#poor gal…………..oh boy

[designernishiki]

REALLY funny that when it’s revealed that mayumi was a spy sent by daigo, madrame straight up says “it’s a shame she’s fallen for you even though her feelings will never be returned” or something along those lines but like. specifically the use of “never”. like okay. 300th person to clock kiryu. for understandable reasons.

[alastor-simp]

Mates For Life - Alastor x Doe Reader (R18-NOT FOR MINORS)

❥WARNINGS: NSFW. NOT FOR MINORS (SCROLL AWAY IF YOU ARE UNDERAGED)

❥Summary: Charlie's Deer Friend (literally) attends the hotel and helps charlie with her endeavors. Alastor seems quite interested in the little doe and remains close. What happens when she goes into a rut in the middle of pride ring? How will Alastor amend the situation?

❥Tags: Alastor x female reader, rut, doe reader, reader in heat, sex, pregnancy, Alastor develops feelings, vox is an asshole, protective alastor, happy ending

❥Notes: Requested by @ohmylovewhereartthou-blog . Enjoy!

"AHHH, MISSS CHARLIE SSSAVE ME PLEASSSSE!!!" Sir Pentious cried out, running away from a furious Vaggie with a spear in her hand. "GET OVER HERE, YOU SERPIENTE!" Fuming with rage, Vaggie raced towards the poor snake, ready to stab him. Charlie heard the commotion and rushed over, holding her girlfriend back with her arms, while Sir Pentious cowered behind the couch. "HAHAHA, nothing like a bit of chaotic entertainment to start the day!" Sipping on his coffee near the bar, Alastor observed the scene, highly entertained at Charlies attempts to calm down her girlfriend, and the whimpers of the snake. "Vaggie! Calm down please, He didn't mean it." Holding Vaggie tightly, she waited for her to settle. "HIS EGG BOIS BLEW THE CEILING UP AGAIN WITH HIS WEAPONS! I TOLD HIM BEFORE NO MORE WEAPONS!!" Vaggie spat out, as her spear pointed at Sir Pentious, ready to aim it at him. "VAGGIE! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! PLEASE CALM DOWN!!" After about a few minutes of holding her back, Vaggie's fury had subsided, dropping the spear to the ground. A knock at appeared at the door of the hotel, alerting everyone in the room. "Oh, I'll get that! The two of you continue make up please!" Charlie ran over to the door, while Sir Pentious slowly removed himself from behind the couch, appearing apologetic in front of Vaggie, while Vaggie continued to stare at Charlie before looking back at Sir Pentious, still a bit ticked, but uttered a sorry.

"Awww..how dull. I so would have love to see some bloodshed." Alastor voiced out, as he continued to sip away at his coffee, eyes following Charlie heading to the door. Having opened the door widely, Charlie squealed, causing everyone to turn their heads to the entrance, and Alastor to raise an eyebrow. "Y/N!!!! YOU'RE HERE!!! ITS SO NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!" There was a sweet giggle that could be heard, causing Al's ears to twitch. "It's great to see you to, Charlie!" Having released each other from the hug, Charlie grabbed your hand, allowing you to come inside. All eyes were drawn to you, given your resemblance to a certain deer demon. Small little antlers adorned the top of your head, along with the fluffy brown ears that were moving cutely. Your face resembled that of a humans, yet the little brown nose stood out, along with the small brown tail that was showing out of your little dress

(Credit to pinterest)

"Everyone! This is Y/N, my good friend!" Charlie gestured to you, as you shyly smiled back at everyone, giving them a small wave. At this point, everyone had gathered inside the hotel lobby, including Angel dust and Niffty. Angel dust, knowing his ways, was the first one to mention your look, "Woah! This gal looks a lot like Smiles over here!" His eyes scanned at both you and Alastor before turning back to you with a semi smirk. Vaggie had made her way over, a bit of uncertainty on her face, as she has never come across you before. "How do the both of you know each other?" Crossing her arms, she gave you a bit of a glare. "Oh! Me and Charlie met a few years ago when we were both children. I often times would be brought to the palace with my parents as they would attend meetings with the King and Queen. Since there wasn't much for me to do as a child, I explored the castle and ran into Charlie. We had been friends ever since." Vaggie glare had softened and she was looking at you with kind eyes, glad that you weren't another demon, planning to possibly sabotage the hotel, and happy that Charlie had a very strong bond with you. Feeling your shoulders getting grabbed, Charlie had asked why had you come to the hotel. Smiling, you told Charlie you wanted to help out with her rehabilitation program, since you as well believed that people could be redeemed, which earned you a huge bear hug from Charlie.

"OHHHHH! I'M SO HAPPY YOU ARE HERE TO HELP! Oh before I forget, let me introduce you to everyone!" Charlie had introduced everyone to you one by one, making a note of everyones names. Vaggie, Charlies girlfriend, Sir Pentious, the kind looking snake, Angel dust, the tall pink spider, Niffty, the adorable one eyed demon, Husk, the grumpy cat, and last by not least, Alastor, the radio demon. Having poofed his coffee away, Alastor made his way over to you, smiling widely, microphone cane in hand. "Why, aren't you an adorable doe, my dear!" His glowing eyes held a bit of wickedness, as he bent down at the waist, giving you a polite bow. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance!" His hand arched out for a handshake, which you followed by putting your hand in his, giving it a polite shake. "Nice to meet you as well. I have heard much about you from your radio show." Perking up with interest, Alastor smile had grown almost twice the size. "Ahh, I take it you are a fan?" His face had gotten closer, earning a small blush from you. "Well, not so much the screams of the demons, but I do enjoy the music you play. I do love me some Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington." Oh, Al's smile grew to the point it almost broke his face, as he stood back to his regular height. "HAHAHA! Charlie, I have taken quite a liking to your little friend here!" His hand had placed on your shoulder, giving it a squeeze, no trace of animosity whatsoever in that little gesture. "Oh I'm happy to here that Al. If you want, do you want to give them a tour of the hotel?" Giving Al her best puppy dog eyes, Alastor could not refuse, besides he was planning on showing you around anyway. "I be delighted to! Come along, my dear!

Hooking his arm with yours, Alastor took it upon himself to show you certain areas of the hotel, the kitchen, the rooms of the other denizens, and the lounge room. Walking through the hallways, he looked at one of the windows and motioned to you at the small building attached to the hotel. "That my dear is where I do my broadcasts! I could have you attend one of them, if you would like!" Your eyebrow rose at that, "As a guest or victim?" Turning back to look at you, Alastor shook his head, flicking his hand at you "Heavens no! I would never harm a doll like you, plus I have grown quite fond of you! He had bent down again to lean closer to your face, smiling genuinely for once. "I feel the same." Offering him a soft smile, Alastor perked up at that, causing his tail to start wagging under his coat. He grabbed your arm again, and continued his tour, with you following next to him.

**2 Months Later**

"Lets see, got the chicken, tomatoes, taco seasoning...." You were shopping around a grocery store, getting ingredients for tonight's dinner plans. You had adapted well at the hotel and was able to help out Charlie to the best of your abilities. Vaggie did tell you that it was going to be difficult to bring demons to the hotel, but you were still going to try. Relationships with the others began to form left and right the longer you stayed at the hotel. Everyone adored you, even Husk was in a more cheery mood at the hotel. The closest bond you had was the one with Alastor, which started the day you had arrived at the hotel. He was not lying when he said that he grew fond of you, as his actions around you always made your heart skip a beat. Hand holding, leaving little gifts for you in your room, and showing his true side to you made you fall more and more in love with him. The path to a forming a romantic relationship was in front of you with Alastor, but there were many roadblocks ahead of you, one of them being if he was entirely comfortable and okay with the idea, since he has said to you before he wasn't keen on romance and all that nonsense, but based on his actions around you, maybe? possibly? Shaking away your thoughts, you went to check out at the register and started to head out.

Paper bag of groceries concealed in your arms, your eyes scanned the area, group of demons fighting each other, broken glass all over the place, and the air heavy with filth and smoke, yep just another day in hell. Wanting to avoid some of the chaos, you took a shortcut that allowed you to make it home safely. Venturing further down the path, you noticed the air felt very warm lately, which was strange since it wasn't so hot before. It felt almost hard to breathe, making you sweat profusely. The heat became unbearable, causing you to stop and lean against the wall. Your tail kept fidgeting behind you, like it had a mind of its own. A feel of dread hit you once you felt the heatness intensify in your core. Oh no no no, You were in heat! This was not good, as the times when you went into heat, you were by yourself, alone in a secluded area, as your heat released pheromones that attracted everyone to you. Now that you were outside, you made for a VERY easy target. Trying to bare through the heat, you slowly made your way down the path, holding the groceries tighter to prevent from dropping them, hoping you would reach the hotel first, before you fell victim to the heinous actions of other demons if they caught you like this.

As you rounded a corner, your face connected with someones chest, causing the contents of the paper bag to fly out, spilling onto the ground and the persons chest and shoes, staining them. "Oh I'm sorry!" As you looked up, you felt your heart hit your stomach. In front of you was none other then one of the Vees known as Vox. He was a TV demon, with a head resembling that of a TV. You heard about him a lot from Alastor and listening to his show that Vox was Al's mortal enemy. This was not good, you need to get away from him NOW! His screen face illuminated your back at you, as his red eyes scanned down to look at you, filled with disgust. "Ugh great, I just washed this suit too and now its dirtied." Inching closer to you, his hand had gripped your shirt, pulling you closer towards him, making you gasp, "Hey bitch, how are going to compensate for ruining my....." His eyes widen for a second, before returning back to normal. He wasn't glaring at you, he seemed...almost in a trance. His face continued to glitch in front of you, until his red static eyes had turned into hearts and he was smirking at you. "Wow you smell amazing, deer girl. Why don't I take you to my room in the Vee tower?" His hands had wrapped around you, preventing you from escaping. "N-o Le-t go of m-e!" Your attempts were futile as your heat had rendered you to weak to fight back, only able to struggle in his embrace. Chin risen up to face the tv, he held it up as he slowly began to inch closer, his screen mouth aiming closer for your lips. "Come on, little lady. Lets have some fun."

SMASH!!!!!!

Vox's body was sent flying, as a large tentacle had punched his face, shattering his screen. Your body still weak, began to slump and fall to the ground. Moving your head up, you widen your eyes to see Alastor, smile stretched to show his gums, eyes pinpointing straight at Vox, who was slumped against the alley wall, groaning in pain. Turning his head quickly towards you, Al's glare has lessen, showing you a look of concern, making sure you were alright. Looking back towards Vox, he slowly walked towards Vox, the sounds of his steps echoing and static piercing the air. "Now Vox, my old friend. It is quite rude to touch a fair lady like that......especially when s̑҉̝h̡̲ͥė̶̳ ̑͏͎̤͘b̛͖̪̆̓̕e̛͕̦̿̏͡ĺ͊͠҉̙͙õ͈͒̕͢ͅn̶͔͇ͧ̐̀g̫̯̿́̚͠s̞̼͒͆͘͜ ̫͗̔͜͞ͅt̄͒͏̪̠̀ǫ̤̻͒̋̕ ̥̪̿͟͡m̷͎͋ẹ̌͠ !" Demonic symbols began to appear around Alastor, glowing an ominous red as Alastor antlers began to grow. ""̝ͮĬ̮Ḟ̻ ̝͒Y̙͗O͉͂Ŭ͙ ̱̄E̫͒V̤̐E̥̋R̞ͬ ̫ͤT͍̐O̫̔U͙̚C͍̆H̗͑ ̖͑H̝͌É̦R̙̚ ̝̋A͉̽G̫ͦA̰ͦI̤ͪŃ̞.̜͌ ̺͉͗I̳̳͌'͇͇͆̂L̜̥͐́L̫̱̓̋ ̘̗ͩ̈R̺ͫ̅ͅI̦̬ͩͪP͔͙̓͂ ̙̫͛̿Ò̟̩͛F̦̺̈ͫF̗̟͛͂ ̟͕̌̔Y̯͚ͩ̇O̖̣͒͌U̬͎͑͊R͍̭ͦ̄ ̰͓ͭ͌A̻̯̋͒L̝̭ͫ̋L͕͎̉̄ ̯̻̑̽O̥̼ͥ̃F͇̤̒̂ ̘̝̊̄Ẏ̦̜̌O̳̲͊ͭU̹̱ͩ̉R͚̳ͭͦ ̰̥ͪ̑P̭̩̉ͭA̱̯̾͒T̥͓ͦ͆Ḫ̏̉ͅE͍͉͊͐T̙̹͒ͯI͓̠͑̐C̳͖̾̚ ͊ͥ��̙L͈̖ͫ̓I͇̦͌̉T̩͇̂̀T̩̦ͨ͂L̝̖ͥ̂Ě͎͈ͯ ̜̱̂ͮL̠̫ͥͧI̪̬͗̓M͔̰̾̚B̫̣̏́S̺̯̆ͣ,̗̰̆̆ ̼̘̀͋D̻̗̉̋E͇̘ͬV̟ͭͅO̬͉ͦṲ̗̂R̦̹̒͌ ̠̲͌̀T͎̻̋́H̻̟̾̊E̦̮͆̎M̫̭ͤ͊ ͓͕̇ͭA̬͇̓̔N̫͇ͣͦĎ͙̗͆ ̝̰̄̇B̙͇̋̇R̭̹͊̋Ổ͓̯Ḁ͍̆̏D̜̩ͭͦC͇͈ͥ̌A̗͉ͬ̒S͍̲͌ͭT͚̻͗͂ ̺͚͒ͮṪ͉̝̓H̬̻͗ͤE̬͉ͪͤ ̭͍̐̃S͕̣̐ͬO̰͉͑͊Ủ̼̹̎N̠̖̿̄Ḓ͚̓̉S͙̼̓̅ ͚ͪ̈ͅO͖̼ͫ̔F̭̞͑ͦ ̜̫ͬ̓Y͕̮ͥ̏O̙̬͌̑Ṵ̙̒̎R̦͎̊̚ ̭̅ͬͅS̬̤͂͆C͈͚̈ͤR͉̦͒̂E̩̻ͭ̆A͔̫̓̂M̪͎ͣ̋S̟̗ͨ̊ ͍̪̊ͧṮ̣ͬ̂O̪̗ͫ͋ ͇̳ͣ̉Ǎ̗̩ͪL͈͎̋̊L̥̓ͅ ̳̺̑Ȏ͕F̺̐ ͇́T̩̾H̙ͪĚ̯ ̤ͪS͕͊E͍͐V̼̾Ẻ̦N̜͐ ̰̔R̗͆I̜̒N̙͆G̳͑S͕̀ ̪ͮO͇͗F͎͋ ̥͒H̬̐Ė̥Ḻ͗Ḻͮ!̙͊!͚ͭ"

His form had grown into a monstrous height, black tendrils appearing from his back, and you can assume his red eyes had become radio dials. His whole form bent over, big enough to hover over Vox, as he was whimpering in fear on the ground. Face glitching from the broken screen, tongue stuck in his throat due to fear, he wasn't able to even utter a word, resorting to nodding his head rapidly, letting Alastor know he understood. In a flash, Alastor had turned back into his less demonic form, static dimming down as if nothing had happen. "Good man!" His cheery tone returned, before turning back towards you, leaving Vox cowering behind him. Walking closer to your position on the ground, Alastor bent down to pick you up, holding you like a princess. "Come along, my deer. Let us return back to the hotel!

With a snap of his fingers, Alastor teleported the both of you away from your location, appearing in the middle of your room at the hotel. Alastor had moved closer to your bed, setting you down. Your eyes looked up at him and you can tell he was upset, given how strained his smile was. "What on earth were you thinking, my dear?! I have told you countless times that area of pride is quite notorious for wayward scum to pop up, especially my old pal, Vox. I made it abundantly clear that either me or Husk should go with you, and yet you disregarded my warning. What have you to say for...." Midway through his rant, Alastor took note of your reactions. Your body was trembling, eyes a bit glossy and sweat was evident on your face. The sweet scent soon reached his nose, causing him to step back a bit. Ohhh he knows what is happening, you had gotten into your rut season. No wonder Vox had gotten touchy with you, the aroma emitting from your body was irresistible. He felt his lower regions come to life, painfully pushing against his trousers. Bearing through his desire to take you right here and now, Alastor moved closer towards you, placing his hands on both sides of the bed next to you, caging you in. Through your feverish daze, your were able to notice Alastor actions, looking up at him, eyes filled with both confusion and passion.

"Your in mating season aren't you. I can help you with your predicament, darling, but there are going to be some minor things that must be brought up if we are to do this. One, If we perform this, we will be mates for life, you will be tied down to me for the rest of our lives, and two, you will have my offspring as you are extremely fertile. It is once again your decision if you would like to be my mate." His words were soft, eyes filled with adoration as he explained all of this to you. Mates for life? Yes, YES! Placing your hands against his cheek, you drew him closer to kiss him, soft lips molding against yours, making the both of you moan. Smiling in the kiss, Alastor was glad your answer was Yes, as he continued to kiss you, pushing forward as both of your bodies fell on to the bed. Your eears twitch as you heard the sound of a snap, as the both of you pulled away, seeing that Alastor had snapped both of his and your clothes away, leaving the both of you bare. His glowing eyes scanned over your whole body, hands moving to your pussy, inserting his fingers slowly inside of you, earning a moan from you. "My my, your insides are so hot and moist, darling. It's becoming very difficult not to take you right now!" Licking his lips, he continued to finger your insides, moans spewing your lips.

