#not only does it assure that they stay quiet but it also means he doesn't have to feel too involve just watch and wait until they collapse

[bunnieswithknives]

*kills you to death*

[thenyoumightaswellwrestleangels]

this pain is inevitable (it sleeps with me while you're elsewhere)

love is not designed for the cynical - series masterlist here

pairing: jason todd x reader (gender neutral)

length: 900

genre: hurt/comfort, kinda fluff

warnings: reader is vaguely physically & mentally unwell and also has nightmares. jason is trying so hard and he's actually doing pretty well

a/n: this picks up right after I'm not me anymore (and maybe you're not you) but I think you can read this alone and it's fine

Jason stays with you that night, holding you in his arms and comforting you quietly, gently rocking you back and forth while you relax into him. Once your eyes flutter closed and you breathe out a sigh, he takes the opportunity to really look at you up close for the first time since he'd come back.

And what he sees worries him, strikings of fear hammering against his heart and tendrils of concern and anxiety sneaking around his throat. You don't look… well. You're not acting well. Wandering around alone late at night, not being concerned when faced with immediate danger, leaving your doors and windows unlocked - all of these set off alarm bells in his head.

But even worse than that is the sight before him now. He loves you still, of course - loves having you in his arms and feeling the way you press against him in your half-asleep state. But you're lighter than you used to be; if he trails his hands up and down our waist he can count your ribs. And there are deep purple circles under your eyes indicative of someone who is consistently not getting enough sleep.

If he listens closely, Jason thinks he can hear the rattling of your breath through your lungs, as if your body is so unwell that even breathing has become difficult… but maybe he's paranoid now. Maybe he's looking for more things to worry about.

The worry does come quickly, though, when you sigh against him and begin pushing yourself away and back into a sitting position. His heart lurches at any sort of divide between the two of you - after so long without you, the only thing in the world he wants now is to hold you close, close, close. And the longing glance you send to him tells him you feel the same. 

Regardless of that, though, you sit up straight and drag your laptop onto your lap, opening it and squinting against the harsh blue light as you glance at him over it. 

"I'll let you, um…" you start, and he can see it, the exhaustion, the fatigue, those walls of yours closing back up. "Thank you for coming by and talking. I appreciate it."

Jason frowns. "Of course, baby. I'm here for you, yea?" He doesn't miss the way your hands bunch the couch cushions at his words.

"I know," you respond, your voice quiet and weak. Jason moves towards you, gently taking the laptop and closing it, setting it back on the coffee table and ignoring your explanations of how much work you have to do.

"I think you need some sleep," is all he offers.

"You need sleep," you retort. Jason grins and pulls you back onto his lap, burying his face in your shoulder.

"We can do that together, you know."

"Jason -"

"Just sleep. I mean it," he soothes, squeezing your hips gently. "Come on, it's late… or early. I think the sun is gonna come up soon." You hum in reluctant agreement and let him nudge you to your feet, taking your hand in his and pulling you along down your hallway.

"You still a heavy sleeper?" you ask as you swing the door open to your bedroom. Jason assures that he is and narrows his eyes slightly, but before he can ask, you let out a quick, "I was just wondering." He tugs your hand gently and turns you to look at him.

"What's up?" he asks, and there's so much gentle, so much love and care and concern in his voice that it makes your breath catch.

"Just, um… I'm kind of a bad sleeper. You know, restless - I move a lot. I don't want to keep you awake." you explain. Jason pulls you towards him and wraps an arm around you, pressing a kiss to your temple.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart," he whispers into your skin, holding onto you a little tighter.

But Jason doesn't sleep that night. He lays still, keeping his breaths even and deep while you curl into his chest. He watches as you shift and turn in your sleep, breath hitching in fear and body flinching in distress. 

No, he doesn't sleep through that. How could he? How could he when you, his person, his love, is so clearly scared and hurt? How could he when all he can think of is how many nights you've gone through this alone? He holds you through the night, whispering comfort into your hair that he hopes you can somehow hear through the fog of whatever nightmare has its hold on you and keeps stroking a gentle, soothing hand up and down your spine. When you start crying in your sleep, he holds you so tight he worries about leaving marks as he shushes you, promising you that he's here, that he's back and he'll keep you safe and nothing bad will ever happen to you again.

And if he, himself, lets tears trickle from the corners of his eyes as he murmurs apologies into your skin for not protecting you from whatever happened while he was gone… well, that's no one's business but his own, he supposes.

[watatsumiis]

(A soft, fluffy continuation to this post about Xiao's reading and writing skills (or lack thereof)

Teaching Xiao how to read and write would be a tedious and difficult endeavour for everybody involved. He may not catch on to what you're doing at first, but once he does he'll do everything in his power to try and avoid it. He's super embarrassed at how far behind he is, and he doesn't want to be perceived as weak in any way, shape or form, especially not by you, someone he's sworn to protect.

It may seem like he's pushing you away at first, and eventually an intervention needs to be staged - whether you bring in Zhongli and some of the other adepti to help explain it all, or confront Xiao on your own, he'll respond better once you've been open and direct with him about what you're doing and why.

Though he is genuinely trying his best, Xiao simply isn't accustomed to sitting still and trying to learn. He's hard-wired for vigilance and combat, so it's nigh on impossible to get him to stay in his seat. He's up and about, wandering the area and trying to keep an eye out for any possible danger, no matter how much you assure him that there's none to be found. You can only get him to sit down for five or ten minutes at a time before he needs a break, or else he starts to get destructive.

Once he's settled a bit and started to write, it comes out stiff and awkward - he always holds his brush like a weapon, no matter how much you try to teach him otherwise. You can say it as often as you like, but Xiao simply cannot pull himself out of combat mode. To him, this is a battle like any other, he's just conquering worksheets instead of demons.

He always makes an utter mess of the inks and chews on the writing tools when you take your eyes off of him - he likes the texture of the wood splintering between his teeth.

His embarrassment and shyness also mean that he finds it really difficult to speak up when he's having trouble with something, no matter how much you reassure him that it's okay to ask for help. He also does well when you're working alongside him, even if it's on something else.

Teaching Xiao these skills is an arduous task, but he retains the information well, even after long gaps between lessons. You may find that occasionally rewarding him with little treats may also boost his productivity somewhat. Not necessarily food, but small trinkets, head scritches and hair brushing tend to be great bribes to coax Xiao into working towards a goal.

He'd never tell you, but one of the main reasons he said yes to your teaching proposition is because he wants to be able to read and enjoy your favourite books alongside you. He even ends up spending some extra time around others so that he can ask them for the definition of words he's not sure about as he slowly but surely progresses through the book during quiet restful periods of time.

One day, you'll find that he's speaking in an awkward, stilted sort of way, perhaps saying things that don't exactly fit into the context of the situation. How quickly you realise depends on what your memory for quotes is like, but you come to the conclusion in the end anyways - he's quoting your favourite books to you, trying to tell you that he read them without outright saying it.

He's secretly really proud of himself for being able to make it through an entire book. Though he may not fully understand certain parts of it, and the deeper meanings still elude him, he's just delighted that he was finally able to share something so special and meaningful with you.

You may even start to receive mysterious, unsigned letters on important dates and holidays - rolled up in pretty, loose ribbons and covered in blocky, awkward handwriting. Unsigned, but filled with love nonetheless.

Please don't repost, steal, copy or otherwise plagiarise my writing! I do not consent for my works to be translated and posted elsewhere, or copy - pasted into bot or AI technology

[yesimwriting]

we need more felix and lovie content i miss themmm

i miss them too,, i have so many drafts and half finished fics with them but i've had so little energy/time to actually finish any of them bc of finals

but i'm pretty caught up with school rn (by tuesday i'll be on summer break!!) so here's a bit of an i'm-sorry-for-being-absent drabble :)

The nail of your thumb drags against the edge of the page, finally getting the glue to fully adhere to the page.

You press your back against the wood surface of your desk chair to admire your handiwork. The background of your latest scrapbook page has come together just the way you wanted it to. You pick up the book carefully before turning your body.

"Lex," you beam.

Felix doesn't sit up fully, but he does lift his head. The arm holding up his copy of the latest Harry Potter relaxing. "Oh," he mumbles it in that way that reminds you of one of the things you like best about him. He has this talent for giving attention. Where other people would just be polite without a second thought, Felix takes the time to really look before commending.

He pushes himself up in a way that awkwardly squishes your pillow. "That's good." Felix straightens, legs crossing beneath him. "That's really good, Lovie." His thumb tucks itself between the pages of his book, a make shift bookmark. "The edges, the paper..."

"Thank you." Another thing you love about Felix is the fact that you can always tell he means his praise. You turn forward, setting your scrapbook back onto your desk. "You should make one."

The corner of his mouth pulls itself into a version of a smile that's so soft you almost miss it. "Yeah?" You nod. Felix's smile shifts into something more assured. "Maybe tomorrow night."

You try to picture Felix spending a Saturday night in either your room or his, cutting up scraps of paper and gluing them down instead of at a bar or some party. The thought makes your feel warm in that way that's so exclusively Felix. It also feels blurry, intangible in its unlikeliness.

As happy as it'd make you, tonight was already surprising enough. It's not like Felix goes out every night, and this isn't the first time the two of you have stayed in on a Friday, but nights like these are rare. You can't picture two of these in a row.

"Tomorrow?" You pull your legs out from under your desk, entire body angling itself to the side so that it's easier to look at him. "Tomorrow's Saturday."

He lets out a partial laugh. "And you're dying for a rager?"

"No," you mumble, dragging out the vowel sound in an attempt to sound more sarcastic. "But you like going out." You lean forward, resting your chin against the chair's back. "And it's not like I hate going out, especially with you..." You trail off, eyes shifting away from Felix and towards the bed post closest to you. "And I don't want to be the reason you don't do things you like."

For a beat, the only sound is the low, rhythmic tapping of Felix's pointer finger against the spine of his book. "I like a lot of things."

You lift your head. "I know."

"I like doing things with you."

The warmth comes back with a vengeance. You tap your thumb against the side of your seat for the sake of doing something. "Me too."

Felix shifts, extending one leg to make himself more comfortable. "Good." He's so quiet for a second, you almost think that might be the end of the conversation. You're about to go back to picking out the pictures to finish off the page you'd been working on when he starts again, "So you don't need to worry about me resenting you."

Your eyes narrow. "I didn't say anything about you resenting me." Your chin lifts slightly, an attempt at displaying your indignation. "Why are you saying it like that was an option?"

He grins, dropping himself back onto your pillow. "No reason."

You roll your eyes at his sarcasm. He's the one that came over to your room without being asked to. "Sure."

"What?" His tone implies nothing but perfect innocence. He picks up his book, opening it as if he's done nothing wrong. "Y'should come over here before the resentment sets in and I lose all interest."

You let out a loud sigh, but move to stand regardless. "Yeah, that feels like a real possibility."

When you don't move, Felix glances away from his book. "You're not gonna come over here?" He looks up at you, a hint of a pout playing at his expression. "I was kidding."

You cross your arms, fighting against a smile. "I just stood up." That's not enough to convince him to stop looking at you like that. You take a few steps forward with a sigh that's more out of habit than anything else. "You are so dramatic."

You sit on your bed, crossing your legs beneath you. Felix shifts onto his side. His freehand finds your knee. "You cried because of this book."

Eyes narrowing, you lean forward to get a better sense of how far into the book he's gotten. "Wait a few chapters."

Felix snaps his head in your direction, "Lovie. You said you wouldn't--" Your sentence runs into his, "I didn't--I didn't spoil it."

He frowns, watching you skeptically. "That was mean."

"You started it." You're aware that you sound like a little kid, but you can't help it. With a sigh, you give up, laying down. He's taking up most of your bed, but you're far from uncomfortable. "Fine. I'm sorry."

With little warning, Felix leans forward and presses a kiss against your temple. "Want me to read to you?"

You're used to Felix's random displays of affection, but every once in awhile something will take you by so much surprise you feel it more than you should. You blink. "Yeah," you mumble, hoping that your voice comes out even, "Sounds nice."

Felix shifts onto his back, one hand finding your arm and the other holding his book.

