#oh! I'm also feeling better after my migraine

[pixelateddragonet]

Eeeeeeeee!

[abbey28]

Clarisse La Rue - I'm Your Man

Clarisse x gn! reader from any cabin but Hermes and Ares

An- This is my first PJO fanfic and it took me like a week to write this lol and I don't know if I really like it?? Pls tell me if you catch any mistakes or anything, you guys don't even want to know how many words I couldn't write. But there are about 3,000 words!!! Images aren't mine

Also, I think I will open request, so if anyone want me to write another PJO fanfic pls just send a request!!!!

Warnings!!- Kissing near the end, a weird amount of Chris and Luke, they are like your besties but they are also weird??? One swear, some fights and foreshadowing and stuff, I hope that's it

You hit the ground hard after you had tripped into the boundary that separated your new camp from the outside world. The stayr that had led you here ran past you and yelled a lot of words that somehow your ears couldn't pick up on.

The monster that had been chasing you previously roared and tried to reach out for you, but the force field (or whatever it was) protect you as you watched from the ground. Farther away, there seemed to be more shouts and loud noises.

“There you go, up up up up,” Two different hands gripped onto your biceps and loosened slightly when they had both pulled you up to your feet. They quickly tighten again though once you started to sway forwards.

“Woah, what happened to you?” You blinked and tried to turn to look at the person who had said that, but more shouting and loud thumps plus the strain on your neck caused the shocking feeling of probably the worst migraine of your life stopped you from doing anything.

“Let's take them to the infirmary. Some Apollo kid can take a look at them and then we can show them around once they feel better.”

At that point, the world was started to spin and you felt like you were being moved, but it was hard to tell. You were pretty sure that everything had turned black after a shout of victory filled the air.

You were starting to wish that you were still unconscious on the infirmary bed.

You were following to guys around, Chris and Luke, and they claimed that they were the ones that had help you get to the infirmary in the first place. They were bringing you around the camp, making sure to point out the bizarre and magical things. Like the pegasus.

“And over here, this is where we train. Luke is the best sword fighter in the camp.”

“Don't brag about me like that, it's weird.” Chris laughed and Luke punched him in the arm. They moved out of the taller grass to go towards the more compacted dirt area where other campers were shooting arrows and swinging swords.

You stood still in your spot, watching them. You missed your home and old normal life.

“Move it.” A shoulder bumped into your own, and you don’t know if it was pain or something more, but your whole arm felt as if it was touched by electricity. You jerked back, and the girl that had bumped into you raised an eyebrow. She was facing you now, and two other kids who you assumed were her siblings found a place behind her, as if they were some sort of shoulder pads.

“Well?” She tilted her head to the side, and you mirrored her.

“Is something wrong?” Your question made her two goons snort.

“You’re the newbie, right? Well, it was your monster that gave me this scar. I can hardly wield my spear now!” She pointed to her arm, which you only then realized was set in a cast. You must have been too busy paying attention to how beautiful her hair looked.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn't know you were the one fighting it. Thank you.” You nodded and turned away to go back over to Chris and Luke as Clarisse looked a bit confused and surprised.

Well, this might get interesting.

“How is she so pretty?” Your chin sat on the palm of your hand as you continued to stare at Clarisse as she twirled her spear and took the final blow against her opponent, being some kid from the Apollo cabin. Sweat glistened down the side of her face as the sun casted the perfect lighting to cast upon her smirk of victory. A towel was thrown onto your face, blinding you of the surrounding scenery.

“Gods, you kind of disgust me sometimes. No one looks good when they sweat like that.”  Chris shrugged as he whipped his face with a towel of his own.

You scoffed and got up off of the bench that you were sitting on. Training like this was never easy, especially at camp half blood, aka the camp of the Greek demigods. But, it did come with its separate perks.

“But Clarisse does. You shouldn't project on other people just because you aren’t fond of how you look after these battles.” Another towel was thrown at you as you giggled.

“She doesn't even like you that much, even after all of these years. Maybe you should give up trying to get closer to her. Did you see what she tried to do to Per-”

“Clarisse still isn’t really someone you want to interact with. Their are better people at this camp to get along with.” Luke interrupted Chris and handed the two of you cold bottles filled with what you assumed to be water. Chris started drinking it right away, while you sat it down on the bench along with your towel. Chris and Luke had shown you around the camp when you had just arrived, but even back a few years ago, there was just something you knew you needed to be wary of.

Even if Clarisse doesn’t like you the same way you like her, being around her has taught you some things about trusting others. And tips of how to weild a spear.

"As a head counselor, don't you think you should support relationships?” Luke rolled his eyes.

“Your not apart of my cabin, and neither is Clarrise, but I can still be worried about a friend, right?” You hummed and turned to head back up to the dining hall, or maybe your cabin. Anywhere more secluded would be nice at the least.

“Hey! You forgot all of your stuff!”

“A water bottle and towel aren’t stuff, Luke,  I’m good.”

The dining hall became less and less secluded the more the minutes passed. It wasn't really getting late, but teenage campers did find themselves to be very hungry after training and various other activities.

Closing your eyes, you leaned against the wooden pillar behind you and tried to let your mind calm a bit. You couldn't quite shake the bad feeling that seemed to loom over your shoulders.

Did you choose the right group to hang out with? The weight of friendship bracelets weighed down on your wrist. Time and time again, Chris and Luke, and also Clarisse, have proven themselves to be good and trustworthy people. So why did something always feel wrong? Why can’t you just trust them? And what do these feelings say about the future?

The bump of a shoulder against yours made you shake out of your thoughts and forced you to open your eyes.

“What’s wrong with you?” Clarisse stood in front of you, slight worry lines creased between her eyebrows. Suddenly the world didn’t seem so dark, and the evil didn’t seem too bad.

You grinned at her and she backed away, letting you take a place by her side. She was carrying some food on a lunch tray in her left hand while her right still clenched around her spear.

“You scared me there!” She hummed as she sat down at a table in the back that no one else was near or sitting at. You sat next to her.

“Don’t you want to go get food?” she focused her attention on placing her spear in a safe position, so she missed the smile that seemed to glow like the moon on your face. She was worrying about you! After a minute passed and with you not answering, she turned towards you with a raised eyebrow.

“Well?” You snapped out of the seemingly lovestruck way you were to answer what she had asked.

“Oh, I’m not too hungry. You don't need to worry about me one bit!” She turned away and picked up her fork to eat the still warm meat and mashed potatoes.

“I wasn’t.” she grumbled. The rest of the lunch was silent, with Clarisse eating and you picking at the peeling paint that still somehow coated the wooden table. The minute she was done shoveling all of the food into her mouth she got up and grabbed her spear. You jumped up after her, following as she returned the tray and left the dining hall.

“What are we gonna do now?”

“Spar. But you don't have to join.” Clarisse’s words sounded firm, but despite the seeming protest against you, she did want to spar with you. You had made great progress since you had first gotten to camp, progress that had made the daughter of the god of war and many others as jealous as it did make them proud. In time, Clarisse found that it might just benefit her to keep you around. You treated her nicely, and you could challenge her abilities while not being upset when she lashes out. You weren’t someone who would just come into her life at any time, but you were more like an anchor that grounded her. Feelings she had never even dreamed of feeling seemed to grow stronger each minute she's next to you.

She was just really terrible at showing it.

The two of you spent the rest of the day up until nightfall fighting. You called it quits first, the want and ache for food and a nice shower were starting to over take the feeling of needing to be around Clarrise.

She walked back with you to the showers, and you had to resist the twitching in your hand that reached to hold Clarisse’s.

With your hair still dripping wet, you made the short walk of going to the dining hall for a snack and then to your cabin. It was the laughter that rang out in the night air and the shadow of Clarisse’s silhouette that made you pause.

“So you don’t really like them, right? Why let them stay close to you like you do?” More questions seemed to arise, all from people you could recognize to be from the Ares cabin.

“We understand that they are useful to you. When it comes to them, it doesn't seem hard to please them either. The way they follow you around just kind of reminds me of a dog, ya’ know?”

Laughter seemed to get louder as the world around seemed to stop and spin faster at the same time. There were calls of your name, or maybe not, who knew? There seemed to be more sounds that sounded like fighting, sounds that remind you of when you had first crash landed at camp.

But all you really seemed to know was the maybe Luke and Chris were right, and that maybe the ground was getting closer, and maybe there were footsteps coming towards you, and maybe-

- You passed out. Chris was pacing back and forth in front of the bed you were laying in. You groaned and moved to sit up.

“Chris, what are yo-”

“OH MY GODS, YOU’RE AWAKE!!!??? ‘Kay, how many fingers am I holding up??” A hand was pushed right in your face but you groaned and paused his hand away and messaged your temple.

"What time is it?”

“It’s noon. You were out for, like, a solid day.” The refermery door opened quickly, making it slam a bit into the wood wall. You winced.

There was no way that your headache was going to go away any time soon.

Both Clarisse and Luke walked in, and there seemed to be some sort of angry tension between them. But they both seemed to loosen up a bit once they both saw you sitting up and watching them. Luke said your name in relief, but then Clarisse pushed past him in urgency.

“Come on, let's go somewhere else,” she grabbed your hand and tried to pull you up, but you did your best to put all of your weight in staying down.

“Clarisse, they just woke up. They need more rest, or at least some food-”

“That doesn’t matter right now, I need to talk to them about something, Luke.'' They were shooting daggers at each other through their eyes. Clarisse sighed and said your name. “Come on, we need to go-”

“Clarisse, I’m staying here.” You could feel the look of shock that she was giving you, but you focused on staring at the white bed sheets that you were fiddling with.

“Your cabin mates were right, and I think I don’t want to be your dog anymore. You don’t have to pretend anything anymore just to make sure you can keep me around, because I don't know if I want to be around you anymore.” The silence that followed your words was deafening. You peeked up through your eyelashes, and it seemed as if Clarisse was literally fuming.

“My cabin mates have no idea about anything they said. You are not a dog, and you have always been-”

“Clarisse, that's enough. They don't want to be near you anymore, so you should leave.” Clarisse glared at Luke, then looked back at you, staring for a long moment. She let out an angered huff.

“Fine, but you better watch your back from now on, Castellan.” And with that, she spun around and stomped out the door, slamming it hard enough that the whole cabin shook and a little vase full of flowers that was sitting on a windowsill fell and shattered into hundreds of pieces. In a strange way, it felt as if your heart could relate to it.

For the next week and a half, Clarisse was the one following you around.

Well, for the most part.

You would catch her staring from a distance while you practice archery with Luke, or when you did swimming lessons with the younger kids and Chris. You knew that she tried to get closer a few times, but with how close Chris and Luke stuck by your side, you could see that this whole situation was frustrating her to no end.

“You guys know you don't have to follow me around like that, right?” you set your lunch tray down on the table and Luke set his food down next to you and Chris sat across from you.

“We have to make sure our favorite camper is safe, right?” Luke patted you on the back as he took a bit of his food and you rolled your eyes.

