#no worries the rest is in Ink's POV

[noitkot1]

InktoberTale Day 1: Ink Warm-Up!

Adjusting to anything is changing. Say, a new family member, or a shift in a lifestyle. Sometimes it is a peaceful walk through the park, other times you have to step into the volcano with a smile. The universe discovered though that change is needed. People need to adapt, grow, and shift. And for you?

The milky white void stings your eyes as little giggles chime in the air. Cringing, you raise your hands and gasp as the void twirls, putting on an elegant dance with browns, yellows, and pinks splashed into the whites. Legs failing, the rollercoaster finally arrives at its destination, and you gasp for a breath.

Straight ahead, two big, upside-down shapes stare past your soul. Above the black holes and shapes, you see the other gasp, “look! A friend has decided to join us!”

Tilting your head, you stare down the monster- a skeleton. Narrowing your eyes, you watch the others smile grow. Bird calls sing through the air. You focus on the black birth mark atop their cheek. That's the face from the dreams. 

Ink waves with a paper in hand, “hello, very curious creator! Welcome to the doodle sphere!” Both arms raise up, Ink performing a jazz hand and slowly going down, like a sun vanishing into the earth.

Following the skeletal hands you see more off-white backgrounds, piles of paper, then a mountain of said paper, which with a little cleared out path led straight to landfills of it. Eyes returning to Ink, behind him there's a floating human. Their shirt blue and purple, striped, with shut eyes and dark brown hair.

The skeleton spins away, leaving the flickering creator visible, more see through, more there. They squeak, legs kicking out and arms making a swim motion, reaching Ink's physical form and slipping back behind the skeleton. Shifting blue loading eye lights turn and stare into the void.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Another creator has only come to say hello!" They call out, but the other creator does not show. Although, there's a distant bird call. Ink moves his head towards the call, and their eye lights change to squares with a shining grin. "I think that is an incredible idea!" The skeleton broadcasts with glee, it reminds you of a ringleader, someone at the center of everything.

One moment later the bird churr-churr comes back, pounding a little like a drumbeat, a grumble and pop and it grows and booms- and your fellow creator pokes their head back into vision of you with a little frown.

Ink taps his chin, still looking to the dumped papers opposite of you, "It's a wonderous idea! I'm sure your fellow creator would love to hear your story!"

Hear another's story? That's never happened here before.

You can hear Ink's sly smile in the air as he turns to look at you, "It's rare for creators to appear in another creator's world without an introduction!" He explains while facing you with one sun shaped eyelight, "this creator," his free hand waves to the hidden human-ghost-esk creator, "would like to share their story with you."

There is a glint in the other's eyes as they bend down to where Ink's ears would be a low looming whistle. The chimes ring as Ink lets out a full laugh, summoning a pencil to his fingertips and writing on the paper. "That's a great addition!"

You don’t know yet how this particular change is going to affect you. Does anyone even know when it begins how much you can change by the end? Does the change ever really stop? The fellow creator shuffles, slowly lifting their head to look at you.

Smiling, you nod to them. Who wouldn't want to read a new story?

Both of the other's glow like fireflies, Ink cheering and the creator getting a miniature smile. After a moment, the paper levitates from Ink's hands, "this is their story," he starts walking towards you, "they've asked me to share that it is not complete yet and constructive criticism is appreciated! They'd like to improve, and the best way to do that is through each other!" Ink pauses, "and practice too of course!"

Floating down, you hold out your hands, taking in the dusty and new flowery smell of the paper. Glancing up, a gigantic smile to your fellow creator, who lets a chirp echo throughout the universe and slips back behind Ink.

The skeleton sits down criss-cross-apple-sauce- he snorts. Glancing away just for a second and eyelights returning as bright colors. Leaning forward with a bit of a mischievous grin, "Are you ready to dive into this story?" His eyes turn behind him, "and for you to be sharing your own story?" It's light and warm and full of pride.

It was as if someone had turned on a flashlight with how wide their smile became and with their entire form floating up.

You grasp the edges of the paper, clear your throat, and begin with the first sentence, "once upon a time-"

----

Ink!Sans belongs to Comyet!

[paperstarwriters]

What do you do if you find your lover sleeping with a better version of you?

Maybe not even sexually, but they wrap their arm around your midsection, they cuddle their face into your neck, and from afar it looks as if they're hugging you.

but that can't be you, because you're standing here. In the doorway, staring at the stranger who wears your skin. And when they turn their head, you know full well that it is not you.

They're beautiful. Too beautiful. Too ethereally beautiful their face is just like yours but so much prettier somehow, it's softer where it should be soft, sharper where it should be sharp. The structure is the same, but fine details are changed. Not every blemish is removed form your skin, but enough are that you can tell, and those that remain hardly even look like blemishes.

Your skin looks smooth, free of the texture that it's notorious for having, your hair looks tousled and yet is somehow free of knots.

and when that creature opens it's eyes, you find yourself looking at your own, glossier, shinier and prettier than you've ever seen them before.

It's like every single word, every single compliment your partner ever gave you turned true.

And though you see the creature shift, though you see the bones snap and swivel and turn, you see the flesh shrink, stretch, melt, they eyes roll loops in it's skull, you still find yourself reaching out to touch the finished figure.

They look exactly like your love.

To you at least perhaps... did you truly look so pretty to your love? Did you—

did you check if they were alive?

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @steddiebingo and @steddiesongfics.

When I Think About Seventeen

Countdown to Midnight Prompt: Ball | Steddie Song Fics Prompt: New (Springsteen by Eric Church) | Word Count: 2795 | Rating: T | CW: Language, Sexual Innuendo | POV: Eddie | Tags: Baseball, Big Dreams, Canon Divergent Interactions: Childhood, Post-S1, Post-S4, Time Skips, Eddie Munson Lives, Crossing Paths Over The Years, Acquaintances to Friends to Lovers

Also right here on ao3.

I bumped into you by happenstance, You probably wouldn't even know who I am, But if I whispered your name, I bet, Still be a spark, And back when I was gasoline, And this old tattoo had brand new ink - Springsteen, Eric Church

1974

Eddie wiggles his four fingers, calling the pitch from behind the plate. A change-up. Harrington's the only pitcher on their team that even has different pitches. With everyone else, Eddie just needs to try and catch whatever wild throw comes free of their hand as they pretend they did it on purpose. 

Not Steve Harrington, though. Steve can place the ball, and it's no different today when the championship is on the line.

Steve nods, accepting the call Eddie's made.

The final pitch hits Eddie's mitt, a strike, the third out. 

It's over, the Hawkins Hawks are finally done for the summer.

And Eddie's done forever.

The rest of the team is jumping all over Steve Harrington on the mound, Tommy Hagan hanging off him, as they all wait for their little gold trophies, and Eddie waddles back to the dugout. He starts stripping off his catcher's gear. The leg guards, and the chest pad. It's all borrowed, not his own, and never quite fit perfectly, anyway.

He lays it in the corner, up next to the chain link fence near the bats. Coach will take it, get back where it needs to go.

Because he's done.

Eddie promised Wayne he'd make it through the season, and he did that. 

But now he's done.

He doesn't like these boys, or this sport, not anymore. And he's not going to force himself to play next year.

Or ever again, for that matter.

He exits the dugout, not sticking around for the trophy presentation or the group picture. 

Wayne doesn't try to make him, just puts an arm around his shoulders as they walk towards his truck. 

"Proud of you, kid. You did it," Wayne says.

Eddie did do it, and now he'll never have to do it again.

1984

Someone is playing Springsteen. Loudly. Eddie doesn't recognize the songs, but the voice, definitely. School's out for summer. Eddie should be done for good, but he failed his senior year and now he's moping about it. 

There shouldn't be anybody at the school right now. He's only here because he had a meeting at the picnic table earlier, and just stayed to draw some. But now Eddie stands near the edge of the woods, and watches Steve Harrington practicing all by himself. He's pitching into a net, and then having to collect all the baseballs himself before starting the whole process over again.

This goes on for several rounds, until Eddie finally can't take it. He's too nosey. 

"What are you doing?" Eddie hollers, and Steve jumps, clearly having no idea he wasn't all alone on the field. His head whips around, looking for the voice that startled him.

"Goddamn, you scared me, Munson," Steve says, when he lays eyes on him, finally.

Eddie chuckles, walking across the field towards him, "Isn't baseball over?"

Steve nods his head, "Yeah. I just…"

"What?" Eddie prods. There's no way Steve Harrington is worried about his starting position for next year. It's summer. He should be playing Babe Ruth, and enjoying his last summer league season before he ages out. Even with whatever weird vibes he's got with Tommy Hagan and the rest of the asshole jocks these days. Eddie has eyes. He knows something is up with all of them.

Eddie doesn't give a shit about sports, the jocks and their problems, but even he knows that Steve Harrington is captain of the swim team, a basketball starter, and has been the starting pitcher since before Eddie got dumped in town.

This is all non-negotiable.

"They're having exhibition baseball at the Olympics this summer."

Eddie laughs, "And you thought, what? As a high school pitcher from Hawkins High, you'd be a shoe-in?"

Steve laughs at that, "No. Not at all. I just, well, what if it isn't an exhibition in 1988? Or 1992?"

Eddie can't argue with that. It's a lofty dream, but shit, Eddie's got some pretty absurd dreams himself. But as far as Eddie knows, Steve isn't even being recruited for college baseball, or anything else for that matter, so the Olympics seem a little far-fetched.

"Well, good luck, I guess?" Eddie says, and turns to head back towards his office in the woods.

"Hey, wait. Would you want to catch a few pitches?"

Eddie thinks Steve must have lost his mind. 

"I don't know anything about baseball, Harrington."

Steve cocks his head to the side, looking more like a confused dog than anything else, "You didn't catch for me?"

Eddie nearly chokes. He'd catch for him, all right, and all the filthy jokes rattle through his brain, like a rapidly fluttering Rolodex, where he can't decide which one to choose. Which one would make Harrington stumble over his words and blush and–

"In Little League. When we were kids? That a different Eddie Munson?" 

Instead of any of those witty comebacks, what comes out is, "You remember that?"

Steve laughs, and offers up a grin, "Was I not supposed to? You were the scrappiest catcher I've ever played with. Nothing snuck between your legs."

Well, that's an image.

Eddie thinks he might be the one blushing. Sports weren't for him. But it's true, balls rarely hit the dirt with him behind the plate. He gave it up because he hated the team aspect. Hated the other boys, and never really felt like he belonged with any of them. Not after losing his mom. Not after moving to this shitty town where the only bright spot has been Uncle Wayne.

But he was good behind home plate.

His own island. Them, all facing one way, and him facing the other.

Seems apt, maybe even more so today.

"I'm sure I'm rusty," Eddie answers, because, you know, it might be fun to see if he's still got it. Just for a minute. What could it hurt, besides his ego and pride? He just failed high school. Those things have already been trampled into the dirt.

"Rusty's fine. You gotta be better than the net," Steve teases, and digs through his baseball bag until he finds a catcher's mitt, tossing it to Eddie.

Eddie squats down, getting into the stance he hasn't been in, in a long time. He pounds his fist into his glove and really hopes he doesn't take one square between the eyes.

Or in the shin. That fucking hurts.

Or, god forbid, his nuts.

He doesn't.

It's like riding a bike. Steve throws strike after strike, dead-on, and Eddie catches them. Steve's better now. Can throw faster. Harder. But Eddie still keeps up. It's muscle memory, even if those muscles haven't been used in a very long time.

"What is this?" Eddie hollers, as Springsteen shouts about baseball and glory days. It's all very on the nose. 

"Springsteen," Steve hollers back.

"No shit, Harrington. What album?"

"Oh," Steve says, "I stopped by Klein's today and bought it."

Steve reaches down and grabs the tape case and brings it over to Eddie. It's Springsteen's ass in blue jeans, a hat shoved in his back pocket. Eddie's pretty up to date on music, all music, and he's never seen this in his life.

"Is it new?"

"Yeah, out today," Steve says, taking it back.

They reset, Steve throws him another fastball, and Eddie throws the ball back again. It hurts a little, he'd just gotten a new tattoo over the weekend. Black bats, stark against his skin, on this throwing arm. He ignores it.

Then, Eddie calls pitches. Sometimes Steve will agree, and sometimes he'll argue silently. Holding up his glove, waving it to indicate what he wants to throw. Eddie lets him. This is his rodeo. Eddie's just along for the ride.

They play, and Eddie feels ten years old. It's actually kind of fun. He's not into sports, not anymore, but there's no pressure here. Just the two of them. Batterymen.

It all ends when it finally gets too dark to see. 

"I know it's a pipe dream," Steve says, soft and low as they pack up the equipment, "I just need out of this town."

Eddie glances over at him, "Me too, Harrington. Me, too."

They part ways, and Eddie doesn't really think about Steve Harrington again until two years later, when he's in a boathouse, running for his life, a broken bottle pressed to Steve's neck.

He lives, they all live, and then part ways.

Such is life, he supposes.

1996

Another bar, another gig on this never ending van tour they've been on for years. It's not good money, but they can make a living playing music, and not everyone can say that. They've been making it work for several years, and they'll keep at it until the wheels fall off.

They aren't famous, will never be famous. But that's okay. They get to do what they love.

Eddie looks up at the television mounted on the wall behind the bar, and it's the Olympics. Baseball.

He smiles, because it suddenly makes him think of Steve Harrington. Makes him think of him at seventeen, at nine, at nineteen. He wonders if he made it. Wonders if he's doing what he loves. Wonders if he'd even remember Eddie if they ran into each other. It's been ten years.

"Hey, it's baseball," Eddie says, and the guy behind the bar chuckles.

"It is."

"Is there, like, a lineup? Who's pitching for the US?"

The guy next to him turns, like he's been waiting for this his entire life. He starts listing off players, and where they're from, what colleges, giving far more information than Eddie wants, but Eddie quickly realizes they're all about twenty-one. College kids, headed for the draft, maybe. 

Steve's nearly as old as him.

There are definitely no thirty-year-old former high school pitchers on Team USA.

Eddie's a little disappointed, and he doesn't know why. It wasn't his dream. He's living his dream. He just thinks Steve should have gotten to live his, too. That's all.

He sits down on the open stool, then gets right back up again, heading to the payphone stuck in the back corner of the bar. He calls Henderson.

"You got a number for Harrington?" Eddie asks, not giving the kid a chance to get wound up about the fact that he hasn't heard from him in a while.

