#like he would barely have contact w most of his family for years

[t1oui]

i don't think the hp next gen fandom talks enough about how percy's kids would be treated differently just because they're his.

like, the kids don't know why. neither do their cousins. they're just used to weird looks from their aunt and uncles and grandparents. they're used to fewer photos of their father and more jokes thrown in his direction. they're used to traits they share with percy being seen as a negative.

and maybe it's subtle. maybe their presents at christmas and birthdays aren't as personalized as the presents their cousins get, and maybe they don't notice at first because their parents always try to give them presents they'll definitely love. maybe at family get-togethers, every cousin has one of their favorite sweets made but percy's kids were never asked. but they don't notice this, either, because percy makes a big deal of them baking their favorites together when they get home.

no matter the way you look at it, with percy and audrey or percy and oliver, with percy in gryffindor or slytherin, his kids would've been treated differently by their family.

[qwimblenorrisstan]

Rediscovered | CBF! 09’ Ghost x/& Reader

Day 26: Reconnecting w/ 09’ Simon “Ghost” Riley

Summary: After meeting in elementary school, you and Simon hit it off, becoming best friends before miscommunications leads you two to lose contact for years, before meeting again at an airport.

Word Count: ~ 1.9k

Warnings: allusions to an abusive dad (simon’s), period blood, partial nudity?? (not sexual at all), mentions of family death

A/N: ok I actually really like this one, it can be read as either platonic or romantic, and I might expand on it later when I’m not so flooded (I have 9000 wips😭), hope you enjoy<3

Requests are open!

It had all started one morning, in an old public school. The first day of 2nd grade.

You’d sat down near the middle, not wanting the attention of being in the front or back, preferring to be farthest from the teacher. He’d sat down in the back, on the desk behind you.

The teacher, an older woman with frizzy, short hair and thick bangs, had passed out pieces of paper with little plastic bowls of macaroni and instructed each of you to take out your glue bottle and stick the macaroni pieces down to make the shape of an apple. He hadn’t brought anything to class, mumbling something about ‘forgetting’ his backpack before thanking you when you decided to share.

You remembered seeing the splotchy bruises on his skin, on his too-skinny knees, and wondering where they were from. His blonde, greasy hair, almost looked brown. He had blonde eyelashes, that was what you remembered the most.

You’d knocked your bowl of macaroni off your desk, and everyone had turned their heads to you, the chatting of other children stopping as some giggled. He watched as your ears turned red from embarrassment, and you got up, kneeling on the floor to pick up each and every piece, one by one. He’d gotten up too, deciding that he would make whatever was between you two even by helping.

“I’m (Y/N),”

You’d murmured, offering a little strained, nervous smile. He’d glanced up at you, and nodded, swallowing as his Adam’s Apple bobbed.

“Simon.”

He whispered back. You had smiled a bit at that, and he’d assumed you were just mentally laughing at him, until you’d whispered something to him about having an old dog named Simon, one of those crusty white mutts that would bark at everything, could barely see, and would hump everyone’s legs.

He’d snorted at that.

The other kids had moved their focus back onto their crafts by then, and you’d written your address on the back of an index card, passing it to him, whispering for him to come visit on Saturday afternoon, that he could play games with you and your neighborhood friends.

He’d come and gotten to know all of them. Some of the only childhood friends he’d had, considering the people who lived in his neighborhood didn’t have any kids, or not good ones to hang around with unless you were looking to get addicted to something, anyway.

He’d finally met your parents, being welcomed in, your mother taking some of his torn jeans and pants to stitch up for him, giving him food to take home, your father helping with homework after school, teaching him how to fix things, helping teach him woodwork and how a man should act, caring for his family, how to be respectful to women. He started getting invited to Thanksgiving, essentially staying at your house every day after school to escape his actual dad waiting at home.

He’d been there when you’d first gotten your period, waking up to your hushed panicked whispers to yourself, walking over only to cover his eyes as he tried to erase the sight of your pants and underwear, both stained with blood, pulled down. You held a tampon in one hand and squealed as you saw him.

“Hey, it’s just me—“

“Oh god, Simon, I don’t know what to do—my mom only uses tampons and I don’t want that inside of me-!”

“Just..uh…shove toilet paper in your underwear.”

“No! I need pads, shit-shit-shit, we don’t have any…”

He’d seen the tears welling in your eyes as he peeked out from his hands, keeping his eyes strictly on your face. He knew what he had to do, even as his cheeks turned bright red.

“I could, I dunno, go buy some? There’s that little shop like five minutes away?”

“Oh, thank god, there’s twenty bucks under my plant on my dresser, you can use that. Thank you, Si.”

He’d run to the little shop, bought the pads using the twenty bucks, despite the weird looks the cashier and men in the store had given him, and run straight back, handing you the pad and reading the instructions from the back of the box to try and help you figure it out together with him.

He’d been there for your first boyfriend, some guy with no real personality outside of being tall and good at basketball, but you’d both broken up abruptly because he’d simply gotten bored of you. He’d comforted you then, and you’d comforted him after his first girlfriend cheated on him.

High school had come. He survived the first two years only because you helped him through it, basically tutoring him through all of Geometry and the advanced classes he somehow tested into, and he’d taken you to all the fast food restaurants you’d craved in the middle of the night in exchange. He dropped out Junior year, and because of being held back for ‘disruptive behavior’ in his elementary school, he was already 18.

He didn’t know how to drop the bombshell that he was going to the military, having already applied, and been accepted, he was expected to report in only a day.

So he wrote a letter, saying everything about how he would miss you, and that he’d bring you home all sorts of trinkets, and that you’d both be best friends forever, even when he went into the military and escaped his father for good. He’d thanked you for everything, saying he’d see you again soon, and he’d visit again as soon as possible.

Except that, between all the missions, a few injuries that hospitalized him, and then the training he had to undergo to be put back in his Task Force, and everything he witnessed, it was a couple of years until he finally went back.

But when he did go back, getting off of the flight, speeding the entire way to your house, hopping out, he knocked on the door, newly painted with the yard trimmed nearly, a few different decorations and flowers in place now, it was a stranger who opened the door. A stranger said that he didn’t know who Simon was looking for and that he’d owned this house for a good four years now.

Simon had assumed you’d moved on. Gone on for better things than him. Little did he know, his father had found the letter in the mailbox, mailed to go to your house, since Simon knew you might find it too soon if he put it right in your mailbox, and his father had opened it, and promptly thrown it in their fireplace, watching it burn to ash.

You didn’t know where your best friend had gone. He’d just…disappeared with no word, and after all of his family tragically died a year or two after, you’d gone to the funerals, and not seen a trace of him. Here you were now, standing and waiting for your flight back home from visiting some family that lived far away, messy bun holding your greasy hair up, eye bags prevalent as you hadn’t cared to put on makeup, wearing the most atrocious but comfortable outfit possible, and you saw it.

A pair of blue eyes that looked all too familiar.

He was with three other men, one looking old enough to be your father, with a gruff beard and weathered demeanor, another with a Mohawk, wearing a small grin as he nodded at something, the other silent and listening with a smile, and him.

He was wearing a cloth mask, the sort that had been mandated throughout countries not too long ago. It had a skull pattern, one you recognized from the countless nights his older brother, Tommy, had worn a skull mask and scared the wits out of both you and Simon. You still remembered his shrilly squeals of terror as he booked it, running for the hills.

“Simon?”

His head snapped in your direction so fast you thought he might have a whiplash injury. They all paused, a bit of surprise, and a hint of suspicion and mistrust in their expressions as they watched him yank his mask off, face one of shock, before he ran over to you.

You laughed in pure sleep-deprived shock, embracing him in a hug as he gave you a fat kiss on the cheek, he sighed.

“Thought I’d never see you again. By the time I went back, you were already gone. Guess you read the letter, huh?”

He felt a bit of embarrassment bubbling up at the memory of his teenage self crying while writing that letter, all of his angsty little thoughts spilling out into what he thought might be a final goodbye.

“What letter?”

You both looked up at each other confused, and it was his turn to laugh in disbelief.

“I, uh, made a letter. Tellin’ you I was going off to the military, that I’d be back. I thought I mailed it to you, must’ve forgotten through the nerves.”

The other men finally began approaching. They’d never seen their Ghost look so nervous before, going back to stuttering, rubbing the back of his neck, grinning nervously while looking at the floor.

“Ghost? Who’s this?”

The gruff man asked. You raised a brow.

“Ghost? Seriously?”

Simon huffed elbowing you in the side, watching you wince slightly. He forgot how strong he was, sometimes. Maybe it was because he was always surrounded by people who were just as large as he was, that he wasn’t used to being around civilians anymore.

“Ah, this is Captain MacTavish and Captain Price—“

“Christ’s sake, we’re off base, just tell the lass our names.”

He saw the way your grin widened at his Captain’s Scottish accent, meeting his gaze with a look of wonder.

“Right, John Price, John MacTavish, and that’s Gary.”

“What’s Gary’s special name?”

You watched as Simon’s lips twitched up a moment, before responding.

“Roach.”

You busted out laughing, and soon enough the older men were joining in too, while poor Gary just cringed and turned redder by the second.

“Gonna introduce me, Si?”

You finally asked once the laughing fit was over, and he nodded, throat suddenly drying up as he realized he didn’t know a proper title for you. Friend? Were you two even more than acquaintances after all these years? His brain seemed to decide for him, as he spoke.

“This is my best friend, (Y/N).”

The men raised brows at that, but Price only chuckled, jerking his head to the airport’s hallway.

“This has been a lovely reunion, but we need to find a place to sleep, best friend or not.”

He’d said, giving a smile that felt a bit passive-aggressive to Simon, considering how he was tired, hungry, and just wanted to rent a hotel room for the night already, and the words had tumbled out of your mouth before you’d thought it through.

“You could just stay with me. We’ve got plenty of catching up to do, anyway.”

You’d said, giving a pointed glance at Simon, who’d smirked ever so slightly.

“How about it, lads?”

MacTavish had asked, and after a collective nod from everyone, he sealed your fate with a simple sentence.

“Lead the way, then.”

You weren’t sure what you’d gotten yourself into.

[askinkiskarma]

Cruel Summer | Chapter IV: 'Tis The Damn Season

Pairings: Neteyam x (f)Human!Reader

Word Count: 8.2k words

Warnings/notes: angst, allusions to/mentions of smut, Neteyam x reader being the absolute cutest, some fluff, all the feels, 18+ minors DNI

Synopsis: Neteyam in unable to stop himself from confessing a truth he's tried to bury for years, a truth that will change everything between you. Jake shares news with his son that will threaten whatever peace Neteyam's come to know.

A/N: there's no earthly reason why this chapter had to take so long except my own inability to write it and procrastinating with requests instead. i hope this was worth the wait, and as this is the second to last chapter, prepare yourself for the main meal soon. I don't think that will take that long, cause I've had the last chapter in my mind before I even started writing this story to begin with. I hope you enjoy, i'd love to hear your thoughts, i love to hear from you besties.

: ̗��➛ listen to the Cruel Summer playlist here : ̗̀➛ masterlist (x) : ̗̀➛ series masterlist (x)

 

I'm stayin' at my parents' house

And the road not taken looks real good now

And it always leads to you in my hometown

Neteyam’s head was spinning with worry and mind-numbing fear, watching his sister’s spirit be taken out of her, her bioluminescent freckles that usually shine brighter than any other Na’vi he’s ever seen so dim they were barely alight anymore. He was picking at his nails nervously, a habit he hasn’t had since he was 7, watching as his mother was trying her best to shake her awake, almost like she was trying to will life back into her. The wails got to Neteyam more than he cared to admit, and eventually, he excused himself and left the family marui, settling instead for watching the tiny glowing fish as they surrounded and circled his ankles. Neteyam rarely felt powerless in his life. No matter what the situation was, no matter how dire, he always felt like he could somehow make it his own, he could somehow make it work. But now, as he stood there, listening to cries and tries, listening to his family trying to figure out how to save his baby sister, Neteyam felt hopeless and helpless, like a child. In moments like this, he missed you most. It was hard being without you always, his body having to unlearn and relearn instincts and feelings, having to rewire his brain from having been so accustomed to you and your body, and your mind and your soul for the past 19 years of his life. You would know what to do. You’d have some medical trick or a human way, you’d scream everyone out of the room and you’d just somehow figure it out. You always were able to just… figure things out. He missed that, along with everything else. 

“I’m going to contact Norm and Max, ok, baby? It’s going to be alright, they’ll know what to do. It’ll be alright.” 

Neteyam was terrified as the hours passed, waiting for the flying machine he knew would be coming any minute, and what would it bring along with it. His questions, his biggest dream and biggest nightmare, all plaguing him and his mind for the past few hours, were swiftly answered as from the helicopter came three figures, one blue one and two humans. One human in particular he cared about. His heart was beating so loudly it was almost completely covering the incessant, deafening sound the propellor blades were making. You were so beautiful, even more beautiful than he remembered. He couldn’t help the way his eyes trailed over your body and focused on scars that have appeared in the time you were apart, scars that made his stomach drop, or the way your hair was shorter, or the way you have gotten leaner and more muscular. He couldn’t help his mind wandering and twisting every change, a deep feeling of sorrow and weird jealousy, for the people that got to watch you grow, for the people that had to touch your body to heal your wounds, for the people the got to help you when he didn’t - when he couldn’t. 

Your eyes immediately found his, the way they always had the power to, and his breath hitched in his throat, the way it always seemed to when you did. He didn’t miss the way your eyes widened imperceptibly as you noticed him, nor the way they hardened as his presence took his toll on your mind. The frown and the hurt, the slight glistening of tears threatening to spill reminded Neteyam of the last time he saw you, the time that could have gone better, should have gone better than it did, and how he never got the chance to say goodbye. So many words he wanted to say, so many confessions that have rested in his chest for years that needed to be let out but weren’t, now close to spilling out as a blurt of messed-up feelings. So close, yet so far. Because this wasn’t the time - it never seemed to be when it came to you and him. You stood in the back and watched as Norm and Max greeted his father, and you all made your way back to the tent, the attention fully back on his sister who was still unconscious. The sight of her tugged at his heart so much it was making him sick, so he refused to walk in and see what they were doing, what human devices and contraptions it took to bring Kiri back to them. 

There's an ache in you put there by the ache in me

But if it's all the same to you, it's the same to me

His skin felt like it caught fire as it perceived your body in its vicinity, as you walked out of the marui and settled on the weaved pathway by the edge of the water, feet dangling off it. It felt so strange, having you back in his space. Like so much and yet nothing had changed. Like he hadn’t left you, and his life behind, his happiness and hope, like you didn’t kick him out and refused to send him off and at least pretend to make it easier on both of you. Like he never had to keep pretending his life wasn’t permeated fully by your very essence, your very being, by everything you were. 

“Vol…” 

You didn’t look at him. You couldn’t. Neteyam felt anger bubble up inside him. This whole thing was so fucking unfair. You were so fucking unfair. He didn’t choose any of this. He didn’t want to leave you, why can’t you see that? Why could you not at least try to understand, try to be a little sympathetic towards the fact that this was killing him, and he suffered everyday, and the cold he felt from you cut worse than any blade, hurt worse than any wound. 

“God fucking damn it, Vol. Can you stop with the attitude and just please talk to me? I don’t see you in months, you show up here, clearly, you wanted to see us… see me. I’m here, so just talk to me. If you have to scream, or shout, or kick me, you can do that as long as you fucking talk.”

“I’m not here for you. I’m here for Kiri.” 

“Oh, stop it. Norm and Max could take care of Kiri well enough, and you know that. You’re not just here for Kiri. You’re here for me, too. I want to talk, we have to talk.” 

“No, Neteyam. We don’t have to talk. There’s nothing to talk about because nothing fucking matters anymore. None of it. We’re just strangers now, right? Acquaintances. I’ll see you every few months whenever Jake needs something and that’s about the extent of our relationship. Nineteen years of being there for you, of being your best friend, and in a day, you somehow became a stranger. You gave away the right to talk to me the second you walked out that door.”  