He only put his fingers inside and you felt like you could burst at any moment. "Please do it. I can't take it anymore. Breed me!" You begged for him, earning a chuckle from him. "Brace yourself, darling." His whole length inserted itself inside of you, earning a groan from both you and him. There was no pain, only immense pleasure when he entered inside of you. Your walls were squeezing him tightly, keeping him locked in. "Groan~, so tight...." His voice was driving you crazy, as you never heard him without his static. The both of you stayed in that position, until Alastor grabbed your legs, raising them up in the air, and began to plow you, making you scream. "Ahhhhhhhh...Al...AL!" Grasping the bed with your hands, you felt your eyes roll back, mind going blank from the ecstasy you were feeling. He was so deep inside of you he could almost hit your womb. Speeding up faster and faster, he was making you see stars from how much he was pleasuring you. Something was coming, it was coming quickly, causing your back to arch of the bed, "Al.....I'm gonn-I'm gonna come!" Alastor smiled at you, bending down to give a kiss on your lips, before moving his head closer to your ear. "Then come" He bit down on your neck, creating the mating mark that would bind the both of you together. A sudden rush hit you, and you screamed out, feeling something exploded out of you, clenching his length tighter, making him moan. He continued to pound you rapidly, as he soon let out a groan, cumming inside of you, seed hitting your womb.

**4 months later**

"My dear~, I'm home~!" Alastor sang out, as he entered inside his bedroom, where you were staying. You were laid out on the bed, book in one hand, and another on your now round belly. After that mating session, the both of you had become a deer couple for life. Al wasn't kidding when he said you were very fertile cause a few weeks after that you realized you were pregnant, with twins in fact. Alastor was over the moon when he found out, picking you up and spinning you around in joy. He had decided that the both of you would stay in his hotel room together , making sure you were comfortable and also providing you protection. You told him there was no need for that, but he had grown quite possessive and protective of you, rather you staying with him then by yourself in your hotel room. "Hi my love! Did you enjoy your stroll?" Smiling sweetly, your eyes watched Alastor make his way over to you, throwing his arms around you in a tender hug. "It would have been better if your presence was with me!" Rubbing his head against yours like a cat, he whined his frustrations out, earning a laugh from you. "Who was the one that said I should stay here and rest?" Quirking an eyebrow at him, you wrapped an arm around his back , giving it a pat. Slowly, Al removed himself from the hug, but placed his forehead against yours. "I am aware, my doe. I just still want you by my side." He spoke sweetly, hearts appearing in his eyes. Who knew the radio demon was such an affectionate cuddlebug? Drawing his eyes towards your stomach, he placed a gentle hand on it, giving it a rub. A sudden movement came from your stomach, surprising the both of you. "Such exuburent behavior! One of my fawns is going to be an excellent dancer like me!" Alastor smiled warmly, hand still caressing your belly. "or a successful radio host." You said, smiling up at Al, as you placed your hand on top of his. Alastor hummed in joy, nuzzling your forehead again, and placing a tender kiss on it. "Je t'aime, my doe!

-END-

Sinners:

@alastorsgoldie @91062854-ka , @delectableworm , @iiotic

@cookiekyo , @demoarah , @danveration , @beebsbea ,

@veethewriter , @forbidden-sunlight , @pinkcrystal44 , @luujjvi ,

@unholycheesesnack , @saturnhas82moons , @jyoongim ,

@aceofcards0-0 , @ghostdoodlen , @yourdoorisunlocked ,

@starshipcookie , @ainsliemac , @aria-tempest , @nobuharashinyao

, @sweet06tart , @blakedbeanss , @ihyperfixatedagain , @ktssstuff ,

@yakultt-art , @mooniee123 , @nightmarenaya , @darischerry ,

@sadnessiscoldtea , @alastorssimp , @imacollasaltitan ,

@dilucragnvindr-my-beloved , @batmanmonstarr , @felice-jaganshi ,

@justchillaine , @crazed-flower , @ohmylovewhereartthou-blog ,

@akiooshizuka , @lokis-imaginary-friend ,

@themysteriousslenderman , @huntlowfan , @futureittomainn ,

@christinaatyourservice92 , , @just-trash-yeah-thats-it ,

@angelinevalentine89 , @yunimimii , @staryosh1 ,

@mihawksdemoness , @crystalreads , @blahblahbruhmeow ,

@madam-strawberryrose , @inkslayer , @azazel-nyx , @lixanjewel ,

@artemisandhunters , @thereeallink , @ask-theradio-demon ,

@lousypotatoes @l4zyb0n35 , @midorichoco

@lillylovesalastorsm1 , @alastorthirsty , @yukiinee ,

@daydream-the-demon , @cosmiccoralz @aconstructofamind

@pumppkinlynn @erikaafernns , @silverpaw2 ,

@cosmiccandydreamer

[futuremrscameron]

❀˖°bahamian!reader❀˖°

content warnings: suicidal ideation, (accidental) shooting, symptoms of mental illness, hints of dom/sub dynamic, referenced sexual content, implied/referenced violence, major spoilers for outer banks s1-3, hints of rafebarryoc

bahamian!reader and rafe met in the bahamas. after shooting sarah and behaving his worries dismissed by ward, rafe found himself standing at the shoreline contemplating ending it all when a voice called out to him. he thought she was an angel at first but no angel would call him "bey"

he whips his head around to find the voice. it’s an angel?

"what the hell were you doing?" her thick accent catches him off guard. he rationalizes it though, angels are theoretically from all over and he is in bahamas, so if he died there then that would make sense

“ay? ya hear me man?”

he looks around for anyone else and points at himself?

“ya see anyone else in the water?”

he shakes his head. she chuckles and it’s the prettiest sound he’s ever heard.

“are you an angel?”

she smirks, “angel? never heard that one before. no man, i’m just a gal.” she chuckles as she makes her way down the sandhill.

“am i dead?”

she frowns as she closes the distance between them. “if i ain’t an angel how are you dead?”

he blushes, embarrassed at the stupid thought but intrigued by the woman.

“it’s okay. so?”

“so?”

“wanna get out of the water?”

oh right. he is in the water. he didn’t get too far before she came, the waves come up to his hips.

“sure.” he pushes past the current to reach the beauty on land.

three hours later

“your ole’man sounds like shit.”

“yeah.”

“well.”

“well?”

“what ya gon’ do?”

“i don’t know.”

“well, how long you here for?”

he squints, “why?”

she shrugs, looking down at their hands side by side, “can help ya figure it out. and,” she connects their fingers and meets his eyes. “you’re cute.” she smiles.

bahamian!reader is the oldest of five siblings so she can somewhat relate to rafe’s struggles

bahamian!reader who owns a bar that sits on a dock near the same beach she met rafe at

bahamian!reader and rafe long distance dating after she refuses to go back to obx with him.

“what do you mean you can’t?”

“what part of i cant is confusin’?” she rolls her eyes, she loves the boy but his emotional maturity and poor communication skills leaves much to be desired.

“i got family. little ones who rely on me.”

“i could take care of you.”

“i know and i love that about you but… i gatte do this on my own.”

he gets out because he understands what it’s like to want to prove yourself and be the hero/savior.

“i’ll call you every day ey?”

he nods. that won’t do. she softly but firmly grips his chin, making him meet her eyes. “ah, use your words.”

he lets out a soft, “okay.”

a grin blooms on her face, “good boy.”

bahamian!reader who the pogues (mostly jj) do not believe exists. rafe shows her off to to kelce and topper at the country club and jj sees her over his shoulder while working

“no way she’s real.” rafe doesn’t look back as he flicks off the boy.

“fuck off pogue.”

jj smirks, knowing he got under the kook king’s skin with his comment. he leans against the wall behind them. “next thing you know you’re gonna tell me she’s from canada.”

rafe nearly knocks the table over as he bolts up from his chair. he reaches the blonde boy in two strides, holding his collar in his hands. “you wanna keep this job and your teeth i suggest you mind your business and get our fucking order down.

bahamian!reader who answers rafe’s calls all the time no matter what she’s doing

“how could she do this? i mean we’re her family!” rafe paces back and forth in his room as he rants into his phone.

she holds her flip phone between her neck and ear while she washes the remaining dishes from the last couple of guests. “rafe, you tried to kill her.”

“oh so you’re on her side.”

she slams her fist down against the counter, “don’t start rafe. i’m not in the mood ey?”

bahamian!reader who meets up with rafe in guadeloupe. she missed rafe so when he told her about ward’s plan to move after acquiring the cross she knew it was the perfect opportunity

she wanted to surprise him, it’s why she didn’t tell him about her plan to hop on a plane and meet him in guadeloupe. it was hard to act like she was too busy to facetime but the look on his face when she surprised him at his home was worth it.

“ray!” he turns around at the familiar melodic voice and is tackled with a hug.

he looks up at the woman hovering above him, grinning down at him like he’s hung the stars in the sky. his chest feels warm, it’s a good feeling, he never wants to let her go.

“you’re here.” he cradles her face in his hand, he pulls back like he’s been burned when he makes contact with flesh.

she frowns, “wouldn’t pass up the chance to see you bey! not when you’re so close.”

she closes the distance with a kiss, he’s surprised at first but reciprocates almost immediately. he wraps his arms around her waist as she moans into the kiss.

“rafe!?”

the couple parts at rose’s interruption. she looks at rafe, at the mystery girl, and back at rafe. “who’s this?”

rafe sighs, “we’ve got a lot to discuss.”

bahamian!reader and rafe who spend all their time in guadeloupe in bed

she traces circles on rafe’s chest as the overhead fan does its best to cool the couple down. it’s no use, they’re sweat like pigs in a blanket. from their strenuous exercise. a very expensive blanket. she breaks the silence first, “ya know some fresh air wouldn’t kill ya.”

rafe looks down at her with a raised brow, “yeah?”

she pouts, “you don’t agree.”

she tries to hide it but he sees her. he immediately tries to soften the blow, “i didn’t say that, i just… we’ve only got so much time together.”

“yeah and i don’t wanna spend it all inside.”

he smirks at her soft tone and pouting, its not often he gets to see the usually bold woman like this. “you weren’t complaining thirty minutes ago.”

“mmhm you just want me to yourself.” she stretches her arms above her head, the sheets fall showing off her figure.

rafe grips her thigh, “can you blame me?”

she throws her legs over his hips and smiles down at him, “no.”

the pair spend the rest of the day inside.

bahamian!reader who is very strict and it’s her coworkers and only soft with her

“rafe i told you not to call me when i’m working.”

“i miss you.”

she instantly melts upon hearing the desperation in his voice, “awww i miss you too. how’s my baby doing?”

bar patrons and employees alike stare in shock and confusion as they watch her speak softly to someone other than her siblings. they all agree to find out who this mystery man is and why he has this affect on her.

bahamian!reader who gets along well with barry despite rafe trying to keep the two apart because they represent conflicting parts of his life (he’s jealous)

“barry!” she all but hops out the passenger seat as the car comes to a stop in front of barry’s trailer.

“there’s my girl.” she runs to the man and throws her arms around him. he spins her around, once, twice. too many times for rafe’s liking. she giggles.

“yo keep your hands where i can see them.” the pair turn to face rafe who slams the car door shut behind him.

“me or barry?”

“yes.”

barry rolls his eyes and looks down at the woman in his arms, “he in a mood?”

“ey, its awful, cried all the way here.”

barry smirks, “our boy don’t know how to act.” she shakes her head in faux disappointment, “at all at all.”

“i can hear you!”

bahamian!reader splits her time equally between the bahamas and obx

“i can’t believe you’re leaving me.” rafe sits on his bed watching her pack her suitcase.

she rolls her eyes, “hey! none of that ya hear. you had me for the summer now i got to go back to the chirren.”

he wraps his arms around her slowly kissing her neck, erasing the little sense she has left. “the oldest is sixteen baby, they can look after themselves for a little longer.”

“rafe.” she groans.

the kisses grow more frequent and feverish, “come on. one more week.”

she knows she shouldn’t but he’s so persuasive. she looks back at him, who can say no to those baby blue eyes.

“fine.”

he grins and kisses her face, she giggles at the feverish but silly flurry of kisses.

bahamian!reader says “i love you” first which shocks herself and rafe

bahamian!reader who really likes rafe but refuses to go any further until she gains the approval of her siblings

rafe is not the gretest with kids. he couldn’t even watch his seven year old sister at ten because he was “untrustworthy” and “immature” (that part never made sense to him he was ten for fuck sake). he knew he wasn’t number one on the ‘trustworthy adult to watch kids’ list, its why he knew something was up when rose left wheelie in his care.

all that to say he was sure he was gonna fuck up the first meeting he had with her siblings. “what if they hate me?” he looks at his reflection.

she looks up from her magazine, “they won’t.”

rafe nods but still doesn’t meet her eyes. he fiddles with the family ring before asking, “what if they do?”

she manages to catch his eyes this time, her cold smile sends shivers down his spine. “then i’ll dump you.”

he frowns, “not funny.”

she shrugs, “not jokin’.”

“great motivation. seriously you should do ted talks.” she leans up and kisses his forehead, “you’ll do great.”

he does great. especially after he realizes that their deep questions and calculating stares are there to made sure he doesn’t hurt their sister. he can respect that. he would do the same.

bahamian!reader who wants to have a family with rafe and is ecstatic when she sees those two pink lines

[ebongawk]

gimme kiss #41 😎

41. A kiss out of spite

"Chrissy will you–– Hey, man move it–– Will you please just talk to me? Chrissy! Babe, wait up!"

Chrissy was resolute in her marching through the party, red solo cup held above her head to avoid knocking into the swaying bodies. Avoiding the possibility of covering either herself or someone else in wet.

Though she'd swapped her vodka soda out for a water as soon as she saw Jason walk through the doors of the house party they were apparently both attending. She'd have to be sober if she wanted to remain resolute in this breakup.

Her defenses never failed to fall when she got tipsy, and she absolutely refused to take Jason back again. No way, no how, no sir. He was an asshole, and yeah, it had unfortunately taken her most of high school and half of college to realize it, but she couldn't exactly un-realize it now.

Of course, he would just happen to be at the one party she decided to attend this semester since the breakup. After vetting his calls for the past three months and being conveniently out of her apartment whenever he came around (she sent a silent thank you to Heather and Robin for playing up how busy she was as she hid in her bedroom while he was at the door), of course he was doing his absolute best to grab her attention here, of all places.

In public.

It would be mortifying if it wasn't so sad.

Dipping into the basement, Chrissy made her way through yet another throng of bodies before shoving herself into a small clearing. A deep inhale and an exasperated exhale ignited a chuckle from across the way, and Chrissy glanced up.

Oh.

What a pretty boy.

Blinking some of the haze out of her eyes, Chrissy watched the way he tilted his head to one side in curiosity as his eyes darted from her feet to her face. Then, making the trek again but far, far more slowly, Chrissy felt something heated curling dangerously in her stomach.

"All good, toots?" he asked, his voice just loud enough to carry over the din of noise. "Seems like you just ran a marathon. Not all that to find little ol' me, I assume?"

Those dark eyes were alight with some unnamed mischief Chrissy suddenly found herself desperate to identify. He was alone, sitting in the corner of the basement with a cigarette between his lips and a half-beaten lunchbox at his feet. Like some nefarious prince on a deserted island, there was a strange berth of space around him. People milling about but never daring to get too close.

But his question was like a welcoming hand stretching the distance. He'd lowered a moat over crocodile-infested waters and was waiting for her to cross.

She didn't hesitate his extension of refuge.

Plopping wearily down on the small stool he had cleared for her next to his armchair, Chrissy groaned as she rubbed her temples. Setting the red cup at her feet and taking yet another deep, slow breath.

"So, uh," the guy began, sitting forward until he could catch her eye before she let her head droop between her knees. "You come here often?"

Snorting, Chrissy rolled her eyes.

"What, dingy basements at parties?"

"Dingy basements in general." He sat back, crossing his arms over his chest and drawing Chrissy's attention to the stretch of his t-shirt beneath the leather jacket he wore. "Not to, y'know, toot my own horn, but they're kinda my domain, and I've never seen you around."

Once more looking her up and down and igniting that same detrimental heat in her gut, he winked at her. Chrissy almost swooned, cheeks growing warm under his obvious appreciation.

"I'd remember," he finished.

Clearing her throat, Chrissy crossed her legs and smoothed her skirt down.

"I'm not a frequent flyer, no," she admitted. "I don't often even come to these parties, to be honest, but––"

"Ah," the boy said, grinning. "Knew it. You looked like more of an upstairs gal. Never deigned these poor basement dwellers worthy of your presence."

That wasn't necessarily a lie, and Chrissy pursed her lips to quell her indignation. Basements had reputations at parties like this. It was where dark corners lit up with the haze of marijuana and various other substances.

"I don't hold myself to that high of a standard," she muttered instead, making the boy laugh.

"Well, color me lucky, I guess," he chuckled. "That your first foray into the dark might've put you in my path, I mean." Waggling his eyebrows, he let his gaze dip down, then back up. "Maybe having a pretty thing like you on my arm will drum up some business."

"Business?" Chrissy questioned just as her eyes, for the first time, glanced away from the boy and toward the stairs. Pulled by peripheral motion, Chrissy watched from her perch as a familiar head of blond hair came flouncing down each step. Half-hidden by the crowd, he hadn't yet seen her, but she had the vantage point to see him searching for her.