That night, you snuck away from your cabin and down to the lake. Being out anywhere in camp after dark makes you feel paranoid, but almost nothing could compare to the serene scenery. You sat down on the edge of the lake, where the sand wasn’t that wet and the water's small waves could just barely touch your toes.

You brought your knees up to your chest and sighed and buried your head in them. Why didn’t anything feel right? Was taking a step back from Clarisse really the right answer?

A twig snapped from somewhere behind you and you sprung up and squinted towards the forest. Gods, please let it not be a harpy. But it wasn’t. It was Clarisse.

“What are you doing here?” You questioned her immediately as she walked closer towards you.

“Following you. What are you doing here?”

You stayed quiet and sunk back onto the sand. Clarisse silently sat down next to you, farther away than what you really wanted, but close enough so you could feel the heat of her, the heat that all of Ares’s kids seemed to have.

“I'm here to think. Clarisse, have I- have I been stupid?” The question came out more desperate than how you first wanted it to.

“Yes.” You laughed a bit at how quick her response came. But even with that, tears felt like they were coming into your eyes, and you angled your head to look at her. She was once again already looking at you, her gorgeous brown eyes slightly lidded and a small smile graced her lips.

“I care about you, Clarisse. Like, a lot.” You blurted the words out, and you almost regretted them. Almost, but then Clarisse scotched just a little bit closer to you.

Clarisse whispered your name and brought her hand up to your cheek. Your ears felt hot, and so did the spot that the girl in front of you was softly caressing.

“Why did you push me away like that?”

“Because… you don’t feel the way that I feel for you, and I've known that for years, Clarisse. And, your cabin mates, like, hate me. I just… didn't want to put myself through anything I wasn't prepared for, I guess.” The waves lapping away at the shore was the white noise that saved you from quite literally going crazy.

Clarisse just stared at you.

“Look, I don’t really have… the best relationships with other people, but I know that I care about you too. Also, I beat up siblings for saying all of that shit, so please stop using it as an excuse. ” Clarisse pulled you a little bit closer, as if she was asking a question. You answered it by letting her pull you towards her, and it was you who leaned in first.

The kiss was like a spark, with your lips on hers and with her hands moving to sit on your hips, gripping at them in a way that grounded the both of you just a bit. Your hands went to tangle in her curls, pulling on them gently as the kiss dragged on. You pulled away first, taking deep breaths and looking at Clarisse with wide eyes.

“I’ve been waiting to do that,” She went back in for another kiss, but you put your hands on her chest to make sure she stayed a bit away.

“Clarisse!” you whisper shouted as she blinked at you.

“What?”

“Should we really be, you know-”

She lightly grabbed the fabric of your shirt and pulled you back into her. Your second kiss was just as passionate as the first one, but the second one seemed to tell you so much more.

“I’m in love with you. I want to be yours, and I wish that you could be mine.”

You were taken aback by her words, but they made you weak in your knees and you could swear you were melting.

“I’m in love with you too. Iv'e been yours “

And then with the moonlight illuminating you both, you kissed Clarisse for the third that evening, which was most definitely not going to be the last one before the harpies could find you.

[kaliforniahigh]

Be my baby, I'll look after you.

Noah x reader with needle phobia.

TW: mentions of hospitals, needles, blood and medications.

WC: 1.2k

Noah cradled you in his arms as you cried on his bed. The room was pitch dark and the curtains were drawn. Your migraine has been giving you a hard time ever since the beginning of the week. With today being Wednesday, you couldn't take it anymore and finally broke down.

Your medicine wasn't helping and neither was the cold cap that Noah kept in the refrigerator for you, to be used in moments like this. You were frustrated because nothing seems to be working for you.

Granted, your crying wasn't helping either, but you couldn't care less at this point. Your head already felt like it was going to explode.

"Sweetheart, you haven't eaten anything all day, maybe you're hungry and it's making your headache worse?" Noah tried to reason with you, even though he knew when you were like this, chances are you're going to throw up anything you tried to eat.

"I don't want to eat, I'm afraid I'm going to throw up" you told him in a small voice.

"Oh baby, but maybe that could make you feel better?" you shook your head, not understanding how throwing up could possibly make you feel better.

He laid there with you in his arms, feeling his heart break every time a sob racked through you and every time you cradled your head to try and make the pain go away. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Baby, we're gonna have to go to the hospital" as soon as he said these words, your grip on him tightened and you shook your head vigorously. He already knew this was going to be another battle completely.

"I don't want to go there, you remember what happened last time, I don't want that to happen again". And of course he remembered, how could he forget?

You went to have your medication administered. Noah asked you if you wanted him to go with you, but you refused, you actually thought you could do this yourself.

10 minutes later, a nurse went to get him in the waiting room and he found you sitting on a recliner, tears streaming down your face, your arms already purple from the prodding. He really had to control himself so as not to give the nurses a dirty look. He knew that most likely it wasn't their fault.

He crouched down next to you. "What happened, sweetheart?"

"They poked me 4 times with the needle! And every single time my vein blew and there was blood all over my arms" you cried out, trying to dry your tears with your hands, but they were flowing rapidly. "I want to go home, I don't wanna be here anymore. Please take me home".

And honestly, how could he deny you? He just wanted to get you in his car, take you home, give you a shower and then cuddle you until you felt better.

"Do you feel ok to stand up?" he asked you and you nodded. "Ok then, baby. Let's get you home".

He helped you get up from the recliner and you instantly clung to his side.

"Sir, her medication has not been administered. By taking her home, she'll be refusing treatment."

"That is ok, ma'am. I'll be taking care of her at home"

After that day, he knew you took several steps back in your journey to try and overcome your fear of needles. But, unfortunately, at some point, you would have to go back to the hospital, and he really couldn't see you suffer like this anymore.

"How about this, I take you to the hospital and I don't let you out of my sight, and if something you don't like happens, I'll take you home immediately".

You thought about his words, and you knew he meant them. You also couldn't bear the pain in your head anymore. And you knew if you just laid there it was never going to go away.

"Ok, you can take me, but it has to be a different hospital this time" you looked at him, but he was already getting up from the bed.

"That's a deal. I'll help you put on some comfy clothes and then I'll drive us".

The ride to the hospital was mostly quiet. You worn a sleep mask so the light wouldn't bother your eyes so much.

Part of you hoped the doctor would just give you some oral medication, but you already knew that wasn't happening. Noah answered some questions on your behalf, and you even heard him explaining about your needle phobia, but you couldn't understand much due to your foggy mental state.

He prescribed you an IV and the nurse led you and Noah to a treatment room. As you laid down on the hospital bed and saw the nurse preparing the medication along with the needle that was about to pierce your skin, you paled and began to hyperventilate. You looked at Noah as if to say "please help me, I don't think I can do this".

Noah, who always paid close attention to your reactions, noticed immediately that you would soon have a panic attack, and he had to do something about it before it got worse.

He called out for the nurse, who turned around and looked at both of you with kind eyes. "The doctor mentioned that intranasal sedation could be an option for her since she has needle phobia. I was wondering if we could try that before you try to put in the IV?"

"Yes, of course. Is that something you would be interested in, honey?" She asked, turning to you. Sensing your apprehension, she explained to you that intranasal sedation involved spraying in your nose a small dose of sedative, that would make you relax and just a tiny bit groggy. But, would also make the situation less traumatic and painful for you.

You looked at Noah, trying to gauge his opinion, but he just nodded, communicating with you that this could be a good option.

As the sedative did it's job, your head instantly felt lighter, your hands unclenched and your body relaxed. You heard Noah say something along the lines of "you're doing so well and I'm so proud of you", but you just concentrated on the feeling of walking on cloud nine. You really couldn't remember the last time you were so at ease inside a hospital.

When you turned your head to the side, Noah was looking at you with so much adoration you felt at a loss for words. He was slowly stroking your hair and slightly massaging your scalp. The stress and exhaustion from the week finally caught up to you and you drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Meanwhile, Noah felt at ease watching you being at ease. Witnesseing you struggling and crying every time he had to take you to the hospital absolutely broke his heart. He hated watching the love of his life suffer and he ultimately felt helpless.

He was glad that today he could help you somehow. And he knew he would do it every time, he would protect and defend you every time if it meant making life easier for you.

[dwindlinghaze]

reader pretending she (or they) doesn’t love peter back when he confesses because she is scared to lose him as a friend if they break up so after some angst and pining and avoiding feelings they end up together? ty!

main thing

(peter parker x reader)

summary : you're scared of losing peter as a friend by being more than friends with him.

contents : fluff, small angst ig, she they pronouns used!!! kind of short and rushed im so sorry but i love this concept a lot so thank you anon !!! 🫧🫧

a/n : im back!!!!! im really sorry if my writting is messy and stuff cuz i haven't been writing fics for months noww,, anyway i hope u like it 🫧☃️☁️ and a little rant here um i have this exact situation with a girl- i like her a lot and i knew she liked me back but i also happened to know that if we were to be together it will not last very long so we just ignore whatever is there between us. but don't worry lovelies r and peter's ending won't be like mine <3

　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

the hallway between classes were so full. crowded by students walking in eight cardinal directions. your head felt dizzy, it's like you're seeing everything underwater. your steps came to a halt when you were met with a row of lockers. palm against the cold metal as you gain back your stability.

peter must've seen you from the other side of the hall. frowning as he took in your state.

he walked over to you, cautiously. "you okay?"

you looked up to meet his eyes, immediately closing them back when the ceiling light hit your vision. "not feeling well."

peter placed his left palm over your cheek, rubbing them softly to soothe you. he didn't know if it helped but he smiled nevertheless when you nuzzled your face further into his hand.

you wanted peter to give you a hug, maybe his shoulder can be a good resting spot for your heavy head and his warmth can relax your muscles.

and of course. peter did. without you even asking.

"wanna go to the infirmary?" he asked softly, rubbing the side of your head as you completely lose all energy, so now he's the one that held you standing.

"mmh," you replied, not having the energy to form real words.

"alright then let's go," peter started to pull away but stopped midway when he felt you struggling.

"pete, i'm sorry i can't, i have to lay down," you whispered. so soft and low. if he weren't that close to you, he wouldn't hear it.

"that's alright, just slow steps," he encouraged.

he missed his class but he didn't care. he just wanted to be there with you. showing his affection because of his new slash old found love he has for you.

your migraine has not subsided at all the following day. you decided, for good, to skip class. there's no point in going to school when you're sick anyway right? you'll have ended up in a worse condition by the end of the day.

peter was searching for you left and right, he knew you were sick and he is worried sick about your whereabouts. he called you several times already but you never picked up.

when school finally finished, which for him was the longest six hours of his life, he immediately went to your house.

your mother was the one greeting him, saying that you're resting in the comfort of your bed. he went upstairs, after getting your mom's permission, and knocked on your door softly. "hey, it's me peter, can i come in?"

you gave him a very soft hum, thanks to his advanced hearing he can hear you just well.

you were lying on your bed, covered in tons of blankets. peter felt warmth rushing through his chest, seeing you like this. he approached you slowly and kneeled beside your bed.