Neteyam watched as you took your leave, going back into the tent, leaving him once more to deal with all that stood to plague him.

It took hours, but Kiri’s condition wasn’t improving even with all the contraptions and equipment you were using on her. None of you knew what was wrong, although Norm and Max thought it was epilepsy. It looked like epilepsy, you thought, but if it had been, she would be back by now. It hurt you watching her like that, laying on the floor, the light of her freckles so dim they were barely visible anymore, and you touched her, running your hands over her chest and arm, hoping you could pray the light back into her, so you could tell her you’re sorry that you didn’t say goodbye to her. You would tell her that every time you are in the forest and you find a bead or flower that you’ve never seen before, you collect it with her in mind and keep it there in the hopes you’ll one day see her again, and she could use them for her tops or for the jewellery she always makes for everyone she loves. You missed her, the same way you missed them all, and you needed her to know that, despite all the hurt and the pain they’ve left behind, she would always be your sister. 

Neytiri eyed you curiously while you spent time with her daughter, and you cowered a little under her gaze. You knew it was dumb, but you’ve always loved Neytiri. You watched your whole life as she was the best mother to her children, and how patient and caring and funny and attentive she was, and you always hoped one day she’d learn to love you too, and that through her you could finally feel what it was like to have a mother, a loving mother. But she never did, no matter the time that passed or the efforts you made, so you stopped trying and forsook your futile aspirations. It was time to grow up, and you did - not fully whole, never quite the person you hoped you would become, but there was no point in dwelling on matters of the past, of realities you’d never be able to undo. 

“Will she live?” Your eyes snapped to her in shock as she spoke. She very rarely ever spoke to you directly. And not only did she do just that, but she asked you a question. A genuine question about the well-being of her daughter. You couldn’t believe she cared what you thought about it to ask. She sounded so sad and desolate, her voice hoarse and nasal from the amount she had cried. 

“I’m sure she will… she’s a tough girl. She’s special, she always has been. I think she’ll be just fine.” 

“Then why isn’t she awake yet? If it’s what they say it is… why?” Her voice broke at the last word and yours was not far off when you answered her. 

“I don’t know. But I don’t think they are right. I think it’s more complicated than that.”

She looked confused at you, then approached and sat down in front of her, across from you, as her hands also found Kiri’s body, pushing the bangs out of her face. 

“Her seizure happened at the Tree of Souls. At the bridge between this world and Eywa’s. I think nothing we, humans, or our technology could possibly do could bring her back. I think she needs the Tsa’hik.” 

Her eyes widened at your words and she immediately got up and sprinted out of the tent, and you hoped you were right, partly because of Kiri and partly cause maybe this way, not that it mattered anymore, but maybe she’d finally stop looking at you like a stray dog and more like an actual person.  

The next thing you knew, Neytiri came in with an array of people, the most imposing of which was a woman, who you assumed was the Metkayina Tsa’hik, who intimidated you beyond belief from the second she walked in, all tall and beautiful and imposing… and pregnant. You instinctively rose from your spot and got out, feeling a sudden chill in the room and knowing for a fact it wasn’t a place you were welcomed in anymore. You didn’t care, as long as it meant Kiri would be fine. You joined the rest of the family and the scientists outside, the silence thick as all of you watched with heavy hearts, hoping for a miracle. It took a while, but eventually, the silence was disrupted by gasps of relief as Kiri did indeed wake up, immediately tackled by several of her family members hugging her, consoling her as she cried. 

So we could call it even

You could call me babe for the weekend

'Tis the damn season, write this down

Early in the evening, when everything settled down, you made your way outside the marui once more, looking at the sky as it was preparing itself for eclipse, finally able to take in the beauty of this place, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before and more breathtaking than you could have ever imagined. You felt Neteyam’s presence flood your own as he approached you - your senses might never be as acute as theirs, neither your vision, or hearing, or touch able to hold a candle to their own, but none of that ever mattered when it came to him. His being was enough to turn you inside out, and sharpen your senses so that it would pick up everything about him, from his slightly musky and woody smell, that changed throughout the month as his heat approached, to the sound and cadence of his footsteps that were unmistakable to you no matter how far they were approaching you from, to the slight clink of the beads in his hair, that sometimes felt like it moved on its own accord, to even his breathing and its pattern, and the way it seemed to increase whenever he was close to you. 

“Now can we talk? Kiri’s fine, she’s finally fine. Please, Vol…” 

“Neteyam, I can’t make myself any clearer. I have nothing to say to you.” 

Neteyam felt anger overtake him again. What would he have to do to get you to listen, to get you to give him one second, just one second to explain to you, to talk to you? It was so fucking unfair, to have to lose so much and yet be painted as the villain by you, the person who’s supposed to know him better than anyone else in the world, who used to understand him, to whom he never had to explain any of his thought process because there was no need. You always just knew. He hoped he didn’t have to do this, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and with that rationale in mind, Neteyam approached you suddenly and picked you up, throwing you over his shoulder and making his way out of the village. 

“Are you out of your fucking mind?! Put me down!” Neteyam pondered her question for a second. Maybe he truly was out of his mind. None of this was like him at all, this is not something he would ever have done a while ago, never before you. Neteyam was selfless, that’s how he was brought up to be, that’s the only way he knew how to be. But for the first time in his life, he needed to be selfish. For the first time in his life, he would do what he wanted to do, and he wanted to talk to you. Alone. He wanted to feel you, he wanted to remember what it was like for his heart to jump out of his chest and for his nostrils to be flooded with the only scent that drove his senses haywire and for his mind to scramble trying to understand the myriad of emotions running through it while he looked at you. He hasn’t seen you in months, haven’t felt you in months, and he was supposed to let it go without a fight?

No fucking way. 

You were so light in his arms, it felt like he was carrying a doll, and he barely registered your tiny ineffectual fists punching at his back, although he did feel like your legs were definitely stronger, just like the rest of you was since he last saw you. He didn’t stop until he hit an isolate meadow in the mangrove forest, your annoyed huffs and croaky screams drowning out the beautiful melodies played by the birds and his family’s ikran, that now had a home in these trees.

“I have no problem with holding you like this the whole time, but I’d rather look at you while I speak. I will put you down, but I swear on everything I hold dear, Vol, if you run, I will drag you back by your feet if I have to. We are talking, whether you like it or not.” 

With that threat, he lifted you off his shoulder and put you gently on the ground. You stood where he placed you, but refused to look at him, a deep frown marring your beautiful face. He sighed, feeling defeated and unmoored, but kneeled in front of you so he can look at your face properly, and you could look at his. 

“Vol, we haven’t seen each other in months. I didn’t know whether I’d ever see you again, but you’re here. You came here, out of your own volition. I know you wanted to see me. I know you, Vol. And you know me. You’re the only one that knows me.” He takes a hold of your mask gently and angles your face with barely any force to make you face him. “I was so mad at you for the way you shut me out. For not allowing me to say goodbye the way I wanted to, the way I should have. I needed to hold you, and tell you that I’ll miss you and that you’ll always be my best friend. That I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

Your eyes could barely hold it in, the urge to let it out and cry. Cry at seeing him again, at how frustrating he was, how angry you were, but how happy at the same time to finally see him again, to feel his touch on your skin and the way it lit it on fire, the way desire and ache and love pulsed through your veins at his mere proximity, how, despite all the months, all the time, all the hurt, it felt like nothing had changed between you, like seeing him again was exactly like coming back home after a long day outside, exhausted and spent, and happy to be comfortable and safe again. 

“I don’t care. I don’t care how sorry any of you are. You left your clan behind, and me, all of us behind, to go hide while we stand and fight and worry for our lives and the lives of everyone in the clan.”

Your words struck a chord in Neteyam and he felt the anger prick painfully at his mind, and despite priding himself on his composure, he couldn’t hold it in any longer, not anymore. Months of anguish kept inside finally came out and there was little he could do to stop it.

“We left so we could protect you! Why must you be so stubborn all of the fucking time? This wasn’t done to hurt you, Vol. This has nothing to do with you! None of us wanted to go! Believe it or not, you’re not the only one affected by this. I understand that you are upset and you have every reason to be, but what was the alternative? Either we stayed and the whole clan was even more at risk than it already is, or we brought two humans with us across the oceans to a new clan that hates humans?! Stop being so fucking selfish for one second and understand this isn’t only about you! I fucking lost everything that day! I lost my home, and my friends, and my future as Olo’eyktan, fuck, I lost the woman I lo-“ 

Your eyes go wide in shock at the words almost spoken, words that you imagined all your life but couldn’t believe right now. That can’t be what he was telling you, right? After all this time apart, after all the time together, in which you shared anything and everything under the sun, in secrets kept and broken promises, it couldn’t be that Neteyam was confessing to you something you swore you’d never feel for each other, something you wanted nothing more than to hear, something that would somehow both kill you and put you back together at the same time. 

“What did you just say?” 

Time flies, messy as the mud on your truck tires

Now I'm missing your smile, hear me out

We could just ride around

And the road not taken looks real good now

And it always leads to you in my hometown

His own wide eyes settle after a while, deep, settling breaths calming his heartbeat that he could feel in his throat, in his ears, in his temples. This was it. After all this time, after everything you’ve gone through, ironically now when there was no chance for you, not that there ever was, now when he was mad at you, when he would lose you again in just a short while, now he was about to confess something that has plagued him for years, that he’s wanted to tell you, that he knew he never could. 

He slowly brought his hand to your neck and collarbone, eyes tearing up mirroring your own, and he knew it would be easy telling you this, because loving you was easy, and falling in love with you - the easiest thing he’s ever done. His thumb caressed your soft skin and he watched in wonder as your mouth opened slightly, a soft exhale escaping you, and he followed the tear that rolled down your cheek when you closed your eyes from the overwhelming feelings trying you. 

“I lost the woman I love. The only woman I’ve ever loved. The annoying, aggravating, impossible woman who I’ve watched become the most beautiful, intelligent, incredible person, who taught me everything I know about anything that matters. Who I promised I wouldn’t fall in love with, but I did. A long time ago.”

You shook your head slightly, feeling the tears fall down your face, the stitches that you managed to put in the wounds deep in your soul coming loose around him, bleeding once more, and you wondered if despite wishing to hear these words for years, now that you have, it was the last thing you were ever going to hear. Because how are you supposed to survive this now, this overbearing pain of loving him, and losing him, knowing all this time he loved you, too, and that this was so far past what you agreed on… that it was love, requited love, crazy, stupid, incredible, one-of-a-kind love?

“You can’t say shit like this to me, Neteyam. You think I’m selfish? How about you? Why would you say these things to me now? I’m about to leave, I’m about to lose you again. It took me months to put back together what you broke, and I’m still not there yet, and now you say this shit, and what am I supposed to do with it, huh? How am I supposed to move on? To accept that I love a man that’ll never be mine, that I’ll never have except in fleeting moments, in secret affairs, that I’ve had to watch turn his back to me and choose duty over me, over and over and over again. You’re being mean. You’re being selfish.” 

“You fucking taught me to be selfish. You told me over and over my whole life to be more selfish. Well here I am, I’m being selfish. I want something, and that something is you. I want you. I need you. I need you to know that I’m in love with you, and to know that at least once in my life I get to make love to the woman i love and know that she loves me too, and that this is real, and that I’ve known this feeling and lived this feeling, at least once. Please. Please just tell me it wasn’t in my head. That all these years, despite what we told each other and ourselves, I loved you and you loved me too. And it was real, the only real thing I’ve ever known.” 

He sounded so forlorn, so desperate for you to ease his pain and mend his heart that was just as broken as yours, that suffered through as much, if not more, that was laid bared on the table for you to see it, to feel it, to either take it gently in your palms or squish it under your feet. No matter how mad you were, it was hard not to be taken aback and awed at his confession, not to feel privileged to be loved by him, by the best man you’ve ever met, a man who could have anyone in this world easily, whose mere presence in a room commands respect and attention, whose mind and words inspired Omaticaya songs, whose body motivated young men and enamoured young women. He was the best there was, and he wanted you. A human, who had none of the qualities praised and admired in the clan and in his world, but all the ones he wanted and hoped for. Because you were his best friend. And you understood him, and you stood by him through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, your whole entire lives. And you loved him, despite his shortcomings, despite being different to you, and you smiled at him in the way that put the sun to shame, and your eyes lit up when looking at him in a way that put the stars out of work. And you found him funny, which few people did - Lo’ak was the funny one, not him, that’s what he has always been told, but not to you, and if he was honest with himself, he only made jokes to hear your laugh and to feel the way you punched him whenever you found something funny. You have loved him all your life, you’ve been in love with him for years, and despite all that stood against you, all that you knew would prevent your own happy ending, despite your mind telling you it’s easier to just walk away, it’s safer for you to just leave and protect your heart, your heart needed to feel his, and feel him. Your heart needed to know what it would be, to be with him knowing what you knew now, knowing for a fact this is real, and it’s everything. 

You circled his wrist with your fingers and your other hand found his hair, that you pushed away from his face. You couldn’t help your smile that felt like the first real one you’ve cracked in months, and the way your heart skipped every other beat taking in his beauty, marvelling at his eyes that were pools of love and lust, of sadness and hope, of anguish and fear. 

“Of course it was real, skxawng.” You said with soft sobs. “It’s all real. It’s always been real. My whole life, you’ve been the only thing that’s been real.” You took off your mask, and closed the distance between you and kissed him, and you both melt into it, feeling the months apart fade away, feeling your mind empty of everything outside of him and his taste and his scent, and the feel of his skin as your palms traced his face and neck, of the way your own skin tingles under his touch. As you put your mask back on, struggling to catch your breath, he reaches for the buttons of your linen shirt and undoes them with surprising gentleness and accuracy, so tiny in his huge hands, and slides the shirt down your arms until it falls on the floor. You shudder a little under the breeze now caressing your bare skin and at the way Neteyam’s thumb flickers over one of your nipples, still covered by a black lace bra. 

“You’re so beautiful. So, so beautiful. I can’t believe I get to love you, I can’t believe you’re mine. And I’m yours, Vol. I’m yours, I’ve always been yours. I’ll always be yours.” 

You said nothing as the seed of doubt didn’t allow you to hope or even consider the future, instead getting lost in the pleasure of his skilled hands on your body, that still knew everything about you, as he laid you down on the ground gently and hovered over you, as his lips drew maps of unknown marvels on your soft skin, so different to his, but still so familiar, and he felt for the first time since his ikran landed on that beach months ago that this place could finally feel like home. He hated how despite memorising every curve, and beauty mark, and scar on your body, there were things that he had to relearn, curves he had to discover as his mouth came to terms with the changes he wasn’t there to witness, wasn’t there to get accustomed to as they happened to you. He pushed the unpleasant thought aside. It just meant he needed to relearn it, and he was happy with that. He was happy to hope he would get to once again know everything about you, and never get the chance to miss you again. 

Despite your silence, the tears still came and went, fogging up your mask listening to him and thinking about how much you’ve wanted this, and how much it will all hurt when it will inevitably succumb into nothing again. He stopped and came back to your level as he heard your quiet sniffles, ears perking up at the sound. 

“Vol…” 

“We shouldn’t be doing this, Neteyam. When you left, it killed me. It took me months to get back together enough to be normal again, if we do this, after everything you’ve said, after what i know, if i lose you, I…”

 

For the first time in his life and in your life, it was Neteyam who removed your mask covering your face and kissed you, and you swore you could have died then and been happy about it, and thank your lucky star you got to go while feeling his lips on yours, but soon enough he covered your face again and caressed your hair gently. 

“We have to do this because of what I said. Because of what you said. Because you are the only woman I’ll ever love, because for all intents and purposes, you are my mate. I want you to be my mate. Because all I’ve dreamt about for years is doing this with you knowing that you loved me too.” His expression changed, and in a serious tone, he continued. “But we won’t do anything you don’t want to, Vol. If you don’t want to do this, just tell me.”

