#like a shakespearan tragedy

[moonlight-n-moondust]

Holding all my lovely moots' hearts hostage mwahhh 😘💋💖

(Ignore the foot sneaker pic my photographic skills are arguably worse than my survival instincts)

[sikyurame]

Okay now I’m big sad and emptyyy

made a uquiz

[animentality]

I agree that Nagi being eliminated is a good writing decision and makes sense and will develop their arc better and I cant wait until the next chapter comes out to see what happens but my gut decision was being upset because it hurt my soul. When they are alright again I ll probably find it funny that I overreacted but without hindsight it hurts because for some reason my brain thinks he might as well have died. And I think (hope) its the same case for most because this is the most interesting blue lock has been in a while.

The overreaction in fans could also be because a lot of them might have started bllk because they were nagireo fans or after they went in blind for the epinagi movie but didn’t really form attachments to other characters or even isagi ( if this was Haikyuu he wouldn’t have won the whole nel arc, pxg win). Nel has been going on for so long it feels like the end all be all and we lost focus with the world cup and because of that I believe most nare fans want to skip to the happy ending for them, which would be nice in the short term but bad in the long term.

Blue Lock in general had completely lost its fire, and you could almost tangibly feel its own creator pulling away from it.

There's a reason both the artist and writer felt the need to apologize in their latest volume. I think they're burnt out.

This is the most passion I've seen in Kaneshiro in a long time.

I understand the gut reaction of hating when your two favorites are no longer dating and all. And I get Nagi fans being upset. And Reo fans being upset.

You feel however you feel.

But it's frustrating because you are getting...incredible character development here.

Nagi is going to come back. Reo is top 7.

Nagi has to chase Reo now.

And he's going to have this epic comeback ARC.

And it's actually the most exciting thing Blue Lock has done in a very long time, while also twisting in the most delicious of knives... but people complain about it?

Like come the fuck on.

If Nagi had won, it would've been so incredibly out of nowhere.

And super boring.

I think I'm just bitter because Bachira was out of the manga for so long...and Shidou was an afterthought.

And I'd like... kill to get this kind of delicious tragedy and melodrama.

I'd die for some Bachisagi angst.

NagiReo fans get this whole ass soap opera...this Shakespearan tragedy...and they hate it?

Like bitch?

Do you only read coffee shop AUs?

What makes Blue Lock interesting is the melodrama.

NagiReo are THE melodrama couple.

Them staying together...bleh.

Boring boring boring.

A third divorce was the way more fun way to go.

But y'all are hating on it and saying NagiReo should've won and been happy forever and ever... ok, but then look at Bachisagi.

No one even remembers that ship exists.

And it's bc they're too goddamn happy.

Conflict is life in a story.

To die, over and over again, is such a privilege, and it's one Nagi doesn't deserve, but continues to get.

Rejoice at his death, because his resurrection will come.

and do NOT complain at a Bachira fan.

He's probably going to be irrelevant for the rest of the story. Idk if he and Isagi are even friends anymore.

Count your damn blessings, guys.

[1eos]

i just finished the game.................my brain is wired completely differently now i am not the same as i was 3 hrs ago....

the person u become after finishing persona 3:

NO BUT LETS TALK ABT IT (spoilers under the cut)

thee fucking bittersweet excellence of the persona 3 ending my god. you've passed december you've made your choice ryoji is fucking GONE and there's this feeling of doom bc you know he's gone and you know the world is on the path to be gone no matter what you do.. and then nyx shows up and she comes FROM THE MOON the celestial body that has been the centerpiece of all of your day to day week to week goings on. AND SHE'S WEARING RYOJIS FACE. ALMOST LIKE A MASK. when i tell u i gagged.............................like who comes up w this shit i need to kiss them.

and the final battle is so good 'the arcana are the means by which all is revealed' i could quote nyx in my DREAMSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. and in the final final battle the protag stands alone facing like a cocoon of human misery and with 1 hp 1 sp will not die, emboldened by the power of bonds raises one finger and gives his all to push back the end of the world? and then u realize this is what it was all heading towards. the moment the protag came back to iwatodai the events were set in motion bc death was in him! for him to live meant he would have had to continue on in ignorance. persona 3 is truly a shakespearan tragedy esp if u factor in the meta of it being a video game so theyre all in this tragic timeloop and characters dying but being unable to die and are reborn constantly to play out their roles. like wowwwwww rest in peace shakespeare :( you wouldve loved the doomed yaoi btwn minato and ryoji :(((((

