#lets play a fun game now called 'how much symbolism can i squeeze into a singular art piece'!! the answer is: a lot

[0rchidm4ntis]

[What if we just hadn't said goodbye?]

Some design notes below the cut

-both of their expressions are meant to represent the way they felt about the outcome of ep 24. shinji has his eyes on kaworu with an expression of hurt and betrayal meanwhile kaworu is at peace with his decision, eyes closed and unable to see how shinji may feel now

-i know the pilots are never seen wielding weapons themselves in the show and that evas haven't been shown using a sword at any point either however i kind of live for the fact that swords held blade down look like crosses. i couldn't help myself with that one it was too good an opportunity to pass

-hard to tell bc I couldn't put much effort into them but the flowers making up kaworu's bouquet are blue roses, often recognised as a symbol for secret or unattainable love

-whether the way kaworu holds a bouquet makes him look like a bride ready to walk down the aisle or a corpse laying in their casket. well. ill leave the choice up to you

-i also wanted the items they're holding to parallel one another. shinji holds a red sword dripping with blue blood meanwhile kaworu holds blue roses ever so slightly stained by fresh blood. shinji is the only one holding a weapon because he's the only one causing physical harm in the end, and kaworu doesn't have any because he's given up on fighting for his life

[peakyblindersxx]

whiskey business - john shelby x reader (part 6 of ?)

gif by my queen @michaelgreys, i'm basically her fanblog now but im not mad about it :) i mean just look at him!!1! i almost fainted

a/n: first of all, if you stuck around to this point, tysm for reading!!! this has been one of the most amazing fics ive ever been a part of and it's all thanks to the gorgeous @stxdyblr-2k, who generously took control of the next few parts. her brain is beautiful and we all owe her flowers or something. when i read what she sent me i couldn't bring myself to change much except for some small edits, so pls give her lots of love if you like it!!!! i'm still working on requests as well :)

love, abi xxx

read part one two three four five | my masterlist

tagging: @datewithgianni, @mayaslifeinabox, @deepdonutkid, @springsoulofengland, @lilymurphy03

prompt: nothing this good can last forever. john doesn't know how to feel, and neither do you.

warnings: nsfw! a teensy bit of smut, angsty as fuck prepare yourselves accordingly, a lil fluff if u squint, yeah this fucked me up

Obviously, it wasn't the last time.

Over the coming months you had many last times; his mouth pressed against your neck said as much. As his responsibility at work increased, you'd find yourself heading to his office after your lectures and night classes more often, perched on his lap, smoking, while he finished up his numbers under your critical gaze.

Thomas was more than aware; his snarky comments made it obvious he had his ways of monitoring your actions. You'd seen the dark car lurking outside your rallies and lectures, and no matter how you'd try to throw him off, not even telling Ada where you were going and even, in a moment of desperation, through your neighbours back window, somehow, his silent shadow was still looming. He was practically begging you to make a mistake, to give everyone an easy out. You just couldn't give him the satisfaction. You knew Tommy saw the world as a chess board, always several moves ahead of his opponent. Even when you played him in chess club all those years ago, you could outflank him if you thought on your feet and kept him thinking he was winning until you obliterated him in the end game. It was brutal, sure. But as he told you, there were bigger games at play. You had your own. Thomas could read your mail, intercept your phone calls and have you followed, but he couldn't hear what you said out of earshot. Your lot could smell an interceptor in your ranks, so spying at that close of a proximity was out of the question.

That's why he'd decided to let you have John. You knew his silent approval and his constant management of the narrative meant he saw a tactical gain. There was only so much information he could get from Ada, but John? He just had to agitate him in the right way and all your secrets would come tumbling out. It was difficult hiding your world from John; of what he knew of, he was supportive, quizzing you over current affairs and political discourse, listening intently. Yet, you had to watch your mouth. You had to keep a barrier up and you knew John sensed the distance. Fundamentally, there was nothing either of you could do.

So here you were, in a comfortable limbo. Your days were filled with work, evenings were for lectures and reading groups at the city's university, Ada and you often stopped for a drink or three; you'd go by your flat to freshen up, and then to John's office. Sometimes, you wouldn't visit for a week or so when the guilt sent you over the edge, it was draining to be living so many lives and knowing you were betraying the person you loved most on earth. Ada was oblivious, taking you on her nightly adventures filled with men, dancing and waiting while she was busy kissing in dark corners. Sometimes a young blinder would ask if you wanted to be walked home. The first occurrence you thought was sweet, but as the nights it occurred coincided with nights John seemed extra pent up, you'd decided to ask. The boy, who couldn't be older than twelve but who you knew was trained in using firearms and had a revolver pinned to his hip and a razor in his cap, looked confused.

"Mate, it's not a tough question. Why do you come and ask?"

"There's a phone call." He shrugs, "Isaiah or Michael tells us to go and get you."

Isaiah and Michael were somewhat aware? Fucking hell. Your fling was basically a military campaign at this point, so many of your friends were complicit. The little lads who ran as messengers around Birmingham were complicit. You had to just end it.

But when you sat on his thigh, his chin hooked over your shoulder, it felt so worth it. He never turned you away when you came crawling back. He never mentioned it until after you were finished, hooked under his arm.

"Fucking missed you, gorgeous."

Sometimes he'd remind you not to be a stranger with a wink, but you could tell it was tearing him apart too. He never once came to you. That's how he could justify it in his mind; obviously, the bare minimum was not having sex with his sister's best friend, but in failing that, waiting for you to initiate it was somewhat better. He barely talked to Ada now, citing work as an excuse, but truly the guilt sickened him. He couldn't believe he was prepared to continuously hurt his little sister and betray her. But every time you turned up at his door, he couldn't find it in himself to turn you away. In his mind, every single time you came to visit him was the last time he'd let it happen, yet he was always waiting for you to come back, his blind closed to signal he was prepared. He never would call, it had to be your choice.

You'd been off and on for over five months now. It was so difficult to hide in plain sight, but you just couldn't stop yourself. Neither of you purposefully meant for this to be happen but fuck, was it fun.

For your birthday he'd gifted you a fur coat from the same shop his sister, aunt and the fashionable crowd of Birmingham had purchased theirs. He joked that you looked like a "proper razor chaser", kissing you when you pouted at his teasing, begging you to wear only the coat when you fucked him next. It was a practice for blinders to buy a coat for their wives and girlfriends as a status symbol. You were neither, but John claimed that being his "favourite lass" also counted.

John was a laugh, but you knew at any time he could close his door to you. Until he decided he couldn't be bothered with you, you weren't going to get caught. You just had to be careful until he got bored.

***

You did end up putting a foot wrong. It was a Thursday night; you were sitting on the edge of John's desk while he was ridding you of your blouse. It was past midnight, Birmingham was asleep. You almost didn't bother coming out tonight, but you knew John had lost a deal and you wanted to be there for him. Your skirt and stockings were strewn across the desk with his shirt, vest and waistcoat, muddled into the files and papers which were once neatly stacked.

His fingers were pumping in and out of you, his mouth lapping at your breast, your head tipped back in euphoria, groaning. The stress made him more affectionate and tender with you, and it was nights like these that made you wonder. Wonder if this could ever be something more, something real.

John's body suddenly pulled away from yours, quickly turning the light off.

"John, what-" You were cut off by John’s hand over your mouth, muffling your words.

"Shut up and get behind the desk." He hissed. "Someone's coming upstairs."

You quickly grabbed your clothes from the shiny oak surface and crouched, hiding yourself from view, quickly making yourself decent. You weren't going to get shot through the head with your tits out. You listened to the stairs creek, and it sounded like a group. You two were easily outnumbered. They were talking, but the thick panels of wood muffled their voices.

As your eyes adjusted to the darkness, the cracks in the door giving the room a dulled glow, you could make out the figure of John. He was free of his shirt, toned body on display, standing with his back flat to the wall, revolver produced from a discreet notch in the door frame, gaze fixed on where they'd enter. He was tense, ready. The door was unlocked from the outside, the door handle twisting.

John's lip shifted in confusion yet still he kept his trigger finger ready, not a single shake from your general.

The light flicked on and a shriek rang out. It was blinding, and you stood up slightly dazed. Finn was in the doorway, John next to him clutching his chest, panting and lowering the gun.

"Jesus Christ, Finn, can't you knock like a normal person? Scared the shit out of us." John bellowed, shaking as the adrenaline coursed through his body, resting his hands on the edge of the desk as he regained his breath.

"You're the one who pointed a gun at me! I didn't even know you were in 'ere!" Finn yelped.

The commotion had attracted the attention of Ada and Isaiah, who had come running and stopped in their tracks upon seeing you standing behind John's desk in the middle of the night. They weren't stupid. John was topless, your clothes obviously rumpled, both with matching tousled hair and practically stinking of guilt. You'd been caught red handed. Ada's eyes flicked between both you and John, and you could practically see the pieces of the puzzle clicking together in her mind, all the moments she found questionable since you'd returned suddenly making sense, realising she had been deceived by the two people who she was meant to trust most in life. Finn looked absolutely crushed, he'd never been able to conceal his emotions as well as his older brothers and sister, linking his fingers through Ada's, squeezing her hand.

"I forgot to drop this off earlier." Finn stated, holding up a money box, "Ada had keys so we thought we'd sneak in so I wouldn't get done by Tommy. We did call round yours, Y/N. We thought you were in bed."

"I'm sorry." You said. It was not enough but you just didn't know what else to say. You couldn't make it right, you'd really fucked up this time. Tears pricked at your eyes, as Ada examined you in silence.

John stepped in front of you defensively. "Look, Ada-"

"How long has this been going on?" She asked, her voice shaking with rage. You and John exchanged a glance. "I said, how fucking long?"

"Five months, six in a fortnight." He answered.

Isaiah whistled lowly. "That's fucked. I thought it was only a few times, that it'd finished."

"Never really over when it's John is it." Finn interjects, you glance to him, were you just one in a long string? You shouldn't be surprised but it was easy to pretend he may actually care about you.

"You've been fucking around for six months behind my back?" Ada yelped, Finn trying to comfort her but she pulled away from him. "And you fucking knew Iz."

"I'd expect this from you, yeah? Wouldn't put anything past you these days.." she sneered at John, "But you? You?! You're meant to be my best mate, but here you are sneaking about fucking my brother?"

"Ada-" you began, eyes welling with tears.

"I thought I could trust you. You're just another fucking razor chaser, aren't you?" She spits. "That's why you came back."

"No it wasn't, Ada-"

Her eyes flashed with anger, but this time John was on the receiving end. "You bought her that fucking coat ,didn't you? The fur one. You did! Fuck's sake!" Her fists were clenched, shoulders squared. For the first time in your life, you understood why crowds parted for Ada Shelby. Understood all the free drinks and cab rides, the nervous serving staff declaring your meal on the house (always acknowledged by Ada with a hefty tip), understood why the men of Birmingham didn't last long with her.

"Did it feel good to swan about town in that fucking coat, while acting as though you cared about me? It's so fucking embarrassing. All trussed up because my knobhead big brother makes you feel special? Thanks for rubbing it in my face."

"Ada, I love you. I never meant to hurt you, I got caught up and that's on me. It's my fault."

"You're not acting like you love me. This isn’t what love is, Y/N." She retorted.

You couldn’t do anything but nod. She was right.

John opened his mouth to speak, Ada silencing him, a scowl darkening her features.

"I don't care what you have to say. Any of you. Who else knows?"

"Thomas, Michael, Arthur-" John listed off slowly, each name prompting Ada to break down a little bit more in front of you.

"I didn't know Arthur knew." You said pointedly, John sending you an exasperated glance. He was planning on dealing with that later, but right now was about his sister. Fuck him if he thought you were going to stick around much longer. You didn't want to hear him justify everyone else knowing about your fling with your best friend being left completely in the dark.

"That all you have to say for yourself?" Ada snaps at you.

"I have fucking no defense, do I Ada? I should've walked away." You pushed your hair back, frustrated at yourself, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. You begged yourself not to cry. Tears wouldn't help anything.

"Why didn't you?"

You didn't know. Your silence only riled her up.

"Why didn't you fucking walk away?" Ada yelled, slamming her hands on the desk.

You felt hot tears run down your face, quickly moving your hands to dab at your tears.

"Don't you dare fucking cry. After all you've done, you don't get to cry in front of me." Ada growled at you, John going to shush her, obviously wanting to comfort you. "You can all fuck off. You've all lied to me and gone behind my back. Fuck’s sake, you could've just told me. You could've just told me."

"We didn't want to hurt you." John said, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder but she flinches away.

"This hurts so much more. You get that you all lying to me is so much worse, don't you?"

"We weren't thinking."

"You really fucking weren't." Ada laughs bitterly, shaking her head, blinking away tears. "Fuck you lot."

She stormed out, tailed by Finn, begging her to slow down and talk to him, protesting his innocence in the situation. Isaiah hesitated in the doorway, his eyes flickering between you and John.

"I had no idea you two've been at it for so long."

"Iz, fuck off yeah? I've had enough today." John shot back, sliding across the desk towards you. "You alright, lass?"

"We're done here, John."

He slid off the table, his hand cupping your face, "Hey, gorgeous, I get it but don't go breaking my heart tonight. Can we just leave this for tomorrow? Sleep on it."

The idea of getting any sleep at all tonight was laughable, you'd be up all night replaying these moments and torturing yourself. Tonight couldn't get any worse so you had to finally end it. Now was the right time.

"John, it should've never happened."

"But it did."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's over."

"Y/N. You know for me it was never just about-"

"You're making it difficult. Stop making it difficult. Whatever you say isn't going to change that right now we have to do the right thing."

"I know you're right, but I don't want to let go. Is it so wrong to want you? I adore you, you know that."

You wouldn't meet his eyes. Sighing, John pressed his forehead to the side of your head, chin brushing your shoulder, eyes closing. He was begging you to stay with him. There had to be a solution, you'd figure it out together. His voice was cracking, eyes glassy. He looked so much younger when he was pleading. The tall bloke who terrorised the Midlands with his razor rimmed cap, a revolver in his hand, and a ruthless trigger finger had vanished. You wanted to stay, burning to curl up with him and for him to kiss it better.

"I should go." You told him. He rested his forehead on your shoulder, letting out a shaky sigh before pulling away, nodding.

"I'd drive you home but obviously-"

"Obviously."

John suddenly turned from you, eyes narrowing at Isaiah who was still hovering at the door. "Thought I told you to fuck off. Make yourself useful and get Y/N home safely." His tone was ice cold once again.

Isaiah nodded, offering his arm to you. You reached the door and instinctively looked back at John. His eyes met yours, staring at you from his desk, just as you knew he would. He prepared himself to watch you leave every night, but this time was different. That was it with you two.

Isaiah strode down the street with you in silence. You were tucked into his side as was customary with the upcoming blinders who were particularly ambitious, but there was no relaxed chat.

"Isaiah. What’re you thinking?" You asked, voice tinged with nervousness.

He sighed, running his free hand across his jaw, "That was intense in there."

"Just how he is." You shrugged.

"Does he love you or sommet?"

"Fuck knows… does it matter?"

"Of course it does. Do you love him?"

"Drop it. None of that matters, it shouldn't have happened in the first place so it can’t," You snapped, the anger at the situation you'd created suddenly overwhelming.

Isaiah whistled, raising his brow at your obvious turmoil. "You're in fucking deeper than you want to admit."

He walked you up your path, watching you turn the key to the side door leading to your bedsit. You paused, turning to him.

"Iz… I don't know what to do next."

It was so dark, you could see his face only by the lit cigarette burning to embers between his fingers. He inhaled deeply, pausing before delivering his carefully laid out plan of avoidance. Obviously the event of him crossing the Shelbys and losing their good graces weighed heavily on his mind. You nodded, listening intently, noting his ideas of relocation but he explained they were a final resort. The best thing to do was try to regain their trust; in the long run, he had calculated, it was the only option that didn't result in your life being haunted by the Shelbys. Even if they left you alone, their enemies would make a point to go after you, seeing you as an easy target. The other option was to leave the country.

"Good luck, Y/N. I mean it." He muttered as you turned the handle to the temporary safety of your home. You nodded, offering you cheek for the polite good night kiss you'd become accustomed to. He rolled his eyes and obliged, pressing an affectionate kiss to your cheek and ruffling your hair. "I'm serious. Watch your back."

***

John broke down when he finally heard the lock click shut. His eyes had been prickling with boiling tears, his jaw tensed to hold them back. He yelled out in anger, flipping his desk with force, a loud crash as the wood splintered against the stone flooring, glass shattering from the photo frames. His hands went to his head, unable to stop the gasping breaths escaping from his trembling lips, his face reddening.

"Fuck’s sake." He growled. He'd fucked everything up. He had nothing, just as he'd told you the first night you returned. The consequence was no surprise, he'd anticipated the fall out for a while, but he couldn't resist you. He was completely guilty and had no defense; his only justification being that you made him think with his cock, not his brain.

Fuck’s sake. Polly was going to murder him. She'd always had a soft spot for Ada, as the only girl in the family, and was no stranger to lecturing him over his flirtatious behaviour around Ada's friends. She'd murder him. He had a half mind to never go home. He rubbed at his eyes with his knuckles. Polly had no use for tears. That's what she'd tell him when he was a boy coming home with a skinned knee. This was far worse.

He was also sure that he was a worse brother than Tommy, perhaps the worst in the world. His baby sister, who he'd helped to toddle, carry proudly on his shoulders after school and race with her on his back through the fields on the outskirts of Small Heath, had walked in on him obviously in the midst of fucking her best mate. If he had swallowed his pride and actually talked to her, he wouldn't be in this mess. He could've told her that things changed, that for the same reasons Ada loved Y/N he had fallen for her, that he was truly sorry but she had to know before it got too far and someone got hurt. He couldn't go back.

He should've never approached you that night.

He should never approach you again.

He looked over the mess of his office, the splintered wood and shards of glass, a confetti of paperwork. Now nothing mattered. None of this mattered. He'd lost everything and he had only himself to blame.

[kykyonthemoon]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Childe/ Tartaglia x Lumine Fanfic

During The Summer Festival in Inazuma, Lumine encountered a kitsune-masked man. He was strange, yet so familiar. Who could he be?...

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

When Lumine and Paimon set foot in Inazuma, the weather was midsummer. In the sweltering air, the streets strewn with cherry blossoms became ever more bustling. The Summer Festival had arrived, with residents across Inazuma putting aside their daily worries to enjoy the best things summer had to offer.

Even travelers like Lumine and Paimon could not resist being invited to the festival. The lady from Kamisato house had asked Lumine and Paimon to accompany her, but something unexpected caused her to make another appointment. Determined not to miss the occasion, Lumine and Paimon agreed to take to the streets in new outfits that Ayaka had sent them.

Inazuma clothing is multi-layered and slightly harder to wear than previously worn by Lumine. In the summer, people do not wear too many layers due to the hot weather. As she put on the yukata, Lumine secretly admired its beauty: each needle line was very neat and beautiful, the outfit was pale yellow, dotted with cherry blossoms, especially it was not as hot as she had thought. There was also a hand fan made of bamboo and fabric of the same color as her yukata, which featured koi fish. Lumine remembered that Ayaka once told her about the types of fans, and this one was called “uchiwa,” and the koi pattern symbolized good luck.

“Traveler! You look beautiful!”

Lumine turned to her companion. Paimon wore the same patterned yukata as her, but it was pink and white. Her little friend looked more adorable than ever.

“I was thinking if my dress is a bit tight. If Paimon can’t eat anything tonight, I’ll be so angry at the Kamisato!”

Lumine burst into laughter.

The bustling city of Inazuma greeted them in the glorious sunset. On both sides of the road, colorful lanterns were lit. Everywhere was filled with different restaurants and stalls; flowers, prayer charms, masks, and decorations that extend all the way to Amakane Island. The most sold was, of course, food. Needless to say, Paimon loved to be here.

“Whoa! What a crowd!” Paimon remarked as they mingled with the group of walkers. “Don’t leave me behind, Traveler!”

However, it was Lumine who was left behind when Paimon was caught up in the roadside food stalls. The little companion flew up and then swooped down on literally every stall she saw, as they offered free tastings. A few minutes later, Lumine could not see Paimon anymore.

Lumine could not fly like Paimon. She had to squeeze through the stream of smiling and talking people to find her friend. Inazuma City is large, with small streets intertwined and connected to one another. After a long search, Lumine accepted the fact that she had lost Paimon.

Lumine sighed. It’s also unclear where she was on the map of Inazuma City. She wandered alone, looking at the streets and rolled her eyes to every corner to see if Paimon was somewhere around. Not paying attention to the path, she suddenly bumped into someone's back.

“Sorry… I’m sorry!” Lumine said, embarrassed.

In front of her was a white yukata patterned with light blue waves. Whoever she bumped into was much taller than her. Then, he turned around.

Lumine noticed that he was wearing a kitsune mask on his face. Although his face was unknown to her, his appearance was very familiar; tall and slim, with short, choppy orange hair, even his voice was like that person.

“Are you alright, Miss?”

Lumine was frozen for a moment.

"You're not hurt, are you? You should be careful in such a crowded place like this. I can’t bear to see a beautiful lady like you get hurt."

Lumine frowned. Even these teasing words were very similar to a person she knew.

"We've met before, haven't we?" She asked frankly. Lumine does not like to play the vague game.

The one in kitsune mask laughed out loud:

“Quite a bold young lady, aren’t you? Perhaps we’ve met, in my sweetest dreams.”

Lumine blushed. She was both embarrassed and a little angry. How dared a stranger make fun of her like that?

“If you’re not the person I know, then I’m sorry for bothering you.”

Saying so, Lumine was about to leave, but the man stopped her.

"Wait. I'm sorry I teased you. But you look a little lost, Miss. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Lumine weighed in on it a bit. She really needed to find Paimon and get back to the inn. Yet was this stranger trustworthy?

“Are you a local?” Lumine asked.

"No. I'm an outsider, just like you. The only difference is that I've been here for a while. I have some personal business here."

If it's a private matter, it's best not to ask. Lumine thought so. She hesitated for a moment and replied:

"I'm actually looking for my friends. I’ve just lost her."

"Then you've met the right person. I know every corner around here."

Seeing that Lumine did not believe him, the man said, "Come on, don't look at me like that! I just want to help a far-away traveler. That’s all."

"All right." Lumine replied. "But if you ask for mora, I don't have much..."

The masked man looked at her for a moment and then laughed so loudly that passers-by stared at them.

"Haha! Miss, you're funny! Why do you think my kindness needs to be reciprocated?"

Lumine paused for a moment. Her days of adventure from Mondstadt to Liyue, and now Inazuma, helped her come to terms with one thing: everything has a price. In other words, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.

"Well... I'm sorry I didn't think right about you..." Lumine replied.

"Then, would you accept my help?"

Lumine nodded and said nothing more, but she thought that she would definitely repay today's favor.

They walked through the crowded streets. The masked man told Lumine about Inazuma and about the culture here. It helped widening her perspectives. If she hadn't bothered to look for Paimon, she would have enjoyed the whole atmosphere.

But there's no denying that everything at the Summer Festival was so special and distracted her over and over again. She came across a mask stall by the side of the road and turned to look at the person next to her.

"Do you want to buy a mask too, Miss?" He asked.

"Not really... I'm just thinking your mask is more beautiful and elaborate than what they sell."

The masked man adjusted his mask a little. Lumine saw him laughing.

"Of course. This is something I painted myself! If you want, I'll paint a same one for you."

Lumine waved her hand. “No, there's no need…” she said, but he pulled her into a nearby stall and asked the owner about the masks which customers could paint themselves.

Lumine watched intently as he painted the mask with red, black lines, and yellow dots. Moments later, he gave it to her.

"Here. For you."

Lumine picked up the mask, examining it with amusement.

"Thank you."

"Let me put it on for you."

Lumine looked up at him sheepishly.

"I... I can wear it myself."

Seemingly unable to hear her say anything, he took the mask and put it on one side of her hair.

"T-Thank you..." Lumine said, gazing down at her feet.

The man smiled.

"Hey, I don't even know your name." Lumine said as they continued to go.

"Call me Mr. Kitsune. The kids in Inazuma call me that." He replied and waved to a group of children in the distance.

He seemed to be very loved by children. Lumine thinks that any person who is liked by children cannot be evil by nature. Suddenly she thought of someone she knew. Could it be...? But how could a Harbinger like him be here? She looked around. There's no sight of the Fatui nearby. Was it all just her imagination?

The two walked into a smaller yet not less crowded street. Immediately, Lumine’s attention was caught by a crowd playing a very interesting game. They gathered next to a large pot of water, inside there were many goldfish. Each person held a seemingly fragile racket made out of paper, and tried to get the fish into their little bucket as much as possible during a specific amount of time.

"Do you want to try it?" Mr. Kitsune asked after seeing Lumine’s interest in the game for a long time.

Lumine nodded.

Mr. Kitsune said something to the woman who appeared to be the owner there, and she handed them two rackets and two small buckets.

In excitement, Lumine sat down and Mr. Kitsune sat next to her. Picking up turned out to be much more difficult than it seemed. The racket was flat and very easy to tear, and the dodgy fish seemed to have learned to avoid players and irritate them, skillfully.

Lumine's racket was torn shortly after she thought she had picked up the first fish. She looked to the side. Mr. Kitsune gave her a new one.

"Thank you." Lumine responded and the excitement returned. There's no way she’s going to lose to these goldfish!

After a hard fight, Lumine finally got her first fish. She eagerly turned to Mr. Kitsune to show it off, but then her face went sullen immediately when she saw his bucket full of fish. What was more obnoxious was that he reseted his head on one hand and caught the fish only with the other hand. His attitude of fish-picking was very relaxed, not as strenuous as Lumine's at all.

"How did you get so many fish?" She asked.

"Oh... I don't know. Perhaps it’s my talent?"

He had just finished speaking when another fish fell into his bucket. Lumine gave up and dropped her racket into the bucket. She sat and watched him pick up the fish. From time to time, she pointed to the fish she wanted him to catch.

“This one! It has nice color.”

"You do know that we have to return the fish after the game, right?" He laughed and moved his hand to pick up the fish Lumine wanted.

After the time was up, Mr. Kitsune got the highest prize: a stuffed fox. He gave it to Lumine.

"It does look like you." Lumine looked at the fox in her hands and commented as the two left. It has a soft orange fur, a white belly and four black legs.

"Then every time you see it, you will think of me."

