#please enjoy this poll I’m very tired

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

All In 10

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, age gap, power imbalance, low self esteem, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: you meet a mysterious man on a night out with your sister. (petite!reader)

based on the winning option for this poll

Characters: casino owner!Bucky Barnes

Note: who's a tired bitch?

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

Bucky drives you home. Just him. No Merv. You have your books and the pajamas but it feels like so much more. 

His fingers tap on the shifter. You’re overly aware of his every move. You try to shrink yourself in the seat, feeling crowded with only him in the car. His hand slips and he reaches over to rest it on your thigh. He rubs you through your pants. 

“You alright?” He asks in a grit. 

“Yeah,” you squeak, fixating on his touch. “Fine.” 

“You don’t gotta be so nervous. You know I like you,” his fingers continue to move, sending ripples through you, “not much you can do to change that either.” 

You press yourself into the seat and flick your eyes up to the windshield. You recognise that house. Your thoughts rush over you and you grab his hand, squeezing it. 

“Stop,” you say. 

He hits the brake and you flutter your lashes, looking at him, “just drop me here. I can walk.” 

“What? Doll? What’s wrong?” 

“I... well... what if someone sees you?” You ask, “my mom, my sister... they’d wanna know why you were driving me home if I’m just working at the hotel, wouldn’t they?” 

He considers you and tilts his head, “hm, you’re clever too, doll. Suppose they would.” 

“I’m sorry, I’m not--” 

You keep your hand on his but don’t try to move him. Nor does he pull away. Instead, he squeezes your leg and lets out a purr. 

“I’ll make you a deal, doll, you give me a kiss and I’ll do what you say. You can go, enjoy your books, try on your jammies,” his blues eyes blaze at you, “and I’ll be patient. I’ll wait for you. Until tomorrow.” He makes a pained expression, “you know a man can only take so much when it comes to pretty women.” 

You giggle, overwhelmed by his words. No one ever calls you pretty, only your mom. In fact, Roxie always said it was good you have a brain because your looks won’t get you very far, and she wasn’t proven wrong. Not until him. 

“Okay, uh,” you gulp and look down at his hand, slowly peeling yours off of him, “I just...”  

You touch the seat belt and follow it down to the buckle. You click the button and let it repel behind the seat. You swallow again, trying to wet your dry mouth. If it gets you home without any extra questions, you can give him a kiss. It wasn’t so bad earlier, was it. It made you feel... a lot. 

You shift and lean towards him. His hand crawls up your leg to your hip as he urges you close, himself angling over the space between your seats. Your gaze meet his sapphire irises and you squeeze your eyelids shut. He’s so handsome you could melt. And he want a kiss. From you! 

You press your lips to his. He growls and his other hand comes up to the back of your head, holding you there before you can pull away. His tongue glides along your lips and delves past them. Like earlier, he invades your mouth eagerly, drawing you into him as he groans. You grasp the front of his shirt and squeak. 

The smell of his rich cologne seeps into your nose and his warmth swirls around you. You’re trapped by more than his strength; you’re completely swept up in his need. You’ve never felt anything like that. No one has ever wanted you as much as he has. Even if you’re scared, it’s nice to feel that. 

He leaves you breathless as he parts his lips from yours, hovering just before you as his pants shallowly. His tongue pokes out and traces his lips. He purrs and his eyes threaten to swallow you up. He’s even more handsome up close; ever line is like a paint stroke in a masterpiece, every hair is placed perfectly, and his features are sculpted just so. 

You blink and feel your chest crush. He's so much better than you; more attractive, richer, older, smarter... Your eyes gloss over just a little with the reminder and his hand slips down to your neck, his grip on your slackening. A divot forms between his brows in disappointment. 

“What’s the matter, doll?” He rasps. 

You shake your head and force a smile, “nothing,” you eke between taut cheeks, “I just... I don’t want to let you down.” 

“Doll, you can’t do that,” he chuckles, “you gotta trust yourself. Trust me. I mean every word I say.” He exhales and looks you up and down, “I want you so bad...” His fingers curl into your neck and you feel him shake, “you...” He closes his eyes, his lips slightly open, and he pulls his hand off of you. He recoils and sits back in his seat. “You should go before I just gotta show ya.” 

Is it a threat? It sounds like one. Your blood runs cold as he balls his hand to a fist. He puffs through his nostrils, eyes still closed as if he’s fighting himself. You reach back to grab the bag from behind the seat and pull it into your lap. 

“Thank you, Bucky, for the drive home,” you say, “and for everything else. It’s all so nice.” 

“Doll,” he dips his head down, “anything...” His fist tightens, “have a good night.” 

“You too,” you chirp and pull on the door handle. 

It doesn't open. Panic pricks in your chest as you search for the lock. You hear a pop and glance over as Bucky presses a button. The door unlocks and you nearly fall out of the car. 

You right yourself and close the door gently with a sheepish look in his direction. He watches you, reaching to grip the steering wheel. You give a tiny wave and slowly turn away. There’s a giddiness in you. Even if you’re entirely out of your element and can’t quite believe any of it, you feel special. You’ve never really felt that. Just forgotten. 

You start down the street. You don’t look back until you get to the corner and look back. Bucky sits still in the car, just where he stopped. You can’t see through the tinted windows. His headlights flash, a signal but for what, you’re not sure.  

You turn and continue onto your mother’s street. You stop just at the threshold and look down at the bag in your hand. You don’t like to lie but you need one. You walk up to the front door and onto the small porch. You enter quietly, hoping maybe you won’t be heard. You’ve never struggled very much before going unnoticed. 

Your sister lays on the couch in the breadth of the oscillation fan. It’s hot. The news said there’s a heat wave. You’re feeling it now. You almost feel bad that you’d been too busy to notice before. That you’d been in nice places where every detail, including the temperature, is perfect. 

“Finally home,” Roxie sneers without looking over the back of the couch, “long shifts at the casino, huh?” 

“Uh, yeah,” you do your best to keep the bag from crinkling. “Busy.” 

“That’s what a job is. Try a night at the club. That shit is chaos.” 

“Sure, uh, I can’t imagine,” you shuffle into the kitchen.  

You expect to find your mom waiting for you but it’s empty. You go to your room and hide the bag on the other side of your dresser. You close your door and come back out. She’s there, in her robe with a bonnet on her head. 

“Mom,” you croak, “hi, uh--” 

“How was it? First day!” She chimes. 

“Uh, yeah it...” your voice trails off as your jaw locks and you fear the truth spilling out. The day flows through your mind; the kissing, the books, the food, and more kissing. “...was a lot.” 

“Oh, yes, well, a casino,” she chuckles, “that can’t be anything but hectic. So what do they got you doing? Dealer? That’s exciting.” 

“No, er, no, just... cleaning,” you stammer. 

“Right, yes, I forgot. You said before. I’m sure people make a mess there too,” she scrunches her nose, “so, what do you feel like for dinner? We’ve been waiting on you. Tacos? Spaghetti?” 

“Oh, I’m not very hungry,” you say, “sorry, but I’ll help you cook.” 

“You should eat, honey,” she insists. 

“I now, it’s just...” you look up at the ceiling and think. You scour your mind for your brief recollection of the casino, “they have a buffet at work. Employees eat free and... I got carried away.” 

“Ah, lucky. Wish my work had a buffet,” she trills, “guess I should just be thankful for the health insurance.” 

“Mm, yeah,” you try to smile, “so, I can help cook--” 

“No, no, you just had your first day. You just relax. I’ll leave a bit extra for you, just in case,” she squeezes your shoulder then caresses your arm gently, “I hope you know how proud I am of you.” 

“Oh yeah,” Roxie blusters as she appears behind you, “because scrubbing toilets is so amazing.” 

She shoulders past and your mom moves out of her path. You frown and your mom gives her a sardonic look, “hey, I’m proud of you too. I’ve told you that.” 

“Why? I hand out flyers to desperate men looking for one-night stands?” 

“Don’t say it like that,” your mom rebukes. 

“Well, it’s the truth,” she snickers, “half the night, I don’t even hand out the things. I just hang out by the hot dog seller. He gives me free food.” Roxie looks at your archly, “see, not the only one with perks.” 

“Mm, I like hot dogs,” you say, “um, I’m gonna... lay down.” 

“Sure thing, honey, let me know if you need anything. Oh, chamomile? I could put the kettle on.” 

“No, no, it’s okay,” you assure her as you back up. “Promise I’m fine. I, er... tomorrow, I start in the afternoon so I’m gonna sleep in.” 

“Oo, that will be nice. But be careful, if you’re working late, I’m sure there’ll be some unruly people hangin’ around,” her forehead lines with concern, “I’ll give you some extra money for a cab. I don’t want you on the bus that late.” 

“Oh, alright,” you agree, just wanting to hide. You don’t like lying and with each word, it’s harder to hold yourself together. You don’t think you can do this. “Thanks.” 

“Course, hon, whatever you need.” 

You retreat to your room. You sit on the bed and stare at the wall. It’s not just today, but tomorrow, and the next day. How long until Bucky moves on to the next thing? You googled him, you’re not that naive. At least you don’t think you are.  

It feels rotten. You don’t like not telling your mom the truth. You tell her everything. She’s the one person who listened to you. Well, until Bucky. You can feel his gaze just thinking of it. How intent he is on every word, how he focuses on your lips as they outline every syllable.  

You’re an adult. It’s not a lie. It’s a secret. And you don’t have a lot of options. It’s about time you help out and Burger King isn’t calling you back to scrape grills. 

No matter how many times you justify it, it still feels wrong. Even if the way Bucky looks at you makes you all wiggly inside, it’s still lying. Even if you really need the money, it doesn’t change what you’re doing. And you are doing it. You have to.  

You don’t want to see another red notice in the mailbox, you don’t want to hear your mom crying through the wall. You want to be able to give her a day off, more than that. She’s taken care of you for so long, this is just what you need to do to take care of her. 

That’s what you’ll keep telling yourself. 

You get up and go to the dresser and take the bag from behind it. You slide out a book and lay down with it. That’s how you cope. You read, you go to a world that doesn’t exist, just until you’re forced back to reality.  

You shiver at what awaits you at the end of the first chapter. You know what Bucky expects and you know he won’t forget. The thought of the pajamas, the little top and the tiny shorts... 

Don’t think of it. Open the book. Things will be normal for just a little longer. 

[lovepookie]

₊˚ෆ Home - s.mg

♡ sypnosis: i love you. these three treacherous words proved to bite you in the ass every time you let them slip in past relationships. in turn, you were cautious about uttering them. however, there’s something about seeing your boyfriend mingi’s sideprofile, something in his smile as he mindlessly games on his pc, and there’s definitely something in his tone when he cracks a joke to his friends through the mic on his headset. the feeling in your chest tells you everything you need to know; so how do you tell song mingi that you love him?

♡ genre: teeth-rotting fluff, slightly suggestive?, established relationship, fem!reader

♡ 3.8k word count

♡ warnings: slightly suggestive mayhaps, insecure mingi, jealousy, pet names, slight misunderstanding

♡ nano note: i’m sick and tired of song mingi. he’s so ughhhhh 😫 iykyk. my delusion is at an all time high here! i saw that he was in the lead for most of my fic poll, so surprise!! please enjoy this mingi fic as well!! tysm for your support loves, muah! 💋

.♡.

You gazed at your boyfriend as you leisurely hung onto the side of his gaming chair from the stool that you sat on right beside him. It was another lazy day at your two’s shared apartment.

Mingi had been on his game from the moment he woke up. As soon as you had awoken not long after him, you saw him perched onto his gaming chair, trying to be as quiet as possible whilst playing his battle royale games; his friends yelling eagerly through his headset.

By this time, hours had gone by comfortably with you scooting a stool over to sit near him when you decided to get out of bed. After a smile your way and a shy kiss to your forehead, Mingi’s attention was basically glued to his PC.

Occasionally, you’d scroll on your phone for a bit, or get up to grab something to munch and sip on. But now you were getting tired.

Not in a restless way, but more in a needy way.

It seems like even when you were with Mingi, his soft mannerisms and bright laughs would send you into a euphoric feeling. Love songs weren’t kidding when they said, “I miss you even when you’re here.”

Sometimes Mingi got a little carried away and would game for hours. You learned to get used to this though, as his job was very physically demanding and exhausting. So why couldn’t he play his games for a few hours? Well usually you were used to it. But not today. Still, you tried not to let it get to you.

Yes, you were needy and craving attention from your boyfriend, but there was something about watching him do something he enjoyed that made you happy too. In the end that happiness overpowered your needs.

So you stared. What, at first, was an irritated stare, became soft over time as you took in his features and expressions. His concentrated gaze and the way his brows furrowed as he fidgeted with his keyboard was attractive. Yes, he was your boyfriend already, but you didn’t care if you were checking him out like the first time you saw him. So you let yourself be greedy.

You watched as he bit down on his bottom lip in frustration, or how his eyebrows raised in excitement. How he yelled through his headset to one of his friends named Yunho who was currently his teammate.

“Yah! People are here! I need backup!” He squealed in his annoyingly cute thick pitched voice.

You were starting to realize you really adored him.

Like really adored him—maybe a bit too much.

A burning sensation made its way onto your cheeks as a giggle slipped through your lips. He didn’t take notice of this. You took your phone out as a smile made its way onto your face. You sneakily decided you were going to take pictures of him because this moment made you feel some type of way and had to be saved.

You snapped a few pictures of his side view as you reveled in how handsome he was. From the slightly tanned skin on his neck and face, to his Adam’s apple that protruded in just the right way, to his beautifully unique sharp nose. Then you noticed his lips, and their plumpness and remembered how he’d tease you.

“You know what I noticed? You’re always looking at my lips. You’re jealous huh?” He’d tease with his stupid grin, watching your face to get a reaction out of you.

When you’d pout and want to pull away from his embrace in embarrassment, he’d laugh and squish you tighter into his chest.

“I’m just kidding! I’m just kidding!” He’d shout.

Even though you couldn’t see his face, you knew it was in that cute scrunch he did when he laughed. With the eyesmile, his widened lips, and the dimples on the corners of his eyes.

“Please don’t beat my ass.” He’d grumble playfully.

He felt like home.

After you were satisfied with the pictures you had just taken, you decided to scroll through to review them. Some were Live Photos of him yelling and fidgeting, but you had your sound off so you could revel in the masterpiece that was song mingi quietly.

You chuckled as, in one particular photo, he looked a little too handsome for his own good. He had leaned back onto his gaming chair after he lost a match due to Yunho, his gaming partner, being annihilated a few seconds into the game.

Though he looked serious, you knew he wasn’t too angry. If anything his expression and posture made him look really hot. You giggled further as you zoomed in and hearted the picture.

He was so attractive.

You felt your face burn further as you checked your boyfriend out from the pictures on your screen. After a bit, you decided it was enough clinging onto him, and that now you had something to stare at. You got up swiftly and decided to go lay back down in your bed with the soft pillows and blankets, phone with the photo app propped open in hand.

As you chuckled mindlessly and made your way to the bed, this caught the attention of Mingi.

He had taken notice of you giggling on your phone for a few seconds before you got up, and for reasons he didn’t know, it made his chest tighten up in a little jealousy and adoration.

Who could be making you laugh like that?

You were practically cheesing. You looked so precious that he was angry at the thought of anyone garnering this reaction out of you but him.

It made him a little sad, actually.

So he watched as you mindlessly got up and made your way to the bed. You had to have been sitting next to him for three hours or so, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary that you wanted to move. So why was he feeling hurt?

Just as he was about to ask you where you were going, he watched as you snuggled up into the blankets and scrolled on your phone, your eyes practically shooting hearts at whatever you were looking at.

Now Mingi was really getting nervous.

He got up silently, ignoring Yunho’s calls of stress—this decision would soon result in him being murdered in cold blood.

Taking his headset off, he watched as you didn’t even realize his movement, so enraveled into your little phone that you couldn’t take notice of him.

Now he couldn’t hide it anymore.

He walked up to the bed and flung himself to the side of you in hopes to see your phone. When you noticed the sudden weight of someone next to you so quickly, you screeched and clutched your phone to your chest in horror.

Mingi knew you were a scared coward just like him, so why would he do that?

You frowned his way as you expertly turned off your phone, never missing a beat. Yes, you adored him, but you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if he saw what you were doing. He’d remind you of this relentlessly—or worse—he’d get all shy and flattered for the next few days when you were really wanting affection right now.

Plus, this was a very shitty and basic way to tell someone you loved them for the first time. For the few seconds that you were on your phone, you had decided to go through your camera roll and compose an album of all of your favorite pictures of him. You mindlessly titled it; i love you.

For starters, you had never said ‘I love you.’ to him. You were saving it for the moment you knew it was right because in past relationships you’d throw it around mindlessly, only to get yourself hurt, or worse, hurt someone else. When you met Mingi, you treasured him from the start. He was one you wanted to take your time with.

He felt different.

So you wanted to save the words for when you meant it immensely, and he respected you for that. He decided to also partake in the sacredness of the words, but a few months ago, on your second anniversary, he let the words slip.

You stared at him in awe, knowing he kept it in for so long. It felt a million times better to hear it now that it was treasured.

Those words felt like home.

Still, you were too nervous to say it back, much to Mingi’s dismay.

Yes, he was a little hurt, but he didn’t let you know that. He respectfully and easily changed the subject to a playful conversation despite the adoration and twinge of hurt you saw in his eyes.

Still, you thought about it day and night. And today, for whatever reason, it felt all too strong.

So, you couldn’t tell him like this.

You inched away from Mingi as you set your phone on the bedside table, throwing him a playfully angry look to try and look natural.

“Why’d you do that!? You scared the shit out of me!” You whined out, crossing your arms for a little razzle dazzle.

He stared at you this time, feigning a look of indifference.

“I don’t know…” He said, it being harder and harder to act unbothered as the moments went on. Your expression softened as you leaned towards him.

“How was your game? Did you lose again?” You said in caution as you took a stray eyelash off of his cheek and took in the sight of him now that his eyes were on you. Mingi’s expression immediately changes.

He couldn’t help it. He was a sucker for you.

So he laughed as he looked down and rolled his eyes.

“I’ll have you know, we actually won ten more games than San and Wooyoung.” Mingi stated as if he was offended, playfully giving you the same treatment you had just gave him. You shook your head and chuckled at your boyfriends match of energy to yours. Boy, you were really whipped for him.

“Uh-huh, that’s why you were screaming and so angry, huh? Come here! My big baby lost didn’t he?” You cooed playfully, throwing your arms open for him to embrace you.

He playfully rolled his eyes, but saw this as a perfect opportunity. He swiftly hugged you, making sure your arms wrapped around his neck so that his arms could trail behind you.

With enough force, he took you down, pinning you against the bed as he hovered above you. On the way down, you squealed and blushed, a million things running across your mind, and almost all of them containing him in one way or another. You felt starstruck.

He was being really attractive right now.

You looked him in the eyes. He stared back for a moment, his gaze a little more serious looking, which kind of intimidated you.

Man, was he something else.

You felt your heart beating fast in your chest as he leaned down. It was like the first time he kissed you all over again. You braced your heart as you closed your eyes, waiting for the moment for his lips to touch yours.

But it never came.

A few seconds go by before you open your eyes, and when you do, he’s still staring at you. He bursts out laughing at this.

“You’re so cute! You know that right?” He said as he tried to keep himself steady whilst laughing as he hovered closer to you, unable to keep his form. His face laughed into your shoulder. You went beet red.

“Shut up.” Was all you could mutter out, smacking his chest in the process. He laughed harder.

“Awh! I wish you could see yourself, you look so pretty….” He said starting to half tease, half simp. “Did you want a kiss?” He asked, pulling the embarrassment trigger.

You blushed harder, you were sure your face never felt this hot before. It was so embarrassing, so you roll your eyes in retaliation.

