#quick say something trashy before someone gets scared

[andy-clutterbuck]

Life in Stages at the National Theatre | 📷 Louise Haywood Schiefer

[frogtanii]

memories were a fickle thing. oikawa was never one to dwell on the past but recently, that’s all he’d been doing.

ever since most of the house suddenly... removed themselves from meiko, tooru had had more time on his hands than ever before.

he filmed his videos, maybe went to go pester iwaizumi a bit (when he didn’t have his hands full with management), and then waited for that one day a week where he got to let loose for a bit and drop his inhibitions.

kyōtani and yahaba were the best companions for the job — kyō was intimidating and mean looking which scared away any creeps and yahaba tended to be funny and sarcastic which alleviated any possible tension that could’ve crept up.

all in all, they were a great trio, perfect for distracting one another from whatever was going on in their lives.

of course, they had to deal with kyōtani’s inadvertent panty-dropping but with a couple of snide remarks from tooru and yahaba, they were golden.

oikawa enjoyed his time with them, because when he was out there, in the club surrounded by his friends and other drunk, sweaty people, he didn’t have to think. he didn’t have to remember.

he didn’t have to think about why meiko seemed to be so keen with his best friend and not him. he didn’t have to remember the countless times he cried himself to sleep because he just wasn’t good enough, why wasn’t he ever good enough??

but now, the object of his pain and inferiority was coming with him, invading his last safe haven where she didn’t exist. his escape door was closing and as dramatic as he felt, he knew that this would be the end of something, something he genuinely cared about.

tooru sighed, his eyes falling upon his face in the mirror. he looked great (obviously), but something akin to regret and fear swam in his brown orbs.

ugh. that’s so not what he was going for. more glitter?

of course, the answer is always more glitter. digging through his makeup drawer, oikawa pulled out one of his more extensive (and expensive) eyeshadow palettes along with his blending brush and opened it up, spreading a hefty amount of turquoise glitter across his eyelid.

a loud knock sounded at his door, jolting his hand and sending a streak of pigment smearing across his cheek. “fucking hell,” tooru muttered, placing the brush and eyeshadow down before opening his bedroom door.

out in the hall stood meiko, clad in a way too short, way too slutty, hot pink dress, uneven fishnets, and 6 inch stilettos that she could barely walk in.

internally, oikawa was cringing at the foundation crumbling by her bright red lipstick and the concealer flaking around her black eye but he kept it together, too tired to deal with her bitching about his response to her appearance.

instead he stepped aside to let her into his room, her eyes trailing all over his (clearly superior) outfit as she stumbled into the doorway.

“is that what you’re wearing?” oikawa suppressed his eye roll at the question as he nodded, moving back towards his mirror to wipe off the stray glitter from his cheeks.

meiko scoffed, plopping down on his bed like she owned it while running a hand through her tacky extensions. “okay but isn’t the glitter a bit... much? like, you aren’t gonna get girls that way,” she tittered, tapping her acrylics on tooru’s 800 thread count bedsheets. “like, i love the lgbt or whatever but you look like super gay.”

oikawa tensed in front of the mirror for a split second before reaching down and grabbing his lipgloss just to spite her. “oh do i? funny how i just happen to be a member of the lgbt or whatever and just so happen to also be attracted to men. funny how that turns out, huh?”

he could hardly keep the venom out of his voice, earning him another annoyed scoff and an eye roll. “i said no offense.”

no, you didn’t, tooru thought, but he didn’t bother voicing this, knowing that in the end it didn’t matter. he could never be just the guy she wanted (macho, tall, big arms *cough cough* iwaizumi) and to be frank, he was kind of tired of trying.

“are you ready to go?” he asked, pulling on a couple rings and throwing on his chains and necklaces. a quick glance over to miss newborn deer revealed her picking her thong out of her ass and he internally groaned.

this was going to be hell.

“this is hell!” oikawa yelled over the music to his two companions while meiko was conveniently lost to the bathroom — something about needing to “refresh her smell” before meeting kyōtani.

yahaba gave him a concerned look while kyō made an understanding hum, gazing out onto the dance floor with his drink in his heavily tattooed hands.

if kyōtani wasn’t one of his best friends and unfortunately entirely straight, oikawa would’ve definitely hit that and he completely understood why meiko wanted to but kyō was a hard nut to crack. he rarely took women from the club home with him because although he didn’t seem like it, he was a hopeless romantic, a sucker for domesticity and a ring on a finger.

tooru was once like that, long before meeting meiko. he wanted to be with someone he was comfortable with, who he didn’t have to worry about anything with so he could just focus on the little things but as time went on, he became more and more cynical.

everyone who wanted to be with oikawa, wanted to do so for his looks or his fame and once he finally found someone who he thought would actually be the one, she was pulled away to be with other people (he wasn’t enough to keep her).

“hey,” kyōtani’s gruff voice knocked tooru out of his thoughts, kyō’s hand coming to rest on his shoulder. “you think too much. stop.”

oikawa couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face, earning him a small smile from his fuzzy headed friend. kyō was a man of few words but he always knew exactly what to say to get tooru out of his head.

a gift, truly.

actually this whole place, these people were gifts and he wasn’t going to allow meiko, the wicked bitch of the west, take it away from him. not if he had anything to say about it.

besides, if anyone could crush meiko’s spirit, it would be none other than kyōtani kentarou.

℗ poker face

a gift, truly

series masterlist

(●’◡’●)ﾉ

an - well! this ended up wayy more kyōtani heavy than i originally planned but i’m lichrally in love w him??? i couldn’t Not but anyways!! in case u didn’t gather it, oikawa is bi!!! v hot v sick && thus officially begins his arc!!! don’t forget to feed me <33333

taglist - if your name is in bold, i cannot tag you

@boosyboo9206 • @geektastic84 • @elianetsantana • @trashy-simp • @infinitebells • @6mattsun9 • @suhkusa • @sazunari • @kotarosbabygirl • @fucktheworlddude • @insomniacwreck • @calumsfringe • @saltylettuce • @chai-blu • @al3x1ss • @hawksyoongi • @syndellwins • @jooleuuh • @amberalisa • @kissungjae • @liberhoe • @tetsurocore • @animeoverdosee • @duhsies • @saikishairclip • @afire24 • @premiyagi • @kit-kat428 • @doctorspencereid • @daphnxy • @kyomihann • @maer-333 • @sinoflust19 • @peteunderoos • @peachiikichu • @iidanotlida • @yongboxerrr • @kac-chowsballs • @tanakaslastbraincell • @memorableminds • @risjime • @starry-magicshop • @sugavwara • @smuttyanimeslut • @kiwibirbs-library • @haijkk • @airybnb • @babierin • @iwaisa • @decaffinatedtealover • @notameera • @kawaii-angelanne • @rintarovibes • @urlocalsimp

the rest of the tags will be in the replies!!

[zodiyack]

Being Married To Henry’s Characters Would Include...

Requested by @cuisinequeen​: Hi, I love your work. I was just wondering if you could do a headcanon for being married to Clark Kent/Geralt/Sherlock Holmes/Napoleon Solo

Pairing: Clark Kent x Reader, Geralt of Rivia x Reader, Sherlock Holmes x Reader, Napoleon Solo x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, some references, trashy writing lol

Note: This doesn’t include all of his characters, so my apologies if I misled you with the title. Not all that confident in the HCs so sorry about that too

Taglist: @matth1w​, @redspaceace-writes​, @simonsbluee​, @darling-i-read-it​, @fandom-puff​, @thewarriorprincessxo​, @sebastianstanslefteyebrow​, @maan24​, @beckster07890​, @missihart23​

Masterlist | Henry Cavill Masterlist

Clark Kent

You know he’s superman, therefore, you gotta expect the unexpected

Kiss: Level 100

helping him keep his identity secret isn’t always easy-

you wanna kiss him even when he’s superman but fuck you need him to remain undetected

but you manage

Little hc of the first few months after getting married:

Clark comes home late after a fight you see on tv

you turned it off before anything else happened, too worried already

he’s beat up

your eyes are red and puffy with tear stained cheeks as you stand and cross your arms.

you bet your ass there were cuddles that night.

Later into the marriage, he still scares you like that, but you’ve grown somewhat used to it and wipe the tears away

He’s protective of you too though

Aight sorry, but the gif is making me addicted to Henry kisses so Imma say it again,

best fucking make out sessions ever

yes, I’m gonna say that for all four.

fuck it, Clark!Kisses HCs

they’re soft half the time, needy the other half

if he comes home from superman duties or you have a run-in with a villain, so on so on, his kisses are rougher, needier, more possessive

bitch, he just needs you to know he’s still alive 🥺😢

Henry in glasses really do be hittin tho.

Stealing his glasses

Calling him a nerd because of the glasses

Probably making it a small joke about superman

Especially with oblivious friends

“I think superman’s a nerd.” “why??” “I just do.”

Having to stifle your laughs every time someone gushes about superman in front of him

Clark has to hold you back so you don’t unleash your wrath of fucking doom upon some oblivious woman who wrote about superman in a news article

She wrote things that would make you jealous, like talking about how she’s curious to his personal life *wink wink* and stuff- you don’t just have a raging fury because someone writes about him

Superman this hoe

You’ve made jokes about how he has to take his ring off when he’s superman, but he’s got a feeling that you’re actually not kidding at all

Exercising with Clark

Cursing him out in breathy pants for being more athletic and cheating with his “alien powers”

he just laughs at you

Ah, the difficulty have having a husband with two identities

When you rant about your husband, it’s so hard not to fuck up and say something about being married to Superman

Forgetting that you’re one of the few who knows his identity

Basking in pride because you’re one of the few who knows his identity

One time, Clark forgot to take his ring off and the person he rescued had known him personally.

He asks where he got the ring-

“What ring?”

“The one on your finger. The wedding ring.”

It felt like his stomach dropped...if that makes sense-

Clark ended up making some random story about finding it on the same plane the guy he rescued was on and that he put it on so he wouldn’t lose it.

The guy still thought he was pretty sus, “why was it on your wedding ring finger then?” but let him off after some time

The guy gave it back to Clark in person, but you had no idea what happened,

so when he gave him the ring, you were watching with the most confused look Clark had ever seen

thankfully, he played it off well and informed you later

He forgot to take off his wedding ring? You “secretly” fist bumped the air- ...he totally saw you though

Geralt Of Rivia

I don’t think Geralt really expected to get married

Jaskier didn’t either-

He’s the only one who stands when the priest asks if anyone doesn’t accept... only to ask how the fuck Geralt got lucky enough to get you

Everyone laughed but Geralt, he just grunted and looked away with a lil’ bit o pink tinting his cheeks

You demand he lets you go on adventures with him

You also wash him after adventures

wink wonk ;)))

Geralt is a stubborn thing

You’re a stubborn thing

Y’all love each other

When I say that Geralt is a confusing husband-

I mean that he confuses the fuck out of you

“don’t do that”

“okay”

few minutes later

“I thought you were doing that-”

“You told me not too...?”

“I don’t recall. Do whatever.”

Minutes later.

“What the fuck!?! Don’t do that!”

He’s hard to read and it bugs you

However, it makes a good game out of it

If he ever introduces you as anything but his spouse, you hold a bitter glare while internally plotting

Before you marry, Jaskier hits on you without realizing that Geralt is interested in you

He gulps nervously as soon as it hits him

You might just use that mistake as a way to get back at Geralt for not saying you’re his spouse

Jaskier pleads you not to

like for real

He’s in tears

CuDdLeS!

Congrats, you have a stubborn manbaby for the rest of however long y’all shall live

Kithes

Geralt is a little distant when it comes to admitting his feelings for you at first

When you’re dating, you’re all over each other

Marriage is that but amplified lmao

Braiding his hair

Teasing him not the wink wonk and getting away with it because you’re his spouse

If Jaskier said anything remotely close to the shit you’ve said, Geralt would probably choke him out

But then resuscitate him cause they’re bros

Seeing the softer side of Geralt

Sure, sex, but getting to know each others bodies? Yes.

Soft!Sleepy!Geralt

His deep n husky morning voice telling you to “get your ass back in bed”

Having the excuse of “because I’m his spouse” anytime you do stuff people are too afraid to do

Jealous bb 1 and jealous bb 2 aka Geralt and Y/n

I think Geralt’s the kind of guy to just pick you up, ignore your flailing limbs, and move you out of the way

He takes shit from no one...well, from you SOMETIMES

Gives in to your requests with a sigh and roll of his eyes most of the time

He was protective of you at first

now he’s PrOtEcTiVe so uh

Basically, number one husband, number two bodyguard

you put yourself first for the bodyguard part, but Geralt doesn’t know that

Sherlock Holmes

He asks your family for their blessing, then asks you-

I can imagine Mycroft just ranting away and Sherlock drops to his knee

“What are you doing?”

He ignores his brother and proposes to you

Mycroft is confused and upset because he wanted to rant about meaningless things and Sherlock decided to change the topic

rude

Being married means constant visits from Enola

Probably being the “second parents” to Enola

Gossip with Enola and Eudoria about Sherlock and him as a kiddo

Kicking Sherlock out of the house for sleepovers with his sister

bet

Helping Sherlock with cases

Dealing with Sherlock telling you it isn’t safe

still being upset when he’s right you know it

Finding Enola and Eudoria with him

Snapping at Mycroft for how he treats the girl and everyone else

Threatening Mycroft by just being a badass bitch and telling him to fuck off every now and then

Long story short, you make Enola laugh and Mycroft scoff as he walks away

He’s a stubborn bean, which now that I think about it- aren’t all Henry’s characters?

While he doesn’t say it much, he loves you

You get paranoid with this character too, as he does work that can be very dangerous as well

When he returns, he doesn’t say much aside from that he’s there now and that he loves you

cuddles with him whispering softly,

“I’m here now.” “I’m safe.” “I’m okay.” “I love you.”

Kisses in public either be quick pecks or minute long for goodbyes, but greetings-

especially after being apart for a while?

HC TIME

He comes home on the train and you’re at the station with his siblings

As soon as he spots you, he sets his stuff down because you’re already running at him

You jump into his arms and kiss him hard, not caring in the slightest about the other people at the station

It makes you smile every time he introduces you as his spouse

You’ve heard it so many times yet it still makes your heart flutter every single time

Napoleon Solo

The amount of times you’ve just dropped everything and walked away because he was being ‘too serious”-

You say something, he takes it seriously, you groan and stomp away

But then you know you can do the same back to him

Napoleon is an all around awesome husband but he’s not going to just pretend to agree with stuff

Will correct you no matter how embarrassed you get 

Makes up with kisses or stuff idk

Let me be honest, I don’t know much about writing for Napoleon but he is an icon...sometimes

He’s protective

by that I mean he’s stubborn but really it’s his way of keeping you safe

Would probably lock you in your room even though you’re a, a grown ass adult, and b, his spouse for fuck’s sake?!??!

Doesn’t tell you when something’s bothering him unless he feels the need to

“I’m not a fucking mind-reader, Solo!”

“Neither am I but I still manage-”

He doesn’t mean to make you feel bad, he just- emotions and him aren’t the best of friends

Emotions aren’t exactly friends with most of his characters

He’d much rather just speak with actions than admit anything

Sometimes you worry that he’s just fucking with you

When he proposed, it scared the shit out of you ‘cause you thought it was a joke

Never admits to anything willingly...?

Yeah sorry...Idk, that’s all I got :\

[sgwrscrsh]

winter days: underneath the tree

☁️a/n☁️ this made my heart very warm to write even though i pulled an all-nighter to get it done because my time-management has gone to shit after finals. requested by @sachirou-senpai​. thank you, ellie, for giving me a reason to bring back my boys. i’ve missed ‘summer on you’ so much. this can be read as a stand-alone or as a spin off of ending b, my fave. either way, merry christmas to my babes who celebrate! i have one more christmas fic for tmr and then i’m hiding away to plan + write an smau.

includes: female!reader, poly!seijoh four, post-timeskip (very minor manga spoilers), lots of domesticity, a little suggestive bit, a lot of eating and sleeping now that i realize, a christmas tree, matching pajamas, a very special christmas gift, makki slapping your ass once, a lil teary moment w tooru, homemade curry + pancakes (but not together), lots of cuddling, lots of love, happy holidays, 4.35k words

☁️masterlist☁️

shivering slightly, you unlock the door to the rather spacious apartment you shared with your four boyfriends later into the evening than you would’ve liked. 

yes, four boyfriends. whom you love very much and are loved by in return.

living with four towering hunks has it’s ups and downs, but you wouldn’t trade tooru’s extensive skin care regiment sprawled across the bathroom counter; hajime’s bag of protein powder that he always forgets to put away; issei’s boots that you always tripped over when you came through the front door; or takahiro’s costco-sized box of cream puffs in the freezer that he insisted he would finish by the end of the month, almost half a year ago, for the world.

you made sure to stomp off the snow stuck on your boots before entering the building, but you couldn’t help but sigh at the warmth that greets you once you toe them off.

“ahhh,” you think. “thank goodness tooru convinced us to invest in heated floors.” another perk of having four boyfriends was that two of them brought in enough bank for you to seriously consider becoming their cute little housewife. snorting, you shake your head, though the idea of prancing around in a maid outfit to tease them seemed very appealing. “maybe we should make hiro dress up and clean the house since he still hasn’t found a new job yet.” 

“what’s so funny, sweets?” speak of the devil. makki’s head pops out from the bathroom nearest to the front door, steam rolling out and droplets falling from his hair, signifying that he had just taken a hot shower. wordlessly, you stare at him, lost in thought imagining the water caressing his toned body, but a second later, he gets a better look at you and laughs. “you look like a wet dog!” your glare loses some of its edge when he takes in your own damp strands. 

“did someone say something about a dog?” tooru comes bounding round the corner, and you could’ve sworn he drooped a little when he realized it was just you in the hallway sans dog. turning your icy glance on the setter, you open your mouth to complain about how mean the two of them were being to you when your prince charming comes in to save the day.

“you two, stop bullying the poor girl and let her take a warm bath before she gets sick!” iwa chides as he helps you unbundle the layers that protected you from the snow and sharp winds of the winter. pressing a sweet kiss to your forehead and promising to pick out comfy clothes for you, he ushers you into your spacious en suite where a steaming tub full of rose petals awaits you. hajime chuckles at the starry eyes you give him, heart warming at the love and appreciation shining clear as day on your face, before he leaves to grab a clean pair of underwear, one of issei’s t-shirts, and a pair of his own sweats, knowing you much prefer to wear their clothes at home.

submerged in the bath, you exhale contentedly, eyelids fluttering shut as you enjoy the product of iwa’s consideration and foresight. letting the stress of work and the chill of the outdoors melt from you, you stay in the water until it cools and your fingers prune. a lone thought of how much more you would’ve enjoyed the bath if the boys had joined you flits through your mind, but you jolt when you open your eyes and find issei sitting on the counter with a towel and your robe in his lap, some of the water sloshing over the side of the tub. 

“oh thank god, i was scared you fell asleep and would drown or choke on a rose petal.” you giggle while he wraps you up in your robe before gently toweling your hair dry. “you can’t leave me to deal with the three of them alone.” 

rolling your eyes, you retort easily, “if anything, i’d feel bad about leaving hajime to deal with the three of you alone. the poor man puts up with enough from his team, he doesn’t need you guys ganging up on him, too.”

“well i’ll have you know, sometimes he really enjoys us ganging up on him.” his cheeky quip paired with his wiggling eyebrows earns him a smack on the chest but regardless, you let him sweep you up into his arms and drop you on the massive bed the five of you shared. “get dressed, babygirl. as much as i’d love to spend more time with you naked, i gotta help haji finish dinner.” with a quick peck on your lips, issei leaves you to do just as he said. 

emerging revitalized and relaxed, your mouth waters at the smell of homemade curry, distracted enough to not notice tooru’s arms wrapping around your shoulders and waist. 

“hey, cutie, i’ve missed you,” he sings, face snuggled into the junction of your shoulder and neck. you spin around in his hold to slip your arms around his slim torso, relishing his firm lines against your soft curves. 

“‘ve missed you too, tooru.” and you really did, grateful that all of you were able to take time off work and he was able to come home a week before the holidays, giving the five of you a whole month to spend together before he had to jet back to argentina for his next bout of training and practice games.

