for long distance stabbing would be an advantage instead of his like, novelty prank arrows buuuuuut..... I know that this is a kid’s show but there are other cartoons that allow characters to get stabbed and stuff like, it could happen. It won’t buuuut anyway....

While running around the ship (in a dramatic hooded cloak that covers her face because of course, what do you take me for) and like, sabotaging things and preparing to dismantle this whole operation, Adora runs into perhaps both Catra and Glimmer but at least Catra (Because sorry Glimmer, I do actually like you but like, I’m playing favorites hardcore here) Maybe she helps with something they’re trying to do and gets caught. They don’t realize it’s her but now this mysterious hooded figure is on their radar. And then when the actual attack happens Adora gets her big reveal and it’s super dramatic and they realize that not only is Adora alive, she was the one they met earlier and just. I’m trash for that kind of trope. Really I am. This then leads into the big battle which also leads into point number three...

3. This point is less concrete, but do you remember Adora’s backless number? Perhaps a black halter top of some kind paired with black pants? Yeah? This is why it’s important. When Adora and Bow finally make their move, Bow goes to rescuse the girls while Adora levels her attack on Hoard Prime. Catra and Glimmer are in their cell and hear alarms start going off. They startle, frustrated at being trapped and unable to know what’s happening outside.

 Then Bow shows up in his own dramatic black hooded cloak (He’s very happy to shed it and let his middrift free once more. It’s felt very unnatural) they’re shocked to see him. But like, it works because Catra probably knew that someone would come for Glimmer but it makes since that it would be Bow since Adora is “dead.” Maybe in a previous conversation (During the time in which the two hesitantly began bonding, because you can’t tell me that’s not where this is going) Glimmer expressed doubt that anyone would come for her after she did such a terrible job being queen. Anyway with Bow here, he and Glimmer hug and they make their escape, the three of them, during which someone questions Bow on what’s happening and he just says that Hoard Prime is being distracted.

Why is the rescue mission just Bow and Adora? Idk. Didn’t think that far ahead. Just go with it. Maybe the other princesses are waiting for their cue to join in later. Maybe it’s because there isnt any water or plants in space and they’re kinda useless. Maybe Entrapta will join in (She has to actually, so she can reunite with Hordak and then he has his whole amnesia thing but like, that’s not part of this. That is a seperate post) Anyway the important thing is that they aren’t here at this point. 

So, Catra and Glimmer are confused about who is distracting Hoard Prime and then, there we go. The dramatic entrance. They look and see Adora in her new outfit, mid-battle with Hoard Prime. And like. It’s a hard battle and she isn’t really making any progress on her own, but she’s fighting really hard and well. I feel like people often forget that Adora was top of her class back in the Hoard like, even if she isn’t She-Ra she’s got to be pretty bad ass and whether the show wants to explore this or not, I will.  I have a theory for this that I will expand on in just a bit. 

So they go to join her only to realize that theres like an invisible barrier preventing them from joining. Maybe it’s a security measure made to protect him from attack that she used to trap her in there with him, while simultaneously keeping his minions out. Maybe it’s just because I want Catra and Glimmer to be forced to watch this battle for a bit while Bow tries to disable the force field but it’s mostly because I’m shipping trash and I want Catra to observe two things.

The first is that Adora looks really cool in this new outfit. Also Adora’s hair is down because I like it that way. She has a new sword, one that’s just a sword and not a She-Ra sword. This one is just for wrecking shit. The second is that Adora is way better at fighting than Catra expected and when Catra expresses this sentiment Glimmer just looks at her like she’s fucking dumb and says something along the line of “I kind of assumed you were the brains of the Hoard, but you’re dumber than I thought if you think that Adora was ever ACTUALLY trying to hurt you.” Followed by, “It’s a shame you didn’t return the sentiment.” And then you get this moment of Catra just watching Adora being really kick ass, coming to terms with the fact that Adora never fought ALL OUT against Catra the way she is against Hoard Prime, like, Adora never tried to murder Catra. And then the last part of Glimmer’s statement sinks in and then Catra notices the claw marks scarred down Adora’s shoulderblades. The ones that she put there, because even if Adora never really tried to hurt Catra, Catra sure as hell never held back on her. And then Catra feels like shit because while I absolutely love her to pieces, she’s been kind of horrible and I want her to suffer a little more before her redemption. 