[pigeons-with-jello]

My dad knows my brother has online friends (who are older than hik but not by much) and he talks abiut it like having friends in highschool while in middleschool is a shakespearan tragedy, and like wait til he finds out my best friends are college students

[rev-wrath]

I am feeling thinfs about Jason Todd, beloved. + immediately thought of u so here I am. And I might be a little tipsy rn which makes me more emotional than normal but!!! I came across the knowledge that Jay's death was a community vote??? Like imagine that.

Your life and your death is decided upon you by entities beyond your comprehension. It alters your relationship with you pseudo-father, your brother, and everyone around you. You die because some readers thought you were annoying. You were a funny lil kid who annoyed these higher entities by being yourself and a child. You were a kid that strived to meet the expectations of the man who adopted you. You liked learning things and school. You were a child. You die and Batman can't do anything about it. Because it was prewritten. It was against your will and his, but it happened anyway, and it will always happen. Was it truly the Joker that killed you? Or was he a vessel for these higher entities to kill you? Did you really die at the hands of a maniacal clown or was it something else entirely? You don't know. Not really. You died, and you came back. Why? Because the higher entities thought that maybe they made a mistake? Maybe because they realised they were being cruel? It doesn't matter because you died. And you came back. Not as the naive child as before, but as something more bitter. more cynical. Something about destiny and shakespearan tragedy but my thoughts are a little scattered at the moment.

That was a bit of a meta-rant, but I've been feeling things for Jason and I can't wait to write him in the fic (even tho it'll take a while to get to him)

Hello to you too. Love that I’m now your go-to for DC. Yes, Jason’s death was a community vote. People called in to vote, multiple votes were allowed. People hated him for taking up the mantle and quickly after his death kids would send in letters mourning Jason, asking why he died. There should be an issue coming out of what would have happened had he been saved. The direct wording, interestingly enough, also included “Joker succeeds” and “Joker fails” as you question if Joker is truly at fault.

He came back a writer wanted to do something big and bring back a dead character so now we have Red Hood. He was a good kid, one that believed in magic, not because he knew it was real, but because he could feel it. I feel like if Jason ever became aware of this knowledge, like one of a fourth wall break or something, it would break him. He is truly some Shakespearean tragedy. Or maybe a Greek one.

Anyways can’t wait to see you write him, and the others. I will get around to responding to the message I sent you, currently not feeling that well.

[lanaturnergetup]

out, damn spot

percy/audrey, drabble

written for @thethreebroomsticksfic weasleyweek, here's some percy!

ao3 link here <3

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Percy’s read Shakespeare before. Of course he has. Muggle or otherwise, he likes to enjoy the classics. So he’s well familiar with Macbeth. And King Lear. And Hamlet. (The tragedies are his favourite.) 

But he’s had no reason to think about it in the context of his personal life. 

Until, that is, the first time Audrey sleeps over at his flat. 

It’s new, this thing with them, it’s tentative and new. So new that he feels like tiptoeing everywhere he goes around her, so he doesn’t accidentally disrupt anything. She’s the only thing in his life that’s unequivocally good, and he doesn’t want to give that up. Work is tinged with a layer of guilt. His family life… it’s coloured at the edge with regret, and he doesn’t know how to toe the line with apologising before it gets annoying. Everything in his life is complicated in a way he doesn’t know how to process.

Everything but her. 

So he takes her out to dinner, a tasteful selection of Muggle wine bars and restaurants. They go to the park. They meet up after work. And she sleeps over, after a perfectly respectable period of time.