“And what if I did-“ Just as you were about to finish your retaliation, you felt him move quickly and snatch something from behind you. He rushed off of you as you looked over to what he could’ve snatched.

Your phone.

It was gone.

You hurriedly ran after him, footsteps mirroring his which were a few steps ahead of you.

“Yah! Song Mingi! What do you think you’re doing?!” You screamed, as he locked himself in the bathroom, you being a few seconds too late to stop him.

“Stop! Don’t open my phone!” You yelled in hopes he’d listen.

There was no chance.

When Mingi was up to something he’d get to the bottom of it. Now you wanted to cry in embarrassment. “Yah!” You exclaimed.

The other side of the door was silent for a few moments. You were definitely finished; he definitely found out. He knew your password to your phone just like you knew his.

You didn’t even close out the photo app when you hurriedly tried to turn off your phone in a rush. You sighed, then within a few more quiet moments, the door opened.

There he was, wide eyed and almost on the brink of tears.

“Y/n I want to kiss you, I’m so sorry!” He exclaimed, rushing at you and embracing you in a big hug.

You were shocked, to say the least.

He waddled you back and forth on your feet as he spouted apologies into your shoulder.

“I didn’t know that’s what you were doing, I’m so sorry! I took that moment from you, this isn’t right! I’m so sorry!” He kept insisting.

You couldn’t take it anymore.

Your boyfriend was so cute, and you bursted out laughing in adoration. Mingi pulled away from you, eyebrows furrowing as he looked down at you. You laughed and laughed, your stomach starting to cramp up in retaliation to your tensed muscles.

It hurt, as you bent over and grasped onto your sides, Mingi’s arms undoing themselves from around your waist. You looked up at your big man and his confused expression, this launching you into an even bigger fit of laughter.

“Y-Yah…” He muttered out.

“Why are you laughing?” He questioned, a pout making its way onto his face.

“This is supposed to be serious.” He grumbled. This made you laugh harder.

“Ahaha, Mingi- haha! Why are you sorry-“ You could barely get a sentence out.

Mingi just stood in shame. “…Because…this was supposed to be special.” He mumbled.

He truly was your big baby.

As you calmed down from your hysterical episode, you couldn’t help but to launch yourself back into his arms. He was taken aback but wrapped his arms tightly around you again anyways.

“You’re okay haha- and it’s true.” You stated and chuckled a little bit more quietly into his chest. He pulled away and looked down to see your face, a confused expression present in his beautiful eyes.

You felt your heart melting all over again as you took him in. His blonde hair was shaggy and held a wavy pattern as it fell onto the apples of his cheeks that were sharp. They framed his monolided eyes in just the right way, you note.

You trailed down to his sharpened nose that reminded you of the way it perfectly led you to his pretty lips that you were always so jealous of.

It wasn’t fair.

You watched as the big man before you shriveled up into shyness.

“Why are you looking at me like that? And…what’s true?” The poor man mumbled, still so confused.

You couldn’t help yourself from smiling, a wide grin making its way onto your face.

“Mingi…” You started,

“I love you.”

You watched as he fidgeted before you, shock and happiness evident in his eyes. He pulled away from you as you took notice of his face reddening, eyes almost disappearing too.

“I really want to kiss you right now.” Was all he got out, before running off.

You just stand in confusion at your boyfriends antics. Weren’t you the one who was supposed to be fangirling and such?

You trailed after him in curiousness. You watched as he walked back to his PC and snatched his phone off of his desk. He walked back to you as he tapped and swiped away on his screen, then lifted the phone up to you.

You start to hear the picture app going off and as a result you start to laugh again.

“What are you doing Mingi?” You chuckled, reaching forward to try and block his camera from taking pictures of you.

He knew you didn’t like taking pictures. Still, he backed away and raised his phone further, probably taking outrageous forehead photos of you, and pictures from his high point of view.

“What?! I’m taking pictures of my baby.” He started.

“You can take pictures of me, so I’m taking pictures of you. This is a moment to remember.” He finished, as he backed away from your grabby hands. You laughed as you rolled your eyes, stopping indefinitely and looking up at him.

He stopped taking pictures as he looked down at your sudden serious stature.

“Song Mingi, can you kiss me already?” You asked, just tired of the fight for affection from the boy you loved. You felt the atmosphere change as he lowered his phone and stared at you in a certain type of way. It was a serious face of adoration; one you didn’t see on Mingi that often because of his shy persona. He threw his phone onto the bed, and inched towards you.

“Don’t think I didn’t want to, I just wanted to see if you wanted it too.” He said quietly in his deep voice when he got close enough to you.

You stared up at him with a smile. “Did Mr. Song Mingi, my boyfriend, get jealous?” You asked teasingly, raising a brow.

Mingi placed his hands on your waist as he grumbled down at you. “…Maybe…” He says.

“I know I shouldn’t be, but you were smiling down at your phone and I got kind of suspicious. Not to question your loyalty or anything!-“ He says, sad eyes going wide as he tried to save himself.

“It’s okay,” You chuckled, reassuring him.

“I was looking at you anyways.”

You watch the worry leave his eyes and facial expression. He leaned closer to you grabbing your arms and manually placing them around his neck. There was a quiet moment of you two just staring at eachother, comfortable silence lingering about.

“I know this is kinda dumb but I’m still going to ask….Can I kiss you?” He stated, even though your faces were so close together already. You blushed at his respectful nature; he never did change from the moment you met him.

You nodded as you looked him in the eyes. He leaned in, connecting his lips with yours within a second. At first it was sensual and smooth, the kiss being reciprocated, but just as it was about to get deep, he pulled away. Just as you were about to whine in retaliation, you were dipped backwards, Mingi steadying you so you wouldn’t fall. Then he proceeded to make obnoxious kissing smooches all over your face. Your chin, your neck, your forehead and nose, were all fluttered in kisses as you laughed, holding onto his forearms in fear of him dropping you.

“Don’t drop me!” You exclaimed as you started laughing at his obnoxious “muah!” “muah!” kissing noises. This made your heart beat crazily through your chest. Mingi just laughs mid-smooch between your eyebrows.

“I’m not going to drop you! Stop struggling!” He exclaims, which makes you both burst into laughter. He was always so goofy, you couldn’t take it. Even in the most serious of moments, he made you laugh.

With one last peck to your lips, he let you stand up properly. Just as he was about to let you go, you grabbed his chin and kissed him one last time until you were satisfied.

When you pulled away with a pink face at your neediness being portrayed, you met eyes with a love struck puppy. You laughed as he looked at you with these dangerous eyes that you don’t get to see often.

“What?” You ask, face getting hotter by the moment. Mingi just bites his lip and turns away from you.

“Give me a moment.” He says before walking over to his desk and picking up his headset to turn on the mic. You had forgotten all about him playing his games.

“Hey guys, I am busy. I have to go. I won’t be on anymore today. Bye.” He stated quickly before putting down the headset, leaving the party, and turning off his system.

You bursted out laughing.

“Oh, so now you want to give me attention?” You teased aloud, crossing your arms and turning away to walk into the living room.

You hear a deep chuckle from Mingi, then right as you were walking into the living room, he quickly backhugs you, straining your walk. You laugh louder.

“Communication is key. If you wanted my love and affection, all you had to do was ask Princess.” He mumbles into your neck, making your heart skip a beat.

Still, you tried to keep your composure, coming up with a comback, “Says the one who stole my phone!”

“Yah! We don’t talk about that anymore-“ You hear Mingi say shyly from behind you, and it’s here where your wide smile starts to hurt your cheeks. This man was something else.

“You know I still love you right?” He says in a low tone. “Thanks for telling me, even if it did come out like that…” Mingi finishes.

Your face blushes red in a way you thought wasn’t possible. “Mhm…” is all you can mutter out as he chuckles and rests his head on top of yours.

This was home—it was nice to finally admit it too.

“I love you, Mingi.” You say, voice a little shaky because of how he made you feel.

Mingi just laughs and starts shouting.

“My girlfriend loves me! She’s the love of my life! She loves me!” He shouts, shaking you from side to side like you were his rag doll.

“Unless?” You shout through laughter, just to tease him. He stops shaking you automatically and you swore you could feel his pout from behind you. You turn around in his grasp and laugh as your suspicions were true.

“Yah….” He says quietly, sad puppy eyes back in business. You laugh and walk towards the kitchen to start getting ready to go out and do something after eating.

“Hey you didn’t say you were kidding! You’re supposed to say just kidding!” Mingi whines as he trails after you like a child.

He truly was your big baby, and you loved every second of it.

You were finally home. 



.♡.

2024 © lovepookie

♡ please do not plagarize, repost, copy or translate any of my works. thank you.

[greynatomy]

football or football?

lucy bronze x reader

lucy won the very close poll.

been seeing the whole taylor swift and travis kelce thing on tiktok and got this idea.

this became longer than Iithought it’d be. was supposed to be a ficlet. oh, well.

let me know what you think!

-grey

———

For the past two weeks, you’ve been trending on twitter. At first you don’t know what it’s about, but your publicist caught you up saying how there’s a footballer — American footballer — who keeps mentioning you in interviews and on his podcast. It was honestly getting pretty annoying, not just to you, but also to your very jealous girlfriend.

You’d both decided to keep your relationship private, with you being a popular musician and your girlfriend being a top footballer in the league. Except, the media has been labeling your relationship as friends, best friends who support each other. Never once has there been an article where you both are speculated to be dating.

You’ve both been fun with it, being able to not have to hide anything, but with the whole Travis Kelce using your name to stay relevant to the media, your girlfriend is getting fed up.

“I don’t know why he keeps bringing you up? Not once have you mentioned him on anything. ‘The ball is in your court?’ Like what does that mean?” Lucy rambles.

“Honestly, I’m getting tired of it too. I’ve been so busy with touring that I didn’t even know about it until Sarah told me.” You reply, cuddling up to her on the bed, your head on her chest.

“Did Sarah tell you what you should do?”

“Sarah’s pretty much fed up like the both of us so she said it’s up to me. She doesn’t care if I tell him to fuck off, I’d do it anyway without telling her.”

“Didn’t you say he invited you to a game?”

“Yeah, he did. Why?” You we’re getting skeptical with the way Lucy has a smirk and mischievous look on her face.

“Don’t you think it’s time for us to come out, no?”

“Been together four years. Probably long overdue.”

“Well you better tell him that you’d love to accept that invitation, with a plus one of course.”

“I’m liking the way you think.”

———

Now a week later, you and Lucy were dressed up in red, arriving at Arrowhead Stadium. Lucy had a red England bucket hat on that she took off your head. You were being escorted to the friends and family box by security, running into people who recognized you. One hand holding Lucy’s the other waving to people as you passed.

Walking into the box, you were met with lots of people, Travis’ mom was the one to come and greet you.

“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Kelce.”

“Oh, please call me Donna. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m a big fan of your music, been wanting to meet you ever since Travis said that you’d both started talking.”

“That’s so nice of you, thank you, but unfortunately all the conversations your son had with me are one sided. I’ve never once entertained anything he said. The only time I’ve texted back was to tell him I’d love to attend a game. Never been to an American Football game before.”

“Really? My son said you guys were getting along.”

“Unfortunately for him, we haven’t. But I’d like to introduce you to my partner Lucy.”

“Oh, it’s very nice to meet you as well Lucy. I’m sorry if my son cause any trouble between the two of you.”

“It’s no worries at all. Excited to watch the game.”

“You’ve got an accent. Where are you from?”

“From England.”

“Yeah, I’m a sucker for accents. But let’s not let the situation get in the way and enjoy this game.”

———

liked by fan1, fan2 and 23,749 others

ynupdates yn seen at the kansas chief’s game

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fan1 NO WAY SHES THERE

fan2 MAMA KELCE IS WITH HER

fan3 is ynvis real?!?!

fan4 is everyone gonna ignore lucy bronze right next to her

———

The game just finished. Everyone is cheering as the Chief’s won a game at home. You and Donna hug each other close, jumping up and down. Lucy was actually awestruck by all the people celebrating their team winning, thinking back to all the times fans of hers and her team celebrated like this.

Moments after, you follow Debby to the hallways, no doubt leading to her son. Travis comes out freshly showered and changed a bit after, going straight to his Mom for a hug. Then he turns to you opening his arms out for a hug, so you give him a side hug, not wanting to be mean. Cameras click nonstop towards the two of you.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” He says to you.

“You as well. Great game you played out there.”

“Thank you. Wanna go somewhere more private so we can hear each other better without the prying eyes?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He leads towards the exit, you following behind him, your hand holding Lucy’s tightly, who Travis hadn’t acknowledged at all. Exiting towards the garage where his and your cars are parked, you relax a bit, relieved to be away from the cameras. Lucy walks a bit off to the side to let you two talk, but still close enough to hear, in case he says something he shouldn’t.

“Im glad you accepted my invite.”

“Yeah, me too. I’ve never been to or seen an American Football game.”

“American Football?”

“Well, yeah. The U.S is the only one that plays this sport. Football is played throughout the world.”

“Wow, you’re gonna be like that?” He says, thinking you’re flirting with him by saying his sport isn’t widely played.

“Be like what?”

“Never mind. But I just wanted to ask if you wanna hang out right now? Get to know each other a bit more.” He steps closer towards you, but you step back.

“I’d have to decline. My girlfriend and I have to get back to England. She’s got a couple Football matches coming up.”

“Girlfriend?” Travis is shocked by the information. “I didn’t know you were even with someone.”

“I’m surprised no one knows. They see two girls and automatically think they’re best friends or something. But, no, been with that girl right there four years. It was very obvious.” You wave Lucy over. “Travis this is Lucy Bronze, my girlfriend—”

“—Actually fiancé. Proposed a couple weeks ago, so there’s still some getting used to. It’s nice to meet you mate. Heard you’ve been talking ‘bout my girl pretty often past few weeks.”

The look on Travis’ face is laughable.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, we’re very private people. But now that you’ve met my girl after being all up in her DM’s, you’d stop using her name to stay relevant yeah? ‘Cause it’s making you look desperate.”

You didn’t interfere. You’re stood off to the side, a proud look on your face.

“Yeah, of course. Never again.”

“The last thing you should talk about in that little podcast of yours is a public apology using her name for fame like many men have in the past.”

After a moment of Lucy staring at Travis she speaks up again. It was a bit funny how intimidated he looked at Lucy, seeing as she’s almost a foot shorter than him

“Well, mate, we best be off. I’ve got some Football to be preparing for, my girl by my side always. Best of luck to you. Hope you find someone that isn’t taken.”

With that, she takes a hold of your hand, leading you to the car. You give him a little wave, leaving him speechless in the middle of the parking garage.

———

liked by leahwilliamsonn, lucybronze and 10,375,829 others

yourinstagram Thank you travis for the invite! Had a lot of fun at my first ever American Football game with my Fiancé. Congrats to you and your team on the win! #KansasCityChiefs

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lucybronze very different from football for sure

↳ yourinstagram very different

leahwilliamsonn where was my invite?

↳ yourinstagram you didn’t get one

↳ leahwilliamsonn rude

fan1 SHES ENGAGED

fan2 ynvis isn’t real thank god!

fan3 OHMYGOD ITS LUCY BRONZE ALCJHD

fan4 this is a very polite way of saying ‘keep my name out your fucking mouth’

[dell-amor-te]

“Three For a Girl”

Word Count: 3,029.

Warning(s): No beta but I try my best, slight language.

Pairing: F!Rook x Lucanis Dellamorte.

Summary: A look into a typical (very early) morning in the Dellamorte residence. (AKA the winner of that Dadcanis poll from a month ago, finally up and ready for reading.)

🐦‍⬛Read on ao3.

One for silence.

A single fussing sound—not even a proper cry—disturbed the otherwise placid night air. Perhaps it didn’t wake Lucanis in and of itself, but it certainly did nothing to ease him further into unconsciousness.

Maybe she’ll go back to sleep.

It was wishful thinking, and entirely misguided.

More fussing soon followed the first. Lucanis sat up, blinking a few times to allow his eyes time to adjust to being open for the first time in hours. Despite only having moonlight that snuck in through the windows to illuminate vague outlines and shapes of furniture in the bedroom, he knew his way around well enough to carefully pry himself from underneath the covers.

Despite his lacking sleep routine, he still found himself hesitant to leave the warmth of his shared bed. While it may not have been as lavish as some magisters, it was still a far cry from the meager cot shoved into the corner of a pantry he had slept on, an even further cry from the Ossuary’s cage that had acted as his home for a year before he was recruited by the Veilguard.

He rolled his shoulders, further unwinding from his rest.

Everyone had opinions when it came to babies. Lucanis learned that lesson before their daughter had even been born.

Let them cry, otherwise they’ll become too dependent on you. Pick them up and soothe them so they go back to sleep. Don’t sleep with them in your bed. Keep them between the two of you until they’re big enough for a crib.

It was endless. For a while, Lucanis had been sure it would end once the baby was born; when she became tangible and all too real and there was no more time before he was a father.

Her father.

When the newborn continued to fuss, Lucanis sighed in defeat.

His love’s sleep-heavy voice drawled out a yawn from the opposite side of the bed, pulled from sleep by their fussing daughter. In the dark, he leaned over the bed to plant a kiss against warm, familiar skin. He would never grow tired of being able to give such affection, just as he would never grow tired of receiving it in return.

“I’ve got her, anima mia. I’m awake, anyway.” A yawn interrupted him. “You stay put.”

A noncommittal groan assured him that his offer would not be fought tonight.

Between the three of them, it was hard to say who was getting the least amount of sleep these days.

Lucanis pulled himself up from his leaning position against the bed before retrieving and redressing himself in the housecoat he had haphazardly shrugged off before falling into said bed just hours ago. The Crow raised his arms above his head, catlike in comportment while he eased cramped muscles back to waking limberness. He rounded the bed and carefully freed his disquieted daughter from her bassinet.

“Now, now, diavolina. You’ve already woken us up, hm? No need to get louder.” His teasing was gentle and warm, not that she could have understood him, anyway.

He was rather pleased. She was growing everyday, but her changing weight was just as familiar to him as any weapon of choice. He certainly enjoyed holding her more than any of his treasured daggers.

Two for surprise.

He pressed a kiss to one of her round cheeks, both because she deserved it and to make sure she wasn’t too warm. He placed another one to the center of her forehead. She was warm, as always, but not feverish.

“Sweet Andraste, this is quite the tantrum.” Despite the chastising nature of his words, Lucanis’ lips were pulled upwards in a gentle smile, and his tone remained impossibly soft. “What’s the matter, my pearl?” He all but crooned, muttering a string of Antivan that she understood as much as she did any other language at this point.

He had done so since before her birth.

Having one parent fluent in Antiva’s famous tongue and one who still kept the language of the elven people alive, they did their best to introduce her to both, along with the common parlance she would need more than anything. After all, she was both elven and Antivan. Why should she not know both parts of her lineage?

Lucanis studied her, thinking better of his actions with a quiet hum, then he pressed another kiss to her other cheek.

“Three for good measure.”

She was quieter in his arms, thankfully, though she remained far more awake than he anticipated. Dark-bright eyes stared up at him, fully alert despite the lateness of the hour.

Or was it considered early now?

Either way, if she had no designs to return to sleep, then he was going to need coffee.

And soon.

Four’s exercise.

Rather than fussing, Lucanis listened with a half-smile as his daughter’s vocalizations became more agreeable, now that she had gotten her way.

Barely a month old, and the half-elf already knew exactly how to get her way. But, to be entirely honest, she had managed to wrap Lucanis around her little finger the moment he first held her in his arms. With her safely in his arms once again, he made his way out of the bedroom, leaving his love to continue sleeping undisturbed.

She babbled softly, entirely nonsensical, though each sound meant the world to Lucanis.

