#posting this then promptly passing out cause it's late

[lilbitosunny]

I still have need of you.

Lore, notes, textless version of the last page and close-ups under the cut

Anyways- Lore dump of how this Lamb went out and her thoughts/behavior during the decapitation. Decided to make her angry and fight back against the bishops even to her slaughter

My art peaked with that final page, btw- Here's a no text version and some close-ups!

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

Alright know what here's a little Guild Wars 2 reblog game for everybody; what mounts (if any) do your characters have in their canon, do they have names? Personalities? How'd they meet??

Spill it all below, tell me about all your creatures!!

[notyashiro128]

My Lips ?

I found at my drafts :1

fluff fluff fluff tw mentioned of blood

Or any other song you like ✨🧑🏻‍🦽

Xoxo

Megumi your shy boyfriend who is obsessed with kissing you

Of course, you guys kiss but you always take the first step and you are always the one who kisses

Recently, you may have noticed a lack of intimacy between you and your partner. Upon closer inspection, you discovered that you have tooth decay, which may be the reason for the lack of kissing. You promptly made an appointment with a dentist, but unfortunately, the appointment was delayed, causing you even more frustration + you didn't tell him cuz you were busy

He became crazy, he became insecure, always thinking if he did something wrong

...

He was completely fixated on the idea of kissing you on the lips . It consumed his thoughts day and night of how he can kiss you, and he could hardly concentrate on anything else. he couldn't help but imagine his lips pressed against your soft pinkish lips. Despite his best efforts to control his obsession, it continued to grow stronger with each passing day, leaving him both excited and anxious at the same time.

Megumi He'll do anything to just kiss you He even reached the point where he hinted at kissing you, for example, one time he posted a story on Instagram where he puts the song Apocalypse And he wrote in the story 'your lips my lips but longer?'

You saw it you thought Integrated with the song (vibessss) you udidn't notice that he was hinting at you that he wanted to kiss you

If you go to see Megumi's search bar, you will find :

•how to kiss your girl

•how to kiss your girlfriend but longer

• how to tell your girlfriend you want to kiss her

All his mind focused on one thing kissing you

Now its 01:13 am

Megumi had been lying in bed for a few minutes still thinking about you when he heard a sudden knocking on the door. It was quite late, so he was taken aback by the unexpected sound. With a sense of caution, he got out of bed and made his way to the door, turning on the lights as he went. As he opened the door, he was surprised to find you standing there, looking equally taken aback by the encounter.

"Y/n.." He called your name softly and tenderly. In that second, without any words, Megumi hugged you. “I called you and sent you many messages. Why didn’t you answer?” you asked.

"Why what happened? Are you okay? " He starts blushing, now he feels so bad cuz now you think he's ignoring you

He was overthinking that He couldn't notice the phone back then

Now you are sitting in his bed "tell me y/n are you okay"

You clutched his hand tightly, your eyes still wide with fear. "I had a nightmare," you whispered, your voice shaky and unsteady. The memory of the dream still felt too real, too vivid, and you couldn't shake the feeling of dread that lingered in your chest.

"Everything's alright, my love. Don't worry, you're safe with me now." He hugged you

"I love you" You give him a small quick kiss on the lips

After this light kiss, you were waiting for Megumi to say to you, 'I love you more,' but Megumi remained silent in his place, his eyes staring at your pink lips.

As you looked at Megumi, you couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with your lips "Is there something wrong with my lips? "You asked him, but he remained silent, leaving you to wonder even more.

He was nervous. He was unfocused. You thought he was stressed out from studying You hugged him tightly wrapping your arms around his neck

Megumi stayed in his place for a few moments and then, without any warning, he pushed you away from him "Huh? Megu-" You didn't finish speaking until Megumi started grabbing Your chin and he pulled your face in and started kissing you.

Megumi felt the softness of your lips. He started with just a light kiss, but the softness of your lips made him feel even more obsessed. He placed both of his hands on your waist and you brought your arms back around his neck.

As you lean in towards each other, your lips meet in a passionate embrace. Your hearts beat faster as you both explore the depths of the kiss, lost in the moment. With your eyes closed, you savor every sensation, every touch, and every breath that you share.

Megumi can't handle how soft and wet your lips are. Now he moves his hands up and down around your back

Now Megumi's tongue is dancing with yours. You feel the heat of Megumi's tongue. He began to lick your lips and returned to kissing you.

As you and Megumi shared a passionate kiss, you began to feel a bit suffocated and wanted to pull away to catch your breath. However, Megumi seemed to be enjoying the kiss too much to let it end so soon. Sensing your discomfort, he placed his hand gently behind your head, pulling you closer to him. As your lips continued to explore each other's, Megumi pushed you onto the bed, positioning himself on top of you. He continued to kiss you deeply,

Without any warning, Megumi began to bite your lower lip, until some of the blood from your lip fell on Megumi's tongue to feel the salty taste of the blood

Megumi opened his eyes to find your tears falling and saw some blood on your lips

"y/n iam sorry" .....

"I don't know what happened to me, I'm really sorry "

He started wiping away your tears." I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Then he lowered his hand to wipe the blood on your lower lip.

"Hey shh, it's okay Megumi "

"I'm really sorry. I was just thinking, then I did, then I didn't know. I don't know! " He was nervous and afraid. Afraid of what? Idk...? (Sometimes when you feel down. and when it comes to the person that you love with all your heart ofc you're going to be afraid of losing him/her .....)

"What were you thinking?" You asked curiously.

•••

"Megumi... "You called him again

"I will confess to you, "He said." since you stopped kissing me, I have been wanting to kiss you like crazy. I started thinking that I did something bad to you and that I was a bad boyfriend to you. I am sorry." He lowered his head.

"No, it's not your fault. Sorry. I had Tooth decay and I didn't want to kiss you until I went to the dentist yesterday. Sorry. "

"I didn't know you couldn't live without my kisses "you teased him

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" He slept on his side and then pulled you to his side and covered you with blanket

"It wasn't necessary and you were busy " Megumi wrapped his hands around your waist

"no, it is necessary, and by the way, why did you come here?" He kissed your forehead

"I told you I had a nightmare " you asked While you started to hear Megumi's heartbeat

"about" he asked

"about a Horror movie i watched"

"I told you not to watch that type of movie my big cry babe~"

Help its 2am

Can this plz get 400 likes

[piratefishmama]

OK but that trope where one of them turns up drunk and instead of getting into bed together they just "ur v pretty but I have a____"

Only, Eddie turns up wasted at Steve' place post apocalypse, totally off his face, climbs through the window and lands in a heap on the floor, and while Steve is all hands on deck nail bat at the ready until he spots him, while Steve does tell him to get into bed already cause its late and figuring out sleeping arrangements would be a hassle...

It comes up. "Mmmnnn you--youre...VERY pretty but I hAve a boyfriend soooo..." and then promptly passes out on the floor.

they're not actually dating. And Steve, sweet Steve with a crush, winds up agonising for weeks cause he had no idea Eddie was even gay, much less that he was already taken.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Hiya !! I hope you are doing well this day/night <33 i was hoping to request somthin for hazbin !! Soooo yeah gcbfbhbhbbh my request is for platonic!CharlieAngelvaggie with a newly hellbound young!reader ?? || like 18-|| they seem really skittish & kind like they shouldn't be in hell at all,, apology's if that was 2 specific hvbgbhbh

Platonic Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel Dust x new sinner!sweet!reader

Looooong title sorry if this is all over the place I'm writing this late at night as I got hit with the silly brain waves that make me write a whole load of stuff all at once before promptly passing out LMAO

Didnt bother separating each character into segments since this is a shorter post <\3

They all kind of adopt an older sibling relationship. Particularly Angel Dust. Between the three Angel and Charlie seem the most hung up on you being stuck in hell despite seeming like a genuinely good person. They show it in different ways, though. Charlie is more open and honest on her believing it's not fair, and it emboldens her to try to change heavens mind. Angel on the other hand is more.. subtle in expressing his.. displeasure.. but hes more.. hmm..

Charlie is working hard to try to either redeem you or get heaven to change their mind, and angel is just trying to show you how things work down in hell. What to do and what not to do, things like that. Giving you a guide, more or less. All of his sexualized comments stop, really the only time they "crop back up" is if you ever happen to mention having a crush on someone.. though it's more innocent teasing. Like how people go "oh..?? You have a friend of the gender you're attracted to?? Are you sure you aren't dating??", stuff like that if that makes sense. Very protective of you, too...

Vaggie is also protective of you. Shes angry too, but her feelings are internalized unless this is after her past of being an angel is revealed. She doesn't want you to have any part in defending the hotel when the extermination comes.. she doesn't think you cant fight she just cant handle the idea of letting someone so young get hurt under her watch. Does teach you self defense so you can put up a fight if something were to happen. Sees you as the "good trustworthy kid".. especially during group exercises because you dont cause any problems or cause friction

As mentioned Charlie starts working overtime to make things right, emboldened by the mere fact that someone like you was sent to hell. Sometimes you feel that shes putting a lot of pressure for you to be redeemed.. shes going to feel so terrible if you let her know how that's making you feel. That kind of pressure can ruin someone, especially if you were already doing everything you could. Charlie is so so apologetic

[kittybroker]

I wanted to submit my cat Ombra, and his sister Serafina.

Unfortunately, Ombra passed away a day or two before new years last year, after struggling with kidney disease.

As a PSA (nothing graphic but it is sad), I want everyone to know that kidney disease is a common cause of death among cats, however it’s not always fatal if you catch it early enough, so they can be on the look out for it. The instant you notice them having strange bodily emissions (runny when it should be solid, etc.), and drinking water in desperate amounts, among other symptoms, you should get them to a vet as quickly as possible. But if the cat has already stopped eating, it’s probably too late. Treatment would be prohibitively expensive, and extremely painful and stressful for the cat, with a very very low success rate (if they do live longer because of it, it won’t be a happy life).

Unfortunately, we didn’t realise in time, and he passed away.

Serafina is very healthy today, however, and while she misses her brother, she makes up for it by spending even more time with us.

Anyway, Serafina is a silly goose who likes putting herself directly in your path (and the path of moving furniture [it hasn’t hit her ever, so why should she bother moving?]), everytime she yawns she emits a burst of fishy cat breath, and as soon as my father starts speaking in his low voice she immediately needs to sit on his lap. And Heaven forBID you not let her in when she screams and scratches at your door!

Ombra was not so great at bathing himself, but Serafina loved to do it for him, and in return he ate more than his fair share of the food and took up way more space than needed, often splaying and wiggling around into silly positions and nearly pushing her off whatever they were sitting on, though Serafina would promptly sit on him instead. He aslo had a terrible love for crashing into the backs of people’s legs to really get them worked up just before the person you were calling picked up the phone, while Serafina only recently learned to use the scratching posts instead of the couch! Ombra was a very loud purrer, my friend could hear his motorcycle rumble through the landline. He also had a broken tail from before they were rescued from the streets, meaning the very tip was crooked.

So how much for my kitties?

(I hope the picture loads properly)

Ombra and Serafina the perfect pair! Ombra may only be here in spirit, but that's enough to sell! Get these two kitties for only $47.62!

[fantasticalchaos]

The First Thronecoming

Chapter 4: Absence of Leave

Summary: “There is plot” the narrator whispers, typing up this chapter. “More specifically, side-plot!” In which, at the dead of night, there is something else going on in the background. A call for a peculiar leave of absence. But for what? [Crossposted on AO3, Inspired by SayuriCorner’s TWST x EAH AU & LovelyLlama’s Thronecoming Headcanons]

A/N: Sorry for not posting Chapter 4 in the usual format I do here on Tumblr! I was busy crossposting these works onto here cause 1) in case AO3 crashes (which it did) and 2) because enjoyment on other platforms!

P.S: (09/15/24) THE AO3 IS DOWN AGAIN!!! AND I FORGOT TO POST THIS ONE LOL! Also I had to reuse the version that I saved in docs since the website is down 😅

EDIT: WTF ITS BACK WHEN I POSTED LMAOOO 😂

⬅️ Ch. 3 | AO3 | Ch. 5 ➡️

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[Location: Headmaster Office]

Even late at the dead of night, the elegant beauty of the Headmaster’s Office never fails to impress those in there. The flickering glow waving off the candles and chandelier. The paintings of the Great Seven smiling proudly in their shining splendour and glory. Not even a speck of dust can be found at all here from the top to bottom!

{Such elegance indeed! How befitting for a headmaster of such a prestigious academy!}

“What do you two mean that you are having a break for the next few weeks?!”

And there is the Headmaster with his hands raising in the sky. Crowley blubbers inelegantly through his sobs. Tears swelling and spilling onto his desk. A smooth wooden desk, now dampened by tears.

{Very unfitting his appearance and status as a Headmaster…}

“Why would two members of my dear, respectable staff want to leave?”

Sitting across his desk, is an elderly sorceress and a middle aged man. The elderly sorceress leans over and grumpily says to her colleague. Her cerulean blue eyes narrowed as she watches her crying supervisor.

“I knew we should’ve cursed him or better yet ditched when we had the time, Giles.”

“Now, now Baba Yaga,” the man whispers back gently, placing a hand on hers. “He’s a friend of mine, let me handle this.”

Baba Yaga rolls her eyes, but leans back in her chair. She lets him go at talking sense to the blubbering crow-man. Giles had a point; he and Crowley were long time friends. How far that friendship has surely been taken to the level where Giles is confident in dealing with this crow’s antics. Truly, Giles has the patience of a saint!

Giles turns to Crowley. The latter was touching up his tears with a handkerchief in his hand.

{Where in Ever After did he got that handkerchief?!}

I have no idea either Brooke! 🤷‍♀️

“It’s just a few days Dire, we won’t be gone for that long.” He reasons, tilting his glasses up in one hand. Giles places his other arm on the crying crow-man’s cloak. He gives a quick shoulder rub as his friend glances back up.

“But why?” The crow-man sniffles. Dabbing the last of the few teardrops with his handkerchief, he brings down his hand. “What could possibly be the reason for such a sudden, and long absence?”

{Okay, at this point this is starting to look like a parent consoling a child who’s about to go to work! Or on a business trip… Something along those lines.}

“Well, that is a little more complicated to explain….” Giles rubs the back of his neck. A slight nervous chuckle fell out. “We might as well show you for ourselves; Baba Yaga, the invites.”

He turns to Baba Yaga, who nods promptly.

Baba Yaga places 2 pieces of scrolls onto Crowley’s desk. The Headmaster tilts his head. Even with the upper half of his face obscured by his corvid skull-like mask, his neon yellow eyes glowed with anticipation.

Passing them over the table, the Headmaster picks up one of the scrolls. Indeed, there was a small attachment having both of the formers’ names (separately) on them. The scrolls, embalmed with a stamp in the shade of magenta. Upon the stamp, an etched logo of a mini key against a lock in the shape of a heart.

Unrolling both - one with his hand and the other with magic - the scrolls unwrapped themselves. Inside, the contents were as presentable as it was before. The handwriting, written so pristine and legible in its curves. Their strokes are sharp and to the point. There is even a small illustration of the same logo drawn and painted. Almost, just almost, this rivals that of the style of the Sea Witch.

“But of course, the Sea Witch does it better!” thought Crowley.

Headmaster Crowley began to read.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

To the addressed, Greetings! If you have received this message, you are royally invited to join as a newly appointed member to the Council of Ever After.

The Council of Ever After is founded as a community organisation filled with many fairytale representatives since the exile of the former Queen of the White Kingdom, Snow White.

Our mission is to explore beyond our destinies with new ideas in order to bring more life and freedom to everyone. In order to do this, we royally invite other fairytales such as yourself to help provide us with your enlightenment and wisdom. Moreover, we intend to reverse the damage of the original big bad destiny ideologies created and enforced by Milton Grimm and his associates.

We are well-aware that this will take time out of your schedule. Additionally, your newfound position will also require you to make more than one trip as well as stay longer in Ever After to fulfil your duties. Nevertheless, we have faith in you and your abilities!

Your attendance is fairy mandatory. Our first meeting with you will commence on XX/XX. The meeting will take place in the former Ever After High. Precisely at 8AM, so don’t be late when the bell strikes 8.

Fairest Regards,

Council of Ever After 🩷

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Everything went still for a moment.

It was peaceful. Agonizingly peaceful. All eyes were on Crowley, awaiting the verdict of these invitations. Crowley’s beady eyes blinked through his mask. His head bobbing slightly up and down the scroll a few times. Slowly, he pulls away the scroll, letting it rest neatly onto the table.

“I see…” He muses at last. His talon nails touch and tapped underneath his chin. “The Council of Ever After.. ”

So Ever After has a council to represent themselves now, huh? Not a king! Not a queen! Nor a group contained that of royal blood! A whole community of different tales ruling together!

Crowley remembered on the news that day! The day when King White (husband and Prince Charming to Snow White) refused the offer of ascension since the dethronement (and divorce) of his wife. After seeing what his daughter endured, he believes that they need to rest elsewhere.

Somewhere far far away from home. Additionally, he believes that it’s also his time to reflect on his distant relationship with Apple. Perhaps, by using this time, he could try to catch up and make time with one another. Just like old times once upon a time! For Apple’s sake!

{It was a giant field day for the news back home too, I’ll tell you that much!}

Oh shoot… I can’t imagine how chaotic narrating all of that was like.

{Yeah, and… I’m not supposed to say this here, but… There was also some high tea going around kingdoms about King White.}

Oooh~! What kind of tea?

