#not just “its uncomfortable for me” like I can't. its like telling someone without eyes/who is completely blind to make eye contact

[br1ghtestlight]

genuinely kinda pissed I have to give a presentation tomorrow for school and I'm going to be graded on eye contact (among other things) WHICH I CANNOT DO not only bcuz of autism but because my eyes physically. do not have the ability to focus together on a person place or thing like the muscles in my eyes are too weak. im gonna be wearing an eye bandage anyway so I'll be basically completely blind unable to see my teacher but I just hate being graded on something I quite literally have no control over. ughhh education system sucks

[yan-randomfandom]

P!Yandere!Pines Family x GN!Teenager!Reader

[PLATONIC] a continuation to this! decided to just make them all yanderes cuz y not lol errmm just subtle ykwim... i'm not proofreading all this so just have my draft

warnings: staring, violence, alcoholics, abuse, blood, implied murder. woah intense

❤️‍🔥

"Then I saved Ford by slicing its eye! You should have seen it!"

You laughed, settling down from your dramatic gestures that you've been making throughout the entire dinner. The entire Pines family watched you in awe, especially Dipper and Mabel, easily captivated by your personality and story.

"Yes, well, they certainly saved my life," Ford chuckled as he fed himself a spoonful of food.

"You have to stop lettin' kids save your life so much," Stan scoffed.

Dipper grabbed a book out of nowhere, clicking his pen in preparation—

"No writing at the dinner table! We talked about this!" Stan called out, earning a sheepish smile from Dipper who immediately drops the book on the ground.

"But what did the monster look like?" Dipper stammered, eventually turning to you with a curious look on his face. He looked eager to learn more. That's what you can tell anyway, if you remove his reddened face, which is most likely from embarrassment.

Mabel, who sat across from you, leaned towards you with the biggest smile on her lips. You grinned back to return her energy. "Bet it was super gross! Was there a lot of blood?! Blaarrrgghhh!!!"

"No gross sounds at the table, pumpkin!" Even Stanley felt like he's tired of his own voice. This is him trying his best to not let you be uncomfortable. Well, he supposed you and his brother brought up the story in the first place.

Speaking of, why were you even here? Ford came back in the mystery shack after missing for a day, only to bring a random teen with him. It's a good thing he cooked extra since he thought Soos was coming over.

But he needed answers fast.

"Ford," Stan whispered firmly, catching his brother's attention. Tilting his head, he tried to signal him to move out, but someone interrupted them before they could do anything.

"Hey! No sneaking out the dinner table!" Mabel exclaimed, pointing a fork at her grunkles.

Stanley stood up and Ford followed his actions. They were already heading out the door with Stan holding his twin's wrist. "Well, sweetheart, VERY REASONABLE EXCUSE!"

As soon as they were out of sight, you and the other kids exchanged looks.

"He did say it's reasonable."

"Yeah, I can live with that."

... You snorted. "You guys are a funny bunch. He literally said the excuse, and you let him go just like that? You must trust each other a lot."

"You have no idea, stranger, you have no idea," Mabel laughed. "Sorry, what was your name again?"

💥

Meanwhile, deep inside the mystery shack, where they were sure there'd be no eavesdropping happening...

"You let the kid stay here without telling their parents?!"

Stanley was freaking out. Yet, he really shouldn't be surprised Ford would do this. Ironically, poindexter would even criticize his behavior, his grunkle methods! How ridiculous is this whole thing, huh?!

"It's more complicated than that! Look, I know this sounds bad—"

"It does!" Stan yelped, his hands clenching. "Their parents must be so worried! And we can't just let them—"

"No, no, Stanley, walk with me here," Ford said, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. "It's their parents that are the problem."

A few deep breaths from Stan. Alright, okay. This is making more sense now.

"We'll take them to their house first thing in the morning," Ford explained. "Let's see what we'll do from there."

🔥

"I hope my drawing isn't too bad," you chuckled, giving the journal back to Dipper. His eyes skimmed over your illustration of the monster you killed. "It doesn't match yours and Mabel, but..."

"Are you kidding?! It's perfect! Thank you!" Dipper beamed, writing more notes down the rest of the page.

From above, Mabel had her legs folded over the ceiling wood of the house. You looked up and made eye contact, as much as you can anyway. She's upside down.

"Hi! How old are you again?"

How did she even get up there, you wonder. You glanced around, smiling when you realized, and worked your way up.

They stared at you in awe when you climbed right next to Mabel's side. Now you're hanging upside down too. "Cool tricks, Mabel. Hope you don't mind me copying you?"

She doesn't respond, starstrucked. Glancing at Dipper, his jaw was also on the floor.

"Uhhh," you awkwardly smiled, "But I just turned sixteen! You guys are turning thirteen, right?"

"You're the coolest," Mabel whispered, dragging a hand across your face. Okay. That's a bit weird, but it's welcome.

"Thanks," you grinned, manually removing her hand from your face. You looked down at Dipper again. "Hey, Dipper, what time is it?"

He scrambled around and grabbed a watch from somewhere. "Uh, nine o' clock."

"Nine?!" your sudden outburst caused you to fall to the carpet, a pained groan leaving your lips. At least you managed to drop skillfully. "Oh, that hurt."

"Are you okay?!" Dipper rushed to your side, offering a comforting hand on your back.

"Yeah, I just," you paused. "It's nine already? My parents are gonna kill me, man. I gotta go home."

"What!!"

Mabel also dropped down from her outburst, but her landing isn't painful as yours, because you caught her in time. She gazed at you from your arms, stars forming in her eyes.

"Woah. You have fast reflexes!" she squealed as you gently put her down.

Dipper shook his head. "But you can't go home this late at night. Didn't you say you're from outside of Gravity Falls?"

You crossed your arms, pondering. "Yeah, but... Okay, wait, where's Ford?"

Footsteps followed your words. All of you turned to the doorway, seeing the older set of Pines twins. It's kind of amazing, really, you rarely saw twins and this family has two pairs.

"Oh, there you are!" you grinned, walking over to him. Ford blinked at you. "I'm sorry, dude, but I think I overstayed my welcome. I'll go ahead and—"

"Eh, nah," Stanley chimed in, earning your attention, "It's too dark for ya to go out. Let's take you home tomorrow, yeah?"

"But-"

"No butts, they're for sitting," he continued, gently pushing you down on his recliner. You sat down, albeit confused. "Think of it as a sleepover. That's fun, right kids?"

Mabel skipped to your view, an eager grin on her face. "Yeah! We can paint your nails and everything!"

"While I'll show you more of the journals," Dipper beamed, showing one of them to you.

Their ideas were nice, it truly was, but the circumstances are concerning. You couldn't help the frown forming on your lips. They all noticed.

Ford stepped in between them, kneeling and offering you a smile. "Don't worry, kiddo. We'll take good care of you 'til morning. I'm sure your parents will understand."

"I guess I can't really do anything about it," you muttered, eventually accepting the situation. You stood up with a grin. "Okay! Who wants to be unaware of me stealing cool stuff here?!"

"I do!" Mabel screamed, only to pause. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah," Stan squinted, "What?"

You hummed, suddenly behind him, and stared at Stanley's wallet. Ford shook his head at you. "You have a very alarming number of IDs. Is this normal? Then again, you're old."

A laugh left Stan as he took back his wallet from you. "Oh, you got some gift, kid. Didn't even hear or feel you take it!"

"I can teach you," you smiled.

"Please don't," Dipper groaned.

"No need," Stan snorted. "We can pickpocket the whole world together!'

🌬️

"This journal is amazing! And Ford wrote this? Seriously, no wonder why he was so smart!"

You flipped the book page by page, your jaw dropped the whole time. Sure, a while ago, you saw one page, but only because Dipper told you to draw on it. You didn't expect a whole research surrounding Gravity Falls!

"Interesting enough for you to visit Gravity Falls more often?" Dipper chuckled as he watched you.

"Woah," you smiled, "You like my company that much, Dipper? Don't you have any friends here— oh shoot, wait, I didn't mean—"

A ghost of a frown spread through his face. Why did you have to ask that?! You were just projecting if you had to be honest, but still!!!

"Sorry, that was insensitive," you blurted, closing the book and focusing all your attention on him. "I only said that because I feel that way. I know, that's pretty lame."

He looked surprised. "Really? But you're so cool?"

"Some people think I'm weird is all. But thanks for finding me cool, Dip," you laughed, glancing at Mabel who was snoring. "I find you and your sister cool too. A lot, actually. So it's nice to know you both like me."

Dipper sniffed. "Man. Ditto."

You grabbed a blanket and placed it over Mabel's body, making sure she's covered head to toe. She snuggled up to it unconsciously.

"Welp, bed time," you murmured, reaching for another one. You stretched the blanket, letting Dipper be able to invite himself in. "Come on."

He happily accepted, nestling his head next to your shoulder. Mabel followed him, her head tilting to your chest.

You slept, content.

🌪️

You woke up, disturbed.

The first thing you saw after sleeping is Dipper and Mabel staring at you in silence. As soon as you noticed them, they scrambled away from you and tried to act natural.

Yet, you couldn't forget the small glimpse of their faces. Wide-eyed, a bit of judgment, but most of all, solemn.

Before you could question them, Dipper yelled, "Grunkles! They're awake!"

You winced from the volume of his voice, having just woken up. He immediately apologized to you, but it's all good.

"Visit us again soon! Byeee!"

The next thing you know, you're in the backseat of a car with Stanley next to you. He was pouting, arms crossed.

"This is literally my car. I can't believe it! You won't even let me drive my own car?" he sneered at Ford who sat on the driver's seat.

Ford rolled his eyes. "I can't have you get in trouble by driving again. Think of the kid."

While driving to your address is certainly much faster than walking, it still took a while. You managed to fall asleep, tilting your head on Stan's shoulder. It seemed that you're not alone in being unconscious, because he snored loudly.

Glancing at the mirror, Ford simply exhaled.

You're here.

He parked in front of your house.

Ford nudged Stan awake, who poked you awake next.

You stood up drowsily, holding Stan's hand while walking up to your house. Ford took the lead and knocked on your front door.

To both grunkles' disappointment, things get messy.

Both your parents, drunk, loudly told them off and took you away roughly from Stan. Tears leaked out of your eyes, saying countless apologies to the Pines twins and your parents.

Without much of a fight, Ford forcibly grabbed you back, carrying your body with one arm. He looked at Stan who placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Psst, I'll handle this," Stanley murmured in the midst of your father yapping nonsense. Maybe the professional con-man can knock some sense into your deadbeat parents.

Ford took you back to the car. You sobbed relentlessly, whispering the most saddening things he wished to unhear. He hugged you tightly, muttering sweet nothings until you fell asleep.

After a long while, Stan finally came back.

His eyes were wide. He was shaking.

"I didn't mean to. They started it—I had no choice!"

Gazing down, Ford realized Stan's hands were covered in blood. He swallowed the thickness in his throat.

"...I'll help you clean it up."

[naomi-nana]

dating headcanons . wind breaker

headcanons of you and him when in a relationship.

featuring : umemiya hajime, hiiragi toma, kaji ren

cw : fluff, a little violence mentioned in kaji but not too heavy, f!rdr for hiiragi, ooc?? maybe

a/n : i kinda accidentally type too much about this but who cares anyways lol, might make another part because im obsessed with them

— UMEMIYA HAJIME :

- he'd be extra protective of you. he was already very protective over the people in the town, and now that you're his 'other half', as he calls it, he's going to be even MORE protective of you. but not in a weird way, but in like "make sure to tell me when you're home" way, and if you didn't tell him at all he will show up at your house and knock the door until someone opened it.

- he absolutely will spend his money just to get what you want. not in a rich guy way, but in like "oh you want that? sure, but wait for me to get the money, yeah?". you've told him countless of times that he doesn't have to get you what you want, but he insist on buying it for you.

- definitely likes to hold your hand in public. but if you're uncomfortable by it, he's not gonna force you and he will respect your boundaries. though he will not leave your side. even if he does, he'd still keep an eye on you.

- he is such an acts of service guy. will do anything you ask him as long as its not considered negative. he will cook for you, tie your shoelaces, will help you get something thats way too high for you to reach.

- will bother you about your interest. if you show interest in art, makeup, acting, singing, or anything, he will ask you about it. "oh really? what makes you like doing it?" he likes listening to you talk about your interest(or he actually just likes listening to your voice).

— HIIRAGI TOMA :

- he'd increase the amount of parfume he uses when he noticed you're around. he wears so much of it that umemiya can't help but cough everytime he walks past you and hiiragi. he would call umemiya overly dramatic about it.

- if you ask him to buy matching stuff, he'd be a little hesitant at first but he will agree to it. matching shirts? sure. matching bracelet? definitely. just make sure to not have umemiya around when you're wearing matching stuff unless you want hiiragi to have a very bad stomachache afterwards.

- if you wear makeup everywhere you go, even if it's just a little, he wants to see you doing it. when you ask him why, he just said that "i like seeing you taking care of yourself." which makes you very happy.

- would have a conversation with umemiya and he suddenly talked about you instead. umemiya would definitely tease him about being such a 'simp' over his girlfriend, and he just smiled sheepishly about it.

- would call you at night atleast once in a week to ask about your wellbeing. he just can't help but feel worried about you. if you said you were okay, he'd be relieved and ask you if you have eaten yet or not. if you said you were having like a bad week, he'd ask if he could come over and spend some time with you.

