#one of them was like “’energy is important to me’ like he hasn’t been giving me the evil eye for weeks

[whimsycore]

I got asked by my big bosses TWICE about a project I was assigned to that my coworkers purposefully did not include me in. Then today they tried the “roast passive aggressively” and not expect me to ask questions back but it’s like. I was doing my fucking job I didn’t snitch on them I was just saying I don’t know what’s going on or what’s expected of me. I ask questions and they treat me like I’m stupid. I don’t and I’m not doing enough. I fully believe the majority of this staff wanted another person full time and that’s why they’ve been degrading me.

[cutielando]

Hey I absolutely love your writing it’s amazing!!!!!

I really loved your lando fix where he loved to see you train and workout in the gym I was wondering if you would do it for Charles leclerc pleaseee if not that’s totally fine ily and your fics

gym rats | c.l.

warnings!!: implied active and gym rat reader, a lot of working out in a way

my masterlist

Charles had always been athletic, ever since he could remember. He had to, building up the neck muscle and tolerance needed to be able to sustain the force he felt every time he would get into the car, and over the years he had come to love working out.

Even though his day-to-day routine consisted of working out constantly, he would never ask his partner to exercise as actively or hardcore as he did.

He didn’t believe he should have a say in how someone else lived their life.

But ever since he met you and discovered your love for a healthy lifestyle and the passion that you held for exercising, he honestly felt like he had hit the jackpot. 

He loved sharing his love and passion for working out with you, aligning his workout times with yours just so you could be with him during every single one. It had become a habit of yours, your own little ritual giving you even more time to bond.

However, running with you was, by far, his favorite way to exercise. Getting to see so many beautiful views all around Monaco or Italy, depending where you were at the moment, being able to bask in the serenity of getting to share those beautiful moments with you.

Such an example was your current outing in the beautiful Monte Carlo, hiking through the mountains with Charles and Andrea. 

However, Charles had been slacking more than usual, always being steps behind you and in no hurry whatsoever.

“Charles, please stop staring at Y/N’s ass, we’re never going to make it back home in time if you keep this up” Andrea said once he had caught the driver falling behind you just to stare up at your behind.

You turned around and caught your boyfriend ogling your behind with no shame, staring up at you with wide eyes, like a deer caught in the headlights. 

“Charles! We talked about this” you said in a hushed tone, swatting him on the arm.

“I don’t know what you guys are talking about” he shrugged his shoulders and suddenly picked up the pace, walking in front of both you and Andrea all of a sudden.

You and his trainer shared a look, laughing before you followed him up the trail.

It took you a while to reach the intended target of the day, having to make multiple stops because Charles just couldn’t help staring at you, but you had made it in the end.

When you guys returned home and parted ways with Andrea, Charles was ready to take a shower and get into bed to cuddle you, but he wasn’t expecting you to have totally different plans.

“What do you mean by working out? Mon coeur, we just hiked the entire day, all we need to do right now is shower and cuddle” he argued, following you around as you prepared your bag to go downstairs in the gym for a quick session.

Working out in the evenings always helped you unload from the day, get in touch with yourself after a long day and just relax altogether. And even though Charles was right, you couldn’t ignore the feeling of longing when you thought about skipping a workout session.

“Baby, you know how important evening workouts are for me. I can’t sleep if I don’t work out at least a little bit” you argued back, chuckling at the sound of his stomps and huffs as he followed you to the front door. 

“Aren’t you tired, though? We’ve been outside all day, it hasn’t exactly been a chill activity” he said, still hoping to convince you to just get in the shower with him.

“Not really, no. If anything, I have way more energy and adrenaline to burn off right now” you said, putting on your shoes.

Charles sighed, realizing he didn’t stand a chance in convincing you to stay home. Instead of going about his business by himself, he picked up his shoes and put them on, making you furrow your eyebrows in confusion.

“What are you doing?” you asked, slinging your bag over your shoulder.

“I’m joining you. I don’t want to shower without you, so I’m going to come and watch you do your thing because I’m way too tired to do anything” he explained, opening the door for you and locking it on your way out.

You didn’t want to admit it, but you secretly loved it whenever he came with you to the gym. Even if he didn’t do anything, you liked just having him there with you, cheering you on so to speak.

When you got to the gym, you were feeling a little relieved that there was nobody left at that hour. You preferred when it was just the two of you, finally being able to take a break from your busy life and just bask in the feeling of sharing the same love for something.

“I’m just gonna run on the treadmill a little so I can burn some energy and then we can go” you said, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he took your bag from you and sat down on a bench nearest to you.

He settled for playing around on his phone for a while, sneaking glances at you every now and then. He even snapped a picture of you which he proceeded to post on his story, boasting about how hot his girlfriend was.

And as he sat there, your eyes finding his every now and then, he realized just how lucky he was to have you by his side.

He won in life.

comments and re-blogs help us grow!

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REQUEST HERE

[goldielia]

girlfriend?

a part of: call it what you want au

everyone’s kind of distracted today. it’s the day of the hockey east championship game and the locker room is eerily quiet and simultaneously buzzing with energy.

it’s pretty frustrating from allys point of view, nobody answers unless she repeats herself at least once, the boys all seemingly already on the ice with at least half their brain capacity. she doesn’t blame them, it’s an important game after all, but it’s also not exactly easy for her.

when she’s offered every player new equipment at least once, she retreats back into the comfort of her equipment room, busying herself with preparing the blades and sticks she’ll take out to the bench with her.

after she’s hauled everything out rinkside and sorted it the way she likes, ally finds the locker room to be in a much better mood. their usual hype playlist blasts through speakers and slowly but surely the boys look like their usual confident selves again.

“gimme a sec, you can wait for me at the station”, she says to will when she passes by him to her locker and he’s already holding his tape out to her. she doesn’t have a stall but for christmas the boys got her her own little locker and a jersey because they pretty much viewed her as part of the team anyway.

she was at every skate, practice and game, spent her spare time in their little hangout area and went through loss and win with them so a jersey with her lucky number 7 and her last name was the best gift they could give her.

it had become a habit for her to tape will’s stick for games so as soon as she’s unzipped her sweater jacket and thrown it into her locker, leaving her in her wine red v-neck and black suit pants, and thrown her hair up into a messy bun she makes her way to the equipment room, not knowing she leaves behind a confused bunch of hockey players.

“was she wearing a 2 on her necklace?” “i thought i imagined that” “why’s she wearing a 2? eamon, you got somethin’ to say?”

their captan only shakes his head, knowing ally definitely would not wear his number. “it’s not because of me, but i don’t know what else it would be.” nobody notices gabe and ryan exchange an amused look.

the team go back to getting ready for the game quickly, everything too important for gossip right now. when eamon gets up to get himself a gatorade out of the fridge he’s disappointed to see his favourite flavour’s out.

knowing ally keeps spares of most flavours in a mini fridge in the equipment room, being the saint that she is, he stops in the doorframe to call out for her and can hold himself back just in time.

at the station he sees ally sat on the workspace, will leaning his hip on it next to her, head on her shoulder and hand around her waist as she tapes his stick. eamon’s surprised to see will’s eyes closed - he’s usually very particular about his tape job.

then it hits him though, he hasn’t seen will tape his stick himself in weeks, maybe months, and ally looks confident and practised, nails painting blue stripes in his vision with how fast she’s taping, seemingly knowing just how to move without disturbing will on her shoulder.

they’re whispering quietly to each other, his hand resting on the sliver of skin between her pants and shirt. it looks intimate in an almost casual way, and eamon can’t quite bring himself to interrupt or look away, even though he should.

ally finishes up the tape job by writing something on the tape quickly and he watches will open his eyes and stand between her legs, discarding the stick to the side.

it all dawns on him when will softly taps the dainty 2-necklace resting on her neckline, that will wears number 2 originally. and then he remembers that will, gabe and ryan were driven to the rink by ally before the game today. and that he thinks he saw ally and will cuddling on the bus after a loss a few months ago.

and that’s when his self control runs out and he clears his throat, lifting one eyebrow when they both jump like they’ve been caught doing something forbidden.

“jesus, it’s just you” ally breathes, hopping off the workspace and putting the tape away, all back to business withing seconds. “what can i do for you?” she asks eamon. “first of all, why’re you wearing that necklace? boys think ‘s ‘cause of me” he gestures at her necklace.

“’cause she’s my girlfriend” will answers confidently and eamon’s surprised to see ally blush, he’s not used to seeing the usually so nonchalant brunette show much emotion on her face.

“so, who knows about this” he points back and forth between her and the blond boy vaguely, his eyebrow rising even higher when will answers. “gabe, leno and olivia. and you, apparently”.

“not for long, boys saw your necklace” he warns ally. “that’s okay” she smiles, and eamons knees almost weaken with the intensity in her eyes when she looks back at will.

“i was actually looking for some blue gatorade, you got some back here? big fridge is all out” he states his original request. “oh yeah, for sure. one sec” she answers before she squeezes past an unmoving will with her hand on his bicep, handing eamon his bottle moments later. he decides to get back to his game day routine, but he has to chirp at them just once before he leaves: “no funny business in the facility though. i mean it.”

just before he’s out of the room he catches one last glimpse of wills stick, sees the small heart drawn on the bottom stripe of tape there with the tiny A next to it.

he’s barely out the door when ally turns to will. “girlfriend?” she asks shyly. will smiles, not used to seeing her without her confidence, pulls her into his arms. his smile widens when she rests her chin on his sternum so she can look up at him. “well yeah, you’ve been around for some time now and you know me really well, if you wanted to leave you already would’ve so i’m awarding you that title as of today” she grins up at him, presses one last peck to his lips for good luck before she pushes him back out into the locker room.

now that he knows about ally and will, eamon really doesn’t get how he could’ve not known. gabe and ryan are pretty obvious, whispering about them and exchanging glances everytime someone mentions a girlfriend or love or will. olivia’s kinda obvious, too. the social media girl always waiting until ally’s out of shot to take the picture, probably having been told to not show them together on the hockey team’s socials.

the most obvious though are the couple themselves. if any of the boys openend their eyes they’d definitely notice the love there as well. eamon can’t unsee it now.

it’s in the way allys eyes sparkle when will does well on the ice, in the way will sends her a tiny wink at the end of the high five line every time he scores.

it’s in the way he hugs her for a little too long when it’s game and he got his first hatty and they’re hockey east champions. in the way he has olivia take pictures of the two of them with his mvp trophy, in the way he smiles at her in some of them because she looks angelic under the lights, her eyes bright with pride.

it’s in the way they disappear for a little bit during the celebrations, eamon’s not sure if he wants to know where to or what they’re doing.

it’s in the way will convinces ally to come with to some party the upperclassmen are throwing, her having to leave her car at the rink and going to pick it up tomorrow. it’s in the way she can’t help but agree immediately when he flashes his puppy eyes at her.

it’s in the lighthearted competition of who gets more cups during the beer pong game at said party, in the joint cheer when they win and in the way will pulls ally onto the porch to kiss her privately but not secretly anymore.

and it’s in the way will grimaces but takes it when the boys pat (read: hit) him all over his back and shoulders, in the way he pulls ally right back in front of him when they’ve let up, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

it’s even in the way will scrunches his nose up in half-fake-disgust while ally giggles uncontrollably, head thrown back onto his shoulder, when cutter jokes “smitty, no wonder you’ve been playing so well, gettin’ your stick taped by a pretty girl before every game”.

[staytinyville]

Stay Alive (20)

BTS poly!ot7 x Reader

Magical Creatures AU

Series Masterlist

Warnings: None

A/N BETA READER @seoul9711. YALL. No one told me I missed an update! MY BAD! I had the days wrong.

