#maybe when i get through my backlog a bit

[beauzos]

i know it probably ain’t impressive but it feels GOOD to start reading regularly again. i only read 4 books last year and i am still proud of myself for that, but i’m reading regularly now. i am up to 6 books this year, counting the one i am on now. it rules

[wolfofcelestia]

Ok since I'm already thinking about it, here my

Tier List of Fucking Zayne

(Yeah that's the title I'm gonna go with)

S tier:

Master of Fate. I wrote a whole post about him lmao. Basically:

"A centuries year old god with a praise and master kink who’s done some freaky shit in his past but now wants a committed relationship… to do more freaky shit with the one he loves."

A tier:

Foreseer. ...I also wrote a whole post about him LMAO. He doesn't have the experience, technically, but he has the memories of all Zaynes who have done everything under the sun with their MCs, and his body knows how to replicate them. Basically:

"This guy [has] an unlimited backlog of experience with kinks and skills in pleasuring you specifically."

The only reason he's in A tier instead of S tier is because I do picture him as holding himself back somewhat, even if that whole thing with Astra is taken out of the picture. He may have all those skills ready to use in the back of his head but it doesn't change the fact that he's spent centuries alone and needs to get used to the idea of interacting with people

B tier:

Doctor. I talked about him a little bit in Master's post, but Zayne definitely is being held back by his emotions. Yes, he'd definitely get more comfortable once you teach him that it's okay to be a little rough and maybe you like it when he loses control, but it doesn't change the fact that his main priority in life has always been to take care of you-- and that's where most of his skills come from. Pure, overwhelming love for you.

C tier:

Dawnbreaker. Goddammit, why do I have so many sex headcanon posts about these guys.

Well, if Doctor Zayne has issues with his emotions, here comes an even bigger mess of emotions. I'm not saying Dawnbreaker is a bad lover, I'm saying he can't open himself up emotionally or physically as freely as the others. Rather than fucking you, all he'd ever want is to just fall asleep in your arms

But if you wanted him to, he would of course follow through. He'd do anything for you, and if you're seeking pleasure from him of all people, he'd consider it an honour... even if he's hesitant, unsure, and afraid that he'd hurt you the entire time

He'd need a lot more time than Doctor Zayne to open up, but with enough reassurance and love, he'd blossom into a fiercely dedicated lover who would go to the ends of the earth to make you happy

[talia-black]

A Gift Repaid (Is But A Favor Owed)

(I started this a week after 2.3 went live. Clearly this sat in my WIPs before boredom resurrected it. Based on the 2.3 post-quest. Currently in the middle of a hurricane and the internet is out so I finally have no choice but to finish some of my WIPs.) 

Angsty, because Lord knows I can’t separate poor Aventurine from his trauma, but let me know if you want a fluffy sequel. 

Trailblazer!Gender neutral!Reader

(But I do use the name Stelle because I am a part of the AvenStelle agenda)

Stelle wants to repay Aventurine's gift, but doesn't have a single clue about how to do that. Maybe something just a little bit more will come of their clueless but sincere gesture.

Aventurine let out a well-earned sigh as he collapsed into bed. The weeks following his return to Pier Point had been nothing but a series of meetings, debriefs, more meetings, follow-up reports, and even more meetings. Leaving the normally free-wheeling gambler feeling restless and pent-up. Watching the drama unfold on the Radiant Feldspar had been his only form of entertainment. So naturally once the negotiations had settled and the Fool's prank had been dealt with, the Stoneheart had nothing to distract himself from the stack of paperwork taunting him from its perch on his desk.

Admittedly he had resorted to browsing one of his favorite online stores when he got the notification that the limited-edition model of the Astral Express was finally open for bidding. He won naturally, and it only took him a few seconds before he decided what to do with it.

Aventurine bundled up a few trinkets he had collected while on Penacony and had them packaged alongside the train model before shipping it off to the formerly-named Radiant Feldspar.

Stelle had been by far one of the most interesting and delightful characters he ever had the pleasure of meeting. Despite the power they wielded simply by hosting a Stellaron and being a member of the Astral Express Crew, they were almost chronically lawless and free-spirited. Although, squirrel-brained might be the most accurate descriptor. They could be in the middle of a punch line to some terrible dad joke one moment, and the next they are sprinting off because something shiny was poking out of a trashcan and they just had to take it with them. Every expensive gift he sent their way was met with sincere gratitude. But Stelle's wide-eyed, embarrassed blush didn't hold a candle to the expression of pure joy that lit up their entire face whenever they dug out something they deemed worthwhile out of a pile of abandoned boxes or an alley that looked like it could launch a thousand microbiology studies. Stelle was just so genuine and thoroughly lacking in any kind of malicious intent or agenda that it was impossible to not be endeared to them.

As far as the Stoneheart was concerned, the Astral Express' resident raccoon in human skin could have whatever their heart desired.

()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Honestly, Aventurine forgot about the gift after a week. Work wasn't any less busy, and it was becoming clearer by the day that part of his punishment for damaging his cornerstone and putting two others in jeopardy was to be grounded on Pier Point until Diamond was forced to send him somewhere else.

Five weeks later, the gambler was willing to take a second shot at that Emanator if it meant he would be able to escape the never-ending mountain of paperwork. One way or the other.

Which is why he decided to spend an afternoon sifting through his backlog of physical mail instead of addressing the two-foot stack of papers that one of Obsidian's lackeys had dropped on his desk five minutes before his lunch break or the 1000+ emails sitting in his inbox.

The majority was junk. He was appalled that most of it got past his subordinates desk, and he happily watched the papers be chewed to pieces in the shredder. A few particularly inventive scam attempts even managed to get a chuckle out of him before they met their fate.

The slightly more personal letters were mildly amusing. Threats from past "friends", professions of love from strangers who had caught a glimpse of him at this place or the other. 

He would definitely need to have HR reevaluate the person who handled his mail.

Aventurine saved the packages for last, mainly because he knew those had been thoroughly inspected before they were even allowed in the building. One attempted bombing incident and now all of his shopping orders took a minimum of 72 hours before he was allowed to pick them up. But it wasn't until he had actually started to examine the boxes that he noticed something odd.

One of the packages wasn't so much a "package" as it was something vaguely spherical wrapped in newspaper. A shipping label that barely met postal requirements was the only thing holding it together, and the smell of burnt metal radiated from it. The sender's name had been smudged, which only fueled the gambler's curiosity.

Mostly confident whatever was in the package wouldn't kill him, Aventurine tore away the wrapping paper.

"What in the name of the Preservation-"

Aventurine hissed. His fingers had struck metal, nearly slicing his finger open on a particularly jagged corner. The rusted bronze burned in the low lighting Aventurine had illuminating his office, offset by the shiny aluminum that had been soldered to it. Aventurine continued to unwrap the package and it was only when the last of the newspaper had fallen to the floor that he was able to make out what it was.

Several pieces of scrap had been melded together in a caricature of a star. Different types of metal and alloys gleaned in the light of his office, and despite the patches of rust and wear on it, a lot of effort had clearly been put into it.

Aventurine had no clue what to make of it. It wasn't some high-end art piece if the shipping was anything to go by, and wasn't anything close to gifts people had attempted to bribe him with before. He reached down to pick through the wrapping and take a second look at the shipping label and a folded piece of paper fell out. It looked like standard cardstock, but Aventurine could see his name scratched on the top.

The gambler's intrigue was practically suffocating him at this point as he snatched the paper up and folded back the crease.

Hey Aventurine, hope you're doing alright. I've been stabbed before. It's not a fun experience once the adrenaline wears off and you can't get your legs to work properly. Make sure you wait at least a few days before trying to go out and pick a fight, or you'll wake up with very disappointed people hovering over you.

Sorry I didn't respond to your gift sooner. I would say social anxiety is bitch, but March has been nagging me to stop masking my vulnerability with humor.

Truthfully, I didn't know how to thank you. Excusing that little scuffle at the theme park (No hard feelings there. A lot of my friends have tried to maim me before) you've been great company and I wanted to give you something in return for all of the presents you’ve given me. It took me a while to decide on what exactly that was. I've watched a few of your poker games. You can make more credits in a single evening than I've ever had in my entire life. It wasn't until Dan Heng commented on all of the "junk" in my room that I had the idea of making something.

March 7th says I'm a hoarder. I prefer the term "low-budget collector". The metal you're holding was scavenged from a massive junkyard that most of Belobog's decommissioned robots end up in, though some of it came from abandoned cycranes I found near the Alchemy Commission. You wouldn't believe the types of odds and ends that get thrown in their dumpsters.

I had to ask for Himeko's help to actually weld the metal though. I think I did a pretty decent job for my first time, and aside from a few burns I made it through the experience unscathed. Word of advice: never touch the tip of a welding torch. Even after it's been off for ten minutes.

I really did like hanging out with you, Aventurine. Not a lot of people are willing to put up with my hyperactive raccoon brain for long, and it was nice to meet someone else who enjoys causing general mayhem. There should be another present in here if I get Pom-Pom to approve it.

Anyway, I hope you at least like this gift. If you don't, feel free to toss it.

May your journey lead you starward

-The Trailblazing Raccoon

Stelle

P.S. If you were serious about that round of cards, the Express will be staying at the Luofu for the next few months before we go out of range of the HoloNet for a while. I know a place with great food and mostly empty tables if you feel like stopping by.

Stelle.

The letter’s words blurred from how hard his hand was shaking.

Aventurine blinked furiously. A single tear escaped and smeared the postscript. He set the ornament gently on his desk before looking through the newspaper for a second envelope.

Instead of another folded note, there was a smaller envelope crookedly taped to what had been the inside of the newspaper. 

The Astral Express welcomes all who wish to move beyond their past and journey along the silver rails, no matter their intent or agenda. Ms. Topaz has already been granted an Express Pass, so it would be inconsiderate to not offer you one as well when a Trailblazer has vouched for you. The Pass enclosed will allow you to board the Astral Express whenever you wish, barring emergency circumstances or a crisis state. 

- The Conductor of the Astral Express, Pom-Pom

A golden ticket was nestled in the folded page. The rainbow sheen on its glossy gold surface was a perfect replica of the reflection of the stars outside Aventurine’s office window. 

Those same stars were the sole light in Aventurine’s penthouse apartment later that night as he drowned his memories and anxieties in a bottle of Penacony’s finest. His alcohol-addled brain scheming away as he clutched that golden ticket in a death grip. 

()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A few days later…

“Hey Stelle!” 

The Trailblazer in question looked up from their game to see March leaning into their room.

“You’ve got a package. Well, a few packages. And a letter.”

Stelle raised an eyebrow as March dropped six nicely-wrapped boxes and a letter on their bed.  