----

taglist; @vader-is-hot @spiritofbuddha @getosangie @freyafriggafrey @ilovehyperfixating @aryiannarae @willowpains @ker0senebunny @lilyrachelcassidy @khxna @imbabycowboy

[hahaifolded]

The Siren, the Cook, and the Sister (0)

Sanji x PirateHunter!FemReader (Masterlist) Prologue: The Tavern in the Storm (Next Chapter)

A bellowing storm swallowed the island whole, forcing its residents to stay inside. Rain and harsh winds filled the quiet streets as all life came to a pause. Every business closed its doors, aware that no one would be outside as long as the storm raged on. However, one particular business stayed alive thanks to a certain crew getting caught in the rain.

Inside, a jolly tune danced in the air with laughs and giggles accompanying it. Various tables stood near the piano, far from their original placement. Those who pushed them, despite being told no, sat next to one another, enjoying the drinks, warm food, and shelter that the tavern provided. The tavern owner looked at the group with amusement as she realized that the rumors of the Strawhats’ knack to party were true. 

“MORE MEAT!” yelled Luffy. Piles of plates sat in front of the boy as his stomach touched the table’s edge. Chopper giggled while Usopp and Sanji groaned with disappointment at their captain’s insatiable appetite. 

“I’ll ask if they can re-open the kitchen… again,” assured Robin, standing up from her seat. However, before she could step away, the archeologist was signaled to stay put by Nami. As the rest of the crew enjoyed dinner, Nami looked over the ship’s finances and came to a familiar conclusion. 

The navigator took in a deep breath and announced, “Luffy…STOP EATING ALL OF THE CREW’S MONEY!” The boy’s eyes widened, scared for the incoming scolding. “At the rate you’re going, we’ll only be able to buy enough supplies to last the Sunny…” Nami paused to look over over her notes, “3 days!” 

“Dearest Nami is an angel. She’s looking out for me and the Sunny.” Hearts adorned Sanji's eyes. (Chopper quickly shot up to study the phenomenon.)

“More like a demon,” muttered Zoro in his raised cup. A foot immediately shot towards his face. The swordsman swiftly blocked it.

Before a fight could break out between the two, glass shattering rang through the air. Brook stopped playing as everyone looked at the bar. Shards of glass laid near a large man and a trembling tavern owner. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE KITCHEN IS CLOSED?” roared the man. Another glass was chucked to the floor. Anger clouded his dark eyes as water dripped from his brown beard and navy coat. “Do you know who I am?” hissed the man, “I am Guerra the War-Summoner, one of the most powerful pirates of the New World… do you realize the damage I can inflict on this island, on this little tavern of yours…” Guerra paused to get in the owner’s face, “to you?” Before the owner could react, she was lifted over the bar by the angry pirate. 

“Oi, that’s not very hard boil of you,” warned Franky. He rose from his seat, ready to defend the owner. He wasn’t the only Strawhat to rise; Sanji stood up, lighting a cigarette, Robin stared ahead, arms raised. Even Usopp lifted his slingshot. 

However, before anyone could move, the tavern doors snapped open. Rain smacked the floor as a gush of cold wind rushed inside the tavern. But to everyone’s surprise, nothing could be heard. Not even the doors hitting the wall, the rain, or wind. Silence and suspense filled the room. 

Disturbed by the silence, Guerra demanded for answers. Or at least tried as his voice was also silenced. Before more questions could be made, something shot through the door towards the large pirate. In the blink of an eye, a dark figure stood next to Guerra, the bar owner sat on the floor, and Guerra’s right arm laid in a red puddle. 

Word Count: 609

Masterlist - Next Chapter

Author's Note: AHHHH... can't believe this is available for people to read - this has been living on my laptop since January 2024. This is the first thing I ever wrote for this story. Low-key doesn't really fit in the story (well it does but perspective wise, it's off) but I worked so hard on this that I felt like I had to publish it. Therefore, it became the prologue (which honestly I'm not sure if it is one really but oh well).

[gemini-sensei]

Thinking about single dad!Robby again @sensei-venus

He's probably so scared all of the time. At first, he was scared to hold his daughter but after a day, he won't put her down. If she falls asleep in his arms, she's staying there. He carries her everywhere. He read online that babies benefit from skin-to-skin contact and now that her mom isn't around, he commits to building that connection with his daughter. Someone finds him at home with his daughter lying on his chest and he's like "Be quiet, she's sleeping."

His friends come together to help him raise his daughter. The LaRussos give him some old baby stuff they don't need anymore. Sam buys so many baby clothes. The guys come around to build the nursery while Robby is taking care of his baby girl. Hawk and Miguel tease him a lot though. Demetri gives a lot of baby STEM toys and books because why not? That's important, right? Tory gives moral support in the form of telling him "Babies aren't that hard. Wait until she's older."

Robby just holds his daughter close and kisses her head. "She's not growing up."

He's so cute honestly.

He's also so tired. But he doesn't want anyone to take care of her but him, thinking he has to do this on his own. He doesn't realize it takes a village because he watched his mom do it on her own. Poor Robby. Someone help get him some help.

And Moon does.

Robby has to work, so she brings around one of her midwife friends on an unbusy day. He trusts Moon, so after meeting Reader he's okay with leaving his baby girl with them. He does check in a lot though. He texts a lot and Moon sends him pictures of his daughter and Reader, smiles on their faces as they have a nice day. It's a big help to him and he can get what he needs to do done.

After a while of working like this, Moon leaves the babysitting to Reader solely. She's all for it, too, happy to help where she can even if she didn't know Robby before this.

One day, his daughter is a little under the weather. He's apprehensive to leave her with Reader, feeling like he has to be there for her, but Reader assures him that it'll be okay. He's working extra hard for his daughter and she knows that, so she tells him to keep up the great work and she'll take care of his sweet little girl.

Well, when he comes home, he finds Reader rocking his daughter. She's fussy and red in the face, but Reader has it all under control. As soon as she sees her daddy though, baby girl Keene is ready to be in his arms. So he washes up quickly so he can spend the night with her. He knows he's gonna be up with her all night, so he gets ready for it, not realizing Reader plans on staying to help.

"You can go, thanks for the help," he says in passing, kissing his daughter's head.

Reader is getting a bottle ready, shaking her head. "What? No, no, unless you want me to go, but I'd like to stay if that's okay. You've had a long day, I wouldn't want to leave you two alone."

He stares at her a little stunned. He wasn't expecting that. "I don't wanna keep you longer than I should. I mean, you have a home to go to."

"It's an apartment," she laughs and checks the bottle. It's just right, so she passes him. "Plus, it's pretty lonely. I'd be different if I had a cat or something."

He chuckles and starts feeding his daughter, who is more than happy to drink milk. She's mostly just happy her daddy is home. "I can't argue with that."

If he's being honest, he doesn't want to send her off. He knows how it is to be lonely, those kind of nights suck. "Well, uh, thanks. I'd be a big help if you stayed."

Reader smiles and starts cleaning up. "That's what I'm here for."

As she walks to the kitchen, Robby can't help but hope that she'll be around for more reasons than just watching his daughter while he's gone to work. However, he doesn't feel like he can say anything about that. He has a baby from a one-night stand in a party bathroom, who would want him? He's a mess.

If only he knew Reader was thinking some of the same things. She thinks he's so hot, especially when he's gotten out of the shower after a long day, and lays his daughter on his bare chest as she falls asleep. Not to mention she's totally fallen in love with his daughter. She's so cute with her gummy smile and little face. She's so tiny and sweet, how could one not love her?

Now if only these two - Robby and Reader - could see they're in the perfect place to fall for each other....

[citrus-moonlight]

Woven

- a Bringin' Home the Rain Interlude -

"Bringin' Home the Rain" Master List: [ Part One: Bringin' Home the Rain ] 🌹 [ Part Two: "Salvation is a Deep Dark Well" ] Fandom: MCU - Age of Ultron, Black Panther Pairing: Ulysses Klaue x F Reader Chapters: 1 of 1 Word count: 3.9k Rating: Explicit

Summary: As winter begins to settle in, the darkening days are unexpectedly brightened when you end up with the chance to spend a little more time with Ulysses Klaue.

Summary: Explicit! Rating, Fluff, Christmas Fluff, Smut, Public Teasing, Semi-Public Touching, Yes There's a Bed and Breakfast, Hotel Sex, Dirty Talk, Praise Kink, You Have to Be Quiet, Klaue is Still a Menace But He's a Soft Menace, Fingering, Being Held Down, Reference to Edging, Unprotected PIV, Creampie, Multiple Orgasms, Overstimulation

A/N: So I seem to have written some fluff, and holiday fluff, no less. I mean, it's still smutty fluff, and while I did go back and forth a bit with this, I really just wanted soft!Klaue, and finally reminded myself it's my story and I can write what I want (and apparently in whatever order I want 😂).

Also, yes, this this falls between the next two chapters of "Salvation is a Deep Dark Well" that as of this telling haven't been written yet. However it doesn't affect the rest of the story, it's more of a very self-indulgent interlude, and while I may come back to edit in a few details once chapter two is published, it doesn't change the narrative.

As always thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this slightly late holiday fluff. ❤️

Header by me, banners/dividers by the lovely @saradika-graphics. ❤️

[ A03 Link ]

Shades of early December silver and grey are rapidly setting over the landscape, the dark even faster.

Although the sun doesn’t set much earlier than it would if you were in New York City (ten minutes to be exact), being in the mountains makes it seem as though it does, and as the days tick by you find yourself craving a bit of light.

The holidays are coming, so you take the excuse to drape a strand of lights over your dresser, the soft glow helping to warm the nights a little. 

Still, you’re quickly becoming bored of winter, and it's only exacerbated by the new loneliness that works its way between your ribs when Klaue is gone - which is, of course, most of the time. You can only fill your days with so much work, and now that snow is settling into the mountains your options for distraction are growing limited.

Among your searches for things to occupy you, holiday festivals come up, and after a little more investigation you discover that Bucharest has a Christmas market that happens to be the largest winter festival in Romania, with the opening night and tree lighting ceremony this coming weekend.

Klaue wasn’t supposed to be getting back for a couple more days and while you’d mentioned your plans to him, when you step onto the train platform you nearly trip over your boots when you recognize a familiar form. 

Your stomach flips and something else swirls lower when you see him standing among the other passengers, hands in the pockets of a heavy black wool coat.

He hasn’t seen you yet so you make your way over to him, staying just behind his shoulder.

“Come here often?” 

Klaue turns with a start, appearing as though he’s about to say something but his words falter when his eyes catch on your bundled form.

A coy grin slowly curves your lips at catching him off guard.

“Got in a little early, came here straight from the airport to see if I could catch you.” he finally explains “I’ll still need to make some phone calls, but I’ve freed up the rest of my day. If you’d like some company. But if you- ”

“Of course, yes!” You assure him, a newly familiar warmth in your chest that he met you here, that he’s offering. “How could I not take advantage of you being back early.”

As eager as you are, there’s still a layer of uncertainty. 

It’s the first time you’ve spent any time with Klaue outside of the compound. Not to mention that very little of the time you have spent together has passed while you weren’t desperately wrapped in one another - certainly not a full day.

Though maybe it’s better this way; less time to overthink, less time to anticipate, simply having to adapt to a new situation. You’re good at that, you remind yourself. 

It doesn’t mean that your thoughts aren’t tinged with frustration, because even though he’d only been gone a few days this time your body is already humming with desire as you board the busy train and settle into your seats against the window. 

You manage to watch the scenery for a while, focusing on the mountains and the forests interspersed with other, smaller cities as you approach the capital, but your gaze is steadily drawn back to Klaue while he works across from you. 

Your eyes drift to his mouth, the memory of his growl when you nip and tug at the pouting curve of his lower lip leaving you shifting in your seat.

The motion draws his eyes to your hips before sliding up your body with a knowing look.

The full train douses any chance of much more than heated glances, but as you look around you, you note that the passengers across the aisle seem to be thoroughly engrossed in their own conversations and devices.

And you get an idea.

Appearing to casually adjust your things, you move your coat to your side facing the aisle, bunching it so that it blocks your legs from the view of anyone not standing over you. 

Or sitting across from you.

Klaue’s posture stiffens when he catches the movement of your hand along the seam where your crossed legs meet. 

You keep your arm still so that just your wrist slowly flexes, shivering as your fingers sweep up and over the place between your thighs that’s already warm with arousal, before retracing the path back down again. 

