#mr love queens choice imagine

[imagineanime2022]

What Are You Afraid Of?

Shaw X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1446

A/N: This was not requested but I really wanted to write this, also if says fem at the top but I'm not sure that there is anything that is inherently female about the reader so do with that what you will.

You and Shaw had been friends for years, you had met on the first day of Uni and hit it off, you were definitely closer than friends would normally be and your friends definitely noticed that was where the problem started.

It was at lunch one day you were sending a quick text to Shaw to tell him that you had gotten to lunch okay, he was weirdly adamant about it. “You texting skater boy again?” Jess, your friend, asked. “Huh?” You asked. “Shaw.” Hannah supplied. “Oh yeah, he just wanted to make sure that I got here okay.” You answered. “How did he know you were coming?” She asked. “We were at his last night gaming, I ended up staying.” You answered. “Wait, you stayed at his place?” Jess asked. “Yes.” You answered, the conversation was interrupted by the waiter coming over to take out orders, you thought that it was over but the moment that the waiter walked away, your friends pulled your attention back to them. “You're wearing different clothes, so you have clothes at his place?” Jess asked. “Just from staying there a few times.” You answered. “Has he stayed at your place?” Hannah asked. “Yes.” You answered. “But you're not together?” Jess asked. “No. We’re friends.” You answered. “Yeah friends.” She nodded. You looked at her and waited, you knew that something was coming. “What Jess?” You prompted when you finally got sick of the silence. “I’m just saying, you stay at each others houses, you go on dates-” “We play games together.” You corrected. “And he makes sure that you're okay all the time. Have you ever noticed that if you need anything he’s the first person to offer you help?” She explained. “He’s just being helpful.” You argued. “He doesn’t help anyone. Shaw hates helping anyone who isn’t you.” Hannah said. “Can we talk about something else?” You asked.

You sighed as you opened the door to your apartment, kicked off your shoes and walked towards the living room where you sat on the sofa, your eyes catching on the hoodie that Shaw had left there the last time that he had been around, you meant to take it back to him yesterday. Your phone rang a few minutes after and you didn’t even have to look at it to know who it was “Hello?” You asked. “Are you home?” Shaw asked. “Yeah, why?” You asked. “Just making sure… What’s wrong with you?” He asked. “Huh?” You grunted. “You sound tired.” He answered. “Gee thanks.” You mumbled as you shuffled so that you were laying across the couch. “Did something happen?” He took on a concerned tone as he seemed to be moving around. “No nothing, are you out?” You asked. “Hm oh yeah, just running a few errands.” He answered. “Oh, why don’t you call me when you get home then, we can talk then.” You answered, you could hear that he was going to say something else but you hung up before he could say anything else.

Jess and Hannah had started you thinking about everything that had been happening with Shaw, as it stood you thought that you were happy with the friendship but the truth is, you liked Shaw a lot more than that. You had never had anything like this before and there had never been a relationship built on love in your life that had been right. Your father had left when you were young and while you were sure that your Mum loved you she was never very good at it and when you turned 18 she became more focused on finding a boyfriend for herself, which was probably the reason that you found yourself in Uni in the first place. Either way the events in your life made it hard to trust anyone who claimed to love you. This lead back to Shaw, the fear that travelled through you at even the thought of someone loving you was indescribable. You didn’t want this to ruin what you had, you knew that you needed to get yourself together before you had to see him again, because after all of this he might not even think of you that way.

You don’t even remember falling asleep, but you were woken up by knocking at your door, you looked at the clock, 19:30. You walked to the door and opened it “There she is.” Shaw smirked as he leaned forward on the door frame, his eyes travelling over you before stopping on your face. “Have you been crying?” “No.” You answered frowning as you touched your face, you don’t remember crying and by now your face is dry but if he had asked it must have looked like you had been. “What’s going on with you?” He asked. “Nothing.” You answered. “Well I know that’s not true because you haven’t invited me in yet.” He smirked, you stepped to the side allowing him into the house, it was then that you realised the bag in his hands, your favourite take out place. “You bought food?” You asked. “Well I don’t intend on leaving until you tell me what’s going on.” He shrugged. “Nothing is going on!” You answered a little more defensively. “Uh huh.” He grunted as he looked through your cupboards grabbing plates and cups and putting them on the table. “What the hell is your problem?” You asked. “There’s nothing wrong with me, there is however something wrong with you.” He answered as he finally turned to look at you, no hint of a smile or smirk, no cocky tone or sarcasm. “I don’t know what to tell you…” You answered softly, he slowly moved towards you, closing the distance. “Tell me the truth.” He said softly, taking your face in his hands, moving it until your eyes connected. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew what the truth was.” You could feel the tears welling up in your eyes, there was nowhere to go, no way to change the subject, you had to approach it. “Come on, you have to tell me what you're so afraid of.” He pleaded. “I can only protect you from it.” “That’s the problem!” Your hands lifted into the air as you pulled away now pacing the living room “I shouldn’t be afraid of this, I shouldn’t need protection from this!” “From what?” Shaw asked, his voice soft almost as afraid of scaring you out of talking. “Loving you!” You answered, in all honesty saying it out loud made you feel better but the silence that followed made you stop dead in your tracks. “See I knew this would happen, everytime love is involved it ruins everything. Just forget that I said anyth-” as you turned you came face to face with Shaw. “Shut up.” He ordered softly before pressing his lips to yours, pressed forward so hard that you almost stumbled. He was quick to wrap his arm around your waist pulling you into his chest, every part of him was touching you and you didn’t know what to do with your hands. “What are you doing with your hands?” He asked, he only pulled away enough to speak. “I don’t know. Where am I allowed to put them?” You asked, he took your wrists in his hands before pressing them to his chest before moving them up to his shoulders. “You can put them wherever you want.” He said softly “I don’t mind.” “S-stop!” You ordered, forcing yourself to breathe as he chuckled. “Look at me for a second.” He said softly. “I might collapse.” You mumbled, he didn’t even take a second to breath as he lifted you sitting on the sofa settling you to straddle his waist. “This isn’t better.” “Focus.” He ordered, causing you to look back at him “you don’t need protection from this, I promise that I have no intention of hurting you.” “I don’t think anyone ever did.” You answered, you jumped as you felt a small static shock through your waist where his hands rested. “Give me a chance.” He pleaded. “Can we go slow?” You asked. “How slow because that was a pretty good kiss and half your clothes are in your wardrobe.” He smirked. “Shaw!” You whined and he smirked, leaning forward and pressing another kiss to your lips, this one shorter, softer, more loving. “We can go as slow as you want.” He answered. “Thank you.” You mumbled. “Pleasures all mine. Come on their food to eat and then movies to watch.” He squeezed your waist as you stood both heading to the kitchen to eat the food that he’d bought for you both.

Request Here!!

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Li Zeyan’s upcoming date!

“I have enough patience to wait for you to come to my side.”

“You can take your time to explore my boundaries.”

—

[thedummysdummy]

Given the Opportunity...