See why the backless top was necessary? Yep. Good. 

Anyway, predictably Bow lowers the barrier and they join the fight. Maybe Adora takes a bad hit and then Catra catches her or soemthing. The two look at eachother, both realizing that it’s been too long since they fought on the same side, but also silently acknowledging how good it feels. This is meant to foreshadow Catra eventually joining the good side permanantly. They all fight Hoard Prime and maybe the other princesses join in, but since this isn’t the final episode  (Maybe like episode 4 or so?) they don’t defeat him. But they DO do some damage and excape back to Etheria. 

5. This one fits in somewhere before the last point but idk where exactly. Honestly it’s not even important where this snippet goes but at some point Hoard Prime reads Catra’s mind. I don’t know if cannonically he can only read his clone’s minds, but clearly I’m not writing for the show okay, this is my pointless headcanon. I don’t even know the context but Glimmer is there too and Hoard Prime, maybe having grown suspicious of Catra’s loyalty, reads her mind and just drags her. He kind of taunts her for beign sad that her “mother never loved you” to which she snaps like “Shadow Weaver is NOT my mother.” And he just tuts and is like “But it feels like she is.”  And then they get to Adora  and Catra says something about hating her and he calls her out on it like, “Hm no, that’s not quite right is it? No, you love her quite a bit” And then he does that villain thing where they’re kind of talking to themself while filing through your thoughts and it’s like “She would be like your sister after all but oh, whats this? Oh, so not like a sister after all.” And he like, puts her on blast for being in love with Adora. And she denies it and he replies with “A shame you don’t actually mean half the things you say.”

Meanwhile Glimmer is there witnissing it because I don’t know if you can tell yet but like, I really want her to have a better understanding of Catra. I want Catra to understand Glimmer too, but I feel like that’s possible without physically dragging the truth from her like.... she’s not in a great place mentally but no one is worse than Catra, lets be real.

That’s absolutely the most self indulgent part of this entire mile-long post and I don’t even know what you’re doing still reading this. But if you were wondering what I imagine going down, it’s this.

All my imaginings end in Catradora, because I am shipping trash.

So like, if anyone wants to write this out just tag me so I can see it, because I’d love to read it. But if not? Totally understandable. I’m more suprised you read it all because it is 100% a  self-indulgent conglomoration of all my favorite tropes, shoved together whether they make sense or not. 

[r-ahh-mi]

He // Chapter 1

Prompt II Chapter 2

Rami Malek x OC(Beth)

A/N: Here is the first official chapter of ‘He’ which is going to be a Rami Malek x OC fic. I have included the links above to two other pieces of writing that go along with this story line - read them if you feel so inclined to do so, which i highly recommend so you can know a bit about the direction this story is taking. Also, although some portions of this fic will depict things that actually happened, the timeline will not be the same as the original time the events took place. Lastly, there will be some flashbacks all through out this story, so the dashes symbolize the beginning and end of flashback. Hope you enjoy & I would adore your feedback xx

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.3k

I’ll start off by saying that I don’t blame him..at least not entirely. I understand he was simply going after his dream and he had to make sacrifices in doing that - truly, I get it. However, no matter how much I can understand where he was coming from, it still hurts. It hurts that he sent a simple text–no, he had his assistant text me to tell me that me and him could no longer be together. So many fucking years together and he can’t even muster up enough balls to tell me that he doesn’t want me anymore, that he doesn’t love me anymore. It was terribly out of character for him, which only made this worse. Rami was never one to do a thing as shady and unpredictable as that. 

People always say you see ‘red flags’ or early signs of a disaster about to strike, but that wasn’t the case with us. We were fine, better than fine, we were amazing. We talked about getting married, having children, where we would want to live when it came time to settle down and enjoy life. Never, ever did it occur to me that Rami would abruptly break up with me when he was away filming the movie that would crank his stardom from a average number to being one of the top male actors in the business. 

I stood by him when he was no one to everyone, except to me. To me he was everything. Fuck, he still is my everything.

I guess that’s why I haven’t even thought about anyone romantically since he broke things off. It was the furthest thing from my mind to capture anothers heart like I had thought i’d captured his and, although, I knew at one point he loved me like I loved him, he just didn’t love me anymore. Well…I guess now I wasn’t so sure.