“Is that right? Well, forgive me for presuming such a thing about you, my pearl. However, I feel I should tell you that your mother is a very good sleeper, unlike we two. And you’ve given her quite the time this past month…and the months before that, too. I think the least we can do is let her sleep tonight, don’t you?”

He stopped at the door to the room just down the hall, opening the door with a slight push using one of his knuckles.

There was no one to greet him on the other side of the door, though the room was plenty filled.

A menagerie of different gifts from Teia (and Viago) to mark the occasion of her birth, sat alongside, well, not gifts, but offerings from other Crows who wanted to sit well with the Dellamorte’s. A large, entirely too oversized plush bird—a crow, of course—from her Uncle Illario, headed a small army of other toys and other playthings from her other aunts and uncles.

A carved dragon accompanied by a wyvern that Davrin had made, each holding a griffon feather in their mouths. Gold relics that acted more as decor than anything a newborn would be interested in beyond their shine. They were courtesy of Taash’s own private collection. An intricate mobile was suspended in the air above the unused crib, crafted and enchanted by none other than Bellara. A bundle of books had been a gift of Neve’s, while Varric had also supplied a tiny collection of his own.

Harding had also gifted a myriad of frames that now hung all over the room. Not one was empty, each one contained a pressed flower or other such plant, each collected along the course of the adventure that had led to the little girl’s parents meeting (again), and arguably to the existence of the little girl at all. The girl’s mother had insisted it was simply due to her elevated and inconsistent hormones, but it has certainly been the gift that had made her cry the most.

Well, apart from Emmrich’s gifts.

The crib was one of a kind, and Dalish made. Made by Nöa’s late mother’s clan to celebrate Nöa’s adoption, treasured all the same as any birth. The blankets, too, were Emmrich’s doing—handmade, soft but tapestry-like. One sported the colors of the Volkarin family banner. One was patterned with the sigil of the Dellamorte house. Another denoted Nöa’s two clans, as well as her allegiance to the Veil Jumpers.

The knitted halla penned in the crib were gifts from different Veil Jumpers. The only one to wear a scowl was apparently meant to mimic Strife, no doubt gifted by Irelin, though she had never admitted to it.

The room was more like a shrine to the infant’s very existence rather than a nursery proper. The crib hadn’t been slept in once yet, as instead she had been routinely settled in the cot (a gift from Emmrich) at the foot of their bed, and only then when she wasn’t where she was now—in one of her parent’s arms.

Lucanis had never allowed himself to dream of a life like this before. Death was his calling, and his desires did not exist outside of that calling. And yet he had hesitated, any time he saw an infant, his mind would try to wander. He would wonder.

He never could have dreamed of this, though. Not of how much he loved her mother, nor how much he loved her, their daughter, and certainly not how much she was loved by people who also loved him.

While the rumination meant the world to him, the muse behind his considerations was less than enthused by their stop.

“As you wish, my pearl.”

He turned to leave the room, shifting her to one arm so he could pull the door closed behind him.

The house was impossibly still in the liminal hours of night, almost like a crypt. Lucanis found it comforting, this quiet. No demon in his mind, or hanging on his ear.

He made his way down to the kitchen easily enough in the dark, though he remained mindful of each step until the light of his beloved’s enchanted candles licked against the flooring to illuminate the rest of his path.

“Alright, now.” Lucanis said with a quiet sigh. “We’ll have to wrap you up so I can use both of my hands, hm?”

The brightly-woven sash-turned-sling—an impromptu gift from Bellara from the night of the infant’s birth—had been thrown over the back of one of the kitchen chairs after its last use, and there it still hung in half-draped glory, ready for its next wearing. With one hand, Lucanis slid it over his shoulder before settling his daughter within, securing her to his chest with a deftness that had not come as immediately as his current proficiency would belie.

The sling had been the first gift their daughter received after her…well, less than ideal birth.

Born a month before she was due—by their estimations—in a magister’s home after said magister’s failed abduction attempt. While Lucanis would never regret the active role he got to play in bringing her into the world, he had wished more than once that the ordeal of bringing a child into the world hadn’t further compounded on his wife by happening in a house that had played the stage for so much of her trauma.

Not to mention Nöa’s immediate detainment after the body of said magister had been discovered, or the subsequent two days she had been incarcerated while evidence was collected to prove her innocence. Two days where a newly postpartum Nöa had been forced into an unearned cell, left to tend to her own postpartum care while Lucanis fought both to prove her claim as well as care for a newborn who had been ripped from her mother.

Lucanis was often glad to be rid of Spite, but that was the first time he was truly thankful to be disconnected from the demon. He could only imagine what sort of reaction to the entire situation the demon could have come up with, his own emotions having been a dark storm enough on their own without Spite’s additional support.

Even weeks later, it was difficult not to look at his wife and daughter from time to time and remember those emotions. He would do anything for them and their safety. And he had proven it time and time again.

But it was hard to tell where he would be today if he had given in to his own desires that day.

Five for a slaughter.

Lucanis yawned, setting to work preparing his coffee. The motions were familiar, comfortable.

Once everything was said and done and Nöa was emancipated and they were reunited to adapt to life as a family of three, the issue of what to name their daughter finally presented itself.

During the course of the pregnancy, they must have discussed hundreds of names, for sons and daughters alike. But in the end, none of them matched up to the beginning their daughter had, nor did they reflect what continued to be a theme in her parents’ life.

And so they had named her Judex, their judgment—their justice, just like the blade of old Tevinter law.

A fitting irony for the freeborn daughter of an emancipated elven slave.

Six for the thrill.

“Now, the trick to any good cup of coffee is to make sure you’ve got the right balance, Jude.” He told her.

Taash had been the first one to call her Jude, and the nickname quickly caught on.

Judex remained unfazed by his explanation of proper brewing techniques, already half-asleep again, her half-tipped ear pressed to the skin right above his heart. No doubt lulled by the familiarity of being wrapped against her father’s chest, and, Lucanis liked to think, the smell of fresh Antivan coffee beans.

Seven means more sovereigns.

He was pouring a stream of fresh coffee into his favorite mug not a moment too soon. He didn’t wait for it to cool before he took a first savoring sip. He nodded, approving of his work.

And once the sun had risen, Lucanis set to work preparing a morning cup of his wife’s drink of choice.

By that time, Judex was properly awake again, and had quickly taken an interest in testing her lungs. She didn’t cry, no. She took to yelling, chirping, babbling. And Lucanis indulged every sound as if it were the most profound conversation.

The chatty little girl let out one particularly loud shout, and then quieted, staring up at Lucanis intently, as if waiting to gauge his reaction.

“Well, good morning to you, too.”

Lucanis spun around just in time to see his beloved coming through the front room, joining them in the kitchen.

“Oh, I’m sorry, amor. Did we wake you?” Lucanis asked before giving her a good morning kiss.

Nöa hummed. “No. I smelled tea.” She told him.

“Green tea and peppermint.” He confirmed. “It should be done steeping by now.

“Maker, you’re too good to me.” She kissed him again, then pressed a kiss to their daughter’s forehead. “Good morning to you, too, little fledgling.”

“And that particular nickname, my pearl, is your Uncle Illario’s fault. Yes, it is.” Lucanis nodded emphatically, earning himself a laugh from Judex.

Nöa chuckled at her husband and daughter’s not-so-one-sided conversation while she took one of her mugs out of the cabinet and poured herself a generous portion of the prepared tea. She watched as Lucanis noticed the letter she had sat on the counter when she came into the room.

“The courier already came?” Lucanis raised an eyebrow at the letter.

“I’m surprised you didn’t hear him knock.” Nöa admitted, cradling her mug in both hands to warm them. “That’s what woke me, actually. The tea was just a better incentive to get out of bed. And I figured since I actually kept my clothes on for once, there was no harm in grabbing it.”

Lucanis held the letter between two fingers, looking up at his wife.

Her half-wakefulness still playing on the corners of her half-cocked smirk. “The Crows send their regards.” She said with a shrug.

Sure enough, the letter was sealed with the Crows corvid wax seal, with Teia’s handwriting on the front.

Lucanis sighed, kissing the top of his daughter’s dark-haired head. “No rest for the wicked, eh, Judex?” He mused. “It’s not a contract. Teia doesn’t sign those.”

Nöa leaned against the counter, intrigued.

Lucanis offered her the letter.

“You want me to open official Crow papers?”

“Well, you married into the house. It says Dellamorte, not specifically my name. You’re a Dellamorte. I don’t see why not.” He reasoned, one hand going up to support the Judex’s head when he sat her upright against his shoulder. “I don’t think this one quite has the hand-eye coordination for it yet.”

Nöa hummed, feeling a little smug as she broke the seal easily enough. She read the letter quickly enough, and then laughed.

Judex made a similar sound.

“What does it say?”

“It’s an invitation from Illario.” Nöa said, still laughing as she slid the letter across the counter for him to read.

Lucanis read it quickly before snorting. “An invitation written by himself to stay in our house.” He amended for his wife. “Mierda.”

Nöa laughed again. “If you’re not careful, that’s going to be her first word, vhenan.”

They needed to joke. They both knew Illario’s arrival would bring with it updates to the ongoing situation between the Crows and the Crown. In the weeks since Judex’s birth, maybe even more so given the circumstances of her birth, they had been given a bit of relief from their assistance with Illario’s project.

Nöa moved around the counter to rest herself against her husband’s side so she could have access to their daughter once more. She still got caught up in the shock of it all sometimes. She never pictured herself here—as a mother. And yet she couldn’t imagine life without Judex any more than she could imagine her life without Lucanis.

The Crow rested his head against his wife’s, both of them lost in their daughter’s world, all the while said daughter remained peacefully oblivious to her parents’ mooning.

Judex had been with them every step of the way so far, and they both knew that wouldn’t change now that reality beyond her was knocking at their door once more. They would simply have to do everything in their power to see things through before she was old enough to remember any of it it.

Even better: before she was old enough to speak, let alone curse.

Eight marks the final kill.

[gyuuberryy]

break the ice

pairing: tsundere!sunghoon x reader

summary: sunghoon shows that he dislikes your presence most of the time, but secretly he really appreciates your kind gestures. maybe he should’ve reciprocated it instead of pushing you away completely, because the aftermath was not pretty.

genre: tsundere and sunshine trope

warnings: lots of angst, fluff, mean!sunghoon, yelling, crying, toxic family relationship, slight mention of violence and divorce, very very very little swearing, lowercase intended

note: my first enhypen fic!!!!! i’m so excited to share this with you guys. this went a bit different than the prompt i made the poll on but it’s basically the same thing. enjoy! (also i might sound desperate but PLEASE interact with me i really need more friends here AHAHAhhhh)

word count: 3k ish

If you liked it please reblog or comment to give me your feedback! <3

a hand slammed on top of the wooden table where sunghoon’s head rested atop his arms. he slowly looked up, already knowing who it would be since you were the only one who ever approached him. 

“hi hoonie!”, you beamed at him in excitement. your nickname for him made his eyebrows furrow slightly, but he didn’t let his annoyance completely show on his stoic face.

“it’s early morning, why are you so happy?”, he grumbled.

you completely ignored his unenthusiastic response and placed a brown disposable box in front of him.

“i made some simple fried rice, i was running a bit late today.” you smiled and slid the box towards him when he didn’t react, “i hope you don’t mind!” 

when he realised that you weren’t going to move if he didn’t take the box, he sighed and stuffed it inside his schoolbag. your smile widened at his gesture but immediately fell when you looked at your watch.

“oh no i’m running late for my next class.” you waved at him, “i’ll see you at lunch!” 

sunghoon’s eyes followed your figure as you pushed past the people crowding at the entrance of the classroom and dashed off. his eyes glazed over in thought as he contemplated about why you even put up with him everyday, afterall you were a really jolly person who’s loved by everyone. and he, he was just loner with no emotions everso.

you both had met each other at the beginning of high school. you had approached him when you found him sitting alone at lunch on the first day. you mistook it for him being lonely but he pushed himself away from everyone on purpose. since then you’ve always been around him, constantly playing the part of a friend he didn’t ask for but secretly appreciated. he still remembers how upset you were when you found out he started skipping lunch in senior year, so you started making lunch for him everyday.

he sighed once again when his phone’s screen lit up with your text message. 

y/n:

hiii

i’m so sorry i won’t be able to visit you during lunch today TT

i have the club meeting for robotics

enjoy your lunch&lt;333

and don’t forget to recycle your lunchbox!!

Read:11:20AM

his lips turned up slightly at the cheery tone of your text, brightening his mood a bit.

the soles of his worn out shoes crunched on the fallen leaves as sunghoon sluggishly walked on the pavement. the cool january breeze blew gently, leaving a trail of goosebumps on his skin. he looked above him and watched as the sun sunk into the sky, lighting up into flames of orange and yellow which set the wispy clouds ablaze. he was broken out of his peaceful gazing by the shouts of his name. he paid no heed to it and continued walking towards the bus stop. stiffening when a hand grabbed his arm, he turned his head.

“hoon did you not hear me?”, you gasped out, panting for breath. falling into step with him you giggled, “i need to start running, i get tired so easily.”

sunghoon gave no reaction and continued to walk in silence. you noticed that he hadn’t made any attempt of moving your hand away from his arm and cheered mentally at the progress. observing his features, you frowned in worry becauset his eyes had dark circles under them and his lips looked really chapped. 

“did you not sleep well last night?” you jogged up in front of him and grabbed his face, “gosh your eyes are swollen.” 

sunghoon’s cheeks slowly turned a light shade of pink at the gentle way you were holding his face. he immediately pushed your hands away and resumed his walking, slightly increasing his pace so that you would not see him blushing. you eventually caught up with him and handed him a beige coloured lip balm stick.

“use this for your lips. i swear they’ll become smooth and soft overnight, just like they were!” you attempted to make a serious face but it looked more funny, “and drink lots of water, this is a sign that you’re dehydrated.”

sunghoon watched you carefully as you babbled on about some home remedy to get rid of dark circles, the ever present blank expression etched onto his face. he felt something bubble up inside of him that happened every time at the fact that you noticed even the slightest change that he went through. he felt cared for.

“thank you”, he spoke out softly.

you stopped in the middle of your sentence and your eyes widened at his words. this was probably the first time he ever said the words ‘thank you’ to you. you felt like you had achieved some sort of big accomplishment and your face immediately broke out into a wide smile.

this feeling lasted like a warm blanket over you both the entire day.

you had to miss out lunch once again the next week due to another robotics club meeting, which you were the vice president of. you had a free period currently so you decided to look for sunghoon since he was in the same class. after you found him missing from the classroom, you decided to go look for him at the benches he usually has his lunch at. maybe he decided to stretch it a bit longer?

you stopped on your way at a vending machine and got him his favourite cold coffee. smiling to yourself, you resumed walking. the school dance was coming up soon and you really wanted to attend it with sunghoon. so, you were going to do everything possible to get him to like you enough to be your date. and recently he had been slightly reciprocating your advances.

your face lit up when you found sunghoon right where you thought he would be. you were just about to call his name but stopped when you saw him holding the bento box you had given him today. you decided to watch secretly to see his reaction after eating the food cooked by you. he had never really given you any feedback about it, only taking the lunchboxes from you with a small huff.

your smile dropped when you saw him walk towards a dustbin and roughly throw the box in it. was the food not good? are you not hungry?

“do you do this every day?”

it looks like you voiced this thought out because sunghoon turned around and looked at you like a deer caught in headlights. this was probably the most noticeable expression you had ever seen on his usually blank face.

“are you okay? your eyes look really red.”

sunghoon remained quiet and just looked blankly at you. why did you still care about him when you clearly caught him throwing your food away. why were you the only one who was nice to him? he was trying really hard to control himself from lashing out on you but he couldn’t help it when you reached out to grab his face.

“will you stop this”, he yelled out in frustration.

“calm down hoonie-”

“stop it, just stop it!” he spat out in anger, “my name is sunghoon.”

just when you were about to open your mouth to say something, he cut you off once again.

“i’m so sick of everyone and everything. sick of you.”

a look of hurt momentarily flashed across your face as he pushed your hand away, but you immediately replaced it with a look of concern.

“what's wrong sunghoon? you never behave like this.”

“what’s wrong is that you won’t leave me alone.” he threw his arms in the air, “you’ve been constantly glued to me like a leech and i’m so damn sick of you.” 

you felt as if your heart was being run over by a bulldozer at his exclamations. you tried really hard not to cry in front of him but you were sure he had noticed your glossed over eyes. 

“you don’t mean that-”

“yes i do”, he gritted out. “and yes, i throw your food away everyday. i don’t want your meaningless pity.”

he watched as streams of tears rolled down your cheeks. 

he watched as the girl he cared for cried silently in front of him.

you bit your lip to prevent an ugly sob from bursting out, “i’ll leave you alone then, if that’s what you think about my feelings for you.” 

looking down at your shoes you walked towards the dustbin and chucked the bottle of cold coffee you had bought for him inside it. “might as well throw this away since you don’t want my pity do you.”

tears blurred your vision as you looked at sunghoon one last time and walked away, muttering about how it was a good thing you didn’t ask him out to the dance.

but this did not go unheard by him. 

once you were gone, he dropped to the hard floor on his knees and covered his mouth with the sleeve of his sweater as he sobbed. he had done it once again. he pushed away one of the few people who truly cared about him.

his tears dropped to the floor, creating wet patches. and his heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

once again.

today was a very happy day for sunghoon. he had finally gotten rid of what was troubling him the most. 

now he had finally decided to apologise and make it up to you. 

the past few days had been torture for him. he deeply regretted acting out like that the other day. he felt like he was going crazy without your presence and whenever he saw you around school, you turned the other way and avoided him, making him feel even worse. he finally understood your importance. and maybe even about his feelings for you.

people looked at him in shock as he weaved through the crowd at the corridors with a bright smile on his face. the park sunghoon, who was always depressed was smiling today? this was shocking for sunghoon himself, but he couldn’t stop imagining what your reaction would be when he would ask you out to the dance.

he walked into the class where your first period took place and found you looking out the window with your chin on your fist. you were silently gazing outside, lost in your thoughts while your friends were excitedly talking about the dance. 

their chatter immediately died down to whispers upon sunghoon’s arrival. his figure loomed over you, blocking the sunlight, but you made no effort to look up. he cleared his throat awkwardly when you remained unmoving from your position.

“what?”, you grumbled out.

sunghoon felt something pull at his heart when he saw you turn around. he noticed how puffy your eyes were and how your face had red irritated scratches from constantly rubbing it. a wave of guilt washed over him as he realised that he was probably the cause for it.

“hi”, he spoke out meekly.

you were surprised to find him standing in front of you because you did not expect him to talk let alone even approach after what he did last week. you were even more surprised at the fact that he had a shy expression on his face. he did not look like the cold boy he usually was.

you scowled, “what do you want sunghoon?”

he flinched at the lack of your use of his nickname and your cold tone. your usually bright and cheery persona took a complete turn today. it wasn’t your fault though, he expected this reaction after what he did to you the other day.

a perplexed look overtook your features as you watched him place a glittery, yellow, heart shaped box in front of you. this emanated giggles from your friends, making sunghoon rub the back of his neck nervously.

“i’m really sorry for the other day.” he gulped, “i baked some cookies for you. i don’t know if they’re nice since it was my first time so..” he trailed off at the blank look you had on your face. 

“you really remind me of the colour yellow so i-”

“sunghoon please stop.” you sighed, “you told me i was clingy so i stopped approaching you.”

“i didn’t-”

“i really don’t understand why you’re doing this now”, you cut him off. “just go away.” with that, you turned back to the window.

sunghoon was just about to reply when the ringing of the bell interrupted him. he panicked as everyone moved around to settle in their seats. he had no choice but to leave now. 

with a heavy heart, he walked out of the class

you were filling your bottle at the water cooler when someone tapped your shoulder. you were kind of hoping it was sunghoon, but when you turned around you were met with jake. he was the president of the robotics club you were a part of.