A request of a request. You know who you are ;)

~~~~~~~~

At no point in the year would more fame and fortune be found in a single room. Soft music floated from the string quartet in the northeastern corner of the room and over the guests, mostly ignored and definitely underappreciated. Smartly-dressed waiters carried trays of tiny hors d'oeuvres and cocktails in and amongst the glittering, glistening, and glamorous guests. A low level of chatter lay like a blanket over the scene, as warm and inviting as the golden lighting. 

Victor really didn’t care for any of it. 

The businessman sat at a table in the corner, welcoming those who approached, but making no moves to approach anyone else. He’d been invited as one of the sponsors of this year’s entertainment awards; duty got him through the door, but little more than that. If the girl had been there he might have actually managed to enjoy himself. However, she currently stood behind a camera in Bali. Without him. 

“Have fun, okay? Maybe not as much fun as you had last time I told you to have fun, but I don’t want you to just sit in the corner and pout the entire party. Goldman swore to me he’d get you home safely.” 

His sweetheart’s words echoed through his mind and Victor began to chuckle. She sure did know him, didn’t she? He stood and forced himself to approach the center of the room where most of the party was occurring. A waiter wandered past with a tray of scotch, which Victor happily reached out and obtained. The fiery liquid rolled down his tongue into his belly where it warmed him from the inside out. 

“You’re Mr. Li of LFG, aren’t you?” an unfamiliar voice called out. Victor looked up from his drink and found the voice attached to Ms. Elnora Vaughn, one of the most highly acclaimed actresses of the year. He nodded and her face lit up. “I thought so! My, you are even more handsome in person, I must say.”

Victor lifted his cup to hide the eye roll. He recognized blatant attempts at flirtation when he saw them and had no intent to give anyone the wrong idea. “I’m in a permanent relationship. But thank you for the compliment.” He finished his drink and placed the empty cup on a passing tray, then disappeared into the crowd. 

The first drink had him feeling quite pleasant and Victor soon reached for another. And another. He had a high tolerance, after all. And a few drinks definitely made a room full of high-and-mighties much easier to bear. There was no way he would over drink. 

Such were the thoughts of someone more concerned with avoiding a certain Ms. Vaughn than with keeping track of how much alcohol he had consumed. Each went down easier than the last until he had to sit to avoid becoming better acquainted with the floor. 

This had the unfortunate consequence of making him a sitting duck. 

Within minutes, Ms. Vaughn seated herself in a chair only inches away from Victor. “Mr. Li, you are a hard man to keep track of! Glad to see you’re finally stationary for a moment. I wanted to get to know you a little better!” She scooted her chair a little closer to Victor as if testing his limits. 

He scooted his chair a little farther away. 

“Why don’t you tell me a little more about yourself, Mr. Li? It’s so rare that you’re available for conversation! What kinds of things do you like?” 

Victor turned his head a little slowly, feeling like his brain was sloshing around in his skull. It probably was, honestly. “I like my girlfriend. She’s the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet.” His words held just the slightest fuzzy edge, but really didn’t reveal the extent of his drunkenness. “I love my girlfriend. She should be here, not in Bali. She should be here with me where she belongs.” 

A slight sigh of frustration slipped from Elnora’s lips and she seemingly felt the need to try another tactic. She scooted closer to the table and hiked up her chest just enough to ensure her assets were displayed to their full size. She then leaned over toward Victor and looked up at him through her lashes; he didn’t even glance at her display. “I hear you’re quite the romantic. That girlfriend of yours better appreciate you! You’re the entire package, you know.” Elnora fluttered her lashes and smiled, though her eyebrows narrowed when this still seemed to have no effect. 

A vacant smile spread across Victor’s face and he closed his eyes, picturing the girl behind his eyelids. “She deserves the entire world. And I’ll give her the entire world. She’s the only person in the world.” 

“Isn’t she just some producer or something? You deserve more than that, Mr. Li. You could have any woman in the world. Why settle for some…nobody?” She reached out and placed a hand on Victor’s arm, which he whipped away with a scowl on his face. 

“Don’t touch me! My girlfriend is perfect. You should meet her. She would make your life better. She does that. Even though she’s a dummy, she makes life better.” Victor leaned forward in his chair and scowled, his soggy brain processing whether he had enough sobriety to stand up without making a spectacle of himself. Even in this state, he had the sense to get out of this situation. “Good night, Ms. Whoever. I need to go find my girlfriend.”  Elnora watched Victor stumble into the crowd, her eyebrows encroaching on her nose’s territory with how low they scrunched. Never before had a man so blatantly refused to give her even the time of day! Especially when they were as unsteady on the drink as Victor seemed to be. Was she losing it? That thought only made her more annoyed. She slammed the rest of Victor’s abandoned drink and wandered off into the crowd herself to make sure he was the problem in this equation.

[the-other-art-blog]

Why Benophie season is the perfect way to finish the first half of the Bton stories?

Now that Benophie season is unofficially confirmed, I've come to the conclusion that this was the greatest way to end the first half of Bton. It needed to be s4.

In the ton, marriage is about status. And while all Bton marriages are love matches, they are also incredibly beneficial for their position in society. The ENTIRE family's position in society.

Anthony is a viscount, an influential one, but in the nobility hierarchy, he's second to last.

Daphne climbed up 3 steps when she married Simon and became a Duchess.

Francesca will climb one step when she marries John.

Kate didn't have a title or wealth, but a married Viscount is an improvement over a rake Viscount.

Colin is only a Mr., but I will be surprised if the Featherington baby race doesn't end with Pen having a boy who will become Baron. He's going to be the father of a Lord thanks to Penelope.

So you can see how these marriages are extremely beneficial to them and elevate the entire family. Daphne understood this when she said that her marriage would set the prospects for her sisters. Anthony also knew that his choice of viscountess would affect the family.

So, by the time Benedict meets Sophie, the family will have a viscounty + relations with a duchy, an earldom, and a barony. They just need a march to have the full set.

Enter Benedict who will fall in love with a servant AND an illegitimate daughter.

If he marries her, he risks undoing all the work his siblings have done to maintain the family in good standing.

The book doesn't address this, but I wish the show would. It would add another dimension to Benedict's reasons to not marry Sophie. He would be thinking of the family. What would happen to Eloise, Hyacinth, and Gregory? They will no longer be siblings to nobles, they will be related to an illegitimate child and servant. Who will want to marry them? Is it fair to affect their prospects when they haven't even had a chance at society? (Read The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy) Perhaps it hurts the already-married siblings too.

I'm thinking about Ben and Violet's scene. Sophie refuses to be a mistress and Ben has already decided to marry her. But there's still this issue lingering. Is it right to drag the whole family to get what he wants? Wouldn't that be the most selfish thing anyone could do? In the book, Violet says this,

Imagine if she adds, "and your siblings will support you too."

EDIT: The thing about this scene is that Benedict was ready to leave if the family didn't support him and Sophie.

This is also a great way to bring back the Sharmas' background. Mary was cast out for marrying a clerk, leaving Edwina in an unfavorable position. If the Queen hadn't named her the diamond, it would have been very difficult for her to get a good match. Not to mention that Mary's parents considered hated Kate and insulted her parents for being common people.

You can see why Benedict is afraid of the family's reaction. The Sheffields said that after Mary left, they couldn't show their faces in London for years. He wouldn't want to do that to his family. Sophie wouldn't want that either.

This is why it is so great to have Benophie come in s4. Not that a duchy and a viscount wouldn't have been enough, but this way is much more dramatic and LEGENDARY.

Despite the risks, the family will support Benedict AND Sophie. They'll support her too cause they know her and they love her even before they knew about Ben's feelings.

It's a test, not only for Benedict but for the family.

MORE EDITS:

I also think that Queen Charlotte will hate the Bridgertons after s3. She has been trying to arrange their marriages for 3 seasons, and they have all ignored her and made their matches independently. So, maybe Benedict will be worried because his marriage to Sophie will only worsen the situation.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Steal Your Heart (Part 1)

When the calling card of the infamous Knave of Hearts arrives, he’ll rob his victims blind of their most treasured items on the appointed date. Enter ace detective Yuu accompanied by rookie cop Deuce Spade, both seeking to apprehend the Knave and bring him to justice.

Will they succeed, or will the phantom thief steal their valuables--and their hearts--first?

This was originally meant to be one fic, but it was getting to be WAY too long. I decided to split it in half and release this part now and the second part (which I am still working on!) later. This first part focuses more on Yuu and Deuce; the second part will be more Yuu and Ace.

(Please note: there are slight romantic implications in the form of an Ace/Yuu/Deuce love triangle, but those elements could also be interpreted as platonic or as just playful teasing with no additional meaning. It’s all in the eyes of the reader!)

Imagine this...

The police station’s waiting room was a familiar sight.

With time, the shiny checkered floor had grown matte, marred with scratches and scuffs from the boots that crossed it on a daily basis. Someone had taken to attempt to pretty up the otherwise dull space by hanging out abstract paintings on the cream-colored walls, and a vase of white roses dripping with red paint at the check-in desk. There was as even a glass tank which housed a small family of colorful hedgehogs.

Maybe they were meant to be welcoming—but really, they were more clashing than anything. Certainly not a fit for the stiff atmosphere of the station.

Still the fluorescent lightbulbs buzzed faintly, flickering in and out on occasion. The sound distracted from the old television mounted in a corner to entertain guests. It seemed to play commercials on a loop more often than it played actual shows. Currently, an Olympus Corp. branded tablet was being toted as the next big technological marvel—though the TV’s audio was fuzzy at best, and the image half static.

A coffee table pushed to the wall, stacked with a new stash of magazines. Whoever updated the reading materials—most likely the friendly senior officer with orange waves for hair—was into the latest trends, often selecting fashion magazines with high gloss finishes. A dangerously beautiful man graced the covers of many of them, dressed in the hottest summertime styles while looking the part of an untouchable ice queen.

As usual, the station was scented with coffee and tea, the beverages of choice for many officers burning the midnight oil or working overtime. The chief demanded it at times to meet deadlines and goals—he was such a stickler for them—and the caffeine helped those under him stay sane as they went about their duties.

In the afternoons, most were either out on lunch or on patrol, lessening the foot traffic at HQ. There was only one man in uniform, seated behind the desk and filing some papers.

Yuu shifted in their own chair, adjusting the rim of the baseball cap upon their head. They were suited in an inconspicuous jacket and sneakers, fingers toying with a badge in a pocket, hidden out of view. To the common man, they were a jogger--but one flash of their lilac gemstone bound to a black and white striped ribbon, and there would be no doubt as to what their true identity was.

The smell of coffee and tea grew stronger, and Yuu glanced up from behind the bill of their hat.

The bespectacled man from behind the fro

nt desk had approached. He had a sheepish smile, bearing a paper cup filled with hot brown liquid and a napkin with a donut laid upon it. Bright pink icing dusted with sugared violet petals crowned the golden fried pastry.

“Detective.”

“Mr. Clover.” Yuu nodded—a terse, polite greeting. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Please, just ‘Trey’ is fine.” He offered the treats, which they readily accepted. “Sorry for calling you in on such short notice. I’m sure you’re busy juggling your other cases—but I think I speak for the entire department when I say we’re thankful that you were able to make it.”

“No worries, I’m used to it in this line of work,” Yuu replied. “It must be something pretty urgent this time around. The Chief sounded frantic over the phone.”

Trey rubbed at his chin, grasping for the right words. “Let’s just say he’s not in the best of moods right now. You’ll need that sugar to get through this in one piece.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.”

“Just trying to avoid any trouble. You’d better finish them before you step into his office. You know how he hates it when there are crumbs or spills in there.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” Yuu gave a joking salute before starting to pack away at their snack. The drink was the instant kind, and practically scalding, but it was easy to tell that the donut was homemade. The pastry, flaky on the outside and fluffy on the inside, dusted with sugar granules and sweet icing. “Wouldn’t want the Chief to be blowing a fuse again.”

“No, definitely not. He’s done too much of that lately.” Trey carefully eyed Yuu’s donut, now only half of it left. “Oh, but be sure to brush your teeth a thorough cleaning tonight, or I might have some problems with you. Cavities and staining are real dangers, you know.”

“Are you Assistant Chief of Police or my dental hygienist?” Yuu took a generous swig, then a bite just as big. “You worry too much about everything.”

“Ahahah… Do I? It’s a habit, I guess. Comes with the job.”

“That stressful, huh?”

“Well, I do what I can to smooth things over. Hopefully you can too. It’s been difficult on our department with the Chief all rattled up about the… situation.” He stopped himself. “I’m sure you’ll hear all about it from him.”

So the case is top-secret, Yuu concluded with the last of their donut. Not to be discussed in the public.

They ran their tongue across the length of their mouth, lapping up the remains of sugary residue. “I understand. The details are not to leave his office.”

“You catch on quickly. No wonder why the Chief thinks so highly of your abilities.”

“Flattery’s a part of your tool kit as well, Trey?”

He raised his eyebrows. “… You’ve worked long enough with us to figure these things out. Nothing gets by you, it seems.”

“UGIGIGIGIGGGGHHHH!!”

The remainder of Yuu’s drink sloshed around in its cup, set into motion by the bloodcurdling scream.

A familiar man with orange waves erupted from the chief’s office, hurriedly slamming the door shut behind him. His typically relaxed features were arranged in panic, his hair frazzled.

“How did trying to calm him work out, Cater?” Trey inquired half-heartedly. It was a courtesy more than genuine curiosity.

“What do you think?” the senior officer groaned, sinking where he stood.

Yuu quickly finished their drink, tossing their trash—the evidence they had been there—away and then stood, adjusting their jacket. “That sounds like it’s my cue.”

“Yeah, it is.” Trey sighed, frowning. “He’s in a tough spot right. Be kind to him, will you? That’s all I ask.”

“You got it.” Yuu tipped their baseball cap as they passed the officer. “Thank you for the pick-me-up. I’ll be seeing you, then. Officer Diamond—get some rest.”

“Good luck.”

“You’ll need it, Yuu-chan! Brace yourself.”

The Police Chief was a small but serious man.

His character came through in his office space: books on law and order neatly arranged on shelves, papers and files alphabetically organized in their cabinets, and pens evenly spaced apart and arranged in rows. A crystal vase with deep red roses was poised beside his writing implements. A plate polished to a fine shine was propped up at his desk, reading: Riddle Rosehearts, Chief of Police.

Perched imposingly despite his short stature in his seat, he impatiently tapped a finger on an arm. Riddle’s face was a telltale red and veiny, proof of his earlier outburst, but was beginning to cool into a faint, smooth pink.

There was already another man in the office, sitting across from the Police Chief. He was pale and jittery in a suit the color of the night and sewn with blue sequins and glitter. A top hat rested upon his raven locks, the brim of it shading his hauntingly golden eyes.

Yuu removed their hat and, keeping it to their chest, gave a shallow bow as they entered. “Sir.”

One move out of line, one hair out of place, and they suspected he, in his volatile and vulnerable state, would explode anew.

“Welcome, Detective. I’m glad you could join us today.” Every word was a gruff puff of air, a leash with which to wrest control of his rage. Riddle gestured to the empty chair beside the nervous man. “Sit.”

Yuu obeyed, sinking into the seat offered. They casted a glance at the stranger adjacent to them, who was fiddling with his velvet-lined gloves.

“Mr. Crowley, this is the independent detective from Stray Cat Investigations that I had previously mentioned to you. The force has collaborated with them for a number of difficult cases in the past. Their wit and strategic skills have made them an invaluable asset. I thought it prudent to have them return to join us for your case as well.

“Yuu, meet Dire Crowley. He is the esteemed director and curator for the Sage’s Island Museum, and he’s come to us with his woes.”

“Hello, Mr. Crowley,” Yuu said politely. “It’s nice to meet you.”

He responded with a tired attempt at a smile. “Yes, you too.”

“Now that we’re all acquainted with one another...” Riddle produced a file from beneath his desk and placed it before himself. “Do you care to explain, or shall I?”

“I-I’ll elaborate!” Crowley crowed. He picked at a collection of keys belted to his waist, glistening gold under artificial lights. “The Sage’s Island Museum is planning a new exhibition on the Great Seven. As part of the exhibit, we are having many priceless artifacts flown in from all over Twisted Wonderland. We have donations from even Briar Valley’s royal family!!

“There will also be a great number of important VIP guests present for the grand opening of the exhibit. Royalty, wealthy benefactors, important diplomats, businessmen, celebrities... All individuals who wish to see their history on display! This is very important, you see!! M-My reputation--er, I mean, the museum’s reputation--is on the line here!!”

“Right.” Yuu nodded as they parsed through the information. “I’m following what you’re putting down. And where does your problem arise, Mr. Crowley?”

“Ah, now that,” Riddle smirked, “is the question of the hour.”

He opened his file, pulling out...

A single playing card, its back facing Yuu.

“I trust you’ve been keeping up with the news?”

“As any good detective would. There have been several robberies lately. Terrible, really.” Yuu’s expression clouded with concentration. “Hmm... but if it’s a potential robbery that you’re concerned about, Mr. Crowley... Doesn’t the Sage’s Island Museum boast a state-of-the-art security system from Olympus Corp.? I doubt the average thief would be able to bypass it.”

“That’s just the trouble,” Crowley loudly lamented.

“We are dealing with no ordinary thief,” Riddle clarified.

“It’s not?”

“No. Far from it.” The Police Chief exhaled sharply. “The string of robberies from before--they’re connected by a single thread, perpetuated by the same lone culprit. And now that scoundrel intends to continue his crime spree.”

“I’ve never heard of this before.”

“You shouldn’t have. It was a top-secret operation within my force since the first of its kind.”

“Why am I being told of it now?”

“Because, loathe as I am to admit it, the culprit has managed to outwit us and elude capture each and every time, He employs a bag of cheap parlor tricks and smoke and mirrors like the coward he is,” Riddle confessed begrudgingly. The blue-grey of his eyes were steely and stubborn. “A case as important as this needs the additional man—and brain—power, Detective.”

He placed the playing card down and slid it toward the detective. “This arrived in the morning at Mr. Crowley’s desk, the same as all the prior robberies. It gave him quite the fright. He rushed all the way to the station to beg for our assistance.”

“This is...” Yuu gingerly turned the card over, revealing a message scrawled on the other side in bright red gel ink. Each letter was big and bubbly, bursting with cheek and pomp.

Their heart jumped.

To the Old Crow that safeguards the Museum,

Heyo~

Your pockets look a lil’ heavy there, so I’ll help you out. (Aren’t I so kind?) Three days from now, I’ll claim one of your most prized treasures at the stroke of midnight.

Stand back and watch as I perform the greatest magic trick you’ll ever see... and make the portrait of the Queen of Hearts vanish before your very eyes. It’ll be a show-stopper!!

Until then,

Phantom Thief Knave of Hearts <3 ;3

P.S. Send the cops my regards, they can’t catch me lol (especially when their teapot tyrant’s patience is in SHORT supply geddit)

“They’re just flat-out announcing what their intentions are,” Yuu realized. They were half impressed, half shocked at the gall. “You said all of the victims received messages like this?”

“Calling cards, yes.” The fury had returned to Riddle’s features, causing his voice to spike and strain. “It’s infuriating!! What does he get off on, misappropriating magic as cheap parlor tricks for crime, writing notes in such a cocksure manner, taunting us to pursue him?!

“Not only is he poking fun at my height and committing a crime, but for mere SPORT?! For the THRILL of it?! He’s making a mockery of the good people of this island and of my men and our efforts to secure the peace!!”

The Police Chief slammed a fist down on his desk, rattling his glass vase and setting his perfectly straight pens askew. Crowley shrunk back in fear. “That Knave of Hearts...!! He must be stopped at all costs!!”

“Y-Yes, absolutely!!” Crowley chimed in. “For my--er, I mean, for the museum’s sake, this criminal must be put behind bars!! That’s why I’ve come to you, my good people!

“My taxpayer dollars help fund the police force, so I’ve come to collect on what its promise to protect and to serve the community!! Well, here’s the community at your doorstep asking you to protect and to serve!!”

“That’s why you want to put me on this case,” Yuu concluded, clasping the calling card to their racing heart. “To prevent this from going down tonight.”

“And furthermore,” Riddle added, “to investigate the identity of this so-called phantom thief once the museum is safely secured.”