“Are you sure you haven’t gone over your budget this month?” March asked as Stelle reached for the letter. 

“I haven’t ordered anything,” Stelle mumbled, distracted by the ostentatious gold calligraphy decorating the front. The list of people she knew who would send them such a thing was short, and with the packages…

Stelle ripped open the envelope and leaned back, away from March’s prying gaze. 

Dear Stelle, 

It would be my honor to accept your invitation. The gifts I’ve sent are a small measure of my gratitude for such a thoughtful present, and I hope you won’t object to similar gestures in the future. I’ve never had the chance to visit the Luofu, but I managed to free a few days next week for me to spend at my leisure. You have my number, so if you’re looking for a little risky fun, give me a call. 

Your close friend, Aventurine <3

[melodic-haze]

Hello, this is gonna be a bit different from my other asks, but if I don't ask now I will forget and regret it. I stumbled upon your brat Columbina sample--don't ask how I managed to find something so far back I just have my ways, loved it btw-- and I feel like Sparkle will be exactly the same way.

Now Imagine having to deal with both of them; Each fighting for your attention while also working together to push your buttons. Columbina using her voice and Sparkle doing Masked Fools shenanigans. Only for when you snap and "handle" one of them. The other gets a bit scared and tries to run away only to get grabbed and "dealt" with too.

Do with this however you would like, I just would like to get this off my chest and written down to help me remember this somehow lol. May everyone reading this have a great day and pulls.

-🍎

My backlog wild as hell huh hi gang 💀💀💀 to this day I'm still impressed and flattered at the fact you singlehandedly dug through my entire page for all the stuff I wrote BUT ANYWAYSSSS THIS IS CRAZY I COMBUSTED.....

Tbf I think out of the two of them, Sparkle would be the one to actually scare more. Columbina would put on a facade of fearing for herself while in the presence of such a feral mortal, sure, but like little to nothing would faze her I think. Though this MAY BE be due to how she's a LOT more...durable??? No that's not the word, but neither is insatiable, smth like that though. She can take a LOT more than Sparkle can imo, so she eggs you on to fully snap and take it upon yourself to ruin her COMPLETELY, no holds barred

Granted, she DOES feel that spike in adrenaline, but rather than fear it's probably from the thrill of witnessing just how wild and barbaric you can possibly get in such a situation. Columbina loves testing you beyond your limits and yout patience, and she doesn't mind getting roughed up in the process—actually, she rather enjoys it

Sparkle, however, absolutely LOVES messing with you to high heaven, yeah, but even SHE has her limits. The moment she realises she's gone perhaps a bit too far, she shivers bc she KNOWS something's off something's wrong she should go, such dangers is NOT fit for a Masked Fool as her (not when she's facing it anyway). Realisation be coming in TOO LATE though, and she realises this when you yank her arm back and push her on the mattress after discarding Columbina like some ordinary ragdoll. She'd be LOUD just saying 😜

Though there is that sort of twisted feeling in her that makes her realise that holy shit maybe she DOES like being roughhoused and put in her place like this????? You're DANGEROUS right now......but maybe she likes that. A lot. Helps everything in her mind vanish anyway, cuz a little death never hurt anyone! 😊

Both of them do make a point to do this again though. And that credit where credit's due, the other person did well......though Columbina would probably tease Sparkle for her fear

[teecupangel]

I'm almost sorry to add another story idea to your backlog pile, BUT:

Elijah finds out what his dad went through, manages to break into a parallel universe, time travels to the 3 eras of the main ancestors, and tries to change things enough to save Desmond. Altair, Ezio, and Ratonhnhake:ton ask this tiny, angry, sarcastic, cactus of a child why he's doing what he's doing, and he eventually explains it over time.

Desmond, on the other hand, is watching all of this through the animus: a son he didn't know existed was trying to save him. An infant who he had never met, and who had never met him, was fighting time and reality itself to save him from a fate that still hasn't been explained, was showing more care and love and compassion for him than anyone Desmond had ever known before. And it hurts, because Desmond just grows to love him more and more, but thinks he'll never truly meet him outside of a Bleed.

Elijah never seems to age, even though he spends like forty years picking on Ezio. There's a statue of him in the Monterrigioni sanctuary, and he hates it with a passion.

Just... Elijah trying to fuck up time enough to save his dad, and Desmond watching all of it both touched and heartbroken, because if he's going through all of this anyways, it was all for nothing.

Then Elijah comes out of nowhere in the Grand Temple and sucker punches Juno with a data virus he had hardcoded into their lineage's DNA over nine centuries lmao

Please never be sorry for sending me an ask. Pile as much as you want as long as you guys understand that it would take a while for me to answer them (a month or so at this point XD)

Okay, but can you just imagine if Elijah was just a teenager in this one? That would give more of a sucker punch vibe to Desmond once he learns who Elijah is.

He has the ability to time travel but he can’t control where he gets sent. His goal had been to save Desmond Miles but he made the mistake of tying his time to Desmond Miles and not to someone more stable like Rebecca Crane or Shaun Hastings.

Hell, William Miles would be a better choice.

Because…

Desmond Miles’ ‘time’ is connected to the memories he watch in the Animus, making Elijah slip in and out of certain ‘times’, following the memories Desmond watches.

Desmond assumed Elijah was one of the informants in Altaïr’s memories. It’s only when Altaïr began to see him as an annoying child who always got in the way of Altaïr’s missions that Elijah told the truth.

Why?

Because Elijah has nothing to lose from telling Altaïr the truth. He was a prisoner of time itself, being yanked time and time again. He has a theory that he was being yanked to the time in Altaïr’s life where Desmond was watching him so he figured he could give Desmond information as well using Altaïr.

It would be funny, after all.

The Isus have chosen Ezio Auditore to be their prophet.

Why couldn’t Elijah make Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad his prophet then?

And he’ll take Ezio Auditore from the Isus as well.

Maybe it was Aita’s selfishness and desire for power.

Maybe it was his very own selfish desire to have something that was truly his.

“Shall we make a deal, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad?”

“A deal?” Those golden eyes seemed to pierce his very soul.

But it didn’t matter what he saw.

He cannot begin to fathom the truth.

Not yet, anyway.

Right now, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad was a man lost in a vicious snowstorm threatening to swallow him whole and pull him to his frozen grave.

He still haven’t found the warmth he was meant to have, given to him by the Calculations.

“My name is Elijah.” He said, “I am a child of Time itself.”

“What nonsen-”

“I will correctly tell you what will happen when you confront Garnier de Naplouse.” Elijah stated, making Altaïr stop from walking away from him. Altaïr turned just enough to stare at him with one of his golden eyes as Elijah continued, “And I will tell you the future you are meant to have.”

“And what do you want in exchange?”

“From you? Nothing.” Elijah admitted, “All I want is a bit of your time.”

“My time?”

“To talk to Desmond Miles.”

Altaïr frowned as he said, “I do not know anyone by that name.”

“I know.” Elijah answered with a nod, “But he’s watching you. The Templars are forcing him to watch you right now and it is because he is forced to watch you that he comes to care for you so…”

“I will help you save yourself, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.” Elijah said, “To change your fate to whatever you desire, instead of what has been laid out in front of you. In exchange…”

“All I ask is you listen to me so I can take to my father.” Elijah’s lips curved into a small smirk that felt more Aita than him, “And to commemorate my first message to my father, I believe I should tell him an important truth.”

“Lucy Stillman is a Templar who betrayed the Assassins.”

(I feel like in this case, Elijah would provide more information and let Altaïr do what he wants. He only starts to actually have a more active roll once the memory seals from ACR starts and he grows close to Altaïr’s children. By the time he gets to Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton, he’s more ‘fuck the backseat, I’m driving’ and actively helps. This ends up with Elijah finally ‘returning’ to Desmond Miles’ time just as Minerva and Juno told him what will happen if he lets the world burn and, by that point, Elijah had already completed a device that would force Juno’s consciousness to operate the device in Desmond’s stead).

[pixel-percy]

🌊 A Modern Sensei AU — Mizu's private lessons are helpful but sometimes she just drives you crazy... Maybe in more ways than one. 🌊

🌊 Word Count: 1.7k 🌊 Music Vibes: Make Me Water by Tyla 🌊 Warning(s): Smut (giving head), public sex (they're outside), light Dom/Sub (bratty reader), & mentor/mentee power imbalance (it's all consensual) 🌊 A/N: I've had this on my backlog for so long and I finally got it out of my brain. I loved Blue Eye Samurai when I watched it and Mizu is just so... 😏 hehe

The smack of the wooden sword against your ass was a bit rougher than any of the previous taps you’d received from Mizu. You winced, as you whipped around to look at her, jaw clenched.

“Ow,” you said tersely.

“You keep making the same mistake,” she said cooly, posture impeccable. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips but she resisted letting it form fully. “You’re not gonna learn if there aren’t any consequences.”

You tensed a little at her tone and how her eyes watched your face behind the yellow tint of her glasses. A gentle breeze moved through the Summer air of the forest and the steady trickle of a nearby river permeated the tense silence between you.

“Well, it still hurt.”

“Didn’t think you’d complain about that,” she replied. A small blush crept along your cheeks but you refused to yield to her incessant teasing. Nothing ever came of it, just shoulder pushes and eye rolls, yet she persisted as if she enjoyed the game of it all despite her cool demeanor.

It was hard to get a read on her sometimes despite how much you wanted to, so you did your best to temper your expectations since these “private lessons” started months ago. You’d known each other for a year or so before, and when you expressed interest in learning some self-defense, Mizu was the first to offer. She had her own dojo and though you offered to pay her, she refused. So here you were.

“Back in your stance,” she instructed and sunk easily into the one she preferred.

“Can we move on from this today?” You didn’t mean to sound so petulant but it was warm and you had messed up this particular set up more times than you wanted to admit. The sting of Mizu’s ‘corrections’ were starting to catch up with you, and while you kind of loved the sensation, the warm air was making you testy.

“Back in your stance,” Mizu repeated.

You sighed deeply.

“3, 2, 1… Go.”

The strikes of the wooden swords echoed through the trees, a steady rhythm that temporarily disrupted the peaceful silence its creatures typically knew. You could feel Mizu pushing you, blocking attacks at the last second, feet dragging through the moss and grass as you tried to find a better position. Mizu didn’t let up.

You moved, focused on Mizu’s strikes, and felt your foot suddenly slip on the river’s edge, sending you crashing unceremoniously into the waist-deep water with a screech. It was too fast for Mizu to grab you despite reaching for you and calling your name.

“SHIT,” you shouted after you broke the surface of the river.

