#light interacts with it but putting that into practice i think i need to train myself in a little more

[asanjou]

i shd do more studies....

[thekitsunesiren]

Dc x Dp Prompt #29

Okay! I have seen plenty of prompts on both tumblr and Ao3 to think of one of biggest misunderstandings that I could think of for Dc x Dp.

Amity Park being mistaken for a base camp for training child soldiers.

Because think of it!

Mr. Lancer's class all going to Gotham and being unphased by everything that was happening. In fact, some of them seemed even excited at the possibility of interacting with a rogue or possibly fighting them. And teacher did nothing but give them light warnings about causing too much trouble.

Of course it was thought to be big talk from outsiders who didn't know how dangerous Gotham truly was. Once they dealt with their first villain, they'd see how much trouble they really were in for.

But the thing was, they didn't.

Oh, they dealt with a criminal alright. It was the Penguin. He held up one of the museums the class was touring for some priceless item that he wanted.

Of course, Penguin thought that the group of newcomers were going to cow under the sight of the criminal and his goons. But standing there, he immediately found out of wrong he was.

The group didn't look scared. No. They looked excited at the sight of him and his goons.

A few of the teens were brimming with excitement at the sight of the criminal, though a few did look a bit disappointed. Not afraid-disappointed! He heard a few whispers of how upset that "the Joker wasn't the one to show" or "how they expected someone else to show up". Those words were enough to make his blood boil.

You know what? Screw these kids! He was going to show them that The Penguin wasn't someone you just go around and make fun of. So, he orders a few goons to put the kids in their place. Confident that once they were thrown around a bit, they'd know what kind of trouble they're in for when they come to Gotham.

But they. Don't. Get. Scared!

Not even a little bit. Not even a small flinch. He swore that he saw a few of them yawn! If the threat of roughening up wasn't going to do anything, then some action would definitely was. A goon thought this as they reached out to try and grab one of the students. Unfortunately, that student he grabbed was Valerie Gray, and she didn't take well to some stranger trying to grab her like that. Well, one shoulder throw lead to a brawl between gangsters and a bunch a teens that were touring around. And, to the horror of both the Penguin and all Gothamites watching, the teens won. All goons were seen on the floor either groaning or unconscious, the teens above them looking satisfied with their work, and their teacher on the sidelines looking irritated of the whole thing. Thankfully, the police arrived not too soon after that to arrest the goons and the penguins themselves; leaving all Gothamites confused about what just happened.

And it didn't stop there.

All over Gotham, both civilians and rogues alike would experience the oddity that would be the Amity bunch.

A barista witnessed Paulina stop a robbery with a well practiced kick in her high heels, all while the girl muttered about her morning coffee before going back to her order like nothing happened.

An old woman was saved from a mugging by a group of jocks. Though seeing as one stopped it by grabbing the mugger by the scruff of his neck, she supposed that the blond was the only one that she needed. And multiple civilians all over Gotham took note of a black haired and blue eyed kid that walked around with a goth girl and a boy with a red beanie. If he wasn't mistaken as a Wayne kid, he was causing havoc that had him on the news either way. Already the kid was caught fighting the Joker twice on purpose! As if he didn't seem crazy enough.

Strength, not scared by any of the rogues, even openly fighting the rouges? This class was continuing to grow on the "do not mess with" the longer they're in Gotham with everything they do.

And if you were to ask their teacher, he would simply sigh and say "There's so much he could do to control those hellions." It wasn't long before the Wayne family caught onto their arrival, and became immediately suspicious. A group of teens with abilities like that and fighting both rogues and goons as if they were nothing wasn't a mere coincidence. And from a place called Amity Park that's supposed to be the most "Haunted Place on Earth", there's no way something fishy going on.

Bruce, Tim, and Damian are the first to believe that they are all child soldiers of some sort. The youngest pointing out that Danny was one possibly meant to infiltrate their family for an unknown reason. The rest of the family are still cautious, but still don't know what they are here for.

Now they just had to get close enough to find out the reason the class was really here without setting off any alarms the possible assassins could have.

But they didn't take account the total weirdness they might face in infiltrating the class.

[psyche-reads]

So like. The Elder Steward knew who Will was the whole time, right?

When Visander is teaching Elizabeth to use her powers, she tells him that Will mentioned practicing to light an unlit candle, which Visander scoffs at, because the Lady can’t control fire.

That confused me, because I specifically remembered the Elder Steward training Will with a LIT candle.

Specifically, she tries to get him to move the flame, to make it flicker.

In fairness, Will did practice on his own with an unlit candle, trying to flicker it on, not out.

But he was deep in denial, and probably trying to overcompensate to prove himself. What the Elder Steward specifically tells him to do is move a lit candle, not create a new flame. I know I’m splitting hairs, but trust the process.

Visander brushes the whole thing off as the Stewards not knowing what they’re doing, but Visander’s an ass and I’m not taking his word for it. If you look at how he demonstrates the Light’s power to Elizabeth using a lamp, it’s actually quite similar to how the Elder Steward was teaching Will. Just in reverse.

The light of a lamp chases away the dark of the shadows. In contrast, the shadows could make a lit flame flicker, right? Here’s how the Elder Steward’s training works:

“The candle’s shifts and flickers were due to the air currents,” implying that what the Elder Steward is trying to get him to do is akin to blowing out a candle, not lighting it. So I ask: why would the most knowledgeable and powerful Steward be teaching the Lightbringer to snuff out a light? Unless, of course, she knew that that’s not what his power could do.

I should also note that these sessions came AFTER the Elder Steward saw that Will couldn’t light the Tree Stone, the one thing the Blood of the Lady is supposed to be able to do. And once she sees that Will is struggling with the candle, we get THIS interaction:

Like, she sees that he can’t harness Light, and she “softly” asks him about the time he was able to conspicuously harness the Dark. She KNEW. But she also knew that his intentions were good; that he used his powers because he didn’t want to hurt people.

Moreover, following that moment these training sessions are supplemented with some VERY INTERESTING conversations about morality and how to actually fight the Dark.

She repeatedly tells Will to use compassion over violence, that he’d have a difficult choice ahead of him and he should choose to be good. You know, completely normal advice for the person whose goodness is meant to be inherited by blood. Coupled with her “soft” voice and “grave” expressions, there’s clearly SOMETHING going on in her head. She’s come to a realization, one she isn’t prepared to explain to him, but she isn’t rejecting him. She’s training him. She BELIEVES he can harness his power for good. She believes the Dark can be overcome with compassion, and she’s putting that belief into practice with the Dark King himself.

Like, this is not a “you’re the hero, slay the dragon” conversation; it’s an “I know there’s good in you” conversation. Will is too deep in denial to see it, but I think it’s very clear that, contrary to his belief throughout the series, there was someone who saw him as he truly was and loved him anyway, without Will needing to deceive her. And I hope the Elder Stone comes back in the last book so he can see that.

[lilacsandpetals]

Frozen Blossoms Pt. 4

Bi-Han x F! reader

Tags and notes: Arranged marriage AU, SFW, slow burn, Pre-MK1/MK1 AU

Last part here.

Next part here.

You don’t know what you should do. If you move, you might wake him up.

It’s interesting to see him like this, you haven’t seen him so relaxed before, it always seemed as if he walked around with a scowl on his face or at the very least, a blank expression. His eyebrows were often furrowed, ever in a state of concern or disapproval. It almost caught you off guard not seeing that wrinkle on his forehead. You reach out gently to touch the spot, almost to check if this is real. Some part of you still believed you were dreaming, especially since you don’t remember falling asleep like this.

The second your fingertips are mere centimeters from him, he wakes up and grabs your hand, hard. You gasp and he immediately lets go before sitting up, “do not do that,” he scowls. You rub your hand sheepishly and look at him, ‘there is that familiar facial expression again.’ “I didn’t think you’d wake up,” you groan. 

“Have you forgotten who I am? I’ve been trained to be hyper-aware of my surroundings since I was a child, I am not a light sleeper.” 

“I didn’t think of it like that.” ‘So much for starting off on the right foot today.’

“I am rarely at ease, and you prodding at me does not help.”

So he wasn’t relaxed with you. You’re not totally surprised, you two have still only known each other for a limited time, however, you were beginning to grow fond of him. 

His words do sting a little. 

He watches you rubbing your hand, you appear… sad to him. He didn’t mean to snap like that. He wants to cringe at the guilt that begins to rear its ugly head again.“Give me your hand,” he commands. You place your hand in his and he holds it gently, turning it from one side to the other. It’s cold and there were a few bruises. He felt slightly embarrassed. You weren’t a threat to him, so why did he react like that? Maybe he wasn’t used to the intimacy. He did fall asleep rather close to you. It was uncharted territory for him.

“Give me a moment.” He goes to rummage through his drawer and pulls out some sort of ointment. You sit up before he takes your hand. He uses his fingertips to grab some of the ointment and puts it on your hand. He keeps his gaze focused on your hand and carefully massages it. Soon enough your hand begins to feel better. You watch him carefully, he’s concentrated. When he’s done he looks up and you both lock eyes before he looks away. “Does it feel any better?”

“It does,” you reach out your other hand and place it on his. “Thank you.”

“Consider it repaying a favor.” You seem confused for a moment but are reminded of how you tended to his arm. You smile briefly, you didn’t know he had appreciated that after he left so abruptly, but maybe you’d ask about it at a later time. 

“I don’t mean to come off as rude, but I didn’t expect you to be here?” It was certainly well into the morning, practically noon.

‘Neither did I.’ “I am attempting to make amends.”

“Meaning?” His response didn’t quite answer your question. 

“I failed to accompany you at the festivities in the village yesterday, but I will accompany you today.”

Only, if you’d still have him. 

Some semblance of his being still resisted any attempts to get close to you, yet the desire for you had become increasingly evident. He couldn’t quite see ‘loving’ interactions occurring between you two, not now. And he couldn’t grasp the concept of using such interactions or the thought of it to drive him to improve in his endeavors yet. But he aches for your attention, he longs for you to desire him. 

Perhaps he needs to alter his perspective. If he could manage to pursue these actions in a manner akin to a requirement, then it could be seen as a matter of fulfilling another responsibility. Partaking in conversation and activities with you as his wife, it was just another duty for him to maintain. That was manageable. 

But even so, how would he properly associate with you? Prior he had only assumed that the main duty you’d serve as his wife, and him as your husband, was maintaining social etiquettes and producing an heir, eventually. But even when that was all he thought of his role as a husband, you managed to snake your way into his subconscious. 

Your gentle determination to get closer to him, your adamantly kind nature, your beauty, it intrigued him. Did he entice you as well? 

You watch him seem somewhat lost in thought. He was always so reserved when it came to you, it was difficult to pinpoint what he was ever thinking about. You’re pleasantly surprised that he’s brought up an offer of spending time with you. Thinking it over, some petty part of you wants to decline the proposition, but you aren’t going to throw away last night’s progress for the sake of frivolous revenge. 

“Okay, let's get ready and we’ll be on our way.”

—------------------

You had never seen Bi-Han in casual clothing before, it was nearly unsettling. The sleepwear he was in this morning retained a dark shade, you felt like it was fitting for him. So this current informal attire was something to get used to. Yet you couldn’t deny that he appeared rather attractive like this. The tunic was a lighter color, the sleeves were cut just below his shoulders, leaving his muscles available for your eyes to feast over. The pants contrasted with the shirt, being a darker shade of gray. 

Right now you wanted your morning tea. Did your husband even drink tea? You weren’t too knowledgeable on his eating preferences, he just seemed to eat whatever was in front of him at mealtimes. 

He had followed you to the kitchen, leaning up against the wall and watching your every move as you walked about, searching for a teapot. You slid open a cabinet only to be met with the pot sitting on a shelf just out of your reach. You strain to reach the pot before Bi-Han puts a hand on your arm, “Stop struggling, I am able to reach it.” He hands it to you and you thank him. “I’ll make you a cup as well.” 

“Sure.” 

So he does like tea. 

He doesn’t sit at the table but goes back to his spot up against the wall. You boil the water and throw the tea leaves into the pot. “Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“Okay.” You bite your lip, it won’t hurt to ask more questions, right? The conversations between you two tended to end as fast as they started. They were brief in nature. Well, all except that argument last night. Maybe he wouldn’t mind you talking more; he said he’d make the effort to engage with you. So you shall hold him to that. 

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you get hungry later on then?” 

“If I do, I’ll take care of it.” 

You shrug, “fine.” Pouring the tea into your cups, you make sure to blow on it before setting it on the table. Bi-Han quietly sits across from you. Usually, at dinner, he’d sit by your side so you wouldn’t really look at him much. He’d be in your peripheral vision, sure, but that didn’t count. It’s an entirely different ordeal when he sits directly across from you, his eyes are downturned towards the teacup. Slowly the steam subsides from drifting into the air. 

You push your cups toward him, “can you cool down mine too? Only a bit.” 

He obliges and stares down at his own cup again for what feels like too long. You don’t know what he’s thinking about. He was such a mystery to decipher. It promoted the ever-looming feeling of discomfort. Perhaps today could help remedy that?

“You know, I barely know anything about you.”

“Likewise.” 

“Then let’s get to actually know each other, like you promised. I don’t want to spend my life with a stranger.”

He nods his head, he can understand your sentiment. He’ll fulfill his responsibility. 

“Okay, where were you when you heard the news of our betrothal?”

“Other than whispers of it at clan meetings, I was in my 

bedroom when my parents came in and broke the news to me.”

He takes a small sip of his tea, “and how did you react?”

You pause, “I assume you’re a man who admires honesty. I was nervous.”

He raises an eyebrow, but as if he’s amused at you, “And why is that?” 

You resist the urge to roll your eyes. “As if you don’t know.” 

“Enlighten me.” 

You shoot him an annoyed look while you place your cup down. “Well, future Grandmaster, you must be skilled in reading people. So I’d assume you know why.” 

“A very observant claim. And of course, you found it nerve-wracking at the prospect of spending out your days in the presence of my power.”

You cross your arms, was he teasing you on purpose? “Yes, that’s correct, it wasn’t as If my husband-to-be appeared like he could care less. Then suddenly at the engagement, he looked at me like he wanted to drive a stake through my chest.” 

Memories of betrothal discussions flash through your mind. His indifference would twist into eyes of vile disdain. Anxiety would rise up within you back then for days on end, and a twinge of it emerged now. Why had you blurted all that out? Perhaps you would have spoken on such a topic if you two had reached a higher level of companionship. But the trepidation of what you had just uttered is calmed when your husband does not appear angered. 

Bi-Han can’t help himself. He is slightly satisfied that he was able to evoke a sense of fear within you when you two had first met. Yet that sense of satisfaction derives itself from a point in time where he did not care for you, you had been akin to an inconvenience in his mind and the fact that you had looked upon him as if he were some sort of beast only drove his ego. However, had you felt that way about him currently, well, he would be displeased. 

Your husband appears contemplative to you, tapping his finger against the table, miniscule shards of ice emerge where his finger hits the table. “And what am I in your eyes now?”

You take a moment to think it over, “I think I’ll have a concrete answer at the end of the day. My turn to ask the questions.” Thoughts run through your mind as you debate on what to bring up. Maybe it would be helpful to start at the beginning. 

“What was life like growing up? From what I’ve heard and seen, I assume it was intense.”

Bi-Han tilted his head. “Perhaps, yes. I didn’t like it when I was very young, but I consider it a blessing now.”

You rest your head in the palm of your hand and take in the sight of his well-sculpted arms and broad shoulders. “It must’ve been a lot of hard work, I wouldn’t know if I’d be able to maintain that.” 

“Discipline from a young age is essential and the work required of any Lin Keui, anything less is unworthy of the title.” You frown slightly, but quickly catch yourself. 

His childhood was laden with heavy burdens: strict schedules, relentless training, and endless lessons. It helped refine him. He’d never admit it, but it was exhausting at times. he’d take solace in the moments he’d be able to elude it all. Fleeting memories dance within his mind. Memories of a time when perhaps he was a bit happier, when he was kinder, when his view of the realm wasn’t so cold. 

But that was long ago, things were different now. 

“You acknowledge that our child will endure a similar upbringing.” His face seems serious when he says it. To be honest, since the wedding night, you haven’t even thought about producing an heir. The idea of it always felt like a distant afterthought, something you could push off thinking about. 

Your childhood was not as strenuous as your husband’s, so the thought that your own child would have to deal with such burdens frightened you.

Your husband’s face appears analytical and you sigh “I understand how a child would be raised here, but surely there were moments of rest or enjoyment? I feel as if that’d be a concern of mine, it would be for any mother, correct?”

Bi-Han’s jaw tenses slightly and you fear you may have struck a nerve. You’ve never heard him mention his mother. You are aware that she passed many years ago, but nothing more than that. You are about to change the subject when your husband speaks up once more. 

“My mother gave me the pleasure of tending to me when I needed her. You will be allowed to do the same.”

You nod your head slowly. He was quite vague, so you decide it may be best to halt your questioning about the subject. Just then your stomach grumbles and you clear your throat, slightly embarrassed. Bi-Han leans forward onto the table, “If you’re hungry, go eat. Do not wait for my sake.” You pick a piece of fruit from the bowl sitting on the table and take a small bite. “I was going to make soup for myself later since it’s been getting colder.” 

His interest is piqued.“Which kind?” 

You rest your chin on your hand, “I’m not sure yet.”

He appears contemplative, “chicken and mushroom is satiating.”

You smile, “I can make that.”

—------------------

You needed some ingredients, and you had informed your husband of that. He offered to retrieve them while you remained at home, but you reminded him of his vow today. So here you are, walking about in the village with him. It’s oddly domestic. You make sure to savor this moment. The village is still lively today, reeling down from the prior festivities. 