“That’s a tall order, sir.”

“You’ll have access to our force’s resources, and to my officers. You will assist in overseeing this operation, with maps and outlines of the museum’s security detail from Mr. Crowley. We’ll cooperate to create a plan of attack to apprehend the Knave.”

“You misunderstand me. I never said I wouldn’t take the job,” Yuu coolly informed the Chief. Their mouth cocked upwards with confidence. “I’m always up for a challenge.”

“Oh, blessed day!! From the very bottom of my oh-so-generous heart, thank you very much!!” Crowley cried tearfully.

For the first time the entire briefing, Riddle smiled back at Yuu. “Hmph. That’s what I like to hear. Happy to be working with you again, Detective.”

“Likewise, Chief.”

The sun had already set when Yuu exited the station, the stars blinking into existence. Several hours had been spent picking the museum curator’s brain with a fine-toothed comb, looking over layouts, and memorizing security detail. The information had been well-stocked, and now came the time to let it marinate and bloom into plans.

Stuffing their hands in their pockets, Yuu shuffled down the sidewalk and past rows of parked vehicles. Ahead, neon lights flashed in and out, and the trains rattled on their well-worn tracks, buses and cars honking at each other, the chatter of street vendors filling the air.

And something different than the usual tonight.

The city never slept, always buzzed with energy. Yuu had become accustomed to its sights and sounds, finding them even comforting. Their best ideas were conceived against the hum of the cityscape. It was just soft enough to not fully distract, but just noticeable enough to tug at their thoughts for long enough to stray into new territories and concepts.

Light from lonely streetlamps created tears in the darkness, illuminating the path to their favorite downtown thinking spot: the Mostro Lounge. A good (albeit overpriced) drink would chase away their tiredness.

Yuu continued with that promise in mind, every step catlike. First quick, next slow, then quick, moderate, slow, quick, slow, quick, moderate. Their speed, ever alternating.

Their ears strained against the sounds of the city, slowly parsing through the individual elements.

Trains, buses, cars, chatter… and the soft footsteps masked by them. Footsteps which matched Yuu’s pace.

There was no mistaking it now.

I’m being followed.

They didn’t look to see who it was—the first rule of tailing a target was to never alert them to your awareness. Yuu would know (as oftentimes they were the one in the position of tailer).

They cast their eyes across the street, which was busy with bodies. Once Yuu merged with the crowd, they could easily shake off their stalker.

Their feet picked up their pace again, hurrying to the crosswalk. It was a glaring red, advising pedestrians to stop.

Shoot, Yuu cursed.

They felt a presence step up beside them. From the corner of their eye, they could make out a dark form--clothes. Yuu pretended to check the time on their phone, and glimpsed him in the reflection.

He was in a hoodie, with the hood pulled up and head down to conceal his features. His hands, too, were out of sight, a sea of baggy fabric hiding identifying features, save for his frame. Lanky, but reasonably packed with muscle to keep up with Yuu.

The man shifted, and his sight grazed theirs. His eyes were hard and icy, a silent threat.

Yuu quickly focused on the crosswalk light. Their heartbeat became as loud as the surrounding sounds. Screeching above the vehicles, shouting from the rooftops. THA-THUMP, THA-THUMP, THA-THUMP.

At last, the light turned from red to white.

Walk.

They started--and so did he.

“Excuse me.” A hand came upon their shoulder. The other pulled at something with a sinister glint. “Do you have a second?”

No walking, Yuu corrected themselves. Run!!

They sprinted down the crosswalk, jostling pedestrians with a hasty “sorry!” thrown back at them. As Yuu weaved through the crowd as fast as they could, they could not completely shunt out the man after them.

“Hey, please wait!! Where are you going?! C-Come back, I need to talk to you!”

His voice carried above the others. People jolted back, the crowd parting to make way for the man to charge forth. His volume swelled louder and louder as he gained on them.

Towering apartments seemed to bear down on Yuu. Their windows, glaring.

A shop. Find a shop and get inside!!

Yuu pumped their arms, pleaded for their legs to move more efficiently.

Again, a weight fell upon their shoulder. It was a clamp, fingers biting Yuu’s skin through their jacket as they dug in and held firm.

The other hand wielded the same shining object that it had before. Yuu looked more closely this time, and the unease in them dissipated. It was not the pointed tip of a knife, but the glint of a familiar officer’s badge wreathed in golden roses.

The man tore off his hood with a sigh--though Yuu noticed that he wasn’t one bit out of breath. Navy bangs fell across his forehead, his eyes a peacock green-blue, much friendlier under the streetlamps than the crosswalk signs.

He smiled at Yuu as though he were greeting an old friend. His grip turned into a tender squeeze. “I finally caught up with you!”

The detective awkwardly pulled away, confusion scrawled on their face. “Um... Sorry, who are you? I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

“Oh! Uh...” The man jumped, retracting his hand. “That’s because we haven’t! Er, not officially anyway, but I’ve heard a lot about you!!”

Yuu pointed to his badge. “That. You’re an officer?”

“Yessir!” The man offered the proof of his identity and stiffly saluted. “Officer Deuce Spade, sir!! I’m a new recruit...!! I just joined the force a few weeks ago!”

Yuu mustered a faint smile. The darned fool was going to give them away. “... Am I in trouble, officer?”

“Nossir! Not at all!” His entire face shone with eagerness, earnest, and a slightly nervous energy. Maybe Yuu would have found it adorable (in the same way that a child trying hard was adorable), were he not blasting your occupation to the public. “Why would you be in trouble, sir?! You’re working with...”

“Okaaay, that’s enough out of you!” Yuu slapped a hand over Deuce’s mouth, silencing him.

Curious onlookers murmured amongst themselves. Some had taken to halt and full-on gawk. Children pointed, adult narrowing their eyes with suspicion.

Yuu frowned, removing their hand to shoo pedestrians away. “Nothing to see here, folks. Just a misunderstanding. Move along, Wonder Boy and I can settle this ourselves.”

“Wonder Boy?” Deuce, in a daze, pointed to himself. “Is that... me?”

“Who else would I be talking about?” Yuu folded their arms. “I assume you’re free now?”

“I am, sir! I was just let off my shift a little while ago, sir!”

“First, drop the ‘sir’. It’s giving me a headache,” Yuu instructed. “Second, if you’re free, then you’ll be joining me for a drink and a chat. We have things to discuss--chief among them being why you were following me.”

Ring-a-ling!

A bell sounded as the door to the Mostro Lounge swung open. Deuce stepped into a new world, Yuu at his side.

The interior itself was dim, but glass lights fastened in the shape of jellyfish projected swimming incandescent lights in purple, blue, and pink. Velvet booths lined one half of the eatery, the other, a glossy bar with tall, narrow stools, the shelves behind it healthily stocked with bottles in jeweled tones. Strangers poised with drink took residence in most of the seats.

The entire back wall had been repurposed into a massive aquarium teeming with aquatic plants and exotic creatures. Seaweed and coral gently swayed to the rhythm of the smooth jazz floating through the lounge, fish frolicking among them.

“Whoooa,” Deuce gasped, craning his head to drink in every detail. “I’ve never been to a place as classy as this. It looks so expensive. You think my salary’s enough to cover at least an appetizer?”

“Hang on tight to your wallet,” Yuu warned. “This place will squeeze you for every thaumark you’re worth and then some—and they won’t feel a bit of remorse about it.”

The detective raised an arm, flagging a nearby waiter.

Their uniform was simple yet sleek: dark dress pants, a white bow tie, spotless gloves, and a cummerbund and suspenders over a lavender button-up shirt. It allowed for slight variation—one waiter skidded by with his shirt buttoned as low as food safety regulations deemed safe. Another jotted down orders with a jacket thrown over his shoulders and a pair of glasses tucked into the crevice of his buttons.

The waiter Yuu called out to approached like a shark fin cutting through still water, neatly bowing to greet their waiting customers. He was prim and proper compared to the other servers, not a button out of place.

When he raised his head, Deuce marveled at his mismatched olive and gold irises, the teal of his hair marred by a stripe of black. Three diamond-shaped scales dangled from his left ear, as sharp as his eyes.

“I bid you welcome to the Mostro Lounge, honored guests,” the waiter said smoothly. He gaze immediately cut to Deuce. “I see you’ve brought a friend with you, today, Yuu-san. How delightfully rare.”

“Acquaintance. We just met outside under… less than ideal circumstances.”

“Oya, how quick you were to seize on that chance encounter. I may even deem you a bigger opportunist than our dear manager.”

“… Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Deuce inquired.

“Perhaps you will find the answer to your question, should you act as a patron at our establishment for long enough.”

“Quit toying with him, Jade. You know what we’re here for,” Yuu grumbled. “My usual.”

“If that is what you wish. And for this gentleman acquaintance of yours?”

“Just ice water is fine, sir!”

Jade maintained his polite smile. “Very well. One glass of ice cold water for you. I will bring you a menu as well, in case you begin to feel peckish late into the night.”

“Oh, thanks!”

“Right this way then.” Jade gestured for the two to follow him.

“He’s upselling you, you know,” Yuu pointed out under their breath. “Hoping that you’ll buy something when presented with the opportunity to spend.”

“E-Eh, he is?! I didn’t even realize…”

“Fufufu. Please, do not let your worries consume you. You have come to relax, correct? We at the Mostro Lounge ask that you put your fins and your feet up and enjoy yourself while the night is still young.”

They were escorted to two empty stools in a (relatively) quiet corner of the bar. The glass jellyfish lights were clustered in the center of the main dining area, leaving the corner like a slice of dark, uncharted waters. Jass music and conversation filtered into a muffled melody.

Yuu plopped down with relief, followed by an apprehensive Deuce. He slowly sank into the cushy seat.

“I will be right back with your drinks. If you will excuse me.” With another bow, Jade rounded the bar and rolled up his sleeves—the transition from waiter to bartender. Presenting his back to the duo, he set to plucking bottles off of the shelves.

Deuce blinked. He still hadn’t taken to fully processing his new surroundings. “Are we really going kick back and have drinks when there’s a serial thief on the loose?”

“We can’t talk about that in public, or risk blowing my cover. It’s safe to talk here,” Yuu reassured him. “What happens in the Mostro Lounge stays in the Mostro Lounge. Say what you want about the slimy staff, but they know how to keep their patrons’ secrets. Client confidentiality and all.”

The young officer brightened. “Ooooh, I get it!”

“… You’re not the sharpest tool in the shed,” Yuu remarked bluntly. They slipped off their baseball cap, letting loose their hair. “So? Let’s have it.”

“Have what?”

“Your reason for following me.”

“Oh!! That.” Deuce nervously scratched at the back of his neck. “That’s kind of…”

The detective drummed their fingers on the polished counter. Methodical, deliberate. “You mentioned that you recently joined the force. However, only senior officials in the police department and myself were privy to this operation. How did you come to learn about it?”

Deuce stiffened, thrown off his beat (if he had any to begin with). “Th-That’s…!”

“I’m asking you a question, Mr. Spade. Please answer me truthfully.”

“I… um… Truth is, I…” Deuce stared at his lap, unable to meet the detective’s eyes. “I might have eavesdropped when I returned from my patrol shift…”

“Go on,” Yuu coaxed.

“There was a report I had to submit to the Chief, but it sounded like he was busy in his office. It’s hard to not notice him when he raises his voice, sir. I decided to wait outside until he was done, and… well, I got curious.”

“Wasn’t Assistant Chief Clover also present? He just let you do that without a single protest?”

“Assistant Chief Clover was very nice to me! He laughed a little and said ‘make sure you don’t get caught with your hand in the cookie jar’!”

Darn it, Trey!! You could’ve been a LITTLE stricter with this guy…! Yuu groaned, massaging the bridge of their nose. “Okay, I think I’m starting to get a better picture of what went down. You followed me wanting to learn more about the operation.”

Like a curious child chasing after a white rabbit. Still immature, still wondering, and still way over their head.

“Yes, but that’s not all!” Deuce insisted. He abruptly stood from the table. “There’s an even more important reason than just satisfying my curiosity, sir!”

Yuu quirked an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

“I had to talk to you—without the Chief around. I had to. That’s why I followed you in secret.” The officer nibbled his lower lip, as if biting back something harsh and bitter from coming up.

“Out with it, Mr. Spade.”

“Pardon the intrusion,” Jade coolly interjected. His tone was nonchalant but his bemused smile was a telltale sign that he was relishing in every second of the hot gossip. “Your beverages.”

He slid two glasses between Yuu and Deuce before departing. One was tall and slim—a highball—loaded with carbonated water and fruity gummies. Yellow for jeweled pineapples, red for ruby berries, green for frozen mint, black for floral cacao, and blue from pure azure salt. It was Yuu’s usual, the famed Mystery Drink. The other glass was, by comparison, an ordinary drink of water, a single large, clear cube of ice floating in it.

A bead of sweat ran down Deuce’s jawline. Condensation forming and racing on his glass of water.

Suddenly, the officer slapped both hands on the counter, slamming his face down upon its surface. His navy hair splayed, forehead touching the table in a display of humility.

Yuu almost spilled their drink. “What are you doing?”

“I’m begging you, sir!! P-Please put me on the mission!!” Deuce pleaded, his voice shaky but resolute. “I… I want to help catch the Knave of Hearts too!!”

“If that’s all you wanted, why ask me? Go through the proper channels to…”

“I can’t!! The Chief would never allow it.” His expression creased with shame. “He says rookies need to work their way up from meter maid to working on cases.”

“He’s right. You need to grow into these things, not rush in head-first in a burst of passion.” Yuu made to take a sip of their drink—but the officer’s fist collided with the counter, the liquid inside the glass sloshing overboard. Seltzer water splashed onto their pant leg, leaving a sticky wet spot on a thigh.

“P-Please reconsider! I know how to handle myself in a fight! I’m fast, I could easily catch up with him if it’s a race on foot!”

“Look,” the detective said irritably, “I don’t know what you’re hoping to accomplish here. Fact is, no matter how much you ask, I wouldn’t want to take you on for this case. You’re too green behind the ears—and sorry, but I just don’t see you as an asset.

“You may be strong and quick on your feet, but it’ll take more than strength and speed to catch the Knave of Hearts. There’s a reason he hasn’t been caught yet.” Yuu tapped at their temple. “It’s this. He’s got smarts, and we need to combat that with smarts of our own.”

“I-I can be smart!! I can try to, at least! Please, just let me try…!!”

Frustrated, Yuu scrutinized the young man again. Their eyes roaming, searching, for detail wrong, a hair out of place.

Years of sleuthing had built up a great amount of cynicism and distrust in the detective. How many times had they pulled back the curtain, revealing the ugly truths hidden out of plain sight? How many bruised egos--both clients and coworkers--had they encountered? People seeking status or to feed their own pride.

Yet when they looked at Deuce, none of that ugliness or ego came through. Here was someone who stubbornly stared right back at Yuu, unwilling to back down, even when his dignity lay in tatters on the floor the instant he prostrated himself.

Another selfish bid for recognition? They ventured, toying with the idea. Maybe personal ambition, looking to climb up in the world.

“... One reason,” Yuu said, holding up an index finger. “Give me one good reason why I should take you on. Convince me.”

Deuce recoiled--as though even he hadn’t expected to have made it this far, or to be taken seriously at all. His brows creased with effort as he racked the recesses of his mind to find the right phrasing.

A second later, he let out a piercing shout.

“GAAAAAAAAH!!”

With a grunt, Deuce grasped his cup of ice water and lifted it to his lips. He hammered the drink in a single swig, releasing a satisfied hoot. The liquid courage had revived the man, returning the spark to him.

In a voice as clear as the drink he had just downed, Deuce said, “It’s for my mom. She’s just about the sweetest, most hard-working person I know.”

He hung his head and slammed his empty cup down, shaking the entire table.

“She raised me as a single parent. Mom never once complained, only wanted the best life for me.” Deuce glared into his glass, speaking with scorn and anger--not at others, but for himself. “And how did I repay her? I... turned to delinquency.

“I acted out because I wasn’t man enough to do the mature thing and work on myself!! She blamed herself for my stupid decisions! I made mom worry for me so, so much...”

Plip, plip.

Deuce faltered, letting quiet tears dribble down his cheeks and landing on the cube of ice left in his glass. Once they made contact with the frozen block, it was impossible to tell what was water and what was salt.

“I swore to myself that I would turn my life around... to show mom that it’s not her fault, that she did all she could to raised someone who could contribute to society!! So I studied really hard at the police academy, and even though my grades were crappy, I managed to graduate...!!”

He choked up, a concoction of fiery passion infused in his stuttering words. “I can finally be that model officer and make a change in the community! But I haven’t done a damn thing...! I just play meter maid while bad guys are out there running free, when I could be out there making this city a safer place for mom and everyone that lives here...!!”

The noises of the lounge seemed to fade into a stoic silence around Deuce. His declaration reverberated loudly. “I have to do this. I need to do this.”

He bowed again, his forehead pressed hard against the surface of the table. The single word he uttered was hoarse, desperate.

“Please.”

Deuce pried himself up almost painfully. The eyes were aquamarine, wet with hot tears. Something shone through them in shades of blue and green, priceless as any treasure: an honesty that burned like an eternal flame.

Yuu startled, striken by a single, haunting revelation: He’s telling the truth.

“... I don’t think I’ve met someone like you before,” they said cryptically. “I don’t doubt your story—but as touching as it is, I don’t know if...”

Hesitation reared its head, and Yuu forced themselves to look away. Couldn’t bear to see him, that wide-eyed sincerity.

Emotion clashing with their sound logic. Two things that shouldn’t have belonged together colliding. 

Wait... things that don’t belong together? Things I didn’t expect, surprises and twists to the tale...

A ex-delinquent turned into a policeman. A selfishness turned selfless. An anticipated lie turned into a truth. Something there that hadn’t been before.

The detective’s mind raced, quickly outpacing the words leaving their mouth. A solution which subverted expectations, a trap laced with honey for a man with sticky fingers.

That’s it. We’ll pull a trick of our own.

“Okay, I’ve changed my mind,” Yuu abruptly announced. “You’re in on this operation, Mr. Spade.”

“R-Really?!” Deuce’s face nearly tore in half, his volume revving up like a motorcycle engine. “You mean it?!”

“I do.”

Yuu took a cool sip of their Mystery Drink. Flavors from all over Twisted Wonderland cascaded over their tongue—a triumphant, fleeting pleasure.

They set their glass down and bent over, gripping Deuce by the strings of his hoodie. Yuu tugged, bringing the policeman lurching forward.

His clammy forehead against theirs. Centimeters away, his eyes widened. A flushed heat climbed to his cheeks, his voice set in a stammer.

“S-Sir, what are we...”

“You’ll have to follow my instructions very carefully,” Yuu replied with a devious grin. “Listen up, rookie: cuz you’re going to be the star of this show. Here’s the plan...”

The ambience of the lounge drowned out Yuu’s whispers. From afar, their words could only be read through the shapes of their mouth, the increasingly confused and alarmed expressions that Deuce pulled.

Jade observed them patiently, chuckling to himself. “My, my, it seems like our genius detective has found yet another solution.”

CLATTER, CLATTER!!

A tray piled high with empty plates and dishes was slammed down. Jade’s twin peered around the stack, leaning lazily against the bar.

“Eeeh, but I bet against them this time.”

“Playing the contrarian runs its risks.” Jade picked up a glass, staring at his brother through it. The golden orb called his left eye was clear as a topaz. “As for myself, I’m excited to see how this plays out.”

PLAP.

A notepad came down on the table as a third waiter joined them.

“Both of you need to stop gossiping and get back to work,” their manager chided, sliding the notepad—scrawled with fresh orders—to Jade. “Leave the customers to tend to their own business. We’ll soon know the outcome.”

[To be continued...]

[she-whatshername]

Hey, Queen, love your headcannons so much! I have a request: Could you make a headcanon on how the Marked ones would be if they were parents to (a) teenager(s)? Ik you did one with toddlers etc, but I want to see one with teens. ❤️

Hello Queen!

Thank you so much for this request, and for the Headcanon love! Ok, Marked Ones teenager edition. Hope this fills your cup!

Bodhi:

I imagine he’d have a lot of children and many around the same age as he and his partner can’t seem to keep their hands off eachother

So he’s got like his four eldest kids around the ages of 18-14 A son, second son, daughter, and third son.

Ya’ll He’d be such a good parent

Honestly, it would piss Xaden off at how much of a natural he’d be.

Though on the inside, this man is overwhelmed lolol. I imagine after the war he’s in some type of Assembly position or second hand to Xaden. So he’s always working or taking on some sort of task Xaden assigns him. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bodhi does official acts as king if Xaden is ever away.

But this man will never miss a meal with his kids. Like his mother, he’s home every evening to spend time with his family, even if he is fighting sleep

And because he’s such a family man, His kids know he is wrapped around their fingers and they can literally do anything and he’s like “okay, I’ll let it slide this time”

Mr Durran. It’s been many, many ‘let it slide this time’ lolol

He’s very hands off with them, and gives them a lot of freedom and autonomy. There’s moments when Imogen’s like, “You realize your eldest snuck out with that kid again, right?” And Bodhi responds with a “I know. They don’t think I know, but I do. And I trust that they will be smart and make good choices.”

