#nothing has really happened. though oh my fucking god in a hysterical turn of events my inconsistent period started like wtf

[mclarenyaoi]

dude wait it was transgender awareness week this whole time wtf. uhh. i started testosterone LOL

[rainydaymiddleearthimagines]

What a relationship is like with the Lord of the Rings men:

 Aragorn:

He’s adorable in a relationship, honestly. 

Very affectionate when it’s just you and him, or if you initiate some sort of form of affection first

He’s protective but not over protective

You wanna go out and fight too? Great, he’ll give you a sword and fight next to you

His pet names for you are “Darling” and “Love”

If you join the fellowship he’s definitely nervous about it

He’s worried the whole time about you being in danger, which to be fair you constantly were

But any time there was a battle, he was next to you, fighting side by side, ensuring you were safe

When he finally accepts his claim to Gondor, he will call you “ My Queen/King”

On nights you can’t sleep (unless your elven because from what I’ve read they don’t necessarily need sleep) he will sing to you or tell you stories of all the places he had been too or heard about.

He definitely will make you flustered when your with him on purpose.

He’ll flirt with you and you’ll just stand there with this red face and he’ll act like nothing happened. 

He is not a jealous man by any means, he trusts you with his whole being

His go to means of affection is kissing your knuckles or forehead.

I get the vibes that he adores fiercely independent people so he can sit back and watch you kick ass and be like “Look at what my baby can do” 

When he becomes king, you bet your ass you’re ruling next to him

He loves you to the ends of the earth

Legolas:

He absolutely adores you

VERY affectionate

Will call you pet names in elvish, whispering sweet little things in your ear

his go to means of affection is hugs from behind and holding your hands

You bet your ass that if you’re a human, hobbit or any non immortal race, he will give up his immortality.

He will teach you elvish if you don’t know it

His go to pet names are “Dear” and “My love”

He is very gentle, very loving

He’s extremely protective but that mainly stems from the fact that he has SEEN SHIT MAN.

If you want to fight, he will agree to it but he definitely will not like it

He’s not a jealous man at all, in fact other men’s advances kind of go over his head.

If you can’t sleep he will tell you stories that he’s lived through

Course, some of them are so exciting it defeats the purpose of sending you to sleep

He actually likes it when you go on adventures with him

He loves having you with him 

You definitely tease him for being thousands of years old. 

you love making him laugh

And he does that all the time because he gets to see that gorgeous smile.

Frodo:

The purest relationship. Ever.

He is very affectionate

EXTREMELY protective

He loves hearing stories of outside the shire and he loves sharing his experiences too

He loves hugs and my gods he is GREAT at giving them

He loves it when you play with his hair.

He is like Legolas in the sense that he definitely won’t be happy if you want to go into battle but he won’t stop you

He would prefer you to stay behind out of danger but again, he will not stop you if you want to go

his pet names are “Honey” and “Darling” 

He’s honestly so pure it hurts

There is a BIG difference in personality if you meet him before the events of Lord of the Rings

For one, he’s a lot more bubbly before 

When he comes back he clearly has seen some shit

Sad thing: When there’s a party he can’t hear screaming without thinking its a ring wraith so he has to leave early most times

You love him though and he DEFINITELY loves you.

Samwise: 

LOYAL. AS. HELL.

Has the sweetest personality

brings you flowers every other day

He is very adamant though about you staying behind on adventures, he will get frustrated if you end up going any way but he will not be able to remain upset with you

He also really doesn’t enjoy having to watch you run into battle

Danger in general, ESPECIALLY if it’s around you, terrifies him

You love hearing his stories, him telling you all about some of the crazy things he’s experienced

If you meet him before the events of Lord of the Rings, he will mainly tell you wacky adventures he got himself into with Frodo or Merry and/or Pippin

Hell, he does that even if you meet him after.

He actually refrains from telling you about life outside the Shire because it kind of gave him trauma.

His favorite forms of affection is kissing your knuckles

He will be that guy who works his ass off for you to be able to live comfortably

He loves you and will make sure you know that fact.

Calls you “my dear” or “Darling” 

Merry:

He’s a goofball.

Expect the unexpected. 

He will definitely do really crazy things to make you laugh

little bit of a prankster

By a little bit I mean: He’s a chaotic little shit

He loves you so much though and knows where to draw a line

He LOVES it when you want to go off and do shit

You wanna fight? Great, he’s charging with you

Wanna randomly dance in the woods? He’s dancing with you

He loves spending time with you 

He is SO loyal, always by your side

Watch someone try to separate you, he will kick their ass

He loves dancing with you

His favorite form of affection is holding your hand

Something about it is just so nice

He loves you so much, honestly he could spend HOURS gushing about you

Pippin and Frodo are always over for dinner, along with Sam

They love being around you two, watching their friend be so happy 

He calls you “Love” and “Dear”

He loves cooking for you, mY GODS HE LOVES IT

Pippin:

Like Merry, massive goofball

little more of a crackhead though

He is less of a prankster, more of a cracking jokes kind of guy

He’s totally a goofball and will do all sorts of  things to make you laugh

you genuinely love him and he adores you to pieces

if you meet him after the events of Lord of the Rings, he’s definitely more serious but not by too much

He’ll have a few moments where he’ll space out and you’ll have to tap him to get his attention

He clearly suffered so much trauma while on that trip

He definitely becomes more serious after everything

Yeah, he’ll crack a joke here and there but he’s definitely changed

He doesn’t mind if you want to go off and fight, but you bet your ass he will charge with you like Merry

He loves watching you be a badass

You love hearing the hysterical adventures that he’s gone on with Merry

He loves watching you sing and dance

he will sing to you on nights that you can’t sleep

His voice is hella soothing

He loves playing with your hair

He actually has a talent for making flower crowns

Boromir:

He absolutely adores you

piggyback rides while on adventures are definitely a thing

he loves making you laugh in slightly tense situations

Giant Spider pops out? His ass looks at it and then you “Why can’t we ever encounter giant butterflies?” and then charge like he said something inspirational that motivated him into battle

He doesn’t mind if you want to fight, he’ll just guard you the entire time

He’s fiercely protective over you

He loves being affectionate

Very attentive

Cold?

His cloak will be wrapped around you

Tired?

He’ll carry you

Sick?

He’ll take care of you

He loves you so much

He is kind of jealous. 

It’s not that he doesn’t trust you, he doesn’t trust other people. 

He loves calling you “Princess/Prince” or “Sweetheart”

You love hearing about his life in Gondor

When he dies... oh gods

It breaks you

If you went with the Fellowship you were inconsolable 

His family gives you the horn of Gondor because they all are aware of him loving you

You two sadly have a bit of a tragic love story

Faramir:

Affectionate as fuck

Loves hugs, always has his hand on you in some sweet way

He loves you so much

He was always kind of the overlooked son so when he presented you as “Hey this is the woman/man I love” no one except Boromir notices

Boromir always looked as you as a sister/brother after that, loving the way his brother looked at you with so much adoration

He does not mind you wanting adventure one bit, so long as he’s charging next to you

He does not give a shit about a claim to the throne either

royal life does not suit this man as much as the adventure’s life does

He loves you so much

He is sort of reckless in battle and that worries you

it gets worse after Boromir dies

When you thought he died you were hysterical

Then Pippin made the observation that he was still alive

His father wasn’t hearing either of you

Then he turned out to be alive and you were so happy

Scolded the crap out of him for worrying you

You two love each other till the end

Gimli:

loves a woman/man who can hold their liquor

Oh he’s a complete crackhead

loves telling you stories of dwarven life

you love his wild stories

You keep his mind open

If your an elf he will refuse to be in love with you for a while

Oh you definitely have a kill count thing going on with him

He gets flustered when he sees you being a badass

He ain’t stopping you from doing SHIT

Wanna run into battle? Great, he’s supplying the swords and charging too

Wanna join the fellowship? He’ll complain about having to save another woman’s/man’s ass 

And then later get saved by you

He definitely enjoys watching you in battle

He loves hearing stories of your homeland

sure maybe your life isn’t as exciting but he loves hearing about your life

He’s not big on affection but if he’s excited, hugs. 

He also isn’t big on nicknames but he typically calls you “Lass”

He loves hearing you laugh

He says it’s like music

[alreadyblondenow]

Cupid in love

Pairing: Cupid!Jaehyun x female!reader

Genre: SMUT, FLUFF, angst?

WC: 3,150k

Warnings: FANTASY GALORE. rough break up sex, unprotected sex, slight nipple play, swearing, mentions of other idols

A/N: NOT PROOFREAD. I’ll fix it once I have time.. For NCT-WRITERS Cafe Resonance

—————

Walking around the mall alone and witnessing yet another beautiful, and successful Valentines Day for the year of 2021 and you’re the only person in the world who knew the man behind this beautiful day.

“Alone during Valentine’s day Y/n? Jaehyun hyung can’t come?” Mark, the waiter from the cafe asked you while he serves you your third round of your favorite warm drink. This is where you and Jaehyun first met, and you have been celebrating Valentines day for nearly three years here now just because Jaehyun can see all the lovers holding hands through that clear glass. All his hard work has paid off.

But tonight, he is already two hours late and you wonder why because he has never been late on Valentine’s Day.

“Uhm, Jaehyun will be a little bit late. Business trip. But I completely understand his schedule” you smiled and thanked him.

Of course you’re not sad that Jaehyun couldn’t make it on time this year. Maybe he got caught up with a little work an emergency perhaps? But you do hope that this is nothing serious.

Three Valentine’s Day ago

You were sitting quietly at Cafe Resonance with a warm drink on your side. Just admiring the happy couples that are enjoying the day with flowers, sweets, and different kinds of surprises. It was a normal day for you, but not until a very handsome man sat in front of you on the other side of the table. Giving you three pieces of Cafe Resonance’s Valentine cookies.

A cupid in his human form. Came out to play and enjoy his day for his own selfish needs. The gods forbade Jaehyun to celebrate his own day so he could stay pure like the god that he is and remain sinless and worthy. But the young cupid is full of passion and curiosity that he took his chance to walk on Earth and make himself meet someone that can satisfy his physical wants.

“The cafe manager said that if I want someone to fall on love with me, I should give them a Valentine cookie” he said and flashed a very handsome smile at you. Knowing all too well that what the manager told him was complete bullshit, because no one can force love to happen with anyone but him.

At least that’s what he knew.

Your first encounter with Jaehyun was surprisingly refreshing and fun. You ate all the cookies that he gave and to be honest you only did that to show him that you’re interested with him too, and also it’s not so bad to fall in love with someone like him. He’s nice, decent and well mannered. Though it’s pretty obvious that he’s after for some Valentine’s sex, and you have no problem with that.

At the end of the day, the man made you scream in bed, fucked you on the wall and made you cum for more three times using his cock. He sure knew how to fuck, you thought.

But the bitter feeling and ugly thought of waking up without him by yourself the next day is something you don’t want to happen so even though you’re dead tired from the sex, you try si hard not to sleep yet and make the best of this moment by asking too much questions to him that he likes answering.

Was the valentine cookie from Cafe Resonance real? Is it really possible for you to fall in love with a stranger?

“Go sleep. I promise I’m still here when you wake up” he said.

And he kept his promise not only the day after Valentine’s Day, but also for the next few weeks. Who would expect that a cupid who just wanted to have fun during his day, wasn’t so immune with love after all. And who would expect that he’s willing to be punished by the gods because of you? But what amazes Jaehyun the most, is how you fell in love with him. Because even as a cupid, he didn’t made you like him or used his powers for his selfishness.

Either way, he still refused on believing that the Valentine cookie was real and effective. Such kind of love mustn’t be tolerated he thought.

Life with Jaehyun was sweet and real. Too beautiful to ruin. That’s why when Jaehyun said that he’s leaving, you didn’t take it lightly which soon lead to your first fight.

Jaehyun didn’t have much of a choice but to tell you the truth. Even though you just laughed at him when he finally said the words, he secretly hoped that you’d still understand because he believes that you love him.

“I don’t have a choice Y/n. I’ve been away for months now. I am neglecting my duty as a cupid, by this time the happy couples that we saw during Valentine’s day could have broken up already because I’m not around” he explains frustratedly.

“So you’re saying that you’re the cupid and couples can break up because you’re not around. Because you’ve been busy being happy with me?”

“Yes” he answered weakly and reached for your hand to kiss it. Promising you that he will come back and find you. “It’s just for a year. I’ll sort everything out and I promise I’ll give the love that you deserve”

And as Jaehyun left you as soon as the truth was revealed, you let him leave you with a big doubt and judgement in your heart. Is he secretly married and you’re a mistress now? Have you done something wrong to make him leave you like this? And these ugly thoughts ran thru your mind for months and months during his absence.

During your wait for Jaehyun’s return, you decided to move on and just date anyone to forget everything about Jaehyun. But every time that you plan a date with someone, the set date will be either cancelled or the guy won’t show up. Little did you know that Jaehyun is the man behind those unfortunate events. Secretly watching you from a cloud above you, guiding you towards patience until he returns and win your heart again.

It was not easy for Jaehyun to see you like this, purposely forgetting everything about him like he was just a dream to you. He can’t let that happen, for he knew that what you have is love.

On the next Valentine’s Day, you can’t believe who showed up in your doorstep. He didn’t change a bit, and neither his feelings for you.

“Can I come inside?” the cupid asked nervously.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but seriously what are you doing here Jae?”

“I told you I’d come back right? I’m here now, and we don’t have much time-“

“I have a boyfriend now so please leave me alone”

“That’s a lie. I know everything about you, I’ve watch you every day from above for a whole year. Please just believe me. Don’t push me away, I kept my promise didn’t I? I’m here now”

And the thought of Jaehyun keeping his promise was enough for you to welcome him in but your heart is still cold and broken because of what happened from the past.

As you and Jaehyun sit and have a decent conversation, he showed his wings which is enough proof to believe him that he really is the cupid. You were speechless for hours, and your apartment’s for corners was suffocating you so Jaehyun decided to have a walk with you.

He wanted to hold your hand like every couple he sees now. He wanted to whisper how much he misses you and loves you. Ironic isn’t it? He’s the cupid who spreads love on Earth but he can’t have love for himself.

“So how old are you?” you finally spoke. Those were your first words after seeing his wings, and that was four hours ago.

“Human age is 25, but cupid age... I have no idea but let’s say almost 127 years old? That’s still young in cupid years” he smiled and let out a small laugh. Completely missing that you’re shocked to the core upon hearing his age. But now that you know more truths about him, the normal thing you would do was react hysterically and make him leave you alone. Surprisingly, you wanted to hear more about him. To hear more about the truth.

“Tell me more?” You said shyly, slowly reaching for his hand for you to hold and hold it tightly. Oh you missed him.

He smiled so big and reached in for a kiss on the forehead before he tells you more about him and to what he do. The simple walk turned into a date, and of course he brought you to Cafe Resonance to celebrate your reunion and basically your first year of knowing each other. And when you got back to your apartment, he immediately brought you to your room and fucked you all night in different positions.

“When are you going to leave?” you asked while drawing circles on his chest and savouring his warmth.

“Tomorrow” he answered weakly and tightens his embrace, “I can’t be away from duty like what I did last year. The gods might not let me see you if I continue to be stubborn”

“It’s sad. But I understand, and at least now I have something to look forward to”

Three Valentine’s Day later

Thru the years of being together, even when you don’t see each other everyday, Jaehyun always finds a way to show his love for you thru unexpected things. Big or small.

Like during your birthdays, he always sends gifts to you with sweet and short notes. Or like whenever you wake up on your side of the bed and see a feather on his side of the bed. That simply means he’s always with you, like an angel.

This year’s Valentine’s day marks your three years if staying in love with each other, and you’re more than excited with seeing him today. But given that he was hours and hours late already, you decided to call it a day and go home to rest. Maybe he will come by the next day? Nonetheless, you still believe that he will do everything just to be with you.

Three days later, he’s still nowhere to be found and it’s weird how you can’t feel him watching you anymore. What is happening?

“Hi Y/n” Mark greeted you with his normal cheerful aura. “Were you and Jaehyun supposed to meet? You completely missed him. It’s weird actually, he came here not have some coffee but instead he had a talk with the manager”

“Uh- yeah, sorry. I guess I’ll see him at home then,” you answered awkwardly and forgot the cake that you purchased.

When you came back to your apartment, finally you see his unique figure standing by the window and staring blankly at the sky.

“I thought you forgot about me, are you okay? Jaehyun?” You hugged him from behind and kissed his broad shoulders.

“Sorry about that, how are you?” He turned around and return the hug and kisses. Saying that he’s really sorry for leaving you hanging on a very special day.

“I’m fine. What happened? Is there something wrong? You look troubled” you asked, but he didn’t answer your question but instead he kissed you deeply and motioned you towards your bedroom, making a trail of discarded clothes on the floor.

And once you landed on your bed, Jaehyun immediately went on top of you and kissed your neck, all the way down to the valley between your boobs while kneading them and sucking them. His breathing was heavy and you quickly noticed it. You wanted to make him stop and make him talk, but you’re too late.

He already spread your legs wide and positioned himself between your legs, kneeling in front of you so handsomely as he starts touching your pussy with his thumb. Up and down he makes you wet and sensitive, not to mention he was really gentle and slow. At first you thought he was going to fuck you already, but to you surprise he put his two fingers inside you and came closer to you again, to suck your nipples and bite them softly until he’s satisfied.

Swollen and sensitive, that’s how he left your nipples and starts lining his cock on your entrance, slowly pushing in his cock. “Fuck” he comments with a grunt. Putting every inch of his thick and veiny cock inside of you, moving his hips slowly. His head rests on the crook of you neck, his breath tickling you but all you can do now is moan.

Moan and keep him close with your arms wrapped around his frame. And when you whispered “I love you, Jaehyun” that instantly melted his heart and fucked you even more deliciously. But he also wished you didn’t say it to him because now he knows your love is not real. Cafe resonance put you in a spell and only your true love can break it.

He got up from his comfort close to your body and got a hold on your hips, slightly lifting it so he could fuck you harder and so he could see your boobs bounce up and down, grip it whenever he wants to, pinch it whenever he wants to and suck it whenever he wants to.

Suddenly, he pulled out completely only to push back in a little harsher that your head hit the head board. He did it again. Making you hiss with the stretch from your cunt, but the pleasure is driving you insane. He then started to lick your neck and chest, pinning your arms on your side while he fucks you harder. Your moans became louder and you started gripping the sheets and just stop fighting the feeling, and accepting the intensity of every thrust Jaehyun gives you.

“Why are you so rough tonight?” You asked with ragged breaths, toes started curling, and you begged him to go slower because you don’t want to cum yet but he didn’t listen.

He made you cum for the first time tonight and it wasn’t anything you’ve ever had before. You gripped the pillow so tight, moaned his name weakly, and let you shiver and curl beneath him while his hands still roams around your body, his cock still inside you and he hasn’t cum yet, a sign that he is not yet done with you.

Little did you know, he’s scanning every inch of you, engraving your beauty while you’re naked in his mind. For this is your last night together.

“I wanted to talk-“

Jaehyun started talking but to his surprise you voluntarily move your hips and started fucking yourself. He was sure he made you weak already and fucked you hard, how is possible that you still wanted to go for another round? But he wasn’t complaining, in fact he loves the image of you fucking yourself and using him to go off.

