#part of them! their relationships don’t lessen each other but make each one stronger!

[quietwingsinthesky]

one of my favorite things about doctor who is that, by necessity from the ever-rotating cast of companions and the doctor’s own changing face, you could never possibly argue that there’s one single pairing for the doctor to get with that would be the True One For Them. they’ve lived too long, loved too much, for it to ever be just one person.

[cancerian-woman]

I wish we saw some bonding between Bonnie and Qetsiyah or something, like imagine meeting your ANCESTOR who started all of this shit (besides Dahlia, Inadu, and Esther, the whole doppelgänger thing existing is what I’m talking about). How would you have wanted Bonnie and Qetsiyah’s relationship to have been like? Like Qetsiyah is arguably the most naturally powerful witch on the show, more powerful than Dahlia and Esther (I’m sure there’s like 20 posts on reddit explaining their feats), I just wish her and Bonnie could’ve had more interaction ughhhhhh.

Like isn’t Qetsiyah Egyptian or Greek or something? Wouldn’t it have been cool to incorporate that into a storyline with Bonnie and her magic?

Isn’t it crazy that even outside potential romantic relationships, there’s still so much lacking in Bonnie’s writing in the show? Like besides the MFG, she has ZERO FRIENDS. Stefan isn’t really her friend, she wasn’t friends with Damon until the whole prison world shit, I think, Stefan and Caroline were friends with Klaus (Caroline being more of a fling than a friend, but whatever), I forgot who Elena was friends with, but my point is that Bonnie is actually more sidelined than I thought. Bonnie never even had enemies that were strictly HER enemies. Kai could count as one, but he was more focused on Alaric and the Parker family when he left the prison world, Elena was one of the vocal points of the show, so she had all that shit, Caroline had that whole thing with Tyler and Klaus and other storylines, where was BONNIE’S STORYLINE.

Like isn’t it crazy that Klaus and all these people talk about how powerful and epic the Bennetts are, so why isn’t Bonnie considered a threat? Like… it literally doesn’t make sense. Like you’re telling me that everyone knew Bonnie was crazy powerful and had a crazily powerful ancestral background, she’s a psychic, she can create dimensions, etc… but she’s somehow just the MFG helper… right.

It’s giving mammy in the form of the magical negro. A motherly figure who is always moral and takes care of everyone and is so strong and blah blah blah, I’m so sick of it.

And I don’t mind black witches being a thing in shows. As an African, it really intrigues me to see how shows tackle the topic of black people and witchcraft but WHY do us black folk have to be helpers to EVERYONE. EVEN IN SHOWS. GOSH. She doesn’t even get a proper ending in the show. “Bonnie travelled to Africa”…😐😐😐. Wow. Ok.

And I wish we saw more scenes of Bonnie just LEARNING. Like yeah, great. We have like one or two scenes of her playing with feathers, but imagine if she was in the originals and Vincent was mentoring her or some shit. Idk. Or if her and white Bonnie!Freya or white Bonnie!Davina were just chilling and practicing witchcraft together or whatever. We never really get to see Bonnie CHILL or just learn without having the goal of saving Elena or someone in the MFG. Do we ever see her relax? Nope. My brain just reminded me of Plec tweeting to Megan Thee Stallion that she sees black women as superheroes that will save us all and I’m even more mad now.

Sorry for the rant.

You summed up everything perfectly! I’ll answer the Qet part.

I would’ve liked to see Qetsiyah and Bonnie see each other as family. Have Qetsiyah uplift Bonnie rather than cause her pain by being the anchor. Qetsiyah was arrogant as hell. Why should Qetsiyah lessen who she is? Everything ties back to her as the oldest Bennett witch we meet.

Qetsiyah made Silas suffer for his manipulation and abuse of her magic. Bonnie’s in the same position Qetsiyah was in. A young Bennett witch being used by vampires for their own deeds. So why not have Qetsiyah remind Bonnie she’s not just any witch she’s a Bennett witch. She’s stronger than them, she doesn’t have to take their shit just because she loves them. Fight back.

TVDU has no value for their characters of color and doesn’t want the Bennett’s as a family. I do think it would’ve been nice if Bonnie’s magical education was handled better but Bonnie being a self taught witch through it all really makes her stand out more.

[tomato-fendo-writes]

Hi, hope you're doing well ✨.

So first off, I love, LOVE chapter 15 and it's always the highlight of my day when I get a notification that Fendo posted, my Tumblr feed and email inbox are blessed when that happens. Secondly, it is genuinely amazing that you had the strength to write and post chapter 15 after the passing of your sensei, and find the strength and inspiration from that important moment in your life and implement it in your work. I pray you are granted patience during this time.

Soooo as for the fic, I firmly believe in sibling bonding supremacy and I know the fic's main focus is the relationship between Kazuya and Jin, but I am weak for soft brotherly bonds and it will give me an indescribable amount of happiness to see such a bond between the brothers develop eventually and for Kazuya to grow into the role of a big brother, to act as such and see Lee become all flustered as a result when Kazuya genuinely cares for him and shows him affection in that capacity.

Also, do you think Kazuya lets his emotions lead him? I'm not saying he's impulsive but rather it's the Devil inside him that aggravates and enhances his emotions, makes him feel much more of each emotion, especially negative ones. And its become a buzz in the back of his head that he's become used to in all these years, that its just become his default. His bond growing with both Jin and Lee actually quietens the buzz in his head, grounds him, provides him clarity and one day the difference is so apparent that he himself notices it.

It's ok if you can't answer any one of these, or both 😭. I understand that you need to keep your cards close.

I genuinely can't wait for the next chapter. Please take care ✨.

Byee.

bruh the way this made me blush 😭 so sweet to hear i can be the light in someone’s day with my work, that’s genuinely so heartwarming ♥️ and thank you for your words about sensei, i still miss him and i always will, but i will say that things are a lot better now

as for kaz and lee - while yes, not the MAIN focus of the fic, they are still a very very important part of it in relation to each other (and everything else), and there will be a lot of development between them for the better :D i will kinda miss when i don’t get to write them in their screaming matches anymore lol, but there’s a really good trade off that i can’t spoil >:)

and yes, absolutely kazuya is a lot more emotionally driven than he would like to think! he does everything in his power to be logical, but like jin, he’s a firey, volatile thing that feels very deeply when he does feel, and he can be led around by his emotions if he doesn’t catch himself (and it’s VERY hard to catch himself). he just likes to deny it a lot because he’s stupid. but devil absolutely amplifies his negative and stronger emotions, always buzzing in the back of his head like you said. it’s almost hard to imagine how he would be without devil in his head, since it’s been like that for practically forever for him. (there’s a song on my fic playlist that embodies this part of him very well for me and it always leaves me wanting to lay in the floor lol)

the buzz is being lessened, or at least he doesn’t notice it as much anymore. funny how things can dampen it if he lets them… let’s see how that goes for him

[mental-health-advice]

Hello, I’m a high school student and I’ve noticed that things in my friend group have been tense lately. Whenever I say something, I’m sometimes ignored or no one will respond and there will be just silence. It’s been getting worse lately and I’ve been trying to find new topics of conversation but it doesn’t really work. Out of anxiety, I went through previous pictures of myself with my friends and have found that there is one particular person in my group who always looks uncomfortable around me but covers it up very well. This person (Lets call her T) has been friends with me for almost 2 years now. I’ve looked back on conversations with them and it’s always hard to talk them. Some key things that have happened over the last couple of months have lead me to suspect that they are a definite part of the reason as to why my friends are distancing themselves from me. I want to know if I should continue to make it up with T, build better and stronger relationships with my other friends in that group and find the core issue that’s leading to this tense atmosphere, or give up and find new friends. My family has been struggling with money this year due to COVID and to lessen the weight, Ive been thinking of whether or not I should change schools to go somewhere cheaper and make new friends. Please keep in mind that generally my friends and I have known each other for 5+ years now. I find myself attached to them but also wonder if I should let them go. They aren’t saying anything outright or being mean but they’re distancing themselves. Maybe 1 or 2 people aren’t doing so and are staying by me but I know that T has definitely said something. My relationship with T has been going down a steady decline and I don’t think it’s salvageable, but I also know that she has a strong grip on my other friends. Due to current issues with myself, I have found it difficult to connect with my friends further bc of this anxiety I feel. I’ve always been good friends with everyone in my group but they’ve always been closer with each other bc being so close to them is exhausting for me and I get really emotionally tired. I feel like I could lessen my family‘s financial burden and make new friends (but it’s really difficult for me, I’ve known these people for years) OR try to make up with them, find the issue in the group, and find a way to fix it. I think you should also keep in mind that it’s currently holidays for me and I have 6 weeks until I go back to school - I’ll be starting year 11 next year so this is really important for me. Or maybe I’m not looking at all the other options and should be thinking more outside the box. Maybe I should talk to one of my closer friends about it and tell them how I feel? Please also keep in mind that I really don’t want to talk to my family about this. I’m really sorry for how long this is. I’m just really panicking.

Hey there,

I am so sorry that you are going through all of this and especially with T. I know you probably already know this but sometimes friends may ‘outgrow’ each other or begin to go in different directions. I am not in any way suggesting that this is what is happening in this current situation but it may be something to keep in mind.

It doesn’t sound as though you have done anything to T that would result in her or your other friends being so tense when you are around them. If it was just one person who was distancing themselves from you then I’d suggest it may be because they were going through something personal that may be taking up more of their time than usual or that they had something else going on that may not even have anything to do with you. But given the fact that it’s your whole friend group makes me feel as though something else may be going on.

For example, you mentioned that you have known your friends for 5+ years and T only for 2 years, is it possible that T may be feeling jealous of you and the number of extra years you have had your other friends for? It definitely seems to me that T is the more dominant person in the friend group and as you mentioned it definitely sounds as though she has a strong grip on what happens within the group. It’s so good to hear though that at least 2 friends are sticking by your side!

It can be so difficult when things like this happens within a friend group and especially with other stressors like with covid and knowing that your parents are struggling financially also and so of course you wanting to lessen the load if at all possible and this speaks really big of yourself!

I can’t tell you what to do and so obviously I cannot tell you if you should keep with your current friend group and try and improve the situation or to change schools and start over, but sometimes when I have a tough choice to make, I find that writing a pro’s con’s list can be helpful. Even this can make things confusing though so what do you feel is best for you to do right now, keeping in mind that you have the right to be happy and feel good about whatever you do decide to do.

For example, if you stay with how things as they are, what things can you do to try and improve the situation? Perhaps you could speak to those 2 friends who are sticking by you and ask for their advice, or confront T and have a quiet chat with her in regards to how you are personally feeing about everything.

If you were to change schools, how would this make you feel starting fresh but not knowing anyone to begin with? How would you make new friends, would it make you more anxious when it comes to making new friends or would you be OK with doing this? And remember that if you do choose to change schools, you do not have to lose contact with your friends completely and especially with those 2 who are sticking by you.

These are just some things to consider!

I really hope that this has helped a bit and please do let us know if we can help to support you in any other way!

I’m thinking of you and hope that you are going well!

Take care,

Lauren

[mallowwords]

To become strong (Yandere Childe x reader)

Before you read  Please know this has yandere themes and unhealthy relationships, do not interact if that makes you uncomfortable

Word Count: 1.4k

Authors note: My first work!

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A sharp pain hit you. Then another one, and another. You try your best to defend yourself, but it’s been going on for 45 minutes. Everywhere hurts. All because Tartaglia decided this would be a good experience. A good opportunity for you to get stronger. He took advantage of his rank and made you spare with other members of the fatui. Over and over again with no breaks. He said that to get stronger you need to constantly improve yourself.

Only one more person remained other than you. It should be the last wave. An opening! You quickly take advantage of the weak spot to use your cyro vision, sending a blast of cyro in the discretion of your opponent. Just as you did you heard someone clapping slowly approaching you.

“Well, ‘First’, I never expected you to do this well. Truly this is great.” He smiled with excitement.

You stare silently at him. It’s getting hard to stand up. You’re not in the mood to deal with him. Your whole body is in pain. ‘I really need to get to a healer.’.

“Now now, I’m here to help patch up your wounds. You won’t be able to train very well with those will you now?”

“I don’t need your help,” You always hated how he put you in situations which causes you to get injured and then he always acts so, just so, annoying. You didn’t know how else to describe it. It’s like he is patronising you. You walk to the side-lines where a med kit was normally there, stumbling along the way. Each step is causing you more and more pain. You’ll ignore him and patch yourself up enough to go see a healer. You felt those ever-familiar arms wrap around you. Pulling you closer to him.

He bends down and whispers in your ear, “Didn’t I say I would patch you up. As your husband it’s the least I can do.”

“...”

He was met with silence.

His arms then squeezed around you making your body hurt all over. You tried a pathetic attempt at escape. You tried your best. But he was stronger. Always much stronger as he liked to remind you. You let out a wince. “It’s rude for a spouse to ignore a husband, especially when he’s going out of his way to help you. It’s important, you know. Because we have to make up for all that lost time we had before you were skilful enough to aid the Tsarista in her goal. Honestly, I made you who you are. Don’t you think you should just do as I say, as a thank you?” He squeezed even harder when you tried to struggle. You hate this. He even brought that up. How you regret placing your trust in him.

You knew he was different ever since he returned that day. Yet you still hoped he’d be the same caring Ajax from your childhood. Especially because of how you got your vision it made you sick. When he disappeared for three days. You ran away from home to search for him. Such a stupid child you were. You only survived because of the cyro vision and Ajax finding you. When you were the one who was meant to find him.

You eventually stop struggling. The pain is becoming too much.

“...Fine,” You admitted in defeat. 

“That’s a good choice” He stopped his death grip and before you knew it he was carrying you bridal style. You could see his smile. Well, you couldn’t really call it one, not with the way his eyes looked. They were like a bottomless pit of nothingness. Like an abyss. Like there’s no escaping them.

“Didn’t know you found my face that pretty ‘First’. Since you’ve been staring at my face the whole time, I’ve been carrying you.”

“I do not!” You try to get out of his harms, which is quite a challenge.  You groan in pain.

“I thought we stopped all this, honestly I’m just trying to be nice.”

He sat you down and got the first aid kit. He started with cleaning the wounds, making sure he’s pressing it extra hard. You make a squeal in response to the pain.

“If this is sore, I fear what would happen on the battlefield. I can’t have you dying on me before you’ve reached your full potential. Plus, you promised me we’d be together always.”

“When we were ten.”

“You haven't changed much at all from then.” He’s now wrapping the cuts with bandages. “Still weaker than me, but you have lots of potential, which is what makes this so fun,” He momentarily stops to ruffle your hair. “I used to do that all the time, you know. You used to love it as well, always wanting my attention. I guess the only thing that’s changed about you is that… enough about that.” He then pulled you into a hug. “Let’s go get you a healer now, shall we?”

He then picks you up again. Making sure his grip is firm.

“Do you have to do this?” You say avoiding eye contact.

“Why, don’t you enjoy this?” He asked as if he didn’t know the answer. How you hated this part of him. You decide not to push the matter any further. Instead, you just close your eyes and focus on the cold air.

“‘First’, we’re here, open your eyes.”

You quickly jump out of his arms as you open your eyes as soon as you notice his grip has loosened.

“No need to do it so quickly, I do have feelings.” He sighed. “Now onto other business” He turned to face the healer. “Will you go heal ‘First’ for me?”

“Yes sir!” The healer responded and made their way over to you. You slowly felt the pain lessen. Things were becoming more bearable. Deep breaths. Soon the pain was just a dull background pain. 

“I’ve finished sir,” The healer declared.

“Good, we’ll be leaving now.”

Tartaglia offers his hand to you. Expecting you to take it. You get up on your own and as soon as you do you feel his hand around yours. With his famous strong grip as he often does to remind you of your power difference. You were no means weak, but compared to him, you were. Why did he take sudden interest in you again? He left to join the Fatui, came back as a harbinger, forced you apart from your lover and then forced you into this game of some twisted married life. Forcing you into this strict training regimen for the sake of unlocking your so-called potential. You honestly have no interest in fighting or getting stronger. Unlike him who lives for the battlefield. Yes, you could get anything that you wanted, and you were strong enough to defend yourself. But the thing you most wanted was freedom. And to do that you have to defeat him. But that’s impossible at your current level as he loves to remind you.

You felt him tugging at you, telling you to hurry. You often spaced out whenever you weren’t training. You tried to match his pace but mentally you were exhausted. Even though you were physically fine now. You just wanted to curl up under the sheets alone and read a book.

It appears you were home now.