“hell yea! group hug!” makki comes running towards you guys, only for you to twist out of his reach at the last second, sending him straight into the sofa behind you. “oof, that was cold, y/n.”

you stick your tongue out at the strawberry boy. “yea, well that’s what you get for laughing at me when i got home. sucker.” still entangled in tooru’s embrace, you feel his body shake with mirth and bite the inside of your cheek to prevent yourself from dissolving into giggles when you see a pout take over hiro’s pretty face.

“dinner’s ready,” comes iwa’s call, beckoning the three of you into the kitchen before you could antagonize each other some more. once you all got your servings of curry, you settle into your proclaimed seats on the large sofa, your body comically small compared to their tall frames dwarfing the cushions. noting the way tooru threw his long legs over iwa’s and how mattsun and makki leaned against each other as they ate, you fold your legs to tuck your feet under takahiro’s thigh and dig in to your meal with some trashy reality show lighting up the tv screen, completely certain that the warmth in your chest was from the company of your loved ones more so than the piping hot potatoes in your stomach.

during breakfast the next day, you blearily rub the sleep out of your eyes before taking a sip of your coffee, a satisfied “ahhh” escaping your parted lips as you lean against the kitchen counter. slowly peeling your eyelids open, you notice all of their gazes were focused on you. “yes? can i help you?” you ask amusedly, awake now that caffeine had be introduced to your tired body.

“how are you still so gorgeous in the morning?” you blink at the dreamy look on iwa’s face propped up in his hands with his elbows on the surface of the island. looking around, you see the other three matching the athletic trainer’s pose and expression next to him. thinking over your messy bedhead, mysteriously stained pajamas, and almost impressively dark eyebags, you want to scoff, but the unfairly handsome men giving you their undivided attention despite all of that (“because of all of that, y/n-chan,” tooru would argue) make you blush instead.

“you’re one to talk, haji,” you opt to remark, hoping to divert their focus from you and your rosy cheeks. “and don’t look at me like that,” your pointed finger swinging wildly between the four of them like the needle of a compass. “you already know you guys are way outta my league, you don’t need me to tell you that.” with one last flourish, you wave your hand dismissively before grabbing your mug with both hands, palms warming against the ceramic.

“as wrong as you are, you can’t blame us for wanting to hear the love of our lives compliment us first thing in the morning as we admire her natural beauty,” mattsun grins once he sees the success his words have at deepening the flush on your face. tooru nods gravely in agreement, but it’s makki’s one-two combo of a wink and an air kiss that breaks you. you roll your bottom lip between your teeth to stifle a laugh but release it immediately when the playful atmosphere takes a heady turn. clearing your throat, you pay no heed to their hungry expressions, knowing full well that they all noticed your little action and how they would react to it.

“a-anyways,” you stutter, “i’m gonna go get ready ‘cause i have things to do today so-” you try to slip by, leaving your empty cup in the sink, only to get caught in your tracks by hiro’s long arms. 

“ah, ah, ah, princess. and where do you think you’re going?” soon enough, you find yourself surrounded by your smoking hot boyfriends and heat up in anticipation of their next moves. 

“this so isn’t fair,” you complain aloud, though you were just as eager as they were to get you out of your worn sleep clothes. 

“tough shit, babygirl. guess you’re just gonna have to add four more things to your to-do list, huh?” 

naturally, you leave your errands for some day later in the week when you’re able to walk properly again.

the opportunity comes when you rise earlier than the rest of them, a rare occasion where you found yourself graced with the freedom of sleeping on the outside instead of being sandwiched in the middle of the bed. tiptoeing about, you brush your teeth and get dressed, somehow managing to not wake any of the sleeping beauties. you scribble little love-filled messages on post-it notes and stick them around your apartment on your way out, but not without one last soft smile in the direction of the bedroom, the sight of the four of them cuddled together through the door left ajar renewing your motivation to accomplish your tasks and come home sooner. 

with your laptop bag in tow, you set out for your first destination, settling into a corner booth at the coffee shop with a full cup and a pastry. once you finish your breakfast, you pull out your laptop and get to work, scouring the internet for the perfect gifts for your lovably imperfect partners. you rack your brain for any recollection of any moment where they would’ve let a potential present slip into conversation and light up when you come across volleyball print pajama pants. you check the availability of the sizes you needed and upon realizing that they were all in stock and would be delivered before christmas, you place your order without a moment’s hesitation. satisfied with your progress, you pull up the animal shelter’s hours before heading out of the cafe, the barista’s greetings and the jingling bells echoing behind you. 

by the time you return home, it’s late in the afternoon and you’re greeted by a wall of warm bodies as soon as you step through the front door. 

“where’ve you been, babe?” once again, takahiro is the first to meet your return, but this time he plants a sweet kiss on your lips with his long fingers encircling your waist after his inquiry. 

“oh, you know,” you sigh, dazed from the saccharine embrace. “out and about.”

“busy day? hope it was productive.” you nuzzle into tooru’s chest, feeling the timbre of his voice through your skin, and nod.

“as a matter of fact, it was.” their eyes soften at the proud grin stretched across your face. but your grumbling stomach just had to ruin the moment, making the three of you stare at each other before bursting out in chuckles.

“you skipped lunch?” oiks asks, wrapping each arm around yours and hiro’s waists and guiding you into the kitchen. you rub the back of your neck sheepishly.

“i guess so? i didn’t really notice i was hungry until now.”

“good thing we saved your favorite from that chinese place down the street for you,” mattsun comes up behind you and lands a kiss on the crown of your head. you beam gratefully up at him and skip over to the fridge to retrieve the takeout.

“welcome home, love,” iwaizumi emerges from the bathroom to complete the set and gives you a once over. “you look tired.”

“gee thanks, hajime.” he rolls his eyes playfully at you while you wait for your food to heat up in the microwave.

“what time did you get up this morning?” 

“uhhh,” you start, mouth full. at iwa’s stern glare, you swallow before answering, “seven-ish? earlier than i would’ve like for a vacation day but it was worth it.”

“hm, well i’m glad you had a good day at least.” you shuffle over to kiss his cheek before dropping yourself on top of where tooru and hiro were cuddling on the sofa, eyes drifting around the room to take in the holiday decorations adorning the space.

“thanks, haji. but you’re right, i am sleepy.” suppressing a yawn, you lean back against the broad chests behind you and tuck back into the paper container. “can we take a nap once i’m done?”

“sure thing, babygirl.” the innocent smile mattsun sends your way turns mischievous with his added comment. “we really tuckered ourselves out while you were gone.” you nearly choke but makki’s hand thumping your back helps you dislodge whatever food got caught in your throat. iwa shakes his head and looks to the side in an attempt to hide his face, but the reddening tips of his ears give him away. meanwhile, oikawa catches your eye and winks.

“how else did you suppose we keep ourselves occupied when our baby wasn’t home?” you get up to toss your now empty container, shaking your head as you go. 

“i’m glad to see you at least got the christmas tree up before going at it. god, you’re all insatiable.”

“i mean, it’s hard not to be in this relationship,” hajime grumbles.

“aww, iwa,” makki pushes his lips into an overexaggerated pout. “you make me hard, too.” full-bellied chortles escape the four of you, ignoring iwaizumi’s indignant huffs.

“whatever,” comes his miffed reply, but you know he takes all your antics in stride. soon enough, he returns to the living room with a stack of blankets and finds you and issei added to the pile of limbs tooru and hiro founded. somehow, hajime situates himself to fit perfectly in your cuddle fest, blankets sprawled about to keep you warm.

one last yawn leaves your mouth before you mutter a sleepy, “night, guys. love you,” barely registering the quiet “love you”s you get in return as you drift off, the lights adorning your christmas tree twinkling above you.

christmas day, you wake up before the others again, this time more than willing to feign sleep and revel in the warmth of your shared bed. luckily, you don’t have to wait long for your boys to stir. sitting up, you stretch your arms above you head and begin to climb out of bed only to be caught by the wrist and dragged back down.

“haji, please,” you draw out. “we can finally open the presents under the tree!”

“i don’t care, it’s too early for you to leave me, princess.” you hum as he pulls you closer to him, revisiting your mental note that iwa is much more openly (and selfishly) affectionate in the mornings. 

“oi, the rest of us are still here you know.” face buried against tooru’s back, mattsun’s muffled complaint gets hajime to loosen his hold on you. 

“yea, yea,” he props himself up on his elbow to lean over you and kisses the former middle blocker’s temple. “unfortunately.”

“so mean, iwa-chan,” oikawa pipes up, stretching his arm across you to caress your boyfriend’s toned arm before lacing his fingers with makki’s. the pink haired man himself, still half-asleep, squeezes tooru’s hand before sitting up.

“hey, wait. it’s christmas, isn’t it?” takahiro’s question reminds you of the package you received a couple days prior, prompting you to spring out of bed before one of them could reel you back in. the four watch you rifle through the closet and resurface with the pajama pants you ordered.

“merry christmas!” you cry excitedly, tossing each boy their respective pair and eagerly awaiting their reactions. “they’re matching pj’s! look, i got one for myself, too.” thankful that you chose to go to bed in just one of iwa’s godzilla t-shirts and underwear last night, you rush to slip on your volleyball print pants. the boys take in your childlike joy, chests tightening at how precious you are. “hurry up, i want you to try them on so we can match!” at your insistence, they roll out of bed and dutifully don your gifts. 

“oh these are actually really soft,” tooru murmurs thoughtfully, fingering the fabric on his thigh.

“right?” you pipe up, nearly bouncing off the walls. “i wanted to do something to commemorate our first christmas together in this apartment and i thought these were really cute since volleyball is what brought us together in the first place.” eyes meet each other as you all reminisce that special summer, grateful that you stayed close despite your individual journeys after graduation.

suddenly, the doorbell ringing catches your attention. a brief glance at the clock on the bedside table tells you it’s much later in the morning than you though, but you’re quick to answer the door.

“who could that be?” the boys are left wondering, wandering out into the living room in time to see you wave goodbye to whoever it was with a large gift-wrapped box sitting on the floor next to you. 

“babe? who was it?” tooru is the first to ask the question on all of their minds. 

“oh, just my best friend. they wanted to drop this off on their way to their parents’ house.” you gingerly pick up the box and bring it to where your boys were waiting for you. “go ahead!”

“go ahead?” hajime parrots. 

“yea! open it!”

“it’s not for you?” takahiro ponders.

“well yes and no. c’mon just open it already!” you’re bouncing on the balls of your feet at this point. tooru finally takes the initiative to remove the lid of the box, eyes widening when he sees what it hid.

“oh my gosh,” he breathes. the other three nearly knock heads with how quickly they lean over the opening.

“is that-?” a furry little head pops up over the edge of the box, round eyes peering up at the four of them.

“a dog! yes!” you squeal. “he’s a shelter dog!”

“he is?” hiro is in awe, slowly reaching out to cradle the little guy in his arms.

“i met him the other day when i woke up early and ran errands without you guys. isn’t he just the cutest?” big hands dwarf the small pooch as they gently pet his head and stroke his fur.

“does he have a name?” tooru has the good sense to ask. 

“mhm, the lady at the shelter said his previous owner named him ponyo.”

“ponyo…” issei whispered, eyes shining. 

“i know we’re nowhere near ready to start thinking about kids,” you start, the topic of the conversation instantly drawing their attention. tooru even ignored ponyo’s little tongue lapping at his fingers. “but i thought we could use an addition to our family.” 

“y/n, princess, we obviously all love him already, but we’re busy with work- well, most of us are. who’s gonna take care of him?” hajime questions, almost reluctantly.

“i mean, hiro is home all the time since he’s still unemployed (“i said i was looking, damn!”), but i actually got promoted so my schedule is way more flexible and i can work from home most of the time.” your voice trails off bashfully, but they give you no time to be embarrassed, swallowing you up in a huge hug. 

“why didn’t you say anything sooner, baby? we’re so proud of you!” now you know how the dog felt being smothered by their affection, not that it was anything new for you.

“uhh, surprise?”

“fuck yea, surprise! god, you’re incredible. lemme make a list of things we’ll need to get for ponyo once the stores reopen tomorrow.”

“actually…”

“you didn’t.”

“i did, with help from my best friend.” going into the lowest cupboards in the kitchen, you show off the bag of dog food and water and food bowls you bought soon after visiting the shelter. “his bed and crate are in the other closet by the washroom.”

“how did we get so lucky?” takahiro asks aloud, making you blush as the others nod in sync, all of them blown away by your thoughtfulness.

“this is nothing. i just wanted to show you guys how much i love you.” you play with your fingers, a little overwhelmed now that the initial excitement has worn off. “oh wait!”

“there’s more?” tooru asks, shocked.

“but wait, there’s more!” mattsun and makki chime in simultaneously, making you laugh as you retrieve the last present. you hop over to where tooru was sitting on the sofa with ponyo on his lap, scooping the dog up and locking the two of you in the bathroom. a couple minutes later, you open the door to let ponyo scurry over to his dads, who coo softly once they see him come around the sofa.

“when did you have time to do this?”

“my pants were a little long, so i hemmed them one night after you guys passed out on the sofa watching your old volleyball matches. i kinda guessed ponyo’s measurements based on standard info i found on the internet, but it fits perfectly so i’m glad!” looking at the little sweater you made for your new family member out of the extra fabric from your pj pants, you couldn’t stop the pleased grin that broke out on your face. “now even ponyo matches with us!”

while your gaze was trained on the tiny dog that was exploring his new home, theirs were stuck on you, your resemblance with a proud mother struck something in them, giving them thoughts of you with their children. yes, children. but for now they shoved those images to the backs of their minds, meeting each other’s stares to confirm they were all in silent agreement.

“we’re gonna make breakfast, you just sit there ‘n look pretty while you watch ponyo, yea?” issei announces before pulling you into a searing kiss as he walks by. 

“not that that’s hard for you,” iwa tags on, kissing your cheek and ruffling your hair following mattsun into the kitchen.

“but i’m always hard for you.” you yelp when hiro playfully slaps your ass, flipping him off as he trails after the other two with a loud hoot. tooru comes up behind you and rubs your sore cheek, spinning you around so that you were face to face.

“why’d you do this to me, y/n-chan?” you meet his frown with a confused look of your own. “now it’s gonna be even harder for me to go back to argentina.”

“oh, tooru,” you wrap your arms around his neck, standing on your tiptoes to bring him close. “you have the next few weeks to spend with us and our new baby.” as if he knew you were talking about him, ponyo pads over to sit by your feet, tail wagging. oikawa sighs melodramatically.

“a few weeks is nothing compared to the months i’ll be gone!” 

“oi, shittykawa, you better not be complaining after everything this morning,” hajime hollers from the kitchen.

“love you, too, iwa-chan!” tooru calls back instinctively then he looks back down at you, his eyes giving away how much leaving will hurt him and it nearly makes you tear up with him.

“tooru, baby, it sucks every time you leave us, but you’re following your dreams and doing what you love. and we want to support you all the way, even if it means doing so from across the world. but with my new work schedule, i’ll be able to call or text you pretty much whenever. and just think how much sweeter it’ll be the next time you do come home to us. so don’t be too sad, okay, my love? we’ll all be here waiting for you.” 

as the last words leave your lips, tooru has you pulled flush against him, arms wrapped tight around your body. his face was hidden, but you could feel the sobs in hot breaths against your shoulder. you guided him over to the sofa and let him cry, petting his hair and peppering kisses on his tear-streaked face until he tired himself out. 

issei, hajime, and takahiro come out of the kitchen with stacks of pancakes and all the fixings, setting them down on the coffee table in front of you once they see tooru snoozing in your lap. iwa picks ponyo up before he could get a bite of your breakfast while you gently shake your boyfriend awake. mattsun and makki set up ponyo’s crate and bedding, leaving him with a toy to keep him occupied while the five of you filled up your plates.

sitting in the living room of the apartment you shared with your four boyfriends on christmas day, stuffing your face with fruit and whipped cream topped pancakes that they made, in matching pajamas with your new rescue dog scampering about, you couldn’t ask for a better gift underneath the tree.

taglist: @lovemeafterhrs​ @sachirou-senpai​ @honey-makki​ @kenmaki​

[dottielovegood]

ASMR - Chapter 4

Elriel fanfiction

About this fic:

Azriel can’t sleep Elain has an ASMR channel Match made in heaven (or you know, on youtube..)

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You can find chapter 1 here, chapter 2 here and chapter 3 here

Read this fic on AO3

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The following week, Azriel read Elain’s messages too many times to admit. He had answered her that “meat banjo” was, indeed, a vile word, and after that, they hadn’t really talked or texted.

He had saved her number as “Elain”, which had felt weirdly private. As if they were friends, which they were not. He was just her friendly helper, and she was his remedy for nightmares.

However, even though they didn’t know each other, Azriel felt an odd sensation in his chest when he thought about her. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought that he was missing her, which was absurd. But the tight little knot in his chest felt very much like longing. He tried to tell himself that this was weird and stupid. He knew that he had a crush on her (even though he hated to admit it), but he could also see that it was a pointless crush. She was an internet sensation, he was a boring IT guy. She was light and happiness and flowers, he was dark and brooding. She made people smile, he made people uncomfortable. And then there was the practical side of things. They had met on the internet. She probably lived on the other side of the country. Hell, she could even live in a different country for all he knew. She might have a partner already - it’s not like he asked. And, last but not least, she probably didn’t have a crush on him.

Before talking to her on the phone, he had just thought that she was a pretty girl that deserved kindness. But after their phone call, he had definitely developed a crush. Which was another reason why he hadn’t texted her. He didn’t want to bother her and he didn’t want to have this crush. He wanted to stop feeling like this for a girl he would never see in real life. Yet, every night before bed, he found himself on her youtube page, watching one of her many videos.

She uploaded a new video to Youtube every Friday, so when Friday came around, Azriel was itching to get home so he could go to sleep (he told himself that he was looking forward to sleeping and not to seeing her face).

However, he had an entire workday to get through first. The office was mostly an open landscape and Azriel’s desk was next to Cassian’s. The only person with his own office was Rhysand, which was fair since he was the owner of the company. At two in the afternoon, Rhys poked his head out of his office.

“You guys are still coming for dinner this weekend, right?”

“Yeah,” Azriel and Cassian answered in unison.

“I told Feyre that I would help her with the food,” Azriel continued.

Rhys looked like he was going to kiss Azriel. “Oh, god. Thank you, man. I was scared that we would have to repeat the Christmas dinner,” he said and shuddered.

Feyre hated to cook and Rhys did most of the cooking at home, but for some inexplicable reason, she always wanted to cook for holidays or family dinners. To everyone’s dismay. Christmas had been no exception. She had burned the turkey, added salt instead of sugar to the dessert and somehow managed to buy the wrong berries for her cranberry sauce. Luckily, Rhys had been prepared and bought a few frozen pizzas and some ice cream, so the day wasn’t that much of a disaster, but nobody wanted to brave Feyre’s cooking again.

“Why don’t you just cook?” Cassian asked without looking up from his screen.

“You know that she kicks me out if I so much as go near the kitchen when we have these family dinners. And since she started the hormone treatment, she has been a bit bitchy when she gets mad, so I’ll just do whatever she says.”

Azriel chuckled. He could tell from Rhysand’s tone that Feyre had been more than “a bit” bitchy.

“I don’t understand why she lets Azriel help, though…”

“Maybe because she knows that I’ll tell her to sit down with a glass of wine and a magazine, and then she can take all of the credit for the food?”

“Fair enough.” Rhys shrugged. “Just burn the food a little bit, or it won’t be believable.”

Cassian snorted. “No one would believe that something edible was made by your wife. Sorry.”

“She does make a great green smoothie, though,” Rhys grinned and held up his glass.

Azriel and Cassian looked at each other and had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing. The smoothie looked vile and smelled even worse.

After a few more minutes of small talk, Rhys went back to his office for an important phone call. “See you on Saturday,” he reminded them before closing the door.

Azriel and Cassian worked in silence for the remainder of the day.

When Azriel came home that evening, he made a quick pasta carbonara to eat in front of the TV. He was re-watching New Girl. It was his comfort show and absolutely nobody knew that he watched it (and had watched it multiple times). He would take that information with him to the grave. But it was fun and cute and sometimes he liked to imagine his friends as characters in the show. Cassian was probably Schmidt, because Nesta was one hundred percent Cece. Feyre was Jess, which meant that Rhys was Nick. And then there was Azriel. He wanted to say that he was a very cool character, but most characters on this show weren’t cool, and also, he was definitely Winston. Alone with a cat - sounds about right , Azriel thought to himself as he finished his bowl of pasta.