“That’s right baby, fuck me. Go deeper” and so you followed what he wanted, after all you’re not doing this for your own pleasure, you’re doing this because you wanted him to cum too.

With widely spread legs and bouncing tits, you moved your hips up and down while Jaehyun is kneeling in between your legs and you have a complete view of Jaehyun’s fucked out face. Eyebrows furrowing, parted swollen pink lips, chanting your name over and over again and telling you how much he loves what he’s seeing and feeling.

“Oh fuck Y/n, you feel so good”

“Fuck baby”

“Go slower, I don’t want to cum yet-“

But you didn’t gave into his request simply because he didn’t go slow earlier with you. So you moved your hips faster, up and down and put on a show for him by kneading your boobs in front of him and pinching your sensitive nipples to make yourself clench around him.

In a matter of seconds, Jaehyun’s hands are around your rib, perfectly placed under your boobs, and your legs are folded so he could go deeper. He took over until he’s finally shooting his warm, thick cum inside you. Satisfied for what you’ve done to him because he landed on top of your body, so weak and his legs are still shaking.

Too tired to clean the cum dripping from your hole, too comfortable in Jaehyun’s arms and presence that you never want to let go.

On the next day, you woke up quite late and you’re all alone in your cold bed. Though you’re completely cleaned and dressed, maybe Jaehyun took care of you last night before he leaves.

Scanning your apartment for something Jaehyun left, a small note or a flower placed somewhere... but you didn’t find anything. He usually leaves with a promise of seeing together again. Maybe he forgot?

When Jaehyun found out the truth about that Valentine cookie, he immediately hated himself for giving it to you and being the root of his heartbreak right now. He needs to fix this by looking for someone that will love you despite still having his effect on you. He’s positive that once your true love showed up, you will completely forget and move on from him.

It’s weird how this year, all you did was feel an unexplainable pain in your chest. A year full of pain and you dont know where your heartbreak is coming. Not to mention, Jaehyun hasn’t been making you feel his presence lately. That’s why you feel so lonely.

6 months have already passed since the last time that you saw him. And suitors always comes in the way, and you wonder how and why because you knew Jaehyun would get rid of them.

And as months passes by, you continue to fool yourself and still believe that Jaehyun will come back to you. Even tho you felt nothing from his presence the whole year.

Until finally, you received a note from him on Valentine’s day 2022.

Go to Cafe Resonance tonight -JH

And so you did, with a big smile on your face and with a new dress you bought specifically for this occasion. You waited for his arrival, looking at your watch every minute... but he never came. Instead, he sent you another note given bu the manager of Cafe Resonance.

“I’m sorry Y/n,” Manager Chenle said handling you the note that contains the saddest news you’ve ever received.

But just before you could open the note, someone sat in front of you and asked permission to share the table with you because everywhere else is full.

“Yes its fine,” you said without even looking at him and proceed to minding your own business. Reading Jaehyun’s last note to you that says.

He is a good man, full of love and has a heart of gold. He is the one destined for you, not me. The love I can give to you, has no match to what he can give to you. I’m sorry.

“By the way I’m Johnny”

The man reached out his hand for you to shake, smiling so handsomely at you. It’s weird how your heart instantly skipped a beat. Jaehyun how could you do this to me.

[anna-pixie]

Hello !!! Can I have Geralt x reader? Reader has been so caught up in her work that they forget to eat. They get extremely lightheaded and stumble a little. Geralt steadies them and he is worried (and mad) when he finds out they forgot to eat. While he is making food they faint and land (luckily) on something soft. When he's done, he comes back , at first he thinks that they're just laying down but he kinda freaks out when he realizes that reader is unconscious????? THANK YOU

i am SO sorry this took so long, i’ve had the worst writers block recently! 🥺

i really liked writing this request and if you like it i would love to turn this into a little series maybe!

request: reader has been so caught up in work they forget to eat. geralt is worried (and mad) while he is making food they faint and land on something soft, he freaks out when he realises they are unconscious.

pairings: geralt x reader

warnings: swearing, slightly suggestive tones

****

To say Geralt was over-protective of you would be a vast understatement. You’d met more or less a year ago, when he pretty much saved your life. You had just been kicked out by your father, for refusing to marry the fat, greasy suitor he had decided was worthy of your hand. A life on the streets doing whatever you please would be better than being married to a disgusting hog, right? Well, kind of. The harsh reality of living on the streets slapped you in the face like a bolt of lightning.

You were growing wearier by the day, coming closer and closer to facing your final option other than starving to death. Prostitution. You knew it would keep you going, but you’d seen the way those horrible men would manhandle and devour the painted ladies.

You met Geralt the night you almost gave in. You sat in the back room, glaring at your painted face with tears pricking your eyes. The lady of the brother called your name, a shriek in her voice as she commanded you to come down. She had a client ready for you.

Long story short, that client was Geralt. He took you up to his room for the night, taken aback when you started crying hysterically when he approached you. You had expected him to hit you, tell you to stop being a bitch or even just force himself on you there. Instead he ran you a bath, left you to calm down and then took you under his wing, whisking you away on Roach for a life on the road.

You like to think that was the Gods smiling down on you, meeting Geralt was the best thing that ever happened to you. Of course, life on the road was no breeze. Your new life was filled with monsters, hunger, travel and death. But you wouldn’t change it for anything.

The past few days had been particularly tough, you had been camped out in the forest while Geralt came and went, going after a particularly nasty wraith. You had been alone for the last day, and you were too afraid to venture out of your tent alone with the exception of relieving yourself, so food had not been at the top of your priority list.

However, now that you’ve started the long walk to the nearest town, you realise how stupid you had been. Your head is spinning and you feel slightly delirious, your stomach screaming at you to feed it. Luckily Geralt is a few paces ahead of you with Roach, and the sound of a nearby stream drowns out any of the rather embarrassing noises your stomach is making.

You stop a while later, and Geralt makes sure you drink a hearty amount of water from the stream. He leans against Roach and watches you, your cheeks flushing as you slurp the water.

“Do I have something on my face?” You’re paranoid now, he won’t stop looking.

“You’re about to.”

“W...what?” You barely have any time to question before he is striding up to you, grasping your face and planting his lips on yours. You relax, smiling into the kiss as he takes his time to savour you.

Geralt is not your boyfriend by any means. Sure, you kiss occasionally. Sometimes he can’t seem to help himself, but you draw that up to just needing a bit of female attention on the road. You never let him go further though, as you know that will bring unwanted feelings. You see the way Geralt is with women, a different one in every town - sometimes even more than one. You don’t want to become that to him, just another body to have his way with. So you stick to kissing. And, oh Gods is he good at it.

You hit his chest lightly, blinking quickly as you stumble to the side slightly. Your vision blurs suddenly and you place your hand on Geralt’s large arm, trying to steady yourself.

“Y/N? Y/N!” He shakes you lightly, looking down at you with furrowed brows as you start to regain your vision.

You shake your head a little, plastering a smile on your face, “Sorry. I don’t know what happened there. I felt a bit faint…”

“You practically passed out, Y/N. Gods, you didn’t have any breakfast today, is that why? What did you eat yesterday?”

“Umm…” You stall, trying to think of a way to tell Geralt that you in fact haven’t eaten, “Nothing…” You regret telling him almost immediately as his face drops, his eyes going dark. You know how angry he gets when you don’t take care of yourself, and you guess that’s why he feels like he has to do it for you.

“Fuck…” He groans, dragging the word out as he walks towards Roach, grumbling quietly to himself. He takes the reins and brings the confused horse over to you, “Normally I wouldn’t let more than one person ride Roach but I can’t risk you passing out and falling off if I’m not on there with you.”

He grabs you quickly underneath the armpits and you shriek in surprise as he lifts you onto the horse with ease. You whisper an apology as your fingernails lightly scratch Roach’s neck. He climbs up after you and you blush at how close his body is. You can feel everything, you’re practically sitting on his lip. You ignore the unladylike thoughts swirling in your brain and focus on staying awake for the rest of the ride to town.

“How long left?”

“Shouldn’t be long. Blaviken is not too far but… obviously… we need to travel a few towns over.”

“Aah. Okay.”

You make idle chat for the rest of the way, though it is mainly you chatting about any old thought that pops into your head, and Geralt grumbling along. At some point he had wrapped his arms around your waist, one resting on your thigh and the other on your waist. Gods, is he trying to make this hard for you?

The rest of the ride isn’t too bad, your vision spots in and out of black a few times but you try not to bother Geralt with this information. You spend your time brushing your fingers lightly through Roache’s main, trying not to distract her too much. You let out a sigh of relief when you finally reach the next town, probably looking like a mage out of her mind as you grin sleepily as you pass people by.

You stumble a bit as Geralt lifts you off of Roach, but deflect his concerned glance with a wry smile, telling him your leg was dead from being idle for so long. Wow, you’ve gotten so good at lying. You leave him to sort Roach out in the nearby stables while you wander inside the warm tavern, scrunching your nose at the inviting scent of sweat wafting around the room. Your transaction with the owner is quick, you’re used to it now after months on the road. You place an order for meat with all the trimmings, knowing you had a bit of coin left over from being camped out for a few days.

“Sorry, love, we ain’t got no meat left. I can rustle you up some potatoes if you’re desperate.”

You sigh, biting your lip as you eye the man near you devouring his piece of meat, your stomach groaning desperately. Alas, you smile kindly at her and assure her that it’s fine, you’ll just take the room for now.

You smile, shaking your head once more as you enter the room, realising that you’ve been given a double bed to share. You will never admit this to Geralt, but you secretly love it when you have to share a bed. You had never been one to enjoy physical touch a lot, but the way Geralt’s large arms would hold you in his sleep, gripping you tightly like he’s scared you’ll leave, well it just makes your heart melt.

Sitting on the bed, you focus on trying to stay awake whilst you wait for Geralt. This is in vain, however, because your head starts spinning almost instantly. You whisper a quick ‘fuck’ before all you can see is darkness, falling down onto the bed with your back facing the door.

Geralt smiles as he spies you on the bed when he enters the room a few minutes later, assuming you’re napping. It had been a long day after all. He starts to run a bath for you, a sort of tradition between the two of you since the night you met. As he listens to the running water, he sits at the small table in the corner of his room, his legs spread as his hulking form takes over the small wooden chair.

“Come on, you.” He nudges you slightly once he has finished preparing your bath. Usually when he wakes you from a nap you groan, mumble and drool before glaring at him angrily. Not this time, though. You don’t move at all, and Geralt starts to panic quickly as he remembers the events of earlier that day. He turns you over, your unconscious body lolling like a ragdoll in his strong arms. He shuts his eyes with a groan, realising he is going to have to shock you awake.

You wake with a squeal, thinking for a second you might be drowning. Your vision is bleary for a few seconds as you try to gather your surroundings, only calming down when you hear Geralt’s low, soothing voice talking you through things.

“You can’t scare me like that, Y/N.” Geralt is holding your face now, brushing a strand of wet hair out of your face. You realise he must have dumped some ice water on you to wake you up.

“I thought tough old Geralt of Rivia wasn’t scared of anything?” You tease weakly, closing your eyes once more as a wave of fatigue slams over you. He slaps your face lightly, ensuring you don’t pass out again. You meet his eyes once more, slightly shocked at the sheer seriousness of his expression.

“Not when it comes to you. You’re the only thing that keeps me going in this world, Y/N. You have to understand that I might not always be here. I need to know that you can take care of yourself, okay? For me.”

You tilt your head so that you’re leaning further into Geralt’s hand, his thumb brushing over your cheek. He leans forward, kissing your forehead quickly as he gets up.

“Where are you going?”

“I bumped into Jaskier earlier, he’s passing through this town with his newest whore. I sent him to get us some meat. We’re not sleeping until you’ve eaten. Got it?” Sometimes you like to tease Geralt, just to get a reaction from him. This was not one of those times. You look at him through your lashes.

“Got it.”

Jaskier is as happy as ever, humming a tune whilst the three of you dig into your food. You try to remain ladylike as you eat but can’t help scoffing down the hearty chunk of meat you were served.

“You should’ve seen Geralt before, Y/N.” Jaskier cackles, shrieking suddenly when Geralt serves a swift kick to his shin.

“What do you mean?” You eye Geralt suspiciously, placing your hand on his thigh so that Jaskier can explain without the fear of being kicked again.

“I was enjoying my… company… downstairs, shall we say. Then all of a sudden this buffoon comes running down the stairs, shouting about a jug of cold water. So of course I followed him, and all I could see before he kicked me out of the room was him pacing around - I kid you not, Y/N, he was praying to the Gods - and then he chucked the jug of water on you.” You can’t help but giggle at Jaskier’s dramatic retelling of the events, awwing slightly when you see Geralt’s bashful face.

Turns out even emotionless Witcher’s can freak out when something they care about is in danger.

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS | CHAPTER 5

Rating: Explicit.

‼️TW: Reader is EIGHTEEN! Recreational drug use, smoking and alcohol consumption, deeply internalised self-loathing, very questionable moral standards. Daddy kink taken half-seriously. BDSM themes in later chapters - explicit content will come with it's own TWs. FIRST PERSON POV.

Summary: You're Peter's classmate, a child of rich and famous but uncaring parents. Getting paired up for a lengthy project with the boy was an interesting turn of events and you don't know whether to feel blessed or cursed when you develop, seemingly, a perfectly normal, harmless crush on Tony Stark. Fueled by feelings of inadequacy and boredom, your life spirals out of control - and you're lucky your newfound friends are there to pick up the pieces even if you cannot find it in yourself to believe these amazing human (and not so human) beings voluntarily give you more than a fleeting glance and an offhanded thought. And they brought cake!

A/N: Revenge is sweet but a well-timed dick joke is sweeter. xoxo gossip girl. Please supervise one Bucky Barnes on the internet. Questionable music taste. Detention is the price we pay for justice. Bruce Banner is too precious for this world, too pure.

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings @vozit​ @littlegasps​ @pilloclock​ @shereadsinquiet​ @downeyreads​ @hermione-grangers-wife​ @individualistfem​

Beta read by the lovely and patient @miscmarvelwritings ! 🎶🎵I love you biiitch ain't ever gonna stop loving you biiitch 🎵🎶

"Initiate phase one," I added a growly undertone to my whisper, holding my phone inconspicuously, as if I was making a simple phone call. There was no answer but I didn't expect one: I was testing the voice recorder app that I had downloaded for the sole purpose of documenting and relaying the inevitable fall of one Flash Thompson. 

Making my way through the crowd of students during the busiest time of the day, I made the most intrigued and outraged facial expression I possibly could. Spying my targets, I leaned against a nearby wall, putting a hand over my mouth in fake outrage, keeping my eyes wide and trained on the opposite wall. Just as I had predicted, the two sophomore girls started giving me side-eye by minute two of my staring and finally approached me as I contemplated the wall for whole five minutes.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" The brunette asked, her blonde friend hanging a step back.

"Yeah, totally," I mumbled. "I'm, like, shook beyond imagination, but nothing, like, bad."

The girls traded a curious look, seemingly coming to some sort of conclusion. The greedy gleam in their eyes had me internally cheering. "What happened?" The blonde one asked, coming closer.

"I'm not sure if I should tell that to anyone," I stammered, watching them bodily move forward. "Well, okay, I can't keep quiet. But you must never, ever speak of it or I'll get expelled or something," I said nervously. They both nodded so rapidly it reminded me of Funko Pop figurines. "You know the senior guy, Flash? Brown hair, kinda hot?" Again, they both nodded, conspicuously grinning. "I think I just saw him in the closed girls bathroom on the third floor with, like, some brunette from Ms. Johnson's History class," They both gasped. Predictable. "But that's not the worst! They were like, y'know," I made an obscene gesture with my hand and they instantly covered their own mouths with their palms in shock. "And the chick was like 'is it in yet?' and he was like 'yah' and I just closed the door and ran, oh my god I hope they didn't hear me," I squealed at the end, playing the part of a mortified teenager.

All three of us giggled uncomfortably for a moment. The blonde girl stared at me suspiciously. "And what were you doing there?"

I faked a nervous stammer, looking around briefly and showing them my lighter for a moment. They both gasped and nodded in recognition. "Don't tell anybody or my mom is going to have kittens," I pleaded. Both of them nodded solemnly, noticing their own group of friends approach. I used the brief moment to get lost in the river of pupils and by the time they turned around to introduce me, I was already at the opposite part of the hallway.

For the time being, everything seemed peaceful. There were a few giggles and side-eyes directed towards Flash Thompson but nothing out of the ordinary. He was disliked by most of the student population even if nobody dared to admit it outright. I took care to walk around without my earbuds for the day and pulled out my phone to record the most interesting conversations around me whenever I caught the tell tale signs of a gossip mill beginning to run its course around the school.

"Oh my god, I heard about this girl that was caught fucking Flash in the girls bathroom and she literally said 'is it in yet', can you imagine the shock, jeez!"

"Some chick literally just rejected Flash because his dick was too small."

"Rebecca from AP chemistry told me someone saw Flash's micropenis. Poor guy!"

"I wonder if his girlfriend dumped him because he can't do shit, I mean, he doesn't look like the type to eat the kitty."

Those were just the highlights of the Friday afternoon. Come the weekend and the news of Flash's unfortunate condition will make the rounds through every single group chat that the school has and by the time Monday rolls around, nobody will have a clue who started the rumour in the first place. I had to carefully select the girls who were to distribute the rumour and I was happy with the outcome: Marissa and Layla with their squad of chatty, bored rich girls were the perfect choice. I thought they would jump at any opportunity to cause drama and I was right.

It was sufficient to say I was bristling with pride as I cut and compiled the audio track from today's school day before sending it to the group chat.

Clint, Peter and Natasha appeared online as soon as the message delivered and I was delighted at their response. Romanoff's kind words, specifically, made me all warm and mushy inside. I didn't resist the feeling, basked in it even as I did a happy dance around my room. Peter's nonsensical string of emojis was another point of laughter for me. 

It wasn't exactly the smartest way to go about killing Thompson's reputation... Alas, simplicity is the way to success when it comes to large crowds of teenagers. That tiny little vindictive part of me was very much looking forward to the weekend and the results of the inevitable distortion of the rumour I had started. Who knew, maybe by Monday Flash Thompson would not only have a micropenis but horns and hooves as well.

Near bedtime, I had all the avengers send me their regards and thumbs up. I answered the flurry of texts as quickly as I could but there was no point in keeping up with ten or so people constantly streaming their questions, opinions and comments. 

I settled on a single easiest response: pulling my dad's old uni sweatshirt over my tiny lacy pajamas to preserve some modesty, I settled in front of my mirror, turning on my Bluetooth speaker to play "Boss Ass Bitch". In true gen-z fashion, I put on my best resting witch face and solemnly lip-synced to the song's eponymous chorus. My eyeliner was sharp enough to cut paper and my prismatic highlighter glittered enigmatically in the cold light of my blue lava lamp.

The response was, once again, delightful and I genuinely belly-laughed at the adults' attempts to meme after Peter. His blushy face emoji started a whole nother conversation that I didn't participate in but watched from the sidelines with glee, snorting every time his friends and mentors gently teased him about the very obvious crush he harboured on me. 

Seeing Peter starting to go absolutely nuts, I interjected with an offer (more like a dare) of a lip sync battle. He jumped on the bandwagon, immediately going offline to undoubtedly film an epic video of what I thought would be dorky-dancing to some hipster song. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a pre-recorded tik tok video of him and Ned fighting with lightsabers while mouthing the words to Fergalicious that played over the Imperial March.

