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chubbybuckydumpling · 4 years ago

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Christmas Biscuits

words: 2287

warnings: swear words, a tiny bit of angst, mentions of death (this sounds kinda bad, but it’s actually really fluffy)

A/n: this is my first ever fic and I’m really insecure about my writing. Please be kind 🥺💖 (gif is not mine)

Writing challenge by @mypoisonedvine

“This one, daddy, this one!” Bucky chuckles as he looks towards his toddler, who sits on the kitchen isle in front of a box full of biscuit cutters. The three year old holds up a huge reindeer cutter and smiles toothily at her father.

“Dude, it's way too big. We won't even be able to fit four of those on one baking tray. Why do we even have one this large?” The teenager stands to the left of her sister and looks at Bucky with a questioning gaze. Her hair is lazily put into a low bun and an ugly Christmas jumper adorns her body.

“Eileen, don't call your sister 'dude'”, the teen rolls her eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh, “Whatever” He makes his way towards the toddler and gently takes the reindeer out of her hands, while sending his oldest a warning look. “You heard your sister, baby. Let's choose some smaller ones” he explains and pulls the box towards himself.

His eyes fall on a Mickey Mouse biscuit cutter and a smile takes over his face. He grabs the desired object and places it on the isle, “When your sister was in kindergarten she made this all by herself. We use these every year. They are very special to me”. The little girl holds up the cutter to inspect it and then looks to Bucky. “Special?”, she asks.

He nods and watches as his youngest daughter holds the cutter towards her big sister. “We use this one, yes Isla?” Eileen smiles, accepts the object and places it on the counter next to the dough. She shakes her head lightly and grins at her father, “I can't believe you've kept this all these years”

Bucky shrugs and continues searching the box for appropriate biscuit cutters. “You gifted this to me, of course I kept it. You looked so proud when you brought this home, I'll never forget. Also, I'm pretty sure your father would have beheaded me if I even thought about throwing this away”, he pauses, just for some seconds, “We were probably as proud as you, if not more”. Bucky fetches a star and a smaller reindeer biscuit cutter out of the box and hands them to the toddler.

Eileen hums before turning towards her little sister, “Do you like ones dad chose, Sarah?”. She nods and holds her arms up, silently demanding to be carried. The older girl obliges and puts the toddler on her hip, so that they can add the new cutters to the counter.

Bucky joins his children with another biscuit cutter and the dough in his hands. He places both items down and grabs the rolling pin to flatten out the dough. “I remember how much papa loved baking biscuits. He'd always let me decorate them, even though he was so much better at it”, Eileen says while putting Sarah on the counter and holding her waist, in case she'll fall down. She eyes Bucky hesitantly.

He stops for a moment to collect himself and then forces a smile on his face, “He always loved everything you did. You were his little superstar. There wasn't a thing you could have done wrong. You've always been his pride and joy”. Bucky continues rolling the dough, “He always felt bad about actually eating them. He couldn't bear to destroy your art”

“That's what I've got you for though!”, his oldest giggles and gently pinches Bucky's tummy, which makes him release a high pitched shriek. Sarah begins to laugh loudly at her father's silliness and tries to tickle him as well. The man however grabs her hand and pulls her little body towards his chest. He quickly presses a kiss to her forehead.

“Alright, I think we can start cutting. Sarah, baby, do you want daddy to help you?” The young girl nods and claps her hands in an excited manner, “Please, daddy!” Bucky grins and encourages his youngest daughter to choose a cutter. Eileen quickly fishes for her Mickey Mouse one, a smile upon her lips. Sarah takes her time to think, before she carefully picks out the star shape. “Good choice, bug!”

The family spends some time on cutting and baking multiple batches of biscuits, laughing and smiling. After a couple minutes, Eileen starts to play a Christmas playlist to which they sing to. Time was flying and soon they found themselves ready to decorate their goodies.

Bucky forces Sarah to put on an apron and ties her dirty blond hair back into a ponytail. Eileen mixes different coloured icings and opens some sprinkles and edible glitter. Her father eyes the glitter and sighs, “This is going to end in a mess, right?” The older girl smiles sheepishly and her father accepts his defeat.

“Alright then girls, let's get going”. Eileen takes on the job of delicately dipping the biscuits into the icing while Bucky desperately tries to stop his toddler from pouring a whole bag of sprinkles over one single biscuit. And like anticipated, once Sarah finds the glitter, it's over. There's glitter everywhere. In his hair, in his children's hair, on the counter, the floor and of course, on the baked goods.

Once they finished all the biscuits and stored them, Bucky leans against the counter, utterly exhausted. His eyes drift to the clock. It's already 6 pm and he still needs to cook dinner. Upon seeing his father so tired, Eileen slides next to him and places a hand on his, “How about we order some food? We can even choose something healthy, if you want to” He raises his eyebrows, “Healthy you say?”. She nods and Bucky narrows his eyes, “Who are you and what have you done to my teen?”

His dramatic reaction causes her to snort and shake her head. “Well, do you want me to order something or not?”

———

After devouring some nice Italian cuisine and doing a whole lot of dishes, everyone is laying on the couch, tired, yet satisfied. “I'm glad baking biscuits is an annual occurrence. This shit is way to exhausting”, Eileen yawns out and cuddles up to her father, who lifts up an arm to pull her towards him. Sarah is already fast asleep on his belly. Bucky gives his oldest a warning nudge for using a swear word, but quickly presses a kiss to her temple afterwards.

“Papa hated when I swore. And he always heard it too! I could have been on the moon for all I care and he would have still known”, she complains with a light smile on her face. Bucky chuckles and begins to play with her hair, “You could always hear him yell 'Language!' whenever someone used a bad word”. He sighs, “Your father was a good man. He only wished for the best for you and your sister”. Eileen remains silent.

“Are we going to visit papa tomorrow?”, she asks after a while. Bucky nods, “I was planning on doing so. Is that okay with you?”. The teenager mumbles a quiet 'yes' and yawns again. “Alright, my love. I think it's time for bed” She grumbles, but uses one of her hands to stroke some hair from her eyes. Sitting up, she yawns again and presses a kiss to her father's cheek, “Good night, dad. I love you”

“I love you too, dear. Sweet dreams”, he calls out to her retreating figure. The shine of the vanilla candles illuminates her form and Bucky can't help the warm feeling in his chest. Eileen grew up to be such a beautiful young woman and he realises again just how proud he is. Proud of her responsibility, her independence and her love for herself. It hasn't always been easy for her and she still pulled through to be her best self, which he can't help but admire.

Before he can get too emotional, Bucky gets up as well, careful to not disrupt his daughter's sleep. He blows out the candles, the smoke filling his nostrils with an overwhelming smell of vanilla. Steve always insisted on buying exactly these candles, for they calmed his mind enough to sketch a little, and really, how could Bucky ever deny his love? Now they are a reminder of him. His scent and laugh, the sound of his pencils scratching his paper, the feel of his lips on Bucky's own.

He shakes his head to rid himself of these thoughts and makes his way up the stairs into Sarah's room. He tucks her into the tiny bed and kisses her forehead, “Good night, baby. Sweet dreams. Daddy loves you”, he whispers.

On the wall across the door is the wall painting Steve made before their youngest daughter was born. He was so excited to meet her and made it his goal to create the most beautiful nursery for her. The underwater scene displays so much of Steve's character, from the way he carefully handled the brush to his determined, strong strokes. Bucky is happy that Sarah has this reminder of her papa, especially because she never had the chance to meet him.

He sneaks out of her room, switching on her night light on his way out. One of his hands rests on his soft belly and squeezes the fat that has collected there. A yawn ripples through him which makes him move to his own bedroom. There, the walls are shining in a light orange which creates an illusion of a bigger room, or so Steve used to say.

Bucky unzips his jeans and throws them on the growing pile of dirty clothes on the floor. He'll have to do laundry soon. His soft jumper joins his trousers, leaving Bucky in some grey boxer briefs. Too tired to bother putting on pyjamas, Bucky lets himself fall into the king sized bed, which stretches under his weight. He turns to his night stand and reaches for the framed picture that rests upon it. His fingers run over the soft wood of the frame, a small smile on his lips.

“Oh, Steve”, he sighs. Suddenly, his strong exterior is quickly crumbling and Bucky's lips begin to tremble. He takes a deep breath. “I miss you so much”, his voice is shaky from his efforts to hold back the tears. “I wish you were still here: Oh god, Steve”. He begins to cry, sobs echoing off of the walls, tears rolling down his puffy cheeks. The picture slides out of his hands and falls onto the bed. Bucky covers his face and tries to muffle the sounds escaping.

It's been over three years since, but he can''t move on. He can't and he won't, wouldn't dare to. Bucky is exhausted, mentally and physically. He's trying to be strong, for Eileen, for Sarah, for Steve. These children are Steve's biggest treasure and Bucky is going to make sure they are happy and safe. It's what Steve would have wanted and he can't fail him.

He tries to wipe the tears away, but new ones follow immediately. “Fuck Steve, I'm so sorry. I wish I could have done more”, Bucky cries and pulls the framed photo to his chest, curling around it as if he were to protect it, “I wish it would have been me!”. Sobs continue to roll through his body. He tries to breathe through his nose, to be calm and controlled, but the piercing ache in his heart continues to make him cry out. His soft belly shakes with each agonized shudder and every heartbreaking sob.

Once he's finally calmed down, he dries his cheeks and presses his lips to Steve's picture. The cold glass a stark contrast to Bucky's warm lips. Immediately, it begins to fog up under the man's hot breath. His fingers find their wedding rings, which he is wearing on a chain around his neck, and play with them. The metallic sounds when they bump into each other fills the void room and aid Bucky into finally resting. Just before he falls asleep, the words “with you 'till the end of the line” fall from his lips.

———

The next day, the Rogers-Barnes family is bundled up in thick, fluffy coats, scarves and hats to fight against the biting cold. They are cuddled up on a picnic blanket and warm their hands with cups of hot chocolate. Their breath fogs up the icy air and the smell of biscuits is prominent. Bucky looks down to Eileen who is feeding Sarah a reindeer treat. He smiles.

“Do you like your biscuits, baby?”. The toddler nods enthusiastically and offers the rest of her half eaten goodie to her father, a big, toothy grin on her face. He grins mischievously and eats the whole biscuit in one bite, which makes the younger girl gasps dramatically before bursting out in giggles, “Silly daddy!”

Eileen smirks and joins in, “Yes, silly daddy. He will never lose some pounds this way” Her hand pats his belly after she squeezes his admittedly pudgy cheeks, “but that's what we love you for, right Sarah?” The addressed girl nods, already on her next biscuit. Bucky smiles widely and throws an arm over his oldest and pulls her to his chest, “I know you're just jealous of my dad bod”, his hands stroke over his tummy in an appreciative manner. The teen hums an agreement and cuddles herself closer to her father.

“I guess your hugs have increased in efficiency”. The chubby man grins and kisses both of his daughters' heads. “Your papa loved it too. He'd always give me some nice belly rubs”, he tells her before looking over to the grave they are sitting next to,”isn't that right, Stevie?”

If you liked this or didn’t, please leave some feedback, it would mean the world to me 🥺

Be added to my tag list here :)

#myfestivevine #chubby!bucky #dad!bucky #chubby!dad!bucky #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #stucky #stucky fic #parents!stucky #bucky barnes needs a hug

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patriciasage · 4 years ago

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Dawn Patrol

Author: Patricia_Sage

Fandom: The Adventure Zone - Balance

Summary:

Magnus blushes and he looks at Taako with stars in his eyes. He looks at Taako the way Barry probably looks at Lup. And Barry realizes how fucking stupid he’s been.

[a Stolen Century story - Barry thinks Magnus is flirting with Lup. He's wrong.]

posted in full under the break but you can find me on A03!!

Barry Bluejeans has a crush on Lup the moment he sees her on his first day with the I.P.R.E., but he falls completely and permanently in love with her around Cycle 10.

He speaks the mongoose language with her and Taako like they’re a secret club, and her soft, mischievous smile makes his heart flutter. Barry and Lup combine their expertise of science and arcana, respectively, staying up late into the night drawing diagrams on the Starblaster’s wall. She tells him about her childhood, about how she views the world. She’s vulgar, bold, impulsive, but also incredibly soft and sweet. She remembers what he likes and doesn't like to eat. They play fetch together in Puppy Town and that’s the first time Barry imagines her as his wife. He tells his brain to slow the fuck down; they’ve only known each other for a decade.

When Taako dies for his first time in Cycle 12, Lup prefers to spend nights with Barry in his lab, curled up in his desk chair. Barry gladly provides his company and cozy blankets to her in solace, and she barely leaves his side that year. It’s nice to spend so much time with her, but it also hurts him to see her so sad and trying so hard to hide it. When Taako materializes next to her on the deck as they speed away from another consumed world, she hugs her twin for at least two full minutes, and Barry resolves to do his best to protect her…and protect her heart.

Barry thinks he might have a chance. After all, they are a crew of seven, and one of them is her brother. He figures that Lup might want him, even if it’s just for a night (and although he wants more with her, so much more, he would take anything she offers). But it seems he’s not the only one carrying a flame for Lup.

Magnus Burnsides is a huge, handsome, kind young man who has never half-assed anything in his life. So, when he begins to flirt with Lup it’s pretty obvious. He’s constantly showing off, doing ridiculous and dangerous things to impress her. He attempts to learn more about elf culture and magic, talking animatedly to Lup and Taako while they cook supper. He’s courteous, charming, and brave in ways that Barry could never mold himself.

Magnus also notices how Taako’s death affected his sister, and he seems to make the same resolution as Barry. From that day forward, Magnus always has Taako’s back, even going so far as to put himself in danger to protect the wizard. In Cycle 16, Taako is retrieving the Light of Creation and sets off a trap. Before Barry can even react, Magnus leaps forward and pushes the elf out of the way. Magnus is impaled by six spears. When the fighter appears on the Starblaster with his signature black eye months later, Taako punches him hard in the arm. “Don’t do that again, you big idiot!” There's a stone in Barry's stomach as Lup kisses Magnus on the cheek and quietly thanks him.

Compared to Magnus, Barry feels small and boring and incapable.

It’s not even possible to hate Magnus, though, because he’s so damn hospitable. Instead, Barry resigns himself to the fact that Lup will likely choose the fighter over him. He enjoys her company, tries to keep everyone out of trouble, and finds contentment in this seemingly endless time with his new family.

The Beach World on Cycle 21 is a welcome reprieve. They find the light very early and everyone just relaxes for once. Even Merle enjoys himself as he recovers in the med bay; the others visit him often and begrudgingly help him work on his book of poetry. Davenport practices self-care, Lucretia gets lost in her art, and Taako learns how to surf. But things aren’t too leisurely because Magnus decides he’s going to “train” them to be ready for surprise attacks.

Barry is sitting on the beach next to Lup one hot morning. She’s lying on her back on their beach blanket with a large, floppy hat covering her eyes. She’s resting her arms under her head, telling Barry about a festival her aunt took her to when she was a kid. Barry is trying very hard not to be completely distracted by the sight of her armpit hair, her stylish bathing suit, and her beautiful, brown skin shining in the sun. Barry, in contrast, is sitting under a huge umbrella, wearing a white T-shirt, jean shorts, and a thick layer of sunscreen.

Suddenly, a huge shadow covers the sun and a loud voice shouts, “Magnus!”

Barry yelps and drops his glass of lemonade on the blanket. Magnus sinks to his knees in the sand so he’s eye-to-eye with the scientist. “You gotta be ready, Bluejeans. Anywhere, anytime.” He smiles over Barry’s shoulder. “I didn’t get you at all, did I?”

Lup has lifted up her hat a little to look at them, but her relaxed position is unchanged, unbothered. She smirks, “You’re going to have to do better than that, Burnsides.”

Magnus winks. “Challenge accepted.” Barry feels like a jellyfish blob on the sand between them.

And then Magnus takes off his shirt.

It takes all of Barry’s self-control not to throw himself into the ocean and let himself drown. Magnus has these ridiculous broad shoulders, an even patch of hair across his chest, and his stomach protrudes over his waistband only slightly in that sexy way. His skin is browned and freckled from long days in the sun and his ridiculous biceps flex as he throws his shirt on the blanket next to them. Barry, in contrast, is a pale potato of a man.

He’s ready to get up and leave them to their flirting when Magnus speaks up. “Well, see ya later!”

Magnus hands Barry his now empty lemonade glass and then stands up, brushing sand off of his hairy legs. He sprints across the beach until he’s met with the resistance of the water, making a huge splash. “Hey! Taako!”

Caught up in conversation with Lup, Barry had forgotten about the wizard. Taako is sitting on his surfboard, floating on large but gentle waves about thirty feet away from shore. He’s retying his long blonde hair up into a messy bun. “Hey, big guy. What’s crackin?”

“Just doing some training, you know?”

“Yeah, you got Barry good.”

“How’s surfing today?”

“It’s going off. I’ve only been in the soup a few times but that was early in the morning. Dawn patrol, am I right?”

Magnus laughs. “Yeah, for sure.” Taako has been almost creating his own language at this point.

Beside Barry, Lup snorts. “What the fuck does that even mean?” she says. “Magnus shouldn’t encourage him like that but, eh, you know how he is with Taako.”

“How he –” Barry looks back over at the fighter and it’s like a crisp breath of air enters his lungs. Magnus has sat himself on the sand with his feet in the water. He rests his chin on his hand and watches Taako prepare to carve another wave. Magnus cheers when the wizard stands on the board and laughs when Taako falls into the water. Taako’s long hair is out of its bounds again, cascading over his bare, dark shoulders. As he climbs onto his surfboard, he flips Magnus off. Magnus blushes.

Magnus blushes and he looks at Taako with stars in his eyes. He looks at Taako the way Barry probably looks at Lup. And Barry realizes how fucking stupid he’s been.

Magnus hasn’t been flirting with Lup. Barry has only seen him flirt when they’re both with Lup and Lup is with Taako. And Barry was so immersed in his own insecurity that he didn’t stop to actually observe what was going on around him. Some scientist he is.

At the end of the day, Barry watches Magnus offer to carry Taako’s surfboard back to the cabin. Taako, forever dramatic, convinces Magnus to carry him back as well. It doesn’t take much convincing. Barry looks at Magnus’s pleased and flustered expression with Taako latched onto his back, complaining, and Barry internally ridicules himself for being so dense.

A few days later, Barry asks Taako to teach him to swim. They work on it every morning for a few weeks. It’s brutal in the beginning – Barry flounders whenever he tries to go horizontal and Taako has a tendency to point and laugh rather than help. But they both get better at it and soon they have an amicable and productive routine. Barry goes from indiscriminately splashing to a solid doggy paddle to an almost front crawl. And Taako claps and coos at him like a proud mother.

On the last day of their morning swimming lessons, Barry thanks him and gets up the courage to have an honest discussion. “There have been times where I haven’t been able to hang out with everybody because y’all go swimming and there are times where there’s people I, like, you know, want to hang out with and I just haven’t been able to do it and that’s not a good look and it makes me look like a big nerd and I um… It’s just that— I just, like— I don’t know. It’s… Never mind, it’s stupid. Thanks for teaching me how to swim.”

“Who are you afraid of looking silly in front of?” Taako asks. They’re both standing waist-deep in the water and Barry tries to make his anxiety dissolve. Taako’s approval means the absolute world in this situation.

“I look up to Lup a lot…” he admits.

And Taako is graciously chill. He places his hand on the scientists’ shoulder comfortingly and speaks with rare seriousness. “Barry, you’re locked in and this wave’s crashing all around you, my man, and I— I don’t begrudge you anything. You know, we’ve lost a lot, uh, and there’s a lot more we might lose...but the one thing we do have is the thing that people in love rarely ever have enough of – and it’s time.” This is a side to Taako that he doesn’t show often, someone genuine and wise and openly affectionate.

The wizard’s words echo in his head often – “You got all the time in the world, my man.”

Barry is feeling relieved and grateful as he walks from the beach that day with his sunhat on. Lup will tease him about his sunburn but it will be worth it to be able to swim with her. As he reaches the part of the beach where sand transforms into foliage, something stops him in his trek – the sight of a hulking figure sitting on a rock. It’s Magnus. “Is this another training thing?” Barry asks cautiously as he approaches.