"how are you feeling?" he asked ever so gently, hand on your shoulder with the blanket in between.

you peeked an eye open, your room was dimly lit, only your vanity lights were on. "better than yesterday," you answered, pushing yourself up slowly. "the migraine is not as bad as yesterday, my head is hurting- just a little."

"oh okay," peter replied. "do you need anything? i can bring you food or drink or water? do you need painkillers?"

you smiled, reaching for his hand, "i'm fine pete, just cold. can you turn up the ac please?"

peter did just that, jumping to his feet to take the remote.

after that you fell into a deep sleep again. peter was there the whole time. he was thinking about... stuff. stuff he wants to tell you.

he sat on your bed right beside your blanketed legs, his hands over them. he looked at you, your sleepy face, perfect hair, soft cheeks. you are his friend. best friend in the whole world. no one understands him like you did. just a few months ago he realised that his feelings may have grown.

it's not just a friendship kind of love but a lover kind of love.

he recalled the amount of time he had cried on your arms. laughed together with you. talk about embarrassing things he had done and had regretted. nobody knows him like you do. and peter would not let anybody know him like you do.

you're the only person that he can be vulnerable with. the only one that he can just be himself even if it's not the best. the only one he trusts.

"what are you thinking over there?" your voice pulled him out of his thoughts. he gave you a smile and you gave peter space for him to lie down.

"just thinking about thoughts... ?" peter answered but it's more like a question.

"thoughts about?"

"nothing."

"you know you can always tell me anything right? no matter what it is," you assured the boy.

"yeah..."

"so...?"

"you're sick right now, you should be resting," he said instead.

you sat up, stretching your muscles as you scrunched up your face. "i feel a whole lot better now... hey do you want some meal and we'll talk about whatever you are thinking about? cause by the look of your face, it's something that has been bothering you hm?."

peter thought about it for a while, but he really didn't have to. it was about time for him to tell you how he feels. he just hoped that you feel the same way.

your mom brought the two of you dinner to your room, you thanked her before she left and urged peter to eat. "pete?"

"yeah," he cleared his throat, "um i don't really know how to start this."

"it's okay, you can take as much time as you want, i'll be here," you said as you take a spoonful of the dinner.

that's also another thing about you that made his feelings even more clear. you never pushed him. always waiting for him to be ready.

"i like someone," he started. you stopped what you were doing and turn your focus fully on him. your heart felt like it has been crushed. "i know we never talk about y'know- this kind of stuff together but the thing is, i like her so much maybe i even love her, i don't know yet though cause i don't really know how love feels- but i sure do like her a lot."

"and does she know this?"

"no... but she knows now" peter answered, hoping that you'd get what he meant.

"what do you mean?"

peter sighed looking down at his lap, "well she's my best friend. my only friend actually. i really really want to be more than friends with them because she is everything to me. i smile every morning because i know i will see them later that day. i spent most of my time thinking about the two of us together. and you know just how worried i was when they didn't go to school because she was sick."

"peter-" you warned him.

"y/n, listen to me-"

"peter please don't," you whispered. you thought you would be jumping and giggling if peter ever confessed to you but instead it's the complete opposite. you don't want this. you can't have this no matter how much of you wanted him.

peter's eyes were brimming with emotion, shiny tears fighting their way not to roll down. "you don't feel the same do you?"

you wanted to say yes. yes you feel the same, you like him so much and that's what you're so worried about. "peter it's not that easy. we- we can't," you shook your head.

peter's brows knitted together, he was bitting the insides of his lower lip. "that's ok. i'll just go home now. i'm sorry for making things weird yeah? just forget everything i said. tomorrow is a new day." he forced a smile before he is out the door.

just like what peter has said 'tomorrow is a new day' so you acted like yesterday never happened. you walked into school, seeing peter by his locker. you smiled at him. "morning!"

"morning, y/n," peter said back, voice cracking.

"let's go to class," you suggested.

through out the day everything was just like how it used to be. you still sit besides each other. still eat lunch together. everything was the same... except that peter can't look at you for more than three seconds and you two don't talk as much anymore.

peter still walked you home, though there is no goodbye hug.

you wondered if you had made the wrong decision. what if you just accept your feelings and let peter in? but the thoughts of ever, god forbid, breaking up with him is what makes you back away from accepting his love.

you love peter so much. more than you can ever say. in a world of boys he's a gentleman. he proved so today. even after getting rejected and having his own heart torn into pieces, he still walked you home.

the next day though, peter seemed to be avoiding you.

you tried to come to him several times but he just gives you short replies. you couldn't blame him. he has every right to do so.

it has been two weeks since. you missed your peter so much. you missed his cheeky smile. his science jokes. his laugh that never fails to make you smile.

sure you can live without peter parker, but would it be as exciting? would you let the only person that knows you best slipped away like that just because you pretend to not return his feelings?

it was such an emotional rollercoaster. on one hand you want to wake up beside peter, but on the other you worried that he'll realize that he's better alone so you'd break up. you want to cuddle up next to him, but you fear he'll get sick of you and break up.

why does every intimate thought of him always ends up with breaking up?

you tried to bottle up your feeling until you can't anymore. so here you are now, knocking at his door.

he opened up, looking as tired as one can be. now that you really look at him, you notice his beautiful freckles that doted all over his nose and cheeks, his smile lines around his eyes, his pretty eyes that you love so much. even in his exhausted state he still looked so- so perfect.

"y/n? what're you doing here?" peter spoke.

"i want to talk to you." you mumbled, looking down at the pavement.

peter was silent. complete silence.

"i want to tell you that i do like you too, peter. i was just being dumb because you're my best friend for years and if we ever get together, what will happen when we break up? i don't want to lose you. so by pushing my feelings aside i can just continue like nothing happened... but i can't stop thinking about how i have hurt you. i completely denied and hurt your feelings and i can't forgive myself for that."

peter put a warm hand over your shoulder, rubbing his thumb back and forth.

"it's fine. if you don't want this then we don't have to." he said.

"but i want this."

"you do?"

"yes but-," you took a deep breath, "but what if we broke up?"

peter shook his head at that, "we haven't even got together yet and you're thinking of breaking up?"

"it's not funny."

"y/n look at me, i love you. i will not let that happen. and if you really think about it, what is there to be the reason of our break up?"

"i don't know something might come up."

"we know everything about each other, we understand each other. if there's something, i'm so so sure we can work it out," peter placed a hand on your cheek, forehead touching.

"really think so?"

"of course," he replied. "i'm also sorry for saying that so suddenly. i should've known better."

"it's okay peter, we're here."

"yeah we are, and we are not leaving each other yeah?"

"promise," you said.

[shellswritesstuff]

hi, hear me out. johnny with a s/o he meets at wu shi? like they are also a part of the earthrealm gang. THANK YOU!

(YES. OKAY OKAY I SEE THE VISION. I loooove the idea of reader being part of the main group, if you want more lmk,, id love to expand on this.)

Johnny Cage/Reader - Wu Shi Romance (HCS!) (SFW.)

𖦹 When you first arrived at the Wu Shi Academy, you felt at peace. A bit hopeful for the fights to come. You were eager to meet your teammates, those who would take on such a task to defend Earthrealm must be great people.

𖦹 You were right! For the most part...

Kung Lao, Kenshi, and Raiden were all here on their own volition. Their own personal missions and reasons for being here were noble, and you respected them. A friendship would soon blossom.

𖦹 And then there was Johnny Cage. Movie star, model, self-proclaimed 'sexy pants.' Being from Earthrealm, you knew exactly who he was. You've heard quite a bit too.. some things worse than others. 𖦹 You were a fan! Johnny's movies were some of your favorites, and now you get to meet the guy. You were excited to train in the same place as him, maybe even learn a thing or two!

𖦹 All of this was true... until he opened his mouth.

"Well hello there, pretty lady." Johnny waltzed up to you with what was either confidence or stupidity. (You'd soon come to know it was a mix of both.) "I know you're new here and all.." He raised his left arm, flexing for you.

"So, if you're ever in need of a sparring partner.." A mental note to kick his ass was taken. "...I'd be a luckiest man in the academy to get my hands on you."

This guy cant be for real right? The only way this could get any worse is if he... WINK! There it is. 𖦹 For next few months, you'd be training under Liu Kang. Spending just about all of your time with the team. (If you want more about their relationship developing lmk! I'm planning on making a drabble or maybe a slow burn!)

At first, Johnny's flirting was non-stop. Jabs between training sessions, compliments via passed notes during the monk's lectures, you name it - he's tried it. Though, his antics never failed to make you smile. It was harmless, and on days where you couldn't bare even your own company.. he was surpisingly... docile. (As well as he could be.)

𖦹 "I'm not feeling it today, Cage." You let out a huge sigh, adjusting your wrist wraps. "I'd give anything to have slept in. It's not my day, as I bet you can see." That morning, Liu Kang had you all run around Wu Shi, only stopping to do various fights. You'd felt sick from the moment you woke up, if you can call little sleep you've had rest.

Johnny had caught up to your speed, running beside you. He had said some pun about how we're 'running' out of time before the tournament. You'd at least cringe and maybe even laugh, but he only got a huff in reply. You thought he'd poke you some more, add to the impending migraine coming your way. Much to your surprise, he just ran faster.

"OH!" He collapsed to the ground, catching the attention of a few passing monks. "OH THE HUMANITY! I THINK I MAY HAVE.." Johnny winked at you before grasping his side. "PULLED A HAMMY! THIS.. THIS IS IT FOR ME.. OH IF ONLY SOMEONE WOULD HELP ME." He reached out his hand for dramatic effect as people surrounded him.

The training drill was swiftly cancelled for the day.

After dinner that night, you found yourself at 'injured' Johnny's door.

"Knock knock." You made your presence known as you slid open the sliding door. "Feeling better after pulling that hammy?" Johnny sat up with ease, meeting your gaze as you leaned against the partition. "Learned that in Hollywood?"

"Who said I can't act, huh?" He grinned, pretending to shove dust off his sleeves. "More importantly, are you feeling better?"

𖦹 From that day on, you two would gradually grow closer. Sitting next to each other for breakfast and dinner, and even partnering up for sparring. He'd still insist on going easy on you, but after a few ass kicking later, Johnny would learn not to underestimate you.

(I have SOOO much to say, so I'll make this a two parter! Thank you soooo much for reading and my ask box is open!!)

[vodika-vibes]

Tomorrow Will Be Better

Summary: When his cyare has a bad day, Fives does everything in his power to make her evening better.

Pairing: ARC Trooper Fives x F!Reader

Word Count: 760

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: I wrote this in about 30 minutes, so I'm sorry if it's really bad. But I needed to write, so ta-dah.

Fives knows his cyare. He knows her moods and her quirks and her habits. She has a routine, and she follows it without thinking about it.

Honestly, his presence throws off her routine more than anything else in the galaxy. Not that he minds. He takes pride in being the one thing that can encourage his cyare to divert from her normal schedule.

But he also knows that he has to give her fair warning in advance.

So, when he sent an excited series of comms to his cyare, telling her about a new restaurant that his brothers told him about and how they were raving about it, and how he was definitely bringing her there tonight, he expected an enthusiastic reply.