"Oh, nuggets," Chrissy whispered, glancing frantically around for a better hiding spot before Jason found her. The boy at her side seemed to clock her sudden spike of anxiety, his eyes following hers to the new arrival and narrowing.

"Hey, princess, you alright?" he asked, leaning toward her. "You, uh, need me to, y'know, take care of anything?"

His insinuation went entirely over her head as the panic set in, but a different idea somehow managed to infiltrate the static mess of her thoughts.

"Would you kiss me?" she asked, her voice pitched with desperation. The guy's eyes widened impossibly, drawing attention to the thick, unfair ring of eyelashes that framed them. Eyes darting toward Jason, who was facing the other direction, then back again, Chrissy punctuated her question with a little, "Please?"

"Fuck," the boy muttered, ashing his mostly-ignored cigarette in a nearby tray and tangling his fingers in her hair. "Yeah, uh, yeah, sure, whatever the lady doth request."

He tried to pull her in, but the distance between his chair and her stool was too great. Chrissy scrabbled to her knees, hitching a leg over the arm of the chair and half-landing on his lap. The boy chuckled, the sound mingling with Chrissy's giggle as he rested his free hand on her waist and drew her in properly.

"This alright?" he asked, his lips centimeters from hers. Making her heart drum violently in her chest. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the exact moment Jason noticed her, picking his way through the room with demands that people move out of his way.

"This is perfect," she responded, letting her eyes linger just long enough to grab Jason's attention before she was turning back and closing the gap between her lips and the boy's.

And she forgot, all at once, that she was trying to get back at her ex-boyfriend.

He was a flavor she was unaccustomed to, but suddenly craved. Cigarette, yeah, but it was more than that. It was a deep earthiness melded with something minty, like he'd been chewing gum, maybe. Chrissy moaned, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling herself closer. Sliding from her awkward perch on the arm of the chair and completely into his lap, Chrissy lost herself entirely in his kiss.

He felt so incredibly solid. The hand in her hair pulsed slightly, fingertips gently scrubbing against her scalp with every breathy sound she made. His other hand on her waist squeezed slightly, his palm warm and pleasant on the slight amount of skin she had showing between her top and her skirt. His thighs were sturdy beneath hers, muscle hidden beneath all that black denim.

Someone said her name, she was pretty sure. Yelled it, actually, making the boy growl as he pulled away from her dazed, bee-stung lips.

"Hey, man, fuck off," the boy demanded. "I'm trying to have some quality time with my girl."

Without the hush of the boy's kiss calming her mind, she could hear Jason behind her positively seething.

"Your girl?" he asked, his voice pitched with anger. "She's my girl, dick!"

Still, he dared not intervene. The guilt of his own actions outweighing his apparent claim over their dead relationship. Trying to resuscitate one half of a heart that had happily flatlined months ago.

Looking at her, then over her shoulder with a little smirk, the boy shrugged. Every gesture he made was so incredibly close, and Chrissy cataloged them all in her mind. Filing them away for later dissection.

"Really doesn't seem to be the case, my guy. Why don't you run along home to your little jock itch teammates and try to circle jerk the infection away, huh?"

Jason said something else, but Chrissy didn't hear it. Because the boy was pulling her back in, the heavy rings on his fingers tangling in her hair as he angled her head in just the right way to slip his tongue past her teeth. Chrissy moaned, her body going fully molten in his hands as he drew her in and drank her down, sip by sip by sip.

Far, far too soon, he was gently easing himself from her embrace again. Eyes on her for a long moment before darting away ever so briefly to scan the room.

"Pretty sure he's gone," the boy murmured, his lips nearly close enough that she could feel every syllable. Or maybe it was just the vibration of him, the way he'd somehow, miraculously, already tuned her boy to feel it. "Christ, toots. That fucker an ex of yours, I'm assuming?"

"Unfortunately," she sighed, forcing her fingers to untangle where they'd come to rest on the nape of his neck and slide down his chest. She gently smoothed out the lapels of his jacket. "For, like, months now, but he doesn't seem to take the hint."

"Oh, I think the hint was definitely taken this time, sweetness," the boy smiled, his thumb tucking beneath her chin for a brief moment. "And if not, I mean. I'm always open for a round two, y'know?"

"Yeah?" she asked. "You gonna be in every dingy basement of the party I happen to attend every four-to-six months?"

"Maybe," he shrugged, his eyes glinting with that same unnamed mischief. "Wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. These assholes are paying for my college education, after all."

"And if, um," she began, her hands curling around his shoulders. "If I said I wanted round two... despite an audience." Dropping her head, Chrissy looked at him from under her lashes. Attempting to appear as coquettish as possible. "Or, maybe, regardless of an audience?"

The curl of his grin was echoed in her stomach, her insides twisting and morphing until they were the exact same shape as his teeth.

He was going to eat her alive, and the only thing she'd be able to say at the end was thank you.

"Yeah?" he asked. "You, uh, thinking now, or you thinking four-to-six months from now?"

"We can start with now," she shrugged, "and see where we're at in four-to-six months."

The boy threw his head back, letting out a long, loud cackle that had Chrissy clinging to him through her own laughter.

"Eddie, by the way," he said, sticking his hand in the scant space between their torsos. Sporting a wide, feral grin that made Chrissy forget all about her discomfort of the night.

Curling her fingers around his, Chrissy shook his hand.

"Chrissy," she introduced herself.

"Chrissy," he repeated, and she was fascinated by the way his tongue curled around her name. The way his lips parted on the second syllable, accentuating the second 's' in a way no one ever had. "Gorgeous."

"I bet you say that to all the girls that fall into your lap and beg you to kiss them to chase away their exes."

"Only the especially gorgeous ones," he shot back easily. "Hey, uh, not to be, like, too forward, but can I kiss you again?"

Her smile tasted sweet on her own lips. She wondered if Eddie would say it tasted the same.

"Not too forward," she soothed. "You can, um. You can kiss me anytime you want, Eddie."

"Shit, baby, don't threaten me with a good time."

kiss roulette!

[f1amboyant]

Training Season

Charles had always liked football just fine. He played as a kid in the schoolyard with his classmates and was as bad at it as everyone else but laughed all the same. Then… Well, then he couldn’t really play anymore, but he still watched the games on TV and followed the big international events. He liked it just fine. But now. Now Charles was rethinking his love for the sport entirely. Come to think of it, he might actually love football. For his son, of course. And not at all for the coach running from one end of the pitch to the other with wild hair and high cheekbones tinted pink, short shorts and muscular hairy legs and an ass that–

OR: Single dad Charles takes his son to football practice and falls in love with the unfraily handsome coach: Carlos. Also, he may have a lot of trauma to work on, but who has the time?

explicit ~ 50k ~ AU, fluff and angst, trauma, mpreg, so much fluffffff

READ ON AO3

Charles had always liked football just fine. He played as a kid in the schoolyard with his classmates and was as bad at it as everyone else but laughed all the same. Then… Well, then he couldn’t really play anymore, but he still watched the games on TV and followed the big international events. He liked it just fine.

But now. Now Charles was rethinking his love for the sport entirely. Come to think of it, he might actually lovefootball.

For his son, of course. 

And not at all for the coach running from one end of the pitch to the other with wild hair and high cheekbones tinted pink, short shorts and muscular hairy legs and an ass that–

“Dad! Dad, did you see this? Dad! Look!”

Charles’ eyes snapped away from the coach’s posterior and settled back on the little boy with sandy hair and a bright red shirt and even brighter blue eyes.

“Did you see?” the boy asked excitedly, jumping on the green in front of the bench where Charles was sitting. “Did you see, Dad?”

“Yes, yes, of course, I saw. You’re doing amazing, Gab!” Charles lied through his teeth with cheeks as red as the shirt his son was wearing.

He didn’t see a thing, too focused on the coach instead of his own son.

Come on, Charles. You’re here for Gabriel, not to ogle the coach.

But to Charles’ defense, the coach was truly something to look at.

Surrounded by a dozen of excited and chaotic children running around everywhere, the man still ran twice as much as them, showing off his football skills. His t-shirt clang to his sweaty skin, hinting at muscular pecs and defined abs. His short shorts hiked up on his thick thighs showing way more than what was decent for Charles’ sanity. And truly he looked like a Greek god running around among mortals, if Charles could say so himself.

“Vamos, vamos, vamos!” the coach shouted, encouraging the children and oh no, Charles thought, was that Spanish? Poor Charles wasn’t ready for a sexy man like this one with an even sexier Spanish accent, no no no.

Charles tried very hard to focus on his son on the pitch. It lasted for half a minute before his gaze found the coach again. And apparently he wasn’t the only one ogling.

“Damn,” a woman sighed longingly behind Charles. “I would let that man do anything he wanted to me.”  

Her friend giggled.

“You are married, Susie,” the friend said. “Leave him for us, single gals, okay?”

Susie laughed and Charles risked a glance back, and yep, sure enough, the two middle-aged women followed the very same coach Charles was drooling over. Weren’t they a little old for him? But before he could ponder if yes or no, and that no, he shouldn’t shame women’s sexuality no matter their age, one of them noticed him.

“Oh, hi!” the one with the platinum square-cut hair said. Charles recognized Susie’s voice. “Sorry about that, dear. We can get a bit carried away with a man like this one. All the football moms are. You should see the group chat.”

She chuckled and Charles tried very hard not to blush.

“Sorry,” she said again, extending a hand. “I’m Susie, by the way.”

He shook her hand.

“I’m Charles. Gabriel is my son.”

“Oh, he’s such a sweet kid. And he looks a lot like you, I should have guessed. I don’t think we’ve seen you here before, though.”

“Busy with work.”

Charles tried (and failed) not to blush.

“Gabriel says you build houses,” Susan ventured carefully.

“I’m an architect.”

“Close enough,” she said with the knowing smile of a mother. “I'm Jack's mom, by the way. There’s a little gathering after practice next week. All the parents are invited to bring snacks and drinks. You’re probably busy but if you want, you are more than welcome to come. Gabriel’s mom, too.”

“Oh, it’s just me and Gab,” Charles mumbled but his shy reply was swallowed by the whistle ringing high in his ears and a cacophony of young voices heading straight for the stands and the changing rooms.

An armful of eight years old suddenly tackled him and Charles picked up his son, embracing sweat and dirt and grass and everything.

“Dad! Did you see all my moves? Did you see the goal I scored?”

“I did!”

He did not.

“I’m getting so good! The coach said so! And…”

The little boy babbled away in his dad’s ear as Charles waved a shy goodbye at Susie and the other mom, before going to the car. He risked a last glance at the pitch, but the coach was already gone.

“So, what’s the name of your coach, again?” Charles asked as innocently as he could when Gabriel paused in his incessant babbling just long enough to breathe in the back of the car.

In the rearview mirror, Charles could see the boy’s eyes sparkle at the mention of the coach.

“Carlos!” Gab shouted, grabbing the back of Charles’ seat. “He is so so cool and he is so so good at football. He teaches me all these tricks and…”

Charles smiled softly, listening to his son babble on and on about his favorite coach in the whole world and how talented and nice and funny and great and amazing and super and cool and awesome he was. For a second, Charles’ heart tugged with something like longing. A man, who was so sexy it hurt and so sweet with the kids, it had Charles’ belly in all sorts of little twists.

But no. No no no. Not possible, not happening.

Don’t even think about it, Charlie. That’s how you end up in trouble. These sorts of things never ended well for him.

He clenched his jaw, forced the devilishly handsome Spaniard out of his mind and called to Gabriel.

“We’re eating lasagna, tonight.”

“Oh. Okay,” the boy answered with no enthusiasm whatsoever.

“At Grandma’s,” Charles added and the smile was back on his son’s face.

“Yes!” the kid shouted, bouncing on the backseat happily.

Yeah, Charles could pretend he was hurt by Gabriel’s lack of confidence in his father’s cooking abilities, but truly the boy was right. Anyways, all was normal. Life was good, for Charles’ little family of two. He didn’t need anyone else.

(A little fantasy on the football coach couldn’t hurt, though, right?)

(Right.)

-> Read the rest on AO3

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[pantherpilled]

the boys with an older (afab) partner

nsfw + sfw below the cut :P

price

• price doesn’t even acknowledge you being older. you’re still his little lady, his honey baby, his tiny gal.

• princess treatment as usual; doors held open, tying your shoes, serving your food, walking on the outside of the sidewalk, anything to keep his baby love safe and sound.

• still enjoys being called sir or captain, age be damned.

• he quite likes that you’re older than him, he finds the small crows feet and smile lines so indescribably beautiful, you wear your age like the finest jewelry and it’s all it takes for him not to kneel down and kiss at your feet.

• he WORSHIPS you, he takes his time with you in bed, making sure to kiss every single centimeter of your body, not a sliver of skin goes without love.

• pleasure dom 100%, all that matters to him is you get off enough times that you feel stars and see tingles.

ghost

• also doesn’t acknowledge you being older than him at all

• he’ll pick you up bridal or let you climb up on his back when your heels start hurting your feet after parties, banquets or club nights.

• before you, he never went to the club, and he especially hated when his girlfriends would go, but you taught him how enjoyable it can be just to be within someones presence.

• so, now he goes for you, to watch your skin beam with the rainbow of flashing lights, almost-hear you singing along to the bass heavy booming music, feeling your body sway and slide against his when you finally get him to stop standing behind you like a scary bodyguard and dance.

• something about the way you look, the way you move, it’s all so elegant and pristine to him. he was always one to say perfection was unattainable- and here he is, with you, perfection in a woman, having attained it for himself

• can i be sooo real rn i love brat tamer simon, and i feel like its only better when you’re older than him

• he’s got you bent over his knee on the edge of the bed, stripped naked, tears soaking into the sheets as he lands smack after smack on your ass cheek

• he’s so taunting, too. he’ll make you count and if you mess up, “oh, sweets. old enough to make these decisions but can’t handle the consequences?” “poor thing, can’t even count now”

• you like to rub it in his face that you’re older, and he likes to wipe that shit-eating grin off your lips by replacing it with choked moans of his name

• he’s gentle when he wants to be but a majority of the time he’s rough, timing harsh, skin-slapping thrusts with the brutal circles of his thumb on your clit, practically tearing the orgasm from your nerves before you had a chance to process how close you were

• he won’t stop until you’re crying, begging, pushing him away from your spent body after so many orgasms you lost count, hell- even he lost count, and keeping count on how many times he can force you to let go for him is part of his fun

soap

• he’s the most playful about it, calling you a cougar and saying he loves milfs all the time

• youre not a mother, but when he gets you in bed for the first time and becomes aware of a breeding kink he didn’t know he had, he wants you to be

• he’s very vocal about it from the get go, has your cheek smashed into the plush of his pillow, his sharp hip bones smacking loudly against your ass as he babbles in your ear, “could make’ya ta prettiest mama, all swole wit’me littles”

• he does not miss the extra tremble in your thighs at the words but he doesn’t say anything about it either

• he calls you mama, mum, or ma all the time. originally you assumed it to be because you were older, but now you wonder if it’s because he’s just that desperate to make you a mother

• he takes his role as ‘younger boyfriend’ VERY seriously

• YES he lost his debit card again, ma, can he pleases use yours? he’ll pay you back triple as soon as he gets back to the base, he just really wants a chocolate bar

• NO he did not wash the dishes like you so kindly asked him and when you confront him about it, he’s rushing to you like a hurt toddler

• “ma ma ma, not ta worry- was waitin’ta after breakfast so ye didn’t have tae do those ones”

• even if his excuses don’f work, he knows how to get you mewling and crying out for him loud enough that you forget your dish concerns

• “so worried ‘bout some plates,” he’d scoff, timing his perfect thrusts with his words, “all’yae needed was sum’a this”

gaz

• calls you ma’am when you first meet, and you almost want to take offense to it just to spook the poor boy but the way his eyes glint as he checks you out has you rethinking how much of a ‘boy’ he is

• even after you get together, he always calls you ma’am

• “let me get that for you, ma’am”, “a moment, ma’am?”, “ma’am, if you don’t mind-,”

• loves being praised- good boy, sweet one, pretty baby. it all makes his cheeks pink and his cock swell

• he’s a fairly gentle lover, washing your body with kisses and whispered praises before slowly stretching you to size with his fingers

• he leaves marks but theyre light, overly nervous to hurt you, same reason he stays so slow and soft with his thrusts- but he doesn’t realize it just gets frustrating after a while

• he finally bites down on your skin when you push him over and climb on top, taking control of the pace and rhythm, overwhelming him for a short second just from the sheer difference of his weak thrusts from before

• he grabs and squeezes and pinches and pulls at the fat on your hips as you ride him, grunting out any praise he can think of

• “so pretty up there”, “that’s it, sweetpea”, “c’mon angel baby”

(i have a crush on a guy younger than me and im projecting:3)

[coolbeansnico]

I've caved. Here's my Avatar The Last Airbender uni au and modern/non bender au headcanons.