Though, he’s also protective, so he’d follow up with, “And if that kid decides to break my son’s heart I’ll send you and Cuir after them and whoever gets to them first wins a prize of my choosing.”

And I think because of the freedom and trust he gives them, his kids are angels (they are his kids after all). There’s moments I imagine when Bodhi and Xaden are in some sort of meeting has his second eldest comes in with a frown and confesses to the idea of wanting to break into the kitchens and steal cake. Bodhi’s like “It’s okay, son. I’m so glad you told me. How about we get some together after my meeting? You know, your uncle and I were quite the thieves ourselves in the kitchens when we were younger…”

Xaden is just staring at him clenching his jaw as his cousin is gentle parenting his nephew for thinking of committing a cake heist while his daughter is sneaking out and actually committing various offenses across the kingdom with Violets approval.

Xaden:

I believe I headcannoned that he would have one child, a daughter. For this I’m saying she’s around 16. Third eldest of all the kids but the most rebellious.

I think a lot of Fen would show up when his daughter became a teenager. I know with many people saying they ‘wouldn’t be like their parents’ when they become parents but I think Xaden would slip into his father’s shoes without him knowing.

Meaning, I think he would do a lot of stuff ‘to protect her’ without actually telling her why or the reason.

But he’d be such a good dad like Bodhi. Would be a gentleman to her so she knows what standard to expect when she starts dating

He is 100% thet meme of “I took my daughter to a expensive restaurant so she knows to expect better when you try to take her to a drive thru”

Also, bless the fool who would ever try to court his daughter. He would straight up tell them they weren’t good enough for her or scare them off.

Even if Violet gave her approval of them Xaden would be so salty about it.

If they were to show up to Riorson House for a date he’d pull an old wingleader move and get Tairn and Sgaeyl swoop in and stare them down while they waited for Xaden’s daughter to get ready. Yes, they would be the overprotective dragon parents too, and it was probably Sgaeyl’s idea.

And yes, Xaden would absolutely follow the two of them on their date with his shadows until Violet caught him and made him stop

Also with Xaden, he needs counsel on managing a rebellious teenager so Bodhi is also employed in that regard. Half of their meetings are on raising moody teenagers

But Xaden loves his daughter so much. Even if they were fighting they’d always say I love you before stomping out the room because they know how important those words are.

“You’re grounded and I mean it this time. No flying for two weeks, and I love you.”

“Ughhh!! This is so not fair!! I’m telling mom…and love you too.”

Garrick & Imogen:

I put these two together because I think they would totally be the wealthy aunt and uncle of the group with no children but would spoil and enable the shit out of Bodhi and Xaden’s kids.

Like if any of the kids made a big mistake, they’d go to Garrick and Imogen before their parents

Imogen would absolutely help Xaden’s daughter with any type of sneaking out she’d be doing with her partner or to go up to the nesting grounds to fly with Andarna

Garrick would do all the smooth talking with the parents if they are ever caught assisting their nieces and nephews.

“Relax, Xaden. I made sure to put a tracking rune on her before we helped her sneak out. Shes just south of Aretia and will be fine.”

Bodhi: “Our daughter got extra assignments today because she used inappropriate language today with a classmate. She called her, and I quote - a gryphon faced shit fuck…do you know anything about this Im?” , Imogen: “…I mean it’s technically just ‘a gryphon shit for a face’ but I’m sure it had the same impact. We’ll get it right next time.”

Also, in an alternate headcanon they end up taking care of all the younger marked ones after the war. They refuse to call it fostering, those are their babies now. Garrick gives them all the choice if they want to take either his or Imogene’s last name or keep their family names. Nearly all of them become Tavis-Cardulos

[rosemaidenvixen]

Arcadia Oaks High School Drama Department Presents: A Christmas Carol

I have no explanation for this other than it came to me in a vision and I knew it to be true. Arcadia Oaks high school puts on a play of A Christmas Carol. Who would be playing what roles and why.

First off who plays the man, the myth, the legend, the star of the show himself Ebenezer Scrooge? That would be Steve Palchuk. This isn't just because of Steve's heel turn from bully to ally (although there is some fitting poetry there) but because he has the best acting chops to pull it off. He can bark out the harshest Bah Humbugs in one scene then be practically radiant with Christmas joy in another. Steve canonically auditioned so well for the role of Captain DJ Kleb he nearly usurped the roll from the actual DJ Kleb. He's a perfect fit for playing Ebenezer.

Next up is Jim as Bob Crachet. Jim I love you but a thespian you are not. Jim an play it cool in tight situations but creating big emotions for big roles isn't his strong suit. Playing Bob Crachet works well because any nervousness he has about playing the role can be worked into the character. Plus I imagine him and Steve have a lot of fun getting into their characters and playing off each other.

Aja plays Mrs. Crachet. Not only do she and Jim work really well together and have good chemistry on set, but Aja has a great time cursing "Scrooge" for his miserly ways as part of her role. Gently teasing her boyfriend about it. Although Mrs. Janeth has lecture the two of them how Mrs. Crachet and Ebenezer Scrooge shouldn't make out in costume where audience members might spot them.

Scrooge's nephew Fred is played by Krel. He grumbled about the jokes of how his sisters boyfriend is playing his uncle "So does this make me your brother in law or your uncle in law?" "Watch it oaf" but he slowly warms to the role and throws himself playing Fred with the same enthusiasm he played DJ Kleb with.

Toby would play Marley. A small but critical role as a terrifying specter, perfect for Toby to sink his teeth into. He has a great time "scaring" Steve and haunting him for his sins.

The Ghost of Christmas Past would be played by Mary. The subdued personality of this ghost is a big change from Mary's usual bold, outgoing energy, but she enjoys the challenge and has fun playing a character who's personality is such a contrast to her own. And going over people's past misdeeds and evaluating their choices is right up the social media queen's alley.

Eli grumbles that he only got cast as younger Scrooge because he's the shortest in the grade. But he and Steve know each other so well that they're able to mimic each other's mannerisms. And with practice they're able to have their performances reflect each other perfectly.

Shannon plays the part of Belle, not a huge part but Shannon's busy dodging the embezzlement allegations, she doesn't have the time for a big role.

Seamus as Mr. Fezziwig. Nothing to say here except for that I was running out of characters.

I can see Darci playing Mrs. Fezziwig. She's shown before that she only likes performing in front of a crowd while wearing a mole costume mask. So she's happiest playing a minor role with only a few lines that mostly involves dancing.

On loan from Arcadia Oaks academy is Douxie playing the ghost of Christmas Present. Douxie is a theater kid through and through and brings big "Live in the moment" energy to his character, but also with a touch of seriousness. The knowledge that present actions affect the future. Which brings us to the next ghost.

They say that there's no small parts, only small actors. And while the role of ghost of Christmas Yet to Come might be a small, non speaking role, but Claire absolutely kills it. No lines but a strong, commanding presence that hits home just what a bleak Christmas yet to come looms ahead without uttering a single word.

(But again, no making out with Mr. Cratchet where audience members can spy them)

And of course who would play tiny Tim other than everyone's favorite changeling, Notenrique.

"God bless us, everyone,"

"Notenrique I don't care if you're the star, if you don't stop eating the fake snow I'm punting you into the trashcan!"

With all that said, happy holidays and let the show begin!

[tnbc-thoughtsandheadcanons]

Sally's Lament Review

Here is my complete review of the newly-released Disney Twisted Tales book, Sally's Lament. I will be making some comparisons to the TNBC sequel novel, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, as well as other Nightmare adaptations and Twisted Tales books I've read thus far. This book, however, will be treated as it is - a 'Twisted' Alternate-Universe take to the movie's storyline.

Spoilers below!

Overall, I loved this book, and had such a blast reading it that I ended up binging it all in one day. It is an interesting Alternate take to the question - What if Sally was the one who discovered Christmas Town? I'm so glad Nightmare was chosen to be in the Disney Twisted Tale Series, as I've always adored AU takes to my favorite film of all time - Sally's Lament being no exception.

As I usually do in my reviews, I'll be breaking it into segments, starting with:

The Writing

Mari is a wonderful writer, and I enjoyed the dialogue and characterizations in here. There is a lot of playful/friendly banter between Jack & Sally, and I actually laughed at a few scenes in this book! The comedy is on-point and the Halloween Town-like dialect from Jack and Sally is nailed to a tee. There is a great comparison you can grasp between their world and customs versus Christmas Town's.

This book does follow something similar to Shea Ernshaw's Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, where the text describes Jack Skellington having 'dark eyes' rather than eye sockets...which is a valid literary choice and all I guess, but one that still catches me off guard, nonetheless.

I've been reading a few other Disney Twisted Tales books, and the three I have read were all around 500 pages. Sally's Lament, however, only came to 352. And I think it could've benefited from another hundred or so pages - as I feel like there could've been more exploration and drama at the end to give a much more satisfying conclusion to the conflict. (More on this later, under 'Story')

Characters

Sally's Lament introduces some new characters from Christmas Town, a few minor, but here are the new major ones - Abigail, Mr. Jingles, and Sootfang.

Abigail is a porcelain doll Sally meets during her first visit to Christmas Town, one of the Christmas toys who competes in a talent show in hopes of winning a spot on Santa's sleigh to be delivered to a child. (A little bit of referencing to Rudolph with the whole 'misfit toys', I imagine!) She quickly becomes Sally's friend and aids her throughout the story.

--While reading the Twisted Tales books, it's a common trope for a new side character to come in the picture who aids our protagonist in the story. Abigail fulfills this role, even relating to Sally as a fellow doll who has an imperfection. I honestly did not think much of Abigail, but she gets an absolutely-sweet ending in the Epilogue thanks to Santa, and I thought that was nice.

Mr. Jingles is the antagonist, who serves as the Supreme Court Judge and Executioner of Christmas Town, appointed by Santa Claus himself, to sort the 'nice' and 'naughty' residents of Christmas Town. Honestly? He's not as good of a villain as Oogie Boogie is (i mean, who COULD be?), but he does serve his purpose on hunting Sally down and enforcing order in the Town. The ending to his story is pretty quick, as he is exiled from Christmas Town, and I can't really say much about his character beyond that he served his job enforcing the 'Naughty VS Nice' enforcement on the Town.

And, finally, there's Sootfang, who is a large, 'scary' charcoal creature who holds the naughty prisoners for Mr. Jingles. His true character gets revealed pretty quickly, as he is an outcast in Christmas Town for being too 'scary' and was mistreated/judged for his looks and behaviors. He relates to Jack and Sally, as well as Halloween Town, where he ends up going to and living in after the story's events. (An ending Mr. Myzer in Zero's Journey COULD HAVE gotten, but I digress..!!! *Frustrated grumbling*)

...I now realize, writing this review, that none of these characters particularly latched onto me and I almost quickly forgot two of their names after reading the book. But they serve their purpose for the story, and I'm glad to see Sally meeting and getting a new friend like Abigail. And, as always, I'm sooo open to seeing new villains in the TNBC unvierse that aren't a resurrected-Oogie Boogie.

Story

The beginning, of course, follows the movie's events up until the scene where Jack Laments in the graveyard. Here, we finally see the drastic moment that changes everything and sets in-motion this alternate-universe:

Sally leans too far against a tombstone, and reveals herself while Jack is lamenting. He sees her. She tells him she knows he feels. They have an honest conversation on the Spiral Hill, and the story ensues..! Because Sally talks with him and gets to know Jack's feelings, he doesn't end up wandering into the Hinterlands - and instead retreats back into Town. Instead, Sally gets a different premonition, and gets pulled into a game with Zero, who lures her into the Hinterlands Forest and brings her to the circle of trees.

(AKA, Zero is the catalyst of the story! You devil dog, you! <3)

We learn that the 'twisted' take on the story is during Sally's first visit into Christmas town, where the residents are forced to be 'nice' to each other at all times no matter how they feel, as they are constantly being watched/monitored/listened to. They punish any residents who make it on the naughty list, where they are taken into a bag and never heard from again.

--We later learn they are being sent to a prison to be kept under watch by the charcoal monster, Sootfang. And here's where my key criticism comes into play:

When Jack & Sally eventually make it to the cave they are trapped in, near the ending of the book, they find the place...completely bland, where everything is painted white and there is nothing there but the prisoners. They explain that the bleakness is the 'point' of the prison, to lower the Christmas spirit of the elves/creatures in there, but this just seems like...a missed opportunity to me..? Considering that -

(i.e. in the Beauty & the Beast Twisted Tale, Belle is imprisoned at some point and finds other prisoners who are being physically beaten/tortured and brutally tested on. If something like THAT can make it into the Twisted Tale Series, then I think there could've been a much bigger punishment for the 'Naughty' prisoners..?)

I feel like there wasn't much 'Twisted' or dark content in this book like there are in others of this Series. Not a single swear-word they could've slipped in. Now, before this released, I and other fans were speculating that Krampus was going to be part of the 'dark' take of this story, physically punishing the bad children and serving as the antagonist. And, honestly, he could've easily replaced Mr. Jingles in here - enforcing their expectations of the children onto their own people, and getting carried away with it. I don't know if Mari wasn't allowed to use Krampus or something -- but I think, as a known Christmas legend, he would've fit perfectly into this role, and introduced some true 'twisted' physical punishments of these people..!

(Abigail could've gotten off waaaaay worse than a crack in her leg...just think of the twisted opportunities!)

Another thing that took me out of the story was how quickly Sootfang's true character is revealed and how he immediately becomes an ally to Jack & Sally. He has very little time to serve as an actual threat to the prisoners + our protagonists, and instead he's offered an immediate redemption and shelter in Halloween Town. Mr. Jingles' ending comes pretty quickly, too, as their revolt is Sally climbing to a tree and encouraging the Christmas Town residents to free themselves. I just feel like all of this...Jack & Sally's exploration of the prison, finding some difficulty in freeing the prisoners + fighting Sootfang, bringing Mr. Jingles out of power...could've been way more detailed and twisted than it was. This is where I think an extra 100 pages could've brought us more to this conflict.

Otherwise, the story was delightful, and I will go into an explanation as to why below:

Jack X Sally

Alright. Yes. Here we go.

I have both positive and negative criticism here - but mostly good things, as this book gives us more scenes and time spent between Jack Skellington and Sally as they go on an adventure to Christmas Town together. Their friendship + chemistry develops more, they share WAY more conversations, and there is some implied mutual crushing in here.

Let me get some of my issues out of the way here first - Sally's characterization in here is quite...different, and therefore makes her interactions with Jack a little different, too. She doesn't appear to be as shy in here as we see in the movie, where Sally struggles to be around him for very long without hiding or running away from him. In here, she apparently gets super comfortable enough to start joking with Jack right away, saying things like "What makes you think I think highly of you, Jack Skellington?", etc. etc.

Now, see, I wouldn't have a problem with this if the book establishes that Jack and Sally are already good friends and have some history together. But this is kind of cancelled out when Sally meets Abigail in Christmas Town, who she says is her "very first friend". And not Jack Skellington? Who she shared a deeply personal talk and joked around with? It just doesn't seem in-character to me that Sally would be so open with someone without already knowing and feeling comfortable enough around them. This would make a lot of sense with Jack, if the book just...treated them as prior friends before they adventure out to Christmas Town together. I don't see her being this flirtatious and jokey with someone she doesn't know very well. It makes this interaction feel a little OOC to me.

I've made a post early comparing a certain line in the book to the movie, where Sally initially denies any feelings for Jack and insists she doesn't want to be with him when Abigail brings it up. Yes, she's lying to Abigail because Jack is within earshot and in the conversation she confesses she think she's in love with him, but I should reiterate that I've always seen Sally as a dreamer and a romantic, who sings about her feelings for Jack and picks forget-me-nots to see if he loves her back. She's come to terms with her love for him by the point of the movie, so for her initial reaction to be a STRONG denial of feelings for him reads a bit OOC to me. I think she would be shy about it, but not something she'd deny right away, because Jack is arguably a big part of her daydreaming and the driving force behind some of her actions. She yearns for him to reciprocate her feelings! But this is probably just a personal nitpick of mine.

So, with that out of the way, the rest of their interactions are wonderful to read through, they clearly progress more in their relationship and get comfortable with each other. The joking and flirting makes more sense as time goes on, where they share an equal liking for each other and bond over doing things in Christmas Town. I LOVED the scenes in the vents, the chimney, the eggnog quicksand, where they are forced to be close together and Jack cares for Sally and vice versa. I just love reading them adventuring and spending so much time together, as they clearly get along so well and the fact that they both understand what they're going through and could use something new in their lives (to find each other through it) is just the cherry on top of it all.

I would definitely re-read this book just for these interactions again, we aren't gifted enough with stories where Jack and Sally legitimately spend more time together, as friends or a couple. So this was a wonderful gift to receive in that direction - I just wish Sally had her shyness and romantic nature in this book. I think the two of them coming to terms with their feelings for each other and getting together in the middle of their Christmas Town adventure would have probably been good for the story. I've always felt let down with the Disney Twisted Tales books treating romance as a secondary, last-minute thing...we can surely have Jack and Sally being together AND adventuring + taking down Mr. Jingles coexisting at the same time...

I will be releasing a brief post soon elaborating more about my qualms with Sally's characterization in here. So we'll put a hold on that for now.

Summary

Overall, I enjoyed my reading of Sally's Lament. As someone who has chosen to let go of my firm headcanons + beliefs in TNBC, I'm glad I can approach an AU like this with an open mind, knowing that things will be different and authors will make literary choices that I don't agree with. This book just misses the mark on writing Sally true to her character in the movie.

But the story was a fun read and I am just glad to see Jack and Sally together for a full adventure for once, instead of favoring one or the other. Just as I was happy to see them married and being royalty in LLTPQ. Jack was the focus for video games and the movie - and Sally for recent books and comic books, but we've finally gotten something that combines them together, and it's such a wonderful thing that I wonder why most media chooses not to do it.

Ultimately, I recommend reading this if you're looking for exactly what I described above - to read Jack and Sally on an adventure together, and if you don't mind her being different from how you saw her in the movie. I don't hate this book by any means, I enjoyed my read and what it offered to me, but I do wish Sally's Lament had been longer, had a better climax + resolution, and that the lead was written as the shy, romantic dreamer that she is instead of a default Disney Princess.

What did you guys think of the book? Feel free to tell me in my Inbox, or in a reblog/reply below!

[silverseaming]

Dearest Aunt Winifred, It seems I have hardly a spare minute to write these days, but I shall always find the time to put down a few lines for you! I do so love hearing all your news from dear old Rook’s Rest, and should hate to keep you waiting for my own. Nearly all of the harvest has been gathered in now, just the last of the hay left to dry in the fields. The crop came good this year, thankfully — though I should hope so, when my husband has been working from dawn to dusk these last weeks! While they were down in Brook’s Field I went out with luncheon each day, and brought Daisy with me. I’ve never known a child with such a need to be out-of-doors! I suppose it’s only natural at that age, though I don’t remember being so eager to grub around in the soil when I was young. Perhaps you recall differently?

I could fill a whole letter with childhood remembrances, but I will spare you those in favour of recounting some recent happenings. Knowing Kit’s distaste for the town, you can well imagine my surprise when last week he had the buggy all hitched up for an outing! He insisted we send Daisy over to Mrs Miller, and was most secretive about his purpose the whole journey. I tried to coax it out of him, but he simply wouldn’t tell. Well, when we finally arrived he brought me to Christie & Son’s Furniture Emporium! It is a new business that has just opened last month, and a real fine one at that. Every day I went to Pearson’s for groceries since it opened I peered through the window, but never did I think I would step foot inside! Everything on offer was absolutely exquisite, all silks and polished wood. I convinced that we couldn’t afford a thing, but Kit insisted I need not worry about all that, and we did have a very good harvest indeed. No other woman must have such an indulgent husband, as he agreed with all my choices and let me bring home a lovely few pieces.