“You worked really hard today, so I will let you take some time to rest. I’ll go cook dinner,”

You were grateful that at least he can do housework well from all the practice from taking care of his younger siblings. His family are very nice to be around. He’s much softer and less battle crazy. When you visit them, it’s the time you’re always happiest. Well as happy as you could be, at playing this game of married life. But you had to appreciate even the littlest bit of happiness. Since it was very rare these days. You go light the fireplace and grab a blanket and curl up near it. It was warm. You imagine your lover, your true one. The one that made you happy. You wonder what they were doing now. You hadn’t heard from them ever since Tartaglia forced them out of Snezhnaya. You hoped they were alive and happy. You slowly drift into a peaceful sleep thinking about them. Even if you’ll never see them again, they still managed to calm you.

[itstheimpossibledream]

It’s Only A Play -Part 3

Word Count:3244

Pairing : AU Henry Cavill x FemBlack!Reader

Summary: We love a good slow burn. SMUT

The bag crackled in his large hands. You found yourself wondering why he even bothered delicately tearing the wrapping, when he could easily smash both the wrapper and cookie open in one fist. The fortune seemed so small in his hands.He held the paper back a bit further than you would have expected and you realized he was probably one of those people who needed glasses but refused to get them.He cleared his throat again."It says 'The art of living is taking the biggest chance.'"

"In bed." you said quickly

"What?!" his eyebrows flew up in shock but,he laughed to keep from appearing to hopeful.

"It's an American thing. You read a fortune cookie and at the end you add in bed. It makes every fortune cookie funnier, I promise."you said not breaking eye contact. He threw his head back and laughed even harder. It was a childish trick but, something about it tickled him so much he hardly noticed when his hat fell off of his head and onto Kal who had been peacefully sleeping in the slice of floor behind Henry's chair. His baritone chuckles echo through the apartment and you’re amazed that neighbors didn't even cross his mind as a concern in this place.Realistically he probably wasn’t even home enough to get a noise complaint. His laughing had lessened and you could feel him watching you. You knew people who had embarrassingly nice apartments but, nothing like this. This was just lavishly ridiculous.

"It gets lonely being here alone." He said evenly,reading your mind. "Family doesn't visit much and keeping friends with a schedule like mine is just..."

"Not easy ." you finished for him.You could feel his eyes boring into you carving out a space in your heart for him and you try to will yourself to stop. You both sat comfortable on the silence for a while, momentarily mutually mourning the lifestyle you lost to live your dream.

"Okay read yours!" Henry gestured to you cookie. You smashed it to bits,gingerly pulling out the paper fortune. You sat up tall clearing your throat trying to figure out if this fortune would be equally funny or if your childish trick had run it's course.

"You Are very talented in many ways in bed." You say bursting out laughing as he doubled over again.

"Come on! How come I couldn't have gotten that one" he jokes shrugging his shoulders.

" Just wasn't your fortune."you tease winking at him and getting up from the table.Okay so you were flirting with him,definitely flirting with him. But a highschool showmance was so unlike you. You knew the golden rule was to never go for your co-stars and yet here you were winking and shit. Maybe he'd ignore it , he really knew nothing about you outside of your work.

"So what made you like this story? When you got the script when did know you had to do it ?" He had moved from the table, his eyes shown brightly as he recovered his hat from the floor on his way. At the end of dinner you assumed it would be normal to grab your jacket and go back to your room.It's not like he had really planned for you to be over, and you weren't even friends so staying up this late with him to gossip wasn’t exactly in the cards. You had already learned so much more about him than you had expected to. He expertly moved to the kitchen,uncorked a bottle of wine he had chilling in the refrigerator and returned to the couch handing one of the glasses to you. So, now you were staying, I mean it’d be rude to turn down wine.

"Uhhhhh- well I think the relationship is relatable, it's real. It's not about these two perfect people but, it's about this perfect love they have... ya know?" You whirl yourself onto the seat on the couch next to him."To imagine what they were going through as a couple I mean- it must have made everything harder, these characters are from completely different worlds and they still choose each other in their own way. " He nods next to you , this was new. Geeking out with him about work wasn't what you expected but, you were actually enjoying it.

"So let me ask you something?"he pushes leaning in , He wrings his hands together and you’re distracted by the veiny passageways that mark down from his forearms."When do you think it would actually be necessary for them to have a sex scene?"he asks timidly.

"Right!" you exclaim! "I love Stephen but the way he directs it makes it feel so clunky !"you emphasize with your hands and he chuckles saying "Okay I'm so glad you noticed it too- like who has sex like this robots?"

"You know his partners have to be weird." you laugh , noticing how pointy his canines are. God, he looks like one of those twilight vampires, his stupid skin probably did shine in actual sunlight Not that New York would get any though,you acknowledge while making a mental note , not to drink to much of the wine that was clearly causing you to get distracted. You finish your glass and set it on the coffee table.

"Yeah I don't know i just think it's an unconventional love story and we need more of those." you smile , sheepishly meeting his eyes , going back to the topic of the show. His lower lip juts up as he nods,in agreement.

"Soooooo what's next?"you pop up, moving to his kitchen opening random cabinets, trying to find his liquor stash. You come across the empty bottle, of what must have been the wine you just drank and turn to him in the living room with a fake pout. It wasn’t that you were bored, or even that you didn’t want to spend time with him sober ;as much as it was that you desperately needed to cling to the idea that he wasn’t a good man for you.

"O. you can smoke out on the terrace if you want, and I don't have any more drinks here but,I can call down to the frontdesk to run and get you something.” Your eyes rolled so hard they almost fell out of your head.

"Of Course you have a front desk."you chortled to yourself.

"Hey, this is the flat the show is paying to keep me in not my own." he pointed at you in mock sternness

"No I'm okay. I don't smoke and drink all the time " you chided at him,he probably didn't really think that. He was just trying to drum up some conversation.

"and here I thought you were a real New Yorker." he jokes breaking into a toothy grin.

" I'm from a very small town-" you divulged with a sigh"definitely not New York.”

"Yeah- there's not many people from where I grew up around here either." he said plainly , moving to take off his rehearsal sneakers, for what was probably the first time since you had gotten to his place.

"You miss it a lot huh?" you ask

"I mean I go back often but, it's just much nicer to not have camera's up your ass all the time."he huffs, moving to the second set of laces.

"Ahh that good old Hollywood fame." you joke, with a sigh. He just smiles at you, beaming embarrassingly knowing he can never seem to say the right thing around you. For some reason busting his balls was somehow so much better than admitting to a feeling that you were becoming increasingly aware of,you wanted him.

"I'm not like a smoker smoker" you say, slicing through the silence "I picked it up from my ex and it just kinda stuck." you admit with a flippant gesture of your hand." But, only when I'm nervous or something."you felt the need to clarify.

"And why would you be nervous?"He smirked, pushing his shoes under the decoratively simplistic coffee table across from him and sliding down the front of the couch to sit on the floor. His thighs seemed abnormally large as he spread his legs out and started stretching. This time it was your turn to look away from him.You peeled your eyes,just as quick as he had before your shower. The confidence that radiated from him was absolutely maddening. You couldn't understand how any man could be so aware of their looks and yet still come off as slightly shy.

"I'm always nervous the first days of rehearsal.The new schedule, the new people, it's all just overwhelming at times." you divulged honestly. He pulled a knee into his chest heaving a sigh as you continued. "I wish I never started smoking though." you circled back.

"Do you wish you never met him too?"Henry asked, inquisitively peering up from under his hat as he switched knees. You exhaled slowly,fighting for the right way to answer that question.

"Sometimes yes" you nodded. "When I first moved to New York it was really tough, I felt really lonely too." you allowed your voice to trail into a whisper. There is a silence and then you can feel his eyes on you, your cheeks burning red-hot and the more you avoid looking at him the stronger the urge is.

"So that's why you're single." it was brutal but, you weren't upset.Long ago you had come to a similar realization about yourself. Plus, european’s had a way of sounding rude while simply stating facts, it’s part of what makes them so trendy.

"You've allowed life to make you become tough and jaded so you just don't date?Is that it?" he perked an eyebrow in your direction while removing his baseball cap.While you took no offense to his comment, that didn't stop you from hating it.

"Why do you care?" you asked immediately, choosing the defensive instead of going deeper and chasing him down the rabbit hole of honesty.

"See what is that?" he questioned.It was clear he was not going to be letting this go anytime soon.

"I'm trying to do the assignment. I'm trying to get to know you and you push me away."

"Don't be ridiculous."you roll your eyes toward him once again."I'm not pushing you away I just have boundaries and things I don’t want to discuss with you."

You push up from the couch and head in the direction of your room. It was not within his right to pry about your personal relationships,and truly there was nothing more to discuss. Plus, you knew if you stayed close to him a moment longer, you would give into his eyes and the beautiful vanes bulging in his large hand.

"Why?" he asked jumping to his feet,his agility momentarily shocking you as you turn to leave.

"Because I don't want to ! Because you're not-"

"Not what?" he pushes" I've been working around you and this thing between us and I don't why you can be blunt about everything else except this !" He got dangerously close to raising his voice and it stirred the butterflies in your stomach. Something about him being so stern with you set your sex drive ablaze. You could feel yourself biting down hard on your bottom lip and the more you refused to break eye contact with him the more fired up you became. You could see the honesty behind his eyes, he was trying with you, he was proving himself every step of the way and you hated how much you loved it.

"Fine. What is it? What's the THIS?" you ask sarcastically, staring directly at him. His face looked blank and you wondered for a moment if you had asked the right thing. He grabs your hand,falling back onto the couch and pulling you onto the couch on top of him.You quickly realize you are able to put yourself in a position where you can straddle him as he grabs your face, pulling you down to kiss him. You kiss him back slowly , taking time to explore with your tongue. You can feel his hand tangled in your hair at the back of your head and it does something wild to you. You grind down into him and you hear a slight moan escape his mouth.

You bite down suddenly on his bottom lip before coming up for air and he simply can't take it anymore. He wraps his arms around your legs and lifts you up by the bottom of your thighs, carrying you into the bedroom. You feel ridiculously delicate in his arms as he carries you. You break from the kiss momentarily, to make sure your head is ducking all the way under the doorframe as he holds you,smiling into your kiss.

You pull your own shirt off, letting it hit the floor with a loud 'thwack'. The noise momentarily wakes you out of your horny haze. As he lays you on the bed,you bring your forearm up to cover your eyes, in the vaguest attempt of shielding yourself from your own embarrassment. He pulls your pants off and while unsure ,you don't protest as he gingerly splays your legs open for him to see the wetness that had pooled in your underwear.

"O you're so wet for me now."he smiles from ear to ear as you peek through your hand just enough to see his perfectly chiseled chest and you shut your eyes again wondering if this could be real, if he's real.

" We're not done ."he smirks, grabbing you by the legs and pulling you towards him. He then gracefully flips you over onto your hands and knees facing away from him.He pulls your panties down and drags his large fingers over your wet slit and you arch your back at his touch. He settles one hand on your hip as he uses the other hand to work himself into you.You had imagined he was big, but when you feel his head poking into you, you knew your fantasies could never compare to the reality. He uses the hand on your hip to slowly pull you further onto him until you are taking in his whole length. Moving painstakingly slowly, in and out of you. You hear him moaning above you and then he whispers "Fuck” in that stupid accent before snapping his hips into you and pushing you forward. He uses his other hand to prop you up because he knows he's pushing way to hard for someone of your size. Slamming into your pretty little cunt over and over again. You let out his name and you allow plea after plea for him to let you cum. He pounds into you grabbing your hair and pulling your face up to meet his.After a few more thrusts he finally graces you with a reply.

"No." he says and then pulls out of you. Your body immediately feels drained, completely and utterly fucked out and somehow all you want is more. You hold the position for a minute breathing into the lack of movement when you look back to see Henry watching you. Working himself in his large hand, the veins in his arms bulging and a slight bead of sweat beginning to work it's way onto his forehead.

"Turn over" he commands, and as much as you want to move quickly your legs feel like jelly,the smile line at the corner of his mouth fades as he walks towards you and flips you over himself. He positions himself above you again and says "I want to see that pretty face you make when you cum." he smiles down at you sweetly. Pushing in between your hot folds again and the noise you make is downright pornographic. You know it , he knows it and only fuels the fire behind his thrusts . He reaches for your neck again, giving you a pale necklace of fingers and veins that contrasts with your skin . With his other hand you feel him grab at your hand and interlace your fingers with his, above your head. Your eyes fly open and he is looking directly at you, smiling a bit and you can tell he is taking you in. Revelling in all the tiny noises and ways your body responds to his. You can feel his pace quicken as his moans increase, it almost feels as though the longer you look at him the harder he fucks into you, challenging you, seeing if you can handle him. His curls begin to dampen and stick to his forehead, you watch while he looks down on you. He momentarily breaks having his hand at your throat to bring his own pointer to his mouth. You watch as he lighlty bites down on it while letting out a moan.It's almost as if he's trying to keep himself quiet, or burn this view into his brain, but he's to turned on to focus. He fucks into you harder and harder, you can't take it, seeing his teeth around his own finger made you absolutely feral. You cried out his name immediately and before you could realize what was happening you felt your walls tightening again under him. Your legs shook as waves of pleasure washed over you and you could feel yourself clamping down on him. He fucked you through the orgasm, and when it seemed as though you had recovered, he climbed up your body, forcing his cock down your throat, and came instantly. He shudders and makes deep grunts on top of you. You can't help but gag a little on his length as you try to take in the art that is his unclothed body. He hears you struggling for breath and immediately pulls himself out of you. He holds a thumb at the bottom of your chin and watches as you swallow every drop of him. When you're done you look up at him, giving him your best attempt at doe eyes and he turns your chin up for him to kiss you . Fuck. Fuck. you were not supposed to fuck your coworker.Especially not this coworker, you barely even liked him. After a few moments of making out the contact fizzled and eventually he was just laying next to you, breathing heavily.

"It's purely physical." you sighed, watching the small curly hairs on his pecs as his chest heaved.

"Is it?" he began laughing. His smile shone bright in the dimness of the room. He turns to face you, leaning in for a kiss again and you're to weak to deny him.

"Dammit." he whispers between your lips. You grab the back of his head pulling him closer to you, your mind to blissed out and high for you to think.He kisses you hard and then pulls back. He hops off the bed, chest heaving as he uses his forearm to wipe away the sweat. You sleepily roll over to face where he's going. Some minutes pass and before you know it your overly fucked body is begging for rest.You drift of to sleep feeling euphoria in the big bed.

[yukidragon]

Our Life Snippet - Clingy

As I mentioned in my asks today where I was gushing about Our Life: Beginnings & Always by @gb-patch, it’s about time for another clip of my fanfic novelization of this lovely game!

It’s been a while since I showed a clip of Step 3, so here is a slice from Errands! Thank you to @gb-patch​ and everyone else who enjoy seeing me gush and write about Cove and Jamie! You all make me so happy I cannot even!

Oh, and since this is Step 3 content, spoiler warning for those who haven’t played this far in the game yet.

...

Liz folded her arms over her chest and let out an amused chuckle. “We couldn’t have picked a more perfect trip. It’s been too long since we’ve had a true family outing.” She then gave a pointed look to her little sister and the baby boyfriend for emphasis.

The three parents laughed approvingly at the familiar joke. Jamie rolled her eyes at their mirth and the teasing note to her older sister’s tone even as she fought to keep from smiling herself. Her favorite next door neighbors had joined the Leimomis on this outing, which was what made it a ‘true family outing’ as Liz put it.

Cove offered Jamie a sympathetic smile when their eyes met. Some things never changed and some jokes never died, especially when it came to teasing them about their relationship. It was something they had both long since accepted. The fact that they had been holding hands since they left the cars behind naturally didn’t help lessen such teasing, but neither of them felt inclined to let go of each other.

Jamie finally allowed herself to smile as she squeezed his hand a little, her smile only widening when Cove returned the gesture. Teasing aside, she was bubbling with anticipation to explore the market and see what sort of hidden gems they might uncover. Sure, that meant wading through a sea of people to find them, but she wasn’t alone, so she didn’t pay them any mind.

The idea of spending a day traversing through such a dense crowd of strangers was not something Cove looked forward to, but at least he wouldn’t have to deal with them by himself. He could tune them out as long as he had Jamie by his side. Seeing her so animated with excitement as she looked around raised his spirits, and when she smiled at him, it was like the world around them no longer mattered anymore.

Cliff turned to the group as he clapped his hands together, the sound catching everyone’s attention. “Well, I’m ready to get started. I’ve got plenty of dishes in mind I could use ingredients for.”

It was easy to see that everyone held the same sentiment. Noelani and Pamla were especially excited as they shared a conspiratorial smile with one another.