He replied without a hint of shame. But Lumine was blushing like a red tomato. Seemingly aware of her intention to return the fox, he said:

"In Inazuma, it is considered disrespectful to return the given gifts.”

Lumine pinched the fox's nose with a force. She thought about turning it into a sandbag for Paimon to practice her fighting skills, but then it was also too cute for that.

After coming to the end of the street, Lumine realized they had reached the gate of Inazuma. The outside of the city was as bustling as the inside, but the air was fresh and pleasant thanks to the sea. The moon was high, and Paimon was still nowhere to be seen.

Looking around for a moment, Mr. Kitsune said:

"Maybe your friend has gone to Amakane Island. It is the best place to watch the fireworks. Besides, there is also a well-known street stall selling delicious oden.”

Perhaps Paimon would not go there to see the fireworks, but for the food, yes. Lumine agreed to join Mr. Kitsune on the walk to Amakane Island to find her friend. They walked a long way across the coast. Along the way, Lumine noticed that the people of Inazuma City were also heading to the island as they were mostly hands-to-hand couples with smiles. There were butterflies inside her stomach when she thought that walking side by side with Mr. Kitsune like this made them look like a couple.

"Tell me about your friend." Mr. Kitsune suddenly spoke up. "The one whom you thought I was."

Lumine mused. "I don't know if we're friends anymore..."

"What's wrong? Did he do something bad?"

"It could be put that way." Lumine recalled the mess that the Eleventh Harbinger of Fatui – Tartaglia had made in Liyue. Worse than that, he had taken advantage of her trust, leaving her caught up in a dispute between forces like a puppet. Even though everything had been resolved, she still could not let it go easily.

"If he's a bad guy, you should beat him to death and never speak to him again."

Those words made Lumine laugh.

"I do want to beat him up. But..." She paused for a moment and then continued. "There’s also a good side of him that changes my opinions on him. I wonder what his true face is."

They walked a little further. The sound of waves was caught in her ears. Lumine saw some crabs digging the sand and hiding from people in the distance.

"Everyone has their own masks to wear, Miss." Mr. Kitsune said. "One day, I hope he'll have the courage to take his mask off in front of you."

Lumine gazed up at the man wearing the fox mask next to her for a moment. Wasn’t he hiding his face from her too? What's that fox mask hiding that she didn’t know yet? But everyone has secrets, and Lumine is not much of a pryer.

As soon as they arrived at Amakane Island, Lumine’s nose was immediately attacked by the aroma of food emanating from street vendors. Perhaps she was really hungry after the hopeless search for Paimon, and a long walk to this place. Now Lumine just wanted to sit down and eat all the food that the people here had to offer.

Mr. Kitsune led Lumine to an oden stall. They were seated right in front of the counter and the smoke and aroma emanating from the kitchen in front of them made Lumine's stomach rumble louder than ever. There was no need to wait long, their food was served soon after. Lumine's bowl had a variety of food: fish balls, boiled eggs, fried tofu, radishes and even noodles. She happily picked up her chopsticks and grab the food, but then realized that Mr. Kitsune was still sitting and looking at his oden bowl in a rather contemplative way.

"Aren’t you going to eat?" Lumine asked.

"Ah..." Mr. Kitsune seemed confused. He picked up his bamboo chopsticks awkwardly.

That person doesn't even know how to hold a chopstick too... Lumine brushed that thought away as soon as it appeared. She should have let go of the obsession which was him for a long time. Somehow, in all the places she went and the people she met, Lumine was looking for such a familiar silhouette in the past.

"Here, let me show you." Lumine reached out her chopsticks to Mr. Kitsune and demonstrated how to hold them little by little. There were moments when their hands touched and Lumine found herself blushing more than necessary.

"You're so good!" Mr. Kitsune's remarks made Lumine's cheeks flush to the ears.

"Well... It's just a normal skill..." She replied, recalling her days at Liyue, when she had practiced holding chopsticks skillfully to pick up food before Paimon ate it all.

Lumine ate her oden and praised the chef's talent. She also kept her eyes on Mr. Kitsune. He merely lifted the mask a little to eat, and the place they sat was not bright enough for Lumine to see his face clearly.

After the oden, Lumine was once again invited by Mr. Kitsune to a tri-color dango treat. Realizing that she was being treated too much, she offered to pay for some octopus balls called takoyaki which later on she had quite a memory with it. It's a dish of spherical scones made of flour, with chopped octopus fillings and some other ingredients inside, then fried in a special pan that has a lot of semicircular concave parts. Lumine bought a square plate containing four takoyaki arranged neatly inside and she skewered one to her mouth.

“Wait!”

But It was too late for Mr. Kitsune, Lumine had put a whole round takoyaki in her mouth. She looked at him and wondered why he was leaning up as if he’s afraid her tongue was burnt. The food was cold enough to be eaten. But that's just what she thought.

When she bit into the crust and spilled the filling, Lumine knew why Mr. Kitsune had warned her. The filling was so hot that Lumine's tongue tip was on fire. She rushed a hand to her mouth, tears welling up. She tried to chew and swallow the food. Fortunately, it wasn't so hot to the point it actually burned her tongue.

Mr. Kitsune gave her a cool cup of tea. Lumine, after regaining her composure, noticed that he had been chuckled all along. She grimaced, took a sip of tea and said in a furious tone:

"You don't have to laugh at me like that."

Mr. Kitsune tried to suppress his laughter and replied, "Sorry... I've never seen anyone eating takoyaki in such a cute way."

Lumine's face was red, not knowing whether it was the food being too hot or because she was embarrassed.

Nearby, there was a place filled with tiny hexagonal wooden cards. Mr. Kitsune said Lumine could write her prayers on the card and hang it up. She took one and wrote her wish, hoping that she would soon be reunited with her twin brother. Mr. Kitsune just stood beside her, his eyes were looking away.

"You don’t have a prayer?"

"I don't need it." He replied. "My wish has already come true tonight."

Lumine wondered what his wish was, but she doubt that a mysterious man like him would let her know too much about himself.

They still could not find Paimon. Mr. Kitsune said that having gone to this place, at least they should see the fireworks. So Lumine and he climbed the moss-covered stone steps filled with weeds, through the red torii gates that had faded over the years. The whole road felt as the entrance to a wonderland with fireflies and magical forests.

There were also a few others walking up to the fireworks watching location. One of them accidentally bumped into Lumine causing her to slip. She thought she was going to fall, but Lumine was saved. She found herself in Mr. Kitsune's arm and her head on his shoulder. He stood just one step behind her. And then, Lumine caught his blue eyes.

They’re the same like someone’s…

Embarrassed, Lumine stood up. "T-Thank you..." She said, turning her face away.

Lumine was not used to walking on Inazuma wooden slippers. She blamed on them just to avoid thinking about the real cause of her confusion. Mr. Kitsune suddenly stood closer by her and said:

"Hold on to my hand, you won't fall again."

He did not look at Lumine but his hand was reaching out in front of her. Lumine hesitated but held on to it at last. They walked slowly up all the stone steps, to a cherry tree and sat down on a large rock, just in time for the very first fireworks to break out.

The night sky was lit up and there was a loud explosion. Colorful fireworks flew into the sky, then dissolved into hundreds of small rays of light. Lumine watched and admired their beauty. It was truly an ideal place to watch fireworks shoot from Inazuma City. Lumine turned to the man who brought her here.

"Though I can't find my friend, I'm happy that I’ve had a chance to enjoy the festival and watch the fireworks with you."

Mr. Kitsune seemed surprised and delighted.

"It is my honor to accompany you, Miss."

Lumine felt her cheeks burning up again. Perhaps all along the way, she had already known who the man in the kitsune mask really was.

"I hope that we'll see each other again soon."

*

* *

It was late at night. There was no more fireworks or laughter. Yet there was still a shadow of the person sitting under the cherry tree, even when the girl with him had already left for a while.

Next to him was a crimson mask, which seemed to exude a kind of dangerous and tempting power. But all his attention was on the harmless kitsune mask in his hand. All that happened tonight felt like a dream. Having known the Traveler had come to Inazuma, he still did not expect that she had found him herself, bumping into him among so many people on the street.

He had always wanted to see her again, ever since their farewell in Liyue. He constantly talked about her in letters to his family, as if they were very close friends; perhaps more than friends?

What could he expect, when fate always puts them on different sides of the battle? He fought for what he believes, and she always chose to help those who oppose him. But deep down in him was the desire to see her again, to see her smile at him once more. He wanted to touch her, but feared she would disappear like fireflies.

Therefore, having a walk with her, eating together and watching the fireworks next to her; everything happened tonight was a beautiful dream in the middle of the summer night. Delightful and sweet, yet came and fade away too quickly. After all, at least he knew she still remembered him.

If only she didn't. That way, she would not have to be upset when they meet again, maybe in another battle here in this land. She had hoped that they would see each other again soon, but he'd rather she not knew who was with her tonight.

Tartaglia put down the kitsune mask and picked up his Harbinger mask. He turned his gaze to the sky, praying silently that the stars would remember today for eternity. Then he put on the heavy mask and left.

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

Au's note: It's been a while since my last Genshin fic. Hope you guys enjoy this one. I really love Japanese festivals in summer and this piece was inspired by those, and with the in-game activities/ atmosphere too of course!

My Genshin Masterlist: x

[shiversdownyerspine]

14. Isolation

A long chapter, just for y'all. :>

We gonna get a lil sad, a lil sweet, and a lil weird and dirty. >:D

18+

You fold your grocery list and tuck it safely away. The brothers doubt that they'd experience any significant injury, but you won't be discouraged. It's good to be prepared, just in case.

The Commission did provide its field agents with training and adjustments once they had been employed, but the improved healing wasn't as...thorough?..as yours. Some first aid wouldn't hurt.

You'd decided once the brothers leave for the mission you'd get the shopping done. Otto and Oscar had almost seemed to sulk, but Axel had agreed with you that this would be more convenient. There wasn't all that much to grab and everything would be ready and waiting when they returned. Scooting from between Axel and Oscar you remind them that if there are complications they are free to return to you to restrategize, and you certainly wouldn't mind a surprise visit.

Oscar playfully pulls you back against him. "Aw, you're going to miss us?"

Squirming with a laugh you tease him, "Maybe a little."

The youngest Swede releases you with a pout, feigning hurt as you apologetically rub his back. With a grin you wander over to the pantry to double check the cat food supply as Otto heads to their guestroom to retrieve their guns. Tugging the bag you estimate there's a good couple months left before it's gone, so no need to worry. Though you will be grabbing a couple cans of wet food for the kittens as a treat.

Otto returns with bag in tow as you head out to the garden to consider what to plant for fall...carrots, onions, maybe cauliflower? Kneeling you reach for your sugar pumpkins, happy to see that they're coming along nicely and should be ready around Halloween time. Lingering among the plants you take a moment to relax and think, breathing in the cool air. Autumn is practically on your doorstep, and the gray skies and yellowing leaves herald its arrival. Winter won't be long now, and you will once again be keeping an eye out for a space heater.

Long ago you'd found an old used one available in town, much to your delight. It had lasted a single day before the thing let out this awful high pitched noise and died right there on your floor. You count yourself lucky that it didn't burst into flames. For a moment you had considered keeping it to try to fix it, but it didn't come with a manual and you didn't want to risk it burning down your home, so you decided to do away with it. Hopefully you'd find another space heater, but the town is old and you've yet to get lucky.

In the meantime, you have Axel, Otto, and Oscar to help you with the cold. Your cheeks flush; the touches they've been giving you have been working, though some nights your condition successfully rears its stubborn head. You have a feeling you'll have to start knocking on their door when Winter creeps a little closer.

You've yet to see what they've done with the guestroom, if they've put up any knickknacks from home or from their travels. Certainly you're curious but you won't invade their privacy. Maybe they'd prefer your room? The sofa? You don't mind sharing your bed, you trust them.

The creek of the door interrupts your thoughts, and you lift your head to see Axel motion you inside. Dusting your hands and knees off, you head in after him. Coats and jackets donned with packs strapped to the younger's shoulders, it looks like they're ready to go.

With your own canvas bags in tow, you walk along the dirt path with the Swedes to the abandoned bus stop. The vine tangled little shack is being overtaken by nature and is tucked back against trees and bushes, making it easy to miss. The windows are long gone but the door still remains, stubbornly resisting the wear and tear of time.

Before you get the chance to say goodbye, Oscar is pulling you into a hug and kissing you on the cheek. You wrap your arms around him in return. "Be careful, don't get into too much trouble."

"Only a little, here and there. Danger is..ah...spice of life." Oscar squeezes you again as Otto's hand rubs your upper back before lifting to stroke your hair. The two release you as their older brother clears his throat. Faces blank and eyes hard, they stride through the overgrowth into the little shack to wait for Axel.

The blue-clad man gazes down at you with scrutinizing eyes as the sounds of the forest ebb and wane. He steps forward and reaches into one of his coat pockets to retrieve a familiar item wrapped up in a familiar old cloth that you'd forgotten about. Your fingers curl around the 'gift'.

Grasping what you know is your paring knife, Axel's voice is a bit gruff when he declares, "For protection."

Touched, you step forward to reach for his empty hand and give it a little squeeze, smiling when his thumb sweeps over your knuckles. "Thank you."

His opposite hand cups the back of your neck as he leans down to press his lips to the top of your head, nose buried in your hair. The moment is interrupted by Oscar barking out one of the windows, "Pussa henne igen!"

Axel gives an exasperated sigh but takes a second to breathe you in, squeezing your fingers one more time before releasing you to join his brothers.

The three are gone with a flash of light and you're left standing alone. After a melancholy moment or two of eyeing the empty bus stop, you're turning your attention to your knife and unwrapping it to check the blade. But as the cloth falls away, it's the wooden handle that draws your curiosity.

A little symbol has been carved into the wood, but you don't know what it is or what it means. But for some strange reason you still feel a lump in your throat and a prickling in your eyes the longer you look at it. You remind yourself to ask about it when they return.

Your shopping trip was uneventful and you had successfully gotten everything on the list. The trek back to your home was lovely, though when you walked by the bus stop you had lingered a moment. When you entered your home and put away the groceries, the emptiness of your house was disquieting.

Efforts are made to distract yourself hour after hour after hour with relative success. The day fades into night and you curl up in bed to read your well-loved book of fairytale collections until sleep finds you.

The morning is quiet, but the cats keep you company. After lunch you take the opportunity to plant some of the carrot seeds you purchased. Towards the evening as you're figuring out what to make for dinner, you realize you can still smell Axel in the kitchen. It's bittersweet and you wonder at how deeply you miss your cooking buddy. After dinner when you're doing a load of laundry, you discover one of Otto's shirts in the dryer. As you're folding the garment, his scent grasps your heart and squeezes. The entire time you're wandering around your home, something in particular is gnawing at you, something is missing...Oscar's sneak attacks.

You drop on the sofa with a huff, shaking your head at how quickly you miss the three men. It's absurd, you're used to being alone...but at the same time it makes sense. You've gotten used to their company. As have the cats. Rubbing your temples, you watch a little television before heading to bed.

The next day is much of the same; distract yourself, do chores, care for the animals, read books, go for walks, tend to the garden and the forest, miss the Swedes. It doesn't take long for you to start worrying about them as well, if they're okay. Your home doesn't feel right and eventually, you don't feel right.

You feel...twitchy. And restless. And tingly?

The fourth day is a little easier, as is the fifth, but you still feel off.

On the sixth day your cats are crowding the living room windows. Not all that strange considering you live by a forest, who knows how many birds and little critters visit your home. Besides, more important things have your attention this morning; specifically, you feel the urge to bake.

When the front door opens you're in the kitchen messing around with baking sheets so you don't hear it. Maybe you'd have felt the cool air drifting in if your oven wasn't on. But you recognize Oscar's spicy scent a second before he pulls you back into his chest and nuzzles into your nape. He lets you twist around in his hold to hug him as the sound of his brother's boots grace your ears.

You wiggle out of Oscar's arms to pull Otto and Axel down for hugs as well, Otto with your left arm and Axel with your right. It's hard to tell whose hand is rubbing your back and whose is cupping the back of your neck but you don't mind. Noticing they still have their coats and packs, you welcome them back before telling them to make themselves comfortable.

The two brothers head for their guestroom and Oscar follows them after giving you one last hug...and scratching the chins of the cats desperate for the men's attention.

Your house returns to normal, but a little later you find you still don't feel quite right. Your condition doesn't really feel like this, so maybe you're just still feeling the absence of the Swedes? Only thing you can do is give it time...and pop on a cozy sweater, just in case.

The strange antsy feeling gets a little stronger one evening as Otto and Oscar play a game outside in your garden with a vicious looking knife. Leaning back against the side door to your kitchen, you watch as they throw the knife into the dirt at their feet, trying to see who can land it the closest. Apparently the game was called Mumblety-peg.

"Is this what siblings do? Assert...dominance over the other?"

Axel snorts, "For fun."

"...I see." Your next comment is cut off when the knife punctures Otto's upper thigh, courtesy of Oscar.

Immediately you're tugging Otto inside to sit at the kitchen table, the world fuzzing and voices fading as Otto removes the knife with a firm tug. Blood is staining and you're staring, focused and utterly silent before turning to Oscar. "You should have been more careful."

Oscar shrugs, "Not serious. Don't be...tråkmåns?..stick. Stick in the mud."

You know they have better strength, better stamina, and better healing. But while you were missing the three men, you had also been worrying about them...

Axel doesn't have a chance to reprimand his brother again before you're bristling and baring your teeth, "Well do excuse me for caring about you three. The first aid kit is in my bathroom. Get it now. Please."

Oscar blinks, surprise mingling with guilt and maybe a sprinkling of arousal at your feistiness. He follows your order, slinking down the hallway as he remembers the awful sinking feeling in his belly the one time they discovered a bullet buried in Axel's back that they had to dig out.

The eldest Swede watches the exchange silently, approving of this stern, no-nonsense side of you. Not to mention the 'please' you added at the end was cute. Even though you had reacted a little strongly to Oscar's shenanigans, it shows you care for them a great deal. You had worried for their safety while they had been gone. As you check Otto's wound, the large man admires the fire in you that is quietly sizzling down. You're deep in thought, forcing yourself to acknowledge that the Swedes are technically your mission so if anything should happen to them you would be notified. Sometimes it's hard to hear your voice of reason when it's warring with the paranoia and lack of trust in your employers.

Still, Oscar should be a little more careful. The youngest Swede returns with the kit and you apologize for snapping, that you know they heal more than civilians.

Feeling sheepish at having reacted the way that you did, you try your best to explain, "It wouldn't even take me an hour to heal from a wound like this. With my ability...if a wound lingers it's proof that it's severe. That something is deeply wrong. So...I just..reacted when I saw the bleeding. Before I could think."

You admit to them that you panicked a little...and yes, missing them may have had something to do with your reaction as well. Oscar apologizes to you, and when you raise an eyebrow, he apologizes to Otto as well.

That night when Otto pulls you down on the sofa with him to sleep, eyeing your sweater with a little concern, you decide it couldn't hurt. You've been feeling strange for quite a while, so maybe a dose of body heat is just the thing you need. Making sure the man was alright with the way you were positioned on top of him, minding his injury, you settle in with a deep contented sigh.

But you did not sleep through the night. In fact, you woke several hours later to darkness and that strange restless sensation that had been plaguing you for days now.

Otto's hand has slipped down a bit, fingers caressing the bare skin of your back that your sweater has revealed in your sleep. Your lips part with soundless pleasure at the gentle calloused warmth of his fingers, eyes fluttering when a tingle crawls up your spine...and down your arms and legs? Your brow furrows in confusion as your toes and fingers prickle and heat builds under your stomach before reaching a gentle simmer and lingering until...!

Startled, you shakily pull yourself up and stumble on your feet. You feel like you're wading through molasses, your head wrapped in fog as instinct leads you towards the safety and privacy of your bedroom. Entering your room, you whimper as you feel another wet rush that soaks your panties. Desperate, you lurch into your bathroom and rip off your clothes to find your inner thighs damp. With a trembling hand, you gingerly swipe your fingers through the fluid, not quite daring enough yet to touch the direct source. Clear and slightly sticky...hm.

You blink and look closer at the apex of your thighs...you're a bit swollen and flushed...and with a careful ticklish caress, find yourself to be somewhat sensitive as well. You're baffled, this looks to be simple arousal...well, deep arousal all things considered. As if to mock you, another shallow surge slicks your thighs and trickles down your legs. No, the small puddle your body is supplying isn't normal, your fuzzy head and lethargic body isn't normal, but you're not normal so maybe it's just...new? Something that's been delayed because of your long-term isolation? You've always lacked a menstrual cycle, so what are the odds this has some strange connection with it and your ability?

Without delay you hop in the shower, fiddling with the knobs as you begin to put the puzzle pieces together. The hot water that cascades over your skin is soothing, fighting back the earlier panic. Feeling quizzical, you once again gently slide your fingers down, pushing lightly over your clit as your eyes flutter shut with a soft sigh, touch lingering.

And suddenly it's not your hand, it's a much bigger palm cupping you possessively before fingers thicker than your own tease between your swollen lips and oh so slowly, a fingertip pushes inside, sliding to the first knuckle- A rush of juices from your cunt jerks you back to reality as you gasp, practically hyperventilating as you tear your hand away from your aching body to grasp at the tiled shower walls. ...Oh.

Maybe you missed your men more than you realized.

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

Pussa henne igen - Kiss her again!

tråkmåns - Stick in the mud.

[kanene-yaaay]

Tickle me, princey

Kanene’s note: This fic is basically: Virgil is a bratty Lee, Roman is a competitive Ler and none of them are going down without a fight xDD.

Warnings, fun facts, random things and stuff:

* Lee!Virgil and Ler!Roman (Kind of. Because there is almost no tickles here, just teasing). Human AU.

* Hmmm… This is a Tickle-Fanfic! If you don’t like this kind of stuff, please look for another blog, there are plenty of amazing art in this site!! ‘u’).

* This have about 2.500 words of Roman and Virgil just being teasy beans.  ‘w’)b.

* PLEASE CHECK THIS AMAZING ART! IT’S INCREDIBLEE! <33

* Sorry for any spelling, pontuation and grammar mistakes! I didn’t proofread that one very well, so I will probably be correcting a few things later. Any advice is always very, very welcome!

* A versão em português brasileiro irá ser escrita, ainda. Eu espero! Thankys for reading, my lollipops! Do something crazy today, take a good rest, be kind (especially with yourself) and drink water! Byeioo!~

                              [~*~]

Roman cleaned his hands on his jeans before stretching his back and sighing in relief when a small ‘pop’ came from it. The pal from the nearby library was a cool person – not that he would ever allow the other to hear this, because, damn, people who called Roman cocky definitely haven’t met them yet – but equally precise in get on his nerves with as few words as possible, even though the florist didn’t care that much as his dramatics discourses tried to convince everyone he did. 

Besides that, they was Patton’s friend and even more important, they made an accord with the Flower Shop’s owner and Roman was the one in charge to deliver their biweekly floral arrangement to the library’s decór. However, today Roman managed to win their discussion and therefore a couple of podcast episodes read by them (What? Their voice was quite nice!!).

Roman ignored the small ring of the door’s bell as he entered the Flower Shop, looking around to be sure there was no clients before taking his position behind the balcony, internally thanking how chill Patton was with his employees using phone during the shift as long there wasn’t no one near, especially as he unlocked his screen and a new notification popped in front of him.

Butterflies went immediately crazy on his stomach.

[Message from Panic! At Everywhere]

[P: Hey. So, are you still ok?]

Virgil kicked his blanket out of his bed, already feeling a tad of giddiness spread across his body, a small smirk finding its way to his face without him even realizing. Today was the day. Since when he and Roman talked on the last week about boundaries to be sure nothing had changed and decided Saturday as a good day for their session the one with purple hair couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander, picturing and re-picturing what would happen, even though Roman always insisted to never tell him his plans, wanting to keep everything as a surprise, which definitely didn’t help at all the excitement running on his veins.

Their session.

Their tickle session. It was only eleven in the morning and Virgil could already feel his skin tingle just by imagine Roman’s fingers grazing, dancing on it, carefully looking for all his weak spots both knew so well before coming with an entire new technique that would make the other (almost, barely, hardly) want to jump out of his skin so he could escape from the maddening tickly sensation.

He was going to love it. 

Also, it didn’t help that he spent the previous night and its following morning consuming all his favorite tickle content, dying on the spot (and on the reblogs) and skyrocketing his lee mood to the mountains.

Nevertheless, he tried to play nonchalant as answered the other’s new message.

[Message from Dumb(o)]

[D: Yes.]

[P: Cool.]

[D: You?]

[P: Yep.]

[D: Glad to know, Blushy Bug. Try to not alarm all of our neighborhood with your squeals and giggles before I get there, okay? ~

D: And yeah, plu-e-ase, continue with your so delightful tags on your reblogs, okay, Tickle me Emo? I’m learning so much new information with that. If only I would have an opportunity to use all of them today…]

Virgil snorted, one hand trying to hide his face as he attempted with all his might to ignore the flames taking over his cheeks as the teases sank and the memories from the day he conquered this nickname emerged from the deeps of his mind. So, Princey was already so over his head with being the ler this time? Thinking Virgil would be hiding his face on the pillow, squeaking and tittering helpless? Well, he would have a big storm coming, then.

Virgil got up, his footsteps leading him to the clean desk in the room, moving some of the objects so carefully chosen in order to get the perfect picture. Every single makeup  brush lined, gleaming under the lens of his camera, away enough so the viewer would be able to realize all their individualities but close enough to create an impact. 

Two can play this game.

[Panic! At Everywhere sent an image]

Roman clicked on it, eyes going immediately wide as he quickly slammed the cellphone’s screen on his red apron, his gaze running from a place to another to be sure no one was near or had seen the conversation or noticed the way his smile went from an ear to another.

[P: Nah. I’m too occupied choosing the perfect tools for today… I mean, there are just so many options, ya know? I especially prefer the smallest ones, their bristles softly running on my ribs, tracing their way across my tummy to get to the other side… yeah. That is the good stuff. Or maybe we could be experimenting the biggest ones today, letting them tease that spot right under my chin, the softness engulfing all the nerves… ]

Roman took a deep breath, realizing the other still typing.

[P: Anyway, don’t make a big deal of this, ‘kay? I know your imagination can be very fertile but try to not alert Patton with all your blush and twitching. You know he is a curious guy and will want to know why you’re so smiley. ;)]

    “Pai amado, (Dear God) he is going to kill me.” Roman crossed his arms, using all his will to no start wiggling them to nothing, a sudden urge to sing some nursery rhymes making him begin to humming quietly as attempted to gather enough concentration to type a proper, cool reply.