The work was completed in about a week, and I feel like a queen in my palace! This little farmhouse has become so dear to my heart, and is all the sweeter for its redecoration. Kit says he now has the prettiest home and prettiest wife in Brindleton, but he’s a terrible flatterer! I have since tried to elicit his motivations in all of this, but have got no better answer than ‘Is my wife not meant to have nice things?’. I shall let him keep his secrets. I do hope that all has been as good at Rook’s Rest as it has here. As always my most affectionate love to all of you! You are always in my thoughts, and I cannot wait for the day we can make the journey out to introduce you to Daisy. Your Loving, Meg

[ninacarstairss]

an incomplete list of things that will make me go feral if they’re included in the movie:

alex pulling henry in the red room and “impugning his virtue” against a painting of alexander hamilton and amy out the door pretending not to know what that horny little bitch of fsotus is up to

henry offering to get out of alex’s life to make it easier for him and alex brushing it off, only to realise later what henry was truly offering him and how stupid he was not to see it

oscar talking to alex at the lake house. oscar seeing him and accepting him. alex looking at henry, nora and june (yes i know she’s not in the movie just let me dream. he can be looking at henry, nora and pez too) and feeling like his world is complete. the night on the porch swing. sometimes you just jump and hope it’s not a cliff. the night in the lake. the little stone of certainty alex feels in his chest as he’s making breakfast.

yeah so just the lake house part

uma thurman delivering a power point presentation about dating the prince of england and alex running out when she brings up protections and pamphlets

jesus, could you stop being an obtuse fucking asshole for, like, twenty seconds?

so glad you flew here to insult me—

i fucking love you, okay?

the issue of le monde that henry keeps on his nightstand from the first time they woke up together

i want you. then fucking have me—

alex waking up in kensington in an empty bed, henry coming back, looking at alex and going “your hair in the morning is truly a wonder to behold” before making the world’s best declaration of love

“When he got older, he learned about love as a strange thing that could fall apart no matter how badly you wanted it, a choice you make anyway. He never imagined it'd turn out he was right both times.” there is like a 0,1% chance of this making it into the movie but i have this tattooed on my skin and it would be so perfect to see it on screen

alex saying in front of the fucking queen that he wants henry’s children

henry rambling about art and history in the v&a and alex pulling him into a kiss because he just loves him so much

i’m taking a picture of a national gay landmark. and also a statue

alex panicking about henry having to enlist

shaan having to dislodge philip from the chandelier when henry comes out to him

i’ve been gay as a maypole since i came out of mum, philip

henry’s obsession with jaffa cakes and mr wobbles

the memories email. I took that down to the gardens. I pressed it into the leaves of a silver maple and recited it to the Waterloo Vase. It didn't fit in any rooms.

alex being a brat about the turkeys “put them in my room put them in my room put them in my room”

And then, inexplicably, you had the absolute audacity to love me back. Can you believe it?

alex calling henry at christmas and telling him all about his family drama and henry simply telling him that he did his best, the only thing he really needed to hear

most things in this world are awful . but you are good

alex’s list of things he loves about henry (especially points 16 to 18)

henry writing down the list in the email and then calling henry anyway because he knows he likes to have these things written down but he needs to talk to him

alex kissing henry in front of a giambologna

Sería una mentira, porque no sería el.

the drunk bad metaphors about maps email

alex being summoned by the president after the email leaks and ellen just asking him “are you okay?”

alex’s whole family being there for him after the email leaks, hugging him through a panic attack and allowing him to be himself after a traumatic event that had to be dealt with in a strategic political way

or so help me God I will personally make your balls into fucking earrings. zahra you fucking queen

the call from the plane. “sweetheart” he hears henry’s exhale over the line. “hi love. are you okay?”

alex and henry running to hug each other as soon as alex gets to kensington

i won’t lie. not about you. alex and henry saying at the same moment that they want to do this, they want to tell the truth, because lying about this is not an option

the little touches between them. whether it’s holding hands beneath a buchkingham palace table or hugging in a closed room or pressing a knee agains the other in a public place, because that is a tether, a gravity that makes the world make sense

bea’s speech about grief and how it’s like a pie. i want to cry really hard

numbers on one of us getting involved in a sex scandal before the end of second term?

henry sticking out his chin in that defiant way

I love him, with all that, because of all that. On purpose. I love him on purpose.

"Plus we banged it our last night” shaan and zahra being a power couple

bea dumping the tea pot on philip and going “all that cocaine i did must have really done a job on my reflexes!”

the han and leia mural

dc dykes on bikes chasing protesters

To you, specifically, I say: I see you. I am one of you. As long as I have a place in this White House, so will you. I am the First Son of the United States, and I'm bisexual. History will remember us.

alex’s face being plastered on chocolate bars and thongs with henry’s after the royal suitor photos

henry telling alex he’s opening the queer shelters worlwide. henry telling alex he bought a brownstone in brooklyn

the flashbacks to election night 2016 when alex saw zahra crying and all those women taking in the moment their first madam president was elected

alex and henry biking through austin, alex opening the door to his childhood home with henry by his side

a little flash forward into their future and alex calling henry the love of his life, henry choosing the place for a credenza in his brownstone, going on vacations together and falling in love all over again, savouring their time together with no fear of getting caught, june and nora finally kissing and alex being shook at pez’s comment, henry realising he doesn’t want to ever go back, henry listening to alex talk to his mum about marriage when he has also bought a ring, henry and alex buying a house far from the public eye, having the quiet life they never had, june subletting the brownstone to be closer to pez and nora, “you and me”

[swordlux]

"It Was Always You." | Erwin / Levi x Reader | Choose-Your-Own-Ending Love Triangle ~ Chapter 1

The year since joining the Scouts had been nothing you could’ve expected. Within a month, you’d gained a spot on the elite Captain Levi’s team, and from there, your efforts had caught the eye of the well-respected Commander Erwin. Though your adventures had opened your eyes to many things, never did you expect how deeply you’d fall in with two of the walled city’s most notorious figures.

Join me for this short re-imagining of the canon with you in a love triangle with these two amazing men!

***

NOTE: This is a choose-your-own ending. It starts with you and Erwin getting steamy, but then you can decide if you'd like to stay loyal or go with Levi. This is long-u so if you'd like to keep reading please follow the links at the end of each chapter or refer to my masterlist! And no, sorry, there are no threesomes. Hope you enjoy <3

Chapter 1

The Field

The year since joining the Scouts had been nothing you could’ve expected. Within a month, you’d gained a spot on the elite Captain Levi’s team, and from there, your efforts had caught the eye of the well-respected Commander Erwin. Though your adventures had opened your eyes to many things, never did you expect how deeply you’d fall in with two of the walled city’s most notorious figures.

***

You stood in the field, sweat dripping down your back. The rest of the scouts were gathered. You were doing some “voluntary” weeding for the local widow, Mrs. Winstley. Though by voluntary, you meant you were being forced by Miss Historia. Since becoming queen, the girl had been ordering you to do some ridiculous stuff. You didn’t mind it. It gave you a chance to feel normal between all the titan slaying. However, even after a year of following commands, you still didn’t like being forced into doing things.

You wiped the sweat off your forehead and looked to where Levi was struggling with a patch of weeds nearby.

Your captain, who was usually competent at anything he took to, was having an uncharacteristically hard time. His muscles bulged against his white shirt, which was stained with sweat, and as he stood, you saw exhaustion pouring into his sharp features.

When he noticed you watching, he gave up his battle and threw you a pained smile.

You waved and went over to your prevailing captain and friend.

Levi Ackerman was a curious man. Dark-haired, intelligent, with reflexes and skill that left you speechless every time you got to witness them. He was also surprisingly kind, something that had allowed you to get closer to him over the year. Even after a tough battle, you could count on him to be a comfort. Simply, his presence had a wholesome, heartwarming effect.

Today, watching him sweat over something so menial had a laugh at your throat before you even approached him.

“How’s it going?” he said, the strain in his voice barely contained your captain’s distress.

“Not bad, how about you?”

In response, Levi made a face that would’ve shocked the rest of the scouts to see.

You let the laugh go from your throat. Seeing Levi’s goofy side was rare, but it was something you had the pleasure of experiencing more often these days. Over the year Levi had been slowly opening up to you, and every time you got to see more, the more you wanted to know.

“Are you still meeting with Hange today?” he said eventually, exhaustion still coating his voice.

“Do I have a choice?” You mimicked his earlier face.

Levi let out a short but effective laugh—something else that would’ve shocked the rest of the scouts to see. “Guess not,” he said. “Well, you better get going then. Don’t want to keep Hange waiting.” Levi placed a hand on your head, and something like water grew in the air between you. His steel eyes sparkled as he looked at you. “See you around?”

You returned his smile and tried not to melt into water yourself. “See you around.”

You were on your way out when you ran into the second man who had gained your attention this year.

Captain Erwin cut an impressive golden figure in the field. Even with his recently lost arm, he carried the aura of two men. He watched over the proceedings with the usual serious look on his face. The only thing that betrayed his true feelings was the death grip he had on his sleeve that he held behind his back. You knew that grip meant he was entertaining less-than-pleasant thoughts about this whole situation. Again, it was something only you picked up on. And again, it was something that had you laughing to yourself as you walked up to him.

“Hey,” you said.

“Hey, (M/C),” Erwin released his grip on his sleeve. His deep voice warmed you like the sun as his sky-blue eyes turned to you. “Doing well?”

“Sort of… Hange has me helping with some experiments. I’m just about to go see what that’s about.”

“Sounds like a tough predicament you’ve got yourself in there. Would you like me to lend you some specially licensed ODM gear?” Those blue eyes looked at you for a moment.

It took you a moment longer to catch on. You were still getting used to the dry way the commander laid out his jokes, and by that point, you were already fighting the bodily reactions that occurred from being under such an intense gaze.

It was the commander’s charming sort of awkwardness more than the joke that eventually made you laugh.

“I think I’ll be okay,” you said. “I appreciate the concern, though.”

He nodded. “Anytime. By the way, I’ve been hoping to pick your mind about something. Do you have time to stop by this evening?” In the sunlight, Erwin glistened like a figure shaped from heaven. It was hard to believe anyone saw a devil in the man.

“Sure,” you said.

“Perfect.” A smile interrupted the commander’s chiselled features. “(M/C), it was nice chatting with you.”

You nodded and made your way out. As you did his grip returned to his sleeve.

You smiled as you looked back on the two men. Amid hell, you’d somehow found a place of heaven.

*** Breaktime - Levi

Levi was sitting outside when you returned to your home base later that afternoon.

His eyebrows were furrowed in that troubled way they got. You guessed he’d been staring at that exact spot in the sky for the past hour.

As you approached, his grey eyes turned to you, the storms still swirling in them.

“Something on your mind?” you said as you sat beside him.

“Ah, always. But it’s alright now that you’re here.” He made space. The tension on his face relaxed. He gave you a smile that caused a storm to stir in your insides. “How did your experiments with Hange go?”

“Not bad. I was mostly there to observe. I don’t know why Hange thinks I’m Eren’s nurse-maid or something.”

“You’re good with him.” He patted you on the head. “By the way, have you thought about Erwin’s offer yet?”

Your stomach turned. It was something you were hoping to avoid. Recently, Erwin offered you the opportunity to be captain of a squad. Though it was one of the highest honours any soldier could be bestowed, you'd been feeling like turning it down. You’d found a family on Levi’s squad, and that was more important to you than anything. You didn’t mind hanging back in the ranks if it meant you got to spend more time with the people you cared about. You weren’t sure how to tell Erwin this yet. The thought of disappointing the commander also made you uncomfortable.

Levi saw the expression on your face and decided to drop the subject. “Well, I guess it won’t matter. Two days from now, we might not even have squads to command.” As his gaze returned to the sky, the stress lines reappeared on his face.

��You’re worried about the battle?”

Levi was rarely nervous, but his doubts in this situation were understandable. It was something that had been in the air, on everyone’s minds. Two days from now, you’d be taking over Wall Maria. If everything went well, there would be hope for humanity like never before. But if you failed, you not only risked losing more of your comrades, but you risked humanity never being able to make progress again. You risked extinction.

The feeling of terror was worse now that the number of people you needed to see return was growing. Worser still was that your care for two particular men had bloomed into something so profound that you couldn’t bear to have it ripped from you.

You looked at Levi and realized you would sell your soul to see him return safely.

Levi looked at you with an expression that reflected everything you were feeling. “Hey,” he said, sincerity leaking into his sonorous voice. “Promise you won’t die?”

“Only if you promise the same.” You and Levi locked eyes. In the air was a buzzing of feelings you couldn’t decipher. You’d known for a while now that what you felt for your captain was love, but what kind of love was it? And would you have a chance to find out?

It was at that moment that a commotion started in the kitchen. You could hear Sasha screaming something about “stealing the last potato” and Jean rebutting with something about “doing the right thing”.

Levi smirked, but regret twinkled in his eyes. “Guess we have to check on our children.”

“Guess so.”

As Levi stood, he looked at you one more time. His expression wavered, and vulnerability leaked into his words. “Tomorrow, Hange and them are throwing a banquet or something for all the scouts. While that’s happening, do you think… would you have time to spend with me?”

Just like that, a flock of butterflies released in your stomach. “Of course,” you said.

Levi smiled. It was as honest as a kitten’s purr, and your insides melted into butter.

“Good, I look forward to it. Now, let’s hope these brats haven’t made too much of a mess.”

***

The Office - Erwin

If Erwin Smith was being honest, asking you about his plan for the upcoming battle was an excuse. It was an excuse he didn’t realize was an excuse until you were standing there in his room.

Now, as he watched you, with your radiant smile and vibrant presence warming up his office, he realized that what he really wanted was this moment—having you alone.

You stood beside his desk, looking down at his notes. From where he was seated, he couldn’t help but notice the fine way your body angled toward him as you bent over to look at the documents. Since you’d stepped beside his desk and into his auric field, Erwin couldn’t ignore the tingling beginning in his legs and travelling up his core.

The commander had always found you attractive, but situations had made it so those attractions had room to breathe. Now, with you here alone in his office, he was suffocated by them. He felt the presence of your body as if it had a magnetic field. He noticed the proximity of your hips to his and the closeness of the hairs on your arm that would be so easy to stroke. He felt the ghost of his right arm incredibly at that moment; if it weren’t for the missing member, he would’ve probably already attempted to touch you.

“I think it’s perfect,” you said, your hips tilting slightly as you leaned over to read through his plans once more.

Erwin swallowed. How easy it would be to pull you into his lap… “Is there anything you would change?” he asked.

“It all sounds good to me. You’re a genius, Erwin.” You looked at Erwin, and the commander was struck double—one by the compliment and two by the way your eyes were glowing with the fire of admiration.

It started a pounding in his heart that amplified all the previous sensations he was feeling. “Thank you,” he said. “I always value your opinion.”

The commander watched the blush spread to your cheeks like a rose blooming in spring. Had his arm closest to you still been attached, he would’ve reached out to touch your cheek.

“I don’t feel like I’m much help,” you continued, your lips pursing as you turned away in shame.

Erwin wanted to reach out and stroke the insecurity from your face. “You are more help than you would ever know, (M/C),” he said. “You bring a lot to the scouts. I’m glad you’re here. Truly.”

It was the most honest thing he’d said in a while. You always knew the right thing to say to make him feel better. You were intelligent, but you didn’t flaunt it, and when you did add your opinion, it was always the exact thing he needed to hear. You were aware of things in a way others weren’t. Simply your agreement with him made him feel better about everything. Knowing you believed in what he saw made him feel as if he was actually doing something right, and was not just some lunatic driving everyone to their deaths. You made him feel human. And that in itself was a comfort.

“I feel the same about you,” you said. Your eyes watered with vulnerability as you looked at Erwin. “It makes it really easy to continue moving forward when there is someone like you at the top of it all.”

Erwin’s heart pounded. He gazed into your eyes and felt a terrifyingly new promise of hope. Along with it was a feeling he’d never thought he’d have—a feeling of wanting something more than the dream he had been chasing his whole life.

It took everything for him to stay seated and not defeat the gap between you.

“Thank you, (M/C),” he said. He tried to swallow, but all the saliva to do so was gone. A silence held for a moment, and then Erwin asked, “So, how have you been? Really?”

You breathed out a sigh.

As Erwin watched your body relax, he thought again of how easy it would be to pull you onto his lap.

“Good,” you said. “Almost too good. It scares me a bit, if I’m being honest.”

“I think I can relate to that feeling.” The truth is the commander understood too well. Especially in this moment, with you looking at him, his heart rising to something close to exaltation.

Erwin watched your chest rise and fall and wondered if you were feeling the same.

“Have you given thought to my offer?”

An expression of guilt flashed over your face. Erwin felt you instantly pull away.

“I… Yes, I have,” you started. You started to shift away from him as you spoke. “It honours me that you would consider me for the position. It really does, Erwin. But..”

A silence hung after your words, and Erwin understood.

“You want to remain with Levi.”

That look in your eyes was all he needed to know.

Erwin leaned back in his chair to ease the pain in his chest. “I understand,” he said. “These are trying times. It makes sense you’d want to spend it with the people you care about the most.” His lungs squeezed as he said it. He wanted you to correct him—to tell him Levi was just a friend and there were other reasons you wanted to stay on his squad. And that the expression on your face was not what he thought it was.

A lump grew in his throat. What started as a passionate ringing in his head droned into a headache.

He wanted you to correct him, but he already knew. As the commander of the scouts, Erwin Smith was trained at reading the plays of a battle in the heat of a moment—so of course he could read the feelings growing between you and his most talented recruit over time.

He understood, but still… “If you ever change your mind, the offer is always there. I think you’d make a great leader,” he said, his throat dryer than the imagined deserts in the lands beyond the walls.

“Thank you, Erwin.”

He expected you to leave after that, but you remained at his side. He hated the rush of hope that flooded him because of it.

Erwin Smith was a pro at planning things to work out to his advantage, but he was also a pro at living in the moment, and more often than not, it was chances that led him to victory. So why not take one now?

“(M/C),” he said. “Would you like to join me for a drink?” ***

Thank you for reading to the end of chapter one! If you'd like to continue onto chapter two where you get smutty with Erwin, please click continue reading below. Much love! Continue Reading...

[imagineanime2022]

They Realise They Are In Love With You

Kiro X Reader, Gavin X Reader, Victor X Reader, Lucien X Reader, Shaw X Reader

Requested: Anon

Request: Headcanons of how Victor, Shaw, Kiro, Lucien, and Gavin would realise their feelings for reader?

Kiro

🎤 Kiro had always found it easy to get along with people, it was part of his job after all but actually making friends with someone was something that was far more difficult, when he met you for work (you designed a lot of his looks) he realized that there might be something more when he actually looked forward to working with you. 🎤 “Are you short-sighted or far-sighted?” “Huh?” “I’ve seen you wear glasses in your dressing room and around set short or far?” “Short.” “Will having your glasses in your outfit help?” “Yeah… Actually, that would be really helpful.” 🎤 No one had ever asked his opinion about anything to do with his career, he often had to demand things, but they were never usually made with him in mind. Her was forced to cut things out of his diet and you would often supply him with the snacks he missed while he was in the chair  🎤 The moment he realised that he was in love with you was the moment that he realised that you protected him more than you did yourself.