— KAJI REN :

- will ask himself every night about how he ended up dating you. he's literally so confused because of how different you both are. in his mind, you're so perfect and rarely lose your temper or yell at anyone, and he's like a monster. he once told you about his thoughts and you reassured him that he's not a monster and how you both are literally meant to be together.

- won't initiate the first move at ALL. if you want to hold his hand, you better do it first because he will never ever suddenly hold your hand just because he wants to. though, he definitely tried to do it once and failed. he ask hiiragi how to hold your hand without feeling weird inside and he just laughs at him.

- would kick anyone in the face if they ever dare to talk about you behind your back. and it will be even more worse if they said it to your face. though, if kusumi is around, he'd ask him to tone it down a bit and just yell at them to back off instead of immediately going into action.

- will give you his playlist for you to listen to. he's definitely thought about making you a playlist but he never did it because he actually don't know what songs to put in the playlist, so he just shared his playlist with you.

- you once gave him a new phonecase because you said that his phonecase is so bland and boring. he uses it on his phone now and shows it off to everyone.

naomi-nana. do NOT repost, do not use,(with or without permission), do not reccommend or talk about my works outside of tumblr.

[ceilidho]

coworker soap who frames the fleshlight thing as a joke but with a creepy undercurrent that you cant understand why you know it isnt a joke but you also dont wanna rock the boat so you dont tell hr bc johnny the ex-military man is a model employee otherwise and you cant help but feel hot shame run down ur spine when he says it that you are, at least a little, flattered by it bc shit dude hes HOT. coworker soap who just. doesnt bring it up again. its just boiling rhe frog. he says weird, borderline creepy shit that could be passed off as "guy talk" in any other situation (regardless of readers gender). He follows you around like a puppy and where it used to be normal for you, you feel a little creeped out now but. everyone. already refers to you as a duo. itd be weird if you stopped for no reason? right?

i don't know what broke in my mind long ago that this is like, the weirdly hottest thing in the world to me but im genuinely twitching over it right now.

model employee Johnny, knows the handbook inside and out, walks elderly customers to their cars with their bags, shows up to work early for every shift, always with a smile and a positive attitude. management loves him because his sales are also record high (i mean, it makes sense - i wouldn't be able to say no if he was helping me with a purchase and tried to upsell me). he's also a spokesperson for the company in all of their internal training videos because he was hired through some "jobs for vets" program that they just rolled out (idk i'm making this up). and the guy can stack things on a shelf like no one's business lmao like MILITARY precision/organization.

all your coworkers love him and genuinely like fist pump whenever they get put on the schedule with him because he's a blast to work with, and some of your coworkers are actually incredibly jealous that he just seems to follow you around everywhere. hangs off your every word. always seems to just pop out from around the corner whenever you're having trouble reaching something on a shelf.

but he says weird, uncomfortable shit to you sometimes. way over the line. you don't even know what to say at first when Johnny jokingly tells you that he has a fleshlight at home that he's named after you, just laughs and then stares at you for a second. and you like, give a little awkward laugh, growing more uncomfortable by the second the longer he stares at you without blinking. until something passes over his eyes and suddenly he's back to normal, clapping you on the arm and wandering off back to the men's apparel section.

he does a lot of strange shit actually. maybe insists on walking you to your car when the two of you are on the closing shift and it's well into the evening. laughs a little too hard and with too much vigour when someone calls him your shadow, his eyes just a little too bright and fervent. asks if you want to sit on his lap while he shows you how to use the forklift in the backroom. begs management to let him take his breaks with you and doesn't let you have a moment of peace, just sits with you in the breakroom or follows you to your car when you say that you're going out for lunch.

and you can't complain to any of your coworkers because the second you so much as criticize his work, they bark at you to be nice to him. he's just re-acclimating to civilian life, of course he's not perfect at his job yet. they defend him viciously. and the real jealous ones even tell on you in front of him, leaving you standing there embarrassed and on the spot until Johnny just smiles and says that it's alright. you'll just have to teach him better.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Kenshin's Sequel: Passionate Route

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies. Not a full translation.

Kanetsugu: "Lord Kenshin. The battle is over. Please, return."

Kanetsugu: "You've been fighting ever since then."

Kanetsugu: "Kicho and everyone connected to him are gone now."

(Kenshin.)

My heart thudded uncomfortably, and my fingertips trembled.

Kenshin: "I see. It's over."

Kenshin looked down upon the battlefield, where corpses stretched endlessly.

Kenshin: "There's no going back to the past, is there, Kanetsugu?"

Kanetsugu: "………"

As Kanetsugu fell silent, Kenshin faintly smiled.

Kenshin: "Everyone vanishes before me."

Kenshin: "If I stop, the weight of what I've lost will drive me mad."

The golden sky reflected off the blade he drew slowly from its sheath.

Kanetsugu: "----!"

(Don't tell me he's...?)

Kenshin: "No, perhaps I've been mad for a long time."

Kanetsugu: "Lord Kenshin! What are you—"

With vacant eyes, Kenshin placed the blade against his own throat.

Kenshin: "The battle is over, and death has finally caught up to me."

Kenshin: "If I could only be with Mai once more."

Kanetsugu: "Wait!"

(Kenshin!)

Kenshin: "Mai, even as my life ends, I still love you."

Before Kanetsugu could stop him, Kenshin quietly slid the blade against his throat.

(Stop!)

Even as I reached out, my hand couldn't reach him, and he collapsed to the ground.

(No. This can't be.)

(I can't believe he did that.)

The unbearable sight nearly tore my heart apart.

(Someone...please...save Kenshin.)

Mai: "Kenshin…"

The sound of my own hoarse voice jolted me back to consciousness.

I was drenched in cold sweat, and my heart pounded uncomfortably.

(It was a dream, but not just any dream.)

I tried calming my ragged breathing and sat up cautiously.

(Where am I? I've never seen this place before.)

The dark room was quiet, and there was no one in sight.

Mai: "Is anyone there?"

(Where's Kenshin?)

I tried to stand up, feeling a desperate urge to see him when suddenly—

Kenshin: "Mai."

Kenshin entered the room, his eyes widening as he looked at me.

Mai: "Kenshin…"

Kenshin: "………"

The water bucket he held fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Without even glancing at it, he came to me and wrapped his arms around me.

Kenshin: "Thank you for waking up."

(It's really him. His warmth is real.)

In the dream, I couldn’t even touch him, but now, holding him close, my heart’s on fire with emotion.

Kenshin: "It must have been so painful and difficult for you."

As he frowned and gazed at me, I could see the deep signs of fatigue on his face.

I suddenly realized just how much he’d been worrying about me.

(I'm scared to ask, but I need to know.)

Mai: "Kenshin, what happened to me?"

Kenshin: "………"

He sighed softly and gently brushed the hair from my cheek.

Kenshin: "Do you remember sending Shingen and Sasuke into the future?"

Mai: "Yes, I remember losing consciousness after sending them away."

Kenshin: "Three days have passed since then. You were wandering between life and death with a high fever."

Kenshin: "We stumbled upon this empty temple and decided to take shelter here."

(This is just like what I heard in the dream.)

(If that's the case, I'll disappear tomorrow.)

The stark reality pressed against me, sending a chill through my spine.

Kenshin: "Were you surprised by how long you were unconscious?"

Mai: "Uh, yes."

(I have to try to appear calm.)

(I can't tell him what I saw in the dream.)

Mai: "So, what about the battle with Kicho?"

Kenshin: "It's still ongoing. I don't want to be away from you, but I judged that this is the quickest way to end the war."

Kenshin: “That’s why Yukimura is with you, taking on the role of rear support.”

(Yukimura must be extremely worried about Shingen, yet he’s still protecting me.)

Mai: “I see. I need to thank him later.”

Kenshin: “He’s the one who should be thanking you.”

Kenshin: “When he heard you helped Shingen, he was in tears.”

(Yukimura.)

The image of Yukimura looking so sad in my dream pierced my heart.

(What should I do? I need to prevent that future.)

(Time is running out even as we speak.)

(What can I do right now?)

Frustration and anxiety burned within me, clouding my mind.

(The farewell with Kenshin is looming close.)

I held him closer, worried that if I relaxed even a bit, I'd start crying.

Kenshin: “Mai, you look terrible. You should rest a little longer.”

Mai: “But if I fall asleep…”

(I might never see you again.)

I couldn’t finish my sentence and looked down, only to be met with his gentle smile.

Kenshin: “Are you feeling lonely?”

Kenshin: “I’ll be by your side all night, so you don’t need to worry.”

(He's always so kind, which just makes things even harder right now.)

I wiped the tears that had welled up in my eyes and looked up at him.

Mai: "Kenshin, I have a request."

Kenshin: "What is it? Go ahead and say it."

Mai: "Could you kiss me?"

Kenshin: "..........."

Mai: "I'm sorry for asking something so weird right after waking一"

Mai: "Mmm…"

Before I could finish speaking, he captured my words with his lips.

The kiss, almost possessive, ignited a heat within me, and I clung to his kimono.

Kenshin: "It's not sudden at all. I've also longed to touch you."

Kenshin: "I've wanted to feel your warmth."

His tongue, pressing eagerly, tenderly traced the insides of my mouth.

The wet sounds of our kiss tickled my ears, sending heat rushing to my head.

[gorgeys]

heyyy i've been thinking about this specific scenario w our queen for a while now and id love to see you writing about it if possible bc ur amazinggg

so basically ive been thinking about maeve and reader being in the beginning of their relationship but maeve is still very closed off and hates any sign of vulnerability so when reader notices that and tries to help maeve process her emotions in a healthier way than w drugs or just bottling up like she always does she gets really defensive and fight w reader about it but then maeve realize that it was a shitty thing to do n apologize to reader because she really wants this to work its just that old habits die hard

basically angst w happy ending bc im a sucker for hurt/comfort

never let me go ★ queen maeve

Queen Maeve x fem!reader

Maeve has her walls up, but you help her break them down

Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 2960

Note: thank you sm for the great request! i'm not the best at writing this hurt/comfort stuff but i really tried!! i hope you enjoy!

you stuffed shredded chicken into a searing pan of sauce.  if someone had walked in, they would have assumed you were cooking for a family of six. but no, the pan was piled high just for your girlfriend who had a never-ending appetite and claimed she'd rather eat your food than the meals at any restaurant.  that boosted your ego quite a bit considering maeve had literally dined at the most expensive and renowned restaurants in America.

some nights she'd come up behind you while you whipped up one of your classic dishes and wrap her arms around your waist.  she'd leave little kisses behind your ear and tell you how much she missed you, leaving a stupid smile on your face.  then she'd rest her head on your shoulder and ask you to tell her everything about your day because her day was "boring as usual."  you didn't consider being a crime-fighting superhero boring by any means, but you got the hint that she didn't want to talk about it.

but then other nights you wondered if the meal was all she came for.  it was nights like tonight, where she sat silently at the kitchen table with a beer in one hand and an empty bottle beside her, that left you worrying. whenever you glanced back at her, she always seemed to be blankly staring off into space, as if complicated thoughts were clouding her mind.  you had tried giving her space but you couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was wrong.

she only makes her presence known when she gets up from her chair, opens the fridge, and reaches for another beer.  upon noticing, you release a tired sigh that catches her attention.

"maeve, do you really need another?" you ask without turning around.  "i mean, you're gonna finish the whole case."

she closes the fridge behind her.

"i can just go out and buy some more," she says with a simple shrug.

"no, maeve, that's not what i mean," you say.  you half turn to meet her eyes and just look at her for a moment, wondering if she'll catch on.  from the little twitch of her eyes, you think she does, but she still doesn't say anything.  she just stands there and stares back at you, her hand wrapped around the neck of the bottle.  you sigh once more.  "is something going on?"

"what? no," she quickly says with the slight furrow of her eyebrows as if it's a stupid question. she doesn't sound one bit convincing.

"right," you say, fully turning around and dropping the wooden spoon into the pan. you lean your back against the edge of the counter.  "so you just sit in silence, drinking like a fish for no reason at all?"

she scoffs and laughs as if you're being absurd.

"since when do you care how much i drink?" she asks with her usual satirical smile.  you know that smile well.  it's the one she always displays when the conversation is teetering on something uncomfortable.

"since you started drinking like a middle-aged man going through a divorce."

"oh, come on, y/n" she says, waving you off.  "it's just cause i can't really get drunk like a normal person.  i need a few more."

"a few more?" you ask with raised eyebrows.  "maeve, you drink enough to kill a couple racehorses.  i mean, the only people i've seen drink that much are people trying to forget things."

her smile falters and you take it as a sign that you're headed in the right direction.

"if anything's going on, i want you to know that you can talk to me about it," you say sincerely, taking a step toward her.  "i'm always here for you, no matter what."

you catch her rolling her eyes before she turns away from you.

"god, stop with all the sappy shit," she says sharply.  she slams the beer on the tabletop rather hard.  "i'm fine, okay?" she says, borderline shouting.

"then talk to me, please," you say, placing a hand over your chest.  you know you sound a little pathetic as you plead but you hope it gets through to her.  "because it's so hard to guess what you're feeling when you just sit there not saying anything.  i can only imagine the worst."

she audibly groans before she sits back in her chair.  her eyes lock dead onto yours and she ignores the desperation written all over your face.

"i have shitty enough days already, the last thing i wanna do is come here and talk about my fucking feelings like i'm in kindergarten.  i deal with enough children at vought already," she says, crossing her arms and staring daggers into you.

you press your lips together out of frustration.  she's a grown woman but she's acting like an immature teenager.