“Yes, that’s a very good idea, Cliff,” Noelani said cheerfully as she turned back to the others. “This place is much larger than it seems. It’s difficult to visit each part in a single day.”

Such a challenge did nothing to diminish Cliff’s enthusiasm. “I’m sure we can make a decent dent together at least.”

“Actually…,” Noelani said as she let her gaze wander to the rest of the group. “Since there are so many of us this time, we could take different sides of the market.”

For a second, Jamie swore she saw a hint of mischief in Pamela’s eyes before her mom turned away to look at the stalls.

“Divide and conquer, eh?” Pamela said. “That sounds brilliant.”

The suggestion took the rest of the group by surprise. No one else had considered splitting up to be an option.

Pamela flashed the group a dazzling smile to banish any misgivings there were towards the idea. “Though, it’s a little unfair that there are four Leimomi family members and only two Holdens here, so I’ll go with you boys to even out the odds.”

“That’s fine with me,” Noelani said cheerfully.

Despite the upbeat attitude and smiles Noelani and Pamela showed the group, it was clear that they were the only ones excited for the idea. Liz pursed her lips in a frown, her brow furrowing, but she kept her mouth shut. By contrast, Jamie’s mouth hung open in a small ‘o’ of surprise. Cliff awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and his gaze wandered aimlessly, as he found himself at a loss for where to look or what to say. Neither was a problem his son had.

Cove tightened his hold on Jamie’s hand reflexively, drawing her attention to his frowning face. The grip wasn’t anywhere near painful, but it made his thoughts on them being separated crystal clear even before he spoke up. “I don’t like that idea.”

Noelani was nonplussed by the resistance, smiling at Cove despite his obvious disapproval. “Don’t worry, we’ll be apart for only a few hours, and then we’ll have something to talk about at the end of it.”

Cove wasn’t especially convinced. He had never been comfortable with plans being changed without notice, especially when he wasn’t even consulted about the change. Unfortunately, he could already tell that this was a battle that he wasn’t going to win. He could be stubborn with his own parents or peers, but when it came to the Leimomi matrons, he couldn’t dig in his heels with only the argument that he didn’t want to be separated from Jamie. His shoulders slumped in defeat, and he let out a sigh. Reluctantly, he nodded and released his girlfriend’s hand.

Liz let out a thoughtful hum and shrugged off her confusion. “Alright,” she said, her frown melting away into an easy smile. “I don’t get the point, but I also don’t mind spending the first part of the trip with Jamie and Ma.

Delighted, Noelani clapped her hands together in a brief show of cheer. “Wonderful. Are the teams ready to go?”

Like her sister, Jamie didn’t understand why their moms thought splitting up was a good idea. The entire point of both of their families going to the farmers’ market together was to enjoy each other’s company, wasn’t it? Splitting the group in half felt like splitting the fun in half too.

Actually, it would be even less than that if they expected Jamie and Cove to spend the day apart when they could be together.

If this was going to happen regardless of any of their opinions on the matter, Jamie knew that she had to at least suggest a compromise. “Can I be the one who goes with the Holdens instead?”

Jamie clasped her hands together as she looked between her moms hopefully. They would understand why she wanted to spend the day with Cove, right? He just got back from Nevada, and after he had been gone a long time to boot. It felt almost cruel to spend a day apart from one another when they didn’t have to.

Cove immediately perked up at the suggestion, his defeated frown turning into a hopeful smile of his own.

Unfortunately, the expressions Noelani and Pamela wore were not promising. Noelani pouted at their youngest daughter while Pamela merely shook her head with a grin.

“Sorry,” Pamela said. “No can do this time, kiddo.”

Jamie saw not even a flicker of reluctance between her parents, and the disappointment on Noelani’s face, however played up to keep the mood light, made her feel a twinge of guilt for suggesting she leave her ma’s group. Her shoulders sagged in surrender as a quiet sigh escaped her. “We won’t be split up too long, right?” she asked weakly.

A cheerful smile returned to Noelani’s face as she moved to her youngest’s side and wrapped an arm around Jamie in a little side hug. Her comforting gesture was rewarded with a lopsided smile from her daughter. “Yes, thank you, Jamie.”

With things finally settled, Pamela walked over towards Cove and Cliff, grinning in spite of the confused looks they still sent their way. “Come on, boys, we’re heading out.”

“Sure,” Cliff said.

“Okay,” Cove said with far less enthusiasm than Pamela. This trip had suddenly become a lot more of a chore than it started off as.

His gaze then turned to Jamie, and he offered her a soft smile when her eyes met his. He was drawn towards his girlfriend, stopping just short in front of her. The smile he wore wavered as he hesitated to leave. “Bye,” he said quietly, unable to hide the note of regret from his voice.

Jamie was no more thrilled to separate than Cove was, but she managed to offer him a small smile in return anyway. “Bye.”

Cove took his girlfriend’s hand in his once more and gave it a gentle squeeze, which Jamie returned. Her smile grew just a little stronger at his attempt to reassure her, which raised his spirits as well. He then dipped his face towards her for a parting kiss, his cheeks warming as his eyes drifted closed.

Jamie started to close her eyes as well in anticipation of the kiss, only to notice Cove suddenly jerk to a halt stiffly a few inches away from her.

The reason why became immediately clear as Cove twisted his head around to stare back at Pamela with wide eyes. She had seized the hem of his shirt and physically held him back. She gave another firm tug, urging him upright before letting go.

“No, no, no,” Pamela chided with a wide grin on her face as she wagged a finger at Cove. “Time’s a wastin’, Cove, and I’ve known you long enough to be aware that you’re one to linger. If I don’t stop you now, you’ll only drag your feet on parting ways more.” Her smile then turned mischievous as she shifted her gaze from him to Jamie and back again. “The two of you can snuggle and make out as much as you want later. We have important shopping to do now.”

Jamie felt her face grow hot from being called out so publicly by her mom. Cove outright gasped at Pamela, completely taken aback by what felt like a truly obscene thing for her to say.

Once Cove overcame the initial shock, he forced himself to ignore how fiercely his cheeks burned as he made an unimpressed show of rolling his eyes. “You don’t need to literally pull me away from Jamie. I’m not that clingy.”

Pamela made no effort to hide her snickering as she shook her head wryly.

The reaction wasn’t one Cove expected. He raised his eyebrows at her before he looked over at Noelani. However, the other Mrs. Leimomi refused to look him in the eye as she whistled in a supposedly ‘innocent’ manner.

Cove noticed the look Liz sent his way, particularly the sly smirk she wore that stretched from ear to ear. He whipped his head around towards his dad next. Cliff met his gaze, but could only offer a lopsided smile and an apologetic shrug.

It was only then when it dawned on Cove - everyone really thought he was that needy.

Finally, Cove dared turn to face Jamie, his eyes wide and pleading with the desperate hope that at least she didn’t agree as well.

To his relief, the look Jamie gave him was a sympathetic one. She then leveled a stern gaze to the rest of the group, folding her arms across her chest. “Cove is totally capable of being independent when he wants to be,” she said in a very matter of fact tone.

After all, Cove had recently traveled to Nevada by himself for weeks. Willingly separating from her for that long was the exact opposite of clingy. In fact, that was all the more reason for them to enjoy each other’s company as much as possible now. There was no reason for them to poke fun at her boyfriend for wanting to show her affection. How they expressed their feelings for one another was no one else’s business but theirs.

Unfortunately, it seemed that no one else saw it that way, and her attempt at chastising them for their teasing was met with a few snickers from her family. Unlike them, Jamie was not amused.

Cove, on the other hand, beamed at having his girlfriend’s support. Without thinking, he took a step towards Jamie, feeling drawn to her once more. Also, once more, Pamela snatched the back of his shirt, freezing him in his tracks.

Pamela attempted to suppress the urge to laugh, but a few chuckles escaped her anyway. “Actions speak louder than words.”

Caught newly embarrassed all over again, Cove struggled to come up with something to say in his defense. His mouth twisted and his cheeks reddened as he looked sideways at their families, who were having way too much amusement at his expense. “Yeah, well…” After a few moments of struggling, he finally had to look away with a frustrated huff. “So what?”

That admission had their parents and Liz bursting into laughter, much to Cove’s mortification.

Jamie felt her irritation grow when everyone started laughing at Cove. “Yeah, so what?” she said in a challenging tone. Before anyone could make what she was certain would be another teasing retort, she closed the distance between herself and her boyfriend. She cupped his cheek to turn his face back towards her and stole a kiss from his lips before her mom could stop them a third time.

Cove barely had a moment to register the kiss before it ended. It was so brief that he hadn’t had the chance to really enjoy it, much to his regret. He could only stare wide-eyed at Jamie as she moved back from him, though involuntarily, as this time it was Noelani pulling her back by the shirt.

“I believe you were saying something about being independent?” Noelani said, though her chiding didn’t come across as particularly authoritative since she was chuckling as she said it.

Jamie was unrepentant for her act of defiance, her grin wide and proud, though she did step back at her ma’s prompting, if only to spare her shirt from further punishment. “Cove is, but I didn’t say anything about myself,” she said wryly. That comment along with her little display set off another round of laughter from the group, but it was worth it.

 Pamela shook her head with a wide grin. “I don’t know about that, but I think we both better keep the kids on a short leash if we want a chance of getting any shopping done before nightfall, ‘Lani.” She gave a little tug on Cove’s shirt for emphasis, much to his chagrin.

“I think you’re right,” Noelani giggled as she kept her grip on Jamie’s shirt firm.

Cove didn’t have any further defense for himself or Jamie, not with the way everyone was having way too much fun at their expense. Grimacing, he strode several feet from the group, his face red all the way to his ears. He wanted to move on from this teasing, even if it meant physically moving on and away from her. At least Pamela let him go despite her idle threat to keep him on a leash.

Seeing Cove start to leave washed the taste of victory from Jamie’s mouth, but she just had to accept it. “I’ll see you soon,” she called after him. When he glanced back at her, she smiled softly at him and gave him a little wave.

Despite how Cove still burned with embarrassment, the reminder that he had Jamie’s support helped him relax a bit. He nodded at her ever so slightly as he pulled his mouth into a bent smile.

“See you in a few hours!” Pamela said as she gave her wife and daughters a cheery wave.

“Take care of yourselves,” Cliff said with a nod of his head.

With that, the groups were divided. Pamela picked a direction and set a course for destinations unknown, leading the Holden men who followed not far behind her.

Noelani gave the departing group a grin and waved enthusiastically with her whole arm. By contrast, Liz gave a much more dainty wave of her own.

Jamie continued to wave goodbye as she watched Cove disappear with his dad and her mom into the dense crowd. Because of his height, she could still spot glimpses of his pale green hair for a little while, but all too quickly even that small sign of him was lost from view.

As her arm fell limply to her side, Jamie tried to banish all the negative feelings she had towards this turn of events. Sure, this wasn’t what she wanted, but that didn’t mean the trip couldn’t still be fun. Sure, it sucked that she wasn’t going to explore the market with her boyfriend, and that was the thing she was looking most forward to and now, poof, that wasn’t happening… but she would see him in a few hours. It was silly to feel sad or let down that they wouldn’t all be traveling together.

It wasn’t as though she was actually clingy like she joked.

[talkfastromance4]

when i’m dreaming--calum hood oneshot

yeah so i’m going through something so this is very, very self-indulgent. 

word count: 2.3k

warnings: drinking linked a little with coping, going through a depressive low, best friend!calum

feedback and reblogs are always appreciated!

***

Calum notices something is wrong the minute she steps outside. He was about to take a drink of his white claw, but his eyes went to her nails when she pulled Crystal in for a hug. She typically paints them to match her mood and today they’re opalescent pink, barely noticeable but still there. In plain sight but still visible while she secretly wants to be invisible.

She smiles and cracks jokes with everyone she says hello to then when she steps in front of Calum, he sees the sadness in her eyes. They’ve been best friends for awhile now, they’ve shared secrets, stories of first loves and heartaches, their fears, their wildest dreams. But there was always something she kept hidden, tucked away in a box welded shut.

“Hey bud,” she sighs.

“Hey short stuff,” he grins playfully pulling her in for a hug. Her arms wrap around him and he makes sure to give her an extra tight squeeze.

“I’m not that short,” she grumbles in his chest.

“You’re shorter than me,” he reminds rubbing her shoulder with his thumb. Although her arms are loose around him he can feel the tension in her shoulders that she’s carrying.

“Stop hogging her! I haven’t seen her in weeks!” Ashton exclaims and Calum pulls away.

He knows it was too soon to break the hug but to keep up with her own façade he doubts anyone else sees, he does it.

“Hey, you’re the one who disappeared into the desert for all those weeks,” she jokes rising on her toes to loop her arms around Ashton’s neck.

He gives her a big bear hug that lifts her a few inches off the ground, Calum sees her nails digging into her arm as she squeezes him.

“Had to recenter myself, you should try it sometime,” Ashton teases right back. As if she was shocked, she removes herself from the hug then accepts a bottle of Mike’s from Luke.

“I can take something stronger than this, Hemmings,” she takes a large chug regardless.

“Yeah? Like tequila? I got some limes,” he jerks his thumb behind him towards the drink table.

“I said stronger not deadly. You know I can’t handle tequila,” she scrunches her nose.

Everyone else laughs but alarms are going off in Calum’s head.

“Yeah, the floor of my Tesla doesn’t like tequila either,” Michael chimes in with a tray of shots.

“I told you to pull over,” she shrugs lifting up a shot. She takes a whiff and nods in approval at his selected alcohol choice.

“I was going 75 on the freeway!”

“And that’s why I threw up. Ready?” she lifts her glass.

Calum meets her eyes as over the hands of their friends as Ashton gives an impromptu speech about friendship and long rides. He wasn’t really paying attention because when their eyes locked, he saw the panic, he saw the fear of whatever was going on in her head.

**

The next time he sees her is at the movies. Her eyes are darker along with her nails that are now a hunter’s green; camouflaged but still visible. While they’re waiting in line for snacks, he lifts her hand in his and runs his thumb over the color.

“This is a pretty color, I’ve never seen it on you before,” he says.

“Yeah, um…wanted to try something different,” she shrugs. “Do you want the blue icee?”

“Is that even a question?” he raises a brow, and she laughs.

Once they’re settled in the seats the previews start. Calum opens up the bags of sweet and sour treats while she opens the boxes of milk duds. The large bowl of popcorn (with extra butter) is settled between them, long red straws sticking out of their frozen drinks.

Throughout the whole movie, it’s an action romantic comedy, Calum keeps glancing at her. He watches her fingers disappear in the popcorn bowl, her hunter’s green nails appearing black in the dark theater. Calum’s seen enough movies to know this moment is foreshadowing the darkness she’s slipping into. He’s preparing himself for the fall but he’s not entirely sure she is.

**

Two weeks have gone by and he hasn’t seen her since the movie. Their schedules didn’t align so he decided to surprise her with takeout from her favorite Asian restaurant and chocolate cake from her favorite bakery.

When he opens the door, he hears Friends playing on her tv and he finds her horizontal on the couch. The hood of her sweatshirt is over her head, her arms wrapped around her torso, her black nails clutching the fabric.

Calum braces himself for what he’s walking into, sets the food on her counter and crouches in front of her. He pulls her hoodie back a little so he can see her face a bit better, her eyes are distant and staring off behind him.

“Hey,” he says softly then touches her hand. It’s very cold. “Y/N.”

Upon hearing her name does she finally look at him. Her eyes have filled and spilled with her tears in a matter of seconds. He links her fingers through his.

“Hi,” she mouths, her voice barely registering.

“Is this about…him?” he asks delicately.

About a year ago he chipped away at the welding on the box. He knows it involves a guy. He knows it’s about bad timing. He knows it’s about deep emotions.

She nods and the tears erupt more. She buries her face in her hands then adds another layer by hiding in the pillow.

“Nope, nope, hey,” he tugs on her arms. She’s pliant and allows him to drag her in a sitting position. He takes the place where her head was then brings her onto his lap. “I’ve got you, I’m right here.” He murmurs and pulls her hoodie down so he can rub at her hair.

She sobs loudly into his neck. Calum holds her as tight as he can, murmuring comforting words in her ear. Her sobs would subside, but he wouldn’t let go until she did. She’s very good at keeping her emotions at bay and even better at keeping people further away from her harbor. She doesn’t ask for help often, she doesn’t open up too much and when she does it’s always the footnoted version.

Three episodes of Friends later, her hold lessens, she gives a big sniff and peels herself away from Calum. He uses the sleeves of his shirt to wipe at her tears and nose.

“Have you eaten?” he asks, and she shakes her head. “I brought food. I’ll heat it up for you.”