He's utterly still except for the muscles tensing in his jaw, eyes intent on the slow drag of your fingers. 

When he licks his lips your breathing becomes shallower. The gentle tingling in your nerves spreads through your thighs to swirl deep in your core, and you realize you’re rapidly becoming more aroused than you anticipated, and as much as you had thrilled at a chance to tease him you’re going to need to stop.

You hand stills and you take a slow breath to collect yourself, reaching into your bag for your phone hoping to distract yourself for the rest of the ride. But even before you can unlock it a message notification pops up on your screen.

>Who said you could stop?

Your eyes widen, finding Klaue’s gaze sparking blue and expectant when you look up at him. 

Patiently waiting for your phone to disappear back into your bag.

For your fingers return to their activity.

Clearly pleased that your tease has been turned on you, a smug grin on his lips when your eyelids flutter. 

The light touch isn’t enough to get you close, but it’s enough to make you ache, to leave you fighting to suppress the shivers that roll through you with the slick clench of your cunt as you watch his eyes darken.

Glancing down between where his hands rest on his broad thighs you can see the fabric beginning to strain there, the ache deepening at the thought of his stiffening cock, but you’re satisfied at least that he’s not unaffected by your state.

Wrapped up in the haze of sensation you start when the conductor’s voice comes over the speaker to announce that you’ll be coming into Bucharest in less than ten minutes.

Hitching a sigh, the world around you filters back in, and you bite your lip at the realization of what you had been doing, of how easily he once again had you giving in to him, even here.  

Eventually you take your phone back out, trying to calm yourself down before you reach your stop.

It’s late afternoon by the time the bus drops you off at the outskirts of the market grounds, only a brief glimpse of sun left as it slides between the clouds and the horizon, but you still have plenty of time to explore before the tree lighting.

Making your way through the busy streets you take in the festive decorations, a popular restaurant absolutely dripping with evergreen boughs and giant candy canes, innumerable strings of lights already illuminating the streets as dusk settles over the city

As you make your way through the streets, you begin to think that it might have been a better idea to book a hotel room rather than taking the late train back tonight, but it’s too late now, everything is likely booked solid in the area.

If it had just been you then you would have figured something out, found a cheap place on the outskirts of the city, but since Klaue is with you you’re hesitant to ask. On top of not wanting to be presumptuous of his time, while you’ve spent as much time together as you could since that first night, you haven’t woken up next to him before.

You don’t dwell in your conflicted thoughts for long, though, because you nearly get taken out by a group of Hora dancers as you round the corner of a cobblestone street. 

Klaue quickly maneuvers you out of the way of the oblivious dancers lost in their steps, your arms instinctively reaching to tighten around his waist as you laugh at your lack of awareness.

“I've got you,” he chuckles, not letting you go. “Are you alright, darling?”

“Yeah, no, I’m good.” You assure him. “Apparently I need to pay a bit more attention around here. ” 

Being pressed against his body warms you and your eyes can’t help but flick to his mouth again, startled by how badly you want to kiss him right now. 

But you’ve never kissed him when you weren’t, well, naked - or about to be. A heated press of lips when you have to say goodbye, sure, but although you’ve both opened up a bit you’re aware this isn’t exactly the kind of relationship (not that you’re sure you could call it that, exactly) that allows for moments of casual affection.

So instead you smile and tip your chin down, and both of you take a wide berth around the circling dancers. 

But your heart still races when he doesn’t let you go, keeping you tucked against his side as you approach the bustling Square.

The delicious smells of festival food wafting over you are a quick reminder that you haven’t eaten since breakfast, too distracted on the train to think much about it, so as soon as you arrive you make your way to food cottages. 

Spiced kebabs for him and a steaming vegetable stew for you, followed by plum dumplings and papanasi, a kind of cheese donut that has no right to be as good as it is, and the time you’re standing in the square awaiting the lighting of the tree, you’re warm and satisfied. 

A light dusting of snowflakes begins to swirl as the crowd counts down, one section briefly faltering until with a rousing cheer they all light up with the rest, glittering bright. 

It’s bright and beautiful and exactly what you needed, but when you glance up to see Klaue’s reaction you find yourself wishing for a little less light, your cheeks growing hot against the night air when you see that he’s looking at you instead, the glint in his eyes perhaps not entirely a reflection of the lights that surround you.

Afterwards you peruse the eclectic mix of Christmas ornaments, stoneware and other handmade items, sharing a little about your days as you wander between vendors. 

You describe a type of welding certification you’re thinking about getting, even though you’d really only need it if you were working in aerospace tech, and Klaue mentions to you that he’ll be away for an additional few days next month for a conference in Vienna. 

Disappointment jabs between your shoulder blades at the fact that he’ll be gone for longer than you already expected, but there’s a sense of relief, too, that he’s still letting you know about his plans - as much as he can, at least. 

You hadn’t really planned on making any purchases tonight, but at a cottage selling embroidery and needlecraft a crocheted patchwork blanket catches your eye, the woven pattern making you think of tea and honey, of coming in from the cold and being made warm on a dark winter day.  

After collecting your find, Klaue makes a phone call while you double back one more time to pick up some handmade cards to send to a few friends, pocketing the device as you make your way back towards him.

“Ferris wheel, then?” He asks, tilting his head towards the brightly lit ride.

“Yes! Oh, wait..” Pulling out your own phone you ucheck the time. 

“Oh,” you deflate a little. “Actually we should probably start heading to the train station, it’s getting pretty late. Can’t say I’m looking forward to how busy it’ll be.”

“Well, if you wanted to - everything near the market is full, but there’s a place on the other side of the city that has rooms available.”

You stare at Klaue for a moment. Having already dismissed the idea of staying somewhere in Bucharest tonight you’re unable to hide your surprise that he’s suggesting it. Still fighting the thought that you’d be imposing on his time, you mentally point out that he wouldn’t have bothered finding something if he didn't want to.

He raises an eyebrow.

“You really don’t want to take the train back tonight, huh?” You try to joke in an attempt to disguise your eagerness.

He steps slowly toward you, leaning in until the scruff of his beard brushes your cheek.

“I really don’t want to wait much longer to make you come, darling.” 

He must hear the hitch in your breath as you shudder at his words, pulling back to give you a knowing grin.

“Ferris wheel it is, then.”

***

The glittering view as you start to rise is stunning but neither of you manages more than a few cursory glances out the window before you’re moaning into his mouth and he’s sliding a hand between your legs. A pleased sound gritted from his throat when you rock eagerly into his touch, his lips tasting of frost and spiced wine when your tongue slips between them. 

Your own fingers tighten around the heavy fabric of his coat to steady yourself, one hand sliding above the collar to brush over the warm skin there, short shorn hair prickling beneath your fingers when they curl around the back of his neck to pull his mouth more firmly against yours.

Unfortunately it feels like no time at all before the wheel is slowing and Klaue is reluctantly removing his hand from your now aching sex, your hips bucking when he gives you one last firm caress as you come to a stop at the bottom once more.

“I’ll call us a taxi, then?” He breathes against your lips.

“God, yes.” 

A gentle but steady snow is falling by the time you arrive at the small bed and breakfast, the thickening blanket of white softening the glow of multi-coloured lights on the trees outside. 

The owners quickly realize that you have no bags with you, and they’re kind enough to offer some pajamas for you to borrow in the form of sweatpants and shirts.

Unfortunately on the ride over Klaue had received a call about something that requires his attention for a while longer, so you’re currently still clothed and sitting next to him on the bed, your new blanket draped over your legs, 

You’d picked up “Jurassic Park”, the only english book on the small shelf in the common area, and you try to read a bit while he wraps up his business, stealing the occasional glance at him while he works. 

When a hand slides over to squeeze your thigh you shift instinctively into his touch, able to feel the heat of his palm even through the woven fabric.

“Patience, my darling.” He hums, his teasing smile deepening the creases around his eyes.

“Oh, you have no idea how patient I’ve been, Ulysses,” you reply, biting your lip at the soft growl that betrays his own restlessness has you biting your lip. 

As antsy as you are, and while it’s unlikely you would have been able to name it, exactly, you also feel content. Lulled by the shape of him at your side, the sound of Romanian Christmas choir music drifting through the walls, and the electronic tapping from his phone.

Your eyes wander around the room, amused by the volume of kitschy knick knacks and holiday decorations spread across the shelves, including a candle in the form of three Victorian carolers that looks to be many faded years old, yet seemingly never burned. 

While you’re wondering whether the tiny bust paintings hanging by the door are family of the owners or just thrift store finds, Klaue shifts to face you. 

Lifting the edge of the blanket he nudges you over so that you’re both lying on your sides beneath it.

“All done?” You ask as his arms wrap around you, pulling you against him, letting out a pleased sigh when you feel the already stiff ridge of his erection against the swell of your ass.

“Finally.” The word vibrates through you as a hand slides down between your legs, curling around your clothed mound.

You immediately arch into him, reveling in the twin sensations of his fingers pressing damp fabric against your cleft and the slow grind of his hips behind you.

“Even like this I can feel how warm your cunt is.” Klaue rumbles softly. “You’re wet, too, aren’t you?”

“You know I am,” you sigh, trying to keep your voice low. Aware that if you can hear music through the walls it won’t take much to be able to hear you. 

“I should take my time with you. Especially after your...bahaviour on the train.”

HIs hand finds its way under your shirt, and you note the jut of his hips against you when his palm slides over your bra to cup the soft swell of your breast, thumb and forefinger plucking at the stiffening peak of your nipple beneath the fabric.

“Should run my fingers over every inch of your body,” he rasps, an urgency filtering into his movements, into the rough, whispered rush of his words as his fingers reach back down to tug at the waist of your pants. 

Quickly you move to unbutton them, working them down along with your panties as you feel him shifting behind you, and then the hot length of his cock is sliding against your folds, slicking himself with your arousal.

“Should tease this needy little pussy until you're ready to beg.” 

Klaue bites back the last word as he presses the thick head of his cock against your entrance.

“But fuck, I need to feel you come.”

Normally so thorough with you before letting his control slip, Klaue’s bare need has you unraveling and your moan is deep and unexpected when he suddenly sinks into you, a response to the sweet desperation in his voice as much as from the relieving stretch of his cock.  

“I know how much you love to make pretty sounds for me,” he pants in your ear, his large hand kneading the flesh of your hip and thigh. “But you’re going to have to be quiet tonight. Can you do that for me, darling?”

Half-stretched and aching, you somehow manage to swallow your moans, taking a few deep breaths to steady your voice enough to speak.

“Yes.” You finally breathe in a low, half-whisper. ”l’ll be good.”

He nudges deeper and you bite your lip to hold back the sounds that want you to make, that he draws from you so easily now.

“Yes, you will.” Klaue hums against your neck.

The only sounds in the room now are your panted breaths intertwined with the slick sounds of his cock slowly thrusting into you, the gentle creak of the bed frame beneath your shifting bodies.

Suddenly pulling the blanket off of you he grips your ass, pressing you open so that he can see where your tight hole is stretched around him, and while he normally takes his time to relish the sight he only lasts a few more deep strokes before he’s shifting you onto your stomach, his weight and his cock pressing you down into the mattress.

With your pants still bunched around your knees Klaue impatiently nudges your legs apart as best he can before working a hand beneath the curve of your hip and you buck, a squeak slipping from your throat when his fingers find your clit.

His chest heaves against your back, the tight, circling pressure of his fingers firm and insistent as your body swiftly draws taught beneath him. 

Instinctively you try to respond, to roll your hips into his touch as you chase the rough crest of your orgasm but you’re trapped, the broad warmth of Klaue’s body holding you in place as his fingers relentlessly work your clit until your muscles begin to flutter and tighten. 

”There you go” A rough whisper clenched between his teeth. “Let me feel you. Come on, darling, squeeze my cock.”

You try to stay quiet but you can’t help the tremulous whine that escapes your throat as your climax surges through you, Klaue letting more of his weight press into you as your body spasms beneath him, every muscle trembling as you clench hard around his cock.

“Christ you feel so good. Fuck, you’re going to make me come, oh fuck- ”

The tight grip of your cunt seems to be all that he needs tonight because with a sudden hard jerk of his hips you feel the blissful throb as he comes, muffling his own moan against your shoulder as spends himself helplessly inside you.

