#like maybe... stewing in my own feelings is Bad ..... huh ...

[pawbeanies]

local dog realizing that. perhaps. doing the task youve been putting off for months is much easier than it aeems and the net gains from doing a task that takes 30 minutes is so much better than sitting and stewing in bed and hating the fact u cant bring urself to move (i will not retain this info)

[lesbiansanemi]

I’ve been trying not to think about it and get my hopes too high up but I realized that it’s been over a week since I’ve like, felt that “the world is caving in on itself” hurt, anxiety, and sadness. Tbh I’ve felt more…. Stable? Steady? Don’t feel like I’m wildly swinging between extreme moods every couple hours to couple minutes and I’ve been like huh that’s cool but also waiting for the other shoe to drop and for it to come back but then I realized this started a bit after all my med dosages got doubled and now I’m like. Holy god….. are they working???? Do meds actually fucking work???????

[intheshadowsbehindyou]

Hello! I was wondering if you could write about the Merc's with a gn! reader who loves baking?

Btw, I love your writing style! It all feels so accurate and it's helping to feed this new fixation of mine <3 <3

I see we have some food lovers in the askbox, chat. *crackles knuckles* you ask, and daddy delivers.

Mercs with somebody who gives them food

Scout:

- Depends on your current location. The gravel wars isn’t short of moving from place to place. If it’s somewhere like japan he’ll go full weeb mode and eat nothing but fish related dishes. You know speed racer? In the fucked up TF2 universe there’s a speed racer themed restaurant. Take him there. (On second thought maybe don’t go eating with him in Japan he might eat the Hiroshima rocks.)

- He swears he’s on a diet but it’s inconsistent as fuck. This is the same guy who canonically eats radiation we’re talking about here. You hand him some warm bread you baked and he’s ecstatic. You catch him sprinkling something on his slice. It’s grounded up like pepper. He’s like “This? This shit is fuckin’ perfect. The person who owns my gym back in boston recommended it for energy. Tastes great.” You read the label and you realize it’s grounded up uranium.

- If you make him homemade fried chicken he’ll nearly choke up. Seriously. nobody’s ever done that for him before. Giving him food in general is also his love language but chicken? He thinks you want to marry him forever and ever now.

—————————————————————

Soldier:

- You don’t really know what soldier likes.. He doesn’t make anything very evident and tries his hardest to make his one defining trait being that he’s a veteran. But you know that’s not true. You decide to make him some sandwiches and he’s confused. “Huh.. Well that’s some weird tasting MREs. Not complaining. It’s actually really good. Shame that civilians can’t get the same luxury right now.” He says. You have no idea how to explain that WW2 is virtually nonexistent anymore.

- Finally you settle with something. Honey with warm bread. Instead of eating slices like a normal person he just swallows the entire loaf like a snake. You are worried for this man’s intestines. He seems to be fine however.

- Gives you either a romantic or platonic kiss on the head. Your pick. His breath smells sugary and sweet and you nuzzle your head against his collarbone in response. This is his way of showing he appreciated the food.

———————————————————————

Demoman:

- I sure hope you’re capable of producing stew because that’s all he eats when he isn’t unhealthily suppressing his own hunger with scrumpy.

- You get him to eat a variety of food somehow. Although he’s picky, he isn’t impossible either. Due to growing up in an orphanage he was no stranger to having to cook for himself at times when the caretakers just really didn’t care. You exchange recipes. For some reason he has an entire Scottish cookbook under his bed. As well as a book on “Leonerdo Da Fuq’s Basic Guide To blowing Sentries Up. And making it look like an accident.”

- He’s very thankful. Demoman’s not much of a foodie. He eats to live rather than lives to eat. But your snacks hit different. They’re made with your love. That’s why they’re so much better than what he typically eats.

—————————————————————-

Engineer:

- WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU THATS HIS JOB. HE’S THE OVERBEARING GRANDMOTHER THAT WONT STOP SHOVING FOOD INTO HER KIDS MOUTH!!! NOT YOU!!!

- He eats everything you give him. Even if it doesn’t particularly tickle his fancy. His belly is big and swollen afterwards and you want to squish him so bad. That’s a pillow waiting to be laid on. He then tells you fond memories of thanksgiving and when his mother would cook his family an entire turkey dinner.

- He responds twofold by making you something as well. You wake up one day to find an entire breakfast platter laid on your end table. There’s a little sticky note there and although it doesn’t have a name on it — the dash alongside the expertly drawn symbol of his class is evident enough. Only somebody with expertise in blueprints would draw something like that. Hint hint.

——————————————————————

Heavy:

- Heavy isn’t a dumbass by any means but this is a certified Heavy L situation. He thinks you’re trying to offend him at first because people call him fat on a regular basis. Medic explains from afar that actually it’s a gesture meant to express hospitality, and upon realizing you were just being nice he looks embarrassed and rubs the back of his neck.

- Lets you spoon feed him your food. He likes it for some reason. He likes any kind of meat, and protein. He eats that shit everyday. Not just that but dark chocolate and other bitter tasting foods as well. Despite his massive size he doesn’t actually eat large portions at a time.

- He knows how to make mostly deserts. Takes on a sort of mentor role and tries to teach you how to bake cakes and stuff like that. You’ve never seen Heavy in such a domesticated setting. Watching him go about cooking without breaking somebody’s skull in for once was actually kind of surreal.

————————————————————————-

Pyro:

- Cook / get them nothing but sweets. They won’t eat anything else. You begin to wonder if Pyro is even remotely human because of how much unhealthy food they eat. (But then again you’ve seen soldier survive losing both his arms and Medic sowing them back on. It’s probably fine.)

- They are unbelievably excited to see you walk into the room with plates and/or boxes. You’ve unintentionally pavloved them into associating it with your food. They clap and make grabby hands. Wanting to see what sweets you’ve brought them.

- It’s actually quite odd.. You see them retreat into their quarters to eat their food. It’s clear they’ve eaten it because they always take the plates back but you’re never allowed to see them eat directly. They don’t attend dinner with the other mercs or even breakfast.

- DO NOT LET THEM NEAR THE FUCKING OVEN. DO NOT LET THEM COOK. THE ADMINISTRATOR MADE IT AGAINST THE RULES TO LET PYRO NEAR THE STOVE.

————————————————————————-

Sniper:

- “Bloody hell.. This for me?” His voice hiked up a little. A little shocked that somebody would even consider making or buying him food in the first place, Only his parents ever did that for him. He takes it hesitantly but his expression doesn’t seem negative. Just incredibly dumbfounded. You had got him some donuts from a market in tuefort. You figured it would go well with his coffee.

- Immediately starts eating them. Sniper is both a meats sort of guy and a sweets sort of guy. Looks from side to side to make sure nobody saw him take your offer. That would be a embarrassing. He grabs the entire box and retreats into his camper van like a rat.

- He then slowly opens the door.. “Oh, right. Bugger. This is typically the moment I comfortably invite you in.” He cringes at the thought. Leaving the door open for you, and moving aside to let you in. He begins telling you the basics about how to hunt your food. For some reason it’s all incredibly dangerous aussie animals though. Some of the stuff doesn’t sound edible but he’s apparently eaten. He’s especially passionate about how to properly cook crocodiles.

———————————————————————-

Medic:

- Pretentiously nitpicks the fact you brought him cupcakes. Citing his knowledge about how too much sugar consumption can kill you… whilst simultaneously eating the cupcakes.

- “Even worse yet —- they ruin your dental health. Hoo, i’d hate to be on the receiving end of a tooth filling by an angry dentist.” He says, shoving more of your sweets into his face. You wonder if he’s even self aware of what he’s doing to be honest. “Although I do envy their sadism! It’s much worse than mine, actually — Das schmeckt gut.” He adds.

- He frowns. You knew Medic had loved cupcakes in particular so you were confused at first. Well it wasn’t that. In fact it was something more stupid. “Well then again the consumption of sugar is important for our bodies, I must add. With the wrong diet we could die from low blood sugar. I wonder if it is possible to extract all the sugar from a human body using a sort of giant homebrewed syringe. It is in theory possible for me to—“ The man is at his chalkboard writing down mathematical equations again.

———————————————————————-

Spy:

- When you give him food for the first time he’s unbelievably pouty. Couldn’t you have asked him his tastes first? He hesitantly eats what you give him anyway. As long as it isn’t fried, fast food, candy or anything that wasn’t expensive as fuck.

- Incredibly good table manners. Incredibly good at cooking his native cuisine. For some reason he’s intent on insisting that french food is superior than any other food. When you’re eating with him he straightens your posture, politely puts your napkin in your lap and schools you on the fact you’re not using your salad fork or whatever. There’s way too much pointless shit on his table. Who the fuck created all these weirdly specific rules?

- Eventually he’s so tired from trying to teach you he loses his temper and crosses his arms like a discontent toddler while you eat nonchalantly. “What?” You say. Using the wrong fork again. He’s still staring at you. “What?!” You repeat yourself. “I love you, Spy.” You say. Shoving more food into your mouth. He keeps glaring at you.

[lakesbian]

and re last post as for how i would fix that issue if i were in charge of twig:

one: sy should not fucking run away. give him one chapter to stalk miserably around the town stewing in his thoughts before undergoing the character growth of admitting that he genuinely cannot do 62 hours away from jessie without ending up dead in a ditch somewhere & doesn't want to run away from conflict resolution with the person who's been his partner in crime and sole mutual support over the last few months.

two: during the conversation he and jessie were Supposed to have after he got back from his walk, force sy to undergo some goddamned fucking character growth over actually processing and internalizing the fallout of both the realization that he's not on equal ground with or fair to lillian no matter how much she likes him

three: also force sy to undergo some goddamned fucking character growth over grasping and sincerely, in his own sy way, regretting/wanting to amend doing some evil shit to jessie with the mental walls

four: this one is critical. i recognize that it's hard to fit this in following the heels of lillian but. i think you amend the issue of it being unpleasant to watch jessie having to bend over backwards for a mere Chance at sy theoretically liking her someday by having sy actually acknowledge that she's right and they Would be a good pair together. like have sy set aside the anger where he's getting bitter and sardonically going "what you want me to go make myself gay" out of clear revulsion for the idea of changing himself to be compatible with jessie--if jessie is going to change for him, then it's not fair that sy gets to be repulsed about the idea of changing for her.

i like jamie and jessie both being naturally gender apathetic and jessie deciding to transition to distinguish herself from jamie, and i could like her doing it to be more romantically compatible with sy, but i think in order for me to like that second part it would have to go the route of like. first of all sy takes culpability for his very very large part in the fight. second of all sy is like. "huh you know what. i would actually hypothetically make a good pair with you as a person i've been happily spending some of the best months of my life alone with. and maybe it would be nice to try feeling things out one day, even if it not immediately because of lillian, but i doubt something like getting a back alley doctor to rummage around in my brain is a good idea, no? this is sad i feel like we're missing out on something that couldve been good just by bad luck of i wasnt born as someone whos into boys or youre not someone who was born a girl" and jessie is like "no yeah i dont want someone to rummage around in your already wyvern-saturated brain i think it would not work and also you might die. however, re the girl part, i have some feelings ive been musing on,"

like. not necessarily over the course of even one immediate conversation, obviously not in those precise words. but if sy just One time got off his cishet ass to be decent to jessie and intentionally choose her or want to prioritize her feelings. Well then I would approve of their transhet biopunk brokeback mountain once more.

also. remove the part where jessie is like Ohhh unless it makes You uncomfortable for me to transition. let her keep being a hardass, let her want to do it either way, she can be noticeably nervous about sy's reaction without actually capitulating. she has that in her.

[ashascoven]

☽ ✯ venture x witch! reader pt. 3! ✯ ☾

✯ welcome back everyone, to part three!!! (here is part one, and part two!)

✯ sorry for this taking so long, my mind has been brainrotting with valorant and roblox i cant lie...

✯ i was also a bit stuck on how i wanted to go about this... but every like has just been more motivation to keep trying to continue this, so thank you <3

✯ hope there's people out there enjoying this, happy reading!!!

☆ FANFIC DEETS! venturexreader ☆

reader is a female who practices witchcraft! i wrote her that way because i also am a witch irl! :,)

VERY lengthy build-up fanfic (LOTS of reading.. i type a lot i think?)

venture is referred to as sloan <3

lifeweaver is besties with the reader, referred to as niran!

everything related to witchcraft here may be exaggerated / inaccurate for fanfic purposes.. but i tried writing it all into an experience > just reading!!

eventual ritual smut....

feel free to hmu, hope u enjoy :D

“IM HOOOMMEEEE, MII AMOOORR~!!!! ⊂( ´ ▽ ` )⊃”

You gritted you teeth at the rock muncher that just busted through the front door, their hand happily waving in the air at you.

You shook your head and took a visible breath, cracking your knuckles.

“please, excuse me niran.”

“mhm! take all of the time you nee-”

“AAAOOOOWWWWW!!!! IM SORRYY!!! WHY ARE YOU HITTING ME?!? I THOUGHT YOU'D MISS ME??!??? (>д<)”

“WHY DID YOU STEAL MY JARS THIS MORNING??!? WHAT DID YOU EVEN DO WITH THEM??!? HUH????”

“I ONLY USED ONE FOR YOUR FOOD EARLIER I SWEA- AAHHHHHH MI AMOR PLEASE!!!!!! HAVE MERCY!!!! ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ”

“mercy? haha, i’m sure angela would react the same if it were her and her morning tea being stolen~ (＾◡＾)” Niran chuckled, taking a sip of his.

He watched as you had Sloan on the floor in a chokehold, their bag and drill frantically thrown to the side of the doorway.

Their hands were desperately trying to pull yours off of their neck, but you didn't budge. 

You looked down at them with murder in your eyes, fully prepared to make them beg for their life.

“tell me where the rest of my jars are.”

“y/n.. please, have mercy-..” 

They were starting to turn red, eyes squinting in extreme discomfort as they practically wiggled under your freakishly strong grasp on them.

Were they into this or not? They couldn't tell, but they definitely weren't being let off easily.

“you tell me what you took my waters for, where they are, and what made you not consider just ASKING me.. and MAYBE i wont boil you into a cauldron stew."

“mi a-amor-”

“WHERE ARE THEY, SLOAN.”

“i c-can explain if yo-”

“I WON'T HESITATE TO TURN YOU INTO BONE MEAL FOR THE PLANTS!!!! SPIT IT OUT!!”

“w-wait that'd actually be-”

“be WHAT?”

You suddenly loosened your grip on their neck, moving your hands up to holding their face and staring at them with a frown.

“..aweeesoomme◝(⁰▿⁰)◜???”

“...”

“listen, i know it prooobaablyy looked bad, b-but i promise i didn't mean any..”

You slowly leaned down towards their ear and pushed aside their headset, making them trail off from their words. 

“no, you listen to me.”

You spoke in a low tone, earning a nervous gulp in response. 

The excavator’s entire body shivered at the way your voice rang through their skull, cooing to them like a gentle warning that they were dead meat the split second Niran left.

“i was in the middle of doing a tarot reading for niran before you came home, and i need to go finish that up for him.”

“when im done, you better have prayed to every god you know.. because when i get to you, sloan cameron..”

You leaned closer, lowering into a whisper.

“you're gonna be begging for forgiveness.”

With that, you got up and made your way back to the kitchen, dusting the dirt from Sloan's clothes off of your own.

They, on the other hand, stayed on the floor for a minute with wide eyes, breath hitched in their throat, trying to process how they wanted to feel about what you just did.

Yeah, they did essentially steal from you with no explanation, and you seemed reasonably mad at them for it, but why was their face burning?

“niran, i am so sorry about that.. interruption.” You rubbed your forehead, taking a seat across from him again.

“no worries! you can always take the time you need, i’m never in a hurry anyway.”

“thank you.. gosh, you're always so kind and patient with everything, i dunno how you do it.”

It was your turn to lean on the table with your face in hand, glancing over at the phased out sloan still sitting by the door.

“hah, if i’m being honest, i’m not sure either.”

He shrugged his shoulders, reaching down to pet the raccoon and possum that were now rubbing against his leg.

“i just approach everything with a- uh.. pardon me, but are they supposed to be doing.. that?”

Niran tilted his head, pointing at Sloan. They seemed to be standing near an altar of yours, one of your salt lamps about to.. enter their mouth.