Magnus doesn’t look up. He seems dejected. “No, it’s not. I’m just thinking.”

“Um,” Barry fidgets with the string on his swim trunks. “You alright? What’s going on?”

“I dunno, you tell me, Barry!” Magnus says, gesticulating with his large hands. “What’s going on with these morning swimming sessions?”

Magnus looks disappointed and self-conscious; a combination Barry is very familiar with. He has to remind himself to close his mouth.

Magnus Burnsides is jealous of Barry Bluejeans.

Barry begins to laugh. This just makes Magnus’s cheeks turn red and his eyebrows furrow even more. “Fine, okay, you don’t need to –”

“No, no,” Barry interrupts, approaching the fighter. He places his hand on Magnus’s huge bicep. “Magnus, I don’t know how to - … Okay. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I’m not worried. You’re a good guy. It’s fine. I just thought that maybe…” Magnus shakes his head, and his expression clears. “I asked him if he could teach me to surf and he said he was too busy teaching you to swim so I guess I was just disappointed because I really wanted to…learn how to surf.”

“Magnus. Taako doesn’t want to…swim with me. And I only asked Taako to teach me because I wanted to swim with Lup.” Magnus looks up at him with hopeful dark eyes. “I really want to swim with Lup. I think I want to swim with Lup for the rest of my life.” Barry chuckles. “For a long time, I thought you wanted to swim with Lup!”

Magnus lets out a startled laugh of his own. “No, I… I want to, uh, swim with Taako. But I’m not sure he wants to swim with me.”

“Well, he doesn’t want to swim with old Barry, that’s for sure.” Barry shrugs. “I can ask Lup, maybe? She’ll know.”

Magnus stands up from the rock. His shoulders are relaxed now. “No, it’s okay. I think he needs more time. I’ll ask him myself one day.”

The Beach World is a gift they didn’t know they needed. They grow closer as a family. Lucretia commemorates it through portraiture. Lup and Taako continue to be firecrackers, burning bright, loud, and dangerous. And Barry and Magnus continue to stare with stars in their eyes.

Merle, Lucretia, and Davenport make bets.

In Cycle 25, Merle wins.

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ericsonclan · 3 years ago

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How to Trick a Ghost

Summary: Sophie and Minnie work to set up a surprise birthday party for Tenn but how do you hide a party from a ghost?

Word Count: 1819

Read on AO3:

Minnie looked at all the party supplies, her talons clicking impatiently against the floor. She wanted to start decorating already but Sophie told her to wait. With a small huff Minnie sat on the floor and started to build a nest out of some party streamers. It was actually pretty comfy. She burrowed into the copious amount of party streamers, happy chirps and tweets leaving her lips as she closed her eyes.

Suddenly the sound of fluttering wings appeared along with Sophie carrying a tower of party hats on her head and a mannequin with her talons. “Mission successful,” Sophie grinned as she dove down and did a clumsy landing. The harpy quickly redirected her course though and fell to the ground with a bit more grace.

“Tenn is distracted?” Minnie poked her head out of her nest, a blue streamer draped over her head.

“Yep! He sure does love my art box!” Sophie fluffed up her feathers with pride then glanced over at Minnie. “Uh, Minnie, those are supposed to be draped on the walls, not your face,”

“I know that!” Minnie gave an embarrassed chirp. “I was just trying to guard and hide them in case Tenn showed up. Y’know ghosts, they can just zoom through walls like it’s no big deal,”

“True, true. Well he’s gonna be busy for a while. As soon as I let him use my art box his eyes got all big and shiny,” Sophie smiled, picking up some streamers and flying up to place them with her talons. “He possessed a colored pencil right away and I swear I’ve never seen a pencil race that fast across a piece of paper,” Sophie gave a pleased tweet and a twitter at the recent memory when she paused, her head tilted slightly to the side. What was she forgetting?

After a moment her eyes grew large. “I forgot the tape! I’ll be right back!” Not waiting a second the harpy was off, zipping through the house like it was nothing. She searched all around the front living room, then the dining room table. Nope, not there. Sophie tapped her talon against the floor, unsure where to look when she recalled that there was some tape in her room. The harpy was off like a shot once more and it wasn’t until she had already opened the door that she remembered that Tenn was in there. The loud sound startled the ghost who slipped out of the pencil, his form turning a bit fuzzy due to being spooked.

“Oops, sorry,” Sophie gave a small series of apologetic chirps and walked forward. “Just gotta grab some tape to-” She paused, catching herself before spilling the beans on the surprise birthday party her and Minnie were throwing for Tenn. “Fix my backpack?”

“Your backpack?” Tenn quirked an eyebrow, unsure what his sister even meant.

“Yep! It’s a harpy thing!” Sophie snatched up the roll of tape. “Anyways, whatcha drawing?”

Her question was answered by Tenn possessing the piece of paper and moving away. After a moment he poked his form out of the object.

“Sorry, it's just...” The ghost couldn’t think of an excuse that wouldn’t give away what he was drawing.

“It’s okay, I don’t have to see it if you don’t want me to,”

“You can see it, just not yet,” Tenn fidgeted with his fingers, the edges of his ghostly form twirling in the air.

“Okay!” Sophie grinned then reached forward and tried to ruffle her brother’s hair but her hand phased through. “Damn it, keep forgetting. Alright, I’ll leave you to it then!” Sophie gave one more smile then flew out of the room. Tenn waited a few moments then quickly returned to possessing the colored pencils; immediately the red pencil went to work.

Minnie was in the middle of blowing up a balloon when her twin reappeared.

“I’m back!”

Sophie’s voice caused the harpy to inhale sharply, choking on air. Minnie made a weird face, little odd twitters and chirps leaving her lips as she tried to clear her throat. Sophie zoomed forward and whacked Minnie’s back with a hearty hit, helping her catch her breath. Minnie gave her sister an annoyed look and Sophie gave a nervous laugh.

“Oops, sorry about that. So, whatcha working on?” Sophie poked her head over her twin’s shoulder and noticed the ghost-shaped balloons.

“I thought Tenn would like it,” Minnie looked down shyly.

“He totally will! Alright, I got the tape so we can get started!” Sophie flew a few circles in the air to burn off some of her excitement then got to work putting up streamers. The twins worked hard on the decorations as they spoke about the party, both of them buzzing on the anticipation of their brother’s face when he saw the party. After a little while though Sophie paused. “Wait, what if he sees this early?”

Those words worried Minnie, her mind spiraling for a moment. “Salt!”

“Right! Genius move, salt repels ghosts,” Sophie disappeared and returned moments later, a happy, proud smile on her lips as she showed the container of salt. “Let's get this circle made!”

“Sophie?”

“Yes, Minnie?” Sophie smiled over at her twin.

“Why the hell did you make the circle so small?” Minnie gestured to the tiny circle that barely encircled her.

“We didn’t have enough salt for the room so I thought I’d focus on just us...”

“The salt doesn’t make us invisible though and Tenn would still see all the decorations,”

Minnie’s words made Sophie realize her mistake.

“Oh shit. Well, ummm,” Sophie shrugged. “Oh well, he definitely can’t reach you now. Anyways, can I get on your shoulders? My arms hurt but I still need to put up the banner,” Minnie sighed “Fine,”

Sophie beamed at those words. Soon the twins were back at it with decorating until the next question popped up in Sophie’s mind.

“Minnie, what did we buy for party food?”

“Ghost peppers,”

Sophie blinked at that answer. “Those are super hot. They’re gonna burn our mouths off.”

“Yeah, but I don't know, I thought maybe ghosts could eat them because, y’know, the name,”

Sophie stifled a laugh. The action made a frown appear on Minnie’s lips as her feathers ruffled in embarrassment.

“Maybe we should’ve made some boo-loney sandwiches too. Oh! Oh! Or maybe we can bake some boo-berry pie,” Sophie devolved into a fit of laughter and fell onto the floor, tears in her eyes as wheezy chirps left her lips.

Minnie’s frown remained; her feathers were extremely ruffled. “Whatever, I know you’re a dumbass too.”

Sophie kept laughing for another few seconds then got up to her feet. “Okay, okay, yes, I am a dumbass but at least it wasn’t about ghost peppers,” Sophie smiled and felt Minnie nudge her side. “Anyways, back to decorating,” Sophie strolled over to get the mannequin but soon paused. “But first, one more joke. What does a ghost order at an Italian restaurant?” “I don’t know, what?” Minnie asked but then immediately figured it out and answered at the same time her twin did.

“Spook-ghetti!”

The sisters smiled, sharing a quick laugh and in that moment all was forgiven and they worked to get the mannequin to look snazzy so that Tenn would look great at his party. Sophie threw on a feather boa and Minnie tossed on a pair of birthday sunglasses. After that was done the twins looked around at their great decorating skills then shared a fist bump. It was time to get Tenn.

“Just close your eyes and hover over this way,” Minnie guided her younger brother who was absolutely confused. He was currently floating about inside his artwork since he wanted to show it to his sisters. After a while though he slipped out of the item when Minnie said to open his eyes. Slowly opening them, his mouth went ajar as he took in the sight of the room. Streamers of blue and purple covered the walls and cute cartoon ghost balloons floated nearby. On a table there were ghost peppers, some bottles with flavored mist labeled ghost water and a cake with beautiful unicorns on it. Next to the cake was way too many presents for two harpies to afford or for a ghost to own. Beside the table was a mannequin with a pink feather boa and birthday sunglasses with a name tag that said: Hi, my name is Tenn, a 10/10 brother.

“So, like it?” Sophie leaned forward, her talons anxiously scratching on the floor. Minnie seemed just as nervous; her eyes had taken a more panicked anticipation.

“Like it?” Tenn managed, his voice soft. “I love it! This is amazing!” He gave one of the biggest smiles that the twins had ever seen. The two of them crowed with joy and fist bumped again as Tenn started to float up higher in the air without meaning to. He was always this way whenever his happiness was too much for his small ghost form to contain.

Tenn was so caught up in his happiness that he was halfway through the ceiling when he snapped out of it at the sound of Sophie’s curious chirping. Glancing down, he noticed that she had found the art. In an instant he flew through the air and hovered over it.

“I wanted to surprise you two with a drawing,” Tenn fidgeted with his fingers as his sister studied the art. It was all three of them standing in front of their house. Sophie had a paint brush and easel and was flying in the air while Minnie was busy playing a song on her guitar while Tenn hovered in the air above them with a smile.

Minnie and Sophie were silent for a few seconds.

“Holy shit, this is...” Minnie looked up at her brother with the happiest smile, “Fucking amazing!”

“Yeah! It's so cool and cute! I love it!” Sophie tried to tackle her brother with a hug but phased through. “Oh shit,” The harpy whispered as she realized her mistake too late before crashing on the floor.

“Soph, you okay?” Tenn’s ghost form flew over his sister.

“Yep!” Sophie gave a thumbs up.

Tenn gave a relieved smile at that. “Oh, I can possess the mannequin, then you get your hug,”

Sophie and Minnie both gave happy twitters at that and soon Tenn dove down, possessing the mannequin. The twins instantly flew forward and wrapped their arms around it, the closest form of Tenn they could touch.

“Happy birthday, Tenn,” Minnie gave a soft smile at her brother.

“Yeah! Happy birthday! You’re thirty three!”

Tenn gave a small sigh. Even if the fire happened around twenty years ago he felt closer to the age he had become as a ghost. “Thanks,” Tenn felt an overwhelming warmth take over his heart. He couldn’t wait to celebrate his first birthday as a ghost.

#twdg #twdg minnie #twdg sophie #twdg tenn #minnie sophie brotp #sophie tenn brotp #minnie tenn brotp #twdg dreamer fam #fanfic #we are monsters we are proud au

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mvrtaiswriting · 4 years ago

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TAG GAME - Children! Jotaro Kujo - Dad.

I have to thank my dear @alittlewhitetulip for tagging me in this cute lil game! Use this Picrew and have fun!!

Tagging @junosartsthetic, @blaster-lunaz, @hermit-pistol @multifandomone @memory-mortis @golden-narcissus @jotaros-massive-tiddies and everyone who just sees this aand wants to join! RIGHT

Of course you know Joot is my sweet husband. Our child would definetely have his eyes - also, thinking about his first born jolyne, i thought about giving them some coloured hair! Jolyne has green hair so i thought it would have been cute to give them coloured hair too. I decided to use red/orange for part of the hair- not only because they’re two my favourite colours, but also because they remind so much of Kakyoin and i thought it would have been nice to just remember him in some kind of ways. Afterall, he was so important Jotaro and to all of us, really.

A little scenario for you if you want to keep reading:

Fem!Reader x Jotaro Kujo

Jojo’s bizzare adventures: Vento Aureo (??)

AU / Alternative Universe

SFW

Words Count: 623 (told you it’s little!!)

Hi! Are you a new reader? Check my masterlist for more content!

Please feel free to reblog or leave a comment :) help me support my art (it’s free!),

pJotaro loved his kids so much - he didn’t even think it was possible for him to feel so much love. He wanted to be a good father for his children - a better father than the one who left him and his mother long before he could even create some memories with his only son. Jolyne was two years old when your second born arrived. Your husband waited outside, nervously waiting the birth of his second little girl. Keeping him company, Jolyne was jumping aorund in excitement - she was going to be a big sister and she felt over the moon because of it. You and Jotaro weren’t quite sure if Jolyne really understood that the baby wasn’t some type of toy she could swing around and play with all the time - but you trusted your daughter to be clever enough to just know how to behave around a little kid. Jolyne was a very lively kid, unable to stand still for more than two seconds and always willing to fight back whenever you or Jotaro told her off for any reason. And although this was kind of upsetting for you as parents, Jotaro absolutely admired your daughter for it.

He could see himself in her - he was very conscious about he behaved when he was a child and Jolyne always reminded him of his younger days. He was also very proud; seeing that his daughter had such a powerful, strong character reassured him a bit. He would have done anything in his power to protect his little girls, but knowing that his first born had such a strong personality really warmed his heart. It made him think that she would have been able to protect herself whenever he wasn’t around, if she needed too.

The impatience was having the best of him when the doctors finally called him.

“She’s a beautiful, healthy little girl!”

The nurse exclaimed, encouraging him to enter the room where you and his new born daughter were with a quick hand gesture. Jumping from his seat, he left Jolyne in Holly’s arms before rushing into the hospital room.

You were holding your second daughter close to your chest, exhausted by the childbirth, weakly smiling at your little girl while she gripped your finger with her whole hand.

Jotaro felt his heart skip a beat - or two. The scene he was witnessing was simply heart warming.

“Star Platinum. The World!” he whispered, freezing time as long as he could, in order to truly enjoy that special moment and allowing himself to imprint it in his memory.

After a few seconds, your husband was already next to you, landing a delicate kiss on your forehead. You looked up at him only to see a smile on his face; for this special occasion, just as it happened when Jolyne was born, the idea of hiding his emotions or his happy facial expressions didn’t even cross his mind - and you were grateful for it. Seeing Jotaro being so comfortable with his emotions really warmed your heart.

He silently sat next to you on the bed, allowing you to rest your head on his chest as he held you both in his arms.

Minutes later, Holly, Joseph and the rest of your family entered the room to congratulate you and see the baby. Jolyne quickly jumped on the bed, putting herself between you and Jotaro, curiously examinating the newborn.

“She’s cool.” she said, making you all laugh.

Jotaro laughed too, putting his hat on his older daughter’s head. “Yare yare..” he mumbled happily, unable to contain himself. “Of course she is. I’ve got all the coolest girls.” He added, before pulling you into a tight, family hug.

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yukimoji · 5 years ago

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My World: Part 2 ( Tanjiro Kamado x Reader )

( a/n: hi! welcome to part 2 of the “my world” series! so, originally, i planned to write two parts for this series but after writing part 2, i realized i couldnt stuff everything here or else it’ll get too long lol. so, part 3 will be coming soon! thank you for reading and enjoy!)

(this can also be read as a oneshot, but u can also read part 1 for more insight :3)

Part 1 I 2 I 3

Total words: 3840 words

Genre: Fluff

No manga spoilers

Warnings: None

–

It’s baffling to think how much the world can shift within moments in time.

From the scorching red Summer heat, to the endless warm and orange horizons of Autumn, the solemn and pleasant chill blankets of Winter, and the freshly blossoming flora announcing the arrival of Spring.

Seasons come and go, the ocean tides constantly growing and crashing, and just like the ever-falling Sakura petals drifting in the gentle morning breeze,

You could just only stare as warm rays of sunshine have embraced your dark and cruel world.

Ever since that night you have shared with Nezuko, you found yourself spending time with the soft-hearted demon more. When the sun came down, you would spend time with her in the garden of the Butterfly Estate. You would introduce her to all the sorts of flowers and plants that the garden had to offer.

It had become quite a routine for you to spend the night out with Tanjiro’s sister, and the trio observed how much you would be spending time with her for days now.

When Zenitsu found out about your newly discovered activity, he was desperate to leave with you in order to see Nezuko. Unfortunately for him, he was in such a bad condition that he was forced to stay in bed until he completely recovered to his normal self. Each time you left the ward, he’d kick, whine, and scream profanities in complete anguish.

“YOU’RE GOING TO LEAVE AND SEE NEZUKO-CHAN AGAIN?!” The blonde screamed, pointing at you with such frustration that you could only sweat from his outburst.

“Zenitsu, please stop yelling! You’ll disturb the people working here!” You barked back, trying to make the blonde to shut up.

“AGH! THIS IS SO WRONG! HOW MANY DAYS HAS IT BEEN SINCE I LAST SAW MY FUTURE WIFE?! I BET SHE MISSES ME AS MUCH AS I MISS HER! IF YOU’RE REALLY A GOOD FRIEND, YOU SHOULD TAKE ME WITH YOU! YEAH! I WON’T ALLOW YOU TO LEAVE WITHOUT ME JOINING YOU!”

He went on with his hissy fit, jumping and shrieking on his mattress. You could only look at him with such disgust as he howled out complete baloney.

It was a miracle when Aoi marched into the ward, with frustration clearly written in her face. Her face darkened as she observed the boy in his excessive freakout.

“I WON’T ALLOW IT! I WON’T ALLOW IT! I WON’T-”

“Shut up!” Aoi yelled out, as she hits Zenitsu, leaving him a whimpering mess.

“Stop yelling! You’re not the only one in this Estate! How many times do I have to tell you to stop being so loud?” The blue-eyed girl hissed, continuing to scold the lightning-breath user as he continued to tremble in his bed sheets.

Inosuke could care less about you spending time with Nezuko. All he ever did whenever you left was stuff his face with Tempura.

Geez, how much seafood can this guy fit in his mouth? You could only stifle a cackle as he would constantly demand for more food when you’d already be out of the room.

“[Mispronounced Name]! I COMMAND YOU TO BRING ME FOOD WHEN YOU RETURN!”

Yeah, okay.

On the other hand, you would also find yourself spending more time with Tanjiro, too. Each time you would interact with his sister, he would also come by, smiling and laughing, as you played with Nezuko like she were your own sibling.

One night, you traveled through the halls of the Butterfly Estate, with the intent of reaching the Garden to see your demon friend.

As you reached a corner, you were knocked by a sudden flash of pink. You were shocked at first, but your entire face lit up as you recognized the rose-colored eyes that you had grown to be fond of.

“Hello, Nezuko!” You greeted, as the demon’s face brightened and engulfed you in a warm hug.

You were giggling at her display of affection. You couldn’t react quickly when she suddenly took your hand and raced to the Garden. She was so fast! You’ve had a hard time keeping up with her pace, because you haven’t even fully healed from your injuries yet.

When the both of you arrived, your hands fell on your knees, gasping for air. The girl made a concerned noise, kneeling down to your eye-level, as she looked at you with worry.

“Oh no! It’s all right!” you waved your hand, trying to reassure your friend. When your breathing got steady again, you got up, smiling at her. Nezuko stood up and started to pat your head, with a pleasant expression on her face.

As you observed the girl in front of you, you noticed how long her hair was. When your siblings were still around, you recalled the moments when your sisters had begged you to braid their hair. Of course, you’ve been pretty good at it, after doing it so often. You felt nostalgic as you remembered how happy they were after you braided their hair.