Here's what I think the main kids uni majors/minors would be:

Aang: wildlife conservation with a minor in political sciences

Katara: medicine, education minor

Sokka: engineering, polisci minor

Toph: geology with a martial arts minor (changed my mind, education minor)

Zuko: forced to do law & politics by his family but switches to history/anthropology, keeping politics as a minor

Azula: law w a psychology minor

Mai: forced to do politics by family but wants to do art, history minor

Ty Lee: training in acrobatics and performance at a performing arts school and works at the circus

Suki: human relations and activism, martial arts minor

Yue: Dance major (same school as Ty Lee, polisci minor

☆

Living situations:

Katara and Sokka flat together and eventually Aang becomes a permanent resident

Toph lives right across from them, she likes her own space and independence but she'd never want to be too far from her friends

Zuko lives with Iroh above his teashop and works there part time

Suki has a sharehouse with the kyoshi warriors (her hockey team)

Ty Lee and Yue get assigned room-mates first year and became pretty quick friends, they continue to live together afterwards

Azula has her own apartment (of course). So does Mai, but she spends so much time at Azulas she basically lives there. Neither of them would admit it but they much prefer it to having whole houses to themselves.

---

General modern au/non bender au hcs:

(Pretty obvious) Ethnicity n nationality hcs:

Sokka and Katara r Inuit and from Alaska

Azula, Zuko and Mai are all Japanese American

Ty Lee is Japanese and Mongolian

Toph is Chinese and Singaporean (born in Singapore)

Aang is Bhutanese (so is Gyatso), but he grew up in Singapore. Him and Toph were childhood friends

Yue is Inuit and Sámi and her family lives in north-east Canada

Suki is mixed Chinese, Filipino and French-Canadian and live in an island off of Quebec

Have not decided where the uni would be but probably BSSU (Ba Sing Se uni) cause I know a lot of ppl use that as the uni name

I don't know a ton about US and Canadian geography so if y'all have ideas for what states or provinces the characters would hail from (especially what state/city Zuko, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee grew up in) I would def appreciate the suggestions

☆

Aang has a Tibetan Mastiff called Appa and Sokka has a Siamese cat called Momo (he found him behind a dumpster looking for food scraps and Sokka knew he'd found a kindred spirit,,, much to Kataras initial dismay)

Aang grew up in a sort of hippie/alternative living foster home that taughtbuddist beliefs, he never knew his real parents but he was okay with that.

I'm a fan of bigcorp ceo Ozai but also political tyrant Ozai works as well so I'm srsly torn on that. Politician Ozai would either have to be a nation ruler or American ambassador because I like to think Zuko and Azula moved around a lot as kids so he couldn't have a job that keeps him in ine place. That's why I like the idea of ceo Ozai. He would still have a lot of political power and it would still mean moving around a lot plus him being super corrupt and exploiting his workers is fun for angst.

Oh and!! Zuko and Azula lived in Singapore for part of highschool and their family visited a lot for holidays. Since Tophs parents and Ozai worked together, Zuko and Azula were around at The Beifongs a lot and entertained themselves by making fun of Toph for hanging out with a "poor tree hugging commoner" like Aang

---

I may add more to this so look out for a part 2

♡♡

I'm currently working on drawing them (and maybe chara profiles with sexualities, pronouns, character aesthetics/how I think they'd dress, interests ect) :] I've done the boys and the (non fire nation) gals are next!!

[neyafromfrance95]

so re: my favorite new delusion that the kiss will somehow be adar kissing galadriel to bait sauron, I remembered this scene happens at some point, either ep 6 or 7.

So Sauron is indeed reacting to stuff happening down on the battlefield during the day. Granted, a lot happens he could be reacting (slightly smirking) about. But the possibility is there. Maybe we're due for another controlled fury moment like he had when those numenoreans told him he wasn't good enough for her lol.

Honestly it's like... Based on story momentum, if Galadriel kisses someone romantically it either has to be Sauron or it's a kiss that's somehow still *about* them (which an Adar kiss would be if he's trying to taunt Sauron in a quick moment on the battlefield).

Or it's simply not a romantic kiss and just a cheek, forehead or hand kiss and this was all just a rumor that spiraled simply because Morfydd teased it.

There can't be other romantic kisses unless Celeborn appears out of thin air. Elrond planting one on her and revealing surprise romantic feeling that ultimately can't go anywhere would be a jarring, momentum killing story turn when the season is meant to be about a "collision course" between Galadriel and Sauron in the finale. If it happens in ep 7 as they're insisting, then the audience is suddenly confused and wondering what that was about instead of focused on the suspense building to Galadriel and Sauron's meeting.

Also notably, they never paired up Rob and Morfydd for the press tour, despite how much screen time Elrond and Galadriel shared this season.

(I truly think this wouldn't even be a conversation if the incel lorebores didn't have a habit of badly interpreting scenes like the face touch in the trailer)

oh nooo, don't feed my delusions even more, they will grow! (please do feed my delusions)

his reaction to the numenoreans joking that maybe one of them is more suitable for gal needs to be talked about more! bc it was the first and only time his mask slipped off and he was about to lose it! bro saw her ankle on that raft and it was jover! suddenly, a mere suggestion that she might in theory be with smn else made this ancient being skilled in deceit almost reveal his true nature! like, when i saw his reaction for the first time, i thought it was so weird and uncharacteristic! then he beat those same dudes to a pulp!

sooo, what i'm trying to say is that, if sauron were to see his warrior queen caged and then kissed by the orc that they both blame their misfortunes on, ohhh boy. it'd be jover for the middle-earth.

and listen, so far the writers haven't given me a single reason to doubt them. even if galadriel is married to celeborn, a sudden switch to their romance would be a poor writing, since the show was about sauron x galadriel relationship from the very start (literally, finrod's speech alluded to it and then celebrimnor's one about silmarils)! same goes with elrond.

also, the whole "the light reflecting your hair reminded me of the love of my life who is lady galadriel, of course" thing was so bold??? i can't believe they did that. so, i'm 90% sure they aren't chickening out after pulling something so sick and obsessive on his part.

so yeah, either it has to do with sauron, or it's a platonic peck that was overblown by the fandom.

and agreed, we wouldn't be wasting our energies on the half of the discourse happening rn if it wasn't for the incel lorebros forcing these conversations to divert the attention from sauron x galadriel.

[apocalypseornaw]

Don't Blame Me (Pt 5/5)

Dean Winchester x Reader

A rescue and a second chance

Warnings: cursing, mention of violence

It was a strange feeling, regaining consciousness. You hadn't been knocked out since you were a human and considering you had several years under your belt since then, re-adjusting to it was strange.

The ache in your shoulder told you that bullet you'd been clipped with was a devil's trap one. You strained your neck down to look at the straps holding you to the table and recognize the language,Enochian. Fuck you were screwed.

You heard footsteps getting closer and knew better than to attempt to pretend to still be out. Instead you decided on the false bravado act, you'd perfected it your first hundred years or so on the racks “Why is it you fella always feel the need to strip a gal down? While I do appreciate that you left the bra and panties that was a limited edition Led Zeppelin shirt. If you fucked it up I'm gonna be pissed” 

The laugh that hit your ears made the skin on the back of your neck crawl. How fucked do you have to be to make a demon get the ick? “I heard you had that mouth on you. I see why Winchester and Crowley like you”

The demon finally came into view. He was wearing a skin head as a meat suit. Dude even had a certain nazi symbol tattooed on his ball head. No wonder he set off your creep radar “Don't know if you got your signals crossed but hello? Demon. Dean doesn't exactly want me anymore as for Crowley I come in handy to have around but at the end of the day I'm just his pet hunter nothing more”

You saw the knife when he picked it up and nearly asked him if he had forgotten you were a demon too until you saw the holy water vial. You  struggled against the straps but that sent a jolt of pain through you so you were stuck watching as he first wet the knife with the holy water then dumped salt along the blade. He sent you a smile right before he slammed the knife into your leg closest to him.

You didn't give him the pleasure of a scream. You did however bite into your cheek hard enough you caught the taste of blood on your tongue. He didn't seem put off by your refusal to scream, no he seemed to enjoy it. 

“Tsk tsk tsk. Don't underestimate yourself Y/N. You've been Crowley's right hand woman for years. You fast tracked your way off the racks and even managed to get your original body back. Even the big guy was impressed with that” your breathing was a little haggard from the effort to keep your voice steady as you said “Oh poor Luci. Stuck in the cage and seeing a hunter get pulled out of hell. Must have sucked for him”

That seemed to strike a nerve because the next thing he did was retrieve the holy water vial. He kept his eyes on yours as he uncapped the vial then twisted the knife in your leg before pouring the holy water into the wound.

It felt like flames were gnawing through your bone and the scream that escaped your lips echoed off the walls. A grin split his face “Attagirl. Let's see if we can make ya scream like that some more” “I spent three hundred years on the racks. Bring it asshole” You spoke through gritted teeth. He shook his head and walked over to a table in the corner of the room “Careful what you ask for”

 

“What are we looking at here Crowley?” It was the first time Dean had spoken since they got to where you were being held. “Dozen or so demons. Lucifer's last two remaining hellhounds” 

“Hellhounds?” Sam asked about the time a puff of air alerted them to a presence at Crowley's side. He reached out and patted what looked like air to them but they knew it was a hellhound “Don't worry boys. If they're between this one and Y/N they don't stand a chance”

Dean hated hellhounds. Death by them would do that to you but this once he let his eyes linger on the empty space where Crowley's hand rested “You take care of the other hounds we'll get the rest” a low growl was the response he got and Crowley nodded “I think she agrees with the plan”

He looked back at Sam “No one gets to smoke out. They were dead the moment they touched her” Sam nodded, gripping an angel blade in his hand “Let's go get her”

You could feel tears drying on your face. Flashbacks of your first couple decades on the racks ran through your head. You had to hand it to Skinhead, he was creative. 

He placed one of the tools back down on the table, it was slick with your blood. “What's the point of taking me? The point of torturing me?” 

He grinned again “Crowley will come for you. The Winchesters will come for you. We kill them and get the big guy out with no one guarding hell” you shook your head “No they won't. I'm nothing to Crowley, just another flunkie and as for the Winchesters you fucking idiot I'M A DEMON. THEY KILL DEMONS!” 

You groaned with pain from the effort of yelling at this idiot. Lucifer sure knew how to pick em didn't he? 

Your head fell back against the bed with a heavy thud. Skinhead went to grab another toy but the sound of a howl echoed through the building, you knew that howl anywhere. Juliette.

He looked back at you “How the hell did you get a hound?” You grinned despite the blood you knew stained your mouth “Just lucky I guess” 

He grabbed an angel blade off the table and looked back at you “You'll be dead before she ever reaches you” your eyes widened looking at the blade but then another sound caught your ears, the sounds of fighting. You could hear a  shout about the Winchesters. He'd come for you, black eyes and all he'd come.

You cut your eyes up at skinhead “Doesn't matter cause Dean will rip you apart” he raised the blade and went to plunge it into your heart.

—-------

Lucifer's hounds were dead, along with most of the demons. Dean was fighting one when it went down to the floor, a spray of blood separating its head from its shoulders then he felt a large head nudging at him. It was eerie being that close to a hellhound but then a thought occurred to him. 

He looked towards the feeling of the head despite not seeing anything besides dark blood dripping to the floor. He wanted to ask if the hound was hurt considering you had a bond with her but he couldn't exactly see and Crowley was with Sam disposing of the rest of the demons. 

“Did you find her?” a low growl responded so he nodded “Lead the damn way” He felt teeth grab his jacket sleeve and despite it all let himself be led further into the warehouse before the teeth were gone from his sleeve and all he saw was large bloody footprints leading away. She was running to you.

—-------

You braced yourself for a blow that never came, instead the demon was knocked flat on his back with Juliette on top of him. “JULIETTE!” You screamed. She was covered in deep gashes and looked like she'd been through a literal war but she was doing her best to keep him from getting up.

You lost track of the fight considering they'd rolled further than your straps would let you see but you could hear her growls. You struggled against the straps, tears streaming down your face from the pain. 

The moment the door burst open and Dean was there you heard a low whine and the fighting stopped. “Kill him” You whispered and Dean snatched the demon to his feet and slammed the demon blade into his throat before turning back to where you were tied down.

“She's dead isn't she?” He nodded before covering the space between you. He quickly untied you and pulled his flannel off to wrap around your shoulders. “You came for me?” You asked a mixture of pain and emotion threatening to drown you. His eyes flicked across your face looking for permission and when you sagged against his chest he pulled you into his arms “Even in death sweetheart”

You finally broke, demon or not you sobbed into his chest as he held you. “I still love you” you admitted and he kissed the top of your head “I still love you too. Nothing could change that”

—--------

Crowley and Sam burst in the door and looked around. Crowley's eyes landed on Juliette’s body “That's unfortunate” you sniffled harder laying your head back over on Dean's chest “Get me out of here Dean”

You sat at one of the tables in the library of Sam and Dean's bunker. It was technically a men of letters bunker that their grandfather had given them the key to, with them you didn't question the fact that their grandfather had been dead as long as he had.

Crowley had given the ok for you to go with them after he lifted the warding the witches had put on you. You'd been sitting for the last half an hour listening as Sam explained the fact that they'd found a cure, you had a chance to be human again. The bad part? It had a chance of killing you. 

Dean's arm was around your shoulders, your head against his chest. He hadn't spoken but every time Sam mentioned the risks his muscles tensed. Once Sam was through you nodded “When can you get the blood?” 

Dean's arm slipped from around you and he walked out the room. Sam looked from his retreating back to you “Do you want to think it over a little more?” You shook your head “My life, my risk. Go get the blood. I'll talk to him” he nodded and started to walk out but stopped then walked over to pull you out of your chair and into a hug “It's good to have you back” 

You smiled up at him “After this works i'll be back fully then” he pressed a kiss to your forehead “I'll be back soon”

—---------

You walked softly down the hall towards the room where Dean had showed you was his. You started to knock on the door but just walked in instead. He was sitting on the edge of the bed and glanced up when you walked in “It could kill you” “It's my life to risk. Dean I love you but a Winchester with a demon? That'll never work. I need to be me again fully. I want your support but if we really want another chance these?” You let your eyes slip then added “They gotta go”

He nodded then held out his hand to pull you closer. You were standing between his legs and he had his hands resting on your thighs “I need to tell you something” you leaned down to press a gentle kiss to his lips “I think I know”

He looked up into your eyes and damn he had tears in his. “They didn't mean anything. I just missed you so damn much” you nodded, feeling your own eyes tear up before admitting “I wasn't exactly a nun Dean” he flinched slightly “As long as it wasn't Crowley I'm good sweetheart” You laughed and shook your head “No Crowley” 

He pulled you forward causing you to have to climb into his lap to keep from losing your balance. He moved back further in the bed then looked up at you “You don't know how amazing it is to have you in my arms. I don't mean to be an ass about this cure but I've lost you once and it nearly killed me” you rested your head over in the bend of his neck and placed a kiss on his pulse “Then be with me for the cure. Hold me. If it goes south at least we get a goodbye this time”

 

The armory of the bunker had been cleared out. There was a devil's trap painted on the floor and Sam had made a decent looking pallet of blankets. When you questioned it he'd shrugged “It takes hours and you've got to be in it the whole time” 

You nodded then smiled “Thanks Sam” you looked back at Dean who grabbed your hand “C'mon sweetheart..I'm with you”

—-------

Dean was scared. He had just gotten you back and now he was holding you in his arms while you were washed down in sweat, your entire body shivering with every breath you took.

You slowly opened your eyes and looked up at him from where you lay in his lap “I'm ok Dean. I'm ok” he smiled despite the thoughts in his head “I know sweetheart. I know”

—---------

“Last shot” Sam announced, injecting you with the final vial. You inhaled sharply, curling into Dean. “Fuck it hurts” you whined and he rubbed your back soothingly “Just breathe baby. Breathe”

You weren't sure if hours or minutes passed before the shivering and pain stopped. You slowly looked up at Dean who pushed your sweat soaked hair back from your face. “How are you feeling?” “Tired” you whispered and he nodded to Sam “Give me the vial”

Sam held out the holy water and Dean looked to you for permission. You held out your wrist, bracing for pain but this time there was no burning or pain. The holy water was just wet. 

“It worked” you breathed before laying heavily on Dean “Will you help me shower then take a nap with me?” He laughed lightly “I'll do anything you want me to”

You were laying in bed, curled up against Dean's chest. It'd taken you a day or two to convince him you were healed up from the cure but when you finally did it was like no time had passed. You'd stayed wrapped up in each other for hours, relearning every inch of every curve of each other's body. 

“How the hell did I get this lucky?” Dean asked and you smiled sleepily up at him “Someone somewhere must like you Winchester”

He caught your lips in a kiss before pulling away. “Come back” you whined but he laughed as he reached into the table next to his bed. When he turned back you saw he had something in his hand. He uncurled his fingers so you could see the silver ring sitting in the palm of his hand “Can this go back where it belongs?” 

“I can't believe you still have that” you whispered in shock before holding up your left hand “Please” he slipped it onto you then kissed your finger “I love you” “I love you”

He grabbed you by the hips and pulled you over on top of him. You straddled his hips and smiled at him “You don't know how much I've missed you” you leaned down to kiss him but before your lips could touch Sam knocked on the door and hollered “Can you two come to the library?” 

You looked back at the door then down at Dean “He still has shit timing doesn't he?” He laughed then flipped the two of you over so he was on top of you “Don't worry. We'll see what he wants then come back to bed”

You walked into the library with Dean's arm around your waist. Sam sat at the table with a large wooden crate right in front of him.

You raised an eyebrow “What ya got Sammy?” He motioned “It's yours” Dean walked closer to it with you and you saw an envelope with your name. You picked it up and it simply read “So it turns out you weren't the only one to get another shot. Figured she belongs with you” 

You looked at Dean who'd read the note with you. He shrugged then walked to the crate. He cautiously pried the top off then looked in and a laugh fell out of him “C'mere baby” you walked over and looked in. A German Shepard puppy sat inside and the moment you popped your head in she sat up and barked, you cut your eyes at Dean who shrugged before looking at the puppy “Juliette?”