Damn him, you thought bitterly. Damn him for having the ability of making you completely forget and forsake reason or any critical thinking when it came to him, when it came to what he meant to you. Of course you wanted to do this. You wanted nothing more than to do this. And despite how much your mind was screaming in pain at the eventuality of his loss, another part of it was screaming at the possibility of never feeling this feeling, at least once. All you managed was a meek shake of your head, and he smiled, a stupidly handsome smile and you couldn’t help yours from blossoming on your face as well, or the sense of fleeting happiness that enveloped you like a warm blanket. 

Despite whatever feelings of love you now knew were harboured in your convoluted relationship, you and Neteyam very rarely acted like it when you had sex. Your love was mostly tangible in the way you healed him, in the way he listened to your endless chattering about human stuff, in the way he looked at you when you said something that he found particularly endearing or the way you looked for him first whenever something anything of note happened to you. Sex, on the other hand, was a means to an end to you most times, just a way to relief tension and stress, a way to give your body what it needed, what it wanted, with someone who knew how to get it there. It was rough, and teasing, it was pushing your bodies to the extremes and testing your own and each other’s boundaries, but there was no need for that now. Because right now, in the way he touched you, in the way you felt, you knew this was different. You knew it was going to change everything yet again, more so than a mere confession ever could. Because now, knowing what you knew, feeling what you felt, you were making love, and it was an intimacy you’ve never experienced before. 

Back then, no matter how thoroughly he got you ready, no matter how long the foreplay, there was always a sense of urgency. It lasted all night, and there was still urgency to it. There was none of that now, as he explored every ounce of your body in languid, deliberate movements in between sonorous whispers that sounded a lot like adoration and wonderment, that told you how much he loved you, how much he’s missed you, how you were everything to him and listening to it felt a lot like heaven, a lot like comfort, a lot like home. 

He caressed your thighs from your ankles to the hips, and gently removed your shorts and placed them on the ground, next to your shirt. He inhaled sharply taking in your body and how much he missed it, and how much despite all the little changes, you were still very much yourself, and your body was still the one he used to get drunk on every night, that he got to once more tonight. You helped him out by removing your bra and underwear, and you smiled at the way his pupils dilated watching you, his eyes almost black now. You pulled him by his loincloth until he was over you again, and he took no time in attaching himself to you, and his lips to your neck, and his hands to your waist. Your heart was beating loudly as you felt him and he smiled against your chest when his lips felt your quickening pulse, knowing that his was just the same, that this was so much more than it ever was before. He never quite understood while people put so much emphasis on sex, why it was regarded as such an intimate act, especially to humans, but he understood now, as he felt you, as he knew you were in love with each other, that there was no doubt in either of your minds, that this feeling, and what you were doing, was something he could only conceive of doing with you, that this was going to bind you for life, regardless of the bond, regardless of a mating ritual, regardless of anything else. You were his and he was yours, forever. 

You reached over and untied his tewng and threw it with the rest of your clothes and just as it happened every time, you were always taken aback by his length, that somehow was always bigger than you remembered, and in light of the months spent apart, you were genuinely wondering about the logistics of how it was ever going to fit. 

“I know, I’m a little concerned, too.” 

You laughed, relieved that it was a thought shared between you, and doing your best to compose yourself and take a deep breath in, you removed your mask once more with one hand and pulled him towards you with the other, your lips meeting in a wet, messy kiss, filled with euphoric smiles and breathless moans, and for the first time in your life, you felt happy. Even it was just for a little while, just for a short, fleeting moment in time, you were wholly happy, and you had everything you ever wanted. A maskless kiss in the beautiful nature that surrounded you, shared with the man you loved, that you now knew loved you too, and the quiet hope of tomorrow. You didn’t want it to end, even as you felt the world slowly disappear from view, even as he reluctantly put some distance between you and helped you fasten it back onto your face. 

“I never missed your room more than right this second.” 

“Tell me about it.” 

As he slowly entered you, you were reminded of your first time, nearly two years ago now, and how sweet he had been, and how thoughtful and kind, and how he was the same now. He took his time, comforting you at every point, and held you as you cried from the pain of being stretched out after so long, by a length and girth no human normally was supposed to know, and he talked you through it, and you cracked a few jokes in between soft sobs and muffled cries, and you understood then what it felt like to be whole, and mended by a touch or a gaze, as long as they came from the one person in the world that mattered. 

When the pain subsided, it was replaced by ecstasy and the best feeling you’ve ever felt, as the pleasure he was always able to coax out of you was magnified infinitely by his confession, and you knew he felt the same by the way he looked at you, by how isolated tears fell from his eyes and onto your mask, how his smile was radiant and reassured, how he held you and touched you like he’d never let you go again, and God, you hoped he never did. When you came, you came together, and the overwhelming feelings left you a panting, limp mess around him, your mind empty from the high and full from the simple “I love you” that followed.

“I have missed you so much, Vol.” suddenly, he picks you up by your waist and turns you so that you are placed gently on his chest, and you sprawl on his body, with him still deep in you, tightening your arms around him and your head on his chest. You lay there for a long while, while he places kisses on your head and runs his fingers down your back and thighs, taking you in, and you listen to his heartbeat, fast and erratic, so much like your own, so much like the soundtrack to your dreams, the music of your deepest fantasies. 

It took forever for either of you to move at all, just content being in each other’s presence, making up for months of lost love and lost nights. Eventually, you removed your head from where it has found its once-more home, and looked at him. 

“I missed you, too. I can’t believe I’m here. There’s so much I want to tell you.”

And so you did. You spent hours talking, catching up, talking about anything and everything, like you always used to when you were young. You told him about training and how Tarsem is doing a good job as Olo'eyktan, how he wants both you and Spider to be a more involved part of the plan, how he’s got you training and how you feel excited to be more involved in this part of his life that you never quite got to be involved in before. You tell him about every new scar on your body and he does the same, and he goes over the village and the training, and all the new people he’s met and how he likes Tsireya and Rot’xo but not Aonung, he tells you about all the ways Lo’ak is testing their dad’s patience and all the dreams he’s had of you. That takes a while, and you laugh at the sillier ones and cry at the more emotional ones, and cry at the way he was right that you had been selfish, and how much in your attempt to deal with your own heartbreak, you forgot that he was going through his own. You never separated from each other, still hugging, or cuddling, or pressing at least one leg against the other’s, refusing to be more than a couple centimetres apart at a time, if you could help it.

Sleep in half the day just for old times' sake

I won't ask you to wait if you don't ask me to stay

So I'll go back to L.A. and the so-called friends

Who'll write books about me, if I ever make it

And wonder about the only soul who can tell which smiles I'm fakin'

You didn’t talk about the future. About how you knew you would have to leave soon, and what would happen after, you didn’t talk about the hurt or the pain, or the way it would come crashing down in front of you so soon, because right now, it didn’t matter. Because you knew for the first time in your life that all the pain the world could possibly throw at you would be worth this, and if you had to spend your whole life paying for it, you’ve made your peace with that. At least, you got this. And no matter what you lost, you’d always have this. 

In the morning, he took your hand in his and lifted you, and watched as you put your bra and panties back on. He didn’t say anything as you bent for the rest of your clothes, clearly enjoying the view, but stopped you as you were trying to get dressed. 

“Let’s go for a swim. You have a mask, you can breathe underwater better than me.” He chuckled a little. “I want to show you my new life, I need you to be part of it.” 

You were touched by his words. You nodded and dropped the shirt, and removed your hand from his swiftly. Without warning, you started running towards the beach, not looking behind you as you screamed after him. 

“Last one in the water has to do whatever the other one wants.” 

Neteyam rolled his eyes, but watched as you ran away from him, as you always did, wild and free, and he was relieved to realise some things would never change, and this was definitely one, alongside the eternal love he felt for you. He gave you quite the headstart, but eventually started running, and it took very little on his part to catch up to you, and he listened to your screams of annoyance as his feet touched the water first and he dove in, submerging his body and grabbing your waist and pulling you under with him. He allowed you to take the unearthly beauty in, with a shocked expression on your face, your mouth agape as you noticed the coral and all the fish that were circling you curiously. You reached out for them and they immediately dispersed, and he smiled at how it made you jump slightly, his heart swelling with affection and jubilance at this moment that he never thought he’d get, that he would never forget, that he would cherish forever. 

You swam for hours, and for the first time in either of your lives, Neteyam felt grateful for your mask, that allowed you to breathe underwater for extended periods of time, much longer than he could, that allowed you to go with him on an ilu and experience this new feeling that felt so different than an ikran, and yet somehow just as liberating and freeing, and you loved it, and all of a sudden he loved it a little more than he did before. 

"So what do you want?" you say playfully as you resurface, your head in his neck, his body flush against yours as you float aimlessly. He just tilts his head, not understanding your question.

"You beat me in the water. I said that whoever wins gets to tell the other what to do."

Neteyam thought about it for a long while.

"I have everything I want right now." he held you a bit tighter as he answered. "I still can't believe you're here. I can't believe these last few hours have been real. There's nothing else I could ever want."

You sighed against him, and he couldn't tell if it was happy or not, and right now, he didn't want to know.

"You're a better person than I am. I would have asked for eternal servitude."

He chuckled as his lips found your wet hair again.

"You got it, Vol."

And the heart I know I'm breakin' is my own

To leave the warmest bed I've ever known

As you walked back to the village, the dream world you lived in since he brought you to the forest was quickly fading before your eyes, and the worries, and the fear were settling in again, like they always seemed to, and it felt a lot like greeting old friends that never left, just hid a little under a curtain of flowy incandescence, ready to pounce at the slightest opportunity. Neteyam's voice broke through the dark feelings overcoming you, like he always had the power to.

“I know it's scary, thinking of what's next. I know. I'm terrified, but seeing you again, Vol, this night, this morning, it made me realise I can't lose you again. So just stay. I’ll talk to my parents, I’ll talk to the Metkayina. We’ll figure it out. Just please stay.”

His words managed to put your mind as ease almost as much as they shocked you in their spontaneity and craziness. Neteyam wasn't a rash person, or a person who just blurted out big life decisions, such as this one. You laughed awkwardly, trying to defuse the tension you felt in yourself and in the air around you.

“How would that ever work, silly?”

“I don’t know. It will work. Or I’ll come back with you, I’ll come back home. We’ll figure it out, ok? Just please say yes.” 

You roll your eyes at him, but you were grateful. And so, so happy. Because despite everything, this was everything you've ever wanted, and everything you thought you'd never get. You didn't know why you came to Awa'atlu. To yell at him, to check for yourself how he was doing, if he managed to move on easier than you could. To be angry, to get closure, to say goodbye forever. But now, it felt a lot like you were here for a new beginning, for a second chance at love, and how could you ever say no to that? The little nod makes Neteyam beam, and he picks you up and spins you around, once again kissing each-other against the ticking time bomb of your forsaken mask, laughing against his lips and his cheeks as he peppers kisses throughout your whole face, on your eyes, and your cheeks, on your forehead and your nose.

"Thank you."

We could call it even, even though I'm leavin'

And I'll be yours for the weekend, 'tis the damn season

"I'll go check on Kiri. You talk to your parents, ok?"

Neteyam did just that, as he found his dad sitting alone by the edge of the water, cleaning his favourite weapon, the way he liked to do when there was something on his mind, or something weighing heavily on his shoulders. Kiri's condition must have taken a bigger toll on him than Neteyam realised, he thought absentmindedly. He was so nervous, so afraid of what he had to say and how his parents would react. His mating situation has been a matter of great debate in their family for a years now, and so to tell them he's chosen... a human, essentially giving up his chance at feeling the bond, at a child... he knew would be a lot to take in, but he was ready, and he had chosen, and for once in his life, Neteyam would have his way.

"Dad?"

His father was startled as he got pulled out of his musings, another rare occurence.

"Neteyam, it's good you're here. I need to chat to you."

Neteyam took a seat by his dad, eyeing him keenly.

"Is everything alright, you seem off."

"Neteyam..." the former Olo'eyktan winced a little, refusing to meet his son's gaze.

"The situation with the Metkayina is... a little more dire than I told you before. Tonowari told us the clan is not fully willing to accept us, that they don't consider us one of them, even despite the Uturu given by their own Olo'eyktan. He's worried for our future here, and honestly son, so am I. I don't want us to have to leave again, to have to uproot our family once more.

He's... thought of a solution. For it to be an easier transition. A way forward, a way to unite the clans, the power of the Omaticaya, the blood of the Toruk Makto with the ruling family of the reef people. As you know, Tonowari has an older daughter, a warrior. She's said to be one of the most proficient and skilled warriors this tribe's ever seen. They say she's beautiful and smart. Kind and charismatic.

Neteyam... in order for us to stay, you will have to mate with her."

And I’ll be yours for the weekend..

‘tis the damn season.

Taglist: @liluvtojineteyam @pinkpantheris @fanboyluvr @bananafruityawne @zaddyneteyamlovergirl @netemoon @www-interludeshadow-com

[munson-blurbs]

@corrodedcoffinfest Day 27: You'll Be In My Heart

Word Count: 729/Rating: M/Pairing: None/CW: canon-compliant, Eddie's funeral, dead dove!!!/Tags: Eddie Munson, Gareth, Grant, Jeff, Jeff's POV, Metallica, Corroded Coffin, funeral, death

Divider credit to @silkholland

Life, it seems, will fade away Drifting further every day

Today was the second time Jeff had stood in as Corroded Coffin’s frontman.

The first time was two years ago. Eddie had gotten laryngitis right before a gig and asked Jeff to take over rather than cancel the show altogether.

“You know all the chords and the lyrics,” he’d croaked into the phone. Jeff could hear the smile in his voice. “Go out there and kick ass.”

With abundant trepidation, Jeff took center stage that night, his nerves easing and confidence growing with each note he played. The sound wasn’t as full with only one guitar, and his voice wasn’t as powerful as Eddie’s, but he was good. Good enough to warrant praise from the band’s fearless leader.

Getting lost within myself Nothing matters, no one else

“Don’t let this go to your head, now,” Eddie had teased, clapping a hand on Jeff’s back, “but you made me damn proud. Not just the way you played–Grant and Gareth told me you were a total fuckin’ rockstar, by the way–but for stepping up when we needed you.”

That first time was a celebration. The second time was agony.

Jeff stood behind the microphone at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, feeling Gareth staring at him from where he sat at his drum set. Grant kept his gaze on the strings of his bass, eyes shiny with the threat of tears. If he made eye contact with either of the other two young men beside him, he’d almost certainly begin sobbing.

I have lost the will to live Simply nothing more to give There is nothing more for me Need the end to set me free

Despite having sung the Metallica cover hundreds of times, the lyrics felt foreign coming out of Jeff’s mouth. His voice was warped in his own ears the way a well-loved cassette sounds when the tape unspools.

The crowd was tiny but mighty, if not confusing. Among the expected attendees was Eddie’s Uncle Wayne, who had been the one to ask Corroded Coffin’s three remaining members to play at his nephew’s funeral. It seemed macabre to have a band with the word ‘coffin’ in its name to play such an occasion, but Wayne had insisted upon it.

“It’s what Eddie would’ve wanted,” he’d said, his whiskered jaw trembling the same way it was now.

Things not what they used to be Missing one inside of me Deathly lost, this can't be real Cannot stand this hell I feel

Dustin Henderson sat beside him, lips tucked into his mouth as he swallowed back tears. A running joke among the Hellfire Club was that Dustin hadn’t shut up since the moment he learned to talk, but he’d barely spoken a word since that godforsaken earthquake hit. 

Behind them sat the Sinclairs. Jeff couldn’t help but notice the way Lucas and Erica’s fingers intertwined, eyes stained with the harsh redness that only came from nonstop crying. The whole Wheeler family was situated next to them, along with Mike’s girlfriend from California, her buzzed hair just like Eddie’s back in junior high.