“hu- SLOAN, YOU PUT MY LAMP DOWN RIGHT NOW! |･д･)ﾉ”

They quickly set it down in embarrassment like a child getting caught doing something they're not supposed to. How they got up so quickly and found the covered lamp on one of your altars was unknown to you.

“sorry..! forgot again- and heey niran! sorry for not saying it earlier.. (⇀‸↼‶)”

They rubbed the back of their neck in shame, looking at the floor.

Whenever they felt bad about something, their go-to was munching at.. questionable things. A lot of times, they won't even realize they're doing it, and that's how lots of your things go missing.

“hello!- (٥⁀▽⁀ )／”

“..ahem! anywho.”

“mhm?”

“niran, do you feel like my reading resonated with you?”

“hmm.” He took the last sip of his tea before setting it down.

“i do feel as if.. it resonates, but not for me.”

“oh?” You raised a brow.

“rather.. y/n, don't you think it all sounded very familiar?”

“eh? really? how.. so?”

He gestured towards your lover, who was nervously fidgeting at the door, seemingly waiting for you. 

It looked like it took every bone in their body to not pick your lamp back up again and start biting.

“wh.. what do you mean? i don't think my partners.. stupid, they're very smart for the work they do…?” 

You hadn’t picked up on it somehow, your mind defaulting to showing off your lover to others.. even though you had just.. threatened said lover.

“no, my friend, what was your answer to my question earlier?”

“about how i was doing?.. uhh..?? i don- oh… oh.”

You turned in your seat and looked back at Sloan, who had caved and started biting at the lamp.

You could see them stop to ‘shush’ the bugs in their respective jars on your altar, not wanting them to tattle for what they were witnessing.

If anything, thank goddesses it was the lamp being eaten and not.. the bugs themselves.

“damn, i must've really made em’ scared huh.”

You both kept watching, but they didn't notice their audience yet, too nervously deep into their comforting eating session.

“it's normal, but i'm not sure about the salt-eating thing though..”

“yeah.. i’ve got to sign them up for that strange addiction tv show sometime.”

“agreed. ( ❛ᴗ❛ )”

“but anyway, ya know.. you're entirely right, it makes a lot of sense.” You ran a hand through your hair with a sigh.

“well, don't forget to give yourself most of the credit, y/n.. you were the one who read the cards after all! i’m impressed!”

“ahh, thank you, but? doesn't that mean i basically.. did that reading on myself? what about you?”

“don't worry about me, I'm quite content with what we've learned today~”

“hmmmmm… you.. sure?” 

“mhm! if you truly are worried about the results of this reading, then can i ask you to do some other things for me instead?”

“oh? of course! what is it?”

“for starters, i think you should.. remember to be more patient with yourself.. and them.” He nudged his head towards Sloan’s direction.

“i fully believe that you two thrive together as a couple, so conflicts, like mentioned in your reading, shouldn't push you two apart.”

“i.. see.” You turned around to look at them again, your eyes squinting at the way your lamp was now half-way gone and probably in their stomach.

“yup! there truly is no rush to every little thing in life.. it's best enjoyed when you bask into each ray of light for how bright they really are, not for how bask-worthy you were expecting, right?”

“pshh, it's like i’m the one being soul read now,” you jokingly rolled your eyes, “but gosh, you're so right.”

“hmph, do i really just.. expect too much of them? like in your honest opinion, am i too.. harsh..?”

“from what i’ve seen, no. your current frustration is valid, given how this has never happened before. it seems right to be confused.. to want answers.. but, would you say you trust them?”

“huh? oh of course i do, why wouldn't i?”

“i think you should keep at that. have they ever wronged you?”

“outside of.. being the reason i could never keep ingredients for spells in the house.. no?”

“then, you should help their flowers flourish, even if you're not sure what seeds they've planted yet.”

“ah.. i definitely get what you're saying.”

“yes?”

“to be more patient and open-minded of them right now, and get back at them with a really well-thought out ritual later! maybe ill even get my witchy ancestors onto them? (っ˘ω˘ς )” You grinned, jokingly plotting your partner’s karma.

“..sure. (¯▿¯)”

“thank you a lot niran.. if you weren't here, i probably would've strangled them to death already.”

“HEY! THAT WOULDN'T BE A NICE WAY TO DIE THOUGH! ( `ε´ )”

“SHUT IT, LAMP EATER! ლ(¯ロ¯"ლ)”

“ahem, seriously, thank you a ton. your words will definitely be kept in mind when i.. deal with that knucklehead.”

Cartoon-like sparkles and hearts practically radiated off of you as you innocently thanked Niran.

You smiled happily, knowing good and well what you were planning for your lover when he left.

“of course, y/n! anytime you need something, i’m a phone call away! i trust that you'll take care of your partner just fine~ (ง ื▿ ื)ว”

Getting up and clasping his hands together, he took his cup to the sink. He tried to wash it, but you shoo’ed him away with a ‘nono, i got it, you're good!’

“thank you.. with that being said.. i’m afraid it's actually time for me to go. i have my own flower awaiting me at home, but it was a lovely morning spent with you! (⌒ω⌒)”

He made his way to the door, patting Sloan’s head before putting his sandals back on.

“likewise! thank you for this, really.” 

You followed him, casually whacking your partner in the head and earning a ‘hey! >:(‘ out of them.

“of course! send me those love spell recipes for my bap when you get a chance, yah? (¬‿¬ )”

“only if you tell me how they work out for you two! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ”

You waved as he headed out with his umbrella, shooting you a thumbs-up before leaving.

“w-whew! it's a niiiccee raiinyy day, isn't it??!? i h-hope you two had a nice morni-”

“sloan.”

“i- u-uh-.. hiiii..yaaa? :,D”

“sloan cameron.”

“..im so fucked.”

“soo,” you had to remind yourself to be easy on Sloan with a heavy sigh, “..did youu.. take my jars of moon water to work?”

“y-yeah-”

“and.. did you bring them back?”

“s..sorta?-”

“SORTA?”

“i m-mean, i did! i brought them back but-”

“..but what?”

You caught yourself and sighed.

“sorry.. it's just? i’ve been stressed out almost all morning about this.. i’ve been curing those for like, three years now, every full moon, non-stop.”

You paced around in front of them, twiddling your hands in your own frantics of their responses.

“you-.. three years??!?”

“yes??? i've told you this over and over.. why do you think i’m so worked up over this?” You stood in front of them with crossed arms, eyeing them over.

“oh my god- i-?!?” They wrapped their arms around you.

“i'm s-so sorry for using some of it for your food this morning mi amor..! believe me, i w-wouldn't have even touched them if i had remembered! ugh, stupid sloan.. stupid me! the one time i try to change things up and it jus-”

They pulled away to cover their face in guilt, on the verge of crying and pleading to make it up to you, but you stopped them in their thoughts, it being your turn to hug them.

“it's okay, baby. just.. don't sweat it, it's the thought that counts.” You ignored your eye twitching, your arms around them unconsciously getting a bit tighter.

They felt themselves melt into the tight hold of your arms, their nerves starting to wash away in relief that you weren't angry at them. 

Their emotions almost hit them all at once like a bulldozer.

“i shouldn't have touched your things in the first place… i-i just thought you'd trust me and I could do something to make you happ-"

“sloan, it's okay, ya know? whatever it is you did with those jars, just…” you suppressed your eye twitches, trying so hard to not think about the dedication you put into some water, “i-its no biggie, you're good, i still love you.”

“man, i love you too.. i reeaallyy don't deserve you, mi vida..” They let themselves lean even more into your hold, the both of you hugging each other for a quiet minute.

The tension slowly going away between you two was nice, and you once again wished you could hold Sloan like this forever.

“oh! right!!! i still should uh-! s-show you what i used them for, since they're not actually gone or anything!” They suddenly pulled away, shuffling in their giant pockets.

“i dunno if i did it right.. or if it's silly? b-but i figured uh.. try my hands at charging some freshly mined crystals for you this time! (つ≧▽≦)つ” 

They guided you to the kitchen, pulling out the jars from their pockets and placing them on the dining table.

“o-oh?!? woah! they're..??!? still covered and everything, hello!??” You covered your mouth in surprise, not actually expecting to see the jars again.

“y-yeah! i didn't even know you kept them for so long but i.. i knew it was important that the sunlight didn't touch them, so i thought it'd be.. nice if i gave you these beauties with all of the energy from the water poured into them already! that's.. how that works right..?”

“awwwhh, slooann..!!” You gushed, the smile on your face already hurting your cheeks.

“l-listen! it's probably better when you do it, since you have those magical witchy hands n’ stuff.. but i wanted to show you how cool i think you are by taking after what you do!! if it's.. weird or anything though, then uh.. ill jus- mph!”

You cut them off with your lips against theirs, holding their face and letting the wave of relieved honor take over your body.

The fluttering in your chest was from realizing how much thought they were putting into these little gifts for you, and it helped wipe away any lingering frustrations you previously had with them.

You tried not to dwell on your own rightful confused anger with feeling bad, clinging to the advice Niran gave you.

It was better to just focus on what things really were right now, and this? This wasn't a case purely of stealing or foolishness, it was just Sloan trying to do something meaningful for you.

It was already sweet that they brought back raw crystals for you from work all the time simply because they knew you liked them, not to mention how expensive and hard they are to acquire normally.. 

But, to actually try and charge and cleanse them for you too? 

Trying to replicate what they've watched you do with gemstones and water before?

They might as well have proposed on the spot.

You pulled away, wrapping your arms around their neck and kissing all over their face.

“i take back everything i said, muah, i’m sorry for being mad at you, muah, i love you so much, mwuah muah, thank you, mwuah~ (づ￣ ³￣)づ”

“so worth it~.. ⊂(￣▽￣)⊃” was all they managed to get out, their eyes practically swirling at all of your kisses.

With one last ‘mwuah!’, you ruffled their hair and went to checking the jars that made it back home.

“oh my goshh, you found citrine??”

“ooh, there's some amethyst here too!”

“wahh, selenite?!!? gosh, you're spoiling me, sloan! ~(˘▽˘)~”

You excitedly inspected the glasses, raising them above your head to look inside of the dark jars without removing their coverings.

Sloan stood there proudly, their hands on their hips and a cheesy grin on their face. They were so relieved that you weren't mad at them.

“i’m glad you like them!! :D, there's some more in my bag for you, ya know, the usual~ (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧”

“aawwhh, thank you baby! i’m so so so sorry i was even mad at you at all (*_ _)人” 

You buried your face into their chest, wrapping your arms around them again.

“nono, IM sorry i made you worry like that,” they kissed your forehead, “i really should've just asked you first and.. maaayybee do this without.. OH! THAT REMINDS ME, BABY LOOK!!”

They reached in their pocket with one hand, the other still holding you back by the waist, and pulled out one last jar.

“you totally aren't gonna be ready for THIS one!!”

Something about this made you feel uneasy in the moment, but you swallowed Niran’s words once more, trusting in your partner.

“BEHOLD, SLOAN’S SPECIALLY SUPER CHARGED JAR OF CELES..stine?”

They whipped out the glass of what was supposed to have the blue crystal in it, expecting it to be a glorious reveal… but, it was just strangely darker than the rest of the covered jars.

“huh, guess it's just.. a bit more shyer than the other rocks?” They tilted their head, letting go of you to gently knock at the jar. You watched with another jar in hand, ready to compare the two.

“heeelloooo? any celestine hoomee? hmph, i can definitely feel it in there though..” They held it to the ceiling and practically pressed their eyeball against the glass.

“it's like it's not in there.. but, it feels like it is?!” They swished around the jar, deciding to place it on the table with another ‘hmm..’

“maybe it's the cloth? let's just.. go ahead and pull that off then!”

“wait- sloan no it’ll toucH THE SUNLIGH-”

You tried to stop them, but their hands were already quick to remove the clothed lid and reveal the stone.

“wait shit no i’m so sorry i didn't me-”

“wooaahh..” You gasped and picked up the jar, mesmerized by the piece of celestine. 

It glimmered in such a way that you've never seen before, making you immediately forget about the actual water around it touching sunlight.

“it's.. it's beautiful, sloan..” You held it up to eye level, your eyes sparkling at the glittery gemstone before you.

“h-how’d you even.. find something like this? it's.. like it's glowing~..” It had you hypnotized, struggling to take your eyes off of it.

“i.. uhh.. surprise..??” They were also lost in the stone, the way it shimmered all sorts of colors and lights in the water seemed like magic. It wasn't this glamorous when they had found it.

“here sloan, look at it! did you.. really find this.. for me?”

You quickly shoved the jar into their hands, puppy eyeing at them for bringing you something so beautiful.

“o-of course, mi amor! it's my proudest find for you so far, so it's-” They froze, both of your eyes widening at the stone.

It felt like it all happened in slow motion, the way you both stopped to stare at what was happening in the glass.

The piece of celestine was… dissolving.

“wh- huh?? wait noo- this- this isn't good- w-why is it.. melting??!?”

The split second they had started holding it, the crystal dissipated. 

In a natural panic, they quickly placed it back on the counter, the water in the jar now being misty and clouded.

“hmm.. celestine isn't meant to rest in water but… it hasn't been that long since you put it in there, right?”

“l-like, only an hour or two, yeah?! b-but.. something feels weird..!” They started holding their own face in a panic, panting.

“it shouldn't have dissolved that quickly the- wait, are you okay?!? should I call someone??!”

“y/n.. i-i. i don't know! something'sdefinitelywrongandmystomachfeels-”

They suddenly covered their mouth, slowly looking at you with wide eyes.

“..’feels’? feels WHAT??, baby?!!? what's wrong??”

You joined in on their panic, bringing them close.

They tried holding a finger up, only to push you away and dash to a trash can, scurrying back to you with it in hand..

Then, they hovered over it.

“bleurg- ☁️💨”

“h-holy shit, sloan?? eurgh, sloan?!?!?”

As soon as they tried vomiting, the whole kitchen was smoked out in an instant, leaving you coughing and desperately swatting at the heavy air.

After about 10 seconds, the smoke started going away, revealing to you a trash can with.. no Sloan to be found.

“wh.. what..? even happened..?? where's-” You stopped yourself, something telling you to check the trash can.

Peering inside, you saw them.

Sloan was inside of the trash can, hand-sized, looking up at you. (・u・)

“o-oh.. my god.”

✯ if you've made it this far, tysm for reading again!

✯ im planning on proofreading and rewriting the other parts (again, and if im motivated enough), but how would yall feel about me posting little drabbles here and there?

✯ feel free to hit my line abt it, or anything in general, i dont bite ! >:)

✯ the link for part 4 will go here soon, and here are the borders used!

✯ enjoy your day/night! stay hydrated, love venture.. LOVE THE SILLY!! <3

[undertheopensky]

Under The Weather

Whumptober Day 13: “I don’t feel so good.”

Characters: Four, Hyrule, everyone is there

Trigger warnings: Vomiting, indistinct illness

Important note: I usually headcanon Warriors as the main medic (thanks for that bokettochild) but for some reason today Hyrule insisted on running the show. Maybe he decided he wasn’t getting enough screentime.

Read on Ao3!

-----

Four belches into his hand, hiding it behind his teacup. Probably a court manners thing. Hyrule had never gotten the hang of those, but several of his companions were close enough to nobility that they had to know things like that. Four’s been doing it all lunch, though, and Hyrule’s wondering if there’s something in Wild’s stew that doesn’t agree with him. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve discovered dietary restrictions the hard way.

Four belches again, then abruptly throws up, and Hyrule realises he’s been retching the whole time.

“For fuck’s sake, Four.” He rounds the embers of the fire as Warriors and Wind scramble away from Four and the puddle of sick next to him – he’d only mostly avoided getting it on himself. “You’re supposed to tell us when you’re not feeling well. What are your symptoms?”

“I don’t know,” Four snaps, “I don’t feel sick, I just feel – wrong.” He retches again, but there’s nothing left to come up.

“So you’re nauseous, but you don’t feel sick.” Hyrule gives him a doubtful look.

“Kinda yeah,” says Four. “My stomach feels like a rock. Throwing up was just as much of a surprise to me as to you.”