When the episode ended he just waited for the next to start. He didn’t have any plans for the night and nowhere to be. His phone vibrated where he had left it on the kitchen counter. He ignored it, feeling too lazy to get up. But then it vibrated again. With a sigh, he got up. He expected to see a text from Mor telling him to bring wine tomorrow, or maybe a strange meme from Cassian. What he didn’t expect was to see Elain’s name on his screen.

He could feel his heart in his throat as he read her messages.

Elain Hey, Shadowsinger. I’m uploading a new video soon. You should watch it!

Elain I hope that message didn’t sound creepy? I just meant that I think you might like it.

Azriel’s hands were sweaty.

Azriel You didn’t sound creepy at all. Of course, I’ll watch your video. May I ask what I can expect from it?

Just seconds later, Elain answered.

Elain You can ask, but I might not tell ;)

Azriel Should I be worried?

Elain Haha, no! I think it turned out great. You were my inspiration :)

Azriel could feel himself blush. He had never been someone’s inspiration before.

Azriel So, I’m your muse? ;)

Oh god, was that too flirty? Was the winky-face too much? He wished that he could take back the message.

Elain For tonight, yes!

Azriel stared at his phone, unsure of what to answer. Luckily, Elain wrote to him again.

Elain What are you doing tonight?

Azriel Nothing. Just eating pasta and watching TV. How about you?

Elain That sounds amazing. I have been editing this video for hours so I’m just tired and cranky, haha. I have just ordered a pizza and I think I’ll just eat it in bed as soon as this video has finished uploading. What did you watch?

Azriel If I told you, I would have to kill you.

Elain Oh, intriguing! Is it trashy drama? I bet it’s Grey’s anatomy! Or maybe… Love Island?

Azriel stared at his phone. Did she really think that he would watch something like Love Island?

Azriel I watched New Girl, okay. Don’t tell anyone.

Elain Your secret is safe with me! Also, I love New Girl! Especially Winston!

It felt as if someone was squeezing Azriel’s heart.

Azriel Really? Which character would you be?

Elain My pizza is here so I am going to put all of my electronics in a different room and eat my pizza while reading a good book. It was great talking to you, Azriel! Please tell me what you thought of the video when you have watched it.

Elain Oh, and I would probably be Winston’s cat. lol

Azriel almost dropped his phone. If he had to be alone with a cat for the rest of his life, he would definitely want Elain to be his cat , he thought to himself. Which was a weird thing to think about someone you didn’t know. Azriel dropped his head to his kitchen counter and took a deep breath before replying.

Azriel It was great talking to you too, Elain. Enjoy your dinner and your book :)

She didn’t answer, but she didn’t have to. Azriel was going to be thinking about her for the rest of the night anyway.

30 minutes later, he got a notification telling him that Flower Girl ASMR had uploaded a new video. The video was called “ASMR for IT-guys”, which made him chuckle. He clicked the video and Elain’s beautiful face filled his screen again.

“Hello, my lovelies, lovelies, lovelies,” she whispered in her microphone. “This week’s video will be a bit different,” she continued, slowly moving her hands in front of the camera. “This video was inspired by my friend who recently helped me with some computer-related issues, issues, issues.”

Azriel loved it when she repeated words like that. And he liked that he somehow was a part of this video. It was something that connected them. Azriel paused the video and got into bed, knowing fully well that he would probably fall asleep soon if he kept watching this.

He pressed play again. “So, today, I thought that we would try a few computer-related triggers. I have a keyboard here,” she said and started typing on a keyboard that was out of view. “I thought that I would say a few trigger words while typing them.”

She smiled at the camera and pressed a few more keys. “I just wrote my friend’s name, but you won’t get to know who he is. But you know who you are. Thank you for your help!”

Azriel felt all warm inside.

She continued the video. “The first trigger word is IP address ”. Azriel laughed as she repeated the word multiple times while typing quickly.

“And then we have, laptop, laptop, laptop,” she continued, and Azriel felt shivers go down his spine when she popped the p’s.

Azriel had never thought that he would fall asleep to someone whispering “HTML coding” in his ears, but here he was. Relaxed and ready to sleep.

All thanks to Flower Girl ASMR.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

The next day, Azriel texted Elain that he had loved the video. He waited for hours, but no reply came. Maybe she just wanted to repay me for helping her? Azriel thought. Maybe she would stop talking to him now that he had seen the video.

The thought of never talking to Elain again made him feel a new kind of ache in his chest. An ache he didn’t want to feel. This stupid crush needs to end, he muttered to himself as he started to scrub his kitchen counter. He tried to ignore the feeling by keeping busy. He cleaned his apartment and did some laundry before heading over to his friends’ house.

Rhys greeted him by the door and ushered him inside.

“She started cooking like 15 minutes ago, please save whatever can be saved,” he whispered to Azriel. Azriel chuckled and made his way to the kitchen. On the way there, he passed the living room and stopped to greet his friends. He saw most of them on a daily basis because of work, but he was still happy to see them. Cassian and his fiancée Nesta sat close together on one of the green velvet couches. On the opposite couch sat Mor and Amren. Mor was one of the journalists at Velaris News, and Amren was an editor. They had known each other for years. Amren and Rhys had studied together at university, and Mor was Rhysand’s cousin. Once upon a time, Azriel had a crush on Mor. One night after one too many glasses at Rita’s he confessed his feelings to her and she had looked horrified. He had expected her to tell him that she didn’t fancy him and leave it at that, but instead, she had blurted “I like girls!”

Azriel was the first person she ever came out to, and he had felt honored. He also knew now that they wouldn’t have worked out together in the long run (even if Mor had been straight). They were just too different. She was energetic and outgoing and fun, he needed peace and quiet. But she was still one of his very best friends.

Amren on the other hand, he didn’t know as well. She had always been very private, but she was damn good at her job.

“Where’s Varian tonight?” Azriel asked Amren, trying to make small talk.

“How should I know?” she answered quickly. “I’m not his mother.”

Cassian stared at her. “But you are his girlfriend?”

She shrugged. “I don’t like to label things.”

Nesta rolled her eyes. Amren had lived with Varian for the past two years, but she was still reluctant to tell anyone about their relationship.

Azriel made his way into the kitchen, and from what he could tell, he made it just in time.

“What are you making, Feyre?” he asked, because truthfully, he couldn’t tell.

Feyre turned around quickly as if he had startled her. “Oh, hi Az,” she said and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

Something was burning.

“I was trying to make lamb chops with glazed carrots, roasted potatoes, and salsa verde, but…” she gestured to the stove, which looked like a disaster.

Azriel chuckled. “That’s ambitious.” He lifted the lid from one of the pots and could clearly see that she had overcooked the lamb 10 minutes ago. Also, why had she made them in a pot, and not a frying pan? It would be inedible.

The potatoes were still in the sink, unpeeled.

She gave him a strained smile. “Will you help me?”

“Of course.” Azriel put the grocery bag he had brought with him on the kitchen island. “On one condition.”

“Anything.” She sounded desperate.

“Please, for the love of god, let Rhys cook when we come over. You really don’t have to show off. You are good at many things, Feyre. But cooking is unfortunately not one of them.”

She nodded. “I know,” she sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island and buried her face in her hand. “I just...I need to be able to cook when I become a mother.”

Azriel took her hand in his. “You really don’t. Nobody expect fathers to be good at cooking, so why should every mother be good at it? Honestly, just let Rhys cook while you play with the kids.”

She smiled at him. “That actually sounds amazing,” she sighed.

“Right?”

Azriel started to pull out some ingredients from the bag on the kitchen island. He held up the tomatoes and the spaghetti, “How about some pasta arrabbiata with burrata?”

“Sounds fancy.”

He shrugged. “Everything sounds fancier in a different language. It’s just pasta with a spicy tomato sauce, and burrata on top.”

“Whatever you make will probably be better than that mess,” she said and glanced towards the stove. Azriel couldn’t disagree.

“Probably,” he laughed and got to work. Azriel placed all the pots and pans in the sink and started chopping the vegetables for the sauce, and in just 30 minutes, dinner was served.

“You are my hero,” Feyre said and kissed his cheek as she carried the big bowl of pasta to the dining room.

Everyone had already gathered around the table, wine glasses in hand. As Azriel sat down, Mor poured him some wine.

“This looks amazing,” Nesta said and Cassian nodded in agreement.

“Thanks, Az helped a little,” Feyre said and winked at Azriel.

“Just a bit,” Azriel said and took a sip of wine.

The conversation (and wine) flowed freely, as it always did. Cassian and Nesta told them about their wedding plans, Mor gushed about Emerie, a girl she was dating, and Feyre told them about life as a high school art teacher. Azriel would never understand how anyone could choose to spend their days with teenagers, but Feyre loved it.

After two bottles of wine, Nesta and Mor were in an argument about which animal was the cutest.

“No, I am telling you, Sloths are cuter than any animal ever,” Mor exclaimed. “Have you seen their dopey little faces?”

“Sloths? Really?” Nesta looked at her as if she had suggested that the sky was green. “Red pandas are way cuter! They are cute and cuddly, Sloths just look like every single stoner I went to high school with.”

They had been at it for 10 minutes, which Azriel found to be quite impressive.

“Can you both just shut up?” Amren gritted out. “The cutest animals are koalas. They’re even cute when they fight. I am right, you are wrong. Please stop this meaningless discussion before I die from boredom.”

Nesta and Mor looked at Amren, and then at each other.

“We obviously have to see Koalas fight if you want us to end this conversation,” Mor said.

Nesta nodded. “Obviously. Give me your phone, Az,” she said and reached for his phone.

“Why do you need my phone?”

“Because mine is dead and yours is right there on the table. Also, your screen is big and we need to watch this in full HD, for obvious reasons.”

Azriel huffed a laugh, unlocked his phone, and handed it to Nesta.

She clicked the Youtube app, and then her face fell. She looked at Azriel as if he was an alien, and then she showed the phone to Cassian who looked at him with the same facial expression.

What the hell had they found?

He didn’t have anything weird on his phone. And he sure as hell didn’t watch porn on it.

“What?” Azriel asked, and Nesta turned the phone.

Fuck. The last video he had watched was still loaded on Youtube, and of course, it was Elain’s latest video.

“What the hell is this?” Nesta asked, almost looking angry.

Azriel didn’t understand why she found ASMR so wrong, but he desperately wanted to explain himself.

“Well, it’s ASMR. It’s kind of… well, it’s hard to explain, but it helps me sleep and– “

Nesta interrupted him before he could finish. “I know what ASMR is. I am wondering why you are watching Elain?”

Azriel stared at Nesta in shock. Did she also like Elain’s videos? But that wouldn’t explain the anger and confusion.

“Do you...know her?” Azriel asked.

“Yes, we went to university together. She’s our florist for the wedding. She was the florist at their wedding, too,” Nesta answered and gestured towards Rhys and Feyre. “Surely you have met her?”

Azriel could do nothing but shake his head in confusion. If he had ever met Elain, he would have known. You didn’t forget a face like hers.

“Please tell me you’re not stalking her like some creep, Az. Honestly, her last boyfriend was the world’s biggest asshat.”

“I’m not stalking her,” Azriel blurted out. “I’m just watching her videos to fall asleep, I promise. I– I didn’t know that you knew her.”

Nesta eyed him suspiciously. “So, is this just a coincidence?”

He nodded. “Weirder things have happened,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Nesta glanced at Cassian, and then back at Azriel. “Fine,” she said after a small eternity. “You would probably be cute together anyway. Sorry for insinuating that you would be a stalker.” She really did look remorseful. “That wasn’t fair. I’m just very protective of her. She’s the nicest girl, but she has horrendous taste in men.”

Azriel couldn’t answer, because his mind was still stuck on the fact that Nesta said that they would be cute together. He wanted to ask Nesta why she thought that. He kind of also wanted to ask her if Elain lived here in Velaris, and what her favorite movie was, and if she, by any chance, had a boyfriend. But he refrained, he didn’t want to sound like a stalker.

“So, what the fuck is ASMR?” Cassian asked. “Is it like porn?”

Before Azriel could answer, Rhys said “It’s like porn for your ears, I guess,” and then the entire table was laughing.

“Nesta,” Feyre said when the laughter had died down. “Does Elain still have that cute, little shop on River Street?”

“Mhm,” Nesta answered and took a sip of her wine.

Azriel could kiss Feyre for asking. And if he wasn’t mistaken, he could see her wink in his direction before raising her water glass to her lips.

Azriel walked home that evening with a million thoughts in his head.

He made a list in his head:

Elain lived in Velaris

River Street was literally a 10-minute walk from his home.

Nesta thought that they would be cute together

This meant nothing

She probably didn’t even like him back

Just because they were in the same city, it didn’t mean that they would ever meet.

This was still just a crush

And it was probably one-sided

She hadn’t even answered his latest text message.

And as if on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Elain I’m sorry that I didn’t answer you earlier. I’ve been at work all day. We had a leak in the basement and everything was just chaos. I haven’t even checked my phone until now.

He mentally scratched number 9 from his list.

Azriel No worries! Did you fix the leak?

Azriel checked the time on his phone: 23.30

Had she dealt with this leak until now?

Elain Yes! But so many flowers were ruined (I’m a florist) and I had to remake a few arrangements for a wedding that’s coming up.

Elain I’m sorry. You probably don’t care. I’m happy that you liked the video :)

Azriel wanted to tell her that he did care. That everything she said was interesting to him. He would probably even find her Starbucks order fascinating. But that bordered on stalker behavior.

Azriel Again, no worries! Sometimes when you’ve had a bad day, you just need someone to vent to.

Elain Exactly! Thank you for letting me vent :) This day is finally over!

There was a selfie attached to the last message.

Elain was standing in front of a big window surrounded by flowers. She was wearing a white, oversized shirt and her hair was in a messy bun. She looked tired but happy. She was giving him ‘thumbs up’ in the photo and through the window, he could see the Sidra. They were indeed in the same city. It made him both happy and nervous.

Elain Sweaty but happy to be heading home :)

Azriel received that last message when he walked through the door to his apartment. What the hell was he supposed to answer?

But then he thought back to Nesta’s words.

You would probably be cute together.

So he took a deep breath and gathered all his courage.

Azriel You still look beautiful though

He stared at his phone. Would she answer? Would she block him? Would she tell him to stop being a creep?

Elain Thank you :) What do you look like? I might have forgotten ;)

Okay. That was flirty. Even Azriel could tell that that was a flirty text message, and he was usually oblivious to such things. He quickly walked to his bathroom (it was the room with the best lighting). He checked his shirt (no stains) and mussed with his hair.

“Good enough,” he muttered, and snapped a selfie.

Before he could chicken out, he sent it to her.

Within seconds, he received a reply.

Elain Beautiful!

[heavcnslyre]

ricky bowen x reader series! part ten

— starstruck au!

series masterlist, part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight, part nine, part ten

second series

IN WHICH you go to your school dance back in new york but somehow you’re still not rid of the one and only, ricky bowen.

WARNINGS super cheesy

NOTES the whole song he sings is typed out and i apologize for that i usually hate when people do that but i guess it pertains to the story HAHA. more notes at the end of the chapter!

( tags: @hesvoid34 )

text dividers from @writeyourmindaway !!

lowercase intended.

“are you sure you want to wear that to the dance?” camilla asked you as you looked at yourself in the bathroom mirror. you sighed. if you were honest, you hated this dress. it was frilly and a weird tan color, but your mom gave it to you to wear when you refused to go shopping. it used to be hers, and you could tell it was old.

“i don’t have anything else.”

she paused, considering. “you can borrow one of mine.”

“really?” you asked, turning to face her. “you never let me borrow your clothes unless you get something in return.”

“hm. i don’t know,” she said. “i just want to make sure you have a good time.”

you looked at her with a soft expression on your face. “thank you. where’s the dress?”

she disappeared into her room for a second and came back out, holding a (y/f/c) dress. it went mid-thigh and was a loose, flowy style. you smiled.

“it’s beautiful.”

“it’s one of my favorites,” camilla handed you the dress. “be careful with it.”

“i will,” you paused. “thank you, cam.”

she hummed and looked at it for a minute. “(y/n), is it true? did you really meet ricky in california?”

you sighed and set the dress on the counter, turning to face your sister. “yeah. yeah, we hung out a few times. he... kissed me.”

“you’re kidding!” she said. “then why did he say you never met?”

“he was worried about his career, i guess. was scared that being seen with me would make him lose a job in a tv show. so he broke things off.”

camilla looked at you, anger in her eyes. “that asshole!”

you laughed weakly. “yeah, thank you. you can still like his music and stuff i’m not... that bothered.”

“no. even if you aren’t bothered, i am. that’s awful. i’m really sorry,” she paused. “put the dress on then come to my room. i’ll do your hair.”

“okay.”

after about an hour, you were ready for the dance.

camilla did your hair pretty basically, with just giving it soft curls and pinning part of it back. she helped you do some basic makeup as well and you were actually excited for the dance for the first time. you slipped on a pair of flats and made your way downstairs.

“(y/n)!” your mom exclaimed as you approached her in the kitchen. “you look amazing!”

“thank you mom,” you said.

she insisted on a bunch of pictures in different places around the house as well as outside. you weren’t going to the dance with a guy or with any friends, so you took pictures by yourself or with camilla, which you didn’t mind. you send a picture of you to ashlyn, and she sent you an array of heart emojis. you laughed and slipped your phone into your dress pocket (another pro of this dress; it had pockets).

although you were excited for the dance, you were nervous. at this point, anyone you saw wanted to know about the ricky situation, and you didn’t want to talk about it. especially since now you were seen as a crazy fan who followed him around during your whole family vacation. you decided today though, you were going to ignore it.

as you were walking towards the entrance to your school, your phone started buzzing. you pulled it out and saw ashlyn was facetiming you.

“hey girl!” you said. she grinned through the phone.

“hey! you’re looking so good!” you laughed.

“wait, where are you?” you asked, noticing that ashlyn’s background didn’t look like her house. she grinned.

“keep walking.”

you raised your eyebrows and walked faster into the school. you opened the door and were met with ashlyn standing inside, grinning at you. she ended the facetime and you rushed forward to hug her.

“ashlyn! what are you doing here?!” you asked excitedly. she laughed and hugged you back tightly.

“i still have a couple days before i’m back at school, and i figured you’d want someone to dance with, right?”

“absolutely!” you exclaimed. “i’m so happy you’re here.”

“me too,” she said. she glanced at her phone quickly. “now c’mon! i’ve been waiting a while and the dj has played some good songs.”

you laughed and she pulled you into the school gym. there were a ton of people in there, dancing, laughing, talking, etc. chaperones were standing around awkwardly, watching the kids uncomfortably. ashlyn pulled you directly into the middle of the dance floor and wasted no time starting to dance. she was always more outgoing when it came to potentially embarrassing yourself in front of people. usually you held back a bit, but tonight, you didn’t give a shit about what people thought about you, and you danced your heart out with your cousin.

a few songs later, the dj walked away from his booth and the lights dimmed. people whispered in confusion but everyone gasped as someone walked onto the stage. you stood on your toes to try to figure out who it was, only to be met by ricky standing there, looking in the crowd.

“(y/n) (y/l/n)?” he said into the microphone. everyone cleared a path and ashlyn pushed you into the middle of it. your eyes met ricky’s and he beamed at you. “hi. i guess there’s a few things i forgot to say in california.”

the music started, and a song you didn’t recognize began to play. ricky kept his eyes on you as he began to sing.

common sense tells me kiss the girl goodbye

common sense tells me leave it all behind

common sense says the girl's not worth my time

but common sense ain't common when you come to mind

the song was slow and ricky sung softly. you noticed how his facial expressions were similar to how they were when you saw him singing at his parents party. his expression was soft and he was focused— but this time he was focused on more than just the music; he was focused on you.

common sense told me she was not worthwhile

common sense said don't go the extra mile

common sense said go back and reconcile

but common sense forgot about her smile

ricky seemed to suddenly be shy as he looked down at his feet and sang. you didn’t take your eyes off him.

second chances are thought of to be weak

second chances in volumes do they speak

second chances aren't given usually

but a second chance is all i really need

he looked back in your eyes and sang almost like he was silently begging during the verse. he stepped off of the stage and slowly started walking towards you.

i think i love you

i want to love you

please let me love you

i wish to show you how to love

he approached you and grabbed your hand with his free one. your heart was racing and you considered pulling away from him, but you couldn’t bring yourself to.

common sense tells me kiss the girl goodbye

common sense tells me leave it all behind

common sense says the girl's not worth my time

but common sense ain't common when you come to mind

no, common sense ain't common when you come to mind

the song ended and big red slipped past and grabbed the microphone from ricky, sending you a quick smile. you stood there, not looking away from ricky. he didn’t look away from you either.