“Nezuko?” You started. The girl looked at you, her head slightly tilting to the side. “Would you like me to braid your hair?”

Nezuko’s eyes lit up and nodded vehemently, cheerful “mmhm” noises coming out of her bamboo muzzle. You laugh softly as she leads you to the nearest Wisteria tree. You sat against the trunk of the tree, and Nezuko immediately knelt down with her back facing you, revealing her long hair in it’s full glory. You grabbed small strands of her hair, and begun working your magic as the demon begun humming in satisfaction.

You hear rustles and footsteps approach you, and then felt a presence behind you. You look up and were greeted by a gentle pair of crimson-hues that belonged to a certain slayer that you’ve learned to cherish so much.

“Hello!” Tanjiro chirped, a bright smile on his face.

“Hi.” You greeted back. You temporarily retreated a hand from Nezuko’s hair, and you patted the ground beside you. “Sit with me?”

Tanjiro lets out an incoherent noise, as blood started to rush to his face. Nevertheless, he nods and positions himself beside you. He’s glad that it was night time, so you won’t have to see the increasing blush on his face.

There was a soothing silence. Your eyes were fixed on the task ahead of you, as your fingers danced and weaved themselves through Nezuko’s locks. Tanjiro could only steal glances of your concentrated form, as his heart pounded in his chest.

In that moment, It felt like Tanjiro was going to be deaf because of how loud his heartbeat was drumming in his ears. He felt himself tensing up with how close you were, and he starts to draw silent breathes to try and calm himself down before he could make a complete fool of himself.

But he had trouble, just because a beautiful girl was sitting just beside him! And on top of that, you were bonding with his sister! He couldn’t stop a shy grin forming as he basks at the blessing in the form of [ Y / N ] [ L / N ].

Oh, how lovesick he truly was for you.

Tanjiro wondered, where will his words reach? Will that be enough for you to understand how much he cares for you? He’s afraid that one day, you might leave and vanish from his life. How much he wishes to hold onto you, so that you won’t have to be alone anymore.

How much he wishes to be your home.

The Burgundy-haired boy snaps away from his thoughts as Nezuko cheers and sings happy melodies, signalling that you’ve finished braiding her hair. Tanjiro observes his little sister’s hair and claps his hands happily. He was amazed by how expertly you turned Nezuko’s hair into a piece of art!

“Wow! You look beautiful, Nezuko!” He brightened, as his demon sister admired her hair with a satisfied expression on her face.

You chuckled, and Tanjiro could feel cupid shooting an arrow to his love-struck heart.

“I’m glad you like it, Nezu-chan!” You hummed, and laughed softly when Nezuko unleashed a big hug of gratitude at you. She pulled away after a few minutes, and fondly pats the top of your head. Tanjiro just stared, a soft expression plastered in his face.

Then, Nezuko stands up, holding up a pointed hand as if she was telling to stay where you are. She then turns around, and runs off to god knows where, leaving her poor brother alone with you.

You sighed softly, and you turned your gaze at the crimson-eyed slayer beside you. The corners of your mouth pulled up, as you gazed at the boy.

You can’t explain how much you appreciate Tanjiro. You’re forever grateful for him for saving you back at Mt. Natagumo. The last few months with him, you felt like living in a whole new world, as his soft, welcoming smiles embraced what was once your gloomy life. You gazed at him with such fondness, and his crimson-hues stared back with the same amount of warmth you gave him.

God, he looked so handsome under the moonlight.

“You know,” you started, “I wish that we could be like this forever.”

Tanjiro chokes out from your words. You wanted to be like this forever, too? His lower lip quivered, as he tries to mutter out a response. He noticed that your face had a red tint, and his mind screamed of how absolutely pretty you looked. He stutters, squealing noises coming out from his trembling mouth.

Your smile widened at how adorable he was acting, and his brain went overdrive from the amount of embarrassment he cannot suppress. In that moment, he felt like he was in heaven.

Thankfully, Nezuko arrived just in time, and she barely saved him from fainting from heat and shame. You averted your gaze from Tanjiro, and noticed that Nezuko was hiding something in her back.

The demon girl used hand motions to tell you to close your eyes, and you obliged. Then, you felt something being placed on your head, and Nezuko lets out a satisfied “mmhm!”, signalling that it was okay for you to open your eyes again.

When you got your vision back, you were faced with an absolutely red-faced Tanjiro and a proud Nezuko. You reached up to feel the object on your head, and felt flowers. You were wearing a flower crown! You beamed at Nezuko, eyes sparkling with gratitude.

“Thank you!” You exclaimed, and you can’t stop smiling just from how happy you were.

Nezuko cheers, clapping her hands contentedly. Tanjiro looks at his sister, and he’s proud that his sister has adored you, just as much he adores you.

If he thought you were beautiful before, you now looked absolutely breathtaking.

The way your cheeks have a flushed tint in them, the way you smiled with such glee, and how the flower crown seemed to complete you.

The stars shone brilliantly above everyone, and the Wisteria petals fell around you, giving you an ethereal glow. Not only that, all the sadness and resentment he picked from you before seemed to wash away. Now, he only picked up the pleasant scent of love and gratitude. You looked so happy, and he will forever cherish your radiant face for the years to come.

He could no longer explain the magnitude of his feelings for you, because all he could think in at that moment was how special and important you became to him.

–

Soon enough, you all recovered from your injuries, went through a brutal rehabilitation regime, and now it was time to go back to the real world.

You felt the familiar uniform hugging you, as you prepared yourself for a new mission. It was sad to think that your time at the Butterfly Estate was over, and it meant that you would be separated from your friends. You were especially upset that maybe, you could never see both Tanjiro and Nezuko again.

Everything felt bittersweet. The months you spent in the estate was total bliss for you, and you cherished every single moment. You sighed and recalled those memories, those days where you felt like you weren’t living in such a cruel world. Your brows knitted together, as your eyes started to water. You wiped the tears threatening to fall, as you try to recompose yourself.

After finishing up, your legs carried you to the garden, so you could see it one last time before you leave. When you arrive, you stared at the beauty of the garden. You had so much memories in the area, and you could only smile sadly when you accepted that maybe it would be the last time you might see it. Now that you’re back in the field, you weren’t even sure if you could last until tomorrow to be able to visit the Estate again.

“[ Y / N ]?”

You snapped your head to the direction of the voice, and your face softened when you saw Tanjiro.

He walked towards you, a determined expression plastered on his face.

“Hello, Tanjiro. You’re going to leave for a mission, I presume?” You asked, looking at his eyes.

Oh, how you would miss those eyes.

The boy nods. “I’m going to where the Flame Pillar is dispatched. Shinobu-san said that he could help me regarding my family’s Hinokami Kagura dance.” He explains. You put a hand on his shoulder, and offered him a smile.

“Good luck, then.” You said. You could only look down, as you felt sadness wash over you again.

Tanjiro just stood there, as you fought back the tears trying to spill from your eyes again. He, too, felt bittersweet at the thought of leaving the Estate after spending so much time with you. His eyelids drooped at the sight of you holding back tears, as sadness starts to engulf him. His jaw clenched at the thought that this could be the last time he could look at your [ E / C ] orbs.

The checkered-clad slayer musters all of his courage, as he takes a deep breath to calm his nervous nerves. He wanted to tell you all the wonderful thoughts he’d have about you, how much he was delighted to be around your presence all the time he spent in the estate. He was determined to see you again, to spend more time with you, to hold on to your hand without hesitation, and hopefully to grow old with you.

He wanted you to be part of his future, one way or another.

It was now or never.

He takes your hand from his shoulder, lifts your other hand, and intertwines them with his own. He stares at you, reassurance and confidence evident in his face.

“[ Y / N ], there’s… there’s been something lingering on my mind these past few months.” He starts, as his hands gently caressed your own, fingers rubbing circles to soothe you. His lips transform into a shy smile, as he chuckles lowly to calm himself down from the overwhelming feelings of embarrassment starting wash up to him.

“Ever since I saw you back at Mt. Natagumo, I’ve felt.. a strong urge to protect you. Just seeing you all battered up broke me, and you don’t realize how happy and relieved I felt when I saw you in the ward, alive and resting. If you didn’t make it, I.. I don’t know how I could forgive myself for leaving you to fend for yourself.”

You could only gaze at him, your lower lip trembling from the uncertain emotions that began to consume you. Your face started to heat up when you realized how close Tanjiro was. You could almost feel his hot breath fanning over your bewildered face, his calming palms holding yours so tenderly. He felt so warm, so intriguing, so fascinating,

And so absolutely wonderful.

“As I got to know you, I could always find myself getting red faced, with the feeling of butterflies fluttering around my belly that would never go away. At first, I.. I was confused.. I didn’t understand why I felt like this, why my heart would thump so hard whenever I see you.” Crimson hues started to look down, Tanjiro’s face getting redder and redder as each second passed by.

“But then.. when I saw you become so close with Nezuko, the feeling intensified.. A-and I could always find myself breathless when I.. when I watch you smile and laugh with her.” He looked up at you once more, his brows drew together as you could only look at him with warmth and compassion.

He squeezed your hands tighter, but not enough to hurt you. He trembled on the spot, confidence now being replaced by a sheer amount of embarrassment and shame, but he was determined. He was desperate, he wanted to show you how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you.

“I want to see you again, [ Y / N ]. Please, I know it’s selfish of me to ask you of this, but please..” He whimpered, his eyes starting to well up in tears. In a flash, he embraced you, placing his head on your shoulder to hide his flustered expression. You were stunned, but as his warmth surrounded you, you immediately hugged back. You could feel his hold on you get even more desperate, feelings his hot tears starting to stain your shoulder.

“Please.. promise me.. that we will see each other again. I want you to know, that in your embrace, I have finally found a place to call my home. Just please.. please stay with me and you won’t have to be alone anymore. Promise me, that you will return, and I promise.. I promise you that I will always stay by your side.”

Your were trying to catch your breath, but that seemed impossible at that moment. Tears spilled from your eyes endlessly, as you sobbed and cried your heart out. You hugged him even tighter, as you tried to muffle your sobs in his chest.

“Why?” You manage to stutter out, as you proceeded on to cry in his embrace. His hands started to rub on your back, trying to comfort you. However, in the heat of the moment, you feel a sense of relief radiate from the boy. Tanjiro smiled softly, as he continued to lock you in his protective arms.

“Because you mean the whole world to me, [ Y / N ].”

–

The stars above appeared to glow brighter than ever before.

You walked across the clear field, the soft grass crunching beneath your shoes. The flowers around swayed with the breeze, as the wind sang soft melodies into your ears.

You were en-route to your next mission, which was located a few villages away. You continued on with your journey, as you pulled your beloved haori closer to you for comfort and warmth.

As you walk, there were sounds of Cicadas that sang all around, the tall trees that seemed to dance the night away, and the delicate touch of the soft breeze that eased your nerves.

You sealed your eyes shut, basking in your positive memories, as you recalled the way Tanjiro held you close as he expressed his love for you.

How you missed his touch already.

You chuckled quietly, thinking about the moments you shared with him that brought a feeling of nostalgia to your heart. Your eyes fluttered open again, your heart pounding as you put your hand on your chest. You felt the butterflies on your stomach, as you remembered the Burgundy-haired boy’s warm smile.

Ever since that day, you promised yourself to fight harder. Harder than you’ve ever fought before. Even when it’s all dark, you’d always look away from negative thoughts to push yourself forward. You would fight, and you would continue to fight, for every demon’s head you cut off would save the life of another human person.

You made a promise, too. You would fight and survive, determined to be triumphant in combat no matter what, because you promised.

You promised to come back to his arms.

“CAAW! A LETTER! A LETTER FOR [ L / N ] [ Y / N ]!”

The sound of your Kasugai crow screeching snaps you out of your thoughts. You looked up at the creature, and saw a tiny envelope attached to its legs. You snickered, as you already had a guess who the sender was.

Your Kasugai crow flew down to your eye level, presenting the envelope. Gently, you took the letter out of its grasp. You then rummaged through your uniform to find something to feed the crow. You smiled as pulled out your hand, and offered the crow a small rice ball. The crow takes the treat from your hand, crying out in delight.

“Thank you.” You called out, as the crow flew back to where it had come from.

You looked down at the small piece of paper on your hand, and you open it up to see it’s contents.

Dear [ Y / N ],

How are you doing? I hope you’re doing okay.

Me, Inosuke, and Zenitsu just arrived at the city where we would find Rengoku-san. I was overwhelmed, at first. There are so many people here! Though, it seemed like I wasn’t alone, because Inosuke kept clinging on to me the whole time.

Zenitsu’s leading us around the city, because fortunately he knew his way around cities. We’re trying to find a “train station”, where we could find the “train” where Rengoku-san is dispatched. Everything is so bright and advanced, and I was genuinely shocked at how technology was rapidly evolving!

Nezuko misses you, you know. When we departed, I could pick up the scent of sadness coming from her as we got further and further away from each other.

I miss you, too. So, so much. Oh, how I wished you were with me right now. How much I want to see your beautiful smile again.

I want to write more, but looks like Zenitsu already found the “train station” were heading towards. He’s already complaining about how I’m taking my sweet time writing this letter. Hehe.

Remember this, when you’re having trouble, remember that I’m always going to be with you every step of the way. Don’t get frightened when it gets dark. Instead, look up and see the stars, and I assure you, I will be looking at them, too.

Please, stay safe. I will always be thinking about you, [ Y / N ].

You mean the whole world to me.

- Kamado Tanjiro

You grinned, already feeling the flush crawling up to your face.

You looked heavenward, longing evident in your [ E / C ] hues. The stars twinkled, and the moon reflected your figure perfectly. You gazed at the stars, and you could feel Tanjiro looking at them, too.

“You also mean the whole world to me, Tanjiro.”

#tanjiro x reader #tanjirou x reader #tanjiro kamado x reader #tanjirou kamado x reader #demon slayer x reader #kny x reader #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #demon slayer imagines #tanjiro kamado #tanjirou kamado #kamado tanjiro #kamado tanjirou #kny #kimetsu no yaiba tanjirou #reader insert #kimetsu no yaiba imagines

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pink-imagines · 5 years ago

Text

work of art

chapter 1: the creation of human life

request: could you imagine a pygmalion situation with todoroki??

a/n: idk how many parts of this i’ll make but here’s the first chapter!

warnings: nudity but not nsfw

masterlist

requesting rules

Art is an escape to many people. That included Shoto Todoroki. He liked how his mind stopped wandering whenever he’d sculpt or paint. Luckily he had the funds for all his supplies, since he was born out of a rich family full of lawyers and doctors and CEOs. At a young age he got it pressed into his head that he was going to be one of these things. As it turns out, that’s what he became too. He really didn’t do much, since his father already had so many connections. It started out as a well-paying job at a succesful company, which he was fine with... but then he somehow worked his way up to one of the best paying jobs at the company, until the last CEO retired and that’s when he became CEO of the company. With such a big responsibility he never had time for his art anymore, which was what he actually wanted to do... so he promised himself on last art-piece, and then he was done. He had to be done.

Of course it had to be a sculpture, those took the longest for him and he really wanted to enjoy the last art-piece of his life for as long as he could. Gathering the supplies was the easiest part. With the click of a button he could order everything he needed online, and money wasn’t really even a problem. When he got the supplies he just stared at them for a while... he was supposed to be doing paperwork but convinced himself that being productive on the sculpture would be just as valid as being productive with his work... but he wasn’t even being productive with the art-piece. He had no idea what to do! What could he do? Should he make something big? Where would he keep it then? His apartment as of now was very minimalistic with few colors, which wasn’t really how he liked it but it was the most professional. Maybe he could do a realistic piece and if it didn’t fit his apartment then he could just hide it somewhere.

Shoto ended up sculpting what his mind wanted to make at the moment, letting his mind wander and not caring about the task in front of him. That was the way he liked to do it, just letting his hands do the work without thinking. It was easier for him to enjoy it then. With everything else he did he had to put so much thought into it, even talking. He couldn’t say a word to his father without thinking over it at least ten times.

It started getting late once he had finished most of the body, now it just needed some more details to make it look realistic. And of course he needed a head and limbs for the woman too... but he was proud of it, and content that this would be his last piece of art. Shoto went to bed for the night, after cleaning up and washing himself off.

His time after work was spent trying to finish up the body of the scuplture so that he could later start sculpting the face. Again, he didn’t really think of what he was doing... he just did it. When he had finished sculpting the head and the arms he put the pieces together and admired his work, it had taken him days to get it here. His stomach gave off a sound that could only mean that he hadn’t eaten in the last seven hours, making him drag himself to the kitchen to make himself dinner.

When he got back to his sculpture something looked different... the sculpture looked as if small details had changed, making it more realistic... making it more familiar in some sort of way. Had he seen this woman before? Either way, he was almost done, he just had to finish painting her. Shoto worked himself to the bone trying to finish his piece, he didn’t even realize how time flew by so quickly. Suddenly it was 4 am and he realized that he was actually very tired. He put his paintbrush to his lips, forgetting that there was still a bit of red paint on it. Once he noticed he looked up at the life like sculpture, closed the space between them and kissed the sculptures cold hard lips. As soon as he realized what he was doing he pulled away from it quickly. “... what am I doing..?”, he sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was late and he had been pulling a lot of all nighters these few weeks, it was probably why he was acting so weird. “I just need some rest...”, he told himself.

To be fair, Shoto had never had time for real relationships just a few hook-ups here and there. Especially before his time at the company, when he wasn’t as busy. At both his high school and university he was known around campus as a player. He never accepted the title, they were simply projects... often times he’d paint the women he was with if he could remember their face. Sometimes he’d paint right in front of them, and they’d find it so special that he was painting them... of course they didn’t know about the many other women he had painted. Of course Shoto knew that what he was doing wasn’t right, but he really didn’t want to be with any of them... none of them fueled his creative thinking enough to make more than one painting.

When he went to sleep that night he couldn’t stop thinking about the sculpture. His last art pice, finished just like that... but what about it was so familiar. Since it was his day off tomorrow he had enough time to think about it then. He set his alarm to 10 am, so that he could at least almost get enough sleep.

As soon as he started dreaming he realized that it was a dream. This happened a lot since he learned how to lucid dream as a child to escape the reality of his world for a while. Shoto easily noticed that it was a dream because of the many colors surrounding him, which was very much the opposite of his real life. But that didn’t mean that his mind couldn’t be colorful. He walked around in his dreamland with purple lakes and pink trees. The colors were more dulled down this time, like pastels, which was probably so that he could see her easily. Her. His sculpture. “Shoto!”, she said with a smile. A name fell from his lips that he couldn’t recognize at all, but it felt so natural to say. “Y/N.”, he said to his life-filled sculpture. She was wearing a sundress and a big summer hat to shield her eyes from the sun, which was now blue. “I’m glad you made it, I’ve missed you.”, she took his hand in hers, “Are you ready to go?” “Go where? What are you talking about?” “Oh... you’re not ready. I see...”, she let out a sigh, “Don’t worry, though! I’m sure you’ll be ready soon enough, Shoto.” “What do you mean?”, he asked as she started to leave, “Wait! No! Don’t go!” “You’ll be ready soon!”

He woke up in a sweat to his alarm ringing. With a sigh Shoto pressed the snooze button before laying back down in his bed. He layed there for a while until he smelled something... was that... coffee? Was someone in his apartment? What was he supposed to do? He probably wasn’t supposed to go and investigate it, but that’s what he ended up doing.

Shoto’s steps were long but slow as he approached the coffee smell. An aroma that he was very much aquainted to, he had at least five cups a day and sometimes more! The fact that his sister gave him a coffee machine for his birthday didn’t help his addiction. When he got into the kitchen he could believe his eyes... it was his sculpture... she was moving... and she was naked! For some reason it was harder to face than he would’ve thought. Yes, she was beautiful but he had never felt this creepy by watching a woman’s form before. “Ahem...”, he cleared his throat. Which might’ve been a bad idea... because instead of covering up, she simply turned around to face him. Her face looked puzzled for a second before she recognized him. “Shoto!”, she smiled. There was something familiar about that smile... like he had just seen it. The dream! Was this the woman in his dream? Wait, but he sculpted her... he was so confused... but he didn’t have much time to think since the sculpture bounced towards him and engulfed him in a hug. Her skin wasn’t hard, it was human flesh. What the fuck was happening?