“Interesting.” Hyrule takes a few minutes to look Four over. He’s pale and clammy, with a pinched look around his eyes that’s very telling of just how uncomfortable he is. He’s also barely touched his lunch, a meat and rice combination that everyone is usually all over, sticking mostly to his tea. “Any body aches? Chills? Wounds you forgot to tell us about?”

Four shakes his head with a snort. “Nothing. Just - wrong in the stomach.” He scowls into the remains of his tea. “It’s fine. I can keep going.”

“Uh huh.” Hyrule glances at the rest of the group. “Any arguments against making camp here?”

“It’s not like we’ve got anywhere to be,” Legend says dryly, and it’s about the kindest thing he could have said.

As a group, they don’t tend to hang around in one place very long. Places to go, monsters to kill, intel to gather, supplies to source; they’re constantly on the move, and staying put for any length of time has to rankle. But no one, not even prickly Legend, is going to say so to Four, who’s never complained about their pace, and had been half-throwing up all morning before Hyrule caught him. They were only intending to stop here for lunch, not spend the night, but they’ll make do. It’s not that bad a site.

At Hyrule’s insistence Four changes out of his soiled leggings into his clean pair, then sits against a tree with his book to rest. Everyone else sets about making camp. Twilight heads off to find a river - after battling a small horde of miniblins and a hinox this morning, several people are in need of a bath, and pretty much everyone needs to do laundry. Warriors at least will have a meltdown if he doesn’t get the blood out of his scarf. Wind, who is expert at dodging the little bastard’s tridents and thus doesn’t need to wash his own blood out of his tunics or repair many small holes, triumphantly flops down next to Four.

“Hey! I know you’re probably not feeling well so I’m not gonna bother you, I’m just gonna go through my pictograph collection, and if you need anything I can fetch it for you!”

Four gives a distracted hum, already absorbed in his book.

Wind wasn’t lying - he does like to go through his collection now and then, touch the memories they hold, reorganise and rearrange them and consider which ones to keep in his easy-access pictobook and which ones to store in the safebox. But they’re also fantastic distractions, and Four looks like he could use some distracting, when the dry text of his book gets too much.

Wind flips through his pictures of Aryll and Gran, hesitates over Tetra and her crew, then gets into his current run of Chain-related pictographs. Sometime they’re just nice, like Wild sleeping curled up beside Wolfie in almost the exact same position, but some are hilarious. Like this one of Sky passed out sitting up, while Wind and Wild takes turns balancing sticks on his head and snapping pictures.

He giggles and holds this one out to show Four. “Hey, hey, Four, you remember this?”

Four glances up, and huffs amusement through his nose. Wind grins, proud of himself for pulling the small noise out of the reserved smithy, and goes hunting for the photo of Wars getting knocked into a river by the fish he’d hauled out of the water. He knows it’s in here somewhere.

Wild has stirred up the fire again and is using the opportunity to do… something with the cookpot (Wind’s not game to call it food but it doesn’t look like elixirs are happening either, and decides he doesn’t want to know). Legend and Warriors are sitting together, mending miniblin tears and presumably gossiping, from the snickers. Time is writing in his notebook, Sky is carving a stick into a spoon to replace the one that had gone missing, and Hyrule had gone with Twilight to help deal with the Laundry Monster.

They’re all enjoying the break.

Everyone, save for Four, who goes progressively greyer and quieter as the afternoon fades.

Wind is careful not to push him; when Four glances at the latest photo and just gives a weak smile, he knows the distraction has worn out its usefulness and sorts through the rest without showing off any more.

By the time Hyrule and Twilight come back with the next load of clean laundry for Legend to dry off, Four’s given up on even the pretence of reading. He’s just staring blankly off into space, book still in his lap. Doesn’t even blink when Twilight pretends to drop Legend’s undertunic in the dirt and Legend yells at him for it.

Wind nudges him. “Four, you feeling okay?”

Four rubs a hand over his eyes, then his mouth. “Sorry. ‘M fine. Just… tired.” He blinks hazily, staring down at the pages of his book and clearly reading nothing.

Then Wild calls Wind over, demanding help with the soup, since apparently he’s doing real food now. Four shoos him off silently. Any other day, he would be taking the opportunity to read in peace. Today, he just leans back against the tree and closes his eyes.

When dinner is ready (soup!!! Not as good as Gran’s but Wild’s soup is still good!) Wind volunteers to ferry it over to Four. “Hey, Four! Dinner’s here!” he cheers, and is unsurprised but still disappointed when Four grimaces and refuses. “Are you sure? Do you really feel that bad? Should I get Hyrule?”

“Don’ feel good, but I’ll be alright.” Four waves a hand at Wind, eyes still closed. “Just a stomach bug or somethin’. Prob’ly be right as rain in the morning.”

Wind hums dubiously, but takes back the bowl.

By silent consensus, Four is left off the watchlist. He needs rest, not interrupted sleep and the simmering stress of a midnight shift. If Four notices, he doesn’t comment. He’s too busy gathering his strength to lay out his bedroll properly to take any notice of the others glancing at him in worry.

Four goes to lie down - then hurls himself back up, with such force that he nearly makes it to his feet.

Everyone startles. “Four, what’s wrong?” Sky asks.

Four looks nearly as shocked as they are. “I don’t – I don’t know,” he stammers. “I – I went to lie down and I just – as soon as I lay down it was just a bolt of panic like – like I knew I was going to die if I didn’t get back up right now.”

Hyrule goes grim. That kind of bodily response suggests there’s something more at play here than an upset stomach.

This time Hyrule doesn’t just look him over. He lays his hands on Four’s back and sends his magic creeping through him.

There’s a difference between the active rush of the Life Spell and a light touch of healing; this is the latter, more an exploration than an attack. Four had taken a potion after this morning’s fight, and that should have healed up all the minor wounds and not left anything for infection to take hold. Hyrule is checking for leaks, more than expecting to find something major wrong.

He’s surprised to find nothing at all, though. The faint echoes of bruises, long-healed. Phantom images of stab wounds, flesh flickering with the memory of blood and pain. But nothing real. Nothing he can fix.

Four glances over his shoulder. “Well?”

“I’m not finding anything,” Hyrule admits with a sigh. Reluctantly, he pulls his hands away. He feels inadequate, leaving a job unfinished - but there’s nothing he can really do, when it seems Four is just sick. Potions and fairies and Hyrule’s magic are amazing resources, but they have costs and limitations. They can’t replace lost blood, or grow back missing body parts. And they can’t cure illness, no matter the cause.

He just has to hope it’s a stomach bug, and Four will sleep it off uneventfully.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

How about ✊("protecting") for Scanlan and Kaylie? (You decide who's doing the protecting!)

Send me emoji(s) and I'll write a drabble

The thing about becoming a crime lord that Scanlan did not prepare for was all the enemies he'd create along the way. Maybe he's naïve, or maybe he'd just gotten so used the feeling of invincibility that came with being a member of Vox Machina, but it doesn't take long into his stay in Ank'harel for him to accumulate an impressive list of enemies, each of whom would like to see him and his daughter dead.

Which, yeah, that takes a good deal of the thrill away. Kaylie's got his sense of self-preservation, but also his sense of recklessness, and as a result she's fairly blasé about all of the people the two of them have managed to piss off in their relatively short stint here in Marquet, but Scanlan's not as enthusiastic about the situation. Anyone who comes for him is going to be coming for her, too, and it would be just his luck to get his kid killed mere months after actually establishing some kind of relationship with her. More than once he's tried to convince her to take a step back, to disassociate herself from him, just for her own safety, but tenacity is also a heritable trait, it seems, and she's refused on every occasion.

Which is how they end up here, in the back alley of a tavern in the Suncut Bazaar, starting down the business end of three scimitars with their hands in the air.

Behind the brutish oafs wielding the blades, a tall, thin human man with dark hair and too much jewelry paces a half-circle, affecting an air of boredom that Scanlan has employed many times himself. "Tell me why I should strike you dead where you stand."

Kaylie scoffs. "As if you could."

The human's teeth flash. "Big words from one so small. I could chop you to bits like a steak on my dinner plate."

"Rabi," Scanlan says slowly, carefully, "why don't we talk without the swords, huh? What could you possibly have to say that couldn't be said over a drink inside?"

"Some things are better said in blood," Rabi replies dryly, "like, stop undercutting my prices."

"You're bad at business and it's our fault," Kaylie says, tone dripping in sarcasm. "Have you ever considered that maybe you just suck?"

There's a choked noise in Scanlan's throat as all three scimitars close in on Kaylie's throat. It's a threat, but it's also an opportunity; now that the attention is off of him, he is able to quickly mutter something under his breath, and in the next instant, he and Kaylie are in the middle of the busy street, a few hundred feet away from where Rabi and his goons had been threatening her a heartbeat before.

"RUN!" Scanlan grabs Kaylie's arm and yanks her into a dead sprint away from the alley. Sometimes there are benefits to being tiny, like disappearing seamlessly into a crowd of drunken revelers and gamblers. Scanlan can hear Rabi's shouts behind him, but it's too late; Scanlan tugs Kaylie into an inn, where he immediately disguises both of them as an elderly gnomish couple.

Kaylie frowns. "What was that for?"

He's confused. "The dimension door or the seeming?"

"All of it! We could have taken them!"

Scanlan huffs out a sigh. "We could have, but Rabi is lethal and pissed. It's better to get out alive than to get your ass kicked for no reason."

Kaylie crosses her arms. "Seems like a coward's way of thinking to me."

He grits his teeth. Sometimes he wonders if she inherited anything from her mother at all. "I've been a coward, and I've been a hero. Guess which one got me killed. Twice."

She avoids his eyes then, the shame not at all hidden by his spell. He doesn't know how to make her get it, how to make her see that there's no amount of glory or heroics that's ever going to get him to risk her life. He leaves her to stew, hobbles to the door of the inn just in time to watch Rabi and his men rush past, clearly at a loss for where they could have gone. He waits to see them disappear further down the thoroughfare before returning to Kaylie. "Come on. Let's go home. We'll figure out our next move there."

He turns back toward the door, but freezes when Kaylie says, "I don't need you to protect me. I can take care of myself."

He doesn't know how to make her get it. "Too fucking bad." He walks away, shoving out of the inn and into the bustling nightlife of Ank'harel.

[atlabeth]

turn back the clock - rafe cameron

summary: your boyfriend breaks up with you days before your best friend's wedding. you're dreading having to face it alone, but when some behind-the-scenes tampering by the bride brings you back into contact with your high school crush, more comes to light than you could've ever imagined.

a/n: thank you to ri for helping me decide which current wip to finish and this post i saw on ig for inspiring it in the first place. i love second chance romance so much and the obx3 trailer made me wanna start writing for rafe again so here we are lmao.

this has been in google drive hell since august and i finished the rest of it all in one go at midnight when i was supposed to be doing homework. so i hope you enjoy

wc: 4.2k

warning(s): small bit of angst at the beginning but basically all fluff, like toothrotting. also reader was a college track athlete but nothing else about her is described

(no i will not stop using this gif of him in the blue suit<333)

You didn’t really wanna have to make this call. Instead, you just wanted to stew in your own misery, watch some sappy rom-coms that make you feel even worse about what happened, and maybe go out and buy a couple pints of ice cream. 

But the day wasn’t supposed to be about you. And you owed it to Elizabeth to at least explain why you might be in a vaguely shitty mood at her wedding.

Honestly, though—you should have expected this. 

“He what?” 

“Liz—” you started, but you knew once she got going there was no bringing her down until she was done. 

“He broke up with you?” 

“Yes,” you said, and you clenched your free hand in a fist to keep from choking up. He didn’t deserve any of your time, you knew that, but that didn’t mean you weren’t hurting. It didn’t mean tears didn’t well up every time you thought about him. “He just sprung it on me out of nowhere last night. I thought we were doing pretty well, but,” you let out a watery laugh, “I guess not.” 

“I can’t believe him,” she seethed. “I told you not to trust guys with J names, and Jason is like, the biggest offender! I told you the moment we met him at that frat party he was bad news—” 

“You don’t need to go on a rant!” you interrupted with a laugh. “I already know how much of a jerk he is— well, I might’ve just had my eyes opened to it, but I know. I just wanted to tell you that I’m… going through some stuff, I guess, in case I seem off during all the planning. But that’s all—you have to promise me that none of the focus is gonna be on me, because this is your day.” 

“...Okay,” she said after some hesitation, “but you can still rant to me whenever you want. Just because you’re one of my bridesmaids doesn’t mean all you have to talk about is the wedding.” 

“How can I not talk about the wedding all the time?” you exclaimed. “Lizzie, I’ve been involved in so much of the process with you that it’s basically all I can think about. This is the most excited I’ve been for anything ever.” 

“Didn’t your brother get married last year?” she said. 

“You know what I mean,” you chuckled. “I just can’t believe you’re getting married, and to Nate, too. It feels like it was just yesterday that you were telling me about the cute boy in your trig class, and six years later and you’re marrying him in a week.” 

You could hear the smile in your words. “It really does feel like yesterday, huh? I remember going on and on about how much I liked him after that group project we got stuck together for—y’know, your encouragement was the only reason I ended up asking him out.” 

“Then I’m glad I kept bothering you,” you said with a smile of your own. “You guys are so great together.” 

“I just wish you would’ve taken my—” Liz suddenly stopped talking on the other end, and you frowned a bit. 

“What?” 

“...Nothing,” she said very suspiciously after a pause. “I, uh— I just remembered there’s something I need to do. Wedding related. I’ll talk to you later?” 

“Yeah—” you said, but she had already hung up. You chuckled and shook your head as you set your phone down. 

You didn’t really know what that was about, but you were looking forward to the wedding—it didn’t matter that you were suddenly single. 

You and Liz had been best friends since you were put next to each other in the seating chart in sixth grade science—and even though she went to NC A&T and you were all the way at San Diego State, you talked basically every day for all four years of college. Sometimes you even made the flights to see each other, and it was worth every single dollar. 

It made you feel a lot better, knowing she had your back (and knowing that she had likely already blacklisted Jason from the guestlist made you feel pretty good too). 

What you didn’t know, though, was that what she was doing at that moment would make the wedding night a whole lot more interesting for you. 

And it all had to do with one Rafe Cameron from high school. 

-

The air was thick with a thousand different perfumes and the stiffness of hairspray along with a whole lot of anxiety as a result of the eight bridesmaids who inhabited the room trying to make sure they looked their best before the procession started in T-10 minutes. 

You were, of course, stressed as well. It was like everything that was fine for the months leading up to the wedding had suddenly decided to go wrong just to spite you. You’d forgotten to take a tag off of your dress and it was digging into a very particular spot of your back, your hair was not cooperating—Ariel and India and Natasha might have said that you looked beautiful, but it was just not working with you—and you were about to run out of your favorite mascara. All small things, but they were beginning to add up. 

And to add to your stress, your phone started to go off. When you opened it, you saw it was a text from Lizzie. 

girl I am so sorry to ask you this I know we’re so close to the start 

but Ayana just told me that she left my bouquet on the table in the sideroom of room 139, she forgot to take them out of the vase! 

sisters aren’t even on top of things when they’re your maid of honor apparently 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 

you’re the closest to the room and the only other person I can trust rn because Im going slightly wedding crazy, can you please get it??? I will love you more than my future husband and you will have my eternal gratitude 

using my track past against me i see 

you are pushing it babe 

I know 

help me obi-wan kenobi you’re my only hope 

lol 

dw I got this 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

You are my savior and all your drinks are on me next time we go out 

You sighed and shook your head, slipping your heels off in favor of the flats you came here in. The last thing you needed was to break an ankle before the procession. 

“I’ll be back!” you announced to the rest of the bridesmaids—though you weren’t sure any of them heard you in the havoc—before you ran out of the room. You were thankful this dress had a slit. 

It took a minute for you to get there, makeup and hair still intact, but when you did you didn’t see a vase. You huffed a sigh and got to work going through everything. The actual last thing you needed was for Liz to not have her bouquet as she walked down the aisle. 

“Oh— I’m so sorry, I didn’t even know there was another person in here.” 

You turned around from your crouched spot on the floor at the voice, and you nearly toppled over when you saw who it was. 

“Rafe?” you marveled. Though it was posed as a question, there was no doubt about it. You’d only thought about him basically every day for all of high school. 