[D: Is that so? So, the big, badass Virgil Storm is excited to get all his tickly-tickle-tickles today? Is he excited to become a so helpless, so adorable mess of giggles and squeaks? To be teased and tickled until he can do nothing but give me those lovely snorts and wiggly-wiggles? ~

Awww. So cute. ~]

[P: Yeah, I am. So what? Wanna do something about that, Sir Sing a Lot? 

Ops, I forgot you’re at work rn. Tsc. Such a pity. Well, guess I will have to kill some time by looking at your precious collection of feathers, see if I find something interesting there.]

[D: You just wait for when I get home.]

[P: :)]

Virgil laid his phone at his side, hiding his face on the mattress, kicking just like he was some teenager in love from those generic movies. The squeals bubbled out from his lips, smiles blooming. He knew he probably was just digging his own grave, but, ha, as if he would fall without a fight. Plus, imagining Roman trying at every cost to keep a straight expression while reading his texts and then struggling to continue his work just as if nothing had happened, with that cute, excited smile planted on his face made a proud wave of power – and joy - hit him and that was a bonus which was worth it. 

Then his phone vibrated, indicating a new notification and a new flood of shivers as he unlocked his screen, freezing for a couple of heartbeats with the length of the message.  

[D: A poem for my dear Knightmare. ~

Once upon a time

There was a wiggley-wiggly lee

That just a few pokes

Made him giggle with glee

Some scribbles here

Some scratches there

You can tickle-tickle

He is ticklish everywhere!

What, you don’t believe me?

‘That much cute he can’t be!’

Well, then allow me to demonstrate

All the beautiful sounds he can create!

Give a few prodding on his ribs

And a quick digging on his hips

Some brushes on his toesies and feet

And don’t forget about these helpless pits!

(And hey, psst, if you squeeze his sides

The cutie, squeaky, wiggly lee,

Will be squealing in a happy delight)

This neck is also asking for tickly-kisses 

He always denies, always desire

Add to that some teasy whispers

And watch his cheeks be set on fire!

Once upon a time

There was a bratty, smug lee

That just a few tickle teases

Can make him a blushy mess

Just like now, you see!]

[…]

“Have a nice day. Thank you for coming!”

Roman waved to the client who got out from the Flower Shop, taming the smugness which threatened to take over his features as he realized that even though an hour had passed, no answer to his last text had arrived yet. He was perfectly aware of how weak Virgil was for any sort of rhymed tease and a whole poem – not his best, he had to admit – dedicated to him? He could almost see the other shrieking, hiding his red face on the pillow, lost in a mess of quiet peals of laughter and curses. His smile got even bigger, swelled in pride. And, well, if he couldn’t help it but push his luck a few inches further, his fingers already halfway to typing a small, itsy bitsy, new tease to his favorite emo lee, how could someone really blame him?

[D: Oh, sorry. Did I make the scary Virgil too much flustered to talk? Awww, I will miss your sassy remarks deeply and sing a ballad in your honor at the funeral. ~] 

He snorted at the amount of time the symbol of ‘typing’ appeared and disappeared on the conversation, using the ten minutes he took to be answered to organize a few sales signs on the glass in front of the store, gaining a dance on his step as the one-worded sentence shone on his phone.

[P: Bitch.]

[D: I have no idea of what you’re talking about. Is that something I said? I feel wounded.]

But a new thing popped up.

[Panic! At Everywhere sent a video]

[P: :)]

It seemed like hours passed, even if he knew the downloading probably didn’t really take more than a few pieces of minute for him to hit the play.

The focus of the camera took a few seconds to adjust, the image trembling and shaking before going still, the crystal clear form of a small light brown, slightly spiked feather twirling between Virgil’s index and thumb locking his eyes on the screen. A quick, quiet sigh could be heard before the tickle tool descended to the palm extended on a desk, stopping by Virgil’s pulse.

The bristles grazed the skin there as the feather began to move on slow strokes, going from the left to the right, left and right, left and right… calmly making its way up, changing to small swirls as it contorted the form of the hand, giving to each finger a light tracing before concentrating on the palm, drawing a spiral which approximated inch by inch to the center. If Roman wasn’t so quiet, - even holding his breath, - maybe he wouldn’t be able to listen the incredibly low, contained huffs of laughter on the background, a soft snort escaping and making both hands tremble as the bristles hit the center of his hand, dancing around the spot for a bit. 

When it stopped, the tool was placed on the desk and then the camera started to move, stopping on Roman’s so very well-known golden with silver details box. Its lid laid next to it, letting its entire content to be proudly shown. The explosion of colors from the most diverse large, small, pointy, fluffy feathers took over the frame, however, a tiny piece of paper placed on the exact center of them was what captured his attention. The lens zoomed and focused, making him able to read the quick message written there.

“:)”

And then the screen went black. The video was over. 

Roman could feel his face being almost split in half by his grin, his fingers hitting the table top in complete frenzy since they hadn’t to hold the device anymore, curling and uncurling as the one who couldn’t just stay still started to bounce his right leg, ignoring the redness he felt crippling down his neck.

“Roman?”

He fully shrieked. Both him and Patton startled and jumped a few centimeters in the air with the sudden sound. The florist slapping his own hand on his mouth, trying with all his inner strength to stop the bubbly giggles which flooded non stop from his lips

“Sorry for the scare, kiddo,” the shine on his eyes free of any guilt as Patton bit his own knuckles proved the contrary, especially when the rest of an awed squeal escaped from his lips, only making the other to giggle harder, eyes closed, blush deepening and nose scrunched. “Aww, your giggles are so cute!” 

“Shuhuhush!!” The Flower Shop owner just smiled fondly, withholding his comments and patiently waiting for the other to recompose himself. When Roman looked at least a tad calmer he decided to make his decision to talk to him clear.

“I’m glad you’re in a good mood, Ro! I just wanted to remember today’s shift is already over. I need a bit of time to organize everything before the painter comes so we can discuss the new design of the Flower Shop. Thank you so much for the ideas, by the way! I can’t wait for you all to see the result! It will be so pretty!!” Roman’s wide eyes were enough of an explanation of why he wasn’t ready to go yet, probably having forgotten about their last month conversation. Although, the surprised look was away in an instant, a shine taking over his glare before he softened, locking his eyes with Patton.

“Of course, it will be, Patty-cake! With my magnificent ideas and your good taste, I really don’t think any other result besides wonderful and perfection will be possible!” He squeezed Patton’s cheeks and his friend stuck out his tongue at him, winning a quick poke on his ribs that made him squirms and yelp, quickly tittering and waving the other with his hands.

“Now shoo-shoo, go enjoy your afternoon!”

A devious smirk gleamed on Roman’s expression for a second. “You can count on it, Padre.” But then it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “Thank you, my mighty hero in a shiny armor! May the universe let our destiny align again in the future.”

“See ya, kiddo!” He replied, his tune also full of joy, watching the one with red hair going away, a happy bounce on his steps.

[…]

Virgil picked the phone in the first ring. “Roman, something happened?”

“Nope,” the purple lover sighed in relief, all the tension getting out of his body and being replaced by confusion, “nothing happened except that a handsome, incredible someone got out from his work earlier than expected and might be heading his home by now.”

That made Virgil shot up, biting his lower lip, butterflies freaking out. “No.” It was his whisper.

“Oh, yes. ~” Roman practically purred on the speaker. “any last words, my dear, defenseless Giggly Storm?”

Virgil just giggled and Roman had almost forgotten how that sound only was enough to spread an explosion of a warm, good feeling on his chest. “Aw, and here I was thinking I would have at least some challenge today. ~” He continued to tease.

Silence. 

“Go check your messages, Princeypie.”

And then he hung up. Roman fondly rolled his eyes, running to check the new notification on their conversation.

[Panic! At Everywhere sent a photo]

It was Virgil, sitting on his bed criss crossed, one elbow resting on his thigh as he took the picture on the body mirror on the other side of the room, a strong blush very visible on his face half hidden by the device, wearing a short and Roman’s red crop top. A new message popped right under the photo.

[P: Get your butt here and tickle me, Sir Sing a Lot.’]

This emo was going to be the death of him.

[D: Aww, I don’t even get a smile?]

[P: You gotta work for those, Princey.]

Virgil definitely did not jump nor yelp as he heard the low, dangerous tune of an “evil” laughter echoes in the house coming from the living room, the sound of the front door being closed making his flight instincts kick in.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Virgil was already halfway to the most far away room where he could escape, trying to keep his reputation as he heard another set of footsteps quickly getting ground and following right behind him. Laughter and squeaks mixed in the air.

“Because I will.” Roman answered.

[fivefeetfear]

Chp 7!

This Chapter goes out to @spinelxreader​ for showing me this song!

youtube.com/watch?v=Cdo0lfWoqws

I absolutely love it! I hope yall like it! Please watch the video so you can have a better understanding of the vibe for the story!

………………………………………….

“5, 6,7, 8!” (Y/N) shouts from the front of the class. The short girl is currently running through a rigorous routine with her class for an upcoming musical for the Summer Festival that is approaching in a few months. And she wants the show to go perfectly.

“More energy!” she shouts, her eyes watching her students from the mirror in front of her as she too danced.

“Alexi pick up your feet! Topaz I better see that leg go behind your head!” she yells, at the gem and human. She saw them both nod as they fell in proper coordination with the large group. Good. The song then ended and the class strikes their individual poses. (Y/N) whips around with a wide smile as she places her hands on her hips.

“Ok that was good everybody! Give yourself a round of applause.” The (C/G) gem praised. Amber and the other teachers clapped with their students for a job well done. Rehearsal are now over, the class sat on the floor or couches mingling with their friends. (Y/N) looks at the clock on the wall, she might have time to run through a new routine she was working on quickly, but before she could even move, someone stopped her in her tracks.

“You’re really an intense teacher.” (Y/N) chest tightens when she heard the familiar accent that made her very gem swoon. The curvy being turns around to see Spinel standing there wearing a friendly smile on her face. She wore a similar outfit from yesterday and this time her hair was in her signature pigtails. Oh goodness, she looks so adorable!

“El!” The (Y/G) calls out happily hopping into the pink girl’s arms, wrapping her arms around the slender gem neck. Spinel squeaks at the sudden weight not expecting the embrace.

“Hey, Doll I see ya in a good mood bout somethin.” Spinel mentions her positive attire while wrapping her long arms around the petite gem form.

“Well I was in a good mood before but you made it better!” (Y/N) coos batting her long lashes at the magenta gem. Spinel face flushed a bright pink stumbling over her words not sure how to respond to that. She wasn’t used to be flirted with.

“Ugh, get a room you two!” Amber shouts teasingly from across the studio, a chorus of lighthearted laughter follows her comment from the students watching the two. The taller gem hides her face in (Y/N) neck causing the small gem t to laugh sweetly into her ear. (Y/N) unwraps herself from Spinel, grabbing her hands and pulling her to a nearby love seat. She tucks her legs under herself at sat Spinel beside her.

“So did you bring the poem?” she asks curiously. Spinel nod her head as she digs in her hoodie pocket and pulls out the folded paper. (Y/N) took the sheet, quickly unfolding it, and starts to read the neat hand writing on the sheet. Spinel sat nervously as she twiddled with her thumbs. She didn’t know anything about writing a poem. So she had asked the Crystal Gems for help. They were really kind and patience when she was struggling to write out her feelings.

The quiet nearly suffocated Spinel as her leg bounces anxiously. She really hopes she doesn’t scare off (F/N) with all her issues. Once (F/N) was done, her (E/C) eyes move their gaze from the paper to worry magenta orbs. Oh stars! Spinel felt her chest squeeze in anticipation worry what she might think.

“This is really good Ellie. It’s so real, it’s raw and....thank you for trusting me to read something so personal.” (F/N) reaches her hand out placing it on top of hers giving it a reassuring squeeze. Spinel released the breath she was holding feeling relaxed. Oh thank the Diamonds she didn’t freak her out.

“R-really?” The slender gem stutters out, she subconsciously flips her palm up and claps (F/N) hand. Their fingers easily laces together bring both female comfort.

“Yes! It is powerful, symbolic and dark. It will make a perfect song!” (Y/N) says as she taps her chin wondering how to start the process.

“A song?” Spinel inquires as she watches (Y/N) summon a pen from her gem.

“Yeah! Told you that yesterday, writing the poem was step one. The next step is turning it into a song.” (Y/N) explains as she slides onto the floor on her knees to write on the coffee table.

“So what’s your favorite genre of music?” The short gem asks ready to write down some notes. Spinel joins the girl on the floor; she places her elbow on the table humming in thought. She favored a lot of genres, rock has been her go too as of late, but there was another that has her whole gem.

“Well, it ain’t considered a genre, but I favor Electroswing. Amethyst introduced me to it about a year ago.” Spinel answers.

“Electroswing? What’s that?” The (S/C) gem asks her head tilts to the side.  

“What!? Ya don’t know what Electroswing is?!”Spinel asks brows scrunched together in disbelief. (Y/N) shook her head slowly offering the spinel a bashful smile. Spinel hastily places her hands on the other girl's shoulders shaking her gently as she talks excitedly about her favorite thing.

“Swing is soooooo much fun! Ya do whateva ya want! Go wild, go fast or go slow! In swing there are no rules!” Spinel explains passionately with glittery eyes.

“You just explained the concept of every music genre ever, El.” The short girls say playfully rolling her eyes.

“Ya missin the point, swing is betta!” Spinel cracks back leaning in closer to (Y/N) face. Spinel could feel the fire ignite; the pink gem was ready to throw down when it came to talking about her favorite kind music. Swing dancing is one thing she knew she excels at without a doubt! She would bet her very gem on it. Swing always made her happy whenever she was down; it was her only coping mechanism on Homeworld. Nevertheless, it was hard to do swing alone; she couldn’t dance with the Diamonds and the other gems didn’t seem too into it. It saddens her that she couldn’t share the one thing she truly is passionate about with others. Spinel sighs softly as she leans back on her hands, she knew she could sweep (Y/N) off her feet with her abilities if given the chance.

Then an idea strikes her as she looks back over at the cute gem before her. Maybe this could be her chance.

“In fact.” She mutters with a mischief smirk as she stands up offering her hand to the small gem. (Y/N) took her hand and stood beside her with curious eyes.  

“C’mon, let me teach ya how to swing Doll.” Spinel says winking at the girl, her accent rolling off each word. The short gems knees almost caved right from under her as an army of swarming butterflies erupted in her stomach. Oh?  Where did this sudden burst of confidence come from? Just a second ago, she was a blushing mess! But now she was flirty? (Y/N) wasn’t complaining at all though, this is a side of Spinel she would love to explore more of. The tall gem led the two to the middle of the dance floor before explaining the art that is swing to the dance instructor.

“Ok, so swing has alotta dance styles. To name a few, there’s the Charleston, the Balbo and my personal favorite the Lindy Hop. We are going to learn how to Lindy Hop. So kick both your feet out like this…. Good, see simple.” Spinel coach’s as they stood side by side kicking their feet out slowly.

“Ok now go faster, and make sure to twist ya foot out. Amazing look at ya go.” Spinel complimented making the short gem blush, the two doing a few simple steps together.

“Now to add a lil flare, after ya kick, bring your knee-high while keeping the speed.  Ayyyy, there ya go teach!” A few of the students that decided to hang around watched their teacher get her very own dance lesson. Spinel taught (Y/N) a few more steps, they slowly pieced them together to create a short routine. (Y/N) was having too much fun receiving Spinel’s undivided attention the whole time. There were moments when she did a step wrong just to have Spinel’s hands on her shoulder or hips to correct the error.  After about an hour Spinel decided the (G/S) was ready.

“OK, now let’s try it with music!” the pink gem said as she the tugs collar of her sweater down to expose her perfectly heart-shaped gem. (Y/N) breath hitches in her throat when her eyes took noticed of defined collarbones and the top of her bra cups.

‘Get your shit together!’ She curses herself in her head. (E/C) hues watch Spinel summoned her phone from her gem and walks over to a student that sat beside a large radio.

“Play it when I say ready.” She instructs to the teen.

“Wait I’m not ready!” (Y/N) panics as Spinel approaches her. The pink gem rolls her eyes as she grabs the (G/C) gem hands into her own pulling their bodies close together.

“Oh stop that ya got this teach, just do it like I taught ya~.” She coos teasingly watching (Y/N) cheeks glow a bright (S/C). Satisfied with the reaction, Spinel rest one hand on (Y/G) hips, pressing their bodies closer together.

“Ready.” Spinel says over her shoulder to the student. The girl nods and presses the play button on the device to start the song.

one, two, three, take my hand and come with me

Because you look so fine

That I really wanna make you mine

I say you look so fine

That I really wanna make you mine

(Y/N) could feel her very core becoming putty in Spinel’s hands from the sudden buoyancy that radiant off the taller girl. (Y/N) never felt so nervous in her life and she was in a war! A devilish smirk spreads on Spinel’s lips as the pair sway in slow circles gazing at each other.

“See ya are doin fine, but the song is gonna pick up soon doll. Make sure you can keep up~.” Spinel whispers to her. Her words instantly brought out the competitive nature that burns within the short gem core. Her eyes sharpen teasingly at the suddenly arrogant Spinel. Two can play at this game.

“How about you worry about yourself, Ellie. Don’t forget I’m a teacher, I can dance circles around you all day.”  (Y/N) says smugly with a triumphant grin. Spinel ‘oohh’ playfully before she cranes down her neck lower, her hand giving the curvy gems hip a rough squeeze. An insatiable jolt shots right up her spine as electricity tickles the inside of her gem. Fuck.  

“If ya make that all day to all night, then I would love to schedule a private lesson~.” (Y/N) nearly lost her footing at Spinel words. Oh shit, that was smooth as fuck, seriously where is all this confidence coming from? Before (Y/N) could fully compose herself, she was twirled around as the song's tempo sped up as Spinel promised. Spinel danced with ease, knowing this song like the back of her hand having had heard it a million times. Finally getting a grip; (Y/N) followed Spinel’s lead, remembering the steps she had just learned.

Well I could see

You home with me

But you were with another man, yeah!

I know we

Ain't got much to say

Before I let you get away, yeah!

I said, are you gonna be my girl?

Spinel swung out the short gem out; letting her arm stretching a few feet before yanking the (Y/N) back to her. The (E/C) eyed gem coiled into the elongated limp back into Spinel’s embrace. With the use of her arm, the pink gem then whips the short girl like a top making her twirl something fierce. She looks like a small tornado! This made the slender gem laugh as she magically grasped (Y/N) hands from her cyclone state making her come to a complete stop. The dizzy (G/S) laughs as her head lolls from the rush.

“You ok darling?” Spinel asks the girl in her arms they spun in a slow circle.

“That wasn’t part of the lesson.” She says softly composing herself enough to fall into step with the pink gem. Spinel chuckles softly as she at the short girl with sharp eyes.

“Told ya to keep up.” She resorted humorously.  (Y/N) snaps herself out of her dizzy daze and fell back into step.

Big black boots

Long blonde hair

She's so sweet

With her get back stare

Well I could see

You home with me

But you were with another man, yeah!

I know we

Ain't got much to say

Before I let you get away, yeah!

I said, are you gonna be my girl?

Spinel soon broke off from the partner routine to do her own thing, she stretched and twisted her body in a toony fashion. Her body fluctuating in ways one can only dream. The pink gem arms swung in every direction as her feet shuffles quickly. (Y/N) found herself standing still since she couldn’t even predict her moves. All she could do was watch in amazement as Spinel literally danced circles around her with her bright smile. I guess she had to admit defeat, Spinel out danced her and she wasn’t even upset about it. Seeing the The short gem loved the way her magenta eyes shine as she dances her heart out. (F/N) really could tell she was in the zone and not even showing off, the love of ones passion is so powerful it really can take you away.

The (H/C) gem watch as Spinel slides on her knees from across the class, stopping in front of her. Spinel easily sprung back onto her feet, her larger hand grabs (Y/N) left hand and whips her around to the tempo of the trumpet.

“C’mon suga, show me what ya got~.” She says spinning the girl out from across the floor. (Y/N) stood off to the side of the floor thinking what she could pull off successfully. Spinel did say she could do whatever she wanted. (F/N) takes a running start she easily performed various styles of layout flips across the floor. She then plants herself back onto the ground and rushes over to Spinel. The pink gem bends her knees to get low as (Y/N) flashes into her awaiting arms. Spinel smirks as she whirls around before tossing (F/N) high up in the air. (F/N) giggles loudly as she was launched upwards, she strike a pose when she reach her high point. As (F/N )began to descended back down, Spinel coils her arms securely around her waist and thigh to dip the (S/C) gem in a fish pose. The class gasped in amazement and fear as they saw (F/N) face was merely inches away from the floor. If Spinel would had miscalculated the time, the (G/S) would had smash her face against the hardwood floor.

The duo continue to freestyle . Spinel places the short girl right back up in front of her. (Y/N) presses her ass against Spinel’s front, grinding in a slow manner making the pink gem nearly drop to her knees. The feeling of (Y/N) soft ass rubbing up against her sex sent sparks of pleasure through the pink gem. The sensation nearly left her breathless. Spinel reaches down to grab her hips to keep the female in place; craving more of the new feeling but (Y/N) slips from her grasp. The short gem easily did a straddle split and slides between Spinel’s legs to get behind her. The taller gem whips around with heavy eyes as she stretches her arms out and yanks the (F/N) back into her.

“Tease~.” She purrs earning a giggle from the (Y/G).

“Keep up.” She quips back with a wink.

Oh yeah, oh yeah, c'mon!

I could see

You home with me

But you were with another man, yeah!

Sadly, the song was ending and Spinel wished they could do this a while longer. This is the most fun she ever had in a long while. But she is proud of herself for make it this far without collapsing from over stimulation, and she was determined to end strong too. The pink gem grabs onto (Y/N) hands and spins her a few times before swinging the girl down into a dip. Gathering all the confidence she had left, Spinel opens her mouth to sing the last few lines.

“I know we, ain't got much to say, before I let you get away, yeah!” The short gem’s chest tightens when she heard a brilliant voice ringing in her ears. Her gazes instantly morphing into shock to astonishment as Spinel sang the lyrics effortlessly. Holy fuck, she didn’t know she could sing like this!

The slender gem smirks at the girl’s starry-eyed expression; she slowly brought her back up to her feet, pressing their physiques close together. The pink gem stares down at her with hooded eyes as she uses her fingers to tilt the awestruck gem chin up. (Y/N) breath hitched in her throat at the action, her mind went blank. She couldn’t think and she couldn’t move. Her mind has finally reached its limit of surprises. From the events of yesterday, mixed in with dancing and singing became too much for her bare. All she could feel was the butterflies coming back with a vengeance.

“Uh, be my girl, be my girl, are you gonna be my girl? Yeah.” The hairs on the back (Y/N) stood on end as Spinel riffs out the high notes smoothly. Chills travel through her form, as she stood unmoving locked into place. Spinel smiles at the frozen female in her arms loving the fact she was able to leave her speechless for once.  Spinel could feel her ego swell ten times it sizes, she very proud of her work. Then her cocky smile slips from her face when she notices a soft (F/C) glow around the short gems silhouette. Spinel raises an eyebrow as she watches her (H/C) hair slowly levitate in the air. The (C/G) girls was deeply enchanted by Spinel that her powers activated on their own, slowly lifting her off the ground. Spinel watched as the (F/N) slowly floats up towards the ceiling, clearly still in a trance. Well damn, she knew she was good but not that good. Spinel giggles cutely pleased to have this effect on her. She stretches her arms up tugging the curvy girl back down by her hands with a fond smile plastered on her lips.  

“Ya doin ok darlin?” The taller gem askes when she placed the short girl back down. The roars of applause snapped (Y/N) out of her daze. Oh stars, did she really just blacked out? (Y/N) clasped her hands on her cheeks and buried her face back into Spinel’s chest whining childishly in embarrassment. The pink gem erupts into a belly laughter while she snakes her arms around (Y/N) a few times pulling her close.

“It’s not funny!” the short gem cries out making Spinel laugh harder.

“It’s a lil funny.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Omg this was so much fun to write !! I hope you guys enjoyed the fluffffffff!!!!

I hope yall liked it! I will be taking a break but I will be very much active on here!

[fi-chanwrites]

How about a coffee/bookstore date with Suga, Kageyama and Goshiki? Separate pls

I’M SOFTTTT FOR THIS IDEA.

Coffee shop/ Bookstore dates

Sugawara Koushi

BOOK STORE DATES WITH THIS GUY

He’ll take you to his favourite sections and talk you through the books that he’s read and give you recommendations.

Like imagine, you’re sat in the bookstore cafe, Suga has his glasses on, you’re both just sipping on your drinks, reading your respective books, holding hands over the table.

Suga’s just like running his thumb over your knuckles while reading, it’s so calm, so serene.

I AM SO SOFT

It gets to the point where you’ve got one of your phones on the table with some headphone splitters, listening so some soft indie from your joint playlist.

Y’all honestly do this so often, like you have set days where you just chill out and talk about nothing and everything at the same time

“Okay, question, have you ever read Animal Farm by George Orwell?” Suga questioned

“I’ve heard about it but not yet read it.” These few words sent Suga into a long tangent about the pitfalls of communism and how the work managed to capture the fall within communist Russia using everyday things seen in rural England to better explain it to an average audience.

“And he uses Pigs, a symbol of greed, to envision the leaders of the communist move... Babe are you listening?” 

You had been gazing at the man in front of you, not taking in a word he said. Everyday he managed to amaze you, not only was he attractive, he was smart, kind, gentle, he would always put others before himself and when he cared, he cared deeply. You reached out and grabbed his hand within your own, bringing it up to your face and letting your lips fall across each knuckle. His face flushed a deep pink as you did so.

“lets go get some coffee pretty boy”

Kageyama Tobio

You really this boy reads?

He only has time for volleyball, and you... after volleyball.

Coffee shop dates are a must though, you two can sit for hours on end, chewing the fat about things going on at school, he’ll be devising plays and maybe doing school work every now and again, while you’re working on homework next to him.

Y’all just listen to the buzz of people around you, rather than listening to music, catching snippets of strangers conversations

“Did you get the new Jump?”

“I can’t believe he would do that to her”

“Did you do the Japanese Lit assignment?”