In a matter of minutes, all the boys had gathered in Jungkook’s room in no time at all. The boy had quickly showered to get rid of the bed smell. The others waited for his return inorder to tell you everything fully. However once he had finished and was standing patiently, they all just looked at each other, unsure how to start a conversation with you. 

“Well?” You question, waiting for them to answer you.

“Jungkook is awak-”

“We're all magical creatures.” Yoongi cut Jimin off. 

“Yoongi.” Namjoon groaned, rubbing at his forehead. 

“We were never going to get to it if you all stalled.” The pale man deadpanned. 

Everyone sighed as the truth was finally out. However you looked down, still contemplating everything. They had admitted it from their mouths but for some reason you still couldn’t really believe them. You couldn’t even believe yourself. There just wasn’t any plausible answer to all this. 

“Come here, little one.” Namjoon spoke softly, taking your hand and sitting you down on Jungkook’s bed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” You frowned. 

“You sure?” Namjoon raised his eyebrow at you. “We just told you some important information.”

“Doesn't mean I believe you.” You quickly spoke up, looking at the tall man wide eyed. 

“She's denying it.” Yoongi glared. “Hobi, do your thing.” He lightly patted the man on the back.

“Why me?” Hoseok questioned. 

“Because your magic is the only one we can see.” Jin backed up. “Unless, Taehyung wants to do it.”

The boy had a grin on his face; his eyes showed his excitement over using his powers. However when they all suddenly began to feel Taehyung's energy crackle through the air, they quickly looked back to Hobi with wide eyes. 

Taehyung was a good natured boy but he struggled with keeping his energy in tack. Ever since the company has been tampering with his magical essence, he hasn’t been able to get a handle on it. While the boy knew how to use his magic properly when it came to energy manipulation he would have to pass on it. 

“I'll do it.” Hoseok sighed. 

You noticed Taehyung’s pout so you were quick to reach out for him. The boy took your invitation to sit next to you; with a smile on his face at your attention being placed on him. 

You watched as Hobi raised his hands up, fingers moving around like he was weaving something. You gasped out loud and held your breath as purple smoke began to swirl between his fingers. Just as a ball began to form in between his hands, you suddenly got a pain behind your eyes which caused you to wince. 

All the boys noticed, looking at you worried. “It’s nothing.” You spoke up, waving them off. The migraine disappeared the moment Hobi stopped, causing you to frown. “Just a headache.” You added. 

They all looked at each other for a second before you brought their attention back to you. “Your magic is purple.” You gave a wide smile. “What are you?” You asked Hoseok, giving him a soft look.

Hobi began to blush from the attention, laughing softly. “I'm a witch.” He told you. “I'm the only one here.”

“Only one?” Your eyebrows furrowed together. 

“The other patients are also magical creatures.” Namjoon answered. “There's a lot of different ones.”

“What other ones are there?” You turned to him, curiosity within your eyes. 

Namjoon laughed, enjoying the look you had. It reminded him of Taehyung, who seemed to also be intently listening even if he himself already knew the answer to your question. “There's some banshees, orcs, succubi, valkyries, werewolves-”

“Like Jungkook.” You interrupted, looking over at the boy. 

“Yeah!” Jungkook perked up, looking at you confused. “How'd you know?”

You suddenly pressed your lips together, glancing at Jin and Hobi. “I read Hobi's journal.” You quietly answered, looking away.

“I knew it!” Jin spoke up.

“I'm sorry Hobi!” You cried, rushing up to the man. “I know, I wasn't supposed to snoop but I read the page about the sleeping spell and got curious.” You stressed, looking up at him with wide eyes. 

“Please forgive me.” You begged.

“We just told you about who we are.” Hoseok sighed, grabbing onto your hands. “It's okay if you read the journal now. However at the time it probably wasn't.” He lightly wiggled his finger in your face. 

“I'm sorry.” You pouted. 

“It's okay Hun.” He brought you into a tight hug. “All is forgiven.” He swayed you from side to side, cheek pressed to your head. 

When you pulled away, the curiosity had returned to your eyes. The boys all secretly cooed at you. “So all of you are actually magical beings. That's so cool.” You exclaimed. 

“We're glad to hear Princess.” Yoongi grinned. 

“I have so many questions.” You told them. 

“We have time.” Taehyung shrugged. 

“I'm assuming Jimin is a siren or mermaid with how much he spends in the pool. He’s also a really good singer.” You rapidly , smiling at Jimin. “Jin you liar, you said your ears were surgically made.” You gave the older boy a pout.

“Yes, I'm a siren Beautiful.” Jimin gave you a small smile, still feeling guilty over almost drowning you. “I would love to show you one day.”

“Would you have believed me if I said I was an elf?” Jin huffed, rolling his eyes playfully. 

“Does the light actually hurt you Yoongi?” You turned to the pale man. “Or are you just being picky? Because you said you don't actually combust in the sun; it's dumb of you to wear sunglasses but not cover your skin.” 

Yoongi glared at you. 

“Jungkook, do you actually turn into a wolf? Is it like–halfway like Teen Wolf or full thing like in Twilight?”

“You're talking too much.” Yoongi sighed. 

“I turn into an actual wolf, Tokki.” Jungkook smiled brightly, bounding closer to you. “He would love to meet you one day.”

You giggled, nodding your head at him. “Taehyung!” You gasped, turning to the boy. “Wings!? Like actual wings?” You couldn’t contain your excitement about them. 

“Big ones with feathers.” Taehyung matched your excitement. 

“Are you an angel then?” You chuckled. 

“No, I'm a faerie.'' Taehyung shook his head. 

“Like Maleficent!” You immediately thought of the Disney villain from the live action. 

“Exactly like her.” He nodded along with you. “Not all powerful though.” He quickly added. 

“Namjoon, can you tell me about you?” Your voice lowered as you moved to sit next to the leader of the group. “I honestly couldn't figure out what you are.” You told him. 

“It's alright Little one.” He smiled. “I'm a dragon; the oldest living creature in our world.”

Your head tilted to the side. “Your world?”

“It’s parallel to this one but with all of us in it.” Jin answered you. “Humans don't exist there. It's our earth.” He had a smile on his face, making you think he was probably reminiscing about his home. 

“What are you doing here then?” You questioned. 

“We aren't here for illnesses or diseases.” Namjoon sighed. “We were captured from our world and brought here to be experimented on. HYBE uses our abilities to create their medicine.”

Your eyes suddenly went wide as you took in his words. All you could think about was the boys being trapped in this place for the past 10 years. They were just teenagers; they were kidnapped. And experimented on?

“For 10 years? And no one thought about taking you out!?” You exclaimed. 

“We've come across kind people who would want to help but Hanseol would find out about them before they could. They would never get far.” Hobi told you sadly. 

“What does he do?” You asked. 

“He gets rid of them.” Jimin answers. “Sometimes he fires, other times he goes too far. He can't risk losing us.”

“I want to take you out-” You wanted to say.

“It's too dangerous.” Hobi immediately stopped you. 

“Let us come up with something before you get too rash. We knew you would want to but we have to plan first. We don't want to lose you.” Namjoon took your hand in his, rubbing his thumb along the back of your hand. 

You weren’t dealing with regular people anymore, you knew that much. If the boys told you to wait for a plan, it meant they knew how Hanseol was. It was clear he was also some kind of magical creature; one of which you had no idea how to handle. They were right to tell you to wait. However that didn’t mean you weren’t feeling scared for them. 

You hadn’t  known them long but ever since you met Jungkook, you had felt as though these boys deserved the world. Each one had their own way of viewing things and it brought a smile to your face to hear about each and everyone of their thoughts. They needed to get out of here. They have so much to give out in the world. 

Be it there’s or yours. 

“Okay.”

Series Masterlist

@h3arteyes4mingi , @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh , @rinkud, @rln-byg , @singukieee , @hoshi-is-ult-bbg , @ldysmfrst , @k-p0p-4ever , @shadowyjellyfishfest , @forestsquirrel , @juju-227592 , @alienchickenpoop , @dreamerwasfound , @afangirl91 , @psiphidragon , @puppyminnnie , @girl-nahh , @shyloh-the-cornsnake , @oemmi2005 , @ollyoxenfrees , @whynotlarene , @beeltsumu , @cryingpages , @milopenne , @girl-nahhtwo

[upat4amwiththemoon]

Hey how are you?

I'd like to send a request for Wanda and Natasha as reader's moms

Here's the idea :

Y/n did something she was formally told not to do by her mothers, she accepted to get into one of their neighbor's house.

She knew she shouldn't and she wasn't allowed because her mothers told her not to but she struggled to say no.

Natasha and Wanda are worried cause y/n should already be home

Natasha is particularly angry and Wanda too, but much less and tries to calm Natasha.

After the whole argument Wanda comes to check on y/n in her room

The rest is up to you! Just please make it happy ending 😭💞

Stranger danger

Summary: The most important rule: never go into a stranger’s house.

Pairing: WandaNat x daughter!reader

Warnings: cursing, some angst

Word count: 1327

a/n: hope you like this! :)

Tags: @thought-of-you-and-me @rafecameronswhore @emsmultiverse @natashamaximoff69

masterlists | guidelines

Walking home with her backpack in her hand, Y/N looks around the neighborhood. She has spent a lot of time around there, obviously, but it’s mostly been walking to and from school. She hasn’t really took her time exploring it. Although, she won’t do it now either, her mothers are expecting her to be home soon and she’d hate to worry them.

Kicking some rocks on her path, she hears a nearby door open, but ignores it, until someone shouts. “Hey! You live in the neighborhood, right?” Y/N turns to look towards the voice, seeing a woman standing by the door. “The two women’s kid?”

“Yeah.” Y/N stops walking.

“My mom lives here, an old woman, she has seen you walk through here a lot. Said you look like a sweet girl.” The woman says, though Y/N isn’t seeing any relevance to this. “It’s her birthday, we have cake. She wanted to see if you’d like to join us.”

“Oh.” Y/N looks towards the way she’s supposed to be walking right now. She doesn’t live that far away, there are only few houses between. “I don’t know.” She mumbles. She has talked to the old woman a few times and she seems really nice, but she has been told not to go inside anyone’s house.

“You don’t have to stay long.” The woman smiles. “It’s just me, my mom and my husband. And a dog.” She laughs.

Checking her phone, she sees there’s still a bit of time before her moms are expecting to be home. “Well, maybe I can stay for a bit.” She smiles, walking up to the house. They look nice enough, besides, who can say no to an old woman’s birthday party.

“Awesome!” The woman widens the door to let Y/N. “Sparkles is a ball full of energy, so he might jump on you.”

“That’s okay.” Taking off her shoes, Y/N follows the woman deeper into the house.

They go into the dining room, where the woman’s husband and mother are already sitting. The table is full of different sweets, like cookies, brownies and the cake. They all look handmade.

“Hello, Mrs Harkness.” Y/N greets her quietly, still a bit apprehensive.

“You can call me Agatha, hun, haven’t we talked about this before?” She grins, cutting into the cake now that everyone is there. “I’m glad you decided to come! Cake?” Agatha hands a plate with a big piece of cake to her.

“Thank you, Agatha. Happy birthday.” She takes the plate, sitting to a chair the woman pulls out for her.

“Oh, don’t remind me.” Agatha laughs, giving a plate of cake for the woman and her husband. “Feels like I’ve been alive for hundreds of years.” Y/N giggles while eating the cake. “You came straight from school?” She nods towards the backpack leaning to one of the table’s leg.

“Yes.”

“How is school going?”

While Y/N starts talking about school, Wanda and Natasha are worrying about her back in their home. The clock is way past the usual time Y/N comes home and none of them have successfully reached her by phone.