And because it’d been going too well, the moment she sleeps over… he has a nightmare. Not a nightmare, not exactly, but he dreams of Pius Thicknesse’s face, and Fred’s body, and the hurt look in his father’s eyes. He wakes up with a start, and leans against the pillow, panting and trying to calm his frantic heartbeat down. He thinks about breathing. Breathe in, hold it, let it out. Breathe in, hold it, let it out, but his damned heart won’t stop going fast, fast, fast, and he feels like it might explode out of his chest.

He wakes Audrey up, because of course he does. Who wouldn’t be awoken by a madman in bed next to him. “What are you thinking about?” she asks him.

He’s too tired to do anything but tell the truth. “My family,” he says. “I’ve made some mistakes…” 

“Did you kill anyone?” she asks. 

“No,” Percy says. “But–” 

“Did you get anyone else to kill anyone?” 

“No,” Percy says again. “But I was awful to them. I wasn’t there when it mattered, and when I got there, it was too late.” 

Audrey rolls over onto her back. “So you were a twat. Who isn’t? You don’t have to go all Lady Macbeth about it.” 

“I’m sorry?” Percy says. He’s so taken aback that he momentarily forgets his panic and fatigue and his regret. (Regret, always regret.) 

“Out, damned spot, out,” she quotes. Her face is wrinkled up with sleepiness, and the look on her face takes a moment for Percy to place. Amusement, he realises. She’s amused. 

“I’m not going all Lady Macbeth,” he finally says. What else is there to say? 

Already, the panic and guilt is leaving him, leaving room for… an odd happy little feeling in his chest, one he associates with Audrey and Audrey alone. 

“Good,” Audrey says. “It’s too late in the night for Shakespearan tragedies. Let’s go to sleep, shall we?” 

And, rolling over and wrapping an arm around her, Percy does. 

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Romeo + Juliet

November 4, 2024 | Broadway | Circle in the Square | Evening | Play | Adaptation | 2H 10M

I don't even have it in me to be a Grade A Hater today. But damned if I'm not going to try. I saw this on Monday, and I was miserable for over two hours. The pre-show bass beat seems designed to cultivate the most hostile environment humanly possible. After about ten minutes of intense and oppressive noise, I felt genuinely ill. I don't do loud music. I don't go to screaming concerts. Forty minutes of this pre-show bass had me feeling nauseous, short-of-breath, and incredibly pissed the fuck off. I wore earplugs and still the physical vibrations set my teeth on edge.

The entire show is a quizzical muddling of the text includes nonsensical double-casting choices, aimless and misguided direction, and contrived original music that slots awkwardly into place. This production aims to attract a young audience and succeeds only in showcasing the absolute dregs of theatrical artistry. This tiktok-modeled production is a cesspool of insufferable clip-length moments stuck together with scotch tape and paperclips. Actors do little to embody the characters beyond superficial posturing, instead spending all their energy on humping and grinding on each other (and a big stuffed bear?) at any opportunity. There is little visual distinction between the families because everyone is dressed like sixteen-year-olds going to a club with their fake IDs.

The adaptation goes out of its way to emphasize that Juliet is "not yet fourteen," on multiple occasions, and (presumably) fills the theatre lobby and sparse scenery with arcade-style stuffed bears to symbolize their youth. And yet, the direction is hypersexualized to the extreme. That boy never puts on a proper shirt and the girl spends most of the show in boyshorts and tanktops. Their relationship has been directed to be as sexy and titillating as possible, instead of a sweet and awkward affair between two young teens. Everyone else is groping each other non-stop, but also kind of incel-like. They binge drink, they vape, they sexually assault one another for fun. So like...everyone's horny but no one's fucking. Great. Vulgar for shock-value and little exploration of the tragedies of young love. And of the affair itself, it's largely one-sided. Kit Conner is giving a respectable performance and seems mostly at-ease with Shakespearan text, while Rachel Zegler is truly out-of-her-depth with the language and character. Which is surprising given that she basically did Juliet already once before. The original music she's given is contrived and ill-suited to the plot, but who cares when it fulfills its sole purpose. She gets a song. Woo-hoo. It's not great.