Klaue continues to grind into you as the pulsing of his cock slows, making sure his cum stays plugged deep in your cunt exactly where he knows you want it, the stroking of his fingers not letting up even as you twitch and gasp beneath him.

“One more, Mot. Please. For me.” 

Your clit flutters at his pleading words, and barely able to hold back your cries, your hand flies up to cover your mouth as he continues to work your swollen bundle of nerves, his hand slippery with your release that leaks out around where he stays buried in you.

Aching and breathless, feeling the muscles of his forearm flexing against your hip, your body finally succumbs to the needy slide of his fingers, muffling your half-swallowed whimpers behind your hand as he expertly coaxes a second, softer orgasm from your oversensitive sex, gravelly praises whispered against your ear as you stiffen and shudder beneath him.

Klaue stays pressed against your back as you both slowly recover, the weight of him warm steady, calming the tremble in your limbs as you float down through the afterglow. 

Eventually you let your fingers fall away from your lips.

“I’m sorry…I couldn’t- I tried to be quiet,” you stammer. “Wanted to be good, I- ” 

“You’re always good for me, darling.” Klaue soothes, pressing his words and lips against your neck, behind your ear. “Always.”

***

After a quick shower you both change into your makeshift pajamas, then turning off the bedside lamps you settle back under the knit blanket, the lights filtering through the curtains casting a warm glow on the walls of your room.

“Come with me.” Klaue mumbles into the crook of your neck.

You were almost asleep, and it takes a moment to realize that he’d spoken.

“Come with…where?” 

“The conference. Vienna. There’s a gala.”

“Are…are you awake?” 

“If you’re asking whether I’ll remember this in the morning, the answer is yes.” Klaue chuckles softly. “You said you’d never been. Beautiful city. Wear a beautiful dress for me.” His voice drops as he pulls you more firmly against him.

You pause, considering, unable to ignore the soft thrill in your chest that he’s willing to share this with you. 

Another thread of your life intertwining with his, invisible threads looping over one another and knotting tight, tugging together into a pattern you’re still trying to bring into focus.

“Alright.” You sense a notch of tension release from Klaue’s body when you finally give him your answer. “I’d like that.”

It’s difficult for you not to overthink, especially when thoughts of what you’re going to do when your contract ends are becoming more persistent every day.

But knowing that you’re going to have to return to reality tomorrow regardless, right now you allow yourself to relax against him. With the tops of his thighs fitting against the backs of yours, soft music floating at the edge of your consciousness and his hand resting warm against your hip, eventually you find yourself caught in a net of sleep and dreams.

A/N: I was looking a little wistfully at all the lovely holiday fics that were coming out, and thinking that I didn't really think I had anything that would really work. Then I got to playing around with a mood board and accidentally inspired myself with Christmas market thoughts, and now here we are!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you get through the remainder of the holiday season with as much light and little stress as possible. ❤️

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all you lovely people!

[creeky-cricket]

How the Freds react to you calling them your 'boyfriend' in front of the others for the first time

+ sun and moon >:3

slower updates cause lack of motivation, but rest assured ill get back on these as soon as I can >:3

Normal Fred: I feel with him, if you were to ask him if he was comfortable with it he'd say he was pretty much indifferent, or that he didn't care if you chose to. and in ways that's true, but I don't think he ever actually thought about it. he just knew that that's what was supposed to happen. However, when he actually heard you saying it to the others for the first time from the other side of the main area, he couldn't help but get distracted from what he was doing, letting his attention glide over to you. Only turning back when you catch his eye. This also gives him a huge ego boost, so don't be surprised if he saunters over and starts teasing you about calling him your 'boyfriend but really he couldn't feel more special.

Toy Fred: He'd cry seriously? I think he'd be one of the most emotional. Not going as far as to cry per se but definitely getting close to it /hj no matter who you’re saying it to he'd probably gush to them later, telling them how cute you were and how lucky he was. Not bragging, just being appreciative.

Withered Fred: like Freddy, he'd seem indifferent, but for him, he genuinely didn't really care. if it made you happy to call him he wouldn't be averse to it. if he was honest he started calling you his 'partner' shortly after you started dating, he just loved to know that you were his and vice versa. However, when he does hear you call him it for the first time, he'd walk over and wrap an arm around your waist/shoulder and just stand and listen to you. I mean, you're one of the only reasons he comes out of parts and service anyway. but this just makes it so much more special.

Funfetti(FT Freddy): he'd probably be the first to call you his 'partner' in front of the others, feeling obligated to make sure they knew that you were his. not in an overprotective way, but an overprotective way if you get what I mean - He doesn't want to overwhelm you he just doesn't want the others to think they can get away with hurting you. He also just really likes to see you flustered. With that being said, the first time he actually hears you refer to him as that I don't think he'd hold back in expressing how he felt, gushing over you cause 'nnaawwwhh cupcakeee! That was so cute!'

Penny(Rockstar Freddy): I feel like he would be very on edge with it at first. 'what would the others think' sort of thing. 'what would happen to you? what if they take you away?' he didn't want you to get hurt from this. but, eventually, he'd cave. finally telling you that it would be okay, but only if you were sure. By this point, a lot of people already knew about you two dating so it wasn't really untamed waters, but in his mind, it was better to be safe than sorry. But, the first time he hears you call him that, to Bonnie who honestly didn't even really care that you two were dating his ego kicked in big time. but not before he took a moment to just appreciate you. a small smile on his face before he walked over.

Lefty: I think his reaction depends on who you’re saying it to, if it's to one of the other workers, he'd do what he normally does, stay away and stay quiet. If it was to one of the other animatronics that he didn't really talk to? He'd just hang around, maybe a little bit awkwardly, he just wanted to be somewhere near you. And then, one of the animatronics he did talk to? He'd already be near you as you said it, a smile spreading on his face when you did. Looking down at you with a look of fondness. and if it was just Penny you bet your ass he’d be rubbing it in his bitchless face /hj

Glamrock Fred: He would be indifferent to it, but not in the way original and withered are. he just genuinely wouldn't mind if you were to call him that. it would probably take a while for him to stop calling you by your name, even if you did start. Though, the first time he heard you call him your boyfriend he seemed normal in front of others, maybe a little more clingy. Once you were alone, though, he'd begin to gush about it. telling you how much he loved you, and how cute you were. However, this is definitely the start of his cheesy boyfriend puns era. 💀

Sun: The others? What others. They never visit him, so why should it matter.

moon: he's barely ever out of the daycare to hang around with the others without you there anyways, I don't think he's the type for pet names in front of anyone else anyways, but if he were to hear you call him your boyfriend (for the first time especially), whether he was just on his rounds or he was there beside you his reaction would be the same. a mischievous grin, standing up straight facing you, looming over you before leaning down and speaking to you with a low tone. best part? he didn't really care if the others saw, or heard, he just wanted to fluster you for the fuck of it. and, if you were lucky, you could end up being taken back to the daycare where Moon would set you down on a pile of blankets and cuddle you while you talked

[wufflesvetinari]

ok FINE, some things about my half-orc cleric tav whom i love so very much

Lash grew up with her trying-his-best dad in Baldur's Gate (mom stayed with her orc clan). she had no lucrative skills and no exceptional cunning--between this and the default perspective of her as barbaric, she internalized a bunch of stuff, joined up somewhere, Saw Some Action, got good at killing people. like, really good. "her services were instrumental in leveling several towns including civilians and she got a commendation for it" good.

this did not feel good, and mid-personal-crisis about murdering strangers on someone else's orders, she deserts and saves one goddamn monk and ilmater calls her to his service. she regards this as a baffling mistake on his part.

illmater is a god of compassion, gentleness, self-sacrifice. his clerics are basically non-combatants, known to only use violence as last resort. goblins etc. see a cleric of illmater on the battlefield and avoid hurting them, because they know they are willing to heal both sides if they can.

lash is not like this. lash starts as a blunt instrument who is only good at violence. but she wants to do good in the world, finally, and if ilmater wants to throw away his famed gentleness to compromise on someone like her, who is she to argue?

she spends her first years training in a temple, but she doesn't have the head for scripture. neither does she have the conviction or creativity for complete non-violence, instead developing a world-weary acceptance of it as a tool to reduce suffering.

she's sent on dangerous pilgrimages repeatedly instead of being assigned to minister to ilmater’s followers, confirming to herself that her calling is a compromise on ilmater’s part: he needs a blunt instrument so that others can carry on the work of being gentle.

what she doesn't realize in this time period is that she is slowly becoming gentle. moreover, becoming wise. clergy and laypersons approach her for advice on a world they are sheltered from. she has a way of speaking that cuts to the heart of things, and she's a comfort in quiet moments. she is rarely misled by self-serving justifications and moralizing. her kind of wisdom is drawn from her knowledge of the world and its flaws instead of from scripture.

she still kills. she's still blunt, and quietly sarcastic, and not entirely at ease with her god. but gods, she wants to be kind.

i think that astarion seriously considered seducing someone else for his plan in act 1 (wyll or something lmao) because, based on a "clerics with wooden stakes" comment he makes at camp at some point, he thought letting a good-aligned cleric guess his nature would be extremely dangerous for him. he especially has a bunch of anger towards the god of compassion, because he "prayed to every god" and nobody saved him.

but it's hard for him to see lash as a cleric? i mean, yes, she has a way of staring at you that makes you squirm and feel Too Known, and she's stupidly self-sacrificing, and she's hilariously incapable of trickery.

but she's funny, in her own reserved way. she's a world-weary soldier, good with a story, disgustingly rustic, a good cook, with the habit of cussing out her own god without getting in trouble for it somehow. and she mostly says the right type of kind thing, not the type of kind thing that make him want to curl up somewhere and grow spikes. and...maybe it's not terrible, feeling like someone Gets your deal instinctively? someone quiet but self-assured, who doesn't push for more?

(and, like, she's hot? she's strong and a little distant. devious plan aside, he finds that hot)

i am only in act one. i think, in her "worst" (but also kind of sexiest) moments, she thinks of herself as a mechanism, and even frames it as such out loud: if someone has committed unspeakable cruelty, she's here to end them for it. action and reaction. no hesitation, no mercy, because her being brutal allows everyone else to be kind. a necessary evil.

but she's in the midst of a years-long process of learning to see herself in a...kinder light. and as their relationship develops i think astarion will prod her a lot about how she makes more complicated ("and fun!") choices than that all the time, you idiot. why else would she be traveling with such a bunch of assholes?? why else would she be good to him?

[datastate]

do you have any hcs about mishima and nao?

SOOO MANY! BUT for now, i'll stick with a small one on their beginning friendship :D

nao used to be very quiet in a lot of her classes; a nice person, certainly, and easy to talk to! but rather closed off unless you tried to pry, where even that would just be rude and she'd say as much.

but of course, there were small things here and there she'd share with her friends should you happen to overhear. usually, it'd be anime/manga that she'd recommend to others (usually horror with interesting concepts, though she wasn't immune to well-written 'slice of life's) - which resulted in hana (her best friend) actually buying her a keychain for her bag!! nao doesn't usually wear/buy merch, as she fears she'll lose/damage them, but... since her friend got it, she felt she'd be disappointed if she didn't show it off.

