#lost gold my beloved.....i will never stop loving u....

[actualbird]

what is your ranking of all the main event stories we have received so far? (as in sott, enduring light, skadi etc)

OHHHH THIS IS A FUN QUESTION, THANK YOU ANON!!! let me go from my highest to lowest.

for this question, im taking "main event stories" to mean the Big 4 SSR Events where the event story involves the entire team all at once (so no xmas events or sotn, or solo or duo events). and i will be judging these events primarily on their event story (so not as much as the gameplay, though thatll also be a factor. but i wont be judging the cards)

OH DANG WHY DID I EXPLAIN IT, THE TOT WIKI DOES A MUCH BETTER JOB AT DEFINING BIG 4 SSR EVENTS, HERE, THIS IS WHAT IM JUDGING

anyhoo, here is my personal ranking!

FIRST PLACE: Mysteries of the Lost Gold

my beloved, my favorite, my perfect shining star. lost gold was the first big event i played and it has yet to be dethroned as my favorite event story of all of tot. absolute homerun of a rich story with intrigue, high stakes, a good balance of tender moments and lighthearted ones, and just SO gripping in terms of all of the story threads coming together, plus the absolutely A+ nxx team interactions. my advice to every new player who comes into my inbox is "PLAY THE LOST GOLD DLC" because i love it so much. i will never shut up about how i love it so much. it has our very first raven!luke sighting. it has marius nearly getting stabbed. it has artem with gun. it has vyn doing that THING with the bow and arrow. LIKE. THIS EVENT IS PERFECT TO ME. it'll take something really really special to dethrone it.

SECOND PLACE: Enduring Light

this isnt recency bias speaking but my real honest thoughts: this story delighted me to no end. i was kept on the edge my seat for every single phase, and the sheer novelty of the story's setup and the gameplay was such a nice change of pace after the previous event formats started to get repetetive. i especially loved that this time, we had to suspect the nxx boys as well because that really added to my enjoyment of this event. it really felt like a mystery that had to be solved by us, and not just a mystery that will unravel by itself as long as we keep playing, if that makes sense? my point is i was immensely immersed in enduring light and i love it lots lots lots. luke looking stupendously hot in his outfit during the entire event was also a huge plus.

THIRD PLACE: a tie between Blizzardous Threads of Red & Mystery of Bakerlon

i really loved BTR and bakerlon!!! both of their murder cases were adequately thrilling for me, though towards the end i could feel the adrenaline wearing off, if that makes sense? like by the 4th phase, things were slotting together already in a way that like lowered the feeling of intrigue. also i know i said i wouldnt judge much based on gameplay, but these two deserve a shoutout for MINIGAMES I WANT TO KILL W MY BARE HANDS. bakerlon's crystal tasks were so repetetive to me, and BTR's TIMED ESCAPE ROOM THINGIES heightened my blood pressure several times HAHA

FOURTH PLACE: To My Beloved: Moonlit Eve (anniv 2)

this has a soft spot in my heart for including all of the old NPCs from main story, and that was very heartwarming. while theres no mystery that needs solving, just seeing the team hang out together and have fun together was such a treat for my soul

FIFTH PLACE: Secrets of the Tomb

sott is where i'd say the event story quality is inching towards the meh scale. the mystery here was interesting but was not particularly gripping to me. it might just be a me thing, but i enjoyed the side stories (the ones you get with the boys when you investigate the artefacts) more than the actual event story itself.

SIXTH PLACE: A Love Poem to Skadi

ahhhhh skadi. psychological and medical malpractice horrors skadi.....HJSVKHSJDFDSF. i will admit, the mystery in this story is HORRIFIC and it was enjoyable to unravel it, but here is where i break my rule again of not talking about gameplay but mAAAAAAN THE GAMEPLAY HINDERED MY ENJOYMENT OF THE MAIN PLOT LOTS. it was rather difficult for me to do all the exploration in that manor and that stalled my absorption of the story too. plus, i think the fact that the story is Over made the story have a bit of a muted quality to it. not in a bad way (i distinctly remember i wrote a semi-analysis post about how i enjoyed that the story was in the Past) but it definitely affected the mood of the gameplay, if that makes sense?

(that is the third time ive said "if that makes sense" in this response, THREE STRIKES AND YER OOOOOUT)

SEVENTH PLACE: Blissful Fete (anniv 1)

be honest with me.....do YOU remember the event story plot of blissful fete? cuz i sure dont. JVSKDHFSJDHSF. i only remember getting very very mad at luke during that fucking minigame where we guess if the card is higher or lower. that being said, if i cant even remember much of the story, then it didnt make an impact on me and couldve been improved.

so thats my ranking! thank u for the ask :D

[fl3shm4id3n]

Girl I saw u open requests for spider verse and I ran here right away snsnsknsmsjdndh I'm bad at explaining shit but could you write something for miguel that's like wait i forgot what I was gonna say damn I had a good scenario in my head too well hell never mind just ignore this I think im still tweaking lmao

ₗₐ ᵥᵢᵤdₐ ₍ₜₕₑ Wᵢdₒw₎

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲.

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ᴍɪɢᴜᴇʟ ᴏ'ʜᴀʀᴀ x ꜱᴘɪᴅᴇʀ-ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ!(ᴡɪꜰᴇ) ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ꜱᴏɴɢ: ᴛʜᴇ ꜱʏʟᴠᴇʀꜱ- ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀɪɴ

TW: Angst, Death, grieving, comfort towards the end

A/N: I had a fic idea for Miguel (My beloved), and now I shall write it. I listened to I bet on losing my dogs by Mitski while writing this. I didn't cry, I swear. I hope this was to your liking, I couldn't wait, I had the need to write something.

Masterlist

You had lost everything, your daughter and your husband. You knew that being Spider-Woman had a prize, but you didn't expect for it to be like this. First it was your aunt and now your family was gone. Sometimes you wished that you could of gone back in time in time to save your husband and daughter, but there was no way. The first weeks, you basically slept at the graveyard, on top of there tombstones, you didn't want to part away from them.

For many years you've mourned, you never let yourself fall in love again, your husband was the love of your life and the only man that you'd ever love. You felt as if you were betraying him in a way, you had promised to him that you'd never love anyone else but him and him only. You still had your wedding wing, you'd wear it on your hand and when out on patrol, you never took it off. You also still had his stuff in your room, pretending as if he was still there, you didn't have the heart to give his stuff away to people who needed it, you couldn't do it.

You also kept your daughter's room the same, you left it alone, the only time when you'd move anything was when you'd go to clean off the dust and change the bedsheets. Sometimes you'd go in her room to just look at the stuff she had, you felt as if she was with you the whole time. You'd lay on her bed while hugging her soccer jersey, her first jersey, sometimes you'd cry on the shirt, wishing that she was there, telling you and your husband about her game. Just like your husband's things, you didn't want to give them away. How could you? She was you first baby, your daughter, the one that you carried in your belly for nine months, the one who'd cry when she was hungry or wanted her parents attention, she was yours and Miguel's baby. Gabriella will always and forever be your child. Sometime you wore the little gold bracelet that she owned when she was still a baby, on a necklace, to have something of hers on while on patrol.

That was unexpected, you had ended up in a secret Spider Society with Miles. A boy you began to work with after bumping into one another while trying to stop a mugger, that was when you decided to team up together as a duo. You knew about his identity and he knew about yours. You both had come up with the excuse that you were a lady that was teaching him Spanish since his parents would wonder where he'd wonder off to. It worked his you knew Spanish, it was a different kind of Spanish, but his mother was happy that he was learning it.

You were getting to learn about all the Spider-Men and women, how they were all from different dimensions and what they did in headquarters. Then you got taken to a room, where who you assumed the leader of the whole thing was. As soon as you saw who it was, you nearly fainted. It was the one and only, Miguel O'Hara, your husband, well, not really your husband, but it was him.

"Y/n... is that who I think it is?" Miles whispered to you, then he saw the look off shock in your face, getting the idea that you knew who it was. Miles knew about your past, who your husband and daughter were. When the man turned, his serious face turned to one of shock, just like yours. Gwen was the one to noticed both you and Miguel staring at each other, then she had an idea. "I...um.. I'm going to show Miles around a bit" she excused, then took Miles by the arm, guiding him out and Hobie followed them.

Miguel approached you slowly, seen every inch of you, wanting to see if it was you, his wife, not his particular wife, but you were her. After a bit of staring, he spoke. "You're not my wife.." he said, sadly, then you responded. "You're not my husband.." you said, with tears forming in your eyes. Miguel wanted to hold you in his arm so bad, comfort you and tell you how much he missed you, but he didn't.

You sigh, wiping off your tears. "So... you're spider man.." you said, there was a bit of an awkward silence, then he spoke. "And you're spider woman.." he said, as he reached over and placing a pieced of your hair behind your ear. You couldn't help but ask. "Gabriella... how is she..?" you asked, Miguel almost flinched violently by the question. "She's... gone.." he said, sounding very defeated by his response. You swallowed the lump that had built up on your throat. "You too?" you asked, this time tears had spilled from your eyes.

This made Miguel look at you, he got the memo that Gabriella was also gone in your universe. It hurt, seen that in both his and yours universe your daughter was gone. He sighed, seen that you had began to cry, it was obvious that you had not got over his and Gabriella's death like he was. He come over yours and his daughter's death, it took him a while but eventually he understood that no matter what he did, he could never bring you or his daughter back, but he couldn't help but miss the both of you. It was understandable, you were a wife and a mother, who lost both her husband and first baby. And he was a husband and a father that went through the same thing as you. Then he just went for it.

Miguel then pulled you into a tight hug, you didn't hesitate to hug him back. You buried your face onto his chest, crying, letting out all your sadness. You hugged him tightly was your so called Husband rubbed your back comfortingly. Being in his arms, felt like an eternity, you had forgot the last time you were held by him like this. You began to remember the first time you met, it was raining outside one night, and you had forgot to get an umbrella, then you came across Miguel, who was walking somewhere, who knows, but he saw how drenched you were and had offered you his umbrella. You didn't want to take it since you didn't want him to get soaked, but he insisted until you took it. Then he left, that kind gesture meant a lot. Afterwards you had made it your mission to find him and return his umbrella, it was weeks but you finally manage to find him again, in another rainy day, then the rest was history.

Rainy days had become significant to you an Miguel, since you both met on a rainy day. Every time it would rain, you and your husband would go outside to enjoy the rain, not caring that you both would get sick the next day, it was worth it, if it meant being sick together. Then Gabriella came in, she too would also come with you and Miguel out in the rain. "It's okay Mi amor" he said sweetly, but also sadly. You cried more, it's been years since you've been called that by your husband, he wasn't technically your husband, but he was. No matter what universe you were from, you and Miguel would be husband and wife. And Gabriella your daughter, you'd like to think that maybe in a different universe, you were all alive and living a happy life together.

ₙₑₓₜ ₚₐᵣₜ

[walker33961]

COLONEL'S H O M E 💗

Alejandro real-time forgot that he had a little picnic planned with you in Japan on spring times... You really felt a bit broken when you realised that he forgot ... Meanwhile....he was down feeling from the recent missions , no proper intels, seeing best ones in injury and enemies change in location often and sending threats to his motherland .....

He really wanted to tell you these things , Well...you were aware that the time was not going well over Him, over the team & base ... After the mission got finally complete from his side , He got busy reconstructing the base.. After a good ass war with the shadows and specially , Graves....

Whenever he came home , we was all dull , broken from inside ..he hardly shows his emotions..

He was always better in hiding emotions after losing his elder brother , He almost lost his brother like person, his best friend and mate, Rudy..

Everyone wanted to see the Happy - chilled Colonel they knew & always saw They know about you, they know you always fix him. They know you are his "Home"...

They have a high expectation this time since it was the most freak shit mission and he also got locked in his own black site prison...

.

Time : 2:43 AM

Door nob twisting sound fills the silent room and he stepped into the house, A beautiful garden surrounded 2 storey house, in a location which only Rudy, los Vaqueros, Task force 141 Boys knew about..

After he stepped he got welcome by the little sweetie in the house "Marie" The cute munchkin milk white cat you got as a wedding gift from your sweet mother- in - law.

It's a family tradition that the bride will be gifted at least 1 kitten / cat which signifies the peace love and wellbeing of the family, Marie always brought light to both of your dull days❤

But this time, emotions and mental health striked him bad honestly.... So it's different this time.. No happy face after petting Marie..still... His heart became a bit warm ..

.

Alejandro : Awe Pequeña - *Little* . How you've been.. *tired voice but enough to understand* *petting the cat*

"Donde esta tu Mamá? " - *Where's your Momma*

The cat meows and walks to your room, Alejandro following Marie.. After she stopped and scratched the door a bit... She went away to her little space and He Twisted the nob and sees you sleeping peacefully..

He saw your sleeping state , time stopped like he's in a dream and your a angel from heaven sleeping in beds as if sleeping in clouds..

Your wedding ring shinning bright, sharing little shines around your face..

The orange Bedlights throwing a gold glow over your fair light brown skin He sees it As it's sharing aura lights in the midnight dark blue sky .....

And your charcoal black hair, shinning normally... But he sees it as if it's the wave of sea in the yellow moonlit night.....

One thing tho...it's ain't like he's the one who works..

He always saw you struggling with your work and getting less chance for yourself.. Even ignoring the fact of being in rest when sick... That's why he planned for a Japan spring picnic under the sakura falls..but... Got cancelled due thar historic mission....

You didn't mind since you are understanding....He's fking lucky for it !

Alejandro :

*comes near you and sits down carefully on the floor, so that u don't wake up*

"I have no idea how I got you Mi Amor , Maybe I did something good in past and you're the reward for it....I can never describe how you fix me everytime, wish I could tell you how much I want a little picnic , a little time spend.... To make u feel loved a bit more . I want to open up my heart, don't know what the fuck is stopping me from being free to my beloved wife... I love you more than anything Y/n.. I just wish. ...

*starts sobbing*

You :

*slowly opening the eyes from the sudden sobbing sounds, seeing Alejandro sitting and wiping his eyes, hair all messed up, diry clothes still on, eyes full of tiredness*

You : *hugs him placing hands over his neck and pulling him closer*

"Don't cry , your pretty earthy brown eyes don't deserve these bitter like tears..I love you Ale , and i understand that it's not easy to open up no matter how close the person can be... Take your time Amor.....I'm always with you , to listen whatever you wanna speak about"... *kissed him on his forhead*

*you feel his body getting lighter from the pain and burden which was over him.. He was melting in your touch, sobs getting lighter and his breathing getting back on the right pattern*

Alejandro : Can we plan for it aga.....

You : Honey, You don't have to plan a trip to make me feel loved.. Your presence is much more important to me than those trips.. All i appreciate is a cup of coffee, sitting together in a couch , Marie in your lap , And some sweet movie playing in... I live for these moments to be happen everyday..bcz home is home..and your My Home . ...But your long mission calls and...

Alejandro : Not this time... Los Vaqueros and 141 , all of us got 6 months off from our missions...the rookies are well trained and will assist , we'll give direction to lead from our homes... As easy as that...

" I promise to make the use of these times, to the fullest.. ❤"

You : LOS QUIERO MUCHO ALEJANDRO - *love you so much* *A big kiss over his lips*

Alejandro : Y/n .... *staring at her with whole love*

You : Hmm?

Alejandro : Gracias por todo.... - *thanks for everything*

You : *hugs*

Alejandro : *inhaling her sent , which he feels home*

You : * Releasing the hug* Honey you better take a shower... I'll prepare the dinner

Alejandro : How about I have you tonight as a meal... It's been....

You : *pinches him a little*

Alejandro : Ouch Mi Amor, Okay okay I'm going for a shower...

*screaming from the bathroom *

"I'll make sure I keep my words about it...."

You : *😳😳😳😳😳😳*

｡.｡:∞♡*💗»»————><————««💗*♡∞:｡.｡

<3 : @alewesker @sleepyconfusedpotato @sarahs-secrets2

　　

[tteokdoroki]

oblivious | k.takami

♡ pairing: keigo takami x gn!reader.

♡ word count: 1.8K

♡ rating: everyone.

♡ genre: pro hero!au, assistant!au, fluff.

♡ summary: usually, when it comes down to smooth talking and flirting, pro hero hawks has all the boxes checked right off. except for when it comes to his assistant, who doesn’t quite seem to get it. or the one in which miruko meddles with hawks’ love life on valentines day.

♡ warning(s): please read ! tooth-rotting fluff, cheesy pick-up lines, just keigo being a dorky boi! :D

♡ author’s note(s): goood evening my loves! here’s a little fluff fic for you on valentines ! it was requested a while ago by @mocha-focha​ but i figured today would be the perfect day!  i hope youu enjoy, sorry this is so last min! happy valentines day <3

♡ masterlist | requests

keigo couldn’t tell if he found it more adorable or more annoying.

your obliviousness that is.

on one had, your cluelessness to the number two’s attraction towards you was most certainly adorable. the way you grew flustered when he walked by or leaned down to your height to tease and compliment you. the way your gaze dropped shyly to your desk when he’d ask something minuscule of you. keigo knew he intimidated you; after all, who wouldn’t be in the shoes of japan’s second most beloved hero.

the winged hero had wanted you ever since he first laid his avian eyes on you, after he’d stumbled back into his agency to complete paper work for that day’s patrol. you had been unpacking boxes at the desk outside of keigo’s office, hired to be a temporary assistant while the last had quit due to said blonde ‘being too much to handle.’

keigo still remembers the way your eyes had flittered to the floor as soon as he came into view and the timid way your name had slipped from between your pretty lips when he’d asked for your name.

the blonde swears he could never get tired of the sweet taste of ‘yn’ on his tongue.

you were nice company and worked well with keigo, since you were resilient unlike his last assistant. he couldn’t fault you anywhere, not in your kind smile and precious gestures ( you always brought him a chicken sandwich when you came back from your lunch break ). you were a gem. the only ‘annoying’ thing was that you never quite understood his flirting.

sure; some of keigo’s methods like bringing you little gifts of shiny things and rocks were a little unconventional... but he couldn’t help it! he was a goddamned bird after all and it wasn’t his fault you mistook the dead rabbit on your desk as a cruel practical joke instead of a proclamation of love. and okay, maybe keigo giving you extra work so you could spend more time with him after office hours was a little over the top; but at least his pickup lines got through to you.

they were cringeworthy of course but at the very least; they made you grin even if you were a bit confused. one time you thought he had been practicing on you to test on endeavour on their patrol later that day. another story for another time.

so maybe the most annoying thing wasn’t your obliviousness to keigo’s advances but instead the reactions and teasing from his friends. just like now.

“so what’s it gonna be today keigo?” rumi asks from the winged hero’s left, her rabbit ears twitch and pick up on his light scoff— while he mentally prepares for the incoming barrage of teasing. “’are you the alphabet because i can c u and i together?’”

“no rumi, i’ve got better than that.” keigo barks out with a shift of his crimson wings, the number five smirks from beside him and keigo rolls his eyes with defeat, hating the way his wings often conveyed his underlying emotions.  the elevator they both travel in comes to a slow stop on the thirteenth floor of the hawks agency where the man himself hosts meetings in his office. the whole reason rumi was even here was to attend some dumb mission briefing the commission wanted to set them on but more than likely the bunny like hero would be here to tease keigo about his failed attempts at flirting with you. “just you wait!”

she enjoyed making his life a living hell. “i don’t know, nothing can quite beat that ‘i’m not a photographer but i can picture you and i together’ line you used last week!” rumi winks, swiftly exciting the elevator as the doors chime and open up, just narrowly avoiding the flurry of cursing and chirps from the bird-like hero.

said  blonde follows with a huff,  making a b-line for his sacred office as he sets his mind on getting the meeting done. the sooner it ends, the sooner rumi can get the hell out of his hair and stop bullying him for having a crush on his personal assistant. only, keigo is stopped in his tracks when he notices you innocently perched at your desk, tapping away at some document on your computer—  one that he probably could’ve and should’ve done himself. hawks almost hates how he catches himself blushing over how you complete such a mundane task,  the squint to your  eyes and the slight pinch to your brows in concentration ( which is adorable to him quite frankly ) make his heart flutter.

he finds himself coming to a stop just in front of your desk, causing rumi to slow up ahead and turn around to watch the chaos unfold.

your typing ceases quickly when you notice the shadow on your boss looming over you— his gold and piercing avian eyes staring right back down at you as soon as you look up. “oh! mr hawks, you’re back—!”

“yn, i seem to have lost my number, can i borrow yours?” hawks blurts out the cheesy line, almost instantly regretting it right after.

there’s a beat of silence between you both while your face morphs into one of confusion. why would he need to borrow your number when you could just locate it in the personal records you had access to? in the meantime, miruko has taken it upon herself to fill the awkward air with pockets of wheezy laughter. you blink up at your boss, once, twice, three times before reaching for your notebook with all of his important details written inside. “mr hawks, if you wanted me to read your number out loud for you again , you could have asked! i'm more than happy to!” you say your words slowly, just to make sure he understands— your boss can be a bit of an air head sometimes and it is your job to help him out.

“no—yn, no i—” keigo instantly shakes his head, the red tint of shame blaring across his cheeks in a shade that almost rivals the red of his wings. said appendages puff up and flutter with embarrassment and it doesn’t help that his fellow hero is laughing at him so hard that she’s bent over and struggling to breathe. “baby—i meant i was asking for your numb—“

you smile up at him with sweet innocent eyes that have his words dying in his throat. “i didn’t know you had a baby! congratulations mr hawks!” and then you return to typing.

keigo wants to die, physically deflating right in front of your desk where he stands.

rumi, who now seems to have recovered from her laughing fit passes by keigo with a pat to his back, he only pouts while she wipes the remainders of amused tears from her eyes before perching herself on your desk, practically leaning over you. you look up once again, feeling shy under the gaze of yet another esteemed pro hero but greet her politely with a bob of your head.

“yn, hun, can i ask you a question?” the number five asks you, warm grin helping you relax just a little.

“yes miss miruko?”

you find the woman shaking with laughter above you before she pets your hair endearingly, the gesture almost makes you pout and you have to remind yourself of where you are and who you work for. “firstly, love, you can call me rumi, i know you’re shy but i don’t bite…” you paw gently at your cheeks in oder to fight the growing heat that burns brightly under your skin, growing ever so flustered under miruko’s silky voice and knowing gaze. “secondly, hawks isn’t a father nor does he have a baby— he was addressing you, sweetheart. and finally,” rumi pauses, patting your head again as her bunny ears twitch with amusement and mischief. “how do you feel about the bird brains over there, do you like him?”

takami jolts up in his place, impossibly redder than he was before while he makes an attempt to shut rumi up with his ruffled feathers. the bunny simply catches the red feather between her hands, giving them a little tickle to distract her fellow hero , tilting her head down at you as if to ask ‘well?’ you gulp, feeling yourself become nervous as the two wait for your answer expectantly. of course you had nothing but positive feelings towards your boss; he was kind and made the time out of his busy day to talk to you— but why did they care so much as to ask you for your opinion? you were only his assistant and saying anything bad about the number two hero would surely get you fired.

hesitantly, your gaze flickers between the clearly entertained miruko and the highly embarrassed hawks— forcing you to take a deep breath before delivering your anticipated answer. “well—! he’s a great boss, i— i couldn’t ask for better, why wouldn’t i like a boss who gives me an hour and a half’s lunch break?” you sigh in relief at your answer, assuring yourself that it won’t have offended anyone but your heart rate is quick to spike when miruko squishes your cheeks and tilts your head to face your flustered boss.

“no sweetheart,” she corrects herself, pointing over at keigo who cowers into his wings. “i mean, do you like him as in... would you date him?”

you swear on all might’s life that you almost pass out from her words, mind swirling with a thousand thoughts. why would she ask that of you? sparing a glance at your boss once move, you realise what all of this is about. his hot blush, the way he avoids your stare, his flustered state to match your own. he likes you, just as you like him. rumi was only being a good wing woman, one that you were grateful for— as you’d never make a move on hawks on your own, no matter how many feelings you’d harboured for him in the time that you’d worked for him. You had been oblivious to his romantic gestures this whole time and now; the situation for you to confess had presented itself to you.

to hell with it.

“yes,” you breathe as best you can through squished cheeks, staring at keigo with eyes dreamy enough to make his heart soar. “why wouldn’t anyone? i-i mean, mr hawks is so sweet and kind to everyone he meets, fans or not! and…and he’s really pretty— i mean handsome… and his eyes—“ you cut yourself off upon realising the tangent you’ve gone on just to prove your attraction to your boss, looking away shyly and rumi let’s you go with a sweet chuckle.

but just as quickly as you look away, the softness of a little red feather tilts your focus back to him. “glad to know you think so yn,” he winks, making you giggle shyly. “i’ll pick you up tonight at seven for valentines, then.”

and who were you to say no to him.

[albatris]

[sidles on over] hi hello yes i am Interested in receiving some Rental Car tunes........ i too enjoy tune sharing for wips :3c i don't have anything specific in mind i just wanna know some songs you associate with rental car

ooh hello hi thank you thank you!! I love talking about tunes SO much :D :D :D

okay alright okay tunes time tunes time. I will select for you Some Tunes. I have a Lot Of Tunes in general and you will receive Some. probably more than I needed to give you. I am. incapable of restraining myself. I love tunes. the tunes, the tunes, here they are:

hmmmmmm OKAY so Grenadine by Dreadlight is such such SUCH a fun little Nat vs Garble tune

What a big heart I have I'll be your saviour now What a real catch I am All the more to pull you down It's not vengeance, it's just a game And the winner gets to keep my name You'll get my crown to pass around All you gotta do is play

yes it's edgy. yes it's dramatic. yes I adore it. it's just so uhhhhhhhhh. idk it's intense but it's not fearful, y'know, it's also just almost a gleeful sort of reveling in the thrill of it all, it's kind of cocky and self-assured, it's just a super fun vibe. like. the single fuckinnnn three chapter window in which Nat has any self-confidence at all LMAO

I'll be the king of it, the queen of it The god of it, all of it Eat your heart after I lick it clean Tastes like blood and grenadine

n hmmmmmm what else, what else have I got for you, hmmmm

Inside of You, In Spite of You by Thoushaltnot and SPRORGNSM by Superorganism are also some funky Garbley tunes. Garbley tunes hit at varying levels of existential terror..... If We Live by Disparition also for. uh. Reasons

Did you pray today? Have you said the names? Did you question your own purpose?

Those we lost will come back to us Their faces filled with gold Their tongues bound by cloth Their true words gone

call me pretty by elliotly is a top tier Nat/Quinn tune!! though for way dicier vibes re: early power dynamics there's This Is Love by Air Traffic Controller :3 of course I have options for much more tender way less alarming Nat/Quinn tune experiences but these r cool 4 now

other general Rental Car vibes are uhhhhhhhh

Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears the obligatory funky 80s bop of the playlist n Brighter Than the Sun by Brick + Mortar because. yeehaw

Scare Me by Ludo! fun funky campy horror vibes, just such a fun energy :D

Absinthe by I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME is currently my only Zeke tune but it's a banger...... Kitchen Fork by Jack Conte has Yvonne energies but in ways I shall not be discussing today...... Yvonne is a very sweet young woman but also she IS a Rental Car MC so you know she's just a lil bit fucking unhinged, right

no Alex tunes today. I have already shared most of them. and also if I start talking about Alex I will never stop. god I want to share Alex tunes though. this post is already long enough. eahhghdhehgh

I will leave you with City of Lights by The Music Tapes :)

Oh, here you are And you're all you wished to be You're alive and you're not alone Not alone in this

So close your eyes Hear the whole world call your name And you answer Please don't go Please don't go away

thank u for tuning in to this episode of Logan Mercilessly Throws Tunes At Its Beloved Friends <3 please have an excellent day!!

[justalittletomato]

Betelgeuse (Dad!maul x Starlight reader)

@lovelyzabrak-meadow per your request ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST 

In case anyone wants a read: @spookiifi @apocalypticwafflekitten @rogue-wonderful @always-on-tatooine @danger-xylophones @vinciwolf @hannagoldworthy @any59 @savagesbonergarage @any59 @dinsbeskar @a-dorin

For the AU where the two have 3 children, Cress who has run away, Aster whose taken a fall into the dark, and Danica the smallest whose little world is shattering evermore.