See, Rami was one to fall head first into a relationship and that’s something I could admire him for. He was never really afraid to show someone his heart and who he was; never ever bashful in expressing his feelings and when he knew he loved me he told me right away, without hesitation, despite my own apprehensions about it all. He let me take my time and gradually, my heavy stone wall was broken by this boy who had stumbled into the wrong dorm room one fateful Saturday night after he got drunk off of cheap beer.

I was so annoyed when he had loudly barged into my room and plopped down directly on top of my once sleeping form, now I couldn’t be more grateful that he had accidentally gone to the wrong floor of that old stuffy dormitory. We were crazy back then, we really were. I felt so fearless and he was the one who made me feel that way, which was both scary and intriguing that another could make me feel such a way about life when I was anything but carefree, but with Rami, it was easy. Except now things were different. Everything was the opposite of easy; everything was complicated, really, really complicated.

Of course, I could only really speak on my experience of being apart from him and pretending he never existed and that we never existed. I remember how hard it was to not call him whenever I needed someone, he was always the person that I went to with any issue I had, but not anymore….well, except for last night. My head was still dizzy and tired and at times I was entirely positive I was making the entire evening, of him phoning me, up. However, a quick glance through my recent received texts was convincing, and if that wasn’t enough, my call history was sure to smash it into my brain that it happened.

I’m sure you’re wondering what the call was about and even i’m not entirely sure. It was full of sleepy Rami voice which I had missed dearly, but even more importantly I could hear him crying. That hurt, it really fucking hurt, especially knowing that I wasn’t there to give him whatever he was needing in that very moment, but I had to remind myself that I would have been right next to him had it not been for his actions and his wishes. So, guilt was quickly evaded from my memory and worry soon began to take over and it would never leave, i still felt it right this very moment.

He was vague. Extremely vague to me as he expressed his need to just see me. Even now, a mere night’s worth of sleep, and my pulse was speeding up just thinking about him wanting to see me again. It was just too shocking to process and I wasn’t even sure if I had answered him or not, but all I knew is that he texted me my plane ticket information early this morning, that I suppose he had booked last night and now I was in some over priced Uber to JFK airport headed for LAX.

The shaking was bad, the anxiety was even worse, and I had no clue why I had let myself agree to this (if i even had because, again, i don’t recall a lot of what i said during the conversation), but yet I wasn’t protesting to my driver to pull over. Not to mention, I never once thought about just ignoring the plane ticket purchased and letting that be my revenge for him breaking my heart the way he did.

In fact, I’m scolding myself this very moment for not even letting that thought cross my mind earlier..that would’ve made everything so much easier..I could’ve just continued on working my job and eating the same take out twice a week and running around the same park every morning and wallowing around in self pity on the weekend when I wasn’t attempting to be social with my friends.

Who was I kidding, it wouldn’t have been the same. The second I answered his phone call I knew that I wouldn’t be okay, at least not fully and when i chose to date him, I knew I was letting in this incredible human being that would forever leave a lasting impression on me, I just didn’t know, way back then, that that impression may not have been the kindest to my heart no matter how much I wanted the thought of ‘us’ to be a good thing in my mind. Again, he made that decision though, not me..so I shouldn’t feel any blame for it.

Funny how we repeat things to ourselves in order for them to sink into our brains isn’t it? Not like it ever truly works anyways.

-

I’d never experienced a plane ride quite like that. The couple of hours it took for me to get from one part of the country to the next felt as though a full twenty-four hours had gone by and I wasn’t sure what I was more tired of; physical exhaustion or mental exhaustion. My leg was still twitching, i’m going to assume, because of the hours upon hours it had been bouncing up and down due to the constant stream of anxiety that was running like a current through my body. Not to mention, my nausea due to my motion sickness that never failed to pop up every time the plane landed.

However, despite the numbness in my leg and the frazzled shock coursing through my blood, I kept persisting as if my life depended on it as I walked through the familiar airport. The smell of the various food vendors and even the plainly colored walls and floors all made me smile and think back to the various trips I had made here to visit Rami before we both decided to move to LA together once we had both graduated college so many years ago.

