#oh good lord i HATED EXAMS

[satoruhour]

IM FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[flickering-chandelier]

Was Any Of It True?

Pairing: badboy!Azriel x goodgirl!Reader

Summary: Modern/College AU! Az’s on-again-off-again girlfriend gives Azriel a proposition: make the new bookworm fall in love with him, then break her heart, in exchange for anything he wants. He agrees, but things get complicated when he falls for Reader for real.

Based on this request! 🩷

✨ Part 2 ✨ Part 3 ✨

Warnings: angst, sexual language?, swearing, Azriel & friends being assholes

Word Count: 10.2k   oh lord sorry besties I couldn’t shut my little brain off

“I'm telling you, Az, she's pissing me off. The professor loves her, and I saw that she got a 100 on the exam,” Claire was seething while she and Azriel lounged in his apartment, eating the pizza he'd ordered.

“Mhmm,” he mumbled around his pizza, only half listening. Claire was always complaining about something. “And what did you get?”

“98! He took two points off because I didn't answer thoroughly enough,” she scoffed. “God, I hate her. She's going to push me right off the top of the Dean's list.”

Azriel blinked. “I mean, you'll still be very near the top of the list.”

Claire groaned, throwing her napkin onto her paper plate angrily, “That's not good enough!”

He rolled his eyes and she glared at him. “Don't be an ass! This is a big deal to me.”

“Oh, I know it is. This girl is all you talk about.”

“Because I hate her. Maybe if she got laid, she’d be distracted enough to slip up once in a while,” she grumbled.

“Yeah, maybe,” Azriel said, pulling his laptop out of his backpack and setting it on the table, a sufficient signal that he didn’t want to talk about his girlfriend’s arch nemesis anymore. 

No more than a week later, Azriel’s on-again-off-again girlfriend was off-again, and honestly, he was relieved. Claire’s obsession with being at the top of the academic food chain was bordering on insanity, and he was glad he didn’t have to hear about it anymore.

He was currently at a house party that Cassian had dragged him to, with a blonde girl that he couldn’t remember the name of sitting in his lap, one of her arms draped behind his neck, the other resting on his chest. She had been whispering in his ear all the things that she wanted to do to him, before Cassian interrupted, handing Azriel a shot with a grin. 

Blondie scowled at Cassian, who just smirked back as the girl that Cass had been talking to earlier sidled up next to him, wrapping her arms around his middle. 

Azriel knocked the shot back and handed the cup it had come in to the blonde girl. “Can you get me another one?”

She seemed annoyed, but took the cup from him anyway, striding into the kitchen. 

“Sorry for interrupting,” Cassian said, settling on the couch next to him, before pulling the girl onto his lap.

Azriel rolled his eyes. “Like I give a shit.”

Cassian snickered as the blonde girl came back, draping herself in his lap again, handing him another shot. He drank it, just as Claire appeared before him, her arms crossed over her chest, and her brow furrowed.

“What do you want?” he asked, his voice husky.

“I have a proposition for you.”

He smirked, making a show of tightening his grip on the blonde girl’s waist. “No, thanks. Been there, done that.”

“Not that kind of proposition, you idiot. Can we talk privately? I think it’ll be worth your while,” she said, her lips turning up into a sultry smile.

“I don’t know, Claire, I’m pretty busy right now,” he said, turning his gaze to the blonde girl, squeezing her thigh. She sighed dreamily, leaning further into him.

Claire groaned. “Look, Az, I really need your help. Please?” 

Azriel studied Claire, and he could see that it was true. She was wearing her most annoyed, don’t-fuck-with-me face, but her eyes were pleading. Sad.

He sighed, glancing apologetically at the girl in his lap before turning back to Claire. “Fine, we can talk.”

She led him into someone’s empty bedroom and shut the door behind her. 

“If this is about that girl you’re obsessed with, so help me,” he said. She winced, and he threw his head back. “Unbelievable. Claire, I don’t want to hear about this anymore! I don’t care about your problems.”

“Just hear me out!”

He crossed his arms over his chest, and raised an eyebrow at her, waiting.

“She actually is threatening my spot on the Dean’s list now,” she said, looking close to tears.

He looked pointedly at her. “And?”

“And I was thinking about what I said earlier… about how if a really hot guy was interested in her, maybe she would stop caring about her grades so much,” she said, smiling at him now.

“And?” Azriel just wished she would get to the point.

Claire sighed, exasperated. “I need you to seduce her.”

Azriel barked out a laugh, leaning his shoulder against the nearest wall. “You’re kidding, right? Why would I do that?”

She stepped closer to him, trailing a finger along his chest, her touch feather-light through his black t-shirt. She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, “Because I asked? Because I’ll give you anything you want,” she said, her voice dropping seductively.

He held her gaze, leaning down until their mouths were a breath away. Azriel heard her breath hitch.

Then he pulled away rapidly, and she blinked. “Sweetheart, you know I can fuck you anytime I want, right? That is not going to persuade me to help you.”

Her brow furrowed, her nose scrunching up. Oh, she was furious. Azriel's mouth turned up into his calculated half smile.

“What do you want, Az?” she huffed.

“Hmm,” he said, taking his time to think. Claire scowled. “I haven’t decided yet. But when I need to call in a favor of my own, you have to promise to do it. No matter what,” he drawled.

To her credit, she really looked like she was thinking it through, trying to think of another way to push this girl off the list. But finally, she sighed. “Deal.”

He pushed off the wall, walking towards the door. “Alright, so I just have to seduce the bookworm? Easy.”

Claire shook her head, her eyes still alight with her anger. “No, if I’m going to agree to any favor you could possibly want, you’re going to have to go further. You need to make her fall in love with you.”

Azriel bristled a bit, leaning against the door now. “I know I’m an asshole, but that seems too far, don’t you think?”

“No. If she’s going to be distracted enough that her grades will slip, you need to make it seem real,” she said, and then smiled as if she had a wicked thought.

“What?” Azriel asked.

“And then you break her heart, right before exams,” she said excitedly, her eyes burning with enthusiasm now. “You tell her, in front of everyone, that it was all fake.”

He rubbed at his bicep, a nervous tic that Claire picked up on immediately. “Jesus, Claire. I don’t want to ruin this girl’s life.”

She arched her brow. “Why not? She’s ruining mine.”

Azriel rolled his eyes and Claire pounced, “Any favor, Az. Any time, you can tell me to do whatever you want,” she smirked. 

He groaned, pinching his nose. “Fine,” he ground out. “Where do I find her?”

Claire beamed. “Where else would a nerd be? The library, of course.”

---

You shifted in your seat, starting to feel sore after poring over your notes for hours. Maybe you should go for a walk. Maybe. But, you still had so much to do…

Groaning, you crossed your arms on the table, laying your head down on top of them. Just a minute, you just needed a tiny break --

“Studying always makes me feel like that, too,” said a low, male voice. 

You lifted your head, bewildered, and nearly choked on your own spit. The guy who was for some reason deigning to talk to you was… well, what other way was there to say it? He was drop-dead gorgeous. 

His face was stoic as he sauntered up to your table, his jet black hair was just a tad unruly, his hazel eyes burning into yours. But it was his body that made the breath completely escape your lungs. He was dressed in all black, his t-shirt hugging his chest and his biceps, showing off his every muscle, and there were swirling black tattoos peeking out from under his sleeves. 

All you could do was stare as he took the seat across from you, leaning back with his arms crossed like the two of you did this every day.

“What class is that for?” he asked, nodding to the textbook open in front of you, the dozens of papers scattered around you.

“Organic Chemistry,” you said, trying to sound like you were normal and not completely surprised by this handsome stranger finding you in your favorite quiet corner of the library.

He let out a low whistle, “Damn, you are smart.”

“What, did someone tell you I was?” you asked. 

“No, I just figured when I saw all the --” he gestured to your cluttered workspace, “homework stuff.”

You arched an eyebrow. “Homework stuff?”

His mouth turned up the slightest bit, holding up his hands like he was surrendering. “You caught me. I’m not much of an academic.”

“Then what are you doing here?” you asked curiously.

“Now, that is an excellent question,” he said, and really did seem like he was questioning it. “Girls? Parties? Though I could get girls anywhere and I don't particularly enjoy parties.”

You nodded. “Ah,” you said. “Got it.”

He braced his arms on the table, leaning forward. “I take it you’re not into that kinda thing?”

A dry laugh escaped from your throat, “Definitely not. I’m really only here for the--” you mimicked his gesture from earlier, “homework stuff.”

He barked out a laugh, his stoic face completely transforming for the briefest of moments. You couldn’t help but stare. “You’re telling me all you do is study? A beautiful girl like you? Please tell me you’ve been to at least one party,” he said, looking at you incredulously. 

You blushed. “No, I haven’t been to any.”

You braced yourself for impact, for the teasing or insults to come, but he just smiled softly. “You wanna go to one with me tonight?”

Your eyebrows knit together in confusion. “You don’t even know my name.”

The side of his mouth quirked up into a smile, his eyes dancing with amusement. “What's your name?”

Rolling your eyes, you told him.

“Nice to meet you. I'm Azriel.” He raised his eyebrows, “So? Party?”

“I thought you just said you don't like parties!”

“True, but I do love the thought of corrupting a sweet, innocent bookworm,” he smirked.

“No, thanks.” You couldn't imagine yourself going to a house party, especially not with a stranger.

Azriel's cool-guy demeanor seemed to drop the slightest bit. “Why not?”

You looked at him pointedly. “I don't know you. And I have no interest in being corrupted. Why do you want me to come to this party so badly anyway?”

He shrugged casually. “I like you.”

“You don't know me!”

“See, that, right there,” he snapped his fingers and pointed at you. “You're funny. Smart, beautiful. What's not to like?”

You forced yourself to hold his gaze, even as a blush rose to your cheeks. “I'm not going to a party with someone I don't know. They make true crime documentaries about that sort of thing.”

He seemed to contemplate that for a moment. “Okay, you make a fair point. What do you want to do then?”

“What do you mean?”

“You can pick our first date, since you didn't like my idea.”

“What date?” You blanched.

He arched an eyebrow. “Our first date? Weren't you listening?”

You studied him for a moment. For the life of you, you could not figure out what this guy's angle was. 

As if reading your mind, he said softly, “Look, I just saw you and thought you were really pretty, and that it looked like you could use a break from studying. That's it,” he held his hands up again. “I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. If you want me to go, I'll go.”

For a beat longer, you watched him, his body language, his ridiculously pretty face. What was the harm, really? You sighed, tore off a scrap of paper from your notebook, scribbled out your number, then handed it to him. “I need to study. If you text me later, I'll let you know where we're going on the first date.” 

His face broke out into what might have been the first genuine smile you'd seen from him. He took the paper from you, his fingers brushing against yours.

“Can't wait.”

You were half expecting to never hear from Azriel again. But just a few hours later, as you were eating dinner in your apartment, your phone chimed with a text. 

Az: Done studying yet?

It was an effort to bite down your smile. 

You: Taking a break for dinner. 

It was less than a minute before he responded. 

Az: Dinner? Is that what our first date is going to be?

You didn’t try to hide your smile this time.

You: A little cliche, don’t you think?

Az: Oh, absolutely. So… what are we doing?

You: Meet at the tennis courts at 7 tomorrow?

Az: We’re playing tennis?

You: No, but I’m not giving you my address. And I’m not giving away the surprise.

Az: So smart. So mysterious. I’m swooning.

You: Shut up.

Az: See you tomorrow ;)

You tossed your phone to the side, forcing yourself to focus back on your schoolwork.

The following day you parked your car by the empty tennis courts on campus just before 7. It was early spring; the weather finally started to warm up enough to not be too chilly in the evening. Still, you rubbed your arms nervously. You were starting to regret this. You didn’t know this guy at all. What if it went horribly wrong?

Before you could contemplate bailing, a familiar figure rode up on a jet black motorcycle. Of course this guy had a motorcycle. You couldn't see his face underneath the helmet, but you would already recognize those tattooed arms anywhere. 

He parked his bike, smoothly sliding off it and taking his helmet off before sauntering over to you. “Hey, beautiful.” 

You rolled your eyes, sure that he had said that to a million girls on a million dates before.

“What? Don’t do that,” he said softly, his smile softening and his gaze raking down your body. “You are beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you said quietly, giving in. 

“So,” he said, towering over you. “What’s the plan?”

You smiled. “How’s your mini golf game?”

He raised an eyebrow, looking a little skeptical. “Mini golf? That’s what you’re choosing?”

“Yes, it is. Do you have something to say about that?” you teased. 

His eyes sparked at the tone in your voice. “Nope. Nothing at all.” He nodded to his motorcycle. “You wanna hop on the bike?”

You looked pointedly at him and he laughed. “Didn’t think so,” he gestured to your car. “Lead the way.”

Your nerves started to dim as the two of you fell into a rhythm going through the course. The two of you were just talking and laughing like it was normal. It was… fun, actually.

“Shit,” Azriel muttered as he overshot the hole. Again.

You laughed and his eyes flicked over to you, lingering a bit. “You’re good at this, bookworm,” he said as he took another shot, sinking it into the hole this time. You watched, leaning against your putter, having finished that hole two shots ago. 

Shrugging, you said, “I used to go with my family a lot.”

He placed his hand on the small of your back as you walked to the next hole. You cleared your throat, focusing on your steps, on your breathing, on anything but how it felt to have him touch you so casually. “What about you?”

“What about me?” he asked as you dropped your ball onto the green. 

You took your shot before you answered. The ball landed just shy of the hole. “What’s your family like?”

“My family…” he trailed off, clearing his throat, setting up his shot. He paused to look at you for a moment before he swung. “It’s complicated.”

He hit the ball and it stopped right next to yours. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” you said, as the two of you walked further down the hole.

“No, you didn’t. It’s just… I don’t really talk about them with anybody.”

You nodded, not sure where to go from here.

Azriel smiled reassuringly, nudging you lightly with his shoulder. “Stop worrying.”

“I’m not worrying,” you claimed, your voice an octave too high. 

“You are. I can tell.”

You bit your lip to hide your smile as you sunk your ball into the hole.

“I think I’m going to need some pointers from you on the next hole,” he grumbled. 

“I guess I could help you out,” you laughed. 

So, when you got to the next hole, the last hole, he stepped so close that your bodies were nearly touching. You tried to control your breathing. 

“You’re gonna help me out?” he murmured, his eyes flashing down to your lips for a moment. 

“Okay,” you breathed. 

He stepped behind you, his body pressed against your back, wrapping his arms around you, his hands covering yours on the club. 

“How is this going to help you, exactly?” you asked, your voice slightly unsteady. 

His lips brushed your ear as he said, “Oh, trust me, it’s helping.”

You couldn’t say anything. Could hardly breathe.

“What do you think I’m doing wrong?” He murmured. 

You swallowed. “You’re hitting it too hard. Not exactly rocket science.”

“Mmm. That makes sense. I do tend to go… hard.”

That finally had you coming to your senses. You stepped out of his grasp, turning back to glare at him when you were a safe distance away. 

The side of his mouth turned up into a smile. “Sorry. I couldn't help myself.”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes at him again. “Just take your shot.”

He smirked at you for a moment, before he swung, and the ball went right into the hole. 

He turned to you, his eyes wide. You laughed and he hugged you, picking you up and spinning you around. 

You let out an involuntary squeal of surprise, and he laughed, gazing into your eyes as he set you back on the ground. “Thanks for the help.”

“I think you’ve been playing me this whole time,” you joked. 

His smile fell a little, his eyes sobering. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked. When he just stared at you, his expression unreadable, you added, “Azriel, I was joking.”

