#not sure if anyone else has pointed this out

[boobearymuch]

Their Favorite Underwear (On You) —♡ LADS Headcanons

—♡Summary: They certainly have interesting preferences, that's for sure. —♡Tags: NSFW, suggestive, sex implied, afab!reader, no pronouns used, fingering, panty sniffing/licking —♡A/N: done staring at this I'm throwing it out into the wild —♡ masterlist

—♡ Caleb

Caleb’s favorite pair of underwear on you is somewhat an innocent pick. A worn out pair of cotton panties you’ve had since high school. 

They have some kind of pattern—either horizontal stripes, flowers, a repeating print of the cookie monster—doesn’t matter, he loves it all. 

They remind him of simpler times—laundry day when you were younger—and how they’d get caught up in his own load by accident. You’d flush bright red when he stopped by your door to drop them off, but he’d just throw his head back with a laugh and tell you it's fine.

He’s never told you how close he came to pocketing them instead.

In the present, he’s found himself on laundry duty again. The colonel is dumping your basket of dirty clothes into the washer when a familiar pair of cotton panties fall in. 

He doesn’t even bother looking around; Caleb reaches for them, breath hitching when he realizes they’re the same pair from before. He can’t believe you still have them. You really ought to buy some new clothes…

Something dark—hot—coils in his belly when he turns the gusset inside out and lifts the fabric to his trembling lips. 

It smells divine—a little on the tangy side, but he’ll make sure you drink more water from here on out. 

Then his tongue finally laps at the inner lining, and Caleb’s eyes practically roll into the back of his head. 

His hips jerk against the washing machine just thinking about sinking his tongue into your actual—

Your voice abruptly floats down the hall, some question he can barely hear, and Caleb tells you he’ll be right there.

Perhaps he will pocket these for later, after all…

—♡ Xavier

Xavier’s favorite pair of underwear on you…is actually his own.

His boxer briefs are basically yours at this point. 

When you sleep over and need a change of clothes, he just lets you borrow his; which is how you end up in an oversized shirt and boxer briefs in the first place.

Seeing you in his clothes is a thrill of its own, but seeing you in his underwear?

It’s an entirely new level of intimacy that has his ears burning red and his slow heart skipping a beat.

You wouldn’t wear just anyone’s underwear to bed, you’re wearing his.

He gets oddly clingy when you do, sliding in behind you in bed and nuzzling your shoulder as you scroll through your phone. 

You make some comment about a post you saw, but he’s hardly listening. Instead, his hand is sliding down your hip, stroking the fabric of his underwear and the heat of your skin. It brings a soft smile to his lips.

Xavier can’t help but think the slit of his boxer briefs is silly on you, sliding his fingers inside to gently stroke your pubes. It’s usually innocent, he just likes the texture.

But the hitch of your breath darkens his gaze, and Xavier gently coaxes you to continue scrolling as his hand sinks lower…

He hums in response to your little moan, fingers curling up into your slick heat. His other hand reaches around to take the phone out of your faltering grip and slams it against the nightstand. 

Xavier’s selfish, he admits—he doesn’t want you distracted by anything else while you’re wearing his clothes, his underwear…

You need to borrow another pair of boxer briefs by the time he’s done with you.

—♡ Zayne

Zayne’s favorite pair of underwear on you is not one you expected—thongs. He’s secretly crazy for them. Well, that might be an overstatement—but he enjoys the sight of you in them very much.

You’re surprised to learn about Zayne’s preference, though he doesn’t readily disclose it at first. You have to feign trouble picking between two sets of underwear first, and shove your phone into his face for an opinion. 

“...The one on the right.” The cool response is only betrayed by a fervent blush on his cheeks.

He likes slipping his fingers under the thin string, teasing and tugging. It leaves very little to the imagination; straight to the point.

Your order comes in, and Zayne secretly watches you slide them up your legs as you both get ready for a banquet. It’s all his mind keeps wandering back to throughout the night. 

Not only are you wearing underwear he picked out, but you’re wearing them to mingle with his colleagues. A rather distracting thought, isn’t it?

At one point during the night, you bend over to grab something, and the lack of a panty line reminds Zayne all over again what you’re sporting underneath.

He approaches calmly, interrupting a conversation with his colleagues by wrapping an arm around your waist. 

His excuse to leave early is well thought out—you suspect he’s had it in mind since arriving—but you’re barely listening when his hand wanders low.

It slides down your backside, and he absently thumbs the string of your thong through the fabric of your dress. 

…The car ride home is a short one, to say the least.

—♡ Sylus

If you asked Sylus, he’d say he prefers you in no underwear at all. 

But, if he had to choose, he’s rather fond of a simple red lace. Comfortable, practical, sexy. 

Not to mention, red is absolutely your color. The fact that it’s his too is merely a…happy coincidence. 

When he’s stocking up your closet in the N109 zone, Sylus makes sure to order only the best luxury brands exclusively in various shades of red.

The idea of you sauntering around base in his color is enough to make him purr at the sight of you, even when your underwear isn’t visible.

He makes a game out of guessing what pair you have on; is it the scarlet one with bows? Or perhaps the strappy maroon? 

Sylus finds out at dinner; you’re laughing at some ridiculous story when you uncross your legs, and there’s a flash of vermilion underneath your skirt. 

The one with heart cutouts? My my, you only wear that one when you want something…

His eyes roam you up and down as you continue your story, but you stumble over your words when a swirling red mist drags your chair closer to his.

You were quite bold for wearing such a bright color in public, and if anyone other than him was to catch sight of it…

Well, we can’t have that, can we?

Your breath hitches when his hand roams your thigh, smug eyes never leaving yours. His calloused fingers ghost the hem of your skirt, and your words trail off in anticipation of what’s to come next.

Sylus grips the fabric and tugs your skirt…down. 

Your face burns as he leans back with a chuckle, “You were saying?

—♡ Rafayel

Rafayel’s favorite pair of underwear? Brazilian panties, next question.

They sit high above your hip bones while accentuating the curve of your tummy; absolutely divine.

Of course, you look divine in everything; hell, you’d look perfect in only a seashell to cover your modesty. But something about the aesthetic of these panties, specifically, gets him insanely hot and bothered.

He brings you back gifts from his trip overseas, but he flushes and fervently denies having anything to do with the three pairs of panties tucked behind the body lotions and skincare.

Rafayel quickly changes his tune when you suggest modelling them for him, though.

That’s how you end up changing into them right then and there, a minty lace pair with a little satin rose sewn to the front. You rejoin Rafayel, who’s been waiting patiently on his bed.

Rafayel can’t speak, only tugs the back of your thigh closer as he swallows thickly. 

Your pubes peek out the sides due to the nature of the design, and you make an offhand comment about shaving the next time you wear them. Rafayel immediately shakes his head—as if offended—and grips the sides of your hips, thumbs hiking the side wings further up. 

He flushes, and his nostrils flare right before he lowers his head to lick a stripe up your lace front.

His tongue burns through the fabric, and the Lemurian lets out a shuddering breath against your stomach. You barely register the chill down your spine when he licks you again, this time his teeth catching on the waistband.

You never get to try the other two pairs on for him…

[postmoe]

So, I'm getting around to doing Amphoreus and... we're at the bath house... and there is a special bath house for heroes.... can you imagine being taken in there without anyone else knowing just to be banged senselessly?

With Mydei and Phainon x Reader

girl we on the same wave length. I just added a bit to something i had going but didn't like it enough for the story i wanted lol.

non-con, helplessness, a bit of choking, bathhouse, ambrosia, master/servant dynamicish

Translations off google so (I went the Ancient Greek route)... Dominus - Master. He philtatē - dearest love. (feminine).

.

Amphoreus is full of many heroes, and though they are all strong and worthy of their titles, there are some that put true unease in others.

Like Mydei. Even with Phainon right next to him, trying to lighten the mood in the room, people still fear his sharp looks and dominating muscles. Everyone has seen what these two heroes can do, and no one wants to be on the wrong side of them.

Not to mention how protective they are of each other. Back and forth arguments seem like nothing when their anger is truly displayed, especially at people who speak ill of their partner.

And then there's you, their precious, priceless darling. A warning isn't good enough if you were to be picked on, broken bones, lost jobs, people are still debating whether or not the person who moved lands is dead or still alive.

So, when you're dragged from your station, or told to meet them somewhere, everyone drops everything to make sure you comply. Which is why, even if people did see you be hauled into the heroes bathhouse, you know calling for help would do nothing good.

That's why you stand there, sweat soaking through your white road, nipples poking into wet, sheer fabric, face stoic and hands holding a large jug of wine like it were any other client. They seem entertained enough by each other, hopefully today they will just leave you alone.

However, as Mydei pulls away from the heated kiss, grinning drunkenly your way and leaning his head against the edge of the in ground bath, you know there is no such luck. "He philtatē, come drink ambrosia with us," he practically moans, Phainon grinding his naked body in his lap, kissing and lapping up the sweat of his lovers neck.

You make a point to keep your eyes facing forward, not wanting to give them the thought that you're indulging in their actions, "No, thank you, dominus. I am working right now." That's not to say you would if you weren't on shift, but, it's as good an excuse as any other.

Phainon finally frees his mouth from the other's body, sculling the rest of his drink, red ambrosia trickling over his lips, down the cleft of his neck, and over the pecs of his chest before mixing with the bath water and disappearing. His eyes are hooded, cheeks dusted red with the effects of alcohol and lust, "Why the sudden harsh treatment, He philtatē, you were never this reserved when we first met."

With a bow of your head, avoiding his gaze, you say, "Kindess is part of the job. I welcomed you in, my job is done."

"Boo~" Phainon whines, rolling off of Mydei and sitting next to him in the water. "You're not like this after work or with your colleagues," he mutters, now holding out his empty cup, "Refill, please!"

You're not even going to ask how he knows what you're like when they're not around, already having the sneaking suspicion they've been following you and paying someone to tail you when they're gone. You crouch down to aim the jug into the goblet, only for Mydei to snatch the wine from your hands which makes you cry out a, "Hey!"

Within moments, you're being dragged into the water by a laughing Phainon. You thrash and splash the water as you're manhandled, thick fingers pulling your clinging robe over your head, leaving you in thin panties and the gold chains around your torso to help support your breasts. You're held tightly against his chest, coddled like a sweet pet until you stop moving so violently. Once you calm down enough, Mydei hands a cup to Phainon, who then promptly presses the rim to your tightly sealed lips, "Ambrosia~ Ambrosia for He philtatē~"

His other hand is roughly grabbing your jaw, the ache forcing your mouth to part enough for the liquid to slip through. You grunt, swallowing the sweet drink, a lot of it falling down your front, until the cup is empty. His hand is swaying in front of your face, the motion annoying you so you backhand the goblet, it flying and dunking in the water. He's so out of it that it takes him a minute to realise what you've done, the man laughing and messily petting your head in a playful manner.