So much money was spent on me going to see Rami at least once a month, but I never dreaded it. In fact, I much preferred California to my small hometown in Indiana, so I didn’t mind flying out to see him, especially if it meant him getting to show me everything he grew up seeing and doing and loving. Not to mention me and his family had gotten very close since my first visit, Christmas my sophomore year of college, when me and Rami were just friends. California started to feel more like a home to me more than shitty Indiana ever did, which is why I never hesitated when Rami brought up the thought of us potentially moving in with one another in LA. 

- -

“So I was thinking..”

“Spit it out Rami, you’ve only repeated that exact phrase three times now.”

As I balanced the phone between my shoulder and cheek, I couldn’t help but hope he was finally asking me the words i’d been dying to hear. After a year of not living near each other, I was half tempted to move myself out to LA all on my own and surprise him. Our relationship was an open one and I was positive he wouldn’t have minded that I moved both to be near him and to further my career as an actress. Lord knows Indiana wasn’t doing me any favors in either of those departments. 

“...I was thinking..that you should move out here.”

I couldn’t help but sigh happily at his confession, “You know I would love that.”

“Then why haven’t you moved here yet? Do you enjoy making me suffer and have to live with only having contact with you from a phone.”

“Hey! I fly out as often as my paycheck allows it.”

“I know baby..”, His voice was so tender and thoughtful, it made me feel a little less obsessive as I had already started throwing a few of my belongings into a suitcase.

“So, when should I plan to leave?”

It was silent for a moment until Rami suggested me coming down to visit so we could both look at apartments together, just to ensure this was 1000% something that we both were prepared and wanting to do. Although, I already knew I was ready. Honestly, I never even needed to go see the semi-shitty apartment we were about to live in for the next 5 years because I would move anywhere and live anywhere as long as it meant I could be near him.

You could definitely say I was whipped and i’d proudly admit that.

- -

Suddenly, the airport began to seem terribly overcrowded with both people coming and going and I knew I had to be close to where Rami had told me to look for the driver.

I obeyed every single one of Rami’s requests - off the plane, head for a selected Terminal, and then look for a man holding a sign with his last name on it near the main exit doors.

I still wasn’t adjusted to the fact that Rami had afforded a plane ticket and a driver just for me. Not too mention my plane ticket was one of 1st class, not an easily afforded privilege for someone like me, but I had to remember, Rami wasn’t the Rami I knew anymore. He was Rami Malek, a multiple award winning actor; something I was both proud and jealous of, I had to admit, but I saw this coming. In college, there was no denying the talent I saw the very first I watched him give a monologue in front of our class. Everyone in the auditorium styled classroom had goosebumps, I was positive, and we all saw him as competition, except for me.

Of course, down the road we both engaged in some slight competition with who could get the best roles in plays and who would get the best acting gig right outside of college, but when I first witnessed his acting capabilities, I was more curious than anything. Curious to get to know him and speak with him; just to pick at his brain sounded terribly ideal to me and engaging in a some other activities didn’t sound half bad either..

My shoulder suddenly collided with someone, much to my surprise, dragging me from my trip down memory lane to staring at the man in front of me wearing aviator sunglasses and holding a white board in his hand. I examined the man to make sure he was alright, that is until I saw the words ‘Malek’ scribbled on the object in his hands. 

Just seeing his last name written out gave me a pitiful feeling in my stomach and I wasn’t able to blame it on the motion sickness now that my feet were firmly planted on the ground.

“Uhm..are you the driver for Malek?”

My mouth stuttered slightly as I spoke his last name, proving saying anything relatively close to his full name would be difficult. I’ll need to make a mental note of that later before I embarrass myself any more than I already have...

The mystery man gave me a brief nod, “Are you Mrs. Malek?”

I must’ve looked like a purely insane individual as I just stared at him, dough eyed and trying to maintain brain function as my stutters returned.

“I--I’m not--No you see we are not--”

“Or are you just another one of his girls?”

And with a snap of invisible fingers, my mood shifted from frazzled to angered, but I shouldn’t have been shocked, I really shouldn’t have been. Rami was no longer the baby faced young man I grew to love, he was a much older, much more matured male who had grown out of his baby weight and into a muscular, beautifully structured bachelor that, i’m sure, every woman in Hollywood was dying to fall for, or rather get on their knee’s for.

“I’m definitely not one of his girls”, I retorted with possibly too much annoyance as the driver silently turned around and began walking towards the exit. Supposing I was meant to follow him, I got hot on his heels as he led the way out of the large main double doors.

