#need a distraction rn I guess

[harryhandstan]

I’m sad and tired and stressed so I’m gonna rb some of my favorite fics from my master list to try to cheer myself up 👍🏻

[amethystpath-writes]

Burning Puppets

NOT A PR0MPT

******

Brushing her teeth, Hero readied herself for bed. Her music was on, her tea was ready for sipping -despite the steam rising from just below the rim, and now it was time for lip balm.

She laid down in bed, grabbed the tube of lip balm, and twisted the bottom of it until the surface of the balm peeked from the top, all glossy and shiny from the lamp across the room. The buttery product slid easily across her lips, but putting it back on her nightstand was less swift. She dropped it, and, of course, it rolled.

No matter where Hero touched, no matter how far she reached, it was impossible to find the tube which fell to the floor. Eventually, miraculously- given the small space between her bedframe and her beside table, she bent over enough to see the tube rolled halfway across the floor beneath her bed.

With her hair acting a shield, and with a flashlight in front of her eyes, Hero didn't notice the light in her room going out until she sat up. The hairs on her arms stood and a chill ran down her spine.

Someone was here.

And it was Villain.

"This is the closest I've gotten without you noticing me. What gave me away?"

Hero heard him chuckle in the dark, and her shoulders fell from their stressed position.

Villain was still by her lamp by the sound of it, which meant his question was rhetorical. He knew what he was doing; he always did.

"What do you want this time?"

There was always a meaning to his visits, and they always ran the same way. He would break in sometime in the night, taunt Hero, kiss her, then ask something of her: a piece of information, a deal with Leader, a betrayal of a teammate.

"You think I would cut straight to the case?"

"Turn the light on."

Villain took this as a dare, Hero knew, because she heard him walking closer to her bed.

"The light," she repeated, and she attempted at a voice of malice. "Turn it on."

"But we always have fun in the dark."

"You have fun in the dark, but I don't want to do this anymore." Hero put her lip balm away on her nightstand, then laid down, and pulled the sheets over her stomach. Maybe if she ignored Villain, then he'd get the message. She wasn't interested anymore.

"You think you're any more valuable to Leader than you are to me? You're her puppet."

"And that's not what I am to you?" Already, she'd forgotten she didn’t want to respond. But he was fuelling her fire, fuelling an anger she was failing to see for so long. Could it have been the lip balm falling that sent her over the edge after a long day of work, or was she simply- and finally- seeing reason?

Hero could feel Villain’s figure at the foot of her bed- could see his silhouette if she focused hard enough. It was imposing, but she kept her sheets firmly below her chest. She didn't clutch it. She didn't let it loose.

"What am I to you, Villain?"

His silhouette moved to the side of the bed, closer to her. She held her breath. Villain would never hurt her; she knew that, but his proximity worried her regardless. She deserved better than to be played by two people in her life.

Leader gave out commands like she was a dog, and Villain thought he could have anything he wanted if he only gave her a few small pecks on the lips.

"You're sweet. You're...I don't know, Hero. You're asking me a question that-"

"That what? You have to think about?" Hero rolled her eyes. "Get out."

"Come on- don't be like that."

Villain's feet shuffled away and before Hero knew it, the light snapped on. She squinted to adjust.

"I'm serious, Villain. Give me one good reason not to call Leader."

Hero didn't like the way his face changed. He smiled- and it wasn't in his usual romantically suave way. His smile resembled something that made Hero regret every last word she spoke.

"I don’t suppose Leader told you about our partnership, did she?”

“You’re lying.”

Villain was still. Still in frame, still smiling, still empowered by deception.

“How long?”

He shrugged. “Long enough.”

After the faintest moment, Hero shook her head and licked her lips. “This doesn’t change anything-”

“-Doesn’t it?”

“I know how you are with your dignity. Why don’t you go ahead and excuse yourself before I have to call the agency?” Hero worried the agency was as involved with Villain as she was. If Villain was being honest, and Leader really was partnering with him…what hope did anyone have?