Emptiness is filling me To the point of agony Growing darkness taking dawn I was me, but now he's gone

The most surprising guests were Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley. Jeff watched a mascara-tinged tear trail down the awkward band geek’s freckled cheek, the former King of Hawkins High digging into his suit jacket and offering her a Kleenex. He hadn’t been aware that those two were friends nor that they were close enough to Eddie to attend his funeral, but he lacked the energy to question it.

No one but me can save myself, but it's too late Now I can't think, think why I should even try

A calming presence enveloped Jeff as the song neared its conclusion, bringing the same tingle of joy that he’d had when Eddie had lauded him after his first foray into lead guitarist. He wasn’t sure how he’d go on–how the band would go on–without Eddie’s guidance, but he’d solve that problem when his world hadn’t been turned on its head. His job now was simply to be the leader that Grant and Gareth needed. The leader that Eddie had taught him to be.

Yesterday seems as though it never existed Death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye Goodbye

--

[tyxoxo]

Ylang Ylang - teaser.

teaser, find full fic here.

| pairing: fairyhunter!jeno x fairy!reader (afab) au w/ fairy!xiaojun x fairy!reader (if you squint)

| genre: suspense, angst, fantasy, multiple nct/wayv + aespa character inserts, jeno and hendery are brothers

| summary: while being close to you and your family’s extinction, a promise needs to be broken to save the lives of your people

| words: loading…

| (future) warnings: murder, blood, torture, cnc smut + suggestive scenes, blackmail, kidnapping, exhibitionism, caging/imprisonment, degrading, spitting, unprotected sex

(this is purely fiction, warnings in bold mean potentially triggering content)

a/n: @jenomov and i came up with this concept out of nowhere and we decided to start writing our own versions. BUT i did make a header for us to share while she typed up the summary (which is awesome cuz i suck at them). just thought i’d clarify so no one would think we’re stealing/plagiarizing each other's work. just think of this as a collab! :’)) also, jeno’s look in the header is essentially how i envisioned him to look for this story but imagine him however you want (can’t help that haechan takes great pictures ㅠㅠ) 

playlist: 

livv? - ylang ylang

weatherby - fleeting frozen heart 

alex sloane - mine

datfootdive - stars

“C’mon Xiaojun, spit it out already!!” 

You teased at your loving best friend, shoving him playfully with a single finger as you watched him struggle to speak lucid sentences.

The two of you were in your favorite and most “private” hang out spot—in the trees on the outskirts of your shared village. Far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the community, but close enough for comfort. Though you tried your best not to drift into the terminology of “safety”, “danger”, or “warnings.” 

It was a sure way to initiate ill omens.

Both of your parents were aware of your shared infinity for exploring; venturing past the municipality limits. But as long as the two of you shrunk to “the size of a quail” outside of the village, they allowed you to bask in the wonders of blaring curiosity, to your heart’s content. Your species could never truly bring your guard down…

“Sorry…I just can’t form my words today.” He scratched the back of his head as peered down at his lap, rustling the Crane's-bill flower crown perched atop his mauve hair in the process. 

“Since when do you ever really form your words?” 

This time you gave a subtle laugh to pair with your smile, hoping to ease his obvious discombobulation. 

“You’re right. I don’t.” 

His eyes met yours, his wings even twitching, which always signified when your kind was flustered.

He continued again, pulling at his own thumb as he drifted his eyes up to the newly blossomed tree leaves; an obvious attempt to avoid eye contact.

You could try to deny it for as long as you lived, but there was something within you that adored him more than he probably ever knew.

It was his tenderness, his soothing voice, his patience, whether it was those nights you stormed out of your house in search of him, as a form of solace from the constant nightmares of your genocide, or the days that you wanted to rant about your parent’s overprotectiveness (though they’ve eased up in recent years).

Anything you needed, he was there. And you always tried your best to do the same, despite having the feeling that he bottled up some of his troubles to keep from feeling like a burden himself.

“Well…I w-wanted to tell you, that I really appreciate you.” 

He gave up on his own finger trap, to tug at the bottom of his white flounce shirt, finally meeting your eyes again with another twitch of his translucent wings.  

“I appreciate you too Xiaojun, always.” 

You leaned forward, so light that you barely caused the branch underneath you to stir. He froze upon witnessing your close contact, only his brown irises lowering to watch as you took both of his hands into your own.

“Is everything okay?” 

You didn’t mean for your voice to come out in a whisper, but his stuttering had become more frequent, and this only made your thoughts whirl just as loudly as his.

If only you knew that he was on his way to confess his true feelings to you, if only he could get his mouth to work as fast as his brain, maybe then he could finally pull the weight off his shoulders.

But you made all of this difficult without even trying. His love for everything that was you, was infinite. 

Even your constant teasing.

And the glimmer in your eyes was no match for his composure, let alone the way you held his hands. 

You scanned his face in search of an answer, that definitely took too long for him to spill.

“Yeah don’t worry, everything's fine.” 

You tilted your head in confusion, wondering where this could possibly be going, knowing he was aware of your ever-so-obvious “what’s the deal” persona. 

He cleared his throat, and geared himself up for the revelation of a lifetime,

“I’ve been m-meaning to tell you that I really like you…that I’ve always dreamed of what it would be like to have this moment with you.”

You felt your wings twitch, more noticeable than his own. And the warmth that flooded your entire body could’ve lit the entire forest in a swarming blaze. 

“W-would it be crazy if I asked you to be mine—”

His lips seemed to come at a rest in slow motion, eyelashes fluttering in stark contrast as he heard your breath hitch in your throat.

Not even the sun’s rays that flashed through the white pine tree could’ve taken you out of your shock. 

You used what seconds you had left, to replay his confession in your head,

“…I’ve always dreamed of what it would be like to have this moment with you”

Xiaojun, your best friend since childhood, had always dreamed of this.

But the thoughts of responding were ripped away, as blood-curdling screams roared from the direction of your home. They weren’t light hearted nor playful by any means, and with the ability to hear great distances, the agony that bestowed upon your ears caused you both to wince in fear. 

Xiaojun turned his head to look through the leaves, skin turning pale upon hearing further destruction. 

Most of the branches obscured your vision, but it didn’t take much longer for the despair to continue. 

“They found us!” 

That voice, sounded like Karina.

And her frenzied words gave the answer—after 10 years of hiding, the hunters were back. 

You felt your heart drop to your stomach, the ability to breathe becoming a distant memory.  

You squeezed Xiaojun’s hand as you crawled through the thick pine, your best friend eventually grabbing your waist to stop you from venturing out too far.

“Stay back!” His hushed tone was never this turbulent, bringing all the more truth to the chaos brewing just a mile away. 

“This can’t be! We have to go help!”

“It’s too dangerous, I can’t risk you getting hurt!” 

Your adrenaline was too much for Xiaojun, as you managed to fight through his tight embrace or rather his hold on your longing to see your family and friends for what could be the last time. 

“Let me go! We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

You attempted to gear your wings for flight as you broke through his hold, hands raking through the leaves to get a clear view through the sea of green.

As you hovered past the pine tree, a familiar being appeared to be flying this way, the telltale sign being the blush colored wings that matched the embroidered dress swaying through the win at high speeds.

It was Giselle. And upon her getting a closer distance, you saw the blood spatter that painted her arms in fresh crimson. 

She was her natural size, like what your kind all chose to be while in the comfort of your home, and the only guess as to why she didn’t choose to shrink was the amount of energy it took to do so. She seemed to grip at her side as the blood continued to stain her silk dress, not once looking up at which direction to fly. Her Dahlia flower crown was nowhere to be found, something that she cherished more than anything in the world.

You had to help her, get her to safety within the trees, whatever you could to secure a better fate. But the constant screams kept you too terrified to react, and being out in the open like this was indeed risky. 

Before you could muster the strength to call her name, Xiaojun was behind you, the vibration of his wings filling your senses. He leaped at you once again, this time pulling you back towards the trees with labored breaths.

He couldn’t just do this to you…prevent you from saving a life, from saving not only your friend, but his friend too.

You managed a measly call of her name, knowing her advanced hearing would be enough. And successfully, she glanced up for the first time since her escape, to watch as you motioned for her to join together in the same tree.

Her face, lit up with hope, was the last sanguine expression to ever grace her face, as the all too familiar sound of a crossbow arrow being loosed from its quarrel sped towards her injured frame.

Your scream, one just as gut-wrenching as those that continued from your home, was muffled against Xiaojun’s palm as he pulled you back within the tree. You were forced away from any further intervention, forced away from burying your guilt.  

Giselle flung forward from the sheer impact of the arrow as it shot through her heart, her umber strands flying through the air in the same intensity; entire body falling face forward onto the red speckled Bermuda grass.

You couldn’t look away, not while you witnessed her final moments—eyes drifting up to meet yours within her last breath, wings falling lifeless against her spine, and a faint smile from knowing you would be the last person she would ever see, instead of the hunters that were walking towards her. 

Your entire body shook against Xiaojun, trembling in fear that her killers would surely discover the two of you here.

“Fuck! Hendery I had her!” 

An unfamiliar voice, but one you would never forget, roared through the clearing that led to your dead friend. 

You never felt so much anger from a person before, someone that you could only imagine was seething at the teeth.

Xiaojun finally took his hands away from your mouth, allowing you to inhale as much as you could before they got too close. But he still kept his arms wrapped around you, fighting through his own sobs that hit against the back of your neck.

“No Jeno! I’m not letting you fuck this up anymore! Remember what Johnny said?”

Yet another unfamiliar voice, but you were able to put the faces with the names right as the two humans approached just meters away, barely appearing disheveled despite the chaos they just unleashed. Thankfully their lack of enhanced senses worked in your favor, as you and Xiaojun remained undetected during their inspection of the area.

The one holding the crossbow was Hendery: he had to have been the one to take the kill. And the one to speak first was Jeno. 

These had to have been the hunters your family warned about. For years since relocating to this new area, all of the last surviving elders made it their mission to describe these two, for if the day came that they scoured the land again, you would instantly know it was them. 

—

lmk if you want to be added to the taglist!!

[kelelaluvr]

yuzuki hayato with a boyfriend

been obsessed w this anime lately, it's the most wholesome thing ever hdgdhdhddh figured i'd show some love to hayato, he's been on my mind since i started watching <3

content: fluff

remember during the fireworks mikoto asked hayato what would happen when he got a girlfriend?

little did he know his older brother sort of had one already - well, a boyfriend, that is.

the both of you had met in high school, being in the same class

slowly, you had gotten to know each other, passing notes during classes and sneaking glances when no one was looking

soon enough, you asked him out and he accepted!!! much to your surprise

but rest assured, he likes you very much

it's his first relationship, so please be gentle with him

he's very hardworking, and selfless as seen from his years of dealing with his brothers

it's reflected in the way he always asks you were you want to go first during dates after school, or how he offers to tutor you in the subjects you're weak in, despite his own heavy workload

you guys barely get anything done during these tutoring sessions anyway smh

he's too distracting so you just end up staring at him the whole time

you weren't too sure what his parents thought about two guys dating, so you both decided it was best to keep it a secret

but as with every secret gay relationship, it never ends like the movies and you both agreed to end it on amicable terms

it was sad, sure, but...that's life, isn't it?

as you both went into college, you kinda just. stopped contacting each other. and it was fine. you were okay to leave your relationship as nothing but high school sweethearts.

so imagine your surprise when years later, you walk into the staff room of the high school you've been posted to on your first day as a teacher, and see your ex-boyfriend.

"oh. my. god. HAYATO????"

"[NAME]????"

as it turns out, he had been at that high school for a while now, but it was his first time taking a class

the first thing you noticed was that he was a very, very tired man.

when you got closer to him, it was only then did you learn of his current family situation

it just increases your admiration for him

how does he manage to juggle handling a new class, and taking care of 3 brothers all by himself? no one knows

so you made it your goal in your new job to help hayato out as much as possible, to lessen his burden

you can't help it, you've never really gotten completely over him so this was the perfect chance to show him how much you care

you need to force him to take constant breaks, otherwise he'd probably pass out from exhaustion one of these days

technically he already has cough gaku in ep 3 cough

but it's no secret that he's not good with relying on others

it's impossible to ask him how you can help directly, instead you try to discreetly do some of his work for him, like preparing the exam sheets

this doesn't escape hayato's watchful eyes, he immediately notices

"[name], did you do this for me? thank you, but i can handle it myself. you already have so much work to do..."

"hayato, i want to help! just let me. please."

"but-"

"shhh. just let me take care of it."

he gets butterflies whenever he's around you, and he doesn't know why.....surely he's more mature than this, getting flustered over some guy he dated in high school.

right...?

it seems like you weren't the only one with lingering feelings

eventually it gets to the point where it's hard for the two of you to focus on your teaching jobs properly when it's clear as day to all of your colleagues that there was a lot of mutual pining going on

like...the tension in the staff room is so thick it's suffocating

you were the first one to confess (again)

with hayato being so busy, he can barely find time to even consider romance, so he just pushed those feelings aside and buried himself in his responsibilities, hoping his feelings for you would just subside

the fact that you were able to make a little place in his heart and stay there is so, so special

so he accepted, of course. thank god. it would have a taken a long, long time for him to make the first move.

boyfriends! for the second time. <3

WHEW that backstory took longer than i thought....onto your actual relationship

i can definitely see him being the sappy type, he just doesn't show it outright.

since the both of you are busy the whole school day teaching, the only time you really get to spend together is during lunch breaks

he tries to show his love subtly, like waking up early so he can pack a homemade lunch for the both of you to share

it's times like these you feel truly blessed to be dating him, we all know he's an amazing cook since he had to learn so many recipes to feed his brothers

he's definitely very easily flustered

so pda in the staff room would have to be limited to a quick hug or kiss between periods, otherwise he can't focus on teaching

you guys go home together after finishing the work day at school, sometimes you would go to his place

and trust, the first time you did, hayato spent the whole previous day worrying about it and briefing his brothers that someone would be coming over. he runs that family like the navy

"tomorrow...someone will be coming over when i come back from work. please behave..."

immediately, they all catch on. hayato hasn't had someone come over since before their parents passed, so this must be someone special

minato: "who?? your girlfriend??

"MINATO."

mikoto: "well...is it?"

"it's...my boyfriend."

immediately, they all make that ooooOOOHHHH sound that siblings tend to make, much to hayato's embarassment.

"shut up....." he mutters, head in his hands. he desperately hoped they wouldn't say anything too weird when you were over.

you were already kinda familiar with his brothers from when you went to his house a few times during high school, but it was strange seeing them all grown up

unexpectedly, they did remember you.

minato: "hey, isn't this your friend from high school? you mean you guys are dating now??" he bounces up and down excitedly.

"the truth is...we were dating back then. we reunited since we both teach in the same school. it's complicated."

mikoto had an uncharacteristic smirk on his usually stoic face. "i knew it all along. you guys were too close to be friends..."

"you're kidding me." hayato groaned.

getting along with them is a must, hayato can't bear the thought of his favourite people disliking each other

thankfully, they all warm up to you very quickly. it's heartwarming to them that their brother found someone who makes him genuinely happy

he's basically dedicated his whole life to taking care of them, its what he deserves

one time on the weekend, gaku caught you lurking outside the house looking for a way in

"oh! gaku! don't worry, i'm just...helping your brother with....work...stuff."

but really, it was just an excuse to come surprise hayato

it doesn't really take long for gaku to catch on though, i mean, he's literally 6 years old and lowkey a child prodigy so like

overtime, they started to see you as an older brother figure as well

the first time hayato mentioned this to you, you wanted to cry. it means so much to have his family's acceptance

the first time you offered to help him out with family matters, he looked at you like you were crazy.

"absolutely NOT. you're not even part of the family, how could i burden you with my own troubles?"

"i'm not part of the family...? :<"

"you know i didn't mean it like that....i mean-"

"don't worry, i'll be part of the family legally soon..."