Instead, he gets a half-hearted response. Half-hearted even by texting standards.

And he’s immediately concerned.

Fives toys with the idea of texting her again, of asking her what’s wrong and what he can do to help, but he has a feeling that his prodding isn’t going to help at all. 

So, instead, he decides to scrap all of his plans.

Honestly, the restaurant can wait, his cyare can’t.

So instead of relaxing, like he normally does when he’s home for the first time in ages, instead he darts around the apartment. He can’t make it spotless, and he’s sure that his cyare wouldn’t want him to make the house spotless, but he does give the kitchen and bathroom a quick scrub, and he very quickly starts the laundry and vacuums the living room, before he sets about preparing everything she might need for a relaxing evening.

Her favorite pajamas are laid out on the bed. Her favorite dinner from her favorite restaurant is quickly ordered and paid for. He lights her favorite candles, the soft scented ones that don’t trigger her migraines.

Fives considers drawing her a bath, but decides to wait to see what her mood is like before he does that. 

He would hate to make her feel pressured, after all.

And when the door opens, Fives is quick to greet her in the hallway, with a broad smile and a gentle kiss to her forehead.

She looks tired, his poor cyare. Dark circles under her eyes, and her hair pulled in a messy tail rather than the neater tail she usually wore to work. There’s an air of, almost, defeat around her. 

“Oh, cyare,” Fives brushes the back of his fingers against her cheek, “You had a bad day.” It’s not a question.

She laughs, and his heart clenches when it comes out as more of a sob, “It’s been a hard week.” She admits, “And…oh, I said we could go to-...just let me change and we can head out.”

Fives lightly cups her face and kisses her cheek and then the other cheek, before ghosting his lips against hers, “Food has already been taken care of. I ordered your favorite.”

“You…you did? But you wanted to go to this new place-”

“The restaurant will still be there the next time you feel like going out. It’s not going to vanish into smoke,” His voice is light and teasing, “But I’m worried that you might vanish into smoke if I don’t help you get some rest.”

She sighs, soft and so very heavy, and then leans against his chest, “What did I do to deserve someone as amazing as you?”

“Hm…well, you tripped over my brother, and I caught you. So I suppose you could say that you literally fell for me.” Fives replies with a grin.

“...that’s awful.”

“You love me for my bad jokes.” Fives reminds her with a smothered laugh, “Come on, angelfish.” He kisses the top of her head, “I put your pajamas out and I lit your favorite candles.”

“You’re wonderful,” She says through a sigh.

“I am pretty amazing.” Fives agrees, “Now, come on. Let’s get you settled, and you can tell me all about your rotten week while I cuddle you. And then we can watch some trash tv together while you fall asleep.”

“I love you, Fives,” The words seem to slip from her lips without her permission, and Fives can’t help but grin. He already knew, of course, she’s told him that before, but it’s still new enough that it sends thrills through his entire body.

“I love you too, cyare.” He presses one more light kiss to her lips, and then pulls away to guide her to the bedroom.

He’ll take care of her until she’s ready to take care of herself…and even after.

[weird-is-life]

Hiii!<333 I had an idea for a Spencer x reader and ur my fav writer so here it is!!

Spencer’s best friend notices his light sensitivity and migraines but she’s partially deaf / hard of hearing (probably wears hearing aids) so whenever he can’t see something he reads it to her and whenever she can’t hear something he repeats it back to her😭 she also like massages his temples whenever he’s stressed and she’s just like an absolute cutie pie☹️❤️ thank you!! Feel free to make any adjustments :)

Hii, ty for the request! I'm sorry, it took me so long🥺 Hope this is okay. And thank u for loving my work, i appreciate it so much🥹🥹. Warnings: fluff, mentions of headaches, pet names, the reader has trouble hearing properly, (0.4k)

You are the first one home from work and the only thing you manage to do is to lay down on the couch.

Spencer comes some time after you and he's not doing much better. Work was absolute pain for him today, figuratively and literally. His head has been killing him since the morning, so it took him everything he got to get through the long work day.

You work day was as bad as his. You had trouble hearing all day, It was just worse than it usually is. Like your coworkers had to repeat stuff multiple times to you or you just nodded and went along with the conversation without even knowing what was being talked about.

Spencer flops down on the couch right next to you, face burying into the cushions, " hi."

You immediately pull him close towards you, craving the comfort of just simply being close to him.

"Hi," you whisper. You know, Spencer's in pain by just looking at him," is it bad?"

"Yeah," he responds groggily. He lifts his head up to look at you, eyes squinting.

"What's wrong?" he asks, observant as always. He can tell you're upset just by the little scowl on your face.

"My day sucked so bad, too. I couldn't hear anything properly for some reason today," you mumble into his t-shirt.

"Oh I'm sorry about that sweetheart," he kisses your temple," i wish I could be with you the whole day to repeat everything for you."

"Yeah, me too," you nod and you smile at this super sweet reply from him.

You wriggle out of his tight embrace to lay higher than Spencer. You do it, because it's the perfect position for massaging his temples and therefore easing his headache even if it's just a small relief.

With your hands on his temples Spencer immediately relaxes, almost going completely jello in your arms.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Spencer says with a cheeky smile. He tells it to you everyday at least 5 times, but you are never tired of hearing those words.

"Yes, you have, but I don't mind hearing it again," you respond softly.

"Well, I love you, so much," he sighs in relief, small happy smile on his face.

"I love you, too," you reply.

You massage his temple while you tell him about your day. And Spencer's migraine slowly starts to go away, but his eyelids get heavier and heavier.

It doesn't take him long 'till he's fast asleep. You don't even notice it at first, only when you ask him a question and he doesn't reply, you do.

So you decide to let your eyes rest for a few minutes, too. But, well, the exhaustion of the day gets to you as well and you are out, away in a dream land soon enough.

[boopboops22]

hello!❕heads up this isn’t a draw request bc ik you have a lot of those rn❕i saw you request chronic pain gon art on twitter and was wondering if you had any thoughts on that au? do you think you’d ever incorporate it in your post canon hxh lore? as someone who is realizing they might have chronic pain i just love the idea of gon having chronic pain after canon. i especially love him having a great support system for it :)

Oh my gosh I'm so happy to hear you also like the hc! I do have a lot of ideas for it actually

Ramblings about the hc below :-)

These are some doodles I did for the idea a little while back. This idea started from me projecting onto Gon losing his nen and seeing it as similar to the disabled experience.

I feel that Gon would have a huge complex about his pain and deny any aid for a while. When he does seek out assistance he treats it like an episodic thing, rather then somthing that is constant. Like, pushing through the pain and his limits for a while until he breaks down, then once he recovers from the break he goes back to pushing himself. In his head his disability is only present in these break downs allowing him to ignore it until it becomes too much. Over time though he would learn better habits and how to not push himself to a breaking point.

For his support system he definitely has so many people there for him!!

When on Whale Island Abe and Mito are the first to encourage him to slow down and be there for him when he's dealing with coming to terms with his pain. I especially think Abe would get on his case for internalized abelism and be the most understanding with him, Mito would be very supportive in caring for him but she wouldn't really understand imo. I feel like she was the one to instill hard working habits into him which can be an unhealthy mindset to keep when disabled.

When it comes to Killua I think that Gon has a bit of a complex over his pain in realtion to Killua. He'd likely wish he could tolerate pain to the extent Killua can and feel inadequate or weak for being bothered to the extent he is by the pain. Also Killua would likely feel even more compelled to protect Gon and Gon the prideful creature he is would feel insulted if Killua got overly protective.

In the end despite those issues and emotional complications, Killua is definitely who Gon would be the most soothed by when in pain and Killua would want to be there to support Gon. I think there's a lot of opportunity for softness between them because of it. Killua catching onto Gon's pain when he's trying to hide it, Gon seeking out Killua as a distraction when it gets bad, there's many cute scenarios.

Gon would absolutely be the worst at dealing with his chronic pain and with it being a side effect after being healed in this au, I think be would feel that he deserved the pain as well. Despite feeling like he deserved it he would hate being less capable from it and cause a lot of issues with his self worth. I think him accepting it with time and then learning how to work with his pain, knowing his limits and when to push them, and actually seeking aid, he would develop a much healthier relationship with his pain. I really love the idea of his character growth being reflected in him learning to take care of his condition!

I'm a person with fibromyalgia and migraines so when I picture what his pain is like and how he goes through it I'm imagining what I experience but in the future for any chronic pain Gon stuff I make I think I might make the pain a little vague so people with different kinds of chronic pain can relate!! As for incorporating this hc into my hxh lore, I'm kinda treating it as it's own au separate from most of my post canon hxh stuff. I have a pretty thorough outline worked out for my post canon lore and I don't want to shoehorn this hc into that so I'm treating it as it's own thing

I hope you gain some comfort in Gon suffering the same as you and getting enviable support from his loved ones, I love living vicariously through fictional characters 🫶

[snakeredbirdbatkatana]

How Tim Drake stole the show and lost millions for a good cause....... aka getting laid

Part 2

Kon didn't really expect this, to feel so powerful he's fucking Superboy after all but being with Tim watching the envy and just the pure power his boyfriend walks with it's hot and addictive.

The entire gala is practically watching. Tim's arm which is decorated by a Rolex that they picked up today which cost more than Kon has ever seen. It feels good like he deserves it and for now he feels like kryptonite couldn't even touch him.

"How you feeling baby, you look a little flustered." Tim's whispers in his ear voice dripping with sex.

"I'm good but I have to ask is this like you, I don't know how to explain but is this a show?" He feels a little ashamed asking like he is questioning how much Tim loves him but this doesn't seem like Rob.

"Kon, everytime I see you it takes every bit of training I have from bending you over. Right now I want to show all of Gotham who you belong to." He looks straight into his eyes licking his lips.

"I was a Drake before a Wayne this will always be where I belong I want you to know every bit of me. I don't know the cost of a bannana but I know that the woman standing across from us is wearing ten thousand dollar heels that are out of season. This is me and I'm proud of who I am, who you are." He can't help the smile that slips onto his face.

"I didn't mean anything by that I just needed to know this feels like a dream I feel like a queen and I just I love you sunshine I just needed to know." He shoots forward kissing Tim falling into his arms were he belongs.

It's feels like it last forever and not enough when Tim pulls away.

"Now as much as this is my gala and I would love to pull you into a closet and have my way with you My Air we need to go greet Bruce and my siblings so let's go."

Tim directs him over to where the entire batfamily stands looking like gods who are being disturbed by the lesser he especially sees Batman looking him up and down with what seems like disgust.

He wants to hide but he remembers he's on Tim's arm and nothing can happen to him when he's with Tim.

"It's amazing gala don't you think Bruce I decided to come a bit later than expected I was distracted had to pick a couple things up." Tim's voice drips with something he can't name.

He sees Jason and Damian also looking at him something in their eyes that makes Kon want to cry beg for his place as if they are kings and he's just the pathetic peasant asking for scraps. It sends a rush of anger and he does something that he hopes doesn't cause Sunshine to kill him.

"Daddy, You think we could go grab something I'm starving, we barley ate this morning you wouldn't let me out of bed." Giggling as he kisses the side of Tim's neck.