"well you can't just keep everything to yourself," you say, matching her posture and crossing your own arms.  "i know it's a lot to carry between the seven and vought and having to save everyone in this whole shitty city, so don't feel like you have to carry it alone."

she laughs at you and it only feels like a punch to your gut.

"god, i didn't know i was talking to my fucking therapist," she says, overenunciating her words and practically spitting at you in the process.  "do you come up with these lines yourself or do you steal them off inspirational pinterest boards?" she asks with a derisive smile.

"maeve," you sigh, growing tired of this game that you're playing.  she's usually awful at these touchy conversations but she's especially defensive tonight.  you take another step toward her. "all i'm asking is that you have a real conversation with me.  i mean, i feel like i'm talking to a stranger half the time because i don't know a single thing about you.  you wanna talk about the bachelor for an hour but can't tell me a thing about your day or what's actually bothering you.  it's like pulling teeth with you."

you take a final cautious step toward her and place one palm on the table to support your weight. you're standing just inches away from her.

"stop shutting me out.  it's hurting both of us," you say, more softly this time.

"you mean it's hurting you," she says, punctuating her words by slamming her fist on the table, causing you to flinch and jump away from her.  you look down and notice she's cracked the wooden surface.

you've never been seriously scared of her strength before, but you are in this moment.

"i'm doing just fine, actually. you just want me to have a break down so you can feel better about yourself and your small, meaningless problems," she says, rising from her chair.

you scoff out of disbelief.

"do you even hear yourself right now?" you ask, throwing your hands up in the air.  "i'm your girlfriend, not some villain you have to fight.  i'm not praying on your downfall.  all i wanna do is help you."

she laughs and shakes her head while you huff.  it boils your blood when she treats you like this, like some ignorant outsider, not someone who cares so deeply about her.

"oh, okay y/n, so let's just hold hands and sing kumbaya and maybe all my problems will disappear," she says, the typical sarcasm dripping from her tone.  it's quickly replaced by venom.  "you can't do anything to help me.  you're stupid for ever thinking you could," she yells, before falling back into her chair and opening the beer bottle with the flick of her thumb.

once again, you just stare at her, wondering if she'll recognize the insanity behind her words and the visible hurt they've inflicted on you.  but no, she just takes a long swig from the bottle, letting you know that nothing you've said has pierced her tough exterior.

finally, you've reached your limit with her.  you know this is going nowhere.

"well fuck me, maeve, for trying to help," you say, spinning around and turning the stove off.  she puts her beer down, a little surprised by the abrupt change in your usually understanding nature.  "you can make your own dinner and go back to your bougie penthouse and drink yourself to death up there, okay?  i'm not fucking doing this tonight."

she only watches as you, with glossy eyes, stomp toward your bedroom and slam the door behind you.  she doesn't make an effort to stop you, but instead sits there almost dumbfounded by the way she's tipped you over the edge.  she had never seen you like this before.

she stays at your now cracked kitchen table for quite a while, downing her third beer and contemplating if she should go in and talk to you or leave like you asked.

even if she did push aside the embarrassment and work up the courage to knock on your bedroom door, what would she even say to you?  that she has blood on her hands from all the people homelander's killed and she can't take it anymore?  that when she closes her eyes, all she can see are those screaming, terrified, innocent people?  that that's why she's broken inside?  no, those are her burdens to carry, not yours, she thinks.  she can't scare you away now, not this soon.

"fuck," she curses as she stands up from the table, eyes locked on your bedroom door.

she wants to be in that bed with you, her head tucked in the crook of your neck as you sleep soundly.  she wants to fall asleep to your perfect, soothing smell and the soft sound of your breathing like she usually does.

but no.  no matter how much her heart hurts, she can't bring herself to your door.  she can't let you see through her like that.  instead, she throws the bottles into your trash can and walks out of your apartment.

xxx

for the next few days, all maeve can think about is you.  she thinks about you opening your apartment door for her, close to midnight, after a long night of crime-fighting.  you're in your cute plaid pajama pants and maybe your oversized queen maeve shirt that she stole for you from vought tower.

she thinks about watching netflix on the couch with you, cuddled under your favorite soft blue blanket.  she thinks about the moment you slump against her shoulder as you begin to doze off.

she even misses your texts.  she misses your "have the best day, baby!!" texts.  she misses all the heart-eye emojis you send her.  she misses the cute impromptu pictures you take, especially the ones you take of yourself kissing random queen maeve billboards or posters around the city.  she misses your "i love you <3" texts.

and it's during a boring seven meeting where she keeps checking her phone, hoping for a text from you, that she realizes that she can't lose you.  she desperately needs you and every day that she doesn't see you feels like a pointless one.  she can't carry on with vought or the seven or saving people if she doesn't have you to come home to.

so maybe, to make this thing between the two of you work, she needs to change.  maybe she needs to open up, because losing you is not an option.

that's the sentiment she repeats in her head as she knocks on your apartment door, waiting impatiently to see you for the first time since your fight.

she hears the pitter pattering of your bare feet from behind the door before you swing it open.  and there you are, in all your glory of messy hair and sweatpants.  you don't say anything, so maeve sends you a weak smile.

"hi," she says awkwardly, looking almost embarrassed to be in her current situation.

"hi," you reply, more coldly than she's used to.  though she understands after everything she said last time.

she stares at you for another beat, soaking in every part of your presence.  relief floods her body just seeing you.

"i, um, i bought you a new table," she says, raising the cardboard ikea box she had tucked under one arm.  "i'm sorry about what i did to your other one."

you open the door wider so she can come in and set the box down in your kitchen.  when she walks back to you, you still have one hand on the door edge, holding the door open.

"is that all you came to do or..."

she can't read your blank expression.  do you want her to leave or stay?  it doesn't matter.  she has to be brave right now.

"no," she says, standing awkwardly in your living room, her fingers playing with the hem of her sweater.  she nervously looks down at the floor for a moment.  she reminds you of a shy school girl that's trying to work up the courage to ask out her crush.  "can we talk?"

you close and lock the door and notice that maeve's already invited herself to sit on your couch.  so you sit beside her, your body turned toward her and your elbow resting on the top of the couch.  you watch as she sits there stiffly, as if she's never been there before, with her hands tightly folded in her lap.

her gaze nervously flickers from your face to her hands every few seconds.  you can see the gears in her brain spinning in overdrive as she tries to find the right words.  although the air is slightly tense and awkward, you would sit there for hours if it meant maeve would finally share herself with you.

"y/n," she finally says, abruptly raising her head to look you in the eye.  your heart jumps a little. "being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be.  i've...seen terrible things," she says before taking a deep breath.  "i've done terrible things."

you realize that this is the moment.  this is the moment where she's finally going to let you into her life.  her whole life.  so, you shelve your anger and gently rest a hand over one of her wrists.  you give her skin a soft, encouraging squeeze that tells her to continue.

"and...the guilt is the worst part.  i-" she pauses to take another shaky breath and then press her lips together.  you can see that tears are beginning to prick the corners of her eyes.  "i don't know what to do," she admits, her voice cracking.  your heart cracks along with it.

"and i guess..." she continues.  "i didn't want you to have to worry about that.  i didn't want to scare you," she says, looking back down at her hands.

"maeve," you coo, resting your other hand on her shoulder.  a pout naturally finds it's way to your lips.  seeing her this emotional almost makes you want to cry with her.

"and i'm so sorry.  because...not telling you made everything even worse.  and i just don't want to lose you," she says, a tear rolling down her cheek.  her hand immediately rises to wipe it away.  "i don't want to lose you because of something stupid like this."

"maeve," you say, your hand leaving her shoulder to push a strand of hair out of her face.  "it's okay., it's not stupid.  i get it, you're not used to doing...this. i know it's hard for you."  you gently hold her cheek in her hand, forcing her to make eye contact with you.  "but you could never scare me away.  i promise.  i'm with you because i want to know all of you.  all the bad stuff too."

"but, y/n, it's really bad," she says, pressing her lips together to prevent herself from breaking down.

you're leaning into her and holding her face with both hands now, your foreheads almost touching.

"maeve, you're a good person," you say.  you sound so sincere that maeve can't help the silent tears that start to flow rapidly.  that was everything she needed to hear and more.  "i know that.  you know that.  whatever is going on, it's not something that we can't overcome together.  if you let me in, i'm going to help you as much as i can, okay?  i'm always here for you," you say.

she nods in your hands and feels her body flooded by an overwhelming sense of comfort.

"i need you, y/n.  i need this to work. and i wanna be better.  for you," she says, finally bumping your forehead with hers.

"i know.  and i know it's scary to tell me all this stuff but i promise, it's going to get easier.  if you trust me, there's nothing we can't do," you say, a little smile finding it's way to your face.  you know it sounds cheesy and it's something maeve would have made fun of you for under typical circumstances, but in the moment, it feels right.  "and you know i love you, right?"

she instinctively wraps her arms around your shoulders, engulfing you in the tightest hug you've ever received from her.  she familiarly tucks her head into the crook of your neck, inhaling that smell she missed so much.

"i love you so much," she whispers into your skin and you melt in her arms.  you hold her just as tightly, your fingers rubbing up and down her back.  "i missed you."

"i missed you more," you say.

"i'm never letting you go again," she says, squeezing you to her chest even tighter, and you laugh softly.  she's telling the honest truth.

though fear still lingered in the back of her mind, this feeling sure as hell beat any alcohol.

[littlemissaddict]

Too Clingy - Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: After overhearing Steve tell Eddie that he thinks she's too clingy and that Eddie should aske her to tone it down, she worries that she is being too much. Eddie disagrees.

Word Count: 758

Eddie was in the bathroom and had been since she'd climbed under the sheets on his bed. Usually she would lie in the middle of the bed as she waited for Eddie to join her, tonight however, she was laid on the far edge of the bed, facing the wall with her arms wrapped tight around herself in an effort to make herself as small as possible in hopes that she would disappear into the worn mattress.

Unfortunately that didn't happen as she found out when Eddie finally joined her in the bed. His arms automatically reached for her, always wanting to feel her close as they slept although tonight she tensed at his touch which halted his movements as confusion overtook him. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Did I do something to upset you?" He asked, his voice wavering as he tried to wrack his brain for anything that he could have done, only he came up empty.

She sniffed, blinking back tears that were threatening to fall as she kept quiet and unmoving in her spot. She could feel Eddie's hands rubbing up and down her back soothingly as she fought the urge just to turn over and bury herself within his arms where she loved to be. Instead she kept the distance between them, half hoping that Eddie would just break and pull her in but she knew he wouldn't, he would let her make the next move so as not to risk making her uncomfortable even though he could tell she was upset and holding her in his arms was his first instinct in comforting her.

"I'm sorry" her voice was quiet and her words were followed by more sniffles.

"Sorry? What're you sorry for?" Eddie repeats as his hands pause their movements on her back, he’s even more confused now than he was before.

"I don't mean to be so clingy, I just enjoy being with you and I miss you when you're not there" she pouts, finally turning around to face him but still keeping her distance much to Eddie’s dismay. Although at least now he knows what's wrong and he feels a little relief that he's not done anything to cause this.

"You heard Steve earlier" he states, his heart sinking that one little comment is upsetting her so much and worst of all depriving him of her touch. When she nods in response, Eddie sighs, "You know I really wouldn't take any notice of him"

"Why? He's Steve Harrington, King of Hawkins High, surely if anyone is an expert on dating it's him" she replies, very aware of Steve's past up until Nancy that is, since they split he's not had much luck in that area.

Eddie rolls his eyes as she speaks, he still doesn't like being reminded that he's friends with the former 'king' anymore than Steve likes being reminded that that's who he was. "Maybe but considering his best dating advice is to act like you're not interested in someone I wouldn’t say he's the best judge in that department" Eddie smirks, retelling what Dustin had told him about the night of the school dance back in 83'. She listens with a bewildered look on her face, although she has moved closer to him which he delights in, "besides you're my girlfriend not his and I don't think you're clingy" he reassures her, a smile taking over his face as she shuffles closer to him and he slides his arm around her until it settles in its usual place.

"So you don't want me to tone it down?" She asks, eyes wide and innocent as she gazes up at him.

"Never" he clarifies, glad to have her back in his arms where she belongs, "but we'll have to be telling Steve to mind his own business next time because I can't go this long without cuddles again" he jokes, though in the way her eyes widen be can tell that she thinks he's being serious.

"No don't, I don't wanna cause any problems between you and your friends, Eds"

"Relax, I'm kidding sweetheart" he soothes  tilting his head down to press a kiss to her forehead despite the awkward angle, "not about the cuddles though, I would never joke about those" he chuckles as he pulls away and he hears her laugh along with him.

"Nope, never" she agrees, her words being cut off slightly by a yawn as she snuggles further into him as she hums into his chest "I love you Eddie"

"I love you too baby"

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hiya! Sorry to bother, I really love SoH and I'm sure you hear this all the time but your writing is so amazing I can't help but come back and reread what's available just for fun! ♥

I have a small wonder, My main MC is going for exRed romance just full steam no eyes for anyone else and it's been a fun ride to watch them be so affectionate yet hesitant I gotta wonder though what the rest of the gang thinks having to watch their ridiculous dance? (I fully believe chase has a betting pool for when they get together.)