Henderson harasses him, of course he does, but he still coughs up the digits and Eddie drops more change into the slot, then dials.

Steve answers, and Eddie doesn't even greet him, just asks, "What are you watching?"

"Baseball. The Olympics. The United States is trouncing Japan." 

Steve doesn't ask who Eddie is, but Eddie knows he already knows.

"Well, that's funny. Me too. And I wondered if Steve Harrington was their pitcher."

Steve laughs, "Definitely not. I can't believe you even remembered that. That was dumb."

It wasn't dumb, and of course Eddie remembered. He's never forgotten anything about Steve Harrington, especially not after that spring break. He saved his fucking life, and then waved it off like it was nothing.

It wasn't nothing. It was everything.

"You still play?" Eddie asks.

"Baseball? Well, I'm on a co-ed slow pitch softball team with Robin. She's still so uncoordinated, it's ridiculous. Nothing's changed there. But it's fun."

Eddie laughs, "Oh, that hurts my knees to think about."

Steve Harrington giggles in his ear, and Eddie's glad he called. Glad he saw that baseball game and thought of him.

They lull into a bit of silence, and Eddie wonders if this is wrapping up. If it's gonna be over as soon as it started.

"Well, if you're ever in town, come play catch with me. We'll catch up."

Eddie laughs, but mocks his bad pun, "That was awful."

Steve doesn't care. Just laughs like he's absolutely delighted that Eddie called.

Eddie decides he wants to cover Glory Days during their set, and the band goes along with his whim without asking questions. He sings about his friend that was a baseball player in high school, and the band has to know what this is about. 

When he transitions into I'm on Fire, he knows he'll get shit, but he doesn't care. He's gonna sit in this nostalgia for a minute. He's got a bad desire.

A couple months later, fall is cooling everything down, and the band finally have a long enough break to justify venturing away from each other, and he finds Steve in another small town, not all that different from Hawkins. Except, the bad memories aren't tainting it. It's nice. The town, his house.

Eddie climbs the steps to the porch, and knocks. Steve's not expecting him. He might not even be home. But the door opens, and Eddie just holds up his mitt.

The smile that crosses Steve's face is blinding, and Eddie has butterflies. It's unexpected, but not really. Steve swings open the screen door, letting it snap closed behind him, as he yanks Eddie into a hug, like this is something they do.

Maybe it is.

Eddie hugs back. Steve Harrington is an old friend of his, somehow. Ten-year-old Eddie, who hated everything about that damn baseball team, wouldn't believe this turn of events.

Steve ushers him inside, and digs his glove and a ball out of his hall closet.

In his nice, fenced-in yard, Eddie's knees crack when he gets into his stance, and he laughs. He's a rough thirty-one. He knows that. Muscles gnawed away at by bats doesn't leave you exactly the same, Steve knows that, too, but Eddie thinks he's still capable. Maybe. But when that first pitch hits Eddie's hand through leather, Eddie feels at home in a way he didn't even know he could. Not anymore.

Eddie tries to call a pitch, and Steve keeps shaking his head. Fine.

Steve winds up, and the ball seems to float, doing unpredictable shit, before Eddie's able to snag it at the last second.

"Was that a fucking knuckleball?!" Eddie yells. Steve didn't have a knuckleball at nine, that's for damn sure. And he didn't have one at seventeen either, at least not that he showed Eddie during that one, weird afternoon.

"Maybe," Steve teases, coyly. 

"You're trying to trip me up with a passed ball, ruin my stats, is that it?" Eddie accuses, but he's grinning. "Not on my watch, asshole."

Steve just grins, "Well, don't worry. You still got it, old man. We were always a pretty good battery. You and me."

They were. Eddie smiles, and throws the ball back. 

Maybe they've both still got it. Together.

Eddie catches a few more, then stands up, "You got a boombox?"

Steve nods, and they lay down their mitts and go inside. Eddie squats in front of Steve's rack of CDs. Not tapes, not now. Times have changed.

"What are you looking for?" Steve asks.

"Mind your own business, Harrington," he quips and Steve shakes his head.

"Fine, I'll take this out. If you find something acceptable, you bring it on out."

They aren't in any order that Eddie can discern, but finally finds what he's looking for. He knew he'd have it. At least, he hoped he would.

Outside, Eddie shoves it into the top of the boombox. Then he advances through until he gets to track ten. Steve just looks amused, and then he laughs when The Boss's voice fills the air.

"Seems fitting. I, too, had a high school friend that played baseball."

Eddie squats, and his knees don't betray him this time, but Steve's just standing there, looking at him. Not throwing the ball.

Eddie pats his glove. Only short of offering him an engraved invitation to throw the ball.

Steve just looks at him.

"What?" Eddie asks. But he knows what. That look on his face. Eddie understands that look. A hungry heart.

Oh shit.

Eddie swallows.

Steve throws his glove to the ground, and stalks towards him. It should look intimidating, but it doesn't. Eddie knows what's about to happen, and falls back onto his ass in the grass.

Steve sinks to his knees, and then crawls forward, leaning in, and he's gonna kiss him. He's gonna do it. Eddie reaches up, sliding his hand into Steve's hair, inviting him to please do.

And then he's kissing Steve Harrington, lips, tongues as Steve presses him back into the grass, covering Eddie's body with his own. Eddie lets his thighs fall open, letting Steve slot in between his legs, and goddamn.

He didn't.

He hoped.

But he didn't actually expect this. 

Eddie can't believe it is happening. Him and Steve Harrington. Though, it seems kind of fitting that The Boss is currently growling out of the speakers that you can't start a fire without a spark.

And what a spark this is.

If you want to sign up for a future bingo event or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddiebingo and @steddiesongfics and follow along with the fun! ⚾

Notes: If you aren't an Olympic junkie, baseball has always came and went. And in 1984 it was back, after a twenty year hiatus. So, the first time in Steve's lifetime. At first I was like...maybe? Pros still couldn't play in 1996, but then I really looked at that 1996 roster. They really were all about 21 years old, born between 1974-1976. The oldest, the catcher, was born in 1973. So, Steve was just too old. I was like, could he coach?? And even that seemed far-fetched, so I went this way, which I think turned out far more realistic, anyway.

Lots of Springsteen references abound in this one, lol. Born in the U.S.A. came out June 4th, 1984. It had the song of the same name, Glory Days and Dancing in the Dark, on it.

[dance-on-the-moonlight]

"stupid, emotional, obsessive little me" | M.R.

➵ summary: you're in love with your best friend, and he doesn't know it.

➵ pairing: mattheo riddle × fem!best friend

➵ warnings: angst, unrequited feelings, 1st pov, spelling mistakes

➵ song i'd like to imagine was played is solas

➵ masterlist

part one | part two

I am not beautiful, but I could be.

If I changed my hair, or had darker skin, if my hair wasn't unruly and bleached, if my eyes weren't a weird shade between green and blue, they almost looked grey, if my nose wasn't as big and nostrils as wide, or my lips big and dry and if my teeth weren't small or if my gums didn't show when I smiled.

Maybe if I looked like her I'd be beautiful.

 But comparing is a shit thing to do, a bad virtue she had and couldn't rid herself off of, so instead of sulking and watching him whisper sweet nothings to the pretty girl, something that makes her quietly laugh, she turn her gaze towards the parchment in front of her. A blank page watched back, a few splotches of ink dropped from her quill that trembled slightly in her hand.

I am so failing at History of Magic if I don't start, at least, taking notes. I sighed deeply, sneaking a look at Hermione's paper to see her page already filled completely. Discreetly leaning in towards her I tried to copy her notes, thankfully she didn't say anything and just scoffed before resuming her writing.

My notes came out completely sloppy and messy, like they always did, but with the ink droplets it was completely illegible. I pursed my lips before ripping the parchment and standing up along with the rest of the students as the class ended.

Catching up to my friends, I wave to Hermione as she goes to find the rest of the Golden Trio. Theo and Enzo were bickering about something as we piled in the Great Hall, the chatter of other students went unnoticed to me as my thoughts swirled in my head. I sat on the bench, throwing my bag next to me, elbows on the table as I rest my head on my palms.

"What's up your ass today, Y/N?", Theo nudged me with his shoulder. "I'm failing History and the school year hasn't ever properly started." Not entirely a lie, but still not the whole truth.

Not sure how would it sound if I said that what bothers me is the fact my best friend already has a girl and it's only been a week since the school year started. But it's not like it's a surprise, really.

Theo's hand found it's way across my shoulders, pulling me into him as he chuckled. "No worries, we'll fail together, that way summer school won't be as lonely." I snort, slapping my hand across his chest.

"Why are we talking about summer school already?", my body went rigid at sound, every muscle in my body freezing, only hoping Theo doesn't notice. Mattheo moved my bag gently on the floor before sitting next to me, his body angled towards us as he leaned a bit to get a closer look at us. A scarred brow lifted as his eyes danced between Theo and me. Theo squeezed me gently before removing his hand, a teasing smile on his lips.

"We just like to make plans in advance, isn't that right, principesa?"  I roll my eyes at the nickname, he rarely uses it. Mattheo hummed, averting his gaze from us.

I was looking through the window as the rain slowly fell from the sky. A few of the students that were outside ran inside as fast as they could as to not get wet. Eyes gliding over to the pair that stayed behind, slowly dancing in the rain, not caring who saw or how wet they'll get. 

My heart was gripped by two hands, crushed and twisted, a boulder of emotions pressed on my chest. It pushed and pushed on my lungs until it felt like I couldn't breathe. I tried to take a breath, but a rope around my neck tightened with every attempt.

I felt like I was drowning.

I raised my wand, my heart burning with jealousy at something I'll never have. A simple spell I learned last year with Hermione, made the rain stop in it's tracks mid air. The pair halted with their dancing, with giggles I swear I could hear all the way up here, they ran inside.

 When i couldn't see them anymore the rain fell again with the flick of my wand, but my heart still burned.

Shaking my head, I made the rest of the trek towards the Astronomy tower, it was cold up here. My teeth clenched as the wind whipped my hair, stray raindrops acted as the tears I refused to let flow down my cheeks. 

In the far left corner sat and old piano, it had a propped leg by some folded parchment, the chair squeaked under my weight and the tiles were out of tune. Nobody really knows how did an old piano end up here or why it was still here. There were speculations of course, but they were nothing more than that.

I like to tell myself it was left here for me.

With trembling fingers I played a song of my heart, an out of tune beat just like the piano tiles. My fingers were red, and my nose runny by the time I heard his voice.

"I didn't hear you play since last summer." His voice blended in with the thunder that hid the sound of me hitting the wrong key. My body trembled, despite the warm cloak that he draped over my shoulders. Eyes never straying from the dirty keys I let out a breath, thankful for the rain that left my cheeks damp. 

"Couldn't sleep?", I decide on saying, my voice coming out hoarse and wrong. "Yeah." His voice sounded broken, like the last key, in the far right that I needed to finish the song. Fingers hovering over it for a moment before I rested my hands in my lap.

 I want to ask him of what he dreamt, which nightmare plagued his mind now; even if I knew all of them by now. Instead I scooted on the creaking chair, making space for him which he gladly accepts. I rub my hands together, feeling the bite from the cold now that the son is over, his hand twitches as if he's gonna reach for me, but instead he puts it in his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. 

He took a deep breath, smoke whirling around us, carried by the wind as my eyes trace a raindrop that follows the slope of his cheek. Brown eyes find mind, a small smile on his lips and I blink away the fog in my mind. His curls are all over the place and I have to force myself to not reach up and run my hand through them. It's like he hears my thoughts as his fingers brush through his curls, the same hand drapes over my shoulders pulling me closer to him. 

My lungs were crushed by the weight of my unspoken words. But I'd rather choke on them than loose what I have here. The only sound I could hear, is the one I can't control when he's near, it's the beating of my wild heart.

part 2?

[hauntingkiki]

could you do young, student! allmight x student! reader?

they both go to UA and they’re in the same class, and they’re sitting besides next to each other and they become friends.

then a few months later or so, they start crushing on each other(without knowing it), and the reader gets injured during a practice match and he gets worried and confesses to her, thinking she was badly injured, but she ends up being okay and recovering.

ooo!! this is a really good concept!:3

Home Room Buddies

Student! All Might/Toshi x Student! Reader

My Hero Academia

2nd POV

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

your hands gently shook slightly as you held your schedule, your eyes darting around the white sheet of paper, the words “UA HIGH” was at the top in bold, ‘heroic’ font.

swallowing thickly, you looked at your first class, which was in class 1A. you knew it was one of the best classes in the school, so you had to take this seriously otherwise your shot at being a hero was going to be ruined.

you came to a halt, your eyes glued to the floor before slowly looking up through your lashes, the red font of ‘1A’ immediately caught your attention, making the butterflies in your stomach even worse.

you shook your head with a faint groan; you were being ridiculous. once you were inside you were going to calm down and you were going to be just fine. gently slapping your cheeks with both hands, you sucked in a breath and made your way into the classroom.

the cold air of the classroom immediately hit you once you took a step inside, soothing your redden cheeks. blinking a few times as you adjusted your tote bag, you glanced around the room, getting familiar with the layout before noticing the name plates that were scattered along the desktops. you shuffled your way towards your desk, not picking up your feet as you walked towards the desk that was near the back of the classroom. you slowly stopped hearing the ringing that was in your ears, the sounds of students voices soon filled the void of the buzzing noise.

you slipped your bag off your shoulder, placing it by your desk before taking a seat, adjusting your skirt a few times so it wasn’t bothering you as you sat. your fingers fiddled with the helm of your muted green skirt that fell a little above your knees, faded black ink stained the skin around your knees from doodles you did a few days prior.

kids started to pour into the classroom, filling up the desks before the bell rang, which seemed to be a minute after all the desks were filled with students. the teacher soon came into the classroom, a stack of papers were in her hands before dropping them off on her podium. she did a quick introduction, her eyes glued on the sheets as she grabbed a good, small stack of the papers. as she spoke, she walked around the room, dropping the packets on every desk. she explained that this assignment was to further her knowledge on what all of her students were capable of, outside of your quirks.

once the paper slipped in front of you, you gulped at the equations that filled the page. you opened the packet with both hands, skimming through it to get your bearings. first page, front and back, was math, the erector pages were english, one page of history and science. not too bad, but you didn’t really want to do this; especially on the first day, that is!