Bi-Han’s hand is wrapped around yours while you two walk into the marketplace, you move your hand and it feels as if your husband held on for a moment too long. “I only need a few things.” “Go ahead,” and so you begin your search. You stop at different vendors, weaving through the marketplace to acquire your needed Ingredients. Your husband follows closely behind, paying for whatever you happen to grab. 

Bi-Han likes watching you operate. These tasks are simple, yet you seem entirely focused. Your eyebrows furrow and you slightly purse your lips when you examine a vegetable before happily tossing it into your bag. He found it somewhat endearing. Since when did he think of you like that? He shakes his head to himself and looks back up to keep an eye on you. You were moving through the shops with ease, and he was keen on not losing you in the crowd. His eyes narrow when a man comes up to you to speak. 

It’s easy to decipher when an individual comes up to you for genuine inquiries, versus when they would have ulterior intentions. A few of them were nervous, he could tell by the way they failed to maintain eye contact or tripped over their words. On the other hand, some seemed all too confident in their approach. 

He didn’t know if you acted so kindly just to get a rise out of him or if you truly were oblivious. The desire to rip those men apart was present, but he could maintain his cool. So instead he would hover closer to you and shoot a distasteful glare at anyone whom he deemed a nuisance. His hand would hover over the small of your back. He longed to move his hand only an inch closer but the realization that he’s never touched you there before keeps such an act at bay. 

You can practically feel his eyes starting a hole through the back of your head whenever those types of interactions occur. Yet you pretend not to notice.

Your bags fill up quickly and keep both of your hands occupied. Suddenly, Bi-Han takes them out of your hands.“Thank you,” you respond, only to hear a grunt in response. “I think I have everything, we may head back.” He nods and leads you back, keeping a small pace ahead of you. You quietly follow along, glancing at his form again before keeping your eyes trained on the path ahead. The trip itself was brief and unimportant, but even so, you appreciated his company. 

—------------------

You were decent, but you were not an accomplished cook. You had merely helped your mother in making the soup on occasion, so you prayed that you remembered the recipe well enough. 

Bi-Han hovered nearby as you set the ingredients out in front of you. You looked at him and then back at the needed items. He seemed so focused on your every move. Cooking for yourself was one thing, but preparing food for another was an uncertain affair. You hoped you would not disappoint. 

Your knife slices through the meat, “you’re making me nervous.”

Bi-Han crossed his arms, “how?”

“You’re watching me like you’re about to tally points for an exam.” 

“I’m curious as to how you prepare it, I’m simply observing.”

You motion over to the rest of the ingredients on the table, “doing triumphs observing.” 

He wants to counter your claim, but something within him quiets the retort. He grabs some of the vegetables you’ve put aside and creates a precise blade of ice. He finds himself enjoying slicing through the needed components. The precision in maintaining a consistent width is something he’s keen on.

The atmosphere in the kitchen is calm. And you again take silent delight at the domestic feel. Soon enough you’ve thrown every ingredient into the pot on the stove and you both quietly clean up. “It’ll take a while to cook.” You catch sight of an exit to the kitchen that leads out into a quaint veranda. Bi-Han follows your gaze and starts towards it, you follow him and sit down on the bench. Dusk has already arrived and you close your eyes, taking in a deep breath. Your husband is leaning up against a wooden beam so you gently pat the open spot next to you. Not a word leaves his mouth but he obliges to your request. You want to hold his hand, but instead, you hook your arm around his. You can feel him tense up. You try to drown out the sense of slight disappointment, was he still so opposed to your touch? Still, he hasn’t pulled away so you don’t breach the topic. 

He wants to wrap an arm around you, draw you nearer to him, but you beat him to it when your arm wraps around his, and before he knows it your head is resting against his shoulder. 

Your fingertips gently trace up his forearm to his bicep. His arm tenses just enough for you to notice but the more time that passes, the more relaxed he becomes. You don’t know how long you repeat the motion, lost in the serene ambiance that accompanies you both this evening. 

Bi-Han has rarely allowed himself a simple pleasure like this. Your effortless touch has indulged an unspoken desire of his. 

“You’re strong.” 

He glances down towards you, you seem so small compared to him. “Of course I am.” 

You let out a small laugh “Yes, but I am increasingly reminded of it when I look at your physique.” Your nails gently run down his arm and he feels the hair on the back of his neck rise. You turn your face to look up at him, you’re both rather close. He is inclined to look away, turn from the object of his temptations, but you draw him in nonetheless. For once, he wants to lean forward ever so slightly, but the opportunity evades him when you turn away. 

Your heart is beating fast, you haven’t gotten this close to him before. “I have to go to check the soup.” You stand up quickly. And although he mourns the loss of your touch, he lets you go.

You return to the kitchen, stirring the pot while attempting to cool yourself down. 

‘What was that?’ Both of you are left slightly surprised at the sense of longing that has seeped into the two of you, unbeknownst to the other. 

—------------------

He remained outside. Against his own perceived notions, he had enjoyed today.

You continued the task of preparing the soup, carefully pouring it into a bowl for each of you before placing it on the table. The chill in the air reaches you as you venture out to retrieve your husband. He hasn’t spoken since you went back to the kitchen, keeping his eyes trained on the sky above.

“Bi-Han, the soup is done.”

He turns back to look at you, the moonlight is illuminating your face. Your eyes hold a softness within them that he finds himself yearning for. “I’ll be there.” He turns his back towards you again. You could nag him, but you find yourself placing a hand on his shoulder instead, “Come on.” Something unspoken lays between you two, but he doesn’t utter a word. His hand just barely brushes up against yours as if he meant to pat it. He gets up and sits at the table. You resume your place across from him.“Try it. I’m not promising anything amazing, but something decent.” You push the bowl towards him and cross your arms on the table, anticipating his response. 

He takes a sip, it’s somewhat bitter, more savory. It reminds him of his mother’s meals. She wasn’t the best cook. Yet when it came to him and his brother, she wanted to ensure at least one meal of the day was of her hands. His mother was strict, and dedicated to the stern and rigorous ways of Lin Keui. 

But still, she loved him in her own way. Whether it was ensuring he ate well, binding up his wounds from training, or staying by his side as he fell asleep. The loss of his mother and its repercussions haunted him. No matter how many days, weeks, or years went by, there would always be something rendering his life incomplete. But here, even if it’s just for a moment, the burden of evading her memory is lifted. He allows himself to be taken back to a simpler time. 

You eat the soup in silence with him. Any attempt to obtain feedback on your cooking lies unspoken on your tongue. You are eager to ask, but something about him seems relaxed. Genuinely relaxed. So you decide you’ll wait for him to voice his opinions, but that never comes. 

He finishes the meal quietly. 

“Y/N?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

—------------------

To be honest, you don’t even like chicken and mushroom soup that much. You wouldn’t have chosen to make it, but you decide that he doesn’t need to know that. It’ll remain your secret. 

—------------------

You both retire to your quarters soon after, taking solace in a newfound sense of familiarity.

You both are yet to change in front of one another, but that’s not at the forefront of your mind. You’re content with the fact that you’ve chipped away at part of the invisible wall that resides between you both. 

The bed seems softer today, and more welcoming. And you know it’s because your husband has finally come to bed with you. Under the comforting veil of night, you dare to lay facing him and he returns the sentiment. For now, he allows himself the quaint pleasure of being able to look at you without loathsome yearning. 

You made him feel odd, dragging him out of his usual state of being to the point where it slightly unnerved him. The realization clawed its way to the forefront of his brain; that as the day went on, he didn’t find being in your company as a responsibility to be fulfilled. Your presence was comforting. 

You were tired. Your eyes start to feel heavy before a knock sounds at the door. “Who is that?”

Bi-Han gets up, ignoring your question, and goes off to speak to someone in the hallway. You can barely make out the words being exchanged, but suddenly you’re watching your husband move about the room. You avert your eyes when he gets changed, although you do sneak a glance this time. You snap out of it when he’s grabbing his mask. Your feet scramble to get out of bed and catch him when he gets to the door. Your hand grasps his forearm. 

“Wait! You have to leave now?”

“Yes.” You intake a sharp breath of air, and he seems to notice your startled state. “What?” He says in a more lighthearted tone than you’re used to, “Did you foolishly assume the Lin Keui only operated in the morning?”

“No…” You took a deep breath. You’d expect him to pull away from you and leave, but he didn’t. It seemed like he was waiting for you to lift your hand. You’ve never seen him off like this. You knew this was part of what he did, what their clan did, and still a part of you felt worried. You looked up to meet his gaze, his eyes expressed more than his mouth ever could. When you first met him, you found his eyes to be cold and calculating, but something was different now. 

“Be safe.” You said softly. Your hand gently finds its way down to his before you pull away. He gives you a small nod and moves to go out the door. You see him pause and think that maybe he’s forgotten something. But before you can ask he returns to you, grabbing your wrist and pulling you forward. He leans down and hastily places a kiss on your forehead, “I’ll return soon.” And like that, he’s off. 

You watch him leave and wonder how such a simple interaction could evoke so much warmth within you. 

—------------------

Thanks for reading 💙

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[kyoshitargaryen]

shifting tips for neurodivergent shifters!

shifting tips for autistic people, and for those with ADHD and OCD! for scripting ideas, click here! (coming soon!)

hey, everyone! I'm autistic and I have ADHD and OCD -- all of these things have greatly impacted my journey. these are some of the things that have helped me progress with shifting and with getting to a healthy place mentally in general. note : I have aphantasia, so any time I mention "visualizing" it moreso means thinking of it. instead of seeing "visualizing" as something you can't do, put it into perspective of the things you CAN do. if you can daydream, you can visualize, even if you're not physically seeing anything. don't let it stop you!!

tips!

don't think that you can't shift while autistic. I've done it, and you will too if you haven't already. the only thing that could stop you is your own lack of belief.

if you're like me, you take everything extremely literally. that makes understanding what people -- especially neurotypical people -- mean when they give advice difficult and even harder to apply. here's some things that I've realized about common shifting tips.

5 Senses Methods

I've noticed that some people who talk about "using" your senses, don't exactly mean to use them or to force them. for the longest time, I kept getting so caught up in trying to force the experience that I was keeping myself from shifting entirely instead of trying to physically hear something, or taste or smell or feel, focus more on understanding how those senses work. you probably know the taste of your favourite soda. you probably know what steak or chicken tastes like. you know how when you have your mind set on a particular dinner or drink or experience, you HAVE to have it or else you won't be hungry or thirsty or excited? you KNOW what those things taste like. you KNOW what you expect, all while not physically having those things in front of you. try living in that expectation, in the knowledge and understanding of what you're going to get. this also works with general manifestation! think about what you're wanting for dinner tonight. think about your dream vacation destination. just lightly imagine it. you might be able to almost taste it now. you might be able to almost feel the wind on your skin, or a light rain, or warm sunshine. try approaching shifting like that!

I struggled for the longest time over letting myself move when I go to shift. Feeling symptoms go away just because I had to move or twitched unconsciously was so frustrating. I actually forced myself to lay perfectly still on my back even while feeling physical discomfort and pain. yes, I understood that you can move, and that you don't need symptoms to shift, but I was so caught up in feeling the transition and in my body in general that I found it impossible to let go of control like that. when I first tried focusing on the position my body would be in in my desired reality, I focused way too hard on feeling it. and I'll be honest, forcing myself to feel the physical sensation of laying down in a different position did work. I really did feel it. It just didn't help me shift. and obviously the moments where I would become more aware of my body in this reality or I needed to move were practically devastating. but then something clicked. I was so busy trying to feel my whole body in my desired reality that I was only grounding myself in this reality, and I was slowing down if not outright stopping myself from shifting. you know how you breathe automatically until you are suddenly reminded that you have to breathe to survive? or how you don't necessarily feel your knees or your toes until you think about them? you're only aware of the parts of your body that you are actively interacting with. our minds are trained to tune out a large amount of the sensory information going on in our bodies. imagine how exhausting it would be if you had to manually pump your heart. you probably don't feel what you're sitting or laying down on after you've been there for a long period of time, unless you're actively feeling discomfort or pain. take a moment to take stock of your body. now that you're aware of it -- you probably feel so much more than you did a few minutes ago when you weren't thinking of it. keep that in mind! now pay attention to the places your body overlaps. right now, my elbows are on my lap, and my ankles are tucked under my thighs. the places where your body overlaps are the easiest things to focus on and remember. picture yourself in the passenger seat of a car. you're tired, so you're leaning down on the centre console. your head is tucked into your elbow to shield your eyes from light. focus on the parts of your body that overlap. you KNOW how it feels to rest your head in your elbow. you likely know how it feels to sleep in the passenger seat. instead of trying to pay attention to your body as a whole, think of these little contact points. do this for a few minutes, and I guarantee you that you'll eventually begin to actually feel it, or at least, you'll forget about your physical body in this reality. don't make yourself feel this things, just remember how it feels. this way of aligning myself to my desired reality makes the process go by so much faster. once I feel comfortable remembering how my body would feel in that position, I move on to other things. I remember how it would feel to have my fingers run over the seatbelt or the buckle. I remember how the blinker or the windshield wipers sound. slowly but surely, these things build up and then you're not consciously thinking of them anymore, you're just there. but the best part of it? it's so easy to get myself back into the "zone" if I move in my CR. since I'm not trying to feel a whole environment and my whole body at once, I'm able to quickly and easily remember and experience the position I'm in in my DR. I don't worry about symptoms, or even actively notice them. I'm just there. once I have put my focus on those few contact spots, I'm in my DR. then, it's just a waiting game for when I can open my eyes. I'm in no rush, because I'm just relaxing!

Staircase Method

don't worry about visualizing the perfect space. I was so caught up in making sure the amount of stairs I was walking up or down matched the environment I was thinking of. don't worry about that. the only thing that matters is getting yourself to a point where you're relaxed and you can let go of your original reality. I kinda see shifting as removing velcro. your consciousness is velcro'd to this reality, especially when you're inexperienced with shifting, have doubts, or are going through a slump. the deeper you get into a method, the farther you get from focusing on your CR (the fact that you're still there, that you still feel your body, that you still hear and smell your CR environment), the more the velcro releases. if you try to make everything perfect, you're only making yourself realize that you're not actually in your DR, that you're just doing a method. instead, just focus on knowing how it feels to walk up or down stairs. don't worry about a length of time, or the number of stairs. don't worry about any turns or bends, just go straight up or down. once you feel like the "velcro" of this reality has released, you're ready to enter your DR.

Counting

at the beginning of my shifting journey, I was obsessed with making sure I counted correctly. if I accidentally skipped or repeated a number, I would get so frustrated. don't worry about being accurate or perfect. the sun does not rise and fall on your ability to count on endlessly. focusing too hard on counting will just keep you from becoming aware of your DR. again -- try not to focus so hard on the process of getting to your DR, try to just focus on being in your DR.

Just BE in Your DR (or, Let Go of Control)

I have two ways that I love to describe this;

it's like driving a car. when you've reached your destination, you put the car in park, you turn it off, and you get out. you don't drive past it, or keep hitting the gas, you don't assume that you haven't made it yet. you just know you're there.

it's like trying to fall asleep. you might be counting sheep, or daydreaming, or thinking about what you want to dream of, but you're NOT thinking about how to get home, you're not thinking about changing your clothes, or brushing your teeth, or doing your nighttime routine. you're just there, in your bed, waiting for sleep to take you. you know there's nothing left to do but sleep. so let yourself exist in your DR. think of methods as a way for you to pass time in your DR rather than a way of getting there. you're on a long car ride, or the hogwarts express, or in the middle of a lull hour at your job. you have freetime, so you just keep your mind busy enough to be entertained (and possibly ready to go if you're needed). just relax. you're there. you're just don't need to be "on" right now. think of how you mask in social situations, but you unmask when you're by yourself or you're somewhere safe and comfortable. your mask doesn't need to be on! your customer service voice doesn't need to be used. think of it like being idle in a video game!

Dealing with Intrusive Thoughts

especially when I go to shift, I get intrusive thoughts. what if everyone hates me? what if my s/o cheats on me? what if I somehow cause a sequence of events that gets someone or an animal hurt or killed? it doesn't matter if I have things scripted to prevent all of these, my brain thinks them anyway. intrusive thoughts don't bend to logic. so don't try to use logic to fight them. it's gonna sound kinda crazy, but just think the opposite every time they come up. thoughts are just thoughts. even the ones that seem really scary and really powerful.

Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.

as much as I dislike Dumbledore, he kinda ate here. it's the same thing with thoughts -- if you have an intrusive thought, immediately combat it with the opposite sentiment. it might seem ridiculous or pointless at first, but I promise you, it will work eventually. this has been my favourite way to heal through my anxiety and my ocd. no, it doesn't go away, but I've learned how to manage them, and how to stop fearing them. they're just shadows, and all they need is light to be driven away. have you ever done or said something ironically or as a joke, and then somehow over time it became a genuine part of your personality? that's because your brain is even more literal than you are -- it can't tell when you're doing something as a joke, it just knows that you ARE doing something. that's what "fake it until you make it" is all about. it's how I've completely transformed my world, manifested physical changes, created a better self image and grew my confidence level. one day you'll be thinking poorly of yourself, but then eventually, once you start actively fighting against those thoughts, your brain catches up to them and believes it as fact. that's the magic behind affirmations! don't think you can only use them to shift or to manifest. you can use them just as effectively to make changes within yourself!

that's all for now! I hope these tips help you guys, because they really have changed both my life and my shifting / manifestation journey for the better.

yoshi !!