Wanda is trying to call Y/N again and Natasha is texting her, occasionally glancing at the clock. Groaning, Wanda throws her phone to the table. “She’s not answering. What if something bad happened?” Her hand goes to her hair, combing through it.

Natasha lets out a frustrated sigh. “She- she’s not hurt. Maybe she decided to take the longer route.”

“She’d be home already even if she had taken it!” Picking up her phone, Wanda starts calling her again. “If she isn’t answering in thirty minutes I am calling the cops.”

When Wanda slams her phone down in frustration once again, Natasha decides to try calling. It takes three rings for Y/N to finally answer her phone. “Where the hell are you?” Wanda gasps, turning to look at Natasha with hopeful eyes, who nods in confirmation. “Come home r- I don’t care! Get home right now.” She ends the call and rubs her forehead.

“She’s okay?”

“She was at a neighbor’s house.”

“What?” Wanda frowns. They’ve never given a lot of rules to Y/N, but that’s because she hasn’t needed them. She’s always been a rule follower, so for her to break one of the most important rules they’ve set isn’t something they’d except her to do. “Whose house?”

Scoffing, Natasha shakes her head. “I don’t know, I just told her to get home.”

The keys rattle from the other side of the front door as the key locks and the door opens. Both Natasha and Wanda walk straight to her, the latter immeasurable pulling her into her arms.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Natasha almost shouts. Y/N pulls away from Wanda’s arms, turning to Natasha. Her face is full of anger. “Have we not told you to come straight to home after school? And not to go to stranger’s house?”

“But I know Mrs Harkness.” She whispers, looking down at the floor. Wanda’s hand is rubbing her shoulder. “It was her birthday.”

“We don’t know her!”

“Natasha..” Wanda mumbles.

Natasha’s hands fly up in the air. She doesn’t want to yell to her daughter, but she’s just so scared and worried that something could’ve happened to her. “Go to your room.”

“Mom, I’m sorry.”

“Go to your room. You’re grounded.” She commands again, before walking away from the situation.

Y/N shakes off Wanda’s hand and runs up the stairs, straight to her room. Wanda looks stares at the top of the stairs for a while and then goes after Natasha.

She sets her hand on Natasha’s back, who is sitting on the couch, her head leaning against her hands. “She made a mistake.” Wanda whispers.

“A mistake that could have been her last.” Natasha turns to look at Wanda. “She could’ve gotten badly hurt.”

“I know, but she didn’t, she’s okay.” Wanda rubs her back with a gentle smile. “I’m gonna go talk to her, and you’ll do something to clam down, yeah?” When Natasha nods, Wanda kisses her cheek and walks upstairs. She knocks on Y/N’s door.

“Yes?” A quiet voice comes from the other side of the door.

Opening the door, Wanda frowns at Y/N’s bloodshot eyes. She sits down next to her on the bed, pulling her into her arms. For a while, quiet sniffles are the only sound in the room.

“I’m sorry, mama. I didn’t mean to make you mad.” The crack in her voice makes Wanda’s heart physically hurt.

“It’s okay,” she leans her cheek on the top of Y/N’s head and kisses it, “I’m not angry. I was just very worried, so was Natasha. We set the rule down for a good reason. Not all people are trustworthy, sweetheart.” The many rings on her fingers are being played by Y/N. It has soothed her since she was a baby. “Can you tell me who were in the house?”

“Mrs Harkness, her daughter and the daughter’s husband. And Sparkles, Agatha’s dog.”

“And they didn’t hurt you?”

Y/N shakes her head. “They were all nice. I’ve talked to Mrs Harkness before when coming home from school.”

“That’s good. How about me and mom go talk to Mrs Harkness, so we know her as well. Then you could visit her, but, you have to tell us if you go somewhere after school.”

“Yeah.” She pulls away lightly, smiling at her mama. “Thank you.” Standing up, Y/N picks up a book from a shelf and brings it to Wanda before going under the covers. “Read for me?”

Wanda laughs, sitting so the backboard is against her back. She moves Y/N’s head to her lap. “You’re still grounded, you know?” She opens the book from the spot where the bookmark is.

“I know.” Y/N closes her eyes as Wanda starts reading.

[vampireistic]

chapter 45 nb spoilers（╹◡╹）♡

well this chapter was certainly…special, in some ways. of course we had the “beel eating too much cliché” but despite this chapter sounding like it was supposed to be very “beel centric” (since you know…this was HIS exam), it really ended up just being a showcase of satan, and i kind of enjoyed it that way.

the wording and this entire sequence was very interesting; satan has quite literally done nothing to warrant him going off to cool down apart from maybe some subsequent guilt that he’s putting the one he loves in danger but, once again, that’s not necessarily his fault as it is the sponsor’s who organised this test. the question is why? why does satan feel so sensitive to the point he initiates affection with MC (something that you know, quite rarely ever happens regardless of the character).

then again, it is a dangerous situation so you can just boil it down to mere fear that he could lose MC somehow and be unable to protect them (woo foreshadowing…)

and well…he’s not entirely wrong here? as we’ve seen, past!MC teaches him how to be “gentle” by introducing him to cats and their feisty yet loving nature (once you get them to trust you at least), it’s that reason that helps him become much more tolerable and less destructive especially in regards to his brothers — this is the same case in the original timeline except they didn’t introduce him to cats, just unconditional love and patience.

in a way, that’s keeping him “safe”. safe from his self-destructive tendencies, safe from letting everything bother him till it manifests into him being hyper-violent and aggressive, safe to become what he wants. but regardless of the cute nostalgia, it’s still a rather odd thing to say..? perhaps he’s just reminiscing, but given the context of the situation, this is a little surprising coming from someone who’s a little more reserved.

hey, solmare — why has MC nearly fallen off of something two times in a row now? once again, there’s intent behind every little detail, this clearly isn’t just a way to give diavolo more screen time or to show that he finished first, there’s more to it. this made me think back to this one theory i read that the reason MC keeps repeatedly landing on satan after using. teleportation spell, is because they’re somehow intertwined.

MC is the only one with a connection to lilith, while satan is the only one with a connection lucifer — and perhaps somehow that’s something that makes their fates cross paths, and that’s what this chapter is trying to show.

beside that, the two times we’ve now nearly died is a clear indicator; we fucked up somehow. it may just be coincidence, but it really is highly unlikely this was just a random implement. even if it was, it still does show a very important thing; MC is very vulnerable. almost too vulnerable to the point it’s a little worrying, that time they spent in the past has clearly affected them.

we’ve seen previously that simeon has been struggling a lot more with his recently acclaimed humanity, he feels a little more sluggish and out of place, which is for sure warranted given the fact he’s lost the one thing he’s always had and has been forced into a position of powerlessness, but even so, it does feel like there’s something more happening behind the scenes that would make simeon act in such a way.

it still hasn’t been properly addressed whether simeon is technically classified as a human or just an angel without actual angelic properties, but even so, this change must be costing a lot of physical and mental energy for simeon — and yet he’s choosing to face through it alone.

[celinin-archive]

Exclusive, Celestino Vietti: “I want to become like Bagnaia” 

The interview to the Piemontese: “My future? On track, maybe in MotoGP, but no hurry. Valentino Rossi? He gives me the energy to win the Moto2 title” 

“Look at how young Pecco was... I also was so much younger, I remember already looking at him with the desire to be like him”. In front of the pictures of his past, Celestino Vietti Ramus finds himself in front of a photo from 2013, with Bagnaia in the san Carlo Team Italia leathers. 

Near him, two kids, one of them daydreaming of emulating the path of his fellow countryman Pecco: “I won the entrance to the paddock of the Misano GP thanks to a contest: I had to colour the livery of Pecco’s bike. My drawing was terrible...” remembers Celestino today. “I could have never known that a couple of years later I would have joined Bagnaia in the VR46 Riders Academy. He’s always been a model for me, we come from the same province, I took his same route”. 

The goal of the twenty years old, today, is completing the work: Vietti is leader of the same Moto2 that Bagnaia won in 2018, with the same Made in Tavullia team, before getting to MotoGP. The big stage, where “Celin” would be able to find himself at ease, him who finds himself comfortable in his Coassolo – holiday destination for people from Turin – like in Tavullia, away from his family that he hasn’t seen in a couple of months. “Maybe this is the longest period I’ve been away from them, but I feel good here too. Who goes away from home young adapts better to places and situations. And it has also been my choice, I’ve been chasing a dream. But home is always home, and I miss my family”. 

The World Championship makes you grow up fast, but if you add to it being away from home... “Yes, you grow up. You discover a lot of things, you have to make do: i lived the first period with enthusiasm, because everything was new. Now, when I get back from races, the first thing to do is the washing, and then getting everything in order. I’m a bit the “housewife” (laughs)”. 

Are you a tidy person? 

“No, and actually in the team me and Niccolò Antonelli compensate each other... but independence is important: you have your experiences, you learn a bit how to manage yourself, you learn how what seemed taken for granted, actually isn’t. And home is always home”. 

But now you have your own house, in Tavullia. 

“I bought a house, and I know that doing so at twenty isn’t common. I did it thinking and calculating that in the next years I will be here, I will train here. Let’s say, it’s an investment. Moving hasn’t been hard, in the end it’s been just a few meters”. 

How is your typical day? 

“The most difficult ones are those after travelling back from a race: doing the washing, grocery shopping, maybe going to the business consultant or something like that. And you also train a lot” 

Then, how FP results suggest, waking up is always a delicate moment... 

“(laughs) Let’s say that in FPs I find myself in bigger difficulties when I’m not immediately okay: I’m still ‘machine-like’, I’m working on it”. 

You’re a race animal instead. 

“Making a lot of consecutive laps helps me, because lap after lap I can shave a lot of little things working on my riding. During the race you can study your opponents better, that are maybe more explosive during FPs”. 

You started with 70 points won from the 75 available in the first three GPs, then you went down. What happened? 

“Maybe it comes from my ‘little’ explosivity. And in GPs outside of Europe, everybody goes in a bit blind sighted”. 

But emerging when everybody is in blind sighted is a sign of talent. 

“Maybe it is”. 

Did being the rider to beat condition you or is it a pure mediatic suggestion? 

“I don’t feel it a lot, even if I feel more watched and followed. The problem, for me, is dealing with difficult moments knowing I’m leading the Championship. In FPs I often told myself ‘no, I can’t be in this position’. I tend to blame myself when things don’t go well”. 

Does Valentino Rossi’s advice remain the same, “always believe in it a bit more”? 

“Yes, Vale motivates me. And above all else gives good advice. He watched me from the side track in Portimao, he asks a lot of question in general, he inquires. And then he still trains with us, and he’s always fast”. 

Did you imagine being so high up in your second year of Moto2 already? 

“No, I was picturing more difficulties. I was expecting the first podium and the first victory, yes, but not in the first attempt in Qatar” 

Who’s the first rival for the title? 

“Aron Canet, who’s my opposite: he’s super fast from the first lap of the weekend. He hasn’t won yet, but he’s good. Ogura always takes something home. And Chantra surprised me”. 

How do you win a world Championship? 

“Always getting to the finish line. Thing I didn’t do in Austin, where I also tried to manage a bit. Bad mistake”. 

How do you position yourself in from of the new duality between Enea Bastianini and Pecco Bagnaia in MotoGP? 

“it’s nice to see italians in front, in Le Mans we saw an exciting battle, unfortunately in didn’t finish under the chequered flag. I’m a bit on Bagnaia’s side, I’ll admit it” 

What does he represent for you? 

“He’s a great MotoGP rider, I saw him riding and ‘hitting like a blacksmith’ again also on the GP22, and it’s a sight for the eyes. Pecco has always been a model, he brought our territory in the bike world, he won a title, he is in MotoGP on the official Ducati. It’s impossible not to dream about following his steps” 

You had another model-rider, in your family. 