Mydei exhales, sinking further into the bath to relax his muscles, "The whole trip he wouldn't shut up about you. 'When can we see (Y/n) again?' 'How much longer until we leave for (Y/n)?' 'Do you think if I send a letter, it'll reach her before we get back?' Couldn't even focus on fighting."

Phainon cheekily pinches your cheek, directing your attention back to him, "Funny he says that. Just whose name do you think he was calling every night we fucked?" You grab at his wrists once they start to slip to your cunt, fingers brushing your clit while your strength did nothing to hold him back. He didn't even acknowledge it, choosing instead to ask, "We have those new heroes, too. Should we introduce them to our private hole?" A wince escapes you as he slips a finger in, your pussy clenching from the intrusion. He swirls his digit around before adding another, "And what of Anaxa? Where is he?"

"Anaxa is still busy, he won't be back for another month," Mydei steps from the tiled ledge and stands in front of you, his large hands stroking over your shoulders, cupping your breasts in his palms and grazing the nipples with his thumbs. His eyes follow every move with a predatory gaze, "They certainly have proved their worth..."

You zone out as they talk about you like some object. Gritting your teeth, frustrated tears mix with the sweat on your face as you silently cry. What sort of a God or Titan or Deity would allow something such as this to happen to one of their subjects? It just proves how lost your soul really is from everyone else's. Everyone was right, you were abandoned by the titans the moment you were conceived.

Mydei pushes himself against your front, sandwiching you between him and Phainon so he can easily kiss your tears away, "Now look what you've done, you made her cry."

Phainon coos against your hair, his fingers hooking inside you to get a jerking reacting out of you, your hips trapped between the two, "It's okay, He philtatē, we won't share you if you don't want to. It actually makes me happy to see your heart is ours alone."

That's absolutely not true.

"Just be good for us tonight or else we might have to get them to 'help' hold you down," Mydei chuckles drunkenly as if his joke was actually something worth laughing at.

It pissed you off how he could just say something like that and get away with it. You pushed a sturdy hand against his chest, halting him from your boldness. (E/c) eyes look to the door, longing for anyone to enter and stop this madness. Your voice is quiet, moisture inside your mouth gone from the alcohol, bath heat and sexual actions of these men, "One day... One day someone will stop you."

The amused rumble from Phainon's chest made your heart sink. Then, when Mydei's fierce eyes sharped as his grin showed too many teeth to bring an intense foreboding to flood your veins, you shrank back into Phainon as he suddenly seemed to be the lesser of two evils. Mydei scoffed and gripped the base of your neck, your chin tilted up on the curve of his thumb and index as he held you just hard enough to make you wheeze and meet his eyes, "That day won't be a day you're alive."

When he finally let go, the world around you went white and your head couldn't tell which way gravity was holding you. Thankfully, you had your two heroes to keep you safe.

[e-mm4]

heyy, love your writing sm 😙 can i request smth where in mingle, the number called is three but thanos and nam-gyu somehow get separated from reader and have someone else in the room with them and they’re slightly panicking bc they don’t know if reader is safe or not?

mingle !

pairing : thanos! x reader x namgyu!

cw : blood, drug use, talk of players dying

a/n : i probably write them so ooc but who cares. everyone lives through mingle, including gyeongsu and there’s no bad blood between minsu and semi after the game !

the two of them are obviously high, they’re fucking around dancing around you to the childish music. they’re attention isn’t fully on you for the very FIRST time since you joined their group. and you don’t know how the two of them are so uncaring about the amount of people that have died.

you’re on high alert, if a number like two is called you only have so much time to find someone else because you know namgyu and thanos will grab each other. (even if they feel bad about it later, but they are guys in the end and it’s a bros before hoes world)

if it’s four, five or even six you have semi, minsu, and gyeongsu. as long as your group stays together then everything will be fine. your hands shake despite the reassuring thought.

when the number three is called, relief floods your body and you know that you’re life is secure in the hands of the two men who swore to stay by your side whether you wanted them to or not.

but when you turn your head, they’re already running. their hands wrapped around the wrists of someone else.

and all you can do is stand there, staring at the sight, dread filling your body. frantically looking around, but feet stuck in place.

you think you’re life is already over but your wrist is suddenly pulled, feet moving on their own as you follow behind your saviour. when you reach the room you realize you’re with semi and minsu.

instantly you’re hugging them, thanking them, sobbing into the fabric of their jumpsuits because you genuinely thought your life was over.

and maybe the thought of the two men leaving you behind has you a little more than upset.

but it’s just like you thought, you’re group stayed together and everything worked out well. as long as thanos, namgyu and gyeongsu made it into a room themselves.

in a room a few doors down, the two men are beginning to experience a similar sense of dread realizing that the person they thought was you is actually gyeongsu. and of course they’re glad he’s alive, but where were you?

they’re at each others throats in an instant. the loud countdown outside of the room making them both nauseous as they point fingers and throw blame at eachother.

thanos rushes towards the peephole, frantically looking out as he calls your name. his emotions are so heightened, and he wants everything to feel like a big joke like it normally does, but his pulse is racing. he can’t see you anywhere.

and namgyu is shouting, pushing thanos away from the door in a frenzy as he looks out the same way. beads of sweat rolling down his temple as his eyes flick side to side.

you must have made it in a room right? you’re no where to be seen. but there is so many people desperately running around in search of an open room how can they be sure.

namgyu would chew on his already short nails as they return from the game. eyes scanning around.

thanos is twitching uncomfortably, rolling his shoulders to try and maintain his nonchalantness but his hands are shaking.

and as soon as you walk through that door, nervously chatting with semi, the two men are on you.

thanos is pulling you into an aggressive hug, moving back just far enough that he can still rest his hands on your arms, shaking you around.

namgyu would come up behind you, grabbing at your shoulders and squeezing them. to anyone else it might look like he’s trying to comfort you but you actually think it’s meantfor him, his fingers pressed into you through the fabric of your jumpsuit.

you just stare at them. hurt, confused, still processing how many people just died in front of you and how you were almost one of them.

namgyu would rest his chin on your shoulder, arms taking thanos spot on your arms from behind you as thanos steps back to explain what happened. and he’s so animated, head bouncing around hands flying.

“bro! i totally thought we were holding you, like you were right behind us i swear! and then we get to the room and we actually had gyeongsu! man, i was so pissed that we grabbed that idiot instead of you! no offence gyeongsu”

and from the side, right by your ear namgyu’s rattling out a similar excuse. hands rubbing up and down your arms now as he looks at thanos to confirm his story.

they must be coming down from a high because the two of them genuinely look and sound so guilty (in their own way) and scared (again, to the best of their ability while high) that it has YOU feeling guilty that you weren’t paying more attention.

so you’re accepting their apology, hugging them both and saying it’s okay because all three of you are alive, reassuring them that you’re all gonna get out of here with a shit ton of cash!

they’re both popping another pill when the mood has simmered, both denying and shaking off the fact that they we’re worried when semi pokes fun at the two of them.

we all know namgyu doesn’t like her to begin with, so she’s just fuelling the fire. he’s not acting on it yet though because you’re sitting beside him, alive, and he can’t think about anything else.

thanos is feeling a similar way. even if he was an easily perturbed man, which he isn’t usually (let’s not talking about how he interacts with player 333), he wouldn’t be paying any attention to semi. he’s engrossed in the sight that is you, hair stuck to your sweat dampened skin and face covered in splatters of blood.

[ghouljams]

im so so so obsessed with your Hephaestus!Nikto au. i’ve re-read passages several times.

i cant help but imagine reader finding ways to get reactions out of nikto since their most recent interaction. negative attention is still attention, and it kinda seems like nikto enjoys rewarding his wife’s more unruly actions.

i keep sitting and wondering what his thoughts were when she admitted he was the reason she started acting so petty. did he find it funny? irritating? frightening? maybe he sees it as his actions further corrupting her? or maybe hes starting to understand she loves him?

You were so beautiful, your skin glistening with the warm water of the bath, the candles flickering their flames in the reflection of your eyes. But you hid from him. Perhaps both of you were nervous to have the other see you.

Visions of you are a small price to pay for the ecstasy of touching you.

Gods you're soft. Just as good in his hands as he'd imagined, he can't help squeezing your breasts just a little too tight to hear the noises you hold back. Unruly, untrained, and yet you arch into his touch like you could pull more from such a simple motion.

You're in no position to make demands, not when he has every reason to punish you for what you've done.

Discipline is called for, no it's necessary. People will die because of the choices you've made. War is being waged over a woman that you bargained for, what? An apple? If you'd wanted one so badly Nikto would have made one for you, you only needed to ask. What is he supposed to do with you if you can't even ask him for the things you know he can do? An apple is nothing, so why-?

"Because you made it."

That gives him pause, his heart squeezing so tightly in his chest that he's sure it must stop. Because of him?

Was it the quality of the work that you didn't want anyone to see? or had he spoiled you to the point you couldn't share with anyone else even when the toys didn't belong to you?

What else could he make that you'd protect so fiercely?

He smooths his hand over your stomach and resists the urge to sink his teeth into your neck. If he can keep them from your thighs he can keep them from your pulse. You tense, and though that should make him stop, make him reconsider his indulgence, it does nothing to stop his fingers from stroking just at the line of your cunt.

You should push him away, should scream and cry and beg for him to stop. Surely that's why you grip the edge of the pool so tightly, why you bite your lip and whimper against the neat cemetery row of teeth. Or maybe you don't know the extent of his desire, the consumption and corruption that hides like tar behind his teeth.

"We could eat you alive," He warns you, and you tip your head to allow him the room to do so.

Perhaps those nights where tendrils of want coaxed him to press his lips to your thighs, when he was torn from the forge with an ache that gripped his cock like a vice and forced to hold onto himself like a dog ripping at its leash, it wasn't his corruption that beckoned him with stroking fingers, but yours.

[loveandleases]

Guess who's here with another AU ask??? 👀

Supernatural scenario: The ROs are perhaps bounty hunters or just a simple fantasy character and, somehow, they are 'bonded' to a vampiric or demonic MC who is just...CHOOSING to stay with them (cheekily or affectionately soff, I leave that for you to decide!). How would they handle it and what would change once they hit that rela stage?

(I actually have about 3 more questions, but I wanna make sure you don't get overwhelmed! 💜)

Also, can totally picture MC being demonic or vampiric due to being sold to the supernatural at a very young age by their parents to protect Jade - sorry for le dark headcanon 🤣

Ally~ 😃 You're making me want to work on... the thing. Nothing like some supernatural fun. (totally imagining a monster au similar to a certain vn 😉) (The amount of world building I did for each of these... I"m going to have to write these at some point I think.)