She barked again and you couldn't help but laugh as he leaned over and picked her up then held her out to you “Looks like she found her way back to you” You took her in your arms then he slipped his arms around you both, scratching Juliette’s head.

“I found my way back to you so stranger has happened” Dean placed a kiss on your cheek “We're together that's what matters, even if we now have a puppy” Juliette barked again and he laughed “Yeah yeah yeah. I hear ya” 

@starkleila @lacilou @suckitands33 @lyarr24 @decadentstrangernacho @nix-rose @irgendwas122 @deans-baby-momma @deans-spinster-witch @tas898

[angel-of-the-moons]

A Rose Under The Moon

Moon Knight System (Marc/Steven/Jake) x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: None really, chit-chat between some gal pals, some implied bi/pan reader.

A/N: Never fear, best gal Layla is here! Also the Hippo-Mama!

And I totes recommend reading the Hobby Headcanons that @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction wrote on the boys! I plan on implementing them all! (Also read all their other things, their Nathan Bateman shit is *insert Paccha meme here*) I need to read up on American football because frankly I have no clue how sports worked since I played soccer and baseball as a kid, before I write about Marc's lest I sound like some plebeian who's guessing everything lmao

Taglist: @bad4amficideas @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @shirukitsune @lokisremainingsanity

🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒

Chapter 5:

Old Friends

You were minding your own business, cleaning up the mess of tossed books that a couple was oh so kind enough to allow their child to scatter.

You hoped you'd never see them again. While they sat at the nook, sipping coffee and eating the muffins, their child was running around, causing havoc and destroying your beautiful, well-organized shop. Oh, your poor shop…

The couple weren't happy when you charged them for the books their son had ripped up and destroyed beyond salvage, the books he colored in.

Yeah, you really hoped they would never come back.

You looked at your burned hand with a frown. It had been a few days since you hurt yourself, and while painful, the burn wasn't actually that bad. Some aloe, some ice… And it started to clear up after the first day, the blisters receding quickly. You flexed your fingers and tilted your head, curiously wondering if your soulmate could feel the burns, as well. When the thought crossed your mind, you pulled up your sleeve and looked at the mark on your wrist, checking to see which moon would be full today.

The bottom right one. It had been that one a lot, lately.

The bell to the front door dinged, and you straightened up, mentally preparing yourself for the forced smile you were going to have to put on, now.

You cleared your throat and spun around, broom in hand, looking at the woman who just walked in.

She was beautiful. Her tanned skin complimenting her dark eyes and mass of wavy curls. She smiled at you, a bit more genuine.

"Oh! Hello, welcome to Here Today Books." You say politely. "Can I help you?"

"You look like you need it more, sister." She sighed, smiling sympathetically, nodding to the pile of ruined books you now had to put into recycling. Her accent was… it wasn't American, like yours. It sounded similar, but her words had some kind of twinge to them.

"Ah, yeah… a couple and their lovely child were my most recent patrons." You joke dryly.

"Ah, a little tornado, huh?" She snorted, shaking her head.

"Yep. For sure." You sigh, giving her a new, more genuine smile. "Now, were you looking for anything in particular today?"

"Oh, actually, a friend told me about this place, and I was curious." She mused.

That… took you by surprise. People actually talk about your store? Like, as in tell other people about it? This was news, for sure.

"O-oh?" You blink.

"Yeah, he said you made good muffins and tea. I'm more of a coffee fan in the morning, myself, though. Tea is more of a night thing." She chuckled.

You tilt your head at her, gears in your brain whirling.

"Are you friends with Steven Grant, by any chance?" You ask.

She laughs. "Yes! I'm Layla. Layla el Faouly." She holds out her hand for you to shake, and you, without thinking, extend your healing hand.

She shakes it gingerly, her eyes focused on the rosy skin like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"That… looks like it hurt." She said.

"Oh, this? I was just dumb and grabbed a hot pan without thinking." You said, examining your hand casually.

"Oh… Yeah, that's not good for you, y'know?" Layla joked softly.

"Yeah, not the worst pains I've ever had, trust me." You reply. "Now, uh… are you looking for a book? Or after some of the coffee? Or my muffins?"

"Oh! I think I'll just explore a bit, if that's all right with you." Layla said with a nod.

"Oh, I don't mind! If you need anything, just holler!" You wave at her as she disappears into the shelves.

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"You saw it?" Layla muttered softly to herself; or more accurately, to the giant hippo-woman clad in gold and jewels standing next to her, only visible to her eyes.

"Yes, yes I did. Didn't Marc mention that he had phantom pains in that same hand?" Taweret chuckled.

"Yeah. I mean… It could be coincidence, but…"

"You should talk to her. The poor dear looks dreadfully lonely." Taweret sighed, looking even more gargantuan as she peers at the contents of the shelves pressing down around her, her cute little ears flickering back and forth.

She picked up a book on psychology, finding it suddenly terribly interesting, her eyes widening as she scans the pages faster than a human ever could.

"I will. If we're right about our assumption, then, maybe we can… I don't know…"

"Play matchmaker?" Taweret giggles.

Layla softly smiles, not paying attention to the open book in her hands as she chuckles.

"Yeah. We can play matchmaker."

"Oh, let's just see how this plays out first, m'love?" The goddess giggled.

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Layla wanders to the front of the store, two hardback romance novels in her hands and you smile as you restock some old sci-fi novels into your discount rack.

They were the kind of romance novels with the covers reminiscent of oil paintings, the pretty ones. Not the stupid photoshopped ones that are being printed nowadays.

"Find something you like?" You chuckle.

She waves the books with a wide grin, "I've actually been looking for these copies for ages. At one of the places I was working, some jerk stole them from my locker."

"Oh gods, that is horrible!" You gasp. Why would anyone steal books?! At most, those particular novels, even new, only went for a few pounds!

"I know, right! They were autographed and everything!" Layla groaned.

You felt even more offended on her behalf. If those books were autographed and authentic, they would go for actually a decent sum for a collector online...

"That's even worse than just stealing a regular copy!" You clucked.

Layla wiggled the books in her hands. "But, hey! You have hardback copies, and in very good condition. Mine were old, beat up paperbacks!"

"Well, I'm more than happy that you found them!" You grinned widely.

Layla tilted her head to the left slightly, like she had heard something from behind her, and then she looked right at you, eyeing you up and down briefly, as if she were thinking.

You quirked an eyebrow at her in concern.

"Is everything all right?" You ask.

"Hm? Oh! Yes, yes I'm okay! I just have this... thing. The ringing in my ears?" She coughs, abashed.

"Oh! You have tinnitus? I have a booklet or two on medical things that might have something in it for you if you'd like." You chirp helpfully.

Layla put her hand up, chuckling as she declined politely. "Thank you, but no, I'll be okay. It's not constant or anything like that, it's just that I got off a plane the other day and my ears popped and haven't righted themselves yet.."

"Ooooh..." You nod in understanding. "Where'd you fly in from, if you don't mind my asking?"

She smiled. "Cairo."

"That's the accent!" You gasp in realization, pointing at her.

Layla laughed when you blushed and apologized for the outburst.

"It's fine, and yes! How'd you guess?"

"I used to have an exchange student, he would come in here and buy books for his college courses all the time! He was born and raised just outside Cairo." You chuckle.

"Ohh! Interesting." Layla hummed, looking at the books in her hands.

"Hm... you mentioned you had a menu of sorts?"

"Sure!" You lead her over to one of the nooks, and hand her the laminated mini menu you had available.

Her eyebrows raised, impressed at the various items you had available.

"Oh! This is actually nice..."

"Yep! Most of it is made to order by me, so some of it'll take a bit to bake." You grin proudly.

"Oh... well in that case, is it okay if I ask you to keep me some company? If you're not busy? I don't actually have too many friends other than Steven and his... er, brothers and my... uhhh... surrogate mom, so being able to have another woman to chit-chat with would be very welcome..."

To say you were surprised at the offer was an understatement.

"Oh! Uh, sure! I don't... I don't mind!"

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You and Layla clicked very well. You had similar tastes in things like reality TV, romance novels, even skincare routines.

But when she started talking about herself, is when it got interesting. It turns out she had been married to Marc at some point.

She was his ex-wife. The one he told you about.

"I imagine it's kind of awkward for you two, huh?" You remarked.

"Oh, me n Marc? Not at all! We're still good friends, it's just..." Layla set her coffee down, frowning as she tried to think of how to describe it.

"...After a while, whatever we had... like... the spark, I guess? It just... faded. Marc went through a bit of soul searching and after he did that, well..."

They weren't soulmates.

"Ah... I understand." You sighed.

"What about you?" She asked, a small sly smirk playing her lips.

"Oh! Uh... yeah. No. Nothing for me, I'm afraid." You chuckle awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck.

"Oh? Nobody special or anything like that? Never kissed someone?"

"Well, I mean, when I was in highschool I kissed a girl on a dare." You sip your own coffee.

"A girl?" Her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Yeah, to be honest I'm not sure what kind of preference I have, because I've never really been attracted to anyone before, but it was... weird. Didn't feel like everyone talked it up to be."

"Ah... so... are you waiting for your soulmate, then?" Layla asked a bit tightly.

"Yeah... I know it's stupid, but..." You say, looking down at the mug in your hands.

"Not really. Who doesn't want to meet the one person that is your other half?" She said, smiling softly in sympathy.

Her finger traced the rim of her cup idly, trying to think of the best way to go about phrasing the next question without being obvious about her suspicions.

"Do you... have any ideas of who it might be?" She finally asked.

You shake your head and shrug. "D'nno. I don't know if it's a man or a woman or... well anybody, really. I don't know what it's supposed to feel like once you meet your soulmate because each bond is different so..."

Layla wanted to scream. She wanted to facepalm, she wanted to smack her head on the table. She wanted to splash her coffee into her face.

Taweret was giggling like mad.

"Not as easy as you assumed it was going to be, eh Little One?" The goddess smiled behind her hand at Layla.

Her eyebrow twitched, knowing full well she couldn't retort without looking insane or revealing her position as Taweret's avatar.

You had to be Marc's (and possibly Steven's and Jake's) soulmate. It was all just too coincidental for her liking.

"Oh! That's... well I hope they're close by!" Layla said, forcing a very strained smile.

How could you and Marc be this thick?!

That fact alone had to mean something.

"That's everyone's hope, isn't it?" You chuckled softly, a small fond smile on your face, a glimmer of sadness in your eyes.

Layla felt sympathy for you in the moment, realizing how terribly lonely you must be feeling. And how much pain.

Especially with Marc and the others doing Khonshu's will.

Taweret seemed to pick the thought out of thin air, so in tune with Layla she could tell by the flash in her eyes what she was thinking about.

"Ohhh! That bloody old bone-head!" She huffed, her nostrils flaring as she crossed her arms, her bottom lip poking out from beneath her muzzle.

"He needs to give those poor boys a break! Especially because whatever happens to them, happens to her!" She gestured to you with her big, yet gentle hands.

Layla cleared her throat.

"Well, uh.... since I've told you about me... why don't you tell me about you? Where were you born, stuff like that?" Layla asked you, still smiling.

"Oh! Me? I'm afraid it's not very interesting." You chuckled dryly.

Layla looked outside as the rain came down in sheets. Not very appealing to walk back to the boys' flat in this weather... especially not for her hair.

"It looks like I've got time, love. Go ahead! We can have some more drinks while we chat."

You smiled a bit wider.

It was nice to have a girl-friend to talk with, again.

🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒

When Steven had woken up, Layla was gone, and Marc and Jake left Steven quite alone in the body, letting him front entirely for the day. She'd left a note on Gus and Co's tank saying she went out for a bit for some fresh air.

Which, quite frankly, Marc said was bullshit because of the weather. Layla wouldn't go out in a monsoon and risk her hair becoming an unmanageable spongy mop that would take forever to dry, unless she was going somewhere very specific.

It was one of the things she complained about the most when they were together, something he thought was amusing. He remembered one time they got caught in a rain after their wedding, and at the hotel she was fussing and muttering under her breath as her wet curls hung over her face, desperately trying to get the dripping mass of hair to dry, glaring at herself in the mirror.

Steven sighed, and made his morning cup of tea and went about his routine. He dusted some, and decided to slip on his apron and play with some recipes he'd found online.

The apron was a bit... "dinky" as Marc had called it. Jake apparently ordered it online when he saw the slightly cartoon'd Egyptian motifs on it and left it as a present for Steven, since his favorite thing to do other than read was to cook (and he was a major Egyptophile).

When he was finished, he'd placed the extra portions in a small container in the fridge for Layla when she returned, in case she was hungry.

Then, he sat down, ate, and read a book while he played some music over the cheap sound system Marc installed.

When Layla returned, she was... dry. Remarkably dry. Her hair was still perky and everything!

She apparently bought an umbrella while she was out, placing it in the holder so no excess water dripped on the floor.

"Ah! Hey Steven." She chuckled, walking up and kissing his cheek, knocking his glasses off to the side as she did, placing her bag on the little table nearby.

"How'd you know?" Steven chuckled, adjusting his glasses as he looked up at her.

"Well, aside from the fact you're hunched over like a goblin over a book... the flat smells wonderful. You've obviously been cooking. Not Marc." She grinned.

"Ha!" Steven giggled.

Layla hummed as she set her new purchases on the table, folding the little canvas bag neatly.

Steven's eyebrows shot up when he saw the books.

"Where were you..?" He asked, clearing his throat.

"Oh, y'know... exploring. Went out for a tea..." She grinned at him out of the corner of her still ridiculously beautiful eyes.

"Visited that bookstore you 'n Marc told me about."

Steven fidgeted in his seat.

"O-oh..."

"Mhmm." She tapped her nails on the books' hard covers; she then turned around and crossed her arms, still grinning as she leaned her hips on the table.

"....Why are you looking at me like that? And where did you get that umbrella..?"

"Oh, well..." She shrugged, sighing a bit dramatically, looking elsewhere in the flat for dramatic effect.

She looked back at him, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Your little girlfriend who owns the bookstore. She really is a sweetheart, she let me borrow it while I'm in town."

"Bloody hell! Layla! It's not like that at all--" Steven sputtered, almost dropping the book in his hand.

She started cackling madly, walking into the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator.

"Ooh! What'dja make?"

Steven made a noise, burying his face in his hands as he tried to hide the faint blush that crept up his face and set up shop in the tips of his ears, knocking his glasses up to his forehead.

"Bloody hell!" He groaned into his palms.

🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒

Chapter 6: Link

[ofstarsandflames]

Hello all! Congratulations to all participating in RobStar week, both creator and audience!

Also, remember yesterday when I said I'd participate in every prompt this week? Guess which idiot decided to get covid!

This gal!

Luckily, it's not too bad! I have my Vaccines and was told I'd get better in a few days. Unluckily, I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

Thankfully, I already have drafts written up for this week! Unfortunately, a couple of them were unfinished and so I had to complete them in a hurry to meet the schedule.

This is one of two fics that were incomplete. If it is not up to par, I sincerely apologize!

Anyway, I decided to go for a more angst-y approach to today's prompt, heh-heh. Some of the content below may differ from what we are familiar with in the show, but fret not! I will expand on my ideas more once RobStar week is concluded!

With that, please go right ahead and jump right in! I hope you enjoy!

RobStar Week 2024, Day 2

Power Swap

Robin might have to kill Cyborg once he got a hold of him. 

While a majority of the cybernetic teen’s inventions had delivered positive results, there were often some that proved more difficult than what they were worth. 

The ‘Ability Monitor’ and ‘Flash Teleporter’ proved to be the latter. 

A series of hijinks occurred, resulting in both Robin and Starfire getting caught together by both inventions. 

And now here he and Starfire were, powers and clothing swapped with the other’s with broken communicators (and by definition GPS’s), as they tried to navigate the endless labyrinth that was Jump City’s National Park. 

They must have been out there for hours, seeing as the sky went from beautiful day to stark night. 

It did help that he was able to fly over the trees, gaining a better view of their endless landscape. Unfortunately, having trouble staying afloat mixed with being unable to find a definitive landmark certainly made things more difficult than they needed to be. 

Yeah, it was no longer a maybe. He was DEFINITELY going to kill Cyborg once they made their way back to the tower. 

“Everything okay?” Star asked from below. 

Robin lowered himself from the air, hoping the action looked natural despite his trouble doing so. 

“Everything’s great!” Robin landed next to her, internally cringed at how overly-peppy his voice sounded. “Perfect, even! Why, I’d go so far to say I've finally perfected your powers!” 

Suddenly, as if fate itself decided to call out his bluff, Robin’s left hand glowed an intense bright blue. That hand, leaning against a nearby tree, caused the poor timber to instantly light up in blue flames. 

“...” 

“...” 

Nothing, at least for the first couple of seconds.

“Huh, look at that.” Starfire said in a strangely calm tone. 

“AHHHH!” Her partner was the opposite, his features displaying pure panic. “WE HAVE TO PUT IT OUT!” 

Robin ran around in a panic. He needed to find something that could keep the fire from spreading throughout the forest! 

What to do, what to do, what to d- 

HISSSSSSSSSSSSS

A loud hissing sound pulled him back to the present. The poor tree was now covered with a white foam, the last of the blue flames flickering out of existence. 