In Red's case, I think he's naturally affectionate/subtle/socially-mindful enough to not come off as stupidly over-the-top with his feelings in a really obvious or public way; because he's proceeding cautiously with an ex-MC and deliberately "feeling things out" without wanting to make them uncomfortable/make a fool out of himself, I don't think it'd be as obvious to others what's going on between him and MC unless they went to school with them both and witnessed the history there? (AKA Pan, Neon, etc.). For everyone else, it's:

Blade: literally doesn't think anything of it (unless he's also romantically interested in MC)--from his perspective, Red is equally friendly/comfortable/flirtatious with pretty much everyone, plus it would make sense that their being old friends/former lovers would come with certain closeness. In other words, he's not thinking about it

Trouble: took Red and MC at their word and just thinks they dated when they were teens, does not notice anything remarkable going on between them, but he can be naturally a bit dense in that area (though sometimes he isn't)

Tallys: oh my god just hook up already, the tension is starting to get under her skin lol she's of the camp that they should just jump each other and get it over with

Shery: she's 👀 and watching with bated breath, and subtly concocting excuses for them to be together, like "oh MC I needed to deliver a message to Red in his lab, but I'm "busy", could you please let him know so-and-so while I go do this other thing?"

Riel: he's actually broached the topic with Red before out of curiosity because the romantic tension was sooooo obvious to him: it was a really brief conversation because Red was caught so off-guard by Riel going "so are you going to tell MC you still have feelings for them/do you want to try things again?" that he just sort of looked at Riel blankly, but they sort of fumbled their way through a conversation where Red was sort of airing his thoughts/asking for advice and Riel was just like clinically listening?? and then they never talked about it again, lol. It's not like Riel ships them, he was just interested in what was going through Red's head at the time, and now he doesn't really care anymore, whatever happens is between them! but now and again Red will look up from subtle flirting with MC, catch Riel's eye, and Riel will have this unimpressed face like 🙄

Chase: gleefully has a (private) betting pool and trolls Red/the two of them as often as he possibly can without entering the zone of over-interference, much like an ecologist trying to observe a rare animal without over-affecting its natural behavior

Ayla: she notices if she's romantically interested in MC, but otherwise shelves their behavior as "things exes/old friends must do, which I wouldn't have any personal experience with, so I guess that makes sense to me" and doesn't give much romantic significance to the way they act around each other, that just must be how it is! 🤷🏻‍♀️ She'd be really surprised if someone like Lavinet was like, "Oh, darling, they are obviously still mad about each other..." Ayla: "oh, I just thought their whole thing was how all former lovers who stayed friends acted." Lavinet and Briony: noooooo

Briony: she is peak shipper for ex!Red and MC, she picks up on things right away and is watching both of them with her ponytail whipping back and forth like she's at a tennis match 👀, she's squealing and swooning internally every time they smile over a book together and is like barely keeping things together out of respect to them...

Lavinet: she's amused and intrigued by what's going on, ex-lovers who reunite years later is so inherently romantic, it's like something out of a drama!!! She's smirking and making sly comments here and there to sort of nudge things along now and then, but otherwise she subscribes to the "leave no trace" observing from a distance mentality rather than an active interference (unless her interference is specifically requested, in which case she's all hands on deck)!

Halek: didn't even realize they're exes, I think because no one told him or he wasn't paying attention, he just thinks they're Like That (as in, they want to bang each other, obviously, he just figures they're dragging their feet about it because they work together or something)

[transvampireboyfriend]

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8

Eddie's staring. He's throwing twigs into the fire and his eyes are fixed on Steve and Robin across from him, their hands intertwined. He smiles when he sees Steve tugging on them.

He's so sweet. Eddie sounds like a broken record even to himself but he can't help it, Steve is something else.

"So, I see your bandana found its way somewhere unexpected" Nancy teases beside him, probably noticing him staring.

Eddie can feel himself blushing and he's thankful for the hot flames in front of them.

"He took it from me." he tells her, "Felt like I was about to have a heart attack,"

Nancy laughs at him, "I get that. I felt a little overwhelmed sometimes. ...Though maybe not in the best way," she winces.

Eddie winces sympathetically.

He can't exactly relate, being very physical himself, but she's told him about feeling like she was never giving enough in her past relationships, because that kind of closeness just didn't come naturally to her. At least not as much as she felt her partners needed it.

And Eddie knows what is like to try to fake or exaggerate how you feel just because it's expected of you.

This is the kind of seemingly small thing where they find common ground between them, even when they appear so different to everyone else. This is the kind of thing that allowed them to become best friends against all odds.

"Do you... still feel that way?" Eddie asks, now arranging the logs as the fire picks up,

"Like I don't necessarily wanna go around hugging everyone in my path? Yeah," she says,

Eddie snickers, "I meant, with Robs. Do you still feel like it's not enough?"

Nancy looks up to where Steve is now kissing the back of Robin's palms and smiles fondly at them.

"Not really." she says, looking into the fire,"I suspect she might be similar to me, but- I haven't even told her, so," she shrugs, "who knows,"

Eddie hums.

"But it definitely doesn't feel like I have to." she adds, "The way it sometimes felt with other friends who were girls too. And that's good. ...Different. But good."

When she looks back at Eddie, he smiles at her.

From what she's told him she used to be a little bit more open, a little bit more comfortable, before Barb.

Eddie understands that too, unfortunately, the way losing someone like that changes you, without you noticing right away. How it shows up in little things, sneaks up on you, changes you in small irreversible ways.

He's proud of Nancy, and so honored when she does choose to get close to him, like earlier at the lake.

"Good," he repeats, she smiles.

"Well? " she asks, "are you gonna tell me what he said or what?"

Eddie laughs and tells her how Steve stole borrowed his bandana.

"I think he was flirting?" he ventures,

"He was definitely flirting," Nance confirms, "I knew it, I knew he was into you!" she says, reminding Eddie of the many times she's said it before, "You're gonna be great together," she tells him, in her teasing tone again,

"Woah! " Eddie laughs, "We don't even know for sure that he likes me like that!" he says, but his heart still beats a little faster at the prospect of him and Steve being 'together'.

"I do know! For sure." Nance insists,

"Alright, Miss 'I'm not gonna tell my crush I like her ',"

Eddie earns a smack to the back of his head for that one.

"Shut up. I'm not gonna-" she starts,

Eddie knows this talk like the back of his hand by now: she doesn't want to pressure Robin, she's going back out of the state soon, she has no experience with other girls, she doesn't want to ruin what they have and she doesn't want to make Steve uncomfortable.

In the end, it all boils down to 'complicated', but if their tales are to be believed (and Eddie does believe them), their lives have never not been complicated.

"I get it," Eddie offers, but apparently Nancy wasn't heading that way,

"I think I'm... scared." she says, "Of what I'm doing,"

Eddie stops moving the logs and turns to her fully.

"How do you mean?" he prompts her,

"Well, I'm doing everything I can not to tell her," she says, "I'm trying my best to keep us from- from just ending up together you know?" she moves her hands as she talks, "but what if- maybe that's the only way we'll be together? maybe I'm wasting our chances to be happy?" she asks, Eddie tilts his head, 

"It won't change a lot." Nancy explains, "Wether I tell her or not, I'll still leave and I'll still come back, but maybe if I tell her, then leaving and staying away and coming back will be better? Easier? God, I'm not making any sense" Nancy finishes,

Eddie huffs, switching from his crouch to sit cross legged in front of her, the same way they've done on both of their bedroom floors countless times.

"I think I can see where you're going" Eddie assures her, "but it doesn't have to make sense to me, if it makes sense to you," he tells her,

She nods.

"I guess," she tries, "I'm saying- my life's better with her. And it's getting harder and harder to convince myself that more of her might be bad,"

"Maybe it wouldn't be." Eddie reminds her.

Nancy sighs "And I'm gonna miss her." she adds, "I'm gonna miss her so much. I already do sometimes,"

Eddie hates the helpless expression on her face,

"Permission to take your hand?" he requests,

It makes Nancy chuckle, "Sometimes i hate you," she tells him jokingly, and offers her hand palm up,

Eddie holds it in his own hand, "I know." he says,

"Look, Nance, I know it's all jumbled up, and I really wish I could untangle it for you..." he tells her, meaning every word, "but I think this is just how it always is? It's always a little messy, a little all over the place, there's never gonna be a clear easy road that leads straight to the right thing."

Eddie squeezes her hand, "But I think there are roads where you can enjoy the ride despite all of the bumps and the detours... because it's worth it to do it with whomever's sitting on the passenger seat, for however long they do," Eddie turns to look at Steve and Robin roasting marshmallows just across from them.

Or trying to.

"They would burn this place to the ground if we let them" Nancy comments, off topic.

Eddies snorts, looking away from the gooey mess all over Robin's hands and back at his best friend.

Trying to contain his laughter, he attempts to get back on track, "My point is," he tries, "if she's making the whole trip better, maybe the bumps and the detours don't really matter that much. Maybe you can still invite her to come with,"

Nancy watches Robin attempt to wipe her hands on Steve's jeans and then chase him down to the lake shore after Steve dodges her. Her smile softens as she turns to Eddie.

"That's smart" she tells him,

Eddie hums " 'm not just a pretty face" he says, wagging his eyebrows and opening his arms like he's offering himself up

Nancy snorts, "Dork." she calls him.

Eddie laughs in response. After a bit, he offers,

"Also, you don't have to 'just end up together'. It can be on purpose, you know?"

Nancy hums, "It's never been that way" she muses.

"It's new." Eddie confirms, nodding.

Nancy smiles, "Yeah, new," she repeats.

She gets up then and steals one of the marshmallow bags from the abandoned log where Steve and Robin were sitting.

She opens it and pops one into her mouth as she comes back to sit down next to Eddie, both of them facing the fire now.

She offers the bag to Eddie and he silently takes one, watching as Steve walks back to them, with Robin trailing after him and shaking water off her hands.

"If I tell her, will you let him know? about your crush?" Nancy attempts,

Steve looks up then, catches Eddie staring and Eddie stops himself from looking away, eager to see how Steve will react.

Steve blinks a few times, and a smile blooms in his reddening cheeks, Eddie smiles back.

"I think he already does," he answers.

🪵🔥🪵

Once Argyle and Jonathan are back with two bowls of popcorn, they all bring the big logs closer to the fire and sit down to roast their marshmallows and eat s'mores.

After a bit of easy conversation amongst the group, Argyle turns to his left, where Eddie's sitting.

"Alright," he says, "Types of hat, Eddie. Go." 

"Uhh- Motorcycle helmet" Eddie says, catching on quickly and wiping melted chocolate off the corner of his mouth.

He turns to Nance and raises his eyebrows to prompt her to take her turn,

"Top hat" Nancy says, and looks to Robin, sitting left of her,

"Cap." Robin says, "Baseball cap. Whatever" she adds, chewing on her s'more and elbowing Steve to continue,

"Uh- Backwards cap?" Steve asks, more than says,

Eddie snorts loudly, earning a squint and a mean smile from Steve that makes him want to melt.

Everyone talks at the same time then,

"Already? We just started! We-" Nancy says,

"Dingus! You can't-" Robin protests,

"That is not-" Jonathan starts,

Argyle stands and puts an arm out, like a king demanding silence from his court. A hush immediately falls over them and they all look to him expectantly.

"I'll allow it" Argyle says,

The group erupts into objections to the decision as Steve waves his fist in victory and smirks at Eddie.

Eddie playfully returns his earlier squint and mouths "Favoritism." at him.

Steve lets his jaw drop and puts a hand to his chest. Eddie snickers at his offended expression as Argyle explains his decision,

"It's a different fashion statement. Your whole vibe changes if you're wearing one or the other, therefore they're different hats." he says, sitting back down and looking to his right, prompting Jonathan to continue their game.

"Okay, then, if it's like that," Jon says, "then I'm gonna say bicycle helmet," he states, looking around their circle like he's expecting someone to protest.

Nancy squints, but doesn't say anything, Robin purses her lips, Eddie shrugs and Steve offers Jonathan an encouraging smile.

Argyle says "Yeah, that works!", nodding.

Jonathan shrugs, "Alright, then." he says, putting his hand out in front of Argyle like he's ushering him into a room.

"Beanie" Argyle supplies easily.

All eyes are on Eddie now.

Shoot. He got so caught up in their debate, he's not ready.

"Uuhh-" Eddie stammers,

"Uh-oh" Steve teases across from him,

Eddie automatically flips him the bird while he thinks. He only half hears Steve's answering chuckle.

Fuck. What's a hat?

"20 seconds" Jonathan threatens,

"Eddie?" Argyle prompts at the same time.

Eddie lifts his hand in a stopping gesture,

"No, no, no, no, no, I have one. Wait, wait."

"10 seconds," Nancy says, the traitor,

"Beret!" Eddie exclaims, jumping out of his seat, "A beret!" he repeats excitedly,

"Fuck!" Robin whispers,

To her left, Steve beams up at him. Eddie gets a little lost in it for a bit.

Until Nancy snaps him out of it,

"Does a headband count?" she asks Argyle,

Oh, here we go, Eddie thinks, already excited for more debating,

He takes his seat again as Argyle hums pensively,

"This is not part of my time" Nancy warns,

Argyle hums in agreement, but doesn't say anything yet,

"Because, does it have to be on top of the head or just touching it?" Jonathan asks, like he's somehow broadcasting what Argyle's internal debate is like,

"If it's just touching it, then any hair accessory would count" Robin points out,

"If it has to be on top of the head, some hair accessories would still count" Steve says,

"Stevie's right" Eddie agrees, "if that's what it takes, then my scrunchie counts,"

"That's mine???" Nancy protests,

"Sorry", Eddie amends, "Nancy's scrunchie. That I'm using. Because she so graciously let me borrow it,"

He turns to Nancy for her appproval and she nods.