&...! this is the spark for professor mishima to actually prompt her on her interests; one of the few things she'd end up rambling on about... and he has enough context to keep her going!

it was nice getting to see her actually relax a bit, if a bit surprising to realize that she liked horror so much... and of course, it was when she inevitably brought it back to art (she was inspired to become an artist from such a silly thing, though mishima assures he understands) that she started getting nervous again; as much as she loves it, she can't draw it well. it doesn't feel like it could fit her style much at all - she intimidates herself out of drawing it.

however! mishima does not lose hope so easily. he encourages her to keep trying & experimenting with her art. after all, art is something she should have for herself if nothing else...

although mishima doesn't typically work with horror, he does have plenty of pointers on how to incorporate characters into a backdrop (it provides variation + reflects his current views too... people being a part of something larger, connected through means they don't quite realize); he had a similar start to nao in that he often relied heavily on portraits/character focus, but for that reason can help lead her along into slowly branching out.

a lot of what nao likes is the eerie - something that you have to really look at to realize how off it is. working on backgrounds such as these definitely helps with integrating characters in a more natural manner! and helps improve her work altogether, too...!! she's having more fun than she used to with her personal projects, where she previously felt stagnant but couldn't pinpoint why (and felt guilty to ask hana, as the response would always be a well-meaning "but i like your art! i don't think that at all" rather than critique she wished for), so it was...!! really nice for her to have <3

and... getting to show a trusted adult that, too, made her very happy. her parents didn't often see art as something that'd work out... but she finally felt pride in her work, and had something else to look forward to when it came to classes, rather than simply skirting by day-to-day. it took about a year and a half of school to get here, but... it makes it feel worth it.

it's also around this late time of the year, too, that mishima casually mentions he's trans.

one of the other students is complaining about the cold, and he agrees a bit too personally that skirts are awful in this weather before offering his usual advice... and it's this moment that stays in nao's mind. combined with previous comments here and there about the dysmorphia in horror...

despite this near-confirmation... nao waits until the very end of the year before she admits to the professor that she's trans. she hasn't really socially transitioned yet, only a few friends know, and she's still a bit afraid she might've misunderstood that he's trans... but it all turns out well by the end of it <3

however, since she's about to enter her last year with people who mostly knew her as a boy, it's only when she graduates that mishima offers to help put word in to adjust her uniform; which she greatly appreciates... also, throughout her last year, they get to actually discuss how it is to be mixed & that is when he offers to learn arabic with her. she was never taught it, and is too embarrassed to ask her parents, so he's taken it upon himself to help her with that too... here and there, still as her mentor and friend even after their time in school :'D

[fateinthestars]

Happy Halloween!

Well it's Halloween, so there's only one choice for which special stories to cover in one of my thoughts/review/rambling posts: Decadent Kisses on a Devilish Night: Wishes and Decadent Kisses on a Devilish Night: Punishments

Spoilers under cut

Decadent Kisses on a Devilish Night: Wishes

Leon: An Invitation to a Forbidden Ceremony

I know MC wanted you to intervene with the other's teasing Leon but I actually think letting MC go with you was a mistake. Yes she should have thought a bit more but there was no need to put her close to danger in the first place.

Talking of that teasing though it's kinda funny how Leon is more 'eh, whatever, I wanna watch MC squirm' rather than how the others get obviously jealous in their own ways. I know they did actually get to him a little but he's clearly more confident and self-assured than a lot of them.

This is all a bit of a mess really though. MC should have stayed put but if she could only stay there, her being in the heavens seems pretty pointless really.

Still Leon's sweet at the end here.

Teorus: A Night with You, the Black Cat

The insistence on the outfit aside (and even there he realises he needs to keep MC safe), this one trends more towards the Teo I like. He's even really sweet when he turns down the competition prize, although once again he uses his powers without thinking things through. I guess it came from the right place in this one though and if I can't get mad at Ichthys then it'd be hypocritical of me to be annoyed with Teo. It's Halloween after all. What's a little magic gonna matter?

Yes this one is actually really really sweet, and nothing here leaves me feeling exasperated.

(You can probably tell by now that my feelings regarding Teo are all over the place lol)

Huedhaut: A Love Potion's Sweet Trap

Oww. My heart. Poor Hue. I don't think he would have ever forgiven himself if that had gone further at that point.

But Hue, you told MC about that myth regarding that ball. Please talk to MC soon.

I wonder whether anyone's ever done this special story before reading any of Hue's routes. I mean his and MC's linked past is subtley there in other paths but this seems pretty blatant.

And Leon 'not all the potion's fault' indeed. Is that just your way of trying to nudge Hue in the right direction?

(Another timeline note here: Clearly before they are dating but it also can't be in Hue's path timeline because it'd contradict the sequel epilogue. It seem more like this (and Ichthys' story as he has his divine powers without MC being present) happen in a timeline where the marks of sin were solved without any romance being involved).

Decadent Kisses on a Devilish Night: Punishments

Scorpio: Jinxed

The King really enjoys making Scorpio feel awkward and pissing him off if he's the one with MC doesn't he?

But anyway, that's a sideline to what actually is important in this one.

You know Scorpio, maybe instead of warning MC off potential scenarios and mentioning about going to your room, perhaps you could have found a way to more clearly say: that market stall holder? Stay away from her? Just a thought.

Scorpio's tender side really shines through in this one though. Yes he knew MCs thoughts but he could have just ignored it, and he definitly didn't have to use that myth to reassure MC and yet he still does despite making his own feelings on such things clear earlier in the evening.

I seem to be haiving trouble reading Scorpio again though. Try as I might I can't get a blessed ending on this.

Dui: The Magic of Your Kiss

Poor Dui. All he wanted was a quiet night alone with MC, and the others are either being oblivious or willfully obtuse.

I love how genuinely upset he is at the thought that Humans can't eat fresh cherries all year round because they go out of season. The whole shopping scene is sweet actually.

Judging by Ichthys' comment I do think they were being willfully obtuse though. At least Hue tries to sort things out. I mean he's not successfull because Leon is also a problem in another way, but at least he tried.

Also MC, wake up! You were clearly put out too, why did you even mention the cake? At least Dui finally worked out what to do.

Ichthys: Bewitching Tricks or Treat

"Is there such a thing as trick or trick?" Oh Ikky 🤣

I fear Ichthys is going to be in a lot of trouble for everything he does here but still it's all a lot of fun.

He did ought to be a tad more careful though!

But yes ignoring something that should be reported, not to mention how risky it seems to hold a party at the mansion with humans present (even if it is only in the grounds), could have seriously backfired.

That said the party itself and the balloons and the costume candy is all really fun. Also, Ichthys totally would be this kind.

I suppose I should do an attempted ranking again, but honestly? All of these are pretty great. I think I'd rank Leon's last, but I'm struggling what order the other's would be in - Unfortunately even though the ending of it is fun and sweet I think I'm going to have to knock Scorpio's down for the lack of warning about the market place itself, and I think I might have to knock Ichthys down a bit for once too even though he did apologise.

So that'll leave us with:

Dui

Huedhaut

Teorus

Ichthys

Scorpio

Leon

Yes you're reading me right I have put Dui top. He deserves it after nearly having his Halloween completely taken over by the others.

[divine-elixir]

Teehee. I....I want to talk about my kids. My babies. My spawn. My pookies.

If I could have pictures of them, I would put them in my wallet to show off to whoever even cares. You WILL look at them! *waterboards you*

I'm unsure of how old they are, as much as I'm unsure of the time difference between here and the Tey/vat I know. It probably doesn't matter much at all or shouldn't. All I know is that around the time I left, they were both at most no more than 3 years old and also around my height.

Are they children? Adults? How do half yak/sha and half whatever I am age? How do they function? What are their needs? Do they actually need to eat and sleep or did they just do it in my presence because they assumed it was normal? I have so many questions now, but I don't think I cared to think about it much then. I just winged it really.

I say wing it, but I didn't raise them at all. And uhhh, I have no clue what Xi/ao did. It certainly wasn't child rearing though, he put a spear in my oldest's hands quick. 2 months into existence. Something about making sure he knew how to defend himself. Fair enough. I do remember Xi/ao genuinely wanting to keep the both of them away from his line of work. Something something, making sure they would have something he never will and wanting them to have happy lives. He never said it out loud, but I know that's what his intentions were.

Honestly, I don't know why we even have kids. Low tier parenting. We just dumped them on Cloud Ret/ainer....I also dumped them on Ae/ther and Pai/mon because I love having free labor. (I only jest. They were fine with it, I'm not mean.)

Personality wise, I only have some idea of their temperaments. They were like, adhd vs autism. Hydrogen bomb vs coughing baby. My youngest, if you were to let him loose into the wilderness I assure you he'll go out of his way to obliterate any monsters on sight. Probably burn something down too. He isn't violent, but Xi/ao told me he was destructive and needed to be kept in check. Hmmm, honestly I think he just had a hard time staying still. He found meditation and "ade/pti business" boring, but I'm unsure if anyone or myself ever did anything for him. I don't remember him having friends either, and I think he did tell me the human kids found him weird. 😞

My oldest. I don't have much to say, he was really polite, quiet, and diligent in matters that interested him. He took that "ade/pti business" seriously too. And he certainly inherited my pacifistic tendencies. Like I said, I haven't much to say. He isn't boring I swear, he's just a really good boy who liked to show me things and info dumped whenever he got the chance. He got that den/dro in him. *headpats*

I can't say much about there interactions with each other or with Xi/ao. They took care of each other sure, but I wasn't around most of the time. With Xi/ao, from what I remember, they just sort of hovered around him quietly most of the time. Like, I swear he doesn't bite. Say something to him.

Hmmmmm. I know Tey/vat is all they know and it's their home and all. But a part of me wonders if they'd be willingly to part from it, even if just for a bit, and see other places. Do what I do, so there's a chance we could be together forever. I guess I'm just afraid of parting with them. I know I'm here right now and they're over there. But...hmm, I wonder if I've made a mistake making connections and having them, and just making attachments for myself. I'm not saying they shouldn't exist, I'm not cruel. However, I spent most of my time hiding and observing others when I first arrived in Tey/vat. If I just kept doing that it definitely would not have hurt to have left that world, but since it didn't turn out that way it does hurt. I didn't understand it then, but I suppose I've developed some kind of paternal? maternal? instincts recently. I can't fathom why they love and respect me when I was hardly present. I wasn't even around when they came into the world. Whenever I was around, they were glued to me, happy, and enjoyed hugs and all..... I just don't get it.

Thinking about it is making me hurt right now honestly. I nearly cried three times writing this and I'm unsure of how to go about coping. Probably why I don't bring up my kids the majority of the time despite my wanting to.

[jargyles]

jancy - relating

"it's just like fucking highschool."

jonathan doesn't like to "allow" (as he puts it) himself to get angry around nancy. he'll have the occasional flare up of his "leave me alone for the day" self, but he doesn't like getting angry. anger would mean lack of self regulation, anger would scare her away, and he's worked really hard for a large portion of his life against those two possibilities.

"what do you mean?" ever the puzzle solver, nancy has to press forward, ever the caring partner, she doesn't have any venom in her tone.

"it-" at this point jonathan knows he's angry, and that he's probably yelling, and his fists ball up when he shuts his eyes and starts to rock back and forth, wishing he was somebody else entirely. "it was just. like fucking. highschool."

nice one, byers. yeah, nice one. did your psycho mommy pick out that tape for you? nah, he probably stole it from his dad. he looks like he'd listen to this weird shit.

"highschool?" nancy just wants to know more.

"highschool. middle school. whatever-school, i don't know. i don't- i don't know what to call it, it just-" he stops feeling like he's shouting when nancy rocks with him, her arms around him, swaying them together at a slower, more even pace. "it just happens. everywhere i go. it happens. and i-" a shout dies in his throat, "i don't know what to call it."

nancy starts to piece him together. now she knows what's up. kind of. she's not one to follow hunches when it comes to jonathan, because he always subverts her expectations, but maybe this time she has him all figured out. just this once.

"it's okay, i know." she kind of also maybe doesn't, "i know how hard it is for you to relate to others."

nancy loves being right, but she loves the way jonathan starts to relax his muscles even more. she just hopes he doesn't take it as an accusation.

"it's super fucking hard." is more of an exhale than a sentence, but it means jonathan is allowing himself to let it all out, which means nancy has to listen. "really hard, and i- i thought it'd be different in college but it's not, and i don't know what to call it, i just know it- it feels like-"

"like highschool?"

"exactly. like. highschool."

"well..." nancy starts doing that thing with jonathan's knuckles that he likes, and using whatever she may have in body weight to stay firm against his side, "would it help to know that... i feel the same way?"

jonathan doesn't believe her, he's gone silent but nancy knows he doesn't by the way he's doing that corner-of-the-mouth smile he does sometimes when he hears something ridiculous.

"i'm serious." she is, and she hasn't really told anyone this, because she didn't think it would ever matter- until now. "do you know how many people look at me funny whenever i start getting enthusiastic about schoolwork?"

jonathan wants to say that it's not the same, but he and nancy both know that she holds the same level of enthusiasm for academics as he does about photography, or whatever it is he hates himself for knowing a lot about. surely, that doesn't mean nancy hates herself for stuff like that too, right?

"i can tell whenever people get quiet. that's when i've, uh-" the right word doesn't spring into mind right away, which sucks. nancy hates running out of words.

"freaked them out?" maybe jonathan can fully smile just this once. only once.