“My big brother Doriano started riding minibikes, and imagine if I, being much more vivacious than him (to not say something else), would settle for watching him. I’m happy for where he is, with Aprilia in the CIV’s superbike, even if the injury before the championship hasn’t helped him”. 

Doriano and Celestino: will you be the third generation in the family business of repairing agricultural machines or will the rider career bring you somewhere else? 

“He already works with dad: me and Doriano went to the same mechanic school in Turin. I also would like to carry on dad’s work, my uncles’, my grandpa’s. I admire Doriano because he works during the day and then he trains. It’s hard, he’s told me so, but he doesn’t want to stop. I think of him when I have some problem, maybe a lot of commitments, or I miss home, because I live a life I like, I’m lucky. And when I leave for a GP, I always do it willing, because I know that transforming a passion in your job is not for everyone”. 

So you see yourself World Champion and then in the family business? 

“That’s the plan, I’d hate to interrupt everything that my family has created”. 

How far is MotoGP? 

“It depends on how much we grow, and I don’t use the plural casually, because this is a grow path we take all together. With the Team Mooney-VR46 we win and we lose as if we were only one person. Saying all this, I wouldn’t want to make a too rushed transition, I’d like to get some satisfaction in Moto2 and to be ready for the moment of the jump”. 

Do the rumours that picture you close to the top class influence you? 

“No, I’m able to stay calm. When I hear people talking about certain possibilities, I think about it a bit, but I doesn’t interest me at races. And above all else I don’t change my way of doing things”. 

2020 was the year of passing the maturità, 2021 accompanied you to buying a house: what is the big goal of 2022? 

“Staying where I am now, until the end”. 

Like Bagnaia did, some time ago, another torinese who left home as a teenager to move to Tavullia and carch a dream. Celestino Vietti Ramus has been ready to receive that baton for almost ten years. Since than picture with his role model... 

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

birthday countdown 2024, day 2: pre-canon with uta snippet

the countdown keeps counting down, the days getting away from me… somehow, there are only two days left until my birthday! 🎉🎉 today, i have for you a bit of buggy pov on the story i’ve been calling the pre-canon uta fic:

“Buggy.  ’S this a dream?” Buggy gives him a flat look.  “You dream about me a lot?” Shanks shrugs, and nearly tips over.  “Now and then.” Sighing, Buggy hoists one of Shanks’ arms over his shoulder and starts marching them along the road back to the port.  “Sure, it’s a dream.  You fucked up, got hurt bad and can’t get back to your ship, and now you’ve gotta rely on the kindness of strangers to keep you and your kid from getting killed or, at the very least, screwed over.  Why not imagine good ol’ Uncle Buggy coming to your rescue?” Shanks snorts, leaning heavily against Buggy.  “Now I know it isn’t a dream.” “Oh?”  Buggy gives Shanks a curious glance out of the corner of his eye. Shanks stays silent for long enough that Buggy wonders if he’s passed out.   Then, quietly, he says, “In my dreams she doesn’t call you ‘Uncle Buggy.’”

(800 words below the cut)

“Hey!” the kid yells at a red-headed figure slumped against the wall of an unimportant alleyway, a hand pressed over one eye.  This must be Daddy Dearest.  “Are you sleeping?!  Look, I found a captain who said he could take us!”  She tugs at Buggy’s arm like she hasn’t seen it pop off, all but dragging him to her dad’s side.

Buggy wriggles free of the kid’s grip.  “Yeah, uh, hey kid, why don’t you scram for a minute, let me and your old man handle the topic of…” The red-head looks up, and fuck Buggy’s entire life, he’s not a red-head, he’s the red-head.

He’s Shanks.

They stare at each other for a long, silent moment, before Buggy remembers to finish his thought. “…payment.”

“Okay…”�� The kid doesn’t understand the weird energy here—of course she doesn’t, why the hell would Shanks tell his kid about Buggy—but, looking for something useful to do, she grabs their supplies (Shanks’ sword, Shanks’ coin purse, and a cute little backpack no doubt full of a kid’s idea of important supplies, like toys and candy) and says, “Then I’ll just… take our stuff to your ship, Captain Buggy.”  Frowning at the stare down, she says, “He’s… he’s gonna be okay, right?”

Not looking at her, Buggy says, “Oh, he’d better be.”  She runs off.  Once she’s out of earshot, Buggy mutters, “Fuck’s sake, Shanks, what the hell happened to you?”

Shanks shrugs, feigning nonchalance.  “Oh, you know, got into a fight I wasn’t sure I could win from the start.”

Buggy tsks, peeling back the bundle of cotton Shanks has balled up over his eye.  He gives the three parallel cuts a knowing look, replaces the cotton, and strips his glove to press a bare hand to Shanks’ forehead.  “How many times did I tell you that guy was a monster?  If this isn’t infected already…”

“Not enough times, I guess,” Shanks mumbles, swaying dangerously on his feet.  “Buggy.  ’S this a dream?”

Buggy gives him a flat look.  “You dream about me a lot?”

Shanks shrugs, and nearly tips over.  “Now and then.”

Sighing, Buggy hoists one of Shanks’ arms over his shoulder and starts marching them along the road back to the port.  “Sure, it’s a dream.  You fucked up, got hurt bad and can’t get back to your ship, and now you’ve gotta rely on the kindness of strangers to keep you and your kid from getting killed or, at the very least, screwed over.  Why not imagine good ol’ Uncle Buggy coming to your rescue?”

Shanks snorts, leaning heavily against Buggy.  “Now I know it isn’t a dream.”

“Oh?”  Buggy gives Shanks a curious glance out of the corner of his eye.

Shanks stays silent for long enough that Buggy wonders if he’s passed out.   Then, quietly, he says, “In my dreams she doesn’t call you ‘Uncle Buggy.’”

Buggy stops in his tracks.  “The hell?  Why not?”  Is he not good enough to be family to Shanks’ kin?  The thought hurts unexpectedly, like a haki-infused punch after years of East Blue weaklings.

Shanks laughs and immediately winces.  “Never mind.”  He sighs, and sags against Buggy, hiding his wounded eye from passerby in a way that makes Buggy look like a sailor escorting a drunken crew mate back to their ship.  Perfect.  You’d almost think he planned it that way.

Buggy walks them up to the Big Top to see the kid arguing with Cabaji, both hands wrapped defensively around her father’s sword (which is longer than she is tall, so it’s quite a feat).

“It’s not for sale!” she insists.

“Come on, kid,” Cabaji says, leaning over her and leering.  He’s still pretty green, but he knows a good sword when he sees one.  “You’re the one who said you needed a ride, and passengers have to pay…”

“Leave it, Cabaji,” Buggy snaps.

Cabaji jumps to attention.  “Captain!  I was just—this kid—” He sees the stranger bleeding on Buggy’s shoulder and shuts up.

“This kid and I have already arranged for her and her father to travel with us,” Buggy explains, nudging the kid further up the gangplank with the side of his foot. She sidles around Cabaji, sticking her tongue out at him.  “Hey, none of that, brat!  You’re sailing with me, you respect my officers.”

She scowls, but nods, and gives Cabaji a mumbled apology.  “Sorry.  But he shouldn’t have tried to take the sword!”

Buggy rolls his eyes.  “He’s a pirate, kid, that’s exactly what he should’ve done.”

She holds onto the sword ever tighter, giving Buggy a suspicious look.

He cackles.  “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not gonna take it from you.  I know how your dad works, he’s too honor-bound to not pay me what he owes.”  Over his shoulder, he says, “Tell Mohji to find me, and then get us off this island ASAP.  The Marines haven’t spotted us yet, and with these two aboard we really don’t want them to.”  Back to the kid: “Come on, I’ll set you two up in our sick room.”

[wereoz]

rewatching s1&2 and seeing the spencelle interactions has made me believe new things about their relationship. bear in mind i think a lot of things surrounding romance are very ambiguous so it’s hard to define the stages in a relationship but i think it mostly goes like this:

i think while neither had any strong feelings before ‘derailed’, all their interactions built the foundation and there was chemistry, like elle trying to get everyone to not talk about reid failing his firearms qualification and them hanging out in garcia’s office that ep.

then in ‘derailed’, while the stakes are high, their feelings come to the surface and are tested: so while reid hasn’t initiated much with elle, he says ‘it’s alright, elle’ in a tone i can’t really describe - tender? reassuring? and after, he’s the one sitting close to her, joking with her, rubbing her knee (such a cute interaction).

elle during this ep is the same, she has already shown interest (in my opinion) but it increases to me as she’s quite timid saying he saved her life, and is concerned for him, trying to ask about him saying he ‘knows what it’s like’ being delusional.

so: feelings have developed on both sides.

however, i think afterwards the course of those feelings is different for elle and reid. i noticed that elle, in the next ep, gives reid a look that is very affectionate (and very gif-ed on tumblr), and she is the one who was quite jealous while reid was with lilah for that ep, which makes me believe that elle had become aware of her feelings, and they were closer to her because of that. of course, her job is very important to her so she can’t date a coworker -remember the fraternisation rules?- and i feel like her being older means she can control and hide her feelings better than when reid realises

wheras reid is continuing on as normal, even …. well not ‘pursuing’ lilah he was the one being pursued 😭 but? open to it? so i think that being so young, a character who finds accessing his emotions to be difficult, and having become self sufficient at a young age, his feelings aren’t intruding and he can continue on without thinking he likes elle romantically. just to say: i don’t think this means he doesn’t care about elle, i just think he’s a 24 year old who needs… room? he’s barely had any romantic experience yet, and he’s been isolated from his peers which makes social connections difficult; he needed time anyway.

(also: reid -similarly to elle- needs this job, i feel like dating a coworker feels veeeery off limits for him)

then the fisher king……. dear god…..

HOWEVER post fisher king, in s2 the theme is ‘develop spencelle right before they breakdown so it hurts more’: upon reid and elle interacting for the first time in 4 months, they seem utterly besotted. they say ‘if it isn’t dr reid’ and ‘wow… elle’ so nervously, followed up by them awkwardly and sincerely complimenting each other’s hair, while reid is nervous elle doesn’t like it….. wow.

i take reid’s behaviour as: during those 4 months without elle, it set in how much danger elle was really in, and that he almost lost her, which he didn’t have energy to confront after being more concerned about his mother in the fisher king eps (understandable). and, similarly to how ‘derailed’ shifted his feelings, he changes again to more concerned about elle, and conscious of her.

reid and elle are forced to be in proximity as he has been assigned to watch over her……. i love this for many reasons because reid has no control over her at all so she’s really taking him for a ride, they have really cute interactions (‘no i didn’t!’ ‘yes you did!’) and i think it was a great way to develop them by giving an obvious reason for spending more time together. (also they just look so cute together…..<33)

AND NOW for a moment that brings me great fucking emotion (it’s sweet & romantic but heartbreaking :(( <//3) the hotel scene!!

what stands out to me first is the few seconds before the hotel scene, when reid is alone in his room and fidgeting nervously. it was shown after everyone else working on the case, so the implication is that was what worried him until he dashes out of the room to see elle - he was so worried about her!!! he was also one of the only ones and the first one who went to her about her being attacked, so once again: he’s really changed the dynamic, and he’s very involved here.

so heartbreaking that what made him realise he likes elle is the reason they couldn’t be together…. <///3

[metamorphosisff]

|Chapter 18 | Find Your Way Back

This past week had been relatively stress free after committing to the homework Dr. Mitchell doled out in our session. Outside of work I didn’t do anything that I did not have to do which meant I took time off from the gym and a break from helping out with Granddad. I needed a full break away from everyone. It wasn’t until this assignment that I realized that I was always on go, always running around, or exerting energy in some form. I had forgotten what it was like to be still and pour into myself. In this moment of stillness I found that what I really needed was to grieve. I needed to grieve Sabrina, who Grandad was, and who I used to be. I needed to grieve so that I could make space for the person I am now. 