"WHAT?????"

unfortunately for hayato, minato had overheard this conversation and gleefully proclaimed to his brothers that hayato was getting married soon

they hope it really happens, though. ♡

[omi-papus]

AU where it's the original plot of the Below zero beta, except Robin and Sam's roles are reversed, so Sam is a manager on the planet that ends up stranded, and Robin is the biologist/wilderness and survival expert they should have sent with her but didn't because she would have specifically told them to not build bases in meteor strike zones and to not have just random untrained people in water hell, but now that shit has gone south, she needs to be in constant contact with Sam to tell her how not to fucking die, while she gets the asshats at Alterra to send her over. Al-An gets put into Sam's head but falls in love with Robin anyway, because she's so smart and scientific and resourceful, and in general the only reason her barely athletic sister and him aren't dead. And Sam notices this and mostly because she realizes that as fucked as this whole situation is, she knows these two are the only people crazy enough for each other and her absolutely furious sister needs something else to think about before she murders every single person at the company.

So, nobody really knows if Jevov is dead or not so Sam just, like, starts citing things Al-An has said about her as if they were things Jevov said at some point. Al-An like dies of psychic damage the first time, but eventually it becomes a sort of one-sided telephone game, where Al-An expresses how he admires her and wants to know more and that the stories that Sam has told him make him feel like he wants to be someone like her, and Robin actually starts to maybe feel something for “Jevov” and flustered telling Sam that she “Has hope that he will be ok.” And he will respond “If that is what you believe, then hope might deserve consideration” but obviously Robin can't hear him. Sam is just bawling.

She would get to know Al-An pretty well and try to help him deal with these new complicated emotions he's feeling, and also talk to Robin and make sure her insecurity over her perceived helplessness in the situation.

And Sam grows a lot throughout this journey too. Because she has been completely sunk into the myth of the meritocracy and grindset, having unknowingly been a corporate slave for years. Having secretly had little respect for Robin since she hasn't climbed the corporate ladder much due to insubordination. But not only seeing the promises Alterra made crumble around her and how they don't even really attempt to help her, she realizes most of her professional life had been a lie. She comes to respect her sister more through her support and advice as well as Al-Ans adoring observations, and Al-Ans own critique of the individualistic but still sacrificial and fake structure of Alterran corporate society is in practice even more destructive than the architects themselves. She deep down tries to get them together because she remembers how her girlfriend Danielle backstabbed her for a higher up position and left her behind.

And let's get more interesting. Take one element from the final release plot. The mission to 4546b is supposedly a mining development. But Sam knows, that it's actually a Karaah research mission. She knows about the frozen leviathan and where it is. But in the meteor storm all documents regarding that classified information were destroyed and Alterra has kept compleatly quiet about it. So Sam knows, that she's helping develop a brutal bioweapon, but neither Robin nor Al-An do. And letting them find that out, will get at best: Robins heart broken and her only family never being able to see her the same way again, halfway: Alterra most definitely getting her arrested and at worst: a REALLY angry architect on her ass.

Omg and then at some point Robin says fuck it, and bails to 4546b on a stolen aircraft. Al-An is in his body, Jevov turns out to be alive and is gunning for both Karaah samples and architect weapons, now having decide he's going to betray both Sam and Alterra. The former is on their tail to the planet to get Robin and the Karaah. And it's a big race with all players having different objectives. But here, Robin and Al-An meet for the first time. And Sam has some explaining to do. She decides to be generous and not tell her about “he was in my brain, and listened to all our conversations, and also is actually you're secret admirer who is madly in love with you” bit and Al-An is thankfully able to focus on the more important things, only getting somewhat distracted by Robin. That is until she starts asking about Jevov and he can't help but feel both jealous and ashamed, but he pushes it aside. And eventually Jeff betray them and Robin is devastated and confused, and she feels like an idiot, and Al-An feels terrible for causing this, so he tries to comfort her and praise her, and over the speech Robin slowly quiets, until he stops talking noticing she's been staring at him in disbelief.

“All those things, that Sam told me he said… It was you…”

[anawrites3]

For @poiverine 🥰 I know I'm a little late but I'm still thinking about shameless Slade you drew for this au and well... this just happened 🤗💕

Sladick royal au;

part 6, inspired by polv's amazing art;

You are not to display your feelings for each other with anyone around you. You are to stay close to your spouse throughout any social event but not to touch their bare hand, in matters different than greeting each other or dancing. Physical contact is intimate and other people must not have any insight on it. Any form of displaying your affections publicly is scandalous and humiliating for both sides.

Those were the rules. Dick knew all of them by heart, taught by Gotham's best tutors since the moment he came to live with Bruce – he spent years and years learning everything he could, to be a proper prince and not shame Bruce in any way by doing something stupid out of unawareness. And those, those particular rules were the most important, as not following them would shame his name so greatly that if it ever happened, Dick wouldn't be able to look anyone in the eye for the rest of his life. Not to even mention the disgrace it would bring Bruce.

Children are allowed any physical touch they need. Holding their hand, hugging, kissing their cheeks and forehead is allowed even with other people around you. You are allowed to display your feelings towards the members of your family in public, such as holding their bare hand and even hugging them briefly. Any possible suitor and later a spouse does not have those privileges towards you. Any possible intimate contact between you and your spouse is to happen when you are alone, in the privacy of your chambers.

No matter what Dick knew earlier, no matter what his parents taught him, those were the rules Dick must follow now, regardless of anything else. It was confusing and weird at first, to change his whole worldview so abruptly like that but it didn't take Dick long to learn and understand. Besides, learning that you can't display your affections openly was barely anything huge, compared with what Dick had to go through when his parents were killed.

Bruce helped him understand the rules. Helped him with everything and anything, really. With Bruce’s aid, Dick was able to see how displaying your affections, being intimate with your beloved was something to treasure, a moment meant to be adored and cherished by the two of you. It was a beautiful show of feelings and no one else should be a witness to it.

Dick himself never saw anyone break those rules but he heard enough of such cases. People, especially nobles, loved to talk – Dick knew that better than anyone because he was the one people talked about a lot. One of their favorite activities was gossiping about people who broke the rules and thanks to that he knew perfectly well how they treated those who were stupid or careless enough to do it. It was utterly unacceptable for Gotham's society, scandalous. It brought dishonor, made people look and openly point their fingers at you to laugh.

It was a sin in its own category.

Dick was always extremely careful to follow all the rules, like a proper prince he was. He made sure to wear gloves whenever his suitors greeted him with a kiss on the palm, was certain to never stand too close to them during any events. The further thing he ever did was let Roy press a kiss to his cheek when the prince came to tell him that he was leaving for his journey, and then another one to the palm of his bare hand but even then they were alone in the library. Dick was intent to never break those rules, to follow them for the rest of his life.

And then Slade Wilson came, barged really, into his life.

Slade, who grabbed his bare hand and brought it to his lips whenever he wanted, like it was something as natural as breathing to him. Slade, who wrapped his arm around Dick's waist and pressed him against his side as if Dick was... as if Dick was some whore he could parade around with. Slade, who... w-who leaned down and... and kissed him, right on the lips, with everyone around to see it happen.

Every time Slade did it, Dick could feel shame and humiliation burning in his chest painfully like a real fire would. Every time, Dick forced himself to stay still and just breathe, to let Slade do what he wished. He was sure the man just toyed with him, waiting for the moment he'll finally snap. Oh, how he wanted to loathe this man. How he wanted to hate Slade, for he took Dick away from his home, from his family, away from everything he knew. How he wanted to hate Slade for doing whatever he wanted with him, humiliating Dick day and day again. But he couldn't. He couldn't allow himself to do that.

Because Dick wouldn't be able to live like that, standing by the side of someone he loathed for the rest of his life. It would destroy him, like locking in a cage would do to a bird, and Dick wasn't going to give up like this. Even if Slade decided to humiliate them both by acting that way and breaking the rules, even if he treated Dick like nothing more than a plaything he wanted to show everyone around. No matter what Slade decided to throw at him, Dick intended to take every blow with dignity, as much as it was possible.

Dick chose this himself. He agreed to Slade's demands, agreed to marry him and live by his side in Defiance, aware of what it can bring. Aware of what Slade might choose to do with him. All to stop the war that was terrorizing them all for far too long. And Dick didn't regret doing it, not really. He couldn't regret saving all those lives, innocent lives that could've been lost in a pointless fight if he refused. Even if he had to sacrifice himself for it. Even if he has to endure all those painful humiliations. It was a small price to save thousands of their soldiers.

If his betrothed had been someone else, Dick would've been able to voice his objection right away. He would make it clear that he's not going to stand for being treated like that, that he won't allow Slade to touch him with all those people around, or even at all. But with becoming Slade's husband he will lose all his rights, all his privileges. He won't be Gotham's crown prince anymore, no, he'll become King Wilson's royal consort instead. Slade will have all the power over him, everything Dick will own will belong truly to Slade, everything he'll be allowed to do or have only because Slade'll agree to it. And Dick... Dick was simply too afraid to anger Slade by denying him, too afraid to see what punishment would await him for it. Would Slade forbid him writing to his family, forbid him visiting them? Would he lock Dick up, put him into a golden cage, and come see him only when he wished to be in his consort's company? Would he simply kill him and start the war again?

Dick didn't want to find out.

Because Slade Wilson was a cruel man. Dick didn't know him very well, in fact he only ever met him a few times before, during galas or other celebrations, but he didn't have to to know that fact. It was common knowledge, in fact. Everyone knew the tale about how Slade became Defiance's king, how he fought his way to the throne, brutally killing every person that got in his way. It wasn't how it happened in Gotham, with Bruce getting the crown from his father, who got it from his own father. No, Slade wasn't even of royal blood. Before he started ruling the country he was a mercenary – and the best one their world heard about at that. It's because of that, because of his merits, he received the lordship in the first place and became a figure on Defiance's court.

Because Slade didn't shy away from war and battle, always ready to fight whenever someone was willing to pay him handsomely for his effort. And now, when he left the mantle to take on the crown instead, he was still willing to battle everyone, to protect his country and make it thrive.

Bruce respected Slade because he would have to be a fool not to. Slade wasn't just a brute force, he was also a genius strategist whose plan always succeeded. He was a man feared by all, even those most powerful. A monster, able to kill with just a twitch of his hand.

Dick knew that all and he was well aware what he was getting into when he agreed to the letter where Slade demanded him in turn to end the war. He was aware why Bruce was so against the sheer idea of it. But Dick knew what his answer will be the moment he read the letter for the very first time. No matter how much he hated doing it, he wasn't going to let his people suffer from the war when he had a certain way to stop all the fighting.

Even if he had to suffer instead.

Sitting by the window in the chambers Slade had prepared for him for the time of his visit in Defiance, Dick remembered suddenly how whenever they were alone, Bruce never called Slade a king. 'Wilson', sometimes he even referred to him as 'Lord Wilson' but never as a king. In Bruce's eyes Wilson wasn't a proper ruler – he was a brute, a barbarian that cared only about himself and did whatever he wanted to do.

Dick huffed a humorless laugh at the thought. Perhaps that's why Slade was so shameless and didn't even care about breaking the rules.

/ / / / /

Then, Dick started to learn Defiance's culture properly.

He was going to live in Slade's country and so he preferred to know the rules and general manners that applied there. Slowly but surely he became more acquainted with Defiance's customs, with the way its people lived and thought – he gained the knowledge from every source possible, whether it was from the books in the royal library or simply from talking with people in the court.

One of the first things he learned was that... no one here cared if you kissed your spouse in a room full of people. Well, that one he actually learned before getting to any books; meeting Apollo and Midnighter was interesting and maybe even a bit... traumatizing at first for him. It was all so much different from what Dick knew that the idea alone almost made him dizzy. To think that displaying his affections in public didn't sow disgust all around, that people actually encouraged it and cheered when you did... it was a lot to take in, no matter how long Dick thought about it.

Almost all his life, all those years he spent in Gotham by Bruce's side, he was teached that showing affection openly was like a crime. That's what he believed was right and he followed those rules naturally, even after arriving in Slade's country. He just... well, he just assumed that the rules in Defiance were the same as in any other country he visited before, because they all applied in Star, in Jump, even in Atlantis as well. That made Dick even more eager to learn about Defiance's customs, because it was so much different from everything Dick knew.

But it also made Dick look at Slade differently. It made him realize that the man wasn't trying to humiliate him with his affections, he did it because his people took pride in showing off their beloved ones. And while Dick was certain that Slade did take some sick kind of pleasure from all his blushing, stuttering and hitched breaths, it wasn't exactly entirely ill-natured. It was probably what Slade was raised with and for him it was absolutely natural so he kissed Dick without a second thought, even if it made Dick want to crawl into the ground at times.

People of Defiance simply loved to display their affections in public, loved to proudly show everyone around just how happy their beloved ones made them. At least that's what the books said. It was... it was actually kind of nice, in theory.

...that still didn't make actually doing it, letting Slade do it, any easier. Slade's touch, his easy kisses that happened with other people around still made him want to jerk away from his grip as humiliation burned into him; still made his heart thump painfully against his ribcage while he blushed so hard that even his neck and shoulders turned red. It didn't matter if people around them clapped and smiled, it'll take Dick a really long time to actually get used to it.

But he had time to do it, didn't he? After all, he'll spend the rest of his life by Slade's side. And it was... it was better to know all that and just be embarrassed over the affections, than to feel the shame and horror of breaking the rules that in reality weren't even there. It was much better that way and Dick will get used to it one day.

[Masterlist of the au]

He was just glad Bruce didn't have to see any of it.

//

Thank you for reading!! 💕 Hope you liked it 👉👈

[transenbyconfessions]

It hit me earlier today that none of my extended family knows that im trans

Ive seen each of them an average of one time in the past three years ive been out—some more than others and some not at all—let alone in the past decade. I dont have a reliable way to contact any but two or three of them

So like. I barely know most of these people or if they’d be chill. I’ve already made the decision to distance and/or avoid a few of them bc of the comments theyve made about other queer people in my family, or just the people they THOUGHT were queer. And i definitely wont be coming out to them. But theres so many of them that i would like to see at some point in the rest of my lifespan that i just. Dont know about. Dont know if i’d be safe, or if theyd out me to the rest of the family.

I would feel SO much more scared about it than i already do if i wasnt for the other queer people in my family that’ve come out. My dad, my aunt. The former is a first hand account of who i could or definitely cant trust, because if theyre homophobic theres no way in hell they’ll be chill w me being a boy now. The later, unfortunately, gave me a first hand account of my dad’s dad being a transphobic piece of shit, in the early days of being in the closet. That definitely made me realize that i could be jeopardizing my safety if im not careful.

But its not all bad! I know which aunts and uncles supported my dad, which ones have blatantly said they supported trans people because theyre decent fucking people, which ones have clued me in on someone else being shitty to my cousins over the idea of being gay. As i get older its easier to hear the family gossip, to get a sense for these people beyond the smiling veneers they aimed towards a younger me

There’s a few people, maybe six, that i would trust just as well as my immediate family, because they’ve supported my dad or theyve been vocal allies. I want to tell them, if i get the chance.

But my grandma, my cousins, a few of my aunts and uncles? I want to keep them in my life, but i dont know how they’d react.

It’ll be unavoidable eventually. Im going on t soon, it wont take long for me to start changing. Facial hair, a deeper voice. It could be years until i see any of them again, i’d have to tell them ahead of time or risk an argument or confrontation or confusion because ill be so different by then

Its so scary. Im fucking terrified. Especially since my identity will reflect back on my parents, that their accepting of me and my transition could cause rifts between them and their siblings, their parents, more than are already there

My mom is so supportive of me, but even when i talk about being scared of the backlash i dont think she can quite comprehend the terror of it all. It took so much to tell my dad i was starting t, and he already knew i was trans for years. I dont think she knew how scared i was of his rejection, how terrified i am when she suggests i tell one of my aunts, who has threatened to disown one of my cousins if she was gay, that i wasnt straight

I know how stifling it is to hide who i am, and how excited i am to start t is def a reflection of that, but im so hesitant to burn bridges no matter how much bullshit is on the other side. Im trying to cling to normalcy as long as i possibly can, in hopes that it’ll shift alongside me and i dont have to say shit, but gods know it’ll rip itself out of my hands before long

I just hope im resilient enough to weather the aftermath, the next time i see any of them

Submitted July 15, 2023

[novankenn]

Secrets Vol 1

IF you're looking for more Female!Jaune / Gender swapped Jaune I have another FIC that might suit your tastes.