He said your name with the same surprise, his eyes widening slightly at the same time as he stared at you for a moment too long. You swore his eyes went up and down, a slight pink tinge on his cheeks, when he blinked and shook his head. A wide smile spread across his lips in its place, and it did the same sort of thing to you that it did in high school. You weren’t immune to a Rafe Cameron grin as a freshman, and apparently you weren’t as a college graduate either. “What are you doing here?” 

“Trying to find Lizzie’s bouquet ten minutes before the wedding,” you said with a slight laugh. “What are you doing here?” 

“Uh, Topper left his pocket square in here, apparently,” he said. “We drove here together, and he’s the best man so he’s scrambling all over the place, and—” Rafe paused and he breathed a laugh, his eyes crinkling at the corners in the same way they did in high school. “You get the idea.” 

“Oh, yeah,” you nodded, and a smile pulled at the corners of your lips. “I had no idea you were gonna be at the wedding. I—” you chuckled and shook your head. “I guess I forgot that you and Nate went to UNC together.” 

“Yeah.” Rafe laughed again, though it was a bit nervous as he ran a hand through his hair, stuffing his other hand in his pocket. “It’s uh— it’s been forever since I’ve seen you, though. What, the last time we actually had a conversation was—” 

“That one party at UNC,” you supplied, and you stood up, leaning against the countertop. “The one that Liz dragged me to when I came to visit her for spring break sophomore year. We saw each other there.” 

“...Yeah,” Rafe repeated, and his smile softened. “Yeah, it was then. I didn’t know you remembered that.” 

“‘Course I did,” you said. “I mean, the last time before that was the huge party you, Kelce, and Topper all threw in the last week of summer. Before we all went our separate ways.” 

“Oh, that was…” he laughed as he bowed his head a bit. “That was something. Uh, it should be a rule pre-college boys should not be allowed to be around that much alcohol without supervision. I’m surprised no one died that night.” 

You grinned as the memory of it all came back. It was hard to believe that it was one of the last times you saw Rafe. That it was the last time you saw Rafe for two whole years, and the next time you got even the slightest glimpse of him was a minute long conversation with your very drunk self before you were dragged out by your one sober friend. 

Seeing Rafe was the only thing you remembered from that night.

“I can’t believe it’s been so long,” you said, your voice a bit softer. “College really did something to us, huh?” 

“Yeah,” he said, and his smile faded the slightest bit. “Being on separate coasts’ll do that to you.” 

Your expression softened, and you were about to say something when your phone buzzed in your hand. Panic jolted through you for just a moment before you read what the texts said. 

just kidding lol. It turns out that Alicia got the flowers when she was picking up the drinks from there for the reception

crisis averted!! 

I’ll still cover your drinks though since I prob gave you a mini heart attack and Im very sorry about that 

“Huh,” you said, and you glanced back up at Rafe. “Looks like I was sent on a mission for flowers that weren’t even here.” 

“Elizabeth’s probably all over the place,” he said. “I mean, I’ve been kinda stressed out and I’m not even part of the wedding party. Bridal nerves have gotta be a lot worse.” But then Rafe paused and took his phone out of his pocket, and his brow creased. 

“What’s got you lookin’ like that?” you asked. 

“Huh,” he said. “Topper actually just had his pocket square in his… other pocket. So I guess I was here for nothing then, too.” 

A laugh bubbled out at that. “We’ve got some very organized friends today, huh?” 

“Seems so,” he agreed with a smile. “But I’m glad he misplaced it.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” Rafe nodded, and he shrugged. “I got to see you.” 

You felt the heat rush to your cheeks at an astronomical rate, and you had never been more thankful for your phone to buzz. 

But seriously you gotta finish getting ready we have like five minutes left before the organ starts playing 

liz if this was not your day i would be so mad at you

please. you can never be mad at me 

“I gotta go before I single handedly ruin this whole procession,” you joked, and you went past the entrance and Rafe. But just as you got a few steps away, you turned around and smiled. “I’m also glad that Liz sent me here.” 

Rafe chuckled, smiling inwardly as you hurried away. You didn’t know it, but his eyes didn’t leave you for a second. 

-

The wedding ceremony went fabulously. 

You got back in time and finished getting ready—for some reason, you felt a lot more confident in your appearance—and walked down the aisle arm in arm with a very lovely groomsman before taking your place at the front of the bridesmaid line. 

You cried. A lot. 

When you saw Liz walking down the aisle, when you looked up at Nate and saw the way he gazed at her with all the stars in his eyes, when her father gave her away, when they said their vows, when they kissed, when they walked off—you were a mess basically the entire time. Thank god for waterproof mascara. 

And then when you sat with the bridesmaids for the Liz and Nate's first dance and the parent dances, you cried again. And when Ayana gave her Maid of Honor speech and Topper gave his Best Man speech—you were like a waterfall. A complete mess, but a very happy one at that. 

But you managed to stop by the bathroom and fix yourself up in record time before you all went off to your normal seating charts, and god, you had never been more glad to have done so when you walked in and saw who was at your table. 

Liz either knew everything or nothing, because this... this was really something. 

“So we meet again,” Rafe said, another easy smile appearing as he turned to look at you. “Looks like this wedding is trying to make up for all the years we missed.” 

You chuckled and took your seat next to him. “Guess so. It’s not an easy feat, though.” 

“Six years was a long time,” he said. 

“Didn’t really help that my parents sold our house in the OBX after I graduated,” you said dryly. “I missed all those Rafe Cameron summers during college.” 

“‘Rafe Cameron summer’?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Didn’t realize there was a word for it.” 

“What can I say?” you shrugged. “I graduated with an English minor. It allows me to make up phrases whenever I want.” 

“Ah,” he said, nodding sagely. “I guess my… finance concentration means I control the stock market?” 

You laughed and shook your head. “You’re ridiculous. It obviously means you’re the head of the treasury. Keep up, Rafe.” 

“My bad.” He held up his hands with mock austerity. “Our time apart is the reason for such a ridiculous mistake.” 

You smiled, but it sobered a bit and you bit your lip. “On a serious note,” you said, “I’m… I’m really sorry.” 

Rafe frowned. “For what?” 

“For that time apart,” you said. “I came back to North Carolina more than a few times to visit Liz and some other friends, but I never came to see you. We were— we were good friends, Rafe, and I shouldn’t have just disappeared on you like that all because I was at a different college.” 

Somehow, his brow furrowed even deeper. “What? You can’t possibly be blaming yourself for this—people grow apart in distance. That… that just happened to us. I mean, you were in California and I was in Chapel Hill. That’s crazy distance.” 

“I still came back, though,” you said. “Just… never for you.” 

“...I didn’t expect you to,” Rafe said, looking right in your eyes. “No matter how much…” 

“What?” you asked after he trailed off. 

Rafe sighed, then shook his head, trying to clear his mind before he looked back at you. “Do you wanna dance?” 

“What?” you repeated, mostly because you couldn’t believe it. 

“Dance with me.” He stood up and offered a hand, passing a glance at the dance floor. All of the official dances had been done already so it was open to anybody, including you and your high school crush. 

“Okay,” you said with an almost breathless laugh, and you really felt like your freshman self again the way butterflies fluttered in your chest as you took his hand and walked over to an open spot. 

You and Rafe fell into an easy rhythm, like you’d been doing this all your lives, and it didn’t take too long for your conversation to follow. 

“So what did you get up to in all those years at SD State?” he asked. “All I really know about your college career is what I’ve gotten from Instagram and your parents’ Facebooks.” 

You laughed a bit. “Regular college stuff, I guess. I did track all four years and I won some awards, which was pretty cool. Went to a lot of parties, got drunk a lot, swore off drinking a lot, studied until I thought my eyes were going to fall out, then graduated with a chemistry degree. I’ve been working as a technician in a lab for the company I interned with for the past two years.” 

Rafe whistled. “‘Regular college stuff’, she says, as she describes an insane balancing act between student athlete life, partying, and schoolwork, and still being able to graduate with a STEM degree.” 

“You’re such a flatterer,” you admonished, but there was no real bite in your words. “That’s one thing that’s never changed.” 

“It’s easy to flatter a woman like you,” he said. “I mean, you’re out there changing the world. I feel like I’m not even worthy to stand in your presence.” 

You chuckled as Rafe spun you, and as your hands joined once again you offered a coy smile. 

“You know,” you said, feeling a surge of confidence with his words, “I had the biggest crush on you in high school.” 

Rafe’s eyes widened slightly, but he covered it up with a well placed smile of his own. “Really?” he marveled, and he said your first and last name, “you had a crush on me?” 

“Yep,” you nodded. “And she had it bad. If freshman year me could see this, she would be losing her mind.” 

Rafe laughed, and it spurned butterflies in your chest yet again—they were the same kind you’d felt whenever you talked to him back then, trying to catch whatever moments you could between your busy schedule and his own responsibilities. You were too scared to admit your feelings, but you enjoyed spending time with him nonetheless. 

If there was one thing this was proving, though, it was that your feelings definitely weren’t as settled as you thought. 

“Well, you know,” he said thoughtfully, echoing your previous words as he brought you back to the present, “I had a pretty big crush on you in high school too.” 

That completely threw you off your rhythm. So much so that you stumbled, totally missing your next steps—if it weren’t for Rafe catching you, you would’ve face planted. 

“Are you good?” Rafe asked, concerned. 

“You had a crush on me?” you asked instead. 

He laughed again and ran a hand through his hair before you fell back into your rhythm together—he had let it grow out some, you realized, and it looked infinitely better all ruffled and mussed up than styled. 

“Yeah,” he said. His smile wasn’t as confident as it always was, a boyish charm mingling with unusual shyness. “It, uh— it kinda snuck up on me. I didn’t really know how big of a crush it was until I was at your signing ceremony. Like, right after you signed the contract was when I realized I had it bad.” 

“My signing ceremony?” you marveled, and you shook your head in disbelief. “You really have great timing, Rafe. Couldn’t have realized a couple years earlier when we were still in the same place?” 

Rafe laughed softly. “Yeah. I really do. But I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to make it harder for you. I mean, I was staying in the OBX for Chapel Hill, and you were taking the opportunity of a lifetime to run track in San Diego. I wasn’t gonna take your mind off of that because some hometown guy had a crush on you.”

“Some hometown guy,” you repeated, and it was your turn to laugh. “You thought that little of yourself?” 

“It’s true,” he shrugged. “I was just a friend that fell for you. I mean,” he gave you a crooked smile, “not that it was hard to fall for you. Pretty sure I was one of ten guys who wanted to ask you to prom senior year.” 

“Okay, that is not true at all,” you said, but you were stumbling over yourself just as quickly. He wanted to ask you to prom senior year? When the one thing that you thought about whenever you looked at him that spring was dancing with him at prom? “Grant Millwood was the only one that asked me.”

Rafe nodded with a laugh. “That was because he threatened everyone that he knew had a crush on you to make sure he would get to go with you.”

“And then he ditched me halfway through the night because he got too drunk to function off the alcohol he smuggled in himself,” you said dryly. “Yeah, he was a great date.”

“High school was the best,” Rafe said with mock austerity, “wasn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah,” you nodded. “I miss the kook academy every single day.”

“I still can’t believe you wanted to ask me to prom senior year,” you said, shaking your head. “Rafe, how did I not even know? Why didn’t you do it?” 

“And let you miss your chance with Grant Millwood?” Rafe over exaggerated his scoff. “Please.” 

A laugh spilled out as a smile shone through. “You would’ve saved high school me a lot of angst if you told her you had a crush on her, y’know. Then I wouldn’t have had to spend four years pining in high school.” And four more in college, and two more postgrad. 

(God, you wish he had told you sooner. You would’ve blown all of your money on tickets to North Carolina if you had even the slightest inkling your eternal feelings weren’t eternally hopeless.) 

“Goes both ways,” he said, tacking on your last name. “Why didn’t you tell me how bad you had it?” 

“Because I thought that there was no chance in Hell that Rafe Cameron would ever share my feelings?” you said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Come on, Rafe—you know who you are, who you were. You say a couple guys wanted to ask me to prom—every girl wanted to date you. I didn’t stand a chance.” 

“And yet you did,” Rafe said with a slight chuckle. He shook his head. “Y’know, if I could turn back the clock, I would’ve done so many things differently.” Rafe smiled boyishly. “I would’ve mustered the nerve to ask you to prom before Grant even got the chance. And I definitely would’ve asked you out instead of liking you in private.” 

You smiled and shrugged. He liked you then when you thought there was no chance—why not now, when you also thought there was no chance? 

“Who says you have to turn back the clock?” 

Rafe’s own grin grew immediately, and he pulled you off to the side of the dance floor. He held your hands in his own, the cool metal of his signet ring at odds with the rough calluses on his palms brushing against your skin. 

He said your name with such earnesty you felt like you could melt, and when you gazed into his eyes, you nearly did. “I think you are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met in every single way. I can’t believe that it took me meeting you by chance at a wedding for me to do this, but I’d like to fix a mistake I made five years ago by never doing this. Can I take you on a date?” 

“Rafe Cameron,” you said, and it was a physical effort to contain the joy nearly bursting out of you, “I would love that more than anything.” 

He grinned. “Great.” 

And then he cupped your face in his hands and pulled you in for the best kiss of your life, one that you immediately fell into with all the vigor of six years spent longing. 

When he pulled away, leaving you completely breathless with widened eyes and bruised lips, his sultry whisper nearly took you out. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for years.” 

You only had eyes for Rafe as you pulled him back into a heated kiss, pulling him by the cuffs of his baby blue suit. The only thing that got you away from him was the need for air.

"Me too," you murmured.

(And in the background, you were far too dazed to hear Liz’s victorious cheer.)

-

perm tags: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77 @simonsbluee @kwyloz @masteroperator @louderfortheback 

obx tags: @milkiane @lilgoddesshines @sexytholland

rafe tags: @lurkymurker

[sanjisprincesswifey]

illusion ⋆ zoro x reader

summary: zoro realized he was making it all up in his head

note: this idea was created by @nil-deathsmoke

♡: gender-neutral reader. 2,020+ words. sfw content.

zoro stares with an unamused glare as sanji guides you around the kitchen, his hands placed delicately on top of yours as you stir the stew and dice the vegetables for tonight's meal. your goofy smile makes the swordsman sick to his stomach, he feels the need to choke down his sake to keep himself from saying a word.

“tastes perfect; doesn’t it, y/n-swan?” sanji coos, lifting the wooden spoon to your lips to allow you a small sip of the warm broth. you moan at the savory taste, wrapping your arms around sanji’s neck to hug him.

“it’s delicious! thank you for letting me help,” you smile.

zoro’s jaw clenches when the happiness washes over your face while you’re in his arms. it was an uncontrollable reaction and if sanji himself weren’t so lovestruck by your affections, he would notice zoro’s murderous gaze in his direction. despite the weight and heat of his stare, he couldn’t pull his eyes away from either of you no matter how many knots his stomach was in.

“dinner is served!” you yell, signaling those who weren’t occupying the galley. you set bowls in front of each of your crewmates, the steam wafting into their faces as an onslaught of compliments begins even before they had a chance to pick up their silverware.

soon, the dining table is rattling with content soup-slurping and light chatter amongst the group. with everyone wrapped up in their own conversations, no one had noticed zoro’s absence that had begun at the start of the meal. rather than sitting in his chair and watching sanji spoon-feed you the delicious meal you had prepared, zoro opted to eat his dinner in solace, alone on the main deck.

the chilly autumn weather proved fatal to his once hot, steaming meal now leaving the contents a cool, mushy mess, but to be honest he wasn’t that hungry anymore anyway. his bulky body creaks the sunny’s rails as his entire weight is pushed into it, a frustrated groan leaving his body.

as much as he hated to admit it, nami and usopp were right and now he was too late. had he confessed his feelings much sooner, like the two had warned, maybe it would be zoro’s arms that you cradled yourself into and not sanji’s. he just thought there would be more time, maybe he would’ve been able to come up with the right words to say or any idea on how to say them. but by the time he had the slightest bit of hope, he had already found you with that idiot of a cook.

every night when he can hear sanji’s name escape from your lips, zoro curses himself for not mustering up the courage sooner.