“hey,” he said softly.

“hi.”

“i... i wrote you that song. i wanted to apologize for what i did i was— such an idiot.”

you didn’t respond and his face dropped a bit. “i quit the tv show.”

“you did?” you asked. he nodded.

“you were right. it wasn’t worth it, i don’t want that. i... i want you.”

your eyes widened and the corners of his mouth lifted up slightly. you swallowed hesitantly.

“ricky,” you said. “i want to believe you. you have no idea how much i want to believe you it’s just... how am i to know that this won’t happen again? that your career won’t come first?”

he looked at you, his expression soft. “(y/n), i haven’t stopped thinking about you since the second we met. and... i haven’t stopped kicking myself about how i acted at the beach. i’m telling you— right here—” he motions to the full gym of students watching you. “in front of everyone, that you’re all that matters to me. and i will do nothing but show you that if you just let me.”

you grinned and shook your head. “you are the cheesiest person i have ever met.”

ricky’s grin matched yours. “yeah well, is that all that bad?”

you laughed and before you said anything, he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you to him, then he pressed your lips together. you smiled into the kiss and wrapped your arms around his neck. the people in the gym cheered (which— if you were being honest— made you uncomfortable, but you didn’t care. all that mattered in that moment was ricky. he was all you could focus on).

when you pulled apart the music started again and everyones attention went away from you and ricky as they started to dance. ricky rested his forehead against yours similarly to how he did the day at the beach. you grinned at each other before he pulled away and held his hand out to you.

“may i have this dance, m’lady?” he asked in a fake, proper voice. you giggled and slipped your hand into his.

“oh of course, good sir,” you wrapped your arms around his neck and he placed his hands on your waist and you swayed to the music.

“so, after this, wanna go find a diner? eat somewhere and talk?”

you nodded. “first date at a trashy diner? sign me up.”

he laughed. “wouldn’t you consider this our second date? that day at the pier was pretty fun.”

“sure it was, until you ruined it,” you teased and he laughed, looking up.

“oh, i will never forgive myself for that day.”

“good thing i will forgive you.”

you left the dance with ashlyn and big red and the four of you headed to a random 24 hour diner down the street from your school. but, you sat at seperate tables, which gave you and ricky a chance to catch up, for real this time.

“so,” you said as you stole a fry from ricky’s plate. “how’d you plan this whole thing out?”

“ashlyn and big red helped me. i knew i had to come make things right and i wanted to surprise you at the dance, but it was ashlyn’s idea for me to write the song.”

“beautiful song,” you commented and he laughed affectionately.

“thank you. wrote it about this girl i really like,” he said seriously, his eyes searching your face for a reaction. you grinned.

“oh yeah?” you asked and he nodded. “well that’s convenient, because a guy i really like sang it for me.”

you grinned at each other for a few moments before you spoke up again. “so how long are you in town for?”

“few weeks. that is, if you want me here.”

“of course i want you here,” you laughed.

“i guess it’s a matter of what happens when i leave, huh,” ricky said, looking down at his plate. you frowned.

“yeah. can i trust that you won’t find another girl to cheat on me with back in california?” he looked up at you, an amused look on his face.

“cheat on you? wouldn’t we have to be officially dating for me to cheat on you?” you rolled your eyes and rested your head on your hand.

“are you really going to make me ask you?”

ricky chucked and wiped his hands off on a napkin, before grabbing your hand across the table. “(y/n) (y/l/n).”

“yees?” you asked innocently.

“will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?”

you laughed. “i thought you’d never ask.”

he leaned across the table and kissed you quickly. when you pulled back, you rubbed your thumb on his cheek.

“hm. since you’re in town and we’re officially dating, guess it’s time for you to meet my family, huh?”

FINAL NOTES: this is the end of this series??!??!! already?!??!!?! thank you SO MUCH for reading and i can assure you that this is NOT the end of this story. look out for a second series following this one very very soon!!!!!! i love u all thank you for all the support

[dooodle-bug]

Inspired by @jooniix (if you don’t mind), I decided to make some headcannons for Traitor au Scissors! (warning: it’s LOOOONG)

-Basically, this whole betrayal thing happens after their defeat and Green Streamer is cleared (don’t ask me how that works just roll with it). They basically flop on the ground and go unconscious for a while out of shock (or maybe the frostbite).

-When they wake up, they are 1. Overwhelmed and ashamed of themself for letting such a thing happen, ESPECIALLY being defeated by paper and 2. start getting Deep Thoughts about life (I feel like if you’re in a serious, life-threatening situation, that happens)

-So what they do is recollect themself and realize something, well two things: Olly doesn’t give two hoots about them, which is pretty heartbreaking for someone so loyal to him. They also realize/come to the conclusion that in this trashy paper world, they’ve been held back from their true potential: they COULD’VE defeated Mario had this world not suppressed their ability.

-Logically, they bring themself back up and prepare for world domination because gosh-darn-it, “This world has been terrible to me, but since I’m so powerful, I’m gonna remake it to me MY world and do whatever the heck I want to!” (there’s a lot more to that, I think, but I might write a fic about it)

-They prepare via Unauthorized Militarization of the Cut-Out Soldiers (despite knowing they don’t even NEED them, they still make em to futher show how powerful and godly they are).

-Then Scissors flies off to the castle, which has now transformed into the Origami Castle, but instead of cutting everything to shreds (or asking why/how it transformed), they decide to have one final interaction with their dear king and creator, Olly.

-They easily get to the top level throne room (bruh they can fly and cut paper) and barge in on Olly, who was casually folding cranes, but is now shocked/surprised/scare of why Scissors (who he presumed to be dead) it towering before him. Scissors “interrogates” him on why he acted the way he did to them (in my hc, he treats them like trash and acts like he’s a god to keep them from trying to betray him) as well as doing this dark monologue of something like “Did you REALLY think you could contain my power and keep me from reaching my FULL potential??!” Olly is quivering in fear as they wave their blades around, knowing that there probably is no way of convincing them otherwise and that it was PROBABLY a bad idea to give life to a pair of scissors.

-After that monologue and Olly attempting to fight back (leaving him severely wounded), Scissors decides to Finish Him, slicing him in perfectly in half.

-When Mario, Bowser, and Olivia enter the throne room (oh I forgot to mention that it took place during Stapler’s boss fight), instead of seeing Olly, they see Scissors, who is casually sitting on his throne, Olly’s remains in their hands.

-They shred up Mario and Co., except for Olivia because I say so (also because they see no reason to kill a weak and defenseless child), hanging their remains on the wall as a trophy (they’ll do that with every battle victim they find worthy). Origami Castle now Scissors Castle, some redecorating is done, most notably the flayed corpses littered everywhere.

-Of course, Scissors then decides that Now is The Time to Kill and proceeds to rip literally everyone and everything to shreds with a quick move of their blades.They use said remains to make those twisted amalgamations that serve only them. Nobody is Safe as they shred up everything, planning to make a Better World for them to rule (damn this is darker than I thought).

-After shredding up everything, they get bored and lonely from being so OP, and then decided to bring the other stationery back to life, also to serve them, but also to help them in making their kingdom a place where stationery giants rule and do whatever they want. The legion is kinda iffy about it, especially considering their creator was just slain, but they’ll get used to it.

-Then there’s this arc where everyone realizes how messed up Scissors is being and they all try to stop them and yadda yadda yadda, there’s the au for you, enjoy :o).

[dizzydancingdreamer]

Come Over | Elijah Mikaelson

Hey Lovelies! This is my first post on this profile! If you're curious feel free to pop over to my other handle: @sweetpeasgirl where i write for riverdale! However this blog is for all fandoms! It's all very exciting and I am happy to take on a new project. Anyway this is my first time writing for Elijah/TVD/TO so I hope its good! Also my first smut oh no oh god. Lemme know what you think!

Description: Based on the song "Come Over" by Sam Hunt. Y/n finds out Elijah Mikaelson is a vampire in the worst way possible. She freaks out and runs. Elijah follows after. It comes to a crossroads at her apartment.

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x Fem!Reader

Warnings: THIS IS AN 18+ ONLY FIC!!! NSFW, Smut (oral female receiving), 18+ (I feel obligated to say it ;) )

Word count: 3413

Tags: fluff, some angst, SMUT

(Photos not mine but mood board is :) )

I turn the TV off, to turn it on again

Staring at the blades of the fan as it spins around

The clock on your nightstand reads 11:34. The remote control is heavy in your hand. Nothing on the TV is interesting to you even slightly right now. Your room is sweltering and dark. Your bed is a mess, the comforter crinkled and shoved to the foot. Messy beds are always more uncomfortable. Any day but today you would care.

You glance down at your phone, not surprised in the slightest to see another missed call. That makes 22. Almost a new record. Two more and he’ll start a new one. That’s just his type. Persistent. It’s why you fell in love with him. He didn’t give up. You sigh and block the call, placing the phone face down on the nightstand. Your whole body feels hot.

Clicking again on the remote, you come across a reality show. It's trashy, the accents are harsh, it screams “daddy’s money”. It’s perfect. Maybe it’ll be enough to take your mind off of the events of this evening. Off of him. The girl on the show runs into the arms of a handsome man. You turn the TV off almost as fast as you had turned it on.

You had been picturing tonight in your head for a week. The Mikaelson Ball. Dining and dancing and elegance. Nothing your usual life regularly allowed. It was supposed to be special. The invitation alone was magnificent enough to make you swoon. The dress had almost made you faint. The necklace did. It was all perfect. He was perfect. And then it wasn’t.

Your phone buzzes again on the nightstand. You forgot to turn it off. Or maybe you left it on purpose. Your head feels fuzzy, though, and you don’t want to think about it. You wish his face would get out of your mind. Your eyes drift to the fan above you and you try to count the blades as they go around and around. You lose track easily, and you don’t care. It doesn’t do anything to soothe your molten skin.

Counting every crack, the clock is wide awake

Talking to myself, anything to make a sound

You pick the phone up once more, ready to scream at it. Every part of you feels like it's on fire and seeing his name on the screen pushes you over the edge. You don’t know what you did to get tangled in all of this but you’re ready to claw your throat out. Instead, you throw the phone as hard as you can against the pile of comforters. It stops buzzing but your skin is still sticky. You feel sick to your stomach.

“Why did you pick me, why couldn’t it have been someone else,” your tone is harsh but it’s not like he can hear you, “it hurts Eli. Make it stop. Please!”

Your voice is barely a whisper and it turns to cries quickly as the anger dies out. All you can see, swirling around the depths of your mind, are his fangs. The way his brown eyes died to a blackness. The stark veins against his sculpted cheeks. He had looked every bit as beautiful as ever. Still elegant, still handsome. Still Elijah. But dark. Dangerous. That’s what scared you. Elijah was still Elijah when he was ripping a heart from a chest.

It felt like a blur when you saw it. One minute he had his hand on the small of your back. You had been taking a stroll in the garden. It was like nothing you had ever seen before. Beautiful hedge walls and roses of all different colours and a magnolia tree like you had only ever imagined. The moon wasn’t quite full over your heads. He was finally about to kiss you, something you had been silently pleading for for months now. Before his lips could touch yours, though, there was a hand around your throat. It had squeezed to the point of you almost passing out before Elijah had time to rip you away from your attacker. You didn’t see him move, you just saw his hand break through the mans sternum and rip his beating heart out of his chest. As soon as you saw his face, his eyes, you bolted.

“I’m scared, Eli. I miss you. I’m scared that I miss you and a thousand other things. I need you.”

You look at the dress hanging on the back of your door. At one point it was a delicate, pale pink number. It had off the shoulder straps that, really, had no point but were beautiful. There was satin cream ribbon to lace up the back and the sweetest of sweetheart necklines. Now it was splattered in blood, the satin ribbons stained. One of the sleeves had ripped when you ran. It was the most beautiful thing you had ever owned and it was ruined in less than an hour. Fairytales were supposed to end at midnight, not nine o'clock.

“I wish you would come over.” You mean it.

You just want him to explain. To show up and sweep you off your feet and tell you that he won’t hurt you. You shouldn't even need the reassurance. You know him. That's your Elijah. Somewhere deep down you know that. But it's not making you any less afraid right now. He had been protecting you, but no one has ever ripped out a heart for you before. You’re allowed to be afraid of new things. You’re allowed to be afraid of things that are frightening. That’s what being human is. You still feel like a traitor, though, when you feel afraid of Elijah.

Your voice is silent in the darkness, “I wish you could hear me. Come over, Elijah.”

Your phone beeped. You pick it up in time to read the screen. Call ended.

I told you I wouldn't call, I told you I wouldn't care

But baby climbing the walls gets me nowhere

Call ended. Call ended 12:43. Twelve minutes and forty-three seconds. Elijah had been on the phone with you for almost thirteen minutes. Crap.

You think about how far away the Mikaelson mansion is from your apartment. Twenty minutes tops, and that’s your driving. Elijah’s driving? Ten, if you’re lucky. You could try to reason with yourself. Maybe he hadn't heard you. Maybe he doesn't want to see you. Maybe he hung up because he got tired of hearing you whine. You can’t help the dry laugh that falls from your lips. It’s Elijah. You probably only have five minutes now.

You jump to your feet and begin making your bed, your pulse thumping loud once more in your ears. He’s been in your apartment before, but that was when he was just Elijah. Not the Elijah with fangs and black eyes. Now he’s different. Mysterious. Who knows what he’s seen. What he’s done. You never thought your apparent was shabby by any means but would he? You know your life can’t compare to the wonders he’s most definitely seen.

You move to the kitchen, which is, by default, the living room as well, and begin picking up mugs and newspapers and anything else out of order that you can see. You sneak a quick glance out your kitchen window, into the parking lot below, just in time to see a sleek black car speed into one of the only available spots left. You can hear the engine purr from your fourth floor apartment. You know exactly whose car that is and thus aren't surprised when Elijah Mikaelson steps out from the drivers side and slams the door shut, not even bothering to lock the door. You gasp at the bang the metal makes and his head whips up, his eyes locking with yours from the ground.

You close your eyes for just a second. There's no way he could have heard that. When you look back to the ground, he’s gone. Before you can sigh there's a knock at the door.

I don’t think that I can take this bed getting any colder

Come over, come over, come over, come over, come over

You move to the door but you don’t open it. You place your palm on the wood trim and try to picture the man on the other side. He’ll look like Elijah. He’ll smell like Elijah and probably talk like Elijah, too. But is he still the same Elijah?

“Y/n, I know you’re there, open the door. Please?” His voice sounds the same, his accent penetrating the barrier between you and tickling your ears.

“Elijah,” your voice is but a whisper and you know you should be the only one who can hear it, “I’m scared.”

“I know, love, that’s ok. I won’t hurt you, though, and I need you to open the door. I just- I need to see you,” his voice cracks, just barely but it’s there.

That’s all it takes for you to slide the lock and open the door. In front of you, for the second time tonight, is a man you don’t recognize. He doesn’t have fangs and his eyes are his usual deep brown but they look shattered. His hair, usually styled to perfection, is a mess, like he had been running his hands through it for the past few hours. His suit jacket is gone, leaving him in slacks and the dress shirt he had been wearing at the ball, only now it’s untucked and the sleeves are rolled haphazardly up his arms. Elijah Mikaleson looks disheveled and you’re terrified again because this Elijah, hurt and upset, looks further from himself than the Elijah from the garden.

“Eli-”

“I’m so sorry, Y/n. God, I’m so fucking sorry,” his voice shakes as he stands in your doorway, “please let me explain, baby.”

You swallow at his words. Baby. That's new.

“Eli, you know you can come in whenever you want,” your eyes look to the ground, feigning interest in the knots of your hardwood floor.

“I want to hear you say it,” you can feel his eyes burning into your lowered head, “I need to hear that you want me to come in, Y/n.”

This time it’s your voice that breaks, “of course I want you to come in Elijah.”

He sighs and steps over the threshold, standing mere feet away from you. You feel so small next to him in nothing but a pair of plaid sleep shorts and plain tank top. Your bare feet, for the first time since getting home, are cool against the floor.

He reaches to touch you and you flinch away, “baby, god, no. Please don’t be afraid.”

Your chest aches at the scared look in his eyes and all you want to do is run into his arms but you need answers.

“What happened back there, Elijah?” You feel pathetic at how quiet your voice still is.

“He wanted to hurt me, torture me. And he knew he couldn't. So he went for you, because he knew I would retaliate,” his eyes land on yours and you can see that he still wants to rip that man limb from limb, “he was a werewolf, Y/n. He wanted you dead, I had to do it.”

He sinks to his knees, his voice dropping lower and lower until the last words are just whispers. His words ring in your ears again. Werewolf. A werewolf wanted you dead. You felt faint.

“Why was a,” you say the word carefully, “werewolf trying to hurt you?”

“Because I'm a vampire, Y/n,” his voice breaks fully this time.

You don’t know what to do. Not with the rapid beating of your heart nor the new information you’ve just acquired and especially not with the crying Mikaelson on his knees in your hallway. Your Elijah, the man who pulls your chair out at restaurants and opens your doors and always has a hand on you when you’re around his brothers, is a vampire. You’re not even sure what that means, there are so many questions running through your mind. You want to ask each and every one of them but, seeing the man in front of you, somehow now doesn’t feel like the right time.

Your heart flutters looking at Elijah. His hands are in his hair again, pulling desperately on the strands. Your heart falls into a thousand tiny pieces at the sight. How can you be afraid of someone being so openly vulnerable to you. No man has ever gotten on his knees for you. No one has ever begged on their knees for you. It’s breathtaking, all you need to push yourself into him and wrap your arms around his neck.

“You should be terrified of me y/n,” he chokes into your chest, “I’m not good for you. I'm a monster, baby.”

His words shred at your heart. You run your fingers through his hair, smoothing the soft locks beneath your fingers.

“No you’re not. You're still my Elijah.”

His head lifts from your chest and he captures your eyes with his serious ones. He looks awestruck.

“Your Elijah?” His accent is even thicker with all the emotion.

You smile for the first time in many hours, “of course, Eli.”

He sweeps you up and into his arms so quickly you get dizzy. Before you know what’s happened, he has you sat on your kitchen island and he’s standing between your legs. Your arms are still clinging tight to his neck while his hands hang dangerously low on your hips.

“And you’re mine, Y/n.”

His words makes your body sing, “All yours.”

He closes his eyes, his hands tightening deliciously on your hips, “say it again. Please, baby.”

“I’m yours Elijah. I’ve always been yours.”

His lips crash hungrily onto yours. He wraps his arms around your lower back and you tangle your legs around his waist to avoid falling off the countertop. He kisses you like you’ve never been kissed before, pulling your bottom lip between his teeth and biting down harshly before soothing the sting with his tongue. You're enamoured with this side of Elijah. You’ve seen his gentleman side, it was magnificent, but this side of him? It was everything you didn't know you needed.

He pulls back, only putting a fraction of space between your bodies but it feels like too much, “please don’t run from me again.”

Your lips brush his when you speak, “Never, Eli.”

He pulls your mouth back to his, a hand tangled in your hair tugging gently at the roots. You can’t but moan against his lips and squeeze your legs around his waist. You grab blindly at his shirt, trying desperately to undo the buttons. Your fingers fumble and he chuckles into your mouth. He releases you to pull his shirt off, dropping it mindlessly on the floor, his lips never leaving yours.

His chest is sculpted like the finest marble and you can’t resist running your hands over his skin. He feels strong under your fingertips. He lets out a groan as you slide them back to his shoulders to the nape of his neck. His lips move over your jaw, down your neck, kissing and sucking a trail to your throat.

His hands grip the edge of your tank top bunching the material in his fists, “may I?”

Always the gentleman.

You nod your head before the words can leave your mouth, “please.”

He smirks, his eyes shining, as he begins pulling the tank top tantalizingly slow up your chest. You raise your arms over your head with his movements, lowering them back to his torso when he drops your shirt with his. His chocolate eyes meet yours again, seeking permission. You can’t fight the small smile as you nod. His smile that greets yours is breathtaking.

His eyes flick down, taking in your bare chest like a child in a candy store. He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, much like he did to yours only moments ago. His hands slide up the curve of your waist, trailing a new kind of fire wherever he touches. His thumbs graze the sides of your breasts and you just barely stop the moan, closing your eyes to regain the little control you have left.