Summary : Jaune Arc had never wanted to be a huntress. She dreamed of being a dance instructor and a homemaker. Very happy to live a quiet and unassuming life in the Hamlet of Ansel, surrounded by the rest of her family. Then one day, those dreams were engulfed in a raging inferno, and Jaune was thrust into a situation she didn't want to be in. Cloaked in deception, and surrounded by lies, Jaune struggles to justify it all, and remain true to who she is.

Prologue : (2151 Words)

Nathaniel Arc and his daughter Violet were busy taking inventory during one of the few days that Ansel Dry-Goods was closed for business. The medium-sized general goods and feed store was the second of the businesses the family of ten owned and ran in the well defended Hamlet of Ansel. The first was the Grimm-head tavern and Inn. A quaint and comfortable, safe place for the weary traveller and the locals to relax and enjoy good company. All in all, the tight-knit family was doing well for themselves.

The blaring of the town’s alarm, caused the pair to drop what they were doing to rush outside. The community wide alarm only went off for a couple of reasons, the first was approaching grimm, the second was fire. While the walls that surrounded that hamlet were composed of mine debris coated with imported concrete, most of the buildings contained within were made of locally harvested timber. An out of control fire would be as disastrous, if not more so, than a large scale grimm attack.

Once outside, Nathaniel saw the smoke, and broke into a dead on sprint. The distance wasn’t far, but it felt like miles for him to cover. The fire brigade was already at work, hosing down the structure in an attempt to keep the flames from spreading further. He forced his way through the small gaggle of onlookers, ignoring any complaints; all which died when they understood who had shoved them aside. 

“Jasmine!” he bellowed, hoping his voice would carry over the noise of people, water, flames and sirens. “Jasmine!”

“Nat!” drew his attention to the side, and forced a sigh of relief, at least until he closed, and noticed that his wife of 20 plus years face was a mix of fear and dread.

“Jas, what’s…” as he spoke, he took a rapid head count. He knew the twins were on wall duty today, Violet had been with him at the store, and Saphron was in Argus. That left four to be at home, and he only saw three. His three youngest. “Where?”

“She’s still inside.” Jasmine choked out, barely keeping herself composed as her daughters clutched at her clothing, seeking the security only she could bring them through contact. “I tried… but it was too much… too fast…”

“Where was she?”

“Where’s Jaune?” Violet yelled as she finally caught up to her father, and noticed the missing form of her twin sister. “Where’s Jaune?”

“She was in her room… I heard her screaming…”

Nathaniel didn’t wait to hear anymore. Grabbing Violet’s wrist, he pulled her over next to her mother and raised a single finger. The universal fatherly symbol for stay and wait. He didn’t wait for her to acknowledge before he released his grip and twisted about on his heels and dashed for the front door of the family home that sat attached to the inn. The flames were already starting to spread into the structure of the family’s second business. Calling on his partial huntsman training, he pulled on every ounce of his aura, coating his body in a protective barrier. A shield he hoped would allow him to find his missing child. He didn’t even reach the path to the door, before four members of the brigade intercepted him.

“Nat no!”

“Jaune’s still fucking in there!” 

“There’s nothing you can do!”

“Like fuck, there isn’t!” Nathaniel cursed and struggled, but even as angry, desperate and aura empowered as he was, the combined hold of four men, who were also aura using members of the Town Watch, he made no head way. “Let me go! I have to get to…”

Before he could finish, the family home fell. Collapsing in upon itself, in a shower of soot, ash and sparks. All the fight fled Nathaniel at that point. He could hear the wails of his wife and children, as his own heart broke, and if it hadn’t been for the men who had been holding him back, that were now holding him up, he would have crumpled to the dirt. He felt hollow as  the flames continued to eat through the timbers that had once been the home of his family. Even with seven safe, he felt like a failure. What type of father would let one of his own die alone, when he could have prevented it?

“Nat, go see to Jas and the girls.” one of the men, holding him up, offered, “Let us do our job.”

Nathaniel Arc just nodded, his body heavy and unwieldy. He stumbled several times over his own feet as he crossed the short distance to his waiting and stricken family. He wrapped his arms about his daughter Violet as she launched herself at him, her small hands closed into fists, and ineffectually bouncing off his wide chest. Nathaniel would weather her anger, it was all he could do. His sorrow filled blue eyes sought out the equally hurting, sharp greens of his beloved. She was clutching the three youngest to her. Doing her best through her own pain to comfort their confusion and hurt.

/=/

The fire continued to burn into the night, gutting the family’s inn and tavern, in addition to completely consuming their home. As the now family of nine tried to come to terms with their loss, the town guard assembled in force. This was just the type of event that could draw the grimm, and they wouldn’t allow themselves to be caught unprepared. It would be a long night for them, as it would be for the Arc family.

Taking shelter in the store, Nathaniel, with some help from Violet and the twins Vert and Jade, had cleared out part of the back storeroom. Making enough room for the family to sleep within proximity of one another. Though both Jasmine and he knew there would be little in the way of sleeping this night. 

“You have to call her.” Jasmine told her husband. “She needs to know.”

“How am I supposed to do that? How do you even start that conversation?”

“I don’t know.” Jasmine replied, “But Jaune is… was special to her. She needs to know, needs to hear it from one of us.”

“I know.” Nathaniel sighed, as he attempted not to move much and disturb the sleeping form of Juniper, who had nestled into his chest. “I get it, just how?”

“Just be straight with her. Tell her what happened…”

“If I hadn’t been stopped, I could have…”

“No you couldn’t, you know that. If you had gone in there for her…”

“She’s going to want to know, how…”

“Not right away.” Jasmine reached over the sleeping form of Violet, who was firmly fastened to her mother’s waist, and patted her husband on his knee. “Call her, and I’ll take care of telling Saph.”

Nathaniel just nodded, and carefully transferred the sleeping form of Juniper to a space near her mother. The young girl whimpered, and for a moment he paused in his motions. But then he relented. With the utmost care, he placed the youngest of his family down next to her mother, before rising to his own feet, and pulling out his scroll. With a nod to his wife, he stepped out of the back room, walked through the darkened interior of the store, and out into the street. At the best of times, the link to the CCT, made video calls choppy. 

It didn’t take much for him to locate her contact info, with her being near the top of his list. His thumb hovered over the call icon, and after a deep and pained sigh, he tapped it. It rang twice before being answered. The video was like he had figured, a little choppy and delayed, and with the time difference between Ansel and Vale it was going to be early for Glynda.

“Nat, what’s…”

“I know it’s early Glyn, but there was a fire…” Nathaniel paused, out of all of his children, Jaune in particular was special to Glynda.

“A fire? Is everyone…”

“I’m sorry Glyn… I tried, but…” Nate felt the tears start to roll down his cheeks. All his bottled up emotions finally starting to seep out.

“Nat?”

“We lost… we lost…”

“Nat, you’re scaring me. What happened? Is every…”

“I couldn’t save her… I tried, but they held me back… I couldn’t…”

“Nat?”

“Jaune… Jaune was trapped inside…” Nathaniel couldn’t hold it in anymore and openly began to sob. “We…”

“No… no… no… it has to be a mistake…” Glynda’s voice was breaking up and Nat knew it wasn’t from the poor connection quality, “She can’t…”

“I’m so sorry, Glyn… I tried, I really…” Nate couldn’t continue. The sight of Glynda, his sister-in-law, finally breaking down, was the final piece, and he fell completely apart. “I tried… I tried…”

Glynda said nothing as her emotions were written all over her face. Shock, despair, disbelief, and horror. It was her tear filled sharp green eyes that were the most telling, as they were filled with absolute and utter grief.  So caught up in their shared grief, Nathaniel didn’t notice the head of the fire brigade rushing towards him, shouting.

“What?”  Nathaniel asked as in confusion when the man grabbing him by the shoulders. “I…”

“We found her!” the man, who Nathaniel remembered, was Alex Hawthorne. “We found Jaune!”

“Do I have to…”

“She’s ALIVE!”

“What?”

“We found her ALIVE!”

“Where? How?”

“I don’t have a fucking clue how, but we found her in the basement, she must have fell through the floors when the place collapsed, but she’s alive, Nate, she’s fucking alive!”

“Take me to her!” Nate snapped as he dropped his scroll to the ground and grabbed Alex by the shoulders.

“Nat, what’s going on?” Glynda shouted out over the poor connection of the scroll. She had heard some of what had been shouted, but not enough came through clearly enough for her to understand. “NAT!”

“Jasmine and the girls! Someone has…”

“I’ll take care of it. Get your ass to the clinic.” Alex ordered the confused father, as he shoved him down the road towards the town’s medical clinic. “Get there, I’ll tell Jas.” Nathaniel nodded numbly, as he took a couple more stumbling steps, and then a thought shot through his mind. He nearly tripped in his haste to grabbed his dropped scroll, and as soon as his hand closed about it, he snapped it up to his face.

“They found her and she’s ALIVE!”

“She’s…”

“She’s alive, Glyn. She’s alive.”

“I… I…” Nathaniel watched as Glynda wiped her eyes on her sleeve, taking the moment to collect her thoughts. “I’ll be there in six hours.”

/=/

Glynda, Nathaniel; and Jasmine were in the waiting room, leaving their daughters, in the recovery room with Jaune. Juniper and Blanche curled up on the bed with Jaune, while Noir and Violet stood close by, holding her hands. The final two, Vert and Jade, stood at the door, almost as if to guard their sister’s tear filled reunion.

“Her leg is broken, she has a sprained wrist, and a possible concussion. The doc thinks every injury was a result of falling two stories into the basement. There is no sign of any burns, or indications of smoke inhalation.” Nate reported to his haggard looking sister-in-law while his wife hugged her tightly. “No one has any clue how, and we’re not going to question it. It’s a miracle… a fucking miracle.”

“How did the fire start?” Glynda managed to get out as she was fighting to keep her swirling tempest of emotions under control. “Do we know?”

“No.” Nate replied, as the brigade was waiting for an official inspector to come in on the next commercial flight. “All Alex, he’s head of the brigade, would say is he never saw anything like it. A fire getting that hot, that quickly.”

“Jas, did you?”

“I heard Jaune screaming, and when I tried to rush upstairs to check on her… flames just started rolling down the hallway.” Jasmine bit her lip. “I could have pushed through it with my aura, but I had Noir, Blanche and Juniper to get out.”

“What is it, Glyn?” Nate asked, as he noticed the look that was replacing the one of relief that had been etched on Glynda’s face. “You’re thinking about something, what is it?”

“Could she have activated a semblance?” Glynda offered.

“Doubtful, unless she can do it without her aura unlocked.” Nate replied.

“Maybe it spontaneously…?”

“Again doubtful… but we can have it checked for.” Nate replied, “It would be a plausible explanation for everything… or at least most of it.”

“Do you think I can get some time alone with her?” Glynda asked as Jasmine finally released her grip on her older sister. “Do you think the girls will mind?”

“Not for their favourite aunt.” Jasmine replied with a relieved grin.

“I’m their only aunt.”

[unohanabbygirl]

ok but in the name of having something NOT angsty happen to luke on this blog-- FMN!au where luke wasn't separated from everyone

what would've been the chances of lucemond happening if luke started off w/ harwin and the rest of his brothers by the time they met rhaenyra and the rest of fam? Like the cinema incident still happens but bby luke doesn't understand why his brother is so mad at this random blond kid? And said kid who just got his ass kicked starts apologizing to him while bleeding profusely?? 😭😭

I think there'd at least be some forgiveness since luke would've grown up around the greens by the time he remembers, but anything romance wise would require YEARS of teen aemond trying his best to court luke. Everyone from their middle school through high school years says it looked like something straight out of those cheesy netflix rom-coms

Lmao, we need so much more fluff here 😭

Things start off SO angsty because little Luke is smothered in Rhaenyra’s embrace and she’s teary eyed and snotty while Aemond who’s all bloody with a broken nose is trying his hardest to get up and run to him. Begging for forgiveness in a heap of tears. He doesn’t care that Jace may kill him if he touches his brother, being able to just hold Luke’s little hand while he apologizes is enough.

Everything is so intense and emotional. Strangers are staring and trying to call security cause why tf are these children beating each other?! So Daemon goes into protective mode trying to hide this very private family moment from outsiders.

Luke remembers Nyra just fine, but this boy who Jace seems to hate only draws a blank. He had dreams, dreams of yelling and heavy rain, but he can’t point his finger on who this blonde kid is. All the while his brother is still feral over protecting him.

In the beginning Aemond keeps trying to initiate contact with Luke who’s been quiet for the most part, just observing how the adults are acting. Trying to figure out what his dreams mean and all. But Jace wont have any of it, Luke practically lives glued to his hip.

At some point Harwin seeing Aemond as the regretful kind kid he is instantly unleashes his inner papa near and convinces Jace to give him a chance. This means that Luke will be allowed to speak with Aemond as he pleases.

When lil Aemond overhears this he immediately runs to Alicent begging her to take him to the store so he can buy Lucy apology gifts compiled of his fav snacks and toys. The kid is already more thoughtful than 70% of grown men out there.

This goes on for years and only grows more serious as they age. Luke remembers most of everything but there are still spotty parts. However he’s known Aemond for so long that he can see the change and forgives.

Que Aemond literally begging Rhaenyra to let him be Luke’s date for his eighth grade dance even though he graduated to the ninth a year prior.

All the girls are fawning because Aemond is literally prince charming and he makes their own dates look like they didn’t even put in effort. Poor dudes are 13 trying to figure out how to rent a Maybach for their next school dance because a barely 15yr old Aemond somehow got his hands on one.