“the food was that bad, huh?” you tease, bundling yourself underneath a sweater to brace against the weather.

zoro tsks, shaking his head, “no, just got a lot on my mind tonight.” you raise a brow, leaning right next to him as you overlook the same view he is. zoro peeks over at you, every word he’s ever wanted to say to you bouncing around his head. your hands are unbelievably close to one another, fingertips mere centimeters away from each other, and just as he gets the guts to reach out, a familiar flick of a lighter halts him from doing so.

“y/n, my sweet, you ready to go?” sanji asks. blowing out a ring of smoke, he holds out his hand to you with a cigarette between the fingers of the other. you nod your head sweetly causing zoro to cringe at both the ease of sanji’s actions and how unreluctant you are to accept them.

“where the hell are you guys going at this hour?” zoro questions, letting the jealousy seethe through his words without giving it a second thought. it’s not until seconds later that he bites his own tongue to stop more venomous speech from spewing out at the cook.

with an irritated glare, sanji eyes zoro’s stoic expression with curiosity; he was rather curious when it came to you lately and it did not go unnoticed. “i’m taking them out dancing and for a drink or two. why do you want to know?” he bites.

zoro’s free hand balls up into a fist as he can feel the jealousy that courses through his veins. he can only shake his head ‘no’ as he restrains himself from revealing anything incriminating.

“thought so,” sanji mumbles as he escorts you off the ship and onto the dock below. zoro turns away every time sanji decides to glance back at him with an amused smirk. it was like he knew.

his brown eyes follow the two of you until you’re out of sight, the vein in his forehead throbbing watching that blond-haired bastard’s hands roam your back and waist.

he knows it’s torture, like a cruel joke the universe wanted to play on him for being too stubborn.

hours pass and the night turns into the early hours of the morning as it nears two. he normally wouldn’t be so eager to volunteer for night watch, especially when a warm bed sounded much more appealing than waiting for you to come back half-naked with sanji following quickly behind. but he couldn’t help himself, the desire to know that you’re back on the ship safe and sound was more important than the disgust that would unwillingly overtake his body.

with his head pressed against the window of the crow’s nest, zoro’s eyelids lazily fall and then blink wake once again. his yawns echo across the empty room as he watches the waves crash and descends onto the rocky shore, almost in a daydream-like state. that is until he notices someone come from over the hill on the other side of the dock.

zoro sits up when he realizes it’s you, and you alone, that’s stumbling around. the gravel beneath you doing you no favors as you hold onto your shivering body, wanting to get back to the ship as fast as possible.

in a hurried rush, zoro returns to the main deck, helping you back onto the ship. he can feel his heart twitch when he notices that you had been crying.

“y/n? are you okay? where is sanji?” he asks, realizing that your sweater was inside out, and your hair in slight disarray.

you sniff slightly, sadly meeting his eye before pointing to the galley. nodding at your silent request, he awkwardly follows as you flip the lights on, retrieving yourself a cup of water.

zoro sits impatiently at the counter until you join him, resting your tired head on his shoulder. he stiffens at the action, and he has no doubt that you could feel it too, so to calm his nerves you place your hand on his tense bicep.

“so, uh, do you want to tell me what’s going on?” he quietly questions. he feared that if he were too loud, you’d remove your delicate presence from him.

your lip trembles as you slowly open your mouth to speak, “sanji, he…” you hiccup. “he told me to come back to the sunny after i found him kissing other people,” you reveal, digging your face further into zoro’s shirt.

again, he can feel the vein in his forehead throbbing along with his eye beginning to twitch. he knew that dumbass cook wasn’t right for you, but to hurt you this much? zoro was fuming.

“why am i so stupid?” you say, slurring your words together. your voice relieves zoro of any and all anger he was building up, he couldn’t even be mad when you’re the one who was hurting and pleading with him to help you feel better. his entire body softens, relaxing every muscle as he watches you pick your head up to meet his eye.

zoro could feel himself, once again, at the mercy of your big, beautiful eyes.

you run your palm along his arm until you’ve interlaced your fingers together, which he gladly accepts by tightening his hold on you.

“you’re not stupid. you just have stupid taste,” he jokes, hoping to ease the tension with a half-hearted jeer. his smile grows when he notices you haven’t taken offense and had begun laughing yourself.

he could smell the alcohol on your breath and by the slur of your speech, it’s obvious you’ve been drinking quite a bit. it was like you were torturing him; teasing him for your own pleasure, but when your soft fingers were brushing against his skin like this, he had a hard time caring.

“you deserve better,” zoro coughs out, trying to hide it by acting nonchalant. you giggle against his arm and your warm breath sends goosebumps across his entire body. when you don’t pull away, or say no, he continues, “i mean it, you know.”

you nod, only half agreeing with what he was saying, before leaning your face even closer to his. both yours and zoro’s breathing are heavy, as his eyes nervously glance between your lips and your eyes.

“yeah? well why don’t you kiss me about it then?” you test, smirking slightly. zoro swallows harshly before reaching to hold the back of your head and smush your lips together.

despite the alcohol content of his body being zero, he felt drunk; intoxicated by the soft, supple feeling of your lips, how they move so keenly against his like they were meant to be together. it was better than anything he had ever dreamed, from the way your fingers run through his short, green hair, to the way he cups your plump cheeks to refuse you from pulling away.

the imaginary fireworks that he always dreamed of shoot off in his head as he breathes heavily the moment you both pull away.

“how about let’s get you to bed, y/n? we can talk about this when you’re sober, how does that sound?” he questions, aiding you to your feet and into your shared room with nami and robin.

you feverishly nod, cuddling into your blankets before drifting off to sleep. zoro leans down placing a small kiss on your forehead before making his exit.

when he closes the door as quietly as possible, he smiles to himself, feeling the uncontrollable heartbeat in his chest.

the next morning, zoro is the first person at the breakfast table, surprising everyone because he’s almost always the last. each time the door creaks open, he finds himself looking up just to see if it’s you.

no one notices his odd behavior besides sanji, who knows that zoro’s out of his mind to go after you. “hey moss-head, go wake y/n if you’re so excited to see them,” sanji calls, smiling to himself. zoro doesn’t even have time to retort anything back as he jumps from his seat to go get you.

his heavy hands knock on the door and after hearing a light, “come in,” he enters seeing you rummaging underneath your covers.

“hey zoro, what’re you doing here?” you ask, brushing your messy hair away from your face.

he chuckles, sitting on the edge of your bed, “i wanted to come to get you for breakfast, and maybe talk to you about, uh, last night,” he hopefully murmurs, messing with his thumbs.

you furrow your brows together, “what about last night? i went out with sanji, last night?”

the seriousness in your tone causes zoro’s stomach to do a flip as he immediately stands to his feet. “you—you don’t remember anything else about last night?” he asks in almost a pleading tone.

you look around, thinking for a moment before shaking your head. zoro can feel his face heat up, surely turning a bright red hue to match. a sharp pain strikes his heart as he realizes that just as you say to be, your face matches your clueless expression.

“uh, nevermind. breakfast is ready, so hurry before it gets cold,” he grumbles before hastily making an exit.

you shrug your shoulders, feeling a strange tingling sensation on your lips. you brush it off, beginning to get ready for the day.

like, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated! (✿◠‿◠)

[hotwings0203]

Idk what this is but the thought of you being scared of Bakugos quirk is so hot to me

Tw:noncon, predatory behavior

“I swear he’s getting to be more and more like a villain every time I see him,” you giggle with Mina as you two walk out of the class. Bakugo had yet again exploded at one of your shared teachers for correcting him in his pronunciation of a word, and as usual it was quite a scene to behold. Chairs were almost thrown, his friends had to hold him back from leaping up while others egged him on, itching for amusement in their mind-numbingly dull class.

“Maybe Shigaraki was right,” your pink-haired friend snorts and you both collapse in wheezes, clawing and slapping at each other’s shoulders as the ludicrous image of Shigaraki being unable to reign in Bakugo comes to mind.

“Hey ladies, what’re you two laughing about?” A lilting and charming voice comes right at your ear, and you turn to see Denki, Kirishima and…Bakugo walking next to you.

Just because of his proximity and how you were literally just talking about him two seconds ago, you jump away from Bakugo’s glowering face and not so subtly hide behind Mina in a half playful jest.

“Huh? Whatcha ya jumpin’ around for?” Kirishima laughs and you exchange an embarrassed look with Mina.

“Oh nothing, we were just talking about how Bakugo’s quirk is totally villainous. We’re lucky he’s on our side,” Mina singsongs, but you slap her arm in alarm.

And well placed alarm at that, because Bakugo’s scowl deepens as he turns his head to you in a death-glare. You swallow hard seeing his expression and try to nervously laugh.

“But, uh, we were just joking. Right Mina?” You give her a pointed look and she deflects it happily.

“Nope! At least you weren’t, you’re half scared to death of him, isn’t that right Y/N?”

Denki interrupts before you can sputter in horror.

“Honestly, who isn’t scared of this dude?” He claps the other blond on his back and yelps when Bakugo’s hands start curling with smoke.

“Watch it dumbass.” He cranes his head to meet your eyes, but when he finds that you’re still avoiding eye contact with him he starts moving around his friends to better talk to you.

“My quirk isn’t that scary you idiot. It’s not like I care enough about any of you to blow you up-“

But with the smoke still curling form his hands and with the permanently intimidating scowl on his face reading closer and close to your, you can’t help but squeal and scrabble around him to sink your nails into Kirishima’s shoulders for protection.

“Okay, I get it! You don’t have to come any closer, I can see fine from here.” Your voice comes out too high and strained to be deemed as joking, but nonetheless everyone laughs at your dramatic show.

Everyone but Katsuki. Because he can see you’re actually scared, he’s seen it a hundred times on civilians who try to pretend they’re fine but still have that panicked glint in their eye.

“Jesus Y/N, with a reaction like that maybe he really is a villain. Bakubro, want us to send you back to Shigaraki’s place? Maybe you should reconsider his offer.”

And finally at Denki’s quip everyone including you this time laughs again in playful agreement, but yet again Bakugo’s blood starts simmering further.

Why the fuck were you being so obnoxious? He didn’t do anything to you before, right? So why the hell were you embarrassing him in front of all his friends and making him out to be this bloodthirsty monster?

Well, whatever. If a monster is what you want, then a monster is what you’ll get.

And so he waits for you after school, trailing behind you a couple hundred feet yet still keeping you in sight. He curses when you giggle with your friends, no doubt in his mind that you’re still throwing dirt on his name and he swears under his breath when you talk to Deku and his dweeb friends.

Of course when you hang around ditzy dorks like Deku he’s gonna look like a psycho in comparison.

But at one point you’re by the vending machine alone in a deserted hallway, fumbling with your coins and trying to quickly get a soda before your friends up ahead leave.

Too bad for you, because when he’s done with you they’ll never want to be seen with you again for their own safety.

You’re shoving money in the slot when he silently walks up a couple feet behind you.

“No friends around to gossip about me?”

You shriek and jump a good foot in the air at the sudden voice behind you. Clutching your heaving chest, you whirl around to see who it is.

Your blood runs cold. It’s Katsuki Bakugo, the absolute last person you want to be alone with in a deserted hallway.

Your feet move a step back.

Wrong move.

His nostrils flare and his eyes widen at your insulting retreat. You know he doesn’t take kindly to it, but with an expression like that how could you not?

“Uh, w-what do you mean?” You chuckle nervously.

He doesn’t laugh. In fact, he does something worse.

He matches your steps and moves forward a little bit.

At this you fully take a stride backwards and clash with the vending machine behind you.

He keeps advancing, slowly getting closer and checking you out, his head tilted as his eyes roam up and down your vulnerable body.

“Don’t move back. Why the fuck did you move away from me? That’s rude, we were just having a normal conversation.”

You surprise yourself by sounding level-headed in retaliation. “‘Kinda hard not to be a little uncomfortable when your conversation sounds so accusing.”

He lunges forward and you actually scream this time, throwing your hands up above your head in instinct to protect yourself from his proximity.

Bakugo doesn’t touch you but you can still feel his breath puffing on your head, can still feel the heat from his hands on either side of your body.

“You got a smart mouth don’t you? Is that why you embarrassed me earlier in front of everyone?”

“Embarrassed you-?” You squeak but immediately cut off when he thrusts his face right in front of yours, a manic look on his face as all his facial features stretch into a irate leer.

“I guess we’ll have to fix that tongue of yours. Put it to better use than to talk shit about me, right?”

Vermilion irises move from your face down your body, lingering on your chest and at the apex in between your legs.

Bile rises to your throat as he licks his lips and lets his lips ghost over yours, oh so close yet not touching.

And in the second before he descends, you shove him off with nothing but pure adrenaline feeling your fear and race past him, blindly running down the halls as fast as you can.

Surprisingly, you don’t hear anyone behind you. That doesn’t mean you don’t stop running though.

The real reason you don’t hear anyone behind you is because Katsuki Bakugo has an eerie smile on his face at your bolt. He languidly stretches his arms above his head and relishes in the popping of his joints, and in succession the popping of sparks in his hand. He kicks one leg out, then the other just to ensure you get a fair head start.

You’ve just made this so much more interesting.

He sets off at a light jog, and even in his carefree pace his strides are enough to eventually catch up with you, instinct like an animal’s guiding him through the winding halls and ending up catching a glimpse of your feet as you turn into another lane.

You’re panting, sweat pouring down your eyes as panic makes it hard to breathe or think rationally. The adrenaline that was pushing you is now dying down but at the worst time.

You take a quick glance back and your rapidly beating heart falters as you see him with a grin on his face as he practically jogs leisurely behind you. You’ve seen this same face on him when he’s in the battlefield, blasting through enemy hearts and blowing up heads as if they were fireworks.

He’s bloodthirsty. He wants you.

“Running away again? That’s not very heroic of you babe,” he calls out, and it’s terrifyingly infuriating how he’s not out of breath.

“Leave me the fuck alone,” you half scream and sob, trying to run faster but failing miserably.

You see a bathroom sign out of the corner of your eye and frantically stumble towards it.

Katsuki knows you know he’s even you take a turn and he laughs to himself at how boringly easy this is.

Maybe he was scary.

He shakes it off and continues his hunt after you, coming forth until he faces the bathroom door in which you were cowering behind.

There’s a small window, and no other door. Just a couple of stalls, a terrified girl, and a psycho with the taste of revenge practically palpable on his lustful tongue.

He knock with faux politeness. “You wanna come out and do this the easy way or you want me to barge in and take you myself?”

You sob and wheeze in response, desperately pushing against the flimsy door in a pathetic attempt to keep him out. Bakugo merely crosses his arms and leans against the door, staring intently at it with a smile still on his face.

Judging by the weight pushing more at the bottom of the door, he can tell you’re probably sitting down in an effort to catch your breath.

You both know he can come in at any time he so well pleases, but he decides he’ll play by your rules for a bit longer, indulge you a little before your inevitable downfall.

He hums loudly and slides down to join your parallel position on the floor.

“I’m tryina be nice here, y’know. You acted so scared of me when I never even bothered you before. Aren’t I being nice right now by letting you choose for yourself?”

He sounds so conversational, as if he were talking to one of his buddies. You stay silent but your silence speaks volumes.

It serves as nothing but a means to piss him off further.

The two of you sit in silence for seemingly hours, even though it’s only around 20 minutes. Every second you feel like he’s going to break down the door any second and blast your face off, but miraculously he doesn’t.

You don’t know what you’d rather prefer: for him to prolong your strained agony by letting you be so close yet so far from him, or to end your suffering and get it done with.

But you needn’t sit in silence stewing in your own fear any further, for at the exact moment you begin to doze off with the dying of the light the weight on the other side of the door lifts and you startle awake at the scuffling on the other side.

You blink a couple of times and blanch when you see through the window the purple light indicating that you really have been here longer than you thought.

Bakugo cracks his knuckles and rolls his head, popping a few more kinks in his neck before breathing out and bracing for impact.

“Ready or not little bitch, here I come.”

“Bakugo, wait-!”

But your plea doesn’t last for more than two words. The door bangs open with such a sound that you actually think he’s blasted it straight off his hinges. You gasp and shield yourself, jumping backwards and covering your face.

“‘Thought I made it clear by now that you can’t run. So why’d you try to leave? Huh? Think you’re smarter than me? You think you’re stronger than me?”