He blinked and then his natural, stoic expression was back as he took a step closer to you. “Right. I think you’re just a good teacher.”

You just looked at him, trying to decipher the changes in his mood, who he really was underneath the gruff exterior.

He smiled faintly, stepping even closer. “What are you thinking about?”

You had to crane your neck to look him in the eye now. “I'm trying to figure out what you're thinking about.”

Azriel's smile turned into a smirk. “I'm thinking… that I really want to kiss you. But I don't want to scare you away.”

Heat flooded your face and his smile turned softer as he cupped your cheek gently with a rough hand. “Would it scare you away?” He murmured.

“I -- don't know,” you said honestly.

His hazel eyes dipped to your lips and stayed there. “I think I'm gonna have to take the risk,” he said, his voice low, husky.

“I think so, too,” you breathed.

His free hand slinked around your waist, gently pulling your body into his. Your heart thundered in your chest as he leaned down, slowly bringing his lips to yours. He seemed to give you a moment to process, and you felt him smile against your mouth when you started to kiss him back, your fingers curling around his bicep, his shoulder.

You were breathless by the time he pulled away, and as the two of you drove back to the tennis courts, you couldn't help but hope that it would happen again by the end of the night.

When you parked your car near his motorcycle in the abandoned lot, he lingered, his gaze holding yours, dropping to your mouth again.

He shot you a crooked smile. “Aren't you gonna walk me to my bike?”

Rolling your eyes playfully, you got out of the car, walking over to the motorcycle and settling against the fence near it, crossing your arms over your chest. “Happy now?” You asked.

Slowly, he sauntered over to you, his eyes twinkling under the stars. He raised his arm, twining his fingers in the chain link fence above your head, leaning his body towards you, but not quite touching. He gazed down at you, still sporting that half smile. “Very happy,” he murmured.

Your breath hitched and when his smile widened, you knew he heard it. 

He held your gaze as he leaned down, bringing his mouth to yours again. You let yourself fall deeper into the kiss this time, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into you. 

When he finally pulled away, he was grinning. “Want to go for a ride before you head home?” He said, nodding to his motorcycle.

You had stepped far enough out of your comfort zone for today. “Maybe next time.”

He raised his eyebrows in amusement. “So you're giving me a next time?”

Damn. You blushed. “I said maybe.”

“Uh huh, sure,” he said, leaning in again so his lips were barely an inch from yours. “You can't wait to see me again,” he whispered.

You shoved him away lightly and he chuckled, backing up towards his bike, but keeping his eyes on you. “Until next time, then. Have a good night, bookworm.” He winked before putting his helmet on and speeding away.

A few weeks, a few dates, and several kisses later, you couldn't deny that Azriel was on your mind quite a bit.

You had never thought that someone like him would be interested in someone like you, but he seemed to prove time and time again that he did indeed like you. He texted you flirty little things every day, making you blush in class. He asked about your day, and seemed to genuinely be listening, and he would do pretty much anything you wanted on your dates. Last week, the two of you had gone to a local bookstore and he had watched you browse, a small smile on his face. He ended up picking out a book he wanted you to read and you did the same for him. He had been sending you daily updates on his progress through the book. Slowly, you were starting to let your walls down, despite yourself.

So, when he asked you to finally go to a party with him, to meet his friends, you accepted. You still felt cautious: partying had never been something that you were remotely interested in, but you trusted him.

---

Azriel knew he had to tread this next part carefully. Things had been going well with you. He let you take control of your time together so you would be comfortable, and honestly, he was actually having a really good time getting to know you and seeing where you would take him next.

And when you kissed him… God. It was always a struggle to keep his hands on your waist, to stay PG. He wished he could explore things further with you in that regard, but he wouldn't let himself go there. Not when your broken heart was the finish line.

He rarely let himself think about it -- the deal that he had made with Claire. Being with you felt so natural that he usually forgot he was supposed to be acting. That he was supposed to be leading you to Claire’s revenge.

He had convinced you to come to a party, upon Claire's request so she could see the progress he had made with you. You had said yes, he assumed because you trusted him enough now. The thought made his stomach roll. He was really starting to hate himself for getting mixed up in this.

Azriel acted differently around you than he did around the rest of the general population. At a young age he had learned to keep quiet, to not show a single emotion on his pretty face, to be tough, or be punished. 

With you… he couldn't help but smile. Couldn't stop the laughs that he usually stomped down for the rest of the world.

So, having his two worlds collide at this party…he didn't know exactly how to navigate it. Deep down, it made his heart swell that you trusted him enough to help you navigate something so far out of your comfort zone. But if his friends saw the way he acted around you, he would never hear the end of it.

This would be a mess.

If Azriel wasn't leaning against his motorcycle when you exited your apartment building, he may have fallen over. You were wearing skintight jeans and a black tank top that showed more cleavage than he ever imagined he'd see from you. His fingers flexed on his biceps. He wanted to pull you back into your apartment and spend an hour peeling those clothes away inch by inch.

He blinked the lust away, trying to maintain his stoic expression, but failed, as he always did with you. He smiled at you and you smiled back. 

He could tell by the way you carried yourself as you neared him that you were nervous. “Hey, beautiful,” he drawled his usual greeting as you wrapped your arms around his waist in your usual greeting.

“Hi,” you said, a little sheepishly. His eyes must have lingered on your curves a little too long because your eyes widened a bit, and you bit your lip nervously as you pulled away from him. He nearly groaned. “Is it too much? Do I look stupid?”

Azriel placed his hands on your shoulders gently, dipping his head to look you in the eyes. “You look amazing. Seriously.”

You blushed and murmured, “Thank you.”

He had to turn away, to grab your helmet, so you wouldn't see how much you affected him. He fucking loved it when he made you blush like that. 

Azriel turned back to you, holding up the helmet, his eyebrows raising with amusement. “You ready to join the dark side, bookworm?”

You sighed, shifting on your feet. 

“It'll be okay,” he said softly. “I got you.”

You nodded, seeming to resolve yourself, and reached for the helmet with slightly shaking hands.

He helped you make sure it was on correctly, his fingers brushing your chin, your neck. He bit back a smile as you shivered.

Azriel held your hand as you got settled on the back of the bike, showing you where to put your feet, and how to shift your weight with him.

When you seemed at least somewhat comfortable, he slid his helmet on, smoothly setting onto the motorcycle. You wrapped your arms around his middle, pressing your chest into his back. You were already holding him like your life depended on it, and he beamed freely underneath the helmet.

“Hold on tight,” he shot back at you, before he revved the engine, taking off much more gently than he normally would.

He tried not to think about the feel of you pressed into him, how tightly you were holding on. It didn't work. He wanted to drive you everywhere.

He couldn't resist reaching back to briefly squeeze your thigh at a red light. “How are you doing?”

“Good,” you said. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard a smile in your voice.

Too soon in Azriel's opinion, they had made it to the party. He parked, offering you his hand to help you get down.

When he pulled the helmet off your head, he was pleased to see that you were indeed smiling.

“Have fun?” He smirked.

“I did, actually,” you said, sounding a little breathless. 

“Whenever you need a ride, you just let me know,” he winked.

You laughed, glancing behind him at the house. 

He took your hand in his, squeezing reassuringly. You seemed to relax a bit. “We can leave whenever you want, okay?”

Taking a deep breath, you nodded and smiled nervously up at him.

You were doing this for him, he realized. Because he had asked you to. His heart constricted, guilt churning in his gut again as he led you inside, your hand squeezing his tightly. 

His shoulders tightened as he led you through the crowd, making sure you were tucked in close to him. 

“You want a drink?” he asked, as you made your way to the kitchen.

“Sure,” you said.

He rifled through what was on the sticky counter, trying to find something not disgusting for you to drink, making sure you stayed close to him. 

Finally handing you a cup, he put your hand on the small of your back, guiding you to a corner of the living room that wasn’t yet very crowded. He took a seat on the couch and you settled in next to him, tucked closely into his side. 

You smiled, leaning your shoulder into his. “Is this really it?” You asked skeptically. “You just sit here and drink around a bunch of drunk idiots?”

He laughed before he could stop himself. “I mean, yeah, that’s pretty much it,” he said, dipping his head to say in your ear. “Or we could dance. Or make out,” he smiled against your ear. 

You blushed and he laughed again, kissing your temple. 

Azriel wrapped an arm around your shoulders as Cassian and Rhys showed up, grinning at you, their eyebrows raised. Azriel fought the urge to roll his eyes. They had seen him laughing with you, kissing you, he knew. He had nearly forgotten where he was, why he was here with you. He loved them, but he wasn’t sure what they would say to you about him. They didn’t know about his arrangement with Claire, and he had been keeping details about his relationship with you as vague as possible.

“So you’re the one Az has been spending all his time with,” Cassian grinned. 

You smiled sheepishly, leaning further into Azriel. “I guess.”

Azriel nodded to his friends. “This is Cassian and Rhysand. They’ve been my best friends since we were kids.”

He could tell you were intrigued by that. He still hadn’t told you anything about his childhood. 

Before you could ask any questions, Claire showed up next to Azriel’s friends, her expression the very picture of friendship. It unsettled him so much that he held you closer to him, so you were practically on his lap. 

“Hi Claire,” you smiled, and his heart sank. You really had no idea how Claire felt about you. 

Claire smiled back. “Hey. I never expected to see you here.”

“I’m trying new things,” you said, smiling lightly at Azriel.

He couldn’t take it, having you so close to Claire, seeing that trust you had in him when you looked at him. He cleared his throat, standing up and offering you his hand. You took it, smiling politely at Claire and his friends as he led you through the house, out to the backyard. 

“Is everything okay?” You asked, looking up at him curiously as he leaned his back against the side of the house.

“Yeah,” he said, unable to stop the smile that rose to his face as you gazed at him with your big doe eyes. He tugged you closer, wrapping his arms around your waist. “I just wanted you to myself for a minute.”

“Oh yeah?” you flushed, and before he could stop himself, he kissed your cheeks, feeling the heat against his lips before his lips met yours in a slow, sensual kiss.

He was still kissing you when he heard Cassian snickering close by. “Oh shit, he’s whipped.”

Azriel rolled his eyes as he pulled away from you, but kept his hold on your waist. “How am I whipped?”

Cassian’s eyes gleamed with mischief and Azriel’s heart started to pound. “Sneaking out here on your own. You’re usually content to stay on the couch to make out with your girl of the week.”

Your body tensed in his arms and Azriel groaned internally, glaring at Cassian, who smirked. “Oh, she didn’t know? My bad, Az.”

Azriel’s expression was enough to send Cassian back inside. 

Your brow furrowed as you stepped back, out of his reach. “Girl of the week?”

He winced. “He’s being dramatic.”

You raised your eyebrows, glaring at him, crossing your arms over your chest. 

It was kind of adorable, but Azriel reigned in that comment. He held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, look. I told you when we met that I go to parties and meet girls there. But things are different now,” he said, taking a step closer to you. And it was true. Things were different. You had been the one haunting his thoughts since that first date. He had barely looked at anyone else since.

After a moment, you sighed, and he knew you wouldn’t resist when he wrapped his arms back around you. 

“Cassian’s an idiot,” he murmured, his focus back on your lips that he was dying to kiss again.

“So I’m not the girl of the week?” you said quietly, your eyes on his lips now. 

He smiled. “We’ve been seeing each other for several weeks, haven’t we?”

You nodded, biting your lip, before you stood up on your tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his lips. Azriel was surprised by his own relief. “Are we going back inside?” you asked. 

“Not if you don’t want to,” he said, wrapping his arms around your waist again. 

Pursing your lips in thought, you said, “Mmm. Let’s go back in.”

“Yeah?” he said, surprised.

You smiled up at him, resting your chin on his chest. His heart melted. “I’m trying to be brave.”

He kissed your forehead, smiling faintly. “I’m proud of you, bookworm.”

You beamed, your whole face lighting up. 

Azriel led you inside, his hand on the small of your back, trying to manage the swell of emotions in his chest. He didn’t have the time to process them right now. 

The two of you mingled throughout the party for a few hours, and you even went so far as to dance with him for a bit, your body pressed against his, your hips swaying to the beat of the pounding music. He could hardly believe it, the way you let loose with him.

He stopped in the bathroom before the two of you left. He wasn’t gone for more than a few minutes, but when he returned, he spotted you near the kitchen, backing away from a guy who was clearly very drunk and very horny. Azriel saw red. 

Before he could take a second to think, Azriel was upon the bastard, punching him in the jaw. 

He heard you yelp. The asshole staggered back, swearing, his hand cradling his jaw. Azriel barely spared him a glance, his hands gently holding either side of your face, his gaze raking your body, searching for any sign that he had touched you. 

Your eyes were wide, your breathing labored, but you seemed physically fine. “Are you okay?” he asked. 

You nodded, your eyes still frantic. 

He wrapped his arm around your shoulders as he led you outside. Claire caught his eye on the way out, hers shining with delight. He scowled at her. 

When you made it outside, he hugged you to his chest. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” 

“I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

You snorted. “You were gone for a few minutes. It’s not your fault that men are gross.”

“Are you okay, really?” He asked, pulling back to look you in the eye.

“I’m okay,” you said quietly. 

He held you close to him, gazing at you for another moment before you smiled faintly. “You really didn’t need to punch him, you know.”

He winced slightly, remembering the yelp you let out when he threw that punch. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” you said, rising on your tiptoes to kiss him. 

Azriel held you until his heart rate slowed down, until his body was convinced that you were okay.

Later, after he had dropped you off at your apartment, Azriel stayed awake, tossing and turning, so many images from that night racing through his mind.

The way his heart constricted every time you smiled at him, the horror he felt at seeing Claire play nice, the terror and rage that flowed through his entire body when he saw that creep bothering you…

Azriel knew then, that he had real feelings for you. Shit.

---

“C’mon, baby, you’ve been studying for ages already,” Azriel murmured, standing behind you as you sat at your desk in your apartment, his arms draped around your chest, his lips trailing down your neck.

Your toes curled, heat running right through you. You wanted to give in. You really did. But…

You sighed. “I’m sorry, Az. I have this big exam on Tuesday. And finals are only a few weeks away.”

For some reason, that comment made his entire body stiffen. “Oh, yeah. Finals.”

You snorted. “Don’t tell me you forgot about finals.”

“No, I just… they’re soon.” His voice wavered a bit as he stood up fully. You twisted in your seat to look up at him. His brow was furrowed, his eyes swimming with anxiety. 

“What’s wrong?” You asked, reaching up and cupping his cheek with your hand. “Do you need me to help you study?” He had never seemed to care about his grades before.

He leaned into your touch for a moment, shooting you a forced smile. “No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine. I should go, and let you study.” He stooped down to press a quick kiss to your lips. “I won’t distract you anymore today.” 

Before you could even respond, he was out the door. 

You turned back to your notes, but couldn’t digest any of the information. That was… weird.

Azriel and you had been dating for months now. Though neither of you had ever put a label on it, you both knew you were exclusive. 

In the privacy of your own mind, you secretly loved that he acted so differently around you than he did out and about on campus. You felt like you got a different version of him that was saved especially for you. It made your heart swell, all the little things he did for you each day. 

You were also willing to admit, to yourself only, that you were absolutely in love with him. You had known for weeks now, and had been debating whether or not you should tell him. 

He had been the one that made you step out of your comfort zone, to try new things, to be brave. 

So, soon. You would tell him soon.

--- 

Azriel had to get out of the deal. Now.

He remembered the exact moment that he realized he was in love with you. It was a random afternoon, the two of you were watching TV at his apartment. He was laying on the couch, you were laying on top of him, your legs intertwined with his, your head on his chest. He was absentmindedly running his fingers through your hair while you giggled about something that happened on the show. 

