#maybe we can still do that matching thing though . hm .

[ivanaskye]

(wo)men are flipping on tv, or, ivana's olympic watching experiences so far i guess

(artistic) gymnastics: the absolute classic of flipping on tv. you're probably either already watching this or not i guess. if you are on the fence men's is much, uh, more competitive than women's right now. speaking of gender the 6 men's events vs 4 women's is sure some kind of way--and of those 6 vs 4, only two (vault and floor) overlap! and of course women's floor has music and includes facial expression in judging whereas men cannot have music, that is too girly. what precisely is manly about a single high bar as opposed to two bars of uneven height? no one knows.

trampoline: speaking of gymnastics this is technically a subcategory of it, along with the above and rhythmic gymnastics my beloved (but not having yet happened). uhhh ok so in trampoline people Go, up into the Air, apparently 26 ft+. then flip. very concentrated flip per second here, recommended if you want flip. each athlete's run is very short though, which may impact followability

diving: this time we flip into water. synchronized diving is very easy to tell if people are doing well bc you just kind of go, hm, are they doing the Same thing? in all diving you know someone's done something right if they make very little splash into the water. ok ive also literally only watched one event here

skateboarding: if you take anything from this list, let it be this- please please please watch olympic skateboarding it is so fun. skateboarders attempt two 45 second runs (of which only the best score counts) and 5 individual tricks (of which only the two best count). as such they are incentivized to take a lot of risks and fall down all the time. it's great. also makes for great ease of watching: you know they did well if they landed All That, and probably didn't if they are on the ground.

bmx (jump version): kind of like skateboarding but worse bc risks are less incentivized

boxing: absolutely incomprehensible to a mere mortal. apparently the judges determine who wins each round based on.... uh..... who... seemed to be doing better. so, vibes? vibes. it's not something as pedestrian as 'who landed more hits'. absolutely mystifying. also moves very fast.

judo: moves much slower than boxing! so you can at least tell who is doing what to who. as for whether what they are doing scores points. well. uh. see. the match instantly ends if one fighter throws the other with "strength, speed and control". if they have only two of these they get a point; two points wins. how are any of these words measured? uhhhhhh. vibes!

handball: i checked into this for maybe ten minutes to see if i could figure out what handball 'is'. i still don't know. there's a ball in a hand. soccer-like but with a hand instead of a foot. how do the rules actually work? a mystery.

table tennis/ping pong: actually pretty followable though not engaging enough to me specifically that i watched much. mb not enough flipping. my god these people move fast.

equestrian jumping: in some ways like many other events, except the creature jumping is a horse. i like to imagine what the horses are thinking about this whole situation. i tried to look up what a horse's name meant and discovered he has a website (he has no idea he has a website) where his sperm is sold for hundreds of pounds (he has no idea this is happening either). very followable as there are no positive points of any kind, only penalties. did that horse clear the bar without knocking it over? congratulations that was a success.

equestrian other things: opposite tier of followability i have no idea what these creatures are doing.

track: running is the easiest thing to understand, closely followed by swimming. who gets from point a to point b fastest. we can all understand this. however mostly it is not very interesting

triple jump: jump far*. the closest part of the indentation they make in the sand to the starting line is what is judged as their distance. *technically, triple jump is 'jump far with extra steps'. long jump is the true 'jump far' but i haven't seen any yet.

hammer throw, shot put, discus: the throw things real far events. to which javelin is added but i don't think ive seen even a bit of that. wait im not sure i saw any hammer throw yet either. anyway. the builds of these athletes are so mountainous. which is great.

elsewhere in field i haven't watched any pole vault but that one guy did get betrayed by his own junk so there was that

shooting: unfortunately the memeable people everyone has seen are in air rifle which is perhaps the least interesting event to try to watch of all time. you can barely even see when they pull the trigger and you don't get to see the target itself, only a graphic of it. mystifying presentation choices. skeet and trap however are followable as moving targets are shot, scored on a pure yes/no of did you shoot that thing or not. americans hilariously uncommon in shooting events despite our gun culture; don't you know, it's not actually american to shoot something accurately!!!

[pitchsidestories]

Doctor II Ona Batlle x Lucy Bronze

masterlist I word count: 1642

summary: Ona loves to tease Lucy with her doctor title but underneath the banter she misses her girlfriend while being away at the Spanish nt camp.

Doctor Lucia Bronze had a ring to it, Lucy had to admit.

Being awarded an honorary doctorate was a great feeling. Not as great as winning trophies with a football team though but it was still a special moment for her.

One that she was devastated not be sharing with her girlfriend.

But Ona called, of course, as soon as the ceremony was over and Lucy was back at her new flat in London. The English defender took the video call while she slipped off her incredibly uncomfortable shoes and flopped herself onto the sofa.

“Good evening, Doctor Bronze.“, Ona grinned at her through the screen.

Lucy rolled her eyes with fondness: “Ona.“

“What?“, she asked innocently. She knew exactly what Lucy meant.

“You don’t have to say that all the time. I’m not a real doctor.“

“Oh, but I can tell you kind of love it when I call you that.“, Ona smirked back at her.

Lucy wasn’t the type of person who turned red at such comments so she studied Onas face in the small screen and shrugged nonchalantly: “Maybe.“

Ona let out a laugh and then disappeared, the screen wobbled like her phone was being passed around. Lucy knew this could only mean one thing: Ona was still in the dressing room after training and the other Barcelona players were listening.

Salmas face now greeted her with one raised eyebrow: “Congrats, Lucia. Onita hasn’t shut up about your doctorate ever since.“

“She exaggerates!“, Ona protested. Her cheeks were slightly blushed as she wrestled the phone back from her teammate.

Lucy bit back a grin: “Oh, does she? Because you sounded very excited for me.“

Ona glared at her but before she could say anything, Irene reminded her: “Don’t talk too long. It’s almost dinner time.“

“Sorry. They’re so annoying.“, Ona apologized, shaking her head about her teammates.

Lucy smiled but it never reached her eyes: “Don’t tell them but I miss them being annoying already.“

“Speaking of it, now I remember why I called. The Chelsea interview with you and Millie. You said you were calling your mum? Seriously, I’m not your mama!“, Ona laughed.

Lucy only replied with another eyeroll.

Millie and her had done a Mini mic interview to announce her transfer to Chelsea. She had said hat her mum was the last person she called when in fact, they both knew she was on the phone with Ona only minutes before they filmed the interview.

It was just a silly video for the fans to get to know the new player better, so she didn’t think her answer mattered much.

“You know exactly why I said that.“

“Yes but everyone could sense that you were lying.“, Ona replied and she definitely sounded proud about the fact that she had been the most recent phone call.

“No one can prove that!“

“Thank god.”, she whispered gratefully, thinking about how people were ready to interpret everything they did and said which could allude to their relationship. In this case the mum reply was the safest for everyone.

“Only we know the truth.”, Lucy told the younger defender.

“And the truth is I miss you.”, she confessed with a sad smile. The Spaniards unhappy expression didn’t match the special smiley necklace her girlfriend had gifted her. 

“Oni..”, her lover began empathetically. The older woman heart sank seeing her in this state, especially when she couldn’t reach out to embrace her.

“Hm?”, Ona tried her best to keep the upcoming tears at bay.

“I miss you too, but we talked about this.”, the English player reminded the younger one softly.

“I know and it’s the best for you.”, she let out a deep sigh.

“We’ll be fine. Promise.”, Lucy vowed seriously.

“I believe you, amor.”, the Barcelona defender answered.

“I’m a doctor, you can trust me.”, her lover winked.

Automatically her lips turned up into a smile, it didn’t matter that it was a bad joke.

“So, what do you recommend against longing and yearning, Doctor Bronze?”, Ona asked her girlfriend, running a hand through her open hair which fell in soft waves.

At that sight Lucy had to close her eyes for a second, oh how she wished to be that hand touching it, the urge was almost overwhelming.

“I’ll prescribe you calls with your girlfriend everyday and some distraction by your teammates.”, the older woman smirked.

“Good advice, come on Ona dinner is ready!”, Leila interrupted them grinning.

“You heard her.”, the younger Spanish defender groaned.

“Enjoy your meal, pretty girl.”, Lucy nodded amused.

“Enjoy London, doc.”, she responded cheekily.

“I’ll.”

“Talk to you tomorrow.”, Ona promised, blowing a kiss to the screen of her phone. Ignoring the laughter, she received by doing such a cheesy gesture by the younger players.

“Can’t wait. Good night.”, she bid farewell.

On the next day it was Millie who realized that her new club teammate had something on her mind.

“Oh, hello Doctor Bright.”, Lucy greeted her with an absent-minded smile.

“Hi Doctor Bronze, is it missing the girlfriend hour?”, the blonde assumed.

“It’s. She’s struggling quite a bit with the move.”, she admitted, biting her lip.

“That’s sad, but understandable.”, the Chelsea captain remarked.

“I think she’ll get used to it.”, Lucy said optimistically.

“Do you think you’ll surprise her with a short visit?”, Millie wiggled her eyebrows.

“I might.”, she revealed.

“That’s surprisingly romantic for your standards, Bronzey.”, the Blonde teased her.

“Shut it, Bright!”, the former Barcelona defender demanded, shoving the teammate playfully.

Millie laughed in reply: “Never, you should know that by now.“

Ona was engrossed in a conversation with Patri when Barcelonas training ended a few days. She frowned when Patri suddenly stopped talking about her newest coffee preferences and instead stared at a point behind Onas shoulder with her eyes wide.

“Ona!“, she said with urgency in her voice.

“Yes?“

“Look!“, Patri said, her face lighting up in excitement.

The defender rolled her eyes: “I don’t fall for that again, Patricia.“

This time it was her teammates turn to roll her eyes: “I mean it this time.“

“You’re just joking again. I know it.“

“Fine…“ With a sigh, Patri grabbed the defender by the shoulders and turned her 180 degrees.

Onas jaw dropped once she spotted Lucy walking towards the training pitch.

“Oh my god…“, she mouthed.

Lucy grinned at her: “Surprise.“

“You’re really here.“, Ona said quietly as if she had to remind herself.

“Of course I am.“

Finally, a smile spread across the Spanish defenders face: “Wow, I can’t believe it.“

Patri pushed her towards her girlfriend: “You know, she’s not a projection or a hallucination. You can go hug her.“

“Go, Oni!“, Aitana cheered from behind her.

“Sorry.“, Ona laughed slightly embarrassed and crossed the few steps to hug Lucy.

“Hi.“, Lucy whispered, holding her girlfriend close.

Ona fully relaxed in her arms: “Hi, good to see you.“

“Good to see you too.“ Lucy replied and pressed a kiss on the top of Onas head.

“Wait, let’s go somewhere more private.“

“Please.“, Luca agreed.

Ona took her girlfriends hand and pulled her with her towards some empty rooms under the watchful eyes of her teammates.

“Here it’s just the two of us.“, the Spanish football player smiled as she closed the door behind herself.

Lucy took a step towards her: “Finally.“

Without another word, Ona grabbed Lucys face and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. She had already missed her girlfriends lips on hers. She was starving for her, she never wanted to come back up for air again. But she had to and when she did, Lucy smirked at her: “You really missed me, huh?“

“I mean what I say.“, she shrugged while her arms were snaking around her girlfriends waist again.

“And you kiss like you mean it.“, Lucy grinned.

“Good.“

The English defender kissed her once more. This time it felt less like satisfying a craving and more like pure indulgence.

“I hope this will last you until I can come visit again.“, Lucy smiled mysteriously.

Ona stared at her for a moment, trying to read her facial expression until she understood: “Wait, you’re joining us in Paris?“

Laughing, Lucy shook her head: “No. But I will come watch you.“

“That’s amazing.”, the younger woman beamed at the older one.

“See, you don’t have to wait that long.”, she noted.

“The best news.”, Onas’s grin deepened.

More serious, Lucy put a hand to her girlfriend’s cheek, looking into her brown eyes to see her immediate reaction to the question she was about to ask. “What do you think? Can we handle the long distance?”

The Spanish defender didn’t need to think long. “Yes, I think we can.”

“I think so too.”, the older woman agreed calmly.

“It’s worth it.” A deep sigh escaped Ona’s lips.

“What’s wrong?”, the English defender asked with worry in her voice.

“I’m just glad you’re here.”, the younger player answered honestly.

“I’ll stay for a bit.”, Lucy assured her, smiling warmly.

Suddenly Leilas head loomed into the room, a smirk was playing on her lips. “Will she stay forever?”

“Forever?”, Lucy repeated laughing.

“I thought you liked Disney movies or is it just the Lion king.”, the Manchester City player teased her.

“Let’s just say, I might not stay here forever. But I’ll stay forever in her life.”, the new Chelsea defender declared lovingly.

The way she looked at her made Ona feel warm and fuzzy inside. With her doe brown eyes, she glanced back with the same intensity as her girlfriend. “I think forever sounds perfect.”

“Forever is good for me too.”, Lucy whispered into her ear, ignoring the gagging noises Leila made. This moment was undoubtedly meaningful to them. They’d be able to handle everything the long distance, the yearning and the longing, their love was strong enough for it.

[junicult]

!! the bachelors & hot features they have / things they do

contains ; gn!farmer. written w fem!farmer in mind, but nothing that specifies. established relationship. nsfw. body / facial hair headcanons. suggestive content. mostly sfw w fluff. not proofread.

note ; ok so this is a prompt i made like a year ago on my other blog, so i just decided to bring it here w stardew valley characters!

harvey.

- he’s literally the loml.

- he’s so well groomed, his hygiene is genuinely perfect.

- ofc we know he has his famous mustache, super clean and neat. he trims it every so often to keep it that way.

- and i feel like he can grow a beard, but it doesn’t come in as thick so he decides to just shave it.

- this man has a happy trail 🫡

- a dark, thick patch of hair that trails up to his belly button. it progressively thins the higher it goes, but it’s definitely prominent when he’s wearing low shorts or even just boxers.

- he keeps that nice and trimmed too. i’m tellin you, he’s so clean.

- he also smells so good. whether it be cologne, or just him, it’s so good.