Weirdos. I still followed him on the app, though, it was pretty funny.

Bucky interjected with a very well executed rendition of "Bring Me to Life": he was wearing his full Winter Soldier get-up, complete with an AK-47, dramatically serenading Steve who looked seventeen shades of done with his partner's antics. Wanda's following twenty second voice message consisted of nothing but pure hysterical laughter, summing up everyone's reaction to the video. Bucky was going to go viral one of these days...

Obviously, I had good competition and nobody else seemed to want to participate so I rearranged my surroundings a little bit and stood up at my full height and swapped the old sweatshirt for a cute crop-top hoodie. My thigh-highs were on display and with my make-up, I looked like a proper internet e-girl. I leaned against the mirror as I mouthed along to the song with my best interpretation of the famous Lucifer smirk, seasoned with a tiny bit of angelic innocence: "Doctor, doctor, give me the news, I got a bad case of loving you..."

Needless to say, I won the competition. Eventually Wanda joined in, looking menacing and ominous with her dark clothes and Natasha's red hair flashing somewhere in the background; even Tony did a round (AC/DC as his soundtrack of course) with one of his Iron Man suits but nothing beat my stunt and the reaction that it caused.

I had accidentally called out Bruce with the choice of my song and his teammates gave both of us a lot of cheeky comments about it. We relented and flirted with each other a bit as the conversation flowed into more mundane discussion; I said my good nights somewhere between Tony's bitching about the hobbies of my generation and my nightly skincare routine. The little green heart that I'd become accustomed to over the past few weeks greeted me just as I was about to lock my phone.

Bruce was really too precious for this world. My crush on him was different than the one on Tony, it mellowed out in comparison. I wanted him to hold me, to stroke my hair, to call me his darling and wrap me up in one of those dorky button-ups that he insisted on wearing in spite of Tony's unwanted, however very valid, fashion advice.

For all that's worth, the scientist probably knew or at least suspected and had the good grace to play along just enough to satisfy my deep need for attention... Without crossing any actual lines. It was frustrating, it was disappointing but I had virtually nothing to complain about. Besides, I didn't want to lose the quirky friendship that we had. Banner was, probably, the least judgemental person I knew and I wasn't about to trade that for an awkwardly stolen kiss.

Monday and Tuesday passed in a flurry of giggling and snorting every time Flash walked by. His girlfriend broke up with him, very publicly, accusing him of cheating and he didn't even deny it - just insulted her and stormed off, leaving even his friends looking lost and clueless. I started dragging Peter and his two pet nerds along with me just about everywhere I went in case Thompson decided to do something stupid again. If judging only by the looks he was throwing our little company, he was on his way to figuring out who began nibbling at his reputation.

The week was coming to an end and the rumour began dying off, slowly. That just didn't sit with me, I wanted the fucker gone. Due to the obvious time constraints, I approached MJ regarding Peter - after a brief argument, we came to an agreement regarding Peter's safety should I need to leave him alone in the hallways or at lunch. 

I needed to do this alone so if I got caught, I won't drag them down with me. Granted, I would probably get something like a suspension and the school will attempt to call my mother (she never picks up) but that's about it. That's where her reputation comes in handy-people consciously avoid dealing with her, she can be that unbearable.

But first, I needed to get a teacher that's on my side. After carefully considering the candidates, I settled on my Social Studies professor - he taught the college-level classes and was overall a very chill, nice dude. And he disliked bullies with a flaming passion. So it didn't take me long to work him into a righteous fury - just a quick chat over a cup of tea in his homeroom and a few pictures of Peter's bruised face, complete with my own pleading puppy eyes. We agreed Mr Davies would "accidentally" leave the teacher's lounge unlocked during third period and I would sneak in. The plan wasn't foolproof but if it worked, not only Flash, but also his whole misogynistic, bigoted family would go down.

As I was leaving, Mr Davies looked up at me with a bright smile: "Give them Hell, alright?" And I suddenly noticed he was, in fact, very attractive. The smile brought out the fine wrinkles around his mouth, the crow's feet around his eyes - he smiled a lot. Silver strands mixed in with the wooden brown of his hair.

I let my eyes slide over him briefly before baring my teeth in return. "I owe you one," I don't know what possessed me to say that. My mouth really had a mind of its own sometimes. The room suddenly became hot.

"Sure," He replied, totally oblivious.

On Friday, I made myself a small nest in the empty classroom opposite the teacher's lounge and sat waiting for the signal from Mr Davies - he'd tap on the door once and I'd quietly go inside the teacher's lounge, retrieve Thompson's file and make my way back to the empty classroom to grab my backpack and carry the file to my locker for further examination. 

The first part went successfully and I managed to snag Thompson's file. It was heavy and hefty, all the evidence of his rowdiness compiled into one flimsy plastic folder. There were A LOT of pink slips and I rejoiced internally: at least there was a paper trail of his exploits. The principal didn't do anything about it which was... If not against the rules then at least frowned upon; the plan was to take copies and anonymously submit them to the school board prompting at least an investigation into the blatant disregard for Flash's immoral and illegal behaviour.

On my way back I stumbled upon the principal herself which got me not only a stern talking to, but a whole detention for skipping class. Whatever, I was too elated from potentially ruining the life of a dumb fuck who ruined my friend's face.

Surprise came in the face of Mr Davies, who, having heard the commotion in the hallway, stepped out of his class and saw me being lectured by the principal. 

"I'll take her for the detention," I heard the familiar voice behind me. The principal nodded solemnly and I had no choice but to sigh in resignation. "Three thirty, be here," He nodded to me, walking back, looking way too smug for his own good. So I wasn't the only one excited about the successful completion of stage two of my nefarious plan. Cue evil laughter.

[starkerism]

Title: Kiss Me

Summary: Five times Peter and Tony almost kiss and one time they did.

TW: Mild dub-con, underage drinking.

First Time | Second Time | Third Time

The days that follow carry on like nothing happened.

Peter doesn’t know whether to be thankful or glad that whatever had happened in that corridor had been pushed aside, like it was some kind of weird fever dream. Mr Stark treats him just like he always has, minus the Peter-Parker-Shield act he’d had going on, for which Peter is thankful. They go back to bantering, huddled over projects in the lab together until Steve comes down and tells them to go to bed, eat, and for god sake, shower you two. 

It’s not all the same, though. Mr Stark has always been touchy-feely with everyone, back slaps and arms around shoulders. But now, his fingers dig into Peter’s shoulder and it makes his stomach throb or he’ll tangle his hand into Peter’s hair while he’s working and his fingernails will scratch his scalp lightly when he pulls away and it’ll send a numbing shock down his spine.

It’s driving Peter crazy, because it’s harmless touches here and there, and they’re setting his nerves alight. 

He smacks his cheeks, willing down the redness. He looks at himself in the mirror, brushing a hand down his silver suit and tussling his hair. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to attending these big charity events with the Avengers. 

Tonight was a ball, raising money for the people left homeless after the battle of New York. It was years ago and still, people were suffering from it. Peter remembered him and his aunt being relieved that their apartment had been practically untouched, minus a few cracked windows. The apartment block opposite was not so lucky.

With a final nod to his reflection, he leaves his room, the lights turning off as he closes the door behind him. He’d been living in the Avengers tower for a few years now. He smiles as he passes Steve’s room, which was next to his. He didn’t think he’d ever get over sharing a living space with Captain America.

The party is already in full swing by the time he makes it down to the hall, people dressed head-to-toe in sparkling gowns and smooth suits. He swallows down the lump in his throat, palms starting to sweat. He was usually okay in crowds, but when it’s all of these important figures, when his identity had only been out for a year, nerves overtook pretty fast.

“Peter Parker!” A voice booms over the music. He looks over to the voice and sees Thor by the bar, dressed in a slate suit. It always shook Peter to see a god walking around in human clothes but damn, did he make them look good.

“Thor!” He grins and heads over to him, grateful for the familiar face. Thor pulls him into a big hug, squeezing him tightly. Then he releases him and pushes over a tankard that was on the bar in front of him.

“Liquid courage for the young one,” Thor says, grinning. His eyes are a little unfocused - he’d obviously been drinking for a while. 

“I’d be careful with that,” Another voice says from his right. Peter turns and sees Loki, dressed in a similar suit to Thor. He hadn’t even realised he was there. “That’s not exactly suitable for midgardians.” 

Peter swallows, looking down at the golden liquid in the tankard. Shrugging, he picks it up and takes a sip, almost letting out a moan. It tastes like mint, it’s warm and smokey, and it leaves a little fizz on the back of his tongue.

“Oh my god,” Peter says, looking down at his drink. His mouth waters, begging for more. Loki presses a hand onto Peter’s shoulder and guides him onto the bar stool between him and Thor.

“It’s Aphrosia. It’s supposed to smell like what you heart desires most,” Loki smirks at him, inclining his head towards the mug. “Go on.”

Peter dips his nose towards the rim and inhales. It smells metallic, with hints of plain soap and whiskey. It should be an off-putting scent for a drink to have, but it just makes him want more. So he tips the liquid into his mouth, his nerves dissolving with every gulp, ignoring the small droplet of liquid that slips out of the corner and down his throat.

“Woah, woah, slow down, Spider boy,” Thor lurches forwards and pulls the mug away from his mouth. “Don’t wanna get me in trouble.” 

Peter licks his lips and laughs, cupping the mug in his hands. He feels pleasant now. Buzzing, numb, happy. He stares at the bar in front of him, thumb brushing along the rim of the mug where his lips had been. He notices Loki shift next to him and looks up, seeing the discomfort on his face.

“You okay?” Peter asks, edging closer to him. Loki casts him a conflicted look, one that tells him he isn’t sure whether to talk. He sighs.

“I’m at a ball designed to help the victims of my actions. It’s… unsettling.” He gazes around at everyone in the room, shoulders tense. Peter takes another few mouthfuls of the drink in front of him, resisting the urge to make pleased noises, and he can feel his head becoming lighter, the room around him unfocused in a pleasant way.

“Hey, you’re here, you’re trying. That counts for something,” Peter rests a hand on Loki’s knee and when he gains a tiny smile in return, he feels his heart swell with happiness. 

“I suppose so, Parker.”

“Enough of this!” Thor shouts over them, pushing his way between the two. He slides a tray over with a series of shot glasses placed on top of it, each one filled with a different bright-coloured liquid. He waves at them. “Let the games begin.” 

Peter stares down at the shots, having an inward battle about what he should do. He could be responsible Peter Parker and decline, go and make the rounds and discuss important matters with the upper-class people. Or he could sit here, have fun with his teammates, and let himself go for a while.

He decides not to be the good guy, for once, and lets himself spend time with the Odinsons. Something he’ll hate himself for later.

Each shot contains a  liquid that makes you feel and do things. He laughs so hard he cries when Thor gets one that makes him giggle uncontrollably, swears he can’t breathe when Loki gets one that makes him want to sing. Peter picks one that makes him act like a puppy, crawling around the floor on all-fours and Thor and Loki have tears in their eyes, trying to get Peter to stand up, judging gazes starting to watch the ruckus going on at the bar.

They drink the shots between chatting, being much louder than a fancy ball usually called for. Thor takes another shot, which makes him start half-lap dancing on Peter and Peter pushes him, laughing hysterically. The people closest to them start to move away, eyeing them up disapprovingly.

“Okay, I’ve been called over to mediate, which I told Pepper was a terrible idea, because I am not one to shut down a party. But we are getting some complaints.” Peter raises his misty gaze up to the person in front of them. It’s Tony, looking just as incredible as he always did in a perfectly-tailored, thinly checkered navy suit. 

“Mr Stark! Join us!” Peter shouts, much louder than he intended to, and pushes a shot into his hand. Tony looks down at the liquid and shakes his head, leaning forwards to place it back on the bar. Peter catches his hand before he can and holds Mr Stark’s hand in his, tipping his head back and pouring the dark red substance into his mouth. When he brings his head back down to meet Tony’s gaze, his hand is frozen in place, gaze hyper-focused on Peter’s mouth.

“Muscles, how much has he had?” 

Thor just shrugs and goes back to talking to Loki, who’s swirling round his drink with a finger that isn’t even touching the liquid. Peter wraps his hand around the tankard on the bar, ready to tip back the rest of the delicious alcohol that he’d had before the shots, when Mr Stark’s body practically covers his, his hand pressing into Peter’s.

“I think that’s enough,” He says sternly, looking back and forth between Peter’s eyes, a firm look in his gaze. Peter lets out a sigh, because really? The breath he lets out sends a wave of dizziness through him and he presses a hand to his head to steady himself. Maybe that last shot was a bad idea.

Nothing had happened yet, and it was confusing, because all of the other’s side effects had been practically instant. He can feel himself being pulled to his feet, off of the stool, but he’s too busy trying to keep the spinning room around him steady. The noise of chatting and music fades out and it’s jarring, so much so that Peter snaps into proper consciousness, realising he’s been pulled from the hall. Mr Stark has wrapped an arm around his shoulders and wow he has a hand on Peter’s hip, tight and firm.

And that’s when the effects of the shot hit.

It sends fire through Peter’s body, every inch of his skin alight, every point of contact with Mr Stark burning. Before he knows what he’s doing, he’s pulling away and grabbing the lapels of Mr Stark’s suit jacket in his hands and pushing him against the wall.

“Peter--”

Peter presses himself to Mr Stark, belt-to-belt, and dives in, pressing his nose to Mr Stark’s throat. He lets out a quiet moan, but it’s loud enough for Mr Stark to hear, because he stiffens.

“Smell so good,” Peter mutters into his neck, letting his lips brush the sensitive skin there. 

“Kid, Peter, I think--” Tony starts to protest and puts his hands on Peter’s shoulders to push him away. Peter grabs them and pins them against the wall, pressing back into Tony, their chest’s colliding with each other. Peter can’t help it, he needs to taste the warm skin that’s brushing against his lips, so he places his mouth over Mr Stark’s pulse point and sucks, licks, bites--

“Fuck, stop, stop, that’s…” Despite the protests, Tony’s body goes limp against his and Peter can feel the growl in his throat through his lips. He places a soothing kiss to the blooming bruise on Tony’s neck and that’s what seems to make Mr Stark snap, because he flips them over, pushing Peter against the wall instead.

He locks him in place with a hand to each shoulder, purposefully angling their bodies as far away from each other as he can. And fuck that look in Mr Stark’s eyes, his hair tousled, mouth hanging open and panting, the bruise on his neck bright against his tan skin.

“Stay right here. I’m getting Cap.” And then the hands that had been pushed against his shoulders are gone, and with it, Peter’s sense of balance. He slides down the wall onto the floor, watches Tony’s retreating back dazedly, a small smile dancing around his lips. 

And then he passes out.

tags: @carey-roza @starkerinthepark @darknessyuu @bipolarlatinx @sarahannexo @avaxxc @maybeitsstarker @tonystark-hank-harry-rdj @another-starker-hoe @eteeweete-grethan @starker-reader

[ayyoitsalex]