Other nonsensical decisions include having one character goading audiences into a chorus of "We Are Young" immediately after Juliet feigns suicide and her parents (played by the same actor with little distinction beyond stereotyped gender performance that seems more than a little misogynistic) weep over her corpse. Because god forbid young audiences be allowed to sit with a poignant moment. The first half is punctuated every few minutes by that deafening bass and more gyrating choreography for whatever reason. I kept the earplugs in the whole time and it was still too loud.

If we are to assume the only theatrical productions that can attract a young audiences must also be bereft of nuance, drama, and depth, then yeah, okay, sure. The show is right: the youth are fucked.

Verdict: Someone Put This Dumpster Fire Out

A Note on Ratings

[waywardsunlight]

i like to think all of darius' family has inexplicable roman sounding names. his mothers rhea and silvia, older sister lavinia and cousin marcus aurelius etc etc.

This is so real, anon, thank you.

He has Shakespearan tragedy vibes and this only furthers it.

[professional-toe-sucka3]

flipping my dusty ass thru the bible and in revelations theyre killing off whole ass countries like final bosses buT WHERE ARE THE MASSES OF MOZZIES GOING TO DROWN IN MINECRAFT LAVA PITS OF HELL???? THEYVE BITTEN ME ALL OVER MY ENTIRE LIFE AND THEYRE GETTING AWAY WITH IT???? NO FINAL JUDGEMENT????? NO GRAND FINALE OF THIS SHAKESPEARAN TRAGEDY???? TOP G I OBJECT

[achilleid]

Honestly hotd is just-- Shakespearan level tragedy. A whole family decimated. A centuries long lineage weakened to the point it will fall at the barest breath only a few generations later. An entire species believed to be rendered extinct.

Like this family ends with everyone dead. Alicent's children? Dead. Their children? Dead. The entire branch of that tree snipped from existence, the final twig left rotting alone in a tower. And Rhaenyra? Dead. Her husband? Dead. Most of her children? Dead.

Like people argue black v green and it's really a pointless endeavor because we all know who wins and it is neither of them.

[thezfc]

This show gets more and more exhausting.. I would love some funny light hearted show exploring Loki playfulness, not shakespearan tragedy.

Yeah it’s like they want us to care about these branches of time that basically just branched off and they stand there crying about “people” we’ve never seen- but the one branched timeline we did see - Sylvies- didn’t get pruned? And then they found the rogue TvA agents so quickly and they barely put up a fight! And that was the only action and the rest was talking eating pie, talking to prisoner Brad, squeezing Brad in a box, talking to Sylvie but not really saying anything etc.

And I think they are sacrificing story for cinematography. There’s so many slooooow camera pushes into a door or long pauses between talking or walking down a hallway.

My favorite parts were the glimpse of old Loki we got while he was interrogating Brad and Mobius and Brad talking about how weird the Loki/Sylvie thing is 😆

[abyssmal-skies]

Oh, Psy.

Dear, Dear, Psy.

I never thought things would go downhill this quickly. You seem to have a thing for men who've fallen from grace, don't you think?

First that Khaenrian failure of a knight, and now a cursed Milileth?

How tragic.

It's like watching a Shakespearan Tragedy.

Why do you subject yourself to this, Psy?

Why don't you just go back to him already?

...Fallen from grace?

to comment on my choice of friends too? Hmph, Echo is quite a decent person to be around, if you have a notepad at least.

...I went all the way here to avoid thinking about it, but it's still following me.

Is it so bad to want someone who'll stay?

Who won't worry you with hypotheticals and just be present?

"I have a long day tomorrow, i'll just get some rest."

[fruitsofhell]

My dedicated take on FNAF as a series, is that if you only count the main games from 1 to UCN, you have an absolutely batshit insane and incoherent but satisfying enough story for the series. From that you get the story of William Afton and his wacky murder spree that blows up in his and his family's face, Henry the good-natured business partner and bystander to the chaos, and the legacy of the Freddy's franchise permanently haunted by its inability to let go of greed in the face of tragedy.

Even though I think the series long ago wrote itself into oblivion with a lack of direction or substance to its nightmare of a story, there is one core theme to it that I think is executed very well - that being to leave the demons to their demons and let sleeping dogs lie. Which is so ironic for this series it's almost a Shakespearan, but I digress.