He’s stalking forward again, and you’re left tripping back over your feet and whimpering at his salacious intent as he backs you up and corners you into a stall.

He already knows the answers to his rhetorical questions but he wants to hear you say it. He wants to hear that scornful conviction in your voice about how big and bad he was that you used earlier.

With you tripping backwards into the cramped stall, his approach quickens in hunger at feeling you, feeling the fear radiating off your body.

Bakugo presses up against you against the wall and takes up the space around you, invading your personal bubble. He’s everywhere, growling in your ear, hands gripping your waist so tight you’re sure bruises sprout from his touch, his erect penis grinding on the inside of your thigh.

Your trepidation and terror rises to an insurmountable height as he smothers you.

When he suddenly grips your chin and forces your head to face him you gasp. His touch is even more callous than you thought.

“You lookin’ here bitch? Good.”

His palm is raised towards you and before you can even widen your eyes in realization his appendage starts sparking madly. You shriek and try to throw him loose as little bits of embers fly out and made your face, his voice rough as always yet dangerously low and soft.

“S’not so scary after all is it? You’re reacting better to it than I thought.” Bakugo Blanca you mocks your writhing figure as you desperately try to evade the mini explosions.

“Okay, I get it, please stop I don’t like it!” You shrilly cry out but his hand moves from your jaw down to your neck, and squeezes the last remnants of opposition out of you.

“Yeah? Good, I’m glad you get it. But honestly, I don’t care if you don’t like it.

Because I like it. I fucking love this quirk, ‘specially when you cower so prettily under it like you did earlier.”

You choke and try to scrabble at his hands but it’s like a butterfly’s touch to him, barely producing any fruition.

“I kept wondering to myself: why do I care if she’s scared of it? And then I realized,” he leans in and lets his lips brush over your ear, lets his hand lessen ever so slightly so that your main focus is his words.

“You just looked good enough to eat when you know you’re beneath me. When you know how dangerous I am.”

He pulls back and assesses the look on your face. “Makes you look good enough to eat.”

And without further ado he lowers his hand and starts rubbing his alit palm on your clothed pussy, his erection getting harder as your screams wilt into whines.

Your legs flail uselessly as he burns a hole through your pants and his fingers hook aside the band of your panties.

Bakugo thrusts his hips forwards and grinds his straining cock on your moist lips, taking in your blubbers and teary eyes.

You can’t even speak, you can only cry out like a child as he thrusts harder and harder, so hard that your back hits the wall painful and the stall walls rattle behind you.

“You-pant-fucking scared-pant-now slut?” He rasps, his head bobbing on rhythm with yours as he practically lifts you off your toes to match his pace.

Your clit is caught between the fabric and rolled cruelly pleasurable as his tip leaks precum, staining your own panties in the process.

With your attention rapt on his now-uncovered dick sliding in and out of your folds, he takes this opportunity to take his other hand off your neck and blast the wall next to your face.

The second you open your mouth in shock as bits of tile rain down on your face he slams his steaming palm over your lips, burning the soft flesh as you weep openly.

He sets off two more near your sides and another above your head, his own face aligned right in front of yours so you can see the mean smile on his face all the while he sets your heart racing at an alarming speed.

When the smoke clears and you can start feeling glass and tile imprint on your once-smooth face, he positions his dick up so that it prods at your hole and yanks your hair back.

His eyes practically glow with the mini fires preserved in the walls with his blasts, the impact of the air rushing around him makes his hair even spikier, his body is taunt and even more imposing than before.

His teeth gleam with the orange and red light next to you. His chest doesn’t heave, because he’s at ease with your terror.

“You think you know fear?”

With one swift movement he shoves up into you, but this time he doesn’t cover your mouth.

“You haven’t met me truly yet.”

[absolutepokemontrash]

What about them reacting to a MC that's the complete opposite of them with the bros? (Sorry if you've done this already!!)

No! I haven’t done something like this yet! Please enjoy!

Lucifer Vs. Humility in Human Form

…this human is driving him up the wall and they haven’t even done anything wrong.

They have such a low view of their own importance, which can be seen as a pretty shitty thing but they- this fucking human-

They admit their mistakes, they’re willing to learn, they keep an open mind, CAN THEY JUST STOP. THEY’RE MAKING LUCIFER LOOK BAD!

Ugh… now they’re offering to help with his paperwork… sure human. Help him out.

Tsk, as annoying as this human is, they should at least have a little confidence in themselves. They do good work. Like geez… take some amount of pride in what they do, it’s not like it’d kill them.

Mammon vs. The Person He’s Gradually Squeezing Money Out of but he Feels Real Bad About It

Huh, so the stupid human’s going to buy him lunch? Good! He deserves it after he spent all that time lookin’ after them! And they’re gonna get him new sunglasses? Awesome!

The human is Mammon’s second wallet, and our favourite greedy demon is milking for all it’s worth.

…he feels kinda bad to be honest… just a smidge! Not ‘cause he likes the human or nothin’ it’s just that… uh… ONLY HE GETS TO USE THEM AS A WALKING ATM! THAT’S WHY!

Phew… crisis averted…

But yea, Mammon gets very nervous about people taking advantage of his MC, so it gradually gets him to slightly ease up on the “HUMAN! BUY ME THIS!”

Levi vs. Human with Good Vibes

…how is the human not self conscious about… anything???? Like, Levi could absolutely pwn them in any game and they’d just shrug it off and congratulate him!

HAEEEEH? No jealousy?! No desperate need to be the best?! No envy?! …man…

MC just has immaculate vibes and works to better themselves. They keep trying to tell Levi that there’s always going to be someone better than him at something, and that he should just enjoy what he’s doing.

It doesn’t help that MC goes outside, and exercises, and does… NOT Otaku things!

Does not compute. Does not compute. Computational overload-

It doesn’t stop MC though, they work tirelessly to try and help Levi understand his own self worth and defeat his envy. They uh… have their work cut out for them…

Satan vs. “Calm down, relaxation, chill out, stop screaming.”

This human just doesn’t seem to get angry… they have a god-like level of patience. At first Satan just thought he was overestimating how angry a human could get, but in reality MC was just very very calm.

They weren’t one for book reading either, which irked Satan a little, but it wasn’t a friendship dealbreaker.

MC’s very open with who they really are, they don’t hide anything behind fake smiles and pretty words. As we know, that’s not exactly Satan’s thing, but he can respect MC for being like that.

Satan and MC just vibe together in the same room. MC themselves is a calming figure.

Asmodeus vs. Dense, Chaste, and Afraid

My oh my~ what a cute little human. Asmo immediately got his flirt on, but this human was just so… dense???? They got NONE of the innuendos Asmo was spewing.

The human was so awkward too, nothing like Mr. Social Butterfly Asmodeus. He couldn’t go out with them without them looking like they were going to spontaneously combust!

At one point, Asmo got so frustrated that MC didn’t seem to be understanding his flirting, he straight up asked to have sex with MC.

“MC, babe, would you like to commence coitus? I am incredibly attracted to you, and I enjoy your company.” “Oh! Uh… I didn’t know you felt that way about me Asmo…” “H O W?!”

Beelzebub vs. “No, I’m good! I’m not hungry!”

Is MC… not hungry? :( are they sick? That’s so sad omg-

MC is expressive, Beel has RBF, MC is as prickly as a cactus, Beel is a teddy bear. Don’t worry, Beel will still hug cactusy MC :D

MC’s also quite lazy too, Beel doesn’t particularly mind, he’s already used to helping out Belphie.

Belphegor vs. “Jesus Fucking Christ do You Ever Sleep?!”

Human. Human no. Human stop. Stop moving just sit the fuck down.

Belphie gets tired just looking at MC work, they do all their chores with a sweet smile on their face too. Man… this human is way too perky while doing ugh, work.

MC is very open with their emotions, unlike Belphie, who stews angrily and can hold a grudge like no other.

It’s hard for demons to change, but maybe Belphie could learn some things from MC. Please. PLEASE learn something from MC Belphie we’re begging you here!

—————

I really ran out of ideas with this one… sorry guys :/

[monocaelia]

comforting you after a nightmare headcanons

nightmares aren't fun, but luckily you have someone there to protect you.

feat. albedo, diluc, childe, kaeya, xiao, zhongli

genre : hurt/comfort, fluff

note : hbd to me!! here's a gift from me to you with one of my favorite tropes, hehe <:

❀ albedo

albedo isn't one to dream much, let alone rest. he's always caught up in his own research and experiments that sleep isn't really needed if he wanted to be more productive in his research, despite the worried comments from sucrose and your lighthearted nags that he'll stay short forever.

though, that isn't to say that he's not interested. there are many times that albedo has caught you dozing off in his laboratory while waiting for him to be done with his experiments. he would be lying to himself if he didn't wonder what could possibly be playing in your mind to make you be smiling like that while unconscious.

this time, though, is an exception.

test tubes and flasks filled with various liquids and concoctions fill albedo's workspace as he examines each and every one before filling in his notebooks with descriptions and drawings of his work. there's a shuffle from his other desk and his eyes shift up to glance at you. albedo's gaze softens at the sight of his coat draped over your shoulders as they move to the rhythm of your breathing.

he wonders why you choose to stay at his laboratory so late and wait for him to finish his research rather than head home alone and sleep in your much more comfortable bed. albedo supposes you find comfort in his presence, an odd thing to be comforted by really.

however, the gentle smile quickly falls from his face the moment he hears the quiet whimpers and pleas. as quickly as he could, albedo moves to your side and gently shakes you awake. he isn't the least surprised when your eyes snap open and a gasp leaves your lips.

"...are you alright?" the question breaks you from your daze and you seem to relax when you realize you aren't dreaming anymore. though, the way your hands and shoulders shake doesn't escape the sharp eyes observing you.

"come on, i think i'm done with my research for now. we can head home if you'd like?" albedo smiles when you nod your head, but as he turns to pack up and prepare to leave his laboratory your hand shoots out to grasp his own.

albedo is surprised at first, but the shock melts into endearment as his hand pulls yours up to his lips. he presses a gentle kiss on your knuckles, reassuring you that he'll be right there for you. that you wouldn't be alone.

"nightmares, huh? ...i wonder if i can concoct something to help eradicate the chances of them appearing. oh, don't worry, i won't leave your side for the rest of the evening. promise."

❀ diluc

diluc isn't prone to nightmares, honestly he probably gets them quite often. or maybe even dreamless dreams if he's lucky. well, considering he sleeps at all. he's busy being the darknight hero of mondstatdt in the dead of night, so sleep doesn't come by often for the red haired vigilante.

even when he does get nightmares, there's not many people he can call to or rely on to help comfort him. he doesn't trust any of the knights, and he definitely doesn't trust kaeya to help at all. so comforting someone isn't something he knows how to do well.

but he tries his best to comfort you in any way, shape, or form if you ever needed him to.

the knocking against his door is quiet, nearly nonexistent if diluc was preoccupied with anything other than trying to sleep. he would have ignored it if it weren't for the quiet whisper of his name from a voice he recognized. sighing, he rises from his bed and heads over to his door, mentally preparing himself for whatever you're planning to throw over his head.

instead, diluc is met with your cheeky smile. you're definitely up to no good, but he hasn't quite figured out what you were going to do or say. before he could even question why you're standing outside his door in the dead of night, you interrupt him.

"wow diluc! fancy seeing you here, do you come here often?" he deadpans at you and nearly closes the door to go back to sleep. but he notices the way your fingers twiddle, a sign that you're nervous about something. his eyes flicker to your face, scanning anything that would give him clues on what's on your mind.

"what happened?" diluc's brows furrow in worry seeing the way your smile falls and the way your body begins to curl in on itself. he offers a hand for you to take, an invitation for you to be comforted by the stoic man in front of you. he lets a small smile grow on his lips when he sees you brighten up a tad at his invitation.

your hand is encased in his own, scarred and rough with callouses but comforting and warm at the same time.

"go back to sleep, it's already getting really late. if you need anything, though, i'll be right here until the dawn rises."

❀ childe

although sleep is necessary to maintain perfect health, childe finds it difficult to maintain a proper sleeping schedule due to his job as a fatui harbinger. when the tsaritsa calls, he needs to be there immediately to come to her aid and carry out her orders regardless of how inconvenient it was for him.

but, having many siblings, especially younger ones, has always prepared childe to comfort and protect anyone that he holds close to his heart. nobody, not even nightmares, can get close enough to harm the people he loves, not if he's alive to knock them down a peg.

which definitely includes you, someone who holds his entire world in the palm of your hands.

childe finds you awake at the dead of night after one of his shifts at the northland bank. which is surprising considering you're always asleep before he gets back home from work, always trying to stay up to welcome the harbinger home but always succumbing to the sweet embrace of slumber.

a mischievous grin grows on his lips as he plans to spook you, but as he nears your body, the shaking of your body and quiet sniffles reach his ears. immediately, childe's hand is on your shoulder and he frowns when you yelp and whip around to see him.

"o-oh, ajax, i didn't expect to see you home so soon. i was just getting ready for bed." a white lie. childe presses his lips into a thin line, his hand reaching out to catch a tear falling from your cheek. did...did he do this to you? was he being a bad partner for not putting aside more time for you?

as if reading his mind, you vehemently shake your head and grab onto childe's wrist. "no! no... it's not what you think i just had a really bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep. don't worry, you don't need to beat yourself up over this." he relaxes immediately at your comment, but he still feels bad for leaving you alone when you needed someone to comfort you.

childe leans over, cupping your face in his hands as he showers your face in featherlight kisses. your giggles fill the room and the habinger can't help but laugh as well, especially after pressing a wet, sloppy kiss on your lips. "how about i cook you a nice stew for tonight? it always helped teucer calm down when he was scared."

and you take him up on that offer. the rest of the evening is filled with light laughter from the both of you as childe moves around the kitchen and tells you stories of his childhood. the scene is comforting, peaceful, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

"how about we turn in for tonight? don't worry, nothing will harm you as long as your big, strong ajax is by your side!"

❀ kaeya

despite his title of being a "lazy" and "laid-back" captain of the calvary, kaeya isn't one to sleep too much. he has a regular sleeping schedule, though there are some nights where the memories of his past haunt him and he stays up reminiscing about how things were.

he's one to brood alone, not letting anyone see him vulnerable. but he likes to be relied on. there isn't a bone in his body that prevents him from helping anyone in need, even though the way he gets things done is quite... unconventional to everybody else's standards.

but when you call to him for help, he’s there in an instant.

the sound of rustling from beside kaeya stirs him from his slumber. he squints, his good eye focusing in the darkness of his room before landing on your curled up figure beside him. he figures you’re just shifting in your sleep and closes his eyes again, but you shift again and sigh. surely, you’re not sleeping at this point.

kaeya gently calls out your name, a warm smile on his face when he sees you startle from his voice. though, his smile melts away from his face when he sees your expression. it doesn’t help that you flinch slightly when his hand reaches over to brush against your cheek.

“sorry, i just…i’m still shaken from my dream and-“ your apologies are cut short when kaeya sends you a comforting smile and cups your jaw in his hand. he assures you that it’s fine.

“are you okay? how long have you been up?” it takes you a moment too long to come up with a lie that would put your lover at ease. when you come up with an answer, kaeya is already staring at you with his mismatched orbs, one of deep sapphire and the other a light, milky blue color. you can’t lie to him now.

so you tell the calvary captain about the dream you just had, not going too into details with what really shook you. and kaeya listens to everything you say, a hand firmly on your arm to remind him that you’re with him and not whatever occurred in your dreams.

he makes little comments here and there to lighten the mood, though he knows when to keep quiet so you can talk it through. when you finish talking the dream through, kaeya pinches your cheek, chiding you for dreaming of such things.

but he reassures you that you’re fine, and that he’s here to protect you should anything from your dreams come into reality. he jokes about letting you handle everything alone, but you know he wouldn’t despite how cheeky he is.

"don't let the bedbugs bite, [name]. haha, kidding. i'll be here to fight them off if you need me. i am a captain after all."