Chapter 10 - My Time To Shine

From the time I was seventeen I've been responsible for the meals prepared at the biggest holiday of them all; Thanksgiving. It's taken over as my personal favorite because I get to spend the day doing what I love, and what I do best. When it comes to me cooking for thanksgiving, my family has learned a few things. I know what I'm doing, don't distract me, and don't change my music. We got the week off from school, so I stayed up at my parent's house to get prepped for the upcoming event. Everyone was curious as to what kind of stops I was pulling out this year, but as always I wasn't saying. I'd come up with some new ideas I wanted to try out, and this was as good a time as any. When my siblings moved out I had my choice of which room I wanted to call my own. I picked Selena's room since it came with the best sunset views, and got the best night time breezes. When I got to be around sixteen I made the decision to paint the walls from the dark purple to a red. I hoped Selena wouldn't be too upset at what I'd done to her room. When I moved out, our parents kept the room relatively the same, but now there's not a bunch of clothes on the floor like I'm used to seeing it. I woke up early Tuesday with the task of doing the shopping on my mind. I called up my siblings to see which one of them could accompany me. Only Natalie was available, so I waited for her to come and pick me up.  Natalie unlocked the door and let herself in with baby Lexi in her arms. Before I could get up for a hug, she forced Lexi into my arms. "GOTTA PEE!" She screamed running to the bathroom. Lexi smiled at me as I held her close. "Your mommys so crazy Lexi. Did you know that?" "Yeah." She said laughing. Lexi can answer yes or no questions, but to whether or not she knows what it means remains to be seen. Natalie emerged from the bathroom looking relieved as ever. "Okay we ready?" She asked. "Yeah." Lexi said again putting her hands up. "Aha I guess that's a yes, let's get going!" I put Lexi in her carseat behind me. Natalie plugged in her phone and turned on the car. As the engine started the radio turned on. What came on wasn't music, but was some very intense whispering that sounded like it could be right in your ears. I gave Natalie a confused look before she practically slammed her hand into the off button. She fumbled around with her phone to put on actual music. "Um..what the fuck was that?" Natalie's face was turnning red. "Just some..patreon audio.." "What who's voice is that even?" "Dude it's so crazy it's this chick that does anime voices, but y'know makes them say bad things.." "Oh my god Natalie you're a freak haha." I palmed my face laughing hysterically. "Shut up! We all have our little things. This one just happens to be mine." "So..it's like audio porn?" "NO ABSOLUTELY NOT." She smacked the back of my head. "You little shit head.." "Ow!" "I am still your big sister y'know! Need to show me my respect!" We continued our drive to the store. When we got there  Natalie just followed behind as I pulled items into the basket. I was on a mission to get everything i needed. I didn't look back a few times, and at times lost Natalie through the crowd. "Elizabeth! Slow down a little!" When we finished checking out we went back home to put them all into the fridge. "Jesus how big is this turkey?" "Fifteen pounds." I answered looking through the vegetables, and looking through my checklist. "Can I just say I'm so glad you're good at cooking?" She hugged me. "Aha you could stand to mention it more often." The front door unlocked by Selena with her kids and Sam. "Helllo?" Selena called out for anyone home. "We're in here!" I answered. The kids rushed into the living room diving onto the couches. "Excuse me boys!" I stood there hands on my hips. Cole and AJ looked at one another before making their way towards me. I leaned down. "Hi aunt Liz." They said together hugging me, and kissing my cheeks on each side. "Love you guys." I smiled mussing up their hair as they walked back. "Well hey sister, excited for thanksgiving?" I turned to Selena. "Always! Gotta break out my fancy maternity pants so I won't lose a button." "Oh my god haha." I started taking out bowls to do as much prep work as I could before hand to make my life easier. That meant dicing up my mire poix, dry brining my turkey, making my compound butter, and cutting up bread for stuffing. My sisters both gathered around like I was doing magic, when I was just peeling vegetables. They continued looking on amazed as I chopped vegetables so easily and at times without looking. It might be stupid but it really does make me feel special. It's not that my sisters are bad cooks, I think it's just the fact that I'm going to school for cooking they think I have some more efficient way of doing simple things. Which I totally do.   "Lizzy are you sure you don't need any help?" Selena looked at me worried. I put down my knife and shook the aches out of my hand. "Yeah yeah I got it. You know me, I like doing it all." "Mm well if you say so. We can help too.." "I know I know, and I will need some help in the next couple days and maybe using you guys' ovens." "Jesus Liz what's all being made?" "Top secret!" Both Selena and Natalie rolled their eyes while I rubbed my hands together smiling devilishly. "Though if you really are set on helping these are some recipes you guys can do, and I made them as easy as possible." "Are you calling us stupid?! I HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE ELIZABETH!" Selena said faking getting mad. I rolled my eyes and went back to my cutting board. -Thursday- It's the big day and everything needs to go as planned or else I might kill somebody. I'm usually more go with the flow and easy going, but when it comes to cooking there is only one way to do things and it's my way. I was up around 5 am to start slow cooking some of the bigger proteins like the turkey and beef wellington I prepped the night before. Before putting the turkey into the oven I massaged the smoked garlic compoud butter underneath the skin. It's not the nicet feeling thing to do, but it makes a whole hell of a lot of difference down the line. I was still a bit sleepy, so I turned on the tv to wake me up a little. I flipped through the literal hundred of channels trying to find anything, but nothing was on. I turned on my newest favorite podcast and listened to "dead meat with James and Chelsea". I'm the only one of my family who is a huge horror movie buff. The only person I can get to go with me is Nathan, but he's not a addict like I am. Mom came down about an hour and a half after I did. "The only day I can expect you up this early." Mom laughed. "Well what can I say I love you all that much." I flashed a big smile to her. "Mm well happy thanksgiving my little head chef." She kissed the top of my head before going to get a cup of coffee. Nathan dropped by first around eight, and like the caring brother he is, he brought me breakfast. "Special delivery." He smirked handing me a bag of donuts. "Thanks brother!" I stuffed one in my mouth while giving him a hug. "Dinners gonna be ready about 4!" "Alright I'll have the girls all dressed and ready to see what you've come up with this year." "ITS FINNA BE LIT!" I smiled jumping up and down. "Right right..lit." Nathan not the one for today's slang terms. "Soph is making pies by the way!" Nathan said walking out the door. "Oh sweet! I knew I could trust one of you." -11 am- I was starting to get a little tired, but it wasn't anything I wasn't used to. I opened the fridge for the perfect remedy of an energy drink. I'd changed from my morning pajamas to a pair of jeans and my chef's coat to really feel the part. "Just like your father." Aunt Camryn said from behind me. I practically spit all over the fridge. "JESUS CHRIST." I put my hand over my chest. "I didn't hear anyone come in! My hearts like racing now." "Mm well thats from your lil energy nonsense. Drink coffee like an adult." "HUMPH. No coffees gross." "Peasant." Aunt Camryn muttered sipping her coffee. I turned my attention to the stove where I had potatoes, pasta, and stuffing working. Aunt Camryn peeked over my shoulder to see what I was working with, but I shielded her off. "No peeking!"  I practically shrieked as aunt Camryn took a step back. "Good lord Elizabeth you're not re-inventing the wheel here." "This is the one time I get to show out and I want to surprise. So please shoo." I even gave her a little hand wave motion.  Aunt Camryn looked like she was about to smack the life out of me. Mom walked in probably saving my face. "Nicole! She just told me to shoo!" She couldn't believe my audacity. "Haha c'mon Camryn leave Elizabeth to do her thing. You good here sweetie?" "Yeah I got it mom." She winked at me before guiding aunt Camryn into the other room. Selena walked in carrying trays of appetizers to appease guests while I finished cooking. "Well how's it coming along baby chef?" Selena smiled giving me a hug. "Everythings on schedule for 4 pm dinner." "Awesome, well I brought something special for you sincey you're being so great." She rummaged through the bags and pulled out a bowl of macaroni and cheese. It's my ultimate comfort food, and Selena would always make it for me when she would babysit. "YESS!" I ripped off the saran wrap and dug right in. I forgot I even had a hunger need until the first bite hit. "See not the only one who can cook. I also made more for dinner later for an extra side." "See you're helping!" I said like I was talking to one of her boys.   "Funny." Selena looked at me arms crossed. I got up and gave her another hug and kiss as a thank you. Although I didn't wipe my mouth enough so Selena had bits of cheese on her. "*sigh I expect things like this from my kids, not my adult sister." She pulled out wipes for her face.   "Oh! I have stuffing in that tray that needs to be finished off, can you do it in your oven please?" "Yeah sure, anything else?" I took a minute to run through the list in my head. "There's a tray of biscuits that need to be baked there. They're all portioned out, just put them in at 375, and brush the butter on top when they're done." "YES CHEF!" Selena saluted to me smiling. "Damn right yes chef!" "Okay we'll be back around 3." I pulled the turkey and beef at the same time to let them rest. The smell was absolutely intoxicating, roasted garlic, lemon, parsley, and bacon. It all was coming out the way in envisioned it. Mom helped me get all the serving plates while dad and uncle Logan set the table. Aunt Camryn "supervised" along with her glass of wine. My siblings all began to arrive with their families, so I stood at the door awaiting my tolls from the kids. "Happy thanksgiving auntie Liz here this is for you!" Daisy smiled happy as always. She hugged me tight and handed me a card she made of her handprint drawn into a turkey. "Thank you Daisy!" I squeezed her tight before moving onto the next in line. "What you got for me Julian?" I smiled down at him. He didn't say anything at first going straight into the hug. "Love you auntie Liz." AJ and Cole were next. "I wonder which of you loves me more..?" I said twiddling my thumbs. They shoved their way into my arms hugging as tight as they could. "Aha okay okay I see you both love me a lot." They laughed letting go. I looked at the table with the all the food I'd prepared along with sides prepared by everyone else, and marveled at it all. When everyone finally got a look at it they did as I did and were in awe of it. Along with the two stars of the show there was grilled asparagus, roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta, butter poached shrimp, pumpkin risotto, roasted acorn squash, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, stuffing, baked macaroni and cheese with a parmesan crust, and garden salad. The smells mixed together in the dining room and I could see everyone starting to salivate just a little at the sight. The dessert table looked just as amazing with the contributions of my sister-in-laws and siblings. "Elizabeth this looks so good. You did a great job." Selena putting her hands over my shoulders. "Yeah good job Liz it smells incredible." Nathan said looking over all the choices spread across the table. "I can't believe you did this on your own.." Natalie smiled. They all surrounded me in a big group hug before  we all joined hands. Dad looked to me and nodded. "Thank you god for bringing us all together and allowing me to show my family just how much they mean to me with a skill you've blessed me with. We give thanks for all the food we're about to have and pray for a good end to the coming year. Amen." "Amen." Everyone collectively answered back. Mom handed me my carving knife and I made the first cut into serving everyone. When everyone had a full plate we took our seats around the house. I plated up last and sat at the table between Sophia and Selena. "I'm so glad I've got my stretchy jeans on Liz. Cause definitely going back for more." Selena smiled eating. As dinner went on everyone would walk by and drop compliments to me and say thank you. It's what made it all worth it. Everyone seeing what I could do, and being recognized for it. I didn't care that my legs hurt from standing all day, my fingers had blisters from the knives, or I was tired beyond belief. Knowing that everyone enjoyed it so much made it worth going through. The kids dropped by me again to say thank you before starting dessert. "You did real good hon." Dad said kissing the top of my head as he walked towards the sink. "We'll all get the dishes sweetie. Take a break finally." Mom nudged me over to the recliner. "Yes will definitely do that." I collapsed into the chair, putting my feet up. The pain in my legs slowly subsiding while my body began to relax. I didn't move for a good twenty minutes before Selena walked by with two plates of pecan pie slices for the both of us. She handed one to me and we cheers'd our forks. I wasn't a pie person growing up, but they've grown on me. After dessert hit me everyone began contemplating the next step. My siblings finished off the dishes, and the kids were all starting to look sleepy. I cracked open another energy drink and split it with Selena. "So are we doing this?" Natalie asked eagerly. "Can you watch the kids?" Selena turned to mom. "We'll just put them to bed. We won't be gone more than a few hours." "Aw man guys go without me you know I hate it." Nathan waved off. "BABE! No way you gotta we can get a new tv." Sophia nudged him. Nathan's eye's lit up. "Yeah the kids can just sleep here while you're out. Oh

[rosewhipped22]

Bad Dream Kisses          

(1709 words) Destiel, explicit language, first kiss

Sometimes Dean's lucky enough to realize he's having a nightmare and smart enough to find a way to make it better.

Set somewhere in s15 probably

Read it on Ao3

Strictly speaking, Dean has a lot of weird nightmares.  Far more than his fair share. And his life is constantly a bizarre real life nightmare so forgive him if he figures out a way to fucking tell the two of them apart.

For entirely too long when things get freakishly intense and he suspects he might be dreaming Dean's go to move involves hacking off a finger or two to wake himself up. It’s nothing important, just a pinky here or there, but obviously it’s a high-risk, high-reward scenario. If he ever assumes he’s in the midst of a liquor fueled bad dream and it turns out he’s wrong, well, fortunately it hasn’t happened yet.  And, sure, losing a pinky in real life would suck, but in dreamland it’s always worth it. Anything to stop the madness.

For a while that works just fine, but then Dean comes up with a solution that’s a million times better.

Cas turns up in a dream while everything is going to shit and Dean really wants to wake up like fucking yesterday but for some reason slicing into himself has lost its appeal after so many times. And Cas is there,  hovering close-by, making some observation that only Cas would notice and instead of reaching for his knife Dean reaches for that stupid trenchcoat, hauling Cas in close and planting one on him. 

He’s got enough memories of kissing that it’s awesome. Almost feels real, and Cas is fucking kissing back so it’s automatically turning his nightmare into a wet dream. Now when Dean wakes up he's half hard and able to drop off again relatively easily. Which is a helluva lot better than waking up screaming and sweating so he’ll take it.  

That becomes his new normal way to deal with nightmares and it’s easily the best thing his dream self ever came up with.  Maybe even the best thing he’s ever come up with period.

It continues that way for a while and even fuels a few regular dreams where he gets to do more than just kiss those scowling lips.  

So when Dean and Sam are stuck in a fucking barn and a ghost who he thought they’d taken care of three times already decides to throw pitch forks and shovels and fucking chainsaws at them, well, Dean starts to suspect that this particular brand of nasty undead bitch is just too over the top to be real life.  That feeling increases tenfold when Cas just stolls in the barn door, striding towards the tractor they’re taking cover behind with fury in his eyes.

Cas can’t just pop in and out of Dean’s life like a celestial jack-in-the-box anymore and there’s no reason coming to mind why Cas would suddenly be here, so Dean instantly feels a flutter of happiness.  Maybe this suckfest is just another fucking nightmare he can put to rest. It would explain the increasing dread he’s been feeling over one little ghost and how she’s been able to be all over town.   Without thinking twice Dean grabs at the lapels of Cas’ coat  reeling him in close for what’s sure to be the main event of this doomed dream.

Dean’s subconscious is on fire tonight. Cas smells so fucking good, feels solid and hard (no, not like that--well, not yet anyway) in Dean’s arms. He even tastes good. And the kiss. The kiss feels so much more real than normal, but it’s different too, Cas is somehow more stiff and it takes him longer than normal to kiss back.

But he does, eventually, and that’s all that matters.  Cas wraps his arms around Dean and Dean leans into him because now it’s time for the good fucking dream stuff to begin.  But then Sam yells, and that’s, well, not usual.

“WATCH OUT!!!”

Irritated at the interruption, Dean turns to look and the last thing he sees is a goddamn horse shoe flying straight at his face.

He wakes up in bed. Which okay. A pretty standard place to wake up. Instead of a hard-on he has a head ache. And Cas is still there, sitting on the edge of the bed and fussing over him.

“Whaa…?” Dean says softly not even sure the words make it out of his mouth, because he always wakes up in bed but Cas is never there.

But then Cas is looking concerned and petting at his hair and generally making a big deal out of nothing.

“Dean, are you all right?”

Dean pushes into a sitting position but it’s too quick.  His head spins and Cas steadies him.

“It’s okay, you’re all right, Dean. Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

“‘M not worried.” Dean manages to mumble and Cas only looks more concerned.

“You got hit in the head pretty hard.  I was able to fix your concussion but you might not be at 100% still.  With my powers the way they are…  Well, anyway, I hope it was enough that it doesn't hurt.   There shouldn’t be a scar. Oh, and we found the hex bag.”

Dean blinks at him. Confused. “Wasn’t it a ghost?”

As soon as the question leaves his mouth he remembers. Yes, it absolutely was a ghost. A regular she-demon, but if Cas is talking about a witch, then the whole ghost thing must have been a fucking nightmare after all. And thank Zeus (yup, not God, not anymore, he gets plenty of credit already that he doesn’t deserve) for that because Dean distinctly remembers kissing Cas recently and it, weirdly, feels a lot more real than when he normally wakes up, more vivid maybe, like a memory instead of just a quickly fading dream that leaves him feeling good.

Cas is talking but Dean is looking at his lips. Again. Shut up. And Dean is only half listening partly because of the staring and partly because he recently got clobbered over the head, thank you very much. Bits and pieces of it still seep through though and abruptly Dean realizes that Cas is talking about both. A ghost and a witch. Working together. Well, the witch had to be running things but that’s hardly important because Dean is still focused on Cas’ lips and, oh dear Poseidon, they’re fucking distracting. So much so that Dean is only now realizing he totally failed to notice that Cas stopped talking.  When did that even happen? And how long has Dean just been staring without responding.

“Umm….”

Cas squints at Dean’s contribution, looking uneasy.  And who can blame him.  Dean tries to make his brain work, he really really does but then he notices Cas’ hair and it’s a bit more … well, fluffy than usual.  Dean’s pretty sure he may have been responsible for that which… oh no.  Now Cas is looking sad and guilty, of all things.

“I’m sorry about what happened, Dean. When you kissed me, I didn’t realize you’d been hexed. I shouldn’t have, shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dean asks but it comes out a little hysterical and what even is that?

“...No?”

“Cas, you didn’t.  I didn’t--are you telling me that I, that I did? Wait. So, did I, did we really just full-on make-out in front of Sam and a ghost trying to kill me and it wasn’t another Nightmare on Elm Street scenario or whatever?”

“It wasn’t a nightmare, Dean.”  Cas hesitates, all miserable and guilty looking again and Dean hates it. “But yes, you, I’m sorry I kissed you.  I didn’t intend to upset you, but I thought, admittedly it was a little strange, the situation, yes, but I did think you knew, that you were aware of what was happening.  Sam and I didn’t realize about the hex bag until afterwards.  I didn’t know that you were under the influence of witches.  And I apologize.”

“You weren’t the nightmare, dumbass,” Dean says, stern, because he can’t stand that look on Cas’ face.  “I thought I was having one and….”  Oh, shit, how does he explain this? Sorry, I just imagine sticking my tongue down your throat anytime things get tough in dreamland. Sure, that sounds legit.  “Uh, that’s how I make them stop,” Dean finishes lamely, trying not to cringe.  

Cas tilts his head at this new information, wanting to make sense of it.  

“So, when you have a bad dream, you do something… unbelievable to test your reality?”

“Yep.”

“I see. Well, still, I shouldn’t have responded. I should have realized something was wrong,” Cas says and Dean hesitates, but then plunges recklessly forward because Cas did kiss him back and if this conversation doesn’t go well, he’ll just pretend he doesn’t remember it ever happening. He  did suffer a blow to the head recently after all.  

“But you didn’t.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Cas turns his head to glare at a nearby lamp and after a moment looks back at Dean.

“That’s not of import.”

“Cas, c’mon. Tell me”

“I liked that you kissed me.”

“See, was that so hard?” Dean scoffs, mainly to buy himself some time to deal with this landmine of new information.

He needs the perfect response.  Needs to play his cards right if he wants to--oh fuck--those lips, why did he look at his lips again?

Cas wets them just to taunt him, the bastard, like Dean’ll be dumb enough to take the bait.  And oh no, he is that dumb, he really is.

Dean leans forward, grabbing at Cas again so he can kiss him for a second time today, but  without the worst audience ever watching for a change.

Cas gets with the program pretty damn quick and it’s fucking awesome. Dean’s a genius. And a great kisser, and Cas, he’s doing a bang up job too. Somehow better than Dream Cas by a long shot.

Dean smiles against Cas, kind of chuckles into his mouth a little bit.

“What?” Cas asks and damn his lips look even better flushed.  

“I’m just so happy I’m awake.”

“Actually,” Cas says, mock serious, “I’ve been meaning to tell you--”

“Don’t even joke about that, you asshole.”

“Of course not, Dean.”

And Dean can’t stay mad, because Cas is kissing him again.

[gwoongi]

ways to say i love you (07)

jung hoseok / reader genre: ghost au, angst rating: mature words: 2.5k warnings: character death, reference to a past suicide, mental health mentions, ghost hoseok, it’s a big ball of angst and i’m really sorry :( a/n: ways to say i love you has come to an end !!!! thanks for joining me on this painful angst series :’) please read the others on my masterlist + listen to the songs/vibes attached to all of ‘em :D (the end is super inspired by goblin)

➸ Imagine the first time they say I love you. Like, properly say it; because they’ve said it before, but today they say it one last time, when it’s the only thing left to say.

⚠️ this story is NOT intended to glamorise mental health or suicide, and this story should be approached with caution if topics such as those offend or upset. thank u sm for following this series <3

It started with a median.

There had been a time where you prided yourself on your disbelief in an afterlife, dismissing medians on television, laughing at ghost hunters and paranormal movies depicting demons and ghouls climbing out of screens. Although now, those times seem to long ago, phantom memories - even the person you were in those memories seem to be different, as though looking into the mind of a stranger, disconnected and vacant. 

Seokjin had told you that was a coping mechanism. Hyojung assured you it was normal. Your sister said it was mental illness.

After the loss of Hoseok, you didn’t know what to think anymore. After the loss of the love of your life, thinking just became pointless.

When the news of Hoseok’s passing had reached you, it had reached you last. At least everybody in your close circle of friends knew a few hours before you, Hoseok’s family and Jeongguk who had found him being the first who found out almost a day before. The absence of Hoseok for those long and tortuous hours were ones you misjudged. You thought he was going back to Gwangju to see his family for the weekend. Seokjin thought he was with you. Jeongguk had returned to his shared flat and found the truth hanging.

The only reason as to why you were last was because nobody knew how you would react. Amongst the chaos and shock that was Hoseok’s death, the reaction that would be drawn from you would change everything. Looking back at it, you even remember where you were and when it had happened, when the pin dropped. Originally, they wanted Jeongguk to tell you, but, overcome with grief, he sent Yoongi instead. You will never, ever forget the look on Yoongi’s face as you opened the door, and the news followed a cup of tea and an unexpected, clueless, and genuine smile had settled on your lips. “What are you doing here?” you had asked, “is everything okay?” He’d said nothing, and then broke down when you asked if he’d heard from Hoseok this weekend. He’s missing my calls. Has he contacted you?

Even after the funeral, after the original shock and after the news had been broken out around University, people still didn’t know how to act around you. The Hoseok Subject was never spoken about or touched upon. Pictures of Hoseok were turned over or taken down when you came over, his name buried with him in the pretty cemetery by the river. It took some time, a real long time, but eventually, the pain began to ever so slightly fade; only to come rushing back again like the sudden pull of the tide when Seulgi had approached your booth in the dorm common room with a leaflet about a median.

You don’t know why you went.