“hi y/n”, he gave you a toothy grin.

you smiled back, “hey jake! what's up?”

your eyes widened when he grabbed your hand and placed a big bar of chocolate. 

“i really like you and want to take you to the dance.” his grin widened, “will you go with me?” 

before you could comprehend what was happening a voice laced with poison spoke up behind you.

“no she won’t.”

the voice belonged to sunghoon who grabbed your wrist gently and pulled you away from jake. you shook his grip off of you when he stopped at the benches where you would meet up with him at lunch.

“what the hell sunghoon? why did you bring me here?”

he didn’t respond and only stared at you with a furious glint in his eye. his face was twisted up into an angry expression as he questioned you.

“were you going to go with him?”

you scoffed in disbelief, “why do you even care? aren’t you sick of me?” 

sunghoon’s face fell at your words that repeated what he said to you the other day. he remained silent and just stared at your face. you closed your eyes and shook your head.

“just stay out of my business if you don’t care about me”

you had just turned around to walk away when a pair of hands snaked around your waist and pulled you back into a warm chest.

“i’m sorry, please stay”, sunghoon’s voice came out muffled as his face was buried in your shoulder. 

you were sure that your heart was going to explode any moment now from the intimate position you both were in. sunghoon had barely ever even held your hand and now he was back hugging you. you couldn’t stop yourself from blushing like a beet.

“w-what are you doing?”

sunghoon panicked and immediately removed his hands from you, assuming that he was making you uncomfortable. you frowned at the loss of contact and turned around.

“sunghoon, you’re really confusing me.”

he froze for a few moments then took a deep breath and began his explanation.

“that day..” he looked you in the eyes, “i didn’t mean anything i said.”

you looked at him intently, urging him to continue.

“you know how my parents got divorced last year right?”

you nodded. his mom was really toxic and controlling and used to emotionally abuse sunghoon’s dad. she was an alcoholic and sometimes lost control of herself leading to her showcasing violent behaviour. with the support of their friends and family, sunghoon’s dad had finally gained enough courage to divorce her.

“yeah so my mom has been fighting for custody of my little sister.” his voice cracked, “and at that time things looked good for her.”

he sniffed and looked down at his feet, “neither my sister nor did we want her to live with my mom. she would’ve ruined her life as well.”

“i took my anger out on you instead and i feel really horrible about it. you’ve been nothing but kind to me since day one, even after how coldly i treated you.”

his eyes welled up with tears and turned red as he tried to stop himself from crying. he looked so broken and hurt right now, and you wanted nothing more than to hold him. and so you did.

wrapping your arms around his torso you tried to calm him down by rubbing his back. he slowly reciprocated your gesture

you spoke softly, “i’m so sorry you had to go through this hoon. you and your family deserve none of this”

he sighed in relief at your reuse of his nickname and tightened his grip around you. your words were simple, but comforted him like no other.

“it’s okay, everything is fine now. my dad won the case and i finally feel relieved for once.”

you pulled back from him at the revelation and smiled in glee.

“really? that’s amazing, i’m so happy for you!”

you were back to your normal, jolly personality which sent a surge of joy through sunghoon, making him give you a full smile. you gasped in surprise.

“oh my god, your smile is so pretty!”

sunghoon’s cheeks turned rosy at your compliment and shyly buried his face in the crook of your neck, making you giggle. who knew a boy who behaved so coldly was such a softie.

“i never threw out your food by the way, except for that day because i had no appetite”, he stated guiltily. “you are an amazing cook.”

“thank you sunghoon, but”, you paused. “i don’t think we can be friends.”

sunghoon pulled away from you in alarm. did he mess things up that badly?

“not after those amazing cookies you gave me.” you pecked his cheek softly, “you have to promise to be mine.”

sunghoon chuckled in relief, “you really got me there.” 

“i promise to be yours, love.”

𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 ©𝗴𝘆𝘂𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆𝘆 on Tumblr

˚ · .𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱

[takaminevaeh]

dom!boxer baku x sub!fem reader

cw// slight subdrop, aftercare

As promised… part two~

“Come on, baby… it’s been an hour… we gotta get you clean…”

I whimper, burying my face in his neck as I shake my head.

“I’m sorry… but I’m taking you to the bath.”

I struggle for a moment before relaxing in his arms again, allowing him to take me into the bathroom.

I noticed the bath was already drawn, the bathroom dimly lit.

The scent of vanilla wafted through the air as he walked me to the tub, settling us both in.

My back was pressed against his chest, watching as his hand grabbed a soft sponge, plunging it into the water to absorb the soapy suds.

He washes my body gently, kissing my face over and over as he whispers praises into my ears.

“You did so well for me, precious… so beautiful…” He continues cleaning me, grabbing an empty cup and filling it, covering my eyes as he pours the water on my head.

He shampoos my hair with gentle fingers, massaging my scalp delicately, yet firm.

He rinses the suds out and then massages the conditioner through the strands of my hair, grabbing a brush and brushing my hair section by section.

He rinses the conditioner out and presses me against him once more, sighing as he wraps his arms around my waist.

“I’m so proud of you, hun…”

I close my eyes as we sit there together, allowing the warm water and his embrace to lull me into a brief slumber.

Very brief.

I woke up on the velvet chair in the corner of our room, watching with tired eyes as he changed out the sheets for clean ones.

“M’sorry for making a mess…” A deep chuckle comes from his chest as he shakes his head.

“Don’t worry about it…” He finishes and tosses the dirty sheets into the basket close to the door, standing up straight as he turns to me, his hands on his hips.

“Now… do you want your pajamas or one of my t-shirts?”

“… Shirt, please.” He nods and moves towards the dresser, taking out one of his shirts and moving towards me.

“C’mon, arms up.” I do as he says, allowing him to slip the shirt on.

He takes the opportunity to scoop me into his arms, moving me onto the bed.

“Do you need me to massage you anywhere..?” I shake my head.

“No… m’okay…” He nods and holds me close to him, kissing my temple as he runs his fingers over my arm.

“… Do you feel better now?” I ask him softly.

He sighs and throws his head back, moving his arm so the back of his hand is resting against his forehead.

“Yeah… I’m good. He just… he gets me so angry…”

“… I know.” He looks at me and sighs, tucking my hair behind my ear.

“… You know I love you, right?” I nod gently.

“Good. Because it’s true. I love you so much and… and I know I don’t say it as often as I should.” I laugh softly.

“I know you do… don’t worry. I love you too… so much…” He pulls me into a soft kiss, more intimate than anything as his hands travel to the back of my head, keeping me pressed against him.

He pulls away with a soft smile on his face, kissing my nose softly before pressing his forehead against mine.

“Time for you to go back to bed. Wanna take you shopping tomorrow.”

“… Can we go to the bookstore?”

He chuckles.

“Yeah… yeah we can, baby.”

Hope you enjoyed! I had a lot of fun writing this so I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

If you want something specific, feel free to comment suggestions or you can wait for my poll that I will be posting later this week.

Happy reading!

[spidrstar]

A LITTLE BIT MORE

★ pairing: aged up!miles1610 x latina!reader

★ warnings: all characters in this story are 18!!! suggestive i think?

★ summary: Miles has been your math tutor for the past few months and you can’t lie, he’s been sort of your lil bestfriend too because you tell him all about your boy problems and everything. It got to a certain point where you were about to let something personal slip.. specifically how you didn’t know how to kiss. Miles may be a lil nerd n a tutor n all but he still gets play, so you asked him to show you how to kiss and it slowly turned into more than that.. a make out session.

★ w/c: 2k

★ a/n: ok so ik i put up a poll for y’all to choose but.. i rly wanted to write abt 1610 miles esp for this one shot 😣 sry yall i got yall w the next one shot tho trust🙏

“Miles, please don’t make me do this problem on my own.. you know how I am with fractions.”

You groaned at just the sight of the problem and leaned back on your arms.

For context, you were currently in Miles’ room with three different text books sprawled out open on the floor. He’s been your math tutor for the past four months because you failed your last two math classes and couldn’t afford to fail one more because that would cause you to fail the grade. Today, you were both going over things that were going to be in your test at the end of the marking period.

You’ve been studying non-stop all week and grew tired of it (even though all you mostly did was get off topic and have endless conversations with Miles.)

“Y/n, c‘mon you can’t do this every time i’m tutoring you. Just try.” Miles smiled at your reaction to the math problems in the book.

“Can we please just take a small break?”

“..Y/n our last break was 5 minutes ago.”

“Exactly my point!! It’s been too long.”

He chuckled at you and had no choice but to give in. It’s not like he didn’t enjoy the silly conversations you both had. You both saw each other as.. you wouldn’t say therapists but more of a.. comfort friend? Just someone you could talk to freely basically. At this point you were practically each others best friend, you just hadn’t noticed it yet.

Miles always enjoyed your company, no matter what you both were doing as long as it was together. You rarely ever hung out together if it wasn’t involved with tutoring, but that wasn’t a bad thing. You would almost get tutored everyday because math just really wasn’t something you were good at..

“Soo.. what’s with you and that guy what was his name.. Ethan?”

“It’s Evan, and we fell out. I found him talking to two of my friends at the same time and I wasn't gonna stay around to see that unfold. I told them of course, just didn’t wanna be there to witness the outcome.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, Miles knew your situation with guys very very well. He knew almost all of the guys you messed around with, well.. weren’t the best. If he was honest, they sucked ass. They all seemed to go after you for one thing, your body. Miles always hated the idea of you talking to another guy, not in a weird or possessive way of course, he was just over protective of you. He always remembers the nights you would text him asking him if he was free just to cry in his arms.

Sometimes you would come in all moody to your study sessions too and for you that was off, because when you opened your mouth it never seemed to shut.

He palmed his face and sighed in disappointment of yet another shitty guy you messed with.

“I told you he seemed off. He was wayy too friendly for a guy that ‘only wanted to be with you’ I never trusted him and i’m proud to say i didn’t.” Miles quoted with his fingers.

You smiled and looked down at the floor deep in thought, “Yeah well, he was ugly anyways. Personality wise too, he never really made me laugh. When I did laugh around him I would laugh at him, not with him. Y’know?”

“Yeah, I would notice. Your laughs never seemed genuine around him.” He shrugged.

You smirked and cocked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? And what’s ‘genuine’ to you?”

Miles leaned in and placed his palms on his knees looking up at the ceiling thinking of what to say.

“Like.. it’s hard to explain. Around me, your laughs just have a higher pitch and you lose your breath much quicker and you make random sounds while laughing which is what gets me to laugh. Then, around him your laughs were like so motone and you didn’t really hold onto your stomach as if it hurt from laughing so much, you get me?”

You stared at him in disbelief from how much he went into detail, you never thought of how much he really paid attention to you. Your face was a little bright red, you were flustered because you just felt so.. special? The feeling was unknown.

“Wow.. that’s—that’s a lot. I get what you mean though, his jokes were never as funny as yours were. You don’t even have to try to make me laugh.” You smiled.

He smiled back and made a proud expression, you knew what was coming next. Miles always made this face when he was about to brag about something.

“Thank you, I get that a lot from girls. I always make sure to keep them entertained and never treat them like shit. I don’t understand how you manage to find guys like that, I would never do what they do. Pretty sure my ma would kill me.” He chuckled at the last sentence.

You rolled your eyes at the bragging, you knew Miles had game and had many many girls falling for him. I mean, who wouldn't fall for him? Look at him, he has a great personality, he's caring, a momma's boy which, by the way, is totally adorable and he’s just so sweet and genuine. His smile was contagious and he was attractive too of course..

You snapped back to reality, your mind wandering off somewhere else.

“Bet you got lots of bitches huh.” You choke out a laugh trying to ignore the thoughts lingering at the back of your head.

“Nah, it may seem that way but I honestly got my eye set on one girl. I’m not bout that ‘playa’ shit y’know? Gotta keep it real and let ‘em know that cause leading people on ain’t what i’m about.”

You looked at him intensely, really wondering who this girl was. Although you felt the urge to beg him to tell you because you knew how stubborn he was, you didn’t. You were scared you weren’t gonna like his answer so you brushed the feeling aside.

You wouldn’t admit it to anyone but yourself (barely) you had feelings for Miles, you weren’t aware of it until about a month ago when you went on countless dates. On every single one, Miles was in your head and you couldn’t seem to focus on the person in front of you.

“That’s surprising, if you’re not a player like you say you aren’t how do you treat your girls?” You quickly switched the topic and switched the rolls.

“Well, ion be messin’ around with other girls or on that friendly shit y’know? Every chance I get ima flaunt my girl like she’s the lottery.” He smiled proudly.

You scoffed in jealousy. “Wow, I wish there were more guys like you shit ONE like you at least.”

Miles blushed a bit at the way you said you wanted someone like him. He quickly recovered and perked a brow, scoffing with a proud expression.

“Yeah well, I'm one of one. Can’t find anyone like me.”

“I just can’t believe it, I haven’t even been with one guy who’s good enough to show me how to-“

You quickly saved yourself from the embarrassment and threw your hands over your mouth. Miles took notice of this and he raised a brow at you and moved slightly closer.

“Show you how to what?” He asked, smirking only slightly.

Heat rose to your cheeks, you covered your face and grumbled from already feeling embarrassed even though you hadn’t even told him yet. You hid yourself in your knees not wanting to face him.

“C’mon I promise I won't laugh!” He begged.

“Yes you will! I know you!”

“I swear on my pet hamster's life I won't.” He spoke seriously.

You looked up a bit, sighing and agreeing to say what was on your mind, you had always been ashamed of it because you never really kissed just anyone. You wanted it to be special, of course you’ve kissed a few but your old self thought they were special when they weren’t.

“F-Fine. I—I..don’t know how to kiss.” You whispered the last part lowly, too embarrassed to say it outloud.

“A lil louder than that Y/n, it’s just you and me here c’mon.” He sweetly smiled at you placing a hand on your back.

“I don’t know how to kiss.” You said bluntly, looking straight to avoid his striking gaze.

All that could be heard were stifled chuckles and you turned to stare at the culprit, Miles was cupping his mouth with both hands trying not to burst out laughing straight in your face. You smacked the back of his head and scolded him for swearing.

“Miles! You swore on your hamster's life!”

Laughter erupted from him and could be heard loudly throughout the room. Soon he calmed down and collected enough breath to speak.

“He died like a week ago, it's fine.”

“What?! And you didn’t tell me?? Tu si eres malo.”

“Whatever, back on topic. You don’t know how to kiss? How? You’re like, genuinely one of the prettiest girls I know.”

You blushed at both the comment and from embarrassment. You were 18 almost 19 and didn’t even know how to properly have a make out session, not that it was your fault. All the guys you messed with genuinely sucked, and your lips were far too precious for you to just place them on anyone.

“Hey! No es culpa mía, i bet you’re not even good at kissing either.” I huffed angrily.

“Actually, I'm quite known for being a great kisser para tu información.” He admitted proudly.

Then, an idea spiked up in your head. He was your best friend.. you think? Might as well take this perfect opportunity to ask him for a favor, a huge one. This had you nervous though, because it could go two ways. He would say yes and show you and you both would continue to live your lives as if nothing happened, as normal friends right? Or.. you would be embarrassed for the rest of it if he said no. How would you recover from that? Whatever.. might as well do it now and pray nothing bad happened.

“Miles?” You finally spoke, with a serious tone hiding behind your words.

“Yes?”

“Could you.. um—do me a favor?” You spoke shyly, a wave of nervousness was coming at you and strong.

“Depends. What is it?” He spoke more lowly now with curiosity, he subconsciously moved closer to you to hear you clearly. In case you’d decided to whisper again since that was a habit.

You took a deep breath, preparing yourself for what was to become. This determined whether or not you would ever talk to him or see him the same, you seriously thought you wouldn’t be able to recover from this.

“Could you..maybe.. teach me?” You looked down at the floor again, biting the inner corner of the inside of your cheek. You were slightly sweating from how nervous you were.

A few seconds of silence passed before you looked up nervously. Many thoughts racing in your mind right now;

‘What if he was making fun of me in his head right now?’

‘What if he didn’t want to be friends with me anymore?’

‘What if he thought I was weird?’

‘What if he hates me now?’

Your thoughts were quickly put to a pause when he spoke up, you thought you were dreaming when you heard the words escape his mouth.

“Sure, I’ll teach you. But are you sure like, completely sure you wanna do this? I’m kinda rough with it, and i don’t know if you’d like it.” He spoke softly when looking at you.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, shutting your eyes and nodding. You smiled sweetly at him, your heart speeding up with a hint of excitement. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t think about kissing Miles at least once.

“Yes, I'm sure.” You stared at his eyes then his lips wide eyed, your eyes glistening with anticipation. Your lips were slightly parted as you oh so wanted to lean in and just kiss his pretty lips already, but you waited for him to instruct you on what to do.

He moved closer to you and sat in front of you staring at you with slightly hooded eyes. He smirked as he spoke and that’s all you seemed to notice.

“Alright, first you needa part your lips slightly which i see you’re already doing. Then, you just tilt your head to whichever side you prefer and lean in. Close your eyes obviously, then just follow my lead. Simple, you got it?”

You nodded once again, and blushed lightly as he leaned in closer. His hand made his way up and he gently placed it on the side of your neck and tilted his own head shutting his eyes to kiss you.

“Alright, here we go..” He whispered.

With that, he kissed you gently. His soft lips locked with yours, surprisingly you seemed to follow along quickly and placed one of your hands on his toned chest. Your breaths seemed to quicken with every second that passed and he started to lean in more, this time you were slightly pushed back. You held onto the front of his shirt pulling him down with you. Your forearms supporting your upper weight as you laid back on the floor.

Miles now completely on top of you deepened the kiss, his tongue softly grazed against your bottom lip asking for permission to enter which you complied to. He placed his hand back on your neck, his fingers resting on the bottom part of your lower head pushing you against him more. You let a low moan slip past you and you opened your eyes wide, with shock but quickly closed them back up once you heard the sounds he made.

The ‘agressiveness’ he mentioned now showing as low growls escaped his lips when getting a few seconds to breathe between kisses. His tongue fighting with yours for dominance which he quickly claimed.

He broke the kiss, a string of saliva showcasing how intense the kiss was. He smirked against your lips and you both breathed heavily against each other, chests heaving up and down rapidly. He caressed the sides of your waist slipping one hand under the hem of your shirt and leaned in to seductively whisper in your ear.

“I think I'm gonna have to teach you a little bit more than just kissing, ma.” He smirked.

★ translations: tu si eres malo - you’re so mean || no es culpa mía - it’s not my fault || para tu información - for your information ||

TAGS:

[notsoattractivearenti]

It's Time to Leave (Mason Mount x Reader)

Song Inspo: Stay - Why Don't We (Listening to the song while reading this fic is highly recommended 😊)

WC: 1.5K

Warnings: Curse words, angst

A/N: Made a poll about who to write this fic for and Mason got the most votes! Should've finished 2 weeks ago but I didn't have the time lol but here it is 😉 Special thanks to @ariddletobesolved for proofreading! This fic is an one-shot, so there's not gonna be a 2nd part. Please enjoy and I'd love to hear your thoughts through replies/reblogs/asks 💗 Feedbacks are highly appreciated!

---

“I just wish things could be like they used to

But they never will, now I see right through you

Wish you could tell me all the ways that I miss you

Baby, I'd be lying if I didn't say I wish you'd

Stay”

---

“Y/N, I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I can’t be the only one who’s invested in our relationship. It’s supposed to work both ways, you know? Well it used to be like that. But now-“

“Excuse me!? Why the fuck would you even think that way, Mason? I’m not invested in us? Why do you think I stayed for all these years?”

“You’ve changed, Y/N! You’ve fucking changed! Don’t you realise that? Do you think I’m too dumb to notice that?? I’m tired of being the one who cares so much when you don’t give a shit about me anymore!” He yelled, and you could see he was already tearing up.