There is a current phenomena on Betelgeuse, a star in our galaxy that dims every so often. It was believed this observed behavior signals the impending explosion for the red giant. Instead scientists found its dimming was due to a cloud of debris covering its lower half. Still the planet displays a dimming light, its brilliance now obscured by a cloud. 

The same can be said for Stars who find their light blocked by despair.

Years ago on a planet not too far from the red skies of Dathomir, you had stood under a blue sky of stars. There was only you and your Dawn with your audience of the galaxy above to witness as you both took your vows. 

How young you had once been. That moment forever burned into your mind and the memory of his kiss forever in your soul. You never believed you could be happier than at that moment with Maul as your riddur. He vowed to love you until the last star burned out. You close your eyes and remember the kisses after and smile to yourself, that was only the start. 

Not too long after the joy you thought umatched was placed beside an equal or more so joyous event. Your children, red as can be and the wonders of your shared life. How Maul had been delighted and frightened of this new change, how the two of you vowed your children would always be protected. Memories of those little ones playing and toddling and the two of you finally feeling whole with children you two would ensure to keep safe and love. Your twin stars, Cress, a ever curious adventurer and Aster, a princess who seemed to float as she walked and danced. 

While Maul was overjoyed at the new additions to his life, he never had such an occasion, you could still see the anger and need to quell his revenge on those who wrong him. A determination to right what had been done. It came to Mandalore in the form of Maul’s old master and then once more in the form the Empire taking over. Your life there was finished and your children would never again see thier nursery or the plans you once had for them. 

As you tucked them away into the hovering pram and ran from Mandalore, you felt numb at times but yet. Cress climbs into your arms and rests, Aster later coming along with her hair brush that Maul gladly takes. 

Your life was difficult but you all had another....

Running off as the galaxy burned from each corner. Keep another safe. You had hoped it be enough, but it was not. Maul wanted to put down the Sith, convinced not only as a justice to his life but for the life now ripped from his children and you. 

You often relayed to him if he set on like this he would lose, and for a time it worked. 

As the years passed the children grew, your Cress as his Father’s little shadow and running behind him. Your Aster right alongside and continually demonstrating her abilities. 

But that was all...no more children...it was unwise. Yet...

Danica is born 10 years after her siblings and Stars she's the most darling thing. Non forcesensetive and Maul’s grandest surprise. 

He loved them and you more than anything....

Yet...

Cress has run off into the stars, he learned it all. Your past and Maul’s abhorring you both and leaving you both. You swore your heart stopped when Maul told you and perhaps it did. Your baby was gone. 

Maul swore to bring him back, he’d stop at nothing to return your child. This was all the Sith, every wrong done to them...

No that is not that, let him stay away for now, it will be alright. 

At first Maul leaves for some days. It is alright 

A week. It is fine, Danica asks where her Father is. Only 6 and wondering if he will arrive to tuck her into bed. 

2 weeks, her Aster can see the effects start to take effect. “ Buir, this is not alright.” her brown eyes changing bit by bit until the day you run into to see Aster with a shattered mirror and crying. Gold eyes like a burning Sun. 

4 weeks, her bed is cold and there is no sign of Maul returning soon. This has gone on for the past year. The marks from his last appearance have faded away from your neck. You feel so lonely. 

“I swear to the galaxy above to always love you,” the vow rings in your ears as you walk to the sound of your baby crying in her room. Another nightmare. 

You have not felt calm in months but holding  Danica helps, however tonight it is Aster who is holding Danica, her gold eyes glowing in the dark. You cover your mouth and try not to sob. 

“Shh, Dani, buir needs rest too. I’ll stay with you.” 

Danica whimpers, “ I want buir and daddy. Please, Aster. I want my buir and my daddy!” 

You turn away unable to hear more, you slam the door to your room and bite down onto your hand as you scream. 

“ I swear I’ ll protect them.”  Promises and more promises broken. 

Your teeth clank on metal and you see your ring. Years of promises. In a moment of hurt and pain you pull it off. “I’ll never take it off” you toss it to the ground and cover your face as your sobs shake you. “ I’ll never...” soft gold eyes look to you adoringly. A kiss to your hair. You just want it back!  

“Buir, we’re always going to be together right?” Cress used to sit on your bed as you got ready. You clutch onto the vanity as you sit down. You want your baby back. “You look so pretty buir, can I brush your hair?” 

How not even too long ago Cress would still do so and with little Danica who giggled all the while. I want my life back!  

You are crying, tears dripping down your face. 

Other times it was just Maul brushing your hair,you would tilt you head and sigh as he kissed you, “ My beloved Starlight...” If you were so beloved why did he leave you to wallow in this pain? 

Your chest aches.

You take hold of the brush, gold as the Dawn you loved. With each stroke a reminder of your shambled life, your boy lost to the stars, your Aster with eyes so gold that she hides from mirrors, your Danica. You choke on your  sobs. 

“I don't want to be broken.” Broken. Your poor child. 

You think of Maul...the usual love for him twisting, and for a time you see his reflection behind you. You grit your teeth and glare at him. 

“YOU SWORE TO ME!!! YOU VOWED --” your grip on the hairbrush tightens and you don't want to see him. He left you alone! He lost your baby! He ruined everything!!! EVERYTHING!!! 

The mirror shatters as the brush strikes it. You sob and toss away anything you can take hold of. “YOU SWORE YOU LOVED US! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!!!”  

You scream and sob and throw everything off the vanity. Glass shatters all over. Your heart is breaking and shattering all it once. 

 The reflection is all but gone. But in one shard you see it, the ring you tossed away. 

You stumble over to it shaking with despair. “Maul...you promised.”

You pick it up, “ My Dawn...I cant...I cant” you collapse to your knees and scream.

-----

Aster and Angel eventually come and see you sobbing still clutching onto your ring. Your girl covers her mouth and ever so slightly her eyes glow more. Angel sends her away and kneels besides you, “ You held this in too long...rest. Right now rest.”

You gasp and sob, before letting sleep take you. 

You dream of the past, where your three children sleep in your arms and your love holds you close.... “Please...” you beg, “Please give me my life back...”  

[xander-amyntoros]

“We were lovers and murderers, innocents and soldiers. And without us, Alexander would have been only a man. Instead he was a god.”

Location: Temple of Apollo, Elysium With: @kairosxevander,  Achilles, Alexander of Macedon, and @atlasxrose Trigger Warnings: none Notes: This is like a little over 2k words, it’s nothing like Shane’s, pls read with the bar very low, thank u.

“If you wish to become good and upright, throw aside the rag you have on your head and come to me. But you certainly cannot, for you are held fast by the thighs of Hephaestion.”

Diogenes was always Alexander’s favorite. He could remember how the man insulted Alexander to his face, claiming that the only thing he had wanted was for Alexander to “stand a little out of my sun.” Alexander had laughed, the melodic sound that it was, and easily claimed that if he were not Alexander, then he would rather be Diogenes. And then the man had stated that Alexander was only held by Hephaestion’s thighs, and Hephaestion had never let the ruler live it down. 

Hephaestion felt like that moment had been lost to many – but it stuck in his mind as he made his way up towards the old temple of Apollo. As did the memories about how he and Alexander had truly been. As historians fought over what they did, what they said – who they were to one another. None of them had ever bothered Hephaestion. In fact, he hardly paid attention to it throughout the centuries. He’d instead ensured that no one would find his tomb, and no one would find Alexander’s. For if they did, it would be empty. 

It was the temple that offered him a reprieve, something that Xander didn’t know he’d find there. There was nothing but the breeze that filled the air. No voices, no birds – just the wind. The vampire allowed his eyes to close, blocking out most of his other senses. He could finally hear the waves crashing against the rocks along the bay, and with it – the feeling of being watched. It took less than a moment for Xander to turn around, gaze fixed on the man that had managed to catch him by surprise.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

The stranger’s tone was kind, and Xander could only keep his distance out of the wariness he was feeling. Was this a hallucination? The Mati that plagued many in the town below had seemingly caught up to him, now. “Who are you?” 

“I am…you. Kind of? I don’t know; you and Alexander always said you were like me and Achilles. So I think that makes us a little similar.” Blue eyes shined with mirth, and it didn’t take much for the vampire to recognize what his words meant.

“You are Patroclus.” Philtatos, most beloved. A name given to the man before him, in the flesh. The one who could grant him mortality, return his soul to himself – and out of Persephone’s grasp. All at once, Xander could hear Alexander’s voice in his head. Even the setting changed, with the dirt and the city of Susa behind him, as ugly as it had been. Alexander was there, hands firmly placed against his naked shoulders, ”I’ll have to train more to beat you in a fair race, fleet-footed Patroclus that you are.”

Hephaestion had returned the jest, “If you think it would help. But did swift-footed Achilles ever beat Patroclus?”

Patroclus seemingly had made his way closer, sitting on one of the broken pillars not far from Xander. When the vampire was finally done with his own memories, he focused on Patroclus yet again. Broad shouldered, shorter than he – but there was a calmness about him. One that spoke of a tragedy that he’d witnessed, and the victories that he’d seen. 

“I know what you can do.” The words weren’t a threat, more like a fact that Xander was hoping to be confirmed. The fight with Atlas was ever present in the back of his mind. It had been his mistake to think that a mere mortal of less than three decades would know what it was like to love for eternity.

“You do not give him the credit you should.” Patroclus had ignored his comment, instead, gazing at Hephaestion like he could see right through him. “The fury is young. But you love him despite your anger, and he, you. Not many get another love like this in their life.” 

Xander could feel himself getting defensive. After all, what was he to a fury? Another creature that deserved the Underworld. The horrors that he’d unleashed upon those that had wronged him, upon those that had wronged Alexander – the centuries following simply an easy way to pass the time. Kingdoms had fallen because of him. “Atlas has his own life to live, and that’s seemingly all he cares for. Maybe it was selfish of me to wish for a second life with him.” 

The rift looked thoughtful, but the small smile that had been present a few minutes earlier returned once more. “Two souls abiding one body. That’s what Aristotle defined as friendship, right?” Patroclus ran his finger over the spine of the book he held; a weathered old version of the Song of Ilium. It was similar to the one that Alexander had insisted he carry around – the one he’d slept with beneath his damn pillow. “Does he share yours? You, his?” 

It wasn’t a question that Xander expected, and for once, he couldn’t find the willpower to play into this word game that Patroclus was intent on playing. Perhaps Rae’s…? Again, Xander had to compose himself before he acted like a fool. “I don’t love with half my being.” 

“No one said you did. But, anyway, that’s not why I’m here. You know what I can do, and I’m here to offer it to you. Or….I could heal your soul and send it straight to Elysium. There would be no mortal life you would have to live. I know what it’s like to be waiting on the other side. To wonder if you’ll ever see them again.” Patroclus stood up once more, and he stopped a few paces from Hephaestion. 

The vampire had lived hundreds of lifetimes, watched the old world fall, and a new one rise in its place. Truth be told – there was no place for him among the present. He, like the others who were over two thousand years within the city, would only belong to the gods and their afterlife. 

The offer was there, and it was within Hephaestion’s grasp. To leave the world behind, to be transported to a place that he had only dreamed of before – a place that he wasn’t sure existed up until he met Hyacinth. The beloved of Apollo. Perhaps that was the true retribution; to be told of what would happen. After all, Alexander had manhandled Apollo’s pythia once before, perhaps Hyacinth’s message had simply been revenge.

“Why would you do that for me?” Xander had done little to warrant such kindness from the rift, and yet there was no catch. Patroclus wasn’t making him do something for any of this. Truly, the poets were right about his heart. 

“Perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.” And when Patroclus had been reunited with Achilles in the darkened veil between worlds, their hands had met, and light had spilled in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun. Patroclus had become complete – he knew the feeling of being barred from crossing the one line that he had deserved. 

The silence between them was deafening. But before Xander could make any sort of decision, wrap his mind around what this would mean for him, Patroclus was placing his hand against his chest. “I can help you make your decision.” 

The rift and his features faded, as did the temple of Apollo. Instead, he found himself in front of a palace. Different creatures were sculpted in silver and white marble along the doorways. Scenes of Perseus and Medusa, of Athena and Poseidon, of Zeus himself – carved out of pure gold that rivaled what the Parthenon had looked like in all of its glory. Persian, and even Egyptian statues littered the courtyard. Water flowed between the cracks of the stones beneath his feet, designed perfectly, like it moved with the structure, not against it. Even the giant gold Athena could not rival this place’s allure, as the sky stretched as far as the eye could see, and field’s that blossomed with flowers between each large cliffside that held hovel upon hovel, temple upon temple, seemed to move with the land. There showed no signs of strife, no signs of death – just a perfection that mortals could not understand without knowing what the rest of the world was like.

Persephone’s domain. Patroclus’ voice was within his ear, but the rift was still nowhere to be seen. 

Elysium. Why here? Xander knew, already, that his soul was his own once again. If Persephone owned it, it would’ve been impossible for Patroclus to push him through the veil like he had. But even now, standing upon dusty ground, Xander felt himself breathe. But this was not just Patroclus’ doing, no. The rift was barred to the other side of the veil – it was another’s doing. This was a projection, his soul into another place while his body remained on earth. But a voice had Hephaestion’s oh so human heart skip a beat, and it drew all of his attention away from his thoughts. 

“I shall erect a statue of a mighty lion here in Ecbatana in your memory. And you will be celebrated in Babylon with its great kings, for you deserve no less and yet so much more.”

For a man whose light burned out far too soon, his presence had yet to change. To Hephaestion, the voice was enough to bring light back into his darkest moments, and for his soul to feel complete once more. Alexander of Macedon had been larger than life to many, and all the energy in any room was pulled in his direction whenever he entered. But to Hephaestion, he had been eromenos: beloved.

“Those were the words I said to you after you died. And yet I thought that when I got here, you’d be waiting for me. Instead, you had the audacity to make the King of Kings wait. Who do you think you are?”

Perhaps it was too human to feel his heart hammering against his ribcage, as over twenty four hundred years had yet to stop the same feeling of love that was all consuming. “I am Hephaestion. And you’re a pompous king who named a city after his ox-head of a horse.”

Alexander’s smile was bright, his mismatched eyes never leaving the features of Hephaestion’s face. “Don’t you think you have made me wait long enough?”

The distance between them was closed within moments, their embrace like water cooling a blazing sword while being forged. After all, Alexander had burned with the heat of the sun, bringing heat but also the possibility of scalding all that he touched. Hephaestion had tempered him, and all was right within their corner of Elysium. “Hyacinth – he told me you…” Even as they broke apart briefly, Hephaestion’s hand curled around the back of Alexander’s neck to keep him close. It was the movement behind Alexander that caught his eyes. Another man stood, a regal glow about him that was so god-like, it was difficult to stare at for longer than a few moments. The armor he wore was forged by the gods themselves, and it left little to the imagination as to whom this could be. 

“I always said I was a descendant of Achilles. But you used to say that not even Achilles could create an ass from a mule.” Alexander’s tone was light, like his purpose had been all but filled. “He came for me. Said it was bad enough that I tried to fight not one god, but all of them. Clearly he didn’t know how stubborn one man could be.”

Achilles mumbled something about how Patroclus owed him – most likely for using his demi-god powers to keep the veil open long enough for their souls to unite. Hephaestion could only imagine how much Alexander had talked – no, fangirled. Achilles certainly wouldn’t be visiting the other any time soon. 

“I’m sorry. I never meant to keep you waiting,” Hephaestion wasn’t even sure it was his own voice he was hearing, the emotion in it almost foreign. As their foreheads touched, it was Patroclus’ voice that interrupted him in his head.

We don’t have much time. Persephone is always vigilant. Make your decision, Hephaestion.

Hephaestion shut his eyes, opening them only as he felt the press of lips against his own. There was a life to be had, here, with Alexander – and yet...as Hephaestion broke the kiss, he could already feel the heartache at leaving behind the one other person who had ever held his heart so easily in his hands. “Alexander...I can’t stay.”

“I have seen you, with him.” Alexander’s tone held only the slightest hint of jealousy, but there was more to it than that. There was gratitude, and even hope, as he placed his hands on Hephaestion’s cheeks. “The joy I see in your eyes – it is what you deserve. I will always wait for you, Hephaestion. And one day, when I get to meet this fury who dares hold your heart as much as I do, I am sure I will feel the same about him.”

Hephaestion had expected more of a fight than he’d been given. After all, it wasn’t often that someone chose another over Alexander the Great. But despite their altercations, and despite the disappointment that had rendered Xander sick with anxiety, he had never loved with half of his being. He’d chosen Atlas once before, and he would do so again. 

“Until then, eromenos.”

With a gasp, Xander felt himself fall against the floor of the ruined temple. The air that he sucked in between his lips made his lungs ache. They hadn’t been used in twenty four hundred years, after all. The cough that rattled his body was also unexpected, and for a moment, he was certain he was going to die simply because he couldn’t remember how to breathe. 

Patroclus’ palm was on his back, however, and he could see how drained the rift looked. Blue eyes met blue, and there was a silent understanding. In fact, Xander was almost certain that Patroclus was smirking; damn these rifts. He would bet that Patroclus always knew what he would choose. 

“You have a great love waiting for you, Hephaestion.” Patroclus helped the human to his feet, brushing off the dust from his jacket, “Now go and forgive him, and forgive yourself.”

It was those words that Xander would hold on to. As Atlas had said, anger was ever present – within them both – but it was love that would unite them.

[actualbird]

Oh god!

I really love the poly headcanons they are so sweet.... (or don't but that's part of it and i think the tot boys+MC deserve all the love the world has to give).

But, liking it or not, our 4 beloved boys are kinda complicated (that's what makes them perfect). Plus I never thought about how people get in poly relationships. So i was thinking, how do you think they all get into a polyrelationship together?

(I really have no idea of how that would happen)

hi, two anons!! im glad you guys liked my nxx team polycule stuff!! i'll answer these in one go, my "headcanon" (in quotes because i think this kinda turned into a character analysis/minific of sorts HAHA) being what first anon asked, How They Get Together.

heads up, wc of this is 1.9k words long so buckle up for a bit of a read jfsjdfkjbf

because first anon, youre right!!! the boys are stupendously complicated which i love so so much but canon has also shown us clearly that each of the boys' quirks and habits and tendencies causes a lot of (mostly played for laughs) friction. the bickering, the backhanded insults, the "im the best one here" preening contests. theyre all SOOOO RIDICULOUS and it is hilarious but yep! the boys r complex!! and that means this beautiful ship, imo, has a lot of phases to get to the actual romantic relationship bit.

how they get together, in my opinion, starts because of mc.

not in the sense that she matchmakes them all, but like.

phase 1 of the nxx team polycule is this:

through being in love with her (which we all know the boys 100% are), each of the boys come to terms with their own flaws and weaknesses. it's very apparent to me in all the story thus far that these boys are flawed as hell, it's very compelling but even more compelling to me is how all of them also do intense mental gymnastics to Not Confront Those Flaws. like, marius is a dickbag always teasing and toeing the line of insincerity, vyn is a controlling mf who always tries to sway situations to his benefit, artem is so repressed to the point that he has genuine trouble with emotions, luke is a self sacrificial bastard and also a huge hypocrite about how no, actually, hes the only one that should be hiding his pain and being dishonest, no dishonesty from other people!! in the beginning of the story, all the boys have their flaws and seem to have just kinda...not addressed how those flaws are harming them and the people around them.

and then mc rolls around and they all fall in love with her. and she sees those flaws and she doesnt let them slide. she challenges the boys in her own ways to see another side of the situation, to acknowledge what theyre doing. she doesnt want to get rid of flaws, thats impossible and also not cool. she just has this beautiful hope for like, all of humanity, that goodness can prevail with the right work. so when she sees her beloved nxx boys, she believes that for them as well.

which leads to phase 2 of the nxx team polycule:

the boys, more aware of themselves, become more aware of each other.

they werent Unaware of the others of course. it's just that they didnt like...truly connect on a personal level just yet. they saw the other teammembers with their emotional armor and flaws and saw a wall that wasnt worth looking past.

but after mc makes them realize that hey, flaws arent the end of the world actually, it's alright and the person behind them may just be worth it, the boys like. end up understanding the others. A LOT OF THIS BIT IS UNINTENTIONAL, ON THEIR PARTS KJDSBFS. like they stumble into understanding each other by accident, they didnt plan it, but over the course of nxx investigations, it's inevitable that they end up seeing the depths of the others. i delve into this a little bit in my fanfic "filler eps of the lost gold" where the boys are just going thru their actions and then trip over another boy's fears or desires and through that, gain a deeper understanding mutually.

and with understanding, sometimes, comes trust.

phase 3 of the nxx team polycule goes like this:

everybody in this team, whether they like it or not, whether they know it or not, has a heart that wants to give love so desperately.

marius lives in a world full of snakes so he cant have his heart on his sleeve for his own protection. vyn wants to be seen as perfect and the heart is inherently messy so he holds it back. artem for a very very long time was focused on work and success and achievement that he neglected his heart. and luke has been giving love all his life in a sense but in a way thats hidden.

all these tendencies that are brought upon their life circumstances results in this: they want to love honestly but they havent been able to do this

until mc. and all of them want to push back whatever fears or patterns their life has instilled in them because they see her and see somebody so unwaveringly good that all their hearts begin giving love to her to make her happy and to make themselves happy as well.

but heres the thing. the boys dont just see mc. by this point, they have connected and understood and come to trust each other as well, and the consequence of that is that They Can See Each Other Now Too, Truly.

and heres the thing. all of the boys are unwaveringly good as well.

one by one, each of the boys realize that what they feel for the other boys in the team starts to...change. yeah theyre all friends, they pick on each other a lot of the time, but the bedrock of the relationship is solid and strong now. but when marius is with luke, marius sees a light inside of luke so bright that he seems unaware that he gives off. when artem is with vyn, artem sees a goodness inside of vyn that hesitates to make itself obvious and known because vyn is scared of getting hurt thanks to it. all of them see the other and their goodness and, unbidden, their hearts want to give love to each other as well.

and because theyre all a bit stupid in their own way theyre like, huh, weird! wonder why this feeling is so familiar! and yet i cant seem to name it...and then they all independently compare these feeling with the feelings they have for mc, a feeling they do know the name of, and theyre like.

WAIT.

THESE FEELINGS ARE...VERY BASICALLY EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL FOR MC.

which only means one thing: theyve fallen in love with everybody else

marius: //goes to his studio to Think and sees that a bunch of his recent art actually had little crumbs of these feelings already, etched into the brushstrokes and scenes. has an emotional crisis about it

vyn: //records a 1 hour long entry in his audio diary to examine and gain control of his feelings but by the end of the hour all he knows is that he wants to hold these people and be held by them

artem: //quite literally just bluescreens, artem.exe has stopped working, sits at his study and slowly, slowly, thunks his head down onto his desk, valiantly trying to ignore the fast pulse of his heart

luke: //manically vents about it to peanut who, by virtue of being a bird, doesnt get it. just keeps talking at peanut to get a grasp of it all and then lies down on the floor, overwhelmed

mc, sitting in her apartment watching some netflix: ...why do i inexplicably feel as if something very, very important has just happened?

phase 4 of the nxx team polycule is basically:

pining: extreme difficulty level

because pining is already hard when ur pining for one person. what more for an additional 3 more people. and those additional 3 more people are pining back.

and all these boys are SOOOO OBVIOUS with their romantic feelings, in their own special way. the way they show their affection to mc starts to bleed into their interactions with the others and everybody can CLEARLY SEE WHAT IS GOING ON, LOL, but also all the boys are too chickenshit to confront it, because if they confront it, what will even happen??? being in love with each other, all of them, thats going to be such a complicated fucking relationship, holy shit. it's 2030, yeah, being a polyamorous group relationship isnt completely unheard of, but sue them, theyre scared.

but mc (who i forgot to mention already knows of the boys' romantic feelings for her, shes just hasnt made a move yet on any of them because SHES IN LOVE WITH ALL OF THEM AS WELL and shes been trying to figure out how the hell to make that work, she cant bear to choose just one of them, she'd be heartbroken over leaving the rest of them behind) sees that the nxx investigation team is now all pining for each other FULLY and she kinda wants to laugh when she realizes whats going on because like, what are the chances? that this would happen? that they all found each other and their feelings fell into just the right place for nobody to be left behind?

theyre all scared, she can tell. and she is as well, she wont lie.

but shes always had a belief that goodness can prevail with the right work.

and love is one of the greatest goods out there.

phase 5 of the nxx team polycule:

It's Time For Communication, Baby!!!!!

the exact scenes of how this happens is a bit vague to me. it could go two ways: mc going to each of the boys independently to talk about feelings, hers about everybodys and his about everybodys as well. OR they have a fucking meeting about it all together and artem literally schedules it in his google calendar, or something.

either way, they like, actually talk about this. starts casual, maybe over a chill date, maybe over dinner at a nice restaurant, maybe over a walk in the park as the sun is starting to set. but where ever it happens, the end result is the same: a heart is laid out bare and it is taken in gentle, grateful hands.

marius: OKAY, NOW THAT THE FEELINGS ARE OUT OF THE WAY, CAN I PLEASE KISS ONE OR ALL OF YOU, PLEASE, IVE BEEN WANTING TO KISS U GUYS FOR FOREVER

vyn, laughing fondly: has anybody ever told you patience is a virtue? we quite literally just talked it all out.

marius: //needy whining noises

artem, embarrassed: ive...never kissed anybody before

luke, embarrassed but trying to play it Cool: ....same here

mc: kissing is great, you two will love it!

marius: awesome, awesome, so is ANYBODY going to give me a go ahead or WHAT????

phase 6 of the nxx team polycule:

i dont want to say it's happily ever after, once they all get together. thats not really realistic.

they all have their quirks and tendencies and habits. and those will inevitable clash against each other. theyll have their arguments, theyll get upset, theyll sulk and be angry, sometimes. but also...

theyll see each other smile and feel like their love shining so brightly. theyll reach out for another's hand and be held in such a way that makes them think that their heart is in a safe place. theyll love each other and theyll put in the work to continue loving each other. because goodness will prevail.

and they all see each other as the most good people in the world.

so whatever happens, theyll get through it together.

[wincore]

could u maybe write something for jungwoo from that kissing prompt list? anything, i just missed my baby so much

im going with on the sidewalk + confessing feelings!!

theme: rapunzel!au (not exactly, more like prince locked away in a tower au)

A long time ago, there was a beloved prince. 

He was kind, they said, with his smile wrung with sunlight and eyes swirling with the shapes of stars and galaxies. He was loved by the people, by his family and everyone around—so much that they couldn’t bear to see him hurt. He was warm and precious, and he was loved. So loved.

So like all things precious, they locked him away, in a tower reaching the hazy skies and walls made of cold stone. 

That’s how the story goes. A children’s story you can’t quite recall.

Jungwoo smiles although the sun has bid goodbye. When you agreed to break out this pretty boy with hair spun of gold and a smile warm as day, you were promised a hell load of money. Money a boy hiding in a tower shouldn’t be having. You believed him nonetheless. After all, it was the secret gold your boring old town spoke of, the only rumor interesting enough to catch your ears.It was that mythical treasure he promised you in exchange for something, he said. An adventure, he whispered.

There was no reason to go through with it, you’d realized halfway through your little escapade. The gold was easy to steal. It had always been easy to steal for you. And yet, you don’t regret being here with him.

You hadn’t expected side effects, though. You hadn’t expected the rapid beating in your heart at his gazes and touches, or the soaring of your chest at his laughs. No, you were in no way prepared for this. You’re not supposed to be the one paying up.

“So when do the lights go up?” Jungwoo whispers, excitement laced with his voice. He doesn’t look too different in his disguise. Its only saving grace is the hood covering that lovely golden hair of his. It shines even at night, soft and in perfect waves. His outfit however, isn’t as clean as the day you met him (which is partly your fault, you’ll admit). The cuffs of his sleeves are rolled up, still muddy from the river water and the golden thread decorating the blue fabric of his overshirt is rather ripped and mostly gone. You giggle remembering the way he slipped right into the river, scared of a frog.