I feel like I rarely see the anti-buisness aspect of the series talked about, which is like it's most strongly written feature both comedically and thematically. The games fucking loathe whoever the hell is ever running the locations at any point in time, with jokes about non-chalant health and safety violations and lackadaisical regard for the rights and lives of others. Which ends up paralleling Afton himself if he's not straight up running the joint. Afton and the In-Universe franchise are parallels to eachother, both unable to give up selfish and destructive pursuits in the face of complete backfire and tragedy, and they both come out of it haunted af and haunting eachother. Even though I said fuck everything but the game canon (meaning remnant from the books), I do think the pursuit if immortality is a good motive for Afton just cause it makes it similar to the Fazbear Franchise's constant need to stay relevant no matter what.

This then makes Henry a great foil to both the Franchise and Afton, being just an honest fucking guy who doesn't seem interested in abusing the legacy of his creations nor mf child murder. And Michael as well being like his father physically, but being someone who can tell when he's fucked up and hurt those around him and repent for it. Even going through hell and similar consequences as his father, but still staying on track to redeeming himself. If you squint and ignore a bunch of bullshit and focus on some reoccurring motifs, you can almost slap together a compelling tragedy about a mix of personal and corporate greed suffering supernatural wrath.

The animatronics too only ever seemed to become worse the more I learned about supplementary material. Just stopping at, "most of them are normal and got haunted, and sometimes Afton made wacky terrible monstrosities with haywire AI", is good for me. And it's insane it took till like?? Sister Location for their animosity towards the night guard (Mikey Afton) to be explained, but it works for what I was saying about Mike's character. That he's literally going through twice as much hell as his dad did over a fifth of the sins and holds true through the whole series. I appreciate the interplay between the animatronics as children's mascots and haunted abominations landing on them having a well-meaning but bloodthirsty hatred towards their murderer. And for the toys, it was probably just that their facial recognition software was seeing Mike as William, and they were doing their job to protect the kids perfectly fine lmao.

Even past UCN as the lore and what plot there is continues to be shot full of holes and repaired with scotch tape, that theme of misfortune from greed is atleast still there in Glitchtrap. But then once again, HOW ARE WE WRITING THIS AND YOU HAVENT STOPPED YET?

[fantastic-nonsense]

Matthias being killed by a younger version of himself after working to de-program himself and find a new purpose in life is a very poetic tragedy and perfectly parallels Nina's own individual arc, actually, y'all are just too upset with a character you liked getting killed to see it

there are so many ways Matthias and Nina are moving in opposite directions even as they converge into each other, and the whole point is that they were always destined for tragedy. The drüskelle and the drüsje, the witchhunter and the witch, the "twin souls, soldiers destined to fight for different sides, to find each other and lose each other too quickly." They're the Romeo and Juliet of the duology, the tragic lovers who found and changed and loved each other against all odds but couldn't beat them forever.

like "perhaps Djel extinguished one light and lit another" Matthias says to Nina as they're sitting around talking about her changed powers, and then he dies as Nina promises him that she'll take up his cause as her own. One light is extinguished. A new light is lit.

Nina succeeds at accomplishing her major goal in Crooked Kingdom (saving Ketterdam's Grisha) and Matthias fails to accomplish his (saving young drüskelle), but in his failure Nina succeeds. Matthias dies trying to accomplish his newfound purpose, but in his death it's Nina that finds new purpose. Poetic fucking relationship. God-tier Shakespearan tragedy. I am kissing Leigh Bardugo on the mouth.

[jomamaofficial]

Death After Noon (Kaeya x GN!Reader Dark Angst Oneshot)

A/N: Day 3 of the holiday writing streak hehe. Hello my lovely toes, I am back with another angst fic. But this time, I’ve tried a new format out hehe: reverse comfort → angst no comfort </3. Also, if you didn’t see my last post, I AM WORKING ON A QUIRK MARRIAGE MULTIPLE CHAPTER FANFICTION WITH OUR GOLD MINE OF ANGST, SHOUTO TODOROKI. If you want some more information, filter through the richiethetoe’s updates tag :). As always, my Ask Box is open for any requests or just a conversation. I would love to give back to our little community here. Please remember to take care of yourselves, and enjoy. As always, I would love to see your thoughts about the new format I experimented with hehe. CW's: Intimate acts (kissing, making out, SFW touching), Alcoholism. Masterlist Word Count: 1505. Summary: Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, the infamous heart breaker of Mondstadt. And your sole reason for pure and utter joy. Sharing moments he never shared with anyone but you, it makes you wonder how someone could say that they love you so much but then just decide that they don’t want anything to do with you anymore.