Witch a gentle mock-surrender, Villain said, “Alright, alright. I’ll leave. But remember, Hero”- he smiled- “I have connections everywhere. I’m not afraid to burn one puppet if I have to.”

“I’m sure.” Hero smiled sweetly back. “Tell me what you want, or I call for help. Those are your options.”

“Banquet- tomorrow, at midnight. Be dressed in something fancy by eleven. Silver accessories.”

“You think you can dictate what I-”

“If you want what happens in this bedroom to stay in this bedroom, you’ll wear silver.”

“And if you did that, I’d get to tell the world how much I had to accommodate for beneath these silky sheets.” Hero liked moments like these- when her control was shaking and she got to grip it in her fists. “Dignity, remember? I have cards to play, too.” Before Villain could make some offhanded comment, Hero continued, “Black ballgown with gold hoops, and you don’t get to complain.”

Villain huffed. This had happened many times in the past; Villain would smile coyly, only to be let down by Hero’s oppositional blackmails. “Red lipstick, at least?”

“If you buy me a corsage with red roses.”

“It’s a banquet- not an American prom.”

Hero brought her thumb and first finger together into a near pinch, then looked between her fingers at Villain. “The world won’t care that we slept together if they thought-”

“You’d be lying.”

“They wouldn’t know that.”

His huff became a sigh, became a pinched brow. “Fine. Fine, I’ll get you your dumb rose corsage.”

“And you’ll smile when you give it to me- treat me nicely.”

Without another word, Villain flicked Hero’s lamp off, and he was gone.

******

[phagodyke]

waking up and remembering I have to live the rest of my life today and tomorrow and so on ☹️

[star-mum]

had to physically hide my phone so I could focus on this assignment (yes like a child) and I wanna screeeeaaaaaammmmm

[anomalouscutie]

uh oh guy ive got a weird thing with and his gf(?) took each other out of their insta bios and hes asking if he can come over sometime… what could this mean chat

[theygender]

What are you talking about. Exactly zero of these things are essentials

[buryam-soul]

(Sinks to my knees) Where's the Sumeru Ramadhan nonsense... Where's the Sumeru Eid nonsense.... Must I do everything myself around here or am I not looking in the right places......

[zoekrystall]

Rant. Hate traveling to the city so much.

I need to get to the big city today and I am this fucking close to biting and going feral. Why the fuck do you wait by the door so much prior to the destination coming leave me the fuck alone you people had sit places. And of course no-one wears a mask so not suprised. Get away. And also of fucking course this train system is useless as fuck and I come 20 minutes at min later to my appointment and if that isn't fine then I'm going to go feral for real I'm already so done. If selfish people wouldn't be assholes could I maybe at least eat or drink between leaving and coming back home but I'm not risking shit. Fucking hate here man I wonder why I either barely go out or if exclusively with other people and then this is the state and I remember. The coughing just adds I don't want anymore. If anyone starts to sit next to me without a mask will I have even more bloodlust. If I'm lucky I get cozy and turn into snuggle cat mode once home and if not will I have to sleep again bc otherwise I will be unable to function for anything bc only one emotion is allowed to exist until sleep reset.

[the-fog-system]

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[perchingominouslysmwh]

gonna be inactive for a bit-

[bitterpngs]

the struggle with a video not being engaging enough on its own and a book requiring too much mental effort in order for me to easily focus

[phagodyke]

ahh.. I have tickets for a small music festival tmr which I went to last year + had a whale of a time but this year theres only like 2 artists I wanted to see but they released the schedule a couple days ago and neither are playing before 9:30pm. since I don't live local anymore I'd have to leave to travel back home around that time or I'd miss the last train... and there's not rly anywhere I can crash overnight there (and I was planning on going alone anyway like I did last year). so I think im gonna have to let this one pass me by :-(

[little-eye-guy]

daaaaang

[quevadilla]

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[kimjunnoodle]

😪 sorry for not finishing requests, my pen broke for my ipad and i don’t have a fix rn🥺

[whatshadeisthat]

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