She nods and falls back onto the couch. He rubs her knee then heads into the kitchen. When the food is prepared on plates he brings it to her and she takes it, scarfing down the first few bites heartily.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she finally speaks when her plate is empty.

“I know,” he nods looking over at her until she meets his brown eyes. “It’s okay.”

Calum ends up staying the night, his mind reeling from what the history is with this mystery guy. His thoughts get away from him as he stares at the ceiling above the couch. Was he some celebrity that kept her under the radar and broke her heart repeatedly? A Prince from some far-off country that got her hopes up and crushed them again and again?

He’s tossing and turning until he hears the shower turn on. Sad songs play over and over on her speakers, her voice singing along with the yearning words. Ghostin’ by Ariana and When the Party’s Over by Billie replay one after another.

She’s really hurting.

Calum bounds off the couch and opens the bathroom door.

“Y/N?” he makes sure his voice is a little louder than the music.

A sniff. “Yeah?” her voice is thick.

“Just want you to know I’m here,” he shuts the door and sits next to the shower.

His heart aches when he hears her crying again, the vocals echo and bounce off the tiles. Her sadness fills the room just as it’s filled in the hidden box of the guy who’s making her feel this way.

Four more repeats go by and the shower is finally shut off. Calum scrambles off the floor, sees her tug the towel from the door of the shower. Her shadow figure wraps it around herself and she opens the door. Her skin is red from the hot water, as are her eyes and cheeks from crying more tears. He grabs another towel and helps dry her hair while she stands there avoiding her reflection in the mirror.

“It’s been five years, why do I still feel like this?” she asks quietly.

“It hurts the most when it meant something.”

He left the bathroom after he dried and brushed her hair then waited for her in her bedroom. There’s pictures on her desk from high school. Her and some guy at prom. Her and the same guy a little bit older posing in a selfie on a couch, drunken smiles on their faces. Her and the same guy a little older again posed outside.

This must be from that box. She’s cracked it open and Calum is staring at some of the pieces that have broken her wholly.

“His name’s Henry,” she explains suddenly behind him.

Calum turns to her voice. The drastic change from the happy girl in the photos to the sad girl before him startles him. He remains silent to let her speak or to go into silence again. She moves onto her bed, sitting in the center and tucks her legs against her chest.

“We never dated. But we were always…together. Together in the physical sense for four years,” she continues. Calum joins her cautiously on the bed and listens. “Back and forth always. After every relationship we fell back into each other. He’s the longest relationship I’ve had, and it wasn’t even a real one.

“We cared about each other, and…I think he loved me. Time wasn’t on our side. It was too much or too little, I don’t know,” she shrugs. “Just when I think I’ve let go; I dream of him. Then he’s on my mind for days. And now this time…” she shakes her head and Calum pulls her against him. “I went on socials and I found out that he um…he’s a dad now. And I feel so stupid because that could have been me if we kept what we had. I feel stupid because a part of me wanted it to be me.”

Calum doesn’t fully understand the ins and outs of their relationship, but four years of physical affection and a rock to lean on, that’s a lot of history. He also doesn’t fully understand how this guy didn’t make it official with Y/N. She’s the perfect best friend with a big heart.

Calum wishes he knew her in school because he would have been the one to take her to prom. He would have been the one take her to movies and dinners and surprise her with flowers. He would have made it official rather than keep her guessing.

“I’m really going through it and I don’t know how to get out,” she whispers sadly.

“I think…” Calum heaves a big sigh and kisses her wet head. “I think you’re just cracking the surface of breaking free. I can tell he meant a lot to you and you meant a lot to him. Even if he never said it, you’ll always be a part of him just like he’ll be a part of you. Someone that important won’t just poof away.”

“But I want him to, it hurts.”

“I know it does, sweetheart. I’ll help you in any way I can, okay?”

“You’re so understanding and you’re so good, but I don’t want to cry over another guy when you’re here.”

“That’s what best friends do.”

She turns her head and gazes up at him. He notices the storm in her eyes aren’t as dark, her lips are chapped from the cracking of memories she spilled out.

“Calum, you’re more than my best friend.”

He hears a deeper truth in her statement, and it causes his breathing to quicken. The subtle yet very noticeable flick of her eyes to his lips causes him to react. He gives her a quick peck, but that smallest touch sent an enormous shock through his system.

They settle against her pillows, the kiss wasn’t awkward, but it filled them both with questions. Questions that will be answered at a different time because right now he wants to hear this most vulnerable part of her life. She takes his hand in hers first and plays with his fingers while she talks.

He makes comments and asks questions to try and understand a bit more. Calum kisses her head when her voice starts to shake. Hours go by and the sky starts to lighten, birds are awakening.

“Hey,” she says right as he’s about to fall asleep. They talked all night, but she quieted down about twenty minutes.

“Hm?” he opens his eyes.

“We match.”

He looks down at their intertwined fingers when she taps on his nail. His polish is chipped away from chewing on a hangnail then smiles at the black color. He lifts their hands and kisses their knuckles.

“I feel what you feel.”

“What exactly do you feel?”

“I felt you slipping. I can sense your emotions when no one else can, and I guess I painted my nails subconsciously because I didn’t want you to be alone in the dark,” he explains. She’s quiet for a moment and he thinks she really fell asleep this time.

“Thank you. I don’t think I’ll be this bad again.”

“If you are, I’ll be here. I’ll always be here.”

“Cal?”

“Hmm?” he sighs. It’s getting harder to keep his eyes open, but he doesn’t want her to stop talking. He doesn’t want her out of his arms.

“When I’m dreaming tonight it will be of you.”

**

Taglist: @calpalirwin @myloverboyash @loveroflrh @cxddlyash @princesslrh @spicylftv @notinthesameguey @itjustkindahappenedreally @calumance @thew0rldneedsmcreycghurt @sarcastically-defensive17 @another-lonely-heart @devilatmydoor @thatscooibaby @suchalonelysunflower @dead-and-golden @mymindwide @blackbutterfliescal @redrattlers @karajaynetoday @quasighost @i-like-5sos @creampiecashton @calpops​ @littledrummeraussie​ @sexgodashton​ @f-mu​

[demonicheadcanons]

Pact Headcanons

Okay bear with me because I’m starting this post on mobile at 4am but I’m thinking about pacts.

I’ve had a headcanon for a while that, after the MC makes a pact with Beel, they start to get hungry more often, and tend to build up muscle easier. So I thought I’d go ahead and just, write random pact headcanons for each of the boys?

I have tried not to include any clear spoilers, but if you haven’t yet made a pact with a specific brother, you may want to skip over them.

Some of the information may be considered dark, as a warning.

General Headcanons

The stronger the demon, the more potent / powerful the pact.

However, pacts will also get stronger the closer you are (relationship-wise, but this can also be proximity based) to a demon. For example, if you’re very close to Mammon and not close to Lucifer, your pact with Mammon will overpower the pact with Lucifer and amplify the effects brought about by Mammon’s pact. For a demon further on down the chain you would really have to hate Lucifer and be incredibly close to the demon to overpower the pact. For Mammon you only have to be friends, and close friends with Levi, etc. You can measure how close one of the brothers considers you by examining the effects you feel from your pact with them.

If two pacts interact (e.g. Levi’s envy and Lucifer’s pride), the stronger one will win out, or it will reduce the effects of both pacts. Ergo, you could balance out the negatives of one with the positives of the other by carefully adjusting your relationships with the parties involved.

All pacts have good and bad effects. They’ll vary from person to person, depending on their personality, but with the brothers their sins are the main influence of the pacts.

Having more pacts will reduce the rate at which you age, meaning Solomon is essentially immortal. Again, having pacts with stronger demons will amplify this, so having a pact with 7 of the most powerful demons in the Devildom would heavily slow down the rate at which the MC ages. If you make a pact with Diavolo, you’ll stop aging. Who knows what would happen if you somehow made a pact with his father? ((Note: if any pact involves selling your soul, the aging process will begin again, as you presumably need to die eventually for the exchange to be made))

Pacts create a weak empathy bridge between the demon and human. It’s not perfect, and it’s easy to ignore, but if you’re feeling down then the demons you have a pact with will be aware of it. The reverse is also true.

Even without a pact, the brothers can ‘feed’ from their sins. If you feel proud, Lucifer can gain energy from that, etc. For the MC, its weak initially as the brothers’ powers don’t work on them. However, once a pact is formed, it becomes a source of energy and power for them - this can be dangerous with demons who don’t know how to control themselves, as they may amplify the negatives of their pact as it means they can feast on their sin (or, for other demons, on whatever their influence is). More responsible demons, like the brothers, know how to balance it so that they’re able to feed without harming the MC, as this means they have a more stable food source for longer, and because they won’t want to cause harm to the MC.

Let’s get to the specifics for each brother:

Lucifer

Advantages: When you make a pact with Lucifer, you immediately become more confident. His pact is the strongest of the brothers, him being the eldest and most powerful, so there’s no waiting time for the pact to take effect. Essentially you’ll find it easier to be proud of both yourself, and others. His pact interferes with Levi’s - it counteracts the jealousy that you’d feel, and replaces it with pride, as a pact with Lucifer holds more power usually. His pact also grants an easier understanding of your surroundings and the people around you - whether it’s due to the confidence boost, allowing your anxieties to relax and to let you properly take in a situation, or just part of the pact is debatable.

Disadvantages: Pride easily leads to arrogance. Strangely enough, if you were already a confident person, you’ll find it easier to control yourself and not become too arrogant. But if you were struggling before, you’re going to swing wildly between completely adoring and despising yourself. Because the pact is so potent this can be dangerous, and you might need to distance yourself from a Lucifer and slowly build up a relationship again to be able to adapt to it.

Pact marks: Lucifer is a bit 50/50 on this. He’d like the pact mark to be in clear sight, because his pact was made to demonstrate a control and ownership over the human. However, because of how pacts usually work, he might fear that it would be perceived as being the other way about. Pact marks in clear sight are fair game, but perhaps somewhere where you could easily cover it up if needed would be preferred, so that he can see it when he wants to without it being on show constantly. He wouldn’t want it on show when you’re at RAD, honestly. He’d prefer for it to be on your back, hand if you’re willing to wear gloves, or neck if you cover it up with a high collar or scarf. Like most things, it all depends on his mood. He’ll adapt and make it clear that he’s no one’s pet no matter what you decide to do.

Mammon

Advantages: We’re already told that if Mammon likes someone, money comes easily to them. His pact partially influences this; if you want something, you’ll find that you’re able to get it much easier than before. This works best for material things, but if you’re very close to Mammon you’ll find that you’ll be able to win over people easier. It isn’t the same kind of charm that a pact with Asmo would grant, but still works fairly well. A pact with both brothers would boost the effects heavily, and you’ll find that you have most people wrapped around your finger after a simple greeting.

Disadvantages: Like Mammon, you might end up stealing to satisfy your greed. Getting everything you want is all well and good but it starts to lose its charm, whereas stealing still has some kind of buzz to it. At the same time, you may not even consider it to be stealing; it will start to feel as though everything already belongs to you. You’ll also become greedy for attention and feel lonely quite quickly. If you weren’t greedy before the effects won’t be as bad.

Pact marks: Mammon is possessive. He wants his pact mark on show - his number one spot would likely be on the back of your hands, so that when you’re holding hands he can rub his thumb over it, and so that its visible when you’re writing in classes or if you raise your hand to your face.

Leviathan

Advantages: Levi’s pact doesn’t necessarily offer many benefits to some people. If you’re willing to step back when you feel jealous and look inside yourself, its perfect for self-introspection and personal growth. It would be best combined with other pacts (especially Lucifer’s), and mostly works as a way of dampening the disadvantages that stronger pacts may offer by preventing you from becoming overly arrogant. It also helps to balance out Mammon’s pact, but does so by lowering your confidence in yourself so that you don’t seek attention or material possessions as much.

Disadvantages: You’re going to feel jealous constantly. If you have low self-esteem, it will present like Levi’s - you’ll believe that the world is unfair, that others are better than you. If you have a higher self-esteem, this will mix in an unhealthy fashion with the arrogance granted by Lucifer’s pact to make you simultaneously believe that you’re too good for everyone, and that you deserve better but can’t reach it because people are in your way. Overall, his pact is the most likely to isolate you from others.

Neutral: Depending on how you view it, this could be a good or bad thing, but Levi’s pact makes people jealous of you. This means that they tend to view you as being someone better than them, and might offer you some opportunities, but it can also make it difficult to form meaningful relationships and will likely isolate you in the end up. This will also have an impact on Mammon and Asmo’s pacts - if Levi’s pact is stronger, it will make people more likely to bend to your will, whilst also disliking you more as they feel unreasonably jealous of you whilst also being drawn to you. If the other’s pacts are stronger, it will lessen obsessions that have no base and will make it easier to form decent relationships that aren’t so superficial.

Pact marks: Anywhere. He doesn’t mind where it is, but if its smaller or less obvious than his brothers’ pact marks, he’s going to feel upset and not know how to deal with it. It all depends on your reasoning, but if you appear to see him as equal to or better than his brothers, he really won’t mind at all. When he’s feeling less awkward, he’ll want to trace his fingers over it, so preferably somewhere he can easily access. Number one spots would be on your shoulder, neck, or wrist.

Satan

Advantages: His pact, oddly, is a good confidence boost. More specifically, it makes you a lot less likely to put up with unfair and unjust behaviour. You’re more confident in speaking out against the things you don’t agree with. You’ll likely end up reading a lot more and educating yourself on everything so that you have the most concrete knowledge on any topic of discussion.

Disadvantages: If you’re not careful, discussions can become arguments and can lead to bad blood easily. You’ll be less forgiving than before, less willing to let things go. And you’re constantly, constantly angry. You’ll have to find a healthy outlet for this quickly, or it’ll consume you. Some relationships may end up tainted by the feelings his pact creates.

Your relationship: Your relationship with Satan is going to be strange. You both act as a comfort for each other, and when you’re around him both of you will be less angry. However, if Satan is in a bad mood and in need of a quick energy boost, he might decide to make you angry so that he can feed off of it. He sees it as being a short term risk; he can soothe you after, if he decides to, and if he believes you’re close enough that you won’t hold onto it. The problem is when he doesn’t. He likes seeing you angry, although preferably not at him, but in the end it really won’t matter so long as you’re mad at someone. Relationships can quickly become unhealthy, but your relationship with him will swing wildly if the two of you don’t sit and talk things over and work out a good balance; the best results would be if you were to go to Satan when angry about something else and let him soothe you by drawing out your anger. That way he gets a boost and the two of you remain relatively calm, keeping your anger in a safe and controlled space.

Pact marks: Back of the hand. He wants to see it when you’re reading. He already builds up a tendency to kiss you on the back of the hand, and he’d like to be reminded of your pact when he does so. Its a softer gesture that he doesn’t offer to many, and he gets to offer it to someone who accepts him no matter what, with a visible reminder of that.

Asmodeus

Advantages: People are going to like you. You’ll be able to charm almost anyone (exceptions being people who are immune to the demons’ powers, and anyone with more power than you). Even if you can’t charm someone, you’ll likely to be able to mildly influence their opinion of you. You’ll also become better at reading people, and will be able to guess at their desires. With enough popularity, you may end up influencing the worlds’ beauty standards to more closely match how you look (if you decide to do influential work in the public eye).

Disadvantages: Whether you try to or not, you’re going to attract all kinds of people. This can put you in dangerous situations and can easily build obsessions. You’ll find the human world to be a much more dangerous place, and will have to be wary of the people around you. Eventually you’ll be able to better influence how much people like you, so that it won’t become an obsession, but you’ll need some form of protection at all times in the human world for quite some time after the pact is made.

Pact marks: Asmo doesn’t mind so long as he gets to see it when he wants to. He wants you to be happy and confident in yourself. That said, he does want to feel like your first priority. Like Levi, he wouldn’t want his pact mark to be smaller or less obvious than his brothers’ marks. His favourite places would be on your chest or the top centre of your back.

Beelzebub

Advantages: Beel’s pact gives you an iron stomach. You can eat anything and as much as you want without it having much of an impact on your weight, although you will end up building muscle a lot easier. Your health will improve, and become as ideal as it can be. You’ll find that you don’t get sick very often and have a stronger immune system. Any dietary needs will become less prominent, from allergies to intolerances. Overall, his pact offers a lot of physical benefits.

Disadvantages: You’re going to feel hungry almost all of the time. Beel’s hunger influences your own, so when he’s hungry, you’ll be hungry too. Not only will eating take up more of your time and focus, but you’ll also have to spend a lot more on food. You won’t be anywhere near his level, but you’ll probably be hitting somewhere around triple the normal recommended daily intake.