No turning back now.

-

Tag List: @frami-mercury-malek @hazeleyedbeth @sassystrawberryk @amcquivey @cleopatra-knowles @lovelymalekk @mezzomercury

If you’d like to be added to the tag list for this serious, or to be on my permanent tag list, let me know and I will gladly add you xx

[ammeh7]

7KPP Week 2019 - Day 5

A Day of Friendships || A Romance for the Ages

By “a romance for the ages” I of course refer to the game’s One True Pairing of Narrator/Jasper.

This fic probably needed to be at least twice as long as I actually had time to make it, and it’s glaringly obvious that I wrote most of Week 5 Day 4 before a lot of the rest of it, but I figured I’d post the thing anyway and maybe go back and fix it up at some point in the future.

Summary: The narrator wants to vicariously kiss Jasper, but MC has a thing for morally dubious princesses.

Warning: Contains huge spoilers for weeks 4 and 5 of the extended demo

The narrator is some sort of Historian-affiliated spirit thing here, but the specifics are left deliberately ambiguous.

Lady Rosaline was made up for the story, since my Gisette-mancer is immoral and I wanted an ethical one for this fic. She could be any 75-manip-compatible background.

This contains several snippets copied directly from the game; I don’t take credit for those!

You can hear me.

Granted, only when you’re half-asleep, but that’s better than I can do with anyone else.

I can hear you, too—or rather, hear you thinking to yourself—which makes discerning your motivations so much easier.

And you’re special. It’s practically a giant sign over your head, screaming “Stuff! Happen over here!”

Most importantly, Jasper’s your butler.

I’ve decided. You’re the one I’m recording this Summit.

--

Week 1, Day 0

As you drift off to sleep, you contemplate how unbelievably attractive everyone you met at the Welcome Feast was.

It’s a good problem to have, right? And you certainly charmed everyone you met. But as long as we’re discussing unbelievably attractive people: have you seen your butler?

Yes? Okay, good.

--

Week 1, Day 4

“I hope all our encounters can continue being so mutually pleasing, Lady Rosaline.”

A spike of want runs through you. You can’t wait for the next time the two of you meet.

Really? Character assassination does it for you?

--

Week 1, Day 6

More than hijinks, sparring, nature walks, or intellectual debates?

--

Week 1, Day 7

“I think there’s someone who might become special.”

Oh? Really? I hope for your sake they are thinking the same.

It’s Princess Gisette, isn’t it. You have terrible taste. Didn’t you see your gorgeous butler? Or the warrior princess who’s completely besotted with you? The dashing pirate? The thoughtful Revairan lord? Your adorable blushing maid? Did I mention your gorgeous butler? Or pretty much any person besides the one who faked you out with a supposedly private invitation and then tried to manipulate you into slandering an innocent woman?

It could be worse, I suppose. You could have an eye for her brother.

--

Week 2, Day 5

“I think I would regret it if you were to become a ghost in truth.”

She gives you a soulful look, her blue-violet eyes pulling you in, despite not being the true, gorgeous purple you’ve seen on some of the Isle natives. Such as Jasper.

“Not nearly so much as I would!” You smile at her, not even contemplating how much more purple her eyes could be.

Sigh.

--

Week 3, Day 2

Jasper has indisputably won the gift-giving competition, but you’re really fixated on that perfume.

She didn’t even pick it out for you! She picked it out for herself! It was probably just a spare bottle she brought in her luggage!

Yes, it’s expensive, but…

Augh.

--

Week 3, Day 3

Exhausted from herding quarrelsome children at dinner, you drift off to sleep.

There are no assassins around. Nothing noteworthy is going to happen with you for the next seven hours, at least.

Yay!

Across the castle, Jasper is finishing a journal entry, recording dutifully. He’s taken off his jacket and is sitting in his vest, looking enticingly exposed despite not showing an inch more skin than normal. There’s a hint of tiredness around his eyes, but his face is still almost inhumanly perfect.

With a neat flourish, he ends his entry. He pulls off his writing gloves to reveal his long, slender fingers before sprinkling the page with sand to dry it and shaking it off.

He closes the journal, then stands, sticking a finger in his cravat loosen it.

Oh my.