Kageyama would always without fail sit down next to you so he could hold your hand underneath the table. He isn’t big on PDA so this as much as you will get from him.

You had just gotten into the cafe, Kageyama still had your hand in his, squeezing it slightly as you got into the line to order. He threw a glance your way. You would be ordering the drinks today.

“ One (1) Mocha latte and one (your drink) please” You said to the cashier, letting go of Kageyama’s hand so you could pay the man. 

Once you had received your drinks you made your way over to your usual booth, placing your bags on the floor beneath the table, but not before getting out your text books ready for the long study session ahead of you.

“Could we maybe, work together today?” Kageyama asked, “I really need some help grasping the English assignment and who better than you?”

“Of course we can Kags, what exactly are you struggling with?” you responded, feeling his hand reach around for yours under the table, you happily took it.

The two of you ended up ordering three (3) more times, spending a good chunk of your day studying together, hands clasped under the thin plywood table of a booth in a small Miyagi cafe.

Goshiki Tsutomu

Coffee shop dates with Goshiki are just mindless fun

They allow you to escape the monotony of your day to day (school, practice, study, sleep repeat) without making you feel guilty for taking a break.

You just went out, for a little while, around an hour, just being in each others company, speaking lowly about the week past or the week that lies ahead.

He would be seated across from you always, listening to the low din of regulars and the blues that the shop insisted on playing every minute after opening.

Your focuses would be solely on each other and those moments each week nothing else mattered.

Goshiki held your hand over the table, running his thumb over your knuckles in circular motions while you listened to the surrounding noises of life. You stayed in that position for what felt like hours before one of you finally spoke up.

“How’s practice been treating you ace?” You chimed, making Goshiki look up from the table, a smile spreading across his face as you call him “ace”

“I’ve been worked to the bone to be completely honest. It’s a lot of pressure, but I aim to continue learning from my senpais while they are still here” the grin on his face told you everything you needed to know. He was still enjoying himself, he was still enjoying volleyball, it hadn’t become a chore.

“Good, I’m so proud of you baby,” His smile spread wider if that was even possible “you put in so much work, so much effort, and it really is paying off”

“Are you coming to the next game?” He questioned, his brows furrowing with the worry that you wouldn’t be able to make it.

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss seeing my ace play for the world.”

General taglist: @thatmichaeldork @kagelama-tobiyolo @pipsqweaks @happynoodle @fitriiaw

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[duraxxor]

Character Sheet: That Damn Trio

Uh oh, it would seem Duraxxor has gotten himself in a lot of trouble this time around! He’s been split into three pieces of his former self! Oh the humanity! Well there’s only one thing to do. What’s that? Well, we go on a wild adventure to put him back together, of course! That’s why I have decided to create character sheet to explain and every one of the fragments and their traits. So without further interruptions, let’s get down to the material! 

Character No. 1

Name: Daev  ( Pronounced just like Dave ) 

Race: Sin’dorei?

Height: 5′ 8″ ( down from the 6′ 4″ that he once stood at. )

Hair Color: Silver Blonde

Eye Color: None, his eyes are as clear as glass

Age:  “ I was only born not that long ago... I jest though... “ 

Physical Traits: When a person comes in contact with Daev, the first thing they may notice as his youthful appearance. Unlike Duraxxor as a whole, Daev has the physical body of a young adult that has suffered from lack of muscle. Despite this, he seems able to stand straight and maintain himself but is unable to physically apply the strength and running speed he once had. The scar that once dominated his features is now shrunken down and appears to have lining that almost reminds some of a stitching, so to speak. Perhaps even mending? The same can be said about the majority of his black attire that decorates his body other than the sleeve that appears to have torn on the right side. A thin trench coat and a pair of black leather britches that are only matched by a pair of boots below. One can also notice the pair of snake bites piercing on his lower lip that seem to have appeared as he no longer bears even a semblance of the elven fangs gene. 

Personality: Quiet and probably the most balanced of his former self. Daev seems to be given the nickname of being the Heart of the Trio. And with good reason considering he is probably the very being that keeps the other two in existence. He is never to quickly jump to violence and seeks to see how people function and feel. Selfless thought and under normal circumstances, kind to those that share a mutual respect for him and his space. Although he is the most attuned to multiple emotions, he has a hard time properly expressing them and it may even come out in a series of riddles. However, he does seem to have something to say for every type of person. 

Abilities: Lack of physical strength, Daev has to rely on his mind and quick thinking if he hopes to manage avoiding being killed off with the help of his familiars. It isn’t known whether he retains much of his weaponry training, other than having a dagger tucked away under his coat that appears to have a significance, or perhaps even symbolic value. Despite his familiars having their own personalities, he seems able to maintain control of them in certain moments and can even call them or dismiss them at will. Daev’s greatest ability is that he has so much untapped potential that is it unpredicted what he may learn in his stay within the Shadowlands. 

Character No. 2 

Name: Randdu ( Ron-doo ) 

Race: Familiar ( Bat ) 

Height: Unspecified, look to his Abilities for details

Hair Color: White

Eye Color: A mixture of Red and Yellow

Age: “ Look, man, give me a break. I only look old. “ 

Physical Traits: You feel a piercing gaze always watching you when you approach Daev with his avian shadow, Randdu. He takes on the appearance of most bats native to Azeroth aside from some defined features that make him appear more like a Fruit Bat from our world, bearing a canine-like snout beneath the leathery wraps that are his lengthy wings. Jagged claws appear to be on both the back legs and wing joints, giving him almost the look a humanoid if not for the fact he lacks thumbs. He is the definition of wild animal with personality. 

Personality: The reckless familiar that is highly regarded ( and prideful of himself ) as the symbol of Duraxxor. Randdu is also the loudest and most immature of the trio. He would rather pick a fight and see who is the strongest than listen to negotiations. He also possesses quite the appetite match this need for combat. However, this doesn’t mean he isn’t self aware when he is in over his head, being the quickest to also panic when he feels outmatched, that is until something goes right, then he will simply mock his foe. Warning: He may curse a lot. 

Abilities: Despite his reckless personality, Randdu is actually quite the powerhouse. He is physically strong and can easily pick up something that is three times his own size, which is only matched by the fact that he is able to grow and shrink his form based on the energy reserves he has obtained through his vampiric aura. The more he fights and succeeds, the stronger Randdu gets. Claws, teeth, and even a mind piercing screech are at his disposal. However, the magical affinity seems to lie more so in the fact he is able to cast a blaze of shadows about his form, giving him enough speed to perform a Wraith Flight, an ability that projects his vampiric aura outward and making mere contact results in the sapping of one’s raw energies. 

Character No. 3 

Name: Sphula ( Sph-ooluh ) 

Race: Familiar ( Serpent ) 

Height: 15′ 07″ in length 

Hair Color: “ Crimson Scales, you uneducated pig. “ 

Eye Color: Onyx 

Age: “ To old for you to know. “ 

Physical Traits: While Randdu is regarded to be the visible lurker, Sphula sticks to remaining hidden into his time is most appropriate. The lengthy serpent bears a strange familiarity to the Arcane Serpents of Northrend, but with many more rows of teeth and definitive fangs. He also lacks the ethereal skin until certain abilities are applied. Scales, bladed fings, and circular markings that are akin to chains, this crimson familiar seems to be the most colorful of the trio. 

Personality: Calm until provoked, Sphula recognizes his own intellect and will exercise it when it is most necessary. More often than naught, he is seen wrapped around Daev, whispering into his ear while chastising Randdu. For once to gain conference with Sphula would mean that you either have earned his respect or there is something of worth about you or upon you that he would sooner have you align yourself to their cause. Unlike the other trio, Sphula is not above breaking the rules in his favor. For he believes logic is more important in the case of survivability in the cruel world of a snake. There is one he deems the most worthy of his time: The Lady in the Red @sanguinesorceress​ . 

Abilities:  Not as physically strong as Randdu, Sphula is also a constrictor and has no issue wrapping his long tail around his foes or even applying it in a flailing motion to dispatch someone from approaching Daev. And speaking of which, did you know that snakes can actually jump three times their length? Not just this one, but he can also slip his entire length through objects much like a pocket space just to come out in a near forty yard radius. Sphula is also the strongest when it comes to the use of magic and intellect. He is able to conjure geomancy, hemomancy, umbramancy, and in some cases, cryomancy and pyromancy. But what would a snake be without his bite? Twin fangs possess a potent cytotoxin, which is a toxin that induces tissue necrosis. Keep your hands away from this snakes mouth!

OOC Information Station 

Rp Style:  When interacting with this blog or even the in-game character, I cannot always guarantee that you will interact with all three of them, just as I also cannot guarantee that one of the other’s won’t squeeze themselves into the RP. Otherwise, I am generally laid back and always up to most themes, including the dark and twisted. I am an adult writer and in most cases, I am not so easily triggered and easy to speak with. Please, don’t hesitate to ask questions as I may have an actual answer for them. I also would like to remind everyone that I have been roleplaying in World of Warcraft for nearly ten years. All I ever ask is your undying patience and kindness in return. 

Platforms: Tumblr, Discord, and In-game (Planned) 

If you have made it this far, congratulations. Now to get to the nitty, gritty disclaimer warnings and rules.

1. Roleplaying with The Trio means you have agreed to not knowing the original character Duraxxor is the true identity of these characters without the proper knowledge or permission. Should you regard him as Duraxxor, Alphus, Lord Daevara, Myotis, or any other former alias, it will be ignored in-character. Should this become a continuing habit, I will ask you personally to please stop trying to ruin the mystery of the characters. Let’s make this a fun plot for all, old and new. 

2. If you are seeking to fix the problem as quick as possible, then you have come to the wrong player. I am wanting this particular plot device to go longer than a few weeks or even months as the Shadowlands is going to obviously take longer than a single year itself. There’s going to be hurdles to make evolve these characters over time. You are welcome to speak about being a part of the plot where he attempts to fix himself though!

3. When addressing particular character questions, please specify who you are addressing to unless it is all the above or the mun. This makes my life so much easier and more engaging. 

4. Do not god mod my characters as I would not god mod yours. All of them have their own individual strengths and weaknesses and should be considered only through natural interaction. 

5. More importantly, be respectful and patient. This is a brand new concept I am playing with and I really wish to see it through to the very end and want those involved to have fun. 

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and I do hope that everything is clear! I look forward to roleplaying with everyone and enjoying the Shadowlands storyline! Happy Writing everyone! 

And if you have not read Chapter 1 to the Shadowlands storyline, here is a link to the story is here

[tact-and-impulse]

Holiday fic for @shepherds-of-haven! Thanks for the deadline extension. I hope I’m not too late! More under the cut or on AO3.

midwinter depths

It all started with an innocent conversation, Lavinet asking what they were planning to wear for the Wintersun Gala. The confused, collective answer was: what gala? After some back-and-forth, it became apparent that the Diminished-majority members of the newest government agency had not been invited to the illustrious holiday celebration. The reactions were varied, but they eventually came to one conclusion. Couldn’t they host a competing, more inclusive, and most importantly, better party? Certainly not as fancy, but in terms of community outreach, it would be far superior.

Responsibilities were dealt, and by dawn, the Shepherds set out to prepare.

***

The bus was late. Croelle adjusted his hat and clenched his teeth. Another inconvenience, just the latest obstacle to his work. The shelter’s glass panes looked very fragile and tempting at the moment, but ultimately, he didn’t move from his current seat on the metal bench.

A tall woman approached the bus stop, ashen hair pulled into a high ponytail to reveal slightly pointed ears. Her hazel eyes glinted with the iladrin, and one hand carried a bag of groceries. She checked her wristwatch, which sparkled with miniscule gems, and stopped at the other end of the bench. A strong wintry gust blew past, rattling the shelter. Heavy silence descended upon them.

“If you’re waiting for the bus, you might as well walk to your destination.” He intoned.

“Excuse me?” Her polished voice was more amused than affronted.

“It’s been twenty minutes. I hope you don’t have anywhere urgent to be.”

“And why are you still here?” She retorted.

He lifted the brim of his hat, to look at her again. Pale brows, an aquiline nose, a thin mouth colored by dark mauve lipstick. Handsome, he supposed. “Are you a Shepherd?” He had dragged his line of sight away from her face to the embroidered hound on her coat.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Dragged into it, really. Speaking of which...” She handed him a blue and silver flyer, detailing games, raffles, and a potluck dinner. “We’re hosting a party tonight at our headquarters. Ten danars admission, though I’m not sure whether it’ll be enforced. It’s mostly for the rest of the Shepherds, and their friends and families.”

“Is that what your bag is for?” He turned his attention to her purchased items.

“Oh, I don’t cook for groups. But I was assigned to buy ingredients for punch and I’m very good at making vytas.” She rummaged through a variety of fruits, before removing a jar of honey and admiring the color in the weak morning light. “I’m picky about my ingredients. No alcohol though, to be palatable for Mages like us.”

“I’m not a Mage. And I don’t eat fruit.”

She tilted her head, stepping in his direction. He flinched, as her gaze ran over him in obvious scrutiny. “How are you still alive?”

This close, he was able to see her hair clip. Three birds in flight, carved out of lacquered wood. He evaded her question. “For the same reasons anyone else is.”

She didn’t respond to that, still analyzing and trying to puzzle him out. Definitely, this Mage was a strange one. He hadn’t heard of any such figure in the Shepherds, but he could always use his resources to find out. She pivoted away from him, putting her jar back. “So, are you going to attend?”

“I have work. Why? I’m not your friend or family. Are you desperate for my company?”

“No.” She easily replied. He refused to feel a twinge of disappointment. “I only want to make sure that my effort pays off.”

“You hate holidays, don’t you?”

Her slight smile became brittle. “Do you only ask questions and never answer them?”

A short, derisive laugh escaped him. “Part of the job.” Wait, what was he doing? Conversing, letting down his guard, still sitting here instead of headed to his next assignment. He might have suspected she was an Enchanter if it weren’t for the wristwatch. The pearly face bore the symbol of the Shifters, the points and curls in fine etching.

“And what is your job?”

“You’re a nosy woman.”

“I prefer ‘curious’.”

“There’s such a thing as being too curious for your own good.”

“I’m not particularly interested in being good.”

He grabbed her slender hand, and she emitted a startled noise as he pulled her towards him. He lowered his voice, speaking into one tapered ear. “Interested in being bad then?”

She was perfectly still for a moment, her pulse rapid under his fingertips, and then, she roughly pulled away. Her eyes locked him in a deadpan stare. “That’s another question, and for this one, I’ll follow your example and decline to answer.”

“Hmph.” Determinedly looking past her form, he spotted a van turning the corner, the Shepherds’ emblem on the hood to mark its status as a government vehicle. “There’s your ride.”

She followed his line of sight and blinked. “Oh. So it is. Would you like to come along? The driver’s my kin, and he won’t mind.”

“I’d rather not.” He scowled, standing and brushing himself off. “Goodbye.”

“Well, if your work allows it, feel free to stop by tonight’s dinner. I don’t have to remind you to try the vytas.” She pointedly lifted her bag and then laid a hand upon her lapels. “You can ask for me, Zoegea. And you are…?”

He grunted. “Croelle.” And with that, he walked away before the van arrived. Minutes later, he wondered how he could be so foolish to tell her his name. Just for that, he had to pry more information out of her. He crumpled the flyer in his pocket but it stayed there.

***

The smell of baking bread was one of the best things in the world. Trouble knelt down, to peer into the oven. The rolls were puffy and golden-brown, nearly ready to eat. There was something nostalgic about waiting and watching, like he was five again and his mother was cooking in their tiny kitchen.

A rustle of movement caught his attention and he met bright amber eyes as his partner mirrored his position. “Hey, so the mashed potatoes should be done soon. What’s next?”

“We should be good for now. Thanks, Senna.” He grinned.

“No problem! So, what’re you doing?”

“Just checking on the rolls. Best part of being on the team in charge of side dishes.” It was always enjoyable to mold the balls of dough in his floured hands. He splayed his fingers over the warm glass. “It takes me back to when I was a kid. My mum made her own bread.” Right now, the yeasty aroma of the dinner rolls was just like the one that permeated the cozy apartment of his childhood.

“So did mine!” She eagerly shared the similarity. “Not that the Westwood bakery’s was bad, but I always liked hers best.”

“Yeah, that’s how I feel!”

She rocked back on her heels, her tanned face flushed. “I actually remember my mom’s recipe, so I bake now and then. It’s not exactly the same though.”

“But it’s something. I couldn’t read before my own died.” His memory of her was vague. She had pinned her hair when washing other people’s clothes, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her hair had been blond like his, but her eyes were a warm brown. Her voice was sweet though it was harder to recall now. Her scent was the easiest: clean linen and a touch of spiced apples. Other than that, he didn’t even have a photograph. “Wish I knew how she did it.”

“Maybe, we can figure it out. Or at least, get pretty close.” She suggested. “We can bake multiple batches and narrow it down from there, based on what you tell me.”

“Trial and error, huh?” He chuckled. “I like the sound of that! When should we start?”

“Probably sometime in the new year. When are you available?”

“Don’t worry about me; I’ll find the time. Just text me and I’ll be there. Do you have my number?”

“Yup, I saved it when you recruited me.” She flashed a thumbs-up. “I’ve just never had to text you before, because I keep running into you.”

“Hey now, you’re the Diviner.” He joked. “You’re not using magic to find out which bar I go to?”

“Trouble, you always go to The Burning Crown.”

“It’s the free drink Nessa gives me every time. Actually, I think I should probably switch it up. Too many fights break out in there, and uh, I’m trying to follow your advice.” If she hadn’t stopped him, his old gang would have been too glad to bring him down to their level. That wasn’t what a Shepherd did, and having her near was a good reminder.

“That’s great!” Her smile was wide and honest. “I know it’s hard, but I’m really happy you’re trying. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You can do it, I believe in you.”

He coughed, as an excuse to stop staring. “Well, you’ve shown me that talking out of a brawl is an option.” Then, he winced. “Ah, shit, I gotta stand up again. My legs are killing me.” He stood, his thighs burning, and offered a hand to her. She grasped it, and as soon as she was upright again, she quickly squeezed.

“I don’t think I’ve had a Wintersun like this before. Today’s been so much fun.”

“Me too. It’s always fun spending time with you.”

She looked at him through her dark lashes, and he felt suspended in place. Then, with a sudden draft, Riel stepped in, carrying a clipboard.

“Are we on schedule?”

Trouble noticed she had let go, and he crossed his arms, pressing his empty hand against his body. “For sure, we are. Even though we won’t be serving until six tonight, we’ll be ready by then.”

“Parties usually start late, anyway.” Senna added, with a sparkle in her eyes.

Riel pinched the bridge of his nose. “And guests arrive early. Regardless, if you need anything from the supply team, tell me before five so I can accommodate you accordingly.”

“Understood!” A whistling ringtone began to play, and she removed her phone from her apron pocket. “Oh, good. I was waiting for them to call back. Sorry, this will be just a few minutes. But if not, I’ll see you later. And I’ll text you about our meeting, Trouble!”

“Looking forward to it!” He replied as she sprinted out.

Riel’s cool gaze shifted between Trouble and the swinging door. “A meeting?”

“Yeah, we’re going to bake bread together. Isn’t that nice? She’s a great friend.” In response, he gave such a long sigh, that Trouble demanded. “What’s eatin’ you?”

“Never mind.” He was already walking away.

“Oi! Just tell me!”

***

The knife moved easily in his grasp, as he sliced the parsnips. If the rest of his family could witness what he was doing, they’d be delivering the full brunt of their disapproval. Before today, he also thought he was better suited to security detail, but he had been convinced to join the rest of his friends. His squad insisted they’d be fine, Trouble had extolled the benefits, and a particular pair of deep brown eyes had been disappointed as the owner asked. “Are you not going to cook with us?”

Thus, here he was, preparing roasted vegetables for an impromptu party.

His partner for this task had her own tray, and she carefully sprinkled garlic salt over the halves of looked like miniature cabbages. When he brought over the parsnips, she glanced up at him. “Oh, you’re already done? Thank you, Blade!”

He stiffly nodded. “Do you need any assistance?”

“No, I’m okay. These are ready, so I’ll put them in the oven. You can get a drink.” A quick smile, and she was off to the adjacent kitchen. The storage room wasn’t as warm, and soundlessly, he crept out. He returned before she did, with two water bottles retrieved from the cooler in the hallway.

Wintersun was just another day, or at least, that was what he believed before. Now, far from the place of his upbringing, he was often out of his comfort zone. However, he didn’t mind learning more about the world, outside of the family business. And today had been very pleasant.

When Captain Enris walked past, he held out the extra bottle, nudging it against her hand.

She blinked. “Is this for me?”

“Yes.” He raised his brows. “Take it. You haven’t been hydrating.”

“It slipped my mind.” She admitted but accepted the water. From under her sleeve, her tattoo peeked out, the inky scrawl of Kettish script unconventional but poetic. She removed the lid and drank deeply; her mouth was red and gleaming.

He abruptly dropped his gaze. “You have the tendency to put yourself last. It’s not sustainable, so you should remember to look after yourself as well.”

Her laughter rang out, clear and crisp. “Ultan said something like that, a long time ago.”

She had never mentioned the name before. He tensed, the plastic bottle crackling in his grip. “Who’s Ultan?”

“He owned a little bookshop in Courtshore. I worked for him, after Drummond’s Point was…wiped out. It was my longest job, about two years, and I really enjoyed it. He, um, found some old magic books for me; that’s how I started learning magic.”

“He must have liked you.”

She hummed, considering the possibility. “I think so. He was a Norm but his late wife was a hedgewitch, so he always kept me safe. If anyone was suspicious, he said I was his granddaughter sent to live with him. I’m not sure if they really bought it though…”

He was a tiny bit happier that the connection was familial, although he was unsure how to feel, being compared to someone who was like her grandfather. He decided on tentative compliance. “Would you have stayed with him?”

“I don’t know. He fired me, you see.”

“What? Why would he? You’re…a good worker.” Damn, that sounded utterly inadequate. As if two words could describe how important her presence had become to the Shepherds.

“Well, I’m glad you think so.” She smiled. “But what he thought is still a mystery. He just gave me the week’s wages and told me I wasn’t welcome anymore. So, I just kept moving, and I never heard from him again.”

His anger on her behalf lingered but he kept his response neutral. “It’s his loss and our gain. I’m glad you’re here in Haven. It would not be the same without you.”

He was certainly not as eloquent as she was, but he hoped the Enchanter was more at ease. Her shoulders lowered a fraction, and she rested her back against the wall. “That’s kind of you to say.” Fondness colored her expression.

“Does it surprise you?”

She laughed again, and he welcomed the sound. “No, not at all! You’ve always been kind. Strict, but you truly care. You’ve never led us astray, despite how you’re not a big fan of Wintersun.”

“Was I obvious?”

“Compared to everyone else, just a little bit.” She pinched her fingers together. “But I noticed you’re not frowning as much. Are you having fun?”

“I’ll take the quiet now, before the crowds arrive.” He wryly answered.

“It’s close enough!” She set her half-empty bottle down and clapped. “Let’s finish seasoning the rest. I was thinking of having lunch afterwards; how about you?”

He deliberately paused. “That sounds agreeable. Do you have anywhere in mind?”

“Tallys mentioned a sandwich shop the other day. I can call ahead for pick-up.” She was already pivoting.

“Linaria.”

At the rare use of her given name, she immediately turned, lips parted.

“Let me see the menu first.” He grumbled.

With another giggle, she offered her phone. “The next thing we should work on is your pickiness.”

***

The free chair was inviting, and Chase took it, sliding over to the other person at the raffle table. “Hey, sunshine. How’s the sprain?”

“Better today, but not enough.” The newly incapacitated Battle-Mage scowled reproachfully at her left foot. “So I’m still stuck here.”

“You wanted to cook?”

“Even if I could, that’d be better than tearing up tickets.” She snorted. Her fingers pulled at the paper chain, twisting at the perforated end and depositing a fresh one in his open hand. She kept the other half, flicking it into a large glass jar. Valeriana had let her hair down, which was a first. Wine red and pin straight, it framed her face and grazed her elbows. She seemed more vulnerable, her features relaxed and youthful. He idly wondered who else had seen her like this. She must have sensed his regard, because her gaze shifted to him. “Did you need something else?”

“Nope, just hanging here and watching the rest of the hospitality team. Mostly, it’s Lavinet though.” The heiress had taken charge over the decorating business and she was ordering some of the newbies around to meet her standards. Embroidered white tablecloths, silver streamers, tea lights, and authentic pine trees for ambience. It all sounded magnificently meticulous, and he was trying to avoid her, just in case. “My side’s done with the party games.”

“Yeah? What have you got?”

“Elements, dreadnoughts, pin the tail on the ahfuri for the kids. We dug up some sui boards for the older folk. Anyone with spare change can play intrigue or Angels and Devils. And darts. Bet you’d like that.” As strong as she was, he knew she valued precision most of all. It was also what he liked about her, that she could run rampant on their missions given half a chance but opted for control.

He was interested in what she was like, if she lost it.

She leaned back in her seat, the motion steering him to the present again, and cracked a smile. “That depends on what prizes you have.”

“Ah, and like with all games, your prize is based on your stakes. Anything from chocolate truffles to plushy Shepherd hound toys to gift cards. Or I can always surprise you.”

“The bar is high.” She raised her brows but her eyes glittered at the prospect. Good.

“I’ll do my best, gorgeous. So...what has our dear organization obtained for the raffle prize?”

“You’ll have to win and find out for yourself.”

“Fair enough. Let’s hope this is a lucky one.” With a flourish, he brought the ticket to his lips in a light kiss and pocketed it. Then, he gestured towards the fall of her hair. “No bun or braids today?”

One hand tucked a stray lock behind her ear. “I want less tension for now, I’ll tie it back later.”

“Gotcha.” In the meantime, he’d appreciate the view.

“Caine asked me the same thing too.” The kid was eager to help out, and at the other end of the hall, he was stringing icy blue lights on one of the smaller trees. “He said it was nice.”

“He’s right, it suits you. You look lovely.” And he meant it, not even winking.

She held his gaze, about to bite back, but she paused. The moment stretched, before she quietly replied. “Thanks.”

His skin itched and he rubbed the back of his neck. Huh. She was attractive, it was hard not to notice since the day they met. It was only that she was a lot more so, because of how intimate her appearance was. It was lust, he decided, and he could deal with lust. Yeah.

“Well,” Chase cleared his throat and ruffled her hair. To his pleasant surprise, it was very soft. “I’m off to check on my people. Keep getting stronger, sunshine.”