{That he lack the skills in kingdom management compared to Snow. More speci-fair-ally, the more political and economical aspects of ruling a kingdom. At best, he can look the part, but not act it! There was more to the glitz and glamour towards managing a kingdom in of itself!}

…Oh my gosh. That’s huge!

{I know right?! A total major fairy-fail!

Anyways… The number of royalty that lives in the Ever After World is big, but not too common. Surely, there would have been a royal family willing to take charge in the former kingdom. Or at least siege an opportunity to form an alliance for a kingdom or two to share.

Instead, many tales decided to help one another in ruling. Ranging from those of royalty, to the lowly commonfolk and peasantry. Humans to fairies to mythical creatures that live out in the Enchanted Forest! All different classes, in rank and in species. Working altogether!}

And yet, only one thought racked through the crow-man’s brain.

“Oh Sevens, why can’t my students be more like this?” Crowley’s mind ponders, massaging his forehead. Quivering mentally like a parent lamenting over their own children and their shenanigans.

Even before the flourish of transfers, the NRC kids were a stubborn bunch. They snark at best, and argue or even throw hands at worst. Whenever they join hands and unite, there’s often something to gain for their own interests. Just a simple, personal matter that would benefit them.

Yes, there are a few students who are exceptions to this. Even the Prefect and their tanuki-cat he allowed were in charge (though mainly the former) of rounding up the troublemakers!

And yet, with all of these factors combine, there is high brewing of trouble! He can’t seem to figure out why nor how he can do more…

His students… Oh, his poor students.

{Oh the irony…}

The sweet irony…

Dire’s eyes looking over to Giles and Baba Yaga. Both eyes staring at him. One expectantly. The other impatiently.

“Well?”

“Well… as your benevolent headmaster, I suppose you two can go back to Ever After to fulfil your council duties.” He decreed, “Consider this jury duty! After all, you two were chosen for a reason.”

Sighs of relief came.

“Thank you so much, Dire!”

“Thank you Crowley!”

“Ah, by the way,” Crowley interrupted, “Did you two have signed-“

Plop!

“Already done it.” Baba Yaga stated matter of fact, slamming down pieces of paper onto his desk. “We already wrote our leave request a while ago. I brought an extra copy in case you forgot…”

An offended gasp came from Crowley, his talons touching his chest. How dare?!?

“Of course I didn’t forget! I am a very busy headmaster!” He defended with such emotion in his voice. Surprisingly, the most emotion since his outburst at the beginning. “What makes you think—”

Spritz of water flew onto and over his face.

“AH!”

He stands up from his seat. His talon-hands flare up and out. As he wipes off the excess water that went on his mask and outfit, Giles snaps his head to Baba Yaga. In her hand, is a spray bottle filled at the brim with water.

“Baba Yaga.” Giles placed his arms on his sides.

“What?” She defends herself, bringing her spray bottle closer to her. Her grip on the handle, on the other hand, remains set. “He was asking for it!”

Giles pinches his nose, tiredly sighing before getting up from his chair.

”It’s just plain water! He’ll live!”

“Doesn’t matter; Come on, and help me.”

With a begrudging sigh, she complied. She flew over and grabbed a towel and helped clean up the mess. Unwillingly. The mess that is not only on their boss, but also on his desk. And on the floor.

{Don’t forget his crocodile tears from earlier!}

Oh shoot, almost forgot about that! Thanks Brooke!

{Anytime!}

“So, I’m assuming that is everything?” Crowley asks, patting down the last spill on him. Both of which the two nod.

With a nonchalant wave in his hand, Crowley continued. “That will be all then! You both are dismissed.”

“Finally,” Baba Yaga blurts out loud. Not any hint of shame in her voice. The stool she is sitting on, turns away from her colleagues and towards the door.

Whatever it is telekinesis, magic, or some fairytale magical force that levitates her stool, it pulls the elderly lady up and away. As she enters the hallway, leaving the two behind. Not too far to hear, she makes a slight comment.

“Thought this meeting would never end.”

With the two left in the room, Giles coughs into his fist he made to get rid of the awkwardness. The tension in air, if you will.

“Oh, don’t mind her,” Giles rubs the back of his neck. His eyes downcast onto his shoes. “She means well, I’m sure.”

A curt nod from his friend came.

“Always having something good to say about others, isn’t it Giles.” Crowley complimented.

In his mind, however, another older man forms. That man is draped in a deep blue, one like the night sky devoid of light. A stern expression, one that lacked Giles’s warmth and whimsy. The golden eyes of the crown narrows.

Under his breath, he scoffed, “ Even to those who don't deserve it…”

“Indeed, Dire. You know me so well!” Giles said, unaware of his friend’s muttered quip. He waves a hand, his eyes shifting from his sneakers to the purple carpet.

“What can I say, I’m so kind after all!” Crowley puffs his chest out with a wide grin. His sense of pride swelling once again from such a compliment. His shoulders faltered as he heard his friend yawn.

“Well, it’s getting late!” Giles brushes a part of his hair away. Another heavy yawn escapes his mouth. He turns around, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dire!”

The sneakers padded through the carpet as Giles made his way to the doors. His hand lays itself onto the handle. In a quick swipe, he pulls the door handle.

The door opens.

. . .

..

.

“Giles.”

Giles stops. His feet a moment away from passing the door. He lifts his head over to Crowley. There was no smile on the latter’s face and tone. As if the joy was snuffed out of Crowley. Just a straight-lipped face looked unreadable. He almost feels like a different person entirely.

Hands gripping tight to his staff. Eyes studying Giles form intently from head to toe. Dire said, his face poised, “You and Baba Yaga be safe out there. It is an important job after all.”

The tone, calm and even. Yet at the same time, heavy. An anchor within an otherwise normal farewell. Almost too normal. Not many times does the Headmaster drop the dramatics.

This is one of those times.

And yet… Giles gives out a smile. A small, yet knowing smile underneath his greying beard.

“We will, Dire. No need to worry about us!” Was what came out of Giles as he turned away. With a wave, he added, “Farewell!”

The door shuts, and all is quiet once more. The invites and documents, being Crowley’s only company left. The headmaster sighs, sitting back down at his table.

“Goodbye Giles.”

Glancing out, pass through the painted frames and through the window. The night, clear and shimmering with dots and stars. All sparking at the moon, a waxing crescent with the rest obscured by darkness.

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[Later that night…]

Ring! Ring! Ring!

A grumble echoes as a figure arises from his bed. Their fluffy cat once rolled up like a cinnamon roll, now stirred up and awake. Lights illuminating the once dark room. They watched as their owner left their shared resting spot. Not wanting to be left out, the latter hops off and tails after them.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The figure walks over to the ringing phone. When they reached it, they stopped in their tracks. The ringing continues ceaselessly, prompting the figure to massage their forehead.

“Great Seven… What time is it? Who would be calling at this forsaken hour?”

“Meow.”

Feeling one of their legs being wrapped in soft fur, they look down to see their cat purring up at them. The figure smiles a bit, feeling a sense of comfort and strength to deal with this minor setback.

Kneeling down, they picked up their cat in their arms. Cradling them as they took a deep breath. Their emotional support companion. They picked up the phone, bringing it to their face.

“Hello—”

“Why, good evening Trien!” Cheerful greetings phase on through the phone. Trien sighs at the voice. “How are you doing on this beautiful night?”

“Crowley, you better have a good reason for calling me late at night.”

On the other end of the phone, Crowley stilled. Sweat spilling from his forehead as he fiddles with his white collar.

“Ah, yes! I have an utmost reason to call you!”

“Tell me then, Dire.”

“…”

“Tell me, what could it possibly be to talk about at this ungodly hour?”

Perhaps the Headmaster realised that maybe… Just maybe totally this wasn’t a good time to tell Trien about the increased workload for the next coming days….

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⬅️ Prev | Next ➡️

A/N: And that’s the last of the current chapters I have crossposted here! I’m so glad I have these here when the crash happened lol

I’ll be continuing on my writing the next chapter, so please be patient until the next one comes out! Thank you for reading! Until next time!

[xaeethebaee]

Shuji x Shortcake

Minors DNI! Mature audiences ONLY!

After over a decade, you reunited with your childhood best friend Shuji Hanma after moving back to Japan. Things seem great however the more you've spent time with him, the more you learn about the dark activities he has been into since you last saw him.

Warnings! Violence, mentions of murder, smoking, Hanma being a giant intimidating doofus, and strong sexual content. More warnings will be added for individual chapters.

This fic contains both fluff and smut in addition to some dark content (Hanma is in a gang after all).

Word Count: 3.1k

A/n: This is my very first fanfic for Tokyo Revengers. Also, I am still not fully caught up with the manga; therefore, some of the characters may be a little ooc. Lastly, italic means it is a flashback.

Also also: This is my first official post on Tumblr, and I am still trying to figure out how to navigate it.

Chapter ONE

It was a fateful day at the park when you were seven years old. A downpour has just passed through the area, allowing for the sun to emerge from the darkened clouds. Intrigued by the wet surroundings, you decided to go to the local park to play on the swing set. That was when a complete stranger approached you from behind. The stranger with short black and blonde hair was the same age as you albeit he was taller than the average seven-year-old kid. Once he is within arms reach, he grabs a handful of mud from the ground.

"Hey!"

The strange kid called for you as you swung by your lonesome. Your attention was then directed at him, turning your face and noticing a shit-eating grin adorning his.

"Who are you?" You asked him, curious and a bit unnerved by his presence.

Upon hearing your question, the boy's grin grew wider and mischief and excitement filled his golden eyes.

"Hanma Shuji! Wanna watch me eat this mud?!"

His response caused a look of disgust to plague your face.

"That is gross!" You shrieked at him. "Don't do that!"

"Too late!"

The kid named Hanma ignored your protests before shoving the handful of mud into his mouth.

"Ewww!" You cry out.

Hanma finishes his earthly meal and then he opens his mouth to show you. You only slightly gag at his gross actions; however, you nonetheless found yourself being charmed by the tall boy.

Almost immediately, Hanma doubled over, vomiting out the mud. Some of the contents nearly getting on you. Instead of running away, you find yourself rubbing Hanma's back as he vomits out the mud he previously ate.

"I told you that was gross." You scold.

"Hell yes, but it was still cool!"

Hanma gleefully smiled despite green flushing his cheeks. You let out giggles seeing his happy state before you promptly agree with his statement.

"Pretty cool actually."

"Yay! We should be friends!" He offers right before he once again doubles over to vomit.

You only watched with half disgust and half intrigue while the tall boy hacks out the rest of the eaten mud. Soon enough, he turns back to you and that was when he noticed a gold necklace around your neck.

"That's a nice necklace!" He compliments, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth.

"Thanks." You respond. "My name is L/n Y/n by the way."

Excited, Hanma just smiled.

"Awesome! Then we should be friends!"

"Yes. We should." Came your soft reply, happy that you've made your very first friend.

From that day forward, you two were inseparable. Even though you went to a different school than him, he still found a way to meet up with you and you two would walk together while holding hands, eventually arriving at the same park. Hanma often pushed you on the swings, you two slid down the slide together, and your absolute favorite was leaning on Hanma as you sat on top of the monkey bars, watching the beautiful Tokyo sky. Soon enough, it became apparent that Hanma was more than just your best friend. He became your protector.

"LET GO OF ME!"

You screamed at a delinquent kid who had you cornered as he grabbed at your hair. He only laughs at your terrified form while he notices the gold piece of jewelry hanging around your neck.

"That's a cute necklace. Mind if I take it?"

"NO!"

Your feeble arms try pushing the much bigger kid away from you but to no avail. He only grabs the necklace roughly before yanking it off your neck, snapping it into pieces. Disappointed, he only faces you.

"This cheap piece of shit!"

The boy raises his hand and swings it directly at your face. All you could do was shield yourself from the incoming impact however it never came. All you hear is a familiar chuckle and when you open your eyes you notice Shuji Hanma standing right next to the boy while having a strong grip on his arm.

"I'm here now. He won't hurt you again."

Hanma only says before punching the kid in the face, knocking him down. You watch as he proceeds to kick his stomach and face repeatedly. Eventually, you pulled Hanma away from the kid who was now covered in scars and bruises. The both of you watch as the humiliated and terrified bully sprint away from you two. Hanma could only laugh at his retreating form while you are on the verge of tears when you see the broken pieces of your jewelry on the ground. Upset, you kneel down to pick up the necklace, tears pouring from your e/c orbs.

"This was my favorite necklace." You sob.

His face of amusement was quickly replaced by a look of absolute concern as this is the first time seeing you cry. Unsure of what to do, he impulsively wraps his arms around your body allowing you to cry into his chest. Tears soak his t-shirt while he begins to gently rock you as if you were a baby.

"Please don't cry."

He only says however his soft words and warm embrace calmed you down. Your sobs stopped and they did not go unnoticed by your tall friend. Slowly, you separate from his hold, looking up at him with gratitude. Your teared-stained face smiled softly at him.

"Thank you, Shu."

You say to him, causing a blush to form on his cheeks. Heat rises on yours as you realize what you've called him.

"Sorry I-"

"Shu is a cool-ass name!" Hanma happily responds.

You can only giggle at his excitement.

Over the next few years, you two developed a strong bond, but like all good things, it eventually had to end. That end came when you two reached twelve years old and you were told by your parents that they decided to move back to the United States. Your heart is shattered upon hearing the news because that means you will no longer be able to see Hanma.

That morning was one of the worst mornings of your life as you stood with tears in your eyes to bid farewell to the tall boy. A river of tears flows down Shuji's face hearing those final words leave your lips.

"Shu? I don't know when I'll be able to see you again."

Your voice croaks with sadness as Hanma just pats your head.

"It's okay, Shortcake." He responds.

Though you're upset, you cannot help but cringe at the pet name.

"You're still on that?"

"Hell yea. You're short and you love cake, so Shortcake!" He stupidly jokes earning a pained giggle from you.

"You're always so corny when I am upset."

Hanma pulls you into a tight hug.

"It's the only thing I know that can make you smile."

He remarks, rocking you back and forth.

"It was fun while it lasted." You say to him while holding him.

"Yea. It was."

After a minute, you peel away from him. You then reach for something in your pocket. Hanma watches as you pull out pieces of the gold necklace. A bittersweet feeling overtakes his body upon seeing the piece of jewelry.

"Here."

You present one of the broken pieces to him, which he happily takes.

"Wow. Thanks."

"Keep it as something to remember me by."

You command before giving him another hug. The second hug was cut short when you two hear the beeping of the car, signaling you that it was time to leave. Separating from him, you give him one more smile.

"Stay safe out there."

He ruffles your hair while you gave him a nod. Hanma watches with teary eyes as you get into your parent's car before it quickly drives away.

It has been more than a decade since you've last seen and heard from Shuji Hanma. After graduating high school and saving up enough money, you've managed to find a way to move back to Tokyo, Japan. You're now employed at a fancy restaurant serving food to wealthy guests with a satisfied smile on your face.

You've had a long night at the restaurant, and you've decided to relax by running a hot steamy bath as soon as you returned home. You can feel the stress in your body melt away like ice cream on a hot day as you relax in your jacuzzi tub. Nighttime is approaching, so there is a beautiful orange glow radiating in your luxury bathroom. The tension in your muscles eases as you release a calming breath.

"Oh...I almost forgot."

You remark with a giggle while grabbing the bottle of bubble bath soap before pouring the contents into the hot water. In no time, the bubbles form with the help of the working jets pushing water against your body, massaging you in the process. Soon enough, bubbles cover the entire surface of the water and the sweet smell of peach overtakes the bathroom and seeps into your attached bedroom.

You've become completely at ease with the relaxing atmosphere. From all the long hours working at the restaurant, there is no doubt in your mind that you deserve this relaxing time. Just you, the hot and steamy water, and the bubbles.

"Perfect. Absolutely perfect."

You remark with satisfaction in your voice.

You can hear your tv in your bedroom. A news report is being broadcasted and the news anchor speaks with a sense of urgency in his voice. Some of his words go in one of your ears and out the other; however, you vaguely recall him talking about a series of gang-related violence that has been happening around Tokyo lately. You also hear him mention the Kanto Manji Gang which has been something that you've been hearing a lot recently.

"Kanto Manji Gang, huh?"

You only remark before washing up and getting out of the bathtub. Now listening more closely to the news broadcast as you put on your night clothes, the anchor then explains that the local law enforcement is still suspecting that the Kanto Manji Gang is responsible for the sudden outburst of violence. He added that everyone should be extra cautious when going out at night as that's when many of the brutal attacks - sometimes murders - occur.

An unnerving feeling seeps into your body; however, you just brush it off before heading to bed.

The next day is mundane as you finish getting ready for work. Deciding to walk down memory lane, you make your way to the park. You're sitting on the swing while watching the Tokyo sky. The light from the sun above reflects off your dangling gold ear piercings. Slowly swinging back and forth, you check the time on your phone, realizing it is time for you to make your way to your place of employment.

Quickly, you get back onto your feet while pulling the strap of your purse over your shoulder and you start walking out of the park and towards the train station.

Unbeknownst to you, a tall figure lingers in the shadows nearby. He watches you leave as he takes a drag from his cigarette. He only smiles while breathing out a breathy chuckle.

"Long time, no see, Shortcake."

He says while running his fingers through his neck-length black and gold hair.

Arriving at the restaurant you are greeted by your work friend in the employees-only area. You did not get a chance to begin changing into your uniform when your work friend starts to ask you about your plans for the upcoming weekend.