❀ xiao

xiao isn't unfamiliar with nightmares and dreams. don't forget, one of his duties under the reign of the yaksha's previous master was to devour the dreams of the innocent. it had gotten to the point where dreams were the only things he could stomach, despite detesting the intent behind it.

despite it all, though, xiao is still an adeptus who protects the mortals and the innocent of liyue. his sole job now, under his contract with rex lapis, is to protect even if it means throwing his life away. with a swift call of his name, he would be there to be the guardian of liyue and anyone residing in it.

and that includes you, the sole mortal that the young adeptus enjoys the company of.

a gasp tears through your throat as you sit up in your bed, sweat dripping down the side of your face. your eyes are blown wide open with the visions of your nightmare still clear in your mind. the rapid beating of your heart and panting are the only sounds heard in your otherwise quiet bedroom.

curses spill from your lips as you cradle your head in your hands, your knees pulled up to your chest to try and make yourself as small as you possibly could. but to no avail, no matter what you did to comfort yourself or make yourself forget the nightmare, the visions still flashed in your memories every time you closed your eyes.

you don't hear the rustling from your window, nor did you feel the presence of someone crouching from behind your curtains. it's only when he gently calls your name do you whip your head around, eyes coming face to face with golden eyes that gleam in the moonlight.

"xiao... sorry i didn't see you there," you stutter, quickly wiping your eyes and turning away so the young adeptus wouldn't see you crying. his eyes narrow at you, eyebrows furrowing as a frown settles on his face. "what are you-"

your hands are pulled away from your face and you're pulled closer to him. "you're crying." you try to deny xiao's observation and reassure him that you're fine, but a hand gently brushes against your cheek.

xiao doesn't say anything when the tears begin falling down your face again. he doesn't say anything when you jump into his arms and bury your face in his chest. you feel his arms firmly wrap themselves around you. he doesn't say a word, but his actions alone assure you that he would be there with you for the rest of the evening.

"sleep. should any more dreams come to haunt you during your rest, i'll be here to dispose of them."

❀ zhongli

as an archon, zhongli doesn't find much need for sleep. he's a god and no god needs sleep to be energized for the following day. it's not like it would do well for him anyways, seeing as he would much rather prefer strolling the lit up streets of liyue harbor in the late evening before returning to his home to drink tea and relax.

that's not to say he isn't familiar with dreams and how they can affect mortals. he knows full well the impact they can have, especially if they're dreams filled with horrible outcomes or stuff nobody would like to be reminded of.

so when you come to him to seek comfort after a horrible night, he's ready to welcome you into his embrace.

the gentle whisper of zhongli's name alerts him of your presence from the hallway in your shared home. the archon lifts his head to look at you, eyes made of molten gold meeting your shaking gaze. "what's wrong, dear?" you don't answer his question and instead shift your gaze to the ground.

zhongli tells you to "come here" in the gentlest voice he could muster, and you do. as soon as you sit beside your lover, his hand comfortingly holds your jaw and lifts your face so you can see him. there's nothing but endearment and love in his gaze. "you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

he hums in amusement seeing the way your body relaxes after that. there's a gentle tug on your arm, a signal for you to find comfort in zhongli's embrace, and you find yourself snug in between the archon's arms. you inhale deeply, zhongli's comforting scent filling your lungs.

his hands rake gently up and down your spine and hearing his heartbeat from where you rest on his chest calms you immensely. if it weren't for your nervous, rhythmic tapping against his arm, zhongli would have assumed you fell back asleep in his arms.

"would you like to hear about the play i've been attending to recently? the plot is quite interesting, i think you would enjoy it." he attempts to distract you for a while to calm your nerves after waking so abruptly, and it works, not to his surprise.

as he drones on and on about the plot that doesn't quite make sense to you in your dazed state, the archon notices the way your fingers have stilled and your breathing has evened out, much calmer and more regulated than before. zhongli smiles, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head.

"it's starting to get late. you should try to rest again. don't worry, i'll be beside you should anything happen to you once more."

[malphantasias]

Divorce Quartet Headcanons!

Because I might just implode if i do nothing☆

Divorce Quartet consists of Pearl, Scott, Martyn and Cleo btw!

I've never made a headcanon list before either so this is sure to be a time.

--- --- ---

Scott

Sometimes when he's in a silly goofy mood, he blows his goat horn for the specific intent of annoying Martyn; consecutively if he knows Martyn is nearby.

He's a glowy dude. His green streak seems to shimmer when it hits the light justtt right.

Though he rejected Pearl, he is still undeniably worried for her safety, and not just as "well I'll die if she dies". Genuine concern. You can't pry their LL smp dynamic even from my cold dead hands...

Living his best cottagecore life with Cleo! They have frequent meetings where they just vibe and hang out and have a great time. And if it's a bad day where they're getting a lot of damage from their soulbounds, they talk it out with each other and they help each other get through the transmitted pain.

Scott is still holding the grudge of the first session of their souldbounds going off on their own, but between him and cleo, with the right words I think he'd be willing to take them back. It would be awkward as hell when they aren't trying to survive, but better this than your soulbound suddenly dying yknow?

It's Scott's chaotic arc guys! Not that he ever left it but it's definitely obvious here this time. He either comes up with either great ideas or bad ideas that metaphorically (and sometimes literally) blow up in your face in a funny way. No in between. He deserves that after everything.

Every now and then, he feels the phantom pain of his life ending from Last Life SMP due to unnatural it was. He worries that Pearl will feel it through their link.

Martyn

He bounces a lot between groups of other soulmates.

He hates Cleo. Cleo hates him. It's a match made in hell boys. Is still careful about taking damage but sometimes just out of spite he'll make her do all the healing.

He hopes emotional pain can't be felt through the soulbound link. Sure him and cleo hate each other now but... it still stings knowing you got rejected before could even happen.

Martyn feels like an unapologetic person. He only felt a smudge of hesitation before rejecting pearl and going off on his own. Unless it benefits him, i dont know if he'll even want to join up with pearl again, much less scott and cleo.

Ok but like. Totally freeloads off of the other soulmate pairs of the server. Man has become a travelling hobo.

Pearl

Not sure of what yet but I really want Pearl to girlboss just a bit too close to the sun.

She got herself a small quaint home for herself and tilly.

She starts to actively feel guilty when she takes damage and does make real attempts to try and lessen it.

Holding out a tiny bit of hope for the GGG's to make a reunion, no matter how miniscule.

Ok but also... red life GGG reunion and Pearl is the reason why. I will not elaborate.

Cleo

Unlike Scott she knows how to hold a grudge. Earning her trust when you've pre-emptively destroyed it is like trying to feed someone suspicious stew that definitely has poisonous properties and they know it.

Since the last life rule of red lives having to isolate themselves is gone, she'll definitely stick together with Scott if one of them goes red first. Why would she ever abandon the soulmate that SHE'S chosen?

She knows Martyn sometimes doesn't heal on purpose to piss her off and my god does it work. Scott has to keep her from going on a rampage and tearing martyn to pieces herself.

Her and scott made their own thing to represent their chosen soulmate thing; an idea she came up with. Maybe they made flower crowns and exchanged it. Maybe it's something much more meaningful because I'm not that big brain. I like the idea that they represented their soulmate thing their own way.

And that's it, I'm done! Just a bunch of food for thought huh lmao

[libertybri]

✨Boop!~✨

🌸✨I know you already have done my request but if its not to much trouble I had a cute little idea ^^✨🌸

Fallout 4 companion (romanced or crushing its up to you which one ^^) react to sole saying “hey honey?” like maybe they were working on something and they were like “hey honey can you pass me that”?

Idk thought it was cute!

Also can't remember if I sent this in or not already lol sorry if I have :(

^^ anyways thanks for you're time!✨🌸

Such a cute request!! Sorry it took me so long to get to it, I get so many now lol!

“Hey honey, could you pass me that spoon. I want you to try this.”

Companions-

Cait

“You, uh, yeah. Here ye’ are. What was that ye’ called me?” Her face heats up as she hands over the spoon and attempts to hide her blush.

Codsworth

“Here you are, dear! My, that certainly looks appetizing!” He isn’t fazed at all, quite enthused by it actually.

Curie

“Of course, madame/monsieur!” She giddily passes the spoon over to Sole, her heart fluttering after hearing the pet name.

Danse

“What? Oh, uh, here you go… honey.” He curses himself for stumbling over Sole’s sweet pet name so bad, and berates himself for the awkward return as well.

Deacon

“Oh darling, of course!” He exaggerates his own nickname and passes the spoon to Sole.

Gage

“Honey? Heh, yeah doll, here ya go.” At first, he gets a little blushy at the name, but quickly goes smug from hearing his lover call to him with such endearment.

Hancock

“Mm, smells good, Sunshine.” He absolutely loves hearing the name come from Sole, handing over the spoon and resorting to hugging them from behind as they stir.

MacCready

“Hehe, yeah of course.” He thinks the pet name is both adorable and funny, as of how random it was, but he adores it nonetheless.

Nick

“Can’t say I’ll be a good taste tester, but I’ll give it a try, doll.” The pet name doesn’t faze him at all as he attends to his lover as usual.

Piper

“Aww, getting soft on me, Blue? Don’t worry, I like it.” She teases at the randomness of the affection, but her face heats up as she passes over the spoon.

Preston

“Heh, of course, sweetie.” Hearing Sole use a pet name randomly encourages him to do so as well, finding it to be a natural feeling used with Sole.

X6-88

“Honey?” While he immediately does as requested and hands the spoon over to Sole, he still questions the random pet name as it caused his chest to tighten. The new feeling was strange to him, but accepted nonetheless.

Extra NPCs-

Desdemona

“Smells amazing, dear.” She compliments and hands over the spoon, paying no mind to the randomness of the pet name, just basking in the fondness of it.

Edward Deegan

“Huh– Oh yeah, sure, doll.” He’s taken aback at first but quickly fixes his act to play of his surprise to the pet name. And boy, if his skin could show his blush, he sure would be embarrassed.

Glory

“Yeah ‘course. Whatcha cookin’ up, babe?” She isn’t fazed by the pet name, having called Sole by many before.

Jack Cabot

“Darling, that smells absolutely amazing!” He slightly blushes hearing the pet name from them for the first time, but goes along without a grand reaction.

Magnolia

“Mm, hope it’s somethin’ good, Sugar.” She is all to familiar with using pet names herself, but is genuinely surprised when Sole uses one out of the blue. Though she hides the shock super easily.

Mags Black

“Aw, aren’t you cute. Here ya go.” She is more than tempted to sneak a kiss on Sole’s cheek just from hearing the word used in sweetness directed towards her.

Mason

“Of all the names, honey? Fine, but this stew better be good.” He grumbles at the sweetness of the pet name, but gives in quickly for his Sole.

Maxson

“Y-Yeah, uh–“ He chokes on his words as his face goes red, then feeling much embarrassment for such a reaction to something as simple as a pet name from Sole.

Nisha

“Honey? Heh.” Pet names were a foreign concept to her, but very accepted from Sole, it felt almost natural to her to hear it.

Sturges

“Heh, no problem, doll.” He finds the randomness of the pet name amusing, but sweet.

Tinker Tom

“Here you areeee!” He sings out happily from the pet name, handing the spoon to Sole with a little more pep in his step.

Travis Miles

“What was tha– oh, uh, yeah yeah.” His face goes red within seconds of hearing Sole call to him in that way.

William Black

“You made dinner? How sweet of you.” It took everything in him not to tease about the random pet name, though he loved hearing it come from Sole more than he would like to admit.

[un-beel-lievable]

Brothers:🔥 or ❄️?

All about temperature. Favorite seasons? What they like to sleep in? Who in the house is a furnace and which boys are popsicles? From the events it does seem like the Devildom has different seasons, just no sun? Idk I feel like it’s mostly hot but for a few weeks out of the year it’ll get cooler. So in this headcanon it snows sue me

Lucifer:

Lucifer is sort of in the middle on the body heat scale

He can sometimes feel on the warm side, mostly due to the fact that he wears gloves, a vest, and a goddamn fur cape all day

However, on rare occasions where he isn’t layered in clothing his skin is actually cool to the touch.

Especially his bare chest, which is good for hot nights cuddling in bed

Lucifer is the type wear a silk pajama set that’s smooth and cooling on his skin but then have a giant heavy comforter

You cuddle to keep HIM warm at night

Is nice to get a head rub or shoulder rub from since his hands are on the cooler side

Although the Devildom doesn’t really get to experience the joys of having regular full seasons much like here in Florida, he enjoys the Devildom’s equivalent of Autumn

Cool days and cold nights

He enjoys having the fireplace going in his office or in his room not only for aesthetics but just for a little extra coziness

Mammon:

This boy runs HOT

Nice warm skin

During the day his clothes don’t bother him so much. His jacket is suspiciously lightweight (I’m convinced he buys fake designer clothes when he’s strapped for cash)

But his RAD uniform is heavy so he always has the sleeves rolled up and the shirt untucked with the collar open

At night he likes to sleep in as little clothing as possible. He doesn’t need long pants and sleeves sticking to him all night

If he’s alone, he’ll definitely be naked but if you’re bunking with him a t shirt and boxers should suffice

He is nice to cuddle with

He is a summer boy!

He loves the sun and sand and loves to go to Diavolo’s private beach

He hates being cooped up in the drafty House Of Lamentation

Plus he gets to see you in a swimsuit so

Levi:

Reptile boy

Cold blooded

Skin like ice

Save him

Hold him

His hands are always cold from typing and gaming (idk why maybe I have bad circulation but anytime I use my hands extensively they always get so cold they hurt...am I dying?)

Levi doesn’t mind it being super cold in his room

He sleeps in a bathtub- I can’t imagine that’s particularly warm

He just wears a t shirt and sweats to bed

Levi doesn’t often think about how cold or warm he is. It’s not something he notices until someone points it out

“Levi your room is FREEZING!”

“...oh, huh...I guess”

Levi doesn’t leave his room and hates pretty much all weather. But he doesn’t mind a good snow day every once in a while. Playing and making snowdevils

Satan:

Runs slightly warm?

Very comfortable average temperature

The guy that doesn’t mind wearing a jacket in the summer

He considers his comfort more than what the weather is like

His favorite type of weather is when it’s warm during the day but cooler later on

He likes to go for a stroll in the park on a cool, clear night

His room can be a little stuffy sometimes due to all the insulation from all the gotdam books

He sleeps with a light blanket

But wears pajama sets

If it’s laundry day you’ll see him in a hoodie and jeans and at night a loose long sleeve shirt and pajama pants

He likes how warm your human body is and loves to cuddle you

Asmo:

He tends to run on the cooler side

Doesn’t mind the heat or the cold

He has cute outfits for ALL climates!

Cool spring nights are good for trips the hot springs

Winter is good for saunas (plus they’re both great for sweating out toxins and circulation to keep your skin glowing!)

His room is always a maintained temperature of 71 degrees farenheit and keeps a humidifier on bc skin care

He too enjoys wearing cute pajama sets to bed

Lavish silk sheets that are cool to the touch

Definitely isn’t opposed to sleeping au natural, of course

Will use the excuse that he’s cold to get cuddles from you

He ain’t slick

Beel:

Fire

The boy is a walking furnace

He doesn’t necessarily get hot however

Like Levi he doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about temperature

He’s usually too preoccupied with food

Speaking of food!

He loves when it gets cold out and he gets to eat soups and stews

And in summer he loves his frozen treats

A solidly spring weather type of guy

Likes when it’s warm but with a light cool breeze

Sleeps in just boxers and isn’t shy about it. Sweatpants when the cold creeps into the house

Sleeping with him is great...for five minutes. He’s the guy you go to bed cuddling but halfway throught the night you wake up sweating and you’re like I love you but you need to get off me

However, if Belphie decides to sleep in his own bed and not some random corner of the house or the attic it’s not so bad since Belph feezes their shared room out much to the benefit of anyone seeking cuddles with Beelie

Belphie:

Runs warm but not as warm as Mammon or Beel

Notorious for his love of loose long sleeve shirts and pajama pants

Has an impressive collection of different types of blankets for all types of weather

Big fleece ones

Thin knit ones

Weighted ones

Electric ones

Loves to turn the temperature in his room down to freezing and cuddle up with his blankets

Especially since it makes cuddling with you more comfortable

Like Levi, doesn’t leave the house much but he likes cold, rainy days, they help him sleep

[professorspork]

If you're accepting non-superhell prompts, I'd love to see a conversation between Nora and Emerald! I've been REALLY loving these microfics, I've subscribed to you on Ao3, I'll read whatever else you write

[Gahhh that’s so nice you’re so nice!! thanks for being patient on this one, finding my Nora took some doing]

It’s occurring to Emerald that she’s never had a close female friend before.