- he’s a boxer briefs kinda guy. they make him feel secure.

- he probably sleeps in a matching pair of pants and shirt. lol.

- but likely during the summer, he’ll end up falling asleep in just his boxers every once in a while.

- this man is the perfect husband.

- wakes up to make you breakfast, makes dinner to give you before you get home.

- on lazy days he’ll clean up the house, make sure it’s all nice and tidy while you work on the farm.

- he recognizes you have a lot to do, so he wants to give you as much as you give him.

- a househusband, if u will.

- he’s a cuddler.

- whether it be just sitting on the couch, watching tv, or lying in bed—he’s cuddling u.

- big spoon, little spoon, wrapped around your body one way or another.

- if he knows you hate cuddling, he’ll be cool about it. but you’ll probably have to compromise and give him something, like his hand holding yours or your head resting against his chest.

- your presence is enough, he just likes to feel you’re there before falling asleep.

- he’s huge on emotional intimacy.

- after a long day, and he gets to just unwind with you, and maybe a glass of wine every once in a while is like heaven to him.

- the type to set up a nice bubble bath with candles and stuff, just so you two can sit and catch up.

- “hm? no, my day was fine. much better now.”

- i’m just saying, harvey, with his hair slightly damp, glasses low on the bridge of his nose, head tilted to the side while listening to you intently, and his body all covered in bubbles. he’s so…

- fuck i love him.

sam.

- a thinner happy trail, but still goes up to his belly button.

- it’s like a slightly darker patch of blonde hair.

- he doesn’t really have to groom it or anything, but he does make sure it’s fairly neat every once in a while.

- he honestly doesn’t really dwell on it though. it’s just there, and since you’ve expressed interest in it, he’s more then happy to leave it.

- i feel like he could grow facial hair, but it always comes in super patchy and thin, so he just shaves it off.

- he honestly prefers it that way too. it just doesn’t look good on him.

- boxer shorts 🤭🤭🤭

- those baggy, plaid shorts that look so fucking good, especially when he wears them low on his waist.

- that’s all he wears to bed lol.

- CUDDLER!!!!!!

- spooning with him is so cute, swear.

- probably bc he wants to strictly be little spoon.

- even if you’re significantly shorter then him, he loves feeling like you’re his little backpack.

- i almost wanna say he moves around a lot in his sleep. it’s really interesting to wake up and see where he’s laying.

- like, he can go to bed with his whole body tucked under the covers, head on the pillow and feet at the end—but he’ll wake up with his limbs hanging off the end and entirely upside down above the covers.

- all of that but somehow he knows not to touch you, so it’s like a little surprise every time you both wake up.

- he absolutely loves pda.

- not an inappropriate amount, but there’s no way he can go even an hour without kissing you somehow when you’re together.

- holding your hand when you’re standing together, leaning over to give you a kiss on the cheek just cus.

- he loves going 1 on 1 with you during pool, but mainly because he just loves how sassy you get when you’re winning.

- or, whenever he’s playing against sebastian and he has you by his side cheering him on.

- he feels on top of the world.

- he’s so in love with you, swear.

shane.

- 😵‍💫

- he’s got what i’d like to say is a dad bod.

- round tummy, large arms, broad shoulders. he’s attractive in a realistic sense, and he may not be incredibly confident, but your attraction to his physique makes him a lot more self assured.

- especially when your eyes wander a little when he takes off his shirt, and he can mask his flattery with a teasing comment.

- “wanna take a picture?” so smugly, just so he can see your lips purse and you immediately look away.

- *sweats* h-happy trail….

- it’s thick; and dark, and not necessarily groomed, it just kinda grows one way & he doesn’t really touch it.

- literally 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

- not to mention he also definitely has chest hair, but not enough that it’s disgusting, y’know?

- and he has facial hair.

- just subtle scruff all around his chin and jaw, mainly because he couldn’t care enough to shave but also bc he knows you like it.

- that’s about all he can grow, anyways.

- it’s extremely (and i mean EXTREMELY) rare he’d shave, but on the occasion he does…

- tease him about it.

- loves when you rub your fingers against his cheeks, especially when you’re sitting in his lap just like, “it’s so soft, you look prepubescent.”

- he doesn’t, not in the slightest, but it’s still funny to see him swat your hand away and his face gets all red.

- after u got married and he got better with his addiction, i’d like to think he became much help on the farm.

- you need trees chopped? he’s ur guy.

- clean the chicken coop? obviously.

- maybe even sometimes if you’re not feeling good, you can bet he does everything you need for you.

- so his body definitely builds from that, but don’t fear! he’s still got his chub.🫡

- he sleeps in boxer shorts also.

- that or some pants, but never a shirt.

- if he’s wearing a shirt in bed, something’s seriously wrong with him. that, or it’s like the dead of winter (but even then it’s so rare.)

- this dude is like a FURNACE at night. he’s literally radiating heat just by laying there.

- and he’s not an initial cuddler.

- he loves you, but he likes his space getting ready to fall asleep.

- but i can promise you, somehow during the night he���ll end up wrapped around you entirely, squeezing u and practically lighting you on fire w his body heat.

- it’s endearing, tho.

- no matter how much he says he hates cuddling, he still ends up like that somehow (so who’s to say he really hates it?)

sebastian.

- 🤭🤭🤭

- lean build, pretty skinny.

- super pale too, and i’d like to think he has a ton of random freckles spotting across his body.

- not very many on his face cus he doesn’t get much sun (lol) but yeah, little moles here and there.

- his skin is also super smooth all the time for some reason.

- he’s not weak by any means, lowkey sleeper build except nothing really comes out when he uses his muscles LMFAO.

- like, if you give him a bunch of logs to carry that are really heavy, you expect him to only grab a few, not the whole bunch.

- and he can carry it effortlessly. it’s easy to forget he’s genuinely strong.

- but anyways, he doesn’t have chest hair or a happy trail.

- no facial hair, either. literally none. he’s just never been able to grow it, and he’s actually totally fine with that lol.

- his pubic hair is so well groomed, and that isn’t even by cause. his hair just naturally looks like that.

- a small dark patch around his shaft, fairly short but still just utterly average.

- if he whipped his dick out, you wouldn’t be shocked or anything.

- he strictly wears pj pants to bed, no shirt.

- he has veryyy subtle definition in his abs, so subtle you’d have to squint to see it.

- and he’s the kind of guy that (if he wanted to) no matter how hard he tried to get bulkier, it just wouldn’t work.

- he’s just genetically a pretty lanky guy, and while growing up he was embarrassed by it, right now he couldn’t care less.

- he’s grown to be more confident in himself after being with you.

- this man loves being praised, and when you reassure him he’s the ideal man for you.

- “you look so handsome today. did you do something with your hair?” hearing that first thing in the morning, when he didn’t even do anything & he actually doesn’t feel super attractive at the moment: yeah he’ll be thinking about that for weeks.

- it makes him feel so good whenever you randomly shoot one-liners that’ll catch him off guard like that.

- like in passing during a busy day, you’re just coming up to check on him for a couple minutes and you wrap your arms around his shoulders, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

- “you make it so hard for me to stay on task all day.” you sigh, grinning when he clearly gets all flustered.

- and he may not be as bold as you, but he has his moments.

- “mm, what if you just stayed in bed with me today?” “wish you’d stop pulling away whenever you feel gross, y’know it doesn’t bother me.” 👀👀

- this probably doesn’t need to be said, but i’m gonna say it anyways,

- he doesn’t like pda. the most he’ll do is hold your hand if you’re in public together, maybe kiss you on the cheek if he’s feels particularly affectionate / protective every now and then.

- he likes to keep his relationship private, it makes you feel a little more special to him.

- like, he loves the fact that only he gets to see you in specific ways.

- such as just being together on sappy evenings, softly mumbling things you love about each other while being in his arms. things like that.

- cus for him, if he does stuff like that in public, well for starters he’ll get uncomfortable. he’s too introverted for stuff like that.

- but really, it just means anyone can look over and see what you both look like when you’re all vulnerable with eachother, and to him he’d much rather keep that private.

- now, that being said…this man is so clingy lol.

- if you both are having an indoor day, and he’s working on the computer, while you’re just sorting through stuff inside, he’ll want to be near you.

- you’re at the stove? he’s at the kitchen table.

- you’re in the living room? he’s on the couch.

- you’re brushing your teeth? so is he.

- it can be dead silent between you two, just as long as you’re nearby, he’s happy.

alex.

- he’s one of the guys with a more toned physique.

- he’s got some pretty nice arms, can i just say.

- they’re toned, grow larger when he flexes, even resting they look pretty nice.

- and his abs too, they’re not crazy, but they’re definitely there.

- a nice definition you can see even when he’s not flexing. there’s at least four there.

- as for facial hair, he has none.

- i feel like if he could grow some, he’d definitely leave it. it’d make him feel more “manly.”

- but he just doesn’t LMFAO.

- now, non-facial hair is a different story👀

- he’s got a happy trail folks!!!

- it’s a dark, thick patch of brown hair that trails (once again) all the way up to his belly button.

- and it’s so fucking hot.

- it might be the prettiest (next to harvey’s, ofc.)

- believe it or not, he’s actually pretty neat with it.

- he takes pride in being attractive! ofc he’s going to groom it.

- trims it whenever it gets untamed, but never shaves it off. he loves it, and he knows you do too.

- he’s also a boxer briefs guy. 99% of the time, he’s walking around wearing only his boxer briefs in the house.

- especially whenever it’s an indoor day, yeah, he’s not even bothering getting dressed at all😭😭

- that’s all he sleeps in. even if it’s the middle of winter.

- another pda fan.

- but this time, dare i say…he’s a little more bold.

- he’ll kiss you like he does when you’re private, even if there’s people around.

- cupping your cheek, pulling you in for likely more then 5 seconds sometimes.

- he’ll hold onto your waist when you’re standing together. he’ll stand behind you with his arms wrapped around you, even.

- and well, yes there’s empty seats all around you, but that’s too bad. cus he’s pulling you into sitting in his lap.

- he loves knowing everyone’s jealous of him.

- you’re so attractive, he knows all the other men look at you thinking the same thing.

- and he just loves how he’s got a rock on your finger that’s similar to his. he loves the fact that you said yes to him, not to anyone else who would’ve asked.

- so he loves showing you off.

- he’s got such a high libido, so he’s fairly sexual all the time.

- rolling over to kiss you after fucking you for literal hours, and even just the sight of you lying there, trying to catch your breath has him ready to go again.

- he’s one to grope you (consensually!)

- like, if ur walking by him, he’ll grab your ass and shoot you a grin like nothing even happened.

- but he knows when to be more serious, like if you had bad day and you just need a good cry.

- i’d like to think he’s really good at comforting people.

- he was there for his mom whenever his dad was treating them horribly, and he definitely helped her through a few tears, so he’s perfect at just holding you.

- he’s genuinely a sweetheart. yes he’s cocky, and flirty, but when it comes to people he loves: he’s so perfect.

elliot.

- *cracks knuckles*

- he can grow facial hair, but he normally goes without it.

- it comes in thick, but it won’t grow past any stubble (or at least he doesn’t let it before shaving it all off.)

- but omfg…his facial hair looks so nice when he lets it grow for a bit.

- especially when he kisses you, or lets you cup your hands around his jaw during that phase.

- he’s another one that loves to feel your fingers rake through his hair when you’re just commenting on how handsome he looks with it.

- despite how attractive it is, he still prefers it gone. so it’s rare when he lets it get to that point.

- his has a very subtle happy trail. it’s mostly just a patch of hair that peeks above his waistline, and it doesn’t go all the way up to his belly button,

- but it’s still as handsome as ever.

- his sleepwear is literally silk. stg.

- he’s so extra.

- he probably even got you a matching pair with your initials engraved “just cus.”

- but when he isn’t wearing all of that, he’s probably just wearing some regular pj pants and a shirt.

- it’s rare tho, cus like i said—he’s so extra.

- something so casual, but so attractive that he does is when he’s super exhausted with writing for so long, that he just leans back in his chair and sighs.

- like…he throws his arms over his head, manspreads just a little and sighs.

- or or or

- after you’ve had such a long and exhausting day, he’s quick to place his pencil down and open his arms to slot you on his lap.

- “tell me what’s the matter, my love. want me to make you some tea, get you some water?”

- and while you’re talking, he’s just gently rubbing your thigh and kissing your arms softly.

- he’s just so gracious and endearing.

- this man 😮‍💨😮‍💨

[sesshous]

random dating hcs ᰔ mona, alhaitham, gaming

genre: fluff (no prns)

a/n: dating headcanons... drabbles... blurbs (not rly sure what to call these) also mona in the new cat event!! i love mona, she was the first five star i ever wanted and the first one i ever got, so i'm happy she's at least getting some more screentime haha ♡

mona

mona isn’t the most… responsible with her money. while she does have money set aside, the vast majority of her income goes to her life’s interest: astrology. but even with her lack of money, mona still wants to do things with you! … just without a hefty price tag.

mona loves to stargaze — befitting of an astrologist. she loves taking you around different heights of mondstadt! mona knows all the best spots that have a good view of the night sky — pointing out all the constellations, rambling on to you about what they mean… she’ll even make some copies of her own star charts to give you for future reference.

not really a known fact about her, but mona is actually a pretty decent cook! she'd want to prepare you a filling (and cheap), but very delicious meal rather than go out to eat. sometimes, she’ll end up lecturing you on market prices and ways you can prepare meals for a low cost — she wouldn’t want you buying overpriced ingredients when you can get just as good ones for a cheaper price!

and yes, if you ask her nicely she can create and show you reflections other than constellations with her hydromancy… just for you though. she wouldn’t want people to think her hydromancy is all just for show.

(brownie points if you share the same interest in astrology. you’re basically a match at that point.)