❤️ Cam - (Of course it turns him on.) (Hunter/Vampire)

He became a hunter to protect MC—an inside-man kind of deal. To join the hunters, Cam had to become bonded to a vampire, and who better than his bestie?

Pre-Relationship Stage:

It’s always been this way—an unspoken co-dependency. Cam is shunned by other hunters, who see MC as nothing more than a killer, a tool. But because they’re friends, he keeps his emotions in check, pushing down his feelings and curiosities. To a point. That breaking point? Learning that some of the 'approved' blood MC drinks come straight from the source. (jealous lil guy)

Relationship Stage:

“No sucking” from anyone else. Period. That is problematic, considering the hunters still expect MC to feed. But the rules the hunters made to maintain some separation (aka no drinking from the person you're bonded to) were thrown out the window. Why shouldn’t they be? Cam offers himself on a silver platter—pain or no pain. (whimpering mess)

Given that his blood strengthens their bond, heightening everything: their emotions, their strength, even Cam’s life itself. He’s more protective, observant, clingy—and completely unapologetic about it. He reeks of MC and doesn’t care. Ask him to step in front of a stake. He’s already there.

💙 G - Long gone are the days of cleric G. Somehow, they've moved onto Necromancy. (I blame Emmrich Volkarin.) Plus, the amount of longing. 🫦They didn't imagine being tied to anyone, especially not a damn demon. It takes a certain level of control to use their magic. They raise the dead, command spirits, bend life and death to their will. Fate might have been involved, at least that's what they say. The one time G goes against the plans laid out for them, this happens. They tried to banish MC… and ended up bonded instead. 🙄I'm not saying someone performed a poorly worded ritual...

Pre-Relationship Stage: There was a freedom before, even though G had to obey the Necromancy Guild's order. They were left to themselves. Yeah, that's out the damn window. Their is a tether between them now, an unexplainable connection. Who knew a demon would be breaking down G's well planned barrier. They could leave, but for some reason, they don't. So, reluctantly, G lets them in. Who knew a Necromancer and a demon could have a good friendship? Though they do argue... a lot. MC has a well of knowledge they just want to share.

Relationship Stage: It was a slow process to get to the realization that there was something more there. They touched everything within each other. A lifeline. G's magic pulled from MC's very existence. And MC's existence pulled from G. Each kiss felt as if they were swallowing one another whole, but they weren't they were just melding into one another. G was making MC's existence permanent, and MC was making G human. They made G feel things they couldn't dream of, nor conjure up.

Before G hid behind a well thought out mask, even when they were affected by their emotions they could hide it. But not now, not around MC. They could feel each other's emotions, each other's very breath of life. And when they were close to one another, they could feel it as if it was a flame being stoked.

💚 Kara - (Different type of vamp bonding.) It began as a night meant for fun, a little indulgence, and a taste of danger. What started as a (blood) drunken kiss quickly escalated when Kara’s curiosity got the better of her. She’d always wondered—what would fangs against her skin feel like? Would it hurt, or would it thrill? Neither she nor MC were aware of what came next. The bond was accidental, a tether neither of them sought nor understood.

Pre-Relationship Stage: They weren't strangers, but their connection was surface-level - a mix of camaraderie and flirtation. Devoid of true depth. To be bonded to someone you're hiding secrets from, or choose not to admit a crush about, it's hell. MC could feel her emotions, each little time she tells a white lie there's an undercurrent, a change in her scent that just gives her away. It left her vulnerable. The bond forced her to confront a part of herself she'd long buried. She wasn't used to being truly seen. Always just an extra - the fleeting face people desired for a night but forgot by morning. But MC stayed. What began as obligation grew into something real.

Relationship Stage: Kara had loved before - or at least she thought she had. In her mind, those fleeting connections had been important at the time, but they were ephemeral. Everyone eventually took what they wanted and left. She'd believed she had nothing to offer anyone who could outlive the span of her years. Yet with MC, it was different. They didn't want anything grand or eternal. They didn't want power, her beauty, or her lineage. All they asked for was her time, a precious little thing she'd never realized could be enough to give. With MC, Kara found herself letting go of the guilt of caring. She embraced it. Allowed herself to feel every part of their bond. The joy of their affection, the thrill of their fangs sinking into her flesh, and the warmth that came from knowing she was wanted. Truly wanted. For the person beneath the skin, the nameless thing, that makes a body home.

💛 M - The poor thing opened up a tome one too many times, trying to find some fragment of inspiration. Only to have opened a book that held something far greater. A demon without a home, without a name. Surely, M could grant them that much? But you see, naming a demon isn't just an act of kindness. It's a commitment. To name a demon is to give it purpose, to give it meaning - a reason to stay. A 'bond' if you will.

Pre-Relationship Stage: They're excited, immeasurably so. How could they not be? How often does one get the chance to talk to a demon? M doesn't think anything of it, just a new friend they happened to have come across, who has tales of ancient things that are written about. Even experienced. A hierarchy that no one ever knew. All of it floods M with inspiration, with desire to write and create. To learn more about them, and little by little to care about them. At first it was a small part, a little inkling in the back of their had that they never really paid attention to. You care about friends right? You want what's good for them... you want to spend more time with them and see them when you wake. You want to kiss those lips that are just right there and... oh shit, M... M might very well have fallen for them. And much to their surprise, they fell too.

Relationship Stage: It's all new, exciting, and when the excitement wears off. What they call "newlywed stage', it's even better. For the first time, M understood what it meant to be truly loved, to be wanted. They felt it in small moments: the fleeting kiss pressed to their cheek, they way their energies intertwined late at night during their first time together, the hum of magic and intimacy beneath their skin. M couldn't believe they hadn't noticed it before - how their connection had been building all along, in late - night conversations and shared laughter. That feeling in their chest, so warm and fluttering, wasn’t just inspiration. It was love.

💜 Isaac - They had one target, simple enough. One demon to take out, their essence to be sold to the highest bidder. It was a shit job, dangerous even, but it was a job like any other. There was no way Isaac could predict that the tattoos that were carved into his skin, ancient relics, would have another purpose. They had only ever destroyed demons before... but imagine his surprise when he finds a person, wounded and bloody only covered by a sheet, that his tattoos barely react to. Until the moment his fingertips touch them, and the tattoos come alive, shining like never before. Imagine his surprise when this person informs Isaac that his tattoos, don't only kill demons they bind them. So why didn't they kill MC, like every demon before? Because they weren't just a demon, not entirely.

Pre-Relationship Stage: He's angry, the last things he needs is someone close, demon or not. He doesn't have time for this, or any kind of attachment. He needs to fulfill his goal, a promise he made to himself as he sat in front of his dying mother. No demon would be safe until he found the one responsible. No matter how hard Isaac tries, he can't keep his distance. He can't just sit and watch them die. Albeit reluctantly, Isaac and MC are together. In some unholy way, but it doesn't feel unholy. He spends many nights craving a drink to forget how it feels. The energy under his skin and along his arms, the way he can feel the weight of their gaze on him. And they probably feel his too. Or the way his breath catches when they're close. He's flirty with others, but it's a ruse, a ploy to keep people at arms reach. But the demon or half-demon, he is told over and over again. He would much rather reach his arms out for.

Relationship Stage: Their relationship grew naturally. Over time, MC began to see the pain etched into Isaac’s heart—the wounds left behind by his past, by the loss that shaped him. And he began to see them as more than just some bond - a remnant of something he thought was meant to destroy. But as a person. It was impossible not to since the day he saw them, he just wanted to fight it. There's a depth to him that comes out like vapor. His affection, a promise, of staying by their side and keeping them safe. A promise to not lose them like he did his mother, bond or no bond. Isaac has fallen for them in ways that makes his soul hurt. Because the piece that had been missing he finally found. He’s softer now, more caring. Imagine a demon hunter—someone forged in blood and vengeance—soft A demon hunter who learns that not all demons are evil or need to be killed. MC showed him that some of them, like them, belong.

And now Isaac knows… they belong together.

🖤 Ardent - An innkeeper, simple enough. Or it should be. But, of course, like everything else in his life, it isn't. Imagine his surprise when he goes to tell someone they’ve overstayed their welcome, only to find them bloody, half-naked, and unconscious. He grumbles the entire time, bitching that this isn't his job or his problem. But for some damn reason, he can’t just leave them. He’s seen it before—the aftermath of a vampire attack. The transition. The change. But the look of pain on MC’s face? He can’t bear it.

So, against his better judgment, he offers the one thing he has: blood. Human blood alone can’t bond a vampire—it’s magic that binds. And Ardent's blood, unknown to him, isn’t entirely human. It carries ancient, dormant magic. When MC drinks from him, the magic in Ardent's blood doesn’t just fill their body—it freezes the transition, preventing MC from fully succumbing to their vampiric nature. They remain in limbo: no longer human, not quite vampire. They hover on the precipice.

They still need to feed, but they aren’t consumed by it. They can stand in the sun but need more hours of rest. There is a lingering sensation of that magic in their body and a strange connection—an echo of life in Ardent’s hands.

Pre-Relationship Stage: Ardent is all "fuck me for being empathetic." He doesn’t need another mouth to feed, another person to be responsible for. And yet, somehow, he feels responsible. They aren’t dead, not exactly. They look at him with those warm eyes, as if he’s some kind of savior. No matter how much he hates it, how much he tries to fight it, Ardent just can’t turn them away or toss them out. A part of him actually enjoys their company.

Relationship Stage: His eyes might have lingered, and they might have noticed. When their lips curved into a smile, and the glint of their fangs caught the light, something in his stomach churned. A heat he tried to ignore. He’d gotten used to them being around, hell, he even liked it. He might even admit he would miss them if they left. And that is something he fears—that one day, they’ll wake up and realize they could be anywhere else. But instead, they choose to be with him. And that realization has him melting for them.

No one could get him on his knees willingly, except for MC. At first, he worries that his blood has enraptured them somehow. But the truth is, it’s the other way around. Their very existence has captured him—hook, line, and sinker. And if his heart was ice before, guarded and hidden away for safety, it’s ripe for the taking now.

[oraltraditionfiction]

Us | QH43

Quinn Hughes x f! reader (angst)

Summary: Snippets of you and Quinn's secret relationship, and the aftermath.

Warnings: angst, hurt with no comfort, ambiguous ending, sad Quinn, anxious reader etc

WC: 1.8k

Author's Note: !!! This is fully inspired by us by Gracie Abrams (which has been on repeat for like. 4 days now. absolute banger.) This is pretty angsty 😭 I apologize in advance I think I was just really in the mood for some pain.

This has an ambiguous ending (for the most part) but I do have an idea for a part 2 if anyone is interested! Anyways, enjoy! - 🐇

(I'd also like to note that the italicized poetry is taken from Crush by Richard Siken, and Leaping Poetry by Robert Bly!)