Mizu’s eyes were wide, grimacing, but it looked like she was fighting a laugh. You glared at her and rose to your feet with as much grace as possible. Mizu bit her lip to suppress a bubble of laughter before she extended a hand for you to grab.

“Well, this is a good reminder for another lesson,” she said as you took her hand. “Be aware of your surroundings.”

Your jaw clenched and, instead of allowing her to assist you back onto the grass, you narrowed your eyes, sank your fit into the river's sediment, and tugged. Surprise crossed Mizu’s face as she took in your smirk and tried not to fall in but, this time, you’d been the one to catch her unawares.

Mizu hit the water roughly and caused an enormous splash that had you caught in the crossfire, a wave of the cool liquid hitting your side; it was worth it.

“You… little…” Mizu said. The laughter you’d been trying to fight off yourself finally erupted, earning your teacher a glare.

“This is your lesson,” you said while catching your breath. “Never underestimate your opponent.”

Mizu didn’t say anything, blue eyes behind her shades locked onto your face. You weren’t sure what to make of it, feeling a heat rising in your cheeks under her gaze.

“What?” you asked, convinced she was actually upset with you. Then, to your dismay, she started to move toward you in the water, and, instinctively, you moved back. She continued her advance and just as your hand touched the bank, she closed the distance and pressed her body completely against yours. Your hands moved up her shoulders for balance. The blush you’d been building up fully bloomed, only inches separating your faces and nothing between your bodies. “Mizu?” You were a little breathless. What was happening?

She kept quiet and moved one hand to grab your wrist, pinning it to the edge of the riverbank softly. The mud painted abstract images along your skin, the grass tickled, and the water soaked deeper into your clothes with every second that ticked by. You could feel her breath on your face.

“Mizu,” you said again but softer.

Nothing again. You felt her other hand touch your hip and slowly ascend, flirting with the skin under your shirt, the side of your chest, all the way up to the base of your neck. You weren’t sure what you were expecting but you leaned back a little to allow her more access… and she took it. Her calloused fingers spread, pressing her thumb and middle finger gently into the muscles on either side.

Mizu searched your face for any protest. You provided none.

Her grip tightened around your throat, enough for you to gasp, but in no way harmful. With such a hold on you, she tilted your head to the side.

“You.” She pressed her lips to your cheek. “Are such.” Your head leaned to the side for her to place her lips on the other one. “A pain.” You tested the waters, trying to move the hand she had a grip on, only to feel her reinforce it, pressing it harder into the mud. She straightened your face to see you fully, eyes flicking between your eyes and lips. “In the ass.”

You just smiled in response. So did she.

And then she kissed you.

It was deep, slow, and rhythmic, somewhat matching the flow of the river’s path. You sighed, a small moan leaving your lips and receiving the same in return. Nothing about this day had indicated this was how it was gonna go. Nothing at all. It was everything you didn’t know you had wanted and the feeling of her fingers tightening around your throat, digging into the skin in the most delicious of ways, drove you crazy.

She allowed your hand freedom, both of which found their way around her neck as she released her grip on yours—to your mild disappointment. Instead, she grabbed under your thighs and lifted, earning a surprised sound from you, and perched you on the riverbank.

“This okay?” she asked, voice husky, her eyes peering up at you now, a clear sight over her glasses that were covered in streaks of water. You nodded. Her fingers found the top of your soaked-through sweats and gave a tug. “This?” You nodded again and lifted your hips. She hooked her fingers over the top of them, also catching your underwear, and pulled them down to your ankles, which she lifted over her head so she could be between your thighs.

You didn’t know what to say.

“Are you going to listen if I ask you to lay back? Or are you going to be a brat about that too?” she asked and positioned your thighs over her shoulders. You looked down at her, unable to find the will to sass her in this moment, and did as she asked. “Good pet.”

A feeling fluttered in your stomach at that.

Without much effort, she lifted your legs, and dove between them, devouring you so deliciously that you gasped. Her arms nestled in the creases of your pelvis and her fingers dug into the skin of your thighs so rough they might bruise. Every stroke of her tongue over you felt hungry, greedy. Water droplets slid down your sensitive skin, a cool sensation that did nothing to quell the heat radiating off of you. Your fingers dug into the grass and threatened to pull each blade up from the root.

“Shit,” you gasped. The pleasure you felt building up was intoxicating and maddening. Any gripe you had with training today faded with every single second Mizu spent between your thighs. The sound of your voice only egged her on. Had you both been hiding this desire from each other for this long? A part of you regretted it, wondered if maybe you could have gotten to this place sooner, but you didn’t get the chance to finish that thought.

Your orgasm cascaded through you, a moan so loud you accidentally startled some birds in a nearby tree. Mizu didn’t let up though, holding onto you as though you were going to float away and you held onto one of her arms like she was an anchor to this plane of existence. She tasted every bit of you, tongue simply a tool to swallow everything. She peppered soft kisses on you, before ducking back down into the river, and appearing outside the cage of your legs. You felt her hands pull at your heavy, river-soaked sweats, and tugged them up, hips lifting very briefly, until you were decent again.

The evening sunbeams danced through the treetops. You heard the splash and dripping of water as Mizu finally pulled themselves out of the river and took a seat next to you. You sat there for a moment, still coming down from your orgasm, and felt the gentle reassurance of Mizu’s hand on your knee, thumb rubbing it.

“So,” Mizu said. You looked down at her, eyes on you as she cleaned her glasses. “The practice swords are gone and we’re both soaked. Probably, best we call it for the day.” A pang of disappointment hit your chest and she must have noticed it in your face, because continued, “But… I’ve got time tonight for some extra lessons. And some dry clothes you can use.”

Mizu smirked. You smiled and hoisted yourself up just enough to grab the front of her soaked shirt. She didn’t put up a fight at all, allowing you to tug her down with you into another passionate kiss, the taste of you on her tongue.

[hn-undercover-9503]

going through my backlog documents again and I uncovered this, it's from a project I honestly don't know if I'll ever finish but I thought I'd share some of it anyway bc I liked the concept of this fic a lot

The atmosphere in the holding cell was a far cry from what it normally was.

On a normal day, he would get to laugh and tease the pretty sheriff until there was practically steam coming out of his ears and he was too flustered to even speak. But today, Tango could tell that wasn't the way to go.

"Yo, uh, Sheriff? You…wanna tell me what's going on in that big beautiful brain of yours?"

The sheriff looked upset, except not in the usual I'm pretending to be angry to try and intimidate the prisoners kind of way–no, he looked actually upset. He kept jumping from paper to paper and shelf to shelf, never really focusing on anything. After about an hour, which was usually the point at which Tango would have made the slip already, he finally decided he couldn't ignore it anymore.

Immediately, he was given a harsh glare, which was quickly followed by a loud groan and a sigh. The Sheriff dropped the pen he'd been pretending to work with and tossed his head over the back of his chair.

"It hasn't got anything to do with you."

Tango shrugged, leaning back with his grip on the bars keeping him upright. "Oh, I dunno, maybe I could help. Just thinkin'."

The Sheriff sighed again. And just when Tango was sure he wasn't going to respond, he mumbled, "It's my ex,"

Tango did a double-take. "Your…ex?"

"Yes,"

"As in, ex-partner? Ex-romantic partner? A person you used to be in a relationship with?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, my ex-brother–yes, my ex-romantic partner, or my ex-boyfriend I should say."

"You have an ex-boyfriend?" He exclaimed, genuinely surprised. How had he never heard of this before? And here he thought he knew everything about his favorite sheriff.

"It's a long story. But recently, I heard he started seeing someone else, and I'm…oh, forget it, this is stupid."

"No no no, s'not stupid!" Tango pushed aside the slight sting at the implication that his sheriff still had feelings for another guy, caring more about how he could make him feel better. "What's his name?"

"His name is Scott."

Tango's eyes widened. "Scott? As in Scott Smajor, the owner and proprietor of the underground black market?"

The Sheriff shot him a dirty look. "And how do you know about the black market, huh?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who dated him." He raised his hands in surrender. "Besides, he's got a reputation for being a bit of an ass."

"He's not–just because he doesn't take people's garbage doesn't make him rude." He groaned. "Oh great, I'm defending him now! I really am pathetic."

“Aw, you're not pathetic, Sheriff.” Tango leaned back against the bars. “I think it's cute.”

“Cute? You think being hung up on an ex who's clearly moved on already cute?”

“Well how do you know he's moved on?” Tango asked.

The Sheriff sighed again, slumping down in his chair. “I got a report that he was seen slipping around with some guy.”

“That doesn't mean anything–maybe it's a new customer he's got.”

“Slipping around corners to make out with his customers?”

Tango shrugged. “Well, I dunno what he's got going on! Maybe it's a special service or something.”

The Sheriff groaned. “Okay, gross. Why haven't you left already, anyway? We both know you could've been out of here hours ago.”

Tango put on his best pouty face, reaching through the bars to brush a finger over his sheriff's arm. “Aw, but I love our time together, Sheriff. Why would I wanna give that up?”

He glared, clearly not feeling up to their usual bantering. “I'm going to go get more coffee.” He said tiredly as he stood from his desk and made for the door.

Tango watched him go with a frown. When the door clicked shut, he reached into his back pocket and produced the key to the cell, unlocking it and scaling the wall to get to the window. It popped open just as easily as it always did. As he looked back at the office and holding cell, a cold, heavy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

He needed to do something.

[ladykailitha]

Well Met By Moonlight Part 7

Hello! It was a bit of a rough morning for me with the hate I got earlier. Maybe I could have worded it nicer, but I'm tired of gatekeepers that think everything ever has to be canon inspired, but if you have a difference of opinion about what is canon then them you're delusional.

And then my son nearly fainted at his school singing program this afternoon. He got sent home yesterday due to being over emotional at school (couldn't stop crying), but we thought it was just a bad mental health day. Apparently not.

So it was a little hard wanting to post today, even though I have a backlog of 15 chapters across 5 stories because I was feeling overly emotional.

So I hope you enjoy a little bit of sexy times for our boys. I told you I'd bring Eddie back sooner, rather than later.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6  

18+ Under the Cut

****

Eddie was in his room trying to nail down the bridge on a song he was writing when he heard a small scratching noise at the front door. He set his guitar aside and listened closely.

There it was again.

He wasn’t expecting anyone today. He got up warily and was at the door in an instant. He looked through the peephole and huffed out a laugh.

He opened the door and leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed.

“You barely left me last night and you’re already at my door step again?” he teased.

There was that wolfie laugh Eddie adored so much.

“Come on in before the twins next door think you’re a doggy to play with and chase you all over the trailer park.”

Steve laughed again and Eddie shook his head, moving to the side to let his boyfriend in.

Steve shifted back to human and wrapped his arms around Eddie’s neck loosely. “Hey baby.”