“hm? of course, i knew we were destined to be together — the stars never lie.”

gaming

the absolute sweetest! with how much he talks about you, people of liyue have to be living under a rock if they don’t know the two of you are together.

no has no shame with pda gaming will want to hold your hand everywhere you go. or have his arm around you. or hug you — he literally never gets embarrassed about giving you affection! he’s very into physical touch, he finds it’s comforting. i’d like to think he’s warm to the touch too — with or without the pyro vision. great cuddling material for cold days! (… hot ones too — you just have to wear breathable clothes so you don’t overheat.)

you don’t have to be into it as much as he is, but gaming would definitely want to teach you the basics of wushou dancing! he’s always there to help show and guide you through the movements — he likes to think he’s a pretty good teacher! he'll joke about putting on a duo performance… just a joke of course, haha… unless—?

oh, and man chai loves you! i like to think man chai acts more well behaved for you than he does with gaming, (he blames it on all the treats you give him) but he’s so glad you too get along! … even if man chai does steal take more of your attention when you’re together...

“y’know, i'm starting to think man chai likes you way more than he likes me! … but it's you, so i don’t blame him though, haha!”

alhaitham

alhaitham as quite the reputation for being… unapproachable to say the least. to people, his words and gaze seems judgemental, so how could someone stand to be around someone like that? lucky for you, you're able see past what those people seemingly think of him!

the books alhaitham reads aren’t made for the average’s person leisurely reading — their complex and lengthy — but alhaitham feels a kind of… fondness when you ask him to read out loud whatever book he's currently reading to you! …even if you do end up becoming a bit sleepy due to the content of the book (he thinks it’s cute. will he say that to you? … maybe teasingly.) he also will read and take book suggestions from you if you have any for him! he doesn’t just read non-fiction (and if it’s from you, really he’s open to anything. anything.)

because of alhaitham’s day consisting pretty much on a schedule, he finds himself finding ways to incorporate you into it with his free time. he prefers to spend time with you in more quiet and secluded places around sumeru away from people, but i actually feel like he wouldn’t be opposed to dates in public! going to the likes of places such as the grand bazaar to see what people are selling or watching performances that are put on in the theatre (though most of the time it’s you dragging him out… he does find it entertaining to see your face light up at all of the sights)

on some occasions, he’ll bring you along with him when he’s invited out for drinks with cyno, kaveh and tighnari. (try your best to tease him in front of them, but he’ll always have a playful quip right back at you.)

"really? because sometimes i think you love using me more as a pillow than an actual boyfriend. i’m only joking dear, i love you too.”

[stellari-s]

Omfg ithaqua centric tumblrs exist/j

I don't know I'd your still doing requests but can I request ithaqua with a reader who's rlly sweet and nice and everything, but the manor did like a swap with the survivors and hunters so that the hunters are the ones that run from the survivors and when Reader is picked they go NUTS. Like everyone's out and injured in like 2 minutes. After the event reader goes back to normal but if people look closely, Reader's picked up a bit of a hunger for blood sometimes...

✨

haha, ikr, and gosh, i’m really slow, i hope you’ll forgive me! but i will try my best with your request! i don’t end up describing the details of the match much rather than implying what happened, so i hope that’s ok.

request; yes, by anon! requests are currently closed, but my commissions are open if you’re interested.

wc; 945.

tags; default! ithaqua, gn! survivor! reader (who becomes hunter), reader treats ithaqua’s injuries.

summary; miss nightingale had come with a sudden announcement — survivors and hunters were going to switch places! and so, you are put into a match with ithaqua as the last one standing…

this very day was like a fever dream — but would it be a dream if one could see a subtle, yet irreversible change?

“a switch?”

ithaqua stayed silent, but he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. though he said little, his feelings reflected that of everyone else’s in the room where miss nightingale had gathered all the hunters on a whim to make the very announcement of a role switch. he honestly harbored mixed feelings on the prospect of being the one chased, rather than the one doing the chasing, but more than that...

he thought back to a certain face among the survivors. a seemingly innocent face, whose kindness knew no bounds. would they be up for the task, he wondered?

robbie’s enthusiastic voice dragged ithaqua from his thoughts back into reality.

“oh oh, does this mean we get to play something like reverse tag?”

“seems like it,” ithaqua muttered in reply.

miss nightingale nodded once everyone had settled down (or, displayed some semblance of having settled down). “i’m glad we are on the same page. gather in lakeside in one hour if you are called upon, and take care not to be late.”

when miss nightingale left, murmurs immediately broke out among the hunters.

...there really is something off with her. i don’t like it.

nonetheless, ithaqua had no right to refuse; he could only sigh and wait for an hour to pass.

“survivors will become the hunters?”

this was news to you. what in the world could have brought on this change in the manor owner’s heart?

...not that you could really understand him. in fact, many things in the manor had been intriguing.

little things piqued your interest, and whispered rumors became a source of curiosity.

“i’m not sure i feel comfortable facing against hunters... as a hunter,” helena said, “wouldn’t you agree, (y/n)?”

“hm?” you looked at helena, who had a resigned smile on her lips.

i suppose it would be difficult for her, considering she can’t see. then again, she has a cane, so maybe she’s fine, and her personality is just too kind?

some survivors were fit to be a hunter, but helena was not one of them. it wasn’t a bad thing; it simply wasn’t her strength.

you flashed her a gentle smile of your own. “it is definitely a sudden development. i can understand the difficulty in processing it.”

you neither confirmed nor denied it.

—— 20 minutes later.

there was only one hunter left now: ithaqua.

you had noticed this in previous matches against him when he was hunter, but even with those stilts that looked so easy to trip in, ithaqua was very quick on his feet. there was clearly a lot of skill in maneuvering around with those.

you would spot him, and you would chase after him, only for him to slip between your fingers like locks of hair.

while his appearance resembled that of a supernatural creature to be feared, you found through spending time with him outside of matches that he was not a bad person. in fact, he was quite nice behind that colder facade.

if it were other survivors, they would probably be more cautious around ithaqua.

finally, you caught up to him in the small boat in lakeside village. “you’re the only one left standing, ithaqua,” you said, “yet you won’t surrender. do you think two hours will pass before i can catch you?”

ithaqua chuckled. “i’ll take your words as a compliment.”

“as they are meant to be. but i think two hours is quite a long time, so will you allow me to catch you before then?”

“if you’re going to catch me, do it with your own abilities.”

you shrugged, a resigned smile playing on your lips. “i suppose it can’t be helped then.”

it turned out you didn’t need him to “allow” you.

after the match, which had lasted around half an hour total, ithaqua hissed a little in pain as you wrapped the bandage around his arm, where he had cut himself.

“would it hurt to be a little more gentle treating my wound?”

“oh, don’t you know? it’s better to wrap the gauze more tightly. i do sincerely apologize for the... slightly rough handling toward the end of the match though. so please just think of this as repayment.”

ithaqua fell silent. this was one of the rare times he had his mask off, so you could see his eyes narrowed, his brows furrowed, and his lips pursed as he averted his pale blue eyes.

“what’s wrong?” you waved a hand in front of him.

“i don’t know. but is it just me or do you just look... a little different?”

“hm?”

he turned to look at you for a brief moment before retracting his arm. “it’s nothing. thanks for treating my arm.”

ithaqua stood up and tried to walk out of the room, but you called after him as his hand made contact with the knob.

“hey, ithaqua.”

he stood in frozen in place like a statue, as if contemplating whether or not he should turn out. in the end, he stayed still as he replied, “what?”

though he wouldn’t be able to see it, you flashed a smile his way.

“i look forward to the next match.”

you could have sworn you saw his shoulders twitch slightly upon hearing your words. he then turned around (to your surprise) and, with a sharp tone, shouted “well i don’t!” before shutting the door behind him.

you couldn’t help but let out a lighthearted laugh — he kind of reminded you of a cat.

a cat surely worth chasing, you reckoned.

[bkgml]

IM OBSESSED WITH BAKUGO BEINGS YOUR BROTHERS BEST FRIEND IDK WHY CAN YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS??

i’m going to combine these asks cause i think that’s cute. 😊

also i saw someone nickname bakugo ‘kugo’ and i think that’s adorable so i’m STEALING.

“just one kiss?”

you liked to believe you lived your life to the fullest, though your brothers best friend could beg to differ.

*15 years prior*

it was your brothers first day of kindergarten. you, still being a year younger, tagged along with your mother to drop him off.

“mommm, this is boring. can we go to the park?” you begged, tugging on her hand.

“we have to drop off your brother first. be patient yn.” she smiled.

“bye mom! bye yn!” your brother cheered, dashing into the school.

your mother laughed, saying her goodbyes.

as the two of you turned to leave you bumped heads with someone.

“ow!” you whined.

“you ran into me!” you heard from in front of you.

“katsuki! don’t be a brat. apologize.” you looked up to see a blonde woman.

“mph! ‘m sorry, i guess…” katsuki kicked at the pebbles in front of him, avoiding eye contact.

“go on inside, i’ll see you later.” katsuki’s mother said, ushering him into the school.

katsuki ran in, leaving you alone with the two women.

“sorry about that. i’m mitsuki.” the boys mother said, shaking hands with your own mother.

“hey no harm, no foul. i’m m/n”

“i’ve never seen my katsuki avoid someone’s eyes before. maybe he has a little crush on her.” mitsuki said, looking at you.

*present day*

“i’m home! bakugous over!” your brother called from the front door.

“okay hun!” your mom answered.

“shit mina i gotta hang up, bakugous over.” you spoke into your phone.

“when are you going to make a move on him?” she teased.

“never! i can’t do that! he’d say no!” you whined.

you hear mina sigh through the speakers.

“we all see the way he looks at you.”

“glares at me.” you correct.

“whatever. you can just do it subtly then! see if you get his attention.”

you pause, thinking.

“…how would i do that?” you ask.

“i know just the thing.”

*downstairs*

“go! GO! come on b/n!” katsuki shouts, hands moving furiously over the controller.

“shit! my bad.” your brother apologizes dropping his controller.

“yeah it is. you’re trash.” katsuki says, walking to the kitchen.

“hi b/n!” you say, coming down the stairs.

“hey.” he says, not looking up from his phone.

you walk into the kitchen seeing katsuki standing there with his back to you. he’s on his phone, drinking some water he got from the fridge.

you stop and sigh, nervous for him to see you.

you saunter to the cupboard in directly in front of him, nerves concealed as you get on your tiptoes and try to grab a glass.

“hey, bakugou?” you call, back still turned.

“hm?” he asks, eyes lifting from his phone.

his words get caught in his throat as he sees you. tight shorts that hug you in all the right places and a tank top to match.

“kugo?” he snaps out of his daydream seeing you with your arms crossed in front of your chest.

he takes a sharp inhale.

“yeah?” he asks, voice sounding strained.

“can you help me grab a glass?” you say sweetly.

he nods and approaches the cupboard, expecting you to shuffle out of the way. you don’t.

he reaches his arm up, grabbing a glass. all while keeping eye contact with you.

god you look so perfect, he wants to smooch your face.

“thanks!” you say, going to reach for the glass.

he pulls it slightly out of your reach and you look at him, confused.

“i don’t get a thank you?” he smiles. inching closer to your face.

“you already got one.” you smile back, inching closer as well.

now that he’s caught off guard you swipe the glass out of his hand and smile, leaving him without a kiss.

his head falls forward and he sighs.

you open the fridge and get your water, laughing at him.

“bye kugo.” you grin going back upstairs.

*summer vacation*

the bakugous have a lake house they spend their summer at.

this year, you and your brother are invited.

“THIS IS SO GREAT!” mina cheers.

“a lake house, that’s so romantic! especially after he almost kissed you!” she flops on your bed.

“i know, i hope we get together before everyone comes up for the last weekend.” you say, throwing clothes in the duffel bag you’re taking with you.

“you will! he won’t be able to resist you after you teased him like that!” she grins.

“good on you by the way. making him chase you.”

“it took a lot of willpower to back away.”

“b/n! y/n! the bakugous are here!” your mom calls.

“i’m so nervous!” you whisper-shout.

“don’t be! you’ll be great! see ya!” she says, as she leaves.

you head down the stairs. duffel bag thrown over your shoulder.

“hi kids!” mitsuki says, hugging you and your brother.

“hi mitsuki!” you say.

“alright yn, you sit in the back with katsuki. i want to talk with b/n about university!”

you and katsuki look at each other slyly.

you all get in the car and your brother and mitsuki talk the whole time.

you sit on your phone, watching katsukis leg bounce impatiently.

you decide to text him.

y/n: nervous?

he shoots you a look before typing back.

kugo: why the hell would you think that?

y/n: your leg.

he looks down and groans ceasing the movement of his leg.

kugo: it’s your fuckin fault.

y/n: yeah? how?

he glares at you over his phone.

kugo: tease.

you smile at him and he huffs and looks out the window.

to katsuki the car ride seems like it took ages. he kept shooting glances at you and you would always smile back at him. it was exhausting for him.

*lake house*

“fuck this is high man.” your bother says to katsuki.

“don’t be a pussy. just jump.” katsuki encourages.

“okay, okay. fuck!” he yelps as he grabs the rope and swings off the cliff.

“guess it’s your turn.” katsuki says. turning to you, eyes roaming down your soft skin in your cute bikini. god you’re killing him.

“i don’t know, kugo.” you say warily, looking at him nervously.

“what? don’t say you’re too scared.” he grins.

“i am not! but it’s just… really really high.” you whine.

he thinks, looking a little nervous.

“c’mere.” he says reaching out to you.

“hm? ah!! katsuki!” you squeal as he grabs you from under your arms, wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his shoulders.

“this okay?” he asks holding you with one arm and the rope with the other.

you nod, quietly. shooting him a shy smile.

“you’re so pretty like this.” he says.

“yeah? you think so?” you smile, looking at him.

“uh huh. calling me katsuki, looking so good in your little ‘kini. makes me want to jump off a cliff.” he grins.

“what?- OH MY GOD!” you shriek. arms and legs tightening around him.

he swung right off the cliff, laughing as he did so.

he liked the feeling of you clinging to him for protection. face hiding in his neck, soft skin against his.

he let go of the rope and wrapped his arms around you.

the two of you land in the water together and he lets go so you can swim up to the surface. both of you immediately missing the warmth of the others skin.

“oh my god! that was awesome!! can we go again?” you squeal.