There stood Starfire, a mini fire extinguisher in her hands. 

Ah, right. One of the many useful tools stashed inside that signature utility belt. 

“Oh, uh…” Robin let out a light cough, cheeks warming up in embarrassment. “Nice work.” 

Starfire’s mouth curved into a small smile, her eyes obviously filled with mirth despite being covered by one of the Boy Wonder’s signature masks.

“Well!” Star said in an impressed voice, putting the fire extinguisher back in ‘her’ belt. “Looks like you weren’t lying about perfecting my powers.” 

Though his eyes were also masked, Starfire knew he was throwing her an embarrassed glare. 

“Not funny.” 

Though his hand no longer glowed blue, Robin still shook his hand in an attempt to “chase away” any lingering Starbolts. Star giggled at the sight (resulting in another glare) before she continued leading the way to their intended destination. 

“Oh, do not be so hard on yourself.” The now human girl called out to him. “I know firsthand how difficult my powers can be to manage. You are actually doing quite well, despite what you may think.” 

Even though he knew she was just trying to cheer him up, it wasn’t like Starfire was necessarily lying. 

Robin remembered the Titans’ first month as a team, having to learn about each other and how to work together in-tune with their abilities. Starfire in particular had more than a few moments where her powers flared up out of nowhere, most likely a response to how she was feeling according to her. 

On the bright side, thanks to her they managed to find better ways to fire-proof the whole tower. 

Her powers, being somewhat fire-based, often had the unavoidable side effect of rising heat.

Rising heat… 

Robin blinked in confusion. It was the middle of August and a relatively cold night, why was he so hot all of a sudden? 

And why did his stomach start hurting out of nowhere?

Intense… 

Suddenly, Robin felt his throat closing up. He tried to take a deep breath but found himself unable to. If anything, his breaths were coming out in short, heavy pants. 

Burning… 

“Robin?” 

Starfire turned, uneasy at how quiet the other suddenly was. 

She gasped at the sight before her. Robin was doubled over, one hand clawing at his throat while the other clutched his head. 

“ROBIN!” 

Starfire immediately ran to his side. She tried to place a hand on his back in an effort to calm him, maybe help him up to examine his condition. However, and much to her shock, the second she made contact with his skin she had to pull away. 

He was hot. Burning hot. So much hotter than was supposed to be physically possible. 

Starfire’s eyes widened in disbelief. 

‘Why…’ 

She shook her head, utter distraught and confusion filling her head. 

‘Why is this happening to him as well!?’

A loud, strained gasp filled her ears and brought her out of her stupor. Robin was now kneeling, purple and silver clothing sticking to his skin as he continued to burn from the inside. 

‘No!’ Starfire internally yelled to herself. ‘This is no time to panic!’ 

She may not have known why this was happening to him, but she did know how to relieve it. 

Starfire placed herself in front of Robin, kneeling to meet his level. She held his face in her hands, ignoring the intense pain as his skin burned her hands. 

“Robin, listen to me!” Starfire commanded in a voice fit for a leader. “You need to manifest some Starbolts. Right now.”

Robin was more than confused. Why did he feel like his insides were on fire? Why was Starfire commanding him to produce a pair of Starbolts? Why was she so calm? 

But regardless, what else could he do except listen? 

He closed his eyes, trying hard not to think about the pain enveloping his whole body. His mind worked to recall as many rage-inducing thoughts he could muster. 

‘Nothing but a sidekick.’

A different, more controlled heat began forming in Robin’s palms.

‘My last night in Gotham City.’

A small blue flame, bursting with energy, slowly manifested in each of his hands. 

‘Slade.’

That did the trick. 

A fully formed blue Starbolt, bursting with immense power, appeared in each hand. 

“Nicely done!” Starfire’s voice was filled with relief. “Now, keep them in place for as long as you must. In just a moment, you will feel the burning sensation fade.”

Robin’s eyes widened, his masked eyes displaying a fair amount of uncertainty. 

“Star, what-” 

“Please Robin!” Starfire pleaded, never once releasing him from her hold. “Trust me!” 

Robin trusted her. Though he was still unsure of the situation, that much he knew to be true. 

Suddenly, Robin felt a wave of cool relief washing over him. The intense burning sensation slowly went down, his insides going from a painful boil to a subtle simmer. 

They were both still for a moment. Not a sound could be heard, other than Robin’s labored breathing. 

His breathing followed that pattern. His breaths went from difficult, painful huffs to the simple, mindless action it had always been before that moment. 

Almost as quickly as it began, Robin was back to his not-so-normal current self. 

“Thank goodness!” Starfire let out a sigh of relief as she helped the other to his feet. “I was so worried it would not work!” 

Robin watched the Starbolts in his hand slowly fade away, trying his best to process what just transpired. 

“Star?” Robin asked, his eyes never leaving the flame in his palm. 

Starfire’s body froze. His voice, it’s tone… why did it suddenly hold so much weight? 

“Y-yes, Robin?” 

The dancing blue flame, once brighter than the moon shining in the black sky above, flickered when the hand it stood on closed. 

Even if it was dark, Starfire could not miss the heavy stare directed her way. 

“guys…” 

Ears perked up, Starfire quickly snapped her head in the direction of where the sound came from. 

“robin…”

“starfire…”

The others! They must have been locating them with Cyborg’s heat sensing technology! 

Starfire was relieved, thankful for their perfect timing. 

“R-Robin.” Star pointed up ahead. “Did you hear that? The others, they must be nearby!” 

Grabbing his hand, Starfire tried to listen for the direction of where the voices were coming from. 

“They must be over th-”

She tried to walk to where the voices were, but was halted in the process. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Robin planted firmly in place.

“Robin?”

Another tug of his hand. Like before, he wouldn’t budge. 

“Why are you…?” Starfire tried pulling him with her, but without her super strength it was no use. “What are you doing? We have to go find the others-” 

 “What was that, Starfire.” 

Starfire stopped pulling. Her eyes widened behind the mask. 

“Wh-what do you me-” 

“You know what I’m talking about.” Robin was now the one to hold her hand, keeping her from running away. “What happened earlier?” 

Starfire held her breath, more nervous than she had been when she discovered her powers had been transferred to the team leader. 

She needed to be careful how she worded this, lest she makes things worse. 

“O-oh! You mean that.” Starfire giggled, attempting to diffuse the situation. “You needn’t worry about that! It simply happens whenever I go for long periods of time without releasing my Starbolts!” 

“Wait!” This revelation shocked Robin. “Are you saying you’ve felt this on multiple occasions!?” 

“Well… yes.” Starfire admitted. “I hadn’t used my Starbolts since we defended the city last week. However, I did not think my condition would pass to you.” 

“Forget about that.”

Robin grasped her shoulders, forcing each other’s masked eyes to meet. 

“How long have you dealt with this?” 

Starfire grimaced, unsure of how he would take her answer.

“Robin…” 

“How long, Starfire.” 

She considered lying for a moment. The last thing Starfire ever wanted to do was make things difficult for her friends, as it was her personal duty to aid and make things easier for them. 

Unfortunately, Robin knew her. He would know if what she said was untrue, especially since he was refusing to let this one go. 

“Since I first landed on Earth.” Star answered truthfully. “I noticed it after I first flew away from you all, and I also discovered how to relieve it soon after.” 

Robin’s eyes widened, the revelation striking him more painfully than the sensation ever felt. Seeing his reaction, Star knew she needed to resolve this problem as quickly as she could. .  

“Robin, please do not worry about me.” 

Starfire squeezed his hand in reassurance. She removed the domino mask she wore, wanting him to see the sincerity behind her words. 

“I promise you, I can handle it. It is not so bad once you are used to it, and it helps that I do not recall a life where I do not experience the feeling.” 

Robin could not believe what she was saying. 

How was he not supposed to worry, when she had just revealed that she had been experiencing that awful burning sensation since she first arrived on Earth?! 

Even if she’d had it for as long as she remembered, which was proven to be short due to the loss of her past, Starfire shouldn’t have to experience such a painful feeling on a constant basis! 

Robin wanted to say this. He knew the alien was hiding more than she let on and he wanted to know why. 

But, even if that was what he desired, it would not matter. Starfire’s eyes, while showcasing her sincerity, also displayed her resolve. 

She was not going to reveal more than she wanted. 

“Fine.” 

Robin finally released her. There was a tension in the air, so thick and heavy it needed to be hacked with a knife. 

He nodded his head to where the voices continued to shout out. 

“We shouldn’t keep them waiting. Cyborg’ll restore us back to normal once we reach the tower.” 

Starfire nodded, not wanting to risk him questioning her any further. She was not sure if she would be able to resist had he continued to be persistent. 

Star just hoped Robin would no longer look into the setbacks of her powers, for both of her sakes. Even if she did not know why, or maybe on the chance she could not remember why, she knew the answer would only lead to trouble. 

Unfortunately for her, Robin was not finished. If anything, he was just getting started.

He was going to get answers, for both their sakes.

[universallydestinytaco]

The Little Smiling Mermaid (Chapter 5)

AKA The one where Alan sings! (Sorry I didn’t have enough time for an elaborate illustration because this week was busy as hell)

Originally Charlie was going to sing at the end of this chapter but it’s getting pretty long, so perhaps next time he will…also I figured I’d update this story every two weeks to give me more time to finish this story and draw illustrations for it. Thank you for your support of my fanfic!

Charlie had just experienced the wildest night of his life…and considering his rambunctious buccaneering lifestyle, that was saying a lot! Right after Salty’s crew mates crashed his already-rowdy party and turned it into another sloppy brawl, he got flung overboard and briefly rescued by that mysterious pink critter with the rosy locks and the soothing, angelic voice…and right after his friends found him and brought him back to their ragtag vessel, he hurled and passed out right then-and-there.

When Charlie woke up in his chamber, he could barely remember anything about last night other than a vague image of that mystery critter that gave him an indescribable feeling of uncertainty yet warmth. Just then he heard his door creek open as his ever-excitable scullery maid and part-time cabin gal Smormu chirped in a sing-song manner: “Good Afternoon, Princey! Hope you’re feeling better…” Charlie’s eyes were open yet he wasn’t exactly “awake” enough to croak out a single coherent response. Smormu greeted the foggy-minded scallywag Prince a tray carrying an open-faced sandwich consisting of one buttered slice of rye bread topped with bacon, liverwurst, aspic, tomatoes, horseradish and parsley. “Chef Spitz is on his smoke break so I went in the kitchen and prepared your favorite, Smorie…S-Smormu…” As you an see, Smormu clearly had trouble pronouncing the name of the dish, whose delightful homecooked smell made its way to Charlie’s nostrils and brought that poor washed-up boy back to reality. Charlie sprang out of bed smacking his lips and replying to the studdering Smormu: “Aw man, I could really go for some Smørrebrød right now!” as he immediately reached his long chunky arm to irreverently swipe the tray from the maid’s hand to take a bite, wasting no time savoring the lovingly prepared dish. With an audible gulp, he blurted out: “Thanks sis, you shouldn’t have.” Smormu giggled with a friendly response: “Anytime, buddy…” she trailed off for a minute until she remembered a crucial announcement she was also designated to deliver with the Smørrebrød. “…Oh! I also have an exciting announcement! Your Uncle is visiting the Palace and he’s halfway there!” That last sentence alone sadistically echoed in Charlie’s head as his delighted smile quickly wilted into a more depleted and soured frown. “What’s wrong, too much horseradish?” Asked poor, naive little Smormu. Charlie was aware that she only had this job for half a year and didn’t understand why an “exciting announcement” would bring him down like this. “It’s hard to explain.”

Charlie sighed as he reluctantly got up to get dressed as Smormu fled the scene to give him some privacy. Charlie knew very well he was once again going to be stuck in that stuffy, navy-blue suit he just couldn’t stand to wear as not only it wasn’t nearly as loose and comfortable as his “adventure” clothes, the suit alone would remind him of his least fondly-remembered moments of his life. He reluctantly recalled the last time he wore it was when he was invited to a banquet thrown by a precious suitor, Princess Zoey of a neighboring kingdom. He liked Zoey and she liked him back, she even stood up for him when he was being teased by the other noble guests for his “blobfish”-like appearance and nasally voice. It all went downhill after he drank a little too much punch to pass the time and as a result got so violently intoxicated that he was swinging on the chandelier hollering curse words in another language until accidentally ripping the chandelier out of the ceiling and crashing it onto the floor. Not only was Charlie thrown out, the countries cut ties with each other and briefly went to war as a result of this actions. Even if it was two or three-ish years ago, Charlie could still strongly feel the shame and embarrassment he faced in the aftermath of his stunt, especially most dreadful of all his Uncle arriving to deliver a long, harsh lecture on how he’d never find a suitor and even if he was next in line on the throne that the Dompler line would tragically end with him and how he wished his parents lived long enough to spawn a proper heir so that they could pawn their mistake of a son off to some lowbrow kingdom like Spamtopia. Charlie shuddered as his Uncle’s cruel words circled his brain like vultures preying upon a vulnerable mouse. As Charlie squirmed his way into his attire, he felt less like a noble putting on formal clothes for an important Family meeting and much more like a prisoner on death row and on his way to be disposed of by an executioner.

The sharply-dressed yet reluctant Charlie finally crept down the stairs from his chamber, making way into the throne room where his grandmother was perched on her seat with Mr. Boss by her side as she conversed with a man who resembled Charlie, except he looked and acted the exact opposite of her grandson. He was a slender, puke pale yellow critter whose face was decorated in wrinkles and scowl-marks, and two scars adorned on on his lower lip and left eye as marks left over from a war he happily volunteered in long ago to earn his status as a true “Alpha Male”. Behind him was a short maiden with long auburn hair, a large round nose, and a green dress draped with a brown shawl

With an audible gulp, Charlie piped up in an uncharacteristically sheepish manner, “S’up man?” While struggling to face his Uncle eye-to-eye as the older critter turned his attention away from the family matriarch to shoot daggers at his nephew. “Well I’ll be damned, it’s our monarchy’s biggest mistake.” He responded with a sardonic chuckle, continuing: “But don’t worry, you won’t be looked down upon as the Screw-Up Prince of Gremblonia for long…IF you manage to do just one thing right…” and suffice to say that neither the Queen or Mr. Boss where even a little amused by any of the shit that was spewing out of this asshole’s mouth. Mr. Boss was tempted to give the pompous Duke a piece of his mind had it not been for the Queen gently holding him back and pacifying the intense atmosphere with her firm-yet-gentle words: “Now Eustace, please show some respect to our dear Charlie, he is a member of this family after all, Oh! A-aren’t you going to tell us about the suitor you picked out for our boy?” After about five seconds of pure unadulterated silence, Duke Eustace Dompler sighed and continued, barely restraining his resentment towards his nephew. “Luckily for you I picked out a suitor-ette who’s ever-so kindly willing to give you a chance.” said Eustace in a passive-aggressive tone as he stepped back from Charlie to gesture his hand toward the girl he presented to the group: “I introduce before this court Princess Mipnessa of the Enchanted Forest.” Princess Mipnessa curtsied with her own verbal introduction: “Pleasant Greetings, Queen Dolores and Prince Charles.” Charlie’s eyes widened when he noticed Mipnessa’s head-shape, her stubby appearance and her hair, all of a sudden a vague and fuzzy memory was coming back to him but he couldn’t exactly put his finger on it; “Charlie, are you okay sweetheart?” Queen Dolores gently snapped Charlie out of his trance as he started sweating bullets, blurting out: “Salutations, my Noble Maiden Fair!” Queen Dolores and Mipnessa giggled at Charlie’s presentation, assuming he was deliberately clowning around. “That’s my grandson, so spontaneous! You’re going to enjoy his company.” Eustace rolled his eyes at his awkward dork of a nephew. Charlie darted his eyes back and forth until he pulled out his Ocarina to show to Mipnessa. “Dunno if this is the right instrument for serenading but I’ve been playing this since I was a homunculi.” Charlie then performed the melody to “The Raked Hornpipe” which ended in applause from the rest, even Eustace was impressed.

~ Back in the sapphire waves below, Pim couldn’t get his mind off of Charlie, swimming in loop-de-loops humming a sweet melody before barrel-rolling into a bed of water hyacinths to stretch his stubby arms and tail, giggling and swooning over the mental image of that hunky yellow critter. He picked one of the hyacinths and started plucking one petal at a time, murmuring to himself “He loves me, he loves me not…” while the back of his mind was trying to spell out how he was forgetting one crucial thing, now what was it again? Glep picked some barnacles off a rock and crunched them in his mouth like popcorn while watching his twitter-pated bestie in amusement while Alan paced back and forth, agonizing over the hypothetical worst-case-scenario if the Royal Family retrieved Pim and found out about his antics since swimming away from home. When picking the last petal off the hyacinth, Pim squealed: “Oh, I knew it!!”, following by a giggling fit before rising out of the patch to triumphantly declare: “I gotta see him again- tonight!! Graham Nelly knows here he lives! I’ll swim up to his castle, then Glep will swim around to get his attention-” Alan cut Pim off to scold him with a concerned response: “Pim, you know it’s unhealthy to stay out of the water for too long, you’ll dehydrate! Besides, what if some hoard of blood thirsty fishmongers take you and turn you into a three course meal?!” Pim only stared at Alan in a daze before shaking his head, replying: “Oh Alan, not all land folk see us as food for slaughter.” Alan sighed, but not willing to give up trying to talk some sense in the headstrong-lovesick mercritter as a percussion beat in-tune was starting up: “Pim, listen to me: the mammalian world… it's a mess….besides, life under the sea is better than anything they got up there.”