with a huff through your nose, you twilled your pencil in between your fingers, skimming over the problems, you started off with the more easier questions, waiting to do the harder questions later when you had some form of help.

you perked up when you felt a finger tap on the back of your shoulder. turing your head to glance at the culprit, you noticed a teen boy with bright blond hair. he had two, think strands in the front that were longer than the rest that fell in front of his face, the back of his hair was messy, looking unkept, but it suited him well. he also had bright blue eyes, a few scars that were on his hands and face as well, you were guessing from his quirk.

his face was a soft pink, , scratching at his cheek as he pointed at the problem that was left blank, faint marks of led were barely noticeable. “do you think you can help me with this problem?” he asked, watching as your eyes skimmed over the text that was shown in front of you. when he made eye contact with you, he gulped and glanced off to the side, continuing on with his reason. “i noticed that you had that whole section complete, so i wanted to ask you if you could help me.”

you smiled softly, nodding as you passed him your paper, letting him take it from your hands before fully turning in your seat, your torso pressed against the back of your chair as your arms rested on his desk. you snapped your fingers slightly, your eyes widening slightly. “oh, and when you’re done, could you help me with a problem? i’ve been stuck for a good while now.” you gulped embarrassingly, a faint chuckle escaped your lips.

he glanced up from the paper, blinking at you for a moment before nodding with a toothy grin on his face. “yeah, of course!” he beamed, turning back to the papers, pressing his lips together as he continued writing.

you noticed two metal wires that wrapped around his teeth. ‘retainers..must’ve had braces a while ago’ you thought to yourself, watching as he finished up the problem, passing your paper back to you. you flipped through the papers, humming once you found the problem. “this is the one, by the way.” you pointed it out to him, lowering the packet so he was able to see.

he hummed softly, flipping to the same page before smiling, turning the paper so you were able to see it.

you grinned, quickly writing down the answer that he had on his page.

silence fell over the two of you as you continued writing before the blond cleared his throat, holding out his right hand. “i-i’m toshinori. toshinori yagi.” he smiled, tilting his head to the left.

you blinked a few times before smiling, taking his hand into yours. “i’m y/n. y/n l/n.” you beamed, the two of you awkwardly staring at one another, the grip on each others hands was tight and firm, as if you two have known each other for years.

toshi quickly pulled his hand away after a moment of holding yours, blushing slightly when he realized that his palms were getting sweaty for a million different reasons. he watched you continue to write down the answer before handing the packet back to him. “say…” he started, swallowing when you perked up at his voice. he scratched his cheek with his index finger, glancing off the the side as he spoke in a somewhat shy voice. “would you like to be friends…? that way we’re not completely alone in the school.”

your eyes widen slightly at his proposal, your cheeks flushed pink as you nodded with a warm grin. “yeah, i’d like that!” you chuckled softly, spinning the pencil in between your fingers.

toshinori nodded as he grinned back, his face equally pink as yours, if not more. “great…great!” he beamed, swallowing when his voice got a little too loud, putting people attention onto the two of you. the two of you chuckled nervously, toshinori holding back a laugh as you shushed him playfully, holding a finger over your lips.

at this moment, you both knew that you two would be fine together.

•••

months have passed since the first day of school, both toshi and you closer than ever. toshinori trusted you with everything he was, and the same with you. he trusted you to the point where he told you about his quirk, the truth about his quirk, which was a doozy in itself.

~~

you swallowed, your hands gently pressed against his knee as your brows furrowed in worry, trying to make eye contact with the blond but he kept moving his head away from yours. “toshi….talk to me…” you whispered, gently squeezing his knees.

he swallowed thickly, his hands clammy from the nerves. he took a shaky breath in, closing his eyes as he took a few more deep breaths. “it’s not that hard to explain…” he muttered under his breath, trying to figure out the best way to explain it.

you shook your head softly, humming softly. “just…say whatever’s in your mind…we’ll piece everything together, okay?” you reassured, getting worried for the boy and how stressed out he was getting.

he nodded faintly, sitting up straight, keeping his gaze away from you. “i…okay….” he swallowed, taking a moment before speaking again. “i….i was born quirkless…my power was given to me by the number one hero; nana shimura…”

your eyes widen, your jaw dropping harshly that you though it snapped off of your head. “…what…?” you muttered out, any other words you tried saying ended up being gibberish.

toshinori nodded softly, sighing as his body continued to shake. “yeah…she’s teaching me everything i know…she’s my master…” he meekly confessed, rubbing his hands along his thighs to get rid of the sweat.

you nodded softly, staring at him for a moment before engulfing him into a hug. your grip was tight and reassuring, your chin resting on his shoulder.

he flinched in shock, not expecting you to hug him, especially since he was lying to you for months. he slowly wrapped his arms around you, his face burrowing into the crook of your neck, tears swelling in his eyes as he squeezed you, not wanting to let go of you. “thank you…” he muttered against your skin shakily, choking on a sob.

you shook your head softly, a faint smile on your lips. “don’t mention it…thank you for telling me, toshi…”

~~

a hand snapped in front of your face, startling out of your daydream. “jeez, h/n! thought we lost you for a moment!” toshi snapped slightly, relived that you snapped out of it. “come on, it’s just the two of us against class b!”

you let out a scream, dodging an attack by a few inches, your eyes wide as you scrambled to your feet, taking a few steps back. “JEEZ!” you cried, running off and following toshi. “what’s the plan now, all might?!”

toshi was quite, trying to think of a plan. he didn’t really have one at the moment; everything happened so fast that it was hard to keep up with everything that was going on. he came to halt, turning around on his heel to tell you the random plan that popped into his mind. he opened his mouth, stumbling over his words when he realized that you were gone. he mentally cursed to himself when the announcement was heard throughout out the training ground, the voice of class 1b beaming as she beamed about her classes win for the round.

you let out a groan, pushing yourself out of the grasp of a class 1b student, shuttering faintly as you walked away from him. you brushed your hair out of your face, glancing around for toshi before letting out a yelp, stumping back as you were immediately tackled into a hug. your eyes went vast, blinking a few times before gasping when you realized who it was. “toshi! w-what are you doing?!”

he pulled away slightly, his hands on your waist as his gaze lingered over your body, checking for any wounds or injuries. “what happened?! y-you just vanished!” he sighed, his hands going up to your shoulders, shaking you gently.

you hummed softly, fiddling with your hero costume. “it was a sneak attack…they knew they only had a few more seconds until the match was over so they went all out, the three of them catching me and taking me to their ‘jail’…” you muttered embarrassingly, glancing off to the side before making eye contact with the blond. “i’m sorry…i didn’t mean to scare you or make you worried or anything…”

toshi sighed softly in relief, glad that you weren’t badly injured, just a few scratches and scrapes. “of course i worried!…i deeply care about you, y/n…” he confessed, his cheeks a faint pink hue.

you immediately noticed, quirking a brow as you dragged him away from the other students. “toshi…are you okay…? you’re red in the face…” you muttered, stopping once you two were a good distance from everyone else.

he groaned, running both hands down his face, his heart pounding in his chest as he realized what kind of situation he got himself into. “look…y/n, i…” he swallowed, staying silent for a moment as he silently argued with himself, not sure if this is the best course of action. but despite everything in him telling him not to, he swallowed again. “i….i um…really, really like you, y/n.” he muttered out, his body shaking faintly from the confession.

your eyes widen, cheeks flushed to a deep red at his words. you weren’t expecting that to be the thing that he said to you. “o-oh wow…toshi…” you gasped out, swallowing thinking as you licked you lips, struggling to find the right words for this situation.

the two of you fell silent, toshinori anxiously waiting for your answer, his body shaking faintly from anticipation.

you let out a few strangled sounds, trying to find your voice but struggling the first few times. she swallowed, taking a deep breath before nervously looking him in the eyes. “i…i like you too, toshinori…”

his breath got caught in his throat from your words, his face a bright red as he swallowed thickly. “you…you do…?” he mumbled after a moment of silence between the two of you. he released a breath he was holding when he saw your faint nod, your eyes breaking contact and glancing over to the side. slowly, he brought you into a hug, his arms tight around your body as if he was scared you’d slip away. “you don’t know how happy i am to hear that…”

you froze for a few moment before slowly wrapping your arms around him, smiling faintly at his words, also releasing a breath you were holding.

he pulled back after a moment, his arms still wrapped around your frame as he shyly looked you in the eyes. “does….does tonight at seven work?” he quirked a brow, smiling weakly down at you. “maybe we could catch a movie or something fun…”

your eyes softened as you nodded, a faint hum following after as you placed your hands on his shoulders when he pulled away. “yeah…that works for me.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

OMG IM SO SO SO SORRY I HAVENT POSTED IM SO LONGGG!!😖😖😖 i’ve been really unmotivated lately but hopefully i’ll start writing again😢

[milkamel]

I just have to say I absolutely LOVE your kross pain sharing au, but it does make me wonder.

Who is dream, nightmare, blue, ink, error, ect soulmates or did some of them die with the overwhelming amount of pain (cough like nightmare and error cough)

But im genuinely curious, will they be shown in the fanfic or no. Ooooh the ecitement i have for up coming chapters when i make up theories, i also loved how you hc cross and all of the rest.

Just gotta say it again, im so very excited about upcoming chapters, no matter how slow you are at posting my patience will always remain for them!!!

Omg thank you sm!! 😭 I’m so happy ppl love this AU, though writing multichapter fanfic is a little harder than I anticipated (I never wrote anything like that before XD)

I want to keep their soulmates a secret right now, but everyone (except for Ink, who doesn’t have a soul at all) has a soulmate and some of the relationships are already established (no one’s dead :D). Hopefully, I’ll reveal Nightmare’s in the nearest chapters (I do have all the important plot points of the fanfic in mind, I just need to find a way to connect them smoothly)

I’ll try to show everyone in the fanfic and focus not only on kross, but other characters and some world-building too, it will differ from canon and I hope it’ll be coherent lol. And I’m glad you liked characterization as well I was worried about it the most (I felt like Cross was too nervous and timid, though I think it’s his POV that makes this impression)

I already wrote around 2k words for the next chapter, no idea whether this motivation will last or not but I’m not giving up on the fic any time soon 🫶

[aritsukemo]

Paradise | Chapter Three - Sabito and Makomo | KNY

Summary: Sakonji Urokodaki's grueling training begins!

Warnings: Nothing much. Tanjiro, Y/n, and Sumiko are in pain for the majority of this chapter.

A/N: Here's chapter three that's been sitting in my drafts for like two to three months now! This is my first time doing a first pov so I hope my lack of expertise doesn't show too much!😅 I'm going to re-remind everyone once the next chapter comes out, but chapter four will be posted alongside the first oc profile! You'll only be able to read it over on Wattpad, but I hope everyone goes to give it a quick read whenever I post it! :D

Tagging: @overluvsick, @nursedflowers, @jspidey5 + anyone who wants to be tagged! <3

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Third Person Pov

Crickets and other noisy bugs converse loudly during the night. Tanjiro sits at a small table, a singular lamp by his side as his soft hand holds a brush—which bristles already stained in ink and are coloring symbols into the once clean sheet. The brush glides across the page until it comes to an abrupt stop and  goes back to the start, hovering over the next clean area of the paper. Tanjiro looks behind his shoulder. Nezuko sleeps peacefully on the futon behind him. Y/n sits propped up against the wall with one of her legs kicked up, her eyes closed, and silent snoring coming from her in steady breaths. Sumiko leans against her, also fast asleep.

Guess it's finally time to get some rest. After all, his first day of training begins tommorow.

Closing the book, the light shines on the book cover. It displays in big symbols and clean, black ink, "Journal" with his full name written in smaller characters below that. Tanjiro's hands leave the book at last after spending his final free day writing for hours without end..

First Person, Tanjiro's Pov

 "The Demon Slayer Corps has around several hundred members. It's an organization unrecognized by the government, yet it has existed since ancient times and continue to hunt demons today. As for the one leading the Demon Slayer Crops, however, that remains a mystery."

 "Demons. They mercilessly kill and feed on humans and their flesh. No one has a clue where or when they first appeared. Their physical prowess is remarkable. Wounds heal in the blink of an eye. Flesh is restored no matter what damage comes to it and limbs that are hacked off can easily regenerate. Some demons can shapeshift, others have otherwordly powers. The only ways to kill these heinous creatures are via sunlight or decapitation with a special sword."

 "The Demon Slayers battle demons with their mortal bodies. Since they're only human, they're wounds are slow to heal, and once lost, their limbs never grow back! Even so, they continue to selflessly fight to protect other humans!" Those were the first words Mr. Urokodaki spoke to us when our training to become demon slayer swordmen first began. As he was explaining everything, I couldn't help but look at her from the corner of my eye.

Y/n's face hid everything from me like an iron wall. Her scent opened a window for me to peer into, but whenever it did, it always left me puzzled. It always contradicted her in some way and that fact worries me.

I want to ask her so many questions. About these contradicting feelings, about her past that she for some reason refuses to tell.. I want to have a heart to heart with her like a brother and sister would..

But now's not the time for questions. For now, I need to focus on becoming a demon slayer so that I can start finding a cure to turn Nezuko back into a human!

 "I am a trainer. I literally train swordsmen," Urokodaki said to us that early morning, "There are many trainers like me all over Japan, and each of them train their pupils with their own regimen in their location."

 "To join the Demon Slayer Corps, you must survive the Final Selection process held on Mt. Fujikasane. Whether or not you're eligible for Final Selection is up to me," He explained. I remember thinking at the time, "Simple enough."

How naive I was..

 Starting today, I'm going to keep a journal for Nezuko.

 I'm decending the mountain again today. I'm going to train my hardest so that I don't die during Final Selection!

 After repeatedly descending the mountain, day after day, I'm starting to learn how to avoid most of the traps. I've become stronger and I'm even more adept at detecting scents than before. Even so..the traps are getting more and more difficult. At this point, I'm starting to believe he's actually trying to kill us! I nearly fell into a hidden pit of knives today..

 Despite the increase in difficulty, I seem to be the only one struggling to keep up. Y/n and Sumiko have cleared the mountain a couple times without problems. At first, Sumiko would trigger traps left and right fearlessly and would just narrowly dodge them. She really worried me for a while, but after some scolding from Mr. Urokodaki, she started trying to dodge them at last. I'm relieved that he stepped in before she got seriously injured.

 As for Y/n, she seems to be on a whole different level! She's quick on her feet—quicker than both me and Sumiko—and her natural senses manage to keep her from triggering most of the traps on the mountain. In only half a day, she had already managed to make it up and down the mountain three times! Seriously, how does she do that?