“i’m not climbing that shitty mountain again.” he says, swimming back to the boat.

*one week later*

you’re doing your weekly checkup with mina. telling her about what happened on the cliff.

“WHAT? you should’ve kissed him!!” mina yelled.

“i know but i couldn’t, my brother was probably watching us from the water.” you sighed.

“yeah, i guess you’re right. he said you’re pretty though!!”

“i know. i really just wanna give it up and kiss him already. his face is so kissable.” you pout.

you hear a knock at the door before it opens.

katsukis standing against the door frame.

your eyes widen.

“kissable huh?” your breath catches in your throat.

“mina. i gotta go.” you say throwing your phone onto your bed and walking to him.

“i like these shorts.” he says looking you up and down.

“i bet you do.” you smile.

the two of you lean in.

you put your hands on his chest. it’s bare, and he’s wearing pyjama pants that make you want to jump him.

“your hands are fuckin freezing.” he says.

“yeah?” you reply, noses practically touching.

*ping! ping!*

katsuki groans.

“fuck off.” he says, moving away from you to grab his phone.

you sigh.

“it’s b/n. he wants me to play fuckin video games”

you sigh again.

“you should go then.” you say, sliding your palms down his chest onto his abs.

he shudders, grabbing your hands.

“just one kiss. come on.” he groans.

you smile, pressing up onto your tiptoes and pressing a couple rapid quick kisses to his lips.

he frowns.

“good enough for now, i guess.” he says, forehead dropping onto your shoulder.

he places kisses there and you giggle.

“katsuki, come on you have to go. don’t want people getting suspicious.”

he lifts his head and shoots you a grin.

“wanna smooch your pretty face some more.”

he grabs your face, squishing your cheeks and pressing kisses to your lips, nose, eyelids, anything he can get to, making you laughing quietly.

“katsuki! come on, you have to go.” you laugh, pressing your hands to his chest.

“mmm i don’t wanna.” he says, kissing you more.

“i know but you have to.” you press one last kiss to his lips before pulling away.

you lean forward, lips brushing his ear.

“come to my room after you’re done. i’ll be asleep but i wanna see you.” you say, pulling away and kissing his cheek.

“fuck. i’m gonna be counting down the fuckin seconds.” he groans and you smile.

“bye kats.” you wave awkwardly and close the door to the guest room you’re staying in.

*5am*

“fuck i’m tired.” b/n said, throwing his controller onto the couch.

“same.” katsuki yawned.

“i’m going to head to bed. see ya tomorrow.” b/n said walking into his room.

the second your brother walked into his room katsuki shot up and practically ran to your room.

he opened the door quietly and saw you, curled up in your blankets.

your face looked so peaceful. it made him feel bad that he was going to pull you from sleep.

he crouched by your bed, caressing your cheek and pressing kisses all over your face.

your eyes fluttered lightly and your lips pulled into a pout.

“wake up, pretty.” he says, softly.

you smile and open your eyes.

“hi.” you say sweetly.

you lift the covers of your bed and pat the space beside you.

“come.” you say, sounding more like a whine because of your sleepy state.

he slips into the comfort of your bed and you shuffle closer to him, leaning on your forearms as you lay directly on top of him.

“hi.” you say, smiling.

“hi.” he smiles back, giving you a kiss.

you deepen the kiss, threading your fingers through his hair.

when you’re satisfied you pull away and katsuki moves onto your neck, nipping on the skin there.

“mmm i’m so sleepy.” you say, hiding your face in his neck and nuzzling deeply.

“i know, sweets.” he says, rubbing your back.

you look up at him, eyes soft.

“sweets?” you smile.

he nods.

“you’re s’ sweet. always wanna kiss you so i can taste your sweet lipgloss.”

“yeah?” you say, nosing at his jawline.

you feel him nod against you and you let your head fall.

“stay the night with me.” you say shyly.

“your brother always comes to my room early while someone’s busy sleeping in.”

you groan.

“i like sleeping in. just leave early. please?” you give him puppy dog eyes.

now it’s his turn to groan.

“you’re not allowed to make that face at me.” he grumbles.

“yeah? why not?”

he locks eyes with you.

“cause i cant say no to that face.” he frowns.

you grin.

“so you’ll stay?”

“yeah okay. i’ll stay.” he says, wrapping his arms around your waist.

“go to sleep it’s late.” he rubs your head.

*last week of summer*

“MINAAA!” you scream, running off the front porch to the car that pulled into the driveway of the bakugous lake house.

“OH MY GOD I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!” she squeals jumping out of the car.

“jesus. my ear drums.” katsuki says and your friends laugh.

every year on the last week of summer, your whole friend group goes up to katsukis.

kirishima, sero, denki, jiro, mina, and you and your brother.

you send a half-assed glare to katsuki and he puts his arms up in surrender while shooting you a grin.

“come on let’s go inside! jiro! hurry it up!” mina calls, running up the steps with your arm in her grip.

*later that night*

“god i can’t believe there’s only a week left of summer.” you sigh, leaning further into your chair.

“i know, i wish i could stay here forever.” mina groans.

you see katsuki stand and head to the bathroom.

mina follows your eyes with a cheshire grin on her face.

“can you get me a refill, y/n?” she says to you, her eyes still on your boyfriend before she flicks them to you.

you smile at her knowingly and stand, nodding.

when you reach the kitchen katsuki has emerged from the bathroom.

he smiles and starts walking towards you.

“hi there, pretty lady, have you seen my girl anywhere?” he says, with his eyes pretending to search for you before you grab his face.

he grins and kisses you.

“you’re a dork.” you say, kissing him again.

he places his hands on your hips and pulls you flush against him.

“you love it.” he says against your lips before lifting you to sit on the kitchen counter.

“katsuki! what if someone comes in?” you frown.

“we better hope it’s mina then, i know you told her.” he replies as he pretends to frown back.

“come on we have to get back.”

“one more.” he says, kissing you sweetly.

“kats.” you say against his lips before gently pushing him away.

he doesn’t budge.

“just one kiss, c’mere.” he leans forward again and you swerve, giving him full access to your neck.

“wow.” you hear and the too of you whip your heads to the side.

seeing your whole group standing before you.

you hop off the counter.

“uh- b/n! it’s just- well why are you guys inside?” you ask, breathless.

“got cold.” he smiles.

“i was waiting to catch you guys. you thought you could hide this from us?”

you and katsuki look at each other before turning your heads back to everyone.

“you guys knew?!” you say together.

*five years after that*

you were 24 now. living with your husband, katsuki.

you loved your little life with your routine and your katsuki. and so does he.

he wakes up.

“ugh… fucking hate mornings.”

gets ready for his long day.

“shit. out of toothpaste.”

calls his mom and fills her in.

“yeah she’s perfect. we’re good.”

wakes up his perfect wife.

“wake up, sweet girl.”

gets too many kisses.

“one more, come on. just one kiss.” “katsuki!”

leaves for his day.

“mmm bye. one more?” “get out of here!”

[meetmymouth]

plssss i need a blurb about thea seeing that bald ass head

from the series theadora

“What are you doing?”

Harry looks absolutely ridiculous.

Sitting on the sofa, a mug in hand as he scrolls on his phone with the other.

Seeing only his torso, and the hands were not a reason to call him out on his bullshit, though. What angered her—perhaps, for no reason—was the fact that he’d been home for about four hours, and in that four hours, Harry has not taken his beanie off.

So, she thinks, yes—he looks absolutely ridiculous with the beanie still on his head.

“What?” He looks up, eyebrows furrowed.

The hat matches the pink lights on their Christmas tree, and she so badly wants him to take it off to see whether the flickering lights would reflect on his head that lacked a significant amount of hair now or not.

“Take that thing off for the love of God, Harry, you’ve been home for hours.”

“I feel… self conscious.”

“You can’t be serious, I’ve caught you taking multiple selfies,” she rubs her eyes, and walks towards him. She sits next to him, one leg tucked under the other, arm finding his body to hug him from the side. “Are you… serious?”

Harry bites his bottom lip. “Okay, maybe not. It’s just hair. I don’t care. I just.”

“What is it?”

“Teddy hasn’t seen it—”

“Well, I wonder why. Your bald head must be so hot under that thing,” she snorts, biting his shoulder over the t-shirt.

Harry gasps, almost spilling his tea. He puts it on the coffee table, hand already finding her hip to pinch the skin. “Stop being mean. I’m not bald.”

“Just take it off, please. She’ll find it cute. Camp.”

“Camp?” He repeats, tone incredulous and hesitant. “Fuck off.”

“Harry.”

He lets out a sigh, and leans his head on her head, her hair tickling the side of his face. He smiles for a moment, the stillness of the room making him feel warm.

“I love you,” she starts, hand creeping under his t-shirt. She stops when it reaches his neck. “But you need to take it off. I mean, what’s your plan, hm?”

“Well.”

“Didn’t think that one through, did you?”

They turn their heads at the same time when they hear Theadora’s small footsteps.

She enters the living room, a pink, glittery tinsel around her neck, mouth supporting a frown.

“The tree in my room is so small,” she walks over to them, and grabs Harry’s hand, putting it on the arm of the sofa. She gets on his lap, but not before giving her mum a bored look. “You told me I could have a tree in my room, too.”

She nods. “I did. And you do. We bought you one.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Harry strokes the side of her face, fingers delicately playing with her curls.

“Too small, I said it one minute ago. Because it is small,” she gives a curt nod. “Tinsel does not cover it all the way.”

“Do you mean the tinsel is big for your tree?” Harry suggests.

Theadora looks up at him, eyes narrowed. “It’s not even a tree. It’s a… tr. It’s so, so small I don’t like it.”

“Teddy we have a massive Christmas tree down here.”

“Why are you wearing a winter hat,” she changes the subject, but before they can give her an answer, her small hands reach for the hat, and it slides off of his head.

They both gasp, Theadora howls.

“What have you done, daddy!” She closes her mouth with her hands.

“I… cut my hair, T,” Harry rubs his eyes, clearly feeling nervous.

It’s silent for a while, before Theadora speaks again.

“With scissors?”

“Ah,” Harry lets out a defeated laugh. “No—”

“Did you do it or mum?”

“A hairdresser.”

She gulps. They both watch her in silence.

“Okay.”

Harry’s gaze finds hers momentarily before turning back to the child. “You like it?”

“I guess but do you like it? Are you sad? Because your hair was kinda curly like mine,” she flinches at her own words before turning to her mum. “I am not cutting my hair.”

They both laugh, and Harry presses a kiss on her small hands.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Teddy,” Harry murmurs, hands stroking her small ones in his. “Do you like it, though— really?”

“I do, I think. We won’t be able to put hair clips now but I guess if you’re happy.”

Harry bites his lips so that he doesn’t cry at the pureness of the interaction.

“I love you, Teddy.”

“I love you, too, daddy. Your head looks nice, I promise you.”

Harry laughs, unaware of the loving gaze directed at them both.

“What about my hair?”

Theadora doesn’t look impressed by the question.

“Can we get a bigger Christmas tree for my room now, please?”

[soubeomies]

oh my GOD. i love your writing!!! can we get like pure fluff heuning kai please. i need it. i have a few scenarios so have fun with these.

kai being on tour and he calls you every night trying not to expose the presents until he gets home and shows you stupid little things for the two of you (matching phonecases,,rings, bracelets, etc)

morning with kai (cuddling, staying in bed, random little talks so the two of you wake up)

AND!! the tiktok coquette bf bow trend with kai!! use any of these!!

pairing ; hueningkai x gn!reader

genre ; fluffiest fluff to ever fluff

warnings ; NONE HEHE :3

a/n ; OMG TYSM FOR BEING MY FIRST REQ! i'll do the coquette bow trend cuz i think its sauuuurrr cyuutee <3 ILY !!!!!

you were on the bed scrolling through tiktok as your boyfriend, kai, was in the bathroom showering since he just got back from tour a few days ago and decided to stay over at your place since he had a few days off. you were moving around to get in a comfortable position, your legs slightly tangled in the mess of your blanket.

you continue scrolling on your phone as a video pops up on your for you page. it's a video of a girl tying a pink little bow on her boyfriend's biceps, with a lana del rey song as its audio. you stare into the screen with a smile as an idea pops up in your head, maybe you should make kai do it?

you impatiently waited for him to finish showering and exit the bathroom. as you heard the bathroom door creak open, you practically whipped your head around to face kai. he looked at you with a hint of confusion in his eyes, he had a towel in his hand as he was rubbing the towel against his glistening strands of blonde hair. you quickly got up as you walked up to him, 

“hey baby .. ?” you said in a slightly persuasive tone in your voice, holding your phone behind your back. he looked at you as he laughed a little, “hm? what do you need this time?” he said gently. he looked at you lovingly, though you knew, whatever you asked him, he would probably do it. because according to him “he loves you too much to say no”.

you smile a little at him as you showed him your phone and the video you saw earlier, he watched the video fully as he looked at you. “you want.. me? to let you tie a pink bow.. around my arm?” he asked you with a slightly confused tone in his voice. 

you eagerly nod at him, “mhm! please? pretty please?” you pleaded. he laughed at your adorable behaviour as he nodded at you, “how could i say no?” he said whilst he smiled at you, he looked as if he was ready to do anything for you. if you told him to jump, he would've probably asked “how high”.

you dragged him over to a cleaner area of your apartment as you clicked stuff on your phone to get the lana del ray audio. you then set your phone down as you scurry around your apartment, looking for a pink ribbon to tie around his arm. you then opened a drawer as you found some pink ribbon. you cut a reasonable amount of it as you walked back up to him. you then tie it around his arm and tried to make the bow look as perfect as possible.

he looked at your focused face with a smile, “you look cute while being this focused by the way..” he muttered under his breath, a small flush of rosy pink gradually appearing on his cheeks. you smile at his comment as you finally got the bow tied perfectly!

you take your phone and started recording. as you were recording him, he practically couldn't stay still. he was giggling and laughing as he found it a little embarrassing. 