From the first time you met him, he had never yelled at you. He has always been a calm, gentle, and loving person. No matter how upset he could be, he always handled things in a peaceful manner. You loved that about him, because he was different from the other guys you’ve previously dated. You felt like he was the one you can always count on, who will never let you down. He has a very positive attitude and big, warm personality, the moment you laid your eyes on Mason you were instantly drawn to him.

But today he showed you the side of him you have never seen before. You could clearly see he was filled with disappointment, resentment, anger, and sadness. You just came to a realisation that you have hurt him deeply. You were aware that your feelings toward him have changed, but you were in denial and tried to ignore that because you didn’t know how to tell him. You were afraid that if you broke up with him, you would make the biggest mistake in your life. But what you didn’t notice is that your behaviour had changed as well, you thought he would never notice – but knowing how in love with you he was, and that he’d known you all too well, of course he did.

“I was always there when you needed me, and I know for sure you fucking knew. I put a lot of effort into making our relationship last because I thought you were my forever.” He scoffed, pausing for a bit, shaking his head in something like disbelief. “Back then, we were so in love, we had so much fun together. But lately you seem like you have given up on us… What could possibly go wrong with us, Y/N?” His bloodshot eyes were now on you. Gone was the warmth that he used to reserve for you. “Have I done something to make you feel like I’m not worthy of your love anymore?” His voice was shaky as he tried to control himself from exploding, but his overflowing emotions were difficult to hide. 

You froze for a minute, unable to think of anything to say. It’s like your brain suddenly couldn’t function. There was a pang in your chest that felt so heavy, and your hands started shaking. You were trying to gather yourself to find the right words to express how you feel about him. 

“Mason… I-” This will hurt, you thought before continuing, “I’m sorry. The truth is… My feelings have not been the same. I don’t know why, how or when, but it is what it is.” You sighed, “I… I don’t love you anymore.”

He bit his lip and started breathing heavily, seemingly not ready to hear you say those last five words.

“I’ve been wanting to tell you that, but I just didn’t know how. I swear, it’s not you. But I feel like there’s something lacking within our relationship. I ju-”

“I gave you everything I could give you, Y/N. Everything. I poured my heart and soul into you, us. Wasn’t that enough for you?” 

Your eyes widened, your jaw just dropped. You couldn’t believe what you just heard. 

Mason took a deep breath, “I loved that you had shown me how much you needed me, but now it feels like you don't anymore. I mean, not long ago I just got injured and had to miss training and matches for a few weeks! You knew how much I needed you by my side, but instead you left me alone while you were out doing God-knows-what. You lied to me, and you kept making excuses after excuses, it’s like you just want to get away from me.”

Tears started streaming down your face. Fuck, you thought, what have I done?

“Wha- Mase, I… I have no idea you feel that way. I’m sorry… Fuck, I’m sorry I have been treating you like shit, I just…” you caught your breath from crying, “I don’t know what’s happening with me. What I did was wrong, I should’ve been there for you. I should’ve… I should’ve been honest to you. I… I don’t… I didn’t mean to break your heart…”

“Well it’s a little too late isn’t it?” he let out a scoff as he furiously wiped his tears, “I think it’s time for me to leave, Y/N. There’s no point of me staying in a dead-end relationship. You’ve fallen out of love with me, and I’m not going to convince you to love me the way you used to. I’ve tried my hardest to keep this ship floating, now I’m done.”

Overwhelmed, he paused for a second. “I just… I just don’t know you anymore, Y/N. You are not who you used to be. Now you don’t seem to care about me, about us. Now everything is always about you.”

You could feel your heart begin to shatter. You knew a break-up was coming eventually, but to hear him speak his truth hurt you deeper than you thought it would. You have done such awful things to him just because you were afraid to tell him how you feel. You wouldn’t blame him if he hates you now – in fact, you knew you deserved it.

“I’m tired of feeling down. I deserve better than whatever bullshit you’re giving me.”

 He would be lying if he said he didn’t wish for you to stay, to give your relationship another try. But he knew you two would never work anymore. He wanted everything to be the way it used to be, he wanted to be loved by you and you only. But if you stayed, it would cause you both nothing but pain. At the moment he just knew that going separate ways was the only right thing to do.

You tried to hold back your tears, you were filled with instant regret. You knew you’ve fucked up and taken the greatest love of your life for granted. You hated that your relationship had to go down this way, but you knew you deserved it.

“Mase, I wish I could’ve done better… You and I both know even a million sorries will never be enough. You should know I’ve never meant to hurt you… And yet, at the end, I still did. Thank you for telling me everything I needed to know, I hate myself for treating you unfairly. You deserve better than a bitch like m-”

“No, Y/N, don’t say that,” he cut you off, “you’re not a bitch. You never were.”

“I am, Mase. I know for sure I am. You’ve always been so sweet and loving to me but I fucking hurt you in the worst way possible.”

You both then sat in silence for a while, trying to process the break-up. There was nothing easy about it, especially since you weren’t exactly prepared for what just happened.

“Well,” you broke the silence, “I guess it’s time for me to go.” This is it. “Goodbye Mase, and I’m sorry we had to end like this.”

You went in and tried to give him a hug, but he refused. “I can’t do that, Y/N. I’m sorry.”

“I- I understand.” You pressed your lips into a tight line, taking it as your cue to leave.

As you stood up and grabbed your things, he said to you: “Goodbye, Y/N.”

---

Two weeks had passed. His heart ached from missing you, he was questioning his decision to let you go but he knew it had to be done. He tried to delete your pictures and your number from his phone, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, knowing that he still needed some time.

Putting his phone away, he then grabbed a pen and a little notebook he had. Since he couldn’t tell you how he was feeling, he wrote them down instead:

“Y/N, I wish I could tell you just how much I miss you… You are just too hard to forget. But I deserve better… After everything, I need to heal. We both do. Nonetheless, I hope you will find someone who can love you better than I did…”

---

“Gave you all I can give you

Now all that's left is "I still miss you"”

---

taglist: @pulisicsgirl @neverinadream @masonspulisic @swimmingismywholelife @chelseagirl98 @bracedes @lovelynikol16 @thoseboysinblue @lizzypotter14 @mortirolo @masonsrem

[theforgottenmcrmy]

Reprieve~ Part 1/3 (Ser Harwin Strong x Reader

᯽ Please note that this is an overall Part 18 to the series Growing Strong. The masterlist, and part 1, can be found HERE ᯽

Pairing: Ser Harwin Strong x Tyrell! Female Reader

Warnings: GOT typical sexism, canon divergence, mentions of past character death, mentions of miscarriage

Summary: Grief for her child, her father, her crown. There was no use drawing comparisons- you were certain all of it cut her just as deeply.

A/N: I’m back. It’s my birthday, and I’m giving myself the gift of easing some of the guilt I’ve felt by keeping you on hold with this story for a while😅  in all seriousness, i hope you enjoy. if you have stuck with this story so far, I appreciate the hell outta you. this one’s a bit angsty, but part 2 will include some fluffier moments with the kids, and part 3 will have an awkward dinner between both families. i hope you enjoy🖤

PS, the poll hath spoken, and part 2 should be posted Thurs 3/30, and part 3 should be up Sat 4/1.

Never before had you written so much at any one time.

Your hands ached, practically begging for relief. For how important you believed it was for these letters to be sent out by raven at once- as they were, for you had requested someone stop by every half hour past to collect the letters you had already completed- the task of actually penning the words to paper was not nearly as forgiving as you had hoped it to be.

One of the only comforts you were able to take was that you were in good company.

At the very thought, you looked up from your current letter, which was addressed to Lord Alan Tarly, and over towards your companion, who was seated at the same table, in the chair across from you. As though he had felt your soft gaze, Harwin ceased his own writing immediately, and his hazel eyes snapped up to meet yours. The smile he gave you was a tired one, but genuine. You wondered if his hands pained him as much as yours did.

In a shameless bit of self-indulgence, you allowed more pleasant thoughts to drift into your weary mind. Alone in the quiet chambers Rhaenyra had prepared for the two of you some time ago, it was almost too easy to imagine that you at Harwin were back at home, in your shared study at Highgarden, enjoying a calm evening unwinding after a delicious supper.

It was almost too easy to forget that you were far removed from the Reach, and in Dragonstone, blindly making your way through the aftermath of King Viserys’s death. For the briefest of moments, you allowed yourself to pretend as though you were not waiting with bated breath, passing the time idly until it was decided, by forces beyond your control, whether the Seven Kingdoms would be put to the torch as two Targaryens fought for the vacated seat their father’s passing had left behind.

You brought your focus back to your letter.

To Lord Alan Tarly,

By now, it is likely that the grave news of the passing of King Viserys has reached Horn Hill…

You had lost track of how many of the letters had started in the same manner. But there were only so many ways your sentiments could be expressed, and time was of the essence.

After your arrival in Dragonstone, and once Queen Rhaenyra had had the opportunity to apprise you of the current standing, you and Harwin had mutually agreed that it would be best to write letters to your closest kin and peers immediately. Primarily, the letters that you and your husband had spent the better part of a few hours writing were addressed to the various lords and ladies across the Reach and Riverlands. Throughout the process, you hoped to thoroughly examine those you both knew who might also be sympathetic to the queen’s cause.

First, Harwin had written to his steward, Lord Dannis Chambers, at Harrenhal. He warned him of the grave reality of the impending war, and urged him to prepare the castle and Harrentown accordingly. After this had been achieved, Harwin wasted no time recounting all the atrocious crimes he now believed his brother, Larys, had committed, and advised Lord Dannis that if Larys made any attempt to contact him, he was to be notified at once. Lord Dannis was also instructed to detain Larys on sight, should the Master of Whisperers be so bold enough as to attempt to gain entry into Harrenhal.

But Larys’s treachery had gone undetected for years- you did not believe him anywhere near daft enough to try such an outlandish thing. You had voiced as much to Harwin, hoping it would reassure him, but Harwin was of the mind not to leave any matters pertaining to the kinslayer up to chance.

Next, Harwin had written to his sisters- and by extension, their husbands. The letters proved particularly challenging for him, but completely necessary. Lilyan and Eyla deserved to know the truth of what happened to their father, even if it meant tainting the image they may have had for their other brother. In his letters, Harwin kept the recount of the discovery to a minimum, not wishing to distress his sisters any further than his words were already likely to. He made promises to explain in further detail the next time they met.

Like he had Lord Dannis, Harwin urged Lilyan and Eyla to compel their husbands, Lord Cerran Leygood and Lord Joseth Smallwood, to begin making their own preparations. Neither you or Harwin anticipated Lord Cerran or Lord Joseth to deflect and support the Usurper. Not only had both Lilyan and Eyla served alongside you as ladies in waiting to Princess Rhaenyra, but Lord Cerran, as one of your liege lords, had also pledged fealty to you as Lady Paramount of the Reach. And Lord Joseth was one of the most honorable men you had known; he would uphold the pledge his father had made to King Viserys, and bow to Queen Rhaenyra as his one true successor.

After those had been written, Harwin had written to his extended kin- the houses his mother and father had descended from- and to a few other neighboring houses in the Riverlands whom he believed could be swayed, if they were not already, to support Queen Rhaenyra.

Most regrettably, the Reach was another matter. 

As their liege lady, all the ruling lords and ladies of the land had pledged fealty to you after King Viserys had proclaimed you as the heir to Highgarden and the Lady of House Tyrell. In turn, as you had pledged fealty to uphold Rhaenyra as the true heir to the Iron Throne and Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, it was expected that all the other houses in the Reach would fall in line, and join you in offering her their support. However, as demonstrated by House Hightower’s heinous deflection and usurpation of the throne, such was not to be the case, and even words vowed by the oldest and noblest of houses could not be taken at face value.

You deemed your first letter, which was addressed to your uncle and steward, Lord Elwood Meadows, to be of the utmost importance. In your letter, you were insistent that preparations be made with the utmost haste. Highgarden stood between Oldtown and King’s Landing, and if army reinforcements were to be called to the capitol from the Hightowers’s stronghold, the army would most likely march through Highgarden’s lands. Until the lords and lady of the Reach declared for Queen Rhaenyra or the Usurper, it was wiser to assume that Highgarden was surrounded by potential enemies, and to prepare the men and supplies with that belief in mind.

You had written to the Reach nobles who you felt confident would support the Queen if war was to come after that. There were at least a few lords and ladies who had never given you cause to doubt their allegiance.

But you had not bothered to send correspondence to Oldtown, or to the Arbor. Your cousin, Lord Garrett Redwyne, had coveted Highgarden and the Tyrell family titles since you had inherited them. As a direct result, your relationship with one another had been severely strained for many years. Though you had no ill will for his mother, your aunt Elayne, placing blind faith on your cousin to uphold his oath and pledge the Redwyne fleet to Queen Rhaenyra would be incredibly foolish. Besides, he was married to Cerelle Lannister now- and whatever gold you might have been able to offer and persuade him, the Lannisters could offer him twice as much, if not more.

By the time Elinda, a particularly favored handmaiden for many years, arrived and informed you that Queen Rhaenyra wished to speak with you, you had just finished the last of your letters, and Harwin his. It was perfect timing, and a perfect distraction from the dull tingling in your hands.

“I shall come with you,” Harwin offered without hesitation, rising to his feet as he reached across the table to gather the last of the small parchment scrolls.

You followed his lead, but both of you paused once Elinda spoke up. “My apologies, My Lord. But Her Grace has requested to speak with Lady Y/N… only Lady Y/N.”

The girl sounded hesitant, and perhaps looked a bit apprehensive, too. But there was no need. In response to her words, a look of understanding washed over Harwin’s face, and he gave you a knowing look.

You believed that he had also caught a glimpse of what you suspected to be a funeral pyre outside the entrance of the castle. Judging by the soft remorse in his eyes, you now knew it to be true. Harwin had more than likely drawn his own conclusions as to the nature of what Princess Rhaenyra wished to speak with you about, and could understand why his presence was not desired.

“Of course,” Harwin relented graciously, nodding to Elinda. Turning to you, he proposed, “Perhaps I shall find our sons, and ensure they have not begun to create any trouble for themselves.”

Whilst your traveling party had begun to settle into their own lodgings, the remainder of the group arrived from the docks, as Prince Jacaerys had arranged. Brynna was tending to Luciya, but your sons had opted to find ways to occupy their own time- most likely they sought to become reacquainted with the Princes Jacaerys and Lucerys.

However Derrik and Selwin had chosen to spend their time the last few hours, you did not believe them likely to cause any legitimate trouble. This was in light of the fact that you were all guests, and only welcomed in Dragonstone by the Queen’s will. But there were dragons all around, and tensions were high. Misunderstandings could turn dire in the blink of an eye.

“I will find them,” Harwin reiterated, glancing down at the last of small scrolls upon the table, “right after I give these over to Maester Gerardys to be sent out.”

“That would probably be for the best,” you agreed, albeit a little reluctantly.

But before you could step away from the table to follow Elinda, Harwin stopped you. Mindful of the fact that the two of you had company, he settled for lightly grasping your hand and bestowing a kiss on top of it.

“I will meet with you later,” he promised.

Your husband’s voice was light and reassuring; it was comforting, even. You would hold on to that as you braced yourself for what was likely to be a particularly daunting conversation with the queen.

You nodded to him with a small smile, fighting off a heat that threatened to rise to your cheeks despite your best efforts.

As you were escorted to Queen Rhaenyra’s chambers, you wrung your burning hands together, hoping the gesture would help restore some of the feeling. Before leaving your chambers, you thought you had scrubbed away most of the ink that had stained your hands during your writing efforts. But as you passed underneath flickering torches that lined the tone hallways of the Stone Drum, you caught brief glimpses of a few black splotches that you had apparently missed.

Fortunately, you severely doubted your liege would pay them much mind.

When you arrived outside of the queen’s chambers, you saw that two members of the now Queensguard were keeping post by the door.

The first was Ser Lorent Marbrand. Though he had been elevated to the Kingsguard during King Viserys’s reign some number of years ago, the fair haired knight from the Westerlands had always been a common face among Rhaneyra’s household guard. It was reassuring to see that he had elected to continue to serve King Viserys’s rightful heir.

The second was Ser Steffon Darklyn. The uncle of Lord Gunthor Darklyn bore a much sterner expression than his counterpart. Though Ser Steffon’s face was wrinkled with age, the sheer resolve etched into his features suggested that whatever laid ahead, he did not fear it. His tried and true experience he had gained during his service to King Viserys would undoubtedly be a crucial asset for the queen now.

You nodded to both men in silent greeting as the handmaiden Elinda, who had been escorting you, lightly tapped her knuckles on the closed door. A moment later, you heard a muffled voice bid you to enter from within.

Elinda opened the door slowly, and you followed her into the room cautiously. After stepping a few more steps through a short corridor, you were temporarily blinded by the sun streaming into the open room.

Elinda was not phased. “Lady Y/N, as you requested, Your Grace.”

“Thank you, Elinda. That will be all.”

Elinda bowed her head and retreated, closing the door softly behind her as she went.

You squinted and allowed yourself a moment for your eyes to adjust. When your vision became clear once more, you spotted the familiar figure of Queen Rhaenyra across the room. Dressed in the same black gown she had donned that morning, she stood beside a table on the far side of the room, positioned right before the open balcony. In the comfortable silence, you heard the soft lull of waves and the squawking of the seagulls in the distance.

“Come, Y/N. Sit with me.”

Queen Rhaenyra took a seat, and you did not hesitate to heed her order. You crossed the room in a few short strides before swiftly claiming the seat across the small table from where she had settled. The table was bare, save a pitcher of wine and a pair of goblets.

As you made yourself comfortable on the chair, your longtime companion placed another object on the table.

“This is for you and your husband.”

You glanced at the folded piece of parchment as the queen slid it smooth across the table towards you. It was sealed in green wax, with an emblem you had seen no more than a handful of times. But once you recognized it, your interest was piqued immediately.

“What is it?”

“Otto Hightower deemed me deserving of a personal visit yesterday,” Queen Rhaenyra said, avoiding answering your posed question directly, though you suspected her tale would lead to the information you sought regardless. “He hand delivered terms of peace, written by the Dowager Queen on behalf of my half-brother, to all my bannermen who have already gathered here. I did not dare to correct his assumption that you and Lord Harwin had already arrived in Dragonstone, for I feared doing so would put you in further undue danger.”

Admittingly, the thought had not crossed your mind. You had suspected Larys to be the sole perpetrator behind the attack on your traveling party following the departure from King’s Landing. But you had not given pause to consider what Otto Hightower, Queen Alicent, the Usurper, or any other Green for that matter would stand to gain had you failed to reach Dragonstone. Death was one matter, but the thought of you, Harwin, and your children being captured and forced to do as the Usurper bid was another altogether, and one that made you want to shudder. You would have, had Queen Rhaenyra not been watching your every move with keen eyes.

She inched the parchment even closer to you. The seal, barring the emblem of the Hightower in Oldtown, and surrounded by a single crown, was Queen Alicent’s personal sigil. What the dowager queen thought to offer you was beyond your imagination, but it did entice curiosity. You and Harwin had been among Rhaenyra’s most fervent supporters for many years, and you knew Alicent not to be so foolish as to presume either of your loyalties could be bought for some mere gold.

Finally appeasing the queen’s silent request, you took the letter into your own two hands. “You said Otto Hightower brought terms of peace… Is that to say you were offered terms as well?”

“I was.”

“And do you mean to accept them?”