[melodyatlas]

long time no work on the list of prompts given by @profandomhopper i still love all of them sm, eventually i will get to all of them lmao <333

this one isnt gonna be a real fic cause i’ll get way too bogged down in making it so detailed and expansive bc i love love love reverse robins so much- but lets ramble on about this a little, yeah?

tim is only there the night dick’s parents die because he’s stalking bruce a little bit (look, he’s past the revenge part of his red hood era, but he and bruce still aren’t on good terms and there’s smthn about bruce taking jason to the fucking circus of all things that tim can’t just ignore. so hes there. for research.)

so tim is there solo, watching bruce, and he walks past a young dick grayson before the show, catching his eye. maybe its because he’s wearing a coat even though its still closer to summer weather than fall, maybe its the pretty, unnatural white streak in tims hair, or the long scars on his cheeks- whatever it is, dick can’t look away, and tim has always been /very/ good at knowing when he’s being watched

so tim notices dick right back, and is intrigued by this kid in full acrobatic get-up, and yeah, he could let the moment pass, keep walking, follow bruce and jason into the tent they just disappeared into- but he was raised in certain social circles, knows how to make small talk- and he was batmans partner, knows how to talk to kids and put them at ease in hard situations

so he stops and talks to the kid. finds out dick is nervous. not about the acts he’ll perform in show- no, hes been training for this for years- he’s as comfortable up on the bars and tightropes as he is on the ground- but about how big the crowd is, how he’s only just started joining his parents for real performances, and gotham is the biggest city theyve been to since he started.

tim gets dick to tell him about his favorite part of the act- a quadruple front flip- and he tells dick to try to imagine hes just practicing during the performance, don’t look or think past all the lights, just let the sound wash over him and focus on his own heartbeat. theres not going to be anyone else in the tent, just him and his parents.

he sets dick at ease, and before they part ways, dick tells him that he wont imagine theres no one else there, that instead he’ll imagine its just tim there. that he’ll do the flip for him. it earns him a ruffle of his hair as they part ways, and if tim makes sure his seat has a good view of both bruce and the aerial part of the show, then thats no one’s business but his.

none of them expected the tragedy of that night.

tim certainly didn’t expect bruce to take dick in- or even for dick to remember his interaction with tim that night, past all the trauma of losing his parents like that.

but dick does remember. and over the years he makes it a point to remind tim that /hes/ the first bat dick met. even if tim doesn’t consider himself a bat at all.

tims still quite estranged from most of them for the first few years that dick is with them, but as soon as dick picks the robin moniker and is on patrols, tim finds that he has a shadow quite often. no. shadow isnt the right word for it. shadows are silent, often overlooked. robin is not silent, and impossible to overlook- constantly butting into tim’s business as the red hood, even more annoying than jason was when he was trying to get tim to “see reason” about going back into the fold. jason was the one who ended up seeing reason there though, and eventually realized that the fractures between tim and bruce weren’t going to be fixed no matter how much meddling he did

jason could be convinced that while the bats cant kill, the red hood did actually need to. it was necessary to tim’s goal of controlling crime- but dick was never going to be convinced. and he was young enough and optimistic enough, that tim couldn’t keep having that argument with him like he did with jason. something about dick just made tim want to protect him. protect his world view.

so on the nights when robin trails after the red hood, he goes a little softer, and it fuels dick’s obsession with tim, knowing that the red hood wont kill in front of him, knowing he’s the only one of the bats to evoke that gentleness from tim after his resurrection

it becomes a Thing as dick gets older. he spends more time trailing after tim- he says its because tim wont kill in front of him, and he’s just doing his part to keep the deaths from piling up, but he and tim both know theres a deeper reason. that dick just likes to be around him. that /tim/ just likes when dicks around.

then dick almost dies, the court of owls trying to take him, maybe, and tim ends up slaughtering the perpetrators with no mercy.

tim does not go to see dick at the manor while hes recovering.

dick does not take kindly to this.

as soon as hes physically able to sneak out, he does, makes his way to tim’s main base of operations and confronts him about killing a bunch of people for him, and in the argument dick yells out a confession- that he loves tim. that he’s kind of always loved tim- since that first meeting way back when he was just a little kid.

tim says it was just a childhood infatuation dick held too long- that dick’ll get over it, that he would have already if he hadnt spent all these years following tim around

an “I don’t want to get over it” from dick, before he’s pressed up against tim

and tim- he should probably make dick stop. age gap aside, if bruce finds out about this itll reignite all their issues with one another. dick tries his best to make it hard to think about bruce or any potential consequences though, and soon enough tim does succumb to it

the red hood may have a certain reputation, but /tim/ has never been about working solo- he’s always been about human connection, and playing the part of red hood makes him forget that sometimes, so he falls into what it feels like with dick. but only as tim. he doesn’t let it affect the red hood. but dick doesn’t care, /tim/ is the part he wanted anyway, they can keep fighting about what tim does as red hood so long as dick and tim are together.

[mcdonaldsplayground]

| actually the worst | part 6

ao’nung x f!reader

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | bonus part

summary: when you wake up somewhere you aren't supposed to be, you get angry with ao'nung for being so calm while you feel nothing but guilty for leaving your injured sister alone. as things with your family slowly begin to mend, you realize that ao'nung probably hates you again for snapping at him. only when yours and kiri's birthday rolls around do you get a chance to work out your highly complex relationship with the metkayina boy, but it's not exactly the solution you were expecting.

includes: enemies to lovers, teasing, swearing, suggestiveness, mentions of seizure/death, ao'nung being so bf🥵

word count: 5.7k

a/n: so this is the final part! if people are into the idea i was thinking of doing a lil' bonus part based on the not-memory from part 5 (where ao'nung visits the forest)🤔 but anyway, i just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who has read and interacted with this series, i seriously cannot believe how kind everyone is🫶 i am definitely going to keep writing other fics (and might even branch out to do some other characters, who knows🤭)

this is a bit lengthy because i was trying to wrap up a bunch of loose ends. i realized when proofreading that ao'nung kind of doesn't even show up for a good portion of the middle part??? so sorry about that🫣 also i'm sorry but i couldn’t not put a 10 things i hate about you reference in here because it’s just the exact vibe at the end, so creds to that movie for the inspo:)

You woke before the sun did, the very beginnings of warm orange and pink light only barely peeking above the horizon. It was still mostly dark, and you felt extremely disoriented. Not only were you rarely an early riser, but you also rarely woke in the middle of the beach, which is where you currently seemed to be. Not only that, but a muscular arm was slung across your waist as well, pulling you close to the body who was attached to it.

Slowly, you turned your head and nearly screamed when your eyes met the sleeping form of your worst enemy-turned crush-turned sort of friend. Ao'nung looked at peace while asleep, something that did not come easy to him when awake. It would have been kind of nice to see if you weren't so horrified by the predicament.

"Jesus christ..." You muttered to yourself, the events of the previous night coming into focus in your mind. Trying not to breathe or move too much, you attempted to slowly shimmy out of Ao'nung's grasp. You had almost successfully freed yourself when the boy beside you suddenly snapped his eyes open, looking briefly confused before his own look of horror settled in. You practically jumped away from each other.

"We fell asleep." Ao'nung said dumbly.

"Great observation, genius." You snapped, pushing yourself up from the sand while you hurriedly brushed it off your skin. "If you ever breathe a word of this to anyone, I will personally cut off your-"

"Woah! Relax, princess. Wasn't planning on it." Ao'nung held his hands up in surrender, standing as well. You stiffened at the ridiculous nickname, but decided not to get into it as you turned quickly on your heel and began jogging away from the beach. You had way more pressing things to think about now. In fact, you were growing increasingly more angry with yourself as the seconds ticked by. Were you really so delirious from fear that you let such a thing happen? Kiri needed you.. but you were selfishly allowing yourself to be consoled in the arms of a boy instead.

Ao'nung caught up to you easily, though he maintained a decent distance as he spoke. "About last night-"

"Don't." You ordered, annoyed that he wanted to talk about it and embarrassed that it even happened. "That was a mistake." You trained your eyes ahead, hoping he would take the hint and leave you alone.

"Look, forest girl, I know you're probably embarrassed because-"

You cut him off once again, finally just stopping in your tracks as you whipped around to face him. "Just stop with this stupid little flirting thing right now, okay? You don't know what I'm feeling. My twin sister almost died last night and I just left her alone when nobody knows what the hell is wrong with her! She needs me there at her side and what was I doing instead? Joking around and laughing with the guy I'm supposed to hate and then waking up beside him in the middle of the goddamn beach instead of next to her!" You spat, all of your fury and guilt spewing out along with your words. Ao'nung was frozen in place, eyes wide. "Just go away." You finished forcefully, making him flinch slightly. You didn't wait to hear a response before taking off once again toward your marui.

When you finally arrived, Neteyam, Lo'ak, and Tuk were all standing around outside the marui, looking as if they hadn't slept. A fresh wave of guilt washed over you at the thought.

"[Y/N]!" Tuk called when she noticed your approaching form, racing up to cling onto your side in a sort of hug. "Where were you?" She questioned, and Neteyam and Lo'ak nodded, waiting to hear your response. Blood rushed to your cheeks, your face growing warm in shame.

"I fell asleep on the beach." You mumbled. Not technically a lie.

"We were worried..." Neteyam said, placing a hand on your shoulder as he looked into your eyes. You could tell that he suspected you were holding back the truth. Your throat burned as you swallowed thickly.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," You breathed, ducking your head down.

"It's okay. I know it was difficult for you last night." Neteyam’s lips twisted into a sad smile, pulling you into a gentle hug. Tuk was quick to join, squeezing herself in between the two of you as she put her arms around your waists. Even Lo'ak came over, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder and offering you a look of silent understanding. You breathed in deeply, grateful for their support and easy forgiveness.

"How is she?" You finally asked, pulling away so you could peek around Lo'ak into the marui. Neteyam sighed, guiding you over to the entrance.

"She is still asleep. Ronal had to go rest before she will be able to do anything for her." You noticed your parents sitting together inside, but you focused your attention on assessing your sleeping sister, in search of any visible injuries that may have appeared since you saw her last. Thankfully, she truly did seem physically unharmed. However, it pained you to see her eyes closed and her body so still, the only sign of life coming from the occasional rise and fall of her chest. You kneeled next to her, taking her hand.

"Wake up," You whispered. "Please."

"Where did you go?" You heard your father question from his spot on the floor. You looked up slowly, your guilt creeping back. You just stared at him and your mother for a moment, trying to work out what to say.

"It does not matter, my Jake." Your mother had caught the look in your eyes, nodding in a sort of silent understanding. "She is here now."

Jake glanced between the two of you briefly before deciding to drop it. You breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"I called Norm and Max." Jake said. "They should be here in an hour or so. They may be able to tell us what happened" You nodded in approval, returning your gaze to your twin. It wasn’t ideal to have your family’s old friends risk the journey down here, but if it meant even a chance of helping Kiri then you knew it was more than worth it. You only wished they would get there faster.

The helicopter landing had gathered quite a crowd, all looking nervous at the prospect of "demons" arriving on the island. That was fair, but to you it was a welcome relief to see Norm and Max approaching alongside your father, their equipment in tow. You had promised not to leave Kiri's side, though, so you watched from through the door as they quickly scrambled over.

"[Y/N]!" Norm called when he noticed you, your lips twisting into a small smile. It may have been terrible circumstances, but it was still good to see your old friends.

"Hey, Norm. Max" You nodded in greeting and they both pulled you in for a short hug before starting to set things up. They wasted no time in placing sensors along Kiri's face and head, asking your family anything and everything you knew about what had happened.

Once everything was in place, they started running diagnostics and doing everything they could to get an idea of what was going on inside Kiri's head. It was a slow process, however, and ten minutes seemed to turn into an hour, then an hour into two. Still, you sat as close as you could without interfering, dividing your mind between trying to understand what Norm and Max were saying about your sister and just simply willing something to work so that Kiri would open her eyes.

"There's no bleed. There's no fracture. No effects of hypoxia. The brain looks good." Max said, shaking his head in confusion as he glanced through the scans they had taken.

"But we still have this interictal activity here in the prefrontal." Norm pointed out.

"Yes, she's definitely had a seizure." Max nodded, and you wondered how he could be so calm. You felt nauseous at the thought. As they continued their discussion, someone entered the marui behind you, and you turned to find Ronal looking outraged at the setup.

"I see that I am not needed here." Your heart dropped as she spoke, but you stood quickly, panicked as she turned to leave. You were about to say something when your mother grabbed Ronal's arm.

"You are Tshaik!" She hissed, sounding both angry and pleading. Clearly Norm and Max were running out of things to try, and Ronal was turning into your only hope. You caught her eyes, silently begging her to stay.

"Remove these things." She finally said, glaring down at Max and Norm.

"Out!" Neytiri growled. "You have done nothing!" She began picking things up and attempting to shoo the men outside.

"Come on, let's just take a break." Jake said quickly, ducking out the door.

"Okay, hold on! I have to take her IV out!" Norm said, rushing to get everything off of Kiri. You patted his arm in thanks as he made his way outside as well. Ronal was quick in getting her materials ready, beginning the process of a ritual you had never witnessed before. The air was tense as she worked, chanting and calling upon Eywa for aid. It was mesmerizing to watch her, though your focus remained primarily on your sister's face, waiting with baited breath for any sign of consciousness.

Finally, after what felt like years, Kiri's eyes fluttered. Your heart nearly burst out of your chest, leaning forward to grasp her hand.

"You're awake!" You breathed happily, using your free hand to gently caress her forehead, brushing some hair out of the way. Her gaze briefly flickered around the room before she began to cry, causing your heart to clench. Tears welled in your own eyes, and you fought against them, not wanting anything to blur your vision even for a moment.

"Are you ever going to let me out of sight?" Kiri questioned playfully, quirking an eyebrow in your direction. You smiled, shaking your head.

"Nope." The answer was a no-brainer. You quite literally hadn't spent a second away from your twin since she had woken up the previous day. While the rest of your family had fallen back into a semi-normal routine, you were intent upon staying with Kiri all day in the marui, even when she insisted she was feeling just fine.

"I'm not a baby, [Y/N]."

"I didn't say you were."

"Okay, but I'm not fragile either. We can't just stay holed up in here for the rest of our lives." She shot you a pointed look, growing serious.

"I know that," You sighed. "But what if I'm not there if something happens again?" The thought made your blood run cold. "I've already got enough guilt to last the rest of my life." You finished quietly, fidgeting with your fingers. Kiri's eyebrows furrowed.

"Guilt? [Y/N], what happened to me wasn't your fault. I know you think you're responsible for me, but there was nothing you could have done." She placed a hand on your arm and you looked up, meeting her eyes. "Besides, you've been hovering over me this whole time, I can guarantee that you're the world's most devoted sister." She chuckled, though you only felt worse at this, cringing a little. You had been holding in your shame for nearly two days now, and it finally came bursting to the surface in the form of a messy confession.

"I wasn't with you that night, Ki." You bit your lip before continuing. "I mean, I was, but then I started freaking out at everyone because nobody could figure out what was wrong. I only wanted to step out for a little while, just to calm down, you know?" Kiri was listening calmly, hand still resting reassuringly on your arm. "And Ao'nung was out there too, and I was crying and being hysterical and he was actually being nice for once and-"

"Oh my Eywa, he was being nice?!" Kiri's hand shot up to cover her mouth, gasping dramatically. You had to pause to process the fact that she wasn't being serious.

"Very funny, skxawng." You deadpanned. "This is serious!"

"Okay, okay, sorry!" She chuckled. "Please, continue."

"Well.. Actually that's pretty much it. Being around him was like this escape from reality, and I didn't want to go back home because I knew that meant having to think about what would happen if you- If you didn't make it or something." You swallowed thickly.

"Okay... so that's all? The moral of the story is that Ao'nung isn't as much of a douchebag as you thought?"

"No." You huffed. "The moral of the story is that I was being a selfish jerk who didn't bother to check on my sister all night because I was sleeping on the beach next to the aforementioned not-douchebag." Kiri's expression twisted into surprise briefly before she burst out laughing. The colour in your cheeks deepened.

"So I just bare my heart to you and all you can do is laugh at my stupidity?" You groaned, laying your back against the floor as you threw an arm over your eyes. However, Kiri's lighthearted reaction was making you feel a lot better. If she wasn't mad at you then maybe you didn’t have to feel so bad.

"Sorry," Kiri managed between laughs, eventually moving to lay down beside you when she gained some composure. "I just think you’re way too hard on yourself. I mean, sure, falling asleep alone with Ao'nung was a little scandalous, but you didn't really do anything wrong." She turned to her side to face you, propping up on her elbow. You did the same.

"I left you alone." You whispered, and her expression shifted into sympathy.

"You left me with our family, [Y/N]. You left because you needed help. It isn't a crime to react poorly when you're scared." The look she gave you was effective in melting the last of your guilt away, relieving some of the long-held tension in your muscles. You smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Ki." And she smiled too, both of you taking in the quiet moment together. With Kiri, that moment didn't last too long.

"So, are you and Ao'nung exclusive now, or what?" She grinned as you rolled your eyes.

"Definitely not. Actually... I kind of snapped at him yesterday. Told him that night was a mistake and to leave me alone."

"What! Did you mean alone or alone, alone?" She questioned while you furrowed your brow in confusion.

"I guess at the time I meant alone, alone. I was really mad." You grimaced, remembering the look on Ao'nung's face after you had yelled at him.

"But you didn't mean it?"

"Well, no, I guess not." You shrugged. "But maybe it's a good thing, Ki. Everything that's ever happened between us has been so crazy and messy. It's probably for the best that we just stop trying to be... anything. Friends or otherwise." The words felt like a knife in the gut. You stared down at the ground, trying to convince yourself that you were right.