“Nothing but watching tv, why?”

You respond.

“Great! Wanna come to a party with me?” She asks.

“A party?”

You ask your work friend, perplexed by her request as you put your things away in your locker. Shaking your head, you put on your nametag.

“I don’t go out, plus with the craziness that’s going on right now, I’d rather stay inside.”

“Come on, Y/n! Please! The Haitani Brothers are hosting”

Your work friend pleads. Her hands clasp around yours as she starts getting down to her knees.

“Do you know who the Haitani brothers are, Y/n?! The hottest brothers in Tokyo and they host the best parties in the country. So many celebrities and executives attend, and for ONCE I managed to get an invitation!”

“How?”

Came your question as your eyebrow raised inquisitively.

“They have these lotteries and I won two invitations.”

“You only wanna go there just to fuck someone.”

You call out to which your work friend laughs in agreement.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. What if I get to meet THE Ran Haitani or his equally sexy brother Rindou? You know how much I adore them.”

“Yea. Yea, I know, but I also know they allegedly have ties to the Kanto Man-”

You’re quickly cut off by your friend as she covers your mouth with her palm.

“We don’t utter that name.” She scolds while having a serious look on her face.

You were not going to allow yourself to be persuaded into going to such a place, especially after everything you’ve been hearing about lately. You know there are rumors circling around those Haitani Brothers and their alleged association with the infamous Kanto Manji Gang. You’re adamant about your decision to stay a hundred miles away from that party and your friend noticed it. Realizing there is no way to convince you otherwise, she steps away from you and heaves out a sigh.

“Fine. I’ll ask someone else then.”

You can hear the disappointed tone in her voice as she brushes past you and into the kitchen. You can only shake your head before clocking into your shift.

The night is proceeding as normal. You greet the wealthy guests when they have been sat down at your section and then proceed to take their orders. Every once in a while, you catch a glimpse of your friend smirking in your direction. That smirk is all too familiar as you know she has not fully given up. The only thing you do is ignore her and continue with your night.

Towards the end of your shift, you can feel the atmosphere around the establishment run cold. The hair on the back of your neck stands up as you sense a pair of eyes peering at you as you bring drinks to one of your tables. Looking up, you notice a group of well-dressed men is sat in a private area of the restaurant. One of the men stands out as you make eye contact with him from across the restaurant. Quickly, you look away however you can still sense his set of eyes staring at you.

Men in suits are a very common sight; however, these particular men exude a dangerous aura. Even the guests around you have a look of concern plastered on their faces when they noticed the men.

“They are the--”

One man starts to speak but he is swiftly hushed by the people sitting at his table. It goes without a doubt in your mind about the group of men. Their infamy strikes fear into the hearts of many that it is to the point where people believe that just speaking their name will bring bad luck onto them.

You’re fully aware of all the rumors and hearsay about the gang. Although you are anxious due to being under the same roof, you nevertheless continue working as normal.

Around twenty minutes have passed and there is still a sense of uneasiness in the air. You’re then approached by the manager whose body is shaking with terror.

“Oh wow. You should take a deep breath.”

You say to him in a weak attempt to calm him down. Despite that, he takes your advice, taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly. It relaxes him just enough for him to give you an all-important task.

“Their food is ready, so I need you to bring it to them.”

Perplexed, you respond:

“But that’s not my section. What happened to--”

“Kosuke had to leave early due to feeling ‘sick’.”

Your manager responds, referring to one of your coworkers who did suddenly go missing. Sighing, you just nod without giving any other response.

The entire restaurant watches as you bring the freshly cooked food over to the questionable men occupying the table in the private section.

“Here’s your food, sirs.”

You approach their table with a smile on your face while the anxiety in your body reaches a nuclear level. Most of the men just look at you with a blank expressions on their faces, and none of them spoke. They just watched as you present them with their food. During that, your attention is caught by one of the men with black and blonde hair. He is the only one in the group who has a chilling smirk on his face.

You attempt to ignore it; however, that is when you notice a familiar piece of jewelry dangling from his ear. That jewelry, the hair color, height, and even the grin plastered on his face eerily reminds you of your childhood best friend. You then notice Sin and Punishment inked on his hands as he grabs at his chopsticks. Seeing that, you recall a specific conversation with said friend about how he wanted to get tattoos.

“You should get Kanji characters because I think they look so cool!”

Came your adolescent voice.

“But I want something related to being a delinquent too.” He responds.

You shake off the brief flashback once you finish serving the meals to the men.

“Enjoy your meals, sirs!”

You say before turning your heels and leaving. The chilling man could only chuckle again while watching you power-walk back into the kitchen.

After that encounter, you feel slightly lightheaded, and you just now notice your heart pumping erratically. Stepping out of the back exit you are met with the open back lot and the cool nighttime breeze.

“Are you okay?!” Your work friend hastily approaches, concerned.

“Yea. I’ll be aight.”

Your response was shaky as you attempt to regain your composure. ‘Was it really who I think it was or is my mind playing tricks on me?’ You internally ask yourself while heaving out a sigh.

“You really need to decompress after tonight.”

Your work friend remarks, and even though you’re not looking at her, you can hear the smirk in her tone.

“Oh shit. Here we go again.” You grumble, turning to face her with a disgruntled look.

“I wonder if there is somewhere you can go, where you can let out some stream, preferably through dancing. You may even have really good cocktails and also meet really sexy men.”

“I can dance and make cocktails at home.”

You stubbornly interject; however, your friend immediately counters your response.

“But do you know any sexy men at home?”

Unable to come up with an answer, you remain silent. A wide smirk peers across your friend’s face when she realizes, she has succeeded in her persuasion.

“I’ll text you later on tonight. We can go shopping tomorrow for our party outfits.”

She says, going back into the restaurant, leaving you feeling defeated and unnerved.

[Feedback and other interactions are always appreciated.]

[kithtaehyung]

racchanel (m) (teaser) | kth

but the thing about vengeance is...

title: racchanel (m) | ⟶ small teaser for tae day 2022! pairing: fashion ceo!taehyung x ex-photographer!reader rating/genre: m (18+) ; angst , smut ; fashion au , ? to lovers summary: you were shut out from the industry before. so when an ex-classmate surprises you with another way in, you have no choice but to accept. determined to destroy the one that took everything, you’ll do whatever it takes - even if that means starting over and knowing nothing. warnings: none for teaser except taehyung being.. well, tae. full list will include explicit scenes, angst but are we shocked?, language, revenge, sexual themes, angst, this tae in general tbh, did i mention angst?, warnings will be posted with each chapter. note: so this is the secret wip that i had been holding onto for the entire year!! hope you all enjoy the snippet i have prepared for tae day 2022 because it’s but a taste of what’s to come. definitely one of the pieces i’m super excited to release in 2023! note 2: this teaser drops you in the middle of the first part! teaser word count: 2.3k | est. word count: 100k  est. drop date: ongoing series in 2023! 18+ taglist link: HERE

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The trek to the front entrance remains uneventful. 

Respecting Taehyung’s space, you release your arm from his suit just as the elevator kisses the ground floor. You don’t want anyone starting rumors about you messing around with the CEO before you even launch your career here. 

Career. 

Quite a bold word for you to throw around already. After all, the contract Taehyung offered is only temporary, not to mention strapped with an early termination clause. 

Essentially, you could be dropped at any point without so much as a warning. 

And you don’t expect anything less brutal than that.

When you pass reception, you spare the boys from earlier a glance—much against your better judgment. 

They promptly avert their gazes. Typical. 

A huff leaves you before your eyes focus back on the glass doors. 

“What did you do to them,” your ex-classmate questions before the panels slide open. 

“They were incredibly rude, Taehyung,” you inform, trailing behind and struggling to keep up with his strides. “I just told them to think about how they represented this company. You never know who’ll be walking through those doors.”

The man abruptly stops in front of you, causing you to physically halt on a tiptoe to save yourself from smacking into his back. Swiftly, you find your balance right as he pins you with… a leer?

“I don’t remember you being this nice,” is all he has to say. 

“Ah, well, nice is relative.” You look off into the property gardens, not wanting to face those feline eyes a second longer. “I don’t think your employees would exactly call me a saint.” 

A rueful laugh pops out of your chest, and you turn to look Taehyung dead in the eye. 

“And besides, we went to art school. When was anyone ever nice without some hidden motive?” 

Your former classmate can only blink. 

And blink again. 

“...We’re all screwed up in the head, aren’t we?” 

You offer him a tight smile in agreement before peering off again, taking in the immaculate way everything is laid out in front of Racchanel’s headquarters. 

The gardens could be an exhibition of their own. 

“Undoubtedly,” you finally respond. “But at least you made something of yourself. Most of us are starving artists, or bartenders at jazz joints.” 

The breeze cuts right through your sweats. Quickly slipping on your hood, you wonder if Taehyung really doesn’t care about being seen with you looking like this. His single spritz of cologne probably costs more than everything you’re wearing combined. 

You should head out now.

In the distance, you spot a long black limo rolling up to the sidewalk. 

“I think that’s you, Mr. CEO.” 

Taehyung looks at you a beat longer before turning to see his ride. 

When you expect him to leave without a goodbye, you stand there in confusion when he doesn’t budge. 

What’s he doing? There’s no way he’s not already late for that appearance. 

“Tae—”

Huh? Why’s he looking at you like that? 

…What storm do you see brewing on his horizon?

“Come with me.” 

“What?”

Immediately, your brows furrow impossibly close as he repeats himself,

“To the press conference. Come with me.” 

“I look like a hot pile of garbage—”

“It’s fine—”

“No. No way. Find someone else—”

“I don’t have anyone else.”

You still.

“At least,” he weakly clarifies. “Not right now.”

Before you can wholeheartedly shut him down a final time, you take in his appearance—actually take it all in. 

You aren’t in a dimly lit bar, or frantically thinking your contract offer was a mistake, so you’re finally seeing him with a clear head. 

And what you see is frankly alarming. 

Used to seeing this man radiating confidence on anything from cereal boxes to billboards across the globe, you’re suddenly dialed into the changes in his demeanor. Taehyung’s shoulders droop just enough, the spaces under his lashes hollow just enough. 

Why didn’t you see any of this before?

Reddened eyes from the bar on Christmas Eve come back to you, causing your mountain of excuses to crumble. 

He’s obviously under a lot of pressure from the recent changes in his life. And while change for you means a temporary six-month modeling contract, change to Taehyung means inheriting a multi-million dollar company—seemingly by himself. 

There’s nothing else but a desk. In his entire office.

He may feel… So alone. 

You remember that feeling. Loneliness. It’s dark, and cold, and in the end, you have to pull yourself out of its clutches all on your own. 

Maybe Taehyung can benefit from an extra set of hands. 

“Okay,” you agree, startling him out of a stupor. “I’ll go with you. I can hang in the back, or a hallway, or something.” 

A little flame flickers to life in his eyes as he offers a close-lipped smile. 

“Thank you,” is all he says in return. 

And you don’t make him say anything more than that. 

“Shit.” 

You stop playing with the leather surface of the space next to you. “What.”

It’s been like this the whole ride. Even though Taehyung begged you to accompany him, as soon as you were both settled in the back of the limousine, he seemed to be regretting the impulsive choice. 

As if the multiple times he rakes a hand through his hair aren’t enough of an indication, his chin rubs add on to your own anxiousness. 

He’s clearly uncomfortable with something. But what the hell is up?

Now his nerves seem to jump out in the form of another curse instead of clarification. Which annoys the heck out of you. 

“Taehyung, what’s wrong?” 

The man still doesn’t reply, let alone look your way. 

Maybe he’s not answering because the answer is way too obvious. 

Arriving at a press conference with some random woman in a bunny hoodie and sweats? Yeah. That would make any self-respecting person in fashion shake in their Chelsea boots.

This was a mistake.

What was he thinking? What were you thinking!

The trip to Racchanel was supposed to be a one and done! Tell Taehyung he made an error in the applications, have him verify it, and make your escape. 

But ending up in a limo on the way to a media event? You wouldn’t have been able to write this outcome if you tried. 

Sparing another glance at Taehyung, you realize he’s starting to get downright antsy. 

So you offer to help. “Hey. If you don’t want to be seen with me, I get it. Tell your driver to pull over before we get there and I can get out—” 

“Stop,” Taehyung bites, his expression hard. “Just…” He lowers his head in between his legs, large, ring-studded hands shielding the top of it from the world. His houndstooth coat cascades down his sides, and you want to save him from drowning in those black and white waterfalls. 

You didn’t really hang with him in university, but you always remembered him as the guy that didn’t have to try hard to succeed. He was never under any pressure, academically. 

Really, the only time you remember seeing him upset was when he went through a breakup one year. Kim Taehyung apparently held a grudge as well as he held a pose. 

Reaching out, you lay a hand on his shoulder. After his initial tense, he doesn’t shake you off, so you comfort the model superstar the only way you can think of. 

Tiny circles. Comforting, warm, tiny circles. 

You don’t know if they will work. But it’s something.

Slowly, Taehyung comes back to life like a plant sprouting from a seed. You retract your arm as he straightens against his seat, watching as he rolls his shoulders and tilts his head to stretch. 

From this close, you get to see the skin of his neck. 

And wonder how even that part of him is beautiful.

Turning to you, he scoots closer to tug your hood off in a rush. 

What—

“Shh,” he hushes, proceeding to fix your head to the best of his ability. 

Your eyes roam his face as you stare in shock, wondering why the hell he’s committing to having you here and why he’s styling you himself. 

When was the last time someone else even touched your head? This determined yet this tender, at that? You can’t believe this is happening.

Never mind that. You can’t believe you’re here with him at all. His famous fingers sliding through your strands; his perfect eyelashes brushing his cheeks with every solid blink of his eyes. 

While he’s trying to salvage the mess that’s your head, his hair’s appropriately slicked with just the right amount of product and flawless styling—

That’s when you realize. 

Oh, fuck. 

Taehyung’s getting you ready for the onslaught of cameras. 

Shit, shit shit. 

Being judged by two cowardly receptionists is one thing. But being judged, photographed, and written about by a swath of Kim Taehyung paparazzi?

That’s a thousand times worse. 

Barefaced and carrying evidence of the sleepless night you had yesterday, you’re suddenly grossly self-conscious about your entire appearance. 

The gap between your statuses, experience, and overall lifestyle suddenly resembles a canyon. One so wide you can’t even see him on the other side. 

Taehyung’s right there. 

And yet you feel the furthest you’ve ever felt. 

There’s no way you belong in his world. 

What the fuck are you even doing here? 

“Taehyung,” you hiccup, quickly interrupted by the shouts of people outside as the limo approaches the conference building. Rattling erupts and rings from inside your skin, and you stare back at him with equally trembling eyes. “I can’t do this—”

“You can.” 

“Please—”

Unfazed, he simply asks, 

“Do you trust me?” 

“Yes.” 

Why did you say that so confidently? Why was that so easy to decide?

Do you really?

“Of course you do,” he sighs before pulling you in for a forehead kiss that catapults your heart into your throat. 

But you don’t get to question it before your hood is tugged over your head, dark sunglasses shoved onto your face right as camera flashes and jumbled yells spill into the opened car door.

People. Hands. Phones. Multiple camera snaps and lights and voices bombard your senses, and you’re grateful for the shades over your eyes as you hoist yourself out of the vehicle. 

Taehyung exits right after and blazes a trail for you to walk. 

“Excuse me, miss—”

“Who is she?”

“Taehyung, who is the mystery girl!” 

Through the whirlwind of paparazzi, your thoughts only convene on the cold spot where he kissed you. The freezing wind only makes it more prominent, and you barely even register that you’re walking by yourself as you follow right after him.

It’s only after you get through the heavy doors that your surroundings snap back into focus. 

Wait. What?

How long were you out in the crowd? How did you even get here in one piece? 

The sounds outside muffle as the entrance bangs shut, and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were hiding.

“This way,” Taehyung directs to both you and the security detail that materializes behind you, striding heavily to the right. 

When did these guys…?

Whoa.

You have no clue where you are, but you are miles away from your apartment block. 

Taking in the expansive building, you see that it’s a true conference center, with a grand, open lobby and square footage for days. The right wing looks to house large event rooms, judging by its wide hall and the multiple sets of towering double-doors. 

Scampering after Taehyung, you make sure to stay behind but as close as possible. 

Which makes you almost collide when he stops on a dime. Again. 

You have got to stop walking behind him. 

Face scrunched in annoyance, you’re about to tell the man off—security be damned—before he blurts,

“When we get in there, just relax and follow my lead, okay?”

“Oh, I can wait out here,” you reply, more than happy to leave him to the masses now that you’ve got a taste of them outside. “I don’t mind.” 

Hands set in his trousers, Taehyung peers down at the floor before regarding you with what looks like… 

An apology. 

There’s dread in your veins.

“I wasn’t planning on putting you through a press conference this soon, but you can do this.” 

And it seeps right into your bones. 

“What?” 

His palms land on your shoulders before you can flee. 

“Look. The Board isn’t giving me a lot of time to introduce Astral, even though I told them that’s the only thing I need right now. I just…” Running a hand through his hair, Taehyung looks years older and yet years younger all the same. “I need a familiar face.” 

Hell no. 

There’s no way you can do this. 

Going with him and braving the paparazzi was horrid enough. But a press conference? 

What the fuck are you supposed to say? You aren’t even dressed.