My eyes travel back to my phone for the umpteenth time in the last twelve hours. I know Mila read my text because she hearted it but I have yet to receive a written or verbal response from her. The heart was a good sign yet it wasn’t enough. I needed more because I missed the hell out of her. Did she miss me the same way? Right as I was about to pick up the device again to craft another message, the sound of my door opening followed by footsteps, caused me to stand up. It didn’t take long to see who was barging into my apartment unannounced. 

“We let you have your lil Eat, Pray, Love moment but enough. We are going to watch this game and eat some wings,”  Aiden said, as he sauntered past the entryway armed with bags. Rah trailed behind him holding a case of beer.

“Bro, that key is for emergencies,” I said, shaking my head at them.

“It is an emergency. When was the last time you took a shower?” Aiden shouted over his shoulder, as he continued making his way towards the kitchen.

Okay, he had me there. I hadn’t actually left my apartment in the past three days and depression has a way of making you break routine. A quick lift of my arms, let me know that I needed to fix that immediately.

“Aight, it’s been awhile but I’ma get on it. Use coasters please,” I said, as I began walking towards the bathroom. 

“You might want to tighten up that hairline while you at it,” Rah said, making a clipper motion with his hands.

“Fuck y’all,” I chuckled.

“And hurry up funky, we hungry!” Aiden yelled, over the sound of clattering plates and my drawers being yanked open with more force than necessary. I shook my head as I proceeded to the bathroom deciding not to prolong the journey by responding to him. 

It takes me about forty minutes to shape up my hairline and then shower. When I saunter back into the living room it’s to a round of applause.

“Aye man, fuck y’all,” I chuckle, as I reach for a wing.

They had made use of one of the big bowls my mother insisted I would need one day and poured all of the wings into them. Beside that bowl was a plate full of fries and another of onion rings. There was also a box of pizza that Rah was currently inhaling half of. 

“What y’all niggas been up to besides breaking and entering?” I ask, as I sit down on the other end of the couch.

“Nothing but the usual. This nigga need help with a proposal to Keisha but I told him that’s your lane,” Aiden said, eyes trained on the game on the TV like he didn’t just announce something important.

“Oh shit, you ready to propose? It’s about time,” I said, looking over at Rah.

“Yeah man I know, I’ve been ready but now it feels like we’re both on the same page,” Rah says with a small smile. 

“I’m happy for you bro. She’s definitely going to say yes,” I said. 

“Duh, they've been together forever,” Aiden tosses in.

We both give him a side eye that he doesn’t see because his glance hasn’t left the game and won’t. Shaking my head I continue, “Aight, let me hear your ideas so I can tell you if they’re good or not.”

For the next hour we bounce ideas back and forth until we get the best proposal plan that encompasses both Rah and Keisha as a couple. In a month’s time, he will be popping the big question and I couldn’t be more happy for them. Once that’s squared away, Aiden insists that we head out to a few bars to celebrate the fact that the Nets won. However, I’m not ready to be out and about just yet so I send them on their way after they make me swear to show up to the gym this week. 

The moment I think I am about to get some peace after the guys leave, my phone starts to ring. I instantly reach for it hoping it’s Mila but when I see who it actually is, I freeze for a moment. The name ‘Pops’ flashes across my screen with a picture of us from my college graduation. It was a day neither of us thought I would see so we were especially happy to celebrate the occasion together. It rings out three more times but instead of answering, I watch it go to voicemail. He might be ready to talk but I’m not. Tossing my phone to the side, I’m on my way to the kitchen to get a drink when there’s a knock on the door. I swing it open without looking because I assume the boys forgot something but I’m in shock when I see who it is.

With her hair freshly braided and dressed in a cream sweater dress, Mila stands before me shyly. My eyes trace over her frame, it’s been so long since I’ve seen her in person that I instantly want to take in what’s been missed. It seems she is doing the same because when our eyes meet once more, a blush takes over her cheeks.

“Hi,” she says softly.

“Hi,” I replied.

“May I come in?” she asks.

“Of course, my bad, come, come,” I said, moving back so that she could enter the apartment. I have never been more thankful for the boy's intrusion like I am now because if she decided to pop up a few hours ago I would have been looking rough. I follow behind her until we’re both standing toe to toe in the living room. We resume eyeing each other again. There are oceans of words between us but none of them compare to the three that have been swirling in my mind nonstop since opening the door. She opens her mouth to speak but I beat her to it. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too. More than you know.”

That’s all we both need to hear before enveloping each other in a hug. I wrap my arms around her waist tightly and she squeezes my shoulders to bring me closer. It takes everything in me not to hoist her into my arms. As badly as I want to, I know there are things that need to be said before we fall back into each other. She nuzzles her face in my chest and inhales deeply. I rub her back slowly as she gathers her thoughts. After a few moments she says, “I’m sorry to pop up but I feel like I owed you an in person apology. I took my past out on you and that was so unfair.”

“Mila I’m s-

“No, let me finish,” she said, tipping her head back so that our eyes could meet. Her brown eyes were already glazed over with tears begging to spring free. “I have not had the easiest life and because of that it’s so hard for me to trust people. Like unbelievably fucking hard. Then you came along and made me question everything I thought I knew. You gave me the ability to open up and I have never felt so seen. I have never felt so free.”

The tears that she had been holding back crash down onto her cheeks but instead of hiding her face like usual she bares them for me to see. “What Trevor did to me…made me feel like the woman I was before you. Scared and angry. Beyond angry and when I saw you, in a way I was mad that without you around I couldn’t be free. That wasn’t right to put on you and it took me some time and therapy,” she said with a sly grin causing us to both chuckle. It was only a few months ago that she had been adamant about not talking to anyone. The strides she has taken in our weeks apart makes me so proud.“...to realize that I can’t rest my freedom or happiness on your shoulders. I have to own that for myself or else I’m always going to be left to pick up the pieces”.

Leaning down, I press my lips softly against hers, no longer able to resist the urge. “Thank you,” I say against her lips. “While that is true, I need you to know that I am here for you, to support your happiness and aid in it. To protect you. To cherish you. To love you because I do love you and I’m in love with you Jamila Cortez.”

“I’m in love with you-

I swallow the rest of her confession with my tongue. The last of my restraint has vanished with those five words. She mewls as I finally give into my other urge and hoist her into my arms. Her hands raise from my shoulders to cup my face as I continue to devour her lips. As we kiss, I can feel the color slip back into my life. That’s how vibrant she is, how potent. We end up against the wall, breathing heavy as my lips move from her lips to the hollows of her throat. She smells of jasmine and promise, I sink my teeth in and am rewarded with a guttural moan. The kind that can only be elicited when two people know without a shadow of a doubt that their kindred spirit is present. 

We become an endeavor of sloppy movements fueled by an urgency to reunite as one. Her hands are fumbling with my sweats as I bunch her dress up to her waist. The thong she wears is easily ripped from her frame with one strong pull. The act causes her to push her hips against mine in excitement. Holding her tightly with my left arm, I use my right hand to slip myself against her folds.

“Damn,” I curse, feeling how wet she is for me already. 

As if she can read my mind she says, “She missed you too.”

I lean in and nip at her bottom lip as I guide myself inside, stretching her walls. She cries out softly as I’m welcomed back to my favorite place. Digging her heels into my lower back, Mila uses the leverage to drop onto me fully, causing us both to moan out. 

“Hold on,” I instruct as I grip both of her hips.

I wait until she interlocks her arms around my shoulders but once she does? I began to plummet into her warmth with abandon. My concentration is solely on the way our bodies work in tandem, each time I pull back, I’m covered in more and more of Mila. When I glance up, I catch Mila’s focused stare as she watches the way I disappear and reappear inside of her. Each time snatching more of her breath than the last. Feeling my stare, she drags me closer for a kiss. Her tongue flicks against mine until I capture and suck it slowly. 

“Xayyy,” she cries, tearing her mouth from mine. Her back is flush against the wall as I alternate my strokes from deep plunges to a slow grind against her spot.

“What’s up baby? Talk to me,” I said, speaking directly in her ear before licking the outer shell. “What do you want me to do?”

“There, there, there. Stay there,” she panted, tightening her grip against me.

“Right here?” I said, grinding deeper towards the left.

“Yes! Yes!” she said, flinging her head back so it lands on the wall with a soft thud. Her hips are winding, meeting my thrusts eagerly. We are in this together. 

“You really luh me?” I questioned teasingly, placing a kiss on her damp collarbone. 

“I do,” she said, nodding her head fervently. “So fucking much.”

“You gon’ cum for me then?” I asked.

“If you listen and don’t move,” she whines, causing me to chuckle.

Placing my lips against hers, I said, “I got you baby. I got you.”

Slipping a hand between us, I rub my fingers across her clit in circular motions causing her hips to freeze as she succumbs to the pleasure. “Nuh uh, no one told you to stop. Keep going,” I said.

“That’s too much,” she breathed out, tears aligning her eyes again. This time from pleasure as she tries to rise up to alleviate the pressure she was chasing only moments before. I yank her back down not allowing the escape.

“You got this,” I said, stealing another kiss. “Fuck me back like a good girl.”

Licking her lips, she nods her head, my words successfully triggering her hips to continue meeting my strokes. Though they initially held steady in pace, the more I played with her clit, the more frantic Mila’s movements became. Her walls were starting to pulse against me and I knew it was only a matter of time before we were both on our way to bliss. 

All that could be heard between us was heavy breathing and the sound of our skin slapping against one another. Catching her gaze again, I saw the vulnerability she used to try to hide. At this moment it’s all there for me to see and I have never been more appreciative. Leaning in, I rest my forehead on hers as our lips meet for another kiss. It’s as frantic as our lower bodies as the power of our connection drives us forward. We’re moaning together as we crash out at the same time. This orgasm steals our breaths as we slink to the floor entangled. From this day forward I knew we would always have each other. When I looked at Mila, it was like seeing my heartbeat outside of my chest. 

Breathing hard against one another, we exchange soft kisses, and gentle touches as we come down from the intensity of our orgasms. She’s placing kisses on my chest while I play with her hair when I say, “Please don’t shut me out again. I know every day won’t be easy but I promise not to make it harder. I promise to have your back as long as you let me. I promise to choose you everyday.”

Raising her head up, she meets my eyes and I see the remorse in her gaze but it’s unnecessary because she was forgiven weeks ago. “I promise too. I promise to be better and to communicate instead of running away. I promise to choose you too.”

Lifting my index finger, I silently beckon her to come closer which she does by slinking her body up my torso. When she is close enough, I grab her throat and pull her towards my face. At the same time her hand finds my length. We sink into each other at the same time. Our promises are sealed.

[rewordthis]

Ok! I’m not having the means to participate in The All Ships Ship Week by @ficwip as a writer but I’m playing with the Bingo Card!