These two probs get married as soon as Luke graduates highschool 😭

[minhru]

hi hi <3 my name's sun and not only am i super excited to be here, i'm also here to bring you min haru!! (slash the radio host at the sunset galleria slash perpetual daydreamer slash ex-actor-now-a-runaway slash ... u get the gist) but yeah under the cut i have some info abt him which ended up basc being me rambling far too much so pls bare with me whilst i try to rub two brain cells together to come up w a decent tldr @_@ nyways enough of me please like this post if youd like me to hit u up for plotting (i also have disc if thats better) or feel free to message first!! ♡

profile is linked here (x)

min haru, 27, full-time radio host and residential nap-taker

having two very famous actors as parents (think son yejin and hyun bin marriage news level) inevitably meant that he was not only born in seoul, but also under the glare of the much too bright spotlight

shoved into commercials and dramas as soon as he could walk thanks to the helping hand of nepotism and lots of media play

his parents loved each other a lot, both in front of and behind cameras, but for some reason that same affection never really extended to him

they saw him as a stain on their careers more than anything, considering he wasn't really the best actor despite his efforts and esp not compared to his parents

an article about his average performance in the new sbs drama on sundays, 9-10pm slot? netizens leaving negative comments? nothing he didn't hear from mom and dad first, and certainly not half as biting, even though it would be a lie to say they didn't have an impact on his already crumbling confidence

starred in dramas and films throughout his teens, though more often in supporting roles much to his parents' annoyance

rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat up until he hit 20, and his mom was hit with illness after illness and was forced to retire. years of stardom and unhealthy life habits eventually caught up to her and haru was left picking up the pieces, trying to take care of her whilst maintaining the rest of his packed life

haha-hehe-hoho-laugh-out-loud'd as much as he could until he eventually had a pretty public breakdown on the set of a drama (no amount of reporting could delete the behind the scenes video that was plastered over sns) one year later and was subsequently booted

and then, as most of the news outlets say, proceeded to "drop off the face of earth" aka delete all of his social media, move out from his family home and hide from the cameras. very few people know the reality, which is that his dad kicked haru out after he told him he no longer wanted to be in the industry

doesn't keep in contact with his dad anymore but still talks to his mom!! who sends him money etc, helped him for those few years after he disappeared when he shifted from tiny to tinier cities, working odd jobs here and there until the next big actor/actress appeared and the media eventually "forgot" about him considering it had been years

moved to daegu 3 years ago and working at sunset galleria ever since!! he's the v happy radio host @ the sunset radio kiosk, choosing the music that plays throughout the mall alongside reading out stories people send in, passing on comforting messages and reminding people to take care

also has two cats called mimi and momo that he adopted from a rescue :^) not the step dad but the #dad that stepped up

in terms of his personality: walls raised to the sky, quiet, very withdrawn. like very, very, very withdrawn. it's been over six years since he's been in the limelight and he still dislikes being in front of cameras, feeling like he's being perceived or watched, analysed etc etc

the irony of disliking attention yet being a radio host isn't lost on him but haru vc: at least people don't actually see my face at sunset unless they're nosy

perpetually nervous, fidgets a lot, a people-pleaser, very malleable. a genuine medical mystery because he has no back bone and there's very little in the world that can get him to express an emotion stronger than indifference

his tendency to be over-polite and inherently quiet nature means he can come across as rude even if that's the opposite of what he intends

always wearing headphones so he promises he isn't ignoring you, you just caught him at a really bad time

speaking of promising he isn't ignoring you -- he has a bad habit of not replying to texts for days or disappearing and taking a week off work whenever things get too hectic for him it's a habit he hasn't managed to shake off just yet

also embarrassingly clumsy. this might be the third time you've seen him walk straight into the glass doors

there's a difference between being lonely and being alone -- and he's both. paradoxically, he does want to make friends but just has no idea how to approach anyone and hopes that staring at you from a distance is a good first step

loves crocheting :^) like loooveess crocheting :^) just a 6'1" guy and his silly little crochet toys

plots -- i promise i'll scramble together a plots page soon but for now id love to brainstorm and fill in any open plots people want!! to throw out a few ideas

someone who knew him back in seoul; fellow child actor; someone who kept in contact with him after he disappeared; someone who thought he would keep in contact with them after he disappeared and he did not (sorry); childhood best friends; someone who swears they recognise him and he keeps telling you that recurrent delusions are something u need to get checked out; the classic ex-friends or exes; fwbs; avid listeners of sunset radio; you keep running into each other smoking under the "no-smoking" sign; one-sided crush from far away; fellow cat-owner; fellow music enthusiast; ex-fans who can't believe he's actually here; someone who recognises him from his meltdown video but pretends not to, etc etc

[lured-into-wonderland]

(“Fun.”) Europe was not exactly fun for her. At least not always. Although Nunnally could not complain about her last trip. But before…? She barely turned 16 when her uncle caught her on the streets of the red-light district. She could still feel the stinging pain as he simply slapped her in front of everyone, and then again and again until she could feel her lip was bleeding. She remembered yelling and crying, but it was mainly these first few moments that were her most vivid memories. If she had hoped her father would have protected her, the meeting with him proved her completely wrong. The private school in Switzerland was more like a prison for her with her family's money being able to buy whatever it was envisioned for her. But probably life was much worse for Jeoh, so she shouldn’t be complaining.

“It was fun this time. I...I like Paris…Geneva was less exciting, but it was also…nice…” – her own words sounded so stiff for Nunnally; as if she was talking with a stranger and or having a chit-chat at the party and not talking with Jeoh. Had they become strangers during all these years? – “Oh, I’d love to take you there one day…We could wander in the Latin Quarter as we used to do here…and then I’ll take you to my favourite café for the best coffee and fresh baguette I have ever had…” – that was foolish of her; it would never happen, right? Even if they could run away, it would have ended bad for the both of them…

Nunnally leaned into Jeoh’s embrace. She wanted him back in her life. The girl nodded in agreement. It was better, safer, to eat somewhere else. And twenty-minute walk with Jeoh was something that suited her perfectly well. She inhaled sharply, deeply and staggered when he said they didn’t make it: --

“W-what do you mean they did not make it…?” – it was obvious how Nunnally didn’t want to accept what he was saying to her – “Did they move away to a different city? Are you in contact with them?” – but she was not stupid; she knew what he had meant; so she simply buried her face in his chest and started to sob. The sobs violently shook her small frame.

“It’s so unfair…unfair…unfair…” – she hoped it was not because of her and her reckless behaviour back then. Had her family taken it on them because they were nice to her? They might have not even known who she was at the time – “How…how did it happen?” – she finally asked after a longer while – “Did it go very bad for you as well…And what do you mean by bad?” – her face was still buried in his chest. Nunnally was not ready to face him. There were already people looking at them, but she did not care. The whole commotion could easily be taken as an argument between lovers. No-one would expect what the conversation was really about.

nunally

“I…I…am sorry.” – she stuttered when he told her he was still working there – “I…wouldn't expect…you do after so many years…Was it six? Or more? I’d rather assume you’d change the job… I have been wondering here for some time already and have not seen any known faces...you know from back then... Then suddenly you. I am sorry I did not want to be impolite.” – and she truly did not want to. Back then she would consider Jeoh to be one her friends, but now? The memories from over the six years ago were blurred, it was hard to distinguish what was true and what was her fake memory, but he was kind…treating her as a little sister…No! She cannot think he truly did. It was more what she wished for right then and right now. Although she expected, or perhaps more feared, Jeoh would simply walk away, he actually asked about her. Did he truly mean it or was he just polite? “I…I have just come back…to the city.” – a pause – “My uncle has decided it is time I am back and take some…family responsibilities. I have just arrived…less than a week ago…from Europe…” – she explained. Nunnally was wondering if Jeoh knew. If he knew who her uncle was and that her responsibilities would most likely be to seal the business deal her family was to make through the arranged marriage – “I came here to see...if there are still any friends…are there still people from back then…?” – she smiled to him, but it was rather a sad smile; she did not add she came here now because her uncle was out of town – “ You know who my uncle is, don’t you?” – she decided to ask. “Are you free?” – that was an odd choice of words, wasn’t it? – “I mean have you finished your work for today? I was thinking perhaps we could go and have something to drink…or share a meal together…” – and then she thought she did not want to keep clam and polite. Nunnally suddenly hugged Jeoh – “I missed you…I really did…and some other friends as well…”

⠀⠀ a curtain of sun blonde hair spread around her head like a halo, her once round face now aged into sharper angles & skin forever porcelain. memories lapped at the shores of his mind, recalling the instance where her uncle had caught her loitering the district alongside jeoh. the yelling & arguing came by in flashes, but when jeoh was punished, it played smoothly, every moment accountable. regardless of his feelings towards that or his opinions with president koo, he came to understand why there was insistence on keeping her from the slums. even now, she looked so out of place which made her more alluring to wandering eyes. predators.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ his brows crease, conveying he was unsure what taking on family responsibilities had meant & even with the first assumption that comes to mind, he decides to keep it to himself, for now. ❝ europe. that sounds. . . ❞ like freedom. ❝ fun, ❞ jeoh replies, careful to keep his tone warm as he wouldn’t want her to think he was bitter. plot twist, he was.

⠀⠀ her curiosity was warranted; however, it began tilting onto a slippery slope that would lead to a disappointing answer. one that should be avoided answering in the middle of the street. he spared a few furtive glances about their surroundings before he nodded & took a step forward, linking his arm around hers.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ❝ i’d love to— but let’s get out of here. i know a place in hongdae that isn’t a garbage can. ❞ plus, the closest place to get food & a drink was the club he just came out of. ❝ it’s a twenty-minute walk without a car, but we can catch up on the way .ᐣ ❞ grip is loose, but he tugs her along as they venture out of the district. he waits until they’re safely out of earshot. ❝ um— about. . . the people i use to hang around, they didn’t make it. it got bad for a while to be honest. ❞

[robinofinashiro]

request from anon: “Hi, can I request yandere alphabet for Kyojuro Rengoku 👉👈Thank you and have a good day Queen.”

pairing: yandere! kyojuro rengoku x fem reader

request status: OPENED

A - Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

rengoku does not give a singular fuck who sees him when it comes to giving you affection! you’re in the public? you’ll be holding his hand, kissing your cheek when he feels like it, and if it’s that bad, he’ll do a quickie in the bathroom. 

B - Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

very messy! he doesn’t care. if he sees someone getting too close to you, he’ll make sure to get rid of them as soon as possible. he can’t let anyone get close to you. he’ll go to the ends of the earth to make sure that you’re by his side and that no one comes in between the two of you. 

C - Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?

honestly, he’ll mock the hell out of them when he feels like it’s necessary. if you’re purposely doing things to annoy him or going out of your way to piss him off, he’ll make sure to remind you that you’re never leaving him. other than that, he’ll treat you like you’re a princess! you deserve everything in the world and he’ll give it to you if he feels like you deserve it. 

D - Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?

despite from the sweet nature that he gives off, he will do ONE thing against your will and that’s to have kids. he needs to continue his family line and since Senjuro isn’t working to be a pillar anymore, he needs to make sure that someone continues that and it might have to be his kid. 

E - Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

rengoku, when he feels like the time is right, will bare everything to his darling. come on now, you’re gonna be his wife, right? it’s only right that you know what his baggage is! he doesn’t care if you judge him or not, when it comes to this sort of thing, he kinda wears his heart on his sleeve. 

F - Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

he would be kinda pissed. you’re supposed to be this perfect wife/darling and by you acting out, he doesn’t sit well with that. why can’t you be more like Sanemi’s wife? a perfect little darling that just sits there and waits for her husband like she should. punishment is a whole other ballgame that i will touch on later. 

G - Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

absolutely tf not. how can this be a game to someone? rengoku is the kinda person where if he meets someone that he falls madly in love with, he’ll stick by you until one of you dies first and even then, he might commit sewerslide if you happen to be the one to go first. however, he might get a kick watching you trying to leave him bc it’s nearly impossible to leave where you’re trapped.

H - Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

rengoku’s affection, jesus christ. that shit could get mad annoying. if he’s had a particularly bad day, just brace yourself and let it happen bc he will be one affectionate mf. it could get to the point where he’ll be affection even into the next day if it’s that bad. 

I - Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

literally a picture perfect life. (very much the american dream in a sense). he wants kids, hell, if you want pets of some sort, he’s down to adopt a few dogs or whatever you or your kids want. he just wants everyone to see that his family is perfect and how far he’s willing to go for them. 

J - Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

oh absolutely. rengoku is the type of mf that if he sees someone flirting with his darling, he’s ending that shit QUICK. he cannot and will not let it happen. clearly it isn’t your fault so he’ll console you that you had no way of knowing what that scums intentions were and after he’s done with that, he’ll try to find the person to give them a lesson. 

K - Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling

he will be very clingy like i said. he wants everyone to know that his relationship is perfect but in private, double that. he’ll make sure that you know you’re loved and that he wouldn’t trade his life with you for anything in the world. 

L - Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

he would try the attempt to court you at first. rengoku is someone who is very charming so 8/10 times, it’ll work. however, if you’re being stubborn, that’s when the other side of rengoku comes out. but if you do decide to date him willingly, he’s the sweetest mf ever. he’ll bring you courting gives to every date, etc, etc. 

M - Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

honestly, rengoku is seen as the black sheep in the sense that he’s always readily happy and enthusiastic. not much changes when he’s in the public. unless you happen to piss him off in public, seemingly the only time when he would change his personality. 

N - Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

he doesn’t try to do it often, he hates seeing you hurt. but if you happen to actually piss him off to the point where you need to be punished, anything ranging from being alone for days to sexual punishment (that i wont be going into detail for).

O - Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

not many tbh. you have free range into his entire estate. however if he has maids working around, they know it’s best for them not to talk to you. he wont let you leave his estate to speak to anyone. you have the right to anything as long as you’re not trying to leave or get into contact with someone. he’ll even let you visit your friends or family as long as he’s there. 

P - Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

eh, he’s about 50/50. he can be very patient with you or be ticked off almost immediately. more than likely tho, he’ll deal with your shit most days. the days that he doesn’t, it’s probably bc he had already probably had a bad day and you’re just making shit worse. 

Q - Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

if you die, rengoku won’t move on and like i said before, he’d probably commit sleep forever. if you escape, he’ll spend the rest of his days looking for you. regardless if you escape or die, he won’t move on. you’re his and you will remain that way important person in his life. 

R - Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

to a certain point, he’d feel guilty. i think the only thing eating him up is the unethical part in all of this. the fact that he’s basically abducted you and refuses to let you go. but will he ever let you go? absolutely not. you’d have to kill him before that happens. 

S - Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

i see the only way this happening is bc of his life. his childhood wasn’t the greatest but it wasn’t exactly the worst so idk, i think more than anything it was out of curiosity and probably seeing others do it that make him snap. 

T - Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

if rengoku isn’t at fault for making you upset, he’s HEARTBROKEN. he doesn’t like seeing you that way and he’ll find the person that did it and make them pay for it. HOWEVER, if he was the cause of it, he almost turns into a wall and brushes it off, probably murmuring that you deserved whatever it is that made you cry. 

U -Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

honestly no. he wouldn’t only bc he’s very much the person that finds the classics of being a yandere as the only way to do it. anything like killing your darling or along those lines are way to extreme for him and he doesn’t like it when others step out of line. 

V - Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

SENJURO RENGOKU. his little brother is also his world and i think if you catch kyojuro in a situation where you can exploit senjuro, he might give in but honestly, it probably won’t hurt and it’ll be worse for you when he finally has you alone. 

W - Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

like i said before, only if it was necessary. he wouldn’t ever intentionally hurt you if you didn’t deserve it. he doesn’t like seeing you hurt and he hates seeing you cry so only if it came to you being a brat would he then actively physically punish you. 

X - Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

ehhhhhh, not really. he sees this relationship as 50/50 however he did kinda worship you when he wasn’t your boyfriend/husband but he would go different lengths in order to win you over. he doesn’t really care what he has to do, he will make you his whether you like it or not. 

Y - Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

tbh, it doesn’t take long before he snaps. if he sees you going out with someone and he feels like you might leave him, that’ll be a point. if he sees you being too free, that might be another point. in general, less than a year before he snaps. hell, less than half a year. 

Z - Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

mentally, YES! physically, if he needed to. but not to the point where he’s killed you. 

[theyareweird]

Wednesday Addams All Grown-up

Addams Family Values was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld as the 1993 sequel to the 1991 The Addams Family movie. In the second feature, Wednesday is still a little girl, but she’s entering her tween years. Because of this, there are certain moments in the film which show potential glimpses into the gothic girl’s future as an adult. As such, this article will focus on analyzing those scenes in order to predict what kind of person Wednesday will become. Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers to the movie.

Camp Chippewa

During camp, Wednesday and Pugsley don’t fit in with the rest of the wealthy, snobby campers due to their wealthy, but opposing natures. There, Wednesday encounters a potential soulmate, Joel Glicker. Joel is an introverted boy plagued by allergies who’s intrigued by how different and dark Wednesday is compared to most people. He soon bonds with the Addams kids by participating in their schemes. During which, he and Wednesday respect and understand each other when it comes to being “different”. Eventually, Joel reveals he has a psychopath killer card collection, which he uses to confirm Wednesday’s suspicions Debbie is the “Black Widow” and Fester is her next target. Meanwhile, Wednesday invites him to her uncle’s wedding.

At the end of summer, the campers stage a play, A Turkey Named Brotherhood, about the first Thanksgiving. The “good” kids are cast as the pilgrims while the social outcasts are the Chippewa natives. Wednesday is cast as Pocahontas while Joel plays an Indian Chief, betrothed to Pocahontas “in the play”, he adds, slightly embarrassed. However, during the performance, Wednesday breaks out of character. She then leads the outcasts in revolt, destroying the set and tying Amanda up to be burned at the stake.