He looks straight at Bruce his face frozen the other bats not much better but Rob catches his attention eyes burning his voice comes out commanding.

"Of course Bruce I have more important matters to attend to good night see you at home." The arm that he somehow forgot for a moment wraps tightly around him leading over to the food and far away from judgemently Bats who seem to hate him.

-

Bruce thinks he should have just never gotten up today not only is his child causing him a migraine. He just heard said sons boyfriend call him a word that he can never hear again. Nevermind the recount of a sex act that he wishes he could bleach from his brain. Luckily his second oldest is always willing to distract him in his own twisted way.

"Am I the only one who feels like they are missing something, I know I tend to piss of Baby Bird but he seemed more high strung than usual." Jason mutters eyes calculating.

Dick doesn't hesitant to also insert himself of course giggling like a school girl.

"Oh you sweet summer children you at a Gala with Tim Drake and I love my baby brother but he's much like his name sake. He has a fair maiden and a love of precious gems this is Tim." Tone changing to an almost growl.

"You all looked at Kon like he wasn't worth anything and to Tim that's the one thing he loves more than anything you pissed off the dragon now I will be going to make my amends for not being more welcoming have fun." He throws over his shoulder making a beeline to Tim.

Bruce really wants a god damn drink.

[teecupangel]

It's me, the ratatouille AU anon again djjshd

The only thing that would make this even better is that Desmond hears US, the player, also. The amount of times I called him babygirl, or pretty little angel, or my special little boy. He'd be both horrified and flattered.

Also calling Juno a gnarly ghost lookin-ass bitch. I'm sorry Desmond, I know this is serious business but I can't look at her for longer than 5 seconds.

Hello, Ratatouille AU nonny! For those unfamiliar with it, here’s the post where Desmond’s ancestors can hear Desmond as he ‘controls’ them.

“Let me get this straight…” Shaun rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to understand the Bleeding Episode currently plaguing Desmond this time around, “You hear voices that’s not your ancestors or anyone they might have known. And you know they’re talking to you because…”

“They call me babygirl.” Desmond said calmly.

Too calmly.

Like the calm of a man who had given up all his sanity and has reached a zen state of craziness.

Rebecca furiously looked over all the documents they have about the Bleeding Effect that Lucy had given them.

Shit.

How accurate were these anyway considering Lucy’s true allegiance? 

These could all be fake or some of the important stuff could have been omitted like…

Desmond’s current situation.

“And… what do these voices tell you?” Shaun asked, curious enough to continue even though he could feel a migraine already coming.

“Uuuhh…” Desmond tilted his head slightly before saying, “Dad’s the worst father in these games and I should just beat the crap out of him… Juno’s a gnarly ghost and wants to enslave people after killing me… uuuhh…”

“Wait, wait, wait, what ‘games’?” Shaun asked.

“Oh.” Desmond blinked, looking like he actually just forgot to tell them that big bombshell, “We’re apparently game characters of this franchise called Assassin’s Creed and… uuuhh… I’m their bestest boi in the modern day setting.”

“Modern day setting…” Shaun repeated before asking, “Are you telling me that our entire existence is… fictional? We don’t exist? We’re just characters in this… video game franchise?”

“Oh crap.” Rebecca mumbled, realizing that Shaun was on the verge of an existential crisis. 

Fuck.

Of course the conspiracy theorist would latch on to that idea almost immediately!

“Shaun-”

“Pretty much.” Desmond shrugged before adding, “If it makes you feel any better, you and Rebecca are pretty much the only regulars of the modern day setting.”

“Oh, so our very existence have already been taken care of then? We’re just little puppets-” 

Rebecca sighed and ignored Shaun’s rant to ask Desmond, “So? Did these voices tell you anything at all on what’s going to happen after we save the world?” 

“Oh, yeah, about that…” Desmond turned to look at Rebecca as he said, “They told me to let the world burn… just to see how it goes and…”

“... as a treat.”

(Let’s be honest, guys, if we were given the ability to talk to Desmond, we’ll be such capricious ‘gods’.)

[l3viat8an]

Hello Ro~ I hope you're feeling better ♡ I can relate to how much migraines fucking suck :( I wish that all the tiny white snakes in the world congregate to manifest happy, healthy energy for you. (I'm sorry I'm, kina...weird 💀)

Currently thinking about the 'Fuck I forgot something important / I got a call and left mid-fuck with my shorts on backwards' trope with Barbie (Barbatos)

I'd imagine that he'd be punishing MC for one reason or another. He has you tied up and had been teasing you and denying you the entire time. After you've begged enough and he feels you have learned your lesson, he finally, finally gives you what you've wanted the entire time. And you intend to enjoy this moment to the fullest. But... just as your about to cum-

His phone fucking rings 🫥

And you know your screwed because it's the special ringtone he has, just for Dia. (Probably also has his phone on dnd, but Dia's contact is the only one allowed to bypass it) Man will hault any and all activities currently in progress. Answering the phone like nothings happening, (And don't you dare even think about making any noises while he's on the phone) getting up and haphazardly pulling on his clothes, leaving you tied up like 'excuse me wtf'. All because his precious Diavolo couldn't find his favorite tea. (Im sorry MC you'll always take second priority to Dia 💀)

~🍒

Nsfw content MDNI

Hiii 🍒!! Thank you <3 I’m feeling tons better today it’s just allergy season always brings on my migraines really bad 😭 And it’s not weird to me anyway I would love a bunch of tiny white snakes doing that for me!! (Or maybe I’m just weird too idkkskaj)

And this is a little too accurate.-

It’s not so much Barbatos wants to leave you laying there all tied up.

But he has to attend to his master first.

“Just stay there.” How would you leave anyway?- “I’ll be back shortly. As long as you behave you’ll get a reward.”

How much do you wanna bet Barbatos’s concept of time is completely fucked?- 

Like he comes back an hour or two later (minimum two hours let be real-) and sees you’re still laying there whining about rope burns-

“Oh, love I’m so sorry.” He doesn’t sound very sorry yet-“Let me untie you. Can I get you anything?”

He’ll untie you and get you anything you ask for or want, as a means to make up for leaving (and half forgetting) about you.

But what do you want~?

I mean you could ignore him and pout about him literally leaving you hanging-

Or you can ask him to make you cum, either all over his hand or cock.

Right now Barbatos just can’t say no to you~!

[hayffiebird]

Hayffie Post-Mockingjay Multi-chapter, Rated M

Four years have passed since the end of the war when Effie returns in to Haymitch’s life once again. An old friendship is renewed. Will it lead to something more?

Meanwhile Panem has entered a new era. The rebellion’s over, the borders are open but in the shadows, anger and mistrust are smoldering. Something that will affect Haymitch and Effie’s life in a way they never saw coming.

Author's note: Happy Hayffieweek! I won't technically participate but at least you get a ToS chapter. :) A big thank you and a big hug to you sweethearts reading and responding to this story.

You're the best and I'm so grateful! If you were here I'd follow in the prep team's footsteps and invite you over for tea and a batch of Peeta's yummiest cookies. ;)

Chapter 49, In vino veritas

*ring ring*

Hello, this is Effie Trinket’s answer phone. I can’t pick up at the moment but do leave a message and I will call you back. Until then: have a very very nice day! *peep**ring ring*

Hello, this is Effie Trinket’s answer phone. I can’t pick up at the moment but do leave a message and I will call you back. Until then: have a very very nice day! *peep* *ring ring*

Hello, this is Effie Trinket’s answer phone. I can’t pick up at the moment but …

*click*

Hello? … um, helloo?

Hi Octavia …

Oh, there you are! I was getting really worried about you! Been calling for almost five minutes.

Sorry. It’s … I was in the bathroom.

Of course you were. Silly young me! I’m getting ready here too. You all set? Such a thrilling day! Aren’t you so excited? Oh, the twins will LOVE the Summer Breeze! We can’t bring them on any of the roller coasters of course. Flavius always puke anyway. But there are still plenty of “baby-friendly” rides to go around. The Love Tunnel. Lucretius’s Magic Carpet. The teacups. Hey, maybe it’ll even help with your little problem? And we couldn’t have asked for better weather, right? Everything’s perfect! Octavia, listen …

But before anything else, I need your advice on something. I’m sitting by my vanity – as we speak – and I cannot for the life of me decide which earrings to wear! On the one hand, I’ve got these spectacular neotropical scarlet macaws. You know, the famous red, blue and yellow parrot? Gorgeous. Obviously! But then I also own a pair of silver sea turtles with amethysts and well … you see my conundrum. What do you think? Which one of these will make me the prettiest girl at the fair?

I … I wouldn’t know …

Oh, don’t sell yourself short! Next to me and Flavius and Venia, you’re by far the number one expert on beauty! Come on, Effie, this is important to me! I can’t show up looking ghastly.

Course not … you …

I’m leaning toward the birds, naturally. You know, because colors are so colorful and fun. But then again, if I save the turtles for the Aquarium, won’t it be a cliché? Maybe I should go with the amethysts after all. But if I do, what if people think … Octavia, look … I … I know how excited you are about today but … I don’t think I can make it.

Wait, what?

I don’t feel very well and the twins … they aren’t even dressed to go out yet.

Are you ill? *gasps* It’s not contagious, is it? Because I cannot under any circumstances be sick this week.

No, no. Don’t worry. It’s just a migraine.

Have you had enough to drink today? Maybe you’re dehydrated? Don’t worry. Flavius and Venia and I will take the twins for a walk and you can treat yourself with a nice, long nap. It’ll invigorate you in no time.

Thank you, but I feel I must take this day for myself. Raincheck? Doesn’t mean you three can’t have fun.

But it wouldn’t be the same without you! Or the children! *tsks* Effiie! We had it all planned out!

I’m sorry.

Flavius will be so disappointed! He wanted to spin the chocolate wheel. *gives a heavy sigh* I guess, we’ll just have to try and find something else to do, somehow. But it won’t be as fun. Take care of yourself, sweetie.

You too. Give my love to the others.

Mm. As soon as I’ve figured out how to break it to them. What a day. No cotton candy. No stuffies for the twins. Nothing. *sighs again* Bye, Effie dear. Get well soon.

Bye.

*toot toot*

xXx

“… and they lived happily ever after.”

Effie whispered the words, lying on her side next to them on the bed.

Sandy hair fell over Ian’s forehead when he rolled in toward her, seeking his mother’s closeness and warmth. Effie dropped a butterfly kiss to his skin.

The girl gave a soft whine. Crinkled her face up from whatever dream she was having. Her chest rose and fell in puffy little breaths as she opened and closed her fists.

“It’s OK, precious”, Effie whispered. Ever so gently she caressed a light fingertip between Amy’s closed eyes and down her nose.

A trick that Sae once taught her. It never failed to help settle the girl down. That and papa Haymitch’s strong, safe embrace. “It’s OK to sleep. I’m here. Mama’s here. Everything will be alright.”

Her own eyelids felt dipped in lead. What she wouldn’t do to just crawl under these covers and sleep the day away. Today and the rest of the week, for that matter.