“Taehyung. Look at me.” You gesture to your entire wreck of an ensemble, fingers trembling. “I’m gonna make Racchanel look like a fucking joke.” 

“I don’t care. This new project is going to work.” 

What? How is this possibly going to work? What single thing about this is gonna go well?

Has he lost his mind? 

“What do you mean?”

Instead of responding to your question, Taehyung only gives directions, 

“When we go in there, just keep your face neutral and your back and neck straight. If anyone asks you a question, just say you’re grateful for this opportunity. Understand?”

“Tae—”

“I’ll owe you.” 

You clamp your jaw shut, eyes unblinking as you drink in your former classmate’s entire expression. 

“I’ll owe you. Big.” He breathes in deep before looking at the doors, then back to you. “Just do this one thing. For me.”

What is he thinking?

You pause for eternity before closing your eyes, wondering if he can even see how uncertain they are behind your dark shades. 

“Fine. I will.”

What are you thinking?

“That’s a good girl,” he sighs in relief, embracing you fully before planting another quick peck on your temple. As he pulls away, your hand is clutched before you’re led right up to a set of imposing doors.

To give a press conference.

What are either of you even remotely thinking?

-

-

-

tbc. :) 

-

how do we feel! | taglist + extra optional teaser

a/n: ahhhh it may not make much sense now since this is dropping everyone in the middle of the first part, but i wanted there to be some mystery to everything that’s about to happen! hope you’re all ready to see what’s on the horizon for this tae and reader<33

other links: masterlist | permanent taglist (i check each entry so have your age displayed somewhere in your profile!)

[rainbow-flavoured-skittles]

Two Years, Five Months, and Three Days

I have arrived with the next part of the bruise childhood friends au, only *checks notes* two months late. This is the last part before the grand finale where Jay and Cole will get together. It’s set just after the ending of 'Cause daddy doesn't love me, mommy is a god'. Warning for swearing, cross posted on ao3.

~

“This is the Monastery?” Jay asked. He shifted his duffel bag to the other shoulder and looked over at Wu, who nodded. 

“It is the Monastery of Spinjitsu. This is where you will train,” he said.

“It’s so… big,” Jay said. How could such a large building be hiding up in the mountains, unnoticed by anyone? It seemed impossible, despite the evidence standing right in front of him.

“It was designed to house multiple generations of people at a time. There were nearly twenty living together at one point.”

“And now?”

Wu hummed. “Three, including you and me.”

“Sensei, there’s only two of us.”

“Three. I have another student. He’s about your age, actually,” Wu said. 

“Another student? You didn’t mention that.”

“I didn’t? Well, no time like the present to meet him, then.” Wu pushed the doors open and entered, Jay following closely. 

The Monastery was beautiful, Jay thought. Everything about it was bright and shiny. It didn’t seem very much like a home, though. While intricate and very complex, it was cold and impersonal as well. For something meant to house multiple families, it didn’t look lived in. 

“So, where’s this other student?” Jay asked. 

“Ah, he’s around here somewhere. Probably in his room. You’ll come across him eventually.”

“Okay.”

Wu looked at Jay critically. “You must be tired from your journey,” he said. “Take any one of the empty rooms and rest. You can start training some other day.”

Jay was too tired to argue. Any excitement at being able to be a real life superhero had drained out hours ago, replaced with a bone-deep exhaustion. He took the first room on the left, thankful when it wasn’t occupied, and threw his bags on the floor. He’d unpack tomorrow, probably. And if not then, then definitely by the end of the week. 

The room was rather plain. Off-white painted walls, a wooden door and window frame, simple furniture and bed. It gave the impression of a model room in some house showing. 

Jay lay down on the bed, arms folded over his stomach. He should explore this place, figure out the layout. He’d need to know where the bathroom was, at the very least. But he also didn’t want to get up, not when he’d just gotten comfortable. Ugh. Sighing, Jay peeled himself off the floor and went down the hall, opening and closing doors as he passed.

On the fifth door he opened, he found what must have been the other student’s room. The walls were an eggshell white, much like Jay’s, but it was decorated. He could see a calendar, among other things, lining the walls. The bed was neatly made with a black comforter and pillows.

Jay closed the door. It wasn’t polite to be snooping in some stranger’s room, especially if said stranger was going to be his roommate-slash-vigilante-partner. First impressions had to be good, after all. He continued down the hall to find that it split into two. This entire building was practically a maze. And it seemed to be bigger on the inside. How did that even work?

“Ehhh, screw it,” Jay sighed. He picked the hall on the right, because ‘the right is always right,’ or something like that, and promptly got lost. 

“This place is a freaking maze,” he groaned. “I’m gonna get lost and die from dehydration and hunger.”

“It’s not nearly that bad,” a voice said quietly. Jay spun around, nearly knocking the newcomer in the stomach, and locked eyes with a ghost. 

Well, not a literal ghost, but close enough, for Cole Hence-Brookstone himself was standing in front of him. The same Cole who’d mysteriously disappeared two years ago. The same Cole who Jay had presumed dead.

Jay choked. “Cole?” His voice had an unfortunate resemblance to a cat coughing up a hairball.

Cole looked just as shocked as Jay felt. “Jay? What are you doing here? How are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Jay growled. He hadn’t seen Cole in years — not since they were eleven, back when Cole got sent to boarding school. They hadn’t kept contact, for whatever reason, and the last Jay had heard from him was a short letter. It had come out of nowhere, after nearly a year of radio silence, in which Cole’d said he was ‘leaving’ and didn’t know if he’d be back. 

“Sensei Wu is training me,” Cole lifted his chin. “I’m guessing you’re his new student.”

“Got it in one,” Jay said. He glared at Cole a little more, as if doing that would make him explain the past few years.

“Look, Jay, I know that our last conversation was awkward, but—“

“Just shut up. I don’t want to hear it,” Jay shook his head. “You left, Cole. Just a shitty letter and nothing else. What is there to talk about?”

Cole looked down at the floor and picked at his nails. Vaguely, Jay could remember Cole having that habit even when they were kids. 

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Cole said quietly. 

“Mission failed, then. A big fat zero-out-of-ten.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Whatever,” Jay said.

Cole nodded. He took a step past Jay. “See you during training then, or something.”

“Uh huh.”

“Okay,” Cole left, leaving Jay standing alone in the blank hallway. 

~

Cole had fucked up. He’d fucked up so badly that he could never recover. How could Jay of all people be in the Monastery, with him, training to fight the forces of darkness? The universe was playing a cosmic joke on him. 

Cole had missed Jay, of course he had. Jay was his first and only friend. He’d thought he was doing the right thing when he sent that letter to Jay, saying sorry for everything. He had never been a good friend to Jay, and he’d thought that Jay would be better off without him.

He probably had been, really. 

But now they had no choice but to work together. Sensei Wu had explained that himself, said that he couldn’t just choose just anyone to be trained; it had to be specific people with the potential. And Jay must have the potential, since he was here in this building, his room only three doors down from Cole’s.

Cole hit the punching bag a little harder, nearly snapping the chain off. In any other case, he’d be sulking in his room, but Wu had drilled into his head that training was too important to miss. So he was standing in the training room, hoping to the First Master that Jay didn’t come in. 

That was unlikely, though, Cole mused. They’d both avoided each other like the plague for the past two weeks. Wu hadn’t picked up on the awkwardness between them, at least not yet, but it was only a matter of time. Then he’d force them to work out their problems and be civil. The only times Cole even saw Jay was at dinner, during which they never talked.

He wished they would talk, though. It was suffocating to have his former best friend right there and not be getting along. Cole deserved it, he supposed, but he missed when they were kids. When they’d just talk and play games together, not a care in the world.

Cole hit the punching bag again. His knuckles were starting to hurt, sore and bleeding. Little droplets of red ran down his fingers. He must have been punching harder than he’d thought.

Wu would kill him if he didn’t take care of his injuries. Cole made his way to the sink, running his hands under the water until it ran clear. Then he put ointment on the wounds.

His hands were still visibly hurt. He could hear his mom chiding him, a voice in his head telling him to take better care of himself. “You need to be careful, Pumpkin,” she used to say. “I won’t always be around to help you.”

And she hadn’t, because Mom had died when Cole was just barely eleven. It still hurt to think of. Cole blinked back the tears — he refused to cry. Crying was something that got you beaten up and made fun of.

A cough and the sound of someone clearing their throat, and then a freckled face with reddish hair was in his vision, patting Cole on the shoulder. 

“You okay, Cole?” Jay asked awkwardly. He was taller, now, Cole thought. Probably a good few inches taller than Cole.

“I— yeah,” Cole said. 

“Um, okay, then,” Jay mumbled. He looked down at his feet. “See you at dinner.”

“Yeah,” Cole nodded. He watched Jay exit, then turned back to the mirror. His eyes weren’t too red and puffy, thankfully. Small mercies. 

Why had Jay even bothered talking to Cole? He’d made it pretty clear that they weren’t friends. Did it mean he didn’t hate Cole? Was he trying to say that he didn’t quite forgive Cole, but was willing to be civil? Or maybe it was just because anyone would have done that, made sure another person was okay.

Why did people have to be so complicated? Stupid emotions and relationships. It must be the last option, Cole decided. They weren’t friends, no, but maybe they were acquaintances. He could work with that. Just two people who happened to be coworkers. That was more than acceptable.

~

Jay buried his face in his pillow and wondered if the world would make sense after banging his head on the headboard a few more times. It didn’t. 

Jason Edward Gordon, you are the most socially awkward person on this side of Ninjago, he told himself. “You okay?” He’d asked Cole. Who even said that? It was very clear Cole had not been okay. 

Jay groaned and tried to organise his thoughts. First thought, he was terrible at comforting people. He’d just left without even giving Cole a tissue. Second thought, he apparently did not hate Cole, no matter how much he wanted to. Third thought, his life was a mess and he was officially an idiot.

Hmmm. Not very organised at all. Jay hated emotions.

Should he go talk to Cole? He probably should. But the awkwardness alone would kill him. Jay resisted the urge to scream and just never come out of his room again.

Jay buried his face in the pillows again.

~

Dinner was… awkward, to say the least. Jay and Cole sat on opposite sides of the table and avoided talking. Wu served rice and some kind of fish, miraculously oblivious to the tension in the air.

“You two should start sparring tomorrow,” Wu said cheerfully. “I’m sure that Cole can teach you, Jay.”

“I— yeah,” Cole muttered. “Sure.”

“Sounds great,” Jay mumbled.

“I have to go collect the next member of your team soon, so you’re going to be alone for the next week or so. Dark forces are rising and we need as much help as we can get,” Wu continued.

“But Jay’s barely even started proper training,” Cole said.

“You can teach him, as I said earlier. You’re more than capable.”

“Mhm.”

“Are you sure I can’t learn from you, Sensei?” Jay laughed, perhaps a bit maniacally. He must have sounded like a crazy person.

“You will. Once I return with your teammate.”

“Ah.”

“There’s food in the freezer. Only Jay is allowed to reheat it.”

Cole made a face. “Why can’t I?”

“Because you set water on fire and I don’t want the Monastery burning down.”

Cole went back to his food, muttering about how he was perfectly able to cook. Jay doubted that, memories of burnt cookies and undercooked chicken in his mind.

“I’ll be going by tomorrow morning. Don’t leave the Monastery under any conditions,” Wu stood. “I have to rest for the night. You boys finish dinner on your own.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

Cole got up immediately after Wu left, collecting his plates and heading for the sink. He didn’t look at Jay, just washed the dishes and left. So Jay ended up sitting alone while he finished his dinner, poking at the vegetables and wondering why Sensei didn’t believe in seasoning. And also wondering how he was going to get through the next week, all alone with Cole.

There was no way he was going to survive the week.

~

Cole got up at exactly six in the morning, brushed his teeth, and made himself cereal for breakfast. Then he went to the training grounds and went through the obstacle course again.

Jay didn’t pull himself out of bed until nine — Sensei would have killed him for that. Cole chose not to say anything, though, just watched him go through the forms Wu had taught. 

Your arms are too stiff,” Cole said quietly. He gestured to Jay’s position. “You need to relax a bit more.”

“Oh, yeah. Okay,” Jay flushed.

“That’s better,” Cole nodded. “You’re, um, doing good.”

“Thanks.”

Cole stood near Jay fur a few more minutes, making sure that he was doing the exercises properly, until Jay coughed and cleared his throat. “You can go do your own thing. I’m doing fine on my own.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” Cole mumbled. Was he blushing? He was probably blushing.

“Thanks, though.”

Cole went back to the obstacle course. He’d talk to Jay later, hopefully.

~

Lunch was a silent affair, both Cole and Jay picking at last night’s leftovers. They didn’t bother talking — Jay went to the microwave and heated the food up, then they ate. Cole was just thankful that Jay wasn’t glaring at him anymore. Awkward silence was much better than anger.

“Wonder when Sensei will be back?” Cole asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Soon, hopefully. I don’t think we could survive without him.”

“Yeah, probably not. I mean, I still can’t cook. He won’t even let me in the kitchen!”

Jay actually laughed at that. “I can’t either! The housekeeper wouldn’t let me!”

“Not even to make like, microwave soup or something?”

“Bold of you to assume we had microwave meals. Dad — Cliff is still the crunchy all-natural granola mom he’s always been.”

“Can’t be worse than cafeteria food,” Cole joked. He didn’t mention Jay calling his father by his first name. They’d always had a complicated relationship. 

“I don’t know, I’d rather have chicken nuggets than quinoa and plain lettuce.”

“Yeah, quinoa is pretty gross.”

“No mention on the plain lettuce?”

“Salads exist, Jay.”

“But— but those have like, dressing and croutons and stuff!”

“You’ve seen what they serve at certain restaurants,” Cole said.

Jay shuddered at the memory. “We agreed to never speak of that.”

“We did, didn’t we.”

The mood returned to the stifling awkwardness and discomfort that it had earlier. Cole stared down at his food and sighed. Jay shuffled and picked at his rice. Neither of them looked at each other. 

“I’m sorry for ignoring you, before? I don’t really know why I did that,” Jay mumbled.

“I should be saying sorry, Jay,” Cole said. “I left you. Just sent a letter and pretended like you didn’t exist.”

“Yeah, but I should have talked to you. Reached out myself, instead of waiting.”

“I did want to, you know. Keep being friends. I just figured you’d be better off with someone else,” Cole admitted. “That’s not much of an excuse, though.”

“You were my first and only friend. I wouldn’t have wanted someone else.”

“I ignored you, and after that I thought there was no way of making up. So I left and hoped that that would solve my problems.”

“You just needed to ask to talk again,” Jay said. “I was never angry in the first place.”

“You weren’t?”

“No. I told you that last time we saw each other, before the whole ninja gig.”

“Maybe I just don’t listen well.”

“You idiot,” Jay smacked Cole on the hand.

“First Master, when did we end up being so awkward around each other? We used to be so close,” Cole laughed bitterly.

“Probably when your dad shipped you off to the other side of the continent,” Jay said dryly.

Cole scoffed. “Pretty sure it was earlier than that.”

“Well, somewhere around that time.”

“You’re not mad, anymore?”

“Nah. If I was mad, I’d be screaming and flipping the table.”

“It’s solid wood. Doubtful that it could even be shifted, much less flipped.”

“I still think I could,” Jay joked. “Just one swift kick and it goes toppling over.”

Cole laughed. “Other way around, Jay.”

“The table’s going to kick me?”

“You know what I meant.”

“I want to spar,” Jay declared. He hopped off the chair and dragged Cole towards the door. “You’re going to teach me all the cool ninja moves you’ve been learning.”

“I could beat you within ten seconds.”

“Then prove it, rocks-for-brains,” Jay taunted. “Loser has to wash the dishes.”

“You’re going to smell like dish soap for days.”

“Perhaps.”

“Then come on!” They walked out the doors to the training yard, hand in hand.

~

“Wu totally left early so that we’d make up, didn’t he.”

“Oh, yeah. Absolutely.”

[luimagines]

*Runs in like I have a lynel on my heels, hands you a basket filled with warm drinks and sweet snacks with a note, promptly passes out without elaborating* Greetings, first of all, how have you been doing? Also, Happy Late Tears of The Kingdom release date. Second of all, finally an excuse to ramble about your works as much as the Tumblr word account limit will allow me in an extensive way like a greek orator holding assembly like Plato talking about Atlantis. Or well at least some, cause if I were to ramble about everything you've posted so far we'd be here all day (SPECIALLY if I were to gush about Time and Twilight), so I'll limit myself to an arguable top six for today.

Ahem. *Clears throat* Anyway if I have to pick any works that are my favorite of yours, my very first pick would likely be the Fear Room.