“They’ll be here soon,” you respond. You lean against the wall of the alley. The guards won’t find you here. Certainly not during evening time, when they’ll be over at the ceremony. The candles are out and the stars accompany the city sidewalks like the one you’re by. It’s going to be peaceful for at least this moment.

The streets are empty, calm and yet, in a trance of what is to come. In barely ten minutes, all the lanterns will fly over this part of the kingdom and your precious prince will get what he bargained for. Is it bad that you wish the week lasted longer? There’s a stone weighing down your chest at the prospect of tonight’s end.

“You know…thanks for this.” Jungwoo smiles.

Stop that. 

“Oh, you’re thanking me now?” You laugh. “You almost broke my back when we met! When you shoved me against that wall, remember? That hurt like hell.”

Jungwoo’s cheeks tinge pink. “You know it’s not how it sounds, right?”

You feel a jolt of realization through your chest, face heating up. “I- I didn’t- what I meant was-”

“Yeah, yeah, I tried to kill you. But that’s because you were trespassing.”

“What a terrible crime.” You roll your eyes. 

Time passes slowly yet quickly. You want to keep these moments with you. You want something more from these moments passing by. You should tell him, a voice rings in your head. Should you?

“Jungwoo—”

Jungwoo gasps. “It’s started!”

And sure enough, the damned lights had started flowing into the purple hues of the night sky. They’re pretty—they’re pretty every year. You breathe out, the invisible strain in your tired body soothing out. Why do they always melt away your worries? You hum the lullaby your mother used to sing to you, the songs and stories of other lifetimes, a thief’s respite. 

Jungwoo doesn’t speak—in fact, the only other sounds to accompany the silence are those of the last few birds returning home and the wind, their companion. 

You turn to look at Jungwoo and you wish you hadn’t.

The light is bare down here, but his eyes shine as softly yet surely as the lanterns. His lips are ever so slightly parted, light pink and quirking up at the corners. And his hair, the first thing you noticed about him; golden strands woven by a queen’s tailor no doubt, but soft, elusive to your fingers and as alluring as the rest of him. It stays parted to the side, although tousled by the wind and neat in no way from the sweating and running. And still, it looks so soft, so lovely.

You find yourself reaching to pet it before you quickly retract your hand. Jungwoo seems too dazed to notice and you sigh in relief, holding your hand in the other. The breeze is light, not enough to sway the lanterns. It’s refreshing.

“(name).“

You jolt up. Jungwoo looks down at you with quiet eyes. You want to caress his cheek and this time, you manage to press your palm against the warm, rosy skin. He doesn’t shy away, an awkward rhythm disrupting the business of your heart. Has he always been so handsome? 

“Can I tell you something? Is this the right time?“ Jungwoo whispers.

There’s no one around.

“Go ahead,“ you whisper back.

Jungwoo gulps, taking a step back. The lack of warmth on your hand unnerves you.There’s an inexplicable tug on his lips downwards, a look unsuited to a boy of light. He takes a hold of your hand and pulls you off the sidewalk. He takes a few turns you would recognize if you weren’t feeling the beating of your heart so loud.

Jungwoo comes into a darker part of town, the candlelight dimmer here. Of course, on this day, the light everywhere is as dim. A few alleyways later, Jungwoo stares up at a dead end, the wall no longer grey stone.

The old graffiti. The Queen had it removed. Or so you thought.

The King and Queen of old stand behind the young prince, the lost prince, his smile brighter than his hair. The painted stars and curtains of the palace window behind them pales in comparison, and even if the colors are older than you’d guess, it stays held together by something unseen. It’s an ancient work, made generations ago about the lost prince, a children’s tale now. You found it fascinating how the paint never faded.

“It’s me, isn’t it?“ he says, voice low. “I mean, it has my name on it. And my birthday.“

You never thought of it. Could it be…? He can’t have lived that long.

“Did- did you know?“

You turn to look at him, his eyes downcast and an indescribable sadness across his being.

“Is that- is that why you agreed? Were you paid to bring me here?“

You find your voice. “No! Of course- of course not!”

“But you’re a…you’re a thief. I believed you! How could I-“

“Jungwoo, you’ve got this all wrong! I promise- I promise…“

You feel yourself frown. This won’t work. He won’t believe you. You are a thief.

Jungwoo keeps his distance from you, the look on his face breaking your heart.

“Please believe me,“ you find yourself saying. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.“

“That’s what they said! That’s what everyone said before they- before they locked me up there. Because…they…wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I remember.“

You take a step forward carefully but he doesn’t move. You sigh. He has to believe you.  

“Jungwoo,“ you begin, “I’m not locking you up in any tower. I helped you because I wanted you to be free…with me. I wanted to show you everything.“

Jungwoo visibly softens. You continue, “And also because I…I think I…”

He looks at you curiously. No, words would fail now.

Jungwoo scoffs. “Your using your words again. You can’t mean them, can you? I thought I…meant something. You’re just—”

You take another step forward till you’re face to face somewhat flustering him, and before you know it, you’re holding his face in your hands and your lips are on his. He flinches at first, his body stiff, but soon, he holds the back of your head with a shaking hand, his lips eager against yours. You feel him sigh into the kiss, arms steadying you by the waist as you feel yourself relax. You pull away and he has trouble parting, his lips chasing yours. But he regains his senses, standing upright with a hint of rose splashed across his cheeks and ears.

“You could’ve told me,“ Jungwoo says, a shy yet devious smile across his face. “Or did my face distract you? How long have you been thinking about kissing me?“

You turn pink, glaring at him. “It certainly did, my prince! You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get His Royal Pain in the Ass to listen.”

Jungwoo laughs, the sound lulling as your heart relaxes into rhythm. The freedom he tries so hard to find, you don’t understand, it’s right there within him. In his laughter, his jokes and the stars and moons inside his head. You stay there for a while, Jungwoo wrapping his arms around you and a hand petting your hair, his scent overwhelmingly joyous as you keep him in your embrace. 

It’s going to be fine when it’s this way. It’s going to be fine after a long time.

“The lanterns were prettier than I thought,“ he says, but he looks at you, only you. 

You smile in return.

[ventoaureorun]

yo fam could you do the dying kisses prompt for my passione boys? I've been lurking on ur blog for the longest time and wanted to let u know that i love ur blog 💝💝

[[ To make things painful and easier for me I wrote it as reader dying and the boys mourning. Tbh if you want the boys dying instead just send me another ask. Also trigger warning this is honestly very depressing. Also it is very long so i put it under the cut, I also got very carried away and now I am very very sad. If you want more feels and set the mood a little, I wrote all this to illion’s Miracle on Spotify.]]

✖ Bruno Buccielati ✖

Burno doesn’t scream when he realises you can’t be saved, he cries, silently he cries so much, there is no sound other than him periodically sucking in air as the tears streak down his face. He would be holding you slowly getting limp in his arms, bending down to make sure he can hear your last words as you bleed out, not caring how red soaked his white outfit gets. The rest of his team doing their best holding out against the enemy to give the two of you time. No one is talking other than you telling Bruno how much you love him over and over again in the fear of death. Bruno replies you telling you how much he loves you too, how proud he is to have someone like you in his life supporting you even now, in your last moments. He silently begs whatever gods he knows of to keep you alive in his arms, he knows its futile but he wishes so badly he could save you so badly that he would wake up from this nightmare. When you ask him for a last kiss he obliges, his endless flow of tears soaking your face as he presses his lips against yours. Your lover gives you another deep kiss as your breathing slows to a stop. Only then did he let out an agonisingly loud sob, his hands balling up into fists so intensely his nails would dig into his palms drawing blood. But there was no time to cry now, the enemy was still nearby, he refused to let himself die before his revenge. Carefully Bruno would carry your body to somewhere safe, telling your dead body to wait for him before wiping his tears and rejoining the battle stronger than ever with his burning resolve for to avenge you.

✖ Pannacotta Fugo ✖

He screams he is angry beyond anything, he would hold you tight in his arms as  Purple Haze went wild before him, literally melting your assailant into nothingness. It was a miracle neither of you were infected with the virus but that joy was short lived as you cough up so much blood. Fugo would let out an agonised cry when he feels you heave in his arms, your blood dripping through the holes in his outfit. Now that the enemy was dead he was filled with pure and utter despair. He always feared his own stand would be the one to hurt you, if he had known you would get hurt by someone other than him he would have gone all out earlier. He sobs holding you telling you how sorry he is that he didn’t protect you. How sorry he is that he let someone else hurt you how sorry he is that you were in this state. When you smile at him telling him that you forgive him he would choke back his tears. As you ask him for a final kiss he instantly presses his lips against yours, his warm body pressed against yours as you slowly go cold against him. As you stop breathing Fugo would slowly lose it, not even using his stand, with his own two hands he would wreck the concrete walls near you. Knuckles bloody as he would finally crumble off some of the wall, only then did he fall to the floor and sob once more. When the rest of the team arrive on scene Fugo was different he was now just as cold as you, an empty shell of whatever emotions he had left taken from him moments before. 

✖ Giorno Giovanna ✖

Gold Experience was doing whatever it could, you looked perfectly fine, your very being looking as perfect as usual but he knew it was too late. The poison of the enemy already deep set in your very being, no matter how many parts he replaces, you wouldn’t survive. Giorno didn’t even realise he was crying until you used what little strength you had to tell him not to cry anymore. Giorno didn’t even realise just how much pain losing you was until you told him again and again that you loved him and you thanked him for being a part of your life until the very end. He thought he understood loss, he thought that being part of the dark mafia world for so long left him a hardened criminal. No, he realised the only reason loss never hurt him this much before was because you were always there to comfort him on his darkest nights. Even now you were doing the same, telling him that he was strong, that he would live for you, that he was the very embodiment of an angel if you could ever see one. Giorno would give you a sad smile, asking you how could he be so amazing when you lay here dying in his own arms. When an even more intense wave of pain coursed through your veins you knew it wasn’t long. Asking him for a final kiss, he would give it to you, it was soft, his lips pressed against yours, you were happy this was your last moment, you smiled into the kiss as the life in you faded. When Mista finally cleared the enemies outside and entered the rival boss’s room, all he saw was just an endless number of flowers surrounding your dead body as Giorno stood beside you, his eyes empty, now truly the cold hardened criminal he thought he was.

✖ Narancia Ghirga ✖

He was at total loss, he couldn’t stop shaking as he clutched you tightly in his arms. It was a duo recon mission, it was supposed to be quick and easy, he even had Aerosmith on alert he just couldn’t understand how an enemy even spotted and shot at you. It took literally everything the two of you had to run away. The adrenaline finally wearing off, you crumble into Narancia’s embrace, you feel his tears drip and fall down your face. He wanted so badly to scream, so so badly, he was biting his lip so hard to hold it back. He couldn’t even let out too loud of a sob, he didn’t want the enemy finding you and actually finishing the two of you off. You’d call out to him, scared but staying strong for your lover. Your voice would pull Narancia out of his panic attack, he didn’t have much time left with you he shouldn’t be freaking out. You would smile, asking him to talk to you to try and keep you awake. Narancia would blabber on, telling you how much he loved you, shaky laughter as he cries and tells you weird facts about your first few dates with him. Wheezing as he tells you how he wanted to marry you and how he was saving up to bring you somewhere the next time you guys had a holiday. As you lost the feeling in your arms and legs you’d tell Narancia to kiss you one last time. He would bite back more tears before telling you to stop joking this wouldn’t be the last time. He knew better however, as he bent down and pressed his lips against yours, holding on tightly to you as you slowly go limp in his arms. Like a flame going out, for Narancia this was the exact point of his life where he realises he would never love anyone like he loved you ever again.

✖ Leone Abbacchio ✖

Rage, despair, the pure regret and self hate exploding through him, his vision was getting blur from the pure trauma of watching someone important to him get shot again. He chose a life of solitude when he joined Passione, it took you months almost years to get him to open up and accept you in his life. He walled himself off because of this very fear, this nightmare of a hellscape just unfolding before his eyes as your body hit the floor. This was so much worse than back when he was a cop, this was so much worse because he knew so badly that this was a possibility and he let that doubt get pushed away only for it to happen again. He couldn’t even hear the rest of the squad told him to stay by your side as they chased the assailant down. You were the light of his life and now your light was flickering on the brink of extinguishing and he literally could do nothing about it. Abbacchio moved automatically, picking you up in his arms as he ran towards backup, uncharastically begging for anyone to save you and tend to you. Even when the mafia’s field surgeon tells him to prepares for the worse he still holds on to you. The pain just dripping from his voice as he begs you not to leave him alone. You would apologise through the pain you knew that this was his fear and you hated it so bad that you could literally feel yourself dying. Asking him for a final kiss, telling him to make it good so he could replay it forever, you tell him over and over how much you love him and telling him to stay strong before his lips pressed hard against yours. When you finally die in his very arms Abbacchio stopped crying. His tear ducts were empty and he was blanking out from the pure mental strain. The only thing keeping him alive is Moody Blue’s taking your form of your last moments.

✖ Guido Mista ✖

He watched it happen to his beloved Capo and he hated how he begged Giorno to save you too. He knew it wouldn’t last he knew your body would give out soon, your wounds no longer healing. So the two of you spent your last days enjoying to the limit, recreating dates laughing and sleeping together at night. Now that all that joy was burnt out all that was left was the depressing reality as Mista held your very cold dead body in his arms. You thank your lover for the past few days, the choice was hard on him but you were glad in the end you could spend your last hours with him. Mista knew, he could see your body slowly failing itself. The two of you sat on a bench in town in the dead of night. The place where the two of you had your first date. Reality slowly kicking in, Mista finally get serious, telling you how much he loves you. Telling you endlessly all the reasons he loves you, thanking you for an almost endless amount of things, from existing in his life teaching him about true love to painfully laughing as he thanks you for teaching him the difference between shampoo and body wash. He would tightly hold your hand in his before running his fingers through your hair as he tries his best to remember every sensation of you. You tell him that he’d never be alone, you promise him how even as a spirit you’d make sure to always look out for him, he turns to you, giving you a pained smile at the comment. As your already blurry vision slowly turns black around the edges, you turn to the love of your life asking him to give you a final kiss before you can’t feel anything anymore. So he did, his arms pull you in, silent tears dab your cheek as he passionately kisses you for the last time. A minute or so passes before you fall limp in his arms. Since then Mista just never really smiled the same anymore.

[exmateriadead]

Burning All Your Angels.

                                                    { for | @fatedefy }

It gets hard to remember the weight of a dead body.

The memory comes after a strangled yawn, Naruto puts his hand to his chest where Neji used to be.

    All night he wishes the phantom breath in his ear would quiet down only to realize and to remember a beating heart running fast and how his could never catch up,until it disappeared. He realizes his heart is the only thing to beat alone.The thud of it quiet and the weight on his chest gone. The mercy of stillness is maddening.

Loving a boy is easy. Loving a dead ones hard work.

How could anyone say he can live like this?

He can’t so he won’t.

The Hyugas are infuriated, finding the terrain in their burial sight turned into hills of blackened soil, mountains unfurled unmarked graves a playground for who they think maybe outsiders looters and shamans.

No one needs this after a war- no more lost bodies, it’s what Konoha promised but yet again failing.

Naruto goes to the Uzumaki shrine with grave yard dirt underneath his fingers. The shrine sits as a pitiful ruined shack clustered in the corner of a forest miles and miles away from the village. It was where the great Uzumaki Mito would go to pray and meditate among her gods and demons.

Her presence is something he has difficulty connecting to- elusive as if he’s always too late to ask her spirit questions that no one alive can really answer. Yet, he’s guided by her difficulty and unresolved ancestral pains. Maybe in the long run it’ll count for something.

But at the grounds tonight, he finds a white serpent waiting, a scaly heap of a reptilian  body poised to attack.

Orochimaru laughs as he always does, showing the glint in his teeth. He looks younger- hungrier even.

“My, you are full of surprises Naruto-kun.”

It’s said with intrigue and that is the last thing Naruto ever wants when it comes to Orochimaru.

"These grounds aren’t yours to pick through. Leave now- or I cut you into pieces.“

Orochimaru cooes playfully he and his white snake leaving the steps of the shrine slow, sick like molasses. Narutos fingers twitch.

“I heard about the Hyuga boy dying valiantly in the war. Your ancestors would be proud, Naruto acclaiming their beliefs once again.”

Naruto ignored him moving his feet to walk past. It was true though what his ancestors believed, saying more to himself then anyone, “the strong don’t die.”

He was never a boy that believed in anything spiritually. Because if the same God made he and Kurama, they’d be a cruel God. Yet if it were the same God who made he and Neji, perhaps a God is only as proud as the things he creates. Perhaps a god can also be a devil.

The shinigami takes most of the room as Naruto unwraps the off white linen muzzled around Nejis corpse. Kuramas tails whipping back and forth in the ether waiting diligently to be summoned.

He presses the remainder of the seal with his own blood. A sigil to open a heavens gate and another to guide the spirit home- Naruto draws that one on Nejis sunken chest.

The shinigami doesn’t speak not in words anyway but it licks the air smiling with its sharp teeth tasting desperation. Naruto hopes it tastes love as well.

A soul for a soul. It speaks, yet yours is tied to anothers. Beloved, nine-tails.

Naruto looks down at Nejis body, only days from turning into dust and rot. His dark hair grey matted in webs he can’t unravel. The Hyugas ritual of carving out his eyes was already done. But he looked beautiful to Naruto. He always did.

Naruto couldn’t help but cry his tears small wet marbles sliding down Nejis ashened cheeks. He tried staying still but he couldn’t, he tried suppressing it all, swallowing his cries but they were loud and clear. His heart burned.

“I’ll give you whatever you want.” Naruto said, “whatever you want.”

Good. The Shinigami smiled. I desire what your lover wanted. I desire freedom, U-zu-ma-ki.

Naruto looked at the spirit contemplating it’s request. “Yes.” He said without much thought.

What is the cost of freedom anyway?

Then the shinigamis tanto was already buried deep in his chest before he could say anything else.

Everything.

He sees light fighting its way through the darkness behind his eyelids. Something remarkably warm is touching his skin. Then the warmth turns hot and angry and sharp digging into the skin of his shoulders.

Then the screaming doesn’t stop.

Neji won’t stop screaming- and for a moment Naruto believes this thing isn’t Neji at all.

He scrambles to muffle his screams, amend all his wrongs with casting himself as something familiar, swaddling him into his chest, pray and pray to a God he doesn’t believe in that Neji would stop, that he would come back to him.

It takes a moment when the screams settle into a dizzy mutter that Naruto figures out what Nejis been saying all along.

His name.

When Neji comes back, he comes back a free man, voltuous and ethereal. It glows and shimmers around his skull- this something- this halo of sorts added to his regal beauty to the very essence that is Hyuga Neji.

Maybe death is a new beginning.

When his mind is mostly right again, Naruto expects even prepares for Neji to go back to the Hyuga compound. The explanation set on his tongue, and if they wanted to punish him for it, Naruto would take the lashings and he would keep Neji free.

Instead, Neji crawls into bed with him. He soothes the curls a top Narutos head as if he knows how nervous Naruto is. The strands twist against his fingers too grown out for a haircut. His eyes crystalline lilac, frightening and somehow forever. But, Naruto can’t look away.

Neji does this for a while until his fingers bring attention to the scar on Narutos chest.

“I wouldn’t take it back.” Naruto says defensively. He touches Nejis fingers sitting on the long ugly scar.

He expects a reprimand but instead Nejis eyes look sharper, his hair falling past over his shoulders.

“Good.” He says, “i wouldn’t either.”

Neji is new, different, free.

They fuck and make love whenever they can. Intense is just the half of it. Their bodies unable to properly function without at least being inside one another. They fuck like they’re only moments away from leaving their bodies for good. Nejis legs around Naruto, Narutos hand wrapped around his throat in his hair- at it again and again whether happy or angry they’re always feeling something.

Neji is complicated. Naruto becomes recluse.

“This is fucking horrible.” Neji looks at the drag between his fingers. The smell of cannabis and late night barbecue waifs in the air.

“Give it back then.”

“No.”

Neji takes another hit, He doesn’t really see the poetry here but he does it anyway. He does everything, anyway.

And maybe Naruto loves that too much maybe that’s the fucking issue.

Another night Neji comes home bleeding from his forehead. His arms shaking a small smile across his face. He’s broken three fingers and somebodies nose, Naruto can tell with the fresh clear cut dripping from his knuckles.

“Whats up with you?” Naruto tries to not sound annoyed. Neji shrugs he pulls out a lighter from his pocket, carved gold and places it on the brim of the sink where Naruto is attending to his wounds.

“You like it?”

Naruto barely gives a glance but he nods anyway.

“Where’d you get it?”

“Stole it.”

Naruto sighs, “shinobi don’t steal.”

Nejis eyes pander a look of judgement somehow before he aims for a kiss Naruto is all too desperate for all too willing to give. Even if Neji does taste slightly of ash..

“Is that what I still am to you?”

Naruto wipes dried blood from Nejis jaw and licks his lips.

“You’re whatever you want to be.” He sighs again whispering , “and its scary.”

[riostm]

            i  told  myself  i  wouldn’t  do  this  but  ...  ig  i  just  have  no  self - control  left  fkgjnfgkj  but  anyway  10  years  later  i’m  excited  to  introduce  u  all  to  sam    !    he’s  a  revamp  of  an  old  muse  of  mine    &    if  u  would  like  to  plot  w  him  just  press  that  heart  or  hit  me  up  on  my  discord  @𝖙𝖊𝖆𝖒 𝖊𝖉𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖉#0369    !

❛ chicago’s very own samuel ríos has been spotted in new york city in a  bmw 330e saloon , welcome ! your resemblance to josh heuston is unreal . according to tmz , you just had your twenty-third birthday bash . your chance of surviving new york is uncertain because you’re meticulous , but being debonair might help you . i guess being a leo explains that . three things that would paint a better picture of you would be sleepy morning voice, messy sheets & an unmade bed, poetry at midnight .   &   ( cismale & he/him )     +   ( lina, twenty-one, she/her, gmt. )

                  trigger  warnings  :  mentions  of  death  ,  a  house  fire  .

𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋  𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄    :    samuel    (    name  of  god    )    adam    (    to  be  red    )    ríos    (    river    )    .

𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒    :    sam  ,  sammie  .

𝐀𝐆𝐄    :    twenty - three  .

𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘    :    july  25th  .

𝐙𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐂    :    leo  .

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘    :    american  .

𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘    :    portuguese  sri  lankan  .

𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘    :    bisexual  .

𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍    :    swimmer  .

𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐒    :    the  jocular  ,  the  vagabond  ,  the  aquaphile  .

𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒    :    portuguese  ,  spanish  ,  english  .

𝐀𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒    :    bare  feet  in  mornings  ,  neatly  folded  clothes  ,  an  organised  shoe  closet  ,  messy  sheets    &    an  unmade  bed  ,  missed  calls  at  2am  ,  highlighted  passages  in  a  book  ,  dogeared  pages  ,  unanswered  texts  ,  tucked  in  shirts  ,  unfinished  books  ,  warm  tea  ,  warm  jumpers  from  dryer  ,  odd  ceramic  mugs  ,  hidden  springs  of  water  ,  worn  out  military  boots  ,  fallen  leaves  during  autumn  ,  poetry  at  midnight  ,  sleepy  morning  voice  ,  unsent  letters  ,  an  ice  cold  water  bottle  .

*    𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒚    .

              𝐈𝐓    𝐖𝐀𝐒    𝐎𝐍    𝐀    warm  day  when  they  met  .  in  the  sunny  city  of  lisbon  ,  portugal  ,  danilo  ríos    &    kalani  perera  once  sat  down  on  a  faded  bench  in  the  middle  of  the  city  centre  ,  talking  about  the  weather  which  eventually  led  to  talking  about  a  date  .  needless  to  say  ,  the  pair  hit  it  off  rather  well  .  after  the  success  of  their  first  date  ,  they  soon  went  on  a  second    &    after  what  felt  like  no  time  at  all  ,  they  were  helplessly    &    in  this  case  ,  incredibly  in  love  .  it  was  only  a  short  few  months  later  that  they  were  engaged  ,    &    not  too  long  after  that  ,  they  were  married    &    happily  so  .  it  seemed  almost  too  perfect  .  they  had  a  house  ,  a  very  stable  income  due  to  danilo’s  hotel  resorts  he  had  dotted  about  everywhere  ,    &    after  a  test  was  taken  ,  kalani  was  said  to  be  pregnant  .

of  course  ,  things  were  almost  too  perfect  ,  there  was  bound  to  be  a  bump  in  the  road  somewhere  .  they  were  pregnant    ;    they’re  not  sure  how  anything  could  go  wrong  .  until  it  did  .  the  pregnancy  ,  although  one  of  the  best  thing  they  could  ever  imagine  to  happen  to  them  ,  turned  out  to  be  very  tumultuous  with  more  problems  than  a  little  .  kalani  was  admitted  to  the  hospital  more  times  than  a  little    &    doctor’s  worried  that  the  baby  would  be  born  before  full  term  .  expectantly  ,  their  fears  were  correct  .  two  months  into  the  last  trimester  ,  two  weeks  before  full  time  ,  kalani  went  into  premature  labour    &    gave  birth  to  a  bouncing  baby  boy  .

the  labour  was  bad  as  it  was    ;    the  baby  struggled  to  get  out    &    it  was  within  a  split  second  that  he  managed  to  get  out  breathing  .  kalani  ,  however  ,  wasn’t  so  successful  .  almost  immediately  after  her  son  was  born  ,  she  began  haemorrhaging    &    although  the  doctors  tried  their  hardest  to  stop  the  bleeding  ,  there  wasn’t  very  much  they  can  do  .  it  was  on  july  25th  1995  passed  away  ,  safe  in  the  knowledge  that  her  baby  boy  was  healthy    &    breathing  .  it  was  a  hard  few  first  months    ;    the  baby  boy  ,  who’s  father  had  yet  to  pick  an  name  for  him  spent  the  first  month  of  his  life  in  an  incubator  ,  then  after  that  danilo  grieved  the  passing  of  his  of  his  beloved  wife  .

despite  the  grievance  that  meant  danilo  was  unable  to  take  care  of  his  child  ,  who  still  had  no  name  for  the  first  couple  of  months  that  he  was  home  .  instead  ,  the  baby  boy  was  left  in  the  care  of  a  nanny  while  danilo  was  lost  in  his  grief  .  then  suddenly  ,  something  changed  .  danilo  became  less  robotic    &    more  like  a  person  again  ,    &    found  it  in  himself  to  take  care  of  his  child  ,  the  only  thing  he  had  left  of  his  wife  .  of  course  ,  it  still  hurt  to  think  of  her  but  he  had  other  things  to  think  about  .  things  like  the  beautiful  baby  with  bright  green  eyes  ,  who  he  had  decided  to  name  samuel  .

samuel  was  a  bouncing  baby  boy  ,  an  energetic  child  who  ,  when  growing  up  had  everything  handed  to  him  on  a  silver  platter  .  but  he  appreciated  it    ;    he  appreciated  everything  his  father  gave  him  ,  including  every  place  they  visited  for  his  father’s  business  .  as  sam  grew  up  ,  his  father’s  company  built  up  hundreds  of  resorts  across  the  world    &    became  more  profitable    &    respected  each  year  .  but  his  father  ,  being  a  dedicated  businessman  as  well  as  a  doting  father  wanted  to  mix  his  work  life  with  his  family  life  ,    &    so  sam  was  home  schooled  for  the  biggest  part  of  his  childhood  ,  jumping  from  hotel  to  hotel    &    from  country  to  country  every  few  months  .

since  there  wasn’t  a  lot  to  do  in  a  hotel  ,  if  he  wasn’t  studying  like  the  good  student  he  was  ,  samuel  was  near  to  the  pool  or  in  it  .  he  loved  swimming  with  a  burning  passion    ;    it  was  something  he  fell  in  love  with  from  a  young  age    &    demanded  swimming  lessons  be  a  part  of  his  home  schooling  .  as  it  happened  ,  he  was  pretty  good  at  it  .  swimming  became  a  hobby  that  he  was  addicted  to    &    he  found  himself  feeling  grateful  that  all  his  father’s  hotels  had  their  own  swimming  pools  .  for  a  while  ,  danilo    &    samuel  were  content  with  their  lives  .  in  fact  ,  the  feeling  of  loneliness  didn’t  seep  into  danilo  until  sam  had  reached  ten  years  old  .