"Yeah, that's better", she says,

Behind her, Robin's looking at her with a shy smile, but Eddie keeps his mouth shut.

He does catch Steve's eye though, and Steve playfully shoots him an eye roll. Eddie chuckles.

"A fascinator is a hat," Argyle is saying, "but a hair clip can't be a hat"

"A fascinator is not a hat," Robin protests,  "isn't that in like, the definition?"

"But it has a certain hatness to it" Argyle says, to sounds of agreement all around,

"What is a hat?" Eddie voices his earlier thought,

"Jesus, and we're not even high yet" Steve says,

Eddie dissolves into a fit of giggles.

"It has to cover the head." Jon says,

"The whole head?" Argyle asks,

"There are mini top hats" Nancy supplies,

That does not help with Eddie's giggles. In fact, Steve seems to be affected too, chuckling with his nose scrunched up,

"So, not the whole head," Jon concludes, "What about crowns?"

"Oh no," Steve says, burying his face on Robin's shoulder, his giggling getting worse,

"A crown is not a hat!" Robin says,

Nancy gasps and Eddie's giggles die in favor of the drama happening around him,

Steve straightens up again to look at Robin,

"What ?!"

"It's not ! There's a hole in there!" Robin says,

"It goes all around the head!" Steve protests,

Eddie's head is moving back and forth like he's watching a ping pong match.

"So does a headband!"

"But the crown is on top of the head!"

"What's a visor then?" Jonathan interjects, everyone turns to him, then back at Robin,

Steve raises his eyebrows,

"Fine." Robin concedes, "but I'm drawing the line at tiaras,"

"Oh, god." Eddie says, putting his head in his hands dramatically, Steve snorts,

Nancy, apparently enjoying torturing them, says

"Okay then, for my turn, I'm choosing headphones,"

Eddie bursts out laughing, Robin giggles a little and everyone else groans,

"I hate this game" Jonathan says.

Nancy giggles too,

"Sorry. Sorry! No. I'll say one of those that the guards in England use,"

"You can't just say it like that, you have to say the name of it," Eddie teases her,

"You all know what I mean!" she protests,

"What's the name of it, Nance?" Eddie insists,

"You don't know what they're called," she accuses,

Eddie gasps, but quickly drops the act,

"Touché." he concedes.

"I know what they're called!" Robin says, but when Nancy turns to her she says, "Actually I don't, no I don't, I've never been to England, how would I know?" she stammers,

Eddie presses his lips together in a hard line to stop himself from laughing.

Nancy shakes her head with a smile,

"You can say it!" she tells Robin.

Robin shakes her head, "Nu-uh." she says, "...And I choose a birthday hat."

"And don't copy me." she adds, softly punching Steve's arm,

"I wasn't going to. Cowboy hat" Steve says, and when he catches Eddie's eyes again he winks.

Jesus fuck. Eddie's not going to think about it. He does not want to see Steve in cowboy boots and a long sleeve button down and tight jeans and a stupid fucking cowboy hat. Goddamn it.

"Hard hat," Jonathan says,

"Straw hat," Argyle follows,

"Pirate hat," Eddie says,

"Detective hat," Nancy says,

"Wait, what's that? "Robin asks,

"Like the old timey ones with the little bow on top?" Nancy explains,

Robin still looks puzzled,

"They're made of tweed usually? and they have flaps on the sides that are pulled up?" Steve supplies, mimicking the flaps with his hands,

He's so cute, Eddie thinks,

"Oh, oh ! Yeah, yeah. I see it." Robin says, then, "That has a name too."

Nancy grins, "What is it?" she asks,

"It's, um, a deerstalker" Robin says, staring at her, "It's used for hunting. Sometimes."

"Cool." Nancy says, she doesn't stop smiling at Robin, "How do you know that?" she asks, making her blush a little,

"Oh, I uh- must've read it somewhere," Robin says, nodding, then, "My turn. Um, sailor hat" she smirks at Steve, finally tearing her eyes awat from Nance.

Steve rolls his eyes again but laughs softly, then says,

"The one the pope wears,"

Jonathan says "Graduation hat",

"Park Ranger hat," Argyle continues,

"What's our stance on things that can be hats but aren't always?" Eddie asks,

The group groans again,

"Everything can be a hat" Nancy says,

"Not everything," Eddie says, turning to her,

"Yes. Everything." Nancy insists, turning to face him fully,

"No. There are things that can't be hats," Eddie counters,

"Like what?"

"Uh- a bird ?"

"A bird can definitely be a hat," Nancy says, to the group's assent,

"A whale?"

"If you're big and strong enough, yeah,"

"A planet?" Eddie tries,

"Again, if you're big and strong enough,"

"A galaxy?"

"Probably, but let's say everything on Earth, then" Nance concedes,

"Soap?"

"Shoot." she says,

"Ah-ha! " Eddie points at her, triumphant,

"Everything solid then."

"Ice?" Eddie shoots,

"Yeah, you can make a hat out of ice" Nancy says, no hesitation,

"And wear it?"

"Yeah, in the North Pole or something," she says,

She's good, this is part of why she's his best friend, but Eddie gets distracted by her answer,

"Hmm, are fictional hats allowed?" he asks Argyle,

"Yeah" Argyle nods,

"Ok, Santa hat, then," Eddie says.

"Elf hat," Nancy follows,

"Ms. Claus hat?" Robin tries, looking around uncertainly. Everyone nods.

"A towel" Steve says, to overwhelming approval from the group,

"Oooh" Robin says, impressed,

"Oh wow, yeah." Jonathan agrees,

"Stevie, you're so smart" Eddie says,

"Shudup" Steve counters, used to being made fun of,

"I'm serious! !!" Eddie insists, "I think that one wins,"

"You can't win this game," Jonathan chimes in, "we only lose and then we have to start over,"

"Well, in my heart, you won, Stevie," Eddie says, without thinking,

He should regret it once the group starts snickering and teasing him but, honestly? They're right.

He keeps his eyes on Steve while they all react and smiles at him. Steve beams again.

"He sure did," Nancy says, the only one who dares brave the consequences.

Eddie feels his blush color his cheeks again and turns to stick his tongue out at her.

"Okay, whatever." he tells her, before turning to Jon and Argyle,

"Where are the joints?" he asks, effectively moving them along.

part 7

[zaceouiswriting]

Fairy Prince - Hearts of Leviathans - Ch.30

Character: Sky x male reader, Riven x male reader, Brandon x male reader

Universe: Somewhere in Winx Club/Saga

Warnings: None

It is my honor to reveal what I think Riven should look like. I hate him in the Netflix series because he looks sickly or as if he is a junkie. I would also like to say that I have no idea who this gentleman is or why his trainer slaps him around so brutally, but honestly, if I were Riven's teacher, I would do the same.

As the hour with Palladium ends, he asks me to stay behind. Several girls, clearly on Stella's side, smirked as they seemed sure I would be reprimanded for my outburst. Nevertheless, I stay behind and wait until everyone leaves. Only then do I rise from my throne, raise my hand, and clench it into a fist. Suddenly the throne disappears, as the stones were formed by pure magic instead of the environment. I've never been able to do this before, but since the other cores were taken out of me, I feel so much energy pulsing through me that I just had to try it.

“I see you are learning quickly,” Professor Palladium commented on my performance, smiling.

I'm already exhausted, even though it's still early in the day. Right now, all I can do is roll my eyes. "Please just tell me what you want to talk to me about. I'm not in the best mood, and honestly, there's nothing I want more than to sleep right now."

The older man nods understandingly. He walks around his desk and leans against it, barely sitting on it since he is relatively tall. "You can't blame them forever-"

"I can," I interrupt him. "There has not been a single apology, and as I have already promised, I will treat them the same way they treated me until I receive that apology."

The man sighs heavily and wipes his face. "I'm unsure if you understand the possible repercussions, but many of these fairies are princesses and future queens."

"With all due respect, Professor. I understand that fact. The problem, however, is that none of them seem to understand that I, too, will soon be ruling. I'm just waiting until my old grandfather finally dies, and then everyone will see what they did wrong."

“What does that mean?” he asks skeptically.

"For example, I want to see how Solaria harvests its food without tools or how Eraklyon makes weapons without its ore." I grin at the old man, who, like the others, doesn't seem to know where I'm the crown prince from.

I walk away, feeling like our conversation is already over, and walk past Palladium, who is visibly speechless. To my surprise, I see someone standing outside the classroom. She looks up at me with her green, gentle eyes and a cautious smile on her lips. But she seems surprised at me, smiling back.

We walk to our next class in silence. Either she feels guilty for what happened or she must have smelled that I wanted to go somewhere else because this whole class environment makes me sick. I'm just not used to sitting around for so long doing nothing but trying to remember shit; I'll probably never get used to it again.

Although I feel uncomfortable in the classroom, Professor Palladium's classes are quite interesting; brewing potions can always be useful, especially to make my home world fertile again someday.

As soon as we enter the next classroom, I turn around. If she hadn't caught me by the arm, I would have been out of there in a flash.

"Excuse me, sir. I've heard of you." A small woman with prematurely gray hair and a red hat interrupts my storming thoughts. "My name is Professor DuFour, and I teach etiquette, usually to princesses and other noble ladies, as well as all female fairies, as their work often has a diplomatic undertone."

I close my eyes for a second to gather all my willpower, turn around again, gently take the girl's arm from mine, and step forward, directly in front of the professor. "May I ask your rank, professor?"

She seems nervous but still tells me she is a countess. I nod absentmindedly as I look at her sympathetically and noticeably relax. Instead of stiffening when greeting someone superior, I simply extend my hand. Without hesitation, she lays her hand on mine. I gently stroke the soft back of her hand, lift it, and press a kiss to it without breaking eye contact. "It is a great pleasure to introduce myself to you, Countess DuFour; my name is (Y/N), Prince (Y/N), if you wish."

Her pink eyes sparkle at my introduction, and I even see her cheeks begin to glow a similar color. Her mouth opens, but nothing comes out—clearly just a reaction. It's not the first time a woman has reacted to me like this. I've always been very popular with both genders.

As I slowly lower our hands and a moment later release hers, I look around. Every face I see is stunned. Maybe it's because I introduced myself impeccably like a true nobleman or because I mentioned my rank. Although I hope not many people heard it because that would only complicate matters.

The professor compliments me but tries desperately to downplay it with a noticeable cough. Although I'm not as smart as my younger brother Galan, I was still raised like a prince and was always better than everyone else at everything that didn't involve stupid books. Galan can't even talk to other people without stumbling over his words.

After a few minutes, she has collected herself again. "It's good that we have a handsome young man with impeccable manners. Please ladies introduce yourselves to him one by one, as if you met at a ball, just like we have been practicing for the last few weeks."

Her words don't immediately sink into my mind. But when it does, my head slightly snaps in the professor's direction. Although I smile widely, inwardly I'm burning with a fury I can't contain. Even though I promised to treat them like they treated me, it could affect my grade. So I take a deep breath and take a moment to collect my thoughts.

Once I've gathered my willpower, I let my smile fade slightly to make it seem more genuine. I straighten up, standing strong and proud. Extending my hand, some of the girls seem almost exuberant, while others are still wary of me.

A girl with dark blue hair steps forward first, bending down in front of me, feet crossed, body stretched straight forward, bowing to me, and lifting an imaginary dress with her hands. Her form is pretty good, I'd say. I hold my hand out to her, and she comes up from her bow. As I look into her eyes expectantly, she blushes slightly. "My name is Musa," she tells me breathlessly. "I am the future guardian fairy of the Kingdom of Melody."

She puts her hand in mine, and unlike with Countess DuFour, I lift her hand halfway up to me, and the rest of the way I bend down to kiss the back of her hand. My other hand is behind my back, my left hand slightly bent, the greatest bow I can make to a person of no rank. Yet, when we both look up, we end up pretty close.

"A girl with a beautiful voice like yours shouldn't be this nervous. Be more sleek." Her blush deepens, but as I look around cautiously, I know I have to hurry. "Please excuse me, Lady Musa, but unfortunately I still have to greet a few more ladies"- I discreetly make a hand half-moon movement only in her sight to emphasize my words- "but don't be discouraged; I will never forget our first eloquent meeting."

After giving her hand a light squeeze, I turn away from her and greet the next girl next to me.

Most of the other girls were not that remarkable, rather average or unwilling to greet me. All of them were around Stella, except Musa, who had already greeted me and the red-haired girl. But the moment the latter is about to come toward me, Stella pulls her back and quietly reprimands her. 

Almost immediately after Stella finishes her tirade, the red-haired girl looks at me apologetically, which I wave off with a smile.

The professor wasn't happy about the incident; perhaps she had not been there when I arrived at Alfea. At least her friendly behavior suggested that. She apologizes for the girls' behavior toward me, but it's not her fault.

After leaving DuFour's class, the rest of the day is mostly a blur. However, I'm starting to feel like I overreacted earlier, but I'm not going to apologize for it because they're just presumptuous little girls.

When class is finally over, I stumble back to my room and fall onto the bed to take a quick nap. Until suddenly someone shakes me. Dazed, I turn around only to see Riven's stupid face way too close.