“Uh…right.” Her dark eyes were wide, and he couldn’t look away.

“I’ll bring you a plate of food at dinner, and then, we can swing by the darts. Sound good?”

“Sure, I guess, mm.” She didn’t blush easily, but she was clearly flustered, blinking rapidly and tripping over her words. Cute. Her long eyelashes fluttered and he was transfixed.

Then, there was a clatter, and they both whipped towards the sound. Caine had dropped a third of his lights. Wincing, he called out. “Sorry!”

“Are you hurt?” Valeriana asked.

“No, I’m okay! How’re you?” He was giving them a trepidatious expression.

Oh. Chase was still touching her head. Slowly, he let go and forced a two-fingered salute. “We’re fine here! You’re doing good, little man!”

“I’ll see if I can help him out.” She muttered.

“You don’t have to, I’ll send a couple of my guys to check on him. Get some rest before tonight, alright?”

She didn’t seem fully appeased but she grabbed her ticket chain and reluctantly nodded, echoing. “See you tonight.”

“It’s a date. Later, Valia.”

If she protested at her shortened name, he didn’t hear it. He strolled along, starting to whistle. After making sure no one else was around, he glanced down at his hand and grinned.

***

The pressure cooker must have disappeared into an adjacent plane of existence. Red sighed as he closed the latest cupboard. “Nope, not here either.”

“Seriously?!” Alcea popped her head up, from behind the counter. Her golden curls bounced, her gray eyes brimming with dismay. “Damn it, where else could it possibly be?”

“At this point, I’m wondering if we should go to the nearest mall and buy another one.”

“Yeah, but we just bought this last week! Riel would throw a fit if we went back. Anyway, it should still be in the box!” She dove again and he smiled, leaning over the granite.

“Or we could always just do it the old-fashioned way. There are plenty of pots that no one else is using.”

“I guess we can.” She grouched. “It’d just be easier to make vegetable curry when we don’t have to be watching the stove the entire time.” She pulled away from the clutter of miscellaneous cooking utensils, and agonizingly rose to her feet. “Augh, my back!”

“Are you alright?” He rushed around to help, but she shook her head.

“Only out of shape, but I’m alive.”

“Good, because I still need you.” He grinned, hiding his relief. “Who else is going to taste test?”

“Uh, nobody, because that’s my job for today? A privilege of being on the entrée team.”

“Just one?”

“One of many.” She smirked. “But I’m not giving up on our missing item! I’ll send a text to the group chat.” She dug out her phone and her thumbs flew across the screen, her charm bracelet jangling with its trio of silver birds. As they walked through the corridors, he kept a close eye, ensuring she wasn’t bumping into anything.

Their allotted kitchen space was looking rather colorful. Onions, garlic, ginger, cauliflower, peas, cans of coconut milk. Jars of spices were lined up on one end, their labels in large print. And in the midst of the ingredients, an open book waited, displaying the pages of the recipe.

He rolled up his sleeves. “So, we’re making two batches: mild and spicy.”

“Yup. Oh! Should we ask Mimir for input on the latter?”

“If she ever shows, and doesn’t she have a high tolerance? Like, she inhales what would kill everyone else?”

“Right…maybe not.”

“It was a nice thought.” He squeezed her shoulder. Years ago in Capra, he wouldn’t have imagined this scenario.

They hadn’t been close then; they shared mutual friends, but he was only aware of her as ‘the other Conjurer who was always in the stacks late at night’. Conversely, she knew him as ‘the guy who tried to descend the university into Hael itself’, but mercifully, she didn’t blame him at all. In fact, the first thing she asked upon their formal introduction was how he did it. The rest was history. The Shepherds had inherited a massive library from a Mage, and on their coinciding off days, the two of them claimed a study room and filled a whiteboard with spell runes and equations. She was bright and vivacious and daring; his younger self had made ignorant mistakes, and now, he could add overlooking her to the list.

After plenty of scrambling and bitten-off curses, some of which were Elvish, their main dish was bubbling. She ladled a spoonful, blew, and sampled. Her eyes shut as she broadly smiled.

“That good, huh?”

“Don’t take my word for it. Come on, try for yourself!” She grabbed a new spoon, taking from the top. Holding the steaming mixture to his mouth, she ordered. “Open wide!”

He chuckled. “Sharing a privilege?” However, he accepted. It was delicious, fragrant with coconut and bold with delayed heat. He ran his tongue across his lips to catch any left.

Her gaze didn’t waver. “Nope, it’s a second to see you eat something I helped make.”

“I hope your expectations were met.”

“Exceeded, for the entire morning actually. I love working with you.” She was incredibly close, her cheeks rosy. He tilted his head-

“Hello?” A timid voice called, and they both spun around to see Shery, standing at the threshold. Her hands shook as she lifted a large, familiar box. “Um…I saw your text to the group. Were you looking for this?”

“That’s it! Thank you sooo much, Shery!” Alcea bounded forward, relieving the other blond of the pressure cooker. “Where did you find it?”

“On our side.” She pushed the nose bridge of her glasses. “It was behind one of the trash cans.”

“We really appreciate it.” Red smiled. “We’ll save a bowl for you later. Mild, of course.”

She seemed very reassured. “I’ll look forward to it, and I’ll hold some fairy bread for you two. See you soon.” Just as silently as she arrived, she hurried off.

He peered at the box. “I’ve never used a pressure cooker before. Have you?”

“Not for curry.” She conceded, lowering it to the floor for unpacking. “But here, let me show you the basics!”

Settling in for the explanation, he watched her animated face with pleasure. This was a privilege he would claim for himself.

***

The van slowed to a stop for the red light, so Ayla propped her feet up on the dashboard. “Think a lot of people are going to show up?” They’d been traversing Haven for a second round, buying additional supplies and plastering the last of the flyers.

“It’s cheap food and entertainment. So, probably a fair amount.” Her companion answered, sliding his hands around the steering wheel. His green gaze didn’t move from the road. “Are you inviting anyone?”

“Who would I invite? You’ve been in Haven longer than I have.”

He huffed. “Sure, I have a head start of six months, but I’ve been away on missions. Some of them were with you.”

“As if I could forget.” The light changed, and the van continued on its path.

She had hoarded every piece of information she learned about him. He was an Elementalist like her, but his skillset was well-rounded, with a preference for ice. The tattoo under his collarbone was of three birds, belonging to a species with a distinctive call, which his clan had taken for their own name as well. That song had not been heard in decades though, and he always shut down when it came to the fate of Vale. He couldn’t join the military because he was Diminished, so he had been a mercenary for a number of years. He liked his khav strong and bitter, and his toast just this side of burnt. Alright, the last bit was extraneous, but it wasn’t like she wanted to make him breakfast or anything.

“Hey, E.”

“Yeah?” He responded in kind.

“What’s eggnog taste like?”

“Did they not have any in the desert?”

“It has raw eggs, right?” She glanced behind her, to the milk jugs and egg cartons they had purchased. The other bags had remained stationary, teeming with chocolate, peppermint sticks, and whipped cream cans. “It would spoil in the heat.”

The corner of his mouth pulled into a half-smile. “True. Did you ever have custard?”

“Something like that, a milk and rice pudding my parents gave me once.” She remembered the little bowl in her hands, how she licked the spoon clean. Her mother and father, grinning as they watched her try the dessert for the first time.

“It’s similar, but more drinkable. You add cinnamon or nutmeg, and sometimes, alcohol. If you don’t like it, you can just stick to the cocoa.”

“I’ll try both.” She countered. “Do you add spices to the cocoa too?”

“Some people do. I like mine with cinnamon and a pinch of chili powder.” Interesting. Another thing she learned.

The car in front suddenly braked, and she swore. The van lurched, Erigeron’s solid arm bracing over her front. As they halted, way too close to be comfortable, his other fist slammed the horn. Up ahead, a couple scurried across the road. Noticeably, there was no pedestrian crossing.

“Tourists.” She scoffed.

“Too busy looking around them to care about anyone else.” He was still touching her, and he slowly pulled away, studying her face. “You okay?”

“I’m good.” Her pulse was elevated from the near hit. The intensity of his stare made her shift in her seat. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He twisted around to examine the back, grimacing. “Hope nothing’s broken.”

“That would really suck.”

They started moving again, and she glanced at the speedometer. He must have caught her wary expression, because his rough baritone added. “Don’t worry. I’ll take it slow.”

Damn, that was really smooth. She fixed her gaze out the window, trying to think of icicles and snowstorms.

It was a matter of minutes before they parked at headquarters. As soon as he removed the key from ignition, a familiar figure entered the garage.

“Oh, wonderful. I was just about to call you, darlings.” Lavinet tossed her hair and marched out to meet them. “Have you procured what’s left on our list?”

“Sure did.” He grunted and removed his seatbelt. “Check for yourself before we bring them in.”

“No need, I trust you two.”

Unloading was going to take longer than expected; they would need multiple trips. Fortunately, nothing seemed to be leaking. Ayla took a few bags, but he stopped her from grabbing the next.

“You can go inside first.”

“I can take more.”

He firmly clasped her shoulder. “Nah, just come back. Everything will be here, and you must be cold.”

She was, but she nudged his side. “Hurry up, won’t you? Elementalists can still get sick.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Nevertheless, he smirked. Stupid, sexy, silver-haired Mage.

Lavinet held the door and joined her for a short distance, eyes glittering. “How was your outing?”

“O-outing?” She spluttered. “We were running an errand, that’s it.”

A lofty laugh escaped the other woman, shielded by a fur-lined glove. “You aren’t fooling me at all. I noticed those little touches. I expect every detail over appetizers, dear.” With a wink and wiggle of her fingers, the heiress glided off to her next task.

“Hey!” Her protest went ignored. Burrowing her face in her scarf, she redirected an air current to cool down. It wasn’t enough.

***

The door opened, and Halek glanced towards the direction of the noise. “You’re late-” He stopped, noticing that while the newcomer also had violet eyes, she wasn’t who he was expecting. Black hair was styled in a braided crown, with a finger’s width of white weaving down the left side. One hand gently closed the door, as she hastily ducked her head.

“Sorry, I’m not Briony. We switched last minute. I’ll be helping you instead.” She went to the sink, quickly scrubbing her hands.

“Well, I’ll take any help right now. What’s your name?”

“Kalmia.” She even pronounced it the way a Hunter would, the first syllable in the back of her throat. But she was a Mage, apparent enough from her eyes, and her hair color automatically disqualified her from being a pure-blooded Hunter.

“Are you a Battle-Mage too?”

“No, I’m a Healer.”

“That’s better. Briony means well, but she tends to break things and I need the stove today.”

The corner of her mouth lifted, as she turned off the faucet. “I read the menu. It does seem like a lot…”

“It’s why we’re the first ones in the kitchen.” The pot roast was going to take most of the day to cook, and the glazed ham was a new addition to his repertoire. But he was excited to try.

She joined him in peeling the carrots and potatoes, introducing herself. She had been adopted by Hunters in Maj; he vaguely recognized the town as a former refugee campsite. After they passed, she slowly made her way to Haven. Meanwhile, this was the first year he spent beyond the largest Hunter city, The Reach. She didn’t fawn over who he was, and perhaps, that could be chalked up to how distant Maj had been. Either way, he was secretly happy.

By five, the pot roast was keeping warm in the slow cooker, and he closed the oven door on the ham. “This will be ready in a couple hours.”

“And what’s next?”

“Next, I’m going to take a nap. You can do what you want in the meantime. I’ll be in the back.”

“Oh. Alright.” She looked around, hesitant. “Um, sleep well?”

His attempt at a nod was more of a head droop. “Later.” The nearest break room had a decent couch and when he stirred awake, he felt a little better.

And the kitchen hadn’t burned down. Kalmia was taking a kettle off the stove and acknowledged his return with a little wave. Her braid had been undone, her hair falling in waves past her shoulders. “I made tea. Would you like some?”

“Sure.” He yawned. When he sat down, a steaming cup was waiting for him. The liquid was a dark gold color, still spinning gently. Used to the blends their quartermaster liked to offer, he expected sugary sweetness. Instead, this herbal tea was surprisingly mellow, like chamomile at first, before giving way to a deeper bittersweet flavor. Complex and refreshing. “This is just what I needed.”

She beamed, hands wrapped around her own cup. “It’s one of my favorites from when I was living in Leore.”

He stared at her for a few moments, before remembering to look away. “You have good taste.” His phone suddenly vibrated and he scowled at the caller ID. He let it ring, watching as the inevitable voicemail notification appeared.

“Is it a spam call?”

“Worse. My fiancé. You know, Hunters and their arranged marriages.”

“You don’t like her.”

“No, I don’t. But the other choice is to condemn everyone at home, depending on more new Hunters.”

Her expression was melancholy, and barely above a whisper, she said. “If you’re trapped, it’s not a choice at all.”

The sentiment warmed him as much as the tea did. But there was also the ring of truth in her words and the strength of memory in her distant gaze. He wondered what had happened to her, who could have hurt her. If he wanted to, he could reach across the table and pat her shoulder. Pushing the thought aside, he refilled their cups. “I have a recipe for almond cookies. It’d go well with this, next time.”

“I’d really like that. Thank you.”

The implicit promise cut through the tension, and he exhaled. “I’m free whenever. In the past, I always liked Wintersun, because I have the time to cook, eat, and sleep. Or because it has ‘sun’ in the name.” Halek dryly noted.

“Oh, that’s right. I like Wintersun too. The hanging laurel especially.” She sounded wistful. “Probably because Kalmia means laurel. But you already know that.” She added, self-conscious.

“Mm. Did your parents want you to fly?”

She laughed, for the first time that day. She seemed almost surprised by it, and tried to answer him but her giggles kept breaking through. “Me, flying? As a baby?”

Happiness suited her better than sorrow, and he started to shake with repressed laughter too, at the mental imagery of a pair frantically running after a dark-haired infant drifting away from a farmhouse. He didn’t have to think of other traditions involving laurel.

***

The icing smeared in a runny white trail, drawing a groan from Briony.

“Come on!” She glared at the sugar cookie she was currently decorating, and then at the rest of the tray she had wreaked havoc on. She thought switching to the dessert team would be more fitting to her skillset and it was, until the baking was done. Somehow, all of her miniature Shepherds appeared awkwardly proportioned at best and hideous at worst.

“Everything okay?” The kind voice meant to comfort but she only felt more ashamed. Gentian’s recreation of Tangriel’s Tower was the most impressive cake she’d ever seen, with its fudgy center and raisin-lined battlements. Also...he was really cute in an apron, with his blue-black hair gathered into a bun for convenience. Really cute, even if she was kind of jealous.

“Oh, it’s just fantastic.” She grumbled. “How do you make everything look so tasty?”

“I don’t know?” He sheepishly shrugged. “How are your-oh. Well...they’re definitely original.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Yeah, her creations stood out, compared to the cake, Tallys’s individual servings of Elvish trifles, and Shery’s traditional fairy bread. “But they should taste okay! I think...”

Gentian reached for one of the smaller cookies, intended to be one of the few replicas of herself and topped with light pink frosting and violet sprinkles for her eyes. He took a bite; she held her breath. She tried not to stare at his throat as he swallowed.

“This was your first time making them?”

“Technically, yeah. Shery read the recipe I was using and said it seemed alright. I just followed the instructions and hoped for the best. I mean, I don’t remember baking anything before.” Briony nervously laughed. Beyond the past few months, she only knew her name and the password to her phone, which had been wiped clean. The Shepherds had found her in an underground fighting ring, where he slipped inside to recruit her. The glaring lights had targeted his figure when he stepped forward as her next challenger. Unassuming at first glance, but she immediately recognized he was a skilled fighter, just by how he moved. “Anyway, what do you think?”

He smiled. “I think if the rest of the tray is just like this one, you won’t have any left at the end of tonight. It’s delicious.”

“Really?!”

“Try one for yourself.”

She chose another doughy Shepherd, a navy-colored mess, and chomped it down before he could notice. It was slightly warm, the edges crispy. Vanilla and sweet icing filled her mouth. “Ah, it’s good! I need to save that recipe…it should be in my phone’s history.”

“If you need help tracking it down, I can help.”

“That’d be great! But didn’t you only see it during this morning’s meeting?”

“It was enough.”

Now, she was certainly confused. “You memorized it in less than a minute?”

Hesitantly, he replied. “I have an eidetic memory.”

“Eidetic?” The word was unfamiliar.

“Photographic is another word. I don’t forget anything I’ve seen or experienced once.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! That’s like the opposite of my problem.” That earned her a laugh, which was encouraging. She paused. “But if you don’t forget anything, that includes things you don’t want to remember, right?”

“Yes, that’s true.” He became quiet, his thoughts obviously far away. She’d seen him like this on occasion, especially around the Ket members.

She strode around the table and as his blue gaze drifted to her, she hugged him.

“Briony?” His soft voice had dipped low, and the vibration against her cheek made her heart flutter.

“You look like you needed a hug. And Wintersun is exactly the time for hugs. Well, so is Lovelace Day, but that’s not right now!” Lovelace Day was also a long ways off, and she imagined it would be nice to spend it with him. If he agreed. “Is this okay?”

“It is.” His hand touched between her shoulder blades, with the lightest pressure. She was about to hold him tighter when there was the distinct sound of a throat clearing. Immediately, they let go of each other. Tallys stood at the door, appearing spotless despite the day’s work.

“I was about to ask if you two had finished.” She gave them a very pointed look. “But it looks like you just started. See you around.” As she spun on her heel, she was definitely smirking.

“Oops.” Briony grinned at him. He was even cuter when he blushed. “She crept up on us.”

“I should have noticed though.” He sighed but smiled when he finally met her gaze again. His expression was gentle, without a trace of sadness. “Thank you.”

“No problem. If you’d like any more hugs, just let me know.” She spread her arms in offering.

“I’ll remember.” His tattooed wrist lifted, and he quickly tugged a lock of her pink hair, his fingertips brushing her cheek. While she was still processing that, he cited a need for more powdered sugar and headed out.

Alone, she pressed her hands to her burning face. Maybe, she could pass by him under the hanging laurel later…

***

The party lasted into the late hours of the night, and by the end of it, the Shepherds were exhausted and trudging during the cleanup. The leftover prizes were fought over, though most somehow ended up in Caine’s arms, and there was enough cake remaining to bring home, so no one was going to leave unsatisfied. The laurel branches had been plucked clean, petals stuck to sleeves and clinging to mussed hair. The unanimous consensus was that it had been a success, one final fun celebration together before they began anew. And really, that was what Wintersun was all about.

[wisdom-walks-alone]

let’s be sinners (to be saints)

Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne. Damian centric. Hurt/Comfort. Hurt Damian Wayne. Damian Wayne Feels. 2k words.

Shoutout to my babe @darlinglissa for betaing!

read it on ao3!

Damian Wayne is a sinner in a world full of saints. That is a fact that is abundantly clear, and Damian is privy never to forget it.

He was brought into this world as a weapon, a tool to use against the world, and that is something he will never escape.

“You were made to conquer the world,” his mother used to say. But the world was not his to conquer. He knows that now. He knows that fact so well it hurts.

He will never be a hero—not really. He knows this, and he’s come to terms with it. He will never be a Superman or a Green Lantern. At this point he doesn’t even think he’ll be a Batman. And that’s okay, because he could never be a hero anyway.

Because when it boils down to it, Damian Wayne is a weapon and that is all he will ever be. And so he does what a weapon does best.

He fights.

-

Damian has always been an all or nothing kind of person. And where he comes from, nothing is never an option.

And so he gives it all he’s got, in everything he does. First in his training with the league, then with his father, and then with Grayson. And now? Now he gives his all to the mission.

What else can he do? He saves people. But no amount of lives he saves can wash away the horrors of his past, the pleas for mercy made with a last breath, the lives he’s taken. Though sometimes it is nice to pretend.

So he saves everyone, everyone he can. And even then it doesn’t feel like enough. But that does not stop him from trying.

It doesn’t erase what’s happened, it doesn’t erase what he’s done. But if for every thousand lives he saves it makes up for a fraction of one that he’s taken, then, well, that’s a start.

-

They say they love him. They say they care for him, his family. And they must; on a base level, Damian knows this is true. They brought him back from Apokalips, didn't they?

But they're afraid of him, he can see it in their eyes. Not of him as an adversary, that he knows, but of what he might do.

They all know what he’s capable of. He’d made sure to make that clear when he first arrived. They say that they know he’s changed, that what happened in the past wasn’t his fault. But everyday he toes the line and he sees it, he can see it, on every one of their faces, that they’re just waiting for him to cross it. And maybe one day he will, again.

He knows what they think. And he knows that they’re right. He’s nothing but a monster.

-

Every time he wonders what the point is, every time he feels like giving up, Damian has to remind himself of why he’s doing this in the first place. When the world is so dark that it doesn’t seem like there will ever be light, he reminds himself of where he came from.

Damian comes from darkness. And every day he has to beat that darkness back with a stick. He will not let it take him, he will not let it consume him. And he will not let it consume anyone else.

In the end Damian knows that no matter how much good he does, the good will never outweigh the bad. But maybe he can tip the scale.

-

If Damian is darkness then Jonathan Kent is the sky on a clear, sunny day.

He knows it the second he lays eyes on him, with the sun in his smile and the sky in his eyes, that Jonathan Kent will be a hero. Shaky and unsure of himself, sure, but he’ll get there, Damian knows it. Because Jon is good. Jon is a hero.

Damian looks at Jon and he sees everything he could never be.

-

Damian knows that his version of Robin is different from Grayson’s Robin or Todd’s Robin or even Drake’s Robin. They’ve each brought a part of themselves to the role, always making it their own.

But at the same time, Damian can’t help but be aware of the differences between himself and his brothers. Robin has always been a spirit of joy, a symbol of happiness, a childlike excitement next to Batman’s brutal force. Robin is what keeps him from going off the deep end.

Robin is the light to Batman’s darkness.

Damian can be better. He has to be better. He’s Robin, after all.

-

Hero or not, sometimes Damian has to take a step back and realize just how young Jon is.

Not that his twelve is that much younger than Damian’s thirteen, but Damian has never been a child.

There was a casualty on a mission, a family found dead in their home. What was left of it, anyway. They didn’t have time to count their losses, though, because the big bad was already on their way to their next stop. They had to keep moving if they were to prevent what was to come.

But Jon didn't want to leave them.

“Come on, Superboy,” Damian had pleaded. “We don’t have time for this.”

“No!” Jon had screamed, on the verge of tears. “No, we can’t—They’re dead, Damian! They’re dead!”

“No names in the field,” Damian tried to warn, voice a low growl.

“It doesn’t matter!” Jon yelled. “They’re dead, and we didn’t save them! We have to call our dads, Damian. This is bigger than us now. People are dead.”

“This is our mission, Superboy,” Damian reminded him sharply. “We don’t need any help from our fathers.”

“But people are dead! They died and—”

“And so we need to keep moving, to make sure no one else does.” Jon turned his tear-filled gaze back to the broken bodies, but Damian reached out to tilt his gaze back to him. “Don’t look at them. We have to keep going, Superboy. More people will die if we don’t.”

Jon kept his eyes locked on Damian’s, wide and glassy and so, so blue, and Damian stared back through his domino, retracting the lenses so that Jon could see his own eyes. “How can you be so calm about this?” he whispered. Damian broke their eye contact and re-deployed his lenses, turning away and starting to walk.

“I have to be,” he said quietly, not looking back to see if Jon was following him.

Because since the moment he was born, Damian has never been a child.

-

Damian has been to Hell. And he knows he’ll go there again.

He’s come to terms with that. He knows he’s a bad person, but that’s okay because as long as he’s doing good on Earth then at least he’s being productive.

It’s all he can do, help people, while he’s here. He helps as many as he can before he has to go back. And if he’s careful, that won’t be for a long time.

He doesn’t want to go back there, but he knows it’s inevitable. The good he does now won’t undo what he did then. Once a sinner, always a sinner.

And all sinners go to Hell.

-

With Jon, Damian feels like he’s finally the kid he never got to be. He’s not an assassin, he’s not a vigilante, he’s just Damian. And Damian rather likes it that way.

It’s nighttime, the two of them having a sleepover at the manor. They played a new video game that Jon had been raving about wanting to try and Damian had bought just to get him to shut up about it. Their banter was easy and they played straight into the night, the world growing dark around them. Damian hasn’t bothered to get up to turn the light on yet, so the only light in the room is the soft glow of the end credits as they scroll across the tv screen.

It was a good game. It was fun. Damian understands why Jon was so looking forward to playing it. They’ll have to go back and see what other endings they can get, but it’s getting late now so that’s something to do tomorrow. Today? It might be early morning by now.

They shouldn’t make a habit of staying up so late, but with their nightly activities it was inevitable. Even so, Damian will be starting high school when summer ends, and his father has made it very clear that school comes first.

Jon starts giggling about something, and Damian finds himself giggling too. “What? What’s so funny?”

Jon looks at him, eyes crinkled in the corners. “Nothing, just—That was a lot of fun.”

Damian returns the smile easily, taking in the happiness in Jon’s face. “Yeah, it was. I’m glad I got to play it with you.”

“I’m glad I was able to convince you to get it.”

Damian rolls his eyes good naturedly. “There is a difference between convincing and annoying.”

“It did the trick, didn’t it?” Jon asks, and Damian hits him with his pillow. Soon they’re rolling around on the bed, pillows as their mighty weapons, trying to reign in their laughter so as to not wake up the rest of the manor. When they settle down again, breathing heavily, Jon looks up at Damian through his lashes.

Then he does something Damian never expects.

He surges forward and kisses Damian, who takes in a sharp breath of surprise before he registers what’s happening. And once he does, he let’s him, his eyes fluttering closed for just a moment.

But then he comes to his senses, pulling away and scrambling off the bed in a hurry.

Jon blinks up at him from the bed, confused. “Damian?” he asks, concern etched in his voice.

“This isn’t a good idea,” Damian says in a rush, trying so hard to control his heartbeat because he knows Jon can hear it. “Your parents would have my head for this.”

“What? No they wouldn’t, they’re not homophobic or anything.”

“Not for being gay, Jon, because I’m me.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Damian?”

Damian squeezes his eyes shut, turning away from his best friend. “I’m not a good person, Jon. I’m not good for you.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Jon says, and he means it, because Jon never swears unless he really means it.

“I’m serious, Jon,” Damian insists. “I’m a horrible person. You deserve someone so much better than me.”