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obsidiancreates · 4 years ago

Text

Shame On a Billboard (Actor Mark)

Mark takes a deep breath, nervously reaching for his bow tie again.

Celine stops his arm, smiling softly. “You’ll make it crooked again.”

Mark sighs. “It’s just-”

“A big moment, I know,” Celine says.

She links her arm with his.

“But I’ll be right beside you.”

Mark smiles gratefully at her.

They share a quick kiss, and face the door.

Together they step out onto that red carpet for the first time.

And the camera lights flash.

When they say; "You and what army?" I guess they're talking about you and me

“Taking the world by storm, Hollywood’s latest power couple,” Damien reads from the paper.

He looks up at The DA over the headline. “That’s my sister,” he says proudly. “My sister and my best friend, taking the world by storm. Can you believe it?”

The DA rolls their eyes fondly.

Damien can’t stop grinning. “Mark’s always been a one-man show in and of himself, and my sister is a one-woman army. Honestly, I’d have been surprised if they didn’t make headlines, working together.”

The DA wads up a bit of paper and tosses it at him. “Yes, yes, you’re very proud. I know.”

Damien laughs when the wad of paper hits him. “They’re going to be able to take over the world, I swear. Power couple indeed.”

Baby, nobody will love you Nobody will love you like, like I do

Mark uncovers his wife’s eyes, and she gasps.

“Mark, this is-”

“Nothing compared to what I want to gift you,” Mark says. She slaps his arm.

“This is outrageous, even for you,” she says, nothing but love in her voice.

“Go ahead, try it out.”

Celine laughs. “This is crazy.”

“Well, I am crazy about you.”

She pretends to gag. “If I take a seat will you stop with the cheesy lines?”

“I’m an actor, my dearest love. You know I can’t. But, for you, I’ll try.”

She gives him a kiss, and walks towards the gift.

A plush, deep red and velvet-cushioned, gold framed throne.

Celine laughs as she sits down, feeling overwhelmed and ridiculous.

She brushes her hand over the armrest, and notices two words, raised just a bit from the rest of the rest.

My Love

Mark beams.

I guess that's half true

William grins, dropping his bags and running up to the steps of his childhood home, to the arms of his his childhood friend, standing next to his childhood cru-

Mark’s wedding ring is cold against William’s arm, and Celine’s glints in the light.

“I’ve missed you,” Mark says, hugging William tightly.

“We both have,” Celine says, smiling with her divine smile.

... Oh.

Oh, William would give her the world to be able to always see that smile.

Come down, come down Come down from your holy mountain

“Already?”

Mark sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I asked to delay filming, but... yes.”

Celine swallows. “How long?”

“... Six months.”

“Six months?! Mark, you’ll miss our anniversary!”

“I’m sorry! You know I don’t want to miss it! But my agent, he says this role could be my big step into breaking away from just... romantic films, into some real works of art.”

Celine sets her jaw. “Mark, please. You’re gone so often now, just- just turn down the role!”

Mark stares at her. “I can’t just turn it down!”

“You can’t miss our anniversary!”

I'm down, I'm down

It would be a hit. A terrible hit. His agent will be furious.

“Celine-”

“I won’t be second to your career,” she says firmly.

The words pierce Mark’s heart like a dagger.

“No, no of course you’re not second.”

... It’ll hurt his career.

...

“I’ll... turn down the role. And we’ll take a trip. Just the two of us.”

Celine’s expression softens. “You mean it?”

Mark steps closer, taking her hands in his, same as he did on their wedding day. “I do. You’re the most important thing in my life. I-I never want to hurt you for some lousy hero role.”

So put your shame on a billboard for a second

Mark tries not to look at the billboard as he drives by it.

... It should be his face up there. His spotlight.

...

The trip had been nice.

Though he’d ached to get home to The Manor the whole time.

Sometimes, sometimes The only way out is through

Mark drags his hands down his face.

The fireplace crackles and flicks, but the room feels oddly cold.

“It’s just a bump in the road,” he says, voice tired.

“How many bumps will there be?” Celine asks, pacing the room. “This bump is a year long, Mark.”

“You could always come with me, you know.”

Celine sighs. “I-I could never-”

“Leave Damien behind for that long,” Mark finishes, rubbing a hair through his messy hair. “I know. You said it last time.”

“... I... could take a few trips out, I suppose.”

Mark nods. “If that’s your ideal solution.”

They’re both quiet for a long while.

'Cause everyone loves Bob Dylan! I just want you to love me like that, yeah

Mark laughs, a practiced and empty laugh, as the fan asks for an autograph.

Celine stands next to him, smile plastered on her face, eyes cold.

Mark’s own plastered on smile droops a bit.

The fan gazes at him adoringly.

Celine looks at him tiredly.

...

He finishes signing.

“Let’s just go home,” he mutters to her once the fan has walked away, clutching their precious piece of paper.

Would you bury me next to Johnny Cash? I'm obsessed Do you love me like that?

“What?”

Mark’s throat feels dry.

“Am I your favorite actor?”

Celine sits up. “Of course. What brought that on?”

... Mark isn’t sure, really. He just...

...

He got... jealous. Of... something.

He’s not sure what.

“You’re telling the truth?”

Celine’s frown deepens. “Yes. Mark, is something wrong?”

You smell different.

I swear you smell like cologne.

That isn’t mine.

I’m not imagining it, I know it.

“... Nothing.”

Yeah

Celine almost pries a bit more... but she gets a sudden chill.

...

There’s no draft. The fireplace is lit.

She goes back to her book.

... Witches, hmm?

So what fates do we share? Windows down, wind in your hair

Celine sighs. “Thank you for this, William. It’s been ages since I’ve been out of that stuffy Manor. I swear the air is thicker in there.”

William tries to keep his eyes on the road, and not her hair, loose around her face, let out of the bun, blown gently by the wind...

“It’s always had it’s own atmosphere,” William says, trying to pay attention to the ring on her finger.

Celine scoffs. “Mark claims to not notice anything. He says it’s easier to breathe in there.”

“... Maybe he’s just homesick. From all the traveling.”

Celine stares out the window, at passing trees and fields. “... Maybe.”

Baby, no one ever thinks of you No one ever thinks of you as much as I do

Mark paces the den floor.

... She and William have been gone... an awfully long time.

No. No, she wouldn’t- he wouldn’t- they wouldn’t-

He ignores the ringing phone.

Where are they? He didn’t even ask where they were going. William just said “on a drive”.

He shakes his head.

He’s just being paranoid. It’s his wife. His best friend, practically brother.

He feels a chill go up his spine, in the windowless room.

...

But what if...

Not, not even you

Celine laughs as she’s dragged up the hill by William.

“I told you a little fresh air was the solution!” he boasts.

Celine hasn’t smiled this genuinely in ages.

“I forgot what freedom feels like,” she says with a laugh.

“Now now, it’s your husband’s job to be in the dramatics. You can go anywhere you want, whenever! Sounds rather free to me.”

Celine sighs, looking out at the grass fields around them. “Mark’s schedule is... filled. Always. And when we do go out... we can never just... be out as us. As Mark and Celine. It’s always as... Markiplier and his loving wife.”

She scowls at the title the headlines so often mistake for her name.

“... That sounds awful,” William says.

She turns to look at him.

Oh, oh, he’d fight a thousand men if it would erase the pain in her eyes.

“... I miss the old days. When we were just... us. Carefree. Deeply in love. Butterflies in our chests whenever we locked eyes...”

William’s heart pounds in his chest as a breeze gently runs it’s hands through Celine’s hair, and he’s sure he’s feeling jealous of the wind.

But then... she sniffs.

William’s eyes leave her locks... and find tears on her cheeks.

“He’s always gone, William. Even when he’s home. And-and I- I miss feeling...”

He steps closer, slightly opening his arms to her.

She accepts.

“I miss feeling loved,” she says into his shoulder.

William’s breath catches.

He hugs her back. Cards a hand through her hair.

She melts deeper into his embrace, and weeps.

They stand like that for a long while, the breeze picking up a bit, the sun beginning to set behind them.

Celine pulls away, and look at him.

William looks at her.

Their eyes meet.

... Celine... feels butterflies.

She shouldn’t.

He shouldn’t.

But they do.

Their lips meet as the sun dips behind the hill.

For a moment, she stops thinking about how it looks. How it might appear to others.

She stop thinking about being The Actor Markiplier’s Lovely Wife.

And for a moment, Celine feels as she once did.

Come down, come down

Mark watches the car roll into the driveway. Standing on the balcony, he watches William and Celine step out.

William bows. Bids her farewell.

She bids him farewell.

Something’s wrong.

He can’t tell why he’s suspicious.

But he is.

Deeply.

Come down from your holy mountain

He cut filming short.

He left filming early. To surprise Celine.

She’s been... more accepting of the distances lately, and the overtime, and...

And she...

She’s been put in second place for far too long.

Mark pulls into the driveway. He makes sure to grab the roses he bought on the way, their petals blood red and beautiful, fresh as can be.

He opens the door.

Walks up to the bedroom.

It’s late, after all. She’s usually in bed reading by this hour.

“Celine, I ended the session early-”

The roses fall to the ground.

I'm down, I'm down

... A note?

After all they’d been through?

She just left a note?

... Her jewelry... gone with her.

With him.

With them.

The house is cold with her gone.

Mark puts on his warmest robe.

He still feels numb.

So put your shame on a billboard for a second

“Yes. Yes, I want you to take it down,” Damien says. “Because it’s just immoral! He’s a man, same as us! He doesn’t need his personal life plastered on the tops of buildings for all to know!”

Damien glares at the photo in the paper.

Power Couple Splits, Markiplier Gives No Comments

“It’s bad enough the news has it! Just take it down, now!”

Sometimes, sometimes

Mark looks in the mirror.

He slicks his unwashed hair out of his face.

His ring glints at him.

Mocking.

He leaves the bathroom.

...

Something else glints at him, sitting on the table.

The only way out is through

His eyes stare, unblinking, at the photos on the table.

A dagger lays in his limp hand.

A hole in his heart. Left behind by her.

... And by his own hand.

'Cause everyone loves Bob Dylan I just want you to love me like that, yeah

Her throne sits in the living room, collecting dust.

Her jewelry is collecting dust elsewhere. Pawned. Traded for freedom.

He lays in his- their- bedroom.

Collecting dust.

Would you bury me next to Johnny Cash?

His body lays there for hours.

His eyes stare at the pictures.

He’s written a note.

It details what the funeral is to be like.

...

And then.

He blinks.

I'm obsessed

He rolls the dagger casually in his hands.

Which one is this? Number thirty? Must be, by now.

He stopped counting a little while back.

He raises it, looking excited.

Oh, he can’t wait to go back.

Do you love me like that? Yeah

He watches them dance in the downstairs, the gray and decaying world matching his gray and decaying form.

Oh, what times.

When love seemed... real.

When she swore to love him.

Only him.

Only him...

He gifted her as much as he could...

His love... all of it... his whole heart...

...

It’s not fair.

Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh 'Cause everyone loves Bob Dylan! I just want you to love me like that, yeah

Mark flattens down his robe.

He grins into the mirror.

The role of a lifetime.

His final role.

His eternal role.

Beloved hero. With people devoted to him. People who won’t leave for something more exciting.

Would you bury me next to Johnny Cash?

Damien has the only satisfying reaction.

No matter.

That corpse will go in the ground. Mark won’t be joining it.

I'm obsessed

His characters are set.

The actors are playing their roles.

He has lost his mind.

She has lost her self.

They can’t betray him again.

Time to be the hero.

Do you love me like that?

Yeah

#Markiplier #Markiplier egos #Who Killed Markiplier #Actor Mark #WKM Celine #WKM Damien #WKM William #fanfic #my attempts at fanfic #suicide tw #suicide mention

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zukkkaashipper · 4 years ago

Text

Falling hard

It had started as a blind date set up by one of their mutual friends, Toph. Right now, they were on their fifth date and Sokka could honestly say that the past month of dating Zuko had been the most amazing month of his life. Zuko was smart and funny in an ‘I’m not trying to be funny’ kind of way. He had been extremely shy at first, which had been adorable and had felt like a bit of a challenge to Sokka. All his friends could tell you Sokka was not one to back down from a challenge. However, the more time he spent with Zuko the less it felt like a challenge he had to win, but more like a need to get to know Zuko better. Adorable, smart, beautiful Zuko.

There had just been one issue, Sokka wasn’t sure Zuko felt the same way. Whenever Sokka got too close, touched him just a little bit too intimate, Zuko would freeze up and pull away. Sokka had started to doubt the connection he felt to Zuko as well as his seduction skills. But sitting here across from Zuko at the dinner table Sokka could care less about the physical aspect of their relationship. Just looking at Zuko shyly ducking his head with a small smile on his face, because of some stupid joke Sokka made was enough for now.

“What is it?” Zuko asked, when he looked up and noticed that Sokka was still looking at him.

“you’re cute,” Sokka shot back with a flirty smile. Once again, Zuko ducked his head and a crimson blush crept on his face.

“So, how has your week been? I haven’t seen or heard much from you the past few days,” Sokka continued once it was clear Zuko wasn’t going to respond to Sokka’s previous comment.

“It was fine, I’ve just been super busy with this new play. I’m sorry.”

“Did you get the part you wanted?” Sokka asked excitedly.

He knew Zuko’s major was a bit of a sore spot with his family. Zuko had told him about it on their 3rd date after a few glasses of wine. It had taken him a while to get through his story and Sokka had had to piece some parts of it together himself. As far as Sokka could tell Zuko’s dad was a hard-ass and had never once encouraged Zuko to do what he had wanted to do. Instead, he had pushed him to become a lawyer like his dad and his big sister and they had treated him like a pariah when he told them that he wanted to study arts. Zuko hadn’t spoken to his family in over 2 years, once he started at uni. The only person from his family Zuko still had contact with was his uncle, Iroh. From what Zuko had told him, Iroh was awesome. Supportive and kind. He had treated Zuko like he was his own son and had been so proud when he decided to major in theater. Iroh was his biggest fan, Zuko had told Sokka proudly.

“I did,” Zuko said. He would probably never admit it, but Sokka could see a proud glint in his eyes.

“That’s amazing! We should celebrate. Uhm champagne? Waiter!” Sokka raised his hand to wave over the waiter, “could we have two glasses of champagne please?”

The waiter nodded and disappeared to get the champagne. Zuko smiled at him again and Sokka felt a little bit weak in his stomach.

“You gotta tell me when it is! I want to come watch.”

Sokka could literally see the emotions cross over Zuko’s face. Shock, disbelief, hope, excitement.

“The play is only in 5 months,” Zuko mumbled and suddenly Sokka realized that maybe he had been too forward, pushed too hard again. He basically just told Zuko he hoped that they would still be seeing each other in months. It was true, Sokka really was hoping that he would still be seeing Zuko. But what if Zuko would pull away again and freeze up. At the moment, it didn’t look like Zuko wanted to pull away, so Sokka decided to take another change.

“Well, I can’t wait to see you in that play. You’ll be amazing, I know it.”

Sokka wanted to reach across the table to take Zuko’s hand, but he was afraid that would be pushing too much too fast. So he didn’t. He kept his hands on his side of the table and forced himself to take a deep breath. In the meantime, the waiter had returned with the champagne.

“Cheers! To you Zuko,” Sokka said while reaching half-way across the table so they could clink their glasses together.

“To us,” Zuko said quietly. He didn’t look at Sokka when he said it, which was a good thing, because Sokka could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. Ok, so he wasn’t making this all up in his head. That’s good.

“To us,” Sokka repeated. Zuko looked up and gave him another one of his shy smiles and Sokka smiled back enthusiastically.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. They talked some more about their families, their studies, and the places they would like to travel to the most. For Sokka, these places were mostly cold and snowy, like Greenland and Norway and Alaska. For Zuko it was the complete opposite. He wanted to go to Hawaii and Italy, as long as it was hot. They laughed about this for a while and Sokka made the stupid joke that they would never be able to go on holiday together. He realized his mistake as soon as he said it. Zuko’s face fell and he retreated in on himself. Sokka spent the rest of their dinner trying to get back to the carefree atmosphere they had before he had opened his big stupid mouth and ruined everything.

After dinner, they walked back to campus together. Sokka tried brushing their hands together, so he could gauge Zuko’s reaction. Every single time he would even softly graze Zuko’s hand, Zuko would jump and pull away again. Sokka sighed to himself and looked at Zuko sideways. He was getting so many mixed signals, he really didn’t know what to think anymore.

They had arrived at Zuko’s room. The uncomfortable silence dragged on and Sokka had become too self-aware to even try to go in for a kiss. Zuko awkwardly said goodbye and gave a small wave before he ducked inside. Sokka let out another disappointed sigh and started the journey to his own shared dorm room.

Aang was laying upside down on his couch groaning and looking at his laptop angrily.

“Hey buddy, whatcha doing?” Sokka asked.

“Oh! hi Sokka,” Aang perked up. “I’m just finishing my paper on coral bleaching and how it affects so many aspects of the ecological system and the poor aquatic animals. They deserve better! And hardly anyone cares. How can they not care about the animals!”

“I know buddy,” Sokka patted Aang on his head and sat down on the couch next to him.

“How was you date! Did it go well? Did you finally get to kiss him?” Aang asked excitedly.

Sokka pulled a face and Aang’s face fell a little at that as well.

“He just.. He’s so frustrating. At one point we’re laughing and I swear he is flirting with me, but the moment I get too close or try to touch him, even just to hold his hand, he pulls away! Maybe he just doesn’t feel the same thing I’m feeling. What if he just wants to be friends and I’m just reading the situation completely wrong. What if I’m misinterpreting everything and he just doesn’t have the heart to tell me,” Sokka groaned. “I really don’t know what to do, Aang.”

Sokka dropped his head on the back of the couch, groaned again and covered his head with his hands. He felt like a complete idiot.

“I’m sorry Sokka. I’m sure Zuko has a good reason to act the way he does. Maybe you’re right and he just wants to be friends, but I honestly doubt it from what you’ve told me,” Aang said with wide, honest eyes.

“Don’t you remember what an insecure mess I was when I was dating Katara? I over-analyzed every single thing she said, every small touch and I just didn’t know what to think and what to do. The only way you’ll find out what it is that’s bothering him by talking to him. You’re a very affectionate and touchy person, Sokka, maybe Zuko just isn’t like that. Just talk to him about it!”

“Please, everyone could see how smitten you and Katara were for each other. The only ones who couldn’t see it were you and Katara,” Sokka said incredulously.

Aang smiled softly to himself, remembering that time. Aang and Katara had been together for a long time now and they were so cute together, although Sokka would never admit that out loud. He was really happy that Katara had found such a good guy to take care of her and he hadn’t seen his sister as happy as she was when that goofball was around. Sokka would never admit this either, but he was jealous. He wanted that with someone. No, not someone, he wanted that with Zuko. And that thought was just incredibly terrifying, wasn’t it? He still hardly knew Zuko. Zuko wasn’t someone to get to know easily. You had to prick through all the layers and all the walls Zuko had build over the years, but Sokka found that he wanted nothing more than to break all those walls down and get to know more about the mysterious, shy and incredibly gorgeous boy.

Sokka knew Aang was right and that he wouldn’t get an answer without talking to Zuko, but he couldn’t. You could say that his ego was too big for it, but Sokka didn’t think that was the problem. It’s just that he hadn’t felt this way about anyone. Sokka had had girlfriends before and a fling here and there, but all of his relationships always ended because they realized they would work better as friends. But the thought of him and Zuko just being friends, that just hurts. He couldn’t put himself through that. Not after what happened to his mom. He could never feel as lost and hurt and sad as he did the day his mother died. So maybe it was better this way, to net get closer to Zuko, because it could only hurt more, right?

So, that night while Sokka was laying in bed, overthinking as usual, he decided he would wait for Zuko to contact him. He could do that, he could not text Zuko. He would just have to delete Zuko’s number, probably. Just to be sure.