I know your ghost, I see her through the smoke, She'll play her show

And you'll be watchin'

He caught himself watching you again. It had been habit for so long now. Checking on her from the corner of his eye. He had learned to act in such a way that it was hard to tell he was stealing a glance at her. Her. He needed to snap out of it. 

He looked straight ahead, steadfast in his resolution to break old patterns. He could hear her from the end of the hall. She was briefing one of his teammates on the video they were about to film.

“I know this is hard but please try not to swear, at least not too much. The timbre of her laugh, echoing down the hall. Quinn  knew without looking at her that she was checking her phone. Her disorganized notes app, full of spare ideas for videos and poems that came to her during the twilight hours. “Oh! I know this is obvious but, try not to talk about anything personal that you or a teammate wouldn’t want 400 teenagers online to know.”  He watched from lowered lids as she brushed past him, a slight hesitation in her steps as her shoulder brushed against him. “That stuff’s just hard to edit out-“ her voice trailed off as they turned a corner. The reverb of her warm murmur echoing back to him, taunting him. He just knew she was reminding Brock not to talk about anything personal because of him. 

He scuffed his covered skate against the worn floor. Tilting his head back against the wall. He closed his eyes, and imagined that he was waiting for her to walk with him, instead of someone else.

Wonder if you regret the secret

Of us, us

He could remember the first wrong turn.

“What do you mean you don’t want to tell anyone?” He had asked, confused, thumb stroking against her pulse point soothingly as she cradled his face. 

“Quinn…” she had sighed, suddenly looking so small and vulnerable sitting on her old patterned couch. He kissed her palm, a small comfort.

“I mean, you’ve seen the weird shit people can comment about the wags.” He nodded. “Imagine just seeing that all day. All that negativity. And it’s just your job to navigate that and delete it. I’ve seen awful things about some of these women.” She swallowed, slipping her hand away from his cheek. He missed the warmth immediately, absently leaning into her orbit to make up for it. “I just,.. I don’t know what I would do. Knowing that people were saying those things about me.”

Quinn understood. Honestly the thought of seeing those kinds of things said about her…

Yeah. He could keep a secret for a few more months.

“Sure, sweetheart,” Quinn said, folding her into his arms. “We can keep it quiet for a little bit longer. Just until you’re comfortable.” He could feel her melt into him, relaxing at his agreement. Once she was more comfortable with the idea of them, he thought she wouldn’t mind what people would say.

It felt like what I've known

You're twenty-nine years old

So how can you be cold when I open my home?

Quinn  placed the last box on the bedroom floor, lovingly labeled “poetry <3”. As he gingerly cut through the packing tape, he heard a gentle knock on the door. 

“You don’t need to knock,” he laughed, turning his head so he could look at her. 

“I mean, it’s your house still-“ she said, anxiously shifting her weight from side to side. Quinn stood, fondly shaking his head as he approached her.

“Your house too now, sweetheart,” he said, wrapping his arms around his girl, and swaying from side to side. 

“I just don’t want it to be too soon Quinn. It’s only been like, a year.” Shesaid, tense in his arms. 

“Mi casa es tu casa, right?” he said jokingly, trying to get the woman in his arms to relax. 

She laughed, encapsulating the room in warmth again. They melted into each other, the tension evaporating. “I don’t ever want to make you uncomfortable, Quinny.” Murmured softly into his shoulder.

Quinn hugged her tighter, trying to forge them together, “you could never make me uncomfortable,” he said as he placed his cheek atop her head. “I feel like I’ve known you forever.” And as he said that to her, he knew it to be true. This love was different, quiet— almost sacred.

And if history's clear, the flames always end up in ashes

And what seemed like fate

Give it ten months and you'll be past it (you'll be past it)

He knew it had to move at some point. Every morning it confronted him, like a ghoul living in his sock drawer. Quinn reached for the intruder, thumb brushing against delicate blue velvet as he withdrew the small ring box from its hiding place. The man sighed as he flipped it open once again. The light reflecting off of the diamond and shining small, nebulous glimmers of light across his tired face. 

A click as he closed the box, the sound of a sharp thump. The little blue box landed somewhere amongst the debris on your abandoned side of the closet. It had been nearly 10 months. Out of sight, out of mind.

That night you were talkin'

False prophets and profits

They make in the margins

Of poetry sonnets

Quinn watched, transfixed as you read aloud to him. His head sat heavily on her thighs, savoring the feeling of her hand touching his hair absentmindedly. The words nearly escaped him, too immersed in the way her sweet lips shaped the words. Nectar falling from her mouth as she kept the meter.

“I had a dream about you. We were in the gold room where everyone finally gets what they want.

You said Tell me about your books, your visions made of flesh and light and I said This is the Moon. This is the Sun. Let me name the stars for you. Let me take you there. The splash of my tongue melting you like a sugar cube... We were in the gold room where everyone finally gets what they want, so I said What do you want, sweetheart? and you said-“

“Marry me.”

It was spoken on the breath of a sigh. Nearly inaudible. Still, the room seemed to lose some of its color. 

“What?” You whispered, hand withdrawing from his hair, leaving an inexplicable dread lingering around his heart.

Quinn sat up, nose brushing hers. “I meant it.” He reached for her hand, shaking and limp in her lap. “Marry me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.” He breathed out as he looked into her eyes earnestly. 

“I-“

“I know you’re scared. And I know you don’t want anyone to know about us.” The man said, placing her hand on his heart, cradling it gently. “But I don’t care! I would marry you right this second if I could.” He leaned his forehead against her temple, murmuring “just you and me, baby. No one has to know. I would marry you in secret, as long as it means you’re  mine.” Quinn was rambling now, but he’d do anything to convince her. “I already have a ring and-“

His hand landed unceremoniously in his lap. 

Before he could reach out, before he could even breathe, she slipped out of his grasp.

“I’m sorry.”

And Quinn felt like he would never breathe again, staring across the room at his sock drawer and the now open door to what was once their bedroom.

Robert Bly on my nightstand

Gifts from you, how ironic

Three drinks in, and Quinn was conquering his fears. There was 11 months of dust buildup on the slim book, still clinging to the paperback cover. He thumbed it open, nearly caving in and going back for another drink as he glimpsed the tail end of the note you had left for him underneath the title page. 

“- hoping these poems will remind you of me when we’re apart.

Love you lots,

Yours-“

He flipped to another page, hoping to find something he hated enough that he could find the strength to finally throw this book out.

“Longing to find her in a phrase, and be close-“

Quinn closed the book.

Mistaken for strangers, the way it

Was, was

The moment he was  dreading was here. You approached him after practice, quietly waiting for the rest of the team to file past. You toyed with your phone anxiously, “Is it alright if I grab you for a quick video?” She looked as tired as he felt these days. He just stood, gazing at her, responding with a  slow nod. She smiled, relieved. Quinn had almost forgotten what it looked like in person. Still a such a sweet sight. 

He leaned in slightly, irresistant to the gravity of your presence. As you opened your mouth to speak, lips quirked up into a private grin, a voice came from behind him.

One of the new girls on the social media team. She smiled as she approached. “I didn't realise you two were close! Guess it’s something to look forward to, huh?”

You forced a laugh saying, “Well, when you work with someone for two years, you get about as close as coworkers can get.”

Quinn’s spine straightened, in no mood for media duties now. He thought of the ring box, and all the photos he still had yet to delete. The stolen kisses in supply closets, the notes you left him in the margins of your favorite poetry books, highlighting secret code in between the stanzas 

(“O love,  where are you leading me now?”). The words of her favorite poem echoed in his head, “As close as coworkers can get” 

He mumbled something about putting his gear away as he brushed past you, no longer recognizing the foreign way your shoulder bumped against his.

Do you miss us, us? (Us, us, us)

The best kind, well, sometimes

Do you miss us?

He stood, leaning against his counter, trying to decide the best way to respond to this text. 

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the cardboard box full of miscellaneous objects to donate, the creased cover of a poetry book peaking out.

He made his decision.

A blind date sounds great! Is she free Friday?

[lilylushes]

Luigi SFW Alphabet

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?): Luigi is very affectionate with you. He is not big on PDA, but will always be close by, maybe his hand in yours or on your waist or lower back. He’ll sometimes plant a kiss on your cheek or forehead if it’s not too busy and he’s feeling a bit sappy. I think his love languages would be physical touch and quality time. He’s not a ‘grand gesture as a show of affection’ kind of guy at all. Not even really into buying flowers. He shows affection by standing by you, supporting you, communicating well, and not being able to keep his hands off of you.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?): Everyone who knows Lu has said he is an amazing friend. All accounts point to him as a supportive, fun-loving, and kind person. I think he’d love deep, philosophical conversations to get to know you, and I think your friendship would begin through finding a common ground during one of those conversations - maybe talking about how you feel different from everyone else or where society is headed. He’ll be anyone’s friend, but it would take something really profound like that for him to see you as something more.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?): He loves to cuddle. He might not be into PDA, but at home, he is SO cuddly in bed, on the couch, in the kitchen, in the bathroom. He’ll walk into a room you’re in and come over to hug/cuddle you and give you a kiss. He likes to feel like he’s protecting you when he’s cuddling you. He loves it when you fall asleep on him or just nuzzle in as close as you can because you’re cold or being clingy. But sometimes he’ll rest his head on your lap or chest so you can stroke his curls. You two are always cuddling and touching one another at home :)

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?): I think he would like to adventure for a bit longer with a partner and then settle down somewhere, probably in the middle of nowhere on the beach. I think he could see himself with one or two kids later in life. He can definitely cook, I’m sure - he is from an Italian family. I’m not sure if he can clean, he lived in a frat house so it probably didn’t happen often.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?): I think he’d be really bad at breaking up lol, I don’t even want to entertain this, haha. He’d probably have something in his head and it would come out over-rehearsed and piss the other person off.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?): I’m SO torn on this. He is Italian and an Aries venus, making it possible he’d want to commit fast. But then again, with his lifestyle and free spirit, it didn’t seem to be on his radar at all. I think he wouldn’t seek out a connection, but if he came across one and she passed all of his tests, he’d never look back.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?): He’s a gentle guy for sure. He would never want to hurt you. He always has a hand somewhere on you, like he wants to make sure you don’t break or get hurt, that he’s right there. And I think this would extend emotionally, too. You would both treat each other SO gently, and SO kindly. You’d always check in on one another and make sure everything is okay.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?): AMAZING hugger. He loves hugs. He loves feeling like he’s protecting you while you’re deep in his chest. His hugs are like drugs to you. The way he holds onto you, it’s not too tight or too loose. With Luigi’s hugs, you can really tell he loves you and can’t get enough of you. He’ll often plant a kiss on the top of your head or your forehead. In one video of him with his sister, he’s rubbing her back when he’s hugging her so he’d probably do that as well :’)