"You don't mean that." Kiri chided, her brow furrowing as she searched your eyes. "I know we always tease you, but I actually thought you really liked being around him."

I do. You thought painfully. I really do.

"It doesn't matter. He probably hates me now, for real this time." Your eyes darkened at the thought.

The arrival of your birthday was both exciting and deeply irritating. On one hand, you loved that you got to celebrate Kiri, and this time around felt extra special because of what she had just survived only days earlier. It was sort of a celebration of her recovery as well as her birthday. That being said, you hated the fact that people also insisted on celebrating you as well. It’s not that you didn’t appreciate the sentiment, but something about having everyone’s attention on you, showering you with an abundance of love and affection, was just not your thing.

So, when Tuk accidentally let it slip to you and Kiri that there was going to be a surprise party with everyone in the village invited, it was safe to say you were mortified. You had taken the entirety of the afternoon to sit in the sand by yourself and contemplate the best way to avoid the large gathering at all costs.

“You’re not getting out of this, you know.” Neteyam arrived silently from behind you, shooting you a pointed look as he sat down. “Mom and dad have this whole thing planned out. They even got Tonowari and Ronal on board.”

You groaned. “So that’s why this stupid thing is a community event?”

“Tonowari seemed strangely excited to make it into a big celebration.” Neteyam chuckled. “He kept talking about how it’s going to be so much fun to have music and dancing and a whole bunch of food and-”

“Okay, okay, I get it! Why do you insist on torturing me?” You moaned dramatically while Neteyam just laughed.

“Where was Kiri just now?” You changed the subject quickly when you noticed her returning from the village, coming from the opposite direction of your family’s marui. She had told you she was going to nap before the party.

“Oh- um- nowhere.” Neteyam was a notoriously bad liar. You raised an eyebrow, but before you could say anything, you noticed Lo’ak, Tsireya, Rotxo, and Ao’nung appear behind your sister, seemingly following her somewhere. They didn’t seem to notice where you sat, suspiciously watching them go by.

“Okay, what the hell?” You fixed your gaze back on your oldest brother, waiting for an explanation. You knew he had one because he was flushed, clearly trying not to act suspicious.

“I’m not allowed to tell you anything.” He admitted, a nervous laugh leaving his lips.

“Fine.” It took everything in you not to keep badgering him. He may not have been a good liar, but he was not one to tell other people’s secrets. “But if I find out that it has anything to do with my birthday, I’m going to kill you and Lo’ak.”

“What! But it was Kiri’s idea!” Neteyam said offendedly.

“And you and Lo’ak were stupid enough to go along with it,” You quipped. “Plus, it’s her birthday. It’s just bad manners to kill someone on their birthday.”

Neteyam laughed. “Okay, crazy. But it’s your birthday too, you know.”

“Don’t remind me.” You scowled.

“[Y/N]!” Your father called from behind you and Neteyam, squinting in the sunlight as his gaze fixed on the two of you. “Come! We need to get going soon!” He beckoned you over with a hand gesture and you sighed, allowing Neteyam to help pull you upright. You dragged your feet as you walked, hoping to prolong the inevitable.

“Neteyam, will you please get Kiri and Lo’ak?” Jake asked when you got closer, and the boy obediently dashed off in the other direction. Your fingers twitched as you thought about following.

“Don’t even think about it.” Jake laughed, throwing his arm across your shoulders as if to keep you on path with him. You rolled your eyes.

“I wasn’t thinking about anything.”

“Sure you weren’t.”

By the time everyone in your family had been rounded up, the sun had started to sink below the horizon. The darkness was anticipated, however, as a large glowing bonfire had been lit on the sand, casting a surprising amount of light all along the beach. Thankfully, the festivities had begun without any mention of you or Kiri, so you relaxed a little and tried to stay out of the middle of things. It felt more like a community get-together than a birthday party, to which you were grateful. You even started enjoying yourself a bit, eating some of the wonderful food as you soaked in the warmth of the fire and focused on the music through the chatter of the crowd.

“[Y/N]!” You heard someone call and you ripped your gaze from the fire, looking around. Tsireya stood a few feet away, smiling as she held out her hand toward you. “We’ve been looking for you! Come stand with us!” She beckoned, and you tried not to look reluctant as you followed her over to where your friends and siblings were. They had formed a sort of circle and were talking and laughing animatedly as you took a spot between Tsireya and Kiri.

Ao’nung was standing almost directly across from you while he talked with Rotxo, and it was hard to keep yourself from staring at him through the fire light. You'd seen him around the village over the past week, but neither of you had approached the other at all. He hadn’t even looked your way once in that time, which put a tiny crack in your heart. You missed the way he used to devour you with his eyes, the resulting feeling both intimidating and electrifying at the same time.

Just when you were about to look away, he abruptly turned and met your gaze. Something flickered in his eyes, and you convinced yourself you imagined it as the ghost of a smirk played at his lips. Your heart was pounding so hard you could feel it in your throat. So much for missing that feeling.

“[Y/N]?” Kiri nudged you, effectively snapping you out of it. Colour rose to your cheeks, particularly when you didn’t feel Ao’nung’s gaze leave you even as you turned toward Kiri.

“Hm?”

“I said are you having fun?” She was clearly trying to hold in a laugh. You narrowed your eyes.

“I guess this isn’t so bad.” You admitted after a few seconds of silence, glancing around the beach. As your head swivelled, you confirmed through peripheral vision that Ao’nung was still staring at you, though he was now talking casually with Lo’ak and Rotxo. You shivered slightly.

“No one’s wished me happy birthday yet, so I would call that a win.” You smiled a bit, but quickly dropped it when Kiri gave you a nervous grin.

“Don’t kill me, but I overheard dad saying that Tonowari was going to-” As if she had spoken it into existence, Tonowari suddenly called out a request for everyone to quiet down, stepping forward into the middle of the beach, glowing in the firelight.

“My people!” He grinned, spreading his hands wide in greeting. “I am glad to see everyone enjoying tonight’s festivities. While we need no reason to come together and celebrate, I do want to speak on what the celebration tonight is in honour of.” Your heart dropped out of your chest and flopped around pitifully on the sand. Tonowari turned to where you and Kiri stood, grinning widely as he beckoned for the two of you to stand by him. Kiri grabbed your hand, squeezing it lightly. While she smiled and accepted the spotlight gracefully, you imagined your expression resembled dread mixed with painful awkwardness. It was all you could do not to visibly cringe at the hundreds of eyes trained on you. However, only one pair really seemed to pierce directly into you, the intensity of it reminding you of the day you had first arrived here. Just like that day, he appeared to be seeing something about you that no one else was allowed to. It offered you a strange sort of steadiness.

“First, I would like to thank Eywa for the recovery of this young woman!” Tonowari placed a gentle hand on your sister’s shoulder. “We celebrate her health tonight.” You managed a small smile as everyone cheered, sharing a look with Kiri. You gripped her hand a little bit tighter. “And, of course, we thank Eywa for bringing the Sully family here to us. It is hard to accept change, but this has been a welcome one indeed. Join me in celebrating [Y/N] and Kiri on this wonderful day in which they were born!” You could hardly hear the cheers of the crowd as your cheeks burned and your heart pounded in your ears. As grateful as you felt, you didn’t think you could handle the attention much longer. Thankfully, Kiri nodded at Tonowari in thanks and lead you back to your friend group. Your brothers were cackling, practically beside themselves with laughter.

“Y-your face! Oh Eywa that was priceless!” Lo’ak howled. You glared, sticking out your tongue.

“Shut it, dickhead. Just because I don’t enjoy being stared at-” You didn’t get to finish as your brothers loudly cracked up again, holding their stomachs. Even Kiri, Tsireya, and Rotxo couldn’t contain themselves as they joined in. You grinned, shaking your head. “You guys are terrible. I’m going to find Tuk.” You spun on your heel, still laughing to yourself.

You skirted along the outside of the crowd, scanning for your youngest sister, when a hand suddenly grasped your arm, tugging you into the shadows of the trees, out of sight.

“What the hell are you-” You paused upon seeing who was holding onto you. “Oh. It’s you.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed, forest girl.” His eyes danced with a playfulness that you had missed, causing a skip in your heartbeat.

“Ao’nung I-” You were gearing up to apologize. You hadn’t planned on doing so, but you found it impossible not to as you stood across from him.

“Shh. Just follow me.” He turned, sliding his hold on your wrist down to lace his fingers with yours. You stiffened, eyes wide as you stared down at your interlocked hands. “Come on, freak!” He smirked, ignoring your confusion as he impatiently tugged you along. It didn’t take long for you to arrive at one of the little alcoves off the side of the island, just far enough away that you could no longer see the party on the beach and could only faintly hear it in the background over the soft lapping of the waves. You had been in this area plenty of times before, but you had never seen it at night. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

The alcove was cave-like in a way, with large slabs of rock surrounding you and tucking the two of you mostly out of sight. There was little of the glowing vegetation that typically lit up the night on the island, but it didn’t matter because what looked like thousands of tiny glowing stars were embedded in the rock around you, effectively giving the illusion of standing directly next to the sky. You gawked, unable to tear your eyes away from such a magnificent sight.

“I heard you saying that you don’t like people staring.” Ao’nung broke the silence, chuckling a little at your awe. “I figured there’s no one to do that here,” He paused, smirking. “Except me.”

You flushed, remembering the delicate way he was still gripping your hand.

“I though you hated me again.” You said quietly.

“I do hate you.” Your heart dropped at his words, but for some reason he stepped closer, his eyes fixed intently on your face.

“I hate you because of your stupid smile that makes my hands all sweaty. I hate you because you’re the only one who puts up a fight when I tease you. I hate you because you actually drive me insane sometimes, and I hate you because I never know if you want to kiss me or kill me.” He grinned. “But mostly I hate that I don’t hate you. Not even a little bit.”

This felt like a fever dream. You held your breath as if you were going to wake up any second. But you remained where you were, frozen in uncertainty. It seemed the worst time to tease him, so of course, that’s what you did.

“I think you’re drooling.” You whispered, still not entirely sure how to move or think properly in the wake of his confession. He only huffed, ducking down close to your ear in one fluid motion. His warm breath fanned across your throat as he spoke.

“This is what I’m talking about, skxawng. Your inability to be nice,” You hadn’t realized he’d been slowly inching the two of you toward the wall of stone until he gently pressed you into it, one hand moving to grip your waist while the other flattened against the wall next to your head, the only thing holding him up over you. “It's driving me crazy.” The air felt like it had been sucked entirely out of the space between you, both of your chests rising and falling quickly. Despite the way his touch set you on fire, you had goosebumps from the proximity. Everything around you was charged with tension as Ao’nung finally tipped his head back away from your ear, staring at you so hard his pupils were dilated.

“Don’t you want me to apologize for yelling at you the other day?” Your voice came out small, though you’d gained a little confidence. All the time you'd spent convincing yourself that Ao’nung didn’t like you the way liked him was clearly wasted. His ears bent slightly as he smirked.

“Not with words.”

Oh.

“Oh?” You quirked an eyebrow, your breath hitching as Ao’nung pressed closer yet, almost every possible inch of you touching except for your heads, mere millimetres apart. The tension was so delicious that you almost didn’t want to break it.

You broke it anyway, closing the gap between you as you pressed your mouth to his, nearly gasping at the contact. It’s a good thing he’s holding me up, you thought fleetingly, your knees nearly giving out. Your lips fit together perfectly, moving in sync as he looped both arms around you, cinching you to him like he wished for you to meld together. Your hands roamed his chest, eventually making their way up to his neck, feeling the soft baby hairs there and making him groan into the kiss. You smiled.

“Happy birthday, [Y/N].” He whispered against your lips, smirking slightly. Your knees felt weak again. Just when he began pressing open-mouthed kisses along your jaw, something made you both freeze.

“Ewwwwwwww!” Someone who sounded suspiciously like Tuk squealed, followed by a fake retching noise that you often heard Lo’ak make. You whipped your head around, searching through the darkness outside of the alcove, Ao’nung’s grip on you relaxing a bit but not letting go.

“Just get out of these stupid bushes, guys. They know we’re here.” Neteyam grumbled, and finally everyone came into view from the greenery they had been hiding in. You gaped. Neteyam, Tuk, Kiri, Rotxo, Tsireya, and Lo’ak were all there.

“Oh my Eywa, tell me you did not just see all of that!” You gasped, fighting the urge to rip out of Ao’nung’s grasp. In response, Lo’ak grinned before putting on a stupid face.

“Oh, [Y/N]. I hate that I don’t hate you! Oh, Ao’nung, don’t you want me to apologize?” His imitation of your voices was horrendous. “Not with words… mwah mwah mwah…” Lo’ak had wrapped his arms around himself and turned around, crudely imitating a kiss. Tsireya smacked him on the shoulder, giving him a look, though her and the others were holding back laughter.

“Why the hell did you follow us here?” You questioned angrily before remembering the earlier events of the day. You snapped your head toward Neteyam.

“Is this what they were planning earlier?!” You raged, about to stomp over to him to give him a piece of your mind. Ao’nung pulled you back.

“Yes. Your sister explained to me how you were feeling and said she wanted to help me make peace with you. We all came up with the idea to take you here to talk and get away from all of your birthday stuff.” He paused, assessing your still fuming expression. “But I swear I didn’t know they were going to come spy on us!” He hissed, glaring at everyone.

“It’s not our fault you two decided to start sucking face!” Lo’ak cried.

“We just wanted to see if you guys would apologize and be friends again.” Kiri piped up, and you knew she was telling the truth. You softened.

“Well, I guess it worked.” You shook your head, smiling in spite of yourself. Beside you, Ao’nung smiled too, a real, genuine smile. Lo’ak made another gagging noise.

“Literally kill me. You guys are disgusting. Can’t you just go back to being frenemies or something?”

“Lo’ak, if you keep being a moron then I’m going to have to tell mom and dad about what you and Tsireya get up to when-”

“Okay, okay! Geez! Why does everyone have to know my business, damn!”

Everyone laughed and began turning toward the party, slowly making their way back. You and Ao’nung trailed behind, his arm slung around your waist as you walked.

“So how does it feel to be with the most attractive guy in the world?” He smirked cockily. You just scoffed.

“I wouldn’t know.” You earned a playful shove from him, laughing.

“You’re actually the worst.” Ao’nung grinned, shaking his head.

“I know you are, but what am I?”

“An annoying little brat, then.”

You gasped, faking offence. “Rude!”

“That’s what you love about me.”

You pretend to think for a moment. “Mm, nope. Don’t think so.” You concluded, laughing loudly as Ao’nung growled playfully, stopping both of you in your tracks. He turned toward you, capturing your face entirely in his large hands.

“Take it back.”

“No thanks.” You grinned arrogantly.

“C’mon, love. Just admit that you can’t get enough of me.” You shivered at the nickname, and he smirked. That stupid little smirk. It had gotten you into a whole world of trouble. But maybe it was worth it?

He leaned in, pressing a quick, but heated kiss to your lips.

Yes, definitely worth it.

taglist:

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[umeoniii]

JOB INTERVIEW??? NO COMEBACK!!! finish what you started hange😭😭 that was so good omg i loved it 💛💛

neet hange pt 2 _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):

!: fem bodied reader, smut

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'U・x・U'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

neet hange didn’t want a job but had to get one so you wouldn’t think she was an embarrassment or failure. she walked to her interview to be a barista, she didn’t want to but she had no choice.

when she was at the interview she was practically on her knees begging for the job. she desperately needed it. it was gonna be hard working since she really haven’t had any social interactions since she got fired. only the mailman, her parents and you. she was so happy when the interviewer handed her the apron and visor.

on her way home she stopped by your apartment, knocking frantically. when you opened she looked at you with no emotion. “did you get it?” you asked her excitedly.

she pulled the apron out from behind her back smiling. she hugged you picking you up spinning you around. she was so happy that she was gettin better. when she put you down you grabbed her cheeks with both hands giving her a soft kiss on her lips. she could taste your cupcake flavored chapstick. she quite literally almost pissed herself.

you and hange technically were not together, she was more of a friend with benefits, sneaky link, whatever you wanted to call it, for whatever reason. she thought that if she got a job maybe you’d change the way you felt about her. you let go of her “im so proud of you!”

“c’mere, sit sit. im gonna bake you a cake real quick.” you grin at her.

she was happy about her job, just a little sad about you.

you two sat eating the cake talking about what she was gonna spend her money on and how she was gonna get her old job back. she left going back to her apartment taking a shower then lying down in her bed, no longer cluttered because you helped her clean her apartment.

as she layed down she thought about u, it was so hard for her to not have u constantly on her mind. she has just met you a few months earlier, but you were the light of her life. her fingers drifted down to her underwear, stuffing her hole with her fingers, slowly going in and out as she gasps your name quietly.

next morning she got up getting ready for work. on her way out she saw you outside of her apartment door with a bag. “it’s lunch” you said handing it to her. she smiled giving you a hug then taking the train to work.

she almost vomited after taking her first order it was lowkey a lot but she put a smile on and did what she had to do. when it was lunch she opened the bag and read a small not you left, “hange, have a great day at work and don’t worry about talking to people, just imagine they’re me or your parents! have a great day i love you, enjoy the sandwich and i have a surprise for you later!” she smiled taking a bite of the sandwich.

when her shift was over she took the train home and knocked on your door when she opened she saw you in a red dress, with your hair curled and put up. you pulled her to sit down at the table to have dinner with you. “how was your first day?” you asked digging in your food. she told you all about her day.