I probably shouldn’t be here. (I might have had to extrapolate the rules of my existence myself, but I’m pretty confident I’m supposed to be watching the actors. And probably not spying on people undressing.)

He removes his cravat and unbuttons his waistcoat, hanging them up neatly. He starts to unbutton his shirt, revealing his pale collarbone, and…I’m being creepy. Sigh.

(See, if you were here, this would be history and not voyeurism!)

I return. You sleep for the next eight hours, rolling over a few times. At one point you scratch your nose.

Absolutely scintillating.

--

Week 3, Day 5

Jasper has been investigating the plot against you, like the darling he is.

You remember an incident you observed last week, with that same type of easily missed servant and Princess Gisette.

…Yes, if that was the story it makes sense. Especially knowing Gisette and her family’s reputation.

“Lady Rosaline, what is it?”

“Nothing, Jasper. It’s nothing. Thank you for your help, and your investigation. I appreciate it.”

You don’t really, though. You can’t truly appreciate what this means for him, how he struggled with this. What devotion.

Somehow, the discovery that Gisette was behind your accident last week doesn’t seem to be putting you off. In fact, I think it’s piqued your interest.

You make no sense.

--

Week 3, Day 7

“I hope you will keep something similar in mind, Princess.”

You continue onto the Matchmaker with a dreamy internal smile, not at all bothered by the fact that she just sent your poor butler on a run-around errand because she decided to procrastinate until the last minute with her love confessions.

Granted, he…apparently procrastinates even more, but despite having just received a regular barrage of clandestine proposals, you fail to recognize his advice for the heartfelt confession that it is.

If you’d just reject it, I could live with that, but how oblivious can you be?

You proceed to lie shamelessly about plans for a political marriage to the Matchmaker. She’s totally onto you, I hope you realize.

--

Week 3, Day 7

Gisette gives you a studying look from across the room. It’s a lot like the look she gave you right after she tried to murder you. Last week.

Are you really sure about this?

You manage to meet her gaze and then give her a significant smile and nod of your own.

Apparently.

--

Week 4, Day 3

You bask in Princess Gisette’s lap, drinking in her condolences about the terrible burden on you this week.

If you would pause a moment to consider the irony, you might remember that you’ve deduced this burden is all her fault in the first place, and also how tragic you found the death of that fellow she murdered, but you apparently haven’t reached that level of self-awareness.

You at least remember that she also tried to murder you, but you’ve apparently decided to let that slide.

Not for the first time, I question your self-preservation instinct.

--

Week 5, Day 2

Jasper wipes your fingers carefully, attempting to gently remove the ink.

When he is satisfied it is clean he stares at your hand for a moment, as if lost in thought. It is only a lapse of a moment though, before he returns to himself and releases your hand from his grip with a start.

“Forgive me, Lady Rosaline.”

“Jasper—”

“I should go. I have other duties to attend to.”

Despite your surprised protests, he hurries off, leaving you alone with your newly finished letter.

“—you really need to get more sleep,” you finish, to the empty air. You read once more over your letter to home, plans already forming in the back of your mind for your return.

Sleep? How could you not see the pining there? The repressed longing? How could you not melt into goo over the yearning devotion in his eyes?

How could you not want to stay?

Your maids help you undress for bed, and you doze off happily, oblivious to the fact that you’re totally doing Katyia’s Legacy wrong.

--

Week 5, Day 4

Jasper sets down your breakfast tray, both he and the breakfast as mouth-watering as always. “Let’s go over your schedule for the day, Lady Rosaline.”

You groan inwardly at the businesslike tone in his voice. Today’s going to be a busy one.

“There’s a rehearsal scheduled this afternoon, for the three hours before dinner. You’ll obviously be expected to attend that. Given that you have a leading role, you may also want to reserve some additional time to go over your lines.”

You perk up at that, looking forward to the opportunity to see Gisette. Perhaps you could even arrange some time alone together under the pretense of practicing your Serah-Vienna scenes.

“You’ve received a last-minute invitation to a tea arranged by one of the delegates from Wellin, Lady Petunia.”

You shake your head. You’ve met Lady Petunia, she’s a dreadful bore. More importantly, she’s not nearly fashionable enough for Gisette to attend her teas.

“You’ve also received an invitation to a group luncheon from Lady Aria of Revaire, as a thank you for the tea you hosted last week. Given your role in the theatrical this week, I believe you can decline without causing offense, should you wish to. Lastly, with the upcoming ball, I believe it would be wise for you to work on your dancing. I would be happy to assist you in that area.”