Alan briefly cleared his throat before singing: “The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake! You dream about going up there~ but that is a big mistake.” He gestured his arm upward before making a shrugging pose and shaking his head before dramatically folding out his arms wide with a spin as Pim looked around, “Just look at the world around you right here on the ocean floor~” Just then little Swimming Meeps playfully circled around Pim as the pink mercritter giggled as Alan nodded off: “Such wonderful things around you! What more are you lookin' for?” The lobster started strutting across in a form of dance: “Under the sea~ under the seaaa~ darling it’s better-down where it’s wetter~ take it from meee!!” Glep chuckled at the silly little thought of crudely drawn versions of Pim and Alan, with the former literally taking the ocean away from the latter as he gasped for water. “Up on the shore they work all day~ Out in the sun they slave away~ while we devotin' full time to floatin' under the seaaaa!!” Alan’s song-and-dance caught the attention of other ocean dwellers and it proved to be so infectious that they all joined in, all of a sudden this subtle lecture cast out of genuine concern and worry was turning into an underwater dance party. Alan continued his theatrical editorial: “Down here all the fish are happy as off through the waves they roooll~ The fish on the land ain't happy-“ the tune got to Glep, as even he started singing along: “Eska-daya-zebawa-yo!”

“But fish in the bowl is lucky~ the rest have a worser fate! One day when the boss get hungry, guess who's gonna be on the plate?” Glep made a play-dead pose, stuffing a barnacle in his mouth to resemble a classic example of a roast pig. The crowd of fish and sea life obviously figured out that answer shouting in unison: “OH SHIT!”…not that it could break up the rowdy crowd’s jovial performance as everyone else continued backing up Alan’s number. As much as Pim disagreed with Alan’s view of the Land, he sure found it catchy! Pim twirled gracefully as fish swam around him, even tempting to sing along.

“Under the sea! Under the seaaa! No one can beat us, fry us or eat us~ in fricasseeeee!! We’re what the landfolks loves to cook, under the sea we’re off the hook! We got no troubles, life is the bubbles! Under the seaaaa!” A little chorus of singing meeps repeated back, “Under the sea!”

“Since life is sweet here, we got the beat here~ Naturally!! Even the sturgeon and the ray, they get the urge and start to play! We got the spirit, you got to hear it! Under the seaaaa!!” Some of the sea animals started contributing to Alan’s number with instruments, enriching the sound and building up to the inevitable climax as Alan pulled his conductor’s wand from some invisible pocket: “The newt, play the flute! The carp, play the harp! The plaice, play the bass! Now we’re soundin' sharp! The bass, play the brass! The chub, play the tub and the fluke, you’re the duke of soul!” A deep-voiced fluke agreed: “Oh, yeaaaaah!” Alan continued conducting the group while singing to Pim: “The ray sure can play, the ling's on the strings! The trout's rocking out! The catfish, she sings!” A literally half-fish half-cat harmonized with Pim much to Glep’s confusion. “The smelt and the sprat, they know where it's at and oh can that blowfish blow!” A brief instrumental breakdown ensued before Alan and Pim harmonized at the start of the big finish: “YEAAAAH UNDER THE SEA!!” “Under the seaaa~” “Under THE SEA!” “Under the seaaaa~!” “When the sardine begin the beguine it’s music to meeee!!!” “It’s music to meeee~” “What do they got? A lot of sand? We got a hot crustacean band! Each little clam here they know how to jam here~!”

The chorus began to help out Alan with wrapping up the number on a high note: “Under the seaaa!~ Each little slug here’s cuttin’ a rug here- Under the seaaaa!! Each little snail here knows how to wail here, that’s why it's hotter under the water! Pim, you’re in luck here-down in the muck, here!”

The band belted out one last: “UNDER THE SEAAAAA!!!”

Alan took a deep breath and regained his composure, not expecting to have let himself loose like that. “Well Pim, Whaddya say?…Pim?” As the band scattered, Alan looked around only to find Pim swam away again with Glep following suit. All that work and nothing to show for it! The exasperated crustacean rolled his eyes and snarked: “I swear, even if those two had their fins nailed to the floor, they’d still find a way to break free….”

Just when Alan was about to scuttle off to find his friends, an unexpected visitor snuck up behind him asking: “Alan, have you seen any sign of her?” Alan jumped as he nervously turned around to find Prince Damien, whose stoic exterior was used as a facade to hide the genuine concern and worry for his youngest sibling of which his stubborn father wrote off as nothing more than weakness. Alan was barely succeeding in masking his own anxiety, conflicted in confiding in arguably the least ferocious member of Pim’s family yet not wanting to reveal a clue to potentially lead to Pim to be unceremoniously dragged back home to be further mistreated. “No, but I’m trying my best, your majesty.” Alan started to feel grateful that Pim took off before anyone in his family could encounter him. “I’m gonna keep looking outside of the kingdom for her, I hope to Neptune he didn’t get scooped up by those fish eaters…” Alan just had a morbidly vivid vision of Pim screaming on a cutting board as a chef sharpened his knife. “I hope not either.” A deafening silence fell between the two, until Alan broke silence: “I’m going to keep looking for Pim.” Damien nodded in agreement, responding with: “I’ll look this way, you look over there.” before swimming off. When the coast was clear, Alan sighed in relief and scurried off.

During Alan’s showstopping song, Pim had realized too late he left his cloak on the island after taking it off to maneuver Charlie up on land. While retracing his steps and trying not to panic too badly, Pim remembered where he saw it last: laid out beneath a briefly waterlogged Charlie on the shore near those rocks….unfortunately there was no sign of the cloak as Pim’s anxiety gif to him as he burst into tears, bawling in despair: “My nanny woven that cloak! I’ve had it for so long and yet I’m such a careless idiot that I left it here!!” Glep comforted Pim best he could for a fish out of water, hugging the larger critter’s tail. Luckily good ol’ Graham Nelly cropped up and noticed the anguish of his younger cousin, asking: “Hey man, what’s with the blues?” Pim sniffled, replying with a wheeze: “I lost my cloak…I left it here when I rescued Chawlie.” Graham felt immense sympathy and patted Pim on the back, then he immediately remembered one crucial detail that was being ignored. “Eureka!” Graham proclaimed, Pim curiously asked while drying his eyes: “You know where it could be?” Graham confidently answered: “You know, I remember you using your cloak to hoist Charlie up and lying that salty kelp-critter burrito out on the shore…and when he took off I think he was wearing it-“ Pim’s face it up with a smile, hugging his cousin tightly. “That’s it! Oh thank you Graham Nelly, I love you!” The older cousin chuckled, “That’s not all, come follow me and I’ll take you to a shortcut to outside of his pad!”

Chapter 6 (Which I am typing out atm) Arrives In Two Weeks

[kedreeva]

There were a lot of good (and some weird) things about vending at this reptile expo, but hands down the best part was getting to sell my mice in person. Usually people contact me through my business page and arrange the sale ahead of time, and local pickup is at a third public location - a gas station that surely thinks I'm making shady drug deals in their side parking lot with how often I'm over there and I don't know if they would consider that better or worse than being up to mouse shenanigans - so I only ever get to talk to people for a hot second in person while we transfer animals and cash. They rarely handle the mice at all in front of me.

But the expo? Holy shit, man. The look on people's faces when they read the sign that said "please touch, we're very friendly!" or when they started to walk past thinking I had feeder mice only to hear me call "do you want to hold a mouse?" My table was PACKED with people jammed around the mouse bin marveling at how soft mice are and how nice they were. I repeated dozens and dozens of times about how they're bred for temperament, yes the ears are bred that way for show, yes the tail is longer because of show breeding. I repeated so many times "she won't jump out of your hands/bite I promise." I had dozens, probably 100+ kids LIGHT UP when I asked if they wanted to hold or pet one. One small boy, maybe 2 years old max, spotted my mice from like 15 feet away and his whole posture changed and he shrieked MOUSE??!! and lunged towards them from his mother's arms and only her incredibly fast reflexes saved him. I was asked several times why the mice hadn't pooped or peed on anyone, and had to explain how that's a stress behavior from mice that aren't bred to be comfortable being handled.

And it's always especially gratifying when people scared of mice will come pet or hold them after I tell them they don't have to, but also they'll never meet a nicer mouse and you won't BELIEVE how soft they are. How many times today I heard "oh... I didn't know they could be this sweet." Adults and kids alike! There was one little girl who so very badly wanted to hold one but she was so scared about it her hands started shaking as I was getting ready to put the mouse in them... And the moment the mouse was in her hands she literally melted. I don't have a better word, she relaxed completely and her face lit up as she smiled in relief. I don't know what she was expecting but whatever it was, the mouse she held put her at complete ease.

Like idk. Idk. I sold every single mouse I brought. Easily! Hours before the end of the expo. And made so, so many people happy just to experience them. It's enough to make me want to bring some ambassadors. I had a couple of my Really friendly girls there that were just so desperate to climb into hands they hopped up into the hands of complete strangers. Not one person got even a nip, not even the small children who got overexcited or anxious and grabbed a little too hard for a second. I am extremely proud of my gals, I think they really showed people how gentle and good mice can be.

Anyway. Completely worth it. I'm going to make a sign explaining the things I repeated 70 biajillion times to save my poor throat, and go back next month.

[breathlesslink]

Chapter 2 — Kimi

[chapter warnings: rude bitches, panic attack]

t.o.c ; << | >>

"Do I know my way around Hyrule? Do you not?" You gazed at the boy's pointed ears. "You're Hylian, you should know your way around. You're from here."

Link looked away from you. "I don't remember." He mumbled.

"What?"

"I don't remember." He said a little louder. "I, uh, got injured. And now I don't remember anything. I need to talk to Impa, but I don't know who that is or where they are here."

Impa. What a familiar name. She was the elder of Kakariko when you were still young, and you supposed by the sound of it she was still kicking. Good for her.

"I might be able to show you to her, but that's as far as my knowledge goes." You smiled sheepishly. "I don't know Hyrule either, except for Gerudo Desert. The rest I've only seen through maps."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a traveler?"

"This is only my first week of it. I left on my twentieth birthday a few days ago." You shook your head, not wanting to delve further into why you didn't know anything about Hyrule and grabbed Link's wrist. "Come on, let's go see Impa. I think I remember where she stays.”

If the elder Sheikah remembered you, she didn't show it. Instead, she focused on the man in front of you, ushering you upstairs with a girl named Paya as quickly as you had entered.

Paya was around the same age as you, yet seemed completely different. She was nearly spastic, moving around her room with no purpose other than to fidget. She answered your attempts at conversation with one-word answers, only reciprocating when she wanted to turn it towards the stranger downstairs.

"Link, you said his name is? Is he your boyfriend?"

At the question, you awkwardly laughed. "Him? No, I just met him not too long ago and he asked me to bring him here."

"Oh," Paya sounded relieved. Your tight smile turned into a real one as you sensed a wonderful opportunity.

"Yeah, he's real cute, isn't he?" You subtly tried to tease, "He might be into you. I saw him looking our way when we were leaving."

Paya turned a bright red, matching the accents of her outfit nearly perfectly. "R-really?!" Her voice raised a few notches, "I- there's no way! Maybe he was looking at you, you're gorgeous!"

"I'm nothing like you," You made a face, slightly playing it up to see how far this would go while simultaneously rejecting the compliment, "If there's any gal Link might be into, it's you."

Paya seemed to swoon at the thought, but before she could respond Impa's voice called you both down from her room. Link stood where you left him, but this time with a different wardrobe. He had a bright blue tunic on, matching his eyes nearly perfectly.

You weren't the only one who noticed, though, as you noticed the red on Paya's face returning.

Link thanked Impa and glanced at you— a silent way of saying "let's go". You followed him out and began your trek back to the hotel.

"What did she say?"

"She said that I could maybe get my memories back by going to places that I have pictures of."

"Pictures? Do you have a camera or something?"

"Or something." Link reached for his belt and grabbed some device— you recognized it as a Sheikah Slate, old technology you learned about while scouring the poor excuse of a library in the Yiga hideout. They weren't the smartest, so books were uncommon. "This isn't mine, it's an old friend's. She has these pictures of places we've apparently gone together, but I have to go to Hateno to get it fixed."

Together? Were they together? Goddess, that would suck if Link had a girlfriend he didn't even remember. Poor chick.

"So you're going to go to these places and just... what? Hope for the best?"

Link shrugged. "If I have the time, yeah. I have more important things to do right now."

"Like?"

Link didn't answer, instead opening the door to the Inn and letting you in first. He went to his bed and sat down, pulling out the slate and swiping through it. A while passed and Link continued to just stare at the screen, brows furrowed in what was probably some attempt at remembering his past.

"You're gonna get a headache from looking at that."

"I already have one."

You stood up and went over to his bed, slipping the slate out of his hands and turning it towards yourself. "Why is the map blank?"

"I have to go to certain towers to get a map of each region."

"Ohh, those weird super tall glowy things?" You grinned like a child in a candy shop when Link nodded, "They just showed up a little bit ago. What, were they made specifically for you?"

"Kind of? And those shrines are too. I just wish I knew where to go and where I am."

"Goddess, you must be mighty special for a bunch of ancient technology to just work for you." You joked.

Link looked at you with a look you didn't really recognize. "You said you just started traveling. Do you have a paper map?"

"I do." You turned and dug into your bag, pulling it out and unrolling it in between you. You also grabbed a pen, just in case. "Where do you need to go next?"

"According to Impa, first Hateno. Then Zora's Domain, Eldin, Rito Village, and Gerudo in no specific order."

"Hm," You looked at the map, "That order seems to be the most practical— starting close and then traveling to the further ones. It just works out that Hateno is first on our way, I need to go there too."

At that, Link paused. "Our way?"

"Yeah, I'm coming with you. I need to go to those places too, so it works."

"Uh, absolutely not." Link shook his head and took the pen from your hand, "My journey is way too dangerous for you."

"What?" You grabbed the pen back, "We have the same journey— we're going to the same places. How is that too dangerous? If anything, it would be safer to travel together."

"I just wouldn't be able to protect myself and someone else, you know?"

"Who said I needed you to protect me?" You were a little offended. Was this because you were a woman? "I can handle myself."

Link raised an eyebrow as if to challenge that. "Y/N-"

"Listen, you don't remember anything, right? You need someone who at least knows a little bit. I might not have actually traveled but I read books and know people who do. I know the monsters and the cultures of the regions and all that shit. You need that. Let me come along and help. I'll stay out of whatever shit you have to do."

Link seemed to think about it for a moment and then sighed. "Fine."

You cheered and looked back down at the map, marking the locations you needed to go to— the main towns in every region, stables, smaller villages, and Hateno itself. "First, Hateno. Then, to East Necluda to Zora's Domain."

"Why do you need to go to Hateno so badly?"

You looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "If I tell you my mission, you have to tell me yours."

"...We'll see."

"My little sister lives there. I haven't seen her in four years, so I need to visit. As for the rest of Hyrule, I'm looking for my brother. We all got separated." Link looked as if he was going to ask questions, so you interrupted. "You?"

"I have to tame the Divine Beasts."

You couldn't contain the loud laugh that erupted from your throat. "I'm sorry- what? Ganon controls those beasts, nobody can tame them except for the Cham...pions..."

You trailed off, suddenly putting two and two together.

Link's name was familiar to you. You'd heard it numerous times.

The Hylian Champion, destined to destroy Ganon with the Sword that Sealed the Darkness.

The Yiga drilled it into your head that he was a bad guy. You didn't believe them when they said he'd return, and yet you sat in front of him, talking as if he was a long-lost friend.

"I thought the Champions died 100 years ago."

"They did. I almost did, but I was put into a healing shrine on the Great Plateau. I woke up about a week ago. No memories, nothing. Just the Sheikah Slate and the ghost of the King telling me what I have to do."

"That's— wow. That's a shocker." You didn't know what to say. The traumatized part of you was conflicted— riddled with guilt. Guilt for betraying the organization you grew up brainwashed into, but also guilt because this guy seemed like a great dude. And yet you were trained to kill people like him. Or more specifically, just him. "So what if I just joined you on this little adventure and didn't fight the Beasts with you? Would you feel better then?"

"I definitely would."

"Deal."

"Deal." Link held out his hand and you grabbed it, feeling the rough callouses on his palm and the warmth of his skin that seemed to seep into your own. You were both definitely holding this handshake for too long.

You coughed awkwardly and pulled your hand away, rolling the map back up and tucking it into your bag before sitting in your own bed. "Wake me up when you're ready to leave. Goodnight, Link."

"Goodnight, Y/N."

———

"This is fucking stupid."

"You're fucking stupid. Drop the attitude or I'm leaving your ass."

"You're the one who woke me up at 5am, Link! You can't be mad at me for that when we didn't go to bed until 1."

"If you're gonna adventure, you gotta get used to running on little sleep. From here on out, it's tough."

You huffed and crossed your arms, focusing on Taz's mane as Link rode his own horse beside you. "Shit sucks."

"Imagine having the fate of Hyrule on your shoulders along with that."

You cut your eyes at him. "I liked you better when you were quiet."

At that, Link let out a little laugh. It was the first time you'd heard him laugh and it was a pretty sound. You smiled back, ignoring the slight tinge of heat in your cheeks.