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?): While I think Luigi’s guarded, once he is in a relationship, I think it would be fast. He seems like someone who can potentially get kind of obsessive in a non-toxic way. You’re one month in and he’d be daydreaming of you having his children. He’d tell you in the heat of the moment after kissing you and pulling away to look at you. It’d be so precious, maybe I’ll make a oneshot from this concept.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?): He can get jealous, but he lets you have guy friends and hang out with them, just like you let him hang out with his female friends. If he sees another guy check you out, his hand finds yours and gives it a squeeze. He’ll sometimes bring that jealousy into the bedroom, too, but this is a SFW post! You both value independence, and getting jealous over small things is ridiculous to both of you. But he doesn’t like when other guys check you out. Still, he’d never get angry at you over that because it’s not your fault.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?): His kisses are tender and passionate. Even a peck from him seems to contain so much love for you, and even the wettest open-mouth kisses in the dirtiest moments have a gentleness to them. Luigi likes to kiss you everywhere. I picture him giving you those little “kissing attacks” where he lays them all over your face and neck because he can’t get enough of you. He loves to kiss your lips, cheek, forehead, neck, top of your head, and sometimes even your hand if it’s cold. He loves when you kiss his lips, obviously, and also his beauty marks and jaw. This is a SFW post but there’s somewhere else he likes a kiss after all is said and done.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?): He is an uncle and comes from a big family, so I think he’s great around kids. I see him getting any kids in his life a ton of books to read to them. Being around kids so much in his family, I think he’d be kind of looking forward to that time in his life.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?): A weekend morning with Luigi would involve not waking up too late. You’d cuddle for a bit and then go for a walk before returning home and making breakfast together. You’d then take a shower together and get ready for the day. As he watches you get dressed and do your hair and a bit of makeup, he hugs you from behind and kisses your neck.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?): Nights at home are spent watching a movie on the couch or reading books cuddled up together after the two of you cook and share a meal. Sometimes you’ll give each other massages or take a bath together. I could also see him wanting to go on drives at night.

O = Open  (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say  everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?): Once he feels he’s safe, he’d lay everything out there. I’m not sure how long it would take him to reach that point - I think it would depend heavily on the conversations you have. If you’re talking about deep things early and you say something to make him think and to make him feel safe, he’ll open up to you quickly.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?): I think he’s a calm man. He knows where to direct his anger and he picks his battles. He is Italian so he gets fired up, but not angry.

Q = Quizzes  (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little  detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?): Oh, this man definitely has a whole note on his phone about you. It has things you’ve said, things you’ve mentioned that you like, his favourite things you wear, etc. He works to know everything about you. And you’re the same way with him. 

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?): When you told each other “I love you” for the first time. You were just cuddled up on the couch, each reading a book. He watched you reading, and blurted it out. He was embarrassed, but wouldn’t take it back. You told him that you loved him too. You shared a beautiful kiss and he held you in his arms after for a little while.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?): He would do anything to protect you. He lets you live your life and isn’t super controlling, but he wants to make sure you’re safe. He asks you to text him when you get home and won’t hesitate to tell a creepy guy to f off. He hugs in a very protective way as well. He envelops you and holds you in his arms, just relishing in the moment where he’s protecting you.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?): He’d put a lot of effort in! Like I said, he isn’t one for cliché romantic gestures, but he loves to plan out a perfect day for you. Both of you value experiences over things, so gifts are most often trips and adventures. He wouldn’t do an over-the-top anniversary dinner at the best restaurant in town because neither of you particularly want that. Instead, he’d book some crazy experience for you guys, like bungee jumping, and then you’d have a night in at home, just how you like.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?): This man thinks he is right 99% of the time and it would irritate you to no end. (I’m literally the same way lol and I am self-aware enough to know that it’s a shitty trait).

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?): He’s hot but also a nerd. I think he’d be mindful of hygiene and having a neat appearance, but he doesn’t care for having a ton of grooming products or fancy clothes. It takes him 5 minutes to get ready in the morning.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?): I think Luigi would feel incomplete, but wouldn’t want to admit it. Neither of you would want to admit it. You’d both see your relationship as enhancing your lives and identities, but not being the foundation of who you are as individuals. You agree that you have to come into a relationship as the best version of yourself. But if you broke up, you’d both feel empty.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.): Luigi likes to just hold your face and look at you. He could look at your face for hours, studying every little thing. He’ll watch you sleeping, and doing anything really. He just likes to look at you.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?): I think he would have a hard time with someone who isn’t smart and doesn’t try to improve themselves. This is a booksmart guy and I think he wants to be around other booksmart people who understand him. In friends and a partner, he’d want someone with some intellect, maybe an advanced degree.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?): With his back pain, you don’t often fall asleep cuddling. He’ll make his presence beside you in bed known by placing a hand on your boob or hip.

[senpai-in-the-streets]

I have had a motherfucking leak in my shower wall since September of last year, and it's still on-going. My building and several others are owned collectively through an organization, which elects a board. I immediately email them, with video evidence, and hear nothing.

I call my insurance company, and they tell me to get a plumber to investigate and make an estimate of the damage and cost. He comes, says it's a burst pipe, but that he's not going to look inside the wall because it's a 250,000 crown job to open a bathroom wall. I said I was told to ask him for a damage report, and he said "they know damn well that's not my job." And bills me almost three thousand bucks for the horrible ordeal of driving 15 minutes.

Then I get our oafish janitor to come look. He says it's not good, but he can't open the wall. It's been over a week, and I'm scared of rot and mold. He says he will ask the building insurance company to send a damage assessor. He arrives while I'm out, uses a moisture measuring device on the outside of the wall and says "I'm sure it's fine. No moisture here. If you've only SEEN the water shoot out (it was shooting like piss, not dripping) once, it's fine. I'm sure water has leaked into your wall because of poor craftmanship. Then it leaks out. Perfectly fine, and not our problem. See what happens." Janitor says it's not fair for a collective ownership to pay for repairs that might just be necessary for me.

My lawyer finds out who redid the bathroom for the previous owner. The plumbers are ok but the tile work was done by a company that disappeared and no one heard of. At this point my doorframe has swollen from the water leak and I can't close the door. To the bathroom. I'm told it's my responsibility to keep the door dry. I haven't used my shower more than four times in two months. My lawyer says it's illegal to have non-waterproof materials in such a small bathroom. The plumber who was there says the pipes must be fine, but that he will try to get hold of the guy who did the tiles. Does not respond to promptings for answers.

Well, I call that company and they repeat what they said. I email the board again and the leader calls me. He had read the first email but forgotten about it. It's now late november, I think. He offers to come look. He looks and says it's not fine. He tells me everyone else is a dickhead and a liar. He says he's going to call some guys he knows. This is the last I hear of him. He's arrogant and condescending, but also scary, so I don't say anything except thanks.

I see three more leaks, film them all, and report them to the board. I get two in one weekend. No response. I email the damage assessor and beg them to come. I've seen what happens, and it's more water. They say the insurance company has to request them to do so. My lawyer says someone has to find out what the cause, extent and cost of the damage is before she can get anyone to pay for it.

I feel like I'm going insane. Why am I doing all this shit when I pay into the insurance, same as everyone else? I don't even own the place. I own the right to live there. And I'm getting fucked sideways. And when I'm getting fucked, I would like to get kissed a lot.

I think this is just a trend everywhere but I've been very frustrated this week by how much admin work is being outsourced to me as the patient/customer.

My orthodontist tells me I can make an appointment with the surgeon. I call the surgeon. They tell me I need a new referral. I call the orthodontist. They do a referral. I call the surgeon. Referral didn't come through. They tell me about their special unique system we have to use. I call the ortho again and walk them through the referral. I call the surgeon. They say the referral was missing some details so they have to do it again. I call the ortho.

The insurance company calls me about repair shops. I give them the name of the repair shop which I already gave them yesterday. They say they're not in their system but I can use them, but I have to call the repair shop to ask them to contact the insurance company. I call the repair shop and they say the insurance company is supposed to email them.

I feel like at a certain point these constant fetch quests become unreasonable?? Is it too much to expect these groups to communicate with each other instead of making me run back and forth between them???

[eldragon-x]

Gonna write out this idea that Silver inspired in me in a post because I'm not sure I'll get around to actually writing a fic for it and I just need more people to think about Mirabelle and Odile moments with me.

I've brought up before that it's kinda insane that Odile pulled out a spell that stopped Siffrin from looping back in time. Like whatever she used here is able to interact with Time Craft, which itself would normally kill the user.

So I think it's quite possible that she herself might suffer craft exhaustion as a result of this. Add on that the party had to run through the distorted House at night to catch up with Siffrin and that Odile isn't the most physically fit person at her age.

But maybe she pushes that aside. Siffrin was hit harder by Craft Sickness, everyone was concerned about him, the party decided to leave Dormont rather sooner than later for their sake, she can handle it.

But it does catch up to her soon enough after a long day of the party fighting their way through Sadnesses and making it to an Inn by the evening. She's tired, her body hurts, she feels ill, and she's bruised and dirty from the battles, not helped by her performance already dwindling since the party left Dormont.

So she's sitting on her bed, dizzy and aching, wishing she could take the opportunity to take a bath but feeling too weak to do so. It affects her to the point where Mirabelle can tell that she's not doing well and asks if she can help her in any way.

Odile admits at this point that maybe she didn't give herself enough rest since that day in Dormont and that she's frustrated because she can't do much at all right now. And now that she brought it up, she wonders if Mirabelle is alright, since she also performed a powerful spell that day.

Mira appreciates the concern, but assures Odile she's doing okay. The shield spell was complicated, but not so exhausting that she wouldn't have recovered over a good night's sleep. Moreso she feels rather guilty for not having checked up on Odile earlier.

All that being said, she offers to help Odile bathe. Being a healer and having spent a lot of time studying about anything in the House of Dormont, I imagine she has some degree of medical training and trusts herself to handle people.

Odile gets tense but weighting her options, decides it's probably the most logical step here and she'd rather Mira assists her than anyone else. It turns into a bit of a back and forth of them trying to assure each other that they don't have to if they're uncomfortable, but Odile wants to be practical and refresh herself, and Mirabelle can take the innitiative when she needs to and at worst will feel slightly awkward about helping someone she knows personally in such a vulnerable position.

Odile actually feels a lot more embarrassed about the whole situation because it's strange having to rely on someone notably younger than herself after essentially assigning herself as the Adult™️ of the party looking out for everyone else. But Mira doesn't hesitate, gets straight to the point, and after helping Odile settle, she stays to sit down next to the bathub in case Odile needs help reaching something or getting out, make sure she doesn't fall asleep and goes under, and tries to ease the tension for her by bringing up a book she's been reading.

Odile is surprised to hear that Mira's into horror literature but gets genuinely invested which helps her relax. Mira ends up convincing Odile to borrow one of her books and jokes that she will have to read through it while the party decides to stay at the inn for the following week so she can recover.