they  were  happy  with  it  just  being  the  two  of  them  ,  but  as  sam  grew  older  he  noticed  that  his  father  didn’t  seem  quite  complete  .  at  first  he  didn’t  understand  why  ,  but  when  they  visiting  the  hotel  in  chicago  ,  danilo  met  isabella  devine  for  the  first  time  ,    &    it  suddenly  made  sense  .  sam  knew  that  his  father  had  no  intentions  of  remarrying  after  his  mother  ,  but  meeting  isabella  changed  his  whole  outlook  .  she  was  kind  ,  warm  ,    &    was  going  through  a  grievance  herself  after  losing  her  husband  in  a  tragic  house  fire  .  she  also  had  a  child  of  her  own  ,    &    her  maternal  instincts  were  transferred  to  sam  .  when  he  turned  twelve  ,  the  couple  were  married    &    the  family  was  whole  .

surprisingly  enough  ,  sam  got  along  with  his  step - mother    &    step - sister  pretty  well  .  isabella  became  the  equivalent  of  his  mother    &    his  step - sister  turned  into  the  sibling  he  never  had  .  he’d  play  pranks  on  her  ,  joke  around  with  her  but  at  the  same  time  be  protective    &    nurturing  ,  the  way  a  brother  should  be  .  in  fact  ,  the  now  wholesome  family  got  along  so  well  that  sam  decided  to  take  a  permanent  residence  in  chicago  where  isabella    &    her  daughter  lived  ,  opting  out  of  the  homeschooling  method    &    joining  a  private  school  .  he  made  friends  quickly  ,  took  part  in  the  school’s  swimming  team    &    was  undeniably  happy  .

he  was  by  far  the  best  swimmer  in  the  school  ,    &    after  he  was  thrown  into  competitions  he  was  the  best  in  the  state  ,  excelling  in  every  competition  he  took  part  of    &    winning  the  biggest  part  of  them  .  he  earned  quite  a  name  for  himself  ,    &    at  one  of  his  competitions  a  representative  for  the  olympic  swimming  team  came  to  see  him  swim    &    after  seeing  his  impressive  speed    &    strength  in  the  water  ,  offered  sam  an  opportunity  he  couldn’t  refuse  .  he  was  seventeen  years  old  ,    &    would  compete  in  the  2016  olympics  ,  which  gave  him  two  years  to  get  to  the  level  he  aimed  to  be  at  .

samuel  was  thrown  into  arduous  amounts  of  training  ,  hours    &    hours  spent  in  the  gym    &    in  the  pool  ,  but  sam  didn’t  mind  it  .  he  knew  what  he  had  to  do  to  be  the  best    &    he  knew  how  to  get  there  .  he  had  the  determination  ,  the  drive    &    the  love  for  swimming  to  do  it    &    eventually  ,  he  was  breaking  his  own  personal  records    &    getting  surpassing  everyone’s  expectations  .  in  what  felt  like  no  time  at all  ,  he  was  at  the  rio  olympic  games  2016    &    about  to  start  the  swim  that  could  change  his  life  .  he  was  unbelievably  focused  ,  forgetting  everything  but  the  pool  in  front  of  him  .  his  trainers  blamed  it  on  his  incredible  skill  ,  but  sam  just  said  it  was  pure  luck  that  he  beat  the  olympic  world  record    &    took  home  the  gold  medal  .

everyone  celebrated  .  his  entire  team  exploded  with  pride    &    his  friends    &    family  along  with  them  .  he  won  the  gold  medal  at  his  first  olympic  games  ,    &    they  had  to  celebrate  that  in  a  way  that  would  express  their  pride  for  sam  .  so  they  decided  to  go  on  a  skiing  trip  in  alaska  for  two  weeks  full  of  skiing  ,  drinking    &    fun  between  the  people  who  were  the  most  proud  of  him  .  it  was  the  perfect  celebration    ;    everyone  was  enjoying  themselves  .  until  sam  started  showing  off    &    landed  funny  after  doing  a  360º  rotation  in  the  air  .

it  was  the  worst  pain  he  ever  experienced  .  every  single  time  he  moved  it  was  like  splinters  were  crawling  up  his  back    &    creating  spasms  each  time  it  twitched  .  at  first  they  thought  it  was  a  trapped  nerve  ,  but  after  further  examinations  specialists  told  him  that  it  was  actually  a  disk  bulge  in  his  lumbar  pressing  against  his  nerve  root  that  was  causing  the  pain  .  he  was  left  with  two  options    :    deal  with  the  pain    &    not  being  able  to  swim  again  ,  or  have  a  discectomy  to  remove  the  disk  bulge  but  risk  not  being  able  to  swim  to  the  same  extent  again  .  being  determined    &    not  being  able  to  give  up  the  one  thing  he  loves  the  most  ,  sam  chose  the  latter  .

it  took  a  month  to  recover  from  the  operation  ,    &    after  that  he  threw  himself  into  physiotherapy  so  intense  that  a  lot  of  people  called  him  crazy  .  but  he  needed  to  get  to  the  level  he  was  once  at  ,  even  if  it  killed  him  .  it  took  nearly  over  a  year  of  physiotherapy  ,  days    &    sometimes  night  spent  in  the  swimming  pool  ,  pushing  himself  to  the  limit    &    more  often  than  not  succeeding  in  what  he  wanted  to  do  .  eventually  ,  he  got  better    &    better     &    could  qualify  for  the  olympics  again  .  but  ,  in  order  to  continue  his  training  ,  he  needed  to  move  to  new  york  ,    &    that’s  where  he’s  been  since  .

*    𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚    .

           sam  is  a  lover  of  adventure    &    experiencing  new  things  .  people  might  call  him  a  thrill  seeker  ,  but  he  just  believes  that  a  life  without  experiencing  everything  you  can  isn’t  a  life  worth  living  .  he  enjoys  learning  new  things    &   is  always  keen  on  hearing  different  opinions  to  benefit  his  own  ,  however  he  can  come  across  as  being  quite  opinionated  when  it  comes  to  his  own  thoughts    &   he’s  not  afraid  to  speak  his  mind  ,  which  sometimes  got  him  into  trouble  when  he  was  younger  but  has  earned  him  great  respect  as  he  grew  older  .

in  general  ,  sam  is  kind    &    thoughtful    &    is  a  firm  believer  that  you  should  treat  people  the  way  you  expect  to  be  treated  ,  but  he’s  not  afraid  to  stand  his  ground  when  he  needs  to  or  protect  those  that  he’s  closest  to  .  when  it  comes  to  his  family    &   his  close  friends  ,  sam  will  go  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  for  them  even  if  it  was  just  to  bring  them  a  pretzel  from  europe  .  he  values  them  a  lot   &    is  extremely  loyal  to  them  .

however  ,  sam  can  be  quite  flaky    &    fickle  .  when  it  comes  to  making  decisions  regarding  his  career  ,  he’s  very  clever  in  his  approach   &   makes  sure  it’s  the  best  decision  but  when  it  comes  to  his  personal  life  ,  he’s  not  very  good  at  all    &    often  has  to  seek  advice  from  other  people  just  to  make  the  correct  decision  .  he  dislikes  situations  that  are  too  messy  ,  preferring  when  things  are  easy  to  resolve  because  he’s  not  a  problem  solver    &    would  rather  avoid  situations  that  require  him  to  be  one  .

he  can  be  pretty  mischievous  ,  since  he  was  younger  he’d  often  play  pranks  on  his  dad’s  employees    &   his  step - sister  just  to  ,  as  he  used  to  say  ‘ pass  the  time ’  so  although  he’s  someone  you  can  trust  with  your  secrets  ,  he’s  not  someone  you  can  trust  not  to  scare  the  living  daylights  out  of  you  the  next  chance  he  gets  .  he  loves  to  have  fun    &   isn’t  opposed  to  a  good  night  out  whenever  the  time  calls  for  it  .

*    𝒇𝒖𝒏  𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔    .

he  loves  to  swim    (    ofc    )    but  he  loves  to  swim  with  dolphins  even  more  than  that  ,    &    has  actually  adopted  a  dolphin  bc  he  loves  them  so  much

he’s  a  vegetarian  more  out  of  convenience  than  anything  ,  enjoying  the  veggie  lifestyle  more  than  the  carnivore  one

he  can’t  stay  in  one  set  place  for  more  than  a  month  .  it  literally  irritates  the  life  out  of  him    &    has  tons  of  holiday  homes  around  the  world  that  he  visits  often

although  he’s  never  met  his  biological  mother  ,  he  keeps  a  photo  of  her  on  his  bedside  table  to  remind  him  of  where  he  comes  from

he  does  have  a  slight  portuguese  accent  ,  but  it’s  faded  over  the  years    &    his  accent  is  more  american  now

he  has  an  irrelevant  fear  of  bugs    !!    like  literally  he  can’t  stay  in  the  same  room  as  one  of  them  for  too  long

has  a  bucket  list  that  he’s  slowly  crossing  off

[purplesangel]