Lady Aria rarely says anything of substance, but on the other hand, she spends a great deal of time with Princess Gisette.

Do you really want to choose an hour of empty-headed prattle where you may or may not be able to watch Gisette from across the table over dancing with Jasper?

“I’d rather not risk offending Lady Aria. She was a great help to my investigations last week.”

(Yes. Yes, apparently you do.)

“Very well. You should still have some free time after dinner and before the luncheon, which you could spend on dancing, private rehearsal, or something else.”

“I should take some time after the rehearsal to go over the scenes I had trouble with. Perhaps Lord Clarmont or Princess Gisette might even be available this evening to go over some of our scenes.”

Jasper’s eyes widen in alarm, though it does little to disrupt the sheer perfection of his features. “My lady, meeting privately with a man you have not been matched with to rehearse romance scenes would…invite comment.”

You knew that. Etiquette might not be one of your strong suits, but you’re not that oblivious.

“I thought we might be able to find someone to chaperone, but…you’re right, it will be best if I only ask Princess Gisette. I have just as many scenes with her anyway.”

You shrug, as if it doesn’t matter to you one way or the other, pleased to have an excuse for some time alone with Gisette.

“That still leaves this morning. I’m afraid I won’t be available to help you practice your dancing in the hours between now and your luncheon.”

“Perhaps another time. I can practice by myself in the ballroom for today.”

--

You spend some time dancing around in the ballroom. There’s something about this room, because by spending time in it you can feel your natural charisma increasing.

(Perhaps if you practiced with your butler, instead of trying to look alluring for yourself in the mirror, you’d actually manage to improve your grace and not just your personal magnetism.)

--

Gisette is not at the luncheon, which turns out to be a dreadful waste of a couple hours. (Just think, you could have been dancing with Jasper.) By the time the designated hour for the rehearsal rolls around, you are practically tripping over your skirts in your haste to escape.

--

“But Vienna,” you sigh, “how could I possibly trust in his intentions after my most faithful maid saw Lady Matterly leaving his chambers?”

“Sweet girl,” Gisette rests her hand on your back, a waft of sweet perfume teasing your senses. “I know you trust your maid dearly, but you must admit she is…prone to misjudgments. Confront Sir Horus, find his version of the story. He is not a man who would be able to lie under pressure. Not like Prince Armand.”

You turn to face Gisette, clasping her elegant hand between your own. “Oh, but Prince Armand cares for you dearly! I’ve seen the look in his eyes when he watches you across the room. He may be a man who talks all around what he means—not unlike yourself, dear cousin—but I am convinced his affection for you is true.”

“Lady Rosaline!” Lady Avalie is suddenly standing next to the pair of you. “You’re turning your back to the audience.”

Right. You release Gisette’s hand, masking your reluctance to do so. “I don’t think it works for Serah to deliver that line with her back to Vienna. Princess, perhaps if you came around?”

You try a few things, but don’t quite get it right by the time Prince Zarad and Lord Clarmont have finished and it’s time to switch scenes.

“Princess, would you have some time to spare this evening to see if we can get that scene figured out?” You smile apologetically, as if you’re sorry for the bother.

She gives you a coolly assessing look, but you can detect a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. “I had some time planned to review my lines. I suppose we could use it to work on our joint scenes, Lady Rosaline.”

--

After dinner, Gisette knocks on your door, script in hand. “I hope now is a good time to work on our scenes, Lady Rosaline,” she says sweetly, just loud enough to be overheard.

You happily invite her in.

“I admit, Rosaline, I initially found the idea of this theatrical quite a bother, but I’m coming to appreciate its hidden charms,” she says, smiling languidly at you.

You look around for a suitable chair, and land on the one you were sat in yesterday when Jasper so lovingly wiped the ink off your fingers. Without sparing that tender moment a passing thought, you sit and run through your positioning a few times until you have it figured out.

“I confess,” Gisette smiles, “I’m not entirely confident in the scene before the ball, either.”

--

“Oh, Vienna!” you cry, taking Gisette’s hands in both of your own. “I fear I shall never find love!” You clasp your joined hands dramatically to your bosom.