Odile's tempted to protest the suggestion that they should stop for over a week, just for her, but drops it. The party can take their time now, that the curse isn't threatening the country anymore. She supposes they also did promise to look out for each other, she just didn't think she'd need to rely on anyone else.

On Mira's insistence, Odile gets bed rest for the following days, with the rest of the party helping her get whatever she needs, while she picks up Mirabelle's book whenever she can.

[crescenthistory]

There is no safe space to cause detriment to. You are all so destructive in just how you are that there is no safety here. You’ve all got such mortal flaws. You, Carina, are so stupid and unlovable it’s causing the deaths of all those around you. Don’t you think your friends would be alive if you had been smart enough to check in on them? Both the little sister and your old best friend. I see what you write. Don’t you think your aunt would be alive if you were worth staying for? You aren’t. Same for Elle, she’s so arrogant and narcissistic. Had she been able to see those around her, her niece surely wouldn’t have died. It’s her fault, really. This poor “Sagittarius queen” is forever doomed to have her memory dragged through the mud by Elle. And anyone who knows Keke probably want to blow their brains out, too. Who could blame them!

this post goes out to the fucked up person wreaking havoc in our community with these asks that i and many others have been getting for a few weeks. this is me officially telling you to fuck off. you are vile. you are so so vile.

i know it won’t change anything, but i’m also tired of receiving them silently and choosing peace.

you are so despicably obsessed and — as you rightfully said to elle — cruel. i could write a hundred paragraphs about it. i have blocked you everywhere for a reason, your insistence to keep coming back is an excellent reflection of who you are. first you love me and want to protect me from people who haven’t even hurt me in the first place — then you decide to be the one inflicting pain?

none of these are okay. you are not okay.

if you think people are being cruel to me by what??? literally what?? not following me? not being my friend in the way you think they should? then what the fuck do you think you’re getting out of messages like these. you said at one point that “you’ve made people hate me” — if that was your goal, you have failed, because all they do is hate you.

i am so glad i am a stable individual with a good support system around me. i sincerely hope everyone else you’re harassing also has that, because despite what you insist, they are wonderful people. no one deserves this.

you genuinely are a dangerous individual. i will keep blocking and reporting you until you go away. i just had to say my fucking piece because i refuse to be used and stepped on like this and have my loved ones be spoken about like this.

from the bottom of my heart, go fuck yourself.

[lexicorp]

Y'know, one thing that bothers me about the backstory information we get for the end of the war and Megatron in Earthspark; is /how/ he actually def acts from the cons.

Like, all we really see is how he was fighting them for the allspark in the battle scene, sneaking into Shockwaves lab to steal it, and how the cons behave towards him. Some cons outright call him a traitor, while others still were like "I'd never fight /you/ Megatron!" And it just makes comprehending what exactly went down between them so tricky.

It stands to reason that Megatron had gone behind their backs with his decision to side with Optimus. But why? Why didnt he just stand in front of his army, and /tell them/, "we're doing this now"? He was the leader, why couldn't he do that? Why /wouldn't/ he?

So then the thought trails to perhaps he'd decided that he wanted to quietly remove the allspark, lie and say the bots stole it when it vanished, and let it fade into the shadows in a safe place only Optimus was to know about. That seems like a decently plausible plan. So then in the scene with Shockwave on that theory, Megatron wasn't actually outwardly against them yet, but Shockwave knew. Shockwave already has a bit of his own history in lore of wanting to expand his power over the Cons in his own right, so I don't think it unreasonable for him to have kept a keen eye on Megatron's behavior. Hell, Shockwave had been planning a protoform army that Megs didn't seem to approve of. So maybe that timeline could have been how things went, with Megatron running off with the Allspark after locking the scientist away.

But then it still doesn't make sense. Cuz if we're going off the idea of the first plan, why wouldn't he have simply covered up Shockwaves absence and done it the quiet way instead of it leading to some huge battle? Clearly no one knew where shockwave was since he hadn't been freed beforehand by another con-- or maybe they did since in a deleted scene ravage was supposed to have gathered a remote to release him. Maybe that's why they deleted that scene tho. Who fucking knows. It's jank as hell.

So then Megatron must have already been openly with the bots in that scene, and snuck in due to insider knowledge to the location of Shockwaves secret lab. Okay sure. So then, who took charge after Megs disconnected? Starscream? But Shockwave had literal underground plans of his own. And Star's line of "witness the fall of Megatron!" Is just so funny to me thinking about the timeline shit. Cuz I process that line as "witness the mighty warlord falling from his throne to become a pitiful traitor to everything he created!", but it could just feel like some typical slag of the "Megatron has fallen, now I'm the new leader!" But then if Starscream had already appointed himself as leader by that point, then that'd seem odd in context, especially as it's worded differently. Were the cons all just flailing around disorganized? Some listening to Starscream, some to Shockwave, some to Soundwave?

There are not enough details touched on for my liking. Vague context that leads to more questions than what answers it gives.

I think at least for my fic imma have it as a sorta mix where Megatron decided he was gonna dewit on his own and went behind their backs, he was caught fraternizing with the enemy, and when he tried to explain then his three main lads thought it was bullshit and were actually on the same page at least on the idea that they didn't wanna throw away their advantage and thought what Megatron was saying was dumb. And I bet Optimus and other bots were there during that confrontation so it just escalated into a full on battle where Megatron just left to stay with the bots. It could have also just been Star who initially found out that way and just relayed what happened to the others.

It still just seems so weird tho...so tbh i'd love to hear anyone else's thoughts on the matter.

Bro's fumbling-

[racke7]

Hmm. Tweaking the setting a little bit.

Danny might've "defeated" Pariah Dark, but (despite popular fanon) calling it "in single-combat" of any sort would be a massive overstatement.

(He was piloting a mecha-suit his parents made, and fighting alongside a lot of other ghosts, including Vlad.)

As such, Pariah Dark is unquestionably still the Ghost King. However, due to some misunderstandings from the side of the Justice League, they end up assuming that Danny did win in single-combat (which would make him the new Ghost King).

Pariah Dark hears about this right as he's about to go for a proper rematch with Danny, and decides (through the deranged logic of an unaging tyrannical ruler) that this is kind of funny.

Obviously Danny can't actually win against him in a duel, because obviously he hasn't miraculously gained any incredible powers since last time when he needed lots of outside help in order to win (he has, and he maybe could).

So, for the sake of making a mockery of the JL who dared to presume that he's lost his crown to the little ghost-brat? He's now the ghost-brat's dad.

He allowed his son to "defeat" him with all of his friends, because it was good enrichment for the kid, and he didn't want Danny's relationship with him to scare away those friends (because they're justifiably terrified of him). Letting him "win" basically means that they don't have to be scared of him (because Danny will protect his friends, and he has the power to win).

Danny agrees to faking this relationship on behalf of:

He won't have to fight Pariah Dark again (he nearly died the first time).

Amity Park doesn't get sucked into the Infinite Realms again (not a fun time).

Pariah Dark promises to keep his "eternal and endless conquest of all realms" on hold (very important).

Trolling (but not hurting) the Justice League (who Danny has complicated feelings about).

The look on Vlad's face would be fucking priceless.

Pariah Dark is a competitive bastard, so he obviously tries to be a "good parent" purely as a fuck you to anyone else who might be wanting to step up.

Danny isn't really sure how to feel about Pariah Dark deciding to be a parent with such gusto, but he's learned to roll with most things in his life (growing up in the Fenton-household doesn't allow for inflexibility because everyone there is some level of insane).

Danny's rogues are obviously more than a little bit creeped out by Pariah Dark buddying up with their fight-buddy, but once they start to realize that this is less about parenting Danny and more about scaring the shit out of some annoying mortals? They kind of shrug and roll with it too (being a dick to mortals is why most of them went through the Portal in the first place, it's great fun).

Of course, then Pariah Dark starts to actually get good at being a parent, and Danny starts being actually able to turn to him for parental advice. Which freaks out both of them, but at this point they're committed to the bit and can't just stop being parent-and-child (they have a PTA-meeting coming up next week).

(Clockwork is cackling to himself in his tower. It's unclear if he's laughing because he knew that this would happen, or because this completely blind-sided him and he's having a fucking blast with it.)

The Justice League have a lot of complicated feelings about all of this, because Pariah Dark is obviously evil (historically), and Danny doesn't have a fantastic reputation (Amity Park will praise him and spit on him in equal parts, and a government-organization is claiming that "all ghosts are evil") despite how he seems to be trying to do hero-things.

This is likely to make him slot into a similar position as Raven in their eyes. He can't be trusted (because of his relationship with Pariah Dark, and because of his nature as a ghost), but outright condemning him as evil seems... unwise (because Pariah Dark is at least biding his time, pretending at this, instead of actively trying to conquer them with his undead armies).

(And if Raven only arrives at the JL to ask for help after this whole shebang gets started? I'm guessing that Danny can pretty easily make a deal with Pariah Dark to go stomp on Triton together.)

Since I noticed a couple Ghost Prince Danny things I decided to make my own, even if I don't know much about the series.

Vlad being the ever stupid fruitloop he is decided to try and steal Pariah's things again and woke him up again. Wanting a rematch he immediately stormed back to Amity Park, but before he dragged it back into the Infinite Realms for round 2 he overheard Danny talking to his friends about how he got summoned by the Justice League and through some hilarious misunderstandings on their part now think that Phantom is Pariah Dark's son and in turn the Ghost Prince.

Pariah, who surprisingly is ALSO a little shit at times (and is pretty much being called a little baby ghost's dad), immediately jumps at the idea of actually doing this hilarious prank and steals the group for sometime and manage to strike a deal that as long as he doesn't do anything horrible he won't be stuffed back into his coffin and they can do the bit. This ends up leading to Pariah Dark acting like Phantom's less than good of a person dad who actually starts to reform because he's too committed to the bit. This ends up leading to him, and everyone else, discovering he has surprisingly good parental instincts, having caused everyone to stop and look at him in confusion the first few (hundred) times he instinctively did a good parent thing.

Eventually though, something happens where Danny needs help but can't go to his friends or family, he can't go to the JL for help since he doesn't trust them and he's made it instinct to never go to Vlad, so he goes to the one ghost he does trust with this, Pariah Dark. It's at this point that Pariah realizes that it's no longer a bit and that he's become the closest thing Danny has to an actual parent, because let's be honest here, even if Jack and Maddie are good here they're still severely neglective of Danny and there's only so much Jazz can do while being 2-3 years older than him, and all the other ghosts who help him are more like mentors than actual parental figures.

Usually a ghost would have their parents to teach them if they're there as well, but Danny doesn't have good human parents and he died before they did, pretty much leaving him an orphaned baby, and no Justice League, JL Dark, or GIW will stop Pariah Dark from being the parent Danny desperately needs.