I run down the mountain as fast as I my legs can take me and leap over an oncoming rope. As soon as I planted my feet back onto the ground, a log comes swinging right at me! I barely dodged it and stumbled a bit. Because of that, I nearly triggered a trap..

Mr. Urokodaki's scent hits my nostrils and leads a clear trail to the next trap ahead. Knives fly from the trees and I find myself stopping to look. My heart skips as I swing my body out of the way, just bsrely dodging as the knives dig into the tree behind me.

My legs felt like jelly and I wobbled right into an obvious trap. I nearly twist my ankle catching myself before I fell completely into the hole—thank goodness for that, because under me were sharp knives, threatening to cut me open with even the slightest touch.

I gasped out in horror without realizing. But really, is a pit of knives really necessary?

As this was happening, Y/n and Sumiko shoot past me. Y/n is ahead, her face still like a stone as she hopped over ropes and other traps without so much as pausing for a breath. Sumiko mimcks her, taking wide leaps over everything until her foot steps down on her demise. A snap is heard and I suddenly see her dangling in the air by her foot.

 "Ah, Sumiko!" I manage to maneuver myself out of the way of the hole and crawl to my feet. I jog up to my little sister in need only to realize that the rope was just out of my reach. Oh no.

In the end, I accidentally triggered a trap trying to help her down and got myself stuck as well. Mr. Urokodaki had to cut us down and we both got a scolding for our slip ups..

 I made my descent down the mountain again today, sword in hand, but it really hampered my movements. I can't stop getting ensnared by traps! Sumiko seems to be having as much trouble as I am, if not worse. Her sense of balance has been thrown off entirely and she can't seem to dodge even the simplest of traps..

 Y/n started only a few days before we did, but she's already gotten the hang of her sword. She truly is amazing!

I run down the mountain, large sword hanging heavy on my hip and Sumiko by my side, and we simultaneously hop over a rope tied low to the ground. Urokodaki watches us in silence, arms crossed. And, although I can't see his face because of the mask, I know he's judging our every move.

Each trap I hop over, Sumiko lags behind, just barely being able to mimick my movements. She leaps after me, but she doesn't make it high enough to avoid a rope. I hear intense ruffling along with a small yelp and look over my shoulder to see that Sumiko's gone and there's a large pit where she used to stand.

 "Sumiko!" I find myself sliding to a stop, "Don't worry, I'll—" And then another snap echoes throughout the forest; a warning that I didn't process fast enough to heed. I fall back, but I wasn't even able to hit the ground before I'm snatched into the air..

We were kept stuck in our traps until Y/n finished her descent through the mountain. What makes things worse is that when Mr. Urokodaki cut me down, I fell right on my head..

 I swing my sword today. Well, it's not just today. After descending the mountain, I, along with Y/n and Sumiko, swing our swords until our arms nearly fall off. We do this every day.

 "Nine hundred ninety-one.. Nine hundred ninety-two..!" Numbers were shouted out in unison by all three of us as we stood side by side in a clearing at in the mountain. The evening glow shines down on us and our blades which causes them to gleam every time we swing downwards.

Every inch of my arm throbs with each tense of my muscles that are caused when I swing my sword. I've been clenching my teeth for so long that I'm scared they'll shatter if I don't ease up, but how am I supposed to do that? Even though they're beginning to numb over, my arms hurt so badly!

But at last, I can finally rest, "One thousand!" We all finally yell out, but immediately after we said that, Urokodaki gruffly follows up with his own shouting, "Five hundred more!" He told us.

And just as that demand reached my ears, I felt my tired soul completely shatter into pieces..

 "Swords break easily," That's what he told us beforehand. Though it's strong vertically, it's weak horizontally, so you need to apply the force straight along the blade. The blade's direction and the direction in which you apply force must be exactly the same. And that's when Urokodaki added, "If you ever damage the blade, in other words, break it, I'll snap your bones as well," in a very threatening tone of voice. Just thinking about it, makes me nervous all over again..

 Today, we did nothing but fall. We started training to break our falls and get up quickly from any position.

 We wield our swords, charging at Mr. Urokodaki, really trying to kill him. In contrast, Mr. Urokodaki is bare-handed and unarmed. Even so, he's ridiculously powerful! He flings me away and I roll on the ground every time..

 Even someone like Y/n seems to struggle when up against Mr. Urokodaki. She starts off good, getting up faster than me and Sumiko and manages to get a few swings in. None of them ever hit him, however, and in the end, she's always flung away just like me.

 Sumiko seems to have it the worse since she tends to charge at him with the intent on fighting bare-handed. Her sword gets in her way and she's always flipped or tossed away quicker than either of us. Every time it happens, my heart skips a beat thinking she'll accidentally land on her sword and hurt herself..

We stand before Mr. Urokodaki, swords in hand. I merely blink and in an instant, my world is flipped upside down! ..Literally. Before I even had the time to process that my feet were no longer planted on the ground, my face was already sliding against the gravel and my nose was already being invaded by the strong, muddy smell of the dirt that I had begun to grow used to.

As I crack my eyes open again, I spot Y/n running towards Mr. Urokodaki. She had already managed to regain her senses after the temprorary lapse and got up. How does she do that?

With her face scrunched in conentration, she charges forward and swings her blade when she's close enough. She immediately follows up with an upward slash attack after her intial strike misses. The movements of her swings are sharp, but I get the sense of aggression towards the tail end of every single strike. It's passive-aggressive which contrasts Mr. Urokodaki, who's movements are pretty lax as he dodges the majority of her swings by simply moving out of the way of her blade.

That relaxed air around his being leaves him for a mere moment as he goes on the offense. He suddenly charges forward and Y/n immediately raises her sword. She swings downwards with the intent of landing a singular strike, but he sidesteps her attack and I find myself having to tense and squint my eyes as to not miss Mr. Urokodaki's next movements. While she's still focused on her previous attack, Mr. Urokodaki steps behind her and lands a kick to the back of one of her knees which causes them to fold. She falls on one knee and Mr. Urokodaki waste no time in kicking her in the side and sending her tumbling away.

Both me and Sumiko get up at the same time, but I attack first. I run as fast as I can, mouth open and yelling as I hold my sword above my head..

And in less than a second, my view of the world was flipped upside down again and spinning like a wheel. I couldn't feel the ground anymore either which made it finally dawn on me what just happened; Mr. Urokodaki had flipped me into the air and the momentum of his throw had me rolling midair!

The revelation hits at the same time that I hit the ground. I land right on my chest which knocks the majority of the air outta my lungs in a loud gusp. Quickly after that, I hear light groans that signal Sumiko's defeat.

 "Again!" I hear Mr. Urokodaki demand and I catch myself groaning softly as I peel myself off the gravel. I don't know how long I can take being tossed around like this..

 Today, we learned breathing techniques and some forms. We'd get yelled at for not bracing our stomachs and clobbered to a plup..

 "Total Concentration breathing?" I questioned, my head instinctively tilting to the side a little.

 "That's right," Urokodaki said, "And I'm going to teach you three all ten of the Water Breathing forms."

 "Remember to take a long breath so the oxygen flows into every cell in your body," He told us, "This will enhance your body's natural healing power, and both stabilize and energize your spirit."

 "Relax your upper body.." He instructs and we do as he tells us to the best of our abilities, all of our shoulders' slumping, "..while bracing your lower half," I tense up my legs and feet. Y/n and Sumiko do the same.

 "All right, now breathe!" My head tilts back, and at a turtle's pace, I suck in as much air as I can. I exhale just as slowly, my whole body slumping..and then, bam! My eyes shoot open as pain shoots through my entire body and spit is propelled from my mouth and shot out in all directions.

Mr. Urokodaki had smacked me in the stomach and it felt horrible!

To try and ease the pain, my body curls into itself. I'm hunched over, shaking with my arms wrapped around my stomach and my knees bending when I hear Mr. Urokodaki yell, "Wrong!" And I hear groans. I guess Y/n and Sumiko had met a smiliar, painful fate.

 "Next! Forms!" Mr. Urokodaki shouts and we have no choice but to straighten back up. He didn't give us much to go off of, but I was determined and struck a pose anyways.

 "Right! Like this?" I ask, "Wrong!" He yells. And so, I snap into a different pose.

 "Like this?" I ask again only for him to repeat, "Wrong!" I change poses once again and promptly ignore the sideway looks of confusion, dissaproval, and embarrassment I get from my sisters—the latter two more apparent in the look Y/n gives me; the former one more accurately represented in Sumiko's dot-eyed expression—and yell out, "This?"

In an instant Mr. Urokodaki had popped me in the stomach once, then twice, then a third time, and unfortunately a fourth, fifth, and sixth which elicited a loud, whiny moan from me.

 After that, he told us to become one with the water.

We stood fairly high up on one of the ledges near the mountain we descend every morning as a warm up. Before us was a large waterfall that was so noisy that we struggled to hear each other despite standing side by side with one another. It loudly flowed it's abundance of water down to the bottom, which I couldn't really see all that well due to the constant stream blending together and crashing down producing a light steam at the bottom from the sheer coldness of the water..

And then, our demise rings out in the form of Mr. Urokodaki's voice, "What are you waiting for? Get in there!" And we're suddenly kicked off. Off instinct, I try to run away from my fate, but all it does is prolong the inevitable until gravity finally hits me and I go falling along with Y/n and Sumiko.

My stomach flutters in an uneasy sorta way at the airy feeling of falling from such a high vantage point. I scream, going to call out for the first person that pops into my head, "Nezuko..!" I drawl until I finally hit the water with a loud splash!

After a moment of floating along the stream, we all manage to pick ourselves up and huddle under the waterfall. As the heavy water comes relentlessly crashing down onto us, we stay firmly planted with our hands mashed together as if we were praying.

 "Nezuko..!" I find myself yelling, my voice being carried in the wind. Echoing and bouncing off the rushing waterfall, "I...! ..Am...! ..Water..!"

My constant yelling must've really irked Y/n, because after a while, she shouted at me, her voice strained but angry, "Could you..! Shut up..! ..For one second..?"

 As of now, it's been six months since Nezuko was last awake. Mr. Urokodaki summoned a doctor right away and had him examine her, but he found nothing wrong.

 But it's not normal for her to stay asleep like this.. I'm scared. Scared that one morning, I'll wake up to find her dead. Not a day goes by that I don't worry..

 Sumiko had begun staying up later and later at night. I think she's also worried about that possibility and it's causing her to fear sleeping. I try to soothe her nerves as best I can, but I fail to do much.. At least she seems to be getting along with Mr. Urokodaki well. I sometimes catch them talking late at night when they assume everyone's asleep. I have no idea what their talks could be about, but soon after their late night talks began, Mr. Urokodaki had started supplying her with books. She tends to stay up all night reading them now and it got to the point where catching her fast asleep, face first in a book was a common sight we all saw of her in the mornings.

 Whenever we talk about Nezuko, Y/n's face scrunches and she always says that it's only a matter of time. It upsets me badly to hear that she has no faith in Nezuko ever awaking up again, but now that I think on it, this is probably her way of coping with the situation herself. I think she's trying to be overly pessimistic in case of the worst happening so that she doesn't fall apart. Looking back on it, she acted like that for a while when dad's health started to decline and he was bedridden..

 My descents are getting more dangerous and the air's even thinner since we've started descending from a higher point in the mountain. Time and time again, I think I might die, but at the same time, I've felt that, not just I, but all three of us have gotten stronger! Under Mr. Urokodaki's steady, stern guidance, we've all grown and I was sure at the time that we'd reach unspeakable heights with his help! ..And then it happened.. }

 "As of today, I have nothing more to teach you. The rest is up to you!"

 A year after we arrived at Mt. Sagiri, he told me that all of a sudden after I descended the mountain. I remember that initial feeling of surprise that struck me followed quickly by fear. After all, when he said that, it was just me there. I was the last out of the three of us to make it down the mountain. My first assumption was that this was some kind of punishment because of my own shortcomings, but then he told me to follow him. We walked for a long while—long enough for the air around us to grow colder and the snow to finally start falling—before we finally made it to a wide clearing with..a boulder in the center of it..

I found myself staring on in awe. Before me, was the largest boulder I had ever seen in my life. It was taller than both me and Mr. Urokodaki and wide to boot! That being said, it was surprising to see that a rope with long shide attached to it was wrapped all the way around it.

 "If you can slice this boulder, I will allow you to enter Final Selection," Mr. Urokodaki said after a while of my gawking. Without blinking, my eyes glide over to look at him and I only move my head a little to gaze at him for a moment before my head slid back in place and my eyes found itself on the large rock again.

I found myself thinking, "Is a boulder, especially on so big..even capable of being sliced with a sword? ..I don't think I can.." I barely noticed it, but my hand had made it's way to wrap around my sheathed katana, just under the hilt, "My sword will snap, no question!"

During my silent distress, Mr. Urokodaki stayed just as silent. Without any advice or tips or instructions, he turned on his heel and began walking away from me, "Mr. Urokodaki, please wait! ..Mr. Urokodaki!" I called his name again and again, but he just kept walking without turning back or saying anything to acknowledge my calls, leaving me alone with the tough boulder and the soft snow falling around me.. 

 After that, Mr. Urokodaki never taught me anything again. Not just me, he apparently did the same thing to Sumiko and Y/n, taking them to one of the many designated clearings in the mountain and giving them the same task before leaving. That thought comforted me a little knowing that I wasn't alone in this.

 Every day after that, I practiced what Mr. Urokodaki taught us over and over by myself. I was able to go over the basics like holding my breath and flexibility without trouble thanks to the notes I'd written down in this journal. But, even after six months had passed, I still couldn't slice the boulder. I felt frustrated. I wasn't training hard enough and it showed every single day I failed..

 But, just when the despair of the situation started to set in, he appeared..

A loud clank rang, echoing my failure throughout the area. I stood there with my sword laid against the boulder after having smacked my blade against the thick rock. My head hung low under the evening's bright, yellow glow and I huffed softly, unable to catch my breath.

 "Am I hopeless?" The thought stained my mind like ink on paper. It spread, inviting similar thoughts into my head until it plagued my brain entirely.

 "Have Y/n and Sumiko already sliced their boulders in half? Will they go on to become demon slayers without me?"

 "Is Nezuko going to die without ever waking up?"