–

its been a few hours since you posted that tiktok, you’ve gotten comments saying stuff like

“OMG! IS THAT UR MAN GIRLLL???? DAMNNN”

“HUENINGKAIII????” “SO CUTE OMMGGG”

you smiled gently as you read all the cute comments you got from your friends as he was laying on your lap, asleep :)

[chronicmisfit]

hi, I would like to order a slice of angel’s food cake and a vanilla latte with whipped cream.

I got'chu anon. Went with head canons for when they take you on a date, and added a drabble for each of them.

Order: Romantic Wonderland Curse Boys with Fluff

The day before William’s date with Kate, he takes her out to buy a dress

Kate wears that dress on the date

And discovers that William has a matching suit

William definitely enjoys the ensuing fluster expressions Kate shows him

He takes her out to a VERY Fancy restaurant

Even in the dress he bought her, Kate still feels out of place

William being there makes up for the nerves she feels though

William smiles, choosing to watch Kate eat the meal she ordered in favor of eating his own meal.

After a moment, she looks up and swallows before asking, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hm…? Am I not allowed to watch my lovely Robin enjoy herself?” William responds smoothly.

Kate blushes, “That’s not what I said. You need to eat too, you know.”

“Haha, and I will. You know I love seeing you experience new things.” William reaches forward and brushes a strand of hair out of Kate’s face.

“Yes, I know. I love you so much, William.” Kate places her hand on his, keeping it near her.

He places the hand on her cheek, “I love you too, my Robin.”

A festival was happening in London

And Liam had the spontaneous idea to take Kate

Liam didn’t even tell Kate where they were going

Once they get there, Liam smiles as Kate’s eyes light up

They try everything they have the time to try, no matter how odd it is

If Kate shows interest in something, it sparks Liam’s curiosity too

“Oh look, Liam! That game has a prize!” Kate points over to a game where you try to guess which cup has a ball beneath it after the man moves the cups really fast. The prize is a large plush cat.

Liam follows Kate’s gaze, and he asks, “Do you want it?”

Kate nods, and they start to head over. Just before they get there, someone warns them, “That game is rigged, so be careful.”

Liam thanks them for the warning, then asks Kate to go try it herself while he does something.

While trying and failing to win the prize, Kate suddenly sees the ball floating up to the game master’s pocket, then it slips in.

Did Liam just use his power to show her the answer? The ball must have fallen through a hole to make it so that none of the cups have the ball in it.

“It’s in your pocket.” Kate says confidently.

The game master furrows his brow in confusion and reaches into his pocket, his eyes widen as he pulls out the ball, “How-?”

“Yay! I win the prize!” Kate cheers.

Unfortunately, the man has to give up the plush he never intended for anyone to win, Kate meets up with Liam as soon as she walks away from the game.

“You’re a very sneaky Kitty.” Kate giggles.

Liam smiles, “I was just curious about how the game was rigged, that’s all. And you got the plush you wanted too~.”

“It reminds me of you.” Kate and Liam both smiles as she says that.

Harrison is more of a stay in kind of person

But every once in a while it’s still nice to go out

Harrison always wants to go to bookstores and places like that

And Kate prefers going to restaurants and more social places

They usually end up going to Kate’s choice and then going to the bookstore after

Sometimes Kate will see flyers about events and Harrison will decide to take her there right then

This time, Kate found a brand new chocolate shop that opened and begged for Harry to take her there. Harrison happily agrees to go with her, even after Victor overheard and asked them to bring some home for everyone else.

They ended up trying every chocolate the shop sells, and Harry started sneaking chocolates out of what Kate had boxed for the other members of Crown.

“Harry!” Kate chuckles, she expected this from her sweet-tooth boyfriend, “That’s not for you!”

“I can’t help it.” Harrison pecks Kate’s lips, she can taste the chocolate he’s been eating, “Maybe we just need to buy more so that there’s plenty for me.”

“Your kisses taste like chocolate…” Kate tells him.

Harry raises his eyebrow, then kisses her again, “Do they?”

“Yes… But maybe you should kiss me again just so I can be sure.” Kate whispers.

“As you wish.” Harrison doesn’t stop at one more.

Masterlist

[hunieday]

Inumaru Touma Rabbitube Mini - Rabbit Chat

Please note that I am not a professional translator and I'm only doing this to share the side materials to those who cannot access them, if you notice any mistakes please let me know nicely. Enjoy!

Inumaru Touma: Thanks for your hard work! I’m messaging because I have a question for you two

Inumaru Touma: It's not urgent, so please reply whenever you have time!

Inumaru Touma:

Rokuya Nagi: Hi, Mister Inumaru. I'm in invincible mode now that I won the gacha. I'll gracefully respond to any questions you might have.

Yuki: There are lives that can be saved with such trivial rabbichatting.

Rokuya Nagi: Translation: He’s probably in the middle of composing. Sougo sometimes comes to the living room and stares at us with a face like a bodhisattva.

Inumaru Touma: What?! Are you okay!?

Yuki: I’m fine. Does Minami-kun ever enter composition hell mode?

Inumaru Touma: Oh, not sure. Minami tends to eat more than usual when composing so maybe that’s that?

Yuki: Maybe he just doesn’t show it when he struggles. It could be a good distraction, so send him a message.

Inumaru Touma: Got it...! Then I'll ask the question right away!

Inumaru Touma: So for the Rabbimini celebration, should we wear suits?

Inumaru Touma: We've reserved a high-end French restaurant to match the theme, so I'm wondering if it’d be best to dress formally for the occasion…

Rokuya Nagi: Hm, I see. I have a suit that I recently had tailored at a friend's store and it’s almost done, so I’ll be wearing that!

Rokuya Nagi: It's not an overly formal restaurant, so I think it's okay to be a little casual :-) 

Yuki: Not a big fan of tight suits either so I won't wear something too formal. It’s all about the silhouette, right?

Inumaru Touma: Somewhat casual, all about the silhouette... Oh shit, now I'm even more confused!! I'm not used to this kind of thing 😭

Inumaru Touma: I asked Tora earlier, and he advised me to "be confident and go for burgundy”... Ain't that too flashy…?

Yuki: Burgundy is nice. It suits you

Rokuya Nagi: Oh, a passionate color!

Rokuya Nagi: Since it's a private room, you don't have to worry too much. We could do a little fashion show with the theme of "What to wear to a French restaurant"! 🤩

Inumaru Touma: A fashion show!?

Yuki: Wait a minute. That would put me at a pretty huge disadvantage

Rokuya Nagi: Oh, then how about a green suit? I think you’ll look great in one!

Yuki: I don't have a green suit... I’ll bring Re:vale goods and accessories though...

Inumaru Touma: Hold on you’re joking right?! Please don't look so disappointed! 😆💦

Yuki: Touma-kun, have I ever joked before?

Inumaru Touma: Uh…well...

Inumaru Touma: N-no, you haven't… right...?

Yuki:

Rokuya Nagi: The key to succeed is to bring out the celebrity within you >:-P

Inumaru Touma: But I still gotta compete against real celebs… 😨

Inumaru Touma: Okay, I'll bring a fan like in Rabbimini! It looks sophisticated!

Yuki: Good idea. How about some sharp-looking sunglasses while you're at it

Inumaru Touma: For sure! A burgundy suit with a fan and sunglasses! The final boss of fashion! ✨

Yuki: Will you dance with the fan again?

Inumaru Touma: Of course ‼ It's a fashion show ‼

Yuki: !.,

Rokuya Nagi: Cut! Mister Yuki seems to have reached his limit.

Yuki: Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh imagining it. You don't have to dance. Just bring the funny fan and sunglasses.

Inumaru Touma: You're calling them funny goods now! It was a joke after all huh lol

Rokuya Nagi: It's a joke, please wear whatever you want to wear 😎

Rokuya Nagi: My friend Thorvald suggested a Japanese restaurant that suits this launch’s theme perfectly. It’s a surprisingly nice place.

Rokuya Nagi: and takes Mister Yuki's dining preferences into consideration ☺

Inumaru Touma: Wow, I see! I'm amazed that Rabbimini is followed by such important people! Please convey my gratitude!

Yuki: Thor-chan, you're the best. I'll hold a fan and put on a fashion show.

Rokuya Nagi: I’ll tell you about the show later :-))))

Inumaru Touma: But I'm just a commoner, I might get too nervous to appreciate it! 😂

Yuki: Back in our indie days, Momo and I lived on bean sprouts every day. It's okay.

Inumaru Touma: W-were you struggling that bad..!?

Yuki: Well I learned efficient ways to grow bean sprouts at that time.

Rokuya Nagi: Bean sprouts, the mysterious beans that grow back even when you cut them!

Rokuya Nagi: They looked cute, so Riku named one "Myo-chan" and raised it in the dorm.

Inumaru Touma: Myo-chan, huh! my mom use to grow them too!

Yuki: Momo told me that talking to plants makes them grow well, so we used to say things like "You look beautiful today" and "You’re growing up brimming with health, did you fall in love with someone" to it every single day. It grew into a splendid pea pond.

Rokuya Nagi: Wow, I’m going to change the way I look at Myo-chan from here on out. It supported Re:vale greatly 🥺

Inumaru Touma: Wait, did your bean sprouts really turn into pea ponds?! They're completely different!

Rokuya Nagi: YES! It's kinda like card evolutions in games.

Yuki: I wonder why the ones in Touma-kun’s house didn’t evolve.

Inumaru Touma: I didn't know!!!! I didn't like peas when I was a kid!

Inumaru Touma: I heard that the insides are seeds so I thought they’d grow in my stomach lol but now I know they don’t lolol

Yuki: They sure do.

Inumaru Touma: Huh?

Yuki: Nagi-kun.

Rokuya Nagi: OH,,

Rokuya Nagi: In ancient Europe, there was a story about some people who became millionaires by extracting beans that grew in their stomachs and exchanging them for money or something like that.

Inumaru Touma: Seriously?

Yuki: Most of them get digested, but there are extremely rare cases where they remain and grow inside the body. They don't affect your health either.

Inumaru Touma: Whaaaat!!!!!!!!!

Yuki: Isn’t that a dream come true.

Inumaru Touma: Myo-chan is too amazing?!?!

Rokuya Nagi: It's been researched for years by the "World Peas Association” but it hasn't been completely understood yet, or something like that.

Inumaru Touma: Wow, what's up with that association!?

Yuki: Nice one, Nagi-kun.

Rokuya Nagi: I’m working overtime to support my seniors.

Inumaru Touma: I'm in the dressing room with Mina, so I'll ask if he knows about the association!

Yuki: ah

Rokuya Nagi: Senpai's fun time is over:-P

Inumaru Touma: Mina just told me “aren't you the only one who doesn't know that name" !!!! everyone knows about it!!

Rokuya Nagi: Mister Natsume...

Yuki: Sorry, Touma-kun, Nagi-kun. Let's end it here.

Inumaru Touma: End???

Yuki: The thing about beans growing inside the stomach and the association are jokes. But thanks to Nagi-kun playing along we sounded really believable

Inumaru Touma: Eh, there's no association?! But Mina said he knew about it

Inumaru Touma: Ah—- Mina is giggling lolololol

Rokuya Nagi: I apologize. Mister Inumaru believed everything too easily.

Yuki: Nagi-kun, your mind works fast.

Inumaru Touma: So I can eat peas peacefully?! 😭✨

Yuki: Eat plenty

Rokuya Nagi: Mister Yuki, your mood seems to have improved for the composition 😌

Inumaru Touma: I see!!! so that's how it is !!!! That's why you also played along, Rokuya!

Inumaru Touma: If I could be of help to you, Mister Yuki, then I'm glad !! If Mina seems to be struggling, I'll try doing the same thing!

Yuki: Everyone is kind and nice

Rokuya Nagi: What about Mister Natsume? How will you deal with his mood changes?

Inumaru Touma: Let me think

Inumaru Touma: There's a group conducting surveys on ramen lovers, udon lovers, and soba lovers, or something ‼ Mina would probably be surprised, right!?

Rokuya Nagi: Hm, it might create some rivalry, but maybe Mister Natsume needs that kind of stimulation.

Yuki: I’ll keep an eye on him.

Inumaru Touma: Man, I'm so looking forward to it! The celebration and Mina's surprise! 😆😆

Rokuya Nagi: I'm starting to feel nervous.

Yuki: 

Inumaru Touma: 

[jujumin-translates]

Misumi Ikaruga | [SSR] Mankai Treasure | Treasure Hunt: MISUMI - Part 2

Misumi: …Is the camera working~? Yep, it should be recording, I think!

Misumi: M’kay, time to open up the clue~.

Misumi: Umm… It says, “Brother’s role study. Paper airplanes at sunset.”.

Misumi: Brother roles, huh… I’ve had a few of them now, but…

Misumi: (Sunset and paper airplanes… Then it’s gotta be…)

Misumi: I think I’ve got it! Alright, let’s go there right away~!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: You’re here~! Masumi!

Masumi: …Guess you figured out the clue.

Misumi: Of course! I remember exactly what happened back then.

Misumi: It was back when we were rehearsing for the Genpei performance.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Flashback*

Misumi: …Such a pretty sunset~.

Misumi: (I wonder how far a paper airplane would fly from up here~.)

Masumi: …

Misumi: (Huh~? The person walking in front of the dorms, that’s…)

Misumi: …It’s Masumi! Welcome hooome!

Masumi: !

Masumi: …Wait right there.

Misumi: ?

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Masumi: …

Misumi: Masumi, you came up here~?

Masumi: I’m playing the role of your younger brother now. I only came up here because I’ve got no choice but to get to know you more.

Misumi: Ehehe… Thanks, Masumi.

Misumi: Did you go out somewhere today?

Masumi: Shrine. I went there to pray for a successful performance.

Misumi: Really!? Good boy, Masumi!

Masumi: …Well, that wasn’t what I originally went for, though. Here.

Misumi: A good luck charm? It says “Marriage” on it~.

Masumi: It’s a good luck charm from a famous shrine I saw on Inste. I went because I heard they’re really effective.

Masumi: I made a wish that the relationship between Director and I would never fall apart.

Misumi: Marriage, huh… That’s really wonderful!