Eddie purred. “Hey, sweetheart.”

Even though he knew that Steve being naked wasn’t a sexual thing, it didn’t stop him from grabbing that beautiful bare ass anyway.

He dived into Steve’s lips kissing and licking his way into that perfect mouth.

Steve’s arms tightened around Eddie’s neck, grinding against the hard planes his body. He wrapped his legs around Eddie’s waist and let him carry him into the bedroom.

He kicked the door closed and proceeded to have his wicked way with him.

Once they had come several times and had finally wore themselves out, Eddie rolled over on his back and huffed out a laugh.

“I know you didn’t just come over to fuck,” he said, throwing his arm over his eyes, “so what’s the real reason for the visit?”

Steve laughed. “You are very distracting, you know?”

Eddie grinned. “It’s that ass, baby. I just can’t get enough.”

“That’s fair,” Steve said. He rolled over on his side to look at him. “You know how it was Josh’s first day with the pack?”

Eddie immediately straightened up and looked down at Steve. “Yeah? How did that go?”

“He’s a good kid and I don���t think we’ll have any problem with him,” Steve hummed.

“But...” Eddie asked, tilting his head forward.

Steve sat up and wrapped one arm around his knees. “When you were growing up did you have any days where the teachers would talk about supernatural kind? But not like on days the supernatural kids would be there?”

Eddie sat up too and frowned. He thought hard. “You know, now that you mention it, there were days like that. It was straight up bullshit, so I never really paid attention...” His eyes went wide. “Shit you don’t think that’s why Jason and them went apeshit, do you? The shit they were learning about on moon days?”

Steve bit his lip. “I don’t know. It worries me that they’re getting anything like that at all.”

Eddie nodded. “I don’t know of anyone who’s not supernatural, not anymore.”

Steve lifted his head. “Yes you do. The drummer of your band, what was it called, Carrion Coffin or something?”

“Corroded Coffin,” Eddie gently corrected.

“That’s the one,” Steve said, snapping his fingers. “I know Jeff is a vampire like you and Brian is some other supernatural being...”

“Siren,” Eddie said, rubbing his chin. “I’ve always suspected Gareth might be a supe of some sort, but I could never confirm it.”

“But if he’s still going to school,” Steve said hopefully, “and not allowed to take moon days off due to whatever kind of supe he is, then he might be able to do some recon for us.”

Eddie nodded. “I have band practice tomorrow, I’ll ask. Maybe Brian remembers something, too.”

Steve sagged in relief. “Thanks sweetheart. I appreciate it. If the schools are indoctrinating kids against supes that might explain the rise in hunters over the last few decades.”

“Leading to whatever the hell it was that happened to you...” Eddie said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, because why a cross?” Steve said. “Crosses are vampire lore, not werewolf.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed. “I’ll talk to Wayne about it when he gets home. Maybe he can get more out of Patrick and Jason tomorrow, too.”

“Thanks, Eds,” Steve murmured. “That’s weight off my mind.”

Eddie grinned. “Now where were we?”

Steve laughed and then tackled his boyfriend back to his bed. He straddled Eddie’s waist. “You are insatiable, you know that?”

Eddie snapped his jaws at Steve playfully. “You love it.”

Steve moved up enough so that Eddie’s cock caught on Steve’s taint, causing Eddie to gasp.

“Oh, so that how you want to play it, pretty boy,” he growled, slowly pushing Steve backwards onto his cock until Steve bottomed out.

“Fuck, baby,” Steve whined. “I love the way you fill me.”

Eddie lifted him up and then snapped him back down his cock. “I love the way you look when you’re stuffed with my dick, sweetheart. I love the whimpering mess you become when I fuck you so hard. But you’re on top this time, so show me what you’ve got.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. I can do that.”

He started off slow, allowing the drag of Eddie’s cock to come almost all the way out before slamming back down onto his hips.

“Like that, Stevie,” Eddie said his voice husky with desire. “Just. Like. That.”

Steve nodded. He kept up the slow pace, grinding up and down, touching his throat, his chest, his stomach, his thighs, everywhere but his cock.

“Fuck, baby,” Eddie cooed. “You putting on a show for me?”

Steve nodded, biting down on his lip. He ran his fingers through his hair and then back down his body.

Eddie was about to explode from the sight alone. His last ounce of control snapped and he flipped them over.

Steve let out a gasp of surprise. “Too much for you, rockstar?”

“Not even close to being enough, sweet cheeks,” he growled and then starting railing him hard and fast.

Soon Steve was spilling on his belly as he watched Eddie chase his own release.

Moments later Eddie was stock still as he filled Steve, his eyelashes fluttered shut and his breath came out in a shuddering sigh.

They were drenched in sweat, Steve was covered in come, and they both panted for breath.

Eddie slipped out and flopped on the bed next to Steve. “Fuck, I think you’ve ruined me for anyone else.”

Steve giggled. “Supernatural sex tends to be better because we have better stamina, strength, and flexibility then humans do.”

Eddie rolled on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. “Despite what this town thinks I was no blushing virgin coming into this relationship, babe. I’ve been with human, siren, and werewolf–” Steve opened his mouth to ask but Eddie held up his hand, “no one you know, I promise. This is at a supernatural bar in Indy. But I have never had sex like when I’m with you. It makes all the noise in my head fade to the background.”

Steve smiled. “I’m glad. And of course I’m completely gone on you, too, you know. I don’t it’s the type of supe you are that makes being with you so easy, the sex so good. It’s you.”

Eddie smiled dopeyly at Steve as he watched his boyfriend get up and head for the showers.

He cleaned up the bed and got dressed again. He was back working on the bridge he was working on before Steve came around, but this time with added clarity.

“Sounding good, Eds,” Steve said when he came back in.

Eddie grinned up at him. “Maybe I should have sex with you every time I’m stumped writing, I mean it about the clearing my head.”

Steve leaned down and gave him a kiss. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Eddie giggled. “Go on, pretty alpha boy. Your pack awaits.”

Steve laughed, skipping away lightly.

He opened the door and then transformed, leaping down the stairs. He tore down the road and Eddie just shook his head fondly as he shut the door behind his boyfriend.

*

Steve loved his wolf form. It was two-toned unlike most of his pack. The dark brown of his upper pelt and honey color of his muzzle, legs, and belly made him look more like an oversized friendly dog most of the time.

It made it easier to walk the streets of Hawkins without people batting an eye at him.

There were those that recognized him on sight, of course. But they never called him by his name, they always called out, “Sandy!”

Which always made him laugh.

“Hey, Sandy!” Mr Thacher called from his tire shop as Steve loped by.

Steve barked his hello and continued on way.

A little boy spotted him and Steve patiently sat still as he buried his face into Steve’s fur until his dad tugged on his hand to make him come with.

“Not now, Charlie,” his admonished. “You have a dentist appointment.”

Charlie sighed and allowed himself to be led away with a mournful, “Bye puppy.”

He finally got to the mayor’s office and grabbed the robe waiting by the door. He went into the bathroom and came out with the robe wrapped around his naked form.

Lucy, Major Roberts’s secretary, shook her head. “It’s damn shame that Mayor Roberts put that robe there for you.”

Steve laughed. “You just like looking at my ass.”

She pretended to be affronted. “Darling, it’s your thighs!”

Steve laughed again. “Is he able to see me right now?”

She nodded. “I’ll buzz you in.”

“Mr Harrington!” Mayor Roberts greeted, standing up to shake his hand. “What an unexpected pleasure, how can I be of service?”

Steve sat down and told him everything Josh had told him and his discussion with Eddie about the possibility of anti-supernatural rhetoric being taught in the schools.

Mayor Roberts nodded. “I was aware there was extra-curricular subjects being taught on moon days, as the teachers can’t teach their subject to only half their class. But I don’t think I ever thought about what was being taught.”

Steve nodded. “If we can find the source here in Hawkins maybe we can get it changed on a national level.”

“Thereby stopping the rise of hunters in the country,” Mayor Roberts agreed. “I’ll look into it. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

Steve nodded again. “Of course. Thank you for your time.”

They shook hands and Steve was slipping through the door as wolf, the robe carefully carried in his jaw.

Lucy laughed. “Sneak!” she teased.

Steve put the robe back on the hook and looked at her innocently.

Mayor Roberts laughed. “He got you good there, Lucy.”

She shook her head. “Yeah, yeah.”

And with that Steve slipped out of the mayor’s office and back out onto the street.

He shook himself off and the broke into a run. He had a lot to think about but first he had one more stop to make.

****

Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @goodolefashionedloverboi @bookbinderbitch @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @littlewildflowerkitten @vecnuthy @redfreckledwolf @scheodingers-muppet @mira-jadeamethyst @just-a-tiny-void @potato-of-the-lord @goosesister @tinyplanet95 @anaibis @she-collects-smut @irregular-child

[maxwellatoms]

Hello, I hope you are well. I look forward to the stream on Thursday.

I suppose first I should ask if you would rather me send asks through here or through Patreon. But anyway, here is something I have been wondering. I have quite a bit of a preface though:

I never actually grew up with Grim Adventures. I was a wee little tot when it was airing, so if I was watching TV, I was watching one of those preschool shows. When I did get old enough to start watching shows geared towards older kids, I had just missed out on it. I only got around to watching Grim Adventures and Evil Con Carne rather recently.

But what I did grow up with was Chowder. I never remembered it well as I got older, but what did stick with me was "The Puckerberry Overloads." Child me struggled to comprehend the logic behind how Chowder could be in his own mouth. After rewatching the series recently, I was very surprised and excited to see you were credited as one of the writers and the storyboard artist for the episode. I even recognized your voice from one of the characters. I suppose you really were there all along.

So I wanted to ask, how did you end up doing some work for Chowder? Were you simply a guest of sorts? I also saw you credited as a writer and storyboard artist for another episode in another season, so how did that come to be? What I'm mostly curious about is how that factored all in with the Great Purge.

I would love to hear whatever you are willing to tell me. Thank you for reading.

Thank you for writing!

I'll still be around on here. I think the Patreon is probably a better place to ask questions if you really want an answer, since I'll try to answer every question on there. Here, I tend to cherry-pick and I've got a bit of a backlog.

Long story short, Billy & Mandy eventually wrapped, which left me to do Underfist and develop a couple of other properties for CN. My friend C.H. Greenblatt (creator and voice of Fred Fredburger, and writer of a number of memorable episodes) got his own series, "Chowder". They were having trouble finding a board artist to fill one of the slots, so I said I'd do a board. Greenblatt and I have always helped each other out when we can over the years. Just this year we got to produce Jellystone Season Two together, and it was the best time I've had on a series in a decade.