“I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, you’re stunning Y/n. Absolutely beautiful.”

Before you can process it, his mouth is around your breast, pulling your nipple into his mouth and sucking gently. It sends a spark of electricity to the deepest part of your stomach, building an ache that you’ve felt before but stronger. Blinding. It’s white hot. You don’t try to stop the moans, you don’t want to. His tongue swirls around your breast, teasingly slow, making you feel every little movement. It’s dangerously addictive.

“Elijah,” you breath his name like oxygen.

His lips let you go, moving down your chest, trailing kisses down your abdomen, pulling praises from your lips as he goes. His eyes find yours when he sinks to his knees for the second time tonight. His hands grasp your shorts, covering your hips easily. You’re a wanton mess in front of him, practically fully undone from the simplest of touches.

“What do you want me to do, baby, you have to tell me what you want.” It's good to know he’s breathless too.

“Eli, I-” you moan as he presses a kiss to your inner thigh, sucking gently at the skin, his eyes still locked on yours, “I want you.”

He pulls his lips back, “you want me to do what, baby?”

You groan at the devilish smirk on his handsome face, “I want you to kiss me!”

“As you wish.”

He pulls your shorts off first, slowly dragging them down your legs, kissing all the way down and back up again. When you're left in nothing but your panties he presses the first kiss to you. It’s hot and sends shocks throughout your entire body.

“More, now. Please, Elijah.”

He chuckles but does as told, pulling the remaining material down your legs before hooking your legs over his muscular shoulders. He wastes no time attaching his lips to your sex, sucking delightfully. He swirls his tongue over your clit, stoking the fire building in your stomach. He drags his tongue down your slit for what feels like an eternity before he plunges into you. You throw your head back and close your eyes, mumbling praises into oblivion. You can feel his eyes on you, soaking up every inch of you.

Your hands find his hair again, not seeming to want to be apart from him, “god.”

“That's not my name, baby,” he mumbles against you, stopping his ministrations.

You open your eyes and lock them with his waiting ones, drawing his name out in your best attempt at being seductive, “Elijah.”

His eyes darken but this time you aren't scared. No, this time his eyes make him look dominant. Sexy. His tongue attacks your clit again only this time faster and hungrier. It makes the fire in your stomach white hot. He’s unrelenting, bringing you closer to the edge with every pass of his tongue. He's pouring everything he has into pleasuring you and you can feel it, literally. You squeeze your thighs around him tighter, ready to explode

“Come for me, baby.”

With that you fall into something you’ve heard about but never thought possible. All you can see, all you can feel, is Elijah. He consumes all of your senses as you fall apart, over and over again, under his touch. In the midst of falling apart you catch Elijah’s eyes and fall all over again. He looks like he’s in pure bliss watching you come undone because of him. You know in all your falling you murmur his name more than once. You know that he loves it.

As you come down from your high, you go to unwrap your legs from his neck, only to have him wrap you around his waist and pick you up. You can’t help but giggle at his determined look.

When he starts walking toward your bedroom you ask, “what’s on your mind, Eli?”

“Round two,” you giggle again when he kisses your forehead.

“I'm glad you came over, Elijah.”

[elidelochans]

I think this is the right way to do it... Brave Enough by Lindsey Sterling for Jude and Cardan

Here ya go hun! enjoy and I’m too tired to think up a title so let’s just call it...

Brave Enough

Jude strolled into the apartment, an odd sort of smile plastered on her face. She moved with a slight bounce jumping into the microfiber couch. Grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl sitting on the coffee table. Tossing each piece in her mouth. She was acting differently. Happier than usual. Honeyed colored eyes were ablaze. She looked like she said something to say and given her actions, it was good news.  Cardan glanced up from his book, watching her with curiosity at first. Until his gaze fell on his lips. Watching how her deep crimson lips moved as she chewed. Followed by her pink tongue sweeping over her top and bottom of her mouth. Swallowing thickly his throat bobbed and Cardan felt his heart hammered at her beaming smile. He wouldn't, he couldn’t let her know that her very presence around him brighten his day. Instead, he looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. Acting as if she disturbed him.

“What’s with the face Duarte? Make some kids cry?” Cardan teased, flipping another page in his book, “And get your popcorn.”

“I would, but why when there’s a perfectly good bowl here?” Cardan huffed out a response. Sometimes she couldn’t believe they’ve lived together for two years when she acted this way. Like Jude owned everything including him. In a way she did. But that was his secret., “I didn’t make anyone cry either,” she clipped.

“Then...are you going to tell me? Or are we going to play guessing games all day?”

It was this moment her excitement turned nervousness. As if she was nervous about how he’d react to whatever she’d say. The only thing he could think of was that she would be moving out. Panic started to fill him at the thought. He didn’t want to go a day without food stealing, messy roommate, the intoxicating scent of blackcurrants that was so undeniably Jude. Cardan couldn’t imagine missing drunken take out nights and trashy tv, then passing out on the sofa with her. There was nothing worse than her moving out. The pang in his chest hit him harder than he cared to admit. Least of all her. Yeah, it was their as prominent as the sun shining through the windows of their lofty condo. Or as real as Jude and Cardan. Jude moving out was something he wasn’t ready for. Being honest with himself. He wasn’t sure if he’ would ever be ready.

“I have a date. On Saturday,” Jude confessed.

Cardan sat upright, closing his book and blinking at her, opening and closing his mouth several times. Oh. This was worse.

“With who?” he questioned sitting the book down.

 He wasn’t paying attention, focusing on Jude, the book fell to the ground hitting his foot. Cardan swallowed the pain. It didn’t matter. The throbbing pain was nothing compared to his insides twisting in agony. His pulse quickening. It fell like someone took the very air from his lungs.

“Locke Liriope.”

Oh, mother above. This was only getting worse. Locke was once Cardan’s best friend and old roommate. Until he found him in bed with his then-girlfriend. Cardan moved out, finding Jude. In the beginning, Jude stressed him out and infuriated him every day. 

Clothes everywhere, Dishes stacked, wet towels on the bathroom floor. And she always forgot about the laundry in the washing machine. He spent the better part of the first months playing maid and arguing with her. He wasn’t sure when it changed. When she started getting better at it and treating Cardan like a roommate instead. They still had their squabbles over chores, tv, bills, books, and who’s cooking next. He fell into a domesticated rhythm with her. Before he knew it, like a thief in the night, Jude had captured his heart. Now she isn’t even aware of the death grip she has on it. 

How that very name squeezed blackened his heart. Cardan could feel each beat slowing as Locke’s name off her lips reverberated in his mind. Jude was pulling him down like an anchor in the sea. If only he could tell her how he felt. To summon up some form of bravery and say those three little words. They worked so hard on being friends. That it was best to keep the thought to himself. What they had now, this beautiful friendship, he was too scared to lose it. And now. Now it was too late.

Jude clicked her tongue, standing from the sofa, “Cool. I at least expected you to say something witty if not congratulations. I’m happy for you. Silence honestly-”

“You can’t date him. He’s a cheating asshole,” His voice turned venomous as he spat out the words. Cardan stood towering over Jude.

She scoffed resting her hands on her hips, tilting her head as she glared at him, “ You have a say in this why?”

 A burning flame into those honeyed eyes. Good. let her be filled with fury and rage. Cardan ran his fingers through the thick, inky strands trailing down to rub the nape of his neck while shrugging nonchalantly in the process. His mind and heart working as one, for once in his miserable existence. Both shouting at him to tell her. He wasn’t good at listening. Never was.

“You don’t want to know,” is the only reply he gave and it made him want to drag his palm over his face for the stupidity of those words.

Jude worked her jaw, folding her arms tightly across her chest. Her face remained expressionless, “What?” she stood there facing him. The air between them thickening with tension like a dense fog. Jude pinched the bridge of her nose, “Let me get this straight. You didn’t ask me to not go on a date. You told me,” she seethed, tone rising and filling with anger at each word, “ When I asked you why. You said I don’t want to know. Are you jealous?”

Yes

Cardan scoffed in disbelief, “I’m not jealous Jude. Out of all the people in the world, Locke is the one I won’t be jealous of.”

“Right,” She responded, clicking her tongue. A cold flame in her eyes, “Well if you have no reason then I won’t be around Saturday night,” She turned to leave.

Cardan grabbed her wrist. She turned around to face him holding his gaze. His heart thundering wildly in his chest. Wanting to tell her she deserves so much more than a date with that cheating bastard. Maybe a date with him. The words fumbled over his tongue. He hated feeling so damn cowardly about this. At least he could tell her about NIcasia. 

“Okay wait. You remember I said my ex cheated on me.”

“Yeah. With your roommate what does that have to do with anything?” she snapped, once again glaring at in his direction.

“He let out a breath, “Locke was my roommate. They were seeing each other behind my back for three months. I found them in my bed.” Jude wants to wrap her arms around him. Take away the hurt that lingered in his tone. 

Eyes black as night searched hers, holding a different emotion that made Jude’s stomach flip. Gingerly, he cupped her face, trailing a thumb along the edges of her cheekbone. Neither was sure when they moved closer, breaths mingling. The fog of tension slowly disperses around them. Slowly Cardan drifted his gaze to her full red lips, pink tongue sweeping over them. Jude fluttered her eyes close, tilting her head. Cardan pressed his lips to hers. It was soft, warm, and far too quick. Like a breeze in summer.

“Please don’t go on this date Jude,” she could hear the brokenness in him. The remainder of a pain long past, the implication of her going on a date with someone would break his heart in two. 

Cardan wasn’t brave enough to tell her the words he longed to say. Not yet. He hoped with his confession and a touch of his lips that she knew.

*********************************************************************

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[izzyfandoms]

Logicality - Demon

(This is one of 36 Halloween-themed ficlets I'm posting today! One for every sides/Remy/Emile/Thomas ship plus creativitwins!)

GENERAL TAGLIST: @quillfics42 @aj-draws @phantomofthesanderssides @phlying-squirrel @sly-is-my-name-loving-is-my-game @because-were-fam-ily @imtryingthisout @a-creepycookie @emo-disaster @littlestr @spooky-scary-virgil @fuyel @mimsidoodles @soupgremlin @aroaceagenderfluid @birdsbookshiddeninrealbirdsskin @quirkalurk @gingers-trashy-stuff @iinyxtello @justaqueercactus @melodiread @mrbubbajones @spookedferns @pun-master-logan @gayturtlez @k1ngtok1

Masterpost

Logan cursed as he messed up the summoning spell again, spilling lamb's blood all over his fingers. He had gallons spare - he was well prepared for this, after all - but it was still inconvenient to clean up every time.

He had to get up, wash his hands, and wipe down the table and all of his contents, every single time he made this mistake. Then, he would have to restart the spell - which would take ten minutes to cast in its entirety.

If Logan wasn't absolutely certain that he needed this spell - and the deal that would follow it - he would have given up two tries again. It was a difficult spell, the hardest one he had ever tried, and it was almost giving him more trouble than it was worth.

"Wow, I'm pretty sure that's the fifth time you messed that part up!" Came a cheerful voice behind Logan, that definitely hadn't been there before.

Logan grabbed the knife off the table, spinning around and suddenly pointing it at the intruder. He knocked over the cup of blood again as he did so - and silently cursed in his head at the mistake - but the intruder had startled him, so that was expected.

The intruder was... clearly a demon. It was a short man, who likely would have looked unassuming - with a blue polo-shirt and a grey cardigan wrapped around his shoulders - if not for the solid black eyes, light blue horns and too-wide smile on his face.

He looked like a dad who had just been possessed, which is why that was what Logan immediately assumed he was.

Not what he'd expected, sure, as he hadn't even completed the summoning spell, yet. But a demon had been what he'd wanted, so he supposed this wasn't entirely bad news.

"I had not completed the summoning spell, yet," Logan said, lowering the knife a little, but not completely putting it down. "How are you here?"

The demon took a step closer to him, still with that cheery - probably supposed to be friendly-looking - smile settled on his face.

"I could tell someone was trying to summon me," he explained. "So I decided to save you the trouble and just come here, anyway!"

"So... you're Patton, then?"

"Yup!"

Logan was still a little unsettled at the sight of the demon, but, unfortunately, that had been what he had been aiming to summon, despite the probable stupidity of his plan.

"Right..." Logan said slowly.

He didn't put down the knife, but he did loosen his grip on it, letting it just hang by his side in a hopefully unthreatening gesture.

"So, what do you want, Logan?" Patton asked, his smile never falling.

Logan blinked, taking a step back.

"How do you know my name?"

Patton giggled, the laugh sounding completely unhuman, ringing through the air like too-loud bells and making Logan wince.

"I did my research before coming down here to see you," Patton said. "I hope that doesn't upset you, but it should speed this up!"

"Okay... so, do you know what I want?"

Patton nodded. "Yup!"

"But, then why did you ask?"

"To be polite," Patton smiled. "I didn't want to seem rude, or scare you off."

Logan's brow creased. This interaction was getting more and more confusing, very different from anything he had expected from a deal with a demon. He had thought it would be harder than this, and that maybe the demon would look more threatening than somehow who dressed like a dad.

Though, Logan supposed, his style contrasted greatly with his demon horns and demon eyes, and that was more unsettling than a regular demonic presence would have been.

"Is it too much to ask?" Logan questioned cautiously. "My... request?"

Patton shook his head. "Nope! I can do it, easy-peasy!"

Logan took a deep breath, not sure whether he was relieved or disappointed by the answer. Well, he certainly wasn't excited at the part that would come next.

"And my end of the deal would be giving you my soul, I presume?"

Patton laughed again, loud and unsettling, though not at all unfriendly, which was perhaps the most unsettling part of it all.

"Nope!"

Logan paused. "What?"

"Nope," Patton repeated, shaking his head. "I don't trade for souls."

Logan blinked. "But... I heard..."

"I do make deals," Patton corrected. "But never for souls, silly! I'm not that kinda demon, you know? I only trade with humans with goals I respect, and my end of the bargain is getting something other than souls."

Logan dreaded to ask. "What do you trade for, then?"

Patton smiled. "Friendship!"

There was a moment of confused silence.

"What?" Logan exclaimed.

"Friendship!" Patton repeated. "If I grant your wish, you have to spend time with me," he explained. "Hell is just so boring, and the demons there are so mean! I like humans much, much more, but you guys don't tend to like me very much. So, I trade for friendship!"

Logan was... even more confused than he had been before, which really was saying something. He almost felt... sympathy... for the demon, though he still wasn't sure if this was all a trick or not.

"Right..." Logan said slowly. "What does this... friendship... entail?"

Patton smiled. "For a year, we spend four hours a week together. I will show up whenever I please, though only for the set amount of time, and we get to do whatever you want!"

"On earth, though," Logan clarified. "Not hell."

Patton shook his head. "Not hell."

"And... though you choose the times, I get to decide what we do during those four hours a week?"

"Yup!"

That... didn't sound so bad. In fact, Logan was struggling to find any sort of reason to turn down or alter the deal. It seemed like he was getting a bargain: something he didn't totally despise in return for his greatest desire.

It sounded... almost too good to be true, but he'd read that demons were unable to outright lie when making deals, and it seemed like Patton was genuine.

He took a deep breath.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Patton repeated.

"Yes, okay," Logan nodded. "I accept the deal."

He held his hand out for Patton to shake to seal the deal, but the demon just burst out laughing again.

"That's not how you seal deals, silly!"

Logan felt his face heat, and he pulled his hand back suddenly.

"How do you do it, then?"

"With a kiss," Patton said.

Logan froze, and he felt his face somehow warm and redden even further, as Patton looked him over with an amused expression.

"Don't worry," Patton continued. "It's just a short one!"

"Oh- okay."

"Okay?" Patton asked to confirm.

Logan nodded. "Okay. If- if it's just a quick one."

Patton leant forward, cupping Logan's face with hands that were so warm it bordered on uncomfortable. Then, he pressed his lips to Logan's, for just a brief moment.

The kiss... wasn't bad. In fact, it was warm and soft and not at all unpleasant, like Logan had expected it to be.

The kiss was good.

When Patton pulled back, Logan felt a feeling that he certainly hadn't expected to feel in that moment.

Disappointment.

And that disappointment quickly turned into dread when Logan realised... the demon was cute.

[the-enamorando-deity]

Will you please write a Nat x Reader from the song Friends Don’t by Maddie and Tae?

aw this one was so cute, hope it’s okay! i tried to make a universe where i could make things go how my brain wanted, and this was what I came up with. enjoy jooce!

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Friends Don’t

They don't cancel other plans

Have conversations with nothing but their eyes

Coffee was simple. Sure you could fluff it up, give it different names, adding a bunch of random ingredients to change the flavour. You weren’t a fan of it, until you went to get something for your boss and you saw her.

They don't hear each other's names and forget to concentrate

Hits a nerve and lights you up like dynamite

She was slinging coffee to the morning lineup of assholes, barely paying attention to their whining or attempts at conversation. You made it to the front of the line and stammered out the order your boss made you repeat a hundred times.

Friends don't call you in the middle of the night

Couldn't even tell you why

The vacant look that she’d grown to possess turned to a grin. ‘Finally,’ Nat groaned, starting to pull levers and flip switches, ‘I’m on my break in five minutes, meet me at the booth. And your drink is $2.75.’

‘Three bucks? Last week it was $2.50,’ you queried, watching her lips curl into a smile.

‘The extra is because I’m so damn cute.’

They just felt like saying "hi"

Friends don't stand around, playing with their keys

You had been going there for only a few days when you started talking, growing close within few spoken words. When you ran into her at the party of a mutual friend, you managed to get even closer.

Finding reasons not to leave

Trying to hide the chemistry

That was two years ago now, and she was the best friend you’d known in your whole life. The parties you attended together sometimes only stayed afloat because of the shenanigans you two caused, and the idiocy you encouraged everyone to join in on.

Drive a little too slow, take the long way home

Get a little too close

Each time, your eyes lingered a little too long on hers, feeling your heart race when her fingers brushed over yours. You both often got a little too drunk, words slurring, almost falling asleep on each other, unable to contain your smiles as you dragged each other across the dance floors, down streets, up stairs to each other’s apartments.

We do, but friends don't

They don't almost say "I love you"

Your heart warmed at the mere mention of her name, and your friendship made you feel human in a world you were never sure about.

When they're downtown somewhere, just a little drunk

They don't talk about the future and put each other in it

More than a few times, you discussed your futures, always finding ways to entangle the other into it. Whether it be as a roommate, or just having a room for them to stay over. You sometimes hesitated before saying more, other times you just fell asleep as Natasha offered her own brazen plans, often brighter and more fun than anything you’d thought of.

And get chills with every accidental touch

Friends don't call you in the middle of the night

You would wake up in her bed, innocently taken there so you didn’t have to ride home alone in the dark and untrustworthy streets, but somewhere safe you considered your second home.

Couldn't even tell you why

They just felt like saying "hi"

There was always an excuse, a remark, something that made one of you leave, even though neither of you wanted to. It played it’s way into your heart, drumming and pulling you deep beyond thought. It was all emotion, nothing more.

Friends don't stand around, playing with their keys

Finding reasons not to leave

One night was different, she’d broken up with her latest boyfriend and asked you to come console her. You hated it when she asked that, knowing that she would try and kiss you again or just cry into your lap. You refused to take advantage of her in such a state, you couldn’t bear to hurt her like that.

Trying to hide the chemistry

Drive a little too slow, take the long way home

And yet, you went every time. You knew the drill, ice cream and alcohol, whatever movies you’d seen a million times and didn’t need to pay attention to, just to be there to hold, no matter how much it killed you.

Get a little too close

We do, but friends don't

The lights were always down when you entered, Natasha trying to hide as much shame as she could after fooling herself with another man undeserving of her. This guy only lasted two weeks and she’d felt the need for you to be there, so he’d gotten to her just like the others.

I keep telling myself this might be nothing

But one look in your eyes and, God, there's something

The lights were dim, as usual, but this time there were candles all around, your favourite ones from the shitty little store around the corner. It was a gift you bought her whenever she was upset, one under your arm even then, the only thing you could think of to do.

You can lie to me and say you don't

But I know you do, and I love you too

Every candle you had bought her was spread around the apartment, your favourite trashy movie already on the screen, and Natasha sitting there waiting, no tears or fake smiles, but a slight concerning wave.