She knew she shouldn’t have lied to Octavia. About the migraine. But what else could she say?

Certainly not the truth. “I’m sorry Octavia but Haymitch is slowly destroying his brain with alcohol as we speak and if you drag me into an amusement park for three hours I’ll end up on the news, having a nervous breakdown right in front of all those poor chocolate-sticky children. My own included.”

No. It was better this way. Better for all involved.

She nuzzled Ian’s skin. Caressed Amy’s hand between her thumb and forefinger.

“What are they doing now, you think?” she whispered to her children’s sleeping faces. “Uncle Flavius and aunt Octavia and aunt Venia. Enjoying a ride on the Ferris Wheel perhaps?”

She saw it as clearly as she did Amy and Ian.

The three of them, snuggled together in a passenger car. Heading for the place of birds. Giggles. Chatter. Bowls of buttered popcorn, warm to the touch. And down below: a spectacular view of the city. The river. The distant Capitol mountains.

Because of course they never cancelled. She didn’t believe it for a second. They’d been looking forward to this all week long. Especially Flavius. And the tickets were already bought and paid for.

Maybe Haymitch is right, she thought unhappily. Maybe they will grow tired and move on.

The possibility stung, but who could blame them? She hadn’t exactly been fun company lately.

R-i-i-ng!

The bell only just managed to break through her haze.

Not the phone. The front door. Far, far away – in a different life it seemed. Effie closed her eyes. Curled into the twins. Like a baby still in the womb. Nose in Ian’s soft, angel hair. Hand around Amy’s.

Her mother all but cleared her throat, telling her to go get the door, but Effie shrugged her off.

Just this once, she wasn’t going to care. Whoever it was, whatever they wanted – it could wait. Ill-mannered? So be it.

R-i-i-ng!

Her brows came together, eyes still promptly shut.

It’s not the prep team, she thought, despite herself. Way too discreet.

Their rings were always forceful. Insistent. Headache or no.

Couldn’t be Haymitch either. Doorbells equaled decorations in his book. He walked straight in.

That day when he showed up at her doorstep, out of the blue, hours before they made love in a bed for the first time, he’d pressed the bell. But that was a rare thing.

A sort of honeymoon treatment he definitely gave up on after she’d slept with him long enough to have his babies.

Maybe it’s Mrs Pluckrose.

Effie swallowed a sigh.

Yes, her delightful neighbor. Going on and on about how someone didn’t bother to mow their lawn this week and “we uphold a certain standard around here, Ms Trinket, in case you forgot”.

R-i-i-ng!

Oh, go away. Eyes squeezed shut, Effie pressed her lips together, willing her to leave. Just let me sleep.

Maybe the person – whoever it was – heard her thoughts, for a fourth ring never followed.

Effie caressed her daughter’s hair, breathing a sigh of relief. Silence resumed. She had almost gathered her thoughts when,

Tap-tap!

Startled, her eyes flew to the window.

She’d pulled the curtains shut earlier but behind them – a shadow was moving. Face shrouded in darkness, silhouetted by the brilliant sun.

Heart pounding, Effie sat up in bed.

“Who is it?”

And on the other side of the glass, a woman replied,

“Don’t be alarmed, ma’am. I’ve just got a delivery for you.”

Effie inched the curtain aside. Then some more.

Face tilted, the lady smiled as they came eye to eye.

“Thought someone was home”, she said. “What with the stroller out front.”

Effie blinked at the beaming lady, standing there in her flower bed.

Stout. Burly. Dressed in a lavender uniform and carrying what looked like some kind of gift basket wrapped up in cellophane and tied with ribbons.

She looked about Venia’s age. Dark skin. Silver mascara. Purple hair gathered in a ponytail.

A name was stitched on the side of her chest. Effie squinted at the letters. “Briar Rose”.

Briar Rose! Same as Snow’s youngest daughter.

“Oh, don’t hold it against me”, the lady said lightly when she saw her look. “We don’t all get to choose our own names. Besides”, she added, “the story it derives from goes back way beyond the Snow’s dynasty.”

Effie hesitated, then reached for the hooks on the window. Opened it ever so carefully.

“I just put my babies down”, she said, under her breath.

The woman called Briar Rose, nodded.

“I’ll make it brief then.”

“I didn’t order anything though.”

“Well, it says right here, ‘Effie Trinket’, and there’s only one Effie Trinket in the city, right?” The woman sounded almost amused.

“Yes?”

“Then I’ve come to the right place.”

Briar Rose settled the gift basket against the windowsill.

Effie’s eyes were instantly drawn to the sealed envelope attached to it.

A match of hope struck inside her.

“From District 12?”

“I’m afraid not.” The cellophane rustled quietly under the woman’s hands. Purple nails that matched her hair, Effie noticed. “Sorry I startled you before”, Briar Rose went on. “I know this is most irregular, but they said you were feeling a little under the weather. That I had to make sure you got it.”

“They?”

The woman smiled.

“You must have some generous friends indeed. Sign here, please.”

Alone again, Effie settled on the bed. Basket on her lap.

Aphrodite’s Beauty Spa. The famous logo was printed along the ribbon. The envelope had one word written on it. Effie. In beautiful calligraphy letters.

She swallowed and swallowed.

Not a gift basket.

A wellness basket.

Eyes burning, stinging, like standing too close by a smoky fire, she carefully turned it from side to side. Peered at the items through the cellophane.

Packets of dried herbs and flower petals. Bottles of essential lavender oil. Scented candles. Coconut oil. Body cream infused with vanilla. Aromatic soaps shaped like water lilies, so small they fit on your palm.

Bath bubbles and bath salt. Lip smackers. Face masks, bath sponges in three different colors and, shoulder to shoulder with a set of fluffy baby-soft hand towels: a neat package of wrapped up boiled lemon sweets.

With trembling hands, Effie opened the envelope. Got out the card, printed with a field of gorgeous sunflowers.

Her eyes travelled from left to right and as she read, her face crinkled up, shoulders beginning to shake with silent sobs.

She tried to be quiet. Didn’t want to wake the children. But despite her great efforts, she couldn’t quite keep the small, strangled sounds from escaping her throat.

More and more tears just rolled down her cheeks, dropped from her chin and into the wellness basket.

All that built-up heartache for months and months, if not years just … poured through her eyes.

Dear Effie

We’re so sorry you’re feeling unwell. Staying in bed when you don’t want to, is just the worst (especially when you can’t also have sex with a hottie). You know Flavius would offer but he’s just not that into redheads. At least not this season. And sometimes rest, real rest, is all you need to really bounce back again. And you will, darling.

Now try and sleep as much as you can and, when you’re ready, go pour yourself a nice, warm bath. Add some oil, some petals, light a candle and just relax and unwind in the bubbly water.

Once you’re back on your feet, you have our numbers. We’ll bring dinner and iced tea and then we can play a game of Scrabble together. Won’t that be fun? If we can keep the twins from eating up the pieces, that is.

Take care of yourself, dear!

Love

Octavia, Flavius and Venia

PS: Don’t worry about the tickets. Flavius knows someone who works at the Breeze. We got a full refund. The fair will always be there and who knows? Maybe next time, Haymitch might want to join!

xXx

*ring ring*

… Mm?

Eff? Did I wake ya?

Mm.

Oh, shit. Fuck. Didn’t realize how late it was. ’m sorry. Go back to sleep. I’ll call y’up some other time.

You’re here now. What do you want?

Just tell ya … well, how sorry I um ... for bein’ sucha a dick afore.

You really were. Even by your standard.

Yeah … *slurs* those three odd birdies really bring out the worst in me. Go figguh.

*sighs* Haymitch, if all you’re going to do is joke around, might as well hang up now. I’m not in the mood.

No, no. I won’t. Come on, Effs. Don’t be so snippy. You know me. You know how I really feel about things. *hick* Didn’t even mean what I said ‘bout the prep.

Good.

Well … ma’be some of it, but like … not the stuff that were like really mean. Honest, swee… I mean Eff. They’re your friends. I wants you to have friends. If they wanna come over and sing n read n … do theatre, that’s fine.

…

It’s just … I should be doin’ those things!

I know.

I shoulda been there for Am’s first word! What’s next? Ian’s gon’ start callin’ Flavius “papa”? I’m glad someone’s there helpin’ ya out. I am, but damn it … it should be me! Right? Why can’t I be a part of their life too? I’m their father!

You know why, Haymitch.

But I ‘aven’t been drinkin’ all that much lately. Honest! And there are ways around it.

It’s not that simple.

Why couldn’t it be? I know I ain’t perfect, sweetheart. I know I’m not good at it like you are but … don’t ‘ey need me too? Just a lil’ bit? I mean, come on! You said I could see ‘em if I was sober.

And you’re not!

I would be. If you were here. And it’s not like they know wha’s goin’ on, anyway. They’re babies, Eff. Even if I had a cold one right in front of ‘em it wouldn’t affect or hurt ‘em. I won’t fuck ‘em up. I won’t!

That’s what you need to believe in order to sleep at night.

Why’d ya have to be so mean, I already said I’m sorry!! *sobs* I cleaned the house up. Tha’s where I was before. Ask Peeta if you don’t believe me. Whole fuckin’ place: spick and span now. I don’t even live with Sae no more. All week long I just wash everything. Threw out a mountain o’ crap. G-got all their toys ready, so you and … you … Effs, I can’t live like this! It feels like a part of me’s been cut off! I need to see my kids. Bring the prep team along if you must, I’ll wait on them hand and foot, just … please come home! You can’t keep punishing me like this, Eff. It’s too cruel. *sobs* They’re my children too.

I’m not being cruel. I’m just trying to keep this family afloat. Haymitch, I know you’re hurting … but this isn’t about you. Or me. It’s about them. What’s best for them. *draws a deep breath* Look … what we can do or at least try is buy a videophone and install it in the nursery. That way you can both see and talk to each other.

*sniffs* For real? You promise? Yeah … yeah, that’d be great!

But, Haymitch! You need to show me that you’re serious about it, OK? You have to be a grownup here. A real parent. If we do this and you disappoint them …

I won’t! Never!

No showing up drunk. Or hungover. And if we say Tuesday at 2PM that means Tuesday 2PM. No excuses!

No excuses. I swear.

We’ll try that for a while and if you can make it work – then we can talk some more about the prospect of you visiting. But you have to earn it, Haymitch. You must do the work. You.

Yeah, totally! Absolutely! *wipes his nose* Can I tell ‘em g’night? I won’t wake ‘em or anything. Just g’night?

Not when you’re like this. Tomorrow maybe. We’ll talk then. You and I for sure. Now, put that bottle down, Haymitch and go to sleep. Or if not sleep then at least try and rest. Lay down on the bed or the couch and close your eyes. Things will feel different in daylight.

Can you at least tell ‘em I love ‘em? I mean, like … really make sure they know?

I will. Of course. I already do. Every day.

Author's note: And Haymitch's destructive cycle has gone full circle again, only to start over AGAIN. The Trinket Abernathy family truly is completely codependent. What do you think will happen next? Tell me in the comments!