“You don't know what you're talking about.”

“I’ve been to Hell, Jon,” Damian hisses. “I’m a bad person. Bad people end up in Hell, that’s how this works. The things I’ve seen, the things I’ve done…”

Suddenly Jon is up off the bed. “But that’s not you! I don’t know what made anyone send you to Hell, but they’re wrong, Damian. You didn’t deserve it, not then, and definitely not now.”

Damian finds himself backed up against his desk, and his hands grip it behind him as it presses into his back. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Everyone I care about gets hurt, it’s a side effect of being around me.”

“It’s a side effect of being a hero.”

Damian looks away again, unable to meet Jon’s eyes. “I’m no hero.”

“You can’t seriously mean that.” Jon is so close Damian can feel his breath on his face, but he doesn’t dare look up. “Damian, you can’t mean that! You're one of the best people I know, Damian, you’re a hero, you’re—you’re my hero.”

Damian finally looks up at that, and Jon holds his gaze. He swipes a thumb across Damian’s cheek, and it’s then that Damian realizes he’s been crying.

“I have looked up to you since the day I met you,” Jon pushed on. “I thought, ‘That is what a hero is like. I’m going to be just like Robin.��� You don’t know how amazing you are.”

He takes Damian’s face in his hands, forces him to look him in the eyes. Even in the dark, they’re so, so blue.

“They’re not going to send you to Hell again, Damian, I won’t let them.”

And looking into those blue, blue eyes, Damian believes him.

All the warmth and comfort of the sun lives in Jon’s lips. And if the sun lives in Jon’s lips, then maybe there can be light.

[auggie-hunter]

the insomnia diaries;

❛ surprise. send an unexpected nsfw image to my muse.

truthfully, auggie should've known this could’ve happened one day. not that he’d ever expect it from her, or even ask, but he should’ve known teddy graham would find new and exciting ways to make him fall out of his chair.

(literally; he’s in the middle of a stream when it happens. he’d seen the notification go off while waiting for his game to load and had the capital idea to fully lean over to check instead of just reaching for his phone with his arm.

he’s could not be more relieved that he falls to the ground because he isn’t sure he could’ve kept a poker face on camera. or that he’d make it to his 23rd birthday with the way his heart is racing)

and while his viewers are likely laughing up a storm at his faux pas, turning his chat to chaos, he manages enough mental capacity to mute his mic, eyes still glued to his phone.

because his girlfriend, bare from the chest up with an arm tucked behind her head and a knowing, bright red smirk on her lips, stares back at him on his phone.

vlauggie: sorry dudes, technical difficulties, we’re back tomorrow, 7pm. ps: you’re all banned for laughing at me :)

…even if technical difficulties were, quite literally, him dramatically unplugging the computer and running to his bedroom where she laughed loudly when he all but jumped her bones.

worth it. totally.

__________________

❛ abrupt. kiss my muse out of the blue.

she’s in the middle of a phone call with her sisters, giggling from her place on the barstool at the kitchen island. about whatever it is they’re discussing. he isn’t sure; he genuinely hasn’t been listening. what he is sure about is how happy she looks to hear their voices and be laughing with them.

he hasn’t seen her smile in so long, he thinks, and his heart squeezes when he realizes just how long it’s actually been. eight months since they lost lip.

her eyes look so bright, and she looks so much like herself. like his teddy. like the heaviness of her heartbreak isn’t weighing her down.

like she might fly again.

he’s missed this for her.

she’s mid sentence when he cups both her cheeks and presses his lips to hers, soft and tender and warm. it catches her off guard; he can tell by the way she stares back at him, lips slightly parted, confusion on her brow. but instead of answering her or explaining, he drops a long, lingering kiss atop her head, thumbs swiping softly over her cheeks.

she mutters something about calling them back and her arms are sliding around his waist a second later, drawing him into her arms.

__________________

❛ go down. go down on my muse.

he almost hates that she’s here like this. almost. that she could come back after all this time, after he finally figured out how to make himself stop missing her long enough to move on. 

he almost hates that he’s so addicted to her that he’s willing to burn it all down for her.

almost. but auggie hunter could be  selfish like that. teddy graham would always make him selfish when it came to her.

they were just supposed to talk. she just wanted to talk, or so she said. the way she’d fallen into his lap in the middle of it all told a different story.

the way he falls right into her makes him angry, because he knows she knew he would, and that he always would. she knows her choosing not to talk and just go straight into the familiar is her way of having her cake and eating it, too.

but two can play at that game. and he can’t say he’s doing much thinking when he lifts her onto the desk in front of him though. or when he’s pulling lace that he wants to pretend wasn’t strategic down her thighs and letting his mouth following the same trail back up them.

the ring on his left hand burns with the weight of what he’s doing, and the pressure of soft, firm skin underneath it. he desperately wonders in the back of his mind if there will ever be a day in his life where he isn’t weak for the woman in front of him.

(he also wonders how in the world they got here)

__________________

❛ note. give my muse a note saying : [ content ].

he’s surprisingly nervous today. ironic, considering he’s technically already done this. but til the day he died, auggie hunter was certain teddy graham would, without much effort on her part, make his heart race.

they weren’t even going to have a wedding. they’d talked about it, sure, once they’d gotten back from paris, matching rings on their fingers. they’d said they could do it one more time for their parents’ sake.

except the world had been put on pause, she’d turned out to be pregnant, and they’d had more pressing matters to attend to in the form of two babies and more love and life than they knew what to do with.

but that was then. this was now. their daughters are eight months old, the world’s eased back in, and their families are waiting patiently in the terrace of the house in maine he and teddy had called home for the better part of the last eighteen months.

they’re getting married. again.

and he’s nervous.

the thing is, if he could see her, then maybe he wouldn’t feel so antsy about it. call it separation anxiety after all the time they’d spent together coupled with way too much excitement.

and he’d see her soon; one glance at his watch tells him they’re only twenty minutes out from when he’d be waiting for her at the top of the beautifully decorated aisle in the garden.

(the watch is a present from freddie when he’d come in to help with his tie, their father’s initials engraved in the back. “he’s here, too…” his brother had said, and they’d both held back tears)

but somehow, twenty minutes feels like an eternity.

he closes his eyes and takes a long deep breath, trying to get it together, before reaching for his suit jacket. he’s getting married. (again).

while running both hands over the front to smooth out the neatly pressed material that makes him look older somehow, wise beyond his years, a crinkling grabs his attention. he furrows his brow, wondering if the dry cleaners had forgotten some kind of tag in the pocket. he’s careful with the boutonniere, trying to make sure he didn’t ruin teddy’s favorite flower resting delicately over the pocket.

an envelope.

he furrows his brow as he pulls it out. that for sure hadn’t been in there before. or at least… he thought he’d have noticed when he pulled it out of the garment bag. the paper crinkles in his hand when he turns it to read it, and then, he smiles.

auggie.

written in a familiar cursive he’s seen a dozen times on post-its, in journals, in love letters. teddy.

he’s careful not to rip it when he opens it, chuckling to himself when he spots the blue paw print sticker on the back. an ode to their ongoing blue’s clues binge when rosie decides she’s over sleeping promptly at 4:07 in the morning.

loving you is my favorite part of waking up every morning. and knowing i’ll get to love you the next day is my favorite part about going to sleep. thank you for taking my hand, and wrecking all of my plans. i wouldn’t have it any other way.

can’t wait to marry you (again!!!)

- ted

yeah. he’s ready now. and would be forever.

__________________

❛ mark. leave a mark on my muse’s body [ specify where ].

working out your history probably wouldn’t end with a purple bruise on your hip bone.

(or it could; it would maybe just lead to a more fun memory than the painful one you’re currently dwelling on)

had you sorted your shit out, you wouldn’t have shown up late at night, dressed (or undressed) in the way you were, to jump into the arms of a married man.

(or you would’ve, except you’d have been his wife, and he’d have been your husband and you would’ve giggled in each other’s arms in the aftermath)

but the purple bruise on your hip bone is angry, a symbol of wanting and taking what doesn’t belong to you, of him having his cake and eating it, too, (literally) even if you’re the one who let him in the first place.

you’re the one who showed up to his restaurant late at night; you’re the one who insisted you talk; you’re the one who found your way onto his lap.

(even if he’s the one whose deep frustration led him to push you onto the desk in his office and find home between your legs, hands gripping your thighs like a lifeline. the red scratches on the side of your right thigh should fade soon; at least the reminder of the band on his finger not having the strength to last as long as the tender skin low on your hip bone.

the secret, wordless brand on your skin is a longer reminder of how much he resents you for leaving him.

or maybe he resents you more for coming back.

then again, he’s the married one, you think selfishly. although, there’s a ring on your finger that makes you a hypocrite since you’d be there soon, too.

had you sorted your shit out, you wouldn’t be staring at a reminder on your bare skin through the mirror. you���d be with him. where you belong.

and he’d be with you, where he belongs.

(but maybe the bullshit ends with you. maybe you’re the one who sorts it by slipping the ring off your finger.)

(and you refuse to be anyone’s secret. and you refuse to have him of all people be yours)

(you just desperately hope he feels the same)

__________________

❛ pin. push my muse against a [ wall, table, other ].

teddy wasn’t even going to have a bachelorette party. she was just planning on grabbing auggie and eloping at the courthouse, wanting nothing more than to just be married to him. but she should’ve known her sisters wouldn’t be able to help herself. even her little siblings bixby and belly, freshly twenty-one, wanted in on the planning.

it’s how she finds herself leading a singalong of four of her siblings, her future siblings in law, her best friends, and fellow patrons while belting “africa” by toto at a karaoke bar, drunk on too many sugary lime mojitos.

there’s a tilted crown on her head that looks too perfectly placed for how tacky it’s actually meant to be, and she’s clumsier than usual, so while the room goes wild, daily has to come to her rescue and help her off the stage when it’s over.

she’s one step down when she spots him, all the way at the back by the bar. her jaw drops and she gasps like she hasn’t seen him in ages though it’s only been a few hours.

her fiancé, her auggie, watching her with his smile like sunshine and cinnamon bun wrinkled forehead. (good lord, she’s drunk) she loves him so much.

(she’s really gonna be his wife. she could cry.)

daily’s calling after her when she clumsily runs away from her and toward his direction, narrowly missing a waitress on her way over. but teddy ignores her, a woman on a mission.

her lips are on his before she even says hi, arms wrapping around his neck and crossing at her forearms. she nudges him back, pinning him up against the corner of the bar, and when he chuckles against her mouth and pulls back to look at her, she grins just as wide.

“sorry to interrupt your big night, i just wanted to—“

she shakes her head and kisses him again. “never, i missed you sooooo much.” this time her smooch is loud, and he laughs wrapping an arm around her waist when he feels her kiss more of the space above this lips than his actual lips.

somewhere behind her, she can hear olive mutter something about it being a bachelorette party, but she doesn’t entirely care. auggie’s here!

“baby,” he mumbles against her mouth, pulling back. “go back to your party. i just wanted to bring you this,” he pulls out her engagement ring from inside his pocket. “i thought you might’ve forgotten it. though i think i should hold on to it for now.”

she pouts, ready to protest, but he grabs her left arm from where it rests at his shoulder, a huge, pink toy diamond ring on her finger. “just until you come home; you’re already covered.” he kisses her cheek three times.

“el—“ she hiccups. “it was eliza’s idea. she said she saw it on one tree hill and was scared i’d lose mine.”

he snorts. “thanks, one tree hill.”

“go ravens.” she giggles and stands on her toes to kiss him. “wanna make out?”

“i think you’ve got that part covered,” he says against her lips, still so very amused at her.

“okay but over there so i can take your pants off,” she slurs, closing the inch of space between them so he’s pinned against the bar counter.

“how about you go have fun, and i’ll wait for you later with no pants.” though he knows a puddle of drunk teddy would end her night in sleep, but he humors her.

she gasps. “can we go now?” and he has to catch her hand before she unbuttons his pants.

“no, olive and allie are already glaring at me for being here,” he tells her and kisses her forehead. “go; i’ll see you at home, okay?”

“…fine. i love you. a lot, a lot. like, to pluto a lot.”

there’s that smile again, big and bright and she all but melts into her boots: “i love you, too.”

as she’s walking away, she turns back to look at him. “i won’t even tell anybody about your whole fake pretest. pretet… pre…” she huffs, tongue tied again:

he laughs. “you caught me.” and with a final wink, she’s finally back with her party, and he’s walking out the door, both hands in his pockets, and his soft grin intact.

__________________

❛ choke. intimately wrap your hands around my muse’s throat.

okay, so it isn’t shocking per se; all the time they spent surviving on stolen moments and making the most of them for so long (before deciding to just say screw it, secrets be damned) had turned into lessons and discoveries.

lessons and discoveries that led them both to understand they were all kinds of kinky.

like how auggie was easily putty in teddy’s hands at the sight of her in any kind of lace. or satin. or leather, and how much she loved how easy it was for her get him to bend at her whim. or teddy being really into being tied up (and tying him up). her affinity for being blindfolded (and blindfolding him)

“i like surprises.” she’d said it at her birthday dinner; herhad eyes met his across the dinner table, knowing he’d know what she meant despite being surrounded by all their friends, none of them any wiser.

there’s auggie’s obsession with going down on her, and the way her legs had a little too much power over him. he was convinced this was why she’d started wearing shorter dresses in his presence. though she’d never admit it.

(it’s how he put two and two together about how having him look, but not touch was a turn on for her, and how she’d put it into practice by having him sit at the edge of her bed while she showed him all the ways she touched herself without him)

marks that scream mine, a slight tug of hair (or two), a hand up her skirt hidden in plain sight was a bit of a power trip, only to be met with bare, wet skin. because two could play at that game.

teddy on her knees. auggie from behind. chasing orgasms in new and exciting ways…

the list went on and on.

so again, finding this out isn’t shocking. a little surprising, considering they thought they’d fully populated the mental list by now. but when she’s pressed into the mattress, and he stops moving in her for a second to help ease her head out of the uncomfortable position it had ended up in, another discovery is made.

she’d winced, and when she’d complained about her head, he’d cupped the back of her neck, and gripped gently to help her get more comfortable. except his thumb puts a little more pressure than intended against her throat in the effort to help her move, and the way her eyes flutter while lips part and she clenches tighter around him gives him pause.

teddy appears a little surprised herself, especially with how her eyes widen when he lets go and she realizes what had just happened. he’s a little blown away, but clearly not as much as she is. but then his brow raises, a silent “really?” appearing on his face with an upward quirk of his lip.

of course, before she can even put together an explanation, her cheeks rouge a deeper shade of red than just a moment earlier to match her averted eyes and bashful expression.

he bows his head to kiss her. a reminder that there’s no need to be embarrassed. not about this, and especially not with him.

(even if the way she usually blushed while turned on, all the way from her face down to her chest, easily made his head spin. the way he could tell the difference was pretty hot, too)

but then auggie slows it down, more deliberate and sensual, and yet a little dirty, his hand eases back onto her neck, fingers and thumb applying careful pressure. he pulls back to look at her. he needs to follow her lead on this one; he won’t do it otherwise. there’s a word for this, too.

 teddy’s eyes meet his, a slow nod of consent and trust allow him to keep going. and when those same eyes flutter again, and her lips part, he knows he’s found it. her sweet spot. and then he moves inside her again, picking back up where they left off.

she comes faster than either of them anticipate after that.

lesson #350.

__________________

missed connections… what if we just missed who we were in a past life?

“wait, so you really just told indy you wouldn’t come to her wedding if she didn’t invite me?” teddy laughed, smoothing out the skirt of her dress, soft pink and ending just at her mid-thigh. indigo graff wanted a wedding of whimsy, which meant seventies florals and springtime energy. “you’re her maid of honor! it’s a small wedding.”

olive shrugged, the blonde highlights in her recently cut hair appearing extra glossy while styled in soft beach waves. “she knows i hate our cousins, i absolutely wasn’t getting through this without someone normal. and eliza couldn’t fly back from bali, and you know drew is still stuck in davenport because he’s the worst--”

“he’s not; you love him, and there’s a random springtime blizzard.”

“teddy stop being rational please, i’m being bitter, let me be bitter.” olive straightened out her own dress, the navy color as close to black as indigo would let her go for the day. she wasn’t hating it, or the way it contrasted with her red lipstick. “who plans an entire wedding in two weeks?!”

“okay,” teddy watches her trying to find the fine line between rational and letting olive be olive, but she’s still quite amused about this. “but scarlett is here. and forest is here.”

“forest is taking his photog job way too seriously so after we’re done being bridesmaids he’s gonna go off in search of the perfect wedding candids,” olive rolls her eyes while wrestling with the spandex shorts she’s wearing underneath to get them straight. “and i adore my sister, but scarlett decided she wanted to bring patrick to the wedding, and she adores patrick and will inevitably dump me for him once she’s done bridesmaid-ing. clearly my siblings don’t care about me and my needs..”

“on this day of all days? what a betrayal,” teddy snorts deadpan. “and you told me to bring ivy!” she walks around to help olive finish freshening up.

“i did, i know. but i like ivy. i don’t like patrick.”

“you don’t like anyone.”

“i know that, too,” olive says simply exhaling heavily before taking a look in the mirror. “okay, this is gonna have to do.”

teddy smiles at her through the mirror. “you look beautiful,” she tells her, wrapping both arms around olive’s shoulders and squeezing her tight. “come on, grumpy.”

as they make their way out of the bathroom, her best friend’s sigh makes teddy turn around. “i just can’t believe my big sister’s getting married.” olive’s lip quirks, pride swelling in her chest.

teddy grins. “you’re so cute. let’s get you over to her before all this real emotion goes away,” she teases, leading her out the door, but not before she bumps chest first into someone’s back just beside the door.

“oh!” teddy exclaims, grabbing onto a set or arms to find her balance.

“shit, sorry!”

olive glares, stopping short just before she could bump into teddy. “who stands in front of a bathroom door?!”

“sorry!”

olive looks to teddy. “auggie. fredward’s lame brother. and best man.”

“hi olive,” he shakes his head, seeming more amused at her antics than annoyed. like they’d been through this before. “hi, nice to meet you…”

“teddy,” she motions to herself. “best friend.”

he smiles. “teddy. that’s cute.”

teddy grins. “thank you.”

“don’t flirt with her, she’s taken,” olive interjects and teddy giggles when auggie blushes.

he clears his throat, shooting teddy an apologetic look before turning to olive. “i was looking for you actually. scarlett sent me. indigo’s ready to go.”

“and why didn’t scarlett come get me herself?”

auggie shrugs, but before he can say another word, teddy’s whisking her best friend away.

“come on, oli; it’s showtime, you can yell at your new in-laws later.” teddy shoots auggie a look of amusement and a friendly wave before disappearing down the hall.

the chaos of it all.

[a-girl-who-believes-in-magic]

Saving People, Hunting Things

After Chuck is finally defeated and all the humans are back where they belong, Sam and Dean go back to the bunker. They just stand there for a while, right next to the door, and look at each other. It’s quiet now that everyone is gone. Cas, Jack, even Michael isn’t around anymore. It’s just the two of them again. Neither of them likes it. Dean is the first one to break the silence. “Come on!” he says, smiling. “I’m gonna make us some food. I’m starving.” Sam slowly follows him to the kitchen. Dean is not fine. They both know it. And they both ignore it. For now.

They have burgers and beer and Dean laughs, a bit too loud and a bit too long, but that’s just what it is. And one day it will stop hurting. He still has Sam left. His baby brother, the person he loves most in this world. And he is free. Free from Chuck and his twisted games, free to do whatever he likes. He needs to remember that when it gets worse. Later, Sam leaves. And it does get worse.

Sam doesn’t like to leave Dean, it’s easy enough to see that, but Dean smiles and tells him to fuck off and check on Eileen because he knows that Sam has been itching to do that pretty much since Jack brought everyone back including her and finally the door closes behind the younger Winchester and Dean is alone.

He walks back to his room, sits down on his bed and just stares at the wall. He doesn’t move for hours. Eventually, the tears start to fall, one after one. And he keeps staring, and for the first time he allows himself to think about Cas again. About what Cas said and about what Dean didn’t say and the things they will never say to each other and it hurts. But it is okay. They decide to go on one last hunt, to celebrate the good old times. It’s just the two of them again and Baby of course.  Dean is driving, they listen to Led Zeppelin and Sam talks about finishing law school. And then he talks about moving in with Eileen. And Dean is happy for him, he really is, but the bunker is going to be even quieter with Sam gone as well. But there’s nowhere Dean wants to go, nothing he wants to do, so he will stay anyway and wait for the day when it gets better.

The job is easy enough. A couple of vamps terrorising a small town just outside of Lawrence. Returning there is bittersweet. Dean would have expected it to be harder. But he has made his peace, and so has Sam.

They follow the vamps to a remote barn. Dean parks the Impala at a close field and they get their blades. They smile at each other as they walk up to the front door. This is how it was always meant to be. Saving people, hunting things, the family business. No god involved.

When they find out, it’s a small pack, Dean is almost disappointed. They have agreed that this is they’re last hunt. And he knows it’s for the best. But a part of him wishes it would go on a little longer. Maybe he just doesn’t want to face the empty that is waiting for him back home and in his head.

They kill the two vampires that are the closest to the door in mere seconds. One sets of through a back door and Sam follows him, leaving Dean with the last two. He grins. He has faced demons and angels and God himself. They don’t stand a chance.

A couple of minutes later his phone rings. He is cleaning his blade while waiting for Sam to return from his little jog, but when he sees his brother’s name on the display, he frowns and picks up. Sam is panting heavily. “Dean! Get out of there. The pack is bigger than we expected.” He gets on his feet. “What?” “They’re driving right up to the barn. It’s like ten of them in that car.” Sam says and Dean can hear that he is running. “I’m getting the Impala but they will reach you first.” Deans smile doesn’t fade. “Don’t hurry on my account.” he says. “It’ll be fun.” Then he hangs up.

A minute later Dean hears a car pulling up. Doors open and close, people get out. Somebody screams. There’s a loud bang. And then quiet. Somebody is walking up to the barn. Dean raises his blade. The doors swing open and Dean gets ready to strike the first vampire to walk in. Except that there is no vampire left. Just an angel with blue eyes and black hair and a smile on his lips. “Hello Dean.” Dean drops his blade. “Cas?”

There is a part of him that doesn’t believe it. Doesn’t dare to. But Lucifer is gone and Chuck is gone and there is no one left to play tricks like that on him anymore. “Are you really here?” he asks. Cas nods. “Jack brought me to heaven first, but then I heard Sam praying and came down.” And Dean rushes over to him and pulls him into a hug. He doesn’t let go, not for a while. When he finally does his eyes are teary. He doesn’t care. “What was Sam praying for?” he asks. “For someone to save your stupid ass from the vampires.”

Dean turns around. Sam is walking up to them. He hugs Cas as well. But not quite as long. “I knew you wouldn’t get out of here.” he scolds Dean after he has stepped back again. Dean shrugs. “What can I say man, I’m not running from fucking vamps.” They share a look, knowing that’s not all. But it doesn't matter any more. Cas is back. And Dean Winchester is saved.

They don’t talk about that one night, not for a very long time. But Cas doesn’t seem to mind. He just keeps being Cas, always smiling when Dean looks at him, always being there for him. Dean expects him to return to heaven again, but when they reach the bunker Cas is still there. He walks in with them, he has dinner with them, they watch a film and when Dean leaves to go to bed Cas is there to say goodnight. And he is there to say good morning the next day. And the following day. And all the days that come afterwards. He is there when Sam moves out, when Dean gets a job as a car engineer, when Charlie comes over, when Sam and Dean have dinner with Jody and Donna. Sometimes Dean wonders if it gets boring for Cas, living with him. After all, he is an angel and Dean nothing more but a human, a mortal. But then he remembers what Cas has told him, before the empty took him. He wants to say it back. Wants to tell Cas that he can have what he wants. But it’s the one thing he can’t get himself to do. Not yet. And he doesn’t need to. Cas already knows.

Sam marries Eileen two years later. Their first kid is on the way. Dean has proposed to name it after him when it is born. For some reason Sam has reclined. He still gets to be the godfather though, so he doesn’t complain too much about it.

Dean and Cas go there together. It’s a nice, small ceremony, no church and just a couple of friends. Family. Dean doesn’t cry. At all. But there was wind, and it blew him right in the face and that’s why they are red afterwards.

People start dancing later and eventually it’s just Dean and Cas who are left at the tables. Dean has a beer. He watches his little brother. Sam is smiling. He looks happy. And for once in their life, it will stay that way.

Than Dean looks over to Cas. The angel is watching Sam as well. Then he realises that Dean is watching him and looks over. Their eyes meet. Suddenly Dean feels like he is sixteen again. He clears his throat. “Uhm, you wanna dance?” he asks. Cas grins. “I thought you’d never ask.” he says. They get up. Dean doesn’t quite know what to do with himself. Cas takes position opposite of him. “I’m afraid you’re gonna have to teach me how to do this.” he says. “I should have done that a long time ago.” Dean says. And then he does teach him. Cas is good at dancing.

It past midnight when Dean proposes to take a walk. Cas agrees instantly. They’re pretty far from the next town and it’s a clear night. The stars are beautiful. They both look up to them while they walk down the path, next to each other, no destination in mind. And without really thinking about it, Dean takes Cas hand. “You can have it, by the way.” he says. He doesn’t quite know why, but it is okay to say it now. This is good. It’s safe. “If you still want it.” Cas knows what he’s talking about right away. He squeezes Dean’s hand. “Always.” he says. And he means it.

Dean dies first, after many years. Sam has become a lawyer, he has two kids, none of them called Dean, but the girl still develops an almost worrying obsession with pie and classic rock and her uncle. She seems to share that with her godfather, Castiel. Both of the kids stay with Dean and Cas sometimes. Dean is the one to teach them how to drive. Neither of them hunt for a day in their life. They still both get pentagram tattoos when they’re older, though. It’s the family symbol, after all.

When Dean reaches heaven Bobby is there, waiting for him. Dean hugs him. Bobby smiles. “I missed you, idjit.” They share a beer. Then Dean goes to visit the others. They all live around and Baby is there waiting for him, taking him to their houses. First, he makes a stop at his parent’s. They have dinner. But eventually Dean moves on. There are so many more he needs to see. Charlie, the one from this world, Jo and Ellen, Rufus, it takes him a while.