And he had the thought. I want my whole life to look like this. 

And he knew. He loved you.

This had scared him, obviously, on multiple levels. He had never loved anyone before, never knew what that looked like. Yet somehow, he knew without a doubt that it was true. 

And then, of course, there was the deal he had made with the devil. 

He had known early on that he would have to get out of the deal. He had just been putting it off, hoping that Claire’s insanity would die down throughout the semester. 

But now his time was up. 

He prayed to whoever might be listening that Claire would listen to reason. That she would call it off. He couldn’t bear the thought of hurting you. He wouldn’t do it. 

Claire smirked as she opened the door. “I’ve been wondering when you would show up. It’s been a long time, Az,” she purred. 

Azriel stalked into her apartment, barely sparing her a glance. “The deal’s off, Claire.”

She cocked her head to the side, amused. “Oh? Why is that?”

“Because it’s insane,” he growled. “You were insane for coming up with it, and I was insane for agreeing to it. I’m done.”

Slowly, her lips curled up into a lethal smile. “You fell for her.”

Azriel blinked. 

Claire cackled. “Oh, this is rich. You actually fell for the bookworm? I never thought I’d see the day. No wonder you haven’t been crawling into my bed.”

He scowled. “The deal’s off,” he repeated in the tone he used to scare people away.

She really looked at him then, her eyes bearing into his. After a moment, she finally said, “Okay.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Okay? Just like that?”

Claire shrugged. “You were right. It was an insane plan. And it didn’t even work,” she said bitterly. “You suck at your job. She’ll still be on the top of the Dean’s list, even after all your lovey-dovey shit.”

A swell of pride ran through him at the thought of your name at the top of that list.

“Alright,” he said, his brow furrowed, trying to figure out if there was some kind of angle here. But, there didn’t seem to be one. 

He left quickly, his heart and mind feeling lighter. The guilt of how the two of you started would always be there, he knew. But now when he looked into the future, it wasn’t a hazy blur of nothingness that he saw. It was you.

---

The week before finals, there were parties everywhere. So you heard. 

You had gone to a few more with Az over the past few months. It still wasn’t exactly your thing, but you didn’t mind going, especially with Azriel being so attentive to you every time you did. 

Azriel didn’t seem particularly interested in going to this one, but his friends had been complaining that they never saw him anymore, so he agreed to go. And you had agreed to go with him, if only to take a break from your near constant studying these days.

You followed him through the crowd, his hand clasping yours, as always. Drinks in hand, you made your way to the outskirts of a group of people who were dancing and you joined them, Azriel pulling you in close to him, moving against you.

A laugh burst from you, and Azriel grinned, leaning down to kiss you. 

You were so happy, you thought. So happy in that moment with him. You knew people watched you, as they usually did when Azriel was like this with you. You didn’t care.

When he pulled back from the kiss, he gazed down at you, his eyes swimming with affection. 

“I love you,” you said before you could stop it.

His eyes sobered, and he pulled you in even closer, so your bodies were flush together. He leaned his forehead against yours, and in a crowd of people, Azriel said, a soft smile on his face, “I love you, too.”

Your heart leaped and you grinned, threading your fingers in his hair and bringing his lips to yours. 

Suddenly, the music stopped, and from the TV came a voice. Azriel’s voice. 

Everyone turned to the sound, curiously, watching. The video was jumpy, filming the floor, like it was filmed from someone’s pocket. 

Azriel tensed, his arms still around you. “Fuck,” he said. “We need to go.”

Utterly confused, you didn’t argue as he pulled you through the crowd. But you stopped dead in your tracks when you heard video Azriel say, “Sweetheart, you know I can fuck you anytime I want, right? That is not going to persuade me to help you.”

Your blood ran cold, shock jolting from your heart down to your toes. Azriel was tugging on your arm, but you didn’t budge as you heard Claire’s voice next. 

Claire. He had been talking to Claire. What did he mean, that he could fuck her whenever he wanted? You hadn’t even known that they knew each other. When was this filmed?

“Baby, please, I’ll explain everything, but we need to go,” Azriel was saying, sounding frantic. 

You wrenched your arm from his grasp, weaving through the still crowd, moving toward the TV. You heard him swear, calling your name behind you, but you kept moving.

They were saying something about a deal, about him owing her a favor. You couldn’t make sense of it, not until you heard video Azriel say, “Alright, so I just have to seduce the bookworm? Easy.”

Video Claire responded, “No, if I’m going to agree to any favor you could possibly want, you’re going to have to go further. You need to make her fall in love with you.”

It was then that you noticed Claire, next to the TV, her eyes locked on you, smirking. 

You couldn’t breathe, your legs were going to give out -- 

It was all fake. All of it. 

Azriel caught up to you then, picking you up, slinging you over his shoulder. You didn’t protest, the shock setting in. You had to get out of there, even if it was him that carried you out. 

When he made it outside, you pounded on his back with your fists. “Put me down, you asshole!”

“Sorry,” Azriel said, wincing as he gently set you on your feet. “You looked like you were going to pass out.”

“Like you even care,” you spat, storming away from him. 

“Of course I care. Please, just give me a minute to explain,” he pleaded, following you. 

“Explain what?” You stopped abruptly, spinning around to face him. “That you played me for a fool? Made me fall in love with you as a sick joke? Well, congratulations, it worked,” you said, pouring every ounce of venom that you could muster into your voice. You turned back around and continued walking as tears started pricking your eyes. You refused to let him see you cry.

“It may have started out that way, but it’s not like that anymore. From the first date, I had feelings for you. I love you. You have to believe that,” he said, right on your heels. 

You knew he could catch up with you easily if he wanted to. He was hanging back, trying to give you your space. That pissed you off even more. “How could I possibly believe that?” 

“Because you feel it, I know you do,” he said, finally wrapping his fingers around your wrist.

You tugged your hand free, but stopped walking, needing to catch your breath. You faced him. “What was the point?” You asked quietly. “Why make the deal?”

It didn’t matter. But you had to know.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Claire and I used to date. When you transferred, you pushed her off the top spot of the Dean’s list. She hated you for it. She said she would give me any favor I wanted if I made you fall for me… to distract you from school.”

You were so surprised that the tears you had been holding in started to fall. You angrily swatted them away. 

Azriel continued, “I said no at first, but she was persistent, and…” he took a deep breath, darting his eyes away from you for a moment. They were shining with unshed tears. “I have no excuse. I agreed to it. I’m an asshole. But you made me want to be different.”

“Was any of it true?” You heard yourself saying, your voice breaking. 

He lifted his hand, like he was about to reach for yours, then let it drop, thinking better of it. “It was all true. From our first date, you were breaking down my walls, making me smile, making me laugh.” He smiled sadly. “I fell for you. I love you,” he said, and now a lone tear did slide down his cheek. “I called it off with Claire ages ago. I told her I was out, and she agreed. I… I didn’t know she filmed it.”

You wanted to believe him, that he really did love you. But… “Even if you do love me, that doesn’t change what you did,” you said in a small voice. 

Azriel sniffed, wiping the tears off his face. “I know. I am so, so sorry.”

Shaking your head, backing away from him, you choked out, “I don’t -- I can’t. I can’t do this right now.”

He took a step toward you, his eyes pleading. “Please. Please don’t go.”

Turning your back to him, you walked away, barely registering the pavement beneath your feet, the direction you were going. 

Azriel called your name, but you kept walking.

You knew he had followed you home, not letting you walk alone at night. You watched his form retreat after you locked yourself inside your apartment with trembling hands. 

You went to bed, not even bothering to change. Laying on your back, watching your ceiling fan spin around and around, you tried to identify all that you were feeling: shame, humiliation, sorrow. Fury. 

Replaying all that had happened between you, all the times he was probably laughing at you with his friends behind your back. You felt nauseous. 

How could he do this? How could he have played you for so long?

What the hell were you supposed to do now?

You woke up to several missed calls and texts from Azriel, all sent hours apart. It seemed that he didn’t get any sleep at all.

I am so sorry. I’m the worst person in the world. I know that. 

I know what you’re thinking right now. I know that you’re going over it all in your head. But, it was real, baby. It was all real. I swear it was. I love you so much.

I’m hoping you’re getting some sleep. Can I see you today?

Groaning, you tossed your phone to the side, and took a long shower. By the time you got out, someone was knocking on your door. 

You quickly dressed in some old pajamas and called through the door, “Go away, Az.”

“Well, at least you’re alive,” you heard him say. “Can I please come in? Two minutes?”

You threw the door open, furious. “No, you cannot come in. You humiliated me. You used me. You had your fun. What else could you possibly want?”

Azriel was standing on the threshold, his hands in his pockets nervously, his facial expression looked like you had just slapped him. “I want to apologize! I want to make things better, that’s what I want.”

Biting your lip to keep from crying, you said quietly, “Go away.” 

His face fell. “I love you.”

Shaking your head, you said, “You don’t.”

He took a step forward, wedging his foot on the door jam so you couldn’t close it on him. “I do,” he said, his eyes pleading, baring into yours. “You know that I do. You know I’ve never let anybody else see the real me. Nobody but you.”

Tears spilled onto your cheeks then, and he wiped them away gently. Despite everything, you couldn’t back away. “It doesn’t matter,” you croaked. “You only went out with me so you could help her ruin my life.”

Azriel opened his mouth, as if to reply, but then shut it. 

You laughed humorlessly. “See? Even you don’t have a comeback.”

His eyes softened, his rough fingers still absentmindedly stroking your cheeks. “Please,” he said again. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not enough,” you whispered, your heart breaking all over again as you looked up at him, at the pain in his eyes.

“How do I fix it?” He whispered back, tears sliding freely down his cheeks now.

“I don’t know,” you said, stepping back out of his grasp. “Please, Az. I just -- I need to be alone right now.”

He nodded, drawing his arm across his face to wipe the tears away. “Okay. Okay, I’ll umm -- I’ll see you later?”

You didn’t know how to answer that, didn’t know if you would see him again at all. He took a step back, into the hallway. 

Without another word, you shut the door.

Especially knowing where that awful bet had originated, you refused to let Azriel and Claire get in your head for finals. You buckled down, spending entire days at the library studying, writing papers, finishing projects. 

It was helpful, actually. You didn’t allow yourself to think about him, about all the memories you had that had become so tainted and confusing. 

By the end of the semester, you had maintained all your A’s, passing every final with flying colors. And thus, secured the very top spot of the Dean’s list.

Azriel had been texting and calling every day. You left them all unanswered. 

You hadn’t yet had time to think, to process through the hurt. 

A new text chimed as you were packing up your car to head home for the summer. 

Saw the list. Nicely done, bookworm. I know it doesn’t matter, but I really am proud of you. Looks like all that hard work paid off ❤️

Despite everything, there was a swell of emotion in your chest at his words. God, why did everything have to be so awful?

Later, you were hefting your last box into your trunk when you heard the distinct sound of a motorcycle slowing down behind you. Your heart raced. You couldn’t tell if you wanted to see him again or not.

Slowly, you turned around to see Azriel sliding off the bike, his helmet tucked under his arm. “Hey, beautiful,” he said, somewhat tentatively.

“Hi,” you said softly. 

He nodded to your car, his expression grave. “You’re leaving?”

“Back home for the summer,” you said, unable to take your eyes off him. He looked tired. And sad. 

A moment passed silently, the two of you just looking at each other, pain hanging in the air between you.

“I miss you,” he said quietly. 

You sighed. Willed yourself to be brave. “I miss you, too,” you admitted. 

Something like hope gleamed in his eyes. “I love you,” he murmured. 

“I --” you started, and couldn’t bear it. “I need time.”

He looked crestfallen, like you had just punched him in the gut, but he nodded. “The summer?”

You swallowed. “Okay,” you said. “Okay. I get the summer, and I’ll find you in the fall. We’ll talk then.”

“Thank you,” he said, quietly. “Thank you for… for that. For talking to me now,” he winced. “I know I don’t deserve it.”

“No, you don’t,” you said, but there was no malice in it. You were too tired. “I get the summer, Az. Don’t contact me until school starts.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but agreed. “Okay. I’ll see you in September,” he said, backing up towards his bike. “Have a good summer, bookworm,” he added with the slightest of smiles, before he slid on his helmet and drove away.

---

You spent most of the summer moping around, reading books, and trying to sort through everything that happened, all the feelings you had. 

For three months, you sifted through every moment that Azriel and you had shared together, picking them apart, deciphering every movement. 

It may have been slightly unhealthy.

You believed that what you and Azriel had was real. You believed that he did love you. And you couldn’t deny that you loved him. That maybe you always would. 

Was it worth it to deny yourself the person who had made you so happy? Who had taught you new things, who had helped you out of your comfort zone?

As September grew closer, you still weren’t sure. 

 ---

Azriel got more and more anxious as the summer came to a close. It had been torture to not contact you at all, but he knew he was in no position to be asking you for anything, so he did as you asked. 

The hurt on your face those months ago was still a clear image in his mind that haunted his nightmares. He would never forgive himself for hurting you. 

Yet, he couldn’t stop imagining what would happen when he saw you again. Would you give him another chance? You would have to be a saint to even contemplate that. But then again, you were the best person he had ever known. If anyone would be able to forgive, it would be you.

Scowling, he stomped that shred of hope down. He couldn’t go into this having any expectations. 

Soon, he would know.

---

It was bittersweet coming back to school. Academia was where you thrived. You felt right at home in the library, stacks of papers all around you. 

And you used to feel at home with Azriel. 

You sighed at the thought. The first day of classes was tomorrow. You had told Azriel not to contact you until school started back up again, and knowing him, he would take that seriously. 

Deep down, you knew what you wanted to do. It terrified you, though. 

Sure enough, the next morning, you had a text from him:

Hey, bookworm. Hope your first day of classes goes well. 

The slightest smile spread across your lips. You knew he was probably dying to ask when he could see you, but was trying to keep it light. Leave the ball in your court.

For the first time since everything, you texted him back.

Thanks, Az. Yours, too. 

He opened it immediately. After a moment, you willed yourself to send another:

Wanna meet up at the tennis courts tonight? 

His reply came at lightning speed:

7?

Reigning in your smile, you replied:

7.

You couldn’t remember ever being this nervous as you walked to the tennis courts. There were a few people playing, so you sat underneath a tree nearby, willing your legs to stop shaking. 

Right on time, a familiar motorcycle turned into the parking lot. He spotted you immediately, striding over to you with unsure steps. 

“Hey, beautiful,” he said quietly. 

You looked up at him, your heart racing at the familiarity you felt. “Hi,” you said, and after the briefest hesitation, you patted the grass next to you. You weren’t sure you would be able to stand. 

Immediately, he plopped down across from you, his knees only inches from yours as he faced you. 

His eyes were locked on yours. “How was your summer?” he said, his voice cracking slightly. 

“Okay,” you said. “How was yours?”

“Okay,” he said quietly. 

You took a deep breath, steeling yourself. “Okay, here’s the thing. I did a lot of thinking. A lot of thinking. And I do love you, Az.”

You paused, not sure how to word what you were feeling. 

“But?” Azriel said, his voice dripping with trepidation, his eyes guarded.

“But it’s going to take some time before I can trust you again.”

Azriel swallowed, his eyes never wavering from yours. 

He seemed like he was waiting for you to continue before he said anything, so you added, quietly, “I am willing to try, though. To give us another chance.”

The tautness in his body released, relief flooding his features. “Really?” he croaked, tears swimming in his eyes. 

You could only nod before he launched towards you, knocking you on your back, before he threaded his fingers through your hair, kissing you deeply. 