Those thoughts made me anxious which made it hard to shake them away easily. They were dark, like black paint and had smeared itself all over and made it hard to think of anything else aside from this heavy feeling that had already begun to sink to the bottom of my gut; that depressing feeling of self-dissatisfaction.

But I can't give up! I've spent all this time training! It can't all be for nothing! I won't allow it to all be for nothing! This is for Nezuko!

Using those small pebbles of determination, I clench my teeth, move my sword out of the way, and headbutt the boulder. All while yelling words of encouragement into the air.

 "Keep working, Tanjiro!" I told myself, "You can do it! You have to!" And then landed another headbutt to the boulder. That seemed to anger it, because after that second headbutt, it screamed at me, "Shut up!"

..Wait, that wasn't the boulder. Looking up, my eyes immediately lock on a fox mask and I feel my brows scrunching from confusion. Sitting atop the boulder with his leg kicked up, was a kid seemingly around my age. His pink hair reminded me of a ripe peach and blended well with our surroundings, which were colored in orange and yellow to match the sky above. That said, his kimono top and calf leggings were covered in clashing, bright, yellow and green shapes that had me racking my brain from how familiar the pattern was.

 "A man shouldn't whine. It's unseemly," His voice caught me off guard because of how much deeper it was compared to my own. However, it wasn't gruff like Mr. Urokodaki's and still held this certain smoothness of youth that kept me from thinking he was older than me.

His sudden appearance raised questions that temporarily shushed the loud, disheartening thoughts screaming and running amok in my head. There was no scent to him which formed some of my biggest questions. Never in my life have I never been able to catch the scent of someone. Never.

 "No matter how much your suffer, a man should always bear it in silence," He got to his feet, and that finally made me take notice of the wooden sword in his hand, "That is, if you call yourself a man," And with that, he gracefully lept into the air. His plain, white haori raised, floating in the wind just like his hair. It distracted me, and because of that distraction, I wasn't able to process the shift in the air when he flipped. If it wasn't for my instincts, I would've also missed the raising of his wooden sword before it was brought down onto me with a sudden force.

His blade clanged against my metal hilt and before I was able to take in the fact that he was suddenly attacking me, the boy landed another attack on me. This time twisting to land a kick to my chin that had me flying back and landing on my head.

 "Slow. Weak. Immature. None of those are qualities of a man," He said and I found myself growing angry. Not because of his petty insult, but because of the fact that he attacked me without reason.

 "What are you doing?" I asked him only for him to mimic me and ask, "I'd like to know what you think you're doing."

 "What do you mean? I'm training," I told him, but he replied with a mean, "Hardly."

 "Now, how long do you plan to sit on your butt and not take a stance?" I don't know why, but when he said that, my body immediately moved. The authority in his tone was terrifyingly familiar so maybe that was the reason.

In so many ways..he reminds me of Mr. Urokodaki. I guess that's why my body jumped to do as he said.

He raises his hand and gestures me closer, "Come on. Come at me," He said, but I found myself hesitating.

 "But I have a real sword and you don't! What if you get hurt?" The question made him pause. I thought that was because it finally dawned on him how crazy he sounded for suggesting me to attack him wih an actual sword, but that didn't seem to be the case. Instead, his shoulders—no, his entire body shook and he threw his head back, laughing as if I had said the funniest joke in the world.

 "Well aren't you considerate! Thank you for worrying about me," He said, but the way he said it didn't sound the least bit grateful. He then said, "So, you think you're actually going to injure me?" And then he was suddenly in front of me. I stepped back on instinct with my blade raised halfway—a good move on my part, because he immediately brought his blade down on me and I was fast enough to meet him the rest of the way and block him.

He was strong. Even though he was fighting me with a wooden, practice sword, I still found my body shaking, quivering under the power he's putting against my actual sword. I remember it shocked me along with his next words, "Well, you have absolutely nothing to worry about!" He so confidently said to me, "I'm far more powerful than you! After all, I've already sliced my boulder!"

Those words echoed in my ears as they were slowly injested. He..sliced a boulder? The thought shocked me as much as it sparked hope in me. The fact that it's not impossible made a tiny weight lift off my heart.

But I had no time to dwell in that feeling, because the masked boy jumped into the air. As dust kicked up where he previously stood, I found my eyes closing—an almost deadly mistake. I was lucky enough that time to feel the shift in the wind. I turn at the last second, just fast enough to throw my sword up to block the boy's incoming attack from above. It didn't faze him at all. He jumped back and immediately jumped into the air again.

His speed was incredible. I could just barely catch the aftermath of his jumps as he zipped around me. I could only assume that he would touch the ground whenever he passed a tree because I could never catch him touching the ground. It was almost as if he was flying and it left me looking around like a chicken without its head.

Then suddenly, he was right beside me. I was able to see him at last, but him being right at my shoulder didn't process fast enough. In the end, all I had time to do was turn my head to look at him—with a look that probably told everything I was thinking in that moment—before the thunder of my first defeat was sounded and I was suddenly on the floor, my face and body stinging and shaking a little..

 "You've learned nothing," He stood behind me, totally composed aside from his voice that sounded pretty upset, kinda like Urokodaki when he used to scold me for my mistakes, "You haven't mastered a single thing! Certainly not the breathing technique taught by Mr. Urokodaki; Total Concentration Breathing!"

That caught my attention most out of everything else he said. It made waves of confusion and surprise wash over me and temporarily redirected me from the pain he inflicted on me, "He knew Mr Urokodaki? The breathing technique too?" Were the questions that intially surfaced, but his identity is still on the top of my list of questions for him.

As I turned my body to face him and sat up, he continued, "All you did was memorize it as fact!" He lifts his sword and points it at me, "Your body has no clue what it needs to do!"

 "Just what the hell were you doing for a whole year and a half?" The question rang out extra loud just as his sword clanged against my steel, "You need to slam it into your flesh!" He shouted as he broke away as did I only to immediately clash our blades again.

 "More!" As he picked up speed, I tried to do the same, trying my hardest to replicate his movements. Thankfully, I was just fast enough that his blade met mine continuously instead of my battered skin, "More!" I took the defensive, staying strong as he slammed and hammered his blade against mine in a quick succession, "More!" A particularly strong hit sends me back but I plant my feet into the ground and manage to still myself before he closes the distance and I was forced to go on the offensive once again, "So that you become the embodiment of what Mr. Urokodaki taught you!"

He sends me back again and I recover quick enough to watch him ready his next attack and swing it at me, all while screaming at me, "Pound it all into the marrow of your bones!" 

 "I'm trying!" I found myself crying out the next time our blades met, "Every single day! I'm trying with everything I got!"

 "..But I'm not making any headway!" As my own words sunk in like a rock falling to the bottom of a lake, I found my voice slowly cracking apart just as my resolve has been these past six months, and I finally admitted aloud, "I just can't go any further!"

Despite that all he did was tell me as he lunged at me, "Don't 'try', just do it! If you're a man.." And then he quickly landed his attack on me, smacking me in the chest. I clench my teeth as the striking pain begun to spread and my feet left the ground for just a moment before they're forced back down as he harshly slammed his sword down onto my arm, "..If you call yourself a man!" And just as I raised my sword to attack him back, he spins and his sword hits my chest again, but at an angle this time.

 "There's no other way to go but forward!" I stumbled back, my feet uncomfortably light which made me tip and sway in different directions. The boy followed after me as if he was chasing down a fleeing wild animal. Our blades clashed again and he shouted, "Bring it on!"

 "Show me what you're capable of!" He swings at me, but this time I'm quick enough to completely jump out of the way. His words had an extra surge of adrenline shoot through me and I found my mouth falling open and letting out a loud scream of my own. No words, just a strong yell that came from the core of my chest—from the depths of my heart—where all my pent up frustration resided.

But then I miss my swing and my second defeat is sounded in an instant. It's painful, moreso physically as I watched his arm swing up and I felt his wooden sword collide with my chin. It was an extra powerful swing, one that had me flying several inches off the ground when it hit me. My entire jaw immediately numbed over in a desperate attempt to soothe the searing pain that shot through it and up my cheeks.

And then, suddenly all I could feel was that pain as my vision slowly faded. I had passed out, but what made matters worse was that I hadn't even hit the floor before everything went black..

The next time I opened my eyes, I was met with the sight of the crescent moon peaking through cracks made by thin clouds. All the pain in my face had dulled aside from my chin which stung like a bad bee sting. Everything around me had a blue-tinted screen over it that matched sky, signalling that nighttime had arrived. My eyes widen at the realization.

 "Are you alright?" A voice asked. It was soothing to my ears, kinda like putting a cool cloth on a bad bruise. It was nothing like his voice.

I shot up, immediately turning my head to be met face to face with eyes that match the night sky above. Despite her sudden presence, the only question I asked her was, "Did you see that?" She tilted her head, signalling to me her confusion but I continued regardless, my eyes blown wide.

 "That was an incredible blow! Not a single bit of unwasted motion! It was beautiful!" I praised. It really was amazing and my words could hardly explain it in a way that gave it proper justice which is probably why I started moving my hands and shaking my head to further exaggerate my point.

Now that I look back on that moment, I probably looked really silly to her.

 "I want to become a swordsman like that!" I exclaimed and then I asked her, "Do you think I can become like him?" And I watch as her lips widen into a smile. One without a hint of underlying doubt or hidden skepticism. It was a completely pure and trusting smile that she gave me as she spoke in a soft voice.

 "I'm sure you can..since I'll be looking after you from now on," She told me. And it was only then, when her thick eyelashes fluttered and her eyes closed, and that pure, trusting smile of hers widened that I realized just how pretty the girl before me was..

But who was she? It was then that it dawned on me that I didn't even ask. And so, with my cheeks tingly and warm and my heavy jaw having my bottom lip hung low, I mumbled out, "Who are you?"

 That night, she told me her name, Makomo, as well the name of the boy I sparred with, Sabito.

 Makomo points out the defects in my style. Throughout countless days, she corrected my unnecessary movements and my bad habits.. I found myself wondering, why? Why is she doing this for me? Where did she come from? I once asked her, but she didn't tell me anything. Something in me refrained me from asking the others about her or Sabito..

 Speaking of which, Makomo often said, "We love Mr. Urokodaki very much." It was her favorite phrase. She said that Sabito and her weren't siblings and that Mr. Urokodaki raised them after they'd been orphaned.

 "They're other children besides us. They're always around, watching you, Tanjiro," was something she said to me once. You see, I've come to realize that Makomo is a bit of a strange girl. Her way of speaking is abstract and dreamy and she says things in a weird way..

 "See, Total Concentration Breathing accelerates your blood circulation and your heart rate. That causes your temperature to shoot up and makes you strong like a demon despite still being human," She explained, "You expand your lungs and bring lots of air into your blood and when it gets excited, your bones and muscles scurry to heat up and grow stronger!"

 "..Huh?" Was all I could say, my face twisted into a puzzled expression. Maybe it was the words she used to explain it, but I didn't understand the majority of what she said. And so, I asked her, "How can I do that?"

And she looked at me with that kind, angelic smile and told me in the nicest voice ever, "Train to death. At the end of the day, I don't think there's anything else you can do."

 I swung my sword over and over so hard until my arms and legs felt like they were going to fall off.. Until my lungs were ready to burst into flames, I did that for so long..but even then, I just couldn't beat Sabito.

 I would train hard under Makomo's gentle guidance until it felt like I was going to just kneel over and die on the spot, but he still always got the better of me. It was only until six months later, and six months after Y/n cut her boulder, when the snow coated every speck of grass and every wilting tree in sight..

I stood before Sabito once again. The sun was out, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking due to the thick clouds that covered it and made snow fall in all ways and directions. The wind was icy against my dirtied skin—colder than when I first stood before him and the boulder—but I didn't flinch even when it blew so strong that my hair flailed it's grown out lengths wildly.

 When I challenged him that day, Sabito was wielding a real sword..

 "After six months, finally, you have the look of a man," I watched his movements as he gripped the scabbard and used his other hand to grab ahold of the hilt. The eerie sound of the steel sliding out didn't scare me and neither did the sight of his blade gleaming under the dim lighting as it was pulled out and pointed at me.

I had long pulled my sword from it's scabbard and gotten into my stance, my brows creasing downwards and scrunched into my dirt-covered skin, "Today's the day I win!"

 The head-on battle was simple. Who ever was stronger and faster wins.

My mouth opens as wide as a small crack—just wide enough for air to enter my mouth. Slowly, I breathe in. My chest steadily rises as my lungs swell with air. I then close my mouth, my grip tightening on the hilt of my katana..and dash forward at the same time Sabito does.

 The battle was over in an instant..

We immediately found ourselves closing the gap. Both of our swords were raised the entire time, and it was in that fraction of a second that I swung down with all my might..

 On that day, in that moment, for the first time, my blade reached Sabito first.

With a hollow clack, his mask split and fell on either side of him, suspended on the sides of his neck by that thick, red rope that was tied to it. His face..didn't match anything I had pictured originally. His eyes were a foggy purple and gentle like the falling snow around us. It contrasted that peach pink hair of his which barely covered the sides of his face so I saw that large, spiky scar that hiked up at an angle and covered the majority of his otherwise smooth skin. And his smile.. That smile that he gave me as his brows scrunched together..was so full of relief.

 That moment I won, Sabito smiled. It seemed like a sad smile to me at the time, but looking back on it, it seemed more proud and reassuring than somber..

 "Tanjiro.." I was so encaptured by him and that smile of his that it took Makomo's gentle voice to pull me back down to earth which, seemed much foggier than when I left it a mere moment ago. I find myself blinking, as if what I was seeing was an illusion or hallucination, but the thick fog never disappeared.

 "You did great," Her praise is what made me finally turn my head her way. Her body was steadily disappearing in the fog and I found myself looking on in silence, at a loss for words for what I was witnessing..

 The next thing I knew, Sabito and Makomo were gone..

 "Don't forget what you just did and win against them, okay? Beat that guy too," And she was gone, disappearing into the shrouding fog as if she was never there to begin with..

 ..And my sword, which I was sure had slashed Sabito's mask..

I turn my head back, but Sabito was gone too. Leaving me to gaze at the thick fog and watching as it slowly cleared away into nothing. Sabito and Makomo were still nowhere to be found, but that wasn't what made my eyes widen. What made my eyes grow wide like a bug's was the fact that I was gazing through a rocky opening  just narrow enough that only my blade could slip through.

 ..had sliced the boulder in half.