When he’s done, he stops at a bridge in the middle of nowhere. It’s beautiful here, he’s just realising that. He knows that Sam is there before he seems him. A smile appears on his face as he turns around to hug his brother. Sam hugs him back, so tight that it almost hurts. It has been longer for him than it has for Dean. Cas and Jack appear at their side. Jack looks older, wiser, but when he hugs them it’s just like it always was. Cas takes Dean’s hand as they all walk to the railing and watch the sun set in the distance.

[theravencawsatmidnight]

Them Video Games pt2

A very special Non Fandom fic that i care deeply about. I wrote this a few years ago around E3 Time and ive since rewrote it and turned it into a fic with Suna. But this is the rewrite and the one i adore. Part 2 because its still too long . (Its 11k words) so maybe one more part? This part ends on a cliffanger oops

@squeaky-ducky @galagcica

W! Nsfw. Incest slightly. Body image issues.One slur

Kiki was dressed in her Converse and blue thigh highs, her skirt was blue and she had on a ps4 shirt. She also had a little pink messenger bag with controller buttons all over it . Toshi did not live to far surprisingly. They actually have to pass his house to get to school. She also brought some money with her to pay for the controller. It was not much but.. it was a start to buying a new one. Was he really upset? He seemed it.. maybe she could show him the strategy videos she liked.

The house was coming into view and also the black Mazda. Kiki pulled her bag close going up to the door knocking lightly. She looked around while she waited. It was a small house nothing to fancy. She jumped when the door opened.

Toshi smiled leaning on the door looking down at her. Cute. Super cute.

He was wearing blue pj bottoms and a black tank top, his arm was bandaged along with his shoulder and chest.

“Ohayo” he said.

“Uh!!! Ko..ni..no wait that's afternoon ..” she rubbed her face and Toshi laughed pulling her in and closing the door.

“Adorable. Well cmon” he walked down the hall and Kiki hurried after him. “ uh .. Toshi!” She said.

He looked back and opened his door going in, Kiki followed opening her bag getting the money , she held her hand out to give him the money but she froze when she saw his room. Amazing.. was an understatement.

He had shelves on his walls. One was full of figures , another had certain video games in special protective cases and the last case had trophies on it. All gold trophies it looked like. Some said ‘Champion’ and some said ‘E3 finalist Winner’ , one said ’Nintendo E3 Winner’. His tv was huge.. it sat on a corner desk that fit right into the corner , it had a shiny Ps4 system tucked into it nicely and a pink Switch next to it. There was also some gaming posters scattered around the room. His bed was very big and mostly black with what looked like japanese symbols on it. He had multiple controllers docked , all different colors sitting on his desk. On the desk was also the controller in half ..a special edition blue one.

Toshi smirked when he saw her looking all around his room with the money in her hand. He tapped her head and she jumped looking at him. “Here! It's not enough to cover it but i can get the rest if i do chores soo..”

Toshi took the money and put it back in her bag startling her. “I don't need it, i'm not replacing it.”

“Wah? Why not ? It's the special edition?!?”

“Well i wanna have a reminder of when i got my ass handed to me in Overwatch” he chuckled ruffling her hair and grabbing a controller. “Show me these strategy videos Mishiko” he sat down on the floor , his back to his bed.

Kiki sat down next to him putting her bag next to her. The Ps4 turned on and Kiki’s heart jumped.

“You have the same theme as me!!!!” She pointed at the NieR theme, the music sending chills up her back. He smirked rubbing his bandages. “Well how about that.” He handed her the controller after opening YouTube. The videos that showed up were… mostly video game walkthroughs or Top 10 mixed in with music playlists. Kiki typed the video in and put the controller down after hitting play. She didn't skip the ad though.

“ you dont skip ads?” He leaned forward to skip it and Kiki jumped up grabbing his arm to stop him.

“No no! I dont skip if i like the guy!” She whined sitting on her knees holding. Toshi felt a smile come across his face when she grabbed onto him. He pulled her between his legs holding her in place. Kiki struggled whining and Toshi let go , the video started and she looked back , her cheeks flushed .

“Sorry Mishiko .” He held his arms up. She wiggled around, she could hear the video too. “Is it okay .. if I sit here? I dont know if you have a girlfriend i …”

He pulled her back wrapping his arms around her again. “Nope, so what do you like about this guy?” He gestured to the tv.

“Well uh.. hes funny. Most strategy videos is just long lectures and he makes it fun” her eyes wandered to his bandaged arm . She saw something black it looked like under them. Could he feel her heartbeat? She was so surprised by him grabbing her like this. He smelled nice too.. a nice leather scent lingered around his neck , it was a mix of cherries to.. must be his shampoo.

Toshi could see she was nervous in his arms, she seemed a little shaky and her knees were up. He laid his chin on her shoulder watching the video and he felt her pulse pick up.

“Uh.. Toshi?”

“Hm?” He was watching the video.

“Are you angry about the controller . I feel really bad.”

“Nope. I already told you Mishiko, don't worry about it”

“Okay.. those trophies ? You've been to E3?”

“I go every year. Free ride”

“Really?!?” She peeled his arms off her turning around to look at him and Toshi sat up straight laying his arms on his knees. “Indeed. Little neko” he smiled.

Kiki felt her cheeks flush red. Neko?. She looked all around trying to hide her embarrassment and Toshi dipped his head chuckling at her.

“Wanna go with me this year?” He teased.

“Uh YES! But .. I don't know if Max would let me.. and you probably have someone else you wanna take “

“ i dont see anyone else here with me” he said rubbing his bandages growing irritated. Toshi pulled his shirt off getting up grab a container off his dresser and sitting back down. Kiki sat criss cross trying not to look..

he pulled his bandages off revealing a black japanese tribal tattoo. “Wanna help me put this on my ink? It itches.”

Kiki held her hands out without realizing it , the container dropped in her hands and Toshi dipped two fingers in and applied it to his arm. Kiki scooted a little closer watching him. He looked a little relieved when he applied the medicine. Slowly Kiki dipped her fingers in to the cold liquid and rubbed it on his upper chest. Toshi smiled at her applying more to his arm , he watched her shaking hand travel all around his chest all over his tattoo. She was tiny to him , never really saw her around school either.

“Hey” he said.

Kiki finished with the medicine looking up.

“Yeah?”

“ I never saw you around school , where do you hang out ? “

“Oh.. “ she pulled her bag close hugging it “nowhere.. I just rush to the next class.. I dont . .. besides Max and Adam i have no friends. Everyone in my class calls me a hermit”

Toshi furrowed his brow listening to her . What the fuck. “Well thats a fucking awful thing to say to someone.” He petted her head .

“I just want one friend heh.. I guess maybe next year.”

Toshi pulled her to him squeezing her for a long while. Kiki whined struggling in his grip , eventually she gave in and hugged him back.

“Your pretty cool, here, show me what you can do” he grabbed his controller giving her it. She did not take it, instead she just looked down at his chest. Toshi rubbed her back. “Oh cmon, yosh yosh..” he rubbed more and tipped her chin up. “ little neko.” He kissed her forehead making Kiki get very red in the face.

“Uh!!” She panicked pushing back and he let go of her.

“Mishiko you are awesome. Your into cool things. Don't let those losers get to you. I dont” he switched to a game looking at the tv. “You know how many people still call me a Jap?”

“No..” she sat down between his legs picking up another controller turning it on joining his game.

“Sucks, but who cares.” He laid his chin on her shoulder.

“Do you.. wanna make bets?” She asked playing.

“Ouuu yosh.”

They laughed . “ if i win i get to keep your thigh highs”. He said . Kiki looked back at him for a second then back at the tv.

“Okayy..” she giggled . “If i win .. I want another kiss.. please.”

He nuzzled into her neck smiling.

“Deal”

The gaming got very heated between the two. Kiki got out from Toshi’s grip standing up on her knees to play and Toshi stood up to sit on his bed leaning forward. They yelled at each other and the screen, it was Street Fighter. They both had one loss and this match would decide who won.

“COME ON!!!” She yelled button mashing.

“GIVE UP KIKI” he grinned watching his special bar inch closer till it shined . He grinned activating it and it was all over in a matter of seconds. Toshi won and Kiki gently placed the controller down watching the screen. Her character was on the ground , she lost.

She looked back to see Toshi putting his controller down and leaning back on his arms smirking. He saw her sad face and gestured his fingers for her to come over. “ awwww c'mon , now i feel bad. C'mere little neko”

Kiki got up coming over looking all around, she held her shirt once she got between his legs. Tohi was a tall boy , maybe an even 6’ . His hair was black and long , hanging just above his eyes. “How.. uh. Should i just take em off?” She asked a little lost.

“Mm nope. Can i take them off you?” He asked leaning forward looking up at her smiling.

“I .. I guess so . Why do you want them though?” She asked curious.

Toshi smiled extending his hand to her left thigh, gently he wrapped his hand around the back of it squeezing gently. Kiki shuffled her knees around and covered her face. She was all tingly between her thighs and her heart fluttered around.

“Well i'm into it. What are you into hmm?” He asked gently moving his hand down her thigh to her leg. Taking her thigh high with him.

She thought it over for a minute. What was she into? She never really thought about it too much. She lifted her foot and Toshi slid her thigh high off, he squeezed it and then gripped her other thigh repeating the process.

“I never.. really thought about it i guess. “ she finally answered. Toshi frowned as he slid her thigh high down. She stepped out of it and he placed it with the other.

“Never had a boyfriend to figure it out with?” He asked poking her stomach. Kiki wiggled feeling a little embarrassed.

I guess this is a little too much for her, he thought.

“Mishiko you want that kiss?”

“But i didn't win?”

“ ah well.. I want to kiss as well, so ill let it slide, after that we can do whatever you want. “

“You do? Why?”

“Well you were yelling at me during Street Fighter. You should see these guys i beat at tourneys. They get so angry but just walk away. Maybe it's a turn on for me. Maybe i wanna be your first kiss. Maybe i think your cute and i like you. One things for sure though Mishiko, you're the coolest gamer girl i've ever met”

Kiki hid behind her hands whining loud.

“stoppp .. it's embarrassing. Im sure theres lots of hot juniors at school”

Toshi reached up moving her hands from her face and grabbed her hips pulling her close to him and sat her down on his right thigh.

“Trust me. There's not.” He kissed her gently and lovingly. Kiki jumped stumbling and Toshi held her hips firmly . Her heart jumped when his lips touched her, she had no idea what to do with her hands so she just held his face trying her best to kiss him back.

Toshi broke away after a minute while squeezing her hips smiling at her red face. Kiki’s hands slowly fell from his face to her chest holding it. “Uhm.. it was nice.. “ she spoke softly.

“Yes it was, what would you like to do now? My plan was to keep you till Max started blowing up my phone.”

Kiki wiggled and leaned on Toshi closing her eyes and Toshi smirked wrapping an arm around her laying back, his other hand behind his head .

“..Toshi?”

“Hm?”

“Ill convince Max to let me go with you.”

He pet her head . “Sounds good little neko”

The two were still laying in bed , Kiki was on top of Toshi , she was pretty sure he could hear her heartbeat. This was all new to her. .. it all happened so fast too. There's no way Max would approve of any of this though. Its crazy how.. she never noticed him at school before, to busy keeping her head down avoiding everything. Toshi had asked her what she was into to. What did he mean though?

She peaked up to see Toshi holding his phone up above his face browsing. He looked down smiling at her.

“Yes ?”

“ what did you mean.. when you asked what im into? Do you have an example?”

Toshi smirked turning his phone to her and Kiki shyly sat up on Toshi’s lap . She rubbed her eye with one hand and took the phone with the other looking at the screen. She jumped and Toshi enjoyed the little hump she did on him.

.”its a .. very lewd catgirl” she said, her face red.

“Yep” smirked the happy man. “What's she got on?”

“Uhm.. fake paws.. ears..tail.. thigh highs and a t shirt” she looked over at her thigh highs that were laying on the bed then at Toshi.

“So it like.. makes you happy?”

“More ways then one. Swipe left”

Kiki swiped and saw a drawing of the same cat girl but she did not have the shirt on, instead she had a collar attached to a leash, she was sitting next to a man but she was on the floor.

“So.. the Master stuff?” She asked looking closer and Toshi shot up wrapping his arms around her back laughing, he took his phone back swiping a few times and showing her a photo of the last picture but it was a cosplay.

“Little neko how do you know what a Master is hm?” He teased her. Kiki wiggled around trying to hide her blushing face in her hands. “Ii.. if im really bored i look up fan fics of game characters and i came across Master stuff…”

“Oh yeah? Did you read it?” He asked rubbing her thigh. Kiki nodded once hiding behind her hands.

“Adorable, look at you.” He teased moving her hands, she was very red and her lip was pouty. Kiki whined looking around fast.

“Can i read it too?” He asked smirking.

“I.. i guess yeah…my phone is in my bag ..”

Toshi leaned down grabbing the bag and Kiki fished out her phone and opened up Safari, she typed and handed Toshi the phone.

While he was reading his phone went off and Toshi glanced over to see the screen. “Max is calling why dont you take it , ill be here”

Kiki agreed taking the phone and quickly getting off of the mans lap going to the hallway. Toshi laid his head back on his pillow reading the fan fic, so shes into the same things as him… interesting.

Kiki was on the phone with her brother.

“Max?”

“Kiki are you ok?”

“Yes why? I.. “

“How long do you plan on staying?”

“I..i dont know. “

“Just make sure its before dinner ok?”

“Okay Max..”

She hung up looking at the phone screen, he had Akali as his background. He also had a ton of text message notifications. Kiki hurried back holding the phone out.

“ hey you've got some texts. And I can only stay for another half hour..”

“Little..neko. Come here” he sounded different to her, more serious ..

Kiki flinched going over and setting the phone on the dresser. Toshi placed her phone next to it and pointed to the floor. “Sit” he ordered.

Kiki immediately felt her cheeks flush red once she heard his words.. it sent tingles all the way to her thighs . Carefully Kiki sat down on her knees by the bed trying to figure out which one she actually let him read. She heard the bed shift behind her , Toshi’s legs were on both sides of her. He gently lowered his left hand to cup her cheek.

Which was it,!! Which one?!? They were all kind of the same but.. they all had this one unique tag. It couldn't have been… the most erotic one was it?!

“This fanfic is quite dirty for such a little neko like you ” He spoke slowly, rubbing his thumb on her cheek. “As a Master im not sure how I should react to it” he gently tipped her chin up so she could see him looking down at her.

“What do you think?” He asked smirking.

Kiki was wet, so very wet. Her thighs were starting to ache and she got slightly dizzy listening to Toshi.

“.. i cant.. be you're Neko without a.. collar”

She knew which one it was now… Toshi had the same attitude as the character in the fanfic. Her favorite one.

“Ill have to get one for my little neko then” he tapped her forehead and stretched groaning.

“Ahh.. been way too long since I last did that.” He teased.

Kiki shot up grabbing her bag and Toshi grabbed her hand. “Woah wheres the fire?” He asked.

“Just hurry up and make fun of me so i can leave..”

She was shaking, she was embarrassed and hot all over. Toshi pulled her over and sat her on his thigh again, he instantly felt her wetness on him. He ignored it for now and hugged her.

“I'm not making fun of you Mishiko, i showed you what i like didnt i? We like the same things.”

“Please.. dont tell Max.” She looked up at him peaking through her hands.

“I won't cutie. But if you're serious about the collar, we can work towards that, id be on board for that”

Kiki shifted around thinking it over, she tried not to look at Toshi since she was embarrassed. Would Max be okay with her dating his friend-wait. He just said the collar stuff.. not that he wanted to date.. he wouldn't want to date her anyway. I mean who would..

Toshi tapped her forehead making her look at his smiling face. She nodded in agreement and Toshi rubbed her thigh. “Well yosh. So you are okay with it then? “

“Yes i am “

He smirked nuzzling his cheek into her neck hugging her tightly. Kiki squeezed him tightly trying to push her feelings aside. This is enough.. it's basically the same thing. She leaned on him just enjoying his embrace, his clean scent, his arms around her. Until her phone buzzed making her groan. Toshi chuckled grabbing it and handing her it. “Boyfriend?” He teased.

She didn't even look at him when she answered him.

“Its Max, my only contacts are Max and Adam so.. no.. hello?” She answered her phone.

Toshi watched her while she talked , oh shit .. so she really is just all alone. Does Max not try to get her to socialize? A sophomore with no friends? Not one goddamn friend?

He pulled her hips closer to him and Kiki almost fumbled her words . She mouthed “what are you doing?!?” To him and he just winked at her.

Kiki blushed a bright red as she talked.

“Okay.. okay.. yes Max.. ok im on my wa-“

He lifted her up and sat her down again with both legs on the side of him , Kiki put her free hand between her thighs holding her skirt down and Toshi nuzzled her cheek chuckling ,he rubbed her thighs while he listened to the conversation.

“Im on my way home..”

Toshi spread his legs a bit and Kiki was losing balance, she couldn't hold onto her skirt and Toshi with one hand…

“Okay well if you don't hurry ill hide all the HDMI cords Kiki” Max said.

“WHAT NO. MAX!” She was falling , Kiki whined grabbing onto Toshi digging her nails into his shirt. Toshi looked down to see her skirt bunched up over her thighs and her panties nearly visible.

“MAX PLEASE DON'T I NEED -“ she felt rubbing on her inner thigh. Kiki’s head shot down to look to see Toshi’s bony hand slipping under her skirt, the sensation she was feeling was unlike any other. She felt her head get foggy and her midsection ached, if she stretched it would have felt euphoric .

“Well then hurry up.” Max said hanging up, Kiki dropped her phone on the bed and Toshi laid back moving her forward to his chest.

“Can you spare five minutes little neko?”

“ just WHAT did you think you were doing?!? What if he caught on? If he heard you?!? He would have killed me! Toshi are you listening?”

Toshi lifted Kiki up with ease bringing her closer to his face, he clicked his teeth when he remembered she still had her panties on, oh well.

“I'm listening Mishiko i promise. but its fun to be a little dangerous. “ his thumbs grabbed her skirt till he had a good grip and carefully he yanked the skirt up revealing her panties , doing his best not to drop her in the process.

Her panties were … D.VA panties. He looked up at her and Kiki had her hands covering her face.

“Dont laugh!!!!” She whined .

“Why would i laugh? I've got Junkrat boxers on”

He rubbed the little wet spot on her panties with his thumb, Toshi watched her wiggle from it and dug his thumb into the side of her panties moving them to the side. Kiki felt a slight chill , she moved her hands away to see Toshi lowering her down.

“Wait Toshi!!!”

“Itedakimas!” He sat her on his face and started licking at her folds . Kiki could not hold in her laugh , she leaned on the wall laughing , she held his head with one hand, her other on the wall. Toshi was laughing aswell , trying his best to lick in a steady pace.

“You… i cant.. belieeeve…” she moaned with each lick. She felt his other hand part her folds so he could dig his tongue in deeper , Kiki was panting into the wall feeling very flustered and hot. Her whole body was crying for more, her thighs were shaking and her juices were dripping down them.

Toshi felt her clench around his tongue and pulled away to lick at her clit sending Kiki over the edge, she let out a loud moan and Toshi smiled gently nipping her thigh. “Cum for me little neko” he whispered.

Kiki came hard falling forward twitching. Toshi licked her clean and pulled her skirt back down sitting her next to him. Kiki laid there coming down from her high, Toshi snuggled her close petting her head.

“You .. really said..”

“I did”

“ it was hilarious.” She managed a weak laugh. Toshi laughed and the two cuddled, ignoring her buzzing phone.

The two were in Toshi’s car sitting outside Kiki’s home, Max was leaning on the door looking .. angry was not the right word. Kiki figured her playstation was unplugged and locked up somewhere . She undid her seatbelt and Toshi grabbed her phone putting his number in it . “There, you can text me whenever Mishiko, don't matter what time it is.” He plopped her phone on her lap.

Kiki put the phone in her bag then looked at Toshi.

“ but you had a lot of messages on your phone..”

“Yeah its just Gina and Kera , no one important. But , Mishiko?”

“Huh? Yes?”

“Have i done anything today that bothered you? I want to make sure you consent to everything. Im probably going to ask you about the collar stuff again too”

She gripped her skirt thinking it over, her knees rubbing together. Her body felt tired from the orgasm , like she was really heavy and shaky.

“Everything was nice Toshi. I'm just sorry im so .. inexperienced..”

“Nani? Oh Mishiko. That's okay , i like to teach. “

“I.. I wanna hang out again. But Max looks like hes putting me under house arrest.”

Toshi looked out his window to see Max still leaning on the door. He looked back at the girl.

“Ill convince him Mishiko. Bring your favorite movie and snacks okay? We can have a nice soft night.”

She blushed nodding and getting out.

She wanted to ask something but…

Gently she closed the door and waved once she got to Max. Toshi waved driving away and Max stared down at her.

Kiki put her bag on the couch turning to Max, he sighed hugging her tightly. Ah.. so he was not mad. Just worried.. Kiki whined when he hugged her to tight.

“You're okay?” He leaned down cupping her face.

“Yes Max” she wiggled around

“Why didn't you answer?”

“I was in the bathroom.. and Toshi was playing Tomb Raider..”

He squeezed her for a long time .

”uhm.. im hungry Max”

He let go and the two went to go eat dinner.

Toshi was home lying on his bed with one hand in his sweatpants and the other holding the thigh highs.

Max had not unplugged anything thankfully… everything was where it should be . Kiki sat down on her bed turning on her Ps4 and saw a friend request from Toshi. She accepted and looked through all his trophies, pretty much the same as hers .. maybe a few more than her. Lots of different games, he also had a lot of followers.

She laid down opening Youtube putting on her playlist, she rolled to her stomach just listening.

“Uhhn.. hes so popular it seems like.” Kiki rolled to her side looking at her wall. “Today was… i dont even know”

Kiki woke up the next day around 9 am . She whined feeling her phone buzz next to her , pulling her phone over, flipping it over to see a picture of Catwoman and a text from Toshi.

‘Morning Little Neko. Leave Max to me. And I'll pick you up around 3 okay?”

Kiki rubbed her eyes before replying. “Why do i feel so.. upset..”. She sat up looking at the message . “I want to be .. his girlfriend..” she got off her bed dragging herself to her mirror looking at herself. Kiki was 5’2, c cups, a tiny chub stomach and plump thighs. Her hair was long and brown, down to the middle of her back . She lifted her shirt to look at her stomach and turned to the side to see her back . “He would have said he wanted to be my boyfriend right? “ her shirt fell from her hands. “The.. Master stuff does not mean that ..” she went back to her bed rubbing her eye , grabbing her phone .

‘I don't feel good , can we reschedule?”

Toshi tapped his screen pausing the video he was watching to open Kikis message, he blinked , furrowing his brows and sitting up in bed.

“Mishiko? Are you alright?”

“Have i done something? Did I make you uncomfortable?”

“Dammit what's wrong ..”he asked himself, running his hand through his hair.

“Im fine , I think i need a day to myself. I'll see you monday.”

“Mishiko….” Toshi put his phone down looking at the soft blanket he dug out of his closet , it had D.VA on it .

••

Kiki only really left her room to eat a single piece of toast and to shower. She said good morning to Max too. “Hey kiki, doing anything today?” He asked, reaching over her to get the cereal.

“No, I'm kinda tired. “

Oh no. He looked down at his sister . “Oh yeah? Late night gaming?”

“No, just tired.” She took her toast up to her room , Max heard the door close and he ripped his phone out dialing Toshi.

“ oha-“

“What the fuck did you do.”

“...? Excuse me?”

“Mishiko is being quiet , she's letting me tease her and she's not gushing about games.”

Toshi’s heart was racing. Oh fuck. Fuck. He went too far. God dammit…. fuck….. “i didn't do anything. Max, I never did anything to your sister. “

“You fucking swear Toshi”

“Yes, Max. Fucking hell.”

Max leaned on the counter groaning, pinching the space between his eyes. “Alright.”

The relief Toshi felt was like a weight off his damn shoulders. “Is that all she said.”

“Yes, then went back up to her room.”

Toshi grabbed his controller, turning his PS 4 on and checking his friends. She wasn't on.

“Max i, -“

“Ill let you know if she leaves her room.”

“Okay…”

Max hung up and Toshi squeezed his controller, he grabbed the thigh highs that were still on his bed staring at them. “How could you let this happen. The one nice girl you meet and you take it too far.” He dropped everything on the floor running his hands through his hair. Meanwhile, kiki was curled up in her bed, sniffling.

[lepidotrichia]

almagest

Summary

"So you know how life is made up of stardust? Like you and I both are made up of the same things that used to make up a star, right?" "Right." "And you know how people make wishes on stars?" "...Yes?" "What if someone ends up being made up of the stardust from one of those wishing stars?" Snorting, he said, "You calling me a dream come true?" "No. I'm a dream come true. You're probably made of the stardust of an evil sun that cursed every living thing around it." "Fuck off."

They were both laughing, music dancing through the night.

Characters

Noriaki Kakyoin, Jotaro Kujo, (BRIEF APPEARANCE) Joseph Joestar, Mohammad Avdul, Jean-Pierre Polnareff

Relationship(s)

Noriaki Kakyoin & Jotaro Kujo (If you wanna read it that way. Technically Pre-Relationship)

Themes, Motifs, and Additional Info

Stargazing, Constellations, Mention of Nightmare, Comfort

Takes place after the fight with Death 13

Word Count

2312

Story below the break! You can also read it here.

While collecting the stars, I connected the dots     I don’t know who I am, but now I know who I’m not     I’m just a curious speck that got caught up in orbit, in orbit     Like a magnet it beckoned my metals toward it, toward it  

Joseph’s snores sounded throughout the campsite, harmonizing with the crackling campfire. Jean, Mohammad, and Iggy were huddled nearby, the fire’s steady light dancing across their sleeping figures. A rock’s shadow loomed over the ground. Perched upon it were Jotaro and Noriaki, huddled in a blanket to keep out the January desert night’s chill.  

The average seventeen-year-old isn’t equipped to fight a living god. Fear of what’s to come, of what failure would mean for the world, keeping them awake. Both of them were too proud to name that fear out loud, but they knew. Specters tearing apart everything and everyone they ever cared for haunted their dreams.  

At times like this, the company of another was a small mercy.  

“And that one,” Noriaki continued, pointing at the diagram Hierophant had drawn in the sand, “is Lyra. The one that looks like a parallelogram with the line sticking out of it.”

Hand pressed against his cheek, Jotaro mumbled, “What’s it supposed to be?”

“A lyre. Have you heard of it? It looks like a small harp, but its structure is more like a lute. It was commonly used during the Greek classical period.”  