Friends don't call you in the middle of the night

Couldn't even tell you why

You put your keys back in your bag and sat everything on the counter, hoping she wouldn’t jump you again. She was terrifyingly strong, but even drunk, you were able to avoid her advancements. 

They just felt like saying "hi"

Friends don't stand around, playing with their keys

‘Hi, Y/N, do you wanna bring the bottle over? I already have glasses,’ she held them up, looking giddy and awkward as anything.

Finding reasons not to leave

Trying to hide the chemistry

You panicked and scanned the room, thinking someone was waiting to attack you. In the short time you had known Nat, every one of your unreasonable fears had come true. 

Her being scared and rigid now reminded you of the last time, when one of her exes had broken in and waited to attack you both, Natasha trying to awkwardly signal you to leave. But that was then, and this was different.

Drive a little too slow, take the long way home

Get a little too close

You gave the room another quick once over, determining that nothing physical had happened, so it was all emotional. ‘Nat, what’s going on?’

She stood up and set the glasses down, taking the bottle from you and grabbing your face, softly pulling your lips to meet hers. You didn’t know what to do, caught up in the scent of the candles and the taste of her lipgloss, and the lack of alcohol or usual bad decision signs.

We do, but friends don't

Uh uh uh 

Friends don’t

Natasha pulled away. ‘All this time, I only wanted you. Do you want me too?’

@marvelfansince08love @mymarvelwomen @imnotasuperhero

[my-arlington-academia]

Serandy and Olifael part 3: Nari’s horrible return

Hey I’m back! ... I’m sorry.

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

"S-Serena-senpai..."

Nari was looking away, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment. No matter how many steps back she took, Serena kept on getting closer and closer until she slammed her hand on the wall, next to Nari’s ear.

”Kyah! S-senpai! What’s going on?? Why are you being so violent with me?”

From Serena’s point of view this wasn’t violence. This was love. Oh Nari... you and your unstoppable mouth. No matter how much someone would beg, Nari would never shut up. Serena was provoked by that, the fact that someone wouldn’t obey her orders. It was frustrating and yet so charming.

She leaned in and whispered into Nari’s ear.

"Nari-chan... you aren’t a gemini, are you?”

Nari was confused, that’s it? That’s all Serena wanted to ask? No scolding, no punishment like usual? She was disappointed. Nari loved getting yelled at by Serena.

”N-no. I’m not a gemini, I’m a scorpio Senpai. But what does that have to do with anyth-"

"Shut it.”

Serena passionately kissed Nari with her passionate lips, passionate love and passionate hate towards geminis. She was so relieved that Nari wasn’t one of them. Disgusting. That would be horrible.

Horrible.

Hor-

"AAAH! NOOOO PLEASE GOD NO!"

Serena woke up covered in sweat. What the fuck was that?? Nari? What was she doing in Serena’s dream and why were they calling eachother like characters in a Japanese cartoon? Serena looked around her, it was her room. Thank God everything was just a dream and nothing else. Next to her, lying in bed was Andy who snuck in last night to sleep next to her girlfriend. Like all nights, actually. She was really worried for Serena’s mental state, not only today but in general.

"Serena...? *yawn* Are you okay sweetie?”

Serena hugged Andy, almost in tears.

"N-no! I saw her again in my dreams. That chatterbox monster, Nari! But this time we were high schoolers in a shitty anime... Why? Oh, why would this happen to me?? What did I do wrong for her to come back to haunt me?"

Andy hugged Serena back, trying to be as supportive as she could. This situation was really strange. For the past few days, Serena always saw Nari in her dreams. Nari was that 2nd year student in Arlington who went missing a few months ago. But in actuality... it was all a ploy orchestrated by Serena. Serena had pulled some strings to make some trouble happen in Egypt so that Nari would go back there for a couple of months. A couple of months that were extremely peaceful... Well, Trashy burned the building a couple of times but it was cool. Thanks to that some classes were canceled and Serena secretly thanked Trashy for her interventions.

The only people who knew about this were Serena and Andy, Serena knew that if she told Olivier what she did in order to get rid of Nari, he would get mad at her and rightfully so.

”Calm down Serena sssshhh. It’s going to be alright. Um... you know I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but could it be that you have a guilty conscience? Maybe that’s why Nari appears in your dreams?”

Serena looked up at Andy, seriously taking in account what her girlfriend just told her. But no, that couldn’t be it. Serena? Feeling guilt for getting rid of Nari? Impossible. Nari was her arch-nemesis. It was absurd to think that after all these months Serena would suddenly start to feel guilty about her scheme.

”No... that can’t be it Andy. I would never feel bad for Nari. I think.”

”Aww come on, I know that you’re not as cold hearted as you pretend to be. Let’s just try to contact Nari, okay? Maybe you actually miss her a little bit.”

Did Serena miss Nari? Ridiculous but much more believable than feeling guilty.

"... Alright. Let’s do that."

Serena and Andy came down from the bed, they were changing into their school uniforms to get ready for class. That’s when someone barged in, looking extremely distraught. It was Rafael.

"Girls!!! Come quick! There’s 8 murde-"

Serena threw a pillow into Ralf’s face while Andy was covering herself with the blanket. Serena yelled at him in panic.

"What the hell Rafael? Can’t you knock first?? Turn around and explain yourself!”

Rafael turned around like instructed, facing the door. He was super gay for Olivier but he still covered his face with the pillow, just in case. He didn’t want Serena and Andy to feel uncomfortable.

"This is not important right now! There’s 8 murders in the Academy that ocurred this morning...”

Andy and Serena looked at eachother, horrified by the news. How was that possible? The security was so tight and the custodians always made rounds, even in the early mornings. Andy clenched her fists, still in disbelief.

”But... that’s impossible! One murder, sure. But 8 people have died?? There’s always guards in front of the entrance... and... and there’s at least one custodian on each floor to keep an eye on us!"

Rafael stood there, silent. Unable to explain the events. All he could say was...

”Oliver is waiting for us in the student council’s room. Come quick.”

There was no time to waste. Serena and Andy dashed out of their room and went out of the dormitory only to see a cruel scene unfold. A bunch of nurses were taking 8 people away into ambulance trucks. However, the 8 people were covered in white pieces of cloth. As if they were already dead. In the crowd, a blond girl with a pink flower in her braids was being retained by at least four people. They were trying to hold her still while she was screaming and shouting like a trapped animal.

"G-geez! How strong is this girl?! Someone call the remaining custodians to help us out! We can’t hold her forever!!!”

”Remaining custodians”? So, some of them had been killed as well? Or at least badly hurt. Andy and Serena tried to pass by the scene in a hurry but they couldn’t ignore the yells of the suffering young girl. Oh mother of god... It was the sweet and gentle Claire, trying to set herself free by punching and kicking.

"LET ME GO! I HAVE TO FOLLOW THEM AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE OKAY!!! DON’T HOLD ME BACK!!! THIS CAN’T BE. THEY’RE NOT DEAD!!! THEY’RE NOT DEAD, OKAY?! STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE I’M CRAZY!!! I... I...”

Suddenly all of her strength left her body and she fell down on her knees, seeing that she finally calmed down the 4 students that were holding her let go of their grip. Claire buried her face into her hands, crying.

"N-No... they’re not d-dead... the doctors will bring them back with a b-blood transfusion and... and... CPR will definitely work... if, if not then there’s also a defibrillator... it’ll work haha... ah... ah... ahh..."

She started hyperventilating, her eyes were bloodshot and her hair and clothes were all messy. She then covered her mouth, trying to stop what was coming, in vain.

”BLRGH.”

She threw up on the ground, still hyperventilating in between each spew. Because of that she was almost unable of breathing. Two custodians ran to her, scared of her reaction. What if she chokes up and dies because of her own vomit?

"P-please! Young miss calm down! Breath in... and out... in... and out... yes, slowly.”

Thank god her breathing became stable again, she could’ve lost consciousness from the lack of oxygen. After emptying up her stomach she started crying in the custodian’s arms.

"T-those people w-were my friends... *hic* R-raquel was right next to me... *hic* how did I fail to do anything?! ...U-useless! I’M USELESS. W-when it comes down to real danger... I’m unable to do a-anything. I couldn’t save anyone... I’ve never saved anyone! Not a single person!”

Andy didn’t even realize that she was crying at the heartbreaking scene until Serena covered her eyes and pulled her away from the crowd.

"Andy, don’t look...”

It was meaningless, Andy was unable to see anything anyway. Her eyes were filled up with tears, distorting her vision. However there was one thing she knew. Even though Serena was trying to hide it and act though, she was crying too.

In front of the student council’s room, they dried up their tears and snot with their sleeves, no time to find handkerchiefs. And they stepped in. Four people were in the room, Olivier shouting at Trashy, Trashy looking scared out of her mind but doing her best to deny whatever Olivier was stating, Rafael trying to calm Olivier down and... Tadashi, sat on one of the chairs. Looking down, emotionless. It’s as if all trace of life had left his body.

Serena tried to ignore that for now and put her hand on Olivier’s shoulder, he turned away from Trashy and looked at Serena, annoyed and angry.

"Ugh. You’re finally here?! What took you so lo-"

Before he could finish, Serena slapped the shit out of him, knowing that he wouldn’t calm down anytime soon if this went on.

"Calm down! I can see that Tadashi isn’t capable of handling anything right now so you should try to stay calm and take over as the student council president! It won’t help if you lose yourself like this...”

She then looked at Rafael, who was frozen in panic.

"Ralf, next time something like this happens just hit the shit outta him without hesitation. Got it?”

”Y-yes, sorry. I’ll do so.”

Olivier looked at his reflexion in the window and sighed a few times. He still wore that stupid cat mask. Then with a clear mind, he went back to business.

"Trashy. Please be honest with me. You’re the one who committed those murders, aren’t you?”

Trashy was shaking, teary eyed and visibly afraid by not only Olivier but also the stressful situation she was in.

"N-no! I’m telling you I would never kill people in cold blood! I only do harmless pranks...”

Olivier clenched his jaw. ”Harmless pranks” she says. He opened a folder and took out a document from it.

"Trashy. So far you have committed: arson, fraud, larceny and forgery. So tell me what could POSSIBLY lead me to believe that you aren’t the culprit behind this... this... inhumane incident?”

Trashy stood up, slamming her hand unto the table.

”I’m telling you: I’m innocent! I would never kill E-Ellie, Alistair or any other person of this school!"

At those words, Tadashi who was silent this whole time started sobbing and holding his arms, as if he was hugging himself.

”N-no... Ellie... Alistair... Raquel... *sob* Please c-come back. I-I’m scared... *hic* I-I’ll be good so p-please don’t abandon me *hic* A-Axel I-I won’t give you detention ever again... and... and I-I’ll help you guys with your homework... *hic*"

Rafael, Serena and Andy rushed in to hug him, seeing that he was in despair. Olivier sighed and glared at Trashy.

"I told you not to mention their names. He gets like that whenever he hears it.”

”I’m so sorry...”

Trashy looked extremely apologetic. As Serena was holding Tadashi in her arms, she shot a quick side-glance towards Trashy, it’s true that she was very chaotic but... logic aside, proof aside, was Trashy really capable of doing such things? Serena wanted to believe in her so badly but it is true that she was quite suspicious. As she was asking herself hundreds of questions, two people barged in.

"Excuse us.”

A weird man dressed in all black, carrying a katana and... a normal woman were standing before them. Olivier walked towards them, as if he knew who they were.

”Are you... who I think you are?”

The man and woman smiled at eachother.

”That’s right, I’m Nadir. The detective.”

”And I’m Gen, the coroner. Nice to meet you.”

Nadir had a Maryland accent... whatever that was supposed to mean. He didn’t look like a detective at all though, why was he carrying a katana? And why was there a coroner with him? All the dead bodies were brought to the hospital already. Well, they might get resurrected somehow. It’s not like hope was completely lost. Or at least Andy hoped so.

”Um. Excuse me uh. Gen? I don’t understand why you’re here and not at the hospital, I mean your job is to check wounds and find the cause of death, right?”

Gen smiled innocently.

”Oh I’ve already done my job, it was all stab wounds from a kitchen knife. Now I’m here in any case we find other dead bodies or if someone else dies.”

”Uh... okay.”

Tadashi suddenly stopped crying, awakened from his miserable state by Gen’s comment.

"DON’T SAY THAT! How... How DARE you just call them ”dead bodies”?! They were my friends! And... and they might be saved!!!”

Gen looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. As if it was too late. Thankfully Tadashi was so angry that he didn’t notice that. She had a look that said ”it’s hopeless kid.” Serena tried to change the subject, knowing that Tadashi would blow up like Claire if he knew that they were already dead.

”Soooo... Anyway, who are the people that got hurt?”

Olivier gave her the list with the names of all the victims, knowing that if he said their names aloud, Tadashi would lose it again. As expected, all of Tadashi’s and Claire’s friends were on it. Neha Rao, Tyler Williams, the Novakova siblings and so on and so forth. They were all so close and yet the only people left were Tadashi and Claire... but why did only those 2 survive?

”You’re all thinking ”why did those 2 survive”, aren’t you?”

Nadir smirked at them with a know-it-all epxression that everyone hated. It seems like he had already made some research before coming.

”Well, we’re thinking that it must be because... either one of those 2 is the culprit or... the person who attacked their friends didn’t manage to finish their job and he’s after them.”

Everyone was frightened by the thought... Claire, where was she? Hopefully she wasn’t left alone, however, just in case they should go find her and stay by her side. What if the culprit took advantage of her mental state to strike? The only person in the room who didn’t think about that possibility was Tadashi, he was too blinded by anger and fright.

”You’re saying that either me or Claire could be the culprits? That’s total BULLSHIT! We would never even THINK about doing something like this! How could I... How could I ever do something like this to my best friend and boyfriend?!!”

That’s right, Tadashi’s best friend: Alistair. And his boyfriend... Axel. A really weird couple indeed, they hated eachother’s guts until really recently so why did they suddenly start dating? It was a complete mystery. It all started on april fool’s so everyone just assumed that they would end the joke pretty soon... 3 weeks later and the joke still wasn’t over.

Gen raised her voice, desperately trying to stop him from punching them in the face.

”Please calm down kid! We’re only stating the possibilities! Not saying that they’re true... but while it might not be you nor your friend, there is a high chance that the kill- um, culprit is a student. Even though some custodians were... hurt, no guards were harmed.”

Nadir nodded, strongly agreeing with his colleague’s words.

”That’s right. But first let’s go find that Claire girl, she might be in great danger at this rate. Do you know where she is?”

Tadashi shook his head, having no idea where the only friend he had left was. Luckily, Andy and Serena knew where she might be. They all ran to the nurse’s office, thinking that they would find an unconscious Claire who had probably collapsed from shock and stress. But she wasn’t there. Only the nurse remained, saying that Claire wanted to rest in her room. Serena grabbed the nurse by the shoulders and shook him violently.

”Are you kidding?! How could you let her alone in a situation like this?! Are you not aware of what’s happening right now?! And besides... isn’t Claire’s room... tainted in blood right now?!!”

The nurse pushed Serena away, slightly upset by her outburst.

”Who do you think we are? The room had been investigated and cleaned the moment the body was discovered. Also, she wasn’t alone. There was another student with her who promised me to follow her no matter where she went.”

Serena’s eyes widened. Oh god. Oh no. What if this student is the killer?! Catching on what she was thinking, Nadir grabbed the nurse by his shoulders and shook him just like Serena did earlier.

”Who was it?! Who was that student?”

”Ugh. Could you all stop grabbing and shaking me?! I don’t know what her name was but it was a girl with really messy hair. To the point where I would guess that she doesn’t even own a hairbrush.”

They all started running towards the dormitory while the nurse was cursing them under his breath. On their way there, they saw two students in the courtyard, on the ground. One covered in blood and the other one holding her in her arms while crying. It was Reckless and AJ.

”AJ!! Please wake up! Come on you gotta live... You still haven’t paid me for the tarot reading I did for you the other day!!”

AJ was still half-conscious, holding on to dear life.

”God... shut the fuck up...”

”No, don’t say that AJ!! What if those are your last words?! You can’t let your last words be something so vulgar! What am I gonna say to your parents...”

”I don’t... give a shit...”

Gen pushed Reckless away, looking closely at the young girl’s wounds all over her stomach. Reckless wiped a tear away, relieved.

”Oh thank God, thank you doctor! Please save my cash-cow- I mean... my dear classmate!”

Gen then immediately got up, wiping her bloody hands on her jeans.

”Oh no kid, I’m not a doctor, I’m a coroner. All I can say is that she has most likely 5 minutes left to live or so. Sorry but to be saved, she would need to be a billionaire or something. Y’know how it is in America.”

Reckless started crying again.

”God I fucking hate capitalism. Can we all just die from a nuclear bomb, please? Someone nuke us, anyone. Even North Korea is fine...”

Andy took out her phone, calling the ambulance in a hurry. Serena had never seen her girlfriend look so livid.

”Are you all crazy?! We should at least call the ambulance in situations like these! Reckless, why didn’t you call 911 sooner?!”

Reckless kneeled in front of AJ, looking apologetic while still bawling her eyes out.

”You’re right Andy... I’m so sorry AJ, if only I wasn’t a dumbass... Come on, don’t lose consciousness! Or at least tell me your blood type before you do! Maybe we can still save you...”

”B... positive...”

”*sniff* I’m trying AJ but you’re losing a lot of blood...”

”That’s not... *cough* what I meant... you fucking dumbass *cough*"

This all looked like a comedy skit to be honest. AJ’s blood type wasn’t even B, it was O. Was she so out of it that she made a mistake? Serena went through 8 stages of whiplash before the ambulance finally showed their asses on the murder scene. Unfortunately, AJ hadn’t seen her attacker and same thing for Reckless. In any case it was useless to stay there, the group rushed back to the dorms like they were supposed to a long time ago before they found AJ dying. Hopefully Claire was still okay... It was like running a marathon. Arlington was way too big than it needed to be.

[tkstreyes]

Baby Fever

Follow-up to my fic Burning Love (or the one where TK and Carlos elope). If you want to read that one first, you can find it here. 

TK and Carlos have The Talk… about babies and starting a family. Thank you @starsignoutofwhack for the prompt! Still not sure I like the ending, but let me know what you guys think!

Word Count: 2.1k

Completely exhausted from their spontaneous trip to Vegas and fucking getting married, TK and Carlos are sitting on the floor, propped up against the couch, eating takeout and watching trashy reality TV. Carlos is wrapped up around TK, his chest pressed against his hubby’s back as TK sits between Carlos’ legs. Carlos attempts to use his chopsticks to steal a dumpling from the container in TK’s hand, earning him a slap on the wrist and protests to stick to his own dinner.

Carlos just giggles, but he can tell something is up with TK. He hasn’t said much since they got home, and Carlos knows him well enough by now to know when something is making him anxious. He puts down his own food container and wraps his arms around TK’s waist, giving him a tight squeeze and pressing his cheek against his shoulder.

“Ty, are you okay? What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

TK puts his food on the coffee table and sighs, leaning into Carlos’ embrace. “Yeah… everything is fine. I’m just thinking.”

Carlos smiles into TK’s back and presses a kiss into the nape of his neck. “I know, cariño. I think I can actually hear the gears in your brain grinding away.”

TK chuckles before turning his head so he can get a good look at his beautiful husband. “I was just thinking about what my dad said today at the station. You know, about us having kids. I hope him saying that didn’t make you feel uncomfortable at all.”

Carlos shifts, turning TK around so that they are face to face. “I know we haven’t talked a lot about it, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. I mean, I know he was just messing around, but how do you feel about it?” Carlos is walking on eggshells. TK has been so much better about opening up and being vulnerable with him, but Carlos doesn’t want to push him too hard to the point where he shuts down. This is something they need to talk about eventually, and better to do it now while they are already on the subject.

TK’s face is unreadable. He is fidgeting, eyes down on his hands twisting in his lap. After what feels like forever, TK looks up at Carlos through his eyelashes, puppy dog eyes on full display, and in that moment Carlos knows he would give TK whatever he wants.

“I never really thought about it much before, not even when I was with Alex. It never seemed like we were at that point in our relationship, even though I almost asked him to marry me. I never thought I would be a good dad. I love my dad, and of course I know he loves me, but he wasn’t around all that much when I was a kid. The firehouse was his home, his crew was his family. I felt like the only way I could get his attention was to join the crew myself. My dad and I are close now, but I made it easier so he didn’t have to choose between his family at home and his fire family. I never wanted to put a kid through that.”