You laughed, as his other hand came up to cup your face. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I swear I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you,” he said against your lips.

Wrapping your arms around him, you sighed into his kiss. “I know, Az. I know.”

“I love you,” he murmured, moving to kiss down your neck.

“I love you, too.”

“I missed you so much,” he groaned before kissing your lips again.

You giggled. “I missed you, too.”

He finally stopped kissing you, settling his elbows on either side of your head, leaning his forehead against yours. “Thank you. For giving me another chance.”

Smiling, you kissed him swiftly on the lips. “Don’t mess it up.”

“I won’t. I swear I won’t.”

The two of you spent the rest of the afternoon in each other’s arms, going over your respective summers. 

Eventually, Azriel propped himself on an elbow, gazing at you with all the love in the world.

“What?” you asked. 

He grinned. “You wanna go mini golfing, bookworm?”

You couldn’t help but return his smile. “Only if I can help you again.”

Azriel leaned down to gently kiss your forehead. “It’s a deal.”

A/N: wanna see more of these two?? Check out part 2!

@thalia-as-blog @saltedcoffeescotch

[maxriss]

⋆˚࿔ UH HUH — LN4

Lando Norris x reader / headcanons / library

Syn. Lando Norris and his extremely attractive habit of saying uh-huh aka maxriss pining over the little things Lando Norris does <3 [F, slight M]

Lando Norris was known for many things — his f1 career, the way he smelled of expensive colognes, the girls he went home with, djing in random clubs — I knew him for something else entirely.

From the way he hummed, the slight nod of his head, the lazy of hum of his response.

“Uh huh”. I’m floored.

The cooped up cafe near the campus was filled to the brim during exam szn, my head propped up on a redbull can as my fingers typed away when I heard it for the first time. The light hum of a boy followed by a laughter “uh huh”.

That one sound had me whipping my head too fast for my liking, making the boy turn to me as well. Lando Norris. Turned my head, only to meet those blue-green eyes, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips as he leaned against the counter, watching me.

It wasn’t fair a pretty boy could make pretty noises.

I thought about it more than I’d like to admit. Ofcourse it was flirty and cocky. Ofcourse it was a narcissistic trait from him. Ofcourse I wanted him to tut at me before kissing me breathless.

Oh my days.

I noticed the way he would say, the ways he would say it and when he would. It was Lando Norris — the campus playboy — I was writing my own heartbreak.

You could always tell Lando’s mood by the way he says uh huh. If it’s drawn out and lazy, he’s tired or teasing you. If it’s quick and clipped, he’s distracted. And if it’s low and deep? Yeah, that one gets to me every time.

The smirk that always accompanied it, his eyes dark and low — oh to be looked at that way.

He oftentimes flexed his jaw before saying it and that one had me licking my lips.

I caught him this one time in the cafeteria talking to his friends — oddly one of them flashing his bunda to him — when Lando laughed facing my side and poked his cheek with his lips before throwing out the sexiest uh-huh I’d ever heard and lord save me for I’ll sin for this man.

I hated that it affected me—how something as simple as two syllables could make me weak.

Then there was time I heard it in the library, late at night, when he walked past my table and smirked at the book in my hand. “That any good?” he asked, and when I hummed in response, he me you that look and murmured, “Uh huh.”

I SWEAR HE DID IT INTENTIONALLY.

The stolen glances. The teasing. The way he’d find me in crowded rooms, gravitate toward me like he couldn’t help it.

And then — then it happened.

A study session in his dorm, both of us sitting on the floor, books long forgotten.

He was too close. His hand brushed mine, and neither of us moved away.

My breath hitched. His eyes flickered to my lips.

He leaned in. I swore the air crackled between us, heat simmering, everything about to change—

But then… a knock at the door.

He pulled away fast, running a hand through his curls, clearing his throat like it hadn’t just happened.

And then he exhaled, shaking his head with a small, knowing smile.

“Uh huh.”

reblog and follow <3 all rights reserved ©maxriss please do not copy, save, or translate my stories. this is no place for hate and violence, kindly maintain love and peace.

[natalievoncatte]

Through the howling nightmare, Supergirl’s voice was clear as thunder from a clear sky.

“I will not drop you. You have to jump!”

Lena lay clinging to a cargo net in the bottom of the wreckage of the plane, suspended thirty thousand feet up by the quivering, all-too-human fingers of Supergirl’s right hand. As the other woman stood on the sky, the wind lashed her, and Lena knew that Supergirl could not save them both, could not keep both halves of the plane aloft. Even if her shaking hands could hold the weight, the plane itself would collapse, disintegrate. There was no time.

She wanted to make peace with it. This would be a good end, she thought. Supergirl would gel the world, tell them about Lena’s sacrifice. Her death would inspire people, and it would lead to Morgan Edge’s downfall. She was tired of fighting, tired of struggling. She was cold and every bone in her body hurt and the back of her head was throbbing from where Edge’s goon had knocked her out. Lena had been knocked out so many times it had probably given her permanent damage.

The world hated her. Everyone hated her. All they saw was a Luthor no matter what she did. Why fight? Why cling to a life she didn’t even want anymore?

“Lena, please.”

The agony in Supergirl’s plea struck her with physical force, a thump in her chest that made it too real. There was something in that voice that made her believe, even hope. There was something more in that voice, something pleading and longing, unbearably heavy with an unfathomable pain.

“I won’t drop you!” she insisted, her words a veiled threat:

I’ll poison the whole damned city before I let you go.

So Lena began to climb.

It was agonizing. Her fingers burned. It felt like her joints were tearing apart and her muscles shredding. The air was too thin and the wreckage was swinging and oh God almighty Jesus she was going to puke. She climbed higher and higher, and by the time she was close enough to see the terror in Supergirl’s eyes, she was reciting the Lord’s Prayer under her breath, some distant part of her brain remembering a darkened Irish church from another life.

“Jump!”

Lena jumped.

She could swear that Supergirl let go the instant she lost contact. The other half of the plane fell away into the terrible void below her, and when she landed she thought she’d missed, that she must have died, but she landed on cargo netting and the wreckage groaned around her as Supergirl took a better grip and began descending, carrying the poison away from the reservoir and to safety.

When the plane came to rest, Supergirl tore her way inside with frantic desperation, shredding the wreckage until she reached Lena, lifting her bodily from the netting, curling the smaller woman in her powerful arms.

“You’re safe, you’re okay, you’re safe…” and then she mumbled something in what had to be Kryptonian, almost too low for Lena to hear.

The rest of the night was a blur, and Lena was exhausted. There was a brief medical exam by Kara’s sister Alex -odd that she always seemed to show up when Supergirl was involved- and then it happened.

Supergirl stepped into the tent where Lena lay on a stretcher, very hurt and sore but mostly just exhausted, and said in the softest voice, “May I take you home, Miss Luthor?”

Any other time she’d have quipped, first about the formality and then about how she really didn’t want to fly right now, but this time she said “Yes” without a second thought, without even knowing why.

Supergirl did not ask, but it was not a presumption. She scooped Lena up and carried her outside, exchanging a fraught look with Agent Danvers, some wordless agreement made between them that resulted in a curt nod from Alex.

Lena curled into Supergirl as they took off, shrouded in her cape, head tucked in the hollow between her neck and shoulder. It was weirdly intimate and yet oddly comfortable, familiar even. It wasn’t a long flight before Supergirl landed on Lena’s balcony with the greatest grace, barely jarring her, and bore her inside.

Supergirl lowered her onto the couch and stepped back. She stared at Lena and Lena stared back, the air bearing a charge between them so intense that Lena thought she smelled ozone, as if the air was heavy before a summer storm.

It was Supergirl who looked like she’d just suffered the terror of her life, like she was the one who had looked into the dark tonight and found that the abyss gazes also. She kept on staring

Lena didn’t know why she asked. The question came to her and was already on the air before she had even formed it.

“Would you have really dropped the chemicals in the reservoir to save me?”

Supergirl didn’t hesitate. She didn’t explain or dissemble. She spoke a single word with total conviction and absolute truth.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Lena demanded, wobbling as she tried to stand up. “Why? I’m not worth it. You barely know-“

Lena faltered and in an instant, Supergirl was there, steadying her, gazing into her face… longingly.

Lena’s heart raced. They were inches apart and she could swear they Supergirl was holding her tenderly by her arms to kiss her, not support her. She could feel the Kryptonian’s breath on her lips.

“That’s not true. I do know you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at me.”

“Supergirl-“

“Lena, please, it’s me. Look at me.”

Lena started to say something, to deflect, to escape the intensity of Supergirl’s apparent longing, but then… she looked.

It’s me.

A sharp breath dragged through her of its own accord as Lena gasped, her gaze darting about as she saw this woman as if for the first time, a shiver running down her spine. Her eyes went wide as she met Supergirl’s gaze, staring deeply into her ocean blue eyes and recognizing the depth within them- layers upon layers, the sorrow that swirled beneath the the laugh lines like freezing ocean currents swirling too far below the cerulean surface. The quick wit and self-deprecating humor, the humility and kindness and joy. These were the eyes of a woman who laughed easily and felt deeply, who desperately sought to make the world a better place, to show others the goodness that she could see in them when others could not.

The eyes of Kara Danvers.

Look at me.

“Oh my God,” Lena whispered. “Oh my God. Kara.”

Kara smiled, looking blessedly relieved as tears fell from her eyes.

“It’s me, Lena. I should have told you after… mmmph!”

She didn’t finish. They were kissing instead. Lena had no doubts, no fears, she just knew. All she had to do was throw herself into it and Kara gathered her up into a careful embrace, at once feather-light and gentle and sure and safe as being hugged by a castle. Kara kissed her back with stunning intensity, so greedily, so hungrily, that Lena was a little shocked. She hadn’t been kissed like this… ever, really. She was barely aware that she’d been lifted from the ground and set on a kitchen stool and it took a moment before she even realized that she’d grabbed a handful of the buns of steel, and Kara had been just as forward.

Then Kara suddenly seemed to recall that Lena needed to breath and pulled back.

“I should stay the night,” she panted. “Edge might send more of them after you. I can protect you.”

Lena nodded, blinking back her own tears. Kara didn’t let go.

She did stay the night, though Lena ended up teasing her bodyguard about taking off her super-suit so quickly.

[thefourthwifeoftengenuzui]

May I please ask for headcanons Aoba Johsai with a manager whose skilled with archery and sharpshooting please

Yes of course! Sorry for the wait I was working on a Rindou piece and my physics exam. It’s like 3Am right now, but I still want to finish this for you boo. Thanks again For requesting Anon, if you like this, don’t forget to like and ask if you have any other ideas. Also, you didn’t specify which you wanted, so this can be interpreted as romantic or platonic. Status: unedited

warnings: crackfic, bad grammar, cursing, violence, oikawa exists, oikawa slander, color coded characters, reader is a whole ass menace, mentions of vaping

🩵🤍Aoba Josai With a Sharpshooter/ Archer Manager🤍🩵

As a Team (platonic)

Oikawa, Iwazumi, Kunimi, Kiyotani, Kindaichi, Matsukawa, you

My first thought when I looked at this post was simple. How many times and we hit oikawa in the head. Everything else kinda spiraled from there. Just imagine being able to do that shit with pinpoint accuracy, and when he turns around to see who did it, be like the gremlin chick from hotel transilivania and be like ,” I didn’t do that”. And then he proceeds to blame Iwa, and pure unrefined chaos erupts from there. *clears throat and sips matcha* good shit

But on a more serious note, these boys are completely ready to take full advantage of your skills. Remember when oikawa sprained his ankle? Guess who had to replicate his serves instead so they could practice receives. That’s right, you. And your aim is a little too good sometimes (Kindiachi has been hit in the face) but they honestly don’t care, they just looking to get practice in, and maybe a few tips here and there for aiming.

But that’s just during their practice. During your archery or other practice. Oh my god. Imagine having like 12 annoying older brothers. Like both Archery and Sharpshooting are pretty quiet sports. But with these mfs at your practice? Oh dear lord. These gon be the most obnoxiously loud humans to walk the planet (3rd only to Fukurodani and Kurasuno). Imagine with me. It’s so silent you can hear a pin drop. You’re trying to concentrate before you’re pulling back your string. You take a deep breath and just as you’re about to let go- “WOOOOOOOO THATS MY LIL SISSSSSS/BROOOO!!!” “SHUT UP SHITTY KAWA!THEY NEED TO FOCAS!” “HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IWA!?” “YOU WOULD KNOW IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH AN DUMBASS!” “IF YALL DONT SHUT THE FUCK UP ILL SHUT YOU UP MYSELF” yeah they’re THAT kind of sports parents. They got kicked out last time :)

I just know yall have made oikawa put an apple on his head and see if you can hit his head. Ofc you can, but it’s funnier hitting him with the Velcro arrows and watching him rip his hair out, and ruining it for the day (his fangirls hated you for that lol.)

I just KNOW that the other teams got some crazy ass conspiracies about you. They call you the Seijo Assassin, and that you kill the best players of the opposing team, and they never find the bodies. And tbh it was probably oikawa who started it, to get back at you for getting Velcro stuck in his hair. So while you’re just as hot as kiyoko, everyone is terrified of you, and are only referring to you as L/n-sama (even though you’re only a second year.). I swear to fuck hinata pissed himself when tsukki told the team about you.

also yall know the sharpshooter shaving cream balloon prank thingy? I know damn well the whole team is having a competition for who can do it best. Like it’s literally so funny, especially when someone not on the team gets hit. Like I know oikawa has accidentally hit the coach with one of those. Do with this information what you will.

Individuals: Could be romantic or platonic, either way fits (though both are seriously on crack.)

Somehow or someway, Oikawa will convince you to be his bodyguard. And not even like paying you money. Just like a, “ YoU wOnT wALk yOuR pOor dEfEnSLeSS FRiEnD tO cLAss? WhAt iF my FAnGirlS Kidnap MeEEEEE?!” “yep.” “Do you even Love Meeeeeee!?” “Nope.” “…I’ll pay you~” “pay me what?” “Food~” “DONE!” *throws chair out window* yeah y’all’s relationship is pretty much just blitz and stolas in the loo loo land episode. Like when Stolas was just walking while Blitz is pretending to be Batman, lurking in the shadows and pointing a gun at anything with a pulse? Yeah that’s you two walking around the school, except with a nerf gun instead.

oh and you know the team jackets? He bought you yours. But not just any jacket oh no. Yours is special. He payed extra to have it say, “The Seijo Assasin; Oikawa’s bobyguard.” He also might have gotten it in 4xl because he doesn’t know your size, but still wants it to be way to big on you so he can make fun of you. He’s an ass.

Iwazumi is much nicer on the other hand. He (regardless of if it’s platonic or romantic,) is all about helping you carry your stuff. He doesn’t even ask either, he just kinda picks it up and does it. He says it isn’t a big deal, and that you’re carrying enough with your archery equipment anyway, and that he needs the weight training anyway. Def the kinda guy to use your backpack as a dumbbell and use it to lift while y’all in the hall.

I know y'all have a running competition on who can hit oikawa in the head the most. Body shots are one point, head shots are worth 2, and the groin is worth 3, especially if he’s being creepy to someone. The score is currently 34-31, slightly in your favor. Whoever hits him the least by the end of the month has to buy the winner ramen. Oikawa doesn’t approve of this game, and ends up attempting to bump everything back your way. But on the bright side, it’s a good way to scare off his fangirls :).

Kunimi just kinda vibes with you. Like he doesn’t really acknowledge much of what you do, just kinda goes like, “ oh so that’s why you were so good at that. I just thought you hated oikawa. Anyway can I have your Chez-its?” Yeah my boy don’t care enough, but he cute so yeah.

also I just know this mf, plays Fortnite and vapes blue raspberry burst. Do with that what you will. ( to be clear, I wouldn’t ever vape, i just know he does, and honestly had to look up what flavors there are.