"i guess so. yeah." nancy loves seeing him smile. she'll make it her day's goal to keep it on him for as long as possible. "it's like when mike rolls his eyes whenever we-" (she means "i") "-put on sixteen candles. i know he thinks i'm 'lame' for it, but i also know he'll never understand it like i do."

"i don't understand myself." jonathan sounds way too defeated for nancy's liking.

"yes. you do." and nancy sounds as assured and knowledgeable as she always does. "you understand yourself more than i do. which is saying a lot, since i understand you very well."

success. another jonathan smile.

"i don't understand myself- sometimes." he caves.

"i'll take that." holding him like this feels rewarding, like their personal bond is a nobel prize and nancy is an activist for all jonathan related issues across the globe. "i just know that, since i've known you- and that was before highschool- that you've never cared what people thought about you. even if sometimes you do."

jonathan is silent again, and nancy thinks that this means he's freaked out, and she's probably overstepped a boundary, which means jonathan is upset again, and probably wants to be left alone for the rest of the day-

"it does help." he admits, "to know you feel that way too."

nancy thinks she can rest blissfully knowing that she gave jonathan the space to air out his frustrations, to find comfort and solidarity in words that would've come out harsh from anyone else. jonathan doesn't say "thank you" a lot, and this is most likely one of those times where he won't, but he'll say it in a different way, which nancy feels very accomplished by.

she rewards herself for this accomplishment by kissing him on the cheek.

[aureatescars]

Despite a twinge of embarrassment at the comment and the implications Leon speaks into the space between them, Sasha isn't willing to let him get away with deflecting anything this time either. If Leon has the right to call him out, Sasha will do the same in turn. But it's not spite that motivates him in this moment —even though he can't help but bristle slightly at the way Leon is still trying to push his buttons.

He breathes out in a sigh. The offer is beyond all else born from him having to come to care about Leon a great deal. He would be lying if he said it wasn't so.

That doesn't mean Leon makes it easy to care about him. Not when he makes it seem like he is doing Sasha a favor by staying here rather than simply taking comfort in something simple as another's company when they both know that comfort has come in short supply lately for the both of them.

Sasha watches Leon ease himself down onto the mattress and has to bite back a smile when he sees Leon's tension ease somewhat, features softening, although there is still something rigid to his posture when he comes to lay on his back. Something stubborn to his demeanor, as if he doesn't quite want to admit defeat.

The mention of nightmares doesn't come as a surprise per se, but the pointed nonchalance with which Leon speaks of them does. As if he expects Sasha to throw him out now that he is made aware that Leon might rest fitfully, might wake Sasha in turn if he startled awake later on.

As if Sasha isn't used to nightmares of his own.

He is quiet for a while as Leon settles. Despite his earlier efforts the blanket is still mostly tucked close to his form, leaving Leon with no cover at all. A circumstance Sasha means to change now that they're sharing this space.

"I'm sure it will be fine." He tells him at last. He shifts with no small amount of effort and eventually manages to settle himself onto his side, exhaling slow and drawn out as the pain in his lower back flares up and then only slowly fades back to a more manageable level. Still, he grabs the edge of the blanket and reaches out with it to cover Leon properly with the blanket, too. It doesn't escape his notice just how warm Leon is when he shifts his arm to pay him back for the way he tucked him in before. Any touch to Leon's chest and shoulders is accidental and brief, but also oddly reassuring in a way Sasha didn't expect.

Someone living and breathing next to him, his warmth bleeding into the shared blankets and sheets... It feels nice. Despite the awkwardness that came with the sudden offer and Leon's reluctant acceptance of it. He isn't quite sure how to lable what he is feeling right now, but it is closer to contentment than it is to embarrassment, although he can't quite help the latter. But after yesterday saw him helpless and naked in the bathtub this really is nothing in comparison.

So, Sasha makes an effort to dispel the lingering awkwardness, aware that neither of them would find any rest at all if it persists. Sasha isn't able to really tuck Leon in in the same way as he did with the way he is feeling physically and his current limited range of movements, but he is able to make it clear that this is retaliation for Leon fussing over him but a moment ago by pulling the blanket up to Leon's chin, a slight curl to his lips when Leon gives him a look somewhere between surprise and exasperation.

Sasha gives a one-shouldered shrug, trying to hide just how amused he is by Leon's reaction, or how the opemness of that expression makes something flutter inside of him.

"I'm no stranger to nightmares." He assures him with a smile just this side of teasing. "As long as you don't hog the covers I won't have anything to complain about." Sasha's smirk mellows into a tired smile, a testament to his own state of being. "Just try and get some sleep." He says a little quieter now. He doesn't have the energy to really think about what he has offered, or why Leon took him up on it, and he is far from wanting to delve into what he is feeling about all of it, too. For now he is content to just see it as an attempt at feeling comfort, at settling in to relax, to feel safe even, when it's been too long since they really could.

Sasha has trouble keeping his eyes open now, the painkillers easing his symptoms but simultaneously making him lose consciousness fast. "Sleep well." He mutters, amber eyes now holding a faraway look as his lids grow heavier by the second. His vision blurrs before he closes his eyes, his hand coming to rest in the space between them, just shy of Leon's shoulder.

His heartbeat and breathing slow down, his body loses what tension it still held. The line between his brows disappears and his lips part slightly on the next low exhale of breath. He seems to unwind entirely, feeling warm and content and most of all ... safe.

"You look about as exhausted as I feel." He shoots back, and even manages a wry smile, making sure that Leon knows that Sasha is not trying to pick another fight. "So, yes." But the thing is, he can relate. He may have found sleep easily enough yesterday due to his body being pushed to it's limits throughout its entirety, but that doesn't mean he fares any better in absolute silence. His thoughts get away from him, if left alone for too long. The ghosts of bis past haunt him more easily that way. He wonders if it's the same for Leon, or if there are other things he struggles with when away from immediate distractions.

Whatever it is, remants of it Sasha can see on Leon's face. In his eyes. He isn't sure if Leon's poker face is getting worse with how tired he is or if he is actually getting better at reading him. Maybe it is a combination of both, and while the latter does feel like an accomplishment, the former he isn't willing to let slide.

"What if I do?" He asks, foregoing Leon's question entirely. What if I do worry? His gaze is unyielding as he meets Leon's eyes, his hand coming to rest atop the blanket. He tilts his head at Leon. "What, do you think you're the only one here who gets to call someone out on being self-destructive?" The corner of his mouth quirks higher when Leon in turn narrows his eyes at him.

Hypocrite. Sasha thinks, but there is an odd kind of feeling accompanying that thought. Something almost... fond.

Before Leon can reply, Sasha exhales in a low breath, his tone no longer as confrontational, or teasing. "Would having me close by help you rest easier?" It's an honest question and one holding no judgment at all. He can only speak from his own experience, but during the war it did calm him down even during the darkest and coldest of nights, when he was jumping at shadows, if someone else, someone safe, was near. He is assuming a lot of things, especially whether or not Leon even considers him a safe person to be around, but what else can he offer other than companionship.

"...If so, feel free to stay. If it doesn't help, forget that I asked." He isn't entirely certain why he is offering, but from where he is standing, there is a rather simple solution and the bed certainly is big enough for the two of them. He shifts under the blanket to adjust his position until he doesn't feel as smothered by it anymore. He is sure Leon meant well, or maybe Sasha really did scare him earlier, resulting in this... mother henning of sorts.

If anything, he could even consider this payback for all the times Leon called him out on being an idiot during his recovery at the hospital and now, too. "I didn't ask you out here to play my caretaker." Although he is grateful for every bit of help Leon is offering, even though Sasha has a hard time showing it. "You deserve just as much rest as I do."

[vintage-marina]

It's you

summary: It's basically little stories about how the reader came up in the box and adjusting in the Glade.

Female reader!

request by: @acupnoodle

hii!! since you write for tmr, could i have a minho and reader fic where she remembers his name when she wakes up in the glade, and no one knows why? maybe she has a locket or sumn he gave her before as well?? one day she has a nightmare and only he can calm her down, and later they find out they used to be together before?? Happy ending please!! sorry if its a bit chaotic 😅 Thanks!!!

wordcount: 5464

TW: nightmares, a bit deppresed, swearing

I changed it a bit, so it would fit in the story! Its angsty but also fluffy

Eyes flewing open you let out a startled shout. You moved your head to scan your surroundings.

Where the hell am I?

"Hello!" you screamed at no one, you tried to tear up the netting. "Hello! "

You were moving up, and it was going fast, what was going on?

This thing where you're in wasn't going to stop, deep down you knew it too.

"Fuck!"

It was then that you knew it would be fruitless, you put your hands in your hair and paced in the little box. Breathing a few times to deep, breathing a few times to shallow while mumbling panicking things.

"Shit!" you kicked a box in frustration. Splinters flew from the inpact and your feet went in the box, while rice spilled out.

Wait, no wait a minute.

You were surrounded by wooden boxes and carefully you pulled your foot out.

A quiet laugh escaped your lips, maybe there is a logo on them. Crouching down you searched for an answer, "Who put me here?" Your finger danced on the wood and you looked. After a few seconds you found it, the bold black letters staring right in front of you.

W.I.C.K.E.D

That's really assuring.

But before you could mull it over the roof of the lift disappeared and you were met with the blasting sun.

You squeeshed your y/e/c eyes, noticing people around you.

"It's a girl.. " someone with a boyish voice said.

"No way!"

"Dipps on her!"

Two boys jumped in the box beside you, quickly you stepped backwards having the wall pressed against your back. You touched the woven chocker that clung on your neck in nervousness, it almost felt natural to do this.

"Stay back!" you hurled, switfly pickup up a lose plank.

"I said-"

The boys lifted their hands in surrender, "Hey we aren't going to hurt you. " The boy had a funny accent, it sounded familiar like you already heared it before.

Another boy with blond hair rolled his eyes and folded his arms, simply grabbing you by the arm and dragging you out of the box. Quickly you grapped the plank even tighter and whacked him a few times with it, the people around you started laughing.

"Shucking hell greenie, you have to do that?"

Despite the fact that you were scared, almost peed your pants in the Box you surprisingly survived the day. Newt, yes that's his name showed you around the Glade with the leader Alby. Supposedly that's what they call it the Glade, you stuck besides them the whole day. They were like water and fire, while Alby was harsh and strict Newt was more kind and no that doesn't mean laidback. You knew after a day they both valued order and following the rules.

It was still sunny, but you smelled the aroma of dinner. The three of you walked away from the animals and the scent of grass filled in your nose.

"So if I got it right, every month new supplies and a new person," they both nodded while continuing walking. "And you guys don't know who?"

"No, we don't." Alby said.

Lifting your brows, "Well I thought it's W.I.C.K.E.D. do you want to know why?"

"No," he said again. "We know that W.I.C.K.E.D is sending us here, but who are they behind the name? That's what whe want to know."

Suddenly feeling utter ridiculous, you looked at the ground. "Yeah, I guess so," the three of you fell in a silent for a bit.

"Do you already-"

"It is really asocial to put people in here without memory, which douchebags does that?"

"Yeah," mumbled the two of them.

"And don't go into those creepy looking, really tall walls where you hear sometimes whirring if you're not a Runner, am I right?"

"Yep."

"Do your part, no time for not doing anything. Never harm any Glader bla bla bla."

Hearing feet pattering on the ground you met with the black eyes of a boy, he looked confused why a girl was in the Maze but quickly he gave a smirk. He ran to the side of Newt and folded his arm around his shoulder and pressed Newt against him. He just came back from the Map Room where he had drawn the route he sprinted during the day and you couldn't help but notice that he was cute, very cute and sweaty.

"Thanks mate, I really appreaciate your sweaty pit." Newt grimached and pushed him away, that earned a scoff from the boy.

"It's the sweat of champions, I would appreciate it too if I were you." He gave a lopsided smile and talked a bit with Alby and Newt. The Homestead was coming closer and after a bit of chatting the boy tore his gaze from Newt and Alby and focused on you.

"You're.." he paused for a moment, not really knowing what to say. Lifting a brow you kept his gaze. "You're a girl," he stated.

"Good eyesight," he couldn't help but notice the sarcasm dripping of your tone.