So this is the Head Canon option I’m going to fill for the TogaSaku ship! 🐢🌸

Right, so you know how Togame gives off big gramps energy, which is super funny to me because Sakura is the complete opposite, always ready to jump into a fight etc. So, one of the things I like to think Togame teaches Sakura is how to enjoy the slow life. Sitting on a bench at the park and just looking at the people passing by. Feeling the shift in the air as the seasons change… Small things like that. Just sitting makes Sakura impatient, but Togame really rubs off on him eventually and now Sakura wonders how much more is out there in our world that he hasn’t been able to notice until now… 🥺

Another hc I have of them, is how Sakura sometimes wakes up from a nightmare that his life with everyone in Furin is a lie. Togame only happens to stay over one of those nights and when Sakura wakes up, the warmth next to him startles him. Togame wakes up and when noticing Sakura’s erratic breathing, he doesn’t hold back at all so he gives him a hug that nearly crushes Sakura until he’s calmed down enough to breathe again. When Sakura explains to him what happened (he’s too honest to cover for himself!!!) Togame decides on his own to spent more time at Sakura’s place. It doesn’t really register with Sakura until he gets back one evening and while folding the laundry he finds a shirt too big to be his… (does he wear it to make sure? does he not??? 😏)

Another thing I appreciate of them, is how they both faced being alone. Sakura always had backlash for his appearance and was pushed out and Togame as he mentioned himself, just wasn’t good at being in the presence of other people— whatever that may mean. I guess… I like the idea that Togame understands how important it is to show Sakura how appreciated and loved he is because he understands how impactful it is on a personal level. 🥰

That’s it for today, folks! I seriously love them so much~

Manga readers please be kind to lil’ anime-only me! 😅 Do keep any major spoilers a secret, too~

[downingg2001]

Blood Bound. Chapter 2

Elain heard them before she saw them. Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of hushed tones coming far outside from her empty room. She sat up, her body moving too quickly. She pushed the dizziness away, wobbling to her feet. She needed to find him…

She moved towards the door,going to open it but not before catching herself in a mirror. She was still covered in blood. Her hair, a mess, still in that stupid nightgown of hers. 

How long had she been asleep? How long had she wondered in the shadows? 

Elain didn’t know..But someone could have at least cleaned her up. 

She caught a glimmer in the mirror. She turned towards the nightstand, where Truth Teller and the starsword laid. Without thinking she called for the dagger, a wave of shadows swallowing it before spitting it out in her hand.  She could feel its power wash over her but she ignored it. All that was important right now was finding Azriel..  

Take me to him. She whispered to the dagger. The dagger obeyed, winnowing her through the darkness. The voices become louder the closer she got. 

“ You Blood Bounded them? How is that possible? 

“ they were already bound by shadows, i just amplified it…you can't have more than one bond, therefore her bond to my brother no longer exists.The dagger is a made object, one that they both so happen to be able to wield..I had a hunch that it would have worked’ 

“And is it didn't work” 

“ Then I'm sure you would have killed me already.” 

“ Still debating it” Cassian muttered 

“ And did Lucien feel it? As well?” Feyre “ Elain..She seemed to be in so much pain , and this weird energy seemed to be released” 

“ I’m sure the pain had more to do with the dagger in her chest…” Eris continued.." I'm unaware if he did or not. Their bond, from my understanding, wasn't that strong to begin with…but I do ask that you leave my involvement in the matter a secret”. 

She landed on her knees with a thud. Startling everyone in the room. 

“Elain!” Feyre and Nesta ran to her, Helping her up. They looked at her, all bloodied and a mess and frowned. “ we tried to clean you up while you were asleep, but the shadows wouldn’t allow us near you”

Another wave of dizziness washed over  but she spoke “ Where is he?” she whispered to her sisters. 

They looked at each other and then to their mates “ He hasn’t woken up yet…” Feyre said, her eyes watery. “ It’s bad lainey..he lost control of his siphons..when he saw you…” 

 “Saw me what?” Elain asked…” What's going on? Is he?..” Elain felt a sob begin in her chest. 

“ He’s not dead…” Elain snapped her head to the corner of the room. Where Eris stood, his arms crossed..”Just on the brink… he will be fine, now that you're awake..he will awake soon”.  

Anger and Rage and every bad feeling she ever felt before, coursed through her, heating in her veins. And it was directed at Eris. She winnowed behind him quickly, knocking him to his knees before he could register that she moved. 

Truth teller, digging into his neck she seethed “Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you right now?,”

“ Because I broke your bond like I said I would”. 

“ You stabbed Azriel”. 

“ Technically that starsword did that on its own accord to get to you and the dagger” 

“‘ A warning would have been nice”.  

“ You wouldn’t have done it otherwise.. Look…I broke the bond and caused a vision..two birds with one stone…3 birds if you count uncovering that the sword and dagger answer to you along with you being shadowbound to that illyrian bastard”.  

Elain pushed the knife close and something close to fear shifted in his eyes. “Explain” was all she said. “ What’s Shadowbound?” 

“ Okay..Okay…Why don’t you move the dagger away from my pretty throat and i'll talk” 

Elain slowly took a step away, watching Eris's every move…

“Damn Night Court women '' he shivered, standing up, and continued “ I don’t know exactly how it works…but every now and then, two souls cross each other during a near death experience and bind to one another..when you were turned high fae, you human soul pretty much died…the same time the shadowsinger was dying with a ash arrow through his chest..” 

 Eris continued “It connected you both in a way that can even trump the mating bond..Twin souls that reached out to each other during the near death…a gift from the mother herself... Shadow-kissed as some call it...I believe it' part of the reason you were made a seer. You can walk between worlds...wither it's mentally or physically..that I do not know.” 

“ But the cauldron…” Elain started.

“ Azriel was more than half way dead..The cauldron was trying to find a way to save you, you who is blessed by its creator. So it tethered you to someone alive..Just in case binding you to the shadowsinger didn’t work and he ended up dying”. 

“ But were both alive” 

“ Yes. and you ended up with a uncomfortable mating bond that was physically and mentally hurting you, because your soul couldn't handle both bonds at once” 

“ How did you …nobody..” Elain trailed off…

“Nobody bothered to ask how it felt for you…I figured as much” Eris sighed but continued, “Lucien often described it to me as painful and unbearable at times when he would feel it through you. That it was bitter on his own tongue. I could only assume it was worse for you, when you were also shadowbound to someone else”. 

“ And this blood binding thing?” Elain asked

 “In the old language, it's called carranam - Or Blood Bounded as we call it - two fae who choose each other over everything else and are blessed by the mother. There has to be a certain amount of affection in place to be full carranam, blood is spilled between the two fae, mixing together and binding them…you share each other's powers on some level, and since you already share souls it was an..easy process…that's why you both can use the dagger. Why can you walk through his shadows and why he knew you were a seer before anyone else…“

“ Azriel had Truth Teller before i came along” 

“ True…but besides the other-worlder that was here..you are the only other person who yields it..The Shadowsinger was given the dagger for you…” 

“I don’t understand” Elain said “ It’s sounds the same as shadowbound” 

“ I’m not sure i follow either” Cassain whispered to Nesta

“ I suppose to a certain extent, it's the same, shadowing binding, blood binding…it’s the same concept just at different levels” Eris smirked, “ Blood Binding is…just a bit more..intimate...Usually done in a setting much more private.. And with yours and the shadow-singers souls already being tied together, using the blades was the quickest way to sever the bond with lucien and bind you both as well..however..the other way would definitely be more entertaining to watch” he winked and Elain tried her best to fight off her disgust. “blood binding just makes it official”.

“ Keep talking like that and I'll gladly rip your head off Eris” Cassian spoke, a warrior's smirk on his face. 

Eris ignored Cassion, which only irritated the illyrian more, his wings twitching and fist curled “ What did you see Elain…Did you find the answer to my question kingslayer” 

“‘ You want your answers. I want mine” 

“ What more do you want dear elain..I’ve pretty much told you everything’ 

“ No you haven’t……what else did you do to him”

Eris smirked and threw his hands up “ you know, I've never seen a woman like yourself…covered in so much blood and gore and still so esquite and stunning, dusk practically radiates off you..It really is a shame you couldn’t make a false bond with my brother work. We would have been good allies”. 

 “ i highly doubt that”

“ I haven’t lied to you about any of this…you and the shadowsinger are Carranam.. Blood chosen mates, now there is no blood duel, no highlords who can deny you, no Mistakes..I just put a little safety measure in place, to assure my success..to assure your assistance in the matter at hand” 

Elain flinched at the word and Eris smiled and it suddenly clicked. Azriel wasn't going to wake up..not until she helped him.  

“What did you do”” She whispered,horror washing over her.  

“ Have you ever heard of Dracarys Root? It’s also known as Valayian’s Fire” 

She didn’t know how he did it..How he pulled it off…

“ Turns out when mixed with Seer blood, it can put anyone, even one of the most powerful fae, in a dream like state..One that you often find yourself in Elain when you can’t control your visions”. 

“ What do you gain from this Eris”  Tears pricked in her eyes. 

“ You already know elain..You saw it…I just need you to confirm it”

“ All this for a answer, your already pretty certain off” 

“ The future can change” 

“ Elain” She heard Nesta’s Voice in her ear “ What’s going on” 

She ignored her sister

“ Yours won’t. It's already set it stone”

“ So you’ll do my bidding” Eris said raising his hand

“I don’t have a choice” 

“Elain, what are you talking about?” Feyre asked. 

Elain didn’t answer Feyre, either..

“What do you say Kingslayer….The antidote for your assistance” 

“Let me see him first,” She whispered. 

Eris tilted his head in amusement, chuckling. ‘“How about a bargain..i give the shadowsinger back to you…Alive..once everything is taken care of...and I'll you see him when I feel like it.”

“ Deal” 

“ You know bargains are different in the autumn court then in night..I’m afraid you wont get a pretty tattoo” 

“ I don’t care” Elain held out her hand. 

Eris took it without blinking…..and Elain couldn't help the scream that left her mouth as her hand was set on fire. The bargain burning itself into her skin 

“How ironic..now you match the shadowsinger....Welcome to the Autumn Court Elain Archeron”.   

[lollaika]

Chapter 7 of The Agony is here!!!!

After half a year of difficulty finding the time and the creative energy to write, finally Chapter 7 is finished!! Featuring Season 4 happenings and Eddie's slow descent into a closer orbit around Steve. Excerpt below the readmore.

I am so happy with how it turned out and I want to thank @cuips-not-cute for all the support he gave me and all the effort he put in his drawings for this fic. I couldn't have done it without you, so from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!!! <3

“You know you don’t have to do it. Give me that alibi, I mean.”

“I know.” Steve’s voice is flat. Two little words don’t allow for a lot of inflection, but there’s usually emphasis, anyway. Eddie had made a study of it, how many different ways you could say a word and have it change meaning because of it. He can’t read any meaning into Steve’s, though. Maybe tiredness.

“Then why do it?” He doesn’t know why he asks. Maybe the silence is getting to him, maybe he wants a distraction, maybe he just wants to listen to Steve more, to get him to talk as long as he needs to let out some kind of emotion.

“Because the best lie is telling a truth different from the one asked for. I thought you roleplaying types knew that.”

“Us roleplaying types. Right, cause we’re all the same.” He’s poking the bear, provoking, annoying. The coffee is still warm in his hands and the kitchen is cozy and well lit. Chrissy hovers in his thoughts.

“Yeah, you are. Kinda like us jocks are all the same.”

Eddie’s not used to being called out. He’s the oldest, the leader, undisputed, unfought. He thinks back to yesterday evening, to the last session of his Vecna campaign that by now seems to have happened months ago. Steve had made the same point then, too. Had said that it was Eddie reinforcing the stereotypes, keeping up the boundaries of artificial categorization into social cliques. He wasn’t wrong. It sucks to admit. But the memory reminds him that he hasn’t seen one of his new sheep for the last two days.

“What about Sinclair? If Henderson and Wheeler are involved in this, he’s involved, too, I guess?”