Hyojung had come, too, as emotional support and because she wanted to be there to see if it was as real as Seulgi and the leaflet were making it out to be. You hadn’t even booked a session, turning up unannounced and anonymous for the meeting in one of the older lecture rooms on campus. The question of why and how a median was permitted onto campus was never addressed - you just had to see and hear it for yourself. Nothing had come out of it, and you were glad to keep it that way. That was until the median called out for a Y/N, and your heart sank.

“There’s a Hoseok in the room, and he’s asking for a Y/N...is there...a Y/N here?”

You had no reaction other than paralysed silence. Hyojung was scandalised, angry and confused. The median surely must have heard about Hoseok’s death here and that’s why the session was on campus. She said all of this accusingly, crying in hysterics, this is wrong, how can you do this to someone in grieving?

You left the lecture hall, leaving a piece of you behind with it.

Since that day, you’d returned back to the comfort of your bedroom, leaving for your lectures only. Seminars were skipped in silence and the teachers understood, sending emails to cover for it, and the notifications piled up like the tissues in the dustbin. No matter how hard you tried to convince yourself that the event with the median was a scam, something set up as a sick practical joke, you couldn’t shake it off. What if’s and buts whirled around in your head, chaotic, loud, invasive and sad.

Hoseok was gone, and there was nothing you could do about it. But what if you had stayed -? What if it was true? What if you just missed your last, and final opportunity to say goodbye?

(Presently).

“Why are you here? All of you?”

“We never left.”

You blink.

“Does it...does it hurt? Dying?”

You close your eyes slowly. “Quicker than falling asleep.” And exhale.

Something deep into your apartment bumps. 

The noise is quiet whilst still being loud enough to bounce off the volume of the movie, playing quietly on your television screen sitting on top of your desk. Lately, your living room has been pulled into your bedroom, all rooms besides the connecting ensuite now in one. Phone calls from worried friends and family were set to silent and on days where the front door rang, it remained closed. Like you did many months ago, all you need right now is the space. Hyojung had told them why. They didn’t blame you.

Sniffing and wiping your eye with the side of your hand, you push the covers folded up around your breasts down and kick your feet to the floor, staring towards your bedroom door as if probing it for answers. Silence, and then another noise. On a normal day, this might alarm you, but your body is numb, aching and tired, and so you move towards the door without thinking and pull it open, stepping out into the hall. A glance in either direction shows no immediate threat, and you’re too lazy, too tired and too unbothered to step out to investigate. The noise is likely somebody upstairs or down, and if it is an intruder here to kill you, then what do you have to lose?

You move back into your bedroom, shutting the door gently. The bathroom rope-light swings in the breeze from the door moving and you slip into the bathroom quickly. Light floods the box room, illuminating the exhaustion on your face. You look ghastly, sunken and stale. You feel it too. Depression clings to you, life moves outside but stills in. God, you feel so ugly, so worthless and disgusting and alone - splashing your face with cold water, you gasp in the air like you’re depending on the taste, passing up looking at your reflection in the mirror in fear of what you’ll see staring back. When the bathroom light is turned off and you shut the door behind you, you turn to shuffle back into your bedroom and pause.

There is somebody by the window. It’s undeniable, real and solid- but you blink several times, wondering if it’s just a dream. Nothing registers in your body, no reflex to scream or panic. Instead, you simply stare.

The silhouette against the window shuffles, anxious, and then steps into the light. For a while you say nothing, staring in a stunned silence as the figure reveals itself. It has to be a dream. This is a dream. You’ve dreamt it a hundred times. You’ve dreamt Hoseok stepping towards you. You don’t know what to think.

“Hobi,” you say, lifeless. “Am I...dreaming?”

“Baby-” Footsteps across the carpet. Moves like him. Sounds like him. “Oh, my baby girl.” Something cold touches you, but something familiar. Old friends. Old lovers, fleshy hands. Feels like him. “My beautiful girl.”

“Hobi. Hobi?” you stumble. The Hoseok before you watches your eyes fill with tears instantly, and the tightness in your throat he can visibly see causing your hands to tremble. “Hoseok? Am I. Am I dreaming? Am I sleeping?”

“Mhm, yeah,” he settles with. Maybe that’s for the best, maybe that will calm you down. His hands engulf your own, massaging the shakes to sleep. “You’re dreaming, baby.”

“You. You feel so real,” you choke. “Fuck. Hoseok, fuck, what’s happening, why does it feel real-”

“Please-”

“I’m scared, wait, what’s happening, Hoseok-?”

The hands you felt on your hands move to your arms. A tightness follows, like he’s holding you. He did this, he was good at calming you down with his hands on your arms and lips on yours, whispers in mouths. This time he doesn’t kiss you. He can’t. Not now. Not again, never again.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” you insist, tears pouring out of your eyes. “You’re. You. Baby, you died, you left me, you left us, why did you. Where did you. Baby, Hoseok, what...?”

“Calm down, Y/N, calm down baby, okay?” Hoseok whispers comfortingly. “Capture your breath, and then we’ll talk okay? I don’t have too long left.”

This repeats for a little while, as Hoseok follows a method he used to when he tried to calm you down. After three long and amazing years of dating, Hoseok had learned what worked and what didn’t, what to say and what not to. The crazy thing about love is how you dedicate everything to getting to know that other person inside and out, learning their secrets and exploring interests, making memories to remember and frame and tell kids about. There was a time when Hoseok thought about all of that, and a time where he could have had it.

“Is it really you?” you ask quietly, after several long minutes of Hoseok holding your head in his hands and bringing you out of the storm onto the calm shore. “I’m not going crazy?”

“It’s me,” Hoseok promises, smiling as best as he can. You’re crying, maybe you can’t see his face. His throat feels hot, tight and firm.

“I miss you.” You rasp out your words, gasping for air every few seconds, “I miss you so much, Hoseok. Why did you leave me, what happened?”

“I’m so sorry, baby.”

“I. I thought you were going to your parents for the weekend, but. But Jeongguk found you and- why did you lie to me? Hobi, why…? Was, was it me?”

“No.” Hoseok grabs your hands tightly. “Don’t ever say that. It was never, ever your fault. Not at all, okay? Don’t think that.”

“Then why?”

Hoseok can’t think. “I don’t want you to think it was your fault, okay? You were- you are, everything to me. You were the light of my life. But, fuck, I was so unhappy. And I didn’t know how to stop being unhappy. I hurt. It hurt me. I was hurting everybody around me in my own little way. Every time I would tell you that I was doing extra readings at the dorm, all I was doing was struggling, thinking about how unhappy I felt even though I was surrounded by people who made me feel worth it. And you all deserved so much better. Still, you deserve so much better.”

“Jeongguk found you. None of us knew you were hurting, Hobi, I didn’t know. We should have noticed the signs, I should have been more careful.”

“No. I was good at hiding it, I never wanted you to worry.”

Suddenly Hoseok’s eyes widen, his hands stroking your hair pausing. With a quick exhale of breath, his smile tightens and he lets out a shaky sigh. “I haven’t got long left. I need to go soon.”

“Go? No, go where?” you frantically ask. “No, please Hobi, don’t leave me again. You can’t leave me again, please.”

“It’s okay. It’s all okay. I tried to call for you the other week, but you left,” Hoseok explains quickly.

“The median? That...that was you?”

Hoseok laughs quietly, “Yeah, baby. But, I get it, you never believed in all that stuff, huh. I should have known better. I had to come here, come to see you. I had to.”

I had to one last time.

“Please,” you whisper, grabbing his hands. “Please don’t leave me again. Please. I love you so much, please don’t leave me alone again. I need you.”

Hoseok shakes his head, attempting a curly smile that you can’t even see past the blur of his own tears. “Y/N L/N, you have been the love of my life. I have loved being your boyfriend and you are my best friend. I will never, ever forget how amazing you are.” Nodding, sniffing his tears back, Hoseok kisses your forehead. His lips are cold and wet, ghostlike and light. “I love you. I love you so much, baby. I’m so sorry, for everything- none of it is your fault, okay, honey? Mmm?”

You feel his hands in your hair as you nod. “I know. I know, and I’m sorry too. I could have helped you.”

“Don’t forget about me,” Hoseok says. “You being happy, and you knowing that it was never your fault, will help me now. Okay?”

Sniffing loudly, you nod again. “Okay.”

For a long moment, Hoseok just stares: “I’m gonna miss you so much.” You mumble something in reply to him, and he sighs shakily, “but now, I have to go.”

You grab his hands as he tries to pull away. “Don’t leave me, you’re leaving me.”

“I never left. I’ll always be here, watching over you. Always, and forever.”

Whether or not Hoseok’s appearance was a dream or not to you, you wake up the next morning with a headache and the memory of him, his voice saying I love you on loop with an echo in your ears. The sun shines into the room, frost outside. On the desk there’s a glass of water, and a letter. He was right. He never left. Not really.

(“All is said and done?”

Hoseok steps into the long hallway and smiles at the hooded man. He’s seen who he needs to; several stops around to his family, one to Jeongguk who had it the worst with finding his body. The final one for you. Y/N, the love of his entire life, remembered in memories and gone in touch.

It’s okay.

“Yeah,” Hoseok nods. Death nods, his hood falling slightly as he points down the hallway with one hand and with the other, passes Hoseok a small cup. Hoseok reaches for it, exhaling gently. “Just like falling asleep.”

He drinks the contents and hands the cup back to Death, heading down the hallway. For a moment, his hand hovers above the handle. He’s said his piece on Earth. He’s done what he needs to do. Now, he can move on in peace.

He turns the handle. The hallway fills with white.)

disclaimer: the choice not to explicitly state a reason towards hoseok’s suicide is because i understand the subject is already touchy enough. with the anniversary of a close friend coming up, unfortunately during a time of my life where i’m going to be stressed due to university, i decided to store my feelings into the final piece of this series. in a way, this is to deal with my own grieving. i’d appreciate consideration into this fact + i also hope that everybody is doing okay with their own issues. please don’t be afraid to speak to somebody about your feelings- a friend, a stranger, me. please stay safe. please stay happy. thank u for everything

[dwindlingashesburnt]

Undertale ideas

...I don't generally like angst, but a majority of Undertale angst seems to centre around Sans in some way, the concept of resets or of genocide routes, or of one of the people capable of resets going "ahahahah no consequences I can do whatever evil things I like and you can't stop me!!!"

Well

I'd like to propose a different variation for undertale angst - namely someone capable of resets going "oh fuck oh no there's no consequences oH FUCK HELP ME"

I mean.

Think about it.

All three capable of resets - Chara, Frisk and Flowey - have every single basic rule for life on Earth flung out the window, and are then told on top of that "btw no consequences for you, lol". Are they going to say "hell yeah, sweet"? Nope.

They're going to freak the fuck out. The fundamentals of how they understand the universe have just been torn out from under them - they're KIDS, they haven't made their own rules for their worldview yet, not really, they just have the fundamentals.

Think about those fundamentals:

What comes up, must go down, everything falls -> uh yeah gravity magic exists so that immediately goes out the window

What happens, happens, time cannot be rewritten -> ...resets.

There will be some form of consequence or reaction for every action taken -> ...well kind of a bit, but resets ultimately mean it doesn't make any difference, there are no TRUE consequences which means it likely very quickly fewla like there are none true or technical

For Chara and Frisk specifically, magic breaks the laws of physics, as does stuff like the snow in Snowdin, the whole concept of intent causing harm an of SOULs existing is also likely to rip the floor out from under their feet. I know most of this would be somewhat old news for Chara but I'm thinking it may end up being the straw that breaks the camel's back type thing

For Chara and Flowey specifically, their very existence is now likely to tear a pretty huge gap in their worldview. Flowey is now FLOWEY the flower, has no soul, potentially has his magic messed up due to the different form and or soul issues, does he even need to eat as a flower? Does he need sunlight, hell, does he photosynthesise? What about Chara - the fuck, how are they even existing? How if at all are they linked to Frisk? Were they aware since their death? Do they know anything about Frisk?

Further point for Chara and Flowey -> how much time, if any, has passed since the last time they were aware? Is the Underground drastically different to what they remember? What about their brief trip to the surface, when compared to Frisk and or Frisk's experiences??

Frisk specifically-> HUGE UNDERGROUND with MONSTERS and MAGIC and hoooollly shhiiiiittt what. Shouldn't that fall have killed them?

All -> the concept or lack thereof of an afterlife is probably a pretty huge knock to their worldview too

So now you must imagine these kids, who have had everythig and anything they could base their understanding, predictions, actions or reactions on, torn out from under them, leaving them completely lost and probably extremely panicked. Oh, they also have literally no idea what's happening....unnnntil they do, ok, they now have a huge amount of power that doesn't really help them at all with little knowledge to back it up and NO GROUNDRULES to guide them

Like this post sucks so bad compared to the idea in my head but like. I'm imagining Flowey and Papyrus getting on well because Flowey came up with his own rules to replace the usual gravity and time and consequences...But they don't make that much sense, his rules, however Flowey has made em a fundamental part of his worldview so anytime he sees them violated it sends him right off the deep emd, flailing as the world is again pulled out from under him, often resulting in panic, and or anger, and or violence. But he gets on well with Papyrus because Papyrus is very good at figuring out the fundamental rules of Flowey's worldview, and then operating within those rules - meaning he is one of few or perhaps the only person whom Flowey doesn't inevitably get distressed spending time with

I'm also imagining that Chara and Frisk very notavly don't make their own rules, but stubbornly cling to what should be their foundation but no longer is. This results in them taking a rather short route to a rapidly impeding breakdown as they frantically keep trying to prove the usual rules in any way they can. They try good consequences for their actions at first, but that doesn't really work out too well, and they can't figure out how to get out from the Underground so they inevitably get killed and end up resetting no matter what they do (meaning no sense of permanancy can be added to the other issues), so instead they start gradually doing things that SHOULD have worse and worse consequences. But they don't, not really. For one thing, it can be undone in a blink of an eye, for another...Well. There's no real consequence for Toriel or amy of the unnamed monsters anywhere in game. You don't find out the consequences for Papyrus' death until much later - late enough that it probably no longer feels like a connected sequence of events to these two kids who went throygh who knows how many resets getting from a to b anywsy - and Papyrus certainly doesn't hint at any consequences himself. He forgives them - who wants to bet that feels more like a slap to the face than anything else, to these two increasingly hysterical children who are starting to feel the world isn't quite real, they aren't quite real, none of it matters because no matter what they do they're not meeting any real consequences...

Imagine when Sans pretends to offer mercy. Imagine the kid(s) feel a dull roaring in their ears, because just when it seemed like they'd finally met some sort of consequence...Imagine them sprinting up to Sans with renewed fury as what's left of the two kid's sanity splinters along with the last remains of any solid worldview. Imagine they finally manage to kill Sans and sort of go into shock for a minute, because no. Nononono that wasn't supposed to happen, he said that was the consequences, that was no real consequence, what are they supposed to...

They don't care what the consequence is at this point, just something real and solid that proves that their actions affect things in the world and have been acknowledged felt and witnessed by other real living people.

Imagine Chara, in a fit of dark humour, asks Frisk, wheezing between paindul laughter as they demand to know "Do you think you are above consequences?"

Frisk can't breathe for a moment. They gasp, their breath hitches. A "Yes" escapes and then a child or two is half laughing, half crying, absolutely hysterical as they rock, trying to comfort themselves and each other. Neither of them notice until a good twenty minutes later that a near constant mantra of "yes yes I am we are above consequences yesyesyes there are no consequences none yesyesyes we are above, we are, oh god please help, helpmehelpmehelpus, yes, yes, yes" has barely stopped since Chara asked that question. They think, or would have, if either of them could think anywhere near coherently, that they may have had a bit of a panic attack there. Just a bit. They have no idea how long they were freaking out for - they try to check, turns out it was a couple of hours. They thought it was ten minutes.

IMAGINE THEY HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO ERASE THE WORLD they don't, but only because of the same type of mental block that stops you crunching your finger like a carrot. the realisation that they have that option, however, sends them into a near catatonic state for the equivalent of hours (saves and resetsare screwy). Then one or both of them decides now would be a good time to reset

IMAGINE THESE TWO KIDS GOING ON A COMPLETE GENOCIDAL RUN AND THEN FACING EVERY SINGLE PERSON THEY SLAUGHTERED AND WERE SLAUGHTERED BY, AS THOUGH NOTHING HAPPENED

imagine what that does a the psyche of these two kids who aint even 18 and quite possibly arent even teens?

Imagine Sans and or Papyrus thinking they're stuck in this hell of resets. Imagine Sans, determined that there is his friend, and there is the evil anomoly.

Imagine the people in control of those resets being as much if not more of a victim than the rest. Imagine Sans coming across a hysterical child having a fit of emotion and fear that mostly involves screaming and crying or laughing a lot and breaking things, because why not? It's not like they'll face any consequences for it.

Sans eventually figures out what's wrong with Chara and Frisk, very roughly anyway, and immediately goes...Ohhhhhh. Shit. Fuck. Fuckityfuckfuckfuck.

Papyrus is mildly bewildered by Flowey suddenly mildly changing his rules upon Frisk falling into the Underground and taking the reset option from him. Maybe Papyrus tries to guide Flowry to a healthier mindset or get him to a therapist, and instead ends up in a whole load of trouble. Flowey is concerningly dpendent on him and they're both feeling the strain

Just...just imagine the possibilities, yaknow?

I just think "oh fuck, no consequences" has pretty great angst potential. At LEAST as much as "oh yeah, no consequences" has

[dr-gloom]

Confession Time, Here’s What I’ve Got (Ch 2)

Commission Me (please)

Ch 1  Ch 3

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 9

Fandom: Sanders’ Sides

Pairing: none

Tags/Warnings: vomit mention, confessions, Roman’s a butt

Read it on AO3

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Virgil woke with a raging headache. His brain pounded against his skull before he even opened his eyes, drawing a weak groan from his dry lips. He pulls his blanket over his head to stifle the little light coming into his room before almost immediately throwing it off; it was too damn warm for blankets right now.

Speaking of which, he felt like he was practically drenched in sweat, his skin feeling clammy. Virgil slowly sits up, raising his arms above his head in a stretch, planning to take a shower. He exits his room, nearly running into Roman in the hall and has to stumble back just before the impact while his brain processes his confusion. He puts a hand to his head when it throbs, looking up at Roman’s annoyingly smug, sober face. “What’re you looking at, Princey?” He grumbles, squinting up at the other.

Roman grins down at the other, taking in his disheveled appearance. “Sleep well, Vomit-y Central?” It takes Virgil a moment to process the question and do a mental inventory before he realizes,

“I never puked, asshat.”

“No, but you look like barf!” Roman laughs, the noise jarring and painful with Virgil’s hangover. Virgil punches his shoulder as Roman runs off towards the living room, then continues on his way towards the shower. The hell had him in such a good mood?

After a long, relaxing shower, Virgil feels at least marginally better. By the time he’s stepping out of the bathroom with his towel around his waist his friends are all awake in the living room, chatting quietly. Virgil gets dressed and goes out to join them, sitting next to Roman.

“I don’t even remember most of the night,” Patton admits. Ah, they must have been trying to recount what happened. Virgil wondered if anyone remembered the whole night. Roman probably did, actually; he doesn’t really like to get drunk. “But I did have a super…. Surprising dream,” Patton admits, looking down at his lap. Roman grins, the same smug look he’d worn when Virgil ran into him earlier.