A week went by and Sokka still hadn’t heard anything from Zuko, which only enhanced Sokka’s suspicions that he had read the situation completely wrong. Sokka tried to move and forget Zuko, but everywhere he looked he saw something that reminded him of Zuko. Sokka had never felt like such a useless and pathetic person in his life. How could he have gotten so attached to someone so fast? This never happened to Sokka. Sokka didn’t get attached easily. Honestly, it had taken months to get used to Aang’s bubbly nature. As well as at least a few weeks to get used to Tophs bluntness. In short, it just took Sokka a while to really get used to someone. Sokka always liked people, he was a social guy, but he just had a hard time really trusting someone. Afraid they would leave or something.

But not with Zuko, Sokka was completely smitten within the first two dates.

It took another week before Sokka came face to face with Zuko once again. He walked into the coffeeshop on campus where Katara worked, together with Aang, when he saw Zuko sitting across from Toph. They appeared to be having an intense conversation and Zuko was gesturing wildly. Before Zuko could drag Aang to Katara at the counter, Aang was already on his way to greet Toph and Zuko.

“Hi guys!” Aang chirped. He sucked up his pride and followed Aang reluctantly to their table.

“Twinkle toes,” Toph greeted Aang. “Oh, and Sokka you’re here too,” Toph said in a tone Sokka couldn’t quite place. Sokka was still amazed Toph was able to tell who was in the room, even after all this time. Zuko froze up the minute he saw Sokka and he didn’t even look at him. Sokka felt anger bubbling up inside of him. If Zuko didn’t want to date him that was fine, but ignoring him and acting like he wasn’t even there? Sokka deserved better than that.

“Hello Zuko, good to see you again,” Sokka said in a tone that was maybe a little bit too harsh, because he saw Zuko flinch.

“Hi,” Zuko said under his breath.

“Whatever,” Sokka mumbled and turned away from Zuko and walked over towards the counter. Aang followed him after a few seconds.

“That was a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Aang asked cautiously.

Sokka didn’t respond. He didn’t want to think about stupid Zuko, with his stupid sexy scar and his stupid smile anymore. He focused on Katara and catching up with her. He ordered some way too sweet drink and tried not to look back towards the boy in the corner. When he finished his drink and couldn’t stop himself from searching Zuko again, he realized they had left. The pit in his stomach only grew bigger after that. He was an idiot.

This went on for days. Sokka feeling bad about himself and missing Zuko, so he locked himself inside his room whenever he could. Gaming with Aang or watching murder mysteries by himself in the dark.

This night wasn’t any different he was rolled up in his blanket staring blankly at the tv, which was playing another murder mystery. It was storming outside. The rain was beating against his window and every now and then the sky was lit up by a bolt of lightning. Suddenly, he heard a soft knock on his door. Thinking it was Aang he didn’t move and told him to come in, only to be met with the sight of a drenched Zuko dripping on his carpet. His hair was laying flat against his face and Sokka couldn’t stop his stupid brain from thinking how cute he looked like that. Sokka shot up from his bed until he was standing right next to it staring at Zuko.

For a few seconds neither of them moved. Both too afraid to be break the tense atmosphere that surrounded them. They just stood there looking at each other. After what seemed like forever Sokka’s stupid mouth betrayed him yet again.

“Zuko? What are you doing here?”

Zuko didn’t respond immediately. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts. He looked at Sokka as if it were the last time he was going to see him. He seemed to take in everything about him. Looking over Sokka’s body to his face, lingering on his lips and the looking up into his ice blue eyes. Zuko’s eyes held his gaze, Sokka couldn’t look away. Zuko’s golden eyes were just too captivating and Sokka thought to himself what a shame it would be if this were the last time he got to look at them.

“I-I.. I’m sorry for barging in here like this. I just, I hate not talking to you, not seeing you. I guess, I j-just wondered what I did wrong. Tell me what I did to screw this up. I know I’m not the most fun guy to hang around, b-but I uh I thought were doing ok. Did I just misread the entire situation? Did I say something or do something to upset you. I-I’m going crazy trying to figure out what I did. I need, I just need you to t-tell me, please,” Zuko pleaded and Sokka could see the desperation in his eyes.

It only took his brain a minute to catch up to the words that just came out of Zuko’s mouth. He’s afraid he did something wrong. Wait. Does that mean that he didn’t want it to go wrong. What is happening?

“I just didn’t think you actually liked me,” Sokka admitted. “You pulled away every time I tried to hold your hand. If I flirted with you, you froze up. I just thought that maybe you only wanted to be friends or that I was misreading the situation. You just didn’t seem that into it.”

“No! No!” The words flew out of Zuko’s mouth, seemingly without his consent. His eyes went wide and he seemed to make a decision.

“I really enjoyed all the time we spent together. I’m just, I haven’t been out for a long time and still not. My uncle knows and Toph knows too. But you, you are so out and open and proud of who you are and I’m just, argh why is this so hard..” Zuko groaned frustratingly to himself.

“I’m just not comfortable with the touching in public. I don’t think I’ve ever been comfortable in my own skin, but this? This is completely new to me! I just wanted, no I needed to take it slow. I-I like you Sokka, a lot. Probably more than I should at this point and that scares me, ok?”

The words seemed to stumble out of Zuko’s mouth and Sokka stared at him in shock. He had never heard so many consecutive words coming out of Zuko’s mouth and his story sounded so much like Sokka’s own. The insecurity and the feelings. God, they sounded like high school girls. No offence to high school girls, they probably would have handled this situation better than Sokka had.

Sokka stepped forward and slowly reached for Zuko’s hands. This time Zuko didn’t pull them away, but let his small hands rest into Sokka’s much larger ones.

“I like you too, a lot. You’re smart and you’re funny and you’re gorgeous. I guess I j-just felt afraid. I’m not used to liking someone so much and then it felt like you didn’t like me like that and I guess that just hurt me ego or something,” Sokka babbled.

“We’re both idiots, aren’t we,” Sokka said while leaning downward so he could put his forehead against Zuko’s.

“I guess we are,” Zuko said looking up into Sokka’s eyes.

“Zuko,” Sokka whispered, “can I kiss you?”

Sokka felt Zuko’s breath catch and he saw his eyes flick to his lips. He nodded shyly and leaned in just the tiniest bit. Sokka caught Zuko’s pretty mouth with his own and kissed him softly. He let his tongue slide over Zuko’s lips slowly and the smaller boy let out a small gasp. Sokka took that opportunity to slip his tongue into Zuko’s mouth and he wrapped his arms around Zuko’s waist. The smaller boy moaned softly, leaned into Sokka and put his arms around his neck.

After what felt like forever, but also like no time at all, they slowly pulled away from each other. They relished in their closeness and held each other close.

“I-I’m gonna need to take this slow,” Zuko said.

“Sweetheart, as long as you kiss me like that when we’re alone, we can take it as slow as you want,” Sokka said with a grin.

Zuko smiled and shyly leaned up again to give Sokka a quick peck.

Sokka would stay here forever if he could, wrapped up in Zuko without the prying eyes of others. Sokka felt lucky to be the person Zuko wanted to be with intimately. And he truly meant what he said. He would take it as slow as Zuko wanted, because all Sokka wanted was to get to know the beautiful boy better. Who knows, maybe one day they would be able to kiss in public. Maybe even at Aang and Katara’s wedding. But for now Sokka felt content and he would take everything Zuko wanted to give.

#avatar the last airbender #zukka nation #zukka #atla #romance #pining #Idiots in love #toph beifong #fanfic #writing #aang x katara #zuko x sokka

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nc7dr3am · 4 years ago

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LILY’s RELTIONSHIPS WITH THE DREAMIES

MARKLY:

so their ship name is just his full name LMAO

they love it

so yknow how dream clowns mark?

obviously she does too

but she’s more gentle and has a TON of respect for mark

“minhyung oppa is extremely hardworking ... he’s always working to be his absolute best and he is so kind and down to earth”

they’re actually a really soft duo

because like. mark is truly her big brother

he cares for her a lot and helped her so much during her debut

he helps her practice her dancing (even after he left dream)

because she trusts him a lot and he know the exact way to help her

but yeah she still clowns him

calls him old man all of the time

but she was full on SOBBING at their last concert with mark

like she had to move her mic because it was so bad

mark isn’t too big on the pda but when they’re together he always lets his baby sister give him so many hugs

when sm told them that mark was coming back and they were a fixed unit ... god she cried a lot then too

she was so happy

“lily is actually so sweet guys. like, she’s so genuine. she cares a lot for all of us and she’s also so intelligent? she’s always reading” - mark when asked about her on vlive

he’s trying to teach her guitar but the only instrument she formally knows is violin

her skill with the bass is self taught and she doesn’t know actual notes so she applies that to guitar and mark is trying to ACTUALLY teach her

mark also understands her well because they were both raised in the west

she expresses herself better in english and mark is always there to understand and listen

they’re just actual siblings and love each other so much

LILJUN:

firstly

lily makes renjun look a lot taller

she doesn’t ever make fun of his height and gets mad at the other dreamies when they do

she clowns his voice crack tho HAH

lowkey the savage duo

lily is more secretly savage though

renjun is the one allowed in her room the most

he works on his art and she reads or writes or practices violin

they have a lot of quiet moments

but they also get silly together

so lily doesn’t think about the universe deeply because she lowkey thinks it’s a waste of her time

like .. she’ll never know and she’s fine with that so why dwell on it

HOWEVER she really believes in aliens and she and renjun legit have sat for hours looking online ab alien shit

they’re also both so smart

and she’s always talking about how much she admires renjun’s brain

stans his vocal talent. like. she’s loud about it

fans love this duo a lot nd they have a lot of romantic shippers

even tho .. they have never liked each other that way LMAO

at the airport she links arms with him a lot and they look like they’re gossiping hhhhh

when the dreamies are being too much they just look at each other and fans love that shit

also they’re both arguably the scariest members

renjun because... duh y’all know him

but lily doesn’t get annoyed often. when she does... there’s hell to pay and she has a good punch

“renjun oppa is so good at korean! i’m actually korean and he speaks it better than i do!”

“that’s because i’m smarter than you”

“do you want to die?”

basically just a really close pair! they’re always there for each other 🥺

JENLY:

she openly says that jeno is the cutest member

“he’s the most adorable person ever! his eyesmile is too cute”

the way she laughed when jeno ripped his shirt off-

she clowned him for DAYS

every time she was wearing a jacket or cardigan she ripped it off and mocked him

also whenever she’s drinking something around him she recreates his milk cf

also!!! she thinks jeno is so funny

she loves him and his humor

she and jeno have a really really deep bond.

he saw her journal (refer to my post about her room) and he’ll take what he read to the grave

he checks in on her a lot because he knows when she’s hurting

when they were trainees she was struck by how kind he was to her

and they were stuck together ever since

lily hasn’t ever been mad at him ONCE

they’re arguably the softest duo

they have a lot of romantic shippers too but

again

it’s a no

she’s a big nomin shipper too like unironically she thinks there’s something there

she always hypes his vocals!! he doesn’t get to sing enough >:(

he’s also her biggest cheerleader and when she cries and gets upset about her dancing he always pulls her aside and consoles her 🥺

he helps her with writing songs too!

wholesome beautiful friendship

they go out to eat a lot

jeno also helps her paint her nails LMAO

and they ride bikes together a lot

can’t commit to working out with him though because it’s way too much for her to do all that

lily also bakes a lot. and jeno appreciates that. a LOT

they’re best friends. she even bought them stupid girly heart bracelets that connect together LMAO

JIHYUCK:

so much affection!!!!

she is such a hyuck stan

“haechannie is my bias!!”

always calls him fullsun (in english)

number one hyuck skin enthusiast!! she thinks he’s gorgeous and glows brighter than all of them

also she loves his singing and thinks his vocal tone is so unique

always laughs at his jokes and finds him hilarious

he doesn’t prank her as much as the others because he’s actually so sweet to her

he’s used to having a younger sister and thinks of lily as his little sister

they constantly text and facetime a lot since they live in different dorms

she’s lowkey whipped for him and he’s whipped for her

not in a romantic way tho!

another member who always eats her baking

they learn girl group dances together

now we all know damn well that hyuck is the sweetest boy and so full of love

but we also know he annoys the shit out of the members

jimin is NO exception

he pokes fun at her and mocks her all the time

so she slaps him in the back of the head LMAOO

when does she actually get mad tho? when he shows up at the dorms and enters her room without permission

cue her chasing him around the dorms with murder in her eyes

yknow the vine where it’s like

“let me see what you have?”

“a KNIFE”

“NO”

that’s the other guys making sure hyuck doesn’t get brutally murdered

because lily can pack a punch

all in all though, they’re a great duo and they’re always so proud of each other

JAEJIMIN:

okay jaemin babies the FUCK outta her

he always takes care of her and talks to her about her concerns and vice versa

he was so happy for her when she debuted and was sad he couldn’t be there for it

she visited him all the time when he was gone

and she was heartbroken that he wasn’t with dream

she is a BIG 8dream stan because they are a family

but yeah fans can’t even ship them romantically because they know lily is his lil baby

she helps him with his english

and he always compliments her singing and dancing

proud of her songwriting

so much affection

even tho she hates when he pinches her cheeks n calls her cute

when he came back during go she was overjoyed

“go is our special era! we were all reunited~~”

he always wanted a sister and now he has one <3

she drinks a lot of coffee but not as much as him and was so worried about his health

they’re the biggest flirts w czennies

you’ll always find them with their arms linked in the airport

and everywhere really

during empathy era she was always hugging jaemin’s side

they also do a lot of lives together!!

such cute bffs

she is a big nomin stan like i said

name twins and they always tell everyone that they’re actual siblings

jaemin’s mom is so fond of her and treats her like her own daughter

HE REALLY TRIES TO GIVE HER FASHION ADVICE AND GIVE INPUT ON HOW HER HAIR SHOULD LOOK FOR COMEBACKS

they’re really true siblings and best friends 🥺

LILLE:

THESE MFS ARE BEST FRIENDS

01’ liners and so similar in ages but he ALWAYS brings up that he’s older

they compete over a lot

literally everything is a competition

she’s at her most childish with him

they also make lots of bets and she usually wins

clowns him for those predebut pics LOL

SHE ALWAYS SEND THEM IN THE GC AND EVEN POSTS THEM ON BUBBLE N SHIT HAHA

they can be really soft but will never admit it even if they are caught on camera

they’re pretty calm if they’re cooking together

he is Banned™️ from her room and she won’t budge at all

“chenle isn’t allowed in my room because he will disturb my peace”

remember on that one ep of weekly idol where chenle was SCREAMING while they did aegyo

yeah it’s louder when lily does aegyo

u didn’t hear it from me but her aegyo is SO cute it’s not as cringey as the others

but chenle hates it because she’s cute and he wants to clown her but he CANT

really proud of each other. super proud of each other

chenle has sat with her as she’s cried a lot. and comforted her. and it always stays between them.

she’s always there for him too

a LOT of fans have suspected that there’s something there

his mom loves her so much!!!!!

when she and jisung went to his house they were BAFFLED and impressed

“something bothers me a lot. one day, chenle woke up and looked grown up. he used to have chubby cheeks and looked like a kid and now he looks like an adult and has such defined cheekbones. it’s so strange”

when they became adults they got SHITFACED DRUNK

they definitely don’t say it a lot and when they do it’s in private (even tho everyone knows)

but they really love each other 🥺

LILJI:

jisung and lily is

p o p u l a r

with fans

because fans put together the pieces that jisung had a crush on lily during debut

lily thought it was sweet because jisung was always so cute and young

she saw him as a little kid

they used to not have MANY interactions

she always laughs when jisung is bein funny

and is in AWE of his dancing

he always assures her when she gets upset about her dancing

lilchenji is an ICONIC friendship

they watch a lot of movies together

she’s been on chenjis this and that a few times

remember that live when nomin got all in each other’s faces while chenji just froze and looked at them and then looked at the camera and looked real shocked

she was there and the three of them were like 😶

so yeah when jisung started getting really tall lily was real confused

and then somehow

during go and we go up

jisung started looking different. like. more grown up

and he had more confidence and talked to her more

and lily was like 😳😳

but spoilers so i won’t go too deep into that

they’re really good friends these days tho

the fans LOVE THEM it’s such a popular ship

at the dream shows when they sing bye my first

the song that lily famously LOVES

yknow that one line jisung has where the music goes quiet and he goes

“na geuttaeneun cham eoryeosseo”

blessed line it was beautiful

anyway at the dream show jisung would hold the mic to lily and have her sing the line or they’d duet it

and their eye contact!!!! and lily’s SMILE IS SO BRIGHT

stars in their eyes

um anyway!! they’re great friends nd very shippable for. reasons!

author’s note! i’m also a ‘01 liner! so don’t think it’s weird if i’m writing a jisung romance LMAO or who knows if it’ll be jisung? 👀👀

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materialwoman · 4 years ago

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❦ 　*　 ❝　 𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐑 + 𝐀 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 , FROM EARLY LIFE TO MODERN TIMES .

▌ 𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 key - points of tammy’s life, ranging from her family ties and professional aspirations to her involvement with crime. it’s a rather long and rambly collection of thoughts, so sadly i’ll have to keep most of it under a read more. this covers all of the main arcs i write on this blog :

[ ♡ ] arc i , youth / teen / young adult years

[ ♡ ] arc ii , adult / pre - canon

[ ♡ ] arc iii , adult / canon

[ ♡ ] arc iv , adult / post - canon

▌ 1974 - birth ,

december 16, 1974. circa 7am. tamasin sinclair, the second daughter of the ferguson-sinclair family, is born. she’s a giggly baby girl, but often cries when far from her mother, veronique. her favorite people to be around are her big sister, olivia, and katherine, her grandmother.

▌ 1980 - age six ,

a six years old tammy travels overseas for the first time, having europe as a destination. she’s taken to london, for a fun week under the cares of her favorite grandmother, while her father attends a law conference in the city. for the first time, she sees the world beyond her mother’s eyes, following katherine around events, fun sleepover nights and even her day-to-day life at the dance academy’s office - with an outrageous amount of a new discovered common obsession: british vogue.

▌ 1983 - age nine ,

she’s nine years old when her younger sister is born. louisa is bubbly; a funny little child that amused tammy in every way. olivia and herself would spend hours around the crib, even more than their own mother, who would often be off working or dealing with her own set of concerns. the sisters would take care of lulu, as they called her, whenever they could; she was their new favorite little person.

▌ 1990 - age sixteen ,

tammy reaches the age of sixteen, and as a gift from her other grandmother, virginie, is invited to spend a couple of weeks with her in paris. the woman, a strict and straightforward art curator, has no doubts a young lady such as tamasin could use a little time with her to learn new things about modern womanhood. the visit went well, although tammy did spend more time trying to convince virginie to take her to one of her fancy events or a fashion week than listening to her grandma’s teachings. virginie was not very pleased.

tammy’s aunt, uma sinclair, has her own idea of a gift for the soon to be young woman in the family -- one the girl would enjoy much more, as well. the blond ambition world tour reaches new jersey, the closest to tammy’s home. she hears as madonna sings about love, friendship, fashion, and some much better takes on modern womanhood. she would never be the same.

▌ 1992 - age eighteen ,

at age eighteen, tamasin graduates from high school. her biggest interests during the previous years were fashion, creative writing and the influence of women in culture and society. her main graduation choices were psychology and journalism, where she hoped to discuss some of her passions through the gift of writing. [ ... ] against all of her efforts, tammy has no support from her parents to follow any of her careers of choice. she’s advised ( although practically induced ) to follow the path of those before her, and very much like her parents and her older sister, ends up enrolling into pre-law school. it was the one moment when tammy got the closest to being the daughter veronique ever dreamed of having.

▌ 1993 - age nineteen ,

despite veronique and laurent’s attempts to keep their daughter under their watch, tamasin decides to move out of the family house and start over, this time making things her way. she moves into an apartment in the big city, alongside with olivia, and no longer having financial support from her parents, starts working at a diner in new york city. she drops out of pre-law school after one semester.

as louisa, her little sister, reaches the age of ten, olivia and tamasin notice there’s something wrong. the little girl that once was a wild spirit started to seem less and less bright, and their mother seemed to be the reason of such change. they’ve been there before: they knew what she does. tammy goes to their grandmother, which intervenes and asks veronique to let the sisters take care of lulu for some time. she’d be constantly helping when needed, as well, while veronique took some time to take care of herself. although not content, the mother agrees. the older sisters take lulu to their apartment in nyc, and keep raising a strong, bright little girl for the next many years.