The look that flashed across Queen Rhaenyra’s face was a conflicted one, but she masked it rather quickly. “It matters little whether or not I wish to settle this peacefully. We both know that I cannot. The Usurper has made a mockery of my father’s declaration, and his selfish greed has threatened to plunge the entire realm into a war amongst itself. I have already begun to receive pledges of support, and though I hope I will receive more yet, accepting anything less than my own ascension to the Iron Throne will be a grave insult to all who have already sworn themselves to my cause. Even if I could reconcile myself with all of this, I am not the only one who shall suffer if I accept the dowager queen’s proposals. My children will never, ever be safe. And if you believe my husband will willingly bend the knee to my witless half-brother, you must understand him even poorer than I.”

Her last statement was an odd one, but it was not peculiar enough to comment upon at that moment. You could not picture the Rogue Prince bending to Aegon, not even in your wildest imagination. Every point Queen Rhaenyra had made was completely valid, which was why her next words to you took you by utmost surprise.

“You must take great care to consider whatever Dowager Queen Alicent has offered you and Harwin, Y/N.”

“... You do not mean that we should-”

“All I ask is that you discuss it with Harwin, and that the two of you are absolutely certain of your decision. Whatever you choose will not be able to be undone.”

“Harwin and I have been writing to those who we believe may be drawn to support you all morning,” you informed her, hoping it would persuade her to cease the fruitless conversation.

“I have seen the intermittent ravens being sent out over the past few hours, and I suspected as much.”

By this point, confusion was nowhere near adequate enough to describe what you were feeling. “And you would still have us consider betraying you and throwing our support behind the Usurper instead?”

“I would have you choose whatever you believe is best for your family,” the queen corrected, her tone becoming icy as she fought to make her intentions clear. “I consider you a friend, as I also do your husband. Swearing oaths, even to a king, when you are young and without much to lose is one thing. But we both have more to lose now than ever before. Wealth will come and go. Castles can be destroyed and rebuilt. But the children… The children could never be replaced. And you know as well as I do that not even the gods choose to spare them in times of war.”

She was not talking about Jacaerys, Lucerys, or Joffrey. Not even Aegon or Viserys. As nearly unfathomable as it was, in the silence that followed the queen’s words, you took a few moments to truly contemplate her suggestion.

You pocketed the parchment at once, taking care not to fold it any further than what was necessary. “I will discuss it with Harwin later.”

Queen Rhaenyra looked placated by your response. “That is all I ask. Take the day to decide. In two days time, the Greens will expect to receive an answer from me in response to their proposed terms. It would be best to have your family’s answer by then as well.”

“We shall have it to you even sooner than that,” you promised, knowing that whatever decision you reached with Harwin, you were likely going to be of the same mind.

“Very well. I plan to reconvene my council first thing tomorrow morning. Should you and Harwin decide to join us, I will accept that as your answer.”

“You do not mean to meet with your council today?”

“I have decided to give myself a bit of reprieve,” she answered carefully, reaching across the table to grab the pitcher of wine. Pouring wine into one of the goblets for herself, she continued, “I had hoped the Sea Snake would reach our shores by now, so that I may have an idea of what naval support to expect.”

“The Sea Snake lives?” That was news to you, but it was news most welcome.

“Yes, he does. While I am hopeful that Lord Coryls will eventually offer me his support, I cannot bring myself to rely on it. I must continue to plan how best to proceed with the assumption that only those who have already pledged their support are able to be called upon.”

Of course, Rhaenyra would not turn away any additional allies who would pledge themselves to her. And you believed her caution with Lord Corlys was most wise. However, despite the fact that Lord Coryls had been insistent that Lucerys was next in succession of the Driftmark throne throughout the many years since Ser Laenor’s passing, you had begun to accrue a personal understanding of how drastically a brush with the Stranger could change someone. Perhaps the Sea Snake would change his mind… and perhaps he would feel even more compelled to do so with an appealing offer from the Usurper.

You surmised then, “I suppose you would not wish to hear the details of whom Harwin and I have written to?”

“While I appreciate the efforts you have taken, that will not be necessary right now. You may give me the information on the morrow- should you and Harwin join the council meeting, that is. Perhaps you will have even received a few answers by then. But no- that is not why I have summoned you here. Nor was passing along my half-brother’s offer of peace for your family the sole reason, either.”

“I am a guest, and I am at your bidding- what is on your mind?”

“Should you allow it, I wish to speak with you, friend to friend.”

“Of course, My Queen.”

“Please, Y/N. We are alone.”

It was not the first time Rhaenyra had insisted on dropping formalities, but complying with her requests never seemed to get any easier. This was made additionally difficult by the fact that she was no longer a princess, but queen. Whether it be the manners and proprietary that had been instilled in you from a young age, or simply from the sheer amount of respect you held for her, it was foreign to your tongue to address her so informally. But you found a way.

“You are always welcome to speak freely with me, Rhaenyra.”

You watched in silence as she placed the pitcher back onto the table and wasted no time in raising the goblet to her lips.

“Would you care for some?” she asked after a moment, tilting the goblet in your direction. “The hour is still early, but as Maester Gerardys has informed me that my only other alternative for the pain is milk of the poppy, I consider this to be a necessary indulgence.”

Only a short while ago, the then Princess Rhaenyra had confided to you of King Viserys’s poor state of health, which she believed had been exacerbated by Queen Alicent’s maesters administration of milk of the poppy. In light of this, it was not hard to imagine the new queen would not consent to such a treatment for herself.

For a moment, all that could be heard within the chambers were the waves and seagulls from outside. As Queen Rhaenyra took another sip of wine, you watched your former lady carefully, contemplating what, if anything, you should say.

In the end, you decided to follow her lead, doing away with frivolity and speaking plainly as to what was in your heart.

“I am sorry, Rhaenyra.”

She looked at you then, truly looked at you. It was done in such a commanding way that forbade you from looking elsewhere, even if you had wished to. Initially, you thought she might become cross with your lack of formality- despite her earlier plea. But there was no anger in her eyes, only grief. Grief that, judging by the unshed tears in her eyes, was still painfully fresh.

Grief for her child, her father, her crown. There was no use drawing comparisons- you were certain all of it cut her just as deeply. You shared in her grief, and as uncomfortable as it was for you, it was undoubtedly worse for her.

“I’ve lost my daughter,” Queen Rhaenyra elaborated then, finally looking away. She idly traced the rim of her goblet slowly with her forefinger. “My Visenya.”

She had never confided to you what she had intended to name her daughter, had her hopes been correct. But you would have expected Rhaenyra to grant her child no less of a grand name for her much-desired daughter.

Unsure of what else to say, you praised, “A fine name for a princess, My Queen.”

“It was.”

Though you had your suspicions, you gently coaxed, “What happened?”

Rhaenyra continued to trace the goblet’s rim. Her focus was upon that now, as she recalled the painful tale. A grounding practice, you supposed.

“Princess Rhaenys had flown from King’s Landing. How many days had passed since my father died, we do not know, for Princess Rhaenys was kept a prisoner in her own chambers, whilst my father’s grieving widow and her own spiteful father conspired to crown my half-brother. She witnessed the crowning, Rhaenys. She says the common folk cheered for Aegon, as though he was the one, true king- until she burst through the floor of the Dragonpit with Meleys.”

You tried to imagine the scene that Queen Rhaneyra described. After only a moment, you decided you would have much preferred to have borne witness to Princess Rhaenys’s disruption of the Usurper's coronation than what you had endured on the road to Duskendale. Did Aegon tremble in fear whilst staring into the teeth of Meleys? Did Criston Cole make himself useful in any way, and attempt to protect his new king, or did he too think the end was near and cower? Did Dowager Queen Alicent show any remorse for the doom she had inflicted upon herself and her children, or had she been willing to accept her fate with forlorn resolve?

“She could have burned them all. But she did not. She flew here instead, and told me everything that transpired. When she did, well… I suppose the news was too much. Too shocking. In the end, my own body betrayed me.”

She quickly took a few more sips of wine, as though doing so would erase the memory. For a while, you supposed it could. For her sake, you hoped it would.

Feeling emboldened by the crass conversation, you took the moment of silence to fill your own goblet. Following suit, you knocked the cup back and drank until your throat burned, silently crying for air.

When you lowered your goblet once more, you were surprised to find the Queen’s attention had reverted back to you, giving you an- even more surprisingly- amused smirk.

“It is a relief to see someone so willing to share in my sorrows, rather than to merely suggest ways in which I may overcome them.”

“Most men already presume women to be easily controlled by their emotions. While we know that to be false, perhaps we ought to indulge their assumptions every now and then- lest we lose our advantage of surprise.”

Queen Rhaenyra let out a dry chuckle. “Perhaps.” Then, just as quickly as it had come, the joy fleeted from her. “My Visenya,” she sighed again, before taking another sip. When she set the goblet back down on the table once more, it was with great force. “She was my only daughter, and they killed her. They stole my crown and murdered my daughter, and they shall answer for it.”

“They will.”

“I suppose now we only need to wait to see if they will accept their sentence willingly, or if it will need to be impressed upon them.”

There was a distinction to be made. You took Queen Rhaenyra’s word as law- if she said she intended to punish those who unjustly usurped her throne, you believed her full-heartedly. But the lack of conviction in her additional statement led you to believe that war itself was not her sole desire. Should war come, it would have only been the means by which she used to secure her ends.

“But enough talk of all that,” she dismissed then, obviously eager to move on to another topic. “There is something else I wished to speak with you about. You left King’s Landing the same day as my family, and yet, you had not reached Duksendale when Lord Darklyn set sail for Dragonstone. He told me that before he left, Harwin had taken to the road to find you for himself. Once I heard of this, I deposed some of my loyal scouts on the mainland, in the hope that they could be of assistance to locate you and your party. Although, it seems that by the time they had begun to search, you were nowhere to be found.”

You said nothing, both unwilling and unable to comment just yet. The mere mention of what transpired during your travels still unsettled you greatly. The ambush, the moments you spent in pure fear for your life, the awful act you’d been forced to commit in your own self-defense… It was too soon. You had yet to come to true terms with it yourself. How could you reasonably expect Rhaenyra to understand?

“What happened, Y/N?” she pried, noticeably more gentle. “I have spoken freely with you- I do hope you know that you are extended that same courtesy. Especially amongst the two of us.”

She had sensed your hesitation.

Although you did not wish to speak of it, you could not bring yourself to lie to the queen either… Omitting certain parts of the tale would, at the very least, make it easier to recount.

“The escort was waylaid by brigands, My Queen. We lost two of our men, and had my husband and reinforcements not located us in time, I fear even more lives would have been lost.” My own among them.

It was clearly not what she had anticipated you to say, and as a result, Rhaenyra looked troubled by this. She gripped the goblet in her hand tightly. “Brigands?” she echoed. “This was a random attack? I do not care for that at all. Roads in the Crownlands are supposed to be very well patrolled.”

You hesitated, torn between deceiving Rhaenyra and confessing information that was not entirely yours to share. In the end, you reasoned that if she planned to take King’s Landing by force, she ought to know about all the snakes that dwelled within it. Gods forbid a certain Master of Whisperers find himself a quick tongue and talk himself out of being punished for sympathizing with the Usurper. Harwin would not let Larys get away with the more personal crimes he had committed against him and the Strong family, and if the queen was knowledgeable of them as well, any attempts to slither away that Larys might make would be futile.

“It has since come to light that the fire at Harrenhal was intentional, Your Grace.”

Confusion flickered over Rhaenyra’s otherwise calm disposition, not that you could blame her. “Harrenhal? What does that have to do with your traveling party being attacked on the road?”

“The death of Lord Lyonel was no accident at all. Someone meant to have him killed, and they meant to claim the lives of Harwin, our sons, and myself along with him. The fire was a plot, meant to look as an accident, just as our attack on the road was coordinated, and designed to appear as entirely coincidental. The orchestrator of both schemes is one in the same.” 

“But… How? How do you know all of this? And who is it that you stake these very grave accusations against?”

“The only man who stood to gain from the death of the Lord of Harrenhal, and all his other heirs.”

A/N: Any feedback is very much appreciated. I hope you guys have had and continue to have a wonderful week🖤

[shytastemakerthing]

please matchmake this hopeless romantic LOL ♪ (romantic please!! not platonic.) I’m someone who loves to dress up in pink, frilly dresses and I tend to wear j-fashions like sweet lolita or hime gyaru, both very pink and frilly, I love love love cats and tbh I’m a big dork, I’m ambiverted(leaning towards introverted) and I think I’m enfp/infp, I can be hyper sometimes but also tired, I’m a little emotional sometimes too , i love video games, manga, anime, I have an anime figure collection (most of them being pink) and I love cute stationery♪

Hello! It wasn't specified as to which Fandom you wanted this for so I went with the most popular, which is TWST! I would usually send a message to ask but given this is an anonymous request, I can't do that lol🤣😭

I hope you enjoy!

Note: Dont really pay attention to the poll at the bottom. I accidentally clicked it and now it won't go away and i can't post this until i put something in that poll😭😭.

I match you with......

Idia Shroud

🎮 This guy seems to be pretty popular within tne matchup sections of things (not that I am complaining, I love writing about him xD).

🎮 This is a clear story of the whole 'opposites attract' trope that we see going on all of the time. Between the both of you, it's like night and day. His gloomy disposition and state of dress (I hope he washes that hoodie bevause he wears it all of the time), and then your pink and frilly clothing really makes the both of you stand out when you're next to one another.

🎮 This doesn't mean that he isn't a fan of the way that you dress. In fact, it's the complete opposite. Do you know how many of his favorite anime characters dress the same way that you do? He's already express ordered quite a few outfits just for you...... and if you happen to wear a cosplay of one of said favorite characters, the man has ascended on the spot with this derpy grin on his face.

🎮 Movie and Anime marathons are a MUST in this relationship. The fact that you love them as well is a huge bonus to him. Why go on actual dates when you coild both curl up in the comfort of his room with plenty of snacks and binge watch the latest series that the both of you are into?

🎮 Speaking of dates, it's rather hard to get him to go on one outside of the confines of his room, but given your love for cats and his love for cats, if you manage to get you two a spot at a cat Cafe during one of the less busy times of the day, then he will consider going with you. Spoiler alert, he does go and tiu had to keep him from trying to take some of the cats home.

🎮 Cute stationary (I am also an avid collector of things in this category), he knows you love it. He knows you collect it. His family is very well off and he has an account that he has been saving and wracking up for years now. You best believe that he will be splurging on you to get you you the best and cutesy stationary supplies. Honestly, seeing the smile on your face causes his heart to race and that love meter to keep on filling.

🎮 No matter the gaming set up you had before, as said before, he is very well off in terms of finances. He has 100% gotten you a brand knew, latest off the line, gaming setup in your cute, pink, over the top style. It was an anniversary gift and he is still reeling in from the mass attack of cuddles and kisses he received from you after this.

🎮 Hybperneess isn't exactly his strong suit and he is well known for avoiding the extroverts at the school. Your hyperactiveness is a bit different, though. Unlike other people, you are emotionally aware and are able to see when he begins to grow uncomfortable with tbe amount kf energy you are excuding and are able to quickly bring the energized atmosphere down to the levels where he is the lost comfortable.

🎮 Overall, the relationship took time to get used too, but now he's latched onto you like a leech (no pun intended). He honestly can't get enough of just how adorable you are, your state of dress, and just how tou carry yourself. This is certainly a romance route he wants to carry out until the very end.

[starlight-edith]

Little Rituals: Memento Mori

Based on this poll by @xenobotanist because I’m a freak.

Please don’t kill me if this is really bad, I’ve never written fan fiction before

-

Julian fiddled with the sleeves of his uniform as he waited for the attractive young ensign to arrive to his quarters.

Maybe I should ask Garak to take a look at this later, it’s a bit tight and-

The door chime sounded, rousing the doctor from his thoughts.

“Enter!”

He had been casually seeing ensign Boeman for a couple of weeks, and felt an appropriate amount of time had passed to invite her to his humble abode.

“Ah, Hayley, looking lovely as ever! I can’t spot a single wrinkle on your uniform, you must tell me how you managed that. Mine’s always crumpling the moment I even lay eyes on it.”

Was he talking too much? Oh what was he thinking! Surely she thought him an idiot for such a silly opening statement. He should ask Dax, he thought, after all she’s had 8 lifetimes to figure out how to talk to women. He had long since given up on romancing the trill, but that didn’t make her any less useful to him.

“Thank you! I actually made a special mist with lotus extract, I can show you how to replicate it!” said Boeman with a smile.

Relieved, Julian invited her to stay a while, just for dinner.

Afterwards, the ensign seemed to disappear for a moment, and there was giggling coming from around the corner.

She emerged, still giggling, but this time holding a jar of thick brown paste - peanut butter.

“It’s an old earth spread! It’s made from nuts that grow underground! Isn’t that fascinating?”

“Yes, I’ve always found plants interesting, though I can never seem to keep them alive. I guess you only get lucky with one form of life, and mine happens to be people.” the doctor replied

The woman approached him hesitantly, though she was trying to hide her nervousness.

“Here, try some,” she said, purposefully smearing a bit of the spread near her lips, and staring at him coyly.

Somehow, in his haste, he had brushed up against her, feeling the texture on his skin.

“come on Jules, won’t you try some peanut butter? Please?”

“It would make your mother and I very proud.”

“I don’t want to” said the young Julian

“Just eat the damn peanut butter.”

“Richard, please, you’re scaring him.”

“Doctor? Doctor Bashir? Are you okay?”

He hadn’t realized he had gone.

“Yes, I’m alright Hayley, just a bit caught up in my work is all. You know how it is, busy busy busy.” he replied, with an unconvincing laugh.

She took his hand

“Come on Jules. Don’t you think you’re better enough to try again? I’ll hold your hand”

She took his hand.

The slightly older and now augmented boy again put the sticky substance in his mouth, but instead of recoiling as before, managed to enjoy the flavor and the unique texture combination of both the processed peanut butter and the chunks within.

“Jules is dead,” he thought.

Remembering that he ought to do something about the present, he turned to his date once more, preparing an excuse in his mind.

“Hayley, I’ve had a lot of fun tonight but I’m rather tired and I really ought to rest. I have to be in sickbay at 05:00 to run a spectral analysis on some samples I took from the gamma quadrant.”

“Right… I wouldn’t want to keep you.” She scurried away, dejected. Damnit.

Jules is dead. I can handle the sensory input of it all now, but it’s one of the few things I have left to honor him by.

Sitting down on his bed, he gently pushed over the framed photo of his parents. He didn’t want to see them right now. They had killed him. They had created him. A Frankenstein’s monster of a son, built of broken parts made better by illegal means.

He wasn’t their son. Their son was dead.

He intended to honor the boy he was, even if his parents would rather pretend he had never existed at all.

[hasarjunadoneanythingwrong]

please ignore that anon, I enjoy your arjuna hype posts and I enjoy how much you love him. if anyone finds that annoying they can just leave. you're my favorite fgo blogger <3

I do appreciate it, but I think I’m just tired of this persistent feeling of massive shame of ever indulging in something I love. Irl I’m terrified of ever showing people the things that I love because of how humiliating I find it, and because of how scared I am it will become annoying to me, so the fact that I’ve been seeing people saying that they find fans of a character I’ve been very loud about loving annoying and that they’ve personally wronged them is kind of heartbreaking to me. I don’t want to put people out, and I don’t want to be a nuisance. I might be overreacting, but it’s a legitimate fear that’s chased me my entire life, and it’s part of the reason I’ve begged people to tell me if I ever cross a line on one of their posts.

But people don’t. You do something that annoys them and they don’t tell you, they just let the irritation simmer and fester and grow until one day they snap at you and tell you that they’ve never cared about it and you should’ve known better, even though you’ve been as honest as you could about how you struggle to understand the thoughts of others. I don’t know what to do! I try as much as I can to be respectful when asked, but I can only do what I understand is right, and if you don’t tell me and the only way I find out is from some tag about how you find fans of a certain character have personally wronged you, how can I improve? What is the expectation for me to do there?