“Oh? What sort of dream was it, Padre?”

Patton flushes pink and shakes his head. “Oh, nothing important! Just some weird dream nonsense! I don’t even remember most of it!”

“Whereas I feel as if I have not slept at all,” Logan chimes in. “Though, before either of you ask, I only remember some of the events prior to my loss of consciousness. Mostly senseless games and watching Patton and Virgil becoming increasingly inebriated.”

Both Patton and Virgil adopt an embarrassed expression upon hearing that. Virgil didn’t really care much for drinking either, but he’d been so stressed and sad lately that he’d thrown his inhibition to the wind and decided to just let what happened happen. He was starting to regret that now, though. Clearly he missed something good if Roman was this happy.

“I don’t remember jack shit, but that might just be the huge headache I have,” he grumbles, voice gravelly. Patton for some reason looks away, cheeks slightly pink (though that could just be the light filtering through their curtains).

Roman snickers. “I remember the entire thing, and there were some real golden moments. Huh, Pat?” He claps Patton on the back and Patton startles, looking at Roman with wide eyes. Well, that confirms Virgil’s hypothesis.

“I don’t really know what you’re referring to, kiddo. I only really remember some of the games we played.”

“Probably because they were so dumb.”

“Au contraire! There were a few rather intimate moments, wouldn’t you say?” Roman winks and nudges Patton, who blushes again.

Seriously, what was up with those two?

“Whatever. I want food.”

After a little discussion and a consensus of greasy goodness being met, the four of them set out for their favorite diner. Virgil and Roman sat across from Patton and Logan, Virgil and Patton being directly across from each other. Patton seemed deeply interested in everything that wasn’t Virgil, and Virgil had his face buried in a menu, trying to decide what to eat. Roman sighed to himself as he watched the awkward duo (un)wittingly avoid each other. This just wouldn’t do.

“So, Patty, Big Daddy, anyone you got your eye on?”

Virgil gives Roman a side glance, raising an eyebrow. Seriously, he was too hungover to deal with this. What was Roman playing at?

Patton waves his hands around, eyes wide and obviously flustered. “What would make you think that? I don’t- well- maybe, but it’s not like anything will happen… ” He trails off, and Virgil glances at Patton curiously. He thought Patton and Logan were already dating? It was totally obvious!

Patton looks at Virgil, blinks, then laughs. “I’m not dating Lolo! He’s like my brother!”

Oh. Had Virgil said that out loud?

“Yes.” Roman says with a smirk. Apparently hungover Virgil had loose lips.

Virgil’s mind catches up with him and he squints at Patton, scrutinizing his roommate. “Hold up. If you’re not dating Logan, who do you like? Do we know them?”

“I’m sure you know him very well, Virgil,” Roman says with a cheeky grin. Patton flushes. Virgil’s eyes widen. No freaking way.

“That’s why you’re in such a good mood! You and Pat hooked up!” Virgil smacks Roman’s arm. What a traitor! He knew Virgil liked Patton! Roman swears, rubbing his arm.

“What? No, God, relax. It isn’t me, Judy Gloom.”

“Will you all cease your prattling. The server is here,” Logan grumbles as their server approaches. Apparently a sleepy Logan is a grumpy one.

Virgil’s thoughts throughout breakfast were about Patton’s mystery crush. Who could it possibly be? Roman seemed to know, which was…. Weird and conflicting. Virgil would have thought Roman would’ve told him sooner so he could like, grieve or whatever, and yet Roman seemed weirdly happy about it. And Virgil was still clueless. Some friend.

Patton’s mind seemed to be occupied similarly. He was quick to blush and get flustered, and he kept avoiding eye contact with Roman and Virgil. Was he embarrassed? Was it someone Virgil used to hate in school, or something? Had he confessed it while they were drunk, and that’s how Roman was the only one who knew?

Logan was the only one who didn’t seem to give a flying fuck about the topic, or his friends’ inner turmoil. He wasn’t heartless, of course, but he figured whatever this was would sort itself out. And if it was about what he thought it was about, he’d been waiting for this for months. It might as well happen while they’re all varying degrees of tired and hungover.

Once everyone had some food in them, things seemed to relax. Virgil’s headache wasn’t quite as bad, Logan wasn’t as moody, Roman was closer to his baseline extra-ness, and Patton had at least stopped blushing. They’re sitting on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons when Patton suddenly sits up from their cuddle pile, making Virgil fall into Logan’s lap.

“Oh gosh, I remember.”

Virgil grunts and sits up, fixing his hair. “Remember what, exactly?”

“Everything! From last night?”

Roman is positively beaming, sitting up as well. “Oh? Does that mean-?”

“I thought you and Roman were dating!” Patton interrupts, pointing an accusing finger at Virgil. There’s a beat of silence before Roman stands up and walks out of the room. A moment later, hysterical laughter can be heard from Virgil’s room.

Virgil blinks. “What? No. We’re just friends.” His eyebrows furrow. “Hold on. Why does this feel like dejá vu?”

“Because we talked about it last night! When we were playing Would You Rather!”

“Can we please stop yelling?” Logan mutters disinterested from where he sits reading a book on the other end of the couch.

“Sorry Lolo,” Patton apologizes, then turns back to Virgil. “Me and Lolo totally thought you guys were dating but you and Ro told us you were just friends. Then later I-” he cuts himself off and turns red. “Oh…”

Virgil shifts anxiously. He didn’t like the sound of that. “What? What happened?”

Patton can’t seem to look at Virgil as he mutters, “I asked you who you like.”

Virgil’s breath catches in his throat. Oh god, what did he tell Patton? “And?”

“You said... me.”

Taglist: @bunny222 @a-fander-named-skittles @eggy-boyo

[btgalaxy]

Infidelity

➳ a/n: this was gonna be a drabble oops ~ admin lottie

➳ pairing: jin x reader

➳ genre: angst

➳ word count: 2.5k

Masterlist

        “I left dinner in the fridge.” You tell your husband, leaning down to place a tender kiss on his cheek while he scans over the newspaper, scoffing down some scrambled eggs you made earlier.

“Lasagna?” He mumbles through his mouthful, glancing at you briefly.

“It’s a pasta bake. You can oven heat it until it’s hot then split it between you and the kids.” You inform him, taking your car keys out of the kitchen drawer and rummaging through the cupboard to locate your spare key to leave under the mat for when you get home.

“You’ll be back tomorrow morning right?” He inquires, finally drawing his attention away from his newspaper to look at your retreating form, struggling now to haul your overnight suitcase to the front door.

“Yeah, and the conference is only a couple of hours away so if there’s an emergency I can always come back.”

“So 10am, right?” He confirms again, spooning another mouthful of eggs into his mouth.

“10am. I’ll give you a call when I get there. Don’t forget to pick Y/D/N up from ballet after school, she finishes at 6, but sometimes they like you to stay for a bit to watch what they’ve done in the session.” You announce and he sighs in response. Despite being a great dad, Jin never liked to attend recitals and ceremonies; he’s always been a pat on the back kind of father, giving the kids a solid well done and keep up the good work before continuing on with life. He doesn’t really do dramatics.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, gorgeous.” You wave him goodbye as he takes a sip of his coffee, freshly brewed from your new machine.

“See you.”

The conference runs smoothly, as does Jin’s evening. You call him at 8, and he confirms he picked up Y/D/N and made the kids dinner. He’s a little dismissive in the way he talks, and you pick up on it quite quickly, but you pin it down to the fact he’s been left alone with the kids for the night which rarely happens; he’s usually the one on the business trips and leaves you to handle them. Not that you mind, you know his job is quite demanding and his boss is a particular prick when it comes to your husband.

After you hang up, you find yourself rather drowsy and turn in for the night quite early, regardless your colleagues’ insisting that you should head down to the bar with them to drink for the evening, but you guess you miss your kids, your husband, your home; you’re a mother- you worry, it’s what you do. So you head into bed by 9, enveloping yourself in the satin sheets encasing the hotel’s thick duvet. You take a mental note to buy yourself and Jin’s bed some new sheets too, you’ve had yours for long enough now that the colours started to tinge and the white now more of a soft grey.

You find yourself tossing and turning all night, and when it reaches 5am and you’ve barely slept at all, you figure your best chance would be to drive home early and get a couple of hours sleep in at home, in your own bed. You send one of your co-workers a text, updating her that you’ll be leaving early after a rough night which you won’t expect a response from for at least a few hours; from all the racket outside your door last night it sounds as though they really did make good use of the bar.

The exhaustion sets in as you drive home, only fuelled by the thought of curling up next to your husband and getting back to sleep. In fact, as you’re home so early and the kids will still be dead asleep, you think to yourself about waking him up when you get there. Maybe you could even have morning sex because you can’t even remember the last time you had sex before 10pm. You always anticipated that your sex life would buffer beneath the non-stop agenda that comes hand in hand with marriage and kids, but lately it’s really suffered as you’ve even lost your alone time while one of you goes away on a business trip or has to work late or is attending a recital- it’s all piled up.

You quietly unlock the front door and step in, adamant not to wake up the kids and interrupt your plans to finally get a moment alone to reconnect with your husband of 9 years. You cautiously make your way up the stairs, holding your bag against your shoulder and making sure it doesn’t knock against any walls to disturb any slumber. You smile victoriously as you pass by your son’s room, finally reaching your destination with a profound sense of triumph.

Hesitantly, you open the door, allowing a little light to spill into the room and across the blankets strewn haphazardly across the bed- which automatically sets you a little on edge as Jin has never been a restless sleeper, always very still and undisturbed. What really unnerves you, however, is the sight of some lacy, female pants on the mahogany flooring, next to a bra, a dress, some heels. Your stomach drops and you feel sick as your hand snaps up to switch on the light.

There she is. A young brunette sleeping soundly on your side of the bed, with your husband’s arm hung loosely across her bare back as she curls up towards him. God, it hurts. It hurts so much when his arm tightens around her protectively as his eyes flutter open to meet your own, slightly widening in alarm as he actually acknowledges your unexpected presence.

“Y/N?” He rasps, moving to sit up on the bed while covering his lower regions. God, like you haven’t seen any of that before. It’s like you were never even married for 9 years.

“What is this?” You choke, as the woman stirs a little, shuffling closer to the man you love in her most vulnerable, perfect state.

“Y/N this isn’t-,” he stammers, “she isn’t- I can’t-“

“Baby?” She groans, still unaware of your presence in the doorway as she awakens further and runs her hands onto his chest to pull him back down. You want to claw out her damn eyes, but you feel as though a whole grand piano has fallen on you, pinning you to the floor as you suffocate under the weight of it.

“Y/N let’s talk downstairs.” Jin is suddenly scrambling to get some boxers on as he moves out of the bed and the girl finally turns to look at you, tears subconsciously streaming from your eyes although you maintain a neutral expression.

“Oh shit,” she whispers, “fuck.” She too is now clambering for her clothes, and you can’t help but notice her breasts are that much perkier than yours, skin that much clearer and tighter than your own. You refrain from looking any lower than that, not wanting to damage your pride even further.

“Y/N we should talk downstairs.” His hand reaches out and touches your arm as he stops next to you, and you slowly look at the point of contact before glaring back up at him, shoving his palm as far away from you as possible.

“We should talk downstairs? We should talk downstairs?” Your volume increases as you become more and more hysterical, the reality finally settling in after your moment of immobility.

“Y/N-“

“What the fuck is this, Jin?” You begin screaming, “have you seriously been fucking another woman in my house in my bed with our fucking children metres away! Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Y/N calm down.” He speaks quietly, slightly sternly which sets you off even more. He has no right to tell you to do anything right now.

“No, no- what the fuck-,” You stumble over your words amongst your hysteria, “how long- who the fuck is she?”

“I should go.” The woman speaks up, now holding most of her things awkwardly in her arms as your eyes snap towards her and grate over her figure, glowering as she fumbles clumsily to get past you.

“Fucking right you should. And you should never come back.” You snarl, glaring her down as she cowers past and jogs down the hallway, where she runs into none other that your little girl, staring innocently at the unfolding events in front of her eyes.

“Mummy?” She calls, eyes stinging with tears at what she’s witnessed. Your anger begins to ease momentarily as your maternal instincts kick in and you move towards her wiping at my eyes, hearing the door slam shut as the other woman makes her frantic escape.

“Mummy what’s happened?” She sobs, and you cradle her into your arms and carry her back into her bedroom, sparing Jin a livid glance while he rakes his fingers through his hair under the doorway to your bedroom.

You gently stroke her hair, tucking her back into bed, “nothing’s happened, sweetheart. Just go back to sleep, okay?” Your tone is stoic and resigned, although your actions comfort her still, enough that she accepts your words and turns back over carefully, bringing her small hands to rest under her head as she closes her eyes again.

“I’ll see you in the morning, beautiful.” You kiss her on the forehead before slowly walking back out and gently clicking the door shut again. The light spilling from downstairs indicates Jin’s presence and you hastily bite back the stinging wetness at your eyes, clamping your teeth down on your lower lip as it trembles helplessly. You haven’t cried like this in so long; you always had this preconception that mother’s should only cry when their kid does something incredible and you’re just so proud of them you can’t help but cry happily at what they’ve achieved. You never anticipated you would be crying after finding your husband in your own bed with another woman. Never.

Deciding to be strong and relegate the desperate urge to smack your husband with as much force as you can muster while kicking him out the front door, you make your way downstairs and to the light of the kitchen, where Jin is breathing heavily with his head in his hands, elbows on the countertop. You gulp, moving towards the man that now feels like a stranger when he looks up at you with desperate eyes, regret flooding his features.

“Y/N,” he swallows, squeezing his eyes shut as his eyes begin to leak, “Y/N, I’m so sorry.”

You stand opposite him, on the other side of the counter. And as he looks at you, you can’t help but picture you both stood at the altar with your looks of carefree, unconditional love as you gazed at each other, the priest’s words drowned out while you could only focus on each other and the fire you felt burn whenever you touched. Now look at you.

“Who is she?” Your voice is stagnant, dripping with an underlying venom that rolls off your tongue.

He nervously glances at the granite counter, “a friend of a friend, I met her at a bar.”

You laugh coldly, “so you brought back some slut from a club. Classy.” Your words even surprise yourself, as you wouldn’t usually be so prejudice, but they are just falling from your lips themselves the way water cascades down a waterfall; it just happens.

Jin ignores your malice, “she’s nothing to me.” You know he’s lying. You know he wants her.

“How long?” You question vaguely, though he immediately knows what you’re asking.

“I’ve only slept with her twice and only recently,” he defends.

“Oh perfect, that makes it so much better.” You spit.

He pauses, exhaling, “but I’ve been taking her out for a few months now.”

It’s probably the worst thing you could ever hear.

You think this hurts so much because he was never actually sleeping with her, till recently. He must’ve been going to her for company, for the feeling of falling in love, being in love. Yes, you’ve not exactly had the chance to see each other much these past few months but your love for him never faltered. You never questioned it nor even considered going to someone else for the comfort you weren’t getting from him.

“Y/N I’m so sorry.”

“How could you bring her here?” You whisper, caving to your emotions, “how could you let her sleep where I sleep? I’m your wife, Jin. I’m the mother to your children.”

He begins sobbing, “I fucked up, Y/N. I fucked up so bad.”

The fact you’ve been married for 9 years makes your heart instantly want to comfort him, despite his infidelity. You hate that you love him, but after 9 years you can’t just ‘switch it off’. It just doesn’t work like that.

“Y/N,” He pants, all of a sudden coming towards you in a frenzy, “please don’t leave me. I’ll never see her again, I’ll never do this again, I don’t want to leave you, I always loved you, I never stopped-“ His words are frantic and panicked, but you cut him off with a sharp tone.

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, Jin.” You speak, finally feeling a little calmer as you divert your thoughts to figuring out how the hell you will move past this, if you can move past this.

“Y/N, please,” he begins weeping, and immediately drops to his knees as his arms snake around your legs, “Y/N, please don’t leave me, I can’t live without you.”

You let him bawl into your knees as his shoulders shake, the vision of his blonde head against your legs taking you to a more intimate place where you always felt safe with your husband. But, after this, you don’t know if you’ll ever feel safe again.

“I think we need some time apart.” You declare with a shaky voice, as Jin’s actions cease and his bloodshot, puffy eyes look up at you pleadingly.

“Please, no, please stay. Stay for a bit we can talk about this.” He cries, still on his knees as he begs.

You jostle out of his grip and his palms hit the floor as you back up, “we will talk. But I need space from you first.”  

You’re thankful to already have a packed bag, as you approach the door, Jin now sat at the dining table somewhat more composed, yet still broken. You don’t say goodbye as you reach for the door handle, because goodbye means something definite to you, and despite all he’s done you don’t think you’re quite ready to say goodbye just yet. You shut the door behind you lightly, finally letting out a breath you don’t realise you’re holding till you can breathe in the open air of your front porch. You walk down the steps to the drive and back into your car again, bag in hand, and you tightly grip the steering wheel with a strong breath. And you drive away.

[buckysforeverprincess]

Switch -Part 2

Bucky Barnes x Reader, Avengers

Words: 2097

Warnings: Language, female presenting nipples, sexual situations

A/N: I decided to make this a 3 part thing, because part 2 was extremely long and I wanted this to have it’s own moment. The smut comes in part 3. Enjoy.

No one knew what to say. Everything screamed Y/N! The voice, the body all of it. Nothing outwardly had changed. Steve and Sam just thought Y/N had gone crazy, and Wanda and Nat both crossed their arms and smirked. You decided to take a seat on the counter and wait for the fireworks to really begin.  

“Morning all-what the hell, Y/N?!” Tony has finally made his way to the common area to join everyone for breakfast. He missed the initial scream but is now here for the show that is the now ‘The Winter Soldier: Body Snatcher’. “Have too much fun with the playboy last night and forget your clothes?!” The genius goes straight for the coffee maker deciding he needed more of it before having to deal with the events unfolding in the kitchen.  

“Morning Barnes!” Tony gives a casual nod to you sitting on the counter. You take a sip of the liquid in the cup, and immediately Tony notices something is off.

“Since when do you drink coffee, ice king...and in Y/N’s cup, no less?”

The only thing you can do is shrug and wait for the others to catch on.

“You!” Bucky turns his direction to the Scarlet Witch, “you did this to me, didn't you?!” Bucky's in her face at this point, but it's not as intimidating as it would be if he was in his super soldier body. She can't help but laugh at his efforts.

“I have no idea what you're talking about!” Wanda laughs in his face, repeating the same words he has said to her many times after playing one of his jokes on her.

“Don't lie to me you witch! This is payback for yesterday isn't it?”  

“Wait…” Sam stops Wanda from answering, having questions of his own, “Y/N...what could she have possibly done to you? I mean...did she make you hotter? Because damn girl! That ass though!!”

“Did you just fucking objectify my girlfriends body?” Bucky moves and is now in Sam’s face pointing a finger at him.

“I mean-you are, ya know wearing a thong and I'm a man that loves ass dimples!”

Steve has now started laughing hysterically and has doubled over from laughing so hard. Tony makes his way from the coffee to check out the look Bucky is sporting so he's not left out.

“Those are really nice. Perfect for hand placement-”

“Don't fucking finish that thought, tin man, so help me God!” Bucky has directed his finger Tony’s way.