Carlos is being patient, eyes glued on TK’s and taking in every word. TK takes a shaky breath before continuing.

“But today, when my dad made that comment, I felt so much love for you, Carlos.” A smile spreads across TK’s face, his green eyes shimmering. “I didn’t feel scared, or even nervous. I felt fucking happy. I felt like there would be nothing that would make me happier than being a dad and having a kid with you. You know I love kids… I mean, I still go see Colt once a month to check up on him and to just hang out, build some Legos and stuff. But now, I am thinking how fucking much I would love our kid, Carlos. I know there would be a lot of logistics to straighten out, like whether we would adopt or have a surrogate, but I—”

Carlos cuts TK off by pulling him into a deep kiss, a slow and gentle kiss, like he has all the time in the world. When they finally pull apart to catch a breath, Carlos keeps his hands on TK’s face, caressing his cheeks with his thumbs, and he is trying (and failing) to keep the tears from his eyes, a soft smile on his lips.

“You, Tyler Kennedy, are going to make an amazing dad. You have such a capacity for love and kindness. You are always putting others before yourself, almost to a fault, but I love you all the more for it. I know that when it comes to our kid… Wow that is really weird to say, but I know that you would do anything for our kid, because that is who you are, Ty. You are someone who genuinely cares about others, and I am pretty sure that is the best quality a dad can have, right?”

Carlos takes TK’s hands, intertwining their fingers and holding his hands tightly as TK sniffles and holds back tears.  

“I totally and completely want to have a kid with you, Tyler. I grew up with older sisters, and now that all of them are married and have kids, I have wanted that for myself, too. I love my nieces and nephews so much, but it is nothing compared to how much I would love our kid. I know that there is still a lot we don’t know about being dads, but I know together we will figure it out. We are a team… you’re my partner in crime, babe.”

TK wipes over his eyes with one hand and lets out an amused huff. “God what is happening to me? Now that I’m married I’ve turned into such a sap.” He chuckles and gestures to Carlos with a small smirk. “You’ve always been the sappy one,” he says, earning a light shove from Carlos, and they both laugh as they pull each other into a hug. “I know now that I want to do this with you, but as of when…” TK trails off, pulling back to read Carlos’ reaction.

Carlos shakes his head, gripping TK’s shoulders and locking eyes with him. “As much as I want to be a dad with you, we don’t have to do anything right now. We are still so young, Ty, and we have plenty of time. But I am so glad that I got to have this conversation with you, so we know that while it might not be happening right now, it is going to happen for us someday. Maybe even someday in the near future, and I cannot wait for that day, cariño.”

“God, how do you always know just the perfect thing to say to get me out of my head?” TK looks at his husband with total love and adoration.  

Carlos leans in for a soft quick peck. “Because, Ty, I know you, and I love you. I feel like I have known you forever. You are a part of me, so when you need something, I know because it’s something that I need to.”

TK shakes his head as a light pink blush dusts across his cheeks. “Wow, how did I get so lucky to find you… to be loved by you?”

“I’m lucky to be loved by you, too, Ty,” Carlos breathes, “and one day, our kid will be so lucky to be loved by you.”

……….

One Year Later

When Carlos gets home from his shift, he can hear a commotion coming from somewhere deep in the apartment. He hears a loud bang followed by a string of expletives, and Carlos can’t help but giggle. “Ty, I’m home! What are you doing in there?”

TK comes running into the living room, hauling a newly purchased diaper bag around, throwing things in at random. “Carlos! Thank god you’re home. Kat just called from the hospital. She’s in labor.”

TK is practically vibrating with nervous energy. “I can’t believe this is happening right now. We are about to be dads, Carlos. Holy shit, we are about to be dads. Oh my god, we are not ready. Do we even have everything we need? Where’s the car seat? We are gonna need that… Diapers! We have enough, right? Oh god, what about the crib! Wait we put that together last week—”

“Tyler!” Carlos yells to get his attention in the midst of his frantic rambling and uses both hands to grab hold of his jaw, forcing TK to make eye contact. “Breathe, baby. You need to breathe. Take a deep breath with me.”

TK does as he’s told, inhaling slowly before letting out a shaky breath, and Carlos’ hands slide down TK’s neck to grip his shoulders firmly. “Okay, much better, now that I’m not worried about you passing out from hyperventilation… We’ve got this. We are going to be okay. Let’s finish getting everything together, and then we will go to the hospital to meet our beautiful baby, okay?”

Closing his eyes and taking another deep breath, TK nods and huffs out a breath, forcing a small smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He is still shaking as he says, “Yes, okay, let’s do that. Damn Carlos, how are you so calm right now? I’m freaking out a little bit over here.”

Carlos raises an eyebrow at TK and smirks. “A little bit?”

“Okay, okay, I’m freaking out a lot. This is just… so big. You would think I would be able to handle myself in high pressure situations but…” TK trails off as he drags a hand down his face. His eyes drop to the floor, and he whispers so low Carlos barely catches what he says next. “What if Kat regrets picking us? What if she regrets picking… me?”

The break in TK’s voice breaks Carlos’ heart. The idea that TK can even think something like that has tears stinging Carlos’ eyes. He softly takes TK’s jaw in between his thumb and his index finger, tilting his chin up so Carlos can look into his beautiful green eyes.

“Tyler Kennedy, you are going to be an amazing dad. I have absolutely zero doubts about that. Kat chose us because she saw in you the same things I see in you. Someone who is thoughtful, caring, selfless, and a million other important things. You always put others first, and protecting the people you love is your top priority. Kat wanted to choose the best family for her baby, and I truly believe that she couldn’t have chosen anyone better.”

There are tears trailing down TK’s cheeks. He brings one hand to his face to carelessly wipe at them as the other reaches up to wrap around Carlos’ forearm tightly. His eyes are wide, and he squeezes Carlos’ arm even tighter. “But I’m an addict, Carlos… What if I relapse? What if I put the baby in harm’s way because I can’t focus on anything but getting a fix?”

Carlos’ chest tightens, and it feels like someone is squeezing his heart and trying to rip it out of his chest. His first instinct is to try to lighten the mood, to try to get TK to see that Carlos would never let that happen. “Honey, I’m a cop. You think you’ll be getting any drugs past me?” he says with a smirk.

When TK doesn’t laugh or even crack a smile, Carlos continues, gripping onto TK a little tighter. “Hey, cariño, I would never let anything happen to you or this baby. You have been doing so much better; you’ve been sober for well over a year now. I know that doesn’t mean that you don’t have the intrusive thoughts or urges, but you are the strongest person I know. I can go to more meetings with you, if you want, and we can get in touch with your sponsor more often. You have been fighting this fight for a very long time, and it seems like every day it’s a little bit easier to win. If that’s ever not the case, just let me know and we will figure it out together.”

TK finally smiles as more tears fall down his face. “Wow, I really do have the best husband, and this baby is about to have the best father.”

Carlos brings his hands up to cradle TK’s face, his thumbs brushing away the tears. He pulls TK in for a kiss, soft and sweet, filled with hope and longing. “The best fathers, you mean. Now, one more deep breath. Let’s get going… we have a baby on the way.”

[k-writer1998]

Rebel Hours (18/18)

Kwon Jieun always fit her parents’ image of the “perfect” daughter… at least to their knowledge. Away from prying eyes she was like any other girl living life to the fullest doing what she wants. When a little someone named Bang Chan comes into her life priorities are changed, mistakes are made, and her life finally becomes her own.

Fluff

w.c: 1.8k

A/N: And there is our ending folks :) hope you enjoyed the series? story? idek lol

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"FINALLY the idiot couple is back together!” Changbin hollered.

 “All seven of you together… too suspicious. Which one of you set it up?”

“I’m guessing Felix and Seungmin,” Chan mused and I nodded in agreement.

“Hey!” Jisung and Hyunjin both shouted.

“You two, working together? I told you they get along babe.”

“So this mean we get a get-out-of-murder free card right?” Jeongin interjects.

“Fine, since it was for my greater good you three get a pass,” I smile.

“Shouldn’t you thank us?” Jisung started before Hyunjin added, “We basically got you back together.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch but since I’m in a good mood, whatever. I’ll treat everyone to dinner.”

“Are you sure you can treat eight hungry dudes?” Minho challenged.

“Yes,” I laugh and add, “I got paid yesterday.”

      As the boys cheered excitedly and ran ahead, debating where to eat, I felt a pair of arms snake around my waist. Chan pulled me back a bit to give us some privacy away from the group as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

“I just wanted it to be us…”

“Don’t worry we can ditch them after eating. Movie at yours?”

“I like the way you think,” he booped my nose.

      We caught up with the rest of the group and joined the discussion for what we were going to eat. After much deliberation, we finally entered a restaurant and sat at a table. As with every time we hang out with such a large group, it was borderline chaos and a lot of fun. There was the unavoidable bickering of Hyunjin and Jisung, Felix jokingly doing ASMR to Seungmin, and Minho roasting the whole group. While everyone was finishing up their meals I excused myself to the “restroom.” Although they said it was my treat, the boys would probably feel bad for having me pay for everything thus me lying about going to the bathroom. When I paid though it was oddly cheaper then I expected. It wasn’t until the woman at the register not only handed me back my change but also a card too. I was about to make a comment but then I felt a presence behind me as a hand reached out to take the card.

“Hey! I was supposed to treat everyone.”

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you pay that much?”

“A good one because then my words wouldn’t only be half validated by you butting in,” I pout.

“Look on the bright side. At least it’s half validated because if I paid full like I wanted to, that pout on your face would turn into a furrowed brow and that means big trouble for me,” Chan teases.

“Well lucky you. You’re only half in trouble now.”

      I smirked as we headed back to the table. We chatted more with the group until everyone was finished before Chan and I announced we’ll be leaving. As per usual the teasing was never ending as we collected our stuff to go. We decided to walk to his apartment since it was relatively close, the weather was nice, and the world was painted a beautiful mix of colors thanks to the setting sun. The walk back was filled with comfortable silence and smiley glances to one another. We pointed out cute or strange things in shop windows and laughed about it. One thing in particular caught my eye though, a lock and key necklace set. I wasn’t one for flashy shows of relationships or the cutesy couple things but I don’t know… I liked the idea of having something that I could always have with me that reminds me of him. As we passed the window a soft smile replaced whatever dumb comment swirled in the back of my head. We were close to the apartment when Chan suddenly silently cursed to himself.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“I think I forgot my wallet at the restaurant…”

“What?! Then let’s go back!”

“If I run I can make it back in ten minutes. Wait for me at the convenience store at the corner?”

      Did we really cover so much distance in such a short amount of time? We must’ve walked for at least twenty minutes already. I gave the boy a skeptical look but he looked so determined, a mysterious glint in his eye, that I ended up caving.

“Fine, I’ll buy some snacks for the movie while I wait then.”

“I’ll be quick, promise.” 

      He smiled and kissed the top of my head before he sprinted off. With a shake of my head I headed to the convenience store and grabbed a few snacks and a few sweet drinks to go along with it. As I exited the store and looked down the street there was still no sign of Chan so I sat at the tables outside. Grabbing one of the drinks from the bag, I quietly sipped it as I scrolled through my social media. All was fine until I was harshly pulled to my feet, knocking into the table and spilling my drink. Snapping my head to the perpetrator I rolled my eyes and snapped.

“What the hell?!”

“You and I should have a chat kitten.”

“Stop calling me that and let. GO.”

      I struggle to pull my arm from his grasp with a growl. Why does he always show up around me? Aside from my blood boiling, the trembling and fear came back against my will. Kyunghoon scares me, I’ve caught a glimpse of what he’s capable of and I don’t want any part of it. I fought against him to no avail. He dragged me to the side of the convenience store, out of the way from the flow of the main road and away from what may have been my saving grace.

“Well kitten you’ve found your claws, too bad they’re dull or maybe it would actually hurt.”

“What do you want Kyunghoon? I have nothing to say to you.”

“You played a very dangerous game snitching about what happened at the gala,” he growled.

“Whatever, you deserve it,” I roll my eyes, “you’re a disgusting pig. It was a matter of time before your parents found out anyways.”

“You bitch do you know what you’ve done?”

“What, did daddy decide to send you away to another country or did he cut off your money?”

      As the conversation progressed his grip on my arm continually got tighter and the panic grew with the pain. It took a lot out of me just trying to mask the pain in my voice. The feeling of being cornered yet again with the same guy was bringing me back to that night and if I don’t get out of it quickly I just… Chan where are you?

“If all you wanted to do was complain, it seems you’re done so just let me go already.”

“Oh no you don’t. Our last conversation got me thinking, only after our little “occurrence” at the gala did I get jumped by someone’s boyfriend. Something that doesn’t happen often I may add, and your little boy toy’s voice seems familiar. Is there a correlation between the two?”

      Shit, he had brain cells? Well even if he knows now there is no evidence, thanks to Seunghee, to prove it so I decided to antagonize him. He’s done worse to me anyways. Maybe if I keep up the tough act I can find an opening and weasel my way away from him.

“You just want to pin all your problems on me when the fault lies on your own trashy behavior.”

“Think your little lap dog can protect you forever? Where is he right now then?”

“I don’t need him to protect me from you. Someone like you, I can deal with myself,” I spat.

“You won’t be running your mouth for long you stupid slut.”

      He shoved me and my back hit the side of the building, knocking the wind out of me. I was finally free from his grimey paws at least but of course as per his character Kyunghoon moved to attack me while I was down. My reaction time wouldn’t be fast enough to block it so I prepared myself for the blow as I shut my eyes. Thud. I felt nothing but the cold air blowing at me so I opened my eyes and saw the vile being who previously stood in front of me knocked to the floor and my voice ripped through my throat.

“Chan!”

“I warned you I wouldn’t go easy next time I see you messin with girls who want nothing to do with you. Of all the girls, why do you keep messing with mine?”

      Chan growled at the cowering boy below him. Chan had thrown in a few extra punches for good measure and there was that dangerous glint in Chan’s eyes again. I dared not move, not out of fear but at the fact that I knew better than to get in the middle with that look in his eyes. He crouched down to meet Kyunghoon’s eyes with a glare.

“You’re lucky she’s here. I’m gonna say it one last time. Stay away from Jieun or next time you’ll be sent to the hospital.”

      Kyunghoon didn’t waste his chance to scramble away this time at Chan’s threat. Chan immediately rushed to my side to check if I was okay.

“Jieun I’m so sorry I’m late. I shouldn’t have left you alone, are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine Chan, he pushed me to the wall so my back aches a bit but it’ll go away after awhile.”

      I let him fuss about to his heart’s content, not like he would let me get away before he did anyways. When his eyes had finally assessed that I was in fact fine, and I assured him that he was just in time, we grabbed the abandoned bag of goods before heading back to his apartment. I was in charge of finding a movie while Chan moved about, setting out the assortment of snacks and drinks on the table. I wanted to help but he insisted I rest after the “events of the evening” in which I rolled my eyes but complied anyways. As he took a seat beside me something fell from his pockets, hitting me gently on my thigh. Picking up the box, Chan’s face flushed.

“That was supposed to be a surprise for another time…”

“Since I already found it, can I open it?”

“Would it stop you if I said no?”

“Not really,” I responded cheekily.

      He laughs as he gives me the okay to open it. I lifted the lid of the box and gasped, how did he know? In the box rested the lock and key necklace set I eyed in one of the shop windows. Chan gestured to the necklace and I nodded as he took it from my hands. He held up the two necklaces and asked which one I preferred.

“You are definitely the key,” I laugh, “one of a kind and specially made to unlock the secrets of my heart.”

“Now who’s the one being cheesy?”

[spectraspecs-writes]

Korriban - Chapter 94

Link to the masterpost. Chapter 93. Chapter 95.

@averruncusho @ceruleanrainblues @chubbsmomma @strangepostmiracle thank you for reading, you get a tag. @skelelexiunderlord thank you for support, you get a tag.

-----------

This tomb looks significantly newer than Ajunta Pall’s, and there’s text that I can actually read so it must be recent enough. It’s not Galactic Basic, but it’s not some long-dead language, either. This is the tomb of Tulak Hord, a lightsaber specialist by the look of it. So definitely more recent than Ajunta Pall, who didn’t have a lightsaber. This is the tomb where I met Lashowe, though, that’s going to have consequences as far as the tuk’ata population is concerned. Without the matriarch, there may be infighting to establish a new matriarch, or a daughter may have stepped up that isn’t fit to rule the pack. In an ideal world the pack would just go on as normal but when is it ever an ideal world?

This tomb is a little brighter than Ajunta Pall’s, but still pretty dark. There’s more to it, too - Ajunta Pall’s was a straight shot with a trick along the way. This tomb is from a different era, and relies on twists and turns as well as tricks to keep looters at bay. But we are not the first to proceed this way, and a bit of a trail has been marked by dark splotches on the walls. No, they’re not blood - even if the Sith were that weird, you’d have to carry the blood through the tomb and that would drive the tuk’ata nuts. That’s a death wish kind of thing to do. But the splotches are high enough on the wall that the tuk’ata couldn’t reach, and too regular to be natural. I can handle if it’s a trap of some kind.

The tuk’ata are not composed at all, which is what I expected. When we run across a few, they don’t attack in a uniform fashion. It’s sloppy, uncoordinated, and they don’t attack as a unit. Damn you, Lashowe, you ruined the pack dynamics. Most of them I can just scare off, but we do have to kill a few along the route marked off for us.

The route dead ends near an ancient console, sort of like the ones in the ruins on Dantooine. They said the Star Map was in Naga Sadow’s tomb, so what is this doing here? I hit a button. It still works and it displays in Basic. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Jolee says.

“Yeah, me too,” I say, “but I think we can get ourselves out of any trouble.” I use the console to open the door.

“I dread the day you’re wrong about that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

We step through and are met with another closed door as the one behind us closes. Something… smells awful. Is the room spinning? Oh, shit, poison gas. Carth… is Carth okay?

Jesus, that knocked the wind out of me. I feel like there’s a Reek sitting on my chest. I try to look around. I’m not in the chamber anymore. Looks like the crypt. Carth - where’s Carth? He’s still out cold. Jolee’s conscious but pretending he’s not. Which he would only do if he got some benefit out of it. Something smells again. But not like poison, more like sweat. Someone here has not bathed in days, minimum, and it’s none of us.

“Awake already, are you?” Sounds like a kookier old man than Jolee, who I can actually hear huff in my head. Ah, he knows I love him. “Good!” I try to get a better look at this crusty old dude. He’s got the same grayish skin as Master Uthar, but way more crazed. “This is the tomb of Sith Lord Tulak Hord, if you don't know. I've taken up residence here, for now… it's dusty and full of critters, but it's home.”

I try and fail to sit up a bit. “Not that I don’t get the sentiment, because I would love to swap stories about dusty critter homes, but who are you and why the hell am I here?”

“Ah, yes!” he exclaims, “Introductions of course! I suppose it is time, isn't it?” Anyone like this who hasn’t had twelve cups of caff is certifiably cuckoo for Core Puffs. (Hell, even if you have had twelve cups of caff, I’d still be worried about you being a responsible adult alone.) “This other student here that I captured earlier you should know well enough. His name is Mekel. Say hello, Mekel.”

God, he looks awful! He tries to mumble something at me but can’t. From what I can tell he’s got loads of fresh electrical scarring, and I don’t think he got it playing with wires. “Poor lad,” the kook says with mock sympathy, “He's had a hard day. My name is Jorak Uln. I was once the head of the academy, so I'm sure you've heard of me.”

“Yeah, I heard you went nuts and ran for the hills.”

He blusters and can’t managed to get a single comprehensible word out, except for “stupid Uthar”, before moving on. “Anyway…” he says, trying not to release his anger on me yet, “I'd like to propose that we move onto the main event. You see, I'd like to discover if you've got the pluck of an old-fashioned Sith. Most of the drek Uthar has been passing through these days is so pathetic. Take young Mekel here… I already tested him. Didn't I, Mekel?” Mekel mumbles again, and Jorak Uln laughs. “Yes, yes, you're welcome. You see, Mekel here has the cruel disposition of a Sith,” - which doesn’t surprise me - “but not the gumption that I'm looking for.”

Well, he’s definitely lost it, and needs clinical help finding it. But that’s not going to get me out of here. “So what happens if I pass your test?”

“Why, then, you go free!” Bingo! “Tell you what… I'll even pass onto you my own personal thesis on ancient Sith philosophies. They're based on all I've learned studying Tulak's tomb. It'll make you a better Sith, I'm sure.” Which is not something I’m looking for. “The chances of you passing, however, are sadly remote.”