Pact marks: Beel wants you to be happy, like Asmo, so you can put the pact mark wherever you want. He won’t pay much notice to it unless he’s feeling particularly low or possessive, but even then just having you around calms him down. He doesn’t need the pact mark to be a reminder of your relationship - he’s got you, and that’s more than enough for him. He’d probably like for you to have the mark over your stomach, if you’d be content with that - it’s an amusing idea to him, and it just feels right. Also, if he wraps his arms around you from behind, he can rest his hand over it.

Belphegor

Advantages: After resting, you’ll function better. You’ll be able to focus better, you’ll be more perceptive, you feel healthier, etc. On good days, you feel well rested after quick naps. His pact is a huge boost to your brain and body, and your mood will benefit from it too, leaving you feeling happier and more capable.

Disadvantages: More often than not, you need to sleep more than before, and on bad days, no amount of rest will be enough. You’ll also easily slip into bad habits in which you end up sleeping instead of actually taking care of yourself. Like Levi’s, his pact can be isolating as sleeping can often seem more appealing than spending meaningful time with people. A controlled sleep schedule is necessary to keep things under control.

Pact marks: Where you put the pact mark is your own decision, and he’s not going to make it for you. That said, he’d prefer for it to be somewhere you can easily see, so that you remember him and think of him often, and he’d rather you didn’t cover it up. He views the pact mark as a lasting reminder of him, and feels betrayed if you don’t view it the same way. The most ideal place would probably be on your hands or wrists, but he’s more likely to have places he hates (e.g. your back, where you couldn’t easily see it) than places he likes.

AN: Sorry for rambling and if this is disorganised ;u;. Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!! Feel free to ask any questions you have ^^

[petruchio]

Hallo there! Just found your blog after rereading all of the books  and it's a blessing . i read it when i was 14  and reading it at 25 is a whole diffrent reading exprince, i understand it so much better now.  which is why i dont understand , how everybody forget how good it is???? Where is the hunger games raniceeance we all need. anyway what i wanted is to ask you what do you think of the reading of katniss as aro/ace? i think it's an interesting ( although personally i find a lot of romance in their relationship) and it does goes along with the choice katniss makes. her choice of peeta is not bc she liked him better, but bc the hope he embodies and the healing he can bring for her. somthing that does not necccerily has to do with romantic love. but at the same time i think somtimes pepole see katniss choice as too caculeated and devoide of emotion. yeah she chose peeta to survive. but it's more then that. it's much stronger than that. it's the choice to find hope and love ( wathre romantic or not) even after going through such destreucation and loss. there's somthing so powerfull in that, suzanne collins did such a genious thing with the love tringale and what it means. btw just to be clear- this is not a dig about anyone who reads katniss as aro/ace. i truly do think it's an interssting read and it fits the narrtive. but i dont undnderstand why some pepole use this reading to lessen the meaning of katniss choice.

people are free to think of the character how they like, and it’s great to see parts of yourself in a character, so if you identify with katniss on that level i think that’s great! that said i do think she experiences quite a bit of romantic attraction to peeta (and gale to some extent) in the books, so i don’t personally read her as ace or aro.

also i actually would argue that she chose peeta because she liked him better lol. like yes she is calculated and her decision is symbolic to an extent but it’s also a choice that grows out of genuine love and desire for his companionship. like i always say she just… likes him. even she can’t really explain herself it most of the time. she just likes him. and that’s a big part of why the book is so powerful, because the choice is not only a good narrative and symbolic choice — it’s also a believable one, because it’s been built up over the course of the novels that katniss and peeta really just genuinely like each other and enjoy one another’s company. it works on multiple levels which is why it’s so satisfying and well done :’) i love them okay :’’’’)

[s-creations]

Return the Flames - Chapter 12

All at Dead Bird Studios knew of Amos' (The  Conductor's) ability. How the owl could suddenly erupt into flames if  angered enough. When the studio first opened, Dominic (DJ Grooves) was  told that Amos had his ability under control. Nothing to worry about. No  possible loss of anything from an open flame.

A few years later however, and that control seems to have lessened to a dangerous degree.

It should have just been a simple, week long drive to fix the problem. It really should have been.

Dominic should have asked a lot more questions and should have been prepared for a twist ending.

_________________

Fandom: A Hat in Time         Rating: General Audience         Relationships/Pairings: The ConductorXDJ Grooves       Warnings: Eventual depictions of violence, slow burn relationship, named characters, attempt of an accent, being hunted down, a race against time (sort of).

Author's Note: I finished Student Teaching, passed my Content Test, and I have a new job lined up for the school year! I’m getting back into writing, but we’ll see how consistent I am with my stories. XD

The morning after was surprisingly quiet with knowing what was waiting for them. Dominic and Amos waking to find themselves tangled up among each other. The fire from the night before was fully dead. Both quiet as they packed up their meager belongings and headed out. While it was quiet, it wasn’t uncomfortable. A quiet hope of believing this would all be over soon.

 By late afternoon, the duo had finally reached the base of the mountain. A single hut was waiting for them, small and a deep blue scrap of fabric swaying in the entrance. A system of two carts resting on thick vines that disappeared into the mist covering the peak. It was calm, leaving Dominic to wonder how worried they needed to be. 

 “Are you also expecting the worst?” Dominic whispered to Amos, whose feathers were ruffled. 

 “In the shape o’ C.A.W.” the owl responded, “Let’s not stick around any more than we need ta.”

 Without a glance, Amos made his way towards the carts. Only to curse when he was unable to move it forward. It was a simple crank system that moved the tram forward, one that, even when working together, wouldn’t move.

 “Alright...so… What’s the next plan.” Dominic panted. 

 “...Think we could fly?” Amos teased.

 “Um, excuse me sirs?”

 Both jumped at the new voice that sounded from behind. Another shock came at the large Nomad they found, bigger than the ones they’d met in the village proper. Draped in clothes of deep blues and purples. The growing panic broke when a small Nomad child wavered happily at the birds from behind the larger companion. It was an intense shift in size between the two. 

 The smaller Nomad dashed forward, waving their way between the two of them. “Are you the two that our Elder sent a message about?”

 “I will assume so. Unless there’s another traveling duo we were unaware of nearby as well,” Dominic laughed, “I’m Dominic, and this is Amos.”

 “I’m Bakle! And this is Papa! We’re supposed to take you to the mountain’s peak. That’s where the temple is.”

 “I’m assuming yer Papa has ta be the one ta get the thin’ goin’?” Amos asked, tensing slightly as the mentioned Nomad stepped forward. 

 “Uh huh! I was also told that we need to move quickly.”

 “Aye. The sooner we’re done with this, the better… I hope so anyway.”

 “Then we need to get going.” Bakle instantly dashed forward. Entering the card and eagerly waiting for the others to follow. Papa was on next, taking his place next to the crank. 

 Dominic frowned as, when he placed one foot into the cart, he realized Amos wasn’t following. He turned back around to find the owl’s attention focused on the mist hidden peak. It was clear the other director was nervous. Dominic understood. He wasn’t sure how this all was going to end. It felt as if they had escaped death and disaster numerous times. And to be so close to the end...whatever that end may be.

 Amos was broken from his thoughts feeling something slip into his hand. Looking down to find Dominic had taken it.

 “Come on,” the penguin said softly, “We’ll be okay.”

 There was little resistance as Amos was pulled towards the cart. The small door was closed behind them and they were off. Papa turned the large crank easily to move them forward. 

 The ground around them fell away. A new worry arrived in Amos’ mind as they were swallowed up by the mist. “This contraption is sturdy, right?”

 Bakle nodded. “We may not use these very often. But they are well maintained. We won’t fall.”

 “That’s...only slightly reassurin’...”

 “Don’t worry! Only a few more minutes and we’ll be-”

 Whatever reassuring words Bakle was going to offer was cut off. A familiar dart wheezing past all and embedding itself in the wooden ceiling. Just barely missing Papa as well. Dominic, who’d recovered from shock the quickest, leaned over the side. The second cart was filled with C.A.W. agents. Five or six moving the wheel to push them forward while the rest were refilling their dart guns. 

 “Peck necks!” Amos called out, growling darkly. He yelped as he was pulled back. Another round of darts going past and barely missing him. The feeling of panic growing when deep horns sounded, echoing over the mountain and growing stronger as more joined the first. 

 Dominic turned towards the Nomads. “What is that?”

 “Our warning system,” the child answered, “The other carts must have been stolen as well.”

 “It’s a race ta the top then.” Amos muttered weakly. 

 “We’ll be trapped…” The penguin frowned, standing next to the owl. 

 Amos didn’t respond. His attention was focused on the thick vines that were acting as the cable. Eys traveling down to where the ground laid beneath the veil of mist. “How high are we?”

 “Oh, um, a few feet? I’m not really sure. But we are high.” Bakle offered.

 “I see those gears turning Amos,” Dominic frowned, “What are you thinking.”

 “Destroyin’ their means o’ transportation. I’ll need ta cut the cable.” 

 “Amos, that’s suicide, you’ll fall as well!”

 “I’ve survived worse. Besides, I was able ta walk away from that car crash before.”

 “Barely! Amos-”

 The owl reached over, taking Dominic's hands into his own. Effectively cutting the other off. “Just listen. It may not be much, but I’ll be able ta cut their numbers down. I have the best chance at survivin’ this.”

 “Amos-”

 “Ya need ta barricade yourself in the peckin’ temple as best ya can when ya get up there.”

 “How will you get in?”

 “There’s an opening at the very top of the temple. You can drop down to enter.” Bakle offered as a solution.

 “And I just need you to focus on keeping yourself safe. I’ll meet up with you all back in the temple. Alright?”

 Dominic frowned. His hands shaking as he squeezed Amos’. “I...really hate this idea sweetheart.”

 The owl’s face softened, giving a weak smile. “I know… But do ya trust me?”

 “Of course I do.” Dominic’s mind seemed to freeze when Amos’ beak gently pressed against his own. Heart beating furiously as the seconds ticked by.

 Holy peck. Amos was kissing him!

 As his brain finally caught up, Amos had pulled away. Climbing out of the cart and onto the roof. 

 “Amos, you absolute peck neck! You did not just kiss me before jumping to your possible death!” Dominic shouted, leaning out of the cart again to glare at the other director.

 The owl smirked. “I thought ya believed in me?”

 “That does not make you less of a jerk!”

 “Noted… I’ll see ya up there Dominic.”

 “...You’d better Amos…”

 Nothing was left to be said. Taking a deep breath, Amos didn’t allow another second of thought as he jumped. It was a relief grabbing onto the other sturdy vine. A strange comfort in knowing the first step in his plan worked. He didn’t look back, knowing if he did so it would cause him to freeze in fear. Amos concentrated on his free hand. Feeling no pain as flames erupted from it, using it to cut through the vine easily. A sickening sensation filling his stomach as gravity fully kicked in. 

 He could hear the caws and screams coming from the agents as they fell as well. All probably wondering how they were going to get out of this alive.

 But Amos didn’t care about them. Their cries seem drowned out by the rushing winds. His attention on Dominic, who was leaning over the edge of the cart as he watched, helpless, as Amos fell. Face full of fear. The owl wished he could find his voice. To reassure that everything was going to be fine. But too soon his vision was obstructed by the mist. Just as he began to wonder how long this was going to take, Amos collided with something solid. There was a sickening ‘crack!’ before he fully hit the ground and the world turned black.

  When Amos came to, his body was screaming in pain. It hurt to breathe and he was sure his body was trying to put itself back together. But he was alive. Which was the entire point of his idiotic plan, so good to know it wasn’t all for nothing. The sky had begun to turn a dark blue with the horizon being painted numerous pastel colors. It had taken almost to nightfall  to finally recover from the stunt. Or at least recover enough that he could move. 

 Peck, was Dominic alright?

 Letting out a grunt as he slowly sat up, Amos gave himself another moment as he looked around. He was thankfully close to the mountain’s peak. Even able to see part of the mountain that had been carved away. Ignoring the copper smell that lingered in the air, knowing what laid behind him, Amos limped his way forward. He’d done what he needed to do. Now he just need to see how this all was going to end. 

 ________________________

 Dominic was unsure what staring into the mist below would do for him. It certainly wasn’t bringing Amos back. But the penguin seemed unable to turn away. Mind stuck on watching Amos disappear into the white void below them.

 “Um, sir? What do we do now?” Bakle’s voice through. 

 The penguin took a deep breath, setting his face in determination as he faced the Nomads. “How many entrances are there?”

 “Four doorways and the ceiling that I mentioned to the Child.” 

 “Okay. Hopefully we’ll get to the temple before any C.A.W. agents arrive. We’ll barricade the doorways and...wait. I suppose. I just...Amos did have to pull a stunt like that.”

 “I believe in the Child.”

 Dominic sighed weakly. “I do as well… But that doesn’t stop me from worrying.”

 He stumbled slightly as the cart bumped against the mountainside. All clamoring out and rushing towards the doors surrounding the temple. Papa immediately rushed over to the doorway to the right. Closing them and beginning to pile boulders to keep them from opening again. Bakle grabbed Dominic’s hand and directed him towards the doors directly across from them. Passing by a pillared altar with a deep purple feather that seemed to have stars dancing on it. 

 If they all weren’t in mortal peril, Dominic would have marveled at it.

 They reached the double doors and closed them quickly. Dominic put as thick of a layer of ice he could make. “Hopefully that will be enough. Let’s get the other one before-”

 “WHERE IS THAT PHOENIX.”

 “C.A.W. can get in.” Dominic groaned weakly.

 The familiar leading crow stood in the final doorway. A large crowd of agents standing behind them. No longer looking together and smugly in control. Feathers were ruffled, hat off kilter as eyes filled with anger as they flicked around the chamber. Rage grew when he didn’t find his target. 

 “Penguin, where is the Phoenix.”

 “Not here. Obviously,” Dominic glared back, “Your agents made the trip for nothing.”

 “Do not play dumb with us! We did not come all this way here to result in nothing. Tell us where it is!”

 “Are you dumb or just playing the part well? Where in this place do you think we could even hide Amos?” 

 That gave the agent pause. Eyes once again traveling the room, his shoulders dropping slightly. “Well-”

 There was a cry of surprise when a large boulder landed in front of them. All scrambling back as more landed and pushed them back out the doorway. Papa clearly took advantage of the lull in action to go on the offensive. The last way being blocked by a large pile of boulders. Dominic re-enforcing it with another layer of ice. The three let out a deep breath as they finally relaxed. 

 “Your blockade means nothing!” The C.A.W. agent cried out, “Do you really think this will stop us! Creature or not, once we get back in there you will all pay!”

 Bakle rushed over to Papa, hiding behind the larger form. “I don’t like the screaming bird.”

 “I don’t either.” The penguin agreed. Eyes glaring from the blocked doors to the ceiling. A circular hole had been carved there. Showing the sky above, the sun barely starting to dip below the horizon. Stars starting to barely be seen over the darkened colors. 

 “Amos...where are you?”

[jamestrmtx]

Fairytale Complex - [Undertale | Sans x Reader]

[Gender Neutral, Frisk's Parent Reader | Slow Burn]

Chapter Four | Nyeh Heh Heh! (Part 1 of 2)

[First] | [Previous] | [Next]

With Sans being the first monster you’ve met, you figure it’s only natural to cross Papyrus off your list next. As strange as the first experience was and regardless of the slightly sour note you both ended on, you were becoming a bit more used to the sight of real-life monsters the more you bumped into them on your day-by-day. A week's passed, and you're still attempting to get Frisk to open up. And as impatient as you felt for wanting to know everything there was about monsters and the Underground already despite it being only seven days since the monsters arrived, you feel it’s more than necessary for you to know everything you humanly could for the happiness and well-being of your child; settling for any less wasn’t an option, as so wasn’t allowing yourself some slack from those responsibilities.

Having more trustworthy information at hand, your meeting with Papyrus arrives quicker than the one with his older brother, barely needing to take the same safety precautions as you did with Sans. You meet up at a different spot, one far, far away from where the previous shopping center was in hopes of lessening the chances of seeing your ex-husband again. Nearly bumping into him once and having him text you again after so long was more than enough, if not too much entirely.

He sits with you at a different food court, one belonging to a smaller mall, located farther away from the big city. There's plenty less hustle and bustle compared to the former, and it's easier to find a quiet spot for you to talk with him. There's a lot more time to spare, too, the sheer product of not having to text Papyrus before meeting him and not needing to have your aunt drive you there for extra preparedness and additional safety precautions. With the knowledge of that extra time in mind, you're both able to grab a quick bite to eat first, just like you'd done with Sans, with the exception of the tension caused by seeing your ex and having him reveal information about the monster beforehand.