I did another board for Season Two, and that's about when "The Great Purge" happened. And there was no escaping that for anyone, really.

C.H. Greenblatt and I had a really fun Looney Tunes pitch we sold right before the pandemic hit. Like everything else during that time, it went into Deep Freeze. Maybe one day we can get back to it.

He'll definitely be making an appearance on "Billy & Mandy vs. The Entertainment Industry". More on that soon™!

[offside-the-lines]

matt/barky "reputation"

Woohoo!!! Writing muse fairy is back and they are coming back strong!!! This got long because I don't know brevity. I actually love this. This is set right before the start of Matty's first season (Sep 2022).

~

A few drinks into the evening, Matthew feels himself finally relaxing into warm evening. He supposes, for some, the inescapable heat of south Florida would be suffocating. Not for Matthew, though. It is one of many things he had been looking forward to.

The weather and playing competitive hockey with this group of guys, as he has been parroting.

Sitting across from him, nursing a fancy craft beer, is Barkov— well, Sasha, as he had introduced himself when they met outside the restaurant. He mortifyingly stumbled over his own name because he was too busy trying to remember if Sasha has always been this big.

How did he miss it before? Because, right now, his presence and size is all Matthew can think about. He wants to know how firm Sasha feels under the oversized polo he's—

Shit— He's definitely staring at Barkov's chest again. He swallows heavily, reaches for his beer, thinks better of it, and ends up picking up his glass of water instead. When he looks up, Barkov's gaze is sharp and assessing— something else Matthew's noticed and is categorically ignoring its effects.

The corner of Barkov's lip ticks up slightly before he says, "So, Matthew, tell me. Are you going to be naughty? Or are you going to be a good boy?"

It's a miracle that Matthew doesn't die as he chokes on the water he was gulping down. As he is coughing to save his life— does he even want that because right now he feels like maybe he'd rather just die, actually— he tries to convince himself this is a language barrier issue— yep, that must be it.

"I'm sorry, what?" he splutters.

He thinks Barkov looks amused— which is better than horrified, which is how some of the other patrons are looking at him. The bastard actually waits for him to finish coughing, his eyes never once leaving Matthew. He's not sure if its the coughing or the weight of his gaze or the Florida heat that has sweat prickling on the back of his neck.

Eventually, he says, "You've got a bit of a reputation, you know? I wanna know if you're going to behave yourself in my locker room."

Matthew feels the flush spread, feels his cheeks heat and his heart— No, this is the language barrier.

"Uh, yeah, of course," he says, voice sounding wrecked and hoarse, "Always team first. Whatever you need me to do, I'm your guy. I'm normally more professional than this, I promise." He tries to chuckle, but the sound comes out wrong.

Barkov smirks at him, leaning forward; Matthew suddenly feels caught in his crosshairs.

"And what if I don't want you to be professional?" he leers, licking his lips as he deliberately lets his eyes trail over Matthew.

Oh. Oh. A truly embarrassing sound escapes from Matthew's lips before he can stop it. He still tries to rescue his image, though— he's got game, okay?— he looks up at Sasha through his eyelashes, blinking coyly.

"Why?" he drawls, "Does this voice do it for you, or something?"

Sasha laughs, a warm sound that eases something in Matthew's chest. Bathed in the soft light of the restaurant patio, he looks breathtaking.

Matthew thinks, Yeah, this is going to be good.

~

Send me a player or pairing + a word, and I’ll write a mini fic about it. (I am running on quite a backlog right now so it might take me a while to get to your request). Read other prompt mini fics!

[old-schoolgenz]

So...

I have so much fanfiction written about Aarmau it's unreal. To the point where I have a backlog of the stuff on multiple websites (and unpublished stuff on my phone *cough* smut *cough*)

I can't read other people's fanfiction about them anymore. Especially if it contains infidelity. It just gets me SCREAMING about how people have mischaracterized the characters even though I know damn well I didn't create them and pretty much every rewritten version of a character is better than canon.

To me neither Aaron nor Aphmau would EVER cheat (on purpose) they just respect each other too much for that. Not even love, just respect. It DRIVES ME UP A FUCKING WALL. And I get it, cheating is angst and I'm all for that shit, but... I don't like it when people go there, personally.

This ain't a dig either, just personal preference.

Now if it's "Aaron got fucked up by love potion/Ultima weirdness and didn't have control. Or even better, Ein fucking with Aphmau's mind. YES, GIMME THAT SHIT. Cause they're not consciously making the decision "let's fuck up everything we've built."

ALSO, after thinking on the age gap a little more, I think I'm getting the problem, Aaron being a senior alluds to him being way more emotionally mature, and a college student making moves on someone in high-school is a little bit of a yikes. But! (And this isn't me defending actual groomers, ew no.) We've SEEN Aaron's childhood, my Boi is FUCKED emotionally, so he's not really all that more emotionally mature than Aphmau.

That being said. I DO now think that Jess should have made Aaron the same age as Garroth, which was I think a year above Aphmau at the time.

Then have him get shipped off to private school or back to military school if you still want that "Oh no my love interest has to go away." Punch.

As for college, I think that whole season should be rewritten anyway, because the three/four way love-triangle for Aaron bullshit gets real grating real quick. And I think the whole thing should have been focused on Aph gaining a reputation as a slut and her struggle through that. (And how it may effect her decisions after college. Hey more angst.) And Aaron's struggle to get out from under the thumb of his father (possibility slightly more violently than in cannon.) Jenny and the rest of the anime trope girls (except maybe Betty and Diane, but that's because Diane reminds me too much of myself) could cease to exist and I would be a-okay with that.

Also let Aaron have female freinds. Please. Or even let Aaron and Aph have that best freind banter before and after they get together. LET THEM ANNOY THE SHIT OUT OF EACH OTHER FOR GODS SAKE.

this became a rant about potential again I'm sorry.

[tvgremlin]

Love reading your work! If you’re still taking prompts, maybe something with a hurt/comfort moment?

Thank you so much! Here is you're hurt/comfort with a dash of Carmy and Richie acting a fool because I couldn't resist!

Reminder that my ask box is still open for prompts- I've almost worked through my backlog so keep them coming!!

Anyway... heres the fic!

Citrus

They are standing side by side in the kitchen, prepping citrus. She’s dicing a grapefruit, he’s zesting lemons. The toes of their shoes touch. She loves him here.

He’s making her laugh with a story about an old colleague when her hand slips, slicing into the thin webbing between her thumb and pointer finger.

“Shit.” She says, sucking in a breath as a river of crimson falls onto the cutting board. She feels his hand come to wrap around hers, a rag placed to stop the bleeding.

Both of them are shaking. They pretend not to notice.

He takes her into the office, his hand on her arm as he guides her down the hall. She has started to cry now. She is not proud.

“It’s okay,” he tells her, “You’re okay.”

His words are tender and caring. She is safe here. 

“Let me look at it,” He pulls the rag away, examining the wound. It’s not as deep as he originally thought. They can handle it here. 

“It’s not that bad,” He sits her down at the desk, crossing the room to get the first aid kit. “I’ll clean it and you’ll be okay.”

“Okay,” She’s calmed down a bit, comforted by his presence. He is steady, he is good, and he cares about her.

She loves him here.

He cleans the wound with his forehead pressed against hers. 

“You're okay,” He repeats as she sucks in a harsh breath, “You’re okay.”

She watches as he wraps the cut, his touch so tender it is almost painful. She feels treasured here. Cared for like a blessing rather than a burden. 

“Thanks,” She says, “I’m better now.”

Her words carry more meaning than either can process, so they let it hang in the air. In the space between their noses and lips, the truth sits. That this is it for them. 

This was always how it was supposed to be.

He kisses her then, his lips soft against hers. She loves him. She hopes she finds the courage to say it soon. 

Her good hand is in his hair, deepening the kiss. God, he is so good.

“You okay Chef?” Richie calls out, making his way towards the office to check on her, only to be met with what was to him, an unsavory sight.

“Jesus Christ, get a room cousin!” he yells as they separate, hideously embarrassed.

“Fuck off!” Carmy pulls away from her, cheeks flaming as he goes to shut Richie out.

“Hey, Sorry for interrupting,” Richie holds his hand up in mock surrender, laughing at Carmy’s anger in the process, “I just wanted to check in on Chef Syd.”

“I’m okay,” She says from her place at the desk, holding up her bandaged hand as proof, “Carmy took good care of me.”

“I bet he did.” he winks at her. 

“Cousin!” Carmy is on him again, “You can’t say shit like that!”

Behind him, Sydney is laughing now too, because, despite everything, she is so fucking happy.

Her man and his family surround her in the restaurant they built. 

She has everything she ever wanted, and everything she never thought to want.

And she shares it all with the person she loves.

thank you for reading! Read the rest of the prompts and my other fics here

[breannasfluff]

Quick question, how do you write so much? I fight the words for an hour and have maybe 2 paragraphs of garbage but you pump out really nice work almost every day??? I have so many ideas but I can’t write them for love nor money

I write almost every day, or I take a break and switch it out for drawing. I generally can write a chapter in one go, so usually stock up some backlog to cover days I’m busy. Having multiple stories now means I don’t have that backlog of some, so updates are a bit slower.

As for writing tips:

1. Remove distractions. Shut discord, exit out of tumblr, mute your phone. When you are stuck, don’t go scroll social media. When writing, the only thing I touch the internet for is if I need to check a story item, like a character name, item history, etc. I cannot overstate how important this is. If you are talking to your friends, you won’t have a writing flow.

2. Do not edit as you write. Writing and editing are two different tasks. You switch between creative and critical thinking and it breaks flow. This is a scientific process and you can read more about it here.

Research electroencephalogram (EEG) suggests both heightened electrical brain wave activity and elevated dopamine levels during flow. In other words, your brain experiences both electrical and chemical changes when you’re “in the zone.”

But once you switch to self-editing mode, you move to the critical thinking side of your brain. You halt all of freewriting’s creative electrical impulses and pleasure-sensing dopamine levels. Your mind flips off one switch and turns on another.

3. Set a time, then be done. Give yourself 20 minutes and write as much as you can. Doesn’t matter if it’s garbage. You can edit garbage into something useful or you can chuck it in a bin. Just try to write, then take a break. Staring at a blank document for two hours isn’t going to make words appear and it just stressed out your brain.

4. Have an outline. Sometimes a magical idea just flows when you sit down to write, but generally not. Have an outline of what you want to have happen in your story or chapter. It doesn’t need to be in depth; for most of my oneshots I literally have a sentence or two at the top of the page. The story needs to have a goal. For example: Wild tries to teach Hyrule cooking. It doesn’t go well. Bouncing ideas off friends can be a big help! It’s why you’ve probably seen me post about prompts and suggestions, and sometimes stories are gifted to people. Talking through plot ideas can help you get a better outline or idea of action.