Also, anyone else feeling curious about this Briar Rose character? She was supposed to just be the delivery woman in this one scene but I have a strong feeling this isn't the last we'll ever see of her.

[alectoperdita]

Oh hell, I am all about them drugged confessions. If/whenever you’re up for it. 💕

From Put That Guy in a Situation(TM) Ask Game

Jumped this one ahead in the queue since it's someone's birthday. 💜💜💜 Enjoy, my friend! I hope this has enough of the stuff you dig about them.

13. Drunken/drugged/sleepy confessions

content warnings: referenced non-consensual drug use and mildly spicy because Seto is thirsty

---

The city lights stabbed into Seto's eyes. The city's heartbeat—a frantic cacophony of bumper-to-bumper traffic, music spilling out of late-night shops and restaurants, and an overwhelming pulse of humanity—pulsed against the back of his head like a second migraine.

He lifted his heavy head and tried to get a better look at his surroundings. Not an easy feat when the world wouldn't stop spinning. Seto could feel the planet's rotational force itself.

In the sky, a bloated, sickly yellow moon hung on the black canvas, a dim bulb when compared to the Oriental Pearl Tower's neon blue and magenta on the opposite riverbank. The phalanx of lit skyscrapers behind the landmark formed a blinding wall that threatened to lighten the night sky.

No wonder they were sitting at a standstill in traffic. He was in the Bund. Shanghai. He was in Shanghai. Not for the first or second time, but the city's nightlife never failed to overwhelm.

It came back to him in bits and pieces. The Pan-Asia Duel Monsters Championship was in China this year, which KC was a sponsor of, along with a dozen international and domestic corporations. Seto wasn't here to compete, though. He was here to do business and build guanxi.

Which meant night after night of hard drinking and tedious back slapping as Seto endured their patronizing compliments about his passable Mandarin. Endless rounds of maotai until his blood must be 90% alcohol. That was the preferred poison of the old-school elites, the ones who built their wealth on the backs of a rapidly booming economy that outpaced everyone's wildest imagination. Not even Japan had sustained that kind of boom in the post-war years.

Potential liver failure was the price of doing business in this country.

That was last night, though. Seto was sure of that much, even if the passage of time seemed theoretical at best. Tonight, he'd been swept into a gaggle of their children, mainly the sons of the previous night's party officials and business moguls.

The fuerdai. His "peers."

Ha! Gozaburo had handed him nothing. Everything Seto owned, everything he accomplished, was through his own sweat and blood.

Seto will give them one thing: their tastes were decidedly less provincial. While their fathers drank baijiu like fish drinking water, they preferred cocktails, or at least pitchers of iced green tea mixed with Crown Royal.

Maybe that was his first mistake. Maybe he shouldn't have underestimated how fucked up he could get on such a simple mixture.

That was the last thing he could remember. He drew a yawning gap between the afterparty at the club and this taxi cab.

Seto sank into the seat and squeezed his eyes shut. His stomach lurched. Perhaps it was a good thing that they were stuck in traffic. He might not be able to keep it down in stop-and-go traffic.

An abrasive—a familiar abrasive voice—encroached from the fringes, though. An equally combative voice shot back in a different language.

Seto's head lolled to the side, away from the window and toward the other passenger in the backseat. Reluctantly, he pried his heavy eyelids open. God, why was he so tired? It felt like he'd pulled several all-nighters in a row.

His fellow passenger was Jounouchi, locked in a heated conversation/argument with the cab driver.

Right. Jounouchi was also in Shanghai this week. Except he was here to compete in the tournament. And unlike Seto, he didn't speak a lick of Chinese.

Not that his laughable grasp of English fared any better.

"Fuck, I'm telling ya, it's the other Marriott!" Jounouchi groaned in Japanese, running a frustrated hand through his bird's nest hair. It looked softer than it had any right to be, though. The strands ought to be bleached to hell and back after this many years.

But Jounouchi had been updating his wardrobe and his deck in recent years. Every victory advanced his look and style, and even netted him some media training like someone deserving of media notice, which was why he was playing in the Pan-Asian championship. Seto couldn't ignore him like he once did, like he still tried to in vain sometimes.

(And sometimes, he very much didn't want to ignore Jounouchi, wondering if he could catch the other man's attention in return...)

None of that explained why they were in the same cab, though.

Jounouchi tried again to communicate. It hurt to listen to him butcher English to that extent. The cab driver appeared to grow even more irate, threatening to eject them entirely.

Giggles spilled uncontrollably out of him. Of course! Of course, Jounouchi's incompetence got them stranded on the opposite end of the city from their hotel.

Fortunately, he was a snack to look at, even if his brains were nothing to write home about.

Seto's words croaked out of him, repeating in Mandarin what Jounouchi had been trying to convey. God, why did it hurt so much to speak? But even his drunken slur sufficed, earning a grousing retort from the driver that Seto should've just said so sooner while shooting a death glare at his other passenger through the rearview mirror.

At the sound of Seto's voice, Jounouchi jolted in shock, releasing the driver's headrest he had been clinging to. After several awkward moments of staring, he inched closer to Seto, stopping short of touching him. But the proximity and the tight enclosure made Seto's skin crawl. Not in an unpleasant way, though. His body tingled and felt a touch flushed.

How would Jounouchi's skin feel against his?

"You alright there, Kaiba?" asked Jounouchi, seemingly floating closer. He waved a hesitant hand in Seto's face.

Base urges welled up in him. He wanted to grab Jounouchi's hand and bite it, no better than a dog, as he once mocked the other man for being. Better yet, he could drag his tongue across the rough palm and lap at his knuckles. Suck his thick fingers into his mouth and learn contentment from how they could fill his mouth.

Seto was never drinking green tea mixed with whisky ever again.

He managed a small noise of confirmation before he twisted away, curling as best as he could around the seatbelt. Something like a whimper pushed at the back of his throat, but he refused to release it. He wouldn't humiliate himself any further. Just as he wouldn't crawl across the middle seat and cuddle into Jounouchi's lap.

But god, he wanted that so much it hurt.

A warm hand landed on his back, and he nearly surrendered as Jounouchi rubbed soothing circles between his shoulder blades.

"It's okay." Jounouchi spoke softly, but somehow it rang louder than the many decibels of Shanghai traffic. "We'll be back at the hotel in time. Just hang in there."

Seto spent the rest of the journey folded into himself, wedged firmly against the side of the taxi, trying and failing not to tremble under Jounouchi's caring touch. With a hushed tone, Jounouchi explained what had happened. It was pure coincidence that he ran into Seto and his "party" at that particular club. (Coincidence is giving chance too much credit. There were only so many high-end nightclubs in the city.) Jounouchi had wandered over to say hi before rejoining his own group. But out of the corner of his eyes, he'd noticed that Kaiba was acting unlike himself. In fact, the entire group seemed a bit off.

Seto was coming to his own conclusion before Jounouchi shared his.

Seto had been drugged. And since he knew better than to take random shit handed to him by strangers, it must've been slipped into his drink. Or maybe it was in the communal cocktail pitcher to begin with.

"They were trying to drag you off to someplace else. Don't ask me where. But you didn't look like you wanted to go, so I stepped in," Jounouchi trailed off. He'd yet to remove his hand, but it sat unmoving, a steadying weight on Seto's back helping to ground him to reality.

"I can't imagine they were happy," Seto muttered.

Jounouchi chuckled. "Not one bit. Acted like I was trying to kill the party. One chick threatened me with her stiletto heel."

"My knight in shining armor." Seto found himself laughing, then regretted it when his head throbbed.

"Don't worry, I didn't hit any of 'em. Mighty tempting, though. I just kinda threw you over my shoulder and high-tailed it outta there. That was how I knew you were really outta it. You barely cursed me out."

Heat associated with both shame and arousal rushed through him. It turned out those biceps he secretly admired weren't just for show.

"Finally, we're here!" exclaimed Jounouchi. His hand also regrettably retreated.

Seto watched blearily as Jounouchi overpaid the driver and leaped out the door. He didn't go far, though. He jogged around the vehicle to Seto's side and yanked open the door. As he leaned in and over Seto to undo the seatbelt buckle, the woody scent of Jounouchi's cologne flooded Seto's nostrils. And his strength was plainly evident as he braced his arms around Seto's shoulders and hip.

"Alright, up we go," urged Jounouchi.

Under any sober circumstance, Seto would've never allowed this to happen. To let Jounouchi touch him, especially as a caretaker. But Seto was the farthest thing from sober, fucked up on whatever combination of alcohol and party drugs he had been unwittingly fed. He didn't have the strength to stand on his own two feet.

So he relied on Jounouchi and his strength. Clung to the man's sweat-slicked neck.

The doorman didn't give them a second glance. Why should he? Seto was simply the latest in an endless stream of drunken guests stumbling back into the five-star hotel.

A lobby concierge approached and tried to help, though. Both Jounouchi and Seto waved him off. Jounouchi likely because he didn't want another stressful not-conversation, and Seto didn't want anyone but Jounouchi touching him right now.

"Hey, what floor?" Jounouchi asked after propping him against the wall of the elevator carriage.

Seto patted down his pockets and was relieved to find his wallet. He didn't expect the fuerdai to rob him blind like a common mugger, but you never knew. He tossed the leather wallet to Jounouchi and croaked, "Key card."

The tournament competitors were provided with single-bed guest rooms. Seto, on the other hand, occupied the Vice Presidential Suite for the week. Their elevator shot toward the top floors, bypassing the dozens of floors between the ground and the suites.

As they ascended, Seto snuck covert glances at the other hand. Despite the air conditioning running at full blast, Jounouchi was still huffing and sweating. Who could blame him? Summer in Shanghai could be blistering.

"Can you walk?" asked Jounouchi when the elevator doors finally parted.

Struck muted, Seto shook his head. His heart raced as Jounouchi wrapped a burly arm around his waist, and together, they hobbled down the hall to the suite's door.

The lights flicked on automatically as they entered, drawing an impressed whistle from Jounouchi as he took in the room.

"Yeah, guess I should've known. You wouldn't be caught dead living like us commoners. Where's the bed in this joint?"

The mention of bed caused something hot and heavy to coil in Seto's navel. Without meaning to, his arm tightened around Jounouchi's neck, which only prompted the other man to grip him tighter, mistaking the action as a plea for more support.

"Bedroom," he moaned, knocking his head against the side of Jounouchi's. He might be imagining it, but he swore Jounouchi shivered and pink flooded down to his neck.

Seconds later, they stumbled into the adjoined bedroom. The spacious room apparently didn't warrant any comments, because Jounouchi deposited Seto on the bed and disappeared from sight.

To say Seto was disappointed was an understatement.

It may be a blessing in disguise. Jounouchi had already done the "decent" thing: extracted him from a dicey situation and brought him to safety. Seto didn't need to embarrass himself in front of the other man any further.

He jumped when a hand grabbed his shoulder, kicking a leg out blindly.

"Relax, it's me."

Silly though it was, Seto did relax as soon as he registered Jounouchi's voice. His firm but careful touch.

"Here. I got you water from the minibar and a cool towel. It's unopened. I promise."