Long story short, there's no reason for you to feel nervous, so when you start to grow queasy and sense stress already creeping on your shoulders, you brush it all off and tell yourself you're doing better than last time.

You're meeting up with Sans's brother, a man a few years younger and much taller than you. His gaze is far more cheery and inviting compared to Sans's, and while he seems far easier to talk to when compared to him, you still can't help the stress continuing to pile up on you. There's no reason for you to feel like this, yet you can't bring yourself to do the opposite.

“Are you alright?” Papyrus asks, concern tracing his words. He almost seems to read your mind, though you don't acknowledge his attentiveness; rather, you look up, smile at him, and attempt to focus more on the present in hopes of lessening his worries on you. “You’ve been spacing out for a while now.”

You force all other thoughts away and concentrate some more, already feeling as if you’re being far too rude with a stranger, regardless if he was being nice and patient about it or not. “I’m alright, thank you,” you reply, followed with a nod and a smile. “There’s... just a lot of questions I want to ask, and… And I just can’t seem to decide on my first one.”

He almost beams at your honesty and scoots his chair closer to the table, déjà vu striking as you remember your last words and actions shared with his elder brother. “What if I asked you one first? You can loosen up that way!”

“Sounds good.” Your smile manages to show some more and you find it hard not to be influenced by his friendly demeanor. If he'd acted this way with Frisk at the Underground, you were curious to know what they both thought of each other.  "Ask away." You face him as you say that, more than eager to get somewhere already. 

He nods and takes some time of his own to consider what question to ask of you. His deep analysis over such a simple thing shows in how long he contemplates what he wants to say and in the distant expression on his face, showing his mind's somewhere else. "What are your hobbies?"

Such a mundane question catches you off guard. Already braced for something deep and personal, you release your tension through a quiet breath and think that question over a few times. "Well, I…" 

You trail off when you realize you've pretty much lost sight of yourself since those two months of Frisk going missing. You were quite frankly friendless, and you'd no other hobbies left besides that of watching the late night news every other week day. Memories of your life before that time are difficult to retrieve, so you say the first thing on your mind. "Cooking, maybe? ...And reading, I guess." You give a shy smile and rub the back of your neck, an absent-minded action fueled by having nothing else to say for such a simple and easy question as that one. "To be honest, well… Cooking is something I do mainly for Frisk's sake, but I guess I do enjoy it when it's for that reason -- Not so much when it's for myself." Your newest schedule makes way into your thoughts, reminding you of how busy life would soon be, having to meet up with every monster Frisk knew and having to research on who they were and how they treated your child, all in order to determine how you could allow these to be a part of their life and how you could then welcome them into your home. "I'm due for a change, but I do want to find a new hobby soon -- or take back an old one, at least." 

You stop at the feeling of talking too much for far too long. Already worried over the matter, you shift and look up at the skeleton, only to see he's still carrying the same, friendly expression from before. "But what about you? Your brother told me you liked cooking, too."

Proud of your topic change, you smile and wait for him, who replies with, "I do!" He then nods and meets with your eyes; his gaze takes a more serious look to it. "But that's not what we're here for today, are we?" His tone is just as serious, though there's still his trademark optimism present in each word he says. "I understand you must be worried over Frisk's well-being. And though... Sans kept what happened this past week private, I understand you both had a conversation about that already, am I correct?" His smile returns and his recent concern shows through a subtle furrow in his visage. "I don't usually like to bring this up, but…" He sighs. "As his younger brother, I notice how much he cares for me and how much he tries to encourage me. There are... times when I notice my cooking does not exactly sit well in his taste buds... nor his digestive system, for that matter, yet he still tries to make me feel good about what I do and who I'm becoming."

He stops to let out a sigh, and a few tears manage to leak from his eye sockets. 

"Frisk, Undyne, and lots of other people act the same way with me, but it feels different with Sans -- his worry is without a doubt that of family, rather than those of friends like Undyne and Frisk. So here comes my point…" He sniffles and folds his hands over the table, these trembling despite his attempts at masking it through his usual cheer. A few tears plop on the surface, though he manages to push through with, "I believe the bond between you and Frisk is similar, if not stronger, and that's why you're here. You… You're worried we're not who we seem, and that whatever harm we caused to your child we can cause here again." He takes a pause, using it to breathe in and later out. "I... I assume that's what you called me here for, correct? You're concerned over Frisk's safety, now that they've made new friends, and you're even more worried over just who those new friends of them are."

You can't do anything else besides stare at him for a good while, mind becoming lost due to how much he's said in so short of a time. In the midst of it all, you take out a tissue from your belongings, offer it over to the monster, and smile back at him when he directs the same expression at you. "Thank you," he says, wiping the few remaining tears away. "I'll more than happily answer any questions you may have for me, but even then there will still be some things I won't be able to answer." He crumples the tissue up into a ball and sets it down on his plate, only a few crumbs from his meal remaining on it. "As much as I'd like to say I changed after Frisk showed me Mercy and taught me over how we could be friends, I still pulled them into battle -- I still hurt them, initially. It was my job to capture humans, and... Well…" His gaze averts from yours, similar to that of someone being caught in a bad deed. "My brother's job was, to quote: 'take care of them'."

You face away when he looks back to you, almost reversing your roles. The reminder of how grim the relationship between humans and monsters used to be and how it still was makes whatever food you ate make a comeback in your stomach, already churning. Bile forms at your throat, and you swallow hard, stress bringing forth waves of dizziness and nausea.

"If I did succeed in capturing a human, I would move up ranks under the Royal Guard," he continues, looking more worried the longer your symptoms stay present. "...And I'm ashamed to admit I held that status much more highly than I did over caring about humans, their innocence, and how they were still people like us, at one point. I was… I was much more naive back then. And I allowed for that naivety to hurt what was then a potential friend -- a friend who still ate the food I made despite it not tasting good, and a friend who... who forgave me in battle despite me hurting them."

You take your drink and finish what's left of it. Stress levels up to anxiety, and you can feel your heart beat too fast for it not to hurt. Regardless of nausea and in spite of how little you've talked, you still feel as if you need some sort of refresher with how dry your throat's become. "I-"

"That is why as much as I can talk about what good friends we became, how I treated them before that and how they felt and feel is all up to them. They should be the one to determine if I'm worthy of still staying by their side, and…"

Tears trickle down his face, a sight that compels you to drag your seat closer to the table, similar to how he'd done for you earlier ago. You pull out another tissue and hand it over, though he doesn't use it this time and instead hangs his head low, gaze casting a guilty look at the table below him. "Papyrus," you breathe those words out through a sigh, a saddened smile taking over. "I… I already know about that. But it's not the reason why I'm here." You place your hand over both of his, these still folded over the table, as if to bare himself to you. "Frisk already sees you as their friend -- there's no doubt about that. But…" Your gaze faces with his again, allowing you to carry on with, "I need to know what actions you took back there, so I can understand what was your relationship with them, and so I can judge the situation better." You let his hands go and rectify your posture, in search of confidence for the road still left to trek ahead. "Right now, I… I barely know much about how life was like down there, and how you received my child upon their fall."

The sounds of people walking and talking, of cutlery clicking, and of food cooking take up most of your senses, as so does having people around capable of overhearing the conversation. Both stimuli leave you a little more than overwhelmed and you have to take short breaths in and out to let yourself sink back into reality again. You're more than willing to flee from the conversation and head home by now, but you can't allow yourself any more weakness.

"Should we talk this through another day?" he intervenes, offering a bottled water out to you, appearing recently bought based on the receipt he stores away in his wallet and the way he goes back to his seat. "You seem faint." 

"It's fine," you say, taking the water. The cold nearly shocks you with how warm the rest of your body feels, and a few gulps are enough to bring some semblance of calm back into you. You then excuse yourself to retrieve an eyeglasses case from your satchel and set the rest of your belongings aside, from everyday items to the documents you were required to bring in to work today.

You used to wear glasses from how much you were required to read on your day-by-day, from endless field reports with fonts too tiny for you not to squint at them, to the tutoring and follow-ups you gave to Frisk for each lesson they took in school. "Excuse me for a moment." You settled for contacts not long before the days when Frisk went missing, and you stopped using them not long after with how much you teared up (and cried) on a daily basis. Now, you needed to go back to either one of those, but as luck turned out to be, eye contacts still wouldn't be one of them, presently.

You stand up and walk off to the nearest bathroom available for you, rushing inside to go wash your hands and remove your contacts. You then store them away and slip on the glasses, blinking a few times after to get used to the change. When you're done, it takes only one step for you to notice what Papyrus meant when he said you looked faint. All other surroundings besides that of the closest objects around you turn blurry and you're forced to stop and hold on to the nearest support available. You stay there for a while, grabbing onto the edge of the sink until you finally feel some sense of stability return to you. All the cumulative effects of little sleep, poor nutrition, and constant stress place your body on involuntary sleep mode, minus your consciousness.

It was only a week, but it felt too long.

You needed answers stat, not time to recover nor time to consider your own feelings on allowing monsters to continue being friends with Frisk. All the actions you were taking were for their sake only -- not for you, and certainly not for Jerry. Seeing your child healthy and happy were the two main goals you wanted to focus on; and maybe later on, you could live your own life without feeling that much guilt, sorrow, or remorse over your choices.

Deciding you can't go on like this, you pull out what little strength you have left in your system and exit the bathroom.

"(L/N)!"

Papyrus's voice sounds almost immediate as you leave the bathroom; the worry on his face appears much more noticeable compared to before. He approaches your side and offers you support by placing your hand over his shoulder, stabilizing your steps. "Sans told me you looked strange... But I did not think it was this grave!"

Oh, God.

You wore a bit of concealer to mask your weary state, yet he still noticed?

An involuntary chuckle interrupts those thoughts, and you have to dismiss Papyrus's concern when he asks what's wrong. "It's nothing," you say, thanking him when he hands over your belongings back to you. He still keeps himself near, however, and even asks if you need help carrying what he's just given you. "It's just… Do I look that strange to you?" You burst out another laugh when delving deeper into that thought. "And should I go see a doctor about it, seeing as two whole strangers who aren't even the same as me know I don't look the same as my pictures right now?" 

Despite the confused expression on his face, the monster smiles back, and he walks along with you out of the food court, ignoring the rest of your surroundings as you focus only on each other. "Even if we are different physically, it would still take a completely uninterested person to not notice how different you seem from the pictures both the media and Frisk have shown me of you." His smile turns warmer, as so does the look on his eye sockets. "Sans did not say anything, as he values privacy and did not see you in the state I have just now. But he did tell me he was worried you would collapse for a moment the day he told you about his past, and that he was surprised that you were still patient enough to listen to him regardless of all that!"

He stops for a second and pulls you along with him to a nearby wall, allowing others to keep on walking while he retrieves something from his pocket.

"And that reminds me," he says, offering you a letter envelope, thick and with a bunny sticker keeping it closed. "He told me your phone screen broke during your outing with him, so here you are!"

Not wanting to leave the skeleton's arm extended, you take the envelope and stare up at him with teary eyes, against letting them blink too much until they dry. 

How were you supposed to act firm, if stuff like this made you weak?

How could you judge your enemy without any bias, if acts like these were still present?

And if you did so with the monsters, were you then being hypocritical by not allowing Jerry to see Frisk after his own set of mistakes were made?

And what about you?

You were meant to keep Frisk well under your care, yet they still felt unhappy enough at one point to consider and even go as far as to away from everyone, including you.

What did that make you in their eyes?

[First] | [Previous] | [Next]

-----------------------------------

Now that I've planned out the update schedule, here's how it'll go:

1 update a week (weekly) - Saturdays

2 updates a week/2 part long chapters - Mondays and Wednesdays!!

3 updates a week/3 part long chapters - Mondays, Wednesdays, AND Saturdays!!!

Keep in mind Fairytale Complex is a rewrite of TraInt (more on that later for new readers), so I already have 2 story arcs completely written out (...more on that later, as well)!

With that being said, take care and stay safe out there, everyone. :-)

[nonbinary-octopus]

Not Just the Two of Us  Chapter 1: Confession

Summary: Roman's boyfriend is the best. Really. So why can't he shake this crush?

Wordcount: 1.7 K

A shoutout to @magpiemorality for the title! Thanks, Magpie!

[Masterpost]

[More of my writing]

~~~

“Okay,” Roman muttered to himself, getting the coffee grounds out and measuring careful, level scoops into the coffee machine — five scoops of the regular grounds and one scoop of the hazelnut ones, exactly how Logan liked it. “Best case scenario.” He took a deep breath. “Best case scenario. Logan isn’t upset. He tells me how to fix this. We move on, and it’s like nothing ever happened. It’s a… hm. It’s a one.” Roman poured the water into the machine and turned it on. “Worst case scenario.” He winced. “Logan immediately dumps me, and then he calls our friends and tells them and they friend-dump me, and I’m alone forever.” Roman grimaced and opened the freezer. “That’s a one too, though. Or less,” he added, getting out the box of frozen waffles. “Most likely scenario,” Roman continued, putting a waffle in each slot of the toaster and pushing the lever down. “Logan is hurt. But he thanks me for being honest and— and says it was brave of me to come to him with this. Then he tells me how to fix it, or we figure it out together, and then we put it behind us and move on. Not as if it never happened, but we’re still happy together. That’s a… an eight, at least. Maybe even a nine, but that’s pushing it.” Finally, Roman filled the teakettle with water and set it on the stove. He nodded to himself. Although there was still a ball of nervous energy resting in the pit of his stomach, he felt that he could do this. He got out a pair of mugs, putting a teabag in his and leaving Logan’s empty.

Logan came in just as the kettle began to sing. “Good morning, love,” he greeted.

“Good morning!” Roman answered, taking the kettle off the stove. As Logan crossed the kitchen, Roman poured hot water in his own mug and coffee into Logan’s. He passed it over, and Logan took a moment to observe as stars appeared on what had previously been a plain black mug. Roman bobbed his teabag up and down in the hot water, watching the color seep out.

“Something is on your mind,” Logan noted.

Roman nodded. “Mm-hm.”

“Care to tell me what it is?”

“Let me give you breakfast first.” Roman turned away, pulling the warm waffles from the toaster and placing them on a plate. He spread them with butter and Logan’s favorite jam, trying to calm his heart rate. It had spiked up again at the thought of what he had to confess.

When he turned back around, he thought he had himself under control. Logan had sat down at their small breakfast-nook table and was sipping his coffee. Roman sat down across from him with his tea and set the plate of waffles between them.

“Thank you,” Logan said fondly, picking up one waffle. Roman watched him take a bite, and as Logan chewed, Roman opened his mouth to confess.

“Let me preface this by saying that I love you,” Roman said. “I’ve never been happier than when I’ve been with you.”

“I love you too,” Logan answered sincerely. He didn’t ask what was wrong, and Roman appreciated that.

“I also want to say that it was an accident,” Roman added. “I didn’t mean to, and I was trying to fix it by myself, but I can’t, so I need your help. And I understand if you get upset, but please let me say my bit before you answer.”

Logan nodded seriously. He put the waffle and his coffee down, clasping his hands around the mug and giving Roman his full attention. “Alright.”

Roman took a deep breath. He’d rehearsed in his head what he wanted to say, and though he was feeling more than a little stage fright now that it came down to it, he remembered his lines. Quickly, almost rushing through the words, he said, “I have a crush. On someone else. I didn’t do it on purpose, and I haven’t acted on it, of course, and it doesn’t lessen the love I have for you in the slightest, but it’s there and I don’t know how to get rid of it.”

Roman finished abruptly, and silence hung between them for a few seconds as Logan first waited a moment to be sure Roman had finished speaking, and then processed what he had said.

“You have a crush on someone else,” Logan repeated. He didn’t sound upset, and not in his deliberately calm, upset-but-hiding-it sort of way that most people couldn’t tell from the real thing.

Roman nodded.

“And you wish to be rid of these feelings?”

“Yes!” Roman exclaimed. “Like I said, I’m very happy with you, and I don’t want to change that! I’ve been trying to be a good, faithful boyfriend and ignore the way I felt about Virgil, but the feelings only got stronger and stronger and I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, one way to be rid of an unwanted attraction is to gain closure,” Logan said. “Attempting to wish feelings away can be unfruitful when some part of you, however small, believes that a relationship might be possible. By informing your crush of your feelings for them, and being told concretely that they do not reciprocate, you are emotionally freed to move on.”

“Does that work?”

Logan shrugged. “In theory. I tried it on you, and you immediately deviated from the conversation I had anticipated.”

Roman was stunned speechless for a few seconds. Finally, he said, “You asked me out so that I would reject you?”

“Actually, I did not ask you out at all,” Logan corrected. “I informed you of my feelings toward you, and then you asked me out.”

“Should I have not done that?” Roman asked, feeling worried all over again.

“On the contrary,” Logan assured him. “I quite prefer dating you over not dating you. I simply had not expected you to reciprocate my feelings. I was quite pleased to be proven wrong.”

“I didn’t,” Roman admitted. “I mean, I loved you, but in a friend way, not a gay way. I mean, I am gay, so everything I do is always gay, but I wasn’t in love with you yet. That started during our first date.”

“Oh,” Logan said. He tilted his head slightly to the side and raised his eyes, clearly thinking back to the beginning of their relationship.

“What should I do about my crush on Virgil?” Roman asked, pulling Logan out of his recollections. “I could try the get rejected plan, but what if he doesn’t?”

Logan returned the question. “What would happen if you told him you were in love with him, and he reciprocated?”

Roman frowned. “I am not going to cheat on you with one of our best friends,” he nearly snapped.

“I am not suggesting that you do so,” Logan answered calmly. “Roman, have you ever heard of polyamory?”

Roman thought about it, his frown lightening slightly. “No. What is it?”

“The word comes from the greek polús or poly, meaning ‘many,’ and the latin amor, meaning ‘love,’” Logan began, “and is defined as the practice of or desire for an intimate relationship with more than one partner, with the consent of all parties involved.”

Roman blinked. “You can do that?”

“Yes, so long as everyone involved is aware of and consents to the polyamorous status of the relationship. Without that, then it does become cheating, but with proper consent and communication, a polyamorous relationship can be just as healthy and happy as any other relationship.”

Roman thought he could see where Logan was going with this, but he didn’t quite want to say it out loud yet. Instead, he asked, “So like being in a couple, but there are three people instead of two? And they’re all dating each other?”

“Yes, that is one example of a polyamorous relationship,” Logan agreed, giving Roman a smile. “It’s called an equal triad. Another example involving three people is called a vee. Rather than all three partners dating each other, one is simultaneously dating the other two, who are not dating each other.”

“Wouldn’t they get jealous of each other, if they’re both dating the same person?”

“It is possible,” Logan said. “However, in a polyamorous relationship, the members make an effort to practice compersion rather than jealousy. That is, they recognize that their partner’s other partner brings them joy, and so they are glad for the happiness their metamor — that is, their partner’s partner — brings their mutual partner.”

Roman must have been making a confused face, because Logan changed tactics. “Consider it like this: I myself am neutral on most disney movies. However, I have a certain fondness for your collection, because they make you happy, and I like seeing you happy. I am not jealous of the love you bestow upon those films, but rather, I appreciate them for the joy they bring into your life. Similarly, were you to start dating Virgil — in a way that was polyamorous rather than cheating, of course — I believe that I would not be jealous of him either, or upset that I had to ‘share’ you, but pleased that you were feeling joy due to that relationship.”

“Oh.”

Logan gave Roman a very gentle smile. “Do you think that you would like to pursue a romantic relationship with Virgil?”

“I mean…” Roman hesitated. “Yeah? I think so? If… if you’re really okay with it…”

“I think you should ask him out.” Logan picked up his coffee again, taking a long sip. Roman was quiet, and Logan added, “You may want to take some time first to further sort out your feelings with this added information, and that is quite understandable. I know that this wasn’t the direction you expected this conversation to take. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”

Roman nodded. “Thanks, Logan.”

“Any time, my love.”

Roman could feel himself blushing. To not have to say anything, he grabbed one of the waffles off the plate between them, taking a big bite.