Misc notes:

Hate to say, but some of it is just practice. I’ve been actively writing for a little over a year with some breaks on and off. Making it a habit is a big thing for making it easy. It’s harder to restart after a break.

When I first started writing I tried to pick one aspect to improve for each story. Filter words, pacing, varying sentence starters, story arcs, etc. Fixing multiple things at once was too much work, but one item at a time was doable.

Filter words make such a huge difference in writing; I encourage you to look them up. It’s a PAIN to remove them in post, but it also taught me to cut them out. Now it’s unconscious and while some still show up, I tend to write them out automatically.

You can learn to write quickly, but if you don’t also work on quality you’ll just…write a lot. That said, it’s fanfic. Sometimes it’s just for fun and quality doesn’t matter. I’ve got plenty of stories that will never be posted because they are just for fun.

Some of it could be writing speed, too? I use a bot a lot of times for timing and tracking and generally average 30-35 words/min. Harder story topics are slower to write, like angst and emotional scenes.

I’m actually writing less this year than last, but I don’t put as much time into it. It also keeps it sustainable as a hobby, although I definitely hit periods of frustration. It can get overwhelming.

If you search my blog for the tag #writing advice or #writing tips, you should fine some other things as well.

This was rather frank, but hopefully helpful! Feel free to drop further questions and I’ll do my best to answer 💜

[fallingforunrealisticromance]

High for love - Sherlock x reader

Request: "Can i request prompt #16 with BBC sherlock please? x"

Prompt: I may or may not be a tiny bit in love with you. Okay maybe a lot in love with you but that's beside the point.

A/N: I am thinking of doing a part two to this if people want? Let me know what you guys think!!

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of drug use.

PART TWO HERE

Word count: 2804.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

You ran your hands through your hair as you paced back and forth in your boyfriends apartment. You didn’t ant to dump him – well no that’s a lie otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it- but your reasoning didn’t feel valid. But surely it was better to cut it off now, rather than stringing him along the whole time? Before you could debate the subject anymore, the keys jangled in the lock and there he was.

‘hi baby’ He smiled as he dropped his bag, walking over to hug you. ‘’god I’ve missed you, work was hell. Julie, you know the one from the dinner party we went to last week, she didn’t do any of here paperwork so we were backlogged the whole day and it’s just insane-‘’

‘’Tom, can you stop for a second?’’ You blurted out, cutting him off.

You saw his brow flinch in confusion as he stepped back slightly at your tone.

‘’Is everything okay?’’ The genuine concern in his voice pulled at your heart strings.

Tom was perfect, he’s everything you could want in a guy. He was kind, compassionate, funny – he’d had you in tears from laughing so hard more times than you could count. You felt so happy when you were with him and you knew you could tell him anything and he would love you all the same. Yet here you were, about to break this poor man’s heart. And why? All because of some stupid detective you’d fallen for months ago.

‘’I need to talk to you about something’’ Your hands shook as you spoke, which of course Tom noticed.

‘’Hey you’re okay, whatever it is you know you can tell me. I’m here for you.’’ His words weren’t making this any easier.

He reached out to take your hands but the thought of him touching you right now made your stomach turn, guilt consuming you. His expression dropped when you moved away from him, clearly on edge now as well.

‘’Y/N?’’ He questioned.

You couldn’t even look at him, opting to stare at your hands instead. You took a shaky breath trying to compose yourself. ‘This is the right thing to do’ You told yourself.

‘’We need to break up.’’

It felt unreal as those words left your mouth. A heavy pause settled across the room, both of you taking in what had just been said. You glanced up at Tom, expecting him to get angry. Instead he just stared at you, a blank expression on his face.

‘’Tom?’’ you asked tentatively.

He just nodded slowly, processing what he had heard.

‘’Okay. Um, wow I wasn’t excepting that’’ He let out a shocked laugh. ‘’What changed? Did I do something?’’

You stepped towards him slightly. ‘’No, Tom, no. You were-are amazing. Truly. I’ve been so lucky to have you in my life. It’s just-‘’

You didn’t even know how to phrase it.

‘’It’s Sherlock.’’ You spat out, your face burning with shame.

You knew you hadn’t cheated, not physically. But the fact you were in love with another man while being in a relationship somehow felt like a bigger betrayal. And Tom deserved better.

‘’Your in love with him, aren’t you?’’ Tom’s voice broke through your thoughts.

You nodded, not sure what words would help the situation. You were waiting for tom to yell, telling you how awful you were before demanding you to leave. But it never came.

‘’I know you love me. That’s evident. But if I’m not the one your in love with, then I can’t stand in the way of that.’’ His tone was soft, deflated almost.

You looked up at him, seeing the sorrow laced in his eyes. It hurt to see.

‘’I’m sorry. I know it might not mean anything to you, but I truly never wanted to hurt you.’’  You said, keeping your voice low.

It almost felt wrong to break the quiet around the two of you.

‘’I know.’’ Was all he said, before hugging you tightly. The two of your stayed like that, holding each other for a while.

‘’Go and tell him then’’ Tom said, sighing slightly as he pulled away.

You chuckled stiffly at his words before grabbing your bag and heading to his door.

‘’I’ll see you around then’’ He called.

You nodded and walked out the door, a few tears welling in your eyes as you closed it behind you. What had you done? You didn’t even know if sherlock liked you back. There was a huge possibility he didn’t, actually it would be the surprise of the century if he did. Sherlock didn’t do feelings, or romantic relationships. He’s more than cable of it, but as he likes to remind you constantly, it only distracts from his work. As you were thinking this, your phone rang. Speak of the devil.

‘’Hello?’’

‘’Ah, y/n, where are you?’’ Sherlocks voice swum through the speakers.

‘’On the way home, what’s up?’’

‘’Me and john are working on a case, come over would you?’’

‘’Sherlock, I’m tired can I just help you guys out tomorrow?’’ As much as you wanted to tell him how you felt, you were worn thin emotionally right now and did not have the energy to face either him or john.

‘’What’s wrong with you? He asked sharply.

‘’Nothings wrong okay, I just want to go home and rest’’ You sighed, slightly annoyed.

‘’y/n I’ve seen you quite literally collapse from exhaustion due to helping us out before’’

‘’well god forbid I start to look after myself’’ you shot back sarcastically.

‘’No what I’m saying is, you being tired has never been an issue before. So why now? Something must be wrong?’’

You rolled your eyes at his words.

‘’Fine if you must know I just broke up with Tom. Yes I’m fine, no I don’t want to talk about it and no he didn’t do anything wrong. Now can we please talk more tomorrow?’’ You snapped, harsher than intended.

There was a pause on the other line.

‘’Did you hear me?’’

‘’What- sorry yes I got distracted. See you tomorrow’’ Sherlocks words were sharp as he hung up the phone before giving you the chance to respond.

You sighed and pocketed your phone, continuing your journey home.

**************************THE NEXT DAY***********************

You jolted upright, your eyes having no time to focus as your head whipped round searching for the cause of the noise that had disrupted your sleep. Eventually you fumbled around enough to find your phone, clicking the answer button before reading the name of the caller.

‘’What?’’ You said, your voice sounding groggy.

‘’Hello Y/N’’ A familiar voice replied.

But not one you heard often. Something was wrong.

‘’Mycroft?’’ You eyes widened, suddenly alert. ‘’What’s going on? What’s happened?’’

You heard the older Holmes sigh through the phone.

‘’My brother went missing earlier tonight and-‘’

‘’WHAT? Where is he? Is he hurt? Oh my god right I’m coming over-‘’ You scrambled to get out of your bed, dropping the phone in the process.

‘’Shit’’ You threw yourself over the side of the bed to grab it. However, you miscalculated how close you were to the edge and promptly fell off with a rather loud thud as you landed in a crumpled heap next to your phone.

‘’Ow’’ You grumbled before finally picking your phone back up. ‘’Hello? Are you still there?’’

‘’Are you quite alright? That was an awful lot of noise’’ Mycroft asked, sounding more agitated then worried but that didn’t surprise you.

‘’Yep, yes all fine. Now where the hell is sherlock? Shouldn’t you be out looking for him instead of calling me?’’

‘’Well as I was saying before you interrupted me, we’ve already found him. He’s been taken back home and is currently with John.’’ Mycroft continued.

You furrowed your brow in confusion.

‘’Then why are you calling me? You do know it’s literally 3 in the morning. I was sleeping’’ You shuffled on the floor so you could lean back up against your bed, still feeling the tiredness wash over you.

‘’He may be home but he isn’t exactly…well, sober’’ The unease was evident in Mycroft’s tone as he spoke.

Even though he would probably deny it at any turn, he cared for sherlock deeper than he’d ever cared for anything. As did sherlock for Mycroft. They truly wouldn’t be the same without each other, even if they were both too stubborn to admit to it.

‘’What can I do?’’ You said with a sigh.

‘’Go and talk to him. He seems to trust you. Possibly even more than he does john Find out why he’s using again’’

You held your head in your hands. You hated seeing sherlock high. It hurt you to see him resort to such methods. Even if it was for a case. That man was willing to dance with death in order to prove he’s right about something.

‘’Okay’’ You replied reluctantly.

‘’There will be a car outside for you. Update me as soon as you can.’’ And with that, he hung up.

You took a few minutes to compose yourself, before getting up. You decided against getting changed, you figured showing up in some plaid pyjama trousers and the black vest top you’d fallen asleep in would suffice. You grabbed a jacket before slipping on your trainers and heading out of your flat. Sure enough when you got to the lobby of your apartment building, there was a sleek black car waiting to take you to Baker Street.

The whole ride there you were thinking about what to stay. I mean what exactly are you mean to say to someone who’s probably higher than the Eiffel tower right now. Even now as you stood waiting for someone to open the door, you were coming up empty.

‘’Oh y/n hello dear!’' '

’Mrs. Hudson greeted you warmly as she opened the door for you. ‘’Hi Mrs. Hudson. How are you?’’ You smiled at her.

You’d always been rather fond of her. She was endlessly kind towards you, welcoming you with open arms without any hesitation.

‘’I’m good thank you. You haven’t been round in a while. Come in, come in. We don’t need you freezing on the doorstep now do we.’’ She ushered you in closing the door behind you.

‘’No, I know things have been a bit mental at work lately, I’ve been meaning to swing by. I’m sorry it has to be in the middle of the night. I’m sure you don’t appreciate being woken up by all this.’’ You gesture up the stairs as you spoken.