Masumi: …Yeah.

Misumi: You look happy, Masumi. Ehehe, pat, pat~!

Masumi: …

Misumi: Do you not like it when I give you head pats like that, Masumi~?

Masumi: …I’ll put up with it because I’m playing the role of your younger brother right now.

Misumi: Hehe, I see.

Misumi: I wonder if I can do that with Madoka someday~?

Masumi: You can’t. Not if you keep conveying things to him like you do with paper airplanes.

Misumi: Yeah… right.

Masumi: By the way, what were you doing up here?

Misumi: Watching the sunset~.

Misumi: And then I was thi~nking about how far a paper airplane would fly if I threw it from up here!

Masumi: …Then I’ll do that too. Let’s have one more match.

Misumi: Really!? Waah, let’s do it, let’s do it!

Masumi: Letting you know now that I’m not going to lose.

Misumi: And I’m not gonna lose either~!

*Flashback end*

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: That’s so nostalgic~. We really were just like brothers during that performance, it was really fun!

Masumi: …You can still treat me like a younger brother, but you’ve got someone else more important in your life now.

Masumi: …Here.

Misumi: Ah…! It’s the marriage good luck charm from back then!

Masumi: It’s my present to you. I got it from the same shrine I got it from back then.

Masumi: It’s different from the one then, though… It’s meant for you and Madoka to keep your relationship together now that you’ve made up.

Misumi: Masumi… Thank you! Lotsa head pats for you!

Masumi: Give them to Madoka, not to me.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: Ehehe, mission successfully completed~!

Masumi: Don’t relax yet, you’ve got two missions to complete. There’s still one more left.

Misumi: Oh, right!

Masumi: …Here. Your next clue note.

Masumi: Alright, good luck with the rest of it.

Misumi: Yeah! Thanks, Masumi~!

Misumi: Alrighty, time to find the next treasure~.

Misumi: The second clue is…

Misumi: “Treasure hunting adventure.”. I’m doing a treasure hunt right now, but…

Misumi: Hm~m… Treasure hunting adventure, huh~. Where could that be?

Cat: Nyaa, nyanya~.

Crow: Caw, caw.

Misumi: Ahaha, the kitty and Mr. Crow are talking to each other~.

Misumi: (Wait, that reminds me of back during “Sky Pirates” when…)

Misumi: Maybe it’s…

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[fisherrprince]

“Ch’ari. What are you doing.”

The aetheric silhouette that is the Warrior of Light freezes in the middle of hobbling across the hallway. “I am… getting… a drink?” He says. 

“Oh?” Y’shtola raises an eyebrow. 

His aether flickers. The shape inches forward slowly, as if she were a dinosaur and couldn’t see him if he moved really slow. “I am… getting a very specific drink. From… Othard.”

“Are you now.” 

“…You are getting me a very specific drink from Othard?” Ch’ari tries. 

Y’shtola reaches behind her for her staff, and Ch’ari turns and scuttles as fast as his body will take him back into his room where he’s supposed to be. 

-

Alisaie scowls. “I am bored.”

“No kidding,” Ch’ari whines. “When are we allowed to leave?!”

“I am allowed to leave tomorrow. You will be staying here until you have resolved not to be a fool and throw your life away for a victory lap,” Alisaie snaps, and then her expression turns down. “Or at least until you can walk again.”

“Seems hypocritical to me. They’re letting you out early.”

“I’m almost healed!”

“By the loosest definition.”

“It wasn’t even a wound, Ari.”

“Hm.”

“Look—“ Alisaie says, pride in being Not Bedridden stoked by his dismissals, and pushes her way out of her bed at Dawn’s Respite to march over to Ch’ari’s bed, indignant. And still, notably, a bit shaky, after concentrated lightning magic left her too hurt to stand. Ch’ari still thinks they’re all stupid, every Scion, right back at them, for not tending to their own injuries well enough to heal themselves before pouring almost the entire Ragnarok’s worth of aether into him. Stupid, dumb, idiots. They’d already saved the universe at that point. We don’t need eight incapacitated scions when we could have had just the one. 

“You look like a baby amaro,” Ch’ari says, instead of voicing any of those thoughts. “Like a newborn foal. Damnation, looks like you’ll have to stay here and keep me company.”

Alisaie flicks him — gently, even though he’s not even got a head wound. “Ari. I promise we’re not going anywhere. And you know if you asked him to, Alphinaud would stay with you for days reading fantasy novels or textbooks at you for entertainment.”

His ears droop. “I know. But he needs to sleep.”

“And so do you.”

“And so do I,” Ch’ari grumbles in concession. “I am just not used to not moving. I want to kill something.”

Alisaie coughs out a startled laugh, and Ch’ari grins. “Gods, as do I, but we have our orders! Two weeks. No travel, no fights.”

“Sneak a coblin in here when you get out of this joint and I’ll pay for your sweets for a month.”

“Not a chance.”

-

“Not that I doubt your s-sSS-killed hands, Krile, I would never. But do bandages need changing thisoften?”

“In this specific case, yes,” Krile says, clearly not willing to entertain him while he chatters distractingly. “Might I remind you you were falling apart before we got to you with healing magics, and therefore you will be suffering the consequences for as long as a normal wound takes to heal naturally.”

“Peachy,” Ch’ari groans. He should have been better at avoiding that dumb voidsent Zenos summoned, but it always hid right out of his line of sight until it pounced. Clearly, a cheater, even if its master wouldn’t do a thing like that. Nah, he’d challenge him head-on, evening the playing ground until it was just strength against strength, no tricks, no unfair advantage. Pure, untouched adrenaline, bloodlust, the hunger for feeling alive. 

… Ch’ari will not miss him. But he will think of their encounters as long as it takes him to find something like it, if he ever does. Which is exactly what the prince wanted, drat. He should have taken Zenos to the Gold Saucer. Maybe he’d get really into chocobo racing instead of death matches. 

He’s jolted out of his thoughts by a sharp tug in his ribs. “Ow!”

“Sorry! Sorry,” Krile says, already casting a light soothing glow over the sticky mess there. Ch’ari buries his head further into the pillow with a groan. 

The door creaks. “My, someone sounds grumpy they’re being tended to,” comes a voice, and Tataru trots in with a small box in her hands. Ch’ari’s ears perk up. 

“Am not grumpy, I’m injured. What’s that?”

“Medicine,” Tataru says bluntly, and then gets a sly grin. “And a handful of pastry fish, fresh from the oven.”

“Tataru you’re my favorite. Have I ever told you you’re my favorite? You are. Hands down,” Ch’ari says, already sniffing the air to catch the smell, his tail whacking the edge of the bed. “I don’t even care that it’s bribery to get me to drink that foul tincture, I love you.”

Tataru laughs, bright and open, and even Krile huffs a bit in amusement. 

-

Alphinaud is asleep when he wanders into the main rooms, and Ch’ari considers dropping something onto the table to wake him up, but decides against it. He’s not all that sure how mana works — or mana overexertion, or… well, Lyse called it a chakra, but Ari isn’t a monk, and he’s not sure what straining or breaking one of them entails. He just knows the kid needs to sleep a bunch to get his aether back, and Ari shouldn’t be startling him so bad he breaks something again. If that’s how that works. He’d rather not risk it. 

Instead, he wanders over to Estinien, who is brooding in his Dragoon Corner. Also seemingly asleep until one eye cracks open, trained on his approach. 

“Dragoon,” Ch’ari says.

“…Cat,” Estinien replies in greeting. Ari snorts, the joke he made about having nine lives clearly amusing or at least annoying the Elezen to this day. 

“Guarding your nest, are we? I didn’t think we’d see you stick around this long.”

Estinien grunts. “Aye. Under normal circumstances I’d rather be off by now. But as long as…” he frowns. It’s always difficult for him to differentiate between draconic instincts and his own, and then subsequently translate them into human words, something he and Ch’ari have only spoken of briefly when Nidhogg’s lingering presence wanted to clash with what was left of Hraesvelgr in Ch’ari’s body. Simultaneously feral and overtly made of higher thought, the presence of the dragon is as long-lived as the beasts themselves. “As long as my ward is in need of protection, I will stay,” he settles on. And then his expression squishes, pained. “And… the pink one threatened me if I were to leave without a clean bill of health.”

Ch’ari laughs, then covers his mouth quickly to muffle it. “Ah, the jailer. No escaping that.” 

“Indeed.”

-

“Raha, you need any help with anything?”

G’raha looks up from his books, surprised. The Warrior is standing over his shoulder, swath in bandages and a simple shirt and slacks, his tail swishing. “Do I need any help with anything?”

“Yes.”

“Well, no, I don’t think so… resigned to being monitored as we are, I have no new tasks which require my attention, and so…”

“Let me rephrase,” Ch’ari interrupts. “Please do you need help with anything.”

G’raha blinks. And then splits into a smile, ears giving a quick one-two wiggle. “My friend, I am quite sure we can find something to do. Something very calm and stressless, but something nonetheless. What is your opinion on magic circles?”

[blackbat09]

i'm normal about @shepscapades' dbhc au. and uh. wrote a thing that's very much not canon but equally as much a love letter to everything shep's done. it's xbralis because of course it is.

“Shiswammy, I don’t think - Hm. Is this really necessary?”

[Voice Identified: Hermit Keralis1]

“I mean - maybe not. But, if I’m honest, it’d make me feel a bit better if you did use it?”

[Voice Identified: Administrator xisumavoid]

“It’s just - what does it even do, Shishwam? All this - this redstone and wires and bluey goopy stuff. You keep giving everybody robots this season - like, what am I even gonna use it for?”

“Well, we can just - here. It’s online. Can you hear us, XB?”

[Question: Audio Processor Functionality.]

“Yes.”

“Wonderful! Will you please give Keralis your initialization text?”

“Hi! I’m an XB2000 android. I can carry out basic tasks such as resource gathering and crafting, but my functional specialties are combat and exploration. I’m designed for high-stress environments, like deep oceans and naturally generated structures, and am enchanted with Aqua Affinity and Depth Strider, though I may be upgraded at your discretion.”

“At my discretion? Really, now.”

XB figures now’s as good a time as any to look at the Hermit he’s being given to. He’s been programmed with a knowledge of all this season’s Hermits, as well as the other androids Xisuma has brought to this world, so there aren’t really any surprises in store - but it is the first time he’s actually laid optical units on the man, in the flesh, and he quickly updates the player data from the previous season with the new input he receives as he looks Keralis over.

The Hermit’s wide eyes meet XB’s gaze, and his mouth twists in a smile, leaning his body a few degrees in XB’s direction.

The motion is not a threat - XB’s Hermit cannot register as hostile - so it goes mostly ignored.

“And what are you looking at, prrrincess?”

XB stares at his Hermit for a moment, watching the man’s smile falter and his eyebrows draw together, before Xisuma speaks.

“Oh! He means you, XB - Keralis likes his nicknames, he does.”

And while XB is aware of this already, has a certifiable database of aliases Keralis has given other Hermits, being given a new designation already is -

Well. It makes sense, actually. Keralis has just acquired a nameless android, and model numbers are unwieldy at best for casual address.

[Question: Visual Stimuli.]

“I’m looking at you, Keralis. Your appearance has changed since your documentation was last updated in season seven. My personal files will now match your current physical appearance.”

The furrow in Keralis’ brow smooths, and his smile returns, leaning in closer before he murmurs, “Anytime you want a closer look, princess? All you gotta do is ask.”

“Keralis!” Xisuma’s tone is scolding, but he also seems to be laughing, and Keralis snickers as he pulls away from XB, winking at him as if they’ve shared some sort of secret. He doesn't think they have.

“I’m being good! I’m being good, Shishwam, I promise.”

—

“Has anyone ever told you you’re beautiful, XB?”

His motions don’t pause or falter as the question registers, the light at his temple flickering as he cycles through his memories - it’s a short search, one XB doesn’t really need to perform, but it’s good to be thorough, for Keralis’ benefit.

“No.”

The man gasps, the sound of a second pick falling silent as Keralis stops in his mining. XB continues - the andesite Keralis requires won’t mine itself, and the vein XB is working away at is still projected to be decently large.

“No?” Keralis repeats, voice raising as he continues, “No? XB! How could this be?”

There’s - emotion, in his tone, that XB decides is best categorized as aghast. In talking to DocM and Xisuma during routine maintenance, he’s been assured that Keralis can be prone to dramatics - that his words and feelings are sometimes not as grand as he projects them to be. But XB doesn’t mind it, really - Keralis being demonstrative with his feelings, even if it pushes the line into exaggeration, makes them easier to react to in a way that pleases his Hermit.

“I mean, before you, I spent all my time with Xisuma and DocM. They must not have felt it was pertinent to tell me,” XB suggests, and Keralis huffs, his pick resuming its rhythm - XB’s answer is satisfactory, then.

“Well I think it’s necessary,” he declares, pauses between his words dragging on a bit longer to catch his breath between speech and exertion. It’s something XB has grown accustomed to; sometimes he’ll need to stop and compose himself even when he’s not working, simply growing too animated and tripping over rapidly-spilling syllables until he’s half-wheezing. “I can’t just - just send you off in the world, not knowing you have beautiful eyes! They’re like the sea, XB. You could drown a man in them.”

Along with his exaggeration, Keralis likes his figures of speech, his simile and metaphors. Technically, XB can sort of grasp what he’s saying - Xisuma has been rather accommodating when it comes to updating his verbal and linguistic processing, trying to make sure he understands what Keralis means beyond the base definitions of the words he says (in whichever language he decides to use that day - his Hermit was rather delighted to discover XB’s fluency in both Polish and Swedish) - but, sometimes, even with everything XB has access to, he still can’t quite parse the why of what Keralis says.

[Eyes: like the sea: blue? Wet? Could drown in them: deep? Dangerous? Negative?]

XB is quiet for a moment longer, watching the steady swing of his own pickax before he offers, “If my appearance is unsatisfactory, you can ask me to change it.”