1993 - 1997 . tamasin, olivia and louisa carry a light, fun day-to-day life in their apartment in nyc. the three of them have their own studies and personal matters, as the eldest finishes law and looks forward to building a family already, tammy studied and explored her ambition, while both raised a much more hopeful little lulu.

▌ 1994 - age twenty ,

noticing tammy’s resilience and quick wits, tammy’s coworker invites her to take a small part on a con one night. her sense of adventure, ambition and the undeniable need for extra cash in order to get into college again are decision makers: call her the newest fence in the business. well, figuratively. she didn’t truly know what that meant: only that she was good at it. [ ... ] one day, working at the diner, tammy catches a young woman trying to pickpocket one of the clients from behind the counter. enter debbie ocean - and tamasin doesn’t stop her, much on the contrary. she’s proud to quietly announce she’s done things of that sort, too. it’s a match made in heaven: if not even deborah had the eye to catch her as the type to con, who could ever suspect?

▌ 1995 - age twenty - one ,

tammy is introduced to lou miller, an australian con artist that soon became her other partner in crime. together, the three ladies take part on small cons, such as movie theater tickets, amusement parks, retail and similar. with them, tammy makes the extra money needed to start studying again. this time, she goes with journalism. [ ... ] tammy gets her first ever tattoo, a delicate little rose now marked onto the side of her ribcage. she tells everyone it was her choice because it was cute, but secretly likes to think of the strength of her delicacy represented in it.

▌ 1996 - age twenty - two ,

as a birthday gift, louisa and olivia give tammy a pet bunny. she calls him cherry.

tammy is introduced to danny ocean and his partner in crime, rusty ryan. it’s when debbie, lou and herself get the perspective of expanding the cons they’ve been working on. small casinos and events become their new target.

▌ 1997 - age twenty - three ,

as olivia graduates law and starts working at the family office, along come the news of the newest baby in the family. she gets married shortly after, moving out of the sisters’ apartment and into her own household. [ ... ] tamasin graduates from college, finally having her journalism degree.

▌ 1999 - age twenty - five ,

as grandmother virginie brings an art exhibit to new york, a twenty five years old tamasin is invited to attend the event. debbie, lou and tammy take advantage of her position and steal a piece from an adjacent exposition during the party. they go unnoticed, making thousands of dollars each. [ ... ] having her degree, tammy tries to get a job position at vogue magazine, as well as paper and vanity fair. she doesn’t get a call back after her interviews.

▌ 2000 - age twenty - six ,

tammy gets a new day job, at a flower shop. she works there for a few years, deeply resenting not being able to work on her dream field after finally being able to, and takes it out writing independent articles for her portfolio and shopping for designer clothes rather inconsequently at times.

▌ 2002 - age twenty - eight ,

tamasin gets a job at paper magazine, writing a monthly column about the representation of fashion in the media and exploring its influence in storytelling. finally, she’s able to work with her passions combined.

▌ 2003 - age twenty - nine ,

at age twenty, louisa moves out of the apartment, having recently graduated from the juilliard dance intensive program.

tammy continues to live in the apartment in nyc, where herself and the girls can meet up to plan future heists. even at this point, crime represents her main source of income, as her day job doesn’t pay quite as well as stolen goods and jewels. however, it’s not only for the money; tammy finds being a fence allows her to explore her ambition and sense of adventure, things long repressed after years being controlled by her parents’ will. surprisingly enough, she’s happier than ever.

▌ 2005 - age thirty - one ,

cherry, tammy’s pet bunny, passes away after nine years. [ ... ] after three years, tamasin leaves her job at paper magazine as she’s offered a position at W magazine, where she’s handed a column on the beauty section. [ ... ] following her acceptance into the royal ballet company, louisa makes the decision of moving to the united kingdom.

▌ 2007 - age thirty - three ,

tamasin is invited to the inauguration dinner party of olivia’s very own law office. at the event, she’s introduced to nicholas mcallister, a colleague lawyer to liv.

1998 - 2008 . tammy’s golden age of crime; acting as a fence, constantly developing her skills as a con artist. after years acting on unrelated events, casinos and parties, she develops a system of hijacking equipments trucks crossing the border from canada and reselling the goods on the black market. it lasts for years and grants her certain status on the underworld of crime as an experient, trustworthy fence in the business.

▌ 2008 - age thirty - four ,

one night, tammy receives the new that her younger sister, louisa, had been involved in a car accident and seriously injured her knee, compromising her debut on the royal company as a lead and, in a long term matter, her dancing career. tamasin travels to london immediately, offering her baby sister support and inevitably reconnecting with her parents. [ ... ] her sister’s injury was an undeniable step back on tammy’s life, and reconnecting with her mother due to the intense family trauma was a decisive point on the decisions she’d make from then on; being heavily criticized for not yet having a family in her mid 30s, unlike her older sister, who had perfectly built a family of her own while finishing law school, tammy finds herself deeply torn between the duality of her desires -- to stay in the city, investing on her career as a journalist and continue to explore how happy crime made her, or to finally settle down and think of building a family, bringing the life-long dream of motherhood to reality. finally, she decides it is time to take a step back, and chooses to retire from her career as a fence.

▌ 2009 - age thirty - five ,

as a consequence of laying low and removing herself from the crime scene, tammy grows lonelier every day. despite believing she could remain friends with debbie, lou, and all of her former con acquaintances, tammy came to realize it’d be harder than she thought to stay in touch while keeping a distance from crime. she agrees to go on a date with olivia’s fellow lawyer, nicholas, and a few weeks later, starts dating him.

▌ 2010 - age thirty - six ,

as of august 2010, during dinner, tamasin and nicholas get engaged. tammy grabs onto the planning of her wedding almost fiercely, and with the help of olivia, uma and katherine, builds a dream-like event to celebrate her union with nick.

▌ 2011 - age thirty - seven ,

save the date: tammy and nick’s wedding happens during spring, on a beautiful vineyard, and she’s as happy as one can be. the couple signs a prenup, and despite tammy’s absolute devotion to her relationship, she does not change her last name. she tells nick there’s no way she’d ever stop being a sinclair woman; that was something she hardly considered back then. the couple moves to a house in the suburbs outside of new york, where they plan to build a family together. she does not get rid of the sisters’ apartment.

▌ 2012 - age thirty - eight ,

tammy and nick have many attempts, but still find themselves unable to conceive a child. [ ... ] to better use her time, tamasin decides to enroll into univertity once again. she goes for marketing courses, knowing it can be of good use when working on her dream field, with critical and commercial writing.

▌ 2013 - age thirty - nine ,

on the first days of the year and after many attempts, tamasin discovers she’s pregnant. it’s a very calm pregnancy, and tammy has no trouble working from home for the same w magazine column on beauty. during her pregnancy as well, tammy graduates from marketing school, studying from home. through a c-section, she gives birth to twins, and calls them beatrice and benjamin.

▌ 2015 - age fourty - one ,

having the twins, tammy knows she wants more babies. nicholas and her decide there will be no other time to give that a try, and attempt to get pregnant once again. differently from the first time, this pregnancy happens easily, but definitely takes its toll on tamasin’s health and body. she decides to let go of her position at W magazine, dedicating her time to taking care of the twins as well as herself. during the months following august’s birth, tammy experiences postpartum depression.

▌ 2016 - age fourty - two ,

after years distanced from crime, and having plenty of time in her hands as an unemployed housewife, tammy falls into temptation

and reconnects with a former provider. she starts gathering goods stolen directly from fabric on her garage, and reselling such items to the black market. if you ask her about crime, she’ll say she’s retired. [ ... ] tammy gets her second tattoo, this time, even more discreet -- three little dots on the back of her neck, one for each of her children.

▌ 2018 - age fourty - four ,

despite making it clear that she’s out of the crime business, tammy gets a surprise visit from an old friend. debbie ocean makes a rather undeniable proposal: to join her and lou in a millionaire heist. she leaves for the big city in a matter of days, asking her sisters to keep an extra eye on the kids as she’s gone. she acts as a fence in the met gala heist of 2018 and goes unnoticed as the seven other members of her crew. once the heist is done, and after having another taste of just how exciting her life can be when she explores her greedy side, tammy realizes she does not want to go back to her life in the suburbs. it only adds up to the fact that she was no longer happy in her married life. as of the end of the year, tammy and nick file a divorce.

▌ 2019 - age fourty - five ,

after working for the met staff in 2018, tammy interviewed for a position at the vogue office. this time, she gets a call back, and is made a collaborator of vogue online, writing articles for the vogue.com website and supervising content creation for vogue america’s social media.

at the end of the year, she’s made one of the editors of vogue online, coordinating the creation of editorials and videos for vogue’s youtube channel.

for the first time, she covers new york fashion week and writes two articles analyzing chanel and ellie saab’s show. her work is vastly recognized by the industry and well received by the public.

▌ 2020 - age fourty - six ,

proving to be a skilled writer and creative director, tammy takes a long shot and asks for a chance to act as a collaborator to vogue magazine, the print. such position is ultimately granted, and tamasin continues to coordinate vogue online’s content as well as occasionally collaborate to print articles for the magazine.

▌ 2021 - age fourty - seven ,

after being granted her first chance at completely handling her previous position at the fashion print, tammy is named editor of vogue magazine. she mainly coordinates and keeps contacts for photoshoots, interviews, articles and columns. she occasionally acts as a collaborator as well, and is released from her position at vogue online.

2018 - future . tammy lives in a house in new york city with her three kids, benjamin, beatrice and august, and has finally been hired at the job of her dreams: vogue magazine. she continues to work on cons with her crew heist, and her career as a journalist only seems to be growing. keep an eye on that one: who knows when vogue might announce a new editor in chief?

#* ii. ╰ ♡ catch a wave & take in the sweetness › headcanon.#hello and welcome to my personal heaven... i have finally... finally finished this!!! yayyyy!!!!!#special thanks for gin and cora for hearing me ramble about this #and also reign for the wild help re: lulu's timeline in this #now a kiss for you miss tammy sinclair... and ur beautiful life

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pangzi · 4 years ago

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Otome Gay [Nielan] - Chapter 2

word count: 2394 other chapters: INTRO - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 [AO3]

Another week had passed since Huaisang gave Mingjue the game, and Mingjue was addicted. He had finished most storylines quite quickly, going for all endings as Huaisang had asked him to.

He had started with purple barista boy. At first he seemed like a brat with anger issues, but Mingjue quickly learned that with a few compliments the boy turned soft. Both stealing his heart and getting him to hate you weren’t very difficult with him. The neutral ending, however, was a pain in the ass to get. Give him one compliment too many, or say one wrong thing and your chance of a neutral ending drops to nearly zero.

Then he chose to try the med student. He was exactly as Mingjue expected him to be from the way he was drawn. He was a cute, shy boy. He looked up to his sister, as Huaisang had told Mingjue and was extremely driven. He was sweet, sometimes a little too sweet. Mingjue had to try his route so often he almost started to wonder if this boy even had a negative ending. Both the neutral and positive endings, however, were fairly easy to obtain.

Mingjue was currently trying to finish the rich kid’s routes. At first he didn’t like this one. The boy was a bit too proud for Mingjue’s liking. Mingjue kept getting stuck trying to get the positive ending, always getting the neutral one. This was the longest Mingjue had ever spent trying to finish one route without getting an alternative ending or having to restart. As a last resort, Mingjue was currently working all possible jobs in the game, trying to get enough money to buy rich kid the most expensive gifts. Right when Mingjue was about to buy said gifts, rich kid showed up at Mingjue’s house! To say Mingjue was surprised, when rich kid presented his character with a bouquet of roses and asked to give him a chance. Mingjue wasn’t sure whether he was annoyed at this ending, or if he was just happy he finally got the good ending and could finally move on.

After a shower and a quick meal, Mingjue decided to start the last character. Mingjue liked to tell himself that he left this one for last just because he was always together with the dancer kid Mingjue didn’t like. Definitely not because he was saving the best for last.

He played the game all weekend and had only managed to unlock the neutral ending several times. Still, this was the character he enjoyed the most. Can a video game character have a calming aura? Because this character definitely had it.

This was impossible. Absolutely impossible, and still Mingjue knew it shouldn’t be impossible. He had been able to unlock all endings for the other characters, so why was Art Guy different? Huaisang had said he was special, but it wouldn’t be that dating him was impossible, right? No, Art Guy was special enough without that. He was kind, more kind than any of the other characters. He had a beautiful smile, the only smile Mingjue actually noticed even. Conversations with him were always nice, never felt repetitive, and Mingjue just wanted to date him!

He was getting in too deep, way too deep. He had to stop playing. As a last resort, Mingjue had even tried to befriend the annoying little dancer boy, who ended up being even more annoying than expected. Befriending dancer boy only ended in Mingjue unlocking his positive ending, which made him want to throw his laptop out of the window. That’s when he knew it was time to stop. Enough otome game for the day…

Mingjue was going to get in bed, and have a nice long rest. It wasn’t until he got to bed he looked at the time. It was nearly 3AM and Mingjue wanted to die of shame. He needed a break from the game, he really did. This was going too far. He got in bed and promised himself that tomorrow he would not open the game, he wouldn’t even think of it or Art Guy. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t think of it right now. Yes, he was definitely getting in too deep.

Mingjue was forcefully awoken from his slumber by his phone. Before he even looked at who was calling him, he checked the time. It was 7AM. What idiot calls him this early? Nobody he knew was even up this early.

The idiot was Huaisang. Mingjue’s heart stopped for a minute. If Huaisang was calling him this early something must be up, Huaisang never woke up before ten.

“Dage~”, Huaisang whined dramatically, the way only his brother could do.

“Huaisang, what’s wrong?” Mingjue asked.

“Dage, you need to help me”, Huaisang whined. “It’s urgent”

“Huaisang, tell me what’s wrong you’re worrying me”

“Promise you won’t get mad at me first”, Huaisang mumbled.

“Huaisang-” Mingjue grumbled, but then just sighed and promised.

Huaisang hesitated for a bit. “I forgot my backpack at home and there’s a super important assignment inside it that I need to hand in this afternoon”, he mumbled and Mingjue immediately felt himself get annoyed. “I have class all morning so I can’t come pick it up, could you please, please, please, come bring it to my dorm.”

Mingjue would like to say this was the first time Huaisang had forgotten his backpack at home but, sadly, it wasn’t. Mingjue couldn't even count the amount of times Huaisang has forgotten it on two hands. This was the first time it took him an entire week to notice, though. He sighed deeply, trying his best not to sound as annoyed as he was.

“Is it in your room?” Mingjue asked, “I should be able to get it to you around lunchtime.” Huaisang immediately let out a sigh of relief and started thanking his brother. “How did it take you this long to notice, though?” Mingjue couldn’t help but ask.

“I didn’t need it”, Huaisang stuttered.

“You didn’t need your backpack, full of school equipment, for over a week?”

“I have to go to class”, Huaisang said quickly, “I’ll send you the address of my dorm again later. Thank you, dage!” Mingjue received the address and directions soon after Huaisang ended the call.

Too annoyed by his brother’s stupidity to sleep, Mingjue decided to just get up and take his time getting ready. He had three more hours to fill before he had to leave. Looking in the mirror, he needed his time to get ready. He hadn’t shaved since Huaisang left and his hair resembled a bird’s nest.

After a thorough shower, a big breakfast and some exercises for his still healing foot, Mingjue was on his way to Huaisang’s university. He had forgotten how horrible public transport was, his hurt foot only making the two hour journey that more annoying, but seeing his brother again would be worth it. He had only seen him a week ago, but he just couldn’t help but miss the brat more than usual now that he was stuck at home alone.

Huaisang’s directions were great, until he actually arrived on campus. This place was a maze and Huaisang’s directions were incredibly confusing, it didn’t take Mingjue long to get lost, at the moment he couldn’t even find his way back to somewhere the directions actually took him. With a deep sigh he gave up on even trying anymore and decided to just ask someone for help.

But that was easier said than done, most people either shied away from the giant man asking them for help, or just told him they had to get to class and bolted, some girl even just said “I have a boyfriend” the second he approached her.

“Good for you”, Mingjue replied but before he could even ask her for directions she had gotten up and left. This was hopeless, was he that intimidating? He had no choice but to keep trying until Huaisang got out of class, though.

After two more people who just plain ignored him, and one who just told him no, he finally found someone who didn’t seem to think Mingjue was out to murder or date them. This one actually approached him, tapping him on the shoulder softly.

“Do you need some help?” A gentle, melodic voice asked. Mingjue couldn’t help but thank the gods as he turned around.

“Yes, please”, he replied and then completely lost all ability to speak. Right in front of him was Art Guy from Huaisang’s game. Was he hallucinating? Had the sun gotten him so dehydrated he was now imagining hot men? But, this man had tapped him on the shoulder, he had to be real! Or had he hallucinated that too? In his slight panic, he completely missed the hot stranger asking him something.

“Are you okay? Here, have some water it’s quite hot today”, Art Guy pressed a bottle of water in Mingjue’s hands and ushered him to drink something. Yes, Mingjue needed a moment to get his thoughts in order.

“Thank you”, Mingjue muttered, slightly ashamed of his reaction. “Could you maybe tell me how to get to this building? My brother forgot something at home over the weekend and asked me to drop it off”

Luckily Art Guy didn’t seem too bothered by Mingjue’s completely shocked reaction and just beamed at him. “You’re lucky, I’m going to there right now.” Mingjue was still trying to process the beautiful smile blinding him only seconds ago, to realise the man wanted him to follow him. With a deep breath he shook himself out of it, trying to calm his heart that was beating out of control, and followed the handsome stranger.

They walked in silence for a while, Mingjue trying to figure out a reason for this entire situation, but he couldn’t really come up with anything, his brain to caught up in trying to take in the absolutely stunning human being walking next to him.

“My brother lives in the same building as yours”, Art Guy suddenly said, “He might even know your brother, he seems to be on the same floor.”

“What’s his name?” Mingjue asked, “Maybe Huaisang has mentioned him, he usually has quite some dorm gossip whenever we speak”

Art Guy laughed. The sound did something to Mingjue’s heart and he couldn’t help but smile. It was a sound Mingjue wouldn’t mind hearing more often.

“I doubt he will have any gossip about my brother. Wangji is quite the model student.” Art Guy said. “I’m Lan Xichen, by the way” Art Guy, Xichen, threw him another bright smile, after he introduced himself and maybe Mingjue’s heart stopped for a moment. Mingjue had no idea what was happening, no man had ever had such influence on him this fast.

“Nie Mingjue,” Mingjue hummed, “Huaisang might have mentioned him” Mingjue was almost sure he had, but he couldn’t exactly remember in what context. Huaisang told him so much gossip about so many people, it was only normal Mingjue couldn’t remember.

“We’re almost there”, Xichen said, “Wangji and I have lunch together every Monday, I got lost on my way to his dorm every single time in the beginning”

Mingjue felt his cheeks heat up a bit, but it was nice to know he wasn’t stupid for getting lost. “Huaisang gave me directions, but this place… Everything looks the same I couldn’t figure out where to go”

Xichen laughed again. “I know, I know exactly how you feel, and when you ask for help everyone looks at you like you’re insane!”

“I was starting to think something was wrong with me”, Mingjue chuckled, “Thankfully you found me!”

“I immediately recognized the signs”, Xichen said, “I knew I had to help!”

“I’m glad you did, otherwise I’d still be begging people to help me”

Xichen smiled at him and then motioned to a building. “I have safely brought you to your destination!” They walked inside, only to be stopped by someone immediately.

The person in front of them looked at Mingjue with a slight frown on his face for a moment before turning to Xichen. “Brother”, he greeted Xichen.

“Wangji”, Xichen beamed, “Sorry I’m a bit late, I couldn’t help but help Mingjue here find the way here too! We got a bit distracted chatting and I took a wrong turn somewhere” They did? Mingjue hadn’t even noticed, which wasn’t that surprising as he didn’t know the place at all. Wangji nodded at Mingjue and then turned to his brother again.

“Shall we go then? If we are late they might give our table to someone else”, Wangji asked his brother, and before Mingjue knew Xichen was saying his goodbyes, quickly pointing him towards Huaisang’s hallway before disappearing with his brother.