“Dude!” he shouts, almost deafening me. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean?” I ask sleepily, wiping my eyes.

For a moment, it's completely silent. Riven looks almost like he's desperately wanting to vanish into the ground. His behavior confuses me, so I punch him in the side, which seems to work because he shakes his head and carefully steps back. Quickly, his pale cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“What’s wrong?” I inquire further, still not fully awake.

Riven clears his throat and turns away. "Afternoon classes are over, and the teachers asked where you were because they wanted you to show off some of your fighting techniques and asked me to find you." He shifted nervously in place, which made me wonder what was wrong with him. "A red-haired chick told me she saw you strolling back to our room, and then I found you sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake you, but then some hair fell in your face and-„

"And you were my knight in shining armor who got the offending hair out of my face, right?" I ask him cheekily, interrupting him mercilessly even though I'm still half asleep. After a moment, I slowly sit up, grinning one-sidedly at him.

"I-I mean..." His violent stutter is followed by silence. His cheeks turn even redder. It suddenly hits me.

My one-sided grin turns into a full smirk. I move quickly, grabbing Riven's tight uniform and tugging on it. He stumbles, forcing me to fall back into my pillows as well, his arms on either side of my head, his breath mingling with mine.

"I knew it!" I whisper. Riven could only raise her eyebrows in confusion, or perhaps fear. "You think I'm hot," I state. "Are you a little into guys, Riven?" With my other hand, I trace his sharp jawline, which looks great with his long, diamond-shaped head and perfectly styled hair. If he wasn't such a psychopath, I would have pulled him even closer to me.

Riven, however, makes no attempt to escape me. His eyes dilate, and he sensually runs his tongue over his lips.

I feel my body getting warmer, my stomach tightening, and my hands starting to sweat. Before I know it, all I can think about are his lips. However, when I realize what situation I have created, I quickly push him away, sit up, and soon find myself standing next to him.

"Sorry," I murmur meekly. "I didn't mean to force you to admit something you're uncomfortable with."

Riven stares at me with an indescribable expression. I can clearly see the deep conflict within him, as his indigo eyes reflect the storm that seems to consume his mind. He shifts nervously as if he's trying to make a decision. Somehow I'm afraid of this because when a psychopath like him has to make a decision, nothing good can come of it.

I try to sneak away and quickly get to the door. Even as I reach for the doorknob, Riven is still staring at me, torn, but seemingly far away in his own little world.

As I open the door, it suddenly squeaks something that should never have happened since it is made of magic. The squeak wakes Riven from his lethargy. With a few quick movements I barely notice, he is at my side and pushes me against the door, slamming it back shut.

My breath catches in my throat. His proximity and the strong scent of lavender make me dizzy. Combined with his long, rough hands tracing my body and his muscular chest pressing me against the door, I feel my resolve slowly crumbling.

"Riven," I barely press out. But it seems enough, as his vision clears, if only a tiny bit. He shakes his head in confusion and then looks around. It takes him a moment, but soon he pushes himself away from me, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

A weak apology rolls past his lips as he quickly walks to his side of the room and exits through his door. Both his neck and ears were as flush as his cheeks. He leaves me pressed against my bedroom door, reeling from the aftereffects of his impulsive jabbing and unwelcome closeness. But was it really unwelcome? My heart hasn't beat this fast since him. That could be a good sign, or it spells total disaster. After all, I know better than anyone that I'll probably never get over him. We were meant to be together, but I ruined it. Although the memories don't hurt as much as they once did, I still feel the longing for him.

Why can’t things be easier?

I feel as if I'm slowly drowning in my long-suppressed grief. My knees are weakening. I am afraid of falling victim to the darkness in my heart again. I take a deep breath, gather my last strength, stand up, lean against the door, push away from it, raise my hands, and slap myself, not once or twice, but six times. I do it until I feel a burning sensation in both cheeks.

Maybe one day I can open my heart to someone new. Whether Riven can be that person is questionable, but he can at least help me heal my broken heart. Sky would normally be more my type since he is so much bigger; his docile, almost submissive behavior makes it difficult to see him as anything more than a loyal dog.

[Masterlist]

[fullmetal-scar-simping]

seeing you mention mangahood purists liking manga/broho bc it's "pure" got me thinking: whenever i see someone shit on 03, they'll say "oh it's too 'dark', scary, depressing" (sorry having to confront/acknowledge imperialism is "dark and scary" lmao) and yet, in the same breath, i've seen several turn around and praise mangahood/broho for its "mature themes" and its handling of "dark topics" and it's like... are the mature themes in the room with us?? this is pure speculation and i'm sure i'm not saying anything new here, but i think a large part of why mangahood purists hate 03 is bc it makes them uncomfortable. 03 does not give the viewer the luxury of turning away from the atrocities amestris commits to liore/ishval; they're forced to confront it head-on throughout the show (see: ed standing among a graveyard of liorians, ishvalans getting targeted no matter where they go, etc) and there's no "the military was controlled by supernatural monsters all along!!!" to conveniently pin the blame on either. it's the military itself that's the problem and needs to be taken down. and mangahood/broho purists just don't like that i think.

The critical eye towards the military absolutely makes them uncomfortable and you're right to say it. In fact, it's 03's focus on the suffering begotten by the military and the relative centering of its racialized victims that spoils the fun for a lot of people.

[Because I have a pathological need to ramble for eternity, here's a readmore:]

Without fail most fans who hold Brotherhood and/or the fma manga up to be this dark, mature, incisive piece of entertainment will then levy the weight and severity of the topics they think mangahood adeptly tackles (lol) as a strike against the first anime adaptation. It's practically rote at this point.

They love dark stuff! Except when it's actually dark. Which is therefore too dark. And fma 2003 commits the sin of being dark in ways that the manga isn't, so it's obviously edgy fanfiction for immature sickos who rage against happiness and friendship. It's immature to like adaptations that depicts difficult topics, and genocide as a topic should be an inspiring romp with quirky pals! 😒

It's very telling too. Because the way homunculi are created and societally and personally (mis)function in this version of the world is a mixture of horror storytelling and allegory (for the most hidden and reviled classes of people). It's dark! Certainly I've seen some people complain about the gore and blood associated with the homunculi, their appearances, and their actions. But that's not the truly petrifying darkness that 03 haters gripe the most about. Sometimes they even celebrate that specific element of the 2003 adaptation! No, it's as you said: the highlighted hideousness of the military and its imperialism is what makes them balk in revulsion.

How dare a show about real topics like genocide and fascism not bury the travesties under a thick layer of positive gusto! It should be dripping in sludgey shonen bravado, perhaps even carry the cutesy-kid friendly veneer akin to an 80s GI Joe cartoon instead. Make soldiers fun again! What's with all of this death and misery? Why are people being shown as rightfully disgusted by and against the State?! How come these characters can't overcome their idiosyncrasies, ideologies, and traumas to win the day?? Wait, our military guys aren't even being lauded for feeling sad and get everything they want as a reward??? Scar is willing to sacrifice himself for liberation and we're not fed some pap that helps us despise him and feel suitably smug and comfortable in our own privileged lives while he condemns our propensity for siding with soldiers? That's not right, Scar's a villain! Soldiers are honest good guys! Hold up, there's RAPE?! In my silly anime about imperialism?!!? UM?!

Time and again I find posts ranting about how the 03 writers "had no idea what to do with Scar, so they waste his entire character". Once I get over the initial offense that this causes me (lol), I'm left sitting here wondering what the fuck they're talking about. Did they even watch this show? How can anyone even so much as think this, when he's a pivotal character? And increasingly I have come to realize it's because he doesn't have that fuck-awful ~redemption arc~ (excuse me while I throw up) that everyone looooooooves in mangahood. It's because he would sooner obliterate every single Amestrian soldier across the land than renounce liberation and buddy up to the pigs. He dies accomplishing his greatest act of love for the survivors of genocide, but since these people turned their brains off as soon as "03 diverged from the manga" (which the show does from episode 01 but don't let that get in the way of their manga-purity) they think the Liore arc is random happenstance, with no rhyme or reason, and Scar is still a """""""villain""""""" AND he dies (character deaths always means you wasted a character btw), so therefore fma 2003 is pointless darkness that spits on Arakawa personally.

Never gonna forget the posts that gripe about Scar being "disrespected" in 03 because he... dies on the ground. Guess we're throwing context and analysis to the wind and just misrepresenting scenes for cheap points. Better to make Scar feel like human garbage because he killed genociders! Now THAT'S respectful!

People don't like it when a character dies for their principles and is lauded by the narrative for it too. All of this is too much for the enlightened mangahood purist! It paints such a dire image of what the colonized have to do to push back against their colonizers! Can't we all just get along (and both-sides the invasion of Ishbal)?

Guess there aren't enough tone-annihilating chibi gags interspersed between every other shot of Ishbalans being rounded up into prison vehicles by Mustang and Riza to assuage viewers that all is well, actually. Concentration camps are total bummers. Aren't the Ishbalans supposed to be living tranquil, idyllic lives in the slums ala mangahood?

That's the other piece of the hate against 03: that it doesn't mercilessly break the melancholic, tragic, violent, and ethical/philosophical tones and quandaries with incessant jokes. The majority of the time, you are meant to stew in it, ask yourself hard questions too, while peeling away some of the mysteries presented and seeing how multiple factors play into the actions and circumstances of these characters. None of these factors absolve anything, they are merely another string in the show's web. Levity is mostly sparing. It does exist! Mostly in the earlier eps, with the odd palette cleanser in the middle of the show. But it's hardly as over the top as your average Brotherhood episode, which is incessantly brimming with jokes, gags, chibi/cartoon style shifts, quips, and buddy-buddy comradery, over and over forever. Are we even beginning to feel the tendril of despair from something that happened in Broho? Nope no worries, here's a goofy-whatever suddenly thrown at the viewer 3 seconds into any emotional state that is less than hopeful and cheery.

are the mature themes in the room with us??

The mature themes are dressed like low rent clowns who forgot their props, but I'm meant to play along like it's a mastercraft of artistic expression.

We could contrast 03's depictions of imperialism vs mangahood's, but I want to highlight a different, prime example of how paperthin Brotherhood's darkness is:

Ed and Al's human transmutation.

This moment in 03 has long lasting effects beyond what it did to the Elric brothers' bodies, with this act having created a tortured and exploited entity who can only envision escaping the pain by obtaining retribution against them. Ed lives in denial for as long as he can, until he's run up against a wall and has to dig up Trisha's grave. He has to kill his creation using a stolen piece of his mother's remains. Is this doppleganger truly his mother? Can she ever forgive him? Does he have the right to take an unlife just because he forced her into being, and abandoned her? He will grapple with that for the rest of his life, while having nearly torn his relationship to Al apart in the process. And for his own sake, he will dehumanize homunculi in order to survive his ever growing pain.

Meanwhile, in mangahood? Well, here's this heavy moment where Ed tells Pinako that he's going to face what he did and dig up the body he transmuted buried under the burned house. Things are tense. The mood is almost suffocating, the sky dark, the sound of dirt being shovelled almost sickening. Ed throws up, Pinako trying to help him persevere. He hits something. There's hair. He holds up these spare strands, looking shaken. This isn't his mother's hair? Oh thank goodness, he never harmed mom. In fact, what he transmuted was an empty fucked-up vessel that Al's soul briefly wiggled around in. Phew! Alright awesome, we're all good and all doubts have been wiped away. Mommy wasn't desecrated after all! Here's Trisha's soul later on being so super proud of her boys. Yippee!

So dark mangahood! What the hell was 03's problem tho? /s

Anti-03 posts can sometimes be fun if you're a jackass like me, because I can't help but feel like a smug dirtbag when someone admits to how hard they cried after watching the show- someone even admitted that's why they hate 03! It hurt too much. So odd to see this framed as a negative. I love the hurt. I love when a story challenges you, doesn't make it go down easy, when it has the guts to admit to the hideousness of what was intended to be taken for granted in other contemporaneous media.

I understand that having such emotional overflow and the weight of sadness can be very difficult for some folks. Sometimes you might not even be in the mood for it. But you would think that a show producing feelings of sorrow was a grand affront according to these more aggrieved critics. It's practically an insult to them! Yet when Brotherhood (somehow) renders people to tears, it's a plus. Guess Broho over-plays its saccharine assurances, so that the tears feel cathartic rather than challenging.

Although I have my opinions on the wealth of coddling stories, toothless entertainment, and all the propaganda barely hidden within so much of it; I don't necessarily look down on some people wanting more gentle or alleviating stories. Positivity is not a grievous need, nor am I immune from generally needing some form of it too. However I do think it ridiculous how desperately people in relatively powerful nations want stories about genocide that make them both feel as though they are baring witness to the darkness of the world (a reassuring pantomime to turn your brain off to), while still so sanitized and airy that it soothes their anxieties and ensures them that they shouldn't have to look in the mirror even once. If people simply liked Brotherhood because they like shonen battles or teenagers being friends or some shit, then at least it would be a more honest appraisal of what Brotherhood adequately offers.

However the repeated assertions that it's a mature story or has any aplomb to its surface-level use of challenging themes is comical. Alongside hailing Brotherhood as an anti-racist, anti-military story, but I've harped on about that hypocrisy more than enough times. We know the drill.