Crystal Fate

So this is my Frist time showing my writing on tumblr, I had written this for a friend @jaroffangurl the little song is her own lyrics 😍 hope you enjoy! (P.s tmt belongs to rightful owner)

~~~~~~~~~

It was routine his life and as such he had grown numb to it. Everyone of his responses were on autopilot, his body a motion of habit, the passion long forgotten his eye dulled no longer glowing like the stars he so favored. His spark lost in his responsibility....he Leonardo felt nothing more then a shell of his self ...

That is....

Till he slept

It started off simple enough he go for his rest like the rest of his family have. The ushal nightmarish exprents and yet again he found himself in one.

Looking at a river a blood as he was forced to drink his from the sickening lquid, feeling his body dieing from thist as if he collapse if he did not, he reched at each mothful nor stopping until his thrist was celnched only when he looked up to follow the river of death and horror. Leo's legs burning with each step as his eye frouces upon the sorce..

He scream,

His family was there each tore apart limb form limb his brother head on steaks, his beloved father hung upside down skinned alive still barely alive as his last drop of liquid life drained from him as his now torn eyes pin Leonardo down as he spoke one last breath

"You failaure"

Paralized, he...

He

Reched..his contents of stomach the blood of his family pouring out of him as if to tourcher him all over again his brother dismembered heads started to talk

"How could you"

"I trusted you"

"Sell out"

"Your a monster"

Each stabbed him in the heart as he wanted to die..that when it appeared

A dark tar soaked katana apread infront of him smelling like sin it's self.

All three bothers spoke

"Kill yourself, to rot in hell were you belong"

His shaken hand went to grab it painfully as his skin burned, his eyes spilling tears of lquid green. He was about to grab the cursed item a cystal wall grown from the ground itself, starting to surround him. It was made from rose quartz as the glimmering jewel form a barrair cutting him off from everything the stench, the sounds , his diced family, his death...

The cystals caged him but not it darkness but that of a soft glow. Leo did not know if he was still in hell, tourching him with fasle sanctuary.

"Have u ever seen a man's face when he wasn't saadddd~

When he wasn't holding back the grit of the past

Just tell me uve seen the smile he tries to hide from youuuu

Cause god knows he's tried

A feather flick of a lash

His eyes spark and colors clash

He's the man with no dreams

No hope

But when he glances at you he just scheme's

Have u ever seen a man's face bare no snear

And you come too close

It all becomes all to clear~~~~"

Tears covering his green stain faced he cried, the turth was sung out in such a hypnotic voice he shook as he felt it to his very core.

Who was singing this

Why were they here

Where were they

When was he going to wake up from this tourcher, frist his family and now a voice that sung what he was trying so desperately to hide!!

The cystal walls came down one by one as he now was crying in a field of Heliotrope's as foot steps could be heard in the plush grass.

"JUST KILL ME ALREADY!!"

"why" the velet voice spoke, he didn't look up

"BEACUSE I AM NOTHING!! I CANT GO ON LIKE!! MY FAMILY GONE I FAILED I AM A DISCRACE" he curled into a ball

A warmth on his shell

"You know that isn't ture Leonardo"

Finally finally he looked up. His broken blues with flooded pools of toxic green dripped. As her soften golden kissed forest green looked at him with what he thought he never see....

"Wh-

"My name is not important, what is *she cupped his face as he whipe away his tears with a brush of her thumb* important is you" pressing her soften lips to his forhead he felt a gush of wind as he closed his eyes to feel different..

Opening them he found him standing in his home his hand on her waist as she wore a pure white gown made of what seemed to be flowing gold. Golded hair pooled to her back as her rich skin held his face. As he watched her hand gestured out...

He saw it ....

Donnie was getting coffee looking half awake but tried to smile to him none the less with a small little wave.

Mikey was cooking flipping the pancakes ten feet high as he cought it on a plate showing off his skills as a chef of the family

*Shove*

Raph had pushed his shoulder "come on fearless breakfast is ready!" He gave his famous grin as he went to sit down his strut proud to be here.

Splinter was already drinking tea his eyes twinking with plans for his sons mutation day..as he loved his sons so

"You are so loved Leonardo, try not to forget that" his attention brought back to this what he was convise now was a goddess. She had saved him ...fr- "you always focus on such negitive thoughts you forget the positives in your life" looking back she now had wings that were made of Sakura tree flowing in the wind in full bloom growing from her back "I can not tell you to stop you ways, but I can tell you open your eyes" her cheery lips smiling to him. As her hands let go of him he cling to her.

"N-no don't go!"

Taking his massive hands in her own she blessed them with a press of her lips as his skin felt on fire ...

"I will be back, now *wings flapped once as her face was so close her lips brushed his as she spoke* wake up my chubbles" her whispered the last thing he heard as her eyes burned in his memories

Eyes shot open

As a slow Grin placed on his face

"Chubbles?" A partial laugh came from his lips as he looked to ciling..."I like it....."

"My Blossom"

[greetthedawn]

AN:

Hey y’all! It took me longer than I expected to write this one, but I’m happy with what I came up with. Shout out to my old roomie who watched me do a full Black Flag playthrough so she could be my beta reader for this story. Luv u girl <3

A twist, a tale, a rip through my sail

And we’re made to watch the walls fall down

Cause goodbye’s too strong, too strong a word

When I’m weak from everything that I’m told

Yes, I’m weak from everything that I’m told

And I’m weak from all the things that I know

            The sun was setting over Havana’s port and color danced across the clouds like a tapestry in the wind. Edward was reclined against the stone wall that loomed over the gently rolling water in the port. He used the tankard in his hands to muffle his amusement while his beloved rebuked their crewmen for their spending habits. As predicted, most of the lot had blown their earnings on an assortment of funs and fancies before their second night in the city had begun. Unfortunately for them, this was not the day to come asking young Master Kidd for extra handouts.

           Mary somehow towered over a gunner no less than a head taller than she was, nearly chest to chest. Her arms were crossed, and she held her chin high. The poor lad she was grinding beneath her metaphorical boot hung his shoulders low and stared intently at anything that wasn’t his quartermaster’s unyielding, narrow-eyed glare. In one hand she held a shiny new knife that would look impressive to most. However, compared to the cutting glint of Venganza menacingly strapped to her hip, he thought it would appear better suited alongside a dinner plate.

           “Tell me, Powder Monkey Herraro,” she condescended. “You bet this strumpet… how much coin, that your cock was more threatening than you new knife?” She gave her wrist a wiggle for emphasis, letting the fading sunlight bounce off the polished blade in her hand.

           Herrero cleared his throat. “I bet half, sir.”

           “Half of what, Herrero?” Mary arched her scarred brow expectantly.

           “Half my wages, sir.” The man rolled his shoulders nervously. Edward could tell he was hoping to appeal to Kidd’s infamous moral scruples with his honesty. He wasn’t sure what her punishment for deception might be, as none had ever dared, but he or any sane man would be loath to find out.

           Mary inched closer to Herrero, peering up at him intently. “Let me finish your story for you, man. Jaysus knows I’ve heard it before. She took up your bet, you had a few more drinks, and when it came time to perform you lost your nerve.”

           Herrero swallowed – his pride, clearly – and nodded with great shame and embarrassment evident in his manner.

           Mary smirked and slapped the flat of the blade to the man’s chest. She stepped back and let him cautiously take it from her hands. “No world-wisened woman believes a boastful man. Those who can support their claims have no need to brag, and they have no need to flash shiny objects for a lady’s admiration. A knife like that says fresh gold. That’s blood in the water to a lady of pleasure, and a mark who’s too pickled to get it up makes for light work.” She turned and strode toward Kenway, leaving Herrero to face the raucous ridicule of his crewmates. “Sell the knife,” she called back as she walked away. “It’ll keep you fed til you prove to me you can handle the gold I give you.”

           Edward passed her the tankard in his hand as she joined him against the wall. “A tongue lashing like that ought to curb his misbehavior for a time.” He offered a toothy grin of pride. He knew few others who could make men of Herrero’s might wither like ferns before the sun. “You’ve always had a handle on these louts. You’ll be a natural parent, far more disposed to it than myself to be sure.” The warmth in his voice was curbed by a touch of selfish hesitancy.

           She rolled her eyes. “A better parent wouldn’t have lost her child to madmen and murderers.”

           “Are you insulting murderers?” He teased her with mock offense and a sly wink.

           “Oy, mind your step,” she warned with a raised brow, but he could see the warmth of humor in her eyes. “A better parent might not be a murderer, herself.”

           “Oh, on the contrary, I might argue it makes you more suited to parenthood. Refined protective instincts, ability to stand your ground…”

           She shook her head in mild amusement and raised the tankard to her lips, but he reached out to stop her with a light hand on the rim. “You’re not genuinely worried about your fitness for motherhood, are you?” he asked softly.

           She set down their drink on the wall between them. “Any sane man or woman would be. It’s unexplored territory and your aptitude decides an unfair amount of the course for a helpless child, not to mention anyone they ever get close enough to affect. Besides, my… professional affiliations won’t make for the safest upbringing. She’ll make me vulnerable, and that vulnerability puts her on the butcher’s block.”

           He squeezed her wrist, desperately wishing they were in private where he could do more to comfort her, but also knowing she likely didn’t need the reassurance. Moments of self-doubt were rare for her, though when they did happen they were fleeting. Her convictions were unshakable but she had to consider the possibility she might get it wrong, else how could she be sure she was right? “Don’t give a thought to her safety. There’s not a Brother among us who wouldn’t cut down a whole fleet themselves to protect your little girl. And Mary... you never need to worry about your fitness as a parent. You’ve raised me into a man of quality and character all on your own, have you not?”

She smiled at that, warming his heart in the process. “Not that you’ve made it easy, mate.”

           He grinned back cheekily. “What child would, in truth?”

           The corner of his vision sparked in that moment with the aura of a friendly face. Mary must have sensed it too because her head whipped around just as soon as Bell broke free from the mingling crowds of the port market. She tugged on the sleeve of his robes, pulling him after her as they went to greet their young friend.

           “What news?” Edward inquired with a terse urgency to his tone once they had drawn within earshot.

           Bell’s eyes landed on the pair through the throng of traders and he gave a relieved and eager sigh and he way his way over to them. “I did as you said, sirs, and scoped out Ignacio du Mont. He’s a man of modest means, though he seems to live more comfortably than one of his post in the shipping business ought to. All those in the neighborhood that I spoke to sang praises of his leadership in their community, but there seems little remarkable about him outside of those two points.”

           “And the house?” Mary pressed, her demeanor measured yet hopeful.

           “Aye, the address you gave is indeed the du Mont residence,” Bell confirmed. “It’s a grand thing, but aging and in need of some upkeep, and its staff seemed well-treated. Their quarters are on the ground floor, while du Mont resides above with his wife and small child.”

           Mary noticeably stiffened at Kenway’s side. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, checking her from appearing too personally invested in this piece of news in front of their crewman. “What can you tell us about this child?”

           Bell shrugged. “Not much. It’s a wee lad, less than a year of age by my eyes.”

           Mary relaxed under the captain’s fingers, a little disappointed, he guessed. He let his hand drop from her coat.

           “Anything else you can tell us?” Mary questioned, shifting her weight away from Edward inconspicuously.

           “Just this: there are many empty rooms in the house that appear to be equipped for children. When I asked after the family, I learned that they sometimes take in urchins off the street. They care for them, find a suitable couple for an adoption. It’s all quite… philanthropic, though the rooms seem to have been empty for a time.” He hesitated for a moment, somewhat unsure of himself. “If I may be so bold as to assume that your true intent is on one such urchin, I feel confident that du Mont will have some valuable information to help you on your way.”

           Edward bristled protectively, but Mary laid a steadying hand on his shoulder. “Aye, you may be so bold, but I’d ask that you make no further assumptions about this matter,” she confirmed. “It’s not your due to go digging in it just yet. Though I’d wager you’re right about du Mont. I expect he’ll prove a willing font of knowledge.” Her fingers graced the ruby pommel of her dagger lightly.

           Edward grinned at her, his tension turning to anticipation. “I do hope he won’t mind us two dropping in for a chat, then.” He reached into his coat and removed a rather sizable pouch of gold, which he pressed into Bell’s grateful hands. “For your family, as promised.”

           “That ought to pay for a physician and keep your family in food and home until your father is well enough to work again,” Mary added. “If his illness draws on, we’ll be glad to send more. You need only to ask.”

           Bell nodded with eyes wide at the wealth between his fingertips. The Assassins both knew he wasn’t the type of boy to waste a single coin on himself when it was needed elsewhere. It would all certainly make it back to his loved ones. “I thank you, sirs. My family won’t forget this kindness.”

           Mary clapped his shoulder. “Nor will we forget yours. You’ve done us a great service. Now off with you! You’ve a courier ship to catch.” She waved him away with a small smile of confidence on her lips. Edward knew she was pleased with herself for finding this one. It was only a matter of time before they welcomed him to the Brotherhood, he was sure of it.

           Bell nodded gratefully again and scurried off down the docks to find the fastest vessel with a course set for London. There was many a captain that would lie hand over foot to get his hands on that purse with false promises of delivery, but the young boy was a pirate himself and would surely see through such ruses to find a trustworthy sea craft.

           Mary put a hand on her partner’s back and led him down the road into town. The city was beginning to quiet around them as children were put to bed and families tidied up after their supper in the tranquility of dusk. The hum of domesticity hung in the autumn air light as a feather, yet Edward felt it smothering him like a downy pillow as he tried to stifle his uncertainty for their near future. He was grateful, however, for the shadows drawing long across the dusty Havana streets. Their cover allowed them to move toward du Mont’s home with fewer anxious glaces about their surroundings.

           “A foster home,” he mused eventually, breaking through the buzz of insects and the gentle breeze. “Odd that Torres would have such a connection. Did he really deal in children with the frequency to render it necessary?”

           Mary frowned and cast a scolding glance, but he could sense by the steady pressure of her hand on his spine that she wasn’t truly irritated at his remark. “I don’t like to imagine my daughter as a commodity to be bought and sold, or any person for that matter. But I can see why the Templars would value a man like du Mont. They can harm and manipulate their enemies as they’ve done me without having to take responsibility for the child’s wellbeing, and it’s more difficult to keep track of where they end up if another party handles the transactions. It’s almost clever, really. Something I might have done, were I of a different mind about the ethics of it.”

           Edward nodded thoughtfully. “I would have thought it too kind a solution for a man of Torres’ disposition. Perhaps he did hold a soft spot in his heart for babes… though it seems perverse to distinguish them from the other innocents he so sought to control.”

           Mary’s lips pressed into a firm line. “I hope you’re right about that. If this du Mont harmed my girl…”

           “I’ll gladly hold him down while you split his skull.” He pressed a supportive kiss to her temple as they walked. “Though I’d rather toy with him a bit first. I know merciful deaths are your color, but mine run darker yet. You’d be welcome to join me in my fun, however.”

           She smirked at his proposition. “I s’pose I haven’t wrung the whole scoundrel out of you yet.”

           “Would I be any fun if you had?” He punctuated his words with a saucy wink.

           Mary eyed him up and down suggestively. “Perhaps it isn’t the worst thing.”

           By the time they reached the address that Ikal had given them some days earlier, the sun had sunk resolutely behind the mountains and the most commanding sounds in the air were the wind and the shuttering of windows. Mary led the way as they circled the residence. It was a two story home, proud but not immodest, with fading green walls and white trimmings that glowed pale in the dawning moonlight. There was no hint of the heavy security that they were accustomed to dealing with when infiltrating Templar bases. In fact, the building gave no more hint of concern toward intruders than its neighbors did. Edward found it highly suspect, but didn’t voice his unease. If Ikal said this was where they would find their man then this was where they needed to be.

           They found a window sitting open on the second floor at the back of the house, its wispy curtains dancing sleepily in the warm breeze. Mary ran at the wall, kicking off the side boards to push herself into the air and grip the windowsill. Edward stayed on the ground, keeping watch for any patrolmen and waiting for her to scope out the interior. She hauled herself inside and disappeared for a long moment before poking her head back out. She signaled for him to follow, but to do so quietly.

           He sprinted at the house and pushed off the side as she had, propelling himself up to the open window. She took his hand and pulled him in. When his eyes adjusted, he found himself in the dimly lit room of a child. du Mont’s infant son slept to his left, letting out the tiniest of snores every handful of seconds. Carefully, Edward crept to where Mary was crouched at the open doorway, peering into the hall. It was empty. Together they slunk into the greater house. Mary headed with purpose toward the door opposite the landing of the stairs, seeming to sense something within, and quietly, gently twisted the knob. She cracked the door open just enough for them to slip into the room.

           Ignacio du Mont laid by his wife’s side in an opulent four-poster bed that had seen some wear. The emerald green drapery hung loosely around the sleeping couple. Edward snuck to the man’s side of the bed and grabbed a fistful of the heavy velvet curtain. With that in hand, he engaged his wrist blade and pressed one long edge against the exposed flesh of his target’s throat, covering du Mont’s mouth and nose with the cloth to muffle his reaction. The Spaniard’s eyes snapped open, fluttering like wings as he adjusted to consciousness and took in his tense situation.

           Mary hovered at Edward’s side. Her hand rested lightly on the grip of her ruby knife, intimidating but not yet threatening. “We have no quarrel with your wife,” she hissed lightly through the darkness. “Best you come with us, so as not to disturb her.”

           Edward tentatively removed the curtain from du Mont’s face and motioned for him to stand, pressing the blade to his neck a little rougher as a warning. Eyes wide but compliant, the Spaniard held his hands just above his head as he was led into the hallway. The Assassins led him past his son’s room to one at the other end of the house, far from the sleeping ears of his family yet still high enough to hurt should they need to throw him from a window for whatever reason.

           The room they had selected was an abandoned nursery. The walls were a gentle, soothing shade of yellow, and two bassinets were nestled along the far wall. An assortment of toys adorned the shelves and two plush, burgundy chairs sat by the window facing each other. Edward pushed du Mont into one and Mary settled into the other.

           Mary leaned forward commandingly, placing her elbows on her spread knees with her hands clasped loosely between them. Her calm was menacing. “Are you the man the Templars call Ignacio du Mont?” she inquired evenly.

           Their target gave her a nervous, but puzzled look. “Sí, that is my name, though I know not of these Templars you speak of.”

           Edward tightened his knife’s grip on his captive’s skin. “Don’t lie, cockrobin. Your hide won’t thank you for it.”

           du Mont tensed, his fingers digging into the upholstery of his seat. “That is my honest truth, I swear to you!”

           Mary raised a steadying hand. The captain met her eyes and he could tell she believed the squirming Spaniard’s words. He eased up, feeling du Mont relax beneath his grip.

           “Is it true to that you work for the former Governor Laureano de Torres?” Mary pressed.

           du Mont shook his head, looking nervous and a bit confused. “I took contracts from the Governor on occasion, sí, but my day to day work is with a shipping company. Rum, tobacco, sometimes armaments if the price is high enough. That sort of thing.”

           The set of Mary’s mouth firmed, but the sparkle in her fawn eyes gave away her eagerness at his admission. “Tell me, Ignacio, did these contracts ever ask you to deal in the trafficking of humans? What is the price for that, I wonder?”

           Their mark’s eyes grew wide and he threw up his hands in defensive objection. “No, never, sir. The slave trade is a dark and immoral business, simply uncatholic. I would not sully my hands or my family name with it. We are not so desperate for the gold it would bring that I need stoop so low. You dishonor me with the accusation.”

           Mary leaned back in her chair with her hands crossed over her lap, skeptical. “So the Governor Torres has never brought you a child to dispense of.” Her tone was pointed, trapping.

           Understanding dawned on du Mont’s face and he backtracked on his indignation. He shook his head and huffed to the floor. “I must explain. My wife has this passion for children, you see. She herself was orphaned as at a tender age, but was lucky enough to be taken as a ward… Others are not so fortunate. We house children in crisis around the city as there is a need for it. You can see from our relatively vacant home that she has quite a knack for finding suitable families for the sweet babes that cross our door, and has gained some pleasant notoriety in the city for her work. This news reached the Governor at some point and he offered to aid our efforts. A few times over the years, Torres’ men would bring us a child or two. Sometimes they stayed for a time before the Governor sent to retrieve them, and other times we were asked to find them loving homes. Such children always came with a hefty donation… and a request for discretion.”

           The man’s passion for his cause seemed true, but his last words stirred Edward’s blood. “Did you not think to ask who these young ones belonged to? Did the cloak and dagger of it not rouse your suspicions?”

           du Mont raised his hands concedingly. “In truth, they did at times. At first we suspected them to be the Governor’s bastards, and might have left it at that had there not been so many over the years. But what power did we have to investigate? And how could we do so without having to admit to ourselves our own part in any nefarious plot? It would ruin my wife. The only power I possess is to care for and nurture these innocent souls and to place them with families who will do the same. And every man must make compromises. Their price has permitted us to take in many others who come to us through honest means, children we might otherwise have needed to turn away.”

           Mary nodded thoughtfully, less irate, more understanding than Edward himself. “I respect your motives, but not your methods. Unfortunately, those are personal to me. You see, one of these little ones came to you straight from my own arms, robbed from me at her birth.” She leaned in closer, her eyes imploring, attempting to appeal to the loving parent in du Mont. “You’re a father. You have a young son. You can imagine how I must find my daughter, how I have died everyday that I have been unable to do so since that morning last April when she was stolen from me.”

           “April?” du Month started. He gave a heavy sigh and glanced at Edward patiently but warily. “May I stand? I have something you may like to see.”

           Kenway let him rise, but kept his blades at the ready should their new friend make a move to escape. The Spaniard led the way down the stairs with the pirates at his tail and took them into a study. He went directly to his desk and ran his fingers along the underside of the table’s lip. There was a soft click and a hidden drawer popped out at the side. He gently lifted a small, blue notebook from within.

           “It was never a direct condition of our arrangement that I wasn’t to keep records on the children Torres brought to me, but I don’t suspect he would be pleased that I have. Regardless, the secrecy made me uneasy and I wanted insurance should their origins come back to haunt me as you have this night.” He handed the book to Mary. Edward loomed at her shoulder, watching as she thumbed through the pages, seeking one dated April 1721.

           “I remember your girl. She came to me still slick from the womb. We seldom get them so small, and we feared for a time that she wouldn’t make it… but she had strength in her. I particularly enjoyed having her here. She was a quiet, agreeable thing.”

           “Not at all like her mother then,” Edward quipped playfully, earning himself a dark glare from Mary.

           “Here,” his partner breathed when she landed on the page. There was an address - a plantation at Matanzas - and three names: the adoptive couple, Thiago and Catalina Reyes, and their adopted daughter.

           “Maria?” Edward remarked incredulously.

           “Sí, that’s the name the Governor gave when she was brought to us,” du Mont confirmed, perplexed at his change in tone.

           His lover laughed out loud, and the sound was angry. “That codger…” She turned to du Mont and explained, “The mother was an englishwoman named Mary. She… didn’t get on with the Governor. Giving her child the Spanish iteration of her name, I suppose it was both a tribute and an insult. A way to honor the mother and their quarrels, yet possess the daughter as spoils of war.”

           du Mont nodded. “Indeed, I knew Torres to have an ever slightly perverse sense of humor. Still, he paid well, and your child was no exception. The money was put to her good care, I can assure you.” He took the book back from her and ripped out the page concerning Jennifer before locking it safely back in his desk. “I don’t know what your quarrel was, but believe you me, I have no affiliation with him past what we’ve discussed, and no stake in his affairs. I am sorry for the part I played in your daughter’s kidnapping, and for the pain it caused your family. I am not in the business of separating parent and child. Quite the opposite, actually.” He offered the paper to Mary, who took it gratefully.

           “Thank you for your help, and for keeping my girl safe during her time here.” After pausing in contemplation for a moment, Mary reached into her coat and pulled out a pouch of gold. It bore the Assassin insignia. She dropped the sack onto du Mont’s desk with a soft thud and the jingling of coin. “You and your wife do noble work here. If you ever seek to do business with a more honorable cut of folk, show this symbol at your threshold. Our friend Rhona will know to seek you out.”

           du Mont smiled amicably. “I will keep it in mind. Now go in peace, dark friends. Your daughter awaits.”

           Mary nodded in farewell and started out the door. Edward lingered a moment, hesitant. His insecurities and fears about this child mounted again at this new information, holding him back from following the person he cared about most. They were so close to finding Jennifer, but every step they took closer to her took him one step closer to an irrevocable change in his relationship with her mother. Jenny would always come first in Mary’s eyes, as she damn well should. Would he be able to prioritize her the same way, this child that should have been his but now never could be? Mary would expect it of him. If he was a good man, he’d be up to the task. Maybe someday he’d get there. He just had to hope that happened before he could ruin himself in Mary’s eyes once and for all.

           The woman he loved paused just outside, looking back at him expectantly. “Coming, Kenway?”

           Looking at her in the moonlight, strong and healthy and alive, he knew this was not the greatest thing he would be willing to overcome to stay by her side.

           “Aye,” he called back, his voice catching every so slightly. He turned to du Mont and gestured farewell. “Cherish your wife and son,” he advised. Looking around the plush, modest study he added, “You’ve been blessed with a good life here. I envy you for it.”

           He followed Mary out of the house, leaving behind their slightly puzzled new friend to mull over the strangest night of his recent years. With a hand on his partner’s back, the two Assassins set off down the road toward what Edward hoped would become the happiness and satisfaction he so craved.

A sound, a light that rips through the night, now too far away

But when I follow my heart, it leads me to you

When I’m weak from everything that I’m told

Yes, I’m weak from everything that I’m told

And I’m weak from all the things that I know

           The moon hung low on the horizon. Its silver reflection reached out across the sea, stretching toward Edward only to be broken apart by the waves just before reaching him on the shore. The captain sat tucked into the sandy slope of a kingston beach, bare-chested and bare-footed. He wiggled his toes deeper into the soft, bleached grains before him, still somewhat warm from the hot, sunny day. The temperature cooled each inch he dug deeper. Flecks of it clung to his arms and legs and hugged the damp bottom-third of the bottle at his side like a sleeve askew.

           While Mary had gone back to the Jackdaw to make the necessary preparations for their trip at first light, he had come to commune with the sea as he always did when he felt he was losing control. The ocean was one thing he knew he had command of. Here, he was a devil and a king. He inspired fear in his enemies and loyalty in his friends. There was no battle he couldn’t win, no place that was barred to him. Try as they might, these West Indies couldn't seem to kill him.

           What he couldn’t control, however, was his future. Tomorrow night, his relationship with Mary was decidedly going to change. Tomorrow, Mary herself was going to change. She would be a mother in more than just blood and name. He couldn’t say for certain how that might affect their dynamic. Their relationship, their partnership, those were sometimes strained and always carefully balanced. This child would throw a very sturdy weight onto one side of all things. Could they learn to compensate? Edward couldn’t be sure. Mary was so firey and he was so hard-headed. How would the responsibilities of parenthood interact with those traits?

           Moreover, he couldn’t control how tomorrow would go for Mary. There were so many unknowns, so many variables, that he couldn’t ensure the day would go to plan. He couldn’t predict how receptive young Jennifer would be to the change, or if she would be able to understand what was happening. His feelings about this girl’s origins and the potential ramifications on his own life aside, Mary deserved to be reunited with her daughter. Even if it meant he had to give her up altogether to make it happen, then so be it. He would do whatever he could to make their mission a success along with their life thereafter, but ever since that night he’d pulled Mary out of that reeking prison cell he’d had a crippling fear of not being able to do enough. A fear of being too late.

           The sound of familiar footsteps at his side flushed his chest with warmth. The small, rough hand on his bare shoulder was a welcome reminder that he didn’t do this - or anything else - alone. He looked up to see Mary, not James Kidd, at his side. Her hair hung loose, gently lifted here and there by the warm breeze winding around them. She was dressed down to a white blouse with simple trousers and no boots. Her expression was more relaxed than he had seen it in a week, much to his pleasant surprise. “Mind if I join you?” she asked in a murmur.

           In response he took her hand and pulled her down to the sand next to him. She leaned her shoulder against his and gazed our across the water. The waves broke with a soothing, steady roar, their crests five deep as they rolled in toward the beach.

           “You’ve been out here quite a while,” she observed after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

           He turned his head and pressed a small kiss to the crown of her head. She smelled like salt, sweat, and smoke. “Aye, I wanted some quiet. Needed to do a bit of thinking. Did you get on all right with the crew?”            She nodded. “The damp louts will be right and ready come dawn,” she said in a scoff, rubbing the back of his hand affectionately with her thumb.

           He smiled lightly at her irritation with their ever-intoxicated crew and squeezed her fingers. “It is my great regret that I didn’t steal you aboard the Jack years ago. If only Adé had forced my hand a year or two soner.”

           Mary laughed at that. “As though you could have talked me into it, at the time. Or as though you’d have even asked. You’re well aware I’d have used it as a chance to guilt you into joining our Creed, and we both know how eager you were to subject yourself to that back then.” She elbowed him in the ribs teasingly.

           He playfully shoved back before letting out a wistful sigh and hanging his head. “No, you’re wrong about that. I would have jumped at the chance to sail with you. I know I wasn’t an easy man-” She cut him off with an arched brow. He returned a cheeky grin and revised his statement. “-am not an easy man to call friend, but Mary, even then I craved your approval. Yearned to stand at your side an equal in character, worthy of being spoken of in the same breath as you and your brothers. I thought I could go about it my own way, thought that riches and reputation could buy me that right. I tried, Lord knows I did, but I almost lost you for it, and did lose so many others.” His thoughts wandered sadly to their motley family in Nassau, long gone. Thatch, Anne, all the rest more colorful and abrasive.

           She held his gaze calmly with affection and concern in her sharp eyes, staying silent as though she could sense there was more he wasn’t saying. And there was. He didn’t want to say it, was loath even to think it in the shadowed privacy of his own mind. Maybe it was the alcohol swimming about in his veins, however, or that look she was giving him, the patience that always broke him to pieces in the end, but he felt it needed said. Tomorrow would be a different life from the one they were living in that moment on the beach beneath the waning moon. If he didn’t tell her that night, he would most certainly take it to his grave.

           With an anxious huff and a heavy pull from his bottle of rum he continued, his words directed at the rolling waves before them. “More than anything, I hope I would have asked you aboard because I wonder what might have been different in our lives if we hadn’t spent those few years apart.” He pulled his hand from hers, ashamed. His fingers dropped to grab fistfuls of sand, letting the grains sift through them like the wasted days he might have spent loving her instead of his gold. “My cursed partnership with Roberts, your arrest, our long months languishing away just there.” He nodded toward the dim horizon where the lights of Kingston jail glittered in the night across the bay, deceptively and offensively beautiful. He swallowed hard as his throat tried to trap his next words in his chest. “But mostly… I hope Jennifer could have been mine. My blood. No other man’s.” He tried to keep the jealous venom out of his tone but it was all he could do to get the idea past his lips. Controlling his emotions was out of the question. With a rough sigh he conceded, “It’s a natural consequence of my past choices that she is not. But I do hope I could have found a way to be worthy of that honor. To win your favor each night, to make you so satisfied, body and soul, that you need not visit another man’s bed or spend your days in the light of his affection. To be enough. A joy and not a burden.”

           Mary was still as he said all this, carrying on with her patient silence. When he dared glance at her, she was studying the horizon. Her wrists were draped loosely over her knees and her thumbs picked absently at her middle and ring fingers as they sometimes did when she was deep in thought, carefully selecting her words. He couldn’t name the emotion on her face.