“that’s great han!” you smiled. she nodded with a soft smile. you had noticed something was up with her for at least a few weeks. you had decided to inquire about it. “what’s up? you’ve looked kinda sad for a while, has anything happened?” you asked her.

she just had to tell you, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. “it’s just that, i don’t know y/n, would it be weird if i said that i didn’t wanna be whatever we are anymore? i mean i like you a lot, you’re one of the first people who treats me well. if i’m being honest i don’t wanna fuck you like once a week then go back to being just, i don’t know normal.” she exclaims stressfully.

you understood what she was saying completely. you were actually planning on taking her out and asking to make things official. “i understand hange, i was actually gonna ask if you wanted to be in a relationship. because you’re right the on and off thing is kinda weird.” hange’s demeanor completely changed as she nodded quickly agreeing with you. then getting up to hug you.

a few hours later, your other surprise after hange’s first day was literally eating her out.

this was actually like the first time you did anything to hange. all the times you had sex she was giving it to you. you enjoyed it though, licking at her clit, stuffing tongue into her practically virgin hole. “y/n , fuck.” she mewled teary eyed bucking her hips into your mouth. you grabbed her tits for leverage as she continued riding your face crying out your name. saliva and cum coating her puffy folds.

she wrapped her legs around your neck as you kissed her sweet pussy, gripping her thighs. “you taste so good.” you whine into her, spreading her lips. as you continue to lick at her she looked down at you, cupping your cheek with her hand. “fuck, this is the best i’ve ever felt in my entire existence.” she cried out her fingers entangled in your hair. she was sweating, beads of sweat ran down her forehead and legs. the only noises in the whole apartment were that of her moans and the smacking of you eating her cunt.

you pushed your fingers in her, thrusting slowly as she told you breathy, “i used to do this exact same thing while thinking about you.” she smirked looking down. you looked up still licking her clit. as you continued pleasing your lover, you noticed her moaning turn into small whines as she was getting closer to her orgasm.

“my ex never ever fucked me even close to the way you could hange, that’s why you deserve everything i can possibly offer.” you say getting back to lapping at her hardened bud. she whines louder before and came, cum slowly creeping out of her hole like molasses. you lick it up and get up to kiss her, holding her cheeks, sucking on her tongue as she holds you close grabbing your ass.

[canaidliafail]

Way back to her 2/2

Minthara x f!tav

CW: Possessive & jealous Minthara, adult content and interactions MDI

[Tav was a knight at the Beanre household and caught Minthara’s attention forming an interesting relationship. After the Absolutes abduction she is now trying to find her way back to her]

I’ve had part 2 in my notes for a while and only posted on ao3 so I decided to go ahead and post it here as well

[ part 1 ]

[Who made you like this?

Who encrypted your dark gospel in body language?

Won't you come and dance in the dark with me?

Show me what you are, I am desperate to know]

[1]

“The curse is thick as shit here fuck” You coughed out and rubbed your eyes and wiped the grime and blood off your chin. Cold sweat coated your back and you shivered in discomfort. You barely had enough time to rest after a fight with some Undead guards and now you were in what closely resembled a graveyard. The place reeked of rot and the cursed shadows clogged your lungs

“Fuck me so thats our best bet to Baldurs gate? Better find those wretched goblins then. Moonrise towers, is it?”

Astarion whined. You nodded and unfolded the map that minthara gave you “Correct. Now right down this road there should be our scouts waiting for us…” You trailed on and started walking while squinting through the darkness. The rest followed you in silence. Gale however, the gentleman that he was tried to check on Lae’zel every so often to make sure she was holding up alright after the grand failure that her Creche was. You tried to chime in and fell back to match her pace

“If you ever need to speak about it”

“Trust me, You will know when Im ready” she hissed and you smiled. Not at her despair but of how familiar this tone was to you. You squeezed her arm and moved on. In the distance you noticed the dim lights of torches trembling through the clouds of darkness

You spotted goblins messing with a gnoll tossing it into the abyss beyond. It chases after it and once it fell out of sight you only heard its yelps of pain

“You the true soul that Minthara told us about?” they asked. You scoffed.

they really aren’t bright if they are asking every stranger in need such an open and convenient question

“I am”

You were firm and the spider lyre was already in your hands waiting for tunes to be plucked. The sleazy bastard tried to get in your favors and practically salivated when he asked you to put in a good word for him to Lord Ketheric thorm. You were vaguely familiar with this specific character, well no, personality type if you will. While you never directly spoke to them you saw them approach Minthara at the manor and you despised them all the same. Blessed was the day that she prohibited you from talking to anyone with kindness or talking to them at all. It came out of nowhere but you were grateful nonetheless.

The road was as eventful as one would expect in such areas and your guide was nothing but a terribly unfortunate victim of the Absolute that you most likely would have to rip apart in the later days to come. In these lands you didn’t think the towers would be elegant or polished since the place fell short from such luxuries. Despite it all it was well kept and standing and the guards didn’t question you urging you in

“He is waiting for you inside true souls”

The place was bustling with goblins guards and drunken bards all yapping and talking their shit. It was horrendous.

“I’ve never felt more unsafe in a place before”

you confessed. You’ve seen battles and you countered 87 assassination attempts 79 of which were courtesy of the ever so lovely Minthara and her training and it didn’t compare to this place.

“Agreed. Sooner we get done ,the better. What…are we supposed to be looking for exactly?”

“Guess we'll know once we find it. Can’t slip out of this meeting though”

Shadowheart was silent for a bit and then resumed her questioning “What about Minthara? Will you talk to her?”

she asked as the gates of the main hall were pushed open to reveal the woman in question

“No way around it” she replied to herself and you all fell silent to the sight before you

“IF I had Drow warriors instead of Goblin trash then I wouldn’t have failed as I did!” she bit back and you felt something blossom in your chest again. This was her.This was who you knew

“Are you suggesting it was his fault?”

“yes, No! I would never”

and there it is again. That paralyzing fear

This wasn’t her just yet but something peculiar was unfolding. The energy shifted and a headache came crashing in your skull. You felt the tadpole squirm and you tried not to panic. You looked behind you and your companions seemed as distraught as you by the sheer force and control the absolute had in these halls.

[2]

“Z’rell wants to see you. Enjoy your dinner” A human bard said and tossed a basket with bread on your table near your plates. You couldn’t eat. You were not hungry. You may have shifted her attention and Minthara wasn’t sentenced with the death penalty but who knew what they were doing to her down there.

“It’s alright blossom you tried” Astarian said with a smirk and lack of compassion and turned to the others

“Now what do you think Z’rell will want with us?”

“Either congratulate us for the massacre of those goblins back in the main hall or give us some new errand to run around. Still feeling a little lost with what our next move should be” she confessed and Gale agreed

“We know what our final one is. Question is how do we get there. As we saw the General…” he said in a hushed tone and leaned in “He is near immortal. The axe went halfway through his neck!” he hissed and straightened his fingers mimicking the movement of the axe on his neck with his hand. You picked on a potato and out of curiosity looked up to see their heads turned your way waiting for your input. You simply didn’t care though. Not when you felt like there was more that you could do for her. One last thing perhaps?

“I’ll take a walk. I'm getting nauseous….” you pushed yourself off the table and left everyone behind. Your goal was to reach the balcony. But once you went past the first wooden door you were met with a small hallway. A set of stairs heading far down beneath the building and a door to your right with a soft breeze coming through. You clenched your fist and walked downstairs. To your relief, it really was the prison which was an odd thing to consider. You strolled around and you were met with a piercing screech from the room to your left. Your hair raised at the gruesome sound and your pulse quickened, immediately recognising the voice. You walked through the shabby wooden door and saw two clerics and minthara. the air was thick in the small room and she was ready to fall on her knees

“Not only did you fail to follow orders, the most damning thing of all was your need of approval and affection from a mortal no less”

“You have no right-Ach!” her knees gave and she fell on the ground, her fingers digging into her skull. You stepped forward

“Let me handle this” the clerics stepped backwards happy to oblige before a true soul and you shut them out peering into her mind. Amidst the purple haze you saw her and she saw you. Truly this time

“you…came? I…Prayed that you would but there are no Gods left for me…” she whispered and you stepped closer to her “I would always come for you, I never stopped”

“I know. I remember but…Fuck” her head dropped and her voice broke. Your heart was shaken as you realized that she was fighting back tears. She whimpered and it took everything within you not to throw your arms around her “You are safe now but first, let’s kill these bastards for what they’ve done to you” you urged and she looked up hopeful and ready.

It took one, two, three swift swings of her maces and your sword for their limbs to gracelessly roll on the floor. You Turned around covered in blood and before you could say anything more she walked up to you and hugged you, reaching around your neck and pulling you towards her. Your arms snaked around her waist and then you fell on your knees holding her around her thighs, your cheek pressed against her leg.

“I can’t believe this, you came and I…I didn’t recognise you before…” she trailed on and began to stroke your hair

“What have they done to you-“ you said and tried to keep your voice steady

“They were..erasing me completely. They tried to wipe my mind and even someone like me wouldn’t have held much longer” she confessed, shaken. She was scared so you fulfilled your duty as the knight of the Beanre house

“You will tell me everything. For now let’s get out of here”

[3]

Everyone complained and was wary while Minthara curtly patted the ground and tried to figure out how to set her tent. She chose the spot furthest from everyone knowing that she would not be trusted or welcome. You knew of her loyalty to lolth and unfortunately to the absolute so you didn’t doubt it that she would devote it to you all as well after rescuing her. You walked up making an effort to show off your taut arm muscles by rolling up the short sleeves of your top.

“Let me help you miss”

“Still on with that title. You never stopped being a loyal pup” she praised and truthfully if you had a tail it would be wagging furiously. You Immediately got on with helping her set up her tent. Not that she needed any help but she seemed to appreciate the gesture. It took a few hours with you fussing over her beddings and took some furs from your bunk to add to her comfort refusing to let royalty lay on grass. She observed you all the while and sat on the newly carpeted ground offering you a hand to pull you down. You sat across from her and felt a warm tingle run up your spine at the familiarity.

“How have you been ? It’s..It’s been years since I last saw you” she whispered and reached out a hand hesitantly and caressed your cheek. You leaned in to her touch and your brows tilted up in affection and sadness

“I haven’t stopped searching for you, that’s all I’ve been doing ever since you vanished that day…so if anything what I want to know is what happened to you? How did you wind up in all of this?”

she looked down and told you everything. She spoke of Orin and you felt jealous before she reassured you that the only thing between the two was manipulation, false comradery and now hatred. She worshiped her and the Absolute but none of that faith lingered or was ever true in the first place

“She slaughtered my men and made me watch…she put the tadpole in my eye and laughed at my fear…at my pain…” she quietly spoke. You adjusted your position to move closer to her and pulled her in your arms

“If you will have me by your side I will protect you. My path and vow to you still stands Minthara and-“

your voice faltered and she pulled away to look in your eyes waiting for you to finish your sentence

“And…If you would have me as something more than a knight by your side then I would gladly take on that role…as your suitor” you said with uncharacteristic forwardness and formality that you were long past

she chuckled

“Suitor? How interesting. Will you be consulting with my mother for my hand in marriage as well?”

you were quite and you wondered if you should had but she snapped you out of your thoughts

“I jest. But I do appreciate your confession…more than that actually…” She said and once again hesitated. She was still shrouded in darkness and betrayal. As loyal as she was she had consistently been let down by those she trusted. you kissed her and she relaxed in your touch moving closer to climb on your lap with her legs spread on each side of your thighs. You broke the kiss and looked in her eyes fixing a loose strand of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ears

“You don’t have to answer me now. First I promised that we would take our revenge. Then and only then when you feel ready you will answer me” she smiled and rested her forehead on yours

“You always understood me so well, my beloved knight. Very well then”

[4]

In menzoberranzen everything was taken to extremes. “hide and seek, if we are found we are dead”

Minthara filled you in on everything you could have missed since you didn’t grow up in the underdark. Your hometown was a far cry from Baldurs gate luxuries however it certainly wasn’t as vicious as this place was.

Minthara felt the weight of her new mace and swung it once,twice in the air for practice. “The guard you were talking to last night” she started conversing and you lifted your head from your book. You straighten your posture, ungluing your back from the wall

“Meaning Elsa ? She is lovely isn’t she ?” you entertained her not having the slightest clue of where this conversation was going

“Lovely?” she hissed with a curious tone. She dropped the mace on the blacksmiths tabletop with a heavy clank and stalked towards you “Explain” she demanded and you felt your throat dry up “She is a good friend…is there something on your mind minthara?” you watched her cheeks hollow and move as she rolled her tongue inside in concentration on how to phrase things next

“Do you know of the rules of games here, knight?”

“all lead to death no?”

she nodded pleased

“Tell her that she has been invited for a game of hide and seek starting now”

It seemed reckless and thoughtless back then. Now you understood that she meant that if Minthara were to find her next to you again she would have her killed with her own bare hands

She was territorial and possessive like that. It all came back to you when she caught you laughing at a joke Shadowheart made.

“You two..what’s your relationship?” she asked that night while you braided her hair. She was on the ground between your thighs in prayer and caught you off guard

“We…shared some intimate moments”

“so you had sex with her?”

you choked on your spit and turned the other way to cough on your sleeve in shock. You turned back to her and tied the end of her braid

“We..did yes”

“Do you share an emotional bond as well?” she asked and was on her feet now facing you, who was seated on a wooden chair. For once, she was taller than you

“If you are asking if my confession to you was false than I assure you-“

“answer my question”

you clenched your jaw. You had to tread carefully for Minthara had a unique way of defining betrayal. Quite a sensitive one as well.

“No. She knew of the fact that I loved another as did I know that the only devotion she has is for Shar” Minthara squinted and tilted her head crossing her arms over her chest “Is that so? Still I'm unsure of how to feel over the fact that you shared your body, a body that belongs to me, with someone else”

you flinched. She was unreasonable and yet to you she made sense. Years of effort and blood to win her trust could be lost within seconds

“Do you…return my feelings then?” You asked. The wind was cold and the lanterns and firepits provided little warmth and somehow this conversation made the atmosphere feel colder than it was.

Minthara was quiet. She knew you had more to say so she stood patiently

“Minthara I will only have you bare with your walls down or I won’t have you at all” You confessed and she nodded and approached you her fingers light on your cheek

“Do you even know what that entails? Are you actually capable of handling that?”

There was the gentle graze of her blunt nails against your flesh and her eyes pierced into yours waiting to see if you would falter

How could a confession sound like a life threat…

“I lived with you, I waited for you and now despite you being taken away from me I found you. I’m the only one who knows what it entails Minthara” She kept her eyes on you barely blinking.

Her sentence was cut short thanks to the visit of the Harper Jaheira

“Hope I am not interrupting. We still have much to discuss about Ketheric Thorm and how to take him down”

Mintharas posture changed “I may have an insight as to where we can look…”

It was foolish trying to get a confession out of her with how grim the times were now. She barely escaped his claws and you had just went by unscathed trying to protect his daughter Isobel. You had other things to focus on and couldn’t allow any distractions

[5]

Minthara started taunting you during battle. Yes her armor was heavy but her pants were leather and tight and she never missed the chance to show off her hips and walk. She consulted with you with a hand low on your ass and other times she looked more at your lips then your eyes. She once pulled you to the side behind a tree and kissed you with bruising force. She left a few bitemarks high on your neck and wiped her glossy lips from your heavy makeout sesh.

It drove you to the edge of insanity. Two nights later you grabbed her arms and pressed her against that same tree near your bunks, ass facing you while you pressed your crotch against it

“You wanna drive me fucking mad or do you finally want me to fuck you sensesless ”

“Spare me your vulgar speech, No harm in a little after battle fun” she said toying with your string thin patience

you pressed your hips against hers and slid another hand around feeling the gap between her tits from the exposed top that she wore. you ventured lower and cupped her cunt above her pants earning a heavy groan that ringed in your head pleasantly

she spread her legs by instinct and pushed her body against yours in wanting “I need you” she whispered and you nibbled on her lobe and trailed kisses lower to her neck

“You have me…I’m here” you husked and slid your hand beneath her tights pants. With a sharp twitch of your wrist you loosened up the zip to give yourself more space for movement and trace her clothed pussy with your fingers to find her wet and ready to take you. You smiled and she felt it “What did you do without me all those years?” you asked, growing possessive and aroused with the fierceness of the moment. She reached around and dug her fingers in your skull, tugging at your loose hair

“I couldn’t allow myself any distractions, Didn’t care for them until I saw you again” she said in earnest. You let out a sigh and brushed her undergarment aside to trace your fingers between her folds gathering her slick. She moaned rich and low like you remembered and loved and grinded her hips against yours. It was unfortunate that you weren’t strapped right now. You could have doubled her pleasure, alas you make due with what you had.

You synced her movements with yours and started rubbing slow circles on her clit indulging in the gasps and sighs that she couldn’t keep contained. You kissed the nape of her neck and left a constellation of bite marks on her skin.

“I need you inside me” she ordered softly and you complied fast pushing one digit inside with ease and started a slow rhythm picking up the pace when you heard your breathing grow faster and heavier. You let go of her arms to wrap a hand around her holding her closer from her sternum while your fingers thrusted deep in and out of her. You felt her come undone in your arms and spill in your hand.

“Minthara….” You whispered and kissed her temple. She tried to turn around in your grasp and rested her sweat covered back against the tree. You helped her fix herself up and kissed her slowly and gently. she looked at you with doe eyes and you could see your reflection in them.

You had so much to say that it all seemed futile.

So with your heart full yet empty you rested your forehead on her shoulder silently and knew that perhaps you would never be more than what you are now.