The honesty biggest thing you do that impresses him is the whole good aim card slicey thingy. Idk man, he just seems like he would be good at that, and would try to fight you on it.

Despite everything, Kyotani is actually relatively nice to you? Or at least as nice as he can be. His version of nice is avoiding you like the plague, cause he’s scared you’ll be scared of him. He actually really likes you and wants an excuse to talk to you. So what does he do? Asks you to help him aim while spiking, so that he can use his strength more efficiently. He actually is pretty patient with your teaching, and genuinely respects you enough to take your advice. ( tell him to shower pls, I can smell him through the screen, luv him though)

He also uses a whole bottle of axe body spray every time he walks out of the house . Be careful not to get too close to him. Please find someone strong, or stupid enough to bully him out of it, for the sake of the teams lungs🙏

Kindaichi is probably the only person on the team who still calls you Y/n- senpai. He’s way too precious. That being said, he still did give you a twenty if you hit kageyama with a vollyball during warmups. He may be nice, but he mad petty. And $20 is $20 man

Matsukawa is definitely a COD type of guy. He knows a lot about guns. Bond over that (then give me his number pls)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading, sorry the last part was rushed, I am just not feeling it rn. If y’all liked this make sure to follow, Like, and request something of your own. I literally have nothing else to do. Love y’all sm, peace

-joden

[kalifornia1025]

The Three Students Pt. 1 (SPOILERS)

Alright, pt.1 reaction notes let’s get started!

Ooooh okay, sneak peek at what's to come for Sherlock! Very interesting…

I knew I KNEW Archie was gonna be “in trouble” for this episode based on the patreon newsletter!! Honestly good on John for having a whole Sherlock-esque deduction monologue about Archie being guilty (unfortunately he’s rather wrong later on)

Oooh so that’s how they end up at Oxford! Because Sherlock was asked to be a speaker! Good for him

I so get the huge difference between speaking publicly because you have to vs getting really into talking about your special interest. Same Sherlock, I getcha.

‘Autistic man turns down offer to speak to room full of people’ ngl this is a MOOD (as an autistic woman myself!)

LESTRADE MENTION!! John is so right in saying Lestrade would be putting in a lot of work to let people like Sherlock (consulting detective - not a CERTIFIED one), himself (doctor from Swindon), and Mariana (accountant from Sociedad) legally take on serious criminal cases so it’s only fair Sherlock returns the favor for that. 

Sherlock, you framed the DOG for your crimes! You’re a good consulting detective but an unhinged criminal

John you’re SO SALTY over Spain’s victory in the Euros, YOU get over it!

‘Nerd alert’, ‘Got half a mind to give you a wedgie’ of course YOU’D be a bully jock John, why am I not surprised?

Cracked open a beer already? Played Madonna late into the night? John, are you okay??

Oop, Mariana lore? 

I weirdly find John’s little chuckle cute when he’s asking Mariana what she did

Mariana, you did WHAT?? John no, that was NOT a ‘goodun’!

JRR TOLKIEN MENTION!! Been a huge Lord of the Rings fan lately

John, you’re a little TOO excited about a pub being there…

‘Wankfest’? John you said that in the same sentence as Sherlock’s speech….the speech sounds fine for now but my gut’s telling me the final draft is gonna SUCK

‘Sherly sense’ John I both love and hate you for that

Okay but shoutout to Adam Jarrell for having a BLAST with that voice acting! I certainly found it delightful

And there it is! Sherlock, you will find yourself in the middle of a case ANYWHERE

I'll say this: I love how this podcast takes the classic acd cases and reinvents them to make them make more sense in the modern day setting! The irony of a mysterious crime being committed for a Criminology controlled assessment is perfect, and honestly a step up from the original being about a Greek exam.

Sherlock: “I will take on the case, you have my word that-“ Soames: “What about the speech?” Sherlock: “…I forgot about that”, Sherlock why do you do this to yourself?

Oh John…you’re gonna become a frat boy, aren’t you?

HE IS!! JOHN YOU MESSY PERSON (I still love you <3)

Drunk John calling Mariana ‘Mrs. Hudson’ is cute to me for some reason

VODKA?! Oh he was PARTYING partying. John, why do you do this to yourself??

Oh no, poor Sherlock’s nervous!

And that’s all for part one! I REALLY really like when the podcast reinvents classic cases to have it make more sense in regard to the realistic modern day circumstances like why they’re ACTUALLY there and what case coincidentally comes up for them to solve! Also guys…I’m kinda getting worried for John. Dude hasn’t been sleeping well in the last episodes and now the alcohol is becoming more frequent for him. Am I the only one on this??

[mellowyellow236]

Royally Screwed

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (In progress)

(Yuu will be named Yuri, as she's my Yuusona. While there will be no detailed description of her body, Yuri is intersex and may be referred to as such by the cast, although she refers to herself as a woman. All characters will be aged up by one year! The exceptions are all adult characters without specified ages, immortals, and Leona. There will be no sex scenes, but there will be some jokes and also the implication of the expectation with the consorts.) 

~

People are annoying. Especially when they’re convinced they know what’s good for you. I mean, I’m the emperor! You know, cool, powerful, not supposed to have a babysitter over your shoulder explaining who’s planning on entering your life because the bird decided it would be better to go behind your back and give you consorts than just saying they thought you were going to die alone and guilt trip you as a normal guardian would. But here I am, trying not to use my ‘plotting face’ as Crewel calls it, listening to him blabber on and on and on… 

Bla bla bla, “The prince of the Coral Sea and the son of a countess-” Ramble, ramble, “The second prince from the Sunset Savanna and a descendant of the Queen of Hearts still in the nobility-” Why does politics have to be so boring? “Three noble sons from the Shaftlands to compensate for their lack of princes- You’re not even listening to me. I don’t know why I bother…” 

“At least you’re self-aware.” 

“If only you were…” He sighed, “If you declare war,” Fun idea, “Please do it after all the consorts arrive. That way, we’ve got nobility from every country nearby and far to use as immunity from certain alliances.” 

“Like the Shaftlands and Queendom of Roses? They’re allied, right?” 

“Yes-” 

“See, I do pay plenty of attention when it’s important! I just don’t really care what the rumors around my future boytoys are if I’m going to meet them all soon anyway. I mean, it’s been… Five days since we got our Crowley news? At least five days, anyway.” It’s been six days, but seeing Crewel so flabbergasted at how I passed any exam well enough that the general populace didn’t overthrow me the moment I started ruling is the best part of my day. I mean, I don’t act like this around people, it’s no surprise I’m well-liked. 

Well, I’m fairly tolerated because Crewel’s really efficient, and Vargas tends to shut down any criticism before it starts. Perks of having the head of the royal guards built like a tank, I suppose. 

“It’s-” 

“Don’t care, anyway, the first batch is set to arrive today.” 

“Yes, the first two consorts. Prince Riddle Rosehearts of the Queendom of Roses and Prince Leona Kingscholar of the Sunset Savannah.” 

“Wasn’t it Lord Rosehearts, the son of the doctor and duchess, last I checked?” I sat up once he brought up the boys. “And then that Leona guy isn’t really a prince anymore.” Oo, theatrics time! Time to make my godfather hate me! I stood up, putting a hand to my chest. Grim grunted, and I sniffled. Crewel looks like he wants to kill a man. Perfect. “Do I really have not a single kingdom willing to give me a prince over a boy?” 

“Oh shut up, you’re at the age where all the leading princes are already engaged. Or, children. I’m sure no one wants to marry a five-year-old because I will make the offer if you’re so heartbroken over the lack of pampering.” He hissed. 

“Okay, I can deal with not real princes.” I plopped back down onto the armrest of my throne. “Just tell me if they want me to, like, visit them or if they’re pissy about this whole arrangement.” 

“Not as much as you, Pup. And you should visit them all, but only once everyone is here. I have a list for you of the order you should use.” When I raised an eyebrow, he continued. “It’s in terms of political power. You’ll start with Malleus Draconia-” The man who’s got horns so big they’re like elephant ears. Hornton, some might say. With such good fae senses, one might even say he could hear a Who. “-And you will end with the aforementioned Rosehearts boy.” Well, screw that. He shows up first and gets picked last? I might be a harlot whose only value lies in her kettle drums, but at the very least, I’m fair. 

Also, a gremlin according to everyone who’s known me since I was a child. But the people don’t need to know that. 

“Plotting face, Pup. What are you planning?” 

“Wonderful things.” He only sighed in response. 

“Don’t start a war, piss off anyone, or have a child before you’ve chosen who you want to lead your harem.” Okay, first and last are doable. Two out of three isn’t a bad score. 

“Yep, I can do that. So, the second guy that’s coming today? Mr. Used-To-Be-A-Prince. You want me to see him when?” 

“You’re not going to listen to me regardless.” 

“Good point. What time?” 

“The first will be here at quote ‘tea time’.” 

“Our tea time or the Queendom of Roses’ tea time?” 

“Queendom of Roses, most likely.” 

“Okay, five hours to prepare. Six o'clock, I can do that.” I get up, stretching my arms. “Call in Skully. I want to wear something nice.” 

“Don’t… Hit on them. In public.” Ouch, there goes plan C. How horrible, honestly. No one would believe me anyway, so there's no point in denying it. I ring the bell for Skully again, looking at Crewel as I do. 

“You should leave, he’s bringing me dress options.” 

“You should get a woman for a valet if you’re so worried about that. If not, I’m staying.” He groaned, and I’m sure I rolled my eyes to cause it. “You will learn about the people you will be staying with, and that is final, young lady!” 

“Young emperor, you mean…” 

“Do you think I care?” 

“No…” 

“Good. Now shut up and put those years of acting skills to the test, because I’ll be in hell before you tell foreign nobility to go kill themself again.” I was 13! How come Crewel has to remember everything?! 

~

A few hours later, give or take my sanity, and I’m dressed up with a mildly endearing lunatic on one side raving about the beauty of a black dress instead of whatever shade of blue, if one could call this grayish color that, I’m wearing, while my other has a man in a suit with far too many pieces for the weather telling him that he’s stupid because red is a better color if we weren’t meeting some redhead and black would clash with the yellow of the second prince slated to come for today. 

Once I took my spot on my throne, I took a deep breath. Here we go… The booming voice of Vargas, as the man in question made his way into the entryway. Flanked by two guards and two attendants, one of each on either side, came the surprisingly short man with strawberry-flavored hair. My first suitor… 

“Please welcome, His Highness, Prince Riddle Rosehearts of the Queendom of Roses!” I already knew that, but cool. Introductions, are they really needed? Just shove him into the palace and I’ll hand over paperwork whenever I please. But a smile, I need to smile at him. Just smile, wave, and remember not to punch Crowley for looking so smug. He’s bowing, which means to introduce yourself… I hate having a mini Crewel in my head. 

“Welcome,” As expected, he looks uptight. His head is held a bit too high, and his back is a bit too straight. Someone born with just enough power to be a figurehead, not enough to have any to use for yourself… A tyrant in the making if I let him bloom, I’ll bet. But then again, he could be greedy enough to take that power at his first chance, with or without my permission. “I am the monarch of this fine empire. Raise your head, for we welcome you into our palace. There should already be servants escorting your bags into your estate.” 

“Thank you, your majesty.” Nailed the line. He bows and looks just as formal as always. Anyway, onto his entourage. The first redhead is trying to look subtle while he’s taking photos, the second is trying to restrain a yawn, the bluenette guard looks to be barely restraining punching the second ginger, and the man with green hair is ignoring them. I can see Riddle’s eye twitch ever so slightly… How cute. I’m going to push his buttons to hell and back. 

“Tell me, dear,” Oh my seven, that made the twitching worse, and he’s bright red, “What are the names of your companions?” 

“My valet is Trey Clover. My servant is Cater Diamond. My two knights are Ace Trappolla and Duece Spade.” Pretty good names, if you look past the theme. What, did he rank them based on how likely he was to hit them? I’m going to love him, I can just tell. I’ve got a little rosy tyrant over here, I can bully him a little bit. “Is there any reason you wish to know, Your Highness? Have they broken any kind of rule?” 

“Oh heavens, no. I simply like to know the names of those I assume I’ll be interacting with often.” I wave a hand lightly, the court equivalent of dramatic gasps and shoving a topic out of the room. I guess I was right, with the talk of rules he really must be a stick in the mud. “Although, I must ask if your knights would like to train with my own. We have the training ground for the imperial knights, as well as the nearby knight academy’s fields if you would prefer it.” I respond eloquently. He bows again, 

“Thank you, Your Highness. I shall take you up on that offer.” 

“Yuri is fine, dear.” Dear Seven, this boy is entertaining. I shoot Crewel a look, he didn’t tell me about all of the fun that would come from more than just watching, and he gives me one back that makes it seem like he’s seconds away from screaming swears in my general direction. Perfect! The world is as it should be! 

“Very well, Empress Yuri.” A subtle admission, I see. The Queen’s the one in power in the Queendom, obviously, but that isn’t the case here. He’s changed his clothes to match my land, and it’s obvious that he can read the various tapestries around the throne room’s inscription. He should know that an empress is a title reserved for the weaker monarch, and it’s no secret that I’m not a biological woman. Either this is a slip of the tongue in common, or this is an attempt to state that he has his own views of my rule. But he used empress, not queen. He didn’t go back to old habits, he must have referred it to me in his head before ever meeting me. But that begs the question, does he believe I fit the title of power that he used in his home, or does he believe he should be the one on the throne? 

“Just Yuri. I hope you are aware it’s in no way improper. I will allow all of my consorts to use my name.” He raises his head, “But you may address me with whichever name you have used today or as my title of emperor.” If he believes that I’m doing anything but asserting my power, then he’ll be a fool. But from the way his eyes crackle and his face flushes a red that I believe is anger, he is nothing but driven to succeed here. 

“Very well, Empress Yuri.” He meets my eyes, and I’m sure my smile is more of a smirk. 

“Of course. You are dismissed.” What a wonderful first addition. When he turns to exit, there’s nothing I’m more sure of. The greenette, Trey, seems mildly concerned, while Cater looks nothing but distracted by the appearance of my palace. The two knights are exchanging looks, one much more apprehensive than the other, judging from the crease in his brow and the redhead’s wide and crooked smile. I sure hope to see them, maybe tomorrow morning. I could join Vargas for training, he somehow always manages to make physical activity more fun. 

Oh well, the next guy should be coming in any minute now. At the latest, nine at night. I’m going to be busy tonight… 

~

“What do you mean, he’s not coming?!” I cried, looking at the official elected to talk to me. It was Trein, who had Mozus in his arms looking more disappointed than I was pissed. 

“He’s decided that he’d rather go to bed in his palace than greet you. He invites you to do so in the morning.” I raise an eyebrow. Trein sighed, “His valet and head servant invite you to come visit him in the morning.” 

I will not stand for this! Really, not coming to see me? I’m emperor and empress AND the single most important person who could change his entire life with a wave of my hand. 

“I’m going to go see him.” I got up, Grim following behind me, roaring with mild annoyance. He soon walked ahead of me, the only person who ever did so now that I was an adult, looking behind at me as if to ask if this man was worth it. Yes, Grim, he is because I said so. Also, how am I supposed to have fun watching my consorts destroy each other if I don’t know them? That’s half the fun! 

I’m strutting through the hallways to my little lionman’s estate. One knock on the front doors of his palace brings out a knight. He has white hair, wolf ears, and a tail. Judging by how it’s wagging despite the serious look on his face, he’s a big dopey puppy at heart. But now is not the time for my favoritism towards anything fluffy! Now is the time for entering but not breaking! But I will break in if I have to! 