Wind and his intense trauma about losing Aryll? His desperation as an elder brother who was supposed to protect her and thought he failed again? Wild and all of the ghosts of his kingdom that haunts his steps because he died way back when because he failed and the feeling of survivor's guilt being in full display? That if he could he'd trade his life for theirs so he wouldn't need to live with the most intense feeling of failure out of all the Links and to look at Hyrule and Zelda and everything like the pages of an old faded book? To say goodbyes to people he doesn't know anymore? Sky and his feelings over never being enough? Of always being just a second too late while the people he cares for are in danger and out of his reach, further made worse by the fact Demise's Curse took hold because of his actions/inaction in Skyward Sword and that feeling further exacerbated by Impa through the game? Hyrule not wanting all that he went through to be for naught and not wanting to be all alone again, specially given that without Zelda he wouldn't be able to keep Ganon at bay alone? Twilight's pure anguish and desperation of seeing bad things happen to his loved ones and losing them again and again and being unable to do anything about it? Time being so afraid of losing control over the Fierce Deity and being so, so, so tired. Tired of being strong, tired of being thrust into adventure after adventure and having his agency denied again and again on wether or not he wants to continue on or not? That he has been strong for so long that he not only just cracks, but BREAKS. Warriors pulling his punches because even if it looks like his shield brothers betrayed him and he's tired of traitors he doesn't want to believe it and doesn't want to hurt them? Four failing to save Dot, his childhood friend and in turn likely losing not only Ezlo but the colors and Shadow, literally pieces of himself after he jigsaw puzzled them back together and likely can't see himself living without them? LEGEND WITH THE KOHOLINT TRAUMA? Not to mention all of the other people he lost over the years, his parents, his uncle, technically Sir Raven of we go by the manga who was basically like a brother to him (also know as an incredibly gorgeous man I am itching to write for after the Fairy Tale series is done), Marin, technically Ravio and Hilda if Ravio doesn't go to live in his house after LBTW's, and finally Reader's reaction and lingering trepidation after it's all said and done, it's really well written horror and the horror enthusiast in me delights in it even if it's pure pain and my dog will never not be startled when I giddily cackle over it, 1000/10, would absolutely read again. Plus it inspired stuff for certain parts of the Fairy Tale au.

Tending Temptations, First and Reader are "Just Friends", calling them by their name and Prince Twilight- *takes a deep breath* What it I just die? Those are also a one shot and drabble that will need their own post, but let's just say that the frequency I reach when I read any of them and makes me way too soft and should probably only be heard by small mice, because I adore the way you portray Time and Twilight and First specially given there's maybe only one other author who writes them as well (shout out to Dreaming of Lu and their impeccable Time and First takes) and I love the way you write Twilight with all my heart, I don't think there's anyone who's come as close to delighting me when writing him so really, thank you so much for all your work in the fandom!

And finally, if predictably, the Fairy Tale and Dragon au, Dragon au will have to be it's own thing but I feel like the Fairy Tale au is probably a bit self explanatory since I'm writing a series based on it xD, but also I really like seeing the Links throw into a sudden situation and how they'll adapt and react to it and a great way to do that is to throw them into Fairy Tales we know or even in myths (*cough cough* Just saying, Twilight would kill it as Tam Lin and Time would make an amazing Odysseus) and you have some really unique ideas, so definitely a must read and what inspired me into trying to expand on it in greater detail (when life isn't kicking me in the ribs that is).

Overall, you're a great writer, and reading your stuff after bad days is an almost sure fire way to brighten my day and to make anyone's day, so thank you for all your work in the fandom! Hope you're doing well!

-Just an Anon on a Stroll 🐚/WintertimeStoryteller.

Dreaming of Lu is truly a master of their craft.

I'm glad you enjoyed the Fear Room so much! I don't write horror! Hardly ever! XD I thought I would have botched it.

And I'm sure you'll be happy to know that an expansion of Legend's segment for Fairytale au is queued up for later this year and that Dragon au is also getting a full sized fic expansion beginning in August. (Warrior centric, but I digress. XD)

I'm glad you enjoy the way I write Twilight though! He's one of my favorite so I'm happy to do him justice. :D

[marshmallowsqoosh]

[Ghost (Band) | Learning Curve (Ficlet)]

Written for @ominouscrypt based on these two [ one / two ] pieces, transferring from twitter :3

Gerbil prompt was “ i have a question, tho: do you think the ghouls have scars from kissing? like, horns nicking each others’ foreheads, etc? “

So I did a short Swiss/Mountain thing cuz. Swiss/Mountain. (This is actually more than what was posted to Twitter cuz I was super sleepy/brain mushy that day, but it was cute and I was determined to do more)

Swiss/Mountain, background Aether/Sodo and brief Swiss/Rain

words. ~1.100 warnings. headcanon, fluffy, fluff without plot, swiss wants all the kisses from all his friends

♥

Most of their band mates exit the second Swiss comes in. He's not too terribly offended. Rain lets him get a quick kiss as he's leaving, even as he's determined to keep his face against the mug of tea, either trying to absorb the steam or just inhaling the soothing scents; but, all three Ghoulettes exit the living area before he can even say hello to them. Stratus tries to wave at him from where she's been put over Cumulus' shoulder. He hears Cirrus mumble something about him having terrible ideas, but he still doesn't pay it much mind. He figures most—if not all—of them are still recovering from drinking so late into the night.

Sodo almost definitely is, considering the only thing he does is raise his head long enough to look over the back of the couch; scowl; and promptly throw himself back down on the cushions and try to tuck into as tight of a ball as he can, even when Aether sleepily makes his way over with a large cup of… what smells suspiciously, and deliciously, like chicken broth and his own cup of coffee.

Before he can decide whether or not it's worth trying to steal a sip—and maybe see if there's still bones at the bottom of the mug—he sees Mountain drag in from the same way the Ghoulettes just left and completely forgets he has any intention of antagonising Sodo. He's about the only other Ghoul that doesn't look… too terrible from the drinking adventures. Or, maybe he just hadn't been drinking as much as the others, Swiss lost track of him pretty early in the night.

Still, he slides up to the drummer, purring as he presses into his personal space and carefully nuzzles up at his neck, mindful of his horns. "Mornin', Mounty~"

He's not surprised he only gets a sleepy pat on the head and easily steps out of the way so Mountain can rummage around for coffee. Despite still being… mostly still asleep, Mountain's dressed to go out. Still shuffling around without his shoes—Swiss prays he's building up enough static he can get Sodo shocked—but dressed in… oh.

"Mounty, did you, like… sleep in your clothes…?"

"Mnngh? Oh. Yeah, I got up to my room and just passed out. Sorry."

Swiss blinks at him, slowly; he glances back at Aether for input, only to find his attention completely on getting Sodo into a somewhat sociable mood. The smaller Ghoul is still tucked in on himself, but at least sitting up, legs pulled tight to his body, tail coiled around his legs, and occupying Aether's lap, while his attention is fixed intently on his mug of broth. Aether simply offers gentle skritches while he's trying to work tangles out of the long hair.

Not getting any help from either of them, he turns back to where Mountain's finally managed to pour himself coffee and is already look substantially better. Still mostly asleep but less dazed than he was a moment ago.

"Sorry for what?"

"Hmm? Oh, leaving early. I ducked out after like two drinks."

That definitely explains why he's looking better than most of the others did. But, Swiss just laughs and puts himself back in Mountain's personal space, tail swishing behind him in a content manner. "That's no reason to apologise. If you were tired, I'd rather you get some sleep, yeah? But if you did want to apologise…"

He's ridiculously pleased Mountain turns enough to give him a chaste, gentle kiss and a soft nuzzle that causes their horns to bump. Soft affection that Swiss insistently returns—a little bit more aggressively to show he still wants attention—until Mountain finally laughs and gives him a less chaste kiss. A kiss that lingers and Swiss sighs happily—between the gentle fragrance of nature that followed him around and the taste of coffee—and doesn't fuss when Mountain gives him one more nuzzle to say that's enough for the moment.

Doesn't fuss immediately—not until Mountain tries to pull away and Swiss realises his horn got hooked in his hair.

Swiss manages to catch Mountain's jacket before he stands up all the way, standing on his tiptoes with the slightest wince and nervous laugh, "Hang on, Mounty—lean back down."

He waves off the hasty apology with a relieved sigh as he's able to stand with both feet flat to the ground again and carefully reaches up to swat Mountain's hands away, "I got it, just hold still a minute..."

Eventually they'll learn. Even if kisses didn't end in the tiny pricks and nicks and clashing of horns, the nuzzling almost always ensured someone was getting stuck. Usually Mountain catching his horn in Swiss' hair. Especially when it was pulled back.

But, easy enough to work free and Mountain catches him with an arm around his waist before he stumbles backwards, even as Swiss simply laughs, "See? No harm done!"

"Sorry..."

"Mmmm... gimme one kiss and we'll call it even—"

"For Lucifer's sake, will you two go back to one of your rooms, we all know you're just doing this to get naked, Swiss!"

Swiss immediately throws a scowl towards the couch. Sodo's still on Aether's lap, but returns the look with a narrowed glare. Mountain's turning a few pretty shades darker from the sudden flush to his skin, as Aether nearly chokes on his drink, coughing and quickly setting the coffee aside before he spills it on himself or the Fire Ghoul.

"Sodo!"

"What, it's true."

Swiss hums and shrugs, "I mean he isn't wrong... soooo... my room—aw." He's not surprised Mountain quickly exits the room the same way he came in. "Damnit, Sodo... why'd you have to remind him you guys were here?""

He doesn't get an answer. Aether gets one hand over Sodo's mouth—ignores he's getting bitten after the initial wince—and simply carries Sodo out the opposite door before the two can dissolve into bickering. Swiss sighs and turns his attention to following Mountain and trying to figure out how to get this to work in his favour.

He doesn't have to go too far. Mountain's hanging a little bit down the corridor, still a pretty shade of flustered and Swiss' immediate desire is to tease him more for a darker flush. But, he pushes the urge down and just leans on the wall, probably an arm's length away, and just clears his throat a little bit.

"Sorry." It doesn't get an immediate response. Swiss almost assumes he should leave—he starts to, even… but gets stopped by Mountain's tail twining with his and giving him a gentle pull back.

There's another stretch of silence. Swiss isn't really used to not knowing what to say; but, Mountain fills in for him before he can think of anything.

"... One more kiss and we'll call it even?"

It's the only permission he needs. Their tails are still twined together when Swiss presses up against him, arms loose around Mountain's waist.

A sweeter kiss. Floral and light. Worth the small bit of embarrassment.

[caramel-catss]

gladiolus (ch 1. i'll carry on)

on ao3

chapter word count: 5.2k

sequel to blue bow; continuing aubrey's story post-canon

It’s Saturday morning when Aubrey gets the knock on her door.

The last week has been frantic. Sunny’s mother had actually showed up the day after Sunny’s confession, promptly pressuring the doctors into letting him leave ASAP. He was discharged on Monday after insurance debates and follow-ups at some city hospital were scheduled. Aubrey hasn’t seen him since.

Basil wasn’t so lucky. With only bruises, he was considered fine before he first woke up. Where is he now, then? The psych ward. Okay, well, they were told that he’s been transferred to a “mental health institution” and will stay there for at least two weeks. More if Sunny’s mom presses charges. 

Aubrey knows what it really means, though. Mav had been sent there by his parents a year or two ago, after he came out as a boy. Taken back after they didn’t “fix” him. But Basil has some serious issues, and - and this genuinely is what he needs. He’s getting the help he needs.

And Aubrey? She almost bailed right after she heard Sunny’s confession. She actually did have to run to the roof, get some fresh air in her so she wouldn’t lunge for Sunny’s good eye. But she knew that there was no way in hell she could leave, not right after promising herself to stay. So, she called Kim on the public telephone and asked her to take care of Mom and Bun Bun for a few more days.

But on Monday, she had work. So she slept in the hospital room Saturday and Sunday night, and then Hero drove her to Fix-It.

Yes, she’s working at Fix-It. No, she’s not happy about it. Her now-manager is the only person who’s willing to hire a crazy delinquent like her, and that’s because he genuinely needs the work.

Now it’s Saturday again. A week since Aubrey’s life was turned upside down, again, because Mari didn’t actually kill herself. Somehow, it’s worse than that. Aubrey’s had a good five days to block that shit out while she shelves products, and a good five nights to smoke with the Hooligans and forget.

The knock sounds once more, louder. Aubrey lightly drops Mom’s plate on the couch. She’s been needing to spoon-feed Mom recently; the woman won’t eat at all otherwise.

“Mom, you gotta eat, okay?” Aubrey murmurs. “I know you haven’t been wanting much lately, but you have to at least have a little to keep moving.”

Mom looks at the food and pushes it away. Her eyes turn back to the TV. Aubrey sighs and stands up.

“Hellooooo? Aubrey?” Kel’s voice wafts through the doorway.

“I’m here,” she calls. She grabs her jacket, pulls it on, and answers the door.

Hero and Kel are standing outside. Hero’s tapping his fingers on his leg. Kel lights up when he sees her.

“Hey,” he smiles. “We just wanted to check up on you.”

That’s… new. “Oh, um, I’m alright.”

“How’s your mom doing?” Hero asks. His eyebrows are furrowed.

Aubrey blinks. “You’ve seen her?”

“We passed by her when we first visited you,” Kel explains. “Hero’s been worried ‘cause she seemed really out of it.” Judging by Kel’s look, Hero wasn’t the only one.

“Probably drunk when you saw her,” Aubrey mutters. “I guess she’s… fine. Hasn’t eaten much.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Hero says.

“Uh.” The only help she’s gotten before is from Kim, who mostly just covers for her when she needs it. “...I dunno.”

“Hm,” Hero replies. “Can we come inside?”

Aubrey steps inward, pressing the semi-broken door until it taps against the wall. “Sure.”

Hero makes his way to Aubrey’s mom. He sits down next to her, asking yes-or-no questions. He sounds like he’s about to diagnose her with something. Did you eat today? What about last night? Have you drank anything?

To her credit, Mom gives him small nods and shakes of the head. Better than how she reacts to Aubrey, anyway. Maybe she recognizes him from the past better than she recognizes her.

Kel paces around her house. He eventually walks back over to Aubrey.

“Hey, um, Aubrey… sorry if this is a bad question.”

“Just say it,” Aubrey replies. It’s not like the dam hadn’t broken already. “We’re all supposed to start talking about the hard shit.”

“Yeah, yeah. Uh… what did happen with your dad? I heard things at the church, but…”

But he wants to hear her side, too. She… really appreciates that. Aubrey takes a deep breath. This - she really doesn’t like speaking about this. But if Kel genuinely cares, then… She’ll try.

“Um,” she starts. “It was a few months after the Mari thing.” Kel’s expression shifts to worry. “I guess, I guess my grief was kinda his breaking point.” He takes a step forward. “He had a huge fight with Mom one night. About me. And the next morning, he was gone.”

Kel pulls her into a hug.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Aubrey freezes for a second, forgetting how to react. Eventually her brain catches up and she awkwardly wraps her arms around Kel. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” Kel says. A few seconds pass, then they pull away.

Hero stands up soon after. “I’m going to find someone to help with your mom.”

“Wait, what?” Aubrey turns her head to Hero. 

“She needs extensive help.” Hero bites his cheek. “A professional kind of help, I mean.”

Well, yeah, she knows that. “I can’t afford it.”

Hero bites his lip and furrows his eyebrows. “We’ll… find a way. I’ll pay for it if I need to.”

“Aren’t you broke as shit?” Giving money is an immediate hell no. She appreciates they’re friends again, but she doesn’t need Hero’s pity. “Like, you’re a college student, dude. I know you guys wanna help, but you don’t have to kill yourselves over me.”

With the way Hero flinches, Aubrey knows she shouldn’t have ended with that. “...Sorry. But… really, you don’t have to do everything.”

“I’m supposed to take care of you guys, though…” Hero has a guilty look in his eye.

“Hey,” Aubrey says. She pats Hero on the shoulder. “You don’t owe me. Consider saving Basil and Sunny’s life as more than enough.”

“Haha,” Hero replies, humorless. “Okay. I won’t pay for it. But I do want to find her someone.”

“Let’s compromise on that,” Aubrey agrees. “Thank you, Hero.”

Kel suddenly perks up. “Oh, wait! We came here to ask you something.”

Hero sighs, but he’s smiling. “Of course, Aubrey. And yeah, we did.”

“What’s it?” Aubrey crosses her arms.

“Since it’s summer and we have time to hang out,” Kel begins, “We wanted to go to the beach. Since it’s been a while and stuff…”

“...And,” Hero continues, “We’d like to invite you and your other friends.”

Aubrey blinks. “Oh.” Invite the Hooligans, too?

Hero and Kel look at her as she processes, waiting for her reply. Aubrey’s confusion soon melts into a dumb giddiness. This is the kind of friendship they’re trying to rebuild. And - and they’re okay with her new self coming along, her new friends.

“Fuck yeah.” Aubrey grins.

Kel smiles, something wide and childish and happy in a way Aubrey hasn’t seen in years. In a way that makes Aubrey realize the happiness he’s been wearing, the happiness she envied, was just a cover for emptiness.

“We’ll drive over tomorrow at 10 or so,” Hero says. “Should we go find the Hooligans?”

Aubrey nods. “I promised them I’d hang out today, anyway. You should come with, we’ll tell them.” 

As she speaks, Aubrey begins gathering her things. She pulls on her shoes and adjusts her bow; pulls it too tight, as always. Even now - especially now, the sting is something she can’t handle being without. Sorry, Mari.

“Are they at the park?” Kel asks.

“Probably.” That or the lake, but they’ve kind of ditched the spot after what happened with Basil. Talk about deja vu, huh? Maybe the place is just cursed.

The Hooligans do end up being at the park. They’re all elated at the thought of the beach. When Kim mentions getting a tan, Aubrey realizes that she doesn’t own a swimsuit in her size. Her excitement outweighs the worry, though, and she decides she can just sit on the sand.

Kel spots one of Angel’s trading cards before long. The two fall into a long discussion about different Pokémon, which ends with the group heading to Kel’s house so they can challenge each other. Aubrey plays Mario 3 with The Maverick on Kel’s old NES. Hero has a hilariously awkward exchange with Vance that Aubrey can’t help but eavesdrop on.