[6]

This was hardly time to celebrate but the mood was better at camp than before. One of the big three was gone and you had a strong lead to follow and a seemingly clear path to Baldurs gate. It pained you to know that you couldn’t do much to lift the curse of the shadow lands but you didn’t dwell too much on those feelings.

Shadowheart lifted her cup your way in salute and you returned the gesture. You started approaching her and she smiled “Why hello, Lover~” she joked and you laughed to which she winced with a chuckle of her own “Sorry, Sounded funnier in my head. Hope it didn’t come off as anything else” You shook your head in reassurance and squeezed her arm

“No Its alright. How are you holding up? Everything that happened back at Shars temple must have…”

you trailed on and her eyes got cloudy and distant “I want to avoid thinking of it now. Having everything I stood for get wrecked in seconds… It’s too much”

“I understand but just so you know, I’m still your friend. If you consider me that…”

she smiled and reached out to hug you “Thank you. I'm grateful to have you around” she pulled away and cocked a brow “perhaps it's better that things worked out this way. Having to fight off Minthara would have been a tiring battle” she teased and you chuckled

You felt a caress, someone reaching out to your mind and you turned to look at minthara who abruptly withdrew all together. She looked soft, unlike her usual stern stare she seemed insecure and conflicted. you bid shadowheart a quick goodnight and went to her side

“Sorry, old habits. I just, I had to see for myself some things and..” She searched for something as she peered into your eyes and seemed relieved with whatever she found “You stood by me for so long and you may have been the only one who proved their faith. However your confession, after all these years, these battles and your new endeavors” she quipped jealous and glanced at shadowhearts tent before turning her focus to you

“I had to make sure that you still feel the same for me…so I wanted to ask to look into your mind one last time, May I?”

you nodded and she closed her eyes, reaching into your mind carefully. You completely let down your walls, inviting her in to explore as she wished and there she saw everything. Every detail that you memorized of her and every thought and feeling you experience. A strong possessiveness and a word that overshadowed everything

“mine”

she withdrew and smiled at you with mischief, lust and something new. something soft and affectionate

“I know you’ve had your fun with others but now, you can have me instead” she said and challenged you. You reached out and cupped her cheeks eager and pulled her closer

“Minthara you are all I ever wanted ever since I first saw you”

“You have me now. You held my body before but now I want you to know that I'm giving you more than that. It’s a burden to carry I know-”

“No. To win you trust and earn your love is a gift”

you kissed her deep and slow and she reached around your neck and pulled you closer and tighter pulling away only to catch her breath for a moment before diving back in. You held the back of her head and your other hand rested low on her back going up and down, unable to get enough of the feeling of her body against yours.

you both paused at the same time and she looked at you with her brows tilted and her eyes shining, reflecting the moon like freshly spilled blood.

“I love you, I have for a while. I wasn’t sure I could ever tell you but now, I want you to know. I too, want you to belong only to me” you nodded and kissed her on the forehead

“Im yours Minthara”

[modern-day-bard]

Worth The Feeling

Content Warning: 18+

This story contains explicit smut, intimidation, and an age gap relationship (26 x 40s). Minors, do not interact.

Chapter 13

Heat. That is all I have thought about all day. We should be getting out of here soon, ironically just as the sun is finally setting. It has been ten straight hours of running around, often uphill. And for whatever reason, I wasn't granted access to a golf cart today. This meant that I felt the full force of the Italian sun, and could certainly feel the sweat dripping lightly down my back.

I haven't been around Javi or any of the other talent today. I haven't even seen Lana. Most of my duties today were assisting the prop department on a nearby beach. I overheard some of the prop people saying that we were mapping out what was needed for this shot that was to take place in the next few days. My time was mainly spent waiting for people to hand me things, and carrying it up the hill to our truck. Or, occasionally, retrieving things from that truck. I was ecstatic when we got here in the morning and the air was still mild, but as the day went on, I'm lucky I haven't passed out from dehydration.

I'm just finishing up one of my last uphill trips when my walkie buzzes to life.

"Dwayne to Ava," I hear Dwayne's muffled voice.

"Go for Ava," I reply, placing one of the cushions I'm carrying into the back of the truck.

"We're about done for the day, but I want to chat with you when you have a second. Can you speak with me at base camp before you go?"

"Yeah, no problem. I'm finishing up here, I should be there in about ten."

"Copy," Dwayne says, and the fuzz on the other end dies down.

I take a deep breath, telling myself this will be the last time I have to go down another hill today. I take the steep, ten minute walk down to base camp, finding Dwayne by the vans that will take us back to the hotel. They look heavenly.

"Hey Ava, good work today." Dwayne greets me, glancing up from his phone just long enough to verify that it's me.

"Thanks Dwayne," I wait as he types on his phone. His furrowed brow is focused solely on the screen in front of him. "Did you have something else you wanted to talk to me about?" I ask lightly. I assume it's the list of tasks for tomorrow, or he needs me somewhere other than the beach.

He is silent for a moment longer, finishing up his text. "Yes. I would love it if we could discuss your position." He finally looks up from his phone, putting it in his pocket.

"How long have you been with us, Ava?"

"Um...about four years now I believe."

"And do you feel like you've learned a lot during that time?"

"Absolutely." Where is he going with this?

"I mean, do you feel like you've learned from a lot of different departments?"

I get the sense that I need to sell myself somewhat.

"Yes, I feel like I could jump into almost any department at this point. To help out, I mean. I've worked with sound, lighting, props, costumes...I could jump in anywhere."

Dwayne nods, bringing his thumb up to his lip in thought.

"You and I have worked together for a while. You're quick on your feet and you're quick to learn. I'm looking to train someone to fill my position. I know you're in graduate school, and if you do well here, you can meet more people. I interact with some of the editing team as well. It could be a great stepping stone."

My heart starts to pound at his words, and I can feel the smile splitting my face.

"Dwayne, I–I would love that. Thank you!" I know that I'm practically gushing, but it's been a long day, and I didn't even think that Dwayne remembered I was in graduate school. Let alone that he would be willing to introduce me to the studio's editors if I took over as Key-PA.

Dwayne shrugs, clearly uncomfortable with my glee. "We can work out the details once we're home, but for now you can train with me. Starting tomorrow, meet me here and you can follow my lead. Sound okay?"

"It sounds excellent! Thank you again, Dwayne." I shake his hand, surprising him slightly.

"See you tomorrow, Ava." He sounds just as matter-a-fact as always does, but I am elated. The warmth of the sun doesn't even bother me as I board one of the vans back to the hotel. I cannot wait to tell Lana. I should also probably give my parents a call. They'd certainly be relieved that this assistant job seemed to be moving somewhere. Granted, it's to another assistant job, but this has real promise.

I am way too wired to nap on the way back to the hotel. I excitedly burst through our door to tell Lana, but the room is empty and quiet. It didn't occur to me that the sound team may not be cleared for the day. Now would be a good time to call my parents, but I check the time difference on the East Coast and it's still the middle of the work day for them. I flop down on my bed in defeat.

Key-PA. I'd be reporting directly to the first assistant director. I wouldn't have to run around nearly as much, and I'd mainly be in charge of other PAs, so I wouldn't have to interact with talent as much as I do now. It would be so much easier, and most likely better pay. I mean, it had to be better pay if Dwayne had been doing it so long. I hadn't even thought to ask what position he'd be moving into. I hope that doesn't paint me in a bad light. Surely he'd noticed how excited I'd been. He would probably just assume I was taken off-guard, which really was the case. Regardless, I make a mental note to ask him more about his new position tomorrow.

My phone pings next to me on the bed. I lift it in front of my face, not bothering to sit up.

To my surprise, it's Javi.

Javi: Hot day today, huh?

I chuckle to myself.

Ava: We're discussing the weather now, are we?

I wait a moment before I see him typing.

Javi: I'm looking for an excuse to cool off. How about a swim?

A swim? We're an hour away from the lake. I'm about to protest, when another text comes through. This time it's a picture of an infinity pool overlooking the city.

Javi: Top floor. I'll let you in.

A few more moments pass.

Javi: That is, if you're interested.

I look lift my head, glancing around my empty hotel room, internally buzzing from my good news earlier. And not a soul to share it with.

Ava: I'll be up in 10

- - -

I only packed one bathing suit for this trip, in the spirit of packing light. Also in the spirit of knowing that this is a work trip, and that my free time, as usual, will be limited. The higher the elevator climbs, the more conflicted I feel over my one piece and jean-short combo. With my flip flops to complete the ensemble, I feel more dressed for a waterpark rather than an Italian penthouse infinity pool. The door pings, and I know it's too late to change my mind.

I enter into a plain, short hallway with a singular frosted door at the end. I move to open it, but it's locked. I see a keycard reader next to the door, and take out my card to swipe it.

Denied.

I try again. Denied.

I'm about to text Javi, when I see a shadow appear on the other side of the frosted glass, and the door opens to reveal his smiling face.

I hold up my keycard. "Premier access only, I'm guessing?"

Javi rolls his eyes, holding the door open for me as I step through. "You get the view, I get the pool."

"Uh-huh," I stroll past him only to suddenly stop short. The picture he had sent didn't do this view justice. Not by a long shot.

The infinity pool stretched across nearly the entire side of the building, looking out onto the ancient rooftops and giving way to the sparkling streetlights below. In the distance, you could see the top of the cathedral, and I could be mistaken, but I think I can also make out the Duomo rooftops. The sun had just set, and there was still one strip of deep magenta lining the edge of the sky past the cityscape. The pool itself had several lounge chairs and chaises, some even made to be submerged in the more shallow end of the pool. It was completely breathtaking.

"So," Javi says quietly from my left, "Was it worth the elevator ride?"

I scoff, "And the dehydration today. Ten times over."

Javi scowls at that, but doesn't say anything as he places his hand lightly on my lower back, guiding me to the side of the pool. The view had kept me from noticing the picnic set up on two of the chairs. There was a box of a pizza, a bottle of wine, and multiple bottles of water. My mouth salivated at the sight.

"I wasn't sure if you had eaten yet," Javi rubs the back of his neck.

I hadn't. I was so thrilled about my chat with Dwayne that it had completely slipped my mind. Now, with some of the magnificent scent of mozzarella wafting in the air, my stomach rumbles.

"Thank you," I smile at him. "I don't know what I'm more excited about. The pizza, or the water." I reach for one of the bottles, cracking it open and chugging. In the back of my mind, I know it isn't the most lady-like thing for me to do, but I can't resist.

Javi takes a seat in one of the chairs, and I follow his lead.

"You know, at the risk of sounding...old," he gives me a knowing smirk, "You should really be drinking water on set. You're out in the heat a lot longer than you are in L.A."

"Yeah, you're right," I say, taking another swig. "You do sound old."

He chuckles and opens the box of pizza. The smell alone practically wraps around my hand, forcing me to reach for a slice.

"Be careful," Javi says, his hand darting out in warning, "This is your first Italian pizza. Once you taste this, there's no going back."

I take another deep inhale of herb and mozzarella-filled air.

"I think I'm okay with that."

I take my first bite and—wow. Holy god, wow.

"Maybe I've just had a long day, but this is the most incredible thing I've ever had."

Javi beams, and I realize he may have been apprehensive waiting for my response. He takes a slice as well, his shoulders easing.

"I didn't see you much today," he says, picking off a rather long string of cheese.

I try to ignore how my heart flutters at those words. Was he looking for me?

"The Key-PA had me working on the setup for tomorrow with the prop department. You'll get to enjoy the beach a lot tomorrow, apparently."

"Dwayne?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Of course," He starts to uncork the wine. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I...I don't know. I guess I haven't met many actors who would know those things."

"Who has Norwick been hiring?" He says jokingly.

"You'd be surprised," I say before taking a sip of the wine he hands me. My eyes go wide.

"Oh yeah, that will be ruined for you too." He winks, taking a sip of his as well.

I take a few more sips, still jittery from my good news. I realize that I still want to share it. And looking at those deep brown eyes, and the soft smile of the man who got me dinner, and made sure I had enough to drink...I know that I want to tell him. Even though my future has proven to be a challenging topic for us.

"Despite the heat, today was actually a really good day. I got some great news from Dwayne." I paused for a moment, and Javi's raised eyebrows gave me enough encouragement to continue. "He wants to train someone to take over his position. He...asked me if I would be interested. He even said that if I do well, he could introduce me to some of the studios' editors." I take another sip.

"And what did you say?"

"I start shadowing him tomorrow."

"Ava!" His smile is contagious. "That's fantastic, congratulations." He reaches between us, squeezing my knee, "Your hard work deserves to be noticed."

"Thank you," I return his smile, "I was ecstatic when he asked me. I wanted to tell my parents or Lana but I haven't had the chance. I know I should be tired after a day like today but I'm just–I don't know. I'm so excited."

"I'm happy for you," his hand doesn't move from my knee, giving it another squeeze. His voice is gentle, and his joy for me is undoubtedly genuine. My gaze drifts from his eyes down to his mouth.

"I'm happy, too." I look back up from his lips to his eyes. Eyes that are inquisitive. Expectant.

"I do, however, still need to cool off." I pop up from my chair and move toward the edge of the pool. I admire the view again, turning in a slow circle, confirming what I already suspected. We were the only ones here. Eyes still on the cityscape, I kick off my flip flops before unzipping my jean shorts and shimmying them down my legs. I make an extra show out of bending down to step out of my shorts. Not completely necessary, but as I said, I'm happy. I feel good, and I want to keep feeling good. I turn back around to face Javi. His eyes were transfixed on my body, his hand gripping the stem of his wineglass far tighter than need be.

I take a step backwards onto the first step of the pool. The water that laps my ankles is warm, and my skin prickles in anticipation. I didn't imagine that I would be doing what I'm doing now when I agreed to meet him here. But the jitters that I felt earlier have molded into something different. With this view and this man...I have the overwhelming feeling that I need to soak up every moment. Every possible opportunity of solitude we have.

Javi drags his eyes back up my body before meeting my gaze.

"I like your bathing suit." He says, his low tone nowhere close to matching his nonchalant words.

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow, hooking my thumbs on both on the shoulder straps on each side. "I was rather disappointed with it." I bring one of my arms out of the straps, stepping down a few more steps into the water as I do so. I pull my other arm loose and gently pull the middle of the bathing suit down, exposing a generous amount of skin on my chest. "I think it might have to go."

Javi watches me, taking a long sip of his wine. Though he is as composed as ever, his complexion is much closer to the red of the liquid in his glass than beforehand. He places the glass down carefully.

"Ava," his voice warning, "What are you doing?"

I take a few more steps backward, now fully in the pool. It must be only about five feet deep. I bend my knees, sinking deeper into the water as I pull my bathing suit down further, ever so slightly.

"I'm cooling off, like you suggested." I'm keeping my tone as innocent as possible, turning my back on him as I pull my bathing suit past my breasts, down my stomach, and eventually step out of it completely. As I toss the sodden fabric onto the pool's edge, I hear Javi groan behind me. I look back over my shoulder, teasing. When I gaze at his eyes, they are a blazing mix of desire and concern.

"Anyone could come up here, Ava." His voice is hoarse.

I smirk, dipping my head backward to wet my hair, knowing that it will give him a pleasant peek of my bare chest skimming the surface of the water. When I pull my head back up, I turn to face him again, just low enough in the water to cover what I had just given him a glimpse of.

"Then I guess you should be quick about getting in here."

With a final sigh, and a look that could burn me where I stand, Javi rises from his chair and starts to unbutton his shirt. I study his movements as though I'll be tested on which finger undid which button. He doesn't give me nearly enough time to examine his glorious frame before he wades into the water himself. I want to look at him longer, now that I'm allowed to. Now that we aren't on set, and I don't have to look away as if I was just surveying the crowd. All I want to peruse is him.

Continuing my boldness, I glance down at his lower half through the water as he approaches me.

"That doesn't seem fair," I say, gesturing toward his swim-trunks.

He breathes out one, frustrated laugh and stops no farther than a foot in front of me.

"I meant what I said the other night, Ava. I want your head to be clear."

"I'm not sure how else to convince you that I know what I want," I take a half-step forward, close enough that I have to incline my head to look him in the eye. "I'm not playing games."

Javi looks contemplative, his eyes searching mine for possible trepidation. I know he won't find any. I can't remember the last time I felt this confident in front of a man, especially not while being this exposed. Part of me thinks he might try to blame it on the wine, but I hadn't finished even half of the glass he had poured me. I know what I want. I knew it on our first date. I knew it waking up with my head on his shoulder. I even knew it when he had thought to order me an extra burger during that first week on set, just in the hopes that I would eat lunch with him. And tonight, bathing in the warm water and the moonlight and breathing in the fresh air, I know it now more than ever.

Whatever he finds in my eyes is confirmation enough.

"Aren't you?" He asks, cocking a brow, "Playing games?"

Suddenly his hand tickles my side in the water. I squeal, pulling back, laughing as I run away from him. He catches up to me, rather easily given our height difference and the water slowing me down. I feel him tickle my side again, and I keep running until I'm at the edge of the infinity pool, against the glass. Nowhere to go.

His large hands appear on either side of me on the glass edge. I turn slowly to face him, breathless from running against the water. He is leaning down, using his arms as support. They are strong, protective, locking me in so that it is just me and his fierce, molten chocolate gaze.

"That's better," he says, his voice husky and laced with arrogance. It only makes me want him more.

I bring my arms up around his neck, knowing that by doing so, my breasts will be out of the water in full-view. I can tell by Javi's sharp intake of breath that it doesn't go unnoticed.

"Better?" I ask, still feigning innocence.

"Mhm," he leans in closer, his lips a mere inch from the corner of my mouth, "I can't risk anyone else seeing you like this."