           “Anne always said he reminded her of you,” she started after a tense moment of quiet had passed between them that, to Edward, didn’t seem like it would ever end. “I never saw what she did in that. But each of you was after the same thing as the other, something more meaningful than base gold and drink. Esteem, respect, community. Perhaps that’s what she always meant. He was the only man dry enough to fight beside us women that night. He was killed in the struggle while the drunken rats cowering below deck got their fair trial. Twisted fate, that. I never had the chance to tell him I was with child, but I think he’d have been happy. Proud, even. I didn’t love him, nor did he love me to my knowing, but we respected each other, and he’d have made a good father. His name was Jamie. My girl has his red hair.” She turned to face him and placed a hand on his knee. “I’m not going to soothe your ego, Kenway. I have no regrets for these past few years, though I can’t speak for what I might have done had things unfolded in any other manner. But I know my course lies with my daughter, and there’s room alongside us if you’re as certain of your heading as I am of mine. Given time, who knows? Perhaps one day there will be a child that’s equal parts your blood as they are mine.”

           Edward’s insecurities didn’t melt away as she spoke, explaining her side, nor did he feel any more settled about the past and his own regrets. Maybe, though, that was a good thing. His ghosts and regrets were almost welcome friends now. They were the driving force for his ambitions, a somber glimpse at the darkness that awaited him should he ever slip into his old ways, the easy ways. Each morning and night he faced them and counted up his deeds to assure himself they would never again be his reality, would not rob him of even one more day of happiness than they already had. Mary, their future together, even a child one day… they would be his reward for staying his course. He had a feeling that Jennifer would serve as both a ghost and a reward.

           He kissed her then, forcefully. “I can wait for that day,” he promised her. “Because Jennifer is a part of you, and there’s not one damned piece of you that I don’t love more than any of my own.” And he meant that. Until the day that they were ready for another, and every day after that, he would love that little girl as though she were his very own, because she was Mary’s and Mary was his from then and forever more. At last.

Do you think of me when you look to the sea?

I know it’s hard to grow when you’re pushed to your knees

I know our time will pass, your love, it will last

Darling, we will never break

Never break, darling

Song: To The Sea - Seafret

[rwbyremnants]

WARNING: Nsfw for lesbian reasons.

NOTES: Hey! So this shortish oneshot is actually older than SWTD, and is the first that’s a joint effort between me, BangAYang and YangingAround. It was lost in the recesses of my external hard drive but I dusted it off and gave it a makeover, and now here it is. Happy Yuletide!

                                                 H O T    S T U F F

The door to the Beacon Academy dorm room slammed open, bouncing off the wall with a deafening thud. Framed in the doorway was Weiss Schnee, and she did not seem at all amused.

"YANG!"

Having been fully captivated with her task of fixing the damage her beloved Ember Celica had taken in their last battle, Yang Xiao Long had not heard Weiss's footsteps and was caught completely off guard. In her startled state, she managed to fall from her perch upon her bed and land on her face.

"Ow…" After a moment of laying there in her shame, she looked up at the petite woman before her, the scar over her left eye seemingly throbbing with rage. "What the hell?"

"What, pray tell, do you suppose this is?" Dangling from her delicate hand was a pair of yellow ‘boy shorts’ underwear. The words "Hot Stuff" were emblazoned across the rear in huge red letters, the tops stylised to look like flames.

"Hm?" Yang's eyes scanned the piece of cloth before her and a smile spread over her face. "Oh, yeah. I thought you could use a gift, and who doesn't need a pair of confidence-boosting panties? I mean, really, it's a must-have for your drab days of grey clouds – and lets face it, all your days are covered in grumpy clouds." She smirked cheekily.

Weiss's eyes flew wide, incensed. After a long moment, she stomped a few feet further into the room on her prissy heels and snapped, "Really? Is that why you left them hanging on the doorknob of the bathroom? An odd place to leave such a personal 'gift', isn't it?"

"Sorry, did you want me to personally put them on you?" Yang asked as she got back up to her feet, adjusting her clothing and straightening up.

Sputtering, Weiss flung them at Yang, who caught them easily. "N-no! What?! Why would you even say something like that, you dolt?! I am perfectly capable of dressing myself, thank you very much!"

"Oh come on, lighten up; it was a joke." She smiled coyly. "So you don’t want them, then? I think I might be a little hurt. I spent three days trying to find just the right ironic pun to give the Ice Queen."

"Stop CALLING ME THAT!" Weiss whined, stamping her foot. "And no, I don't want your smelly old panties! You probably left them there because you were afraid we'd kick you out if we had to suffer with the stench any longer!"

Her brow rose and her slender arms crossed over her ample chest. "Wow, rude. You think with all that money you have, you could at least purchase some manners?"

At that, Weiss looked as if she had been slapped. Regaining her composure, obviously with great effort, she said, "My manners are impeccable. And what would you know? You're just an odorific street thug who happens to have a decent weapon and a decent semblance. I don't know how you and your sister even made it to Beacon, really."

"And you're just a scared little girl who bought her way in here with good looks and daddy's money. Now that we're on the same page, I'm starving. Would you like to grab lunch?"

The offer to go eat caught Weiss off-guard. "I... but we were..." Then her eyes narrowed. "This whole time, you've just been trying to upset me, make fun of me! Like you hate me! Why would you DO that?!"

Yang let out a short bark of laughter. "Yes, because you buy gifts for the people you hate! Remind me to pick up a lovely necktie for Cardin!"

At that, Weiss glanced down at the panties on the floor, then back up to Yang's face. "Are you... those really were for me? You didn't forget them in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, they really were. Brand new and just for you." The tall blonde gave a shrug. "But if you don't want them, that’s cool. I was just trying to be friendly. Seems like most people don’t like to extend their hand to you for fear of getting slapped – and gee, I wonder why! I figured it was at least worth a shot."

Weiss's face began to redden with combined irritation and shyness. "But it's such a personal... do you know where panties GO?"

Yang flashed her a big cheeky grin as she spoke. "Oh, God no! I mean, they came with instructions but I’ve never used them before, so I got intimidated and just decided to leave it all up to you."

"You ignoramus!" Knowing that her cheeks were bright red by now, she turned and folded her arms. "Why did you think I needed panties, much less ones that say something so, so... crass?!"

“I figured the ones you have must always be up your ass, with the way you act; figured these might make you a little less grumpy."

The slow turn of Weiss's body was like the inevitable movement of a glacier. "How... dare you! I... how dare you, how DARE you!" By the end of this, she was literally jumping up and down. The tantrum brought the widest of smiles to Yang’s face, and when she started jumping she couldn’t help but laugh so hard her whole face was red.

"Oh man, was that worth it!"

Weiss reared back and slapped Yang across the shoulder with the heel of her palm, just hard enough to let her teammate know that the comment was not appreciated. "I do not have anything up my- up there! You take that back!"

Yang, still laughing, gripped her now sore arm and rubbed it. "Oh don't be so stiff, that was gold! Just put some ice on that burn and lets go get lunch."

"STIFF?!" She huffed and puffed for a moment, staring Yang in the eyes –her laughing, violet eyes. Then she rolled her own. "Your sense of humor is not appreciated, Xiao Long."

Yang attempted to pout but she was still laughing a little too hard for the full effect. "Lighten up, Princess! One of us has to have a sense of humor."

A scoff escaped Weiss’ throat as she strode from the room, not bothering to check if Yang was coming as well. After wiping the tear from her eye, Yang noticed that Weiss had stormed off and promptly scurried after her. "Hey! Wait up! Aren't you supposed to move at a glacial pace?!"

The two of them were getting better, even if it was difficult to believe. Yang could well remember the days when their fights were actual fights, and not just petty bickering over trivial matters. Weiss Schnee was the heiress to an entire fortune in Dust, and she acted like it; snooty and spoiled. But she was a good teammate, and down deep beneath the whining and the entitlement, she seemed to be a halfway decent person. It would just take them some time to find middle ground on a regular basis.

Having just spent a good two hours in training, Yang made her way into the locker room, ready for a shower. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement; turning her gaze, she noticed Weiss fidgeting with something in her locker. "Hey there, what are you up to?" she asked, using a towel to dab the sweat from her brow.

"AAAH!"

After a flurry of movement, Weiss was holding a towel in front of her body as she peeked around the locker door. "Who is- oh no, it's YOU!"

Offering a smirk in return for the expected greeting, Yang gave her a wink. "Sure is, the one and only."

"I m-mean-" Weiss cleared her throat and tried again. "So. Did you have a good, um... whatever it is you thuggish types do with yourselves?"

"Training session? Yes I did. Beat my personal record on targets taken out in thirty seconds." She beamed oh-so-proudly. "What are you up to, besides being very nude?"

"I'm not nude! I'm just... not fully clothed yet. It wouldn't be decent for me to prance around like this." Then she tried to shift the topic back again. "H-how many targets?"

"200 targets, thirty seconds, 360 degree range." Yang nonchalantly began stripping herself of her sweaty workout clothing.

"Im- impressive." It was clear Weiss was trying not to care about the damp tank top being flung on the bench, or the sneakers that thudded into the bottom of Yang's locker. But when she saw the panties once her shorts had joined the tank top, she pointed and yelped, "HOT STUFF!"

Mildly surprised, Yang glanced over her shoulder at the woman. “Why, thank you! Not so bad yourself, Schnee!” She flexed her glutes for good measure, and laughed when she saw Weiss’s cheeks get a little rosier.

“No, no! Those underwear you’re wearing!”

"Oh…" Yang craned her neck to see her own butt. Sure enough, it was the same proclamation emblazoned across her cheeks. "Well yeah, you didn't want them so I figured I'd make them look good, instead." Her tone was light and her facial expression coy.

"No, but... then whose are these?!"

When Weiss stomped over with her towel hanging to one side, it became obvious that, against all odds, they were wearing matching underwear.

"HAH! You did take them! I knew it!" Strategically, Yang had bought two pairs, hoping a situation like this might have come out in the end. "Man, was I right about picking those out for you."

“Nooooo! But- you-" Only then did Weiss realize how ludicrous it was to believe someone else – anyone else at Beacon Academy might own the exact same panties, and that she might have stumbled across them. Also, that she was still standing there in nothing but those and an undershirt. "I..."

Stripping herself of the last of her sweaty clothing, Yang picked up her towel and rubbed her sore shoulder. "I’m gonna grab a shower. You’re welcome to join me, Frosty." She spoke in a teasing tone, still half admiring the way the garment sat on Weiss's hips.

It was clear Weiss didn't even know what to think or where to look. Firstly, she was nearly bare. Yang was bare. For some reason, knowing that they had both been wearing the same design of underwear a moment ago – and that Yang had touched them both – was making it hard for her to think rationally. But that was ridiculous! They had seen each other in the locker room plenty of times. Why should matching underwear make any difference? What was the matter with her?

"I... had a shower this morning, I just wanted to change out of my uniform."

"Suit yourself." Yang shrugged, taking a few steps in the direction she needed to go before she paused with a devilish grin. "You'd probably end up more dirty than clean, anyway."

"Wh-what?" Weiss felt her mouth run dry as she glanced around at the rest of the locker room, desperately hoping no one else could hear her. They were alone, luckily; most people either showered much later, or in the morning. "Just what are you implying, Yang?"

The coy smile turned into a cheeky grin. "Oh, I don't know. You'll just have to wonder, Princess."

She didn’t bother to wait around for Weiss's rebuttal, but instead disappeared behind a curtain. The sound of a squeaky faucet being turned broke the thick silence she had left, and soon after the familiar noise of running water hitting tile followed.

A deep confusion settled over Weiss as she looked down at the towel she was squeezing in a death grip. First, they're wearing matching underpants. Next, Yang invites her to shower together. Together! And the phrase “end up more dirty than clean” heavily implied something that did not normally transpire between two women. And why did she keep thinking about Yang's body? She had seen it before, but this was not the same. There had to have been something different about it from before, but what?

It was imperative that she checked. Walking as softly as the cold tile could allow, she paced forward and nipped the curtain aside slowly, just enough to peer through...

Yang's muscular and slim body shone in the fluorescent light, the water having reflected it off the contours in all the right places. Idly, she scrubbed the sweat and grime from her gorgeous pale skin, blonde hair clinging to her body as it became heavy with water.

'This is wrong,' Weiss thought to herself with sudden realization, pulse ticking up a notch. 'Yet... I must observe her. Something is different about her, I know it!'

Yang let it go for another couple of seconds before she opened her mouth. "You know, for a privileged girl that claims to have manners, you’re certainly not using them. It’s rude to stare."

Every drop of blood in the younger girl's veins froze. Yang didn’t even bother looking back; the cool air slipping in through the opened shower curtain had alerted her to Weiss's presence a while ago. She had been discovered – Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, was peeping!

No. No, she was not peeping. There had to be something else she could do besides let that accusation stand.

"I..." Desperation forced the words out of her mouth. "I was j-just thinking about joining you, after all!"

If the way she dressed wasn’t any indication that Yang had nothing but confidence about her body, then the fact that she turned around and faced Weiss fully certainly was. "Well, I'd suggest taking the rest of your clothes off for that."

There really was no choice. Either she got into the shower, or she admitted that she was staring at Yang, which had implications that could not be allowed. "I… Okay. You promise not to make any more jokes like that one you made a moment ago? Because I can't tolerate that! I won't have people thinking such things about me!"

Yang's brow rose. "Like what? I don’t recall saying anything uncalled for."

"You know," Weiss went on as she hid her body behind the shower curtain while unclasping her bra. "Th-that comment about getting... d-dir... dirtier." Why was it so hard to finish that single word?

Yang grinned like a predator, wide and toothy. "Again, totally not uncalled for."

"But you can't! You can't say things like that while we're in there together!"

"And why not, Princess?"

“It's undignified!" Weiss yelped as she hooked her thumb over the hem of her underwear. Until the topic had been resolved, however, she couldn't follow through on the action. "People might get the idea that we're... that we've been..."

Yang stepped forward and pulled the curtain back and away from in between them. "What? Dirty? What’s wrong with that? Live a little."

Weiss gasped, pulling the towel over her chest again, backing up a step. "Wait, I- I'm not a- are you saying we should?!" Then she narrowed her eyes. "You're saying you don't care if people think we're doing things like that? What kind of harlot are you?"

"I'm not saying we should ‘do’ anything, Schnee. I’m just offering for you and I to get to know each other a little better – offering for you to unwind a little. No one else has to know, but it’s totally up to you." This entire time her tone had been teasing and nonchalant simultaneously.

Weiss decided she had enough of being the one everyone teased. It wasn't acceptable that she always got angry because she had been raised with elegance and refinement, and meanwhile everybody else got to have a laugh at her expense. It was infuriating and unfair. At the same time, Yang really did sound like she wanted to talk, to exchange ideas. Ruby was her partner, but Yang was on her team as well, and this could only help them function better as a unit. Disgusting insinuations and teasing aside, what could it hurt?

"Fine. I will shower with you and we'll see just how honourable you can be in there, harlot."

Raising a brow, the blonde held the curtain open for her. "Fine. We'll see, indeed."

Weiss merely stared at her for a long moment. "Well?"

"Well get in here! You have to be in the shower to shower!"

"Aren't you going to turn around while I finish undressing?"

"You're going to step into the same shower as me, and you think me seeing you undress is gonna change anything once you get in here, anyway?"

Weiss knew her face was already as red as it was going to get. The only way for her to save face was to pretend to be a lot braver than she felt at the moment. "Fine!"

Heart in her throat, she draped the towel over her shoulder and grasped the sides of her panties, eyes locked with Yang's the entire time as she slowly slid them down and stepped out of them. Never once did the tall blonde's gaze stray from Weiss's. It was almost like she was challenging her back.

"Great! Bravo, good job, so proud. Now hurry up and get in here; water's a-wastin'."

Jaw set, Weiss held the towel out to one side and hooked it over the nearby peg, then stepped a pace closer to Yang, fists at her side and chest heaving as they stood bare before each other. Her every action issued a challenge. Impressed with the proper girl's gall, Yang stepped aside and let her pass untouched... for now.

They headed into the twin streams of fresh water and Yang grabbed the shampoo. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that Yang's body was covered in various scars – each one a mark of a fight she'd survived, a battle she'd lived through. A reminder that she was only human, that her world was hard and real and her spot at this academy had been earned through toil and bloodshed.

"Y… " But Weiss let the word die before she finished it. What else could she say that might possibly be of any use after the hundreds of days that must have passed since Yang received each of those marks? Her finger drifted to her own scar as she finally stepped under the water and allowed her hair to begin soaking it up. They had all been through a lot, it was true, but Yang seemed content to bear hers with a smile, to forget all about it instead of… doing what Weiss did. Using it as an excuse to shut everyone out.

Stepping aside to lather the soap in her hair, Yang made sure to actively keep her gaze from lingering – especially to keep Weiss from seeing her doing so. She was letting the younger girl’s curiosity build, and thus her strategy would unfold.

"Yang?" she finally spoke up.

“Mhhm?" came the absentminded reply as she worked the rest of her long hair into a manageable mess, tangled in the suds of the perfumed shampoo.

"You can tell me this is none of my business," Weiss continued as she edged close enough to grab the soap, doing her best not to look at her teammate again. "But... all those scars on your back..."

Yang seemed unfazed by the question. Her upper body followed her hair’s example and was soon covered in the lather. "What about them?"

As she started churning the soap in her hands into a cloud of suds, Weiss asked softly, "Where... did you get all of them? That seems like a lot for someone so close to my age."

“I'm a street thug, remember? " she answered idly. "A ruffian, with no place at this school." Every once in a while, Yang's super confident and altogether high-energy personality took a passive aggressive turn in a subtle manner. This was one of those times. The small satisfaction that came from making Weiss eat her words in such a somber moment brought a light smirk to her face. "How do you think I got them?"

"Apparently, you really did get them in street fights," Weiss snapped – but even she heard the lack of bite to her tone. Stripped of both her entitled air and her clothes, she was vulnerable. She didn't like it. "Did they hurt much?"

"Some of them." Others stung more with emotional pain than physical. As some scars do. However, she didn't feel like Weiss had earned that much insight into her quite yet.

"Right."

"You don't like me much, do you?" A simple question, but one with a complicated answer, she was sure. Yang knew there was more to Weiss than the girl let on, but they had to start digging if they ever wanted to find the rest.

"Whether or not I like you is irrelevant," Weiss answered easily, rubbing the soap along her limbs, over her stomach. "We're a team now. Our grades and our futures depend on us finding a way to cooperate. But... you said that, too." She fidgeted slightly, hoping the unspoken apology would be enough.

"You'll get more clean if you use this." Yang half-smiled, offering her a loofah for scrubbing purposes. She wasn’t one to hold a grudge for too terribly long, and everyone on her team had some sort of baggage. Ultimately, she hoped their scars would only bring them together; she had hopes of being the best team they could be.

"Right." Weiss reached for the scrubby, then instinctively covered her chest with the other arm when she felt it jiggle slightly, causing her hand to miss the loofah and slide gently over Yang's. "Oops, I- sorry."

The blonde's smile only widened as she relinquished her hold on the object. "No worries."

This wasn't good. Weiss felt like a fumbling child in all the ways she normally felt like a poised and self-assured adult. "Thank you," she whispered belatedly as she used the gift to form more lather.

Having an extra one in tow, Yang returned to scrubbing the rest of her workout away, only struggling when it came to reaching a specific part of her back. "Hey, Weiss, do you mind helping me out?"

"Me?" Instantly kicking herself for asking such a stupid question, she recovered. "I m-mean, I suppose, in the spirit of diplomacy, I could."

Hanging her own scrubby from the hot water spigot, she nervously approached Yang's back, watching as she pulled her wet blonde locks further over her head to allow access. One hand was holding the spongy item over her shoulder for her to take, and she did.

"Um... just all over?"

Yang beamed over her shoulder, grateful for help with the difficult task. "Yeah, that'd be great, thanks."

Lips pursing to keep from making another biting comment, since Yang hadn’t earned it this time, Weiss reached out with the loofah at arm's length and just barely brushed it up and down the center of Yang's back, eyes half-closed as she tried to touch and see as little as possible.

"Nah, you gotta scrub it, exfoliate the skin, really get in there," Yang urged, wanting to be as clean as possible. Sure, that’s what she wanted. Sure.

"Hmph," Weiss grunted as she stepped closer. "Aren't you the demanding one?" But she did as she was told. Pushing in a little harder than she would on her own skin, she dragged it up and then down to her tailbone, where she paused. "Exfoliated enough?"

Yang smirked. "Come on, a little more than that. Don’t forget the sides, not just the middle."

Growling, Weiss braced her other hand against Yang's hip as she began scrubbing up and down, finally focusing on the work instead of her own insecurities. As she scrubbed, she asked, "You really do get filthy out there. What do you do, wrestle Beowulves for sport?"

Backfired – oh, this plan had backfired. Yang's cheeks sported a soft blush at the feeling of Weiss's hand gripped so tightly on her hip. It was just a little too close for comfort, even though that was supposed to be the idea in the first place. "Hhm? What? Oh yeah... lots of dirt. Targets. Dirty."

"Dirty seems to be a theme with you," she accused. When she noticed Yang was wobbling slightly from her movements, she raised her hand to a shoulder instead to steady her. "You didn't answer me about your scars, so I apologize if I was insensitive. I don't like talking about mine, either. It's just that... there are so many..."

“Life outside of glamour and fame is a lot harder, Weiss. People don’t constantly try to get on your good side to ride your coattails; they try to take everything from you by force instead." Yang didn’t go into detail. She would rather leave it to the other's imagination.

Weiss's movements slowed and then stopped. She wasn't sure why; she only knew that Yang had a deep hurt buried under that carefree attitude, and that she was scraping the attitude away. It wasn't kind and it wasn't showing interest. It was cruel.

"But you didn't let them," she told her teammate's back softly, hoping it would help. "And now look at you; you're at Beacon, you're going to be a huntress."

"Of course I didn't let them. I didn’t have a choice; I couldn’t let them walk all over me in front of R-" A short pause. "I couldn’t let them take me down so easily. So I took them down instead."

Panic rose in Weiss's chest. She wasn't good with people – and she was even less proficient in comforting them in times of grief. What could she say that would help? Had she ever done such a thing? Yes: once before, with Ruby. But she had coffee for a prop then, and a scrubby sponge wasn't nearly as effective. Or was it?

"You did what you had to do, Yang. It was the admirable course of action. You..." Her hands felt tingly now from where they were placed, but she pressed on, trying to finish the job. "I am proud to fight alongside you."

Few words meant more to the blonde dragon than "I’m proud of you"; for someone with such an extroverted personality, her waters ran deep. She smiled over her shoulder at Weiss. "And I'm honoured to watch your back."

Weiss's heart was pounding in her ears as she met Yang's eyes, grimacing fiercely. They both understood the importance of knowing someone would not desert you in the heat of battle... but Weiss had a feeling that her teammate had seen a lot more combat outside of mere practice.

Then she smiled wryly. "Is that 'watch' or 'wash'? I could use a turn."

The blonde gave a smirk and a small wink. "Why not both?" Promptly after her words, she swiped the scrubby from her shower companion and motioned for her to turn around. "Lets try to make you less dirty, shall we, Princess?"

"Hmm," Weiss said with false annoyance, eyebrows rising. "Princesses don't get dirty." It only occurred to her after she said it that in doing so, she had accepted the nickname. Frowning at herself, she turned away because it was easier than confronting her misstep. "You may cleanse me, pleb."

Being the cocky shit that she was, Yang slid a finger down the pale skin of the winter-haired woman's spine. "Thank you for the opportunity, Your Majesty."

"Hey, hey!" Weiss snapped, looking back over her shoulder at Yang. "No funny business, please! Just... wash!" Then she turned away once more, also pulling her hair over her shoulder the way Yang had as an afterthought.

"Oooh, excuse me! I was only paying homage to your perfection." The fire dragon chuckled coyly before setting to the task of scrubbing the skin she had admired moments before. "Is this better?"

Sighing, Weiss relaxed into the sensation. "Much, thank you." After a few more seconds of silence, she began, "Have you... no, never mind."

Pleased with Weiss's growing curiosity about her, Yang smirked. "No no, please ask, Princess."

"Okay, but don't blame me if this is too personal." Rolling her shoulders as an unconscious physical manifestation of shedding her irritation, she went on, "Have you done this a lot? For Ruby, I meant – not just for random strangers, obviously."

"Which part? Showering together, or washing each other's backs?" Yang inquired idly, scrubbing little circles against her smooth skin.

A little sigh of contentment escaped Weiss's throat as she said, "Either one... but I suppose I meant washing backs."

"I used to wash hers a lot when we were younger. As we grew older things subtly started to change, and she depended on me less. Which is fine. It's what happens when younger siblings get older." The scrubbing had gradually grown a little faster, as if the task could distract her from the subtle sting of reality.

"Oh." Very quietly, Weiss added, "I can relate. Family is like that." Then she winced and said, "Hey, um... not to seem ungrateful, but that's starting to sting a bit."

“What? Oh, right." Yang smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that, wanted to make sure you were really clean. You know, keep up your image as the cleanest slate on campus."

"Your tireless efforts are appreciated, peasant." Then she blinked, turning with her hands on her hips. "Wait, what do you mean, 'cleanest slate on campus'? What is that supposed to mean?"

Yang let out a chuckle and winked at the flustered and confused girl. "Princesses aren't dirty, remember? I'm just keeping up the image."

Both of Weiss's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you weren't implying that I'm mentally deficient in some way?"

It was too easy. "No, I'm implying you're inexperienced." She enjoyed being cryptic just to keep Weiss asking questions.

"Hey!" Weiss jabbed a finger into Yang's shoulder, not particularly hard, but just hard enough to be felt. "I'll have you know that I have been in formal training to be a Huntress since I was ten years old! Even before that, I took fencing, and was practicing my semblance! In what way am I inexperienced?"

Yang, with a much more devilish grin than before, stepped forward into Weiss's space, closer than she had dared before. Barely a breath between them, Yang whispered, "In all the best ways."

With an automatic step backward, Weiss began to stammer, "Oh, s-stop that, I told you not to make jokes like these! You promised to behave yourself!"

With a mock pout, the blonde cooed, "Awww, I was just trying to be friendly and answer your question." With a light chuckle, she turned from the paler woman and stepped under the stream of heated water, rinsing her skin and hair, ridding it of the suds that blanketed the surface.

"I do not think that is a 'friendly' way to approach any situation!" Weiss insisted, stamping over to Yang so hard she left little splashes in her wake. "Insinuating that you... that you and I c-could... no, no, and no!"

"Eh, you're right. You'd be horribly noobish at it, and it'd be a waste of my skill and talent." Her tone was aloof and she didn’t even bother to look at the woman that had addressed her.

"N... noobish? What does 'noobish' mean? How can we even have this conversation if you won't speak coherently?" Hopelessly flustered by the entire situation, Weiss stood as boldly as she could by Yang's side, leaning over slightly to catch her eye. "And who says your 'skill and talent' is anything to be proud of?"

“For a princess, you don’t know your kingdom well. Noobish, newbie, unskilled, green. Got it now?" She tried to keep her expression unreadable. "As for who says I have skills... well, certainly everyone that's experienced them. Five-star reviews across the board."

Deciding to ignore the comments about her being inexperienced in such things – especially because, come to that, she was – Weiss mulled over the implication. "So... one could infer from the way you say that... that you have previously... well..."

A small smirk broke through Yang’s unreadable mask. "One could infer, yes," she answered with a cheeky tone. "Or one could see for themselves."

"Stop that," Weiss said, more softly this time. She was becoming conscious of how close she was to Yang, how quick her pulse had become due to the subject of discussion. "What's it like? And don't say 'why don't you find out' again, I'm merely curious. For academic reasons."

Yang didn’t hesitate to answer, speaking with a self-satisfied grin. "It's exactly like when you touch yourself – except better, because I'm doing it."

At that, Weiss rolled her eyes, though this was somewhat undermined by her steady blush. "Don't be ridiculous. Only degenerates touch themselves like that."

"Oh my God," she breathed as if she had seen the light of truth itself, turning to gape at her.

"Wh-what?" Weiss asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"I totally get it now; you're so grumpy because you never get yourself off! Well, have no fear; it is now my personal mission to get you laid." Yang grinned widely, adding a cheeky wink to the end for effect.

"Wh-WHAT?!" Funny how the same exclamation could sound so different a second time. "To get me- did you say 'laid'?! What does that mean?!" When Yang opened her mouth, she snapped, "Never mind, I figured it out - and that is SO CRASS!"

The blonde gave a light shrug. "Hey, my words may be crass but the mouth that conveys them tends to make it all better... when put to proper use."

A long moment passed with the water falling on the two women, Yang looking smug, Weiss looking completely nonplussed. Distantly, a bell sounded, indicating the beginning of a meal period. Finally, slowly, the shorter of the two teammates found her voice again.

"Are... you aren't joking at all, are you?"

There it was, the first sign the curiosity was outweighing her resolve. "Not at all, Princess," she idly replied, subtly running a brightly-coloured washcloth over the length of her body to draw Weiss's gaze. This tactic worked, and Weiss jerked her eyes away when it drew closer to her lower half.

And then it crashed over her. She was naked, in a shower, with someone asking to do things outside the normal bonds of friendship. This was a terrible situation, indeed.

“O-oh.”

"Is that offensive in some way, Princess? That the dirty street thug would have experience in dirty street thug things?" She gave a self-satisfied smirk and then set about washing her thighs.

"W-well, no," Weiss said anxiously, watching the washcloth move up and down one well-muscled leg. "I... not the thug things. Dirty, however, I... why would you and I ever t-touch each other the way you're suggesting? We're both women!"

It took everything she had not to throw her head back and laugh at just how naïve Weiss was. "Because, Weiss, no one knows a woman's body like a woman. All the right places to touch, the exact amount of pressure to place here… or there." Her tone was husky at this point; she was laying it on thick, no longer hiding behind a playful tone. "Men use women for their own pleasure, and sometimes give some back. Which is fine, I guess. But women pay homage to other women, and worship them like they deserve. You’re never gonna have your mind blown with a guy the way you could by a woman-loving-woman, Schnee."

This was beginning to become too much for the poor, pampered girl to take in. Yang was serious! Not just serious, but insistent, and trying to get her to agree! This was a disaster!

But she shouldn’t panic. This was just another dangerous situation to navigate, just as with her training. Pulling her hair down over her shoulder to at least cover half of her chest, she said, "I-I've never even truly w-wanted to be with any guy, let alone a..." She had been about to say something offensive, but only just managed to stop herself. "And anyway, you don't have the proper equipment to satisfy a woman! Perhaps I'm not as worldly-wise as you, but I studied basic biology!"

The fiery woman's brow rose and she failed to keep all of her offense in check. "Excuse me, but I've never had any complaints. Lots of screaming, sure, but no complaints."

In a rare moment of boldness, Weiss reached forward and lightly slapped the pubic region of her teammate a couple of times. "I don't feel anything here that could do what you're suggesting, Yang! You're not making any sense!"

The taller girl was taken aback slightly by the sudden boldness, needing a moment to blink and suppress a slight groan of detached pleasure, but she grinned all the same. "Oh, you're halfway there. I keep telling you that I’ll show you, but you don't want me to, so I guess your burning curiosity and need to see if I'm right will go unattended forever."

"I just don't see what you have to show me," Weiss growled, already regretting her misstep after seeing the taller girl's reaction to it. This was mortifying. "Y-you won't explain what you mean, and you know I'm not going to let you d-do a 'demonstration', so it's not my fault I'm still uninformed, now, is it?"

"No, you're right; it's mine. Oh well." Yang didn’t say anything after that; she simply ran her body under the stream of water again, relieving herself of the dirtied suds that covered her pale skin. She had baited the lure; now she had to see if the big mouth bass that was her teammate would bite.

"I... but... you..." Both of Weiss's hands went to her scalp and tugged. "ERURGHH! Can you please just tell me how two women can do such things?!"

Her irritation was adorable and amusing. Yang looked thoughtful for a moment before she reached forward and grabbed the smaller girl's hand gingerly, raising it to her mouth, keeping eye contact as she did. "Sure. Y'see, there are plenty of ways to pleasure a woman… without a dick. And these are one of those ways." As she spoke, she brought Weiss's fingertips to her lips.

Instantly, Weiss jerked her hand away. She was no longer furious, or annoyed, or demanding. Clearly she was afraid. Both the unambiguous language and the feeling of soft lips on her fingers were far more than she had been expecting in the next instant.

"O-oh," she merely breathed, clutching the hand to her chest, eyes wide as saucers. "Without a... wh-what kind of ways?"

Calmly, Yang leaned her shoulder against the wall and spoke in a laid-back, nonchalant tone. "Ways with your fingers… tongue… hell, even foreign objects can be fun."

"Foreign- are you out of your mind?! I'm not putting anything in there! Not ever! I don't even use tampons!" Then, utterly ashamed she had just admitted that, Weiss blushed an even deeper shade and looked away. "I use p-pads." It wouldn't do to allow Yang to think she just allowed the blood to fall where it may.

Now Yang couldn’t help but laugh. "Okay, good to know! File that away for a rainy day."

This time, Weiss truly tried to think through this. She supposed one day she would be expected, as an heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, to take a husband. In that event, there would have to be at least one item allowed within her sacred place, whether she was ready to accept it or not. Logically, what was the difference?

But Yang was her teammate. Plus, she was such a brutish barbarian, full of herself. Furthermore, she was a woman. Her parents had taught her for all her life that men marry women, and even when she heard the inevitable whisperings that it wasn't always true, the Schnees quashed them with "what nonsense" and "deviants" without truly discussing the matter. Yet here was Yang Xiao Long, determined to convince her otherwise.

"Have you... really? With other women, I mean?"