Y/n Kamado | *Arms crossed* So, you actually managed to do it..

Tanjiro Kamado | *Smiles with hands on his hips* Yeah! I was shocked, too! I never imagined I'd be able to cut a boulder like that! I couldn't have done it without Sabito and Makomo. I can't thank them enough.

Y/n Kamado | ..Who are they?

Tanjiro Kamado | *Speechless by his own slip up*

Y/n Kamado | ..Well? Who are—

Tanjiro Kamado | *Panicked* Uh- Now, It's time for a Taisho Era Secret!

Y/n Kamado | Wait, you haven't answered my—

Tanjiro Kamado | *Leans in and whispers* Why does Mr. Urokodaki wear a mask? I heard that's because demons used to make fun of him for looking too kind.

Y/n Kamado | *Visibly irked* Hey! Don't ignore me! Answer—!

Tanjiro Kamado | Everyone, we'll continue working hard to find a cure for Nezuko! And Ms. Ari, I hope that you make a full recovery soon!

Y/n Kamado | Who the hell is that? And who are you talking to—

Tanjiro Kamado | Next time, chapter four, "Final Selection"! Bye everyone! *Runs away*

Y/n Kamado | Tanjiro..! Get your ass back here and answer me! *Runs after him*

Dividers were made by me, pictures used are from Pinterest, post formatting is inspired by @xxsabitoxx

[miela]

Shattered Memories • Chapter VI: Two Spiders, One Sorceress • {Peter Parker x Stark!Reader}

Chapter Genre: Fluff Chapter Warnings: I know i said updates on Fridays but I'm clearly not a truther / pov is so ambiguous in here I'm so sorry Extra: Make sure to check out the Playlist and Pin Board!

Masterlist

↪ divider by firefly-graphics

The rest of the car ride was small talk and life updates to each other. You talked about your days at work and your lack of a social life and Peter talked about his days at school, work, and the shit he sees on patrols. Once you guys got to the place you both sat down at a booth. It was a small sandwich shop that Peter recognized but had never been inside of. 

You took off your jacket and folded it next to you. Peter looked at the tattoos on your inner forearm that caught his attention. Three arc reactors inked down your arm with the words "Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart". There were words with each arc reactor and blue roses blooming around them. You noticed Peter studying the tattoo.

"It gives me strength," you smiled and extended your arm to show him more of the unique tattoo. They were the three different arc reactors that Tony had made, each with different designs but all correlating together in a perfect trifecta. 

“It’s pretty,” Peter smiled. 

“Thanks,” you smiled back and moved your arm back to its place on the table. “What about you? Any ink?”

“Nah,” he responded. “Not yet anyways,”

“Have any ideas of what you want?” 

“I have some but nothing really hashed out just yet. I’m kinda worried about getting one. It’ll be easier to identify me that way,” he explained.

“Huh,” you had an expression of realization and deep thought. “That’s actually a really good concern.”

After ordering your food you guys talk a little bit to get to know each other better. You found out about his favorite movies and that he likes skateboarding sometimes. He learned that you still play guitar, you picked up on lyrical and contemporary dance, and that Morgan liked to bully you. It was a sweet conversation of you relearning about him and him learning more about you.

Peter felt like it was a strange power dynamic where he had to upper hand, and he didn't like it. But it balances out with you knowing so much information about him from your month-long deep dive.

“I noticed that your style is different than before,” Peter commented. “You got this whole badass leading lady movie character thing going on.”

You chuckled in response and sipped your lemonade. “Some of it is from Natasha, others from Wanda, and most from my friend Celina’s ThredUp,” you explained. “Secretly though. If she knew I bought the stuff she would be like ‘I could’ve just given it to you!’ even though I can very much afford it.”

Peter perked up at Celina’s name. It's been a while since he last saw her due to her being at the Sanctum Sanctorum. You noticed how Peter reacted to hearing her name. 

“She needed money for equipment and I couldn’t just let her give me her things that she was trying to sell to get the money for it," you continued.

“Equipment?” Peter asked.

“Mhm,” you hummed. “She’s got a YouTube Channel and a Podcast about Mythology and Folklore and stuff like that.”

Peter looked at you confused. YouTube is one thing but a Podcast? Did she work with someone else who does the talking?

“What?” You asked before realizing it with wide eyes. “Oh, shit! You have no idea, do you? She can talk now.”

Peter’s heart nearly stopped.

“She…can speak?” 

“Yeah! She’s a chatterbox and can talk to you for hours. She’s great company. She's also the kind to have life-changing conversations.”

Peter thought back on how he remembered Celina. A quiet girl with a personality loud enough to brighten a room. Her straight forehead bangs never blocked out the shine in her eyes when she was excited about something and her usual academic style of black turtlenecks, sweater vests, and plaid pleated tennis skirts contrasted her bright persona. Although she was a stellar student herself, she was also very creative and loved creating artful things. 

She knew sign language. Peter learned it with her so she could better communicate with him. Uncle Ben and Aunt May had done the same so they could understand her. Ned, Michelle, and you had eventually learned it too so Peter didn't always have to worry about translating if he wasn't around. 

He remembers when people actually thought Celina was deaf, and a group of kids were making fun of her. You stepped in and told them all to go fuck themselves. That is actually how you and Celina met and became friends.

“Do you wanna go see her?” you asked knocking Peter from his thoughts.

He blinked. “Like…right now?” 

“Yeah!" You chirped, took out your phone, and started typing. "I can ask her if she’s home.” you chewed your lip. "How do you feel about getting a reading?"

"A reading?" Peter asked a bit confused.

"Like fortune telling, tarot reading, all that," you explained. "Celina does all that."

Peter shrugged. "Sure."

Celina~

Hey (Y/N/N)! What’s up?

Are you busy?

No not at all, I’m just kinda hanging out with the furbabies~

I want you to meet a friend of mine who needs a reading.

Oh? Does it happen to be complicated guy?

You note that Peter has several different nicknames from people.

Yes, but things are…less complicated now.

OMG, that’s good to hear! Okay yeah! I’ll get set up! See you soon! 

“She’s down,” you smiled. 

Once you guys arrive you park outside of her apartment building and wait for her to text you when she’s ready for you to come up. The top is up on your convertible giving you and Peter more privacy. You had the music on low and the windows tinted. 

“So since I don’t remember jack shit,” you began. “How do you know Celina?”

Peter took a deep breath and turned to you slightly.

“Both of our parents were killed at the Stark Expo. We were stranded together when it happened and when they found us standing over the bodies of our dead parents…it was like so weird trauma bond that we had at the moment and she took my hand. We were put in a daycare for lost children until Uncle Ben and Aunt May came to get me...and I couldn’t just leave her there, she didn’t have any other family. They were kind enough to take her in as well and we were raised as cousins or siblings.”

You nod listening. “I’m sorry about your parents." You look down at your hands in your lap. "That’s really heartbreaking.”

“It’s okay. I’ve made peace with it.”

You both sat in a peaceful silence for a moment before Peter spoke again.

“You mentioned earlier that Celina can have life-changing conversations," Peter stated. "After all the shit we've seen as Avengers, I'm curious to know what you mean."

You smiled and leaned your head on your hand as your elbow sat on the steering wheel. "She got me to stop hating magic."

"What?!" Peter asked in a high-pitched voice. "Bullshit."

"I'm serious!"

"Okay, who are you and what did you do with (Y/N) Stark?" Peter chuckled softly. "Miss (Y/N) 'magic has limitations, science has solutions' Stark?"

You laughed. "No seriously hear me out."

"I'm all ears."

"Alright, check this out, you ready?"

"I swear to god if you conjure something up or have a sling ring, I'm gonna believe you're not really who you say you are," Peter laughed.

"Fuck no," you exclaimed. "Never."

"Okay, okay," Peter sat back and crossed his arms giving you his full attention. 

"Magic is just undiscovered or misunderstood science," You stated. "Celina's words."

Peter thought on the words for a second and let the words bounce around in his head. "Okay, I can see that, yeah," he looks at you with squinted eyes.  "But has she ever met Wanda?" 

You both laughed. 

"No, but she trained with Sorcerers." 

"Okay, fair point."

Peter thought about how that conversation went down with you and Celina. Celina has always been interested in Magic, Occult, and Mythological things. It was a hobby of hers and she loved watching Movies and shows that surrounded those things. He remembered when she showed Him and Ned someone on YouTube who talks about conspiracy theories.

Speaking of…

"Did she and Ned ever get together?"

"Yep, four years now."

“Really?” Peter chuckled. "Finally. They liked each other since the 3rd grade."

“I know right?” You replied. "Oh yeah, they're engaged as of recently too"

"Huh?!" Peter squeaked. 

"Yep!"

"Jeez, I missed so much." 

“You have no idea,” you gave him a lopsided grin.

He smiled and looked up at the apartment building for a moment. This all seemed like some weird dream. It was as if this day wasn’t real. You guys went out and spent time together, sang to your love song, and now he’s here ready to remeet Celina after five years of not seeing her. You must have noticed him staring or sensed his emotions.

"If it's too much too soon we can wait," you said. "I know it's a lot at once."

Peter sighed still looking at the building and shook his head. " It's been 5 years and it's long overdue." He looked at you and smiled softly. "I'll be fine"

Celina then texted you and told you that she was ready for you guys to go up, and so you did. The only issue is that she lived on the 11th floor and the elevator was broken. She could’ve easily sling ring portal you guys in, but considering you both are web slingers, you would do just fine. 

“Man, I haven’t swung in a while,” You say to yourself looking up.

Peter’s mouth spoke before his brain made a thought. “I could web us up there,”

“Y-You sure?” you asked a little sheepishly.

Peter nodded with a smile. “We’ve done it before.”

“Okay, Parker,” you bounced on your feet a little like you were preparing yourself for high-intensity movement. Peter found it cute. 

You walked over to him and clasped your hands around his neck. Your senses were buzzing at the closeness of you two. Peter’s mind was buzzing just as much. 

“Here let me just…” he trailed off as he lifted you off the ground and your legs around his torso. 

You yelped softly at his actions. You looked down at him with wide eyes and a face on fire. You could feel his muscles through his shirt and it was messing with your head. And you were so close to his face. His extremely cute and handsome face. You could smell his body spray. Sandalwood and Vanilla. You decided it was your favorite scent. He was warm and you couldn’t tell if it was from the fact that men are naturally warmer or the fact that he was blushing profusely. He looked at you gingerly as he wrapped an arm around you. You could feel his biceps and you had to shut your mind up before you drove yourself insane. You smiled softly in response and nodded.

 “I’m ready,” you said softly.

“O-okay,” He squeaked. God, he’s so cute.

Next thing you know you’re both being lifted off the ground. You hang onto him tightly and lean your head on the side of his as you close your eyes. You could feel his silky curls on your cheek and you were beaming at how soft they were. You wanted to shove your whole face in his hair. 

Peter decided that he liked you holding on to him like this because of how close you both were. 

He landed on the 11th floor gracefully to his surprise because of how his mind was racing with you being wrapped around him and in his arm. You looked at each other longingly for a moment as your eyes shifted down to his soft pink lips and his shifted down to your lipstick-stained ones a few times. 

You were knocked out of your moment when you heard the door next to you open and you reflex and jumped from his hold with ease. You both acted awkwardly and naturally as two children ran out of the doorway and down the hall giggling, not caring about your or Peter’s presence there. You guys stood in silence for a moment processing what just happened. 

“We should…you know.” You began with an awkward smile.

“No, yeah, yeah, we should…you know,” Peter responded in the same manner as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Yeah!”

“Mhm!”

And with that, you walked towards Celina’s door quickly and ahead of Peter as your face burned and a big grin appeared on your face. Little did you know that Peter was also smiling from behind you. 

Once you reached the door, you rang the doorbell.

“Um…” You looked at him. “Are you ready?”

“I-I think so,” He smiled softly at you. “Don’t really have a choice now.” 

And with that, Celina answered the door all excitedly and hugged you happily. 

"Hey! It's good to see you, girlie!" She chimed with a soft and welcoming voice.

“Hey, Celina,” You replied and hugged back. 

“It’s about time you come and visit me,” she giggled pulling back. “Ned is at school late today.”

As you guys did a bit of small talk a wave of emotions hit Peter like a hurricane as his eyes glossed over threatening waterfalls to fall from his soft and dark orbs.

He was hearing Celina speak for the first time.

He sniffled and you both looked at him with concern. He turned his head away and then turned his entire body. 

"Ahh you said he needs guidance,” Celina concluded.  “Let me go get my stuff. Come on in when you guys are ready." Celina smiled and walked inside leaving the door open. 

You turned to him and walked over by him. “Peter?”

He turned to look at you with watery eyes and his lips pressed together. He was holding back from just bursting into sobs.  It broke your heart.

You laid a hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes with a sigh of relief and leaned into it. You stroke your thumb over the apples of his cheeks gently with a concerned expression. The feeling of your hand on his face, helped him calm down slightly. Like ice to a wound.

"What's wrong, Peter?" You asked with a soft voice. “Are you okay?”

"Y-yeah," he sniffled. "It's just that growing up I've been helping Celina with talking and when everyone gave up on her I never did. And hearing her talk just triggered something…like…. right in my heart, y’know? And I couldn't help myself." 

You pouted slightly and wrapped your arms around him. He hugged back as you swayed him from side to side comfortingly. You echoed a string of "it's okay" and other encouraging words as he softly cried. He nuzzled his face into your neck and took a deep breath at your warmth and scent, just like he used to do after a hard mission years ago. 

He wanted to stay like this forever.

After a moment you pull back slightly and give him a soft kiss on the cheek. His eyes shot open as he looked at your equally shocked expression. He could still feel the linger of the peck on his cheek and he wanted to grab your face in his hands and kiss you.  But you both were frozen in place and looked at each other for a long moment. Then tension was high, the senses were racing as you had a silent conversation with your eyes. Before you knew it, you both leaned in. 

But before you could you felt a soft feeling against your leg and heard a tiny meow and purring coming from below. You both Look down to see a big fluffy orange cat with big round blue eyes looking up at the both of you.

"Thor!" Celina exclaimed, “Just because the door is open doesn’t mean you can walk out!” She ran out she ran out and saw both of you super close to each other. “Oop-...I’m sorry.” she said before she outburst into exclamation again with, “Loki!”

Peter felt something climbing his leg, shirt, and shoulder. A trill and purrs rang in his ear and he felt a weighted fur on his shoulder. He looked over to see black paws on his shoulder. He concluded it was another cat.