~~~~~

Chapter 2: Making Plans

[rwbyremnants]

WARNING: This chapter contains use of a couple of racist terms for Italian-Americans and Chinese-Americans by a particularly bigoted character; no offense is intended toward the readers and the words used do not reflect the views of the author, but rather the historically accurate attitudes of the 1950s era in the USA. Please be advised that you may wish to skip this chapter if you prefer to avoid terms like those.

Well I knew writing would take up most of last month... sorry about that. I'm gonna try to do better about posting from now on. Hope you guys are having a fun hot girl summer~

=Chapter 38

Before long, Kali did come by to wake them up, and was almost alarmed that the girls were already up and chattering with each other. Though they quieted quickly at being commanded to get ready for school, knowing doing anything else would probably get them in even hotter water than before.

But Kali's eyes remained shrewd on Blake the entire morning, and seemed to be reading Weiss like a book. She knew. That would have surprised her before the past month of insanity, but by now she fully appreciated that Kali Belladonna was nobody's fool. She just had to hope the woman would leave the situation up to them instead of butting in.

And she did… sort of.

“Weiss,” she said as they moved toward Blake's motorcycle to head to class. She stayed back.

“Yes, Kali?”

“I trust you… slept well.” Her eyes were still discerning, stabbing into her as if she had x-ray vision.

“I did. Thank you for asking.” When the silence was growing stale, Weiss prayed that her cheeks weren’t pinkening as she asked, “Was there something else?

Kali shook her head, a half-smile hitched into place. “No. Just be careful. As you've been learning, this world of ours… has a lot of hidden pitfalls. Don't make a mistake that you'll wind up regretting. But I'm probably worried about nothing, right? You're a smart girl. Just don't forget to be smart.”

With those ominous parting words, Blake's mother went back inside and Weiss went back to Blake herself.

“What was that about?” she asked while handing over her spare helmet.

“Oh, nothing, I suppose. But I think your mother was trying to warn me not to make out with you.”

“Mm.” Only after their helmets were on and they were both seated on the bike did she burst out, “WHAT?!”

-------------------

That day at school was very strange for Weiss. As if she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed - which, in a manner of speaking, she did.

As had become usual, Yang spent a lot of time making eyes at her in the hallway, finding excuses to touch her. They didn’t have actual classes together, but the rest of the day found her slipping a hand down below the hem of her skirt and teasing her thighs before drawing it away, making sure nobody would notice. That was normal - though it had lessened during certain points where one or neither of them were in the mood, or were in the hospital. After their fun on the lakeshore, Yang was back at the top of her game, and it was almost more relief than exhilarating.

Now, however… it wasn’t just Yang. Though she didn’t get nearly so bold, Blake was also winking at her occasionally, finding an excuse to whisper something into her ear that probably could have been said out loud without anyone caring. She never did it in front of Yang, but it still happened. Weiss didn’t respond as favourably to her, but neither could she seem to completely ignore this new attention.

She felt like a cheap floozy. It wasn’t fair to herself, and she knew it mentally, but her emotions were another story. So what if Blake let off a little steam? Technically, she didn’t even help her directly; just encouraged her to take care of herself. But she knew her more prudish friends might not see it that way, even if it was all that had transpired.

After classes, Yang took her to their spot at the abandoned depot. They did kiss for a little while, but it wasn’t quite the same; Weiss felt that morning hanging over her like a dark cloud, threatening to crack open and pour down on the whole situation.

“I’m sorry.”

To Weiss’s surprise, she hadn’t been the one to say it. She pulled back to ask, “For what?”

“There’s just so much happening, y’know? With your dad, and…” Yang sighed and reached up to caress over Weiss’s neck. “It’s dumb, but I keep thinking about Ruby and Qrow.”

“No, it’s not dumb. But what have you been thinking about them?”

“That it’s all my fault we got so… so- I mean, I shoulda known they didn’t hate me. Seems pretty obvious now. But I let myself get all wrapped up in my mom’s anger, and…”

Her girlfriend looked so stricken that Weiss couldn’t help leaning up to kiss her forehead. “You didn’t know. Weren’t you a little girl when this all happened? It is dumb to expect a child to understand what’s going on when she’s already dealing with losing her mom. Or step-mom.”

“Yeah.” She nodded very faintly at first, then a little stronger. “You’re right. I only wish I knew then what I know now, I guess.”

“Mmhmm. Was there something else? You still seem…”

“Well, yeah, there are a couple of things. Like your dad, and you and your mom having to shack up with Mrs. B., and Cinder still not being back in class… it’s just so much. Feels like we can’t catch a break lately.”

Guilt fluttered in her stomach. And here she had been about to add to Yang’s worries by asking about that “free pass” to try making out with a few other girls. As if she even needed to, really! “I’m sorry. So much of that is my fault, in a way. Your life just got more complicated when I came along.”

“Complicated in good ways, too,” she said with a half-smile. But Weiss didn’t return it, so she tilted her head a little. “Hey.”

“Huh?”

“Something’s off with you. Did you and Blake have a fight? She’s been acting weird, too. Pretty much… all day. And I saw you two whispering a lot.” Weiss didn’t even have to answer; the way she looked away biting her lip was enough. “Nnnnnot a fight. Got it.”

“Yang-”

“It’s okay, everything’s boss. I’m hep.” But she didn’t look it. Weiss didn’t think she had ever seen Yang so confused and out of sorts before. She wasn’t angry, or scared; just highly confused and maybe a little sad.

“This isn’t what you think,” she tried, knowing that only made it sound worse. “Blake… she just has been really lonely lately. Nothing happened between us, exactly. But I did…” She felt like she would be sick. “I did help her a little.” Her face was burning, definitely, and maybe even her ears and neck. “Mostly I just watched… and told her she didn’t have to stop. Th-that was all.”

Yang forced a smile that only hurt both of them. “Didn’t I just say I’m fine? And… I never said you had to pin me, and I haven’t pinned you. Neither of us is wearing handcuffs, neither of us is committed. You can do whatever you want with her.”

“But I don’t! I want to be with you, Yang! She just… like I said, she’s been so lonely, and I helped her out a tiny bit. That all. And trust me, I’m not the one she wants to be with - but I can’t go into detail.” Yang didn’t answer. “Do you trust me?”

She still didn’t answer - right away. But when she glanced up and saw Weiss looking as if she had just been shot, she relented. “Of course I trust you! Sorry, I'm sorry, Princess. I just… haven't had to think about…” She swallowed hard and reached up to grasp Weiss's shoulders hard. “I've never had a steady girl before. Ever. So this is all brand new! But I think… maybe I really would be alright if you and Blake-”

Weiss's hand came up and pressed very gently into Yang's mouth. “Don't say that right now. Okay? Just, um, just think about it for a while and get back to me later. You have a lot on your plate, and… I didn't even know how to bring this up to you. It seems cruel when you're already dealing with so much. But it's way less important to me than making sure you and I are hunky dory.”

Before Yang even nodded, she was already kissing the fingertips. Weiss felt her knees go weak and was glad for the old couch they were seated on. The lips kneaded more and more against her fingers until they ran up to take the middle one inside, tongue swirling around it teasingly. It didn't completely distract her from their conversation… but went a long way toward doing so.

“We're hunky dory all the time,” the Dragon finally told her without a hint of hesitation. “And… I know how we feel about each other. I've just never had something I could lose like this before.”

“The only way you'll lose me is if you don't want me around anymore. That's it. Even if things get rough, and my father tries to take me away, and a million other girls want to turn my head, I promise I will find my way back to you. Bet on it, Xiao Long.”

Nothing could have kept the two apart after that.

-------------------

A little while later and they were heading back to the Belladonna house, physically sated even if they were still a little emotionally frayed. Once they parked and started to dismount Yang's motorcycle, she reached out to stall Weiss from heading up to the house.

“This thing that Blake's dealing with… whatever it's about. Or whoever. Should I tease her to make it seem less big, or is it too big even for teasing? Just don't want to make the wrong move here.”

Weiss had to fight down a surge of panic. “Nooooo, no, don't bring that up, at all! Please? You're her best friend and she would be really embarrassed if you found out from somebody else. And if you hint that you know part of it, she might accidentally say the rest and then we’ll all feel awful.”

“Right, okay: I don't know anything. I'll be cool.” A little grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. “But I'm glad you're looking out for her, even if it's frustrating not knowing what the hell is going on. She's a good friend.”

Privately, Weiss cringed on Blake's behalf at that last line. And because they were slightly dancing around the notion of opening their relationship up to outside parties. But there was no time to lament such things - especially with Yang standing right there, focused on the situation.

The instant Blake looked up from setting the dining room table and saw the two of them there, her face went through a few quick transformations. Anger, annoyance, sadness, embarrassment. Jealousy in spades. But there was a more pure form of longing there, as well. And that quickly, it all vanished, replaced with an honest gratitude to see her two friends.

“Hey, girls. Mom says it’s almost ready - cacciatore tonight.”

“Great!” Yang glanced at Weiss, her eyes full of an intense question: ‘What is going on with her?!’ Clearly, now that she knew to look for it, she had seen the same transformations Weiss had. But she kept the question in her eyes only, and even that faded away before she turned back to Blake. “Um… so… what’s new?”

Weiss wanted to groan, but it would have been a dead giveaway. Blake blinked and said, “Huh?”

“Seems like I haven’t talked to you much lately is all.”

“Nothing, really. I mean, my news is the same news as your news. By now, you know about Weiss’s dad, right?”

“Yeah! Ain’t that kooky?!”

The rest of the dinner was taken up with chatting about Weiss’s father, and other Dragons goings-on. Kali turned out to have one or two ideas for a new base of operations, even if they weren’t currently workable; she had been ruminating on the problem. The solution just might take time.

“Blake, finish your beets. They’re good for you.”

“Mom, I’m enjoying the chicken,” she sighed weakly. “Don’t ruin it with those red tiddlywinks.”

Weiss may have been the only one to catch the knowing glint in Kali’s eyes as she said in the same casual, matronly tone, “You looked a bit flushed this morning. I’m worried about your blood pressure.”

Instantly, Blake was choking on the bit of beet she had reluctantly nibbled. Yang was quick to go pound her on the back, even though Kali was there nearly as quickly. Weiss was at the far end of the table with her mother, so though they both rose to their feet that was as far as they got before Blake was breathing normally again.

“You aren’t supposed to breathe them!” Kali was chuckling gently, still rubbing up and down her daughter’s back. “Calm down, I only said you looked like you were a bit… strained.”

“MOM!” Blake gagged in annoyance. Everyone laughed, and she looked even more mortified.

“Alright, alright,” Weiss finally said with a wave of her hand. “Lay off her.”

“You laughed, too, Princess!”

Yang smirked and folded her arms over her chest. “Hey, I thought I was the only one that got to call her that.”

“Since when?” Weiss asked.

“Since forever!” When both Blake and Weiss looked at her curiously, Yang laughed again, going back to her chair. “I'm kidding; I don't actually mind, you know.”

“Oh…” Plopping back down, Weiss picked up her fork again. “Good. But don't worry, I still like hearing it from you the best.”

This time, the retching sounds from Blake were feigned, but her mother still turned back to her as if it were a real crisis. That started the laughter again, especially from Willow who saw much of her own parenting reflected in the other mother - even if she had taken an extended leave of absence, thanks to her husband and hundreds of bottles of wine.

Following dinner and dessert, they were relaxing in the living room in front of the TV when they heard a car pull into the drive. “I’m not expecting anyone,” Kali said.

“Me, either.” Blake glanced around at everyone else, then back to her mother. “Is Salem back? Already?”

It certainly wasn’t Salem. When they gathered on the porch to see what was going on, they found themselves staring at none other than Jacques Schnee, leaning on a diamond-topped cane that he had certainly never needed before with his hair and mustache a little too perfect. He was standing in front of an actual squad car, with two actual policemen in the front.

“Porco cane!” Kali hissed under her breath, eyes narrowed. But she made no other sudden movement.

“So this is where you two have squirreled yourselves away,” he sighed in a disinterested voice. “How very… pedestrian. Is it even up to code? I wonder if I could have it condemned…”

“What do you want here, Jacques?” Willow said in as even a tone as she could manage. It wasn’t fiery, and it wasn’t firm. She was terrified that he had found them - as was Weiss. Though she was content to stay in the background of the encounter for as long as possible.

“Why, honey, I thought that would be obvious. I wish to reunite my family.” His smile was genial, like he thought he was Santa Claus. “Whitley misses the both of you.”

While she was trying to come up with a reply for that, Weiss found her voice. “We have a family. Right here.”

“Oh, is that what you call this? Such a random collection of rabble - a couple of black-haired dago greasers and some chink girl? That passes for family to you now? My, my… how the mighty have fallen.”

Kali nearly lost it. In fact, she took a single step forward, but Blake managed to hold her back at the last second. The gentle pressure on her arms reminded her of their situation, of the cop car waiting just behind the enemy, and she brought her temper back under control.

“You see?” he laughed harshly, gesturing with a hand. “Animals that can scarcely control themselves. Come home, Willow. We’ll sort this out later.”