“You’re a senior next year, right? Are you thinking of any colleges?”

“Nah. Gonna snag a job so Kim and I can skip town after graduation, though. We’re either going to the city or some other state, anywhere away from here.”

“Oh. Um, that’s cool.”

“You?” Vance raises his eyebrows to Hero.

“I’m in med school.”

“Shit. Guess I shouldn’t smoke around ya, then, in case your teachers kick your ass or something.”

“You’re good, haha… Just not in my mom’s house, please.”

Vance puts his lighter in his pocket and shoves a cigarette back into its pack. He had been trying to discreetly pull them out; unfortunately, he’s an obvious motherfucker. Aubrey has to throw her hand over her face to conceal her snort. She’s rewarded with her character losing a power-up.

After Mav and her finish the world, they end up being somehow led by Charlene to Fix-It. Aubrey tries not to be embarrassed when her manager waves at her.

The group walks into the back room: the greenhouse. Aubrey doesn’t really go in here often. She’s usually stuck in the front. Her manager’s decent enough at gardening to take care of the back himself, she guesses.

Charlene tugs Aubrey’s arm over to some potted flowers. They haven’t bloomed yet, but they seem close. She gestures to one of them.

“What is it?” Aubrey asks. It looks a bit familiar.

The taller girl turns to her with a smile. “...Gladiolus.”

And suddenly this plant is associated with a memory. “Oh,” she says. “Someone once told me that I was like this flower.”

Charlene nods, as if she knows exactly what Aubrey means. Aubrey thinks about how she never really participated when they were out antagonizing Basil. She goes to this greenhouse a lot… are her and Basil friends?

“These ones will bloom soon,” Charlene continues. “But… not yet.”

Aubrey tilts her head. Is Charlene trying to say something? But the girl doesn’t continue, and Kel soon calls Aubrey somewhere else. She forgets about it.

Lunch is at Gino’s. Maybe Aubrey shouldn’t eat this much pizza, but it’s that or the supermarket’s TV dinners. The group crowds around Angel at the Sprout Mole Eater machine. He tries to beat the record for a solid thirty minutes, blowing half his allowance on it. Sunny was the one who set it. The crown is challenged, but ultimately Angel settles for second place.

Kel challenges Aubrey to a basketball game. She doesn’t really play much, only knows how to because of P.E., but why not?

She loses horribly. Lesson learned; don’t fuck with something Kel’s genuinely good at.

In retaliation, Aubrey kicks Kel’s ass at tetherball. The war begins. They spend all afternoon playing different games in the park - capture the flag, knockout, volleyball (only briefly because it doesn’t work well when you use a basketball), and after getting tired of physical activity, Aubrey even learns how to play Pokémon. She’s okay at it, better than the others; Kel and Angel taught opposing strategies.

At some point, the sun begins to set. Aubrey lets time run away from her. It’s with a look at the sky and the jolt of a realization that she forgot to feed Mom. She hasn’t visited Mari yet today, either.

Aubrey’s given space to do both; she’s thankful. As much as she appreciates reconnection, she genuinely prefers to do some of these things alone. Luckily, Mom isn’t nearly as difficult tonight as she was this morning. Aubrey changes Bun-Bun’s water and food before she throws on some pants and heads back out.

For as much as the church is open to all, they lock their doors at sunset. A safety thing. Aubrey can’t help but find it ironic.

Hopping the fence is a practiced motion that Aubrey is more than used to. Like a dance, she swings herself over the metal and lands on the grass. The night is quiet and without wind.

Next to Mari’s grave, the egret orchid has begun to wilt. Aubrey’s not quite sure how to take care of it. She lugs over a hose, drips what she judges to be enough water into the pot, and hopes she did enough. Then she kicks the hose out of the way and settles criss-cross in front of Mari.

“Hey,” Aubrey says. “I hope you’re okay with me coming over later. Even though the pastor said I’m welcome, the churchgoers have finally had enough of me. I can’t really go during the day without getting glared at.”

Aubrey doesn’t know if she’s religious anymore. When she was a kid she would beg for God to forgive her and make her a boy, like her body was. As she grew older, she came to realize that was bullshit and she was a girl no matter what. Either way, God never saved her. Not from Daddy or her friends falling apart.

When she sits here, though, she swears she can feel a presence. Something akin to the spirits that the gravekeeper talks about. It’s almost like, like Mari is still watching over her.

…Hell, she had a dream where she met Mari again, didn’t she? Last week at the hospital. It couldn’t be anyone else, or a dream version of her. That was Mari.

So she likes to think that Mari hears her. That Mari and her are actually having a conversation, even though Mari has no voice to reply with anymore. Maybe she’s crazy, but after everything that’s happened, she can’t bring herself to care.

“Thanks again for talking to me last week,” Aubrey mumbles. “I wish we had more time.”

She always wishes they had more time. Always.

Aubrey twists her finger into the dirt. “Kel and Hero invited me to go to the beach tomorrow. The Hooligans are coming, too. I really haven’t been there since before you died. I’m kinda nervous, honestly. I don’t have a swimsuit or a bikini or anything. Not that they’d make me look feminine, anyway.

“If you were still alive, I’m sure you’d find a way to help me dress up like a girl for it, haha. You were always the one who supported me with those things.

“...My voice has been getting deeper. This stuff was a lot easier when I was twelve. I try to ignore it, there’s worse shit happening to me, but it’s always in the back of my mind, y’know? You once said that a lot of your problems were like that.

“It feels weird to think about your problems, now. Do you get what I mean? Like, because you didn’t kill yourself, it all feels so… confusing. It had looked like all the pieces were in place, but we didn’t notice. But now it’s not that. Am I, am I still bad for not saving you?”

She bites her cheek. Somehow, it always comes back to this - the cause of Mari’s death.

“I kind of feel like I’m in purgatory. Sunny’s in the city, and Basil’s in the ward. And Kel and Hero like to repress this stuff… we didn’t talk about it at all today. I feel like nothing’s gonna happen until I face Basil or Sunny again, but I don’t know if I can do that. Am I taking too much time? No, that’s stupid, it’s only been a week.”

Ugh, why did this have to be so difficult? Aubrey leans back and looks at the stars. The stars always help.

“I’m worried about Basil,” she blurts out.

Nobody questions her - well, nobody’s around to question her. So, Aubrey keeps going. “Like, I dunno. I saw his grandma in her hospital room when I walked down the hall. It made me think about Basil’s behavior the day we checked on him, and… suddenly everything made sense. How he locked himself away. Why he wanted the photo album so badly. The reason why these flowers are here, why your grave was cleaned up.

“Mari, I… he was planning to kill himself. And I, I didn’t notice before. With Sunny moving away and his grandmother dying. I j-just…”

Tears push against Aubrey’s eyes, taunting her. She sniffs.

“How could I face him now, knowing that I hurt him when he needed help most? And how, how could I face him, knowing what he did to you? How am I supposed to feel about him?”

Aubrey pulls in a shaky breath. She sits back up and looks at Mari.

“You said that we aren’t bad people, Mari. That what’s happened has happened. But, but we hurt each other so much. I almost killed Basil. Basil helped kill you. How could… you forgive us so easily? I don’t understand.”

She doesn’t know if she’ll ever understand. She doesn’t know why God hasn’t appeared to damn them all, these murderers and adjacents who call themselves friends. The only good person was Mari, who didn’t kill herself, who never was the reason for their pain. So how could she forgive them? How could she say it doesn’t matter, she loves them anyway?

“I don’t understand,” Aubrey repeats. But Mari can no longer reply.

Her thoughts run blank. She can’t comprehend it all, can’t wallow in self-hatred. There are no words left to say.

So she mumbles, “Goodnight, Mari,” and stumbles to her feet. She walks home on autopilot. None of this makes any fucking sense. It probably never will.

Aubrey’s blankets are old, thin, and dirty. She has to do laundry soon, or better yet, buy new sheets. Maybe she’ll do that with her summer job money.

Sleep comes to Aubrey easily. She’s tired: not the kind that comes from bawling her eyes out for hours, but the kind where she doesn’t want to think anymore. It feels like a welcome embrace. Like an older sister’s warm arms. Aubrey makes no hesitation to accept it.

Morning brings a wave of heat that can only be attributed to July. Aubrey wears a tank top and a skirt. Both pieces are now out of fashion, but seriously, who gives a shit? She’s more worried about getting sunscreen.

Thankfully, Hero and Kel’s mother has some. Soon after Aubrey arrives, she gets fussed over and handed a stick of it before she can ask.

“Thanks, Tia,” Aubrey smiles. 

The woman waves her off. “Nada, querida, keep it! We have too many extras.”

Aubrey blinks. “Um, alright.”

Hero appears with pancakes and other snacks. Kel had already packed a picnic basket, which is now in the back of the car.

“Want one?” He asks. It’s his old recipe, the chocolate-chip ones that him and Mari always made on Saturday mornings.

“Yeah,” Aubrey accepts. The pancake is fluffy and warm on her tongue, just like it always was. These were only ever beaten by Mari’s cookies - if they were even comparable. Pancakes were Hero’s thing, cookies were Mari’s.

Hero grins, but his mother turns to him before he can say anything. “Heitor, quem mais vai? Já está tudo arrumado?”

“Sim, não se preocupe tanto!” Hero sighs lightheartedly. “Vai ser só a gente e os amigos da Aubrey.”

His mom smiles. “Tudo bem, chame seu irmão, por favor.”

Hero nods and turns away, placing his tray on the table before leaving and calling for Kel.

Aubrey decides to sit at the table and eat pancakes until the others show up. Hero comes back over with Kel before long. They play cards while they wait, chatting about the family’s plan for remodeling the house. Apparently, they’re adding a room by the stairs, presumably for Sally once she gets a little older.

It’s slow, but the Hooligans arrive. Mav is somehow last. He rolls his eyes at Kel’s comment about literally being next door, claiming he had “important affairs to attend to first”. Quietly, he admits to Aubrey that he’s been struggling to bind with Ace bandages. 

Kel steals shotgun before Aubrey can, damnit. She settles for the backseat with Kim, squished together with Angel in the middle. The Maverick’s in the way back between Vance and Charlene. He complains about leg room; his loss for choosing that seat.

Hell breaks loose as soon as Hero backs out of the driveway. Angel and Kim fight over the radio - which mainly consists of yelling at Kel to change the station - while Vance yaps about something Aubrey doesn’t really care about, so she half-asses her replies. To Hero’s credit, he doesn’t seem too distracted. Aubrey can only guess it’s a skill that comes with being the oldest of three.

As they make the fifteen minute drive to the beach, Aubrey realizes she hasn’t been in a car in a long time. Not since Daddy left with his, anyway. She never really needed one, at least not yet. The feeling is still a bit jarring. Aubrey’s not stupid - she knows that she’s poorer than her friends. It’s just… weird, looking at these little things.

Aubrey’s shoes meet gravel as she hops through the door. Kim runs past her, cheering. Hero and Kel start unloading stuff from the back, Charlene joining them. Vance lights a cig.

Arms wrap around Aubrey, Angel grabbing her. He points to the shoreline.

“Look at that!” Angel says. “We can play real volleyball!” Aubrey squints. She thinks she can see an abandoned ball down at the shore.

“If it’s not deflated.” She shrugs.

The younger nods. “I’ll go get The Maverick! He can test it!” Aubrey’s left alone as Angel runs off.

Aubrey turns over to the responsible people. Kel’s holding two or three things, and Hero isn’t faring much better, so Aubrey grabs stuff from them both. With Charlene following behind, they look like a weird multi-colored parade shuffling down the boardwalk.

The picnic blanket is the first thing to be dropped unceremoniously. Then someone yells “Shit!” because all the sand gets kicked up by the fabric’s landing. Angel and Kel immediately have to chase after the blanket. Wind and sand particles bite at Aubrey’s eyes, but she laughs all the same.

Aubrey and Kim are tasked with finding medium-sized stones to hold the blanket down. They jog slowly, falling the shoreline and eyeing the water. Kim already kicked off her shoes and left them at their camp, so she wades.

“Ow,” Kim complains. “Stupid-fucking-nerd-rock.” She picks up a tiny yet sharp pebble, throwing it into the ocean.

“Your fault for being barefoot this close to the rocky areas,” Aubrey comments. 

Kim rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

They find the first two stones easily, nestled almost right next to each other. The third takes a little longer, but it isn’t far. The fourth stone gives them trouble.

“What the hell,” Aubrey grunts. “How hard is it to find a stupid rock?”

“Dunno,” replies Kim. “This is dumb.”

Aubrey shrugs.

Kim twiddles her fingers as they head inland to look further. Aubrey can see there’s something on her mind - over the years, Kim’s tells have become obvious.

“What is it,” Aubrey says. Kim blinks at her. “C’mon, I know something’s up.”

Her best friend eventually sighs. “Damn, you’re good at that. It’s just, I dunno, Vance.”

“What happened?” Aubrey asks. Kim squints at the sand.

“It’s dumb,” Kim murmurs, kind of sheepish. “Like, I’m fine with smoking and stuff. Don’t get me wrong about that. It’s just, when Vance…”

Aubrey thinks back to ten minutes ago, Vance immediately grabbing a cigarette. It’s eleven in the morning. “Too much. Too often.”

“Yeah,” Kim nods. “Just gets me worried, I guess. And he’s blowing a lot of our money on it.”

Isn’t Aubrey used to that… “You should, um, talk to him about it, I guess. At least ask him to stop pulling it from your escape fund.” This is bullshit advice and she knows it, but she’s the opposite of qualified.

Kim bites her cheek. “I’ll try. Thanks, Aubs.”

Aubrey smiles awkwardly, and the conversation fades. What a way to fuck that up. She wishes she could actually help with this stuff, but when she thinks about how she’s only worsened Mom’s addiction, she feels horrible.

A few minutes later, Kim suddenly squats. She pokes at the ground. “Hey, check this one out.”

Aubrey looks to Kim. She’s pointing at a rock with some cracks through the middle. It’s fully in one piece, but only barely. A small flower has sprouted next to it - yellow and small, it kind of resembles a sunflower.

“That should be good,” Aubrey nods. She reaches to pick it up, but she’s sliced by one of the jagged edges. “Fuck!”

“Shit, are you okay?” Kim shoots to her feet, checking Aubrey’s thumb. A thin line of blood has formed.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she murmurs. Using her good hand, she scoops up some of the wet sand and fills in the stone’s wounds. “That should be better. Let’s take it back.”

Aubrey’s finger continues to sting, so she decides to ask Hero about it once they get back. She hands the stones to others, who place them on the blanket. Hero’s not there - when Aubrey asks, Kel tells her that he went to the car.

She crosses the boardwalk, reaching the parking lot in full strides. Hero is behind the car, pulling a heavy-looking bag over his shoulder.

“Hey,” she calls. Hero practically jumps.

“Aubrey, you scared me!” He laughs.

“Whoops,” Aubrey replies, unrepentant. She holds up her thumb. “You have any Band-Aids?”

Hero nods. “Just in the front seat, I’ll grab them.” When he turns, Aubrey eyes his bag.

“I can carry that,” she offers.

“It’s alright.” Hero shakes his head. “Your hand is hurt.”

Hero returns with the bandage. He hesitates when he goes to give the bandage to Aubrey. She looks at him for a second and notices his guilty expression.

“You can bandage it if you want,” Aubrey says. She can do it just fine herself, but Hero and Mari handled Band-Aid placement when they were kids. Part of her… wants to feel the safety those two radiated again.

“Sorry,” Hero murmurs.

Aubrey raises an eyebrow. “For what?”

“Um,” he says. “For leaving you to do this” - He gestures at the bandage - “Alone. I was supposed to take care of you guys.”

He said that yesterday, too. “You…” Aubrey doesn’t really know how to comfort Hero. It’s always been the other way around. “You were a kid, too. And you were hurting.”

“Yeah, but I…” Hero sniffs. He tries putting the Band-Aid on, but it gets a little crumpled and part of the cut doesn’t end up covered. Aubrey looks at the squished Spaceboy design.

“We’re here now, that’s what matters.” Aubrey doesn’t really believe her own words, because not all of them are there. Hero smiles; she can tell he doesn’t believe it either.

“Thank you,” he says. “That’s what we should focus on, I think.” 

They’re trying, though, aren’t they? As much as they can, even under all this pressure? Aubrey thinks that, Aubrey hopes that, “Mari’s proud of us.”

Hero kind of blinks at her. It takes him a second to register her words.

“...I really want her to be,” he eventually breathes. “I really, really do.”

Aubrey almost asks him right there if he saw her that night. He had to if she was visiting their dreams, right? That’s what she told Aubrey.

But Aubrey waits a beat too long, because Hero turns away to put the wrapping in the trash.

“Come on,” Hero says, “Let’s go have fun. It’s summer, after all.”

It still bothers her. And it will continue bothering her, but she pushes it to the back of her mind. Hero’s right; it’s summer.

“Alright.” Aubrey nods. “Let’s go have fun.”

It’s sunset when they return home from the beach, soon after eating dinner. The Hooligans are on their thirty-somethingth verse of “99 Bottles of Beer”. Kel’s chugging soda as Mav cheers at him. Aubrey’s had a grin on her face for maybe fifteen minutes now, and she knows it’s not going away anytime soon. Throughout the day, the bow has loosened in her hair.