——————————————————————————————————

His smile was infectious. A simple chuckle– warm and deep.

It lifted all the burdens in your life.

It was cheesy. Cliché even. But you couldn’t help smiling at every shared moment with him. 

The chaste, knowing glances– his eyes always finding yours in a crowded room. The subtle closeness– his fingers brushing past yours. 

The tall, and dark, and handsome man became your Prince Charming in your Shakespearan tragedy. His smile could tug the heartstrings of the Holy Lyre, enticing Barbatos himself to descend down to Teyvat, mistaking it for the heavens above; his hair reflected the celestial twilight: a vast ocean for your fingers to tread through as he rest his beautiful face on your lap, his lunar eyes staring into the void of your heart, pushing and pulling until it soared in tides. 

Kaeya Alberich was the rich poetry scribed in gold, filling the pages of your empty book in lavish ink– envied by many, obtained by one. 

Late nights in the Angel’s Share were spent: skin against skin, his fingers sneaking over yours. Intertwined in a beautiful mess, with heated cheeks, and cool, deep tingles, which ran through your spine. 

The two of you were Diluc’s worst nightmare. The older brother had his reservations towards both of your… public approaches to intimacy. But the brother held sympathy in his eyes; his stoic face would always fog up in questions when he saw your longing one. 

Diluc was weary of his younger brother. 

He sent sharp glares and hushed warnings to both of you. Yet instead of listening to him, Kaeya grabbed your hand and ran into the awaiting darkness. You stumbled as you traversed along the winding allies of Mondstadt, his greedy, impatient hands picking at the buttons on your shirt, guiding your bodies into an empty Inn.

Yet when he was finally in the  solitude of your comfort, concealed from the prying eyes, his deep desire evaporated, in its place left deep adoration.  

You basked in the rays of filtered silence, his hands soothing your waist and holding you tight against his flushed body. He nestled his head, heavy with thoughts, on your chest, tracing absent shapes on your skin whilst his touch got softer and softer the more you stroked his hair. 

“What I wouldn’t do. To stay like this forever”, he spoke, voice so soft and incoherent, you almost mistook him for another. 

 “Going home was snatched from my fate, my angel. It was never an option”. 

He pushed his head against the increasing gravity, his eyes heavy. He glued your gaze to his, and you peered at your reflection wavering in his crashing waves– his irises, cloudy and grey. 

“So why does your embrace feel like home to me?” he asked, leaning forward ever so slightly, his breath uneven as he lingered at your lips before lifting his head, his misty blue eyes trapped behind his lashes. 

You were just an inch apart from his lips, and you could smell an assault of booze and liquor. Yet this time, you didn’t want to get drunk off of it. 

You wanted to savour it. 

Your hand seeped warmth through his cold cheek, his face glowing, a gentle radiance. 

So fragile, you shivered as you cradled him in your hand, jumping head first into the abyss of his eyes, trying to decipher the harbouring storm that formed underneath. 

He seeked permission, his lips drawing closer. 

And how could you refuse him, when he was sprawled in your lap, so exposed? So vulnerable? 

“I love you so much, Kaeya”, you whispered, only for him to hear. 

You were so inviting, so kind. 

His confident demeanour shrivelled; he didn’t know how to act when you patiently waited for his lips to close the gap.

So he cautiously pressed a peck to your lips. 

His sweet hesitance filled you with travelling butterflies that spread their wings, fluttering colour to your face, and comfort through your core. 

And for the first time, Kaeya felt as though his guard was melting. The heavy armour finally peeled away.

Such a simple moment, but for him it was so unfamiliar. 

His lips had touched many. But they were sloppy, sticky, and seductive. 