By now, the Schnee matriarch’s anger was starting to overtake her fear, even if marginally. “Come home? So… s-so you can spank me as if I were a spoiled little girl? We have had this discussion, Jacques. I will never sleep under the same roof as you again.”

He only wasted a few seconds digesting her words, glaring daggers at the woman he had claimed to love when he married her. Then he grinned darkly. “Never say never, my dear.” His fingers snapped toward the car, and one of the officers exited to stand next to him. “Fetch the bitch.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Yang drawled out, cracking her knuckles. “She ain’t done anything wrong. You can’t just go sticking people in handcuffs for no reason.”

“Ah, but they can, and they will. Who’s going to stop us? You? If you resist, we will claim that you were shot in ‘self defense’ - and who will the judge believe?” His hand pressed into the center of his chest. “A respected pillar of this community, running for the office of mayor? Or an unfaithful wife who runs away from her problems and into the waiting arms of a handful of thugs? None of you have a leg to stand on.”

“You’re right,” Kali announced, eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. “But first, you would all have to make it back to the station in one piece.”

Then her gun was aimed at Jacques. Weiss hadn’t even noticed her produce it - and neither officer had theirs out yet. The one already out of the car went for his piece-

BANG! His hat went flying from atop his head, spinning off over the car and toward the ditch that lay between the Belladonna’s front yard and the street.

“Ah, ah, ah,” she said in a dangerous tone. “I actually don’t want to kill a police officer. But that doesn’t mean I won’t if given no alternative.”

“You are committing a serious error in judgement, miss,” the officer said, speaking for the first time. “We could have you locked up on counts of-”

“Spare me. What you are doing is immoral and illegal, even if no one else ever finds out about it. And you will have to live with that for the rest of your life. Now…” Her eyebrow rose as she lowered the barrel, just enough to be noticeable from a distance. “Do you want to spend the rest of that life being able to make love to your wife, or not?”

That definitely got him to gulp, and he raised his hands up over his head. By this time, Blake reappeared - when had she left?! - and had another pistol aimed at the two men, sliding along to the end of the porch. Jacques rolled his eyes skyward.

“You expect me to believe this pipsqueak knows how to use that? We ought to run you all in for harbouring too many dangerous weapons and putting them into the hands of children.”

“I’m not as good as my mom,” Blake admitted easily. “I might miss the cop and hit you instead. Now, take out that piece nice and slow - two fingers. That’s it… toss it on the grass. Cock it before you do and I’ll take you off here and now.”

She hated to admit it, but Weiss was impressed. The Belladonnas didn’t mess around. Once he had disposed of the gun, she nodded sideways at Yang, who dropped down and crawled over to pick it up by the trigger guard with her pinky. Once backed out of firing range of the two women packing heat, she stood again, holding the gun the same way.

“Isn’t she a great shot, too?” Jacques teased irritably.

“I don’t believe in guns,” Yang snapped. “I’d rather have a clean, honest fight any day. The other guy - he can toss us his gun, too. And the keys.”

They obeyed. Jacques looked hopping mad, but he didn’t protest as Yang caught two guns with the same pinky, then circled around the squad car with a wide berth before she unlocked the trunk. At this point, Jacques tensed as if he was going to try something stupid, but Blake cocked her gun and he went still.

“You wouldn’t. You might hit the blonde.”

“We’ve all been shot before,” Yang answered for her. “Or stabbed. But you know all about that, right?” She locked the trunk again with the guns inside, then circled around to the passenger’s side. “Pop that glove box, will ya?” He did, and she tossed the bullets inside. “Good boy.”

“Now,” Kali announced as Yang rejoined the others, tossing the keys in through the driver’s side window. “You’re going to get back into that car, and vacate my property. And don’t bother seeing if this firearm is licensed; it is. I have a legal right to bear arms under the constitution. You don’t want anyone to know what you were doing here any more than we wanted it to happen, so you won’t push this matter. Get back in that car and go away. And if you ever set foot on my property again without a warrant, or an actual legitimate police reason, I won’t be so welcoming.”

“Listen to them!” Jacques snarled. “As if they have the right of w-”

“And if you ever come here again, you will meet your death, future Mayor,” she snarled, and Weiss felt her blood run cold at the level of fury she had reached - especially considering she was smiling, fierce and vicious. “I told you that you shouldn’t thank me. But I doubt you even remember that now.”

His white eyebrows twitched together. “Remember what?”

“GO.”

“What about my hat?” the officer asked.

“You’ll get a new one.”

That seemed to be that. However, Jacques couldn’t seem to resist a parting comment. “You’ll regret this, Willow. Mark my words. You’ll rue the day you ever crossed me. I made you, and I can unmake you. Watch your back.” Then he sneered at Weiss. “That goes for you, too, Junior Hooker.”

Yang pounded one fist into her open palm to emphasise that they were wearing out their welcome yet further. They sped away.

“I can’t believe that,” Willow breathed in shock. “What he called my Weiss… his daughter…”

But Weiss could barely spare any thought for that. She was still shaking from having heard a gun go off so close to her ears, and aimed in the general direction of a family member - no matter how terrible he turned out to be. It had taken a lot of concentration to keep from wetting herself again. Maybe she had some kind of bladder problem. Passing a hand over her eyes, she turned to blink at the others, seeing her shock only truly reflected in her mother’s face.

“You’re not a hooker,” Blake provided instantly, and Yang nodded firmly. Kali merely looked drained from the confrontation, but satisfied with the results.

“I… I know I’m not.”

“Yang,” Kali finally said with a sigh, “would you… be a dear and fetch that hat for us? We’ll need to burn the evidence that they were ever here, and I fired at an officer of the law. Then we need to hide Blake’s piece again; just because my gun is licensed doesn’t mean the other one is.”

They got to work. As they went about trying to erase all indication that their pleasant evening had been interrupted, Weiss reflected that her father had accomplished exactly what he meant to do: he had brought a family closer together. Now, all five of them acted and moved as one, making sure to occasionally touch each other on the shoulders or flash a smile of reassurance.

Her real family was stronger than any illusion of one.

[rubik-ashala]

Let Alucard have nice things!

This doubles as both a headcanon description and a rant so here goes:

I just got done watching the 3rd season of Castlevania and I am not happy. I have two things two say about it. This contains spoilers for the series so you have been warned.

First complaint and observation:

Did anybody get the feeling that the show was supposed to end after the second season but didn't? That everything was wrapped up nicely, Dracula was dead, the big world destruction war was halted, we were shown what the trio would be doing after everything etc. Like it was meant to end there but then a conversation like this happened:

Castlevania team: And that’s a wrap everybody! The good guys took down Dracula in an epic fight, the world was saved, Job Done! Time to move on to new things.

Shareholders, producers, etc: Uhh, actually we already signed you up for a 3rd season. So you might want to get on that.

Castlevania Team: What! But we weren't prepared for a third season! The whole plot is wrapped up! What are we supposed to do?

Shareholders, producers, etc: Don’t know but you better get to figuring it out.

Castlevania: I guess we will just game of thrones it terribly then and hope we make it through.

Because that is what it felt like happened. There seemed to be no overarching plot, just four separate ones and only two of them is even remotely together. They take two side characters Issac and Hector and give them there own plotlines. Issac gets the Denarius treatment for no real reason other than to seemingly follow in Dracula’s footsteps and Hector gets dragged to Camilla’s realm because, she needs a forge master to grow an army so she can take over what has been fractured. They split up the trio, suddenly giving Serphia and Trevor a romantic relationship with little to nothing building up to it and throw them in a quest to keep Dracula from coming back after some crazy monks due some occult doctor who style shenanigans to open a portal to other worlds. And while that is going on, Alucard aka Adrian Tepes gets left alone guarding his fathers now broken castle and the Belmont’s treasure trove for months after everything has happened.

Which flows into my Second point:

Alucard got done dirty in the third season!

We watch as Alucard deals with the mental repercussions of what he did, alone. We watch as he deals with the loneliness of being out in the middle of nowhere alone for months with none to talk too. And we see the toll it is taking on him albeit comedically. 

Then the siblings come in. 

They come to him for help and education on fighting vampires back in their homeland, something that Alucard is more than happy to help with. One, because he has company again and Two, passing on the knowledge to the new generation seemed fitting.

During the time they stay he grows fond of them and they him. You see them training and horsing around, eating meals together and other wholesome shenanigans.

You get to see a conversation where the sibling talk about how they notice how lonely he has been and how they believe he stays out here to punish himself and maybe they should do something for him before they move on. And it’s all like “aww that is so sweet!”

Then you see Alucard trying to sleep and failing miserably in his bed. Even so far as wondering if he should get a coffin to sleep in. Then you see the siblings show up in the door way and begin walking towards him in the bed saying , in a very sultry voice, how alone he must have been, how he should deserve a reward, ectera. Followed by them getting all hot and steamy with him.

 The scene makes a point to show how much Alucard is enjoying this attention, and how happy it is making him. Your watching it and it’s like “Maybe it's gonna be one of those fond memories he will be able to look back on after their gone.” or “Maybe they will become some Badass monster hunting thruple and Alucard wont be alone anymore.”

Nope! Not today in my Grim Dark Gothic Fantasy World!

They instead, after giving Alucard the night of his life, put these metal cuffs on him that shoot out a bunch of ropes that tie him in classic Jesus on a cross position and then proceed to try and kill him. 

Why?

Because the were under the belief he was lying and holding things back from them, and in particular about the castle not being able to move. And they were tired of being lied to.

Luckily for Alucard they didn't realize his sword could move on its own and they weren’t alive for much longer because of it but...Really?

Why? Why do this to him?

He lost his mother to a witch hunt, he had to kill his own father and now this? All in little over a year? What the Hell man!?

Let the Dhampire have nice things! He deserves better than this!

So, I made a headcannon to soothe me angry brain.

I took a fantasy race of mine that was inspired by the Crusnics of Trinity Blood and added them in to Castlevania. In Particular one specific one.

Name: Floki 

Age: Around Adrian’s age give or take a few months.

Hair: Black

Eyes: Mismatched blue/green

Height: About the same as Adrien’s perhaps a little taller.

Personality: Mischevious, HArdworking, Loves deeply, Fiercly but wisely protective, loves to work with his hands, loves to learn more about the world and how it works. Deeply fond of Adrian even though he hasn’t seen him in a few years. Also, a smidge psychotic, but just a smidge.

Floki is part of a race of beings referred to as “The Old Ones”. They are a race similar in habit to the Vampire but they feed off vampires, night creatures and other supernatural beings over humans. They are immensely powerful, even at young ages and have been rumored to be the source of some of the gods of Ancient Mythology. 

Floki’s father (Yet named)  was Dracula’s mentor and where he got much of his scientific knowledge from in his early years. They became friends during his teaching and even after parting ways, would still occasionally see each other every few half centuries or so to trade information and chat.

During this time, Floki’s father was desperately trying to have children of his own and failing. At one point believing that he was sterile and unable to father children. Something Dracula knew as well and so hid Lisa’s pregnancy from him for fear of making his sadness worse.

However, a few months later, It was revealed that his current love was with child and Floki was born accompanied by much drunken Norse revelry.

When the two men met again a few years later, Floki was brought with his father to show to Dracula that he finally had a child. A moment where Dracula also revealed his son and Where Floki met Adrian.

Floki showed Adrian what it was like to play and horse around. They would play pretend out in the woods, get dirty, skin thier knees, the works. And where one was, you would find the other close by.

The visits between the two powerful men became more frequent due to the boys wish to see each other, not that the parents minded all that much.

Over time Floki’s affection for Adrian would change and deepen. His longing to stay by his friends side would get stronger and one fateful afternoon when Adrian got hurt, FLoki would realize how he had fallen in love with him.

Adrian would never know this however, due to Floki’s unstable powers at the time, his sub par control of his hunger and the fear of hurting him.

As they got older, and partly to the above, their visits to see each other would lessen and by the time they were full grown, had stopped entirely. 

That is until Floki Heard of Lisa’s death at the hands of the church.

Even with his incredible power to teleport far distances it took him several months to reach Wallachia. He didn’t seek out Adrian immediately though, too curious to see the truth of what happened.

Each of “The Old Ones” Has a unique skill that is developed and evolved over time, according to personality, interest, skill and homeland. Due to Floki’s curiosity, his love for history and his desire to see how it all works together, he developed what he liked to call, memory recall.

His skill allowed him to see memories of the past through people, objects or locations where something that evoked strong emotional or magical reactions in the area happened. And if there was no such thing, if the event was more recent, if he had access to people that were there and stood on the location, he could see and feel the event as if he lived it.

Lisa’s death held him up in an inn for several days trying to chase the feeling of flames on  his skin. Dracula’s anger and grief laid him up for even longer as he cried himself sick. 

Gregit was better though, seeing the man who did the deed getting called out by a demon and then eaten gave him a bit of satisfaction.

Briela was fascinating though. He had to meet whomever managed to capture the ever moving castle.

By the Time Floki would arrive at the now defunk castle and underground hold, the siblings bodies are already outside on pikes.

This doesn't scare him away of course, and to find out why they were there he uses his memory recall. Where he sees through there eyes what they did to Adrian, albeit a little fuzzy. But is able to hear what the twins were thinking in that moment and see, just for a short time, Adrian tied to the bed afraid and hurt.

This causes him to snap his fingers and cause the corpses to burst into flames.

An action that draws Adrian’s attention causing a little bit of a fight before they recognize each other.

Over the next while Adrian allows Floki to stay and fix the castle as well as the Belmont estate and work towards getting the transportation engine online again. Eventually. 

Overtime, all of Floki’s feelings come back with a vengeance and he gives as much attention and TLC to Adrian as he allows. Eventually getting Adrian to allow him close enough to see though his memory what the siblings had done to him

A scene that will either start a few revelations with both Adrian and FLoki or lead to a very steamy situation. Possibly both.

But it all ends in Adrian getting all the Love and TLC that man deserves after the hell he was put through.

I just hope they aren’t trying to set him up to become an antagonist later... 

[thehorizoncrew]

Hey Mingi,, what's your relationship with the crew? Actually- how do you see each member of the crew?

Mingi: “My relationship with the crew and how I view them? Hm, as far as Captain goes, he is exactly that: my captain. I respect him and follow his orders because I see him as someone who holds a lot of authority and power. He holds a lot of control over himself and his own emotions as well, which makes him hard to read sometimes. 

“Lieutenant plays off of Captain quite a bit. He is more level-headed and calm than Captain is, and often provides the missing bits of logic that Captain forgoes in moments of intensity. He and I don’t interact as much as the others do, but he is very patient with me and rarely ever shows any frustration in my presence.

“As for Healer, he is most like a mentor to me. Someone I learn from and watch quite a bit. He is eager to help me whenever I mention something I want to learn about, but he never offers to teach me something unless I explicitly state that I wish to learn it. He says he wants me to decide what I’m learning and what I want to learn, and I know he takes great pride in his work. I think he sometimes sees me and helping me as an opportunity to fix his mistakes from the past. Any frustration he feels is always directed at himself, and he feels a great amount of self-hatred that he never exposes to other people but I can feel it in him.

“Yeosang and Wooyoung... they are kind to me, and Wooyoung is always very careful with me. He isn’t afraid of me or afraid of me hurting him, but he does fear messing something up. There are... other feelings of fear in him, that he doesn’t do well to conceal, but he is very afraid of something in himself that I can’t piece together. Yeosang on the other hand is very headstrong and haughty, but only to protect himself.

“Spectre is... hard to talk about because whenever I feel his emotions, it’s often just an overwhelming sense of pain. He carries a lot of trauma and pain with him, like it’s an extension of himself that he doesn’t want to cut off, and I think he believes that it makes him stronger and less susceptible to hurt or anything like that. Still, I often wonder if he understands how strong he could be if he let that pain go.

“Jongho is the one I am closest with, not just because he is also a Berserker but because he understands what I go through. He tries his best to conceal his emotional aura around me, but I don’t think he realizes how strong those senses can be, and I know that bringing me down from an episode can often put him into a great amount of pain. I think - I think I want to be better at controlling that part of me so that it lessens the burden on his shoulders.

“As for the Ghost, she is not someone I know all too well, but I... as odd as it may be, sometimes when I feel her emotions, I recognize them as pains I’ve felt before. While I may not really understand them or where they come from or the reason behind them, I do know what they feel like, and I know she holds a lot of pain and confusion in her. Not so much about the years she had before the military, but the years she had during her time in the military. I don’t think she remembers those years accurately at all because the time I found her in the hallway... when I helped her get to the medbay and to Healer, the emotions rolling off her when straining against each other, like her mind was asking her to remember something but her body was fighting against it.”