"Thanks, I have a gift to spot pretty things," with only that the converstation ended. Leaving you spluttered with warm cheeks and him with an amused glint in his eyes. It was like he had the last word. Then his gaze shifted to your neck, a woven necklace from thin rope clung tightly around it. It was worn you could easily see the oldness behind it, it almost whispered the tale why you wore it. Somehow an unfamiliar feeling crept up in his belly, it was confusing. He only knew you for a few minutes, but that necklace felt familiar. He shook his head and pushed the thoughts away, it's shucking ridiculous.

When he tore his gaze off from you, something gnaged at you. Something that you couldn't place. Still, you kept looking at him trying to figure out what was bothering you.

Minho.

As quick as that name went off in your head, as quick went it away. Why did you know his name before he said anything?

"I'm Minho, by the way. Do you remember your name already newbie?"

Wow, you must be really good at guessing people their names, but something deep inside of you raised the alarmbells.

You wanted to answer, but no you still didn't know your name. What the hell, you know your curse words but not even your fucking name?

Panic crawled up from your toes to your throat, licking and burning like it's fire. Alby easily spotted your panic, giving a firm shove at Minho. "It's normal for newbies that they don't know their name, but don't worry it will come back." He said giving his rare smiles at you.

The chattering of the boys became louder and the four of you arrived just in time for dinner! You picked up a plate and scooped hot pulled pork with vegetables on it. The sight from it made you mouth water and you questioned who made this delicious meal. You turned around and your face fell into a slight frown.

The boys were eating disgusting, you grimaced.

The other three already sat down. Scanning the room you looked for a place to sit, insecurity bloomed in your body. Did someone even want you to join their table? Unsure what to do you dwelled on the fact that you felt horribly out of place. You were the only girl surrounded with boys, who wouldn't feel out of place? Shifting from leg to leg, you looked outside into the forest.

But Newt quickly pulled you out of your thoughts and waved you over and you gladly accepted it.

"Bloody Hell, for a moment we thought that you would eat standing. "

You gave a small 'smirk', hoping that they wouldn't notice your doubt.

"Ofcourse not," you casually said while sitting on the bench next to Minho. "I was just admiring the view."

"Yeah the view is absolutely beautiful," rolling his eyes Minho took a bite from his food.

-

You quickly became familiar with everyone and after a few weeks of trying out the jobs you found out that being a Med Jack and a part timer Garderner suited you the best. You spent most days learning new technics and you even requisted a book about plants from the Creators (that's what the other Gladers called W.I.C.K.E.D I guess.). The 'free' time when there weren't any injured Gladers, you found yourself with your hands in the ground planting and nursing your medical plants.

"You shank!" You pushed Clint away. "You almost made me dropped this!" For extra dramatic purposes you pushed the beeswax almost up to his nose while you heard Jeff laughing.

Your integration went pretty well, you easily picked up the strange curse words and after a few days you learned your name.

Y/N.

Everyone knew the first aid post, it was a large wooden shack that laid near the west wall of the Maze and everyone knew that you worked there. And so in the first few weeks of your career the stream of wounded Gladers kept coming.

"We never have seen so many injuries in such a short time," Jeff noticed. You only had a few seconds to put down your beeswax before he poked at your sides. "They just want to be treated by the oh so pretty Y/N!"

Grumbling some curse words at him you swatted his hands away while Clint made kissing noises.

"Stop it! Both of you!"

"But Y/N, you're so easy to make fun off!" Clint said.

Pushing his head away you walked to the sink to disinfect your hands while picking up two jars. One was empty and the other was filled with calendula oil, after disinfecting the empty one you simply ignored Clint and Jeffs tantics.

The three of left eachother alone after that and you thanked the Creators that you finally had the time to make the calendula ointment. Picking up the jars you brought them to the stove where you melted the beeswax, it was a calming experience after nursing a lot of boys. After two weeks you noticed that a lot of them did it on purpose and you sended most of them of to Jeff and Clint, "who have much more experience" you told to them with a sly smile.

The creaking of the door pulled you out of your thoughts and a bruised Minho stepped inside. Putting down the stuff you washed your hands again while barking: "Sit!" to him.

While you were surprised that he took your advice, Clint en Jeff shared a look.

The teenager was under the small cuts and blood trickled out of some gashes. The med-box was in no time in your hands and you crouched down, "Do you have any more injuries than just your face?"

"No."

You gave Jeff and Clint a look that said: "Am I the right person?"

They both nodded.

For some weird reason the past few days you couldn't look him in the eyes. Maybe he was to pretty or something and you were still hurt.

He couldn't meet your eyes either, well that was a first. He thought that if he looked you straight in the eye, you could see what he was thinking and yeah that would be really awkward for the both of you. And so he focused his gaze on your woven necklace, the weeks that you lived here he thought about it. The only thing that felt familiar for the first time while he arrived so many years ago in the Glade. He wanted to touch it, maybe then he could figure out why this thing was bothering him so much, but deep down he knew that would be fruitless.

He felt your hand resting on his shoulder to steady yourself and immediately the place went on fire. He coughed in embarrassment and you looked him in the eye for a second before breaking it, feeling a bit shy maybe, no hurt? He didn't know, but he didn't ask, too afraid that you retorted the question back. Last week he came to the realisation that you were pretty and that he wanted to be near you. And so in his logically mind he decided to avoid you.

What an idiot, isn't he?

The stinging sensation brought his mind back to the real world and he mumbled an: "Ow that hurt!"

You were dabbing an cottonpad with some anti-bacterial liquid on it and you weren't really careful with it.

"That's what you getting from ignoring me, stupid."

"I'm sorry but some people have to do actually important jobs", he flashed you a smile.

Narrowing your eyes, you sighed irritably: "Shut up."

"You wish."

But the two of you dropped the subject and didn't mention it anymore.

-

You were still bothered by it, and you didn't know what to think of it. Why did you know Minho's name before your own? It was weird, really, really weird and to be honest you thought about it daily. You got from W.I.C.K.E.D (no, the Creators) some dark blue dungarees that you put on when you were in the Gardens and instead of whispering some lovingly words to your plants, you were thinking about him.

With his stupid but cute face.

Wait no, with his stupid face.

If someone found out that you thought Minho was handsome than your life would be truly over.

You were still mad at him tho, he ignored you for a whole week! What was wrong with that guy?

Anyways back to the main topic, his name. While you thought about it, the sun was scorching on your back while sweat dripped on your back.

Fuck, it's hot.

No matter how long you thought about it, you couldn't think of an answer and so the logically answer was to annoy Newt with this information.

"So you knew his name the second you saw his face?" he said in disbelief. Holding his hoe even tighter.

You nodded.

"Bloody hell Y/N, how?"

"How am I supposed to know, shank?"

-

A new Greenie arrived, you were now two months in the Glade.

Stars were twinkling in the night sky and the heath of the bonfire licked at your body. Boys were laughing and chattering and some were even dancing from the high of Gally's stoken alcohol. You couldn't judge them, the beverage was really strong and nursing a glass in your hand you looked at Gally who invited the Greenie to fight.

Ah shit, you thought. It didn't really ended well with the two of you while you wrestled on your Bonfire, leaving you with a bloody nose and a bruised body. While he couldn't see out of his eye for the whole week, oh how you felt so proud to see him with a black eye.

Standing up you walked to the circle while everbody stood with anticipation who would win. Gally was stronger that's for sure, shoving the Greenie towards the outercircle but after a few minutes it was him who laid on the ground while the Greenie supported a small smirk.

Quickly nudging Minho and Newt you gave them a laugh, maybe Gally would finally lose. Then he swiped his leg and the new guy fell on the ground with his head falling hard on the dirt. He groaned for a moment but then a light bulb went off, mumbling something under his breath.

With a look full of disbelief he stood up, "Thomas." Turning around he said it again. "I remember my name, I'm Thomas!"

"Thomas!" Alby cheered and the rest of the boys including you whooped and hollored.

When everything quieted down, Minho and you sat on a wooden bench. It was quiet between the two of you, unable to control the nervousness in your stomach you watched the fire curling up.

"How do you even got that?" He suddenly asked.

"What?" You said back to him, now your gaze resting on his face. The fire gave his skin a nice hue.

"That," he leaned forward and touched the woven necklace that you always wore. His face was a few centimetres away from you and feeling his breath fanning up in your neck made your stomach doing flipflops.

The necklace was made of straw at least that's what Minho thought, by the looks of it the maker wasn't really good but whatever, it was cute.

"I dont know, I wore it since I came up in the box. Maybe it was really important to me before I came here," a whisper, you didn't dare to speak louder than a whisper in fear that he could hear your nervousness.

"It suits you," he whispered while leaning back. "Shank," he said with a grin.

And poof the romantic air was gone, crossing your arms you sarcastically said: "Gee thanks, thought that we had something goin' on."

-

Your back was pressed hard against the three, the prickly bark against your skin made you feel grounded. In these two months you loved the night scenery more than the day, the sun was just too bright and just a tad more orange than you remembered. It gave you a shiver along your back when you thought too much of it. With the recent events that happened in the Glade, your uneasiness grew and grew (even more than you had arrived.).

Your nails dug in the palm of your hands, while Minho raised a brow.

"Are you okay, slinthead?"

Could you say it to him? What your thoughts were about those recent events, about Thomas? You mindlessy tugged at your necklace.

Would Minho become mad?

The thought about him getting mad maked you sad, but you had too tell him hoping that he would ease your mind and so you spoke with hesitation.

"Something shifted when Thomas arrived here," the two of you had to whisper because the others were already asleep.

Opening his mouth Minho wanted to say something, something to defend Thomas.

"Are you getting on his back now too Y/N?" you could hear the irritation slipping out.

"No! Ofcourse not!"

He didn't look at you, tossing a small rock, "Yeah right."

Shaking your head your thoughts were running lapses, why would he think that?

Standing up the fallen leaves crushed underneath Minho's shoes, "I think I'm going to sleep, enjoy your night." With that he left you alone.

His steps were louder than he hoped, still angry at the situation that happened a few seconds ago. Why are you accusing Thomas for all these things? Whacking the mosquitoes away his mood became worse.

"Shucking things."

"Minho wait!"

He walked further, he could see the outlines of the Homestead. Just a few minutes walking and then he could finally sleep, finally!

"Minho!" your voice was louder and you tucked at his arm. He turned around and met your E/C eyes. "Let me explain," you begged to him.

He didn't said anything but he didn't walk away either and so you talked. "In these few days that he's here with the girl, he became my friend too!"

Oof that sounded a bit too defensive.

"Alright that came out wrong, I care about him and her but I'm talking about Thomas right now. Ever since he got here the dynamic of the group feels off, some like him and some find him suspicious like Gally." taking a breath you continued. "Just because I consider him a friend doesn't mean I can turn a blind eye to what happens here right now!" you kicked at a metal beetle that walked on the leaves and dirt.

He scowled at your accusation but held his mouth.

"First that girl Teresa, then Ben that was stung by those disgusting Grievers and-and," tears stung in your eyes and you took a deep breath. "And a few days ago you, Alby and Thomas were stuck in the Maze, I was.." A few tears fell on your cheeks, hugging yourself you looked at the ground. "I- uh I thouht you were going to die and I was so- I was so scared, Minho."

His gaze softend and he touched your shoulder in comfort. "Well I'm still here, am I?"

You wiped with the back of your hand your tears away, "and I didn't know what to do and I'm scared.." you couldn't even finish your sentence before you started sobbing.

He pulled you in for a hug and you grabbed firmly a piece of his shirt, "I'm sorry," you whispered again and again. Although he was still irritated at your accusation his heart broke after seeing you cry, he petted the back of your hair soothingly and he reassured you.

"It's okay."

He had seen you cry before, he calmed you before and he stood by while your other friends consoled you, you even consoled him a few times but he never saw you so upset like now.

"I'm not blaming Thomas you know," you mumbled in his shirt after a few minutes. "It's just I think somehow Thomas is a piece of something we don't know yet, something bigger than us, something more influential. I think he catalyzed something when he arrived in the Box. I'm sorry I shouldn't have attacked him like that."

"And I should've heard you out, are you good again?"

"Yeah," the two of you let eachother go and the both of you walked to the Homestead.

"Sorry that I cried on your shirt."

"It's alright shank, it's like a little souvenir."

He admired your smartness, in that moment.