But he had never kissed someone. 

With love, tenderness, and care. 

You were his first. 

His first kiss.

Your thumb grazed past his cheek, your feather touches travelling to his jaw, shakily cupping it. 

“Is this okay?”

“Yes…”

And this time you closed the gap. Your hands left his face and rubbed his back. 

You felt as though he would shatter in your hold, like a shard of glass. Your breathing matched with the slow pace of his, as one of your hands travelled to his scalp, tenderly scratching it. Kaeya leaned into the touch, sighing as he pulled away from your lips, his eyes closed. Your fingers removed his worries, one by one, plucking at every strand and blowing them far, far away from him. 

You were the reason his head was lighter.  

You deserved so much more. 

“You deserve so much better than me…” he babbled, only to be silenced by another kiss. 

He pulled away to babble again.

“If you knew the real me, you would never come back”. 

You pulled him in again. Your taste was sugar for his bitter words. 

��Never let me go”, he pleaded. 

And you detached your hands from his back and head to extend your pinky forward. 

“Never”, you promised, curling your pinky around his. Such childish antics. Such sinless  memories. 

“I love you, Y/N”. 

-

With a dry throat and a splitting headache, Kaeya woke up to the ray of sunlight that peeked through the blinds. His eyes blinked the fatigue away, his hand shielding them from the piercing radiance. 

He examined the room he spent the night in. Unfamiliar as always. 

“I’ve gotta’ stop drinking”, he muttered.

Kaeya let out a yawn, before leaning his hand on the side of the bed, fingers reaching for a shirt. 

“How high is this thing?” he mumbled, leaning further down until they hit the wooden floor. 

Brows knit in frustration, he craned his head on the side, scanning the empty floor. Apart from the legs of a chair, there was nothing. 

Eyes squinting, he peered beyond the foot of the bed. 

Nothing. 

Just the chair standing solitude in front of the uncovered windows.

He couldn’t remember what he wore the day before either. 

Fuck. 

The sudden movements caught up to the throbbing ache drumming in his head. With a wince, he settled against the brick walls, closing his eyes to alleviate the pressure in his temple. 

The absence of his rapid movements cast pure silence in the room. And the early morning was kind enough to hold the burden of his thoughts temporarily; it cast pure silence in his mind. So when a soft rustle tainted the abyssal stillness, he flinched, the hair on his arms erect and alert. 

It was coming from beside him. On his left. Underneath a mast of thick, white linen. 

With a few strands of hair poking from the top, he shifted his focus onto the constant rise and fall. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

The air was still around him. 

Kaeya stared at the sleeping figure; his lips were pressed together, his fingers tense as they clutched his matching duvet.

Thoughts were crossing his mind again. The silence, destroyed. 

His hands reached towards the figure, reluctant. hesitant. 

Kaeya exhaled, breathing shallow. 

Using his thumb and index finger, he grabbed onto a crisp cover with the tips, drawing them back, inch by inch. 

His heart beat faster as he slowly unveiled the duvet, Every piece of revealed skin matching together as a puzzle until he reached the chin. 

Beside him lay delicate features, so innocent, lounging comfortably beside him. The light of dawn diffused a rosy hue on your cheeks. His glazed eyes began to thaw along with his hands. 

His smiling eyes trailed down the curve of your neck that disappeared into a silk collar, hidden. 

But then his smile dropped: eyes scrunched and lips parted. 

A collar.

And suddenly, he narrowed on the reflection behind you: his black shirt hanging off of his chest, with maybe one or two buttons open. His hair, tame. His skin, clear: empty of any bites or bruises. 

His gaze focused on the sliver of your exposed skin. 

Clear: empty of any bites or bruises. 

The forgotten headache was back, louder than before, seeking his attention as his vision disfigured. His chest tightened, his thoughts flooding the memories from last night. 

What did he say to you.

-

A lonely flask sat on the bedside table. An overwhelming absence. 

What a fool you truly were. 

A fool because you dove head first, even though you knew this would happen. 

How could someone say that they love you so much but then just decide that they don’t want anything to do with you anymore.

Kaeya Alberich could. He always did.