Jotaro carefully considered the sky etched into the ground. Noriaki had wanted to tell him about all the constellations they were missing out on since it wasn’t the right season to catch a glimpse of them in this hemisphere. Breathing out another cloud of smoke, he replied,“I don’t see it. All just looks like a bunch of dots to me.”  

Noriaki shook his head. “You’re not looking hard enough. I mean, they are just “a bunch of dots, but humans always manage to find patterns. We find icons and symbols, make stories out of them.”

“What’s the story for this one?”  

Noriaki grinned, “I’m glad you asked!”

Gazing into the peaceful darkness, Jotaro eased into his skin. He’d much rather be in a hotel room right now, but he had to admit, he was glad he was here to see the night sky. It looked so vibrant. He’d never seen the milky way in person like this. The city lights back home overwhelmed the stars’ distant glow, rendering them invisible. Here, there was no excess light or noise. Just the stars, the campfire, and Noriaki’s soft voice streaming bits of trivia.  

“Do you know the story of Orpheus?" Noriaki toyed with his hair as he began. "Supposedly, he played the first lyre ever made. Legend has it, his music was so beautiful that it charmed even the sirens and the gods. When his lover, Eurydice, died, he went to the Underworld to beg the god of the dead, Hades, to bring her back to life. Can you guess how he got Hades to say yes?"  

Without waiting for a reply, he answered, "By playing for him on his Lyre! Thus, Eurydice was allowed to leave the Underworld under one condition." Noriaki leaned in, the dim glow of the campfire casting a shadow on his face. "Orpheus couldn’t look at her until they were back to the land of the living.”  

Taking a breath, he continued, “Of course, like most of these stories, it ends with a tragedy. Orpheus couldn’t help himself. He’d missed Eurydice so much. He just couldn’t believe that they’d be together again. And you know, it’s hard not to want to reach out towards someone you’d loved and lost. So Orpheus ended up looking back at Eurydice as they were leaving the Underworld, despite Hades’ warning."

Noriaki leaned back on his hands, tone turning nonchalant as he finished. "So Eurydice was sent back, never to return to the land of the living. Orpheus would spend the rest of his life wandering around aimlessly while playing his lyre, and no one lived happily ever after. The end."

Jotaro’s mouth twitched into a frown, “That’s stupid. If I was Orpheus, I just wouldn’t have looked back.”

“Wouldn’t you?” Noriaki inclined his head as if to say "really now?".

 “No. I mean, why would I go through all that trouble just to fuck up and do the one thing I wasn’t supposed to do? What’s the point?"  

“Well, it’s a story in the end.”  

“Hmph, dumb story."

“It was probably a rhetorical question—” Jotaro nodded, “but the point of the story is to talk about how death is absolute. At least, that’s what I think. No matter how much Orpheus and Eurydice loved each other, love alone wasn’t enough to overcome death.”

Jotaro furrowed his brows. “But it was Orpheus’s fault.”  

“Was it?" Noriaki rebutted. "Gods are supposed to be omnipotent. See, I think Hades knew that Orpheus wouldn’t be able to resist looking back, so he gave him this impossible condition to follow. He was humoring the funny little man with his pretty-sounding lyre. I mean," his hands were animated now as he spoke excitedly, "how are you just going to waltz into the realm of the god of the dead demanding your lover be brought back to life just because you miss her? Hades was never actually going to bring Eurydice back to life.”  

Bringing his hands back down behind him, skin pressing into stone, Noriaki gave Jotaro a sad smile and said, “No matter how brutal it is to have someone you love ripped away, the universe doesn’t grant any favors.”

The two sat in contemplative silence. Hierophant’s tendrils shifted beneath the sand, mapping out their surroundings out of habit.  

“I still wouldn’t have turned around”, Jotaro broke the silence.  

“Hmm?”  

Turning to face Noriaki, he continued, “I wouldn’t have turned around. Orpheus was thinking about how much he missed Eurydice. That’s why he turned around. That was his mistake.”

Noriaki tilted his head, a teasing gleam in his eyes, “You’re saying Orpheus was being selfish?”

“I’m saying he cared more about how much he missed her than actually bringing her back to life.”  

“You’re telling me he deserved to be punished for missing someone?”  

Jotaro sighed irritably, “I’m saying he put his wants before someone else’s needs. His feelings shouldn’t matter when someone’s life is on the line.”

Noriaki hummed. “Impressive, Jotaro. You know, Mr. Abdul told me how you locked yourself up in jail after you found out you had a Stand because you were afraid you’d hurt someone." He reached out to sweep aside a curl resting uncomfortably on Jotaro's left eye. "Something about an “evil spirit”? Did you have the same mindset when you did that?

Jotaro pulled back. “Fuck off”, he dismissed, stubbing his cigarette against the rock’s side, dropping it into the sand below. Noriaki winced as the cigarette landed on a part of Hierophant, ashes burning into their tendrils. Hierophant quickly withdrew themself.  

“Shit", he breathed in sharply." Fuck, sorry.”  

“You’re fine you’re fine", waving the incident away. Stifling a yawn, Noriaki closed his eyes, chin dropping. His loose curls fell against the side of his face, the red of his hair burning bright against his silhouette. Basking in the faint warmth of the fire, he spoke slowly, apologizing, “Not much I can tell you about the sky right now. I’m only really familiar with the summertime constellations.”

Pressing his face into his palm more, Jotaro stared at him, jaw tensed in quiet worry. “Kakyoin.  

"Yeah?"  

"Go sleep.”  

“What?" Noriaki opened his eyes, sitting back up. "No, I’m fine.” Jotaro gave him a side-eye. “Dude, I’m wide awake.”

A wicked grin took over, as Noriaki pressed, “Is it that you’re tired, Jotaro? Is it past your bedtime? I know Ms. Kujo wouldn’t want her baby boy up so late—”

“Oh my  god, I’m going to kick your ass”, Jotaro complained, shoving at Noriaki. There was no hiding the smile growing on his face. Noriaki’s laugh carried in the air as he pushed himself back to lean into Jotaro, the latter dissolving into silent, shaky laughter himself.

After some time, the two caught their breath. Below a sky full of stars, they sat resting against each other. Noriaki spoke gently, “Are you worried about her?”

Jotaro huffed, “Don’t ask stupid questions.”

“We’re going to win, you know. We’ll save her.” Noriaki squeezed the other’s arm, “You hear me, Jojo?”

"Yeah.” He was quieter now.  

“I promise.”  

Hiding below the brim of his hat, he mumbled, “Thanks, Kakyoin.”

“Do you wanna play a game?” Noriaki poked up at the hat’s brim so he could see Jotaro’s eyes again. “Let’s make up our own constellations.”

“That sounds stupid.”  

“Exactly. Haven’t you ever tried to do something stupid to cope with something serious? It’ll be fun.”  

Sighing, he gave in, “Fine.”

 “You first?”  

“What? Why? I don’t even want to pl—”  

“You’re older, so you go first.”  

“That’s so stupid. This is so stupid.”  

“If you complain or say “stupid” one more time, I’m going to have Hierophant pour sand down your uniform.”

“You’re one evil bastard.” Noriaki grinned as if he’d just been complimented. “Fine. Okay um”, Jotaro squinted at the sky before him. “That one looks like a cat stretching.”

“Really? It looks more like a horse to me. See, its face is too long to be a cat’s.”  

Jotaro sneered, “Hey, it’s my constellation. I’m the one who says what it is.”

“Okay okay!” Noriaki laughed, raising his hands in surrender. “What’s its story?

“Fuck, I don’t know. It’s just a cat. Does it have to have one?”  

“It’s more fun if it does.”  

“I think our definitions of “fun” are very fucking different, Kakyoin.”

“Fine! You’re taking too long anyways.” Noriaki scanned the scene before him. “That one looks like someone asking for a dance.”

“How do you even see that?”  

“See? That’s his arm and it’s outstretched. He’s in a dancer's pose, and anyways, it’s my constellation. I’m the one who says—”  

“You’re so annoying.”  

“So I think his story is that he was this great dancer, so great that he could never find a dance partner. He always performed alone. No one could ever understand him because no one could ever keep up with him. One day, during one of his performances, he was suddenly overcome with so much grief that he danced himself to death. So now he dances in the stars.”  

“That’s dark. How did he end up in the stars?”  

“Even though he always felt lonely, the people around him admired him a lot. They loved to see him, even if they didn’t really understand him. So although he lived as this untouchable being, he still left a mark on his admirers’ lives. So now he dances with the stars for the whole world to see.”  

“That’s depressing.”  

Noriaki grumbled, “Come up with a cheerier story then.”

“I’m not good at storytelling.” After searching for a moment, Jotoro said, “That one looks like a fish.”

“No story?”  

“No…but I can tell you what kind of fish it is.”  

“How do you know about the kinds of fish?” Noriaki questioned curiously.  

Jotaro shrugged, “I’m getting into marine biology. Anyways, we’re near the Red Sea, so I’ll say it’s a Bigeye Houndshark.”

“Why a shark?”  

“I like sharks.”  

“I learn something new about you every day”, Noriaki nudged him with a smile, pulling the blanket tighter around them. “One more?”

“Sure.”  

“Hierophant”, Noriaki called out. Hierophant materialized before them, starting at the two. Messages seemed to pass between the Stand and their user, and, after a moment, Hierophant chirped affirmingly. Floating higher up, they unraveled themself, aligning their tendrils to match what the boys saw as the position of the stars. Jotaro blinked at Hierophant as they settled themself in, seemingly pleased with their work.

“What’s this supposed to be?”  

Noriaki smiled and replied, “If I remembered it right, it’s supposed to be a map of our journey so far. See that bright star near Hierophant’s head? I recognize it. Polaris, I think. People used to use it to navigate.”

"What’s it supposed to stand for now?”  

“Cairo, or our end goal in general. The story of this “constellation” is the story of our crusade, I guess.”

Jotaro stared for a moment longer, trying to think of something to say. A certain feeling tugged at his chest, and in his rush to beat it down, he was rendered speechless.

“We’re awfully close to figuring out how this story ends, don’t you think?”  

Jotaro scanned the distance between Hierophant’s head to Polaris. They weren’t all that far from the end now, were they. “Yeah.”

“Are you ready?” 

Their eyes met. Jotoro shook his head.  

“Me neither”, Noriaki sighed as he called Hierophant back in. “We’ll get there when we get there I suppose.”

“Kakyoin.”  

“Mhm?”  

“We’ll win. Promise.”  

Noriaki stared in surprise before softening his eyes. Smiling, he replied, “Thanks, Jojo.”

"Do you want to stay up a little longer?” It was Jotaro who pulled the blanket around them tighter this time, silently voicing his own answer.

"Please.”  

"Alright.”  

The campfire crackled, sharing in the warmth of its company, both asleep and awake. The Red Sea’s coast was only a few kilometers away. The group's 50 days and 50 nights were drawing to an end. Maybe no one else would witness their efforts to save the world, but the stars above have burned on longer than any human life. Joining together, they form constellations. They are the archivists of times long passed, stories mapped out in the heavens. They are the storytellers of histories long forgotten. They are the witnesses of the things that happen in the dark, hope carried through dots of light.  

Make my messes matter Make this chaos count Let every little fracture in me Shatter out loud 

Author’s Note

If you were wondering, the constellations they're referencing in their game are:

Monoceros

Orion

Pisces

[plumwordies]

hello, everyone. i’ve been mulling over this piece for a while now. guess i finally put the time to write it down and hurt myself in the process lmao. this was originally supposed to be a readerxbakugou smut piece, but i got carried away (extremely) and ended up writing a whole angsty backstory to it inspired by the latest bnha chaps. what do you think? should i continue writing?

BURN

PART ONE

Dust.

The word was a relentless thrumming inside Bakugou’s head. He scrubbed some shampoo on his hair until it lathered, some of the substance pouring down his face. In front of him, the shower head was left open, steaming hot water raining down the cold tiles below.

When is the end?

Bakugou leaned his arm to the wall, the water from the shower falling down his body in cascades. His breathing was rough, each exhale emitting a puff of steam inside his small shower. Their small shower.

He thought about his mentors. Best Jeanist was missing. Hawks is wanted after escaping from his imprisonment sentence. Word around says he conspired with the League of Villains — now called the The Paranormal Liberation Front. Eraser Head is confined at the hospital in a comatose state, brought by an intense fight with Shigaraki Tomura, and Endeavor —

Bakugou stopped that train of thought. He turned his head down, teeth gritting hard. The villains were worthless, the whole lot of them. Probably thought everything was just a game. Lives lost, a fun activity. Cities damaged, people drowning in poverty — an entertaining past time. It’s been five months from the devastation already, and Bakugou couldn’t count the amount of heroes found dead. Murdered on the streets by villains or even the angry citizens of Mustafa. Gone were the days of systematic governance and disciplined living. Now, it was a hellhole. The rules were simple: it was a survival game of the fittest.

He guessed Endeavor wasn’t the fittest after all.

The day the number one hero fell was as clear in Bakugou’s mind like it just happened yesterday. Five months ago, him and Deku rushed to the disaster scene like the dumb fucks they were, and ended up being pushed away by Gran Torino.

“Run away, you fools!” Gran Torino yelled.

Little did they know, those would be his last words. Five months later, and his body still hasn’t been found.

Eraser Head rushed to the scene and engaged in an intense battle with Shigaraki Tomura. From the sidelines, Bakugou could do nothing but watch as his teacher fell to the ground from a strong blow by the monster. He fell so hard that the ground beneath him cracked. Bakugou never saw him breathe, and despite the hot anger that was building up in his core, the cold feeling in his hands were evident.

Still, he didn’t stop staring at staring at Eraser Head’s chest. No movement.

“Kacchan, we have to go.” It was Deku, pulling him away. This was unlike him. Deku was usually the type of person to act idiotic and go rogue, but it seems like Gran Torino’s words got to him. They must know something Bakugou didn’t. He saw Deku’s eyes tearing up from the sight of their teacher, yet he still wanted to flee?

Coward.

“Fuck off.” Bakugou violently shrugged his hand off before heading towards their teacher. Suddenly, Shigaraki Tomura landed on Eraser Head’s stomach, giving one final kick to his face. Bakugou saw their teacher’s head jerk to the side, seemingly lifeless.

Deku’s screaming in the background was nothing more than a whisper to Bakugou’s ears as he ran towards Shigaraki Tomura, seeing red. His mouth opened, letting out an angry shout as all the events rushed back to him: the kidnapping, the Nomus —

All Might.

Bakugou lunged for Shigaraki Tomura, right arm pulled pack and poised for a strong explosive blow. The latter merely stared up at him, face morphing into his signature smile.

And then it came.

Numbness. Pure, undiluted numbness, like a part of Bakugou’s body was submerged in deep water — and then nothing.

Pain.

An onslaught of white-hot searing pain wrenched over his body, literally ripping and cracking him apart. It came too fast that Bakugou couldn’t even make a sound. He only stared wide-eyed at his opponent’s face, the last thing he would see before the void.

“When I come back, everything turns to dust. It ends then.” Those were Shigaraki’s final words.

It ends then. It ends now.

This —

Bakugou remembered thinking.

— is Decay.

PART TWO

Bakugou woke up a few hours later in an abandoned building. He was propped up on the coarse wall, sitting. His body was so heavy, and somehow his eyesight was worse. Squinting, he made out a figure — Deku — sitting squat on the ground, facing the opposite way.

“Oi.” Bakugou grunted. He noticed the weakling’s shouders were shaking. “Are you deaf or something? Oi, Deku!” He kicked him in the back, forcing him to look his way.

“What the hell happened?” Bakugou groaned. Speaking hurt him so bad.

Deku’s lower lip quivered, not replying. It took all Bakugou had not to punch him. He was about to shout again at him when the latter spoke in a whisper.

“I’m sorry.”

It was so soft that it was hard to catch.

“What are you on about?” Bakugou began. He saw Deku hitch his breath. “Sorry about what?” He shouted, making him flinch.

“Your arm, Kacchan. Your arm—“ Deku was crying so much that snot and saliva were dribbling down his chin. He scrambled to his knees and put his forehead to the ground.

“I’m so sorry.”

Bakugou then realized he couldn’t feel his arm — the right one, to be exact. He had just dismissed it earlier when he woke up, because his whole body was hurting so bad there wasn’t much distinction. A hollow, tingling feeling was running from his shoulder onwards.

With a sharp intake of breath, he looked down.

It was gone. His arm was gone. Nothing left but a rotten, cracking dry stump.

In all of his existence, Bakugou never doubted his quirk. It helped him immensely. It was strong, and its raw power gave him the comfort he needed as a young boy. It told him what he had was something the world needed.

But for Bakugou’s quirk to work, arms were required. Looks like the world will have to make do with just one.

Bakugou leaned his head on the wall behind him, looking up at the grey cement roof of the building. He didn’t breathe. Breathing felt too much like living.

“After you rushed over to Shigaraki, I used my quirk to get you out of the way.” It was Deku. He stuttered along his sentences. “It wasn’t enough. I’m so sorry. It wasn’t enough.”

“How bad is it?” Deku looked up and saw Bakugou staring down at him. An extended silence passed between them.

Why didn’t it end then?

“I couldn’t stop it... before it reached your face.”

Maybe it could still end now.

With Deku’s statement, Bakugou collapsed to the ground, slowly breathing again. Wisps of dust floated around him as he grinned, staring at the blank cement roof. He thought he was crying, but he felt no wetness down his cheeks. Maybe the decay got to his eyes and he couldn’t cry anymore. Maybe he was, deep inside, but who knows.

So he laughed.

Bakugou laughed while Deku screamed. Laughed as his friend stood up screaming, flailing and kicking rocks around them as he wailed like the crybaby he was. A piece of rubble flew and hit Bakugou in the face.

That’s what they were now: pieces of rubble in this crumbling society.

PART THREE

Bakugou turned the shower faucet until the water slowly dissipated, leaving arrhythmic drips on the floor and the occasional wisp of steam due to the heat. He stepped out of the wet floor, grabbed his towel and hung it around his waist with difficulty. He walked to the mirror, sliding his palm over it to remove the fog.

His image stared back at him, disoriented. The mirror they had was cheap but it was the only one they could afford. Nevertheless, it still served its purpose. Bakugou picked up his toothbrush and laid it on the sink, squeezing some toothpaste on it. He ran it under water and started brushing his teeth.

He was evidently getting skinnier as the days passed. The huge scar on the right sight of his face was turning an ugly grey color, and he was now half blind. His hair was a bit longer and quite dead, and of course the absence of his right arm brought an odd feeling to his body. A phantom limb.

He spit froth on the sink. He was past the stage of wishing it grew back now.

After him and Deku left the building five months ago, they passed by a local convenience store that played live news on their old television. A bunch of people were gathered around it, a nervous chatter among them. He remembered Deku who stopped in his tracks, eyes wide at the broadcast.

“It’s Endeavor!” He shouted. Bakugou looked over his shoulder and saw that it was, indeed, Endeavor. But he was in bad shape.

“Citizens of Mustafa, as of now you can see our number one hero fighting it out with the head of the League of Villains!” The announcer spoke. “He is in critical condition — numerous injuries can be seen in his body and his movements have been slowing down since earlier, but we still hold high hope for our new symbol of peace! Everyone, let’s support him!”

The people around them had mixed emotions. Some were cheering and some were muttering. Bakugou couldn’t help but frown as he stared at the ongoing fight. It was hard to believe that he was the one there earlier, almost dead. He saw Endeavor avoiding a fatal blow from Shigaraki Tomura, and furrowed his eyebrows.

Don’t make the same mistake I did.

The fight went on for a long time, and things weren’t looking good for the hero. Bakugou knew that if he looked at Deku right now the green-haired boy would be standing rigid, chest taut, and fists clenched. His eyes would be shining with hope.

The same hope that Bakugou still holds stupidly.

As always, death comes at an unexpected time. Bakugou knew that firsthand. He knew, yet couldn’t predict it. Nobody in the city could. That’s what made the system so fragile, so easy to break at any given moment.

All it took was a rock.

As Endeavor stepped back, ready to deliver another strong blow, he stepped on a particularly odd shaped rock and threw off his balance. With baited breath, Bakugou saw his own self in the number one hero, who held pride in their own self and quirk, get snuffed out by the waiting hands of injustice.

Bakugou and Deku were stuck on their feet. They weren’t the only ones. Everyone in the whole city were probably the same at that moment — standing, dreaming —

Hoping.

Shigaraki Tomura smiled, and grabbed Endeavor by the wrist.

Bakugou could feel exactly what the number one hero felt at that moment. As he stilled, not able to do anything but watch as decay ran in a current from his arms, to his shoulders, to his throat, and to his head.

In just a second, Shigaraki Tomura managed to destroy a whole nation.

PART FOUR

A few minutes after the broadcast shut down suddenly, the news switched to a live press conference. All Might was there in the center, holding a microphone. Numerous journalists were around the room, clicks and flashes of their cameras in a frenzy.

“We declare a nationwide surrender.” He began. “The villains have managed to dominate the heroes in such a short amount of time, and with the fall of our current number one hero—“ His voice cracked. “We cannot ensure that the heroes have the capability to ensure safety of the citizens. We don’t know what they are planning, or what they will do next.”

An onslaught of questions were shouted in his way, but he held up a hand to them, silencing the room immediately.

“All we are asking for is for the people to fend for themselves momentarily until the heroes can establish a new system to follow. That’s all. Thank you.” The statement was so absurd, so stupid that it left more questions than answers. The whole room erupted in chaos, but All Might calmly put the microphone down on the podium, and walked out.

Two symbols of hope down in one day.

This was it? Was this what Bakugou’s whole life led to? War?

Bakugou eyed Deku who was right beside him. His head was hung down, and no emotion could be deduced on his face. He just saw All Might — his god, his father figure, and his mentor, selling all of them to the villains like pig meat and running away.

It ends then.

By the time the tears fell from Deku’s eyes, Bakugou was gone.

[likesomekindofcheese]

Could you do Queen with a Virgo reader if you haven't already ?? :)))

I haven’t done it yet, so here you go!!!

As a note, your friendship with Freddie would be very harmonious and you both deal with problems easily. (Also, ironically, Virgo is ruled by the planet Mercury!!!)

Deaky...

You both are very attentive to each other and what the other needs. Sometimes you can tell John is feeling nervous so you rub his shoulders and tell him it will all be okay and he loves it.

 Though you both dream of having kids someday. One day you both were at a park and you saw a carriage with a very cute baby rolling by. You two began to talk about how you would both raise a baby: John giving it surplus presents every Christmas, how you could take care of it if it started crying or couldn’t sleep. Even though you both agree now is not the right time, it’s fun to daydream together and coo over baby booties

 You give John lots of special attention, which he isn’t used to, but loves. You tell him how phenomenal he plays and how smart and cute he is and he revels in it!

 John often smells nice and you clean up nicely too, often people who see you two at Freddie’s parties or events or something wonder at how lovely you both look and how you both glow when you’re together.

 You know John has a sense of great dignity with him that is backed up by all of the work he’s done in his life and you always tell him that, he is so happy you have you with him and feels like he can conquer anything.

 Though you both are very practical, too. One time John got some cleaning supplies and you both marveled at how well they worked and after wiping down the house you both got a huge rush of dopamine in your brains.

 John always spoils you on your birthday with some kind of experience you’ve been craving tickets to a concert or the theatre, a getaway to a country cottage, anything you want! It’s sometimes even funny the lengths he will go to, but he says it's for you.

 While you always try to improve yourself in all sorts of ways: mediating for large amounts of time, washing your face until it’s raw, scheduling every last minute of your day, with John, you can breathe. He loves you just as you are: no improvement needed.

Roger...

There was a bit of tension at first because Roger took you to a very pricey restaurant for your first date. You were worried he would spend too much money but he kissed your hand over the table and said even if he had only one moment to spend with you, he wanted to make it special.

 Roger is so funny and charming that he always takes the edge off of you. You tend to get stressed so then Roger comes up to you and hugs you and calls you “baby” while kissing part of your neck and then saying something that will at least make you chuckle.

 As much as Roger loves to sleep in, you both are surprisingly productive along with your fun nature. He is often drumming and you hear the beats as you water the plants in your garden. Or he is writing a song as you fix afternoon tea, but there is an odd peace. And sometimes you both reward yourselves with something like ice cream after a long day.

 Although he can be impatient. He was waiting for a phone call from Miami one day and was pacing about the room, muttering curses, and then you said: “Roger, have you counted how many cars are passing by the window?” He was partially distracted, counting about seven, when the phone finally rang up. You always show him patience.

 Plus you are the first to look at his song lyrics. He trusts your input and which phrases do and don’t work! (“does the grease gun…symbolize a part of the body, Rog?”)

 He always trusts your opinion. Sometimes after you both watch the news; Roger asks what you think and you tell him in all honesty. He knows you are smart and do not blow smoke.

 Though although you are structured and somewhat of a control freak, Roger is so playful and fun he will pick you up out of his chair and swing you around and dance with you, nuzzling into your neck sweetly.

 Brian

When Brian shows up, he is so happy to be with the person he’s been pining after forever but he’s so nervous and awkward on the date he’s quaking, poor baby. But you get him to warm up and come out of his shell.

 You both want a commitment to each other. The nice thing with Brian is that you could take your time with him and let your love grow naturally. No matter what the other bandmates (and by other Bandmates I mean Roger) said about the first date, he was not going to ravish you that night, but he did take your hand and squeeze it.

 By date number seven, he shyly asked if he could kiss you after walking you home and you nearly leaped up to his tall height to kiss him in answer. He was very surprised, but it was very sweet and magical.

 And afterward, he stuttered “and I..I can’t wait to kiss- to, uhm, see you again, I meant to see you but…kissing isn’t bad either” and you kissed again and it was much better.

 You are always so thoughtful with Brian. After concerts, you run him a warm bath (sometimes joining him) and kiss his calloused fingers, insisting he go to bed but not sweaty.

 Though Brian adores being comfortable with you. He is very chill, generous with his time with you, and also very playful, enjoying playing little board and card games (and letting you win at Scrabble).

 If you are in need of something, whether it’s to vent or a warm blanket on a winter night, Brian puts you as his priority and always understands how you feel, always reassuring you of his passion and dedication to you.

You both also share a love of animals. You take great pleasure in watching the ducks waddle to a pond and shake their small tail feathers or the cats curled up by the window of a house, soaking in a sun. Odds are, you both adopt a pet together.

Taglist: @queenlover05