Steve nods. “Both of them,” he says. “Lucas got involved in ‘83 when it started, ‘cause you know Will went missing and the twerps couldn’t let it lie. And thank God they didn’t. I hate that they had to do it, but I shudder to think of what would have happened if they’d given up. We told him yesterday, and he’s chosen to stay with Jason, so he can make sure Jason doesn’t start doing stupid stuff, like going to search for a murderer he won’t find. And then Erica joined in ‘85 for the mall. Was in the Russian base with Dustin, Robin, and me. Great spatial memory retention. I wish I’d kept her out of it. Wish I’d kept Dustin out, too, but he’s the one who found the original transmission, so that would’ve been a lost cause.”

So, this is the way to get Steve to talk. Of course, it is. Even if Eddie had disbelieved the reports of a barbarian Steve Harrington – and shame on him for that – it had been plain from the way the kids talked about him that Steve genuinely loved them, each of them. Which is why Eddie does what he does best. He doubles down.

“God, I can imagine, he’s like a dog with a bone, that one. I’ve never met a child more insistent on getting their way than him.”

“Yeah,” there’s a soft little smile on Steve’s lips. Eddie wants to keep it there. “Only one who wins against him solo is Erica and that's because she’s a terror. Never ever make a deal with her, because she’s going to take you for all you’re worth and not feel a whit of guilt about it.”

“Awesome kids, though.”

“The best.”

There are deeper things they could talk about, more important things too, things that have accumulated between them in dried blood and corpses, in open wounds and broken spirits. But it’s just as warming as the coffee is, to see Steve open up a bit more, to see him light up from within, see his eyes start to shine, recalling memories with extreme fondness. Eddie doesn’t dare change the topic.

[bobalegsanji]

Thank you for loving me - Chapter 1

Hii! I thought I might as well post my angsty Zosan fic on Tumblr!

You can also find this fic (and additional chapters) on AO3!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54749407/chapters/138761413

Summary: Sanji is going through a hard time. Zoro notices.

TW: panic attacks, depression, anxiety.

Sanji’s head hurts.

He lay in his bed, listening to the quarreling of his friends in the other rooms.

The clock on his nightstand reads 07:03.

He knows his housemates’ routine by heart. Zoro is getting breakfast before going to the gym. Nami is getting ready for her Friday morning class. Usopp and Luffy most likely just jumped into bed, a night full of imaginary adventures and alcohol behind them.

He sighs. Everything hurts.

He used to be able to do so much. He used to cook dinner every night. He’d occasionally join Zoro in one of his morning workouts (even though he could never keep up with him, he would always make him feel included and push him just the right amount). He would join everyone on their weekly Friday club night, usually going to the bar a couple streets down until they stumbled home at 5am, belly full of alcohol and heart full of laughter.

Sanji hasn’t joined in 3 weeks. The first week it was easy to come up with an excuse, an important project he had to finish before Monday hindering him from coming.

The second week was harder. He couldn’t use university as an excuse, not so close after last week. An excuse about a classmate's birthday party not entirely believable. In the end, he spent the evening at the library, only returning home when he was sure everyone had left for the club. Nami and Robin begged him to come, almost convincing him, but he refused. He wasn’t even sure why he did it. He could join them. Why go through the trouble of jumping through hoops to not hang out with his best friends?

Sanji isn’t sure. All he knows is that even thinking about the bright lights, dancing, alcohol and social contact makes his stomach turn.

The third week he faked an illness. Apparently, it was quite believable. Chopper, the sweet medical student he is, almost refused to go out in order to take care of Sanji. In the end, he managed to make them go. He needed a couple of hours of silence.

Sanji throws his hands over his eyes. His nails claw in his arms and tears prick at his eyes. Thinking about having to go out tonight stresses him out. He has no motivation to do anything. He could use university again as an excuse why he can’t go, even though he got dropped from his classes for not showing up. Not that he cared. He hadn’t told the others, not wanting to worry any of them. He was fine, he just needed some time alone and this would give him exactly that.

A knock at the door scared him away from his thoughts.

He quickly wiped his eyes to hide the few water droplets, hoping his voice didn't show any sign of emotion. ‘’Come in.’’

Zoro opens the door with a protein shake in his hand.

‘’Curly, you cooking tonight?’’

Sanji looks up at him. He used to cook daily, but in the last few weeks or so he hadn’t had enough energy. Last week he only cooked dinner for 3 days.

‘’What do you want, Marimo?’’

‘’Onigiri.’’

It puts a slight smile on his face. He’s been laying in bed dreading his whole existence, and all Zoro can think about is a potential dinner.

‘’Sure. You want salmon or tuna?’’

Zoro takes a swig of his protein shake before answering. ‘’Extra salmon.’’

Sanji puts his head down on the bed again, ready to go back to his morning rumination.

‘’Fine. Close the door on your way out.’’

He hears a humming sound before he hears footsteps coming closer and the door closes.

Sanji looks up, confused. Zoro usually doesn’t stay in his room any longer than he needs to.

‘’You want something else from me? I’m already making your favourite dinner tonight, leave me alone.’’

Zoro takes the last swig of his shake as he puts the empty bottle on Sanji’s desk and sits down in his chair.

Zoro looks at anything in the room but Sanji, slightly spinning in his chair as he speaks; ‘’Is something up?’’

Sanji almost laughs. Zoro and he are close. They’ve lived together for almost 4 years. He loves Zoro with his whole heart. But they don’t talk about feelings, ever.

He ends up staring at him.

‘’I’m great, thanks for asking. Shouldn’t you go to the gym? Don’t want your biceps to wait.’’

Zoro ends up staring right back.

‘’You haven’t been cooking lately, you love cooking.’’

Sanji awkwardly averts his eyes.

‘’I’ve been busy with university coursework. You know how it is.’’

‘’About that… You haven’t been to any classes this week, right?’’

Sanji stares at the ceiling. Zoro’s eyes are burning holes in him, yet he can’t make himself look back.

‘’Who told you that?’’

‘’Just noticed. Don’t think the others’ noticed.’’

Sanji sighs and hides his face behind his hands. What a mess he has created.

‘’Fine, I got dropped for this semester.’’

Zoro makes an acknowledging sound. If he wonders about anything else, he doesn’t ask.

‘’Want to come to the gym?’’

‘’I’m very content spending my Friday morning in bed, thank you very much. Please don’t tell the others about the… The dropped thing.’’

Zoro nods, ‘’as long as you’re fine I won’t.’’

‘’I am.’’

The two fall silent. It’s awkward. Sanji mentally curses Zoro for his good intentions. He just wants to be left alone.

‘’So you’re making onigiri then?’’

Sanji nods, looking up at Zoro for the first time since the start of their conversation.

‘’You should make something heavier as well. Only eating onigiri is going to give someone alcohol poisoning tonight.’’

Fuck. Now that Zoro knows, he can’t use university as an excuse out of the club night.

‘’I’ll make something else as well. Any recommendations?’’

Zoro shakes his head, ‘’I’m going if you won’t join me to the gym. You should come soon, or the progress you made will fade. Text me if you want anything from the store.’’

The door closes before Sanji can finish nodding.

He is tired.

[voldemorts-tap-shoes]

Not sure if there’s a way to make the ultimate lost love song into an otp fic that’s NOT full of angst, but I tried y’all 😅

@cruelsummer-ficfest era #5 folklore/speak now

if one thing had been different

Hermione can’t completely explain why she’s here. Why she thinks a man she hasn’t seen or spoken to in multiple years—God, how many has it been now?—will have answers that she doesn’t have. Why she hopped on a plane yesterday morning to fly halfway around the world without the faintest idea of what she’s looking for or what she’ll say if he turns up. When he turns up. Because he will. She knows that, at least.

She’s not sure of anything in her whole fucking life right now except the fact that Ron will meet her for the sole reason that she asked him to, no explanation required.

Which is a good thing, because she doesn’t have one. About this, or anything else. It wasn’t any one thing, any huge monumental decision that led her to where she is now, but rather a series of tiny little decisions that painted her whole world a different set of colors than the one she had planned. It’s like she woke up one morning and looked around and didn’t recognize her own life and can’t quite pinpoint where things shifted.

Hell, she barely recognizes herself anymore. But if there’s one person who knows her better than anyone—better even, maybe, than she knows herself—it’s Ron. Even now. She’s sure of it.

Her heart jumps into her throat every time the little bell over the front door announces a new patron to the little coffee shop, but so far, none of them have been Ron. She hasn’t spotted anyone else she recognizes either, but that was by design. Meeting Ron somewhere in Diagon Alley would have meant a chorus of “long time no see” and “didn’t know you were in town” that she doesn’t have the energy to respond to. No, meeting him in Muggle London is the safer option.

She checks her watch for what must be the hundredth time, even though it’s still a few minutes ahead of the time she gave him. And just like that, as if summoned, the next chime of the bell announces Ron’s arrival.

Tucked into a little corner in the back, she allows herself a moment to watch him before he spots her, and her heart thunders in her chest as she drinks him in. So much for moving on. Is there ever going to be a day when he doesn’t have this effect on her? Five years apart ought to have done it, but apparently not.

She’s told herself time and time again that she’s over him, and it’s easy enough to believe all the way in Sydney. And a second chance with Ron isn’t why she came to London on this impromptu soul-searching mission, truly. Hermione just needs a friend. Someone who understands her. Her friendships in Australia all seem superficial in comparison. People there know her day-to-day: where she works, how she always gets takeout on Fridays, that she has a cat. Ron is big picture. Ron knows her, down to the very fabric of her being.

Even if she wanted to dig that grave up another time, Ron has more than moved on, too, as far as she knows. The couple of times she’s seen him since she left, he’s always been with someone, though never the same someone twice. Besides that, he’s the one who put the brakes on them in the first place. He wasn’t ready, after the war, so soon after losing his brother, and she understood that. She assumed once he was ready, he would have reached out, but he never did. At some point he must have healed enough for a relationship—just not with her.

His eyes finally lock on hers as he scans the room, and his steps pull up short. She gives him a tentative wave, and he smiles in return, though it’s not the big cheerful grin he used to give her. Ron weaves his way through the cafe to her table, hesitating a moment before he takes the seat across from her. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Hermione returns. “Thanks for meeting me. I hope I haven’t taken you away from anything important.” Or anyone.

She hears the awkwardness in her voice, but she’s not sure where to start. Small talk will have to do for now.

Ron shrugs and folds his hands on the table in front of him. “Nah. We just finished up a big case at work, so I’ve got a bit more free time at the moment.”

“Oh. Good. You still like being an Auror, then?”

He raises one eyebrow, blue eyes laser-focused on her. “Hermione.”

She feels herself coming unglued under the scrutiny, but she meets his gaze determinedly despite the tremor in her voice as she responds. “What?”

“That’s not why we’re here.” It’s not a question. It doesn’t need to be.

“No,” Hermione admits, “it’s not.”

They sit in silence for a moment before Ron speaks again. “You look…” He hesitates, searching for the right word. “Lost.”

It took him all of two minutes to cut right to the heart of how she’s feeling, summing up every doubt and insecurity swirling in her mind in a single word. Tears pool in her eyes, and Ron shifts forward in his seat.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“No, it’s not—” Hermione shakes her head and almost smiles. This is exactly why she’s here, isn’t it? Because Ron has always known how to see through the bullshit to what’s real? “You’re right.”

His eyes sweep across the empty table. “Want a coffee?”

“Please.” Hermione reaches for her purse, but Ron waves her off as he stands.

“I got it.” He hands her a tissue, and she shoots him a grateful smile. “Be right back.”

He returns a few minutes later and hands her a hazelnut coffee with just the right amount of cream—no need to ask her coffee order, either—before he sits and waits, letting her speak first this time.

She takes a few soothing sips of the drink as she collects herself. “Do you ever think…maybe there’s a single moment…that if you could change just one thing that happened in the past, your whole life might be different?”