You say that like you’ve ever had any friends before, the voice in her head that sounds suspiciously like Mercury needles her, but she brushes it aside. Like—okay, yeah, she’ll concede the point when it comes to Cinder. In hindsight, whatever they’d had going on between them may have been... super intense... but it probably had never been friendship, in the usual definition. But she and Mercury were friends, no matter what the judgy little shitstain version of him who lives in her head has to say about it. They’d always gotten along. Told each other stuff. It’s not like there’s more to it than that, right?

It had always been like that. Been—instinctive somehow, with guys. Before Cinder, on the street, it was always the men who’d been easiest to manipulate; who would empty their pockets for a smile and a sob story. And then she and Merc had been two sides of the same coin for so long, and then... well, Hazel’d liked her enough to die for her, apparently. (Which—that’s a door that she keeps closed, thanks. She shuts it firmly again, now.) Oscar seems fond of her, in a sweet, uncomplicated sort of way that she really doesn’t know what to do with, seeing as he shares headspace with like a trillion year old man and the idea that anything to do with that kid could be “uncomplicated” is batshit. Ren vouched for her once, and then again, and now he keeps doing it, like it’s habit, like she should just be used to the fact that people are going to have her back, to ask her if she’s eaten, to turn to her with a raised eyebrow in conversation like her opinion would be constructive.

Anyway.

Now that she’s noticed the pattern, it seems like the kind of thing she should probably… work on, or whatever. And Nora seems like an obvious place for Emerald to start. They’ve been thrown in together a lot, lately, Emerald and Oscar expected to fill in the gaps of what’s left of the old JNPR by default. Not that they’ve ever really had a conversation about it—Emerald can’t think of the last time Nora said two words to her that weren’t combat warnings like “more Grimm coming” or “on your left,” but. That’s probably just because things have been tense. She remembers Nora being friendly, on the whole of it. Off-puttingly friendly, even, back at Beacon.

How hard could it be?

The answer, it turns out, is absurdly hard. Nora’s barely ever in the temporary barracks they’re all living out of, instead always checking on the refugees, going on supply runs over esoteric requests, volunteering for extra patrols. Emerald used to find that kind of dogged do-goodery gag-inducing, but now that she’s been the helping hand herself a few times, she’s starting to see the appeal. The way people look at you when you’ve been of service, it’s—nice. Really nice. But Nora works utterly thankless jobs, the kind most people don’t even notice, let alone appreciate. And when they have their insufferably long leadership meetings and they’re talking about distribution of resources or whatever, Nora’s a fierce debater—jumping in to advocate for the people from Mantle sometimes even before May can. As far as Emerald can tell, she does this stuff just because... she believes in it. Because it’s the right thing to do, and someone has to.

She can’t imagine what it would feel like, to have the attention of someone like that turned on her. She’s craved it from the wrong people for so long, but now that she has her pick of options... she’s letting herself actually want the right kind, for once. She thinks.

Which is all to say that largely through no fault of her own, Emerald unexpectedly finds herself sitting with a profound, fervent desire for Nora Valkyrie to think she’s cool.

She hates that.

-

Fighting with Nora is easy.

(—er. Alongside. Fighting alongside Nora is easy. Emerald’s done fighting with these people. Very done.)

It’s weird, because Emerald’s finding working with a full team to be a real adjustment. When battles get big enough to merit it, she’s used to keeping to the sidelines to use her Semblance for nefarious purposes, or, in a jam, used to having Mercury’s six—literally, because all the forward momentum from his feet-first style always left his back wide open. Figuring out where to put herself so that Oscar can use her shoulder as a fulcrum as he dodges, or trying to aim for the Grimm Ren isn’t already shooting (ugh)—it’s taking work.

But somehow, it’s not work for Nora. Nora seems to anticipate with perfect ease how Emerald will move or what she’ll be doing; Nora bobs and weaves around their ragtag little band with her war hammer like it’s breathing.

It doesn’t bother Emerald until it does, and she means to bring it up casually but there’s never a good time. So it just… stews, and stews, until she can’t keep it bottled up anymore.

Which means that instead of the earnest question she intends it to be, it comes out like this:

“Okay, seriously? It’s creepy how you do that.”

It’s just the two of them, plus the handful of dweeby Atlesian tech-types they’re escorting back from their foray installing some fancy hydro-filtration modules on the outskirts of the camp. And it’s not like Emerald had felt outmatched by the half-dozen Ravagers that had decided they looked like lunch—she can shoot Ravagers in her sleep, at this point—but still. The way Nora had moved around her, it was like they’d been fighting side by side for years.

Nora just cocks her head to the side. “Do what?” she asks, like she hadn’t just basically read Emerald’s mind in front of the water nerds.

Emerald does a complicated gesture with her hands, wrist over wrist, and then flicking two fingers—trying to evoke the way Nora had flipped over Emerald’s back and then kicked off, just trusting Emerald would reel her back in with a chain in midair before a Grimm could fly away with her sorry ass. “That.”

“Oh!” Nora laughs and rubs at the back of her neck, looking sheepish. “It’s nothing. I guess it’s just not a big deal for me? Like—I was there when Ren built StormFlower. The cables are newish, but we practiced so much back in Atlas… I dunno. It’s just reflex, when your weapons are so similar. Fighting with you, it’s almost like fighting with him. I don’t even have to think about it.”

Nora swallows, then, and makes a face Emerald can’t interpret—disappointed, maybe, or ashamed. Which: good. She probably should be, taking things for granted like that.

“Well—just—” Emerald’s not even sure what she wants to say. Ask, next time? Don’t? “You shouldn’t make assumptions. I’m not your boyfriend, okay?”

The venom she puts behind the word is directed more at herself than Nora—frustrated, again, that she’s put herself in the position of wanting so desperately to be liked.

Pathetic.

Nora just nods, looking glum.

“Yeah,” she murmurs, cheeks pulling in a bitter smile. “You’d think I’d be able to keep that one straight, huh?”

She says it with such pointed irony that for a second Emerald wonders if she’d gotten it wrong somehow, but like—Nora and Ren are a thing, right? That’s—everyone knows that.

“Hey, what—?”

“Let’s just go,” Nora says, and Emerald automatically falls into line behind her.

They make the rest of the walk back in silence.

-

Sometimes at night, when she can’t sleep, Emerald likes to climb up to the roof of the barracks and look out over the refugee camp.

It’s—peaceful, is all. A good reminder of where she is; how far she’s come. The night sky in Vacuo has more stars than she’s ever seen, and being able to watch over all these people who have somehow become her responsibility… well.

A part of her will always be standing on the rooftop at Beacon, looking down on pure chaos as a queasy, frightened sensation twists in her gut and its noxious voice whispers you did this, you did this, you did this. What did you think was going to happen, you stupid little girl? You don’t get to feel sorry for it now.

But she does.

Weird how the only thing that’s helped is actually doing something about it.

She hears a scuffling noise over her shoulder, and she’s got Thief’s Respite drawn and ready before she can even really register what she’s heard. She relaxes when she sees it’s Nora at the other end of the barrels, unarmed and hands raised—a funny little smile on her face, like yeah, fair enough, I should have known better than to try and sneak up.

“Just me,” she says, unnecessarily.

Emerald holsters her guns. “Can I help you?” she asks, and—what is it about her voice, that makes sentences that would be nice if any other human said them come out straight-up hostile?

Nora shrugs, hands dropping to her sides. “I was hoping we could talk; I figured you’d come up here if I waited long enough.”

Well, see—what kind of lesson is she supposed to take from that? She’s been hoping for Nora to talk to her for weeks, and acting like a bitch is the thing that gets her what she wants? Good guys are supposed to know better.

And there’s the way she said it, too. Like everyone knows Emerald comes up here to brood; like it’s a big open secret. The knowledge sits uncomfortably in her stomach, makes her feel watched. Even now, even here, she can’t get a moment alone. Not really.

“What, so you’re spying on me now?”

Nora’s eyes narrow. “I have a pretty bad track record when it comes to losing people. Makes a girl want to put in a little hustle when it comes to keeping tabs on her friends.”

And Emerald would snark at that, or maybe apologize, or something, only—

Nora thinks they’re friends?

“Well, take a seat, I guess,” she mumbles, scooching to the side as though she needs to make room on the massive, empty roof.

Nora walks over and joins Emerald on the asphalt, letting her legs dangle over the edge. Seemingly unsure of where to start, she stares at her hands. Emerald stares too, but her eyes can’t help but wander—tracing the way scars, silvery in the moonlight, spiderweb up Nora’s bare wrists and forearms to fetter her shoulders, clavicle, neck. Like cracks in a pane of glass, right before it shatters.

(Only that’s not it at all, is it? It’s not a sign of weakness, but a warning of strength. I care this much, her scars announce to the word. You wanna try me?

Hazel’s arms always looked like that.)

Emerald doesn’t want to be the one to break the silence, sure that whatever she’d say would be incredibly stupid.

Luckily, Nora has no such qualms, and opens with: “I really admire you, you know?”

Emerald stares, jaw slack, certain she’s heard wrong. “I—what?” She’d say something defensive, like yeah right or you don’t have to make fun of me, only Nora’s eyes are so wide and so guileless they don’t leave any room for argument.

“I mean it,” Nora adds. “I know we don’t know all that much about each other, but… here’s what I do know: I can’t remember a time I saw you without Mercury right behind. Just like me’n Ren. And the way you fought for Cinder…” Nora smiles a sad, private little smile. “You don’t fight like that unless it’s personal; unless someone means something to you. Just like me’n Ren. And now you’re here. All on your own. And you didn’t have to be. That’s—don’t you think that’s crazy brave? I sure do.”

Of course she fucking doesn’t. Crazy brave would have been walking away the first, tenth, hundredth time she had a flash of panic about what she was doing. Or, better yet, doing something about it. Crazy brave is taking thirty thousand volts to get to your friends; it’s flooding your veins with pure crystalline power and saying Go, I’m doing what Gretchen would have done, it’s—

She closes that door.

“It’s not like I really had a choice,” she sighs, dodging the question.

“Oh, you know that’s not true,” Nora scoffs dismissively, tilting sideways to nudge Emerald with her shoulder.

And Emerald jolts, because—look, it’s not like no one touches her. They have to manhandle each other all the time in battle, and… and Oscar gives her high fives sometimes, which makes her embarrassingly pleased. But what Nora’s offering now, that kind of buddy-buddy casual contact…

… it’s been a while, is all.

“So, why did you want to talk to me?” Emerald asks, overwhelmed and suddenly desperate to find a way to get this conversation over with. She feels like she’s sprinted five miles; like she’s had the crap kicked out of her and she has to go somewhere to lick her wounds. Too much, too fast.

Nora laughs—a chuffing, cynical noise that doesn’t sound at all like her. “Looking for pointers? See, I’m trying this thing where I do things on my own, but I just—I suck at it. Like today; you saw. Even when I’m not with Ren, all I do is… is act exactly the same way I do when I’m with Ren. Like I literally don’t know how to exist without him, whether he’s actually there or not. And I know that’s not fair to anyone; I didn’t mean to treat you like—” She shakes her head, biting her lip. “You’re not just some stand-in. It’s not you at all. I’m just—broken, or something. One trick pony.”

“No, hey—”

“But you figured it out,” she barrels on, which is good, because Emerald doesn’t actually have a clue what she would have said there. “You don’t have anyone and somehow you’re just, like—good to go!” Nora says it cheerily, like it’s a compliment, but has the grace to balk a little when she hears how it sounds. “…sorry. That’s—sorry.”

Emerald shrugs, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her chin there. She feels like an idiot; building it up for weeks like spending time with Nora would solve all her problems when, surprise surprise, Nora’s just as fucked up as she is.

“Hate to disappoint you, but I don’t have any hot tips,” she mutters into the crooks of her elbows. “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. Like—you want to know the really sad part? I was just following your lead.”

“My…?” Nora can’t even finish repeating it, which: Emerald can’t blame her. It’s so dumb. “Huh?”

“Come on. You know.”

“I don’t,” Nora says, voice thick with exhaustion. Like she’s sick of herself. “Ask anyone—I’m not the brains of the operation.”

Hearing Nora talk about herself that way makes Emerald’s chest feel tight; like her ribs have locked in place so her lungs can’t expand. She doesn’t know how to explain it; not without sounding like a starry-eyed fangirl or a moron with a crush and that’s not what this—it’s only that—

She chooses to start a different way.

“You wanna know why I switched sides? Like, really why?”

Nora softens, and reaches out to touch the back of Emerald’s left hand, where it dangles over her knee. “Sure,” she says, but Emerald barely hears it; it’s taking all of her concentration not to clench her fist or pull away in response.

“I overheard Oscar—or, Ozpin, I guess, I don’t know—talking to Hazel about Salem, about her goals. And… listen. No one joins under Salem because they’re trying to kill the world, okay? I mean, no one but Tyrian, anyway. We were all just trying to… find ways to get by. And when Cinder found me, she—” Emerald swallows, hard. This cuts too deep, too close. It’s not something she can just say. “I wasn’t trying to be some big villain, or something. I was just—looking out for the people who were looking out for me. And why wouldn’t I? No one else ever seemed to think I was worth it.”

“Of course you are,” Nora cuts in, quiet but vehement. “Everyone is.”

“See, the worst part is that you mean that when you say it,” Emerald grumbles, scrubbing at her face until smears of color kaleidoscope behind her closed eyes. “I figured people like you didn’t exist, and then Cinder and Merc were glad to prove me right, and—I let them. You know? And maybe if I’d just held out a little longer…”

“You’re not the only one here who’s ashamed of her past. Harriet tried to blow up Mantle, like, a month ago.”

“That’s not—forget that. I’m talking about you. Nora.” It’s the first time she’s ever said her name like that—addressing her, in conversation. It feels… astonishingly intimate, for so small a thing. Emerald powers past it. “Every day, I see you do something ridiculous, like double back on a patrol because you forgot you promised some kid a candy bar, or something, and that—matters. To me. It’s so stupid, but it’s not, because… argh! I want—it’s—” She tries to get her mouth to form the words, that’s the kind of person I want to be, but they stop in her throat.

Still, Nora seems to get the message. Her eyes seem suspiciously shiny for a moment—but when she blinks, it’s gone. “I… thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Emerald grumbles. Saying it like she means it: seriously. Don’t mention it.

“I understand what you mean, though. For years, the only person who looked out for me was Ren. And if he’d said…” Nora trails off, then, cocking her head to the side as she works through something. “Huh.”

“What?”

“Nothing, just. I remembered something. I was about to say that if Ren told me the only way for us to get by was a life of crime, or something, I would’ve taken his word for it, but—the opposite happened. We decided to enroll at Beacon. And that wasn’t his idea; it was mine. I always wanted to be a Huntress. To… to be the one strong enough to help people, instead of always needing the help. He wasn’t sure if we would make it, but I was. We were together, right? How could we lose?” She chuckles, a little, shaking her head at herself. “Get a load of that. He followed me.”

They smile at each other, then. Like they’ve figured out something profound. Maybe Nora has; Emerald hopes so.

“I’m glad you’re here, Emerald,” Nora says, and—there it is again. The frisson of electricity that comes with being referred to by name.

Of course, then Emerald ruins it by blurting out:

“Of course you are, all your other friends are dead.”

Which—“Fuck!” she sputters, because she didn’t mean to say that. What is wrong with her? “Sorry! Sorry.”

Nora only grins at her, feral and incisive. “Yeah, well. Yours are evil, so. Pick your poison. At least I’m proud of mine.”

Touché.

“Still glad I’m here?” Emerald jeers, because her first instinct is still to press on the bruise to see how much it hurts.

Nora laughs, and gets to her feet. “Believe it or not, yes. If putting your foot in your mouth was all it took to get booted from Hero Club, I’d have been kicked out a long time ago.” She reaches down to offer Emerald a hand; Emerald takes it, letting Nora pull her to standing. “Now go and get some rest, huh? None of us can ever sleep when you’re up here thinking so loud.”

“That an order?”

“Advice. Friends give it, from time to time.”

And—yeah. Maybe they do.