“Hello there. I am emperor Yuri Akatsuki. I am here to see my consort.” Don’t ramble, just look into his eyes, and glare! Okay, he’s bowed, that’s a good sign. But he’s still blocking my way in.

“I apologize, Your Majesty, but I must insist you wait until the morning. The Prince Consort Leona is weary from the journey to the empire.” 

“The Sunset Savanna is a far journey away, but it is equal distance from the Queendom of Roses. Am I to believe the former second prince from a country known for its strength is more tired from travel than the son of a branch family?” I ask, my tone conveying a sense of disapproval. My eyes narrow, the ashen blue gazing into his golden brown ones. If I need to play into our statuses to get what I want, I will. 

He moves aside, and I saunter in. 

Oh thank the seven, I thought I’d have to be there for longer. I am weak, I say, weak! I just want to have a good time watching his prince burn, why won’t the world let me?! 

“Prince Consort Leona,” I state, walking in and standing in the doorway. There’s a man not facing me, with seemingly tan skin and dark brown hair. He grumbles and the other man, likely his valet, laughs from where he stands beside him with a plate of meat. Oh, I’m so hungry… I wish I had steak to chow down on, and no dress to be ruined by it. “I heard that you were sleeping. Interesting to know that that assessment was false.” 

“I’m tired. I would like to sleep, and I would be if not for my servants. And now, if not for you.” He groans, taking a bite from the hyena man. About the age of the other consort, that man is very thin and his hair looks as though it was trimmed personally. Lion Boy has a record of taking pity on those living in the slums, and it seems that’s accurate. Still, he should have at least given the man a proper hairdresser and more meals. At least don’t push away good food in front of him. 

“Very well. Shall I take this as your greeting, then?” I hum lightly, “Although I will say, not giving me his name and saying something that should catch my attention more to deflect from the blame you placed on a servant…” Checkmate. Only I get to be a manipulative jerk in my house. He doesn’t look that surprised, but he does tense slightly. Good. “So, what is his name?” 

“Ruggie. Why do you care?” 

“Why do you care to protect him?” He sits up, his torso turning to look at me as his face continues to hang. An air of sloth is around him as he huffs and growls. 

“Answering a question with a question.” 

“Well aware. Good to know you’re grasp of our language.” I smile at him. He looks ready to murder me. Perfect! Drama already! Ruggie’s laughing. I wish I could join him, but ‘prissy princess’ doesn’t seem to be what’ll set him off. I mean, ‘someone able to match him in intellect’ is working out fine for me. 

He doesn’t give me a response, though, so I think I’ve reached the limit of my fun today. I turn around, as Grim shakes his mane and grunts. Trein moves to be behind me once more, as I wave a noncommittal hand in Lion Boy’s general direction. 

“It’s rude to let food go to waste right next to someone who didn’t have enough at one point. At least give it to him if you don’t plan on eating.” An important lesson, spoken as condescendingly as I one can sound. I’m a master at controlling the tone of my voice, kid, move aside. 

Based on the aggravated growl before I hear someone hit a wall, I’ve succeeded in my goals. Woo-hoo! Cake to celebrate! The Pastry Policy can’t stop me tonight! 

~

There’s a spring in my step as I return to the palace. Well, my palace, more accurately. This is just a big palace with a million smaller, still ginormous, palaces inside. But I’m going to the palace I sleep in. Seven, it’s annoying to say ‘palace’ so many times in a row. Like a bad tongue twister. 

Well, it’s true, anyway. Sleepy time now. I pop onto my bed, being embraced by layers upon layers of fine red silk and gold trimming. Most of them were brought from a merchant from the Scalding Sands, one that might be coming in the coming days. Well, I know a rich boy from the Scalding Sands is coming soon, I just don’t know if it's that rich boy. Crewel knows better than I do, but I don’t care enough to ask. So long as I’m entertained and comfy, I’m happy. 

I sigh as I feel a very large, very furry body plop on top of me. 

“Griiiiiiim…” I whine. He yawns in response. “Get offffff…” He does not. I pout and bury my face into the blankets. I rub his paw, big toe beans and all, and watch him lick my arm. Big kitty, big kitty… 

“Ou next prince is coming from… the Coral Sea? I think. A prince- An actual prince, for some reason. Almost no ruler is dumb enough to send their current royal family members, even if he’s the youngest- And the son of a countess.” I poke the pad of his paw, “Weird. A noble with a status too low to normally be considered for a political marriage. Maybe Princey was their way of making up for it? But at that point, send me one of the sons of that one duke. He’s got twins, doesn’t he? They can afford to send one away, especially since all of the nobles there are relatively young. I had to sign their 5th-anniversary card when I first became crown princess.” I hum, “Maybe because they’re not royal blood? But I remember hearing that one princess, like, three generations ago or something chose to marry a commoner. Lost her title and stuff. Ended up getting the title of countess or baroness or something due to some blackmail against her brother or his kids. Her kids might have kept the title… And at this point, I’d think those nobles would be the most likely to have their blood.” I let out a breath, “Assuming that it holds true to that old storybook. I used to read it to you when you were a little, itty-bitty kitty. Mom used to make me interested in politics using it, too. You know the one, Grimmy?” He wacks my leg with his tail. “Duled noted. You biiiiigggg baaaaabbbbyyyy…” 

I place a kiss on his arm. Leg? He walks with them… Honestly, though, who cares? I can ramble about books and suitors to my cat in the morning. Sleep time! Rest time! Don’t face the world because it’s got nothing worth giving me except fleeting moments of happiness time! 

Honestly, that’s a weird tone that I’m using for that sentence, even in my thoughts. And that’s an even odder thought to have right before I conk out. 

~~~

(I love adding double meanings to sentences that no one else will care about… This was really fun to write! Yuri’s main thing she’s good at is reading people and knowing what they need to feel a certain way. In other words, manipulation. In every other thing I’ve written for her as an adult/teen, it’s to make other people feel loved so that way they’ll love her, or at least not critique her. In this AU, she’s on top of the world and her empire so her only goal is to cause as much entertainment as she can without ruining her reputation. Writing that with Leona is especially interesting… They match each other's freak in some ways. Although, it can be pretty hard to do since establishing that they understand each other while stating Yuri’s thoughts on the matter leads to the basic literary advice of “show, don’t tell” being difficult to follow. It’ll get better once we’re done with exposition or Yuri falls for the bait, I promise.) 

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello my lovely fandom :) I hope you are doing well. I can't believe we are at the first half of the finale it's unreal. For only having 10 episodes they've really made them count I will have to say. The writing has been so good this season. Killing me softly but so good. Can only imagine had we had a full season what they could've done. But tis not good to dwell on that ha Let us get started.

6x09 The Squeeze

Ugh poor Tim already breaking my heart 5 seconds into this. It's how he’s looking at the crime scene that gets me. Eric conveys so much with just a look. Always blown away by him. His look is saying so much as he looks on at the chaos. He is processing so much in this moment. Bless Grey showing up to break him out of it. Loving the hat btw Wade. Rocking it good sir. Tim letting him know immediately about his suspicions about Dr. London. Grey telling him to be careful with such accusations.

I love Grey protecting Tim with this friggin Detective Pearson putz. Coming in way too hot. No one I would rather have there to have his back though. Well other than Lucy. But Grey is the the right one to have there in this moment. Always protects his people. Hate this guy already. Wanting to crush Tim to advance his career. Just looks like such a weasel. *grumble.*

John was not ready the rant Lucy sent his way when he asked if she was ok. His face lmao Our girl has a lot of feelings ok? Lucy says she’s good. But you’re not my friend. That rant proving she is anything but ok. Sounds like she is trying to convince herself more than anything else. She is lost in life and where she really is emotionally right now. This scene is proof of that. I know people feel she is being isolated this year. I think the writers are doing this intentionally. I don't see it as bad writing which I've seen mentioned. I don't agree. Because it's very in character IMO. Feel like its setting something up as well. Also she is also the one isolating herself.

Even before Tim broke them up she was doing this. Look at her behavior the entire season. Especially after the exam. Handling everything on her own. Making rash decisions without input from anyone. Not even Tim. Hello Jeff Budney ...Just like Tim isn't open with anyone but Lucy she is the same way. Other than Tim she isn't very open with people about deep personal things. About what's affecting her. So this fits. She even shut Tim out of that situation in 6x04 in her decision making. Not since Jackson has anyone really made it in other than Tim. So this is pretty in character for her to isolate. People may feel it's more Tim but he's not the only one.

His is just showcased far more. Her's has been on display this entire season. Lucy and Tim are scarily alike in this way. She is a control freak and like Tim in the way she shuts people out. How she wants to handle it herself. I mean they have the same fatal flaw. It's why their communication became the problem it did. As much as Tim has growth to do so does our girl. That explosion of emotion just shows how very not ok Lucy is. I'm sure come summer or mid summer with the extended hiatus I might have a more fleshed out analysis of her. But she definitely isn't ok that much i can confidently say now.

I adore Angela calling Lucy to give her a heads up. Always looking out for both of them. Guardian Angel that woman. Friggin Nolan in the back asking what’s happening? She’s kinda busy John so hush. That concerned wifey voice is instantly present on the phone with Lopez. Her turning away from them both once it's about Tim.

This quickly became a personal phone call. Her reaction when she hears this. Oh my lord Closing her eyes. Taking in the severity of the situation. You know her immediate reaction was how he was. How was he feeling? Did he need her? The worry settling in and multiplying quickly.

The wifey vibe is continued when Tim calls John to be his union rep. Ugh killing me how worried she is for him. Concern seeping out of her in this moment. Despite everything that's her person and she still loves him so much. Her first instinct is to be there for him. My heart. Lucy asking Nolan how he sounded? Her tone bleeding worry.

Reason she asks is because Lucy can pull everything she needs to know from that alone. Knows him so well. Her innate need to be there for him. Regardless of all that has happened between them. Melissa killing it with the concern in her voice when asking how he sounded. *heart clutch* You can FEEL her worry.

Tim is so anxious waiting for Nolan. I wanna hug him. Jumps up minute he gets there. Telling him they’re gonna hang this around his neck. That now that Mad Dog is dead their scape goat is gone. Idk I would trust John alone for this. But Tim doesn’t have a lot of options right now.... I will say John proves me wrong later in this ep but my first thought was not 'Nolan should spearhead this.'

But look at Tim reaching out for help. Doing this so differently than how he handled Ray. I’m so proud of him. Taking a totally different approach on this one. Not isolating himself and reaching out for help through proper channels this time. Yeah Dr London sucks for being dirty but Tim has had some growth due to it. I couldn't be prouder of him if I tried. I really hope we continue his therapy journey in S7.

I hate this scene so very much. It was killing me to watch it unfold. She’s using his sessions against him and I wanna cry. It makes me sick tbh. And not even real info about his sessions either. It’s clear she doesn’t wanna be doing this though. Doesn't excuse her but you can see it's not something she is excited to be doing. Her conscience slowly eating at her. What do they have on her? I'm so curious.

This schmuck coming at Grey I wanna deck him. The look on Wade's face you can tell he does too. The amount of blatant aggression and disrespect making his blood boil. Telling Grey he favors his friendships over the city. Was making my Italian temper flare up so very much. Coming at Tim SO hard it was like he wanted to be found out. Bias little shit.

I love the minute Angela hears about Tim's admin leave she calls Wes. Angela saying he better give her a heads up if they're charging him. That she’s standing by Tim a 1,000 percent. Calling him family. Getting all misty over here. Angela loves him so much. He's very lucky to have someone so amazing in his corner. Love me some Angela Lopez. Loyal to a fault. Just like me fiercely protects and defends who she loves. Coming at her own husband to defend him. Adore this woman.

Can I just say I adore Lucy seeking him out. Not only that but making sure she has a private moment with him by pulling that stop button. Telling him she is still mad at him. That this doesn’t change anything. (and yet it changes everything IMO) Tim is so confused because the last thing he expected was this hug. Or her empathy at all. Hell when I saw the promo last week I wasn't either. It's the way he just MELTS into her like butter. His whole body relaxes. You can see the anxiety just drain out of him. Clinging to her like a life raft. Emotionally she is in this moment. Holding her as close as he physically can. He is so grateful for this moment to hold her again.

You can tell this is the first time in a long time he's felt whole. Felt peace of any kind just by being in her arms. This hug is so beautiful you guys. I'm tearing up just writing about it. The way she envelops him so completely. Such raw emotion in her voice asking if he’s ok? His answer makes me wanna cry. ‘I am now.’ Reminiscent of 5x21 when he said the same thing. He wasn’t ok till he heard her voice. The same thing remains the same here. He wasn't ok till he was holding her again. My damn heart. I love how she tightens her hold on him when he says this line.

Like she also can't get close enough to him either. They're just clinging to each other for dear life. This hug gave me so much hope. You can see how in love they both still are with one another. I mean my goodness the way she straightens his collar afterwards and touches his arm lovingly. Reminds me of the lint picking moment from 5x12. Still doing wifey things and can’t even help it. That wifey energy coming off her in waves. It's automatic when they part. Just seems so natural. After being apart physically since 6x06 .They easily fall right back into it. So damn nice to see. Feels like I'm breathing for the first time since 6x06 ended. I'm dying in the best way everyone.

Lucy then re-opens the elevator and they share some VERY loaded looks before she departs. I’m not crying you are.... God I love Tim and Angela’s friendship so much. She is willing do whatever for her bestie. She also is wanting so badly to be tagged in for this. To protect him in any way she can.

Tim seems confident in his play even if Angela doesn’t. Letting her know he's handling this one differently than Ray. Do love her saying different isn't her haha God he's lucky to have all these amazing women in his corner. I adore their friendship so very much. I need more of it in S7 writers I just do.

Really loving Lucy going UC for Harper and Lopez for this case. I think this is part of that setting something up I mentioned earlier. Lucy breaking my heart with the detective comment though. *sad sigh* But classic Lucy to have 8 covers ready to go. God I love her. The most Lucy Chen thing ever to have that many on deck. Not only that she's been growing them for months.

I love this human so very much it's insane. It's no wonder Tim is so damn gone for her. She is the cutest most prepared little nerd and I adore her for it. The look between Lopez and Harper is too damn funny. Tim would not be surprised by this info at all LOL Also her alter ego hitting close to home right now. 'A little lost in life....'

Really enjoyed this shot of Lucy and the nanny debriefing her before we head into the scene. This guy gives me the creeeeeeps. It's no wonder she didn't want to go back into that house. That dude looks like a sociopath. She can handle herself but good lord I hate her being near him. Dude has dead eyes too. The wife looks like she is a prisoner.... The whole scene made me uneasy and nervous for Lucy to be there.

Never thought I would say this....But I’m impressed with Nolan and how he’s handling this situation. That's right you actually read that. LOL You're not crazy. Or seeing things. He’s doing Tim some serious justice right now. Rattling all the cages of the potential dirty cops she’s seeing just by being here. Confronting her like this to see if it bears any fruit for them.

Having Smitty stakeout her office because he knows it'll make her uneasy and easy way to log who comes. Has Nell pulling data for him with police fails for last 6 months from dispatch. Also yay return of Nell. Love her. Honestly first episode in a long time I enjoyed his character. So well done John you pulled off quite the miracle here.

Love Grey in this scene. Hell in this episode really. Papa bear ready to devour anyone threatening his kids at it's finest. This scene was cathartic to watch after this putz had been stomping around. Acting like he owns the damn place. Smearing Tim's name all over the place in the process. Threatening Grey in his tirade. Wade's final straw is him coming after Nolan/Celina.

You can watch Pearson visibly shrink when Wade is done tearing him a new one. Doesn't say a damn word after he tells him to stay in his Iane. You tell 'em Wade. I was cheering him on this entire scene. Was a huge tell for Nolan and Celina as well. Nolan's tactic working very well. Outing him as dirty cop because of his outburst to them working Mad Dog's place plus confront Blair.

This scene makes me VERY nervous for Lucy. She did a really good job listening in till the damn toy. I mean she caught it before it hit floor. Unfortunately the friggin thing goes off with it's song. Giving away not only her position but her potentially her cover. Because he finds it on the ground and has a menacing look on his face. Dude gives me the actual creeps. Well done to the actor cause he makes me wicked uncomfortable.

I don’t like the idea of Lucy going back into that house. Like at all. Extra backup or not. I think her cover is blown and sending her back is like sending her into the Lion's den. She is very competent and can handle herself. That doesn't mean sending her back in isn't extremely high risk. Especially with Monica buzzing around now. We'll see how that shakes out next ep. Kinda hoping it produces some Feral Tim if it goes sideways while she's in there. A girl can dream right?

Prepare yourself. I was once again was very impressed with Nolan in this episode. He did a really good job leading Celina and doing what Tim asked. Was smart about his moves. Bringing Smitty and Nell into it and getting the info he needed. Shaking trees and getting fruit from it. Using everything around him properly even Smitty LOL She's got some balls on her asking for complete immunity and a new life. Also Idk Nolan can promise any of these things.....But it'll be interesting see how the second half of this unfolds.

Now Eric had mentioned in an interview post 6x06 about communication for them in the finale. So I'm excited to see what that'll mean. Will they have a real convo? Idk but i'm excited about it. All I want is them to be in a better spot before S7. I never expected things to magically come back together by seasons end. It shouldn't be that way. Also the season too short for that.

The SL deserved time to breathe and develop a bit. My hope is we will be on our way to reconciliation by end of finale. That hug was a damn good start to that goal. As usual thank you to ALL that like, comment or reblog these. Truly mean that every single one means so much to me. Excited to see how this season ends.