“XB!” He sounds horrified, and this time the sound of his pick is replaced with the heavy stomp of his boots as he bullies his way into XB’s space, taking his face between work-roughened hands. XB’s arms lower gently to avoid hitting Keralis with his pick, obediently meeting his eyes as the Hermit usually wants, when he holds XB like this. “I would never!”

“But you can,” XB points out. Keralis’ face only folds more, stern frown seeming - almost out of place.

His Hermit usually smiles.

[Software instability.]

“But I won’t, XB. And that’s that. No buts.” He stares back at Keralis for a long moment, committing the serious face to his memory.

XB would rather not have many examples of the expression. Among his top priorities are his Hermit's health and safety, after all, and his happiness is a decent indicator of both.

“Yes, Keralis."

[auspex]

VtM Fangfest 2024 Prompt 7: The Lovers

Hello! Here is my seventh fic for Fangfest 2024 :)

All my fics will be about characters that are previously established, so you might not have context for everything mentioned or hinted at within :( Feel free to reach out to ask I love explaining!

I've never really posted my writing before so be kind!

my first fic is here

my second fic is here

my third fic is here

my fourth fic is here

my fifth fic is here

my sixth fic is here

This fic is about Mark and Cassidy, of course!!! Art of them here

They've done quite a bit together which I reference but could not fully explain below... so apologies for things mentioned without context!

I love them so much though <3 this is set just before they become a couple officially :)

Mark found himself overthinking his outfit as he walked down the endless stairs to the chantry entrance. Was wearing a whole new outfit, the one that he had picked out no less, too much? He hoped not. Surely it makes sense. Yeah. It didn’t matter, probably. Or maybe it did. Cassidy did seem to care about taste. Mark attempted to reason with himself though; one outfit wouldn’t make-or-break this. Either he was reading things correctly, and Cassidy was simply playing coy by not initiating things, or he didn’t like Mark, and nothing he did at this point would change that. 

Such were Mark’s thoughts as he made his way all the way to Cassidy’s haven. He took a deep breath before knocking. He will definitely be able to tell I’m nervous. 

Cassidy was already smiling when he opened the door. Mark couldn’t help but smile back and his nerves eased a bit. 

“Hello, Mark. I am glad you could make it. Come in.” 

“Ah, of course. I’m glad things are settling down.” Cassidy’s haven was as put-together as always; the blue couch he had helped Cassidy pick out was neatly decorated with matching pillows, and the bookshelves were finally both filled and organized. It was odd to see the room only lit by lamps; Mark missed the artificial sunlight previously provided by Gaius. He looked around and listened for anyone. “No Lillian?”

“No, she is making her report to Dr. White soon and so when I mentioned you were coming she went to her laboratory to focus.” Cassidy sighed. “I will have to make mine to him soon as well. Though it will be a successful report, I am not looking forward to the loss of free time.” He slumped onto the couch as he finished the sentence. 

Mark went to sit next to him. “Oh, yes, that makes sense. Erm, how often do you think we’ll be able to see each other, after that?” 

“It’s hard to say. I only know that it will be less.” He gave Mark a sad smile. “When I have time, I will certainly reach out to see if you are available.” 

“I would like that a lot, Cassidy. I should have a predictable schedule. Things have changed for me lately.” 

There was silence for a moment before Cassidy hesitantly spoke. “Ever since your sire met final death, yes?” He opened his notebook. 

Mark raised an eyebrow at the notebook but answered anyway. “Yes. He was, well, he asked a lot of me. And obviously entirely uh, changed my life, for the worse, I suppose. But there was a level of direction, and even of safety in a way, that I don’t have now - no one is telling me what to do, or asking what I’ve been doing, so. There’s a lot to figure out.” 

“I understand. What’s the phrase - ah, things have been turned upside down for you. And I know you said you were doing just fine, but sometimes, one’s emotional response to such a large change is delayed, so please remember, you can always talk to me.” 

“Thanks Cassidy. I’m doing ok though, really.” Mark attempted a smile. 

“Hm. I had asked you before what you wanted, Mark. Remember, after we were investigating that supposed Anarch party? At that time you said safety, and people you could talk to. Has that remained the same since your sire’s death?” 

Mark pursed his lips in thought; it was a question he had asked himself already yet still had difficulty answering. Before he got to that though: “Well actually, at the time of answering, I did want those things, but what I was really working towards was freedom from him, though as you might guess I had mixed feelings about it even then.” 

“This makes sense, and it is wise to keep such things close to your chest.” Cassidy made a note. “And what do you want now, then?” 

“I’m still not sure.” He made eye contact with Cassidy as he continued. “I have found people to talk to. And I’m finding some measure of safety, especially considering I won’t be asked to complete deadly tasks by my sire anymore. But I don’t know, Cassidy. I had a whole, uh, living life just a year ago and so much has changed. I know I sound like a broken record, but I’m still struggling to find my footing.”

Cassidy was writing quickly now. “And the sudden breaking of the bond didn’t help with this, as well as losing his direction, I am sure.”

Managing a weak smile, Mark replied. “No, it did not. I’m managing okay though, I think. Still, a lot changed. There are people and things I miss.”

“Certainly. It will get better with time.”

“Yeah, I guess so. You uh, help too.” Cassidy’s pen pauses for a moment. 

“You as well.” Cassidy replies quietly. “I appreciate you sharing all of this with me. I find it interesting, yet I am sure it is hard to talk about.” 

Mark scratches his neck as he speaks. “Well, like I said, you help. What do you mean by me helping you too, though?” 

Cassidy pauses first, and then speaks deliberately. “I suppose, I meant that there are things I miss too, and you remind me of them, in a good way. How is Bartholomew, also? Has he scratched up and destroyed any of your new furniture yet?” 

Mark adjusted his glasses, somewhat taken aback by the shift in topic. “Oh, not yet, but he does enjoy hiding under things. If you would like to see him, I am sure I’d be able to invite you somewhat soon, I would just have to discuss it with my roommate.” 

“Yes, I do remember you mentioning a roommate; I am curious. What is his name?” 

“Erm, JP.” 

“How did you come to live with him? Is he someone you are perhaps considering to allow into your coterie as a new member?”

“Ah, I don’t want to go into it too much, but it really just makes sense. We both are in basically the same situation and I wanted to help him out. There aren’t any issues, he just wanted some alone time and I should let him know if you’ll be coming over.” Mark smiled. “Unlike Lillian, he doesn’t have another private space to go to.

“That certainly makes sense, then. Shall we watch Fight Club now?” Cassidy was already moving to set the movie up. 

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Dammit. Mark had wanted to ask him before the movie started, but despite wracking his brain, he could not figure out how to ask. 

“You haven’t explained this movie to me yet. What is it about? Or is it intended to be a surprise?” Cassidy placed the movie in the player, and sat back down on the couch.

Was he sitting a bit closer or am I just hoping he is? Mark roused the blood to make his skin warm just in case as he replied. “It’d be better not to spoil it. I really do think you’ll like this movie, though it's not as, erm.” Mark shook his head from side to side and adjusted his glasses as he sought the right words. “Well, the themes are not as… explicit as the previous two we saw.” 

“I see. Will that be made up for in other ways?” Cassidy’s voice was entirely deadpan. 

“Oh, I’ll let you judge that for yourself.” Mark glanced at Cassidy’s notebook, which was in his lap as usual. His pen was poised to take notes. 

This time, Mark struggled not to sneak glances at Cassidy to see his reactions to the movie. Last time they watched a movie together, Mark hadn’t seen it before and had found it engrossing, making it much easier to focus. Since Mark had already seen this movie, he was much more interested in Cassidy than the screen. It didn’t help that they were sitting so close this time. Maybe he really had sat closer intentionally? 

Cassidy made notes frequently, and overall Mark observed that he appeared quite interested. He adjusted how he was sitting periodically, seemingly lost in thought, and tilted his head towards Mark. In these adjustments, most brought him closer to Mark - he still couldn’t tell if it was on purpose, but it was becoming harder to deny that it was. 

During a quiet scene, Cassidy caught Mark looking at him. By this point, Cassidy had maneuvered himself quite close to Mark, close enough for Mark to make out his eyelashes behind the reflected light in his glasses. 

They held eye contact for a long moment before Mark abruptly stared straight ahead at the movie. He felt the sleeve of Cassidy’s shirt brush against him as Cassidy then also turned his attention back towards the movie. If Mark just sat back a bit… 

And now they were touching, sitting with their arms against each other’s. Cassidy’s arm was cold for only a moment before he reciprocated Mark’s warmth.

Mark tried to relax, and failing that miserably, attempted to be very still instead, which was not so hard since he did not need to breathe. The positioning was awkward, but moving would either move Mark further from Cassidy, or require him to more overtly hold him, neither of which he wanted to do. 

Some time passed, and then, without looking at him, Cassidy spoke in a neutral tone. “Is this comfortable for you?” 

“Um. N- I mean, uh, I don’t mind.” 

“Hm. Is this better?” Cassidy shifted both forward and then closer to Mark; he was now somewhat leaning into his shoulder, with Mark’s arm almost around him. Without saying anything, Mark then moved to change that ‘almost’ to an ‘actually.’

Cassidy’s head was now close enough to Mark’s where it was in his peripheral vision even if he looked at the screen. Both kindred made slight adjustments until they were quite comfortable. 

“Yeah, that’s better. Th-thanks.” 

Cassidy did not reply, seemingly focused on the movie. Eventually, he pulled his legs towards his chest, placed his notebook in his lap, and leaned fully into Mark, crossing his arms. It was quite comfortable, really. 

This meant Mark had to shift to look at him again, which he did, unable to suppress a smile. Cassidy was right there; Mark could not have told you what was happening in the movie. He gave in to a sudden urge to touch Cassidy’s hair; tucking it behind his head, smoothing a strand, while being careful to not actually touch his face. 

Cassidy was still at first, then leaned into him more, so his hair almost brushed Mark’s cheek. Mark wished he could see his face, even if he knew he likely wouldn’t be able to read his facial expression anyway. 

Soon, the end of the movie came. As “Where Is My Mind?” played over the end credits, neither kindred moved. When the song was ending, Cassidy reached for his notebook. 

Still being essentially held by Mark, he started their customary discussion of the movie. “I quite enjoyed that, though unfortunately I do think some cultural references may have been lost on me. If anything, I should study this film further. I am curious, were you able to predict the ending the first time you watched it?” 

~ 

The credits had long since finished rolling and Cassidy had run out of questions about the movie. Fight Club had been the only thing they had discussed, neither giving any acknowledgment of their intimate position. Once they both had stopped speaking, Mark was very conscious of himself and his movements, no longer occasionally playing with Cassidy’s hair. The pair was sitting still in silence, faced by only a blue screen. 

Mark mustered his courage to say something and turned to Cassidy’s head, who at the same time turned to face him. Cassidy’s face was illuminated by the bluescreen, and his eyes looked directly into Mark’s. Their faces were closer than they had been before, in heavy silence. 

“You look handsome in this light.” Mark managed to choke out just above a whisper. “Though, you always do.” 

Cassidy’s eyebrows furrowed in a look of surprise and almost disbelief; vulnerable. He opened his mouth as if he was about to respond, but instead turned and buried his face in Mark’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. Mark felt Cassidy’s glasses press into his shoulder as Cassidy essentially nuzzled into him. 

“Oh.” Mark found himself holding Cassidy and slowly rubbing his back, unsure if he should say something else. 

They sat like that for a minute before Cassidy pulled away and made eye contact with Mark once again. His face was composed, though his hair had gotten somewhat tangled, when he finally replied. “Mark, I share the sentiment. I.” He closed his eyes for a moment, apparently recomposing himself. “I appreciate you sharing that. You, ah, probably will not be surprised to hear that I am not very experienced in this.” 

“This?” Mark raised an eyebrow, slightly teasing. 

“You know.” Mark felt Cassidy’s arm strain for a moment as if to gesture before Cassidy realized it was pinned behind Mark’s back. “Um.” 

“Yes?” 

“Well, what would you call it?” Cassidy gave a surprisingly awkward smile, slightly showing teeth even, which Mark had only seen him do once before when he first offered him a TV. However, this smile looked more anxious than happy. 

“Wha- Cassidy. You’ve said it yourself that you’re not experienced in many things. How am I supposed to guess which you mean now?” Emboldened, he reached around to fix Cassidy’s hair. 

Wait, hang on, was he about to cry? Mark got a glimpse of Cassidy’s composure breaking once again before he quickly set his glasses aside, and returned to Mark’s shoulder, face hidden. It was more comfortable than before without the glasses digging into him. 

“Oh, um, it’s alright. It’s ok.” Mark tried to make his voice reassuring; he wasn’t sure exactly what was wrong but clearly Cassidy wanted comfort. He checked his watch as he went to start rubbing his back again. Good, it wasn’t even 11 yet. “I, I like what is happening right now, if you do too. We can just do this for a while.” 

Mark felt him nod and hold him more tightly. Resolving to go at Cassidy’s pace for the rest of the evening, he refrained from teasing him further and returned to stroking his hair. He really loved Cassidy’s hair. 

The room was quiet save for the low buzzing of the TV. Mark continued for several minutes before Cassidy sat up again. This time, he sat up a bit straighter, took Mark’s hands into his own, and looked down at them.

Cassidy took a long, slow breath, seemingly just to steady himself, and finally spoke. “What I mean to say is, I suppose, is that I am not used to…” he trailed off. “To any of this.” He closed his eyes as he took another breath he didn’t need, and continued. “I don’t know what I’m doing, so once again, I will follow your lead.” Cassidy slowly started to run his thumb across Mark’s knuckles, but stopped himself, as he waited for a reply. 

“Right. Uhm, this is nice. But we should be clear on where we uh, stand.” Mark cleared his throat, prompting Cassidy to look up. Mark wasn’t used to seeing him without his glasses, nor Cassidy looking so wistful, or maybe worried, or maybe even hopeful - he had managed a trace of a smile. He stumbled over his words. “Uhm, right. Cassidy, I, well, I am, glad that I’ve met you and that we can spend time together. I uh, I like you. I’m romantically interested in you, is what I mean. Which I’m sure you can tell. God.” Mark’s voice lowered. “You know, it’s hard to confess when you’re looking at me like that.” 