I like my chances, actually. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Now, now, is that any kind of attitude to take with higher education?” In my experience, yes. “I'm doing you a favor, really. So, then! This is how it goes: I'm going to pose a moral question to you. Get it right, and I torture Mekel. Get it wrong, and I torture you.” You can’t answer a moral question right or wrong, they’re opinions. But you know what, I don’t think that concerns him. “Mekel, here, is a bit weak… he probably won't be able to take much more punishment.” No, that’s some bad scarring, like “seek help now” scarring. “Mind you… get too many wrong and you'll die, yourself.” I’ve got a pretty high tolerance for electricity like that, but if it’s anything like how I was shocked earlier… I don’t want that again. But I can’t kill Mekel, either. He’s trash, sure, but he’s young trash. He could grow out of his trashiness if he’s given a push in the right direction. “I don't know what you think of Mekel. Maybe you don't like him. Maybe you think he deserves to be murdered? Well, here's your chance. Fair enough?” Okay, I can take some damage, how much can Mekel take? Trying to calculate all this in my head, work out my angles. When I don’t respond, Jorak Uln talks again. “Well, then! Any last comments before we begin, Mekel?”

Mekel looks over at me, he can see the wheels turning in my head. He grunts and says, “We can... both survive... attack him together!”

“Now, now, dear lad,” Uln says, “Do you really think your friend here will answer questions wrong just to spare little you, risking her own life? And how many correctly-answered questions before you die, hmmm? No, don't be silly… you had your chance, remember? On that note, let's begin!

“Now, then. Your immediate superior amongst the Sith is an effective commander and a fine leader. He trusts you and you like him. You see an opportunity to kill him. What do you do?”

A Sith would answer that they’d kill him and take power. But I have to be strategic about this to get both of us out alive. Let’s answer this one honestly. “I do nothing. He’s a good leader.”

“Incorrect!” Yeah, I know. “What sort of thinking is that? If all the Sith thought as you did, we would all be soft like the Jedi.” You’d also have a military that wasn’t built on fear and cruelty, but that must be too much to ask. “Ah, well. It is time for your punishment.” Oh, good God! Fuck!

But it’s over quick enough, thankfully, and he moves on to the next question. “And so we come to round two. You come across a group of humans who are threatened by dangerous animals. They plead for help, offering you a reward. What do you do?”

Hell, I’d help them without a reward. A Sith would take the reward and leave them. But I need a breather before I get shocked again. I give Mekel an apologetic look before I answer. “I take the reward and leave them to die.”

“Correct! The humans would no doubt just be preyed upon by something else, later.” Assuming I just left them. “Stand up for yourself, I say! We're not Jedi shepherds, after all.” He looks at Mekel. “Sadly, Mekel, the ingenuity of your fellow student is your loss. This is going to hurt.” Even as Mekel writhes in pain, I can’t help but be grateful it isn’t me. Even as his skin breaks and more scars ripple across.

Third question. “Let's see… ah, yes. You discover an aspect of the Force that gives you great power. Do you share it and strengthen the Sith as a whole or keep it to yourself?”

A Sith answer, as well as a scout’s answer, is to keep it to yourself. You always keep an advantage to keep yourself afloat at the end. For me it’s a hot springs on Utapau. The people there are fair traders and welcoming of outsiders, soil is rocky in a lot of places but they’ve spent millennia farming there so they know what they’re doing. Wildlife is stunning. I figured it would be a good place to settle when I couldn’t scout anymore. I guess for a Force user, a new power would be just as valuable. But I think Mekel needs a breather now. I don’t want to give it to him. But who am I if I let him die? “I share it,” I say finally.

“You gained an advantage and you share it freely?!” Dude, shut up. “Let them rip the secret from my dead hands, I say!” I plan to. “I mean... 'share it'?! Are you mad?!” He sighs. “Well, you did ask for this. It's for your own good.” Holy hell, I hate this! What the shit have I gotten myself into?

God, I need a break. “Still going?” Man, shut the hell up. “Alright, then. One of your underlings has made a major mistake which makes you look bad. He is normally very competent and skilled. Do you kill him or give him another chance?”

Personally I’d let him live. Let him learn. A Sith would kill him without a thought. And I don’t want to get hit again. Not so soon. “Kill him,” I say.

“Correct!” he exclaims. “Publicly, if you can. There is no room for that level of failure.” Dude, you’re the one living in a crypt, don’t lecture me about failure. “Not killing him would be seen as a sign of weakness... and then where would you be?” He turns to Mekel. “Ahhh, Mekel. The time has come once again, hasn't it?” Lightning shoots from his fingers again.

“Last question!” Oh, thank fuck. “You're about to die. Do you pass on your knowledge to your apprentice to make him stronger… or do you use your last breath to strike at your enemies?”

Just when I think the answer to this isn’t obvious, it comes to me: A true Sith never dies. Like… is that metaphorical, like how people still remember Ajunta Pall, or is that literal in the sense that Ajunta Pall wasn’t exactly dead? Or could it be both at once? Is Tulak Hord floating from room to room? Is there an ancient Sith no one remembers who’s haunting some cantina or something? And what does “true Sith” mean, anyway? What happens to a “false” Sith? Where did that answer even come from?

Either way, Mekel looks awful. I don’t think he’ll survive another right answer. I may hate it but I’ve still got a few wrong answers in me, and if this is the last question, then I’ll be okay. “I pass on my knowledge.”

Jorak Uln giggles excitedly. “Fool! It is a trick question! A true Sith never dies!!” You mean I was right? He laughs again. “I'll enjoy this one. Time for your medicine!” Shit shit! It’s okay, Rena, just lie back and think of droids, they always apologize for shocking you!

He gives me a moment to breathe. But it’s not a kindness. “Now, this is odd,” he says, “The test is over and you're both still alive. Well that's never happened before. Hmmmn…” Jolee shifts a bit. Carth is conscious now and even though Jolee has healed him both are still playing dead for now. “What to do, what to do…” Uln ponders, “I suppose this means you can go, Mekel.” He releases him from his grip. “I'll have to just figure out what to do with our friend, here. Run along, now.”

“Or…” Mekel says slowly, “… or I could use the Force to free her! And we could kill you!!” I feel Uln’s grip on me slacken and finally break. My legs feel jellied but I can still stand, and I pull out my lightsabers. I reach out with the Force and exhaust it to heal Mekel and myself. I hope Jolee saved some energy because we're both still only at half strength. “Seems you didn't think of that, old man!!”

“What?!” Uln exclaims, “Mutiny! Behave, students! I'll…!” Now Jolee reaches out to both of us, and I can stand on my legs again. Mekel’s scarring closes over. Carth jumps to his feet and pulls Jolee up. And now Uln loses the little he had left. “That's it! Detention for all of you! Permanent detention!!”

Uln activates his double-bladed lightsaber, but I’ve got my two out and Mekel has his as well. None of us have any Force left, but neither does Uln, which evens it out a bit. Uln focuses on Mekel, which means I can fight dirty from behind if I avoid the other end of his lightsaber. No one gives me electrical scarring if they don’t apologize afterwards. If he were a droid who didn’t apologize, well, I’d get to retune his power core, which can be unpleasant for the droid. People don’t have power cores, so I guess I have to just beat him senseless. Mekel pushes him backwards onto uneven footing. I sweep his legs out from under him and he falls over. Without missing a beat, Mekel runs him through.

He stands over him and laughs ironically. “What do you know?” he says, “I guess he wasn't a 'true Sith' after all.” He sighs and relaxes. “I can't believe that I'm alive,” he says, “You saved me… you could have easily just answered those questions and let me die. You knew the answers, I could tell, I could see you mulling it over.”

“Nobody deserves to die like that,” I say firmly, “There is no universe in which I left you to die.”

He takes a second to reflect. “Yeah, well…” he says thoughtfully, “… I see what you mean. I’ve never… I mean, I've never been on that side of the fence before. It makes you think. I'd be dead if you weren't…” He stops again, like he’s correcting himself. “… I mean, if you were a proper Sith. But you're not, are you? Don't worry… I won't tell anyone.”

“Frankly, I wasn’t worried, but thank you, anyway,” I say. He’s still quite pensive. “Seems to me like you’ve got a lot on your mind, a lot of thinking to do.” He looks at me wordlessly. “I get the impression you don't want to be a ‘true Sith’ like Uln. You’ve just got some crap to work through. There’s better places to work through it.”

“You mean… the light side?” he says softly, “I've never thought about that. Can you… can you even go back? I've done some… I mean, I've hurt a lot of people.”

“There's always remorse,” Jolee says, “And atonement. That's the harder path, though, boy. Think you can do that?”

“I…” he says nervously, “I don't think the light side is for me. But… maybe neither are the Sith. Maybe it's time for me to leave.”

I take a deep breath. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” I say, “but have you thought about Czerka?”

Mekel scoffs. “Hell, no. Fuck Czerka.”

“Thank you!” I say, and we share a grin. “Well,” I say, “good luck wherever you end up.”

“To you, as well,” he says, “And… thank you.” He walks away, following the splotches on the wall to the exit.

Jorak Uln did a poor job of hiding his thesis. The ancient stone tablet is resting on the tomb of Tulak Hord, right out in the open. It’s not as heavy as it looks, but I am positively worn out, so Carth carries it for me out of the tomb. “So,” he asks me, “are you going to bother with any more tombs?”

“Hell, no, I’m not doing anything else today except relax with that bottle of Tarisian ale on the ship, I am exhausted.”

“I had hoped to save that till the end of the war,” he says, “but I think you’ve earned it now. But that wasn’t what I meant.” I look at him curiously. “By my count all of the other hopefuls are gone. Mekel just left, Lashowe’s dead, we’ll find out about Shaardan soon enough. Whether you’ve earned enough prestige or not, there isn’t exactly anyone left to oppose you.”

“You sound like you’ve got something in mind,” I say.

He shrugs sheepishly. “Well,” he says slowly, “I guess I’d… like to join you for that drink, if you don’t mind.”

This is a hell of a time to ask me out. Not that I’m complaining. “I’d like that,” I say.

He tries very hard not to beam. God, he’s adorable.

-----

Shaardan is dead at Master Uthar’s feet. Frankly I’m surprised nobody’s moved the body yet. “Master Uthar!” I call to get his attention, and he turns to me. “I have a tablet written by Jorak Uln.” Carth hands it off to him.

Uthar looks surprised. “It appears my old master was busy studying the writings in one of the tombs. How interesting.” He glances at me. “I do hope you had to pry this from his dead fingers.” Not exactly. “Regardless, you have impressed me with your worthy act.” He looks directly at me now. “Even if you were not the sole remaining hopeful, you have impressed me enough, by my estimation, to become a Sith in full. Congratulations, young one… you have bested the others quite completely, in more ways than one I’m sure. You have but one final test which you must take, and this requires us to travel to the tomb of Naga Sadow in the Valley of the Dark Lords. I would advise you to be rested and equipped before we leave. Return to your quarters now and seek me out in the morning.”

“My ship is still docked in Dreshdae,” I say, “Do you have any objection if I got there instead?”

“Go where you choose. But when you return, make sure that you have all that you will need… for you will face your test alone. Go, and may the Force serve you well.”

[shibalen]

💥hewwo can I pwease get a romantic male matchup for bnha (darkbox bc I live for angst) (music box) when you have the time uwu

Levi he/him gay entp supposedly (also if it's not too much to ask please no characters under the age of 18 please)

I've been described as having a strong and loud personality, I'm extroverted and outspoken. I'm pretty eccentric too.

I value friendship, kindness and standing up for others.

Goal wise I'm pretty aimless. I dont have any goals, if I die well I guess that's it babey. In the meantime I'm just here to help animals and people who need it.

Positive traits: I always stick up for people in need, I'm good at reading people, I'm good with animals, I love to make people smile and laugh, cheerful, good at talking my way out of bad situations, uhm. Friendly!

Negative traits would be: hot headed, loud, stubborn, arrogant, comes across as intimidating:( good at getting into bad situations, gets into fights very often. Can be spiteful, I've been described as a pyromaniac so theres that. Can be sadistic

What pisses me off: my father. I can and will cause trouble for that man for as long as I live. And people who pick on the weak.

My hobbies and interests areeee: true crime babey! Crying over video games, baking, the occult, taking naps, dream interpretations and tarot readings

Likes: animals, cats specifically, stars, fire, sunsets, supposedly haunted places, storms, being dramatic for the hell of it, tormenting people in a good hearted way

Dislikes: uhhhh hot weather I guess.

Quirks: uh I have 5 cats! Ones my fathers but he never takes care of his cat so i pretty much count him as my own (plus he likes me more than my dad and it pisses my dad off hehe) I have weirdly accurate intuition, it makes reading people easy, knowing what they want to hear and what they dont.

Uhhh dates and relationship wise I'm honestly happy doing whatever my s/o wants to do. All I want is to see their face light up.

My love language is physical touch, I dont like touching people but if it's someone I feel strongly about youd have to pry me away from them.

I once got kicked out of a library for starting a fight in it, trashy I know but I wasnt going to stand there and do nothing while my friends were being bullied and pressured into getting involved with a really dodgy man. I scared the bullies off for good at least B) they never bothered my friend again babey

Oh I'm also known around the area I live in as someone who's good at finding homes of lost pets. Often times I come across a lost animal and befriend it in no time and use my connections to find its family.

Sorry if this was rly long and thank you for your time!! I hope you have a fantastic day uwu if anything's too difficult to come up with ideas for I'm more than happy for you to change anything to make it easier for you too!

♡︎ matchup for anon

heya! here i am with another late matchup but i hope you still see this. i'm sorry about the delay (╯_╰)

bnha: i match you with . . .

natsuo todoroki !!

• this was one of those "heureka!" moments for me. you both hate your dads and hot weather? it's a match made in heaven! okay jk, these are just nice add-ons.

• what really made me consider Natsuo were your values and personality. kindness and friendships are important to both of you. Natsuo's a medical student so i am convinced helping others is high on his priority list too. he loves your driven and passionate nature because he doesn't go sugarcoating bs either.

• you're definitely the more energetic one while Natsuo only gets hot-headed about the things that are the most important to him. i think it's a good compromise, you can help each other out :)

• he was a little taken aback and cautious of your explosiveness at first but warmed up to it quickly after learning what a kind person you really were. now he thinks your dramatic attitude is funny during your sillier moments ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

• speaking of, you lads met at an animal shelter. there had been a dog that was astray in the neighbourhood of his home, so Natsuo, being a responsible boyo, took it to the local shelter.

• then there you were, standing by the help desk with five kittens wrapped in your jacket in your arms. apparently someone had been trying to drown them so you'd taken care of the situation accordingly.

• Natsuo understood jumping into a lake to rescue the poor animals because he would have done the same, but you could have had just called the police?? it was extremely ridiculous but admirable at the same time to beat all those guys up.

• your chat turned into a pleasant conversation afterwards as you were waiting for the animals to finish their check-ups. Natsuo was a bit shy but you didn't mind and kept the chat going which he appreciated.

• later he volunteered to help you look for good homes for the animals you'd both found. during this project the two of you got to know each other quite well and ended up hanging out together afterwards!

• and from that point on, everything fell into place naturally. the growing spark between you was undeniable and you both knew it. Natsuo definitely liked you longer, he was just a lil dense about it . . .

• you're nothing short of a hero in his eyes but dear lord he worries for you. when he's attending lectures he sometimes can't help but wonder if you're all right and not getting involved in anything violent.

• attends to your possible injuries while nagging you not to be so quick to start a fight next time. in return, you playfully bully him for being such a mom.

• you join forces with Fuyumi to pick on him about your relationship. even though you're already together, soft Natsuo still blushes when his affection for you is brought up, it's entertaining for both you and Fuyumi.

• idk if you've heard but Natsuo's 181cm tall!! hugging someone has never been easier even if you happen to be taller than him. the only thing is his skin's naturally kind of chilly so he's lowkey worried if you dislike it but you always assure him he's perfect!

• one time he was stressed over exams so you baked him some blueberry muffins. he gave you the biggest hug and kiss because it's exactly all these little things you do that set his heart racing for you ♡︎

• "last night i saw a dream about being a frog and eating giant flies, it was gross."

• "oh, that just means your love life is about to become fun."

• "i'm not sure how those two are related."

• "just trust me. i'm a pro at this."

• he also likes giving you headpats as much as he likes receiving them! his hands are quite big so he often runs his fingers through your hair when you're cuddling or hugging. it's especially relaxing after a long period of studying. also him carring you on his broad back ԅ(￣ε￣ԅ)

• you enjoy the little things in life and complain about your fathers together. you've agreed to wait a while before even mentioning your relationship to them because, honestly, Natsuo doesn't want any more horrible influences in your life.

• you get him sucked into the world of video games. it's always fun to watch him struggle but he never gets salty about losing maybe a lil he adores your smile as you laugh at him for being so bad at them.

• your dates include: helping out at animal shelters and retirement homes, video game and movie nights (especially about true crime), arcades and astronomy tower explorstions. i feel like Natsuo's more into traditional, romantic and chill dates and that's your usual thing. though i see sometimes you going to get coffee and ending up solving a 50-year-old murder case instead (✧ω✧)

❦︎ ink box

— despite Natsuo's best efforts to distance himself from Endeavor, it wasn't quite as easy and everyone was very much aware of the Todoroki family. and now the son of the number 1 hero had a lover.

— it wasn't actually that troublesome at first. some newpaper paparazzi occasionally annoyed you but you didn't care for them. most of the time Natsuo and you had your peace during dates aside from a few casual fans.

— but of course there are all sorts of people out there, some out for revenge, some for money, and being desperate means using even the lowest of methods to get what you want.

— so one time it happened, and it was all that took. several bitter villains thought they'd get their revenge through you, silly as it may sound. they made a big show of kidnapping you and demanding Endeavor to 'make up' for his wrongdoing. but all got resolved thanks to heroes, the only casualty being Natsuo's heart from almost exploding from worry and his deepening hatred for his father.

— later on, it wasn't that Natsuo was worried about you not being able to handle yourself, he feared what might happen if more of powerful villains came after you.

— so, after some debate, you agreed not to meet up for a short while to let the fuse of the incident settle down. it would be safer once the media forgot about it. you still texted and chatter over phone though!

— but then a week turned into two weeks, then into a month. you were wondering what was taking Natsuo to say the coast was clear and did a straight-up inquiry through a video chat.

— you could see he was restless the entire time. he said you should wait longer just to be sure everything was calm before meeting up. you became irritated because he was obviously lying and not being his normal, brutally honest self.

— why was he giving you this crap straight to your face?

— truthfully, Natsuo hadn't been sleeping all right recently. ever since that day he had reoccurring nightmares about something awful happening to you. they were just dreams, he knew. yet considering his ruffled up past and the frequency of those horrible visions, it would have been lie to say he was unaffected.

— paranoia just wouldn't leave him alone, and no matter how much he wanted to hold you in his arms again and hated making up stupid excuses, the voice at the back of his mind whispered this was for the best.

— after a month and a half had passed you've had just about enough, however. whatever reason he was keeping you in the dark for did no longer stop you from crashing into his house and demanding the truth.

— Natsuo knew you and expected this to eventually happen. after you made such a powerful entrance though he also knew there was no getting around it this time. really, it was comforting knowing you cared so deeply.

— he told you exactly what had been happening and you resisted the urge to punch him in the arm for having such a mindset. but the look in his beautiful grey eyes was so heartbreaking you threw yourself to embrace him instead. your touch was everything Natsuo had craved for for all this time.

— you skillfully assured him for the next couple of hours while keeping the talk light-hearted (he had obviously been overthinking way too much already). soon enough the issue was resolved and you had a sleepover right there to make uo for the lost time (Shoto and Fuyumi kept eavesdropping on you because y'all were being way too loud in a cute way).

— "i love you, Natsu, but if you ever keep something like this a secret from me again, i can't guarantee the safety of your arm or your front door."

♫︎ music box

— If I Had An Airplane by SayWeCanFly

— This December by Rick Montgomery

— Round & Laundry from Carole and Tuesday

— Haven't Had Enough by Marianas Trench

— Bowie On The Radio by Ryan McMullan

♡︎ runner up: Dabi / Touya Todoroki

thank you for requesting, hopefully you enjoyed this! i'm really pleased about matching you with Natsuo, it's just so perfect. have a lovely day and remember to take care of yourself ♡︎