“A lady should hope never to…” Gisette cuts off in the middle of her character’s quip, shaking her head with a smile teasing at her lips. “Really, my dear? I suspect the audience might notice if you have me grope you onstage.”

You grin unabashedly, releasing her hands. “My apologies. I was caught up in the drama of the moment.”

Okay, you’re kind of cute together. When she’s not planning your death.

--

“You did not see the so-called ‘love poem’ he sent me, Serah. It contained the most lurid descriptions of my—”

At this point, Serah’s maid is supposed to burst into the room and interrupt, but it’s just the two of you.

She’s standing where Jasper normally does when he’s going over your schedule in the morning. Your eyes meet, tension simmering between you.

You raise an eyebrow, smirking. “Have you ever gotten a particularly terrible poem from a suitor, Gisette? I received one at seventeen that compared my teeth to his mother’s china.”

She tilts her head in thought, her pale hair catching the candlelight without the ethereal pearly shimmer that Jasper’s hair gets in the same light.

“Nothing so terrible as what was recited at that charming little evening you hosted, but there have been a few gems.” She smirks, takes one of your hands in hers and looks deeply into your eyes. “O lovely moon, I beseech you to shine on me eternally, eclipse me in your violet pits…"

You giggle.

“He was so proud of his work that he recited it in person. On one knee. And his father was too important an ally to offend, so I had to smile through all twenty verses.” She wrinkles her nose. “It was all I could do not to gag. But enough of such odious recollections, my dear. I have a rare moment alone with you.” She strokes her fingers over your wrist, not releasing your hand.

“And what would you like to do with it?” you purr.

“Oh,” she smiles slowly, like a cat basking in the sun, “I have a few ideas.”

She steps closer. Her long, cool fingers stroke along your jaw, and she cups the side of your face, her soft lips closing over yours. She kisses you passionately, releasing your hand to bring her other hand to your waist.

You wrap your arms around her, drawing her as tight as you can without mussing her exquisite coiffure. Your mouths melt into each other, her body feeling almost fragile under your hands.

(I wanted to vicariously kiss Jasper, but… this is nice.)

You finally, reluctantly, release each other, and you blush as you realize that you weren’t entirely successful in your quest to avoid disheveling her hair. You were not emotionally prepared for her to pull your lower lip between her teeth like that.

“Let me…” you grab a hairbrush from your dresser.

She raises an eyebrow, looking herself over in the mirror and giving you a fondly exasperated look before taking a seat on your dressing stool. “I shouldn’t give you a hard time. You’re more of a sight than I am.”

You peer over her shoulder into the mirror to find your hair falling out of its twist, bodice off-kilter, cheeks flushed, and lips red and slightly swollen.

“Whoops.” You adjust your bodice and hastily tuck the wayward strands of hair into place. The rest you’ll just have to wait out. “How do I look, cousin?” you tease, sliding a hand into her pale blonde tresses and catching a lock to smooth with the brush.

“Like perfection itself, my dear.” She doesn’t finish the line, tilting her head back languidly and luxuriating under your touch. Hints of the fragrant oils she uses waft up to you as you stroke the brush through her hair.

Once you’ve brushed every lock into place and then some, and can’t really justify drawing it out any further, you twist the strands she had pinned behind her head back into place and replace her hair clip.

She stands, smiling regretfully. “Our time together is always far too short. Until next time, Rosaline.”

With a parting kiss, she picks up her script and departs, leaving you with the trace of her perfume and lips that still feel warm.

--

Week 7, Day 8

As your ship becomes a speck on the horizon, it feels strange to be idle again. It’s been a long time.

Jasper stands at a window in one of the towers, watching you go, a hint of resigned melancholy in his eyes.

I couldn’t do anything for him. Again.

I know he can’t feel me, not like you could, but I concentrate on all my good feelings, all my esteem, all the love I was hoping you’d be the one to give him for me.

It’s so quick, I might’ve imagined it, but for a moment, a hint of a smile flickers across his face.

I don’t know if anyone like you is going to come around again, but…I can always hope, right?

Jasper turns away from the window, heads back down to help with getting the castle out of the state of disarray that sixty entitled visitors always manage to get it into.

And I?

I wait.

My apologies for how glaringly this fic needed to be twice as long and several times more edited. 

I might go back and flesh it out more once I can write about weeks 6/7!