She just shook her head. ‘’Nonsense darling, I don’t mind at all. You’re welcome at any time. As for Sherlock, well all I can say is at least he isn’t shooting my wall to pieces again.’’ She chuckled as she spoke. ‘’You’d better get up there, see if you can talk any sense into him’’

You nodded, looking towards the stairs ‘’Yeah, I guess. I’ll see you in a bit’’ You took a deep breath, before walking upstairs.

Sherlock must have heard you because suddenly you heard his voice calling your name rather excitedly. You went to open his door but he’d clearly got there before you, flinging it open. ‘

’Y/n, you’re here! John look, it’s y/n’’ Sherlock grinned at you, his eyes wide.

‘’Yeah I can see that, I’m not blind’’ john retorted from behind the detective.

‘’Hi’’ You said, chuckling nervously.

‘’You’re bloody amazing you know that?’’ Sherlock said.

You went to reply but were cut off by Sherlocks arms wrapping around you, pulling your body close to his as he rested his head on your shoulder. You let out a gasp as your arms hung awkwardly by your side. What the fuck had he taken? Just as quickly as the hug had begun, it was over as he pulled away from you still smiling. He turned and walked back into his apartment, focusing on some paper work spread out on his desk. You just stood there, a shocked expression smacked across your face.

‘’You okay there?’’ John asked, shaking you slightly. You blinked at him before nodding your head.

‘’What has gotten into him? Well drugs apparently, but he’s never normally this…’’

‘’Happy? Elevated? Fucking insane?’’ john suggested, looking over at the man who was now in a heated discussion with a skull that he kept on the fireplace.

‘’Yeah. I mean usually when he’s been caught high, he’s all grumpy and just curls up in a ball probably hoping we all shut up and leave him alone. But this, this is new’’

‘’are you saying you prefer the moody, short tempered bastard version of these events?’’ John asked raising an eyebrow at you.

You watched Sherlock move around the flat rather erratically, a feeling of discomfort forming a pit in your stomach.

‘’I don’t know yet’’ You replied honestly.

‘Ah y/n, come here’’ Sherlock waved you over to him, where he was now sat back down at his desk.

You shrugged your jacket off walking over to him, leaning against the desk.

‘’You need something?’’ You asked him, folding your arms.

He broke his gaze away from his laptop, looking up at you. His eyes took their time gazing over your figure making you shuffle nervously under his stare.

‘’You truly are beautiful you know.’’ His words sounded so genuine, you were taken a back. ‘’Anyway, I needed to ask you something but I forgot what it was. I’m sure it’ll come back to me’’ And with that, he shrugged and immediately went back to typing away on his laptop.

You just stared down at him. Sherlock never complimented you, or if he did the most you got was a short ‘’well done’’ or ‘’good job’’. He had never commented on your appearance, only ever on your work and he had most certainly never called you beautiful.

‘’AH’’ Sherlock clapped his hands together, making you jump. ‘’that’s what I was going to say, I remember now. It’s not a question mind you.’’ You rolled your eyes, slowly getting more agitated.

‘’What was it then?’’

‘’I may or may not be a tiny bit in love with you. Okay maybe a lot in love with you but that’s besides the point’’

For about the third time that night, you were stunned to silence. What. The. Fuck. There was no way you had just heard him say that.

‘’I need a drink do you want anything?’’ Sherlock asked as he got up and walked to the kitchen.

That’s when reality hit you. He didn’t mean it, he was high. It was just the drugs elevating his mood. He cared for you, you knew that. But now with whatever he’s taken he clearly thinks he loves you But he doesn’t. He’s made it perfectly clear in the past how he feels about love and relationships. Maybe he’d picked up that you had feelings for him and was now using them against you as some kind of joke? It wouldn’t surprise you. You’re heart sank as you faced the reality of the situation.

‘’Fuck you man’’ You mumbled as you moved yourself away from the desk.

‘’What?’’ Sherlock turned to see you with your back to him, standing by the sofa. ‘’Was that to me?’’

‘’Well it sure as shit wasn’t to john’’ You snapped, running your fingers through your hair.

‘’What did I do?’’ Sherlock asked. For the first time this evening, he looked sober. He looked like him again.

‘’You know what you did, you prick. Look it might be all a joke and funny to you now because you decided to go and inject fuck knows what into your body yet again – but the way I feel is not something I’m letting you mess with. Not anymore.’’ You grabbed your jumper, throwing it on before heading to the door.

‘Y/n wait please-‘’

‘’Make sure to tell Mycroft what you took. He wants to know’’ You said before heading down the stairs and rushing out the door, tears slipping down your face.

Your phone rang in your pocket. You knew it was sherlock and you had no interest of talking to him. Not now, or any time soon. First Tom, and now this. You were exhausted and you didn’t want to deal with any men for the foreseeable future. But part of you wondered, what if he’d meant it? Was there any way he truly could love you? You shook your head dismissing your thoughts. No, he wasn’t thinking straight. By the morning he probably won’t even remember what it is he said to you. What a fun conversation that would be. But you would deal with that later. For now all you wanted to do was go home, curl up, fall asleep and forget about the rather handsome detective.

[somethingwittyandweird]

Indivisible (2019), Or, Coming To Terms With Maybe Not Liking Everything About A Game

A couple days ago, I finished playing through Lab Zero’s Indivisible- a game that’s been on my backlog for some time. And in playing it, I had enough Capital T Thoughts that I felt I needed to write them out. This game gave me mixed feelings to a degree I’m not sure I’ve had before- while ultimately also providing the solution to that conundrum.

I’ll preface this by saying I’m not a nitpicky guy. Just the opposite, in fact- a piece of media has to do a lot noticeably wrong before I’ll feel like I have to comment on it. I’ve played a lot of games that are generally regarded as “not great” and still come off with largely positive opinions on them. I can acknowledge flaws or places where potential improvements could be felt, but generally if a game is even mostly good or fun, I’ll play it through, and consider it totally worth my time to have done so. 

When I first got my hands on this game, I was excited, it seemed like there was so much to like. And, getting into it, there absolutely was. The game’s visuals were the sort of treat that only a studio with as much character animation experience as Lab Zero could deliver on. (Their other major title, Skullgirls, is packed to the brim with nothing but the highest quality 2D animation.) Visually appealing character designs, vibrant environment designs, heck, there was even dynamic shading applied with objects in the environment. The combat gameplay, too, presented itself extremely well, offering a really satisfying blend of, again, Lab Zero’s previous fighting game experience translated into action RPG battle mechanics. I could feel the system encouraging setting up long combo strings by chaining together a huge variety of party attacks, and each new party member I recruited offered something cool and new for their playstyle. 

But, despite these great things about it, I sort of fell off Indivisible after a while, and didn’t pick it up again for what felt like years. And it was only on my endless quest to shovel away the backlog that I remembered I’d never seen the rest of this game and wanted to give it a try. And, though everything I remember liking was still intact… This playthrough was where the cracks showed and I understood a bit more about what subconsciously would have spurred me to set it down.

The thing is that there are a lot of aspects of the game that do nail that satisfying gamefeel. But there are aspects of the game that don’t, and I encountered them often enough that I couldn’t ignore them. I wandered lost for a while because I couldn’t dig up a good walkthrough online (not the game’s fault, but its low amount of discussion and exploration on the net is telling in and of itself). Then the map exploration started to feel less polished, navigating obstacles felt janky in ways that took me out of it (I got the sense this is where the developers were more out of their comfort zone compared to the aspects more aligned with their prior experience).  And then I found out that some of the playable characters didn’t have full movesets. And then there were indicators on the map that I again had to resort to searching on the net, only to find out that nothing was there and, though there had been plans to put something there, it was all but impossible for that to ever occur.

It wouldn’t be fair not to acknowledge that Indivisible was screwed pretty majorly by its circumstances. Controversy sprung up around the studio head of Lab Zero, which led to multiple resignations, failed negotiations, and ultimately the closure of the studio, ceasing development for this game. The game I held, the one with notable gaps in the content, wasn’t the devs’ final vision, but now it wouldn’t ever be. And that was, again, no fault of the game, but it felt bad nonetheless. And all of my problems, it seemed, were like that- whenever I kept coming back to the game, I’d be impressed anew by the things that shone about it, but then I’d put it back down again, not out of frustration or the conscious thought of “wow this part of the game makes me want to quit”, but just a generalized disappointment that things had turned out the way they had.

So, where did that leave me? I’d already decided it was worth finishing the game. I just didn’t know how to come to terms with being so mixed. Again, it’s so rare that I play a game and don’t come away with a generally positive experience- or else I try a game, quickly decide it’s not for me, and move on. There was enough that was good about Indivisible that I absolutely liked the game. I just couldn’t quite like it as much as I wanted to- as much as I was used to. Still, I chose to see it through. 

I’m glad I did.

The ending of Indivisible involves confronting the creator goddess Kala, who wants to destroy and remake the world. She views her creation as imperfect and wants to begin anew. But, in dissuading her, you point out that no cycle before has ever been perfect either- that even if she feels she failed to completely realize her vision, that flawed things are still valuable, still interesting, still worthwhile. And though I know this ending wasn’t written to be self-referential… that’s how it resonated with me as I watched it. 

I’d been struggling to put words to how I felt- did I like this game or not, if I had this many reservations? But the ending helped me reframe that question. I didn’t have to like the whole game in order to like the game. It was okay that some things didn’t feel polished, and that there were holes where some content should be. I didn’t have to tally up the game’s positives and the game’s negatives and then only allow myself to feel it was worthwhile if the game ended up in the black. The things that I enjoyed about Indivisible- the colorful character designs, the treat-for-the-eyes animation, the engaging battle mechanics- were worth the time I spent playing the game through.

It’s not a game I’ll sing the praises of until the end of time. And it objectively sucks that it will never be the game it could have been if the devs had been allowed to see it to completion. But it’s still a game that has a lot going for it, whose merits are worthy of praise. I’m happy I decided to go back and finish it out. 

[summerwritesfics]

🍔You’re Loveable, So Loveable But You’re Just Troubled

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang/Harumi Hasashi Length: 2252 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Canon Divergence, Angst, Changing Sheets, Domestic, Trauma, Recovery, Blood and Injury, Blood, Injury Recovery @anyfandomgoesbingo: Fresh Sheets

Summary: Kuai Liang accidentally get’s blood over his bedsheets, and worries what Hanzo & Harumi’s reaction will be.

AFG Mixed Bingo Masterlist

Notes: This is the last oneshot I have in my backlog Whoooo!! That means everything else I need to post is chapters to longfics! It’s genuinely gonna feel so good to finally be free of this backlog. Also when this was originally intended to be posted, unfortunately a family emergency came up and I wasn’t able to finish editing. 😅 So if the editing is a bit all over the place, I’m sorry it’s was a rough 24 hours lol. Title is from I Am Not A Robot by Marina.