Mingjue tried to say goodbye as well, but everything went so fast and before he even got the chance to say thank Xichen properly for helping him, Wangji had already pulled his brother towards the doors again. Mingjue should have asked for his number… Not that there had been a good time, but he should’ve created a good moment to asked.

Trying not to sulk about it too much, Mingjue made his way to where Huaisang’s dorm was. He had barely knocked on the door when it swung open already.

“Dage~!” Huaisang yelled, pulling him inside and immediately pulling his backpack from his brother’s shoulders. “Did you find your way here easily? I guess you did as you didn’t call me for more directions”

“Actually”, Mingjue huffed, “Your directions were shit, I had to ask someone here for help”

Huaisang looked at him with a shy grin for a moment, before shrugging and starting to rummage through his backpack. “But you found it!”

“I did… And about that, Huaisang” Huaisang’s eyes got big at his brother’s tone. He knew something was coming that his brother wasn’t too happy about. “How come I bumped into one of your video game characters. I almost thought I was hallucinating!”

“You didn’t tell him?” Huaisang’s roommate asked, Mingjue hadn’t even noticed he was there too. Huaisang just laughed nervously and hid himself behind his fan as he always did when nervous.

“Tell me what?” Mingjue grumbled.

Huaisang’s roommate turned around in his chair, Mingjue nearly cringed at the way he was sitting, that position couldn’t be comfortable. “We based our character designs on people we know! My brother is in it, my sister’s annoying peacock boyfriend, my boyfriend’s brother and his best friend, my best friend…”

Mingjue turned to his brother again, slightly annoyed. “And you didn’t think I should know?”

Huaisang shrugged. “We live two hours away, it’s not like the chance was big you would ever bump into them!”

Mingjue was about to open his mouth again but Huaisang was already pulling him back outside. “Dage, stop worrying about it, now you know! Let's go eat, I’m hungry and you don’t want to spend the precious time you have with your brother being angry at him, do you?”

Mingjue just sighed and wrapped an arm around his brother. He was right, it wasn’t like it was something that could’ve harmed him. It was just weird bumping into someone he’d been actively trying to date in some game all weekend. Mingjue couldn’t help but be curious, though.

“Which one is he?” Mingjue asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Xichen, is he the brother, the sister’s boyfriend, the boyfriend’s brother…?”

Huaisang grinned at his brother, softly bumping his shoulder against him. Mingjue stopped the teasing words that were about to leave Huaisangs mouth with a glare. “The boyfriend’s brother.” Huaisang answered instead. “And if you would like to know, I’m pretty sure he’s into men, maybe I could even set up a date!”

“Nie Huaisang!” Mingjue grumbled, pushing his brother away. He didn’t need his brother setting up dates for him! He could do that perfectly fine himself! If only he could meet Xichen again…

#mirf writes #nielan #nie mingjue #lan xichen #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #cql #nmj/lxc #otome gay #this wouldnt be happening without berry who made me start this and nori who just keeps being the best and helps me with literally EVERYTHIN #i love htem :(

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years ago

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Survey #340

“wash the poison from off my skin / show me how to be whole again”

What is one thing that you took to show and tell as a kid? I have this oddly specific memory of bringing my little Snorlax plushie for one in pre-k. I remember thinking everyone thought I was weird for liking Pokemon as a girl. Do you remember losing your first tooth? I don't. Have you ever been addicted to a game? What game? I think I was addicted to World of Warcraft at a point, but it's honestly hard to tell. My depression was just so abysmal that it was the one thing I got even a smidge of not even joy, but active distraction out of because the options of what you can do in the game are essentially limitless. Are you afraid to pop a balloon? Not really, but it does make me jump because I don't like loud noises. Name one person you’d like to see this month. Bitch we fighting Covid, stay away from me. When was the last time you laughed when you shouldn’t have? I don’t know. Which was better: the first The Lion King or the second? They're nearly tied, honestly, but I prefer the original. Do any of your grandparents have a tattoo? I KNOW my maternal grandmother didn't, and I don't believe any other grandparent did, either. When was the last time you had a bubble bath? Not since I was a kid. What do you usually buy when you go to the corner store? You mean like, a gas station or dollar store? Something small like that? In that case, I'll usually look for a Mountain Dew Voltage sometimes along with something Reese's-related. Do you believe that your pets feel love towards you? My cat, absofuckinglutely. He so obviously loves me. I know my snake doesn't though, considering reptilian brains just physically aren't capable of creating that emotion. She does, however, obviously trust me and definitely seems to enjoy coming out of her terrarium and thus hanging out by me. Bubbles or sidewalk chalk? I loved drawing with chalk, but I like bubbles more. I just love how they catch light and have such beautiful colors to share. What do you use to tell time when your gone out somewhere? My phone. Are you proud of your body? FUCK no. I wish I still was, goddammit. I used to be so fit, and it's funny, because even back then at like, 118 lbs at 5'4'', I thought I was kinda chubby. Like bitch shut the fuck up. Watermelon or cherries? I honestly don't like either, but I'll definitely pick watermelon over cherries. They're disgusting. What is your all-time favourite song? "False Flags" by Massive Attack. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Biiiiiitch guess lmao. I think everyone has, though. What is the band you’ve listened to most lately? Definitely 3TEETH. Love 'em. Favourite brand of cookies? Hm, good question. They've gotta be good at making SOFT chocolate chip cookies, though. I don't enjoy crunchy cookies nearly as much. If you could meet anyone who lived before your time, who would it be? I don't really know. Oh, y'know, chatting with Edgar Allan Poe would probably be cool. Do you pay for your own things? I literally can't. It's embarrassing. Have you ever been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance? No. What is one thing you’d never want your parents to find out? Certain sexual things I've done, probably. When you were little, did you like Dr. Suess books? Of course. Have you ever felt trapped in a relationship? I felt that way in my friendship with Colleen, but no romantic relationships. What would you consider unforgivable? Rape. Like no, go to hell. Do you like eating out at restaurants? Pre-Covid, yeah. What do you dislike the most about being the gender that you are? Probably how heavily judged women are for having ANYTHING "wrong" with their appearance. You could be five pounds over what is "normal" for your height and you're seen as fat. One strand of body hair, and you're disgusting. Bushy eyebrows, you're now manly. I could go on and on. Do you think that weed/marijuana should be legalized? Yes. Rate your typing speed on a scale from 1 - 10? 10. Do you enjoy tanning? Ugh, no. Just sitting there doing nothing but sweating. Have you ever written anybody an anonymous note? I have not. What is your favorite condiment to go with french fries? Ketchup. Have you ever laid in a hammock? Yeah; we used to have one. It was the best when we lived in the woods. Do you blow dry your hair or do you let it air out? I just let it air dry. Candles or incense? I prefer incense. Can you juggle? No. Your favorite vegetable? Broccoli. Do you catch lizards? No; I don't like terrifying wildlife. I'd much rather just take pictures of the little guys and let them go about their business. If we returned to a world without internet, what aspect of online life would you miss the most? YouTube, haha. It's more unique and personal entertainment than television, imo. Are you craving anything aside from food, and if so, what? I want a new piercinggggg. What was the last change you made to your lifestyle? I'm *trying* to get back into regularly making art, along with reading. I'm also really trying to implement drinking more water into my day. What was the last thing you gave up doing? *shrug* What was the last thing to boost your self-esteem? What sort of things typically make you feel good about yourself? It really, really helped to hear my PHP group enjoy my poem about gay rights so much. I was so terrified and did NOT want my therapist to share it, but it turned out being very beneficial. To answer the second question, it's pretty much stuff like I just mentioned: positive reactions to things I create. When it comes to food, do you prefer crunchy or softer textures? Definitely softer. Do you prefer savory or sweet things for breakfast? Hm. Depends on the day, ig. What is something small that you take extremely personally? I'm blanking. What was going on the last time you couldn’t sleep? I just... couldn't sleep. That's not rare for me. Have you drawn anything recently? I recently drew a picture of a still from Rammstein's "Mutter" music video, and I'm now working on Sara's 'kat Alucard. If you're going somewhere close by, do you walk? No. One simply does not walk in this town and not fear being shot. Do you prefer colorful notebooks over plain ones? I like colorful ones, particularly those with a nice pattern or something on it. What's your most ambitious goal? I'd consider wanting to be a successful freelance photographer to be rather ambitious. Do you know anyone named Alex? Well, knew, by this point. One of my closest online friends that just got a boyfriend and fell off the face of the planet when we used to talk every day. I'm still hurt about it, honestly. What's your favorite kind of pie? I don't like pie because of the crust being so, well... crusty and crumbly. Have you ever chatted someone up and scored a date? No. How far would you go with someone you just met? Not very far at all. All you're getting is a hug, if even that. What's your favorite meal to have for dinner? I mean, it depends on what I feel like having. I don't have a set favorite meal. What do you daydream about? The future, mostly. People I miss. Have you ever known someone online and then met them in person? If so, which website did you meet on? Yes, Sara. <3 We met via YouTube back when it had much more social connection. Have you ever been to the beach? Yeah, a good number of times. When was the last time you were sick and what illness did you have? I don't believe I've been ill in any sort of way since I had that ungodly ear infection a few years ago. Have you ever been kicked out of somewhere? Yeah, Colleen's house. Mom once tried kicking me out of the car one night otw home, but I didn't listen. Have you ever intentionally trolled? No. How many siblings do your parents have? Mom has two brothers and I think one sister, and Dad has one sister. Who last held your hand? My niece or nephew, dragging me somewhere, haha. Have you seen all the Lord of the Rings movies? No, not interested. What was the last thing you watched on YouTube? I'm watching John Wolfe's playthrough of Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. It's so funny how like... every let's player I watch doesn't enjoy the game, like they miss the incredible symbolism and shy away from the advanced language, and sometimes it's just frustrating to watch them; I only do because I enjoy the game and want to see more people experience it and relive it vicariously. It's very high on my list of favorite games. What sport do you find yourself best at? I wouldn't know; I haven't played any sports in years. I was pretty good at softball as a kid, though. Do you think makeup on guys is freaky or sexy? My opinion shouldn't matter; a man can wear makeup whenever he damn well pleases without worrying what others think. But anyway, I tend to find it attractive, especially if it's goth makeup. Have you ever been accused of a crime you did not commit? No. Do you like pickles? I love dill pickles. What was the craziest moment of your life? Probably just lying in that hospital bed following my OD, my mom and two best friends just sitting there with me. It was such a weird, weird feeling. Like I was just so done, frustrated beyond what I can say. I remember thinking it was almost funny, just how it all built up and went wrong. Where do you spend most of your time? In my room on my bed. What is your favorite muffin? Chocolate chip. Would you ever get a boob job? I already know when/if I lose the weight I want to, it will be kind of a big deal to me and my atrocious body image to get a breast lift. Being overweight ~does things~ you know, and god knows I want every trace of it that can be erased gone. Would you ever go on a reality TV dating show? That's a massive "no" from me, buddy. Would you rather be inside or outside? It depends on where I am and the temperature outside, but generally, inside. Do you like the current president? Well, I voted for him, so I can't shit-talk much. I don't know the true depths of him as a person and all he stands for, though; when I decided I needed to vote, I just did some research on his core values. I don't have any complaints yet, from what I've seen at least, which isn't a lot. Do you whiten your teeth? I've used whitening strips before, but I don't now because they're not that effective. If it's financially plausible at some point in my life, teeth whitening is another thing I want to have medically done because of my previous horrible self-care. My teeth have a clear yellow tint and I hate it. Do you get cold easily? No; it's actually the opposite: I get hot easily. What was the worst sickness you ever had? Probably this one stomach bug I had where I just threw up relentlessly. Like eventually barely even bile would come up; it was just dry heaving. My stomach muscles were in agony. Was your childhood wasted by something? No, thankfully. Would you rather die during an adventure or die like a normal person? A normal person. The idea of having such a sudden death stresses me out for multiple reasons; I mostly don't want my family to just be suddenly devastated, and I honestly want to come to peace with the fact I was dying. Like, find my life's own closure instead of just having it ripped away. Have your parents ever tried to commit suicide? Jesus, I sure hope not. Do you have a gag reflex? A very strong one. Do you ever fantasize about trying drugs? I've wondered before what the effects of weed would be like for me, but "fantasize" is definitely the wrong word. Would you rather have sex before you’re married or wait till marriage? It'd be up to my partner, honestly, because I'm fine with either. What is the nastiest dare you have ever committed? I never did dares because I thought they were stupid. Like I'm not gonna do dumb shit just to show you I can. Do you know anyone who has been raped? I think I might? Have you ever asked someone for a tampon? Yeah. Do you have any exes you can’t stand anymore? No. Are you more of a phone or a computer person? Computer. Do you prefer headphones or earbuds? Earbuds. Headphones are just big and clunky and in the way when you use a laptop in bed, plus they irritate my skin. I like how earbuds actually go in your ears for more direct hearing. Would you ever consider adopting a child with a severe mental illness? If I wanted children, no, because I don't think I'm capable to give a child like that adequate care, being so mentally ill myself. I wouldn't want to risk worsening their condition. Favorite thing to do with a significant other? Play games together, particularly cute multiplayer ones that are more about the experience of playing together versus getting past difficult obstacles and such. Like for example, one of my favorite memories with Jason is simply playing Little Big Planet together. Favorite ice cream topping? I don't like many toppings on my ice cream, but I do love melted hot fudge. First boyfriend/girlfriend’s name? Aaron. Do you support PETA? Considering they are incredibly self-righteous extremists, no. Do you believe in the Big Bang Theory? Well, I believe in some sort of "god" figure that created the universe, so I don't think so. A condensed ball of nothing exploding to create something so extravagant? It sounds pretty far-fetched to me. But then again, maybe that semblance of a "god" I believe in created the universe through that, idk. It doesn't really matter now, though, does it. What happened happened, I'm not very concerned with it. What insect can you not stand the site of? It's more so larvae that I can't stand the sight of, like maggots and stuff. They make me squirm. Do you like Doctor Who? I've only seen one or two episodes, so I can't say. Do you approve of gay marriage? Of course I do. I'm bisexual and would like to get married, so I might marry a woman. Are you into politics? I'm really not. Do you think the world is ending soon? Nah, even though it sure does feel like it sometimes. Ever been to a mosh pit? No, they don't seem very fun at all. Do you like to debate? NO. NO NO NO. Do you like the band System of a Down? Yeah, I do. Are you German? It's a big part of my heritage. Do your parents like your best friend? Yes. Who’s someone you can act your complete self around? Sara, 100%. She's the only person I feel entirely comfortable around when it comes to being myself. Do you believe in Friday the 13th? I don't believe in there being any supernatural power to it, no. Who is your favorite rapper? Eminem. What age is your youngest aunt? Uhhhh I have no idea. Do you like bowling? Sure, it's fun. Do you like roasting marshmallows on a bonfire? I do. What shows or characters scared you as a child? Ghostface from the Scream series was my worst fucking nightmare. I couldn't even see pictures of him without crying. The King Ramses guy from Courage the Cowardly Dog also gave me a number of nightmares. Something about the way he was animated was very unnatural and unnerving to me.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''castle of glass'' by linkin park

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antiquecompass · 5 years ago

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Untamed Spring Fest Day 2: Blossom

"Are you sure you're okay for the entire weekend?"

“I’ve done this before,” Jiang Cheng said as he helped buckle his nieces into the backseat of his car.

“Yes, of course,” Jin Zixuan said. “It’s just--”

He could understand the nerves. This was the first time both his sister and brother-in-law would be more than a day’s drive away from the twins. It was Jin Ling’s first major national competition though, and he wanted both of his parents there, and while it wouldn’t be too difficult to transport two-year-old Jin Chao for the trip, having to transport him, both of the twins, Jin Ling, and all the equipment?

Not worth it for a single weekend in Arizona.

The Peacock looked like he was about to change his mind again, but they were already at the airport. Yanli and Jin Ling were already in Arizona. All Jin Zixuan had to do was take the littlest peachick and board his plane, but time was wasting and as much as he wanted to see the Peacock do a mad dash through security with little Jin Chao strapped to his chest, he adored his youngest nephew too much to cause it.

“Go before I drag you into the terminal myself,” Jiang Cheng warned.

Jin Zixuan nodded. He carefully handed Jin Chao over to Jiang Cheng as he leaned into the car to kiss both the twins goodbye and told them to be good for their uncles. It took another fifteen minutes, but he finally emerged again, grabbed his youngest child, and marched forward with the arrogant stride that naturally came to the Jins.

**********

Despite the many times they’d visited his home, Yawen and Yazhu had never seen Lan Academy. He took them there now, to enjoy the warm sunshine on the open fields of the beautiful campus. The campus was relatively peaceful today, the school currently on its Spring Break. One of the first warm days of the year had brought all the students living on the campus out to enjoy the sunlight.

The twins looked up in surprise and delight as they had to dodge frisbees and footballs and various other bits of sports equipment. One group of students were performing an impromptu take on Much Ado About Nothing, while another group was hearkening back to school yard games from simpler times.

There was something special about seeing the wealthy, academic-driven kids of Lan Academy being kids playing hopscotch and double dutch or just using the mostly empty parking lots as their canvas for huge pieces of neon and pastel chalk art.

“Uncle, I want to color,” Yawen said as she tugged on his hand.

“We will,” Jiang Cheng promised. “We just have to go to the greenhouse first. Do you want to see some pretty followers? Lots of big blooms and green things?”

Both girls eagerly nodded.

“Then we better hurry.”

Jiang Cheng could admit it was more exhausting trying to match the running pace of two little girls while holding onto their hands than it ever was chasing after Jin Ling, but he knew he’d fondly remember the little moments like this when they were older.

The Lan Academy Greenhouses were one of the older structures on campus. Not as old as the original buildings, but part of the second generation. They were imposing and beautiful, smelling of wet earth and fresh, sweet things.

Jiang Cheng barely had the door to the main greenhouse opened when the girls darted past him and headed straight for their target.

Xichen was prepared as he braced himself against one of the tables, arms outstretched to catch them. They babbled a mile a minute to him--about the drive up here, about Jin Ling’s competition, about how their baby brother poured an entire bowl of Cheerios on top of their father’s head this morning. And Xichen nodded along as he held them in his arms, giving them a tour and telling them about the flowers whenever they stopped chatting for a moment to breathe.

Jiang Cheng glanced around the greenhouses and wondered where Jingyi and Zizhen were; they’d both volunteered to help today.

“Boo,” Jingyi’s voice sounded from behind him.

It was only an entire lifetime of dealing with Wei Ying that kept Jiang Cheng from flinching. He turned his head and raised an eyebrow as he studied the boys. Jingyi just grinned at him, but Zizhen quickly bowed his head and held up a box.

“We thought the twins might like some flower crowns,” Zizhen said. “We’ve been helping make them for the drama club.”

“Let me guess, they’re putting on A Midsummer Night’s Dream?” Jiang Cheng asked.

Jingyi nodded. “Mr. Mo taught us how to make them.”

They were pretty things consisting of fabric and dried flowers on adjustable wreaths wrapped in cloth. Most of them also had light blue, silver, and white ribbons wrapped around them, their ends dangling loose, but there were two small ones in silver and gold.

“You did good, kiddos,” Jiang Cheng said. “They’ll love them.”

“Good,” Jingyi said as he pulled another wreath out from the bottom and tossed it at Jiang Cheng. “We made one for you too.”

Jiang Cheng knew a challenge when he saw one, especially one issued by a smart-mouthed pre-teen, but he saw no reason to refuse his own personal flower crown, wrapped in purple and black ribbon, and so he donned it like a proud king.

Jingyi sucked air through his teeth. “How does he still look like that?”

“It’s the straight back and the raised chin,” Xichen said as he re-appeared.

The twins immediately ran to Jiang Cheng. He hefted them up--definitely struggling more than Xichen, but still managing not to topple over--and let them play with the ribbon ends.

“You look pretty,” Yazhu said.

“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng told her.

“Can we color now?” Yawen asked. “I want to draw the flowers. And the bugs. Uncle showed us a praying mantis.” She made her hands into a little claw and started pawing at his chest.

“Why?” Jiang Cheng asked, frowning at the phone in Xichen’s hand, recording it all.

Xichen shrugged. “Never pass up an educational moment?” He laughed. “The twins are right; you do look pretty.”