[naebaetwsog]

hi hi I have another request idea, how about tws being overprotective 🙌🏻

°• overprotective tws *•

genre. Fluff

warning. non ig

pairing. Bf!tws x fem!reader

a/n. Sorry for taking soo long, but here it is, hope you enjoy it ☹️, also I don’t know if this is what your asked for, but if not pls notify me…

Shinyu

Shinyu has a quiet but intense way of being protective. If you’re out in public and someone stares too long or approaches you in a way that makes you uncomfortable, he’ll step in without hesitation, gently placing a hand on your waist or shoulder to show you’re with him. He doesn’t speak much, but his presence alone makes people back off. When you’re feeling down or stressed, he’ll drop everything to take care of you, cooking your favorite food or pulling you into a long, silent hug. His actions always say, “You’re safe with me.”

Dohoon

Dohoon is always watching out for you, whether it’s making sure you’ve eaten or walking you home late at night. He’ll hold your hand firmly in crowded places, giving side-eyes to anyone who brushes past you too closely. If anyone tries to flirt with you, he’s quick to wrap an arm around your shoulder and say, “She’s with me.” He’s soft when it’s just the two of you, always checking in: “Are you okay? Do you need anything?” But the moment he senses you’re uncomfortable, his protective instincts kick in.

Youngjae

Youngjae’s protectiveness comes through in small but meaningful ways. He’ll always walk on the side of the road closest to traffic, hold doors open for you, and make sure you never carry anything heavy. If someone makes a rude comment, he’ll calmly step in with a pointed remark that shuts them down instantly. He’s the type to constantly remind you to text him when you get home safely and will stay on the phone with you if you’re walking alone. His protectiveness is sweet, never overbearing, but always reassuring.

Hanjin

Hanjin’s overprotectiveness is sweet and a little extra. If you so much as mention feeling cold, he’ll immediately wrap you in his jacket, even if he’s freezing. He’s quick to defend you in any situation, whether it’s against strangers or playful teasing from your friends. He’ll keep an eye on you at all times, especially in crowded places, and softly say, “Stay close to me.” If you’re ever upset, he’ll hold your face gently, looking into your eyes as he says, “Tell me what’s wrong. I’ll fix it.”

Jihoon

Jihoon is playful until it comes to your safety or happiness—then he’s all serious. He’ll tease you endlessly about little things but would never let anyone else say a single bad word about you. If someone makes you uncomfortable, he’ll stand in front of you protectively and say, “Is there a problem?” He has no problem calling someone out if they cross the line, but with you, he’s all soft. He’ll check your bag before you leave to make sure you have everything you need, even sneaking in snacks or a note that says, “Be safe. I love you.”

Kyungmin

Kyungmin is soft-spoken but very protective of you. He’ll notice even the smallest changes in your mood and ask gently, “Are you okay? Did something happen?” If you’re walking in a crowd, he’ll stay close, shielding you with his arm without even realizing it. When fans or strangers get too close, he’ll subtly position himself between you and them, keeping you safe without making a scene. He’s the type to send you texts like, “Let me know when you’re home safe,” and will stay awake until you do. His protectiveness is pure, full of love, and always comforting.

[rizzoreads88]

✨Reasons why I’m still confident Elriel is endgame✨

1)All the hints and foreshadowing we have had for them since Acomaf.

There is a lot but I’m only going to list the main ones…*how they reacted to each other the first time they met and they both were wearing cobalt blue*azriel being the one to figure out she was a seer and then his understanding started to help Elain get better * the entire Hybern rescue scene and Azriel being full of rage ready to die to get to her*Azriel lending her truth teller when he never let anyone else touch it.*Azriel and Elain spending time alone together in the garden multiple times*Azriel following the sound of her laughter*Elain calling Azriels hands beautiful *Azriels shadows lighting up at her smile*Azriels shadows wanting to attack Nesta for insulting Elains personality* The way Azriel reacts whenever Elains Hybern kidnapping is brought up, *His entire Bonus chapter scene with Elain & Rhysand, *Azriel being upset about and still focused on Elain even after his bonus chapter scene w Gwyn takes place. *azriel having a physical reaction to Eluciens mate bond and seeing elain around Lucien.

2)Lucien & Vassa

Vassien has been my longest Acotar ship. I have been pretty sure about them since Acowar. The moment SJM retconned Lucien’s Dad to a spell cleaver, then we find out Vassa has a unbreakable curse and SJM has Lucien be the one to find her (a bird of flame and a lord of fire I wonder if they’d found each other yet) I truly felt Elucien was not going to happen. There was literally no other reason for her to retcon his dad. Then she’s built them up ever since as well. ( Feyre watching them off alone suprised how Lucien is acting around Vassa, Lucien blushing talking about Vassa, Lucien getting a spark in his eye or Vassa, Lucien having a pained physical reaction when Vassa talks about being enslaved to Koschei, Lucien seemingly setting a target on Koschei over Vassa, Mor pointing out it’s not usually for mates to be away from each other and ok, the inner circle saying Lucien is biased about Vassa now and they can’t trust his reports on her, SJM pointing out Lucien and Vassa are the true exiles jurian is not, Cassian & Nesta also questioning/wondering about Lucien’s reactions to Vassa or about her…) SJM has been slowly building Elriel alongside Vassien in the background. SJM has also talked about how she wanted to do a vasalisa the beautiful and a swan lake retelling and Lucien/Vassa& Koschei fit that perfectly. Now couple this will all the information we get on mates being able to reject a mate bond, mates not always being love matches, people questioning eluciens bond ect…

3)Gwyns Growth in Acosf

Another reason why I’m confident in elriel is because we got so much of Gwyns story in Acosf. People take us learning so much about Gwyn as a sign she’s next but I think it’s actually the opposite.In 1 book we met her, saw her grow, she got her besties, she revealed her deep trauma and how it affects her and we see her start to really overcome that. If Gwyn was getting her own POV SJM would have saved most of that for her book. If you look at Feyre,Nesta,Manon,Lidia ect w we didn’t learn about their true traumas or see them really start to work on it until we were in their own pov. Yes we got hints and a general idea but nothing in depth like we have for Gwyn.(like Elain we have gotten a lot of hints of her trauma but not the true depth of it or her true feelings over it yet in depth… )But if you look at characters like Fenrys, Asterin their storyline happened like Gwyns. They were amazing supporting characters and we learned about their trauma and saw their growth through Aelin/manons pov like we did for Gwyn through Nesta

4)HOFAS

We got absolutely nothing for Gwyn in Hofas. Which really surprised me because Gwyn has been studying the possibility of different worlds/realms with Merrill this would have been the PERFECT time to bring her in in a small way and give us some sort of hint and we got nothing. Even when Bryce was talking about her best friend to Nesta we still got nothing about Gwyn. A huge promising sign to me that Elriel is still endgame …Now remember how Sarah said she left breadcrumbs in azriels bonus chapter? Azriel questioned the cauldron over Eluciens mate bond in acosf and then in hofas the crossover he is heavily involved in we find out the cauldron was infact corrupted by the Daglan. SJM followed throw on those breadcrumbs to the next book…

5)Elriel in Azriels BC

If Elriel weren’t endgame why even give us their scene in his bonus chapter? She could have had Elains scene be with Lucien and azriels just be with gwyn but she didn’t…. Until then nothing solid had happened on page for elriel.. yes there has been moments and alot of foreshadowing but we hadn’t had thier feelings on page yet and in the bonus chapter she gives us canon confirmation they are into each other… then brings up the obstacle that they will have to overcome (Eluciens mate bond) She has rhysand set it up even further and then leaves things unresolved between them…. Why do annnnyyyyy of that if they weren’t endgame? It’s bc she set their story up the same way she did nessian in acofas… a special moment and then a “rejection” and they were left unsettled…. The same way she did for feyre and rhysand in acotar… they have a special moment as they are saying goodbye and feyre is staying w tamlin but then Rhys realizes she’s his mate and leaves, leaving her alone for months…. Again leaving them unresolved……….. people say “she did that to end them” If SJM was “ending” then she wouldn’t have left them unresolved. SJM could have just simply move elain on to Lucien and had her scene w him in the BC and kept Azriels with Gwyn and then start to move azriel on ti Gwyn after the Bonus chapter scene. But she didn’t. Because days later Azriel is still into Elain.

If you stuck with me this long phew thank you! Now while I am confident Elriel/Vassien are happening I do not think it is 100% set in stone yet. I don’t take anything as confirmation unless SJM confirms it or it’s in the books. So while I am confident I also do not count my chicken before the hatch. Could SJM change her mind and go in a different direction? Sure but that could be said about any couple in her series now too. Based on canon text and how she writes endgame pairings I truly think it will be Elriel/Vassien.

[panther-os]

There's this part in NPAB (which I have read 5 times despite a) it being 1.15mil words long and b) having never read the actual tgcf book) where Hualian are talking vaguely around the idea of kids and Hua Cheng says something like "have you ever felt a love so consuming that you're afraid it doesn't leave room to love anyone else?"

and I'm just thinking of Xie Lian going scrap collecting for fun and coming back with a whole human infant and sure enough for a good long while it's "parasite (derogatory)" eating up his gege's time and attention but then one day baobei does that thing babies do where they stand in your lap and grab your nose and say something devastatingly cute like idk "fafa" and from that point on that's Hua Cheng's Baby (TM) that's his "parasite (affectionate)" that's his "roly-poly (insect (affectionate))"

baobei didn't grow on him like mold like everyone said they would, baobei latched onto him like a tick with absolutely no warning or lead-up and now he has two (2) people he would die for which honestly makes him panic for a bit but it's okay bc gege would be sad if he could have died to save baobei and didn't bc that's the kind of thing good parents do and oh no baobei is mortal so he ropes Fengqing into a quest to figure out how to guarantee godhood so baobei never dies and gege will never be sad (yes just gege fuck off fengqing hua cheng doesn't get sad he gets Mad (TM) like he will be if they don't figure out how to make baobei immortal like. yesterday)

[distinctlywhumpthing]

Hello! I was rereading Unintentional and was thinking about sometime in the future, if Aiden had communication cards, and the first thing he does is say sorry and thank you. Thoughts?

Previous — Masterlist — Next

Aiden’s stomach flips when Leo calls him downstairs. 

A few months ago, he would have worked himself into a frenzy, convinced his new master was finally punishing or sending him back. He was so desperate for a resolution it wouldn’t have even mattered what he did, just that it finally boiled down to a point of finality he could orbit around. 