No matter how close Kiro was with someone he always worried about that chance that they would betray him so whenever he heard a team member's name on the news or saw their name in print, he worried that something about him had been sold to the media. It was one of the days that he had been told to rest up, he was lying across his sofa scrolling through his phone, some movie playing in the background, his eyes fell on the report that centered around you and him. There were pictures of the two of you outside of work, you had been spending more time together and it seemed that you weren’t being as discreet as he had hoped.

Kiro quickly skimmed the article and found that you had refused to talk to anyone, there was a short video attached to the article that showed their attempts at interviewing you and much to Kiro displeasure that were more than a little bit physical, he almost begged for you to tell them something so that they would leave you alone, the video ended with you seeming to get away from them but that wasn’t good enough for him, he threw on some clothes and headed to your place to check on you.

He knocked on the door and waited for you to answer, when you opened the door your eyes widened “I was just about to call you.” You informed him, his eyes moving over your body looking for any indication of injury. “I’m sorry about that article I haven’t ruined anything for you have I?” 

“What?” He asked eyes moving back to connect with yours as he stepped closer “you haven’t ruined anything, are you hurt?” He asked.

“Hurt?” You asked.

“I saw the video, they pushed you around a little bit, are you hurt?” He explained as he took your hands looking over them, it was then that he saw the brace on your wrist. “You are hurt.” 

“Just a sprain, I’ll be fine.” You promised and he frowned, it was here in this moment that he realised how important you are to him, he hated seeing you hurt and he never wanted to leave you if this was what was going to happen.

“I promise I’m never going to let this happen again, you’re too important.” He said as you laughed and stepped to the side allowing him in.

“Kiro, there are other costume designers and hair and makeup specialists.” You reminded him.

“I know that but that’s not what I meant.” He said as he gently took your face in his hand. “You're important in a different way.” He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead. “Don’t worry I’ll show you and while you didn’t say anything you leant into his touch not at all deterred by the kiss he pressed to your head.

Gavin 

🍃 Gavin is one of the most emotionally constipated people you will ever meet, mostly because he doesn’t see why anyone would ever want him. You never understood that he was kind and protective. Anyone would be crazy to let him go. 🍃 When you first became friends he was sure that you were going to disappear from his life when you realised that he wasn’t all that interesting but no matter what he talked about you always seemed fascinated. 🍃 “I’ll be home soon” “Good I miss you, be careful.” “I always am, see you later.” “See you later, love you.”  🍃 You and Gavin had been dating for a month and he hadn’t said that he loved you despite the fact you reminded him that you loved him every day. He had been on a pretty long mission and expected to go home and crash on the sofa, he had completely forgotten that he had given you a key in case you went out and his place was closer than yours.

Gavin kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag on the floor, he walked into the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat before heading off to bed if he even made it that far. Gavin opened his fridge and frowned, he swore it was more stocked up than it had been when he left, he noticed the small tupperware box with a note on it and took it out ‘dinner… I know that you won’t eat otherwise. - (Y/N)’. He gave a soft chuckle before taking the food and putting it in the microwave to heat up. As he waited for his food to heat up he realised that the TV was still playing in the living room, he walked into the living room to see you asleep on the sofa, he walked over to you and crouched in front of you gently moving your hair from your face. Your eyes fluttered open and you smiled softly “your back.” You said softly.

“What are you doing out here?” He asked.

“Well, I was waiting for you, I wanted to make sure that you were okay when you got back and I fell asleep out here I guess.” You answered with a shrug.

“Why don’t you go to the bedroom, you can change into one of my shirts if you want… I’ll be there in a minute.” He suggested and you shook your head. 

“I don’t want to intrude, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.” You stretched and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Gavin asked.

“Home.” You answered.

“Right… You're not doing that.” He argued as he watched you rub your eyes and yawn again and he realised just how much he loved you “I love you but that’s the stupidest idea you’ve ever had.” 

“Huh?” You asked.

“It's almost 2am and I'm not letting you go home.” He finally said and you sighed before sitting back on the sofa, he walked into the kitchen grabbing his food from the microwave, when he walked back in and sat down next to you, he started eating, it wasn’t long before you fell asleep, he glanced over at your sleeping face and smiled before pressing a kiss to your forehead and carrying you to bed with him.

Yeah he was sure that he loved you, you were the one that had taken his heart and he’d do anything to protect you.

Victor 

⌚ Victor liked to pretend that he had no time for things like love and so he never looked for it but as we all know Victor liked to bend the truth in his favour. ⌚ You appeared in Victor's life very abruptly, and his love for you developed in the same manner. He doesn’t know for sure when his feelings changed when you changed from an annoying coworker to an ideal partner in work and in life. ⌚ Victor was hard to please, he was aware of this, so he found it impressive that you had managed to make yourself the main focus of his day when he was actively trying to concentrate on something else. ⌚ “Hello?” “I swear I’m on my way, I’m just running a little bit late.” “Mm, are you okay?” “Y-yeah I’m just around the corner.” “You're lucky that I don’t have any meetings after this. I’ll wait.” 

Goldman led you to Victor's office like you hadn’t been there a million times but this time he was a little worried about you, you were wearing a face mask and you looked a little frazzled “are you sure you're okay?” He asked for what must have been the 3rd or 4th time.

“Yeah… I just have to attend this meeting then I’ll go home and rest up.” You nodded and he sighed.

“Maybe you can tell him that you're not well.” He suggested.

“I can’t postpone this, if I do we can start the new project, at least I can trust the others to get started on planning even if I’m sick.” You explained.

“This is going to end terribly.” Goldman mumbled to himself as he knocked on the door announcing your arrival and then allowing you into the office.

“You had better have a brilliant presentation considering you're late.” Victor said as he continued writing on the documents in front of him before stacking them and putting them to the side.

“Sorry about that.” You said after clearing your throat and handing him the report he had requested before sitting in front of his desk ready to start the meeting. Victor finally looked up at you and frowned. 

“What’s wrong with you?” He asked.

“What?” You asked.

“Are you sick?” He asked, glancing at the face mask and your droopy eyes. He stood from his seat walking around the desk to put his hand over the top of your head “you have a fever. What are you doing out of bed?” 

“We had a meeting.” You mumbled, he shook his head.

“Idiot.” He muttered, as he crouched next to you “it doesn’t matter how important the meeting is the only way that you are going to be able to run your company efficiently is if you are taken care of.” He pulled you from the seat effortlessly.

“I can get home myself.” You informed him “you shouldn't be this close to me, you might get sick.” 

“You can’t get home on your own, you clearly need someone to take care of you dummy.” He muttered.

Victor took you back to his place so that he could keep an eye on you, he was working at his desk in his bedroom every time that you moved he worried, his eyes watching you until you settled again, he knew that he’d have to wake you in a moment to get you to eat something and take some medicine. He realised that he really couldn’t wait for you to get better he hated how quiet you were, he’s never cared for someone like this and as he made the soup that he was going to give to you he knew that he loved you and there was nothing else that he could do but tell you when you were well enough to understand.

Lucien 

🔬 You were just a neighbour for a long while, that is until one night when he bumped into you and you started talking. You started leaving small meals and presents on special occasions when you noticed that he started early and ended late. 🔬 His real interest in you started when you asked him what he did for work and immediately called him out on the lie. 🔬 “You’re a liar.” “Excuse me?” “Well you bend the truth, the lab isn’t your only work is it?” “What’s gotten you so curious, hmm?” “Don’t dodge the question.” “I can’t answer that right now… Will you wait until I can?” 🔬 Lucien should have moved after that conversation, it wouldn’t have taken much to distance himself from you, but he never did. He told himself that it was curiosity, a scientific experiment but the truth is he fell for you that day, it just took far longer for him to realise it.

The problem rose when those in Black Swan noticed Lucien’s distraction, he wasn’t completely dedicated to his mission anymore and you were the problem. You were going to be easy to get rid of so they sent two agents to make you disappear. You had been at home cooking when there was a knock at your door, you walked over to the door opening it, you didn’t even get halfway through opening it before it was kicked, knocking you back and causing you to let out a noise of pain. “(Y/N) (L/N)?” One of the men in front of you asked.

“She's nothing special.” the other said “guess she won’t be that difficult to get rid of.”

“Is that what you thought?” You all looked behind them and saw Lucien standing at your door “I heard you cry out and thought I’d check on you.”

“Lucien?” You asked as he lifted his hand a force field appearing around you

“You will leave her be.” Lucien ordered and they looked at you before looking at him.

“Hades ordered-” 

“Do you value your life?” Lucien asked. They both nodded “then I suggest you leave now! And you tell Hades to talk to me if he has a problem with this.” They both back away as Lucien stood the side allowing them both to leave before he moved over to you the force field flickering away as he took your face in his hands. “Did they harm you?” 

“What is going on?” You asked.

“My other job comes with some danger.” He answered.

“What did they come looking for me?” You asked.

“It seems that you’ve distracted me more than I thought.” He answered as he helped you stand one hand still bracketing your face.

“I… What?” You asked.

“The time I’ve been spending with you, has not gone unnoticed by those I work with.” He explained. “There’s something about you that makes me want to spend all of my time with you.” 

“Lucien?” You asked.

“I’ll explain everything some other time all you need to know for now is that you are the most important thing to me, I need you to be safe, will you promise that you’ll stay safe?” He asked.

“I promise Lucien.” You nodded “I promise.” 

Shaw

🛹 Shaw literally bumped into you on the way around the Uni campus but after that interaction he noticed you everywhere that he went. 🛹 “Are you following me?” “What?” “You’re everywhere I am, are you following me?” “Honestly I don’t even know your name, lady.” “(Y/N).” “Huh?” “Names (Y/N).” “Shaw.” “See you round stalker.” “I’m not stalking you.”  🛹 Shaw enjoyed a joke so every chance he got he jumped out on you and before long you were close friends, he helped you study and flaunted his amazing grades in your face all the time. 🛹 He realised that you might be more than a friend when you were selected to go to another country for study purposes and you went, he wasn’t going with you and the whole time that you weren’t there he was insufferable and he would not admit that it was because he missed you.

You were getting off the plane when you realised how much you missed home, you took your phone out of airplane mode and texts started coming through from Shaw informing you that he had managed to get hold of a car to come pick you up, you smiled at the message before informing him that you were getting your bags.

The moment that you walked out of the gate, his eyes were on you, you waved at him and he walked over taking a bag from you and wrapping an arm around your shoulder, he surprised you by leaning down and whispering “missed you more than I thought I would.” 

“I missed you too.” You admitted and he took your hand leading you back to the car. You both settled in the car and for a second it was quiet, Shaw had music playing in the background but it was comfortable. “Oh!” 

“What?” Shaw asked glancing at you.

“I picked up some sweets that we can try together when we get back to the dorms.” You said as you pulled out packets a huge smile on your face.

“You are so cute sometimes.” He smiled as he took your hand in his.

“Did you just call me cute?” You asked. “Did something happen while I was gone?” 

“I realised something, that's all.” He answered.

“What?” You asked.

“I know that you can figure that out.” He teased.

“What? Can you atleast give me a clue?” You asked.

“Mm.” He hummed, he stopped at the red light leaning over to you and pressing a quick yet passionate kiss to your lips. “There.” 

“Umm.” Your face was completely red as you stayed frozen in your seat. “Is this a joke?”

“Would it be better if it was?” He asked.

“I would be a pretty bad joke.” You informed him and he smirked.

“Lucky it’s not a joke.” He squeezed the hand that he was holding and continued home.

Request Here!!

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Victor’s Difficult Problem Date (Eng Translation)

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 难题之约, that is yet to be released in the global server! ♡

[Translation Under the Cut]

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

✧ [Chapter 1] ✧

The delicate snow falls silently outside the window, and the fire in the fireplace burns warm.

I curl up on the sofa with the computer in my arms, faced with a screen full of red documents, and I can’t help scratching my hair.

After typing a line, my brows wrinkle into a frown, and I delete it again. Having done this back-and-forth several times, I finally can’t resist any longer and knock on the door to the study holding the laptop in my arms.

Victor: What’s wrong?

Victor is busy reading the reports in the study. As the end of the year draws nearer, he has numerous matters to deal with.

Fuming, I place my laptop on top of his reports and point to his countless red annotations, my hand clenched into a fist.

MC: Victor, what on earth do you really want from the LFG New Year’s Eve party?

MC: Why, after modifying five editions, you still made the annotation that I “lack inventiveness?”

Hearing my series of “accusations,” Victor shoots a glance at his own annotations, but his face remains calm and breezy.

Victor: You are the one who fought for wanting to plan LFG’s New Year’s Eve event. A certain someone patted her chest, assuring me that it’s gonna be a big eye-opener for me.

Victor: Furthermore, as Party A, I’ve already clearly told you about my requirements in the annotations.

MC: But you haven’t made your requirements absolutely clear! What did you mean by “the theme is too strong and not sufficiently soft”?

MC: I remember that before this, the theme you decided for the annual meeting was “blooming magnificently, and unstoppable.” And it wasn’t that soft either…

–

[Tidbits]: There’s an interesting little wordplay here ahah~ LFG’s actual name in Chinese is “HuaRuì.” The theme Victor decided on was “华丽绽放 (Huálì zhànfàng), 锐不可当 (Ruìbùkědāng).” So if you take the first characters of each phrase, you get “华锐 (HuaRuì)”~

–

I protest with dissatisfaction, but Victor only lifts his eyes indifferently.

Victor: Being LFG’s Party B is not that easy. Since you’ve dared to do it, you must be prepared to welcome the difficulties as well.

He picks up the red bunny cup and takes a sip of his coffee, his gaze landing on me unhurriedly.

Victor: Besides, don’t you often say that I’m an evil capitalist?

Victor: Capitalists are like this. They only put forward their demands; they don’t tell you how you are to get it done.

MC: ...

Victor’s words cause me to feel even more depressed. I can’t help but take a step forward and pin him down in his seat, staring at him with a condescending gaze.

MC: And do you know what’s the thing every Party B wants to do the most?

Victor: [in an extremely small voice]  What?

He looks at me with an inquisitive gaze while lifting his hand to my side to protect me from accidentally bumping against the table.

MC: That is to tie up Party A and “silence” them.

I make a vicious gesture of slashing his neck, but Victor seizes the opportunity to reach out and draws me into his arms, breathing in my breath.

Victor: [that precious, indulgent laugh]  Even if you want to “silence” me, a certain dummy must do what she’s promised me.

Victor: It’s the fundamental attainment of being the Party B.

MC: …

He doesn’t seem inclined to tell me any more information than this. Regardless, he still patiently accompanies me as I “vent” my dissatisfaction.

But then, my gaze suddenly sweeps over the thick piles of documents stacked on his desk. It seems that Victor’s year-end work is even busier compared to mine.

Heaving a sigh, I let go of my hand that is draped over Victor’s shoulders. I then stand up and pick up my laptop, deciding that I should better push harder on this on my own.

But I haven’t taken more than a few steps when I hear Victor’s voice resounding behind me.

Victor: Wait.

I turn around and find Victor looking at me, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Victor: This “evil” Party A still has a bit of human warmth within him. What do you want for a New Year’s gift?

Blinking, I ask to sound out.

MC: Will you say yes to any request?

Victor: Anything, you name it.

Given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, my eyes light up immediately. This being the case, I also deliberately want to make things difficult for Victor, to have him try out the torment of demands.

After pondering for a moment, I slowly nuzzle up to him, pick up a pen, and write down my request.

Victor looks at the words on the paper, and his brows arch down into a rare frown.

Victor: [reading the note]  “...the most solid, yet the softest thing in the world.”

Victor: Did you get inspired by the prismatic black, or are you taking revenge on me for the annotations I made earlier?

I give him a mischievous smile, mimicking his tone from just a moment ago.

MC: I’ve already clearly told you about my requirements. As for how you are to get it done––

MC: That will depend on CEO Victor’s fundamental attainment as Party B~

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 2] ✧

MC: Where’s CEO Victor? I’ve come to have him review LFG’s annual meeting proposal. Why isn’t he in the office?

Goldman: The CEO is at the shareholders’ year-end general meeting. It will be over soon. He said that if you arrive before he is done, just wait for him in the office.

MC: Okay, got it.

But after waiting for quite a while, there is still no sign of Victor. Thereupon, I can’t help but get up and wander around.

While fiddling with the ornaments on Victor’s desk, I suddenly see a couple of advertisement brochures that are pressed down by the report forms.

I can vaguely see the names on them. Most of them are about introduction to jewelry customization, and there are even recommendation lists on diamonds.

Why would Victor personally collect so many advertisement brochures… amid my puzzlement, a flicker of light suddenly appears before me, and I remember the request I had previously made.

Some vague conjectures emerge in my mind, and I can’t help but tug the corners of my lips upwards.

Although jewelry is the most solid of all, it’s certainly not the softest. It seems that “Party B,” too, is unable to comprehend my demand.

After a while, Victor returns. I immediately hand him the proposal and pat my chest, brimming with confidence.

MC: Reporting to CEO Victor, I’m very confident that the proposal will get approved this time!

He raises his eyebrows at my words, casually picking up my proposal.

Victor: Oh. I’ve already heard a certain someone’s “big speech” five times now. I hope that you will be able to deliver on your words this time.

MC: Affirmative!

The office is extremely quiet. The only sound that can be heard is the rustling sound of Victor flipping through the proposal.

It’s not until he’s finished reading the last page that he lifts his head to look at me, and I nervously swallow a gulp.

Victor: Mm, you’ve done a great job. It seems that you finally understood the annotations of “Party A.”

Victor: I’ve changed the hotel location to where the annual meeting was held. Aside from that, there is no other problem with this.

MC: Great!

I breathe a long sigh of relief, so immersed in the joy of the proposal being approved smoothly that I don’t concern myself with why Victor has changed the hotel location.

Victor stares at me, who is cheering jubilantly, a little hint of contemplation flitting through his eyes. He then walks up to me and takes my hand in his.

Victor: Work is over. Let’s go. It’s time to get off work and return home.

–

It’s not until I’m sitting in the car that I think about the advertisement brochures I’ve seen on Victor’s desk earlier.

I glance at Victor, who is driving, and can’t help myself from coughing lightly, beating about the bush.

MC: Umm, now that the proposal is approved, it suggests that New Year’s Eve is about to knock on the door.

Victor: Mm, and?

Victor has always been familiar with my pattern, so he takes my words from where I left off.

MC: So… how is your preparation for my gift coming along? Do you have any ideas yet?

Victor holds the steering wheel with a steady gaze, his voice calm and collected.

Victor: Regarding that matter, I think you can have faith in your Party B.

His voice is steady, and he looks straight ahead, not glancing at me even once. He seems to be very confident. Thereupon, I blink and nod deliberately.

MC: Of course, I have faith.

MC: Mr. CEO will definitely not choose things such as… diamonds… jewelry… or any such items as they do not meet the requirements for the gift at first glance.

Victor’s hands driving the car halt a little.

Coincidentally, there just happens to be a red light ahead. Victor steps on the brake, then turns his head to look at me, not batting an eyelash as he opens his mouth.

Victor: Since we’re on the subject, I actually have an opinion.

MC: What?

He pauses, a slight hint of tardiness taking on his tone.

Victor: Is it possible to narrow down the range of the trial a little bit?

I can’t help but curl up the corners of my lips and look at Victor.

MC: If Mr. CEO is willing to request me now and say, “please, Boss MC,” then I’ll consider narrowing down the range a little.

Victor: [long, hard, helpless sigh]  …

At this moment, the green light flashes ahead, and the traffic flow begins to move forward. So, Victor turns his head and continues to drive without any expression on his face.