~~~

Side notes- Non Chenford

Harper and Lopez proving what a bad ass duo they were through out the ep. I need more of this in s7 writers. These two woman are dynamos and I need more of it.

Can’t say I didn’t Miss Tim the rest of the ep but damn was it good. I love when they do ensemble cast stuff flexing what a good cast we have as a whole.

Wes standing up to that heavy was impressive and pretty attractive. He’s grown a lot as a character was nice to see.

Loved the ladies nailing that crooked detective. Amazing. Grey getting to put HIM on admin leave. Suck it you schmuck.

[dr-chosenberg]

On my recent rewatch I felt the inspiration to design my headcanon for what Dr. Potterswheel's late wife might have looked like! Born Marie-Thérèse Praxineaux, her maiden name is based off of the Praxinoscope which is an animation device that came after the Zoetrope

Voice: https://youtu.be/2MaiJtecGmI?si=H6h5nLCUQsk9039K

CW: Dr Potterswheel's gore fetish, infection, death, miscarriage,

She moved to Moralton because you know The War and was shunned because of the rumors around town of her being a foreigner and France being a place of sin and lust. The librarian there gave her a job because she assumed no moralton man was going to be interested because of her reputation and took pity on her. Oh another reason the moraltons hate her lol, France is a majority Catholic country. Marie was part of the minority there that was Protestant but obviously the Moraltons didn’t care.

In comes a young Quentin.

He was studying for his medical school exams and often came in, staying the often inaccurate statesotan medical books for long hours. Sometimes when it was just the librarian and the two of them she would avoid him at all costs, not wanting to further her reputation.

He was aware of Marie-Therese, she was pretty and always helpful when she knew where to find a book he needed.

One day some kind of accident happened, not serious enough that she was in any real danger but enough that she needed medical assistance. Maybe a bookcase fell on her and she needed some stitches?

M-T was not one to speak up or make a fuss, but Quentin had a handsome deep voice and spoke with so much authority. He did his best to reassure her she would be ok and in a sense it coaxed the words right out of her. She had a way with words and could describe her pain like she was painting a picture, I like to think she enjoyed writing poetry, but you and I both know that’s not why it attracted him so intensely.

Despite the town doing its best to shun her she still attended church every Sunday and every Sunday Quentin would inquire about her wounds progress and ask to see it. One day a few weeks after her wound had healed they were conversing and Marie-Therese joked sadly that they could no longer be seen together as she didn’t have the excuse of being his practice patent.

At which point Quentin proposed. It wasn’t the most romantic affair to most, he said it matter of factly as he does most things. But that was ok, she would have the bedside manner and the way with words for them both.

Their relationship itself….well they had a foot up on many Moralton couples as they were truly in love. Many would consider Marie a fool as he was not the most romantic man. He was soft when she would fuss or worry (think about the way he spoke to Bloberta when she said her wound was bad) but when she really took issue with something he wouldn’t get more emotional, but even less, she found herself at times disheartened at the way he would dismiss her worries and talk down to her. She insisted to her newfound housewife friends that they just didn’t know him like she did, which was *sort* of true.

She honestly didn’t mind his “preferences” she assumed that taking charge was what a husband was meant to do in the bedroom, and that a “little” pain was just what a good Christian woman had to put up with after a life of chastity. When she had other wounds and he would take a bit too much of a vested interest she thought it was just his way of showing he cared. She never understood why he would discourage what he called “unnecessary” medications like, allergy meds, antacids, etc. always feeding her a line about the lord helping those who help themselves.

She tried her best to become more like the other wives of Moralton, she even took up sewing and embroidery. She made a comment once about how she was just like him, sewing up patients. He stroked her head and smiled, “How cute. You’d worry yourself sick if anything important was counting on your little stick ‘n’ pokes.”

Things got better when they got the wonderful news that Marie was pregnant. Her pregnancy was very rough, unlike anything Quentin had ever seen. He would comfort her by telling her of the many strong mothers he had seen in his career so far, if she couldn’t handle the pain of the pregnancy how could she handle the birth? The smile he would give her when she would nod in agreement was all the soothing she needed.

She was nearing the worst of it when she used the last of her energy to embroider a handkerchief for him, with his initials on it. Sometimes he would use it to clean her face when she would cough up one thing or another, or wet it to soothe her forehead.

Of course she wasn’t *just* facing pregnancy complications, she had caught a whole other sickness entirely, an infection. The days went by and Quentin got more desperate. Out of love for his wife? Out of a need to prove his abilities as a doctor? Who knows. He would never admit fault for anything let alone a patient, he sure as hell wasn’t going to take the blame for losing the woman he cares for. He tried everything, except actual medical science.

Finally he relented and began to give her painkillers. I believe it would be more in character if he didn’t tell her. Visitors from the town and a young Reverend Putty suspected it but she was none the wiser. She used to say things like, “Ma moitié having you pray for me and care for me is so healing, I am feeling better already.”

When she could form full coherent sentences.

With the way medicine was at the time while some painkillers are safe for pregnant women these probably weren’t, but they weren’t what took her. It got to the point that she wasn’t herself anymore but spent her days lying in bed in a haze, barely awake.

She swore sometimes that she could see Quentin there at her side, watching her, even feel him stroke her hand. But when she got her eyes to focus he wasn’t there anymore.

One day Quentin went in for a morning check up and the sheets were covered in blood. He had lost his wife and his child in one fell swoop.

It was a horrific scene but she looked so serene. So comfortable. She was clutching his handkerchief.

Notes:

This takes place with the assumption that Moralton is not modern day, I headcanon Quentin to be around 50

This was fun, nothing is set in stone truly as this was part of a stream of consciousness conversation with my friend @cheonsa-n I’m fully up for criticism if anything seems out of character. I’m also happy to explain the reasoning behind certain choices!

I don’t personally buy the idea that Quentin killed his wife on purpose, a man with Quentin’s disposition who actually committed a murder wouldn’t resort to almost stabbing the man who accused him of it, that’s how you get people to think you killed your wife on purpose lol.

I hope you guys enjoy what I came up with. Their relationship isn’t fully this way as he was attracted to her and subjected her to some of the same treatment we saw Bloberta go through, but their marriage in my mind had a bit of a Madonna-whore complex flavoring to it. I also believe this is somewhat of an origin story for his habit of treating everything with almost exclusively painkillers. Marie-Thérèse couldn’t be saved but she was, as Quentin puts it, very comfortable when she passed.

In the AU where she lives she still suffered a miscarriage and Clay calls Dr. Potterswheel a babykiller instead. She is still as sweet as the day she and Quentin met but she isn’t particularly keen on giving Orel the time and attention he needs either, it’s too painful. When she does give him advice she tends to advise him to wait things out and not rock the boat. She tells him that good things come to those who wait.

[writtenicarus]

ok so i want to hear what u think abt the relationships throughout the years. like im talking platonic, romantic, haters, just relationships. like in year 1 (for skittles) do u think they talked w marauders? what relationships do u think happened across the years? when do u think ppl starting liking or disliking one another? pls go ALL OUT (if u can)

oh good lord okay listen i cant be too extensive cause i have shit to do (write) but I'll try my best okay!! this is the skittles centric as said, and is basically my hogwarts au timeline

year one

• for starters, i headcanon that everyone is a slytherin minus pandora. in first year, barty and regulus become friends and whilst barty does speak to other people, he stays with reg and he is reg's only friend. barty notices that reg gets upset whenever he sees sirius with james - but reg never says he's angry. barty begins to dislike sirius and james. pandora and evan are twins and only fuck with each other, dorcas has current friends as she's in the year above

year two

• barty/reg meet evan/pandora and form a little quad. barty expects reg to fake liking them but he actually is surprised to see they all get along very well. regulus admits to having a crush on james and he and sirius begin to barely talk. the friendships remain strong but reg is upset over sirius/marauders situation. barty now hates them but keeps it from reg.

year three

• dorcas joins their group but this time it's reg who initiated her into their group and barty originally doesn't get along with her but they sort things through eventually. sirius and regulus no longer speak and regulus is open with how much he dislikes sirius and all his friends - he denies ever liking james. barty is now open with his hate and leads their friends into pranking the marauders regularly. reg and barty kiss and start dating. their group is inseparable. sirius gets crueller and regulus gets colder.

* the summer before regulus' fourth year sirius runs away and regulus' abuse gets worse *

year four

• this is the roughest year. if sirius and regulus see each other in the hallway they WILL fight at every opportunity. barty and evan get closer and reg and pandora get closer. they keep him in check, regulus is extremely mean to james. near the end of the year, the skittles start talking to the girls above (marlene,mary,lily) because of dorcas/marlene but regulus dislikes mary as she and james start dating. reg and barty break up and instead start having casual sex.

year five

• reg starts attending a study group with lily and remus which does mend a few friendships, and reg finds out remus is a werewolf but never says anything. sirius and reg are more sad then mad when they see each other. evan is jealous of reg fucking barty which causes some awkward moments. reg and james after months of back and forth start seeing each other - a secret to everyone but the skittles and remus.

* the summer before reg's sixth year and james' seventh, regulus also runs away and sirius finds out about them - he is supportive. lots of mending this summer. barty stays with the rosiers*

year six

• eventually, jegulus come out and after regulus' first good summer, he's feeling good. whilst reg was away at the potter's, barty/evan start dating. sirius and regulus enter their "healing era" and sirius is basically just a helicopter parent. remus and regulus build a strong friendship and barty/reg address their ex-sex?? basically it's just a deep, emotional talk and they thank each other but acknowledge their codependency.

year seven

• all is well. they sit their exams but without dorcas, james and the others but they all visit the potters in the holidays

i hope this was satisfying enough? haha.

[churrorat-art]

Haii chatttt you want my late night vent I'll prolly shove 2 drafts???

So I'm doing really bad!!!

I think I have an eating disorder! My uhhm my brother called me caseoh?! That was weird but not even compared to being called a gluttonous freak. GLUTTONOUS FREAK. A DISGRACEFUL SINNER. I see it in thier eyes...they're words...they. oh gosh. I hate eating. I hate food. I hate it I hate it I hate it!!!!!!!!!! Chewing food.. into a paste...swallowing it....I never want to eat. Ever. I wish I could watch myself die of starvation! My body withering up....I TRIED! I tried not eating for a whole 2 days it didn't go well all I feel is my body scratching and screeching at me to eat. I'll try my hardest to only eat the main meals I have to. Dinner..lunch if I have to. I don't deserve any other food. Just the thought of eating sickens me. And I'm too coward to vomit it up. Oh but I wish I wasn't!! I want to hack up all the disgusting sludge I've eaten and feel my body hurt from hunger. But I hate vomit and thinking of it...nope. i can't throw up!! I'll work up the courage eventually though if I'm desperate enough. Oh shit I did self harm too....... I'm too scared to use my actual paper cutter thingy I have cause blood makes me nauseous and I wouldn't be able to clean it up properly. But my goshh I crave to hurt by that small sharp metal blade. I've bitten my nails to sharp edges at the corner so I just rake away at my arm and its comforting. I deserve it. No blood yet. Its scabbing though. I love to pick at scabs so that's good. Oohh also running it under hot hot water afterwards. Yeah

EW I FUCKING DISGUST MYSELF.

But my mom..shes been taking away all means of internet access I have. I don't know why! I tell her, hey you can't take away my phone! That is mine! But who pays the bills? And and she knows I'm not doing anything with it! Who I'm supposed to message I have no friends wahwah. Thank the lords above she cant check my phone, or well she hasn't yet. So I dont have anything to distract myself from the bad thoughts. I normally listen to rain and thunder ir draw when it's bad but oops I couldn't!! during the day I watch my little pony because it keeps the breakdowns at bay enough and it's silly and happy. I really like twilight sparkle.

I get sooo much relief when I hear my mom is gonna be at work all day. Also this thing that happened earlier? I was in my room and my mom comes in. She asks me what I'm doing and I tell her and I guess my attitude was seeming sad (no fucking shit) and she told me to shut up and atleast ACT happy. Oh. Okay. I get it! Why should I be able to like, feel my own emotions? Nope! I'm so happy! I HATE THE WAY SHE LOOKS AT ME!!!!! I swear she walked passed my room while I was having a panic attack and I was trying to be quiet I'm pretty sure....but she just walked passed.........not like this is the first time! She holds everything like it's a grudge. Keep in mind what else the fuck I'm supposed to do? I can't hang out with friends. And like its making me consider If I should go back to my toxic friend....I want to. Walking now feels so lonely. I don't have music. I'm broke ain't goin nowhere. I cant wait for school but at the same time I can. I hate the work and exams....but I crave new environment and positive social interaction...

I'm so full of anger and hate hate hate!! but that's okay .we keep it all in :)

My moms gonna be at work all day Tomorrow she leaves before I wake (hopefully) and I snatched my phone soon as she was sleeping cuz I needed this. And I find this all so hilarious. I'm literally laughing at myself I'm such a fool. What a freak. I HAVE SO MUCH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS...I KNOW ITS BAD BUT I FUCKING CANT CONTROL IT!! IRS KIKE YEAH WHAT IF WE WAKE DEAD EVERYONE WOULD CONTINUE LIFE NORMALLY AFTER A DAYOR TWO.

I'll be okay.