Okay, so the thoughts still cross his mind. But just as errant sparks in the background, not an all-consuming blaze outside his control. Leo could be calling him downstairs for a good reason, like following through on the promise of a walk today. It could be something neutral, maybe the dishwasher was finished. Or…

He lets himself look out the window for one steadying breath, tracing the line of trees separating the stretch of yard from the road. The leaves seem slow to come in this year but he doesn’t really have any frame of comparison, just an itching anticipation for the softening of the view, the gentle rustling if he leaves his window open at night. He’s not sure why it feels like the sound will prove something but now’s not the time to get lost on it. 

He finds Leo leaning against the kitchen counter stiffly. “Do you want to sit for a minute?” 

Aiden knows him well enough by now to recognize when he’s working overtime to play it cool. Pulling out a stool, he mentally catalogs everything he’s done today. Replays their idle conversation at breakfast, wondering if he missed a clue. 

Leo slides a small box across the island and steps back, burying his hands in his pockets. Something he only seems to do when he’s nervous and doesn’t know what else to do with them. Aiden swallows. Not to be outdone, his own hands start sweating in his lap. He wipes them on the soft flannel of his hand-me-down pajama pants and reaches for the box. It’s heavier than he expected. He looks up at Leo before— Fuck. He’s not supposed to seek permission for every little thing. The apology is on the tip of his tongue but Leo just nods for him to go ahead. 

His pulse jackhammers against his ribs. This must be something bad if Leo isn’t bothering to correct his old habits. 

Anyone else wouldn’t have to open the box to know what’s inside. There are bright blue letters on the front, spelling it out, and all he can do is stare at them like an idiot. He bites back a wave of frustration. Leo isn’t waiting for him to have a meltdown. 

The top slides off slowly, like it has a vacuum seal. It’s full of paper. No, cards. He resists the urge to look at Leo before fumbling to slide one out. They’re packed in so tight he ends up with three. A picture of an apple greets him from the first. The word spelled out just beneath it in thick black letters. He doesn’t have to flip it over to know the back will have only the word. 

“What do you think?” Leo asks. 

Flashcards. He’s been reduced to fucking flashcards like a goddamn kindergartener. Tears burn in his eyes. He flips to the second to delay looking up at Leo even though the picture is too blurred for him to even see it. Third and he’s out of time. He slides the cards back into the box, flattening them down with his whole palm and wrapping the tips of his fingers around the smooth arc of their aligned corners. Stalling so he can fix his face. 

“Thanks,” he whispers. 

Leo furrows his brow, immediately onto him, but he doesn’t push. “So…Delia said we could start running through a handful at a time. Just to try to get a better idea of where you’re at.” 

“Mhm.” 

 “We can keep a few out to practice,” Leo says, making his voice extra gentle so everything he says sounds one iota away from a question. It drove Aiden up the wall before he learned Leo wasn’t doing it to test him as a companion but to treat him like a person. “Or if there are any you want to have for reference…” 

He nods numbly. 

This can’t possibly be what Harrison intended. Or maybe it was. WRU could have sold him with the four cards he’d need to be the perfect, mute companion. No more pesky back-talk. Yes, sir. Please, sir. Punish me, sir. Thank you, sir. Probably would have worked even with a lobotomy. No brain necessary. 

“Aiden?” 

He straightens his fingers, carefully smoothing the wrinkles he’s put into the fabric of his pants. Irons his expression into a smile and drags his gaze up to Leo’s. “Mmm’fine.” 

Leo tilts his head, searching his face for something he already sees. “Buddy…”

“Nnn—don’t…” He looks away and blinks back the tears that spring to his eyes at the sound of that tone. Soft, gentle, an embrace to catch him because he is falling. “Please,” he adds. “...m’sorry.”

“Okay. It’s all good.” Leo takes a measured breath. And then another. It’s an invitation but Aiden can’t seem to fill his lungs around the pressure of his mounting frustration. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Yeah—” He scoffs, knocking the box of flashcards over with the back of his hand so it smacks on the stone between them. But his scoff comes out sounding more like the beginning of a sob. Fuck, he can’t do anything right. Which for the best. Leo deserves a thousand times better than his bratty insolence. Shame quickly drowns his frustration. He tries to swallow and finds a lump in his throat. The thought that he will just dissolve in tears almost sends him over the edge into just that. God, he’s such a mess. 

Leo just waits, probably knows he’s teetering on the edge of a full-blown breakdown. Aiden can’t meet his eyes right now. Not knowing the concern he’ll find in them, the warmth that never seems to wane no matter how difficult he’s being. He keeps his head down and grips the edges of the stool where Leo can’t see and wills himself to get a fucking handle on things. 

He finally did better the last few days. He wasn’t waking Leo up with his nightmares, made it through every meal without an existential crisis. It helped that they made it past the need for bandages about a week ago. He just had to put a gel on the scars every day after showering. Which, well… 

Today, he couldn’t even draw back the curtain. Every day before was fine. He dutifully controlled his thoughts from veering into dangerous territory and went as fast as possible. Why did today have to be any different? He shook so much he could barely turn the tap, telling himself it was better if Leo didn’t know because it was only this once. It would only be this once. He’d make sure of it.   

“—if you’re not ready,” Leo says. 

Shit. Heat rushes to his face, panic prickling up the back of his neck. He didn’t hear the beginning, has no idea what— 

“Aiden?” 

Even better. Leo knows he wasn’t listening. 

“M’sorry.” It’s barely a whisper. He tries to clear his throat but still can’t seem to swallow around the lump there. Tears well in his eyes again. He doesn’t see how he can possibly recover any part of this exchange. 

Leo places a hand on the countertop between them and he flinches. 

Fucking flinches and he’s not even within reach.

“Mm’sorry,” he groans, shaking his head. Pathetic. He hates— 

“Easy, it’s okay. You’re good—”

Aiden finally lets his eyes snap up to Leo’s. “No,” he whines, angry tears escaping to debase him further. “Mmm’not—m’not…I-I-I…mmm’can’t…I’mmm not…I can’t—” He’s on his feet and doesn’t remember standing. He backs away from Leo, grateful for once that his tears blur whatever look of disappointment or betrayal is on his face. 

He closes himself in the downstairs powder room and sinks to the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest. The flowers in the wallpaper stand silent vigil over his pity party. The wainscoting—Leo taught him that word—is painted a dark, muted green that matches the wallpaper. So much thought and care put into a tiny, insignificant part of the house. He likes this room. Probably because he didn’t—

No. Fuck. He presses the heels of his hands against his temples. Forces air into his lungs. Pulling it deeper and deeper even though his body fights him on it, wants to keep crying. This works though, he knows it works. It will stop if he just controls his breathing. 

All he wanted—all he wants—is to be better. It has to start somewhere. What was he expecting? A fucking dictionary like he’s some eleven-year-old in the fifties? Harrison took a scalpel to his literacy. He’s lucky he can even see. 

The worst part is not knowing if it was intentional or just an unplanned cherry on top of all the other pain Harrison caused. It doesn’t make a difference either way, the damage is done. You have to do the work, his father used to say. Never missed an opportunity to call his son lazy and entitled. There are no shortcuts in life. If he only knew. 

Aiden swipes his sleeve over his cheeks and rests his chin on his knees. He reaches out to run the tip of his pinky finger down one of the little grooves in the beadboard, paint smooth against his fingertip. He continues onto the baseboard beside him, instinctively flipping his hand to check for dust. Of course he finds none and only feels foolish for inspecting the cleanliness of Leo’s house. 

He hears footsteps in the hall and quickly pulls his hand back into his lap like he’s caught. But the door is closed. Closed and not locked, a distinction he owes Leo for the rest of his life after what he pulled. 

Leo stops in front of the door but doesn’t knock. Instead, it sounds like he settles onto the floor. There’s a weighted pause like he’s trying to figure out what to say. Aiden pulls himself into a smaller ball. He should be the one to speak first, to apologize for being such a brat. He—

One of the cards slides under the door. Pizza. He bites his lips together. 

Leo slides him another: Couch. Or sofa, he’s not sure which synonym the card reads, isn’t sure he could put his finger on the difference anyway. He flips it over and uses his fingers to cover all the letters except the first. They’re similar, aren’t they? In shape and sound? And now he’s not sure if he could match this curvy letter shape to the right word even if he could remember what sound it belonged to. 

Hot tears prickle in his eyes and he looks up, into the muted flowers above, to stave them off.  

Leo sends a third card through: Movie. He feels like he can almost read that one, can definitely say it. He whispers it into his hands just to prove he can.

It’s a question, all three. Pizza and a movie on the couch? He’s about to reach for the door when another card slips through the crack. Fire? Aiden looks up like he’d be able to see Leo through the door. Maybe it was just a mistake but the puzzle is enough to push him out of his self-imposed timeout. 

He opens the door without getting up. Leo’s still on the floor too and gives him a sheepish smile, hands buried in his pockets. He must have picked out the cards specifically to bring over here. “Look, kiddo—” 

“M-movie’s...good,” Aiden parses carefully. 

Leo exhales, obviously relieved. 

“But…what…why…?” He holds the one that doesn’t belong between two fingers. “Uhm…mmm—” Fire, fire, fire. It’s right fucking there. His grip starts to shake, his face growing hot from listening to himself stall out. “Mmm—f-f-f—fuck.” 

Leo puts a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you got the first letter at least.” 

He huffs something between a laugh and a groan, turning his head and dropping his chin onto the back of Leo’s hand. 

“Fire,” he supplies, gently. “We can burn those cards right now if you want.” He’s dead serious, of course he is. Aiden almost wants to agree for the selfish satisfaction of seeing Leo keep his word. Following through to the end just for him. 

“F-f—mmm…” 

“Fire.” 

“F-f-fire,” he grits out. “No…fire…mmm’yet.”

Leo rewards him with his favorite smile, the one that crinkles his eyes. The one that told him all he needed to know, even at the beginning before he fully understood. 

“You call the shots. Just your standard arson-free pizza and movie night it is.” 

“Thank…you…” He lays his cheek on Leo’s hand and immediately feels shy of the gesture even though Leo’s never once pushed him away. 

“Always, hon.” 

His stomach flips and he wants to melt into the floor. There’s no way he deserves this. “...m’sorry.” 

“Nothing to be sorry about. It’s all good.” Leo pulls him to his feet and wraps an arm around his shoulders to lead him back into the living room. Warm sunlight pours through the windows. 

“You tell me if you change your mind and I’ll get the kerosene.” 

Aiden bites back a smile and shakes his head. 

Leo’s not satisfied yet. “I’ll call the fire department for a special permit.” 

He rolls his eyes, hiding his grin with his sleeve even though Leo already knows he’s got him. 

“Seriously, air traffic to Logan will get all mixed up. They’ll see it from space.” Aiden huffs a laugh, tucking his face into Leo’s shoulder. Leo pulls him in for a proper hug. “You just say the word. I’ve even got a whole plan for destroying the ashes.” 

He smiles against Leo’s chest. The follow-through Leo puts into trying to get a laugh out of him might be his favorite of all. 

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