Seto stared helplessly at the two items being offered to him. Jounouchi made no moves, either. They were at a stalemate. At least until the other man sighed and pressed the moist towel to Seto's sweat-dampened forehead. His eyes fluttered closed, and he unleashed a faint moan at how good and chilly it felt.

"C'mon, you gotta drink the water, too. The whole bottle, then I promise to leave you alone."

Panic spiked through Seto's system. Being alone, something he never minded before, suddenly sounded unbearable. He didn't want Jounouchi to leave.

He reached out. Not to take the proffered bottle, as refreshing as its content may be, but to grab Jounouchi's forearm. Jounouchi froze under his clutch.

"You can't leave. I won't let you," said Seto before he could stop himself.

Jounouchi's breath hitched. As he stared at Seto's face, his eyes darkened with something unspeakable. He licked his lips. "Okay, not leaving. Not tonight. Guess someone's gotta keep an eye on you and make sure things don't take a turn for the worse. But you gotta at least let go of my arm. I'll take the couch outside."

Seto slid closer. "I want you—"

Jounouchi gasped. Seto could kiss him at that instant, but his head spun.

He wanted Jounouchi in every conceivable way. Wanted to feel his naked skin against his skin. Wanted to feel his weight pressing down on him as his cock pushed into Seto's hole. Wanted to shatter apart and then let Jounouchi piece him back together in the afterglow, warm and content.

He thought Jounouchi might grant him those things. If only he'd ask for them. But the words remained stubbornly lodged in his throat as sobriety started to creep in on the edges.

"I want you to stay with me," he whispered, holding Jounouchi's shell-shocked gaze.

Tonight and tomorrow. Maybe even for the rest of their lives. One day, Seto would give voice to the whole truth.

Read other prompt fill ficlets here

[theultimatesandwich]

Made the decision to watch the presidential debate tonight. Making a live list of some of my takeaways

Trump is a good speaker but damn he's spouting a lot of bullshit

Biden is doing good staying on topic (for the most part) and telling the relative truth but this man can barely public speak it's a little hard to watch (give him some water please)

Trump supports giving Roe v Wade to the states and on allowing abortions in the event of rape or health concern for the mother (but still defends getting rid of RvW in favor of getting it to the states); Biden wants to ensure abortion rights for everyone regardless

Trump is so focused on bashing Biden and fearmongering that he's avoiding answering the debate questions

Trump is very anti-Palestine, Biden is in favor of supporting Israel and trying to establish peace in the Middle East (unclear if he would support the Palestinian state as an existing country)

Damn ok Trump is still avoiding the debate questions this is getting hard to watch

January 6th oo boi I need alcohol for this

Gonna have to fact check so much of Trumps BS after this can't wait to read the news tomorrow

CONVICTED FELON MENTION BY BIDEN

CONVICTED FELON MENTION OF THE MODERATOR

And also convicted felon mention of Hunter Biden yep knew that would come up

Trump says the system is rigged and he did nothing wrong regarding his conviction yet also says the system was right with convicting Hunter Biden.....the hypocrisy I swear

There's gonna be so many memes after this debate I can't wait

Annnnd Trump avoiding the topic again claiming the Charlottesville story is faked (again can't wait for the fact check to come out after this)

Oh good a break good thing they did I think I'm getting a migraine

Weird they're running political ads during the debate feel like I should just be watching my silly local car commercials

And ANOTHER instance of Trump avoiding the debate question to rebute Biden like dude just stay on topic god damn

Alright I'm caving it's alcohol time

Finally getting to the question yayyyyyy

Yes Joe call him outtt

I should just have the dictionary definition of Fearmongering printed out or at least displayed on the screen every time ole Donny opens his mouth

Biden wants the wealthy to pay their damn taxes

Do Americans have better healthcare coverage right now??? I mean the whole system is just a mess Idk if you can claim that right now Joe

(Side note pleaseee let them talk about student debt)

I should do a shot every time Trump avoids the question and starts his statement by bashing his opponent

I stopped watching the Shibuya Incident arc of JJK to turn on this debate and somehow this is more upsetting

"We have the finest military in the world" ok Biden weird flex but ok

I thought this question was about childcare why are we talking about the military

I'm not going into work tomorrow maybe I should switch from a seltzer to wine. Or rum. Or straight vodka. Unlike American politics I have options

TRUMP AVOIDED THE QUESTION AGAIN SHOT TIME

You went from addiction to immigration again Don I'll send ya some neuroscience papers to read educate yourself before you speak

Spilling tea on both candidates now

Yes Biden you are old try and assuage the concerns you're going to keel over in office instead of talking about computer chip jobs

Yes Trump you are old thank you at least for answering a question for once this debate (but laughing at how he's talking about golf that's not as big a flex as you think)

"I'm happy to play golf if you can carry your own bag" Is Joe Biden trying to settle this debate on the golf course? Is this a high school sports movie?????

I thought these mics were supposed to be muted why are they all talking over each other I thought we could avoid this

Classic politics can't answer a yes or no question

Yes Joe drag himmmm there was no evidence the election was faked

Another break???? Alrighty

Closing statements??? It's almost over????

Biden: tax the rich if you make over 400k to solve inflation and debt and social security, Trump wants to tax you more, handle lead pipes and health issues and lower inflation

Trump: bashes Biden and blames him for all the conflict in Ukraine, Palestine, and USA; more military, more tax cuts, claiming he helped make more jobs or his policys made the jobs in Bidens administration, pro-veteran

Debate analysis time? I thought we were done

Ok I'm going to cut my notes here. My thoughts overall: thought Biden had good points but I'm not super convinced of his mental state for another 4 years. Hopefully he surrounds himself with competent people who can help him get work done. Thought Trump was a good speaker but that's terrifying, considering most of what he was saying was incorrect or avoidant of the question being asked. Wish the moderators had questions about student debt and made the candidates address the questions instead of just the repetitive asking. I did like the choice to have no audience and mics that silenced between candidates (surprised that hasn't been a thing longer)

Anyways form your own opinions, but please go vote and make your voice heard. Have a good night yall

Edit: caught a little of the analysis and thought this quote was darkly hilarious and perfectly summizes American politics right now:

"The most meaningful exchange between the candidates was about their golf swing"

[forbiddenpettadcau]

Problems

Jax woke up with a busting headache. He groggily looked down at his chest and saw Friskies curled up.

He smiled softly and scratched Friskies's ear. He groaned and he wondered what made his head hurt so badly.

"Friskies, get up..."

Friskies sat up and tilted his head. He sniffed really close to Jax's face. Jax's headache got worse. It was becoming unbearable.

"Ugh... maybe Caine will have something..."

He got up and rubbed Friskies's chin with his finger.

"Stay here. I'll be back."

He left the room. His migraine was at its peak now. He covered his face and sneezed into his arm... then it became a fit of sneezing.

The odd animal-like humanoid creature, Springy, let out a growling noise and approached him, stumbling with every step he took.

"What are you doing, Swirly-eye?"

Jax coughed a bit. The areas around his nose and cheeks were getting red. Springy made a 'cawing' noise, similar to a crow, and put his paw on his shoulder.

"I'm fine. Probably just a minor cold or something."

Oddly enough, he sneezed less after he walked away from his room. His head still hurt and his body felt groggy though, so he still wanted to talk to Caine.

Springy and Jax headed to the main area, where everyone was. Zooble seemed to notice Jax's behavior immediately.

"Jax, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, just a bit of a headache."

He sneezed again. Zooble stumbled backwards, falling into Gangle's arms. They both looked at him, surprised. Jax groaned.

"It'll probably go away at some point. Just ignore it."

Caine noticed Jax's behavior as well.

"Jax, you don't look so good!"

His voice was loud and obnoxious as usual. Jax's headache got worse. He raised his voice.

"Lower your voice, Caine!"

Caine summoned something out of thin air.

"Take some tylenol and get back in bed! Don't wanna spread something around, do you?"

Jax sighed heavily. He took the medicine bottle and headed back to his room.

He sat on his bed and took two of the pills, then he laid down. He already felt a lot better, but he couldn't figure out why.

Friskies hopped onto the bed and laid down on Jax's chest. Jax scratched him behind the ear, then he had to sneeze again. That's when it hit him. His heart sank.

"Oh no... I'm allergic..."

Wasn't expecting that, were you?

(It actually wasn't my original plan, but I randomly had this thought in the shower and I decided to do it)

Also, Springy is one of my OCs. Like Zooble, he is a mix-and-match toy, however, he is an animal in a humanoid body. He isn't a mammal if that gives you any ideas.

[luimagines]

Hello! Thought I'd take up Glitter's challenge to shout ideas off of the "caring for the chain" post, so here goes:

Jumping off of Warrior's part and the shoulder massage, I have a story line running in my head (that will probably never get written, just fun to think about through) where OC accidentally becomes the go-to masseuse and the chain uses her for weaponized care because they can sick her on the others when they won't accept help and they can't find it in themselves to say no to her–

It starts with Wind pulling something in his neck during a fight but he brushes it off, tries to be all bravado, but it keeps him from sleeping that night. OC wakes up to him really struggling with it, and offers to massage it a little since she also gets stiff necks from bending over a computer and studying constantly. It helps immensely, and Wind is finally able to sleep. A few days later, Sky's hand gets kinda frozen up from overuse/being clenched in a fist so much (a combination of both whittling in his off time and an entire day spent with sword in hand due to several ambushes). Wind picks up on it and deviously asks OC to help (despite Sky hissing at him not to) and once she comes over, Sky just can't say no. It helps a lot, and Wind actually wants to learn how to do hand massages too (so he can help his grandma when her hands get stiff from arthritis) and he starts trying to practice on everyone, much to their annoyance. 😂

After that, Wild gets a really sore shoulder and both Wind and Sky (like the gremlins they are) call OC over to help him. Wild, like Sky, is afraid to hurt OC's feelings (despite her clearly saying it's totally fine if they don't want her help) so he accepts. This process then repeats, and the ones who've already accepted her help get a lot of satisfaction out of sicking OC on the other Links and pressuring them into accepting care/a massage when they're being stubborn.

Last would probably be Legend, who either puffs up like an angry cat and flat out refuses, only to crumble under the pressure of the group when they say he's going to hurt her feelings (and then melts because that boi probably has some KNOTS in his shoulders from all his prickliness), OR would refuse and OC tells the others nicely to lay off and not pressure him; and then later, in a more private moment when the others aren't around to tease, OC sees him still in pain and offers again, and he finally gives in (and still melts because like you said he's probably touch starved) and who knows, maybe he even falls asleep right then and there and is really embarrassed waking up/on OC the next day, but feeling so much better– both his shoulders and his heart feel a little lighter~

Oh man- this is such a good idea. I should have done something like this when I got the prompt to give massages.

Just one by one- Reader comes in and starts collecting the boys like Pokémon to succumb to relaxation for the first time in forever. DX

I'm willing to bet Time get migraines and it's not long after Reader helps with Legend that they realize Time has been flinching and wincing all day. He's a little more unfocused than he normally is and there is a moment where he pinches the bridge of his nose despite no one doing anything.

The similar recipe follows.