I know it’s probably not that deep for a lot of people. They saw something they found a little annoying from someone that could very well have nothing to do with me and are nursing a tiny grudge over it that expresses in silly ways, and they don’t consider it that serious. It just hurts my heart to think that I could’ve done something to FIX it but I’ve never been given the chance.

I don’t care about the results of the poll. What I care about is the fact that I’ve seen ppl saying they seriously dislike fans of a character I’ve been very prolific about being a fan of, and I have no way of knowing if they’re talking about me or not. I don’t want to be hated by people I’ve never interacted with for something I could’ve changed!

[lyranova]

Children of the Future: The World to Come

Chapter 8: A Surprise Christmas Gift

Hiya guys! I’m so sorry this chapter took me so long, I had a poll to decide what this chapter should be about and it ended in a tie so I ended up having to decide 😆! And I really struggle with writing birth and pregnancy chapters (they give me anxiety and I have a really hard time 😅) but I think this chapter came out very well and I’m super proud of it and myself 😁! I hope you all enjoy~!

Solara and Josele that are briefly mentioned belong to @/thoughtfullyrainynightmare and @/loosesodamarble

Taglist: @thoughtfullyrainynightmare @crazyclownthanos @acacia-may @loosesodamarble (if anyone else wants to be tagged please let me know!)

Word Count: 2,897

Warnings: Pregnancy, Labor

———

Neva winced slightly as she sat at her vanity, even though she was now Queen she still insisted on getting dressed and doing her hair and make-up herself, but in her current state that was…a little difficult to achieve.

Currently, the Queen of Spade was 9 months pregnant with the next heir to the royal throne.

She nearly laughed at the memory of everyone being so excited when she told them. She had invited everyone that was close to her and could clearly see the surprise and happiness on their faces as though it had happened yesterday. She recalled William and her friends Solara and Josele pulling her aside and telling her how happy and proud they were of her, and that if she ever needed anything to just send them a letter or use the communication device and they would gladly come to Spade to help her.

Neva also recalled how everyone in the castle treated her differently after her announcement. They treated her like she was some sort of priceless, fragile doll that could break at any moment. It annoyed her greatly that the people in the castle treated her that way, but luckily there were two people in the castle who treated her normally.

Her mother-in-law Ciel, and her husband Yuno.

The two did act a little more cautious, especially in the beginning, but knew when and where to draw the line. Yuno toed that line many times, but always made sure to take a step back when Neva caught him or when he caught himself.

But during her entire pregnancy he was a really big help. When she was sick around him, no matter the time of day or night, he would always help hold her hair out of her face and would rub her back soothingly. When she was too tired to go to a meeting or to take care of her Paragons Yuno would take over so she could rest, and he even went as far as to surprise her with new clothes as she progressed in her pregnancy.

Neva laughed as she remembered how much she teased him about that, she knew his heart was in the right place by getting her more clothes that would fit more comfortably, but she could refrain from giving him a bit of a hard time over it.

But her most favorite thing that he did during the entire pregnancy? He started reading to her.

Of course Yuno would tell her that he wasn’t reading out loud for her, and that he was actually reading out loud to help their child’s development. But she knew better. After she offhandedly mentioned how much she loved hearing him read to her he began to do it more often and even began reading her favorite books.

Neva suddenly winced again as she felt that same pain in her back. Her doctor had told her that they were most likely something called “false labor pains” and that she would be experiencing them more as she progressed further and further along, it was her body's way of preparing itself is what the doctor said. The woman couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

If this was just the false pains, just how bad were the real ones?

She turned as she noticed a familiar face in the mirror smiling lovingly at her.

“ You look very beautiful Neva,” Yuno said softly as he leaned against the door frame and had his arms crossed, and she couldn’t help but smile and shake her head.

“ Even with the back of my dress open like this?” Neva asked curiously, she had tried to tie the back of her dress herself, but found it to be a little…difficult. Yuno chuckled.

“ Especially with the back open.” He joked which caused his wife to scoff and roll her eyes before she stood up.

“ You’re a terrible liar.” She muttered as she watched him walk up to her and tied up the back of her dress.

“ I know. Which is why I make a point to never lie.” He told her before placing a gentle kiss onto her shoulder, which made Neva smile softly.

“ You don’t have to go to the party, you know, you can just stay up here and rest.” He muttered as he wrapped his arms around her, his wife nodded before leaning back against his chest and placing her hand on top of his.

“ I know, and trust me I considered it, but this will probably be my last royal event before our child is born. And we have so many visitors from Clover, Heart, and Diamond here, so I owe it to everyone to at least make a short appearance at the Christmas Party.” Neva said and she felt Yuno sigh before he rested his head on her shoulder.

“ I understand, and I think Asta would be very disappointed if he didn’t get to see you at the party.” He muttered with a shake of his head. “ I swear I think he’s more excited about becoming an uncle than becoming a dad.” He added and Neva couldn’t help but chuckle.

Asta and his wife Noelle were also expecting a baby, although Noelle was only 2 months along as opposed to Neva’s nine months. But the two were able to chat and bond about their different, yet somewhat similar, experiences during their pregnancies. It was nice to have someone going through it at the same time as her, all of her other friends already had their children and provided her with great advice which she was now handing down to Noelle as well.

“ He’s excited about both, but what about you? Are you excited about being a father, and then an uncle in 8 months?” Neva asked softly as she turned to look at him, although she already knew the answer, she still wanted to hear him say it herself. And when she saw a soft smile appear on his face again she knew what he was going to say.

“ Of course I am. Although I am a little nervous about being a dad, I think the excitement outweighs it a bit.” Yuno admitted quietly which made Neva chuckle before placing a kiss onto the side of his head.

The two of them had already worked through their worries and doubts about being good parents long ago, so now they had more excitement in their hearts than nerves. But the nervousness still remained no matter how excited they were.

As Yuno removed his arms he grabbed his wife’s hand and the two walked out of the room. They walked down the hall a bit before Neva winced in pain again, this time it was a little sharper than the other two had been. Her husband noticed her wince and placed his hand on her back and began to rub it soothingly.

“ Are you okay? Do we need to go back?” He asked in concern as he looked at her face, she shook her head before inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly.

“ It’s alright, it’s just these stupid false labor pains. I’ve probably been standing too long.” Neva told him with a laugh, but Yuno didn’t look convinced. “ I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“ You’ll pop your head in for a few minutes and then go rest,” Yuno said in a serious and stern tone, as Neva opened her mouth to argue, she watched him cut her a look. “ That’s an order from the King.” He added, his wife made a tutting noise before rolling her eyes.

“ You’re so annoying.” She muttered but didn’t argue. Yuno kissed the top of her head and the two continued to walk down the hallway, and as much as Neva appreciated him trying to help ease her pain by rubbing the small of her back, it didn’t really do much to help. But it did give her some comfort.

But after being in the ballroom for a few minutes, the pain grew worse.

As Neva walked around and greeted their guests and friends in the ballroom with Yuno the pain in her back began to grow more and more intense and soon it migrated more to the front.

These were not the “false labor pains” that her doctor had told her about.

She gritted her teeth and attempted to smile warmly at everyone. She was used to wearing a ‘mask’ in front of people, but this time it was much harder to keep it in place. After the greeted a pair of nobles from Spade another contraction hit Neva hard and she gripped Yuno’s arm tightly and couldn’t help but double over in pain.

“ Seriously kid? You couldn’t have waited at least one more day before pulling this stunt?” Neva grumbled in her head, but just like all her friends had told her, babies came when they were ready to, regardless of if you are ready for them to.

“ Neva! Are you okay?” Yuno exclaimed in concern as he bent over and tried to look at his wife’s face. He watched her try to smile through the pain as she turned to look at him.

“ I’m…I’m fine…” She told him through gritted teeth, but Yuno and everyone else could see that she clearly wasn’t alright.

“ Ralph,” Yuno called his personal guard loudly, and he quickly rushed over. “ Go fetch the doctor quickly!” Ralph nodded before taking a few of his fellow Mage Defense members with him, Yuno looked back at his wife and saw her face turn a little paler and sweat begin to appear on her forehead.

“ Is everything alright?” Ciel asked as she walked over to them, behind her was Asta, Noelle, Mimosa, Klaus, and William, all with worry etched onto their faces.

“ She’s been complaining of her back hurting since this evening, and she thought it was just false labor pains, but it just keeps getting worse.” Yuno explained, Ciel smiled warmly and knelt down next to her son and daughter-in-law.

“ It’s not false labor pains,” She said matter of factly. “ Neva dear, I think you're in actual labor. But we’ll need the doctor to confirm it.” She added kindly as she watched their eyes widen before they looked from her to each other.

———

Yuno paced back and forth anxiously in front of the oak doors that led to the Queen’s quarters. After Neva had doubled over in the ballroom, Ciel had ordered Yuno to help guide her to the closest private room. The closest one happened to be the Queen’s quarters where Neva was ‘supposed’ to sleep after she and Yuno were married, but of course she abandoned that room after one night, stating that she didn’t like sleeping alone and so far away.

Yuno had stayed in the room and held Neva’s hand as they waited for the doctor and his staff to arrive, but as they rushed in the nurses and midwives had ordered him to leave. When he tried to argue, the women glared at him and told him they would forcibly remove him if he didn’t do as they asked, no matter that he was the king.

He stopped pacing as he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Asta standing there with a small smile on his face.

“ Yuno, she’s going to be okay. They both will be.” Asta tried to assure his friend.

“ Remind me to tell you that exact same thing when Noelle’s the one in labor.” Yuno snapped icily, which caused everyone to wince. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “ Sorry.”

“ It’s okay, I get it. Honestly I’d probably snap at me too.” Asta said with a nervous laugh and Yuno tried to smile apologetically.

Yuno looked at the clock on the wall, Neva had gone into that room around 9pm and now it was 15 minutes past midnight. After a couple of hours of waiting William had to take his leave, which everyone understood, being here like this probably brought back a lot of memories that he would rather forget.

Yuno looked at the oak door again as he swore he heard a noise on the other side. There were many times where he had to restrain himself from throwing the door open and barging into the room to be with his wife, but he always hesitated. He wanted to be there for her and support her, but at the same time was worried about being in the way or stressing her out more, on top of that he was worried that seeing her in pain would break him. One of the things in this world that tore him up and could easily break him was seeing Neva in pain.

Finally, he determinedly walked up to the door and went to open it. But before he could, it swung open from the other side and one of the nurses face appeared, although it was considerably pale and her eyes held fear in them, which made Yuno anxious and concerned.

“ Y-Your majesty…”

“ What is it? Did something happen to Neva? Or the baby?” He asked quickly and she shook her head.

“ No it’s not that, um, actually…”

“ What? Is it twins? Or triplets?!” Asta suddenly asked from behind Yuno, causing both the Nurse and his friend to look at him.

“ N-No it’s not that either,” the nurse turned back to Yuno. “ Actually, the Queen is um demanding that you be allowed in there, and she specifically said if we didn’t let you that um…she would permanently incase us in her diamond magic…” the nurse continued nervously, and Yuno looked above her to see one of the midwife's feet completely covered in Neva’s diamond magic.

Yuno nodded as he quickly swallowed the laughter that crept into his throat, he would have to tell his wife to apologize to them after everything was over. He followed the nurse into the room and closed the oak door behind him.

———

Later at 6:30am

After waiting hours and hours, everyone in the hallway suddenly heard a baby cry as loudly as it could, and a wave of relief washed over all of them at the delightful sound.

The doctor, nurses, and midwives walked out of the room a few minutes later. When asked whether it was a Crown Prince or Princess the doctor just smiled and said that the king would come out and tell them himself later, the doctor also instructed the people in the hall to get some rest and to let the new family of three have some time to themselves before they tried to go into the room.

They nodded understandingly and they all sat down on the floor or in chairs and closed their eyes to rest for a few hours.

Inside the Queen’s room the new family of three were sitting together comfortably. Yuno sat on the edge of the bed and Neva rested her upper body against him as she held their daughter comfortably in her arms.

“ She looks a lot like you.” Neva muttered quietly as she stared lovingly at the newborn, Yuno frowned and shook his head.

“ I don’t think so, I think she looks a lot like you actually.” He muttered as he moved a little closer to inspect their daughter's face.

She had round chubby cheeks, a complexion that was closer to Yuno’s, and her hair seemed to be dark like his, but her eyes, her eyes were the spitting image of Neva’s.

“ Have you decided on a name yet?” Yuno asked curiously as he reached out a finger to gently grab his daughter's tiny hand, Yuno smiled as she gripped it firmly.

“ Hm I was thinking maybe…Miku.” Neva said softly as she traced her daughter's chubby cheek with her finger gently, the baby smiled brightly and Yuno tilted his head.

“ Miku huh…” He muttered the name to himself over and over again before he nodded. “ I like it, it suits her.”

“ In Hino it means ‘wind’ and I figured since most of us have four letter names that Miku would be perfect.” Neva lightly joked before she gently passed Miku off to her father so he could hold her. Neva shifted slightly so she could rest her head on her husband's shoulder and still keep an eye on Miku.

“ I never realized that our family all had four letter names,” Yuno admitted with a chuckle. “ But now that you mention it, it’s true.” He added and when he looked down he noticed his wife had closed her eyes and had fallen asleep, he looked over at his daughter and realized she had fallen asleep as well.

Yuno shook his head and shifted Miku in his arms a bit so he could hold her as well as Neva in his arms. It was a struggle, but he was able to manage it. His smile went from happy to content as he looked at his girls, they had a very tiring day and deserved the rest.

He looked up as the clock in the room suddenly chimed to signal the time, and his eyebrows raised in surprise. It was 7:30 am but more importantly, it was Christmas. He couldn’t help but chuckle, Miku was what one considered a ‘Christmas baby’.

As Yuno stared down at his adorable daughter he couldn’t help but think that this was the best Christmas gift he had ever received.

———

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich]

@diakaoni

I appreciate that yandere!reader content isn't for everyone (which is partly why I did the poll in the first place, to check that there was interest) but Shin's personality simply doesn't mesh well with what I have in mind. While all yandere characters have some things in common (namely an obsession with their love interest), I always try to maintain the core parts of their personality otherwise it would feel like I was writing generic yandere-kun, which I'm sure some people would still enjoy but it's just not my style.

Apologies for this next bit as I got... kind of carried away doing a bit of character analysis on Shin and yandere themes (it’s late and I’m very tired and that’s my excuse). So yeah, please read it if you want, but if not, then I am sorry the result wasn’t quite what you’d hoped for but hopefully if/when I post the resulting drabble, it will still be something you can enjoy.

Shin isn't actually a character who lends himself to yandereifing particularly easily in my opinion, as while he does have his unhinged moments, if you actually go through them, they’re very rarely to do with the herione (be that the player self-inserting or Yui). And even in Ruki’s DF route where he loses his shit after the herione escapes and runs off with Ruki after promising to be his, that’s definitely not because he loves her, rather it unfortunately digs right into his complex about being made a fool of and that sets him off (also it had to happen because the plot requires Carla kill Shin in front of the Mukami brothers in order for them to face the reality of being required to chase down Ruki so that the endings can happen).

I think the closest we see to Shin losing his mind over the heroine is actually in his Para-Selene CD, but even then, he comes down from it relatively quickly all things considered. I guess the best way I can describe the reasoning for this is that Shin is actually less reactionary than you would think from a surface reading. This might sound odd because a whole part of the Shin-Carla dynamic is impulsive versus carefully thought out, and I’m by no means trying to say Shin is a good planner (he can be but often isn’t). However, Shin does this thing where he will act angrier/more irritated than he actually is because he’s learned it’s a good way to intimidate people or to get them to do what he wants. And you can see this because he acts differently in these moments versus the ones where he’s actually snapped.

Shin has some specific landmines with regards to properly setting off his temper, the biggest being when he thinks someone is trying to make a fool out of him (again as we see in Ruki’s DF route, meta aside), although it’s worth mentioning someone insulting the founders is also likely to set him off and in a relationship, an act of betrayal would do the trick (which Para-Selene isn’t quite although it’s semi in the same vein but I’d argue what Shin’s feeling in CD isn’t simply anger). Outside of that, he’s often more in control of his own actions than he acts, and, in my opinion, is better with his own internal emotional intelligence (think Fi if you’re into MBTI functions) than a chunk of the other characters.

Personally when it comes to writing yandere characters, I always tend to think of characters who, while potentially better at reading a room and manipulating people, have a harder time dealing with their own emotions (I would say someone like Laito falls into this category) as being more likely to go off the deep end due to emotions they either don’t want or don’t know how to deal with causing them to snap. This could well just be a personal preference thing, but it’s why I actually headcanon Carla as being more likely to go yandere than Shin due to his emotional repression issues. The issue here is I just find him less fun to write because my version of yandere!Carla is never going to be very expressive as when Carla snaps he usually reverts to the cold individual we meet at the start of DF.

In my mind there are two situations where it makes sense to write Shin going yandere, the first being something to do with suspecting something’s up with his S/O and Carla (which I sort of explored in a yandere!Shin fic I wrote that tumblr isn’t letting me link for some reason, although I think if his S/O actually initiated something with Carla of their own accord, Shin would probably just attempt to murder the pair of them in a fit of rage). The second is a scenario I talked about in this post (https://at.tumblr.com/carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich/as-fond-as-i-am-of-possessive-yandere-shin-and-his/ffjlg3fjqerr), my reasoning behind this being that as we see with Carla, Shin definitely has the capacity to put people on a pedestal and the scenario I described in that post plays with the idea of him projecting the obsession he has with strength onto the object of his desires which definitely fits with the yandere theme for me.

Personally I’m a big fan of the second option (not just because that was me projecting onto the reader a bit) but because it plays into an obsession Shin already has and just twists it and makes it worse rather than better as we see in the “good” endings in the games.

Anyway I think that might be enough ranting about Shin for one night. I hope this at least makes some semblance of sense. Good night all!

[sparklingpax]

Happenings

The little things...happenings of seemingly little importance. But in long and tiring course of life, it’s often those little moments of nothing which occur, that we remember forever. 

///

A/N: GUYSSS ok so I know I took an age and a half to actually write this, and yes this is actually the thing I polled about writing, but that’s because...this isn’t just one story....it’s a couple short ones! Tried writing just one, but I didn’t like that very much....at least, not alone. One you might have already seen, but I’m adding it for the sake of adding it....idk. Hope that’s alright ^^’‘

Point is......idk, this was a fun little experiment of writing I wanted to try out, and I just hope you enjoy it. I really really love the idea that the Decepticons were somewhat of a family, too. In fact, the way it’s like, highkey canon.....is so good qwq 💖 I didn’t really get to touch on every dynamic I enjoy, but I will eventually....and believe that because as you know with me, eventually always happens, even if it’s like a year+ of waiting.....sorry

And some extra things: 

Set in canon (disclaimer ig, I know the difference between hcs and actual canon and I understand that setting it in canon does not make it canon, but it is still in that setting...things have been crazy lately so I just felt like clarifying that!)

I definitely have a couple typos and oddly-written stuff here....I’ll be modifying it in coming days, but for now....please just ignore it?? ;w; 

The POINT of this was to focus on mundane things (a couple of exceptions) so...idk, sorry if that’s not to your taste?? Yay if you enjoyed it tho???? o///o’

Im...gonna put this here I guess: the only romantic relationship here is Giga/Mega....they’re literally married, anyway. As for everyone else...platonic friendship/familial type stuff! Just...to be clear! :]

All of these take place at like different intervals of time, it is not one big "linear" story

....anyway...with all that said....enjoy! 

///

“Would you please cut that out.”

 The boy across from him abruptly froze, making Hydra realize the sting of his tone. He hadn’t intended that, of course, but…he was busy…

 “Sorry for snapping,” he mumbled, not looking up from his laptop. “But if you keep tapping your pen like that, I can’t focus.” 