“Awww he likes you,” You smiled. “Lokitty approved already, that’s a record.”

“Does he not like other people?” Peter asked raising an arm and petting the cat.

The dark cat rubbed it’s face on Peter’s hand causing more purring.

“No, he only likes me Ned and (Y/N) and now you.” Celina explained taking the cat off of Peter’s shoulder.”Thor here loves everybody though.”

You picked up the fluffy orange cat and scratched under his chin with your painted nails. “Thor’s a big baby. Loki is a grumpy old man.”

Peter smiled and petted the orange bundle of fluff in your arms. 

“I’m ready when you guys are,” Celina smiled.

You looked up at Peter and he nodded in response. You both followed Celina into her apartment and she closed the door so you could set the cats down. As you took off your jacket, Peter took the time to glance over the apartment. It looked like a Dungeons and Dragons themed home. There were shelves filled with books about myths around the world, spellbooks, and tomes. There were plants in almost every corner and vintage decor everywhere. Peter smiled at the glass case full of Lego builds that he remembers building with Ned and his eyes focused on the death star with the missing Darth Vader that’s supposed by on top but instead is sitting on Peter’s desk in his apartment. The place was very Celina with touches of Ned which Peter found amusing. 

“I baked some cookies,” Celina started. “Feel free to make yourselves at home.”

“Thanks, Celi,” You smiled and hung your jacket by the door. 

“Can I use your bathroom?” Peter asked. 

“Sure!” Celina chimed as she pointed to a hallway behind him. “It’s over there, last door on your left.”

“Thank you,” and he goes to the bathroom to wash his face off from the seven different emotions he felt in less than fifteen minutes. 

He sighed before his superhearing picked up on the conversation you and Celina were having.

 "He's a cutie!" He could hear the smirk in her voice. 

You hum a giggle. “He is, isn’t he?” 

It was Peter’s turn to smirk with a blush added to his face. He then crossed his arms and leaned against the wall to listen. He knew it was wrong but it wasn’t his fault that he was a spider mutant with enhanced senses.

“How long have you guys been together, together?”

“Hm? Oh, we….we aren’t-” 

“Oh, please, I saw you two out there. I thought you said it wasn’t complicated anymore?”

“I said, it was less complicated.”

You were talking to her about him.

“Well, how about making it not complicated and making a move or something.”

“Celina, There’s such thing as taking things slow.”

“I dunno,” Celina sang. “You two have magnetic energy. I say act on it.”

"How?"

"Ask him to the gala. You need a plus one, no? Take him!"

"...I was gonna ask him actually."

Oh?

"Really? What changed your mind?"

"He's…a busy guy."

"He won't be once he sees that dress you're wearing. He'll be busy with you…hopefully taking it off."

Peter blinked rapidly at Celina’s response. I mean, she’s not wrong. Only if you consented of course. 

"Celina…!"

"What? That's what you want right?"

You went silent and that was all the answer Peter needed to know to solidify your feelings for him. His mind was wandering to places it shouldn’t.

"See?"

You sighed. "Nika will give me shit for it." You whined.

"Well tell Nika to remove the giant stick from her ass because it's true love. I can feel it."

“Like actually, or…?”

“I don’t need magic to feel the crazy tension between you two.”

Peter smiled and splashed his face with water and decided it was a good time to walk out with a newfound confidence. You were sitting at the kitchen table on the bench with one leg folded under the other and leaning your face on your hand with your elbow propped up on the table. Your eyes shifted to Peter as you swung your unfolded leg back and forth. You smiled at him and he smiled back as he sat next to you. 

“Hey,” You greeted. 

“Hi,” He responded as he met your eyes. 

“Feeling better?”

“Much better,” his voice was soft as he got lost in your (e/c) eyes for a moment. 

The only thing that got you both the break the gaze was Celina putting a plate of chocolate chip cookies, a porcelain teapot filled with tea, and different things to put in the tea like sugar cubes, a saucer with milk, lemon, and honey. She sure knew how to romanticize her life. Even her outfit made up of a black ruffle off-the-shoulder top and a long, flowy, floral, maroon, maxi skirt, made her look like she was a witch in a Ghibli movie.

“So what kind of reading would you like….uh…” She looked up in thought. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh, fuck,” you cursed under your breath. “Peter. Peter Parker.”

“Oh!” Celina beamed as if his name rang a bell. “So you’re the guy she asked us about. Nice to meet you! I’m Celina.”

“Why does everyone remember? I asked you guys once like a month ago.”

“Because your lone wolf ass hasn’t talked about a boy in like three years unless it’s your dream boyfriend.” Celina retorted while picking up the pot of tea. “So when you bring up a guy we all get a little curious, y’ know?”

You rolled your eyes and waved your hand at her mirroring your father a lot and she hummed in amusement. 

“So Peter,” Celina began. “I have several options. I have Tarot cards, tea reading, and palmistry. I could do all three but it’s gonna cost you.”

“Oh?” Peter asked with a playful smirk. “How much?”

“Mmm, take (Y/N) on a date.”

“Oh my fucking god,” You hid your face. 

Peter snorted. “I don’t need to be bribed to do that.”

You looked at him flabbergasted. He only smiled at you before looking back at Celina who was eating all of this up with excited eyes. 

“I think I’ll do the Tarot.”

“Nuh-uh,” Celina responded. “You’re getting all three.”

“Thank you for everything today,” Peter smiled. “I didn’t know I needed all of that.”

You both were standing outside of his apartment building. After Celina did the full reading session on Peter, which he found insightful enough, she talked his ear off for three hours about anything and everything. It gave him nothing but happiness and he savored every word. You mostly just sat there and enjoyed the entire moment. You were leaning back against the wall with your hands in your jacket pocket and one leg crossed over the other.

“Anytime,” You smiled back.

You stood up straight and checked your phone before you tapped your phone on your hand nervously and looked like you were hesitating to say something. Peter could sense your nervousness.

“I…uh…also wanted to ask, if you would be my plus one for my charity gala? All your friends are gonna be there, I checked the list so I think it’s only fair that you’re there too especially because of your internship. Not that I’m only inviting you because of those things! I want you to be there and I want you to go with me…if you want. Don't feel obligated or anything. Yeah. You don't have to answer right away either, It’s like three weeks away and I’m babbling oh my god shut up (Y/N) please shut the fuck up.” 

You turned and leaned on the railing that was next to you both to catch your composure. Peter smiled big and chuckled softly. You reminded him of teenage Peter trying to ask out a teenage you. It was like you guys switched places and he was going to have his fun with it. Especially now that he knows for sure that you feel something for him. 

“You were holding that in all day weren’t you?” 

“...Yeah. I wanted to ask you when I first saw you today but I psyched myself out. You’re a busy guy and everything so I wasn’t sure if-”

He stepped closer to you, leaned his hand on the railing causing the muscles in his arm to flex, and smiled tilting his head slightly. Your noses are centimeters apart and he’s looking into your eyes deeply like he’s searching for something. Your breath hitched slightly at the closeness and it took everything in you to not let your senses take over and pounce on him. You weren’t sure if you were unseriously offended, turned on, or both.

Peter fucking Parker, you thought.

Peter fucking me. Your senses hummed at that.

“I would love to be your plus one,” He replied lowly. “But I’ll let you know for sure by tomorrow. Work schedule and everything.” 

“Y-yeah, yeah. Work schedule. “You pressed your lips together still looking into his eyes. Peter could tell you were holding back. 

“I’ll message you.” He finally had your number, that you gave to him at lunch. 

“G-great, I’ll let you know the time and everything when you do.”

“Okay,” He replied as he glanced down at your lips and stepped back slightly. “I should go inside now, and you should get going before it gets too late.”

“Peter?” you asked, almost desperately.

“Hm?”

“What you said earlier. Were we…” you started still trying to gain your composure. “Were we…you know more than friends…?”

He looks at you silently for a moment before opening his mouth to respond.

“You know what, never mind, ignore that.” You chuckled softly, shaking your head rapidly. “I shouldn’t think about these things or my brain might try to split in half again.”

Good point. He smiled. “Goodnight, Stark.”

“Goodnight, Parker.”

He walked backwards towards the door taking in your form before running back first into it and cursing under his breath. He then leaned back against the door with his arms crossed as if to play it off.

You giggled watching him. Such a dork. 

He blushed looking at you and smiled giving you a salute. You saluted back and walked to your car while he watched you to make sure you got in safely. Once you got into the car and drove off. Peter walked inside and leaned on the door with a happy sigh.

~

Tags:

@chrisevans-realwife @riordanness @peterdarlingg @thecrystalclarity @brckenmemories @paleprincesssxo @blackcanary130 @kindlover

[honeybewrites]

Friday Sunday Kiss Tag

Thanks @kaylinalexanderbooks for the tag!! I have so many tags to catch up on, so this is a little late.

Rules: Post an excerpt with a kiss! Quick cheek peck to make out session, platonic or romantic or familial, does not matter!!!

Soo... I don't usually write kisses. BUT!! I dug something up. It's written from Rage's POV instead of Asset 703 (which is why it's not part of my WIP anymore and also some older writing) so enjoy, I guess?

CW: descriptions of second/third degree burns, forced drugging (for their own good)

Rage grabbed her arm, cutting away the bandages she had hazardously put on, going all the way up to her fingertips. Her body tensed beneath his hands as he peeled them away from her skin. If he had thought her back was bad, this was a whole new level of horror. All over her hands, up her forearms, there were second and third degree burns. Her skin was blistering, peeling, and he had no doubt the darkest patches were blackened. It had to be excruciating. And it would be excruciating to treat it. "W'as wrong?" she asked. "N-nothing honey. Stay still for me, okay? I'll be right back." Rage tried to keep his emotions under control. The last thing he needed was her worried because he was worried. Finally finding the washroom, it was quite a sight. Healing supplies scattered across the floor, cabinets open, bloody towels in the tub. God, he should have been here sooner. It took some searching, and he started to worry there wasn't any, but he finally found the stash of tonics hidden in the far back corner of the top shelf. He was even more relieved when he found the sedatives. He didn't like knocking her out. Tonics didn't always agree with her or her chips especially. She got night terrors too and was always distant with him afterwards. But he hated the thought of her trying to push through the pain of him treating her burns more. "Honey?" he crouched down in front of her. She was already on the verge of unconsciousness; she had to be exhausted. "I need you to drink this for me." Using one hand to keep her head up, he pressed the bottle to her lips, tipping till it spilled into her mouth. "There you go, good girl." He went back to carefully getting the rest of the bandages off, keeping a close watch on her. It didn't take long before her body was completely limp. "R'g," she mumbled, brow furrowing as she tried to focus on him. "W's-" "Shh, it's okay honey. Don't fight the tonic, let it work." "R'g." He hated how her voice cracked and tears glazed over her eyes. He hated the guilt in his stomach at her crushed expression. But this was necessary. She had already gone through enough pain. "I know, I know. I'm sorry." He brushed her hair out of her flushed face. "Treating this is going to hurt, and you've already dealt with enough pain. Just sleep. It's okay, I promise. Gerd can't do anything to you for this. I promise you. Just sleep." Her eyes were all but closed. "Please don'... leave," she mumbled. "Don' wan' you..." His chest constricted more. "I'm not going anywhere honey. I promise you, I'm staying right here. I'm not going to leave you." Rage gently pressed a kiss to her forehead as her eyes finally closed.

Tagging @fractured-shield @orions-quill @themboty @ink-enchanted and anyone else who wants to hop on!!

[miniscule-meow]

Be Patient

Isabell and the Lads - a bit of Zeke POV

~*~

He imagines that his presence is overwhelming, but he's always just out of reach. How frustrating must it be to be completely surrounded by a person without ever having the ability to reach out and touch them. Not of your own acord at least. If he wanted to, all he would have to do is stretch forward his hand and he could reach her. But if Isabell wanted to reach out to him, she would be completely out of luck. Unless she asked.

Or unless his hand is nearby.

So, he's taken to resting his hand near her any chance he gets. Not close enough to touch her, but near enough so that she knows he's there. So she knows she can reach out to him, if she wanted to. It makes it her choice.

The first several times he started doing this, he was well aware that she was nervous having his hand anywhere near her. When it became clear to him that she wasn't going to say anything, nor was she going to let herself get comfortable in his presence, he would slink back and give her space. He doesn't want to crowd her, but he wants to show her that he will be there. It always seems she's expecting him to move in closer and closer until he's trapped her. He won't. Of course he won't. He'll keep his hand a respectable distance away, unless she asks him to move closer. Or unless she bridges the gap between them first.

Unlikely.

He knows that Isabell doesnt always speak her mind. She will let herself be uncomfortable to an extent. Marcus scoops he up every chance he gets, and she hasn't corrected him once. Zeke has plenty of times on her behalf, but she remains silent.

He doesn't want to do that to her. He doesn't want to force his will on her. Marcus doesnt think about it that way. Marcus doesn't think about much of anything. But Isabell is tiny. Zeke is aware of the power dynamics at play here. Sure, if he chose to, he could whisk her off her feet and cuddle her in his arms all day long. He just doesnt want to. No, it's not that he doesn't want to, but not like that. He wants to give her back as much agency as possible. And maybe one day his presence might be a comfort to her. Maybe she'll ask him.

Stay here.

Come closer.

Hold me.

His heart leaps at that thought, as far fetched as it may seem. He isnt blind. He can see the way she looks at him, the warry glances checking and double checking to see if he's moving closer, the way her shoulders creep up, seeking her ears. The way she winds herself so tightly, plotting an escape, preparing for him to lash out, preparing for him to prove that he's exactly whatever kind of cold uncaring monster she imagines him to be. Part of him worries that's all he'll ever be to her. Some looming monster.

But he has to hold out hope, because on a rare occasion he's caught her regarding him curiously. Looking over his tattoos from a distance. Once being so bold to walk up to his arm and trace the ink with a brush of her hand. He's seen her smile at him when he makes a particularly fine meal, appreciating the time spent to get a portion as close to her size as he can. He's seen her laugh, twirling in dresses he's helped fashion for her. He's seen her relax into a bundle of blankets from the other side of the couch preparing to dive into whatever she's chosen to read. So, maybe there's hope. Maybe one day, he'll rest his hand by her, and she wont cringe away from him.

Until then, he's just going to have to be patient.