Hero has to tell the teenagers to calm down multiple times after he parks the car. Of course, it only riles them up more. He eventually gets them all out, and the majority of the Hooligans head out for the park to spent the next few hours in. Aubrey, Hero, and Kel stay.

“You’re not following your friends?” Hero asks.

“I need to check on my mom,” Aubrey replies. “And my bunny, and Mari. I might join them later if I’m up for it.”

“You’re… really responsible.” Hero gives her a sad smile. “Well, we won’t keep you. C’mon, Kel.”

“See ya,” Kel says. “Today was fun. Like, really. Thank you.”

“Of course.” Aubrey nods at them both. She waves goodbye as they walk towards the door, but drops her hand when Kel gets distracted by Hector running out of his doghouse. 

Aubrey turns for the end of the sidewalk. It’s still decently warm outside, but it’s way cooler than earlier. She notes to herself that she’ll need to grab a jacket before she visits Mari. And shake the sand out of her shoes. There is so much.

But she doesn’t have to do that yet. The wind is calm, so Aubrey breathes.

This past week has been really hard. Her old friends are murderers. Her sister didn’t kill herself. But - but then. Then Kel, Hero, and the Hooligans have supported her. And this past weekend was one of the most fun she’s had in years.

It’ll be… it’ll be okay. Everything will be okay. There’s a lot happening in Aubrey’s life, but there’s also moments like these, where she’s just watching a pretty sunset. She’s… never appreciated that before. She had been too angry at the world to do so. And as much as she kind of hates Sunny and Basil right now, she’s, she’s tired of being angry.

Honestly, it’s hard to admit that to herself.

Closing her eyes, Aubrey makes a decision. She can’t bring herself to forgive Basil or Sunny. But she can’t let those feelings take over her life, either. Not like last time.

Mari, I hope you can understand that. I don’t really know how to feel anymore, but now… because I finally can, I want to focus on the other friendships I lost.

Aubrey lets the world envelope her for a few seconds longer. She prays that Mari can hear her. And even if she can’t, the thought brings Aubrey comfort.

She hopes that this is a good decision. That she’s being mature. Hero said she was just now, but she doesn’t really know what that means, ha.

Slowly, Aubrey opens her eyes. Golden beams of sunlight dully sift through the trees. Okay, she can do this. Feed everyone, shoes, jacket, visit Mari, park. That’s manageable.

Aubrey takes a step forward.

[espresso-lessdepresso]

HEYYYYY GIRL!!!!! its me anon sofi after SO LONG, I’ve already finished my first semester so I just started winter vacations yeyy (bc here in Argentina is winter and super cold lmao) sososo I’m going to catch up with everything you’ve written and cheer you on. Let me tell this month was SO stressful, with finals and all, but thank god I got the best grades (your girl is smart, got a total of 9,5 this semester（＾ν＾) ). Still, im very tired BUT I got the best writer in the world in front of me who put out a fic while I was gone, which means I’m gonna get relaxed and read it cause I know it’s going to be the very best ever. Now lets stop talking about me and TELL ME ABOUT YOU!!!! How’s your day?? How are you?? What are you up to??? Have you listened to a new song or discovered a new artist??? Watched a good movie recently?? Tell me everything and anything. I’ll read allll of it, even if it’s 15k words, I’ll take my time and read every single letter. You’re amazing and it makes so happy seeing so content and energetic, you have no idea. Remember to take care of yourself, stay safe and ilysmmmmm. Sending you goodie vibes all the way from here to wherever you are (⌒▽⌒) ♡

Helloooo anon soffiiii ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝

This is going to be a bit of a long one~

 It has indeed been a very long time since we last talked!!! [though much to my fault I've not been good at answering at the moment] I hope your vacations go well and that you’ve got some fun plans for the winter [which I should add is the best season in my opinion]. I'm a big soup enjoyer so I hope you get some good soup in your system to keep you warm. 

I have not written much since my ‘return’ [if can even call it that], but I hope you enjoy it. There is a very late Valentine’s Day post with schlatt, a part two of the Charlie fic and two Ted headcanons [head canons, me doing hcs? crazy. maybe I might get into it].

Im assuming that the 9.5 is out of a whole marking of 10? I’m thoroughly impressed just have to say, you are indeed a very smart girl, especially in college since many [including me] are just trying to get by with passing grades. It’s nice to see when someone works hard and gets the fruit of their labour- you did amazing, proud of you dude ☆ദി ᷇ᵕ ᷆ )☆

As for me, I find myself still getting back into writing, like im walking up a steep hill to get back to where I used to be. I don’t know, I feel like I’m not writing the same as I used to but maybe that’s all in my head. Fun fact, I often read a lot before I write- sure I may only read horror, but it helps get the brain juices flowing. I’ve been pretty occupied with personal stuff and college and my brain not braining, which isn’t super fun to talk about so I’ll just skip that. Other than that, I’ve been playing quite a few games when I’m in the need to procrastinate. My goodness- I’ve had sessions where I play for 8-ish hours straight of Terraria or Stardew Valley. It’s not the healthiest, I know, my discord buddies have given me earfuls and many scolding as if I were a little child because of this (ᐡ ᐧ ﻌ ᐧ ᐡ) But in my defence, it’s so easy for me to play for hours because I have some Jaiden or Schlatt vod playing on another screen so the vibes of that gaming sessions are immaculate. I sit on the chair with my little blanket, water and a snack, one earphone playing the game sounds and the other is playing the vod, the lights are dim and everything is so cozy. 

Oh, I’ve also been drinking these days. I never thought of touching alcohol in my entire life but here I am. I’ve been occasionally drinking some whiskey, which is considered a big boy drink for someone like me, a noob. But that is the only alcohol I can get my hands on. My mother does not know of my drinking and is promptly against it so I have been very careful with how much I drink. I do not condone drinking btw. I simply feel very silly when I do. Here is a little breakdown of how drinking affects me. When I’m two shots in, I start feeling it pretty quick. I drink between 5 to 10 shots and the way it affects me is by giving me a debuff of movement accuracy. Being a very articulate person, I have not been slurring when drunk. But I am walking a little silly lol, and swaying a little. Does this make me a lightweight? I have no frame of reference. But yeah, I think that was the most interesting and/or significant thing I’ve done.

It's always a pleasure hearing from you, our interactions are nothing less than sweet and its always welcomed. I hope you enjoy your vacation. Remember to take care of yourself and stay safe as well! Sending all the good vibes back to you ♡♡♡ ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡♡♡



[This is an answer to an old ask, written 8th April ( ˊᵕˋ ; ) I did not send it back then bc my brain was, unfortunately, giving me a hard time] 

I hope you're doing well. I read your post asks (which was so so long ago im so sorry) and I hope you've found a new apartment. Since you mentioned Argentina's summer being so suffocatingly hot, you should be drinking ample amounts of water throughout the day. Where I live, it gets ridiculously dry and hot during the summer, so I keep quite a few bottles of water near my desk. Being in college myself, third year for me, trying to stay on top of all my classes is difficult but so rewarding at the same time. Almost too many people have said this but it's true, time management is everything. And of course, giving yourself breaks is important as well to not burn yourself out. You have truly been so sweet to me, even when I have failed to write and post anything for months, so I thank you very much. It is hard to come by such kindness on the internet.

[cashmoneyyysstuff]

Can you do a scenario of Bakugou aftermath of the manga war right now, cause sense he had so much character development I think he have changed majorly big. And was wondering a bakugou x reader, aftermath after battle. I hope your up to date with the manga rn cause it’s super sad :(

But Mabye a scene of reader x bakugou, he wakes up in hospital and sees her waiting next to him in a chair waiting for him to wake up. And when he does he’s glad to see her alive and asking so many questions ☹️ maybe even a lil romantic vibe at the end ??!??😌

That would be so sweet thank you’!!

this is such a cute request ! i've been thinkin of writing a post war fic lately so thank you for the ask ! i tried to honour your request as best i could, hope you'll like it ! <3

BNHA MANGA SPOILERS !!, fem reader, injuries n blood n stuff, reader cries easily sorry im projecting, katsuki n reader have been together for a while (since before the first internship arc !)(..does this technically qualify as childhood friends to…anyways !), worried reader, worried katsu so its a lil angsty but it's pure fluff no worries !, kissing, katsuki is touchy and cannot pass up skin contact, katsuki is a biter cus i say he is so biting, best jeanist is here!! (and maybe kinda ooc cus idk him like that😭🫶🏾), afo is mentioned and called a ballsack lmfao i hate him, everyone is fine and dandy and healthy(?) cus im a major optimist, lemme know if i missed sum else<3!

it's been three weeks since katsuki's been asleep.

you'd woken up a week and a few days after the war had ended. you don't remember much besides fighting for your life, that of your friends and of the people of japan. you were greeted with the worried, relieved and snotty faces of your classmates. denki and kirishima had basically tackle hugged you and were immediately strictly reprimanded by iida and momo. your limbs hurt like hell but you could ignore it and focus on squeezing your friends for now.

except not everyone was here. you immediately realised katsuki was one of them.

you were horrified to find out from your friends, who were sure this would be your reaction and were refraining from telling you, that katsuki had once again suffered major injuries and had been asleep for a good week now.

your classmates had tried to reassure you, "bakugou's always doin' the impossible, he'll probably be awake and he'll go back to cussin' up a storm before we know it." sero said, trying his best to comfort you. you send him a smile that doesn't fully reach your eyes, but you still appreciate him nonetheless.

since that day you'd gone to visit him everyday. sometimes you'd just stare at his pretty lashes fluttering, wondering when he'd wake up. other times you'd talk to him about your day. it was boring, since you were still healing and still stuck in the hospital, but it was something.

your classmates came to visit too. kirishima comes to visit the most but you assume he’s just here to check up on you and make sure you’re okay. he stays for around an hour, sneaks you some actually edible food then always leaves you with a “don’t push yourself too much, okay !”

you go to visit your other classmates, like izuku who had also taken a major beating, but was just as stubborn as your katsuki when it came to durability. you’re amazed to see how quickly he goes back to his old self, anxiously waving his arms around and telling you he’s completely okay, before promptly wincing and yelping out an “ouch !” when he moves his arm the wrong way. you jokingly warn him not to push himself too much too quickly or you’d mess him up even more than he already was every time you leave.

“i’ll try !” he chuckles, giving you a thumbs up.

you’d also met best jeanist recently, who had come to visit your boyfriend one day while you were also there. he told you that katsuki had talked about you once and that, in best jeanist’s words he seemed to be very enamored with you. you couldn’t help the way you shyly looked down at the ground, letting out a flustered chuckle and you thought you heard best jeanist laugh underneath his long, long turtleneck.

you’re currently sitting by katsuki’s bedside for the fourth monday in a row, smiling to yourself as you watch him sleep. you wonder if he’s dreaming about anything. despite the fact you looked it up and people can’t exactly dream while they’re in a coma, but you like to think he’s just asleep and having a very nice dream. the thought makes you happy, but it also makes a knot grow in your throat.

“i do hope you're having nice dreams, but i also hope you wake up soon." you whisper lovingly, brushing some hair out of his face. you run your finger along his nose bridge and cheek, usually he wouldn't be able to take soft touches like this for more than 10 seconds before getting embarrassed and pushing your hands away, trying to distract you from his beet red cheeks. you let out a watery giggle at the memory.

your throat starts feeling a little dry and as much as you don't want to leave katsuki, you figured you wouldn't miss much if you were only gone for a few minutes. you press a quick kiss to his forehead and before you get up to leave the room you look back at him once more time. only to see something strange, his eyelashes flutter more than usual, then his eyebrows furrow,

and then his eyes open.

he blinks groggily once, then twice. he tries to reach up and rub at his eye but the bandage on his arm won't allow him to and he winces. he realizes someone is in his room after a second, slowly looking up as if in slow motion. but then his movements fast forward when he realizes it's you in his room.

his eyes widen and he practically jumps up. hastily sitting up and leaning against the railing of his bed towards you

"yn—fuck !" but he seems to have underestimated how serious his injuries were in the moment. he doubles over and hisses in pain. the noise kickstarts you and immediatly you're in motion. you rush over to him, softly but urgently grabbing his shoulders you softly push him back against his pillows, he groans as you do. "don't sit up so quickly !" you fret "just lay down—"

he grabs your arm with his somewhat okay one tightly as soon as you make contact, "are you—fuck—are you okay ?" he asks breathlessly, his eyes urgently search around on your face and he frowns slightly as he scans over your light scratches. " fuck, i passed out before i could get to check up on you.." his eyebrows furrow even harder, mad at himself for not being able to watch over you.

he lifts his not so injured hand up just slightly and you lower your head so he can place it against your cheek. he rubs over it slowly "yer not hurt, are ya ? i mean—fuck, you are, but—"

"katsu.." you smile, already shushing him.

"nothing broken ?" he starts up again, prodding at every body part he can reach. you giggle lightly. "yer all bandaged up. swear i'll find the bastards who did this shit to you."

"i already dealt with them, so you don't need to worry about that." you chuckle. he copies you, his movements slow down the slightest bit and he chuckes slightly and you've missed that sound so much your heart squeezes.

“yeah, course you did..” he sighs, eyes shining brighter than usual and you suspect he’s tearing up a little when he swiftly looks away from you to wipe at his face, you don’t comment on it cus you could feel tears welling up in your eyes as well.

he tsks at the mostly okay, but still injured, arm against his face before pulling it back glaring at it, “this shit’s a real pain.” he mutters angrily, sucking his teeth.

you spring into action again, like a toy starting up when you wind it “don’t move it so much, you messed it up really badly during the fight !” you both notice how you flinch back when you instinctively go to grab his hand, then reach forward once more and barely grab his hand to guide it towards his lap, and then his body towards the pillows behind him again. katsuki’s eyebrows furrow at your ghost like touch.

he doesn’t say a word as you ramble and simply stares at you. you’d noticed he hadn’t even put up a fight when you’d pushed him back down onto his bed, but you were more worried about his well being rather than his behavior. but now you start to get a little bit worried at his lack of reaction, you place your hand on his chest softly, afraid to hurt him "wait just a sec, i'll go get a nur—"

"no." you let out a surprised sound when he grabs your hand. he stares straight into your eyes, and the bright red shine in them is such a huge contrast to them being closed for so long it almost knocks the wind out of you.

he vehemently shakes his head "i don't need none of that."

"katsuki, you need—"

"no i don't." he says stubbornly, you don't know if you're happy or not that he seems to be just as stubborn as before everything happened. it's a relief, sure, but it's starting to annoy you a bit. you want to fire back but he cuts you off "i don't need a nurse. need you." he mutters into your hand he had brung up to his lips to speak his last sentence against.

it’s only a light press of his lips against your skin but it sends chills down your spine. he does it again, red eyes fixed onto you to bring his point across. you suck in a harsh breath, then sigh in defeat.

"okay.." you sigh. "but we still have to get a nurse later." he grunts into your hand in begrudged agreement, "later." he mutters.

once he's gotten his feel of you, he slowly lifts his head up to look at you. he shuffles around in bed until he's sitting up a little straighter, waving you off when you sit up to help when he winces slightly.

he reaches for you and tugs at your arm lightly, as if he wanted you to sit closer to him. you happily oblige, scooting a little closer until you're leaning infront of him. he grumbles, obviously unhappy about something.

"come over here." he whines petutalanty.

you giggle at his childish demand "katsuki, no. you're very hurt and i don't wanna make you feel worse if i accidently push at something too hard. we can cuddle all you want when you get checked up." you explain. he’s obviously unhappy about that, rolling his eyes accompanied by a huff.

just like he usually would. you feel your eyes burn but your chest feels lighter and lighter the more you realize he’s here. your holding his hand and he’s holding it back, you’re looking at him and he at you.

it’s your katsuki.

“that’s bullshit, m’perfectly fine.” he scoffs.

you give him a once over, raising a brow for good measure “right.” you laugh when he scoffs again, but he can’t hide the smirk growing on his face at the sound.

it’s your katsuki, alright.

it’s quiet while you’re just indulging in each other’s company, the worry in your stomach gnawing at you every day he wouldn’t open his eyes these past few weeks finally washing away as you look at him lovingly when he closes his eyes and sighs against your skin.

“stop starin’.” he complains against your hand he still had in a tight grip, cheeks turning red. it seems like he doesn’t want to let go of it any time soon and doesn’t have any plans to as he bring it up to his mouth to bite you. you struggle and squeezes at his nose with a grin.

“hey, is it so bad to wanna look at my boyfriend that he’d been sleeping every day up until now ?” you make it sound like a joke, but your smile falters slightly and katsuki realizes. his eyes widen slightly.

"how..how long was i out for ?" his voice is still clouded with sleep even now. you plop back down onto your chair, dragged closer to him now “about three weeks.” you mutter, sad smile on your face and eyes downcast.

neither of you say anything for a moment and you’re quickly reminded of the quiet you’d gotten used to when he was still asleep. you don't like it and you want to fill the silence but you don't know what to say. katsuki doesn't respond and keeps looking at your expression, blinking slowly, like he does when he's trying to discern how you feel. he's annoyingly perceptive and you feel yourself get flustered by his gaze.

"now who's the one staring.." you mutter shyly, eyes drifting towards the floor to close him off of your mind with those all seeing eyes of his. you can tell he's seen through you, but it's worth a try anyway.

he reaches and tugs at your chair leg for you to scoot closer somehow. once, then twice harder when you don't make any move to listen to him. he grunts and you worry he'll hurt himself like he always end up doing when he’s not being careful, so you lean your face closer to him. you'd stare at him at all day like this if you could but your eyes won't look in his properly before they're shooting back towards the floor, katsuki huffs a breath of laughter onto your cheek.