There was no hesitation in her reply; she was pretty straightforward in this regard. "Hell yes. I prefer them to men, actually. Men don’t listen to your body's needs like women do."

Swallowing thickly, Weiss looked down at herself briefly before looking back up at Yang's. "Bodies? I mean... my body has needs? I haven't felt any. I'm not really sure what you mean."

"Oh yeah, your body has lots of needs. See, Weiss, it’s not enough to take care of your body nutritionally; there are other tasks it needs. Like washing, and those pads of yours. And more."

"Yes, of course," Weiss said casually, hoping to wrong-foot her teammate, regain the upper hand. Perhaps stop her legs from trembling the way they were at that moment. "Training. And showering, as we are currently pretending to do."

Was she serious? "Weiss, your body has sexual needs, as well," she stated flatly.

"Not my body. Maybe yours does, but perhaps I have evolved beyond such trivial matters." Though she turned away with her arms folded in front of her chest, she continued to watch Yang out of the corner of her eye, curious.

"Tell you what: what if I showed you, by letting you touch me? That way you can stay pure, and you get your answers." She had elected to ignore Weiss's previous statement about being evolved. “What do you say?”

At that suggestion, Weiss felt her jaw drop open. "You- with my- are you INSANE?! You want me to push my hand into your filthy..." At the last second, she somehow managed to rein in her tirade. "Alright. So maybe it isn't filthy, especially because we're currently showering. So I apologize for saying that."

Yang's brow had never risen, and then risen higher, faster in her whole life. An apology from the Ice Queen herself? Deciding to grant her a small mercy, she didn't focus on that and instead went on, "Also, I'd like to point out that you’d be lucky to fit three fingers in me, let alone your whole hand. I don’t know what you got going on, but I run a pretty tight ship – if you know what I mean."

"That isn't..." Weiss sighed, shifting uncomfortably as her eyes unwillingly fixated somewhere in the region of Yang's hip. "Wh-why do I suddenly feel like I'm bathing with a boy?"

"Because you stepped into a ring with a big dog and you were wholly unready to run with the pack," Yang told her matter-of-factly.

"Dog is right," Weiss scoffed. "You... on a scale of one to ten... how serious are you about letting me do that? Not that I care."

"A very solid thirteen."

That made her head feel a few ounces lighter. "Really? Wait... are you... experiencing those kind of urges? With me in here? Right now?" All she gave Weiss was an aloof shrug and a cocky smirk. "Because of me? No, not because of me." Weiss shook her head firmly. "You've just been toying with me because you're already, um, in that type of mood. Right?"

The grin just got wider, watching the normally self-absorbed heiress fumble over her words. Yang gave a very obvious leer down at Weiss’s body as they stood there. And then, though it was the tiniest flicker, Weiss felt something like a hot prickling in her lower regions. None of these sensations or possibilities were familiar, and they terrified her.

"Why?" she whispered softly.

For a moment, Yang was caught between being a complete cocky ass and being a real sweetheart. "Because you're beautiful," she spoke softly. "And my god, that ass of yours." In the end, she had decided somewhere in the middle was best.

Instinctively, Weiss's hands whipped back to cover said ass, but then she realized how silly that was when she was facing toward Yang and moved them back in front of herself, folding them in front. "You... a thirteen out of ten isn't mathematically possible, but if you mean that... if you really want me to... no, no I can't! How could I? This just sounds wrong in so many ways! I wouldn't even know how to start!"

"Why, it’s simple! Just start with a single touch." She spoke as she took a step forward. "A simple caress, that leads to a spark... that leads to a fire... that leads to a blazing inferno." Wow she was laying it on thick.

"Really?" Weiss said in what she hoped was a deadpan. "I just touch you? Fine, here." She raised one hand and laid it on Yang's elbow. "When do the fires start?" "When you place the other hand on the other side, and I lean in real close..." As she spoke, she stepped even further into the younger girl’s space. Yang’s face was two inches away from Weiss's as she spoke. "And tell you how beautiful you are… and how lucky I am to be here, this close, with you." Saying the right thing at the right time was like an art for her.

Suddenly, Weiss felt very small and very weak in the shadow of the taller and more self-assured woman. Yang oozed confidence in equal part with sensuality. That Weiss even noticed her sensuality was cause for alarm. "Lucky? Being in the room with me makes you feel that way? I... why?"

"Because you are one of the strongest, most confident, refined, pedigreed women I know, and you have no reason to waste your time talking to street trash like me." Her lips barely brushed Weiss's ear. "But here you are..."

"I... I know." Weiss couldn't move. Her hands lifted to push Yang backward, but she couldn’t manage it. The caress of air on her ear was paralysing somehow. "I m-mean... all those things you said are true, of course. I know objectively that people consider me to be pretty, and, um… whatever. But why... when you say things like that, why does it sound so different?"

Then, slowly, she moved the hand from Yang's elbow to her side and simply held it there, not even sure why she had. Testing the waters. It was smooth and warm to the touch. Something in her heart felt sick but it was too late to back down.

"Because I mean them," Yang answered simply. "Contrary to popular belief, I’m not just blowing wind up your skirt." And in a way, she really wasn’t. She had been interested Weiss for quite a while, and begrudgingly liked her spunk even if it was with a side of entitlement. To what extent she liked her remained to be seen.

"Just... sorry if I'm being repetitive, but this is so new to me. How much did you mean it when you said I could... could try it out on you, to know what you mean?" Weiss tried to swallow. It didn't work. Her next words were raspy as a consequence. "Because... if you're sure, then... I..."

Yang smirked and let her breath tease the smaller woman’s ear again. "I meant every word of it. You can do as you please." She lifted her fingertips to trace the contours of Weiss's arm idly.

A shiver passed down Weiss's arm at the touch. She was so far out of her depth... but Yang wasn't forcing anything. Teasing, yes, forcing, no.

"Okay," she whispered as her hand drifted down over Yang's hip. "Stop me. I mean... stop me if you should wish to change your mind, of course."

For a moment Yang's heart stopped. This was happening; it wasn’t a game anymore, she had won… hadn't she? "Of course," she reassured the white-haired woman. The blonde took a deep breath and awaited whatever Weiss would allow herself to do.

Belatedly, Weiss realized she had really meant it when she said "stop me". She wanted to be stopped by some outside force, because her body seemed to be determined to follow through. And follow through it did.

It was like a shock of electricity when her fingertips waded through the thicket of blondeness above Yang's center. Her heart sped up and her breath came faster once her brain registered where she was touching. Of course, she had touched there scant moments ago in a moment of jest, but this was not the same. This would lead elsewhere.

A soft exhale wafted over Weiss's neck as her fingers inched downward towards her most sensitive area. "Mmhh…" Yang was careful not to touch Weiss too much; she didn’t want to push the girl into anything. If this was going to happen, it was going to happen on Weiss's terms.

"I... I'm going to go further." She didn't know why, but instinct was telling her to put her other hand on Yang's back – so she did, just in the center, feeling wet hair under her palm. Her fingertips inched lower, listening for any change in breath, any protestation. This couldn't be something Yang really wanted, could it?

Instinctively, Yang's hips rolled into the other's touch, a soft moan escaping parted lips as Weiss's touch lowered. "Please do," she chimed lightly.

"This is completely insane," Weiss breathed shakily as she continued to advance. "Don't know why I let you talk me int- into... o-oh, I think I f-found you." The softness that her middle finger came into contact with was strange enough without the sheer amount of moisture that clung to its surface. That couldn't just be from the shower they were in, either.

"Please, Princess, of all the crazy things you could be doing, this is by far one of the less insane ones." The last word was something more of a whimper. "And y-yeah, that’s me..."

Of course the sensation was familiar; there had been a time or two when Weiss came into contact with herself when washing or adjusting her underwear. However, when she did so, she did not make sounds even remotely close to the ones Yang was making. Biting her lower lip to keep from asking another inane question, she slowly moved her hand further inward until she could feel Yang running the length of her finger, feel it on the fingers to either side.

It was hard for the blonde not to grip Weiss's shoulders, but she kept her hands to herself anyway so as not to scare the smaller woman off. The sensation felt better than she had expected, if she were honest with herself; it apparently had been longer than she thought since her last escapade. "Mmmhhh… that feels good…"

"Of c-course," Weiss breathed, struggling to keep the complete and utter shock out of her voice. "You're being touched by a Schnee. We don't do things halfway."

Of course, they didn't do things like this at all. Biting her lip harder, she slowly moved her hand backward and then forward again, watching this ghastly show play out in front of her and listening for Yang to protest.

A subtle blush overtook the pale skin of the taller woman as the sensations echoed through her nerves. Yang was careful not to make to many noises; didn’t want to freak the newbie out. However, this was proving to be very difficult. Unable to stand it any longer, Yang's hand slowly lifted to run her finger tips down Weiss's arm, a soft moan escaping her lips.

A nervous laugh escaped Weiss's throat. "Okay, y-you can't do that while I'm doing this," she squeaked as she felt her other hand ball into a fist against Yang's back. "Don't touch me. I'm s-supposed to be touching you, right?"

"My bad, Princess," she half-chuckled as she was scolded, withdrawing her hand. "Its just hard not to with your fingers doing such a good job."

"Am I?" Licking her lips nervously, Weiss stepped a few inches closer. "This is my first time trying anything like this, so if you were to, uh, direct my movements somewhat, I would appreciate some instruction. That is, if I need any." Trying to recover her pride, she added, "Perhaps I really am doing it perfectly already."

A soft snort broke the awkward silence that fell between them, and on its tail, the blonde said, "Quick circles and a thrusting motion in the right spot, it's... pretty simple." She paused to grin wider. "I'm sure someone as skilled and perfect as you would have no problem catching on."

Weiss allowed herself a light chuckle, but it sounded more like a cough due to her nerves. "Yes, yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some circles to attempt." Which she did. The way the thin ribbons of flesh slid over her knuckles felt so unnatural that she shivered, but she persevered, determined to see why Yang cared so much about this activity.

"Well, excuse me, your majesty," Yang jested. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her hands to herself, so instead... Yang kept her hands to herself. Slowly, she slid her fingertips up her stomach and over to grip her own breast firmly, humming happily at the added sensation.

It was with morbid and detached fascination that Weiss watched Yang touch the rest of her body. She wondered for a second if this meant she was doing something wrong, hurting Yang, but that didn't seem right. Therefore, she simply kept at it, watching intently for any sign of change. Meanwhile, her own heart was hammering in her chest, and the heat she had been trying to ignore further down on her body was becoming more insistent. This wasn't really something a person could just do to another person, was it?

Practiced fingers worked her breast expertly as Yang bit her lip, trying to stifle any sounds of pleasure that came from the mix of the two touches. Even still, she couldn’t hold back the low needy groan that slipped past her lips.

Another step closer. Weiss felt her hip just barely brush Yang's and froze in place, shivering; this was too close, but she couldn't back up now without seeming like a coward.

"Are... you doing okay?" she asked uncertainly as her fingers continued to drift in lazy circles.

Another cheeky grin disturbed Yang's expression of ecstasy as she replied to her momentary companion. "Oh yeah, doing… mmhhh… just f-fine… you should go a little faster."

"Alright." Her fingers began to trace a quicker circle, feeling both them and Yang's body getting warmer with each movement. "Just, um, tell me when I'm supposed to go inside. Still can't believe you really do that."

Yang's hips slowly started to roll into the attentions. "Y-you can go inside now if you’re brave enough, Snow Angel."

"Really?" Trying to distract herself from her building panic – and other things building elsewhere – Weiss readjusted her stance again but felt herself standing on Yang's foot, so she hastily stepped over. Alas, that put her body even closer than it had been, her stomach pressing into Yang's side. They were so near now. "Um... h-how do you know? When it's ready, I mean. For academic purposes."

"How do you know what?" Yang inquired, wholly enjoying Weiss's closeness more than she intended. "When you’re ready to go in?" Weiss merely nodded as her body began to adjust to Yang's mild and comforting heat against her front. When had it become comforting? "Slide your fingers further down; you should be able to feel a substance of different consistency than the water. Thicker. When there's plenty of that... mmhh... that's when you know you're ready."

That wetness was an indicator of that? "I see," Weiss said softly. "You know, I was going to ask about... nevermind." Then she cleared her throat as the tip of her middle finger began to edge the soft lips aside. "Just... put a finger right in there? Just like that?"

"Y-yes, just like t-that," Yang mused, exhaling softly, heart racing in her chest.

"Well, you're the expert, I suppose." Then, biting her bottom lip hard, she began pushing the finger inward, just a tiny fraction of an inch at a time, her movements more like a thief trying to break into a house without waking anyone rather than someone being intimate.

"Don't be afraid of it, Weiss; you're not going to hurt me."

If it had been anything else, Weiss would have shoved the finger in roughly in protest of Yang's goading. Still, she did take this as a cue that she could move faster. When the finger was in to the second knuckle, she whispered, "H-how's this?"

The elder girl bit her lip, head spinning dizzily. "Yeah, that’s good... n-now curl your finger slightly, and continuously do that..."

Weiss did as she was told, purely because she had no other notions. The strangely rumpled-feeling insides of her teammate caused her some concern, but she supposed she would feel less confused if she had ever explored her own body in this way. This was probably very natural.

Then she felt gentle resistance against her fingertip. "Oh! I... did I go the wrong way? What is this?"

"N-no! Not the wrong way!" Yang all but moaned. "The very, very right way... tha-that's what you want to stroke..."

"Okay," she whispered as she continued to do so, trying not to think too deeply on the murky wetness she was feeling all around her finger, about what she might or might not be prodding inside Yang's body. "Okay, I- and this feels good to you, does it?"

"Mmmhh, that's called th-the g-spot. It's a s-sweet spot of n-nerves."

"G-spot, hmm? Wonder what the 'g' stands f- you know what? Don't answer that." Purely out of nerves, Weiss quickened her movements, listening for whether or not that was pleasurable to her teammate. How could this possibly be something she wanted to pursue? It seemed irrational... and yet Yang's head lolled back and her hands slipped into her hair, a low moan telling Weiss that her actions were doing what she had intended.

It was all Weiss could do not to flee the shower and hide under one of the locker room benches. In truth, however, she didn't want to. This encounter was too intriguing, too scintillating to completely ignore. Her hand was curling as she stimulated this "g-spot" which Yang swore gave her so much pleasure she was barely rational.

She could feel it building. So soon? Too soon. The blonde was already close to her end and Weiss's lightning strokes were not helping in the slightest. "G-geez, I-I'm getting... c-close already. Wow!"

"Close to what?" Weiss asked, almost entirely focused on what her hand was doing, her own breath coming slightly faster from the effort.

Was she really this naive? "T-to orgasming!" she spat out. "My God, what d-do you think?!"

"Orgasming? Y-you mean that thing that people do when they make a baby?!" A squeezing sensation hit Weiss in the chest but she forced herself to ask rational questions instead of panicking. "But we can't make a baby, we're both girls! Right? Right, Yang?!"

It was almost enough to kill the whole mood, had she not already been so close. But Weiss's movements only grew more jerky and strong in her state of near-panic, which practically tore the next words from Yang's throat. "No! No babies! Don't st- don't stop!"

Nearly in tears, Weiss did not relent and heightened her pace. Yang's words shouldn't have been all that surprising; still, it was a relief. Having put that worry to rest, she whispered, "Okay... okay, I won't stop! You sh-shall have your orgasm!"

It wasn’t even a full two seconds later that Yang’s climax ripped through her, and she sang Weiss's praises to the gods, one hand having instinctively gone to rest at Weiss's lower back. It was more than the shorter girl would be ready for but it was impossible for her to do anything else in the midst of her passions.

"A-AH!" The fingertips in the small of Weiss's back caused her to gasp aloud, a trembling shooting down to her knees. Why did she feel so strange when it was Yang receiving the treatment?

Nearly a full minute passed, filled with nothing but panting and shivering. When they had both regained their breath, Weiss glanced up at Yang, trying to ascertain whether or not she had recovered. "Well, that was... I hope you are s-satisfied now. A-are you?"

It took the blonde a while for her to resist panting, only a quick nod following her question. Instinctively, she pulled the girl in closer to her, recovering from the height if her climax. She swallowed, finally regaining her voice. "Satisfied's an understatement. Damn… how have you not done that before? That was... Wow."

"Of course I haven't done that before!" Weiss snapped, positively trembling in Yang's arms. Much more discomfiting than her closeness was the way her most intimate area was now pressing quite hard against her the taller woman's hip. Heat blazed into her cheeks. It felt... not altogether bad.

However, she couldn't let that be too obvious. "Wh-what are you trying to do to me now? Do you want a kiss or something?"

"Well, if you're asking." The taller girl looked down upon the heiress, noticing how she was pressed up right against her. How her legs were brushing against hers. Was it the fact it was The Weiss Schnee that made her blush or the fingers that were still inside her.

Speaking of which... "You can take your hand away now, Princess. All done."

"I can wha- OH!" Never had Weiss's hand withdrawn from any surface as fast as it did from Yang’s wet folds. "Yes, of course I could! I'm just... all of this is very new to me, okay?"

Now she wasn't sure what to do with said hand. It ended up on Yang's hip, which made her feel as if she were returning the embrace, despite the fact that she was only doing it so her arm wouldn't be flapping about in midair. Then she looked meekly up at into the violet eyes above her and waited.

Although somehow she knew the placement of the heiress's hand was unintentional, she couldn't help but look down at it. Why did she like it so much? It wasn't even a sexual touch, and yet it was something she craved. Her closeness.

Something else was running through her mind. Although she had teased Weiss about it, she had no idea it was actually true. "You didn't know what an orgasm was? Really?"

Rolling her eyes, Weiss pinched Yang lightly for good measure. "I knew, but… I just didn't fully appreciate that it happened... you know, outside of procreation." Then she fired up again. "Don't make it sound like you know so much more than me, okay?! I'll have you know my education cost thousands of Lien and was tended to by the top professionals in the-"

"But not one of them gave you ‘birds and the bees’ talk, huh?" The thought made her chuckle, but in a way she felt terribly sorry for the girl. For someone who stood her ground firmly, who had all the book smarts, she was terribly misguided when it came to the affairs of love. It was all the more obvious that while Weiss had the book smarts, Yang had the street smarts. "Look, an orgasm's perfectly normal. You can even do it on your own. It's actually really good for you."

"Really? And how is that?" She swallowed. "I mean, s-sure, it looked like you enjoyed yourself, but I can't imagine many health benefits arise from... from braying like a donkey!"

"You know when you work out really really hard and you're out of breath? It's like that. Your heart is faster, and it kinda clears out the pipes."

The look Weiss was giving her was still heavily skeptical. All the same, she found she was swaying slightly back and forth. Why? The answer did not readily present herself at first; perhaps it was just a nervous tick. But the longer she did it, the more she began to suspect that it was because Yang's thigh meat was grinding against her.

"Can you... do me a favour?"

"Hmm? Whatcha thinking?" she asked, looking down at the girl.

"Could you... describe it?" One shoulder shrugged an inch as she averted her eyes. "Not the, um, orgasm. But wanting one; arousal. What does that feel like?"

“Kinda wondering if you'd be feeling it right about now." Though confident, it took her a while to come up with the right words. How does one describe a sensation like it? "It's like… hunger. A tingling sensation, below your stomach. You feel an urge to do things... To have things done to you. It feels good, but satisfying it is even better. That answer your question?"

Weiss took a long moment to absorb that. Along the way, she was still pressing herself against her teammate. "Suppose... hypothetically only, of course... that I were feeling warmth down there, and the tingling you described. That would mean I was aroused, wouldn't it?"

"Sure would. Tends to be the longer you go without getting off, the worse it gets." Noticing the girl was brushing against her, Yang pushed her leg forward onto Weiss, managing to guide it between her legs. "My guess is, right now, someone's a real horn-dog."

"Ah!" Weiss gasped as she clenched her thighs together to stop Yang from pressing against her. "Nn-no, Yang, wait! Wh-what should I do?"

From seeing Weiss's reaction to her advance she hesitated a moment. But she was good at reading her teammate's expression. The crimson blush, the questions; it was obvious that she truly didn't know about any of these feelings. Even until that point, Yang had wondered if Weiss was feigning ignorance, but clearly she was not.

"If you really have never gotten yourself off before, might be a good idea to start. Would relieve the stress, and would stop you feeling aroused for a fair while."

Scoffing, Weiss tried as hard as she possibly could to keep her hips from grinding against the leg beneath her. It wasn't working. "Like it's s-so easy. Just reach my hand down and do what I did to you a minute ago, huh? I'm so sure."

Yang nodded, however heat rose to her cheeks again when thinking of what she could do. She could show her how, or better still, do it for her. She could watch the heiress unwind before her. "That's how you'd do it alone, yeah. Or…" The leg pressed up against her again, hands reaching to her lower back to hold her closer. "Like I said, having another person help out is way better."

A loud cry burst from Weiss's throat when she finally felt Yang's thigh flush up against her inflamed sex. Her defenses had failed. Her protests had fallen on deaf ears. Yang had not pushed her out of her comfort zone too quickly, but rather used time, patience, and persuasion... and it yielded the same result.

"I-I'm scared," she admitted without meaning to. "B-because I don't know what to compare this feeling to, it's s-so weird! Does it hurt? Do you have to hurt me first to make it feel good?! I don't understand!"

"No. If you're aroused enough, it shouldn't hurt at all – especially if you’re with somebody as good at this as I am." Regardless of if they would or wouldn't initiate said act with one another, she felt the need to say such a thing. Yes, it could be that Yang would show her what it was like, what an orgasm was. But she cared enough for the girl to let her know this in case she wanted to back away, to go off and experiment with a boy instead.

And yet she wasn't moving any time soon. Weiss was curious, wanted to know how it felt. Wanted to satisfy herself, or the knowledge of how to do so. And Yang could show her.

"If you're curious, I can take care of it for you,” she whispered when the Ice Queen didn’t respond. “Just like with me, no one needs to know. You'd just feel what I felt. You'd understand why I was making those sounds. But, you can walk away if you don't want to."

Even as Yang was still talking, Weiss began to shift her hips back and forth ever so slightly, feeling the pressure amplify that tingling sensation, the taut heat that blossomed everywhere it touched. The need to continue was starting to outweigh her misgivings.

"Wh-what happens... if I just do this?" the heiress whispered as her thighs shifted farther apart, as she widened her stance to accept more of her teammate's leg. "What do you even call this? It has to have some k-kind of offensive name."

"Grinding?" The girl asked, pressing her leg firmer up against her hot sex. She was able to feel the intense wetness of the heiress, regardless of the shower. She needed this. "If you want to do that, go ahead. That's one of the things they don't teach ya at school."

"B-but I feel like some kind of animal!" Nevertheless, her hips were moving faster, and she wrapped both arms more securely around Yang's waist and rested her face against the side of her chest. Noticing this last part, she whispered, "I... is this okay? My face being here, I mean."

"J-just shut up and enjoy the ride, Princess," she encouraged. Truth be told, the feeling of having someone pressing right up against her breast was quite nice. She enjoyed the attention of it. Which reminded her of another method she had to teach her. "Put your hand on your boob like I did. That can help, sometimes."

"Put what where?" One of Weiss's hands released Yang's hip to reach up and squeeze her modest asset. "Mhhh... but that... why do I like that? Touching my boobs has never felt remotely pleasant before, I... do you like that, too?"

"Who wouldn't love mine? Look at them!" Although she laughed, she knew that wasn't what the girl meant at all. The sensation was indeed something she enjoyed, it helped her reach her peak. And kept her hands busy. "But yeah, if you're not going deep, it's an extra thing to help get you to the finish line."

But in order to help Weiss further, she pressed her leg up against her sex even firmer, hands wrapping around her back to help her push back and forth.

"Yeah... look at them..." Almost without any conscious thought, Weiss released her own breast and caressed Yang's. It was smooth round, and had a pleasant buoyancy to it that worked in tandem with its weight. Perhaps it was only because she had just been doing the same thing to herself, but knowing how it would feel to Yang when she did that only served to strengthen her arousal.

And that gave Yang an idea. "If you wanted... We can make this really intense. For both of us."

A humourless laugh threaded through Weiss's tentative moans. "Your ideas seem to lead to a l-l-looot of trouble!" Unable to help herself, her teeth clamped down on the side of Yang's soft breast for a half-second as she rode an unexpected flare of heat. "I... what did you have in mind?"

She moved her hand to Weiss's lower back, holding her in place as she shifted her spare leg across; trapping one of the heiress's legs between her own. She would be able to feel it pressing against Yang's sex, the wetness that was coating her fingers now pressing firmly against her legs. She rocked back and forth herself against it, mimicking Weiss's movements. "If we both do it, at the same time... I mean, no reason we can’t make this a two-player game, right?"

"O-ohhhhh, but you feel s-so..." Weiss had been about to say "slimy", but instinct told her this would be a bad moment to say as much. Worse still, she found she didn't mind at all. Now her face was resting against two pillowy mounds that jiggled slightly with every motion, and she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with that.

"Yang? Do you... are you ready for another one? Is that why y-you moved my leg?"

"I am, if you think you can handle it." She moved Weiss closer still, encouraging her to continue her previous movements. She found when she did so, and when she moved forward herself, the two would meet in the middle. And bodies pressing up against one another only heightened her arousal. God, was she ready for it. "So do you wanna feel an orgasm or not?"

"I... I think I…"

Something was distracting Weiss from being able to finish her sentence. An urge she had never anticipated. It was very odd, indeed, but then again, so was everything else that was happening. The biting had planted the seed. Now all that was left was to explore what fruit it bore.

As they shifted against each other's thighs, Weiss moved the hand still on Yang's breast to raise it higher. Trying hard not to weep in frustration at her own strange yearnings, she then took the nipple into her mouth.

"Wha-AH!" She hadn't expected that at all! Not for Weiss to suddenly seem to dominate her, to stimulate her even more. The feeling added to her grinding against the heiress's leg was phenomenal, and bought forth heavier breathing.

"I'm sorry!" Weiss burst out immediately, head drawing back to gaze up at her friend. "Did- was that too much, are you okay?"

She shook her head. “Fuck no! Weiss, you’re so good!” If anything, she wanted to return the favour. But in the midst of pleasure, in the middle of pressing her sex against Weiss's leg as close as she could, in feeling her do the same; she didn't know how.

Instinct took over. She couldn't help herself. The blonde leaned forward, mashing her lips against the Heiress's in their heated exchange, tongue flaring out to meet it's partner right away.

Instantly, Weiss was screaming. Screaming louder than she had ever screamed before - but all the sound was going into Yang's mouth, there was nowhere else for it to go. Her first kiss! Her first ever romantic kiss, and it was with Yang?!

Hot anger and sadness tried to overpower the arousal, but they only served to drive it onward, to make her hips shift faster and faster as a foreign tongue wrapped itself around her own, as her hands raised to alight upon the head and back of the woman showing her things she had never imagined in her wildest nightmares. The hand on the back felt numerous scars and slid over them, feeling her anger ebb slightly with every single one she touched until that hand was resting on on a firm backside, her fingertips pressing in to hold Yang's shifting hips even harder against herself, to spur both of them onward.

Moans poured forth into the heiress's mouth as Yang pushed herself faster and faster, matching her pace in order to spur herself on, to have a second climax. It wouldn't take long, not after the first one. The tongue brushed everywhere it could; the underside of Weiss’s, and even the roof of her mouth and the bottom of her lips. A hand of her own slipped down to Weiss's backside, squeezing gently as she brought the girl under her own power, pushing her back and forth against her leg instead. What was happening to her? Why was she so desperate for her teammate to finish rather then herself? Why did she care?

Something was about to happen: something big that couldn't be easily overlooked. Of course, Weiss had a feeling it was an orgasm, but never having felt one before she couldn't be completely sure. What should she do? Keep going? Ask Yang to stop? Ask Yang to go harder? The sounds coming from her and vibrating against the tongue tangled up with her own gave plenty of evidence that this was going to be spectacular, whatever it was.

In the end, all she was capable of doing was going harder herself, hips nearly slamming against the leg under them as she tried to coax every last bit of pleasure from every last action.

They were both close. Yang felt every movement, the twitching in her leg, the warmth of her sex, the vibration of her mouth; Weiss was close to her climax and she knew it. So what could she do to make her first orgasm magical? In the end, she redoubled all efforts. She grasped her backside firmer, pushing her against her even more forcefully, whilst her spare hand went up into her hair, grasping some and pulling it rather firmly. Her tongue then began to brush against the underside of hers, continuing to do so until she reached her climax.

It was like a freight train running over Weiss when she finally reached her end. Shaking and vibrations, and heat, and sensations that she had absolutely no words for that were stronger than the ones for which she already had no words. In that second, everything was beautiful, and she wanted to stay in it, to hold Yang against her body and never let go until the world fell apart.

Then the heat began to dwindle downward, her heart slowed. The screaming she had been doing finally became apparent to her, and she stopped. Breathing ragged, she withdrew slightly from the kiss, her teeth raking over Yang's lower lip as she did so.

In that time, Yang’s thrusting tapered off and stopped. Although she wanted to continue, to reach her own climax once again, she was more concerned with her teammate. It was her first time, whilst in comparison, Yang had done it far more times. She could always finish herself off later. Finally drawing her lips from the ice queen's, she pressed her forehead against hers, allowing them both breathing space as her grip loosened from her backside and hair. Between ragged breaths, she spoke.

"And that… is an orgasm."

"What... what did you do to me?" Swallowing thickly, Weiss's hand came up to rest on Yang's collarbone. "All of that... that wasn't me, I... it was like something took over my body, my brain, it..." Her back shivered and she nearly collapsed. "A-ah! I'm so weak now, why..."

"You're worn out, don't push yourself!" The girl couldn't help but laugh, holding her upright against her, allowing her to use her leg for support rather then to continue grinding against it. "I barely did anything; that was all you and your instincts. Listen to your body and it will rarely steer you wrong, dude."

Then Weiss buried her face against her own hand, shaking as she sobbed quietly, "Y-you kissed me. How dare you. How dare you take that liberty while I... there was nothing I could do, how could I have stopped you? D-did you know I've never been kissed before? Did you? I... I wasn't expecting that!"

The once confident expression vanished. The blonde then moved her head away from Weiss's, softening her grip even further just so it was holding her upright, nothing more. She had no idea. "Shit, I… I'm so sorry. Really, I thought you at least had tried that! But... I was running on instinct, too – when I did that, I mean."

"WHO would I have kissed?!" Fire brought her back straight again and she glared up into Yang's eyes. "Do you think anyone in my life has been worthy of receiving a kiss from Weiss Schnee? Of course not! So what, you decide you're just going t-to..." But Yang had already told her she didn't expect it to be her first kiss. That it had been unintentional. She wanted to scream, to flail her fists against the amazonian anchor of their team, but it wouldn't do any good; what was done was done.

"Fine. Then you'd better make it up to me."

"H-hey, it worked, didn't it? Like, it made your orgasm a lot stronger, right?" Although then Yang remembered that she had nothing to compare it to. She didn't know the difference. She could have gone as normal and NOT ruined Weiss's first kiss.

Weiss gave an exaggerating shrug. "How should I know? Am I the kiss-expert?! Do I have a degree in kissology?!" Then she seemed to deflate, even though she was still huffing and puffing like she had run a mile. "Why... why do you still look all... I don't know, tense? What's the matter?"

"Look, I feel bad I messed up your first kiss. And I'm sorry, alright? I guess my first kiss didn't mean a lot to me, so I thought everyone else was the same." There was no pun this time. No innuendo, no jokes. Yang was pouring her heart out to the girl before her, apologising truly from her heart. Something very out of character for the blonde.

But it didn't last long. "Told you the shower would only make you dirtier."

"You weren't wrong." This identity crisis wasn't going away any time soon. The longer Weiss stayed in the shower with her teammate, the more she was going to succumb to these odd new emotions, and she wasn't sure if she wanted it. However, she wasn't sure she could leave even if she tried; curiosity was holding her there, next to the person who at least MIGHT have some answers.

"Can we..." She knew it sounded stupid even before she asked. "Can I kiss you this time, and we pretend the other one didn't happen, and say this is my first kiss?"

Her brow raised. "Wait, you want your first kiss to be with me? The street thug who bought you the ‘hot stuff’ panties?"

"No!" Weiss snapped. "But I don't have any choice now, so... so if I can't have it with somebody else, at least I can have it on my terms, right?!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down, Ice Queen!" She raised her arms defensively, slowly lowering them onto Weiss's shoulders. Keeping eye contact, she smiled. "Go ahead. Kiss me how you want."

"Fine!" Of course, the instant Weiss said this to her, she felt terrified of what she was about to do, but there was no backing down. Perhaps she didn't want it to be Yang Xiao Long in front of her at this moment in her personal history... but after the passionate embrace they had shared moments ago, she knew it could be a far worse candidate.

Her hands moved up to softly grip the taller woman's shoulders, drawing her down; Yang moved easily under her touch, ready to accommodate. Mouths drew closer, pulses raged.

"I... I'm gonna do it," Weiss whispered.

"Then do it already," the blonde egged on, gazing into her eyes whilst doing so.