“I’m sure the boys have one for you as well,” Jiang Cheng said.

“We do,” Zizhen said, pulling out a crown of twigs and fake blue and blackberries. “It’s a version of Oberon’s crown.”

“Of course,” Jiang Cheng said. “Of course it is.”

#fandom: the untamed #verse: lahl #fic: hold me like you want me #untamed spring fest #day 2

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couragehopelovefaith · 5 years ago

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Clary’s letter

Since we never saw Clary’s letter as a whole, I wanted to write my own version of it. The one where she said something to all of her closest ones. A few parts are the same as in the episode. English is not my first language, so there might be some grammatic or spelling errors. I have no idea why some parts turned into italicized, sorry. I hope you like it.

Jace,

I am so sorry for leaving you all so suddenly, but I don't have any other choice. By the time you read this letter, my memories of you and the Shadow World will be gone. It was the price the Angels made me pay for the runes I've created. I know that it is hard to accept, but destroying Jonathan was my own choice and I hope that, one day, you are able to honor it.

All of this started by my urgent will to find my mother. Little did I know, that I would find my birth right, my heritage, a real family. You all sacrificed everything to make it happen and I can never thank you enough. Now it's my turn to return the favor.

The moment I met you, a part of me knew that we were meant to be. Because of you I found myself the way that I didn't ever think to be possible. You and I both know that we are capable of great darkness, such as Downworlders are able to do good. Our family has been our biggest source of misery and Jonathan just wasn't able to escape it. I meant everything I said to you at the wedding. At the end of the day, you are a lonely soul, but if I was able to make the change even slightly, the way you told me I was, don't push people away. Don't cling on that perfection you were so desperate to achieve. I am counting on you to lean on to others, whenever you need that. I love you so much. Please forgive me.

Simon - we never had time to actually watch "The Fault In Our Stars", but I guess you could say this is some kind alternate universe of it. I always imagined that as old people, we would take some competitions in wheelchairs, bicker watch some of our favorite movies and talk about our graphic novel in a nursery home. It wasn't meant to be, but we got to experience some hell of the adventures of our own. From the moment I took you to the nurse after your allergy attack, I knew you would always be my best friend. I know that things got bit messy between us, but I am so grateful for your presence through it all - your support, jokes that would always make me feel better. You've been through so much and even though you used to find vampirism repulsive, I am so happy that you seem to have accepted your essence. You told me you wanted to honor your Mom by choosing to study accounting, but the best way to do that is to live your life, enjoy your music and share it with people. Since I knew you before the Shadow World, I am not sure what will become of our memories, but I will hold on to them as long as I can. Tell Rebecca my best regards, will you.

Iz - you're one of the most beautiful and strongest women I've ever had an honor to meet. You once told me that in me, you saw the sister you never had. The moment you agreed to become my parabatai was one of the happiest experiences of my life, and I am sorry that we didn't get the chance to cherish those bonds longer. But no matter how hopeless things might seem right now, I won't give up hope. Perhaps, it will come true someday. You were there for me right from the start, even during your addiction and recovery, and turned the casual tomboy into a feminine, but still badass woman - and that's really not an easy thing to do. Momentarily relapse is okay, but don't let it consume you. The worst battles are within our own minds, but I know you will conquer them one day. I am so happy for you and Simon - two of my best friends together, what more could I hope for? I know that you can love him like no other. Take care of each other. I hope you can thank Raphael and Meliorn for me as well. I am sure they both will be a great guidance for many souls - both spiritually and mythically.

Alec.. We have gone through quite a journey together, huh? If you were here now, you would probably call it quite an understatement. Even if we got on each other's nerves big time - I mean, let's face it, I was quite pain in the ass - and my actions might have seemed like a disrespect on you and the Clave, you should know that I always admired your resilience, loyalty and honesty. I have no idea how you managed to do that, but you always seemed to see right through me. Please remember that I would never blame you on anything. In the end, we understood each other and wanted the best for our family. During the process, without even noticing it, you somehow became some sort of unbiological brother for me. That's why I know that you will understand my decision. I am sorry for all the lies and secrecy I put you through, you did not deserve it. Even if you and Magnus live together now, I count on you to take care of Jace. We both know that he is able to be a stubborn jackass sometimes, but he cares about you very much. He couldn't ask for the better parabatai as far as I am concerned. I once told you that leader must do some hard decisions. And you did, multiple times, even at the expense of your own happiness. You have truly turned from that shielded boy into this caring and protective leader we always knew you could be. That's truly inspiring and I honor you deeply for that. I don't know if the angels are ever willing to forgive me, but I swear, if I ever come back and see that you have forgotten that, this little girl will kick your ass.

Magnus. I didn't get the chance to ask my Mom if she ever officially named you as my Godfather, but that's what you've always felt like to me. It's a pity that so many of our paths together were forgotten, but we got many new ones instead. In every realm, you sacrificed your happiness and safety for me, for us, probably more often than I will ever know - and I don't know how to thank you enough. I know you have tendency to carry the world on your shoulders, but I sincerely hope you won't put this on yourself. It's not your fault in any way. Your guidance through all of those ordeals has been irreplaceable. I should've been there for you more during your difficulties, please forgive me. I guess we both had to fight against our own demons. You had to crawl through hell, literally - but you came back stronger than ever and I couldn't be prouder. I will always be your Biscuit, even if I won't remember that.

You two would have deserved better goodbye, but even though I never fully understood the whole "emotions being a distraction"-thing, in that situation, that would've been quite accurate. I told Jace I couldn't imagine more beautiful and fitting couple than you, and being at your wedding was an ultimate privilege. Therefore, as my wedding gift for you, it would've been my greatest pleasure to try the immortality rune - if that's what you wanted. Sadly, that's not the case now. But there's no doubt in my mind, that you will find the way. You always do. Your love has been and will be an inspiration for many souls. Cherish it for as long as you both shall live. It's your time to be happy and at peace. Give Madzie a hug for me. Perhaps I get the privilege to meet your children someday.

Luke...blood or not, you are my father in every way. You remember how many stories you had to read for me to get me to sleep at night? My Mom wanted me to learn some historical and romantic sagas, but I was always more into fantasy and mystery. And sometimes, when she didn't notice, you sneaked me some of your favorites of that area. Once, when that freaking marshmallow got stuck into my hair when we and Simon where camping, my Mom had to cut it. I didn't want to go to school, but you had already got used to bullies that disliked my art and told me that whoever had some negative to say, had to deal with you. Whether we were on boat trip or you helped me with my homework, I always felt so safe and true. You always put me and my Mom as your first priority, no matter the consequences. You two would've deserved a happy life in Idris, but that was not written in the stars. Raziel sent her to my room, exactly where she passed away, to warn me about my runes. She was so beautiful and seemed to be in peace. She and I are blessed and happy to know that you and Maryse have a chance for the new beginning together. I just wish you didn't have to keep it as a secret, at least from me. She basically became a mother figure for us all. I hope you would tell her my thanks for her support. Give Maia my best regards, too. She will rock her position as the wolfie-leader, there's no doubt in my mind about that. I am sorry I didn't have time to tell you all this, but I am so proud of getting the chance to see you as a true Shadowhunter once more. I love you, Dad.

Thank you for everything. Whatever it's worth, I want you to know that I have no regrets. Even if I won't remember you, you will always be in my heart.

With all my love and respect,

Clary

#clary fray #clary fairchild #luke garroway #izzy lightwood #simon lewis #jace herondale #magnus bane #raphael santiago #maia roberts #meliorn #alec lightwood #maryse lightwood #shadowhunters #saveshadowhunters

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hphm-etched-engraved-everlasting · 4 years ago

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8. Em

Author’s Note/Table of Contents

Barnaby Lee was no stranger to me--especially since he's described so often now as Clara's sweetheart.

I mean, that was the most I could call him, right? I wasn't sure if he and Clara were really a confirmed couple, but I did know that they were fond of each other either way, the way his eyes always lit up whenever he told me about her and vice versa. Interacting with Slytherins before him made me put my guard up more than I'd like, but being friends with Hillary really showed that not all Slytherins were that bad after all. He had a kind heart, and he always came by with sweets--a good sign that he cared so much about me because he cared a lot about her.

At least to me, he's a good friend. That's enough for me.

And speaking of my sister...well, she turned into a blushing mess the minute we stepped onto the Training Grounds, walking right over to where Barnaby and Badeea were painting on big square canvases sitting atop their easels. I could see her face turn crimson as we approached them, and I had to drag her over to them with my hand firm over her wrist.

I suppose she had it really hard for him after all.

"Hey, Clara!" he greeted her with a wave. "Hey, Em!"

He stepped aside then to reveal his canvas, where a single Bowtruckle was standing in the middle of some blue and white space on the canvas, a huge smile on its face. I almost cooed in awe at the sight of it--I had always wanted to see a real Bowtruckle, and to see that it looked this cute really made me smile. But Clara looked like she was actually going to cry.

That was when I remembered that in her fourth year, she named a Bowtruckle after our brother, Jacob, and had felt fiercely protective of it after relocating him in the Forbidden Forest last year while studying for her OWLs.

"So, what do you think of my painting?" he asked us, a big cheeky grin on his face.

"It's...really cute," I offered, nodding thoughtfully before looking up at my sister.

"It's...special," Clara responded then, wiping away the tears that began to trickle down her face. "I mean, you painted a Bowtruckle..."

"Not just any Bowtruckle. It's Jacob the Bowtruckle!" Barnaby said enthusiastically. "I guess I got inspired from our OWLs study session last year, and he reminded me of how you helped me believe in myself." He reached over and gently wiped her tears with his thumbs, coaxing a smile out of my sister. "Hope you didn't mind, of course. You've become my muse more often nowadays."

Oh. Well. That was definitely what they meant by "sweetheart."

"I can't tell if you meant it's good or bad, Clara," Badeea finally said after a moment's silence, looking at the two of them quizzically as if trying to find the right time to break the ice.

"Exactly!" Barnaby responded. "That's what makes art so mysterious."

I simply glanced over from Barnaby's simple Bowtruckle painting to Badeea's nighttime shot of Hogsmeade--probably a little something to get her own creative juices flowing. I understood how much of a block she's had nowadays. "I wish I got a chance to appreciate art more," I murmured. "Never thought of it much after Beatrice got trapped in a portrait last year."

"I never thought you were still giving painting lessons to Barnaby, Badeea," Clara piped up, wiping her glasses now with the hem of her dress.

"Oh, of course. We just started again," Badeea explained. "Barnaby has big plans."

At that, Barnaby turned to us with a proud smile on his face. "Yeah! Over the summer, I learned what a 'Renaissance Man' is. It means knowing only a little bit about a lot of things."

It wasn't that far off the mark, I figured. The Renaissance people were all about embracing Enlightenment, and revolutionizing the culture of people through the arts and other things. I figured anyone with a Renaissance mind would want to have many talents. If Barnaby's aspiring to become one of them, I hope he succeeds.

"Where did you get that definition from?" I asked him with a knowing smile. "It sounds pretty accurate."

"Hm? I dunno, actually. Can't remember," Barnaby replied with a small frown, his face scrunched up in confusion. "I'm sure it must have been from somewhere...but anyway, I decided that I want to become a Renaissance Wizard."

I guess I could see now why Clara loved Barnaby so much. He had the ambition of a Slytherin, but he also had a huge heart and open mind. Of course, he wasn't always like this when they first started their friendship, but seeing them now made me nod and smile. I wasn't always a huge fan of romance, but this was like seeing a beautiful rose blossom before my eyes--something that isn't so cringey and gross. They were just being themselves around each other, and I could see the close bond they had, the way they interacted and smiled at each other in a touching way.

"Sounds ambitious," Clara finally remarked with an approving grin of her own, nodding and taking his hand. "I look forward to seeing how it turns out."

Barnaby nodded and kissed her on the cheek, which made her turn a brilliant shade of pink.

"Thanks, Clara."

I glanced over at Badeea now, who was trying so hard not to burst into giggles. I could relate. They were definitely sweethearts.

"So, what did you want to see me about?" Barnaby asked her then, swinging their linked hands slightly, to and fro.

"Actually, I need some advice about Ismelda," Clara ventured tentatively, her face now turning pale.

Andre warned me back in the courtyard that Ismelda was not one to mess with. Sure, he helped her confess her feelings to Barnaby, but that didn't mean he was okay with actually hanging around with her after the air was cleared. I couldn't imagine how a girl with morbid thoughts about blood and gore would want to hang out with someone who appreciated everything that lives. Of course, I didn't hear everything between Clara, Beatrice, and Ismelda back in the courtyard, but I could sense the tension between all three of them and know just how charged anyone would be if the names of those who brought them sheer discomfort was brought up in a conversation at all.

But Barnaby didn't flinch at all. Instead, he just frowned.

"She doesn't have a crush on me again, does she?" he asked her. "My schedule's quite packed with Renaissance Wizard activities. And making sure your sister's doing fine. And...well..."

"Yeah. I know. But no, she doesn't," Clara confirmed.

"I figured. We haven't been all that friendly in years."

"So...you won't give us advice?" I asked him. "I mean, if you haven't talked with Ismelda recently then we can try to talk with Merula. Even if she's been...guarded."

"No, of course I will," Barnaby promised. "But you'll have to duel me for it."

Duelling? I had no experience with duelling, let alone combative magic and spells. I turned to Clara now, who blanched even more at the prospect of raising her wand for another fight.

"Duel you for advice?" she asked meekly. "Why?"

"A Renaissance Wizard can't just stop at painting lessons," Barnaby explained. "I could use some duelling lessons, too."

"Diego gives duelling lessons," I chipped in then. "He's actually pretty powerful if I say so myself. One day he gave this Ravenclaw first-year girl a good Bat-Bogey Hex when she wouldn't shut up about the flowers in my hair."

And it wasn't a habit I always kept--I only wore tiny little sunflower clips in my hair that day because it was so sunny outside I had to match it. Apparently, some of us didn't appreciate it. I was only lucky that Diego was close by when the teasing happened, and he made her run and scream once it was all over. It was then when he said he wanted to protect me from anyone who tried to hurt me.

"True. I've seen it myself," Barnaby agreed. "But Clara was the one who duelled a Troll and a Dragon."

"Barnaby!" Badeea jumped in shock at that. "I'm sure those aren't exactly good memories for Clara. She was doing what had to be done to break the Portrait Curse."

Barnaby's face paled when Badeea told him, and he sighed, squeezing my sister's hand. "I'm sorry, Clara. We all know what you've been through."

"And little Em," Badeea reminded him. "It must be hard to imagine what her two older siblings had to go through here."

Clara nodded, glancing at me and Badeea. "Yeah, but if anything positive can come out of something negative..." She trailed off, smiling at me, and I knew what she meant. With another danger out of the way, even if I wasn't completely safe, she'd be well assured that my first year at Hogwarts would be as normal as it could get.

"Sounds like I could be getting my duelling lesson...?" Barnaby asked her, an eager grin on his face.

"All right," Clara eventually agreed. "Let's duel."

Badeea quickly brought me away from the two as they took their positions, bowing to each other before going into their ready stance. With their wands drawn, I couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated. I never saw Clara looking this bold before--not while I witnessed her with red puffy eyes and slouched frame that curled into a fetal position more than once over the summer. Then again, there was a lot to my sister that I know nothing about. She shared a stronger bond with Jacob when we were younger, after all.

When Jacob first went missing, all my parents could say was that he was taking a trip with his friends, and that he would be back soon. As the years went by, though, the image of Jacob--whatever impression he first left in my naive toddler mind--faded away from my memory. He never returned from whatever trip he took, and it lead to my parents fighting more than I was used to. My mother was badly humiliated, my father embarrassed and angry.

His gardens almost withered from the withdrawal of life that everyone felt. Her books were taken off the shelves of Flourish and Blotts to save her from the horrible reviews critics have given her.

And me? I could only do so much to help them calm down. I reminded them of the lie they told me. I tried to offer them the stuffed magical creatures I was gifted. But every day, they pulled more away from me, isolating themselves in a world where the family was forever deemed dysfunctional, incomplete, and practically irreparable. Only last summer did the truth come out, and from my older sister who saw him--probably for the last time.

Now I understood why Merula and Ben had changed so much from how Clara first saw them. The search for the Cursed Vaults had tested not only their individual abilities. They've tested the strength of their alliance with others, too--no one would dare enter the Cursed Vaults alone, after all. Rakepick chose her, Merula, and Bill Weasley as her apprentice curse-breakers for a reason.

No one imagined it would be for dragon bait.

I could see Clara cast her spells with so much force, almost like the night she was training with Merula. Barnaby still got a few chances to recover, but it was mostly Clara casting all the spells she needed. When it was finally over, she and Barnaby returned to us, Barnaby rubbing his eyes from where the handkerchief slapped him to finish off the duel.

"Wow. You sure schooled me, Clara," Barnaby remarked. "I feel I'm a better dueller already!"

"Indeed. You really are quite good, Clara," Badeea complimented with a smile.

Clara simply nodded, and I could see the steel melting from her eyes as she smiled back at the two of them. "Thank you both."

"So about Ismelda...what did you want to know?" Barnaby asked us then.

"Well, Ismelda's sort of taken Beatrice Haywood under her wing," Clara began.

"Ismelda and Penny's little sister?" Barnaby's eyes darted from me to Clara, over and over. "Odd pair."

"Beatrice had been a little lost since getting out of the painting, and her search ended up here," Clara explained. "And Penny's worried about Beatrice falling under the wrong influence. Ismelda can be rather jaded--but Ismelda is also being so protective of Beatrice that there's no getting by her."

"You must know something that can help, Barnaby," I piped up. "After all, you were with Ismelda when you and my sister first met."

"And Merula too," Barnaby recalled grimly.

"Don't get us started on Merula," Clara warned him. "She's reaching new levels of jaded."

Barnaby nodded thoughtfully, scratching his chin pensively. Then he looked up at Clara, and I thought I saw a glimmer of fondness in his eyes.

"Honestly, what helped me the most...was time with you," Barnaby stated. "I wanted friends. Everyone does. But the ones I first found were often bitter and cruel. So I often joined in, afraid to be left out--until you showed me I could have friends that didn't behave that way."

Something about Barnaby's words hit home for me. I wanted friends, too. Clara's often encouraging me to have a normal school year in her stead, with all the curse-breaking adventures she has going on. What if my flaw of being left out so much turns into a craving for company--even company with the worst folk? I just hoped Hillary wouldn't turn into a villain I had to look out for. For now, though, I could say Eunice and Travis were enough to deal with.

"So that's my best advice," Barnaby said eventually. "Spend time around Beatrice, whether Ismelda's around or not. Beatrice probably just wants to feel like she's part of something--soon she'll see that she has choices."

Beatrice didn't even have many friends to begin with, now that I thought about it. In a way, she must have had it worse than me. I looked up at Clara, who was looking at Badeea, the two of them exchanging surprised glances.

"That was so...wise," Badeea eventually managed to say.

"Rather touching, too," Clara added, her cheeks colouring a brilliant pink yet again.

"I think I can give it a go," I finally agreed. "Beatrice and I are in the same house, after all. If she could see me as a friend rather than just Penny's friend's sister, then maybe we could get somewhere with a new friendship."

Clara nodded. "You sure, though? You told me she--"

"Scared me a bit. She still does," I admitted. "But Barnaby's right. Reaching out to her might be the best option for us, and she and I are almost the same age, too. Maybe she'll understand."

Barnaby nodded at me then and smiled, handing me a Chocolate Frog box that he had in his pocket. "I hope it works out, little Em."

"And I'll head back to the Courtyard to see if Beatrice is still there," Clara offered. She smiled fondly at him before wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Barnaby. You just might be a Renaissance Wizard after all."

Once more, Badeea looked like she was going to dissolve in a fit of giggles, and I chuckled slightly at the sight of my sister in the arms of someone she loved and cherished.

I could truly see them being happy together. After all, they were each other's sweethearts. But would Clara still be this happy, with the possibility of a final curse still looming over the school?

#i cannot write fluff for the life of me #but this wasn't meant to be fluffy i guess #ehhhh #hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm barnaby lee #hphm badeea ali #hphm clara lin #hphm em lin #etched engraved everlastin #year 6 spoilers #hphm spoilers #cursed vaults

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