The whole group is laughing sans Bucky. He's getting more and more pissed off with each passing moment, and you're just sitting there…on the counter, enjoying your coffee. No need to get involved quite yet. This is way too much fun.

“Someone needs to explain what the hell is going on!” Bucky demands, crossing his arms to his chest and covering your exposed breasts, standing like a petulant child. Thank god you don't have issues with your body, because this could've become awkward real fast.

“Y/N…why don't you tell us what it is you remember.” Nat says very calmly, not giving away how much she already knows.  

Bucky scans the room taking in all the faces looking at him obviously thinking he was crazy, before he starts to recant what he can recall. “I remember going to bed with Y/N, in my body! James Buchanan Barnes, aka Winter Soldier, me! This morning, I wake up and I'm her! This is not my body!” He pointing to himself trying to emphasize the point.  

“Definitely a nice ass body!” Sam says, and Steve gives him an elbow to the gut.

“So, someone switched your body?” Steve questions, not sure if he believes what he's hearing.

They've been pranked by Bucky too many times to count, so this could be just another of one his tricks having his girlfriend in on it. There's going to have to be a lot more convincing than just his word.

“Ugh! I don't understand how I'm in a room full of people who continually save the world, but all of you are way too fucking stupid to see what's in front of you!”

You bust out laughing like a damn hyena from the counter. Everyone has now directed their looks to you and Wanda does a faceplant with her hand. Everything had been going so well.

“Baby, do you realize what you just said?” You say in between laughs. “You're what's in front of them...you! They can clearly see you!”  

If looks could kill, you'd be dead. James/you is glaring hard at you/him. He has your face so bunched up, you're pretty sure he's going to give you permanent wrinkles on your forehead.

Bucky stalks up to you, paying no mind to everyone else in the room. “You're being unsarcastically hyper nonverbal!” He yells at you with fire in his eyes. “What is it that you know?”

This is where the fun begins, and payback becomes the worst bitch imaginable. You hop off the counter and stand over Bucky. You can see what it looks like when roles are reversed and he's towering over you. Let the games commence.

“Well, I know that right now…your tits are showing because you chose to wear that ridiculous quarter of a shirt to bed. I'm also aware of the fact that Sam had begun sexualizing you since the moment he saw you in that thong. How did you seriously let me buy that for you, you hate thongs?! But I will agree with him...that ASS though! The suddenness of the amount of crazy you've displayed here this morning can only mean one thing…...you're due to start your period any second now. I'm sorry sweetie, I'll make sure I run out and get your favorite kind of ice cream. Other than that,…good morning my love. Coffee?” You give him a grin, but this just upsets him even more.

Bucky laughs at you, but there's an intense amount of anger in his eyes. You watch him continue to laugh as he walks over to Wanda and gets back in her face.

“I don't know what you did, but it somehow involved my girlfriend over there!” Bucky’s pointing at you now. “I will find out the truth…but for now...I really have to go pee!”

Bucky turns and stomps back to your room.

“Sweetheart!” You yell out before he makes it through the threshold, making him stop and look over his shoulder waiting for you to speak. “Always overnight or extra heavy? Oh, how about tampons this time, I can get those?”

Bucky inhales a deep breath and throws up a middle finger at you without even batting an eye, and continues into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

“So, spill ice age...what'd you do to our sweet Y/N?” Tony’s grabbed a bagel and is spreading cream cheese on it.

“I really have no idea what's going on!” You're trying to look as puzzled as possible to avoid further questioning.

“I hate to admit this, but I have to go with Tony on this one…,” Sam has made his way into the center of the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of juice, “you're both acting crazy this morning. Did something happen between you two?”

The door to the bedroom opens and once again Bucky/you comes out, but this time he's managed to find your extremely short black mini skirt, and blue midriff shirt. Oh, looks like he found a bra…but what about...oh you dirty asshole!  

“Baby?” Bucky walks over and places his/your ass right up against the shorts he slept in last night and rubs himself up and down the front of you. “I'm so sorry for the way I behaved.” His movements becoming hotter by the second. “I didn't mean to cause a scene. I promise to do better daddy!”

The last words were all it took, and you were now fully turned on, Bucky's cock standing at attention. How in the fuck did that happen? God damn him for being an expert in kinky fuckery!

“Oh daddy…did I do that?!” Bucky turns around and faces you, taking his hand and rubbing the hard member through your shorts.

“Fuck…” It comes out as a whisper, but Bucky hears it and keeps rubbing you with his hands.  

No one was moving. They're all stuck in place watching what's happening between the two of you. Normally, you guys would disappear at this point, so no one was traumatized by your actions, but today Bucky didn't care and everyone else was fully intent on watching the show Bucky was attempting to put on. Well played, asshole…well played.  

“Let me take care of you…”

Bucky reaches into the shorts and starts rubbing your hand on his cock. You close your eyes and a shiver runs through your body. The hand on what is now your dick feels so fucking good. You’re pretty sure Bucky’s trying to get you to come in front of everyone, and that has your brain come back to reality.

“Sweetie, what are you doing? This is bedroom activity, you know that.”

Bucky stops suddenly and begins glaring at you. He lets out a huff and removes his hand from your shorts. Bucky starts to walk away again but stops right at the threshold of your room just like before. This time, Bucky/you turns around and faces the entire group. He looks directly at you and gives you a huge smirk.

“Should’ve known you wouldn't cave that easy. I know you’re aware what’s going on, so….” Bucky pauses and lifts the midriff over his head and undoes the bra, exposing your breasts to every single person in the room.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. Record this!” Tony demands of the A.I., while Steve covers his eyes, and Sam crosses his arms and nods in approval.

“Take a good hard look!” You watch him grab at your nipples, pinching at them hard and moaning something loud and pornographic. “You now have to live with the fact that every single one of them have seen your perfect breasts and watched me touch your perky tight nipples. Once you see, you can't unsee!” Bucky blows you one last kiss and enters your bedroom shutting the door.

“You're fucked!” Nat looks over at you with an amused smile and begins to laugh at what just took place.

“This ain't over, darlin’…I got all day!” Your run your hands through the long brown hair, figuring out your next step.

“Buck, what did you do?” Steve walks over to the island and gives you his best Captain America stance.

“I woke up, Steve. I woke up.”  

Tony continues to look at the door of the bedroom Bucky and you occupy, waiting for another show. When he realizes it's not happening he decides it’s time for real talk. “For some reason, ice capades, I don't believe you. She just let us see her boobs….and you're ok with it? I mean, I'm all for it, she has a great rack…but any other time you'd beat the living hell out of us for even thinking about looking. What's up?” You remain silent as you shrug your shoulders at Tony, not knowing what to say.  

“I'm calling bull shit as well…” Sam starts to chime in “I've seen her in more and you've threatened to rearrange my face via that arm! What gives?”

Jesus, they're calling you out. They know something’s not right, and you have no idea how to get yourself out of this one.  

“Hold on everyone!” Nat speaks up, coming to your defense. “Y/N is my best friend. I'd be the first to know if something was wrong. Trust me…that's normal Y/N when she's about to go on a mission. She's just never let you see that side of her.”

Tony starts shaking his head, “nope, don't buy it! Boobs, Nat! Boobs!” Tony exclaims, and Steve palms his face.

“Can we not point out one of my best friends boobs to the world?” Cap asks while rubbing his face.

“Why? I mean-you can't not look.”

Wanda rolls her eyes at your comment and shakes her head. “You should go get dressed Bucky. Go talk to your girlfriend.” She gives you a stern look and you sigh heavily, accepting defeat and make your way to the bedroom door.

You pause before entry, taking one last look at your friends trying to commit their faces to memory before walking in to face a very pissed off Bucky Barnes/you. They all wave to you, and you give a two-finger salute before opening the door and walking into certain death.

[rougespecial-blog]

sweetheart hand // brian may

summary: in 1976, queen celebrate the release of their album a day at the races, which will cement their rise to fame (or notoriety). as it stands, though, you’re an artist who’s never heard of them, dragged along to the launch party by a friend.

a/n: really no warnings for this, some adult themes if you squint. title from tie your mother down. inspired by hearing brian talk about the excitement and excess of the day at the races era, when the boys finally had a bit of money. feedback is nice requests are open etc etc

you’ve barely stepped over the hotel’s threshold when a man in a glittering silver jacket - shoulders wide enough that doorways are giving him trouble - brushes past you. you’ve felt underdressed before, but this borders on ridiculous. three more men are trailing after him, wearing exactly the same thing. one of them holds out a tray towards you and you realise with a slight feeling of dismay that you look more like house staff than the actual waiters. you take a champagne coupe from him, admiring your mysterious host’s taste in glassware if nothing else.

it’s a miracle that you’re here, even plainly dressed in your jeans and white blouse.  you rolled your eyes, initially, when your friend tom called and asked you to be his date to an album release party. he mentioned names you’d never heard - one that had to be made up -  and insisted that this was a once in a lifetime event, that you would forever live in agonising regret if you didn’t go. you told him that you’ve both had your fair share of outrageous parties, thanks very much, that the london art scene isn’t particularly starved for big personalities or expensive vices.

‘i’m telling you - they’re about to explode. this album will be massive. you’ll tell your grandchildren you were at this party. besides, the lead singer - that’s this mercury fellow -  he’s really a stunning entertainer.’

‘i’ve never even heard of them, tom.’

‘well, that doesn’t say much. you’re a philistine when it comes to these things. please leave the canvases alone for a night. they’ll still be there in the morning.’

you pause, biting the inside of your cheek. ‘you’re paying for the cab.’

‘always, dear. and i’ll pay it twice if you don’t have a good night.’

so, here you are, champagne in hand and tom at your side, jostled by the most colourful variety of people you’ve ever seen. his eyeshadow and latex belt - you had laughed hysterically at him in the taxi - don’t seem so ridiculous now.

tom dutifully stays by your side for all of fifteen minutes. he’s much better at these things than you’ve ever been, rubbing shoulders and drawing people naturally in with his never-ending compliments. and the guests - you see a few artists you recognise from galleries, but even they seem different, less inhibited, in this space. a gramophone in the corner blares a classical overture that people are somehow managing to dance along with. you need another drink, badly. when you turn to tell tom this, he’s already disappeared into the fray.

as you wind through the venue looking for more drinks, you overhear snippets of conversation. people gush about the band, the frontman, the party itself. horrifyingly, you hear more than one person comment about how there just wasn’t enough money left over from the band’s last release to make this a really smashing one. you can’t imagine what they’d have this place looking like with a bigger budget.

by the time you stumble through a door that leads to an empty staff kitchen, you’ve just about had it. with the excess, the gratuity. you know you weren’t exactly choosing an austere or subdued lifestyle in modern art, but the cock-first showiness of these rock ’n’ roll types is really starting to get up your nose. mercifully, the first fridge you open still has a few bottles of champagne in it.

it’s just as you pop the cork, the bottle wedged under your arm and foam starting to run out over your fingers, that the door swings open and someone catches you red-handed. it’s not one of the silver-suited waiters - in fact, he might be the most ordinarily-dressed person here, after you. he’s a tall, lanky thing in jeans and a black shirt. if it weren’t for the mess of brown curls reaching his shoulders, you wouldn’t blink at him in the street.

‘that’s your personal bottle, i suppose?’

you blink at the champagne in your hand, then back to him. you have no idea how serious he’s being. ‘i was sent for,’ you answer coolly.

‘ah,’ he says, with a nod that’s too close to sarcasm for you. ‘by?’

you manage not to roll your eyes, though it’s close. you have no idea who this guy thinks he’s impressing as the personal arbiter of Who’s Allowed to Nick Champagne. ‘the band,’ you lie smoothly, turning away from him to refill your glass. ‘i’m a friend of the guitarist.’

you hear him laugh lightly as he steps all the way into the kitchen and closes the door behind him, reducing the din of the party to a distant hum. ‘well, if it’s on the band,’ he says, ‘can i have a glass?’

this is an improvement. you fetch another crystal glass from an overhead cupboard and fill it to the brim, turning around and handing it to him. he’s leaning back against the counter opposite, giving you a chance to appraise him better as he takes a sip of the champagne. you realise his shirt is fashionably just-too-small, with a wide collar that skirts around his collarbones and the hem resting tightly against his hips.

‘so,’ he says - and you remember yourself, looking very decidedly at his face, not his hips - ‘if you know the band, what are they like?’

you pause, trying to scrutinise his expression. he could be sincere, or he could be anyone - a journalist, a friend of the band playing a trick. to hell with it.

‘you want me to be honest?’

he grins at you, laughter swimming in his dark eyes. ‘please,’ he says. ‘brutally honest.’

‘i think they’re a bunch of tossers, really. just look at the state of this party. it’s fucking excessive. these rockstars - they always want everyone to know how much they have, all the time. i find it exhausting.’

something you said seems to have pleased him enormously, and he raises his glass to you, grinning. ‘you know what - i’ve heard the exact same thing.’

‘so how did you end up here tonight, then?’

‘friend of a friend,’ he shrugs, tracing his fingertip around the rim of his glass.

‘and what do you do? you’re not in the industry, are you?’

he’s silent for a second - he seems reticent to tell you, and you wonder for a moment if he is in the industry you’ve just trashed. but then he clears his throat and smiles softly. ‘i’m a teacher, actually. a maths teacher in brixton.’

you feel your jaw drop involuntarily. ‘a maths teacher who just happens to moonlight with coke-sniffing rockstars on the weekend.’

‘oh, come off it,’ he laughs. ‘i suppose you’ve got some incredibly cosmopolitan career.’

‘i’m an artist,’ you tell him, the second truth you’ve told him. ‘a painter.’

‘right, well, there you go. would i have seen any of your -’

he doesn’t finish his sentence before the door opens and the music and chatter of the party floods into the room again. a blond sticks his head around the door and sighs in exaggerated relief.

‘there you are, bri, we were looking for you fucking everywhere. they want us to play a few songs off the record. fred’s been sat at the piano warming up for the past fifteen minutes.’ it’s then that he notices that you’re there, too, and a slow smile appears on his face. ‘sorry, love. didn’t mean to disturb your alone time.’

before you can clarify that this is definitely not “alone time”, he shuts the door again with one final call of ‘five minutes, brian!’. it’s only the look on your new friend - brian’s - face, like he’s waiting to be scolded, that makes you piece together what just happened.

‘he just - you - some songs off the record - fred! - you’re -’ you can’t finish any of your thoughts as you point at him fiercely, eyes wide.

brian looks halfway between apologising and bursting into laughter at your indignation. ‘you lied first! “i’m a friend of the guitarist”.’

‘and i suppose that’s who i’m looking at now, yeah? not a maths teacher from brixton - honestly, a maths teacher -’

‘that part was true! i only just handed in my resignation.’

as if that makes it any better. you roll your eyes and swallow the rest of your champagne in one mouthful. ‘god, and i called you all tossers.’

‘did you mean it, that stuff about excess?’ he asks, a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. ‘or were you lying there, too?’

you cover your eyes with one hand, trying to think before you answer - for once - but he keeps talking before you can.

‘because it was nice, you know. normally everyone i meet at these things wants to blow smoke up my arse about how great we are. making sure they get invited to another one.’

‘and he’s modest, too,’ you smile.

‘oh, come on. listen to a few songs and then you tear me to shreds with your criticism.’

there’s enough clamour in the party that no-one notices the two of you slip out of the kitchen together - you can imagine the rumours. brian finds his bandmates who’ve assembled themselves on the small hotel stage, probably only built for a lounge singer or two. there’s the blond from before perched at the drums, a bass player who leans casually against an amplifier, and ready at the piano sits an exotic-looking thing in a massive fur coat. freddie, you realise, the one you’ve heard the most about. you find a decent vantage point, standing against the wall at the back of the room, sipping a fresh glass of champagne.

you’re sure if you heard these songs on the radio you wouldn’t scramble to write down their names, but there’s something about the energy the band has - a sort of control over the room, an assured confidence in their ridiculousness - that works. when freddie isn’t at the piano he struts around the stage as if it’s an arena - the guests shriek when he sheds his coat dramatically. even brian, the man who you truly believed was only a maths teacher, seems imbued with an infectious bravado, gesturing for people to sing along, putting his shoulders and hips into his playing. and can he play. you don’t know the first thing about the technicalities of guitar, but your hands hurt watching him finish up what must be his sixth solo of the twenty-minute set. and with that, the men give a bow, someone turns the music up again, and they slip offstage.

you finally find tom a half hour after the performance, smoking in the courtyard and chatting with some photographers. he hugs you as if you’ve been separated for years.

‘i told you you’d enjoy yourself, darling. what have you been up to?’

‘nothing special. i was thinking of heading off soon, actually.’

‘oh, come on. it’s barely eleven.’

‘we got here at eleven. it’s almost one!’

he’s just about roped you into sitting down with his new friends - you do sound rather like your own mother, complaining about the time - when you feel a gentle hand on your shoulder.

‘there you are. i was wondering if you’d already left.’

if you didn’t recognise the voice, the look on tom’s face would be revealing enough as his eyes dart, wide, from you to brian before he points at you accusingly. you shrug in answer to his silent question, and turn to face brian.

‘i didn’t - i thought you’d have - you know, band things. i was about to go home, actually.’

‘i was being serious about wanting you to tear me to shreds.’ tom must look alarmed behind you, because he hurriedly adds, ‘with your criticisms, you know. you’ve seen us play now.’

you laugh and duck your head. ‘i don’t have an awful lot.’

‘well, tell me anyway. but not… this, here, it’s a bit -’ he glances around at the din, at couples dancing wildly, drinks being poured. ‘some of us have gone upstairs for a quiet one, if you’d like.’

‘i think -’

‘she would,’ tom pipes up, loudly, from behind you. you kick at him absently, but smile at brian.

upstairs turns out to be a private lounge with a few people scattered around talking amongst themselves and a jazz record playing quietly. among others, you notice the bass player from the band reclining easily with a woman, while a small ring of guests pour themselves whiskey and debate the new rush album. brian falls into a plush armchair and motions for you to do the same in one adjacent. when a waiter pushes past with a trolley of drinks you accept a cold beer, wanting something to ground you but nothing that will make you act more of a fool than you already have. brian does the same, and you sit in companionable silence for a minute as you start drinking.

‘it’s hard to bear, after a while. i always end up escaping like this,’ he says after a moment.

‘oh, i wasn’t too worried about that. i’ve had a few wild nights.’

he raises an eyebrow at you. ‘you painters party often, then?’

‘it’s ridiculous,’ you say, grinning. you prop your legs up on the arm of his chair, crossed at the ankle. ‘not so much now, but i was all over it when i was younger. exposed to all kinds of illicit substances and, ah… sexual confusion.’

he tilts his head back and laughs at that. you watch the line of his throat, the pretty slice of his chest revealed by the shirt. absentmindedly, his hand comes to rest on his chair but instead finds your shin. he taps a long, silver-ringed finger against the cuff of your jeans. ‘tell me about your art, then.’

it feels like minutes pass as you chat, but it must be hours - judging by the way the guests around you are shuffling out or even falling asleep on the various loveseats. you tell him about your painting, and he laughs fondly, bright-eyed, as you stand and gesture wildly to describe the motions of abstract art. you swap story after story - him of life on tour and ridiculous record labels, you of parties and snobbish art collectors. at one point you’re nearly breathless with laughter over his imitations of the kids he used to teach in brixton. the conversation turns more subdued when he tells you about his bandmates. he’s obviously immensely fond of them all, even as he confesses that they drive him up the wall half the time.