Ron weighs her question before answering. “Not really, I guess. I mean, there’s definitely moments that make more of a difference than others, but…” He pauses to fiddle with the paper sleeve on his cup. “I don’t think you can boil your whole life down to a single moment. Seems like a lot of pressure.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Maybe. But if you’re thinking about it, what would you change?”

She doesn’t want to answer. Even though she’s fairly certain she can trace the alternate path of her life back to the moment she left to find her parents in Australia. Looking back, nothing feels right after that point. But that would require admitting that the real mistake was leaving Ron. Or was it? She’s not even sure anymore. He didn’t come after her, either. What did she leave behind, really?

“You don’t have to answer that.” Ron gives her a reassuring smile. “But is it something you can change? Now?”

“I’m not sure.” She could move back to England, easy enough. Her parents have made clear that they’re not coming back, which is why she stayed in Sydney, but at some point she’s got to start living life for herself. Moving back won’t erase the last seven years, though. What good would it do her now to come back? “Did you love me?”

The words slip out before she can resist the temptation to ask him. Both of Ron’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, but she doesn’t take the question back even though she probably should. They really had something, she thought, until they didn’t, and she’s always wondered if maybe she made more of them in her head than what they really were.

“Does that matter, after all this time?” he asks softly. “Is that why you’re here?”

“No, it’s not why, but…” But maybe it does matter. Or maybe it doesn’t. It’s not like either answer will make her feel better. “Never mind. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that.”

“I don’t mind. But is anything I say going to be the answer you’re looking for?”

Hermione chuckles. “I see you’ve mastered Legilimency. I was just thinking the same thing.”

She stares across at him and Ron meets her gaze without wavering. These aren’t the answers she came for, but if he’s willing to give them to her, is she really just going to leave well enough alone? Leave without the truth she so desperately needs, in whatever form it’s offered?

“Okay,” she says, the word escaping her on an exhale. “Sure. What the hell. Did you love me?”

At least if he puts words to what she’s long-suspected—that she was just a Hogwarts crush, that he hasn’t thought twice about her that way since she packed her bags and moved down under—then maybe she can stop wondering what if and put that part of her life to rest for good.

Ron’s head tips back with a laugh, but he’s serious when he looks back at her. “Yeah,” he replies simply. “Fuck, Hermione, of course I did.”

Hermione draws in a long breath, then lets it back out with a laugh of her own. “Nope, that didn’t make me feel any better.”

“So…” Ron smiles at her over his coffee cup. “New topic, then?”

They get lost in easy conversation after that, talking and laughing and catching up while the cafe clientele turns over and over around them. The bright daylight shifts to a murky evening grey, and finally to a dark night lit only by the streetlights above them as the cafe shuts down and forces them out to the sidewalk. Hermione hesitates to voice a goodbye; once she says it, she’s not sure how long it will be before their next hello.

“So, how long are you in town for?” Ron asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he too makes no move to leave.

“Just a couple of days. I’ve got to get back to work.” The words feel heavy in her mouth. Wrong. But until she figures out what to do next, she has a routine, and responsibilities.

Ron nods, still not moving. “Well, don’t be such a stranger, okay? Did this…did I…help?”

“You did. Thanks.”

She reaches for him then, folding herself into his open arms. It’s the first time they’ve touched all afternoon, and Hermione doesn’t want to let go.

“I hope you’re happy, Hermione,” Ron murmurs, his voice muffled into her still-too-bushy hair as he holds her tight. “And if you’re not, I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.”

She just nods against his chest, not saying what she knows now to be true. Even though she’s maybe always known it deep down. That she found what she was looking for a long time ago. That it would’ve been fun—would’ve been great—with Ron. That he should’ve been the one.

He turns his head to place a kiss on her temple, his lips searing against her skin, before he pulls away and sets her at arm’s length. “Take care of yourself.”

“You too.” She turns away before Ron can catch the tears in her eyes, but only makes it a couple of steps before her name stops her. When she turns back to Ron, he’s looking at the ground, toeing a pebble with his shoe.

“This probably isn’t what you want to hear, but…” He sighs and then presses on. “Australia. That’s your moment, I think. If that one thing had been different, then…” He doesn’t finish, but he doesn’t have to. Then everything would be different today.

She doesn’t have the words to argue; he’s right. She just needed to hear it from someone that isn’t the voice in her own head.

“If that’s my one thing…do you think it’s too late to change it now?”

It’s a loaded question, but Ron doesn’t flinch. “I’d like to think it’s never too late to start over on the things that really matter.”

His answer is just as loaded, but now she’s the one who’s not in the right headspace for this. For them. And she thinks they both know it, because neither of them have made any move to snog the other right there on the sidewalk even though she wants to, even though she sees the same desire reflected back at her in his eyes. But they can both read between the lines. It’s a start.

“Then…I guess I’ll see you soon.”

Hermione gives Ron one final smile and wave as she turns away again. He doesn’t stop her this time, but there’s a lightness, a hopefulness in her heart that wasn’t there a few hours ago.

Maybe the greatest love of all time isn’t over, after all.

[randomnameless]

@zeroabyss replied to your post “@zeroabyss replied to your post “You're not wrong...”:

I definitely say a father telling him he has to do it all on his own and that he can’t even rely on his friends or even their fellow nations, definitely pushed Lyon to take the path that he did. No one can handle something on their own, and so Lyon was tempted to use the one power their texts said had the power to avert disaster.

​You can see how this issue was more than likely a flaw when Lyon talks about him to the twins. About how his father took on the burdens all on his throne and barely, if ever rested. The man shouldered everything that it likely played into his worsening health and death, and his final words being to tell Lyon he can’t rely on help from others concerning a natural disaster and that the other countries would leave any Grado refugees to die at the border to protect themselves

Vigarde pushing all of the country's hopes and aspirations on his unprepared son was his mistake, sure, but...

Between Vigarde telling him to deal with Grado's fate alone because relying on Renais is impossible, and Vigarde/Father Mc Gregor/The World telling him not to free Satan to use his powers because Satan nearly destroyed the continent centuries ago, if Lyon had to pick one command to disobey, I suppose he could have picked the "I'm still going to ask for Renais' help" instead of "I'm going to use Fomortiis' powers".

Vigarde might have steered him in the wrong direction - Lyon already playing with Fomortiis' powers (to save a child! and then to predict tempests and save more lives!) was his own thing.

It's SS in a nutshell, good intentions alone cannot justify the worst means used to satisfy/reach them.

Lyon lamented and complained about his perceived weakness, feeling he would never compare to the twins nor would be the kind of ruler Grado will need to save itself... so he doomed Magvel, wanting to be the strong and kind person he wished to be.

I think this is the flashback where it's more or less spelled out :

Lyon: “Mm… My research isn’t complete yet, but there’s no mistaking the power the Sacred Stones contain. And the Stone of Grado seems especially responsive to my dark magic. I suppose it’s because it contains both sacred and demonic properties. Regardless, if I can just press my studies a little harder… Well, I think I might be able to use it to heal my father’s illness. If that works, there’s no telling how many other people I can help as well.” Eirika: “Do you think this is wise? The power contained within the stones is beyond our understanding… My father tells me that the stones possess a power not to be trifled with.” Lyon: “Uh-huh… Father MacGregor is also against it. That’s why they still won’t give me direct access to the Stone of Grado. For the time being, I’ve made do with the radiant energies surrounding it. They’re nothing compared to the raw power of the stone itself, but… If I can show Father MacGregor some real progress, perhaps one day…”

(...)

Lyon: “Thanks, both of you. Hearing those words from you means a lot to me. Actually–and this hasn’t been made public yet–but… I’ve already saved someone using the knowledge I’ve gleaned so far.” Ephraim: “You have?” Lyon: “Uh-huh… A while back, a fire ravaged Serafew, and a little girl got trapped in the flames. Her burns were terrible: not even healing staves were able to cure her injuries. But just a sliver of the stone’s power restored her life and healed her wounds. We saved that girl’s life, Ephraim! Oh, if you could have seen the tears of joy in her mother’s eyes!

Fado, Ismaire and I'm pretty sure Vigarde himself know it's not wise to triffle/use the SS powers... Father MacGregor is also against it, as the resident "holy man" around - and his words are important, since the Church of Magvel was founded after Latona, who fell herself (but managed to fend him off for some reason ???) to Fomortiis' possession! - but Lyon's reply is... Mockery? Or disinterest?

Father Mac Gregor wanted to prevent him from continuing on this path, and forbade him access to the Stone! But Lyon didn't care and still used what was... available, when he also knows the power he is using has demonic properties, and a will of its own!

Lyon's reasoning isn't "Father Mac Gregor is right maybe I should try to consider that I cannot "use" Fomortiis" but something like "maybe he doesn't believe me when I tell him this power can be used for good! I just have to continue working on it!" completely missing the point...

Or is he?

Sure, Lyon saved the Serafew child... but this hadn't made been public as of yet (2 years before the start of the game), like was this not enough to convince Father Mac Gregor that he could use those powers to do right and good things? Or Lyon himself realised he... "saved" someone who was already dead?

This flashback is even more interesting because we have this, the twins' failure :

Ephraim: “Using the Sacred Stones to study magic…” Lyon: “Ephraim, Eirika, what do you two think? Using the divine power of the Sacred Stones in this way… You don’t think it’s a very good idea, do you?” Ephraim: “…It’s just that I know nothing at all of magic. I would that there were some way I could help you, but I simply can’t. But, Lyon, I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked to help others. I know how much you want the power to make others happy. I know these things, and because I know you, I trust your intentions.” Lyon: “Ephraim…” Ephraim: “If you hope to use the power of the Sacred Stone for good, I trust you can. I’m behind you all the way.” Eirika: “I agree with Ephraim entirely. You spend every night in the library, studying cures for your father’s illness. The power of the Sacred Stones is too powerful to be used for personal gain. But you, Lyon… I think you’ll be fine. You’re the kindest person I know.”

It's a double failure on their part, firstly because they give empty reassurances to Lyon claiming to know him, how he wants to use this power because he has the right intentions, or how it's totally not used for his personal gains...

When part of Lyon's desire for power was to help people, sure, but also, to be worth someone in Ephraim and Eirika's eyes!

Secondly...

No, the power of the SS (especially the one housing Fomortiis!) cannot and should not be used, even for "good" or with "good intentions". There are lines that shouldn't be crossed, even if it means not being able to save people/not reach your dreams.

The Epilogue in Eirika's route is very explicit :

Eirika: “That would be nice… But first we must seal this away… This stone banished the Demon King. With such power… Do you suppose we could bring back Father and Lyon… That everyone who died in this dreadful war could be–“ Ephraim: “Eirika.” Eirika: “I know, I know. Such things would be– I cannot wish for such things. No matter how it hurts, or rather because it hurts, we must learn to accept sorrow. We must take it into our hearts and tame our grief…” Ephraim: “Eirika… Tell me, Sister… If Lyon were here with us, what do you think he would want?” Eirika: “What he would want?” Ephraim: “Yes. You see, I think I know. It was the reason for his studies. It’s why he wanted to know about the Sacred Stones–or rather the Fire Emblem. Let’s take Lyon’s dreams and fulfill them in his stead. We can do that, can’t we? Without relying on any mystic power?” Eirika: “You’re right, Brother, we can. Let us fulfill his dreams. As Lyon wanted, as we all want… So we may live in peace and joy.”

Sure this epilogue sort of sucks because Eirika has to be explained things by Eph out of anyone (when we know how he takes the news in his route!), but the point still stands, tempted with the power to achieve the impossible... the heroes refuse and accept to move forward and fulfill their dreams (make the impossible possible?) without relying on mystic powers, especially if it comes from Fomortiis himself!