[ebungelical]

sydney pandering the dairy section

pairing: f!sydney/gn!reader, angst(?)

warnings: usual weird temple shenanigans, disappearances, implied crime committed by the temple

notes: technically a self-insert fic due to it being based on my au... no worries! no name dropped here so you can imagine it to be your pc ^-^ i wrote this at 1 in the morning too LOL not proofread!! this is told in syd's pov... english is not my first language!! read rambles below for context

wc: 395 words

their face fits perfectly on the side of a milk carton. there are brown eyes on every nestlé brand container peering at you, crinkled at the sides into a smile. their face repeats like a rotten andy warhol painting, some cartons crumpled at the sides, shoved too carelessly by some overworked, tired store clerk. you don't care that the employee hunched over by the side is glancing at you, a subtle way to gauge if you need any help traversing through the small grocery store. but there's really no need, you've memorized this small sector of town already. the maze of second rate products and cheap trinkets drowning in the supermarket genre of music, washed out by the dim led lights overhead. after all, this convenience store is your hideaway. well, it used to be. but you haven't set foot in here in a long while, you couldn't bear to come back after they disappeared.

you feel the weight of the 2 liter carton in your hand. there is a familiar stench in the air, something like sticky slurpees and cleaning products. their face would likely be glazed over by unappreciating eyes. as if without much thought, you trace the delicate features of their face on the smooth print. out of habit, like some practiced routine. their uncle bailey must have paid good money to have these up; printing young, missing girls’ faces on the sides of milk cartons was a long gone tradition, something from his time. and yet, he managed to bring it back for you. maybe, even with his calloused hands and aloof nature, he cared for them. their face was painted in monochrome ink, alone. like a queen sprawled out gracefully on her throne.

the employee, now leaving the yogurts in the box behind, looks concerned. a curious little thing, you note, when he should be restocking. some of the ink smudges on your fingertip. your lips press into a frown, all that good money has gone to waste considering how easy it was to smear their visage imprinted on the paper. you could have saved them, you know. spare them the trouble that binds them to this state of awol. alas, you can only recount memories of their warmth emanating from the paperboard that binds them.

only you and the temple knows what happened, but you're going to change that.

rambles: sorry for the long ass intro LMFAO hi guys this rly is for the au i'm making.... that will probably never see the light of day?! but this is the first post i'm making abt it... basically.... f!sydney x my pc x m!whitney..... and pc goes missing bc of the temple..... the members of which are CANNIBALS!! gasp.... u connect the rest!!!!!

[karamatsuboy-aj]

Asher overblot will have shishio( @oya-oya-okay OC)and alev ( @oyatochie OC)

Asher pov

I was sitting next to someone they were sad I was trying to cheer them up but it wasn't working nothing I did was working nothing I ever do is enough I held my head these two past weeks sucks first malleus overblot now people are depressed because they're in the real world I got up and walked to class I stopped seeing alev and shishio talking "hey ash what's up?"I smiled fakely waving at them"heya shishi and vee"I gave them nicknames a week after I ran into them shishio looked at me worried "hey ashie you good man?"alev nods "yeah Ash you look like shit"I looked at myself in a mirror I looked like I haven't slept in days"oh yeah I'm fine don't worry!"I said cheerfully shishio and alev looked at each other with a oh man look

Shishio pov

I don't believe Asher neither does Alev I got a bad feeling that Asher is at his breaking point "hey ashie you sure you're good?"I asked again he nodded and walked away and alev and I walked to where he came from then I saw it a depressed looking guy alev spoke up"that probably made Asher upset since it looked like he didn't help"I nodded Asher has a habit of trying his best to cheer people up if he can't he gets quite a hour later we heard yuu yelling "OH COME ON!!!!"we ran to where yuu was seeing a overblot asher behind him was the ink monster that kinda looks like a upsidedown spade asher was crying black ink yelling"everything is fine!!" Azul ran up with epel "what's going on?" Alev looked at them"Asher finally snapped!!" Epel held onto me worried"what do we do?!?!"jade and deuce finally got there jade made sure alev wasn't hit with the on slot of spells deuce looked panicked we fought the best we could cater and Trey helped with their illusion magic alev spoke up"maybe he needs someone there for him? Asked if he's ok?"deuce ran past us and hugged Asher me alev and the rest kept Asher fire so deuce could get close deuce held Asher close"hey it'll be ok" after a couple a minutes we sat down sighing Asher was out cold laying in deuce lap alev walked over looking down at Asher"we gotta keep a closer eye on sunshine boy"I nodded yuu took out a therapy book"I'll get on it"yuu sighed

The end??

(a/n this isn't a solid story of how Asher overblot just my first idea I hope oya and hagi don't mind me using alev and shishio for this if they do I'll change the story)

[arcadianambivalence]

Les Mis Letters 4.5.4 - The Heart Beneath the Stone

I really like this set of chapters leading up to Marius and Cosette getting to have a proper introduction to each other. Knowing what we know about the same year/years from Marius's perspective, the reader is expected to draw a line between each partner's emotional highs and lows.

Marius possessed one of those temperaments which bury themselves in sorrow and there abide; Cosette was one of those persons who plunge into sorrow and emerge from it again.

-4.5.1

When she's at the dawning of a new time in her life, he feels like he has the world shut on him. Where she's courage and action, he's contemplation and hesitation. One shrinks back, the other steps forward (like a dance). When he is like one with one foot in the tomb, she is emotionally bringing Valjean back to life again, and thought of her gives Marius renewed life, too.

It sets up that as a couple, they could draw on each other's strengths. Like the saying goes: You complete me. Or, as Marius puts it:

When love has fused and mingled two beings in a sacred and angelic unit [...] they are no longer anything more than the two boundaries of the same destiny; they are no longer anything but the two wings of the same spirit.

-4.5.4

And to balance Cosette (according to Hugo) making the first move (i.e., meeting his eye, looking after him, crossing the park to intentionally pass him when he gets too nervous to draw attention to himself), Marius makes the first declaration.

Yeah, his words can be awkward and corny, his contemplations on love and the universe perhaps grandiose, but it's from the heart beneath the stone. It's real feeling and real effort, not Tholmyes singing someone else's song with little sincerity to Fantine and the other ladies. That's how we know he means what he wrote, that Cosette isn't in danger of repeating her mother's life. (His mother's, on the other hand...)

When paper and ink should have been carefully preserved for his translation work, he took the time (over months) to write out his feelings and later carefully select which papers to enclose in the envelope for Cosette. Instead of just climbing into the garden as soon as he got the address or trying to force some introduction by pressuring Toussaint, he leaves the ball (er, the envelope) in her court to read and respond or reject at her leisure.

The focus on how attraction to the other initiates character development and introspection instead of having them introduced the socially proper way through a mutual friend or with her father's express permission doesn't bother me.

[The sneaking to the garden at night (if it was him on all occasions and not Eponine scouting the place initially) to determine if this is indeed where She lives, I have no excuse for.

Like, I get that it's following the footsteps of classical forbidden lovers, with explicit and implicit references to Romeo & Juliet, what with her symbolically representing light and life to his melancholy, the instinct for the young lovers to keep everything a secret from her father, etc., etc...but Toussaint's worries over "the men" does make the modern reader worry about foreshadowing instead of subversion.]

...But the rest of the furtive glances to pining to secret love has some logic from an in-universe standpoint that gels with the nineteenth century novels I've read, so...

Plus, I'm a sucker for love stories that make everything seem to go wrong with one person as they fall for someone and think they've lost them only for the narrative to flip to the other character's PoV and reveal they've felt the same way all along.

[joy-of-life88]

Inked Temptation [a Damian Priest story] 16 Everything that comes with it

Ellie POV

I stood in the bathroom by the sink and held onto it. Slowly I tried to take deep breaths, but again I was shaken by a persistent coughing fit. It was really starting to drive me crazy. But the doctor said that it was possible that this cough would accompany me for a while.

When it was over, at least for the moment, I rubbed my aching chest. Then I took a painkiller, hoping that this time it would take away the pain for more than an hour. Yet somehow I had my doubts.

"Ellie-Bell? I'm home. Where's my beautiful fiancée?" I heard Damian call from the doorway.

With a very joyful smile, I rushed to meet him.

"Hey... there she is..." he said softly when he saw me and quickly pulled me tightly into his strong arms.

I immediately relaxed. His presence alone was the best medicine I could imagine.

"Hi my big strong future husband." I said as I lifted my head from his chest so I could give him a kiss.

"I missed you baby girl. How are you?" he wanted to know as he took my face in his hands to look at me very closely.

"I'm bored out of my freaking mind! I wish I could go back to work already. I miss you and I miss being able to sneak up on you at work and pinch your cute butt." I replied, running my hands over said butt.

"Aww baby, you know it's only a few more days and then you can do it again as much as you want." he replied smirking and then gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"Ellie?" he then asked suddenly.

"Yes?" I said.

"How long have you had a fever?" he wanted to know.

Confused, I looked up at him and then touched my forehead. It was a little warm, but I don't think it was a fever.

"I'm not even that warm. It's probably just your hot lips, Mister Priest," I replied.

"Nice try. But I'll keep an eye on that. Did you take your meds?" he then asked.

"Yes, love, don't worry." I laughed, but was almost immediately shaken again by a cough.

"That still doesn't sound a bit better." he said as he rubbed my back soothingly.

"I know... But you know what the doctor said. After smoke intoxication, it can take up to 40 days for the respiratory system and the rest of the body to recover." I replied.

"Just because I know doesn't mean I like it. I need you healthy if we're going to get married soon, baby girl. And after that...who knows how long it'll be before little feet are tap-dancing around this house?" he said, surprising me a bit.

"Wait, what? So you're already thinking about babies? Someone is very eager, huh? Isn't this all moving too fast for you, babe?" I wanted to know.

"Ellie... you can be sure that when it comes to you, nothing is too fast.... I love you. Everything is a perfect match between us. Why should I waste time when I'm already where I've always wanted to be? I am not someone who wastes time. "he replied and then gave me a kiss on the nose.

"I couldn't agree with you more. And I love you more. But let's take things in order. First we get married, then we have a baby." I grinned and then reached out to my perfect match.

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

Damian POV

I was abruptly pulled out of my sleep when I heard Ellie coughing again. But this time it didn't stop at all. I sat up and looked at her, startled, as she was still gasping for air.

I quickly slid close to her to be able to hold her. Immediately I felt how hot she was. She definitely had a fever. And it was much higher than it was at noon.

"Okay...that's enough...we're going to the hospital. This is not normal anymore." I said after she started to breathe more.

I could see in her eyes that she was scared. I was scared too. Because I could clearly see that she was having a lot of trouble breathing.

It cost me a lot of strength to concentrate only on Ellie. And not on the bastard who was to blame for the whole thing. My fears of losing her immediately came back to my mind. I swallowed hard. That was out of the question. That wasn't going to happen.

I helped Ellie get dressed and then put on my clothes myself. We had to hurry. The more time passed, the more labored her breathing became. I quickly lifted her in my arms and carried her to the car.

Fortunately, it was not long before we arrived at the hospital. The doctors and nurses were taking care of Ellie. They gave her oxygen and drew her blood before taking her for x-rays.

They wanted to take an x-ray of her lungs to see what was going on. I wondered why it had gotten so bad so quickly. After all, the doctors in Boston had said she was on the mend. Maybe the flight hadn't been a good idea.

"Mr. Priest? You can come now." the nurse said as she came into the waiting room.

"Hey Ellie-Bell... How are you feeling?" I asked as I gave her a kiss on the forehead and took her hand in mine.

"She shouldn't talk for now Sir, Miss Robertson is on oxygen and antibiotics for the next few hours. She has severe pneumonia, which has caused her to have mild pulmonary edema. That means she has fluid in her lungs.

It is a known yet rare complication after smoke intoxication. But it is very well treatable. It was good that you brought her in right away. Because of your quick action it didn't come to the worst," the doctor explained.

A huge weight fell from my heart. I breathed a sigh of relief and then gave all my attention to Ellie.

Hopefully she would recover quickly so that nothing would remind us of this terrible incident. Because I knew that we both wanted nothing more than to look into the future and start our life together. With everything that came with it.

[not-rude-ginger]

So since I was shadow banned for who knows how long, I figured I'd do a quick round up of my WIPs and their statuses.

Smooth As Ink: I swear to god this bastard will be done soon. I decided to pause updating until I'd finished it all so I could tidy up older chapters in one go. However I have been incredibly stuck on a scene that requires JFM to say words to his son and I cannot move forward until I sort it out. *Screams into a pillow*

A Little Bit Of Hope, A Little Bit Of Hurt: also trying to write the rest before I post more, this one is just messy because of how tricky it is to balance things out between how bad LWJ's actions is while still having a happy ending. I have the gist of a plan but the actual writing is delicate.

Ballet!AU for ChengXian Bang: ... Well I know the plot but I need to start writing it properly. It's fine ... It's all fine, I'm not worrying about deadlines 😅

ZhanChengXian Smut: I just really want to write more of these Soft Bois, possibly during the Sunshot Campaign

Burn Series: I'm rethinking a lot of my plans to how the relationships will develop now the big problem is resolved, and my brain is particularly interested atm in a LWJ POV piece as he works to make himself a part of this extended family.

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

Hello! For the writing asks: 3, 17, and 28! :)

Hiiii

3, I answered in the other post so let's see:

17. Past or present tense? Why?

Both... I really cant choose 😅

I really really like the versatility of past tense, you have a lot more room for characters to have helpful information that they couldnt know in the present! and in terms of scope of what you can do with different POVs i find it really broad

but present just gets you this closeness to people and events. it can really make the stakes seem higher - events are in process and changing I could not choose between them.

28. Any writing advice that works for you and you feel like sharing?

So first acknowledging that different advice is gonna work for different folks, theres two bits of advice that have stuck with me.

1. Think of your writing capacity like a game stamina wheel or a battery. if you use it too much, it can get depleted. and so its okay to rest, do a different creative things or fun things to recharge that part of your brain. it helped me learn to let myself relax

2. I took a master class in college where the big draw was to have a professional writer do feedback for your work. my piece wasnt perfect. i brought it in and all i could see was the spelling/grammar errors. i had a lot of them. (i still do now)

Guy hands back my writing and says "all this [spelling and grammar] is chicken scratch. dont worry about that." And he moved past all the red-inked chicken scratch and actually talked about the big things: the plot and the themes and the narration. I havent bothered fretting about spelling and grammar since. it can always be fixed later.