For several long seconds, nothing happened. The small enclosure was simply filled with the sound of water droplets pounding against tile. Weiss shifted her weight from foot to foot. Her thumb rubbed over Yang's shoulder. She blinked several times. This wasn't getting them anywhere, or so Yang thought. Guilt continued to gnaw at her mind that because of her actions, Weiss had to force herself to this. How could she make it easier for her? So Weiss could have a decent first kiss?

She closed her eyes slowly, thinking the lack of purple irises staring at her would make it easier. Holding her breath, Weiss convinced herself to lean in. Just an inch. Then another inch. Then she dropped back an inch, shaking from head to toe, trying to swallow as she closed her own eyes.

"Oh, whatever."

Then Weiss's lips collided with Yang's again, slower and sweeter than last time. Taking every moment as it came with great relish. To her own great surprise, she channeled every last drop of desire and passion she had into the contact, practically singing into the contact.

It took a short while until eventually Yang returned such contact. Lips curling around hers slowly as she very slowly brushed her tongue against her lower lip, goading her into more. How could this woman have never kissed before? How could this be her first time? Though baffled, the rough, thuggish woman enjoyed every minute of grace that the Schnee heiress honoured her with. It was only fair for her to try and make her experience all the better.

This time, when Yang's tongue searched out Weiss's, she was not as forthcoming with returning the gesture. She did, in the end; just not as readily. It was on her terms, and she wanted that to continue to be the case.

But completely unbidden, her hand wandered up to Yang's cheek and caressed it. The skin was surprisingly soft, supple. Almost as much as Weiss's, and she doubted that the rough-and-tumble blonde moisturised as much as she herself did.

Or perhaps she did? What did she really know about Yang Xiao Long? Apparently, it was time for her to learn as much as possible. She was beginning to think she wanted that more than anything.

Of course, she responded to the heiress's gestures. But where could she touch? Could she touch her cheek? Or would she be overly sensitive about the scar? Sure, Yang had many scars all over her body, but none as visible as Weiss's. In fact, it was something she felt rather sorry for her having.

In the end, she wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her in closer as they continued their soft embrace. There was something gratifying about kissing someone so soft, compared to the tougher company in the past.

The longer they kissed, the more Weiss felt her heat beginning to grow again. That shocked her; could it be done more than once? How long did one have to wait before doing it again? She wanted to ask Yang these things, but it suddenly seemed inelegant to ask them during the moment. Therefore, instead she simply pulled back just enough to lean their foreheads together and whisper throatily to her newfound partner in experimentation.

"Do you... are you feeling like... doing more?"

"Why? Do you?" she asked through ragged breaths. Truth be told, she was still pent up from grinding against the woman's leg; she wanted to finish when Weiss did. But if her own heat was building yet again, it was all the better.

"See, I thought you might have been... from the w-way you were standing before, I just d-didn't want to assume." Her hands trailed down over Yang's chest, staring at them as if mortified at her own actions. "I think I might be, too, but… I mean, I'm still so new at this that I didn't know if it meant we SHOULD do more or if it was just some kind of lingering side effect!"

"Hey, if you've never gotten off before, you're gonna be horny as fuck, Princess. Best to let it all out now so you're not distracted from studying later..." She darted forward, kissing Weiss's unmarked cheek softly, only to then lean toward her ear, whispering, "Do you want me to make you scream again?"

"I... well, okay I guess, but you didn't seem to get much out of it last time." Shrugging, she took a half-step backward. "Give me your leg, then."

She looked at the heiress a moment, before taking her arms away from her. "How about something different?"

Weiss's eyes narrowed as she felt awkward, standing somewhat alone again. "Different is bad. I don't know if I like different."

"Well so far it's worked out well for you." She chuckled. "Don't suppose you're familiar with a 69?"

The stare that Weiss returned was fairly blank. "I... know of it as the number between 68 and 70?"

'Wow, this girl really was sheltered,' Yang thought. With a raised brow she explained, "It's also a position. Usually you use your mouth for it, but if that makes you uncomfortable, we can just use hands."

"Use your mouth for- wait, wait. Just... I'm so confused right now. How is a number a position? Is this in a book?" Then her mouth dropped open and she goggled at Yang. "Have you done the other 68 positions, too?! Just what degree of promiscuity do you have going for you?!"

Instantly, she slapped the palm of her hand against her face. "One, there are way more then 69 positions. Two, I have lost count of how many I have tried. Three, it's the shape of the numbers. Get it? Like one person is facing one way the other person is on top of them facing the other and you both sorta just lick-"

"Oh MY God!" Weiss blurted, covering her ears. "What am I hearing right now?! STOP!"

"I seriously can't believe it took you THAT much explanation!" The blonde erupted with laughter. Of course, it was hilarious to her, but the heiress may consider otherwise.

"Don't make... FUN of me!" Weiss punctuated her words by sliding her leg slightly inward and shoving Yang down by the shoulders.

The laughter was slowed down by Weiss's sudden movements as she barely caught herself from crashing h ard. Feeling herself getting pulled down by her brought on a wave of desire. "Someone's more eager than I thought. So what do you say? Like I said, we can just use hands. Whatever floats your boat."

It still stunned Weiss that she was now perched on top of her teammate on the floor of the shower, their naked bodies flush with one another, desire coursing through their veins. This was completely atypical. "I... I was just mad, but I g-guess we... how do we start, oh Knower of Sexual Things?"

"Well, you gotta get down here." From her knees, the girl slowly laid back, fully pressed against the soaking wet tiles as she stared up at the girl before her. "You gotta get on top of me."

Crawling hand-over-hand, Weiss was now lying atop Yang and staring into her eyes - and thereby clearly demonstrating she had misunderstood a lot of what Yang had explained. "Done. N-now, what are we doing with our hands?"

It took a lot to keep from slapping her own face again. Instead, she gently lifted the girl back up. "Other way around, Princess."

"You want on top of me? Or..." She tried to think back through what Yang had said. "H-hey, you said we didn't have to do licking!"

"And we're not going to, it's just the position! Do you wanna try this or not?"

"But I still don't..." Sighing, she sat up, not thinking about how she was literally sitting on Yang's hips. "Just tell me what to put where? You know I haven't done this before, I'm doing my best, okay?!"

"Alright, alright. I guess I should explain it clearer." The blonde swallowed. Feeling Weiss straddling her sent all the more heat to the union of her legs. Oh, how she wished she was able to thrust upward into her, but she lacked the equipment for that. Perhaps if the two experimented again, she could come prepared. "Okay, you want to be pushing your nose into my snatch, pretty much. You use your fingers, basically doing what you just did; I do the same on my end. So you're receiving as much as you're giving."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you..." The blush was not only pronounced, it was legendary. "Are you... going to put them in? I'm not sure if... if I can handle that yet, I've never..." Then she shook her head. "No, I'm sure you know what you're doing. You wouldn't dare push me beyond what I'm ready for, would you?"

"No way. That's why you're on top, so you can roll off if it gets to be too much." She couldn't help but shuffle beneath her. The tiles certainly weren't comfortable, but the woman above her was.

With a hesitant nod, Weiss climbed off Yang and stood over her for a moment, taking in a good eyeful of the beautiful woman laid out beneath her. It was odd how she was thinking at the moment; unnatural. Yang was voluptuous and desirable to most males she knew – but she was not a male. Why did gazing at her pronounced curves set her off?

Then she turned around and backed up until she was straddling Yang's middle, gazing down at wet knees as she lowered her own to the floor. Once there, she placed her hands on Yang's thighs and whispered, "Are you sure this is going to b-be okay? For both of us?"

She placed her hands on Weiss's thighs, attempting to reach forward. Though she realised with a reluctant sigh the heiress was too far away. She'd have to more or less lie down on the top of her to be level. "Well you're gonna have to back up a lil more, I can't reach you yet."

"I'm really supposed to... p-put my rear in your face? I didn't think we'd be getting THAT personal." However, she did as she was bidden, reversing until her center was hovering several inches above Yang's face, her calves sliding beneath arms. "B-better?"

"Yeah, that's it." Although she wanted to make a comment on the view, she suspected in their current situation the heiress wouldn't take it too kindly. Her hands slowly caressed the girl's thighs. Slowly reaching back up to her rear again in order to work her up further, she continued her instructions. "Just as you did before: slow rubbing to get me warmed up, then enter..."

"O-oh, right! Sorry!" Weiss felt embarrassed that she had nearly forgotten to return the favour being bestowed upon her. But when she leaned down between thighs, she realised something she wasn't expecting. Yang's organ was very pleasing to the eye. That shouldn't have been a thought that was even in her lexicon, but she truly appreciated the sight below her; soft folds and smooth skin. Her hand passed over it unbidden, just to take a more measured stock of the feeling than she had before when she was merely trying to get things done.

Likewise, Yang was also enjoying the sight of the heiress. As expected, completely perfect. Although she did say, "So hey… you can say no, but what if I tried using my tongue on you? Just to show you how a 69 is supposed to go for a second."

The little laugh Weiss let out held a marginal amount of her previous condescension. "Oh, I think I'll pass. That sounds quite unsanitary." Clearing her throat, she allowed her hips to sink a few inches lower. "Just, um... b-be gentle and go slow? This will still be the first time anyone's... well, you know."

"You got it, Princess."

And with that, soft fingers began to press against Weiss's wetness. Slowly at first, they began to move back and forth through the wet folds, attempting to stimulate the entire area. Resisting licking the folds instead of touching wasn’t easy, but she respected her teammate’s wishes. The young Schnee swayed visibly, heart shooting into her throat as she experienced pleasure unlike anything she had ever conceived. Now, she was extremely grateful that her first experience moments ago had been something easier and less overwhelming, because it made this so much more pleasurable.

"Hnnhh!" she breathed as she rocked her hips back against Yang's hand. "Oh, I... ohhHHHhhh!"

Her movements continued to tease her wet folds, cheeks blossoming with red at the sounds of Weiss's moans. How she wished she could see her face, watch as her expression went from that of her usual grumpy self to completely given over to this moment. She pushed her hand slightly more upward, her middle finger beginning to circle her clit.

"OH! Oh, fffffantastic!" Weiss whimpered as her own hand clutched more desperately at the folds beneath her. Sheer luck kept her from doing any damage to the sensitive organ with her well-manicured nails.

"Aah! C-careful!" She winced, toes curling up when feeling her firm nails contact the softer skin of herself. Once the heiress calmed down her movements again, she let out a small moan of her own. She was too stubborn to allow Weiss to undo her faster then she could undo the heiress herself.

A half-chagrined, half-elated laugh erupted from Weiss as she petted Yang's wetness with a more delicate hand. "My apologies, but this IS my first time..." She then watched the curling and uncurling toes for an idle moment. "Did you... kind of like that, though? It seemed to cause a pretty strong reaction, one way or another."

"Hey, I'm a kinky girl, but being scratched THERE isn't my thing." The emphasis was on the location, rather then the act; trying to make it clear that scratching wasn’t completely off the menu. Although another moan was let out again as she trailed her hand back downward, fingers firmly pressing up against the wet folds by her entrance, one single finger teasingly rubbing around it.

"Mmhhh," Weiss sighed as Yang began to stimulate her again, and she laid her hand flat and resumed her ministrations. After a moment, she brought the other one into play, only using it to hold her friend open so her first hand could reach more of her surface, tease between each fold.

As she gazed into the glistening textures, it dawned at her that this was the first time she had ever truly looked at a vagina. Even having one herself, she had always been told they were dirty places that were merely functional, and that the less time spent worrying about them, the better. Therefore, she felt forbidden heat of the taboo prickling along her spine as she examined it, prodding gently when she could but mostly just trying to touch all of it, to give Yang what she desired.

"Ah... Yeah..." Her breath could be felt against Weiss's hot sex, adding a new sensation of air brushing past her folds. But now came the tricky part. Feeling wetness coating her fingers, she brought her middle finger forward. Weiss was ready, she could feel it and sense it. Testing, she slowly pressed her middle finger against it, dipping the tip into her warm sex.

"MmmhhM? Oh-OH, whoa, what is- you're..." But Weiss did know what was happening, and any questions would be useless. Literally shaking at the sensation of something going inside of her for the first time, she twitched her thighs together - only to feel them being held apart by Yang's body between them. There was no way to shield herself just a tiny bit; it was either let this happen, or roll off entirely.

"Do you… want me to do that again? While you are?"

"That's the idea. Lemme know if this is okay, though."

She said between heavier breaths, bringing her other hand back to Weiss's sex as well. Whilst one stroked her wet folds and clit, the other slowly slid the finger even further inside, starting a gentle movement in and out to get her used to the sensation of friction.

A moan swelled and reverberated from Weiss's lungs as she began to roll her hips a little at a time to the sensation of Yang's finger inside of her. It was an entirely new and beautiful feeling, even if she was still partly scared of what it all might mean.

Belatedly, she began to ease one of her fingers between the folds in front of her, feeling more acutely what was transpiring than she had before. It was delicious. That was an odd word to be using, but it fit; there was a strange pleasantness to the feeling of moisture all around her fingertip, of watching it sink so gently into the welcoming flesh. How often did Yang do this?

"Oooohhh…"

The movements Weiss was making felt amazing. Despite the uncomfortable floor, the water still pouring over their bodies, it felt a lot better then the first time she tried. Her breath continued to pour forth heavily, toes curling with every sensation. Weiss felt every gust of air upon her most sensitive skin. Something about this had been bothering her slightly all along, and this more than anything else drove it home to her. Not knowing how else to phrase things, she merely swallowed and did her best.

"Are you... looking at me?"

"Uuuuhhh..." The blush rose to her own cheeks when that was asked, her movements freezing for a moment. "You bet. Why, do you want me to stop?"

"I don't care." That wasn't strictly true; she cared a great deal, but she was finding that she didn't mind. Shivering from head to toe, she allowed her thighs to drift a little farther apart. "Is it... don't make fun of me, but I want to know what you think. How does it look to s-somebody like you?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

“Not that you’re- I just meant… someone experienced.”

“It’s a pussy.” She didn't really know what else to say. Weiss was rather pleasant to look at, but she preferred to allow her hands to do the talking; especially as she pushed her finger a little further inside, pushing in and out a little faster.

"AH!" she gasped. "No, I... you've d-done this before, you must have looked at vaginas previously to mine, s-so how does mine compare with- NHH! Oh, God!"

Though Weiss did wish an answer to her question, the sensation was becoming too intense to ignore in favour of logical thought. In fact, she was already so close to collapsing on top of Yang's body with sheer weakness. How could performing such silly acts lead to this much enjoyment? How had no one told her before now?

"What can I say?" she said between breaths. “Your little pink curtains are pretty cute. I’m a fan.” Able to feel how close she was, her finger thrust faster into her, another working her clit in unison with her movements. On instinct, her own hips thrust against Weiss's hands, wanting more from her. She needed more.

With every thrust of her hips against Weiss's hand, she felt her finger sink deeper, saw the softness arching up toward her nose. When they had begun, she was holding herself so much higher than before, actively trying to put space between her face and the filthy organ below. Now?

Why had she stopped paying so much attention to the distance? Too much pleasure; that was the reason. Yang was caressing her every inner wall, coaxing more heat and more joy with every movement. It was intoxicating… as was the heady scent wafting up toward her from where her finger was. It mingled with soap and sweat that had not been rinsed away before, but very minimally; she knew now that almost everything filling her olfactories was arousal. The smell was something she was certain would normally sicken her.

Why did she like it in the moment? Why was it making her mouth water, her heart beat faster, her lungs rattle?

It was getting more difficult by the minute to resist Weiss, to resist leaning right up and taking her with her tongue. She probably would have, had she been with someone less reserved. But the last thing she wanted to do was frighten the heiress, not when she was in the middle of treating her like a queen. Her moans began to grow more intense, already pressure was beginning to build in her stomach.

"G-god! Weiss!"

"Yang!" Swallowing, she cleared her throat and leaned closer as she pressed her finger further and further inside. "What... what was it you said people normally do... in this position? Lick things? Is that really something… people d-do?"

"W-whatever, just don't stop!" she begged.

"Dust forgive me," Weiss breathed quietly before she allowed her tongue to dip down and press very slightly against the soft hood at the top.

"W-WHOA!" Her eyes snapped open in surprise, overwhelming pleasure beginning to seep over her at the sudden contact of her warm wet muscle. The pressure began to build even faster and instinct took over. Her tongue surged forward toward the wet folds before her, taking long licks from side to side.

A strangled "HNAH!" burst from within Weiss when she felt the same treatment being directed upon her own body, and much less hesitantly. Had Yang been waiting for her to try it first so she could respond in kind? Was it so much better?

It was. Tasting the strong and salty flavour of the taller girl below her somehow heightened every last drop of pleasure, while the source of the scent being that much closer was driving her wild. Nevermind how having such a wet and fluid thing drifting back and forth across her own opening made her feel! Another orgasm was building already, and she could not have been more pleased to know that's what it was.

Wasting no more time, Weiss wrapped her lips around the hood and its tiny occupant, suckling gently as she began to thrust her finger in and out, hoping to reach everywhere and give Yang as much pleasure as she was getting, to bring them both off in one glorious moment. There could be no better fate.

"MMMYAAAAHHH!!" She moaned loudly against her teammate, back unable to help but arch her back in pleasure. In turn, this pushed her firmer against Weiss, allowing her to press her tongue right against her clit. Finally she began to push her finger in further, curling it in the hopes of hitting another sensitive spot.

She succeeded.

"MMNHHHH!!!" Weiss cried out against Yang's folds, tongue swirling and dipping further down in to meet her own finger before she set her lips to suckling on the erect nub again. That had seemed to satisfy Yang the most, and it was the least she could do to return the joy she was experiencing throughout her entire body in that moment.

The pressure became too much, as finally Yang's legs began to shake uncontrollably. White hot flames seemed to flow through her veins, pleasure searing through her very bones as she reached her climax. But she was determined to take the heiress with her. Through one more effort, she withdrew her finger, only to then add another when pushing back in again, curling yet again to hit the sensitive spot within her. She continued to devour her clit and folds in turn, trying to tease every bit of pleasure out of her she possibly could.

A scream ripped through her body and into Yang's as she felt herself being penetrated with two fingers. Hard. Between that and the tongue torturing every other part of her sensitive flower, her second orgasm in the same shower stall crashed over her, and she felt her own toes curling, back arching, stomach muscles clenching and releasing over and over as she held her hand deep inside the body beneath her.

That was that. Weiss Schnee was no longer a virgin; she had her very first sexual encounter and it was with another woman. No one could have told her this was how it would be and been able to convince her they were telling the truth, but she found it no longer bothered her overly. The extreme levels of joy rocketing through her system made it difficult to care.

The blonde's head fell back against the wet tiles, allowing her to finally breathe. As she waited for the pleasure to cease pulsing through her, she gently pulled her fingers free from her lover's sex. A pronounced whiplash could be seen as Weiss was exited, and she tried not to sob at the feeling of having nothing inside of her anymore.

"Well?" she managed to groan out, still light-headed.

"Wh... at the end there, you d-did something differently. Was that more than one finger?"

Managing to lean to one side, she held the two fingers in the hair, both coated in her bodily fluids. "One didn’t seem to be doing it for you."

"Oh, it was doing it for me," she laughed uneasily. "But th-thank you for your consideration." Carefully, she began to slide the finger out of Yang, as well, trying to be slow and gentle about it.

"H-hah..." She couldn't help but gasp when feeling the finger removed, a sudden wave of emptiness sweeping across her. Although when seeing how close the heiress to her, it was all forgotten. She and Weiss had sex. On the list of things she expected to be doing, that was not on the list. Especially not after she found out the girl had never done it with anyone before.

"Congrats, Ice Queen. You just lost your V-card!"

For a brief second, Weiss attempted to stand. That proved impossible, so she flopped back down on top of Yang, rubbing her face idly against her thigh. "Wh-what card?"

"Mrrmimermy?" The voice was muffled by her thigh. She brought her hand back up, helping push the heiress upwards. "Virginity?"

"Oh." She swallowed, turning to help Yang up as well - unsteady on her own feet though she was. Her free hand braced against the wall of the shower for good measure. "I... was thinking about that, and I suppose you're right. Should I be... what, worried? Excited? Embarrassed? I've never been in the position to lose it before so I literally have no frame of reference."

Once standing, the woman immediately got back to her routine. It was almost as if it had never happened. Sure, her breathing was still heavy, but anyone could mistake it for someone who had just had a heavy workout if they were to see her scrubbing herself with the bar of soap.

"Eh, it's not really a big deal to be honest. You don't feel any different – at least, I never did. We just had some fun, right?"

Weiss took that in as she also set about washing herself again, following Yang's lead. "I do feel different, though. Not drastically, but it's as if... my body has been awakened in a way it never has before. Also, you and I have this new… bond, I suppose." The soap squirted out of her hands and bounced off the wall before skidding to a halt in the middle of the drain. "Does this make us lovers?! Are we t-together now?!"

“Whoa, settle down there, eager beaver,” Yang laughed, staring at the bar of soap on the floor. She managed to resist making a crude joke that probably would have pissed off the sensitive girl. In fact, she bent down to retrieve the soap for her, passing it over with a smile. "That's up to you if you think you can handle a dragon. But yeah, I’m not opposed."

Why did Weiss find her eyes being drawn to Yang's form as she bent to pick up the errant bar of soap? Shaking her head out, she took it and went back to her washing. "Handle it? Please. I just... well, would you want that? You seem to be alright with a sort of 'passive' arrangement."

Of course, the woman went straight back to scrubbing her own skin again, eyes remaining on the icy blue ones staring back at her. Somehow, they worked. It shouldn't; they were entire opposites. In personality, appearance, even semblance! Yet they clicked. Yang could fire Weiss up into having fun, and likewise Weiss could cool her thuggish self down. Even in sex, the two seemed to pair quite well if this first time was any indicator of their potential future.

"Look, I've done the 'passive arrangement' as you called it before, and if you wanted to do that, I'd be totally down. But… if you meant it as in you and I being a couple? Well… I guess… that might not be so bad, either."

"I see." Slowly, Weiss's cheeks began to glow red again. "You mean that, don't you? That we would d-date and kiss and all those things. Do more of wh-what we just did, but also hold hands while we go shopping, and try on makeup and clothes together, and cuddle at night?"

The very words caused her movements to slow right down. There wasn't a sarcastic comment this time, or an instant denial of her suggestion. It was sincere, or so she assumed. Not only that, but it was an offer Yang hadn't had before. The majority of her relationships only lasted the length of a single night together. This was the chance for something more, something meaningful.

Not that she would admit how much it meant to her so easily. "So, there's a warm heart in there after all, huh, Ice Queen?"

At that, Weiss smiled smugly and turned away, rinsing off her torso. "Hah! Dream on, Hot Stuff. You'll have to work a lot harder to wrap this Queen around your little finger like that." As she leaned against the wall to scrub her right calf and foot, she glanced at Yang out of the corner of her eye. "Though we might begin those 'arrangements' henceforth. If you're as open to it as you claim to be."

Although a little disappointed Weiss hadn’t accepted the offer for something more, she couldn't blame her; this was brand new. Maybe they should take it slow and see where things led.

Her teasing attitude returned as she went to leave the shower. Running a finger gently across her shoulder blades, she leaned over to whisper into her ear, "I'm looking forward to it, Princess."

With that, she finally exited the stall, leaving the flustered heiress to finish her shower alone.

The end of the Ice Queen's rather eventful day was nearing. For Yang, it had already ended, if the rather loud snoring coming from her bunk was any indication. Weiss shook her head as she got ready for bed. It wouldn't be too long until their other teammates would return to the dorm room; even Blake wouldn't be able to stay in the library ALL day.

The door swung open, their leader stomping back into their room after a sparring session with Jaune. At first, she wanted to question her sister's loud snoring, but something else caught her eye.

"Hot stuff?!"

At the sound of her bunkmate's shrill cry, Weiss whipped around, pulling her nightgown hastily over the rest of her body. "Ruby Rose! D-don't you know how to knock?! What is wrong with you?"

Ruby kicked the door shut behind her. "Oh come on, you don't have anything I haven't seen before! Well, besides the ‘Hot Stuff’ undies!" As usual, her annoyingly inquisitive nature began to show, as she stared back at the underwear. "I didn't think you were the type wear something that, y’know, flirty!"

"I'm not," Weiss grumbled, finishing covering herself with the nightgown and holding her hands in front of her pelvic area to further reinforce the message that the show was over. "It's... these are special, alright? Besides, why does it matter?"

"Special… undies?" She tilted her head. "Ooookay, if you say so. And it doesn't matter, I'm just curious."

"They were a gift! Who died and made you the panty police?!" Sighing irritably, she turned and began to crawl into her bed. "Can't even wear whatever I like anymore..."

The girl raised her arms defensively, heading to her own drawers to fetch her pyjamas and letting the subject go. Although, once she had gotten changed fully and was about to get into her own bed, that was when the penny dropped. Who gets underwear for a friend?

"Wait, undies for a gift? From a special friend, maybe? Like a partner?"

Rolling over just enough so she could be heard clearly, Weiss growled, "Did you give them to me, partner?"

"No! Why would I call you 'hot stuff'? I meant a special boyfriend kind of partner!"

"You asked if there was a partner, and my only partner is you, and if you did not give me the underpants, then no, I was not given them by a partner. Now GO. TO. SLEEP."

"Aww come on, you can tell me. Is he cute?"

It took all of Weiss's willpower to avoid glancing over at Yang in the neighbouring bunk beds, peacefully snoring away. Instead, she merely picked up her pillow and smooshed it over her head, trying to blot out the sound of the bunkmate now hanging over the side of her top bunk and staring at her upside-down.

"Whaaaat? You can tell me, I really wanna know!" she chuckled, managing to sway back and forth whilst looking, before finally gasping. "Is it Neptune?”

"You're Neptune," Weiss grumbled, knowing full well how juvenile she sounded. Seized by inspiration, she rolled over and shouted, "YANG!"

Of course, her sleeping teammate's eyes snapped open to try and find where the noise came from. Though of course Ruby then looked over to her from her awkward position, grinning innocently.

"Hey Yang, Weiss has a boyfriend!"

"Yang, can't you keep your sister under control?!" Weiss was complaining. "I am trying to sleep and she is being simply intolerable!"

"Pleeeeaaaase?" Ruby begged, swaying back and forth again.

Her sister was unable to help but chuckle, rubbing her eyes. "I swear you should have been a bat Faunus, Rubes. But she has a point; it is getting late. Besides, Ice Queen's got to have SOME mystery about her."

"Yes, thank you," Weiss said, rolling away… only to immediately roll back toward Yang to say, "And do NOT call me 'Ice Queen'!"

"So what would you like instead? Snow-Senpai? Cutie-Patootie?"

Although this was obviously flirting, it was the type that would go straight over her sister's head. After all, Yang gave people silly nicknames all the time, and was flirty with everyone. It would make sense for Ruby to take it in a friendly manner. It was a success in getting her little sister to return to her own bed, tucking herself down into her own sheets.

"Next time we spar, I want to know, though," Ruby grumbled, facing the wall away from her sister.

"We'll see," Weiss sighed, glaring steadily at Yang. It was the response that would get Ruby to quiet down the fastest. After that, of course, she winked at the blonde. "Goodnight."

Thankfully, that was what the blonde wanted. It at least allowed her to wink back at Weiss as she snuggled in to sleep. "Goodnight, Hot Stuff."

The near-darkness of the room hid Weiss's blush so well that not even Blake's night vision could sense it when she crept in fifteen minutes later. The heiress was eternally grateful for that, even if she found it almost impossible to sleep.

                                                              THE END

[thefudge]

not here to convert you or anything but i'm kinda surprised u hate j*nsa as much as you do - or at least find it bland as hell - do u hate all aspects of it or would you ship it at a certain angle, if approached a certain way? again, not tryina convert you lmaoo ship & let ship, it's not monogamy in this trash world. I just thought the incest would be up your ally? Also a lot of the fic can be so...missionary so idk, I thought that's why it holds no appeal? words not working rn. just confused

(same j*nsa anon here) alternatively do you ship robb x sansa? sorry, but you’re pretty much the incest lady to me. LOOK - is it because you’re too diehard petyr x sansa to fuck with the rest? Because I’m petyr x sansa trash as well, I contain multitudes. I JUST WANNA HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS, BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU’RE THE INCEST LADY SO I JUST WANNA KNOW IF IT’S THE SHIP THAT BORES YOU OR FANDOM. UR THOUGHTS ARE ALWAYS FASCINATING. I JUST LIKE READING WHATEVER IT IS YOU COME UP WITH. IF YOU DON’T MIND

“you’re the incest lady” ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

haha friend, that’s why subjectivity is so wonderful (love that walt whitman quote), but let me break it down for you

you’re absolutely right that j*onsa should be up my alley. but there are several reasons why it hasn’t had that impact on me

1. petyr/sansa is the first ship that got me into asoiaf/got and it has stuck with me throughout the ages. it really is my kind of dynamic, no doubt about it, especially due to aidan gillen’s really strong work and the fact that petyr baelish is, without exaggeration, one of the best literary characters of the last 30 years (imo). and he brings out the best in sansa. by “best” i don’t mean moral rectitude lol. sansa really comes into her own around him. is he taking advantage of her ? absolutely. is she taking advantage of him? she’s learning how to. it’s a smart, riveting duo that doesn’t even have to be romantic for me to love it. in fact, i prefer it when it is cerebral and manipulative with a small dash of genuine emotions. 

but i AM a big multishipper who likes aaall kinds of things so why can’t i get behind this? 

2. my big gripe is with the show, where j*onsa has been introduced as a dynamic (i DO see book signs that they will be reunited but it’s not a Thing there yet).  basically, GoT has done a very poor job with them. sansa stark has stopped being a legitimate and full-rounded character since season 4. and her characterization really took a nosedive in the past two seasons, which - you guessed it - is when she reconnects with her brother, jon. FIRST of all, they had sansa apologize to him as if she had taunted him all his life, as if she had been the big bully of his youth. MASSIVE EYE-ROLL. it’s as if the writers didn’t know how to make them bond after such a long time. ohhh i don’t know, how about jon remembering those times in their childhood when sansa taught him how to talk to ladies which is a CANONIC event??? they could’ve shared a drink and laughed about his poor manners and sansa could’ve said that he had certainly “improved”. and maybe she could’ve added “i wish i had known you better”, to which he could’ve said “so do i.” SEE. see how easy that was without devaluing the characters!!! Secondly, they don’t show them talking about legitimate, important, intimate things. for fuck’s sake, i’m sure jon would like to know what happened in king’s landing and the eyrie etc. their lack of communication is why he doesn’t really listen to her advice, no? most of their show!conversations are about jon’s shallow man-pain or the glories of house stark. sansa is suddenly consumed with legacy and house-rights. and jon isn’t. and instead of talking about it, instead of asking sansa why she’s hellbent on this mission and maybe having a heart-to-heart about family and trauma…instead of ALL that, they just sort of mumble at each other and become increasingly frustrated with each other’s actions…AND OK, you’re gonna say, maybe that was the point, for them to butt heads and clash BUT

3.the show is afraid to explore their actual feelings/frustrations. sansa will sometimes be angry at him and jon will retaliate, and just when you think things are going somewhere…they both sort of shut up and fold back. the same pattern is obvious during their “affectionate” moments. it’s like they’re both holding back, either due to poor direction or poor writing, or both. the best scene so far still remains their initial hug. 

4. jon snow has also become a sham of a character on the show, and it’s hard to enjoy him with sansa when i can’t stand the way he’s written. it feels like he has been stripped of nuance and personality. so in one scene he chokes littlefinger because he’s being “protective” (possessive) of sansa….then that…just gets dropped. he receives information arya and bran are alive and is…stone-faced about it. like he’s super chill, not really affected by anything. the real jon would’ve fucking flipped, he would’ve tried to see them. and don’t tell me all of this is gonna be picked up in the 6 episodes of the last season…because i have lost all faith in d&d. 

5. i do understand why ppl ship it and i do see book-evidence for it possibly being a stealth endgame but the books haven’t butchered the characters and will surely get there more organically? the show had EVERY opportunity to convince me this dynamic was gold and wasted so much of it, imo. . i’m sure fanfics do a better job with it, but i just…every time they’re on screen it’s so wooden, and i’m certain it’s because they’re being directed by idiots. i’m sure sophie and kit want to show more feelings and act like actual human beings but i assume they’re not allowed. just like sophie and maisie were not allowed to act like sisters. 

6. their partnership ends up devaluing sansa. which annoys me. real jon would absolutely never. hell, real jon would spit on show!jon IM SORRY IT’S TRUE. that’s what’s actually really annoying about it. it could’ve been done so well but….for me it ended up being a bland mess. i’m sure that fics and fandoms elevate it, tho. 

7. even my beloved petyr/sansa has been cheapened by the show to some degree, so you can see why other ships take even harder falls

OKAY BUT robb/sansa u’ve got my attention!!! that would be so fraught! because they’re both tully kids, deep down. aaah. 

and honestly, i could be for book!j*onsa too, if it were written well. but show!j*onsa is a goddamn mess. the show is a goddamn mess.