Kuai groaned as he stirred. His face absolutely was killing him, but maybe if he asked Harumi nicely enough she would let him have another painkiller today. He’d been good, and not asked for a few days. The Lin Kuei would have never given them to him, no matter how badly he was hurt, so he didn’t wish to push his luck.

Just because the Hasashi’s had been nice to him so far, it didn’t mean he could just let his guard down.

As he pushed himself to sit up, he realised the bandage that had been covering his face had come loose in the night. He sighed, pulling its remains off. He would be able to replace it soon anyway. As the gauze pulled away, he blinked, slowly opening both his eyes. His vision on his right side was still blurred, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever get his full vision back in it.

He felt something drip down his chin and he paused.

Reaching a hand to his wound, he winced from the sting, and as he brought it in front of his face, he saw blood covering his fingers. Clearly he’d managed to reopen the injury in his sleep. He had been doing that a lot lately, it was no wonder Hanzo was concerned it wouldn’t heal up correctly. Maybe he should have taken the offer of seeing a Doctor and getting stitches.

As he went to get up to deal with the issue, his eyes were drawn to a dark red spot on the pillow case.

He stopped breathing. The blood had seeped through his bandages and stained the case. And as his eyes trailed down, not just the pillow case. The bed sheets were covered in large splatters of red. Blood everywhere. It almost looked like someone had been murdered.

He had no idea how he’d gotten so much blood everywhere, or even how the injury had bled that much in the night. And somehow, any concern he should have had over his own injury was overshadowed by one single thought.

Harumi-San is going to kill me.

If there was one thing he’d learnt about Harumi since he’d started living with the Hasashi’s, it was that she was very house proud. Everything tended to be orderly and neat. She definitely would not appreciate her sheets being left in such a state.

What the hell am I going to do?

He couldn’t even begin to come up with a plan before there was a soft knock on the door, followed by it opening. He turned around in time to see Harumi slowly make her way in.

“Good morning, Kuai Liang, I just wanted to-” Her friendly morning greeting was cut off when she actually saw the state of Kuai and the bed. She muttered something in Japanese, abandoning whatever she was previously about to say as she hurried to Kuai’s side. “Oh. Oh goodness. Sweetheart, what happened?”

“I- I’m sorry.” He immediately went into overdrive. Every mistake he’d ever made played out in his head, with the following punishments from the Lin Kuei Grandmaster. Harumi wasn’t him, but no amount of telling himself that could stop the memories and that fear of failure resurfacing. “I- I know I’ve ruined your sheets. I’ll clean them, I’ll get them sorted, I-”

“My sheets?” Harumi questioned, close enough now that she could cup Kuai’s chin. “Sweetie, I’m talking about you. Your injury reopened.”

“My… oh.” He reached his hand to the wound, wincing in pain as his fingers found the opening. When he pulled them back, there was fresh blood on them, he was still bleeding quite profusely.

“Come here,” Harumi softly ordered, taking Kuai’s hands in her own, and gently pulling him to his feet.

She led him to the door, and through the corridor. Hanzo walked out of the bathroom just seconds before Harumi and Kuai reached it. His head jerked like he’d been taken unawares, but relaxed when he realised there was no danger. Or at least, he relaxed until he saw Kuai’s face, at which point his eyes widened and he bared his teeth.

He turned back to the bathroom, holding the door open so Harumi could usher Kuai Liang inside. They led him to a bench inside, sitting him on it. Hanzo was at the medicine cabinet, searching for the first aid kit, while Harumi was looking closely at his injury.

“What happened?” Hanzo asked, as he finally found the kit. He walked over, placing it beside Kuai Liang.

“I- I don’t know,” Kuai admitted, hanging his head low. “I woke up and it was like this.”

Harumi sighed hard, turning to Hanzo, “I don’t think we can keep going like this. He really needs stitches. We should go to Akemi.”

“I’ll bandage him up for now then, hopefully it’ll stop the bleeding a bit,” Hanzo replied, pulling out some padding and gauze. He held the padding up, measuring the amount he would need to cover the whole wound.

All three remained silent as Hanzo cut the padding, placing it over Kuai’s eye. Harumi held it in place as Hanzo grabbed the gauze, wrapping it around Kuai’s head a couple of times. Once satisfied he grabbed a pin to hold it in place for the time being. Both Hasashi’s pulled away, observing their work.

“That should hold,” Hanzo declared, brushing his hands together. “We should get to the doctors as soon as possible though.”

A strange cold came over Kuai Liang, white sheets covered in red in his mind's eye. He needed to deal with that before they left. If he could deal with it now, then maybe by the time they were done with the doctor’s, then they’d have forgotten about it and wouldn’t get as mad at him.

“Right, let’s-”

“No,” Kuai interrupted Harumi, whose face dropped in shock at how sharp his tone had been. “No. Not yet.”

“Kuai Liang, you need-”

“No,” Kuai hissed, pushing himself to stand and pushing past the couple towards the door. He made a mad dash towards his room again, grimacing at the unholy mess that waited for him. If he didn’t know what happened, he’d genuinely believe someone had been horrifically harmed here.

He made his way over to the bed, hands gripping the sheets as he began to try and yank them off the bed. It was a struggle, they kept getting caught on the corner’s. His hands were shaking, and he could feel his chest heaving. All he had to do was deal with this, then everything would be fine.

“Honey, honey,” Harumi called to him as she ran to his side. She tried to take his hands in her own, but he yanked them roughly from her. “That doesn’t matter, please.”

“It does matter,” Kuai insisted, once more trying to pull them off and making a strange strangled sound as he still couldn’t seem to fucking get them off. “I don’t want you to be angry with me.”

“I’m not angry with you,” Harumi stated, shaking her head like she couldn’t understand where this was coming from.

“You will be though.” Kuai finally managed to get the sheet unstuck from the corner, bundling it up into his arms. “I fucked up! I always fuck up! And when I fuck up, I get…”

The word got caught in the back of his throat, so hard he almost choked on it. He stared down at the sheets in his arm, the blood staining them. How often had he bled on his sheets at The Lin Kuei temple? How often had he been screamed at for it? How useless was he if he couldn’t even do something as simple as keeping his bed sheets clean?

His breathing hitched. He really did not want the Hasashi’s to be as angry with him as The Lin Kuei used to get.

Harumi placed a hand over his, and he turned his head to look at her. He was equal parts relieved and devastated that the only emotion shining through her eyes was concern.

“Okay. Let’s deal with the sheets,” she softly said, taking them from Kuai’s arms. As she did so, Hanzo walked to the bed, pulling off the pillow case and throwing it over to her. “We’ll put fresh ones on, and then, can we please take you to the Doctor?”

Kuai paused, before slowly nodding. Harumi closed her eyes and nodded in return, before turning to take the sheets out of the room, presumably to set them to soak somewhere. Hanzo meanwhile was in the closet, pulling out fresh sheets to replace them with.

He shook it out, holding two corners, one in each hand. Kuai went to grab the other end of them. Hanzo took the head of the bed, while Kuai took the foot, holding them still as Hanzo hooked the sheet’s into the corners of the bed. Once they were secure, Kuai Liang took the chance to do the same to the ones he was holding. And like that, the deed was done. The bed was as good as new.

Hanzo grabbed a new pillow case, and as he began to shove the pillow inside, he asked “does that make you feel better?”

“Yes,” Kuai replied, although there was still nagging in his mind. The blood still needed to be cleaned off the old sheets. The realisation at how much work it would be to get them clean again would hit soon. “I know it probably doesn’t make sense to you but…”

“Kuai Liang,” Hanzo softly spoke, going to stand beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I promise you, she’s not angry about this.”

“I always make people angry, eventually,” Kuai whispered, resigned to that fact in his life. He couldn’t remember a time when people didn’t eventually lose what little patience they had for him. Even Bi-Han lost his temper with Kuai on a frequent basis. There was maybe an exception with Tomas and Cyrax? He could remember them being slightly frustrated at times, but never outright furious. “And when I make people angry, I get hurt.”

“I do understand that after what you’ve been through, that you can’t just take my word, but I do hope one day you will trust us enough to know…” Hanzo took a deep breath. “I hope you will one day know there is nothing you could ever do to make us want to hurt you. One day, you will never have to fear anger, and be reassured that any that does bubble to the surface is temporary and will fade with time.” He took Kuai’s hands in his own, holding them to his chest. “You will see. When we return from the Doctor’s, nothing will happen and you will be fine. One day, we will heal the wounds they left you with, emotional and physical.” He kept Kuai’s hands with one hand, while the other cupped his cheek. “You deserve to live a life free of fear, Kuai Liang. And one day, you will live that life.” Hanzo smiled slightly. “And like a Phoenix, you will rise.”

Kuai felt himself choke up a little, he could feel tears welling in his eyes. “You… You really aren’t angry with me?”

“Not with you,” Hanzo assured him, thumb rubbing circles into his skin. “If anything, I am angry on your behalf, at those who shaped these fears inside you.” Kuai closed his eyes, nuzzling into Hanzo’s hand. He hated to admit it, but it did feel nice. “I wish life had been kinder to you, Kuai Liang. You did not deserve the agony you have faced.”

Kuai wasn’t sure how to reply to that. It was hard to not believe he deserved everything, when that was all he was ever told. Still, Hanzo spoke with such conviction that almost made Kuai doubt everything he’d been told. Maybe Hanzo was right, maybe he didn’tdeserve what The Lin Kuei did to him, maybe neither of them would be angry at him.

Maybe from the ashes that The Lin Kuei left of him, he could rebuild himself.

Like a phoenix.

He liked how that sounded.

“Thank you,” Kuai whispered, hoping he sounded as grateful as he was. One day, he’d find a way to repay the Hasashi’s for everything they’d done for him.

“Is everything okay?” Harumi’s voice called out, and when Hanzo and Kuai turned to look, she was standing in the doorway. The small smile on her face indicated she already knew everything was fine now.

“Yes, Harumi-San,” Kuai replied, bowing his head slightly. He felt ever so foolish for his previous behaviour. “I’m sorry that I was short with you. It was unfair of me to take out my anxieties on you.”

“I accept your apology,” she softly spoke, and for once, Kuai Liang actually let himself believe she was sincere. “Come on, let’s get that wound seen to, shall we?”

Kuai broke away from Hanzo’s hold, and began walking towards Harumi, Hanzo following behind him. Once he was close enough, Harumi took his hand, and something in the way she held onto him made it click that Hanzo was right about everything. Her touch was so gentle, like he was made of glass and she was terrified of breaking him. He let her guide him through the house and out the door, Hanzo staying just a few steps behind at all times.

Maybe I really don’t have to be afraid anymore.