"m'not allowed to look at my girlfriend after bein' passed the fuck out for three weeks ?" he smirks his eyes are soft even when he gruffs a mean laugh when he reaches up to pinch your nose back and you grumble at him, softly patting at his hand to shoo him away with a smile you try to hold back. he pokes at your cheek, you go to shoo and scold him but he surprises you by softly placing his hand against your cheek.

“was worried about you, you know.”

your eyes widen and your mouth drops open slightly at his sincerity. your heart warms and you can't stop the tears blurring your vision anymore. you clamp your mouth shut so as not to sob, but your bottom lip wobbles and katsuki huffs again.

"was thinkin 'bout you the whole time. hate that creepy ballsack head,” he grumbles bitterly “kept me from seein' my girl." he smiles when you let out a watery snort. you grab ahold of the hand on your face, running your thumb across the rough skin.

"i heard you really did a number on him."

"course i did. fuckin' decimated the fucker." he boasts and you laugh loudly. "made him cry like a baby. literally." he adds, you raise a brow in question but he simply shakes his again, as if telling you not to worry about it.

you don't question it and simply sigh against his hand happily, it feels nice to feel him again. "the others are gonna be happy to see you up. kiri's been coming to visit you every day. and i've forbidden izuku from getting out of bed, but he asks about you all the time."

katsuki scoffs, thumb slowling down in its movements "damn deku.. he better not think he's hot shit cus he woke up before me." you snort loudly at that, shaking your head at his childish antics.

"good he's not runnin' around. he'd probably end up breaking more of his bones by himself."

"that's what i said !" you giggle, and katsuki snorts. you missed hearing him. you missed him so much, you reach a hand up and wipe at your still wet eyes, katsuki grabs at that hand to wipe at your tears for you.

"was worried about you too, katsu." you sniffle "when i heard you got yourself hurt bad again i just—i got really scared.”

your boyfriend's eyebrows furrow sorrowfully and he wishes his body wasn't so weak so he could wrap you up in his arm and feel you close, never let you go. but his hand against your wet cheek will have to do for now.

but katsuki is a creature of habit, so he speaks "come over here." he whispers.

you lean in a small distance at first, not really sure of what he wanted you to do. katsuki grunts but when you get close enough he reaches for the back of your head and pulls you in, pressing his lips to yours.

and it's everything. soft yet his grip on you is firm, slow yet urgent when you grab the front of his hospital clothes and he huffs against you when he shoves his tongue into your mouth with a soft groan. eyebrows furrowing in focus to handle his breathing because he doesn't want to pull away.

not yet.

you're first to pull away but he doesn't let you go far, immediately swooping in for another kiss, this one just as- if not more urgent-than the first. you softly run your hands through his soft locks and try to memorize the feeling like you hadn't been touching it everyday for the past three weeks. it feels different now.

not yet.

finally, you pull away even after katsuki chases your lips with a pout. you giggle and tug at his hair and he huffs at you, and leans forward to bite at the tip of your nose.

"katsuki !" you squeal flying back to wipe at your nose.

“don’t katsuki me” he chuckles, cheeks dusted pink. from the lack of oxygen just a moment ago or from embarrassment you don’t know, “ ‘ts your own fault, dumbass.”

you scrunch your nose and stick your tongue out at him and he snickers again. you’d missed that sound. you’d missed his laugh, and his stupid nicknames and his voice, the way he says your name and his eyes and his smile.

“i missed you.” you breathe, smiling at him with what you know can only be called heart eyes. katsuki blinks at you, turning red to the tips of his ears. he looks away but reaches for your hand, you give it to him and he presses his lips to the back of your hand.

“missed you too. really did.” he mutters.

this is the most embarrassed you’ve seen him and the sincerest at the same time, you commit the image to memory as your stomach flutters and your heart beats for him. and his for you. you can feel it in the way his hand steadily gets warmer, the way he closes his eyes and breathes you. in the way he kisses each of your fingertips and finishes it off with a bite to each to make you laugh.

you both know a lot of things still need to happen but they can wait for now. for now, his heart is here, beating with yours. your katsuki is awake and back where he’s supposed to be.

[bush-viper-cutie]

New Student, New Friend

Pairing: Young Snape x french!reader

Word Count: 2,751

Request: #1 “Hi! Can I request a young!Snape x french!reader where the reader's transferred from beauxbatons and isn't fluent in english/has a thick accent? Love your work!!”

#2 “Hi hi! Love your work! Can I request Young Snape x French reader? Sorry if I dont speak well, english is not my first language <3”

Warnings: none

A/N: Hello everyone again! :D I combined both requests because they are pretty similar so enjoy!

Posted: 9/10/21

Masterlist

---

~*~*~ = time skip

(Y/n) = first name

(L/n) = last name

~*~*~

~*~*~ = POV change

---

~*~*~*~*~ *~

There was a strange static in the air this morning, one Severus couldn't quite place. He brushed his long hair back behind his ear and listened in to the hushed whispers of passing classmates.

"...Beauxbaton, can you believe it?"

"Nice to not know someone for a change - "

Beauxbaton? Severus gathered they were talking about a new teacher perhaps? Although it wasn't that odd to get new professors in the middle of the school year. Just last year the Dark Arts professor was promptly replaced when he went mad after a spell backfired on him; In fact, every year there was a new one.

It was strange that the new teacher should be a transfer from another school such as Beauxbaton... Maybe they were fired and no one else wanted them, must be down on their luck. And if that is the case, how very fitting for Hogwarts, home of inadequacy.

Severus, still deep in his bitter thoughts, almost tripped over the shoe that had extended out in front of him. He caught himself and whirled around angrily. "Watch it!" he growled, straightening.

James Potter smirked. "Oh, Snivellus. Didn't see you there.” His Gryffindor friends snickered behind him, bolstering his ego. "I'd get along to class if I were you. Wouldn't want to be late on your first day back."

Severus grit his teeth and did everything he could to not growl his displeasure of being in so close proximity to the pinnacle of mediocrity that was Potter. It had been a week after winter holidays had ended but after another nearly fatal encounter with Black, he’d been forced to stay in the Hospital Wing un-zippering his mouth and a couple of fingers before being allowed back.

The memory of the experience made his knees weak, making keeping his riled demeanor that much harder. He was lucky he'd had the foresight to cover his nose before Black unleashed his hex. It wasn’t a quick run from the lake to the nurse, and he certainly wouldn't have made it with his nostrils zippered together as well.

"Mind your own business, Potter." Severus spat out his name like rotten apples, furrowing his brows in an attempt to seem more threatening however he could not help but notice the hallways getting emptier by the second. He knew better than to get caught alone with Potter.

He laughed and turned to catch up with his friends. Severus watched him go, only relaxing his shoulders after Potter had rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight. The hall was empty.

He turned and continued down the corridor when his hearing perked at the scuff of loud footsteps. He whirled around, hand plunging into his robes, but it was too late.

"Levipeds!"

Severus' head snapped back as his feet whipped out from under him. He hung limp in the air, watching his wand roll away on the stone floor. His hair nearly touched the dirty ground.

James laughed. "Welcome back, Snivellus!"

He closed his eyes as his boiling blood rushed to his head. He was hanging upside down in the air, alone in the empty corridor. He couldn't scream for help, he'd just get yelled at for disturbing lessons, and he couldn't reach his wand - as long as his limbs might be, his wand might as well have rolled down into the dungeons. He'd have to hang there until classes were over or one of the portraits decided to help him out for once.

"Eh... Excuse moi?" A quiet voice wrapped in a thick French accent broke the silence.

His eyes flew open and stared straight into the face of a beautiful but completely unfamiliar student. She bent down low to meet his eyes. She must be the mystery person from Beauxbaton, the new student as it turned out.

This was worse, so much worse than being caught by anyone else in the school - except for a very select few. Severus looked around in search of anything that might make this all less embarrassing.

"You need help, no?" Her voice was more confident this time, laced with a hint of friendly amusement.

"Uhh..." He met her eyes and hoped this new student would excuse his red face to be due to all his blood rushing down.

She straightened and pointed behind him. "This is your wand? I'll give to you?" His wand was in his hand with one quick flick of her own.

His eyebrows automatically shot up at her use of nonverbal spells. "Thanks," he tried swallowing but ended up coughing. He covered his mouth and performed the counter-hex, dropping to the floor with a grunt.

She rushed forward, looping her arm through his and helping him up to his feet. She laughed and dusted the dirt off his back while he stood paralyzed.

"Better, no?" she smiled, facing him a foot from his stiff figure. "I'm new seventh-year transfer... And you?"

For a moment his mouth opened but no words flew out, and then all at once words poured out as fast as if under a curse. "I'm - oh - yes you're from Beauxbaton, right? Yeah - er - yes, seventh-year as well."

Her hands flew up and she waved them in front of herself with a laugh. "Slow please!" she laughed again. "One more time?"

Severus gave an awkward laugh that matched hers and nodded. "I'm also a seventh-year."

"Oh!" she held out a paper and pointed down to the class he was late for. "I am so lost! You help me now? Oui?"

She smiled up at him and his heart nearly leaped out of his mouth. He nodded quickly, "Yes - er - oui, I'll help you... Actually, that's my class too..."

"Oh!" Her smile widened, "I need partner for the class! You have one?"

For once Severus thanked his unlucky past self. His time in the hospital wing all week meant everyone would be already partnered up. "No, I don't..." his face flushed red again and he cleared his throat, looking away. "We could be partners?"

"Bon! Lead the way, partner," she motioned for him to lead, keeping a very close pace next to him as they walked. "I am lucky to find you, did not know anyone yet. You are only third person met!"

He gave her a small smile as they walked together, but he knew it wouldn't take long for her to find out his status at the school. Being a new student, he was sure she’d make all the friends she could ever want by the end of the day. Then she'd reconsider her luck after everyone tells her all about her lab partner, 'Snivellus'.

~*~*~

They made it to class late. The professor looked up and frowned, ready to tell them off when Severus' new ‘friend’ spoke up.

"Excuse us, Professor, I am new and got lost."

The professor sighed and waved his hand, giving her a pass. "And I see you're back Mr. Snape. Get to your seats, you'll both be working together - get moving."

The two back seats were empty and Severus was glad to be away from the front for once. His new partner set down her things, and as she bent to pick up her books Severus caught a glimpse of Sirius Black glaring at him from the front, a seat behind where Severus had been sitting the last term. Black had anticipated his return and was obviously annoyed with the change in seating.

"What may I call you, Mr. Snape?" The new student whispered, giving him her full attention despite the lesson continuing.

"S-Severus." He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to him. He'd die of embarrassment if they started teasing him in front of her for daring to open his mouth. "And you?"

She smiled. "Severus Snape? That's a beautiful name." She looked back up to make sure their conversation was still private and turned back. She reached up and gripped his tie, pulling him towards her. She leaned and held a hand to his ear, moving her lips inches from his ear. "(Y/n) (L/n)."

Severus’ heart beat faster than it ever had before. The immense drumming in his ears almost made it impossible to hear her whispers. When she released him, he turned to look at her, feeling his face heat up either from proximity or from her warm breath flowing over his face. "(Y/n)... Good to know." He swallowed and realized he had not moved since she had pulled him towards her. He would have felt like an idiot if she wasn’t looking at him so playfully.

"You gonna kiss her, Snivellus?"

Severus pulled back quickly and clenched his jaw at Black.

The professor smacked Sirius' head with a roll of parchment. "Mr. Black, disturb my class again and I'll assign you an essay for every night this week." Severus smirked. "And you, Mr. Snape," the Professor smacked the board, creating a puff of chalk, "- will hand me your notes tomorrow before class - legible notes, might I add."

Severus nodded as the class snickered and turned away from (Y/n). The rest of the lesson went by agonizingly slow. Severus counted the seconds until he could run away to the library, away from taunting eyes. He hated himself for turning so red, but he hated Black even more for making him the fool.

~*~*~

~*~*~

You could tell the boy, 'Mr. Black', had embarrassed Severus greatly. He was hunched over his parchment, focused completely on the professor's words, and never once looking back up at you.

You read the words on the board but soon your eyes ventured down to look at the tall lanky boy currently trying to visibly shrink in his seat. The moment shared between you both still played on your mind. He had beautiful long lashes and deep dark eyes to match. It had been fun to see him so flustered over you, but the guilt of what you'd caused sat heavily on your chest. That boy had noted Severus had been in the perfect position to kiss her, which... did she kind of wish he had?... Just to see - for just a curious taste.

You didn't know what specifically was so alluring about Severus, but you could imagine yourself wrapped in his arms, pulling on his long hair, biting his lips, and hearing that deep voice of his purring for more. Something about him - or maybe everything about him - made you wonder how gentle those hands of his could be.

The bells rang in the distance, marking the end of the lesson. You packed your things and sat waiting for Severus to do the same. He was slow at first and then after a quick flick of his eyes up to you hurried along.

You stood at the same time and motioned for the door, scrambling to translate your thoughts into English. "Lunch now? We can sit together?"

People filed out of the class, which Severus watched closely before turning back to her and answering. "Look, this isn't the only time… I'm not someone to hang out with unless you like hexes and spells to be thrown in your direction."

You could see the hurt in his eyes, the way his brows furrowed, and his down-turned eyes filled with tears that wouldn't fall. Before you could bring yourself to respond, he sighed shakily, giving you pause.

"It's not your fault... I'll show you down and then I suggest you forget about being friends." He pulled open the door and held it open for you without meeting your eyes.

What could you say to him? You stepped out into the corridor, contemplating how to phrase what you were thinking when laughter pulled your focus.

"I see you've met our Snivellus." The stupid boy, Black, came forward talking to you but keeping his attention on Severus. He had long curly hair nearly as long as Severus' and was taller, with proud shoulders held in a loose demeanor that still made him seem important in some way. His eyes shifted to you, "Hope he didn't drip any snot on you while he tried for a kiss."

You scoffed, “You do not understand what you saw. Please leave us alone.”

“Love, maybe you’re not understanding me. For your own safety I insist YOU leave this sniffling slime alone.” Black took a step closer.

Severus pulled out his wand but held it low, at the ready in an instant. "I’m done with your games. Unlike you, you nitwitted tower troll, I have places to be." He finally glanced your way, "Excuse me," and made to leave.

Black blocked his way, laughing at the now pointed wand in Severus’ hand. "Go ahead, I’ll be glad if you finally get expelled for using wands in the corridors. Mine's not even on me."

You eyed the smirk on his face and the tiny shift of his hand towards his trousers pocket. Was that a lie then? Whatever the case, you had enough of this game too. "My friend, Severus, is showing me to lunch. We are going now." You stepped between Severus and Black, giving the taller boy an annoyed look.

"I’m telling you, be careful," Black chuckled. "He might try to kiss you again if you’re too nice."

You paused and stepped back, looking up at Severus, whose eyes were fixed on Black, staring daggers into him. You bit your lip and chuckled the same way Black had, finding a different kind of amusement than him in this situation. "I hope he will."

Severus' head snapped to you, his cheeks slowly going a light shade of pink all over.

Black made a disgusted sound and a show of his fake nausea. “Darling, I don’t think I understood you correctly. Check your dictionary and if that’s not the problem maybe your eyes.”

This boy was really getting on your nerves now. If you’d been back at Beauxbaton you’d’ve already hexed him into a soggy pile of starter yeast, baked him into the perfect Pain au Levain, and chucked him out the tallest tower window. ��Move it,” you made sure your French accent coated the word heavily.

Severus’ hand wrapped around your arm, pulling you back. He kept his wand and eyes trained on Black but spoke to you. “Go down to lunch. I’ll stay here to have the chat Black so desperately wants to have with me.” He looked up again, “Let her leave.”

Black smiled, “That’s fine. Been meaning to ask how your winter holiday was after I last saw you.”

You turned to Severus, ready to protest when the door to the classroom opened, cutting Black off. You all stood very still and awkward, hoping to hide the atmospheric hostility that had been created.

The Professor locked the door with a flick of his wand and looked at everyone with concern. "Off to lunch, no need wandering the corridors. Now." He ushered everyone down the stairs, walking close behind in equal silence.

You reached the floor second to last, after Black and then Severus, and pulled on Severus' arm the second your Professor had turned towards the staff room. You kept your hand on him to make sure he didn’t decide to leave before you could talk to him. Before Black could step towards you to continue the ‘conversation’, other Gryffindor students pulled him towards a small crowd gathering across the floor. Whatever it was seemed to be of higher interest and he left with only single backwards glance.

You both watched him go dissolve into the rowdy group and suddenly the air around you shifted. Severus turned instantly, searching your eyes with an intensity you could almost feel. You blushed and slid your hand down his sleeve and lingered on his bare hand. Neither of you said a word but the electricity connecting your eyes and the comfortable silence that enveloped you both spoke volumes. "We could eat together, no?"

His eyes settled on your hand still on his until you let go. "Oui," he whispered with a smile pulling at his lips. “Lunch then.”

As you both walked on, he slowly crept closer with every step, making your shoulders brush against his arm. His pinky tickled the skin on your wrist, making you cough to hide a giggle as you entered the Great Hall. Your eyes flickered up at his and you smiled, seeing a gentle blush and an even gentler smile on his face.

~*~*~*~*~ *~

Masterlist

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General taglist:

@setsuna-meiou31

@severuslovebot

@bionic-otp

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