"Thanks for this, by the way. Letting me tag along and all."

Link didn't look at you, choosing instead to focus on the road ahead. "It's no worries, really. I enjoy the company. I've already figured out how lonely traveling gets, so it's nice to have someone to keep me away from my thoughts for a while." He let out a dry laugh.

"It's gotta be tough-- being destined to save humanity. I'm glad I can help in any way.”

Link finally looked up at you and flashed a wide smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hateno is a few more hours. How about we take a break here for lunch?"

You nodded and pulled Taz off of the road into a large patch of grass, watching as Link pulled an axe out of an extra weapon holder on Epona and started going towards a patch of trees a few yards away. Patting Taz's nose, you pulled out a pot and some vegetables you had bought in Kakariko and met Link, starting a fire and placing the food inside to cook. After a while, you were able to pour the soup into two bowls and you began eating.

"I didn't know you knew how to cook." Link hummed, stuffing his face with the veggie cream soup you had made.

"You don't know a lot about me in general," You joked, "but I've known for a while. I guess I've become good since you just finished your second bowl."

"Super good!" Link put his bowl in his lap, seemingly finished, and looked at you. "So tell me about you."

You raised an eyebrow, pausing from your soup. "What?"

"You said I don't know a lot about you, and you're right. So tell me more. I think I have a right to know who I'm traveling with."

You internally cringed, wondering what all you could give away without letting Link know the truth. You know, the truth that you were actually raised by an organization created almost specifically to kill him.

"My mom was Sheikah and my dad was a regular Hylian, so I grew up in Kakariko with my brother and sister. We, uh, got kidnapped and taken away for a while. Eventually, we escaped and I ended up in Gerudo Town and I didn't know where my siblings were. As you know, I found out my little sister is in Hateno. So now I'm here, traveling and looking for them." You shrugged, feigning nonchalance as Link raised an eyebrow.

"You glossed over the kidnapping pretty quickly. That's scary."

"It was, but they kind of just kept us there. No clue why." You looked down at your soup, finding both it and talking about yourself unappetizing. "What about you? Do you remember anything from before?"

Link shook his head. "Nothing. Impa said to go back to her after I've remembered something, but there's nothing so far. I was Princess Zelda's knight, and I apparently failed at defeating Ganon."

"Yeah, no shit." You snorted. "This time will be different, though."

Link glanced at you with a face you couldn't describe. "I hope so." He stood up suddenly, taking the bowl and putting it back in Epona's pouch. "Impa said something about there being someone in Hateno who could help fix my Sheikah Slate. Let's go so we can get there before sundown."

———

"Halt! Who goes there!"

You skidded your horse to a stop, Taz's hooves digging into the wet dirt road beneath you. Link stopped shortly after, eyes wide at the pitchfork being brandished in front of the both of you.”

"Uh, I'm Y/N. That's Link." You backed Taz up a bit, not trusting this random short man outside of the village. "We're travelers."

"Travelers, eh?" The man looked you up and down with a scrutinizing gaze. You felt like shrinking under it. "Hylian?"

"Yes?"

He lowered his pitchfork, but not by much. "General Store is right ahead, same with the Inn. Don't go nowhere else causing trouble in my town. I'm sworn to protect this place with my life."

Link raised an eyebrow at the man. "Thank you, uh,"

"Thadd."

"Right. Thadd." You interrupted, "Could you tell us where to find a girl named—"

"You're askin' the wrong man. I ain't one for giving tours."

"We're not asking for a tour, I just need to find Kimi-"

"If you want a tour, go talk to Seldon right at the boutique. He's real nice."

"I— okay." You resisted rolling your eyes, "Thank you."

You continued forward, sharing a look with Link before finding the boutique and a smiling man out front. He waves you both over, "Hello there! My name is Seldon, care for a tour of our wonderful town?"

"Uh- we're just looking for one thing." You replied, feeling a little bad to deny his offer.

"Wh- so no tour?" Seldon sighed loudly, his shoulders dropping in disappointment. "What can I point you to?"

"Do you know where a little girl named Kimi lives?"

Seldon raised an eyebrow. "Kimi? She's too young to be having random visitors without her parents knowledge—"

"I'm her sister. Before she came here. She somehow found me and I just want to see her." You pleaded.

Seldon seemed to think for a second, then sighed. "Alright, but if it turns out you're lying Thadd's gonna have at you both."

Without waiting for a reply, Seldon turned his back to you both and walked up the main road of Hateno towards a small cluster of houses near the top. After leading you a few doors down, he stopped at one with a bright red door and gave it a knock, only stepping back once it opened to reveal a woman a bit older than you.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh yes," Your heart was pounding, "A little bit ago, I started getting letters from my little sister, who you took in—“

"Y/N? Is that you?"

A meek voice came from behind the lady, and then out peeked a small head of hair. Suddenly, the girl grinned widely and pushed past the woman, running to you with her arms wide. "Y/N!"

You smiled as well and crouched down, engulfing her in a tight hug, fighting to keep tears back.

"Kimi..." You pulled back and held her shoulders, "You've gotten so big!"

Kimi giggled and fiddled with the edge of her dress before gasping and turning to the older woman. "Mom! This is my big sister, Y/N! She finally came!"

"That's wonderful." The woman smiled. "I'm Ameil, and my husband— who'll be out in a sec— is Laslow! Kimi has said so much about you. Come in!"

You smiled at Ameil and stood to walk in when your wrist was grabbed by a gloved hand. You turned back to the owner— Link— and raised an eyebrow.

"That research lab up there on the hill— Impa said I needed to go there."

"What do you want me to do about that?"

Link snorted, "Nothing. I want you to catch up with your sister, so I'm going to head up there and see who I can talk to about fixing my Sheikah Slate. I'll be back soon."

"Oh, okay." You smiled at him, "Be careful, it looks like it's going to rain soon. I don't want you getting sick."

"Yes ma'am." Link fake-saluted and turned away, heading towards the research lab.

You, on the other hand, followed Kimi and Ameil inside. Sitting in one of the living room couches was who you assumed was Laslow. Ameil joined him on the couch while you and Kimi sat on one across from them.

Ameil continued to smile— it was getting a little strange at this point, but you shrugged it off— while Laslow put down his book and paid attention to you.

"So, Y/N, we've heard a lot about you." Laslow began, "But one thing we've never understood is how she came into our care in the first place. One minute Ameil and I are traveling the Taobab Grasslands, next we're picking up a little girl unconscious under a tree and taking her home. How did that come to be?"

Your breath caught in your throat and the world began to spin, but you tried not to show it.

They really went in for a first meeting, didn't they?

"Honestly," You steeled your voice and looked down at Kimi in a silent way of saying 'I will not tell'. "There was an accident. Kimi, our brother, and I were in Gerudo when a sandstorm hit— that Divine Beast is no joke— and we got separated. I couldn't find them, so I went to Gerudo Town and stayed, trying to find them. It took four years for Kimi to finally reach me. How did you find me, by the way?"

At your redirection of the topic, Kimi perked up. "At first, I just asked every traveler who came into Hateno if they knew you! None of them did, but a Rito suggested that I send a letter to every town asking about you and describing you, and if they found you then you would write back! And you did!"

"I did." You laughed, "I told you I'd always be there for you, I keep my word."

Kimi threw her arms around you once again and you felt a shift in the atmosphere. You looked up from your little sister to see Ameil, still sitting in the same spot, still smiling. She folded her hands in her lap and took a deep breath.

"I just think it's rather irresponsible for you to have your younger siblings out in the harsh elements like that in the first place." Ameil shook her head in disapproval. "It's common sense for sandstorms to happen in Gerudo."

You tried not to roll your eyes and reminded yourself that Ameil didn't know the truth— you might have to be the bad guy and take blame that doesn't even exist to save your identities. "We didn't have much of a choice. I can't go into all of it but—"

"But what? What could you have possibly put little Kimi through that required you to trek through potentially deadly weather and risk her life? Do tell."

Ameil was obviously pushing your buttons, trying to reveal things that you were sure she had pushed Kimi about before. "I can't."

Ameil threw her hands in the air. "I am Kimi's mother. I have a right to know what goes on."

You opened your mouth to respond, but Kimi beat you to it.

"Y/N, are you going to look for Hiro next?"

"Yes!" You were relieved, "Have you heard from him?"

Kimi's face dropped. "No, but I want to come with you-"

"Absolutely NOT." Ameil interrupted. "You are not going on some dangerous trip with strangers.”

"But Y/N is my sister. My REAL sister. You're not even my real parents!"

Ameil gasped, and Laslow sat up and practically growled, "Go to your room!"

Kimi stood up and ran to her room, slamming it hard enough to make the house shake. You could only watch as she left, the atmosphere getting even more uncomfortable in her absence. You didn't want to look back at Ameil and Laslow, but when you did Ameil was already looking at you with a look you couldn't recognize.

"You do see where we're coming from, right?" She asked gently, as if you were some toddler who needed talking down to. "Our sweet Kimi is our pride and joy. We can't possibly let her go back into the hands of the person who lost her. Who knows, she could go missing a second time. We don't quite see you as a responsible big sister. After all, why did it take so long for you to come find her?"

Condescending. That was the look.

At Ameil's words, you realized her feelings towards you. Ameil hated you. She looked down on you— blamed you for "abandoning" Kimi. But she doesn't know the truth.

How you risked your life for your siblings.

How you turned and faced the Yiga Clan head-on to give them enough time to escape and survive, even if you didn't.

How you fed them, defended them, took care of them while you were all imprisoned in the desert, working every day to get stronger and stronger to one day escape and create a better life for Hiro and Kimi.

You stood up and walked to the door, ignoring Ameil's fake protests and questions about why you were leaving, and slammed the door hard enough to shake the house once more. Tears blurred your vision as you walked down path, heading nowhere in particular except away from that house, and in your rush you accidentally bumped into a body.

"Goddess," You wiped your face, "I'm sorry-“

"Y/N, what happened?"

Link's voice sent a wave of comfort over you, and his hands gripping your shoulders gave you enough stability to collapse, tears streaming down your face more as your knees hit the ground.

Link fell to his own knees in front of you, quickly pressing you into his chest and gently shushing you, waiting until your sobs ceased before talking.

"What happened?"

"They-" Deep breath. "They blamed m-me for Kimi going missing. And my brother. And-and they said I wasn't a good sister, and I know that I'm not— who leaves their siblings for four years? I couldn't help it—"

You started to cry again, coughing out your words and wheezing in breaths in between. Your hands trembled, yet you couldn't stop it. Eventually it spread to the rest of your body, shaking like a leaf in an emotional storm. It was hard to focus on one thing when everything crowded in your vision and overwhelmed your senses.

Breathe in. You couldn't.

Breathe out. No.

In. Please.

Out. You can't.

Was this it? Was this the end? Just like that?—

"Y/N!"

Link.

He's still holding you.

His hand is laid atop your head, rubbing soothing circles into your hair. Your face is in the crook of his neck, finally able to breathe. His smell was comforting. His other arm wrapped itself around your torso, holding you close to his chest. When did he pull you onto his lap?

"It's okay. You're okay. Is Kimi upset with you?"

"No," Words struggled to escape, "Just her parents."

"Then who cares? You still have your sister. She still loves you."

You stayed quiet for a second, contemplating. Link was right— you still had Kimi. Ameil and Laslow were the issue. You just had to somehow prove that you were responsible enough to be around Kimi again. But how?

Find Hiro. Reunite your family.

Your muscles unclenched, and you slouched into Link's warmth a bit more. In your thoughts, he had begun to rock you gently and laid his cheek upon your head.

"Yeah." You yawned.

"C'mon, silly." Link shifted and stood you both up. "Let's go to the inn and rest, then. We'll figure out the next step tomorrow when we're fully rested."

"Right."

[bruciemilf]

battinson with smol dick as his robin at a gala but lurking in the corners acting emo. Dick has done enough socializing for the both of them and is just lurking with Bruce, on his shoulders, half asleep.

A random lady shows up like "oh hello boys, what are you doing hiding away?" Bruce is dead silent, panicking at actually having to socially interact with someone. He's desperately shaking dick surreptitiously and hoping he'd reply.

"Huh?" Dick says as he squints at the lady. "I said, what are you doing here."

His brain is empty. He has no thoughts.

"Uhhh, uhhh, bruce is emo-" he feels bruce tense beneath and shake him again.

"He's emotionally repre-" bruce looks like he's about to pass out.

"He's emotionally repelled by gal-" bruce is mourning his reputation.

"He's emotionally repelled by gatherings that have paparazzi and/or the press."

"Ookay." She blinks. The two have disappeared and she's looking around wildly for them.

Que dick trying to comfort a shaking Bruce while holding back sleep.

"What the hell dick." He says. "What the hell."

But the poor boy's already passed out.

News headings everywhere tomorrow have some variation of "bruce wayne, prince of gotham, repelled by reporters???"

He doesn't go outside for the next 3 months

I love this so much, but the best part is Dick's name not being capitalised in the beginning sjsj

[animentality]

Oh my GOD, the drama that's going on at my work...

So as some of you know, I've been getting bullied by my boss, let's call her Margaret because she's like Margaret Thatcher.

A Grade A bitch.

So Margaret will give me instructions that are wildly unclear, contradictory, or vague.

I'll give you an example.

We have a project that's basically comparing policy guidance from across different federal agencies with our own, so that we can incorporate their best language into our department's policy documents.

I wrote up a word document with policy analyses for all of our chosen examples.

Margaret said, I don't like this. I can't use it. I can't read it. Change it to Microsoft excel and make it like a checklist.

So I'm like alright, makes sense, my bad.

I do that.

She then complains that it's too much like a checklist and what she wanted was a detailed analysis that she could use.

Also that she can't read excel spreadsheets because there are..."too many words."

...

So. Yeah. Too many words, huh?

So I'm like...ok...but I already did that.

And she says, no you didn't, also I asked you to focus on finishing your analyses of all the departments, not to worry about the format. The format doesn't matter.

But here's the thing right.

The FORMAT MATTERS.

SHE LITERALLY TOLD ME TO CHANGE IT BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH THE FORMAT MATTERS.

And she's starting to go off and she's beginning to yell at me here...in front of any entire team of people...and I just had to cut her off, because if I don't, she's just gonna rant at me for an hour and then hang up and neither of us will have what we want, ie, she won't have the product she's imagining (which doesn't exist apparently bc she contradicted her own wishes), and I won't have the guidance I need to make the product.

So I interrupt her and say I already did that. The analysis is done. Now it's just the format that matters.

Now, she's very angry about the interruption, because she CONTINUES to just bulldoze right over me and keep talking...

And my supervisor, let's call her Sarah, then explodes and says, "Let him talk! He's trying to explain to you what he did and you're not letting him defend himself!"

And audience.

Fellow countrymen...

I would kill for Sarah, I really would.

I was so happy to have someone speak up for me.

But anyway.

So we finish the meeting, although it's very icy and very angry.

And then Sarah calls me immediately.

And she says oh my god I'm so sorry about that, what was that BS?

And I'm like...I'm like so happy to have someone on my side that I just say thank you for standing up for me there.

And she goes into this wild ass, amazing rant and she DISHED, BOYS AND GALS AND NONBINARY PALS.

APPARENTLY, Margaret has bullied every single contractor she's EVER had.

The guy she keeps telling me to defer to?

She tried to FIRE HIS ASS like a month ago.

The guy she keeps saying is like a godsend because he's sooo helpful?

She tried to fire him in his first month.

She was also apparently so hated at her last office that she had to leave because she wasn't getting any respect. She's been shunted all over the department because no one can stand working with her.

She has such poor interpersonal skills and fails so hard at communicating that she literally has clashed with every single member of her team.

And she hates me because I'm harder to bully.

Because I know what the fuck I'm talking about and I don't let her beat me down with her backwards ass contradictory logic.

And here's the spicy drama...

Apparently when Sarah interrupted her earlier...she literally texted HER BOSS, let's call her Laura...to complain that Sarah and I are "working together" and "conspiring" against her.

because "Kai was contradicting himself and when I tried to call him out on it, he INTERRUPTED me and then Christine ENCOURAGED him to and I just thought you should know."

And I find that really fucking funny.

Because she complained to her boss...who immediately sent THAT SCREENSHOT TO THE SAME PERSON SHE WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT.

So YEAH Margaret. We ARE conspiring against you.

But you don't have any allies, as evidenced by the fact that complaining to your boss literally made her roll her eyes and say ah Margaret is at it again...to the same person that Margaret is bitching about.

Anyway.

Totally insane.

Sarah told me, you're very professional and reasonable and sweet, and honestly, I feel protective of you because you're the youngest member of the team and I know that working with Margaret might make you feel like you never want to work again...but you're honestly very good at your job and I won't let Margaret fire you...

And I was really floored by the show of loyalty...

I also laughed because she said, I don't mind taking the heat from Margaret. What's she gonna do, fire me? (She doesn't work for Margaret and is sort of lateral to her position anyway).

I'd like to see her try.

And anyway.

Anyway that was the beginning of my crazy day.

Honestly I'm just smiling.

I've never had a supervisor stick up for me as much as Sarah and I'd love to keep working for her...it's just a shame if she can't keep me from being fired by the madwoman that leads our team.

I hope she'll let me know if Margaret decides to fire me because I dared using Microsoft excel in her presence again...

I'm so sorry that when you work for the government, you sometimes have to read things...

So sorry. But what do you want me to do about it?

Why hire a writer if you're scared of reading?