I just can't take this specific criticism against 03 seriously. Not because 03 is beyond critique, or that people can't be indifferent to it or dislike it, but it's a hell of a farce to boo it for the same reasons they claim to adore mangahood. They want a "brave noble soldier who solves everything" story. A fluffy copaganda battle anime with none of the ugliness of militarism from the viewpoint of its victims. That's it.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Extreme trigger warning but I just came across a list that speaks volumes and the point they made hut ne like a truck...

That point being that Wukong was literally suicidal in s3 when he decided he was going to try to take the Samhadi Fire and use it to burn LBD up.

The Fire is known to be one of the few things in existence capable of killing him, he knows that Ao Lie taking on just a portion of it likely resulted in at minimum a shortened lifetime and very likely lead to his actual death, and that if left unchecked it could destroy the world. It's why they all sealed it away to begin with! And yet, this stupid, self sacrificial, immortal monkey was going to literally let himself be burned to a crisp in a half-baked attempt to stop LBD AND NOT THINK TWICE ABOUT IT! You can bet he fully expected to die in that moment and didn't care!

And throughout s3, you can tell Wukong wasn't quite right. He started the season with everyone angry at him for not warning them about LBD and going off on his own, inadvertently leaving MK to deal with the spirit on his own and putting him in danger. Wukong knows this and fully regrets it, you can TELL he's beating himself up over it the entire time, he's just hiding it because that's what Wukogn does when faced with uncomfortable emotions, he puts on a laid backed persona and pretends nothing bothers him, that such things are beneath him becaue its only for "dorky mortals," not an immortal hero like himself. It's what years and years of pain and misery and abuse had taught him to do. Because he's gotten to the point that all he and all he believes he can be is the Monkey King. The Legend, not the person.

Which reminds me... Throughout all of Lego Monkie Kid, nobody ever refers to Sun Wukong as his actual name except for one notable exception. Macaque. The person who was once Wukong's closest companion turned the most hateful enemy up u til that point. Someone who specifically targeted an innocent bystander simply for the crime of being Wukong's apprentice. How messed up would that make you, to get hundreds of years in isolation only for the first people you reach out to to never call you by your name? For the people you've come to love to only ever call you by a title you, more than likely, hate. The only person to call you is your own name, Macaque, who is actively trying to kill you and despises the very air you breathe and your very existence.

BIG TW cus its pretty heavy topic.

Me and another asker discussed this a while ago about how Wukong's canonical actions and behavior throughout the series are eerily similar to someone suffering from depression.

But I don't think he's actively trying to kill himself - at least he doesn't think he is. For Wukong; hosting the Samadhi Fire will either go off without a hitch - or he can leave the mortal plane in a huge final Big Bang.

It all goes back to his self-sacrificial nature, and becoming self-destructive after losing his Pilgrim brothers/support system.

The fact that he's been reduced to a "character" in the eyes of the public honestly makes him feel kinda sick. He can't think of who in his life would actually call him by his name - other than his enemies.

Also you are incorrect about Macaque being the only one to call Wukong by his name; Nezha and DBK pointedly call him by his name, albeit during moment when he's not in their good graces. Perhaps in Wukong's mind, the only people who really "care" about him anymore are the people who hate him/want to fight him.

Its sorta why a lot of my aus have Wukong re-establish a support system with assistance from the universe.

Wukong needs a therapy episode.

[bones4thecats]

Umm, could I request housewardens comforting/attempting to comfort reader who just found out they have cancer? Sorry if you aren't comfortable with that, I'm just really nervous.

A/N: Hello there Anon! I read your request and if you or someone else is going through this, I hope you or they are alright! Also, don't worry about me being uncomfortable, I hope you enjoy this piece!

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❤️ Riddle grew up with a very interesting family, and because of his mother's constant rules and strictness, he never really got the amount of comfort a child needs. But just because he didn't, doesn't mean you won't.

❤️ When you told Riddle about your cancer, he immediately looked broken. You were one of the only good things in his life, and now you were probably going to be taken away from him by something he can't control.

❤️ If you were to start crying afterwards, which is quite likely, he would wrap his arms around your form and sink to the ground with you, and while your crying is more audible, his is far quieter and softer.

❤️ If your stage was quite severe, he'd spend everyday and moment he could beside you. And while to others it seemed like he was following you around like a puppy, you and him both knew, this was his way of making you feel loved until the day you left him.

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🦁 Leona never really got anything he wanted throughout his life, at least that's what he says. He was the second prince, second choice in nearly anything, but when you came into his life, you picked him first.

🦁 This prince would be with you when you found out the terrible news, and he would be scared to his very soul. When the doctor left for you guys to have a moment of privacy, he cracks and his eyes begin to swell up.

🦁 He's not that good at comfort, but he's better at it when he's in a mood, since his instincts tell him to seek love and comfort. So when he notices that you were basically drowning yourself in tears, he just wiped them away and began hugging you whilst swaying side to side.

🦁 He would definitely spend every second of your time awake with you, he wasn't just going to allow your time together to slip through his grasp.

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🐙 Oh god, this guy knew barely any kind of comfort other than motherly growing up. But after you and him got together and began consoling one another, he became a basic master at comforting you.

🐙 So when you two got the news about your illness and its severity, his immediate reaction was to grab you and begin shushing you while attempting to suppress his cries. Which was very hard, as his own pearl was going to leave him, sooner rather than later.

🐙 While you two did spend a lot of time together beforehand, now, this guy is having you either come to him, or he goes to you whenever you're both free. And even when he's busy with contracts, he has you come by and allows you to sit in his lap while he writes the delicate words in ink of his scrolls.

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☀️ The most emotional out of them all, and the best at comforting without much help, Kalim would have to be one of the worst, yet best to receive this news with.

☀️ He's a hard cookie to break, but when he heard about this, his heart damn near immediately broke in half. He loved you so much, you were his one and only jewel, you two were destined to be with each other till death. But death wasn't supposed to happen for so long, why was this happening?

☀️ Before the news registers through your brain, Kalim practically jumped on you and began sobbing his eyes out, tears soaking your top as he began talking about how it wasn't fair that this was happening to you.

☀️ It takes a while, but when he calms down, he's able to comfort you way better. He's an emotional mess afterwards though, which anyone can tell, he isn't throwing parties as often, but when he eventually returns to normal, he's around you all the time, always touching you in someway.

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👑 Vil never really had to comfort anyone while he grew up, since his father was quite successful and was possible gone a lot for shooting, he just never really had the need to learn comfort. But when you came along and he had to try, he learned he was a natural at it.

👑 He's all about beauty and health, but he does have a heart, so when you came up to him one day after your doctor's appointment looking down, his first thought was, 'something's wrong'. And he was right.

👑 Hearing the news was hard for Vil, you were one of his favorite things in the world, other than his father and job, and now you were going to possibly leave him soon? It's hard for him to digest, but once he does, he's around you constantly, and whenever you ask for a hug or anything, he'd give it to you. Yes, it might wrinkle his clothing, but he wanted to make sure you feel loved.

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🎮 Idia is the worst at comforting here, but that's not because of him and how he was raised, he's just awkward and to anxious to talk in person, nonetheless touch somebody. But because of how he has Ortho, he is quite good at comforting once you and him are fairly close.

🎮 He couldn't go with you to your appointment because of an incident involving his family's company, so when you came back, thankfully, it was all fixed, because the stress that would've hit him could've killed him!

🎮 This poor guy has seen many animes that involved one character dying, like 'Your Lie in April' and 'Ef: A Tale of Melodies' (if they exist in their world), so having you dying from something you can't stop, hits him like a somehow deja vu train.

🎮 Once he heard the news, and calmed down, which took a long time for him to do, he got Crowley to allow you to stay in Ignihyde with Idia until you guys graduated. (Yes, I believe that Crowley would feel bad about you having cancer and would definitely try helping you out! He's a headmaster, he's gotta have a heart somewhere!) And since you guys now basically lived together, he'd be conjoined at your hip, hugging you and allowing you any kind of affection.

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🐉 Malleus takes it the hardest out of all the dorm leaders on this list. You were the first person too look at him and not be afraid, and now you were going to be taken away from him by something he can't just make disappear.

🐉 He's been locked away from civilization for a very long time, but he's gotten better at comfort and showing his emotions when he met you. So, expect a lot of hugs and comforting forehead kisses while he lets out near silent tears.

🐉 The dragon fae expected you two to part sometime, but he wanted that to happen in the far off future, not in the possible near future. (and if he were to ever overblot, this would be something that could assist in triggering it)

🐉 Malleus definitely gives you the most attention now. He prioritized you over a lot before, and now that your time together might be smaller and is far more fragile, he makes you the first thing he ever thinks about no matter what. If he's doing homework? You're there. He's working on prince or future king stuff? You're there.

[amomentsescape]

Jason is my comfor character so can I request a Jason x reader who comes crying to him cause when she talks to her parents about what upsets her they always blame them for their own feelings and fight starts so their scared to discuss feelings with them and they're mom can't follow through on plans with her cause her job makes her too tired and its always something and they made a plan to visit extended family for a long time then it gets postponed for a long time again and then forgotten about and the only time they seen their extended family on both sides was near there birthday at a funeral when a cousin killed themselves and it feels they can only see their family when someone kills themselves

A Promise to You

Jason Voorhees x Reader

Summary: A fight with their parents drives Reader to see Jason: the one person they know they can rely on.

Warnings: Angst then fluff, mentions of family member suicide

Word Count: 1,136

A/N: Comfort characters are incredibly important, so I hope I wrote him in a light that lines up with what you wanted. Sending you all the love <3

You could feel that familiar burn make its way into your stomach. Your eyes were already watering too despite trying your best to hold them back.

"We'll try to see them next year sometime, okay?" your mother said, her eyes still glued to her phone.

You swallowed roughly and looked down at your hands, noticing the dry skin beside your nails.

Nasty habit, you thought.

"I haven't seen them in so long," you finally responded quietly.

You could hear your father let out a sigh at this.

"Nothin' we can do about it. You'll be fine."

Your eyes began to water once more.

"But the last time the whole family was together was-"

"Near your birthday," your mother cut you off, still refusing to look directly at you.

You looked back at her face, trying to focus on anything other than breaking down right then and there. You tried to steady your breathing.

There was a time when your mother actually tried to talk to you and spend time with you. Although now, that felt like a dream, something that never actually happened.

"It was at my cousin's funeral," you whispered.

Both of your parents looked up at you. Finally.

"Right," was all that was said.

You knew deep down that this conversation was going to end up nowhere, but there was still a part of you that hoped maybe this would be the time they'd actually listen. Maybe this time they'd care.

"It just seems like someone has to die for us to actually see everyone again," you responded a little louder than before.

Whatever hope you had held onto was immediately diminished at your mother rolling her eyes and your father scoffing.

"Jesus, (Y/N). It's not our fault that happened-"

"I'm not saying it was," you shot back. The energy in the room was starting to become uncomfortable.

"Okay, then stop acting like it is!"

You took a deep breath in. "I'm just trying to tell you how I'm feel-"

"How about you do that without blaming us for all of your problems?!" your mother snapped. "It's not our fault the trip was canceled. It's not that big of a deal!"

You could feel your patience wearing thin.

"I'm sorry that the idea of spending time with my family sounded nice for a change! Especially when my own mother won't even acknowledge me when she gets home from work!"

"Do NOT speak to her like that!" your father yelled, his face turning red.

Your mother just looked at you, anger filling in her eyes.

"You don't know what it's like to be exhausted from a full-time job!"

"Well, if I had a child, I would still try to make time for them instead of canceling every plan just because I have to work!"

"Are you saying I'm a bad mother?!"

"You're barely a mother at all when you won't even talk to me!"

Your father stood up at this, walking towards you with a scowl painted on his face.

"Why do you always have to be so goddamn sensitive all the time?! You're not a baby! You don't need us to support you 24/7. You need to learn to grow up!"

At this point, your cheeks were already soaked from all the tears spilled. Your throat ached at trying to hold back the sobs, and you could feel your hands shaking by your sides.

But the worst part wasn't even how pathetic you felt in that moment, crying in the middle of your living room. It was the fact that your parents just stood there staring at you with a look of anger and disappointment etched into their features. You didn't feel loved in that moment- you felt despised.

You didn't want to be here anymore. You needed to get out of that environment before the heavy air suffocated you.

Despite the protests of your parents, you ran out the front door of the home and let your feet take you where they wanted to go.

You didn't know how much time had gone by. It could have been minutes, hours, you didn't care. You knew what you needed, and it was him.

You finally stopped running once the front door to the cabin was right in front of you.

Without even needing to knock, Jason opened the door, his head tilted at why you were there. Not that he wasn't happy to see you, he had just made a rule that you wouldn't go lurking into these woods at night. It wasn't safe for you.

But this worry went out the door the moment he saw your tear stained cheeks and the deep frown carved onto your lips.

He pulled you inside immediately, sitting you down beside him on the couch.

Without even thinking, he wrapped himself around you. And this is what seemed to break the dam.

Your sobs muffled into his chest, and you could feel his arms tighten around your frame. He was almost frightened of what had made you this upset.

He let you cry into him for a bit longer before pulling you back, checking over your body to make sure you weren't physically hurt. When he felt confident you were fine, his eyes met yours and he gave you a questioning look.

You moved your gaze to your lap.

"M-my parents," your voice broke.

Jason seemed to immediately know what you meant by this. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time that something bad had gone down with your parents. As much as he wanted to take away this problem for good, he knew that you would never allow it. You still loved them at the end of the day.

"They j-just never listen to me," you sniffled. "I just wish they'd h-hear me out for once..."