Without moving his lips away, he takes his left hand and drags it languidly, gingerly, across my collarbone before it disappears in the water. I shiver as the same fingertips trail up my bare hip, stroking my side before trailing over my breast, brushing across my quickly hardening nipple.

And with that, with the possessiveness of his words and his proximity but the gentleness of his touch, I can't take it anymore. I pull his lips to mine, ravishing him. I'm immediately lost in open-mouthed kisses, gasping into him, pulling him closer to me. I use my arms around his neck to hoist my legs up, wrapping them around him. I pull him in as close as I can, desperate to feel any sort of friction where I need it most. I gasp again, eyes shooting open as I feel his arousal through his swim-trunks. I shamelessly grind against him once more, moaning lightly into his mouth. I pull back just enough to speak, my hands sliding into his hair.

"Take them off," I plead in a voice that would be best described as a whine.

He groans, leaning down again, this time to kiss my neck.

"Siren," he breathes, mainly to himself. He trails a line of kisses from the nape of my neck up to my earlobe.

Despite the warmth of the water, my skin sprouts goosebumps as I try to collect my breath. It's being made increasingly difficult to do so with Javi's lips still attached to my neck. And as one of his hands still rests on the glass edge of the pool, his other hand is now firmly wrapped around my waist, holding me close to him. I continue to tangle my hands through his soft waves, relishing in the soapy, sandalwood smell that brushes against my nose. His smell. I press my torso closer to him, dying to feel more of his broad chest against mine, skin to skin. I shiver, feeling the warmth of his muscular figure. Feeling that warmth travel all the way down between my thighs. I don't think I've ever been this desperate, this needy, for anyone's touch before.

"Javi," I pant. He pulls back from where he had been attached to my skin, his eyes suddenly concerned, his hand dropping from my waist immediately. I hurry to finish my thought. "More," I shake my head to emphasize my desire. The last thing I want is for his hands to leave my body. "I need more."

Slowly, my eyes never leaving his, I bring one of my hands down in between us, grazing the waistband of his shorts. Javi takes a sharp inhale, his head falling back slightly. I take that as permission to dive my hand lower, still on the outside of shorts. I have to reach lower than I thought given the height difference, and I'm just about to grab what I was searching for when Javi's hand suddenly grasps my wrist.

"Not tonight," my disappointment must have been rampant on my face because he chuckles, detaching my hands from around his neck, "Tonight," he places his hands on my thighs still wrapped around his waist, "Tonight we're celebrating you."

He gently untangles my legs from around his torso, and I fight the whine threatening to escape my lips. Even through the water, his calloused hands made my skin ignite. I'm reveling in the feeling of their wide span stretching across my bare legs. Until I frown, realizing that he is putting my feet down. He gives me a roguish grin, spinning me around so that I'm facing away from him, toward the view of the city below. I place my hands on the glass edge of the infinity pool, light droplets spilling over the sides.

I sigh when I feel his lips next to my ear.

"I can't have you missing out on this view."

I smile back at him, but his eyes are dark. The darkest shade of brown I've seen from him in the time that we've known each other.

"Eyes forward." He quietly commands. I oblige, my heart fluttering in my chest so loud I'm afraid he can hear it now.

Slowly, he pushes my wet hair out of the way to place a featherlight kiss in between my shoulder blades. I feel his leg step in between mine from behind. He nudges one of my feet with his.

"Wider," He commands again. I step out to one side, widening my stance, obeying.

"Here are the rules," He whispers, low and husky, still by my ear, "We stop when you say so. If you don't like something, tell me. And, if you do like something..." his fingers trail up my side, slowly moving toward my right breast, "Feel free to tell me that, too."

The arch of my back is the only response I give him.

Then finally, finally, he touches me. Really touches me. With a force that I have been needing for months. He starts with his right arm curling around me from behind, squeezing both of my breasts in turn. He stays fixated on one at a time, rolling one of my nipples in between his thumb and forefinger until I am gasping again. I'm so distracted by that heavenly sensation that I fail to realize that his left hand is also reaching around me now, moving slow, tantalizing circles around my stomach. The circles dip lower and lower with each rotation. I arch my back further, silently begging him to move that touch to where I need it the most. I've kept my grip on the edge of the pool, and now my knuckles have gone white trying to absorb as much of this moment as possible.

Javi tugs gently on on my earlobe with his teeth, distracting me once again from his hand that has now settled between my thighs underneath the water.

"This is how I want you to feel when you look at me. Tomorrow, when it's hot and you're maybe a little bit bored, making glances my way. Think of this," And through the water, he delivers a quick, sharp slap right to my sex. There is no hope restraining my moan this time. He waits a moment or two, perhaps still gauging my willingness. I push back further into him, feeling his own arousal on my backside, which only drives me further into this heated daze.

He takes the opportunity to cup me with his entire hand, his middle finger dipping into me slightly, running a slow and delicate line up my most sensitive spot. Javi groans into my ear, clearly appreciating how wet he's already made me. I know he can feel it, even through the water. I let my head fall back onto his shoulder, my eyes pinched shut. I need him to do that again. Without thinking, my left hand leaves the railing and covers the top of his under the water, between my legs.

Javi listens to my body, curling his middle finger again, pushing down hard when he reaches my clit. My breaths are coming in and out erratically, still keeping my eyes shut tight.

"K-keep doing that," I gasp out. The words are rushed, and I hadn't planned to say them. But it felt too good, those slow strokes ending where I really want him.

He does just that, dragging his nose along my neck before whispering in my ear.

"Open your eyes," He says in a voice that is not quite a suggestion.

I keep trying to steady my breathing, barely registering that he's speaking to me as his hand continues to build a delicious swirl of tension below my belly.

"Ava, I told you I didn't want you to miss the view. Open your eyes," I know I have to listen to him now. Simply out of fear that if I don't, he will cease his movements.

I open my eyes and...

And what a view it was.

Javi's face, inches from mine, possessive and passionate. Protective, his body still shielding me from anyone who could walk out onto the patio. The glow from the city below is illuminating his damp hair, making him look like an angel. An angel with devilish eyes, trying desperately to push me to the edge of desire. And suddenly I can't help myself from looking down to where his hand was working his magic. The view of him squeezing my breasts, holding me in place is enough to make my arch back further. And though my left hand is on top of his and I can feel his patterns, seeing his strong forearm, veins popping through the top, dipping into the water to please me nearly sends me over the edge.

He must be able to feel it, because he groans again before changing his movements. Javi dips his middle finger inside this time, cursing under his breath. I stop breathing entirely, feeling myself contract slightly as I adjust to the length of his finger. He pulls out, far too slowly. And pushes back in even slower.

I crane my neck to the left so I can look him in the eyes again.

"Javi," My voice sounds so needy, "I need more, I need to–" I can't even finish the words.

His voice is a low chuckle in my ear, "I know what you need."

I've never heard him sound so cocky. But I believe him. The way my body reacts to him–he knows exactly what it needs.

He cups my sex again, his middle finger still inside this time. His eyes ablaze.

"Keep looking at me. I want to see how pink those cheeks can get when you come."

My mouth falls open, and I want to make some clever remark, but suddenly he starts to move his entire hand in circles, his finger moving deeper inside, the heel of his hand hard on my clit. He's touching every part of me that needs him. He's pulling me in so close, keeping me held so tightly that I can't move away from the pleasure. And now that I'm looking back in his eyes, I can't imagine closing them again. Watching him watch me as I feel this pressure builds is the most erotic I've ever felt in my life. The desire in his eyes keeps any of my anxieties at bay as I move closer and closer to the peak of my arousal. My legs start to shake, and his smirk of a reaction is what finally pushes me over the edge. I contract again and again around his hand, breathing heavily and then not at all, holding it in and absorbing as much of this euphoria as possible. I don't think I've ever come this hard before. My eyes don't leave Javi's, and there still that uncharacteristic arrogant smile on his face. His pride is evident, and he is clearly taking his own pleasure in knowing that he made me feel this good. I'm still catching my breath, otherwise I'd want to give him shit for it.

He releases me with a kiss on my shoulder, and I turn around to reach for his shorts again. He must be in desperate need of a release by now. But he simply shakes his head.

"I told you, tonight we are celebrating you," And then, even after his dirty words and dark looks, he bends down to press a kiss on my forehead.

"Are you sure?" I say, still breathless.

"I might hate myself for it later, but yes," He chuckles, wrapping his arms loosely around my back. "I do have one request though."

"Anything," I blurt. I can tell that fills him with pride once again.

"Can you please put your clothes back on so I can stop worrying about anyone else taking a peek?" Javi gives my butt a quick squeeze, and I giggle, moving to retrieve my bathing suit to where I tossed it near the pool's edge.

As I pick it up, dragging it back into the pool with me, I glance behind me at Javi. He is gazing out at the view now, running his hands through his hair. His back muscles are strained, and my heart pulls a little. Normally at this time in the filming process, I'd be relieved. The majority is over with, and we're now on location for a change of scenery. But the thought of only having a few more weeks with Javi, secret or not, fills me with a dull panic.

I shake my head a little to try and clear it. This moment was perfect, and we agreed not to focus on the future right now. I slowly move back over to him, hoping my fear will drip off my skin with the water droplets, and sink down to the bottom.

Next Chapter

Previous Chapter

Series Masterlist

[slapshotsandscones]

I've always headcannoned Jack as autistic, but like, diagnosed later in life??

Because I can just imagine him getting diagnosed in his twenties in the off season and having some Big Feelings and Realizations. Like, realizing how he'd partially used alcohol to put a damper on overstimulation at parties when he was younger, and understanding why he had always had so much trouble figuring our how to interact with people (and therefore why he'd had so few friends growing up), so on and so forth.

And he'd tell a few trusted people, probably Bitty and Lardo and Shitty and Tater, because he understands himself better now, and he wants the people he loves to understand him better too. And they all start reading up on autism and accommodations, and Bitty talks to Jack about having ADHD and they grow even closer through their shared experiences with neurodivergency. In the end, though, it's Tater who goes above and beyond.

He's very careful not to out Jack to the team before Jack's ready, but Tater devises a plan. He convinced Georgia that the Falconers should do some outreach with a local Autistic Children Support Group, raising money and inviting the kids to practice. And then he not so subtly suggests to the rest of the team that they should get educated on Autism as well.

And the thing about accommodations is that they benefit everyone, so while the Falconers are researching they find accommodations to implement at the rink, to both help any potential autistic people on the staff or team, but also because they just generally sound nice. So they get permission from management, and they add light dimmers in the locker rooms so its not glaringly bright. They designate an unused office as a quiet room, filling it with pillows, blankets, and sensory toys to help with anxiety before games and cool down afterwards. Thirdy reads about info-dumping, and he thinks the idea of sharing information you love is super cool, so he sets up some optional team bonding power-point nights (some for serious power-points, some for silly ones).

And Jack comes back for training and hears Snowy talking about how they need to make sure that the merch they give the autistic kids in the upcoming event is sensory-sensitivity friendly. And he sees all the accommodations that have been built into the rink over the summer. And he feels so goddamn seen, even if the Falconers don't know that he's autistic as well. (He tells most of them pretty quickly after that. He knows he doesn't half to, but seeing how accepting they are makes him feel safe enough.)

Idk, just. Radically inclusive Falconers crushing hockey stereotypes one at a time. That is all :D

[youmakemyhearthowl]

Punk Princess

Ao3| Part 1| Part 2| Part 3| Part 4| Part 5 | Part 6| Part 7| Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10| Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 (Next Part)

Gareth was so tired.

He loved Eddie, really he did, the dude was his other half, but god he could be so dense sometimes it made Gareth want to slam his head into a wall, repeatedly . 

Eddie had been acting like everything was fine for a week now, and he never really thought of his best friend as stupid before, but here he was, mumbling the sentiment to himself multiple times a day when he’d watch Eddie try to interact with Steve. Even he knew the apology Eddie had given wasn’t enough for the way he’d treated Steve. He could understand why Eddie might have, in the beginning. They had been friends so long that just an ‘I’m sorry’ covered all the biases when they fought, for every one of the Hellfire members. But that only happens when you’ve solidified a friendship over a decade and knew each other since before you were potty trained.

Steve was new to their dynamic. Hell, Steve was new to being who he was now, and Eddie had practically told him he wasn’t who, even Gareth could see, he was trying so hard to be now. 

People who weren’t weird, or punk, didn’t blossom the way Steve had in his new identity. 

Any idiot could see that this was the real Steve, the Steve he was too afraid to be in the past. Gareth thought for sure Eddie had known that too, but the absolute shit show the campaign session had been today just goes to show that his best friend was in fact, an idiot.

Gareth was already lighting a joint in the back of Eddie’s van when he came stumbling up and threw the back doors open, reaching for the joint with grabby hands as soon as his eyes landed on it. Sighing out the smoke in his lungs Gareth offered it to him and watched as shaking hands brought the joint up and took a long hit.

The lull of silence that followed didn’t really bother him, Eddie was loud unless he was trying to collect his thoughts, so he sat patiently waiting for him to get them organized enough to form sentences. 

“I fucked up really badly with Steve.” Gareth huffs, taking the joint back form Eddie and hitting it while he waits for him to elaborate. "I didn’t really think about what I was saying when I ripped into him, and if I’m being totally honest I don’t remember much of what I had said, but Robin was… angry enough to bring it to my attention.” He clambers into the back of the van, pulling the doors shut and settling in across from Gareth, chewing on the bed of his thumb nail.

“How do I fix it Gareth? It’s been a week I don’t… I don’t know how to apologize for this. Why didn’t he say anything sooner?” Gareth could visibly see the anguish on Eddie’s face, his entire body shrinking in on itself, becoming smaller.

“Probably for the same reason he let you get away with the bullshit apology in the first place.” He hands the joint back, placing his hand on Eddie's knee. “He cares about you and wants you in his life, in any way you’ll give him.”  Eddie freezes at that, taking another long pull and holding it before breathing the smoke out loudly, pulling at his hair, unshed tears giving a glassy look to his soft eyes.

“So how do I fix it, Gar? I’m not.. I’m not good at this kind of thing. It’s easy with you and the guys.”

“Yeah, it is. But Steve isn’t one of the guys, and I know you don’t want him to be just one of the guys either. You guys have an insane connection Eddie. I’ve never really seen anything like it before, and you’ve put a massive rip in it. So you’re gonna need to do something from the heart, with feeling, to fix it.” Eddie pulls at his hair again, chewing his lip while he thinks. And he’s smart. Gareth knows he’s smart, knows he can figure this out if he’s given the space, so he sits quietly, waiting for Eddie to find his footing.

“Robin said me calling him Princess was his honorific from me.” He’s thinking out loud now, Gareth knows he doesn’t have to answer whatever he’s saying, so he nods softly, watching every gear turning in his best friend's head.

“So, maybe I should apologize in… in that language.” 

Gareth had no idea what that means, he’s not well versed in whatever ‘language’ had honorifics in it, but he does know that a lot of Eddie’s personality is spoken in that language, that its an important language to speak between two people that requires a very powerful kind of trust, so he knows Eddies on the right path to a real apology that Steve will understand is from the heart.

“Gareth, what if I’ve ruined everything?” And it’s the way he says it, like they’re 8 again and Eddie yelled at Wayne that he wasn’t his real dad and Eddie was terrified that Wayne was going to hate him forever and never want to see him again.

Gareth's heart aches. 

“If you mean it, and you really show that you mean it, I think he’ll forgive you a lot easier than you think.”  He watches as Eddie takes one last hit off the joint before snuffing it out. His shoulders squaring and a determined nod shaking his whole body.

“What would I do without you man?”

“Probably die.”

Eddies echoing laugh makes his heart feel full and warm, light washing the van from the very presence of it in the space. He’ll never get tired of hearing it.

(Sorry this one is short, but It's so important, and I wanted to show Gareth and Eddies dynamic a little closer.

The apology is next, and its gonna be so worth the wait.

I'm probably going to be going to an every other day update schedule so I don't catch up to myself on what I've already written. But if you want sneak peaks at the chapters the day before, follow my Tik Tok,(same username as here) and you can see little snippets of the chapters the day before.

My chapters are going to be getting longer I think from here on out. Thank you guys so much for all the love you've been showing this fic. There's still plenty left of it and I can't wait for you to see where it goes <3

Love you guys <3)

Ao3| Part 1| Part 2| Part 3| Part 4| Part 5 | Part 6| Part 7| Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10| Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 (Next Part)

[starcrossedspirit]

✧. ┊    gift drabble for @sweet-samnang ! pairings: kenshi x fem!oc original characters: misaki tag warnings: n/a ! song: stand by me by florence + the machine

Kenshi was a practical man, you see, and Misaki was a girl that had a bold personality. Likely considered opposites at best and rivals at worst- but they completed one another, something that they both had yet to see. “Is that outfit practical?” he would ask, so straightforward to match her energy the best that he could. Misaki was across the room from him and she would turn to him, the robes of her clothing eye catching for many reasons. He would never admit it out loud but the colors were very her- but that was both a compliment as much as it was a statement.

Sometimes when it came it Misaki, he didn’t know what to feel. She was like a whirlwind, so straightforward, so bold, and left in her wake was Kenshi- both bemused and perhaps even conflicted by her spirit.

Before he had lost his eyes they would often look at one another from across the room, the tension in the air only heightened by Misaki’s usual jest. “Don’t like what you see, Kenshi?” she’d muse before turning to him, the short of her robes barely covering the supple flesh that lingered beneath as she moved oh so suggestively, just enough to tease him. “I see how you look at me, I know what you want.”

Kenshi would cross his arms over his chest though before shaking his head, the black of his hair swaying softly against the movement. “No, it’s impractical, you’ll get hurt. That’s what I think.”