He doesn’t look like he will agree to my request. I can’t help but mumble to myself in a low voice.

Humph, it looks like Junior Vic’s proposal is going to be rejected when the moment comes.

–

[Tidbits]: MC here addresses Victor as “小李” (Xiao Li), basically to declare her “upper hand” in this “gift deal” – where Victor is the “Party B,” and she is the “Party A.” It’s also an echo of how she tells him to call her “Boss MC” earlier 🤣

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 3] ✧

Time flies by at lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, today’s New Year’s Eve.

The ambiance of LFG’s New Year’s Eve party is fervent. I take a sip of my drink, my gaze resting on the man speaking on the stage along with the crowd.

Victor: Everyone has worked hard this year. And to all, I hope that all of you have a good time and enjoy the rewards of your effort as we welcome the last moments of the year.

Victor: Regardless of what you’ve experienced throughout the year, a day of drinking fine wine to heart’s content and enjoying fine food is the year-end present everyone deserves.

Holding the microphone, Victor pauses for a moment, and his eyes sweep over me.

Victor: I also hope that the architect of this party can enjoy a satisfying time tonight.

He returns the microphone to Goldman and steadily lifts his wine glass to send greetings to everyone. In the audience, I smile back at him and raise my drink to him in response.

Tonight’s New Year’s Eve party is a benefit event for the staff who have voluntarily participated, and everyone can move about as they please. Victor also walks up to me after his speech.

Victor: Let’s go. It’s time for that New Year’s Eve candlelight dinner you’ve been eagerly waiting for.

MC: It’s the last dinner of this year. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s looking forward to it~

I smile and take his arm. He lowers his gaze and looks at me, rather helpless.

Victor: Of course. If I wasn’t looking forward to it, how could I have prepared it?

Victor says as he leads me toward the open-air restaurant. On the way, I can’t restrain my curiosity and open my mouth suggestively.

MC: But you’re right. I’m indeed looking forward to it more than you, and it’s not just because of the beef bourguignon for dinner.

MC: Gee, I also wonder how the result of this year’s last demand will turn out~

But Victor doesn’t give any answer to my words.

Victor: The beef bourguignon in this hotel is made by a Michelin chef brought in from France. Hasn’t a certain someone been craving it for quite a while?

Victor: Now that we are here, let’s focus on enjoying the fine food.

I nod, thinking to myself that perhaps Victor has some “big tricks” up his sleeves and is not disclosing any clues to me on purpose.

–

But… even when we’ve returned to the hotel after dinner, and even after washing up, Victor still doesn’t reveal any intention of showing me the gift.

As I blow-dry my hair, I glance at the clock hanging on the wall. The hour hand is already pointing to eleven, and in less than an hour, the year will be closing down the curtains.

I can’t hold myself back any longer and shift over to Victor’s side with the hairdryer in my hand.

Seeing me suddenly coming up next to him, Victor’s eyes flicker a little. He takes the hairdryer from me and continues to blow-dry my hair, opening his mouth while doing so.

Victor: The New Year’s Eve fireworks display is about to start. I’ve heard that you were personally involved in designing the patterns of the fireworks.

Victor: What’s it like?

MC: You’ll find out when the clock strikes midnight~

MC: On our anniversary, you gave me such beautiful rose fireworks.

–

[Tidbits]: MC is referring to the 5th anniversary final segment~

–

MC: Today, I’m more or less being a “copycat,” you might say. It’s my New Year’s Eve gift to you.

Victor doesn’t say anything more, blow-drying my hair for me. I glance at Victor and speak implicitly.

MC: But, speaking of New Year’s Eve gifts, you haven’t forgotten to get me something, have you?

Victor arches an eyebrow, laughing softly.

Victor: [teasing, soft, heavenly laugh]  What? Can’t hold your breath any longer?

MC: Says who!

MC: It’s just that… I’m wondering if a certain CEO feels that he probably hasn’t been able to meet my requirements, so he finds it embarrassing to bring it out?

I deliberately provoke him. But to my surprise, Victor remains even more composed than I imagined.

Victor: A certain someone has handed me so many bad proposals before and never found it embarrassing. So, why would I?

MC: Then you…

Just at this moment, the New Year’s bell suddenly rings out. And accompanied by the sound of piercing the air, fireworks bloom outside the window.

The bright and beautiful colors illuminate the entire night sky splendidly. The streaming fireworks outline the shape of a panda holding ingots, with the logo of LFG flashing underneath.

The surprised cheers of the LFG employees can be heard drifting from afar. The fireworks illuminate Victor’s side profile as he gives his full attention to watching the light show. I purse the corners of my lips as they form into a smile and speak softly.

MC: Victor, Happy New Year.

Looking at me trying to hang in there and yet unable to help my face from drooping down, an indescribable smile flashes through Victor’s eyes, and he interlocks his fingers with mine.

Victor: It’s obviously the New Year’s a certain someone likes the most. Why did you suddenly turn into a “depressed-faced kitten?”

Seeing that he is knowingly asking this question, I can’t help but puff out my mouth. But Victor immediately follows with the next words.

Victor: [heavenly laughter]  I haven’t forgotten what I promised you.

Victor: It’s just that… now is not the best time to accept the gift.

MC: So, when will it be?

Victor gives me a glance, smiling. He then pulls me into his arms and gazes at the fireworks outside the window.

Victor: [laughs softly]  You’ll find out when the time comes.

His tone of voice carries a certainty. The warm breath belonging to him wraps me up so intimately that I can’t help but be intoxicated by it and give up asking questions.

Since Victor has his own plans, let’s focus on enjoying the present moment first.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 4] ✧

While still immersed in the sweet land of dreams, I vaguely hear Victor’s voice all of a sudden.

Victor: [softest of the softest whispers x1]  Dummy, wake up.

I open my eyes with difficulty and see that the light outside the window is dim, and the sky hasn’t brightened up yet.

I immediately roll over and bury my head under the blanket again, pulling Victor together with me.

MC: It’s so early. Let’s sleep a bit longer.

But Victor is unforgivingly persistent. He wraps his arms around my waist and picks me up. Seeing that I’m still not opening my eyes, he seems to release a sigh.

Victor: [whisper continues x2]  I’m taking you to see the gift you’ve been waiting for so impatiently. Still not gonna open your eyes?

My ears twitch as I vaguely catch the keyword “gift.” My consciousness, however, is still immersed in the half-asleep and half-awake state.

Victor seems to have given up on waking me up. He just directly puts clothes on me, wrapping me up in three layers.

–

After wrapping my scarf, he drags me out of the hotel. I follow him in a daze until we arrive at the mountain behind the hotel.

The cold breeze wakes me up to consciousness. I sniffle and hear Victor’s voice resounding next to me.

Victor: MC, Happy New Year.

Victor: It’s time to accept your gift.

–

As I open my eyes and see the scenery unfolding in front of me, I immediately find myself frozen where I’m standing.

There is a Chinese rose flower waterfall on the mountain behind the hotel. The pink flower branches extend all the way from the hillside to the valley, reminiscent of spring pouring down in torrents.

But right now, all the rose petals are enveloped with sparkling and crystalline ice. Beneath the hazy sunlight of this New Year’s dawn, they seem to glisten and appear incredibly translucent.

It’s as though someone has frozen the entire spring, giving it to me as a gift.

Unable to fathom all this, I turn to look at Victor. He is holding my slightly chilly fingertips, and the air he breathes out dissipates the cold breeze of the misty mountain, his eyes as warm as spring.

Victor: [heavenly, soft^∞ voice x1]  The most solid, and yet the softest thing in the world–– is a flower frozen in ice.

Victor: [x2]  It’s solid on the outside but soft on the inside. This is my answer.

I’m rendered speechless for a good while before I find my ability to organize words.

MC: I thought, what you prepared wouldn’t meet my requirements.

MC: After all, what I asked for was very difficult. Even I, myself, had no idea what it could possibly be, but I can’t believe you really did it…

Victor lowers his gaze and looks at me, his eyes carrying within them a faint smile.

Victor: Disappointed not to see me being embarrassed?

I shake my head and look at the ocean of ice crystal flowers in front of me, my heart incomparably warm.

MC: I received the best and most precious gift in the world on New Year’s dawn, and I couldn’t be happier!

MC: But how did you do it? I remember that the temperature difference between day and night in Loveland City isn’t sufficient to freeze the petals, right?

Victor: It wasn’t too difficult to get the petals to freeze.

Victor: The difficult part was to meet the unspecified requirements of a certain “Party A.”

Victor: And also, to prevent her from turning into a “depressed-faced kitten” because she hadn’t received her gift yet.

–

[Anika’s ‘notes’]: LMAO the pun about having to appease her with “spice-rounds” aksksvkd 😂🥴🫠

–

I can tell that he is teasing me about last night, and I can’t help but blush a little, coughing in an attempt to cover it up.

MC: Okay, I was being too impatient yesterday… so tell me, how on earth did you do this?

Victor’s gaze falls on the nearest flower branch, his voice low and mellow.

Victor: Chinese roses are originally resistant to cold. Therefore, they were watered yesterday evening in advance to seize the opportunity of the temperature difference and have them frozen by the time morning arrived.

Victor: However, when the sun comes out, the temperature will rise again, and they will melt after a few moments.

Victor: That’s why you had to come here at dawn to see it.

Along with the sunlight brightening little by little, this ocean of flowers is also illuminated in even more gorgeous colors.

I hold my breath as I take in everything, trying to securely preserve the beauty of this moment in my heart.

MC: When we were talking about New Year’s Eve before, I seemed to be looking forward to that particular night more than anything.

MC: But today, you’ve made me like the first day of the new year even more~

As he watches my raised smiling face, the smile on Victor’s face becomes even more apparent. He draws me into his arms, and together we enjoy the scenery that belongs only to us.

Victor: [that precious, heavenly, soft tone x1]  For me, it’s admittedly important to bid farewell to the old, but the early morning of the New Year also has an equally festive significance.

Victor: [x2]  I want to spend the first dawn of the New Year together with you, to see the first beautiful scenery of the New Year.

Victor: [x3]  This, to me, is the best beginning of the year.

Victor’s words cause my heart to stir gently. Just as I’m about to open my mouth to say something, I hear Victor speaking again after a pause.

Victor: So, is my “Party A” satisfied with this New Year’s gift?

I smile and breathe in the cold breeze blown to my nose, lifting my face to look into Victor’s deep eyes.

MC: Party A likes it so much!

MC: And it’s the first gift I’ve received in the New Year. It’s very beautiful; it’s as if spring has arrived together with winter.

MC: I wish that our new year will be like this too, just as fervent and beautiful as this rose waterfall!

I fold my hands together and devoutly make the first wish of the New Year, only to hear Victor chuckle.

Victor: [laughs softly]  Wanting to make a wish whenever she sees something; indeed, as expected of a certain dummy.

He pauses, grasping both my hands resolutely.

Victor: [return of the heavenly, soft voice x1] With you by my side every single day, for me, time is sufficiently fervent and beautiful.

Victor: [x2]  It has been the truth for every year in the past, and it will be the same for every year in the future.

—

[Tidbits from Anika]: In case you’re still wondering about those “jewelry customization brochures,” — a lil spoiler in advance (from the phone call), he customized an “eternal rose necklace” for her, while MC decorated their home with all kinds of roses as a token of her “unconditional love” for him~ 🥹❤️

–

📞 [Calls and Moments]: HERE!

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

[Anika’s scattered afterthoughts, feel free to ignore haha]

—

[thedummysdummy]

The Extent of the Search

“I’ve got the day off today since we finished editing last night. I thought I’d do some of the deep cleaning that has been piling up.” The girl took a bite of her toast and made eye contact with Victor over the video call, who finished his sip of coffee and nodded. “But you know your wife deserves a reward for working on her day off!” 

Victor chuckled and set down his cup. “Just don’t get halfway through a project and lose interest so the house is a bigger mess than when you started. If a certain dummy can accomplish that, I believe a nice meal could be in order when I get home tonight.” 

His words were met with a joyful cheer as the girl jumped up and rushed around the table to wrap her arms around Victor’s shoulders. “Absolutely! You know I am good at finishing projects!! A certain someone else has drilled that into me.” She giggled and glanced at the clock behind him. “You better get on the road, Mr. CEO. Don’t forget your lunch or your wife will be very upset!!”

Victor rolled his eyes in a good-natured way and picked up his briefcase. “You just enjoy using your new title, don’t you? I suppose it does have a certain ring to it. Your husband will see you after work.” He blew the girl a kiss and the screen went dark, leaving her standing in the middle of the kitchen and staring at the blank screen. 

Did she have alternative motives for offering to clean out the dark corners of Victor’s house? Oh, absolutely. How better to get to know the one you love than going through their things? And seeing his face after a period of separation and intense busyness left her with an ache she longed to soothe. With an entire day ahead of her, she decided to start with the kitchen. The breakfast dishes took little more than five minutes; as they stood drying in the rack, the girl pulled a stool over to the cabinets to remove all the dishes and scrub down the shelves. 

One by one she carefully removed the dishes and set them on the counter, pausing when her eyes fell on a certain cup in the very back corner of the highest shelf. She picked it up with something akin to reverence and held it up to the light, which refracted in a multitude of ways as the beams bounced off the repaired cracks. “I can’t believe he kept this,” she murmured and ran her fingers over the bumpy surface. They stopped at a bit of glue tinged pink and a shiver ran down her spine. 

She couldn’t bring herself to examine it any closer after that and set the cup on the counter with the rest of the dishes. Painful memories sloshed around with the warm water in the bucket she used to wipe away the gathered dust on the shelves, despite her best efforts to replace them with happy memories. Her hand went to her chest multiple times as if searching for a scar she knew no longer existed. 

Said cup was returned to its exact place and hidden away by the rest of the dishes; dishes which held, instead, the happy memories of meals lovingly prepared and enjoyed together. They hid away the broken cup and the girl couldn’t help finding meaning in such simplicity. 

The fridge, counters, and floors received a similar level of care before the girl nodded and declared the kitchen officially clean. Next came the dining room; every inch of the table was scrubbed until the surface glittered in the light. The chair cushions went in the wash, the chairs themselves were wiped down, and the floors were mopped. 

In a full cleaning-whirlwind by this point, the girl moved on to their bedroom. Truth be told, there wasn’t actually much cleaning to do, but she still washed the bedding, vacuumed every square inch of carpet, and dusted every surface. Inside the closet she began organizing Victor’s clothes. A soft smile spread over her features as she remembered times he’d worn each item. Suits and casual clothing alike each held a sweet memory, until she came to the last item on the rack. 

It was just a suit to an outsider; a suit which probably should have been thrown out due to the holes in the jacket. She withdrew her hand rapidly as her breath caught in her throat. It had obviously been cleaned very carefully, but nothing could remove the stain around the hole completely. The girl pushed it away and hurriedly slid his other clothes over it before hastily exiting the closet. This whole exercise wasn’t doing anything to fill the empty place in her heart…

So instead, she threw herself into scrubbing down the bathroom. As her hands cleared any signs of uncleanliness, her mind drifted. Where would Victor keep the happy things? And where hadn’t she done much exploring? No more holey jackets or broken cups…

Cups. The attic! She brightened and dumped the dirty water down the drain, tossed the rag in the hamper, and skittered to the hidden attic entrance. Excitement was already building as she climbed the stairs and flicked on the light to glance around. 

It was quite organized, as far as attics go; however, it definitely could use a good dusting. The girl started near the door and began tackling the shelves with her duster. They contained a multitude of books on many subjects; everything from grade school texts to business law books were represented. Near the back of the room in a cabinet, she found something far more interesting: journals. 

She almost reached out to grab one without thinking, but paused as her mind caught up to her hand. “I should ask Victor before I flip through those,” she murmured to herself as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened his contact. 

Hey husband, I found some old journals while cleaning the attic. Do you mind if I read them? 

His reply came surprisingly quickly. The girl didn’t even have time to put the phone back in her pocket before it buzzed. 

That’s fine.

He didn’t even have to think about it first! Warmth spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes as his trust for her settled into her very bones. She pulled the journals and the box they were in from the cabinet and set it aside, momentarily distracted by the rest of the contents of the cabinet. 

The top shelf held a variety of trophies, all quite dusty but well-maintained. She removed them one at a time, removing the dust from their plates to read the award. 

“Academic Excellence” 

“Spelling Bee 1st Place” 

“Future Business Leaders of Loveland” 

Each one provided just a little insight into the young Victor’s rise to the top. The girl carefully dusted each one and replaced them on the shelf. Below the trophy shelf was a thin space where a single file folder rested. She slid it out and found it to be full of award certificates. Business competitions, academic honors, and even a handful of piano recital competition placements adorned the pages. 

This, too, she returned to its place after removing the dust of time. “And now, the main event!” she exclaimed, turning back to the box. She removed all the journals and organized them by date, amused yet unsurprised to find that they began probably the moment Victor learned to write. The first childish handwriting improved in leaps and bounds as she turned the pages and read about soccer games, outings with Mrs. Li, and the joys and frustrations of childhood. 

And then it came: The first mention of her. “I met a girl at the park today. My soccer ball knocked down her sandcastle. She began to cry. I’m going to bring her a pudding tomorrow to say sorry.” 

She didn’t know why she expected more depth from a small child, but the girl found herself wishing for more insight into his side of the experience. It was such a profound crossroads in their lives, yet neither knew it at the time. A long period passed as she stared at the simple words and relived the snatches of memory. 

Finally, she turned the page and searched for more mentions of herself. “I brought the pudding today. The girl was so childish as she wolfed it down without taking time to enjoy it.” “The girl keeps following me around the park. But I kind of like it, so I don’t mind.” 

“The girl wasn’t at the park today. I stayed a long time just in case, but she never showed up. I’ll keep checking the places I used to see her.” 

“I haven’t seen the girl in a long time. I haven’t been able to find any information on where she has gone, but I will keep trying.” 

This was the end of the journal and she set it aside, torn on whether or not she should pick up the next one. She knew what came next, after all, and it took quite a bit of thought before cracking the cover of the next journal. 

She read about his attempts to find out if she’d survived, his mother leaving for France, and her subsequent death. Moisture welled up in her eyes as his handwriting became shaky, the boy’s emotions poured out on the page with smudges from his tears. “Oh, Victor,” she whispered, wishing she could wrap her arms around him at that moment. She closed the journal and set it aside, wiping her face on her sleeve. There were some things she would rather read while he was nearby, and this…this was one of them.

And so she turned her attention to the box instead. It contained dozens of folders, each filled with pages upon pages of photocopied and printed documents. Pictures of the orphanage. News reports. Hand-written notes with her name all over them. The deeper she dug, the more the enormity of his search hit her. When she heard ‘I searched for you for 17 years,’ she had imagined a casual ‘keep an eye out and hope to run into each other’ type search. Not…this. How many hours of his youth had Victor poured into searching for a ghost? 

Then came adulthood. His resources had obviously opened up, because the information he gathered had become more and more obscure. Lists of Evolvers and their last known locations. Names of organizations whose purposes she could only guess at.  The more she read, the less carefully she stacked the folders until she was completely surrounded by bits and pieces of Victor’s time. 

And she reached the final chapter. The handwriting changed, and the documents with Victor’s writing mentioned a Detective Bao. She found a print out of their agreement, a payment record, minutes of their meetings together…Despite knowing Victor had spent a very long time searching for her, it was…almost overwhelming that he’d shown that level of care for her when they were both so very young. That he would spend so many hours. So much money. 

The reality of it hit her like the air had turned to honey. It stuck to her lungs and she found herself gasping for air. He hired a DETECTIVE. What had possessed him to go so far for a girl he’d last seen when he was 11? The amount of love she felt threatened to shatter her heart into a million pieces. She considered calling Victor to ask him about all of this. 

No. This was something that needed to be discussed in person. She needed to hold him and look into his eyes. The girl lay down on the floor in the midst of the papers, suddenly feeling quite exhausted by it all. Before she knew it, her eyes had fluttered closed. 