Jason put his hand on the side of your face, wiping away the new tears that continued to spill from your eyes.

He took your own hand gently in his free one, placing it over his chest. It was what he did whenever he wanted to reassure you or tell you that he loves you.

This managed to get a little smile from you.

No matter what happened, Jason was always there for you. He was the one person you knew who would hear you out and never judge. It was why this was the one place your feet decided to carry you to when your own home felt like too much.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," you whispered to him.

You could see his eyes brighten under his mask at this. He nodded as if to say he felt the same.

He couldn't prevent these things from occurring, but Jason promised to always be there to pick you up. And Jason doesn't break his promises.

[parkkiablah]

Peaceful for once - pt. 2 (Zevlor x Tav)

part 1 part 3

(Just Zevlor comforting tav after they had a nightmare!)

You probably had barely slept more than an hour when you woke up again. The nightmare you just had made you sit up straight in bed while letting out a short scream.

'Hopefully not loud enough to wake the others', were your first thoughts as you rubbed your face.

Your skin sticky with sweat as the nightmare didn't bring the peaceful sleep you were hoping for.

Your life hadn't been easy since you were on the Nautiloid but the pressure you felt lately to get ready for the worst fight of your life was getting unbearable.

"Are you alright?", you heard a sleepy voice say closeby.

You instantly knew who it was just by his voice alone, no matter how sleepy he sounded.

"Just a nightmare. Sorry for waking you, Zevlor."

He was still sitting on his bed a few meters away, his feet on the ground like he was ready to jump out of bed if you needed him to.

"It's no problem at all. If you want to talk about it, I'm right here.", he said quietly.

In the dark of the room you were glad for your darkvision, as you otherwise would never have the opportunity to see him like this. His hair messily hanging around his face and just seeing him without his heavy armor was something you barely saw before.

Even on the other days he kept his armor on as long as he possibly could and you thought it was just part of him being overly cautious and being ready in case someone attacked us.

The shirt he was wearing to sleep hanging loosely around his shoulders, revealing parts of his skin. Some of the typical tiefling ridges visible for your eyes as well as a scar reaching across his collarbone.

"I don't think its worth talking about it, it's not the first time I've had it.", you responded honestly.

You had similar nightmares for a while now, all related to you not being able to save your friends from whatever enemy you were fighting at the moment.

"Even more of a reason to talk about it if it's not the first time you had it." He wasn't wrong, but you felt silly for being so bothered by simple nightmares.

You let out a heavy sigh as you looked down at your hands.

"I know it's just a nightmare, I just can't help being affected by it. Most of the time I see any of my friends die as I was unable to save them. Tonight it was you who died on my dream, so talking to you actually does help right now."

You weren't uncomfortable telling him, yet it still made you feel weird. Just the thought of him dying in front of you is something you didn't want to experience.

"I'm glad to help with something as simple as talking.", he said, a smile on his face. "You know I owe you my life not just once, you never failed at saving me for sure."

"You give me too much credit for that, I was never alone when I was helping and you were not the only one I was trying to rescue."

"Stop being so humble. You could try saying you just killed the goblins to save Halsin in hopes for a cure, but you definitely didn't just stumble across me back at Moonrise towers. I know the others did tell you about me failing to guide them to Baldurs Gate safely, yet you chose to save me anyways. And yet with all of that you still apologize for simply waking me with your nightmare."

His eyes were on you while he was speaking and you know he was right.

Ever since you met him back at the grove you knew he had a good heart and you kept looking out for him.

Of course you grew fond of the other tieflings too, but there was something about him that always made you feel comfortable.

When you heard of what happened at the shadowcursed lands, you instantly knew something was wrong and you had to find him.

"Well of course I would look for you. I would never forgive myself if I hadn't tried everything."

"I hope there will be a day I get the chance to help you for once as I can't pay the debt I have with you already."

"You saved me from the bad thoughts the nightmare put on my mind tonight, so no debt you would have to pay anyways.", you said as you smiled at him.

"Your whole lifetime would have to be filled with nightmares to even get close to the amount of help I got from you, which is obviously not something I would hope for."

"So you are offering to sleep next to me for the rest of my lifetime?"

You had no idea where you found the sudden confidence to ask this, but you blamed it on how comfortable you got in conversations with him.

"I uh-..", he stuttered as obviously he wasn't expecting that kind of response. He laughed quietly but still looked down and you knew you caught him off guard. "My dear, we both know you could easily find better company for that."

"I would disagree on that.", you told him.

"Can you stop talking now? Some people are trying to sleep here! You can continue flirting tomorrow.", you heard Astarion say from the other side of the room.

"Shhhhh! You ruined their moment!", Karlach whispered and you couldn't help but laugh.

You were really glad for Zevlors lack of darkvision, so you could hide away the blush on your face easily.

Yes, they made that situation as awkward as it could possibly get, but honestly you wouldn't have it any other way.

(I couldn't stop myself from writing some more about zevlor, he seriously has my heart 😭 hope you enjoyed reading it!)

[aishangotome]

Alfons Sylvatica: Chapter 16

Chapter 15

♡———♡

Roger: You don't learn, do you, lil lady? Even after being hurt by that wicked man.

Roger's face was so close, I could feel his breath on me...

Roger is a nice man, and if I had met him at a bar without knowing anything, I probably would have been excited by his slightly forceful invitation.

(But...)

Kate: I'm not really in the mood for jokes right now...

Kate: Besides, shouldn't you be choosing who you want to be with?

Roger gives a wry smile and removes his hand from my shoulder.

Roger: I do choose, but I'd welcome a woman like you.

(Maybe he came to cheer me up.)

My heart, which had been losing its warmth, feels a little warmer.

(Speaking of which...)

Kate: ...Roger, you're researching curses, right?

Roger: Yeah, but...

Kate: Could you tell me about Alfons' fate...?

I ask the question I had been thinking about until just before Roger came. He shrugs theatrically.

Roger: If he knew I told you, he'd hate me even more.

Kate: I won't tell Alfons that I heard it from you.

Roger: He'd figure it out even if you didn't.

Roger: Well, he can't hate me any more than he already does, so I don't care.

(Come to think of it...)

I had felt a little uncomfortable with Alfons' attitude towards Roger.

---CHOICES---

You two have known each other for a long time

Do he dislike you?

Who is older?

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

Kate: Does Alfons dislike you?

Roger: Haha, straight to the point. Well, the answer is YES.

Roger: ...It's because I was the one who casually told him about his "fate."

Roger: I twisted his already twisted life even further.

(What...?)

Roger: Do you want to hear it?

(If I hear it...)

What Roger is about to tell me is something Alfons would never let me know.

(...What am I going to do with knowing more about him?)

(It'll only make it harder to forget him.)

I bite my lip.

(But still...)

I want to grasp even a tiny bit of his mirage-like reality.

Kate: ...Please tell me.

-

**Alfons' Past**

There are no dreams or illusions here.

There is only the inescapable "truth"...

The gray-eyed boy was an orphan from the East End.

From the time he could remember, he had been forced to do hard labor at the orphanage.

The environment was harsh, and even the slightest mistake was met with corporal punishment.

However, he had a special skill.

He knew how to escape the hunger, pain, and suffering of reality by dreaming.

"This isn't me," he would say, looking at his reflection in the dirty water.

Then, his consciousness would dissociate, and he could endure corporal punishment without feeling anything.

Many children died.

...I can't even remember their names anymore. I'm sure I'll die like that too.

Even so, there was one thing he cherished.

Gray-eyed Boy: Come here.

A kitten shivering in an alley.

He shared his meager bread with it, held it to his chest on cold days, and stroked its neck.

It calmed his heart.

(I'm not like those adults. Because I have love.)

(I'm not like the other nameless children. Because I have this kitten.)

(This cat knows me. It remembers me.)

He maintained his sense of self by thinking this way.

Gray-eyed Boy: I love you... so don't forget me.

The warmth of the kitten, the soft feel of its fur, its tiny meows...

That place, surrounded by crumbling bricks, was his "reality."

-

Hmm... A cat, huh...

One day, the boy met another boy named Roger in the East End.

Roger looked a little older than the boy who was shining shoes on the street.

From his clothes, it was clear that he came from a relatively wealthy family, if not a noble one.

Roger, who said he had "heard rumors about the orphanage," was very interested in the boy's story for some reason.

Roger: So, what happened to that cat? You're shining shoes here because you were kicked out of the orphanage, right?

The boy's gray eyes softened a little at the mention of the cat.

Gray-eyed Boy: He's still at the orphanage. I'm sure someone is taking care of him.

Roger: ...What's your name?

Name... It felt like he had forgotten he even had one.

Gray-eyed Boy: ...Alfons, I think.

Roger: Maybe?

Alfons: I heard it was written on the box I was in.

He knew he had been abandoned at birth without having to ask anyone.

The boy didn't remember anything before coming to the orphanage.

And he had just been kicked out of that orphanage.

Roger: Do you really not know why you were kicked out of the orphanage?

Alfons: I don't know. It was so sudden, I didn't...

**back to present**

The overlapping sound of the clock's hands brings my consciousness back to the present from the past.

Roger: I tried to contact him because I heard a rumor.

Kate: A rumor...?

Roger: Yeah. A rumor that "the head of the orphanage was turned into a cat."

(Turned into a cat...?)

Kate: What do you mean...?

Roger: I knew I was cursed back then and had started researching curses.

Roger: Through my father, who's a town doctor, I was digging through records of patients who seemed to be cursed.

Roger: One of the most unusual rumors was that there was a person who could "rewrite other people's perceptions," and...

Roger: There was a strange phenomenon of memory loss occurring around the source of that rumor.

(Memory loss...)

I remember Alfons' face and swallow quietly.

Roger: Many people remember being told that white was black, black was white, and that was the truth.

Roger: But no one can remember who did it to them. Not their name, appearance, or where they lived.

Roger: When you check the records in those places... there's always an unnatural blank space.

Roger: It's clear that one person has "disappeared" from both memory and records... Isn't that strange?

Roger: I was convinced that the person with that power was "cursed."

An unpleasant premonition filled my chest.

But I just swallowed and listened to his words.

Roger: When I heard the rumor that "a human turned into a cat," I thought it was that cursed person.

Roger: I was desperately looking for another cursed person at that time.

Roger: ...So, I got ahead of myself.

**flashback to past**

Roger: You have some strange power, don't you?

Alfons takes a slight step back from Roger, who suddenly leans in with a serious expression.

Alfons: Strange power...?

Roger: Like, if you touch someone or something, you can make them believe something, even if it's a lie.

Alfons: ...Even if it's a lie...?

He doesn't ask what Roger means, so he must know what he's talking about.

Convinced of this, Roger takes a step back and spreads his arms.

Roger: Try it on me. Anything.

Alfons: ...........

Alfons stares at Roger for a moment, then...

Alfons: ...I'll do it if you pay me.

He makes a deal with the well-dressed Roger.

Then the two of them experimented with the "ability."

This was because Alfons himself didn't know how to activate his power.

Roger: It doesn't seem to work just by giving a verbal command.

Alfons: Then, how about trying to give a command while touching something?

And after some trial and error, holding hands, putting his hand on his forehead...

Alfons: "This isn't shoe polish, it's your favorite food."

**back to present**

Roger: When his hand touched the nape of my neck, the ability was activated.

Kate: ...How did you know the power was activated?

Roger: I found myself eating shoe polish, and he was pointing at me and laughing.

(Ugh...)

Roger laughs and continues the story.

**back to past**

Roger: You're definitely cursed.

Alfons: Cursed?

Alfons: What are you talking about, mister? I'd like you to pay me now.

Alfons looks at him coldly and waves his outstretched hand.

Roger grabs Alfons by the shoulders.

Roger: You have the power to distort people's minds. You just saw it.

Roger: Cursed people have a predetermined fate in exchange for their power...

Alfons: Wh-what are you getting so excited about?

A person cursed from birth - that's what a "Cursed One" is.

At this time, Alfons doesn't know the meaning of it yet.

Roger: Cursed Ones are born with the fate of "committing a crime and meeting a tragic end."

Alfons: ...You should go to the hospital, mister. A tragic end? That's ridiculous.

Roger: It sounds like a lie, but it's true! In your case, it's probably... "to die without being remembered by anyone."

Roger: That's the fate you carry.

Alfons: ...!

The "fate" he was given in exchange for an ability that ordinary humans don't have.

Roger: But I'm sure fate can be changed. I'll change it.

Roger: I finally met another Cursed One! Hey, you...

Alfons: ...Get away from me.

Suddenly, Alfons pushes Roger hard in the chest.

Roger: ...? What's wrong? You're pale.

Alfons: Just get away from me!

Alfons pushes Roger away as if to shove him and runs away. He never came back.

**back to present

Roger: ...A while after that,

Roger: I started hearing rumors that "a kid who shows strange illusions is being harassed in the slums."

I remembered Alfons showing illusions to people in an abandoned warehouse.

**flashback to slums**

Alfons: I was doing this before I joined the Crown.

Alfons: It's too late to tell me to stop because it's classified information.

**end of flashback**

Roger: I was going to ask him to cooperate with my research on curses, but...

Roger: I probably told him about his fate too carelessly... I confronted him with an irreversible reality.

I felt like a hole had opened up beneath my feet.

Alfons' unknown past, the day he first learned of his ability, and... the "curse" he received.

("To die without being remembered by anyone" - that's Alfons' fate.)

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Chapter 17

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