But Misa would just laugh it off, giving him a soft wink- oh, how she loved to tease him so.

The times after he was blinded however, they were different from then. Of course for the obvious reasons but the subtle, more striking differences were just how close they would end up. Physically speaking mainly but there were times they would find themselves in quiet moments together, perhaps speaking minimally but just enough that they felt content in the interaction. It was these moments, although few, were their favorites.

There was always flirting and there was always teasing but some days there was the sound of rain and the both of them would be sitting quietly. The tension was there but it was different, perhaps even comforting. The pair would have had sake to share but if you knew Misaki then you would know that she was particularly daring when inebriated. This was something that Kenshi, since having been blinded, felt a sort of comfort in. It’s like nothing ever changed nor did she make it any different. Misaki was the constant, if you will, and for that Kenshi might have been considered thankful.

It would start with the usual tension but paired with her touching him gently, her hands not unwelcome to the usually stoic man. It would have started at his fingers when she would hand him the little cup and of course her touch lingered a little too long but neither hated it. It was just left unsaid upon and instead felt. She had such soft fingers and maybe it was the drink but he liked it, it felt safe.

As the rain lingered into the night and both sat at the open door, the warmth of the summer rain among the trees a warm backdrop for the pair, her cheeks would redden from the drink as they sat side by side on the wooden floorboards of the entry way. Training for the day was put on hold but they decided to take the much needed rest as they all needed a moment of respite of course.

“You’re one of my favorite people to be with, you know.” she said then, the words were soft but not mumbled. In Misaki’s way they were straight to the point but this time it might have felt different than before.

Kenshi moved just slightly to acknowledge her words, still facing forward but head turned just enough. His breathing was still the same as the girl at his side turned to look at him.

Long pale tresses covered rose-dusted cheeks from a forming blsuh, her eyes so light and earnest, how they stared up at him from beneath the fringe of her bangs. Kenshi, although blinded, knew this look and wished to see it once more. This time he would have stared back kinder than before and mixed with all of the other feelings, he had felt a bit of shame at the thought.

“You’re so strong, you’ve persevered, and above all else you are an inspiration to train so much harder.” she said, the spark of light flickering behind the bright eyes.

There was a built of guilt maybe that made him shake his head then just before he turned to face her fully. “No Misaki, I should not be your inspiration. You are an equally strong person and you have yourself to thank for that, not myself.”

The rain surrounding them was the only thing in the silence that could be heard. He did not see her eyes flicker with a certain glassy stare but he felt her hands touch his. His own lay flat upon the wood and hers were atop of his, warm against the cool in the air.

“But you are. I see how hard you train and I see just how much you want to fight for our realm. I only want to make you proud and I want…” she hesitated then, the words either being withheld or perhaps misplaced due to the drinks. The silence was heavy as it hung upon the missing word and he felt his eyes lower out of instinct. He had his own word for it but he felt miserable for having mistreating her before.

“Misaki, I am sorry to have been so hard on you in the past. You didn’t deserve that and I do not deserve your praise. I promise, it is your strength that keeps us both going.” He spoke then, his words just as soft. Misaki’s hands tightened around his and in return he turned his hand over to grasp hers as well.

Whatever Misaki was to say was hushed and in the silence that fell over them once more he felt her other hand find his cheek. Just as warm as the hand upon his own he felt her fingers glide upon his face, comforting and just as gentle, and she pulled his face to meet her own. They did not yet touch but they were close, enough to smell how sweet she was at least. Kenshi’s lips stayed in a hard line but Misaki’s were open, enough to catch his scent upon her tongue. A kiss, he thought, he wanted to kiss her but-

Kenshi placed his forehead upon hers and grabbed the hand upon his cheek with his own. Intimate, wanted, reassured even, he wanted to kiss her but this felt safer than anything else.

“You are strong, Misaki, and you are my inspiration. You are resourceful, and you are bold, everything that you are is a strength.” Kenshi said while squeezing her hands so tenderly. “I am just ashamed that it took me losing my sight to see that.”

Misaki smiled then, warm and so inviting, and she could feel her heart beating in her cheeks. “Thank you, Kenshi, I had no idea that you felt that way. You needn’t carry that burden any longer, you have more than freed yourself from those thoughts.”

The rain was the only sound then and the two found their faces turning enough to dare the other for the kiss that they had so wanted. Warm breath caught in their throat, mouths parted and pursed ready for their touch. Misaki closed her eyes and felt him close in. How long had she wanted this? How long had he thought about it, wanting to do it? They were so close-

But then suddenly there was a sound that shook them away from one another, sobering them up enough to hear screaming in the distance. Kenshi held her hand though and Misaki squeezed it in return. It was to let her know that in spite of everything, he would be there.

Moments like these were far and few between but they were not unwelcome. They would just have to kiss another time, when it was meant to be, of course.

Kenshi may have started off confused and perhaps even uncertain of Misaki at first, but in the times that she had shown her strength he realized just how proud of her that he was. And just like now, he would find her strength in himself and she would continue to amaze him.

[pb-dot]

hey!! this is chance and here’s week 5’s prompt. your oc suddenly gets transported to a mall. what store(s) would they go in? would they buy anything? what would they think? tell me about the experience.

Thanks for the ask Chance, as always it is a delight :)

Now, to make this a bit of a group activity, I'm going to say Jake, 13, and One all get isekaied to a mall. I'm also going to assume they have some local currency for spending money. They're all native to a crowded hellscape of capitalism, so the transition will, I suspect, go relatively smoothly.

13 will be confused and overwhelmed at first since he's not as used to the hustle and bustle of the city as Jake is. Jake will do his best to guide 13 through the din but realizes there is no need to worry when they come across a bookstore, and 13 straight up loses himself in the stacks. Bookstores aren't really a thing in The City, as reading fiction and literature is considered a frivolous activity. There does exist a thriving cottage industry of dime novels and serials in printed magazines, but the lack of centralized distribution leaves these struggling for relevance. After briefly being paralyzed by the sheer scale of fiction available to him and the plethora of authors he hasn't even heard of, 13 will no doubt be beset by what I can only describe as a ruthlessly efficient book-shopping mood. At the end of the trip, 13 will carry about 30% more books than a human his size should conceivably be able to carry owing to his superior strength and dexterity.

After leaving 13 to his books, Jake will probably amble around without any clear plans. The mall's hardware store keeps him busy for a while, but he ultimately finds the tools to be of decent quality but ill-fitting for the kind of work he'd need them for. After spending some time being disappointed at how there seems to be no clockwork technology around, Jake buys a pair of decent boots and spends the rest of the time people-watching.

While Jake's unflinchingly practical approach makes him a bit of a boring shopper, it's nothing on One. It hasn't come up much so far, but One does not like crowds at all. Whoever she was before being converted to a Clockman, years of skulking around in the shadows and continously plotting for this or that end has left her badly agora- and enochlophobic. To make matters worse, her first instinct in coming face to face with large crowds is hiding, and the omnipresent lights makes that difficult. To add to it, the presence of muzak and other artificial sources of sound messes with the anti-sound field that One relies on to move silently.

After having a moderate to severe panic attack in the food court, One will likely decide to make the best out of a, to her, objectively terrible situation. One makes an exercise out of it, taking the option to train on her crowd stealth. After getting some more inconspicious clothes than the "nude androgyneous clockwork robot"-look she usually rocks, One gets to work. Knowing One she probably chose to steal the clothes to avoid the social interaction required for the purchase. One then spends the rest of the day getting better at staying outside of notice in the crowd, moving in such a way to throw off potential tails without attracting attention, perhaps lifting a few wallets and dumping them on unsuspecting people for a laugh, that sort of thing.

Tag List:

@ettawritesnstudies @mrbexwrites @teacupsandstarlight @anonymousfoz @wrenofthewords @sm-writes-chaos @dyrewrites @owlsandwich @olive-riggzey

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[lavender-sunhaven]

Lavender Mione, OC Rambling

I've seen a couple other creators in the sun haven tag talking about their farmers and ocs. I've actually been thinking about Lavender for a while now so I thought maybe I'd share some of my thoughts about her! Gonna put it under a cut because a lot of my thoughts can get a bit long.

@artistvicky if you're interested! I saw a post saying you were interested in other peoples' ocs, so here's info about mine!

Backstory & Traits

Lavender is a purple cat amari. She's slightly more on the beast side than many other amari, but still very humanoid in silhouette. Her entire body is covered in this small layer of light purple fuzz, for which she was named. She has purple cat ears, a blue tail with a white tip, and a small button nose and muzzle, complete with a couple of whiskers. These and her catlike eyes make it almost impossible to hide her amari nature.

Lavender did grow up in the City, with dreams from a young age of becoming a florist. She loves flowers, and in the city becoming a florist was what she really wanted to do so that she could take care of flowers for her money and help people make arrangements. She studied horticulture and flower language, and she finally eventually did get a job at a flower shop, but it was a competitive place to work and they almost never let her handle the flowers. No one really trusted her as an amari, so no one ever gave her a chance to prove herself, instead chiding her that she'd get her purple fur in the flowers if she handled them much.

Eventually she heard through the grapevine about Sun Haven looking for a farmer, and someone was able to give her an ad talking about it when she asked (one that was placed in a gardening and horticulture magazine, hoping to find an interested party). While she hadn't really studied agriculture, she was ready to try something else that could let her try her hand at taking care of plants, so she bought all the books on farming she could find, quit her job and caught the next train ride to Sun Haven after sending a letter to make sure they were still looking for a farmer.

Lavender loves to help people, she's friendly and polite. She's not really an extrovert, more of an ambivert, but she does like to regularly interact with people, especially her friends and neighbors. Gift Giving and quality time are her big languages of love and affection, so she loves to give people gifts to show them how much they mean to her, and she makes sure she's never late for an appointment. Moving to Sun Haven was the best decision she's ever made, because she's never felt more useful.

Sun Haven

Lavender took a while to figure out farming but was grateful that the townsfolk gave her time to get her feet under her. It took a lot of hard work but she got the hang of it, and was glad that she still had plenty of time to go around and meet the friendly people in town. She got on with Lucia pretty much right away, and Jun and Wornhardt immediately afterwards. Kitty and Catherine became fast friends to her, and it relieved her a lot to find other amari in town beloved by the other residents.

Meeting with Elios intimidated her a lot, but she tried to keep her wits about her and take it in stride. The potential of having magic abilities and untapped potential surprised her, but she was quickly enamored by the possibility. A lot of her early days in Sun Haven were spent practicing her magic and figuring out how to use it as she cleaned up the farm land, trying not to set the grass on fire.

Lavender is a fast learner, so after only a couple weeks Lavender had a lively farm with all sorts of crops, and was getting along pretty quick with all the townsfolk. She still felt the need to prove herself, and kept a tight schedule of getting up early in the morning to tend to the farm before finding anyone she could help in town. When Elios called for her again, though, she was quick to go meet him and see what she could help him with.

The Hero of Sun Haven

After Elios asked her to aid Sun Haven, she took the responsibility very seriously. They often found her on her farm practicing with her magic or sword, or figuring out how to smith armor for herself, and going to practice her combat techniques on the creatures in the mines. Her friends urged her not to overexert herself, but while Wornhardt never had her dragged into the hospital from collapse she was often seen trudging back to her farm, tired.

Pretty soon she struck out farther into the forest and reached Ne'Vari, and was quite enchanted by the forest town. Though she found herself quite at odds with Wesley, she pressed ahead in her goals without slowing down and soon found herself befriending griffons and meeting Nivara. When she finally returned to Sun Haven, she worked to train more with her magic, and soon found it was even stronger than she thought.

Jun

Lavender had something of a whirlwind romance with Jun, they met on her first day in town and was always happy when he came to check on her, and as soon as she could she was learning how to cook and giving him home-cooked meals as thanks for all his encouragement. They wound up as very good friends and they liked to talk to each other and explore solutions to their problems, and found themselves confiding in each other and dating in pretty short order. They were married before Lavender even set out to find Withergate.

Jun often helped remind Lavender to take breaks and not overwork herself, and Lavender always gave Jun a thoughtful ear to the problems of the day, and they were united in their love and care for the other townspeople. People weren't really surprised when they got together (though, that doesn't mean a few of them weren't jealous).

Withergate

Lavender wasn't super keen on Withergate at first, as it reminded her a lot of the City that she'd left behind, but after a while there she realized that she fit in really well, and she still isn't entirely sure how she feels about that. She can take off her farmer hat that she's attached to, and then the people of withergate don't even give her a second glance. She wound up making pretty fast friends with Donovan, and he helped her get used to how things worked in the city.

Though of course many of the higher ups of Withergate have been suspicious of her and her intentions, Lavender isn't more dedicated in any cause more than making friends with others, so she continues to work to figure out how to help the people of Withergate and aid them as best she can. Even Darius has found her easy to talk to, though Xyla still finds her far too genuine for her liking. They both see her often wander into the forest and come back nearly unscathed with items to deliver to their townspeople, though, so they've stopped thinking of her as weak.

Lavender The Diplomat

Lavender has a few morals that she's become attached to over the years, and the biggest one is to always try to reach out and try to understand before pushing anyone away. She's gotten a lot of practice at this, and has become dedicated to befriending every being she can. She goes out of her way to meet new people and to show them kindness, to be sympathetic to their plights and not assume the worst of people. This has gotten her a long way, as it's led to her having strong bonds with many of the people of Sun Haven and Nel'Veri, and even some in Withergate. Though she always fights with magic in one hand and a sword in the other, she always tries to solve conflicts with words and agreements before taking up arms against anyone. If they don't like her, she will find what she needs to do to get them to like and trust her, and she will work to give it to them. She is a people pleaser, but it has gotten her a long way so far.

At the moment, she spends her days balancing farm work, training her magic, and collecting offerings for Dynus with hopes to get a favorable audience with him. This will be her greatest challenge yet.

SO anyways that's sort of the brief points. If you want to know more about her please let me know, feel free to send me an ask or anything like that, I'd be happy to talk about all sorts of things about her- her farm, her relationships with other characters, her hobbies, how she handles the plot, anything at all. I've been thinking about her for months so I have a lot to share!

[seaoftheworst]

@kaizokugaris sent: plots please ! / any character

⤏ send me “plots please”

… and I’ll respond with  3  (or more)  interesting  plots / relationships / connections  I can think of for our muses!   There is  no pressure  for us to write any of them,   but it’s a great starting point for you to get a sense of how I think our muses might interact and what sorts of plots I’m most interested in happening between them  -so don’t be shy!

you said any so I am gonna give you everyone I can think of something for, under the cut to not clog the dash and avoid spoiling those not caught up with the manga/anime

Alber (King)

interactions after the events of Wano

the two having an interesting sorta friendship after Zoro leaves Wano, keeping in contact via Den-den, with Alber giving tips on handling the Seraphim once he learns of them

AU where Alber joins the crew as either a temporary passenger or actual member

Buggy

expanded interactions from Orange Town

run in set in Logue Town

Buggy having to go get Mihawk for a Warlord meeting during the time skip and the two running into each other

Dracule Mihawk

random two year training interactions

possible interaction that explains how Zoro lost that eye

did he escort Zoro? is that why Zoro got to Sabaody first?

Izou

Izou thanking Zoro for watching out for Kiku I refuse to accept Izou dying right after he reunited with his sister

Drinking together when the party after Kidou is defeated happens

Izou def knew Ushimaru, so the fun realization that Izou can drop that technically Zoro is in line to inherit the position of Daimyo of Ringo

Jinbe

Straw Hat crew bonding

I can see Zoro feeling Jinbe is sus at first and wanting to interrogate him

Jinbe can apparently out drink Zoro, them putting that to the test

Koby

Dealing with Luffy's shenanigans in Shells Town

A longer talk during the Post-enies Lobby

Koby having to go to Mihawk's island for something during the timeskip and interactions that could ensue

Marco

Marco giving Zoro tips on what to expect as the second in command to an Emperor

Marco having with them in Wano a little longer

Zoro talking to Marco about the whole throwing him onto the rooftop thing (he gave no warning before yeeting poor Zoro)

Monkey D Garp

Garp talking with Zoro alone on Water Seven

Monkey D Luffy

Luffy and Zoro having more adventures before the incident with the bird so they have time to grow their friendship before running into Buggy

Downtime between islands

Training together

Sabo

Post-Dressrosa talks lasting longer

Sabo and Zoro exchanging denden numbers so Sabo can ask him how Luffy is doing

Basically penpals of sorts bonding over their worry/adoration of Luffy

Silvers Rayleigh

Zoro arrived first, so interactions after Zoro got the Sabaody before anyone else arrived

Tony Tony Chopper

I love their bond, gimme soft interactions

Trafalgar D Law

talking at any point from punk hazard to wano

the trip to Wano, someone needs to point out how weird it is that a devil fruit user has a submarine

practicing sword fighting to ensure that Law's arm healed right after Dressrosa

Vinsmoke Ichiji

Zoro meeting Sanji's brothers would be interesting...

AU where Zoro went to Whole Cake, too?

Vinsmoke Niji

Zoro meeting Sanji's brothers would be interesting...

AU where Zoro went to Whole Cake, too?

Vinsmoke Sanji

Zoro and Sanji need to talk about Thriller Bark....

I love their dynamic, how they bicker but have one another's back

Zoro and Sanji need to talk about the Raid and why Sanji asked Zoro to kill him if he was no longer himself

Vinsmoke Yonji

Zoro meeting Sanji's brothers would be interesting...

AU where Zoro went to Whole Cake, too?

Green Himbos Unite

X Drake

Talking post raid, now that Kaidou is gone maybe Drake can shed a little light on why he was a 'traitor'

Zoro finding out about Drake's friendship with Koby