‘you promised your criticisms of us, by the way. i haven’t forgotten.’

‘i did no such thing,’ you correct him, ‘but i’ll give them anyway. you’re all very fluid, especially that singer of yours. the way you take up space - i think you wouldn’t be able to carry off the sound any other way. and you - you’re lovely to watch. you look like the composition’s coming right out of you, in the same instant that you’re playing it.’

he gives your leg a gentle squeeze - his hand is so big that it nearly meets around it. ‘you’re thinking like an artist,’ he says. ‘about the way we look. the form.’

you feel suddenly scrutinised, and you’re not sure why. your cheeks are hot. ‘i’m not sure how to think any other way,’ you tell him.

the record has finished and no one’s thought to flip it, either asleep or too caught up in their own conversations. you mumble something about fixing it and stand, smooth out the creases in your shirt. as you walk past brian, he catches you by the hip, softly but just enough to make you stop in your tracks. you look down at him, surprised. hyper-aware of the warmth of his hand even through your jeans. of the eyes looking up at you, expectant and dark enough to fall into.

‘hello,’ he says softly.

there’s nothing else to do but bend down and kiss him. his hand stays at your hip as yours come to his face, the corner of his jaw tense where he’s leaning up to reach you. you forget how simple and wonderful and teenaged a kiss can be. just him and his mouth, obliging under yours. a barely-there scratch of stubble and his curls brushing against your face. the smell and taste of him, beer and cologne and champagne.

your conversation earlier in the kitchen comes rushing back all of a sudden. you pull yourself away, smoothing your hair, leaving him looking flushed and slightly bewildered.

‘this is probably a bit of a novelty, yeah? attain the unattainable.’

‘sorry?’

‘i don’t know,’ you laugh. ‘you talk about all those women saying whatever you like to get you in bed. and the one who says she can’t stand all this rockstar shit, ends up being the one who…’

you trail off, imagining you sound fairly ridiculous, and brian stands. he’s a good head taller than you like this, though the way he carries himself stops it from being intimidating.

‘would you feel the same way if i was really just a maths teacher, then? or one of your artist friends?’

you laugh, taking a swig of your beer. ‘i suppose not.’

‘because without being - ah - presumptuous, i don’t want tonight to wind up some kind of way because of what you think my life is like.’

he perches on the arm of his chair now that you’ve visibly relaxed, and trails a hand down from your elbow to take yours in his. you step closer to him, standing between his legs, your faces almost level.

‘right. and how did you want tonight to wind up?’

he shrugs easily. pulls your hand up to his mouth and presses a kiss to the inside of your wrist. ‘show me some of your work, i suppose. haven’t really gotten a feel for it yet.’

[crystalelemental]

While I’m busy annoying fans of Genealogy with my general disinterest in its cast, here are some other characters I have strong opinions about:

Sigurd’s not nearly as interesting as people make him out to be.  The main action leading to him being branded a traitor was super avoidable and his squire even points out that he’s making a mistake.  His “romance” with Deirdre is one of the most shallow things the series has produced, and literally none of the awful events of Act 2 would’ve happened if he had just kept it in his pants.  His actions during the war are made with good intentions that often lead to further conflict, but most of the critical actions that cause disaster were super avoidable and complete his fault.  Good job, moron.

Arvis is also a putz.  Look, I get it.  His entire point is that he’s trying to build the world for the better, but is highly questionable in his means.  Cool concept!  Problem is we spend like no time with him, and the only indications of this are his discussions with Manfroy, where he talks about how he’s not going to persecute them like in ages past, but he’s also definitely not going to let them revive the baby eating god they worship.  Okay, solid.  The issue is, he knows full well he carries Loptyr blood, and that’s why Manfroy is sticking around.  And suddenly, Manfroy appears with some lady with amnesia, and is oddly insistent on you fucking this woman and having kids.  Did...did you never think about who this woman was, or why Manfroy’s so invested in her sex life?  This is not a difficult conclusion to reach, buddy.

I mentioned Eldigan, but it bears repeating: I hate the Camus archetype, and he’s one of the most annoying.  “I am honor-bound to follow my lord’s every command, I cannot join you and must instead try to get them to see reason.”  Yeah, and you know who else had this exact dilemma like two chapters ago?  Jamke.  Guess who’s on our side now, after realizing how fucked up his king was?  Jamke.  There’s no reason you couldn’t do this too.  Honestly, every time the Camus archetype shows up for a leader who is a complete buffoon, I always think of Wallace’s supports with Kent in FE7.  How his king ordered him to capture his daughter and bring her back from the plains, no matter what.  But when Wallace saw the love she shared with the man from the plains, he let her go, because he knew his king would never forgive himself if he tore Lyn’s parents apart.  Wallace put what was best for his king ahead of the order, and the entire moral is that, even if you’re punished for it, your duty is not to the title, but to the person, and you must act in the best interests of the people you serve, not blindly follow a command that would cause everyone harm.  So yeah, I don’t care to hear about the honor-bound idiots who are given plenty of chances to do the right thing but insist on staying with a sinking ship that’s also on fire.

Deirdre is a non-entity, so there’s really no point in talking about her.  Seriously, she exists almost entirely to produce the children that will be plot-critical in Act 2, but otherwise has effectively zero agency.  She shows up and immediately wants to fuck Sigurd, spends one chapter helping, and is immediately kidnapped afterward to be brainwashed and become Arvis’ wife.  Then she dies off-screen before the events of Act 2.  But she and Sigurd just loved each other so much!  They just saw each other and had such an overwhelming desire to fuck, it must have been love!  At least Deirdre’s excuse is being secluded away from men all her life and not knowing how to handle these feelings; what’s Sigurd’s excuse?

Quan and Ethlyn are actually wonderful.  No complaints.  But I do have another for Sigurd.  Hey, remember when they died?  Remember when Sigurd is told that people were ambushed in the desert and everyone’s dead, and he pieces together that it was his sister and his best friend?  Remember how that comment is all we get for his reaction to their loss, how it’s never brought up a single time ever again, and how Sigurd shows absolutely nothing about the devastation of this loss?  Yeah, but hey, it’s fine, you don’t need more dialogue to make a compelling story.  It just would’ve been nice for Genealogy to be a compelling story by having characters actually matter more than they apparently do.

Ayra’s cool, but her brother’s an idiot.  In her conversation with Quan, she mentioned that Quan’s suspicion is correct, and that the king was not responsible for the deaths of those from Grannvale.  A random lord took action without consent, so the king had that lord executed, and went to make peace with Grannvale, only to be assassinated along the way.  So what does her brother do?  “We gotta go to war.”  Uh...you know you’ll be slaughtered, right?  “Yeah, but my honor, though.”  Gen 1 was mostly a bunch of morons given political power and asked to play intelligently.  They all fucked up.

Lewyn...okay, I don’t like Lewyn.  I get his whole thing is running from responsibility, and being tired of the in-fighting over the crown, but his solution of just leaving is petty and childish.  It’s not that there isn’t some level of understanding there.  He’s just not doing it for me.  I do, however, appreciate how self-loathing he is in Gen 2.

No one else in Gen 1 really matters at all to anything substantial, so boy, it’d have been nice to have support conversations to flesh out everyone else a bit more.  But hey, maybe the sequel, right?

Seliph is pretty cool.  I don’t have a ton to say, but his story kinda allows him to take an easier route to power, with a more clear antagonist and the world at large being more united in his cause of overthrowing the empire.  Not particularly compelling, but not doing anything stupid or uninteresting.

Leif inherits being awesome from both of his parents, who were also awesome.  His sister, Altena, is also really cool.  Altena in particular actually gets a lot.  Having been taken in by the man who killed her parents, she’s grown up thinking that he is her true father.  Her character is in a position to act more as a bridge between two smaller nations that have constantly been at war, having the bloodline connection to Leif and to Leonster, while having her upbringing in Thracia and feeling a family connection to Arion, the true son of Travant.  She’s one of the better characters in this game, I think.

Ares is actually one of my favorites in this entire game.  He and Lene have great supports, but more importantly, you know what sets Ares apart?  Having a brain cell.  As soon as he realizes the corrupt lord he works for sent him out to the front lines and has likely taken Lene captive, he immediately turns coat, intent on killing everyone in his way to save her.  Thank you, Ares.  Thank you for being better than your father, who would’ve meekly decided he can’t disobey orders because he’s totally too honorable and not a fucking coward for letting his sister almost get killed.

Julia...oh my god, I have so much to say on Julia.  Has anyone following me noticed I kinda like the Eirika archetypes?  The female characters that are mostly really collected and quiet, occasionally have a showing of fire, and are ultimately either heavily under-utilized and ignored by the plot or given a story that’s really not very good despite how strong their character could’ve been if the story weren’t...the way that it is?  That’s Julia.  I adore Julia.  She spends most of the game not doing much, mostly being silent and also an amnesiac.  She gets like two conversations with Seliph, and they’re...they’re okay.  Nothing exceptional, just...okay.  But hysterically, once she’s kidnapped, she starts to show the makings of a really great character.  She’s compassionate and understanding to her father, who’s realized what a dingus he was, but pushes back against Julius/Loptyr and is pretty up-front about how willing she is now to kill her brother if it means stopping evil from being unleashed in the world.  She refuses to go quietly, and claims she’ll fight them to the end.  And, you know...is promptly brainwashed and spends the entire chapter as an enemy until Seliph kills Manfroy and lets her snap out of it.  Not even just talks to her, that won’t work unless Manfroy’s dead.  She doesn’t even get enough agency to break free of control under her own will.  This is the issue with Julia.  She should be fantastic.  She’s a character who carries the blood of both Naga and Loptyr, the greatest good and the greatest evil of this world.  Within her is a very concrete expression of the good/evil dichotomy that all humans face, and through her actions she chooses to do good for the world, yet acknowledges the potential for evil within her and struggles against it.  That’s super compelling!  Hell, that’s the most compelling character narrative in this entire game!  And what does it amount to?  Jack fucking shit, because her declaration of intent is immediately sidelined for her to be controlled by another for the entire chapter and made to do evil, until the male hero breaks the spell for her.  Only then is she allowed to confront her brother and actually show agency.  Her character arc should’ve been the diamond in the rough, and all the agency and development she brings to the table is immediately undermined.  Julia, sweetie, you deserved so much better than this.

Ugh, that one hurt to complain about.  But since we’re on the topic, Julius.  We’re supposed to be sad about how he’s completely taken over by Loptyr and needs to be stopped.  But...we never really know anything about Julius.  At all.  Julia talks a bit about how he used to be kind, but that’s...that’s it.  There’s no effort to have her and Arvis share stories about what the family used to be like, or give any indication of how close they were aside from saying it was the case once or twice.  So the plight of Julius, the boy who’s possessed, is completely lost on us, and as a result, Julia’s decision to fight against and kill her brother if that’s what it takes, feels a little less impactful, because you just...don’t have any emotional attachment to what’s being lost.

Ishtar is another Camus archetype, but a rare one where I kinda like her?  Kinda.  She’s come far enough to recognize that Julius is killing people and it’s a problem, and does her utmost to circumvent his violent tendencies and save people.  So why doesn’t she just leave?  Well even that’s pretty taken care of.  She was the betrothed of Julius.  She loved him.  Which means she’s another character who could’ve had meaningful dialogue about who he used to be to build up tension, but we’re not talking about that now.  She stays in part because of that love, but also because he’s violent, and seems to have his eye on her at all times.  She’s effectively stuck in an abusive relationship, unable to make a move for fear of what retaliation he might exact on her or the people she’s trying to keep safe.  That’s a way more compelling reason for a character to stick with an awful ruler.  It sucks, but at least it’s ultimately understandable, unlike Eldigan over here.

Oifey and Shanan I feel like should be more interesting characters, but they don’t really get enough time to be much else.  And if those two, who are meant to be prominent, got very little, you can kinda guess that the rest of the cast has basically nothing going for them.

Honestly, a lot of the events of Genealogy at large feel super avoidable, and largely created by idiots being allowed to make decisions.  But on the smaller level, and especially within Gen 2, I feel like all the game needs is support conversations and maybe more dialogue that didn’t focus so heavily on bloodlines.  The history is interesting, but it comes at the expense of most character development, and that’s really not a good trade.  I know people hate when I bring it up, but maybe if the maps were actually chunked and made into several smaller chapters, we could use wind-up and conclusion to castles being taken as a means to fill in more character moments, instead of just having quick exposition dumps and moving on.

[castanheirx]

these violent delights have violent ends // part one

PREVIOUSLY ON TTW

the events of this take place in the morning of day two. leon has just left hot topic after killing phoenix. at the front of the store he was greeted by ronni when they both heard a cannon. nike and calix had gone off in search of food and/or water when calix was attacked by mutts. after he was attacked nike dragged his body out of the store in an attempt to save him. but unfortunately he died shortly after not far from the cornucopia where they had made camp. a shit show is about to ensue.

LEON

leon was still on a high from his first kill and making small talk with ronni when he heard the sound of another cannon boom, he looked around instinctively seeing nothing alarming or suspicious, but when yells from the other side of the cornucopia sounded, he ran around to see the complete and utter chaos. calix was dead. and nike was stood over his dead body covered in what he assumed was his blood. it seemed as though a silence had come over all of them as they processed the scene in front of them, then leon took a step forward, hands raised and eyes wide. "nike what the fuck is going on?"

RONNI

ronni, having also heard the noise, accompanied leon to see what the matter was. he expected to see an outlier lying dead -- or, better yet, bleeding out -- on the ground. his brow creased as he walked briskly over. god, he thought, he really needed to push it into overdrive. at this rate, all the kills would be taken. he was contemplating the future deaths of the outliers when he, like leon, came upon the bloody scene. a silence fell over the group. then, because he simply couldn't help himself, ronni felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards into a grin. "Ha!" he barked at the sight of calix's body.

AGGIE

aggie was sitting on top of the cornucopia absentmindedly typing the strings from the bags together into knots (and "acting as a lookout," she had said when questioned, though mostly she just liked to be tall). when the cannon sounded and the scene made itself clear, aggie, like ronni, couldn't help herself. she let out a cackle as she slid down off the cornucopia, bounding over to stand next to the others. "just couldn't wait, huh two?"

NIKE

calix was dead. he was dead and nike was standing above his dead body, covered in his blood. she knew how this had to look to them-- it was worse with everyone coming in having no idea what happened. nike turned to face the others, lifting her hands, "i know this looks bad," she started, noticing the backs of her hands coated in drying blood. nike lowered her hands, as if that would help make anything better in this situation. "calix and i were looking through the stores. there were mutts in there," she pointed back at the store of stuffed mutts behind them, "they attacked and he... he got killed." ronni's laugh earned him a glare, but nike turned her gaze back toward leon, "i swear, i didn't--" aggie's accusation cut her off and her jaw clenched tight. "i didn't do it."

RONNI

ronni, still in a hysterical stupor at having spotted nike and calix's corpse, did not understand the gravity of the situation. he walked over to aggie, slung a loose arm over her shoulder, and bent his head over in a series of snorts and cackles. "oh, my god. he really was all talk. damn, good on you, nike," he cheered as he wiped away a stray tear from one of his ducts. then, as if a higher power had taken a dunce cap and placed it gingerly upon ronni's head, he stood at attention. "would it have killed ya' to let me have 'em?" it was miraculous just how much went through one of ronni's ear and out of the other. he hadn't heard a thing nike had said about anything -- only the sound of aggie's laughter and his own petty accusation filled his ears.

AGGIE

it took a moment to pin down the emotion aggie was feeling--she was still laughing, but as soon as nike claimed innocence, she got it. anger, resentment, jealousy. she had wanted to be the one to kill calix, to kill all of them. she had wanted to take them down all in one go, if she had gotten her way. it wasn't fair that she hadn't, nike had gone and done him in on the second day. she didn't even get a chance with calix. crossing her arms as she looked the girl up and down, she spit out her words in an accusatory manner. "what kind of mutts?"

GOLDIE

goldie emerged from the store where she'd been looking around for outlying tributes, and when she saw the blood, she assumed nike had found one. but — but. it was calix's blood lying on the ground, and it was nike covered in calix's blood. she covered her mouth with her hand. "oh my god..." she muttered. she couldn't believe this. she'd known he would die — hell, she'd been prepared to kill him herself — but she hadn't thought it'd be this soon. her head was spinning. she wanted to sit down. "how could you do this?" she asked, her voice low and accusatory. "i liked you." of all the careers goldie had expected to turn tail, nike wasn't on the top three. she didn't know why the fact that she'd liked nike was so important, but it felt like it was. it felt like a betrayal, a real one, not the fake one they were going to put on for the show. goldie's stomach turned. she hadn't expected it to happen like this, for it to feel like this, for it hurt like this.

LEON

leon decided to ignore the cackles and words from ronni and aggie because they were after all helping quite literally nobody at this point. “this looks fucked up nike," but he had just seen mutts in hot topic when he had killed phoenix, so if they were there, the chances of them lurking in other stores was likely. he put his hands down and walked closer towards nike,” i know you didn't do it." standing in between nike and the rest of the careers, he spoke again. “let’s be reasonable guys.”

GOLDIE

"how can i be reasonable?" goldie half-screeched. her nails were digging into her palms at this point and she was trying to keep her lip from quivering. "she just killed my brother! and i liked her!"

NIKE

"i didn't do it!" she snapped again, glaring at the duo from four. she looked toward aggie in particular, brow furrowed deeply. "go in there and see for your fucking self," she spat, throwing a thumb back at the make-a-mutt store. obviously neither of them was going to listen to her. at least ronni wasn't as envious as aggie seemed to be-- not that nike had killed calix to begin with. "i don't even have a weapon to do that to him," she added, briefly glancing back at calix's body. as soon as she saw goldie, the stern mask she had faltered, resorting to shaking her head again, "goldie, i didn't, i swear, i didn't do this." outside of leon, the twins had been the next people she had been most loyal to. the only other people she tolerated-- hell, maybe even liked. she looked back toward leon, her shoulders relaxing when he literally stepped in and stood up for her. with another deep breath, she recovered her stern expression, looking toward the others.

RONNI

"ooh, she liked her" ronni mumbled under his breath to aggie. the serious tone which leon had adopted -- or, rather, which ronni was just now picking up on -- sobered him up only slightly. the whole thing was funny to him for some reason. calix had been his enemy from that very fateful rooftop encounter. he had dreamt of spilling his blood himself. but now... this? it was just too much.

LEON

the boy rubbed his forehead in annoyance, this wasn’t the drama he had signed up for. “goldie i know your brother just died but if you had more than three fucking brain cells, you’d ask yourself how she managed to kill him. he had a weapon, he wasn’t injured and even if she did kill him why would she drag his dead body back here instead of running for the hills?” leon looked at ronni and pointed at him, "now isn't the time for jokes ronni!"

GOLDIE

goldie's hands were shaking. there were traces of blood on her palms in half moon crescents. "you don't need a weapon to kill people! fuck, look at our mentors, leon. this is all a set up. it has to be. she's got to be turning on us. we knew this would happen. i've been thinking about the way the pack was going to split since i met all of you." her voice shook as she turned to nike. "i just didn't think it'd be you."

TL;DR: calix is dead, goldie is freaking out, ronni is happy that calix is dead, nike and leon are stressed™ and aggie is acting like a crackhead as per usual