 Cancer seemed as if debating to pretend he didn’t hear him or to simply not respond. Well, maybe he was only left with one choice, he realized, as his quick glances likely gave away the fact that he’d heard Hydra. He opted to move his textbook to his lap and slowly put his head down on the table to read instead.

 They lapsed into silence, but an awkward one now. 

Hydra felt a twinge in his stomach. He didn’t really mean to snap at the boy, and part of him wished he’d left it alone altogether.

 Well…what’s done is done. 

Cancer had taken to the library area of their expansive base to catch up on some studying of his own. As he wasn’t exactly able to attend school…this was as best as it'd get for an education. 

Well...for now, anyway.

As he was self-studying, he’d also found he had a tendency to fidget as a method to focus better, and usually no one minded the noise it made because there was no one around. 

Today, however and unfortunately, he wasn’t alone in here as usual. 

 His eyes flitted up and down quickly, stealing a quick glance at Hydra. 

The man was staring intently at something on the screen, brow furrowed in thought. Every so often, he looked to his left, probably referencing a book of his own. Then, he’d type…fix his glasses, check the book again, and type, type…

 “Can I help you?” 

 Cancer gasped, realizing he must’ve been staring, and ducked his head back to reading his own book so fast…that he hit it on the table’s edge. 

“OW!!!!”

 His head against the wood coupled with the choked screech of an exclamation of pain made such a loud noise that Hydra jolted a bit and stopped typing. When the noise died down and was replaced with silence, he found his gaze ticking upwards, almost hesitantly. 

He found himself swallowing, wondering if the boy was alright. On the other side of the table, Cancer had his head down, and seemed not to be moving, except for…

 “Cancer-kun?” Hydra said rather softly. In fact, in a softer tone than he’d expected to give, actually. He made a face at this tangential thought briefly, then abandoned it immediately and tried again when he didn’t get a response. “Oi, Cancer, are you—”

 “S-s-s…sorry…sorry….” 

His brow furrowed again, fully with worry this time. Why was he…?

 “...Cancer?”

Oh, he realized suddenly, Cancer was crying. It took a moment for him to move again, taking a couple steps around the table and coming up next to Cancer, who seemed to shy away as he got closer. 

He’s crying, Hydra, you made the boy cry. Good job. 

 He felt a bead of sweat on his forehead as he realized he was far from well-versed in how to deal with something like this. But then, there was also common sense, which he thought to try. 

 First, I need to apologize. 

He made an awkward noise, adjusting his glasses. Then, he took a seat next to the boy. He was suddenly having flashbacks to similar experiences with Buster. Except then, the two had been young children, and he knew Buster closely…

“Are, uh…was that you?” 

You’re supposed to ask ‘are you okay,’ dumbass. What the hell was that? 

But it seemed to grab Cancer’s attention, and he peeked up at Hydra for a couple moments before rising, a hand gently over the spot on his forehead where he’d slammed into the table at full force. Hydra made another noise of surprise, then cleared his throat and tried again. 

“Cancer, are you alright?”

“Sorry–” Cancer responded right on the tail of his words, rushed and quick. He swallowed and stood to leave, a blush—of embarrassment, Hydra surmised—spreading across his cheeks. He began to gather up his textbook and note papers, and Hydra though to just watch him go, except…

Fix this, Hydra.

His eyes widened. He could also imagine how unhappy Mega would be if she found out—even if this had been an accident. Still, beyond avoiding her anger, Hydra felt a twinge of guilt. 

 “Cancer, wait,” He finally said, and thankfully, the boy froze again, staring at him. 

 Hydra awkwardly pushed his glasses up again before saying, “I shouldn’t have snapped, so I'm…sorry,” he repeated his earlier apology. “I was trying to focus, I was into my work…”

He wasn’t sure it was enough, but it was enough out of him for the moment, he thought. Hydra let his words hang in the air, saying nothing else.

For a couple seconds, Cancer looked away, said nothing. He seemed to be debating leaving with a wordless huff or staying. Then, he seemed to choose the latter, dropping his stuff back on the table,and plopping back down in his seat. 

His expression had now morphed into something of an indignant pout. Hydra winced when he noticed the color of the bruised spot when the boy finally removed his hand. 

“Er…do you need me to take you to—”

“This is nothing!” Cancer cut him off quickly. He still hadn’t looked back at him. Hydra let out a sigh on the quieter side, fishing for the words to say that might relieve the tension here…

“What were you doing anyway that was so important?”  

Eh? 

The sudden, mumbled question came as a bit of a surprise. Hydra rubbed the back of his neck for a moment in thought. 

“Well…nothing, really, just…” He shrugged. “Language study…” 

Cancer shifted next to him suddenly. He was staring intently at him now. 

“Wait—me too.”

“Oh? Which one?” He gestured at his own textbook. “I was studying Chinese, though I haven’t…made much progress at present.”

Cancer’s eyes sparkled, his reply treading upon Hydra’s last words– 

 “Oh, I can help!!” 

Hydra’s eyes widened.

Of course—that’s right, he remembered, Cancer had come from China in the first place. He spoke Chinese.

“You...would?"

Cancer nodded earnestly.

"I'd…appreciate that, Cancer-kun,” Hydra said slowly, with another awkward glasses adjustment. He seemed to relax a little in posture. “I really would. Thank you.” 

The boy practically beamed with pleasure at this proposition, the last few minutes seemingly all forgotten now. Hydra still felt kind of bad, however, which he also found odd because usually he didn’t really care. 

It was almost the same as…

“Stop saying that!!”

“Nii-san–”

“Shut up!!” 

“Nii-san, stop–that hurt!!!” 

He saw in his mind’s eye, the fuzzy memory of the face of Buster as a small child. 

It was on a cloudy day, many years ago now, on a day when they’d been fighting during recess at school. What it was about, Hydra couldn’t recall even then.

It had started as a simple scuffle, a few kicks and punches, but it only continued to escalate with every passing moment, until Hydra found himself, with little hesitation, putting Buster into a chokehold and twisting his arm. 

He’d felt nothing as he did that—until the piercing cry of the boy seemed to send a shock through his bones, and he jolted backwards, releasing him instantly. Unable to speak, he watched Buster stumble to the ground, staring up at Hydra for a moment before looking away quickly. He was trying to steady his breath, obviously in pain but not wanting to cry.  

There’d been a growing crowd of kids around them, their eyes boring holes into him from all angles.

Hydra was starting to feel so guilty he wished he could disappear.

He’d wanted to say sorry, to take it back…but the most he could do was grab Buster by the other arm and pull him away from the crowd, dragging him along until they came to a secluded area near the side of the school building, where they sat down in silence for a while. 

Hydra found himself still gripping Buster’s smaller hand, surprised that he was shaking.

He hadn’t meant to…he hadn’t…

“Hydra-san? Ano…”

The man jolted, realizing quickly he’d probably spaced out. He tried to keep a relatively neutral expression, looking around the room quickly before asking, “So…what language were you looking at?” 

 Cancer replied without missing a beat, “Japanese!”

Hydra raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “You’re already quite good at it, Cancer. Why?”

The boy shrugged.

“I’ve got a lot left to learn, and…I don’t know a lot of words…and stuff....” He looked to the ceiling briefly, as if trying to think of something. But, Hydra understood what he meant. 

 I still don’t quite have a complete handle on this language, but I’m pretty solid in a lot of it…

“I can…help you too, if you are ever…confused,” he found himself saying slowly. Cancer’s eyes lit up again and he moved closer, clapping his hands together. 

 “Really?!”

“Yes, of course, I–”

Then suddenly, Cancer seemed to remember something, and he spun around, grabbing his books and belongings. Hydra simply watched, not sure if he should continue speaking as he watched the boy scamper off in the direction of the door. 

But, before he left the room, Cancer came to a stop at the top of the steps to the exit, turning and smiling again at the Godmaster.

“Xièxie, Hydra-san! See you at dinner!”

Hydra felt a smile twist the corners of his lips. 

What a…funny kid.

///

Link to Mega/Giga story 1

Summary: uhhhhh.....fluff w them, kinda? Pretty scene descriptions? Ummmmm........yea! Please read, I liked that one ngl

///

Giga bowed his head, lower and lower until his forehead grazed the floor. 

It was cold and hard. Out of the corner of his vision, he watched Mega, Buster, and Hydra do the same. 

“Failure again! This is unacceptable!!” 

“Please, at least understand—that we managed to destroy an entire city, which was part of what you had hoped—”

“SILENCE!!” 

A tongue of electricity seemed to stretch out with rabid hunger, licking both of Giga’s shoulders, leaving behind thin lines of blood. Having experienced this many times, Giga uttered a grunt of pain, but nothing more. 

Beside him, Mega flinched, out of a combination of fear and concern, but did not dare raise her head. Her own skin seemed to tremble in uneasy anticipation, of its own lashing, if it were to come, that is. 

“Do not presume what I desire!” 

The sound of Devil Z’s voice reverberated in the skulls of all present in the dimly-lit, damp cavern. It sounded with a disembodied quality, not to unsimilar to the Decepticon emperor itself. It was not as soundwaves in the air, but rather a sound he allowed their ears to hear—something inexplicable, that sounded as if it rang around into the open air of the room, and at the same time, blasted only between their ears. 

It was a chilling, commanding sound. It faded slowly, every remaining wave piercing to the last. Everyone did their best to remain still and obediently silent. 

The dark frustration dripping from his tone felt akin to being in the crosshairs of a madman with a gun in hand—having taken aim at the head, with a trembling finger on the trigger. 

Giga and Mega knew their power, likely so did the Godmasters. If if were anyone else, they would not have bent a knee—they’d not have even batted an eye. 

 But they were at the moment, powerless in the face of this ruling being, who could kill them with but a fleeting thought. 

 In the face of their superior…but not their master. 

 “...and you will come up with another plan—quickly! I shall not be hindered in my conquest of earth due to mere insects!!” Devil Z snapped, when the last words had finally faded to quiet. After another pause, he spoke again, “or any useless underlings.” 

“Yes, Great Emperor!”

The four’s voices in unison echoed in the cavern, loudly and firmly so as to appease the Emperor. And, it seemed to work…a weight seemed to lift off the air—something that no one could explain, but which always occurred when Devil Z would at last leave their presence. 

It was a good feeling, and everyone remained still, near-flattened to the ground for a moment, before Giga made a noise and shot upright. It was an indignant noise, that reflected the feelings of the others in the room. 

One by one, they each lifted their heads and stood up again, not speaking for the moment. 

“How shameful,” Buster muttered, almost to himself, breaking the quiet. “We keep upsetting the Emperor with our failed endeavors.” 

But everyone, including Buster, knew that it was not frustration at their team that sparked Buster’s words. 

Perhaps instead, what he would wish to say, would be something closer to how shameful it was, that their Emperor did nothing to aid them. 

They were not privy to their leader’s ultimate goal, which was definitely something more than what they had been led to understand. 

They were lashed with insults, pain, and threats should they ever fail, no matter what they did or tried. There was no such thing as a small victory, which even months before there had been. 

But their leader had further grown more unstable. 

Unspoken was the thought: Is this what a great leader is? 

Frantic rage and frustration sparked the air when Devil Z spoke.

He contradicted himself, went with incautious courses of action that no longer had structure except for destroying as much possible, all at once.

“We will do our best to satisfy our leader’s orders, and we will crush the Autobots,” Mega said, with conviction enough that Buster flinched. But her eyes spoke a different story when she ran them across the other three standing before her. 

Hydra stepped forward, making a fist and raising it a little.

“Mega’s right, we will come up with a plan—we always do,” he seemed to reaffirm, patting Buster on the shoulder. 

Everyone seemed to speak in stunted words, as if someone was listening. 

It was as it had been for the last few months, when they had begun to fear their leader, but not in the sense of awe. 

 …

“Well then, everyone,” Giga said at last. “So we shall. But I believe there’s something more important, first.” He looked to Mega, who seemed to understand what he was hinting at, grinning a little herself. 

“You’re absolutely right, Giga-sama!” Buster exclaimed, eyes seeming to light up a little. "We’re having Cancer’s birthday dinner tonight, aren’t we?”

Giga nodded, with a low hum of affirmation.

"So let us get to work. We have only a few hours before the kids return.”

“You two can handle the table, correct?”

“Yes, sir!” Buster and Hydra responded, standing tall. 

“Then do so.”

With a nod, they turned and exited the kitchen, leaving only Mega and Giga behind. The pair worked in silence for a few heartbeats, the sound of Giga chopping vegetables against the sizzling of the pot Mega was stirring. 

“Perhaps if we dig a large hole in the forest and push Ginrai into it, we’ll satisfy our Emperor,” Giga mused with chuckle. “He’ll dent his chassis and…die!”

“Or maybe if we blow him up again, he’ll actually stay dead! Rid us of our troubles…”

They sighed at the same time, seemingly on the same train of thought. 

We have to deal with this, or die trying…what options to choose from! 

“Giga…” 

He turned at his name, finding Mega staring at him. Her eyes seemed to be chiding him gently, her smirk telling him not to worry about it. 

It was amazing how well they’d grown to know each other, where looks could say more than their words needed. 

“I know,” he huffed, returning to cutting the vegetables. “We have time to come up with something, and we will. Tonight is Cancer’s party.”

“And tonight is also a feast for everyone in this family to enjoy. We will not allow anything to…” she suddenly trailed off, unable to remember the saying she’d wanted to finish with.  

“I don’t believe that was it.”

“Rain on us?” Giga tried. He scraped the chopped pieces into a red bowl and began tossing them about gently. He could gauge what she was trying to say, of course, but it seemed he’d forgotten, too.

Humans and their odd idioms and sayings, he thought as Mega laughed in response. 

“Well, am I close?”

“I’m not quite sure…” she turned off the stove and leaned against the counter, lost in thought. 

“Darken our bubble?”

“That’s not a saying, is it?”

“Maybe not,” Giga put the bowl down and turned to face Mega, folding his arms. He realized this would greatly bother him if he couldn’t figure out what the saying was, and soon. The same applied to Mega. 

It was simply their nature, one could surmise. 

“Make waves in our…boat.”

“Isn’t it, ‘rock the boat’?”

“You’re right! Then just, ‘make waves’?”

“No, no, not that…”

“Rain over the water?”

“Eh?” 

“Be a…wet blanket.” 

 After a moment of silence, Mega burst out laughing, which made Giga start to chuckle. It was on the cusp of their tongues, and yet they couldn’t quite—

“Rain on our parade!” 

“Parade!” Mega said suddenly, eyes wide. Giga seemed to catch on immediately. 

They made the exclamation in unison, then dissolved into laughter. How ridiculous this might have been, but it was enough to get their minds firmly off the scolding and lashing from earlier. At least, for a few moments. 

When their laughter had subsided, Mega found her eyes ticking towards the fresh cuts on Giga’s shoulders, no longer bleeding, instead bruised a faint purple. Below it were the faded marks of other scars, all from failures to please their…’great’ leader. 

Giga knew what Mega was looking at and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, letting his finger brush it gently. 

She had some of her own, and she knew they hurt like hell for a week at least. 

“If it means protecting them, then a few cuts don’t hurt,” he said softly. “Thank goodness the kids were out today, right?” 

Mega nodded, sighing. Her eyes spoke many words of worry and sadness. Giga’s seemed strained and apprehensive. 

Decepticons were not without honor, he had often thought. Yet everything they had been doing on this Earth as of late, under the command of Devil Z, even things of their own doing…had seemed only to put into jeopardy the very morals by which Mega and Giga navigated their existence.  

Much of what they were beginning to see—beginning to realize, rather—was further and further from the honor they had thought they were upholding. 

The honor…of the Decepticon cause. 

The honor of any great warrior.

The honor of any great leader.

 And that was a scary thought.  

 “We’ll fix this.”

“Yes, we will.”

“We are not his slaves.” 

Giga and Mega smiled,  in agreement, eyes glinting with a malicious sharpness. 

“And in due time, we’ll show him that.”

 “Exactly,” Giga nodded firmly. “Now, let us finish this dish. Tonight, we drink and feast!” 

 ///

 Wilder stood at the entrance to a huge, white building, staring at the tall, glass door that slid open and closed as people filed in and out, many carrying bags if they were exiting. Somehow, he’d never seen it before. 

 Then again, he wasn’t familiar with every store in the area. Still, a place this big…

 It was a mall, at the head of a busy street, with a noisy road of cars past the sidewalk. 

Buster marched from behind him and stood in front of the door, hands on hips and a triumphant look sparking in his eyes. 

“Welcome to my favorite store!” He announced gleefully, starting in. Wilder whistled in some amazement, and then followed him in. 

He’d been on his way back from lunch when he’d bumped into Buster on the sidewalk. Enthusiastic to hear the teen had the rest of the afternoon off, Buster asked if he’d be willing to go somewhere with him in the city before returning to headquarters. 

 Wilder actually didn’t mind hanging out with Buster, either. He’d planned to read manga in his quarters for the rest of the afternoon, but…he was also curious what the errand would be. And, curiosity winning out, he’d accepted the invitation. 

 “We’ve only one stop to make today!” Buster called over his shoulder. 

 The two of them got on an escalator. The lights and colors of the shops and walkways bustling with people danced below them, and Wilder was reminded of how it felt to stand atop a roof in the middle of the night, watching a festival parade go by with old companions, years ago.

 He turned his gaze forwards again, scanning the area of the floor they were coming to on the escalator. 

 “The…Uniqlo?” Wilder asked, as they got off the escalator and drew closer to a store with the name engraved to the sign above the entrance. 

 Buster responded with a chuckle, reaching out and patting Wilder on the back. He proceeded through the front, unzipping his jacket as he entered. For a moment, Wilder stood, studying the outside of the store, then he shrugged, and followed Buster in.

 “So, how are things for you here?” 

 Wilder was surprised at the sudden question, shrugging before he said anything. They walked through the first shelves of clothes in silence before Wilder finally spoke.

 “It’s a…home I didn’t really think I’d have,” he almost mumbled. It was like he had a hard time saying it, but not for the reasons one might think. And Buster immediately understood that. In some ways…he felt the same. 

He doesn’t know if it’s real—to stay. 

And really…Buster didn’t know either. Of course, he wanted—just as much as anyone else on their team—the victory of this war, to crush the skulls of the Autobots who kept causing them shame, defeat…pain. 

Buster regarded the boy, whose burning passion to do something with his life—to become something, someone…and smiled.

 “Wilder-kun,” he said, after some moments of silence had passed. “Would you like to know why we’re here?”

Wilder sighed and messed with his hair, the smirk on his face seeming to indicate his usual air of confidence had returned.

His young eyes sparked with energy again, not dark, reflective thought. Buster knew that well, too. 

Smile, not a sweet smile, but the smile of victory. Of confidence and power. One that pushes back against being used, and...being doomed to your fate...

Somehow, without saying anything, the look in Wilder’s eyes seemed to understand what Buster was thinking.

“Beats me,” Wilder responded, then held up a shirt. “But this shirt looks really cool.” At this, Buster chuckled, patting the teen on the shoulder and guiding him forward, shirt still in hand. 

"You're correct! We’ve got some work to do on your wardrobe, of course!” He laughed again, jovially. Someone looking at a row of pants gave the pair a side-eye, but didn’t say anything else. 

 Wilder continued walking, feeling some strange warmth he didn’t usually feel unless he was with Cancer and Bullhorn on a really good day. It was…nice. He momentarily looked back at Buster, seeing his blue eyes flicking from one section to the next, then back down at his feet. 

Those pompous Autobots are going down, Wilder suddenly had the fiery thought, fist clenching. If for no other reason, than to protect this…my only home. For that, I'll take down anyone I'm ordered to, or burn any building. Just you watch.

 “Well then, Buster-san, I’m in your hands. Let’s do this!”

“That’s what I like to hear!”

///