[tearsofcalamity]

wriofucker's fine by me lol unless u have another nickname that'd be both as accurate & funny!

i wasn't too clear earlier; i think our mandatory education goes up to 9th grade, and then it's like a minimum of 4(ish) years for a uni degree. so it's not all that different lol

nahh im telling you i had one macroeconomics class once and it fried my fuckin brain. only reason i could stand it was because the professor was too right-brained for his own good (he'd start his lectures with a song he liked. i wrote a bunch of barely-relevant shit abt environmental pollution on the exam—he was super passionate abt it—and he just let me pass<3 loved that guy). ik i said it before but good luck on ur studies!! im sure you'll absolutely kill it out there. and, thank sm! i actually finished the short story assignment last night but im too scared to submit it jdhdj

im so glad you've got more kaveh brewing omg he's so<33 bit of a shame you're not into kavetham (they make me bite & scream) but that's just fine; more kaveh/reader for the world! except the world is me and nobody else<3 can u imagine teasing kaveh in public, maybe he's even all nice & plugged up, and you're warning him not to let a single person figure out what's going on bc he's for your eyes only<3 but it's so difficult and you're relentless and it feels so, so good... he doesn't even care about people finding out anymore, but he wants to be a good boy for you... phew. lord have mercy

HAHA WRIOFUCKER IT IS THEN!! happy to have a named anon :D

ohhhh I see I see! okay yeah so it's pretty similar just a few differences! I think the only reason I'm surviving my business/econ work is cause I've got a math-wired brain lmfao. I've got autism ("high functioning" but I don't really like that term for it, I think the more acceptable one is "low support needs") and I got the "math autism" as my friends put it so that's probably a bigger part of it. I like making spreadsheets and working out equations HAHA, also thank you for the well wishes I actually just found out I passed calc 2 with an 82% so I'm very happy about that!! I'm glad to hear you got your short story done as well, sounds like you're moving through it all good <3!!

HONESTLY I don't hate the ships (like either kavetham or haikaveh I think they're different? like some shippers put the top's name first or something?? I'm not 100% sure) like I TOTALLY see the chemistry don't get me wrong, I think it's mainly just that I get so sad seeing like nearly 0 kaveh content without alhaitham included. I love both of them but kaveh's got such a unique and deep story too, yet people often just kinda treat him like an accessory to alhaitham likely cause he's 4 star and haitham is 5 star so it turns me off of the ships a bit </3 still though that's so true MORE KAVEH/READER!!!!

oh don't even get me started on teasing kaveh in public there's so many ways you could do it and each one would make him squirm more than the last... shove a nice little vibrator deep inside of him, remote controlled of course, and enjoy watching his knees practically buckle every time you up the intensity. ooh, maybe he's giving a one-time academic seminar for some kshahrewar students and you just stand in the corner, grinning at him all the while while he shakes and tries his best to keep his voice level, praying his face isn't as red as it feels...

or play around with him in the tavern, sit right next to him and brush your hand along his inner thigh while he squirms, not sure whether he wants to move closer or further way from you... this one's easier to hide since his flushed cheeks could easily be attributed to a bit too much to drink, but once he's grabbing at your wrist to push your hand into his bulge at last, he knows by your stare that he's messed up. I mean, he hadn't kept his promise to be good, had he? guess you'll just have to rail him over his workbench back at home when he least expects it! (totally ignore his needs/pretend he's not acting super horny when you get back at first, though, he'll be so good for you when you finally do bend him over)

[anxiousgaypenguin]

hellooo im sending a random ask cuz im bored also im home from school today also why not.

i will begin by asking the most terrifying question of all: how r u?

and then, how abt this: if u were one of my Holy Trinity of Weird Windowsill Sculptures (clay crow named Bastard, pompom creature named Spineless, lemon i drew a face on named Lemonface) which would u be?

ask me for the lore ask me for the lore ask me for the lore

im doing pretty, good all my exams are over now thank the good holy lord, im staying home today cause i dont wanna do sport, also out-of-uniform days at school make me anxious. especially when there's a theme. anyways despite exams being over i still have a bunch work to do, so im procrastinating by sending u a random ask. hope u dont mind. no pressure to answer

later :3

hello :) it’s funny that you sent me this now because my thanksgiving break actually ended on Sunday…from here it’s just chaos (also known as the winter concert then exam season in the span of two weeks)

ahhhhh noooo 😱…im good though lol idk what else to say. Oh I know! How are you? :)

hmmm I feel like I’m spineless just based off of vibes… tell me the loreeee :)

we don’t have school uniforms so I can’t relate to that part haha but I also hate doing sports…and the one nice part about having exams end school is that there’s no work after them.

bye :))

[narhinafan]

One thing I don't get is people stating that Kishi's wife disliked the ending, like was she the one writing those things day and night spending every week drawing the manga? Or did they do that.

And not to mention that Naruto is a fucking shonen, whatever head canon you have for any character is normal but it isn't cannon (speaking to the people who really think Naruto is gay or some shit) it's what the writing wants that goes it isn't that fucking deep.

Kishi wanted Naruto to marry and love Hinata it's not that deep people it's just fucking entertainment. It's like they made it their entire personality that Naruto likes dick or some shit, and no he doesn't love Sakura she's just a friend (sis more like it)

And don't get me on the lowlives of anti Konoha that are Narutoxmulti and Hinataxmulti, they speak as if when Naruto and Hinata are in the presence of one another they ruin each other's characters when Hinata's greatest source of strength is fucking Naruto, and when Naruto is at his lowest she picks him right up. Like fucking shit Sasuke did nothing to fucking deserve Hinata most of that shit is Hinata being salty and just as some guy said "deranged revenge porn paring" he ships naruhina.

And good lord ok those fucks who say they haven't interacted much, like do you know how relationships work irl, because I sure do that's why I am not having a fucking girlfriend at fucking 16 because it's literally set for failure, you should date as an adult and preferably a stranger or someone you trust very much. Hinata is fucking both for Naruto in this spectrum, when they were strangers Naruto was comfortable around enough to let loose about his self doubt something men usually don't do especially with fellow men (that's for SnS fucks who don't get how men fucking work because they are most likely white fucking women, geez if you don't know how this shit works stfu you have no relevance in her you sick fucking bastards. The ship feels more like a porn fetish than a fucking ship) men usually say this kind of shit to a trusted women on thier life usually a mom (he did that with Kushina ) or get this a fucking wife which he didn't do with Sakura (don't get me wrong I fucking love Sakura but NaruSaku is stupid af because I have a sister relationship kinda like NS and I know for damn sure I won't tell my sister about my self doubts because that shit mom would be more experienced with, don't get me wrong sisters can sure give you a good fucking pep talk but they can't do things your mom or wife can do.)

Oh lord don't get me on Narutoxmulti who hate NH, because it's just some poor fucks having Naruto have sex with any women because their sexy? And what they hate NH because it's forced? So your logic is having Naruto fuck Mei who he never talked to once because it somehow makes sense and isn't just because you have a porn addiction and Hinata is the type of women you'll have a relationship with for wife which is fitting for Naruto because foxes literally mate for life, actually foxes are very faithful so when their vixen dies, cannonicaly if Hinata dies Naruto won't have sex with anyone really, shows how much u fucking know about your self insert (who's my favorite character of all time)

Like I stated it isn't that deep and should never be that deep, one Sakura fan I like said this once to someone bashing Hinata for stupid reasons "Politics and Naruto don't go hand in hand", whatever happened with Hyuga ended since the chunin exams or after the war by the time the last rolled because you see Hanabi acting like a normal fucking child, shows how well you really fucking care about the hyuga and Neji.

God these people are so fucking stupid and idiotic I can't get fucking rest from them, I'd rather die than stay in this shit hole of a fandom that doesn't know it's characters properly fucking pieces of shit

Yeah she didn't writing the end and she never outright said she disliked it either.

I totally know what you mean I hate how you can't have any same sex friendship or sibling like relationship with out part of the fandom trying to force feed it being gay down your throat. Like I have nothing against gay ships when it is intentionally done and not forced, but seriously as you said the writing doesn't go that deep and is not meant to be taken that way.

True a lot of antis that ship muilt ship Naruto or Hinata always make them completely OC or outright ruin their characters and relationship with each other.

There interactions might not be a lot, but each one is significant and the way they interact and treat each other is different to how they are with their other friends. Naruto has always been able to show his weakness to Hinata he is comfortable enough with her to share his doubts despite the fact he is constantly putting up a front where he acts confident till he makes it. Fact is Hinata is the only female other then his mother Naruto is comfortable showing sides of himself he doesn't show other people.

For sisters it depends on the type and their relationship with their sibling. Sakura though her relationship with Naruto is negative she isn't the kind of person Naruto can unload his doubts or talk about his feelings without being made fun of. Plus she hits and insults him quite often as well she simply doesn't inspire the same sort of comfort Hinata or Kushina would give Naruto when it comes to opening up about himself.

Yeah never been a fan of harems doesn't match Naruto's character, but also doing them tends to ruin a story. Also some of the ships are just disturbing like I've seen people match Naruto with Tsunade for the same reasons you listed. Naruto is 100% the kind of guy that is faithful and the one that wants a genuine and sincere relationship with the kind of life he went through he wants to be genuinely loved and not a lot of characters can provide that to the extent Hinata can.

Seriously its stupid how they try to bring up that he hasn't changed the Hyuga when we saw things have changed and have yet to see a new gen Hyuga with the seal. The branch house is not a thing anymore or if it is no longer mistreated. We haven't even seen a servant or maid Hyuga in Boruto yet. Things have improved even before Naruto became Hokage and likely even more so after if there were any issues left.

[clementgray]

Clement's sitting on a chair by Clarette's bedside with his hand over the flickering pulse in her wrist, feeling it gradually strengthening, returning to baseline. She starts to stir.

"Hey. Good to see you looking lively. You need anything? Sip of blood?"

Clarette nods mutely. She looks anything but lively. Her dress is rumpled from struggling earlier. She manages to sip from the bag Clement hands her, but not without shaking. "What did you decide to do? Did you kill him for me?" That's the first thing she asks. Quietly.

Clement frowns. "I'm afraid not. Not in the habit of killing folks without so much as asking for their name first."

That's an attitude that doesn't get far in the world of kindred. But so be it. "His name is Rosaire. And Rosalee. Monsieur ou mademoiselle Rivest." She looks far away, almost nostalgic. Her initial frenzy, leading Clement to make use of to that sedative, has worn off and now she's just so tired. "Formerly Arsenault," she adds, almost inaudible now.

"Wait...you don't mean that shriveled prune in there is your divorcee?"

"I've had many weddings, Clement. Don't look so surprised. You're young. Your unlife will bring you comings and goings I'm sure." Another sip of blood, and then she puts her head in her hands, her black curls sweeping forward in a mass. "He has to die," she says, muffled.

Clement shifts forward, wondering if he heard her wrong. "Is that so? And just why is that? Don't tell me the divorce was that bad."

"There was no divorce, alright!? And it's because - because she can't - she can't walk around - "

"It's okay, take your time."

"She can't know what she knows, she can't...I tried to...she'll hate me, if - as long as she's alive she'll hate me for what I did, it'll be my Final Death for him to be here, I have to set this right, just fix it, fix it..."

"Oh my lord..." Clement did know her reputation - it wasn't difficult to learn about the long trail of dead childer in her wake. "He got away from you, then. Let me get this straight: you feel so bad for almost killing her that you have to kill her again."

"I - yes, that's precisely it, I couldn't have put it more succinctly myself." Clarette straightens up, wiping at her eyes, where resolve is swiftly taking hold.

He lets out a soft whistle. "Thaaaat's..." That's a mighty confused line of thinking. That's one of the more morbid things he's heard in his unlife, and he's heard quite a few. That's bad news, right there, ummm... "...that's okay, Mrs. Arsenault. I happen to think it's the other way around though - seems like killing her isn't so good for you. Put you into this state in the first place. But you know, if that's where you're at, you just sit with it for a minute." She's not answering, just shaking more and more. Clement's not sure his words are having the intended impact. "That's a lot of guilt you're carrying around. You must have really cared about this fellow once. Just deep breaths and let's think more about it after having a talk with this Rosaire, okay? We don't even know if she's mad at you yet." Though Clement has to admit, it would be fairly surprising if she wasn't.

Clarette's head shoots upright. "Having a talk?" Oh no. "A talk!? Is he awake??" And she's out the door to the exam room in a flurry of silk.

"Wait! Clarette!" He's after her.

✦ Tagging @sandymphna to keep u informed! ✦

[bengiyo]

Dangerous Romance Ep 4 Stray Thoughts

Last week, we mostly skipped dealing with the internal fallout of Sailom experiencing extreme violence from his creditors, or seeing how he and his brother are coping, to jump to the Kanghan tutoring arc. We’ve confirmed that Kanghan has massive issues because his dad has undermined his confidence constantly by never expecting anything from him. The boys practiced their English at a tourist spot, and got chased down (for gross sex reasons) by some foreigners who were after Sailom. Kanghan thought it would be brilliant if the hid in an alley and kissed. Also, Kanghan’s friends don’t seem to know him or his interests that well. However, Sailom is going to Courage Wolf this man into believing in himself.

Look at this man lying about studying. Get his ass, grandma.

My poor boy, Chimon. Y’all know he sweats profusely. Why would y’all do him like that with that close up pan?

The grandma is at least setting reasonable expectations of Kanghan.

Interesting. That was apparently NOT the first time Sailom has been beaten up over debts. That is NOT how that scene felt at all.

I’m not sure I’m keen on a tutoring/friendship montage, but it helps that Perth and Chimon are good.

How are the candles helping them study if they’re spread across the room? Did they ask Sam’s staff to set this up?

Why are they being so heavy-handed with this windmill analogy? This feels so early!

Kanghan is such a dork. Why is his hair not inside of his helmet?

Fellas, is it gay to think about the bonding moment you had with your rival/tutor/crush in the pool when you can’t sleep the night before exams?

Chimon is good. His face dropped briefly in disappointment when he heard that Kanghan failed, and then he masked it immediately to encourage him because only failing one subject is an improvement.

Alright, but did we clear things up with the parents group chat so Sailom can go back to tutoring other people at least? I didn’t forget that Kanghan called him a sex offender.

Oh lord, not him having a secret crush on Kanghan because of the umbrella stuff.

Papang is back! We didn’t talk about much.

Here he goes again eating this dry ass steak alone. He paid $30 for this?

I don’t get all this mooning at each other. They could just talk? Do they need to act like they hate each other after all this cutesy time together?

I’m gonna need GMMTV to stop using Perth shows to swindle people into investing in crypto.

“I’m okay,” then almost busts his ass on the bathroom floor. You can’t fall in love if you ain’t clumsy amirite??

Ah, the poverty-to-sex-work pipeline begins.

Pepper is pretty, but I really hate the color of this jacket.

Now, why is Saifah spending this kind of money on dinner when they have bills piling up?

This is the first time I think a Thai show has used their penchant for potty jokes well by having Sailom eat with a man experiencing incontinence.

Well, at least this man only wanted to have dinner with him this time.

I appreciate Pimfah being tactful about trying to offer help to Sailom.

I don’t mind them wanting to use their wealth to assist Sailom, nor do I mind the grandmother putting conditions on that help. Still, I’m not feeling kind of off about the whole experience here because it feels like we dropped the antagonistic part of this rather quickly.

They’re really committed to the windmill analogy. There’s even one on the umbrella. It’s part of the design, so I’ll let it ride.

Yes, dry his hair. A BL boy will die if his hair stays wet too long.

Fellas, is it gay to make your rival/tutor/crush hold your drinks, feed you, and massage your shoulders as a break from studying?

Besties, I gotta be honest, I’m a little frustrated with this show. I’m having a hard time staying locked in on much of the drama because it seems to get resolved or forgotten at will. Perth and Chimon are good, but this is a bit difficult for me to connect to, and I find that the irritation is leading to a bit of boredom with it on Fridays.