That night, Wednesday and Joel flee to the Chippewa fence as Pugsley steals a camp van. After hopping the fence, Wednesday asks Joel to come with them. He declines, saying he needs to go back to the others and “to watch the place burn”. Realizing they may never see each other again, the two young lovers exchange relatively emotional goodbyes by romantically speaking French to each other before sharing a kiss through the chain-link fence. Afterward, the Addams siblings flee for home.

The Next Generation

Yet, at Uncle Fester and Debbie’s wedding, Wednesday is viewing the ceremony with Joel. It’s clear the two have remained close friends and are in contact despite the horrific events which took place at camp. At the end of the ceremony, Wednesday catches the bride’s bouquet. Although she says, “it’s not binding”, it’s implied Wednesday will be married at some point in the future.

Towards the end of the film, Gomez and Morticia throw a birthday party for Pubert. Joel, dressed like Gomez, sneaks off to the graveyard with Wednesday. He tells her how her family is “really interesting” and her parents “are so involved with each other”. Joel then asks Wednesday if she’d want to get married and have kids one day, to which she bluntly replies, “No”. In an implied declaration of love, he then asks Wednesday what she would do if she met the right man who worshiped her, adored her and who’d be her devoted slave. Wednesday replies, “I’d pity him”. Joel nods. He then looks at Debbie’s tombstone, walks over, kneels in front of it and says Debbie was sick. Wednesday disagrees, remarking Debbie was “sloppy”. She then elaborates if she wanted to kill her husband and not be caught, she’d do it by “scaring him to death”. As Joel lays flowers on Debbie’s grave, a hand breaks the surface and grabs his arm. In response, Wednesday is satisfied with Joel’s screams, using the newfound skill she learned at camp... smiling.

Future Wednesday

After Joel and Wednesday become a couple by the end of camp, the remainder of the film does a good job at paving these lovers future together. Like Margaret Alford, Joel would make a wonderful addition to the family with time. Besides, these two are barely teenagers. It’s heavily implied Joel will become another doting Gomez with Wednesday’s consent. Upon which, he and Wednesday will most likely have a passionate love with some crazy adventures like their time at camp.

As for Wednesday, Although she’s currently repulsed and scared at the idea of marriage, she certainty isn’t afraid of love. She and Joel shared a few romantic moments together during their last day of camp, which reflected Gomez and Morticia’s love despite Joel never witnessing their relationship until later. Noting this, Wednesday will eventually grow into a beautiful and loving young woman, like Morticia. However, with a need for torture to some degree, perhaps Wednesday will grow out of her childish fear pranks for something more seductive towards Joel when she’s matured. After all, Addams’ lovers are known to say things like, “Gomez, don’t torture yourself... that’s my job”.

What do you think? Do you agree with Wednesday Addams' adulthood predictions? If not, what do you think Wednesday will grow up to be? Please share with me!

[pascalpanic]

request please? lately i have been having a lot abandonment anxiety when it comes to friendships and i was wondering how you think javi or din might help someone with an anxious attachment style? thank you lovely 🥰

Irrational (Din Djarin x f!Reader)

Summary: above ^^

W/C: 2.8k

Warnings: language; talk of fighting and weapons, reader has a panic attack PLEASE be aware that it’s coming and somewhat descriptive.

A/N: I really really love this! I hope you guys do too :) as always, thanks to my beta reading babes!

Din Djarin has been abandoned before. Often on a mission, sometimes on a lone planet with no credits or ways out. He always survives, of course, and vengeance is taken. One thing he absolutely can’t fathom is abandoning someone he loves, or more specifically someone who loves him.

Abandonment isn’t an issue when you’ve never had someone to be attached to. Din spent many many years with absolutely no one. When his parents died, it felt like he was abandoned, sure, but it was clearly not their decision to leave him. When he was taken in by the Mandalorians, they kept him at an arm’s length. He was a foundling; they cared for him well, taught him The Way and The Creed, fed him well. But he was never adopted into a specific clan, rather passed around the covert like the communal task each family had an obligation to fulfill.

Then he became a bounty hunter. The life was solitary and lonely, cold and bleak. It was rare that Din would team up with other bounty hunters, really only when forced to. The Razor Crest became his baby, his only possession and love besides his blasters and beskar. The thing was a piece of bantha shit, but he kept it in good shape.

Then came the kid. Din knew it was wrong. Bounties are to be turned in and paid for, then you forget the job happened. But when that little green thing stared up at Din, the big brown eyes seeming to stare through the dark black of his visor, he knew he couldn’t. This was a child, a baby with no family and no way to protect itself. He certainly couldn’t turn it over to the hands of the ex-Imperials.

Din experienced his first real attachment with the child. He cares for that little thing more than he’s ever cared about anything. He’d cross galaxies, kill and maim and injure for the sake of the little green baby.

Oh Maker, then he met you.

Din had never seen anything like you. You were playing with the kids in the marketplace, laughing as they ran and played around you, before you squealed in delight at the sight of a little green toddler wandering up to you. He’d climbed in your lap, looked up at you with those big eyes, massive ears twitching. You’d stroked his head and cooed to him before you looked up to find his father; subsequently, you felt your heart fall into your stomach at the sight of the Mandalorian man.

“You’re good with kids.”

Well no shit. You nodded. “Yes. I love them. Is this your son?” you ask, looking back down at the three green fingers wrapped around your thumb.

He nods. “He is a foundling under my care.” He watched as the baby grabbed at the golden armband encircling your bicep. You’re absolutely gorgeous. The armband glows against your skin, your beautiful body evident even through the loose and flowing clothing you wear. “Do you take care of these children as a job?”

You shook your head. “No. We don’t have jobs here, necessarily. They just wanted me to play.” You scanned the man, searching for skin. You found none. “Are you green under there too?”

The Mandalorian did not answer. “I’m looking for a caretaker for the child while I hunt bounties. You’d stay in my ship and care for him. I pay well and you’d get to travel the galaxy.”

“You barely know me,” you laughed, removing the little green baby’s fingers from their tight grip on the gold band on your arm.

He gave a half shrug. “He likes you.”

And you’d agreed. And it’s been almost a full cycle now, a cycle of living in the beat-up ship and caring for the little green baby. You’ve seen the most beautiful and the ugliest of planets, experienced extreme heat and extreme cold. You’ve been to beautiful cities, unique jungles and forests and ice planets.

In that time, you got to know the Mandalorian too. It took quite some time to crack his beskar shell. He hardly talked to you in the first month. Then your persistence had loosened him a little, then a little more, then just enough. You know more of him than any other living being does. He’s told you his name: Din Djarin, a name that flows and stops and radiates the power of the bounty hunter. He told you the story of his childhood, of hunts gone wrong and hunts gone right.

You love listening as he tells you and the child the story of the child’s rescue from the ex-Imperials. The baby snuggles against your lap as his father regales the two of you with the epic battles, the fights Din went through for this little child. You both applaud at the end, and put the baby to bed with a kiss between those big brown eyes.

He’s a wonderful man. You’ve formed an easy friendship with him, one that has honestly progressed on your end. At night, you find yourself fantasizing about what he looks like beneath his armor, how the muscles of his broad shoulders move when he climbs the ladder to the cockpit or lifts the child. You like to think he may feel the same for you, but you don’t push it. You don’t want to push him away.

Din has been away for far too long. He always highballs the dates he gives you, saying that an assignment will take three days when he knows it will only take two or a week when it will only be five days. This is a pattern you’ve come to notice; Din is alway back “early”, but now he is late. Really late.

Before he left, Din had opened your bunk compartment, causing you to groan at the light filtering in. You’ve been sleeping since the Crest made a rocky landing on Nevarro a few hours earlier. “Cyare,” he’d murmured, a rare ungloved hand warm on your bare arm, contact broken by your metal armband. You don’t know what the word means. You hope it’s something good.

“What is it?” You groaned, rolling onto your back to look at him. “Leaving?”

He nodded, the silhouette of his helmet-covered head against the soft light of the hull. “Leaving. I’ll be back in four days at the most.”

You offered him a sleepy smile, one that he could see in the warm glow of the lights you’d installed in the ship to navigate easier at night. “Good luck. May the Force be with you,” you teased, making the normally stoic man chuckle a little.

“Go back to sleep. I’ll see you soon.”

You didn’t protest, rolling over and letting the heaviness of sleep drag you back under.

Now, you really wish you’d have talked with him more then. You’re almost certain you’ll never see him again.

You’re not exactly sure what it was in your brain that triggered the thought. Maybe Din just actually took the amount of time he’d said for once, you thought on the fourth day. But now it’s been eight days, double the amount that he’d told you he’d be gone, and you’re stressed.

He always makes good on his word. He should be back by now. He always does. Did he get injured or killed, maybe captured by the bounty he was stalking? You ponder your ideas aloud as you pace back and forth in the hull of the Razor Crest, the little green baby tucked in his soundproof pram to sleep.

There’s likely a rational explanation. You’re sure there is. Maybe the bounty jumped ship, completely threw Din off of his tracks. Maybe the bounty is more clever than anticipated and Din is working extra just to find them. There’s surely a reason, but a little nagging voice in your head says that something is wrong.

In the first few days following Din’s date to return, your primary worry is that he’s hurt or dead somewhere on this barren planet. There are many other bounty hunters here, in this haven for Guild workers. What if one of them discovered Din still has the baby? What if they were coming for you here next?

Maybe you should go look for him. Maybe he’s injured and needs your help. He could be held by another hunter, or by the ex-Imperials- you can’t even bear to think of them harming Din for taking their precious cargo back. The thought makes you squeeze the little green baby tighter to your chest, even after he gives a whine of annoyance at the pressure.

But Din would never forgive you if you put yourself in harm’s way for him. This planet is dangerous, full of bad people who will do what it takes to get their credits. Most importantly, you can’t leave this ship with the kid. Certainly people here are looking for him. Someone would spot him and you’d be in for disaster. The anxiety fills your days and even seeps into your dreams, making you sleep less and more fitfully. On the eighth day, perhaps the most terrifying idea strikes you: what if Din just... left you?

Of course, there are plenty of signs why he hasn’t. The ship is one of his rare material possessions. He’d never give up the machine that’s been a home to him for the last however many years. Weapons are part of his religion, and he only took a sparse amount with him for this hunt. His prized pulse rifle still hangs in his armory, with an abundance of whistling birds he didn’t take either.

Most importantly, you’re still here with the kid. The baby is practically Din’s son. He adores him… but what if it’s all too much? You’ve become like a little family. That may be too domestic for him. Maybe he’s sick of the responsibility, of caring for two beings when so much of his life has been solitary. Even worse, maybe he’s just sick of you.

There are plenty of rational explanations. You know it. The baby can sense your anxiety, can feel the tension running through the air surrounding you, and he feels it too. He’s fussy, requiring more snacks and more attention. He tugs far too much on your armband and it pinches now, his little claws getting too long. You don’t mind- it’s a distraction, really- but your mind is never fully on feeding the baby, rather hyper analyzing Din’s mind as you know it and hoping he’ll return.

The hours pass. Din doesn’t return. You become more and more certain that he’s abandoned you for good. He isn’t coming back, ever, because he hates you. He was nice to you as a courtesy, nothing more, only as a protector of his child. This type of family is too much for the lone-wolf style man. He can’t do it anymore. You’re on your own.

In your head, the thought of him abandoning you is too much. It weighs heavily on your self-esteem, convincing you that this is all your fault and you’ve done too much, or not enough, or something wrong in general that sent Din packing and gone. He did it because you’re annoying, because he’s sick of you.

Rational thoughts are pushed to the furthest corner of your mind. Your brain is occupied by self hatred, by terror, by a sickening buzzing feeling in your head and chest that feels like a parasite eating you from the inside out.

It’s too much. You fall to the floor, sliding your back down the metal wall. Your rear contacts the floor as the tears fall from your face, your emotions drowning out your senses. You can’t use any of your senses, just think and process the agony your brain is putting you through.

Burying your face in your hands, you finally allow the tears you’ve been holding in all week to flow. It’s a relief, the hot tears streaming down your equally hot face, blood rushing to the surface. The anxiety buzzing in your head has reached a breaking point; you’re sure the tension is boiling your brains, making it bubble and roil as the thoughts pull you down and down so far you feel you’ve fallen through the floor of the Crest and into the dry Nevarro dirt.

You nearly wail, wheezing in air only to expel it in harsh sobs as the fear wraps your body and constricts it. You’re enveloped by it, trapped in a coffin mixed with a tornado mixed with a firestorm and a hurricane.

Then it all stops. The heat is broken by something cold- beskar. You force your eyes to see and they finally perceive that Din is in front of you. Then you feel again, feel the chilled metal all over your skin as he wraps his arms around you. You smell him, his faded soap from whenever he bathed last, his sweat and the smell of the Nevarro dust. You can taste your salty tears. The last sense to come back puts you most at ease: his voice. “Talk to me, please,” Din asks of you.

You nod and try to speak, but you’re still gasping for air, your lungs unable to fill. When you slow down and make yourself breathe, you’re finally able to manage words. “Thought you were gone forever. Thought you left because of me.”

The beskar helmet tilts to the side, taking you in. You’re sure you’re a mess; eyes bloodshot, face tearstained, snot probably all over you as well. Din’s quiet for a moment. “Why would you think that?”

“You said four days. You always come back early, but you were gone for eight days.”

His chest rises and falls slowly beneath the beskar plate. “I know. I’m sorry. But why would you think I’d leave you?”

The tears return. “I don’t know, Din, I-”

“No, shh,” Din murmurs and wipes your face. “No more tears. I’m here.”

Din stands and takes you with him, his arms wrapped tight around your body to bring you to your feet. He walks you to the edge of the bunk and hands you a canteen of water to drink. You look at him and he looks back. There’s a silence and an unspoken battle between the two of you over who will break it.

Din breaks first. “I got the bounty easily. I was late because of… something else.”

Your face falls into a frown. “You took double the amount of time and didn’t tell me? Whatever this ‘something else’ is, it better be worth it.”

Din breathes in and out deeply before producing a soft fabric bag. “I didn’t leave you. I’m back. And… I got you something to show that I’ll never leave you.”

From the bag, his leather-covered hand produces something silver. Your eyes, blurry with tears, take a moment to perceive it: an armband of some silver material- oh, it’s beskar. It’s cold to the touch but you take it from him to admire it and find it is emblazoned with an insignia: a mudhorn. “The symbol of Clan Djarin,” he says gently, though he’s sure you know. It’s on his pauldron. It’s on the baby’s necklace. “We… are a family, aren’t we?”

You don’t respond; rather, you throw your arms around his neck and the tears return, but happily. “We are,” you whimper, your throat constricted by a sob. You cry into his neck, staining the fabric of his cowl and cape with your tears.

He understands they’re good tears, and so he lets them flow. His arms wrap around you and rest on your back, gently rubbing it as you cry into him. As the sobs calm, the tears end, you remain in his arms. Din holds you tight against his chest. “I’ve never made a better decision than hiring you. It was supposed to just be a babysitting job, but… I fell in love.”

Your heart stops and you pull back. “You’re in love? With me?”

Din nods. “I… yes. I am.”

A smile crosses your face, the joy emphasized by how wide your smile is in the presence of your tears. “I love you too,” you manage before your throat squeezes off your words, making you cry happily and hug him yet again.

With your face buried in his neck, you nuzzle your face in and are rewarded with a soft patch of stubbled skin beneath the tip of your nose. You can feel his throat vibrate when he speaks again. “We are a clan of three now. I promise you, I will never leave you. Don’t even entertain the thought again. Understand?”

You nod, not wanting to move your face and lose contact with this intimate spot of him, the first humanness you’ve been able to get beneath the beskar. You kiss the skin there softly. Din knows it’s your answer: understood. I love you.

-

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