Cassidy said “oh” in a very soft voice. He swallowed, but managed to maintain eye contact after a quick glance down at Mark’s lips. “I feel the same.” 

The two just looked at each other for a few moments, before Cassidy continued. “What now?”

“Whatever we want. I can stay for longer.” He started moving closer to Cassidy’s face as he whispered, “a lot longer.” 

Cassidy tilted his head and closed his eyes.

Mark felt his nose brush Cassidy’s own, and shifted to meet his lips. He started kissing him slowly, and was able to tell that Cassidy was mirroring his own movements - following his lead. Mark held Cassidy’s head with one hand and his waist with the other to shift him to a better angle; Cassidy similarly held Mark, though did not change his position. 

Mark enjoyed being able to almost teach Cassidy, in a way - the thought that this may be Cassidy’s first kiss, or perhaps first kiss with a man, or at the very least his first kiss in decades, rang in Mark’s head and he did everything he could to make it a good one, while not going too far. He kept his mouth mostly closed, only using hints of tongue. 

Cassidy whimpered softly, very nearly overwhelmed but not quite. 

Mark smiled as he kept going, maintaining the same mild intensity, holding Cassidy close, enjoying the feel of his lips and shy reciprocation of everything Mark did. This was his first time kissing anyone since his embrace, and it felt odd that his breathing remained steady despite his intense nerves. God, he couldn’t believe this was really happening. 

He pulled away briefly to look at Cassidy. He looked beautiful, staring up at him. 

After only a moment though, when Mark leaned in for another kiss, Cassidy leaned away. Seeing Mark’s look of concern, he took a breath and spoke. “That was wonderful, Mark.” Cassidy’s voice was full of emotion for a moment, making Mark’s heart hurt, before shifting to his moderate tone. “However, it’s… not something I’m used to. I need some time. As always though, I enjoy our time together, and I am sure I will even more in the future.” He stood up, and waited for Mark to follow him towards the door.

“Ah, what? Um, I mean. Ok.” Mark was not able to hide neither the surprise nor disappointment from his voice. “We- we can go slow I guess. We have eternity, after all.” 

“Indeed. I will see you soon, before I return to a formal schedule, hopefully.” He held the door open for Mark. 

“Right, uh, I will see you soon.” Mark paused in the door. “Goodbye?” He gave an awkward wave.

“Have a good evening, Mark.” Cassidy’s face was a mask.

~ 

It was very awkward leaving Cassidy’s haven. Sure, it had been awkward in the past, but it was different this time - Mark wasn’t sure why Cassidy wanted him to leave so early, even though they just admitted feelings for each other, and even kissed. Why did eternity have to wait? Why did Cassidy have to be so formal, after all of that? 

The walk up the stairs back from the chantry entrance felt like it took hours. 

Bonus:

Cassidy closed the door after Mark’s final wave goodbye. He stayed there for a moment, resting his head against the door, leaving his hand on the handle. 

Looking at his hand, Cassidy thought about how it had looked holding Mark’s. It was something he had only been able to imagine; now, it was something he could remember. He kept thinking about the sensation of Mark’s lips on his own, how his facial hair felt against his own face. The warmth of another pressed up against him - how badly he had craved that and how it was just as good as he half-remembered from over a century ago. 

Speaking of, he should write all this down. 

That thought brought him back to reality. 

The notebook was left abandoned on the couch; his attention had focused elsewhere and it had been left half open. This negligence concerned Cassidy. Even if it was in code, in the privacy of his own haven, on principle it should never be open and visible to others. 

Looking at it, Cassidy knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from crying for much longer. He quickly took the notebook and retreated into his private study, so that if Lillian got back early (against his wishes) she would not see him. 

Cassidy grabbed a cloth he normally used for cleaning and slumped into his new armchair. He missed his old one, but that had been destroyed when Lillian’s chimera got out of control. 

Now it was safe for Cassidy to let himself break. 

He started smiling and crying at the same time. The tears welled slowly, and Cassidy wiped his face deliberately each time; he knew it was healthy to cry, but it still did not come easily. He hadn’t wanted Mark to leave, though he was more patient than the fledgling and didn’t mind waiting to spend more time with him. But he could not cry in front of Mark, however, he could not have stopped himself from doing so much longer. 

He should have predicted this would happen. Perhaps he could have prepared himself better, or asked Mark to go slower, so he could keep his composure. Too late now.  

Steadying himself enough to write, he took out his pen and began recording, in his customary way, what had happened. The familiarity of it was calming. 

What did Mark say, exactly? ‘I’m romantically interested in you’, or something? 

Of course he would phrase it like that. 

[quiverwingquack]

don't leave me on my own(i can't do this all alone)

When Launchpad starts to feel sick on patrol, Drake cuts the night short to take him home. As his fever rises, Launchpad begins to worry—every relationship before this has ended with him feeling forgotten, no matter how much he loved them. Does Drake feel the same, or will he be too much to love again, and end up all alone?

Launchpad stifles a sniffle as he looks out over the city with Darkwing. He pulls up the fluffy collar on his jacket, and beside him, his partner is bundled up in his thick, warm winter costume. They’ve already stopped a would-be supervillain from attacking Mayor Owlson’s offices, and two potential burglars, even with Gosalyn off at the manor for a sleepover. A productive patrol, and plans later to head home and watch Darkwing together until dawn. Everything’s going great.

Well, mostly great, anyway.

There’s a chill in the wind this week, light snowflakes swirling under the streetlights. The snow isn’t sticking quite yet, but the cold is clinging to the streets, and Launchpad keeps finding himself wishing he’d brought tissues. He was feeling fine back in Duckburg, but the wind is biting at his cheeks and he’s starting to feel shaky.

At his side, Drake is looking down at the city, brow furrowed with focus. Launchpad hesitates—his partner wouldn’t mind, but he wants to savor this moment. Spending time together and fighting crime are two of his favorite things, and he gets to do them with his favorite person. Besides, what kind of sidekick would he be if he gave up over some sniffles and sneezes? He’ll be fine for a little while longer.

“What are ya thinkin’, Deedubya?” He turns his attention to his partner instead.

“Hm? Oh,” DW looks up, shaking his head. “Nothing really. Just that it’s been quiet since we stopped that last guy.”

LP grins. “Maybe they heard Darkwing’s out tonight and got scared.”

“Maybe, huh?” His mask wrinkles as he smiles back, those beautiful dark eyes sparkling. “They know they’re no match for us!”

The smile clings to LP’s beak even as they descend from the rooftops back to the Ratcatcher. Us… he doesn’t know if he’ll ever get used to that. To the unconditional love Drake keeps showing him, or to being partners both on patrol and off. It makes his heart feel warm inside his chest, chasing off the chill for a while.

They drive around the block, then towards downtown. St Canard is quiet, still as the snow that’s starting to stick. The few people who are out are hurrying home, and the city’s criminals are nowhere to be found. Whether it’s the weather or the late hour, it seems nobody wants to be out right now.

They pull up to a red light, and LP glances around at the empty streets. All the cars he can see are parked and silent as a wintery wonderland begins to grow around them. The snow is clinging to the sidewalks, piling up around the parking spaces as a white blanket begins to form. Darkwing pauses, watching as a city truck passes, slinging salt across the pavement.

“What a dull night,” he remarks, turning to LP. “Maybe we should—”

“Huh?” Launchpad looks back at his partner as he pauses. “What’s the matter, Deedubya?”

“You don’t look so good,” Drake replies, reaching out to brush LP’s bangs aside and rest his hand on his partner’s forehead. “Your cheeks are all pink. I think you’ve got a fever.”

Drake’s hand moves from his forehead to caress his cheek, and for a moment, LP’s heart races. But then, simultaneously realizing they’re still sitting in the road, they pull apart, and Drake begins to drive again. “Let’s head home, and I’ll make us something warm to eat.”

“That sounds good,” LP’s head is spinning, and he’s not sure if it’s the cold or his lovestruck heart that’s causing it. “Thanks, Deedubya.”

“Of course, LP,” he replies softly, and though he’s focused on the road, Launchpad can see a soft pink blush peeking out from under his mask. “Then maybe we’ll watch some Darkwing and sit together on the couch for a while?”

“Yeah, that—” LP sneezes, head still swirling. “That would be nice.”

The drive home is quiet, the streets still except for the softly falling snow. Launchpad finds himself fighting off sleep before they reach the bridge, the dizziness turning to drowsiness. Yeah, maybe he is sick. Maybe… maybe he’ll lean against Drake’s shoulder for a second, and he’ll… feel a little better….

When he wakes, it’s to a soft kiss on the forehead. His eyes slowly focus on the monitor glowing across the room and Drake’s merch collection spread out around them. It’s much warmer now, and LP’s suddenly aware that his partner was right—his feathers feel like fire, a fever burning him up inside—and all he can think for a moment is that he wants to go to bed.

“C’mon, bud,” Drake encourages, offering a hand to help him out of the sidecar. “You just lay down on the couch, okay? I’ll take care of everything else.”

“Are—are you sure?” Launchpad covers his mouth as he coughs. “I don’t wanna make you—”

“I’ve got you,” he promises, letting LP lean on him as they cross the room. “Just let me take care of you for a while, okay?”

“Thanks,” his steps are shaky, but Drake helps him balance until he can collapse on the couch. “My hero.”

Drake laughs, and even through the rising fever and hazy head, LP feels warm inside again. Drake is so kind, so caring, so selfless… he’s everything Launchpad’s always wanted to be. Everything Launchpad’s always wanted in a partner but never quite found.

He finds love wherever he goes, whether that’s flying halfway across the globe, or just driving to downtown Duckburg. But none of his exes have ever made him feel like they understand him—not like Drake does. Drake will listen to his Darkwing theories, and share his own. He never expects Launchpad to be any sharper than he is, never asks him to try being tougher or smarter. He loves Launchpad unconditionally, just as he is.

And LP has no idea what he’s supposed to do with that.

He loves Drake the same, of course. Loves to listen while Drake goes on and on with dramatic speeches, and loves to work on elaborate projects that’ll help on patrol. No one else would work with him on a working replica of the Thunderquack. It’s just… strange. How’s he supposed to get used to someone who loves him just for being himself when he’s spent his life hiding who he is, all in the name of love?

How can Drake possibly love all of him? All his loud, excited outbursts, forgetting most people know cues and unwritten rules? How can Drake love him despite all the crashes, real and figurative? What does Drake see in him that nobody else has?

Everybody else… left him and moved on. It was always an… “it’s not me, it’s you” or “you’ll find somebody else” or… or “we can still be friends” even though things would never be the same…. And Launchpad worries sometimes that Drake will… drift away, just like they did… worries that he’ll be left behind, and Drake will just… stop caring about him….

“Launchpad, baby,” Drake’s soft voice pulls him from sleep. “Wake up for a minute.”

“Huh?” LP startles. When did he fall asleep?

“I brought you some cold medicine and Gatorade,” Drake explains, helping him sit up. “I thought a drink would help.”

“Yeah,” Launchpad takes the medicine without thinking, then chugs half the blue bottle. His throat was so dry, and he didn’t even realize it. “Thanks. That feels better.”

“You’re welcome,” Drake kisses his forehead. “You still have a fever. Do you wanna keep resting for a while, and we’ll have dinner when it’s ready?”

LP takes a deep breath. The tower smells like fresh vegetables and savory broth, reminding him of wintery days as a kid. He used to spend whole afternoons playing in the snow with Loopey, and he’d come inside to those same smells of warm soup on the stove. Soup made with love by someone who’s happy to make it for him.

Made by someone who loves him.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, head suddenly spinning again. “That… that sounds good.”

He lays down, resting his head on the arm of the couch. Maybe… maybe it doesn’t matter why Drake loves him. He does, plain and simple, and Launchpad feels loved… Warm and cozy, wrapped up in a blanket they bought together… he’s safe and sound, and… he’s home. Whatever happens, he’ll always be loved when he’s with Drake, and that’s more than enough.

[bullet-prooflove]

Donna!!

I hope you’re doing well, lovely *sending lots of well wishes your way*

I saw that your inbox was open and I was hoping that you wouldn’t mind doing a little Connor Rhodes x Reader (maybe featuring Will too) where he finds Reader lost in her thoughts after a bad day?

Keep up the fantastic work; you’re doing amazing!

Thank you so much babe. I am in the process of coming off my antidepressants so these well wishes were lovely to receive.

So here we go...

You're quiet in the car ride home. It's unusual. You are usually playing with the radio, trying to find a song to sing along to, or discussing whatever funny things you've seen during the day. Connor enjoys listening to you, there's something about your voice that soothes him, your humour makes him smile.

"Is everything alright?" He asks you, his hand coming to rest lightly in your thigh, his eyes still on the road.

"Hm?" You tilt your head towards him, fingers entwined with his for the briefest of seconds before switches gear.

"You seem lost in your thoughts." He comments, flicking the indicator on so that he can pull into his parking spot.

Your lips purse together into a line and he knows that something happened, though he isn't sure what. He turns the engine off and undoes his seatbelt, twisting in the leather seat so that he can give you his full attention. You fiddle with one of the charms on the bracelet on your wrist before sighing.

"My sister called today." You tell him. "Looks like our father needs a liver transplant, they want to see if I'm a match."

He processes this for a second because he knows the history there and he's trying to find a way to tread carefully.

"I didnt know you were in touch with him."

You smile grimly.

"I'm not but Suzy is." You tell him. "She seems to have forgotten that he basically had a second family for the majority of our teenage years. She wants me to get tested see if I'm a match."

Donating part of your liver is a huge operation, theres a lot of recovery, possible complications...

"Do you want to..."

"No, I really don't." You tell him. "But if he dies because he doesnt get it..."

You shrug your shoulders helplessly. It's a terrible position to be in, and he's pissed that Suzy put you in it. She knows the sacrifices you've made, shes seen them, experienced then first hand. He reaches out, his fingers threading through yours.

"Whatever you choose to do, I support you." He tells you earnestly. "It's a big decision to make and whatever you decide I'm there for you."