~~~

Victor fully expected his wife to be waiting for him at the door, so he was quite surprised when he made it all the way inside with no sign of her. Knowing her habit of falling asleep in random places, he began searching the house. Evidence of her hard work was not lost on him; Victor made sure to admire the cleanliness of the rooms as he looked for his wife. She deserved it, after all. 

The main house didn’t give up her position. Victor paused in the living room, glancing around with slight confusion. She definitely would have told him if she was going out. Maybe he’d missed a message? He pulled out his phone and glanced at their last messages. Ah, the journals. She must be in the attic. Sure enough, the stairs were still down. 

He took them two at a time, the desire to see his wife nearly impossible to contain. Sure enough, there she was. The papers she’d strewn around still surrounded her as she snored softly near the cabinet. Victor snickered and opened a nearby bin to pull out a light blanket. “What did I say about making a bigger mess?” he whispered, his words practically dripping with fondness. The fabric settled over the girl’s sleeping form and Victor began picking up a few of the sheets, quickly realizing what she’d found. 

But how had she reacted? He sat down next to his wife and brushed her hair out of her eyes, only to see mascara had run down her face. “I see. Of course a dummy would have such a reaction to finding this on her own. I probably should have remembered these records were in there with my journals when you mentioned them. I expect we’ll have to discuss what you found when you wake up.” 

Victor’s hand gently rested on the girl as he spoke, rubbing her back tenderly. She snuffled and shifted in her sleep, reaching out and grabbing his knee. He chuckled and placed his large, warm hand over hers and gave it a squeeze. “You probably should wake up and get into bed. It’s late. We’ll clean this all up tomorrow, together.” 

Just as he was about to scoop her up into his arms and carry her to bed, the girl’s eyes flickered open. She glanced around blearily for a moment as she got her bearings. Until her brain registered that Victor was home. The moment her eyes fell on his face, she immediately burst into tears. “Victor,” she cried, sitting up and wrapping her arms around his neck. “You are such a dummy! A dummy for a very, very long time!” 

Victor swept his wife off her feet and into his arms with a laugh. “I don’t regret any of it. But we’ll talk about that in the morning. Come on, let’s go to bed.” He tenderly carried her down the stairs and into their bedroom where he placed her in bed and tucked her in. The tears were still streaming down her face and he pulled a tissue from the box to blot them away. Moments later he joined her, not bothering with pajamas. He wanted to feel her warmth all over his skin, if just to reaffirm to himself that his mission really was accomplished. She really was there, soft and tender. Victor wrapped his arms and legs around his wife and closed his eyes. Surely he would get the first good night’s sleep he’d had since he left on his trip. 

~~~

He certainly did. Victor woke strangely late and disentangled his body from his wife’s. Which was a task; her sleeping brain seemed dead-set on not letting him go. Then again, he wasn’t overly inclined to leave her side, either. He placed a tender kiss on her forehead and pulled her in close, content to just lay there and watch her sleep as long as she wanted. 

Even with her raccoon mascara eyes and tousled hair, his wife was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Each breath she took took his breath away and he counted his blessings to be by her side. Every minute and dollar he’d spent on locating her could not have been spent more wisely. Yes, they’d met again by chance, but it was a carefully orchestrated life which allowed that ‘chance.’

Really, he didn’t have to wait long for her to wake. The girl’s eyelids fluttered and rolled open. Victor immediately pulled her into a kiss, arms wrapped tightly around her as he pulled the sweet nectar of her breath from her lungs into his. “There. Now you’re not going to turn into a sprinkler when you look at me, right?” 

Her face scrunched in feigned offense, but quickly melted into a giggle. “No, that just happened because you got home in the middle of the night and woke me up! And because you weren’t here when I found out exactly how big of a dummy you are!” 

Victor began to laugh as he settled more comfortably in the bed with the girl still in his arms. “Why? Because I pursued a task through to completion? That’s nothing new for me.” 

“No, because you spent so much time and effort on something that happened when you were looking the other way! Plus you spent way too much on a detective who couldn’t find someone who had never left the city or tried to hide. Not the best return on that investment, Mr. CEO. And isn’t spending 17 years looking for someone that thoroughly a little bit stalker-y? I would have just put an advertisement in the paper looking for someone who loved my pudding as a kid. Problem solved.” 

The girl kissed Victor’s cheeks and ears, which had blossomed into a pale pink as she stared at him. When described that way…it did sound a little bit over the top. “Well, despite the methods and their effectiveness, I accomplished my goal. And it was worth every last minute, and every last penny. Stop staring at me and kiss me properly already.” 

“Only if you promise to go through it all with me after breakfast. I need to know what kept you motivated for that many years to find a girl you met when you were 10.” She was obviously teasing, but her eyes held more than a hint of seriousness. Victor blushed even more deeply, causing the girl to laugh and throw herself on top of him. “I’m going to assume you agree to my terms,” she giggled and melted into her husband, intent to show him that she loved him just as much.

[lou-struck]

Bribery

Kei Tsukishima x reader College AU!

Prompt: study date +🍩

~Studying with Tsukki is hardcore, he always know just what to do to keep you motivated

WC: 2k

~This is one of the requested prompts for My Emoticon Expression’s Event; check out the masterlist on my welcome page

“You’re wrong; try it again.” Your boyfriend curtly says as he peers down at the study guide you have worked on for the last three hours. At times like this, you are thankful the two of you booked a private study room in the university’s library because you have not been watching your volume in the slightest. 

“Are you sure?” You sigh exasperatedly. “I really thought this one was gonna be right.”

“Well, it’s not; you need to go back and check your work.” He replies, sliding the paper back over to you; it is completely covered in angry red pen marks from his corrections. It’s a bit discouraging, but you know he is only being hard on you because he knows how badly you want to pass this class.

His features soften as he looks at you apologetically. “you’ve got this, just take your time and break down the problem into parts.”

“I’m just tired; my brain feels like it’s not working.” you sigh, rubbing your temples. “Maybe I should just accept that I’m going to fail and skip the other stages of grief.”

“Not going to happen,” he laughs, using his taped fingers to give your forehead a fick. It doesn’t hurt at all, but you and your dramatic self flinch and whine “Owww” just to get a rise out of him.

“Oh really?” he asks, looking down at you through his glasses, “if that hurts, just imagine how you will feel when you miss out on that internship you have been wanting due to your grades.”

You freeze; you have heard about the internship he had mentioned since freshman year of college. Not only is it a paid internship, but if you were to take it, you would get credit for about four classes that you need to graduate. If you miss out on this, you will probably regret it for the rest of your student life. “Why did you have to bring that up? Now I’m stressed, tired, and hungry.”

He looks at you with amusement; teasing you is one of the highlights of his day. “You’re hungry?”

You cross your arms over your stomach for effect, “Starved, haven’t you heard my stomach growling?”

“Over your whining?” he teases, raising a brow.

“I-it’s not funny,” you stammer, “this is a real predicament; I can’t study on an empty stomach; we may be here all day at this rate.”

He sighs, his golden brown eyes betraying a softness that tells you that you have won. “Fine, if you are sure this is the only way to get you to finish your worksheet, I guess I have no choice.” he relents, getting up from his seat at the table and grabbing his wallet out of his book bag. He turns and points at you strictly, “Stay right there, and If you are not done with that worksheet by the time I get back, I’ll just give it to someone else.” 

“Are you trying to bribe me to finish this worksheet?” you grin, giving him your best look of innocence that he doesn’t buy at all.

“Just get it done,” he says, turning towards the door and opening it quietly. 

“I love you,” you call after him. He smiles and turns to walk down the hallway; just before the door swings shut, you hear a chorus of sharps’ shhhhhhhh’s’ from the studying students from the other side of the library. It makes you chuckle to yourself as you stare down at your angry red-streaked paper and try to figure out what you did wrong in that last problem.

~

It’s only been about eight minutes since your boyfriend went to get you some fuel, and your stomach is busy grumbling the instrumentals of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Your quiet study room is lonely, but you have managed to figure out what you had done wrong with the last problem, and to the best of your knowledge, it is correct this time. All you have to do is wait for Mr. Vanilla himself to come back and check over your work for you. 

Curiously you flip to the next page in your workbook; if you can bust through a few more problems before Kei gets back, it would mean that you can leave the library much sooner, and maybe the two of you can make it to the Jurassic Park movie marathon in the quad you had seen posters for. It would be such a great surprise to take him there after this is all said and done.

Buying him a large tub of popcorn is only one of the ways you are planning on thanking your Volleyball-playing s/o for taking so much time out of his busy day to help you study.

With sunset in about four hours from now, you return to your work; this deadline gives you a much-needed spring in your step as you begin to get back to work. 

~

The analog cock on the wall says that about another ten minutes have passed, and without your boyfriend’s presence, you haven’t been too motivated to finish any other problem other than the one he told you to do. They have been attempted, but you have only split the problems into smaller fragments so you can better understand them later, 

‘Maybe I should’ve taken better notes in class.’ you think to yourself when your boyfriend comes back into the study room. 

“Hey, you were gone for a while. Was the line at the cafe long?” you ask, tilting your head.

“In not heartless, you deserve something way better than the trash the cafe has to sell,” he says, stepping up to the table. The throw pillow-sized brown paper box in his hand just catches your eye when your nostrils are suddenly hit with a sweet and doughy smell that has your mouth watering. 

“I bet you’re wondering what is inside?” he smirks, placing the box on the table; you reach out for the strangely familiar scent only for him to push it further out of your reach. 

“Hey?” you whine. “Why did you have to do that?” 

“Ha, Let’s see your work first, then I’ll decide if you actually get to have any of this.”

“Jerk,” you huff, tearing your gaze away from the box to look at his face. A dark mole on the corner of his mouth catches your eye. Curiously, you lean in a bit closer and realize that it’s not a mole at all...

It’s chocolate!!!

“Wait,” you say softly, never taking your eyes off the little speck of fudge on his cheek, “is that frosting on your face?”

With his thumb, he wipes it quickly away; as he licks his thumb, he looks at you evilly, “What? Someone had to make sure they weren’t poisonous.”

You sigh and turn away from him, arms crossed and a pout on your lips. “Just look at my damn paper already.” 

“If you insist,” he grins, staring deep into your eyes. “Just know that if you take too long, your food will get cold.” The harmless threat shakes you down to the depths of your soul as he looks at you with gentle satisfaction. He slides the paper closet to him, and his eyes dart between your answer and your work before he looks up at you with a blank expression. 

You gulp nervously as you try and fail to read his expression. Mentally cursing the fact that Kei Tsukishima has one of the best poker faces you have ever seen. “So? What do you think?”

“I think,” he hums, reaching out towards the mysterious treat box with long arms. He rests his hand on top of it before sliding it across the table in front of you. “You got it right.”

Your chest heaves a deep sigh in relief. Unable to take the suspense any longer, you toss o[into the box to reveal dozens of little doughnut holes. 

Some look to be covered in glaze, chocolate, or frosting. While others look to be filled with various creams, jellies, or something else. 

“Doughnuts.” you cheer, picking a chocolate-covered sprinkle out of the box and plopping it into your mouth. The still-warm dough seems to melt on your tongue as the sugar makes you feel alive. 

As you savor the treat, he places some napkins in front of you. “Are you happy now?”

You nod and wipe your fingers with one of the napkins. “Extremely. What are all the flavors?”

“I dunno.” he says, “The shop was closing soon, so they just gave me a bit of everything for no charge.”

“That’s great; I can’t wait to find out,” you say, reaching for another donut hole only for it to be pushed out of your reach.

Upon seeing the look of confusion on your face, he laughs, “Did you really think it would be that easy? It’s a bribe.”

You look at the box longingly, “You don’t mean?”

“I do; every problem you get right, you get to have a piece. 

“You can be so cruel sometimes, Kei.” you sigh, earning a genuine smile from him, flipping to the next page; the little bits of work you had done earlier are starting to make more sense as you look flip between the notes Tsukki left on your other page and the fresh problems. 

“How are you doing?” he asks, looking over your shoulder,

“Does this look right so far?” you ask, pointing to the nearly complete problem. 

“It looks perfect.” he hums, glancing over it carefully. 

“Really?” you say with a light voice full of hope. Maybe the two of you will be able to make it to the Movie marathon after all. 

“Yep, just keep doing what you are doing.” he says, “I told you before that you know how to do this.”

Only because I have the best tutor in the world, “you hum cheesily, leaning in a bit closer to him. 

The tips of his ears turn pink at your world, and he looks at the box of donuts, “You’re not trying to get me to give you a donut early, are you?” he asks sarcastically.

“Nope, I want something else.” you hum, pushing yourself forward to catch his lips with your own. The kiss contains the lingering sweetness of the pastry you had just eaten, along with something a bit sweeter.

He kisses back far too eagerly for someone who had been relentlessly teasing you just a few moments ago. You pull back slightly and grin as he follows your lips stubbornly. 

“Do you think you’re being funny?” he asks, placing his hand on the back of your head to keep you close to him. 

“Just a bit; I have to tease you when I can since you are so good at teasing me.” you hum, giving him a devious smirk like the one he gave you earlier. 

“You’re such a pain,” he chuckles, gently retaking your lips. 

“But you love me,” you hum as he pulls away. A small smile tugs at his lips

“I do, which is why I can’t have you getting distracted,” he sighs, tapping your worksheet with his pen. “Let’s get back to work.

“You know, you could’ve just bribed me with kisses,” you tease, picking up your pencil. “They work just as well as the donuts.”

“Now you tell me,” he sighs. “If I knew earlier, I could’ve saved myself the effort of picking these up.”

“Nope, we need those too.” you laugh as you reach for the box. 

With a gently yet firm grip, he grabs your hand and shakes his head, “Not so fast; get that problem done, and then you can have one.”

“Come on, just one more?” you plead at him with big eyes, “I need all the help I can get if I want to finish in time.”

“Time for what?” he asks, raising a brow. “Did you really make plans after this?”

“Plans for us,” you say innocently. “Please?”

“Fine, just one more,” he sighs. “But then we have to get back to work.”

[sharpth1ng]

I need to blow up Mr. Hank Loomis so bad. I'm ripping him to shreds with my mind. I don't like when people say Maureen is the reason Scream happened because it's HANK'S fault. fuck that guy

Yeah honestly the Maureen blaming feels like some unexamined misogyny. They were both cheating. Maureen is the only one that dies because of it.

Also like. Neither Maureen nor Hank is the reason scream happened. It’s either Billy and Stu or Roman depending on how you see it. No one forced them to do that. They chose to react to Hank and Maureen’s infidelity with murder. “My girlfriends mommy is a homewrecker” is not a defence that’s going to hold up in court.

Beyond that Maureen’s only crime is cheating, and in both fanon and canon Billy is also guilty of that (it’s either Stu or Christina). Like if you’re going to hate Maureen for cheating then it feels a bit hypocritical not to hate Billy for the same.

Idk from what we know I think I would have liked Maureen more than Hank as well. Sid seems to have had a positive relationship with her but Billy seems to want nothing to do with Hank.

Maureen was also a scream queen when she was younger like, that’s rad? The titles we get for the movies she was in make them sound like some pretty wild B-movies: Amazombies, Space Psychos and Creatures from the San Andreas Fall. These sound like movies Stu would LOVE.

I also just have some sympathy for Maureen with her past, so much of her backstory is defined by brutal sexual coercion and assault from the time she was 18. Cheating is obviously not good, but also like, she got together with Neil at the age of 21. Prior to that it seems like her experiences were mostly not consensual.

It was the early 70s, I can’t imagine that she felt like she had a lot of choices. The idea that she would have consensual affairs later in life is unfortunate but also not surprising. I think a lot of people who get married young can end up having this realization later in life that they want to experience things they haven’t, and those are the kinds of things you can regret on your deathbed.

As far as we know she’s a stay at home mom, she has no ability to support herself without Neil. From her perspective the options were probably: get a divorce, split up her family, make herself financially destitute, and have a chance to experience the things that were robbed from her when she was younger, OR stay with Neil and die eventually wondering what she missed out on, OR have an affair and hopefully keep her family together.

So yeah. Cheating? Not good, not excusable. But also relatively understandable in my opinion.

And yeah in terms of Hank we don’t know the most about him from canon, but we know how Billy reacts to him, and we know how Billy and Nancy both are: they’re sexist slut-shamers. Like, Nancy blaming Sid for what Billy did? You can hate Sidney but come on, you can’t argue that his actions were actually justified. All of this tells me that Hank’s views are probably in line with Nancy and Billy’s. Billy had to learn it somewhere right? Misogyny isn’t genetic.

So yeah that’s my monologue. Tldr: hate Maureen if you want, that’s fine, but blaming the Scream murders on her doesn’t make much sense. If you need a villain Hank is right there, and either way the real villains are Billy and Stu.

You can still like them even if they suck, I promise, they’re fictional characters. You don’t need to shift the blame for their actions onto other characters to justify liking them.