-

The morning came too quick and the day went too slow, you didn't slept for one second that night and Clint and Jeff were doing their best to keep you awake. The three of you took shifts about stacking the supplies, caring for the still unconcious Teresa and Alby.

He was still panicky telling things about the Flare (what is that?) and he told you things about Thomas that made your stomach drop.

What did he mean that you worked with the enemy? It's not like you could ask him, he wouldn't even remember it and so you store the information away for a next time.

You didn't like how this was going at all.

Washing your hands in the sink you watched your appearance carefully, the bags under your eyes growing with the day. A sign that you slept badly, it's not like you didn't want to sleep but you were plagued with nightmared after what happened with him.

Him.

Minho.

You were terrified that day, already thinking the worst. For the rest of the day you couldn't even work only thinking about them. You cried for the first time yourself to sleep that night.

You shifted your gaze away, it was time for work.

You checked the vitals of Alby who stared ahead of him and changed the bandages on the fresh wounds. "You're wounds are healing fine, Alby. How is your neck feeling?"

"Sore," he grumbled.

"Shall I get you an ice pack?

"Yes that's fine."

When you got back he gratefully took it and oressed it lightly on his bruise. The two of you sat in silence for a moment, you shift wasn't over.

"You and Minho huh..-" he said slowly.

"Yeah what's with us?" You shot up out of your chair after almost felling asleep.

"You two were a cute couple."

What, what did he mean by that?

You and him were a couple?

That would be impossible you knew him for two months!

"What do you mean by that?"

"Like I just said!" He didn't gave any room to ask more questions.

He pointed at your necklace and said further: "He woved that necklace for you."

He didn't talk further, but a soft smile graced your feautures.

-

Everyone laid in their hamacs, the stars were twinkling in the night sky. Some were fast asleep were others were still chatting with eachother, you stared at the stars.

Looking at them gave you in a strange way hope, a new beginning, to be free. Because let's be honest everyone here including you is trapped. But you weren't awake to marvel at the sky, no you were confused by what Alby said.

Minho and you were according to him in a relationship.

That didn't make any sense.

But why did you felt so comfortable around him?

Why did he make you so nervous and so relaxed, like you were high on a kite? High on love, was that possible?

And could it be that you had a life before the Glade?

A life where you were with Minho, did you even had parents? Siblings? Maybe even a pet? Did Minho take you to the cinema? You knew what they were, but you couldn't remember if you ever watched a movie in there. Did you had friends, people who you cared for other than the ones in the Glade?

It made you sad that you couldn't remember one thing from your past.

Did your parents love you?

A deep gnaching hole appeared in your heart when you thought about your family. You didn't even know if you had any.

But what Alby said, if this was true than you knew Alby before you were sent in the Glade. Does that mean what Gally said about Thomas that it was true?

That he couldn't be trusted?

You didn't knew him long, but you could tell that he was trustworthy. Maybe he changed after he lost his memory, because you couldn't no you wouldn't believe that this was for pretend and he was still his 'old self'.

You softly smiled at yourself if it was really true that Minho and you were together, does that mean it can still happen?

You tried to stay awake but with those thoughts you fell in a deep sleep.

It was a sunny day and you could smell the freshky rained grass and the flowers from the Homestead. Today should be a nice day, a good day to take care of your plants. You didn't want to think about what happened yesterday, to the Runner Ben. That boy didn't deserve that fate, but he tried to kill Thomas and that can't be tolerated. You faintly smelled the blood on your flowers, it made you sick.

Hours and hours long you sat still as a mouse by your plants, you only watered them after each quarter. The thick red liquid splashed down on your plants giving them a freshly new colour. The artificial sun set down, that gave your sight a slight blur, it was time for dinner. With blood coating on your shoes you walked to the Homestead, leaving bloody imprints in the green grass.

No one was there, but when you looked at the West Door suddenly you understood. You were there in a second, everyone was huddled in a circle screaming supportive things. Time literally stood still, tears pooled in your eyes. The walls were closing and there he was Minho, holding an unconcious Alby. Looking to the ground a small puddle of your tears were beneath your feet while dried flowers floated in the waters mixed with the blood on your shoes. You could've swore you saw the same blood coated on the walls in the Maze. You looked at them again, the boys next to you were faceless.

They weren't going to make it, Minho looked exhausted with dirt smeared across his face and small cuts on his body but Alby looked even worse. Orange bumps appeared on his body, suddenly the walls were covered in them too and at the same time they were leaking. The ground was slippery and Minho almost fell (or did he trip because he was too exhausted?). Suddenly the orange bumps where gone and before the walls could close Thomas wormed himself to them and then nothing, you couldn't see them anymore.

Everyone was away, you sat alone by the wall. You didn't know for how long, eyes red and puffy you stared blanky forwards.

They were going to die.

You scrunched your brows and you couldn't help but sobbing again. With trembling hands you covered your whails in the hope that nobody would notice. Newt walked up to you with two warm plates, he himself didn't looked very well either. Two persons crying with eachother while trying to eat their food, that was friendship.

Tears flow in your hammock, the thought of them of Minho being gone made you feel hopeless. Your breathing was to quick and your nose was stuffed with snot. With trembling hand you gribbed at your hair in frustration. Why couldn't you, why couldn't you switch-

"Y/N,"

Someone called out your name, was that Minho's ghost to say goodbye?

"Y/N?" someone was shoving you hard.

"Y/N!"

With a hard gasp you woke up, sitting in a second upright. Startling the chubby boy, he took a step backwards.

"You were-were crying and I had to wake you up. Because you were waking everyone up,"he said with a cheeky grin. He promply got a shove from Newt.

Where's Minho?

Is he allright?

Eyes wide, breathing frantic, you looked around, Only these two were awake and if you weren't in such a state you would say something to Chuck.

"You alright Y/N? Nightmare?"

You nodded still not sure if your voice would be steady, but Minho. Is he still in the Maze? Your sleepy brain forgot that he was already back.

"Minho," you croaked out, your throat feeling like sandpaper.

"He is fine, I promise you." Newt spoke to you, he knew that Minho was important to you. But when he didn't get the answer he was hoping for he walked a way to retrieve him, fuck his sleep right?

Chuck sat next to you on your hammock, mumbling stories in the hope that you would feel okay. You couldn't feel okay, only if you knew if Minho was safe.

"Minho," Newt shaked his shoulder. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Slowly blinking for a few seconds, he woke up. The sky was still dark and he rolled his eyes at the boy with the accent. "What?"

He pushed himself upwards and sat on his hammock, rubbing his eye boogers away. "This better be important, dude."

"Your girl needs you, you slinthead. She's all shaken up from a nightmare, Chuck is now with her." Newt whispered to him.

Suddenly he woke up, he choose to ignore Newt's words about you being his girl. If he stood still by his words, he would like that but now wasn't the time. He walked fastly through the sleeping boys and his heart broke again when he heard your crying for the second time in the last few days.

Something really has shaking you up and he knew exactly what, he couldn't help but beat himself up for getting stuck in the Maze. Not knowing that it would destroy you. Your hammock came in his sight and he quickend his pace.

"Hey, Y/N," he whispered placing his hand on your shoulder. Chuck seeing his liberation quickly stood up and mumbled a quiet goodnight and walked though his hammock.

You placed your hand above his and a broken laugh and sob came out of your mouth.

"Minho, you're safe."

"I can't leavemy girl behind, can't I?" he said with a small laugh but he quickly wiped his own tears away when you didn't look.

Newt tiptoed away to his own bed, seeing that the situation was under control, a small smirk on his face. Minho wouldn't see the end of it, surely.

You embraced him, that he gladly welcomed. The two of you sitting now on your hammock while your hand sneaked through his hair. Your breathing now normal. "I thought you were stuck in the Maze again," you whispered only for him to hear. "I had a nightmare about that day."

"I have them too after my adventure," he whispered honestly back.

He dropped his head into the crook of your neck and in the heat of the moment you planted a kiss at the top of his head. His body froze and you hoped that he wouldn't reject you, but to your surprise he quickly relaxed again and the two of you cuddled for a few minutes without saying a word.

"Hey Minho," you grabbed his attention. "Do you want to know what Alby told me today?" Looking into his eyes, you searched for an answer.

"Sure tell me."

"He told me," suddenly you grew nervous. What if he didn't like what you are going to say?

"He told you what?" He shook you out of your thoughts and you didn't meet his eyes.

"He told me," you took a deep breath. "He told me we were a couple before all this."

You thought he would laugh, that it would be ridiculous but instead he gave you a warm smile. "Really?" He said in disbelief.

"Really and that you woved this necklace for me."

Oops, he couldn't believe that he tought that his own necklace was ugly. Anyways.

"Alby told you that?"

"Yes, he did."

And before you could say anything again, he hyped himself up and looked at you. You really are beautiful. With his tumb and his indexfinger he grabbed your chin and looked at your lips. "May I?"

"Yes, you may."

He gave a sweet but short kiss on your lips and after the two of you departed you felt your face become hot. "Now sleep," he demanded. "The last few days you look like a zombie."

"So kind are you," you shot back but you didn complain. Instead you were laying down and you pulled him with you. "Only if you stay," you said with a cheeky smile.

"I couldn't even climb out even if I wanted to."

The two of you laid down and quickly fell asleep with the soft snoring of the other Gladers as background music. The two of you were going to be bullied relentlessly, but you didn't care.

Your fears were now calmed down even if it was for a bit, but you couldn't ask for more.

-

Comments are appreciated!

[aphrodict]

hello ari! greetings! i see your request is open and if i may – zhongli and kaeya separately comforting gn reader who thinks they're not incompatible with the guys and started to distance themselves? main reason is because reader has an opposite personality, for example kaeya's s/o is introverted, reserved, insecure of their appearances and doesnt drink meanwhile zhongli's s/o is not knowledgeable, playful and childish. so the difference in their personality makes s/o wonder why in the first place the guys are attracted to them, when they can easily find another partner who has the same personality and interests so their life would be more entertaining. i guess this is angst with comfort? thank you and sorry in advance!

“ no matter what, i love you “

tws // mentions of insecurity, slight angst but mostly fluff!

pairing // zhongli,kaeya x gn!reader

genre // hurt/comfort

authors note // hello hello!! apologies this is quite late, but here u go :>> as they say, opposites attract! also what are u saying sorry for?? its fine, whatever it is! have a good day anon <33 im so sorry if this was ooc or not what you wanted, I tried my best since im new (??) to writing kaeya! wc: 0.5k

zhongli was confused why you had been distancing yourself for a few days now, you aren't usually the quiet type. you’ve asked him several times if he found you annoying and he said no to every single one of them. once he decided to confront you about it, his heart broke into a million pieces! he’s disappointed in himself, what did he do wrong to make you think that you're not special to him? the first thing he did was give you a hug to assure you that, no, he does not love anyone else but you. you’re special to him, and he picked you since the very beginning. zhongli would tell you everyday, starting from now, that he loves you over everyone else. that you’re the only person he enjoys being with, and that no one could replace you. if that doesn't help, he would spoil you with affection every single day. that means zhongli would be clinging around with you, he would hold your hand outside, talk to you when he sees you’re alone, and give you more kisses when you two are at home. he tries his best to gives you everything you want, just to make sure that feeling would be removed from you. zhongli may be the complete opposite of you, but that does not mean he wont stop loving you.

kaeya was slowly figuring it out, connect each piece with another. until you asked him about it when you two were cuddling during the night. it was a fine day for kaeya, but most likely not you. he was shocked! why would you feel that way? he sees you as the most beautiful person in the whole entire teyvat. when you deny this, he would constantly say its true, peppering your face with kisses. he’s trying his best to be nice to you! he stops his teasing to you for now, and he brings home some gifts for you every now and then. kaeya would buy your favorite food and stay in with you much more often. but he cant push away his duties as the captain, so he brings you with him to his office. whenever kaeya is really busy though, he asks klee and albedo to take care of you and distract you from your thoughts. you’re glad he did that! klee was adorable and you had so much fun playing and laughing with her, since albedo wasn't quite the social person, you never felt the need to talk to everyone in the room. instead he just watched over you two while doing his experiments, occasionally bringing snacks. if you’re lucky, kaeya would join in as well. spending time with your friends and your boyfriend’s affection managed to make you realize that, yes, kaeya does love you. and he loves you more than anyone else.